#we could never do this it's a rule in our system we are not allowed to have the same main names

[dolly-of-venus]

I never can understand anti-tracial talking points that claim “race isn’t a social construct” or that “it’s not like sex”... because it literally is.

Yes, race does affect your bone structure, fat distribution, susceptibility to diseases and congenital conditions, but sex does that too. And yet many antis believe that sex is just a social construct that shouldn’t matter as much as it does. Maybe you can’t exactly change your sex, but many believe that its a dysfunctional system that needs to be dismantled because it excludes many people who fall outside of the normal sex barriers. But why can’t we think the same way about race? Why do we have to fit ourselves into this strict binary simply because we were born into it? Many people DO fall outside of the typical binary of their race and it is a social system used to put people in boxes much like sex, so I don’t see any reason as to not treat it as such.

Really, how much would it affect other cultures and traditions if we just got rid of these rules and allowed people to identify themselves however they wanted? I think we should focus more on teaching people how to adopt different cultures and appreciate them without being disrespectful, rather than bullying and harassing people for wanting to change their racial identity. It’s not inherently disrespectful for someone to want to transition to a different race and culture, because people can be trans-racial for many reasons other than wanting the ‘aesthetic’ of another race. Race is just a label, and people should be allowed to apply whatever labels they want to themselves because it doesn’t actually hurt anyone, and the only reason people gatekeep racial identities is to uphold traditional standards that seek to keep people chained to arbitrary classifications.

Also, to anyone claiming that being transracial is wrong because they’re only ‘basing their entire transition on a stereotype of a race/the romanticized version of the culture,’ would you claim that trans women are just basing their transition off of a stereotype or a romanticization of femininity/‘being a woman’ because they grow out their hair/wear feminine clothes/ take estrogen/gets breast & bottom surgeries, because some cis women have short hair, wear ‘masculine’ clothes, have high testosterone, or have small breasts/ambiguous genitalia? No. You wouldn’t, because that’s fucking stupid and a clear TERF talking-point. So why would you say the same thing about transracial people?

Would you say trans women are only trying to copy a romanticized version of the female experience because they don’t want to experience the misogyny that cis women face? NO. YOU WOULDN’T. So why say the same about transracial people? Obviously nobody wants to experience discrimination, it’s just something that happens out of our control, and some people of ambiguous race DO experience racism targeted at a race other than their own, so transracial people can experience discrimination to them that is targeted at their ‘chosen’(for lack of a better word) race.

Also, don’t bring up “Some transracial people do/say ___!” Because that’s a ridiculous generalization of an entire community based on one or a group of individuals, which is the main driver of transphobic/anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric.

TLDR; let people do what they want, it doesn’t hurt you so don’t let it bother you. And if a transracial person IS doing something genuinely harmful to your community, call them out on it and educate them, as it could just be an honest mistake caused by misinformation, or block them if they’re being malicious.

[fallstaticexit]

Extended Bonus Scene-> Pillowfort ( just an extra scene I couldn't fit in this update and couldn't fit in the next featuring a conversation between Judith Ward & Geoffrey)

AN: Fun fact, the last scene of the previous post was actually the 500th screenshot of Part III. Woooo! We’re right around the halfway point. Time to pull out Nancy’s bad choice punch card, let’s see what we got so far…we got…cheating twice, gaslighting her husband andddd oh! Getting entangled with criminals! Great job, Nancy! 👹

Prev / Next / Beginning

Transcript under the cut

Vanessa: Hey, it’s your birthday.

Nancy: Best birthday I’ve ever had, thanks to you.

Vanessa: By the way, when you said no marks, I didn’t think that meant you would leave them all on me.

Nancy: I can’t even follow my own rules. I’m sorry.

Vanessa: I like them. Red is my color after all.

Nancy: [sighs deeply] I want to make love again.

Vanessa: You can barely keep your eyes open, baby.

Nancy: I still feel so needy. When does it stop?

Vanessa: [chuckles] It never really does.

Nancy: Vanessa. Will this be the last time?

Vanessa: Do you want it to be?

Nancy: Do you?

Vanessa: I think, we should have a conversation first. I need to know what’s going on with you and Lily Feng.

Nancy: Nothing is going on. It was a thing and then it wasn’t. And when it was a thing, it still wasn’t- [huffs]. What I’m trying to say is, I had to get these urges out of my system so they could stop driving me crazy. I could barely focus. It was just sex and it was just once. That’s all it was.

Vanessa: And you didn’t know about the imports?

Nancy: When I paid off her people, I thought I was stopping her from winning a development project with the city of San Myshuno. I had no idea about any of this.

Vanessa: [exhales] You pissed off alot of people, Nancy..

Nancy: So, when you said you were in town to see me, what you meant was you came here to ‘handle me’ for what I did?

Vanessa: Listen. I meant what I said; that I wanted to reconnect with you. But the truth is, this clusterfuck of a mess brought us together and I’m not upset about that. I just had to figure out how to keep you out of trouble and I figured if you could offer to work for Akira-

Nancy: What?! You want me to do what you do? Sell drugs? You’re not serious, are you?

Vanessa: Would you prefer the alternative? I would never suggest this if I didn’t think there was something to be gained from it-

Nancy: To be gained? Fuck, Vanessa! I can’t just- I’m just an architect! I’m a mother. I’m a wife-

Vanessa: If that’s all you think that you are, then you don’t know yourself that well. You are so much more than that, Nancy.

Nancy: [mutters] As if this wasn’t complicated enough- I can’t fuck up my life anymore than I already am. I can’t put Geoffrey and our sons in danger-

Vanessa: I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years, Nancy. I know what I’m doing and you can trust me. I would never let anything happen to you- or your family.

Nancy: What if I never paid off The Feng’s connects- would you have ever try to find me and see me again?

[a pause]

Vanessa: Yeah. I would have.

Vanessa: Baby, let’s get through this together, ok? Me and you. Now, come to bed. I miss how it feels to sleep in your arms.

-

Nancy Narrates: [Vanessa warned it was best to let her boss to do most of the talking and to allow her to assist when needed]

Nancy Narrates: [But I was groomed for business and business meetings was something I did best]

Vanessa: [in komorego] Boss, Nancy Landgraab is here to discuss the port situation.

komorego is the native language spoken in Mt. Komorebi thanks to @esotericas-sims for the recommendation!!

Akira: Nancy Landgraab, the unluckiest woman in the world. You've created a real shitty situation, haven't you? We have little patience for interruptions, particularly regarding matters as sensitive as my business.

Nancy: How else would I have gotten your attention?

[silence]

[Vanessa inhales sharply]

Akira: [laughs] Now why would a button up little white girl like you want the attention of The Kibo Family, huh? That Martha Stewart shit not cutting it for you at home?

Nancy: So I could make an offer.

Akira: ‘Make an offer’. [laughter fades] Like what exactly?

Nancy: You’re utilizing small business owners to work their way up the network to put themselves in the same room as the connects I have on speed dial. Politicians, influencers, A List Celebrities. I can be the direct line to them and sell your product personally. Vanessa and I already have a business relationship so the transaction is streamline, no middleman.

Akira: Vanessa’s told me all about you. How you’re hot shit in the states. She’s why I haven’t put one between your eyes yet. But what I want to know is, why the fuck would I want to do business with you?

Nancy: Then don’t. You can always go back to working with the Fengs who will ruin everything you worked so hard for over a quick fuck against a desk.

[laughter]

Nancy Narrates: [From the look in his eyes, I knew I had only bought myself a moment of respite. I had one chance to impress him, or-]

[retching]

[thewertsearch]

JOHN: are you sure you can't make it go any faster? JOHN: i mean, not to sound too demanding, but… JOHN: didn't you say you can teleport stuff? JOHN: why not teleport us there? JADE: i cant! JADE: not here, at least

I thought as much. Jade's powers probably don't work in the Furthest Ring, because if they did, she could have brought Rose, Dave and the trolls to this Prospitian ship during Cascade. Her teleportation is probably limited to contiguous areas of conventional space, and the Hussieverse is anything but conventional.

JADE: becs powers draw from the green sun JADE: and the green sun presides over our universe JADE: many universes actually! and the sessions that created them, as well as the sessions created within them JADE: including the trolls universe and their session JADE: think of it like a giant solar system, but instead of planets revolving around the sun, there are many universes

Back when Rose was outlining the Tumor plan to Dave, I referred to the Green Sun as a core of reality - and it seems that's even more true than I thought.

In addition to powering the First Guardians' magic, the Sun also serves as the metaphysical nexus point of all Sburb-generated universes, as well as their associated sessions. Since we've never been given any reason to believe that non-Sburb universes exist, the Sun appears to 'preside' over all possible universes.

It almost sounds like the Sun is reality - and its creation was masterminded by Doc Scratch. The more you think about it, the worse it gets.

JADE: so, bec was able to teleport anywhere in the universe he wanted in an instant, much faster than light JADE: jack was able to do this too, within our session, and then when i inherited those powers from jadesprite, so could i JADE: but we could only teleport locally JADE: which means, bec could jump to anywhere in our universe, but not to another universe, or into a session JADE: and jack could jump to anywhere in our session, but not outside it

In other words, First Guardians can only teleport to locations they could physically travel to, from their current position.

During Cascade, for example, Jade could teleport to anywhere in her session, but it was impossible for her to reach other sessions, because those sessions didn't have a consistent physical location relative to her own. Similarly, Bec could teleport from Earth to anywhere else in his universe, but not into sessionspace, for the same reason an observer on Earth couldn't point towards a Sburb session. They're on different planes entirely.

tl;dr: to reach a given location via Space, Jade needs a well-defined direction to move in...

...and since moving to another session involves Furthest Ring travel, no such direction exists.

JADE: we cant even jump to the green sun itself, even though we sort of serve as a gateway to it, and all its energy

This, I believe, is the one notable exception to the rule above.

No matter where they currently are, a First Guardian can always open a portal to the Green Sun.

It doesn't sound like they can enter this portal themselves, though. Well, I suppose that makes sense - after all, they are the portal, and you can't move through your own body.

Could Jade reach into that portal, and fetch someone from the Sun, though? I suppose if that was possible, Jack would've just pulled Aradia right back out again, so I think the portal is completely inaccessible to the Guardian who embodies it.

JADE: and once we leave the suns domain, our travel is limited by the speed of light, like everyone else! JADE: for example, the furthest ring is not in the suns domain JADE: it is more like the suns medium, allowing it to exist

The Sun's domain includes, at minimum, every Sburb session in existence, alongside every universe they've produced. The Ring, however, can't be a domain, because it's not really part of conventional reality.

Yes, it may be the scaffolding on which reality is built, but the scaffolding is not part of the building.

[velvetvexations]

Can confirm I've been on here for years now and before Gamer Gate and then the rebirth of Terfism happened the widely accepted feminist talking point was that men suffer under the patriarchy and how we need to talk about that because one of the fastest ways to get cis men on our side was to show them we were already on their side!

I remeber posts with hundreds of thousands of notes talking about how men are assumed to be worse caregivers than women to the point that in custody battles even if the mother is beyond a shadow of a doubt the worst abusive mess ever and the dad is the embodiment of a perfect parent the kids will end up with the mom. It doesn't even matter if the dad says he wants the kids and the mom says she doesn't, the women still gets assumed to be the better caretaker!! This is misogyny effecting men!!

And I know MRAs are terrible but I remember a video going around talking about their recruitment points, like how more men die doing dangerous jobs and the draft or men getting no help when they've been abused by women and being assumed to be violent predators even when they haven't done anything and like yeah, they 100% came to the wrong conclusions about what causes the problems and what the solutions are bcs it's easier to act like women are the problem, but those problems as they were introduced in the early 2010s were actual problems feminism is trying to address, and if these men could see that we are fighting the same fights and join US we'd be stronger. There was a prominent internet feminist who got full on red pilled just by listening to men tell her about their real actual problems, and the time they pulled the rug out on blaming women it was too late, she was convinced, because yeah women aren't the real problem at the root of men's issues they do HAVE ISSUES. The trick is that they just need to tackle the patriarchy, not women. I also saw stuff that legit talked about how to recruit men by pointing out how badly the patriarchy "serves" them!! (GamerGate quickly ruined any and all salient points that existed in the MRA movement bcs the internet is a feedback loop and anger is easy/fun sadly but yeah I feel like it's weird to act like they were always wrong no matter what when they at least did point out real problems.)

And like RBG partially made her name in the courts defending a CIS MAN on the basis that he was being discriminated in a way a CIS WOMAN would not have been, and the ruling allowed for insane amounts of progress for women. A man not being allowed a tax credit to hire a nurse for his bedridden mother is one of the first things that challenged discrimination on the basis of sex in America. But sure men ONLY gain benefits from the patriarchy. It NEVER hurts them too!! And helping them won't benefit us!!! Making them our allies is silly they should all shut up 🙄

Hell back in the 2010s I still remember seeing trans men talk about how horrible and alienating it was for all of their female friends and family to suddenly start acting like they were a threat, and not just pointing out the inherent transphobia, the guy went on to talk about that they finally get why cis men are the way they are, they suffer from systemic emotional neglect. And yeah that obviously does not mean women owe them emotional avaliablity and sex, but maybe the patriarchy telling men to be big tuff guys who never hug or cry or like anything even a little girly HURTS THEM and is a direct cause of a LOT of the problems we're dealing with rn!!! There was a whole study about how widows tend to live a lot longer after their husbands because they have friends and family to lean on and weren't taught to suppress their emotions, meanwhile widowers tend to die VERY quickly after their wives because they no longer have someone who it's okay for them to be open and emotional around, and not having someone you can do that with KILLS PEOPLE. People were saying again, this does not mean women HAVE to take on all their problems, but maybe that we need to stop assuming men don't need emotional support and teach our sons to not be afraid of being ulnerable, honest people because systemic emotional neglect IS BAD FOR YOU ACTUALLY.

These were ACTUAL conversations that swept this damn site. This was the direction feminism was going in. We were on the cusp of a beautiful age of 4th wave feminism with the knowledge that the patriarchy seves no one well and free the nipple and no gender segregated bathrooms and sports, and now just pointing out that we need to maybe understand the ways men struggle under the patriarchy if we've ever going to have them join and help us build a better world gets my inbox flooded with both terfs and so called progressive feminists calling me a gender traitor for being willing to admit men arent the source of all the world's ills and WE NEED THEM ON OUR FUCKING SIDE. I used to proudly call myself a 4th wave feminist back when people still claimed to be of the 3rd, and now idk what I even am. A bell hooks and leslie finberg feminist I guess, since they actually seemed to get it.

Yeesh. Anyway sorry that got heated. This has just ruined my brain. I do not understand where tf we went wrong, bcs hell back in the day we also pointed out how TERFs were wrong to want men and people they perceive as men and those "tainted" by men put to death for existing so they could build their stupid white supremacist wombyn utopia. We KNEW hating men just for being men was wrong and regressive and hurt maringalized men and did NOTHONG to push feminism forward. We talked about the issues that men face and how to raise our sons to be better. But idk I guess Gamer Gate and the Incel movement took off right as TREFs figured out the whole ace and truscum discourse thing wasn't working and they just needed to doctor their arguments against men better and radical feminism took off and this entire site regressed 1000 years and thinks trans men of all people are just as bad as cis men and trans women have a monopoly on an entire axis of oppression like?????

And I'm not putting the blame squarely on anyone aside from the radfems who started this shit but it does NOT surprise me that we are seeing a massive resurgence of biphobic, transmedicalism, and aphobia since half the queer discourse I see these days is anti-transandrophpbia assholes just word for word repeating the kind of blatant aphobia and truscumery that would have gotten you suplexed off the face of the earth in the 2010s with the identities swapped. Just word for word monosexist aphobic shit. Legit is giving me flashbacks, it's insane.

I have never in my life been more disappointed in my community of queer feminists. This is masks all over again. Like is this how kids who grew up evangelical feel when they realized actually the adults didn't mean literally love all your neighbors silly just the Correct ones?? I feel like I'm in the twilight zone. What the hell happened to us.

Thank you for writing all this anon, you put enough work in it I'm gonna toss it in the tags, I think it deserves to be seen. <3

The problem with MRAs was never that they believed men had problems too, but that they used certain things - like their disadvantage in custody hearings, for instance - as a cudgel in a malicious crusade against a target they hated anyway for not fucking them. Now with as quick as people are to say things like "what, are you saying androphobia exists too?????" it feels as though we've completely forgotten the actual reason we ever hated MRAs to begin with.

It's the same with the dating article where the most basic possible interactions between two adults mutually seeking a hook-up were taken to be pick-up artistry.

[ryuichirou]

how would the TWST boys react if they were chosen by the cat distribution system and a stray cat choose them to be its cat dad?

Today I decided that it’s time to write about something delightful lol I keep smiling every time I remember that we have this ask in our askbox… Thank you for waiting, Anon! I’m sorry it took this long.

Maaaybe I’ll write more hc posts next week… I try to write at least two per week, but there are so many good prompts that I should probably try to do more.

Anyways! Once again my bias is clear because I am a poor soul that loves cats but doesn’t own one, so spoiler alert: all the boys end up loving cats as well lol But I think it’s fair… How does one not like cats? Don’t ask Ciel.

Riddle – his first instinct is to refuse poor cat’s attempts to hang out because his mother never let him own a cat: they claw furniture, they bite, and Riddle has allergies! Or… he thought he did. He didn’t get any reaction from the cat, so maybe that was a lie?? Anyways, he would melt almost immediately because a fluffy creature wanting to be his friend is something that Riddle always wished for. He loves animals and taking care of them, so there is no way he is letting go of that cat! Of course he has to get used to it because a cat would never follow any rules, and sometimes it would get frustrating for Riddle, but… whenever a cat wants to play with him or cuddle with him, Riddle giggles like the happiest kid in the world. No one is allowed to pet his cat without his permission.

Ace – he will brag about it a lot. He’ll take the cat everywhere and always have it either on his lap or on his shoulders. He’ll always talk about just how much the cat purrs for him and him only, and how cool of a person he is because the cat clearly chose him specifically to be his owner. The cat really does like him a lot, but it doesn’t mean that Ace doesn’t get scratched or bitten all the time lol Also, at some point it will become the freshmen’s cat that everyone takes care of a little, and Ace would start to constantly remind everyone that this is in fact HIS cat!

Deuce – aw, he would probably be a little awkward at first. He strikes me as someone who is more of a dog person and doesn’t have much experience with cats… He would be very careful around it, as if he isn’t just afraid to hurt the cat, he doesn’t even want to offend it somehow. Of course he would swear that he’ll take care of the cat and be very responsible about it! But it will take a while for him to take it inside the dorm; he’ll just feed it and hang out with it outside at first… until the weather gets too cold.

Trey – he would have this “why me though?” vibe to his reaction, but he would still be kind of happy. Maybe he shouldn’t have fed it, now it follows him around everywhere… Trey says that this isn’t really his cat, but keeps taking care of it anyway. He never expected to be this delighted to have a cat. He would get much more into it than he expected, to be honest. He’ll probably feed it with home-made treats and give it toys that he made himself…

Cater – OF COURSE he’ll start taking selfies with this cat. OF COURSE. After some time he might even make a separate account for the cat, to see if it would surpass his follower count. Other than that, he would cuddle the cat a lot, talk to it, play with it, dress it up all cutely and meme-y. I think it would be very good for Cater to own a cat… He needs to learn how to take care of it properly though, so some assistance might be necessary lol

Leona – would he even care? Maybe a little bit, but he would act like he doesn’t care at all. He doesn’t even know who the fuck this cat is, it just appeared suddenly and now lives in his room. It can stay or leave, doesn’t make any difference to Leona. In actuality though, on some level he does appreciate the companionship of another cat sleeping next to him or on top of him and grooming his ears. But only when no one sees it or comments on it. He could chat with the cat btw, but he just doesn’t – for the most time they hang out in silence.

Ruggie – another cat to take care of?? And also, another mouth to feed?? Well that can’t be helped, it’s not like he is going to throw the poor thing away. I think he will manage to train it to do all kinds of tricks, like stealing stuff from others’ pockets or sneaking things away for Ruggie… the cat will be his partner in crime lol He would also probably have conversations with it, since it’s easier for him to talk to animals.

Jack – not only a dog-person, but also literally a dog, so he might have a hard time at first understanding that cat’s behavior. He is probably going to act like he isn’t interested at first, but jokes on him, because this only makes the cat more into him. He will literally sit all alone, radiating “don’t talk to me” aura, and the cat would think that this is exactly where it wants to sit – on Jack’s lap. Even though Jack is a tsundere, he is going to warm up eventually… and even while he is in his denial phase, he will take care of the cat by keeping it fed and letting it inside when it’s cold. Speaking of cold, Jack is very warm, so the cat loves him a lot…

Azul – “I don’t have time for this” at first, with all the reasons why having a cat is a bad idea popping up in his head at once. Similarly to Riddle’s mom’s mantra: it ruins furniture, it causes allergies, it sheds, it doesn’t behave… but he would also break very quickly, probably the moment the cat starts rubbing against his leg or purring at him. Azul would probably make quite a drastic 180 degree turn and enter his “a cartoon villain with a cat on his lap that he pets menacingly” phase by the end of his first day with the said cat. It feels good. It feels correct to pet a fluffy purring creature while you’re humiliating someone who is indebted to you. Also, of course he is going to treat the cat like royalty and get it all the best things… and also train it like a dog at the same time.

Floyd – people would think that he isn’t responsible enough to own a pet, but actually a cat would probably be the best pick for him. At first he would get all excited because this little buddy just suddenly decided to hang out with him. Floyd would just suddenly start appearing everywhere with a cat on his shoulder like he is a pirate or something. But then both the cat and Floyd would lose interest in each other, until they meet again and decide that they want to hang out again lol But while Floyd and cat are together, he takes it everywhere, plays with it a lot, races with it, cuddles it, smooches it, throws it in the air and catches it. Some of Floyd’s games aren’t the best for the cat, so Floyd ends up getting scratched and hissed at quite often, but for some reason the cat still adores him enough to let him do anything with it, even hold it upside-down.

Jade – it’s easy to picture him being a cat-lover because of the Sebastian parallels lol I think he would really enjoy owning a cat, and he would make it everyone else’s problem. Just like Floyd, he would walk around with a cat on his shoulders, but he would always mention it: please don’t mind my cat, he just loves me very much. I hope you are not bothered by my cat’s presence, he won’t bother us, I swear. Also, I think because Jade would actually try to properly take care of the cat, he would encounter some unpredictable issues, like a cat refusing to eat certain cat food or eating something it’s not supposed to eat. Jade would have a couple of moments that would make him fuss over it and even though he wouldn’t enjoy it… he likes the unpredictability. Keep chewing on random things, cat! But not too much, please.

Kalim – he would be so happy and excited!! It’s like making a friend, but a new kind of friend, a very fluffy one! Kalim is probably way too cuddly for the cat’s liking, so sometimes he would get confused by it running away from him. He just wants the cat to be happy… he would buy 5 cat towers, 30 toys and a bunch of cool accessories for the cat during the very first day of owning it (then he’ll buy more)! And 10 beds, so the cat could pick whichever it likes most (it sleeps in Kalim’s bed of course)!! And of course he will ask Jamil to learn how to cook delicious meals for the cat. He would try to feed the cat his own food first, but of course would stop once he learns that the cat shouldn’t eat spicy food…

Jamil – another one who would think that he doesn’t have time or energy to take care of another thing at first, but would warm up very quickly. He would tsundere up a bit when Kalim says that he is happy that Jamil has a little fluffy friend now, but after a while he will realise that Kalim is kind of right… a cat is even better than a friend. Hanging out with it doesn’t take as much energy, in fact, Jamil feels very energised after petting it and playing with it. Wow… a cat would do wonders to Jamil’s psyche…! He would both cuddle with it and let it sleep in his bed at night, and play a lot of active games with it whenever he has time for it.

Vil – despite how busy he always is, I think he would accept the cat immediately. The cat clearly chose him – it’s only fair that it’s Vil’s responsibility to take care of it now… I don’t think Vil has a lot of experience with cats, but he would read a lot of books and articles to make sure that the cat lives a good life in his dorm. He wouldn’t be as excessive as Kalim, but… he might have gotten carried away with the stuff that he got for the cat. But all of it is very necessary! The best cat food (he’ll ditch it after a while and start cooking for the cat himself), the best sleeping place, the best toys to make sure that the cat is active and healthy. He will also bathe it, brush its fur every day, trim its nails… Vil’s cat is going to be such a wonderfully groomed cat that knows all kinds of tricks and is very smart and well-behaved… but also Vil’s capricious baby that hates everyone other than him lol

Rook – oh, he wouldn’t consider himself an owner, he would always say that he is a companion to his cat lol He wouldn’t get surprised when the cat suddenly starts to follow him around, but he would act so flattered and honoured! Such a beautiful creature decided to illuminate his life with its presence. Rook is pretty good at talking to animals, so he would have conversations with his cat… While sitting in a tree together lol He would feed it of course, but he would also hunt with it and would prefer for it to catch its own prey. He also doesn’t want to trim its nails or groom it more than necessary, but alas, if it wants to live in Pomefiore with him, it has to follow Vil’s rules~ Rook wouldn’t want to anger the queen with an ill-behaved and dirty cat, right? Maybe he would prefer to keep the cat outside though, to keep it as undomesticated as possible. A weirdo…

Epel – he would be so happy! It’s been a while since he owned a pet, and this is the first time he has a cat. He would pet and cuddle it a lot, even if it’s still dirty… Of course, his first instinct would be to feed it and to bring it to his room. But he would also probably be anxious to bring it to the dorm: what if Vil sees it and takes it away… and even if Vil doesn’t see it, Rook is definitely going to notice the cat smell or something, and he will snitch on him! Anyways, he won’t be able to keep it a secret for a long time, but the cat will do some damage lol Surprisingly, Epel will only get scolded for not being a proper owner, so as long as he does better, the cat can stay. But it probably means that his senpai will start taking care of the cat as well. Epel will be a bit jealous, it’s his cat after all…

Idia – he’d die. He’d be so happy. A cat that doesn’t hate him? A cat that wants to hang out? A cat that FOLLOWS HIM TO HIS ROOM AND STAYS THERE? HIS CAT? Idia would feel like he spent all of his luck points that he had saved up for these 18 years. Or was it good karma? Anyways, Idia now spends all his time building cat towers and automatic feeders and toys and all kinds of gadgets for his cool new cat. At first he wouldn’t be as good at talking to a cat, and it would be very obvious that he is a bit worried when he pets it and doesn’t want to scare it away, but he’ll start cuddling with it pretty quickly. He’s so happy… It doesn’t feel real, it doesn’t feel real at all. Even when he gets used to the cat and stops being so awkward around it, he will still feel such huge wave of happiness every time he sees it, as if every time he sees it is the first time…

Ortho – this is the first time he has a fluffy friend, well, other than Grim of course! And Lucius isn’t very friendly with him either, so this is a pretty new experience! Of course, partially he would be excited because if he owns a cat, it’s Idia’s cat as well, and he knows how much Idia loves cats. But also, this is such a good opportunity to make a proper cat-to-human translator!.. It’s weird with Ortho. He has all the info he needs, and he is very good at some things, but somehow… petting and interacting with a cat is a bit difficult. Why doesn’t kitty want to eat this food? Why did it pee in the wrong place? What’s going on? I think he’ll end up asking Trein for advice a lot, and this will be a good experience for everyone involved. Also, his cat loves him more when his processor gets hot lol he is a walking heater.

Lilia – he would be happy at first and show off and brag because now he isn’t just cute, he’s double cute! With a cute cat on his head/shoulders! But at the same time, I don’t know if he is the best person to have a cat. I feel like he is one of those who try to feed it with milk, but also knowing Lilia, he literally makes those he cares for drink milk from a mug. Maybe he’d act differently with a cat, but it surely will be an adventure for this poor animal lol He plays with it similarly to how Floyd plays with his cat, and just like with Floyd, somehow it makes the cat very attached to him. Sometimes Lilia cuddles it and kisses it a lot, but a lot of times it’s the cat that gets clingy with Lilia and wants to sleep with its head on his shoulder. Acting like a baby, smh…

Silver – aw, he would be so good. Similarly to Rook, he would consider a cat to be a companion, but he would also try to be very responsible with his he takes care of it. He would take it to Diasomnia and let it sleep in his bed, wouldn’t do much grooming or brushing, but he would do his best in terms of playing with it and feeding it well, I think. Especially the latter lol But the majority of time the cat would just cuddle up and sleep with him whenever he’s dozing off.

Sebek – he has better things to do than to indulge in these games!! He says as he brings the cat home with a bunch of books with all the necessary information on how to take care of a cat!! Did he also fall victim of cute paws and purring? Maybe! But it won’t affect his performance as Malleus’ guard in a slightest! I think he will try to train the cat, and he might even succeed to some degree, but his cat won’t be as well-trained as Vil’s or Azul’s. Maybe the cat just doesn’t take him seriously and just wants to make biscuits on his stomach while sleeping on his lap… Sebek would seethe, but won’t move until the cat leaves :(

Malleus – the cat isn’t afraid of him? Oh he would be so delighted. He was very happy about the goat in the Glorious Masquerade event, and I think his reaction would be similar here: first amusement, a little surprise, but then he would get so tickled and excited for this new companionship. The cat would be allowed to seemingly disrespect Malleus by positioning itself on his horns, leaving fur on his garment, playing with his hair, and Malleus would laugh… until the cat scratches him. Then Malleus would start sulking. But he’ll get over it, he’s not a baby.

[1296-very-good-year]

What I absolutely adore about Arcane in season 1 was its dedication to treating magic realistically. Science is the study of the natural world after all, and in Arcane's world, magic IS natural. Scientists would be the ones pursuing it.

Hextech was always going be invented, if not by Jayce and Viktor, then by somebody else down the line. By trying to stop them, Heimerdinger was only delaying the inevitable.

We get to see exactly how "science" can go wrong, both with Jayce succumbing to political manipulation to build weapons on behalf of the ruling class, and with Viktor throwing caution to the wind in his desperation to save himself. BOTH of them fuck around and find out. Dead child and dead Sky. (Singed is also used to explore a lack of ethics).

BUT Heimerdinger is not proven right. His position of trying to stop their research for the harm it could cause was wrong, because all scientific/technological progress can lead to harm. Harnessing fire allowed us to cook food and boil water to kill germs, dramatically improving and saving lives. It also lets us burn down cities, but that is no reason to avoid using fire altogether.

Season 1 does end with a Hextech-powered bomb going off in Viktor and Jayce's face, but it is clear that the corruption of the council and the systemic injustice the rich profited from is what created Silco, Jinx, and ultimately that bomb. Happy people don't burn down cities.

The council had control of all Hextech development from the beginning. They demanded the creation of the Hexgates - which did nothing to help the people of Zaun - and Piltover flourished. Zaun only got worse in those 6 years. All Viktor and Jayce wanted to do was give magic to everyone, but Heimerdinger made them delay it, and so their work was only used to serve the wealthy. They were never allowed the freedom to give magic to the common people.

Heimerdinger's stagnation as leader on the council for decades was infinitely more responsible for that bomb than Viktor and Jayce.

End of Season 1. Brilliant. Showstopping. Spectacular. Etc.

How does season 2 expand on this? Spoiler alert....

NOT WELL

We are introduced to the concept of the Arcane itself reacting negatively to use of Hextech. The anomaly appears that begins to poison life that comes in contact with it. Here is our metaphor for environmental destruction/pollution by industry. Interesting, let's see where that metaphor leads! (The answer is it leads nowhere).

While Heimerdinger was never shown grappling with the results of the terrorist attack that killed people he was presumably close to, he did FINALLY change enough to help Ekko create an anomaly to get home. He also worked directly to improve the lives of people in Zaun in the 3 years he was in that alternate timeline. Good stuff!

AND THEN

We are told that in all timelines Viktor goes crazy and tries to assimilate everyone into a single emotionless hivemind. Inevitably. Except, the alternate timeline where Ekko and Heimerdinger go is one without Hextech at all, where Jayce likely killed himself, and Viktor would have died from his disease. So, either there is an evil Viktor running around offscreen in that timeline, or he only ends the world if Hextech is invented.

If we make the more obvious assumption that Viktor only goes crazy in all timelines where Hextech is invented, then the through line here is that apparently Hextech should never have been pursued in the first place, and Viktor should have just let himself die.

"Hextech is a curse," Jayce says, and this is not once challenged by the narrative.

"I used to want to give magic to the world, now all I want is my partner back." .....what the fuck...

Jayce and Viktor's arcs are complete when they decide to kill themselves TOGETHER this time, along with destroying the Hexgates, the anomaly, and Ekko's Z drive, symbolically removing Hextech from the world to save the day. This is - in the writers words - the end of their story.

Season 2 says Viktor and Jayce should never have stopped each other from jumping to their deaths. Hextech was bad all along, actually.

Mel's magic is natural and wonderful because she was born with it.

And Singed apparently didn't try to use magic for his unethical science, so he gets his happy ending :)

[sometimesoliloquy]

Ultimately the right question is: How is it a crime that Nick isn't a Mayday agent? (In the show because he is in the book) That doesn't make him a guy who doesn't fight because he condones what's going on in Gilead.

Exactly right. How is this the thing that makes Nick a bad guy? At this point June taking several years to realize that Nick's not some sort of revolutionary freedom fighter really seems like her issue, not his. We know he's not. But he's also not an agent for Gilead. He's always been in the middle, playing within the system but using it to protect those he cares about, and enact change where he can, to make things better. He's allowed Gilead to "win this battle" so to speak, but it's so clear it's because he was painted into a corner, not because he wants Gilead to win. He's not on their side. Even without knowing all the facts here, June should know this given their entire history.

No, he's never been a Mayday agent but he's also worked against Gilead's rules, or rather worked within Gilead's rules against Gilead. Working as an Eye to get some of the worst commanders out of the way (self-serving at times but also doing what's right). Doing little things he can, like smuggling the handmaids' letters to Canada. And he's not a Mayday agent but we know he's worked with them (which I still maintain that by Lily's definition in 5x03 means he is Mayday). Probably most explicitly at the start of s2 trying to get June out of Gilead. It's stated that he's working with Mayday here but implied perhaps for the first time, or at least in this capacity (smuggling people out). "I don't know, I've never done this before". But he certainly knew how to get in contact with them, and fast, whether because he had worked in smaller capacity with them before or just knowing from being an Eye, we don't know. 

And here's something that hadn't really occurred to me before recently, on my last rewatch--I really think that Nick would have had to call in a big favor--or be beholden to a fair amount of continued assistance/intel to Mayday--for them to agree to helping June escape in the first place. Especially if he hadn't worked with them before. Because as we learn in another episode, as a rule Mayday generally won't touch handmaids (let along a pregnant handmaid!). They're too valuable to Gilead and therefore too high profile, and too dangerous to get involved with. Do we really think Nick could have just run to them and they'd be like sure ok np, we'll just risk our entire operation to move a pregnant handmaid of a powerful commander without some sort of collateral from him(that we of course never see)?

And I think this is also an important reminder that, while they are fighting the good fight, Mayday also has their own priorities, their own code of what they'll do and what risks they consider too great to jeopardize the larger operation, no matter how good the cause or how vulnerable the people needing help. They don't just help anyone who needs it at any time no matter what. They exercise deliberate caution (well, this current s6 Mayday cell maybe not quite as much!) and they are aware of and willing to accept the unfortunate possibility of collateral damage. Which is exactly the kind of calculation that we've seen Nick operate with, the twist being that his motivations are largely very personal--surviving, protecting June and Holly--where Mayday's are largely strategic--striking against Gilead (and we know he's always been most reckless and ready to risk when it comes to June).

I think we should also not forget here the actions--or at least intentions--of other characters that in essence are not that different from what Nick did: Moira smuggling June on the NGO boat in s4, putting everyone involved in danger and the entire future of the humanitarian operations at risk. For personal reasons, for the one person she just couldn't stand to leave behind again. And June, ready to rashly do pretty much the exact same thing in 6x05 asking Janine to leave with them that night, which likely would have scrapped the whole Mayday plan AND put the rest of the women at Jezebels in danger (the two things she's ostensibly mad at Nick for). Both characters were rightfully scolded for their actions but it was portrayed as understandable, the human need to put those you love first (I won't even get into all June's actions that have put others in danger trying to get to Hannah or make Gilead hurt after Hannah is put out of reach). 

So why is it that Nick seems to be the only one who doesn't get grace for this? The only real difference as I see it is that he operates in Gilead, within a place of relative power. But as we've seen, power is often an illusion in Gilead, where you can gain or lose it in an instant, and there is always another man around the corner ready to put a noose around your neck or a bullet in your brain (or shackle you with a child bride, or a trip to the war front) if you get in their way. Nick knows this all too well, having been on both sides of the equation! But this is the thing that allows people to say what he did is so wrong, is so much worse than the others, because of this illusion of power, and the illusion of choice we also know exists in Gilead. Elizabeth Moss can say "but there's always a choice, isn't there" and yeah sure that's true, but in this case the other choice was likely for Nick to die, or be jailed and sentenced to death, and June stuck in NB with his vindictive father-in-law on the warpath. And how is that the best choice?

I've got to think that June is gonna realize this after she's had time to calm down and process, but emotions have been high and she's a very reactive person, a lasher-outer, so it's likely not going to be pretty in the immediate future. She's going to have to come to a reckoning and I think it's also going to be a good opportunity for her character to do some self-reflection on herself and the selfishness several characters have been calling her out on lately. If they don't go that direction they'll not only be doing Nick dirty but also do a disservice to the larger character development of June.

[dcdreamblog]

So I’m a little confused about the hero(?) called vigilante, he seems to be both a cowboy themed crime fighter and a violent psychopath in a power rangers suit. Are they different guys? Do they have any connection outside of the name?

They most certainly do not, the connection between Golden Age hero Greg Saunders and ANY of the murderers and sociopaths who have taken the name Vigilante after him is nonexistent and, in fact, any attempts to claim legitimacy from him are strongly condemned by Saunders.

(The portrait of Saunders currently on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN)

By now everyone on this blog should know Saunders. The son of a Wyoming lawman killed by criminal elements he took up the tools of the cowboy's trade and became a scourge to criminals from the Mississippi to the coast. He served with the 7 Soldiers of Victory and the All Star Squadron before being lost to time just after WWII, only recovered by an early case of the JLA. He has since mostly retired, married and settled down to a quiet life running a chain of western restaurants and serving as elected sheriff of a small town on the Mexican border.

(A photograph of Adrian Chase as Vigilante, firing back at pursuing police officers during an on foot chase) The man I believe you are referring to is disgraced former Manhattan judge and district attorney Adrian Chase. Originally a popular opponent to the city's organized crime he suffered a nervous breakdown after the death of his wife and children in a mob hit. Adopting the masked identity of the Vigilante he sought to mete out his own brand of justice across the big apple. He was a murderer. A mass murderer at that. A serial killer in every name but publicity. His body count stands at at least 300, most likely more, including at least two police officers. 35% of his victims had never been convicted of any crime. 15% had never been held in suspicion of one. Some people call Adrian Chase a controversial figure. I don't. Whether you like it or not, here is the unquestionable truth: Chase's actions did not eradicate the mafia in New York City. His activities made no significant statistical difference in crime rates. The guilt or innocence of many of his victims cannot be conclusively proven and less than 20% of his victims were ever under suspicion of a capital crime in the first place. Leaving ASIDE the fact that New York is a state with no death penalty by the will of its own population. The men he killed were criminals, people insist. I am educated and empathetic enough to know that crime, and organized crime in particular, are born out of poverty. Men and women from impoverished neighborhoods finding the only way out from under the system's boot. It is not a dragon you can slay, it's a side effect of a broken system. There is a REASON superheroes don't kill, even back to literal Nazi saboteurs in WWII. Because as of now we do not live in a society where we are meant to CHEER men in masks deciding who is allowed to live and who is supposed to die behind some condemned building in the dark. And I will never consent to living in a society where that is the case, especially when the victims of this kind of top down self righteousness on the part of a man who was meant to uphold and respect the rule of our laws and the rights of its accused will ALWAYS target those who are poor, marginalized or unwell above ANYONE else. My only regret in the life of Adrian Chase is that he managed to commit suicide before he could be publically arrested. Chase has been directly responsible as inspiration for at least 7 copycat killers, 2 following directly in the wake of his persona, 2 who are tied to the infamous mercenary hitman Deathstroke by the FBI, one in Metropolis, one in Gotham and one who is still currently at large in Los Angeles. I pray only that he is caught, unmasked and convicted before a jury of his peers. And that the families of those who any of these serial killers passed their "judgement" upon might someday find peace.

[maemaybe]

Things I wish every part of my system could actually really understand and internalize:

The abuse is over. It will never happen again.

Our parents are dead. Their rules are canceled. Their opinions don't matter anymore.

Our opinions, thoughts, feelings and needs matter to the people in our life. We can speak up and people will listen to us.

People are not allowed to hurt us. We do not deserve to be hurt.

The things we care about and love will not be taken away from us to punish us.

I'm going to add to this list later. This is just what's on my mind now.

[smitethestate]

"If voting was worthless they wouldn't be trying to make it harder."

"If voting worked they'd make it illegal."

Okay these are both fun slogans but let's talk about what really happened here in the US.

First they made it so only white landowning men could vote. Then over the years other groups of people kept fighting for the right to vote and winning and the white landowning men were like "fuck well we can't defeat the masses outright on this so we'll just make a bunch of rules that make it hard for them to vote." And the oppressed masses fought against those too and won a bunch of gains on the issue like the Civil Rights Act.

So the powerful learned from their mistakes and made other, more subtle rules to make it harder to vote as the two parties battled back and forth to win the most power and influence and corporate donor money.

Republicans fought by making it as hard as possible to vote because they tend to win when less people vote, and especially when only the privileged with a lot of money and free time can manage it.

Democrats fought by trying to get more people to vote, but it's a bit more complicated than that. They're still beholden to wealthy corporate donors, so they can't just let pure democracy happen. They can't let real leftists become presidential nominees or allow real leftist policy like universal healthcare to pass. What they can do is convince you over and over to vote for the "reasonable" option under threat of Republican Hell so that you not only give them more power, but hand over your money and your time/energy to convince other people to give them more power and money.

Republicans benefit from the same kind of threat to their constituents, even as they're more blatant in their fight to stop people from voting.

The result is a system in which both the statements at the top of this post are true. If our voting system threatened to turn the US into a socialist utopia where the masses had all the power, they'd make it illegal. Democrats have never made a serious move to abolish the Electoral College. They absolutely mobilized to prevent even Bernie from becoming the Dem nominee. They'd do it again.

And you can see the same patterns in similar nations. Labor gained power in the UK only to become an anti-labor neoliberal party practically overnight. France elected a leftist government and Macron just went "nope."

But they're never going to make voting all the way illegal for just landowning men again, let alone make it outright illegal, because they know that would inspire the masses to rise up and make too much trouble again, and who knows what they'd lose? The current situation is working out great for them.

Meanwhile, of course Republicans want to make voting a certain amount of hard because they do want the most power, but even Trump probably knows better than to outlaw voting. At most he'd turn the US into a sham democracy like his idol Putin.

Which would of course suck, but the point it that the two statements up top are both essentially true but reductive.

Voting isn't worthless but those in power are never going to let us vote our was into a society that removes or even significantly reduces their power. You can maybe make things temporarily a little better or prevent them from getting worse for some people by voting.

But the problem is that people aren't just voting. They're voting and then telling themselves that they did their duty and using that as an excuse to do nothing else. Or they're voting and donating millions to Kamala in mere hours while GFMs for Palestinians and other desperate people stagnate. Or they're voting and giving all their attention, energy, and time to the two big party presidential candidates by volunteering or yelling at people on social media or both so all the money and power is funneled back into those who already have nearly all of it.

And nothing is left to actually fight for a better world.

I don't care to tell people whether to vote or how. It feels to me like a choice between a fast death or a slow one, which sucks either way. What pisses me off is that we're letting the powerful convince us to invest so much in them with this perpetual election season as the world circles the drain, and the most powerful know full well that this leaves us with too few resources to ever topple them from their thrones.

You're letting them pull your strings instead of breaking them. Things get worse every year and the longer we do this, the worse it's going to be for us all, and worse still for future generations. How long are you going to fight to slow down the train that's headed for the cliff instead of jumping off it while there's still time?

Don't scold me about voting on behalf of the train conductors hoarding all the train food. It's not a perfect metaphor ok but the point is fuck off and fuck this.

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Never put a human in a zoo

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)    

The sudden extinction of the Dre people was as sudden as it was unexpected to the galactic community. They were one of the oldest and most technologically advanced races in the universe. Heavily isolationist by nature, coupled with their inherent self-sense of superiority they viewed much of the other space faring species as little more than savages by comparison as none of them presented a credible challenge their rule. Yet within a month they had lost nearly 99% of their population across multiple worlds.

The worst hit was their homeworld of Belnuck situated at the heart of their empire which became an empty husk of a world seemingly overnight. Ancient and powerful cities of technological wonder now were little more than ghost towns to be picked clean by scavengers.

There were no signs of civil strife or unrest, no exterior threat from military forces, not even a record of natural disaster on their homeworld. Nothing was found that could give a clue as to what could have erased such a prominent power as the Dre, and so it was written off as a deadly unsolved mystery and the galactic community went on.

At least, that was what the public report stated.

It wasn’t until a group of Kreen scavengers came upon a set of personal journals that the shroud of uncertainty was lifted. Only to be then shortly locked away and sealed under the highest security restrictions to ensure the truth never saw the light of day.

These are those journal entries: ------------------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-757931 Head curator Migu

The benefactors are requesting we add new exhibits to the zoo again.

I thought they would have been content with the Draxic specimens we captured last month but it seems the general public no longer find giant lizards fascinating to observe. One of them suggested we allow the Draxic to mingle with other exhibits for inter species interactions for potential science research; but I could tell right away that what they really wanted from this was to have guests pay to see those lizard savages rip apart our other attractions like a Frong in a Skitch field.

I wish they could at least try to hide their greediness behind some semblance of rationality. At least then it would be easier to stomach.

I’ve scheduled a discussion with our head capture specialists to go out and find new attractions for the people later today. I don’t have much hope they can find anything as fascinating to revive interest but one never knows. End Log Entry. ---------------------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-757935 Head curator Migu

Capture team theta appears to have acquired something of value.

The specimens were caught will transitioning into real space at the edge of a system and were removed from their vessel shortly after.

Their technology was primitive in nature, but from the recordings the capture team sent back their esthetic design choices appear to be unique for such a low species. Accessing their data banks was a trivial matter and provided a wealth of history to them.

They appear to call themselves “Humons”, and have only recently begun intergalactic travel.

From the data we have gathered these humons are a highly warlike society repeating cycles of great conflict to great resurgence throughout their history. During war time they have fought with everything from sharpened wood stakes to low grade thermo nuclear devices.

While lacking the physical exciting traits like armored skin or shape shifting qualities, I believe their nature as a self-destructive race will make them a comedic addition to the zoo.

Theta team is on their way back now with them and I’ve already given instructions to create the new paddock for them in the east wing. With any luck the benefactors will find them as amusing as I do and calm down. End Log Entry. ------------------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-757940 Head curator Migu It could not have gone any better. The public loves the new attractions and the benefactors love the increase in profits. Theta team captured roughly a dozen of these humons and when coupled with their historical data we were able to depict several invigorating habitats. We injected them with the standard nano machines to provide feedback on each of them for both the caretakers and the guests. I do have some concerns about handing the medical needs of these humons as none of our handlers know how to treat them, but I have tasked them with dissecting the gathered data for any relevant medical information. They seem very energetic and many of them have not stopped trying to escape their exhibit since they woke up. A few of them have already begun crafting crude weapons to defend themselves while forming mini factions. The largest group has created a primitive wooden fortress by sharpening sticks and creating walls with them. The smaller group has kept their distance from the larger groups while the remaining few have decided to remain in isolation from both groups. Guests love it when they start banging on the windows and try to talk with them. The children in particular I overheard already picking out their favorites and rooting for them to survive should they begin fighting. We’ve not had this kind of engagement since we brought in Bengols with their psionic abilities. ------------------------------

Personal Journal Entry J-758021 Head curator Migu

It’s been several cycles since my last entry and we’ve had a few snags. Our lack of medical knowledge regarding our latest exhibits has proven costly. Despite our best efforts to decrypt the remaining data from their ships it appears medical information was damaged beyond recovery during the capture process. This has left us unable to properly care for them during medical emergencies; which have happened far sooner than expected.

After several days of captivity several of the humons began showing signs of rapidly deteriorating mental stability. They’ve displayed signs of paranoia, societal breakdown, and an increase in aggression levels to the point they murdered other humons in the enclosure.

We’ve never had this problem before with our other exhibits, at least within such a short timeframe, and now the benefactors are calling for my head. They are upset that their most prized money generators are murdering each other risking their profit margin.

I’ve suggested applying mild sedatives to calm them but was denied. They insist that curbing their more primitive tendencies would cause customers to lose interest in them.

The suggestion of capturing more of these humons was strongly advocated for but it was my turn to deny that request. Deploying a capture team was an expensive endeavor and if the humons continued killing each other the costs would overturn any increase in profits.

I’m putting together alternatives now for my next meeting with them. Hopefully something will come along and save our hides. ---------------------------------

Personal Journal Entry J-758043 Head curator Migu

The problem for the time being has resolved itself via an unexpected avenue.

One of the capture humons was seen treating the few remaining humans; providing basic medical treatment and care.

Ordinarily we would have written off such behavior but because of our current medical situation we decided to bend regulations and reach out to the subject directly.

A translator unit was acquired and we were able to speak directly with the humon. It took several minutes to calibrate, thankfully much of their speech was unrecognizable. They would not stop trying to speak with us while it was being adjusted and went on and on about wanting to be set free and demanding answers. Honestly you think these humons would be grateful that we are lowering ourselves to speak with them.

When they finally calmed down we explained the situation to them. In exchange for their cooperation they would be given special privileges to treats and comforts for the duration of their stay. They wanted to be let out and freed from the exhibit but I quickly shut that down as a non-starter.

It eventually dawned on them that this was going to be their new existence for the remainder of their life and could live in comfort or watch as their friends died one by one; and they accepted the offer. -------------------------

Personal Journal Entry J-758117 Head curator Migu

While unusual the negotiating tactic with the humon has resolved the issue for us and the benefactors are happy once more.

With the medical humons help they were able to stabilize the injured humons while also negotiate a form of agreement between the humon factions in the exhibit. They could still maim and injure each other while guests were present but would not kill and then would be treated afterwards before the next day’s opening.

Interestingly enough the medical humon has proved very useful. They’ve been able to communicate with the rest of the humons and get them to fall in line. What’s more they’ve been minimalistic in requests with the biggest being to be taught some of the basics of our medical equipment so he can use it himself.

Ordinarily we don’t allow this but it would have freed up some of the medical wing so we allowed it with extensive supervision.

I must admit I am rather proud of myself for resolving the situation, and with such little expenditure. Things now are running smoothly once more and the profits are seeing ever increasing margins. Maybe now the benefactors will get off my back. Though honestly I think it’ll only last one or two months before the humons are worn out and they want something new.

---------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-758135 Head curator Migu

Oh gods it burns!

Everyone at the zoo is screaming and clawing their own skin!

Gods damnit make it stop! MaKE IT Stop!!!!!!!!!!!

-----------------------

Emergency Transmission January 2873 Chief Medical Officer Maxwill Clemons

This is Chief Medical officer Maxwill Clemons of the ship “Hades Rest” calling out to any terran ships requesting immediate rescue.

I am not sure what planet or system we’re in, but hone in on this signal and you will find us. I will be repeating this message every hour on the hour for as long as this place has power.

I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been in this god forsaken hellhole. The automated day/night cycles have made my attempts at record keeping near impossible.

Maybe a month? Two? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.

We were kidnapped from our ship after exiting a jump and woke up to find ourselves in some sort of alien zoo. The aliens refused to speak to us at first, instead watching us from windows and laughing at us while we struggled to find out what was going on.

They’re all dead now. The aliens that is.

I never knew what they called themselves and I don’t really care.

They treated my friends like animals, so I took their precious tech and turned it on them. Made the nano machines they injected us with register the alien DNA as a deadly virus in need of immediate eradication.

First one I got was the one who was so smug about our capture and display. They changed their tune after I spat in their eye and their face started melting as the nano tech spread. Two others came in after the screaming started and they got infected as well before fleeing the room.

I stood up and went to my comrades “habitat’ and let them out as every alien around us began screaming and melting away. That was at least three days ago now and I haven’t seen one of them yet. Their whole planet now is like one massive ghost town.

We’ve enough provisions to last us and the other freed captives for some time, but please do hurry. I want off this fraking shit hole as soon as possible. --------------- Message repeats:

Emergency Transmission January 2873 Chief Medical Officer Maxwill Clemons

This is Chief Medical officer Maxwill Clemons of the ship “Hades Rest” calling out to any terran ships requesting immediate rescue. ------

[fromchaostocosmos]

If you will forgive my somewhat clunky metaphor, being a Jew on the Left often feels like I'm in abusive relationship.

I'm most certainly not going to go to the Right not only because of my morals, ethics, and values, but because whether it be overt or covert their end goal is the death and destruction of me, my people, our culture, and everything we hold believe in. It is like the Right is someone who just all red flags and your gut tells you if enter into a relationship with them the only way it ends is with them killing you. But the Left, well the Left seems cool and you get along and have similar view points so you think okay this could work. But it turns out the have some strange friends who have some real not okay thoughts and the Left will say "I'm not really with them you know", but they will still do stuff with and invite to stuff and won't end the friendship when those friends say some real disgusting things. Then as things progress you are not allowed to have things from a different perspective made from the nuances of your history and experiences. Then Left is telling you can't have certain thoughts, feelings, or be hurt by things. The Left is telling you what think is not what you think, what you heard you didn't, what you saw you didn't see, you just don't get it, you don't understand. Suddenly the rules that you both agreed to are being changed on you, and you are being told that you liar and are in fact the one with power and abusive. Not just that antisemitism is not antisemitism and according to Left you call everything antisemitism to delegitimize and downplay and shutdown. Suddenly the Left knows your history better then you and is explaining your beliefs, history, just everything to you as if you don't know it all already and know it better and more in depth. You are alone with no one and the Left is saying you are cheating with the Right when you would never and you just want to make it work. And it all is mess.

That is basically how I feel right now about the Left and how it feels to be a leftist and Jewish.

I mean it has always been somewhat difficult. There has always been a pretty large amount of antisemitism there. But right now it is on a whole kind of level.

I mean there is the old joke about hating Jews being the one thing that can bring the left and right together.

I think a fair amount of what I'm describing other marginalized people's have felt to a degree as well on the left. I do not want to discount those experiences.

I think overall the left needs to do better, I think it needs to stop being so White TM like white focused in its leftism, I think also that using the USA understanding of Race and Racial politics is dangerous and plain unhelpful when applied to global scale.

I think the Left needs to stop viewing the amount of color in a persons skin to what they must be because it ignores so much history and nuance. This doesn't mean we ignore White Privilege because we can not. This means we need to start having nuance and dialectical thinking going on. Such as understanding Conditional Whiteness and White Privilege are not the same.

The Left also needs to take Colorism more seriously as a whole and do more to combat and end it.

The Left needs to learn and understand just how much of the world we live in now is built on so many systemic abuses. And that the very foundation of it, no material that the foundation is made of is Systemic Ableism, Systemic Anti-Blackness, Systemic Antisemitism, and Systemic Misogyny with everything really branching off and out from there.

[love-triangles-au]

What do you think?

Oh I love this!! I love biology and did some school projects on dog and cat genetics, so you're totally speaking my language!

It's probably worth noting that Venuz is not a Euclydian, so his genetic makeup is entirely different from Bill and his family's and they could not reproduce. He is from a line of leucistic Alabasters, so his white is not typical "spotting" but rather a genetic mutation.

My main question with this system is where an "irregular" (non-equilateral) shape would go. We know they exist since Bill mentions rhombuses and trapezoids in TBoB. Also, do all Euclidyans have the same brick patterning, or does it vary?

Regardless, I think this is a super awesome headcanon. Ours are a bit different, but since it's all speculation there really is no right or wrong answer, and I think your interpretation is absolutely fantastic. Since you shared yours with us and clearly spent a long time considering it, I wanted to come up with my own genetic system that fits with Minty and I's hcs to share with you!

(Bear in mind that as much as I adore biology, I have never formally studied it, so if any of this seems like total cap please do let me know so that I can learn more!)

All (physiologically typical) Euclydians actually display both red, blue, AND yellow pigments (alongside melanin) in the form of chromatophores above white! The natural color of a Euclydian (i.e., Bill's yellow) is not actually a result of pigmentation, but determined by the resting state of the microscopic muscles that control the chromatophores.

It took me a very long time to workshop what I think that would look like on the loci, but here's what I came up with:

Again, crucially, this is in a resting state. Even a rrbbyymm Euclydian could flash any color of the rainbow if they consciously chose to do so!

To encourage color diversity, I also wanted there to be a natural inclination towards heterozygous allele pairs (mismatched alleles. i.e., Rr rather than RR or rr). I think heterozygous individuals may have better control over their chromatophores and a better metabolism, possibly use less energy to change color. In fact, I think pure dominance in these loci may result in a higher chance to end up with chronic fatigue due to metabolic strain, maybe pure dominant individuals are prone to overheating as well?

If natural selection was in play, this would naturally make homozygous pairs (matched alleles. i.e., RR and rr) rarer, but, since it isn't, I'm thinking that each pigment allele also has a slight bias towards segregating away from the same alleles during gamete formation (I believe this is called a meiotic drive? Still not entirely sure how it works but I know it does happen).

Instead of a dilution locus, the basal color is white, which allows pastel tones when the chromatophores are more contracted. The reason I chose white as the base is so that they can truly be any color, as pigment mixes subtractively (that is, like paint: mixing every color would create black rather than white as with light).

Limbs are often darker than the main body as chromatophores are denser in those areas. I imagine this may be to shield the flesh as the limbs are softer than the main body.

As for patterning, I'm not totally sure! White spotting as in mammals wouldn't function in this system since the skin is already white, but I did think that maybe a locus that determines how spaced-apart the chromatophores are might be interesting. Something like CC/Cc/cc where CC = high density with rich and smooth color expression; Cc = medium density, maybe prone to speckling or gradation; and cc = low density with patchy coloring.

For shape, I'm even less certain, as I only ever really did my projects on pigments, but I kind go by Flatland rules where equilaterals have a small chance for their offspring to gain a side. Not sure how this would work genetically and I've been working on this for hours so will let you decide lol!

Hope you enjoy, I know I did! Thanks again for sharing, I love your art!

~ Mod Emily 🦇

[kiatheinsomniac]

──── 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘, 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 ˊˎ -

☾ ⋆ ﾟ𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 / 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: nov. 2023 top supporter: @magical-warlock who's always a darling to work with. I had a little fun with this and made reader a banshee bc immortal lovers yk? 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Sebastian Michaelis x banshee! Reader 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 1k 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: possessiveness, jealousy, Grell bashing (sorry)

You watch from across the alley as the grim reaper drapes herself all over your demon lover. Your jaw grits and you can feel a frustrated scream bubbling up in the back of your throat. Time and time again, she’s pursued Sebastian, her voice hollering out that nickname Bassy just before she does as though coming with her very own warning system. But your darling demon lover is always quick to turn her down with his tongue as sharp and silver as the knives he fights with. 

But while you’ve been out accompanying your young Lord, she’s shown her face again. She claims it’s for work once again but you’re becoming less and less inclined to believe her: why always her and never another reaper? It seems too coincidental to your protective self. Unfortunately for you though, where reapers go, death springs forth and where death goes, you follow. That’s why you’re able to stay in the service of your young Lord with Sebastian at your side: the last of the Phantomhives does not lead a peaceful life. 

With another flip of her long red hair, Grell drapes herself over Sebsatian’s shoulder and you find your patience has run thin. You leave Ciel’s side for a moment, knowing the area is clear and he is more than safe with both his governess and butler present. You step towards the two and take Sebastian’s arm, wanting to make a show of propriety and possessiveness. You might be in an area sheltered from prying eyes but it’s a public space nonetheless and it’s improper for a lady to be all over a man as she is. 

“Sebastian, my love, we should return to the carriage now. Our work here is done and the young Lord should return home.”

“Of course, darling.” He makes a show of taking your gloved hand and pressing a kiss to your knuckles, shooting Grell a look from the corner of his crimson eyes. You can’t help the smug upturn the corner of your lips make. Sebastian returns your hand to the crook of your arm. 

“ ‘Darling’ ?!” Grell exclaims. For the sake of public decency, you’ve always kept your relationship with Sebastian a very private matter for the sake of your young master’s image in this human society and its countless social rules – but beings like you and Sebastian have no care for a holy marriage and see no reason to participate just to blend in when you could just stay reserved instead. Sebastian’s hand moves to the small of your back in order to draw you closer. 

“Why yes, my darling y/n.” He flashes a closed-eye smile, amused to see Grell’s utter shock and despair. 

“You-! You’d rather this… this… wailing-” 

“Watch your tongue, reaper.” You bite, eyes narrowing.

“A banshee! You’d rather have a banshee than me?! That screeching-?!”

“She does her job as you do yours.” Sebastian cuts in and leans down to press a kiss to your temple while you smile like the cat who got the cream. “You bring death and she alerts those of when it is impending.” You have to stifle your laughter at how Grell’s jaw drops and she’s left a stuttering mess. You cover your mouth with your free hand and allow Sebastian to lead the both of you back towards the waiting carriage and Ciel. You glance over your shoulder to flash a cheeky wave with your fingers as you set a hand on Sebastian’s bicep and give it a gentle squeeze as the two of you part so that he can open the door for Ciel, you following in behind him and sitting upon the bench opposite him, facing backwards. The door shuts the two of you inside and you spy Grell through the little window, seeming to be wrapped up in some despairing monologue of her own. It makes you giggle which catches Ciel’s attention. He raises a brow, the band of his eyepatch raising slightly with the movement. 

“I don’t appreciate the open displays of affection but it was certainly worth it to see that reaper in such a state.” He smirks as he uses his cane to tuck the window’s curtain aside just enough to watch the red-clad reaper in the midst of her meltdown.

The carriage jostles slightly as Sebastian gets up into the driver’s seat and the three of you begin your return to the Phantomhive manor. 

∴.·:*¨ ¨*:·. ☙.·:*¨ ¨*:·.♡ .·:*¨ ¨*:·. ❧.·:*¨ ¨*:·.∴

That evening, as you prepare yourself for bed, a set of cool hands smooth over your shoulders. 

“I never knew you to be so possessive, my darling~” His words drawl into your ear, breath fanning over your ear before he presses a warm kiss just below it. You let out a low hum of pleasure as you turn around to face him, reaching up to loop your arms loosely around his neck. You stretch up onto your toes to softly brush your lips against his.

“Demons aren’t the only creatures capable of being very protective of what's theirs~” You giggle quietly. His arms coil around your neck and he tugs you closer in a swift motion, pressing you flush to his chest. 

“Ah while that’s true, we are unrivalled~” He has a cheeky smirk on his lips as one of his hands rubs up and down the soft curve of your spine. He pulls you into a slow but passionate kiss, the two of you swaying on the spot as you try to close the non-existent distance between the two of you, wanting nothing more than to be one with each other in this moment. 

“What’s going to happen to us once you’ve eaten Ciel’s s-?” You’re cut off with yet another kiss as one of his hands cups the back of your head, fingertips soothingly massaging your scalp. 

“We’ll figure that out when the time comes~” He kisses your nose and looks down at you with lidded eyes. “My sweet banshee~”

☾ ⋆ ﾟlike my work? why not: ∘ buy me a coffee? ∘ commission me? ∘ join my taglist ∘ consider following/reblogging

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[borderlinereminders]

Losing someone can be so beyond words. Here is some advice for losing a FP but it can probably be applied to losing someone in general!

Some things I like to remind myself are:

The feelings are temporary. They will pass. No matter how crushing they may be, you won't feel like this forever. Sometimes it can help to remember that what we're feeling is temporary because when we forget that and think it's how we're going to feel forever, it can make us feel so hopeless. So here's your reminder. This isn't forever.

You survived without them before, and you can do it again. I promise. It doesn't mean it'll be easy but it can help to have the reminder that we existed before then, and survived before them and we can do both of those things again.

Be kind to yourself. You are valid and you are allowed your emotions.

Healing is not linear. Grief isn't linear. And for a lot of us, when we lose our FP, it is something we need to heal from. It is something we grieve about. And it's okay if we feel ourselves doing better for a bit and then falling back. It doesn't mean you've failed or anything like that.

Some things I do:

Note that these are all personal things I do and aren't rules for how you should cope. I'm sure your own list will differ! But maybe my list will inspire you to think of ideas for your own list!

Focus on myself. Even when it's uncomfortable and I don't want to, I focus on my hobbies. I focus on finding new hobbies. Sometimes I make a list of different hobbies I've never tried, and then I go through it and try them at least once to see if I enjoy something. If not, it gets scratched off. These could be new shows, books, activities, etc.

Feel the emotions. Usually not all at once because it's too much, but my instinct is to bury the emotions. To turn my emotions off entirely ((I'm sure others relate to the turning them off thing. It's like a switch I can use). And it's uncomfortable, but sometimes I force myself to feel them. In bits as I can handle it. Allow yourself time to grieve.

Focus on my DBT skills like Urge Surfing for any urges that arise or Radical Acceptance for accepting my feelings.

Come up with a Crisis Plan in case I start to spiral. Here’s my walk through on that.

I diversified my relationships. I think this is an important thing to do. Even if you have a FP currently. Diversifying your relationships to have other people in your support system can be really good.

This is a personal choice, but I cut off all ties. I used to keep screenshots of messages they wrote assuring me they cared and stuff like that. I deleted all screenshots. I also made sure I couldn't look at their profiles and check on them. I made sure their numbers were deleted and anything else.

I like to do nice things for someone else. It's hard sometimes to get there, but there's a feeling I get when I make someone smile or help someone out that makes me feel a bit lighter. It reminds me that I am valuable as I am. This is actually a part of the ACCEPTS skill if you're interested in reading more about that.

Work on forgiving myself. Maybe you don't feel you need this, and that's valid. But I did. I had to learn to forgive myself for not knowing better, for making mistakes, and I always remind myself that I am human. In connection with this, I work on letting go of any regrets I have. It's easier said than done, I know. It's important for me to remember that I can't change the past, so dwelling on any regrets doesn't help me. What I can do is learn from them and do better.

I know it's hard. But it really does get better. I have lost FP's and thought the entire world was ending and that I would never recover. I still think about them sometimes, but it's such a dull ache that I barely notice it. It might always hurt a little, but it will be manageable.

Here are some other coping ideas.

You can do this.

[mdhwrites]

One thing that's bothered me about TOH since the episode's release was in (I believe) Escaping Expulsion where Eda and Lilith were learning how to use glyph magic from Luz; I had theorized that Eda would rebel against learning things in the typical "school way" that Luz was trying to use and instead she would goof off, but in her goofing off she would use and experiment with the glyphs to understand them, showing that the reason she failed in school (and the reason for her being "the most powerful witch in the BI") was because the standardized school system didn't work for her way of learning and she had to teach herself everything (which led to a deeper understanding of her own magic.) Instead the episode just showed her goofing off and Lilith, the "good" student, had to save her. I'm not opposed to Lilith using her knowledge to help Eda but I wish Eda was shown to be more competent, if that makes sense.

The episode could have underlined the show's theme of standardized schooling leaving some kids behind and underlined that Eda's disregard for rules wasn't just a love of anarchy but also because the rules never worked for her, as well as showing that her training Luz in weird ways was just her training Luz the way she had to train herself.

It just felt like a missed opportunity to show how Eda and Lilith differ but still end up being powerful witches, instead of just made Eda seem impatient and immature and made her being powerful witch seem like it just came from being naturally strong rather than her actually having to work for it

You call it a theme but is it? This is a core problem of both TOH and its community where TOH will vaguely gesture at something once or twice and people will go "THEME! BRAVE! AAAAAAH!" when no. It's an episodic thing that usually misses its own mark. After all, let's interrogate this: What does TOH say about how our school system is like?

Well, first episode says nothing because assaulting people with snakes should get you kicked out, let alone bringing fireworks to school. She instead just gets sent to a life skills camp where you 'Stay in the Box'... WHICH ACTUALLY DOES SAY SOMETHING. A lot of people complain that our modern school system suffers by not teach us actionable skills. That we are all forced to learn trigonometry but we're not taught how to do our taxes. But then here is TOH going "Screw stuff like that!" So... Not the best start but that's in favor of things like the arts and self expression, right?

Well no, it's actually just the status quote. Period.

This is the message of The First Day. That's not an over exaggeration either. See, another criticism is that if you want to focus on certain parts of your curriculum, you are forced instead to learn everything. Want to focus on science and not have to read Huck Finn? TOO BAD!You have to learn everything. And what is Luz's goal in this episode? The ultimate form of schooling as is shown?

Learn everything. Divide your attention so you have a nine period school day. You know, just like you do in American High School. Yes, there is some allowance for choosing what you want to learn but the regular version of the Isles is actually the more brave, different style of schooling. It's closer to college honestly which has its own issues but is how many more people wish High School was. That it prepared you more for the job you actually wanted which it does under the coven system.

The fact that in universe, these kids are all literally breaking the law and damaging their ability to find work after high school is... Also a fucking yikes. More on just a purely literary level than thematic but there is something to be said about the fact that school, like parents, are supposed to help kids be ready for adulthood and Hexside is bluntly failing at that more after this episode.

Finally, the next time any of this is talked about again is Escaping Expulsion. Shockingly, the expulsion has nothing to do with it but you're right about the Eda and Lilith thing. The fact that it undercuts any of Eda's few winging it teachings that barely taught Luz anything and that it does reinforce being a good student, in your desk, paying attention and not experimenting. That you experiment within the box. Gee, that phrase sounds familiar to me for some reason...

But why should it be surprising? Eda leads Hexside at the end. Presumably, she teaches multiple magics, if not all magic. Luz thinks it's best to learn everything after all, reinforcing that. Reinforcing the social norm.

And TOH does this all the time. Where they'll act like they're saying something brave, confronting the establishment but then what they offer is just what we have now. It's not even often because Belos' world is some dystopia, again the coven system is essentially choosing a college major, but by just blatantly saying that's what they're doing for a five second clip on Twitter where no one's going to think about if it actually did a good job of doing that.

So no, it's not contradictory to a theme of TOH because TOH DOESN'T HAVE THAT AS A THEME! It barely has any themes because of this shit. Because honestly, it's too busy thinking inside the box and reusing tropes to actually say something smart. See you next tale.

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I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

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