#pun unintended but acknowledged

[captainofthetidesbreath]

pour one out for Travis "mobility is king" Willingham again running into the limitations of a 25ft movement speed

[intuitive-revelations]

I wonder if the Toymaker saying "I made a jigsaw of your history" is RTD's way of saying everything is canon now, and everything can be welded together. Once he released "Doctor Who and the Time War", he stated "all stories happened, all are real."

Yeah I'm still puzzling - pun unintended - over that line too. I know a bunch of people (mostly anti-Chibnall-ers unfortunately) have suggested it's acknowledging and/or retconning the Timeless Child storyline. While RTD clearly doesn't want to wipe the slate, I do think there's a bit of a connection there? Part of me likes to think it's also meant to be why, for example, The Star Beast can coexist with all the EU Beep the Meep stories.

I've been thinking about Doctor Who and the Time War too. Especially with this little comment in the light of Shalka appearing in Rogue (screenshot cribbed from @doctornolonger):

[ID: Instagram notification linked to an RTD post on "Doctor Who and the Time War" reading: "russelltdavies63 liked your comment: "Fantastic read! Please tell me that the Ninth Doctor here could also be interpreted as the Shalka Doctor or the Rowan Atkinson Doctor for the hat trick of alternative Ninth Doctors?""]

Personally, while the show (even post revival) has never been too solid on its continuity, I hope this flexibility is something we continue to explore.

One thing I've been thinking ever since The Timeless Children is that now would be the perfect time for some sort of Unnatural History spiritual adaptation. To me, that kind of thing would be the perfect way to acknowledge that backstory and make it solidly part of the Doctor's possible on-screen history, while also reconciling it with everything it contradicts and allowing people to prefer other origins. It also would be a fun opportunity to bring up stuff like the half-human hybrid reference in Hell Bent and question how that reconciles with the Doctor's 'new' origin.

[u3pxx]

I would like you to rate Apollo's wisdom, intelligence and obliviousness on the scale of 1 to 10, please. With commentary if you want. I am curious, since the fandom mostly considers him a pretty oblivious guy, but it varies from cartoonishly to relatably oblivious.

hoo boy time to drop some thoughts about my specialest loudest boy. disclaimer that i can't do scales so unfortunately, you'll just have to listen to me ramble about blorbo from my games pftt

wisdom wise (pun unintended), i think apollo's got ways to go during aa4. he had a fucked up life and then he got a job and that job was fucked up too and then he was in a REVOLUTION so... i feel like he got pretty experienced after all that pftt.

i had to search for what wisdom meant again bc i keep forgetting what words mean sometimes but as the ol' googly says, it's the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. we see him in aa4 and he's a greenhorn, he's inexperienced considering it's his first defense job and we see him grow throughout the cases, but as he said in turnabout succession. he's still new at this lawyer thing so he's got more to learn.

aa5 to aa6 wise, i can't comment that much on apollo's wisdom there since i . don't remember much from the games HGSFJDH. but i'd say apollo's wiser by then. still prone to making some novice mistakes bc c'mon, he's an ace attorney protagonist they're required to be a little stupid so you can be smart for them wheezes.

but i do think apollo is likely to forgo wisdom in the presence of passion. because apollo is very passionate, he's very strong in his convictions. when he found out phoenix made him present forged evidence, HE PUNCHED HIM IN THE FACE!!!! that's not the most informed or well-judged action but it sure is a passionate one! he's an intense guy!

as for intelligence, i have to repeat that he's an ace attorney protagonist, they're required to be a little stupid so you can be smart for them lmao. but i think apollo's a pretty smart guy all things considered. he could connect the dots that klavier couldn't even connect and he's pretty clever too, i think.

now... for obliviousness... i don't know if you meant this in the romantic sense or the general sense but i'll go with the romantic perspective bc c'mon. i'm a klapollo person first and a nonbinary bitch second.

do i think apollo is oblivious? yes, but not to the extent that klavier is literally kneeling down on one knee with a ring and he's like "gee prosecutor gavin this is a strange new yoga move you're doing right now" pfttt. i think apollo is oblivious in the way that he ACKNOWLEDGES that things are happening but he keeps BRUSHING THEM OFF.

klavier would flirt with him and he'd think: "prosecutor gavin is flirting with me but i'm sure it's nothing. he does that with everyone."

it's the anxiety of making the wrong assumption bc i think apollo thinks of himself as not being wanted or desirable. he'll dodge these opportunities because "apollo justice isn't supposed to have nice things."

he's oblivious as a defense mechanism. what if he's wrong? then he'll just embarrass himself because of course, why. why did he ever think it was possible? he's just... apollo, after all.

so YEA apollo is oblivious but not for the reasons that he's not good at getting romantic cues or such but bc he is sabotaging himself thank you for listening :^]

man i love this guy.

[error501blog]

Morro is Overrated

This is transcribed from my review of Possesion. I would like to preface this with there’s no hate to Morro fans. I’m one of like 3 people in the fandom who’re not blown away by Morro. (Pun unintended) As a concept he is cool. a failed student of Master Wu coming back to antagonize the Ninja

Morro doesn’t talk to anyone. He doesn’t have meaningful conversations with the characters. Except that last scene with Wu. We never have a conversation between him and Lloyd that’s meaningful. Think about it? We never have much interaction beyond Morro going “I’m a bad guy and I’m gonna hurt you and your friends” The biggest missed opportunity is between him and Kai. The show never explored what the two share and differ. I’ve seen people say that Morro is what Kai would’ve become if he never accepted the fact he wasn’t the green ninja. The only interaction is banter. We don’t ever acknowledge their similarities. Why doesn’t Kai say anything about their similarities. I would’ve been happier if we were given a line or something. Morro has all of this personal baggage and potential that we don’t explore. There’s also a few questions I have for Morro. Why are you working for the Preeminent? What do you want? To be the Green Ninja? Why would you want to be the green ninja? Morro doesn’t get the destiny or the powers. Why do you wish destruction on Stiix? What did the Preeminent promise you? Lastly, WHY ARE YOU IN THE CURSED REALM?

I think Morro bugs me because I see him in so much fan content. There’s so many fics where he’s the main focus. it just annoys me. I mean no shame to Morro fans though, but I’m just tired from seeing the same character. (I do love movie aus of him)

[execgoldiebillion]

My Thoughts on the Selena vs Francia Situation

Recently, there has been a lot of discourse regarding this topic and I've wanted to provide my 2 cents on it.

I don't know what's going on behind the scenes between these two but I feel this should've been handled in private. Putting this on air for everyone to see was quite messy.

HOWEVER, I don't blame Francia for feeling misheard or not feeling acknowledged as a close friend to Selena, especially when there was no mention of Francia in Selena's documentary. Francia gave her own kidney to Selena and that's a huge deal! She sacrificed her health and wellness because she saw Selena as her sister/family.

But what did Selena see Francia as? Oh just a girl who donated her kidney. That's the gap in this situation. If Selena really acknowledged Francia and was truly grateful to Francia for giving her another chance at life, this drama wouldn't have happened. Clearly, there is a large disconnect regarding the give and take policy between both of them.

Honestly, I don't blame Francia's reaction with the 'Interesting' comment and unfollowing Selena because, in the end, it seems Selena showed her true colours by referring to Raisa as 'someone I know'.

Even if Selena was not on good terms with Raisa for a reason or two, she has to realize that this woman gifted her a chance to live again and that type of gift is quite priceless! Donation in general is hard to come by, and the fact Selena is not grateful for that is quite baffling and contradicts her overall message of her recent documentary about considering people's feelings and mental health. Gomez could have cleared the beef diplomatically, either by not responding to Francia or saying something along the lines of her prior statement being a misunderstanding and that she has a lot of love and appreciation for Francia. It's really not that hard to do, yet...... getting Selena to do that is like pulling kidneys from one's body (pun unintended of course...)

Anyways that's my overall take. I don't know what happened between them but it's common decency to always be kind and thankful towards someone who chose to donate their kidney to you because an action like that is rare to come by! (yes...pun unintended lol)

[jedinightsister]

(TBB 1x01, in which medical droid AZI was doing medical diagnostic on an unconscious Echo)

Echo: *slowly wakes and sees the tubes plugged on him* No! Get them off!

Omega: Echo! It's okay! It's me, Omega. I don't like being hooked up to their machines either.

(TCW 7x02, in which Rex has discovered Echo was alive and being used by the Techno Union as an experiment)

Listen, I tried to make a giant post about Echo and some specific aspects of his character/development from TCW all the way to TBB but I ended up with a lot of selected scenes, so imma share these in batches (pun unintended lol).

Starting off with a scene from the first ep of the first season of TBB. I like when they acknowledge the trauma that Echo went through, and that Omega was the gentle voice that stood by his side while he recovered.

These two have come such a long way since then. They make me soft and happy 🥺🌺💖

[skellagirl]

Eyyy can I get your opinion? I’m trying to rewrite V Man where his main motivator ISNT being a creepy weirdo about milfs. But I don’t know how to make the lab accident his big vengeance thing when 1) he uses his powers to get what he wants and 2) it literally could be resolved by them talking like adults.

I'm not really very good at this kinda thing lol but uh! I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that people aren't always rational! People are irrational and stupid a lot and we use our pain and trauma to justify our irrationality a lot too! We are creatures motivated by emotions, by our hearts, and sometimes 'talking like adults' is waaayyyy fucking harder than giving into the louder, stronger, and more influential part of ourselves that screams 'instead of that, maybe..... lash out? isolate self from the world? ghost everyone (pun unintended but appreciated)?'

like! speaking from my own experience, it's way easier for me to attempt to ignore any problems in my relationships rather than communicate maturely, even if attempting to ignore those problems just makes me resentful and bitter and angry

'talking like an adult' requires being honest, vulnerable, often means swallowing our pride, and sometimes means apologizing, and that's really really hard!!!! I fucking HATE swallowing my pride lol

but to stay on topic, those are also all things Vlad in particular is super duper shitty at

As far as shifting Vlad's motivation, I feel like it's still important to hold onto that feeling of being wronged in some way? I think because, like, being put through some pretty tremendous pain because of someone's (your best friend's) carelessness, and then they abandoned you afterwards, and they never apologized or even acknowledged they did anything wrong -- is soooo rich in potential imo, and a deep well to pull anger and resentment, both rational and irrational, from. And it runs so close to Vlad's canon motivations that it's not a jarringly huge jump that feels like it misses the entire point of his character (stares disdainfully at season 3 Vlad)

What does he want now? Does he want the Fentons to apologize? Does he want to kill them? Does he hate them? Does he want their acknowledgement and affection, does he miss them? Or does he not give two shits about them and really just wants to torture them and selfishly take everything they have in an attempt to cause them as much pain as they caused him? Is it some complex combination of all of the above? Talking like adults could solve everything, but that can't be what Vlad wants, because 1) he's a selfish bitchboy who'd rather walk over broken glass than be frank and vulnerable with his feelings and 2) then there's no conflict. So what does he want?

Also as far as him being able to 'use his powers to get what he wants', I'm honestly not sure why that's a problem lol. Are you concerned about the morality of him using his powers to get what he wants? He's a selfish bitchboy, let him be a selfish bitchboy. Or maybe concerned that being able to easily solve problems with his powers means there's less potential conflict? But that's obviously not the case even in canon, his power (and his wealth and his regular-person power and status as well) do very little to bring him any happiness -- one of Vlad's core flaws is that he attempts to fill The Empty Void in his life with wealth and power rather than genuine human connection, and having superpowers only makes that flaw worse.

or are you talking about him enjoying his powers even tho they came from the accident? Because if so why not lean into that paradox? Again, throw rationality out the window here lol, Vlad can definitely enjoy having and using his powers while also being incredibly resentful of their origin. Paradoxical/conflicting beliefs aren't unusual!

I'm probably missing something but I'm unsure what your specific hold-up is with regards to this point!

Sorry again that I'm not great at this sort of thing :,) I'm just not a super articulate person when it comes to untangling and describing my own thoughts. Hopefully I made sense and it was helpful at all!

Also I've turned into a super annoying simp for this fic lmao but @moipale's fic Like Pulling Teeth is a fucking INCREDIBLE example of shifting Vlad's motivation and I'd highly highly rec reading it if you want/need inspiration (plus it's just beautifully written, and maybe the most achingly yearning fic you'll read in a long while)!!!

[luckyloo13]

Ficlet

Cw: gender neutral, wetting, whumpee with low self esteem, awkward caretaker

(it's been years since I posted long forms of writing, I'm sorry if I did it wrong. This is based on one of my first prompt posts on here since someone wanted a story)

      Whumpee hated the way their breath shook every so often. They were sure caretaker would notice eventually, but somehow they didn't. Caretaker was slowly figuring out some subtle quirks of Whumpee, but Whumpee was just too good at hiding themselves sometimes.

   Whumpees lower region was starting to

prickle with pain. It wasn't an unfamiliar sensation to them, but that didn't make this situation any less terrifying to them. They had spent a lot of their childhood like this, locked in their room sitting on their heels to avoid having an accident. They usually weren't allowed to visit the restroom without explicit permission, which meant having to ask. It was humiliating, but it was even worse when Whumper said no. And if Whumper was busy or asleep, then tough luck.

       Holding your pee in every now and then won't hurt you, but years of having your bladder burst on you when the pain was too much to bear tends to weaken your organs.

        Right now, Whumpee was nursing what most would consider an ok amount of water. And most would notice it sitting in their bladder, but not be too concerned about it. It wasn't that much, after all, a normal person could wait, or just get up and leave to do their business like an adult. But no, Whumpee was an idiot.

         "Hey...caretaker?" They started. They knew they had to just be an adult and stop making this a big deal, but old habits die hard. They subtlety cross one leg over the other. It only helps a little, but they refuse to be obvious

         Caretaker looked away from what they were watching. Whumpee wasn't really paying attention, but Caretaker seemed to really like the film.

         "Yeah? What do you need?" They asked.

          "Could I get up for a few minutes? I promise I'll be right back" Whumpee asked, hating their slight voice crack. They tried to sound nonchalant, but internally they knew they were reaching a breaking point. If they sat here any longer all hell would break loose.

          Caretaker, being the jokester they were, sighed loudly, "Nooo I want you here! You can't escape me that easily" it was only a jest, Whumpee knew that. But they couldn't help taking it too seriously and just gave a quiet noise of acknowledgment.

           Even though Whumpee didn't voice any of their thoughts or feelings, it felt like there was a tidal wave (pun unintended) inside them. Just get up you idiot. But caretaker said no? No they didn't, you're being dumb again. You put yourself in this predicament. Whumper was right you really do love making a fool of yourself.

            They wouldn't be caught dead dancing around, or even worse holding themselves. As much as Whumpee wanted and needed to, they had to keep up the facade that everything was ok.

            That was, until, only a few agonizing minutes later. Their groin was inflamed with pain, and it was a little hard to tell at first, but they froze, mortified. Wet heat had traveled a little down their thigh, and pooled underneath where they sat.

            "Shit" they involuntarily whispered to themselves, basically forgetting about the person sitting next to them. Their bladder was starting to give out, there was no way to ignore the waves and contractions at this point. Actually, they weren't even sure if they could move right now, they missed that window of opportunity.

            Caretaker was finally starting to realize something was up, "Whumpee? You ok?" They asked looking at them. Caretaker saw Whumpees body jumping and jolting at random intervals. And then they noticed the smell, and then the heat reaching its way to their leg. Caretaker scooted back in surprise. "Oh my god are you-"

            Whumpee accidentally interrupted with a shuddering inhale. They were clearly trying to hold back tears, and mouthed 'I'm sorry' over and over again. Whumpee was afraid their tears would spill if they actually spoke, serving to make them look like even more of a loser. As if that were possible.

            It took a few moments, but Caretaker eventually put it together that Whumpee was trying and failing to stop their accident. Even though it was happening no matter what, and the damage was being done, Whumpee held on to their last shred of dignity and hope.

            "Whumpee...just let go"

            Whumpee turned their head to Caretaker in shock, "I..."

             "It's ok, just get it over with"  Caretaker softly urges. They can't lie they're a little grossed out, but they wouldn't say it to poor Whumpee.

           

              Whumpee snapped their eyes shut so they didn't have to see their shame. For the next 30 seconds, Whumpee emaninated the putrid stench of piss, mixed the deafening sound of their puddle splattering over the side of the choice and kissing hardwood floors. It wasn't the first time Whumpee had messed up, but they had hoped it wouldn't happen again. As soon as the nearly volcanic heat came over their pants, it was gone; It was replaced with a sticky chill that would leave a nasty rash. Still not opening their eyes, Whumpee finally broke and started sobbing slowly. First a few tears, a couple chest heaves. And then they couldn't stop.

             Caretaker surprised Whumpee by grabbing both of their hands to lift them from the couch, nearly toppling into Caretaker, "Hey....it's uh.....ok. We can talk about it in a little while. Why don't we help clean you up first?" They offered, going in for a small hug. Whumpee could tell Caretaker was awkwardly trying to avoid getting themselves dirty, but Whumpee understood. It was starting to burn again in a new way down their legs.

              "Yeah...ok. Thank you"

[partysheart-archived]

@flayerlinked​  asked: [  RAIN  ] [ listen, everyone talks about byler having a kiss in the rain to parallel their fight in s3 and….. /i agree/ 👀 ] [  RAIN  ]:     sender reveals their love for the receiver while they’re both standing outside in the pouring rain. 𝙄  𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀  𝙔𝙊𝙐"  𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙏𝙎.  (𝙎𝙁𝙒 𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉.) | selectively accepting!

          ‘it’s  not  my  fault  you  don’t  like  girls!’

          here  they  were  again—fighting.  always  fighting…these  days,  at  least.  it  wasn’t  like  this  in  the  past.  mike  missed  those  days;  back  before  their  world  got  flipped  upside  down—pun  unintended.  since  will  had  gone  missing  in  ‘83,  things  had  been  different.  they  weren’t  the  same  kids  anymore  and  as  time  had  gone  on,  things  had  only  gotten  more  and  more  strained  between  them.  they  were  supposed  to  be  best  friends  forever,  and  yet,  they’d  had  far  more  fights  and  struggles  between  one  another  than  any  ‘best  friends’  should  ever  have.  mike  swore  that  he  never  had  as  many  issues  between  dustin  or  lucas;  they  never  fought  as  much  as  mike  did  with  will.  and  mike  would  have  wandering  thoughts  as  to  why  that  might  be,  but  the  moment  they’d  begin  to  rear  their  ugly  head,  mike  would  squash  them  down  and  shove  them  into  the  deep  recesses  of  his  mind.  he  didn’t  want  to  think  about  them—he  couldn’t.  

          they  were  getting  harder  and  harder  to  ignore,  however.  and  will  had  been  acting  weirder  and  weirder.  first  it  was  will  ignoring  him  in  california,  letting  mike  believe  that  the  painting  was  for  some  girl—even  if  unintentional—until  two  whole  days  later,  and  pushing  him  towards  el  so  hard  that  mike  knew  for  certain  that  he  was  right  to  shove  his  feelings  down.  will  wouldn’t  want  him  anyway—will  wanted  to  see  mike  and  el  get  back  together.  he  didn’t  see  mike  in  that  way  and  mike  couldn’t  blame  him.  who  ever  would?  hell,  even  eleven  didn’t  want  him  anymore—having  broken  up  with  him  a  day  after  arriving  back  in  hawkins.  and  with  el  out  of  the  picture,  mike’s  shoved  down  feelings  weren’t  going  to  be  able  to  stay  quiet  forever.  but  if  will  didn’t  like  him,  if  will  didn’t  even  want  to  be  his  friend—well,  what  was  the  point  in  even  acknowledging  those  feelings?

          “ what’s  your  problem ? ”  mike  asked,  incredulously,  brow  furrowed.  despite  knowing  will  like  the  back  of  his  hand,  he  was  incredibly  hard  to  read  at  times.  “ why’ve  you  been  acting  so—  so  WEIRD ?  what  did  i  do,  huh ? ”  to  say  that  he  was  fed  up  with  this  back  and  forth  was  a  bit  of  an  understatement.

          now  was  hardly  the  time  for  this—the  grey  clouds  overhead,  accompanied  by  the  rolling  of  thunder  in  the  distance  that  just  kept  getting  louder  and  louder;  the  telltale  signs  of  an  impending  storm—but  mike  couldn’t  bring  himself  to  budge.  they  needed  to  deal  with  this  once  and  for  all.

          “i’m  in  love  with  you!”

          a  crack  could  be  heard  rippling  throughout  the  sky,  adding  emphasis  to  will’s  words,  before  an  onslaught  of  rain  began  to  come  down  all  around  them.  mike  was  so  stunned  he  was  too  frozen  to  move;  only  staring  in  pure  shock  at  will’s  confession.

          “ what—?! ”  he  asked,  trying  to  speak  over  the  rain  when  he  could  finally  find  his  voice.  “ but—no—!  no  way !  you—you  never  said—you  were— ”  he  hated  that  he  was  floundering  but  he  couldn’t  help  himself.  mike  forced  himself  to  pause  and  take  a  breath  before  asking,  “ then  why  did  you  keep  pushing  me  away—?! ”  he  couldn’t  mask  the  pain  in  his  voice  if  he  tried.

[writer59january13]

Across figurative and literal blackened white board...

Where death of democracy writ large,

nevertheless psychological strength predominates

unlike earlier chapters of mein kampf.

Mine hardscrabble existential debacle

spelled losing game

swept me up in malevolent mindset far adrift from harbored haven;

I floundered like a fish out of water

entangled within woebegone raid.

No matter figurative bar

to challenge yours truly

chiefly afflicted academic motives

set ridiculously low,

impossible mission presented

to kite, overcome, and transcend

mental, physical and social impasse

rather I remained

immobilized, paralyzed, unmoored

to hurtle myself across

horribly graded daunting challenges

with flying colors

and thus never established

storied track record.

Oft times (more so

during formative years

of boyhood and adolescence),

I experienced absolute zero ambition

wretchedness being alive

spurring wonderment whereby thoughts

of my demise didst drive

analogous to buzzfeeding bees

combing into their hive.

Giddiness nursed, prevailed, and thrived

when coronavirus (COVID-19)

warranted quarantine to diminish

transmitting pandemic virus thru the air

lifestyle change no major imposition,

cuz yours truly already familiarized

with self isolation

courtesy his social anxiety despair

schizoid personality disorder the diagnosis

nsync with loathsome

body morphology toward self

viz mental health impasse a legitimate malady

impossible mission possibly

since in utero didst impair

minimally abetted courtesy

Buffalo wing and a prayer

wishful thinking only death can relieve

some recently approaching year.

Indifference toward self sums up story

qua deadly mindset to whit

resignation to cash in chips

at a tender age, I did submit

evidenced courtesy abysmal grades and exhibited resignation

where effort to succeed did quit

during stint as student

kindergarten and first grade the exception

earning appellation dummkopf or nitwit

showcased apathy to access ability and excel

stage door left, I wanted to exit

overshadowed courtesy powerfully pointed outlook

within his bedroom at 324 Level Road

sequestered long haired

pencil neck geek hermit

four familiar walls constituted ambit.

Refuge sought vis a vis

withdrawal viz yule eyes

starved body, mind and spirit

from webbed wide world which as prepubescent

constituted narrowly circumscribed range, whereby I denied,

juiced refused sustenance

(think anorexia nervosa,

thus these lovely bones withered away

thankfully dearest mother

(a licensed practical nurse)

of course intervened without delay

belated acknowledgement

regarding maternal love hip hip hooray

enrolling expertise psychiatrist

of Doctor Ted Goldberg

at Collegeville Community counseling

to ameliorate psychological internal melee

running rampant and roughshod

within me psyche

pushing self destruction

down into stairway entering portals of hell

analogous to Earthen bowels

deep within Zimbabwe.

Whether the above sentence incidental

to feeble attempt at reasonable rhyme

so please geography buffs pardon moi

add dull less cent delinquent puns

he did cashier plus

any unintended faux paus as aspiring poet

artfully crafts elaborated gimcrackery,

albeit impious kooky mishmashed

outlandish quirky esse aitch eye tee.

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Star Wars Wednesday

(This is an excerpt from my unfinished but fully outlined Reign of Vader fic, in which Darth Vader assassinates Palpatine and then finds out that unfortunately this means he actually has to rule. After Luke is captured by the Empire, Vader reveals both his heritage and a desire to fix things in the galaxy. Luke is wary, but it's not like he has anywhere to go)

Darth Vader was not a man of infinite patience, and the Ruling Council was growing ever nearer to discovering the limits of his tolerance. 

"Day-to-day procedures are a delicate matter, Majesty," Greejatus was saying, "It would be an unprecedented disaster to force change upon all offices all at once. May I recommend a gradual shift as your reign takes root?"

"Yes yes," Sate Pesage agreed. His eyes glittered out of his gaunt face with ambition. "This proposal to outlaw slavery, for instance-"

"-Is non-negotiable," Vader interrupted. "It was an idiot's decision to legalize it in the first place. My empire will have no need of slave labor."

"Of course!" Pesage bowed. He was beginning to sweat under that ridiculous hat of his. "We are eager to begin this journey into the future your reign promises, Majesty. But the galaxy is vast. Perhaps it is best to...phase the law in slowly? It takes time to bring new ordinances all the way to the Outer Rim."

Vader had heard quite enough for one day. 

"Enough. The decree goes into effect tonight." 

He stood, and all five members of the Council jumped a little. 

"You have until then to review the revised legal codes I have provided for you."

[[MORE]]

With a sardonic lilt to his voice, he added, "The rule of the Grand Vizier through the Moffs has ended, gentlemen. If you do not feel that you are adequately prepared for the task ahead, I will accept your resignation and begin the process of finding your successor."

He waved a hand. "In the next week, we begin hearings for the Alderaanian Massacre. You are dismissed."

There was a certain satisfaction in watching Palpatine's five advisers bowing and trembling on their way out. After decades of putting up with their snide comments and inane commands, it was nice to see the shoe on the other foot for a change.

Of course, they hadn't covered much. Just an overview of what the Imperial Ruling Council actually did. Once Vader mentioned that he intended to sell his secondary residence in the district and distribute the funds as reparations, the meeting had devolved into excuses and protests for the next two hours. Luckily, he was far too stubborn to pay any attention to their complaints.

While he had no strong feelings about most of his actions in the last nineteen years, neither hatred nor regret, he was willing to acknowledge that not all of his targets had been legitimate in a military sense. For Padme's sake, he would make amends if possible. 

Naturally, it was uncomfortable to try putting a price on life. But the sale of that ridiculous "castle" Palpatine insisted on him staying in would provide a good starting place.

It took about fifteen minutes of calculating, but ultimately Vader decided there was more than enough in Palpatine's personal accounts to cover about 17,000 wrongful death settlements, with additional funds in the cases of recurring medical bills. 

Arranging reparations for Alderaan would take more work. Vader quickly decided he was going to delegate that to the department of finances.

(They...did have a department of finances, didn't they? Surely Sidious hadn't done his own bookkeeping.)

With that settled, Vader's itinerary consisted primarily of a meeting with the Hands to make sure they knew their boundaries. After that, a remote consultation with a newly-renowned surgeon living in one of the lower districts. It would, unfortunately, take up the majority of the day. But for now, at least, he had two hours to himself.

The emperor closed his eyes and stretched out with his senses. It took several seconds before he was able to pinpoint his son's location. Luke's presence was dimmed, slightly. Muffled.

The reason for this became apparent the moment Vader found him.

Inside the library, on the lower level, Luke was sprawled across one of the ridiculous armchairs the nobles had favored. A book lay open on his chest, rising and falling gently. A small stack of texts encompassing everything from speeder repair to adventure novels sat on the floor, just next to where one of Luke's hands dangled off the edge of the arm rest. Clearly, he had been in the library for several hours before falling asleep. 

Sleep had softened the boy's features, painting him in a far more vulnerable light. The fear and caution of the previous night had been wiped away, leaving someone who seemed far too young, and far too small. How could he be twenty? How could Padme's baby already be twenty? 

It was tempting to leave him there. To let him sleep. But the chair was not the most supportive frame, nor was the library the most secure chamber of the palace. Reluctantly, Vader bent to touch Luke's cheek. 

"Luke," he said quietly, "This is hardly an appropriate place to sleep."

Luke's eyelids fluttered, but he did not fully awaken at once. Carefully, ever so carefully, Vader took hold of Luke's shoulders and guided him back into an upright position. 

"Your spine will thank me later," he said. 

Luke shifted, then opened his eyes with a groan. He didn’t seem to register Vader’s presence at first. One arm stretched up over his head, and the other came up to rub at his eyes.

“What time is it?” he yawned.

“Nearly noon,” answered Vader. The meeting with the Council had taken far longer than he would’ve liked. “Are you hungry?”

With a garbled sound, Luke waved a hand from side to side. “Don’t know yet?” he said in a still sleep-slurred voice.

After a few more seconds, he finally noticed just who had woken him. Instinctively, he straightened his spine, and looked a little bit nervous.

“Oh,” he said, very quietly. “H-hello, Father.”

“Hello, son.” Vader sounded amused. “Was your choice of reading that dull?”

After a moment, Luke nodded. He made a face. "I know there's supposed to be a famous musical made from this or something. But a whole chapter on how the sewer system of Ryloth's capital city works doesn't seem like good song material."

He jumped when Vader laughed. It was a warm, rich sound, utterly at odds with his austere appearance. 

"Poor boy!" He gently took the book from his son. "That was required reading for our literature studies when I was a boy. I loathed it. Very few of my peers sought it out voluntarily."

"I guess I can see why," Luke admitted. "But it seemed like it was going to be a good story."

"Then you are better served finding an abridged copy, I think," Vader chuckled. "Come. You should eat something."

Luke pushed himself up out of the chair. “Do I...need to put the books back?”

Vader leaned back on his heels. He looked at the books, then at the shelves. “I...will leave that to your best judgement. I do not know where you got them from.”

It was such a normal sounding conversation! Why?! 

Why did you have to be like...like this?! Luke fought a surprising burst of frustration. I have no idea how to talk to you! 

Serious and formal one moment, then laughing the next? Vader? Laughing?! It was as if the man he’d met on Cymoon and the man idly examining his stack of books were two completely different people.

Luke set the books on the console with the Holonet terminal eventually. Vader had suggested that he learn the cataloguing system of the room at a later time. At least that seemed to mean that he would be allowed to go back to the library again. Luke thought about his conversation with Artoo. Perhaps his father was trying to be kind to him. Whether that kindness would extend to anyone else was a different matter.

“I thought you were still meeting with dignitaries or something,” Luke said.

He trailed along behind Vader up an ornate staircase with his hands in his pockets. He was still uncomfortable walking too closely to the man. For all that he acknowledged that the new emperor was, indeed, his father, he was still a force to be reckoned with. 

Luke took a moment to internally groan at his unintended pun. Han would probably have elbowed him in the ribs for saying something like that. Chewie would think it was hilarious. 

Luke’s attempt to stay safely out of range failed quite suddenly. Vader deliberately slowed his steps so that Luke couldn’t hang back without being extremely obvious about it. He didn’t want to offend the emperor, so he tried to ignore his fight or flight instincts shaking his insides and kept pace with his father.

“I have several more meetings to endure today,” Vader said casually. “But the most onerous of those has been dealt with.”

This was not quite true. The Ruling Council was too full of Palpatine loyalists. Just intimidating them into compliance would only work for so long. They had connections, and they had money, and that could prove to be a headache if not dealt with sooner. Vader needed to replace at least three of them.

He had almost considered appointing Luke as Vizier in Amedda’s place, but had quickly thought better of it. Such a position would almost guarantee that Luke would never have time to fly again. Cutting a Skywalker off from the stars for good seemed too cruel. 

His son had not had the childhood he could have had if his mother had lived. If Palpatine had died much sooner. Let him enjoy his youth while he could.

But the problem of finding a Ruling Council that Vader could trust would still be waiting.

“The stupid hat club, right?” Luke asked.

He was unsettled by Vader’s proximity. Vader could sense that. He understood: the armor had been made to terrify. Perhaps one day he would have the option of seeing his son with his own eyes, but for now the boy would have to acclimate himself to the sight.

It was not often that Vader found himself cursing the cold, impersonal nature of his mask. He would have liked to smile at his son.

“Yes. The...stupid hat club.” He settled for letting his amusement be clearly heard in his voice. “That is not an inaccurate description. They run the day-to-day matters of ruling an Empire. But as they were all close to the former ruler, I find that I’d rather not trust them in matters of delegating governance.”

Luke grimaced. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” he agreed.

[la-paritalienne]

x

[deepspaceballet]

imagine the enterprise crew, while on a mission to vulcan, coming across some important highbrow (pun unintended) vulcans. once the vulcans are introduced to spock - and they immediately know who he is as they are very much aware of ambassador sarek and his family - they turn to kirk and just say “and are you s’chn t’gai james, the starfleet captain?” and jim tries (and fails) to not grin like an idiot as he confirms that yes, indeed, he is s’chn t’gai james. spock looks greener than usual and their whole crew is just so very confused. once the vulcans leave, mccoy asks kirk “what the hell did the hobgoblins call you just now?” mccoy and the others half-expect it was a vulcan insult and they’re gonna have to kick some vulcan ass, until uhura, the one that can actually interpret vulcan pronunciation and recognized the name she’d only seen written before, says “isn’t that your family name, spock?” spock quietly confirms and jim’s face hurts from smiling. mccoy rolls his eyes while everyone else laugh as they realize that some vulcan dude just acknowlegded the most famous starfleet captain as sarek’s son’s husband and said captain is loving it a little more than he maybe should. spock still thinks it was rude as jim should be acknowledged by his rank while on duty (that is until jim tells him just how much he liked being referred to as a member of spock’s family; then spock maybe kind of likes that it happened too).

[charlierejouis]

Quick Notes: Chapter 165

Let’s go!

Xiaomei’s introduction is particularly interesting considering... certain theories regarding the Demon Kings.

This is a cool cover. I feel like we’re missing a few people outside of the EZ Crew.

Shiki and Xiaomei’s scene together is very likely only a metaphor. I mean, it’s absolutely happening for her, but not for him the same way.

Please tell me Shiki wasn’t thinking to save Shura. Even if Mashima’s willing to save him, we all know it’s not in everyone’s best interest. (He’s almost definitely with Ijuna and I’d be shocked otherwise.)

I wouldn’t be shocked if we see more of the (new) Oceans 6. I’m not banking on it though.

Hey look! A sacrifice move to help their friends survive. Can you imagine that happening again?

How am I not surprised that the Admiral wanted to fight despite losing Shura.

“Jesse, you’re okay! Is Creed with you?!” Previously on Edens Zero… 

“Can we not make the extreme introvert do the speeches?” It’s like that sometimes. Honestly, it’s likely this would have fallen to Witch if she was healthy.

Speaking of Witch (pun not unintended), it’s good to see canon acknowledge her as the ship mom. That was basically already the case for her in fanon.

Now, the obvious villain saying Shiki made the wrong choice is bad. But, for what it’s worth, consider that this is the obvious villain saying Shiki made the wrong choice.

It’s at this time that I feel we should bring back Mashima’s School of Despair:

Instill fear in subject. (Witch gets captured by Shura.)

Give them reason for hope. (He doesn’t do a whole lot with her right away.)

Make the situation worse. (Shura critically damages Witch.)

Leave subject with room for hope. (Her core is intact and and she’s repaired.)

Crush hope like a grape. (Everyone may get blown up anyway.) [YOU ARE HERE]

Everything ends up alright. (I mean I don’t know how Mashima will handle Witch, but they probably won’t blow up.)

Well, I’m worried about next week, but it will come all the same. See you then...

[utilitycaster]

so I think I mentioned ask vs guess cultures in reference to the Kryn Dynasty once but it was a while back (and I’m not sure I was right there). However, the scene with the Ioun stone and the scene with The Gentleman so close together reminded me that Fjord is about as ask culture as one can get, and I think this has come off to some as being demanding or taking a lot, but it tends to come from a place of pragmatism and tends to usually be for the good of the group.

Fjord’s focus (pun unintended but acknowledged) has frequently been for the good of the group; he definitely values being impressive, but his first response is often “is someone endangering us” or “am I endangering/not doing what I can for others”; this is the principle behind threatening Caleb and Nott, but also his response to Molly’s death or his own loss of powers.

He’s not unafraid to go pretty far in pursuit of that protective goal, and one form that takes is being pretty inquisitive. It can definitely come off as demanding, but it’s usually not purely selfish (and when it is self-interested, it usually doesn’t further mess things up for the group, eg: asking about Sabien).

So: the Ioun Stone was a clear “this would be good for us to have” situation; he’s not going to turn down some amount of payment but he’s not going to demand it or take it for himself without it.

The asking shows up in this episode when he asks the Gentleman, and it’s shown up a lot lately (asking Cotho). His attitude is very much that of an ask culture, of “worst thing they can do is say no”, vs. a guess culture where this would be considered an imposition. Arguably this drove his questions to Trent and Astrid last week although those were probably sort of intended to be intimidating.

I saw the idea that Fjord was demanding a lot of Caduceus from episode 99, but I think it’s worth noting: Fjord sees being a liability as a significant failure on his part, and pretty much the first thing he saw upon being resurrected was Jester spinning around to cast revivify on Orly, who was killed because of something he (Fjord) brought upon the ship. Asking for a greater restoration isn’t a selfish request; being targeted by Uk’otoa is dangerous to the Mighty Nein, the crew, and given deRogna’s appearance, potentially the peace talks should suspsicion arise. And it’s also a request he’s prepared to have denied - probably not long-term, and had that come up I think he’d have explained the situation - but at least for the night if he had to.

This doesn’t mean that others might not find this an imposition - that’s the whole guess vs ask conflict - but it’s usually coming from a place of “may as well” and also from a place of “this would be helpful to the group if they say yes”.

[srbachchan]

DAY 4490

Jalsa, Mumbai                       June 21,  2020                 Sun 11:41 PM

Birthday - EF - Ashwini ..  Dr Prashant Naik .. Monday, June 22 .. may there be celebrations for the birthdays and may they be in safe custody ever .. happy birthday ..❤️🙏

The many warnings of travelling out during the eclipse, kept us in .. kept us in closeted confines .. a condition not unknown, for, most of us have been thus for the past 3 months .. and the time and days keep going on with each passing hour .. the reasons be valid - the cases of the CoVid, increase exponentially all over .. the spread and density of the country encourages such .. but the precaution advised needs to be followed diligently .. most do , some do not .. some suffer some do not .. fortunate that they that suffer recover and they that do ot suffer are lucky of built of stronger stuff .. each hour the debate continues unabated .. the World over .. perhaps in the history of the world there is similarity in thought word and deed .. related of course to the disease .. thoughts on other matters differ .. as must they should .. 

.. the uniformity of the world , once a great social moral lesson, begins to differ , and the results become disturbing .. what was once the similar now breathes a different colour .. uniformity shall ever remain a word of description , never of an execution .. the World shall never allow it .. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

How will the change occur when it does begin to occur .. 

The theories and arguments prevail each hour .. and the absence of a viable solution does not exist or is there, but not attainable .. in such situation the blame game flourishes .. this is human nature .. blame .. 

Acceptance is a hard nut to crack .. its the search for a needle in a haystack .. its that ‘khatta badaam’ in a plate full of the normal .. but it does taste good - the sour the different , the other ..

Chapters have been written and dissertations conducted on the ‘other’ .. for most its just another word .. but for the academics there are millions of different reasons expressions and pronouncements for it .. 

the other side 

the other person

the other option 

..... countless be the references to it .. and they all refer to a fresh ‘other’ .. 

.. we are all others , are we not .. locked in , by the terminological dictional express ..

 ‘the concept of the Other is as a constituent part of human preoccupation with the Self., of the relations among people.

In phenomenology, the terms the Other and the Constitutive Other identify the other human being, in his and her differences from the Self, as being a cumulative, constituting factor in the self-image of a person; as acknowledgement of being real; hence, the Other is dissimilar to and the opposite of the Self, of Us, and of the Same.’

... so say some of the giants of philosophy .. 

.. the ‘other’ is just not another word .. and the pun is unintended .. it has a world of its own .. otherwise it would not be in mention here ..

Good night ..

Amitabh Bachchan