#I don't have an established “Research Agenda”

[dudeinthestacks]

a doctorate feels so final...but a third masters degree?

[thefanficmonster]

please please please write something for Mickey altieri I love him sm

You know I love Mr. Altieri and I'm always happy to write for him 😉 Hope you enjoy this set of headcanons darling 💕

~ Lots of love, Vy 💌

Mickey Altieri having a crush on you in college would include:

You told yourself you wouldn't date in college - for many reasons

Obviously, piles of schoolwork and many hours of studying awaited you and you couldn't imagine yourself forfeiting your future and neglecting all that work for a significant other

But also the upcoming four years are exactly the years meant for being wild and you couldn't afford missing out on any of that due to a commitment to another person

But at this point life had rudely taught you that things rarely go as you hope and plan them to

One of the variables you didn't factor into your planning was Mickey fucking Altieri

The sleek bastard

You'd caught his eye from day one - orientation day, to be exact

He was very fond to see you in his film class and with a bit of asking around he found out you too are a film major

He wasted no time pulling out every flirting trick he can ever remember working on you

All to be dismissed and rejected each and every time

But he's a persistent man, well aware of his charm and charisma

"I'm not your type, I get it. How about we start over? Friends?"

"In your dreams, Altieri." You roll your eyes at his poorly disguised attempt at poking through your guard

"How come you know my last name?"

Your eyes widen before you can stop them

You've just exposed your own snooping agenda

You'd be lying if you said you didn't conduct your own research on this man

Sure, he's attractive, fun to be around, charismatic - magnetic, almost

And, contrary to his claim, just your type

But you refuse to give in

That is until you realize that giving him a chance doesn't automatically mean establishing a relationship

Rather a dynamic

One with the potential to be quite fun and exciting at best

Interesting and eventful at worst

So, when he tries one more time, offering you nothing more than his company to a sorority party

You shock him by agreeing, retorting with a time at which you required him to pick you up from your dorm building

And pick you up he does

You roll your eyes at the corny gesture of a bouquet - or the sorry excuse for one he'd picked up on his way across campus

Still, you can't help but find it endearing

"I knew you'd like me eventually" he is getting cocky, reaching even, but as long as he's able to get a laugh out of you he's satisfied

"Don't hold your breath. I just wanted to go to a party."

"Yeah but you could've gone with anyone else. Just admit you like me, hell won't freeze over."

You narrow your eyes at him a part of you regretting the decision to accept his offer while another corner of your brain is looking forward to the evening the two of you are about to have

"Over my dead body"

Little do you know, he could easily get that arranged

But he'd never do that, not to you anyway

"Ten bucks says they disappear to make out an hour into the party." Hallie says, peering over at Sidney as the two observe their friend meet up for something they adamantly claimed wasn't a date

"You're on." Sid agrees, both girls giggling as they get back to getting ready for the party

A party you and Mickey disappear from about forty-five minutes in, earning Hallie ten dollars

The rest is history - history filled with Mickey poking fun at how quickly your resolve crumbled

Because now, four months later, you're celebrating three months of officially dating

This is one of those rare occasions when life works out a lot better than you'd originally planned it

Some things are better off unplanned

The best things in life come as a surprise, after all

[bropunzeling]

11, 22, 37!

11 Three tropes that are fine but overrated

oh gosh hmm. some of these are gonna come across as hypocritical lmao and also insert a healthy dose of "for me specifically" but: (1) i think soulbond/soulmark tropes can be done well, but mid executions of the trope focus a lot on ~finding~ the person rather than interrogating what it means to have bonds or marks or things of that nature, and leave a lot of interesting nuances about choice and free will and conflict between romantic relationships and other things you might want (career, friendship, autonomy, etc) on the table. i wish more takes on the trope let it be messy! (2) hurt/comfort done well is really fun but when people are just like. aggressively making their little guy sad and pathetic and a poor little meow meow whose never done anything wrong it gets grating. i love a sad guy but i prefer when they're sad because of shit they did to themselves instead of external factors. (3) curtain fic/established relationship stuff can be fun sometimes but like. there still needs to be a smidgen of conflict or growth or change or a shift for me to be interested. there has to be a point imo! even when i write my silly self-indulgent post-fic time stamps its important to me that there's a point to it beyond just "im love them" (though im DO love them)

22 What is it about watching the same two idiots falling in love over and over again?

i think the thing is, there can always be a new dimension to how these two idiots fall in love!!! every story is an opportunity to get at some new nugget of like, how people are, or what it is to be vulnerable and open and willing to risk heartache. with two different people you have so many opportunities to look at different shades and facets of their character. especially with rpf where real life events can shape characterization in real time. The Trade opened up a whole new dimension of matthew that creates new angles to investigate matthew&leon and what it means to fall in love with someone thousands of miles away and who you see even less (or, someday, for my break up/make up agenda)! jamie getting dealt to philly opens up new ways to poke at the jamie/trevor relationship by adding distance and tragedy and the potential of falling for other people! even picking a new trope or time period is just so fun for being like, now how would they be under THESE circumstances? also like, i LOVE flip-flopping who gets to be down bad immediately and who is oblivious because it's not only a fun creative challenge but also just opens up new worlds. idk! there's so many possibilities and so many facets to explore and to me that's delightful.

37 Do you research before writing or while you write? Is it fun or boring for you?

id say i do some up front, just to nail down the broad beats of the story and to minimize how much reworking i have to do later on (or for period type fics, to make sure that i dont introduce plot points that simply cant have happened in that time frame!), and some i do as i go -- for example, for a while there i just HAD the battles of alberta in 21-22 down pat because i was using them so often to shape story beats, but the games in between i had to look up as i went. i also am constantly pulling from new articles or features that offer new bits of characterization i want to use. tbh with the current wip i DO feel very wobbly because i don't have my normal anchors of the schedule/have to make things up, which is simultaneously freeing and hard because it's so much easier for me to write about sports games that really happened than the fake ones im constructing for the narratives 😂. but yeah id say mostly i research as i go!

[xartus]

I'm convinced that Freya (as in, the goddess called that, it just means "lady") is a Germanic reflex of the sovereignty goddess type

I think that a lot of domain of magic and the dead were originally hers, as well as broader "fertility" connotations. Fertility can mean a lot of things. Odin is a young god who assumed the functions of several older ones by gje time he became important in his historical cultus. I personally believe him to be an ancestor

The lore describes a goddess who is independant, incredibly powerful, not subject to the whims of men or society. In fact, *they* need *her*, not the other way around. She was there long before we established such things and will be there long after. Her agenda is her own, her power her own. Feared because she toes the line on the edge of civilization and cannot be controlled or killed

The only etymological connection to Frigg is the name, but if you look at functions, she's pretty damn different. It was common to use an epithet, especially for deities of such vast and unfamiliar power

People call her a sex goddess because she is said to have sex. So are like a billion others, who are just as allegedly sexual if not moreso, and we don't call them sex deities. I chalk this up, again, to more mythic literalism. I encourage people to look into the Iron Age Germanic tribes as well as the Celts in general (the Celts GREATLY influenced later Germanic culture). These functional similarities become clearer when one takes the time to research backwards in time and across temporal space

[dojae-huh]

https://twitter.com/jh_theory/status/1850146187401458072?t=EzQIkBfb8hznjAShK4otUA&s=19

https://twitter.com/deardo_0/status/1850555216342798357?t=EzQIkBfb8hznjAShK4otUA&s=19

Huh nim, it's me bunny.... I just wanna come here by seeing these....🥺🥺🥺🥺

It's not like i was sad when I saw the news of jae leaving nd also I was prepared to let go of doyoung for the military time... That was fine for me coz I can wait nd make money so when they come back i should just go nd see them.. So i was like let them go fast nd come before I get married... To make my heart stronger I was holding myself from tl nd everything, didn't even see anything related jae's mute, until I saw the pic of his teary eyes... Aaaaah huh nim, I broken into pieces... It's not like jaehyun doesn't cry, so if he cries it must be sad agenda, but he is someone I cherish nd respect the most, he is the peach that I fall in love with, I knw the way he shows his affection nd love not that much expressive like doyoung, still the way he give his love is smthng really I respect, nd I adore.. To see those tears in his eyes, I caant.... But when I saw it I was holding myslef from writing to u, I didn't want to annoy you with my feelings, but today doyoung dropped smthng, something with his old pics nd vedeos nd live moments nd everything... I saw most of my old dongyoungie at a one vedeo, that's the end, I can't take it anymore... Oh my god, I didn't knw I love them this much... For me nothing can beat old sassy doyoungie nd his vlives, I don't knw why he stopped doing that, still I rewatch old lives nd covers... But I stopped doing it for the sale of my mental health, to let em go, .. But when I saw those, finally I realized again that I didn't fall in love with them but living with them...

Aaah.... It's so..... I don't knw what am even writing.... But sharing my feelings with someone who knows the ppl I love really makes my heart weight a little... Huh nim, thank you so much for keeping this blog... Let's just hope everyone who loves them feel okay nd fine... You too my dear friend...

With love BUNNY🩷

Link, Link2

Hi, Bunny.

Jaehyun cried with bittersweet tears on the first day of his fancon. He said while he was singing "Try again" he saw fans tearing up, and so he started to tear up as well feeling a connection with them.

Doyoung will release a single that is about him looking over his 20s and preparing to enter his 30s, that's why there is a new clip with his old vlives and covers, plus he dropped old pictures on his IG today as well.

It is normal to cry during farewell, tears actually bring relief.

Researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain.

So your body wanted to help you.

Think not of how Do and Jae will go into the military soon, but how Rookies Jae and Do debuted, endured all the struggles of the idol life, overcame the obstacles, and now finally reached their initial dreams: to be a soloist singer for Do and to perform and be liked for who he is for Jaehyun. That they found each other and ended up in one group, can go to each other's concerts and support each other's new beginnings.

Look at this happy Jae from today. He has done all he wanted to do before going to the military. And Doyoung also is living his best life right now.

[youaremusic1900]

Jacques: So the friend Panaro & others here have had 'friendly debates with on here has done it again! It's hilarious, because we DO know others that have different political views (same with religon as well) , but they value our friendships more than trying to get us to change our minds!~Jacques Them: Project 2025 is a list of conservative priorities put together by The Heritage Foundation in coordination with other conservative organizations, but Donald Trump has stated it has nothing to do with him, nor should it be associated with his campaign. he does not endorse this. I know your political position but I believe that you like I research enough to know who is lying. It isn't easy but they you can say you are aninformed voter Me: You should do your reserch to see HE'S lying. If you didn't know I had a point I don't think you would've privet messaged me

UPDATE! Them: sent this too you based on your previous posts. If he is lying please point me to your source Me: "The answer to the Project 2025 question is a bit tricky because it has changed over the years. The Heritage Foundation is behind it and has published its “Policy Bible” called Mandate for Leadership series since 1981. It has been updated with new editions released in parallel with presidential elections. So while there was a Trump version in 2015, Project 2025 is far more ambitious than any previous editions. It was established in 2022 for the 2024 Republican candidate. AKA Trump. Trump’s campaign wanted to distance him from the Project so started his own “Agenda 47”. That’s why you will sometimes hear that it is now called Agenda 47. They are 2 different things but basically align with the same crazy train agenda. Not sure if that cleared things up or not but what it boils down to is we cannot let Trump back into the White House ever. Don’t care what they call it, it is scary as hell." Sourse is friend who does research!

ANOTHER UPDATE! Them: The heritage foundation wants the republican president to follow their plan. It does not mean he will. When something like this comes out sources need to come both sides of the aisle Me: Wow...... Are you actually choosing to stay blind because you're a Republican? Or you actually think electing someone who's only different to Hitler because Hitler was actually smart is a good idea? I'm an independent, I vote for who makes me feel SAFE. Please don't insult my sourse, who researches EVERYTHING IN DEPTH before they post it!

[tobiasdrake]

I think this is where we learn the awful truth of the facility. So this should be fun.

Is it the sound of kidnapped humans being butchered? I bet it's the sound of kidnapped humans being butchered.

Hey! It's the sound of humans being butchered! What do ya know?

Gotta keep the city fed somehow, and homunculi go feral if they don't consume human meat.

Have you seen the people wandering the factory halls? You want that fate for Kurumi? Makoto's doing his best to give his homunculus brethren the best possible lives they can have!

...

Probably shouldn't have shut down homunculus research. The World's Smartest Homunculus might have been able to come up with a better solution if he put in the work at the lab. Maybe find a way to genetically engineer the defects out of the other homunculi or something.

So we come to the answer to Number One's Great Global Mystery. Why are people being kidnapped from around the globe and trafficked into Kanai Ward? For this. It's for exactly this.

OH OKAY IT'S NUMBER ONE DOING IT.

Right. Okay. That makes sense. Not like Makoto and Yomi have the bandwidth for globetrotting exploits.

The WDO solves crimes, apprehends criminals, and then brings them here to feed Kanai Ward. Because Makoto and the WDO have that pre-existing relationship, it makes sense that they'd be in direct cahoots like this.

Oh, and "World's Greatest Mind"? Guess we know who Makoto's a homunculus of, don't we? That certainly explains the weird moment earlier when Makoto was verbatim quoting the creed at Yuma's face to taunt him.

Why would Number One even send us here to investigate in the first place, if he and his homunculus were responsible for the Great Global Mystery to begin with? What was the fucking point!?

This all feels like an elaborate attempt to smuggle the Book of Death into Kanai Ward. Number One took the book out of the library. Number One presumably gave it to Yuma with the instructions needed to bond with Shinigami. Number One sent countless Master Detectives to their deaths to get Yuma past Yomi's murder-wall. Then Number Makoto took Yuma under his wing, used him to destroy Yomi, and then killed all the Master Detectives and brought him here.

One way or another, this is about the Book of Death. Number One never wanted this mystery solved. The Master Detectives died to bring Shinigami here. Makoto's feeding us clues so that we can create a Mystery Labyrinth from them. But what is the goal here?

Hey look, it's the Trolley Problem! Everyone's favorite moral philosophy question, ever since we all watched that one episode of The Good Place. Is it okay to sustain Aetheria Academy for a week by letting the kids eat Yomi Hellsmile?

I dunno. The homunculi of Kanai Ward certainly did nothing wrong. Their only crime is existing.

We should probably put some scientists on the task of finding a way to make their existence more sustainable. That would be the progressive agenda. But we're filthy capitalists so we're carving people into meat buns and patting ourselves on the back for finding a way to sell sanity to the undead at a profit.

Makoto's getting antsy. He wants us to Mystery Labyrinth so bad he can taste it.

Maybe....

It was established in Vivia's Mystery Labyrinth jaunt that Yuma brings only the last person to Coalesce with him into the Labyrinth. He coalesced with Fubuki's time-rewind to solve the panel room and Vivia's projection to investigate. But since Vivia was the most recent to Coalesce, he was the one invited into the Labyrinth.

If Makoto is Number One's homunculus then he must have a Forte, right? We don't know what Number One's Forte is. Which means we don't know what Makoto's Forte is.

Is it possible that Makoto managed to Coalesce with Yuma at some point? Maybe that's why he killed the Master Detectives. He wants Yuma to bring him into the Labyrinth, and doesn't want to risk someone else getting pulled instead.

His endgame requires him to enter the Mystery Labyrinth. That's what I think.

Do they make a Hallmark card for "Sorry you're a genetically-engineered immortal clone doomed to roam the earth forever as a regenerating zombie?"

How do you even begin to have that conversation?

[kulay-ng-banaag]

Thank you, sincerely, for your addition to that post. I understand where OP was coming from but I still took so much issue with pretty much the same things you did and you put it into words perfectly.

The thing that strikes me most deeply is the suggestion that it's propaganda. IMO, it's a very valid concern, because if handled improperly, "racebending" can indeed become revisionist. But I think very many of us have alternate takes on these characters specifically because sticking to "you must remind everyone of state oppression and you must do this by having your character look a certain way" is exhausting for us. I don't get any joy out of it. I can see how it can be cathartic for some, but it's viscerally upsetting to me because it opens up that trauma. I am tired of the focus being placed on how my people suffered instead of how my people LIVED. When I "racebend" it's because I want to tell a story that is too often forgotten. It's forgotten because of the same things OP is upset about. We are all coming from more or less the same place of frustration. But that frustration will present itself differently depending on the individual and that can't be changed. I appreciate the call to think critically instead of just "applying a new paint job" for lack of a better term, because yes it can end up revisionist if it's done thoughtlessly. But there's still that broad brush assumption that we ARE doing it thoughtlessly or don't know any better/don't know what's best for us, and that's where I can't agree. I don't like to be told that my work is propaganda when half the reason I do it in the first place is to subvert propaganda that has been used against me. I will not open up my own trauma to appease someone else's take.

Ngl I've been (mostly privately) getting appreciations sent for it so this has been validating QvQ

Again, I get that it wasn't an attack on every fan who racebends, so I cannot help but beg the follow-up question: if not everyone, then who exactly? And how do you know they fit the bill? One of the last things I want is for people to automatically see fanart of a Hetalia character colored differently from the canon works, whether it be straight from Himaruya's jazz hands or the studios making the anime series, and assume it's a racist caricature or smth. Someone once mistook one of my moots' Piri, who has since drawn him moreno, to be a black N. Italy. 😭💀

Pardon me for this brief addition because my professors DRILLED this into our heads that historical revisionism (updating previously established historical truths thanks to newfound research) =/= historical distortion (intentional curation of information such that it favors a certain agenda).

A great (and local!) example of historical revisionism is the Banaue Rice Terraces. For the longest time, we were taught that they were built since the precolonial age (~2000 years), but research published back in 2009 revealed they were most likely constructed after 1585 (~400 years). If academic papers are intimidating, here's a video that breaks down the same research and an article that summarizes its role in historical revisionism. For historical distortion, I just have to point at the propaganda (yes, it really was!!!) upholding the Marcos, sr. regime as a "golden age" of rich-bitch thriving for the Philippines. Here's a great Tiktok video with captions with an introductory breakdown of the economic situation during Martial Law.

Going back, racebending can be distortionist. Once more, it all boils back to highlighting the state, and lbr why do we have to validate our own nasty governments lol. 😭 I wish not for my bayanihan ideals to be twisted as delusions for a greater evil.

[ghetsis]

they’re scoping out ghetsis’ hideout. Seems like the kid hasn’t given up on getting that funny bird back. At least they’re trying to act like they’re not being suspicious.

Plasma had a small outpost on each island to help monitor the goings on there and track the results of the various experiments they had conducted. The paradox had been taken to the one established on Ula'ula as Ghetsis knew Ree would get themself in trouble eventually and he wanted that to be far from his primary research station on Poni Island. The more of Skull's hooliganism that could be kept on Ula'ula, the better. At least until his research was complete and he could crush any troublemakers without worrying about the attention that would bring.

The outpost was mundane and inconspicuous aside from having far more activity than any single family home should ever see. And the fact that there always seemed to be at least one person loitering around the front door at any given moment with the current attendant having his eyes locked on Ree behind his dark sunglasses. He, too, seemed to be trying to keep a low profile if his neon green tank top, cargo shorts and Crocs were any indication, but the way he muttered while pressing something in his ear spoiled the casual look.

The call went to the Plasma Captain who promptly informed his Lord that Ree was snooping around. Ghetsis was almost disinterested in the report. It was all too expected. Just like Hugh and Bianca before him, just like every other bleeding heart trainer. Some were more determined and troublesome than others, as Ree certainly could be if Ghetsis didn't already have a plan to turn this little mishap with the Iron Bundle into a convenient distraction from his true agenda.

Ghetsis feigned a look of concern. "They've found the outpost already? No, no, that can't be! It's too soon! It's..." His voice trailed off.

"It's what, sir?"

Ghetsis was silent a moment, appearing to be deep in thought as he fussed with one of his wristbands, secretly activating a recorder. "I haven't told you what's so important about this pokemon, have I, Captain? Well, for the sake of the operation, I suppose it's time I let you in on the secret."

The Captain's eyes were wide as he hung on his leader's every word.

"This is no ordinary pokemon," Ghetsis explained. "It's a Paradox pokemon from the distant future of an even more distant universe. The technology it was created with has the potential to yield unimaginable power. With a few modifications, it could overpower even the most formidable legendary pokemon of this reality! With it, I could freeze the world over and finally achieve our goal of a future under Plasma's control!"

"That's... incredible," the Captain beamed. "But then, why not take it back to Unova and continue the work there?"

Ghetsis shook his head. "It's far too unstable to be transported safely. Until we can find a way to stabilize its temporal signature, it will have to remain here under close observation. The future of our mission depends on this research and so it's imperative that it is protected at all costs. Can I trust you to do that, Captain?"

The Plasma officer looked as if all the secrets of the universe had been revealed to him. He had no idea what a "temporal signature" was or why it needed stabilization, but Ghetsis said all of this with such confidence that it must be true. And to be entrusted with this information by Lord Ghetsis himself was the highest honor he could hope for! The Captain saluted. "I'll guard it with my life, sir!"

"Good," Ghetsis smiled. "Don't attack unless attacked first, but keep a close eye on our little snoop."

The Captian bowed before exiting and Ghetsis hit stop on the recording. He transfers the file to a flash drive and types a note to accompany it.

You need to hear this... Sorry this is weird, but I've been following Ghetsis for a while now. I saw what happened with that pokemon and it looks like he's planning something big with it. I've seen how strong you are and I know if anyone can rescue it, it's you. I'm sorry I can't tell you more about myself, but it would put me in too much danger. Just know I'm a friend and will help when I can. Good luck.

He stuffed the letter in an envelope with the flash drive. With the slightest gesture of his hand, the Shadow Triad was at his side. "Plant this somewhere in Shady House for that little street urchin to find."

The ninjas took the parcel and bowed before disappearing as quickly as they came.

Ghetsis smiled. Now, let's hope Ree falls for it as easily as his Captain did.

[elysium-eternal]

Okay, but how was X relationship with the Gentle Judges? I know the Guardians didn't meet him but the Judges did so uuuuh I just wanna know, man

From the Megaman Fandom.com wiki:

After the Elf Wars, the Eight Gentle Judges gave the verdict to banish Dr. Weil and Omega.

Okay. So this happened 100 years ago, at the end of the Elf Wars. So the Gentle Judges DID meet Original X, if this is correct.

When X was secretly replaced with Copy X, they immediately became suspicious of his iron-fisted intolerance for Mavericks.

This tells me that they probably had a pretty good relationship with the original X, if they noticed Copy's stark differences right away. They likely spent lots of time together just discussing policy and laws. However, I wouldn't say it was pleasant. Maybe some of them were good acquaintances with X. Possible loose friendship.

Because Neo Arcadia was a human paradise, and there WAS OPEN SUPPORT among the humans for Weil's grand idea to literally mind control all reploids in order to prevent more disaster during the Elf Wars, AS A TOLERABLE SOLUTION to the constant wars... I would assume that the human council of Neo Arcadia made sure those Gentle Judges were not entirely obedient to X. They respected him, but a judge's place is to be fair and impartial, even in the face of a beloved hero.

I'm sure they disagreed all the time, much to poor X's disappointment. He had to have had a hand in picking them, though, because he was able to keep order by his reputation alone. I'm sure he pushed hard for some input power.

Just thinking of what poor X went through to try and establish peace the best way he knew how, with both sides shouting at him left and right to have their own agenda take precedence over the other's...

I can clearly imagine the kind of foul politics that played out in Neo Arcadia. Reason and tolerance broke down often because both sides were so tired of the fighting and each other. The world was in dire straights. Solutions needed to work.

One side abandoned the longer processes and started dipping their toes into authoritarianism.

How else would Weil have pulled off his Project Elpizo scheme? Everyone was tired, and any ability to remain measured and truly weigh both sides' concerns went out the window because everyone needed a solution. Fast.

They thought, "why can't we just...control them by force?"

Those are prime conditions for a revolt, or a populist upstart. Weil likely was that populist upstart, garnering favor because of his key role in researching Zero and the virus. He knew things. He saw things.

Since we find out that the Mother Elf could literally rewrite a reploid's DNA, that ability to control one side of the population with the flip of a switch is confirmed possible.

Further reason for me to believe that the Gentle Judges were not entirely on X's side. They had to earn EVERYONE'S trust, including the side who just wanted to go "beep boop I control u, no more fighting."

So I say X's relationship with the Gentle Judges was tenuous at best. Stressful, although not without mutual respect and an earnest desire to work together for the good of Neo Arcadia.

...although I still don't know how they could know what they know and still choose to serve Weil later on. That one is a mystery.

[sadunicorn47]

Summary: Loki's previous trip to earth as D.B Cooper was just a simple prank amongst brother; there was absolutely no hidden agenda behind it whatsoever; certainly was not a way for Loki to take a peek at his so called destined soulmate. Y/N has not had an easy life, and has been hurt by the world way too many times. Can she trust her destined soulmate, or is she too far gone to love and be loved? This story is full of love, heartbreak as well as whole lot of mischief and many talks about past abuse.

Chapter 17: I am a Mu….?

Everyone was at the lab at this point , trying to understand what the hell was going on with me.

Feeling nervous was an understatement, when I found myself hooked up to the wires of the lab.

Having Loki and Bucky here with me though helped me withstand the time here.

" Okay, so these are y/n's scans now " Bruce said as he displayed my scans on the screen.

A red glow was evident in my body through the scans.

" These where her scans on her first day."

A second picture showed up and this time there is a green glow.

" The first picture looks like Loki's core powers" Thor stated.

" So, why the change?" I asked.

" Here is what I know " Bruce started " Like we said before, y/n your power runs on energy; when you use your healing you sleep and when you used your force field you eat a shit ton to compensate the energy."

" I think we already established that." Loki stated with annoyance while I gave him a let the nice man speak look.

" Anyways.. y/n you are on your period, and in a normal female this is state that usually drains women of their energy, it leaves them weak."

" I don't feel weak."

" Do you have any cramps ? "

" No"

" Sore breasts?"

" I beg your pardon " Loki stated angrily

" Calm down big boy, these are all symptoms of the cycle " Natasha stated with a smirk.

I blushed and shook my head in disagreement.

" Now if we zoom on the scans, under the red energy source there is still the green essence, but it is focused on the reproductive areas."

" Seriously does everyone need to be here while we talk about my girlfriends delicates ?"

Tony and Natasha laughed and I was blushing like crazy and my heart skipped faster when I heard him call me his girlfriend. That was a conversation for another time.

I held his hand and gave him a kiss on the inside of his palms and that seemed to shut him right up, as he tried to hide his blush.

" So, her powers are still present then , just focused on her um .."

" her uterus yes " bruce said.

" Why?" Natasha asked.

" Well from my research about people like you y/n is that you guys each have a power that helps you in a way that comes full cycle. Meaning, essentially your powers are meant for keeping you safe, and healthy. So, when you body experienced it's first period it saw that as an attack from yourself and that's why it focused solely on this. However this also left you vulnerable to the outside world and that's why your super strength suddenly appeared."

" So, sleeping beauty is basically a wear-wolf , and her period is her moon?" Tony said while laughing.

I rolled my eyes at his nonsense.

" So my super strength only comes out when I'm on my period?"

" That's the theory."

" Lame" tony stated

" Your superpowers come from a suit stark" Bucky remarked

" An yours from a shot and a metal arm."

" So, is she going to go through all that pain again? Every cycle"

" I don't think so as you actually healed her wounds so in theory they no longer exist now . However, if new wounds arise later on that she heals then they will come back again in her cycle."

" Can't we just stop her period." Bucky asked?

" I mean I wouldn't recommend that, she is still young and stopping it means removing her uterus and that means bye bye babies."

" We are not going to do that." Natasha stated firmly.

" I don't think I want children though." I stated and I missed the look of shock and hurt on Loki's face.

" You don't know what you want." Natasha states angrily

" And you do?"

" Are you an idiot? You don't have a blessing and remove it?"

" You call this a blessing?"

" Guys calm down, we aren't making any decisions now. Y/N Natasha is right on one thing, you can't do that on impulse. You have to think."

Bruce intervened knowing this was a sensitive topic for his soulmate.

" Wait a minute, I want to go back to what you said earlier.." Thor asked " You kept saying from the research about people like here... what do you mean by that."

Bruce frowned that Thor caught onto that and from the looks that he is getting from Loki , he won't be able to ignore Thor's questions.

" Well , um Y/N is what you call a mutant.."

" I am a Mu...?"

[rockyp77mk3]

Why are you so against saving the planet? You can't dispute the science that the earth is warming and we are killing it. Is your beef car and gas stove so important to you?

Thank you for the questions.

I am not against saving the planet. I just simply do not believe that the Climate Change Religion is about saving the planet. I think rather that it is about consolidating all political power in the hands of a few. I think it is about redistribution of wealth, destruction of the middle class, restriction on freedom with hints of Marxism and elitist control. If it were about saving the planet the main target would not be the US. It would be India, China, or any country that has no environmental restrictions.

Questioning science is exactly how science works. Questioning theory with research and experimentation is how science progresses. Using a theory as a statement of faith makes it the basis of a religion, not science.

Yes, although you really should try using commas. My car, my ability to live as I choose, eat as I choose are very important. I find it ironic that the climate change mavens all advocate things that reduce our quality of life but will not consider things that actually reduce carbon, like planting more trees, establishing green spaces, putting green gardens on the roofs of large buildings, etc. The fact that these solutions are being overlooked makes me thing something is the agenda other than saving the planet.

Ask yourself why Obama, a long time, climate change cheerleader bought a multimillion dollar seaside estate and not a ski lodge in Vail? Perhaps it is because he doesn't believe that the ocean really will rise. Oh, while you are questioning as why the elite use private jets, private helicopters, and convoy after convoy of huge SUVs to go to climate change conferences? Please don't say they bought carbon offset credits because they are made up, pure cow flop. I do however have some Brooklyn Bridge offset credits for sale if you are interested.

I am not eating bug while the Davos tyrants eat steak.

[princeescaluswords]

I appreciate your willingness to come to the conclusion that your hypothesis is wrong if the research leads you there, I just don’t want to see your otherwise well-supported work undermined by a premise that reaches beyond the evidence you have. 4/4

Well, it's a matter of experience, to be quite honest. I've found that operating with the awareness that I could be quite wrong to be a vital part of my intellectual life. Of course, the history I've read has shown me that all the most accomplished thinkers got things wrong, so I shouldn't let being wrong discourage me, but it's not only that.

No one wants to be wrong, especially in the public sphere, so everyone works to avoid it. There seems to be two major categories of how people approach that avoidance. Some people work extra hard to make sure they have the evidence to go along with their conviction. They try to employ logic, establish definitions, and keep standards among other techniques of debate and inquiry. Above all, when they are wrong -- and they will be -- they acknowledge it and then revise their position. This is progress.

And then there are those who simply refuse to admit the possibility. They obfuscate, they equivocate, they employ ad hominem, they dig the hole deeper, or they pretend they never said the thing proven wrong in the first place. One of the things that I grapple with on this site is the fact that many of the BNF that I've clashed with have made outrageous predictions (the Anakin Theory, the Whole Series is an Unreliable Narration, the Mirror World, the Schism, the Evil Tree Wizard, Clone Derek) and have never, ever turned around and said, "Okay, I was wrong." Even if they manage to mention it sotto voce, they don't let this new information revise their opinions. They carry on with the same agenda.

I don't want to be like the second group. As time passed, their actual arguments have drifted farther and farther from interacting with the thing that they're supposed to be talking about, until their discourse has created its own little self-sustaining pocket universe, one that has no rigor or insight because it's about itself and itself alone. I want to talk about the thing in and of itself.

Humility is a good virtue to possess. I've found it actually strengthens me in my life by allowing me to compensate for my own weaknesses before they overthrow me. Quite frankly, I need more of it.

[xartus]

I'm convinced that Freya (as in, the goddess called that, it just means "lady") is a Germanic reflex of the sovereignty goddess type

I think that a lot of domain of magic and the dead were originally hers, as well as broader "fertility" connotations. Fertility can mean a lot of things. Odin is a young god who assumed the functions of several older ones by gje time he became important in his historical cultus. I personally believe him to be an ancestor

The lore describes a goddess who is independant, incredibly powerful, not subject to the whims of men or society. In fact, *they* need *her*, not the other way around. She was there long before we established such things and will be there long after. Her agenda is her own, her power her own. Feared because she toes the line on the edge of civilization and cannot be controlled or killed

The only etymological connection to Frigg is the name, but if you look at functions, she's pretty damn different. It was common to use an epithet, especially for deities of such vast and unfamiliar power

People call her a sex goddess because she is said to have sex. So are like a billion others, who are just as allegedly sexual if not moreso, and we don't call them sex deities. I chalk this up, again, to more mythic literalism. I encourage people to look into the Iron Age Germanic tribes as well as the Celts in general (the Celts GREATLY influenced later Germanic culture). These functional similarities become clearer when one takes the time to research backwards in time and across temporal space

[leoparduscolocola]

the thinly veiled contempt a lot of pro-cetacean captivity people have for scientists is honestly disturbing. i've seen pro-caps on social media lurking on anti-cap researchers' personal pages, screenshotting everything they say about any zoo or aquarium, and mocking them. like, if you have criticism of a particular researcher, you are more than welcome to submit a response/editorial to a scientific journal they've published in with your own qualifications and cited sources instead of accusing some of the most groundbreaking cetacean researchers of our time of being foolish conspirators when they dare to criticize your precious pay-$200-to-kiss-a-dolphin industry that is literally built on the corpses of dead cetaceans. seeing pro-caps that i thought were reasonable and that i used to respect reblogging and agreeing with posts like that has greatly lowered my opinion of pro-caps in general. you have no right to complain about how animal rights activists portray dolphin trainers/pro-caps as cruel, ignorant people when you dedicate your free time to sarcastically mocking your opponents on the internet. if you want to be respected, you have to start by respecting your opponents first. every time a new paper that happens to be by the most well-known anti-cap researchers or that suggests that there may be some major welfare problems in the captive cetacean industry is released, pro-caps immediately start lambasting it and trying to slander the authors and their credibility. of course, all research should be subject to scrutiny, but your layman's criticisms of a peer-reviewed paper produced by people with PhDs aren't enough to prove a paper false. they always just respond with the same unproven "gotcha" statements like "don't you know animals are perfectly happy to stay in the same place forever if they have food?" or "well dolphins in the wild suffer sometimes so captivity saves them from that". it reminds me a bit of how anti-vaxxers will laud the few researchers and doctors who agree with them while spewing hatred about the overwhelming majority who don't; if you only trust science when it supports your confirmation bias, you don't actually trust science. like, i am anti-cap for cetaceans, but i accept and acknowledge the fact that there are scientists, veterinarians, and research papers that support the pro-captivity position. i don’t believe that a paper or study reaching the opposite conclusion from my beliefs makes it “bad science”, but pro-caps love throwing that phrase around as if it means anything. there is no grand conspiracy by “radical activists” to intentionally deceive the public about cetacean captivity and ultimately pave the way for a phase-out of all animal captivity. pro-caps and industry representatives act as if being anti-cap automatically makes a researcher so biased that all of their papers should be ignored, while not hesitating to embrace papers produced with input from and heavily promoted by the captivity industry, such as "the cetacean welfare study" (hint: if a study is ever being marketed as "the" definitive study, it's wise to look at it with some scrutiny). pro-caps have completely ignored criticism of this study (see pages 27-28 (33-34 of the PDF) of this). "oh but all of these anti-cap researchers have an Agenda!™️" newsflash: all science has an agenda. the point of science isn't to learn things just for the sake of learning them; it's to uncover knowledge that will help us understand what we need to do to improve our world. when a nutrition scientist recommends that people stop eating red meat for the sake of their health, does that make them an Activist™️ with an Agenda™️, out to get the innocent beef industry? making recommendations based on the established science is part of what researchers do, so when a researcher recommends that cetacean captivity be phased out based on the established science of wild cetacean biology and captive cetacean welfare, that's not "pushing an agenda"; it's part of the scientific process.

at the end of the day, the simple, undeniable fact of the matter is that there's a wide dearth of research on cetacean (ESPECIALLY orca) welfare, so operating from the "it's humane until proven otherwise" standpoint that pro-caps do puts these animals' welfare at risk majorly. this dearth of research is the multimillion-dollar captivity industry's failure. considering that the success of their industry depends on the public perceiving them as humane, it's not surprising that they won't make their animals available for research that could yield negative results. and that's not even getting into how everyone i've seen promoting the "dumb dolphin" theory, whether that's just subtly dismissing the fact that cetaceans have culture to straight up declaring that dolphins are cognitively equivalent to domestic dogs, has been pro-captivity, often rabidly so...

[sunflorable]

MO AG analysis part 2

part 1

So I'm doing this largely because most of the people pushing hateful legislation are citing the same sources, which means the mistakes that one of them makes will be repeated for all of them. Calling them mistakes is generous, though, because in the vast majority of circumstances, they are twisting the words of researchers for their purposes.

Either way, anyone who actually reads the articles these people misrepresent has the opportunity to take the intellectual high ground. It doesn't mean much when we're dealing with legislators who are pushing whatever agenda they're paid to push, and the only thing that can change their minds is green, but it's important to point out that the science is not on their side and they're being grimy and dishonest.

Okay to continue:

the sources under footnote 3 and 4 don't reveal much interesting information. More quotes taken out of context, what's important to get from them is that when they say there's a lack of evidence for benefits of puberty blockers in children, what they actually mean is there's a lack of research. There's a lack of evidence that they harm anyone, too. Both the Swedish study (Socialstyrelsen NBHW 2022, the AG's order links a PDF directly) and the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, footnote 4, link in the AG's order and the website is a little confusing but on that page they have a full PDF discussing what they call "key questions") are saying there is not enough research, not that there are no benefits to the treatment.

One thing that is important to bring up about the Sweden study is that despite the way that the AG's order reads, the Swedish researchers aren't calling for a stop of treatment or anything like that. The language actually seems like it was used to inspire more funding and more studies. They call for treatment in exceptional cases, which prolonged identification as trans/or another gender aside from one's sex assigned at birth and stress from puberty are sufficient. So once again, another issue with another source that transphobic extremists have been using against us.

Footnote 5 is where it starts to get juicy again. Specifically, the AG says "And Finland has openly declared these interventions to be 'an experimental practice.'" The Finnish document (linked here). The full paragraph that mentions experimental practices:

"In light of available evidence, gender reassignment of minors is an experimental practice. Based on studies examining gender identity in minors, hormonal interventions may be considered before reaching adulthood in those with firmly established transgender identities, but it must be done with a great deal of caution, and no irreversible treatment should be initiated. Information about the potential harms of hormone therapies is accumulating slowly and is not systematically reported. It is critical to obtain information on the benefits and risks of these treatments in rigorous research settings."

A lot of this document talks about how the scientific work has not been done/or done to standards necessary by the Finnish government. Different people have different opinions on the work that has been done (when it comes to trans children), which I'll discuss when it comes up in the AG's order. Also, for the order calling for restrictions on both minors and adults, most of the complaints the AG puts out are related to minors.

In this case, what the Finnish government is saying is that there's no guidelines about dosages, what to expect, when to start, when to stop, etc. And personally, I think with gender-affirming care, there's not going to be. There's not one way to approach transitioning, or feeling comfortable in your body, or whichever route someone takes. There's not one kind of gender dysphoria. (There's not even two kinds, if you were thinking about it as ftm or mtf.) With many other types of medical treatment, there's protocols for these things. For example, a patient presents with depression. The doctor has a few options: therapy, antidepressants, etc. If they choose antidepressants, the doctor looks at the demographics: some are not indicated for children and others are specifically only for children, they tend to start males with TCAs and females with SSRIs though they don't have to, there may be other factors to take into account as well like other medical conditions or other medications, or often if a member of your family has had success with a certain medication, they'll start with that one. When they pick a medication, there will be a recommended dosage, especially for children where dosages are related to weight, but they start low and slow and titrate upwards until they hit the maximum recommended dose and if the medication doesn't work, they switch. They determine efficacy by interviews, there are assessments to determine if someone's mood is improving. With treatment for gender dysphoria for minors, there's neither "this symptom = this treatment" nor "symptom persists = treatment is not working." That barely works for trans adults, either, and this is an issue inherent with medicalizing gender, and is a really big topic to tackle and needs its own post, at minimum.

Treatment is therefore experimental in the sense that the doctor and patient need to experiment with what works and what does not. It will be different for every patient and a specific set of procedures cannot be used.

Anyway, I'm not going to do a deep dive into what Finland requires for medical research, but it seems like they have higher expectations than the studies that have been done. Even so, they acknowledge that patients that need it should still be treated while research is being done. This is contrary, yet again, to the AG's order and all of the bills banning gender-affirming care for minors.

Footnote 6 is what I've been waiting for! This is the real tea. So this source is an article written this year (Abbruzzese et al. 2023, open source article linked here). It's a critique of the "Dutch studies" that pop up again and again in the discussion of gender-affirming care for minors. The Dutch studies are research done by Annelou de Vries, mostly in the 1990s I believe, that gave minors gender-affirming care and followed up with them later. It's one of the only studies cited for a longitudinal view of use of puberty blockers in the treatment of trans minors. There's quite a few articles based on this research, including ones these authors mention from I believe 1997, 2012, and 2014. Also important to note, this article is actually a response to de Vries, who had written an article in response to a previous critique issued by the same authors. So, Studies done by de Vries (and colleagues) between the 1990s and 2020s -> Levine et al. 2022(a in the sources of this article), a review they wrote to the collection of research -> de Vries, A.L.C. 2022 (written in direct response to Levine et al. 2022) -> then Abbruzzese et al. 2023, the article being discussed here as the MO AG's Footnote 6

Levine et al. and Abbruzzese et al. are the same three authors, they just switched who got first author.

And who these authors are is extremely important.

Stephen Levine is the only actual academic of the trio. This is probably why he was first author on the article. Levine is in the Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

Julia Mason is a pediatrician at Calcagno Pediatrics, also in Ohio. (apparently also part of the SEGM, which I talk about below)

E. Abbruzzese is the really interesting one. Abbruzzese is part of the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.

The SEGM is a hate group disguised as a medical association. Anyone who reads that title and doesn't know better wouldn't think they were anything but reputable.

Their website states that they don't have any political agenda or affiliations, and this is their response to a question "Does SEGM support LGBTQ people?"

SEGM believes that LGBTQ people should be treated with dignity and afforded the same human rights and protections as all other individuals. Many of the professionals collaborating within SEGM are lesbian and gay, and a number have loved ones who identify as transgender.

The field of pediatric gender medicine is currently engulfed in an intense international scientific debate. Although most are debating in good faith, some have met SEGM’s position of concern over the unknown risk/benefit profile of youth gender transitions with accusations of “transphobia.” If such a standard is to be applied, then entire countries that have expressed the same concern as SEGM, including the UK, Norway, Finland, and Sweden—the first country to recognize transgender people’s legal status—would be similarly labeled “transphobic.” Resorting to ad hominem attacks is often a reflection of weakness in one’s own argument, and we believe such tactics detract from the quality of scientific debate.

In recent months, we have seen a shift toward more civil debates, and we have been grateful to see our position of concern fairly represented by The Economist, The Associated Press, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Medscape, NPR, Kaiser Health News, and a growing number of other news sources.

Idk, I wonder why people are calling you transphobic if you're not?

They're citing all the sources that extremists use to delegitimize gender-affirming care for youths. They're using the same language as the extremists. They're misinterpreting the same Scandinavian releases. Hmm.

Also, the news outlets mentioned in the last paragraph have links to articles. The Economist: It's behind a paywall and I immediately got frustrated when I couldn't get past it, but 1. the article's title is:

"Questioning America’s approach to transgender health care

Some paediatricians want a re-examination of the professional guidance"

American, huh? We don't spell it "paediatrician." So, we've got a non-American viewpoint being presented as an American one. Not to mention the divisive nature of the title. and 2. the parts I can read are already insidious. They're telling a story of a 15 year old who gets offered both top surgery and hormones within "a couple of visits" to a therapist and. in what world? not the one we currently get healthcare in. Sure, we've gotten more accepting now, but I still call bullshit. Not to mention the insidiousness of this quote: “I just didn’t know what ‘gender-affirming care’ meant. It sounds so beneficial and positive.”

The Associated Press: This article is actually well-written. They did a good job of presenting the multiple angles of the issue in the very few paragraphs they had to write it. Apparently the author no longer works for the AP. The only thing that worries me is that the part about the SEGM is at the end, so it's the last thing someone would think about if they read the whole article. The article is actually about a paper published in the journal Pediatrics that followed trans children and found that, surprising no trans person, their identities stick. The part about SEGM highlights some of SEGM's awful lines of thinking:

The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, a nonprofit group of health professionals who are concerned about medical transition risks for minors, said other evidence shows high numbers of kids outgrow transgender identities by puberty or adulthood. Some researchers point to flaws in that data.

Dr. William Malone, an advisor to the group, said the new study appears to reinforce concerns “that early social gender transition may cement a young person’s transgender identity, and lead minors on the path to eventual medicalization, with all its inherent risks and uncertainties.”

The SEGM thinks that social transitioning solidifies what might not be a solid identity. I mean one of the purposes of social transitioning is to determine whether being another gender in public full time is what someone wants, whether it alleviates some or all of their dysphoria. they don't want any medical treatments because a kid might be unsure, but they don't want the kid to socially transition to find out if they're sure.

My tearing into SEGM will continue in the next part, and then I'll start actually discussing the article, but I'm going to try to actually get something relevant to my schoolwork done tonight.

Part 3