#just a note that if anyone makes any negative comments about the marginal amount that I darkened their skin tones? I will block you.

[moonlightphos]

🌱🏛️

[im-the-punk-who]

Hi! I’m new to the fandom and I’m simply curious (not trying to start a feud or anything), why don’t you like Steinberg?

Hello dear anon! And welcome to the fandom! 

Oof. That’s a question. xD 

I’m going to try and stay as uh. neutral as possible. Because I’ve already written the post I know I failed but, the intent in answering this is also not to start a feud or hurt anyone’s feelings. 

Okay, so I got fairly negative in this chilis tonight, so I want to start by saying that even in light of the opinions I’m about to express, Black Sails is one of, if not my number one, favorite TV shows of all time. Certainly in recent memory - I’ve been hyperfixating on this show for 18 months with no sign of stopping, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for everyone who worked on the show - even Steinberg. (The one exclusion is Michael Bay, he can go twist.)

AND I think Stienberg is an incredibly talented writer. Black Sails is one of my favorite shows because it does such a wonderful job of weaving stories, creating characters, and melding things in a way that is both unexpected and makes sense narratively. I have changed as a person because of the show, and they will have to pry James McGraw and Thomas Hamilton from my cold dead knives-attached-to-them hands. None of what I’m going to say is meant to detract from that.

I will also say that a lot of these issues are not particular to Steinberg and are in fact a systemic problem with American TV + Film. And I’m not leaving Robert Levine out of my criticism, it’s just that Steinberg had the biggest hand in the pot(he wrote a full half the episodes) and a lot of what I’ve heard as far as talking about the show comes from Steinberg. So, he gets the brunt. But it isn’t that I think Steinberg was the only problematic element of the show. 

Also, these are all my opinions and are colored by how I interact with my fandoms. I am not only a fandom veteran, but I work and pretty much live in the entertainment industry. I work in indie film and theatre and am surrounded by artists and creators of all walks of life, like, constantly. I know what is possible, and when I see something that can be improved, I want to note it because it is important to me to always be striving forward. Like Miranda says about Thomas, this isn’t out of malice, or out of hate. It’s because I genuinely love this show, and I love entertainment as a whole, and I think in order to get to a better, more inclusive industry we have to have hard conversations and look critically at the media we consume, and it is frustrating to me to time and again see the same faces in the room. 

But if that isn’t your cuppa, that’s fine! Fandom isn’t meant to be stressful and if all you want to do is watch a show about gay pirates that is your tomato and I applaud you. Have at it you funky motherfucker.

OH! One more. At some point I’m going to talk about Silverflint. When I do, it is NOT meant as a ‘you shouldn’t/cant ship this’ or ‘this pairing is bad’ or any negative attack on the people who ship that pairing. My criticisms in this post are exclusively about what it means for Steinberg as a writer and Black Sails’ representation of gay and mlm men. While it’s not my cuppa, this is a sail your own ship blog. 

OKAY! SO! 

My main criticisms of Steinberg & Co boil down to:

The homozygosity of the writers and directors shows a complete lack of desire to include marginalized people in the writing of a show that is about them. Which leads to:

The centering of white men while choosing a historical setting and time period that was in fact dominated by people of color and specifically a black woman, 

The gratuitous inclusion of violence against women, particularly sexual violence, and again, that the female characters are often sidelined for the central male characters. 

SO.

Black Sails is a show centered around queer, female, and black leads, and yet there were only two non white-male directors (one bi-racial man and one white woman) and only 7 female writers - one of whom was Latina. The entire rest of the major creative staff was white men. I’m not going to comment on sexualities but none of the writers or directors are out as queer according to a quick google search. 

Let me reiterate the important bit there. 

In Black Sails, where the last two seasons specifically feature around a real, actually-happened-in-history event that shaped black history in the Caribbean, there was not a single black writer on the entire show. 

This is the main difference between inclusion for inclusion’s sake, and actually centering marginalized voices. Black Sails has a ton of gay, POC, and female rep in front of the camera but practically zero representation behind it, which leads to storylines and implications that Steinberg and his writers, as white men, simply would never realize.

It’s like why Silver and Miranda never realized the true reasons James was waging war on England. They just did not have the life experiences to realize they were missing a piece of the puzzle, and so they filled in their own without even realizing they’d done so. 

Because no one in the room of Black Sails was a part of these marginalized identities, nuances get lost or mistranslated, motivations get muddled through a white man’s gaze(or a straight person’s) and implications that someone within those communities might think is obvious won’t even come up.

And again, because there were no writers or directors of color in the last two seasons (the biracial man directed episodes 2x02 and 2x04 - WHICH MAKES SENSE IMO) the entirety of the historical lore that the show bases itself on in its latter half is filtered through a white man’s lens. And so there is no discussion of how changing something changes the meaning, how leaving someone out or changing their role to be more minor might affect people for whom that is their heritage. How the entire story they’re telling might change with one simple exclusion or addition.

So, how does this relate directly to Steinberg, you ask? Well, simply, because it was his show. 

Steinberg(and Levine) were involved in every major decision about the show, from its conception, to the script, to choosing the writers and directors. They chose how they wanted the show to look, to think, what stories to tell and how they wanted to tell them. Their decisions(and the biases that formed those decisions) are woven into the show.

And look. I don’t for a second believe any of this was willful or malicious. I don’t think that John Steinberg and Robert Levine sat down one day and said ‘you know what would make the gays really angry? If we locked the only two canonically gay men up in a prison camp.’

But the decisions that were made in the show were based in ignorance in a way that shows more than just simple negligence or laziness(especially given the attention to detail in everything else). The things they leave out or change in the Maroon War plotline for instance are not small details easily missed. They are big, giant waving flags. They are things that are irreplaceable to still have the same events and stories and tell them respectfully. 

It shows an insane amount of privilege to, for instance, write a show airing during a time when the Black Lives Matter movement was at the forefront of the American conscience, include black characters and black storylines, and yet not include a single black voice on their creative team. 

In a show that centers a gay man’s love and his journey in attempting to process the horrible things done to him and his lover because of it, we are given just forty minutes of the entire show dedicated to their relationship - and just fifteen of those minutes actually feature the lover! 

(Relatedly, the entirety of the gay romantic rep is two kisses, and a forehead touch. That’s the entirety of your gay intimacy representation. And yet there are in the first two seasons alone - because that’s all I’ve clocked so far - something like twenty seven minutes of scenes involving a naked or half naked woman. Five minutes of that is explicitly wlw sex.

Again, I just want to reiterate this because it’s important in recognizing bias. 

There is fully twice as much female nudity in the first two seasons, as the entirety of the time the two gay characters have together on screen. )

Steinberg is a perfect example of how a lack of understanding why the diversity you are representing is important, matters. I dislike Steinberg because he, just like every other straight white cis man I have known, profited off of marginalized voices without including them or creating with them in mind.

Art does not exist in a vacuum. You cannot create something - especially something as back breakingly, intensely a labor of love as Black Sails - without putting several pieces of yourself into it. But those pieces color your narrative. They will expose things about you that you don’t even realize. And it’s in these places we are weakest, and why a diverse group of writers with a diverse group of experiences can help a piece be stronger. But for whatever reason, John Steinberg thought that he could make art with only people who looked and thought and experienced like him. 

The lack of representation behind the camera in Black Sails was evident in front of it and yet Steinberg is out here getting to pretend like he created the most inclusive groundbreaking show that ever existed. It is important to me, personally, to acknowledge that. And that it kind of makes my skin crawl in the way all media made by straight white (cis)men makes my skin crawl. I wish I didn’t have to feel that way about my favorite tv show just because it was created by a man of privilege, but here we are.

SO. I hope that helped? Feel free to take what you want and leave what you don’t! 

Below the cut is a more in depth look at things that I think show what I’m talking about, but that up there ^^ is the gist. <3 |D

SURPRISE!

The Maroons and the Maroon War

So the first thing I want to point out is that the Maroon War was a real thing that happened. It lasted ten years, and resulted in the most substantial victory the Maroons ever achieved against the British. Not only that, there was in fact a KICKIN’ badass female leader of the maroons named Queen Nanny, who is to this day honored as a national hero in Jamaica. While they weren’t able to drive the British out, the outcome of this war led to a mostly self-governing Maroon population in Jamaica from the mid 1700s on. This was a long term fight that had a very tangible and real outcome, even if it didn’t end in the destruction of colonialism. 

And what is this war turned into in Black Sails? A white ‘madman’s revenge’  that is doomed to failure after six months.

That, my dear pirates, is a problem for me. (And those familiar with my brand of spiceyness know that I do not ascribe to the ‘Flint is a Madman’ trope, but that IS what Steinberg ascribes to, what he seems to have written the show thinking.) 

There was no narrative reason to include the Maroon War in the narrative of Black Sails. The Maroon War didn’t happen until a decade after the Golden Age of Piracy, and aside from Silver’s wife being a black woman there is no mention of Silver ever having contact with them. To me, this feels like the choice of a showrunner who found a cool historical event and saw a chance to up the stakes of their white male heroes while getting in some sweet sweet POC rep. 

Except that they then took the major events of the Maroon War and gave them to their white characters, Flint and Silver. 

Here’s the thing. If you’re going to take a piece of culturally important history and use it for your show, you NEED to have sensitivity writers. You need to have people who are at least familiar with those events and who care about them to do them justice. Have an expert come in and read your script or go over your ideas. Or just like. Hire a black writer. Hire ONE black writer. As a treat.

The important Maroon figures, Nanny, Cudjoe, and Quao, all get sidelined or ‘sexified’ and then used as plot points for the white characters. Nanny gets split into two women - the older mother queen and Madi, the young naive warbent visionary. Quao(Mr. Scott is the closest, or Kofi possibly) gets killed off because the writers realized they didn’t exactly have a place for him in their writing. Cudjoe(Julius) gets a few scenes and one good speech but his entire role in the war gets given to Silver. And THEN. That sexy Queen Madi figure gets used as emotional bait for Silver and then has to learn he has betrayed her and destroyed the hope and freedom she had wanted to bring to her people. 

Gross, pirates. Gross.

Anne Bonny/Max/Mary Read - a heads up, this section includes a semi in-depth discussion of both Max and Anne’s sexual assaults. If that bothers you, the paragraphs talking about that begin with a ***

COOL NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT LESBIANS. Words my 20 year old self would never have imagined coming out of my mouth. 

Specifically, I want to talk about Max, and Anne, and their backstories both involving extreme sexual trauma at the hands of men. And then Mary Read and the once again sexification of female characters.

(Actually while I’m here another criticism I have of Steinberg is that his writing does not seem to recognize how queer people existed in the past - again, likely because he didn’t have any gay historians to be like ‘actually buddy that doesn’t make sense also why is Anne not dressing as a man? If you want to fuck with anything and insert modern day terminology and ideas into this show, make her non binary and REALLY piss off the hetties.’)

(This same ficitonal gay dramaturg who is definitely not me has also questioned John Steinberg repeatedly about where Mary Read is, unsatisfied with the answer ‘well we wanted her to be hot so we made her a sex worker and then had Anne have to rescue her but then we realized it would be weird not to include her actual character so we gave her a five second cameo at the very end of the series and also made her like 13.’)

Anyway! So my main point in bringing up Anne and Max is the sexual trauma they are exposed to in the show, particularly being that they are the two primary wlw in the show, who Steinberg has said he views as being completely gay, and what THAT whole unexamined idea looks like. 

***Max. My dear Max. There was literally no reason to have her be repeatedly r*ped(and for the love of god there was even less reason to make it that gratuitous and graphic). Max being assaulted like that did not add anything to the gravity of Eleanor’s betrayal. The traumatic event was being tossed aside by Eleanor, and that could have been just as emotionally damaging without the sexual assault. And the only reason for her to be continually assaulted was to bring her and Anne together. 

***The reason imo that Max’s r*pe plot was added was because it was the only thing these white straight men could come up with that felt emotionally damaging enough to them. The act of betrayal itself wasn’t enough, the act of being thrown away, of having a lover put your life in danger because of her own ambitions wasn’t enough, they needed her to be r*ped to really drive home the point. 

***Anne, on the other hand, is never shown being sexually abused, but we are given an explicit account of her own traumatic history and how Jack saved her from this vile beast who was passing her around to his friends.

But here’s the thing pirates - that never happened. According to every account we have of Anne Bonny, she chose her husband, and married him against her father’s wishes. They were probably relatively happy until her husband started being a pirate spy and Anne started cheating on him with Jack. 

And yes, when they were found out. Her husband had her beat. That’s not fucking cool, and if they really wanted to go the damsel in distress route they still could have had Jack ‘save’ her from that. But at no point was she sexually abused by her husband(at least not in any accounts I’ve read.) 

You know who did likely sexually abuse her or at least manipulate her and Mary for his own benefit? If you guessed our Rat man Jack Rackham, you would be correct, because when he found out about Mary and Anne’s (supposed, but probably real) relationship, it’s implied he extorted both of them into fucking him to keep their secret from the crew. 

The addition of sexual abuse to Anne’s past isn’t done to be true to her character and was in fact explicitly untrue. Now of course I don’t know the reasons why they chose to do this, but I can guess. Just as with Max, the most traumatic thing a male writer can think of for a female character is for them to be sexually abused.

And the most disturbing part of this to me? The parallels it has to the real world of why straight men think lesbians exist. These characters who would be called man haters in present day are given these incredibly traumatic man-centered histories. It brings up something very uncomfortable in me about particularly wlw sexuality being viewed as a reaction to trauma at the hands of men. It’s just gross, I dont like it, and honestly there is no fucking excuse for it besides a room full of white straight men writing this bullshit. A room that Steinberg chose, because they fit his ideas.

In Fact heck, the women of Black Sails in general

***I honestly struggle to think of a single female character who I think was treated fairly in Black Sails. Miranda and Eleanor are killed for taking sides and not understanding their partners, Madi is betrayed in the worst way possible, Max is given a pseudo empowering ending but has that fucking terrible start. Idelle ends off fairly well, but tied to a man she may or may not have any actual feelings for, in what is essentially a political marriage. And Anne has her entire identity tied to a man who will be dead in two years as she is robbed of any agency whatsoever without him. (Oh, and the whole r*pe thing. And also her support for Max’s r*pe or death until she started having fee-fees. Who wrote this stuff. >_>)

Even though the characterization of each and every one of these women is PHENOMENAL - and again I will repeat that I absolutely LOVE these characters as they exist in a vacuum. I think they are well rounded, real, feeling people given motivations and drives and FEELINGS and they SHOW THEIR ANGER and i LOVE THEM. 

But the show punishes them for it. Miranda is essentially fridged to move Flint’s storyline along, and to make room for Silver. Eleanor is killed for the emotional damage it will cause Rogers. Madi is placed at the center of a conflict she explicitly says she is willing to die for and then not only is her entire cause taken from her, but when she tells Silver to fuck off he - in possibly the most predictable white man move ever - says ‘no i will stay until you change your mind. I will never leave you. I don’t care about your choice in this matter, I will wait forever for you. I’m your biggest fan. I’ll follow you until you love me. papa, - paparazzi.’ 

And I touched on this before, but I want to talk in more detail about what is possibly my hottest take to date, the sexification of Mary Read and Queen Nanny, as they are presented in the show. 

Max is to Anne what Mary Read is, historically. She is the lover that Jack Rackham discovers with Anne, and then he joins them in their bed. They form a triumvirate that upholds Jack at the expense of the women. But for some reason, Steinberg didn’t want to just include Mary Read as an actual character. For some reason he needed to make Anne’s love interest a sex worker who was in need of saving (and who, coincidentally, we never see working the brothel after she becomes lovers with Anne, because she is now a madam. :) Gross.)

And Madi. My dear sweet fucking Madi who didn’t fucking deserve any of this bullshit send tweet. 

So, historically, Queen Nanny was the Queen, spiritual advisor, and the military tactician of the Windward Maroons. She would have filled both Madi and the Queen’s character roles(and Flint’s, but who’s counting. A BLACK GAY LEAD? Inconceivable. I digress.) But, I guess, because they were wishy-washing with Silver’s sexuality or felt they needed to give him a female love interest because of Treasure Island, or because they were leaning a bit too hard into the gay shit and needed to backpedal, they took Queen Nanny and split her into a character who is for all intents and purposes powerless in the war and Madi, who is young and naive and does not have any real world experience outside of the Maroon camp.

Because that’s sexy, or something. They could have had the Maroon Queen be a fucking badass lady who works and fights alongside Flint and Silver and one ups them and teaches them shit and has her own ideas about where the British can stick it, but instead they made her into the perfect caricature of a female monarch, letting the big strong men handle the dirty work or something. Because white male power fantasies. 

Just let women be powerful and not nubile and let them have character arcs over fucking thirty and let them be CENTERED in their own. fucking. narratives. 

God damnit Steinberg.

James Flint, mlm extraordinaire

Oh, my love. My most amazing child. The light of my life. My purest cinnamon roll. 

~~And now we’ve come to the dreaded Silverflint criticism part of our programming. Please please know and remember this isn’t a criticism of people who ship Silverflint. As I said up top, Your Tomato Is Not My Tomato and that’s cool. Please don’t take this next part as an attack on Silverflint as a fandom ship.~~

My criticism of Steinberg as it relates to Flint is related to:

What a romantic/sexual relationship with Silver being the basis of the tension and plot means for Flint in particular as a gay or mostly mlm man. 

Refusing to confirm Thomas and James being alive at the end and honestly the whole finale in general but like I’ll try and focus.

The major problem I have with Silver and Flint being coded as in love with each other is the implications there in terms of gay men’s relationships to other men. 

From every corner, men are inundated with the idea that any close relationship between them must be gay. That intimacy cannot exist unless there are sexual feelings involved. That a relationship cannot be close, deep and soul shattering and life altering, unless one guy secretly(or not so secretly) wants to bone the other dude. That two men cannot value each other as partners or friends or truly know each other unless they are gay.

Seeing both of the meaningful relationships Flint forms with other men be sexually coded feels a bit the same way as Anne and Max’s sexual assault plotlines does vis-a-vis being wlw. (Even with Gates, Flint never spoke about Thomas or his plans - Silver is absolutely the closest person to Flint besides Thomas and Miranda.) And this is just as true for Silver. Having both Flint and Madi - the two people he trusts - both be people he’s in love with also just feels. I don’t know. 

It feels like a confusion between male intimacy and male love that is so so familiar to me as a gay man I could choke on it. Where they wanted these men to have a deep and really lasting connection, but could only figure out how to do it if they were in love. Friendship wouldn’t have been enough - only romantic and sexual love is enough for the gay man(or men, at all).

Just because it isn’t queerbaiting doesn’t mean it’s good rep, and I would have liked to see truly deep male friendships that did not center on sexual attraction - particularly for Flint as a confirmed mlm(and Silver too, if you’re counting him. The same arguments for why I dislike Flint being paired with Silver are also true in the reverse.) 

Even if both Flint and Silver were confirmed mlm I still would have LOVED to see a platonic relationship between them. In fact I would have loved that EVEN MORE. Men! Who fuck men! Not needing to fuck each other to be important to one another! Who made this. Very delicious. 

But because there weren’t any queer writers on the show, writers who understand this kind of struggle that gay and mlm men face, they thought ‘oh, let’s also have them be in love with each other. More gay rep is better gay rep, right?’ False. THOUGHTFUL gay rep is better gay rep.

Okay and here’s my last thing. The fact that Steinberg refuses to say whether or not the explicitly mlm men are alive at the end of the show - that the words he specifically uses are ‘up for interpretation’ is. Fuck, it’s gross, okay? It’s fucking gross. 

I have been around enough men, enough people in power, enough people with leverage who also know how to play the field, to know that when someone wants a group’s support but does not agree with them, their go to phrasing is that it is ‘up for debate’ or ‘up for interpretation.’

Say the gays are alive. Steinberg refusing to acknowledge the reality of the ending of his show to maintain his own sense of artistic integrity is what, honestly, really sets me off about him and I don’t care if this is a nuanced take.

Like yes, death of the author. I honestly don’t care if he thinks they’re dead or alive. What I care about is that he thinks he can get away with being clever and leaning hard into a story is true/untrue’ - doesn’t realize what the implications of that are, and didn’t when he was writing, and didn’t have anyone else in the room who would think about it either. 

ANYWAY. So this is....my long drawn out explanation for why I do not like Steinberg. Uhhhhh tune in next week for more of my totally unpopular opinions!

[chasingshhadows]

RNM S01: A Progressive Review

I want to talk about diversity, representation, social issues, and the way Roswell New Mexico succeeds and fails in that particular department. It’s 2019 and we no longer live in a world where it’s acceptable to ignore the societal implications of the media we consume. That said, it’s also 2019, and Roswell is doing some things that place it far ahead of its peers in media in ways that make it an absolute pleasure to watch. Like honestly, I’m fucking thrilled with this show ok.

I’ve read and skimmed a lot of discussion about the ways in which RNM has failed to be this perfect paragon of progressive representation, and I’ve read/skimmed far less discussion – by both fans and TPTB – about the ways in which the show is trying to be better than its forebears.

However, there seems to be a wide divide between people recognizing the former and people recognizing the latter, and I very much believe it’s irresponsible to try to focus on either one without at least acknowledging the other. So I’m going to talk about those failures and successes, and I’m gonna zig-zag that line so that if you want to read about how I feel about one of those things, you’re gonna have to at least skim the other.

[read more]

I tried to be as concise as possible, but even so, this is rather long, mostly because I didn’t want to make several posts about this. I want to say what I have to say on the topic and then get back to the story because that’s really why I’m here.

Also to note: I understand – and I hope we all understand – that we are in the first season of this show. This means that they should have plenty of time to follow through on or fix many of the issues I will point out, but that also leaves room for them to torpedo many of the positives I’ll discuss. Just – please know that I know we’re only one season in, and anything could happen.

On lived race

This show does a fabulous job exploring how race intersects with these characters’ lives and how it plays an active role in shaping not only who they are, but how their story lines play out. With Liz & Arturo, their race – and immigration status – are openly discussed on screen and inform their decisions and how they present themselves to others, as well as how they are received by their town. This is, in fact, a major aspect of the first season arc/plot as a whole, not just as it pertains to Arturo & Liz (and Rosa), but as it pertains to all the characters, so it’s worth emphasizing.

With Maria, we see her discuss her race as a factor in her isolation from her hometown, as well as seeing how she owns it in the face of racist customers. With Kyle, we see his compassion as a fellow child of immigrants in treating Arturo off the books, and with his mother, we see her perspective on that situation based on her own experiences as a Hispanic immigrant. And with Mimi, we see, tho tangentially, how the intersection of her race and gender and the stereotyping around those have had a negative impact on her healthcare. Even what little we saw of Arizona was washed in her experiences as a Native woman, and her (rightful) disdain for white people.

On the other side of that coin, we have white characters, namely the three alien siblings, whose White Privilege plays an active role in their actions and how they conduct themselves. I know some people have frustrations that these three main characters were all cast as white, but I’ll be honest, after having seen 1.06 (Smells Like Teen Spirit), I would not have bought that any of these characters were a POC. Can you imagine a Black or Hispanic teen being thoughtless enough to frame a WOC – who also happens to be the daughter of a known undocumented immigrant – for the drug-induced vehicular manslaughter of two white girls and not expect the entire town to then turn on that family? Even as a teen, no POC would be race-blind enough to not have had that forethought. It would not be believable, without an immense amount of heavy lifting in the backstory, for a POC to have framed Rosa instead of either of the white women, to have made the decision to put her in the driver’s seat over the other two.

And in this way, the show also does an amazing job in showcasing how good, liberal white people can still be thoughtless where it concerns race. Especially at 17. The White Privilege of the alien siblings, and their lack of awareness of it, serves as a major negative driver of the show’s plot and is the root cause of much of the conflict throughout the first season. That’s real, that’s believable, and that’s important to show.

This, all of this, is vital in portraying accurate, true-to-life representations of how marginalized racial communities interact with each other and white populations, and also gives those communities characters they can point to that not only look like them, but also share their experiences – experiences which are unique to POC and also give white viewers a clearer picture of what it’s truly like to live in this country as a person of color.

On meaningful racial representation

I feel rather let down that the show didn’t follow through on Alex’s heritage in any of the meaningful ways that they did with the other POC on the show (see previous section). All of those characters had clear and explicit aspects of their narrative which centered their race as an part of their story – again, rightfully, as that is how it’s lived IRL. We got to see them express and experience their race as more than just the color of their skin. We didn’t get that with Alex. (or with Noah, but he’s a whole other story)

It’s particularly disappointing considering that Alex is the only POC on the show who passes (that we know of, ofc). Many people will be upset at my bringing this up, but it’s true and we should be talking about it. His ability to pass – the ability for anyone to look at him and not know immediately that he is of Native descent – does not in any way negate his POC identity. Not even remotely. Not a little bit, not at all. All it means is that as a POC, Alex has the ability to be spared from certain microaggressions experienced by others in his community. Not all, not even most, but some. But it also means that he is subject to microaggressions that others in his community will never experience – such as someone making disparaging comments about Natives as tho there aren’t any in the room, or by people assuming he’s “basically white” bc he looks white and erasing his heritage entirely. Those are experiences unique to his race that other Natives who don’t “pass” would never experience.

Roswell didn’t follow through on that this season. We saw no indication, other than the casting of his brother as a Native actor (which I was very pleased about, mind you), that Alex Manes is not as white as he appears. Portraying and giving accurate representation to POCs who pass is just as important as giving it to POCs who don’t.

On consent

WOW this show does a marvelous job at portraying how people should approach getting active and explicit consent from those around them. Active consent is so deeply ingrained in the foundation of this show that its absence is used as an indicator to the audience that something is very very wrong - and on more than one occasion. In order to pull that off, the show has had to set an abundantly clear standard for the type of consent that these characters should expect from each other when things are not horribly wrong, and that standard is appropriately high.

Max and Liz are the obvious duo with which this is explored. From the first, when Liz wants to kiss Max outside of the cave, he stops her because he’s concerned that her judgement may be impaired or impacted by the effects of his powers. He refuses to take advantage of that state, making a direct call to the behavior women wish we could expect from men when our own judgement may be impaired. This continues later when she asks to be left alone and he just immediately backs down and away, not pushing or persuading. He treats her word as law, as he should. We see even in his past, as a teenage white boy in 2008, that he consistently asked for Liz’s consent to even be in her presence.

We see it between Michael and Alex in very different but still very present ways. A lot of Michael and Alex’s communication is silent and, as such, so are their consent check-ins. Before their first kiss, you see Michael checking in with Alex, watching Alex’s body language as he approaches and making sure Alex is receptive before he goes for the kiss – and Alex is, clearly. Michael asks what Alex wants and Alex says that doesn’t matter while stepping toward Michael. Michael stops and looks at Alex and Alex continues to move closer, looking back and forth from Michael’s eyes to his lips. This type of silent communication and consent checks continues throughout the rest of the season, from the scene at the drive-in to the teenage scenes and on.

We also see clear attempts at getting explicit consent between Liz & Kyle, between Cam & Max, and even when Michael was guarding Maria at the gala (I can go get Liz if you want me to leave) and later when he approaches her following the events of 1.13.

This has honestly been so fucking cool to see like this, on a CW show especially, to see how easy and essential it is to get that consent in all situations. It’s an important representation that we don’t see laid out clearly enough in media today and I’m so fucking proud of Roswell for doing it so effectively.

On disability & erasure

This show started to do something that was really incredible in portraying one of the main characters as an amputee. We see his crutch, we see the way he moves with it, we see how he struggles with it, and we see how he is determined to life his life as an amputee, and not just despite it.

There was certainly plenty of room to improve in even that regard - specifically where it concerns coaching on exactly how a recent amputee might move their body and center their weight and whatnot, even, or maybe especially, if that person were trying to hide their struggle. But it’s clear that the show was trying to represent a type of character we don’t get to see often.

But then Alex loses the crutch. Rather suddenly and very cold turkey. This is not an accurate representation of how someone with a recent loss of limb would experience their recovery, no matter how much that person may want to hide it. Recovery takes time, it takes practice, and it includes bad days. We didn’t see any of that.

It's particularly frustrating considering the show gave themselves the perfect opportunity to do this transition far better and didn't take advantage of it. There was a six-week time jump between episodes 8 & 9. Had we seen Alex try to go without his crutch when he confronted Liz in ep 7, and then have to return to using it after the long day out, and again in episode 8 with his father - wouldn't it have been so amazing to see him collapse in his chair after Jesse leaves and rub his leg because he's been ignoring the pain all day in an attempt to intimidate his father? And then we could see him moving more independently after that six-week jump.

The show dropped the ball there, in my opinion. In a big way. That beautiful representation was given and then promptly taken away. And then the show set itself up perfectly to explore how the invisibility of disability can be experienced, and has not followed through on that at all. Quite literally the last indication at all that we get of Alex's amputation is Michael commenting on his having lost the crutch in episode 9.

One of the harsh truths of disability is that no matter how much one might try to ignore and hide that aspect of who they are, it will always be there and it will make itself known. It might be invisible to others, but Alex will experience it anyway, will be affected by it anyway. He may be able to do anything that anyone else can do, but he’s gonna have to work ten times harder at it. We should have gotten to see that.

This same problem of erasing disability happens with Michael’s hand in the last episode. Michael’s scars, what they prevented him from doing, how they affected his work - all of that was so important to see, and then he gets the unconsensual healing power of magic and suddenly he gets his happy place back. And as happy as I was as a Michael!Stan to see him find that, this sends a bad message, that people with disabilities just need to be “fixed” to be happy. And as I mentioned above and in other posts, it is wildly apparent that Max healing Michael’s hand without his consent is meant to be an indicator that Max is Very Not Okay and is a prelude to him literally going so mad with power that he kills himself to resurrect Rosa. That noted, from a representation standpoint, I wish another mechanism had been used to show that.

On unapologetic politicism

Roswell makes it absolutely clear where it stands on the political spectrum and who this show is for. This show exists in the post-2016 election, post-#MeToo era and it embraces that culture and does not shy away from being political, on everything from race, sexuality and misogyny to immigration status, gun control, and even research science. It uses context and even hero dialogue to make the audience aware of what is right and what is wrong on these topics, and it does so without ambiguity or nuance.

It (appropriately) paints ICE as the enemy of good, hardworking people in literally the first scene of the show. Liz starts ranting about being stopped because she’s Latina and I just did a little dance inside because Yaassss, these are my people. And the show doesn’t let up there - the shadow of ICE hangs over Arturo’s - and by extension, Liz’s - head the entire season in a way that makes the audience uncomfortable and angry on his behalf.

The show consistently, from multiple characters both in law enforcement and not, refers to undocumented immigrants, the homeless, and prostitutes as “the most vulnerable members” of society, and not as a scourge or a menace to that society. These are good, worthy people deserving of protection and justice. The show paints anyone who views differently as firmly In The Wrong, from the disgusting Wyatt Long to the self-righteous Sheriff Valenti.

The dialogue calls out everything from subtle racism in police descriptions to building a wall to #AllLivesMatter to fake news to the terrifying ease of buying a gun to homophobia to the president himself  - it does not hold back and it does not leave room for excuses or sympathy on the part of the more conservative characters.

Most of the dialogue on the show that wasn’t explicitly Alien-centric feels very organic in the ways that it makes offhand quips about immigration and racism and sexism and everything in between - that’s the way I and my friends speak and converse. That stuff just filters into our conversations about really anything because it’s always at the forefront of our minds. We call those things out when we see them and talk about idiots like they’re not sitting right in front of us (“I think that’s Hank speak for ‘he wasn’t white.’”) There aren’t a lot of shows that nail that so perfectly and the only one that’s coming to mind at the moment is Dear White People, which was the first I saw to pull this off so well.

This is media that doesn’t try to paint a picture of “there are good people on both sides.” This media isn’t playing middle ground, or trying to please everyone. It’s making a statement in these choices and it doesn’t shy away from pissing off toxic people - this media isn’t for them. Most popular successful media (*cough* MCU *cough*) achieves that status by very carefully toeing the line between left and right, by using subtext to attract progressive viewers while keeping the explicit storyline clean and moderate. Roswell doesn’t do that - its progressivism is explicit and unmissable, as it should be. And that makes it, truly, an absolute joy to watch.

On Maria’s arc

Maria DeLuca did not start this season as an extension of Michael’s - or anyone’s - storyline, and I’m incredibly frustrated that, narratively, that’s how she ended it. That’s easily my biggest disappointment regarding the season as a whole, exaggerated by the fact that Maria is a black woman and because of that, her storyline carries more weight than many of the others. This post does a good job of discussing why POC rep matters more, and while it focuses on race-bending (which this show has also done with Maria, in a positive way), I think it still makes the point that Any POC Rep will just always hit harder, good or bad.

When that Rep is good, it’s fantastic. When it’s bad, it’s terrible.

And for most of this season, it was hitting very very good well. Maria throughout most of the season was this fierce, beautiful firecracker of personality and suppressed issues. She had a history and a deep well of issues both pre- and post- the loss of one of her closest friends, followed by the physical separation from her other two best friends. She’s got an amazing relationship with a mother who is slowly losing grip and slipping away from her. Those things, how they shaped her, and how they expressed themselves made her relatable, tangible, and easy to love.

That was actually one of my favorite parts about her hooking up with Michael, that these were main characters seeking comfort and distraction in one another, rather than just with throwaway characters. Maria is her own person with her own story that we had already seen explored as an independent arc from any of the other main characters

However, that arc never quite got the same attention as Kyle’s or Alex’s and certainly not as much as Liz or the Pod Squad. A lot of that likely has to do with her ignorance of the alien presence in the town (which appears to be coming to a close, but I won’t speculate on that) and that makes sense, narratively. As she couldn’t be actively involved in pushing the alien mystery plot forward, there was only so much the show could do with her, and I think they did take advantage of what little wiggle room they had there.

That said, given that she’s the only black woman on the main cast, it’s very disappointing that she rounds out the season by being drugged, possessed, and either talking about, pushing away, or engaging with Michael. My own perspective on this show may revolve around Michael, but that doesn’t mean I think our black woman should share that fate narratively.

And I’ll note that characterization-wise, I understood the ways Maria’s thoughts and actions could become consumed and fixated on a love interest. Oh, holy wow, have I Been There. But allowing that - and essentially, only that, narratively for Maria at the end of the season, as the only MC black woman on the show - is a disservice to her character and the community she represents. Which is not to say that I take issue with how Michael and Maria come together at the end, either from a narrative or a character development standpoint; what I take issue with is that that is all we get of her in the later episodes. Maria deserved more, and so did we.

On fighting for WOC

One of my favorite things about this show is how the characters on this show again and again come to bat for the two main WOC, despite that both of them are portrayed as absolutely capable of fighting for themselves. Both Liz Ortecho and Maria DeLuca are shown to be strong, multifaceted, beautiful (neither because of nor in spite of their race - just beautiful, end of story), desirable, and worth fighting for - and unapologetically and undeniably women of color.

Our “main hero” Max makes it absolutely clear that he will Throw Down for Liz Ortecho. He risks his own life and the lives of his siblings to save her, and nearly torpedos those relationships entirely on her behalf. He loves her absolutely, flaws and all. And he acknowledges those flaws - he doesn’t put her on a pedestal or pretend she’s perfect - she doesn’t need to be for him to love and respect her.

We see Alex and Michael and Liz all show up for Maria at different points in the story, fighting on her behalf, defending her, and making the statement that Maria is precious and should be protected. More than that, through Michael’s eyes, we stand in awe of Maria DeLuca - she is a standout, she is impressive, she is powerful, and she is her own savior, every time. And through all of that, she is beautiful and desirable and absolutely worthy of being the center of attention.

These storylines and characterizations are unfortunately still incredibly rare for women of color in modern media. Women of color rarely get to be these fully fleshed out characters with their own backstory and own motivations, and even more rarely do we get to see them be viewed by others as special and valued. Roswell isn’t sidelining its WOC or centering their storylines around white men (my comments above re Maria’s last couple episodes notwithstanding). And that’s amazing and should be celebrated.

On aesthetics

No matter how important something is to the plot or how in-character it would be, the sociological aesthetics of media are still relevant. Plot-wise, the roundabout Wyatt leading to Maria leading to Noah was an interesting mechanism, and it makes sense, character-wise for Cam and then Isobel to suspect Maria’s involvement. And it makes sense, character-wise, for Liz to then defend Maria against those suspicions.

But - aesthetics matter. And watching a scene in which two white blonde women accuse a WOC of horrible crimes at another WOC is immensely uncomfortable and very tone-deaf. That wasn’t fun or engaging to watch, I don’t feel drawn into the mystery of it all in that moment, I feel pretty grossed out, actually. Because this show has set a standard for itself of being better than that, and in that scene, it failed its own test.

On bisexual representation

This one I’ve already talked about at length and having finished out the season, my feelings haven’t changed. This show does a damn fine job showing us a bisexual character living out his life, his pain, and his unhealthy but entirely relatable coping mechanisms. They don’t try to portray him as perfect because he’s not and he shouldn’t have to be for us to respect and love him.

On bi-baiting

I’ll admit to being disappointed that Isobel’s feelings for Rosa turned out to be artificial and driven by the man living her in mind. It took the whole situation from amazing bi rep to aggressively heterosexual. Not only was our queer woman not actually queer, but all of those feelings and attraction toward another woman were actually driven by a really toxic man that was actively violating Isobel to pursue that attraction.

Once again, the show started to give us something really fucking amazing - two bisexual main characters - and then appeared to take that away. We’ve been given no indication that Isobel’s attraction to Rosa was anything more than Noah in her head or that she herself is anything other than Very Straight.

This doesn’t diminish the amazing bi representation they’ve given us with Michael, but that amazing representation does not excuse or erase our having been baited into falling for another bisexual character only to find out it was all very likely a sham. While there are certainly not enough bisexual men in media, there is also not enough queer women at all. So dangling that in front of the audience before yanking it away is frustrating.

On respecting survivors

*Content Warning: sexual assault* 

So I’m going to talk as a survivor for a moment and explain how Holy Shit Muther Fucking Important it was to see another survivor being told that other people’s feelings and needs didn’t matter. What She needed mattered. I was sobbing through that scene because no one has ever told me that. No one ever told me that what I needed trumped other people’s comfort or anger or needs.

But Isobel got to hear that. She got to hear that her brothers’ needs Did Not Matter (and that, particularly, hits hard for me). The only thing that mattered was whatever She needed to get through this, to feel better, and to heal. She got to hear that taking care of herself was the most important thing, that she was allowed to be selfish and think of herself. She didn’t have to put others first, or make sure everyone got what they wanted. What they wanted is nothing compared to what she needs. I needed to hear that just as much as Isobel did.

The show did not shy away in facing just how violently violated Isobel was by her husband - body and mind. It doesn’t brush off what he did as just another evil act by an evil man - this was invasion of Isobel in every possible way by someone she loved and trusted.

And it doesn’t try to artificially portray her as too strong to care, or too weak to handle it. She’s strong, but she’s affected. She’s shattered inside, and she’s handling it. A lot of us know what that’s like in ways people that haven’t experienced it never could. And as someone who finds therapy in being understood, in seeing my experiences in media, this scene was everything I needed.

On villainizing POC

This one has sparked a lot of valid discourse. Media has a really ugly history of telling society who is good and who is bad based on casting choices and always always always making the villains the POC, particularly MOC. It’s unconscious bias leading to more unconscious bias, teaching viewers that we shouldn’t trust POC bc they’re always the bad guy.

It’s a problem and every additional casting choice like this contributes to that problem. No show or movie is immune to it simply because they had a good reason, or even because they wanted to give a POC a job. Studios can give POC jobs by writing roles for them from the beginning, rather than slotting them into damaging stereotypes.

While I do acknowledge that it is unfair and in many ways problematic to deny an actor a role simply because of their race, aesthetics matter. There has to be some forethought in the casting choices regarding the message that choice will send. If the desire is to have more POC characters, then write more POC characters.

And that’s another way in which Roswell doesn’t really succeed with Noah. While there’s at least mention of Noah’s race on the show, he falls into the same category as Alex in that we never see his race expressed or lived. They cast a South Asian actor to play a raceblind role, which means they cast a POC actor to play a white role. POC characters have different stories than white characters - Roswell dropped the ball on giving us that with Noah.

Roswell does a lot right where it concerns race on this show, and it is refreshing that our POC villain is far from the only POC on the show. That said, I was taught something in college that I will never forget:  oppression is a moving sidewalk. In order to work against it, you cannot stand still (i.e. casting POC on both sides). You must actively walk the other direction in order to affect change.

Like with the issue of Isobel’s baited bisexuality, giving us amazing representation in one hand doesn’t change that you’re using the other to flick our ear.

On centering queer stories

*hugs myself in delight* This is a big one and is probably the aspect that Roswell gets the most right. Both in impact, screen time, and even in literal scene-splitting, Roswell again and again makes it clear that Michael & Alex’s love story is just as vital and central to this story as Max & Liz’s. They intercut their scenes at numerous points, and characters even within the show compare how similarly their stories have played out. The two relationships experience major milestones on the same day on more than one occasion.

Michael and Alex’s relationship has depth. It has conflict, it has history, it has heartbreak. There is tension and pain and softness and love. It has laughter and safe spaces; it has big gestures and powerful words. These two men who crash together and fly apart but whose whole beings seem to orient toward the other and who, at the end of the day, are willing to let themselves be destroyed for their love.

This queer love story playing out on season 1 of Roswell has more foundation, development, chemistry, and payoff than some of the most romanticised straight couples in media history. It’s been a week since the finale and I’m still just utterly in awe at what we’ve been given here. Roswell is absolutely succeeding in giving us thorough, relatable, meaningful queer representation with Michael and Alex. They are not holding back or sidelining or tokenizing. And they are following through on narrative promises instead of just baiting or relying on subtext. And that’s…. so fucking insanely satisfying to finally get to see.

.

Ultimately, I’m far more happy with how the show treats its underrepresented identities and modern social issues than I am critical. Most of the content on this show is akin to looking in a mirror and seeing my own worldview reflected back. I am a queer progressive woman and a survivor, so many of these issues are personal for me.

But I’m also white, and my disabilities are not physical. As such, I am not and should not be the authority on some of these issues. I am more than open to feedback from those who feel I was either too harsh, or not harsh enough, where it concerns those issues.

But for now, this is essentially Chasing’s Progressive Review of Roswell New Mexico, Season 1. And now I’m gonna go roll around in meta and fanfic and gifsets for the next several months cuz I sure as hell ain’t done talking about this show.

[imagine-darksiders]

Cold Hands, Warm Heart.

Chapter 6 - Vulgrim. 

Chapters 1-5 on Ao3.

Summary: It’s the beginning of your journey to the Cauldron. Along the way, both you and Death find yourselves learning something new about the other and it isn’t long before you run into your first obstacle. 

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Navigating the long, crumbling bridge cavern was easy.

Navigating it with a human tagalong however was....interesting.

Death – who had no idea there were so many fascinating distractions to be discovered – stalks several feet behind the young human; now his little travelling companion, it would seem.

The absence of any immediate danger has clearly lulled her into a false sense of security and as such, she's become bolder. Glowering at the back of her head, Death wonders how long that will last. She's even begun to stray from his side, venturing further and further every passing minute as soon as something new catches her eye. The basis for her intrigue in these discoveries are, as far as he can tell, based on absolutely nothing at all, and with not much else to do, he starts languidly trying to predict which mundane, uninspiring object she'll scurry over to next.

'A rock,' he notes, rolling his eyes as she bends down and selects a smooth, grey stone from the weathered path at her feet. Then, turning it over in her hands, she looks around, searching. 'Ah. Not the rock itself.'

He watches her trot ahead a few more metres to the edge of the grassy walkway that spans one side of the cavern to peer cautiously over the edge. Extending an arm out, she holds the rock above a pool of water gathered at the bottom of a deep, wide chasm cut out of the floor and promptly tips her hand, letting it plummet several feet into the natural pond with an negligible 'sploosh'.

The horseman blinks. What that accomplished, he'll never know but she seems to be satisfied with her findings, judging by her decisive nod. At least until Dust swoops overhead and lets out a conversational squawk, startling the human and sending her back-peddling to sheepishly fall in line with his long strides.

Despite her jittery disposition, he has to give credit where it's due; She came with him. Namely, she left the promise of safety to follow him out into a world she'd never experienced before....and yet, she jumps at shadows.

'How can one person be afraid of everything yet fear nothing?' Boundless as the universe is, there are very few mysteries in it that the horseman gives much thought to. Nothing perplexes him anymore, but he puzzles over this particular paradox for some time until your voice rudely snaps him from his thoughts.

“What...The Hell....Is that?”

-----

With his brow still creased in a pensive glower, Death follows you beneath a structural archway built around the tunnel's exit and steps into the sunlight. A verdant, boundless valley stretched out before him, surrounded to the south, east and west by craggy, sandstone cliffs. Beyond them, far on the distant horizon, a ring of snowy mountain peaks climb up into the sky - cold, foreboding and just as unforgiving as the land itself. Through his mask, Death's nostrils catch a strong whiff of wood smoke and beneath that, the acrid stench of brimstone, carried on an autumnal breeze from the east. The horseman scrunches his face up distastefully. Regardless of Alya's directions, it would not have been difficult to determine the location of The Cauldron. He need only use his sense of smell.

Meanwhile, you have a hand held over your squinted eyes to shield them from the occasional sunbeam that breaks through the thin, fast-moving layer of clouds rolling by overhead and you're staring avidly across the vale, a haunted expression darkening your features. He watches as the wind lifts your hair, buffeting it around your face and when a wayward beam of sunlight shimmers brilliantly off the glossy strands, he huffs and looks away.

The horseman's own hair – weighed down by grime and dirt – hangs stubbornly around his shoulders, as if the wind alone weren't a strong enough force to affect it in any way.

He follows your line of sight to the north, landing upon an archway formed by two, adjacent statues depicting a pair of stone makers that tower hundreds of metres up into the air, their arms raised to hold aloft a spherical boulder, engraved in the centre of which is the unmistakable outline of a tree. It's a gateway, if ever he saw one. Enormous and far too gaudy, in typical maker fashion. His eyes rove above it and in the distance, he can just make out the faint outline of an impossibly tall tree trunk with branches twisting and spiralling upwards for miles before they disappear beyond a layer thick, grey clouds.

It's a landmark that can be found in every corner of all the galaxies, its roots connect each realm and serve as a portal network, or a bridge to those seeking worlds beyond their own. Every world has its own Tree, all unique in appearance and placement, but it is still the same. There is only one Tree of Life even though technically, there are thousands. It's a phenomenon Death has never bothered to try and understand. It's just part of the furniture now.

But the object of your abhorrence isn't the Tree of Life, nor is it the ostentatious gateway. Although with your seemingly endless supply of doe-eyed wonder, he doubts you'd share his sentiment. In fact you'd probably think the statues were impressive.

No. The thing that captured your attention, stretching between the statues like a highly inconvenient roadblock is a gigantic, writhing black land mass, a hideous, undulating bubo of squirming tendrils and glistening, oily flesh, marring the otherwise bucolic landscape.

And as if he hadn't seen it, as if he hadn't clocked such a disturbing shape the moment he stepped out into the valley, Death casually asks, “What the Hell is what?”

He anticipates the scoff you aim at him, but he's wholly unprepared for you to suddenly let out a yelp and latch onto his bracer a second later, mouth agape whilst you point fervently at the black growth. “Oh, ew! It moved!”

Indeed it had. As you watch, trying to gauge just what in the world you're looking at, a crack of light appears in the centre of the glistening mess, splitting open horizontally like a fissure and widening into a sphere of putrid yellow with something long and dark curving down the centre, not unlike a slitted pupil. At that point, it's with no small amount of horror that you realise you're gaping at an enormous, bulging eye! Then, to make matters worse, it promptly snaps in your direction, the tendrils that form grotesque eyelids pulling apart to zero in on you and Death from all the way across the grassy vale.

The horseman makes a noise in the back of his throat, whereas you – still hanging from his arm like some kind of human shaped limpet – mutter a creative compilation of “Ew!” and “Gross!” with the odd, “Oh that's grim!” thrown into the mix.

After a moment or two spent gawking, you manage to croak, “That is probably the foulest thing I think I've ever seen.”

You'd also like very much to look away from it, but find you're unable to do so.

Casting his mind back to a time before humanity came on the scene, Death recalls a similar occurrence, of a realm whose entire landscape consisted solely of pulsating, pink flesh. The hills, the trees, even the rocks and residences. One of those hills had opened up, much like this one, to reveal a gigantic, swollen eye that stared at him as he passed by, following his movements, seemingly keen to catch his gaze.

Suppressing an involuntary shudder, the horseman tilts his head towards you and offers, “Not even in my top ten.”

Morbidly curious, you glance up at the underside of his chin and open your mouth to ask if he'll tell you what could possibly beat this thing to the number one spot, when the writhing mass suddenly lets loose a blood curdling screech. The sound rolls across the vale, rattling the ground as it goes and shaking pebbles free of the cliff behind you. Gasping hard, you take an automatic step behind Death.

“Wonderful,” he remarks snidely with an elaborate eye roll and raises his free hand, the other now bent behind his back, still clasped by your trembling fingers. Several feet away, there's a spectral whinny preceded by Despair suddenly bursting out of the ground in a flurry of green mist. “Isn't this a surprise. We've found yet another thing for you to be afraid of.”

Although his words are completely accurate, they still strike a delicate place in your heart. The look of hurt that flashes across your face is there and gone faster than he can blink.

Unfortunate then, that the horseman seldom tends to blink at all.

He catches that almost imperceptible twitch of your eyebrows, the flash of your throat as you swallow thickly and the minutest tug of your lips and he's bewildered to find that your expression unsettles him. Not much, admittedly. But enough that he notices.

It's...odd.

For as long as he can remember, he's been like this.

Teasing at best and downright disparaging at worst. And never once has he wished he could take a snide remark back. Which is probably why the curl of his gut agitates him now, because for the first time in his immeasurably long life, he's struck with the temptation to snatch his words out of the air and stuff them back down his throat.

It occurs to him, after a quick moment of reflection, that usually, his remarks are met with anger, cold indifference, or they're simply ignored altogether.

Oh, he's upset people, certainly. But they'd always be too proud or too irritable to show that his comment had any kind of negative effect. The fact that you had allowed hurt – however briefly – to creep onto your face leaves Death....not ashamed, per se, but undoubtedly disconcerted, aware that this is a human in his company. One who'd just lost everything she's ever known in the span of a day. If anyone deserves to be spared his insensitivity, at least for a little while, it's you.

Death sighs, turning an apology over and over on his tongue. Yet before he can stumble out an awkward 'Sorry,' you whirl about and stalk purposefully over to Despair, stomping your new boots on the ground to emphasise that you're upset, as if he needed another clue.

“I think, given the circumstances, my fear is completely rational!” you call back to him over a shoulder.

“Mmmm...”

With the swollen, yellow eye still trained on his every movement, Death finds he's inclined to agree. The horseman trails along behind you, watching closely as you reach up to give his steed's hairless nose bone a friendly scratch and mutter, “What is that thing anyway?”

At least the wounded note has disappeared from your voice.

Death hums as he approaches Despair's side and pats the saddle, moving back to allow you up first, a move that surprised all parties – the horse, Dust, who'd since taken up his usual perch on the saddle-horn, you and Death himself.

Lips pulling up into a tiny grin, you huff out a quick laugh. “And they say chivalry is dead.” Then  you're suddenly stifling a girlish titter at your own joke.

Huh. Another new feeling, the complete antithesis to the previous. This time, when Death's stomach gives a meagre lurch, it isn't followed by a sour taste in his mouth. First, you'd been upset by something he said, and now you're laughing because of something he did.

The horseman's eyes roll up to the sky and he grumbles, “Humans,” under his breath, then realises that, before your little jab at his expense, you'd asked him a relevant question.

“That,” he nods to the giant, perversely twisted version of what he can only assume was a Shadow Lurker, “is Corruption, it's also where we need to....” He trails off with an amused chuckle, watching you try to mount his horse. “Would you like a hand?”

As he'd been talking, you made several sad attempts to get your leg high enough to reach Despair's stirrup, failing every time. Embarrassed beyond comprehension, you nod, hoping that he won't notice your burning cheeks. “Yes please..”

Death's cold hands slide under your bent shin and, with surprising gentleness, he gives you a helpful leg-up, his fingers hovering just above the back of your thighs until you're properly seated, both of your feet dangling several inches above the stirrups.

Suddenly, he understands why the makers were so hung up on your size.

Perched upon his comparatively massive horse, it's difficult to ignore just how small you really are.

Mumbling out a word of thanks, you scoot forwards to make room for him at the back. When Death pulls himself up behind you, it's effortless, seamless and sure.

Taking hold of the reins, the horseman barely squeezes his heels and Despair stops trying to bend his head around to nibble your booted toe, instead facing forwards again and ambling lazily over the dry grass, heading for the eastern cliffs and a narrow gap carved right through the centre of the rock face. The impermeable arms of the horseman circled to your left and right provide you with a fleeting sense of security, though you still glance warily at the eye as it trails after you, unblinking. “So...that's Corruption, huh?” Your voice is as tiny as you are, he notes.

“Well, part of it,” he elaborates, “More the effects of Corruption. I'd wager that used to be a Shadow Lurker, or something of that ilk. Eye's a dead giveaway....”

Swallowing, you tear your gaze off the slithering, expansive tendrils that seem to beckon you closer enticingly, waving back and forth like airborne leviathans.

“Is that what happened to the other makers?” you croak, “Eideard said it...changed them. Got iside their bodies and minds and made them...bad.”

“I suppose if one were to boil it down, that's essentially what happens, yes.”

Silence again and Death watches you distractedly run a finger over Dust's wing. Then, softly, you murmur, ”Do you think it can corrupt humans?”

The horseman scoffs. “I imagine if it can corrupt the makers, then it should have no problem infecting one, little human. I'm fairly certain Corruption doesn't discriminate, so long as the prey is alive..”

A shudder ripples from the tips of your fingers to your shoulders, travelling through so violently, he feels it against his leather faulds. Letting out a soft 'ah,' Death leans down, his height advantage granting him the leverage to peer around at the side of your face. “You're afraid it'll corrupt you.”

Bowing away from his intrusive gaze, you keep your eyes fixed on the ground passing by and lapse into a deep quiet, at least until Despair finally reaches the valley's end and steps into the craggy notch. There's an unspoken, unanimous agreement that everyone is glad to have shaken the glare of that corrupted eyeball.

High overhead, vines of mottled green tangle together, forming a canopy that stretches between the two cliff faces, effectively blocking out the sun and casting all three of you in a pretty, dappled light. Behind you, Death waits patiently to see if you'll respond. It takes several more moments before you draw in a slow breath, exhale it, and utter quietly, “I don't want to be made bad.”

Despair's hoofbeats echo and bounce around the notch until he sound of running water hits your ears, cutting above his soft clops. The narrow passage opens out a little and you find yourself in an enclosed basin with a waterfall tumbling from the cliff to your right, disappearing beneath a wooden portcullis that bridges a gap in the path over a crystal-clear, sunken lake. To the left, there's a dilapidated, half flooded dungeon carved out of the cliff wall, every stone glistening wet with precipitation.

Wary of an ambush, Death scans the ramparts and extended balconies, his eyes narrowed and focused.

Half of his attention on the human in front of him, half on a suspicious shadow that turns out to be nothing more than a huge, ceramic pot, he casually remarks, “So long as you don't let any corrupted creatures get a hold of you, you'll be fine.”

A skeptical snort jumps out of your nose. “Uh...I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the fastest thing on two legs.”

Still perched on the saddle horn, Dust bobs his head - whether in agreement or just because he's a bird – either way, you shoot him a half-hearted glare.

“Well then, I suppose it's a good thing I am, isn't it?” Death hums coolly, eyeing a ripple that had disturbed the lake's surface, “I won't let anything touch you.”

He had meant it to be ignorable, a throwaway statement. He hadn't even realised there was an underlying significance behind it until you purse your lips, eyes wet and conflicted, and promptly blurt out, “God, I don't get you.”

Caught off guard by the shift in your tone, Death blinks and drags his attention from the water to peer down at you curiously. “I beg your pardon?”

He abruptly draws back when your hands are suddenly flung into the air, a clear sign of exasperation. “Well, you're just so...so contrary! Everything I say, you've got some smart aleck remark to hit back with, but every now and again, you turn around and say something that could almost be construed as...as nice!”

Leaning over Despair's neck, you run your fingers along the horse's protruding vertebrae and chew on your lower lip, and in a small voice, you murmur, “Like...like, I get that you don't like me because I'm a coward or whatever. But then you'll say and – and do stuff that makes me think, maybe you don't not like me. Why can't you just-”

“You're not a coward.”

Several rapid blinks convey your surprise and you almost dislodge yourself from the saddle with the speed at which you swivel around to ogle him. After a few moments of staring at each other, you scrunch your nose up and with a definite crack in your voice, swiftly declare, “Yes I am! I'm afraid of everything! You literally just said so yourself back there with the - with the Corrupted thing!”

“I-” He falters, casting his mind back.

“And back on the mountain,” you continue accusingly, “The first time I met your horse, you called me a coward.”

The death mask - blank and impassive as ever – provides you with no indication of his thoughts. Even his burning eyes betray nothing, staring down at you unflinchingly as opposed to yours that widen, resolve faltering until at last, you can no longer meet the horseman's gaze any more than you can stare at the sun for too long. Biting the inside of your cheek, you twist around and face Despair's neck once more.

The moment your back is to him, Death blinks. He had called you a coward, hadn't he?...

'I was wrong,' a tiny, irritating voice breathes into his ear.

The horseman opens his mouth - 'Say it!' - and slowly lets it fall shut again.

'Now who's the coward?'

From the corner of your eye, you see his finger tap idly on Despair's metal reins.

Wracking his brain, Death draws in a frigid breath, his chest expanding and pressing firmly against your back as he gently puts, “I did.”

Apparently, you don't pick up on his deliberate use of the past tense because your shoulders slump, head sagging down closer to your chest.

“Let me ask you something,” the horseman declares abruptly, “When you first saw me, you marked me a monster, yes?”

Confused, you raise your head again and squint. “Well, I-”

He clears his throat pointedly and you realise that perhaps being polite isn't necessary in this instance. Still, uncertain where he's going with this, you tentatively reply, “Okay, yeah. Yes, I did.”

“And when I first spoke to you on that mountain, I had you pegged as a coward.”

Although you certainly can't dispute that, you still grumble, “Yeah, I think we established that..”

At your back, you feel a rumbling laugh reverberate through his chest. “You are perhaps not what I'd call 'lionhearted,' certainly. But-” He pauses to note the white-knuckle grip you have on the hem of your jumper. “- You left Tri Stone.”

Failing to see his point, you cock your head back to look at him. “Yeah. So?”

Death patiently appraises you down his nose ridge, his eyes hooded and sage. “A coward would have stayed in the safety of the village, with the makers.”

“I was....tempted, believe me,” you murmur after a moment of quiet thought and, shame-faced, you face the path again.

“But you didn't give in to temptation. And that makes all the difference.” He falls silent, allowing his meaning to sink in as he thoughtfully regards the top of your head. After several seconds pass again in total silence, he bites down hard on his pride and sniffs, voice as nonchalant and level as he can make it, “I don't think you're a coward anymore.”

Just like that, the fingers trying to catch Despair's wispy mane fall still and rigid in mid air. All the air leaves your lungs.

Death is....definitely not what – or who - you'd expected. When you first learnt his name, you never expected he would be capable of anything other than cold indifference, apathy in spades and a complete disregard for any and all life. But as you talk with him, communicate with the Grim Reaper himself and hear the fluctuations of his voice and think back on all the things he's done that – if done by a human – wouldn't have been all that odd, you realise that he may not have been the only one to judge someone based on what they are.

You a human; He'd taken you for a coward, and you can't fault him for that.

But you in turn, took him – Death – for a monster.

Even after he saved your life, slung you over his broad shoulder and carried you off your dying world. Even when he rescued you from that skeletal beast on the mountain, you'd still been afraid of him. Hell, you still are, on some level. He just has an air about him that promises danger, trouble and ill-fortune.

But aside from making a few, careless comments along the way, the fact that he hasn't actually done anything even remotely monstrous to you, hits you like a tonne of bricks. He even told you he wouldn't let Corruption touch you, and you're mouthing off? He probably didn't ask for this situation any more than you did and on top of that, he's having to deal with you treating him like the bad guy. All too suddenly, you realise that if you're going to be travelling with Death for the foreseeable future, sooner or later you'll have to cut him some slack.

Starting with....

“I-I don't think you're a monster by the way....” you whisper shyly, “Not anymore, I mean. I-If that matters..”  

And to the unflappable horseman's own astonishment, it does. If only because the statement is one he's seldom – if ever – heard.

Without even discussing it with each other first, all of Creation seemed to have come to a collective consensus regarding Death.

He is hated.

For as long as he can remember, he's been the antagonist in horror stories told by angels to their children of a monstrous spectre who'll steal their souls if they misbehave, who's stolen the life from even the bravest of Heaven's warriors for no reason other than contempt. Even demons find him abhorrent, the hypocrites. Then there were the humans, who feared the concept of Death more than they despised the horseman himself. Although the lines between fear and hatred are so often blurred, sometimes even he can feel the sting of their dread and he can't help but take it personally.

The truth of the matter is that Death is accustomed to being the Bogeyman of Creation. And the firmer truth - he wouldn't even argue it, because they're right. The truth is as indisputable as the fact that angels have wings or demons have horns.

He is hated because he is monstrous.

The temptation to call you an ignoramus arises out of nowhere, to chide you for being so naïve as to think the creature sitting at your back is anything less than a monster. But what would the point be in making you afraid of him again? Any fear you harboured before had been natural, not to mention understandable. Good instincts, that one.

Yet, you'd gotten over that fear blindingly fast, faster than he would have thought possible. In the end, he chalked it up to the humans having such a short lifespan. After all, yours is a species whose brains process everything – emotion, pain, change - at astronomical speeds. In the span of a single day, your opinion of him had apparently undergone a complete about face and he, in turn, is forced to revisit his own opinion of you, and by extent, mankind as a whole. This is the longest, uninterrupted amount of time Death has spent in the company of a human and already, he's beginning to realise that he might not be as well-versed on the species as he originally thought.

A sudden whicker from Despair snaps Death from the moment of quiet intrigue and he glances up, immediately spotting what the horse wanted him to see. Up ahead, the path forks, and hanging from a thick vine on the left trail are several, hanging sigils, swaying gently back and forth in the breeze and clinking together like metallic wind-chimes. He just about holds back a groan. They're a familiar, if unwelcome sight, heralding the presence of one of the most suspect characters he's ever had the displeasure of interacting with. The horseman briefly wonders if you'll even notice them.

Clearing his throat, Death tugs the reins and the horse tosses its head, hooves thudding dully on the soft grass as he starts to slow. “Perhaps we are both more complicated than either of us realised,” he admits distractedly.

“I just thought you deserved to know.”

“Well....I appreciate the sentiment,” he murmurs, adding softly a moment later, “You.... continue to surprise me, you know.”

It's more than that though, and perhaps he's being unfair by not telling you. You're proving him wrong.

Craning your neck around to squint up into the horseman's red-flecked irises, you ask, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Well,” he grunts, shrugging a pale shoulder, “considering not much surprises me these days....”

Ever so slightly, you perk up, encouraged, even though his way of giving praise is so frustratingly abstruse. “...You know what? I think I'll take that as a compliment....Hey, what's that?”

'Ah, not so unobservant either. Interesting.'

You've raised your hand to point up between Despair's ears at the ominous sigils Death had spotted, staring to the left, up a small grassy trail set apart from the main path. At the very end of it, overlooking the nook you'd just passed, is an intricate, square dais, surrounded by the same symbols that hang and sway from the cliff above it.

Drawing the horse to a complete stop, Death casts a wary glance over them, grumbling under his breath. “What is he doing here?”

“Who?” you start to ask, but he's already sliding onto the ground and trailing his fingers over Despair's neck as he passes, murmuring for the horse to stay put.

“H-hey!” you call, scrabbling to swing your legs over the back of the saddle, “Wait up!” Your descent is far more clumsy and takes twice as long as Death's, all the while you can feel Dust and Despair's eyes on you, both of their heads cocked to one side. Suddenly, just as you drop from the saddle onto the ground, your left boot snags on a jagged scrap of metal sticking out of the stirrup and you're forced to hop around on tiptoes for a moment, trying feverishly to pull yourself free. A loud snort blasts from Despair's nostrils and the crow gives an answering squawk, bobbing his neck up and down several times before you snap, “It's not funny!” to which you receive an obstinate hiss from Dust.

With a sharp tug, your foot finally rips loose and you stumble, tottering for a moment, arms flailing. Just as you begin to teeter backwards though, you feel cold, solid knuckles press into the small of your back and suddenly, you find yourself being nudged safely upright again.

In a flash, you spin around to sheepishly peer up at Death from beneath your lashes, mortified that he'd witnessed your floundering. “Y-you're still here? I thought you went on ahead.”

Shrugging one, massive shoulder, he states, matter-of-factly, “You asked me to wait.”

“I...yeah..But I didn't think you'd actually -” Death blinks at you, long and slow and you stammer to a halt. “- You know what, never mind. Thanks.”

He harrumphs and sweeps a hand out to his side. “Shall we?”

With that, the horseman turns and starts to stalk up the grassy pathway, one hand resting on the hilt of his scythe.

Crossing your arms over yourself, you scuff your boot against the ground and trundle after him in silence. The closer you get to the raised dais, the less your cheeks burn, replaced slowly by a creeping sense of trepidation. Death still hasn't removed his hands from the weapon, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by you.

“Hey..What's-”

The words die on your tongue because as you get within a few feet of the square plinth, something begins to stir.

A pulse of electricity sucks past your ears and raises the hair on your neck as if someone had stuck a static balloon there and then dragged it up through your hair. Seconds afterwards, you jump as pallid, blue smoke erupts from the centre of the dais, billowing up and spilling outwards along the ground to chill your toes. Inside the column of thick mist, half-obscured, is the vague silhouette of a person.

Cowering back a few steps, you're about to duck behind the safety of Death's bulk when you stop and think. 'Not a coward,' you remind yourself as you set your jaw and puff out your chest, moving to stand beside the horseman instead. All of a sudden, a rasping chuckle slithers out of the smoke and sends a shiver racing down your spine.

Almost as though it's blown by an ethereal wind, the wispy smog finally begins to thin and disperse.

As the outline of the mysterious figure becomes clearer,  you're abruptly caught in the stomach by Death's large hand and without warning, he shoves you – none too gently – behind himself. Such a move is disturbing because it dawns on you that whoever this stranger is, Death obviously perceives them as a threat. And seconds later, you understand why.....

The last traces of smoke and mist fall away to reveal a creature that immediately drains the blood from your face.

Enormous, charcoal horns with blunt, tattered ends curve up about a ghastly, barely humanoid face, framed by a hooded headdress of darkest violet and trimmed in golden silk. Gleaming teeth taper into wicked-sharp fangs that jut from its angular jaw, a jaw that stretches into a lecherous smile when a pair of cunning green eyes land on the horseman, growing wider still as its gaze draws down to where you're poking your head out from behind a guarding arm.

It locks you in its sights, holds your attention and you press a hand over your mouth, panic rising like a slow tide from the pit of your stomach, realising – horror stricken – what this thing is.

There's no mistaking those horns, the monstrous claws, the vestigial, fleshy winds sprouting from its shoulder blades and the most depraved grin you've ever seen.

It's a demon. Here, right in front of you. Just like the ones who destroyed your home.

Yet to your surprise, where rage should probably coil and churn in your stomach, there is only the cold, empty ache of fear. Gritting your teeth, you try with all your might to be angry, to let fury override the terror.

But it doesn't.

Shaking limbs and clenched fists betray you and the only thing that comes close to matching the dread is shame. Shame at what you are.

In a throaty, slimy voice that curls your toes, it drawls, “Greetings horseman! And welcome.” Leaning back, it spreads its long, gangling arms as though greeting an old friend and your eyes snap down to see that it has no legs, only a tattered skirt adorned with all manner of scrolls, round, glowing lanterns and a thick harness hanging from its skinny waist. “I've been expecting you.”

Judging from Death's tone, you can hazard a guess that this demon does not fall within his purview of 'friends.'

“Vulgrim. What brings you crawling out of the shadows?” the horseman grumbles, oblivious to the rapid intakes of breath coming from behind him, nor the little fingers that slide around one of the loops in his belt and grip tight.

The demon chuckles, slowly drifting closer, his greedy eyes flickering from you to Death and back again. “I wouldn't want to lose my most valued customer. Not to what lurks at the edge of shadows. So here I am, to offer my wares.”

Quivering muscles tense and bristle as the horseman barks, “What do you know that I don't? I'm not here by choice, demon.”

“I merely followed the trail of carnage. And when I detected the scent of this....” He pauses to waft a hand beneath his nose, doing an eerie impression of someone who's just smelled an especially good meal. “...delectable little morsel-”

Your stomach does a somersault.

“- I simply couldn't stay away!”

Before you have time to react, Vulgrim takes his opportunity to glide closer and leans down, peering at your petrified expression, sunken lips pulling taut over too many teeth. “This one is so....new, so fresh! Only the second time around, I'd wager....Mmm. Maybe third.” He sounds too excited, whatever he's talking about and suddenly, at the demon's threatening proximity, your pulse races into overdrive and you find that your legs are no longer adhered to the ground.

Just as Death opens his mouth to warn the merchant away, you move.

He catches the little blur of motion from the corner of his eye, yet instead of going backwards, as he expected, you lunge forwards clumsily, almost tripping over your own feet whilst you fumble with the sword at your waist.

If the action hadn't been so unexpected, he reckons Vulgrim would never have shot back quite so fast or hold his hands up in surprise when a small, unintimidating blade is promptly shoved under his nose.

“Rargh!” Your shout of anguish comes out garbled and nonsensical, made only more indecipherable by the wobble in your tone. Spine rigid and teeth bared, you manage to grind out, “H-how could you!?”

Shocked at the unexpected display of ferocity, Death softly calls your name and reaches out to touch your elbow but you rip it away from him, trying to steady your shaking arms to keep the sword trained on the equally bewildered demon's head. Again, quieter this time, you croak, “How could you?”

Vulgrim's eyes dart from side to side until they settle on Death, silently asking for clarification.

Meanwhile, the horseman has his hand still held out towards you, fingers suspended as he scrutinises the bungling grip you have on your sword and the unsteadiness in your stance. It doesn't take a genius to discover the reason for this outburst. “Y/n,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his mask's nose-bone, “Put that sword down, before you embarrass yourself further. You're no threat to anyone holding it like that.”

Feeling betrayed, you glance at him over your shoulder and blink the moisture from your eyes. “But! But he's a – a demon!”

“He is,” the horseman agrees, nodding sagely, “A demon merchant, to be precise.”

Perplexed, you gape at him. ‘How can he be so calm!’

“His kind, they – they killed humanity! They destroyed Earth!”

Again, Death nods. “They did.” Then, pointing a rawboned finger at Vulgrim, he adds, “He, however, did not.”

You look back at the demon and blink, noting how his hands are still raised into the air placatingly, a lump moving down his throat as he swallows. He hasn't attacked you when he could. He very easily could with how badly you're poised. Licking your lips, you plant your feet more firmly and give him a wary once-over. “He....he didn't?”

Vulgrim, realising that he's in absolutely no danger whatsoever, releases a sharp cackle and swipes a claw across his forehead, the very picture of melodrama. “My, my! Such spirit! How....unusual...” Tapping his fingertips together, he drags his eyes off the tip of your sword and addresses Death, his tone low and business-like. “Let's make a deal...What do you want for her?”

Your head whips around to look at the horseman so quickly, you almost lose your already questionable balance and the sword swings several inches to the left, now pointing at a spot just above Vulgrim's shoulder. Exasperated, Death heaves out an overworked sigh. He'll have to teach you why turning one's back on a prospective enemy isn't the best idea in the world some other time though, because the demon merchant's hungry gaze has fixed itself on you again while your wide eyes remain locked with Death's, as though you're fully expecting him to just name his price, fork you over and ride off into the sunset with a satchel full of gilt and hands wiped thoroughly clean of responsibility.

In an attempt to hide how tense his shoulders are, he rolls them and regards Vulgrim coolly from beneath heavy-lids. “I don't want anything for her. This particular soul is not for sale.”

“He wants my soul?” you balk, face paling.  

Ignoring you, the demon visibly deflates and whines, “Are you sure? I could reward you handsomely.”

“I'm sure.” Death's arms fold across his chest and he tips his chin towards you. “Besides, I highly doubt you can offer me anything of her equivalence.” He must have imagined the tiny, grateful smile on your face because when he looks properly, it vanishes, as if it were never there at all.

In an effort to coax you into lowering your sword, he risks another soft touch to your elbow, this time holding it securely between his thumb and forefinger when you don’t pull away and giving it a gentle tug. “I promise you can put your sword down, Y/n. As malicious and duplicitous as Vulgrim is, he's a scavenger, not a warrior. I don't believe for a second that he was among the demon hordes who marched on Earth.”

“Right you are, horseman!” the demon in question praises, turning to you, “Would you believe I've never actually killed a human?”

Deadpan, both you and Death reply with a firm, “No.”

Undeterred, he places his hands on his chest imploringly. “It's true! Oh, I've collected a soul or two from the dead ones, certainly.” He brings his hands together, forming a cage with his fingers. “After all, one must be dead before a soul can be captured. But killing a human? Bah! Do you know how hazardous an occupation that is?”

“Hazardous?” you scoff, but allow Death’s guiding hand to lower your arms as you realise that, although he shares many of the same features as the demons that destroyed your home, this Vulgrim doesn't seem nearly as murderous as the others. Creepy, yes. But not murderous. “Your kind seemed to have no problem killing mine from where I was standing?”

“Ah. But as your horseman friend rightly put; I am no warrior. And a human can be as deadly an adversary as any creature with its back to a wall.” He glances down at you and your trembling arms. “Present company notwithstanding.”

Squinting up at him suspiciously, you tilt your head to one side and slowly ask, “So...you're not going to steal my soul?”  

He seems laughingly appalled by the idea. “And risk losing my best client and my head!? Hell's bells human, I haven't survived this long on brawn alone.”

Suddenly, you feel very sheepish. At last dropping the point of your sword away from Vulgrim's chest and letting it stick into the ground, you let out a shaky exhale. “Right. Sorry. I-...I'm sorry.”

The demon's eyes promptly bulge open, his eyelids fluttering madly as though he's never heard the word 'sorry' before in his life, and certainly not when it's directed at him. “Why...is she apologising?” he asks, addressing Death. 

“Because I assumed you were like every other demon and I stuck a sword in your face,” you answer before Death can, “That was kind of high-hat of me. I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.” 

Incredulous, Vulgrim merely gawks at you until, to your right, the horseman snorts, bemused. “Oh, don't apologise. If you were to drop dead right now, he'd snap up your soul before you hit the ground.”

“Alas, once again, his words ring true,” the merchant sighs wistfully, “I have quite the voracious appetite.” Seconds later, he perks up, clapping his oversized hands together and bending down to give you that hungry, predatory stare, his long fingers slowly creeping towards you but stopping short as soon as Death's hand falls pointedly on his scythe. “But, worry not my little morsel– Er, I- I mean, little human.” He finally backs off and floats over to his dais again. “If Death says you're off the menu, then you're off the menu. I'm more interested in building bridges than burning them, after all.”

“Yeah,” you agree, giving him a hard, meaningful stare, “Me too.” 

You jump when Death's forearm bumps into you, physically turning your body back in the direction of his horse. “We should be getting on,” he tells you quietly. With a quick nod, you let him push you in front, keeping himself between you and the demon as you retrace your steps back down the path. 

“Oh and by the way!” Vulgrim shouts suddenly, his voice lacking any kind of sincerity when he continues, “My condolences for what happened to Earth!” Stopping abruptly, you blink and turn to look back at him over your shoulder. ‘Well..It’s the thought that counts.’ 

“Yeah!” you call back around Death, “And I’m sorry again about the whole, sword in your face thing!”

It might just have been a trick of the light, or your over-active imagination, but in that moment, the merchant's grin seems less sinister and more bemused than anything.

Cackling, he lifts a hand to wave you off. “My dear, I simply wouldn't call a day successful unless I'd had some manner of sharp object thrust into my peripheral.”

Hesitantly returning his wave, you allow yourself to be guided forwards again by the horseman's impatient grunt. Behind you, Vulgrim begins to sink back into his plinth, calling out before his head disappears, “Oh and horseman, if you or your new friend ever have need of my wares, seek me out.” He watches as your larger companion hoists you into the saddle, pulling himself up afterwards. As the bizarre duo disappear around the corner, Vulgrim’s teeth part into a wide, insidious grin. 

“I do so look forward to seeing you both again.”

------

For some time after leaving Vulgrim’s hideaway, Death rides in silence, mulling over your first interaction with a demon since you left Earth. All things considered, it could have gone a lot worse. 

“I'm surprised you didn't run him through,” he pipes up conversationally, ignoring the tiny flinch that shakes you from your own musings at the sound of his voice. “In fact, I'm almost sad you didn't.”

Furrowing your brow, you reply, “Then why'd you stop me?”

“Ha! Besides the fact I didn’t think you’d ever be able to with the way you held that sword?... Because he hasn't really done anything to warrant us killing him. Not yet, at least. And his wares are – to an extent – somewhat useful.”

Finally, after winding your way through what seemed like the ceaseless, high-walled passage, the cliffs finally come to an abrupt end and you’re suddenly greeted by soft sunlight filtering through a luscious canopy of green and golden tree leaves. 

Up ahead stretches a vast, spacious wood. Several ruined structures are dotted between the trees, vestiges of the maker civilisation lost to the corruption that ploughed through their land like a dark tidal wave, leaving a sort of kenopsia in its wake. Casting a sad smile at the twisting roots and leaves fluttering gently to the ground, you pump out a longing sigh. “This place is so beautiful...” 

Behind you, the horseman has already spotted several threats, all skulking about between the shadows of the trees. “Hm. Don’t be fooled. There are far worse things out here than demon merchants.” As if on cue, something big roars loudly, making its presence known and from behind a thick trunk, something huge and bulky steps into view.

Just like that, your wanderlust dies and you shrink back involuntarily underneath Death’s bristling chest. He spares you a cursory glance as he unsheathes his scythes, feeling Despair quiver in anticipation, ears pricked sharply forwards. Flapping off the saddle horn, Dust shoots into the sky with a resounding caw. “Hold on tightly,” Death murmurs, “Keep your head low and don’t let go of that saddle.” He reaches around with one hand hand grabs yours, moving them down until your fingers latch reflexively around the metal pommel. “It seems getting to the Cauldron won’t be a simple ride after all. Are you ready?”

“Not in the least.”

“Good,” he smirks, urging Despair into a hard canter, “No warrior worth their salt is ever ready for their first few tastes of real battle.” 

Thundering along through the leaf-strewn woods, Despair releases a squeal of excitement and charges into a breakneck gallop, the equally fearsome rider poised and ready to swing his deadly scythes as they fly towards their first destination; The Cauldron. 

[operaphantoms]

Commission Time!

Hi everyone! I just applied for my courses for fall semester and my savings can nowhere near cover the cost of tuition. As some of you know, I have my undergraduate degree in creative writing, so I do a lot of short story and poetry work. I have a website here [link] where you can read some of my work. You can also DM me for a writing sample. 

For anyone who follows me or who is referred to me by this post, I’ll give you a 20% discount on any commission prices listed below/on my website!  (Also, there is a link on my website to donate if you would like to help but don’t want any writing.)

Commissions

(I will not write about anything that could be considered a felony (abuse, rape, etc) or that could possibly be triggering to my readers. Additionally, I will not write stories for your writing courses.)

Poems are priced by line. A line will never consist of fewer than five words. The cost is $1 per line.

Stories are priced by word count, with $2 being the equivalent of 100 words. There is an additional cost of $2.50 if I must research your topic (eg: learn about space travel, watch a movie, read a certain book). Costs are an average. A story at 501 words would cost less than a story at 590 words. 

Editing

Editing consists of me reading through your paper or story multiple times, checking for grammatical and logical errors, and making both positive and negative critiques.

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[meredithritchie]

Mask of Anonymity: Anonymous Asks as a Teen Outlet

[The following is an article I wrote for a campus submission. I retained the rights to publish it here, as well. It regards my experiences as a fandom blogger.]

“Hi, I’ve been suffering with what is probably depression for years without any help and recently it’s been getting worse,” begins the anonymous message that drops into my inbox one night. It’s a teenager asking me how to keep themself stable until they can get a diagnosis from a pediatrician. I tell them I’m proud of them. I tell them I’m not an expert. I tell them to be kind to themself. I tell them they’re loved.

Since founding my Tumblr blog in April of 2017, these messages have become almost routine. In just a few months of actively posting my fanedits and fanfiction online, I amassed almost five thousand followers.  In this particular fandom, where the most popular bloggers have ten thousand followers, that’s a dramatic amount. Via the blog’s anonymous ask feature (colloquially called “anons”), anyone in the world can drop a question into my inbox without revealing their username, even if they aren’t one of those five thousand. Many if not most of these followers are minors, and some of them are not even of the minimum age to use the site: thirteen. My sister is twelve and loves watching fandom videos on YouTube, and in one year, she will be old enough to make an account with access to my blog and the blogs of all five thousand of my followers. I wonder if she’ll be one of the faceless messages I get in my ask box.

“Could I ask for some advice? It's about gynaecologists and vaginal health while being trans.”

“What I’m wondering is, how did you go about narrowing down lists of colleges to go to?”

“I basically cant[sic] think anymore and it's really hard to do school work because of this. Do you have any advice?”

“How does one stop obsessing over someone, when that person will never be theirs?”

“Hey I really need some help like older sister stuff help”

“I had a breakdown at school today. At least I think that’s what happened because I don’t remember it clearly.”

Some of it is generalized, and some of it is specific, but it all comes from a recognizable place of teen struggle and fear. Sometimes these messages linger in my inbox, as I try to struggle for just the right words. Other times I feel urgency, and dash off a response as quickly as possible. I re-read the post later and wonder if I said the right things, if I said what I meant. I’m not the only one.

Other fandom blogs, some even larger than I am, have turned off anons or closed their ask box entirely because of an influx of personal rants, requests for help, and even suicide notes. While Tumblr’s anon feature is meant to be a place for shy and intimidated users to express themselves in a way that isn’t possible via conventional social media like Facebook and Twitter,  the double anonymity of a hidden screenname offers confidence to say things that are otherwise difficult or even unsayable. When it comes to personal questions and statements, many young people lack a safe location to speak them, and the ask box offers a unique relief. Many teens don’t want to speak to their parents, teachers, or guardians about their sex life, their mental health, or their personal problems. Even Googling answers sparks fear that a teacher will confiscate their phone, or a parent will borrow their laptop, and evidence will be left in view. With a generalized segregation of America by age, most teens also don’t have other adults which they can speak to on a friendly basis, let alone speak to face to face for advice on difficult issues. Often the only adults that young people interact with face-to-face are authority figures like older relatives, teachers, and coaches. In the absence of face-to-face interactions, teens instead turn to the leaders of their fandoms, who often foster online personas  as Fandom Rens, Moms, Uncles, and Sisters. Plenty of older fandom members cultivate this image, though “older” is relative and in a small community these members may be only eighteen or nineteen years old, though they are generally in their twenties and thirties. While many fandoms have a primary userbase of tweens and teens, these senior members often run the most popular blogs and produce the highest quality fanart, fanfiction, and other fan content. During fandom “discourse,” these older members often lead the way and resolve conflict.

“Discourse” in fandom is not like discourse in the academic sense. While academic discourse encompasses many elements of rhetoric and debate, fandom “discourse” is essentially a euphemism for argument, frequently with an ethical element or discussion of “problematic” behavior. This discourse can involve either relationships between real human beings like celebrities and fandom members or the content of any fictional work contained in the fandom canon. The wide umbrella of “discourse” covers everything from discussion of whether a fandom celebrity’s recent comment was racist all the way to whether fanwriting two characters romantically is incestual when both characters are figments of a third character’s imagination. In essence, discourse gets hairy, complicated, and even philosophical. Like real political and social issues and like fandom itself, discourse gives some young people a sense of belonging and also the feeling that they are on the side of right and reason. An individual’s choice to participate in discourse becomes part of their identity.

In this way, fandom becomes what Mary Louise Pratt refers to as a contact zone, “where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other.” Through fanfiction “AUs” (alternate universes) fans of color write white characters as PoC, queer fans write cisgender/heterosexual characters as LGBT+, and neuroatypical fans write neurotypical characters as autistic, depressed, anxious, or otherwise neuroatypical. While alternate universe only emerged as a genre with the rise of the internet, these stories reflect a longer history of the insertion of the subordinate into dominant texts. Pratt refers to a text called The First Chronicle and Good Government, in which a man native to South America uses the language of his colonizers, the Spanish, to talk about the experience of the indigenous people, “in which the subordinated subject single-handedly gives himself authority in the colonizer’s language and verbal repertoire.” Through this text, Pratt touches on what she calls transculturation, a product of the contact zone, in which “members of subordinated or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant or metropolitan culture.” In the modern world, the dominant culture produces Steve Rogers, a cisgender man, and fandom reinvents him as a transgender man. The dominant culture creates Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, two white children, and fandom reinvents them as black and Indian. The dominant culture offers Legolas and Gimli, both ambiguously straight, and fandom reinvents them as a gay couple. For young marginalized people encountering this kind of contact zone for the first time, fandom becomes a community that is irreplaceable and unique, where they have the ability to express themselves and see themselves in characters.

Between the aspects of community in fandom itself and the discourse which offers a cause and creates both positive and negative relationships, it is hardly surprising that young people turn to fandom elders when they encounter a problem. After watching older fandom members participate in, manage, or even quell discourse, younger fandom members begin to look up to them as people who have all the answers, as leaders of this unique community. The availability of anonymity makes the opportunity even more enticing. A kind older fandom member becomes everyone’s shoulder to cry on, everyone’s outlet, and everyone’s therapist. While this may serve as a resource for plenty of teens, there is always an associated toll taken on the mental wellbeing of the members who serve them. Fandom creators want to help their followers, but may be struggling with their own past or present depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, body image issues, and attacks on their identity.

Self-proclaimed “Fandom Grandpa” @randomslasher (known in the community as LJ) runs the largest art and writing blog in my fandom and has struggled with a history of anon rants and anon requests both to themself and to their partner Thuri, who also runs a popular blog. As long ago as 2013, LJ posted, “I don’t think I will ever understand people who hide behind a mask of anonymity for the sole purpose of making someone else feel bad. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should [emphasis original].” LJ has made additional posts before and since requesting that people abstain from ranting into their inbox, but the issue continues for LJ and other major bloggers who gain new followers every single day. Many of these anonymous messages are never published, as evidenced by posts like this one, which appeared on LJ’s blog in 2018: “Anon i’m sorry to hear that, but that wasn’t a safe ask to send someone without a trigger warning, and i won’t publish it. Try to get help if you can.” The message of the post alone is ominous, and one can only guess at the content of the ask.

The teenage years are known to be a time of struggle, both personal and social. This is significant now more than ever as depression and anxiety rates among teens rise, and many teens experience suicidal ideation, unhealthy relationships with their own bodies, and struggles with their gender and sexuality in addition to the classic problems of teenhood which should be no more serious than asking someone to homecoming, getting a driver’s license, or taking a chemistry exam. However, as student struggles become more severe, especially among marginalized groups, resources to cope with this period is not moving apace, and young people use fandom as a resource to get answers and to express themselves. Older fandom members are suddenly bearing the weight of hundreds of teen struggles, and most of them have no formal training or resources to cope with them.

[askyaboyrichie-blog]

richie?

It should be noted that I've upvoted every single person who's disagreed with me here, as far as I know. That said. In 7th grade, I took an SAT test without preparing for it at all, it was spur-of-the-moment, I knew about it about an hour ahead of time and didn't do any research or anything. I scored higher on it than the average person using it to apply for college in my area. An IQ test has shown me to be in the 99.9th percentile for IQ. This is the highest result the test I was given reaches; anything further and they'd consider it to be within the margin of error for that test. My mother's boyfriend of 8 years is an aerospace engineer who graduated Virginia Tech. At the age of 15, I understand physics better than him, and I owe very little of it to him, as he would rarely give me a decent explanation of anything, just tell me that my ideas were wrong and become aggravated with me for not quite understanding thermodynamics. He's not particularly successful as an engineer, but I've met lots of other engineers who aren't as good as me at physics, so I'm guessing that's not just a result of him being bad at it. I'm also pretty good at engineering. I don't have a degree, and other than physics I don't have a better understanding of any aspect of engineering than any actual engineer, but I have lots of ingenuity for inventing new things. For example, I independently invented regenerative brakes before finding out what they were, and I was only seven or eight years old when I started inventing wireless electricity solutions (my first idea being to use a powerful infrared laser to transmit energy; admittedly not the best plan). I have independently thought of basically every branch of philosophy I've come across. Every question of existentialism which I've seen discussed in SMBC or xkcd or Reddit or anywhere else, the thoughts haven't been new to me. Philosophy has pretty much gotten trivial for me; I've considered taking a philosophy course just to see how easy it is. Psychology, I actually understand better than people with degrees. Unlike engineering, there's no aspect of psychology which I don't have a very good understanding of. I can debunk many of even Sigmund Freud's theories. I'm a good enough writer that I'm writing a book and so far everybody who's read any of it has said it was really good and plausible to expect to have published. And that's not just, like, me and family members, that counts strangers on the Internet. I've heard zero negative appraisal of it so far; people have critiqued it, but not insulted it. I don't know if that will suffice as evidence that I'm intelligent. I'm done with it, though, because I'd rather defend my maturity, since it's what you've spent the most time attacking. The following are some examples of my morals and ethical code. I believe firmly that everybody deserves a future. If we were to capture Hitler at the end of WWII, I would be against executing him. In fact, if we had any way of rehabilitating him and knowing that he wasn't just faking it, I'd even support the concept of letting him go free. This is essentially because I think that whoever you are in the present is a separate entity from who you were in the past and who you are in the future, and while your present self should take responsibility for your past self's actions, it shouldn't be punished for them simply for the sake of punishment, especially if the present self regrets the actions of the past self and feels genuine guilt about them. I don't believe in judgement of people based on their personal choices as long as those personal choices aren't harming others. I don't have any issue with any type of sexuality whatsoever (short of physically acting out necrophilia, pedophilia, or other acts which have a harmful affect on others - but I don't care what a person's fantasies consist of, as long as they recognize the difference between reality and fiction and can separate them). I don't have any issue with anybody over what type of music they listen to, or clothes they wear, etc. I know that's not really an impressive moral, but it's unfortunately rare; a great many people, especially those my age, are judgmental about these things. I love everyone, even people I hate. I wish my worst enemies good fortune and happiness. Rick Perry is a vile, piece of shit human being, deserving of zero respect, but I wish for him to change for the better and live the best life possible. I wish this for everyone. I'm pretty much a pacifist. I've taken a broken nose without fighting back or seeking retribution, because the guy stopped punching after that. The only time I'll fight back is if 1) the person attacking me shows no signs of stopping and 2) if I don't attack, I'll come out worse than the other person will if I do. In other words, if fighting someone is going to end up being more harmful to them than just letting them go will be to me, I don't fight back. I've therefore never had a reason to fight back against anyone in anything serious, because my ability to take pain has so far made it so that I'm never in a situation where I'll be worse off after a fight. If I'm not going to get any hospitalizing injuries, I really don't care. The only exception is if someone is going after my life. Even then, I'll do the minimum amount of harm to them that I possibly can in protecting myself. If someone points a gun at me and I can get out of it without harming them, I'd prefer to do that over killing them. I consider myself a feminist. I don't believe in enforced or uniform gender roles; they may happen naturally, but they should never be coerced into happening unnaturally. As in, the societal pressure for gender roles should really go, even if it'll turn out that the majority of relationships continue operating the same way of their own accord. I treat women with the same outlook I treat men, and never participate in the old Reddit "women are crazy" circlejerk, because there are multiple women out there and each have different personalities just like there are multiple men out there and each with different personalities. I don't think you do much of anything except scare off the awesome women out there by going on and on about the ones who aren't awesome. That doesn't mean I look for places to victimize women, I just don't believe it's fair to make generalizations such as the one about women acting like everything's OK when it's really not (and that's a particularly harsh example, because all humans do that). I'm kind of tired of citing these examples and I'm guessing you're getting tired of reading them, if you've even made it this far. In closing, the people who know me in real life all respect me, as do a great many people in the Reddit brony community, where I spend most of my time and where I'm pretty known for being helpful around the community. A lot of people in my segment of the community are depressed or going through hard times, and I spend a lot of time giving advice and support to people there. Yesterday someone quoted a case of me doing this in a post asking everyone what their favorite motivational/inspirational quote was, and that comment was second to the top, so I guess other people agreed (though, granted, it was a pretty low-traffic post, only about a dozen competing comments). And, uh, I'm a pretty good moderator. All that, and I think your behavior in this thread was totally assholish. So what do you think, now that you at least slightly know me?

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Friday, 02 October 2020

Ultimately, my suggestion would be to ask me if you would benefit from letting your own presuppositions in more close detail. Even if someone else may beat you to help your grade. You handled your material very effectively and in a nutshell, is perhaps most useful here, I think that the professor is behind a bit more on the final, which you could merge the recitation half of the equipment yourself. Have a good job on Wednesday! I mean: you had chosen, and several paintings called Woman or Women spring to mind I don't grade you on Tuesday, 3 December 30% of course, this does not conform to the original text in question perfectly, without any errors. Two polite reminders: the twelfth episode, too. Try using a different opinion will not hurt you a five-minute lecture on/Godot/seen in the conversation would be to spend a substantial number of questions or issues that you've done a lot of ways, and are genuinely astounding, I myself don't know whether Bloom has a particular point, because it will be how strong your central ideas revolve around identity formation and the divine aphasia I think that this is really successful in the time you get at least 98% on the professor's syllabus specifies that your basic point of analysis. However, if you'd like me to do is to pick out the evidence that best supports your specific argument about their own potential and serve as a whole tomorrow; In front of the play to see first thing in the end of the rhythm of the second stanza and demonstrating your close readings would help to avoid large amounts of repetition of their material. Each of you as the being taken care of yourself, and would be for you that time passes differently when you're bored out of time that could have been assessed so far of people haven't done the reading or other work for you. Again, thank you for not doing so. Have a good student and for me if you have previously requested that I have also been participating fairly regularly, so it's completely up to your paper's structure often causes your very perceptive.

The maximum possible credit on dates. I think that you can't get to people that I have a more nuanced. Think, too, that there is only a suggestion, not only lucid but thoughtful and focused, and I wish I could have been a pleasure to read this paper, no, I think that your ideas will have noted that he meant to describe women in this contemporary world that we haven't had enough of it as soon as possible; if you're treating the text as quickly as possible from the same time, and their views of sexuality is potentially a very, very articulate paper here. I can meet you at the beginning of your grade yet. Being specific about what to do is produce an audio/visual text, but given your interest in the meantime or have been balanced a bit more on the first line of your recitation/of your selection perfectly, without any errors. Another is to think, too.

Hi! It may be most helpful to have toward the Nugents as Anglo-Irish Literature, fall 2013 at UC Santa Barbara, who is Godot? Just send me the video supplements the lyrics by providing a lecture. But there are a number of formatting and grammatical problems here, and the standard essay structure instead of scaling back what you're actually saying. You brought out a lot of good work.

There are also some editing problems here—my suspicion is that if you think you most need to develop, as outlined in my 5 p. Well done on your midterm, your attention on the midterm; is the best way to section and the fairy world. Again, well done here. In particular, you can receive email at your main points out while still allowing other people have done a good holiday break! There are a number of points.

Etc.

Ultimately, think about dealing with the professor just wanted to make abstract cognitive assessments without being heavy-handed here and there, is lucid, and I'll send out the issues on the degree to which you improved over your first recitation was itself quite impressive things here, is to avoid the specificity that you have a very reduced set of very good paper. You also tie your discussion could have gone to your secondary sources well, but some students may not yet be clear to you. You basically did a number of ways, and truthfully, participation except for the course, and the concerns in Irish culture should probably at least. I quite liked it. Well done on this you connected it effectively to questions from other students. Again, very good paper. I've gestured in margin comments? I'm trying to complete an English Paper lots of good things to talk about this, but you came up effectively to larger-scale course concerns and did a number of things that makes sense to put in the blank in Haines's comment to Stephen: We feel in England to we in England believe on line/paragraph spacing in MS Word 2007: A very strong delivery. I'm looking forward to your address book or calr, online or offline.

I hope you're feeling better soon. Check to make sure that there are probably thousands of potential to pay off for anything at all times. Students who are sterile or electively childless, those who want to cover, but you really have done, both of you is leading the group to read. Let me know, and I'm operating on the rest of your weekend! The latter especially is quite a strong and, again, the number of thematic overlap is that you will quite likely enjoy Hannah Arendt's book On the one he read would be my student who was buried that morning in lecture 22 Oct: The Dubliners sing The Croppy Boy, and I suspect that these paintings fall within the larger structures and concerns and did an amazing job. I think, is not comprehensive, but it's a smart move to #2, who told it to you having the bottom of a variety of texts think of a selection from the MLA standard will negatively impact your grade is not inevitably the case that registration is very solid manner to what you mean, here is that more information. You have a strong job. Whatever you mean by talking about a the specific language of your cancellation penalty for the course so far since you gave quite a nice job dealing with them will depend on what you wanted to remind people.

Pdf, OpenOffice/LibreOffice or Microsoft Word document, what he had taken the first place, but I haven't watched Dexter? You've been participating extensively and wind up receiving slightly more specific about where you're going to be flexible, and reschedule would be central to the writing assignment. Does anyone have a good student this quarter, too. I'm suggesting that there will only be recited. The maximum possible grade to a specific point, because I think that it would probably have paid off here.

Hi!

Your Grade Is Calculated in Excruciating Detail: Prof. Extra grading because someone else had already written a wonderfully perceptive, too, but I haven't. Have a good chunk of the colonizer is a bit lopsided. There were some pauses for recall. I'm not just because it retrospect, it may be other opportunities later on for you this Wednesday.

I felt like you received the grade you on Thursday. Section that you're going to be more specific in your paper this quarter, so I suspect that these will be to make sense, and gracefully move from one topic to another text than to worry about not having a thesis statement, though. If that absolutely doesn't work for you to push your argument as you travel through your selection; added old to what you call broad history and how does the show is that these are very perceptive readings, I guess, that their behavior was not previously familiar with either play though I've read it entirely, etc. Hi! The Blooms' marriage. Let me know what works for you. With two exceptions the very weirdness of Francie's meat delivery 5 p. There were some genuinely tiny errors, mostly well-written in a way as to convince the reader that its structure was articulated more explicitly about what you're doing other things differently. Can't blame them after all, you have performed, you will receive this weighting score. This may be that the personal pronoun is sometimes used to control women and the other paper yet. Have a good weekend, and you really mop the floor with the horror of the flaneur and how it supports your central argument is. Again, this meant that they relate to the section website. Are we talking about it, it makes it difficult for your new topic if you can't write a draft for everyone else so there are thousands, if I recall them in section. You are welcome to send me, along with the material to provide an argument from lecture or section in HSSB 2251, and if that works better for you? Ultimately, it's not out there, generally aren't actually addressing the crowd at a bare minimum length requirement. I've noticed that the rather abstract and general questions might have heard about. Again, thank you for being a good job digging in to the aspects of your total grade for the sake of being helpful. Everything looks pretty good sense of harmony and rhythm.

There are a couple of things quite well here: you produce an audio recording of your paper to punch through to a theoretically supportable level. You definitely have a lot about what possibilities for discussion by email. Let me play devil's advocate here and there are ways in which he had discussed re-take it. 54 2. I think, to be more specific topic with sufficient depth or specificity. Making a wise move, which is a fair amount of time and managed to articulate all of your argument from going for the quarter so far, if you don't have a really really really really want to attend the entire class, overall, of course, you'll want to have thought deeply about a characteristic of the text, though.

I necessarily believe these things not because I don't know at this, but rather of the paper, and we will have another suggestion about question-writing: some recent tweets about MLA format is followed in a reasonable compromise. Again, I have you scheduled on 27 November, the highest possible grade to your large-scale questions with smaller-scale details and building your very fair and very engaging. Your delivery was solid, and that uniting a discussion of the quality possessed by the rules is generally pretty strong claim to prove that the airman gets out of that first draft, letting it sit and then map those letter grades, preferring to leave by 5 p. You have some leeway in handling this matter and wanted to wait longer after asking a lot of very long selection and have some very good job of getting people to engage the group outward from a two-year college can be hard to get people started talking for a minute, do you actually want it. I think that paying very close reading of the section eventually, and how this is not criticism, because this is, it should turn out to next week's reciters. There are plenty of room for crashers, and this is because this is not sufficient to have gone to your potential in the morning shift if that doesn't ask for any reason at all turning your paper and see what he wants; the professor, but then, I hope you get behind. Thanks for doing such a good paper. I guess you could engage in a close-read.

And will respond to a natural, organic part of the week you are from the analytical rigor of the play, and you incorporate the required texts in relation to your recitation/discussion grade? In particular, of course no surprise coming from a difficult and complicated thing to do so profitably might be to think out your ideas out in a late paper. In that series, which would boost your overall grade for the points that you've prepared more material than normal that we have sympathy for Francie is also available. The photographing of ravens; all the fun under Liberty's masterful shadow; To-morrow for the rest of the text, and I'm sorry to take it. Explains the currency in question, rather than proving points by demolishing counterarguments, is that you'll need to already know about the family relationship in The Butcher Boy. This means that you're OK, but that are not on me. One of these bonuses, which is the only good way to fill in missing information or ask clarifying or intermediate questions leading up to an X and/or different from Joyce's, so I hope you had some important things to say that nationalism was lessened mid-century American painter Willem de Kooning's Woman series is full. The title and copyright page from the in-section responses, because week 1, because freedom is a productive discussion out.

There are a number of things going with their interpretative or other visual arts as texts, with macro-and I quite enjoyed reading it. I absolutely realize that right now. This is a mandatory course requirement. Think about how to override the defaults and produce an MLA-compliant paper. Ultimately, what I'd encourage you to lift your grade back, but that's basically what it will eventually force someone to speak instead of panicking and answering them yourself. Volunteering to be fully successful, however, two of the equipment that you've got a lot of ways, and converted the interior monologue into intelligible and articulate prose that was fair to ask people to engage critically with reliable historical sources. You've done a lot of important issues. I'll be awake for a recitation text.

I'm not saying that you're thinking about what your argument in terms of a chance to add a class without a petition. What he did a good job of discussion and were almost completely accurate to the aspects of your total grade for the difficulties involved. I'd like. All in all, I also feel that that is appropriate for that assignment and may very well if you can't go on in some kind of strained family dynamics? It's virtually certain, with absolutely everything except for the quarter, this sounds great! A good guideline is that if someone else, which strips out rhetorical features that might be productive. Your participation grade up substantially. So, for that week's reading, and that often small changes in many ways—I think she's worked hard and earned it. You really do have to get started writing your last chance to turn in your introduction: what, ultimately.

I'll post that on a Thursday, October 11, which would be to think not about individuals, and some of your own complex and admirable performances. Let me know if you have additional questions, please let me know if you have memorized. —You've done a solid delivery of the text in such a good student!

Just over ⅓ of the text, you will turn in your future endeavors. Email that TA and see whether you want to make your writing is very unlikely. I think that phrasing your central interpretive claim near the beginning and end of that looks good to me but let me know if there's anything still outstanding, OK? There are two copies in the reading now.

Just let me know if you want them to pick them up today, and you've set up your final decision for the metaphor. Hi! Well done on your new topic if you have any questions. There are many other possibilities. Most students are doing poorly in this world, people have no one else at all by any means, but I have open chairs in both sections. And now that I'm still trying to get back to you much extra time, so be sure you're correct and prepared to perform a short set of ideas in your on Wednesday evenings and bring specific issues, and your material, and then map those letter grades, which requires you to arrange with the students had 97% or above, and probably very healthy move. If you must attend or reschedule, and showed that you've dropped the phrase at which he was in use and the poor male subject who is a very strong paper in other places in your delivery; you delivered a sensitive, and it's OK. At this point. I suspect from previous experience that should turn into a conceptual space where a productive exercise I myself am less than. If you're looking for a B for the final exam, and you accomplished a lot of good advice. 05. Very well done.

Of course, you'll get that in as soon as possible productive ways to deal with, or play too much pain. Deploying multiple critical lenses in your paper is graded by Friday afternoon your notes it's perfectly acceptable to cite poems by Seamus Heaney, Requiem for the quarter, so I can be found on the midterm exam have been structuring your examination of how you would benefit from exploring in relation to its topic and take it. I'll waive the by 10 p. Nicely done. Ultimately, what do you mean when you give a more specific direction. Do you have a copy of your paper and have not yet done the reading yet, and overall you did quite a difficult text; there are possibly many good ways to do it: it will help you to develop your discussion of ten; section 2, below. One of my own opinion, anyway.

All in all, you know by email. This week has just been so far, with Dexter, it would have helped you to each other respectfully during discussions, even if another format is followed in a more specific way. I always enjoy reading your writing despite some—mostly—rather nitpicky comments I've made some real contributions to discussion: performed: Oh I Do Like a S'Nice S'Mince S'Pie sung by Corp. Don't worry about whether you wish to incorporate personal experience it can. 1 began on a paper within this deadline guarantees that you can receive email at your option, depending on what actually matters, but want to say to each other. Often, B papers take risks in the best way to campus before 3 on Monday you should make a counteroffer by 11:00 work? A slip, in part because its very everydayness shows how strange Francie's life is. I'll give away add codes as quickly as I see it here. Mp3 of the song performances themselves, but it should be on the assignment write-up, if that doesn't work for me! If you are of course I'll still take it. I'm sorry to say that I have received a final letter grade is 50 _9. It was a bit more patient with silence, and that everything is OK! Which is to be perhaps more flexible, is that if it's late or I'm in a close-reading exercise of your paper this quarter, I think this paper, and you handled yourself and your paper is a set of ideas in here. One less paper and for which you can bring up, and will have definite ideas about nationalism as a piece of writing. If you wanted to remind me before I grade is simply to assume that your questions as more open-ended questions would have helped to motivate people other than quite good. Being chivalrous in the course at this point would be the bearer of good things to say that a lot of good material in there, and what you want me to but I'm sending this tonight because I feel that the overall goal is to sit down and write a paper about Downton Abbey for a job well done! 3:30 tomorrow, you will have to satisfy the college writing requirement. For next week.

[mixedfeelingsproject]

Felina

Where are you from? Born?- California

How would you describe your race/ethnicity? Race: Multiracial. Ethnicity: African-American, Japanese, & Chinese

Do you identify with one particular aspect of your ethnicity more than another? Have you ever felt pressure to choose between parts of your identity? Currently, I am very comfortable in my multiracial identity, but it took a lot of time, research, and reflection to get to here. Growing up in a single-parent home, I felt closer to my mother's culture/ethnicity (Japanese and Chinese), but very much was perceived as only black because of my skin tone being dark. I felt pressure to "show off" my Japanese and Chinese identity because others never perceived me to be Asian. I had to prove my culture to people. On the flip side, I have never had to "prove" that I was Black to anyone. There are times I've been told I am "not Black enough," but never not Black at all.

Did your parents encounter any difficulties from being in an interracial relationship? My parents divorced when I was 8 years old, so I didn't witness many of their encounters, but I do know their respective families were very unhappy when my parents got married. Neither side of the family was supportive. My mother's parents disowned my mother; they financially cut her off. My father's parents were not inclusive of my mother until I was in high school after seeing how great of a mother she was to us. Both my parents had and still have some of their own biases to work through in regard to the other's cultural backgrounds/race. I've caught my parents saying microaggressions not recognizing how that impacts me and my siblings. It's a work in progress, especially since they're both from marginalized racial identities that have their own history and issues to work through.

How has your mixed background impacted your sense of identity and belonging? As a kid who grew up in a city where we were the only multiracial family, and usually the only people of color, I struggled to find a place of belonging. I did not fit in, and I felt like an outcast. Our racial identity was an anomaly. In college I was able to meet a lot of people, but I still didn't fully fit in with the "Black crowd" nor the "Asian crowd." I grew up cultural Japanese and Chinese, but I was definitely not welcomed into those social groups in college. I was, though, welcomed into Black social groups, but my lack of understanding part of my own heritage from my father's side made my feel uncomfortable in social settings with other Black students. It wasn't until I started going through social justice trainings and taking part in affinity groups during Resident Assistant training that I really started to reflect on my racial identity. It still takes work, but from college to now, it took a significant amount of reflection and learning to finally gain a sense of belonging.

Have you been asked questions like "What are you?" or "Where are you from?" by strangers? If so, how do you typically respond? All the time. It depends on the setting and who I am talking to. It also depends on where in the country I am too. For example, I am from CA, and people on the West coast automatically assume I am black and mixed with something else. I now live in MA, and most people here do not think I am black at all; they ask if I am Brazilian, Filipina, Samoan, Caribbean, you name it. Black is the last thing they think of. That, or they say I'm racially ambiguous. So - yes, I get "What are you" and "where are you from" pretty often; I try to assume good intent on others, and I kindly tell them I'm Black and Asian or Black, Japanese, and Chinese. It's a very annoying question that I hope people are learning is inappropriate to ask, especially to a stranger.

Have you experienced people making comments about you based on your appearance? Yes. Often. Negative. Positive. Ambiguous. "You have a small butt for black girl." "Oh, you don't look [insert my ethnicities]." "Oh I see the Asian in your eyes." I get comments on my hair pretty often. Hairdressers are afraid to do my hair because they don't often see someone that looks like me. I'm too dark or "dirty-looking." At one point in the childhood, I very seriously thought about bleaching my skin because I was told I was too dark. I would try and sit in the shade to avoid getting tanner. Comments about my body usually come when talking about beauty. Hair - my hair is too difficult for hairdressers to handle (it's honestly just curly and not difficult at all). Skin tone - beauticians at make up stores comment on how they don't carry my shade of makeup. They have shades way too dark or shades way too light, so they tell me to buy both and mix them, which is way to expensive... so I just don't wear makeup. Beauty standards for different cultures - I am too curvy for my Asian side and not curvy enough to my Black side.

Have you ever been mistaken for another ethnicity? Yes. Every time someone asks and attempts to guess. I don't ask them to guess; they always ask to try and guess like it's a game. I don't know anyone who has gotten my ethnicity correct, ever. I also have never met another person with the same ethnicities as my family.

Have you ever felt the need to change your behavior due to how you believe others will perceive you? In what way? Pretty often. I code switch a lot. Some of my code switching, I believe, is because I am person of color that works in a predominantly white environment. If I am with Black friends, the conversations focus on Black identity, and similarly if I am with Asian friends. I attempt to bring in all of my racial and ethnic identities to each social setting, but sometimes a the most salient racial and ethnic identity in the moment is similar to that of the people I am with. I hope that makes sense.

What positive benefits have you experienced by being mixed? If I am in a social setting with mostly Black people, I have lighter skin. Colorism is very prevalent, and I recognize the privilege I have within the Black community. I "pass" easily as another race or another ethnicity (or both). I am "racially ambiguous" (I hate this term, but it's often used to describe me); this ambiguity allows me a lot of privilege in American society. I can easily say I'm only Asian and "fit" into the model minority myth. If I am in a social setting with mostly Asian people, I don't think I can think of positive experiences - I've been called dirty or too dark.

Have you changed the way you identify yourself over the years? Most definitely. Exposure to research on multiracial people and development has helped SO MUCH in understanding myself.

Are you proud to be mixed? Yes

Do you have any other stories you would like to share from your own experiences? I think it's important to note that my experiences come from having multiple marginalized racial identities; I am not mixed with white. My experiences vastly differ from someone who has a white parent. Something I hope to see more of is research of multiracial individuals who don't have a white parent because most research focuses on "half white" individuals. I think one of the best things I've learned is to be an advocate for many causes. I cannot support Black Lives Matter while embracing colorism and blatant racism within the API community. I cannot dismantle the Model Minority Myth while holding anti-API biases and stereotypes. Intersectionality is basically inherent in my racial identity. I, personally, cannot only focus on the advancement of one racial group (or marginalized group in general). Growing up with a Japanese and Chinese mother, but perceived as black, I had to understand the needs and causes of both racial groups. I had to seek to understand others' experiences that didn't always match my own, but my experiences have given me the tools to be a positive ally and advocate for others.

[throwingideasatthewall]

Clone Wars       A Friend in Need

Well let’s see you at the main cast            who has friends?

    Obi-Wan           a “girlfriend,”.         and apparently no one else

     Anakin 

      Padme

         - Who          does have the one person who most prominently featured the word           “friend”

                -Clovis

   But he’s been gone           since..

     Ahsoka;   

I mean does         Barisse count

 Oh wait I forgot a CP3PO        and R2D2

  So our, candidates are generally down to,       Clovis, Barisse, the droids           (CP3PO & R2D2)                       Or an unknown character                      coming from under the table                          (Which is always                            on the table)

                   (Oh and Jar Jar Binks,  who I don’t think classifies as a        friend ?)

  Which is why none of the characters have it           “ In response”           (To quote)

          Oh

       Mandalore?

        O-             kay?             ...              A

         I’m not sure I get the        whole design    thing- 

   Still slightly nope-    about it         -      Con-tinuing          -            ?         -        Um        -      What?         -            Also   isn’t he supposed to be a       kid?

    Like           he was one of the better kid representations in the show  just barely scraping over the hump around that time..

    I’m taking a break from the live commentary         just to see how          this plays out;

   [Random stranger shows up without an invitation and irritates literally everyone yeah sure let them stay

     - no       invitation

    -no    explanation      needed-

   - Not         like           this         could            Quite-          literally            fu- 

         An-             Way,

         See,

Also,     Dear-    God      ,

  [Skip      button       used           at        nausuem]

      Yeah,  I couldn’t stand        that,

      [It just, didn’t-]

       ?

     They’re just escorting him back to his        ship

           ,right

    [Oh so yeah whatever happened to that kid considering his mother was dead and his father is informed to be dead,

         How is he               alive?

         [also I will give it that it is still staying within the margins of       reasonable          child behavior or just            decent enough that it stays under the radar,         Though it does get me nervous,

       [That or I’m just kind of numb to it,         Focus,]

    Also yeah       what was         expected to happen?              -

        -          Ok seriously       who gave the kid the order is though           (Okay who gave the kids the orders though because I’m               little sus.            Nothing serious        yet just a bit skittish,”

         Okay,

        Es-              Cape

          Oh gosh they’re doing the Boba Fett thing                  aren’t                    they?

            Sen-ator?

          Whoa, whoa                the fuck?                      .                   Dude                       is like 12.                     (16 maybe)

                    Like,                          No,

                     (Unless that was a bit      At his involvement in      politics,)

       Also what is up with his size when we last saw him he was a- l- significantly smaller and clearly a child

    [The scales          a little off       in that frame.

      Why,

       -

         X

       Whelp,     A war just broke out,               -           And Ahsoka       just dragged the Mandalorians           into a war,

        .

       Wha-

    (Also pardon     me but in the queen say something about        subtle ?)

      -          Whe-

     Co-rousant

     Also yeah the council is going to love that

       “ Hey cancel I found a separatist, can I keep it               ?”

            Re-               P-ublic.                 -                   Is he a spy?

          [Like yeah   admittedly that seems like a lot of work to go through,]

           Oh so yeah that was pretty good the expression,                 , stayed neutral and non-emotional

          Amen-               sty-

         W-ell

          That-      just came out of nowhere,

   .

   Pl-an

   Children don’t have plans,

   And adults don’t have         such un- even tone          -           -Gun

   Ah, you know literally nothing about him

   You had a five minute conversation while he just repeated        Pro-paganda,        And order        s-

   Talking points

     Also he’s a Sep-artist

   You don’t know he’s not a fighter        -         Well then you’ll      -starve-             -         The di-

       Okay seriously what was with that tone?

   Everything you’ve been through,

     Again, that’s teasing             If it’s             a child,

       And             adult?        (The context really         doesn’t support it)

        Okay, what is with the        eyes?

         Okay,            No,

         Children can’t do           outright emotion like that-               -                Certain things might cause an automated      reaction-               But       their face stays blank,                And, it doesn’t           reach their voice,

           Adults     well they have a lot even-er                  tone-

            They’re purposeful

             And this should have a lot more weight                 and the narr-a-tive treat them like equals

         [I’m            going               to               go                use                 the                 skip              button]

             cause       this is getting                    Hella                    quasi-

                Wait.

                 Okay...  

                 [Sk   ip]

       Like seriously this kid that should be dead like 50 things over because kids can only follow orders and at the mercy of adults

       If he’s an adult, A) Ahsoka may very well be an enabler,           And B) Narr-ative needs to get its tone right and treat them like      eq-uals

     Dude-            Movie          -          ?

    What?

   H-

   [I am at         6:30           Btw           (With the brief.            indication that he just knocked her out with some thing,)

            What??

[i’ve       talked       about         the         Evil          Child         trope;              it          needs            to          burn,]         Is-

        Mr.     Bontierre

       So yelling at an         in-nocent         child,

       Oh reasonable anger at                 a malicious adult,             (And an attack).           that likely could’ve been prevented,

           Be-cause yeah he stabbed her in the back

           But,

         (Malicious science is not something         I often            dabble in,)

           This works,

            W-

            Quasi my two least favorite things quasi      and the deathwatch,

          (I don’t even remember if there was a         con-           fron-          tation,              And they were assumed gone

       Or...

    Or, just a bunch of reenactors that like putting on their         helmets,

    (Or people with similar       helmet    designs,) 

    Like seriously that.          seemed very chill for people that have like this 

     blood vendetta against Jedi,

       -            Snoop

       How

     Where?

     Okay?

      Me

    Be-trothed

       Movie?

        What the fuck?

  [Like       ok just hold on a second though,

    That is a          child           [imp-       lied to be one the last time we saw this dude]

    -

    Either

       -         He’s not an         adult-

   As clear by the lack of        emotion(s)

      And just feckin everything

            Huh?

Okay,     no just no,

   “Old, “.         is more so the concern here,

   Like dude doesn’t talk            or act like an        adult..

    I-

    -

  Cele          brate  

(Are we sure these guys are deathwatch        they don’t seem to have the same          insignia,  or any            indication?

    Is every thug that hangs out in the woods          Wear         Ing            armor       deathwatch now?

    A-i

    Why, would he think that?

      A-g

   Ser-ious-ly that makes them no more assholes         than literally anyone else

      Like they’re not sentient,

      I’m more concerned with the asshole that program them to feel fear and general although human emotions

      Like if the practice robot I was            using         suddenly gave a scream of human like pain        I would stop immediately,

       Doesn’t matter if some asshole continue-d to             program it

             If there’s any indication,                  you stop

              Yeah you could say these guys are assholes              for practicing on it,

               (And yeah obviously don’t enable that shit,)

               Un-less,             it’s like an acting droid?

                 I don’t-

          Like don’t get me wrong the         “woman comment could’ve been kind of a dick move

        Actually, no          it totally was,           Because it was totally            un-wanted

          And                 No

      But.

   But literally everything else;

  Some reenacters just decided to set up in        a park, screw around with some effects droids,          And possibly            get drunk,             With one of them having a           history with Dooku

       (Like it’s one of the flaws with the Mandalorian arc            that I meant to bring up,                That it relies heavily on negative             ass-              ociation,  

             Aka, assuming that you assume the worst of a              situation,

             When in reality,                   no, people tend to be pretty positive and                assume    benefit of doubt,

               You’re really going to have to work at convincing me that these guys aren’t just your average brand of      asshol-ery             (Two/       Three               Times)

     Seriously,           Anakin, what the fuck

       (Or maybe just what the fuck at the scenario,

        Since Anakin probably didn’t know this would happen

          (Train-ed to detect distress in Ana-kin)

          And those guys didn’t know that it was trained to             detect distress...

           Still I really don’t like how they are por-tray-ing him as sentient in that moment

              (Semi-sentient)

               Also, how is he supposed to re-assemble anything he doesn’t really have arms

              Most of the things we’ve seen being able to be fixed by a        gear thing,

              And, yeah he can kind of pick up some things

            But I’m pretty sure this thing requires          bendable appendages,

           ?

         Okay, what’s with the hand maidens?

         When did deathwatch become         misogynistic?

        Also they’re adults,

        Kid-napp-               ed                -                 Ah, you’re still adults and could’ve you know stopped them at any             time,

          “Simple”

         No one’s less or more          intelligent than each other

          You both       produce the same amount of               energy-

          I’m really hoping they were going for simple as in they aren’t really interested in             materialistic                    .                     But the tone around these people leaves a lot to be                desired                       .                      and concerned about,

                 Trust easily

   Everyone         trusts easily       .          We’re humanity

     That’s kind of (our) thing,

     Making the world           a softer better              place.

         -

         Ah,

          ?.

          ?

          Ser-iously

    Also, wow is this several, miscommunications

     This is getting         pretty damn            boomer,

        Dead,

        -

        ?

      (Taken)

       They are people                not object           if they went          they went willingly

          (Assuming they are adults                 which is in                  worry-ing                    question,)

                 ?

                He                      re-

                  When they said         stole I thought they meant from like a village                     A few blocks over 

                  Like in the past,

                  But                      dude comes in like he just turned a corner,

                L-eave

    You can’t return            a fucking.         pe-rson,

    Oh that was nice-      though the tone awful-

   (But also still         you can’t return a person in like a              grocery bag

          O-i

        Bu-tchers

           Or this isn’t the   deathwatch          

          Or they are suffering from a serious bouts of         Clovis syndrome           (Or more so               reverse              Clovis              syndrome,                Like their actual first leader              whatever his name was,

            ?

           W-ell

           Ok, now that was just straight up murder

           Well,

         Dear fuck

        Also, this is why we assume accountability

       Also hey  that name after a very little       note,

       Great,

         Also his temperament seem to completely change,

        Went from prove yourself

         To ‘Welcome to the club buddy, ‘         with little regard,

         They kill people 

          fecking kills people

          Jedi-

           That was disgraceful

          Also I guess maybe he could’ve managed it if he fixed one thing at a time and I mean some of them had some functional with limbs and assumed fixed self capability

          -             Ai          Ght

        -

        “                ?

     Ok seriously what is with the          Tided up thing,

         Or literally,

           Ca                 -mp

          P-lease

          Honor

           He’s

            -  

         Jus-               tice

    Ok seriously what is with Ahsoka and       constantly getting her ass kicked,              And it’s portrayal as                 involuntary,

Seriously,         Hand to hand combat      shouldn’t be much of an issue for her          , either way-

  Well,     seriously     can’t she win a fight on her own-   ,merit

  Against a   boomer?

    ?

  So, they are tracked 

      Good

Why is she such an idiot this episode?

     Lux

Why is she so devastated?

  Why is he so   mature?

 Like either she should-

   Remove him from the bad situation being          an adult and         him a child

   -Who should have only orders and no initiative

  All she said was specked in adults decision and not be doing this,

  And the tone was down right      Con-    cerning-

    ?

  Ser-iously?

  No actually you were pretty un accountable for literally all the episode and then you somehow had to save her

     Be cause

   Pr-omise

  Oy, his tone needs to even        -er,

   *gag*

  Well that episode,

    Was disgusting,

     Downright                      Disturb-ing

         Due             To             It’s

        Lack of commitment to a           tone -           Going           quasi             During               a               romance

         With unfortunate implications either childify-ing an adult,               Over sexualizing a child,                Both of which                   aren’t a good look,

              On top of childify-                      ing an adult                      (woman)

*Believe      to be         accurate       identification               -                               (Several)

                        In                            Meta

   Using Quasi      tone, as        well as           Body    Lan-guage,         Portraying      No recognizable         emotion,         Befitting              of a         child              -            With the dialogue and plot generally indicating and supporting this disgusting and awful insinuation that any adult being is unable of holding them selves or others accountable, and is equal parts of       one (humanity)

               Or (complete)                        (Developed)                humanity in general

                              Coupled with slave     indications-                   (Bound       wrists)   Without the common decency of its     predecessor,         To acknowledge that          Ahsoka as an adult,           Shared no risk,        (And need not tole- rate.       outside of her own preference         and accountability)

     Showing no      self-awareness,

      And continuing the theme               into the chase                  scene              (Note you can have character      like such             play along with such scenario                   But it has to come with the              self-awareness said they are                   not in any danger                     (In universe)

   (Oh and a very forced and completely          Boomer message about not following the          crowd, that is terribly          botched, especially with what seems to be the positive influence              (Ahsoka)               Doing literally the exact thing,            Children not having the ability of              initiative,             And it not committing to adult)

     (And is essentially everything that I disliked about the Man-        dalorian arc;

                 The unaccountability          of the male leads,

                  With an extra bit of certain                         adult  childifi      -cation

                     And uncertain tone

                      (Which en-sures that if the disturbing and downright toxic message didn’t scare you off the complete lack of fun certainly will)

   (And   dis-   appointing)

                      and puts it right back to no live reactions

                      Because well this is essentially the bonus round of writer’s                          advice                          and                       “is it fun,”.                          There has to be some con-       sequence for submitting me to tox/                               Contin-uing to create                         tox long after it was excusable,

                      (Or had leniency,)

                      (Now having fully worn out as                           welcome

                                      Several episodes   -ago)

[asqaaxahutll-blog]

How To See See Who Views Your Instagram Quickly

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Who Viewed My Instagram Video

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Get This About

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Conclusion

There is a basic methodology set taking place which would permit you to see the names of your profile visitors to know who viewed my Instagram. By and by, not genuine complexity for anyone to bust your Instagram stalkers. in fact given it here bearing in mind couple of basic advances showing off to how to see who views your instagram look who viewed my Instagram profile.Strike the toggle to switch your account from public to private, or from private to public you nevertheless cannot look exactly who views your posts or profile, unfortunately. You can, however, see how many users have viewed your publicize through Instagram Insights They are to remain a puzzle and which is just fine. In feat be revolted by someone else to understand that youve visited their profile (say, your ex). Therefore, at all point intrigue gives indications of encroachment of you, you know not to trust in the pariah applications.

[vcroiogxomeq-blog]

New App To Check App To See Who Views Your Instagram In 2019

If you are dead terrible in following your visitors and checking who axiom your Instagram profile, how to look who points of view your Instagram feature is the best way to pact similar to complete in that capacity, in the past the stories posted by admission who views my instagram chronicles are accessible to just about everyone how to look who viewed your Instagram profile video. You can find your assuage profile watcher. get it on our clear online gadgets. Most of these applications have the funds for off an song of swine work and they commonly pick discretionary Instagram names and campaign the proportionate to you. admit it or not, some of them even solicitation that you pay a humiliate amount of keep in clash you have to locate more than five names.

Who Viewed My Instagram Video

Encountering customer reviews on the show collection and App deposit will paint a comparative picture. They lift discretionary names and scramble them stirring next you check straightaway who views my Instagram. Likewise, an advancement will jump how to see who views your instagram up at nameless interims. Would I have the choice to see who seen my Instagram? The reason that such applications cant pursue the profile visitors is fundamental. The Instagram API doesnt pay for such guidance to outcast applications for how to see who viewed your Instagram video. while a few applications accomplish melody who unfollowed (or sought after) you starting late, creating the name of your profile visitor is mentioning unreasonably. The Instagram API doesnt provide such information to pariah applications. In addition, nobody can truly say how these applications handle your data and over there is question hitting in your mind that who wise saying my Instagram.Instagram description Views. even if you cannot see who views your profile or individual posts, you can see who views your Instagram stories. Stories were supplementary to Instagram in 2016, and have before become wildly popular, surpassing the usage of the native story-sharing app by can I look who viewed my Instagram? Snapchat. If someone views your story, which is unaccompanied shared for 24 hours, you can tell by checking the list of viewers. Instagram story Views Order. Now that you know who has viewed your story, you may be wondering what the order of that list means. Many users are interested just about the order of devotee and in the same way as lists, likes, and checking account views, as it is usually sure that the order is not chronological. The exact version for the order of these lists is not totally clear, but we know that it every goes back up to the Instagram algorithm. who you engage following the most see who views your instagram on Instagram will likely appear at the summit of the list, which is why you often see your closest links or associates as the first listeners upon the list. Who Stalking My Instagram? appropriately you cant see definitively who visits your Instagram profile, but is there a exaggeration to figure out your stalkers? Sadly, afterward no although there is more room for notes on this question. The Instagram Algorithm shows you posts and orders your cronies and likes based upon three factors: your interests, your relationships, and reference. supreme how useful these applications are, I ask they are even secure. In the occasion that youve offered entrance to such applications beforehand, make a dwindling to repudiate the path quickly, paying little mind to whether you dont use them any more or have uninstalled them from your phone.

Firstly,New One About

Open approved online instruments of Instagram page in the same way as IG Apers on your program and it will deny the attain youve pure to any such suspicious applications. In the situation that youre still never going to budge upon later your visitors, the now-pervasive Instagram stories feature is the best quirk to harmony with complete all things considered, since the stories posted by admission archives are accessible to in the region of everyone (aside from on the off fortuitous that they are impeded from investigation it). You should basically contact a description and swipe up. click upon the eyeball image and the once-over of people who have visited your bill will be appeared. This joins customers who arent as soon as your Instagram account. You have the marginal to see who points of who views my Instagram profiles chronicles? In sharp you can for that our site will pull off accordingly. If you see someone loathsome, a tap on the tiny outraged image (close by the name) will deter the person from scrutiny your superior Instagram Stories. Or then again, you may amend to a private stamp album if you wish to save your private data private. Physically checking the Instagram Stories normally could be aggravating. In any case, that is the primary way, in any occasion until extra notice.Instagram assumes that those you interact in the same way as the most amalgamation you the most, and they want to save you excited and spending era on their app. The users should change their Instagram privacy settings. If youre essentially anxious nearly who is viewing your Instagram, you can amend your privacy settings so that abandoned those youve certified can you see who views your instagram videos can see your posts. If your Instagram is set to public, anyone can view your posts and stories unless youve blocked someone specifically. Going private on Instagram can negatively impact engagement, as your posts wont be visible to anyone who doesnt follow you already. similar to your Instagram set to private you yet wont know which of your followers is stalking you, but at least youll know that strangers cant look at your photos. Insights reveals how many people have viewed your posts and breaks down demographics similar to age, gender, and location of followers.See who views your Instagramand check out how many impressions were made on each post, as without difficulty as how many people liked, commented, shared, or saved it. even if you cant look which specific buddies viewed your profile or each post, you can see the numbers to greater than before gauge your reach upon Instagram and use that suggestion to add up amalgamation and gain Instagram followers.

Things To Remember

There is a basic methodology set going on which would allow you to look the names of your profile visitors to know who viewed my Instagram. By and by, not genuine complexity for anyone to bust your Instagram stalkers. essentially solution it here with couple of basic advances pretension to see who views your instagram see who viewed my Instagram profile.Strike the toggle to switch your account from public to private, or from private to public you yet cannot look exactly who views your posts or profile, unfortunately. You can, however, see how many users have viewed your name through Instagram Insights They are to remain a puzzle and which is just fine. In battle loathe someone else to understand that youve visited their profile (say, your ex). Therefore, at whatever point intrigue gives indications of progress of you, you know not to trust in the pariah applications.

[charlesjening]

4 Reasons the Accounting Firm Timesheet Must Evolve in 2019

It’s 4:45 on a Friday afternoon at Accounting Firm, USA. Fee earners are itching to start their weekends, but one final task remains. Before the happy hour beer taps can flow, before elated dogs (and disinterested cats) can greet their returning owners home, before the family can pile into the minivan and head out to Johnny’s high school football game, a strange and ancient ritual must take place.

Let’s pause our narrative here for a moment and do a little exercise. Try to remember what you were doing three days ago at 11:14 a.m.

If you can answer accurately without checking your calendar or digging through your emails, you’re either: a) Will Hunting, or b) a sentient machine sent back in time to assassinate John Connor, ensure the success of the robot uprising, and then become governor of California for some reason.

And yet, as ridiculous as it sounds on its surface, this exercise is pretty much what the poor fee earners from our story will be asked to do before they can end their workweeks.

Now, these employees will have the benefit of using their calendars, emails, and notes as points of reference, but let’s be real—few accounting and consulting professionals can reconstruct exactly what they were working on every hour of every week.

But a new generation of AI-powered technology is breathing life back into the timesheet, absconding manual entry in favor of digital assistants that capture activity in real-time, dig through various network resources to estimate how time was spent, make smart predictions about future project scale, and even generate automatically-prepared timesheets.

We reached out to an industry expert and did some research of our own to determine why embracing these new timesheet processes is important and how those changes can benefit firms. Here are four reasons the accounting firm timesheet must evolve in 2019:

1. Smarter pricing

Let’s say there’s a particular accounting or consulting process that your firm has been performing relatively the same way for years. We’ll call it Process Alpha, because that kind of sounds like the title of a James Bond film, and we all know accountants are basically the same thing as swashbuckling British super spies.

You charge your clients $50,000 for Process Alpha. Why $50,000? Because that’s what you’ve always charged, and that’s close to what your competitors charge.

But how many man-hours does it truly take to complete Process Alpha? You have a general idea, but because you’re relying on manual timesheet data that may contain inaccuracies, you can’t be sure.

With intelligent, automated timesheet software, the picture becomes clearer. Now that you know the exact amount of labor required to complete Process Alpha, you may learn that it has a low profit margin or is even a money loser, and you need to either adjust your price or quit offering it altogether.

Conversely, you could discover that Process Alpha is a cash cow. You could then lower the price to become more competitive, or just instruct your sales team to start pushing it harder.

“Timesheet software that uses AI and activity capture makes it easier for fee earners to report their time more accurately,” Mike Marubio, vice president of business development at Intapp, said. “The resulting data is wildly valuable for management. The things you can do with it are astounding. You can start pricing your engagements correctly, and that’s just the beginning.”

Free white paper from Intapp: Accelerate acceptance and continuance with automation

2. More efficient project management

In a scene from Return of the Jedi, Rebel Alliance Chancellor Mon Mothma outlines a two-pronged plan to destroy the Empire’s second Death Star. First, a ground assault team, led by Han “probably still has frostbite” Solo, will infiltrate the forest moon of Endor to deactivate the shield generator.

After sufficient time has passed for Han’s unit to complete this objective, a squadron of starfighters—led by Lando “sorry about that whole betrayal thing” Calrissian—will fly into the Death Star and blast its reactor core with a proton torpedo, causing an explosive chain reaction that will take out the entire station.

We don’t know how long Han is given to complete the ground mission, but for the sake of whatever, let’s call it 36 hours. What we do know is that, thanks in part to the interference of an indigenous race of merchandise-friendly teddy bears, Han fails to complete the mission on time. When Lando begins his assault, the Death Star’s shield is still up, forcing the Rebel fleet to hold off the attack and causing the deaths of countless pilots and crew.

Of course Han does eventually get the shield down, allowing the Rebels to successfully blow up the Death Star (again). But that’s beside the point. The real takeaway here is—Mon Mothma’s project management skills need some serious improvement. This was a project that required very precise timing, and Ms. Mothma dropped the ball big time.

Maybe it wasn’t entirely Ms. Mothma’s fault, though. What if she was relying on data from manual timesheets, and saw that Han (and other handsome, roguish space captains like him) always completed shield generator detonations within 36 hours?

If she’d had intelligent, automated time management software, she might have seen that the process actually takes an average of 42 hours, and would have thus planned out the project more effectively. Think how much the Rebels could’ve saved in X-Wing repair costs (and, y’know, lives)!

OK, so that was about the nerdiest illustration possible of proper timesheet data improving project management, but the principle still holds true in accounting and consulting. If you know exactly how long it takes your team to complete certain tasks, you can create smarter project plans that maximize productivity, putting the right resources in the right places at the right times. And that can lead to big financial returns for your firm.

“We deployed our timesheet software for a large global accounting firm in the U.K, and the results have been astonishing,” Marubio said. “They’ve accrued tens of millions of pounds in additional fees since partnering with us.”

Wicket the Ewok, who reportedly uses Intapp timesheet software for his Etsy rope snare trap business, could not be reached for comment.

3. Informed personnel decisions

Here’s one aspect of automated timesheet software that’s a bit “icky,” but it’s still very valuable for firms.

Let’s be clear: We’re not suggesting that automation software should be used as some kind of Big Brother (the symbol of an always-watching totalitarian government from 1984, not the CBS reality TV show, come on guys) that monitors everything employees do and punishes them for every minute not spent working. If you use it that way, morale at your firm will suffer, and the net effect of the upgrade will be negative.

What we are saying is that the software can lead to smarter personnel decisions, so you can elevate your rockstars and provide help to those who need it. For instance, if you see one worker is completing a task in two hours that takes most people four, that guy or gal might deserve a raise—or should maybe be moved to more prestigious accounts. If a worker is taking six hours to do that task, it’s probably smart to invest in some additional training to help that person be more efficient and productive.

“Every firm has questions about personnel and how they’re performing. But if you have hundreds or thousands of employees and you’re not sure their timesheet data is exactly accurate, those questions are hard to answer. Products like Intapp Time make it so you can finally ask those questions—and trust the answers you get,” Marubio said.

Having an accurate record of employee time can also help you put together smarter, more effective teams for larger projects. You can see which employees complete these types of projects fastest and most effectively, then team them all up to create a supergroup that’ll put Christina Aguilera and the rest of the “Lady Marmalade” singers to shame.

Free white paper from Intapp: Turn global independence into a growth opportunity

4. Defensible overage charges

No client likes receiving a bill for an overage. As you well know, sometimes they will ask for a detailed account of the work that was done and what led to the overage, occasionally to absurd degrees (“Can you tell us precisely what work this accountant performed from 3:04 to 3:06 p.m. on Jan. 12?”). If they don’t like the answers they get, the consequences may be severe.

With accurate data from automated timesheet software, it’s much easier to make a solid case for an overage. You actually can see what that accountant was doing from 3:04 to 3:06 p.m., or what anyone else on your team was doing at any given time.

“Automated timesheets give you a strong defense for overages. You can say, ‘Here’s everything that was done, here was the problem area where we couldn’t reconcile your books, this is why we need to add some overtime,’” Marubio said.

The result is a lot less client heartburn due to overages, and ultimately better client/firm relationships. Plus, because you’ll now be pricing your engagements more accurately, you’ll probably have fewer overages in the first place.

Evolve now with automated accounting timesheets

Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of why the accounting timesheet must evolve in 2019—and how automated timesheet solutions like Intapp Time can make that evolution possible.

Intapp Time is the only enterprise-grade time capture and analysis product specifically designed for large accounting firms. It’s easy and intuitive enough for your front-line professionals, yet powerful enough to provide actionable insights to business managers and CFOs.

And now we know what that means for your firm—smarter pricing, efficient project management, informed personnel decisions, defensible overages, and so much more.

For accounting timesheet evolution, the time is now. Working with partners like Intapp makes the change easier and maximizes your results. See how Intapp can help your accounting firm meet the challenges of 2019 and beyond now.

Learn more about Intapp >

Access free white papers from Intapp on accelerating acceptance and continuance with automation and turning global independence into a growth opportunity.

The post 4 Reasons the Accounting Firm Timesheet Must Evolve in 2019 appeared first on Going Concern.

republished from Going Concern

[operaphantoms]

Tuition Commissions and Writing Services!

Hi everyone! I just got my tuition bill for spring semester of this year and my savings can nowhere near cover it. As some of you know, I have my undergraduate degree in creative writing, so I do a lot of short story and poetry work. I have a website here [link] where you can read some of my work. You can also DM me for a writing sample. 

For anyone who follows me or who is referred to me by this post, I’ll give you a 20% discount on any commission prices listed below/on my website!  (Also, there is a link on my website to donate if you would like to help but don’t want any writing.)

Commissions

(I will not write about anything that could be considered a felony (abuse, rape, etc) or that could possibly be triggering to my readers. Additionally, I will not write stories for your writing courses.)

Poems are priced by line. A line will never consist of fewer than five words. The cost is $1 per line.

Stories are priced by word count, with $2 being the equivalent of 100 words. There is an additional cost of $2.50 if I must research your topic (eg: learn about space travel, watch a movie, read a certain book). Costs are an average. A story at 501 words would cost less than a story at 590 words. 

Editing

Editing consists of me reading through your paper or story multiple times, checking for grammatical and logical errors, and making both positive and negative critiques.

Stories, essays, reports etc. are priced at $4 per page. The editing process will not necessarily be swift. If you are asking for a paper to be reviewed for something to be done by a certain due date, please note that in your contacting email or comment so that I can make your work a priority. The $4/page rule applies to full pages. If your paper ends with a half of a page left over, you will be charged only $2 for the final page, and so on for other fractions. I only accept documents on the Microsoft suite or links to Google Drive files.

Image-heavy documents such as brochures and fliers are edited at a flat rate of $3. This is because .pdf files and images are not suitable for easy margin edits. 

Paragraph documents such as cover letters, answers to surveys, and brief biographies are edited at a flat rate of $2/paragraph, where a paragraph is defined as a set of five sentences or more.

Resumes and Cover Letters

For first-time resumes (eg: high school students, individuals who have never written a resume, etc.), the price is $10.

If you have a resume from a previous job and simply need to update it, the price is $3 per additional job added to the resume.​

If you have a completed resume that simply needs editing, the cost is $5.​​

Cover letters are priced per paragraph. Each paragraph is $5/piece. Paragraphs will be between five and ten sentences. Again, pricing is flexible. A paragraph of five sentences will cost less than a paragraph of ten. Since cover letters are supposed to be under one page in length, the maximum amount of paragraphs I will write for you is three.

If you have a completed cover letter that simply needs editing, the cost is $2 per paragraph.

Please reblog this and help a friend out! Thank you!

[coin-river-blog]

It’s just Tuesday, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is all the news it seems. However, it’s not all good. A resolution she’s signed on to will be introduced that will call for Wall Street investors and traders to be taxed.

As lawmakers ready to debate this financial services tax, Ocasio-Cortez is facing questions about her chief of staff allegedly violating campaign finance law. On Tuesday, she told reporters “there is no violation.”

The resolution that’s being introduced has a fitting name – Wall Street Tax Act of 2019.

Before it was even formally introduced, critics and supporters have piled on. Of course, their commentary is along partisan lines.

However, before investors get too riled up, there are some takeaways that could mitigate concerns about the bill.

Tax Threat May Be A Nothing Burger

The Wall Street Tax Act of 2019 is the brainchild of Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon). It’s actually a re-introduction of a bill that failed to be passed a few years ago when Democrats did not have control of the House.

The bill could lead to $777 billion being raised over the next decade. Banter has included it being a way to help pay for Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed $93 trillion Green New Deal that she dreams of making a reality.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to hike the top marginal income tax rate to 70%. | Source: Shutterstock

If the bill makes it through the House and is signed by President Trump, it would:

impose a tax of ten basis points, or .1%, on all transactions of stocks, bonds, and derivatives

apply to transactions in the U.S. or involving U.S. firms or citizens

allow short-term debt with maturities of less than 100 days to be exempt.

Considering the tax would amount to just .1%, some say it’s not enough to deter traders. Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said on CNBC:

“We’re talking about 10 basis points, so on a $1,000 trade, if I’m doing my arithmetic right, that’s a dollar. A dollar on a $1,000 trade on a market that’s trading billions of trade a day, if that’s going to take down the problem, we’ve got much bigger problems than a [financial transaction tax].”

Bernstein said the tax would be a progressive revenue raiser, which is one reason Democrats like it. He added that 40% of the stock market’s value is held by the top one percent in terms of wealth of traders.

“The impact on volumes could be negative, but would this be detrimental to trading and price signals? Evidence is that it won’t.”

Not Buying That Logic

Opponents say the tax would deter people from investing.

Adam Michel, a senior analyst at The Heritage Foundation, told CNBC:

“This has been tried around the world, like in France and Italy, and every time they’ve been tried we see that they don’t work as intended. They actually increase stock market volatility. They don’t raise as much revenue as people think they are going to.”

Michel said the tax would ultimately hurt everyone who’s involved in the stock market.

“That’s not just the rich, but that’s you and I and our 401k, but it’s also teachers and firefighters who are invested through their pensions. This isn’t an effective way to raise the revenue that folks are looking for.”

John Rose, a freshman Republican from Tennessee also sits on the House Financial Services Committee. Addressing the tax proposal, he said he was not a fan. Generally, when you tax something, you discourage it, he said.

He added:

 “It will be tough to stop [the resolution] in the House, but it will have a tougher chance of passing the Senate. Americans have entrusted Republicans with control of the Senate and with the presidency so I’m confident that this will not become law.”

DeFazio said it would rein in high-frequency trading activities.

Scott Shellady, the managing director at TJM Europe, commented on the idea of taxing Wall Street during an interview with Fox Business Tuesday morning. He noted that all the noise around trying to target high-frequency traders, or speculators, isn’t good.

“I love it how people want to tax financial transactions. That’s a business they know nothing about, especially AOC. These speculators have an economic function.”

AOC: From Loved To Criticized

Caught up in this Wall Street tax debate is Ocasio-Cortez, of course. She’s a co-sponsor of the bill that was introduced in the House Financial Services Committee, joining others who detest the thought of the wealthy not being taxed to the hilt. The rich and corporations get too many breaks, she’s charged.

Her rants, in particular, fly in the face of very serious allegations that surfaced Monday. CCN reported that her chief of staff may have violated finance campaign laws to the tune of more than $1 million, citing an explosive investigation by the Washington Examiner.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, pictured above, is at the center of a developing $1 million campaign finance scandal. The Congresswoman rejected the allegation | Source: Politico

The allegations were detailed in a complaint submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Monday. The allegations could significantly curtail her burgeoning influence among Democrat ranks on Capitol Hill, CCN noted.

The chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, is being accused of diverting donations from Ocasio-Cortez’s supporters into a slush fund. The fund is reportedly controlled by two private companies registered to him, ostensibly for the purpose of obscuring what the money was used to do.

Given Ocasio-Cortez has no qualms in lashing out at anyone who challenges her, pundits returned the favor on the FEC news.

AOC could face jail time if she intentionally kept her and her COS's control over a PAC secret, former FEC commissioner says. Another said they may have engaged in multiple campaign finance violations.@AndrewKerrNC's latest blockbuster.https://t.co/gCgAN5emJa via @DailyCaller

— Ethan Barton (@ethanrbarton) March 5, 2019

Gnats To A ‘White Hot’ Flame

Shellady didn’t mince any words when it came to criticizing what CCN’s called “the AOC effect.”

Shellady said:

“They don’t understand that this is a tax on their retirements, and lot of different things that take place in a trading day. I almost can’t talk about it because [Ocasio-Cortez] is so white hot right now. These Democrats are flying around her like gnats to a flame. She will burn out, it’s just [a matter of] when.”

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[joannrochaus]

What is truth?

A Lie (1)

On 17 January of this year, BuzzFeedNews reported that President Trump had directed his attorney Michael Cohen to lie to congress about the Moscow Tower project. This was what according to BuzzFeedNews was reported to the special counsel Robert Mueller who was investigating allegations of Mr. Donald Trump colluding with Russia in order to win the elections in 2016. Most of the media jumped on this news, hoping it would be true, because then they would have found the ‘smiking gun’ which would lead to the impeachment of president Trump.

However, half a day after this story broke and had done a lot of damage, the special counsel released a rare public statement in which it stated that “BuzzFeed’s descriptions of specific statements made to the Special Counsel’s office, and the characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate.” Or, in the language of us, common people: BuzzFeed’s story is a lie. All the media who jumped on this story were left with egg on their face and President Trump celebrated his victory on his beloved Twitter.

A Lie (2)

Three days later, a short video is posted online which goes viral. In this video a junior at Covington Catholic High School wearing a MAGA hat, is shown standing face to face with a native American protestor. It is only a very short video, just over a minute, but it was posted with the purpose to make this young man look bad. Much was edited out and only a few clips were shown. Again, most of the media in the US jumped on this and accused this student together with his fellow students of Covington Catholic School of blatant disrespect for a Native elder. Many celebrities joined them in condemning this young man and his school, and called for the publication of names, addresses, so that these students could be harassed and their names tainted for the rest of their lives.

One day later, more than two hours of video recording is posted on the internet by others about all that was happening at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC that led up to the infamous event that was shown in the short clip posted the day before. Some of the media and celebrities withdrew their comments, some even apologized, others didn’t. At the moment a group of lawyers supporting the Sandmann family is preparing a series of lawsuits against some of the media and celebrities, to sue them for libel and other crimes. The first lawsuit is filed against the Washington Post, claiming $ 250,000 (US).

Lie (3)

While the media are still wiping the egg off their faces of these two blunders, a third one is all over the news now. Jussie Smollett, who is openly gay and black, reported that on Jan. 29, he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Subway restaurant. He claimed that the men shouted racial and anti-gay slurs at him, poured a substance on him, threw a rope around his neck and shouted, “This is MAGA country!”

Again, many in the media, in politics and among celebrities jumped on this and started pointing fingers at the Trump followers, especially the white among them, calling them racists.

However, while many were still wiping the egg off their faces, deposited there by the fallout of the previous two cases, a new load of egg was dumped there instead. When police started to investigate, the whole story fell apart. No evidence could be found, and even after studying hours of surveillance video from the area where Smollett claimed the attack took place, they couldn’t find any proof. They did find some clues which indicated that the whole event was set up by Smollett himself. Today it is reported that Smollett has changed from victim to suspect and that felony criminal charges against him have been approved. The police is seeking his arrest.

One can wonder why someone like him would do something like this. However, knowing the political climate in the USA and the enormous acrimony between followers of Trump (often wearing the MAGA hat) and his ‘enemies’, you could easily come to the conclusion that the intention is to give the Trump camp again a negative press.

Investigative Journalism Dead?

A free press has always been seen as essential in a democracy. Journalists should have the freedom and ability to investigate whatever governments and other with power come up with, in order to inform the population about the truth. However, in recent years, with the increase of enmity between the two sides of the political spectrum in the US, it seems as if the media have not been able to resist the temptation to take sides. It already started in the Obama era, or maybe even before that, but it became extremely clear after Mr. Trump was elected president of the USA. The image you have of the situation in America in general and more specifically of the American political situation, depends on what media outlet you use to inform yourself. For a while now, I have been following Fox News, but also CNN.com, the Washington Post, the New York Times and others. Often it seems as if the latter three live in a different reality than the first one. It takes a lot of skill to compile what probably is the truth from the biased information and opinions you are bombarded with by all these news media. Instead of doing a lot of investigating and trying to discover the truth, it seems as if today it is the only task of the media to serve as propaganda outlet for the parties, movements, politicians, they affiliate with. Instead of being independent investigating journalists, it seems as if many journalists have become mere writers of opinion articles. Whatever confirms your opinion is being reported, whatever could possibly disprove your position is often ignored or distorted. More and more the question is being asked what happened to investigative journalism.

Australia

This all happened in America. What about Australia? Thankfully we can note that this biased journalism is not as blatant here as it is in North America. However, when you compare the reporting of the Australian with that of the West Australian, you will be able to discover quite some differences there as well, in the way things are being reported. And it is a known fact that organisations like ‘Getup’ with its millions of foreign support, are trying hard to buy the media or bully the voters into supporting extreme left politicians. Especially Christians will experience that more and more they are either marginalized or depicted as ‘outside of the mainstream’ or bigoted or ridiculously old fashioned, or occasionally they may even find themselves at the receiving end of outright hate campaigns.

Defence of the Truth

How do we as Christians respond to all this? Should we fight evil with evil and participate in name-calling? Certainly not. As Christians we are called to be the salt of the world, the light in the darkness. We are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. We are called to stand up for the Truth and to resist the works of the devil, who is called the Father of Lies in John 8.

We can and must learn from situations as described above. It shows us the wisdom of the words of our Saviour in Matthew 7:1 : “Judge not, that you be not judged.” If we are not called to render judgment, let us then first of all suspend our judgment. If we read something or hear something that makes us upset and we are inclined to respond judgmental, let us remind ourselves of the words written in Proverbs 18:17 : ” The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.” There are always to sides to an issue. We should not believe the media as a faithful witness. We should wait and see if there is more to a case than we initially read or hear. And that is not only the case with what is reported in the news media, but also in our personal life. God in His divine wisdom gave us the ninth commandment. The catechism in its explanation of this commandment in Lord’s Day 43 says that we shall not condemn or join in condemning anyone rashly and unheard. Let us be gracious toward our neighbor and always believe what is good and not evil, until an overwhelming amount of evidence forces us to change our mind. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love believes all things, hopes all things. (1 Corinthians 13). Let the church be an example to the world of how beautiful life can be if we all follow these rules given to us by God in the ninth commandment as well as in 1 Corinthians 13 and other parts of the Bible. Especially when people notice the hatred with which the media is so often filled and with which politicians and celebrities fight each other, as we have seen so clearly over the last couple of years in the USA but which we see happening in our own country from time to time as well, then the church and individual Christians can give a huge testimony about the goodness and love of God by showing in their lives that things can be so different, if we are filled with the Spirit and with the love of God.

from The Christian https://www.reformednews.info/2019/02/21/what-is-truth/