#You could maybe make a morally informed compromise

[flaskoflethe]

so, morality's a really fun subject! It is, also, one of those things that gets invoked to try and rationalize the dissonance that comes with saying things like "support a genocidal bigot". It's right to invoke morality in conversations like this - although not in the way it's used here - and I wanted to take a few minutes to go into this genuinely disastrous opinion. Because this isn't an uncommon perspective, especially for centerist Dems, to a concerning degree.

For starters, ACAB means ALL cops - this includes her. Not just was she the former Attorney General of California, she was the one who submitted a request to stay a higher court decision to ensure a transwoman was housed in a male prison. While from what I can see she claims to have had a change of opinion since then, her support for the Biden administion's deplorable efforts in this area gives me no faith in her. This critique extends broadly - even if she isn't able to personally say, reimplements masking mandates as the vice-president her continual stance aligned with Biden's leaves her an unacceptable choice. Finally while she may not be as lifelong a supporter of Israel, whatever her personal stance has refused to condemn the atrocity that is Israel's ongoing occupation, annexation, and genocide. In light of Friday's ICJ ruling any position except full and vocal opposition to apartheid is unexcusable. Ok a policy level, Harris has yet to demonstrate anything that would lend credence to her being better than Biden. Plus, the convention hasn't happened yet. Is the party platform even finalized? Politically speaking, this position destroys the ability of those with more integrity to attempt to negotiate agreements that would allow the democratic party to have policies that are actually viable!

But all of that's practical. Morally speaking, please go educate yourself further? That's the best response I can give to this in good faith - it goes steadily down from there. The "moral" decision when asked to pick between two people, one .9 the other 1.0 on the Hitler scale, is to dedicate your existence to uprooting the structures that would allow 1.9 hitlers into political power to begin with! Asking someone to vote for a "slightly less bad" Hitler is saying there's some bright line that would be able to be crossed. Were that threshold exceeded you would oppose that group, but since they're just shy of the line it's ok this time. If you cannot see that as an appeal to stability, the culmination of assimalative forces attempting to uproot any threat to the systems they have bound themselves to the support of, I distrust your moral judgement categorically.

And finally, as a disabled transwoman how fucking dare you use my vulnerability (itself a product of your candidate and party's absolute refusal to abandon it's fascist policies) as an attempted cudgel against people with more moral clarity than yourself. I am in a position of relative privilege as far as they are available to transwomen at scale, and the implication that my personal safety may be threatened is beyond reprehensible. If the threat truly is that dire, then your own party's policies show their inability to reliably repair much less prevent harms. And finally, voting for a candidate who doesn't resoundingly and categorically reject apartheid is an endorsement of it. Full stop.

My morality has worth, more than my own safety because the choice is reprehensible. Your morality focusing on those who choose to try and live their morals rather than pressure the political establishment to take steps to make the world better is far more telling

You motherfuckers yes I hate Kamala too but when she is announced to be the Democratic candidate we are all going to shoot fireworks and go to the goddamn polls

[corellianhounds]

Redrafting The Phantom Menace

This is an informal essay/pitch meeting restructuring and changing The Phantom Menace to better utilize its characters and to make it a more compelling sequence of events.

Word Count: 5k

Art Credit: Doug Chiang

I think The Phantom Menace needs some of the biggest revisions of the prequels to set these characters up to be used better not just in the trilogy but in the film itself because not only is Obi-Wan mostly absent for all of Act II and nothing he does in that time affects the main plot on Tatooine, but Amidala’s presence doesn’t really add anything to it either. She learns a little about the culture on Tatooine and she meets Anakin and Shmi (which will be relevant in the next movie), but nothing she says or does affects the plot. Any of her protests against Qui-Gon don’t amount to anything since he’s the adult calling the shots, nothing in Act III is affected by their regard of one another, and she honestly could have just met Anakin on the ship on their return to Coruscant. Qui-Gon ends up being the main character of the movie, which I think was a mistake when Kenobi should have been the lens through which we saw the story unfold.

I don’t especially care for the slavery plot point to begin with because it doesn’t compel me as much as if Anakin and Shmi were just dirt poor. The slavery scenario feels like a way for the plot to keep Anakin and Shmi apart and for Shmi to remain destitute and it takes any real choice of the matter out of their situation. Of course she’s going to let Anakin go the second an opportunity like the one Qui-Gon’s offering falls out of the sky, who wouldn’t?

If she’s stuck in the cycle of poverty and had a choice in the matter of sending her extra set of hands away while she stays behind, that gives a little more meat to her character. Have her indebted to the Hutts or something, give her some astronomical loans she’s struggling to pay off, meaning everything they can spare just gets funneled directly into that debt so they have very little money or means to escape to a better life. What that sets up is Shmi being given the agency and genuine choice of either sending Anakin to be a Jedi because she wants him to have a better life, or keeping him there to help her work off the debt. The control chip won’t be keeping them tethered to that location and it keeps both Amidala and Qui-Gon from being complacent in leaving Shmi to be a slave.

If you wanted for Shmi and Anakin to be slaves, but wanted to solve some of the moral quandaries and give all of the characters more active roles in driving the story (and not just tell the audience “These are the circumstances, the Jedi can’t get involved with local matters, their hands are tied”) what you could have done was have Obi-Wan join Qui-Gon and Amidala on their trip instead of Jar Jar. Shmi explains the circumstances keeping them slaves, Obi-Wan can see Qui-Gon leaning towards doing something to help them, but because he’s more inclined towards following the rules than Qui-Gon is, Kenobi tells them honestly that they don’t have enough people to fight for the freedom of the slaves, and they’re already short on funds and already on a mission trying to save people on Naboo.

Kenobi’s also the one to also bring up a logical part of the Jedi Code: instead of saying they can’t interfere with local politics, he points out an obvious rule they would have in saying “The Jedi aren’t allowed to buy slaves either,” because yeah obviously the Jedi wouldn’t be allowed to do that. Even if that’s the easiest way to free somebody, the Jedi can’t do anything that would compromise other people’s faith in them, because yeah maybe you freed that person, but now that person either has to remain on the planet where that practice still exists and they could easily end up there again once you leave, OR you as the Jedi have to take them with you and hmmmmmmm seems pretty suspicious if you ask me, sounds like you just bought yourself your own slave.

Even dropping that person on a safe planet isn’t a great option because they would likely have no understanding of or foundation on that planet, and they especially wouldn’t have a support network of any kind. How much money, time, and resources do you have to devote to setting them up for success, now that you’ve gotten them out of a life of bondage? Completely uprooting yourself and starting from nothing in a completely new country alone is bad enough— Imagine an entirely separate planet. The alternative is obviously keeping that person with you and placing them under your own care and protection, but that’s exactly what makes you look like you bought a person to begin with and now we’re back to square one.

But, Amidala is there, and she’s a queen. She would likely have oodles of money at her disposal. Ignore the whole “Republic credits don’t spend out here” and say SHE offers to buy both Anakin and Shmi’s freedom, extending the offer by saying Anakin could train at the temple and Shmi could become a ladies maid or a consultant to the queen on Outer Rim territories, something Amidala even says she’s not familiar with. Both of them would be taken care of, Shmi would have a support network and a means of income and the freedom to leave at any time if she wished, nothing wrong with that.

In the end, however it happens, Shmi could be freed from being a slave (since that happens between this movie and Attack of the Clones anyway), but she makes the choice for herself to decline Amidala’s offer. Tatooine, though a harsh planet, is still her home and all she’s ever known. Being taken out of that environment and thrust into one of courtly nobility isn’t one a lot of people would be able to adapt to. Amidala finds a way to maintain communication so if there’s ever any trouble, Shmi has a contact who cares about her wellbeing, and she chooses for herself to remain behind and let Anakin go because that’s what is best for him. The characters are the ones making choices with their own objectives and reasonable enough justification for what they do instead of the circumstances moving them around.

There’s plenty of other ways the story would change by giving them those more active roles and choices. Obi-Wan and Anakin and Qui-Gon would all obviously have more of a relationship to build off of if they’re all there together, which will make Qui-Gon’s death more meaningful for the both of them and will introduce history that will carry over into Attack of the Clones whenever Anakin thinks Shmi might be in trouble. Amidala would have a more grounded interest and stronger connection to Shmi herself, and Anakin’s frustration with Obi-Wan concerning the rule about one’s personal attachments creates more effective interpersonal conflict when Anakin argues that she’s in danger. “Master, if you had the chance to prevent Qui-Gon’s death— If you’d known ahead of time that it would happen— Wouldn’t you have done whatever you could to stop it?”

If you cut down Act I enough (because you don’t really need the entire underwater sequence, Jar Jar was in exile up on land and you could have just had him lead them to the palace, which would have given us the chance to see the invasion affecting the citizens and common folk), Tatooine could have been the majority of Act I with the race being the climax. Make the Separatists more of an enemy force that’s actually intimidating and isn’t just mad about taxation of trade routes. Say they’ve been doing their own thing independent of the Republic for some time and don’t care about the legality of what they’re doing and have the Jedi discover the droid armies and the plot to take over Naboo because it’s a pacifist planet rich in whatever resources the Separatists want to take for themselves.

Cut out the Gungans and the underwater sequence and have whoever Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan meet on land take them to the Theed palace as a navigator directly. I don’t care for Jar Jar’s character and he doesn’t add anything to the film besides (weak) comic relief and a connection to the Gungan army at the end, which can easily be altered if you give Ahmed Best a better character just as himself, leading the Jedi through the forest to Theed. On the way there we see the recent havoc wreaked by the droid army and the effects the invasion is having on the people of Naboo, making the war feel a lot more real and immediate. Make Best’s people like the people of Rohan in Lord of the Rings who have survived as independent nomads and mounted woodland riders for centuries, not given as much support by the city-states and the capital but otherwise left to their own devices (setting them up to become the main cavalry/fighters at the end). They don’t have to be enemies of Theed, but they're not on great terms. They're the first people we see affected by the war, the destruction a lot more down to earth, showing us the severity of the Separatist’s actions and giving us a legitimate sense of danger and despair.

The three of them make it to Theed and manage to save the queen and her entourage. Amidala is introduced desperately trying to make contact with Palpatine in the Senate, the circumstances conveyed much more urgently than before, and she tells the Jedi that she’d been trying to contact them before the invasion even started. In the midst of the fighting Amidala makes a pointed effort to save Best’s character, the two of them making a connection as they move and showing both him and the audience that the queen does care about what happens to people who live beyond the city and palace walls. Qui-Gon convinces Amidala that they need to get her to Coruscant to plead their case on behalf of her people to the Senate. Amidala pleads for Best’s character to call upon the peoples living in the woods and to tell them that the capital city has been invaded and taken over too but that help is on the way. Amidala may be a pacifist, but this invasion shows her that her ideology won’t save her people because it doesn’t matter to the invaders whether you’ve done anything to “deserve” that oppression or not. Those who don’t live by the sword can still die by them.

If the Senate is too far removed from their corner of the galaxy to see that innocent people are being slaughtered and that the Separatists have waged a war that has isolated Naboo by severing their communications network, then she’s going to plead their case by taking it directly to Coruscant herself. Who’s to say theirs is the first planet the Separatists have done this to? What other occupations might they be unaware of?

The ship is still damaged upon their escape, forcing them to make an emergency landing on Tatooine. Amidala has some money with her, but her accounts have been frozen by the Separatists and she won’t be able to acquire more unless they manage to save Naboo and she’s restored as queen. The Jedi also have some money with them, but even together it’s not enough to buy the hyperdrive piece.

In this timeline we go with Kenobi being present with Qui-Gon and Padmé (still disguising herself as a handmaiden, Qui-Gon having a hunch as to who she is though Kenobi doesn’t know) and we cut out Watto and change the slavery circumstances to the Skywalkers being impoverished and indebted instead. City boy Kenobi, unfamiliar with the terrain or locals, accidentally bumps into whoever it is who tries to start a fight and Anakin jumps in and mediates for them. Qui-Gon thanks him and Anakin points out there’s a storm coming and takes them all back to his and his mom’s place, despite Kenobi’s protests that the mission takes precedence and the ‘queen’ has only her personal guard at the moment, they really should be finding the parts and getting back to the ship.

Over dinner the group discusses their prospects. Anakin was already planning to race in the Boonta Eve Classic to put the prize money towards finally paying off his mother’s debt. He and Shmi exchange a look, and he decides he wants to help them out of the goodness of his heart or whatever and in exchange for part of the money, Qui-Gon also offers him the chance to become a Jedi because he senses there’s something different about this kid. Kenobi protests, citing the fact the boy’s too old and they don’t have a solid reason to think he’s sensitive to the Force (regardless of what Shmi tells them about the circumstances of his birth). Have him be the skeptic providing the opinion the council would give, giving the conflict that will spur conversation between himself and Qui-Gon in order to provide exposition for the audience and prompt tension between himself and Anakin that’ll evolve as their relationship and reliance on one another in this movie progresses.

Now.

The consequence of Kenobi being present for all of this is that his and Anakin’s and Qui-Gon’s relationships are given focus and development, but it also means the ship is left without a Jedi guard.

Now let’s say Darth Maul finds the ship sooner while the main characters are occupied: Maul kidnaps Sabé, kills the rest of the guard, destroys the ship, and then he leaves. Qui-Gon, Kenobi, and Padmé hear what happens from R2, the only one who survives. Cut out whatever extraneous Watto junk happens and have this be what ups the stakes for the race because now they end up needing all of the winnings to buy a whole ship, not just to get a part. Amidala does the whole handmaiden reveal here and they realize that buys them a little time since Sabé signing the treaty will mean nothing when it comes out that she wasn’t actually the queen, but that will only be a possibility if they can provide Coruscant with further evidence of the Separatists’ plot and subjugation of the people.

Kenobi by now has figured out that the disturbance he’s been feeling in the force must have been the dark warrior who tracked their ship and stole the ‘queen,’ R2’s security footage getting them a good look of Maul. Kenobi and Qui-Gon confer and realize that if this guy is a Sith Lord, they HAVE to get back to Naboo to stop him at any cost. If he’s been the real power behind the Separatists this whole time, then losing Naboo to their control must be part of a larger scheme that will lead the Republic to war.

Now it comes back down to Anakin and Shmi. Either Anakin doesn’t want to give them the rest of the money, having wanted to provide for his mom too, and Shmi has to reassure him that she’ll be fine before he agrees to still participate in the race and give them the money, or Anakin’s unaware of the change in circumstances at all and Shmi’s the one to say they can have all of the winnings provided Qui-Gon gives her his word that Anakin will be guaranteed a better life being trained as a Jedi. Either way, Shmi’s the one in control of her decision to let Anakin go while she chooses to remain behind. Despite Amidala’s offer for Shmi to just come with them as part of her court or entourage, Shmi declines, knowing Anakin needs a clean break in order to dedicate himself to this new life and that her place was still there on Tatooine, and the Skywalkers are able to part ways with Anakin still missing his mom.

During the whole Tatooine sequence Kenobi has his doubts about Anakin, but during the race we see Anakin finally do some incredible feat that defies all logic, bringing down a rockslide to his advantage or controlling a dust storm or standing out on the bow of his speeder holding the now-damaged, motley assembly together with the invisible hold of the Force itself as he crosses the finish line. There needs to be a clear show of something unexplainable for both the audience and the other characters to see (Kenobi especially) that convinces us this kid has an exceptional command over the Force even untrained, not just that he’s a child prodigy when it comes to racing and mechanical ingenuity. Kenobi needs to be convinced that taking the kid is a good idea here because it provides the basis for their relationship moving forward and it gives ample reason for Anakin to be included in all of the further peril without any of the responsible characters logically being worried for his safety. (As it is in the movies, we never actually see Anakin do enough to warrant being considered “the Chosen One” since nothing he does isn’t something other trained experts of that skill could feasibly do. He needs to be visibly, uniquely powerful even for a Force-user.)

After the race they have to scramble to get transportation and head back to Naboo. Keep their communications interrupted so they can’t contact the Jedi council back on Coruscant to tell them about the invasion, the handmaiden switch, OR Anakin possibly being the Chosen One.

In this interim we see Maul on his ship discussing his success with Sidious over a holocall, along with the next steps of the plan. Sabé is locked in a holding cell, unbeknownst to Maul acting as a spy and gathering information, reading his lips and figuring out what conversation is being had though she can’t hear the voice of the person in the hood (because logically she’d be able to deduce that it’s Palpatine on the other end of the call). It’s obvious this mysterious agent doesn’t know she’s one of the handmaidens because otherwise she suspects she’d be dead, and it’s clear they need ‘the queen’ alive for something. Depending on how you want to play the scene and the characters, she could either remain stoically silent after he’s done talking to Sidious, taking everything in and observing serenely while environmental storytelling gives us the clues and info she’s picking up on, or Maul could monologue/antagonize her, or she could try to negotiate with him under the guise of the queen, subtly trying to figure out his motives, or she could just outright question him, reasoning that he’s not going to do anything to her since she’s needed alive (to which Maul could refuse to give up anything and instead easily threaten her once he decides she’s gotten too comfortable, maybe even giving us some visual foreshadowing/parallels to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith by using the Force to hold her by the throat and remind her that she need only arrive to Naboo alive, not unscathed.).

Have the Theed city battle happen as Act II, show more of the Separatists’ effect on the people they’re subjugating, and have Anakin involved on the ground instead of in the gunship. He ends up seeing/being involved in the Duel of the Fates, exhibiting an impressive display of the Force and throwing up a force field that blocks what would have been a fatal hit from Maul against the two Jedi. Anakin uses the Force to fling Darth Maul back, though it’s not enough to get him off his feet. Maul’s distracted for just a moment as his boots gain traction and he skids to a halt, locking eyes with the kid before he uses the Force to throw Anakin into the path of danger as Qui-Gon approaches. Obi-Wan diverts course to save Anakin and gets him out of the way, telling him to stay back as Maul continues to fight Qui-Gon. Anakin ends up separated when Obi-Wan jams the control for the force field corridor, cutting him off from the fight as Kenobi and Qui-Gon back Maul towards the reactor shaft together.

Anakin surveys the hangar and starts to climb up to the access catwalks overhead, trying to get to the Jedi to help, but as he finally reaches a position overlooking the room he realizes he’s too late. Darth Maul hits Qui-Gon and stabs him through the chest as Kenobi screams. This time however, Kenobi isn’t fast enough in the aftermath to do anything beyond wounding Maul, and when Maul is nearly hit by Anakin doing the equivalent of throwing a ship at him, he escapes.

Kenobi’s and Anakin’s shared story with Qui-Gon comes to a close as Qui-Gon dies and Kenobi tells Anakin he’ll apprentice him instead, and that he has strong evidence for the council that Anakin is the Chosen One. Cut back to Sabé relaying to Amidala through covert means that the dark warrior isn’t acting alone; he’s taking orders from somebody he calls Master, and even if he is killed, it’s likely he’s not the only one directing the war from the shadows. Have the Separatists win the battle and Naboo seemingly come under their control, the treaty signed by Sabé (the Separatists still unaware she’s a decoy).

Maul makes a break for it to head back to Coruscant, for the moment incapacitated and in no condition to fight Kenobi and Anakin together. Kenobi may be alive, but Maul’s mission to make sure the Separatists took Naboo and that the queen signed the treaty is complete, and he tells Sidious over a holocall that there’s a child with Kenobi who is strong in the Force and could be a threat to them…. Unless he can be turned to the dark side.

Kenobi and Anakin sneak around and meet up with Amidala and her remaining entourage and tell her that she has to come back to Coruscant with them because only her presence there while Sabé remains behind (never leaving the Separatists’ watch) will be what shows the Senate that the treaty is void. They scheme to go back to Coruscant with the still-undiscovered true queen; Amidala uses the handmaidens to disperse the message and ready an ambush with the help of Ahmed Best’s character and countrymen, telling those who remain behind not to fight back yet but to comply with the Separatists until she can provide the Senate with the proof of the truth.

The three of them with Amidala’s retinue return in stealth to Coruscant. Keep Amidala from telling Palpatine anything because maybe he was just as complacent as the rest of the senators who didn’t believe her when she voiced concerns of the Separatists setting up an invasion of the planet prior to the movie. Kenobi enlists the help of the council members, telling them what truly happened and that a Sith is behind the Separatists’ machinations, and they also provide video footage of the carnage they saw levied against the people of Theed. The council prompts Senator Organa to bring up the Naboo treaty during the Senate session. The Senate pulls up a holovid conference call with the Separatists and remaining Naboo politicians, Sabé among them, the Separatists showing their “proof” of being able to reach a “peaceful accord.”

And THEN Padmé Amidala steps forward in the Senate to reveal her true identity and the plot the Separatists had the whole time forcing who they thought was the queen to sign the treaty under extreme duress while their people died in the streets and countryside. There’s a collective gasp as her witnesses, including Obi-Wan, come forward with evidence to the veracity of that statement, and the Senate erupts in an uproar as the Separatists flounder on the call, having been caught in the act in front of an audience of thousands.

The holocall is cut short as we the audience see the handmaidens, the remaining guards, and Ahmed Best’s character and his people back on Naboo spring the ambush on the Separatists in the palace, and we see the tide change as the people of Naboo fight back together. Valorum tries to keep order but the longer he goes without taking decisive action the worse he starts to look, and Palpatine quickly steps in to propose a vote of no confidence against him— If Valorum isn’t willing to send arms and support to a pacifist planet clearly under military attack right now, what’s to say he’ll ever do it for anybody else there among them? At what point is it considered an act of war against the Republic, if not now? The people of the Senate begin to concur and Republic forces quickly rally support for Naboo, senators from neighboring planets ordering their fleets to converge on Naboo to lend aid and route the fleeing Separatists as an emergency meeting is called to force Chancellor Valorum to step down.

(Palpatine meanwhile is absolutely seething behind his fake shock and horror, and as soon as he’s able to reconvene out of the Senate chamber he comms Darth Maul like “YOU ABSOLUTE #!$%*&@ IDIOT YOU GOT THE WRONG GIRL”)

Maul’s coming to several conclusions at once with a metric ton of dread flash-fried by anger and they both know they can’t do anything to Amidala OR the politicians back home on Naboo while all eyes are turned that way, BUT Maul realizes that this was all Kenobi’s fault and— probably knowing Palpatine's going to wring his neck if he ever gets his hands on him— he goes rogue in order to get his revenge against Kenobi and try to preserve his standing with his master. The climax of Act III comes down to a much more publicly visible and hard-hitting fight between Darth Maul and Kenobi before Anakin (who’s been with Obi-Wan the whole time and was supposed to be in hiding) uses the Force again to shield Obi-Wan right as it looks like Darth Maul is about to strike the killing blow. Maul’s saber bounces off the shield and in shock he turns to see Anakin, who he recognizes as the kid from the Theed palace who thwarted him then too. Obi-Wan shouts “No!” as Maul charges, and Anakin scrambles away and throws up a shield in front of himself that Maul strikes once, twice, a third time before it shatters, each side of the Force colliding, causing an explosive blast that takes out half of the tower floor with it and rendering Anakin unconscious.

Just as Maul rears back to kill Anakin, his saber meets that of Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan pushes him back, determined and revitalized.

The fight ends dramatically on top of one of the skywalks of Coruscant, Jedi and Sith locked in battle as word quickly starts to travel and people start racing up to the tower. Obi-Wan succeeds in cutting Maul’s saber apart before ultimately stabbing him just as Maul had done to Qui-Gon, sending him off the overbridge to his death.

Naboo is shown winning against the invasion thanks to help from the Republic, and the people of Theed and the surrounding forests are saved. Ahmed Best’s character and Sabé are both hailed as victors, the two of them standing united with their people together after a successful ambush and reclamation of Naboo. Kenobi’s a veritable hero, receiving praise from both politicians and Jedi for discovering and eliminating the Sith. The Jedi council manage to frame Maul’s presence as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan “mission” this whole time, and Kenobi’s valor and strategy award him the rank of Knight. The council is still wary of Anakin, but he’s been shown to have had a surprising awareness and command of the Force, and if he’s capable of that without training, they can’t let him continue to live as a civilian with that amount of power unchecked, agreeing that the boy needs supervision, guidance, and accountability. It doesn’t help that Obi-Wan’s determined to keep Anakin as his Padawan now, especially since training him was Qui-Gon’s dying wish.

Sidious manages to frame Maul for the loss of Naboo to the Separatists, telling them that he has been “dealt with.” Though Darth Maul is defeated and the public’s faith in the Jedi remains intact, the Jedi council is deeply troubled by the apparent return of the Sith, and they confer with Kenobi, Anakin, Sabé and Amidala (who are unfortunately accompanied by Senator Palpatine) about what knowledge they have, knowing they need to keep word of a potential second Sith under wraps for the public’s well-being and peace of mind. The fact the Separatists have been revealed to have massive covert operations taking over smaller planets with the aid of droid armies for a while now is shocking enough as it is; they can’t afford widespread panic over the possibility of this being orchestrated by a Sith, let alone more than one.

The result of those decisions, as well as the very public fight Kenobi had with Maul, means that the Jedi are now inextricably bound to serve in the war, still unsure of how they couldn’t have sensed the Sith to begin with, and it sets up Kenobi to wonder if perhaps the Jedi involvement in the war and their deaths at the end of it are his fault for being too rash and ready to fight. It’ll drive his character to mature and become more of a negotiator, and try to keep Anakin from choosing to act without thinking moving forward. Though both Kenobi and Amidala have saved people in this movie, it was done through actions that forced them to compromise their anti-war ideologies, and those irreversible actions will directly lead people who were once pacifists and protectors into war.

That plotline forces the characters together more organically and still covers the same amount of ground and achieves the same result, but utilizes the characters better and creates more of a sense of urgency than before. The consequence of these changes is that Palpatine will later ascend as Supreme Chancellor with sympathy from a majority of the Senate, meaning the Grand Army of the Republic is formed between this movie and the next, setting up Attack of the Clones to be happening in the midst of the war. Sidious has contingency plans upon contingency plans; he still has Count Dooku in his back pocket, still has the Separatists on his side, and now he has his sights set on the young prodigy from Tatooine who seems verrrrrryy interesting to him. He can misdirect the Jedi’s suspicions of Sith towards Dooku and General Grievous, should they end up being discovered, still keeping all eyes off of himself. Palpatine also has a much stronger motivation to assassinate Amidala after this since she’s proven to be more capable than he realized and isn’t just a political pawn he can manipulate. She’s unpredictable, and she needs to be eliminated.

[ju5t777]

Your Seven & Blazar art gives me life. Thank you for the Ultra food in gen.

On a deeper note, I'm curious to hear your opinion on how Seven would interact with Gento. Both of them are fathers, & tho Gento transforms into Blazar, you can argue that Blazar is his partner/ "kid" in a way. Both of them would also go above & beyond to protect Earth to the point of self-destruction.

Yet, unlike Seven, Gento wants to be involved with Jun (in 1 episode, he outright tells his dad to stop being a try hard) & makes it known. He's also less uh....morally dubious record-wise.

Thoughts?

Ooh! I like this idea! Yes please give me more how Character A interacts with Character B prompts, I live for these kinds of discussions!

For context, I'll be considering Gento during the events of Blazar 2023, and Seven after the events of Mega Monster Battle 2009 (M78 timeline).

Firstly, let's state on record that any invading alien and kaiju is lucky that Seven and Gento are not defending Earth at the same time, because they’d be an absolutely deadly duo. With Seven’s strong adaptability and knowledge on extraterrestrial subjects, coupled with Gento’s leadership and strategic mindset, topped off with their resourcefulness, combat experience and determination -- they'd keep Earth safe for as long as they both lived. If they worked well together and trusted each other, they'd be nigh unstoppable.

Despite this, their interactions could vary drastically depending on how much trust they can establish between them, how willing they are to work together, and whether the safety of Earth is at stake during their interactions.

Gento is a strong leader who places great value in the contributions of his team, and often devises plans with all of his team in mind. While he does give out dangerous orders, he ultimately functions best when all of his team is on board with him on his ideas. Seven is substantially less worried about team rapport and building trust etc., and prefers to work alone as an agent. He does care for his teammates, but believes that some hands-off/harsh treatment is necessary so that his teammates can 'develop' (Taro 1973 Ep 33 & 34, Leo 1975). Thus, Seven wouldn't last long in Gento's team, given how Gento values his team members and their relationships, and how tightly-knit Gento runs his operations. Gento may still decide to work with Seven at arm's length, as he'd recognise that Seven is a powerful ally, or an even more powerful opponent to have.

While their goals and dedication regarding Earth are similar, their values are inherently different. As you’ve pointed out, Gento puts his family as a close priority — it’s unlikely that he’d do anything to compromise his family at this stage. Seven's close to opposite: not only has Seven excused himself from Zero’s upbringing, but has a history of choosing Earth over the lives of his own brothers (Leo 1975, Ep 39), though he does show immense difficulty making those decisions. Any argument/conflict between Gento and Seven would likely force Gento to play the moral side of missions -- which he is admittedly not strong at. There is a high chance that Seven could make Gento follow through with something he'd end up regretting later.

Their relationship could go either way. If they were to interact on good terms, it's likely that they'd establish an odd informant/agent relationship. It wouldn't take Gento long to figure out Seven isn't human, but he'd likely see that as a resource more than anything. Given Gento's penchant for holding important secrets, he'd keep any interaction with this weird alien informant as a secret from his team and/or family. On healthy terms, they'll spend their off times exchanging grapevine news, comparing monster research, sharing stories about their sons, or maybe engaging in some hiking or fishing together. Seven and Gento can relate on many things, including the stresses of their duties, any accident or alien related trauma, or their concern for their families. On a deeper level, they could talk about their decisions, regrets, fears, or the times where they came close to becoming the monsters they were fighting so hard to protect Earth from. They'll disagree on a lot of things, but they'd hold a decent respect for each other as fellow Earth protectors.

On the other hand, if they're unable to build any sort of trust between each other, and if saving the Earth requires a sacrifice of any of their values, Gento and Seven could turn out as rivals or foes. Both of them are stubborn and unwilling to compromise on their values -- Gento will go against any plans that risk the loss of his family or his team, and Seven will not accept anything that puts many humans at risk of any danger, even if it's other humans. Seven is a horrible enemy for any species to deal with; his lethal special techniques, astute observations and his unwavering willpower makes him dangerous and difficult to oppose. Equally, Gento's charisma, composure and methodical approach to strategy means that he'll find way more allies and resources, and he'll be able to form more elaborate plots against Seven once he figures out Seven's weaker points. It would take a third party to stop their fight from worsening (maybe their sons, their teammates, or even Blazar), because any actual conflict between Gento and Seven wouldn't end until one of them has been removed from the picture.

Regardless, I don't think they'd be in any position to ignore each other -- their duties and lives are way too similar for them to stay as strangers!

I can imagine that their first interaction would be anything but normal ;D Maybe someone found some aliens attacking cities and towns, claiming they were original inhabitants of Earth before the humans apparently invaded. Maybe Seven’s in the middle of investigating a weird Ultraman with a warbling warcry and a fondness for veggie juice. They’d probably only meet at times when the Earth is in serious danger, and Seven's oddly timely appearances during times of crisis would 100% arouse suspicion from SKaRD. Simultaneously, Seven's got a track record of being weirdly interested in humans -- he'd end up following Gento in the distance during his missions, popping up to interfere with missions or to part with cryptic advice, which will cause Gento no end of confusion or frustration. Then eventually, when Seven inevitably gets caught by the authorities and pulled into interrogation as Dan Moroboshi, or when Gento gets caught in some alien skirmish while a human-sized Seven is in action, or when SKaRD witnesses some bird-like or buffalo-like kaiju materialise to help Blazar in a fight -- they'll get a chance to properly talk.

That's just my initial thoughts! I'd expect that there'd be more nuance between Seven and Gento, as there are a lot of parallels between their characters. Their dynamics would be different depending on which iterations of those characters we'd be using: e.g. Gento would have a lot to teach 1967 Seven on how not to be gullible weirdo who doesn't listen to his team, and he’d have a lot to say about 1974 Captain Moroboshi. Also, Heisei Seven is a force of terror that I don't want to subject either Gento or SKaRD to. If they'd ever meet up in stage-shows/movies though, I'd like for them to be friends.

TL;DR Gento and Seven could turn out as confidantes, or they'll end up stopping each other from saving Earth. Now I want fanfic of this

[cosmicjoke]

The funny thing was it was a shipper that said that about Levi. Like I’m confused do you even like him if you’re saying that?? And to defend their argument they basically said Erwin would have prevented the yeagerists rising up to power, yes. As if Erwin would solve every problem. As if Erwin hasn’t been outmaneuvered before like in the battle to retake Shiganshina. Erwin is incredibly smart but he doesn’t always have all the answers and taking on the rest of the world would be a big task for anyone. But to defend their argument, they’re using a Kamiya Hiroshi interview as proof to why it’s Levi’s fault Paradis became what it did. Since I can’t insert a picture this is word for word what the interview said:

Interviewer: What did you think of Levi’s choice between saving Erwin or Armin in that scene where only one could be saved? 

HK: What struck me during the recording was when I was told, “You don’t have to speak to Floch. It’s fine if you just talk to yourself.” Director Mima always said on set, “You have to look at who you’re talking to and think about what happens after you finish your lines (or you’ll die on the battlefield).” There was an option to direct some comforting words to Floch, but they wanted it without that. This direction made me feel that for the first time Levi pushed forward his own feelings, which influenced Floch’s fate and led to a new tragedy. Well, if Erwin had been chosen here, then Eren and Mikasa would have probably ended up in Floch’s position, so either way, it would have likely led to a tragic outcome. 

The bolded text is what they highlighted as proof to their argument. The thing is they are completely ignoring the sentence that follows that goes against that. I don’t understand why people take VAs words as canon. I also don’t understand why some people always hold Levi to such a high standard compared to everyone else. And I’m confused why we are thinking that if Erwin lived, Eren would act completely rationally and not enact anything he later did after he lost one of his closest friends…

How about the people responsible for Paradis falling to the Yagerists were Eren and Floch? Because those two are the ones actually responsible. Throw Yelena and Zeke in there for good measure. It has nothing to do with Levi.

And of course, I'm not surprised to find out it's a shipper. I'm assuming it's one of those eruri shippers that love to make Levi look bad in order to hold Erwin up, for whatever reason. Maybe because they can't reconcile the notion that, if Erwin was really with Levi romantically, and he didn't share the truth of his motivations behind his leadership with him, regardless of that romantic connection, it would reflect horribly about Erwin's character. It would mean he kept his greatest secret from the man he supposedly loved, and that he didn't trust Levi enough to share it with him. It would show sociopathic tendencies. But if they can paint Levi as this morally compromised, morally ambiguous character, then they can drag him down to that level and say 'see, they're perfect for each other', or some shit. They can pretend that Erwin's withholding of that information from Levi wasn't horrific because Levi didn't care anyway and would have followed Erwin to the ends of the earth, and blah, blah, blah. The problem for them is, Levi DID care. He cared a whole hell of a lot. He cared so much that it nearly destroyed his relationship with Erwin, before he was able to push his disappointment and doubt aside and continue to trust in Erwin, despite his flaws, not because of them. He knew, despite Erwin's human frailties, he was still a good man, deep down, who wanted to do the right thing. He just needed a little help to get there.

Levi wasn't responsible for Floch becoming what he did. The circumstances Paradis was pushed into, through Marley's actions, is what led to Floch's true nature coming out, and, as I said before, Floch's own actions and weakness of mind. To blame Levi for that on any level is absurd. You might as well blame Levi too for Eren becoming what he did because 'oh no, Levi told him to make the choice he'd least regret', or he told him in Shinganshina that it wouldn't be over until their enemies were dead (meaning Reiner and Bertolt). How about we blame Levi too for the Rumbling, because Zeke blew him up and was able to meet Eren and make contact with him? Give me a fucking break. Eren became what he did because that's what he always was. The same for Floch. I don't care what Levi's voice actor, or any other voice actor, has to say. What I care about is the text, what Isayama wrote and what his panels conveyed. Floch was always going to become radical, again, because he was weak of mind and spirit. He was a bad person, in his heart. Someone prone to extremism. A coward and a fool and bloodthristy.

The moment he wasn't killed in the charge against the Beast Titan, we saw the vengeful core of Floch, when he found Erwin, dying on the field, and dragged him up onto the roof, wanting to punish him for leading them into a death charge by forcing him to continue to live and lead. He wanted to make Erwin suffer, just for doing his job, and for leading the rest of the scouts that day to do theirs, something they had willingly signed up for. That tells you all you need to know about what kind of person Floch was. He was cruel and ugly.

And we see that cruelty and ugliness all the more clearly in contrast to Levi's compassion and kindness, in wanting to put an end to Erwin's suffering. The two of them are juxtaposed against one another for this reason.

Levi puts compassion over ideology, and Floch puts ideology over compassion. That has everything to do with who they already were, not with what either of them did or the circumstances surrounding it.

This idea that Levi not offering words of comfort to Floch is what led to him becoming the massive piece of shit that he did is such a joke. No, Floch was already that, long before Levi ever made his choice. Floch joined the scouts only after he thought the hopeless nature of their mission had been overcome and there was only glory to be found, and his anger and resentment and hatred came to the fore when he realized that wasn't the case, that he wouldn't be able to reap all the rewards of being a soldier in the most dangerous branch of the military while remaining safe and unthreatened.

Everybody loves to blame someone else for the way things turned out or the radical, bad actions certain characters took in AoT, but ultimately, every character is responsible for their own actions. Nobody is responsible for what Eren did but Eren himself. Nobody is responsible for what Zeke did but Zeke himself. Nobody is responsible for what Floch did but Floch himself. The circumstances and environment may have put them in a position to act out their true desires and natures, but the circumstances and environment didn't put those desires or nature in them. That's just who they always were. That's true about every, single character in AoT.

These idiot shippers love to use these meaningless interviews by voice actors as "evidence" that their ship is real, or that their interpretation of the text is right. But the voice actors are only interpreting the text themselves, with their own, biased view influencing that interpretation. It doesn't mean anything. It has no bearing on objective reality. It's just a personal reading. The scene where Levi tells Floch that Erwin deserves to rest, and Kamiya being directed to have Levi talking to himself instead of "comforting" Floch, that in itself is a personal interpretation by the director of the text. It's not objectively true to the text itself. And even if it was, it still wouldn't serve as proof that that was the moment Floch became radicalized. Again, Floch was always going to become radicalized, because he was always a shitter.

The only thing that would have stopped Floch from becoming radicalized that day is if Floch had died with the rest of the scouts that charged the Beast Titan. It's too bad his joke ass didn't.

And finally, Erwin couldn't have stopped the Yeagerists from taking over Paradis. There's nothing he could have done to change the course of events. Floch wanted Erwin to suffer. He thought Erwin would be the "monster" they needed in order to "win" against the enemy. But what would Floch's reaction have been had Erwin not become that heartless monster he wanted, willing to stamp out all of humanity for the sake of one island? Either Erwin would have been willing to do what Eren did, or he wouldn't. He either would have become extreme and led Paradis down a path of militarization and nationalism, or he wouldn't. And if he wouldn't, Floch would have turned elsewhere, because that's what Floch was gunning for, long before Levi ever made his choice. And we know, already, that Erwin never would have supported such a course of action. And so Floch would have, like he did in canon events, turned to Eren and helped facilitate his plans. He would have believed Erwin was no longer what he wanted or needed. Erwin wasn't a monster. Eren was. Beyond that, if anyone tries to argue that Erwin's skill as a negotiator and politician would have allowed the Survey Corps to convince Marley to stand down, no, because Eren didn't allow the Survey Corps to even try. He disappeared before the scouts could even attempt negotiations. Erwin being there wouldn't have changed any of that. It all would have played out exactly the same way.

Anyway, the entire claim is a joke. Some Erwin stans are massive assholes who can't admit that Levi was a morally superior person to him. But he was and he is. Levi, ironically, encapsulated what the Survey Corps was meant to stand for more than Erwin ever could. That's why Erwin entrusted Levi with making the decision, ultimately. Because he knew Levi would do the right thing, even as he himself couldn't, and he was grateful to Levi for that, because he wanted to do the right thing. Like I said, Erwin wasn't a bad man. He was just flawed.

Floch was a bad man. He was weak, and just like Zeke, just like Eren, just like Yelena, that weakness is what allowed all those bad qualities in them to take control and dictate their actions.

They have no one to blame but themselves, let alone a truly good man like Levi.

[90s-belladonna]

Wannabe Sugar Daddy🍡

part 5 - kind eyes

Kai Chisaki wasn’t the type of person who got nervous easily, however, he couldn’t help but let a multitude of thoughts run through his mind. “What if this is a setup and my parents orchestrated the whole thing?” “What if they’re not as reliable as they seem and leak all of my information?” “What if they have me meet someone absolutely horrible?” On the outside, his cold demeanor adorned his features but the thoughts racing through his mind were anything but calm. It wasn’t until he smelled the intoxicatingly strong scent of violets that he was pulled from his worries. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Chisaki, I assure you Blue Summer Services will take care of you in an efficient manner.” The woman approaching him spoke. She had long purple hair and walked with imperishable confidence, even when faced with the young CEO that so many seemed to immediately fear upon introduction.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Apologies for the mask, I’m a bit of a germaphobe. I assume you’re Nemuri Kayama the handler in charge of my account?” The young CEO questioned as the woman sat in front of him.  She couldn’t help but chuckle as she could tell that he was a bit apprehensive about the situation. “Well yes, I’m the owner of Blue Summer, however, I’ve chosen to handle your match’s account, and by extension yours as I’ve taken a special interest in the young lady.” She had a smirk on her face as she spoke, and frankly, Kai couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing. “What’s so interesting about her?” He couldn’t help but wonder what made you so important that you had the owner involved in the match-making process. “She’s a special one of course. However, I asked you here half an hour before your meeting with her because although our system matched you together she recently had a public scandal that might deter you from wanting to be tied to her. Although I believe you both would make a fabulous pairing we value our client’s comfort. So if you choose not to proceed with the match we can find other matches for you both.” This was the first time Nemuri felt anxious, of course, she didn’t show it.

Kai sighed, he really wanted this to work out, it was the only way he could comply with his parents’ demands and still have a choice of his own, he couldn’t let it drag on. He didn’t have time to wait around for another match. “Well, how bad was the scandal?” He figures if it was nothing that would compromise his morals he could overlook it, after all, you were the top choice for him according to Blue Summer’s system. “She was publicly cut off by her parents and blacklisted by them. Of course, not all the Keiretsu families agreed to this but enough did for it to be an issue we had  to inform you of.” Nemuri examined Kai’s eyes and their expressions for any clue as to what his choice would be, unfortunately for her, he was as good as her when it came to masking his thoughts and emotions. On the other hand, the young CEO was racking his brain trying to think back to the chat he and his friends had regarding the heiress who was cut off by her family, trying to remember if maybe he knew you. Sadly he couldn’t remember what family the heiress was from.

“What family does she belong to?” “The Yaoyorozu clan.” Nemuri instantly answered. “Branch?” “Main branch.” Kai hummed. On paper, you’d be the perfect partner to calm his parents’ nerves as well as the public concerns surrounding his bachelor image, but your family might be an issue. While the Chisaki clan prioritized their culture and traditional values the Yaoyorozu clan prioritized etiquette. He would have to teach old Japanese traditions to help you impress his family, but this could work. “Anything else I should be aware of when it comes to her?” He pondered, he was set on you. Perhaps your reputation might be something his parents could take issue with, but they didn’t care enough about the other Keiretsu families to turn it into a problem, in fact being romantically tied to a Chisaki might be enough to overturn your blacklisting. This could be mutually beneficial in more than one way, and Kai was ever a charitable man. 

“No. As I said, she’s the perfect match for you, I think you’ll get a kick out of her personality. Since she was raised in the Keiretsu high society she’ll know how to behave so as to not embarrass you if that’s a concern you hold.” The purple-haired woman clearly wanted this pairing to work out, the young heir couldn’t decipher why but he sensed she held no malevolent intentions so he decided to trust her judgment. “Then let’s proceed with the match for now.” He checked his watch as he spoke. “She should be here in about five minutes anyway.” Nemuri couldn’t help but smile at the young heir’s decision. “I’ll be in my office then. The cafe has been booked for just you two for the next two hours, I figured you’d value the privacy and our staff is discreet. You have nothing to worry about here Mr. Chisaki, both you and Miss Yaoyorozu are in good hands with Blue Summer.” The woman spoke as she got up and began to walk away. Strangely enough, her considerate words were enough to calm Kai’s nerves. 

Sure enough exactly five minutes later you walked in, right on time, he liked that. He quickly removed his black face mask in an attempt to make you feel more comfortable around him. He decided to act as if he were reading a random magazine that was placed at the table he chose for the two of you. Kai figured you might get nervous if he looked at you the entire time as you walked in. Within seconds he was greeted by a soft strawberry scent, he didn’t usually enjoy fruity or sweet scents, but he found yours to be quite pleasing and not too overbearing. “Hi, I’m (name)! A pleasure to meet you.” You greeted. He observed you and how your eyes almost completely closed when you smiled his way. You wore a light purple plaid, tweed mini skirt, crop blazer set, a cream blouse, and gold jewelry. You looked presentable and it was obvious how much care you put into your appearance. He couldn’t help but think that Nemuri was right in her judgment that you would be the perfect crown jewel for this image. “oh.” you let out before nervously sitting down, your reaction making him realize that he failed in greeting you.

“Apologies, I got a bit distracted. I’m Kai Chisaki. Delighted to meet you Miss Yaoyorozu.” his voice was deep and smooth just like the black silk dress shirt he wore. Silver rings adorned his fingers, matching the diamond and silver earrings he wore, the piercings being a clear indicator of his young age. Despite the responsibilities thrust upon him he was only twenty-one, still a kid, just like you. “You can call me (name). The briefing I received said you were looking for someone to act as your girlfriend right? You should speak to me comfortably if we really want to sell this.” You suggested, a soft smile still adorning your lips. “Sure thing, in that case, you can just call me Kai.” He wasn’t sure if he should smile back. His friends were always smiling but he never felt the need to match their energy, and yet he wanted to prioritize your comfort as he realized how strange this situation was for a young woman, and so Kai Chisaki, the infamously cold CEO, attempted a smile. You let out a soft laugh, it was evident to you that he wasn’t used to acting this way. A mischievous glint made a home in your eyes at the realization of how eager to please you he was. “Sure thing, Kai it is then!” You couldn’t help but notice how stunning he was, he had a sharp jawline and striking golden eyes. You made a mental note to thank Geten and Mirio for making you add the handsome component for the characteristics you were looking for in a match because Kai Chisaki’s looks were absolutely otherworldly. Not only was he handsome, but despite being a man his fashion sense was quite unique and divine, he was utterly debonair. You could definitely picture yourself going out with someone like him under different circumstances. 

Soon enough someone came to take your drink order, as you spoke to the waitress Kai comfortably examined your features and came to the conclusion that you were beautiful. He almost wanted to chuckle thinking at how happy Keigo will be when he finds out he got paired with someone as gorgeous as you, his blonde friend would of course be insufferable about it. As he scanned your features he couldn’t help but notice a tender area on your cheek peeking through from underneath your makeup, it clearly wasn’t blush, as the one you wore was a different shade than what the area on your cheek looked like. The area looked a bit swollen, he recognized the situation all too well. Keiretsu families and their punishments. It was obvious you had been harshly slapped, that’s exactly how his cheeks looked when he was recovering from one of his parents’ slaps. Maybe it was your similar traumas or empathy for the situation you found yourself in, but he felt the overwhelming feeling to shield you from the rest of the world. 

How could anyone hurt someone with such kind eyes? Sure he was aware of how bratty some heiresses could be, and he wouldn’t be surprised if you too had some stressful and mischievous components to your personality, but the eyes never lied, they were the window to the soul after all. He was convinced you were a good person, even if you were a bit materialistic like the reports claimed, he could tell you had a good heart. He had a deep distaste for Keiretsu society and the culture surrounding their treatment of their young, so he sympathized with your situation, he understood it all too well. “So kai” your voice broke him out of his thoughts, his golden eyes instantly meeting your glistening ones. “How should we do this? Obviously, we have to get to know each other before we meet your parents but how do you want to go about it?” He liked that you paid attention to the information brief you were given prior to the meeting, it saved him from having to explain his infuriating situation. 

“Well, I figured we could go out on a few dates and get comfortable with each other. I also need to take you to tea ceremony courses before we meet my parents, they like that sort of thing. Once we meet them we can start attending public events together.” You nod along with his plan. “I already know how to do a traditional tea ceremony. My friend Nejire thought it would be cute if we took classes together so we did that last winter, I still remember everything but we can practice if you would like. I’m sure there are components of my technique that I’ll need to clean up to impress your parents.” You suggested, Kai let out a pleased hum and nodded in agreement. 

Before he knew it two hours had flown by, he noticed that you like to talk a lot, not that he minded, he was a quiet man anyway so he preferred more talkative people around him as it removed pressure from him to speak. He also was quite fascinated with your outlook on life and peppy attitude. He could bask in your energy for hours if given the chance, washing away any doubts he still had about the arrangement you two found yourselves in. A familiar clacking of heels distracted him from the strange comfort he’d found in you. “Unfortunately your two hours are up, feel free to remain here. However, I must warn you another couple is set to arrive in thirty minutes, in case you mind the company.” Nemuri informed the two of you, her gaze lingering on you as she softly smiled. Kai couldn’t help but notice how this seemed like the first time the woman wasn’t putting on a mask, she seemed quite fond of you. However, based on your expression and timid wave he could tell you didn’t know who the woman standing before you was. You looked over at Kai with doe eyes as soon as the purple-haired woman stopped speaking. “I’m assuming you wouldn’t like anyone knowing your business.” You were quite perceptive, another thing he enjoyed about you. “You’d be correct. However let’s take this elsewhere, I’m interested in keeping our riveting conversation going.” He stated. 

Truthfully the conversation offered nothing of the essence, you were both just discussing desserts, and you were going on about how one hadn’t truly lived until trying pistachio maamouls. He didn’t care much for sweets, but he sure liked the way you spoke with such passion about something so simple. You were a very worldly person, despite being rich Kai hadn’t traveled much due to being placed in a position of power at such a young age, so he enjoyed your descriptions of all the places you’d been to and your appreciation for all their cultures. “Sure! There’s a great Mexican bakery a block from here anyway, you have to try their flan!” you beamed. He couldn’t help but form a soft smile. His eyes glistened as he too looked upon you with fondness. He dusted himself off as he got up and offered you his hand to help you stand up as well. As soon as you took his hand his ears turned a soft pink shade, his heart skipping a beat as well. He hadn’t felt like this in a really long time, he didn’t think he still could. He appreciated how free you were, and how much light you still held despite being raised in keiretsu society. He was a bit envious, but also impressed by the fire in you. Part of him hoped that in the time you will share together, you’ll rub off on him. 

“You didn’t even exist to them. It’s the first time I’ve seen you get ignored like that.” A gruff voice stated as he walked up to the purple-haired woman. “Oh let them. They’re clearly bonding so I’ll overlook it this one time.” She quipped as she watched you both walk away, a smile forming as she watched you hug the brunette’s arm as he opened the door with his free hand. “Don’t get too attached my love. It could be dangerous.” The blonde man stated as he wrapped an arm around Nemuri’s waist. The woman let out a hearty chuckle before replying. “Come on Toshi, I’m her aunt, if I don’t take care of her then who will? Especially in this situation.” “You see yourself in her don’t you?” Toshinori questioned, looking at his wife with empathetic eyes. “How can I not? It’s worse for her, at least when I got cut off and blacklisted by my family it was kept private. Meanwhile, my brother blasted their business on every tabloid and drama channel that would listen. It’s cruel.” The woman formed a small fist as she spoke. “Blacklisting your own family is insane, I’ll agree.” The blonde quipped. “At least I got to meet you, my hero. Maybe the same will happen for her, we did have a similar arrangement when we met!” Nemuri pointed out, her eyes filled with hope as she turned to face the older man. “Or maybe not?” Toshinori pointed out, an attempt to offer a more realistic point of view on the situation. This caused Nemuri to chuckle once more. “Only time will tell. Won’t it my sweet?” She whispered as she grabbed her husband’s tie and pulled him in for a kiss.

~ A/N: hopefully this wasn’t too long 😭 if it was please let me know i’ll try and make future written parts shorter! ~

☆ WSD Master List

☆ BNHA Master List

[pipzeroes]

I have been thinking: COVID consciousness is like climate crisis consciousness.

People can pretend it isn't real (e.g. "climate change isn't happening," or, "COVID is over," fallacies such as this).

Others can acknowledge it is real, but be despairing, choosing to focus on "the futility of things" (e.g. "maybe we could have changed CO2 emissions in the seventies, but we're past the point of no return, and the Earth is going to burn and there is nothing we can do; DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL etc." or, "humanity brought it upon itself, there's no point in trying to prevent the spread of COVID; now everyone is going to get sick," defeatist attitudes such as this…)

But one can come to appreciate the interconnectedness of everything, and, that while one might not have the ability to control one's destiny, let alone the destiny of future generations, one does have the ability to keep trying to make things as… good as possible? As beneficial to as many as possible? Most heartening? Most loving? Even when it is difficult!

Because:

We are all interconnected!

Caring about you makes sense because you caring about me makes sense because we inhabit a common reality! Caring about one another makes our mutual reality better for ALL of us, instead of being caught up in whatever this ridiculous pretense is that everything is fine, this weird attitude that the "immune compromised don't matter, because they'd be dying anyway,"

And even though I think you should care about others

I also keep thinking

like

do some people

not

realise

that

COVID infection has been documented to reduce immune function

for like

like

PRETTY MUCH ANYONE

so

THAT MEANS COVID IS A RISK FOR PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE

and

you do not have a better immune system because of moral superiority! A virus does not care about that kind of thing when it's floating through the air in tiny bits of airborne moisture!!!

And even those with previously of the most robust health do not have the assurance that their immune system will prevent long term impairment because of COVID infection; those who were previously athletes have found themselves sidelined by COVID infection.

Like…

COVID is BAD

AND

COVID is NOT over

And

Some people could be brought around to taking more careful measures if they knew the actual reality of things:

COVID floats like smoke, meaning that to prevent infection whenever one is indoors with strangers (e.g. public places!) one should be wearing an effective, well-fitting mask,

COVID hampers one's immune system

It's bad to spread it to others!

Why is this a controversial opinion?!

Like, let's stop the spread of disease!

This seems like a good idea!

And some people would agree with this, but for whatever reason they're isolated/cut off from the truth, and the trick is finding ways to inform these folks…

But then…

For whatever reason…

It seems like some other people somehow cannot acknowledge reality…

And I find it the weirdest thing!

And I mean, I've been around the internet ("I've seen things you people wouldn't believe…")

I've seen how people can get into echo chambers, affirming realities they want to be true…

But...

In the spring of 2020, I would not have imagined that things would be like this, in 2023…

I don't know what else to say?!

Care about other people?!

Take care of yourself?!

Take care of the biosphere and consider how the output of human activity impacts climactic cycles and the way the living situation will be for coming generations!?!?!?!

Avoid spreading disease because it can impair and kill yourself and/or others?!?!?!

Getting beyond the

"Yes"-

Because the "Yes" can mean

Despair

"Yes it is irreparably bad so there is no point in caring,"

And

Maybe everything will fry! Maybe the next meteorite will come and wipe us out as one did the dinosaurs, and the next species to evolve will have no idea we ever existed! And caring about climate change was pointless?

OK?!

So I should be the-right-amount-of-despairing?! It was better to be hopeless instead of hopeful?! No hope is the appropriate response? What if I hope, anyway?

What if somehow I make things better for someone three generations from now, even if I never meet them, even if humanity dies in five generations? Even if the world is hit by a meteorite tomorrow, why is it cringe if I try to make things better on what turns out to be the last day on the Earth?!

What if you cared about others, even if these others are coming generations and you will never meet them?

Why give into despair?

Even if things are REDONK.

There is PLAGUE; should we not be avoiding it?!

We could get beyond Yes- to but!

"Yes- there is a terrible situation!"

"...BUT this does not have to lead to despair…!"

"…BUT what we do now makes a difference, and cooperation is integral!"

Danged if I've got all the answers, but I'm pretty sure that caring about one another is a good place to start.

I may never meet you, but I can care about you.

<3

And not saying it isn't hard. Like. It can be hard not to despair.

Keep on keepin' on!!! <3

[thesovereignsring-if]

I imagine this would probably be hell to code so the answer is probably no, but could the MC pretend to support one person and then sabotage them?

I just thought it would be really cool if our brothers underestimated us and felt betrayed if we supported Eirik only to have MC backstab him and be like "What did you expect? I'm the Empresses child."

All these asks kinda fall into the same category, so i'm gonna answer them together. It's harder to answer these ones because they're so damn spoilery, but i'm gonna try my best.

Your decision of who to support/ascend is easily the most important decision in the game so it is reserved to the final act of the game. That is where the most divergence happens, but it shouldn't be too drastic (look i'm not crazy, though I might some of that save that for the official paid release of the game). By then, you'll be able to make the informed decision on the Empire you wish to see and the Final Act/Epilogue will adapt to fit that. But no matter what choice you pick, you're gonna piss someone off. And people will retaliate :D

Your family and the RO(s) will always care for you and there is nothing wrong with being ambitious, but certain characters have their own agenda/morals/ambitions and they will prioritize before their relationship with you. The stakes are so much higher and they cannot fail this opportunity. Or they have their limits on how far they're willing to compromise their morals.

That being said, people are going to use you, even your lover, your brothers and maybe even those six feet deep in a grave. :) To some you're the key to salvations while to others you'll be the obstacle in the way. It's gonna suck, but people are gonna get hurt. And you might not have the power to stop who will.

[tekdecksmtg]

Profile: TekDecksMTG - Events / Results

As I’ve only recently started blogging, I’m doing a few ‘profile’ segments to give folks a better idea of who I am as a player.

I already covered off my background and formats (though I’ll have more in-depth format thoughts in the future).

This time we are on to some information related to the events I’ve played in and results to this point.

I need to state up front that I’m not a ‘sweaty’ player and the longer an event goes, the more disengaged I tend to get. I struggle a bit with the “competitiveness” I come across at major events where players will intentionally try to get you warned by judges, give some false information to their benefit, or try to cheat by sneaking in another land drop or missing a trigger (the last of course is tough to prove). I look at this as a ‘game’ and try to have a good time, so I can get frazzled when I run into people like that. Don’t get me wrong though, most players are not like this, but the propensity of the ones that are like that tend to show up at RCQs and above. I assume that on a higher and more public level maybe these players wouldn’t have such attitudes, as it isn’t apparent to me when I watch folks on the Pro Tour, but maybe I just don’t see it there and it comes with the territory. I really hope that in order to succeed in this game you don’t need to compromise morals - there’s a difference in being a stickler for the rules and someone who uses shady practices to win.

Expectations:

Let’s talk first about expectations. Up to this point, my expectations were not high when it came to super competitive events like RCQs. I hoped to have a good time, improve, and get a few wins to keep me in contention for some prizes. I never really “targeted” a Top 8 in terms of expectations - and I don’t have one yet. At store events I generally expected to be in the top half. But as I’ve played more and improved my game, I now expect to do fairly well at these events. While I’ve won some store events and that is my ‘target’, I expect to finish in the top 25% of players and expect to be in contention for top prizes. This is not an arrogance thing; it’s more a mindset and where I expect to be with my current experience and prior results. Sometimes I’ll win but there are times I’ll be at the bottom of the table as well.

Results:

I initially tracked my deck wins when I first got back into the game but stopped after not long as it became tedious with all my Commander decks (plus what does coming in third mean?). However, I should track my overall deck win-loss record in competitive formats; my only hesitation comes about because I will do at least minor updates between events and am not sure how relevant deck tracking will be. Let me give that a shot and get back, could be useful and interesting. Meanwhile, here are the events I’ve had success in over the last year along with any associated prizes in parentheses.

Store Championship: Standard - Top 8 (Transcendent Message Foil)

Store Championship: Sealed - Winner (Moonshaker Cavalry Full Art Promo Foil)

South East Asia Open: Legacy - Top 32 (SEA Playmat) - missed Top 16 on tiebreakers

Store Championship: Standard - Winner (Free Entry to Animart Open Championship)

Store Championship: Standard - Top 8 (Dark Petition Promo Foil)

APAC League: Standard - Winner (Entry to End of Year Championship)

Store Championship: Standard - Top 8 (Hollow One Promo Foil)

I’ve also gone 3-0 at Non-Championship events over that time, including at LCI Draft, APAC League Sealed, Standard Showdown, OTJ Prerelease (4-0), & BLB Prerelease.

Having won a few competitive events makes me feel like I have at least some of the tools needed to succeed in this game consistently.

I hope that the list above will grow and the types of events will get bigger in scale. You’ll hear from me when they do!

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 128

Chapter 128: "I've Decided"

I love Emma so much for this. She agrees that the annihilation would be a smart way to ensure that their family can live safely and happily in this world, but it is by no means the best way to reach that future. I understand Norman's drive for revenge on the aristocrats and those who play an active part of keeping the farm systems running, but the whole method to achieve that is just morally wrong, especially to attack those who are innocently going about their days as normal. (during this part of the conversation, the anime has "Existence of an Insider" playing, which famously played in s1ep5 when Ray reveals he's a double agent to Norman, so it's almost like roles switched in regards to whom we're supposed to be cautious about.)

She also agrees that escaping into the human world may be dangerous for them as well since they dunno how well they'll be accepted there, but still wishes to take that chance. Their whole journey up to this point was full of risks, optimism and resolve, so naturally Emma is willing to put her beliefs into such an iffy idea. All that is quite similar to her reasoning later in ch178 when they're all about to cross over actually and if it was for this recent ask I may not have thought about this just now. (perhaps that's another reason Ray chooses to trust in Emma so strongly, as he's heard her speak similar truths before during this moment.)

Anime is wild for having Norman make a comment like that. Naturally I love Ray getting angry at him for it.

Lowkey funny to me how it's the thought of not having Emma smile anymore that causes Norman to be like "oh wait, I certainly can't have that," and proceeds to talk through the situation more openly about a sort of compromise.

Maybe I'm the idiot, but how would you exactly defeat the demons without killing them? It's not like you could mortally wound them since they'll regenerate quickly, yeah? (unless we're chatting about Norman's drug that has yet to be revealed, since that forces them to degenerate. though that'll still lead them to death, just slowly. idk. this is why i write these out days beforehand so i can think and try to make sense of random shit like this.)

Norman, I regret to inform you that you're in a fantasy type manga. Impossible things are gonna happen no matter what you wanna believe.

He goes through this whole spiel about the Seven Walls being a total mystery and claims there's absolutely no proof of the place actually existing and Emma fires back telling him they've basically found the entrance already and it's such a perfect in-your-face moment for her and I love it.

The way her grip tightens on him.. aahh she wants to take the pressure off him so badly so he can just be Norman again instead of the WM persona and it hurts!

Hug her! Hug her, you fool! She needs many hugs!

How can you expect to her relax with that fake smile on your face? If ya wanted to be convincing you should've just HUGGED HER. (i'm surprisingly passionate about this moment suddenly, dunno why.)

Perhaps it because it didn't happen in the anime that I'm fond of the embrace now? Instead we get Emma just reaching for his hand.

And after she asks Norman if the annihilation is truly what he wants and if it's tough carry everything by himself, he simply replies with "no" followed by the below. Like damn boy, and here I thought manga Norman was being harsh.

Spoilers: he did, in fact, not think about it when Emma returned. In his defense, she arrived a bit too late. But also in her defense, a lotta things happened at the Seven Walls.

Enjoy the brief happiness while you can.

My boy gets sidelined so hard during this chapter that despite all the chatter that's going on, he only got about seven total speech bubbles.

Favorite panel/moment:

I'm afraid Norman fails to understand that Emma is gonna make her own agreement between them whether he likes it or not.

I absolutely love the way Norman freaks out, even if it's definitely a valid concern about if they could actually return from the Seven Walls. C'mon boss, this is Emma we're talking about here, of course her plan is gonna be reckless. He should've expected that.

She's got a fair point about the first Ratri being able to return. And I'll never get over how she thinks this task/burden she volunteers for is simple. Emma is amazing. Crazy, but we love her.

In the anime it had the trio agree to find Sonju & Mujika instead (since the Seven Walls really don't exist in that silly adaptation) and I did kinda enjoy the quick banter between Emma & Norman about how many days the search should be. Not including anything else here though because this is longer than intended and I am very tired.

[interxstitial]

some more relationships, dynamics, plots, etc. i would love to explore ♥ pls reply with your favourite emoji and i’ll sprint to you via dms with snacks !

part 1. part 2. (both of these were originally made for jiwon’s golden verse, before any others existed, but a lot of them could also be set in jiwon’s other verses!)

bitter verse:

playing house — imagine how much more damage julien could do with the help of someone with the same M.O. and an equally flexible moral compass. they’re a carefully crafted pair, built together from the ashes of their former selves. under the guise of siblings, they’re on a mission to destroy wannabe emperors with their own secrets. and this trust runs deeper than any blood-bond, but even that is not infinite. compromise the work for which julien has shed immeasurable blood, sweat, and tears, and he’ll make sure you never show your face in public again. (pretend siblings!! how far will they go to accomplish their goal? what happens when one of them takes things too far? and if one of them suddenly pivots and their loyalty is swayed?)

the architect — your muse helped erase ████ from existence. then they constructed the masterpiece and ticking time bomb that is julien beauchamp. your muse and julien have too much dirt on each other to even consider betrayal, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still get upset and snap at each other from time to time. will there come a time when enough is enough? might your muse still think ████ is in there somewhere, even after they destroyed him with their own hands? when julien inevitably dies for his cause, where does that leave your muse? (old friends turned icy colleagues?? basically strangers??? maybe your muse knew ████ from childhood? they knew what julien was getting into, but did they expect things to come this far?)

surprise, bitch — julien hates your muse’s guts. he wants to gouge out their eyes, string them up by their intestines, and set them on fire for the city to watch. during brunch, he’s thinking about shoving the salad fork down their throat while laughing over a story they think he’s even remotely interested in. they’re BFFs, number one in each other’s gossip chain. julien puts up with your muse’s insulting existence because they don’t remember him as ████. they only know him as julien beauchamp, bird-boned socialite with an eye for fashion and an unfortunate (but perfectly understandable) taste for troublemakers with shiny cars. and that’s fine. you’ll remember him soon enough. (GOD i just really want to explore the ugly thoughts in juli’s head. he is full of so much hate, and i want him pushed to the edge. maybe your muse is directly related to the hit-and-run, or maybe a close relative; either way, they’re equally guilty in juli’s eyes. and he wants them dead.)

it’s you — they make a nice couple. sweet, inoffensive. they go on regular dates, celebrate monthaversaries, send surprise gifts. the whole shebang. there may even be articles online delving into the details of how they met, what sparked the fire, some late-night rendezvous here and there. it’s all very cute. but once julien has gotten what he wants, he doesn’t need your muse anymore. it’s not you; it’s me. (it’s you.) it’s time to move on. ♥ (julien using your muse to gain information or access to someone more important!! it could be very sweet, but julien doesn’t really care that your muse is heartbroken over a relationship he didn’t care about. or it could turn into something more sinister. hell hath no fury like a lover scorned.)

otherside verse:

i’ll teach you — jiwon won’t last much longer at this rate. half the time he’s high on whatever he can get his hands on, and his already limited friendships are hanging by a thread. one day, soon, he’ll snap and won’t come back for a third trial. luckily, your muse understands better than most what jiwon is going through. they share their tricks with him, teach him how to tackle the voices coaxing him to the edge. even if it doesn’t work all the time, they’ve at least bought jiwon a little more time to heal. (this is me shaking a lil tin can and yelling ‘save jiwon!’ you know that scene in stranger things where max realises people are there for her? that they want to help her no matter the risks? yeah that pls !!)

kindred spirits — when you attend therapy together for some number of months (or has it been years?), you tend to learn things about each other. the ugliest parts. the stories that would otherwise never see the light of day. there are rules during group. greetings, guided discussion, share if you’d like, then closing statements. but outside, in the real world? what are you supposed to do? (our muses attending the same group therapy sessions! what does your muse do when they know jiwon overdosed two years ago, and now they’re watching him buy shit on the street the day before the next meeting? i just kdljfkd want those knowing looks during therapy and let our muses get to know each other beyond the stories they tell in group.)

[bones-and-whatnot]

This is my post on why I believe it is so important to vote in the election, and specifically to vote for Kamala Harris. This is something I have thought about and agonized over a lot, and I don’t expect to convince most of you. All I will ask you for is the courtesy of reading through the full post, as I have read through the full extent of yours.

First off, everyone on the right will be voting, and they will be voting for Trump. A divided left/“left” (whether that means divided between voting Harris and voting third party or between voting Harris and not voting at all) increases his chances of winning. I feel like this is a fairly objective truth.

One of the awful facts of the world is that politics (certainly on a national level, but likely in other cases too) is NEVER going to give you a perfectly moral choice. You simply do not reach the point where you have enough clout to feasibly be elected president without compromising your ethics in some way. I know people hate to hear this, and I also wish it weren’t the case, but yes, it is a “lesser of two evils” situation. Yes, Kamala is complicit in the Gaza genocide, but the other option is Donald fucking Trump, and for every awful thing she will do, he will do the same and then ten other awful things besides. I wish it were not this way. I really wish. But it is.

If we all really banded together and committed, could we get someone like Jill Stein elected? Maybe. But the system is fundamentally not optimized for that, and given what’s at stake if that DOESN’T work (Project 2025) I really don’t think this is the year to try the experiment.

The world does not exist in a state of “everyone evil is equally evil”. Believe me, I understand the appeal of taking a hardline moral stance, but things just are not that simple or easy. I wish they were, but they aren’t. I am not HAPPY about this, but this is the reality we are in and sometimes he right thing to do still doesn’t feel good.

A Trump presidency will have all the bad parts of a Harris presidency, none of the potential good, and a host of other problems besides. He will continue backing Israel and he will also appoint Supreme Court judges (who will hold those positions FOR LIFE) who he trusts to further his agenda (see: the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the granting of presidential immunity). The unfortunate truth is that we don’t GET a good choice. But we do get a bad choice and a worse choice, and when presented with that, we have to pick the one that’s less bad.

Also (and it makes me feel really sick to be using this logic about something that costs HUMAN LIFE, but that’s the world we’re living in), I believe Harris could be convinced/pressured to change her stance on issues if elected. Trump will never change for anyone.

If you did read through this full post, I appreciate that. Whether or not you did, I wish you good health and a good day.

(Also, please vote for other things on the ballot like senators and representatives. Sites like Ballotpedia and Vote411 can help you figure out who’s on your ballot and what their issues are.)

[appson-technologies]

The Agony of Choice: Unveiling the Devastating Disadvantages of Staff Augmentation (or Why You Should Probably Do It Anyway)

The Agony of Choice: Unveiling the Devastating Disadvantages of Staff Augmentation (or Why You Should Probably Do It Anyway) Ah, staff augmentation. The two words that strike fear (or maybe a desperate longing?) into the hearts of HR managers everywhere. On the surface, it seems like a Faustian bargain: trading away control for a temporary boost in productivity. But fear not, weary reader, for this article will unveil the utterly horrifying downsides of staff augmentation, ensuring you never succumb to its siren song (unless, of course, you actually want a thriving business).

Part 1: The Insufferable Efficiency Nightmare

Imagine a world where your team suddenly becomes a well-oiled machine. Tasks are completed with lightning speed, deadlines are met with a nonchalant shrug, and your inbox remains blissfully empty. Sounds like a productivity utopia, doesn’t it? Well, in the nightmarish realm of staff augmentation, this is precisely what you’ll be forced to endure.

The Tyranny of Expertise: Brace yourself for a deluge of fresh ideas and innovative solutions. Staff augmentation specialists bring not just manpower, but a wealth of experience and diverse skillsets. This can be incredibly disruptive, forcing your existing team to actually learn and adapt to new ways of working. The horror!

The Curse of Speed: Projects will fly by at an alarming rate, leaving you with the unenviable task of actually achieving your goals. No more lingering in the comfortable purgatory of “almost done.” Staff augmentation injects a potent dose of accountability, forcing you to confront the terrifying reality of a completed project list.

The Automation Apocalypse: Don’t even get us started on automation. Staff augmentation specialists might suggest streamlining workflows or implementing time-saving tools. This could free up your team for more strategic tasks, but at what cost? Efficiency? Increased profitability? The very thought makes us shudder.

Part 2: The Unbearable Burden of Collaboration

Let’s face it, working with others can be a real drag. It requires clear communication, a willingness to compromise, and the ability to celebrate collective achievements. Staff augmentation throws a wrench into your perfectly isolated workflow, forcing you to collaborate with these… shudder highly skilled and motivated individuals.

The Camaraderie Conundrum: Staff augmentation specialists often integrate seamlessly into your team, fostering a positive and supportive work environment. This can lead to increased morale, improved communication, and a genuine sense of camaraderie. Ugh, the humanity!

The Brainstorming Bonanza: Prepare yourselves for an onslaught of creative brainstorming sessions. Staff augmentation brings fresh perspectives, leading to innovative solutions and a more dynamic approach to problem-solving. The sheer volume of good ideas could be overwhelming, forcing you to actually make decisions and take action.

The Knowledge-Sharing Catastrophe: Staff augmentation specialists come with a wealth of experience and knowledge that they’re just itching to share. This can lead to a transfer of skills and best practices within your team, creating a more well-rounded and knowledgeable workforce. The horror!

The Transparency Terror: Forget the days of carefully managing information flow and keeping your team blissfully unaware of potential roadblocks. Staff augmentation specialists bring transparency and open communication to the table. This can be unsettling, forcing everyone to be on the same page and work towards common goals.

The Feedback Frenzy: Staff augmentation specialists are likely to provide constructive feedback, both positive and negative. This can be a real burden, as it compels you to actually improve your processes and address areas for improvement. The horror of continuous learning!

The Recognition Responsibility: Collaboration often leads to shared successes. You might have to acknowledge the contributions of others and celebrate achievements as a team. This can be quite inconvenient, as it takes the spotlight away from your individual brilliance (or lack thereof).

The Diversity Delirium: Staff augmentation exposes your team to diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and working styles. This can be incredibly disruptive, forcing everyone to adapt and appreciate different viewpoints. The sheer variety of human interaction could be overwhelming!

The Upside of Collaboration

While the increased collaboration brought on by staff augmentation may seem like a burden, there are some hidden benefits lurking beneath the surface.

The Innovation Intersection: When diverse minds come together, sparks fly. Staff augmentation fosters a collaborative environment that breeds innovative solutions and creative problem-solving. The sheer volume of ideas could lead to…dare we say it…progress?

The Conflict Resolution Conquering: Staff augmentation specialists often bring a neutral perspective to the table, facilitating constructive conflict resolution within your team. This can lead to improved communication, stronger relationships, and a more positive work environment. Ugh, the teamwork spirit!

The Knowledge Network Nirvana: Collaboration fosters a vibrant knowledge network within your team. Staff augmentation specialists can share their expertise, and your existing team members can learn new skills from each other. This creates a more well-rounded and adaptable workforce in the long run.

The Myth of Isolation

Let’s face it, working in a silo can be stultifying. Staff augmentation challenges the notion of isolation and encourages collaboration. While this might sound like a punishment, it can actually unlock a hidden potential for growth and success.

Part 3: The Unmanageable Talent Windfall

Staff augmentation grants you access to a pool of pre-vetted, highly skilled professionals. This means you might actually have to make hiring decisions based on merit and qualifications, rather than relying on that gut feeling you get from a strong handshake. The burden of choice!

The Perfect Candidate Plague: Staff augmentation services can identify and match you with specialists who possess the exact skillset your project demands. This eliminates the need to spend weeks (or months) sifting through unqualified applicants. The efficiency of it all is simply unbearable!

The Performance Anxiety Paradox: Staff augmentation specialists are held accountable for their performance. This means you might actually get your money’s worth and see a tangible return on your investment. The pressure to deliver results can be quite stressful, though.

The Retention Revelation: Staff augmentation can be a great way to test-drive potential hires. Imagine a world where you can assess a candidate’s skills, work ethic, and cultural fit before committing to a full-time position. The audacity of such a risk-free scenario!

The Transparency Terror: Forget the days of carefully managing information flow and keeping your team blissfully unaware of potential roadblocks. Staff augmentation specialists bring transparency and open communication to the table. This can be unsettling, forcing everyone to be on the same page and work towards common goals.

The Feedback Frenzy: Staff augmentation specialists are likely to provide constructive feedback, both positive and negative. This can be a real burden, as it compels you to actually improve your processes and address areas for improvement. The horror of continuous learning!

The Recognition Responsibility: Collaboration often leads to shared successes. You might have to acknowledge the contributions of others and celebrate achievements as a team. This can be quite inconvenient, as it takes the spotlight away from your individual brilliance (or lack thereof).

The Diversity Delirium: Staff augmentation exposes your team to diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and working styles. This can be incredibly disruptive, forcing everyone to adapt and appreciate different viewpoints. The sheer variety of human interaction could be overwhelming!

The Upside of Collaboration

While the increased collaboration brought on by staff augmentation may seem like a burden, there are some hidden benefits lurking beneath the surface.

The Innovation Intersection: When diverse minds come together, sparks fly. Staff augmentation fosters a collaborative environment that breeds innovative solutions and creative problem-solving. The sheer volume of ideas could lead to…dare we say it…progress?

The Conflict Resolution Conquering: Staff augmentation specialists often bring a neutral perspective to the table, facilitating constructive conflict resolution within your team. This can lead to improved communication, stronger relationships, and a more positive work environment. Ugh, the teamwork spirit!

The Knowledge Network Nirvana: Collaboration fosters a vibrant knowledge network within your team. Staff augmentation specialists can share their expertise, and your existing team members can learn new skills from each other. This creates a more well-rounded and adaptable workforce in the long run.

The Myth of Isolation

Let’s face it, working in a silo can be stultifying. Staff augmentation challenges the notion of isolation and encourages collaboration. While this might sound like a punishment, it can actually unlock a hidden potential for growth and success.

Part 4: The Unforgivable Cost-Effectiveness Conundrum

Staff augmentation might seem expensive at first glance, but here’s the real kicker: it can actually save you money in the long run. The horror!

The Recruitment Relief: Staff augmentation eliminates the need for lengthy and expensive recruitment processes. You avoid advertising costs, headhunter fees, and the time investment required to interview a parade of unqualified candidates.

The Scalability Serendipity: Staff augmentation allows you to scale your workforce up or down based on project needs. No more overstaffing during busy periods and understaffing during slower times. This flexibility optimizes your budget and ensures you’re only paying for the talent you truly need. The financial responsibility!

The Training Truce: Staff augmentation specialists arrive ready to hit the ground running, eliminating the need for extensive (and expensive) onboarding and training programs. They bring their expertise and can contribute immediately, maximizing your return on investment from day one. The efficiency of it all is simply unbearable!

The Overhead Oasis: Staff augmentation eliminates the burden of employee benefits, payroll taxes, and office equipment for temporary staff. You only pay for the hours worked, freeing up valuable resources for other business priorities. Financial responsibility? More like a financial paradise!

The Truth About Staff Augmentation

So, there you have it. The utterly devastating disadvantages of staff augmentation. Increased efficiency, improved collaboration, access to top talent, and cost-effectiveness. Who would want to subject themselves to such horrors?

Of course, the reality is that staff augmentation offers a multitude of benefits for businesses of all sizes. It’s a strategic tool that can help you overcome challenges, achieve your goals, and ultimately, thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

The Budget Black Hole (Not Really): Staff augmentation might seem expensive at first glance, but consider this: you only pay for the hours worked. This eliminates the burden of fixed salaries, benefits packages, and office space for temporary staff. It’s like having a magic budget that adjusts itself to your needs! The financial responsibility of it all!

The Forecasting Fiasco: Staff augmentation allows you to adjust your workforce based on project demands. No more struggling to forecast future needs or being stuck with an oversized team during slow periods. This flexibility ensures you’re optimizing your budget and maximizing your return on investment.

The Risk Reduction Revelation: Staff augmentation minimizes the risk associated with hiring new employees. You can assess a candidate’s skills and work ethic before committing to a long-term position. This reduces the risk of a bad hire and protects your precious company resources. The horror of making a sound financial decision!

The Hidden Costs of Traditional Hiring

Let’s be honest, traditional hiring can be a financial black hole. Here are some hidden costs to consider:

The Recruitment Rollercoaster: Advertising costs, agency fees, and the time investment required for interviews all add up. Staff augmentation streamlines the process, saving you valuable time and resources.

The Onboarding Odyssey: Training new hires takes time and money. Staff augmentation specialists arrive ready to work, eliminating the need for extensive onboarding programs. The efficiency of it all is unbearable!

The Performance Pitfall: Hiring a bad fit can be disastrous for morale and productivity. Staff augmentation allows you to assess a candidate’s performance before committing to a full-time position.

The Financial Freedom Fighter

Staff augmentation isn’t just about cost-effectiveness; it’s about financial freedom. It allows you to scale your workforce up or down based on project needs, optimize your budget, and minimize hiring risks.

The Truth About Staff Augmentation Costs

While the initial cost of staff augmentation might seem daunting, the long-term benefits far outweigh the investment. You’re paying for expertise, efficiency, and reduced risk — all of which contribute to a positive return on investment for your business.

Embrace the Advantages, Not the Annoyances

Don’t let the satirical portrayal of staff augmentation’s “disadvantages” fool you. In reality, these are the very aspects that make it a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.

By leveraging staff augmentation, you gain access to a pool of top talent, streamline your hiring process, and optimize your budget. This allows you to focus on what truly matters: achieving your business goals and exceeding expectations.

So, take the plunge and embrace the advantages that staff augmentation offers. You might just be surprised at how much smoother, more efficient, and (dare we say it?) enjoyable your business operations become.

The Final Choice: Embrace the Advantages

While this article may have presented staff augmentation in a satirical light, the true message is clear: don’t be afraid to leverage the power of staff augmentation.

If you’re looking to boost productivity, inject fresh ideas into your team, and achieve your business objectives more efficiently, staff augmentation is a powerful tool to consider. So, take a deep breath, step outside your comfort zone, and embrace the advantages that staff augmentation can offer. You might just be surprised at the positive impact it has on your business.

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Flutter Experts

Appson Technologies

[succulentlesbians]

@tremorsmackenzie popping your tags out to reply, hope you don’t mind

i totally agree that daisy is someone with pretty strong morals that she’s not going to compromise. we kinda see that in s1 where miles (rising tide ex bf) gives someone up for money and she’s furious at why he did it. or even her mom is like, come with me to do my ecoterrorism! and daisy is like wtf no.

i was kinda torn btwn trying to say, daisy wouldn’t, at that point, be ok with murder (especially bc it likely wasn’t “bad” people like she ends up killing for shield but in fact people who didnt conform to dreykovs world order) with the fact that daisy isn’t stupid and I think she would’ve had the skills to actually investigate people trying to hire her to get in places and so she should’ve known what was happening. she was all about freedom of information at this time so anyone whos was hiding something id expect it would be standard to try and get into their business. this is even something that daisy chides miles about- why he didn't investigate centipede before giving them info.

but i was thinking about it some more and i think daisy being smart could be countered by yelena being smart too. if she did her research and she knows what daisy needed to see, she could set herself up in a way that makes daisy believe it’s just information she’s getting. maybe she does get information some of the time, or the info she gets is what she uses to kill people but its not that obvious.

I guess the other reason I was kinda thinking daisy might figure out that yelena was killing people was less character related and more plotholes- I didn’t have them have any sort of conversation in the fic about like, "hey, you actually lied to me about killing people the whole time we knew each other?" and that is something that feels like it should have some sort of "???" reaction so i was leaning away from the idea that she hadn't figured it out.

but i guess it wouldn't be too hard to say that daisy did her deeeeeep digging after yelena disappeared and was like wait shit wtf? who are the people she works for, what have i done, and who was she really? did i ever know her? and she can’t investigate further bc it’s genuinely dangerous for her and the red room is doing their best to disappear. i think that she would trust her intuition that yelena genuinely grew to care for her but also there would definitely be a sense of betrayal there. (which could even lead into being so hurt by ward being hydra ahahaha.) (and also that could be the incitement of Why she asks miles why he didn't investigate centipede bc obv ppl like them have been fooled before and they shouldve learned from that.)

but she also came to terms with yelena's part and was like ok yelena was a child in the time that i knew her and she clearly went through some fucked up things and then her organization killed her. so she is okay with caring about yelena despite the lying bc it wasn't exactly her fault, per say. and then that leads into, as you said, the distrust of those big groups like shield.

thinking further about ward comparisons and why yelena would be different as a betrayal, honestly skye was pretty desperate for ward to have a reason for what he did, right? she straight up asked if he was brainwashed like kara and she knew that he had been influenced by garrett and was like ok well make a different fucking choice now and he didn't. it wasnt that she didnt care about him. she did and that was why it hurt so bad when he didnt flip for them.

that background is basically what happened to yelena, with her psychological brainwashing at the time. but in my mind (& this fic) she had made the choice to try and step away from that but was stalled by the chemical brainwashing (so daisy thought she'd died) and even later when she comes back, shes obviously commited to helping widows and so daisy trusts her because shes making the choice to be "good" and obv she relates to the experience of the last ten years of yelenas life.

for daisy/yelena shipname: didnt think about that yet actually. kinda forgot that with nearly pioneering the ship a name could come along with that. tbh theyve got horrible letters for combos and their hero names arent much better lol. yeldaisy isn’t bad but tbh I’ve just been doing like daisy/yelena in my mind. Daisyelena? (Daze-e-lena). Idk.

"I should send an ask for the nice reply i got" Brain: Windows dial up noise. Anyway, hi, hello! :D thanks so much for your reply, it made me feel emotions and now im sueing for damages <3 YELENA WAS GONNA RUN FROM THE RED ROOM TO BE WITH DAISY??????? pain. suffering. a g o n y. im now imagining an au where she did manage to escape actually. they are happy and young and free and being goofy. yelena keeps them safe and daisy keeps them hidden. canon. to me.

omg young skye and yelena together would be so fun. sorry for your agony that they couldn't, i am similarly distraught. was thinking about writing a prequel (can you believe the audacity, i haven't even finished the sequel yet) about them but the emotional devastation of having to rip them apart would absolutely kill me so we shall see about that.

yeah the whole assassination thing was something that i hadn't fully considered in terms of what skye would be cool with when i offhandedly wrote that oneshot. i'd now imagine that yelena would have deliberately misled her for as long as she could (ie. "help me break in here for this information and no that people died wasn't me, it was a coincidence lol") and that skye was kinda naive and really wanted to believe that she was just stealing info and similar things. yelena at first was just using her as a resource and prob knew like yeah skyenet is cool with this sort of stuff only. but i think skye kinda charmed her and they kept talking and talking until yelena was like oh shit i care about you and you made me believe in the good in this world and i dont want to do this anymore. and skye after a bit maybe was wavering btwn like hmm i can read between the lines here, im not stupid, but also ive talked to you so much and i believe that you are good and i believe that you dont have to do this and then she learns about the actual situation that yelena is in with the red room? and shes like oh youre a whole ass victim. this is not your fault.

and yeah a situation where skye has to choose to save yelena over someone else (a target?) or something? bc the red room would kill her? could be both a demonstration of love but also kinda jarring for skye to make that decision and so even moreso something for yelena to be like omg skye cares about me so much. good god anon you're giving me ideas.

anyway. yelena coming out of the red room. im thinking she sorta tracked daisy while she was there, in a way where she was keeping tabs on the rising tide, shield etc. she doesn't want to draw interest to daisy after all but she wants her to be safe and to know about her. when she gets out, literally the only support she has could be daisy or natasha and she thinks that natasha abandoned her. she literally does not have a good relationship with a single other person in the world. she was in the red rooms hands since she was a Baby (this is so sad). so yeah theres a lot of courage that she has to reach out to daisy when she hasn't been heard from in ten years and to try and trust that she'll help, but there is absolutely a sense of 'i have no one else.' daisy is her first and basically only stop. but also. daisy taught her how to live once. and i think that absolutely she was thinking, oh daisy can help me figure out life. And! also being like hey, wtf is daisy up to shes kinda going crazy and maybe she needs help too. (this all being on top of, she just wants to see daisy again). so many reasons.

they are absolutely pairbonded kittens.

this is them. i don't make the rules. if i separate them again... you have my permission to kill me.

tysm for your ask and support, you're giving me so much motivation and thoughts to write about. i'm so glad you enjoyed the fic!

[tf2fansderogatory]

scout day

okay we know hes got rabbit theming with the domination voicelines but in my head i take it one step further

"mon lapin" (my rabbit) is a thing to call your son i think and so whenever i daydream i have one universe where scout just cries every time he hears anything rabbit related because he tried learning french and he found out what it means

in other words: hes a blorbo so i make him suffer

it turns out, to some degree, that Spy's eternal smugness is his downfall, something predicted by everyone ever. at the beginning his coworkers were greeted with usual wariness, caution, dodging questions and obscuring answers with well-placed bribes and cryptic threats and careful strategy; it only took him a few days to lower his guard just a tiny bit, and realize his coworkers were mostly obnoxious lunatics with very few coherent thoughts to any of their names, and once he knew who to be careful around he let his guard drop most of the rest of the way. it turns out, if you say something enough you begin to believe it on some deeper unconscious level, and you are an idiot isn't really an exception. It becomes a mantra. Eventually, he decides his teammates are incapable of even normal English and, therefore, absolutely would not know or be able to learn to speak French, so he lets himself be a little less careful. His constant little French phrases are sort of a compromise between secrecy and some other need he doesn't want to put a name to; in some way, it allows him to say anything he wants right to his disgusting coworker's faces without facing any repercussions whatsoever. To Spy it seems like a flawless solution.

But, well… maybe he lets it spiral a little too far. Scout gets the worst of it, and he knows it--everybody's already figured out he's probably insulting them to their faces and have accepted it as a normal fact of life, but Scout's watched him do it to other people and Spy does not do it to other people like he does it to him. It never fucking stops, for one, a constant train of syllables running in-between actual English sentences--and especially when Spy's scolding him, or complaining about his clothes or his voice or the gap in his teeth or the black eye that could've been very easily avoided if he didn't just go in swinging like a fucking idiot--or, the worst of it, when it's dark in the rec room and Scout's reading comics and Spy's in the other corner reading whatever he reads and everybody else is gone and you could cut the air with a knife, and Spy gets this weird little light in his eyes as he mutters and doesn't really hide the fact that he's watching Scout out of the corner of his eye. Drives him up the fucking wall. So he mail-orders one of those stupid little French-to-English books, starts keepin' a little journal of all the stupid shit he says, and asks Engie to help him out when he realizes he doesn't know how to spell French at all (and when the letters on the page are swimming too hard for him to keep his head straight).

Engie disappears for a few hours and when he gets back it's with a big fucking pile of books all about French, plus another big handful of notepads and recording devices. Scout says he doesn't care about it that much, but he does, and as Engie sees it if this is a way to get Spy to stop going through his goddamn things he'll take whatever path he can go. Over the next few days they collect information, spell the best they can, start organizing and translating bits and pieces of it; what they find is mostly insults, as expected, a few pleas for mercy, though Engie comes across a few lines spoken to him that he has to read back a few times to make sure Spy's actually calling him handsome.

Scout's asleep for most of it, to be completely frank. Letters were never his strong suit, but Engie's perfectly happy to truck along on his own. One night, one of the longer ones where he's mostly just there for moral support, Engie nudges him awake; he looks worried, almost, and Scout rubs his eyes as he shoves a torn-out page of a notebook into his face.

It says, highlighted among dozens of nondescript sentences, in Engie's barely legible chicken-scratch: My rabbit, you make my life so difficult. I wish you took more care of yourself. You don't deserve to live like this.

He sees it smeared all over the rest of the page, in the French Engie's still working through--mon lapin, mon lapin. My rabbit. And Engie gets another grave look, and points to a sentence near the bottom, in a considerably neater font.

He says: "This one's 'my rabbit, you look just like your mother'."

Medic runs a DNA test, for a good portion of both Engie and Scout's paychecks. Scout sees a little rabbit plushie in the window of a stupid little chachki store as they make their rounds around Teufort and Demo, who's a little too tipsy to be driving, is surprised when Scout starts sobbing, curled up on the shitty vomit-dusted leather.

Spy gets a visit, after most of everybody else has gone to bed. The broken nose he has when he shamefully stalks into the kitchen for breakfast and promptly leaves doesn't really surprise anyone, and neither does Scout's sullen silence for most of the morning into the afternoon. Spy stops going through Engie's things. French, formerly ever-present, vanishes from his general speaking patterns. There would be a celebration among the team, were it more appropriate. Everyone mostly just watches Scout stare at the rabbits running around outside, scowling, and feels bad for him.

[thepringlesofblood]

its time to play i need to get this essay out of my head so i can fill my head with more relevant, school-related essays

*spoilers for All Systems Red by Martha Wells*

murderbot was entirely justified in leaving mensah at the end of all systems red.

FAQ

was it kind of rude/hurtful to not say goodbye? yes.

was it morally incorrect? no.

was it kinda dumb? yes.

did mb owe mensah anything for purchasing it? no

was purchasing mb a 100% good or 100% bad thing to do? no

did mb have a full picture of what was going on? hell no!

have mensah and the gang done their very best to protect and help mb post-survey? yes! none of this is necessarily blaming anyone.

thesis: mensah and the whole presaux team got so swept up in caring for and protecting murderbot that they forgot to listen to it about what it wanted. also, sci-fi slavery is complicated.

essay under the cut

I keep seeing all these fix-it fics where mb just doesn’t leave and they all go back to Preservation and live happily ever after and most of them miss the point completely.

we have to remember, that throughout the entire book, and throughout mb’s entire life, it has been and is enslaved. The governor module does nothing to refute that statement. It is still under the threat of death/dismemberment at all times, even if the threat is less direct. It is still considered ‘property,’ even after the end of the book. 

Remember, at the very beginning, mensah and the rest of them did not want a secunit, for the very good reason that paying for a secunit is participating in an economy of enslavement.

The book starts with a moral compromise by mensah and by preservation as an entity - pay for a secunit and participate in the slave economy in order to survey the planet. they weighed the moral good of potentially buying this planet over the moral evil of working with the Company. we don’t know why they need to buy this planet (i haven’t read past artificial condition maybe its a really good reason*) but they do make a moral compromise to do it, and that’s important. we have the information from the get-go that Preservation is willing to compromise its morals under certain circumstances. and so does murderbot

whether consciously or subconsciously, mb knows that anyone who “buys its contract” can’t be trusted because they have already proven themselves untrustworthy/morally grey in some capacity by purchasing it in the first place. other clients have just been more obvious about it.

ok, let’s say we look past all that. let’s say we start on the assumption that renting a secunit was forced on presaux in a way they couldn’t refuse. let’s make that leap.

Think about the act of purchasing mb at the end of the book.

At this point in time, mb has no way of communicating with any of them. it’s in its cubicle, recuperating, and can’t speak for itself.

mensah makes the decision to purchase it permanently, in order to ensure its safety. again, this isn’t 100% good or bad. it’s mostly very good because it’s ensuring that mb won’t go back to the actively harmful Company, and that it will have a lot more agency over its life and decisions. but not complete agency.

it’s the “good master” argument. even if mensah gives mb every freedom it could possible want, the freedom itself is given and that means it can be taken away. even if she never does, even if she never restricts mb’s agency in the slightest, the fact that it is possible for her to do so is still bad.

and I would argue, she does do a little restricting. not consciously, perhaps, or not intentionally but she does. they all do**

look at the language from the last few scenes.

“Good news! Dr. Mensah has permanently bought your contract! You’re coming home with us!” (Ratthi)

“I’ve purchased your contract. You’re coming back to Preservation with us.” (Mensah)

not, ‘you can come home with us’ or ‘you can come back to preservation with us’  you are coming home with us.

“We’re so glad you’re with us,” (Arada)

similar to above - i’ll give arada a bit of a pass bc she honestly just seems to be expressing an emotion, and all her verbs are present tense.

there’s an implication that mb will continue to be “with us” and that does sort of contribute to the group assumption of what mb will be doing though.

“I think you can learn to do anything you want.” (Mensah)

“There are so many education opportunities. You can do anything you want.” (Mensah)

there’s this emphasis on learning. it skeeved me out for a while, and I didn’t know why. but I figured it out.

“learn” implies that mb is unskilled, or a blank slate of a person. it dismisses mb’s extensive history of security work, hacking, systems management, etc.

and we’ve just had a whole book of proof that mb is incredibly skilled at these things!

it makes it sound like mb won’t be able to do any of the things it knows how to do. and if you know murderbot, you know that that’s a big red flag. (mb is autistic and i will die on this hill but that’s another essay)

“We can arrange that, as long as you think you need it.” (Mensah)

this is about the armor. mb asks if it can still have armor. and mensah gives this baffling reply.

we know by this point that having the armor is not about getting +2 to AC. it’s so that mb can opaque the faceplate and interact with people without worrying about its expressions. it’s one of the things that helps it interact with humans without feeling self-conscious.

honestly, she could have stopped at “we can arrange that” or even “we can arrange that as long as you need it” and it would have made sense.

even if what I suspect is true, and she wanted to convey that there would be adverse reactions from the people living in preservation to a fully armored secunit, she could’ve stopped at “as long as you need it” and conveyed that it probably wouldn’t be a permanent thing.

but she goes the extra step to say “you think”

this might seem small, but it implies “I think I know what you need better than you do.” which undermines mb’s agency, even if it’s in a small, probably unintentional way.

it also shows us that to a small degree, mensah has become habituated to the horror of the system mb is product of. she and the team have gotten too used to the idea of a secunit as property, and as a result, the way they treat mb is subtly different.

this leads to making decisions on mb’s part that they don’t have the right to make.

“We’ll talk about that when we get you home.” (Mensah)

“we get you” - you is passive, we is active. they’ve been making decisions on mb’s behalf for a while now, presumably, and they assume that now mb’s awake, it will just go along with them.

“home” is also here again. all of them refer to it as if it’s mb’s home too.

less of an issue bc i know people irl who still do this when there’s no sci-fi slavery to be had (it’s still annoying)

and the biggest one, the most obvious.

“You’d be my guardian,” I said.

“Yes.” She was glad I understood. “There are so many education opportunities. You can do anything you want.”

Guardian was a nicer word than owner.

I will say before all else, mb is, as always, as an unreliable narrator. its POV and understanding of others’ social cues are skewed. still tho.

I interpret this as them having two different conversations.

mensah is hearing mb say

“ok, so you’re my guardian, so i’m good to go to do whatever i want, yeah?”

and is responding

“yes, i’m your guardian, so the system will leave us alone because it recognizes that as valid, don’t worry, you don’t have to be a part of it anymore, you can come do whatever you want to do on preservation bc that’s my home and i want to share my home with you and have you as part of my life and have you do something you find fulfilling not just whatever secunit stuff is”

mb is saying

“so....the whole "contract purchase” thing. are you buying into the “guardian” crap or do you know that you literally own my life now?”

and is hearing mensah say

“I know I’m your new owner now, I’m glad I bought you and that you know that, you’re going to come back home with me because I want that, and while you’ll be able to do “whatever you want,” that will always have limits.”

key misunderstandings

mensah

doesn’t get that mb does like security work, just not the forced part of it, and that it already has a well-honed set of skills that aren’t really useful in the setting of preservation.

doesn’t get how her and her team’s enthusiasm could come across to this shy, traumatized lil guy

can’t make the leap of “preservation is my home, but it’s not murderbot’s home, so it’s rightfully apprehensive and might not feel comfortable there”

she and the team have a strong protective instinct towards mb, but it can’t necessarily sense that that’s because they care about it as a person, and not because they expect something in return. she doesn’t see that, and just thinks mb needs to get used to attention/being liked (which is true but beside the point)

murderbot

doesn’t get that mensah likely considers the whole guardian thing a formality, and isn’t going to try and tie it down or put limits on what it can do,

can’t see that mensah will listen to, consider, and understand its needs and wants, and try to help with them, because she cares about it.

thinks that any “no” it might say to this either won’t be listened to or will be actively rejected

isn’t used to being thought of as a person, and so can’t see that mensah and the gang care about it as a person.

“well, ok, thepringlesofblood, what do you think mensah should’ve done?”

tbh she did the best she could and i respect that, but once they were alone, I feel like she could’ve cleared up somehow that the guardian/owner thing didn’t matter to her as much as mb’s safety and happiness, and that she would support it whatever it did. if emancipation of bots/constructs is a thing on preservation, she could’ve mentioned it as a goal.

that is, assuming that she saw guardianship that way. its very possible that mensah and the rest of the team do actually buy into the whole free bot/guardian thing as somehow different than the more overt corporate slavery of the Company. I don’t think they do, at least not all the way, but we know that it is normalized in preservation culture to have free bots/constructs, and mb mentions that it’d “seen on the news” that that sort of thing always came with guardians.

it’s fuckin messy!

ok, rant over, the essay’s out of my head now

*update: i have read the whole series now and i cant believe we never find out what tf preservation is doing w that planet

**except pin lee pin lee is golden i love her she just comes in gets rid of the reporters and makes sure mb is ok and then goes off to do more cool coporate ass-kicking. also volescu isn’t in this scene so i can’t really blame him.

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

I LOVE your meta on how essek was the perfect asset and want to ask the follow-up question in your tags: how do you think it went down? The agreement between Essek and the Assembly? And I think the fandom was convinced Essek would be disposed of after the peace talks — how do you see his future if there was no intervention by the Mighty Nein in 97?

ruvi-muffin asked:

What are your specific thoughts abt how ludinus recruited essek??👀👀 oh Person who knows a surprising amount of spy stuff 🙏🙏🙏👀👀👀

Anonymous asked:

PLEASE share your specific thoughts about how Essek was recruited, I'm so intrigued!

Anonymous asked:

Hello yes i am very interested in these very specific thoughts about how Essek got recruited? All these things about how actual intelligence works/uses their assets/how that ties to Essek and the M9 is really interesting :D

Thank you all so much for asking me the specific question I wanted someone to ask. I had to write and rewrite this post a half-dozen times because I kept going off on tangents about other Cold War spy stories so trust me there’s plenty more where this came from.

For reference, my original post on what made Essek an ideal recruitment target and why the M9 were the ideal counter to it.

First off, this is all based on real-world intelligence ops and is only as relevant to the campaign as Matt Mercer cares to make it. Having said that *slams notebook on table* BUCKLE UP, KIDDOS.

There are two ways Essek may have been recruited: he approached the Assembly or the Assembly approached him. I think the Assembly approached him. Not to be too hard on the guy, but Essek said it himself: he’s kind of a coward. I can’t see him mustering up the nerve to take that first step. Plus his espionage seems to have focused specifically on the beacons rather than dunamancy as a whole; that sounds like the Assembly to me. The beacons specifically offer the prospect of immortality and the Cerberus mages are arrogant enough to assume they can figure out dunamancy themselves if they have a beacon in hand. There’s no way the Assembly haven’t been trying to beg, borrow, or steal those beacons for centuries. Essek may not have even been their first try - just the first that worked. 

Chronologically, Essek would have popped up on either the Assembly or the Augen Trust’s radar quite early as I assume they keep tabs on all powerful Dynasty mages. As they followed his career, the Assembly would have ID’d Essek as a perfect target for recruitment as a spy, and then further for ego-based recruitment. Recruitment for espionage is a slow process - even slower in a fantasy world where some races reasonably expect to live 500+ years. Many intelligence agencies will do a sort of light meet-and-greet just to start a file on various people who might years later be of interest. The Assembly would have cultivated Essek as an intelligence asset with the same degree of time and care - and using some of the same methods - that Trent used to turn the Blumenthal trio into assassins. 

If they followed a modern playbook, they would have made contact with Essek anywhere from 2 to 10 years before the theft - nothing underhanded. A Cerberus mage approaches him at a negotiation or conference and strikes up a conversation. Then it’s increasing “chance” encounters to get Essek familiar with the handler, play the “we’re both mages, really we’re on the same side” angle to earn enough sympathy & trust to start talking regularly. Once the channel’s open, the handler and asset meet and/or talk routinely while the handler assesses the target’s motives, weaknesses, and the possibility that they’re a double agent. 

Espionage proper then starts with small favors, acts Essek can rationalize as victimless or even helpful to the Dynasty. In this stage the handler is getting the asset comfortable with engaging in espionage. They reward the asset for what feels like minimal moral trespass. For Essek that would have been praising his research, encouraging avenues of investigation they knew the Dynasty had shut down. Having meetings with Ludinus plays right into the ego trip - the Head of the Assembly himself is taking the time to meet with him! The Assembly gets how important this work is! That keeps Essek isolated from Dynasty members who might convince him to take a step back and builds loyalty to the Assembly over the Dynasty.

Once an asset settles in, espionage becomes easier. Routines get established. Moral hurdles have been overcome. Now the asks get bigger and the rewards get sparser. The handler will suggest larger acts just to get the asset thinking about them, since the more they consider “just hypothetically” how to pull it off, the more likely it is they’ll do it. This is where the idea of stealing the beacons would get introduced (though of course it’s been the goal all along.) I’ll bet the Assembly hinted at all the study that could be done if they could just get to the beacons in person, constantly bemoaning the lack of access. By now Essek sees the Assembly as colleagues in arcane pursuits, kindred minds, unlike the boring, stuffy old mages of the Dynasty. Of course he could outwit the Dynasty’s security and get the beacons to the Assembly - he’s a prodigy, a genius, everyone says so. And it’s not like he was stealing all of them. The consecuted would be fine. Everyone would be fine.

None of this is intended to absolve Essek of personal responsibility. But it provides a context for his actions, and for why he might regret them so much even though he apparently did them willingly. Asset handlers are very, very good at drawing someone willing to commit minor transgressions into far greater crimes. Look at how Trent shaped Caleb, Astrid, and Eadwulf. He didn’t order them to execute their own parents on day one. He spent years coaxing, tempting, and coercing them into darker and darker crimes, letting them rationalize their own actions at each step, preying on the same vulnerabilities as Essek: isolation (separating the three from other students, telling them their work was secret), ambition (the promise of great arcane power, of shaping the Empire’s destiny), and ego (”we were going to keep the empire safe,” telling them they were gifted, they were chosen).

So how do IRL spies rationalize their actions? Those who spy for reasons of conscience or ideology have done the rationalizing ahead of time, but everyone else has to get there somehow. Some who spy for revenge tell themselves it’s what their superiors deserve, while others tell themselves everyone’s doing it. Some just need a lie to get started (most commonly about who they’re spying for), while others have to keep up the charade all along. Let’s look at a few cases similar to Essek’s that demonstrate just how slippery the slope can be.

Aldrich Ames, a long-term CIA officer slash double agent for the KGB, got suckered in by thinking he could control the situation and wasn’t really hurting anyone. Ames had chronic financial trouble related to excessive drinking & his wife’s lavish lifestyle and in 1985 came up with a plan: he would essentially con the KGB by selling them a minor amount of classified info that he deemed “virtually worthless.” In April he set up the exchange and the KGB paid him $50,000, enough to satisfy his immediate debts. But after actually doing it Ames said he felt he’d now crossed a line he couldn’t step back from, and continued to sell information to the Soviets. By the time he was caught he had, by his own admission, compromised “virtually all Soviet agents of the CIA.”

While some assets just need a lie to get started, others require a delicate dance of self-delusion. Col. George Trofimoff was an Army officer who ran the center where would-be Soviet defectors were assessed & questioned. Trofimoff, a Russian émigré at a young age, was chronically in debt. In 1969 he renewed his acquaintance with his stepbrother back in Russia, now a bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church, and began to pass secrets in return for money - but he and his stepbrother never framed the transactions as such. Trofimoff described their meetings as, “very informal. ... First, it was just a conversation between the two of us. He would ask my opinion on this and that--then, he would maybe ask me, 'Well, what does your unit think about it?' Or, 'What does the American government think about it?’” His compensation was similarly informal: “I said I needed money. ... And he says, 'I tell you what, I'll loan it to you.' So he gave me, I think, 5,000 marks and then, it wasn't enough, because I needed more. ... Then he says, 'Well, you know, I'll tell you what. You don't owe me any money. And if you need some more, I can give you some more. Don't worry about it. You're going to have to have a few things, this and that.' And this is how it started.” Trofimoff could pretend to himself that he wasn’t really spying - just having a chat with his stepbrother - and wasn’t really getting paid for it - just borrowing a little money.

This got longer than I intended it to be and there’s still plenty to talk about, so I’ll save the rest for a second post. Next time: what happens long-term to espionage assets? And what happens if an asset regrets their actions and/or attempts to cut off contact with their handlers?

(This accidentally turned into a series on Essek & IRL espionage: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4)