#I will be stewing on this for the whole week

[holyguardian]

Loukas gave a short bow at his waist — even if he didn't have to, it had been deeply ingrained in him to show his respects, especially now that he was in the presence of royalty from his land, and from another. Maybe one day he could act as carefree as Nikolaos or Leander... maybe.

He swallowed down a painful lump and hid the shine in his eyes with a deeper bow of his head, focusing intently on the cards. "... I will mind if I am treated too nicely, here and now." he softly uttered.

Aerith flashed a sharp smile. Oh, she had no plan to hand anyone a win, not even the familiar face across from her. "Sooo, I'll hit you with my chair?" she asked, giving a tilt of her head. The extreme joke even shocked a laugh from Loukas, and the shock and laughter seemed to ripple around the gathered men and women.

It was the perfect 'reset', the mood shifted from being tinged by loss and sadness back to something lighter again.

Leander exhaled his own surprised breath. That had to be the fabled magic of this Princess, right? He even threw Somnus a look as if he could ask him that silent question.

Though in similar timing, his friend nudged at him and nodded to Princess Aerith. His eyebrows shot up. Wait, was that a yes?

— oh.

No, he wasn't able to speak secretly even though he thought he had the hang of it for a moment there, that was a trick Ariadne and Vergil still withheld from him.

Instead he listened to new admissions. There was a slow-growing grin that pulled at his expression. Surprised that Somnus actually wanted to throw a Princess from some cliffs. Warmed that she treated him well. (Oh, how he feared an arranged marriage would be nothing but misery if his friend were tied to someone who only knew him by rumours.) Then amused, loudly so when he barked a sudden laugh at the suggestion.

"Sorry, mate, I use up all of my luck every day I step outside." The self-deprecating humour suited Leander. He seemed to always find himself in strange new messes, and somehow he always found his way back out of them too. "Tell you what though, you can arrange for the bread rolls you don't eat or the extra bites of stew to end up on your old friend's plate instead."

He gave Somnus a playful shoving nudge with his elbow, though as the Prince sobered, so did he. Leander lowered his eyes a moment. "... finding my feet." he admitted, less boisterously. These weren't words for others to overhear.

"Feels like whiplash. To live your whole life somewhere, then in a matter of days everything completely changes. I'm okay, I think, just... weird feeling. It all happened so fast even I feel like I'm barely keeping up." Somnus being chosen for an arranged marriage that would send him across the border. Nikolaos' sudden passing. Daemons being sighted closer to home than ever before. The ambush on the caravans. An impending war. Felt like months could be contained in the week of events that led them from talking about taverns in Lucis to talking about 'how are you' in the Queendom of the Cetra.

Loukas.

Somnus felt his own guts wrench together a little when he recognized the young soldier standing in the doorframe. In that very moment this all could pan out in two very different ways… and the Prince was already preparing himself for having to step in between them. To soothe over too fresh wounds.

But… none of that happened. Aerith acted with utter grace, making the silence in the barracks weigh even heavier. And Loukas proved his own pride.

It was a bittersweet moment, more than most of these present probably realized. Somnus knew how much this all meant. And so it was not even a question, whether he would make space for the young soldier. A simple nod and Somnus even pulled the chair back for Loukas to sit down in his stead.

Somnus himself sought out his place beside Leander, watching the game now from Aerith’s perspective. She truly was… so elegant in how she handled this. How she had acted, how she behaved.

It caused Somnus to seek out his friend while the game was going on and most started joining in on gentler banter again.

He nudged Leander’s side, nodding towards Aerith. There was excitement in his tone. The complete opposite to how their last talk had gone, right before ethe farmland’s royals visiting.

“She is more than I could have hoped for…”, he admitted quietly, “I don’t know how she does it, Leander. I first thought I would have to toss her off the cliffs into the sea. And I thinks he thought the same about me. But… she is so kind and gentle. She… does not care about my shortcomings. It is as if I have known her for far longer than I actually do. If this is what all arranged marriages are like, we have to force you into one, too.”

The grin on his face spoke volumes, though it softened again, as Somnus lowered his head.

“And you? How are you doing?”

[cheesus-doodles]

More thoughts on Izana and Rindou's BFF, how did bestie deal with or find out about the aftermath of the battle against Toman? How did bestie react to Izana dying and Rindou going to jail once again? and how does Rindou feel about being separated from bestie once again? In canon the Tenjiuku members stayed behind and willingly got arrested, but in this scenario I can't imagine Rindou willingly staying behind and knowing he'd be separated from bestie.

why friend why would you make me think about this ;w; first and only time imma write about this because it's digging into memories in an uncomfortable place...

Rindo Tags | Masterlist

‎

tw: major character death, discussion about death & depression

I actually think that Rindo would willingly stay behind and go to juvenile prison with the rest of the remaining Tenjiku executives after Izana’s death, despite knowing that would mean a separation from you, his BFF.

My reasoning for this is that despite the way Izana has treated his subordinates, I think all the executives hold a lot of respect for the Tenjiku President and look up to him, either as some sort of role model or just in awe of his abilities. So no doubt that Rindo and the other executives would feel a lot of guilt over how they let things get so out of hand with Kisaki’s involvement that it resulted in his death, though I think the person bearing the most guilt would most likely still be Kakucho (after he had recovered), given he already knew how dangerous and poisonous Kisaki had been to Izana's psyche from the start.

Rindo's fraying at the edges at having been dealt so many heavy emotions and events to handle at the same time. Losing Izana was one gut punch, but the realization that he would have to spend even longer away from you - this time without anyone left to protect you on the outside - was another blow Rindo could barely take. The younger Haitani would spend a lot of time stewing over this, the sleepless nights only darkening his eyebags with every passing day, as Ran could barely force Rindo to eat, let alone call you to break the news.

Despite Rindo despising the closeness Izana shared with you, he still respected the tanned boy, and he knew that breaking the news to you would shatter your naive, glowing world, and it would be entirely his fault.

‎

Either way, you would eventually find out about it, one way or another, most likely through seeing Izana’s obituary in the local newspaper. Despite the beef between Mikey and Izana, I think Mikey did really want to reconnect with his long-lost brother, related or not, and the Sanos would treat Izana with the respect that Shinichiro would want him to be treated with. And despite being completely air-headed and naive, seeing who you thought was a good friend staring back at you from the newspaper would be like a punch in the gut. You'll have to reread it again and again, though it still didn't feel real.

Things become even worse when you happen across the article where you find out what really happened, a small blurb about a gang fight that ended with a casualty and a serious injury.

‎ Your world comes crashing down, the whole event leaving you stunned. You couldn't really accept it at first, even a week after the wake and funeral was over. Life went on as normal, you still attended school, ate by yourself, and then went home to struggle through homework, making sure to carve out time to visit Kakucho in hospital and Rindo in juvie. But then it was a regular sunny day after you had just visited Rindo that the sadness and grief began to set in, and you find yourself unable to stop the tears.

Your appetite crashes, and the nightmares became endless, not helped by the fact that Rindo couldn't be with you to scare off the darkness. The paranoia that settled in the base of your gut refused to be shaken, the constant whisper from the back of your head that you would lose Rindo, Ran, Kakucho in the same way.

It haunted your every thought, Izana's pale, lifeless body framed by the coffin, and your nightmares where you would see Rindo's face instead. Every bruise, cut and bandage he showed up with became another gnawing fear. You stopped going to school for a bit, taking a break to try and deal with the grief, to try and heal.

‎

Time does heal some wounds, and you eventually find yourself again, though that innocence lost never comes back. There's always a darkness in those eyes that Rindo couldn't unsee when you visit him, even though your jolly self returns, slowly. You aren't as trusting or open as you used to be, and though you stopped trying to convince Rindo to stop fighting entirely, Rindo notes that you started to track his bruises and injuries, the way your smile becomes more strained and you try to hide your clenched fists when he appears with new injuries.

[musicinherhead]

I cannot stop thinking about the kiss, yes, but the second kiss? When Laudna admits to thinking she’s a bad person, and Imogen refuted it and Laudna kisses her again before explaining everything that happened with Bor’Dor and Delilah???? What if it was a kiss she took out of fear Imogen would rebuke her for her actions? What if it was a kiss she took because she wasn’t sure she’d get another????

Imogen would never turn her away but what if Laudna truly didn’t comprehend that in the seconds before the second kiss? What if she thought it’d be their last??? What then???

[kineticallyanywhere]

just

the way Normal sees a chance for kindness and someone to find solidarity with in the same creature that caused Hero's childhood to be irreparably marred by trauma and blood, but she doesn't even suggest Normal turn away from it and even offers to help if he really needs it lIKE

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 67 Hotel Posting

So it was predicted, so it came to pass. We have our hotel fight, dear void... and not much else this week.

Rough TL of Editor's Notes:

First Page: チヒロ死亡の報せを信じていた昼彦… [Chihiro shibo no hose wo shinjite ita Hiruhiko...] "Hiruhiko, who believed the news of Chihiro's death..." Last Page: 復習の道を征くチヒロ退路はなく、ただ突き進むのみ [fukushuu no michi wo yuku Chihiro tairo hanaku, tada tsuki susumu no mi.] "Chihiro walks the path of revenge with no way to retreat; he can only push forward."

I just want to pat myself on the back for being able to understand most of the chapter this week in Japanese compared to usual. Hokazono-sensei went easy on us and everyone spoke in a standard Tokyo dialect for the most part with no obscure kanji. Hooray for me.

Chihiro and Hiruhiko

Too bad he couldn't just die here and spare us the trouble.

Well, it happened. We got Hiruhiko learning to fight in a way that once again deliberately compliments and contrasts Chihiro at the same time. He has no master but "freedom" (lol) and is going to become a true menace from sheer talent apparently. He's already good enough to take down the master of a sword style so... hm. Hope Chihiro's stint practicing with the Masumi paid off. Hiruhiko being able to beat Sengoku here felt a little BS, but the elevator door opening to reveal the severed head was so cool that I forgive it.

Hiruhiko did take Kuguri's words to heart even though he seemed flippant from Kuguri's point of view. He's all about sensing the right flow and not copying from something he's seen and had explained to him like Chihiro is, though. Different kinds of instinct are on display and about to clash. Which one will come out on top this time? Gotta wait until next week to find out! Not surprised if it's Hiruhiko getting the one-up on Chihiro this time so they're tied in score. Chihiro's not feeling quite ready to fight using the Iai White Purity style yet while his personal menace is raring to go with whatever he's cooked up.

Plus he's got a hostage to protect and all.

Chihiro and Iori

[yume self-insert character status intensifies]

Just a little bit of conversation between these two to crush our hearts a smidge more before shit hits the fan. Iori and Chihiro could not be more different in life experience despite the similarities of their status as kids of famous (probable) war criminals. So of course Iori gets a bit down while she's musing that Chihiro's never had a chance to be normal. And...

Don't mind the shattering sound, that's just my heart breaking for Chihiro all over again.

THIS POOR GUY. He wants a normal life so bad, even if he wouldn't choose to change a thing he's done. He just wants to rest and worry about what to make for dinner instead of drenching himself in blood... but he'll see his path through to the end. He can't go back, as much as he yearns to. Because his father's gone and he's already well on the path to hell.

I think this is why Iori ultimately chose to have her memories sealed again. After seeing the carnage Chihiro causes and has to live with on a near-daily basis, she wants to cling to the normalcy she's known. Especially after the memories that returned last chapter were deeply unpleasant. Iori's not a coward or weak; she's truly an ordinary person thrust into an incredibly dangerous and depressing world. I think she will be forced to keep her memories for the story to go forward but how that happens is anyone's guess. Hopefully it doesn't involve harming the Masumi.

If Iori does keep her memories she will become much like Chihiro in that she lost her dad and was forced into a cruel world through traumatic events. Right now, a point is being made that Chihiro can't ever go back to Iori's world. He's too much of a sinner in his mind. Will Iori be forced to share the same fate as Chihiro, doomed to be chased while her father is alive? Will she also find herself on the path of revenge? Or will the Masumi finish the seal in time to help her out? Somehow I doubt it (Kuguri's still MIA but on the hunt, after all).

At any rate, I was definitely surprised by Iori's choice to return to a peaceful life because most stories will come up with a reason for the character to stay in the new world. The whole point of offering the choice is usually to show their resolve and establish their motivation. So for Iori to turn it down could mean a few things.

She's going to be forced to keep them anyway. Whether it's the seal not working, being left incomplete, or some other reason, she could be forced to carry the burden against her wishes. I think this is the most plausible outcome.

Iori will end up deciding to keep her memories after all. Chihiro and Hiruhiko's fight could change her mind somehow, or maybe Chihiro's words about it being better to live with the truth will come back. So basically just a delayed answer to The Call to show us her resolve has been fortified.

The memories are resealed but she's still under observation/being chased. I think it's unlikely for her to exit the story and go back to being a normal girl, but it could happen. She's had too much attention and build-up to simply be allowed to go back to school in my opinion. Unless it's to further explore the choice that Chihiro said he couldn't make.

No matter what happens, I love that Chihiro gave Iori the choice with no implications on what she should choose. He's still the same kindhearted guy thrust into a violent world he's not at all built for.

Also, just one more thing...

Sleep is for everyone else.

Yeah. Chihiro's got his foot on the gas pedal and will not ease up on himself one bit. He's going to break sooner or later. Who will be there to help put him back together? Hm...

Alright. Cut a rant and will just wait for next week to see what happens. I'm going a bit stir-crazy but that's just what happens when following a weekly manga sometimes. Hopefully next week is explosive enough to make the wait to see other characters again a bit more bearable. In the meantime, have a good week and give yourself a hug if you need one, kind void.

[wackachewbacca]

I love that Calamity introduces us to the city of Avalir as like the epitome of a wonderful advanced civilization in an age of opulence and yet towards the end of episode one so much about what the city represents feels so hollow. Yes the city is still beautiful and far ahead of anything that we have seen in any of the three main campaigns but it’s really small things like they can’t grow real flowers in their gardens or the people experience weather for a very short period of their entire lives

Even the people themselves (at least those in higher society) have such extreme contempt for people who worship and champion the gods. I cringed during the entire scene when Purvan was present at the gala and he was turned into a spectacle of how quaint and backwards people who don’t live on Avalir are and was being mocked because of his status as Champion of the Raven Queen and no one even gave a shit if they were rude to this one man who was just doing his job because they wanted to have a dick measuring contest against a goddess who frankly has more important things to do than appease the whimsies of vapid mortals

Really it’s like what Brennan and Travis say at the beginning of the episode: it’s a beautiful day in Avalir but not on the inside

[supercantaloupe]

favorite ways of eating potatoes (i want potatoes)

hard to pick a single favorite but my usual go to when i'm cooking potatoes for myself is to cut em into wedges (or just big chunks if the potatoes are small), douse them in olive oil, salt, and whatever herbs or spices i feel like, and then roast them hot in the oven until they're soft and golden. usually takes like 20-30 minutes at 425f flipping them over once or twice, i find. any potato would work but gold potatoes are usually what's in my pantry. although if i can get purple potatoes at the farmers market i use those bc they're fun. it's a dirt simple way to prepare potatoes but they're super good, the tastiness to effort ratio is super high, and you can cook something else on the other half of the sheet pan at the same time too so you get a whole dinner with only one dirty pan

[ask meme]

[gayemoji]

this week on I DONT THINK HE WOULD FUCKING DO THAT: house ramming a car into cuddys house while she has guests

[lesamis]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you to get to know your mutuals and followers

(hello dear friend, tell me of your latest little joys please 🧡)

thank youuu for sending this along 🌱 i had an excellent time thinking of these!

swimming 😌 being by nature an anxious little beast i love anything that will cushion Bad Sensory Things (loud, warm) in cool, smooth nothingness. huge fan. submerge me in cool water at any given moment i'm going to love it

the neighbourhood cats

sending & receiving mail! i love stationery and i love handwriting things, and it always feels wonderful to be reminded someone's thinking of you

against my better judgement, peanut butter?

the spot on top of the hill where i go to read :') it's a different kind of stunning in each season.

[famewolf]

I made a big pot of soup that's been simmering all day. And very soon I'll be eating a bowl of it and watching space movies with the family

[sysig]

Those quick-jumps out of prison leave something to be desired... (P1 | P2 | P3) (Patreon)

[confetti-critter]

The night is young and I am free to do whatever my heart desires but unfortunately I have once again found myself trapped in the Time Prison and so I

[swoo-bats]

Tim knows something is up. He doesn't know what, exactly, yet. But he will find out. Earlier he caught Cassie and Kon whispering before they noticed him and stopped. They keep darting their eyes between him and Bart when they're all together. It's clear to Tim that they think something is up between him and Bart but after reviewing the past few missions and hangouts, he can't pin anything down for what they think, or why. He's almost given up trying to puzzle it out by himself when Cassie basically tells him.

"You know, Kon and I won't care if you and Bart are dating."

She's leaning against the wall by the door in Tim's room with her arms crossed and attempting to look nonchalant.

Tim has to take a moment to digest the sentence.

Implication 1: He and Bart are dating.

Implication 2: They chose not to tell Cassie and Kon.

Implication 3: That Bart could be any amount of subtle if they were dating and trying to hide it from their best friends.

Safe to say, he needs more information. How did they arrive at this conclusion?

"What makes you think we're dating?"

Cassie looks annoyed by his evasion, but goes on to explain anyway. "Kon said that he saw you guys holding hands walking around his campus. You were wearing one of Bart's jackets. The other day I saw Bart's sketchbook and it has so many drawings of you it's nauseatingly sweet. Plus, recently Bart's been getting distracted daydreaming with this lovesick look on his face which is really annoying during training." Her nose scrunches at that last part.

With the new information, Tim can finally draw some connections.

"First of all, that alone isn't evidence of dating. Secondly, I'm not dating Bart." Although he had a sneaking suspicion he knew who was.

Danny had told him that he was accepted into Missouri State University and was going to major in engineering. Why Danny chose Missouri State Central City is still lost on Tim. When moving into his dorm Danny texted Tim, jokingly complaining about rooming with an art student which could theoretically be Bart. But... Bart and Danny? Tim has such a large mental divide between those two aspects of his life that imagining them rooming together was strange. He almost felt off-kilter.

Cassie is saying something about how there's no way the two of them would act like that if they weren't dating, but he wasn't paying attention to it now.

Tim stands, moving away from his desk. "Where's Bart?" Cassie says that Kon was going to talk to Bart and should be with him, wherever they are.

They find Bart and Kon in Bart's room. Tim overhears what sounds to be the tail end of Kon's confrontation with Bart.

"—not dating Tim! I'm not dating anyone!"

When Tim enters the room, he can see Bart with his hands exasperatedly thrown up. He decides to butt in before Kon can continue.

"So you're not dating Danny?" He quirks an eyebrow up and though he's wearing his mask he knows his friends can read him.

Bart hesitates to answer which gives Kon and Cassie time to simultaneously ask, "Who's Danny?"

Since they've already stuck their noses in this far Tim just shrugs when he says, "My twin." And relishes the looks on their faces. Then focuses back on Bart and raises his eyebrow again, still waiting for an answer.

"I've been meaning to ask! It keeps slipping my mind, okay!?"

Tim just stares with a disappointed face. He knows how effective it is, he copied it from Alfred, after all. And though he may not be as close to Danny as he is his bat-siblings, he feels he gets to judge his twin's potential partner at least a little, especially since it's one of his best friends.

"Don't give me that look!" Bart shouts and points a finger at Tim. "Danny could bring it up, too! I'm not the only one!" Then his expression turns unsure and his hand lowers, "Plus, what if he doesn't like me and I just make it super awkward and he won't wanna be dorm mates with me any more and then I'll never see him again because he'll avoid me and our majors are totally different?"

"That's not going to happen."

Kon displays an impressive feat of speed by cutting off Bart. "Wait wait wait wait. How come we've never heard of Danny before if he's your twin?"

Aiming for casual, Tim shrugs again. "We were separated at birth and grew up with different families. And he doesn't know about the whole Bat thing so you guys can't just show up and start asking him stuff."

Cassie crosses her arms defensively. "We weren't going to do that."

Kon also crosses his arms. "And even if we were, we totally know how to be subtle."

"Uh huh."

—

Danny: either im hallucinating or i keep seeing wondergirl and superboy on campus

Danny: i s2g if some superhero bs gets my classes cancelled

Danny: idk what ill do but it will be Drastic

Tim: You literally chose a school in the same city the Flash operates in

Danny: yeah but hes chill

dpxdc twins au except it's no-pulse flavored

Bart’s new roommate looks a lot like Tim. 

Like, suspiciously like Tim. 

Danny’s the same height, has the same shape of nose, same shade of hair, and even frowns like him. He would have been a perfect copy if he acted more like Tim, but Danny definitely holds himself looser than Bart’s ever seen Tim. 

But he still has his face. So, obviously, Bart has to investigate. Maybe he’s a clone, or a shapeshifter, or maybe one of the Gotham rogues decided to get facial reconstruction surgery to look like him, and this was all a ploy. 

Okay, probably not that last one. Bart doesn’t think Tim’s enemies know his identity. 

Anyway, investigation! Bart’ll figure this out himself, and deal with it if Danny needs to be dealt with. And the investigation will start right after he comes up with an excuse as to why he’s back in their third floor apartment when he passed Danny in the hallway a few seconds before. 

Danny stares at him, and Bart stares back. 

“Must’ve been a doppelganger!” Bart blurts out. 

Danny’s silent for a second before nodding enthusiastically and noting that everyone's supposed to have like seven in the world anyway and wow what a wild coincidence that there’s one in their building. 

Bart extends the same courtesy when a week later he walks in on Danny with an iced over pan on the stove. Danny says they should really get their freezer checked out and Bart agrees and asks if he can use the ice for a painting study. 

(They never get their freezer checked.)

Bart finds that Danny’s great at setting up fun things for him to draw, whether he knows it or not. Like the ice, or his collection of rocks, his astronomy textbooks with the pretty covers, his gestures as he rants about his classes, the excited glint in his eyes when he’s talking about his next repair project and how his eyes almost look like they glow in the right light. 

Hm. A good portion of his sketchbook is drawings of Danny, and yet he’s still having trouble with getting the right blue for his eyes. At first glance they’re Tim’s shade of blue, but when he keeps looking they seem to get lighter. Maybe greener?

He should probably stop staring into his friend’s eyes. 

Well, maybe not. Danny doesn’t seem to mind. 

Just like he doesn’t mind when they started regularly sitting very close on the couch, or falling asleep together, or Bart borrowing some of his jackets, or-

Okay, Bart’s kinda seeing a pattern. He and Danny should really have a conversation about if this is platonic behavior or not. 

But not right now, because Bart brought Danny across the river to raid Wally’s board game closet in Keystone. 

And Wally, who’s used to this, just passes by them with a, “Hey Bart, hey Tim.”

“Danny, not Tim,” Danny replies almost absent mindedly, then looks back at Wally, who’s also staring at him now. “Wait, you know Tim?”

“OhmyGod I was supposed to investigate!” Bart says, face palming. It just slipped his mind! And Danny was distracting him with his pretty face that he totally wears better than Tim!

“You know him too?” Danny asks. But he doesn’t look suspicious of them, more amused. 

“How do you know him?” Wally squints at Danny, eyes briefly catching Bart’s in question. 

“He’s my twin,” Danny answers easily. “The Drakes only wanted one kid, so they gave me to their friends the Fentons, who wanted a second one.” He shrugs and goes back to digging around the closet. “Tim and I were always in contact, though. Letters and phone calls and texting, you know?” 

He says it all so casually while Wally and Bart are sharing increasingly concerned looks behind his back. 

Do the Waynes know about Danny? Has Tim never brought him up? Why? Does Danny know about Red Robin? Does Tim-

“Holy shit does this mean Tim has ice powers too!?” 

Or: Tim and Danny are twins. Through a series of coincidences, the first people to find out that aren’t Fentons or Drakes are the flashes.

(This post was brought to you by me recently finishing the 1995 Impulse run, and wanting an excuse to share this panel:

Look they both got called twinks clearly they're soulmates)

[unknownersirius]

made a twitter account

I can post my depressed ramblings there and also more notes on art and basically really let loose on the schizo lifestyle to the maximum.

[half-as-big-as-life]

Eated all the stew

[foldingfittedsheets]

When I was getting my associates degree I took a Mythology class that I loved. But one of the girls in class was absolutely off the rails conservative Christian which made things… interesting.

The professor started off the class by being like, “Mythology is stories associated with religion.”

This girl. Haaaated that. She was like, “No, Christianity is true. It’s not mythology.” Mythology was delivered in the same tone as someone trying to spit excrement from their mouth.

The professor raised her eyebrows and said laconically, “Yes, most people believe their religion is the real one, that’s part of it, and the stories surrounding religion are referred to as mythology.”

The girl stewed in a hateful sullen rage. I truly don’t understand why she didn’t drop the class but perhaps it was court mandated education. We all expected her to drop the class but she dug in like a tick and derailed discussions as often as she could.

On a different occasion the professor was drawing a comparison between social constructs like gender. The girl raised her hand. The class hushed to hear her announce, “It’s just a fact that women like domestic work and even though men are awful and stinky we just have to love them anyway. It’s biology, we’re just hardwired like that.”

I was sitting next to my friend a baby gay Jewish girl and our eyes met in mutual hilarity while the professor tried to pretend she hadn’t just been stricken with a stress induced migraine while she steered the class away from that landmine.

The next sticking point was a week later when the professor informed us that many mythologies have overlapping events like floods but these didn’t necessarily happen in such literal terms. It was a metaphorical way to process and understand the world.

This girls hand shot up. I watched the professor exercise extreme self control to keep her expression bland before calling on her.

“The world did flood. And Noah saved all the animals. Before the flood all the water was in a dome outside the earth and then the dome broke and the world flooded. All of it.”

The whole class stared at her as if struggling to comprehend the overlap of her acceptance that the world was round while also firmly believing that there had previously been a barrier that held up all of the earths water before god smashed it in a fit of pique.

She raged under the attention, glaring balefully at our astonished faces.

The professor stared at her blankly, unable to form words to such a bizarre belief. I wanted to ask clarifying questions- what they’d drunk before the dome broke, if there were rivers or lakes prior, or did the dome allow some rain in somehow, but then I really looked at her.

She had the eyes of a feral, cornered animal who regarded any deviation in worldview from her own to be a physical assault on her person. Like the professor, I said nothing, and after a wretchedly long pause class moved on.