#and they most likely wouldn't base what they're doing around other separate people's jobs

[larentslovechaos]

-

[arcadekitten]

A few questions regarding noisreverse and queerness, sorry if any of this comes off rude/weird, for context I'm autistic and tend to be rather blunt (additionally i am queer myself both gender and orientation wise)

-if discrimination doesn't exist at all then how come they seem to have 'pride' not as in the vocabulary words for orientations and genders but like, why have flags for it etc? Are cishet people just included in noisrev's celebration of diversity? Or does it not and stuff like the pride clothing pieces in hfsh isn't entirely diagetic. Or does discrimination do exist but it's just less prevalent then it is in our world

-is it to be assumed that the noisrevian reproduction process is done for me than just reproduction? I'm asking this cause I feel like asexuality in a universe where a reproduction method is just for having kids and not for enjoyment wouldn't hold the same weight/meaning. Like imagining a cis woman noisrev thats asexual is she just not interested in getting pregnant? Or does an allosexual noisrevian experience an attraction that asexual noisrevs don't??

-with the picture painted of noisrev and incredibly diverse and accepting I'm curious about gender roles in the noisreverse?

-i'm also curious to know if different species have different views on lgbtq+

Discrimination based on orientation/gender doesn't exist in Noisrev, but it does still exist in our real world. Flags for the most part are meant to convey meaning to the audience. While characters in-universe will acknowledge these flags and what they stand for, it's just a way to show off another part of your identity. And while discrimination might not exist, sometimes the journeys one takes to discover their identities and who they are still hold importance to them. ==

It is a bit hard for me to describe. I don't want to make it seem like it's something like "sex, just with a different name" because that defeats the point of why I made the world like this to begin with. It is purposely meant to be mysterious and mystifying. I wanted to impart the feeling of when you are a child and the adults around you are talking about something you aren't able to understand. It's not always sex they're talking about, it's just things you wouldn't be able to understand. I want their processes to feel like that too. Something you as the audience would just not be able to understand. But to them, it makes sense, and that's all they need. ==

Gender roles are a tricky topic. I would say that gender roles aren't as severe as they are in the real world, but I wouldn't say they're rid of entirely and even if I tried to do that, it would still come with the influences of the gender roles we have in the real world. For example, anyone can wear a skirt or a dress. But skirts and dresses are still associated with being a "girls clothing item." A boy character who continuously wears skirts and dresses would probably be considered a crossdresser. If a character like Reginald or Crowven were asked to wear a skirt, they wouldn't have a problem with it. Some other boys might but they wouldn't get into hysterics over it. And even though these two are fine with wearing skirts when asked, it's not typically something they would wear on their own or include in their wardrobe. A character like Twyla can run a mob and no one would be shocked that a girl is in charge. I imagine gangs are typically made up of a more-or-less equal number of genders. Sports and jobs aren't separated by gender. But sometimes people find it easier to relate to people of their own gender, too. I hope that makes sense! ==

I don't think different species have different views about it. However, I do think there are Noisrevians who consider themselves to be "purebreeders" and believe that you should only date within your own species. Many of these people usually tend to fall into heterosexual circles/relationships as they hold reproduction to a higher standard

[it-begins-with-rain]

Hello lovely,

I have a question for you about American (work)culture.

What the fuck are sick days and how can you run out of them? How manny days do you get? What if your out of days and still sick? What happens when you don't use them all up? Do you need a doctors note? Or can you use them to go on a litlle vacation?

That was more then one question, but i'm very confusse about the concept. You are the only American I know, so you get my questions ;)

I'm going to post this openly, just to see if others can help answer. I'm a contract worker (technically part-time at one job, but they treat us as contractors), so I actually don't get any sick time at all, ever. That's something that only salary workers- to my knowledge- can have. So most of my answer is just what I'm aware the policies are at places I have worked for those on staff.

Because contract workers don't get paid if they don't work, you end up having a lot of very sick people working when they shouldn't. During COVID the policy at work was *literally* "If we like you and you get COVID, you'll still be paid for what you would have worked. Don't tell anyone else about this policy because if we don't like them, we don't want them thinking they'll get paid." (three of us were on the 'we like you' list, and it was literally just who the department director liked, not based on quality of work or what you do).

I do know that where I work, the people on staff don't get specifically sick-days, they get "paid time off", which in other companies is usually a wholly separate thing (but where I am, they're lumped together). In other places it's usually like, if you work overtime and they don't want to pay you for that, they turn those hours into extra time you can take off. So if you work 3 hours overtime, you can leave 3 hours early another day.

Typically if you run out of sick days, I think you're just SOL (shit out of luck), unless your company has a separate thing you can kind of apply for. A lot of companies straight up don't care, and after a certain amount of time, they'll fire you. That happens a lot where I live.

**I should say at some point, I work in a state that is ranked as one of the most employee-hostile in the country. The laws will be different state to state.**

Some require doctor's notes if you use sick days, some don't.

If you don't use sick days or paid time off by the end of the year, some places let you roll them into the next year. Other places will figure out what your average daily pay is and give you that as a "bonus" for not using your sick/leave time. Sometimes you can roll it over up to a certain number of days (like, you get 6 sick days a year, maximum of 12 if you aren't sick and those days keep collecting year to year).

My father was in the military for 20 years and only took sick days if he absolutely could not function (I don't remember him taking them more than like one the day of a surgery, he was even back at work the next day). That was because the military rolled over sick days year after year, no expiration or maximum. So when he left the military, we moved away, and he was still paid as a full-time soldier for 4 months, he'd built up so much sick time.

Again, I work in one of the absolute worst states it is possible to work in. Someone literally died at an Amazon facility and the governor had people from the labor board go and help the people at Amazon fill out the reports to file so they wouldn't be penalized.

I work in a state that literally prioritizes companies over dead employees.

**I should also say that rules around sick days and such- if there is a Union protecting an employee, that kind of stuff will be included in the contract, so it isn't even necessarily a matter of state law at that point, it's a matter of what the Union has secured for people.

If anyone has anything to add, go for it!

[vickyvicarious]

Parker: "Teach me to like stuff."

.

Okay, so. I have some thoughts about The French Connection Job's Parker+Eliot subplot. And I think I wanna approach it separately, scene by scene from each of their perspectives, because we have a couple different things going on here. It's still a little more of a Parker meta than an Eliot meta, but I have enough to talk about on both sides, and they're connected enough not to be in separate metas, that I am going to do it this way.

Also going to put this under a cut because it gets long.

Parker

This whole subplot comes on the heels of the last episode, in which there was a lot of banter throughout about Hardison and Parker's dates, and him wanting to branch out into other things than just bungee jumping or whatever. We have seen hints of this throughout S5 so far, even though we're only a few episodes in at this point. They went on a world tour that was pretty much just jumping off of stuff, Hardison said something about them figuring things out. We saw a cute domestic scene of the aftermath of them watching a movie together, except Parker 'fell asleep again' and missed most of it, and Hardison eventually went off to work on his laptop. Parker tried to comfort him last episode about dust mites and ended up freaking him out instead. She talked about how she liked fire and Hardison complained she was missing the point of his offer for a candlelit picnic. They did end on a very romantic note with her still making the effort to make it happen but getting rained out, and him recognizing her effort and listening to him, and projecting the stars around the dark room then having the picnic inside. They are clearly very happy together and both making the effort to meet in the middle, but there are still some disconnects. Which makes sense this early on anyway, but it's not out of place for Parker to start getting worried about her limited interests here given the context of them contrasting Hardison's more widespread interests.

Starting right off the bat - there's a picture limit so I can't show these early moments, but throughout the first part of the episode we see Parker looking visibly upset/pensive. Hardison notices and asks her what's wrong, but is immediately distracted by his package arriving, and then the team gets into the briefing and he doesn't get to talk to her again. (Sidenote that this is pretty OOC for Hardison, and I have to assume he would at the very least come back to her later, but they were clearly trying to get Parker talking with someone else this episode and apparently couldn't come up with a better way to do it. His writing outside of the kitchen stuff was kinda off this whole episode anyway, what with the whole tip thing.) She was about to open up to him, however, which is important. There's also a scene shortly afterwards where she confides in Nate, again after he notices her being upset and asks what's bothering her. She claims everyone but her has 'a thing', and names a few of them. He asks her what she thinks when she sees Michelangelo's David, and when her answer is an immediate assessment of how it's guarded and what she'd have to do to steal it, he kind of hesitates and then goes right back to running the con. He basically gives up on helping her with this once it becomes clear that a quick sentence or two isn't gonna cut it.

So after those brief, unhelpful conversations, that's when she makes a move. She was responding to others before, but this time she comes up to Eliot, clearly nervous. And she asks him to help her feel something.

(I find it very interesting that she doesn't ask Sophie. Sophie is the person who she would usually go to for something like this, after all. But, aside from this being an Eliot-centric episode and just like them sidelining Hardison's possible assistance earlier the writers want Parker to talk with Eliot not Sophie, I think there are maybe a couple reasons why she might go to him here. First, just distance. Eliot is right downstairs, meanwhile at the moment Sophie is however far across town at her theater. Certainly not saying she wouldn't go to Sophie eventually, but maybe that's why not first. Second, she and Eliot have an understanding, one that's been explicitly acknowledged since the start of S4. They are similar in a way entirely unlike the rest of the crew. So while Sophie may understand emotions best, Eliot is the one most likely to know what Parker is talking about when she says she just isn't feeling anything. Which by the way I'm gonna get more into later on. Thirdly they're in love but that's not actually relevant here since all of the team love one another.)

Eliot

On Eliot's side, she approaches him when he's busy in the kitchen. This whole job is stirring up a lot of old feelings in him right from the start. Toby was someone who 'kept him from falling all the way down', and Eliot is deeply concerned for him. At the same time, the way they are running this con is allowing Eliot to take on the role of teacher. Even though his students aren't anything like the eager students Toby has just had taken away from him, Eliot wants so badly to take advantage of this opportunity to teach them - maybe even all the more because they're resistant. He's being given a very rare opportunity to indulge his belief that food is life and to share it on a larger scale. To use the knife to create, not just destroy. Leverage often walks a line between doing both (taking down the bad guys and helping people) but Eliot doesn't often just straight up get to just do the 'creating' part. (I mean, he loves the destruction too, he genuinely loves beating people up and taking down bad guys, but this is a rarer pleasure.) So he's pretty preoccupied with that at first, and initially dismisses Parker just like the other two guys did.

But when she just looks quietly disappointed at his response, he goes still and watches her. We cut away from them here so we don't see his actual response, but it's immediately clear that he's realizing this is actually something deeply important to Parker, and well worth his time.

On to the next part of this scene below.

.

[Eliot sets a dish down in front of Parker]

Parker: "...It's just food."

Eliot: "It's not just food! Alright, some people could look at it and just see food, but not me. I see art. When I'm in the kitchen I'm, I'm creating something outta nothing, you know what I mean? And sometimes I crush it, sometimes it's crap, but either way - it makes me feel something."

Parker: "Feel what?"

Eliot: "Just... feel."

Parker: [murmuring] "Feel... okay." [looks down at the food and hesitates]

Eliot: "You know, I didn't feel anything for a long time. Then Toby taught me how to cook, and after he did, I started to feel stuff again. That's why I share it through my food - this is my art. This is my art, Parker." [Parker nods, looking worried] "It's like lettin' a stranger in your head, just for a second. And you allow them to feel what you're feeling." [pause] "Look again." [he pushes the plate a little closer to her. Parker takes a deep breath and slowly sets her elbows down on the counter as she stares down at the plate. Eliot watches her closely.]

Parker

At this point I want to talk a little about what Parker means when she says "feel something" and talks about "having a thing." Because we've seen her have interests outside of straightforward thievery before. Sure, most of her hobbies revolves around stealing - casing local banks for fun, for example. But she clearly has a deep love for Christmas and for chocolate. So why doesn't she count those kinds of things as 'feeling something'?

I think it comes down to what Eliot's talking about here. It's a sense of art. Not even necessarily making it yourself, although that certainly applies. Parker likes sweet things like chocolate and donuts, but although she really really likes them they don't make her feel any truly deep emotion. It's more tactile than anything else, just a pleasant flavor. Her love of Christmas isn't the same either in her eyes because it's not uniquely hers. It's something she loves to celebrate but she can't do so all year round, and plenty of other people like Christmas too. This one comes a lot closer, because it definitely seems to be tied up more in community and family for her than something like enjoying chocolate and piñatas, but it still doesn't belong to her in the same way that cooking does to Eliot or theater does to Sophie. And while theoretically her love of base jumping and so on could maybe count, it is still so tied up in her thieving that it doesn't feel separate. She's really good at drawing but only thinks of it as a useful skill, not a creative outlet - this is similar to that.

She has been branching out into a lot of new experiences and emotions lately, and while she's struck out deep into uncharted waters with her relationship with Hardison, once there she's only seeing more and more things that she just... doesn't get. She loves spending time with him, and enjoys what they do together, but she doesn't understand all of those things. Not on a deeper level. She wants to feel that sense of connection to something, wants to feel deeply emotionally moved by something.

And honestly? I think she's way up in her head about it. I'm not trying to dismiss her struggle here at all, but I do think she is stressing herself out about having something uniquely her own. About having a huge interest that speaks so strongly to her personally. And those are amazing to have, but it's really not necessary. She doesn't need a strong secondary passion so much as she needs to let go of trying so hard to force herself into something.

And what's happening in this scene in particular is that Parker is trying so so hard to force herself to feel something. It's evident in her face throughout the whole scene, in her body language. And she is so terrified that it's not going to work that honestly, I'm not surprised at all that it doesn't.

Eliot

On Eliot's side of this scene, he feels like he recognizes where Parker is. This entire job has him remembering how it was to feel nothing. Her phrasing got to him deeply. He wants to reach out and teach her to see something more, just like Toby taught him.

He knew a bit about how to cook before Toby. But it was only seeing Toby's passion that struck something in him, that awoke a part of himself he might've never known before. For Eliot specifically, cooking being an art isn't just something he likes. It's something that brings him hope.

Eliot doesn't believe in redemption. But he believes in actions. And what Toby did, by teaching him to cook, was to teach him that his actions can be good. That he can create, not just destroy. That all is not lost - not 'for' him necessarily, so much as 'in' him. There is a deep empty place inside himself that he can enter so so easily. The difficulty is crawling back out again. Cooking was his rope out of there. He still finds it difficult to express his emotions very often, particularly verbally, but when he makes someone a meal he puts a part of himself into it. And yet doing so doesn't take anything from him, it just adds more.

This is all very vague and figurative and may make no sense, but the takeaway I want to have is that Eliot is opening up to Parker on a very deep level here. He feels like he recognizes what she's talking about, and it was a very bad place for him. (Again, I don't think she is quite that badly off at this point in canon, but I digress.) And while making food allows him to feel that he is demonstrating his love for someone, that he is sharing a part of himself with them, he recognizes that she isn't receiving that. What she's getting, is just a plate of food. Tasty food maybe, but nothing more than that. And so Eliot verbalizes everything to her in a way he rarely does.

And then he keeps trying. This scene obviously doesn't end up making her feel something, and we don't get to see the immediate aftermath of that, but we can glean a little about how they feel based on their reactions. And Eliot is deeply determined to help Parker feel something from his food. He insists that she play the food critic; even speaks directly to her and reminds her to consider what they talked about.

.

In the restaurant, we start out with Parker dutifully playing her role but feeling nothing much beyond just the role. Eliot checks in with Parker, she acknowledges that the food is good but doesn't make her feel anything, and he makes improvements based on her feedback. Then something abruptly changes.

Parker: "I can taste garlic, and mushrooms... and something else that makes me feel different."

Hardison: "Wait, was that for me, cause I-I don't get it."

Parker: "No, it's the food. I get it." [smiles] "I feel something."

+

Parker: "Mmm! These black noodles are amazing!

Eliot: "Parker, it's tagliolini nero con gamberi."

Parker: "Mmm." [eats a huge forkful] "Mmm. Mmmm. These are really good."

Parker

What just happened here? Last we saw from Parker, she'd failed to feel something from the meal Eliot made especially for her in the brewpub, and she was clearly disheartened. She felt it as a failure, very much in the sense of a disappointment. She didn't want to try again, didn't think it would work, and tried to protest when Eliot said she would be the food critic. Even once she got to the restaurant, nothing was happening for her.

The difference wasn't in the flavor of the food. The moment Parker started to feel something was right after she said she felt nothing and Eliot, instead of being disappointed or giving up, took it as a challenge. He changed his recipe, he improved it specifically to better reach out to her. He kept trying.

And yeah, maybe the bone broth helped it taste better. But that wasn't the point, not really. The point is that Parker had gotten herself stuck in a hole, trapped herself in this cycle of not understanding how things make you feel and then believing that she just couldn't. She wanted something of her own and she didn't have it and she didn't immediately get anyone else's thing either, and that was it. She just wasn't capable. She was other. This is an old old fear of Parkers, dating back to Archie or even before. Something in her just isn't capable of being like other people. She wasn't worthy of being in Archie's real family, and she's not able to feel passion for anything outside of stealing. (Setting aside the fact that she loves her team, that all she needed was the right family. That you don't have to be a creator to feel passion, and you don't need to be passionate about any particular thing in order to feel deeply and find beauty in the world.) Parker has empathized deeply with people, has felt so intensely before and is constantly trying to learn more and new ways to be. But because she is noticing her teams' passions now, she has this ideal that she wants to reach, and none of that is good enough for her. She doesn't even know exactly what her ideal involves, but she can't get to it.

But when Eliot doesn't give up, that gets to her. If he views his food as sharing himself with others, Parker finally gets what he's been trying to give all along. It's all about him trying again and again, changing his approach to match her better. That's what she feels, that's what she enjoys.

And once she starts, the floodgates open. She loves the black noodles. She is so happy, she is relieved. There was this huge resistance that she couldn't get past before, but Eliot persisting helped her to break past that and now that she is out of her head about it she can enjoy the food in a way she never has before. Because she feels his love for her in it.

Eliot

Eliot is trying so hard to connect to Parker. It's not really different from what I said in the last Eliot section, and basically the same as what I just said in that Parker section, but I want to emphasize a little more just how much this is about love on his end.

Eliot loves Parker. He loves her, and he wants so much to help her. It doesn't honestly matter that he does this with food, except for the fact that food is what matters so deeply to Eliot himself. He can't reach out to her in the same way through any other medium. And we don't get to see his reaction to Parker's moment of realization. But I think it would be such a deep sense of joy. This is as fulfilling for Eliot as it is for Parker. It's exactly what Eliot has been hoping for this whole episode, to teach someone else to see food in the same way he does. It doesn't matter if it only lasts for a moment or a single meal. That's enough. He has been the support Parker needed through this time of self-doubt. And it is all the more meaningful to him because this isn't just a random student, this is Parker.

He told her he loves her through his food, again and again, and she eventually felt it. She understood. That must mean so much to him.

.

I wanna end with one more brief note on Parker. Does she get her own "thing" this episode? No. No she does not, and this scene shows us that. Parker is not suddenly interested in food or cooking. The importance of that meal was purely derived from Eliot on the other end of it, focused on her and trying his best to reach out to her.

And I don't think this is something only Eliot could have done for her either, not really. The difference between him and the others this episode is mostly in persistence. However, it's also about her mentality. Hardison has built/done things for Parker before and she felt them just as deeply - but the context was different. She wasn't looking for a sense of beauty or art in the world at large then, and so even though she felt the love in the gift just as much, it didn't make her feel like she could find that kind of emotion in other things. She just wasn't looking for it. Also, it was made easier for Eliot to reach out because there's that connection Parker has with him, that understanding that they are on the same level somehow. She doesn't feel that with Hardison - and she loves him all the more for him being different from her, but he also I think can intimidate her with how good and open he is, with how much he can feel in so many different directions. It's part of why she got so worried about herself not being able to do so this episode.

Like, the team has scolded Nate for not having a life or interests of his own outside the job not too terribly long ago! And Parker has had her own joys before! But she isn't seeing that this episode, too caught up in this fear about not having her own 'thing', not feeling anything that way. So while anyone could have helped her through this, it was easiest for her to let Eliot do so + for him to understand what she needed from him. (Hardison in particular was rudely robbed the opportunity, but they all love and support her and could have reached her. Not to detract from Eliot doing so, but also I don't wanna sound like no other method of reaching out would've worked.)

But as soon as she feels something once with Eliot's help, that relaxes those fears. And then Parker is free to look in other places. She remembers Nate's comment about art, and maybe even tells him what she plans based on him knowing where she is at the end of the episode. And then she goes to visit this statue. In her own way which means breaking in, but without any goal of taking it. She just goes to look at the art. And she feels something again.

Parker doesn't gain some big passion at the end of this episode. She doesn't need to. She never did. She just learns how to let herself relax from that restrictive frame of mind. To simply be in the moment and enjoy things for the sake of what they are. To feel - not really in any way she was incapable of before, but intentionally now. It's a quiet victory, in the end. It doesn't mean she's going to get a new hobby or change her lifestyle at all really. But she's let go of a fear and is now intentionally seeking out new connections with the world beyond her once-limited parameters.

[sad-boy-hank]

Kso, after reader escaped and recovered physically they weren't allowed to go back into the agency and the thought or becoming a bandit or survivor scared them because despite being around since damn near the beginning of Nevada the thought of eating other people just. Doesn't sit right with them. If they're gonna die they might as well doing it getting a few things out of their system bc even tho Sanford took time to make sure that they'd recover n stuff after interrogation sessions that was still twelve days of repeated abuse and isolation in a cold dark room. Twelve is at least what Sanford says, time feels like an eternity when there's nothing to look at or listen to.

Reader finds him, beats the shit out if him until he passes tf out, they assume he's dead but they don't bother to check for a pulse and just sorta. cry. until bossman stumbles into the scene, calls up doc to pick up Sanford and decides to hire reader to work under Skinner for a bit to help out with 1V02P_6's hirelings bc a few of them are a little awnry when it comes to needles and handling all of them at the same time can be an issue even for someone as big as he is so extra hands wouldn't hurt.

Reader's actually a Really good assistant as that was the entirety of their job/life for the last three generations but Skinner loses use for them when their section of SQ switches from stretchers to tubes n sends them to help out Doc instead. They're apprehensive but still friendly right off the bat because if Skinner wanted to help him out he's probably not a bad guy? And he isn't! Most tasks given are difficult but they're able to pick them up easy, everything goes well until their first time observing checkups.

Deimos was the first to enter and while he hadn't done anything to them directly he damn well knew what happened and only ever came in to check on their tormenter. as if reader was Ever the threat in the interrogations. Deimos didn't really know what to think about Doc's new assistant as they were vaguely familiar and it's a strange coincidence that a few weeks after the challenger went missing Sanford was found unconscious in the lower levels room. Doc caught onto reader's change in behavior but shrugged it off as disgust for the smell of nicotine.

When it was Sanford's turn they just stared at eachother in momentary shock. Sanford made the mistake of making a light comment about the interrogations as if they'd gotten over it by this point and he was promptly stabbed with anesthetics. Doc had to drag them away from Sanford and have them locked out of the office until he was done with san.

Doc finds the rivalry inefficient and tries to get the two to share tasks to hopefully socialize them with the other but Sanford repeatedly antagonizes them in what he thinks is a friendly/playful way but they are Not having it so doc stops with the attempts and keeps them separate to the best of his abilities due to the sudden decrease in medical supplies for daily incidents.

Doc makes the mistake of giving reader self defense training because he plans on giving them tasks that take them out of the base for a little bit when he needs to check on Sanford or Deimos and by god do they utilize it. They're regularly in the training room in their spare time to get somewhat better and hank finds it somewhat amusing that something with basically zero experience can maul his teammates and treats the training room viewings like bird watching lmao like. they'll leave water and snacks in there to encourage reader to come back more frequently and sometimes leaves notes containing tips to better prepare them.

this leaves reader to feel somehow safer with hank than they do with sanford or deimos despite working for a project funded by something titled AGENCY AGAINST HANK J. WIMBLETON but strangely enough it works out because hank minds his own business for the most part so they don't mind leaving water and snacks out for him as well when watching him train. Sometimes when they're out n about and see something that reminds them of the other or has talked about they'll leave those kind of gifts in their hands and SQ is so fucking confused.

it gets progressively worse when hank starts smuggling them out onto beginner missions to coach them in preparations for fights on the slow days bc while he isn't allowed to fight his teammates reader is just an assistant and doc hasn't said anything to them other than to just take jobs outside of the building for a bit if sanford's around. hank loves watching that little nerd go feral lmao

what stunns most of SQ is that bc of their trauma they can't sleep alone so they normally chill with Doc but when Doc's away and they're kept at the base to help the others with medical issues they show up at Skinner's bc that's what they used to go but he's still scared he'll roll over in his sleep n crush em. Q-Bert doesn't sleep and if they try to hang around him over night they'll feel bad ab invading space and end up helping run the shop until the next day resulting them falling asleep standing frequently in the middle of work, Dave usually sleeps on the roof and that feels too open for them and the fear of being found by AAHW fucking Gets them so they just don't sleep, bossman thinks it'sweird that a grown gen2 needs to share space and kicks them out of his room. Sanford and Deimos are obviously out of the question so that leaves Hank. Neither of them mind or think anything of is but it's definitely a surprise and mild worry for SQ

there's more but im trying so hard to keep it all short 😭

HI WE LOVE THIS! This is fucking incredible!!!

[akisata-moved]

a little bit of divine worldbuilding 🕊️

hi everyone! i said i would make a post about my angel worldbuilding and the lore surrounding it, so here we are. let's get into this!

(as a forewarning: this got really long really fast. sorry lol)

i. at the beginning of the universe: what's the deal with god, heaven, and hell?

you know... this guy. ...or, guys? i use they pronouns for god, not because they're nonbinary rep or anything but because the classic collection uses they pronouns for god because they are literally plural. so, multiple guys.

a. the universe's first inhabitants 🌟

we can't have angels (or anything, really) without god. so... what is god?

to put it simply, "god" is a small collective of beings that hail from a primordial race of creatures called aeons. contrary to popular belief, "god" did not create the universe as a whole.

that being said, they WERE the first beings to exist in the universe; gifted with near-immortality and the power of creation, they were essentially burdened the cosmic purpose of bringing the universe to life. think of them as... like, demiurges, really. despite being the first beings in the universe, they didn't really start popping up until ~370,000 years into the universe existing.

(whether or not there is a "supreme" being above them isn't something i've given TOO much thought to. my working idea is that the universe is quite literally a supreme being in itself.)

so, our "god" is not the only ones of their kind. there isn't a large amount of them, but considering the size of the universe and how it's ever-expanding... there's enough of them to go around, you know.

as the early stages of the universe progress, they start to become aware of the existence of each other. it's difficult to be what is essentially a god and be unaware of the presences that surround you.

the attitudes that they held towards each other varied from aeon to aeon. some of them worked in tandem, others remained solitary. some of them competed with others, and others dedicated themselves to watching over their corner of the universe and making it a home.

there weren't many "overstepped boundaries" in the infinitely expanding stretch of space they had at their disposal. in the early stages of the universe, there was no need for that kind of thing. they all mostly stayed in their own lanes.

during the early epochs, they mostly just spent their time experimenting, growing and changing, and learning the ins and outs of their little cosmic playground.

due to the nature and scope of their abilities, and their immortality, they were mostly aware that their exploits were relatively infinitesimal. they had a very acute awareness that every planet and galaxy they created would eventually crumble.

similarly to their attitudes towards each other, the attitudes they held towards their creations varied. some liked to stay disconnected, and hopped from creation to creation, moving on as soon as they finished working on their little project. others were more involved.

in regards to their abilities, they aren't omnipotent. in fact i wouldn't even really call them omnificent. if there was a way to describe what they were able to do, it would be... transmute? the universe provided all the materials for creation, and so it was their job to use their divine power to... make something with it, really. they can't create something out of absolutely nothing. there has to be something for them to make stuff.

they also don't really have any kind of set moral compass. so none of them are inherently evil, good, bad, whatever.

of course, given the fact that they mostly reside in space (we'll get to what exactly "heaven" is in a little), they aren't necessarily bound to one physical shape or form. we love shapeshifters.

b. the devilman "god", and the prison of light 🕯️

the devilman "god" is a trio of aeons who bonded over a certainty and awareness of what they wanted from the universe. they strove to create something perfect— something beautiful. better than every other creation out there. other aeons' work was... sloppy, imperfect, and quite ugly.

as stated before, the aeons aren't necessarily physical beings. that makes it really easy for them to fuse with each other, as they aren't really bound to any kind of physics or laws governing their consciousnesses and bodies.

"so are they a hivemind" not necessarily? they're all just... fused together. the pros of fusing together like that means that one single entity now has the power of three aeons, which lets them do a lot more than if they were all separate, and on a larger scale. god is a throuple

they probably aren't the only aeon group to do this, honestly.

fun note: the devilman "god" never refers to themselves as another aeon. they always refer to themselves as a "god", and it's mainly just because they think they're better than the rest of the aeons lol. i'll be referring to them as god from here on out just because it's easier.

so, then what? god decides that they need a place for themselves. a pocket of space only for them (+ eventually, the angels). they needed a home base of sorts, a place that represented their vision as they imagined it. and so, they created heaven.

so what even is heaven? it's essentially a sub-universe, or a pocket of the universe that god hid away just for themselves.... and for the angels, which were created afterwards.

once again, i doubt heaven is the only realm of its kind. i doubt that god is the only aeon who had the idea for a "home base" of sorts.

heaven started out as a home just for god, but as angelic society grew, it eventually turned into a whole kingdom. that being said, god still has a palace Just For Them at the very top layer of it!

people don't go to heaven. nope. that doesn't happen. mainly because it's not an "afterlife".

after god created heaven and the angels, heaven because a home for all of them. heaven was created to be perfect (in the eyes of its creator), or as close to perfect as god could manage while also having a species with (sort of) free will residing within it.

heaven is almost like a hidden galaxy, except a LOTTT smaller.

heaven is mostly made up of clouds and solid energy. there are actually five layers of heaven; one for each sphere of the angelic choir, one for the Archangels, and one for god.

that isn't to say that the angels are confined to one layer. they can freely travel about, it's just that they'll usually spend time in the layer dedicated to their sphere, unless they're stationed to work elsewhere.

the need for more and more angels became more important as time went on. god became more... power hungry, and they fell harder into the belief that they alone were the ones worthy of the universe. they eventually gained a very hostile attitude towards other aeons and cosmic societies. this wasn't unheard of, really, but considering how most of them stayed in their own lanes, having god be all... aggressive was a little bit of a shock. needless to say, this resulted in the formation of enemies... and other forms of cosmic politics.

heaven and angelic culture has a lot of emphasis on architecture! ...although, not in a way you would expect. the best way i can explain it is that it's very... suess-like.

lots of staircases, lots of columns, lots of... that kind of thing...

while we're on the topic of sub-universes, we can talk a little about hell, too.

hell was actually created by the universe itself, not by the aeons or god or anything. it has always existed, and is sort of a universal collection all life and souls. sorta like the universe's garbage can for all dead things.

it’s less of an eternal resting place and more of an intermediary location you go while the universe works to basically recycle your soul and convert it back to its original state.

ii. what is an angel?: a little on angelic society

a. the angelic choir at a glance📜

angelic society as a whole is referred to as the angelic choir.

the main thing about angelic society is that it's split into different spheres based on how much power an angel has/the specific task they were made to do.

why do angels exist in the first place? they were made to be servants of god, and basically do everything that they do... for them. so, deliver messages, be soldiers, do tasks and chores and watch over the things god makes... all that kind of thing.

angels have free will, but were created with an ingrained sense of duty that usually outweighs said free will. or perhaps it influences their free will. hard to tell. that being said, most angels will not do anything if it directly contradicts their purpose.

also, angels are not inherently “good” aligned. like I said, they have free will, which means they have choices. angels can be shitty people! whether or not an angel “falls” has nothing to do with what their character is like, and everything to do with whether or not they are defiant to God.

not a lot of angels do defy god, either. an angel being kicked out of heaven is pretty rare.

anyways, back to the angelic choir... there are three spheres of angel, each with three types of angel in them. the highest ranking angels are the first order of the first sphere, and the lowest ranking are the third order of the third sphere. yeah.

in the first sphere you have the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones. the first sphere angels are the only angels that tend directly to god.

the second sphere is made up of the dominations, the virtues, and the powers.

the third sphere consists of the principalities, the arches, and the angels (generic term).

Archangels are above the first sphere in rank. they're the most powerful angels, and there aren't very many of them.

b. archangels and the angels of the first sphere🔥

Archangels, as stated before, are the most powerful angels and the ones with the most important duties. they're mostly angelic supervisors that manage angels with different specialties. who are the archangels? before lucifer's fall, there were eight different archangels.

jophiel (archangel of wisdom and inspiration), chamuel (archangel of divine justice), gabriel (archangel of revalation), raphael (archangel of healing), uriel (archangel of truth and light), zadkiel (archangel of healing), and, of course, michael (archangel of strength and courage) and lucifer (archangel of love and empathy).

the first sphere angels are the angels that are closest to god, and the only ones that can interact where with them directly. they're the least... replaceable angels, except for the archangels. that's why they don't really leave heaven.

the seraphim are the bodyguards of the throne, and those who directly guard and protect both god's palace and the different layers of heaven itself. they're stationed just about everywhere on the fifth layer of heaven, and then scattered about in the other layers just to keep an eye on everything. they're also stationed at the entrances and exits.

they're busy a LOT of the time. they take their jobs very seriously.

the seraphim are the angels that interact the most with god. the cherubim and the thrones do, too, but not as frequently.

the tradition when interacting with god is to cover their faces and bodies with their wings when interacting directly with them. it's a sort of humbling thing, to show that they regard themselves as lesser than them. just out of respect.

the cherubim are the celestial recordkeepers of heaven, and the ones that really hold the knowledge of god and heaven.

they're known for their wisdom, and they keep records of everything that happens in their part of the universe. nothing goes undocumented, really. heaven's historians are also cherubim.

along with keeping records of events, they also keep track of all of the angels that are created, and those that come in and out of heaven. and those who go out and dont come back. yeah.

jophiel is the archangel who supervises the cherubim.

the thrones are some of the most intellectual angels and have wonderful minds. they serve as both teachers, guides, and counselors for the lower ranks of the angels.

they're the ones in charge of receiving orders from god and dishing out duties to the lower ranks (dominations, mostly) and explaining them. celestial teachers, really. they're very engaged with the rest of angelic society, and are always willing to offer an explanation or a helping hand to other angels.

they're also the head order that deals with cosmic laws and making sure everything that god makes works the way it's supposed to. god doesn't really have time to keep everything in check themselves, so it's up to the thrones and the virtues to make sure their creation... functions like it should.

lucifer was supposed to the archangelic supervisor of the thrones...? but, uh... that didn't exactly.... uh.... work out....

after lucifer was cast out, jophiel was put in charge of both the thrones and the cherubim. it's a lot of work for one angel, really, but she doesn't mind.

c. angels of the second and third spheres☄️

the first order of the second sphere is the dominations. think of these guys as... well, management.

they're in charge of managing the angelic kingdoms, and of regulating the second sphere angels in lower orders.

they help keep everyone organized. there's a lot of things to keep track of.

the dominions get their orders from the thrones (who receive orders from god), and pass along orders to the principalities in the third sphere along with the virtues and powers. it's just a big chain.

zadkiel is the archangel in charge of the dominations rank. he also deals with some of the stuff that the principalities handles, but mostly sticks to dominations.

the second order of the second sphere is the virtues. if seraphim are the guards and watchers of heaven itself, then the virtues are the watchers of the universe (well, god's part of the universe, anyways).

they watch over everything god creates, from planets, galaxies, luminaries, and other celestial bodies to make sure the cosmos are in order. and that nothing is going wrong.

they work closely with certain thrones angels for this reason.

it's actually very important to make sure shit isn't going wrong. especially considering how their god's... hostile attitude... attracts some not so friendly faces.

uriel is the archangel in charge of the virtues, and because of the close ties between the virtues and the thrones, he quickly became good friends with lucifer.

the powers are the third order of the third sphere, and they make up the angelic army.

can basically be split into two groups— soldiers and healers. the soldiers were originally led by chamuel, but the job was pretty much taken over by michael once he showed up, and chamuel instead switched gears to deal more with strategizing after that. raphael supervises those more geared towards healing.

running an army is hard work, turns out. there's a lot that goes into it.

the third sphere is the most populous sphere; they're like worker bees. they're very easy to replace, and are very expendable.

third sphere angels actually leave heaven a lot. they deal with intergalactic relationships.

in the first sphere, the principalities are the main managers of the lower-ranking arches and angels. they're very similar to the dominations in that regard, and they actually get their orders from them. like i said before... it's a big chain.

they're the ones that are stuck dealing the most with cosmic politics.

arches are celestial envoys, while your everyday angels work as messengers, running back and forth between heaven and other places in space. angel postal service!

the angels and arches are also assigned most of the mundane tasks not given to any higher ranks.

usually the angels go out in groups, because there's safety in numbers, and space is REALLY big. at least one arch will accompany an angel group, and on occasion, a principality will come too, depending on how important things are.

that being said, there have been many, many instances where angels don't come back. sometimes they get lost. this happens more often than it should.

gabriel is the head messenger archangel. he's the postmaster. angel. guy.

d. okay i'll bite. what are angels made of. aka, angel physiology 🌠

angels are special. lol.

they're made of photon energy (in the case of most angels) and thermal energy (in the case of seraphim).

(lucifer is an Archangel, so he is... as stated above, made of photons.)

as stated before, god can't create something out of nothing. the energy needed to create angels actually is specific to the energy emitted from dying stars. every angel comes from the death of a star.

so, this means a couple of things. first of all, as angels are created, not born, they don't actually have a functional reproductive system. because they weren't created with the intention of reproduction. the genitalia is decorative essentially tbh. also, every angel looks like this. it's definitely not a reproductive thing. it's entirely aesthetic.

"romance" is essentially nonexistent in angel culture. uh, they all see each other as some kind of equivalent of siblings, considering they were all made directly by the same creator. they all refer to god as their parents, and so they all see each other as siblings.

(that being said, it's not like they're incapable of love or anything. ryosatanlucifer retains his feelings for akira even after he turns back into an angel, so it's not like he can't feel love or anything like that. i mean, that should be obvious, but i felt the need to specify anyways)

the second thing this: angels lack all forms of physical sensation. their bodies are... kind of numb to all sense of touch, taste, smell, etc. they are, in some circumstances, intangible. what does that mean? well...

sorry for having so much stuff from go nagai world.... we never got to see satan in the actual ovas </3

they can float through stuff sometimes. their tangibility (on earth) is actually up to them. so, for example, if they wanted to, they could float through a door. or they could open a door by turning the doorknob. though, they wouldn't be able to experience the sensation of actually touching the doorknob.

anywho. there are actual a few variations of angelic appearance depending on what rank of angel they are! i have... erm... drawn a few examples of some of the angels, but not a whole lot? ahh.... there they are anyways. some of the descriptions are a little outdated bc i've changed into since then but YEAH!!

Archangels, at the very top of the angelic choir, are beautiful with 12 large snow-white wings— two on the head, two from the shoulderblades, two on the middle back, two on the lower back, on on each arm and one on each ankle. they’re all nearly identical- though, most of the angels within each order looks nearly identical. they’re identical in the way that cats of the same coat color and breed are identical. michael and lucifer are actually identical, though, because they’re like real life twins, and are born from the same star. yeah!

seraphim are made from condensed thermal energy rather than light energy. they’re super hot. Lol. they have 10 wings (head, shoulders, lower back, arms, and ankles) unlike the Archangel’s 12. They’re warmer in color scheme than the Archangels, which are usually a sort of yellow-white color? they glow. seraphim are more red-orange because they’re… heat. They also have the ability to manifest flames out of their body, though it’s kind of just for show considering how it can't really do anything.

the cherubim are covered in eyes. or, their wings are covered in eyes- they have 8 of them! wings, I mean (head, shoulders, lower back, and ankles). they have way more than eight eyes. Also, they can open eyes up on their bodies when they get really stressed or angry! it’s a fun neat cherubim trait. all the cherubim are so tired. let them go home please.

the thrones are the third order in the first sphere of the Angelic choir, and these are our ringy-boys. they're the angels with the most emphasis on halos- they can make them spin really fast and manifest more rings around them whenever they feel strongly or honestly just when they want to. they’re usually surrounded by them, just as a sort of status thing. they typically serve as messenger angels (delivering orders to the second sphere) and bodyguards for the cherubim. they have 6 pairs of wings (head, shoulders, and lower back).

from there on out appearance is mostly dictated by sphere— second sphere angels (dominations, virtues, and powers) have two sets of wings (on the head and the shoulders), while first sphere angels (principalities, arches, and angels) have only one set of wings on their shoulders, and look pretty similar to the standard depiction of angels.

e. some more about angel culture in general

i just wanted to share some more fun little details about angel culture, because there IS stuff beyond work for these guys lol

society is really easy to be sustained when there's no need for "hard labor", and when everyone is created with a sense of purpose. and the fact that they don't really need to eat or anything.

since there isn't much of a need for extra work outside of everyone's Assigned Jobs, when there is free time, it's mostly dedicated to the arts. there's actually a LOT of focus on art in angelic culture!

though, it's a lot less... genuine? than "human art". the idea of "perfection" is heavily exalted in angelic society, mainly because that's what god wishes for, and god is the One Real Authority in their society. a lot of angelic art tries to reflect this idea of perfect beauty that they've had drilled into their heads from the beginning of their existence.

of course, perfection is unachievable for the angels. so sad.

art that depicts any kind of "flaw" is entirely unheard of. angels are the ultimate perfectionists.

since none of the angels actually LOOK at god (the archangels and first spheres cover their eyes with their wings when they come in direct contact with them), a lot of art is actually of god. it's always sort of a contest to see how perfectly and beautiful they can depict god. it's a form of worship, really.

they do have a written language. but "novels" aren't really a thing. they aren't super big on fiction. what's the point of that?

instead, they use written language to keep historical accounts, archive events, and write PSALMS. so so many psalms. they really love to write music dedicated to praising their god.

"music" in quotes, because it's... not exactly comparable to human music. it's angel music, guys. cmon.

they also like writing poetry a lot.

because of the way they worship perfection in art/writing, things end up feeling a little bit... sterile? yeah.

obviously, since they are in space, they don't use any kind of timescale similar to days/hours/weeks/etc. there's a sort of "day" equivalent in which things are a lot... brighter? but that's really it.

angels don't age, either. they have no concept of age.

they do have another consistent method of keeping time, though, and it's based on how long it takes for angels (third rank of the third sphere) to be created. lower rank angels are really being produced at a constant rate, to make up for losses, so it's easy to divide time this way. the time it takes to make one angel = one angelic "day".

they don't really have any equivalent of years, instead naming longer periods of time (ages) after whatever archangel was created last. so, the age of gabriel, or the age of uriel.

when michael and lucifer were made At the same Time, the cherubim got into a lot of arguments over who to name the age after. it wasn't like there was any way to choose between the two.

so they just decided on both eventually. lol. they called it the age of lucifer and michael.

after lucifer well, a new Age started. so the age of lucifer and michael and the age of michael are two separate time periods.

michael is sooooooooooooo cocky about that, too. what a bitch.

anyways, like stated before, the idea of perfection is super important to angels. to them, god represents the ULTIMATE perfection.

and on that same note, talking bad about god, and going against god's will, is a very big NO!!!!!!. they REALLY do not do that.

.......okay!!!!!!!! whew!

that was a LOT, but if you read all the way through... mwah! thank you so much for listening to my thoughts!!!! i might make a separate post about lucifer's history/his relationships with the other angels/his fall later on. but for now.... here's just some basic stuff about angels and how they work!!! yeah!!!!!

[bbobafetts]

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU GUYS!!! Here's an official Nia ref with her Backstory!

=============BACKSTORY==============

Nia was born on the planet Ryloth, located in the Outer Rim Territories of the galaxy. She was born not in a big city, but on a small village to her mother, Silene Aeor'Hana, and her father Andan Aeor'Hana. She also had two older brothers, Cassier and Kehel. After the end of the Clone Wars, Ryloth was under the control of the Galactic Empire. This new seige of power caused life to change on Ryloth, especially Nias. Nias father Andan, was sent off and forced to work doing hard labor for years when Nia was only a child. Leaving her mother, Silene to raise her and her brothers all by herself. Although life was hard on Ryloth, Silene tried her best to make sure her kids were living life to the fullest. Silene had Nia and her two brothers help out on their family's farm that was located away from their main village to maintain secrecy. During this seemingly peaceful time, Silene made the decision to teach Nia and her brothers the basics of self defense. Given the situation their planet was in, Silene made sure they were able to handle themselves if they were ever in a tough spot. Silene taught Nia how to be independent, and to not rely on others. She taught Nia how to be headstrong and that hardwork and dedication is necessary to achieve your goals. Although life was hard on Ryloth, Nia and her brothers made the best of it by helping out their mother and supporting each other through it all.

Sadly, this would all change when Nias village was raided by The Empire. Silene thought their isolated farm wouldn't be discovered by the imperial forces. But once she heard about their main village being raided, she desperately tried to quickly pack up her and her kids stuff so they could escape. But it was too late, The Empire had discovered their isolated farm and forcibly separated Nia and her brothers from Silene. Nia desperately cried out for her family as they dragged her away and forced her to join the other captured Twi'Leks. Silene called out to her children, fighting the troopers who her holding her down and preventing her from going after them. Unfortunately, one of the troopers grew tired with her constant thrashing and retaliation. That one trooper shot her dead on the spot. Nia didn't see this, and neither did her brothers. Nia would be about 18 at the time she was separated from her family. She would be sold into slavery, passed around until she was auctioned off to Jabba the Hutt. Nia would be one of his personal slaves on Tatooine. She would be tasked with serving drinks and meals to guests, putting on a show for the guests and Jabba to enjoy, and to really sit there and look pretty.

Nia at this point, lost most of her bubbly personality, and became bitter and resentful. She despised everyone she came across during her time as one of Jabbas slaves. One person who she couldn't stand, was none other than the bounty hunter Boba Fett. He frequented Jabbas establishment mainly on jobs and to collect bounties. But on some occasions he would make himself at home, and Nia caught him practically flirting with the dancers and slaves. That was what made her hate him the most. She wanted nothing to do with him, and actively avoided him as much as possible. Until one day when she was serving him a drink, and he tried to flirt with her. Nia of course, wanted nothing to do with him and rejected his advances on multiple occasions. Until one day, in private, she snapped at him. Telling him the truth about what she thinks of him, and breaking his bubble completely. She delivered this speech to him, and stormed off back into the main area of Jabba's establishment:

"You know why I'm upset? I'm upset because you are ignorant. You CHOOSE to be ignorant. I'm upset because when I was just 18 years old I was ripped away from my mother and sold as a slave. While my mother SCREAMED and BEGGED for her child to be returned, the soldiers turned a blind eye to her. I was forced into a cattle truck along with many members of my village where we had cuffs around our wrists. We were brought into auctions where we were reduced to nothing but objects with a price tag. While you sat in your high towers drinking vodka, I was chained to a wall. With nothing but a pile of pillows on the floor and a 5ft chain around my NECK. And yet while my people SCREAMED and BEGGED for help, you CHOSE to ignore their cries because It did not concern you. I was beaten by my owner if I stepped out of line in the SLIGHTEST. And I was nothing more to him than object he could admire and get off too. I was forced to do sexual acts against my will, and if I didn't comply I would be killed and thrown away like TRASH. I was worth nothing to him. So while you sat there, drinking and living the high life- I was being TORTURED. And while you sat there, having sex with prostitutes and flirting with enslaved women- my people were DYING at the hands of the empire. And while you sit here and party, every second, every MINUTE- My planet suffers at the hands of various crime lords. And yet you continue to ignore their suffering while KNOWING what they're being put through. You chose to ignore them because it did not concern you. So while you sit here, IGNORANT to the fact you are privileged- I will be fighting to free my planet. I will be fighting for children who were like me- who never had the chance to grow up and live a normal life. I will be fighting for the parents who had their children RIPPED AWAY FROM THEM. And I will continue fighting this battle until the day Rylothians can wake up, knowing the endless years of torture are over. Knowing they can go out and be who they've always dreamed of being... So yes, I am angry. I am angry at people like you. People who choose to be ignorant to other being's suffering. And I hope you go to sleep tonight realizing how privileged you are. And how you could've prevented this from happening had you not chosen to be ignorant."

That was the last time she ever spoke to Boba Fett. And shortly after this incident, she was sold again, this time to a general on the infamous Death Star. Surprisingly, being on the Death Star wasn't as horrible as being in control of Jabba the Hutt. Nia was mostly alone, as her owner was usually always busy. This was a blessing for Nia, as she knew as long as she was alone, she wouldn't be hurt. She did know however, that her owner had a major anger problem. This would eventually be her downfall. Nia was secretly conversing with a stormtrooper aboard the Death Star and trying to devise a plan that would free the both of them. Her owner found out about their secret nighttime meetings and was absolutely FURIOUS. So furious that he permanently blinded her by tossing chemicals into her eyes. Saying that she would "finally never see him again". Nia was feeling completely hopeless at this point, feeling it was better to die than to continue living this life. This was the first time she ever felt truly hopeless. Luckily for her though, the same stormtrooper still visited her. After they had gotten word of a rebel attack against the Death Star. The stormtrooper led Nia to an escape pod, where she thanked them, and the course was set for the rebel base. The stormtrooper knew she would be taken care of there, and would never have to live a life of slavery ever again.

[lesbian-octoling]

Hey do u think octolings have families? I wouldn't think they would, considering they're all mostly raised to be soldiers or smthn. I mean, of course they're born from somewhere but

I’m somewhat disappointed by the assumption most people make that Octarians are entirely military based.

In hero mode, you can clearly see, in the scenery, not only homes, but recreational places! And they can’t be all military- there has to be a labor force. What about food? Inventors? Construction workers? Lifeguards? Grocers? 

I think Octarians have a sort of… mostly separated civilian section and military section. here’s normal octarians, with families and such who contribute to the base of octarian society, like food and stuff. Perhaps, however, the military does have control over reproduction. Well, not reproduction, but children.

Perhaps young octarians are taken to be ‘tested’ for what they are good at, and are put into respective jobs depending on what they’re good at, and what kind of octarian they’re going to become (see this chart!)

Or perhaps its the other way around- octarians are not allowed to have children themselves. Instead, the government/military creates a large batch of cuttings (again, see the chart) and hand picks out any they think will make good soldiers or engineers or useful things, and gives the rest to qualified octarian families to raise to become.. well, “normal”.

Or perhaps its a mix of the two- only ‘qualified’ or ‘dignified’ octarians are allowed to keep their own cuttings to raise a family, and less qualified ones are assigned children. Or maybe its illegal, but rich octarians can get away with it? 

It’s a lot to speculate, and theres no real answers!

[mental-health-advice]

CD: I still have intrusive thoughts. Sometimes they're not that bad. I ignore them or my anxiety and depression over school and my job overcomes that. But I found out my big sister is pregnant. I'm so happy for her but also a part of me is scared. Scared that I wouldn't be a good aunt or worse I could hurt the baby. Sometimes I'm happy excited and sharing articles with her but part of me is on the brink of an attack just thinking I could hurt the baby when it comes (1)

CD (2): I haven't the money to get counseling and every part of me is scared they'll lock me up or tell me I am a danger to the baby. I can't tell anyone. I'm close to my sister but I don't want her to ever see me like that and just thinking about it, I'm crying. I'm already the strange, annoying one in my family. I'm scared that no one will ever look at me the same way.

Hi darling,

I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling with this lovely! Intrusive thoughts can be absolutely horrible and I can imagine they’re scaring you. What I want you to know though is that a lot of people experience intrusive thoughts about this topic! You’re definitely not alone in this

What’s really important to keep in mind is that these intrusive thoughts of your own. They’re thoughts that intrude your brain. They don’t say anything about what you, your desires, morals, or values! Literally nothing. Therefore, even if you’d have intrusive thoughts about hurting your sister’s baby, this wouldn’t be something you actually wanted to do. I think it’s incredibly important that you keep repeating this for yourself, so that eventually you will actually feel like it’s true. You might also find it helpful to have a look at this four step program. It’s a program designed for those with OCD struggling with intrusive thoughts, as intrusive thoughts are a big part of OCD. I don’t know if your intrusive thoughts are due to OCD or not (everyone experiences intrusive thoughts, so it’s definitely possible for your intrusive thoughts not to be due to OCD!), but I think the program can be applied to intrusive thoughts in general, although maybe slightly adjusted. Having a look at the program itself will probably make all that I’m blabbering right now more understandable, but if you do need a hand with figuring out how to apply the program to your situation, feel free to follow up and send an ask directed to me!

It’s completely up to you if these thoughts are something you want to open up to your sister or the rest of your family about. Since you’re close to your sister I can imagine wanting to share this with her, so she might understand if you aren’t always as excited/happy for her as you usually are. I also really understand the fear that she might see you as a danger to the baby (which you aren’t!). This isn’t a decision I can make for you, it’s really something you will have to decide. With decisions as tough as this one, I usually find it helpful to make two separate lists. On one list I put all the pros and cons for option A (in your case telling your sister about these intrusive thoughts) and on the other list I put all the pros and cons for option B (in your case not telling your sister about these intrusive thoughts). Often, pros for option A will be cons for option B and vice versa, but this isn’t always the case which is why I think it’s important to make two separate lists. Then, for each list I divide the pros and cons into short term and long term. When making a decision based on these lists, it can really help to give each pro/con a value, indicating how important you think this pro/con is. If you still find it hard to make a decision based on all of this (which is understandable!), you can try to look at the cons and see if there are ways that you could resolve those, work around them, or make them of less value. For example, if a con for telling your sister is that she might see you as a danger to the baby, a way of making it less value would be to first educate her on intrusive thoughts so that she understands this all more and there’s less chance she’ll think you’re a danger to the baby when you tell her.

Since intrusive thoughts are such a big part of OCD, you might find it helpful to check out our OCD page series. And since your intrusive thoughts are causing feelings of anxiety, you might also want to check out our anxiety page series. I hope you’ll find some tips on there that help you to feel more calm about the whole situation.

I cannot stress enough that you are no danger to this baby! As I said before, we all have intrusive thoughts! We might not all be aware that we’re having them or that they’re called intrusive thoughts, but if you ask around, you’ll find that almost everyone can relate to some examples you might name, such as driving really fast on the highway and suddenly getting the thought to open your car door and jump out, or standing on a high edge and getting the thought of jumping, etc. If someone doesn’t recognise this, they will most likely recognise another example, or they have dismissed the thought as unimportant (which it is) and therefore don’t remember it. We all experience these intrusive thoughts, and again, if you ask around, you’ll find that no one really acts on them! If they cause a lot of anxiety (such as in OCD), someone might engage in other actions to soothe that anxiety (compulsions), but that is to make sure they do not go through with the action in the intrusive thought. The fact that you have such anxiety about acting on these intrusive thoughts, only shows that you really really do not want to act on those intrusive thoughts! It’s a far more natural reaction to escape the things that truly distress us than to push ourselves towards them.

I really hope that you can work your way through all of this and that you’ll be able to calm down to the point of enjoying your sister’s baby! You deserve to not be so bothered by these intrusive thoughts, as they really don’t mean anything and do not mean you actually want to harm her baby. I promise

Sometimes what seems impossible, is just hard.

Keep fighting beautiful Love Pauline

[rndyounghowze]

An Evening of Online Plays Right in our Living Room Directed by Missouri S&T Theatre

By: Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

St. Louis, Missouri

It was a cool and rainy evening when Dana and I followed the Zoom link and joined viewers across the country to see "An evening of Online Plays"

Produced by Missouri S&T Theatre. One of our dear friends Erin Lane had one of her pieces in the bill of four 10 minute plays to be presented that night and invited us to come watch. This night of online theater, produced by Taylor Gruenloh and presented by Missouri S&T theatre students was our first time reviewing a Zoom Production and definitely will not be our last.

This was directed by two students of Missouri S&T's directing program. When classes were cancelled for Victoria Hagni and Madeline Lechner their professor Taylor Gruenloh knew that unless they actually produced a finished project it wouldn't feel as if the two students weren't getting the most out of their independent study. So they quickly changed gears and commissioned ten minute plays from four playwrights from my graduate program Hollins University that would work perfectly in a Zoom format. This livestream is that final result.

It's worth mentioning what Dana and I are looking for when we review a production produced on an online platform streamed out of people's homes. We of course are looking at the level of acting and the production value of the plays but we are also looking at how this new medium of performance is taken advantage of and how the artists worked within those constraints. We are definitely as much beginners at reviewing this as the artists are performing in it. We also know that these students were ramping up and learning for something completely different than pioneering a new artform so we empathize. So now that we know we're both adjusting to a learning curve let's get down to the nitty gritty.

We've decided to talk about the plays grouped by the director not in the order that they were presented and since these were brand new plays written just for the production we're reviewing the plays too.

First we're looking at the plays directed by Madeline Lechner.

De-Equalized by Amy Lytle is a play about two students Katie (played by Natalie Arnold) and Jordan (played by Adam Bateman) who are working on a group project while they are separated on spring break.

I'll admit putting this play up as the first play we see was a very eerie experience. Not just because it was about two students talking about a group project over Zoom but also because this was Dana and my first primer into what a Zoom production is. Seeing the screen jump back and forth between the two actors like it was cutting back and forth like in a movie was bizarre but I was immediately intrigued by the possibilities.

I was very impressed with the actors trying their hardest to emote to somebody that is not physically in the room with them. I felt like Arnold did a better job at this than her acting partner. I can only imagine having to not only keep myself cheated open for the audience but also knowing that my acting partner is a small post card sized picture on a screen. Also knowing that your performance depends on the connectivity of your device and the tilt of your camera is probably as big of a rush as tightrope walking. But because of this feeling of risk some of their emotions seemed to go stagnant. I needed to feel like this energy could travel eight hundred miles.

This could have been an acting problem but I definitely feel like some of this sits on Lechner's shoulders as a director. If the energy isn't shaking the rafters you definitely need to find ways to ramp your actors up. But we also feel like the playscript didn't give them higher stakes to begin with. Not everyone reveals family secrets doing homework. Also Dana never believed she was going to walk out on him which really did kill the stakes.

As for the play Dana noticed there was a lot of exposition about scholarship and financial aid that anyone watching a college show would know. We would hope that in a further draft the playwright would trust her audience more. I loved the idea of students finding out something about a friend that they didn't know before but also wish that the action had started way earlier. The play spent so much time on exposition I feel like the play didn't start until the eight minute mark and then they only had two minutes left. In a future draft I really hope this is addressed.

Also directed by Lechner was Breathe by Erin Lane a play about Dory (played by Raelyn Twohy) and Michael (played by Michael Ellis) two parents having to coparent while being separated and trying to calm each other down while also trying to appear strong for the other.

I love that this play made use of ANY kind of action and it was a great refresher from Lechner's previous piece. I still would have asked for much more. Also Dana got the sense that this play was supposed to have a lot of chaos in it but in her words it was "the calmest chaos she's ever seen". I agree. Especially if this is a play about getting the results of a test be it Covid-19, AIDS, pregnancy, or even strep I think you would feel a TAD more tense than that. This harkens back to what I said before about Lechner and getting energy out of her performers. As a director I will tell her you have to do whatever it takes to get that energy out of your cast because if we as an audience don't feel it we're gone. This was a great first outing and if I'm sounding tough it's because I feel she does have potential to do well in the future. Just get that energy in!

As for the acting it seemed that while Dana and I believed the Dad instantly we felt something was "held back" from us. We don't know if that was an acting problem or a writing problem. I am leaning heavily towards acting because of the several "I forgot my line" pauses and constant repeats of cue lines we normally see in high school productions. I personally think it must have been hard to show so much emotion just using your eyes and not having a full stage to work with but if these pauses normally just slow down a stage show on Zoom they felt like an eternity.

This play utilized my very favorite kind of exposition where everything we needed to know about the action was fed to us through something that we already knew. We all know that kind of back and forth between a Mom and Dad as they suss out parenting. But then you have this through the lens of long distance. Someone can't be home and now they have to trust someone else to get it done. This is the coolest kind of love story for me. However due to dropped lines and pauses I totally lost the part where Dory is a nurse and that she's taking a Covid-19 test. Dana had to tell me based on her scrubs. I hope that a future production of this play has the faster pace and the higher stakes it deserved.

Also a quick note: I know that no one is really pioneering Zoom set design just yet but I feel that I have to mention the black curtain behind Ellis's back. Dana and I have a running joke where we wonder if there is a "different play behind the curtain" that's more interesting than the one we're seeing. This presented a literal version of that for us where we spent more time wondering what was behind that curtain than listening to what he was saying. Out of love for these actors and with mad respect for what they're doing even if the curtain is hiding dead bodies we kinda hope it isn't there in the future. You guys rock and deserve better than that.

Next we'll be talking about the plays directed by Victoria Hagni.

In Scaramouch and Pinochle by Mike Moran we meet Lizzie (played by Megan Baris) and Bella (played by Haley Jenkins) two sisters who were separated when they were little and adopted by families across the country. Now they're reconnecting.

I loved that this play involved some action that fills up the camera frame and that Hagni gave the actresses some business to do such as painting nails and looking for things. If you think of the screen as your proscenium arch then you start to realize that you can utilize all of that space to tell your story.

Dana loves the use of props and the chemistry between the two actresses even though there were some moments that seemed like they were talking more at the screens than to each other. As you guys know I'm a sucker for puppets so even a sock puppet wormed it's way into my heart.

As for the script I feel like the realization about the Mom’s death and other family drama wasn’t "earned". There was no build up to it so I don't know whether it really happened or if our character was just lying. Where the chemistry between the actresses seemed natural the tense moments in the play didn’t seem natural. Overall it was a very cute play and with a couple more revisions it would be perfect.

In Folies a Deux/Pas de deux by Kevin D. Ferguson we meet Amanda Toye as Woman and Luke Goekner as Man. They are a couple with an interesting history and reconnecting after a long time.

I absolutely ADORED the use of the whole kitchen and room as a playing space. Having her start "upstage" at the counter and then moving the camera around as she moved dropped us into the world of the play. This was the first time that I forgot I was watching a Zoom play and just started watching the show. If I have to give one criticism to Hagni at all it is that I would have loved to see this kind of blocking in her previous piece.

I really commend the actors for really knowing their lines, really getting this blocking down, and committing to it. I mean somebody made cupcakes for this show! That's commitment.

Dana feels like this one was the most theatrical because it would definitely work on a stage AND online. This was the play that she absolutely believed with all her heart. I was totally pulled in. This is one of those plays that just make you want to sit in front of a computer and write a play.

The hardest part I'm going to notice about directing and writing for this medium is that you're simultaneously directing a theatre production and producing a movie. The actors aren't just actors they become directors of photography. The only difference between these plays and a movie is that a movie would be recorded for later and edited by someone else. I'm predicting that the most successful Zoom productions will be the ones that blur these lines. Is this naturalistic theatre or an indie found footage film. Who knows and who cares? Actors are not just emoting as if they're in the smallest of black box theaters but also thinking in terms of setups and dynamic camera angles. This is going to be a hard skill to master and in thirty or so years we'll be reading textbooks about the people who started this trend thinking about how we were all just figuring it out.

Also I'm looking forward to the day when we literally don't have the big pink elephant of COVID-19 in the room with us. Right now anytime you see a play livestreamed we all kind of know why it's not being presented onstage. So effectively even if the play doesn't explicitly say so it inherently is about this pandemic I know it's going to be at least a few years before this isn't the case but I will welcome it with open arms.

You have one more opportunity to see this production tonight May 9th at 7 PM Central Time. For those of you teaching theatre right now it might be an excellent tool or opportunity to talk about this evolving theatre climate. Follow this link right here and enjoy the show!