#alternative legal solution

[lawliveus]

Key Tips for Witness Preparation: A Guide for Lawyers

Effective witness preparation is a cornerstone of success in litigation. A well-prepared witness can make a significant difference in the outcome of a case, while an unprepared witness can undermine even the strongest legal arguments. As a lawyer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your witnesses are ready to testify confidently, consistently, and in line with your legal strategy. This process involves more than just reviewing facts—it requires coaching, psychological preparation, and strategic guidance.

Witness Preparation Support is a crucial service offered by Proxiio, an alternative legal solutions provider that specializes in helping legal teams improve their witness preparation process. With Proxiio’s expertise and tools, lawyers can enhance the effectiveness of their witnesses, leading to more successful courtroom performances.

In this guide, we will explore the key tips and best practices for witness preparation, including how Proxiio’s witness preparation support can help lawyers streamline and optimize the preparation process.

1. Start Early with Witness Preparation

Witness preparation should begin as early as possible in the case preparation process. The more time you have to prepare your witnesses, the more thorough and effective their testimony will be. Starting early also allows you to identify potential issues and weaknesses in the witness’s story, giving you time to address them before the witness is called to testify.

Proxiio’s Witness Preparation Support helps ensure that witnesses are coached and guided from the beginning, using AI-powered tools and expert coaching to prepare them throughout the legal process. Early preparation also allows for multiple rounds of practice and feedback, which can significantly improve a witness’s performance in court.

2. Know the Key Points of Testimony

The core of any witness’s testimony is the information they need to convey. Lawyers should ensure that the witness is clear on the key points that will support the case. The witness should not only understand what is important to the case but also how to communicate these points clearly and effectively.

Proxiio’s AI-driven simulations and feedback tools help identify the most relevant aspects of the case for the witness to emphasize. Legal teams can ensure that witnesses focus on the facts that matter most, avoiding unnecessary details or digressions that may confuse the court.

3. Anticipate Cross-Examination Questions

Cross-examination is often the most challenging aspect of testifying in court. During this phase, opposing counsel will attempt to undermine the credibility of the witness by probing for inconsistencies or weaknesses in their testimony. To prepare a witness for cross-examination, you need to anticipate the toughest questions they may face.

Proxiio’s Witness Preparation Support includes simulated cross-examinations that replicate the real pressures of courtroom questioning. These simulations provide valuable insights into how witnesses handle hostile questioning and whether they can maintain their composure and consistency under pressure.

Through these simulations, witnesses are coached on how to respond to cross-examination questions in a clear, calm, and concise manner, minimizing the chances of a successful challenge by opposing counsel.

4. Coach on Body Language and Presentation

How a witness presents themselves in the courtroom can have a significant impact on how their testimony is perceived. Nervousness, hesitation, or poor body language can lead the court to question the witness’s credibility. On the other hand, confident body language, good posture, and eye contact can enhance the effectiveness of their testimony.

Proxiio emphasizes the importance of non-verbal communication in their Witness Preparation Support. Witnesses are trained on how to project confidence through their body language. They are taught to maintain good posture, use appropriate gestures, and make eye contact with the judge and jury. Witnesses also learn how to remain composed and calm, even when under the stress of aggressive questioning.

By improving both verbal and non-verbal communication, Proxiio helps witnesses make a lasting, positive impression in the courtroom.

5. Prepare for the Emotional Impact of Testifying

Testifying in court can be an emotionally taxing experience for many witnesses, especially in cases involving personal or traumatic events. The stress of public speaking, the potential for cross-examination, and the gravity of the legal proceedings can take an emotional toll. As a lawyer, it is important to prepare your witnesses for the emotional challenges they may face.

Proxiio offers psychological coaching as part of its Witness Preparation Support, helping witnesses manage the emotional aspects of testifying. Through stress management techniques, relaxation strategies, and mental conditioning, Proxiio’s services help witnesses remain calm and focused, even in high-stress environments.

Witnesses are also trained to manage their emotions effectively during difficult questions, which ensures that their testimony remains consistent and credible.

6. Rehearse Testimony Through Mock Sessions

One of the most effective ways to prepare a witness is through mock testimony sessions. These sessions replicate the courtroom environment, allowing the witness to practice their testimony in front of a judge, jury, or legal team. The benefit of these practice sessions is that they allow the witness to become familiar with the courtroom setting and gain valuable feedback on how they present themselves.

Proxiio’s AI-powered testimony simulation tools help create realistic mock trials, giving the witness a safe space to practice their answers and rehearse their delivery. Real-time feedback allows the witness to make adjustments, ensuring that their testimony is strong, clear, and credible. Lawyers can identify potential weaknesses or areas for improvement, and witnesses can make adjustments before stepping into the real trial.

7. Ensure the Witness Understands Courtroom Etiquette

Courtroom etiquette is an often-overlooked aspect of witness preparation but plays an important role in how a witness is perceived. A witness must be aware of the formalities and decorum required in the courtroom. This includes how to address the judge, how to respond to questions from opposing counsel, and how to behave in the presence of the jury.

Proxiio includes courtroom etiquette training as part of its Witness Preparation Support. Witnesses are coached on how to behave appropriately in court, ensuring they understand how to present themselves respectfully and professionally throughout the trial. This training also covers how to handle unexpected interruptions or objections during testimony, helping the witness stay on track and focused on delivering their testimony.

8. Encourage Truthfulness and Consistency

Above all, the most important aspect of witness preparation is ensuring that the witness is truthful and consistent. A witness who is caught in a lie or presents conflicting testimony can lose their credibility, potentially damaging the case. As a lawyer, you should stress the importance of honesty and consistency throughout the preparation process.

Proxiio’s AI-driven analysis tools can help identify inconsistencies or gaps in the witness’s testimony, allowing the legal team to address these issues before trial. These tools ensure that the witness is consistent in their answers and fully prepared to provide clear, truthful testimony in court.

9. Focus on Clear and Concise Responses

A witness should be able to answer questions clearly and concisely without rambling or providing unnecessary information. Over-explaining can open the door to cross-examination challenges, while under-explaining can leave gaps in the case. Witnesses should focus on delivering the most important information in a straightforward and understandable manner.

Proxiio’s Witness Preparation Support includes guidance on how to deliver responses that are both clear and concise. Through mock sessions and real-time feedback, witnesses are trained to focus on the key points without over-elaboration, ensuring their testimony remains impactful and on-point.

10. Provide Post-Testimony Support

After a witness has testified, it’s important to offer post-testimony support, especially if the witness is required to testify on multiple occasions or if their testimony was challenged during cross-examination. This support can include debriefing sessions to review how the witness performed and address any areas of concern.

Proxiio’s comprehensive Witness Preparation Support includes post-testimony coaching to help witnesses navigate the aftermath of their testimony. This support ensures that witnesses remain confident and resilient, even after facing cross-examination or difficult questions.

Conclusion: Preparing Witnesses for Success in the Courtroom

Witness preparation is a vital part of any successful legal strategy, and Proxiio’s Witness Preparation Support offers the tools and expertise lawyers need to ensure their witnesses perform at their best. Through AI-driven simulations, psychological coaching, personalized legal coaching, and courtroom etiquette training, Proxiio transforms traditional witness preparation, helping legal teams achieve better outcomes in the courtroom.

By following the tips outlined in this guide and leveraging the resources offered by Proxiio, lawyers can streamline the witness preparation process, mitigate risks, and maximize the effectiveness of their witnesses. With Proxiio’s support, your legal team will be better positioned to succeed in even the most complex and high-stakes cases.

[gallusrostromegalus]

Move To A Darker Place

This is a story of Man Vs. Machine.

---

Last March, my father attempted to file his Taxes.

My beloved father is a Boomer. Unlike most Boomers, my father is rather handy with technology because he was one of the people that had a not-insignificant hand in Developing a hell of a lot of it. He was studying Computer Science at Cal Poly before the computer science degree existed. I have many fond childhood memories of skipping through the aisles of various electronic and computer part warehouses while Dad described something that either terrified the staff or made them worship him as a God.  He taught himself how to use his smartphone.  Internationally.

So when he saw the option to file digitally with the IRS through the “ID.me” program, he leapt at the chance to celebrate the Federal Government finally entering the Digital Age.

It was all going swimmingly for about six hours, until he was ready to file and the system told him that it needed to verify his identity. 

“Very Well.” said my father, a man unafraid of talking to himself and getting something out of the conversation. “It wouldn’t do for me to get someone else’s return.”

The System told him that it needed him to take a “Digital Image ID”.

a.k.a: A Selfie.

“A-ha!” Dad beams. Dad is very good at taking selfies. He immediately pulled out his phone, snapped one, and tried to upload it.

Please log into your Id.me Account and use the provided app to submit your Digital Image ID. The System clarified.

“Oh. You should have said so.”  Dad pouted, but used his phone to log onto the ID.me account, do the six security verification steps and double-checked that the filing looked the same as it did on the desktop, gave the IRS like nine permissions on his phone, and held up the camera to take his Federal Privacy Invasion Selfie.

Please align your face to the indicated grid. Said The System, pulling up a futuristic green-web-of-polygons approximation.

“Ooh, very Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry would HATE this!” Dad said cheerfully, aligning his face to the grid.  My father is a bit… cavalier, when it comes to matters of personal information and federal government, because he’s been on FBI watchlists since the late 60’s when he was protesting The Vietnam War and Ronald Regan before he’d broken containment. Alas.

Anyway, there is very little information the federal government does not have on him already, but he’s as good at stalking the FBI as they are at stalking him, and had worked out a solution:  He has something approaching a friendship with the local Federal Agent (Some guy named “Larry”. Allegedly), and got Larry hooked on Alternative Histories and Dad’s collection of carefully-researched “there is very likely buried treasure here” stories, and Larry is loath to bother his favorite Historical Fanfiction author too much.

But I digress.

After thinking for a minute, The System came back with an Error Message. Please remove glasses or other facial obstructions.

And here is where the real trouble began.

See, my father wears glasses that do substantially warp the appearance of his face, because he is so nearsighted that he is legally blind without them. His natural focal point is about 4 inches in front of his nose.  While Dad can still take a selfie because he (approximately) knows where his phone is if it’s in his hand, he cannot see the alignment grid.

He should ask someone to take it for him! I hear the audience say. Yes, that would be the sane and reasonable thing to do, but Dad was attempting to do taxes at his residence in Fort Collins, while his immediate family was respectively in Denver, Texas and Canada.  He tried calling our neighbors, who turned out to be in Uganda.

He looked down at the dog, Arwen, and her little criminal paws that can open doorknobs, but not operate cell phones.

She looked back at him, and farted.

“Well, I’ll give it a try, but if it gives me too much trouble, I’ll call Larry, and Larry can call the IRS about it.” Dad told her. 

She continued to watch him. Arwen is an Australian Kelpie (a type of cattle-herding dog), going on 14 years old, deaf as a post and suffering from canine dementia now, but she still retains her natural instinct to Micromanage. She was also trained as a therapy dog, and even if she can’t hear my dad, still recognizes the body language of a man setting himself up for catastrophe.

So, squinting in the late afternoon light next to the back door, Dad attempted to line his face up with a grid he could only sort-of see, and took A Federal Selfie.

The System thought about it for a few moments.

Image Capture Failed: Insufficient Contrast. The System replied. Please move to a darker place.

“...Huh.” Dad frowned. “Alright.”

He moved to the middle of his office, away from the back door, lit only by the house lighting and indirect sunlight, and tried again.

Image Capture Failed. Please move to a darker place.

“What?” Dad asked the universe in general.

“Whuff.” Arwen warned him against sunk costs.

Dad ignored her and went into the bathroom, the natural habitat of the selfie. Surely, only being lit by a light fixture that hadn’t been changed since Dad was attempting to warn everyone about Regan would be suitably insufficient lighting for The System.  It took some negotiating, because that bathroom is “Standing Room Only” not “Standing And Holding Your Arms Out In Front Of You Room”.  He ended up taking the selfie in the shower stall.

As The System mulled over the latest attempt, Arwen shuffled over and kicked open the door to watch.

Image Capture Failed. Please Move to a Darker Place.

“Do you mean Spiritually?” Dad demanded.

“Whuff.” Arwen cautioned him again.

Determined to succeed, or at least get a different error message that may give him more information, Dad entered The Downstairs Guest Room.  It is the darkest room in the house, as it is in the basement, and only has one legally-mandated-fire-escape window, which has blinds.  Dad drew those blinds, turned off the lights and tried AGAIN.

Image Capture Failed. Please Move To A Darker Place.

“DO YOU WANT ME TO PHOTOGRAPH MYSELF INSIDE OF A CAVE??” Dad howled. 

“WHUFF!” Arwen reprimanded him from under the pull-out bed in the room. It’s where she attempts to herd everyone when it’s thundering outside, so the space is called her ‘Safety Cave’.

Dad frowned at the large blurry shape that was The Safety Cave.

“Why not?” he asked, the prelude to many a Terrible Plan.  With no small amount of spiteful and manic glee, Dad got down onto the floor, and army-crawled under the bed with Arwen to try One Last Time. Now in near-total darkness, he rolled on his side to be able to stretch his arms out, Arwen slobber-panting in his ear, and waited for the vague green blob of the Facial grid to appear.

This time, when he tapped the button, the flash cctivated.

“GOD DAMN IT!” Dad shouted, dropping the phone and rubbing his eyes and cursing to alleviate the pain of accidentally flash-banging himself. Arwen shuffled away from him under the bed, huffing sarcastically at him.

Image Capture Failed. Please move to a darker place.

“MOTHERFU- hang on.” Dad squinted.  The System sounded strange. Distant and slightly muffled.

Dad squinted really hard, and saw the movement of Arwen crawling out from under the bed along the phone’s last known trajectory.

“ARWEN!” Dad shouted, awkwardly reverse-army crawling out from under the bed, using it to get to his feet and searching for his glasses, which had fallen out of his pocket under the bed, so by the time he was sighted again, Arwen had had ample time to remove The Offending Device.

He found her out in the middle of the back yard, the satisfied look of a Job Well Done on her face. She did not have the phone. 

“Arwen.” Dad glared. It’s a very good glare. Dad was a teacher for many years and used it to keep his class in order with sheer telepathically induced embarrassment, and his father once glared a peach tree into fecundity.  

Arwen regarded him with the casual interest a hurricane might regard a sailboat tumbling out of its wake. She is a force of nature unto herself and not about to be intimidated by a half-blind house ape.  She also has cataracts and might not be able to make out the glare.

“I GIVE UP!” Dad shouted, throwing his hands in the air and returning to the office to write to the IRS that their selfie software sucks ass. Pleased that she had gotten her desired result, Arwen followed him in.

To Dad’s immense surprise, the computer cheerfully informed him that his Federally Secure Selfie had been accepted, and that they had received and were now processing his return!

“What the FUCK?” Dad glared. “Oh well. If I’ve screwed it up, Larry can call me.”

---

I bring this up because recently, Dad received an interesting piece of mail.

It was a letter from the IRS, addressed to him, a nerve-wracking thing to recessive at the best of times.  Instead of a complaint about Dad’s Selfie Skills, it was a letter congratulating him on using the new ID.me System.  It thanked him for his help and expressed hopes he would use it again next year, and included the selfie that The System had finally decided to accept.

“You know, my dad used to complain about automation.” Dad sighed, staring at the image. “Incidentals my boy!  My secretary saves the state of California millions of dollars a year catching small errors before they become massive ones! He’d say. Fought the human resources board about her pay every year.  I used to think he was overestimating how bad machines were and underestimating human error, but you know? He was right.”

He handed me the image.

My father was, technically, in the image.  A significant amount of the bottom right corner is taken up by the top of his forehead and silver hair.  Most of the image, the part with the facial-recognition markers on it, was composed of Arwen’s Alarmed and Disgusted Doggy face.

“Oh no!” I cackled. “Crap, does this mean you have to call the IRS and tell them you’re not a dog?”

“Probably.” Dad sighed. “I know who I’m gonna bother first though.” he said, taking out his phone (Dad did find his phone a few hours after Arwen absconded with it when mom called and the early spinach started ringing). 

“Hey Larry!” Dad announced to the local federal agent. “You’re never gonna believe this. My dog filed my taxes!”

Larry considered this for a moment. “Is this the dog that stole my sandwich? Out of my locked  car?” he asked suspiciously.

“The very same.” Dad grinned.

“Hm. Clever Girl.” Federal Agent Larry sighed. “I figured it was only a matter of time before she got into tax fraud.”

---

I'm a disabled artist making my living writing these stories. If you enjoy my stories, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or Pre-ordering my Family Lore Book on Patreon. Thank you!

[luulapants]

Real talk, expanding the Supreme Court is a bandaid solution, which may be necessary but may also lead to serious future consequences for our judicial branch at large. Here are some steps that would actually work to repair the harm done to SCOTUS:

At least one of the liberal judges must begin writing dissents not based on the content of specific cases but based on the illegitimacy of the court. The dissent must state that this court is corrupt, financially and politically, and that none of its judgments should stand as valid case law. This opens the door for #5.

Impeach Justice Thomas for financial crimes. There is abundant evidence of these.

Impeach Justice Roberts for financial crimes. There is abundant evidence of these.

Open investigations into ALL Supreme Court judges (not just the conservative ones - the liberal judges signed that abominable "we are in charge of our own ethics" decision, too) to seek evidence of financial or political misconduct. Proceed accordingly.

Open a Greylord-style Special Commission to determine the chronological extent of the current systemic corruption of SCOTUS. We do not need direct evidence of quid pro quo bribery in specific cases to justify overturning them. The presence of financial misconduct related to even one case means the absence of a bribe in another could have contributed to its findings. Overturn every single case tried under systemic corruption.

This would create a massive, tangled knot of case law, precedent, and judgments, all of which would need to be walked back, possibly decades. It would be a nightmare. It would be necessary. The Cook County courts tackled the same beast during Greylord. There is historical precedent, and the alternative is to continue building our legal system on corrupt case law.

[shawnjordison]

Canva PDFs are not accessible

Explore the challenges of Canva PDFs being inaccessible to those with disabilities, and discover the secret tip to make them accessible. Watch step-by-step video guides on how to tackle common issues, such as reading order and tagging.

This post aims to explore how Canva PDFs are not accessible to people with disabilities. It seems like such a basic need at this point for any modern website to allow for exporting with a structure in place. This simply is not the case for Canva PDFs. Would you rather just have me make your Canva doc exports accessible for you? Get accessible Documents Now Video Overview of the Problem The…

[hyperlexichypatia]

I'm not, generally speaking, a fan of punishment as a solution to social problems. Punishment is often overly harsh, ineffective as a deterrent, and doesn't solve the actual problem. The punitive mentality is more focused on making sure the "bad guys" "don't get away with it" than on actually solving the problem.

But I get a lot more worried when people talk about "alternatives to punishment", or when they support their proposed solutions because "it's not punishment."

Because what that means, in practice, is "I'm conceptualizing this form of coercive control as 'not punishment,' and therefore not subjecting it to the rigor, due process, or evidentiary standards of punishment."

The U.S. loves punishment. It's one of our favorite national pastimes. But we do have, both legally and culturally, some limitations on punishment, at least in theory. Punishment isn't supposed to be "cruel and unusual." It's not supposed to be inflicted without "due process of law." You're supposed to be convicted by a jury of your peers.

But if you call it "not punishment," none of that matters!

You can force people to register under a law that didn't exist when they committed their crimes, because it's "administrative," not punitive.

You can subject disabled people to shocks similar to a cattle prod -- which would surely be cruel and unusual punishment -- but it's okay, because it's not "punishment," it's a "treatment" called an "aversive" (that's therapist for "punishment").

You can have people locked up and forcibly drugged solely because they can't afford housing, but it's okay, because it's "help," not "punishment."

Police can kill people in cold blood -- judge, jury, and executioner -- and it's fine, because it's "self-defense," not "punishment," even if they argue after the fact that the victim "deserved it."

It's also a matter of cultural attitudes. If you said "The punishment for trespassing should be life in prison," or "The punishment for loitering should be permanent loss of the right to control one's body, money, or living space," or "The punishment for turnstile-jumping should be lifelong forced ingestion of drugs that numb basic cognitive functions," most people would think this was horrific, much too harsh a punishment for a relatively minor crime.

But if you change it to "Instead of jailing and punishing unhoused people with mental health issues, we should respond to their minor crimes by Getting Them Help, like institutionalization, conservatorship, or outpatient commitment," people now think this is completely reasonable.

Even being the victim of a crime can get someone not-punished far more severely than the perpetrators are "punished." People might serve jail time for financial fraud, but not usually a life sentence. Being the victim of financial fraud, however, can lead to a life sentence of institutionalization -- which fraud investigators have cited as a barrier to getting victims to report fraud. I personally know of multiple disabled young adults who were afraid to report being the victim of sexual assault or other kinds of assault because they knew that if they reported it, the perpetrator might or might not face some kind of punishment, but they would definitely face some type of "not-punishment" coercive control, like forced therapy, forced drugging, supervision, or having to leave school.

You want a society with less punishment? Me too. But only if you acknowledge that "punishment" includes all forms of coercive control. If you do something to someone against their will, if you restrict someone from their right to live as they choose, that's a punishment, regardless of whether you call it that.

[balioc]

Oh, boy! It's Education Theory o'Clock again!

...I have a lot of thoughts on this topic. At some point, when I'm less busy and tired, I should probably try to write them up. Natively, I'm one of the school-is-a-nightmare-prison people, like so many others in this little discourse-sphere -- but I'm married to a middle school teacher, so I regularly encounter both the good arguments from the other side and the facts on the ground, and those things have altered my perspective somewhat.

But I am, in fact, busy and tired. So for now I'll just content myself with saying:

School is an institution that serves many, many, many purposes at the same time. A lot of those purposes are load-bearingly important. (A couple of years ago, I wrote this about college, and...it's double-plus true for primary and secondary schools.) If you don't try to account for all of that stuff in your theory of What School Is and How School Works, you will generate incoherent garbage thoughts. If you have a New Concept for school entailing top-down design that is optimized for a single function (like "increasing test scores" or "causing kids to love learning" or whatever), you'd better have a plan for how you're going to do all the other important things that schools do. And even if you think that some of those things aren't actually important or necessary, you'd better have a plan for dealing with all the people who disagree. Because...

-----

...school, as it exists today, is an inherently political institution. Both in the "soft" sense that everyone has strong opinions about what it's supposed to do and how it's supposed to work, and in the "hard" sense that it is actually controlled by democratically-accountable governments. (This is double-plus true in the US, where it is controlled by local governments, and therefore doesn't even have the protective insulation of a massive bureaucracy.) Everything about the way schools work is a compromise brokered amongst ideologues and self-dealers. Everything about the way schools work involves a lot of decision-makers trying not to get yelled at by the yelliest people around. If you're looking for elegant purpose-driven top-down design, you won't find it. You could probably make a case that any elegant purpose-driven top-down design would be better than the thing we actually have, but getting there would require finding a way to remove the political element.

-----

Most importantly: public schools are (1) compulsory, (2) universal, and (3) for children. [People who are legally children, anyway, whether or not they are actual children in whatever sense matters to you.]

This means that they cannot let students leave, and they have to keep control of all the students that they aren't allowing to leave.

In the most literal not-a-judgment-but-a-fact sense, they are indeed prisons. They are coercively keeping people inside. They have to do that thing, as per their most fundamental mandate within the current system. The alternatives involve letting kids run around unsupervised, and/or failing to give some kids even the most cursory kind of education, and those things are absolute non-starters under present conditions.

All the normal institutions-for-adults operate on the principle of -- If you really don't want to be here, you can leave, and deal with whatever consequences there may be for leaving. This is not an option for schools, and that fact accounts for...everything.

Classroom structure is built around the necessity of keeping the most-hostile, least-engaged student in the class present and supervised, and then trying to prevent him from disrupting things for everyone else. Because the obvious solution that any other institution would use -- "just cut him loose, he doesn't want to be here and we don't want him here" -- isn't available.

(I once talked to my wife about the rationed bathroom access thing, which is one of the most flagrant nightmare-prison aspects of the school experience. Her response was, "If you let kids use the bathroom whenever they want, as much as they want, then you don't have mandatory universal education anymore. Some of them will never return to the classroom, because they don't want to be there." Which is...obviously true.)

So you have something that replicates many of the features of prison, because it has to accomplish the same basic tasks that prison accomplishes. Yay, Foucault.

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

So, you have been in a relationship for a while and you’re ready and eager to take the next step - but your partner isn’t. What now? 

The “next step” I’m referring to here could mean a lot of different things because relationships do not all follow one specific timeline (and also because my readers may be of wildly different ages and live in wildly different situations) but I am thinking of any “deepening our commitment” things here: for example introducing them to your friends or your family, moving in together or (if you are in a situation where that’s a legal possibility) even marriage or having a child together. 

Whatever the step actually looks like, you may have this romantic idea of “If they’re right for you, you’ll always naturally want to take these steps at the same time”… but that’s not really how relationships work in real life. Even in the healthiest relationship and even if you absolutely feel like they’re your soulmate, you may still disagree on when to take those steps or even on whether you want to take these steps at all. 

In fact, it’s uniquely frustrating if everything else is going well. If their refusal to meet your mom is just another point on the long list of behaviors that make you feel like they don’t really care about you, that’s also painful but it’s easier to give advice there: maybe you should think about breaking up. It’s tempting to believe that you can make them love you more if you move in with them or that they’ll treat you better once you get engaged, but that won’t work out. You can’t fix a broken relationship by deepening the commitment - commitment needs a stable foundation to grow. And this doesn’t only go for outright abusive relationships: they may be a wonderful person but you two just have entirely different goals and needs, and those won’t suddenly overlap more just because you moved in with them or married them. 

With all that being said: if there IS a healthy and stable foundation, if you are happy in every other aspect and they’re just hesitant about this one specific step, then jumping straight to “break up with them” would obviously be pretty unhelpful advice. Differing opinions occur even in the most compatible couple, you are both whole people with your own individual feelings and those do not necessarily doom the whole relationship. It’s important to see this situation in the context of the relationship in general. 

You may be able to guess that a big portion of the advice is just gonna be “Communicate with your partner” - but first of all, I’d advise you to have an open and honest conversation with yourself. Why is this step of commitment so important to you? What does it mean to you? Do you feel a sense of urgency in taking it and if so, why? Is this specific step the only possible path for your need to be met? Are you open to alternative approaches, are you open to waiting (and if so, for how long)? The purpose of these questions is definitely not to convince yourself to give up on your needs or to talk yourself into a compromise you’re not really happy with! The opposite of that, actually: It’s helpful to reflect on what exactly you want and why you want it, so you have the clarity you need to discuss it productively. You don’t want to agree to something that ultimately leaves you unsatisfied and bitter, but you also don’t want to push hard for something you later on realize doesn’t even mean that much to you. 

When you feel confident enough about your own stance to discuss it with your partner, the most important thing to remember is: you’re on the same team. The goal here isn’t to “win” or to change their mind, but to see each others perspective better and find a solution you’re both happy with. Listen with an open mind. Try to understand before you try to influence. Remind yourself that your partner isn’t your enemy, they also want the best outcome for both of you - otherwise you (hopefully) wouldn’t want to commit to them! 

Something you should get clarification on during your conversations: is it a hard no (do not want to do that at all ever), a soft no (open to alternatives or adjustments), a no for now (want to do it but not yet), a yes but (want to do it but only under certain circumstances or in a different way than your original plan) or a I don’t know? How does this affect your feelings on the situation? (I’m sure that even just while reading these different scenarios, some instinctively feel better or worse than others! But it’s still important to take some time to sit with any new information that comes up during those conversations. Neither of you should feel pressured or rushed here!) 

You may find that they just never considered that there may be multiple approaches to that step (an example for this would be that they are not actually opposed to the idea of being married to you, just to the idea of a wedding, and didn’t consider yet that eloping is also a possibility) - but don’t set yourself up for disappointment by expecting the conversation to 100% go that way. It may also be a hard no, and that wouldn’t make them a horrible person. People can deeply, truly love someone and still do not want to take certain steps with them. It’s a good idea to remind yourself that you’re not “in the right” or “the better person” for wanting to take those steps. While certain steps may be a big part of your own future plans or even of your identity and self-image (and that’s valid!), they are just personal preferences. It’s not a moral obligation to want them, and your partner isn’t mean for not wanting them. But, of course, at this point we also need to say: if you can not imagine a life where you never get married, you are not a horrible person for breaking up with a partner who can not imagine to ever marry. “Irreconcilable differences” are a common breakup reason for a reason. 

So, to summarize: Building a strong foundation is crucial before taking big steps. Communicate openly with yourself first - understand why you want to take this step and if there are alternatives. When talking to your partner, remember you're a team; it's not about winning but understanding each other. Be open to different responses, from a clear no to conditions on a yes. Do not pressure your partner but do not completely give up on your own happiness either. 

The journey of commitment should be a shared adventure - not a battle or a competitive race! 

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad 

[markscherz]

This might be a weird question but I can't think of a better person to ask! My nibling recently came out as non-binary and wants to change their name, but they're struggling to find something they are happy with.

They were given a feminine name at birth and are currently using a masculine name, but aren't happy with either of them. Every human name that's suggested to them is either too masc, too femme, or has poor associations. However, they love frogs, so I wondered if that might be a solution.

I've tried to find frog names that might work as a human name, but so far I'm not having much luck. It's not allowed to start with R or J, and apparently it's not allowed to have an X in it because nibling thinks they're "not cool enough" to carry that off (I've tried explaining that they're wrong, but 16 year olds are very sensitive).

If this isn't too weird a question, can you think of any frog or toad names that might be manageable as human names? We live in the UK for reference

So many thanks for even reading this giant info dump 💕

Wow this is only the second time I have gotten to help find a name for a human. What an honour.

Okay firstly, sounds 100% like your nibling is cool enough to use an X (despite my current negative emotions associated with the letter due to the Elongated Muskrat), and there are some *amazing* names out there with X's in, so they should at least consider them. Scinax and Ixalus for instance are great. Ixalus has a fun history: originally it was coined as a replacement name for Orchestes, which wasn't available because there was already a beetle genus called Orchestes. But then it turned out that Ixalus was *also* not available, because the world's most beautiful antelope, the bongo, was already called Ixalus. Only, the bongo had already been called Tragelaphus. So now Ixalus isn't the name used for *any* animal. Ixalus is Greek, meaning 'bounding, springing, spry'. Also there are numerous other frog genera that use the ending -ixalus, such as Heterixalus, Micrixalus, etc.

But, taking the lack of X seriously, here are some other alternatives. I will avoid names that are derived from other people's names, and focus on names that have a neutral ring to my ear, and are also euphonious (nice to say or hear) and fewer than four syllables. I am also only considering genus names, because there are too many species names to choose from:

Acris — meaning sharp, sour, bitter, pungent, sharp, keen, acute, energetic, eager, etc. Technically this is the feminine version of the adjective; the neuter version is Acre, but I do not think anyone would read 'Acris' and immediately think either gender. It is supposed to be pronounced with a long a, as in 'hard', but a lot of people pronounce it with a hard a as in 'ace'. This name is most familiar to Americans, because Acris are cricket frogs, widespread in the US.

[Acris crepitans, src]

Mantis — of course, the genus Mantis was coined by Linnaeus in 1758, and so it is unambiguous that this is not a frog name. However, it is very often used as part of frog taxonomic names, such as Chiromantis, Boehmantis, Guibemantis, Gephyromantis, Phlyctimantis etc. Mantis is Greek (μάντης), and means oracle, prophet, soothsayer, seer, clairvoyant, or fortune teller. The name has the feminine gender in its language of origin, but that has no bearing on its use, which, barring the character in the Marvel movies, does not seem particularly gendered to me.

[Pristimantis cruentus, src]

Dasypops — simply a delightful name, but probably not neutral enough. I have not been able to figure out what the etymology is; it might be a play on Dasypus, the Greek word meaning 'rough-footed', which is a genus of armadillos. The frog is also spectacular, but there are no photos I can legally share on tumblr.

Kaloula — a euphonic name with an unclear meaning. Very round frogs. I love them.

[Kaloula pulchra, src]

Adelotus — means 'unseen'. These are 'tusked frogs'. Males have crazy extensions of lower jaw bones, and they fight with them.

[Adelotus brevis, src]

Taruga — a Sanskrit name meaning 'tree climber'. I fucking love this name, and the frogs are just *chef's kiss* POINTY, and have really committed to bold colours.

[Taruga eques, src]

EDIT: I have been informed that taruga means ‘blockhead’ or ‘numb skull’ in Spanish, so it might not be the best choice. Sorry!

If the nibling would like to check out a list of genera themselves, there is a tolerably complete list here.

I hope this helps!

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for sakoku_decree; Jackson Kyle shows up in Gotham. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“He’s, uh, not Superboy,” Tim says, looking uncomfortable. “Though he’s met our Superboy, apparently. Not recently, just, um–that thing with Hypertime back when he was working for Cadmus, if you remember . . .?” 

“If I remembered every ‘thing’ involving an alternate reality that has ever happened to this family, Master Tim, much less to its friends and allies, I would not even have the space to remember how to make tea,” Alfred replies dryly. Bruce doubts that, honestly, but he’ll allow Alfred the modesty of the claim. 

“He works for Cadmus?” Jackson asks, wrinkling his nose in bewilderment before a flash of suspicion crosses the back of his eyes. Not protocol to be asking either, but given that Black Zero reportedly worked for his Cadmus and Bruce very much doubts that Jackson fit the experience into his own history, if he was already working with his Batman by the time Kon met him . . . well. It’s not an illogical thing to be concerned by, obviously. 

��Not anymore,” Tim says, shaking his head. “They’re not even around anymore. Legally, anyway. There’s some old employees of the place who technically still operate, but not any–uh. Sorry.” 

Tim glances at Bruce, looking uncomfortable, and Bruce only realizes why belatedly. That was information that Jackson didn’t need to know, and Jackson’s an unknown. But he’s wearing a face Tim trusts, so . . . 

And he knew about the pearls, so Bruce didn’t think about it either. 

This situation is so, so damn dangerous. Bruce should’ve already reported this to the League. At least have already called in Clark, and possibly Diana or Captain Marvel for backup, just in case. 

But Jackson came to him, and Jackson is his responsibility. No one else’s. Jackson’s not a Super. So he’s a–so he’s– 

So he’s Bruce’s responsibility, even if Bruce can’t quite finish the thought that he’s been refusing to finish all this time. 

“Well, where are we in the protocols, Master Bruce?” Alfred asks, making a little show of checking his watch. “I’m afraid the tea is getting cold.” 

“The tea can wait,” Bruce says more shortly than he means to. The protocols aren’t exactly at their best right now, but the next phase of them involves a significant amount of testing and analysis and extended containment of the interdimensional unknown, and he doesn’t–he isn’t– 

This is a problem, and he needs to handle it. 

This is a problem, and he needs to solve it. 

But there’s no solution for a final-phase Level Omega reality and a solo flight. It’s not something to be “fixed”; just something to be survived. Something to be grieved and remembered, for Jackson, and someone to be . . . handled, for the rest of them. 

A half-Kryptonian unknown trained by a Batman with two dead Robins; an unknown who reported to the manor without following protocol well enough to know that their Jason was alive and active in Gotham, but has otherwise followed it perfectly, without any sign of protest or hesitation whatsoever. To the point said unknown has even pointed out issues in Bruce’s implementation of it, has he followed it. 

But not when it meant waiting to come to the manor.

[lillaydee]

Uncoupled - March

Roommate! Joel Miller / Reader

Two people leaving their marriages ended up going through the mandatory one year separation together before filing for divorce.

Nothing could possibly happen in a year, right?

WARNINGS: Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel Bonding (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Soft Joel (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Hurt Joel (The Last of Us), Protective Joel (The Last of Us), No age gap, Roommate Joel, Teacher Joel, Handyman Joel, Insecure Joel, Minor Character Death, Grief/Mourning.

SERIES MASTER LIST

February

---

“Hey, Lil, I was wondering. You know how we’ve been living together like six months now? I feel like… we’ve become very good friends in that time, don’t you think? Cause… honestly? I feel like I know you much better than I know Jen…”

No, scratch that, don’t mention your ex to the woman you hoped would be your girlfriend, you idiot.

Joel rinsed the tomatoes and picked up the peppers, rinsing those next, placing them all in a bowl once done.

Okay, deep breath.

“Lily, living with you these past six months have been… eye opening. This is what life should be like, what a partnership should be like. This is what I want. For the rest of my life.”

Shit, scare the not-yet-divorced woman into not wanting to have anything to do with you, Joel.

He picked up the bowl with the tomatoes and peppers in them, taking one tomato out and began chopping.

“Lily, you know the legal separation is coming to an end, right? I know you said you’re not ready to date, and I can see where you’re coming from, but, living with you these past six months, I think I’ve come to see you as more than a roommate, and I’m wondering if you would go out with me… like on a date?”

God, he’s really bad at this. He rubbed his face, before taking another tomato to chop.

He’s making you dinner. You had an order to finish at the bakery, so dinner was on him today. You had mentioned the other day you had a hankering for some sweet and sour fish, so he had googled the recipe and was making some for you. He was going to ask you out after dinner, when the two of you watch TV after Ellie’s bed time.

Okay, one more time.

“Hey Lily, I was wondering…”

“You were wondering what?”

OUCH!

“Oh my God! Are you okay?” you came rushing to his side, he had let go of the knife and was holding his left hand up, blood dripping from his pointer finger.

“Lily! I didn’t hear you come in! Fuck this hurts!”

You took a clean kitchen towel from the drawer and guided him to the sink, running the finger under the tap. Blood was still coming out, and Joel found himself slightly lightheaded from the shock of it all. He was used to seeing cuts like this, being the woodworking teacher, but when it was his own finger, he couldn’t even look at it.

“I don’t think you need stitches,” you told him, examining the cut closer. You let the cut bleed under the running water until it receded, and wrapped it with the kitchen towel, running to his bathroom to get the first aid kit.

Ellie had gotten up from her colouring spot at the dining table, climbed onto her steps to the sink and peeked at the cut, Joel was startled upon seeing her, thinking she had been in her room all this while. Shit, did she hear him?

You came in and immediately took the antiseptic solution to clean his finger. He hissed and looked away when you did, embarrassed that he could be so lightheaded over such a small cut. You applied some antiseptic salve for cuts and put a band aid on his finger before putting everything away. You came back to the kitchen to him still standing where you left him, his left hand still elevated, the pointer finger still pointing upwards the way it was when you bandaged him.

“Oh, God, you can’t do anything now, can you? Because you finger has a boo-boo on it?” you teased, going over to him and kissing the band aid. “There, all better.”

Joel found himself blushing like a school girl at the gesture. Fucking hell, what had gotten into him? Before he fully realized his feelings for you he could lie in bed together with you and not feel awkward, but now, all he could think of was how good you smelled when you just walked in from the bakery and how much he wanted to bury his face in your neck.

You took the knife he was holding, checking the cutting board for any blood, before washing the knife and placing it in the dishwasher. You took another knife and began to continue what he was doing.

“What were you trying to ask me just now?”

Huh?

You turned and looked at him, still standing stock still right where he was, “You said my name and were wondering if…?”

Shit. Erm… think, Joel, think!

“He was about to ask you out. Practiced it over and over,” Ellie chimed in, hand busy picking up a colour from the crayon box.

Joel’s head snapped towards her so fast he swore he pulled a muscle.

You looked at him, hand idly chopping the tomato he left on the cutting board. “You were going to ask me out?”

“Erm… yeah, I was thinking, spring’s almost fully here, maybe we should go to the garden centre? Get some saplings and seeds? Maybe a couple plants? We have the planter boxes ready and all.”

Okay, where the fuck did that come from? He could see Ellie close her eyes in frustration over your shoulder, shaking her head slightly. When she opened them again, she was giving him the most disappointed look he had ever seen from anyone in his life, let alone a five-year-old.

“Erm, yeah that sounds nice, when would you be free to go? You know, there’s a nice park there too, maybe we could go to the playground after, won’t that be nice Jells?”

Joel found himself tongue-tied. How could he tell you he would rather go with you alone without upsetting you, or worse, Ellie?

“How about this Saturday? Weather forecast is nice, not too cold, what do you say, Jellie?” you asked her, eyes on your work, oblivious to the silent communication your niece was having with your roommate.

“Actually, I’m busy this weekend.”

You burst out laughing, placing the knife on the chopping board, crossing your arms, “You’re busy, huh?” you turned and looked at Joel, who had an unreadable expression on his face. “And what, may I ask, little missy, would you be busy with?”

“It’s a secret.” She climbed down from her chair and ran into her room.

You gave Joel a ‘would-you-believe-that-little-girl-look’, laughing all the while. “Legs not long enough to touch the floor when sitting at the dining table, but she’s busy this weekend. Go figure. When did your little girl become such an adult?” you asked, turning round to continue chopping. “What am I chopping these for, by the way? Can you move before I finish cooking or are you just stuck there until the wound heals?”

His little girl. You just referred to Ellie as his little girl. His heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest. He laughed a little at your playful jab at him and took a bowl off the cabinet, measuring the sauces he needed to make the sweet and sour sauce into it.

“Was going to make you sweet and sour fish, you were telling me you were hankering for some. Got the recipe off google. Supposedly it’s really good,” he said, measuring the vinegar, using his middle finger instead of his pointer finger to hold the spoon. “Saturday’s fine, for the garden centre, if Her Majesty the Ellie is free,” he added, and the two of you laughed a little at her little ‘I’m busy’ announcement.

“Aww… you were gonna make me sweet and sour fish? Thank you Joel, I’m a lucky girl to have someone like you in my life,” you told him, a thankful pout on your lips, getting up to your tippy toes to give him a peck on his cheek.

He flushed at that, and for some reason, you were blushing too. Silly, really. You’ve done that a million times. Why did it feel different this time?

**********

Frank called as the three of you were having dinner. You put him on speaker, telling him you’re in the middle of dinner – although that info fell on deaf ears. He started telling you that his sister was having a birthday party for his twin nephews that weekend. “She’s going all out, petting zoo, bouncy castle, the lot. Can we take Ellie, please?”

Huh… you could’ve sworn his nephews just had a birthday before Christmas. You helped bake the cake. A massive one, in fact. It could feed 50 children, easily. When reminded of this, Frank quickly swerved, telling you that it was too cold for a party then, so his sister’s having one now instead. So… what do you think? Can they bring Ellie?

You don’t know... Maybe you should call his sister, make sure she’s okay with it?

“No! There’s no need for that. But if you need to call her, give it maybe half an hour okay?”

Okay…

Ellie had stopped eating, her hands busily forking some errant onion chunk from her bowl of rice, releasing it, and then forking it again, listening intently to your conversations.

“Let me think about it, okay?”

You hung up before you could make out what Frank was trying coax you with next, looking at Ellie with accusatory eyes. She looked at you right back, innocence in her big brown eyes, asking you cheerfully if she could go. “Please Beans, they have a petting zoo… please???”

“Yeah, Beans, a petting zoo! Imagine that! And a bouncy castle too! Have a heart, Beans,” Joel pleaded with her, putting on the most pathetic pleading face you had ever seen.

Okay, the most beautiful, and so far, effective, pleading face, aside from Ellie’s.

“Fine. I’ll let Frank know.”

“Yeah!” They high fived each other.

**********

The few days leading up to Saturday, you found yourself looking forward to going out alone with Joel. You did do that before, when the two of you did the backyard, going to the store, all that, but this time it just felt… different.

You had been trying to push your crush on Joel for a while now, telling yourself he wouldn’t want someone like you, brushing off anything that might mean he liked you as a coincidence or your own imagination. But since that day he got sick, you had noticed him checking you out, and not in friendly ways either. You could’ve sworn that he was a bit too quiet when Benny was around, almost as if he was… jealous? And the way he was angry at the thought of Benny coming in for two days, ‘had his way with you’ and then leaving? Hmmm…

Anyway, Saturday. You were going out with him. Alone. Maybe you should make the most out of it. It might never happen again, and who knew if he wanted to keep living with you once his divorce was finalized. He’d be a single man again then. Maybe he would go out into the world and finally sow some wild oats, or whatever the heck the saying was, while you remained here, raising Ellie.

You had asked Anita if she wanted to join you – she was back in town, staying at Tommy and Maria’s since Maria was due any day now. She had wanted to come with, but after a quick conversation with Frank she withdrew, saying she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Maria alone so near her due date.

That Friday night, you and Joel watched a movie together, you sitting legs out on the floor, resting you back against the couch while Joel was splayed on it. Throughout the movie, you looked back at him, just to see if he was laughing along with you. He was already staring at you, every single time, a soft smile on his face. He didn’t even attempt to look away. As the two of you walked to your rooms for bedtime, you asked him what time you would be leaving the next day.

“Let’s make it a day. We go out for breakfast, and then the centre, and then, who knows? Maybe a movie? What do you think?”

The prospect of spending so much time with him made you want to jump. Okay, you told him, saying goodnight before closing your door.

Phew, your face felt hot. Must be the heat. The nights were getting less cold, and you hadn’t really adjusted the temperature.

Yeah… the heat… that must be it.

**********

On Saturday, you and Joel left the house early, wanting to get the best the garden centre had to offer. As you were getting ready that morning you realized you haven’t gone out like this in a while. You were really nervous, although you couldn’t quite figure out why. As you stepped out of your room, you saw that he had on his green flannel, and you had on your favourite dark green top. He looked really good, you thought.

“You look nice,” he said, giving you a quick peck on the cheek. He had given you such kisses forever, at least, since you lived together, but today… you don’t know. It felt different. “We match,” he said, adjusting your collar slightly after you slung on the purse he gave you for Christmas.

You saw him iron his green flannel the night before, so you subconsciously put on the same colour, you thought. You didn’t do it on purpose to match him. That’d be silly. It was just a coincidence, that’s all. Although, even if you did, he didn’t seem to mind at all.

He opened the truck door for you, helping you climb in as usual, before checking the front door was locked one more time.

“Okay, make this count. You can do this. Deep breaths,” he said to himself.

“Did you say something?” you asked from the truck, making him jump slightly.

“No, just thinking out loud. Breakfast?”

The two of you went to the brunch place in town, where you discovered he had made reservations for you. Breakfast was delicious, the two of you took your time, chatting easily, like you always did, laughing and joking with each other, enjoying your coffees and pastries, Joel remarking that the pastries you make are much nicer. You punched him on the arm for making such a remark in such a nice place, and he caught your fist, holding it in his hand, not letting go for a while, his eyes on you, making you remind yourself not to blush.

After he paid, resolutely pushing your card away, the two of you got back in his truck. As soon as he reversed, his phone rang, ‘Tommy’ flashing on the screen. He answered, Tommy’s voice clear on Bluetooth.

“Hey Big Brother, Maria’s…” he began, but whatever he was calling Joel for was interrupted by Maria’s screaming voice – “Thomas Joseph Miller, you hang up that phone RIGHT NOW!”, startling you and Joel.

There was some confusing scuffles and mumbled words spoken, before Anita’s voice chirped, “Joel sweetie? Don’t mind Tommy. Something broke and he was calling to see if you could come over to help but he can fix it himself, can’t he?” she asked, presumably at Tommy, who quickly took the phone back, saying in a nervous tone, “Yeah, silly me. I can fix it myself. I just panicked. It’s okay, see you later brother. Bye!”

Once he hung up, you and Joel looked at each other, confused about what was happening. You asked if the two of you should go over to check, but Joel shrugged it off, saying that Tommy and his Mama were there, surely there’s nothing the two of them couldn’t handle?

So the two of you went on to the garden centre, where Joel pulled out a huge cart for you to fill to your heart’s desire. You walked along the many displays of potted plants and flower seeds, deciding to take a look inside the large warehouse as well just in case there was something you would be interested in looking at.

You stopped at the home furnishing section – a display of outdoor tiles catching your attention. You walked further along, looking at the different selections of tiles, leaving Joel behind looking at some wooden-looking tiles. When you finally realized he was no longer next to you, you went back, finding him talking to some lady, whose hands just so happened to land all over him with every word she spoke, evidently asking him questions about some tiling.

The familiar surge of self-consciousness began to hit you. This lady was gorgeous, and Joel seemed to know her, albeit looking slightly uncomfortable being pawed at. He kept taking a step away from her, but she just followed. Just a couple of months ago, you would’ve just walked the other way. But the way you’ve been feeling lately, no. You’re not going to just walk away, you’ve decided.

So you took a deep breath, picked up a tile sample and walked over to them, “Joel, sweetie, what do you think of… oh! Sorry! Didn’t realize you were talking to someone there. Hello,” you said chirpily at the woman who now looked like you just slapped her across the face.

Joel, bless him, immediately took you by the waist, pulling you close, introducing you to Donna, she’s the mother of one of his students, he told you. The lady’s face snapped shut, “Diana,” she corrected, “And who is this, Mr Miller?”

“I’m Lily,” you answered, before quickly turning to Joel, wrapping your arm around his, showing him the tile sample, “I was thinking of this one for the backyard, what do you think?”

“It’s nice,” he said, running his fingers over the tile, “But I was thinking this one, it looks like wood, more natural, what do you think?”

“Well, I see you’re busy. See you around then Mr Miller,” the lady said, rather exasperatedly, stomping away almost immediately.

Joel released a very relieved sigh as soon as she disappeared, thanking you over and over again, telling you he didn’t know what he was going to do to get away from her. “She kept touching me. I never knew what to do when women do that to me. Do I pull away? But I might hurt their feelings. The disadvantage of being raised by Anita Miller, let me tell ya, be polite, don’t make people feel awkward,” he said, laughing a little.

It was then you realized you still have your arm wrapped around his, so you quickly pulled back, but he placed a hand over yours, stopping you.

“But I thought…”

“Your hand, I want to hold,” he said, shocking himself with how forward he was being, before tightening your hold on his arm. “Now, the tile,” he said. “What do we think?”

“Oh, erm… I like the wood-looking ones, but… I don’t think I have the budget for them yet. Maybe we come back? We only budgeted for the plants and seeds.” You pulled him away from the tiles, trying not to show him how flustered you were, and he followed.

“I could buy them, you know,” he said, “I live there too, but if you’re not ready, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just… I was raised not to buy without planning. I budget for everything, and that’s just not in the budget today. Maybe in a few months?”

“Okay, sure.” He pushed the cart along, filling it with soil and other gardening stuff you did have on the list, before going back out to pick the plants you had eyed and set aside.

After a quick stop to drop the stuff off at home, the two of you went straight to the mall, deciding to watch a movie, maybe a PG rated one, since Ellie was not home. You had tried calling Frank and Bill, seeing as your texts asking for pictures were decidedly ignored. Frank did not answer your calls, and Bill picked up only to yell at you, telling you “She’s alive, Ma!” before hanging back up. Poor Joel was greeted with a “Don’t you start now, Miller,” before he too, got hung up on.

Sheesh.

You sat in his truck in the parking lot at the mall, sourpusses on your faces, annoyed that you couldn’t talk to your little girl. What was up with that? You just wanted a picture or two. Was that so bad? You could feel your lips beginning to quiver.

Joel unbuckled himself from his seatbelt and slid across the seat to you, pulling you into his arms, telling you she’s okay, she’s fine, she’s with people we trust. They’ll take care of her. Don’t worry, okay? You nodded, snuggling your face into his chest, tears brimming your eyes. He kept holding you, comforting you, and to be honest, himself too, both of you missing Ellie so much at that very moment.

When the two of you had calmed down, you exited the truck, Joel taking your hand in his, lacing his fingers with yours as he walked next to you. You stopped, looking at your hands, and then up at him, and back at your hands.

“What?” he asked, “I told you, your hand, I want to hold.”

God, if only you knew how nervous he was that you might pull away, telling him to fuck off.

If only he knew how fast your heart was beating. Joel Miller wanted to hold your hand.

And he didn’t let go, not even as you queued to get the tickets, not even as you bought popcorns, not even as you watched the movie.

He didn’t even let go when you ran into Lucy as you stopped for a light, late lunch. The woman just stared at you defeatedly from afar, and finally looked away when Joel wrapped his arm around your shoulder, taking your hand and wrapping it around his waist, holding it in place there, fingers laced with each other’s.

You were sharing a sundae when your phone finally chimed repeatedly, pictures from Frank.

Ooh! Joel slid closer to you, eager to look at the pictures together.

Oh.

They were of Ellie, Bill and Frank.

At the local zoo. Having a jolly old time.

The fuck happened to the birthday party? The petting zoo? The bouncy castle?

A text message came in.

Frank: I’m not answering any of your calls – just so you know, so don’t even bother calling. And no, I am not explaining anything either, so drop that right off your head. I will drop Ellie off tomorrow night as promised, before her bedtime. Enjoy your time alone with RPH. And NOT FOR GARDENING! xx

Oh, you’re gonna kill some people.

“RPH?” Joel asked, befuddled.

“Tell you some other time,” you told him, putting your phone away, your face red from embarrassment.

You bought some dinner at the mall to take home, tired from your day out. As Joel parked his truck in your driveway and killed the engine, you decided you needed the answer to the question that had been burning in your mind all day long, especially since he started holding your hand.

“Hey, Joel?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for taking me out today, I had a great time, really.”

“Thank you for coming with me,” he replied, easily.

“Hey, Joel?”

“Hmm?” his head was turned towards you, rested against his headrest.

“Was this… a date?”

He didn’t take his eyes off you. You could feel all the blood rush to your face from the intensity of his stare.

“Would it be so bad if I say I hope it was?”

“Yes.”

His face fell.

“You should ask me out for real, next time, and not guise it as a shopping trip to the garden centre, Miller.”

He suddenly smiled, “You mean, if I had asked you out on a date, you would have said yes?”

You nodded, a bit shy at how truthful you were being.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

You shrugged, “I didn’t think someone like you would be interested in someone like me,” you said, looking at your hands. “Why didn’t you ask me before?”

He shrugged, “I didn’t think someone like you would be interested in someone like me,” he said, looking at his hands.

You scoffed, shaking your head, just as he himself was shaking his own, laughing a little.

“We’ve been so stupid.”

You nodded.

“So, Ellie won’t be home until dinnertime tomorrow, how about I take you out on a real date?”

“But… the garden?”

He laughed. He had forgotten all about that. “Okay,” he conceded, “Next week it is, then.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

He won’t stop looking at you. And you found that you couldn’t stop staring right back at him. His eyes dropped down to your lips for a split second, his hand taking yours into his.

“Lily…” he began, starting to move towards you.

Of course, his phone rang. Again. Tommy. Again. On Facetime.

“What?” he asked, a bit annoyed that his time with you was being interrupted.

“Whoa, there, Uncle Joel, just wanted you to meet your nephew. Uncle Joel, Auntie Lily, meet Jackson Miller.”

---

April

[lawliveus]

What is DSAR and How Proxiio Can Help Your Legal Team

The digital age has brought forth numerous legal challenges, particularly in the realm of data protection and privacy. One of the most critical aspects of this is the Data Subject Access Request (DSAR). As organizations gather, process, and store personal data, the need for transparency and control over how that data is handled becomes paramount. In response to this, regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, and various other data privacy laws across the globe, have granted individuals the right to request access to their personal data from organizations.

However, while DSARs are a crucial part of data privacy laws, they present a significant challenge for legal teams. The process of managing and responding to a DSAR is complex and can be time-consuming without the right infrastructure in place. This is where Proxiio, a leading provider of alternative legal solutions, comes in. With our comprehensive DSAR services, we offer the tools and expertise to ensure that your legal team can handle these requests efficiently and in compliance with relevant privacy regulations.

In this article, we will explore what DSARs are, why they are essential, and how Proxiio can help your legal team navigate the complexities of managing and responding to these requests.

What is a DSAR?

A Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) is a request made by an individual (the data subject) to an organization, asking for access to the personal data that the organization holds about them. Under data protection regulations like the GDPR, individuals have the right to know:

What personal data the organization holds about them.

Why the data is being processed.

How long the data will be stored.

Who has access to the data (e.g., third parties).

What measures the organization has in place to protect the data.

The DSAR process is a key mechanism for ensuring data transparency and accountability. Organizations must respond to these requests within a specified period, typically 30 days, and provide the requested information free of charge, unless the request is deemed excessive or repetitive.

However, while DSARs are designed to protect individuals' privacy rights, they can place a considerable burden on businesses and legal teams. Gathering and reviewing all the relevant data, ensuring compliance with data privacy laws, and meeting strict deadlines requires significant resources and expertise.

Why Are DSARs Important?

With the rise of data protection and privacy regulations around the world, DSARs have become a vital aspect of compliance. Here are several reasons why DSARs are crucial for organizations:

Legal Compliance: In many jurisdictions, such as the European Union under the GDPR and in California with the CCPA, responding to DSARs is a legal obligation. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines and legal liabilities.

Transparency and Trust: By honoring DSARs, organizations demonstrate their commitment to transparency, which can help build trust with customers, clients, and other stakeholders. This can also enhance the organization’s reputation for data security and privacy.

Empowerment of Individuals: DSARs empower individuals by giving them control over their personal data. This is especially important in the context of increasing data collection and surveillance by businesses.

Risk Mitigation: Properly handling DSARs helps organizations avoid the risk of non-compliance, data breaches, or misuse of personal data, which could lead to regulatory fines or legal disputes.

The Challenges of Handling DSARs

Handling DSARs is not a simple task, and there are several challenges that legal teams must overcome to comply with privacy laws effectively:

Volume and Scope of Data: In large organizations, the volume of data stored across various systems, platforms, and departments can be overwhelming. Locating and retrieving the relevant data for a single request can require significant time and effort.

Data Sensitivity: Some of the data requested may be sensitive or confidential. Legal teams must carefully consider what data can be shared with the requester and what must remain confidential to avoid violating privacy laws or breaching contracts.

Meeting Deadlines: DSARs must typically be responded to within 30 days. This tight timeline can be challenging, especially when dealing with large datasets or when requests are complex.

Data Accuracy: Ensuring the data provided in response to a DSAR is accurate and complete is critical. Mistakes or omissions can lead to regulatory penalties, legal actions, or reputational damage.

Third-Party Involvement: In some cases, data related to third parties may be involved, complicating the process of data retrieval and response. Organizations must take care not to breach third-party confidentiality agreements or privacy regulations.

How Proxiio Can Help Your Legal Team with DSARs

At Proxiio, we specialize in providing alternative legal solutions that streamline complex legal processes. Our DSAR services are designed to assist your legal team in managing these requests efficiently, ensuring compliance with all relevant data privacy regulations, and minimizing the risks associated with DSAR handling.

Here’s how Proxiio can help your legal team manage and respond to DSARs:

1. AI-Driven Data Discovery and Review

One of the most time-consuming aspects of handling a DSAR is locating and reviewing the relevant personal data. Proxiio leverages cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools to automate the process of data discovery. Our advanced tools can quickly identify and extract relevant personal data from large, disparate datasets, enabling your team to respond to DSARs efficiently.

With AI-powered document review, we can analyze massive amounts of data and identify key information that needs to be included in a DSAR response. This automation reduces the time and effort required for manual data review, ensuring that your legal team can meet tight deadlines and maintain compliance.

2. Ensuring Compliance with Privacy Regulations

Proxiio’s DSAR services are designed to ensure that your responses are fully compliant with data privacy regulations, such as the GDPR, CCPA, and other global privacy laws. Our team of legal experts understands the intricacies of these regulations and can guide your legal team through the entire DSAR process, from initial request to final response.

We help ensure that the data provided to the requester is accurate, complete, and complies with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements. We also provide guidance on how to handle exemptions or exceptions, such as when data cannot be disclosed due to legal or contractual obligations.

3. Data Redaction and Security

Handling sensitive personal data requires a high level of security and care. Proxiio employs advanced data redaction techniques to protect sensitive information while still fulfilling the DSAR request. Our data redaction tools help ensure that any confidential or third-party information is appropriately withheld, reducing the risk of privacy violations.

We also employ robust security protocols to protect data throughout the DSAR process, ensuring that personal data remains secure and is not exposed to unauthorized individuals.

4. Streamlining the DSAR Process

Proxiio’s DSAR solution helps streamline the entire process, from intake and review to response and reporting. We help your legal team establish clear workflows and automated systems to handle DSARs more efficiently. This includes:

Centralized tracking of all DSAR requests

Automated notifications and reminders to ensure timely responses

Reporting tools that provide real-time status updates on pending DSARs

By implementing these streamlined processes, Proxiio helps reduce the workload on your legal team while ensuring that DSARs are handled quickly and accurately.

5. Training and Support

In addition to providing the tools and expertise to handle DSARs, Proxiio offers comprehensive training and support to ensure that your legal team is well-equipped to navigate the complexities of data privacy laws. Our training programs cover the fundamentals of DSARs, legal compliance, data security, and best practices for handling requests.

We also offer ongoing support throughout the DSAR process, answering any questions or concerns your team may have and providing expert guidance when needed.

Conclusion

As data protection regulations continue to evolve, managing Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) has become an essential task for legal teams. Responding to DSARs accurately and efficiently is critical for ensuring compliance, building trust with clients, and protecting your organization from legal risks.

Proxiio, as a trusted provider of alternative legal solutions, offers comprehensive DSAR services that streamline the process, ensure legal compliance, and reduce the risk of error. Our AI-driven tools, expert guidance, and robust data security protocols make Proxiio the ideal partner for handling DSARs effectively and efficiently.

By leveraging Proxiio’s DSAR services, your legal team can focus on what matters most—ensuring data privacy compliance and providing top-tier legal support, while we handle the complex aspects of DSAR management. Contact Proxiio today to learn more about how we can help your legal team manage DSARs with ease and efficiency.

[ofskysanddragonsandstars]

Just another TFA x TFP crossover idea...

I know almost every long lasting transformers fan has done this, but here is my hot take.

So we know TFA takes place in the 2050s, and TFP fans assume TFP takes place in the 2010s when it was released. So instead of alternate dimensions, what about futuristic AU/reincarnation AU? Granted a LOT of the characters are different, so adjustments are going to have to be made, so bare with me.

Let's start with the war.

TFP ends with Optimus Prime sacrificing himself so that Cybertron can produce life with the Allspark, and with the Allspark returned, Cybertron is habitable again, and Megatron leaves, thus ending the war, which I will now refer to as the Great War. It is up to Team Prime to start rebuilding Cybertron. And naturally, they look to Ultra Magnus.

As bots return to Cybertron, both Autobot and Decepticon have a lot of animosity towards each other. Afterall, this war lasted centuries. But with one leader dead and the other AWOL, they have to figure out how to coexist. But it is easy to fall back on old habits, so a council is but back in place, and unfortunately, it is most autobots. Once the decepticons heard that Megatron is still alive but off world, some decide to leave and find him. Some decide to remain and try to fix Cybertron for the better. So the council promotes mostly Autobots to positions of power, thus leaving out bigger decepticons starting the warframe fear. As for the protoforms, the council creates molds for new sparks, thinking hey, the war is over, why do we need fighters? We need bots who can fix things (construction), laborers, teachers, and so Cybertron starts to use the frase "cogs in the machine". Oops, here comes functionalism.

But those closest to Optimus Prime? The ones who fought with him and followed him because of what he stood for? The ones who were put on a pedestal for their actions on earth with Prime even though they don't care for any recognition? They notice it immediately. And they hate what Cybertron is becoming. But it is hard to do anything since they just finished a war. Rebuilding is at the top of the list, not idealism. But wasn't that what the whole war was about? Rising above your station, having opportunities, abolish the caste system, and no bot is better than the other. Well, Primus has a plan for that. Primus is frustrated with their children. They keep making the same mistakes, forcing them to choose a Prime. And their last Prime had to sacrifice his life for Primus and all Cybertronians. Well, if the children want to redo their past mistakes, might as well send back their latest Prime. But Primus and the Allspark can only create sparklings, not full bots. So, Primus and the Allspark places the spark of Optimus Prime in a protoform sparkling. We will get to that later.

So, we have a Cybertron that is rebuilding back its bad habits, Team Prime struggling to stop it, and decepticons leaving (of course that will come back to haunt us).

Now onto the Autobots.

Ultra Magnus, the right hand man of Optimus Prime, is naturally looked at for leadership. But he never wanted to the # 1. He truly believes in the ideas of Orion Pax, before he was Optimus Prime. But his understanding of legality and chain of command make him the perfect candidate to lead Cybertron towards order. But after his time on Earth, he has learned that maybe the most strict policies are not the best solutions. However, the council insists and public pressure wants a strong leader, so how can he say no? The only thing he can do is refuse the title of Primacy. He will not take on that mantle. He knows the type of bot who deserves Primehood, and it is not him. But the council needs some title, so why not use his name? Magnus means "big, large, great" - nomitive conjugation - (Latin nerd, I know), so why not use his name as a title? Thus, the title of Magnu begins to be synonymous with "ruler". Ultra Magnus finds this to be a slap in the faceplates. But at least they stopped inisting on Prime. So, with great reluctance (please laugh at that joke) he accepts the position. As to what exactly his position means, well, the council wants to appease the public yet remain in control. The council will surely write up the specifics later. But, I mentioned it before, Ultra Magnus knows the Law, so he takes it into his own servos. He writes up his own limitations and abilities, he just needs the council to sign off. They don't hurry to sign it. This is the beginning of Ultra Magnus' problems.

Ratchet will probably be the easiest to crossover. Both TFA and TFP characterize him as an old medic that has fought in the war from the beginning. After Predacons Rising, he shuffles back and forth from Earth and Cybertron. But Earth hasn't faced decepticon attacks in years so Fowler isn't around much anymore (and the man had a long career in the Army and as a special agent - it's time for him to retire), the Earth kids eventually grow up, so they don't need him anymore. As much as it pains him (even though he will never admit it), he returns back to Cybertron for good and sets up a clinic for war vets. Probably with Knockout. Which many autobots don't like. That's a problem. But as the oldest friend of Orion Pax, he lashes out against the council and their policies, which unfortunately causes him to be blacklisted further. His reputation as a war hero plummets. He almost wants to laugh at the similarities from before the Great War.

Bumblebee is going to be the hardest. In TFP, he has a character arc of young scout to experienced warrior. Yet in TFA, he is a young Elite Guard wash out and a comedic. Well, the only answer I can currently think of is memory wipe. But let me backtrack. Bumblebee technically killed Megatron in TFP, and news of that travels across autobot channels before Predacons Rising, thus before Unicron revives Megatron. So, autobots that begin to return to Cybertron consider Bumblebee as the hero who ended the Great War. But Ultra Magnus is orderly, so he keeps the autobot channel updated with Megatron being revived but AWOL. But communication can be tricky galaxies apart, so some autobots don't get the full message. Unfortunately, the council capitalizes on that, and since Ultra Magnus won't accept Primehood, maybe the scout who served under Optimus Prime for so long will. And if Bumblebee accepts the council's wishes, perhaps he will remain under their watchful optics. But the new warrior looked up to Optimus, no way can he take his mentor/father-figure's place. And Smokescreen is Bumblebee's friend, one who turned down the Matrix of Leadership when it was freely offered. This angers the council. With functionalism getting in place yet Team Prime against it, they need someone from Team Prime to endorse functionalism. And what better bot than the scout who ended the war. With using a similar science from the cortical psychic patch, they wipe his memory of earth, his friends, and serving with Optimus Prime. How do they get that science? Well, TFA Shockwave was the spy Longarm in the council. More on that later. There is going to be a lot of repercussions for that.

Smokescreen is the new rebellious teenager in TFP. His character arc goes from hot head that is unsure of his place in the galaxy to a steady bot with a close friendship with Bumblebee. There is a foil with Alpha Trion both being a mentor to Orion Pax and Smokescreen and both working in the Archives. And Cybertron needs to remember its history. Smokescreen becomes the new Head Archivist, following after Alpha Trion. He could keep with the Elite Guard, perhaps one day truly becoming a Prime, but after Predacons Rising, he knows that there needs to be another path. And who else knows the Archives better than him? He is no Orion Pax - or an archivist - but watching over Alpha Trion makes a mech learn a thing or two. Surprising everyone but Bumblebee, he starts to rebuild the Archives. He takes reports from returning bots, both autobot and decepticon, and organizes it. Returning bots also bring recovered treasures that Alpha Trion shipped off world during the Great War. Thankfully, he remembers where they went. He gets so caught up in restoring the Archives that, like Orion Pax, he notices re-occurring problems from before the Great War, but it is too late to stop it. The best thing he can do is publish every document to a public platform, no matter which faction it came from, so that bots can resist the council. But the public is tired from the Great War, it is too soon to read documents about it. And Sparklings are shielded from those documents, caretakers claiming it is too violent. But what is violent about a critical analysis of the caste system written by a gladiator? Exactly the fact that it was written by a gladiator turned tyrant. He is threatened with removal of his position by the council. Afterall, they happen to like their elite status and have no interest in giving that up. And he knows that if he is removed, the council will fill his position with a bot that will promote council propaganda. The honorific of Prime is no longer so significant nor synonymous with Primus and the 13 due to the council trying to justify Ultra Magnus as the leader, even though he is under their thumbs, and wanting to keep authoritarian government, bestowing bots who graduate council specific requirements at an academy the title of Prime, and it frustrates Smokescreen. He considers it a disgrace to Optimus Prime. But he stays quiet, yet secretly, when he sees a young bot interested in the Great War and before, he shows them the truth. Slowly yet surely, young bots start to question what the Great War was even for.

Arcee TFP and TFA actually have a lot in common for backgrounds. In TFA, she was a teacher and an intelligence officer, and in TFP episode "Sick Minds" she makes an offhand comment about knowing how to do research. I headcanon that before the Great War, Arcee was in an analytical job, and since I'm crossing over with TFA, she could also at one point have been a teacher. Perhaps the equivalent of a grad student while teaching? With rebuilding Cybertron, she brings back those skills and starts some sort of intelligence organization. Perhaps it is in correspondence with Smokescreen and the Archive. She is also a great mentor to Smokescreen and she easily takes leadership role in the field when necessary. Arcee is the one who finds out Bee's memory gets wiped. She is quick to anger - as we see in her interactions with Starscream and Arachnid - and demands the council to return Bumblebee's memories. This does not go as planned, and the council retaliates and she goes into a comatose state, bringing us into TFA. But she has friends, and they notice her absence.

This brings in the Wreckers. With Cybertron going backwards, Bulkhead returns to construction. At first, he doesn't mind. Afterall, he has the knowledge for it, and in Predacons Rising, he currently is all they have. Unfortunately, this comes to haunt him as it allows the council to make a case for functionalism. All that fighting, wasted. Bulkhead never gets the chance to be something new. Until Wheeljack reaches out. With his knowledge in engineering, Wheeljack becomes the chief engineer on cybertron. Meaning that he is in charge of building space bridges, figuring out planetary weapons systems, communication technology, space travel, ect. Meaning, he figures out what happened to Arcee. And Project Omega. Wheeljack has learned that going solo isn't always the best move. But he keeps things Wrecker style. Since he knows the council listens in on his new communication network, he reaches out to Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus on the old Wrecker channel. It is time to bring the band back together. Or so they think. The rescue mission of Arcee fails, Bulkhead's memory is also wiped, and Ultra Magnus forced into a deeper corner of the council. They try to wipe Wheeljack's memory, but he is the chief engineer who suffered torture under a cortical psychic patch, he is able to retain his memories, but hides that fact. Even Ultra Magnus thinks his memory has been wiped. Wheeljack keeps a low radar with the council and remains the chief engineer. But he is rebellious, so he informs Ratchet.

So, to sum up our main characters: 2 have lost their memory, 1 is comatose, 2 are in political peril, 1 is undercover, 1 is disgraced, and 1 is dead.

Now we get to the plot of this AU.

Ratchet is disgraced by the council and autobots don't like that he works with a decepticon, former or not. His ability to do anything is greatly hindered. But he is still a medic with a valid practicing license and naturally, Sparklings need check ups. Enter the revival AU. Ratchet never thought his deceased friend and leader would ever return, but science is indisputable and he is very good at medicine and he patched up the Prime hundreds of times. He knows Optimus' spark signature when he sees it. How is it possible? Well, Ratchet never considered himself religious, but after battling Unicron and seeing a revived Megatron, perhaps religion has some merit. And Spark signatures are unique to individuals. There are no accounts of repeat spark signatures. The only logical explanation is this is the work of Primus. But Ratchet has no love of the council, so with the help of Knockout, they meet with Ultra Magnus secretly. So, only those 3 know Optimus has returned. But he is only a sparkling, and hasn't Optimus sacrificed enough? So, Optimus is returned to his caretaker to live a life free of his past hardship. Like Optimus Prime said before he entered the Well, it is up to them to rebuild Cybertron for the better. If only they could do some serious changes.

So, little Optimus grows up in a Cybertron rebuilding and no one talking about the Great War. All he has is the propaganda the council gives out. So why would he need to go to the Archives to learn? He has his teachers and he knows his function will be to put out fires or haul things due to his size, even though a part of him desires to be an Elite Guard. He eventually joins the academy and here we have TFA fully kick in. He befriends Elita-1 and Sentinel the same, catches the attention of Ultra Magnus the same way (or so he thinks. The mech is the leader of Cybertron, of course he has his ways to keep tabs on the former Prime) gets kicked out after losing Elita-1 (or so he thinks - Ultra Magnus wants him away from the council, so kicking him out was the best he could do), yet Ultra Magnus, with the help of Wheeljack, pulls a few strings to get Optimus' crew. Team Prime is almost back together. Afterall, it's not like the council wants Ratchet on the planet, and how would they know it is the very same Optimus?

The TFA plot mainly stays the same, except the Allspark is a little different. Here, the Allspark was supposedly returned to the Well. How it gets into space, I am still working that out. I might have to bring in TFA lore for this, intertwining it with the return of the decepticons and Megatron. But Ratchet has a fit when they find it ("Optimus sacrificed his life so that relic would return to the Well! And this is the thanks he gets?) he almost is glad when it gets shattered into pieces. But the Allspark also terrifies him after seeing his friend give his life for it. Ratchet does his best to keep Optimus away from the Allspark, even though Primus seems to find a way for Optimus to keep interacting with it.

Now this is getting long, so I'm going to end it here. But there is still a lot more to cover in this AU! Specifically the Decepticons. And how does Bumblebee and Bulkhead get their memories back? Wheeljack? Does Ultra Magnus tell Wheeljack of Optimus' true identity when he helps put his crew together on Teletran-1? How does Ultra Magnus change from being a kind SIC to the strict military leader of Cybertron? Does he get redeemed? Or is he the example of a tragic tale of political bargaining? What happens to Smokescreen? Do the TFP kids meet Sari Sumdac? Do they meet the autobots in Detroit, or does Ratchet warn them to keep their distance? What changes happen with Sentinel's and Optimus' friendship once his former life is revealed? When happens when Optimus learns the truth?

[goblinhoursinsomniaramblings]

I Know Those Eyes Pt 2

why yes i am continuing this

“You’re certain.”

Batman’s words were clipped. Less a question than a threat of consequences. Tim nodded, no hesitation.

“I’d have to have access to a blood or skin sample for 100% confidence, but… yeah. As of 1:23 A.M. this morning, we have confirmed visuals of Lex Luthor and Damian Wayne, alive and mobile, in downtown Gotham City.”

He brought up images of the hotel.

“Hotel Spillane, originally used by the Falcone family, mainly used by the successors of their original business interests. Several legal and executive representatives of one of these interests arrived over the course of the night and previous evening, with Luthor and… Damian being the last to arrive.”

Keep it together, Tim.

“Oracle looked into Luthor’s new identity. It’s so obvious I am actually mad. He’s backstopped a whole life story as Lex Luthor’s estranged twin brother, Lionel V. Luthor, going by the nickname Vlad. Sole inheritor of all Lex Luthor’s assets.”

He brought up the images on file for ‘Lionel’ as well as his own analysis of the footage.

“The confusing part is what he did after inheriting–he has been spending a lot of money on sustainability research, alternative fuels, updated emergency service systems, things like that. As far as I can tell he wants to make premium versions of those things and sell them for a profit, but is playing the long game by flooding the board with cheap goods while gaining good PR.”

He called up the files on VladCo.

“The rest he used to get a tech startup running, VladCo. Apparently he’s interested in ‘standardizing the nonstandard’, whatever that means, but he hasn’t really made anything for the mass market yet. The closest we can find is he’s been making something classified for the U.S. government.”

He took a shaky breath and called up what he had on Damian. He felt Bruce’s pained, shocked exhale more than he heard it, but it was there all the same. So… there really wasn’t any doubt.

“Daniel Summers. On paper he’s 24, was raised in Chicago, and while he’s acting as Luthor’s bodyguard we couldn’t find any official records of him being employed in that capacity. Probably because Oracle was only checking every thirty seconds and his birth certificate didn’t show up on any records until just before they arrived at the hotel.”

He started counting off on his fingers.

“So, 1: whoever is adding them to the system isn’t done yet. 2: they don’t actually care if they get caught. 3: they, very specifically, don’t care if we catch them.”

“You’re saying he’s taunting us.”

“It’s looking–hang on, Oracle says there’s a situation developing.”

One quick shortcut and video of a meeting room popped up on the screen. ‘Lionel’ was smugly facing down his very angry looking investors and their representatives. Suddenly, each of them seemed to calm down. Unnaturally fast, and in unison, with a very particular dull look to their eyes. Tim felt a chill down his spine.

Mind control. Lex Luthor was a meta now, and he had mind control! No wonder Damian hadn’t reached out–

But why? What did he still need Damian for? Unless…

Oh.

He met Batman’s eyes. The taunting, the lack of discretion, finding his first victims in Gotham City.

This was a hostage situation.

***

“You know, badger, you’re perfectly free to walk away from this part of the plan.”

“No, I promised. … still really creepy to watch, though.”

All the papers were signed, all the signatories overshadowed. Now all they had to do was get out of range.

Danny frowned as he saw the receptionist reach for the phone. Right, spy games. Someone was probably supposed to give her a code word when the meeting was over–

Her eyes went glassy, hand freezing around the phone, and seriously that would never stop being creepy to watch. Still, non-violent solution, he’d take it.

As they approached their car, Danny scanned the quiet, ominously lit street. Not for obvious cameras–he knew for a fact Oracle would never allow one to be obvious–but for the best possible angle a camera could have. Eliminating the ones that would have already been used, that left–

He had thought about this moment. How he would give some signal to let them know he was back. That he had been thinking of them.

… Tt. Another time. Too many layers to communicate through, too little space to do so. His gaze had lingered with a purpose, he could only hope that would communicate that Damian was still a part of him too.

For now, that would have to be enough.

***

-major reveal of this chapter: ‘Lex’ has mind control powers

-lol damian/danny is the ghost king, vlad holding him hostage? ha no

-yeah they did not plan the hostage thing but vlad is gonna jump on it with both feet later. like he’s not gonna take credit for it, amirite

-some chapters will be longer. some will be shorter. the main thing is still vibes

-yes, the last little bit is going to make things so much worse with the bats

-why Summers? anything winter-related would be too on the nose, and using a name associated with a very different comic book universe felt appropriate

-i've been a touch stressed so this got put on the backburner. yes, because current events

@hinari @blankliferain @grimdarling69

[cantsayidont]

Despite its protestations of progressive values, STAR TREK media has always explicitly presented (and, with only fleeting exceptions, consistently celebrated) the Federation as an expansionist imperial power, engaged in a large-scale project of colonialism.

The usual apologia/rationalization for this, both from the franchise itself and from its fans, is that the Federation is also a post-scarcity socialist utopia. However, that is expressly not the case in TOS, despite the attempts of the later series to insist otherwise.

Indeed, the plots of some of the most famous and acclaimed episodes of TOS are specifically about resource extraction and ensuring the Federation's access to crucial resources, including lithium (in "Mudd's Women"), pergium (in "The Devil in the Dark"), and dilithium (in "Mirror, Mirror," et al). We are told repeatedly that the Enterprise has a mandate to use force to secure these resources if gentler methods fail. Moreover, while the Federation has a strategic interest in these resources, it's clear at various points in TOS that their extraction and exploitation are, to a significant extent if not exclusively, overseen by private interests for profit. For instance, in "Mudd's Women," Harry Mudd remarks:

Well, girls, lithium miners. Don't you understand? Lonely, isolated, overworked, rich lithium miners! Girls, do you still want husbands, hmm? Evie, you won't be satisfied with a mere ship's captain. I'll get you a man who can buy you a whole planet. Maggie, you're going to be a countess. Ruth, I'll make you a duchess. And I, I'll be running this starship. Captain James Kirk, the next orders you're taking will be given by Harcourt Fenton Mudd!

In "The Devil in the Dark," Kirk ultimately takes a regulatory position — he will not permit the pergium miners to kill the Horta or continue to destroy her eggs — but at no point does he suggest that stopping the pergium production that threatens the Horta is a viable or even acceptable alternative. The accord he proposes is contingent on the Horta's agreement that she and her children will support the mining efforts on her planet, since Kirk emphasizes that "a dozen planets" are depending on the miners to supply needed pergium. (What would have happened to her if she hadn't agreed is not stated, but the episode strongly suggests that she would have been severely punished for noncompliance with Kirk's mediated solution: forcibly relocated to some kind of Horta reservation away from the main mining operations, perhaps.) When the Horta does agree to this proposal, Kirk assures Vanderberg, "you people are going to be embarrassingly rich," which once again suggests that while the miners may have contractual agreements to delivery pergium to Federation worlds, they are still a private, for-profit business, not a Federation department or nationalized entity.

Profit is also Ron Tracey's motivation for breaking the Prime Directive in "The Omega Glory": He believes that he's discovered a "fountain of youth" that he can own, monopolize, and exploit, and that the value of that resource will be enough to buy his way out of legal trouble for his regulatory violations.

We mostly don't see the Enterprise crew handle money except on away missions in other cultures or times, but there are a number of indications that the Federation in this era has not abandoned money: For instance, Harry Mudd's list of past offenses includes purchasing a space vessel "with counterfeit currency," while in "The Apple," Kirk rhetorically asks if Spock knows how much Starfleet has invested in him, which Spock begins to answer, "One hundred twenty-two thousand two hundred …" before Kirk cuts him off. More tellingly, in "I, Mudd," we have the following exchange:

KIRK: All right, Harry, explain. How did you get here? We left you in custody after that affair on the Rigel mining planet. MUDD: Yes, well, I organized a technical information service bringing modern industrial techniques to backward planets, making available certain valuable patents to struggling young civilizations throughout the galaxy. KIRK: Did you pay royalties to the owners of those patents? MUDD: Well, actually, Kirk, as a defender of the free enterprise system, I found myself in a rather ambiguous conflict as a matter of principle. SPOCK: He did not pay royalties. MUDD: Knowledge, sir, should be free to all. KIRK: Who caught you? MUDD: That, sir, is an outrageous assumption. KIRK: Yes. Who caught you? MUDD: I sold the Denebians all the rights to a Vulcan fuel synthesizer. KIRK: And the Denebians contacted the Vulcans.

Whether Deneb is a member of the Federation at this time is unclear, but Vulcan certainly is, and so we may assume that Vulcan and presumably the Federation itself are also part of "the free enterprise system."

The first indication that the Federation does not use money is in STAR TREK IV, and it's not obvious there if Kirk's remark that "They're still using money" is talking about money more broadly or just physical currency, which the Federation may have phased out even if it still uses credit or electronic transfers of monetary value. (Certainly, McCoy's attempt in STAR TREK III to charter a starship indicates that he had some means of paying for passage, since the captain of the ship specifically demands more money upon learning of the intended destination.)

If we accept at face value the assertion of TNG and DS9 that the Federation has genuinely abandoned the use of money, rather than simply going cashless, the most reasonable Watsonian explanation is that this has been a relatively recent development during the 70–80 years between the TOS cast movies and TNG, most likely related to the development of replication technology (which the Federation did not yet have in Kirk's time).

Of course, from a Doylist standpoint, we could chalk up some of this incidental dialogue to the franchise's evolving construction of its own setting, in the same manner as anomalous references to Vulcans as "Vulcanians." Roddenberry and his apologists might also insist that he always meant to depict a socialist utopia, but was prevented by the nattering nabobs of negativity (i.e., the network's BS&P); I'm very skeptical of such claims, but the writers were acutely aware that depicting what Earth is like in Kirk's time would be opening a can of worms, which is why we didn't actually see 23rd century Earth (even briefly) until the movies.

However, the focus on resource extraction and its ramifications is such a load-bearing story element in TOS that the revisionist assertion that the Federation was already a post-scarcity socialist utopia in Kirk's time (as both DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS have attempted to claim) would require really substantial retcons of the original show, perhaps to the extent of insisting that some of those events never took place at all, or happened radically differently than what's in the TOS episodes most STAR TREK fans have seen. For me, anyway, that crosses a line from willing suspension of disbelief to "don't trust your lying eyes," and suggests a frustrating and somewhat disturbing determination to insist that TOS is something much purer and nobler than it is rather than grapple with its actual conceptual flaws and ideological shortcomings.

[stealingyourbones]

Submitted Prompts #158

Sorry if this isn’t the right place, I have only recently discovered this tumblr and am slowly working my way backwards through your dpxdc tag.  I think it might be an injoke here so uh, behold poor Yorick, totally not the human skull of Tchaikowsky fullfilling his actor dreams postmortem.

One of the posts in the tag was a dpxdc trope writing challenge. So I’m not sure if you’re interested in seeing blurb turned fic summary but here:

Nightwing learns of a travelling circus, Circus Gothica, that claims to have ‘The Real Flying Graysons performing from the beyond the grave’. Alternatively furious and hopeful he discretely goes to investigate, and finds himself overshadowed by one of Ringmaster Freakshows ghostly workers, stuck performing as an acrobat for the circus. As Nightwing struggles with his posession and reunion with seemingly the supposed ghosts of his parents, he finds an unlikely ally in Killer Croc/Waylon Jones, who had been kidnapped on his travels back to Gotham after having tried and failed to settle down in Swamp Things swamp.

Unfortunately the pairs cooperation ends shortly after freeing themselves and the completely unneccessary fight allows Freakshow and his assosciates to escape. Nightwing is determined to solve the case himself (and get justice for his dead parents and himself) causing tension between him and Batman who noted his disappearance.

Batman independently investigates,leading him to the Guys in White. Identifying them as an anti-meta group, he brings it to the attention of the Justice League in hopes of organising a legal solution - Superman takes it personally when one of the primary funders is revealed to be Lex Luthor.

Meanwhile Nightwing has tracked Freakshow to a bolthole/lair, where he comes across Val, a woman in a red jumpsuit, who had been following the trail of a different individual - a villain she calls Vlad Plasmius . The pair work together, Val freeing the ghosts in Freakshows control including the Greysons and Nightwing getting a cathartic takedown of both Freakshow and (with borrowed tech) Vlad.

Their partnership and the greater plot behind the villains actions goes over Nightwings head as he recognises 'not his circus, not his monkeys’ and opts to leave it to his new friend.

Meanwhile Clark Kent has discovered an odd exchange of info/money/tech between the GIW, Lex Luthor and a strange inventor who loudly proclaims that he is Technus. The end goal seems to be to create suits that will be secretly under Lex Luthors control capable of rivalling heroes, so as to supplant heroes as beloved protectors of the world, as a step in ridding the world of independent metas like superman and getting him his own private world army.

Also meanwhile Batman has continued to investigate GIW/Freakshow leading him to Amity Park, where he witnesses young adult Sam Manson inadvertently vitalise plants during a local eco protest. When persistent digging leads to learning about the overgrowth incident, Batman reaches out to Harley for her thoughts on how mentorhip might positively/negatively effect her struggling but mostly reformed partner Poison Ivy. Batman uses his Brucie Wayne persona to assist in organising an eco activism initiative (and plant meta power mentorship) with the Mansons, with Sam taking a guiding role.

Supermans battle against Lexs + Technus mediated ghost/meta power suits goes poorly and he calls in for rescue. Recognising the issues from his research in Amity, Batman 'borrows’ tech from the Fentonworks before going to the rescue.

With the day saved Batman returns to update his records on ghosts and store his new tech, finally leading to Nightwing explaining a bit of his experiences to add to the records.

The story ends on the cliffhanger of Danny getting screwed over by Batman’s improved antighost protections when he went to try track down and collect the stolen weapons.

I had fun with this : )

[carriesthewind]

But when the Community-empowered (but definitely not-cops) vigilantes beat someone into a coma in the street, that will be good and just. Because they will have the support of The Community. Am I getting the police-abolitionist position right? I realize that there's actually a lot of theory involved, and a lot of pontificating about how The Community would never behave in a violent or negative way, but I felt like jumping to what will be the actual results of the position: same as now.

"Hey, Owl, why are you so suspicious of questions about what alternatives you would propose to current policing and criminal legal systems?"

Mostly because anytime anyone proposes a very small change like, "maybe the U.S's sex offender registry shouldn't be public," people immediately start arguing about how this will all lead to horrible violence. Because when people say, "nobody seems to have any solutions for what happens afterwards" they often mean the same thing as this anon - that any arguments for change are "pontificating." (And. Ok. Yeah, there are definitely some idealistic (mostly very young) folks who will argue that their idealized solution will perfectly eliminate violence and abuse and mistreatment. Silly idealists exist in every single moment and across the political spectrum. Taking that silly argument as a serious representation of the actual work and movement and theory being done is some Alex-Jones-level bullshit.)