#maybe ill just use my current room as reference

[beannary]

ok what do rich people rooms look like

[psychesalcove]

𓈒ㅤׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒ pristine hearts made of gold and jewel - psyches fall writes for: pjo

i know that its not October yet, but its close enough!! I'm writing some fics for the 7 (and maybe others). I have no idea how long it'll take for me to finish all of these, but i'm planning on having them done by the end of October!:) I'll add links to these once their finished!! so this is kind of like a masterlist for fall fics lmao .. ill also prob be adding more onto here in the future just as a heads up!

WANT TO REQUEST SOMETHING FALL THEMED?: if anyone wants to request something with a pjo character with a senario that isn't already listed below, feel free to!! I can't guarantee that i'll do it, but if you see the idea pop up on this post, i'll be writing it!! Just include what character, readers gender, and if you want a oneshot or headcanon! happy fall!

𓈒ㅤׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒ One Shots

𝜗𝜚 When DISCO plays our tune ── Leo Valdez x fem reader ♡ Leo and you didn't have the best dance skills around the school. did that mean you weren't going to dance at homecoming together? no, obviously! .. want to read? ☆click here☆

𝜗𝜚 While the others talk, we were listening to LOVERS ROCK ── Percy Jackson x fem reader ♡ you weren't one for parties, so how you found yourself at a Hermes cabin party was beyond you. at least your crush of a couple years was also there.

𝜗𝜚 NOT A LOT, JUST FOREVER, intertwined, sewn together ── Jason Grace x fem reader ♡ Jason isn't always the best at verbally showing his love to you, his girlfriend. He makes up for it by showing you how much he loves you in other ways.

𝜗𝜚 When I say EVERYBODY, I'm actually referring to me ── Frank Zhang x fem reader ♡ Frank has been harboring a crush on you since freshman year (its currently senior year). He finally gains the courage to confess, in the form of a letter.

𝜗𝜚 UPTOWN GIRL, she's been living in her uptown world ── Piper McLean x fem reader ♡ Working at a record shop uptown has its perks. The main one being the cute girl named piper that comes in every Saturday at exactly 12:00pm.

𝜗𝜚 Just because we USE CHEATS doesn't mean we're not smart ── Annabeth Chase x fem reader ♡ Annabeth is always willing to help you, her study partner (and maybe crush), even if you're not the brightest around.

𝜗𝜚 You know I keep you in MY LOCKET ── Hazel Levesque x fem reader ♡ You and your girlfriend, Hazel stop by a jewelry store downtown to get matching necklaces together.

𓈒ㅤׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒ Head Canons

𝜗𝜚 so when you're near me daring can you hear me, S.O.S? ── the seven (platonic) x fem reader ♡ going to a pumpkin patch with your friends!!

𝜗𝜚 On a live wire RIGHT UP off the street ── the seven (platonic) x fem reader ♡ who knew carving pumpkins could be so fun with your friends?

𝜗𝜚 This is HALLOWEEN everybody make a scene ── the seven (separate) x fem reader ♡ going trick or treating with your partner is a lot more interesting when you're both demigods.

𝜗𝜚 I want to be FOREVER YOUNG ── the seven (separate) x fem reader ♡ going to a haunted house / corn maze

𝜗𝜚 I'm so BEWITCHED, what's this new desire called? ── the seven (separate) x fem reader ♡ how you and your partner would match for Halloween

𝜗𝜚 What's new Scooby Doo? Gonna solve that MYSTERY! — the seven (separate) x fem reader ♡ the seven and reader in an escape room together!!

[ashintheairlikesnow]

The Heretic's Confession, Chapter One

CW: Captivity whump, some... implications... references to branding. This is just me getting a feel for the idea and character, though, really.

-

The robes he once kept pristine are caked in dried mud around the hem. Grigory frowns as he inspects them, rubbing along the seam. It flakes away, leaving imprints of itself behind. 

Maudlin, certainly, but it feels like the stain of their sins painting his soul.

Maybe suffering can give even a man of the Goddess the sentiment of a poet. His lip curls in disgust at the very thought.

Please, please speak to me, Dromada. Tell your priest what he must do to escape this nightmare.

She is, and has always been, silent to his pleas for Her assistance. 

The Goddess the people worship may be a paragon of compassion and forgiveness, her sculptures solemn and grave with hands outstretched to embrace even the lowest-born of Her children, but Grigori is beginning to suspect the holy men have got it wrong. 

She isn't gracefully wise. She does not reach Her hand out to hold Her children. No, as each day passes without Her so much as whispering a reassurance, he begins to feel She is th goddess of laughter, and he is Her current favorite joke.

A knock at the door to his room - his cell, really, but of course they all like to pride themselves on keeping him in high style in his gilded cage - has him looking up, a little startled. The moon has only made half of its trek across the night sky, through the looping swirls of galaxies far, far beyond the reach of mere mortal men. That milky spin of stars, everyone knows, is where the gods live.

He wonders how many of them are looking down on him, sipping crystalline waters, and mocking his pain.

He would spit on every last temple step, if he could.

If he could just leave the fucking room-

“Brother Grigori,” His guest singsongs, half-dancing into the room. Grigory turns away from him, laying one palm over one of the iron bars that blocks any escape through the window. His fingers close slowly around it. 

“What do you want.” His voice is curt, it cuts short and sharp. “Bastard.”

“Oh, see you got my name all wrong again.” The leader of this little gang is tall - too tall - and all knees and legs, lean muscle making him heavier than he looks. Grigori is tall enough for a man, but he seems like he’s half-grown, compared to the bandit. The man’s hair is a shock of white atop his head, shaved on the sides, while Grigori’s curly brown grows to the bottom of his ears, as is prescribed for the priests. He swaths himself in black kohl around his equally dark eyes and shining black leather worn back to brown from age and ill-use at the knees and elbows. Grigori’s hazel and his dirtied robes look like a joke, placed next to the bandit’s appearance.  “It’s Bohli, remember? Or that’s what my mother calls me, anyway. Or she would, if she were still alive. She probably uses that when she curses my name from the heavens above, granted. I mean, probably, unless she really is suffering in the Dark After, like she deserves-”

“What do you want, Bohli?” Grigory’s head is already starting to hurt. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Nonsense. You have all the time in the world. You have nothing but time.”

“Not for… you. Please leave.”

“Nope. Not going anywhere. This is my house, remember? I just let you stay here.”

“Let me.” The words are sour in Grigori’s mouth. “Right, of course. Let me. Because I asked to be branded and trapped here in this room-”

“Hush. I take you for walkies every day, little god’s dog.” Bohli winks, and Grigori - who took a vow of pacifism, once - imagines stabbing his own knife through his eyeball until it comes out the other side of his head. “If you don’t want a leash, you just have to prove you won’t run off.”

He would, of course. Run. Outside, the woods stretch far and wide. There’s a path he could take to find a village, to find freedom...

Or… more realistically… to get arrested for being in league with Bohli and his bastards, which he isn’t, but everyone knows the goddess would save Her most faithful, and he’s been here too long. He would be branded a heretic. Everyone knows he’s a heretic. His own fellow priests would turn their backs on him. The people would burn him at the stake, for being defiled, degraded, a paragon of nothing but the filth they have covered him in. Little more than a bandit himself. 

Maybe he is one.

Dromada would have saved him if he were truly Hers to save. And instead, here he is, the infamous giver of absolution to the men and women who massacre whole towns in defiance of - in direct insult to - the power and might of His Majesty, the King.

No. he would be burned as an enemy of the King's, and he would have no standing to defend himself. A captive this long isn't a captive at all, in the eyes of the world.

Just a man who no longer wants to be saved.

Tears prick at his eyes, and he struggles not to let Bohli see them and mock him even more. It’s not like he hasn’t already been marked. It was one of the first things they did. Bohli had given the order and watched while they tied him down. Grigori himself had been made to look as they put the iron in the fire, made to watch them heat it to red. Bohli had been whispering in his ear when when they pressed it to his pelvis, and Bohli had cooed over him while he screamed, stroking through his sweaty hair.

“Just leave,” He whispers, the area aching all over again. They branded him over the symbol of Dromada tattooed, a mark of his vow of chastity.

Another one broken.

Maybe that was when She stopped listening.

“Oh, but I can’t, darling Grigori. I’ve come to make a confession.” Bohli laughs, and his laughter could make you bleed even better than his blade. But somehow Grigori can’t seem to die from the loss. “Isn’t that why I keep a priest of Dromada around, anyway? For to save my poor mortal soul?”

Grigori fights the urge to wish aloud someone would poison the asshole’s food. “You would burn if you touched the Hem of her robe.”

“Maybe.” Bohli shrugs, kicking a chair over and dropping down into it, loose-limbed. His eyes spark with delight as he takes in Grigori’s misery. “But you wear Her robes, and yet I never burn when I touch you-”

“Speak your confession,” Grigory snaps, his heart twisting and going briefly silent and still in his chest. He feels blood rush to his face, and Bohli’s peal of bright, brittle laughter tells him the flush isn’t going unnoticed. 

“Say it.” Bohli watches him, and it’s like being watched by one of the terrifying big cats that roam the woods just beyond this hideous prison. Unblinking, a predator’s stare. “Say the words, priest.”

Each time he does, they feel more bitter on his tongue. 

But still.

Grigori draws the ruins of his robe closer around himself, and sits up straight. He swallows and sets his jaw. “Bohlinde hir Maksma en Ygridsen, the goddess Dromada hears and forgives all from those who love Her. You have only to ask. Speak, child, and be forgiven.”

Bohli licks his lips, leaning forwards. Somehow, Grigori can’t make himself look away. The bandit leader’s teeth are sharp - those canines can rend skin from bone. He’s part-elf, they say, somewhere in his bloodline the half-mindless shrieking hordes of the elven race lurk. You can always tell, so it’s said, from the sharpness of their teeth. From how little they care for the lives of men.

Maybe he’s half-elf.

It would explain why he’s so fucking smug.

“Forgive me, Dromada’s Chosen, for I have sinned against Her,” Bohli says, and he doesn’t even try to feign sincerity. Why he even plays this game, when Dromada isn’t a goddess for the elves of their wretched offspring to begin with, is beyond Grigori’s understanding.

Grigori fights the urge to sigh. He makes Dromada’s Sign, wondering if it even calls to Her any longer. If She even feels the spark of a follower’s call, or if he’s cut off from Her entirely. Who hears him when he prays?

Does anyone?

“How have you sinned against Our Mother, She Who Gave the Waters?” 

Bohli licks his lips. His smile is a little too wide, shows too many of those sharp, sharp teeth. He'd be blisteringly handsome, if it weren’t for the sight of fangs where none should be. “I won’t lie, Brother Grigori. I set some stuff on fire yesterday. And I’m going to do it again. Will I be forgiven?”

Grigori imagines the mud climbing higher and higher up his robes, pulling him into the earth, forcing itself down his mouth and pressing over his eyes. He imagines the gods in the sky, looking down from their stars.

The image shatters with the memory of first sitting at the table with the dozen or so of Bohli's favorites, each of them smiling at him, while he sat in his pure white robes and felt himself bared, as if naked, before them.

Until Bohli had given the order for what to do with him.

“Dromada forgives all who seek Her,” Grigori intones, thoughtless. The words memorized before he was even thirteen years old, before he was old enough to take his vows. Before he was taken, and they were all broken, one by one. Bohli loved breaking Grigori's vows. “You have only to ask.”

“Good.” Bohli’s voice drops low. He has to focus to hear it, which is probably the bastard’s entire point. “Because I really, really love asking, and I love the sound of your answers.”

The bandit stands, walking over to him, putting one finger under his chin and forcing Grigori to look up - and up, and up, and up - to see the demon smile.

Grigori is sure, as Bohli watches him with his head tipped to the side and his black eyes as bright as the stars, that he can hear the goddess laughing.

[deadduvznap]

Wait you do Harry Potter? Hell yea dawg I'll request that shit

Ron x dom Male Reader

Maybe reader is a slytherin, and doesn't take kindly to the golden trio or wtv

Anyways they're alone, room of requirements or sum. Que the non con, knife/blood play (would they use knives if they had magic?? Idk), and sadism

I have no clue how to send the hard ask thingies lmao my brain does not work very well

-💫 anon :D

(Pronouns are he/him btw for future reference)

as always FEMALE ALIGNING DNI !!!!!!

my requests are currently closed but ill write a lil blurb for you ml kisses kisses

okay okay yesss i think that you dont like the golden trio that much not because they are gryffindors but probably because smth happened w harry (hes a bitch i dont like him 🗣️ )and then romance between ron and hermione but you like ron but you cant say anything blah blah blah but one day ur in the room of requirement because probably you saw ron and hermione talking and it rlly hit you so you wander round the halls till you find the room of requirement and its a nice little cozy library for you with a little fireplace and couches and you just go and sit and sob for a little but then you hear the door creak open you stiffen up and stop making any noise and peek round the corner or ur big chair and you see ron peeking his head in lookin confused and he sees you and he walks in hes like oh hey ive never seen this room before this is pretty cool and ur just quiet on the chair staring into the fire and ron is walking over to the other couch and he plops down and he keeps and keeps talking and ur just getting more irritated w him and he cant tell and ur staring at him ur eyes are puffy and ur arms are crossed over urself and one hand on ur wand and ron finally looks at you and he tilts his head looking so cute btw and hes like hey whats wrong and you dont say anything then you hit him w the petrificus totalus curse (the full body binding curse) and his limbs snap together and he slumps over the chair like a 2x4 leaning on it. you walk up to him ur like you talk too much and okay lets say ur a half blood (somehow) so you stay strapped up w a pocket knife at all times (even tho you dont need it) and you can see the fear in his eyes as you get closer to him and you can hear the noises in his throat as hes panicking trying to get away from you and you use ur wand to rope his limbs up (the incarcerous spell) and shove a cloth in his mouth prob like idk smth random you have idk and then you undo the curse and he immedietly tries to run away and cry but since the rope has him binded so tightly his arms behind his back and his ankles together you push him to sit down and pull his robes off as he struggles and cries trying to get away from you so you take ur little (5 inch) pocket knife and hold it to his neck and tell him to stop fucking moving or ull cut off his fingers sorry guys im feeling very torturous rn and hes full got tears running down his face soaking into his cloth gag and you bend him over the side his hips pressed against the arm rest of the couch chair thing and press his face into the actual seat and bend his back as much as possible btw so it hurts more and hes thrashing around cus it hurts and he doesnt want this he doesnt like you he likes hermione he just needed to destress after getting into an argument w the other two and now? now hes getting raped by someone he (thinks he) hates and then he feels something pressing against his asshole and guess what its ur dick bout to absolutely rawdog him no lube no condom no prep just some spit maybe so it doesnt hurt you or dare i say his own blood as the lube? you put ur dick against his asshole and he starts squirming his eyes squinty and trying to get away from you and so you take ur knife and press against his lower back and tell him i told you not to move around like a little bitch and you stick the knife into his back and he screams cus it hurts so bad hes shoving his face into the couch harder and hes crying trying to get away but the more he wiggles the deeper the knife goes in and that hurts more and you pull the little knife out and gather some blood with ur hand and use that as lube before it clots up and when that happens you just get more blood if hes about to pass out you use a spell to heal that wound and stab him somewhere else and get more blood by the time you cum hes about to pass out from the pain and hes absolutely covered in blood its dripping down his back from his lower back to his head and all over his arms and the couch is soaked with blood and his hair is a red ginger mess with clots of blood hes almost breathing in blood through the cloth gag

(sorry was at block text limit) through his mouth if you pull out and cum on his back it literally just mixes with the blood he passes out and you leave him there bound in rope and gagged over the edge of the couch covered in clotted and dried blood

[cherryxcadbury]

Idk if you write for TAA but I thought in which you’re famous maybe like a writer or idk. Not model or singer, something different because people are delighted that he didn’t choose a “fake” girl, because you’re smart and show in his games every time you can.

this is my oldest request, from almost a year ago. apologies anon.

y/n-your name

2nd person pov

Post match meant time to celebrate and relax. Usually anyways.

It was Sunday, the day after the champions league final, where Liverpool had lost to Real Madrid.

Since then, all the WAGs, players, and coaching staff had made it home from Paris.

And currently, a smaller group of you were gathered around the sitting room of the Van Dijk’s home. Virgil and his wife Rike, stood ready to get whatever anyone needed as hosts.

Captain Jordan Henderson & his wife Rebecca were seated, squished on a small seat.

Andy Robertson, your boyfriend’s best friend was on the floor with a beer in hand, with his wife Rachel seated right behind him on a chair.

As for you and Trent, you two were seated on a slightly smaller sofa, squished, but content.

Usually Mo and his wife, who you’d spent lots of time talking to, managed to find time to come to these gatherings but their daughter had fallen ill.

“I just dunno how the fans will receive us.” Jordan confessed, with his head in his hands.

“If I were a fan I’d want to physically assault myself after yesterday.” Andy groaned.

“I fucked up bad.” Trent mumbled into your ear.

You lightly slapped his knee, telling him not to think such thoughts.

“Heads up guys. We win as a team, we lose as a team.” Virgil comforted everyone.

“You lot have got the FA cup parade tomorrow. That’s something to look forward to.” Rachel brought up, trying to add cheer to the conversation.

“Not the same as a champions league trophy.” Trent groaned.

Rebecca stood up, beckoning Rike & Virgil to sit down.

“We need to change the topic guys. If we keep talking about the defeat you guys are going to moping all the way until next season and into the World Cup.” She suggested.

“So change of topic anyone?” Andy asked, taking another swig of his beer.

“How about that Y/N’s latest book has just won a Pulitzer Prize.” Trent offered the newest bit of information.

You whipped your head in his direction. You hadn’t thought that he’d remember or had even noticed with all of the matches and finals going on.

When your eyes met Trent’s, all you could see in his face was pure love and joy.

“I’m so so proud of you.” He said into your ear.

Your heart swelled with happiness. You felt on top of cloud nine despite yesterday’s events in Paris.

“Y/N that’s amazing!” Virgil exclaimed.

“Was it Life as We Know it?” Rachel asked, referring to the novel of yours which had been an international success in the last year.

You nodded, “Yeah that was it.”

“I need to tell the team.” Jordan got out his phone and started texting rapidly.

You blushed, these very public gestures always made you feel shy. Shy but appreciated.

“This calls for a toast. Let me help with the drinks.” Rebecca, Rike, and Virgil made their ways to the kitchen to get some more wine and beer.

“WOOOO Y/N IS THE BEST WRITER EVER!” Andy’s hands shot up in the air and he started dancing around.

You and Trent looked over at each other. You tried to hide your laughter by snuggling into his chest, but it was impossible.

Andy was Andy. The loud, hilarious Scotsman.

*** “A toast. To Y/N. For making our dark days, brighten with some light.” Trent raised his glass, as the others followed.

You did the same, giving everyone a grateful smile, especially Trent.

You looked at everyone around you, they were happy yes. But as you squinted further you could still see the sad looks in their eyes. The stinging pain of the loss didn’t just go away like that.

“Thank you guys. I appreciate it, I really do. But it’s okay to feel bad for yourselves you know. A champions league final is a big thing. You can’t just get over it in less than twenty four hours. Don’t let me be the reason you have to suppress your emotions.” You told them honestly.

“The channels did say that you guys had quite a few things you needed to work on.” Rike responded.

“The different in caliber between us and Madrid was incredibly large.” Jordan agreed.

“Let’s hear them then.” Trent started.

“Y/N. You go first. You always have the best insight and you never share it with anyone except us.” Rachel began, gesturing to her, Rike, and Rebecca.

Trent shared a knowing smile with you. He knew how analytical you were. How easy it was for you to immediately spot the flaw in the lineup and what’s substitutions needed to be made.

“Well,” You sighed.

This wasn’t going to be easy. There was a lot.

“Your defense was lacking for the majority of the match. When they finally stepped up, it was too late. You guys didn’t press enough until the match was basically over. And essentially, you let yourself be outplayed. It didn’t help that Courtois was a wall of steal either.” You explained.

“You have a good back line for the most part. Just need to strengthen the weak areas, like tracking back. And as for up front, you need to work on converting those shots.” You finished.

“This is better insight than what Klopp gave us yesterday.” Jordan murmured.

“I’m texting everything you said to him right now. Thank you so much YN.” Virgil smiled, his thumbs rapidly moving on his smartphone screen.

Trent drew close to you and pressed a kiss against your cheek.

“My beautiful, intelligent girl. I’m so so lucky to have you.” He whispered into your ear.

“Thank you for mentioning the Pulitzer Prize. I thought you’d forgotten to be honest.” You confessed.

He rested his forehead against yours.

“You’re too incredible for me to forget anything about you. You’re on my mind every second of everyday.” Trent smiled at you.

“You guys are gross.” Andy furrowed his eyebrows at you and Trent, a small smile playing on his lips.

this is a bit of a mess. thank you for bearing w me

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Don't Go Blindly Into the Dark

Summary:

To hide that he can't read, Jan Van Eck has been forcing his son to pretend he's blind since he was eight years old. Wylan is now attending Ketterdam University, and meeting Jesper Fahey may very well be about to change his life. But is he safe to tell Jesper the truth? And what will Jesper say if he does?

Jesper is struggling to weigh up his life in the Barrel and his life at the University of Ketterdam, and there's a good chance that his growing debt is about to make the decision for him. He hasn't attended class consecutively for months, but maybe that will change when his newest project includes partnering up with Wylan Van Eck. But can he really leave the Barrel behind him? And how long can he keep up the pretence of who he thinks Wylan wants him to be?

Tags: @justalunaticfangirl @lunarthecorvus

If anyone else would like to be tagged let me know :)

Content warnings for this chapter: death, trafficking references (Kerch indenture law), weapons, violence, murder, dehumanisation

AO3 link

Chapter 12 - Inej

“And exactly why do I care?” asked Kaz, coolly.

Kaz’s office at the Crow Club was by far the most difficult room to eavesdrop on in any of the Dregs’ main haunts, and Inej didn’t doubt that was why he had chosen it. Inej also didn’t find a lack of windows or accessibility at all off putting, and was currently laying flat on her front so she could just about squeeze into the space between Kaz’s ceiling and the floor above it. There was a gap between some of the slats, barely perceptible from below unless you were at the perfect angle, that Inej had found after only a few weeks of working with the Dregs when she was preparing herself for her first real job by trying to move about the Crow Club undetected. It proved a surprisingly simple task, but Inej had never been quite sure if Kaz knew that she was there. As she peered through the gap now she was gifted the slightly hazy image of Kaz, leaning back in his chair with his gloved fingers closed over the head of his cane, and the very edge of Jesper sitting opposite him at the desk. 

Perhaps Inej should feel guilty for spying on Kaz; here, outside his window at the Slat, through a vent above Per Haskell’s office. But it was him who had made her the Wraith, wasn’t it? You couldn’t train a falcon and expect it not to hunt. If he never bothered to tell her anything himself, she would have to find the information her own way. 

“You’re going to steal the secrets of the rich men of Ketterdam,” he’d told her, months ago, amongst a longer speech. It felt like years ago. It felt like days. “And I’m going to use that information to take that money,”

“What happens when you take their money, and you become a rich man?”

That had made him smile.

“Then you can steal my secrets too,”

Well, Inej had seen the books: Kaz was more than comfortably on his way to being rich. So what if she was jumping the gun a little? Of course she knew, or at least she supposed, that the dark shimmer of humour behind his words was because he would never be rich; no matter what money Kaz Brekker accrued, he lived in the worst slum in the Barrel, his cash wasn’t safe to just spend without thinking, he would always be DIrtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel. When Kaz said rich he didn’t mean money, not always. He meant old money, real money, Geldin District money. Even Zelvar District; it was earned money, then, not old money, but five kruge from a lawyer would always be worth more than ten of Kaz’s ill-gotten gains. Plenty of people got rich in the Barrel - people like Pekka Rollins, and Tante Heleen - but no-one made real money. Inej had realised a long time ago that you couldn’t make real money, you could only inherit it and add more to the pile. 

“If you want to make anything off that kid-”

“If there’s truth to anything you’ve told me, Jesper, then I wouldn’t have been able to make a penny off him anyway. I’m cutting my losses,”

Inej had come late to the conversation, but she assumed they must be talking about Wylan. Once she’d got Jesper back to his dorm last night, she made him drink two glasses of water and then waited until he’d fallen asleep - it didn’t take long - before she went to find Nina and tell Kaz was calling them home.

“We’re not even hanging around tonight?”

Inej shook her head.

“Everything completely cancelled,”

“Damn,” Nina shook her head, “I owe him back for two weeks income now,”

They’d walked back to the Barrel together, bags in hand, following the waterway along the Southern border of the Financial District until they were at the very bottom of West Stave. Because of the canals and where the bridges were situated, they had to go up past the Crow Club before Inej could turn back towards the Slat. They stopped on the bridge and Nina put her arms around Inej’s shoulders.

“You sure you don’t want to come back to the Slat for a while?” asked Inej.

The sun was rising but Inej was going to try to get a few hours of sleep anyway, and she could tell that Nina was tired as well. But she shook her head, smiling. 

“No, I should get back. I probably have a thousand clients waiting,” she teased, “But I’ll be insisting on taking a nap first, I think,”

Inej stood and watched for a moment as Nina began to head North, and then slowly turned and began to wander back to the Slat. She was exhausted, and she thought she might have managed two hours of sleep since she got back and got everything sorted through, but as soon as she woke up she’d come to the Crow Club and found herself hiding inside Kaz’s ceiling. 

“You reckon she was already dead, or that The Peacock got her?” Rotty was saying to Anika and Pim as Inej walked through the door.

“Too clean,” said Anika, quieter than Rotty had, her words holding more melancholy where his did intrigue, “Nothing I’ve ever heard makes me think she does deaths that clean,”

Inej frowned, feeling a sudden alertness taking hold of her at the sound of that name. The Peacock. That was how the rest of the Barrel referred to Heleen Van Houden, but to her girls it was Tante Heleen or the back of her hand. 

“What happened?” she asked, turning to Rotty and the others.

None of them had realised she was there, and a surprised whisper of Wraith quickly flew between their mouths. She prompted again.

“The Leopard showed back up this morning,” said Rotty, “They found her a couple of hours ago. Dead,”

Inej shivered. At the Menagerie each girl was known by her animal counterpart; a Fjerdan wolf, a Shu serpent, a Zemeni fawn, a Kaelish mare. A Suli lynx. The Leopard was the costume worn by the girl from the Southern Colonies. Inej didn’t know her - no-one had been wearing that cloak when Inej was there, except for the last month of her indenture when a little scrap of a thing from the Colonies had shown up. They’d never spoken, in fact Inej had seen very little of her because the Leopard had spent most of that month in the room downstairs, but Inej had recognised her on the occasional time she crossed through West Stave. A pretty girl with blonde curls and deep brown eyes that looked more like they belonged to a doe, despite the spots painted on her neck and across her collar bones. She’d heard about her going missing because it happened right before she and Nina went to the university and she didn’t doubt rumours had flown across the staves - by all accounts, the Leopard was currently Heleen’s most popular item on display. Or she had been, anyway.

“How?”

“Strangled, it looks like. They left her on the steps outside the Menagerie, I heard the Peacock complaining it’s gonna reduce business,”

Inej’s hand drifted to her knives.

“Where’s Kaz?”

“In his office, with Fahey, last I saw,”

Inej nodded, then walked away and ignored the whispers that surely followed. She slipped upstairs; it was mostly private game rooms up here but none were populated this morning, and the staff room at the far end was probably empty or near it if the rooms weren’t currently in use. Inej slipped into the store cupboard above Kaz’s office and leant against the door, whispering a prayer for a girl with no name. 

“Demo,” said Jesper now, suddenly, as Kaz stood up.

Inej was pulled out of her thoughts. Kaz paused at the corner of his desk, leaning heavily against his cane as he turned back to see Jesper.

“Demo?”

“You said you want more hands on demolitions,” Jesper breathed, “Last week, I heard you telling Raske,”

Kaz conceded it with a nod. Inej was only mildly surprised; Raske was the best demolitions expert in the Barrel, but he was also one man and the only member of the Dregs who knew what he was doing with a bomb. 

“Wylan can do demo. He’s a chemist, Kaz, he can make anything,”

“You’ve seen his work?”

“Yes,”

Inej was pretty sure that was a lie, but apparently Kaz was either fooled or willing to be fooled, because he nodded slowly.

“What are you staking on it?”

Oh Saints, Kaz.

“What?”

“I’m not putting my neck on the line for no reason, Jes. I’ve already lost a lot of money this week, I don;t fancy adding to that. If this goes sideways or the kid isn’t any use to me I want compensation, and I know you don’t have any cash so I need some insurance. What are you staking?”

There was a long pause. An inexplicably long pause, actually. A noise behind Inej made her flinch and she had to restrain a gasp as one of the boards beneath her creaked. Kaz looked up, almost straight at the tiny gap Inej was peering through, but he mustn’t have been at the right angle because he only mused:

“Layla’s dropping my merchandise again,”

Layla waited tables at the Club, and had an unfortunate reputation for accidentally smashing rather expensive bottles and platters. Sometimes Inej wondered why Kaz kept her on, but then she saw her at the tables and knew exactly why; Layla could dazzle anything out of anyone, and she would sail back past Kaz and Inej armed to the teeth with political gossip for Inej to follow up on.

Silence fell back over the office for a time, but Inej could hear footsteps behind her now. Any minute Layla or another staff member could wander in and find her spying on Per Haskell’s best lieutenant, and probably - especially if word of the run-in with Velthuis and the Black Tips was spreading as quickly as she predicted it would - accuse of her of betraying the Dregs. Even though she trusted that Kaz knew she never would, that was a near-on impossible thing to come back from around here. Your gang was your family, and Inej already felt like she didn’t entirely belong. 

“Well?” asked Kaz, after another long moment had passed, “Am I doing this or not?”

Jesper stood up, unslung his gun belt, and dropped his prize revolvers onto Kaz’s desk. 

“Your insurance,”

Inej couldn’t see their faces properly, but she could imagine the exact arch of Kaz’s brow. 

“Alright then,” he said, walking towards the door, “I’m in,”

[muldermuse]

A Hard Day: Fox Mulder X Reader

Today I had a hard day and I just want a fictional FBI agent to take care of me lol

A/N: References to poor mental health, depression, anxiety and crying.

If u have any prompts or Fox Mulder ideas pls send them my way honeyss

You had lost track of how long you had been sitting in the darkness. You had not taken your work clothes off and you were sitting upright staring at a wall. Your shirt was itchy and your shoes were tight but you had no energy to change into your pyjamas. Today was awful, that many things had gone wrong that it was bordering on slightly funny that it had been such a catastrophe. However, rather than laughing at the past ten hours, you felt completely numb and unable to process your emotions. You did not want to take care of yourself, that would be an effort and take energy that you currently did not possess.

The room was still, occasionally a flicker of light would scatter across the wall from the window overlooking the street. You considered staying like this all night, hoping that maybe your exhaustion would overcome your emotions and you’d pass out asleep without needing to move. You had struggled with your mental health for a while and you were largely in control of it, however, slip ups were natural and days like today reminded you of how far you’d come. Despite the sadness that weighed down your limbs, you appreciated that days like this were few and far between. That was largely due to medication, routine and your boyfriend, Fox Mulder.

Which reminded you, it was a Thursday and you had arranged for Fox to stay over. You had a Thursday routine of having a pre weekend bottle of beer, making a sandwich and eating chips in front of the TV until you both had to drag the other to bed. You’d chat idly about the week, a blanket covering you on your sofa as you watched the Golden Girls with his arm protectively over your shoulder. You loved it and whilst you saw him most weekends; there was something special about your Thursday tradition. It wouldn’t be fair on him to stay tonight, you didn’t want to cancel but you’d accepted your fate of sitting in your dark room and trying to keep your thoughts from getting more negative.

No answer, straight to his voicemail. “Hi Fox, I’m really sorry but can we reschedule? I think I’m coming down with something and don’t want you to get ill. I’ll speak to you tomorrow, love you.” Your voice was one note, you didn’t sound ill and he could read you like a book. Even over a voicemail, he’d be able to pick up on your tone and you hoped he wouldn’t question it. You decided to lie down on the sofa and wait for it to become a reasonable time to lie in bed.

***

The knock at the door scared the life out of you, you felt your anxiety rise in your throat as you tried to stop your hands trembling from the fright. You peered through the peephole even though you knew who it was; there stood Fox, his tie loose around his neck and clutching a brown grocery store bag. You exhaled deeply, willing your hands to stop shaking as you smiled before opening the door. He could see right through you but maybe it would be worth a shot.

“Hi,” your voice faltered, you needed to try and sound better than you did on the phone. “Didn’t you get my voicemail? I think I’m getting ill so it’s probably best you don’t stay tonight”. Your eyes trailed away from him as you finished your sentence; you couldn’t look at him as you lied. You felt your breathing start to become laboured as the hot prick of tears filled your eye line. You made your hands into fists; desperately trying to stop the tears from streaming down your face.

“No I got it,” his hand reached out to gently rub your shoulder but you still couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. “Even if you’re ill, I just thought you could use some company. You sounded upset on the phone and I was worried”. Your kind boyfriend, your sweet and loving partner who knew you better than anyone else ever had. Wordlessly, you stepped aside and let him enter your apartment. He pressed a kiss to your cheek as he flicked the light on and walked past you. You let out a shuddered breath and followed him to the kitchen counter. With every step you took; you felt a sob begin to form at the top of your throat.

“So firstly, I think it’s rude of you to get ill on a Thursday,” he smirked as he began to open the grocery bag he had placed on the counter. “We both agree that it is the best day of the week and I refuse to let this illness take this away from us. I got that soup you like from the store on Woodland, you know the one where we saw those really suspiciously large footprints in the produce aisle? I’m still trying to convince Scully that it’s an X File” His face lit up as he laughed, god, you loved him. You so desperately wanted to laugh with him but you knew as soon as you opened your mouth your body would betray you and tears would run down your face. You smiled back and tried to bury down the flicker of concern you saw in his eyes.

“I thought I could warm the soup up and whilst you got changed or had a hot shower? We could just sit on the sofa and watch Golden Girls together or Cops, I mean whatever is on.” Before you could interrupt, he continued as he made his way over to you with his arms outstretched as he brought you against him for a hug. "Then, for later- I mean if you’re feeling well enough, I bought those sour candies you like? They only had the huge bags so I suppose if you’re feeling sick that it’s probably the worst thing I could have brought you but still I th-“. As he held you tightly in his arms, you felt the tears start to come and you choked out a huge sob. He just held you tighter as you cried, his hands ran through your hair as you wept and wept and wept until you felt you had no liquid left to leave your tear ducts. You had no idea how long he’d been holding you, his shirt was wet with tears and your throat felt raw from your sobbing.

“Did that help?” you stayed in his arms, trying to steady your breathing as you nodded. “Okay good, go for a shower, I’ll lie some clothes out on the bed and get the soup ready for you.” You didn’t speak, you just got on your tip toes and pressed a kiss to his soft lips.

***

The shower helped more than you cared to admit. The hot water beating down on your skin seemed to strip away layers of your day and you felt yourself begin to breathe easier as your chest felt the most open it had all day. You hadn’t realised how restricted your chest had been until now, you didn’t notice how tight your jaw had become and how tense your neck had been. You let out a shuddering breath as you turned off the water and stepped out and wrapped your soft towels around your body.

Your bedroom was tidier than you left it. Your work clothes were hung in your wardrobe, a clean linen candle was lit and your childhood teddy sat up in the centre of the bed, your reading glasses placed on his head and an open book in his hands. You genuinely smiled for what felt like the first time all night. Fox had laid out your pyjama bottoms and one of his old basketball shirts on your bed for you to change into.

The scattered fairy lights illuminated your living room with a warm glow. The smell of tomato soup and Fox’s aftershave lingered in the air as you took the bowl from the side and joined your boyfriend on the sofa. He’d gotten changed into some loose shorts and a t shirt from Old Navy that had been stretched beyond all recognition. His glasses were steamy from the soup he held in one hand as he used the other to pat the spot next to him on the sofa. He smiled at you as you sat down, he looked relieved and clearly noticed how much better you felt.

You both ate your soup in silence as you watched Golden Girls, when you finished you laid your head on his chest as he absentmindedly traced shapes on your back. “Thank y-“ you started as you lifted your head to face him, he kissed you quick before you could finish your sentence. “You don’t need to thank me, we’re a team you know that? Seeing you smile is worth it”.

[nobodysdaydreams]

My Reaction to Episodes 7-10 of Wolf 359 (But first, an update on my reactions for those who are curious...)

Thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm. I wasn't expecting this much excitement for my reactions/liveblogs, but I love it! 🥰

Shoutout to @commsroom for sending me a list of episodes with post credit scenes which include ep 5 cigarette candy, ep 37 overture, and ep 43 persuasion. Thanks Comms Room!

I did go back and listen to the post credits scene for episode 5 and OH MY GOSH HILBERT. WHAT. What. Why. Why? like dude. You're in space! Of all the places to be conducting highly dangerous and deadly and unethical experiments on human test subjects. I've insulted Curtain (tmbs) and Uncle Andrew (narnia) a lot on this blog but I gotta give them credit: at least neither of them were stupid enough to do their experiments in space. Though in Andrew's case, I think that's mostly because he couldn't get to space in 1900s London even if he wanted to.

I currently have Wolf359 Tags blocked to avoid spoilers and will try my best to react blindly.

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs

Anyway on to the actual reactions. I did not intend on feeling ill today, but while I take a late lunch break, perhaps I can give a few episodes a listen.

Episode 7:

Interesting that the AI has her own emotions and can fight with them. I wonder what information she's withholding from the captain?

Wow Hilbert should have been a professional chess player instead. I think that would have saved everyone a lot of trouble.

Oh hush up Hilbert I don't trust you. Um...why do I think that Specimen 34 might have indoctrinated Hilbert in his (her? its? their????) cult?

Eiffel. DO NOT TELL HIM WHERE THE FERTILIZER IS!

Hopefully that lie will buy a little time.

"Soon you will be allowed to surrender to the growth of your biological superior" ... you know, for a "biologically superior" plant, it might want to try being a tad less ominous.

Mincowski, I like you, and I agree thus far, but listen. Hilbert is worshiping a plant now. This is a huge crisis. What if he uses it to cheat at chess?

Hera and Mincowski. Please. I think this is important. I think Hera needs to be more honest, at least for my sake, because I want the tea.

...Seed of life? ...THE OPPRESSOR? What. who is the oppressor?

Eiffel. Please just get to the point. 👏 Hilbert. 👏 Is. 👏 Worshipping. 👏 A. 👏 Plant. 👏

✨Maybe you should do something✨

"Audrey 2 territory" THERE IS A LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS REFERENCE! I KNEW IT!

Oh they're calling him a plant worshipper now. Finally, acknowledging it for what it is.

Oh dear. He's back.

THE BLESSED ETERNAL?

Wait. That can't be the end. The crew was gonna watch Home Alone 2!

Episode 8:

Huh. This is a cool title. "Box953", which is 359 backwards. Hm. You also get 365 if you scramble the numbers and rotate the 9.

Okay. No more about Commander Mincowski. What happened to the plant, oh I'm sorry, "the blessed eternal". That's such a long name. Can I just call him Percival? Percival the plant. Percy for short.

Talent show???

I do not want to know what Dr. Hilbert's talent is. Creating plant monsters?

Yeah. It is scary that you agree with Hilbert. Again, did I skip an episode??? Where did the plant go??? Where is Percy?

How often has Hilbert been knocking people out? I don't like this.

AND WHERE DID PERCY GO?

I'm sorry. You have a room with HUNDREDS of crates that you've never been into? Oh. Godard Futuristics? Corporate sponsor? I sense some backstory.

...Russian dolls???

(wait...Garrison...???)

Oh no eyes, don't like that. That's weird.

Box 239...paper? Santa letters??

Box 56...canon? Yeah I agree what is all this random stuff for?

Oh that's faster. A log that will tell what's in the boxes. 217 has Lego blocks? 300 has pieces for 3 full suits of armor? Is this like an amazon delivery ship?

"Please handle with a vague feeling of existential dread" always a great thing to read.

Box 953- reserved for Douglas Eiffel. Don't open.

What does that mean?

Hilbert. You were worshipping a plant. The commander singing is not a crisis. Oh, pirate costumes! This is shaping up to be quite the performance!

Does everyone else get a box too? And how is a room with hundreds of boxes go unnoticed after a year and a half. Are the boxes not in order?

Hilbert. I would also fire a shot past your head. The captain needs her ice cream! This insubordination will not stand.

Hilbert doesn't scream for ice cream. Hilbert only screams for the blessed eternal.

Oh and apparently ice cream too. Prioritizes.

And where is Hera? Oh Hera is here? Proud of her for getting into theater.

1,000 and something crates?

Oh. The errors and access denies hurt Hera? That's awful.

Wow. That's a big box.

"Keep closed at all times". Very ominous. Don't like the cold.

HUMMING FROM INSIDE THE BOX? That sounds like a heartbeat? Don't like that. Don't like it at all.

Yeah Eiffel. You can go. You can go and figure out why nothing on the ship makes sense.

Okay. Box open. Don't like those noises.

...

...

Oh good he's back. ugh we still don't get to know about the box?

Box 56? OH THE CANON. OH BOY.

WAIT. NO. NO. PLEASE TELL ME WE DIDN'T LOSE THE BOXES. PLEASE. Wait. THEY DID? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.............................................................................................................................

Hilbert this was the ONE TIME you could have used your evil science talents for good you had ONE JOB.

There...there was a heartbeat in there. It scared me, and it could have been another evil plant, but...but what if it was a little friend? What if they killed him 🥺?

I wanted to know too Eiffel. I want to know too. This is so sad.

What were the boxes for? Why did Douglas have his own? Why couldn't Hera access it?

Well this was frustrating. I hope you all enjoyed it though.

Episode 9:

Yeah Eiffel. Space is dangerous. Maybe you should all just go home. After all, why do you have to stay here?

Yes please define safe. I don't think that's a simple question. I still wanna know about the blessed plant Percy. And the box.

Canaveral? Command? ...okay backstory the command center stopped giving them calls...I feel like they should have questioned that a bit more...

"The golden rose is ready for melting. Proceed with designation alpha. Beware 5: The empty man has awoken."

Nope. Turn around. Go home. Clearly something nefarious is a foot and WHO OR WHAT IS THE EMPTY MAN? Well, there are only two men on this ship that we know of, plus one woman and an AI. Oh, and about a thousand mysterious boxes which could contain alien life capable of surviving in space that just got launched into space, so I suppose one ought to account for that. Oh and the evil plant monster that seems to show up whenever the crew wants to avoid each other.

Godard futuristics again. Yeah they sure do have some explaining to do. TWO WEEKS TO GET A MESSAGE TO EARTH?

TWO WEEKS TO TELL PEOPLE YOU'RE IN DANGER?

Don't like that.

Don't like Hilbert's response either. He said "what? why?" not "no, why?". If the answer is no, just say no.

Oh more info!

"The andromedas are broken. The northern light should be reversed. Alert 4: The empty man approaches."

Um. What do the numbers mean? And are they telling 5 to beware of the empty man, or someone else to beware because 5 is the empty man?

"The frozen pages are blank. Decide what to do with the time that is given to you. Emergency 3: The empty man hungers."

...

Okay. So it looks like the numbers might be an extremely fast countdown.

...

Well at least there haven't been any more messages.

A lockdown is nice. Unless the monster is already inside.

Good idea: don't give Hilbert a gun.

Yep. there comes another message Eiffel. You had to tempt fate...oh shut up Hilbert I don't want to agree with you.

"The broken flower is in the vase. Don't listen to your eyes. Danger 2: The empty man sees you."

Maybe the empty man took the eyes from the Russian dolls.

OH MR. PRECIVAL PLANT AKA THE BLESSED ETERNAL IS STILL HERE????

Why. Why were they having a talent show? Should capturing and killing the plant not be priority one?

"There's no way out. There's no way out. But there is a way in. Danger 1: The empty man shall knock."

Okay so this is the second message with danger. It's an alert and level system. Beware, Alert, Emergency, Danger, with levels 1-5, with 1 being the worst. Okay.

...weird that they are warning them, and yet they seem to know exactly what the empty man is going to do. That doesn't really make sense.

Oh do NOT like that sound.

"0: The empty man is with you. Extreme Danger 0: The empty man is with you. Extreme Danger."

Is...are they the empty man? Or is the empty man...

"The proceeding six pulse beacon relays that you have received have been part of a psychological experiment. Please disregard the content of these messages and return to regular operational activities as soon as possible. Please report and clearly label any unusual crew behavior, deviation from protocol, or undue lack of decorum that resulted due to the transmission of these messages."

...

Sounds exactly like what the empty man would say.

Suspicious.

Also if the "empty man" was with them...and apparently they can't trust their eyes...then theoretically, the seventh message might not say what they think it says. (Conspiracy theory????)

But my wild theories aside, this was extremely unethical. And I think we ALL know who would call that an experiment. HILBERT.

Wait Douglas used to work at pizza hut? Now he works in space? Uh, congrats on the promotion I guess.

Episode 10:

Oh Nitrogen tanks. Eiffel...I think you might have messed up...

✨Yessssssssssss✨

And...boom goes the Nitrogen!

"One of these days I'll actually kill you" I hope you don't. You two need to team up against Hilbert and his crazy-crazy experiments.

Wait...did they just discover a secret room? ONE HERA CAN'T EVEN SEE?

...so they're all working with limited information...

How did they hide such a huge room? Wouldn't they need to account for that while flying through space.

Dark medical lab. Well. That could be where Percy is hiding out.

GENETIC EXPERIMENTS ON SPIDERS TO MAKE THEM BIGGER?

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Don't like it. I agree. Why wall it up?

Elia Selburg? I can't spell but let's see. "mixed results...specimen growth and development promising but extremely high levels of toxicity unintended side effect. Contact with live specimens extremely dangerous as shown with recent exposure trial. Captain Lovelace has ordered termination..."

Hold on. Lovelace? I've heard that name, I've seen that name before I blocked the tags I think.

Why wall it up? PROBABLY FOR YOUR SAFETY.

Maybe it was walled up to keep something in!

Oh no. Looks like Hera agrees with me.

"What has it been eating?"

Probably the other spiders.

Well Eiffel's done for once again. He was a good character while he lasted. 🫡

Why would you not tell the crew about the secret lab with dangerous spiders? Tell them so they know to keep it walled up! WHO is keeping all these secrets and WHY are they keeping all the secrets?

The sneeze of death. Put your finger under your nose. That will do it.

Nice of him to leave Hera in his will.

Aw the spider is cuddling for warmth. Eiffel has a little friend. A poisonous, deadly friend who has killed and will kill again.

Oh no he snapped.

...but was that the only spider...????

At least Eiffel is okay. And it does look like it was just the one...

...I hope they're right. If they really wanted to be terrifying they could have had it be a pregnant spider. You kill one of those things and BAM! All the baby spiders, hundreds of thousands everywhere. Everywhere. Don't ask how I know this. You don't want to know.

Oh...archives and notebooks. Interesting. I hope we get a chance to look through those.

Well I have actual work I need to try to go but this has been fun. I hope I get some more answers soon, but I am enjoying the mysteries. Thanks everyone for reading, and have a great day!

[jedidryad]

WIP Wednesday: Sometimes beings change what they want.

The path Mara sets herself on at the end of Lightsabers Are Always Loaded involves spending a lot of time with Lando Calrissian. As Luke notes on Nirauan, the stories about Lando and Mara go on for years. And, as I piece together canon, it is clear that they really do. Most books set between The Jedi Academy Trilogy and the Corellian Trilogy make some reference to Mara and Lando as a past or current couple. But, of course, by Ambush at Corellia, Lando is off on his wife seeking expedition, escorted by Luke, and it should be clear to all that whatever Lando and Mara had going on, it was officially over.

So here is a conversation between Lando and Mara where he tells her about his plans to get married.

“I told you I was thinking about getting married.” 

“But people don’t just do that, right?”

“They can. I’m a successful businessman.” He caught my expression, “at the moment.”

“The ore crushing going well?”

“It is actually.”

“So you’re going to use that to find a wife?”

He shook his head.

“No, I’m going to use that to invest in a real estate project and then I will be in a position to put out the announcement and see if there are similarly successful women interested in a romantic business partnership.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“And you’ve never thought to do this before?”

“I’ve never wanted a wife before.”

Sometimes beings change what they want.

“Of course.” he continued blithely like he was discussing ordering room service, “I probably shouldn’t go meet all these women on my own.”

“Of course not.” I murmured, nonplussed. Planetary orbits must have shifted if Lando Calrissian had decided it was time to find someone to spend his life with. Was this why Cilghal had brought up marriage? Had Calrissian been talking to her about his plans?

“Think Luke might go with me?”

What?

“You want to take Skywalker ‘wife hunting’ with you?” This was getting more ridiculous by the minute.

“Sure. You know my reputation. Women might not take my proposal seriously if it’s just me. They might expect me to back out at the last minute.” I raised an eyebrow, “I’ve done it before - a long time ago.

“So,” he continued,  “bringing a Jedi along would lend me some legitimacy. And it might do him some good to get back out in the galaxy again.” I couldn’t argue with that, “maybe he’ll meet someone too.”

I thought of the Jedi Master. He’d been solidly shuffling his time between Coruscant and Yavin ever since he’d returned from his ill-advised morodin hunt for whatever he was looking for with that woman. It seemed unlikely he’d be interested in another of Lando’s schemes.

“Sure,” I scoffed, “I mean, you’d probably have to get Mon Mothma to order him to come with you, but maybe he’d meet someone, sure.”

He grinned as though he was working some angle I couldn’t possibly understand, “It’s a good idea."

[lesboygamzee]

ACT ONE - PART ONE

in reading homestuck again im going to try my best to analyse it to my fullest potential ; while i definitely like to enjoy homestuck Casually i think that doesnt necessarily mean i need to abandon fullblown analysis . i can acknowledge Hard Canon and The Implications in the same way i can acknowledge silly stuff + how im usually going to write characters . something something you have to know the rules to break them . thisll be half rambling half ( poor ) attempts at analysis and a bit of me going Hehe joke funny also i will use the characterses canon names and pronouns for simplicity + i feel its most suited . the exception is tavros because i have tried to not she/her tavros before and it was difficult and Painful i would never do that to her ... anyway .

[…] My intent was always to make the start date a very significant number in the story, recurring frequently. Consequently, I decided to make him thirteen years old, thus making the story about four thirteen-year-old kids. There are more references to this number than can be mentioned casually, some of which are serendipitous. Playing cards, which have a good deal of relevance later, are comprised of four suits of thirteen cards each, for instance.

(page 1 author commentary)

i wont point out every case of 413 occurring but i will point out cases i find particularly interesting or fun :o) the suit of cards thing isnt something i picked up on at first but thats interesting to know ! on page two john is incorrectly named ' zoosmell pooplord ' . zoosmell being a reference to an older comic ( series of comics ? ) of hussies . i read it to see if theres anything of value i can find in there ; even in the silliest and least plot driven media you can find some sort of significance to an authors later work . maybe an idea , a character archetype , or just the plot structure . zoosmells holds no value at all and is stupid though so

im not sure if i talk about it much but i do really like how each main characterses room is in homestuck . not only are they typically really good at getting across a characters basic interests but early on with the beta kids they really sold the whole ' webcomic pretending to be a game ( that is actually a game pretending to be a webcomic ) ' thing . the simplicity of it all , the items of interest scattered around in sometimes nonsensical places , even shit like how the walls are drawn just gives the impression of a guy who you can walk around and play as . and you can ! eventually .

Your name is JOHN. As was previously mentioned it is your BIRTHDAY. A number of CAKES are scattered about your room. You have a variety of INTERESTS. You have a passion for REALLY TERRIBLE MOVIES. You like to program computers but you are NOT VERY GOOD AT IT. You have a fondness for PARANORMAL LORE, and are an aspiring AMATEUR MAGICIAN. You also like to play GAMES sometimes. What will you do?

(page 4) time for analysing interests . while characterses interests definitely dont mean NOTHING in the greater scheme of things theyre probably not as important as most other shit . i find them fun to look into , though :o3

really terrible movies - i need to actually watch these , and i plan to ! im not much of a movie guy unfortunately . i dont think theyll be the end all be all of john analysis but i doubt theyll hold NO value . apparently theyre quite shit but i willing watch the big bang theory so i think ill be fine programming computers - john is the ' player character ' in a story that is currently quite programming-joke-heavy . the fact that hes kind of dogshit at it adds to this . guy doesnt know what hes doing yet and neither do you ! simple enough . paranormal lore - johns interest in ghosts is relatively significant but id consider it more ' iconic ' . the guy likes ghostbusters , his tshirt is a knockoff slimer , etc. i think all of the kids have one of these . it doesnt matter much in the greater scheme of things but i think its cool to see what interest a character is sort of built off of even if it gets overshadowed by other shit quickly ameteur magician - im a little lost on this one honestly . it can kind of go hand in hand with pranks i guess ? maybe theres something worth looking into with regards to characters and their relationship with magic . john seems to specifically focus on magic tricks which is opposed to roses interest in Real Fucking Magic . probably not though thats stupid

on page six is a rare appearence of the cursor . its a remnant from the homestuck beta where every panel was going to be a flash panel . it was ditched for good reason

its also one of the most blatant parts of the video game feel of early homestuck . thats a reader input interacting with a fictional world ! thats all there really is to say on it though i just thought it was neat

biggest plot twist in fucking history

You stow the SMOKE PELLETS on one of your CAPTCHALOGUE CARDS in your SYLLADEX.

(page 9)

i love sylladexes . johns is obviously based off a stack data structure . john rose and dave all have data structure inspsired moduses which i appreciate but i kind of like the silly ones that come into play later on too !!! like all of jades . unfortunate that they get dropped almost entirely eventually :o(

i should give characters that dont get one them . theyre pretty awesome i think

John: Examine Problem Sleuth Poster.

PROBLEM SLEUTH MENTION !!!!!!!!!!!

John: Read note on drawer. This note is rich with the aromas of FATHERLY AFTERSHAVES AND COLOGNES.

(page 12)

i made a seperate post awhile back on how dadbert is a sort of symbol of masculinity of fatherhood of manhood etc etc and more specifically how this interacts with reading jeggbert as transfem or otherwise Not A Dude . i still think that holds some decent value

In any case, you now feel like you have gathered enough things to get down to business and do some really important stuff. The next thing you do will probably be exceptionally meaningful. John: Squawk like an imbecile and shit on your desk.

(page 15)

snrk . anyway , since it reminded me : regarding analysis that strongly take timelines into consideration when i look at a lot of homestuck character analysis i see a lot of people try and make a point of ' oh the homestuck characters dont actually HAVE these specific character traits because in ANOTHER TIMELINE they did so and so ' and while i get that , timelines are interesting as a concept and its fun to think about , it doesnt exactly have a place in character analysis . homestuck is ultimately a story and the characters are less like people and moreso tools to tell that story . this is simple shit i am well aware i am not acting like what i am saying is revolutionary but it does lead to people losing the plot a little ( literally lol ) but like .. character a doing something instead of character b or character c sparing character d or whatever blah blah blah . did these all happen ? yeah sure probably . hell you can explore that in an au and ill probably go ' woah , cool ! ' because again its fun to think about . but it doesnt matter .. homestuck tells a story and while it focuses on multiple timelines . just because john took a shit on his desk in one timeline doesnt mean i need to be factoring in ' probably took a shit on his desk at least once ' to how i write him as a character . he would not fucking do that because he does not do that in homestuck . go and write your shit-on-desk-taker!john au but it has no place in canon analysis and you dont really need to think about it all that much

typheus is a wind god etc etc basic observation . i would really like to read more on the denizens and what gods theyre inspired by but the sources i find are really long and hard to parse .. ill have to look at other peopleses analysis if i want to understand anything i will be honest

on page 25 is the first pesterlog to appear in homestuck , between john and some loser nobody cares about . in a post i unfortunately dont have the link to , said loser is compared to a sort of tutorial character for early homestuck , similarly to johns status as the player character . obviously as homestuck goes on more characters become ' playable ' , as in you see the story through their perspective . but its a pretty neat observation for the early comic !

TG: but who cares about this lets stop talking about it TG: did you get the beta yet EB: no. EB: did you? TG: man i got two copies already [...] TG: why dont you go check your mail maybe its there now EB: alright.

(page 26)

^ classic tutorial conversation . go do your objective !!! your first quest !!!!

[...] The red flippy-lever thing means you have new mail. And that means the beta might be here!

(page 28)

FACT CHECK : this is false === SHITTY ASCII 'BANNER' THAT OF WE ARE DONE HERE ===

anyway it is day two of me working on twenty eight fucking pages and it just hit midnight which means i am going to play miitopia . this is likely going to be one of the shorter posts but i hope i get less rambly as i go on so i can read more than an average of fourteen pages a day jesus fucking christ . Anyway

[lokilysolbitch]

My new fixation is bad poetry

and its making me think about how to define art and poetry and what makes poetry good etc but I can't go back and find my sophomore english teacher and rant about it so I'm making it yalls problem. but mr c if ur in here pls read also what do you mean thats one way to skin a hamster. thats not how it goes what are you talking abou

first of all, ive finally figured out my current definition of art: records of the human experience or just experience in general. so yes paintings and poetry but ALSO tiktoks or a decorated room. idc if you think its stupid there are remnants and references to human experiences ALL OVER those. so basically if it left a mark at any point, its art. maybe not always "good" or skilled, deep, etc but it is art (to me)

secondly, what is poetry? the same sophomore english teacher asked this at the beginning of a unit and the class was struggling. every time we listed a requirement for poetry he went "is that necessary though?". "it has to rhyme" "does it?" "it has to be deep" "does it" "it needs to have words!" ".....does it?" man idk i was 15 and sleep deprived

but now im less sleep deprived and i have an answer. I would consider poetry a spectrum (but not necessarily flexible. i wouldn't say you have to bend it's meaning to make something fit) but also playing with language, to be playful with it and have fun with it, to use it as a toy in a way. using language in a way different from its intended use. so writing a personal narrative about a deep topic? not poetry. maybe you had fun with it but thats still its main use. to make words rhyme, to alliterate, to use words just plain wrong? probably poetry. its still a spectrum. and im aware this means that saying something like "yew nork/glass fork" would count as a shitpost and poetry while "Ill love you and ill never stop loving you" doesnt and um i dont care i said what i said--

this would also mean most books and speeches would have little bits of poetry in there and i stand by that too. maybe the entire thing isnt poetry but bits of it could count. i came to this conclusion on the meaning of poetry because i saw too many "aesthetic" free verse poems that were just. tweets. you coulda just made it a sentence and posted it for free. there was no attempt to play with language. you just used it the way you were supposed to. its just a quote.

im definitely going to add more onto this about what i think poetry critics miss sometimes and why formal teaching of poetry is flawed but not all in one post bc its a lot. However i have one last concept to attempt to define. this one has always made me the angriest

GOOD VS BAD POETRY/ART

where do i even start. maybe we should just get rid of these terms completely and make people say what they mean. is it good or did he just use literary devices correctly. is it good or is it genuine. is it good or is it deep. is it good or is it entertaining. is it good or do you like it. is it good or is it popular. is it good or is it complex. is it good or is it creative.

ive been saying since i was i was maybe 12-13 that even though good does not have a solid stable meaning, there is still a sense of what good is. We know what its supposed to be. classical music, Edgar Allen Poe, Da Vinci are good. sure most people barely know or understand or care about these things other than one piece of work they can recall because they had to look at it in highschool that time and the teacher seemed to appreciate it. and we know that reality tv, messily hand drawn animals, and half assed near unintelligible tiktok skits are bad.

but....wait we like those though

ive come to the conclusion that while still shifting, "good"'s meaning in scholarly settings tends to come down to whatever those somethingth century european dudes and what the modern smart looking guys deemed intelligent. and in colloquial settings, what everyone likes.

many pretentious types will say rap is bad and the subject matter is crude and the same way im sure some old european guy would have said or has said traditional african music is too weird and primitive to be respectable.

now. i dont really listen to rap intentionally. if its in there its in there. I used to be pretentious and after changing i just never got too deep into it BUT. i listened to a Nicki Minaj song one time just to see and yeah it was not family friendly but dear god was it clever. the way she'd drop the most genius alliteration-personification-allegory-englishvocabword and then just keep it moving like im not gonna have to stop and ponder the seven layer reference to bedtime hanky panky. its smart. its creative. its complex. and so many rappers can write about the same topics over and over and still come back with a new way of phrasing it. its genuinely impressive

but so many still wouldn't consider it good.

the term good when it comes to art, while having somewhat of a meaning is still useless. make your own personal standards for what is important for you to see in art. its kind of silly for us to collectively decide "okay this art? we like it. this is good" and then go to a different community (age group, culture, race) and go "were going to show you the new gold standard for good! its what we liked! you dont do it like this?? then yours is bad!". historically thats never been a good move

what i find important with poetry (and by poetry i mostly mean song writing bc i dont even read poetry like that) tends to be "is it a poem? or a sentence/paragraph". everything other than that just has to do with my taste and what I prefer in the moment. and it goes the same for everyone else. there's no universal good or bad with art. its just what a dominant or culturally respected group of people said was important.

limericks are bad tho jesus told me/j

TL;DR: i think anything that records an experience is art. i think toying with language mostly makes it poetry, and i think its weird people create little boxes for good and bad and make everyone else adhere to it

[falsecardigan]

A line by line analysis of This is what the drugs are for by Gracie Abrams.

"This is what the drugs are for, Turn the lights off on the comedown." This line may be referring to the fact that drugs are often used as a means of escape from reality, as they can alter one's state of mind and provide temporary relief from emotional pain or stress. The phrase "turn the lights off on the comedown" may be referring to the fact that after the affects of the drug wear off, reality can seem overly bright and overwhelming, and the person may experience a"comedown" or a period of emotional and physical exhaustion and low mood.

"I still get emotional when I think about your old house." This line may be referring to the fact that the person is feeling a sense of nostalgia for the past. Specifically when they think about the person's old home. The phrase may be suggesting that the person experiences strong emotions and fond memories associated with the home, and that these memories bring them a sense of comfort and familiarity.

"Hopefully the high works to change my mind." Is referring to the fact that the person is using drugs as a means of emotional relief or escape. The person may be hopeful that the effects of the drugs will help them to change their perspective or mood, and make them less emotionally overwhelmed or distressed.

"Now I feel you in my room, haven't seen you in a lifetime. What am I supposed to do when you used to be my lifeline?" This line is referring to the fact that the person is feeling a sense of uncertainty or loss without the prescannce of a loved one. The person may have relied on the loved one for emotional support or stability, and may now be struggling to cope without them.

"I've counted all the days since you walked away." This line is referring to the fact that the person is reflecting on the impact of a lost relationship or breakup. The person may be struggling to move on, and may have been counting the days since the relationship ended as a way to keep track of the time that has passed.

"Look now I'm alone again, I've gotten used to sleeping here without you." This line is referencing to the fact that the person is feeling alone and isolated after a lost relationship or breakup. The person may have become accustomed to having the other person by their side, and now is struggling to cope with the loss of their presence and support.

"Though I've tried I can't pretend that I don't sit around and think about you, when all I ever do is think about you." The person was doing everything they could to not think about this person for so long and maybe the distractions worked for a while until the reality of the situation has sunk in. They are just now beginning to process and grieve the fact that a person they loved so much and was so close to is no longer in their life no matter how much time may have passed since the person left.

"In the middle of the night I got caught inside a fever." I think this line may be referring to the loss of this person hurting so much that our narrator is in so much pain to the point that they become physically ill.

"I almost called a hundred times just to ask if you might leave her." This is our first confirmation that the relationship the person is grieving was a romantic one rather than any other kind of relationship. The other person has moved on and has entered a new relationship. The narrator of the song wants this person back in their life so badly that they are debating doing irrational things such as "almost calling a hundred times" to ask if their ex partner is going to leave the person they are currently with. But, like the song says the narrator doesn't do that because they know that it's an extremely irrational thing to do. This also suggests that the person ended up being unable to sleep due to this line and the past one.

"She appears in dreams chasing after me." The "she" that is being referred to can be assumed to be the other person's new partner. And since we concluded that our narrator was unable to sleep the past night then we can also conclude that even after they finally fall asleep their brain still won't let this go. And it almost seems to suggest that the chasing is more of a taunt of what the narrator has lost that the person chasing them now has.

"I'm burying your things inside my bedroom." The person left things there and it is too much for Gracie to bear even looking at it so she's attempting to hide the stuff out of her vision so she doesn't have to be reminded of her ex.

"Old distractions in the end don't work I'm left to sit and think about you like all I ever do is think about you." The old distractions can be assumed to be the drugs and this is in Gracie's mind supposed to be what the drugs are for but clearly they're not working for her. So she sits here desperately wanting to get her mind off of this person but she cannot find it whitin herself to do so.

"I'm still waiting by the phone." This line suggests two things: Gracie is still waiting for the miracle of this person calls her. Or, she still has yet to completely rule out the option of calling the person to ask if they might leave their new partner that was referred to earlier in the song.

"You painted my life indigo, a shade of blue I hate to know where everything turns kinda cold." Indigo is technically a shade of blue but represents positive things in media and literature while blue tends to represent sadness and despair. This line suggests that while the person made her so happy while they were together, the pain of losing them hurts so much that she doesn't believe it was worth it and that the bad outweighs the good.

[aphiwe-2004]

The Impact of Social Support Networks on Mental Health: An OT Perspective

Imagine feeling alone in a crowded room, struggling with thoughts that you can’t share, and longing for someone who can understand you. For many individuals facing mental health challenges, this is a daily reality. But what if there was a way to fill that gap, to help them find the support and connection they desperately need? That’s where me, as a student OT, comes in.

Social support networks? These are referred as the relationships that surrounds an individual, it could be family, friends, colleagues and caregivers. These connections provide emotional support, physical assistance, and a sense of belonging for an individual in a mental facility. if these social networks are very strong they can fight against mental illness like depression and anxiety while having lack of social support can lead to these conditions.

For example, my client in my current placement has dementia, she struggle to remember recent events. But regular interaction with her social networks support like friends and her son helps reinforce memories and provide emotional reassurance, reducing feelings of loneliness.

My role as an OT student is to help clients maintain and strengthen their social networks by addressing challenges such as communication difficulties, visual barriers, and reduced participation in social activities. For example, I also have a patient who has visual impairment, this made her not wanting to socialize with other people/residents because she sees herself as a burden. Creation of a safe and comfortable environment for her is important to participate in OT, which will gradually improve as she gets more comfortable and can gets to social  interact with others in different settings.

"As an Occupational Therapist (OT), you have a unique opportunity to help clients build and maintain these essential connections, fostering a supportive environment that promotes recovery and resilience." ( P.A. Thoits. 2011). What I realized is that the constant involvement with the patients helps them not feel lonely and depressed because of the impact we as OTs have in addressing emotional struggles and giving social support to help them grow. Our handling principles with them needs to be good to show assurance and safety to be able to build a strong a social support networks. As an individual I developed empathy and compassion when I socialise with the residences, because I have explored the difficulties they face through interacting with them. My communication skills and awareness of mental health has also improved greatly. I can also proudly say I have deepened my knowledge of intervention, the practical application of theory and problem-solving skills.

Engaging clients in meaningful activities that involve social interaction is key to maintaining their mental health and improve their communication skills. OTs can implement activities to the client’s abilities and interests, ensuring that it connect them with others. For examples, a patient that likes music, you can involve them in group activities and incorporate music with social interacting. In a situation where a client’s family is struggling to understand their mental health condition, an OT can facilitate family sessions to educate them about the condition and teach strategies for providing appropriate support.

Difficulties OTs come across are clients with a history of trauma might find it difficult to trust others. We could work on building their confidence in safe, small steps maybe doing a role-playing social situations in therapy or do psychodrama using an empty chair techniques before moving on to real-life interactions.

As a student OTs, we have an incredible opportunity to help individuals move from isolation to connection, from loneliness to a strong support network. By guiding our clients in building and maintaining meaningful relationships, we are not just improving their mental health, we are changing their lives. Every conversation, every group session, and every step toward engagement is a bridge to a brighter, more connected future. Remember, the work we do today can change the lives of our clients for years to come, offering them the support they need to thrive. One connection at a time!

References

Badr Hoda, Acitelli Linda, Duck Steve, Carl Walter J. 2001. “Weaving Social Support and Relationships Together.” Pp. 1–14 in Personal Relationships: Implications for Clinical and Community Psychology. New York: John Wiley.

Peggy.A Thoit, 2011."Mechanisims linking Social and Support to Physical and Mental Health."

[adventuresinclientservice]

Weapons of choice.

After I wrote, “Why clients get the agencies they deserve,” I heard from my  fellow blogger, friend, and frequent commentator Rick English, who, after reading what I posted, had this to say:

“bad clients will break the hearts of the creatives and are the reason that account people are not allowed to carry guns.”  

Okay, this struck me as a little scary contemplate – Robert striding into a client meeting armed to the teeth -- but wickedly funny.  The last time I fired a gun was freshman year at George Washington University, where I took a one-credit course in shooting, using a .22-caliber rifle for target practice.  If anyone cares to know, I was a lousy shot.  Me with a gun is no threat to anyone.

My lack of marksmanship got me thinking about clients, colleagues, and weapons of choice.  Guns are out, but no one needs them, given there is alternative armament that can be devastating, if properly used.  

Take, for example, a high-caliber listening skill, meaning the ability to hear what clients really are saying – the text of course, but also the sub-text, what clients are not saying but thinking -- combined with asking thoughtful, insightful, to-the-point questions that are sure to hit the mark, deescalating even the most heated moment.

Language is another potent weapon.  I recall a famous line of unknown provenance  -- it could have come from Mark Twain, or maybe Dorothy Parker – that goes, “I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed.”  Drollness aside, it speaks to the deadly effectiveness of well-crafted, thoughtful language – not defensive, not argumentative – just sound, well-reasoned, and ultimately persuasive.

Now imagine your client is a Stephanie McCarty-- someone as ill-informed as she is  unknowledgeable – you would need a full arsenal of listening and language weaponry to deal with her.  Luckily not all clients are this clueless.  

I make mention of one in Chapter 34 of the current, third edition of The Art of Client Service, “Respect What It Takes to Do Great Creative,” where I refer to an unnamed client who was a master of providing feedback whenever the agency was presenting creative work. 

The agency that then employed me was Digitas, the client was American Express, and the master was Morris Perliss, then the head of the company’s “Personal Card” division, which many of us knew as the Green Card.  All of us loved Morris Perliss, the Creatives most especially, not because he was “easy” – he was anything but -- because he was everything McCarty is not:  knowledgeable, thoughtful, respectful of the Creative process, tough yet supportive.

There were enough of these accomplished clients that, years ago, I wrote a series of posts called, “Clients I loved,” where I singled out  Karen Jones, David Vining, Mike Dunn, Virginia Ann Holman, and Ken Chenault for their remarkably effective skills in working with advertising agencies.  They varied in industry, title, tenure, and demeanor, but all of them were highly effective in working with the agencies where I served.

With these clients, I never worried about entering a room armed.  With McCarty, or someone of her ilk, there is no amount of weaponry that would serve as protection.  And would I be tempted to dispatch her?  Not likely, but I’d sure as hell think about it.

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 12oct23

Another "defining deviancy down"

A framed copy of a March 1993 editorial written by Daniel Henninger hangs in the Midtown Manhattan conference room where the Journal opinion staff meets. My colleagues and I refer to the piece with reverence. We frequently use its headline—“No Guardrails”—as a shorthand for the devolution of societal norms, a process that seems to be accelerating. “No Guardrails” is striking for several reasons. It’s three decades old, which makes it something of a time capsule. But as reports from bygone eras go, it is shockingly fresh and familiar.*** The erosion of norms goes far beyond politics as anyone who has ever been online knows. Social media is filled with videos of breakdowns, beat-downs and freak-outs. Only in a society without guardrails does it feel right to film a crime in progress or a person in distress for public titillation. Urban life is degenerating because the traditional authorities have removed essential guardrails. Police and prosecutors have stopped doing their jobs. Large chains like CVS, Walgreens and Target are pulling out of American cities because shoplifting has been effectively decriminalized. New York City has surrendered its streets to bullies, pot-heads and the untreated mentally ill. Now Gotham’s health commissioner advises residents to carry Narcan, or naloxone, the medicine that reverses opioid overdoses. New Yorkers who would rather not live in a society without guardrails are nevertheless expected to provide first aid to its victims.*** In 2012, after the Sandy Hook school massacre, Mr. Henninger revisited “No Guardrails.” He wrote that it wasn’t “a plea for retrieving a mythical past” but an argument that “we would be better off if our intellectual, political and cultural elites rediscovered—and publicly revered—the protective virtues of self-control and self-restraint.” Maybe that seemed possible in 2012.*** https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-oped-foretold-todays-breakdown-of-norms-30-years-ago-dress-code-gov-shutdown-f2ee0cad

***

from the left perspective

Recently, two high-profile supporters of “justice reform” were murdered. 

At 4 a.m. on Monday, Ryan Carson, a 32-year-old social justice and climate change activist, was walking with his girlfriend in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, when he was stabbed to death by a stranger. Only a few hours earlier in Philadelphia, activist and journalist Josh Kruger was shot and killed in his home. ***

Of course, these people did not deserve harm because of their support for soft-on-crime policies. But I’ve long argued that many people who hold “luxury beliefs”—ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class, while often inflicting costs on the lower classes—are oblivious to the consequences of their views. Support for defunding the police is a classic example. 

Luxury beliefs can stem from malice, good intentions, or outright naivete.

But the individuals who hold those beliefs, the people who wield the most influence in policy and culture, are often sheltered when their preferences are implemented.

Some online commenters have said that my luxury beliefs thesis is undermined by these tragic events, because the victims were affluent and influential—and they still suffered the consequences of their beliefs.

But the fact remains that poor people are far more likely to be victims of violent crime. For every upper-middle-class person killed, 20 poor people you never hear about are assaulted and murdered. You just never hear about them. They don’t get identified by name in the media. Their stories don’t get told.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poorest Americans are seven times more likely to be victims of robbery, seven times more likely to be victims of aggravated assault, and twenty times more likely to be victims of sexual assault than Americans who earn more than $75,000. One 2004 study found that people in areas where over 20 percent of inhabitants live in poverty are more than 100 times more likely to be murdered than people in areas where less than 10 percent of residents live in poverty.

Expressing a luxury belief is a manifestation of cultural capital, a signal of one’s fortunate economic circumstances. And we are living with the consequences of the elite’s luxury beliefs when it comes to public safety and criminal justice. Indeed, the massive spike in violent crime across the U.S. is a reminder of the power of elite opinion.

A study from 2014 found that strong support for a policy among the middle class has virtually no effect on whether that policy will be adopted. In contrast, strong support among Americans in the top income decile—those who earn at least $173,000 a year—doubles the probability that a policy will be adopted.

Who was most likely to champion the fashionable “defund the police” cause in 2020 and 2021?

A nationwide survey from YouGov found that Americans in the highest income category were by far the most supportive of defunding the police.***

In response to elite opinion in 2020, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, and many other major cities in the U.S. reduced police spending.

Most people didn’t want to defund the police, but the most affluent sector of society did. And so it was implemented.***

French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argued that “distance from necessity” signals high social class. Similarly, in his book Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, Paul Fussell points out that the presence of physical danger is a marker of low social class. ***

The vast majority of educated people have never been in a real fight or experienced serious physical injury. On occasion, I’ve wondered if this is why many of them believe words are “violence.” ***

I had a professor in college who liked to say that common sense is like air: the higher you go, the thinner it gets. Sadly, it will probably take more high-profile deaths and attacks for people to wake up. When a bunch of peasants are killed, the luxury belief class shrugs. But when the nobility and petty nobility are targeted, the narrative shifts. It’s only when those in positions of influence and privilege feel the consequences of their beliefs and policies that real change is seriously considered. https://www.thefp.com/p/two-murdersand-the-cost-of-luxury

***

NYC stabbing victim - deserved protection

Amiri King @AmiriKing The man that was stabbed to death at a Brooklyn bus stop in front of his girlfriend, Ryan Carson, was a radical left wing activist and self described member of Antifa. His girlfriend is pictured here with an ‘ACAB’ shirt and a social media post condemning police and praising BLM. Andy Ngô  @MrAndyNgo A photo has emerged of NYC leftist activist and self-described Antifa member Ryan Carson and his girlfriend Claudia V. Morales at an event shortly before his murder. On Oct. 2, Carson was tragically stabbed to death in Brooklyn by a black male suspect wearing a hoodie (he has not been arrested). Carson was stabbed in the heart; Morales was uninjured.

Carson had the right to life no matter his political beliefs. The other point is that your

***

1st Amend protects some awful people

LGBTQ+ groups on Tuesday hailed the 60-day jail sentence a court in Switzerland gave to a writer and commentator for deriding a journalist as a “fat lesbian” and other critical remarks. The Lausanne court sentenced French-Swiss polemicist Alain Bonnet, who goes by Alain Soral, for the crimes of defamation, discrimination and incitement to hatred on Monday. He was ordered to pay legal fees and fines totaling thousands of Swiss francs in addition to the time behind bars. *** Sorel is known, among other things, for his collaboration with the antisemitic comedian Dieudonne, and they cofounded the Anti-Zionist Party, which is currently inactive. In 2019, he was sentenced by a French court to one year in prison for Holocaust denial, which is a crime in France*** https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hky6m3ygt

***

NYC again

A maniac attacked three people with a glass bottle in a violent and unprovoked rampage that began at a Manhattan Whole Foods Market on Thursday evening, according to police. The string of attacks started outside of the Whole Foods on Sixth Avenue across from Bryant Park when the 33-year-old suspect bashed a 23-year-old man with a bottle around 6:40 p.m., police said. The assailant then went inside the store to the second floor, where he attacked a 49-year-old woman, the NYPD said. He then fled outside and into the subway station at 47th Street and 6th Avenue where he struck a 55-year-old woman on a train. The suspect, identified by sources as Michael Howell, was nabbed by police on 46th Street and later charged with assault.*** https://nypost.com/2023/10/05/man-attacks-three-people-with-glass-bottle-in-rampage-that-began-at-midtown-whole-foods/

***

Who wants to step over human waste?

A prominent downtown Denver gay bar called one of the nation’s best LGBTQ+ bars last year by Tasting Table is closing immediately, citing “ever-expanding encampments.” The Triangle Bar, 2036 N. Broadway, announced in an email they were closing after they took a survey that found over 60% of their customers were visiting less frequently because of homeless encampments. The survey of over 500 people found 75% of customers visited less in 2023 than in 2022. Jacob Factor reports. A prominent downtown Denver gay bar called one of the nation’s best LGBTQ+ bars last year by Tasting Table is closing immediately, citing “ever-expanding encampments.” The Triangle Bar, 2036 N. Broadway, announced in an email they were closing after they took a survey that found over 60% of their customers were visiting less frequently because of homeless encampments. The survey of over 500 people found 75% of customers visited less in 2023 than in 2022. Jacob Factor reports. https://www.denverpost.com/2023/10/05/denver-triangle-bar-closes-homelessness

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Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of pervs

Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, has been hit with its tenth sex trafficking lawsuit since 2020, with 62 alleged victims filing in federal court Tuesday. The online pornography giant, formerly known as MindGeek, is now being sued by 257 people, alleging sex trafficking, human trafficking, and racketeering. The lawsuit, which is the tenth such suit according to Traffickinghub founder Laila Mickelwait, was brought by victims of the now-defunct pornographic website GirlsDoPorn, which had a strategic partnership with Aylo to promote its videos on flagship website Pornhub. "For over a decade, GirlsDoPorn used force, fraud, and coercion to get hundreds of high school and college-aged women to film pornographic videos that GirlsDoPorn sold on the Internet," the lawsuit states. "The illegal publication of the sex trafficking videos upended victims’ lives. Within 48 hours of being uploaded to the Internet, the videos went viral amongst every person in the victims’ network, causing them to become pariahs in their own communities. Victims were ridiculed and ostracized by friends, classmates, teachers, professors, principals, clergy members, and family."*** https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pornhub-hit-tenth-sex-trafficking-lawsuit

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federal case?

he FBI has reportedly interviewed a number of individuals who alleged they were abused by members of a Christian group that counts Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett as a member. Barrett's affiliation with People of Praise, a conservative religious group that elevates the role of men, drew scrutiny ahead of her appointment to the highest court in the nation. One former member told Newsweek in 2020 that women are expected to be "absolutely obedient" to their husbands and the men in the group and those who aren't are "shamed, shunned, humiliated." At least five individuals have been contacted by the FBI, a spokesperson for a group called PoP Survivors confirmed to Newsweek on Tuesday. The development was first reported by The Guardian. An FBI spokesperson declined to confirm whether or not it was investigating. "As a matter of longstanding policy, the FBI neither confirms nor denies the existence of investigations," they told Newsweek.*** https://www.newsweek.com/amy-coney-barrett-christian-group-probed-fbi-1831689

Stop them before they bake more cookies.

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Want to guess why he shot all those innocent people? DoJ won't tell you.

Frank James, 62, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William F. Kuntz II to 10 concurrent life sentences in prison, plus 10 years to run consecutively for shooting 10 people during an attack on the New York City subway in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on April 12, 2022. James previously pleaded guilty to all 11 counts of a superseding indictment, which included 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation vehicle – one count for each gunshot victim – and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of his violent attack.*** During rush hour on the morning of April 12, 2022, James used a Glock 17 pistol he legally purchased to conduct a mass shooting on an N subway train in Brooklyn. James planned his act of terror for years – purchasing smoke bombs, disguises, firearms, and ammunition. He scouted the location for his attack and completed multiple practice runs. As part of his attack, James, disguised in an orange reflective jacket and yellow hard hat to look like a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employee, set off a smoke-bomb in a subway car before opening fire on his captive victims. Panicked passengers ran to the far end of the subway car, allowing James to shoot at his victims more easily. When the defendant started shooting, the train was between stations and then temporarily stalled, leaving victims trapped. In total, 10 victims were struck by 16 bullets fired by the defendant. Dozens more suffered from smoke inhalation and other mental and physical injuries due to the defendant’s attack. James then fled the scene of the attack, changing his clothing frequently to evade detection while law enforcement engaged in a 36-hour manhunt to find him and bring him to justice.    At some point after the shooting, James purchased a burner phone which he used to follow the coverage of his attack while hiding from law enforcement. For example, James watched 31 videos of news reports about his subway shooting. He also watched a James Bond chase scene from the movie “No Time to Die” 10 times after the attack. Finally, James turned himself in by calling the NYPD crime stoppers hotline on April 13, 2022, the day after the mass shooting.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/frank-james-sentenced-life-prison-subway-mass-shooting

Rolling Stone tells you his motive. Includes pics.

Racist. Anti-Semitic. Unhinged. The suspect in Tuesday’s shooting on the New York City subway is a prolific user of social media, regularly uploading lengthy, often racist diatribes to both YouTube and Facebook in which he addresses a range of topics from the state of race relations in the United States to the policies of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to videos reviewed by Rolling Stone.*** James often rails against numerous racial and ethnic groups, including whites, Blacks, Jews, and Latinos. He also compares people of color to “a bunch of turds in a toilet,” waiting to be “flushed” down the drain by society, and implies that a race war between whites and Blacks is imminent. In one video, he calls Sept. 11, 2001 “the most beautiful day in the history of this country.” “White people and Black people should not have any contact with each other,” he says in a March 23 video titled “born in an insane asylum.” “Their anger is building up. Nothing can happen here differently than what happened over in Europe with the Jews. I want you to believe that that’s possible.” *** https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/frank-james-new-york-brooklyn-subway-shooting-social-media-posts-1336740/

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Cold case

A long-awaited review of the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation by the Colorado Cold Case Review Team, with the cooperation of the Boulder Police Department, is set to take place before the year’s end. The decision to submit the case to outside review coincided with the reassignment of a detective who had long held primary responsibility for its investigation.*** last November, Boulder police  announced they would begin consulting with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team — a collection of one analyst, one forensic investigative genetic genealogy analyst, two DNA scientists, one latent prints forensic scientist and a supervisor, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations website.  The police also said they would continue to work with the FBI, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and several private DNA laboratories across the nation.*** John Andrew Ramsey, the 47-year-old stepbrother of JonBenet Ramsey, who was out of the state at the time of JonBenet’s death,*** added that with BPD’s recent efforts, he believes they have the “best shot” at solving the puzzle now, due to the availability of forensic genealogy testing — which enables law enforcement to create a DNA profile from evidence that can then be compared to public databases in order to identify matches.*** JonBenet was reported missing in a phone call by her mother, Patsy Ramsey, early on the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, when she said she found a ransom note demanding $118,000 for the child’s safe return on a staircase inside their home in the 700 block of 15th Street in Boulder. JonBenet’s body was recovered from the family’s basement several hours later. The Boulder County Coroner determined she had suffered a fractured skull, been asphyxiated with a garotte and was sexually assaulted. The Daily Camera learned in 2013 that a grand jury had voted in October 1999 to indict both her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, on charges of child abuse resulting in death and accessory to the crime of first-degree murder — an indictment not announced at that time. No charges were ever actually filed in the case, however, based on then-District Attorney Alex Hunter’s decision that there was insufficient evidence to support a conviction.*** https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/10/07/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-probe-soon-to-get-fresh-eyes/

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Really?

The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank in DC. It advocates for, among other things, free market capitalism. Cato hates the Jones Act with a passion. The Jones Act prohibits anything other than U.S. built, flagged, and crewed ships from carrying anything between U.S. ports. It's economic protectionism for American shipyards, ship owners, and sailors. It raises costs for consumers, and it's basically killed American shipbuilding. Cato publicizes the negative effects of the Jones Act.

Of course, the small people and large corporations that make a ton of money off the Jones Act don't like the publicity. Neither do the bureaucrats of the U.S. Maritime Administration. The greed heads and the bureaucrats had meetings about what to do about Cato. Hm, did the meetings result in any recommendations?

https://www.cato.org/blog/charge-all-past-present-members-cato-mercatus-institutes-treason

As the shepherds say, "What The Flock?" Really? Charge people with treason?

Let's review Article III of the Constitution -

Section. 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

What part of "maybe we shouldn't puke money at a tiny, but extremely wealthy minority with extraordinary political connections" sounds like levying war?

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Indiana, Pennsylvania

Moments after Pennsylvania State Police troopers on horseback arrived at the Chevy Chase Community Center in Indiana County expecting to engage in crowd control after midnight on Sunday, dozens of gunshots rang out. More than 150 people began streaming out of the White Township building. “They exited that building in any way possible,” state police Lt. Col. Geoge Bivens said Sunday afternoon, “… people dove through windows, people ran through doors, ran through porch railings trying to get away from that scene. There was chaos and there were people who ran through the neighborhood.” Some troopers helped the wounded while others went inside to search for more victims and secure the scene, Bivens said. One person was killed and at least eight others were injured in the shooting, state police said.*** https://triblive.com/local/regional/6-shot-1-dead-in-indiana-county-mass-shooting-at-community-center/

NY Post said police found multiple firearms at the scene.

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Anybody notice another crime in NYC?

The NYPD on Sunday released photos of four cowardly thugs wanted in the Friday hate-crime beating in Chelsea that left a 72-year-old man with a broken jaw. The attack occurred around 10:15 p.m. at West 17th Street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan when the suspects converged on the victim shouting anti-LGBTQ slurs, according to police. The four then started to punch and kick the elderly man in the head before running off — leaving him with a broken jaw and cuts to his face and hands.*** https://nypost.com/2023/10/08/hunt-on-for-four-thugs-in-nyc-hate-crime-attack-on-elderly-man/

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Who knew advocacy could be so hot?

A licensed social worker who worked with youth as a counselor is accused by Columbus police of engaging in sexual conduct with a 13-year-old client. Payton Shires, 24, of Mount Sterling, Madison County, has been charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. She was arrested Friday and appeared Saturday morning in Franklin County Municipal Court, where Judge Mike McAllister set a $500,000 bond. Columbus police said Shires had previously been employed by the National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP), which has offices on South High Street in the Brewery District. The NYAP helps provide counseling and social work for families that are involved in the foster care system or need advocacy in other ways. According to court records, a woman called police on Sept. 27 after finding text messages on her 13-year-old son's cellphone between him and Shires. The woman believed "something inappropriate was happening between her son and Ms. Shires after seeing messages asking if he had deleted the videos and asking if his mom had seen the videos or messages."*** police found a video on the phone of the teen and Shires engaging in sexual conduct. Detectives spoke with the teen, who reportedly admitted to having sex with Shires on multiple occasions in September 2023 at various locations in Columbus. On Thursday, police did a controlled, recorded, three-way phone call between the teen's mother and Shires. During that call, according to court records, Shires admitted to the teen's mom that she had engaged in sexual conduct with him.*** https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2023/10/06/central-ohio-youth-counselor-accused-having-sex-teenage-client-payton-shires-columbus-ohio-nyap/71087936007/

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Rule #1: Never faux pas on a slow news day

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has been interviewed as part of an independent investigation into his handling of classified documents, the White House said late Monday. It’s a possible sign that the investigation is nearing its end. Special counsel Robert Hur is examining the improper retention of classified documents by Biden from his time as a U.S. senator and as vice president that were found at his Delaware home, as well as at a private office that he used in between his service in the Obama administration and becoming president.*** It’s not clear when Hur’s team approached Biden’s lawyers about an interview or how long they’d been negotiating. Asked on Aug. 25 if he planned to sit for an interview with the special counsel, Biden replied, “There’s no such request and no such interest.” The interview could signal that the special counsel investigation is nearing its conclusion.*** https://apnews.com/article/biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-025f25d04a5c0e45d758fbaaa2f231b8

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thurs

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Espionage is a capital crime

A U.S. Navy service member pleaded guilty today to federal felony offenses and admitted he transmitted sensitive U.S. military information to an intelligence officer from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in exchange for bribery payments. Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, aka Thomas Zhao, of Monterey Park, California, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the intelligence officer and receiving a bribe. Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme and held a U.S. security clearance, admitted he engaged in a corrupt scheme to collect and transmit sensitive U.S. military information to the intelligence officer in violation of his official duties.*** Between August 2021 and at least May 2023, Zhao admitted receiving at least $14,866 in at least 14 separate bribes from the intelligence officer. In exchange for the illicit payments, Zhao surreptitiously collected and transmitted to the intelligence officer sensitive, non-public information regarding U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises and critical infrastructure. Zhao admitted he entered restricted military and naval installations to collect and record this information. Zhao specifically admitted to transmitting plans for a large-scale maritime training exercise in the Pacific theatre, operational orders, and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system located in Okinawa, Japan. Zhao further admitted to using sophisticated encrypted communication methods to transmit the information, destroying evidence and concealing his relationship with the intelligence officer. Zhao’s conduct violated his official duties to protect such information and the oath he swore to protect the United States.*** Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024. As a result of today’s guilty plea, Zhao faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison – five years for the conspiracy count and 15 years for the bribery charge. Zhao has been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 3.*** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-navy-service-member-pleads-guilty-transmitting-sensitive-us-military-information-chinese

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Daniel Penny case

https://www.foxnews.com/us/mother-child-hid-behind-stroller-deadly-subway-chokehold-court-papers includes a copy of Daniel Penny's motion to dismiss the homicide charges against him.

Testifying at the grand jury, medical examiner Cynthia "Harris made clear that Mr. Penny did not apply “consistent pressure that obstructed the vessels"" in Neely's neck.

Bear in mind, the facts in the linked motion are only the defense's view of the evidence.

***

[hannmadi]

Leeds, March 23rd 2023.

So this morning we took the early train to Leeds and met James at the station. The trip was actually an overnight but seeing as I couldn’t stay due to illness, I’ll just tell you about my favourite part…

After walking around Leeds city centre in the rain for what felt like hours, you can imagine how excited we all were at the prospect of taking an Uber. Anyway, we regrouped in Beeston, a residential area in the suburb of Leeds, and met up with Bruce Davies – founder of BasementArtsProject. In 2011 Davies started the project as a way to provide exhibition space to post-graduates looking to share their work with the community. Oh and if the name wasn’t enough of a clue, or you haven’t guessed, then the exhibition space in question quite literally resides in Davies’ basement. I’ll put some photos that I took at the end of this post in case you’re struggling to imagine how an exhibition space could physically exist within the confines of someone’s basement. I was confused at first, and so were many others on the course, in the Uber we joked about the likelihood of actually viewing an exhibition in someone’s basement – low, so we thought. As the car pulled up outside a regular terraced house, we realised how wrong we were. Davies met us outside and we walked over to a green space just out front of the house, this is BasementArtsProject’s latest mission.

The aim of the space, and the sculpture placed there entitled Jacob’s Ladder (pictured above), is an ongoing project to encourage regeneration in a neglected corner of South Leeds (read more here). Essentially, over time more sculptures will be placed outside in order to create a sculpture garden in the heart of the community for locals to appreciate. In fact, even as Davies was explaining this to us there was a dogwalker who came over to enjoy the sculpture and stand with us for a moment, a clear indicator that these spaces are invaluable.  

Once we finished up outside, Davies led us to his basement. Just writing that makes it sound like something out of a horror movie and trust me it seemed that way at first. I felt as though we were pigs heading for slaughter. Bear in mind throughout this that the basement is genuinely in Davies’ family home, we entered through his (lovely) kitchen. The current exhibition on show, titled ‘Squaring the Circle’, was put together by Loane Bobillier, a 22-year-old Fine Art student at Leeds Arts University. Originally from Switzerland but arriving in the UK via China and Singapore, Bobillier’s work focuses on her experience of attempting to fit in. We were lucky enough to have Bobillier come speak to us about her work and it was great to be able to see the exhibition in tandem with her explanation. Centrered around ideas of identity and belonging, Bobillier’s work focuses heavily on simple geometric shapes like the square, in order to explore the idea that humans should not be placed into one box and should instead be viewed holistically. Additionally, the cube itself is a shape which never quite fits in with its surroundings, no matter how it is altered or decorated – take a look at the photos I’ve included below for reference. The space itself just about held the group (maybe 15 of us) and looked exactly as you would expect a basement to look. As long as you’re not picturing one of those cool converted ones which functions as a games room. Anyway, there were the trademark cobwebs, exposed bricks, and electrical wires of any old basement, however it was also littered with traces of previous exhibitions. Bobillier acknowledged this and even said it helped her to plan her exhibition display pieces, noting that there were remnants of gold leaf from 2014 on one wall gave her the idea to incorporate the material into her design. This dynamic was interesting and I can imagine it to be a fun challenge for artists to work with the unusual space, as opposed to the standard white cube gallery they’re often faced with.

Overall, Davies has created a valuable community space within his family home, providing members of the public with a creative hub to increase engagement with the arts. In doing so, and by working with local artists, Davies has been making art accessible to those in an underprivileged area outside of the city centre since 2011. Whilst definitely unnerving at first, it was lovely to see a small artistic institution thriving and attracting a wide range of artists from different backgrounds and disciplines. It was a nice change from the often brutal and exclusive nature of the conventional art world, giving me hope for the future of spaces where art can be a force for positive change and social transformation.