#Agency

[lenbryant]

Women in Shakespeare

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was a 30 year old magical girl who worked for my grandmother's magical girl talent agency. I had a bad performance review, and my grandmother fired me.

[liberalsarecool]

Abortion is not birth control. It is health care.

[crazycatsiren]

If a disabled person tells you to not touch them, it doesn't matter what your intentions are, whether you believe they're struggling with something, whether you think you're trying to help. You respect personal boundaries and bodily autonomy, end of story.

[haeyeongs]

#KDRAMAWOMENSWEEKS | 2024, Day 7: Everything Everywhere All at Once & userdramas get to know me bingo: actor or actress

KIM MI KYUNG in 2023: Crash Course in Romance · Tell Me That You Love Me · Doctor Cha · Agency · Welcome to Samdalri · Death's Game

[crimson-and-clover-1717]

Fixing the Latch

I like that the first thing Ed appears to fix upon returning to the Revenge is a door-latch. It’s the door to the brief corridor to Stede’s sleeping quarters. Stede’s initials are on the door-header, and this is becoming more of a private space for Stede and Ed.

Ed is unused to clear boundaries with regards to his sense of self. He’s sort of public property: on a wider, abstract scale, he is propaganda for imperialists who paint an indigenous man in a pirate subculture as a threat and aggressor towards their dominant wealthy white patriarchal hegemony. But mostly Ed’s self is violated day-to-day directly by Izzy, physically and emotionally (a sort of macro in micro).

That the door-latch to Stede’s Captain’s quarters is damaged whilst Ed is Captain and Stede not there is no coincidence. It’s symbolic of insecure boundaries and the continued violation of Ed’s personhood. Because of the broken latch, the door cannot stay closed and is effectively useless. It’s an external symbol of Ed’s struggle to maintain an identity boundary and agency.

Stede has always had an open door policy with the Crew, but that requires a certain level of mutual respect and trust. Such a policy has been violated so many times by Izzy (and he does so again later), that it’s no wonder there is a need to mend locks and latches to maintain privacy.

We only get to know about this broken door when Stede directs Ed to fix some things immediately upon his return. It’s symbolically part of their recovery as a couple after Izzy repeatedly interjected and tried to separate them, via death even, during season one.

It’s only partially successful though…

… which is why Ed and Stede really do need that place of their own even if their tormentor is in the ground. They, and Ed especially, need to reestablish boundaries and personhood to begin to recover from everything they’ve been through.

But fixing that door-latch is at least a beginning in signifying things need to change.

[carito-luvs-yuu]

Atsushi photos fro yew

[elvestoneanzelote1]

Hello Good morning/evening/night! I just stumble across your blog and i love your work •v•

Just wondering have you ever though of platonic yandere bsd with Male child reader who have Makima or even Nayuta personality and ability of controling people because that would be interesting

A:n- ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇɢᴀʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs I ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ.. Bᴜᴛ I ᴡɪʟʟ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀssᴜᴍᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇǫᴜᴇsᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ ɢᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ, sᴏʀʀʏ ɪғ ɪᴛ ɪsɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴋɪɴɢ sɪɴᴄᴇ I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴏғᴛᴇɴ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ.

Nᴏʀ ᴘʟᴀᴛᴏɴɪᴄ

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Y/n- your name

Warning: protective, mention of mori.

Y/n is from the agency.

.

If one where to describe y/n, they would describe him as the most adorable child from the agency.

You were just 10-12 years old, with a charming innocent smile that melts every agency heart, heck even Kyouka heart as she view you as a younger brother.

Which lead to the question of the suspicion of your ability. The main reason why you are in the agency.

At first Dazai was curious of why a child in the agency maybe, someone brother? He assume but later on he caught up that your ability to control someone movements like a puppet is truly magnificent and dangerous.

He was reminded of Yumeno, the child at the mafia who can mind control others who have hurt him but yours were worse in a way as an unknown force seems to work for your part as it is known as force manipulation.

(I'm not that sure how Makima ability is since I didn't watch Chainsaw man and Some of her ability won't be mention as it is just going to brief one).

The more Dazai pry the more he realise the kid was not an angel but also a very demanding personality.

He realise that the flaw of you that every members on the agency sighed about leading Ranpo and you having childish tanthrums though Ranpo never won as you seems to cry out when he refuse to give you sweets.

"Can't you give me the choco-balls sweets?" You cried as Ranpo gaze away.

"No!"

"Wahhh! Ranpo-san is bad!!!" You cried and run away leaving a guilty Ranpo who later comes to you and handed you the sweets making you hug him happily.

"Ranpo-san is the best"

"Of course I'm! Don't ever forget that" he said proudly as you hug him while chuckling happily. Such a cute child you are.

The worst for Dazai was you love dogs, oh the audacity of you bringing a puppy into the agency hiddenly and it almost bite him!.

"Kunikida-kun! Who brought this monstrous thing!" Shouted Dazai escaping the puppy who seems to want to bite Dazai hand that was wrapped in bandage.

"Mo! Dazai-san" you pouted while holding your puppy who was waving its tail happily making Dazai pout.

"Not fair! You should like cats! Cats are the most adorable thing!"

"So? I like dogs they are cute!"

"So are cat!"

"They are loyal and tamable!"

"Ahhh! Take it away!" Scream Dazai while running away as you hold up your puppy tuning after him to pet it.

It was Fun to watch for Kunikida who first time enjoy Dazai misery

Maybe he will let the puppy come time to time to distract/punish the lazy potato from not doing work.

Well, regardless you were just a child with sweet personality but also a demanding, stubborn personality too.

But the whole agency knows that they would rather hide your ability rather than making the other organisation to target you.

Regardless that even president is like your grandfather or sort whom you cling onto on rare times to get sweets.

Most likely you annoy Ranpo to share his sweets, which leads the chaotic arguments.

But fortunately, Naomi brought two same flavour sweets so that you both won't argue about different sweet flavour which you haven't tasted is eaten by the other or sort.

You do have parents who left you astray but.. They did came to take you one time as you were taken a back.

The elders of the agency said they will speak with them as Naomi, Sakura, Kyouka, Kenji, Jun'churo and Atsushi took you away to play or sort as the others talk with your biological parents.

Well, let's just say you are just a kid, when you hear your parents left without telling you, you refuse to show how heartbroken you were as the agency members try to cheer you up which they succeeded.

You only hope your parents will come back to take you home, since.. Agency is good but you are not a detective and precisely your just 10-12 year old child who misses their parents warmed.

But that is only a hopeful thought as you are unaware that your.. Parents will never visit you ever again.

After all you belong to agency who can protect you, right?

"Don't worry, Y/n-kun we can go to the aquarium alright!" Said Atsushi as he notice your frown which turn to a childish smile.

"Really?"

"Yep!"

"Will the others come too?"

"Hmm? Why not ask them, shall we?" Said Atsushi who was the one succeeding on making you gleam happily.

The agency happily agreed to go.

Let's just say the port mafia were there to and Mori was confused and curious of Why Fukuzawa have a boy with him and why the whole crew of the agency in the aquarium?

Well, he was confused when Elise was the one approach you when you got lost around the aquarium as he approach you both.

"Elise-chan! I told you not to leave my hand!"

"But Rintarou! He is lost!" Said Elise who hold your hand as you were sniffling as Mori approach you.

"Say, aren't you the boy from the agency?"

"You.. Know them?"

"Yes, Do you want to come with us while.. We search of the agency member?"/

"Really?"

"Yes really" said Mori as Elise smile to reassure you and drag you with her as Mori just tag along.

Let's just say the agency were in panic in search of you.

And Ranpo was the one who use his glasses to find out where you were last been. But they found no one making the chaotic drama in the aquarium by the agency asking about your whereabouts to the people.

In suspicion that they might have kidnapped you or sort.

After all, your the most adorable kid, aren't you?

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A:n- that's all good day/night to you all! I hope you have a great day ahead.

[mystxmomo]

... No joke page this time, because I have three relatively high effort comics sketched out better exploring this character in a way I want .

Meet Agency, everyone.

Design notes and thoughts under the cut.

You'll notice, that is a tiefling virtue name right there. A traveler by nature, he is someone who highly values freedom, and people and things having the freedom to do as they'd like in life.

He is a bard, however in battle he does not play a traditional instrument. Instead, he has a music box (it's magic, so it's a bit funky) of which he personally enchanted/made. He does compose music, but it's all rather experimental, playing with different music styles and instruments. (Not exactly something easy to bring into battle.)

He's rather cagey about how the music box works, but it seems to be a collection of different music he's come across in his travels. How he changes the songs and how it's been enchanted? He refuses to say. Emotionally, it's the equivalent of someone bringing their playlist to battle. He is dancing to the music in battle.

A chosen of Eilistraee, he was a strategic pick from her done to make a point to both her brother (Not a Drow and a Complete outsider to her main communities) and her followers (He is a man completely uninterested in humoring drow gender politics, and he barely humors her church despite becoming rather involved in it) He's not... aware of this.

Agency: I am… A little under the impression I am being used as a pawn for a greater scheme Enclave: Oh good. You figured out how this works organically. Agency: Does that… Bother you? Enclave: Ah. No. If we must use this analogy, I made myself into a pawn for this game long before you were born. Agency: Hmmm…

Overall, he's a chosen that seems to have one foot in the door at times. He's here, he has a hand from the deck. But he's maybe not as fully dedicated as he at first seems, and doesn't seem entirely aware of all the cards at play. Despite this, he does genuinely like Eilistraee. He doing a lot to humoring her. She loves that he's willing to go all out on thematically fitting to her ("I honestly used to dress up in florals more, but she really seems to enjoy the star theming. And I do look rather good in blue")

Regardless of what he does and doesn't know, and how dedicated to it he is, this is a role he agreed to take on knowing there would be some... difficulties. Especially given the time he came into the picture. (He is another character introduced at the most modern point of the story.)

...

A lot of his shape language is meant to be somewhat devious seeming. Anime villian shape language. He has a lot of points and angles, but rather pretty features. His horns are meant to mimic crescent moons, and together come to create a full one.

Personality wise, he is unironically just like. A well meaning man with no bait and switch. He CAN be a little dramatic, as he's a theater kid at heart. But he has a very gentle soul. Contrasted with the fact that he does just love a good fight.

[crazycatsiren]

What kind of a world do we live in now that not wanting to be photographed/filmed in public without permission is cause for argument. Like whatever happened to "consent matters".

[militaryintelligencerecords]

SEPTIANA "MAY" GEIGER

AND PATRICIA "PATTY" GEIGER

AND GREGORY "GREG" GEIGER

ALL CURRENTLY HAVE HAD THEIR IDENTITIES STOLEN BY CRIMINALS WHO AS A GROUP HAVE BEEN COLLECTIVELY OCCUPYING THEM FOR SOME TIME IN ORDER TO ISSUE ORDERS AND INDICATE PREFERENCES TO PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY. POLICE RESPONSE REQUESTED.

[crimson-and-clover-1717]

Ed & Agency: Poison into Positivity

In response to these posts by @ourfag here and @piratecaptainscaptainpirates here which are spot on, but broke my soul nonetheless, I want to look at how Stede and Ed interact in the final scene, and Stede demonstrates what healthy companionship looks like.

For me, it’s so important that the show finishes with an attempt at the Innkeeper dream because (other than Stede) this is the only want Ed has ever been shown to have which is truly his and which comes from a healthy place. It’s born of his own internal locus, not a trauma response, not coerced, and not an act of avoidance. Ed lacks assurance in speaking about the realisation of his ambition, but it’s significant how Stede confidence-builds subtly throughout this exchange, supporting Ed’s agency, and gently counteracting any negative talk. The difference in how Stede interacts which Ed compared with Ed’s father / Izzy / Jack / Hornigold / Pop-Pop… is startling and reassuring.

I’ve tried to traffic-light the speech with my interpretation of the emotion or tone. (It’s subjective, so cool if you read it differently).

positive neutral negative

S: So, we’re innkeepers then?

E: I thought we might give it a go, unless…you’re having second thoughts

S: I’m not, no.

E: It’s a bit of a shithole, I know S: It’s a fixer-upper. Good bones

E: Come on…Let’s try and find something to eat. Maybe there’s a feral animal or something we can cook up for dinner S: I love that idea. Place just needs a little elbow grease.

E: Jesus, what is that smell?

(my subtitles say Bonnet inhales and I find this ridiculously positive)

S: Smells of the future…to me

E: Yeah, love that

S: Me too… but we should actually find out what’s making that smell

E: Urgh! Fuck that’s strong!

S: Maybe we just air it out a bit

Ed often makes a neutral comment and then loses confidence, following with negative ideas. Stede offers positive or calm neutral responses, and Ed returns to neutral, or once to positive. And each time Ed falters, Stede subverts and mirrors back an alternative take:

It’s a bit of a shithole / It’s a fixer-upper

What’s that smell? / Smells of the future

Fuck, that’s strong / Maybe we just air it out a bit

Stede’s practical without being negative. He gently reframes Ed’s pessimistic thoughts without removing his agency. -It’s Ed’s dream, and they’re going to do it together

-It’s Ed deciding on how to acquire food, and they’re going to do it together.

It’s not that Stede will never have an opinion. But he won’t have one for the sake of it if Ed’s way is fine. We also know that if Ed wants Stede to take control, he damn well will. And knowing Stede can and will catch him if he falls, will help Ed continue to develop his confidence and self-esteem in making decisions and demonstrating agency. There is no perform for me or plan, plan, plan. And although it might be difficult, if Ed ‘fails’, it doesn’t have the same life or death high-stakes as piracy or with an Angry White Guy. Ed’s safe to fail with Stede.

Stede’s instinctive and intuitive understanding of how to handle Ed’s soul still leaves me astonished.

[24-compass-roses]

It’s always “ily” and never “it’s wrong to call you enemy”, never “You’re different colors of flame”, never “I am your echo. I would rather break the world than lose you”, never “I’ll be all the poets, I’ll kill them all and take each ones place in turn, and every time love’s written in all the strands it will be to you”, never “You and me. This is how we win,” nev—

[nalyra-dreaming]

I didn't find Sam's "agency" comments that bad, tbh? Unless there's something I'm missing (totally possible)? I didn't feel like he was suggesting Lestat was fully in control during the trial, or had the power to prevent it or anything. He stated elsewhere that Lestat doesn't want to be there and is hating every minute of it. He also heavily suggested that Lestat did not have the ability to save both Louis and Claudia, and for me, I feel like that's where his modicum of 'agency' came in - he couldn't stop what was happening but he had a few choices, and was able to exert his will to some extent (i.e. defying the coven by going off-script, influencing the audience, and somewhat altering the intended outcome of the play) whereas if he'd had zero agency throughout then he would've stayed on-script the whole time and both Claudia and Louis would be dead.

Am I missing the point, or did you interpret his comments differently? I think a major issue with some of these interviews is that the cast are so afraid of spoiling that they can't fully explain their statements or put them into context (a lot of the s2 interviews were pretty misleading in hindsight!)

The point with the agency... is that Lestat did not have that, often, canonically. A lot of his actions in the books are a wild try at regaining his agency, because throughout his story there are recurring patterns of his agency being taken away. His family, Magnus, Armand, Akasha, even Amel to an extent.

It's not that what they do there does not fit with the story the show tells.

It's the repercussions for later.

Lestat knowing about the attempted murder changed murder night and his very reactions to it, both before and after.

Lestat being able to make a decision changes the trial, and makes him choose.

Lestat giving Louis to Armand... (whichever way that will turn out eventually) shifts the impact quite significantly.

The Lestat in the books had no agency in any of these three events, and these are just... some examples. They were things that happened to him, and he had then to deal with that.

Again, the show chose to add agency there, which is not necessarily a bad thing - but it changes arcs. Arcs which they want to do still. Arcs which rely, to a significant extent imho, on the fact that Lestat is fighting for his agency. Is fighting for a way to deal.

Now, and Sam has also brushed that topic, some of his actions will come from a place of shame... because of his actions.

And that... is just not the same.

I mean, Sam said it plainly: this isn't Anne's Lestat.

But it's the Lestat we're getting.

And it is Sam's, which is a huge plus.

And tbh I am investing quite a lot of my time in consolidating the versions (not just of him, but also of Louis and Armand, who have had similar changes to their characters) in my fics, which is why those are always tagged into both, show and book canon :))

[tropylium]

How to be More Agentic

Ask for things. Ask for things that feel unreasonable, to make sure your intuitions about what’s reasonable are accurate (of course, try not to be a jerk in the process). If you’re only asking for things you get, you’re not aiming high enough.

(We have a saying in Finnish, roughly "darers will dare", with a connotation that well someone's gotta, or else things will not get done… "Daring" is a relatively general pro-agency sentiment but the "darer" part is important also I think; once you have a thought like "oh yeah I'm an asker I will sometimes ask for stuff" about yourself, that already makes it easier to ask, even if you still feel skittlish about rejection or similar)

It’s hard to overstate how overpowered [seeking feedback] is. If you aren’t trying to get real feedback from people who know you, you’re cooking without tasting. This is, like, the lowest hanging fruit for self-improvement, but few people really try to pick it.

(Note to self yeah, I think I can function decently with relatively little social contacts but it's felt for a long time that I am nerfed by not having good sounding boards for talking ideas about my life over with)

Most subject matter is learnable, even stuff that seems really hard. But beyond that, many (most?) traits that people treat as fixed are actually quite malleable if you (1) believe they are and (2) put the same kind of work into learning them as you would anything else. As you might gather, I think agency itself is a good example (…) Many other supposedly fixed traits can likewise be altered. Some other things you can learn: confidence, charisma, warmth, tranquility, optimism. Someone recently asked me how one might go about learning charisma, and the answer was really boring: by reading a few books, watching many hours of charismatic people interacting with others, and adopting a few of their habits. This is surely a plan of action most people could come up with if they didn’t have the notion that charisma is innate lodged in their heads.

(A.k.a. "growth mindset", and crucially yes!, it is itself learnable, learn some of that first of all and it will help you with many many things)

Burnout is the ultimate agency-killer. This is so true that I’ve learned to identify a reduction in agency as one of the first signs of burnout, one that shows up even before I consciously realize what’s happening. A switch flips and I start looking for ways to rule out ideas and actions, to conclude they won’t work or aren’t necessary, rather than chasing better versions. (…) This might be the most important item on the list. It took me almost 40 years to learn it, because my instinct is to think more hours mean more productivity as long as you’re really trying to be productive -- that’s just multiplication, right? No. The reality is that grinding, even if it temporarily increases output, kills creativity and big picture thinking. My rule is never to take instructions on how hard I should work from someone who hasn’t burned out before. Very few people take this seriously enough.

(Extremely true. No amount of exerting agency helps when your issue is burning out for overexerting. Take breaks, don't expect to get miracles done by any set point in your life, learn your limitations; might be a good idea to work on them too but ignoring them doesn't get you past them one bit. "Your body will schedule maintenance for you if you don't")