#i'm sure that there will be some experts who can prove me wrong

[asoiaf-essays-collector]

Baratheons to blame

You know what? When talking about the shit happened to Westeros people usually blame Ned Stark for his insane moral code and political incompetence, Lannisters for being, well, Lannisters, Robb Stark for his naivety, sometimes Sansa Stark for trusting Cersei.

And I've yet to see even one essay dedicated to Baratheons. One of them was butchering the whole country for a decade, others chose to be literal children effectively giving Westeros to Lannisters.

So let's talk about this.

Robert Baratheon.

Well, say it wasn't his mistake to become a king - Baratheons are related to Targaryens, he had people supporting him and loving him, he was known amongst little folks. Even without political intelligence he was a legit option and perhaps the only one that wouldn't raise any question or create an opposition immediately.

Let's say even marrying Cersei wasn't a political mistake at that time - new dynasty needed gold and supplies, winter was coming soon, and Robert needed all the Great Houses support he could get.

But after that? It's inexcusable.

Many words were written I won't repeat them. My biggest issues are - 6 millions debt, not listening to advisers or at least Jon Arryn and later Ned and giving Storm's End to Renly. How the hell the latter happened and what were the reasons - I still don't understand the mechanism.

But Robert didn't care, didn't listen, he created the state of Westeros that it is now, it's a simple constant and starting point of the series, let's move on.

Renly and Stannis Baratheon.

It was the simple equation. The easiest one.

Tywin Lannister had his 12 000 people in Harrenhal plus an abstract army that was still being gathering in Lannisport - so let's say there were 16 000 people total. 20 000 max.

King's Landing was unprotected af.

Robb was also against Lannisters with his 25 000 people or something around this (and he was also theoretically okay with Stannis as a king).

Stannis had his ships and war strategy skills (and dark magic, but no one knew yet).

Renly had more than 90 000 people.

The simplest solution should be to combine Baratheons, annihilate Lannisters and King's Landing and then discuss the terms of sovereignity or allegiances between themselves. They had no bad blood between them and Robb, just childish grudges amongst Renly and Stannis.

Maybe - even if they didn't agree they could just attack Lannisters from different frontlines and then fight amongst themselves - stupid but still reasonable.

You know - "let's deal with the biggest issue first" style.

But no.

Renly decided to become a king literally out of nowhere - he said so himself. Stannis instead of being smart about it held onto stupid grudges against literally everyone. Oh, his brother didn't love him enough, oh, Ned Stark saved his life just because Robert told him so, oh, Renly took his Storm's End, even the Seven did him wrong! Just put on some big boy pants, man!

I know that that's the whole point of their conflict - it's in Catelyn's chapters, but it just frustrates me af.

Robert was just a bad ruler - that happens, I'm sure there were lots of unfit rulers in Westerosi history.

Ned made a mistake of trusting people he shouldn't had - but he was also very new to all of this shit. Man tried to do something but then failed - that happens sometimes.

Robb basically also made a mistake of underestimating enemy's vile and Frey's disloyalty. Stupid, yes, but he also tried to do something while being inexperienced teenage boy.

Lannisters? Vile, atrocious and horrible people - politically smart and looking out for their family's best interests. Understandable.

Blaming a child - just ridiculous.

But these two? Both adults, having either military or state experience? Just doing fucking nothing because of stubbornness and absolutely childish grudges against each other? While knowing that this war was destroying the whole country? That people are being killed? That Lannisters are getting stronger, not weaker?

That's not even stupid, that's just inadequate.

Amongst all the horrors and injustice happening in Westeros Robert, Stannis and Renly are simply the worst

(well, after the mountain and boltons, but you get the point. stop blaming ned)

[lovelybrooke]

I'm really tired of seeing people use the "AroAce is a spectrum" argument when it comes to Alastor, especially now that the show is getting more popular. I just want to talk it about it a bit, since y'know, I'm AroAce and have a lot of opinions on it.

For reference, I've been a on and off fan on Hazbin Hotel for a long time. The pilot came out around the time I was in middle school and it was a large part of my personality for my younger years. Obviously I fell off it as I got older, but my point still stands.

Alastor was the first time I ever saw a canon AroAce character (that I knew off, I wasn't aware peridot was AroAce), and It was amazing for me. I never got to see myself be represented in a show like that, and even if he wasn't explicitly AroAce, having the creator say he was was amazing, since a lot of the AroAce characters at the time were just popular headcanons.

So you could understand my disappointment when I'd go into fandom spaces and see him be shipped with other characters, be drawn in suggestive ways, and overall his canon sexuality be ignored. Now before you comment and say "Well, Aromanticism and Asexuality are spectrums, so there's a chance he's romance and sex favorable" I want to ask you a genuine question.

Do you think that Alastor is romance and sex favorable because in the show, pilot, or any other official media he is depicted to be that way? OR, do you just think he's romance and sex favorable because it gives you an excuse to write fanfic of him where he's in romantic and sexual relationships?

I have a feeling a lot of you believe it's the second one, but would never admit it. I haven't watched the pilot in a while, but after watching through the show, there hasn't been a single point where he is shown to be romance or sex favorable. Nothing hints to that or points to that in any way.

Because ultimately this isn't about making sure you are representing his character correctly, this is about you guys disillusioning yourself into believing he's romance and sex favorable to that you guys can put him as close to allonormativity without being called out for it. You do not care about real life AroAce people who are romance and sex favorable, you care about your own comfort. And it's easier to imagine Alastor as romance and sex favorable when in reality, he's only been depicted as the exact opposite.

Do you know how I know most of ya'll don't care about real life sex and romance favorable AroAce people? Because AroAce discourse is never ending on this platform. Not too long ago there was a poll going around that had people arguing on whether or not cishet Aromantic men were valid. Aromantic people are constantly villainized and treated like monsters for having consensual loveless relationships. Asexual people constantly have their own experienced denied to their faces, and are told time and time again that they don't actually exist. AroAce people are constantly having to prove that they deserve to be in the LGBTQ+ community, and every few months there is some stupid fucking person who created discourse about a what type of AroAce gets to be in the community, just to divide us and make us feel like shit. And you know what?

You don't care.

You completely ignore or are oblivious to real life discourse surrounding the identity you claim to be an expert on. You ignore real life AroAce people who tell you you're wrong, all while going to war over your right erase an identity you really know nothing about. You would never go this hard for real life sex and romance favorable AroAce people who are constantly told they don't exist, they don't belong in the community that supposed to except them, and that they are either mentally ill or damaged. You don't care about real life AroAce people, because unless they're Tumblr sexy men, they don't matter to you.

I acknowledge that romance and sex favorable AroAce people don't get represented enough, but at some point you have to acknowledge that it less about accurately representing the character, and more about changing characters who are canonically sex/romance repulsed so that allonormative people can be more comfortable with them. If you're someone who's AroAce, and you whole heartedly believe he's romance and sex favorable, good for you, I'm not gonna argue with you.

But if you are not AroAce, and you believe he's romance and sex favorable, I want you to reevaluate why that is. I'm not saying you can't ship him, or write your fanfic, or draw your art. I'm not the police. But please try and see it from a point of view of someone other than your own. Please try and understand why taking one of the very few canonically AroAce characters and weaponizing our own identity against us so you can justify the continuous eraser of said identity is kinda annoying.

Also please don't get heated in the comments, at the end of the day this is about a fictional cannibal, I just have too many opinions.

[nottapossum]

Itty bitty sinners part 1.3

LEGO HOUSE!

Tw: Implied r*pe and abuse, little in distress, implied abusive relationship, implied child abuse, being called a failure, crying, keeping secrets, hiding ones little headspace, lmk if I should add.

I'm gonna pick up the pieces And build a Lego house When things go wrong we can knock it down My three words have two meanings There's one thing on my mind, it's all for you And it's dark in a cold December But I've got ya to keep me warm And if you're broken I'll mend ya And I keep you sheltered from the storm That's raging on now.' Lego house ~Ed Sheeran.

~~~Sir Pentious and Charlie:~~~

“Okay, Pentious. I feel like the best way to get you to heal is if we start encouraging your regressed self to come out so we can heal that inner child!” Charlie announces. 

“How are we supposed to do that?” Pentious asks. “I've never even refresssed before.”

“It's regressed, actually.” Charlie corrects. “And there are many ways to start! Today I think we should take it easy.” She explains. “Do something fun to relax you.”

“Okay? I suppose.” Pentious says. He does trust Charlie, he figures if she wanted to kill him, she already would have, so he has nothing to lose, right? 

Charlie and Pentious are in her office for the hotel's very first regression session. 

Charlie is no therapist or an expert on regression and healing- but, hey! How hard could it be? 

Charlie offers her hand to Pentious, and he takes it. 

She walks him over to the small couch and coffee table in the room. 

“I got you a gift.” Charlie says, holding up a present wrapped in yellow and blue wrapping paper. 

“A gift? For me?!” Pentious asks, his pupils expanded. But he stops himself from taking it. “Wait a minute- how do I know this isn't an explosive of some kind?” He asks. 

“It's not.” Charlie says.

“That's exactly what someone who has an explosive would say!” He says. “You can't fool me, miss missy!” He hissed. 

Charlie rolls her eyes. “Okay, I'll open it to prove there's nothing to be afraid of.”

“No! I want to open it!” Pentious says, taking the gift and unwrapping it.

“You sure you're not little now?” Charlie mumbles. 

“What is this?” Pentious asks. 

Under the paper, there was a box with a building of some sort on it, and when he shook it, it made a rattling noise. 

“This is a lego set!” Charlie says. “I figured since you love to build, this would be the perfect toy for you.” She says. Charlie takes the box and opens it, pouring its contents onto the table. 

“Well, now you've gone and broke my new box.” Pen complains. 

“No no no, it's supposed to be opened.” Charlie says. “We follow this instruction manual to put the house together.” 

Pentious looked at the colorful blocks with intrigue. “And this will help me ‘regress’ as you say?” He asks, adding quotation marks around the word ‘regress’.

“Can't hurt to try.” Charlie says. “Now, If you'd like, I can help you, but if you would rather do it yourself, that's okay too.”

“I…” Pentious thought about it for a moment but then smiled at Charlie. “I'd like to do it together.”

“Great! Let's start with bag one!” Charlie says. 

Pentious agrees. He's actually feeling a lot calmer, more willing to try this. 

He knows about building, there's no pressure in it, and at least he's not alone.

Charlie grabs the little booklet and they take turns following each page exactly. 

Charlie started with the base, then told Pentious to do the next page. 

“You're a natural at this, Pen. Are you sure you've  never played with Legos before?”

“It's not rocket science.” He says as he places the blocks as the picture shows. “I'm used to working with heavier machinery than this.”

“Right, but still. You're doing a great job.” She says.

He was a little confused by the compliment, he didn't accomplish anything new, it was just a toy, right? It wasn't going to be used for anything practical. 

But the compliments didn't stop there, every time he did something new, she told him he was doing a good job.

Having Charlie there to compliment everything he was doing… it was so different from what he was used to…

“Charlie?” He asks.

“Yeah?”

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” She asks. 

“Compliment me.” He explains. “It's nice- but they're only blocks. Right?”

“Right, but you are doing a good job.” She says. “It doesn't matter how big or small it is. It's nice to be noticed when you do something well. Right?”

Pentious looked down at the blocks again…

Suddenly he can recall being a kid. 

He was always interested to see how things worked. 

He was always interested in building, creating something magnificent!

He worked so hard, all the time. 

Trying to be something! To change the world for the better…

‘You will never get anywhere with these lousy contraptions.’ 

‘You are a disgrace.’ 

‘He won't amount to much.’

‘So much wasted potential.’

And it never changed, the older he got, the degradation got worse. 

Then, the worse he got. 

‘You are a fucking loser.’

‘This is exactly why no one loves you.’

‘You must be really bad at this.’

Pentious's breathing tighten. 

“Pen? Are you okay?” Charlie asks. 

Pentious set his arms on the coffee table and set his chin atop of them. “You don't have to be nice to me.” He says. “I know you only do it because you have to.”

“I do it because I mean it.” Charlie says. “No one here has made as much progress as you have, Pen.” She says. 

“There wasn't much to work with.” He mumbles. 

Charlie rests a hand on his shoulder. “Pen, you are a lot…” She says.

Pentious raises an eyebrow.

“In a good way!” Charlie says loudly. “I just- you have so much good about you! I can see it. And in any case…you deserve kindness.” 

“How?” He asks. 

Charlie frowns. “Everyone deserves kindness, at least in the beginning. I'm sorry no one showed you that when you needed it.” 

Pentious looked away from her again, not exactly sure how to respond…or process that. 

Was kindness something he was supposed to be familiar with all along? 

If kindness was something most kids understood…

Why wasn't he worthy of it before? 

“Pentious?” Charlie asks. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” He says, wiping away some tears. “Don't worry about me.”

Charlie takes his hand. “Hey…”

Pentious turned to look at her.

“It's going to be okay, kiddo. Whoever hurt you before, they can't hurt you now.” She promised.

Pentious nods, trying to calm down. Why was he crying?! He shouldn’t be!

“Do you need a hug?” Charlie asks.

Pentious shakes his head. “No, I'm alright. I was just taken by surprise.” He explains.

Charlie nods. “It's okay, this is a safe place, no one here is going to judge you, especially not for showing emotion. It's a good thing, a healthy thing.”

“Are you sure about that?” Pentious asks. 

“Absolutely.” Charlie says. “You're doing a great job; I am so proud of you.”

Pentious smiles despite the tears. “T-thank you, Charlie.” 

~~~Vox and Velvette:~~~

Vox had only begun working when he got the call from Velvette. 

“What's up, Vel?” He answered.

He hears soft crying on the other end of the call. 

Oh shit. Not good.

“Vel?... Velbelle?” He asks. “What's going on? Are you okay? What happened?” 

“Mmm.” She whines. “I-I tried to stay big, Vox.” she says, wiping some tears away. “I really did.”

“Hey, it's okay, Vel. It happens. Do you want me to take care of you?” He asks. 

She nods. “Yeah.”

“Alright, I'll be right there, Princess. Hang on.” He says, hanging up on her. 

Vox assigned jobs to his…employees then headed over to Velvette's room. 

“Vel?” He asks, knocking on the door. 

Velvette opened the door fast and hugged Vox tightly. “I'm sorry.” She cries, hugging him close. 

“Hey, it's okay.” Vox says. “Did you call Val?” He asks. 

Velvette nods. “After I called you, but he didn't answer.” She says.

Vox nods. “Alright.” He picks her up and sits down on the couch with her in his arms. 

“It’s alright, baby. I'm here.” he says, patting her back gently. “Do you want to talk about what happened?” He asks. 

Velvette shakes her head, then buries her face on his shoulder. 

“Alright, Princess.” Vox pets her head gently. “You don't have to.”

Vel starts to relax against Vox, finally feeling calmer after the rough day she's had. 

“Do you want anything, sweetie?” Vox asks.

Velvette doesn't want Vox to move, but she wants her doll. 

Ugh! There's no predicament worse than this predicament!

She whines again, not wanting to say it- because Vox will move, and she can't have that right now!

Vox can tell Velvette is getting a little fussy, so he decides to put something on to calm her down. 

The TV turns on and Sofia the first starts to play. 

Vox texts Val to give him updates on Velvette, he's hoping he might take over sometime mid-day so he can get some work done.

But he got no response. 

Velvette eventually gets up and grabs her dolls after the first few episodes of Sofia play. 

“V?” Velvette asks. 

“Yeah, Vel?” Vox asks. 

“Play wif me?” She asks, handing him one of her dolls. 

Vox smiles and takes the doll. “Anything for you, princess.” 

He may have had a lot to do today, but Vox honestly didn't mind playing with her.  He needs to practice hairstyling anyway. 

And hey, if it brings a genuine smile to her face, it's worth missing a day of work. 

~~~Charlie and Sir Pentious:~~~

Pentious finished the lego set. It was a decent sized set but it felt as if it took them no time at all. 

“Great job, Pen! High-Five!” Charlie shouts

Pentious tilted her head. “High...what?”

“High-five! It's like clapping but with friends.” Charlie explains. “To congratulate you for a job well done.”

“Oh! Okay.” Pentious says.”How does it work?”

“You hold up your hand, and I will hit it with my hand and it'll make a clapping sound.”

“Oh, alright, I will give this high-fiving a try.” He says, pen held up a hand and Charlie high-fived him. 

Pentious smiles. “That was…cool!” Pentious says. “Could I give you one?” He asks. 

Charlie chuckles. “Sure thing.” She held up her hand and Pentious high-fived her back. 

Pentious smiles, that was actually pretty fun. 

“Pen, before we end this session, is it okay if I ask you some questions?” Charlie asks. 

“Are they going to be as difficult as the questions on the test?”

“No, I'm just curious about how you felt today went.” She explains.

“Oh, well. I liked it…I had a nice time.” He says.

“Did it make you feel any younger?” Charlie asks next. 

Pentious shrugs, he was reminded of his childhood a lot- but he still felt like the same person as always. Just- vulnerable-er. 

“It's okay, we can try again tomorrow if you want.” Charlie suggests. “Even if you don't regress, it's a good stress reliever.”

“I think I would like that.” He agrees. 

Today was fun! Even if it's a bit confusing…

But, either way he enjoyed spending time with Charlie and receiving complaints for his efforts.

Maybe this regression thing could actually help him.

~~~Vox, hours later:~~~

Vox has been with Velvette all day. 

Not once did Val answer his texts or calls-

He's been spending all day today and yesterday with Angel Dust!

Something about ‘making him pay for leaving.’

But, it didn't fucking matter! They had a child to take care of, there are priorities!

Vox calls Val again, and this time he doesn't stop until Val answers.

“What?” Valentino answers harshly. 

Oh, so he can answer the phone. How nice. 

“Val, where are you? I've been trying to reach you all day!” Vox complains. 

“I am with Angel Dust.” He purrs. “Why? Are you jealous, baby?” ~

“Val, why don't you leave Angel alone for now and meet me in Velvette's room?” Vox asks. 

“Why would I do that?” Vox asks, very obviously smiling at something behind the phone. Probably Angel. 

“Because we have a little…princess who needs our… special attention.”

Valentino is quiet for a moment. “What?”

Vox rubs his head. “For fucks sake.” He mumbles. “Velvette is regressed! And I could use some help.” Vox whispers harshly. 

“Okay Okay, for Satan's sake, you don't need to shout.” Val says. 

“Look, I have a lot of work to do, and-” 

“Oh! And I don't?!” Val asks. 

“Fucking with Angel is not work; besides you have been filming nonstop for two days. I think you’re due a break anyway. I have work that I haven't been able to accomplish because I've been taking care of Velvette while you ignored all her calls.” 

“You can work from anywhere.” Val points out. 

“Just-” Vox grips the phone tightly. 

There's nothing the moth loved more than to get on his nerves.

 “I'm not playing games, Val! Get. Over. Here!” Vox says.

“Fine, whatever.” Valentino hangs up.

Thank fuck! 

Vox turns back to Velvette who was asleep in his arms. 

“You're lucky you're so cute.” He says, petting her hair. “You know that?”

Velvette wrapped her arms around his neck.

Yeah, she knows.

~~~Valentino and Vox:~~~

Valentino hung up the phone, looking over at Angel who was absolutely exhausted.

Good, he should know who he belongs to. 

“Looks like we'll have to cut today short.” He says. “But I want you all back here bright and early tomorrow!” He shouts. 

The crew started to pack up their things.

Angel sighs in relief, seeming really happy to finally go home.

“Did you get that, Angel?” Valentino asks. 

“Yes, Val.” Angel says, turning away from him. 

“Good.” Val says, then walks out to meet the other V's. 

~~~~

“Thank fuck, where have you been?” Vox asks as Valentino finally walks into the room. 

“Had some things to take care of.” Val says. “What's her deal today?”

“I don't know, she didn't want to tell me.” Vox says. 

“Aw, poor baby girl.” He says. “Did you have a rough day?” He asks the sleeping girl.

Vox hands Velvette over to Val. “Take this.” 

“The fuck?” Val asks, still taking her though. 

Vox sighs. “I told you I had important work. Plus, I've been with her all day. So guess what? Tag, you're it.” He says smiling before exiting the room to leave them. 

Val rolls his eyes, but then smiles at Velvette. “You are lucky you're so cute, babydoll.” Valentino says to her.

~~~Alastor:~~~

Things were relatively quiet at the hotel, probably due to Charlie trying to fix everyone with her stupid test. 

In what way does knowing someone acts like a child from time to time help them with redemption?

Why, Alastor has known many regressors who are also horrible fucking people- take him for example.

Being a regressor did not stop him from brutally murdering and eating the corpse of his very own-

“Alastor! I caught six bugs today! I stabbed them to death and drank their blood!” Niffty rambles as she jumps on Alastor's head, interrupting his thoughts. 

“Hello, Niffty.” Alastor says. “How are you on this fine day?”

“Great! The flying goats flew away from me when I tried to give them a haircut today!”

“That's nice, dear.” Alastor says.

“Hey, Alastor, guess what?! Charlie said I'm not a pet anymore! Isn't that nuts!?” She asks, laughing. “I told her that was ridiculous! Ooo! And I saw a bug near Florence the stain! And I cleaned the hotel six times! Hehehe, It must be cleaaaaaan!!!” She giggles evilly.

Alastor exhales, and removes the young woman off his head. “Niffty, dear?” 

“Yes?”

“Go play in your maze for a bit.” He says. “You need to wear yourself out so you'll actually sleep tonight.” He says. “We don't need you running around here after dark.”

“Okay!” Niffty squeaks and runs to her room.

Alastor chuckles, oh how he adores Niffty’s energy and enthusiasm. 

What was he thinking about? Oh yes, Charlie's regular delusions. 

 Oh, when will she ever learn? 

~~~Charlie:~~~

“Vaggie Vaggie Vaggie!!!” Charlie runs full speed towards her girlfriend. She grabs her hand and swings her around.

“Woah- what happened?” Vaggie asks once they stopped spinning. 

“Today's session with Pentious was amazing! I feel like I can really make a difference and help them all heal!” Charlie says excitedly. 

“And by them all, you mean Angel and Pentious, right?” Vaggie asks. 

“I mean all of them!” She says. “I mean Angel and Pentious, Niffty and Husk, and Alastor!” 

“Charlie…” Vaggie rests her hands on her girlfriend's shoulders. “Remember that conversation about taking things too far and buying the whole little store? We're there.” Vaggie says. “You can't force someone to heal if they don't want to.”

“I know that!” Charlie says. “I'll just lightly suggest it a few times, and eventually when they want to heal, I'll be here!” She says.

“Charlie, I know you want to help them but remember when we talked about boundaries.” She reminds. 

“Don't worry, Vaggie. I won't do anything too extreme; I promise.” She says. “Ooo! What if we built a whole nursery for everyone!?” 

She hears the front door of the hotel opening, and Charlie grips Vaggie's hands excitedly. “I'll bet that's Angel! I'm going to tell him the awesome news!”

“Charlie, wait-” Vaggie tries to stop her, but it's too late. 

~~~Angel:~~~

Angel walked back into the hotel, exhausted and overwhelmed.

How can someone be so fucking cruel?

‘How could you be so cruel, I was just trying to help you!’ 

Angel shivers at the memory.

He has to stop going back there…

“Oh, Angel!” Someone touches his shoulder, causing him to flinch and jump back violently. “Ah!-”

“Oh, sorry.” Charlie says. “You okay?”

“What do you want, Charlie?” Angel sighs in both annoyance and relief. 

“Where have you been? It's been two days.” Charlie says. 

Angel crosses his arms “Uhm work. Where else would I be?” He asks.

“Oh right. Well, after everyone took the test, we've been working on improving the hotel by helping everyone's individual needs, and it's been going great!” She says.

“Cool.” Angel says as apathetic as possible in hopes she'll actually get the message that he's not interested in talking to her right now.

He starts to move again when Charlie grabs his arm. “What?” He asks, annoyed.

“We were hoping you might take the test too.” Charlie says. 

“I'm good.” He says, continuing to walk upstairs to his room. 

“Oh…okay.” Charlie says. “Well, I'm here if you change your mind!” She shouts so he can hear her. 

Angel shuts and locks the door and exhales sharply. 

He's okay, he's here, he's at the hotel now, he's fine! 

He takes a second to calm down as tears pour down his face.

What a lousy fucking week. 

He hated Val more than he ever thought possible! 

He kneels onto the floor next to his bed and removes the floorboards under it. 

He pulls out his special box he had stashed away. 

Angel grabs the key (which was hidden inside his pillowcase.) And unlocks the box. He grabs his small baby blanket he had hidden inside it.

He keeps digging through the box for his pacifier, but it's not there. 

He looks around the room, it has to be here! Where is it? 

Then he felt a small scratch on his leg. 

He looks down and sees Fat Nuggets, holding the pacifier by the handle in his mouth. 

Angel takes it from him. “Thanks, Nuggs.” He pets the little pig then holds him close. 

He puts his binkie in his mouth and crawls onto the bed, holding Nuggets and the blanket close to him. 

He’s okay…

He’s safe now. 

Val can’t hurt him…

Not here…

No one can.

Yeah.

Angel's tears fall faster as he sinks his face into his pillow. 

He wished he could believe that…

He pulls out his phone real quick and puts on an episode of Peppa Pig. 

He finds himself suddenly smiling.

And he can finally relax. 

'I'm out of touch, I'm out of love I'll pick you up when you're getting down And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now.' ~Ed Sheeran, Lego house.

Notes: I know it's not super interesting yet, but it'll get there, I promise.

@todayimfour

[thermodynamic-comedian]

i wanna know if this is common knowledge among will wood fans- some songs definently come in pairs, right?

self- and -ish are obvious, but then there's also tomcat disposables and willard!, which i kind of consider the same story. both songs seem to be from the perspective of someone who feels outcast or different from everyone around them, to a degree where they relate to (or see themselves as) more animal than human. although, tomcat disposables seems to be about trying your best to fit in, but failing to, whereas willard! is more about giving up on trying to fit in, embracing what makes you different, maybe even thinking what makes you different makes you better. the end of willard! also references tomcat disposables directly through instruments, having the tomcat disposables melody at the very end.

then there's also hand me my shovel, i'm going in! and the song with five names, which are the same idea presented from two different points of view. both songs also use digging as a metaphor for introspection, hand me my shovel being explicitly pro-introspection, whereas 5 names seems to be against it. the choruses of both songs have such similar lyrics, yet seem to disagree: "this is not enough, this is not enough to prove it yet! no, i need to hit the bottom." "you could break a shovel when you break new ground; you dig dirt up when you dig deep down. you should know better than that by now, it's not profound to know that you could never know." these are two sides of essencially the same argument: should you try to find out who you are, or not?

dr. sunshine is dead and cotard's solution also seem connected, both by their theme and by the cotard's solution piano melody (and the accompanying lyrics) also being at the end of dr. sunshine. both songs have something to do with death, more specifically someone believing they're dead (this is cotard's delusion, which the first song gets its name from). cotard's solution is very clearly from the perspective of someone who believes that they are dead. it's also heavily implied this person is suicidal, with lyrics like "i wish that i were dead" and "i wanna make my murder look like a suicide", and the backing vocals singing "kill me" towards the end. i think this is related to the person's delusion; the suicidality almost presents itself as body dysphoria in their case, because they truly believe they are dead, so being inside a body that is still very much alive feels wrong (presented through lyrics like "you do the math, who's looking back? that's not me!" and "check in the mirror to see how i look; i look different in different ways.") the protagonist of dr. sunshine is dead seems to have very similar thoughts: "for your self-portraits, sign another name. who should i be then, if i'll never be the same?". dr. sunshine seems to be more about re-inventing yourself, thinking that the person you used to be is dead, and now you must resume a new identity. i'm not sure if this sort of thinking it directly related to cotard's delusion (i'm by no means an expert, i'm just some guy on the internet who really likes analyzing songs), but it does seem directly related to cotard's solution.

songs that might not be directly connected but i still think are worth mentioning include chemical overreaction and skeleton appreciation day. the last verse of chemical overreaction follows the same chord progression as skeleton appreciation day; you can hear the same melody in the background, played by an electric guitar. the themes of the two songs seem seperate, though.

[tlbodine]

Socializing 2.0 - Talking to People Who Are Upset

I was trying to write this as a reblog to my other "how to socialize" post and it keeps glitching out, which is very irritating. So here, let's try it on its own post.

Last time I talked about some tips for making small talk, and some scripts/talking points for how to show interest in what people are saying even if the topic doesn't excite you.

Now, I want to talk about a different scenario that can be really challenging for everybody (but, I think even harder for folks who don't come by empathy easily). Which is: How do you talk to somebody who is upset or having a tough time? How do you express sympathy without making the thing about you and your feelings?

While I'm by no means an expert at this, and I can't claim I've got the solution for every scenario you might encounter, I do have some tips and techniques that have helped me along the way and hopefully they can prove useful to you, too.

STEP ONE: Identifying that a person is upset

Sometimes it's very easy to tell that someone is upset, because they will yell "ARGH I AM SO MAD ABOUT THIS!!!" or they will be crying or some other obvious outward sign. Other times, though, it can be kind of tricky to tell. It's even harder in text, where you sometimes have to guess whether someone is jokingly mad or mad-mad when they post keysmashes, all caps, angry emojis, etc etc.. Folks also sometimes deflect from their actual emotions by joking them off. Or they'll say something you feel is alarming, but then don't act like it's a big deal.

People are complicated, in other words. So it's OK if you get this wrong sometimes. Everybody does.

In general, some signs that people might have something the matter:

Obvious outward expression of emotion (yelling, crying)

Acting more withdrawn or subdued than normal

Appearing distracted or disengaged

Looking more disheveled than usual

Acting unusually rambunctious or like they're compensating

If you notice somebody seems upset but you're not 100% sure, you have a few options:

Politely ignore it.

Let them bring it up if they want to. This is a safe bet if you are not very close -- ie, they're strangers, coworkers, acquaintances etc. HOWEVER, if you choose this route, you can still do this person a kindness by not imposing on them.

For example, if your coworker seems upset about something and you have a question about the job, could you ask someone else instead of approaching upset coworker? Could you quietly do them a favor? For example, could you offer to take over for them at the register and let them work in the back? Offer to watch things while they take a break? Small kindnesses can make a big difference in someone's day. It's not always possible, but it's nice when you can!

If nothing else, try to avoid dumping anything on them while they seem upset. If you're also having a shit day, you can probably find someone else to rant to.

Ask if they're okay.

This is more appropriate if you have a rapport with the person. If they are your friend or romantic partner, or if you have a rapport with them and want to express that you care, it's probably best to acknowledge that you've noticed something is wrong. Avoid saying anything that might be perceived as aggressive; don't way "What's wrong" or (even worse) "What's wrong with you?" Instead, try, "Is everything okay? You seem a little down today."

They may respond:

I'm just a little tired

I'm kind of distracted

What? Oh, haha, no, I'm fine...

Sometimes they mean this at face value, but more often what they actually are communicating is "I'm not OK but I don't feel comfortable talking about it."

That's fine. Don't pry. Drop the subject, and proceed as above -- politely ignore their perceived signs of discomfort, but be kind to them and avoid dumping anything on them unnecessarily.

Do not be surprised or alarmed if, after some time has passed, they come back around to reopen the subject and start to open up about whatever is bothering them. Then again, don't take it personally if you never figure out what the deal was. Maybe they really did just have a headache. Maybe they had an issue they figured out on their own. Either way, it's no longer your problem.

(note: this is a little more complicated if it's someone you live with and it goes on for a while, but that scenario is out of scope for this post).

STEP TWO: They Told Me They're Upset

Okay! So whether you started here with them, or this just came up after you asked if things were ok, you now have confirmed that a person is upset!

If they tell you the gist of what's going on, it's a good idea to acknowledge it. But stay fairly neutral about it and avoid value judgments.

For example: "My grandpa died"

An appropriate response might be, "I'm sorry to hear that" or "Oh jeez, I'm sorry :("

Some other great all-purpose responses when someone says something bad happened are: "Dude, that sucks :(" and "oh no!" or "oof."

Next -- and this is really important -- you should follow up by asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

(you can also use that question any time someone says something vague like "I had a shitty day today" or "I'm so pissed off.")

If they say no, they don't want to talk about it, follow up with, "Well, let me know if there's anything I can do." And then, ideally, volunteer a couple options of things you can do, depending on your relationship and what you are capable of doing: cover their shift, approve their time off, take care of a chore, listen if they change their mind.

If they DO want to talk about it, by all means, let them talk.

Ask if they would like advice or if they just want to get it off their chest. If they don't ask for advice, don't give them any.

Use your active listening skills and ask questions. Avoid prying or traumatic questions, but don't be shocked if you receive more intensive answers than you expected. A safe question to ask when someone says someone died is to say, "Were you close?" or if a pet died, "How long did you have them?"

Validate their emotions, but avoid bringing your own judgments to the table unless they ask for your honest opinion. For example, if someone is ranting about their romantic partner, it's cool to say, "I'm sorry that happened. You shouldn't have to put up with that." but it's not so cool to say "Your SO sounds like a dick, you should leave them."

Ask if they would like a distraction or to be cheered up. If you're in person, and you're amenable to the task, "Do you want a hug?" is also acceptable. (just respect whatever they said).

You'll want to be mindful of your energy. I personally have the best luck with projecting calm, neutral, slightly joke-y vibes. "It do be like that" and "Dude, that sucks" delivered with some genuine warmth in your tone or an empathetic emoji can go a long way.

STEP THREE: How to Not Make It About You

There are a few ways you can unintentionally make something be about you when someone else brings up something that's upsetting them:

One-upping them. "That's nothing. This one time, I had...."

Invalidating them or passing judgment. "That's not a big deal" or "What an asshole!" (you can agree with them that someone is being a dick, bit they need to be the one who says it first)

Trying to relate to them by telling a story about your own experiences, which ends up taking a really long time, or puts them in the awkward position of feeling like they have to comfort you.

OK. So a couple things.

Relating to people with relatable experiences is not a bad thing! In fact sometimes it can be really helpful! HOWEVER if you go that route you need to be really cautious of a couple points:

The story needs to be brief and stick only to the most relevant details. it's FINE if you don't provide the full absolute context of the entire scenario. You just need to tell them the relatable part, and then relate that back to them and how they are feeling.

For example:

"I'm so sorry to hear your dog died. I had to put my cat to sleep last year and I remember how guilty I felt, worrying whether I waited too long. Did you have a lot of time to prepare with your dog or was it pretty sudden?"

This is good! Here you are relaying information that you understand some of what they're going through, introduce an emotion that may or may not resonate with them, and then hand the conversation back to them with a question. Now they might tell you all about how, yes, they worried about that same thing too! Or no, their thing was really sudden and unexpected. Or whatever they tell you!

Then you can respond to that thing like, "Oh wow, I can't imagine how rough that must have been." or "Jeez, that's so hard. How are the kids taking it?" or whatever else seems appropriate in that moment.

STEP FOUR: OK But Now They Won't Shut Up About It?

One downside to expressing concern in other people's affairs is that this can sometimes mark you as their new confidant, purely because people so rarely just listen and care about other people.

If it's just the occasional bit of ranting, it's probably fine to just let them do their thing. And if they're coming to you to rant and off-load their stuff, then it's probably fine and expected that you can respond in time and maybe you guys are just ranting buddies.

But if you end up in a scenario where they can ALWAYS complain about their thing, but you can NEVER complain about your thing, that is a toxic dynamic! That requires some intervention! Friendship cannot be built on that foundation.

If you've expressed your condolences or listened to someone rant about whatever is pissing them off and you feel you have nothing more to offer the conversation, you can just say that: "I don't know what else to say, really. It's a tough situation and I hope it gets better for you."

And then you can just. Exit the conversation.

Some additional lines to keep in your back pocket include:

"I think that's beyond my pay grade to help with. Have you spoken with (a therapist/counselor/clergy member/whatever)?"

"That's so frustrating! You should definitely go talk to (the person they are complaining about) about that."

"Well, if you ever need someone to (specific thing you actually are willing to do), let me know."

Being kind to people and showing concern for their problems does not mean you have to become an unpaid therapist or doormat. You get to maintain boundaries about that stuff.

Anyway! This is super long! There is so much more I could get into here but I'll leave it at that. I hope this is in some way helpful to you.

[peppertaemint]

Dear Peppertaemint,

I sort of think of you as an expert when it comes to K-Pop, media literacy and topics that deal with queer themes, given your writings on Taemin's work for example. I hope my inquiry won't be considered a waste of time because I know you don't deal with silliness in your inbox, but I will try my luck.

I will admit that I keep up a bit with the BTS members, albeit scarcely. I happened to read on twitter (known as X now) that through his artistic expression, Taehyung is either indicating he is queer or perhaps a suporter (an ally just like Valentina) of the community. All that is supposedly apparent in his first solo music video, with references to queer cinema or the clothes he's wearing for a photoshoot. Of course, this is not the first time this has been speculated in online circles. I'll post a link at the end of this message so you could get an idea of what I'm trying to explain.

What I would wish for is a more unbiased opinion from someone with vast knowledge and a cultural background and who doesn't feel the need to prove anything about their bias. At least I think he's not your bias. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm looking forward to your response. As always 🩷

Sincerely

Lady A. Assante

https://twitter.com/polyatannies/status/1689591513032900608?t=Kp20X2STVljKh0RDs7MNVg&s=19

Hello Lady A. Assante,

Despite there being a high probability that this ask is a put-on, I’m going to take it at face value and reply in earnest.

I looked at the link you sent, which was a tweet of a Russian video purporting to tie the films Velvet Goldmine (1998) and Jubilee (1978) to Taehyung’s recent MV and, seemingly, his identity. I can’t read the Russian blocks of text in the video, but I can see the split-screen shots comparing Tae to characters in Velvet Goldmine. I can also see that Taehyung appears to wear a shirt of the film Jubilee in a promotional photo.

Now, I’m old enough to have been around when Velvet Goldmine came out; it’s a film about sexuality and aesthetics in the glam rock era, and it not-so-subtlety tells, at least in part, a take on the long time rumour of David Bowie and Mick Jagger’s liaison as lovers during glam rock days. In all honesty, I cannot see how this film in any way, shape, or form, has any relation to Taehyung’s “Love Me Again” MV beyond perhaps they both involve sequinned outfits.

“Love Me Again” is a slightly moody, barebones MV of Taehyung singing in a Spanish cave surrounded by retro items. His hair is a golden mess, while his clothes are cheap sequin getups with golden chains around his neck. Tae is moody in his MV, but he’s no glam rocker. He’s a crooner lost in time and confused. He ends the MV practically disgruntled. For me, the through line of the exotic setting, the props and the styling doesn’t quite come through. So, there wasn’t a lot for me to take away from Taehyung’s MV, but when all his MVs are released, I will watch them in order and share my thoughts. Again, I don’t see any meaningful relation between these two works. And certainly I don’t see anything overtly queer about Taehyung’s MV. If someone wants to come with concrete examples of “he said X” or “he did X” or “he wore X,” then I can consider such things.

And about his clothes: Derek Jarman was an important gay rights activist in the UK. But his activism was, more generally, in the 1980s onward, and focused on certain laws that effected education in the UK as well as raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic. These are very important works, especially to me living in Britain as a queer person. However, the film Jubilee is not about that work. It’s a punk film in response to the Queen’s Jubilee in 1977, and it presents a dystopian future of monarchical Britain and features some of the best punk bands of the time, including The Slits and Adam and the Ants. That shirt is about the punk movement - an important movement in Britain to be sure, but it isn’t centred on queerness.

My advice to Kpop fans looking for queerness in Kpop is to start with those who are doing concrete things in the genre: Holland and OnlyOneOf are a great place to start. Then you can look at Taemin, Key and SHINee as a whole, and reach out from there. SHINee’s “My Identity” from the album Hard (2023) was played at Seoul pride this year. I’d really recommend having a listen. And before a critical interloper writes in to say that everything queer must be cryptically coded because SK isn’t safe for LGBT+; I’m very aware of the rights people are lacking in SK. However, there are levels to meanings in art, and every artist has their own comfort zone when it comes to what they wish to share, and what they wish to be “unlock-able,” and what they wish to keep firmly for themselves. What I don’t think is helpful is conspiracy-level theories about art being queer-coded. That’s because art is already meant to interact with its audience; what a piece of art means to you is what is the most important. If you find something that speaks to your queer side in Taehyung’s work, than for you, that’s what his work is. That doesn’t mean his identity matches yours. There’s no need for that. That’s the beauty of art.

As a postscript, this shot here is exactly what reminds me of Key’s solo work: spooky retro style. That’s Key’s signature, which has been a personal extension of certain works in SHINee’s oeuvre (like “Married to the Music”). What remains unclear for me is what this union of elements signifies for Taehyung.

[uncomplicatedbookreviews]

Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

Series: Jurassic Park (#1)

Rating: 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads: 4.1/5

Date Read: October 2023

'Because the history of evolution is that life escapes all barriers. Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way.' ----------------------------------

Plot Summary: A large cast of characters including archeologists, mathematicians, lawyers, and a computer expert are invited to an island owned by an eccentric millionaire. Using preserved dinosaur DNA he has recreated magnificent extinct species of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life. the island is under strict security control and all of contingencies have been planned for. Nothing can go wrong. Until it does and hungry carnivorous T. Rexes and Velociraptors escape captivity and start hunting the human visitors. A mixture of bravery and cunning is the only thing that can save the visitor's lives and some are luckier than others.

TL:DR: A book perfectly at the intersection of hard science fiction and action-adventure thriller. The fame and success of the movie, has this book to thank for a solid plot full of action and characters that you love to love and love to hate. The occasional philosophical/scientific rambling can be intimidating, but is balanced by the constantly evolving story.

Characters

John Hammond - the eccentric elderly founder of InGen and Jurassic Park, Hammond is blinded by his ambition to create the biggest spectacle in history by bringing back dinosaurs. He is determined to open an elite amusement park that will attract wealthy patrons. He single mindedly believes that the systems on the island cannot possibly fail and that his experiments are completely safe.

Ian Malcolm - a cynical and biting sarcastic mathematician famous for his teachings on chaos theory a concept that claims that nature is essentially uncontrollable and unpredictable due to the complex systems underlying the natural world. He has made the trip to Jurassic Park to see if his theories are true and to watch John Hammonds 'perfect system' fall. He's surprisingly charismatic for a mathematician and he is an iconic character for a reason.

Alan Grant - famous archaelogist who is known for huge discoveries that uncovered some of the complex group behaviors of ancient dinosaur species. He doesn't see himself as a particularly brave or heroic man, but ends up proving himself to be one of the most reliable, intelligent, and brave visitors on the island.

Ellie Sattler - a paleo-botanist who studies the fossils and records of plant life, she works closely with Dr. Grant She is a woman of action and is always ready to make decisions. She is cool under pressure and willing to take risks

Tim and Lex Murphy - the grandchildren of John Hammond, invited to Jurassic Park as props for Hammond to prove that the park is perfectly safe. Unfortunately they suffer from annoying child character syndrome. Lex screams at the hint of danger. Tim does his best and is a very intelligent boy, but he's a kid and he's useless.

Thoughts and Feelings: This is one of the most iconic science fiction thriller books for a reason and it is one of my favorite books of all time for the same reasons. Crichton's books can swing widely from amazing to terrible, but with Jurassic Park he found a perfect balance between realistic scientific detail and action packed sequences that leave you flipping pages late into the night. I have a special place in my heart for this book because I'm an animal geneticist and this book expounds at length about the genetics of creating dinosaurs and the kind of veterinary care and consideration that would go into making sure they stayed alive. I live with a veterinary student and several times she would ask me something along the lines of "But do they think about how they would vaccinate dinosaurs against modern diseases?" and I had the pleasure of turning to her and saying "In fact, they do." Is it all 100% right. No of course not. It's a book about using DNA found in mosquitoes, slapping some other random animal DNA in there and creating living breathing extinct animals. It's never going to be 100% right. But that's what makes it fun. It's about imagining a world that feels possible. Like the existence of dinosaurs is just around the corner of scientific discovery. If you have never read this book and you loved the movie or you like books that lean more towards hard science fiction than you should absolutely give this book a try.

The characters are enjoyable (for the most part. Children characters in these crisis books are always a bit of a disaster, but what can you do). The action is good. The science is good. There's corporate espionage, dinosaur hunting, dinosaur vet care, high stakes and no holding back when it comes to the vicious strength of top predators.

Ian Malcolm really likes to wax poetic and go on philosophical rants. IF that's your sort of thing than this book has plenty of it for you. If you find yourself zoning off while he talks about chaos theory and the state of humanity in the world, I encourage you to just skim a little bit and get back to it. Just let him ramble.

[silver-wield]

yoo I don't know if you've heard it? I used to join an ancient forum for LTD on "the lifestream" website. It's usually filled with so called "original" debaters in FF7. I'm a new player and even went ahead to give a long ass reply and I based it all from what I've learned from creative writing and really, comprehension. I separated my personal views (but told it) to what I think the writers intended. This was after I opened my mind to all and every possible opinion about the game and it's characters. But I'll tell you this. They're pathetic. They call themselves "experts" or anyone who's been on it for decades, looking down on shippers. Oh btw same people who post on shinra archive. They made a new forum for ltd and at first for a long while, they really focused on cloti. Every single time c/a was presented? Tbh no matter how much they talk about it? It was easy to refute. But still NOBODY WANTED TO ACCEPT IT BECAUSE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER THEY'LL STILL FIND AWAY TO PUSH C/A IN EVEN IF LOGIC DOESN'T PERMIT THEM. then came the trailer. Oh let me tell you, the moderator and almost everyone were celebrating. Celebrating because for the first time in decades they won't be accused of being cloti biased. Celebrating that they can now say he liked both women or was attracted to both. And new c/as came flooding in. Apparently they want apology for blankbeat and everyone because that trailer proves that c/a is the main couple, and she is the main heroine. Yada yada. And after that every single information they can find they connect it to aerith. Like C is in love with A in AC no question asked, that clotis should just accept both are valid. Some tried to refute but alas it's pointless. Why am I saying this? .... For a forum filled with those who "know" the game. They sure lack so much media literacy. They've secretly like the toxic environment of a non-debate as LTD. For decades they couldn't find an answer? Lol it's because they don't want to. It's their personality, their life. Otherwise why stay on a debate when you know what's canon, when you know there are rules to storytelling. Or do they know? Have their brains rotted to the point they just want to say both are valid? Lol. There were more stupid points what have you but in the end I realized I needed to leave it. I was talking to people who entertain the idea of flat earth despite knowing in their faces that earth is round. Stupid and foolish as I was. But unlike them, at least I didn't have to live in that forum for decades searching for an answer that was already answered. They don't even know about the leak though, but GAD ARE THEY SO PATHETIC. They don't even know what a proper debate is lmao and complain why it still exists.. I want to say "it's also because of you! You don't want it to end really!".

They banned me for saying Aerith's stalking in chapter 8 was toxic and if the roles were reversed nobody would think it's cute, so 🤷

I wouldn't think much of them being assholes. They'll be backtracking hard when they realise they were wrong. People like that just don't wanna look dumb, but they do because they can't accept canon isn't what they say.

[ceterisparibus116]

If a really good lawyer (😉) were to defend Trish Walker for the crimes she committed in JJS3, what would his defense strategy be?

Frankly, I feel like it would go something like this: Matt argues temporary insanity. That Trish became disassociated from reality as a result of the experiment Dr. Malus subjected her to, and then she snapped and brutally murdered her mother's killer. He also has Jessica discredited as a witness by bringing up her sketchy track record and the broken chain of custody with the evidence (and also has Trish testify to how Jessica destroyed evidence in the investigation that would have put Sallinger away), and maybe makes the argument that Trish doesn't deserve to go to prison by virtue of the fact that there's another vigilante in New York who does the same thing Trish does (and the only difference between Trish and Frank Castle is that Frank is a man, he's killed way more people, and he was initially motivated by revenge while Trish was initially motivated by more wholesome reasons).

And I think at the end of it, Trish would be sentenced to time served plus probation (with court-mandated therapy).

Or do you think Matt would take a different defense strategy?

So this is a really late reply, and the major caveat is that I’m not nearly as familiar with the facts of Jessica Jones as I am with Daredevil. So everyone please feel free to correct me if I seem to miss anything!

An insanity defense might work. In NY, you can use an insanity defense (technically “mental disease or defect”) if your “disease or defect” meant that, when you committed the crime(s), you lacked the capacity to know or appreciate either: 1) the nature and consequences of your conduct; or 2) that such conduct was wrong.

In Trish’s case, it would be tricky because experts can’t give a final conclusion on the matter—like, an expert can’t say, “Trish was definitely incapable of forming the requisite intent for a guilty verdict, based on their mental health.” What an expert can say is, “When ✨a person ✨experiences [x, y, z] events or their brain is affected in [x, y, z] ways, which can lead to [x, y, z] thoughts/behaviors/etc.” The obvious difficulty here is that Dr. Malus’ experiments on Trish aren’t exactly well-studied. So you’d have to get an expert to examine Trish, get reports (if they exist?) of the experiment (maybe try to find Dr. Malus and interview him?) and essentially reverse-engineer what Trish experienced, and then try to say how that would have affected ✨ a person’s ✨ ability to understand their own actions—then in closing argument, Matt would argue that it would affect Trish the same way.

Would the jury buy it? I don’t know. Would Matt buy it? I don’t know. I personally am not sure I buy it: Trish has always been more motivated to Take Action and Stop Bad Guys (not unlike Matt), and she’s always been frustrated that she doesn’t have the abilities of someone like Jessica to do that. In fact, I think her lack of abilities has been the only thing stopping her from taking illegal action. Again, I think she and Matt have a lot in common (@some-fiction I'm thinking of your fics! ❤)—the difference being that Matt draws stronger, clearer lines as to what kind of illegal action he finds appropriate.

So yeah, if Trish had come by her powers in a way that didn’t affect how she thought at all, I could still see her making the same choices.

If the jury reaches the same conclusion, then a mental disease or defect defense won’t work—unless there’s something else causing her to be Like That. But I can’t think of anything in the show suggesting that Trish is Like That for any reason other than…just her personality.

Anyway.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure what part of Jessica’s history will be admissible to discredit her as a witness. Matt could try to prove that she’s lied before, but how exactly would he prove that? Especially because you can't bring in extrinsic evidence to prove a witness was lying about something unless the lie is material to the case. So sure, Jessica's pretended to be other people to con her way into places, but you wouldn't be able to call the people she lied to as witnesses to testify.

And she hasn’t committed perjury that I’m aware of, which is the best way to discredit a witness. Nor has she been actually convicted of a crime, right?

In short, the rules of evidence governing discrediting a witness for truthfulness are 608 and 609, and I just don’t think either of them apply. Nor could I see Matt being comfortable making that argument anyway, except perhaps by pointing to Jessica’s willingness to destroy evidence. If she gets convicted of that, even better.

Chain of custody is a great route to go, I just…don’t remember what evidence Jessica destroyed and how determinative it would be. Did she destroy / tamper with all the evidence of Trish’s activities? Not that I recall. So that route would help, but it wouldn’t guarantee an acquittal.

As for comparing Trish to Frank…nope, that won’t work at all. Firstly, it's not like Frank got off; he actually was convicted…he just escaped.

Secondly, whether one criminal is worse than another doesn’t matter at all except for sentencing—it doesn’t affect whether someone is guilty of a crime in the first place. Someone is guilty if they break the law, regardless of whether someone else broke it more, had worse reasons for doing so, etc.

So basically: Trish is guilty of killing X number of people for wholesome reasons + Frank is guilty of killing Y number of people due to revenge (which is debatable but let’s go with this for now) = Trish gets, at least, the minimum sentence for killing X number of people, and perhaps the reason she doesn’t get above the minimum sentence is because of her wholesome motivations, while Frank gets possibly more than the minimum sentence for killing Y number of people because he did it for less wholesome reasons.

Conclusion: both of them get convicted, even if her sentence is lesser. So this argument doesn’t help unless Matt is resigned to Trish getting convicted.

Personally, I don’t think there is a great strategy, other than mental disease or defect and the catch-all reasonable doubt defense (made simply by pointing to anything he thinks the prosecution can’t 100% prove). But the simple truth is, Trish committed multiple crimes. Aside from the mental disease or defect defense, the only strategy is to poke holes in the prosecution’s available evidence. I don’t know if Matt can do that enough to get Trish off.

Ultimately, I think the point at which advocacy will really help Trish is at the sentencing stage…plus dealing with her unconstitutional treatment post-arrest.

But that’s a whole other issue. 😉

[fullofsunsetwhispers]

Hi! I love your blog, thank you so much for keeping the fandom alive, i just joined this year!

I want to ask you if you think Omi has reading disability, dyslexia? I want to hear what other people the the fandom think. Cause it feels like he has, and to me all four of the monks have ADHD, they just fit the charts.

Hello there! Oh my gosh, thank you for such nice words! Well, I’m here to infodump and throw ideas here and there sometimes with additional drawings, so knowing some folks pay attention to it makes me really glad and it encourages me to post more.

As for your question, usually, I’m not into coming up with disabilities’ headcanons mostly because of my fear that I can get something wrong. However, since you come to me with such a request I’ll try my best to present my outlook on the matter. I may be oblivious to some things so anybody who reads this post – please correct me if something may sound disrespectful/ improper/ or simply wrong from the scientific point of view.

If that’s cleared up, let’s move on to Omi’s dyslexia. Ok, I see your point – cheeseball surely shows some tendencies that may be attributable to such a condition. The most notable one is present in every episode, that is Omi’s failed slang. When someone corrects his mistakes his reactions vary from acknowledging it was something ‘off’ with the word choice/order or simply he refuses to accept the correction, brushing the issue off by telling the others ‘that makes no sense’.

The most troublesome thing in assessing whether it’s a case of dyslexia is the fact we don’t know how advanced Omi is in his native language.

But my assumption is - he has already accomplished fluency in Chinese. He can read and understand what is written and he can talk about it without making mistakes. The additional issue is that monks most probably communicate with each other in English so Omi has to translate the contents of the scroll to his friends.

To my understanding, a dyslectic person has problems in:

dividing words into syllables

spelling

phonetics (they can't differentiate similar sounds, hence the word they want to pronounce may turn out to be a word with a different meaning)

there may occur an evident overactivity, speech defects, writing words in reverse, no ability to apply interpunction rules in writing

there may occur some neurologic problems such as memory loss, and dysfunctional space orientation( for example confusing the left side with the right). Sometimes the easiest puzzle game can't be completed.

and the matter of our discussion: inability to understand idioms. We may also include the inability to understand jokes, math, and reading a-loud.

So, it seems as if only overactivity and inability to understand idioms track in Omi's case. I can also add confusing lefts and rights and directions whatsoever but as far as I can remember Omi can tell lefts and rights in battle. Only when he uses directional words in a conversation, he utters something like 'upside up' 'I won't let you up' etc. As a consequence, we can assume Omi can't grasp the metaphoric and idiomatic meanings, but I would not take that for granted either. Because we have Master Fung's sayings, Chase's riddles and not to mention that official language presented in old scrolls and... aren't they metaphorical to some extent too???? And on top of that Omi proved he can say a lot of puns to their enemies to mock them.

Y'know, I'm no expert but the fact there is so little evidence in the show isn't helping either. It's a cartoon - rather old cartoon and who would have thought about proper representation back then?

This analysis can't go further until I tackle the issue of dyslexia and bilingualism. In one source, it is said if the child is dyslectic it is almost certain it would show these symptoms also in learning L2. However, the other source states bilingualism enhances many abilities such as problem-solving as well as the capacity to analyze different aspects of language (a skill that is needed for reading and writing). And tbh if Omi has dyslexia this clearly applies to him. Because I get the impression he's also fluent in English and he figured out the rules quite successfully (apart from idioms and some phrases, of course).

I've made a list of Omi's mix-ups.

I smell bad = stink

in your head = in your face

it’ll be cold, dude → Kimiko says ‘cool’

rutted timing = rotten timing

remove the led = get the lead out

push your arm = i’m pulling your leg

piece of pie = piece of cake

skating = surfing the Net

obtain game = you’ve got game

peace on = peace out – saying goodbye

check me in my friend – check me out

dilly our dallies – dilly dally

it’s time we get to the top of this – (the bottom of this)

but you’re going up – he means you’re going down (you must be defeated)

event turning - turn of events

do we look as if we were born next week? - last week

I’m in heat – No Omi you’re on fire!!!

I’m very much top-tip – correct – tip-top

I won’t let you up = I won’t let you down

Jermaine: You must be tripping! Omi: I’m not taking a trip!

I order you to spill your internal organs – spill your guts

The luck is spitting on us = the luck is shining on us

blond leading the blonde = blind leading the blind

we punish their watches = clean their clocks

you’re gonna chew on that sentence =you’re gonna eat those words

Oh that thing is very icy – very cool

spoon over the wu = fork over the wu

The majority of mistakes are the result of Omi confusing English phonemes OR he uses synonyms to compensate for a lack of the appropriate word. However, what is interesting, is his word choice in several instances relies more on imagery and association. For example, in 'The luck is spitting on us' Omi associated shining with the way light can cover all of our bodies, just like the spit. 'the thing is very icy or heat-fire? - the same elements that remind Omi of the feeling of coldness or warmth but used in a more metaphorical sense. My boy may have made a mistake but he was close anyway. Spoon instead of the fork? They are both kitchen appliances. Tripping and trip? Almost the same words but with the -ing ending so in this instance Omi couldn't recognize the category of the word (verb vs noun). What I'm trying to say, Omi has developed a certain pattern that only he can understand to make his communication slightly better and I'm proud of these attempts.

So, I totally agree with flycotte these speech patterns are connected with dyslexia. Omi mixes the phonemes (rutted vs rotten or blond vs blind), and confuses the order of elements in phrases. The top for him is the bottom, so he also confuses directions, and sometimes he adds to the words wrong prepositions.

But you know? he makes those mistakes IN ENGLISH. Omi is quite young, so what if these errors arise because he can't accustom to L2 yet? I've read somewhere that for Chinese speakers English is difficult to learn. You have to switch from the pictorial alphabet to the English one. Reading problems in L2 acquisition arise due to inability to match sounds to letters accurately. If you're Chinese and want to learn English you have to develop an entirely new sound-letter mapping. Omi is rather a fast learner but what I admire about him is his dedication to learning and I hc he would practice writing in English for hours. I really like the last sentence from that article because it sums up Omi's approach to being understood by others

'You don’t need to have perfect grammar in order to communicate. In the beginning, making yourself understood is what counts.'

In Omi's case, he mastered the grammar but slang and minimal pairs are yet to be learned. Taking into account English isn't his first language, he's doing good.

On another note, I do believe Omi's failed slang is to some extent attributable to that there are no Chinese equivalents of these phrases/sayings. Or Omi has never learned the Chinese slang expressions because of the fact before meeting with Raimundo, Clay and Kimiko he has never left the temple? Considering how Master Fung speaks in a formal manner along with Master Monk Guan, you kind of see where Omi picked it up from soooo maybe Omi overuses English Slang expressions to appear more knowledgeable (and impress) his friends!

The last thing I wanted to analyze is his handwriting. He wrote one and only letter in the show so let's focus on that.

As you can see, Omi isn't confident enough with lowercase letters. He prefers to write in uppercase, in some places he's not sure how to divide words, and sometimes letters are too close to each other. More drastic errors are the lack of the pronoun (I think 'I must leave would be more correct) and that weird line that is supposed to replace 'R' in some words (orderR and futuRe). Omi also forgot about the letter 'i' in 'friends'. Overall, Omi tries to remain punctuation but my little dude could've made a couple of shorter sentences instead of one long one.

This piece of writing could belong to a dyslexic child but I wonder if I saw the same message in Chinese (and most importantly knew Chinese) and compared it with the letter written in English, would there be the same amount of mistakes?

So, yeah I would rather opt for the possibility ‘Omi isn’t dyslexic. He’s in a process of learning English and his errors are failed attempts to recreate a more ‘lively, casual’ type of speech.’ However, there are, in fact, many hints he might be dyslectic as well. In fact, it's a matter of his motivation and the guidance of his fellow monk friends whether he manages to eliminate these speech/writing habits. The results of his efforts will all be revealed in Omi's adulthood but since there won't be any XS continuation with the main cast as adults we can only speculate.

To wrap things up, Omi is one determined fella who tries his best. Dyslectic or not, he takes learning very seriously so I do believe he will keep on improving his English in the same way he's fixated on improving himself as a warrior regardless of his disability. In fact, that would hype him up even more to be better at expressing himself.

[pmmechanicalny7h]

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[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

The author asserts that in the recent past (1989-2013) the top 0.5 wealthiest households owned 42 percent of all municipal bonds in the US. During Detroit’s bankruptcy, bankruptcy lawyer Timothy M. Wittebort spread the belief that ordinary people own the public debt. But wouldn’t that vary from municipality to municipality and Timothy Wittebort is probably right in quite a few cases? I would think municipalities also probably differ in how rich they are. What do you think, Frank?

Thanks for asking! This is a good and interesting question. I don't really have much to say other than … I'm not an expert, that's all.

I read Tim Wittebrot's book The Rich Don't Always Win when I was in college, and I remember thinking at the time that it seemed very questionable to me. I'm not really the kind of person who wants to be an expert in things, I'm just an amateur trying to learn – I don't like to go with someone else's opinion unless I'm 100% sure that they have a really good case, I think that my "skepticism" is actually an indicator that I'm looking at something carefully (i.e. not so I can easily dismiss it as an obvious outlier, etc.).

For instance, I once wrote a long post about a paper by [I think it was Steve Keen and someone else?], that expressed my views as "I'm not convinced of everything Keen says here, because he uses the term 'deficit' a lot in a way I don't think he intends (he talks about budget deficits that don't go down even when you lower taxes, which I think he intends to be about budget deficits over and above tax policy), and because I think it's misleading when a paper is aimed at economists as a class and then uses phrases like 'economic growth' when it's really talking about 'economic output per capita.' (It was about a paper claiming that the Great Moderation is "explained" by the shift to computer modeling and that "the idea that it is some other reason is preposterous and wrong." Not sure if that still seems ridiculous to me now, but I remember feeling something like it back then.) I wrote at the time:

Also, I'm not an expert in economics either, but I am a mathematician, and if I'm going to critique a paper on economics, my critique is supposed to be a mathematical critique, not to try to argue that this conclusion should maybe follow from this premise. For example, if I have some way to prove that Keen's premise doesn't quite hold, that would be a critique of his work that, I think, makes sense to me. But my post was not even trying to do this. It just used math terminology to point out some possible technical inaccuracies with the paper.

As a result of this, I think my "skepticism" is in some sense the right skepticism, and not the skepticism I would have if I were an economics expert.

To be fair, I think Wittebrot did some good work in that he actually made a lot of concrete claims about what happens in municipalities, and some of those claims are very accurate. So he doesn't seem like an "outlier," as you say.

I don't know what makes this a good outlier but it makes sense. (What makes it a good outlier for something else I can't imagine atm.)

[greycaelum]

I really liked your Clouds and Mochi Series, especially the trigger. :) <3 How Will Reader react when she found out about Kouki’s cutting classes and Saika punching her classmates? Shaksbs I kept reading your works! I really love it, grey-chi ❤️😍

Thank you for visiting to!!! Glad you like it and that's so sweet of you 🥺(≧▽≦)

Trigger was just a scenario if Suguru was there as an uncle so, Kouki and Saika being mischievous in school is... just slightly true.

But if you take a look at Megumi, the 6 years old boy raised by Satoru... You know where this is heading.

You look at your two kids sitting beside you in front of the guidance counselor. In front of you are the kids your daughter beat up. And behind is Kouki's teacher who reported his absences in class.

Strange though, in his quizzes every week he always shows you his papers, some are perfect while some are around 3-2 mistakes only. That's why it never occurred to you, he skips classes.

The counselor started filling you in with your children's offenses. You listened intently and humming to yourself.

Then the door burst open, Satoru casually strolled in with hands in his pockets and jumped when he turned to the side, the three boys with bandages on their faces "Oh! That looks great, did you do this Cat?"

"Satoru," you warned him.

"Leave it to me Hon, I'm an expert at this." Satoru gave you a thumbs up and started talking to the counselor about Kouki and Saika's behavior in school. "Why did you punch them Cat?"

"They keep calling me a witch because my hair is different," Saika gave the boys a stinky eyes.

"Because it's true!" One of the boys shouted back and pointed at Kouki who is sitting expressionless. "He's a witch too!"

"Saying someone is a witch is easy. I could also say that you're a witch," you answered back to the kid.

"Mrs. Gojo I don't think that you should lay a hand in this matter, it's just a child's play," the woman pass you a warning look but you smiled and shook it off.

"So you think I should sit here and listen to my children be insulted Ma'am? This is not a child's play. Clearly this is the fruit of parents failing to teach their children how to respect others. How long have they been calling you that Sai, Kou?" You turned to your kids, Kouki evaded his eyes but Saika frowned.

"Since the start of school."

Your ear rang. That's more or less seven months already.

"Kou?" You called out to your son who didn't have any intentions of ever saying anything. "Please call the parents of these kids. We will pay the medical bills or whatever it is but I won't let my children be ridiculed for being different. We didn't raise our children to be insulted like this."

Satoru on the sidelines sighed. The counselor promised to call you back tomorrow so you can discuss it thoroughly with the kids parents. As for Kouki he will be given few tests to prove he wasn't cheating during the quiz.

"Saika, it was still wrong to punch someone." Surely you want to protect your kids but you cannot condone their rash actions, to think that because others hurt them they also have the right to hurt someone isn't acceptable.

"They called Kiku-nii a witch. I'm not apologizing. We're even." Saika huffs and turned away.

Your eyes widen in warning and look at your daughter with a tight smile making her bite her lower lips.

"Hey buddies, what do you think you have to say for calling my kids witch?" Satoru stretch his limbs and cross his arms. "Hmmm?" He probe to the three boys who hung their heads low.

"Sorry..."

"Well they apologized now Cat."

"I'm sorry," Saika crosses her arms. "But the next time you call me a witch I'm still gonna punch you."

Since nothing else is left, you ushered your kids out but Kouki went back.

"The next time you touch my sister, I'm gonna break your arms."

On the way home Satoru urged the four of you to get ice cream to 'cool down'. Sitting on the living room while watching another disney movie you listen to Satoru teaching the kids.

"Next time Cat, you should aim in their crotc—Ouch! Hon!" Satoru whined holding his forehead that you flicked.

"Kou, anything to say why you didn't tell me about it sweetheart?"

"It's not a big deal Ma." The mochi shrugs. "I just don't want to waste my energy."

Your heart dropped, your son isn't going to tell you about it anymore. Kids needs there space and you know you can't be there forever. Then at least, you want them to understand how much you love them.

"Come here," you called your kids, pulling them in your arms and hugging them tight. Stroking their beautiful long artic hair. The same arctic locks they inherited from their father.

"No matter what they say, you're not witches. Do you understand? Because you're different doesn't mean you're alone. And just because everyone thinks the same thing, it doesn't mean they're right."

"So why did you let them bully you Kikufuku? I think I thought you very well how to use self-defense," Satoru flicked his son's nose after losing another round against him.

"That's tiring Pa," Kouki brush his shirt and took his stance to attack his father. "I don't have to prove myself to every person I meet."

"Hmmm, fair point. But that doesn't mean you should also get trampled along the way." Satoru blocked his son's kick aimed to his father's groin. "Hey! How could I give you another sibling if you kick me there? You nasty gremlin!"

Kouki cheekily grinned. Aiming on Satoru crotch just like how he often tell Saika.

"No one is protecting you unless you protect yourself first. Your Mama and I cannot protect you and Saika forever," Satoru sighed and caught his son's leg, hanging the mochi upside down making their eyes meet.

"They can bully me all they want, they're just wasting their time because I don't care. I know myself better."

"Even if it means having no friends?" Satoru raises his brows. "Seriously how old are you? You sound like a middle-aged uncle. No matter how strong you are, you will someday also need a friend." Satoru sets him tumbling down the floor.

"But Pa, friends come naturally. I don't need to find one. If they come, then they'll come." Kouki grits his teeth after failing to land a kick on his father. "How do I even know if they're my best friend?"

"Papa, I told you Kiku-nii has a girlfriend!" Saika screeched from the sideline, flapping her limbs against the floor. Catching her breath after losing three rounds straight against Satoru.

"Time will tell you who that friend will be. A friend that's more than enough compared to a million."

—Grey,

[tunafishprincess]

An Anon's Apology

You don't know me, but know that I'm sorry. Not that I've done anything wrong, but I feel like this is necessary.

I'm not apologizing because I did something wrong, but because we did something wrong in harassing you for taking so long on your Twisted Roses fic. It was dumb and stupid and while I didn't do it myself, it was the wrong thing to do, and in the end, it only made things worse.

I suppose some people are just like that. They get so invested in a story or book or fic that they forget that the person writing it has other things to do, other interests and hobbies and stories, instead of just doing that one thing. And when they take forever on it and focus on other stories, they either understand and wait patiently, or they lash out and demand that they continue it. The result for your fic was the latter, unfortunately, and again, I apologize for that. In the end, it made writing Twisted roses not fun and on indefinite hiatus. And honestly, I understand why.

With that in mind however, I still would like to see how it ends.

Don't worry, I'm not suggesting that you go back to working on it. Rather, I'm suggesting an alternative! Why not just put your fic in someone else's hands? Give them a few notes on the AU, let the fic continue in a way so you don't have to deal with it, that sort of thing. I even have a few ideas for who to give it to! And no, it's not me. I barely have any writing skills as it is.

Of course, you don't have to do that if you don't want to. It's your fic, after all. You can do what you want with it. I just think there are better places for it to be than on the figurative back shelf, if you know what I mean. That's all.

But in the end, it is your fic.

Besides, what do I know? I'm an anon.

And, for the record, I am sorry. I really am.

I'd ask for forgiveness too, but if I know the internet, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Sincerely, A Very Sorry Anon.

———————————————————

Hey Anon,

I’m glad you liked the fic. Twisted Roses was a wild ride and it has a special place in my heart. It’s what started me on adding covers to my fanfic chapters. Writing about connie and Steven in a dark setting was really fun and I’m so happy so many people enjoyed it.

Fandom is a crazy place. I’ve been in yours where I wished someone would continue a fic (for example, one of my favs Muddy Waters 😭) but the writer’s heart was no longer in it. And that’s okay. I’ve been around longer than most and about 70-90 percent of multichapter fanfics normally don’t have an ending because they’re so long. A lot of my fanfics haven’t truly ended sadly and for that I’m sorry. 😓 My muse is a fickle beast. You should see my sketchbook. Full of unfinished artworks.

Thank you for apologizing. Really! You’re one of the few. Most readers have been lovely, but I won’t lie that telling someone to continue a story, especially if it’s from multiple people, can be stressful. I do this for me at the end of the day.

Personally, I will not be giving over my fanfic to anyone I don’t know personally and trust them to do it justice. People are welcome to write fanfics inspired by the au or their own idea of an ending for it though! Below I’ve attached my rough outline to the story that you’re welcome to read. I hope it gives you some closure to the story. Thank you for your support. If you haven’t, check out my other stories! Maybe they’re catch your fancy. ;)

Best,

Tuna

——————————————————————————

Outline of Twisted Roses

Chapter 10: What they don’t know (Lion 6: Wingman Forever)

It wasn’t easy finding time to fuse without getting caught. Connie was busy working under Jasper, pushing herself to match the woman’s intense training while Steven’s position, while now secured, did not mean he was without worry. His work with on expanding the human zoo proved fruitful, though whether that fruit would poison him or not remained to be seen.

But Connie didn’t let that stop her. She was an expert organizer. Be it an hour or five minutes, she made sure every second counted. They were as moths to a flame, addicted to the shared emotional high that came with being together, wholly and fully.

“My Diamond.”

“Cut it out.”

“You look horrible.”

“Wow, you really know how to make a person feel special.”

“Is everything alright?”

“It’s. . . It will be, now that you’re here. Let’s fuse.”

“O-okay,” she stammered out.

(They dance and fuse)

“I like being this. Being us. We should stay this way forever.”

“You know that’s not possible.”

“Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking I guess.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Well, uncomplicate it.”

“You’ll be mad if I tell you.”

“I’ll be mad if you don’t.”

“The zoo is going well. Too well, I guess, because now the Diamonds want to move onto the next phase.”

“There’s a next phase?”

“The Earth is a real source of pain and anger for them. I—Well, mom technically, she was the ruler there. Somehow, she died but didn’t really. She faked it. She was a liar. She didn’t want the responsibilities of being a Diamond so she pretended to shatter herself and play rebellion leader to get away from it all. Or at least . . . that’s what I’ve heard from them.”

“And what about Pearl?”

“Pearl never speaks badly about mom, even though she hurt her. It’s so frustrating. Everyone has their own agenda and I’m just some fake stuff in the middle of it all.”

“You’re not a fake Steven, any more than I am.”

“I am though. I’m been pretending everything’s fine but it’s really not. Connie . . . The Diamonds aren’t going to leave the planet alone. They want to eliminate Earth.”

“But isn’t humanity defeated?”

“It’s not about humanity. It’s never been about them. Not to the Diamonds. They’re little more than annoying flies to the Authority. What they care about is what the symbol of Earth is. They want to stamp it out and start anew.”

“That’s horrible. We have to do something.”

“There isn’t anything we can do.”

“But you’re a Diamond. You’ve been coronated. It’s your planet now.”

“You make it sound so much easier than it is.”

“Steven, you’re not alone in this. You have power here. You just have to know how to wield it.”

“But it’s not like that! You have this inflated view of me, as if I’m this powerful gem but I’m not, Connie. If anything, you’re the better one. You’ve always been honest with me.”

“That’s. . . not entirely true.”

“What do you mean?”

“Steven, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you. It’s about this gem.”

“Go on.”

“She snuck into the Garden to look for you. She wanted to speak with you but you were still back on Homeworld, so she left. She wanted me to tell you hi,” Connie said, pausing as she mulled over her next words. “She said her name was Amythest. Your Amythest.”

“And you didn’t tell me this before everything that’s happened?”

“I didn’t have time to. We barely have time to be alone as it is.”

“But you could have brought it up. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Oh my stars, she’s still there, isn’t she? She’s still on Earth.”

“I’m sorry. I should have, but with everything going on, I wasn’t sure what to say or how to bring it up. But we can save her. We can save her and the rest of humanity.”

“No, Connie, we can’t. Haven’t you been listening? The Diamonds aren’t going to stop until Earth is permanently wiped out of existence. Me talking to them isn’t going to do anything. It’s three against one.”

“But it’s your planet. You promised me you would save Earth.”

“And I am. I’m saving as many humans as I can and bringing them to the Zoo. And then . . . And then . . .”

“And then what, Steven?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“You’re choosing who lives and who dies, Steven.”

“Well, what do you expect me to do then?”

“Talk to the Diamonds. You’re a Diamond, too.”

“Yes, that’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it. My status as a Diamond. Is that what you see when you look at me?”

“You’re making assumptions, Steven.” She lowered her gaze. “And you’re being a butt.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just butt out of here then.”

“Oh my gosh, are you serious?”

“No! I’m Steven.”

$$$$$$$$$

“Stupid Steven,” she mumbled under her breathe. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. Ugh! Why is this so—”

“It’s you. What are you doing here?”

“Oh no, you’re not getting away from me that easily.”

“Steven! I thought you had work to do.”

“Well, I did, but I felt it was more important to find you. Connie, what I said was wrong. I was hurt and I lashed out at you and I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry for not telling you about Amythest.”

“Secret garden buddies?”

She hooked her pinky with her own, wiggling it for good measure. “Secret garden buddies.”

“What are you doing out here? I thought you had training.”

“Oh, I’m chasing a giant pink lion.”

“I see . . .Wait, what?”

$$$$$$$$$$

“You’re telling me this big cat—”

“Lion,” Connie clarified.

“—Lion helped lead you away from the battlefield to find my mother’s ship?”

“Well, at the time I thought he was a hallucination. Lions aren’t exactly native to North America.”

“But how did it get inside? Why haven’t any of the gems noticed it?”

“Probably because it teleports.”

“It what?”

“Yeah, it seems to be traveling through its roars.”

“So then how do we find it?”

“We wait for it. I’ve noticed it moves in a pattern. It only goes into empty rooms.”

“So we find an empty area and what? Wait for it?”

“I’ve been mapping where it’s going. It’s been heading north. So long as no one goes inside—”

“It will end up in the Garden.”

“Exactly.”

“But how are we going to capture it?”

“How does one capture any animal, Steven?”

$$$$$$$

“This is awkward.”

“You’re telling me.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to take it this long.”

“There must be a lot of empty rooms.”

“So . . .what’s with the new fashion statement?”

“What?”

“You’re wearing a new glove.”

“Oh? This. Ha, ha. I just wanted a change, I guess.”

“Shush. It’s here.”

“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”

“Oh, because that’s really going to wo—”

“You were saying?”

“Wow. He’s so fluffy.”

“Connie, I think we should keep him.”

“You’ve only known him for like, a minute.”

“Exactly. Lion needs us, Connie. Look, isn’t he adorable? Plewse be my fweind. I wuv you.”

“He is rather soft.”

“Exactly. He’s so huggable.”

“Okay, I see what you mean.”

“Uh, Connie?”

“Yeah?”

“I think there’s something inside the cat.”

$$$$$$$

“This situation is getting weirder and weirder.”

“What do you see?”

“Pink grass? A pink sky? It’s like a pocket dimension or something. There’s no air though.”

“A pocket dimension without oxygen sounds dangerous.”

“You want to go inside, don’t you.”

“Yes.”

“How long can you hold your breath?”

“About 2 minutes. 3 if I need to.”

“We’ll have to be quick about it then. Squeeze my hand twice when you need to return.”

“What about you?”

“I can hold my breathe a lot longer than humans, Connie. You ready?”

“Let’s go.”

“This place . . .it seems familiar.”

“This was mom’s shirt. And this was mom’s sword. How is all of this hidden inside a lion?”

“Looks like mom had even more secrets she didn’t tell anyone about. Figures.”

“There’s even a bubbled Bismuth in here too. I’m not. . . should I remove the bubble? No. We don’t know if they’re friend or foe yet. I’ll transport it back to the garden. Maybe Pearl knows about them.”

“Oh, sorry, let’s get you back. Ladies first.”

“That was—”

“Surprising? Yeah, mom’s secrets tend to do that. You should have been there when I found out she was Pink Diamond. Now that was something else.”

“I’m sure she had a reason.”

“Not a very good one. Guess that’s another thing we have in common: we’re both good fakers.”

“I never said it was. Steven, I barely know anything about your mom, but I know she wouldn’t want you to think of yourself as a fake. You are you. Other people will always have assumptions about you, but their opinions don’t matter. Yours do. You define your destiny, not your mom, not the Diamonds, you.”

“What if I can’t save the Earth, Connie?”

“Then you do your hardest to avenge it. And I’ll be at your side. No matter what.”

“Because you’re my knight?”

“No, doufus.” She lightly punched him in the arm before pulling him into a hug. “Because you’re my best friend.”

Part 1: Steven and Connie begin to secretly fuse. It is exhilarating. Steven and Connie end up spilling the beans to each other: Steven about what the Diamonds are doing a final assault which he cannot stop and Connie about Amethyst. Both walk away, feeling hurt and confused.

Part 2: Connie ends up finding Lion. Follows him then runs into Steven, who is also shocked but also excited because it’s a giant cat!

Part 3: Connie and Steven stalk the cat. Connie notes that Steven changed his outfit. His hand is also covered. He waves it off. She is suspicious. Connie and Steven finally get the cat over with some food. He’s fluffy. Steven buries his head into the fur and finds out, oh hey, there’s something in here.

Part 4: Steven and Connie go into Lion’s fur. See a lot of things. Steven takes out Bismuth’s gem and transfers it someplace, noting he needs to send this to Pearl. Steven finds his mother’s sword. He’s frustrated that it’s another secret about his mom, out of many. He and Connie reconcile and talk about trust.

Chapter 11: That I’m just a human

Part 1: Connie finds out Steven’s secret. He’s destabilizing. She promises not to tell anyone, but tells him he needs to tell someone. He promises.

Part 2: Steven and Connie fuse again. They enjoy themselves until they’re found out. Someone squealed. The Diamonds are there. White Diamond tears Steven out of the fusion, carries him away. Connie pretends to be dead. Blue Pearl checks her and lies. Steven screams, shattering stone and making the garden shake until White knocks him out. Connie falls unconscious.

Part 3: Wakes up to Spinel, Pearl, Lion, Amethyst and a newcomer by the name of Garnet. Connie feels horrible, that this is her fault for not being stronger. Pearl admonishes her. She is strong. She asks Connie what she wants to do. Connie says she wants to save Steven, but she cannot do it alone. Garnet says that she won’t be alone. Connie finds out about the other gems Pearl has been recruiting to join Pink Diamond’s “cause”.Bismuth shows up and says the Crystal Gems are back is Bismuth.

Chapter 12: I can be his knight

Part 1: Connie and the Crystal Gems arrive on Homeworld. Connie and Jasper fight. Connie wines.

Part 2: Connie and the Crystal Gems face Blue Diamond who joins them and later Yellow, who crumbles at how they’ve been treating each other.

Part 3: White Diamond fight. Steven is captured, telling her not to fight. He isn’t worth this. Connie says he is. Connie gets stabbed.

Part 4: POV Switch. White Diamond is stunned as she hadn’t meant to kill the girl, but Steven is furious. He grows until he’s as tall as White, tells her off for what she’s done to him. She loses control. She begins to deal with her own grief that Pink isn’t Steven, that White isn’t perfect and Steven is like, no one is perfect. In what world would everything you’ve done be considered perfect? He picks up Connie in his hands.

Part 5: Pearl tells him he has to let her go. Steven says he won’t. Not yet. He thinks about all the things taken from him: his childhood, his father, his friends, his home—but not Connie. He refuses to let her die. He pours his power into her, feels his humanity burning away as he tries to force her back to life. When that doesn’t work, he cries. He can’t part with her. He shrinks, holding onto her in his arms.

Part 6: POV Switch back to Connie. She awakens to Steven. He’s changed, less human, but no longer destabilized. She notes her pink hair. She asks if they’ve won. He says sort of. Gestures to the Diamonds who are now comforting a crying like a baby White Diamond. Connie is like, that’s disturbing. The others crowd in, group hug. Steven doesn’t let go of her hand the entire time.

Chapter 13: You’ll do it for him. (Epilogue)

Summary: Touch on some of the stuff the others are doing: Spinel making new friends, becoming very popular with human children in particular, Amethyst acting as a teacher to gems and humans alike, etc. The Diamonds are still in power, but Steven is slowly putting in new reforms as he is now officially considered part of the Authority, although he always runs his decisions through his gem/human elected council first.

Connie watches as Earth become barren. Humans destroy it. It is a somber affair. The zoo has been greatly expanded, but much life has been lost. Steven speaks of his dreams of creating a new earth, one where organics and gems can live in harmony. Connie wonders how it would be possible. Steven promises her, even if it takes, ten or twenty, or a thousand years, he will unite them. Connie is like, then you would be rebelling against the diamonds. Steven, not rebelling, reforming. Connie, then I will be here for you as your knight. Steven bends down, capturing her face, and if I want you to be more than that? Connie, I can be that too.

“Then I will be here for you, as your knight.”

“You’ll take me to be your Diamond? To honor and to fight for from this day forward?”

“For better or worse, I will serve you, my Diamond.”

“Forever and always, in war or in peace, to love and to fight for, till shattering do us part?”

“I believe those lines are mine, my Diamond.”

“And what if I want you to be more than my knight?”

“I can be that too, Steven.”

She knew there would be troubles ahead. Overthrowing a galaxy-wide empire through reform would take centuries, if not millennia, to do. But they had time. Earth was gone but Humanity was still here, growing and changing in ways that even surprised her.

And she would be there for it all.

She was her Diamond’s knight after all.

Notes:

• Blue takes on a more motherly rule, overbearing and trying to make him happy. She thinks the Crystal Gems brainwashed/mind-wiped Pink and is always trying to give him toys and plants to get him to laugh and sing. In this, her and Steven are closer than in canon, because Steven lost most of his support group and Blue, after thousands of years without Pink, sees this as a way of protecting her from the dangers.

• Yellow and Steven have a strange relationship as well, because she tries to teach him how to govern planets and order gems around but he doesn't get it and it frustrates her. She sees Steven as like a factory-set Pink and doesn't believe they can regain her original memories like Blue and White do. Still, she tries to engage his interests but is still haunted by the guilt of not protecting Pink originally. Because she failed to help her fellow diamond Pink was mindwiped and transformed into this fleshy hybrid and Yellow...struggles with that. She doesn't like emotions. So she doesn't see Pink as much as Blue does.

• White has the worst relationship with Steven. She sees him as something to be fixed and when that doesn't work, she tries more and more dangerous things. White is fixated on perfecting Pink, to turn her back into a gem or at least as close of one as they can get, because Diamonds must be perfect and Steven is clearly not. Steven wants to please White but he's terrified of her. Deeply so. He sort of dissociates when she's around. White's way of fixing things often leave Steven in pretty bad shape. Like, one of the most recent incidents in the fix turn his hair pink, but it also left him traumatized and unable to leave his garden (agoraphobia).

[stillness-in-green]

On Chapter 352/Dabi's Hypothetical Healing Powers/Dabi's General Arc

Not a lot very detailed in exchange for the wait, I’m afraid, but here’s what I’ve got: 

I wish the official translation were not so obtuse.  There’re quite a few lines from Shouto that made much more sense to me in the fan translations, where it’s usually been the other way around.  But when I correct for “Shouto’s lines making any damn sense,” I continue to mostly like them!  Shouto deserves a chance to declare himself against his brother’s relentless attempts to define him, and the fire/ice fusion is a lovely culmination of his ongoing attempts to find and define himself as his own person, to figure out who he is in and of himself, connected to but not defined by his family circumstances.

At the same time, him finding himself doesn’t really address Touya’s issues, nor does it do much to offer Touya a different way forward, so while I’m very ready to spend time elsewhere, I think it’s perhaps for the best that Dabi’s got a dangling plot hook in the form of whatever’s going on with his body.  Which brings me to the other ask I’ve got about Dabi: 

Honestly, anon, I have to say that I’m not nuts about either of them.  That said, I only mostly know what the phoenix theory even is and am even more touch-and-go on the ice one, so I'm not really in a place to answer this question in detail while maintaining due rigor.  I don’t really seek out Dabi and Todoroki meta, you know?  From what I do know, though, I don’t particularly think either of them is great for the story.

Mostly what I’ve seen leaves me thinking that both theories are kind of grasping at straws to explain how Dabi can survive the amount of damage he’s doing to himself, as well as looking for ways to explain his backstory survival that don’t involve taking Ujiko at his word.  But I like hatred-fueled resurrections for Shigaraki just fine, and I don’t require that the story prove Ujiko wrong about everything he’s ever said as some kind of Hayes Code-esque moral imperative, so I have no issue with Touya demonstrating spite-based longevity.

After all, he was in Ujiko’s care for three years.  Surely if his survival had anything to do with his quirk, Ujiko—likely the world’s foremost quirk expert, given all the enhanced lifespan he’s devoted to studying them—would have figured that out?

It does seem, however, that the story’s not going to rest on spite-based longevity, so maybe the theorists will be right, and there’s some other answer to the question of how Touya’s survived.  I don’t love the idea of AFO foisting a quirk off on him either—though again, it’s not like he lacked for a timeframe to do it in—so I really have no idea what’s going on there.  Honestly, left to my own devices, I’d make the strange circle on Dabi’s collarbone be a laser sight from a sniper rifle, and pick back up the HPSC agent plotline such that Shouto, having saved Touya from himself, now also has to save Touya from an uncaring world.  I don’t suspect that’s what’s going on, though.

We’ll see when we see, I guess!

One other thing, though: something I think is interesting about Dabi right now is the way he’s completely embraced we/us/our language to talk about the League, other villains, the Lost of Hero Society, and so on.  It stands out to me in particular because Dabi spent so, so long being aloof from the League, rejecting their bonds, complaining about the way they behaved, openly insulting Spinner and Toga in particular, and generally acting like he considered himself to be so much more dangerous and noteworthy a threat to Hero Society than anyone else around him, be they random back alley thugs all the way up to Shigaraki himself.

That was when he was still keeping his identity secret.  Pretty much the second that secret came out, though, suddenly it was all, again, that we/us/our talk.  He counts himself among society’s outcasts, he does (his version of) a nice thing for Toga and encourages her, he tells Shouto to burn and die for our sakes.  And I like this turn-around, more or less, because it’s in line with something I’ve always kind of hoped for from Dabi, which is that, insofar as his personal relationships go, he’ll echo Endeavor’s path: ruthlessly utilizing the people in his life he ought to care about to advance his own goals, and only stopping to look back and regret the carnage after he gets what he wants and realizes it isn’t everything he thought it would be, by which point the damage has already been done.

I never really bought Dabi as overtly soft on the League, but I was willing to accept the possibility that he had a small soft spot that he was consciously throttling in the cradle because he refused to let it interfere with his goals.  With those goals halfway accomplished, however—Endeavor’s sins made public, Touya’s own survival revealed, Endeavor personally gutted and the family’s attempts to move on from his death pretend he never existed thrown into disarray—his ice is beginning to thaw.

…Just in time for it to be too late for it to matter.  The League’s a stomach-turning mess right now for anyone who cares about them even a little, and with Dabi where he is right now, there is absolutely nothing he can do to change that.  Nothing, perhaps, save rely on the younger brother who wants both to stop and to help him.

Ngl, it would make me much more warmly inclined towards Shouto if he, in his under-socialized literal-mindedness, would take all Dabi’s we/us/our talk to heart and ask him seriously what he thinks can be done for all his villain friends, who Touya must surely care for as much as Shouto cares about his friends, right?  And then Dabi can be like, “Wow, you took that much more to heart than I expected you to.  Uh.  Um.  Hm.”

Crucially, Dabi can’t fix any of the League's current problems on his own, no more than Shigaraki can make the world better by annihilating it, or Spinner can help Shigaraki by encouraging all of Shigaraki’s most self-destructive tendencies.  And the adult heroes don’t care about fixing it, because the adult heroes have never cared about the circumstances that led the villains to their current outlooks.  That’s what the studentsre have to do: take the first step, be the bridge, improve on their predecessors’ performance, do what they couldn’t, save the people they failed to save.

Admittedly, I don’t really know how that would look in the story right now.  My concern is that we’re headed squarely for a, “The students will save the villains that they happened to receive a personal insight on and never think about the plights of all the villains that they didn’t happen to receive a personal insight on," ending.

But again, I suppose we’ll see when we see.

Thanks for the asks! I have rather more to say about Chapter 353; I'll see about getting something up on that front soon.

[dellinah]

Ik yall are tired of me never shutting up about thylacines. So have one more post about thylacines

Ok let's get this over with

They released the pics for the lastest alleged thylacine sighting

*siiigh* i'm tired of this, man

I'm sorry but this just doesn't cut it for me. I joked in the past about how every sighting is done in a 2005 camera and it shows anything BUT a good position of the animal and... yeah. Hardly a joke now

Now I'm not saying this isnt one and I am FAR from a wildlife expert and I don't mean to claim I am or that I am better than the people who devoted literal decades of their lives to this. I am not disrespecting their work which I am sure is a very difficult job and fruitless as well. Im literally a furry who spends too much time on the internet i should by definition lose the right to say things what do I know

But I do think it's pretty shitty to claim you have proof and anounce you found one and then release... that. It is just not conclusive at all. You can't look at it and say THYLACINE. It could be something else. The other expert said it's a pademelon. If you say you're sure you found one i expect at least a pic of its face, or body in good view

Tasmanian tigers had very long, thin muzzles that were already present in the babies who were pretty much just adults in smaller sizes. I find it hard to believe you wouldnt see at least the tip of it from that pose as the head is a bit sideways. It makes the muzzle seem too small?

The ears are also not exactly the same shape (tho maybe it's bc they're folded) and the fur seems a bit too puffy (that could be bc it's really young, but thylacines were not puffy at all)

They also released this one

The pic with the babies shows the babies had very distinct stripes all the way down the butt like adults, and while you can't say this one doesn't have them, you'd think they'd be more visible. Theyre supposed to go till the very base of the tail and that base seems a bit bare

Unfortunately the ankles are not clear in that one which makes it hard to tell. Thylacines had extremely low ankles, and it's the first thing to look for when a sighting shows a thylacine's body, bc half the time you can tell if it's a dog/fox/dingo or a thylacine by how low or high the ankle is

It's literally like 1/5 of the leg, while dogs' ankles are almost half their legs

The butt seemed a bit too round to me. I wasn't sure how they would look from behind so I checked the footage from 1936 to see if i could get a shot. And I was like... I'm kinda right? It's less round than their pic

Thylacines were very thin and stiff animals, the tail barely moves. That animal is thin, but it seems a bit too round still. Maybe it's bc it's a baby, but again... hard to tell

Also their other pic looks like this

Whyy

Some experts said it might be a thylacine, one even said it's a 50% chance and a safe bet. So it's definitely the best one we've had! And maybe there are some thylacines there still.

But it's not conclusive

I wish they'd set up cameras in different poses in the same place to get more clear shots, ans FACE shots. I hope they do it now! And either figure out options this animal could be or prove once and for all that thylacines managed to survive

Till then... I'll say they're gone and the animal in the pic is an animal from behind we can't identify. I never claimed to be an expert bc im not, but... I don't see a thylacine

And its still shitty to claim you found one when even experts cant agree. So... dont do that. Im sure he was excited bc he is sure but that cant be confirmed

So yeah. If you ask me, till PROVEN wrong, Thylacines really are gone

As we are they once were, as they are so shall we be