#active here (not to mention not drawing as often since that's relevant) is just due to my life getting busier with a new school year but i

[peridots-pixiwolf]

[Start ID. A redraw of the official icons of the ten named slugcats from Rain World, arranged in two rows: Survivor, Monk, Hunter, Nightcat, and Gourmand in the first, Artificer, Rivulet, Spearmaster, Saint and Enot/Inv in the second. Each is drawn in roughly the same pose as in the original art and fitted with speculative interpretations of their biology, and the second image is a “dead” version of this. For example, all ten have slug-like rhinophores in place of ears, cuttlefish-like colorful eyes with strangely-shaped pupils, cephalopod-like beak "teeth", expressive barbels or oral tentacles at the corners of mouths, spiny radulas, and the frilly mantle fringes of sea slugs, though otherwise their faces are squishy, simple and mammalian-shaped.

Cream-colored Survivor and yellow Monk both share triangular, bicolored spots matching their eyes (which are tan and brown, and two shades of blue, respectively), small, bumpy fringes, and relatively neutral looks on their faces. Defensive-looking Hunter is mostly a dull orange-pink, though their blobby fringe is a more violent red and their back is purple and marred with lumps. Nightcat is navy blue and flecked with dots of yellow and teal, their rolled rhinophores are a lighter blue, and their shading fractures into stars in some places. Gourmand is almost uniformly tan, their wide, very ruffly white mantle fringe bordered by a spray of white spots, and their beak sticks out from either corner of their smile. Primarily red Artificer, snarling, has yellow markings of multiple sorts, a prominent yellow dewlap and their characteristic dark scar taking out a chunk of its face. Rivulet is a darker blue than usual, with long barbels, red gills and rings, countershading, and a cheerful expression, sticking out their radula. Spearmaster is purple with orange accents, eyes and spots, a large fringe and spines down their back. Saint’s green caryophyllidia are marked by small, yellow diamonds, and their long, thin radula extends far below them. Enot is decorated with mottled red stripes, blue patches, yellow stars, and an uneven and almost cartoonish imitation of blush, though generally the same deep blue as Nightcat, a passive or almost slightly smug look on their face and their rolled rhinophores out to either side.

In the second image, nine of the slugcats’ eyes are crossed out, indicating that these are death icons. They look fairly the same, with mostly expression differences. Survivor is caught in the beginning of a threat display, a karma flower sprouts from Monk’s side, Hunter is burdened with overgrowing, purple and blue rot, Nightcat’s rhinophores are pinned back, and Gourmand looks mildly disheartened. For the final row, Artificer bites its radula between small plumes of smoke, Rivulet drops their expression, Spearmaster looks very startled, Saint looks almost entirely the same besides half-open eyes and their markings greater in number, and Enot grins confusedly. End ID]

If you'll excuse the unusually lengthy ID: the arena meme introduced by @pansear-doodles at long last after a nearly year-long wip status (or, rather, finished a month ago today to honor my own first time playing it!)

Design notes and shout-outs under cut! :]

The following people are some of those who’ve inspired my designs most since I started this eight months ago (or just inspired me to get a little weirder with slugcat biology), among many others for sure, and I thank them for it–but this is simply to bring attention to artists I find cool, and in no way an obligation to interact or anything :]

> @saturncoyote , @carpsoup , @charseraph , @gallusgalluss , @bitsbug , @dopscratch , and @0hmanit (and a special mention to dddeerbo and hunterlonglegs, who’ve since deactivated)!

Survivor: Surprisingly the hardest to pin down the colors for, since nothing with its sibling's palette seemed to match up right (I did have to add in a little blue somewhere for Monk, the beginning of making it clear how much I’m simply going based off of vibes for the colors of scug innards). I consider them, Monk and Gourmand to be part of the same gene pool of slugcats, and even possibly the same colony even if the latter isn't really related, so took a bit of Gourmand's coloring and fit them in with their inspiration: Goniobranchus verrieri. They serve as a bit of an introduction to my ideas of scug traits (i find it really fun how many people have thought to add so many silly sluglike fixtures of biology completely independent of me, buuut here I’m mostly talking about species variation), and like in-game they’re pretty average! They, Monk and Hunter have a couple scars sourced from a piece of Joar's concept art that I'm failing to find, those across the bridge of the nose, under the eyes, and across the rhinophores, respectively, and my Survivor interpretation features many on the back of the neck, as a result of survived lizard bites.

Monk: Their coloring is primarily based off the fact that I associate them with blue fruits, honestly, a bit because I was compelled to establish a familiarity with Rivulet, and lastly inspired by the spots of Goniobranchus kuniei (and geminus, less important to me as one of my characters is a kuniei instead, but more fitting). Between the yellow + blue and the circular marking in the center of their face, they’re meant to bear a little resemblance to an iterator that shares similarities with the characterization I’ve given them, and similar coding of her sibling can be seen on Survivor’s markings around the eyes. As both a “default” slugcat and one whose campaign I haven’t played, though, I can’t say I have much more to point out about em.

Hunter: The whole rot thing made for a really fun time drawing them, and while the color change on their back is a result of this, it’s also an excuse to relate them to Babakina festiva, arguably my favorite sea slug (mostly for sentimental purposes). And to Spearmaster, a fellow messenger slugcat, and it serves as a gradient between Hunter’s pink and the “traditional” color of Rot seen in the DLLs. Aside from their affliction, they’d actually be the plainest in terms of design, as they don’t have any patterns or quirks of body type, just the red + purple and strange lumps + possible malnutrition. I can’t remember if NSH had created them in particular or just...caught + released or something, but it probably wouldn’t be strange for a lab-grown slugcat to be simple like that.

Gourmand: Like the two above, they’re rather plain in terms of coloring and adaptation, and like the two above, I find that fun. I decided it would be nice to avert the “all slugcats being of the same body type, and Gourmand’s out of place as the exception” thing by just...adding more fat to all of them, really. I did want to emphasize their sheer bulk even so, both fat and muscular (not like I couldn’t have still gone further with it, of course, but slugcat anatomy can be a little obfuscating sometimes, and they were intended to look rather plush considering personal size headcanons and therefore the lack of proper gravity), and the thick and flounced mantle looked like a good addition, as per their sea slug Glossodoris hikuerensis. Unlike Survivor and Monk, I didn’t attempt to hold their resemblance to any particular other character (which means a little less to balance out the “default gene pool” thing), so those are all the design notes I have for em.

Artificer: The second slugcat I’ve ever played, or finished the campaign of, my favorite for at least a long time, and the first thing I did was give them yellow accents, the shape of which have troubled me slightly (not quite like the spots or stripes of the others). They’re both a little more appealing and more explosive-looking to me, and considering how early on I played Arti, actually present in some of my older art. It does give them a little resemblance to Saint (completely intentional, two slugcats with strange relations to karma), as well as the fact that its radula is green for familiarity with one of its children (at some point it was going to have all-green markings, even!). I’m generous with their scars, partly because it was fun to overemphasize the one on their face and partly because it does seem like a reckless slugcat, on top of the dangers of its explosive abilities–I’ll probably just keep adding more forever. Mostly-red sea slugs aren’t too common, but Hexabranchus sanguineus works for sure. The ridged, yellow dewlap can expand for combustion purposes, or something along those lines. Arti’s where I began experimenting with a lot of the mildly-offkilter features seen in my interpretation of slugcats, as they’ve once again been a favorite from the start.

Rivulet: I've obviously given other slugcats spots, deeply enjoy the bubbly-soda markings of other peoples' slugcats, and thought seal riv would be cute. Despite not too closely resembling it, they've been government-assigned Hypselodoris bennetti, for color reasons and for a couple sentimental ones. Originally, the colors of every scug were meant to match up with the custom colors I gave them at the beginning of their campaigns, (though Arti, Gourm and Spearmy are the only three who actually apply here, since I've only played through half the slugcats: I gave arti the yellow as mentioned above, gourm brown eyes and spearmy light pink spears, furthered by the outskirts pearl accompanying me and that palette all the way to moon. Tolerance training for eternity in hell cause I already knew about the maroon pearl quest). I initially gave them the colors of the bi flag for fun... but with the limited palette of this image, I was left without pink for a while and decided to see how they'd look in red. I then realized how they now wonderfully matched Moon, and besides, red's a sort of camouflage in deep water! As a side-note, the difference between their eyes and those of others always bothered me a little for anatomical purposes, and the cephalopod eyes were probably influenced by this!

Spearmaster: Inspired as much as possible by @notyourfunnyman ’s wonderful spearmy: designed in a way that helps it fit in with scavengers, at least between the long sensory tentacles, big ruff, back spines and slightly thin/distended anatomy, a form of defensive mimicry. I always had annulate rhinophores in mind, for a little diversity sure, but mostly because the shape reminds me of radio antennae and communication towers (seems fitting for the comms array and being a messenger slugcat)! I started searching for a real-life slug to give them just by looking up their rhinophore shape...and was met immediately and coincidentally with annulate-topped nudibranchs that fit them more perfectly than I could've imagined: Flabellina and surrounding clades, I think Paraflabellina ischitana works very nicely. The orange was completely unplanned, but there wasn’t a place for light pink among the other slugcats’ palettes, and importantly it likens them to both Hunter and Seven Red Suns a little more.

Saint: I am very much a non-furred slugcat enjoyer, with respect to those who aren’t, so figuring out the only visibly furred slugcat was an interesting challenge. I’ve decided that they likely have other, milder adaptations for help in the cold, mainly just more efficient fat storage, and what looks vaguely like fur is instead a bunch of tubercles (called caryophillia, for the second reminder out of three). Their inspiration doesn’t have these, however, Miamira sinuata’s numerous yellow and blue spots (not to mention...whatever’s going on with that shape) and general effect of being the only really green nudibranch I could find were probably perfect for a strange green echo. Not pictured, but their beak-teeth are tiny and flat to make a surface for grinding soft food against with the lack of a functioning radula, which is tipped with a specialized spiny “grapple-hook” for better traction/grip (not to mention the numerous little teeth running down the whole thing).

(Best part of hiding this under a readmore means edits will be seen by all reblogs, I'm mostly sure, because I completely forgot to mention! The spots on their forehead are simple eyes. Their camera eyes appear closed in-game, I like to believe their complex eyesight is rather poor anyways or otherwise reason that they aren't seeing out of those, and while this was far from her REASON for attunement with the world, it does help compensate for mainly viewing it through a canvas of simple light and dark. This, and the fact that their swapped-out "fur" is not only to commit to a lack of hairs but contributes to sensory input!)

Nightcat/Enot: I guess you could say I found the “these two are technically the same person” compelling. (E.g. similar colors, both very strange and enigmatic, and Enot/Inv/Sofanthiel’s remark during the dating sim about getting removed from Arena Mode.) I doubt they’re the only two slugcats in their body, considering humans with DID tend to have more than a few (and I find it very funny that a slugcat bearing resemblance to Nightcat appears in Gourmand’s ending. They’re allowed in the colony and Enot isn’t </3), and I have to credit @faelingdraws ’s art for being what convinced me on it! Their design inspirations come down to trying to balance a few different ideas: making the patterns and palettes of both look oddly similar (special mention to the stars, since those are fun to draw), basing them off of Felimare sechurana and juliae respectively, using blocks of color with the same placement as in Enot’s official art, and specifically making Enot look...biologically reasonable and imperfect, whilst also clearly trying to imitate human displays of emotion (what with...the eyes and blush on that one piece of official art).

Lastly, here’s just a lineup with notes on body shape and size. Most of the nicknames (existing to give a little more space, that’s all) are obvious, and while I can’t remember why I shortened Nightcat to Nox, it is in honor of my friend by the same nickname :]

[mamamittens]

Long Awaited LoZ Thoughts

I’d like to start this off by explaining my background. I have a BA in English with a minor in Humanities. I have lived all my life in the Bible Belt of America, so my PoV of this series is inevitably going to be, at least in part, from the perspective of a Western-centric, Christianity-influenced woman. I have grown up with a deep interest in folk tales and mythology though, and took several classes on ancient cultures, so my base knowledge of religion all over the world is broader than what you’d probably expect. I am not religious myself, I’m actually agnostic. And this is just an in-universe look at the very strange religion of Hyrule. So, to make things easier, let’s just put aside the obvious meta issues with this world. The wonky timeline, complex lore changes between said timelines, and the fact that the whole series has clearly grown wildly over the course of its development without an overarching plot. The game mechanics being game mechanics. All of it. This whole thing will just be me trying to make sense of the world without the ‘it’s just a game, bro’ crutch. I will be drawing on what I know from the many games I’ve played myself, so if I don’t mention a big piece of lore from a specific game, it’s because I didn’t play it. Go ahead and rule out the early games before Ocarina of Time, as that’s the first game in the series I can remember playing. I was legitimately too young to have ever played anything prior to that, having been born in 1996. Now let’s get started, shall we?

 So, obviously everyone knows that the LoZ world is said to begin with the three goddesses. Din, Nayru, and Farore came together to create the world and before they yote themselves out of the narrative as direct players, they created the Triforce. A powerful artifact capable of granting a wish and giving their respective bearers undefined power. This is directly from Ocarina of Time and we see their symbol, the Triforce, all over the many games with very few exceptions. Now, to be clear, having a polytheistic religion with three main gods is hardly new. Hinduism has three main gods after all (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), and depending on your flavor of Christianity, you have the holy trinity (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit). There’s even the Celtic goddesses that come specifically in threes (collectively called The Morrigan; Eriu, Fodla, and Banba). This isn’t an exhaustive list of three divine beings, by the way, just know that three is a weird trend in western-centric stories, including religion. But what’s different about the three Hyrule Goddesses? Well, they’re weirdly small for big shot gods. Let me explain.

        So, the three Hindu gods I mentioned earlier each handle a specific aspect. Creation, destruction, and preservation, not necessarily in that order though (which god does what isn’t the point, so just roll with me here). These are very broad and powerful subjects. Christianity is much the same, even though it’s a monotheistic religion. God is literally an all-powerful, omniscient, omnipotent deity. Jesus is his son who gave his life to basically forgive all sin. And I’m not totally clear on the Holy Spirit, but these three are clearly Big Deals with Big Ideas behind them. A good rule of thumb for old religion is that the older the deity, the wider the scope of their job or what they represent. Which makes sense. If you had to personify the forces of the universe, you’d probably start with the sun instead of like… whatever god is responsible for the creation of rice specifically. The bigger and scarier the natural force, the bigger deal that god usually is, putting aside politics and cultural trends. Egypt is a good example of this, as their roster of gods tended to change a lot depending on who was Pharaoh at the time and wherever the city center was. Horus is the god of the sun, or at least one of them, and is generally considered king of the gods. Which makes perfect sense for a land largely made up of a desert.

But what are the three goddesses’ rulers of? Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Each with clear elemental associations and people that are obviously affiliated with them. Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, is clearly associated with water and likely has a close connection with the Zora. Din, Goddess of Power, is associated with fire and has clear connection with the Gerudo (unclear if the same goddess as the one present in the desert temple in Ocarina of Time). Farore, Goddess of Courage, is associated with all things green and of the earth, including the child-like race of Kokiri who perpetually inhabit the forest. Sure, these are broad topics, but not really… the first thing you’d think of for creators of the universe, are they? And it raises the question about the Hyrule people, who are said to be able to hear the gods due to their pointed ears… let’s put a pin in that and move on.

So, we know there are many gods in this universe, primarily because we meet them. For example, Zephos, God of Winds, in Wind Waker. But he’s clearly a fairly forgotten god, as he shares a shrine with Cylcos, God of Cyclones, which is about as bare as it can be. Just what appears to be a Tori gate with two stone monuments with the simple notes to summon them, almost completely out of the way. Which… I mean, I don’t know many gods with their extension number written on their monuments. That would kind of like going to church on Sunday and seeing “Hit me up if you need me, J-Boy 555-TAKE THE WHEEL” written on the podium. And remember, this is a world and game where the gods actively flooded the world and would therefore hold or have held enough power to directly interfere with Hyrule.

And Skyward Sword clearly has divine beings, one of which even flooded a whole area, though they’re subservient to Hylia. Who we will get back to later, I promise. The three dragons (again, that magic number), capable of divine power, though where that power comes from in unclear. The dragons are of a high status though, as evident by their servants and clear reference to high-class dress of their clothes. These dragons are revered, but clearly not worshipped, much like nobles in that regard. A curious note is the parallels to the three goddesses, and how the symbols are muddled and mixed for these dragons.

Lanayru clearly has the symbols associated with the Zora, and by extension Nayru, but is yellow. He also is saved by time travel used to grow a magic fruit, which Link often uses (time travel) in many games to advance the plot himself (and wouldn’t you know it, but mixing blue with yellow does produce green. Weird). Faron is the water dragon who flooded an area, and she is almost entirely blue (as well as unsettling to look at), surrounded by a species clearly related to the Zora though closer to octopi. But her name is Faron, which is weirdly close to Farore’s name, not Nayru. I mean, they are close to locations that resemble their names of course, but it’s still an interesting note. Finally, there’s Eldin, clearly bearing a symbol associated with the Gerudo without any strange mixes of symbols for the series. Oddly, he’s also the most open of the three dragons, especially considering the Gerudo’s traditional stance of being a ‘no-sausage’ club. Not terribly relevant, but I just thought it was interesting to point out. You can consider the Giants in Majora’s Mask on the same level as them, though their status is unclear (Since they’re summoned by a song and can stop the moon from falling, they probably straddle the line between mortal and divine).

Now, spirits also exist in this world, both as the ghostly variety and the more pseudo-divine. Not to be confused with actual divinity. Divine being can be spirits, but not all spirits are divine. In this context, spirits can be defined more as being of power capable of granting aid in return for something. Zephos can change the winds if called upon, but you don’t need to feed him, for example. But the spirits in Twilight Princess need aid before they can help you. And they’re also not very independent and are able to be fooled easily, which isn’t usually a god-like quality. While more physically present than the three goddesses, they’re also not strictly tangible, and seem to be extremely limited to their location. At best, these spirits could be classified as minor deities below the gods we see in Wind Waker. They also share the same abilities in keeping the realm of Twilight from falling over the land of Hyrule, as well as their weakness to parasites of undetermined origin. An interesting note is that they all seem to live in bodies of water. Let’s put a pin in that one too.

Someone that also counts as a spirit would be Fi and her counterpart, Ghirahim. Literally two halves of the same coin, these two are both very limited in power and function. They don’t represent anything on their own and are very dependent on others to achieve results. How or why they were made is unclear, but it is obvious that both were forged at some point, and clearly gained sentience. Even their personalities and allegiances are a bit odd. Fi for her sci-fi appearance and calculating personality in a fantasy land, and Ghirahim for his… well, everything. I don’t know why the root of all evil would make his weapon a full-tilt diva, let alone on purpose. Ghirahim always struck me as odd since his bombastic personality seemed to clash with his ultimate fate of just being a weapon for Demise.

Okay, so the Great Fairies are weird, okay?! Like, really weird. They act as spirits (I can’t think of any that aren’t restricted to a body of water in some form), but are very independent. They also don’t necessarily need anything from Link to offer assistance. Sometimes, just opening the fairy fountain is enough to gain items needed to progress. And there’s also the fact that fairies heal you upon ‘death’, though with a limited heart capacity. Sometimes they need you to do something though, like the Breath of the Wild fairies need rupees to function or items to upgrade equipment. They also usually look human, like Majora’s Mask Great Fairies are clearly just… giant women with color coded accessories. But like, they float. Where Great Faires come from, or even just regular fairies, is unclear. Until Wind Waker, Great Faires were adults. But when you finally meet the real Great Fairy in Wind Waker it’s… a child. With a doll that looks just like the ‘Great Fairies’ you’ve seen along the way. This sort of implies that Great Fairies age and die, though clearly with a different lifetime than most races in Hyrule (the child Great Fairy also only looks somewhat human compared to other Great Fairies, so make of that what you will). And it also implies that all the adult Great Fairies are dead (you’re welcome for that depressing thought), with the last one trapped in a hollow tree only accessible by the power of a God.

In Breath of the Wild, the Great Fairies are both diminished but more powerful. They literally are stuck in a giant flower with water in it, with few fairies around them, and require riches to get stronger. The connection to their new restrictions to this need for material wealth is unclear. It’s also interesting to note that their fountains are no longer places that appear to be man-made holy temples and they seem to be out of the way… well, for a given value of ‘out of the way’ (looking at you ninja village). These fairies can accomplish more tasks, but certainly won’t be doing it for free or with minimal effort. A far cry from their first appearances (no, I don’t consider using explosives a difficult task).

But Fairies are also companions with nebulous tasks, such as in Ocarina of Time, where Tatl follows Link until the end of the game. And Kokiri have their own fairy as a sign of whatever accounts for adulthood in their race. The Skull Kid in Majora’s Mask has two fairy friends who seemed to have been either lost or abandoned. Who or what gives them purpose and life is unclear, though the Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time can give commands, it doesn’t seem to be something he does normally? As a side note, it’s really not clear what, if anything he can actually do. Though the relative safety of the surrounding area is clearly tied with his wellbeing in all iterations, he doesn’t seem to directly influence it, or be capable of self-defense.

Now, onto the elephant in the room! Hylia! Who the hell is this?! A more recent entry to the series, her divine roll is unclear (though she clearly guards the Triforce in some capacity). It can be assumed that she’s somehow a goddess tied directly to the Hylian people, but when she appeared is up for debate. Timeline wise, it’s almost like knowledge of her was suppressed for some reason, giving rise to the Triforce mythos we all know and love without hide or hair of her seen. We know that she favored the original Link greatly, enough to shed her divinity to be reborn as a mortal and assist him. How or why is also unclear, though it wouldn’t be unfair to assume she loved him, as divine ladies holding an affair with a mortal isn’t uncommon in mythology (or even male gods doing the same, before anyone brings up Zeus). But she makes a resurgence in Breath of the Wild, with statues and everything, with the three goddesses left to only vague references in the background. Which is super weird, though not uncommon for places like Ancient Egypt. The fact that the ruling family was literally descendant from a goddess is what makes it weird though, since any monarchy worth their salt would milk that until the peasant folk revolted and made a new religion to justify killing a god.

Zelda in every incarnation is literally descendant from the original and still held at least a fraction of that divine power. So much so that a cornerstone of a powerful religious artifact inevitably ends up in her hands (or on the back of her right hand, as it were). But what is Hylia a Goddess of? We don’t know. It’s never said. Anywhere. And that’s super weird, even for a ubiquitous deity. Sure she’s a Goddess of Hyrule but… what does that mean? That can’t be all she is? Her reincarnation is literally locked in a generational struggle against the forces of darkness! What can she do as a Goddess? Well, she makes Link stronger in return for items, but that seems to be it. In Ocarina of Time, Zelda was capable of sending Link back to the past, but that was with a magic item. And we know Hylia isn’t the Goddess of Time, because Zelda references her in Majora’s Mask (sequel to Ocarina of Time, therefore implying that there are more gods unmentioned at that time), when Hylia should be mortal or at least fragmented (because Zelda exists at the time with powers and a Triforce piece). The Guardian of Time in Hyrule Warriors also fell in love with Link before splitting into Cia and Lana (and was unable to fuse back together again), so it’s unlikely that she’s the Goddess of Time Zelda was referring to, though that detail is interesting to note. No, I will not discuss if Hyrule Warriors is canon (either game), as this is already long enough as it is.

So, that brings us to Ganon, or in his original form, Demise. Which… what’s up with that? Who is this guy? He directly opposes the gods and just… gets away with it! Repeatedly! Sure, he loses most of the time, but still. It’s unclear where Demise came from, or even what he is, though judging by Ghirahim’s ‘Demon Lord’ title, it can be assumed that he is some type of demon himself. And that the many monsters we see are also considered demons, which makes sense with how they always work for Demise (or his many iterations) in some form or another. Considering how much it takes to simply seal him away, he can’t be just a demon though.

        Demise obviously pulled the same trick Hylia did, which directly sets him up as a counterpart to her, but what does it mean? Why would he do that? What is Demise that he can’t be beat with the power of a Goddess alone and needs not only a brave knight but a blade literally made to counter him? Within the context of religion, the best guess I can make is that he’s some form of a God of Darkness, possibly also Temptation, Greed, and Pigs Corruption. It fits within the narrative since power is often the strongest form of temptation and we know that demons capable of opposing the gods exist. The Horned Statue literally takes Hylia’s blessings in exchange for wealth, and was turned into a statue for it. What it stands to gain from any of it is unclear, but interestingly enough, Hylia doesn’t mind that it closely resembles her own statues. So, this raises the question… why isn’t Demise a forgotten statue somewhere along a dusty road? How did he curse(?) both a reborn goddess and a human in an eternal struggle for the fate of Hyrule?

        Being a god is about the only explanation for why he can do the things that he does. It explains why, in every incarnation, he ends up a rule (like Zelda). How he controls so many different species with ease. He corrupts the conflicted as easily as breathing. An interesting note is how Demise in his many forms usually ends up corrupting once good forces in some way, typically with parasites or evil spirits. And with this context, Hylia must be a Goddess of Light, and possibly some form of Will and Purity to oppose Demise’s power. It would also make her a good candidate for looking after the Triforce in that case. And yet we don’t know any of this for sure either, which is, again, very strange considering their presence from the very beginning. Literally.

Now, I want to mention the temples as a last point before wrapping this up, because it has bothered me since I was a wee little whipper snapper. For a place of worship, they sure are hard to navigate, even when they’re empty of monsters. And it’s not like Hyrule doesn’t get this, because the Temple of Time in Ocarina of Time is straight up a church. Just… without pews, so clearly not perfect, but it is possible for people to come in and… worship time, I guess. And no, not the Goddess of Time, because there’s no statue for that. I mean, I know it’s secretly hiding the Master Sword, but it is definitely a church otherwise. What a normal service looks like I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely not like literally any other temples we see.

        Now, I know it’s a little hard to remember, but temples are usually places where one goes to worship the gods (or even just a god). And we know gods exist in a very real way in Hyrule! They still manage to name Zelda the same thing despite having seemingly buried their divine origins, so some knowledge of gods walking the mortal realm exists. But the temples/dungeons we see usually don’t have much in the way of religious iconography, with a few exceptions (interestingly it’s typically the desert area that actually has statues and could feasibly have had a real capacity for worship). You want to be a devout follower of a god anywhere else? Well, fuck you. Hope you brought a sword and a good pair of boots. If you’re allowed inside at all, since it’s usually the local leaders that are only allowed inside for some reason. And most games don’t seem to have very religious people, despite all the references to divinity. Not like we’d expect them to, at least. And I personally can’t blame them. If I tried to join a religion but found only a wall as an entrance, I’d be pretty disheartened too. Then I’d be pretty pissed to find out I needed not only a royal instrument handed down the monarchy, but their freaking lullaby to even get in to the place of worship. But we know they pray to the gods at least semi-often, since that’s one of the inciting incidences in Wind Waker. And they have offering to statues of Hylia.

        The temples suggest the bar to impress the gods is pretty high, and not in a ‘sacrifice your eldest child’ kind of way. To even get the chance to reach the inner chambers you better hope it’s been kept well and that you didn’t skip leg day recently. Something I didn’t really mention before is that usually, the less involved the gods are, the more independent the people are from worship. If you worry that your local deity will flood your fields, you’re probably leaving regular offerings at their nearby shrine or temple. But if you know that the gods don’t care about literally anything you do, why worship them at all? Why make statues, art, or temples? Why bother with any of it? The answer is you don’t. So these highly selective temples are pretty weird unless you go with the idea the gods are just really done with people and never want to talk to them unless absolutely necessary.

So, I’ve rambled for over twelve pages now. What’s the point? What does any of this mean? I’m honestly not sure, but I have a sinking feeling that there’s some serious shit going on in the Hyrule pantheon. Mortals have been mostly abandoned to their doom. Gods cast out and forgotten entirely. And somehow advanced civilizations keep forming and getting destroyed with only remnants left behind with zero explanation. Assuming the original gods are even alive at this point, which I’m not entirely certain of. Their death certainly explains how Demise/Ganon keeps getting stronger, looking less and less Hylian as time goes on, if he looks humanoid to begin with.

I wouldn’t even assume it’s entirely voluntary at this point either, as Ganon clearly doesn’t have the same motivations in every incarnation (see my previous post about Wind Waker). I’m rather excited about Breath of the Wild 2, as the implications of dehydrated husk Ganon is compelling. Particularly in light of the character development Link and Zelda have received in the first Breath of the Wild. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ganon/Demise turns out to be a fallen god trying to get back home (a nice parallel to Wind Waker, actually), cast out as a scape goat. Blamed for every form of corruption and greed that naturally follows in his wake. I think I said this before, but it is interesting that he is always reborn among the Gerudo, a race famously all females. Sometimes thieves, but nearly always in a position that would naturally crave power to take control of their lives compared to Hylians. Regardless of the consequences.

Is it true? I don’t know. Probably not, but the fact that I can draw these conclusions in three hours of writing is pretty neat. I have a lot of feelings about this franchise, having grown up with it, but I eagerly await what comes next. And I should probably go to bed. Make of all this what you will.

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

A day late, but ah well...

As usual, we’ll go ahead and do an Open Question Night. Which basically means that, while my ask box is always open, tonight I’ll be keeping an eye on it and answering things as they come in. Any fandom or work I’ve talked about here (or posted on AO3) is fair game, as are general questions about writing, etc. I do accept prompts, but I am. Not very good at filling them in a timely manner unless they Immediately spark something, lol.

So, yeah, what’s on your mind?

Also, since I don’t think I have for a couple months, plug for my Discord server! It’s pretty quiet, mostly intended to be a slightly more interactive extension of this space, but you’re welcome to check it out!

Anyway, the usual Coming Attractions details are behind the cut!

PodTogether 2021:

I participated in this challenge for the first time this year, and it was a whole lot of fun! Of Other Suns is a SW/AtLA crossover, and I think it turned out pretty well! My reader/podficcer and I worked pretty closely together during the initial brainstorming process, working out what we wanted to do, and also bounced off one another during the whole editing/finalizing process. There’s a lot that I didn’t end up putting into the fic (because time and length; I am a. Uh. Very wordy writer; the aim was for 6-12k words, we ended up with nearly 15k as it is...), so I might poke more at this specific AU, or crossovers linking up at a different time (either a different point in the SW canon, or in the AtLA canon, or both). I...definitely have extensive headcanons for SW characters as benders of various elements (or nonbenders), and there are at least two Force-sensitive AtLA characters who were outside the scope of the crossover.

Anyway, if you want to check it out...click this link XD (and definitely listen to the podfic too!!! It’s really great)

Precipice:

So, between the final push on PodTogether and some origfic stuff I got done, I...did not get anything finished and posted for this, alas. But! I am saying it here in the hopes that doing so publicly will for once get me to actually stick to a deadline, which is that I will get either the first Protectors chapter or the next Preludes one-shot (or both!) up by this Sunday, September 12. The Protectors chapter will be mostly scene-setting, establishing where various characters are when we open, six years after we last saw our heroes. The Preludes segment will involved Hondo contacting Obi-Wan (and Anakin, who’s with him when he gets the call) about something Relevant To Their Interests.

I will for sure get that Prelude out this month, and hopefully at least two Protectors chapters, but we’ll see how things go at work and how much brain that takes, which is always a factor...anyway, with any luck, I’ll start establishing a Rhythm. I don’t think I’ll be doing weekly updates, the way I did for the first few arcs of Precipice (in part because there are some other longform projects I intend to start putting out and if I am going to do Weekly Fic Posts, I’ll probably alternate), but we’ll see how things go.

AtLA Fic:

Again, I didn’t finish what I wanted to (other than the aforementioned crossover for PodTogether), but I have been working on stuff in the background and, while I’m not going to commit to a Specific Deadline like I am for Precipice, I do plan to post at least the opening chapter of the still-untitled Avatar Zuko AU I’ve been working on this month, so watch this space!

Other Fic Projects:

I’m poking around at what to do for next years SWBB (if only because my wordcounts have been Steadily Increasing and I’d like to get a head start in anticipation of that happening again this year, lol). Still considering exactly what to do, whether I pour all my focus into OFLAM, like I consider every year, or see if I can work up Bail Unfucks the Timeline or another half-plotted AU I have in the back of my head, or go with a different prompt/storyline that occurs to me at some point between now and then, but I’m starting to Actively Ponder things.

I do have that BSG1 crossover outline in the works, I swear XD I’ve got...uh...maybe half to two thirds of the first third of the overall storyline written up? XD It’s a. Uh. Long one. I might go ahead and release it in three parts, just for length/convenience, and because it does more or less have three distinct sections (the initial contact/New Caprica fallout and establishment of the Haven settlement which makes sense in context; the second contact/algae planet; and then an adventure on a resurrection ship to retrieve a Specific Boxed Five and possibly walk away with Ellen because that would just ruin Cavil’s day and I do so love to ruin Cavil’s day, lol). ...I’m going to go ahead and post a preview snippet at the bottom of this post, as Motivation XD

I think that’s all the fanfic stuff I have specific updates for. There’s generally always stuff noodling around in my brain (lately, for Star Wars, AtLA, BSG, or some combination of the three), it’s just how much of it materializes, lol.

At some point, I plan to revisit some BSG epics I had going on (Serenissima; rewriting For Sorrow Sung or doing a slightly different storlyine with the same concept; The Other Battlestar; a few others), but no concrete plans as of yet.

I also kind of want to explore a far-past AtLA setting I designed for a challenge community way back? But I’m not sure if that would work better as an original work with the serial numbers filed off, if I could figure out how I wanted to do that (I have done it before, as I’ll talk about below, but this concept, while not directly involving any characters from Avatar canon as it’s set 2000 years prior to Sozin’s reign, does to an extent lean on the Avatar specifically as a concept, in a way that the other fic I did this with did not).

Original Fic:

Due to a challenge on rainbowfic, I actually got. Quite a bit written? Most of it was not super plot-relevant, but I dropped some Hints about a character in Lux and I got to play in some heads I don’t very often. I might go back to the Regency AU at some point, and there’s a specific reveal I want to write up for a secondary character in The Farglass Cycle, but I haven’t quite figured out how to structure that one, so we’ll see how it goes.

Had an interesting discussion the other day about the way original fiction sometimes starts as fanfic with the serial  numbers filed off and...well, a lot of my original stuff starts that way? Or has some roots there, anyway.

Lux doesn’t quite as much, but I definitely ported in at least two characters who started as fanfic characters (leaving aside that this is, y’know, The Apocalypse IN SPACE so, like. Various fandoms that deal with that probably influenced things, plus several key players are Public Domain Characters sooooo), plus some of the way the world is constructed draws on the Native Tongue trilogy and I flat-out stole a concept from Queen of the Damned, though the way it works in this world is different (also, to be fair, I think I’ve seen it in other places, too; but I personally got the idea from there).

The Farglass Cycle and Untitled Intrigues Story, however, straight-up started as fanfic concepts. And I don’t think it’s obvious unless I point out what the source materials were? Farglass, in particular (it’s the AtLA fic I mentioned earlier), because it started as an alternate future and then the map and magic system got reworked, plus the Avatar themself wasn’t even super involved in the original fic context, and while certain characters are very loosely based on AtLA characters, by now they’ve been so altered by the setting that it’s...I used the same archetypes, if that makes sense?

And then Untitled Intrigues Story started as a fusion between two wildly different fandoms, and while one character is a pretty clear expy if you know where he comes from, and another character kept the same actress in my head, I don’t think it’s very clear other than that.

...anyway, not sure where I’m going with that, other than it’s been in my head lately, lol.

...I think that about covers it! What about you guys? What are you all working on? Slash any questions, etc.?

Teaser for BSG1 AU outline, as promised:

So, anyway, SG-1 is prepared for rain and mud and a survivable-but-kinda-unpleasant environment. They’re also prepared for the usual shenanigans--Goa’uld, cranky local politics, weird alien tech that Daniel really should know better than to touch but sends him into another dimension anyway...

Just. Y’know. A normal mission.

They’re...not quite prepared for what they actually find when they step through.

Which is a very tense and now slightly Confused crowd of people, and a firing squad made up of very large killer robots, with a teenage girl as their target.

(One of the large killer robots is. Uh. Well. Half a large killer robot now; that particular Centurion was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got kawooshed in the face. As one does.)

(Said Centurion absolutely wins the ‘Weirdest Death’ pool for the week in Download City, because that is clearly a thing that exists because it entertains me)

There’s a beat where everyone just stares at everyone else, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

The wormhole disengages.

Daniel takes half a step forward, opens his mouth to start the ‘we are peaceful explorers from Earth and y’all seem to be having a Moment here, sorry for interrupting, but, uh...’

And then the moment end and absolute chaos erupts.

[rainafoxfire]

Sannion has suggested that many people are in need of some direction as to starting or maintaining a devotional practice. I am perhaps not the best guide in that my own practice is rather personalized and idiosyncratic. However, I thought I would give some examples of what I do nonetheless, in case it helps anyone. (Though please, please don’t just copy my examples unless they are truly directly relevant to your own practice and spiritual relationships – rather, use this as a way to spark ideas for the types of things you might do yourself. Devotional practice should be personal, and arise from your own understanding of and history with your deities.) Some folks recently have described a single day in their practice, but each day is too different for me to do it that way. I don’t have many daily practices other than following certain taboos, a few simple things I always wear or do as I go about my day, that sort of thing. More and more, I have been led to a free-flowing sort of approach that tunes in and responds to the forces around me, rather than executing a pre-planned set of actions. This is actually trickier to do well, a balancing act. Ideally, it should lead to more devotional practice and magic, not less. I think I am only ready for this now because I spent so many years building a foundation. One thing that helps me keep the balance is my schedule of holy days. Each month, certain days (calculated by the lunar calendar) are set aside to focus on certain gods or spirits. Right now, I have eight of these, but I’m always in the process of refining it. This ensures that I never go too long without giving Someone their due. It also keeps a sort of rhythm to my spiritual life, going through the cycle over and over. Added to this are festival days (which involve more elaborate and specific rituals and activities), which are more unevenly scattered across the year. Of course, even on a day with no special focus, I might end up doing major ritual or trancework. But here are some of the smaller things I do more often to maintain and deepen my devotional relationships. Prayer Beads – I have a set of prayer beads I made about 5-6 years ago, where each god or spirit or group of spirits in my “personal pantheon” is represented by a different, symbolic bead (amber for Apollon, lava rock for chthonic Trophonios, etc.). I usually take these out on my walk to work in the mornings. I do not have set prayers. Often I simply pause at each bead and hail the entity, and perhaps talk to Them extemporaneously for a bit. Sometimes I ask for help with something, give thanks, etc. Sometimes I go through and with each one mention a certain type of thing sacred to Them, or recall the last devotional act I did for Them, or the next I plan to do, or something of that sort – almost a game, meant to keep my mind on these things. I find this practice nicely centers me in my web of divine relationships. Clothing, Jewelry & Hair – On holy days, I always pay attention to what I wear, choosing the colors associated with that deity, and anything else that seems appropriate. No matter what day, there are certain colors and fabrics that are off-limits to me, and everything I wear must align with the aesthetics of my spirits (which have slowly become my own for the most part, but definitely didn’t start out that way). Every day, I braid my hair in some way – this began several years ago as a temporary devotional practice for one of my spirits, just something to be noticeable and remind me of him each day, but then I felt strongly that I should keep doing it, and I think of the braids as intertwining myself with my gods and spirits. It is also significant to choose to make that more important than any personal preferences as to how I wear my hair. I also choose my jewelry carefully – every single piece I own has meaning, usually directly connected to a specific entity, and which pieces I wear each day are my statement of intent. No matter what else, if I go outside the house I am wearing a ring for my Husband and one for Dionysos, and when I am in my home “alone” I wear a second ring for my Husband. I wear a small piece of jewelry when I go to bed each night to connect with my dream-spirit. I also have stretched ears, which I did on request from my spirits to symbolically open my hearing to Their voices, and only wear a few simple sets of plugs, having given up pretty earrings as a sacrifice. (I also have nearly 30 devotional tattoos which state my allegiances in a permanent manner on my skin, but while I have them every day, obtaining one is obviously a more special occasion.) Images and Playlists – I keep a large folder of images that I find beautiful or powerful on my computer. I have them sorted into various folders, including ones for most of my gods and spirits. My usual screensaver is a random slideshow of all these images (since my computer is on for hours each day usually, it’s a nice way to be reminded of Them, and also useful occasionally for divination), but on holy days I set it to just the folder of that specific entity. Likewise, I keep playlists of music for each of Them and play them on Their holy days or when doing any sort of ritual for Them. I revise both of these periodically, as my relationships and understandings of Them change over time. Shrines – I have shrines for all of my gods and spirits in my house, but some get a lot more use than others. Most are just placeholders of sorts, making a space in my home for Them and an appropriate place to leave offerings if necessary, but not a focus of worship, as a lot of my worship is done outdoors. The shrines for my Husband and Dionysos however have cushions in front of them and I often sit in front of the “activated” shrine (when the candles and incense are lit) and pray and commune with Them. All my shrines developed organically over many years – the items on them tend to have deep significance and I periodically review them to make sure they still represent my current view of Them. I try to personalize anything mass manufactured (for example, by painting common statuary), and mostly focus on unique items that have a history with us, even though those are usually much less spectacular (for instance, the small lump of white marble I found on the shores of Naxos on Dionysos’ shrine, or the bowl of unusual coins I have slowly accumulated for Hermes, or the special ritual pipe for my Husband made from a bone of His sacred animal). On holy days, I light up the appropriate shrine while I am home. But I also often do this whenever I’m feeling Their presence, or want to invite Their presence. Especially at night in a darkened house, the glow of the shrine draws all focus there. Physical Offerings – I make both traditional and personal offerings to the gods regularly. At the very least, I do this on Their holy days, but with my core group I do it more often. These might include things like: alcohol (paying attention to both the type and even the picture on the label), flowers, incense, coins, stones, food, drink, etc. Each one has a wide variety of sacred symbolism to draw on. So I might pour out Stone IPA beer for Hermes, or leave figs on Dionysos’ shrine, or lay out a piece of honeycomb for the nymphs in some numinous spot outdoors. Aside from the shrines, repositories for my offerings might include bits of wild nature throughout the city, special trees or stones, the creek, or I might leave something on the street or at a crossroads, especially if it is for Hermes or might double as a glamourbomb for someone. Activities – On holy days, and sometimes on other days that feel imbued with the presence of a certain god or spirit, I try to tailor every activity to Them – what book I read, what movie I watch, even what errands I do. I might save a shopping trip for Hermes’ day, or go out dancing on Dionysos’ day. I’ll start reading a book about sleep on the day for my dream-spirit, or start an art project on the day for my collective spirits who are closely tied to my artwork. I clean the house on the last couple days of the lunar month, in accordance with the practice of taking out the sweepings on Hekate’s deipnon. Miscellaneous – I say a special prayer to Dionysos each time I consume any kind of intoxicant. On the full moon, I smudge all the animal spirits who live in my house in the form of pelts, taxidermy and bones. I only smoke cigarettes for ritualistic purposes in very precise circumstances, as per the taboo laid down by my spirits (or else I get rather ill). On certain holy days, I do not eat meat, due to Their wishes. On Apollon’s day, I have a special set of taboos and actions due to the oracular work. Almost all of my non-fiction reading is religious in nature, either overtly or somehow related to one of Their interests.  I am constantly open to receiving any omens or communications They might send me as I go about my day; I pay attention to things I see when I’m thinking of Them especially. I do divination when I need to know what They want or am not sure I’m receiving a message properly (and I find choosing the method of divination to be important in itself – runes for Odin of course, a fairytale Tarot deck for my spirits, a Greek mythology deck for my primary deities, etc.). Hopefully that’s enough to paint a general picture of my approach to devotional practice. I would very much like to see more people writing about what they do.

Dver, author of https://forestdoor.wordpress.com/

[fire-the-headcanons]

Lionheart chuckled. "No, you're supposed to respect them as dangerous opponents to the work we do. Five of these tribes still operate in Anima today, though their influence is nowhere near what it once was. You may find this lesson a little more… practical than most."

Gods. It had to come up eventually—Huntsmen didn't just fight Grimm. They knew when they signed up there would be lessons on… on killing bandits… But the second month of school? Some luck.

Qrow watched the professor through his bangs as Lionheart set the chalk on the tray and folded his arms behind his back, tail swishing slowly behind him as always.

"They're just bandits," the same girl said.

Follow the Beacon Qrow—Doomed to Repeat It

[Link to Masterpost]

[TW: child abuse, abuse, PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks. A lot happens here. I think I got all relevant warnings. Summary at the bottom as always.]

[In Volume 5, Yang mopped the floor with the cousins Branwens without breaking a sweat, but in World of Remnant Qrow also described the bandits as being surprisingly competent. This is why I have a few good fighters leading the tribe, and the rest are just opportunistic a*holes. 

 Anyways, here you go! Have a pile of my angstiest headcanons...]

"…letting Vale rebuild the southern wall. On to Anima—does anyone know what was happening in Mistral during the Xan Era?" Lionheart asked, glancing over his shoulder as his chalk hovered an inch from the board.

"The Bandit Queen!" someone shouted. "I love that movie!"

Qrow's pen froze in his notebook. Had he misheard? But no, Raven stopped too. 

"Yes, well, I'm afraid the film embellishes some details," Lionheart chuckled, writing THE GREATER BANDIT WAR on the board. "But yes, that is the general idea. Bandits have always been a problem in Anima, much more than in Sanus. Any ideas as to why?"

"…Well, Anima has a lot more villages outside the main kingdom than Sanus." 

"It does. Anima’s climate is far milder and more predictable. Homesteading outside of the kingdom has always been easier, and sadly in the case of banditry more prey means more predators."

The pen shook in Qrow's hand as he copied what Lionheart was writing on the board. He'd been having an okay day until now...

"Historians agree it was actually a drought that began the war. Crops failed, and people began to congregate in the cities—especially in Mistral. As Marin mentioned, there were six major tribes roaming Anima at the time, and they quickly found themselves with no one to take food from."

"What, are we supposed to feel sorry for them?" someone grumbled from the third row.

Lionheart chuckled. "No, you're supposed to respect them as dangerous opponents to the work we do. Five of these tribes still operate in Anima today, though their influence is nowhere near what it once was. You may find this lesson a little more… practical than most."

Gods. It had to come up eventually—Huntsmen didn't just fight Grimm. They knew when they signed up there would be lessons on… on killing bandits… But the second month of school? Some luck.

Qrow watched the professor through his bangs as Lionheart set the chalk on the tray and folded his arms behind his back, tail swishing slowly behind him as always.

"They're just bandits," the same girl said. Tiffany? That was her name, right?

"Bandit tribes are the second-best fighters on Remnant, after Huntsmen," Lionheart warned. "And you cannot afford to take them lightly. I am from Anima, I fought plenty before I took up teaching."

"What makes them so dangerous?" someone else asked.

Lionheart smiled. "That is precisely the sort of question you should be asking to get the most from this subject. But to answer it—bandits are just as practiced in the use of aura as any Huntsman or Huntress, and every single one has had their Semblance unlocked since the age of five."

The class broke into astonished mutters and whispers, and Qrow looked down at his notes again. "How's that possible?"

"The tribes have some… unique practices. Some anthropologists go so far as to call it a religion—they justify their actions through a simple code: 'the strong live, the weak die'."

Qrow's stomach curdled.

"Most of you found your Semblances in a moment of need, or intense emotion, correct?" Lionheart continued. "In order to make their people stronger, they do not train their children to generate a defensive aura until after their Semblance is unlocked." More shocked whispers from the students. "As Semblances frequently manifest during times of duress… if a bandit has not found theirs by the age of five, they face a trial of some kind—most often beatings—until they do, or die trying.”

He dropped the pen and folded his hands under the desk so no one would see them shaking. Next to him Raven continued to scratch out notes. But it had been easier for her—Raven’s portals were obvious, showy, and manifested within a few minutes. It hadn't taken the tribe any time at all to figure out what she could do. 

...Maybe if he'd been allowed to discover his Semblance naturally, he'd be able to control it.

“That’s barbaric!”

"True, but remember their code, 'the strong live, the weak die'." Lionheart's voice dragged his attention back to the current danger. "If a bandit does not have a Semblance, the tribesmen see them as unfit to survive. And while cruel, it is effective—the practice is one reason the tribes persist to this day.” 

His tail lashed as he began to pace in front of his desk. "Another is their hit-and-run tactics… raiding a village generates a lot of negative emotions, and will almost always draw in the Creatures of Grimm. Huntsmen sent to aid the town are frequently too occupied fending them off to catch the bandits before they disappear into the wilderness."

He turned to the other chalkboard, the one with the permanent map of Remnant, and began to draw lines across Anima. "The tribes each have their own territory, bordered by natural barriers just like the kingdoms, preventing them from fighting with each other too much. Since the Great War and the founding of the Huntsman academies, the territory that contains Mistral was cleared when the Mathon tribe was wiped out."

Bones had been furious. The tribe burned three villages to the ground without even taking anything, and Qrow and Raven earned their brands a year early.

Please. Please, just let the bell ring.

"The other tribes have weakened considerably as well, particularly those close to Mistral. As technology has improved, so have our response times. The current council is hopeful that the rest of the tribes will fall before the end of this era, and have dedicated significant resources to fighting them. …Mister and Miss Taupe, you are from Anima, correct?" 

Qrow's blood froze. Every eye in the room was staring directly at them.

"Do you know which tribe was active near your home?"

He didn't look up. The question hung in the air, demanding an answer. Raven was shaking, he could feel through the bench. He swallowed and croaked out, "Branwen."

"Ah, hem, yes," Lionheart said. "In the Xan Era, the Branwen tribe was the largest of the six…"

* * *

The bell rang, mercifully cutting off the discussion of battle tactics during the sacking of Mistral. Lionheart glanced at the clock in surprise, finally returning to the present. "We got a little off-track there, didn't we?" he chuckled, finally setting down his chalk. 

Qrow and Raven hurriedly shoved their things into their bags as he continued. "Make sure you've read chapter three in the textbook. Instead of a write-up, let's do an essay comparing the modern tribes to their Xan Era counterparts—you'll find some information on the contemporary tribes in chapter seventy-eight, but use at least a few additional sources and cite them appropriately. I’ll set the due date at the end of the month—"

"How about after Halloween?"

"Ah, yes. I'll post the specifics online tonight. Class dismissed."

Raven took off, almost running for the door and disappearing through. None of the other students seemed to notice as they gathered their things, but Lionheart was staring. Qrow just busied himself with writing the assignment down.

"I'm sorry." Qrow jumped—the professor had moved right in front of his desk. "I didn't consider whether you may have encountered the tribes before."

Qrow stared at him, frozen, uncomprehending.

“But, I suppose everyone in Anima's lost someone to bandits or the Grimm attacks they cause. Particularly the Huntsmen…“

"…Our parents,"  he lied.

He nodded, eyes closing for a moment. "The Branwens are particularly vicious.” Qrow’s hand tightened on his bag. “If I may offer a word of advice, young man… if you came here to get revenge, do not underestimate them."

His mouth went bitterly dry. "Have you…met…"

"A very long time ago. Probably before you were born. Please, pass my apology on to your sister?"

"Yes, sir." Qrow slung his bag over his shoulder and headed down the stairs, but Lionheart caught him as he passed.

"It's good to have you here with us." He gently squeezed before letting go and turning toward his desk.

Qrow forced himself not to run from the room, and went to find Raven.

[Summary— Lionheart has a history lesson on the bandit tribes of Anima and triggers Qrow's PTSD while also terrifying Raven. Bones was not a good person. Lionheart assigns an essay, due at the end of the month, on the difference between the historical tribes and the modern ones.]

Next Chapter: Taiyang—HATCHING a Plan

[melien]

Update

Hey guys! Guess I'll break the silence and talk about... things. It will be a long post because I just never can make them shorter, but there will be some updates on my life and simblr that I really want to share with everyone.

The beginning of this month for me was truly something. I went on a three-day training with the other summer camp counsellors and then, two days later, there was another four-day sightseeing trip. Bonus: I had a really bad flu and was suffering the entire time. Needless to say, I was exhausted and on Sunday, when I came home, I slept from 5 pm to 9 am next day, and I'd sleep even longer if my mom didn't wake me up (I had a drawing class at 10 so I was really lucky).

But the most important thing is, I feel like I'm finally living an actual life that I could only dream of when I was younger, very insecure, socially awkward and constantly surrounded by wrong people. Now I know that I'm on my way to becoming a person I always wanted to be. All it took is telling all the fears to buzz off and making changes (e.g. joining the local youth center as a volunteer), and here I am now. It didn't happen immediately, but I kept pushing. Compared to myself only one year ago who believed everything is always going to end the same way so why even bother, it's such a massive progress and I'm so proud. In these past few days and by extension months I've had some great times with great people, I felt so comfortable with them. We talked about everything, had inside jokes, exchanged nice words and hugs, took a lot of photos, danced together, sang songs on top of our lungs, played mafia and other games, had walks in the unknown cities, got lost there, had to run like crazy not to miss the bus, sat in the restaurants and laughed a lot. There were plenty of moments when I felt alive and an important part of my community. When you have majorly struggled in the past, you start appreciating these things even more. I hope it doesn't sound like bragging, but I'm just so emotional about all of this because I never had anything quite like it and these experiences are new for me. I've still surely got a way to go when it comes to my personal development, but it's a start and I don’t want to go back to the times when I felt alone and unnecessary. I think the key was just changing my mindset altogether and getting rid of negativity, which is why I started attracting more positive people who think alike, and my little dreams and goals started coming true without me even realising it. For example, deep inside I always wanted to be a camp counsellor, and now I am – it’s the first step towards my big dream to be an English teacher.

Throughout these days, I only looked on simblr very briefly for the reasons mentioned above, but I want to gradually start catching up with the stories and legacies I enjoy, at least a little bit. The trips were awesome, but so physically exhausting. And I still have a lot of stuff to do this week, mainly do work and possibly a few more volunteering projects, so I probably won't be around as often as I want to, but just know that you're all great and I love you. 

I'm especially thankful for the comments and love on the recent events in the Twinkle legacy! I'm sooo excited for Cloudberry to be my next heiress because she's pretty damn awesome and I already have a huge crush on her thanks to some photos that I've taken of her as an adult, so it's going to be fun. I also ran a poll on Twitter asking if people wanted to see the Maples or Lilygreens. I have a backlog of both, but due to the poll results I'm going to post the Maples first and I'm dying for the start of my second generation to go live! Now if only I could find motivation to draft.

One more thing that I wanted to mention is that I have a ts2 side blog, @strange-mel. I really missed playing with premades and writing dialogues for them, and currently ts2 is my jam so I'm going to be active on that blog for a long time because I have a massive queue of my Strangetown gameplay going. I'm quite proud of how it's turning out because the gameplay was so enjoyable and there's a lot of hilarious moments. Also, I'm planning on writing a story in ts2 which features some of my favourite Strangetown characters, and I love the concept but it depends on my time and energy. Feel free to follow on there if you want to!

That's all for now, I guess. Oh and also, random but I go away for a few days and see Zayn releasing "A Whole New World" cover (for those who don't know, I'm hopelessly obsessed with this song and Aladdin, and I can't wait to go to the movie theater to see live action). All the best stuff happens when I'm gone, so I won't be surprised if some amazing sims posts have happened in this time period. 😅

Tl;dr: The entire beginning of May for me was travelling and I had a lot of fun with great people, which I have a lot of feelings about since I haven’t experienced anything like this in the past, and I’m really happy with my life at the moment. I may not be on simblr as often these days, but I’ll try my best and the queue will be active. The Twinkles are going on a break and the Maples are next. I also have a ts2 blog where I’m planning to be active and post my gameplay and possibly a story with Strangetown premades. To conclude, I’m looking forward to the live action Aladdin (relevant, I know)

[commentaryvorg]

Danganronpa V3 Commentary: Part 4.7

Be aware that this is not a blind playthrough! This will contain spoilers for the entire game, regardless of the part of the game I’m commenting on. A major focus of this commentary is to talk about all of the hints and foreshadowing of events that are going to happen and facts that are going to be revealed in the future of the story. It is emphatically not intended for someone experiencing the game for their first time.

Last time, as chapter 4 started being less character arc and more plot, everyone entered the Virtual World upon Miu and Kokichi’s totally-not-suspicious suggestion, Kaito was a dog and we rounded out his list of Manly Things with curiosity and playfulness, and he was also on extremely high alert over Kokichi doing anything suspicious but let Gonta slip under his radar because there’s obviously no way Gonta would do anything bad.

Now we’re in the chapel, discussing how everyone is going to split up to search the Virtual World.

Kokichi:  “Oh, yeah… Before we split up, I wanna ask you something, Miu.”

[Kokichi and Miu whisper to each other]

Here’s another way in which Kokichi is deliberately sabotaging the mercy kill plan before it’s even happened. He’s not stupid enough to have forgotten their planned meeting place, but he’s pretending he has and confirming it here in the hopes that someone will overhear (which indeed Keebo does), giving Shuichi yet another clue which will make figuring out Miu’s plan (and therefore Gonta’s guilt) far easier in the trial.

Maki:  “So, who’s going to decide how we split up?”

Kaito:  “Just leave it all to me! I’ll figure out how everyone should split up in a flash!”

Look, guys, Kaito’s still being useful and a leader! And also he probably wants an excuse to put himself in the same team as both his sidekicks, as well as probably Kokichi so he can keep an eye on him. (And… what if he would have put Gonta in a different team than Kokichi to stop anything potentially bad happening. I bet he would have done.)

Miu:  “No, no! Hold up! I’ll decide that! I know this world better than any of you, so I’ll decide!”

She doesn’t really know this world any better than anyone else now that everyone’s explored the whole place (aside from a couple of rooms in the mansion that don’t have anything relevant in them anyway). That’s just an excuse to let her organise her murder plan. She’s kind of bad at this.

She puts Kaito on the roof, of course, so that when she logs him out in order to frame him it’ll get him out of the way of her meeting with Kokichi. Also potentially so that if they do figure out Kokichi was killed on the Virtual World rooftop, Kaito will still look the most suspicious.

Kaito:  “Huh!? Why do I gotta go up to the rooftop!? It’s freakin’ cold out there!”

Kokichi:  “Yeah! There’s no way the faint-hearted Kaito can search in the cold!”

Kaito:  “Alright! Bring it on! All I gotta do is search the rooftop, right?”

Aaaand Kokichi, knowing full well Miu is doing this for her plan, deliberately helps it along for her.

Miu then puts Kokichi in the salon, because he’s supposed to end up dead, which means that nobody will be able to vouch for the fact that Kaito didn’t go to the salon to log himself out.

Then she doesn’t give a fuck other than putting herself on the chapel team. Which makes it kind of obvious that she’s got a hidden agenda here. Literally all you needed to do was randomly pick additional people to assign to other rooms, Miu, it wouldn’t have been hard. You’re terrible at this.

(And if she’d randomly happened to put Gonta on the chapel team, then that would have saved her life.)

Kokichi:  “Then Gonta should come with me. We can search the mansion’s surroundings, since no one else wants to deal with the cold.”

Gonta:  “Okay… Gonta come with you.”

Gonta is just being heartbreakingly subdued and obedient. Usually he’d be more cheerful about being given something he can be helpful with, but not now.

Kokichi:  “Mm-hm, a true gentleman must always volunteer to do the dirty work.”

FUCK YOU AND YOUR DOUBLE MEANINGS, KOKICHI

Tsumugi:  “So… you’re just going to use Gonta again. I’ve decided! I’m going that way too! I have to make sure you’re not abusing poor Gonta!”

I’ll give Tsumugi this: she seems pretty committed to her act of pretending to care about Gonta’s wellbeing. I don’t know if she knows what Kokichi is planning for him – probably not, and even if she was it’s not like she’d stop it because it’s an excellent story – but in terms of the character she’s pretending to be, this bit about her being on Gonta’s side is one of the most consistent things she does. I haven’t been pointing it out every time, but it’s been there.

Kaito:  “We still need one more for mansion duty. Shuichi, come with us.”

Shuichi:  “Ah, okay…”

Maki:  “…”

Shuichi:  (Is Maki upset…? Because she’s all by herself now?)

There’s this whole bit here, during the ensuing optional dialogue as well, with Maki quietly glaring (at either Kaito or Shuichi, it’s not clear which), presumably because… she’s mad that Kaito picked Shuichi to go with him and not her? But it just doesn’t feel right to me. Yes, I’m sure she would have preferred to go with Kaito than be stuck with neither of her close friends, but she’s not the kind of person who would get actively mad about it, especially not when they have more important things to be doing. The writing is probably trying to pretend that this is about her romantic feelings for Kaito and that she’s all jealous that Kaito would rather hang out with Shuichi than with her, but no, fuck off, that’s such a goddamn stereotypical way for someone to be acting upon romantic feelings (not to mention hugely dickish to your other friend). Maki isn’t like that at all; please remember the time two days ago where she could barely even comprehend that she had such feelings.

As an optional bit of dialogue, Miu suggests making this entire place their new reality and literally everyone (except Maki, who is still being inflicted with bad-writing-induced anger, and Gonta, who is very quiet) disagrees with her, then…

Miu:  “Ugh… grghggh! I-I’ll make you regret this!”

Shuichi:  (Regret this? What does she mean? She says such ominous things…)

You’re not being super subtle about the fact that you’re planning to kill us all, Miu.

Also, if you examine the organ in the chapel…

Shuichi:  “…Kaede probably could have played the organ well too. …”

Aww. (It’s great how the game has occasional mentions of her such as this to make it clear that she’s still important to and having an influence on Shuichi even now. That’s something the first game utterly failed to do with Sayaka.)

On the way back to the mansion…

Miu:  “Whoops, my hand slipped.”

[Miu “accidentally” drops the signboard in the river]

Nobody ever genuinely says that when their hand really did just slip. Again: she is so bad at this and Shuichi would have seen right through her if she’d actually succeeded in killing Kokichi.

Gonta is also still very quiet during this whole exchange about the missing bridge, even though you’d expect him to be worrying about the people on the other side or trying to find a way to help somehow. (This kind of quiet behaviour is something it makes sense that Kaito still wouldn’t pick up on, since he’s not paying any specific attention to Gonta, and without doing that it’s hard to notice a lack of something.)

Once they’re in the mansion, Kokichi doles out the other roles on the team and tells Shuichi and Tsumugi to go check the dining hall and kitchen – note how he leaves the entrance hall out of it, since he needs that to be empty. Kaito is still here during this conversation, which is briefly relevant later in a way the writing doesn’t draw explicit attention to, so keep this in mind.

Gonta:  “…Gonta go now.”

Oh, Gonta, you poor thing. He’s just so quiet and defeated and sad, or at least that’s the implication given by his very few lines once you know what’s up. He is, however, suppressing it and not showing a visibly sad expression here, meaning that again, even Kaito probably can’t pick up on this due to the less nuanced expressions on the avatars.

Tsumugi:  “It’s surprisingly cold out there, so be careful. You should come back here to warm up.”

Gonta:  “Thank you… but Gonta okay. Gonta not smart enough to get sick.”

Gonta then also smiles upon Tsumugi’s concern for him. So things probably seem pretty fine and not worrying from the perspective of anyone with him, regardless of how perceptive they are.

Kaito:  “Someone who isn’t smart wouldn’t want to save everyone… They’d only think of themselves.”

Gonta:  “Oh… thank you.”

Aaaaaagh. These words from Kaito are the last thing anyone says to Gonta before he becomes a murderer in a desperate attempt to save everyone. Maybe that helped him feel just a tiny bit less awful about it. He may be about to become a murderer, but he is so, so far from being stupid.

And it’s absolutely lovely that Kaito thinks this: that meaningful intelligence isn’t about book smarts or whatever but is about how much you care about others and how often you’re thinking about how to help everyone around you. In fact, that would explain why Kaito always gets so mad when people call him an idiot! It’s not because he cares that they think he’s book-dumb – he knows he’s not, but he doesn’t ever bring up that fact to correct people because it’s not the point. It’s because he takes it as them assuming he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, and of course he’d hate others getting that impression of him! That also fits perfectly with the fact that Maki has never stopped calling him an idiot but Kaito stopped complaining about it once they were friends – in other words, once it became clear that she knew he cared about helping her and therefore didn’t mean “idiot” in the sense that bothers him.

It’s also amusing to realise, considering how much I like to call Kaito “idiotically selfless” or words to that effect, that he would see that as a complete oxymoron.

Tsumugi:  “I want to go back to my real body.”

Kaito:  “Well… These avatars aren’t that bad, y’know?”

Shuichi:  “Huh? These avatars?”

Kaito:  “Just kidding! It’s just a joke! I’m just joking!”

You’re still kind of bad at this, Kaito. Lucky for you Shuichi’s being selectively oblivious here.

So they all split up to search for what is presumably quite a long time, until Shuichi and Tsumugi happen to be together as they hear the crashing sound.

Tsumugi:  “Maybe that sound was something falling off the roof?”

Shuichi:  (But… the person on the roof is…)

Welcome to yet another instance of first-time-me being utterly terrified Kaito was dead. By all rights, Shuichi should be too, but… he isn’t? Moments after, they hear Keebo’s voice, and then even if you attempt to get Shuichi to go check the rooftop, he’ll just insist he needs to go outside to check if that was Keebo. Like, geez, you heard Keebo’s voice so at the very least he’s alive, but what if Kaito isn’t???

This is admittedly the first time Kaito’s been possibly dead in which it even makes sense for Shuichi to potentially think that and be worried about it. So, since there’s actually no precedent for how Shuichi would react to this, maybe I’m just overestimating his ability to even think Kaito is dead. More on that in a bit.

This is also the first time Kaito’s been explicitly possibly dead in which the primary out-universe point of this event isn’t actually to make you think he’s dead. That’s just an unintended side effect of the real reason for it, which most directly is that Miu was trying to frame him, but in a more out-universe writing sense (since Miu really could have tried to frame anyone and it didn’t have to be Kaito) her framing him has a deliberate purpose for Kaito’s character arc during this case.

Look at where Gonta is standing when they run into him outside. He has not just come from checking the mansion’s surroundings, has he. The only place he could have come from is that dead end to the side of the mansion where we’re going to find the toilet paper later. This right here is the conclusive proof that Gonta is the murderer.

Tsumugi:  “You heard that loud noise, right?”

Gonta:  “O-Oh… Gonta hear noise, but Gonta not see anything.”

Gah, look at Gonta having no choice but to lie to them in order to be able to save everyone. He looks sad as he says this, not because he’s disappointed he couldn’t be more helpful, but because he hates lying to them.

Shuichi:  (And what about Kaito? He should have heard that from the roof… He would have run over here right away… What’s going on?)

YES AND YOU SHOULD BE MORE WORRIED ABOUT HIM BECAUSE OF THAT

Shuichi:  (…Alright. My talent… is solving mysteries. So that’s what I’m going to do.)

Aww, look at Shuichi psyching himself up to solve this even though he’s clearly kind of confused and freaked out right now. He really is good in a crisis.

Gonta:  “What happen? Did something happen to Keebo?”

This isn’t Gonta having to lie or hide anything, since he’s probably genuinely confused as to why Keebo was heard nearby – he knows he sent Miu sliding through the wall, but he presumably doesn’t realise that the chapel is on the other side of it.

Gonta:  “Leave it to Gonta! Gonta just need to carry signboard!?”

Oh Gonta you precious thing. He is now a murderer and he’s intending to get everyone else mercy-killed soon but he’s still trying to help out in even the smallest ways!

Gonta:  “But board is so thin. Will it be okay? What if board breaks this ti—”

At this point Gonta has already used toilet paper that didn’t break, so really he should have grasped this rule, but apparently he hasn’t? I guess Kokichi didn’t bother trying to explain the rule to him properly and just told him it was special toilet paper.

Keebo:  “We’re not sure, but her avatar isn’t moving. Maybe something happened in the real world that’s preventing her from moving it.”

This is kind of a misleading description. From this alone, it gives the impression she’s standing there, frozen, which presumably would be what would happen if someone was killed in the real world and lost connection with their avatar. But not only is her avatar not moving, it’s lying face down on the ground. You know, as if she was murdered in here or something.

Maki:  “…Hey, where’s Kaito?”

Shuichi:  “Ah, Kaito! I-I don’t know, I ran here as fast as I could, I didn’t check the roof…”

Maki:  “…You didn’t even bother going to the roof to get him. You’re colder than I thought.”

I guess we can assume that Shuichi was so wrapped up in the panic of it all that he didn’t even think to check the roof (and that mine and any other sensible players’ attempts to get him to do so weren’t canon). And from the way Maki says “get him”, not “check on him”, it seems she’s running under the assumption that Kaito isn’t dead and Shuichi was just kind of a dick for forgetting to include him in the running around in a panic that we’re all doing. Which makes sense, since Maki saw Miu’s virtual corpse and so she started off with the impression that if someone’s dead, it’s probably Miu, and therefore Kaito’s probably safe. Shuichi still has less excuse.

Only a little later, once Maki confirms that Kaito isn’t on the roof…

Maki:  “But don’t worry… He’s stupid enough to get himself killed, but I know he won’t really die.”

Shuichi:  “…” (I suppose that’s true. I don’t have to worry about him…)

But this is presumably why Shuichi wasn’t nearly as worried as he should have been. Even though he says he supposes that’s true like he’s only just realising this here, the fact is that Shuichi has always been low-key under the impression that Kaito is basically invincible, such that it apparently doesn’t even occur to him (or to Maki for that matter) that there’s still a possibility he could get killed at some point. Well done, Kaito, all your insisting that you couldn’t possibly be worried or hurting about anything somehow succeeded in getting your sidekicks to really see you that way.

Gonta:  “Um… So Gonta just say name in phone, and someone come get him?”

And there goes Alter Ego Gonta logging out and temporarily ceasing to exist. We won’t see him again until the end of the trial.

Kokichi:  “Now that we’re alone, I wanna tell you something.”

Shuichi:  “…What is it?”

Kokichi:  “You’re really useful.”

Really, Kokichi? Because if you really think that about Shuichi, then why the fuck does your future plan in chapter 5 not use him as your accomplice and instead just completely glosses over the fact that his “usefulness” if used against you is going to make the plan fail? Good job being thoroughly aware of another of the reasons your plan is terrible and then doing it anyway.

Kokichi:  “So, how about you stop hanging out with dumb ol’ Kaito, and be *my* friend instead?”

It’s really annoyingly entitled of Kokichi to act like this when he’s done absolutely fuck all to earn Shuichi’s friendship, while Kaito has done everything and more to deserve it.

Kokichi:  “I think I can be useful to you too… y’know? I can help you save everyone. And you wanna save everyone, riiiiight?”

And now Kokichi is trying to manipulate Shuichi through his desire to save everyone, even though there was a perfectly good way to save everyone this chapter without getting Miu and Gonta killed that Kokichi didn’t feel like sharing.

Shuichi quite rightly nopes out of this conversation without saying a word. Presumably he’s figured that Kokichi is just trying to manipulate him and doesn’t actually care about saving everyone at all.

Kokichi:  “Nee-heehee… aw, I got rejected. But I won’t give up that easily. When I find someone I like, I’d do anything to get them to notice me… even strangle them.”

I gather this is one of the lines that people use to argue that Kokichi has a crush on Shuichi. And… okay, sure, even my aromantic brain can accept that that’s probably what’s being implied here (especially given he’s alone and therefore has no reason to be lying). But… so what? Even if Kokichi has a crush on Shuichi, that has absolutely no relevance to Kokichi’s meaningful role in the story – not any of the parts of his character that are interesting, nor the things he does in the plot. So it’s bizarre and frustrating to me that the writers broke Shuichi’s POV for what simply isn’t a relevant enough part of the story to justify that.

Aaand Miu’s dead. Hooray. Now she can be more of an interesting character! I’m literally not even kidding – I’m going to be talking about her nearly every time she’s mentioned from this point on and I’m going to actually have fun doing so.

*ding dong, dong ding!*

Monokuma:  “A body has been discovered! Everyone, please report to the computer room… Wait, you’re already here. Wow, I get to bring you the body discovery announcement live!”

Not everyone’s here; Kaito isn’t. So I have to assume that, despite Monokuma claiming he’s only doing this live, he still did broadcast at least the first part of it in order for Kaito to hear it.

Consider how the body discovery announcements don’t tell you whose body it is. And remember the conversation Kaito and his sidekicks had near the beginning of this chapter discussing how Shuichi is the most likely target for a future murder, in which Kaito fiercely promised he’d protect both of his sidekicks despite having no way to guarantee that. How terrified must Kaito be right now that the victim could be Shuichi or Maki.

(This isn’t even the first time Kaito’s heard a body discovery announcement while alone and nowhere near the crime scene – in fact, it’s the third – but this would definitely be the most frightening one of all for him given the context.)

Gonta:  “Gonta… not understand, either… Miu like this when Gonta wake up… Hey! What going on!? Why this happen!?”

Oh, Gonta. He understands this even less than everybody else does right now.

Gonta:  “M-Murder…? Wh-What you mean!? Did something happen while Gonta sleep!?”

This isn’t even that subtle about it! You’d think that if Gonta remembered the Virtual World, he would still feel like something happened while he was “asleep” and wouldn’t be phrasing his confusion in quite this way.

Keebo:  “We weren’t asleep and that wasn’t a dream. We were in the Virtual World.”

…But then Keebo’s subsequent line does do a good job of making you instead jump to the assumption that the “sleep” Gonta’s talking about was just this.

Kaito gets here and says that he was taking a nap when the body discovery announcement woke him up.

Gonta:  “You were sleeping? Gonta was sleeping, too! Had strange dream! Gonta not understand anything!”

The way that he associates it with Kaito’s nap also rather implies that he really does just see it as normal sleep. The “strange dream” is obviously meant to make you assume he’s talking about the Virtual World, but presumably what it really was was just a regular dream caused by his subconscious brain doing weird brain things while his consciousness was in the simulation.

Kaito:  “I didn’t know if it was okay to log back in, so I went back to my room and slept.”

That… doesn’t quite sound like something Kaito would normally do. I feel like he wouldn’t usually be so quick to just give up on their search for the secret of the outside world (and on keeping an eye on Kokichi’s potential scheme), and wouldn’t let himself be stopped by the possible risks of logging back in unplanned. So… his real reason for going back to his room proooobably has more to do with his illness than anything else. Maybe he really had coughed up blood while logged in and had to go change his clothes.

Also, if Kaito had logged back in straight away like he probably would have done if he wasn’t sick, then headed back to the rooftop where he was supposed to be… the murder might not have happened. Kaito is bound to realise this himself once it becomes apparent that the murder happened on the virtual rooftop. Yet again, he in particular could have prevented a murder but failed to do so, not just because he didn’t do a good enough job of getting through to Kokichi or keep a close enough eye on him despite how hard he was trying, but also in an even more direct way. If only he hadn’t been dying.

Shuichi:  “We need to discover who killed Miu.”

Kokichi:  “Nee-heehee… you seem ready. Well, of course you are. One of your dear friends was killed, so it’s finally time for you to shiiiine!”

This seems like Kokichi being a dick to Shuichi, who hates the way he can only be useful once someone is already dead. But it’s also Kokichi being a dick to Kaito, because the fact that Shuichi is so much better at saving people than him has been eating away at Kaito more and more lately.

Shuichi:  “I’ll find the culprit so that we can all survive.”

Kokichi:  “…Even if the culprit is Kaito?”

What exactly the fuck are you trying to prove here, Kokichi, you know the culprit isn’t Kaito.

Monokuma:  “I’m certain you guys’ll make this turn of events very entertaining!”

Yes, someone sure has done his best to make this case very entertaining. Again, good job, Kokichi, you gave Monokuma exactly what he wants.

Kokichi:  “Well, what’re you sad about? You guys hated her! Not as much as you hate me, but still!”

Tsumugi:  “Th-That’s not the issue… Of course I thought she was loud and annoying, but…”

Kaito:  “I never wanted her to die. I wanted us all to escape together.”

Kokichi is trying even harder than usual to suppress his basic human decency now that he’s killed someone himself. Basic human decency is the only reason anyone else (except Keebo, who had some semblance of a connection with her) is upset about Miu’s death right now, but that’s still more than enough reason to be horrified that a person they knew is dead. But Kokichi’s trying to tell himself that it’s totally okay that he killed her since everyone hated her anyway, right? No, too bad, it doesn’t work like that. You’re still a murderer, Kokichi.

Gonta:  “Urgh… Gonta no can forgive this. Gonta… never forgive this. Never forgive culprit, either… But Gonta never forgive self!”

SGHJSDGHJADGHJFSHJFD. I don’t think I need to say any more here.

Shuichi:  (I’m… so tired of this awful feeling. I have to do something. I can’t let this—)

Kaito:  “Shuichi, don’t carry the burden all by yourself.”

Kaito is still incidentally being a huge hypocrite and probably still overcompensating for his own sense of inferiority here… but his heart’s 100% in the right place regardless. Even though Shuichi didn’t say anything out loud, Kaito can pick up on the fact that he’s putting a lot of undue pressure on himself just because he’s the detective, so of course Kaito should still try and encourage him not to do that.

Kaito:  “You’re my sidekick! Don’t forget. We’re gonna do it together! If we work together, we can solve this—”

This is a little more off the main point, though. Shuichi almost certainly can solve the case on his own, after all (and Kaito knows it). The point of Kaito’s support isn’t that Shuichi wouldn’t be able to solve the case without him, but that doing so would be a lot less painful and stressful for Shuichi if he has his friend by his side throughout it. But here Kaito is trying to imply that Shuichi absolutely needs him and not just that he’s an optional extra help to make things a little easier to bear.

Kokichi:  “Shuichi is the most reliable person in a class trial, y’know? Why would we let such an important person work together with a suspect like you?”

Even if we disregard everything about how much Shuichi believes in Kaito and assume that he really is the most obvious suspect right now (which he’s not, because he’s so obvious a suspect that it’s clearly not him), this is still a completely backwards argument. Shuichi investigating together with the prime suspect would be a good thing, because then he’d be able to keep a close eye on them, make sure they don’t try to destroy evidence, and notice any suspicious reactions they have that might otherwise have slipped under the radar.

Kaito was also technically one of the main suspects back in case 2 by virtue of being one of only a few people without an alibi. But the very fact that he willingly chose to investigate with Shuichi that time immediately made him less suspicious, because the real culprit wouldn’t have wanted to increase the risk of Shuichi picking up subtle signs that they did it. And, of course, Shuichi noticing subtle suspiciousness from his investigation partner probably contributed to him ending up so sure that Kaede did it in case 1.

Kaito:  “You’re saying that if I was the culprit, Shuichi would hide the truth to protect me?”

I mean, if Shuichi was going to do that, he’d do that regardless of whether Kaito investigated with him or not, so again, Kokichi’s argument is terrible. But…

Kaito:  “Bullshit! Don’t underestimate Shuichi! Even if I was the culprit, he’s the type of guy that’d see things through!”

Kaito is so fucking good. It’s completely inconceivable to him right now that he would ever kill someone or try to deceive Shuichi, and he knows just how much faith Shuichi has in him. But Kaito believes so strongly in Shuichi’s convictions as a detective that he has complete faith that even if the inconceivable did come to pass, Shuichi would still be able to do what he knows he needs to to save everyone.

And of course, that’s exactly what ends up happening. The foreshadowing is delightful.

(And apparently Kokichi can’t grasp this concept, because if he did, then he would know full well that making Kaito the accomplice in his plan was never going to work.)

Plus, not only is this delicious foreshadowing for case 5, it’s also quite relevant to this case as well. Shuichi has more faith in Kaito than he does in anyone else, so it follows that if Kaito believes Shuichi would be able to pursue the truth of him being the culprit, he also believes Shuichi would be able to pursue the truth of anyone else being the culprit – even someone else Shuichi has a lot of faith in, such as Gonta. So what’s going to happen in the trial when Kaito starts to get angry at Shuichi really isn’t as much about belief and doubt as it might seem. Kaito has clearly stated right here that he knows Shuichi would – and should – pursue the culprit even if it turns out to be a person that he wants to believe in.

Kokichi:  “But, remember Kaede’s class trial—”

Kaito:  “He saw us through that, didn’t he!? I believe in Shuichi!”

Exactly. We already have concrete proof that Shuichi is capable of proving his closest friend to be a murderer if that’s what it seems like he has to do. Your future plan is never going to work, Kokichi, you absolute moron.

Kokichi:  “Nee-heehee… You love to believe, don’t you, Kaito? But that belief can turn against you, especially in this killing game, y’know?”

So, of course, this is also foreshadowing for how this trial is going to turn out for Kaito, and Kokichi’s very much doing this on purpose.

Kokichi’s been constantly trying this whole game to shove his philosophy that believing in people is a terrible idea down everyone’s throats, particularly Kaito’s. It sure is convenient for that attempted message of his that his master plan just happened to incidentally involve him turning the most inherently trustworthy person in here into a murderer, now, isn’t it. While Kokichi is telling himself that this whole murder here is just for the purpose of backing up his future lie that he’s the mastermind, I don’t think that’s really the only reason it happened.

But also, this brings to mind the thing I talked about a couple of chapters ago regarding the two different kinds of “believing in” someone, first just trusting that they’re a good person and secondly believing in their potential to be awesome. Kaito was talking about the latter kind of belief with regards to Shuichi here – and honestly, the former kind, about whether or not Shuichi would kill someone, hasn’t ever been in question by anyone since the first trial ended. But Kokichi turned around and suddenly made this about the former kind of belief instead – because that’s the only kind of belief that’s relevant to Kokichi, since his entire worldview revolves around the conviction that everyone who feels it is wrong. Kokichi can’t believe in anyone’s potential to do amazing things, because that would require believing in them as a person first. Maybe that’s part of why he idiotically thinks Shuichi won’t figure out his plan in chapter 5.

Kaito:  “Heh… I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about… I don’t get it at all…”

It seems that while Kaito has unshakeable faith in Shuichi’s ability to find the truth even if it involves someone he believes in being a murderer, Kaito isn’t quite so sure about his own ability to accept such a painful truth, should it come to that. (Remember that Kaito had a harder time accepting that Kaede did it than Shuichi did, in the end.) So he’s trying to brush it off and tell himself that Kokichi’s just talking nonsense and he doesn’t have to worry about it.

Kaito:  “Fine, if you’re gonna get all worked up over it, then me and Shuichi won’t team up.”

It’s actually a little surprising to me that Kaito concedes on this. I guess he just figures that if he doesn’t, Kokichi will continue to pester them about this the whole investigation and it won’t be worth it.

Kaito:  “That said, try to get through this on your own! Clear me of suspicion with your own power!”

That and he knows that Shuichi’s strong enough by now that he can get through it on his own and doesn’t really need anything more than Kaito cheering him on from the sidelines.

…And it was Kokichi’s insistent dickishness that pushed Kaito into acknowledging that. Hm. I wonder if that was deliberate.

Shuichi:  (Of course, this is Kaito we’re talking about, nothing I say could change his mind.)

I mean, he clearly still wants to investigate with you, Shuichi – if you were stubborn enough and insisted to Kokichi that no, fuck you, I can investigate with whoever I damn well choose and I choose Kaito, then that would at least potentially get him to shut up. Buuuut Shuichi is still really passive even when he’s in Ultimate Detective mode, so instead we get stuck with Kokichi for half an investigation.

Shuichi:  (I can’t be afraid… I can’t get lost now. In order to protect everyone, I have to do something. I have to do something…)

Shuichi still is putting a little too much of the burden all on himself, though. Don’t forget that Kaito believes in you even if he’s not investigating with you, Shuichi!

---

[Next post]

[prixmiumcontent]

Doctor Who Introduction Post

Hello #Doctor Who! My “name” is Prix, and I am about to embark on a re-watch of Doctor Who during which I will be writing reviews and other such commentary on this new meta blog. Please see the links and pages around the blog for more information if you are interested. Before I get started, I wanted to take a few moments to articulate why I am writing about Doctor Who, how I feel about it, and why I decided to start with it here even though I plan to write about it and many other fandoms.

The Present

At the time of writing this, I am 27 years old. I am a school teacher, but I am currently without a full-time position. Given that I have a little bit of time on my hands, I really wanted to work on my sustained writing-for-pleasure skills, and this blog seemed like a good way to do it. I have a personal blog, which I will follow from if I follow you back, but this is a fresh start for a more disciplined approach to running an actual-blog rather than a big mess of blogging, reblogging, and flailing. Doctor Who continues to be one of those things that always draws me back in. However, over the past couple of years, I have not been quite as on top of it as I once was. Letting go of Clara Oswald has proved to be very difficult for me, so while I like Bill - and the other companions I have seen - I have not seen all of S10. As a result, I haven’t even started on S11. However, I hope to very soon! While I am embarking on a full re-watch of Doctor Who (2005), I won’t necessarily prevent myself from catching up on everything I’m missing before I finish this up.

The Past

I was an avid internet user from the time I was about twelve years old. I was home-schooled for a time, and so much of my interaction with the outside world came through meeting people to talk to through AIM (may she rest in peace.) One of those people that I befriended (and have since unbefriended) was a young man five years my senior with a lot of chronic health problems. Given our mutual circumstances, for the good years of our relationship, we were able to find time to talk to each other despite a five-hour time difference. He lived in England, and I was so young that the concept of world geography was something well beyond my grasp as an American. Nevertheless, I had an adolescence very colored by a sort of cultural exchange with this friend of mine whom I much respected and wanted to please. I dimly remember his first mentions of Doctor Who being revived and his confusing explanations of what it was registering as a simple footnote in our conversations. It was something he watched on Saturdays. For a while, that was that.

Fast forward to the end of 2006. Due to various circumstances including my grandmother’s having a stroke and my parents’ mutual concern that as math and science courses became more difficult that a home-schooling curriculum wouldn’t cut it from them, I returned to public school. I was fifteen, and I was tagging along behind my peers who had been new students to high school the previous year. This new-to-everything, fish-out-of-water experience left me vulnerable to a certain individual whom I wish I had never met but who has shaped much of who I am today. I was in a relationship with him for a couple of months, during which I was emotionally abused and coerced in ways that I won’t go into detail about. The only part that is relevant is that this relationship really shook my ability to trust in people to the core. I was a different person from August to December and one who felt hollowed-out at that.

It was a relief to finally be on Winter Break, if only to get away from the presence of my then-ex who continued to follow and harass me while I was at school. However, the experiences of the past couple of months had taken the joy out of most of what I had been doing. I had been loosely into online fandom since about 2003, but I had never really learned the tools of the trade, and it was just a matter of happening upon people with similar interests through word-of-mouth and a few fanfiction.net-made contacts. I was still talking to my English friend online when I could.

Then, one day, I was feeling very depressed and lethargic. I took a break from vacuuming the house, and I turned on the television. I dully watched the scrolling TV Guide Channel, and I noticed that the SciFi Channel (it wasn’t SyFy at this point) was running a marathon of Doctor Who. Curiously, I changed the channel.

I watched “The Idiot’s Lantern,” an episode from Series 2, with no context whatsoever. I was confused and mildly intrigued. More than anything, I wanted to tell my English friend that I had finally seen an episode. He did his best to explain the show to me a bit better, and later that day I found myself tempted to tune back in.

In the days that intervened between that day and Christmas Day, the channel played at least several hours of Doctor Who episodes per day. They were marathoning Series 2, and on Christmas Day itself, they were going to play “The Christmas Invasion” - the Christmas Special spanning the gap between Series 1 and Series 2. I was supposed to go to my grandmother’s, but I made  a point to note what times they were showing it. I was invested already, and soon I had seen “Doomsday” and knew that my heart was going to break no matter what but that I wanted to know more and more about this show.

I remember going to my room after returning from my grandmother’s that day. I know that I had been showing signs of my depression and lethargy, and while my parents didn’t know the full extent of the damage my brief foray into trying to be “in a relationship” as a high school student had gone, they were most certainly concerned about me.

My mom and dad were in the living room visiting with someone - it was Christmas - and I remember feeling a sudden rush of energy and resolve come over me that I had not felt in a long time. My relationship with fandom may not be the healthiest that has ever been, but I don’t think that it is a bad thing either. I have always been one to fixate, to have maladaptive daydreams about those things I love, and to feel a rush of endorphins when I find something new to add to my collection of beloved stories. I fall in love with my fandoms, and they’re my friends.

That hadn’t been true for months at that point, though, and Doctor Who breathed new life into my teenage bones when I was - justified or not - dangling by a thread. The particular scene that burned itself into my consciousness was Ten’s speech to the Sycorax - “It is defended.” I’m not even sure why, but it kind of gave me a little bit of a kick in the butt to get back up, to try, and to feel something again.

I often tell people that Doctor Who saved my life, and that’s how. It gave me a friend when I felt like I had none. It gave me energy, purpose, and a reminder that even when things are difficult and it feels like there is no reward for the things one tries to do because they feel like the right thing, there still is a point to it. I consumed Series 2 in order as quickly as I could; I was a poor teenager and wanted to make sure that I got the series i had fallen in love with before deciding on more. Then, I manage to get Series 1 and watched them back to back. At the time, it was nowhere near as popular in the US as it became later, so I paid $60-70 per season at the time. I never did get past Series 2 on DVD as a result. Maybe one day I’ll buy a huge boxed set, but for now I make do with streaming on Amazon Prime for the most part.

I hope that this personal glimpse into my past will give you some kind of connection to me as a writer and that you will understand how much Doctor Who means to me as a show.

The Future

I plan to watch an episode or two most days for the foreseeable future and to write a post and create at least one edit per episode that I watch. I hope to queue them after the first couple so I can have a consistently active blog. Please feel free to interact with me! I follow back from my personal blog (currently polyroci), but I am very interested in interacting with people about this and other fandoms that are dear to my heart.

[debadipb]

AMERICAN CORPORATION: PROFIT INCOME IN FOREIGN BANK FOR TAX SHELTERS

Profit & Solutions Management Research Publication Series 

Researched & Written by Deb (Debadip) Bandyopadhyay

A tax haven is generally an offshore country that offers foreign individuals and businesses little or no tax liability in a politically and economically static environment. KEY TAKEAWAYS Tax havens provide the advantage of little or no tax liability. Offshore countries with little or no tax liabilities for foreign individuals and businesses are generally some of the most popular tax havens. Investors and businesses may be able to lower their taxes by taking advantage of tax-advantaged opportunities offered by tax havens, however, entities should ensure they are compliant with all relevant tax laws.

Understanding Tax Haven

Tax havens also share limited or no financial information with foreign tax authorities. Tax havens do not typically require residency or business presence for individuals and businesses to benefit from their tax policies.

In some cases, intranational locations may also be identified as tax havens if they have special tax laws. For example, in the United States, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming require no state income tax.

Offshore tax havens benefit from the capital their countries draw into the economy. Funds can flow in from individuals and businesses with accounts setup at banks, financial institutions, and other investment vehicles. Individuals and corporations can potentially benefit from low or no taxes charged on income in foreign countries where loopholes, credits, or other special tax considerations may be allowed.

A list of some of the most popular tax haven countries includes Andorra, the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, the Cook Islands, The Island of Jersey, Hong Kong, The Isle of Man, Mauritius, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Panama, St. Kitts, and Nevis.

Characteristics of tax haven countries generally include no or low-income taxes, minimal reporting of information, lack of transparency obligations, lack of local presence requirements, and marketing of tax haven vehicles.

In general, this and other provisions, particularly for reinvestments, provide allowances for businesses to benefit from low or no tax rates offered in foreign countries but businesses should closely monitor and accurately report foreign income as it pertains to U.S. tax law, generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and the guidelines under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Some companies that have historically been known for offshore, tax haven holdings include Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Cisco, and Oracle. Overall, tax havens may also offer advantages in the area of credit, since it may be less expensive for U.S.-based companies to borrow funds internationally. This type of lending, which can potentially fund acquisitions and other corporate activities, is also subject to reporting within the guidelines of U.S. tax law, GAAP, and guidelines under IFRS.

The U.S. has special rules in place for the reporting of foreign income by U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens. These rules are generally governed under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

FATCA requires the filing of a Schedule B and/or Form 8938, which provides disclosure of foreign account holdings when investments exceed $50,000. Separately, foreign account holders may also be required to file Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts.

US based companies are keeping their profits in bank accounts in other countries. Around $183 billion of stocks are piled in those countries. There was an increase of 14.4% from the previous year in the accumulation of the funds. Bloomberg studied that total of 83 companies in the USA has kept their profit earning in different low taxed countries across the globe. A total of $1.7 trillion has been outside the USA for the purpose of tax exception. Top companies like GE, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, and IBM are the top companies who are keeping the money outside the country so that the USA tax revenue department could not get hold of these incomes. Some of the companies are owned by foreign companies which helped them to park their profit margin companies’ bank account. The rise of the cash flow from the low taxed countries is due to the increased number of the customer from these areas. Google has kept $31 billion in annual filling in taxes but of which 65.3% are in the liquid holding outside the USA. This is hampering the USA taxes and resulting in rise of different problems due to this. US based companies receive tax credits in their income from the outside country, but still they are deferring the taxes by not bring those money back to USA. Regulatory filling asked the USA Corporation to report the foreign profit but they can defer taxes on those income. The income is not kept in the form of cash in other countries. They are using that fund to invest in the physical infrastructure and bond of that low taxed country. Intangible assets are among one of the areas where companies are selling their patents and getting cash out of it. The low tax jurisdiction allows them to pay low taxes. Among these, Microsoft has sold many patents to offshore countries and reported $60.8 billion in offshore holdings, whereas they paid only 3.1% in the foreign tax for this. The USA government tax system is outdated and is not compatible with other countries’ tax system has been claimed by many senior executives of USA based companies. They mentioned that for competing in the foreign land they have to keep the money in those countries for the future need. Citi Group has reported that foreign tax is as low as 8% which is far below that USA tax system rates. The USA tax is 35% which is the high compare to any other country corporate tax rates. This not only creates the obstacle for USA government to get a hold of the income of the companies in foreign lands. Moreover, they are lagging behind among other countries in tax system due to the low tax rate of those countries. 

Many U.S. corporations use offshore tax havens and other accounting gimmicks to avoid paying as much as $90 billion a year in federal income taxes. A large loophole at the heart of U.S. tax law enables corporations to avoid paying taxes on foreign profits until they are brought home. Known as “deferral,” it provides a huge incentive to keep profits offshore as long as possible. Many corporations choose never to bring the profits home and never pay U.S. taxes on them. Deferral gives corporations enormous incentives to use accounting tricks to make it appear that profits earned here were generated in a tax haven. Profits are funneled through subsidiaries, often shell companies with few em­ployees and little real business activity. Effectively, firms launder U.S. profits to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

Loopholes used to shift U.S. profits to tax havens U.S. firms can set up a subsidiary offshore, channel billions of dollars of profit through it and make the subsidiary “disappear” for U.S. tax purposes simply by “checking a box” on an IRS form. Corporations can sell the right to patents and licenses at a low price to an offshore subsidiary, which then “licenses” back to the U.S. parent at a steep price the right to sell its products in America. The goal of this “transfer pricing” is to make it appear that the company earns profits in tax havens but not in the U.S. Wall Street banks, credit card companies and other corporations with large financial units can easily move U.S. profits offshore using a loophole known as the “active financing exception.” A U.S. corporation can do an “inversion” by buying a foreign firm and then claiming that the new, merged company is foreign. This lets it reincorporate in a country, often a tax haven, with a much lower tax rate. The process takes place on paper — the company doesn’t move its headquarters offshore and its ownership is mostly unchanged — but it continues to enjoy the privileges of operating here while paying low tax rates in the foreign country.

The simplest solution is to end “deferral,” as proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Corporations would pay taxes on offshore income the year it is earned, rather than indefinitely avoid paying U.S. income taxes. This would also remove incentives to shift U.S. profits to tax havens, and it would raise $600 billion over 10 years. Short of ending deferral, Congress should close the most egregious loopholes, such as “check the box,” “transfer pricing,” the “active financing exception” and corporate “inversions.” It should also end the loophole that lets firms deduct the cost of expenses from moving jobs and operations offshore if the profits earned from those activities remain offshore and untaxed by the U.S. — saving $60 billion over 10 years. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) has introduced legislation, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act (S. 1533), that will close some of these loopholes. It will raise $220 billion over 10 years.

References

Brunori, D. (2013, September 9). Want a tax shelter? just do it. The Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/taxanalysts/2013/09/16/want-a-tax-shelter-just-do-it/

Kocieniewski, D. (2011, March 24). G.E.’s strategies let It avoid taxes altogether.The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html

Pozen, R. C. (2011, September 19). How to bring our companies’ foreign profits back home. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/opinion/bring-american-companies-foreign-profits-back-home.htm

Rubin, R. (2013, March 8). Offshore cash hoard expands by $183 billion at companies. The Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-08/offshore-cash

For More Research Article & Blogs Visit: 

Website: http://profitsolutions.tk/

Second Website: 

#research #data #management #analysis #marketing #marketresearch #analytics #datascience #bigdata #seo #digitalmarketing #dataanalytics #innovation #coffee #transformation #research #management #digitaltransformation #sustainability #retail #ai #strategy #supplychain #data #debadipb #profitsolutions

[project-two-five-zero-one]

Games I Played in 2016 - Batman: The Telltale Series (PS4)

I am what could maybe - generously - be called a modest Batfan. I don’t have any powerful childhood attachment to the character and mythos; I’ve only read a couple of the more iconic graphic novels; I hated the Christopher Nolan movies; even my exposure to the DCAU is mostly by way of sporadically catching Batman Beyond and Justice League on Toonami. But I do like Batman - if anything my appreciation for Batman is growing with age, and with appreciation for its symbolism. Of late I’ve developed a real fondness for the kind of tragic archetype epitomized by the darker, more ambivalent portrayals of Bruce Wayne: these romantic pop-cultural portrayals of tortured, duty-bound masculine identities borne out of trauma, individualist personae built in response to a world of random violence and chaos antithetical to their very existence. (see also: my resurgent fondness for Berserk, my crankish stubborn insistence that Death Wish is a misunderstood masterpiece about violence and grief.) Batman’s appeal taken at face value may be as some kind of quasi-fascist power fantasy, but his longevity comes from tapping into this deeper narrative of tragic masculinity. Also, he has cool gadgets. So it’s no surprise that demand is high for a video game that truly encapsulates the Batman Experience. 

According to The Internet, if I want the definitive Batman game experience I can do no better than the Batman Arkham (hereafter “BamHam”) series. Having played all of the first game, a bit of the second one and a large portion of the handheld spinoff, I can answer this recommendation with a resounding “fuck that”. BamHam Asylum is one of the dullest, most uninspired games I’ve ever played. The design is a hodgepodge of second-rate elements (combat, stealth, puzzle-solving, backtracking, skill tree progression) laid out with minimal cohesion across an endless series of gray industrial corridors. Rocksteady Studios almost certainly designed the game by coming up with a checklist of “stuff Batman can do”, developing a stultifyingly literal-minded mechanical representation of each bullet point, and shoving it arbitrarily into a likely pre-designated number of relevant points in the game. You have the Scan Visor from Metroid Prime, but with less diverse environments or interesting interactions; the environment-manipulating tools from Zelda, but with only the most superficial lock-and-key mechanics from those games (“there’s an X here, so use Y”); stealth like Splinter Cell or MGS, but without the deep toolbox of possible NPC and environment interactions that make those games interesting; storytelling via (*yaaaaawn*) audio logs because after BioShock came out every AAA action game on the planet was obsessed with audio logs; big stagey setpiece boss fights like Metal Gear, only again with far less mechanical depth and also less narrative depth too, because instead of developing any of the characters with interesting dialogue or a coherent narrative structure the game relies on the audience’s prior knowledge of these characters to fill in the dramatic gaps and takes near-constant narrative detours to force in one more iconic villain with a truckload of backtracking-based fetch quests to pad out the game length. The game’s most fleshed out and widely praised mechanic is its “free flow” combat system, and it’s a sham: one button to attack, mostly automated character movement, and a maddening facade of “difficulty” imposed by punishing the player for zoning out and mashing that one attack button eight times in a row instead of seven, or what have you - you know, the thing every beat-em-up constantly encourages you to do. Yes, it’s a truly masterful combat mechanic whose difficulty hinges on whether the player can resist becoming too mindlessly ensconced in its own repetitiveness to pay attention to their every move.   

I’m convinced that the widespread praise for Arkham Asylum, and thus the ensuing Arkham franchise, came from comic book fans so gleeful that a licensed Batman game - with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in it and everything! - was merely MEDIOCRE rather than ATROCIOUS that they were ready to praise it on high as something it fundamentally was not. What makes this especially painful is that, narratively, the game doesn’t feel like a good encapsulation of Batman either, or at least any Batman stories that are actually good. Stripped of the five zillion pointless detours mentioned above, the basic plot is: Joker springs a trap. Joker has an eeeeevil plan in the works. Batman beats up a lot of guys. Batman beats up the Joker. The Joker’s plot is foiled. The End. No character development. No social commentary, subtle or otherwise. No deeper exploration of Bruce or Joker’s psychology. No philosophizing about law versus chaos. No zesty one-liners, even; the dialogue fizzles at every turn, and while it’s been too long since I’ve played to recall a specific example (suffice to say it’s not memorable) you can always go and watch the cutscenes on Youtube if you want proof. The writing equates “dark and gritty” with characters saying “bitch” and “hell” and Batman beating the shit out of people in slow motion and a bunch of nameless NPCs being slaughtered. The characterizations are trite to the point of being stereotypical: the thugs you beat up all talk with the same cartoonish Brooklyn patois and indicate no motivation beyond being “evil” and “criminal” in some intangible, essential, and - evidently - irrelevant way.   

Am I asking too much from a video game plot? Have I been spoiled by my exposure to the Batman mythos coming predominantly from Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Tim Burton, and the writers in the DCAU who aren’t Paul Dini? Gliding off of rooftops and punching people repeatedly are prime examples of video game actions that can and should be fun - and there are plenty of other games to show us that (Just Cause and God Hand, respectively). But I’m pretty sure what draws people to Batman, as opposed to just any dime-a-dozen superhero, is the characters, the dialogue. There’s a reason, say, Joker is practically obligated to show up in each and every one of Batman’s myriad adaptations, and a reason those adaptations have ranged in style, tone and medium from the Technicolor Adam West camp sagas to last year’s R-rated cartoon adaptation of The Killing Joke (which I thought got more hate than it deserved, but that’s another discussion altogether). A video game defined primarily by traversing empty rooftops and beating indistinct hobos will only ever capture a small fraction of what Batman has to offer. So it’s been long overdue that someone should make a Batman game where narrative is the primary focus, dialogue and abstract choice-making the primary interaction, and the long legacy of Batman films and graphic novels the primary template. And it’s highly fitting that the developer for such a game should be Telltale.   

I’ve been a fan of Telltale and their reinvented brand of “adventure games” ever since I tried the first season of their Walking Dead series on a whim (it came bundled with my PS Vita) and got instantly hooked. I’ve heard frequent allegations that their titles aren’t “real adventure games”, that they’re mechanically shallow, that their much-vaunted systems of choice are illusory since the player can more often determine only HOW plot events happen and not IF they happen. Some of these criticisms likely carry some weight, but I can’t really bring myself to care. I’ve always been attracted to games with a strong narrative component (I’m juuuust old enough to remember when people’s choices for a narrative-driven game experience on consoles were JRPGs or bust) and I’m thrilled that there’s a successful subgenre now of games molded entirely around interactive storytelling, where the writing is actually the selling point, the developer’s most fleshed-out resource in the game, and not just secondary to the mechanics. More importantly - the writing IS the mechanics. This isn’t one of those David Cage abominations, where “cinematic” events play out on screen in accordance with one pretentious manchild’s stunted idea of quality screenwriting, and you occasionally get to press a button. Telltale games constantly bombard the player with active choices - they demand the player’s involvement - and if the majority of those choices are inconsequential, the cleverness of the games’ design lies in the fact that distinguishing the choices with long-term consequences from the ones that are mainly filler is often not an easy task, even in retrospect. (Assuming you play on Minimal Interface mode, as any true roleplayer should.) I played through their Game of Thrones series for the second time last year, and between in-game experimentation and looking in guides I found myself repeatedly surprised by discovering which plot points I could or couldn’t change, and how. Telltale’s products could be compared to Japanese visual novels (a genre that rarely attracts the same kind of backlash in the West, perhaps due to its niche audience), but really they’re more like Choose Your Own Adventure books by way of premium cable dramas - and as someone who has enjoyed the former as a kid and the latter right now, I’m not shy about embracing this inventive synthesis.   

Likely thanks to the lucrative backing of DC Comics and Warner Brothers Entertainment, Batman is Telltale’s most elaborate and polished effort to date. Up to now, even their big-label games have tended to be plagued with technical problems - choppy framerates, graphical glitches, shoddy animations and textures, outright bugs and crashes. Playing on PS4 in 1080p, for the first time I can see a Telltale running smoothly and looking… good. The cel-shaded graphics wear their comic book inspirations on their sleeves, with bold lines and saturated colors that actually look good in motion, and - at least compared with Telltale’s previous work - they’re not overly hampered by framerate problems and glitches. No more of those washed-out flat backgrounds used in Game of Thrones, that look like someone took a still-wet oil painting and splashed it with their own urine. Much is owed here, narratively and mechanically, to Telltale’s previous comic book-based effort The Wolf Among Us, also an easy contender for their best game so far.   

Mechanically, Telltale predictably don’t stray far from their Walking Dead template, but with each new project they take on they find new ways to expand and experiment within the confines of that formula, and Batman hints at some exciting new directions their work might take in future. New “detective” segments are light puzzle challenges which task the player with sussing out clues from a crime scene to reconstruct offscreen events, CSI-style; while they’re a bit lacking in flexibility and occasionally descend into monotonous pixel hunts, it’s a decent idea for a new kind of mechanic that might enable substantive game interaction beyond dialogue choices and QTEs. (Next time, Telltale, include multiple solutions.) QTEs also have some kind of grading system now, where optimal executions charge up a glowing blue meter that does… something. Seriously, I played all the way through the game and never figured out what this actually did. I like the idea, though! Again, if these games are already structured so that different dialogue choices can open up branching paths, what could be the harm in fleshing out the occasional action and puzzle sequences to enable similar flexibility? Any step toward making QTEs an inconsequential gesture meant only to facilitate the illusion of action is another step forward for Telltale’s design model. Already they seem to be pushing ever forward with the flexibility of their narrative structures, with choices in this game seemingly leading to far more diverse outcomes than previous titles - even if this occasionally leads to strange inconsistencies in character (I went out of my way to treat Harvey Dent like a friend, but when the inevitable happens Bruce’s attitude towards him seems to shift irrevocably on a dime). Every new project is another baby step forward for the Telltale crew, and I fully believe that the perfection of the narrative game subgenre they (re)invented is yet to come. The best idea for now: at the very end, the game evaluates not merely your key choices, but the overall tenor and characterization of “your” Bruce Wayne; “honest” or “cunning”, “collaborative” or “individual”, and more. The core exercise of the Telltale model - narratively, mechanically - is roleplaying, the way the player chooses to embody and express their assigned character given the options available. The more attention Telltale pays to reading and deepening this aspect of their games, the better they’ll be. Read how I roleplay, and respond. Evolve the story along the narrative trajectory I’ve chosen to see. Be a good dungeon master.   

So what about the actual story? Telltale takes a curious tack, distancing it as much as possible from previous Batman media and starting from square one in much the same manner as a Hollywood adaptation (from back in the days before the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned every superhero film into a stultifying morass of cross-brand continuity and pandering to comic readers). None of the characters are voiced by actors involved in any previous adaptation - the cast is led by a trio of Funimation veterans (Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, and the ubiquitous Troy Baker) which can make certain scenes feel more like some kind of Fullmetal Alchemist reunion special than the DCAU. A stable of familiar cast members - Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, Oswald Cobblepot - are introduced as though the audience had never met them before, in newer, younger forms freed from the strictures of any existing canon. Bruce and Harvey are best friends (or can be, if you think it makes for a more interesting story); Harvey and Selina are romantically involved; characters may take on roles or become privy to knowledge that directly defies DC tradition. Without giving too much away - since making choices without full knowledge of their possible implications is such a large part of the fun - certain sacrosanct elements of the Batman mythos are fundamentally altered for the purposes of this story in this universe, which has no obligation to tie itself to any other piece of media but itself. Bruce is of the more talkative, emotionally balanced variety than I like him - Telltale goes for dark and gritty, but not to the extent of diving head-on into the Batworld’s central metaphor of fractured identity and trauma - but everything is carefully considered and deliberately placed within the particular vision of the Batcanon Telltale has imagined. Hell, the Joker doesn’t even show up outside of a minor role in the last two episodes, with only limited opportunities to truly ham it up, and if that’s not an indicator of writerly restraint in a Batman adaptation I don’t know what is.   

The overall tone and narrative arc is most clearly influenced by the Nolan films, but the script blessedly has numerous advantages of not being written by the Nolans and/or David S. Goyer. There’s humor, wit and a modicum of self-awareness, for starters (you can crack jokes about the Batsuit and flirt with reporters); verbal exposition and speechifying are kept to reasonable levels, and there’s none of that horrible tendency to try and pass off meaninglessly vague pronouncements delivered in ominous tones as freshman-level “deep” dialogue - thank the fuck Christ. (“Sometimes… the hero… has to be… the villain… to be… our hero…” *BWAAAAAAAM*) Characters are allowed to have personalities - even female characters! Yes, Catwoman has motives and personally traits in this one, personality traits that are clearly identifiable and run deeper than “sexy”, “duplicitous”, and “butt”. (And “Batdick”.) She’s not even the only woman with a speaking role! How about that! So it’s like… if Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy were actually fun to watch, instead of a set of movies about a man in a bat suit punching a man in a clown suit that carry themselves with the portentous dourness of a fucking Bresson flick.   

Ironically, despite nailing tone far better than Nolan and Rocksteady, Telltale has miraculously been granted the freedom to go far grittier than previous adaptations. Some of the crime scenes are outstandingly gruesome; major decisions can result in characters being permanently maimed; Batman can brutalize his enemies to the extreme, if you so choose; and Bruce Wayne spends as much time navigating through seedy political entanglements as chases and brawls. In this monent of American fear and unrest, the mad crucible of Gotham feels like an especially cathartic funhouse mirror in which to gaze (no matter how little sense it makes that Batman’s America seems to have no state or federal government). With the episodic format and TV-like presentation, Telltale has taken the opportunity to fold the Batverse into its obvious match in the gritty crime procedural; no one will mistake it for The Wire or even Sherlock, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find video games doing this particular brand of genre fiction any real justice.   

There’s one more element to the game that I didn’t try, but I wish I did: a new “party mode”, where people can sync a mobile app with the game on console and vote for dialogue choices as a group. It seems like it would either be a dumb, hilarious clusterfuck or a fun and engaging group game, and a totally unique experience either way. For what little my praise is worth, I will always applaud a game for seeking out new ways to facilitate a social experience, capitalizing and expanding upon the inherently participatory nature of games that electrifies people such that millions of people are even willing to watch others play on Youtube (something I’ll never personally understand). The more I can share the act of playing a game, the better.   

So… what are the best Batman books? I’m taking recommendations.

[chronoscasuals]

Game review - Sentinels of the Multiverse (pre-OblivAeon)

Welcome all to Chronos Casuals. My name is ChronosMysty and today starts what could very well be a potentially long series of posts about Sentinels of the Multiverse, created by Greater than Games. Sentinels of the Multiverse is a fully cooperative game in which 3-5 superheroes (eaach with their own unique deck and character card, complete with HP and Power) fight generally 1 powerful supervillain (each with their own unique deck and character card of rules text. More on why only “generally”, later) in an environment that changes the landscape (heh, landscape) of the battle as it goes on (again, each with their own unique deck). Rather than using an existing superhero universe, Badell created his own. You may recognize some common archetypes, such as heroes that include Legacy, the super strong, super resilient, all-American; Tachyon, the scientific speedster; Wraith, the CEO with no superpowers other than her mind and her money; and Bunker, a soldier outfitted with a metal suit loaded with tons of firepower; and villains such as Baron Blade, a no-powered scientist who uses his over-the-top super science to pose a threat to even Legacy; and Omnitron, a sentient AI that decided that the easiest way to end humanity’s problems is simply to end humanity. But enough about flavor, let’s do a very glossed overview of gameplay. The goal of the game (generally) is to reduce the villain (or villains, more on that later) to 0 HP before the heroes all become incapacitated or some other game-ending condition is fulfilled. The villains and environment are fully automated, leaving all the decisions to the heroes. Gameplay goes in order of villain turn, each hero turn in order, then environment turn, then repeat this cycle. The villains and environments use a “Start of turn, play top card, End of turn” turn structure, where start and end of turn are only relevant for timings mentioned on cards. Each hero turn similarly has the Start and End of turn, but the Middle Phase is where things are different: You can do up to each of these in this order: Play a card from your hand (You start off the game by drawing 4 from your 40 card deck. These cards may just have a one-shot effect or may stick around and build up your hero for a time or until destroyed), Use a Power (which can be on your hero’s character card or a card you have in play), and Draw a card. If your hero takes too much damage, they’ll drop to 0 HP, all your cards will be removed from the game, and you’ll cease being active and instead be incapacitated. You’re not out of the fight, though; while incapacitated, you have incapacitated abilities and Middle Phase of “Play, Power, Draw” becomes “Use an incapacitated ability”. To help scale the game to the number of heroes, the designers implemented H, a value equal to the number of heroes in the game (active or incapacitated). Generally used on villains (and generally used to scale damage or destruction), H helps to ensure that villains don’t become too difficult with only 3 heroes or too trivial with only 5 heroes (though, generally, 5-hero games are still much easier).

Is fighting one villain not good enough for you? Well, the Vengeance and Villain of the Multiverse expansions got you covered. You don’t face one solo villain; you instead face H team villains, each of which is about as powerful as (probably slightly more powerful than) the average hero, with an added upside of setup cards but the added downside of not being able to choose which card they want to play or who to aim for. Additionally, the villain turns aren’t all at the front but instead alternate with hero turns (with the first villain turn still being first and a single environment turn per round still being last). Anyway, time from the review part. While I really do enjoy this game, I’ll try to keep this as objective as possible: Pros: • This game has a LOT of variety, especially with all the expansions. Even with just the core game, with only ten heroes (of which you can play 3 to 5), four villains, and four environments, you have... wait a minute...

Seriously, you have 9312 combinations of teams, villains, and environments. (well, technically, you have 576,000 permutations since the order of the heroes does matter, but let’s not get into that). But strict numbers wouldn’t mean anything if they all felt the same. Let me assure you, this is not a problem; even with heroes that share a role or design shtick have different flavor, personality, cards, and deck mechanics. Each solo villain character card has two cards. Sometimes this splits the villain into two phases, sometimes the villain shifts between two phases, sometimes the back side is just used as a way to proc an effect and then flip back. But with a shuffled 25 card villain deck (or 20 cards for vengeance villains, but either way, they’re generally built with higher variance than hero decks), villains tend to create wildly different games while still maintaining their own distinct feel. Environments can also do a lot to change up the game, and once again, an environment deck’s 15 cards tend to be quite varied. • Lore. This game has lots of it. Despite most of the flavor texts being quoted from specific issues of comics, very few Sentinels Comics actually exist (although the writers do say that they keep track of the story as though they did exist to make sure they don’t screw up the timeline and place a quote where it shouldn’t be) and you’ll have to look for the Letters pages or just check the wiki at https://sentinelswiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page Just watch out. Sentinels is big on alternate timelines, so you might get a little confused if you’re not already versed with figuring out comic universe timelines. • This game can be played alone, so long as you’re willing to pilot 3-5 heroes by yourself.

• I know I said I would keep this objective, but I feel like I have to mention that the game feel is superb. The comic-cover like design of the hero cards, the flavor text being quotes from comics, the art style, all speak to the comic design. The mechanics and requirement of multiple heroes needing to stop the villain further reinforce this. The game isn’t perfectly “balanced” in all cases and in general favors the heroes, but that’s part of the point: mostly the heroes win, and sometimes the heroes lose. Even so, quite often, the battle’s outcome feels well-earned, just like how a hero team-up comic should be.

Cons:

• This game has a lot of bookkeeping. Between the Ongoing and Equipment cards that can either provide passive buffs or trigger upon certain events and well as some one-shots’ lingering buffs that can last anywhere from a round to until a certain event occurs, it can be very difficult to manage. The game provides tokens, but they don’t cover all possible events and you may have to buy the token expansion pack for this purpose. Thankfully, having more actual players helps spread the bookkeeping responsibility out.

• As with all fully cooperative games that you can openly share all your info, this can sometimes lead to one player backseat-playing for everyone else. This isn’t so much the game’s fault as it is a player fault, but if you have people in your playgroup who will do this, this might not be the game for that playgroup.

• This is more of a per-villain basis, but some villains (and in general the Vengeance team style) tend to get weaker as the game goes on while the heroes tend to get stronger, causing some fights to peter out near the end rather than have a climactic finish. On the other hand, some villains are too easy from the get-go and some are soul-crushingly difficult. I mentioned being “imperfectly balanced” as a feature and even a pro for capturing game feel, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sometimes leave a bad taste in your mouth (especially with people generally having a negativity bias in which they remember the bad times more than the good times).

• Buying this game and its expansions costs quite a bit of money. This is more of a con for OblivAeon (which will sort-of require all of the previous expansions [or at least the heroes and the complete hero promo collection if you want the intended experience]), but I feel like I should mention it here. I would highly recommend all of the expansions except maybe Villains of the Multiverse, since it only provides 10 villains for vengeance style and 5 environments that, while cool, aren’t completely necessary. (Not so coincidentally. Villains of the Multiverse is the only multi-deck expansion that doesn’t contain any heroes).

• This game’s lifespan isn’t infinite, and even with its large variety and my enjoyment of it, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes get tired of it and nearly lose interest between expansions. And with the game having no more official expansions coming out past Oblivaeon (unless you count Sentinels of Earth-Prime and any expansions it might have), who knows how much longer the game will last.

• Some rules and rulings are a bit confusing (especially if your cards’ printings aren’t completely up to date) and the rulebook isn’t 100% comprehensive. (Then again, this also leaves rulings up to interpretation, which may help with the fun factor if you aren’t a stickler for exactly following the rules.)

Thankfully, some of these cons can be alleviated in different ways (although sadly they can’t all be used at the same time)

• If the monetary cost and/or bookkeeping is too much, you can buy the Steam version. It’s a near-perfect replica of the physical game (with some minor changes due to engine limitations) but a hell of a lot cheaper and has computers doing the bookkeeping for you. You want to know if a target is being affected by something, just zoom in on it and it will tell you in the upper right-hand corner. Very helpful. The downside is that there is no modding support.

• If you want more Sentinels, Matthew Bishop creates The Cauldron, an unofficial expansion of Sentinels of the Multiverse. http://meromorph.com/tangent/cauldron/ https://boardgamegeek.com/article/20532002 • If the regular game is a bit too imbalanced, Adelphophage has got you covered, with both villain promo cards to change up the villains as well as (more controversially) some card inserts to change hero and environment cards as well. He even created some new villains as well.

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1678967/adelphophages-archives https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1790312/adelphophages-card-inserts I will be doing reviews on those too, likely after my OblivAeon review if it arrives soon enough (I’m expecting it today, actually). I’ll link to them in those reviews too. The downside with this solution is that the Steam game does not yet have mod support to import these, so you have to choose which problem you want to solve.

Overall, I highly recommend this game to the casual gamer. Try it out on Steam, and if you like it, consider getting a physical set for your playgroup and maybe looking into some unofficial expansions. And that’s all I got for you right now. I’ll see you all next time, and remember, keep it casual!

[shaledirectory]

What Denver7 Didn’t Tell You Last Night

Yesterday’s Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) hearing had the usual ban-fracking suspects present at public comment period – but there was a newcomer who just happened to catch the attention of a Denver7 news reporter, who just happened to be on hand for this run-of-the-mill monthly COGCC meeting.

Elizabeth Ewaskowitz, of Erie, Colo., gave public comment at COGCC’s hearing – and shortly after – retreated to the hall where she gave a well-prepared interview with Denver7 about blood tests she had performed on her 6-year-old son that showed elevated levels of certain substances. Ewaskowitz told the Denver7 reporter that the only explanation for the levels found in the blood test was the presence of wells in the area.

Public health issues have been a key point of emphasis for our EID team and we pay these concerns much credence. In fact, earlier this year, EID released a comprehensive report that took a deep dive into the data and findings by Colorado’s own Department of Health and Environment and detailed key health indicators in the state over a time of oil and gas development expansion. According to Colorado’s own top health experts and regulators, their analysis has found “no substantial or moderate evidence for any health effects,” related to oil and gas activity.

So, when a Colorado resident comes forward with data that appears to contradict these findings, we take them seriously. After attending the COGCC hearing and getting a taste of the Denver7 interview, we got to work taking a look at some of the relevant information being put forward. What we gathered might raise at least some suspicion about what Denver7 reported last night.

What Our EID Report Found

As mentioned above, EID released a health report earlier this year that reviewed a sizable amount of data and information to determine what impacts, if any, oil and gas development had on the State of Colorado.

First, the report took a look at health indicators and “death rates” from chronic illnesses in Weld County—home to 90 percent of Colorado’s oil production. From 2002-2015—a time period where oil and natural gas production increased by 12 times and three times respectively, and well counts more than doubled—the county saw decreases in death rates of Cancer (-1.9 percent), respiratory illness (-9.1 percent), and heart disease (-21.4 percent).

The report also detailed findings of Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s own assessment of existing research. CDPHE scientists reviewed 12 relevant epidemiological studies covering 27 different health effects in communities near oil and gas operations and found “no substantial or moderate evidence for any health effects.” In addition, CDPHE ranked the majority of recent studies purporting to find a link between oil and natural gas activity and adverse health effects as “low quality, primarily due to limitations of the study designs that make it difficult to establish clear links between exposures to substances emitted directly from oil and gas and the outcomes evaluated.”

CDPHE also analyzed more than 10,000 air samples in the state with “substantial” oil and natural gas operations and found that air emission levels were “safe,” even for sensitive populations.

State Regulators Are Already Actively Engaged

Ewaskowitz told Denver7 she filed formal complaints with COGCC and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE). She said of her experience in reaching out to the state regulatory bodies:

“I think I was surprised at how quickly they followed up, so I have been in communication with several of them.”

We at EID aren’t surprised of the quick response from state regulators given that CDPHE Oil and Gas Health Information and Response (OGHIR) Program was setup to field these types of complaints and investigate – often sending CDPHE staff into the field to conduct further testing. As EID’s recent health report notes of this program most recent compilation of findings from FY2016-17:

“the report tracked health concerns reported by Colorado residents, with 50 percent of the self-reported concerns in the state originating in Weld County. Responding to stakeholders, air sampling was conducted and reports provided for 6 Tier III responses.

‘Six Tier III community investigations, which included community air sampling, accounted for 65% of reported concerns,’ according to OGHIR.

Five of the six reports included Weld County sampling data.

‘OGHIR deployed the Colorado Air Monitoring Mobile Laboratory (CAMML) to three of the investigations, resulting in approximately 500 sampling hours. Each hourly sample includes about 1000 individual data points,’ the authors explained.

‘In general, the data collected from air sampling investigations have shown low risk for short- and long-term health effects to people in communities reporting concerns,’ the authors found.”

About the “Doctor”

As Denver7 reported, Ewaskowitz paid a Lafayette doctor “to conduct what’s known as a VOC or volatile organic compounds blood level test on her son.”

The doctor was not a physician but a Registered Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine based in the Boulder County area. According to Colorado State Law, “A naturopathic doctor shall not use: (a) the term “physician”; (b) the abbreviations “NMD” of “N.M.D.”; (c) the term “naturopathic medical doctor”. They are not permitted to treat children less than two years of age or “engage in or perform the practice of medicine, surgery, or any other form of healing except as authorized by this article:”

Instead of conventional medicinal practice most of us are accustomed to, naturopathic medicine focuses on encouraging self-healing. Even though Ewaskowitz referred to this practitioner as a “doctor” and “physician” in an extended interview with Denver7, he is not an M.D.

Activists Use COGCC Hearings – Another Activist Here?

EID has attended our fair share of COGCC hearings in the past. It’s now commonplace for activists to use these meetings to advance their agenda, conduct various stunts, and abuse the public commenting period.

Since we’ve witnessed these stunts firsthand, it was worth investigating if this particular resident is affiliated with any activist groups. A quick Google/social media search shows numerous posts railing against fossil fuels, including one that protested against the Keystone XL Pipeline and another expressing support for an Erie Protectors anti-fracking initiative.

Conclusion:

Of course, any health concerns should be met with careful attention and vigilance. But it’s important to heed the facts before letting media headlines draw conclusions in the place of hard facts and data. Let’s remember, according to the state’s top medical doctor, Dr. Larry Wolk, “There’s no reason to believe that there is a causal relationship between oil and gas operations and chronic diseases or cancers.”

CDPHE has shown a willingness and ability to be active in response to community concerns and to continually review health factors surrounding oil and gas development. Safety has, and always will be, top consideration. But let’s make sure sound science and hard data is what ultimately informs Colorado’s energy policy.

 https://www.shaledirectories.com/blog/what-denver7-didnt-tell-you-last-night/

[gdiwes]

I fucking did it I made my own Idol group

Fucking end me LOL 

A lot of info abound haha Honestly you don’t have to read it lol I still have a ton more research to do (esp on the city/Prefecture they’re from) but if you do read and notice any discrepancies please tell me. I want to make sure all the information I give/am basing them on is correct haha 

Marvel!Us is a new five-girl idol group attending a private high school in Kamakura city in Kanagawa Prefecture. Why is this relevant? Because I feel like they needed a location and I guess I love to kill myself researching shit haha The school’s idol club has existed for two years, this group of students being the club’s second year cast, however it is faced with shutdown early on due to not enough members. Luckily these five members were gathered, permitting the club to go on for another year. 

Characters by subunit: 

GUeSS!: Energetic, bright, and fun style

- Wakana Ito (Red): A third year and the leader/center of Marvel!Us, she joined the group when she was in her second year. She is passionate and loves Marvel!Us more than anything, and wants to see them succeed and win Love Live. Her main attribute is smile, and because she’s quite the jack-of-all-trades she assists the girls in all of their other activities haha Her favorite thing to do is design outfits with Hiroko. 

- Sayuri “Yuyu” Hashimoto (Purple): A second year student who transferred from a different school, where she was previously on their idol group. Yuyu can come off as a little mysterious or haughty, but she cares deeply about her friends and is just trying to help them do their best. She doesn’t believe in finding answers for people, so she’s always trying to get them to find the answers themselves. Her main attribute is cool, and she choreographs for the group. 

- Hiroko Sasaki (Grey): An energetic first year and Haruka’s younger sister, she is close friends with Wakana and has known her since middle school. Before Marvel!Us was formed, she aspired to go to UTX and wanted to be part of the idol group there; she honestly loves idols more than anything and aspires to be a professional idol after high school. Her main attribute is smile, and she designs and sews the outfits. 

Nadeshiko Pristine (NadePrisu): Mature, sweet, and traditional vibes 

- Haruka Sasaki (Pink): A tomboy who loves sports and doesn’t find herself very idol-like, as a third year she has to balance basketball, exams, and Marvel!Us. Even though she is close to Wakana and supports her younger sister, she finds herself very distant from the others girls. In truth, she was dragged into Marvel!Us by Wakana and stayed for Hiroko. Though she is often awkward around the others, she has her own shine that they acknowledge. Her main attribute is cool, and she organizes the training schedules. Because she knows how to play the guitar she also composes. 

- Mei Nakashima (Green): A first year student and an aspiring actress, Mei moved from Miura city with her family. Coming from a fishing port to the big city has been tough on her, and leaving her friends behind has made her feel more shy and isolated, but the girls of Marvel!Us are looking out for her. She has terrible stage fright, and though she has a strong voice she often sings and acts softly because of it. She hopes that being on stage with Marvel!Us will help her overcome it. Her main attribute is pure and she is in charge of writing the lyrics for the songs.

Extra pointless info: 

I REALIZE I SPELLED PRISTINE WRONG, I’M FKN EMO AFKLjfaskjSKJFsa;J But I already combined the layers before I could fix it and didn’t realize till too late OTL

I have a lot more for these girls (heights, likes, dislikes for ex.) and I really want to draw more for them- I really wanted to post a halloween set but I was super busy in October so I guess this will have to do for a debut haha I think I’ll do a christmas set for them though ^w^! Or try to haha 

For this I drew them in their winter uniforms, which is a fat ribbon and long sleeves. In summer they wear a short sleeved shirt and a thinner ribbon, however the pocket squares stay the same: 1st years wear green, 2nd years wear blue (technically teal but bear with me lol), and 3rd years wear orange. 

The Student Body Pres and VP also have a specific school-issued blazer (vest in summer) that they are required to wear over their uniform/any sweaters they wear, and I did draw the SBP- There were five former members of Marvel!Us, the SBP being one of them, however she quit to focus on her studies (the others were three third years who graduated and a first year who also quit.) I should have mentioned it, but Wakana and Haruka were the only two left, which is why the club was facing termination haha

At some point I’ll draw them in both uniforms and their workout gear haha Hopefully. I have it all doodled I just need to sit down and actually draw them in poses lol

Also the unit that Yuyu was previously on is one of my friend’s idol groups, who are Marvel!Us’ rivals haha There’s a girl on his group named Sumire who goes by Mimi, who is super close to Yuyu and influenced her super hard haha They’re good friends (coughmegagaycough) and I can’t wait to draw them together haha We’re planning a couple joint sets in the future, so I’m excited for those >w<!!! We’re still working on figuring out a lot tho haha, he’s got first names and designs down so he’s just gotta get a group name n last names for them. faskfjs I love his girls so much <333

Anyway if you read all the way to here thanks so much LOL I hope you enjoyed these girls as much as I enjoy working on them, and I hope you’re ready to see more of them in the future haha Next time with Pristine spelled right LOL 

[weryanmacdonaldus-blog]

Microsoft Word - 3P18 Blog #1.docx

Blog #1 The NFL is one of if not the most watched sports leagues in North America.

With thousands of viewers at the game as well as watching football on their television, one person’s movements and messages are able to spread quickly throughout the mainstream media. These movements have an overall impact on the player’s reputation and status, as well as the coaches and teams status as well. Their voices speak for much more than their own views. Because of mainstream media these movements are spoken by millions of people who stand for the same cause. To begin a movement on a stage such as this takes a lot of courage and pride. Although it doesn’t happen often, when it does it always creates a buzz in the world of social media. This buzz has a lot to do with the impact that pressed upon these players, teams and coaches.

Colin Kaepernick is a great example of how you can see mainstream media affecting more than just his own status and reputation. He was the first player in the NFL to kneel down during the playing of the national anthem in order to support the black lives matter movement. Many people, for “disrespecting the flag”, ridiculed him. Very few players joined the star quarter back that year in kneeling during the anthem; those who did also faced scrutiny. Organizations began to shy away from players who were participating in this movement due to the negative feedback they would get from the media. Kaepernick did not get re-signed after his contract expired at the end of the season; the question is raised as to whether or not this was because of this display of activism. If the media didn’t surround this issue would he have been offered a contract? Here’s what the media has to say about it in the past NFL season. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNEby1Nv1Kc

Colin Kapernick’s efforts to reduce racial inequality had bounced back in this present NFL season. Despite his absence on the field, Kaepernick’s presence had remained in many NFL stadiums. In this 2017 season it is seen that many players are now taking a knee in showing their support for black lives matter. This has started wide spread controversy throughout the league. This is seen through media outlets on a global scale and the topic doesn’t seem like it is losing headway. There are many people opposed to this act because of the supposed “disrespect to the flag, but players don’t seem to be changing their stance. In turn the teams and organizations representing the teams are receiving backlash from the media as well. Supporters, fans and media outlets want answers that they are opposed to giving because they can’t control what the players do on the field, in fact some of these players aren’t even entering the field for the anthem all together. Players are paid to play, otherwise they don’t have to be on the field. These media sources have different approaches in displaying these stories, each having their own focus and viewpoint, usually tailored towards their audience. It is clear that the tone of this story is much different than that of Kaepernick’s, it’s important question what other factors have an effect on this change in focus. Here’s a video that demonstrates that change in focus. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us- politics/taking-a-knee-national-anthem-nfl-trump-why-meaning-origins-racism-us- colin-kaepernick-a7966961.html

There is more than just one factor that made this change in focus occur. The solidarity of the NFL players themselves as well as Donald Trump’s misinterpretation of the players protests. Ever since last season when Kaepernick had introduced kneeling during the national anthem, other player had continued to support him. This NFL season more than ever. Starting just from one NFL player protesting, many other players had begun to support him. In present day, entire NFL teams such as the Baltimore Ravens as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers (except 1 player) are protesting the same way as Colin Kaepernick had last year. This directly addresses a key aspect of the Agenda setting theory. The Agenda setting theory discusses how the media has the ability to display ‘more popular’ rather than ‘more serious’ matters. This effect also addresses that the more coverage on a certain topic, the more serious or popular the content will become. In this case a different key topic has taken place. The amount of NFL players as well as fans that have supported Kaepernick’s movement for racial equality represents the “bandwagon effect” (Sullivan, 2013). The Bandwagon effect occurs when individuals change their side to the majority when first they were the minority. In present day other players for kneeling during the anthem are recognizing what Kaepernick had started. In the media, when one person began kneeling there had been an outrage. But because of the coverage that the media has been providing on players kneeling this NFL season, it has become bigger than ever. Although there is another aspect in which fuels this protest. Another great example of this is Donald Trump. Unfortunately in most cases, the bigger the public figure the bigger the media boom. Donald Trump is on of the most powerful men in the world in one of the most media congested nations in the world. Because of this, what Trump says usually has the biggest impact on people’s opinions and also draws in more of the general public to weigh in because of his relevance and the power of his voice. Usually the media can either agree or disagree with what Trump has to say about this movement. The stir in the media actually draws the attention away from the main purpose of this movement which is for black lives matter. The media blends the idea of players disrespecting the flag, and the players support for black lives matter into a war of content in terms of distribution between competing media sources with different views. In turn this battle of content overall determines what is displayed on the media due to viewer interest. Media begins to only shine light on the stories and sides to stories that are most desirable to the viewers. Again resulting in the Agenda setting effect. Donald Trump’s comments on the protest not only encourage players to protest even more, but also create a divisive nation between protestors and non- protestors. The President of the United States will always have people who support him because of his position of power. This is what further divides societies in which the NFL players themselves as well as fans live in when these types of comments are mentioned. Along with this, the dependency theory plays a role in this specific situation as well. Because this protest has become a divided debate between the President and these famous NFL teams, media outlets are more likely to show this situation because of the coverage it’ll get. Also, the consumer of this media and news have no other way of accessing the information being provided other than by being there first-hand, forcing us to consume their information whether it be true or not. This induces an overall impact on the media industry. Viewers who agree with the

information they hear that may not be true may steer from watching NFL programming, thus directing their attention to the buzzing media story. People actually seem to be more interested in the heated debates rather than the sport. Its difficult for these black lives matter movement supports to complain though, the idea of their movement was to spark public discussion and use the media to spread awareness through the power they obtain as well. They are definitely getting the media attention they wanted, just not in the exact light they expected. It is important to understand why people get so much more interested in these debates. In terms of sports, it is fair to say it is because of the national identity carried with football. Prior to events like this media sources such as the NFL begin to carry a national identity and depicts what it means to be American. When the thought of questioning hegemonic ideologies occurs national identity is questioned as well and this is not a topic appreciated by many Americans. Those opposed to this movement feel as though these athletes are only in the position they are because of the great opportunities America has to offer them. However the focus of the activism is not to oppose America but to spread awareness about unfair treatment to African- Americans. At this point it’s difficult to say whether or not this form of protest has been beneficial in gaining support from the public. It does however, speak numbers for those who do support the movement in seeing that the players are willing to risk their million dollar careers for the cause.

The allocation of money in terms of the NFL is not the only place where Trump is concerned. Unfortunately in any public affair economic always plays a factor. Coincidently being Trumps main concern, are his comments only because of

the economics behind sport media in the US. Recently Trump made it clear that he was only interested in the economic concerns of political affairs when addressing Puerto Rico after being hit by a devastating hurricane. As seen here Trump states “Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.” (Trump, 2017) completely dismissing the extent the disaster impacted the country. The US as a world has to be concerned about economics at all times, however Trump does so to another extent. Power is also embedded in the national identity of Americans and as we all know money is power. This could be why Trump is able to reach so many people in taking his views. He uses national pride to cater to Americans. In terms of the NFL, those opposed are concerned with two risks to national identity, first the sport itself being tainted, and second the loss in revenue and power which are both nationally admired. Along with that, the media broadcasters are encouraged to display national and cultural programs. Since this is so nationally relevant, these broadcasters jobs are made easy in just being able to throw the same information at you while adding small details, over an extend period of time to keep you tied into the story. This is always fresh on the mind of viewers because what it means to be American can be defined as simply as being up to date on national news, and how America is doing globally. Many of these Americans don’t take into consideration how Donald Trump is more likely to make a decision based on the monetary loss or gain versus the moral decision when looking at the NFL protests. Trump wants these players to stop protesting because of the money being lost through these players and the fan-base that follows or contradicts the protest as well. That being said, just like this article, every news source takes a side or has a focus in their stories. It’s important for viewers to note the author and the credibility of the article. Major news stories develop overtime it is also important that all the information on a topic I retained before taking a stance. Often times going through multiple news sources are beneficial in getting a whole picture of the story. However this affects us personally because the media paints a picture that society wants to see, often limiting the critical thinkers accessibility to resources. With media being as wide spread as it is today, viewers should not struggle to find all the information to inform a full opinion on political issues. Unfortunately due to more powerful influences such as Trump and dominant discourse in American society, viewers are neglected. It is required by public Broadcasting Corporation to air cultural, social, economic and politically enriching programs that encourage the development of their culture. By advertising stories such as this, these new stations are being counterproductive in conforming to this mandate. All of these aspects such as power in society and media, Bandwagon effects and other media theories affect the way an audience interprets stories being told through these media outlets.

This concludes my first blog.

https://weryanmacdonaldus.tumblr.com/

Resources next blog

[trishhyoungg]

What is Grief? And 5 Ways to Deal With Grief

Long time no see my Tumblr readers :) Since my last post I’m guessing many of you might we worried to see such a topic come up on my blog. Well fret no with most things that don’t get revealed on social media.. Life happened and with that comes the Circle of Life. 

Post Dedication: Without getting into too much personal details, I wanted to dedicate this post to anyone who heart is in immense pain over a lost of a love one (whether direct relative or not) I believe with such conviction that God has a reason for every season & the pain you feel now. Albeit temporary but this season will shape you in ways you’ll soon discover.

On a personal note, hi my dear love of my life, I’m sorry for the lost you’ve had to experience. I know that my words alone cannot do much but I want you to know that what happened is no ones fault & that she is a better place. I’ll continue to hold your heart & hand - walk alongside you till you heal & find peace. Love you more than you know. 

This might be a long read for some so do grab yourself a warm cup of tea, coffee or beverage of choice & enjoy [Reading Time: 5-10 minutes]

You don’t have to be linguist to know the core topic of this post would fall under the 1st definition & NOT the 2nd. Nothing complicated about the emotion of ‘Grief’ - ‘Intense sorrow’ which in most cases is due to a lost of beautiful soul. 

It’s worth keeping in mind that everyone grieves differently. Just like how all personalities are different with no two the same - this treatment is similar for Grief. Some people will wear their emotions on their sleeve and others will experience their grief more internally, and some may not even cry (believe it out not). We should try & not judge how a person experiences their Grief, as each person will experience it differently.

1. Denial & Isolation

The first stage to learning about the terminal illness, loss, or death of a cherished loved one is to deny the reality of the situation. 

“This isn’t happening, this can’t be happening,” people often think. 

It is a normal reaction to rationalize overwhelming emotions. It is a defense mechanism that buffers the immediate shock of the loss. We block out the words and hide from the facts. This is a temporary response that carries us through the first wave of pain.

2. Anger

As the masking effects of denial and isolation begin to wear, reality and its pain re-emerge. We are not ready. The intense emotion is deflected from our vulnerable core, redirected and expressed instead as anger. The anger may be aimed at inanimate objects, complete strangers, friends or family. Anger may be directed at our dying or deceased loved one. Rationally, we know the person is not to be blamed. Emotionally, however, we may resent the person for causing us pain or for leaving us. We feel guilty for being angry, and this makes us more angry.

3. Bargaining

The normal reaction to feelings of helplessness and vulnerability is often a need to regain control–

If only we had sought medical attention sooner…

If only we got a second opinion from another doctor…

If only we had tried to be a better person toward them…

Secretly, we may make a deal with God or our higher power in an attempt to postpone the inevitable. This is a weaker line of defense to protect us from the painful reality.

4. Depression

Two types of depression are associated with mourning. 

The first one is a reaction to practical implications relating to the loss. Sadness and regret predominate this type of depression. We worry about the costs and burial. We worry that, in our grief, we have spent less time with others that depend on us. This phase may be eased by simple clarification and reassurance. We may need a bit of helpful cooperation and a few kind words.

The second type of depression is more subtle and, in a sense, perhaps more private. It is our quiet preparation to separate and to bid our loved one farewell. Sometimes all we really need is a hug.

5. Acceptance

Reaching this stage of mourning is a gift not afforded to everyone. Death may be sudden and unexpected or we may never see beyond our anger or denial. It is not necessarily a mark of bravery to resist the inevitable and to deny ourselves the opportunity to make our peace. This phase is marked by withdrawal and calm. This is not a period of happiness and must be distinguished from depression.

Loved ones that are terminally ill or aging appear to go through a final period of withdrawal. This is by no means a suggestion that they are aware of their own impending death or such, only that physical decline may be sufficient to produce a similar response. Their behavior implies that it is natural to reach a stage at which social interaction is limited. The dignity and grace shown by our dying loved ones may well be their last gift to us.

Source: https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/

At the end of the day, how you deal with Grief is a personal journey & should not be influenced by this post nor anyone else who imposes their views on you. However in knowing that there is no fix template to dealing with Grief, many a times we can get stuck in feel lost for a long time - weeks, months or even years.

Take these as thoughts you can ponder on as you re-navigate you way back to the starting point which seems to have be blurred.

*Worth noting that these are ways that I have help me in my time of losing a love one as well - as such is personal & individual not the law*

1. Release

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” - Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

When I think of 'Release’, I mediate on the idea that I have someone or something to upload my emotions to. Something to almost fully take away what was once burdening ones heart & to ease that burden. I see it in 2 phases when it comes to ‘Release’: (1) Choice - to make the deliberate choice to no longer bear the weight of the load on your own & to surrender it to a higher authority or power (2) Letting go - to organically let your heart rest & the burden eases. 

A few tangible activities that can help one achieve ‘Release’:

i. Meditation Whether it be a early morning walk or quiet time in the morning, making time to be still & to regulate the voices clouding ones heart & mind proves to be highly beneficial in the process of Grief. Making that physical choice to do so will make all the difference.

ii. Counselling Most people see this in a form of a person, i.e. medical counselling, how I see it is in engaging the the thing that you resist doing in terms of expressing your emotions. This will look different for many people - for me, it looks like sharing a thing or two more about how I’m feeling to the people around me who love me or even taking time to pray & seek god. Figure out what you resist in terms of expressing your emotions & work on small steps in doing it.

iii. Sleep This is probably more so relevant for those of you who on a normal day already struggle with sleep (i.e. partial insomnia or medical insomnia). In your time of Grief, you will see this to be a painful & almost burdensome activity especially when all your emotions seem to cloud any form of physical rest. I personally find that a quick purchase of a form of aromatherapy (i.e. room spray, essential oils, aroma diffuser) is a good place to start to unwind. Taking practical steps to get you or your family members to bed is important - is reduces tension & allows you to get back to your normal routine quickly.

2. Talk ‘aka’ Communication

A brief mention of talking to love ones was discussed above but still I believe that this requires a category of its own especially so when internalizing pain - which ultimately is the biggest ‘Resistance Factor’ when moving thru the stages of Grief. Whether it be talking to a person, object, spirit or even engaging in any form of communication (i.e. online, offline, written, spoken, heard) it is important to remember that communication is key. 

Some activities to consider:

i. Blogpost / Letter Writing / Instagram Post / Journalling Just as I’m typing through this entry, it brings back memories of the passing of my grandfather when I was 19. My heart still aches but I look back at the time that has passed & have seen how far I have come since then. I find that writing gives one a 360 degree vantage point of things. The ability to look to the past, present & future just by penning down your thoughts. It also helps to be able to ‘Release’ pent up emotions & leave it on ‘paper’. 

ii. Painting / Drawing  My twin sister brought meditative art to my attention when she curated ‘My Heart on Me’ - an avenue for anyone to be empowered through life. Through art, we will begin to unpack your experiences, thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams to be revealed more in yourself. Believing and knowing that the ups and downs of life, and for explanations beyond our comprehension, has made you you- perfect and wonderful. For more click here - https://www.facebook.com/myheartonme/

iii. Community Groups / Spiritual Huddles This is one that most Christians would be familiar with in terms of Life Groups, Cell Groups, Bible Study Groups, etc. However is not exclusive to the religion - church groups may appear to be exclusive in nature however do not be mislead many Christian groups are the direct opposite - constantly with their arms open to journey will anyone who may need it. Should spiritual groups not be your cup of team - Many secular organizations have community group that allow for public participation as well,

3. Prayer

Prayer in my journey of Grief has been the MOST pinnacle factor that enabled me to embark on my personal journey of healing. For some background, I’ve lived my life since birth as a 2nd generation Methodist christian which basically means that I was born into the faith with no prior knowledge of ‘Why’ which therefore just meant that I was a Methodist christian. As you’d expect, growing up with the faith was filled with countless ‘highs’ & ‘lows’. It was only when I was baptized at the age of 19 (2012) - after the death of my grand father (2011) which was when I woke up to how blessed my life had been & how much I had relied on my faith without even truly knowing how much Grace & Mercy has been bestowed on me. You see the death of my grandfather came alongside a series of events - I did up a fundraiser - Project Overturned Closet for cancer patients in 2012 which opened my eye to much which in turn healed my broken heart. I truly believe that all that stemmed from that singular ‘come hell or high water’ prayer that I said when my life seemed to be in a pit of endless despair. Personally, I cannot deny that tipping point in my life that broke the shackle of Grief & allowed me to heal. 

4. Preserve Good Memories Only

This possibly might be one of the first few actions engaged in by many when Grieving - looking at old photos, videos, social media post when ‘they’ were once living. I find that this luxury is highly correlated to the relationship one has with the passed on individual. Estranged relationships or traumatic events can sometimes hinder one from seeing the Good in these memories. Albeit easier said than done, it helps to come to a stage when one is able to look back on memories that were once beautiful rather than painful, memories that were once victorious rather than defeated, memories of blessing rather than regrets. Some thoughts (of the deceased) kick start the process - ‘Remember only focus on the Good’:

i. What was the most accomplishing moment in his/her life? ii. Recall the a fond memory you shared with him/her? iii. What are the positive character traits of him/her? Iv: What are some of memories of him/her that you’ll treasure forever?

5. Say ‘No’ to Negativity

This point may almost seem silly to some people - ‘if I could so ‘No’ to negative thoughts, wouldn’t I have done it already? - Well my point of view comes from a more deliberate & physical method of saying ‘No’ to Negative Company & Comments that might surround you in this time of Grief.  Ever had someone have tendencies to blame everything & everyone around them without vetting through their thoughts or actions? Ever had bad company ask you to engage in mindless, thoughtless or even illegal activities just to forget? Ever been peer pressured to ‘fuck it’ & not bother about your loves ones in Grief? Ever had someone around you make an insensitive remark & not feel apologetic about it? Those are a few scenarios of Negativity manifesting into life that proves to be more detrimental than it may appear to be. In moments like these, I believe that ‘Guarding ones Heart’ has never been made more important. It does not make you a bad person by saying ‘No’ or even being adamant about saying ‘No’ to these moments of Negativity. You are allowed to Grief & should be able to Grief in your own time; anyone who says otherwise is foolish & deluded.

Some way to say ‘No’ to Negativity:

i. I think that’s enough. What’s done it done, please don’t make the situation any worst than it should be. ii. I don’t think attending that party will help me with my pain. I won’t be going. iii. My family needs me now. I think I’ll be staying by them. iv. That not a nice thing you just said. Do hope that you’ll be respectful about what has happened.

And with that I’ve come to the end of the post. I just want to say that this read is in no way a blogpost telling you what you should do or must do. Like I’ve mentioned it’s just a way of locating the starting point when you seem at a lost & are unsure of how to move on in your process of Grief. 

I hope that this has helped at least 1 person out there going through a difficult time in their life. Just remember that there is always someone who loves you & is waiting for you with open arms to heal your pain. 

Well Yeap! That’s all from me! Let me know what you think!

Pop A Question in the ‘Ask-Me-Anything’ Tab Above <3

OR EVEN IF YOU NEED A LISTENING EAR TO UNLOAD YOUR PROBLEMS. DO DROP ME A COMMENT. YOU’RE NEVER ALONE!

Roman 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Remember beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. No one has the power to make you feel less than you really are.

[confusingfuturehistorians]

A House Divided: A Pre-Election Plea

Recently I was re-watching Lincoln and a particular quote from Thaddeus Stevens (played by Tommy Lee Jones) jumped out at me due to its relevance to our current political climate. (1) The scene takes place outside the chamber of the House of Representatives after a debate on the proposed Thirteenth Amendment (which outlawed slavery in the US) when Stevens went back on his position that he believed all men were created equal; instead insisting he believed that all men should be equal before the law. This astounded his faction of radical Republicans and prompted claims of dishonesty from most Democrats. Stevens backtracked on his position however, in order to try to get Democrats who may have been potentially sympathetic to the 13th Amendment to vote for it, as without some Democrat support, it would not have gained the two-thirds majority necessary for it to pass. Stevens therefore said what he said to ease their concerns that abolishing slavery would be too radical a move which would destroy the fabric of American society as they knew it.

 After the debate he is confronted by Asa Vintner Litton (a fellow radical Republican Congressman) who says to him: “Have you lost your very soul, Mr. Stevens? Is there nothing you won't say?”

To which Stevens replies: “I want the amendment to pass, so that the constitution's first and only mention of slavery is its absolute prohibition. For this amendment, for which I have worked all my life and for which countless colored men and women have fought and died and now hundreds of thousands of soldiers... No, sir, no, it seems there's very nearly nothing I won't say.”

 Of course, as the pedant I am, I have to point out that I have no idea whether this conversation ever happened (I doubt it did, or at least, I doubt there is a verifiable record of it happening); but it is certainly true that Stevens was willing to compromise his values in order to get the amendment through. This film depicts this as more shocking than it actually was (despite his undoubtedly radical positions, it was neither the first nor the last time Stevens proved himself willing to compromise in order to get results), but what I took away from it is that in the context of contemporary British politics, I think something like that would be a lot more shocking than it was in Lincoln.

 Compromise is a very difficult thing, and given that I’m just as stubborn as I am pedantic, I would certainly have to admit that I am not an especially good compromiser. However, politics needs compromise because things simply don’t get done without it. And given the myriad of different opinions people can hold, even within a single political party, this is unsurprising. But one of my biggest worries about the way that the political climate has been changing recently has been the lack of willingness to compromise, particularly in progressive circles. (2) This is why in the UK, despite the fact that the Conservative lead has been massively reduced following a horrendous campaign, it looks unlikely that anyone except the Tories will win tomorrow’s General Election for the simple reason that those of us opposed to them have not done a good enough job of working together to prevent it. We already saw this happen to certain extent with Brexit, and we definitely saw it happen across the pond where a number of Democrat voters potentially cost Clinton the election by either not showing up or voting for another candidate. We would far rather argue amongst ourselves about how those guys aren’t “real progressives” because of that one thing one of their candidates said 17 years ago and so there’s “literally no difference” between voting for them and voting for Tories. It’s pathetic! And it’s not just pathetic, it’s downright dangerous.

 I appreciate that most people have a clear favourite party that they support. And I appreciate the need for an active political discourse, which includes criticism of things that you find objectionable. But it’s getting to such a ridiculous extent now that people’s objections to some policies will enable situations that are far worse. From what I’ve seen, this has been most noticeable with the die-hard Corbynites for whom compromise appears to mean “everyone should compromise their values and agree with Corbyn on every issue”, but they’re not the only ones. Whether they are drawing their inspiration from Corbyn, or whether Corbyn has been drawing inspiration from them is difficult to tell. But either way, the gains made by Labour during the last month will mean absolutely nothing if Corbyn is not prepared to work with others who don’t share every single one of his policies; and this situation will not change if his most vocal supporters refuse to criticise him for this. The most obvious example is his unmoving (and seemingly un-negotiated) stance on Brexit, which completely goes against what the majority of the people likely to support him want. Most people (myself included, although I never thought I’d be saying this a year ago) would tolerate a soft Brexit if it meant it could be negotiated by a party that isn’t the Tories (or UKIP, but I’m not mentioning them after this because this Tory party is essentially the same thing). But that’s not good enough for Jezza or his comrades. It’s up to us to change our views to suit them, remember.

 Now, I do appreciate the irony of me strongly criticising a particular faction of the progressive movement while also arguing that doing so is a problem. The problem does not only exist within the Corbynite movement by any stretch of the imagination, but my experience is that this is where it has been most obvious. Moreover, it is where the problem is most significant because any alliance formed in opposition to the Conservatives would have to be led by Corbyn and so his unwillingness to compromise means that unless he wins an outright majority (which no poll, however optimistic towards his chances) has predicted, his gains mean absolutely nothing. Reducing the Tory majority will not matter if he can’t convince some Tories to work with him to vote against the Government, and even a hung Parliament won’t help the cause if he refuses to form a government with other parties. (3) Perhaps I’m doing Corbyn a disservice and Stevens in fact had it far easier, as he was looking to change his country rather than simply stopping his opponents from getting in; but ultimately I think it still comes down to the same thing. How on earth can you achieve anything in politics if you won’t compromise? And that isn’t a rhetorical question, by the way. Look through your history books and I guarantee you will not find a political movement that achieved its aims without it.

 So part of this mini-essay is an attempt to plead with the like-minded people who I am aware make up the majority of my social media contacts to go out and vote for the party most likely to stop the Tories, EVEN IF it means voting for someone you would generally rather not vote for. This is the only way that we can stop what will possibly turn out to be the most destructive British government in recent years (yes, including the Thatcher years). But there is another plea that I feel I need to make. This is to centrists and the centre-right who are also refusing to compromise in a different way, in the sense that they are refusing to compromise their party identity (or in some cases their “patriotism”) in order to do the right thing. Let me be crystal clear here, I am not saying that you should change your beliefs or values to mine because mine are right and yours are wrong. So you can save your “holier-than-thou-Lefties” speech for another day. I’m happy to accept the fact that you as a moderate Tory have different values from me as someone who is a member of the Green Party. What I am saying is that this current Tory Government under Theresa May does not represent your values and that the right thing to do is admit this and vote accordingly.

 Of course, we progressives don’t spend our entire time arguing amongst ourselves. We do occasionally argue with those on the Right and in the centre too, and having engaged in many of these friendly discussions myself, I’ve noticed a number of themes that often emerge in these situations. While the far-right trolls are busy hurling the sorts of insults one might expect them to, the centre-right is busy claiming that in fact, it is us who are the unreasonable ones. Those right-wing trolls are just a few bad apples, whereas the vitriol in circles which claim to be progressive is systemic. (4) These people claim that it is unfair to insist that the Conservatives are “The Nasty Party”, it’s unfair to claim that they all hate poor people and it’s unfair to claim the moral high-ground when the Left is always shutting down honest debate through no-platforming and political correctness. Meanwhile they insist that they could not possibly vote for a party that is so politically weak, so economically inefficient and so dangerous to the security of the nation (not to mention in sympathy with the SNP and the IRA). (5)

Again, I am absolutely not asking people in this case to change those views. I do disagree with them, and before now I would have been happy to have had that debate (and indeed have done so on a number of occasions). But unless something drastic happens on June 8th I refuse to debate it anymore, because I cannot believe that you are being genuine with any of those concerns. If you knowingly vote for a party that wants to bring back fox-hunting and has willingly scapegoated immigrants ever since Theresa May became Home Secretary, then yes, I do believe that it’s fair to say that you are supporting the Nasty Party. If you’re going to vote for a party which has led to deaths of 30,000 people in 2015 alone through its harsh and unnecessary austerity policies, then yes, I do think it’s fair to say that you must have something against poor people. (6) I also think it’s hypocritical in the extreme to vote for a party whose leader has refused debates and public scrutiny at every possible opportunity if you value open discourse so much. As for values of free speech, I cannot even begin to comprehend how you could truly hold those values and still vote for a leader who has openly admitted that she wants to regulate the internet. If they don’t wish to vote for a politically weak party, how can they justify voting for a leader who U-turns on everything that the Daily Mail criticises her for? If they don’t wish to vote for an economically weak party, how can they justify voting for a party who have presided over the worst decline in real wages of any developed country other than Greece? And if they really value security so much, how can they vote for a leader who is obsessed with tearing up our human rights and who has supressed a report on how Saudi Arabia finances terrorists in Britain, because it would embarrass her party? (7)

Despite Theresa May’s extraordinary attempts to avoid as much engagement as possible in an election she called after repeatedly ruling it out, her intentions for the direction she wants to take the party (and therefore the country, if they get elected) have been made clear. These are not simply the rantings of a tin-foil-hat-wearing-conspiracy-theory-loving-Left-wing-lunatic. This is public information, which you should (and in my personal experience of centre-right voters, do) know. In 2015, the severity of the impact austerity cuts were having was nowhere near as widely known and the Conservatives did not make a big thing about their plans to spy on the entire country and crash headlong out of the EU (which, incidentally, most of the centre-leaning Tories I know voted to stay part of) even with the very real-looking possibility of deal whatsoever to go along with it. Now we know. There are no more excuses. The only thing holding you back from voting against the Conservatives is not your values, but you unwillingness to compromise on who you’re voting along with. I don’t profess to know the centre-right mind-set, but there is simply no way I can grasp how anyone in that group can profess to hold the progressive values that so many of them claim to hold and still vote Conservative this time around with a clean conscience. If you really want to show us Lefties how much more tolerant you are of other people’s beliefs, now is your chance. Vote for what you believe in, even if it means allying with people like me, and I’ll believe you. Refuse to take this opportunity and condemn this country to the most draconian government Britain has had is recent history, and I will not.

 I have always prided myself to a certain extent on my stubbornness and my principled nature. And for a long time, I believed that those two things were one and the same, but they are not. Principles are things which you would be willing to do anything to avoid or achieve, whereas stubbornness is being unwilling to change what it is that you are doing. In many cases they are the same, but at some point there comes a point of no return where principles can no longer be safeguarded by stubbornness. I’m sure most people can think of a situation where they put up with something that should have been unacceptable to them simply because they were unwilling to change. And I’m also sure that everyone in that situation would act differently were they given a second chance. What we need to continually be asking ourselves is “Where is our line in the sand”? I think that if they really thought about it, more people would have actually gone past that line with regard to current politics than they are willing to admit. For me, I live in the Salford and Eccles constituency, which is an incredibly safe Labour seat, so I am someone who would gain nothing through voting tactically. As a result I intend to vote for my party, the Greens. However, if I still lived where I did during the last General Election (in Oxford West and Abingdon), then I would vote for the Lib Dems, despite there being two parties I agree with more. This is because, quite simply, with the stakes being as high as they are, my principles would not allow me to be stubborn. And whichever way people plan to vote, I strongly urge each and every person who reads this to think very carefully about why they are planning to vote the way they are. And in many cases, they may well need to channel their inner Thaddeus Stevens.

 1. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the scene anywhere online, so I’ll just leave this with you instead. Ad hominem attacks aren’t ever productive in reality (and indeed the real-life Stevens rarely resorted to them, at least in Congress), but it nevertheless makes for a satisfying scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Brh9iWajc

2. I’m using “progressive”, purely in want of a better term, to describe any party or set of beliefs which does not align with the far-right of Britain. This includes centrists and even the centre-right, which is why I’m avoiding “Left” as a term here. I’m not overly sure “progressive” is much better, but it’s worth arguing the semantics, as long as everyone knows what I mean.

3. I’m not making this up – he genuinely said this at a time when his popularity was at his highest. It’s times like this that make me genuinely convinced he and his supporters want to lose the election and watch the Tories dismantle the country just so they can say “See, we were right!”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/01/corbyn-vows-no-deals-no-pacts-if-there-is-a-hung-parliament

4. It’s worth pointing out here, of course, that many people who would describe themselves as card-carrying Lefties and progressives would also make the same arguments here. Rightly or wrongly, it is another example of how progressives seem far more willing to argue amongst ourselves than actually achieve our aims. The Judean People’s Front / People’s Front of Judea bit from Life of Brain springs very vividly to mind.

5. Ignoring the completely false claims of the Left being IRA apologists, it is certainly true that there is a lot of support Scottish Independence among progressives. For me though, it’s ironic for Conservatives to take such a strong stand on this when their policy of unnecessarily pursuing a hard-Brexit is the thing that is most likely to bring about the collapse of the union. Thaddeus Stevens would certainly have disapproved.

6. This case is particularly poignant at a time when the country is mourning the loss of over 30 people in terrorist attacks, yet the government seemingly gets a free pass for killing a thousand times that many in a single year.

http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-02-20-30000-excess-deaths-2015-linked-cuts-health-and-social-care

7. All of the above points come with a delicious side of evidence. Enjoy!

https://www.ft.com/content/e021c208-3ede-11e7-9d56-25f963e998b2

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-workers-have-had-the-worst-wage-growth-in-the-oecd-except-greece-a7773246.html?cmpid=facebook-post

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/theresa-may-terrorism-human-rights_uk_5936ec0be4b0099e7fafd14d?1zz

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/31/sensitive-uk-terror-funding-inquiry-findings-may-never-be-published-saudi-arabia