#Devon's breakdown

[jokuvainart]

Breakdown

[professor-abeloved]

um... I finished chapter 20

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading updates: august 2024

the good news is that I did a lot of reading this month, the bad news is that honestly? I think that my birthday month has had the biggest percentage of literary letdowns, duds, and outright bullshit than any other month of this year so far.

but at least there's plenty to talk about, so let's get going!

Unlearning Shame: How We Can Reject Self-Blame Culture and Reclaim Our Power (Devon Price, 2024) - uh oh gamers, we're starting on a doozy! I've enjoyed both of Price's previous books very much, but with Unlearning Shame I couldn't help but feel like I couldn't quite shake the feeling that I wasn't getting what I had signed on for. the issue, I think, could be corrected by an adjustment to the title, which seems to be promising a very broad tackling of the concept of shame and is therefore making some pretty big promises. in reality, the book is much more narrowly focused than that, interested primarily in the shame that arises in the activism-minded when they feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of awful things in the world and their perceived inability to do anything about it. fairly early on Price introduces an apparently relatable anecdote about himself and a friend having mutual breakdowns in a grocery store because they were both so paralyzed by the conundrum of trying to buy the most ethical groceries possible, and I realized this book was maybe not really for me or my particular experiences with shame. I think this book will be really helpful for a lot of people for sure, would love to pass it on to a lot of my freshmen, but overall it did not live up to the expectations I brought to the party.

A Separate Peace (John Knowles, 1959) - so I wanted to reread this because someone on here sent me an ask about, I don't know, my favorite required high school reading or whatever, and I said it was A Separate Peace but then I realized it's been over a decade since I read the book and I had to go see if it still actually held up. and god, does it EVER. this is such a brutal and heartbreaking novel, beginning in the last carefree summer that best friends and roommates Gene and Finny will experience before their final year at their boys' private school and their seemingly inevitable draft into WW2. although Gene is seethingly jealous of Finny's seemingly effortless charisma, popularity, confidence, and athletic prowess, the two boys are also inseparable - until a tragic injury changes the course of Finny's life forever. this book is a mess of unspoken pain, from the looming end of innocence on a global scale to the intimate ache of loving your best friend so, so much and having no healthy way to express it because you're a repressed little rich boy in the 1940s.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea (Rita Chang-Eppig, 2023) - Chang-Eppig's debut novel follows the career of Chinese pirate Shek Yeung, also known as Zheng Yi Sao, immediately following the death of her husband, fearsome pirate Sheng Yi. you've probably seen a post or two about her floating around on this very hellsite, calling her a pirate queen and accompanied by this image:

Chang-Eppig isn't interested in portraying Shek Yeung as any kind of heroine or feminist icon; over and over again it's acknowledged that she's simply a woman who has survived massive hardships and will do whatever she needs to do to survive. manipulation? spying? extortion? torture? murder? you name it, she's done it, and she does not feel remorse. while the novel wasn't a knockout for me either in terms of plot or prose, it's nice to see an entry into the trend of "retelling" stories from history and mythology centered on women that isn't determined to justify every step a maligned woman ever made. Shek Yeung is what she is, and her story makes for a gritty, bloody adventure.

Victim (Andrew Boryga, 2024) - this book is pure sleazeball fun; if you've ever wondered what I consider a romp, this is it. Victim follows our manipulative king Javi Perez as he builds a writing career for himself by turning in one essay after another about racial discrimination that he never really experienced, inventing stories of hardship caused by racism and poverty from his college application essay to his school newspaper to the story that finally brings the whole lie crashing down when he stretches the truth too far. the novel is written like Javi's apology in the wake of getting #canceled, and while I do sometimes feel that this premise makes some of the writing seem a bit implausible (why would you admit that!!!) it's a fun setup for a scandal that would have been a bloodbath on the twitter of old. come get your mess!!!

Bad Girls (Camila Sosa Villada, trans. Kit Maude, 2022) - this is my first time reading Sosa Villada's work but OH BOY, do I need to seek out more. this is a skinty little novel following a dramatized account of the travesti (or transgender) women who live and sell sex in Córdoba, Argentina. the women build an unsteady but beautiful and magic-infused family under the protection of the ancient Auntie Encarna. the protagonist (who is named Camila Sosa Villada, no relation I'm sure) watches as her unconventional family grows, changes, and frays over time, struggling to find ways to stay afloat in a world that see them as disposable. Sosa Villada's turns of phrase are brilliant and searing, and she weaves fantastical elements so nimbly into her narrative that it's utterly believable to see women becoming animals and courting headless men in the streets of a modern city. strongly recommend for fans of Kai Cheng Thom's Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars.

Talkin' Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism (Aileen Morteon-Robinson, 2000) - this book serves as a scathing literature review indicting Australia's white women anthropologists and feminist scholars for the ways in which they've dehumanized and discredited Aboriginal women, stripping them of the right to be authorities of their own experiences and barring them from a white-centered feminist movement. Moreton-Robinson's account is excellent, contrasting the wok of white women academics with the accounts of Aboriginal women to reveal exactly how massive the disparities in understanding are. as a USAmerican previously aware of Australia's colonial history but unfamiliar with the specifics, it was jarring to discover exactly how similar the mechanism of colonial violence are between my country and Australia, with countless genocidal parallels to be drawn. one particular highlight of the book comes via my purchase of a 20th anniversary edition, which includes a new post-script by Moreton-Robinson in which she dissects and responds to various criticisms of the book at its time of release, taking several critics to task for the belittling tone they used to describe her work and the tools white feminists use to absolve themselves of blame in the face of critique from women of color. fascinating and thorough articulation of Moreton-Robinson's point, and deservedly blistering. I love when academics call each other out by name.

The End of Love: Racism, Sexism, and the Death of Romance (Sabrina Strings, 2024) - so the thing about this book is that there are really good PARTS. Strings is still an excellent historical writer, and I found a lot to appreciate in, for instance, the segments on the history of Black American pimp culture and the analysis of Playboy and Helen Gurley Brown's Sex and the Single Girl. the more personal segments, where Strings contorts herself to fit her own failed relationships into the narrative she's building, are decidedly less consistent in their quality, with some feeling like they would have been better off staying between Strings and her therapist. there's a long and convoluted digression about Sex and the City, and a strange anecdote towards the end in which String recounts a phone call with a friend's college-aged son who, String believes, was masturbating during the call. a yucky experience, to be certain, but I'm not sure it justifies Strings filing a police report against the youth and his mother, who she accuses of having groomed her on the son's behalf. she also casually drops in the same chapter that she considers herself pansexual because she's attracted to trans men in addition to cis men? idk man!!! this book was so uneven that I found myself genuinely questioning whether Strings' first book, Fearing the Black Body, is actually as excellent as I remember it being. I'm pretty sure it is, but god it sucks to get shaken so hard that you have to wonder!

The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures (Phoebe Gloeckner, 2002) - another book that I had to read for class, years ago! I read Diary of a Teenage Girl in one of my gender and women's studies classes in my undergrad, for a class with a title along the lines of Girlhood Stories in Fiction and Film. Gloeckner's novel (though heavily informed by her own life, she insists that it's a work of fiction) sees its young protagonist, Minnie, navigating a great deal of sex, alcohol, drugs in 1970s San Francisco. I started thinking about the book because I was listening to a trio of episodes of You're Wrong About in which Carmen Maria Machado guests to talk about the pervasive sham that is Go Ask Alice (great series, check it out) and I started thinking about Diary, which is so much less preachy and didactic and is, you know, actually drawn from a real teenage girl's diary, unlike Go Ask Alice, and lacking Alice's preachy didacticism. as a diary based on a real diary this book is largely lacking in any particular plot (the most consistent through line is Minnie's ongoing and tumultuous sexual relationship with her mother's 35 year old boyfriend), but if that's not a turn off then you'll find yourself rooting for Minnie to find her way all the way to the uncertain but ultimately optimistic conclusion.

One and Done (Frederick Smith, 2024) - okay, so. this is a romance novel that I picked up because I saw a review talking about how it's an incredibly realistic depiction of working at a university. now that's obviously an insane thing to look for in a romance novel, but I like romances, ESPECIALLY gay romances, and I work at a university, so I figured sure, I'll bite. spoiler alert: it's not great. I posted some examples of the prose here, and even if the two protagonists talked like actual human beings it wouldn't make up for the stale-ass plot or devastating lack of chemistry they have going for them. more like One and Glad to Be Done With This Book That Isn't Very Good, am I right, ladies?

Seduced (Virginia Henley, 1994) - guys, I'm gonna be so fucking real with you. this is the most batshit novel I've ever read, period, let alone the most batshit romance novel. this book was the winner of a poll I ran on patreon last month in which my wicked patreonites got to nominate romance novels of their choosing for my next reading project and voted amongst themselves to crown a winner, and against all odds and my own light attempts to sway the voters, Seduced won it all. this book has everything: a historical setting, a bold young lady disguising herself as her own brother, wildly unchecked orientalism, a murderous cousin, high society scandal, and some of the most torturous sex scenes I've ever encountered in my life. truly this write-up cannot do justice to what I have experienced; I've already promised by patreonites that I'll have to do a little youtube live in order to fully express the extent of my dissatisfaction.

and that was the month of August, babey!!!

[ghostmetta]

SPOLIERS!!

Limb By Limb headcanons:

1. After they go to Devon’s house they meet Alice’s parents (who I think might have to do something with medical or science) and Alice’s parents are able to get the group back into separate bodies.

2. This is a follow up to the first one but a few days after they get their own bodies back, Summer starts gaining feeling for Alice and they go to cute picnic dates. -> Alice would recommend books to Summer and Summer would help Alice with cheerleading practicing.

3. The group helps Summer get a lot nicer and I think Summer would learn how to make jewellery and make a bracelet that suits all 4 of the group.

4. Summer doesn’t want to get a phone back after realising how much nicer she could have been because she thinks that it was one of the things that made her so rude.

5. Summer’s parents talk to the group (in their mixed body ofc) which goes reallly badly. Her parents yell and say rude things, Summer ends up having a mental breakdown, Devon or Alex end up controlling the body to punch both parents.

6. Alice had always wanted to play D&D so the group allowed her to talk on and on about things she has read about it.

7. Alex and Devon end up liking the same sort of things and talk about different topics a lot.

8. Summer turns more quiet and doesn’t like talking but the group tries to include her as much as they can because they are amazing.

9. Summer is a lesbian that at first didn’t want to admit it but once the group were all connected she got supported enough to come out to them.

[concerningwolves]

god I'm reading Devon Price's latest substack essay on burnout, and it's.. it's confirming and crystallising something that I've suspected for a long time, actually.

See, all throughout school, I would have days – roughly every month or so, sometimes two months – where I became Unwell. The symptoms never really fit anything, but I'd be exhausted, irritable, headachey, sometimes feeling kind of feverish. Most importantly, i'd just Know that I couldn't cope with school that day. I can remember these starting in middle school and getting more frequent and pressing into high school. When I did take the day off, I'd watch TV or films and sleep a lot, and then by the evening – if it wasn't a weekend night – I'd be in this weird place of feeling rested but also crushingly anxious with the knowledge that i'd just be back at school tomorrow. Holidays weren't truly restful either, except for maybe the middle two weeks of the six-week summer break. The two week Christmas and Easter breaks? I'd start to feel a bit better towards the end of the first week, then the dread would build up again throughout the second week. By my GCSEs, I couldn't keep up my academic drive, so I picked the subjects I most wanted to do well in (English, German, Biology, and History + maths because I needed to pass it so I could be done with it), focused my revision on those, and coasted by with perfunctory revision on the other seven subjects. It's honestly shocking to me that I got a full 12 GCSEs. People tell me that my results were good, and I know that logically they're right, but it took me a long time to be proud of them because I always knew that I hadn't really tried. It took me even longer to accept that if I had given every subject my all, it probably would have broken me.

As it was, I made it into my first term of college before I hit breaking point. Three A Levels (English lang & lit, history, psychology), dreams of a career in psychology or psychiatry, writing in all my spare time. I'd been very mentally unwell all through high school, but I'd always imagined that college would be my escape. First I was going to study philosophy, history, and English literature – but then that college had to drop the philosophy course. My next chosen college was an incredibly competitive college that held students to very high standards. I had the grades to get in, and I was dithering between a selection from English literature, history, classical studies, sociology, philosophy, or psychology. But I never made it in, because I missed the induction day. Students who missed the induction day automatically forfeited their placement. In hindsight, that was the first warning, but instead I felt wretched for a few days, then decided, fuck it, I was going to my final last choice college instead.

And in less than six months, I had an absolute breakdown. Anyone who was following me circa 2018 may remember the fallout. Skill regression. Low mood. Weeks spent just watching Supernatural or sleeping. Panic attacks. I never truly got my feet back under me. I dropped down to one a level and abandoned all thoughts of university, and scraped by college until I could just get out of there.

And reading this article, looking back at the trajectory of my life since 2018, it's... Eye-opening, to say the least. I don't know if I'm recovered or still recovering, or adjusting to my new baseline, nearly seven years later. Sometimes I wonder if an autism diagnosis earlier might have helped – might have given me the language and the tools to understand what was happening to me on all of those Unwell Days. So I grieve for that potential. I don't hate my life now, it's just.... I have to wonder, you know? What might have been. Could I have caught the burnout sooner? Headed it off? I don't know. I can't know. all I've got is where I'm at now, which is certainly something to be proud of, because I made it, even if I'm not anywhere near what's "normal" or "expected" of a 23 year old. and I have my whole life ahead of me yet. 23 years is nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Remembering that is always a balm.

But still I wonder. I grieve. It's hard not to.

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, so, I don't know if I'm typing this out to make myself feel better because I can't believe THIS is the thing I'm gonna be right about in this fucking show BUT back in May last year, I added some tags on a post about how Buck is in Eddie's season 5 arc, so he would break up with Natalia pretty early on and Eddie and Marisol would go off to build stuff together (It's the only post I can find that proves I had the thought before all this because I don't know if I put that in a meta or not, I think I did on a post talking about how Buck and Eddie mirror each other narratively, but I cannot find it) but the thing is, season 6 for Buck mirrors season 4 for Eddie, which would put them in season 5 but from Buck's side. It was the main reason I kept saying I believed Natalia would have the same treatment as Ana, and go away early on in the season to open space for Eddie's journey of self-discovery, which is what happened, Natalia went away to open space for Buck's self-discovery journey. I was betting on a Buck breakdown, but bi Buck works. Why did I had that thought the second Eddie called Marisol in the s6 finale? Well, Buck and Eddie are literally running parallel to each other but slightly misaligned. You have tiny things like the way the first loss on the job for both of them is someone falling to their death, but Devon didn't want to live and the gross dude did. Or the shaky relationship with their parents that runs opposite because Eddie had too much responsibility placed on him while Buck was literally treated like he was invisible. Or more aggressive things like the way the well mirrors the lightning (set on that if you need help visualizing), with the way both of them volunteer into the rescue, the well is in the middle of nowhere, Buck gets struck in the middle of the street, Buck is in the sky, Eddie is underground, the rain aspect, the 118 as audience, they are even on mirrored sides of the frame, and I think even the way Buck needs to choose to get out of the coma mirrors the way Eddie saves himself. There's also the breathing things since Eddie almost drowns and Buck's lungs stop working. The well mirroring the lighting put Buck in season 4 for 6b, the "'I'm fine' *narrator voice* he wasn't fine" era, which would put Buck in season 5 now, the "I'm dealing with what makes me who I am" era, which he is, go Buck.

Well, this works with love interests on a ridiculous level. We have the ABSOLUTE MADNESS of the way Shannon comes back, next episode Ali shows up, Shannon dies, next episode Ali is gone, Eddie meets Ana, Buck keeps complaining about the struggles of being single (while Maddie totally sets him up with Josh, because now that Buck is canonically bi, the fact that they are in blue and green is too on the nose for me to ignore), nothing comes of Eddie and Ana, they both stay single, Eddie asks Ana out, next episode Buck is dating and Taylor comes Back, Buck starts dating Natalia, Eddie starts dating Marisol. The only ones who are not aligned are the breakups with Ana and Taylor, because Buck chooses to hang on for too long. We also the way they have the first love who left them and never really gave them the closure they needed, we have the inconsequential girlfriend they only got because people kept telling them they had to move on. Shannon works for Eddie the same way Abby works for Buck. Ana works for Eddie the same way Ali and I guess Natalia do for Buck. That means Eddie needs a Taylor. Someone he meets on a call who comes back later on. Check. Someone he's supposed to work with in theory but never had a real fighting chance. (I say that because if Taylor were as intense about Buck as she is about the job, they could've been a very interesting installment of golden retriever boyfriend/black cat girlfriend, but they never try). Something about their personal journeys is that Buck tends to take longer to learn, while Eddie tends to need a stronger hit. Buck's takes more time and Eddie's tends to be more intense in a sense. Like the way Shannon dies and Abby just leaves, but they actually kinda paint Buck as hung up on Abby all through seasons 2 and 3. Or the way Taylor goes away for a whole season, just to come back and stay for 3 half seasons. So the Marisol of it all. Taylor had more dept in the helicopter than Marisol has right now, but sure, let's say the point here is to make Eddie do something stupid in the name of not being alone. Because that's what Taylor is. The whole time, Taylor is about Buck being scared of being alone, even hooking up with her the first time is about how he didn't have Abby to hang on to anymore. Taylor and Buck are also fundamentally incompatible.

Again, I know nothing about Marisol. They gave her no dept beyond being a glorified babysitter. Nothing in her relationship with Eddie so far has been about Eddie and her. Even their dates seem to be something that will be about watching other people. I don't wanna say buddie canon, because Lucy is her own category (I miss her) but, Eddie looking at Buck and Tommy and making the very harsh decision of asking her to move in "I'm gonna die alone" moment, I don't wanna say makes sense, but could work, even more considering that the Buck/Tommy/Eddie/Marisol date seems to be mirroring the colors of the Buckley-Diaz family + Taylor dinner in outside looking in, and the next episode is a madney episode. It's the same progression of events. I doubt Eddie is gonna cheat and panic ask Marisol to move in, but they are not so on the nose with the actual storyline parallels. I don't have the brainpower to come up with any theories about what he might do, but considering how rocky his relationship with Buck could be, considering the last episode, I can absolutely see Buck triggering that (that would make me accept I am right and Eddie is aware of his feelings and I won't give that up even if the show explicitly says he wasn't) because Eddie's abandonment issues make him overcorrect. And that's never a good thing. Do I think Marisol is going past the season finale? No. Eddie's understanding arcs are usually shorter than Buck's. How would she leave? No clue. The fact that Taylor hurt Buck's family, in a literal sense with Chim, and the focus on her relationship with Chris as someone taking care of him, also the ominous shots of Chris and the whole theory that Chris would get hurt last season makes me scared tho. It could be something that's not her fault that she doesn't reach Eddie instantly, like, Chris cuts himself or something and she doesn't call, that can even work to push Buck and Eddie closer, and put buddie explicitly in a parental role together. My brain keeps saying appendicitis for some reason, but no idea why, maybe I just don't want to believe the show would make someone purposefully endanger Chris. Eddie kind of snapping in a hospital makes sense? Let's say Chris gets sick while at school and someone calls the house trying to reach Eddie because he's not answering and he chews her off. But that's just like, the only thing I can come up with with the correct energy.

So, yeah, Marisol is Taylor. I'm too tired to keep typing, but I can't believe the one theory I don't fully type out is the one the universe is gonna give me oaksoaksoaksoaksokasa

If you read this I love you. I don't know how this made you feel, but I hope it makes sense.

[msfbgraves]

Outside of Daniel and Terry who were great as always, this was a truly terrible season, THE worst lol.

Johnny was truly horrible with his "suPpoRt DeVoN aND mIGgy dUriNG thIS DiFficULt time" but never did ANYTHNG to support HIS OWN SON. Like, he did NOTHING FOR ROBBY. Robby is struggling so badly and has no one to turn to and his OWN DAD is like "lOl roBbY wHooO???" Johnny is a terrible character and has been gaslighting himself and everyone else from SEASON 1! FUCK Johnny!

They ruined Chozen in every way by making him into this drunk, boorish loser who randomly hooks up with the enemy (another flat, annoying character and another poorly written female character). Chozen was so OOC I felt like I was watching badly written fanfic come to life. What the FUCK! I am so sorry, Chozen. You deserved so much better.

Kreese was just plain embarrassing, my god. Every time he was on screen I cringed. He should have died in S5 and I stand by that. Everything he did was mortifying and humiliating. He is way too old to be acting the fool. He needs to be in a retirement home having angry dreams.

Robby...LOL. The writers said fuck you! we don't care about you AT ALL lol! and then he got supremely fucked by the narrative in every single way. God. And of course NO SCENES with him and Daniel because flawed as Daniel was, he did so much for Robby--way more than Johnny ever did for him. Daniel and Robby had wonderful chemistry and the writers are so scared of that.

The Sekai Taikai is boring and overlong and just ridiculous in every way. All the new characters are dull, flat, and have incredibly forced and tropy "chemistry" with the OG characters. They are the definition of Shonen Manga Stock Bullies. They're like parodies of character tropes at this point. If someone told me CK6 was satire, I would have believed them.

S6: Let's make Daniel have an emotional breakdown again because why not hahahaha! BTW, Johnny is cool and perfect and a REAL MAN! BE LIKE HIM!!111!1 Johnny is absolutely not wrong ever, but Daniel is evil and flawed and ALWAYS wrong OF COURSE1!111!!

Annoying little brat Devon gets a pep talk from Johnny (another huge LMAO!!!) and gets away scot free with all she's done?? While Kenny still has to deal with the bullying he'll surely face back home?? What the fuck?

Carmen...DEAR GOD. This is the woman who raised a sweet kid by herself in a new country. She learned a new language, escaped from a terrible man, built a career and took really good care of both her mom and her boy. And then she, responsible, smart, kind Carmen--gets knocked up by a deadbeat, drunk loser who has held a grudge over a high school karate tournament for 30+ YEARS, blames everyone (especially poor Daniel who is his personal punching bag) but himself for how shitty his own life is, doesn't have a proper career or a steady job AT 50+ YEARS OLD, is in and out of trouble constantly, behaves like every negative stereotype of Ugly American even while IN the States, gets (Carmen's) son in trouble, does shit all for his own son, and...THIS IS THE MAN CARMEN GETS KNOCKED UP BY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carmen, who WORKS IN HEALTHCARE and has ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL!!!!! You cannot make this shit up!!!!!!!

This show is truly garbage. It was excellent in S1 and S2, I thoroughly enjoyed S3, S4 and S5 were Karate Star Wars and got stupid (but still entertaining) and S5 it should have ended, peaking with the relationship between Terry and Daniel and the death of Kreese. S6 is embarrassing and cringe.

The best parts were TERRY FUCKING SILVER who is played with such devastating charm and skill by Thomas that you can't help but love him. And he's hot as fuck so there's that too!

Daniel is of course hated by the writers, but that doesn't take away from the fact that HE'S BEEN RIGHT FROM THE START OF THIS FUCKING SHOW and he's a good, kind, sweet, hardworking man who happens to have a quick temper, can be prone to hot-headedness, and be (gasp) less than perfect. Of course, for these oh-so-terrible sins, he must be punished and also constantly fucked by the narrative. Jokes on them, because Daniel can be proven to be right and correct 95% of the time, and remains a decent, good man who can admit when he's wrong (UNLIKE CERTAIN BLOND FUCKS).

I'm just here for Terry and Daniel!

Cobra Kai S6 is a fever dream of how a middle aged man with the emotional range of a young teenage boy would WANT the world to work, not how any human being would reasonably behave. Many men have written stories like this over the centuries and have been called geniuses; many women have written their versions - like Twilight - and have been called airheads, but anyway, it's all pure id at this point. I keep saying that TIG meanwhile writes his own part before signing on, because somehow I keep finding nuances in his character, like a compulsion to repeat his trauma with cages and a deep aversion to killing (which is interesting because I really do wonder what he meant to do to Kreese if not kill him).

You do have to give it to them that there are moments of awe inspiring insanity sprinkled throughout.

[bxrningdragxn]

Steven's on the brink of a mental breakdown each day you can't tell me he's not

like he had to deal with team aqua/magma (and had to ask for a child's help to do so), is under constant pressure and spotlight as a champion, and is (probably) also under constant pressure and spotlight as heir to devon corporation

Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't lost his shit yet

[artemis-fowl-incident-report]

Welcome to my throwback day contribution!

So I did a post a while back talking about what I would have done with the Fowl Twins books, and a subsequent chapter by chapter breakdown for the second book. And thus, as my throwback, I'm gonna break down what I would have done for "Deny all Charges" aka the third one.

(Just to preface, I never finished the third book. I dont know what Eoin was doing there, but I wanted no part of it)

Chapter 1

The Twins have recently turned 14. Following the trend of his character development from my version of book 2, Beckett has really come into his own, doubling down on his talent for engineering and languages, and is actively working on writing his first children's book (since he found that, with all his passion for the "Alien Pooping Boy" books, he might as well try writing all his ideas for himself). Beckett also keeps bees now, since he can talk with them, and bees are one of the only creatures that consent to their domestication by humans. Myles is as snarky as ever, but is a bit less vicious about it, since he's begun realising how hurtful some of his statements can be.

The boys are in Italy with their parents, visiting their Uncle Foxy and his boyfriend, one Giovanni Zito (because I said so). They're just discussing when Artemis will be returning from Mars when the boys get a message. The Crown of Frond they saved from the last book has been stolen from the Section 8 archives. The trail leads to Venice, so the boys head over to investigate.

They tail behind the fairy thief who they believe stole the item as they twist and turn through the city until they come to a church. Just as they get there, however, the building blows up. No one is hurt, but they can only assume their target is dead.

Chapter 2

As they're preparing to head home, Myles keeps fretting about the explosion. He goes over the security footage over and over, until he remembers that many churches have catacombs under them. He keeps researching until he comes across footage of their thief being whisked away by a boat that looks like an ACRONYM vestal.

Cut to their fairy nervously pacing around a safe house, wondering if the money was worth it- BLAM! Beckett knocks down the door. Between the two of them (and Whistle Blower, who they keep threatening to feed the fairy to) their thief confesses that he stole the crown for one Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye. The only other information he has is that he's going to be attacking a fairy magical research lab on the Devon moors soon.

They leave him, wandering through the streets to where Lazuli parked the shuttle. Beckett wonders if Artemis will be back in time for this adventure, and how it would be fun for them to get to solve this problem together. Myles is less enthused, noting that Artemis would probably get himself killed with his lack of self preservation instincts.

Chapter 3

A few days later, Lazuli, Myles, and Beckett (with Whistle Blower in his backpack) scale the Devonshire Moors. Since the area is well known for its military training camps they deemed it best to go by foot.

Lazuli is doing rather well since the last book, discovering she was from a secret branch of the Frond royal family. She's practically been adopted by Lily Frond, since most of Lily's family isn't great and she always wanted a sister. They may only be distantly related, but its the only family Lazuli's ever had (my heart!)

The magical testing facility is disguised as a Tor (big piles of granite that jut from the moors surface). But its clearly been attacked recently, with chunks taken from the surface, revealing the buildings structure underneath.

They head inside, learning that all the scientists and engineers have been kidnapped, and one piece of tech stolen. A magic amplifier. It was originally being developed for No1, as a way for him to cast spells on mass like healing the Amazonian rainforests or large groups of people during emergencies.

As the Regrettables leave they find themselves surrounded by the British Army. They're about to be fired upon, when a bright light shines down upon them. A ship descends, and a familiar voice in their ear pieces telling them to cover their eyes. There's a brilliant flash of light, and the army men drop to the ground, dazed and mind wiped of the last hour.

The spaceship's pod descends and two people step out. Butler and Artemis.

Chapter 4

Everyone (except for Myles) is overjoyed to see Artemis. He and Butler are rushed down the Haven with the Regrettables, and tearfully reunite with their friends, before buckling down and getting to business. (yes, Artemis is most pleased to be back on earth because he gets to wear suits again. Go figure)

Myles does not appreciate being side-lined like this, being treated like a child as Artemis and the others take over the situation. (Beckett tries to point out that they are actually children, but it doesn't go well for him). Its actually Lily Frond who gives them the means to listen in on the situation, having the keys to the office connecting to the situation room.

Turns out the machine is missing one key element, a very rare crystal that draws in magical energy from its environment and stores it within itself. They decide to contact Minerva about it, but it will take a day or so, since she's still a smuggler in this story, but a more high quality smuggler (also, Artemis is Godfather to Minerva's daughter. Its so sweet). Myles convinces Beckett they need to go to Minerva themselves, for which they steal a pod and head for the surface. (They leave Lazuli behind since they want her to, you know, keep her job)

Not that Beckett doesn't like a good heist, but he's usually the impulsive of of the two. He doesn't understand where this grim determination has come from with his brother. When pressed on the subject, Myles simply points out they shouldn't be overlooked like this.

Chapter 5

They turn up in New Orleans, and Minerva is very confused, but agrees to help when the situation is explained. Turns out, she has just the rock they are looking for, and a large chunk of it at that. The Twins buy it off her (because they got that Fowl money, you know what I mean?) and decide to take it to a secure location so Teddy cant get his hands on it.

Teddy gets his hands on it. He attacks the boys as they're transporting the crystal. During his big Villain monologue, he reveals he wants to be King of England, and he will use the fairy people to do so. He does, however, accidentally mention that a certain "she" will demand her share as well.

The twins are pushed from the pod, but not before Myles accidentally manages to get hold of a baby chunk of the crystal. They fall into the Atlantic Ocean, being picked up by a fairy rescue vestal.

Chapter 6

Back at Villa Eco, the twins get scolded by their parents and Artemis. Beckett kind of accepts it, but Myles refuses to. He runs away, reflecting on how all of this has been an absolute mess, that maybe they really should have left it to Artemis and the others.

When he catches up to him, Artemis and Myles have a heart to heart. Myles admits that he used to idolise Artemis, that he thought his big brother could do anything. But then he got himself killed at the end of the Last Guardian. Worse than that, he got killed from information Myles supplied him with after being possessed. He wants to be an equal to his brother, he wants to be close to him, but he felt his death stronger than anyone else. And then, when Artemis came back, he headed off to Mars like an Interstellar hipster on a gap year trying to "find himself".

Artemis apologises, explaining that he'd lived his first life for other people for so long, being the genius, the heir, Artemis Fowl II, that he didn't really know who Artemis was away from those things. He just wanted to keep his family safe, even though he had no idea how to be anything but a stranger in said family. That he should have reflected more on how him and Beckett were affected, that he does see them as his equals, and that he's sorry.

They hug it out. Myles is crying, Artemis is crying (I'm crying!)

Chapter 7

Much like the Death Star, it turns out this magical amplifier has a very specific (plot contrived) flaw. The crystal at its heart is not only rare, but its very fragile. If shot through with the right frequency, it will shatter and explode, all the magical energy contained inside it bursting out in one shot. However, they don't know what that frequency is, since they would have to run tests on some of that specific crystal vein.

Myles is happy to announce that he has one of said crystals, but will only hand it over to the LEP if they agree to let him and Beckett help. Their parents try and argue against it, but finally (finally) realise that nothing will stop their sons if theirs something they want to do and so elect to come along and help.

They fly across to Isle of Scilly to meet up with the rest of the team. Lord Teddy's manor is a virtual fortress, guarded by the fairy scientists and engineers he had kidnapped from Devon. They're clearly being mind controlled, and they have anti shield goggles on, so there's no way they could attack the house by air.

They had, however, contacted the Hortenut Seven, through Mulch, to dig them in. While they face off against Teddy, the dwarves will disable the guards, in exchange for Artemis backing their political interests (he has quite a bit of sway with the People since his resurrection, being viewed more like a Hero than the monster he used to be).

Artemis Sr and Angeline are actually surprisingly good help navigating the halls of Childblain House (turns out Angeline used to be a cat-burglar and Tim was, you know, a former crime lord so that helps). They reach the grand hall where the machine has been set up, the crystal humming away menacingly.

They each separate into one of three teams. Team A, Myles, Fowl Sr, and Butler (who between them are lugging a large box). They will be dug around the back of the hall by Mulch through the garden. Team B, Angeline, Juliet, and Beckett move to various positions around darkened hall out of sight ready to snatch the crown at the first opportunity. And Team C, Holly and Lazuli, who are shielded in the rafters with their guns ready if something goes wrong. Foaly is also there, in spirit, or rather on tech support, using his little bug drones from the Last Guardian to keep eyes on everyone.

Taking a breath Artemis, now wearing a gloop tie and glasses, steps into the hall.

Chapter 8

Artemis tries shooting at Teddy, but misses, being tackled and chained down by fairy guards for his trouble. When Teddy comes closer to inspect the intruder, he's told that this is "Myles" come back from the future to stop him. The maddened Lord wholeheartedly believes this, and takes it as a sign of his future victory. Since, if he hadn't won, there would be no need for "Myles" to have been sent back.

The crystal is changed up. Teddy is monologuing, strolling up have the crown on his head hooked up to the machine, regal in his throne

BLAM

He's shot in the chest.

Teddy looks over, betrayed, as Sister Jeronima, or rather her corps puppeteered around by Opal's ghost emerges.

All the fairies are suddenly released from the crowns spell and try to run, only to freeze back in place as Opal puts the crown on her own head.

Of course she has a villain speech, and of course she knows its Artemis. She talks about how he's always been small and pathetic, with a mind that could once rule the world but no resolve to do so.

She gets her guards to round up all the various Fowl's, Butler's and others. She hooks herself up to the machine, ordering Holly and Lazuli to take aim at their friends.

BOOM!

The crystal explodes, the machine Myles had set up vibrating at just the right frequency to release the magic trapped inside. There's chaos, Opal trying to order her fairy minions as the humans all rush forward to get the crown. Angeline is actually the one to get Opal, punching her in the face with a war cry of "that's for what you've done to my sons!" as Whistle Blower tears Opal/Jeronima's ankles to shreds.

But not before Lazuli goes to take a shot at Artemis, with Myles pushing him out the way.

Chapter 9

Between the two of them, Holly and Lazuli manage to heal Myles, where he wakes up in his big brothers arms.

It ends with them all sitting on the beach eating ice cream, waiting for the LEP to come sort out the mess and take Opal into custody.

They give the crown to Lazuli to look after, who resolves to hide it just as her ancestor Darach wanted.

Artemis tells his brothers how truly proud he is of them, and how he hopes this is the Fowl's legacy. He called an old man by Beckett, and a simpletoon by Myles.

The end

(I have been writing since 3am and now it is 7am. Why do I do this to myself? I have no idea)

[chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct]

For the ask meme - break, mask, and skin for Daeny 🩷

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

I actually planned to make a post about this in the future, quite soon actually. Daeny is arguably my most insecure character, despite the front she puts on. I've had the idea of a Daeny breakdown for absolutely forever. She has one after the maiden's day tournament in 189 AC. Daeny has had her eyes set on the maiden's day flower crown for years, what lady wouldn't want to be crowned the queen of love and beauty? She gets her very first suitor, Devon Blackwood. He gives her a gift, a puppy she names Butter, and she gives him her favor. He gets really really close to winning but ultimately loses to Daemon, who gives the crown to Daenerys. There's no sibling rivalry between Daenerys and Daeny but her feelings and ego are hurt. The day continues on and Daeny holds it up pretty well. Now here's where her insecurities really start to work overtime. Butter is an ugly little creature-- she's a pug 🩷-- and people of course make the "it's so ugly it's cute" comments and Daeny's brain just kinda runs with that and she starts to think "oh-- this is what people actually think of *me*" long story short, by the time she gets back to her chambers that night, she's so overwhelmed by her own thoughts that she destroys every reflective surface in her chambers 🥰

mask: Does your OC wear a mask, literally or figuratively? What goes on beneath it? Is there anyone in their life who gets to see who they are under the mask?

As I just mentioned, Daeny puts up a front. She presents as a soft spoken, confident young lady with a very loud sense of style. As you can probably tell from the passage above, that's just not the case 100% of the time. There are very few people who actually know how insecure she really is because she thinks that if she brings up being insecure about her looks it will make her seem vain, more so than she's already perceived by some.

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

As I said, Daeny is quite insecure. The main reason is that she does take after her father appearance wise, though not near as bad (we all know what Aegon IV is like) she thinks she's exactly like him and she hates it so much she literally gaslights herself into thinking he's a good person, which is easier because she's his favorite daughter... For purely selfish reasons. *He* sees himself in her.

[itz-ps15]

Nonny’s Barbershop Dilemma(A BG FANFIC)

Summary: Nonny’s hair gets too long during school activities, drawing, painting and also his favorite thing to do, read! His friend Gil wants to help him by taking him to get a haircut at the barbershop, but Nonny just couldn’t say yes. Why? Because he had Tonsurephobia, and bad experiences and memories from his childhood. How can Gil help his friend with the barbers to make him feel better?

Characters:Gil, Nonny, Kayden, Erica, Devon, Naomi,Emily(mentioned),Miss Jenny(mentioned)

Ages(Only the ones in the story, not the ones mentioned)

Gil:10

Nonny:11

Kayden:20

Erica:21

Devon:19

Naomi:35

It was a nice Saturday evening at Gil’s house. Nonny and his puppy Blossom were there as well. They were in Gil’s bedroom, with Gil playing with Bubble Puppy, and Nonny reading his book as Blossom cuddled by his side.

But as Nonny read, some loose strands of hair fell right in front of the pages. He blinked in surprise, but then had an annoyed look about it.

Nonny: Ugh! Not again. (blows the strands of hair away from his face)

Gil noticed, and wanted to help his friend out. He saw Nonny’s bag and went through to find a hairbrush.

Gil went towards Nonny, holding the hairbrush: May I?

Nonny nodded as Gil did brush his hair.

Gil the felt amazed by Nonny’s hair: Wow Nonny! Your hair is so soft! It’s softer than mine!

Nonny blushed at compliment.

Nonny: T-t-thanks Gil. It’s been getting in the way, because I’ve been neglecting it lately due to school activities and reading.

Gil: No problem buddy. (inspecting Nonny’s hair) But I hate to say it, but your hair’s in real bad condition. When did you last get it done?

Nonny didn’t know how to answer it, but said: 3 weeks or so…

Gil’s jaw dropped: 3 weeks?! But that’s way too much Nonny.

And with that, Gil picked up his cellphone and went through his contacts.

Gil:(scrolling through) Come on… where is it?!

Nonny looked with curiosity and confusion at Gil scrolling through the contacts.

Nonny: What are you looking for Gil?

Gil: You need a haircut, and I’m trying to find the number to my friends’ barbershop. BubbleTucky Barbershop.

Nonny went pale, as if he’d seen a ghost. He quickly put Gil’s hand down.

Nonny: (startled) Oh! Uhh…(sweating with stress) I appreciate the offer Gil, but I don’t think I can go. Not at all.

Gil blinked in surprise to what Nonny said.

Gil: What’s wrong buddy? Why don’t you wanna go to the barbershop?

Nonny sighed: Gil, you’re my best friend and all, and so are the others. So promise not to laugh at what I’m about to tell, which may sound silly. (tears come down from his eyes)

Gil cleaned them and held Nonny tight: Hey, you know I would never laugh at you. Please don’t cry Nonny. Tell me… what’s wrong?

Nonny sighed sadly and then explained the incident from when he was just 5, before he met Gil.

Nonny: My mom took me to this other salon, and the barber there was so rude and arrogant to me. He pulled me and dragged me to the chair, and when I cried for how hard he was, he just yelled at me to shut up. He wasn’t understanding, and it felt like I almost lost a piece of my scalp! (more tears come down as he cries) Mom took me to the doctor, and I was diagnosed with…

Gil:(worried and scared) With what?!

Nonny: (cried) Tonsurephobia! The fear of getting a haircut! (cries in breakdown) That’s why it sounded ridiculous! I’m scared of barbershops, and I don’t like getting haircuts. 

Gil gasped in horror: Nonny, I’m surprised. (gets down) I’m so sorry that happened to you buddy. You didn’t deserve that at all. But my barber friends are super nice, and understanding.

Nonny looked down, he didn’t want to go to the barbershop. 

Nonny: N-no thanks Gil. And besides, I’ve also been having bad dreams and nightmares about barbers. I can’t even sleep well. And, there’s something else I’ve been hiding…

Gil: What is it?

Nonny cried more, he couldn’t speak. He just sobbed: I’m getting bullied by Crystal, Emily, and Kane! But Emily has been the worst these days! She pulls my hair, she calls me names, mocks me, cuts my hair sometimes in bad looks, and she says that I belong with freaks, and that she calls me carrot boy because my hair is orange! (hands in eyes crying)

Gil was horrified as his heart sank hearing all this, and also noticing all the bruises and scars Nonny had in his arms, tail and face.

Gil: (hugs Nonny and holds his hand) Oh Nonny, I’m really sorry that happened to you. You never deserved it. And I know why you didn’t wanna tell me. It was because you didn’t want to cause more problems. But you told your mom right?

Nonny nodded: I did tell her. And we tried telling someone, but they don’t know what to do. (looks at his hair, sigh) Why can’t we go see Miss Jenny though? I’m used to her cutting my hair.

Gil: You know she’s sick and the salon is closed, so please, please give my friends at the barbershop a chance? 

Nonny hesitated until Gil did one thing that could make him agree.

Gil:(closed his eyes for a moment, then opens them to be puppy eyes) Please, for your bestest friend in the whole world?

Nonny couldn’t resist, and reluctantly agreed with a shy nod: Alright I’ll go. But it doesn’t mean I’ll like it.

Gil:Yes! You won’t regret this. (picks up the phone and looks for the number)

He finally found the number and called to the barbershop.

At the barbershop, is Kayden and Erica, boyfriend and girlfriend who work there.

Kayden sat down feeling tired: Phew! What a day. We’d better close now babe.

Erica: (yawn) Agreed. Thank goodness we don’t have anyone tomorrow.

Just then, the phone rang, and Erica answered it.

Erica: BubbleTucky Barbershop. We handle any kind of hair! How can we help?

Gil: Hi Erica!

Erica’s eyes widened in joy.

Kayden: Who is it? 

Erica: Gil! It’s so sweet to hear you again!

Gil: Yeah same here! Listen, I could really use your help. It’s for my friend Nonny.

Erica listened attentively, but wanted Kayden to listen.

Erica: Is it okay if I put it on speaker so Kayden can hear as well?

Gil: Sure!

Erica put her phone on speaker: Okay it’s on speaker.

Kayden: Hey Gil! Good to hear you!

Kayden ruffled Gil’s hair playfully.

Gil:(giggles) Hi Kayden.

Erica: So, you wanna tell us the situation about your friend?

Gil: Oh, right! He needs a haircut.

Kayden: Of course!

Gil: But, he kinda has a fear for barbershops due to a past experience from his childhood,bad memories,and even nightmares.

Erica gasped. And Kayden was shocked. Their eyes widened with fear as they exchanged worried glances.

Erica: Oh dear! That sounds terrible!

Kayden: That really is bad. But don’t worry, we’ll make him feel comfortable and make this a friendly and fun experience for him.

Gil smiled,his eyes widened with joy and twinkle.

Gil: Really?! Oh thanks so much! Well, when can I bring him?

Erica: You can bring him in tomorrow evening at 3:00. We’ll get ready before you get here tomorrow.

Gil: Great! Thank you so much!

Gil hung up and turned to Nonny.

Gil: Nonny, my friends said that that they can cut your hair tomorrow at 3:00pm. Isn’t it great?

Nonny just looked at him, but kinda put a fake smile.

Nonny: Yeah. I guess that’s good.

Gil was worried about his friend. He knew he was faking a smile, trying to hide how he really felt. He then saw tears come down his eyes.

Gil: Hey, look at me.

Nonny looked at him: What?

Gil: Don’t fake that smile, I know you’re upset. Nonny, don’t let fear get control of you.

Nonny sighed and agreed to go to the barbershop. Still, fears kept getting and growing in him.

That night, Nonny started having nightmares of the incident, and he started crying, and his crying caused his mom to come in.

Naomi: Baby, what’s wrong?

Nonny:(sobs hard,hugging his mom) Mom, I don’t wanna go to the barbershop! I’m too scared. Please don’t make me go there!(sobs) I don’t want a haircut! Please!(sobs on his mom’s chest)

Nonny cried almost all night. Naomi comforted him.

Naomi: Shh, shh, it’s okay sweetie. Mommy’s here. But remember, Gil will be by your side, and his friends are gonna be nice. And who knows? You might like how it’d turn out.

Nonny felt uneasy, and more tears came down: N-no please. I don’t want a haircut! I don’t want it!(hesitating and hugging his mom tightly taking her arms.

Nonny really didn’t wanna go. This makes his mom’s heart shatter.

Naomi:Sweetie, try to get some sleep. We’ll see tomorrow morning how you feel.

Nonny tried sleeping that night, but he kept moving around and tossing himself around until he could get some shut eye. But he still felt scared.

Nonny thought to himself: Will going there be that good like Gil said? What if they cut it too short, or what if they don’t like me?! What if, what if… what if it goes like last time?!

The next day: The day of the appointment.

Gil came to pick up Nonny for his haircut at the barbershop.

Nonny was in his room, he couldn’t sleep a wink. His eyes were all red and puffy from no sleep. 

When his mom entered his room, she saw his condition.

Naomi: Oh baby. I’m guessing you didn’t have goodnight’s sleep.

Nonny shook his head. He felt more depression come down and anxiety rise.

Nonny: Mom, do I really need to go? 

Just then, Gil entered: Hey guys!(looks at Nonny and his smile fades) Oh buddy, you don’t look that great. I’m guessing that he had a bad night Miss Quinn.

Naomi sadly nodded: I’m afraid so. (looks at Nonny, and sits beside him) Sweetheart, you don’t have to go. No one is forcing you to go.

But Nonny tried getting up: No, I’ll go. But it’s only because I don’t want my hair to be in my eyes.

Naomi and Gil exchanged concerned looks as they left Nonny’s room. Nonny was afraid of barbershops, haircut traumas, but he didn’t want his hair to get in the way anymore of his activities, and especially reading.

After Nonny got ready:

Gil and Nonny were on their way to the barbershop, and for some reason, Nonny was wearing a hoodie, in a hot day.

Gil couldn’t help but feel curious: Uh Nonny, why are you wearing that hoodie on a hot day? You’re gonna sweat in that.

Nonny sighed: I know I’m gonna sweat. But I don’t want to let anyone see my hair until we get there. It’s a literal mess. I couldn’t even brush it well enough this morning.

Gil: It’s okay. Erica will probably do something to make it look swimsational! I know that 100%!

Nonny was able to put a small smile, but inside, his heart raced with tremors.

Arriving at the barbershop, Gil opened the door and Nonny walked in first. Nonny felt his hands shaking and his eyes twitch. But the barbershop had a nice scent, and the environment seemed friendly.

Gil then shouted: Kayden! Erica! We’re here!

Nonny covered his ears and Gil noticed.

Gil: Oops.(embarrassed chuckle) Sorry Nonny. Didn’t mean to shout.

Nonny: Seriously? Don’t forget about my autism. Why do I feel like I’m gonna regret coming here?

Gil: Oh come on,(hitting him playfully on his shoulder)you’re gonna like them!

Just then, Kayden came in and hugged Gil. This made Nonny shrink back slowly behind Gil.

Kayden: Sup Gil! Great seeing you. (looks at Nonny) Ah, and you must be Nonny. (extends his hand out) Nice to meet you! Gil told me about you.

Nonny extended his hand and shook Kayden’s hand, but hid it back, looking down.

Kayden lifts Nonny’s head slowly: Hey, don’t be scared. I’m friendly. I don’t bite.

Nonny looks at Kayden, but still can’t smile. Just then, Erica walked in with another friend of her and Kayden’s.

Nonny looked at him. The other barber was a young man with black hair, with a turquoise fade. His tail was black with a dark turquoise zigzag pattern. He wore a black leather jacket with light turquoise music notes, blue headphones, glasses of a hippies, and he also had a dull teal beanie.

Erica: I think I have all the tools I need…(sees Gil, and squeals) Gil! (swims to him and hugs him) Great to see you!

Gil chuckled as Erica hugged him tightly into a bear hug.

Gil: Great seeing you to Erica! (looking at Nonny)Oh! Erica, this is Nonny.

Erica looked at Nonny, and her eyes turned into hearts of how cute he looked.

Erica: Hi Nonny! (kneels down) Oh you’re so cute! And I heard about this being your first time at a barbershop.

Nonny: Y-yeah. I-i-it is my first time. And… I’m really scared. I just have uncomfortable feelings when it’s a different place. And I just don’t like getting haircuts.

Erica: I see. It’s okay. (holds Nonny’s hand) Look at me sweetie.

Nonny looked at Erica, his freckles were seen when he blushed a bit.

Erica: Oh your freckles make you so sweet! You’re probably just the cutest and sweetest boy I’ll be styling.

Devon added: Yep. He’s a cute one for sure. Hi Nonny. My name’s Devon.

Nonny was able to stutter a shy hello to him with a small wave.

Erica: Do you mind taking off your hood to see what I’m working with sweet pea?

Nonny hesitated, but sadly pulled down his hood, revealing his bad bird nest and tangles.

Erica: (examining Nonny’s hair)  Your hair is a lovely color. Although, it seems in real bad condition and shape. 

Kayden: She’s right. I don’t wanna make it sound harsh, but it’s badly tangled. And it looks like a bird made it’s home there.

Devon then looked at Nonny’s ends and lifted a small strand.

Devon: And a bad case of split, fuzzy dead ends at 3 o clock here team.

Nonny felt embarrassed, and covered his eyes. The trio exchanged concerned glances at each other, realizing they may have made Nonny feel worse.

Erica: Oh pumpkin, we’re sorry. We didn’t mean to say those things.

Nonny:(softly) I-it’s okay. It’s my own fault. I’ve been neglecting my own hair and haven’t been paying much attention to it. Now I look like a walking tree with a bird nest. (tears down his eyes)

Devon gave him a tissue: Here.

Nonny:(takes the tissue and cleans his tears) Thank you Devon.

Erica: Well sweetheart, would you like to take a seat so we can get started?

Nonny looked at the barber chair Erica pointed towards, but his heart raced with fear and terrors. Bad memories kept returning.

Nonny: (shaking his head with fear) N-no thank you. I don’t think I can do it.

He clinged himself to Gil’s arm, and took his hand tightly.

Kayden then patted his shoulder softly: Hey, it’s okay. My girlfriend will take great care of you. So will me and Devon. You think you can trust us?

Nonny hesitated even more, but then nodded sadly and worriedly.

Erica: Great. Follow me please.

Nonny followed Erica to her station, and sat down in the chair.

Nonny had some tears come down his cheeks. His anxiety rose more, with some depression. He even started to sweat a bit due to the hoodie.

Erica noticed and grabbed a stool to sit beside him, comforting him.

Erica: (soothing) It’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you honey. I just wanna help you. I want this to be a fun experience for you. Do you wanna take off your hoodie so you feel more comfortable? 

Nonny: O-okay. Go ahead.

He handed Erica his hoodie over and she placed it near them: There. It’s right there for comfort.

Erica smiled softly and grabbed a cape. She placed it around Nonny’s shoulders, buttoned it in the back, and made sure it didn’t pull or tug Nonny.

Erica: There. Now, let’s start by wetting your hair.

Just before she could, Kayden said: Hang on babe, we need some before photos of our new client. So he then can see the final result.

But right before Kayden could take some pictures, Nonny hid his face with his hands, shaking in fear of a photo. 

Devon stopped them: Hang on team, I think he doesn’t want one. We shouldn’t do it if he wants to.

Erica nodded: You’re right.

Kayden put his phone away: Sorry Nonny. I didn’t mean to upset you.

Nonny looked up, shyly.

Gil: Sorry guys. I should’ve mentioned that Nonny doesn’t like having his picture taken much.

Erica smiled: It’s alright Gil. We didn’t know. But, now we can start wetting his hair down.

Erica picked up a spray bottle sprayed some water to his hair. Nonny flinched at how cold the water was.

Nonny: C-cold!

Erica: It’s okay sweetie. I didn’t mean to startle you, but I just need to get it dampened well to make it easier for me to cut. Barbers do that sometimes.

Nonny tried staying calm as Erica kept spraying his hair with water. She went as slowly as possible to keep him comfortable.

She then declared: There. All wet, now to comb it out.

She combed out Nonny’s hair, but he winced as Erica hit some tangles.

Erica quickly noticed: Oh dear! I’m so sorry Nonny! Didn’t mean to hurt you.

Nonny blushed in embarrassment: It’s okay. My hair is a mess, so I expected that it’d be tangled.

Kayden then gave Erica a spray bottle: Here babe. Thought you’d be detangling this mane.

Erica took the detangling spray: Thanks babe!(kisses Kayden on the cheek)

Erica sprayed some detangling spray onto Nonny’s hair and passed her comb.

Erica: There you go. No more pain.

Nonny sighed in relief, and was able to smile a bit, and blushed.

Erica noticed and cooed: Oh you’re such a dear and so adorable when you smile and blush! And it shows more cuteness with your freckles.

She turned to Kayden and Devon saying: He might just be the cutest boy ever! I mean, freckles just like me! #frecklesforever!

Kayden and Devon had to agree. Nonny was darn cute and adorable.

Next, was time for the actual haircut to begin. Erica picked up her scissors, and Nonny’s anxiety grew more as the scissors came near. His smile faded.

Erica quickly noticed and said: It’s okay. Nothing to be afraid about. I’m just gonna do a simple trim and we’ll see where it’ll go from there. That sound good?

Nonny hesitated for a moment, but he shyly nodded.

Devon then came up and told Nonny: Tell you what, if you don’t like how it looks, Erica can always fix it. Sound okay?

Nonny looked at Erica for reassurance.

Erica: Yeah, I can always fix it if you don’t like how it looks.

Nonny hesitated, but then nodded.

Erica then stared trimming some of Nonny’s hair. The first snips didn’t make him flinch, but he felt tickled, Erica kept him as comfortable as possible and went slowly.

Nonny watched with hesitation as strands of hair floated onto the floor. Some hairs even drifter on his shoulders

Erica then had an idea.

Erica: Hey Nonny, is it okay for you to take some deep breaths for me? It helps when you feel that way during a haircut. And I can put some soft music to make you feel relaxed.

Nonny: (sigh) Y-yeah. Sure. I can do that.

Erica smiled. She picked up her phone, and put a soft calming playlist on Spotify.

Erica: There you go. Now let’s keep cutting your hair.

She loves to the front and trimmed his bangs. With that, more hairs drifted to the floor, even on the cape. Nonny tried staying calm and relaxed.

Erica looked at Nonny’s eyes: Wow, your eyes are a lovely shade of green. They remind me of emeralds!

Nonny smiled and blushed: Thank you.

Nonny took deep breaths for Erica as she cut his hair. And before he knew, she declared:

Erica: There! All nice and trimmed.

Nonny looked in the mirror to see his hair nicely trimmed.

Erica: This style is called the piece-y haircut. It goes perfect with your face shape.(picks up a hand mirror for him to see the back) You like it?

Nonny smiled and nodded softly: It’s actually really nice. 

Erica: I’m glad to hear it. But, we’re not down yet. Time for a little surprise.

Nonny: A surprise? Oh. I-I don’t like surprises that much. 

Erica smiled and put a hand on his shoulder:Trust me,you’re gonna like this one.

Now, close your eyes for me.

Nonny hesitated and closed his eyes. Erica looked at Kayden and Devon, signaled them to got to her.

Kayden and Devon went up to her with curiosity.

Kayden: What’s going on babe?

Devon: Yeah. Is everything okay?

Erica:Yeah! Everything is okay. I just need both of you to help me with this special surprise.

She then whispered her plan to them. Gil wanted to know, so Erica whispered her plan to Gil.

Erica: Don’t tell Nonny. (wink, and giggle)

Gil winked back: I won’t. My lips are sealed.(giggles)

Erica then picked up all the tools she needed for the “surprise”.

The tools were the following: 

-Curling Iron  

-Curlers

 -Hairdryer

-Round Hair Brush 

-Paint Brush and a paint palette

 -Hairspray

-Wavy cream 

And hair serum

First, Erica applied the wavy cream, and hair serum onto Nonny’s hair.She then picked up curlers to place in front of Nonny’s bangs.

Nonny felt them, he tried to take a peek, but Erica playfully covered his eyes saying: No peeking. You don’t wanna ruin the surprise.

Nonny closed his eyes again.He heard the hairdryer doing some work as he also felt his hair being brushed. He then suddenly felt some combing through his hair.

Kayden then approached with the curling iron.

Kayden: Okay, uh, in the back right?

Erica nodded: Yep. 

Kayden carefully curled the back of Nonny’s hair to create nice loose curls. Meanwhile, Devon used the paintbrush and added some light orange streaks to make it look neat.

Finally, Erica combed them to make the curls softer and messier, and she added some hairspray for a shiny touch. She then took off the cape for  Nonny and cleaned him quickly with a small brush.

Erica: Okay sweetheart, you can open your eyes now.

Nonny slowly opened his eyes and he gasped.

His hair was now styled nicely with soft wavy bangs and curls. He actually looked like a K-pop idol.

Nonny passed his fingers thoroughly, and smiled: I-I love it. It’s different to what I’m used to, but this is really nice!

Erica beamed with pride: I’m so glad you like it. You look handsome.

Gil swam and hugged Nonny.

Gil: See Nonny? I told you they’d help you out! You look like a merprince. Or that guy from your favorite boy band. What was it again?! I know it’s Korean!

Devon: You mean BTS? He does look like that one guys with the 3 dogs and cat? What his name again?

Erica: You mean V? Oh he is so cute! (looks at Nonny)

Erica then takes out her phone to find a picture of V from BTS, and compares them.

Kayden: Okay, that says it. You look like V from BTS.

Nonny smiled at those compliments and made a small laugh.

Nonny: Thank you so much for this. I actually felt really safe around you three.

The barber trio smiled with delight and pride.

With that, Gil and Nonny left the barbershop with smiles, and Nonny still had his fear of other hair cutting places, but his new friends made him feel better.

He showed his mom and his mom smiled.

Naomi: Oh honey, you look so handsome and wonderful! Gil told me you were brave. I’m so proud of you.

Nonny: You really like it?

Naomi brushed his hair: Honey, I love it! It’s perfect! You should be proud of yourself!

His mom hugged him and Nonny felt happy about how it came out, fears slowly disappearing.

This is for @yet-happy

Remember to get inspiration from Deviantart please.

The Barbershop Trio:

From left to right:Devon Scotts, Erica Winslow and Kayden Rawling

Descriptions about the Barber Trio:

Devon is 19, making him the youngest of the group. He is mistaken for an emo, but he���s actually really kind and mature. But he is a bit clumsy, accident prone and a goofball. His favorite color is black, and his style is an artsy “Emo” style.

Erica is the oldest, 21 years old. She’s a barber at BubbleTucky Barbershop, but Kayden sometimes teases her for being short. She’s shy, understanding, kind, caring, an animal lover, smart, gentle, and patient. Her favorite color is teal, and her style is an artsy style. Kayden is her boyfriend.

Kayden is Erica’s boyfriend, he is 20 years old, but likes to tease his girlfriend since he’s taller. He’s a music lover and ver passionate about styling hair, cause he, Erica and Devon are barbers. His favorite color is green and his style is a casual exotic style.

They are all friends with Miss Jenny.

The Barber Trio also have pets.

Erica has two bunnies, Gigi and Becky.

Kayden has 2 dogs, a German shepherd named Jet, and a Brussels Griffon named Eevie.Devon has a cat and dog. His cat’s name is Zara and his Husky’s name is Comet.

What was Nonny’s nightmare you may be asking? This is what it’s like, and better get a plushie and hug yourself, cause it’s kinda scary.😱 

Mine is a bit darker.You all better take hands, and not scream.

So Nonny wakes up in a dark room, not knowing where he was. He tried getting up, but he couldn’t. He looked down to see that his arms, and his tail were strapped and tied to a barber chair! Soon, a dark figure holding big scissors goes near him, revealing himself as an evil barber, and makes Nonny scream! Nonny scream as loud as he could, trying to call for help, but the barber covers his mouth,so he wouldn’t speak more, and cuts a giant chunk of his hair off!😰😰😰😰😰 Nonny cried as the barber kept, and his muffled cries made him pass out.😰

Okay, maybe too much

Me when I wrote this story: When I wrote this story, I always saw that Nonny would be a character with more sensitivity toward haircuts, because people with autism don’t like changes a lot. But if you talk about this with someone and share it, you can see that change can be good and helps you more. But I wrote this because I felt like I wanted my version of Nonny to have something that triggers haircuts, which is why I gave him Tonsurephobia. Tonsurephobia is the fear of getting a haircut, and tonsure is Greek for “to cut” which makes a lot of sense because that’s part of getting a haircut, cutting hair!

Here is an example of Nonny’s haircut nightmares when it comes to barbers.

[sandersgrey]

"Kit's silence treatment to Ty isn't healthy because it's stewed in shame" uh YEAH. Nearly ALL of Kit's relationships are.

He's JUST starting to figure out a healthier dynamic with his family in Devon, and they havent done anything to upset him yet, so he hasn't had any reason to try and figure out healthy forgiveness.

The only real, meaningful relationship Kit is shown to have before the Institute was his dad, who we never see him saying no to.

You think Johnny Rook was out there showing Kit how to establish and enforce boundaries in a healthy way? Fuck no.

Kit was, as far as we're aware of, not only obedient to Johnny's wants but also willing to go out and put himself at risk by pickpocketing as as ten years old. He's not even outwardly angry when he realizes his own father didn't unconditionally love him.

Kit is consistently shown to be people pleasing when it comes to people he's attached to.

He jokes but plays Ty's Watson nearly as soon as he realizes that's what Ty wants from him; he assumes he has to repay Jessa for the love they show him before Jem assures him he doesn't; this all stems from Kit's core belief that love is earned.

And yeah, he thinks he hasn't earned Ty's. There is some deep shame in there, born from internalized homophobia, but also from Kit showing vulnerabilty for the first time in his life and getting... nothing. The realization that he means absolutely nothing to Ty.*

Of course he doesn't want to be reminded of that. The sheer humiliation would've killed a lesser teenager.

That's the same kid who saw a werewolf transform in front of him as a child and had a breakdown so public his dad pulled him out of school and kept him at home for at least five years, and he still has werewolf friends.

He dated someone who he was 50% sure was a werewolf, and only broke up w her bc it was too awkward... to not know if she was or not. He never hints that her being a werewolf would be a problem itself. It's just the awkwardness of asking.

He jokes that his dad isn't in heaven, but that's as far as his anger there goes. When he finds out that Johnny lied to him his entire life, Kit is upset. He's not mad.

This is the same kid who grew up being told shadowhunters snatch children, who had a knife held to his throat in his first close interaction with one, and still was able to become best friends and eventually fall in love with the exact same shadowhunter.

Kit can't do confrontations. He assumes that whenever a relationship goes wrong, it's because of something that makes him unlovable. That's obviously untrue and unhealthy.

But Kit doesn't hold grudges. He might avoid a more intimate relationship if things are awkward, but he's clearly willing to be close to people who he would be somewhat justified in believing have hurt him in the past.

The fact that he doesn't want to see Ty is stewed in shame.

The fact that he's so willing to enforce that boundary that he'll tell his friend's ghost that he won't talk to her anymore if she keeps trying to bring that up? That he's not rude, or mean, but honest about his unwillingness to be around Ty when Ty himself shows up?

Honestly, I'm kinda proud of him. That couldn't have been easy.

* Btw, this isn't Ty's fault. Ty was trying to bring back his sister from the dead and was not prepared for Kit to just straight up tell him he loves him. He needed 3-5 business days to process that, but, of course, both of their trauma responses clashed. That's what trauma responses often do.

[storylocke]

[P5 / Alola crossover scene]

Gladion:  …[fidgets] Steven, might I ask you something… exceedingly personal? >.>;

Steven:  [For how awkward the young man is, he can't help but smile at how “personal” it could be. Playful sarcasm] You know how I love my secrecy. What is it?

Gladion:  As we've been talking about our companies’ history and hopefully future endeavors, it’s… it’s hard to ignore why the partnership ended in the first place.

Steven:  [Nod, nod taking a drink, and?]

Gladion:  Did you ever get closure about your mother? 

Steven:  ….. [Swallows, but quirks an eyebrow at him] That's a bit of an odd question.

Gladion:  I know, I just… [Shakes head] This past year has been crazy between my mother and me, but at least I still have her. And even if I was only a child at the time, you were too. Did anyone ever talk to you about what happened?

Steven:  …. [Looks to the water glass in hand then holds up a hand.] Hold that thought. [Gets up and goes over to the desk where he opens a hidden compartment in the wall with several types of bottles] I don't do this very often, but this sounds like a conversation that requires it. Would you like some? 

Gladion:  ….By all means. [Not sure if he’s more surprised by the hidden liquor stash or that Steven isn't shying away from the subject at all. Motions that he'll take….whatever the guy’s got.] Thank you. I'll take that as a no?

Steven:  They gave my father the news, but he never told me much at the time. I knew she went to stay with Aether while learning about their research and just… never came back. I knew she was dead, I wasn't that sheltered, but… [Shakes head] no. No one ever told me personally. [Takes a sip as he goes on more somber] But I knew it had been terrible. My world was completely turned upside-down by my father's grief, but that pales in comparison to what happened to you. [Holds up hand as he can see Gladion’s alarm] As a business, we do still need to do our research before taking up a partnership. And of course, you only officially took over as President recently, it begs to question what happened to the last one. I just… [rolls the glass between his hands as he watches the deep reddish brown liquid slosh a little. Somberly] My father didn’t just cut ties with Aether. We closed ourselves off for a while with the claim that Devon had just suffered a series of unfortunate events and would be working on a company reconstruction before continuing operations. I wish we hadn’t though. I know we likely wouldn’t have been able to say or do anything at the time, but I can’t help but wonder if we had continued watching from the outside, we might have helped your mother sooner. I have heard rumors over the years about the horrors to occur after President Aether was killed in the attack. [And somewhat surprised to see Gladion’s is empty already as well. Leans forward to pour his guest another, larger, shot. He's not sure if Gladion just really liked it or was gathering up some “liquid courage” for whatever he intended to say. Tops off his own while he’s at it] Although, if you’re planning to bring me comfort and details, I wouldn't think you'd know much about it. Weren't you, like, ten at the time? Surely they didn’t have you watching when everything exploded.

Gladion:  [Bit of both actually, but sets the glass down a little shakily] I was eight, actually. I'm sorry it really is an odd subject to drop on you like this. I'm sure you've also heard about the growing crisis in Alola, the Psychotic Breakdowns and Mental Shutdowns… [Steven nods] My associates and I are more than certain now there's an Ultra Beast behind it. The interdimensional creatures once referred to as Demons. And that alone has had me thinking about that day a lot lately. I just wanted to ask where you stood on the matter because I… I really need to talk to someone who’d understand…

Steven:  [Blinks at him in surprise as he's not sure how to feel about the thought of the Demons being back in any way, shape, or form. But given Aether's history, even more so under Lusamine… tries to give his guest a smile.] I’m not sure if I’d be much help, but I like to think I’m easy to talk to. [Clears throat] At least, I would hope I am, but I realize I still haven’t answered your original question. I… [Honestly takes a moment to think about his feelings when it comes to his mother] I suppose I have found some closure on the whole affair. Even if I didn’t find out the full extent of what happened to her, my father and I had a bit of an incident ourselves several years ago, which finally allowed us to talk about it. My mother’s not exactly a sensitive subject, if that’s what you’re worried about. You lost your father during all of that too, didn’t you?

Gladion:  …. [A soft smile creeps out as he debates how to answer that. It sounds crazy, like… REALLY crazy, but you know what, he’s not sure why but he feels like he can trust the guy. Takes the whole shot] I’m not sure, actually. I found him again, I think.

Steven:  … [Looks at glass, looks at his own, debating if he should give the young man any more. Eyeing him in slight concern and confusion] I don’t find that very funny. 

Gladion:  I wish I was joking. [Looking down as he’s worried he may have offended him after all. Instead, he finds himself admiring the shape of the empty glass, kind of neat how everything blurs through the thickness of it] I’ve heard that Hoenn is very serious when it comes to ghosts and lingering spirits and whatnot. ….But honest to goodness, I think we’re being… haunted by that day. In every sense of the word. What would you do if the whole… Phantom Thieves thing- [points at him somewhat with the glass then sets it aside. Yeah, he’s gonna stop] I know you’ve heard of it, we heard about it less than a day after getting off the plane. What if I were to tell you there’s some real ghost or… otherworldly play having a hand in all that? 

Steven:  [Amused. This was a bad idea actually, he almost wonders if the guy’s ever had a drink in his life before this, but ah well, too late now] I mean no offense, but you think your father is a literal phantom thief?

Gladion:  I think he might be leading them. Or did. Leadership is kind of weird lately. [Deeeeeep sigh and tries to straighten up in his seat] This secret CANNOT leave the room but, I need to talk to someone because this whole thing is driving me insane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: This is less to do with the actual crossover as just bits of world building. Plot wise this scene comes up while several members of the gang are on vacation, but instead of going to Hawaii (because they're already from Alola) they end up going to Japan. And since half the group would be high schoolers (although school is odd in Pokeverse so none of them are actually in school at this time), the other half of the team are varying degrees of "responsible" adult. As such, instead of a school trip, they're on a business trip with Gladion even if once they get there, they all split off to take care of other business in Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh. (And we get a bonus dungeon completely unrelated to the game, so even if the kids are about to discover hell via Difficulty Spike, I'm just having fun.)

Kofi

[goosemixtapes]

max's october 2023 reads

weird reading month. lots of shortform articles/comics; lots of early modern english literature. also still experimenting with my format for these, so have a listening tab.

fiction

Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, books 3-4

the latter two episodes of What Happens Next comic

Epistolary by Sacha Lamb (again, for reasons of Got Sad)

Fresh Meat comic (cw for suicide and psychiatric hospitalization)

Something's Not Right by yves. @yvesdot (review + promo)

Edmund Spenser's Amoretti & Epithalamion (review)

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins (review)

Blankets by Craig Thompson (review)

Shakespeare's Coriolanus (again, + Janet Adelman's lecture "Anger's My Meat")

the first half of Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

nonfiction

The Way We Weren't by Jules Gill-Peterson (↳ on hypervisibility and the history of passing)

Fiona: The Caged Bird Sings by Chris Heath (↳ fiona apple is the only celebrity i actually read about)

Can ChatGPT Do My Job? by yves @yvesdot (↳ on AI, book reviews, copyright, and capitalism)

Picture Limitless Creativity at Your Fingertips by Kevin Kelly (↳ linked in the former--on the potential of AI image generation)

The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism by Jonathan Lethem (↳ also linked in the former--on plagiarism, and one of the coolest things i've ever read)

Allies Behaving Badly: Gaslighting as epistemic injustice by Rachel McKinnon (↳ on allyship and 'allies' who refuse to believe you)

Debunking "Trans Women Are Not Women" Arguments by Julia Serano (↳ i knew a lot of this, but it's still a really good breakdown and a good link to have on hand)

the first half of Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price (the book, but i also recommend the article)

the first fourth of Down Girl by Kate Manne (rapidly becoming one of my favorite reads of the year)

The Spectre of Orientalism in Craig Thompson's Habibi by Nadim Damluji (↳ i haven't even read habibi but this was fantastic anyway)

"Half-Envying," from Reading and Not Reading the Faerie Queene by Catherine Nicholson (↳ delicious supplemental reading for class)

The Gaza Diaries via the Guardian (↳ not sure what to say about this one. very harrowing but very important)

The Landlord, the Tenant, and a House Fire in Milwaukee via ProPublica (↳ cws for child abuse and child death. extremely powerful piece of reporting that quite genuinely ruined my night)

listening

Mike Duncan's History of Rome, episodes 14-19

WordofGodcast, episode 2

Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

Dorian Electra's Fanfare

[lovingsylvia]

🥳 Happy Birthday The Bell Jar! 🎂 The Sylva Plath Calendar - 60 years ago today: Sylvia Plath‘s only novel The Bell Jar was published in the UK on Monday, 14 January 1963 by Heinemann under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, 28 days before her death. Plath called the novel “an autobiographical apprentice work which I had to write in order to free myself from the past” and said: “What I’ve done is to throw together events from my own life, fictionalizing to add color- it’s a pot boiler really, but I think it will show how isolated a person feels when he is suffering a breakdown…. I’ve tried to picture my world and the people in it as seen through the distorting lens of a bell jar” Source: Biographical Note by Lois Ames, in: The Bell Jar, Bantam Windstone, 1981 . If you want to learn more about the creation and publication history of The Bell Jar, I highly recommend Peter K. Steinberg’s blog post from 14 January 2013 at sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com: “Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar Published 50 Years Ago Today”. . Photo: The synopsis page from the uncorrected pre-publication proof copy of Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ that was also included in the first Heinemann edition; with Plath’s Devon address in her handwriting. This copy belonged to her daughter, Frieda Hughes. Sold for £ 75,000 at an auction at Bonhams in March 2018. 📷 bonhams.com/auction/24633/lot/359/plath-sylvia-the-bell-jar-by-victoria-lucas-sylvia-plaths-uncorrected-proof-copy-with-her-own-manuscript-corrections-and-ownershsip-inscription-heinemann-1962/

[warningsine]

Two suspected cases of monkeypox have emerged in Somerset. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared monkeypox, now known as mpox, a global health emergency following a large number of cases in sub-Saharan Africa.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reveals that between 2023 and 2024, England experienced 269 instances of mpox. A breakdown shows 116 infections likely occurred within the nation, 82 contracted overseas, and classification is pending for 71 cases.

Notably, none of the UK incidents involve the clade I strain of mpox, which is raising alarms in Africa, reports Somerset Live. The suspected cases in the county are in North Somerset and Taunton Deane, near the Devon border.

A detailed look at the last 52 weeks up to the end of June uncovers 90 statutory notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) involving suspected mpox reported to the UKHSA. These notices are crucial for healthcare providers, serving as an early indicator for potential outbreaks across regions.

Although the bulk of these tentative diagnoses are concentrated in London - particularly Lambeth with 10 and Southwark with eight - other areas including Somerset have also reported cases, specifically one each in North Somerset and Taunton Deane.

Meanwhile, a surge in mpox cases within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and various African nations, has been labelled a "public health emergency of international concern" by WHO.

The same classification has previously been applied to Covid-19, Ebola outbreaks, and the 2022 outbreak of mpox in Europe. Professor Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO's Emergency Committee, warned that the rise in cases - coupled with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the mpox virus - "is an emergency, not only for Africa, but for the entire globe".

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It can cause flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, and a skin rash or pus-filled lesions that can last two to four weeks.

It can be passed on through contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals. There are broadly two different strains of mpox, known as "clades". Clade I, the strain currently sweeping across Africa, is considered the more dangerous.

Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director at UKHSA, said: "The risk to the UK population is currently considered low. However, planning is underway to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK. This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission."

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, expressed his concern, stating: "The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it's clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives."