#be it as flawed as they are and with enough support we could have strengthened them a little. make drugs less expensive. continue forward

[vyvansecrashing]

can russia and north korea just nuke us already this is hopeless

[geekgirles]

Since all I ask for now is that Amalia gets to call the Osamodas out on their hypocrisy and betrayal, I think it's important to point out Armand never wanted Aurora to rule.

I say this in light of her father claiming she is the rightful heir to the throne when we all know she's actually not.

And I don't just mean her claim on the throne isn't legitimate because a) she's not even a Sadida, or b) she was Armand's Osamodas wife, not even his daughter, which would give her claim some credibility, but because it's clear to see she was never meant to truly be the Sadidas' queen, not even their regent.

I know this all sounds contradictory with the fact that, by virtue of marrying Armand, the Crown Prince, she eventually became his queen, but the thing is, it's plain to see not even Armand wanted her to rule the kingdom on her own, which is what her family is trying to accomplish—although there's also a very high chance they intend to rule through her, rather than let her make her own decisions.

As @vinillain and I have discussed through reblogs, it seems to be implied Aurora was never really meant to rule: not only wasn't she a candidate for becoming her own people's queen, but it is clear to see she was only meant to be given an important position in court but with none of the responsibilities expected from such duty.

This can be seen in her role in seasons 3 and 4; despite being Armand's wife and loving him, she never really acted like a true queen. In season 3 she acted conniving and pretended to have Amalia and the kingdom's best interests in mind when, deep down, all she cared about was strengthening her and her family's power over Sadida politics. And in season 4 she remained passive, aloof, and emotionless throughout. At no point was she shown to feel genuine concern for her husband's people even in the face of an imminent threat.

The most active role she's taken ever since she debuted was playing matchmaker for an unwilling Amalia and trying to find more about the Eliaculus.

From what we've seen so far it's easy to conclude she was always meant to be Armand's consort, but never his actual partner. She was essentially sent to the Sadidas to act as their king's arm candy. Whatever power gap was between them, she never made any efforts to breach it and show her worth.

For all she and her family look down on Amalia, Aurora herself never matured enough to become a suitable ruler, whereas Amalia eventually grew into her mother's mantle; even when his father was still alive, she had already become Queen of the Sadidas.

And I think despite his love for her, Armand knew this. He knew she could never rule the kingdom without him; knew she never should rule his kingdom without him.

Despite his many flaws and not-so-stellar moments, Armand was raised to be king. He was never stupid. He knew the inner workings of politics in and out and how to navigate them.

This is apparent in his interactions with the Osamodas King.

While he maintained a cool head throughout, it was clear to see Armand saw right through his father-in-law's ill-veiled condescension towards his people and his desire to control his kingdom. Which is why I wouldn't be surprised if he had never truly trusted Aurora despite coming to love her.

Because of everything his people had gone through, Armand was perfectly aware his kingdom was practically of no importance to the other races, for they never sent their support when they needed it most. So it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume Armand knew all along the Osamodas' intentions behind marrying him to Aurora went beyond simply providing him with a queen.

Which is why I believe he never intended to let Aurora become regent if he was no longer around.

But my greatest evidence are his last words to Amalia as he was about to sacrifice himself and he put her to safety. I don't have the screenshots for it (so I'd appreciate if anyone could provide them), but he essentially told Amalia she would be their next queen.

That's it. That's all he said. He never said, "Please, help Aurora out", or "You two are co-rulers now", or even "You have my permission to fuck Yugo senseless". He told his sister it was up to her to rule their people, not his wife.

Meaning, between her being the last remaining Sheran Sharm, the second in line when her brother was still alive, and Armand's words, Amalia is the kingdom's rightful ruler, not Aurora. It was never Aurora.  

[reikunrei]

i really am so so SO excited to see what becomes of the dynamic between El and Mike and Will. like, it is just SO interesting to see how they’re all growing and evolving as individuals and how their relationships are shifting because of that.

and how Mike and El aren’t going to last unless they do some serious couples therapy bc not only does Mike feel self conscious around her, but she felt so self conscious around him that she couldn’t even say she was having a hard time in cali! like, clearly they care about each other, but they’ve fallen into this romantic relationship bc they didn’t really know what else to do with these strong feelings. they thought it was the right step for them. and like, arguably it was the right step for them, bc now they’ll learn that it won’t work. they love each other dearly, but they don’t feel entirely free around each other, they both feel like burdens to the other, and feel like they have to hide their true feelings for a mishmash of young teenage angsty reasons. i’m just super excited to see them become best friends.

and El and Will, as we’ve seen, are already ride or die for each other. especially Will with El. he does everything he can to help and support her (even if it isn’t quite good enough) and is a shoulder for her to cry on. he has her back, and she has his, and i feel like we’re really going to see a lot of that being strengthened on screen while they likely end up being the main focus of s5. i also just love how much he respects her autonomy. he could baby her and lay too heavy a hand on his “help” when she’s struggling, but he lets her try to learn on her own, like she probably wants to. it’s hard for her, but we all know that she’d get mad if he meddled too much. he respects her, and she respects him.

and Mike and Will... especially in the case of Mike’s growth as a character, he’ll learn that Will loves him for who he is. he doesn’t have to hype himself up because Will doesn’t put him on a pedestal like El has. sure, he adores Mike and makes googly eyes at him all the time, but he sees him as an equal worthy of love with all of his flaws and insecurities. it is just so so so exciting to know that Will has somewhat come to terms with his feelings (even if he is still heavily struggling with it bc of *gestures vaguely at the world that hates his people for existing*) and he’ll get to be the one to make Mike come out of his shell a bit more, to become comfortable in his own skin. the two of them, as we’ve been shown time and again, are so comfortable around each other, they lay their hearts bare over and over again and almost never feel nervous about it. and Will will learn that he’s allowed to be selfish sometimes! he doesn’t have to try and focus on his friend’s feelings all the time, he doesn’t have to try and say what he thinks will make him feel better, bc all he needs to do is be himself and share his own feelings. the moment he says what he truly wants to say, everything will be made clear and simple.

[banarjeenikita]

Empowering Women: How to Cultivate Confidence and Self-Love in Daily Life

In today’s fast-paced world, women face a wide range of challenges—from career demands and family obligations to societal expectations. As the pressures of modern life build, it can be easy for women to lose sight of the most important relationship in their lives: the one they have with themselves. Self-confidence and self-love are the foundation for a woman’s ability to thrive, yet many women struggle to cultivate these qualities in their daily lives. In this article, we’ll explore practical steps that any woman can take to build her confidence, nurture self-love, and embrace her true potential. These tips are not just meant for occasional reflection but should be woven into everyday life to create lasting change.

The Importance of Confidence and Self-Love for Women

Confidence and self-love go hand-in-hand in empowering women to lead fulfilling and authentic lives. When a woman feels confident, she is more likely to set boundaries, pursue her goals, and face challenges head-on. Self-love, on the other hand, is the practice of accepting oneself unconditionally—flaws and all. It is about treating yourself with kindness and care, just as you would treat a loved one. Together, these two qualities serve as a powerful shield against self-doubt and external criticism, helping women embrace who they truly are.

It’s important to remember that confidence is not a trait we’re born with, but something we can develop over time. The same goes for self-love. Both require daily attention, effort, and a shift in mindset. Fortunately, there are practical strategies to help women strengthen these qualities and live more empowered lives.

1. Start with Positive Self-Talk

The words we say to ourselves shape our reality. Often, women are their own harshest critics, internalizing negative thoughts and self-doubt. One of the first steps to building confidence and self-love is to replace this inner negativity with positive self-talk.

Whenever you catch yourself thinking, “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t do this,” challenge that thought. Replace it with something empowering, like “I am capable” or “I deserve happiness and success.” These small shifts in your inner dialogue can have a profound effect on how you feel about yourself over time. Make this a daily practice and watch how it transforms your mindset.

2. Set Boundaries and Honor Your Needs

Setting healthy boundaries is essential for maintaining self-respect and confidence. Many women feel pressure to constantly give to others, whether it’s at work, in relationships, or within their families. While helping others can be rewarding, it should never come at the expense of your well-being.

Learning to say “no” when necessary and honoring your own needs is a crucial part of self-love. It shows that you value yourself enough to protect your time, energy, and emotional health. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries that allow you to thrive—whether that means carving out personal time, delegating tasks, or turning down commitments that overwhelm you.

3. Practice Daily Gratitude

Gratitude is a powerful tool for boosting self-love and confidence. By focusing on the positives in your life, you shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance. Each day, take a few moments to reflect on what you’re grateful for. This could be anything from your supportive friendships to your achievements at work, or even the small joys that brighten your day.

Writing down three things you’re grateful for each morning or evening can help you stay grounded and appreciate your worth. Gratitude practices also remind you of your strengths and the progress you’ve made, reinforcing self-confidence.

4. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences

The people we surround ourselves with have a huge impact on our self-perception. If you’re constantly around individuals who drain your energy or make you feel small, it’s time to reevaluate those relationships. Instead, seek out friendships and communities that uplift and empower you.

Engage with people who encourage your growth and celebrate your accomplishments. Surrounding yourself with positive, like-minded women can create a supportive environment where self-love and confidence thrive. Womens Magazine, for instance, offers a great platform where women can find stories, advice, and inspiration from other strong, confident women who are walking the same path of self-empowerment.

5. Take Time for Self-Care

Self-love manifests through action, and self-care is one of the most tangible ways to show yourself love. Whether it’s taking time to relax with a good book, indulging in a skincare routine, or engaging in physical exercise, self-care allows you to recharge mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Prioritizing your own well-being isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. When you invest in your health and happiness, you have more to give to the people and causes that matter to you. Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your daily routine, and your confidence and self-worth will naturally increase.

Conclusion

Building confidence and self-love is an ongoing journey, but it’s a rewarding one. By practicing positive self-talk, setting boundaries, expressing gratitude, surrounding yourself with empowering influences, and prioritizing self-care, you can cultivate these qualities in your daily life. For continued support and inspiration, publications like Women’s Magazine provide valuable insights, helping women navigate the path to self-empowerment with grace and strength. Remember, confidence and self-love are not just qualities to aspire to—they are habits to be practiced every day.

[no--envies]

I’ve always wanted to write something on how Jin Guangyao describes the events of Wei Wuxian’s downfall in the Guanyin Temple, since it isn’t talked about enough.

Jin Guangyao did a lot of despicable things, but he has a keen perception of the things that happen around him and is really good at analysing situations. He displays such skills in the Guanyin Temple, after everyone found out that the culprit behind Jin Zixun’s curse - what started the chain of events that led to Jin Zixuan’s death and everything that followed until the first siege of the Burial Mounds - was Su She.

Firstly, Jin Guangyao illustrates Wei Wuxian’s role in his own fall from grace, presenting his downfall as something that would have happened anyway sooner or later regardless of Su She’s actions:

As he laughed, Wei WuXian’s eyes reddened. He mocked, whether at himself or otherwise, “I can’t believe it’s because of someone like you… because of such a ridiculous reason!”

But Jin GuangYao seemed like he knew what he thought, “Young Master Wei, you really shouldn’t think like this.”

Wei WuXian, “Oh? You know what I think?”

Jin GuangYao, “Of course. It’s quite easy. You’re definitely thinking about how unfortunate you are. In reality, you’re not. Even if Su She didn’t curse Jin ZiXun, Mr. Wei, you’d receive a siege sooner or later, because of some other reason.” He smiled, “Because that’s what kind of a person you are. At best, you’re the untamed hero; at worst, you offend people wherever you go. Unless all those whom you’ve offended lived their lives safely, as soon as something happened to them or someone did something to them, the first person they suspect would be you and the first person they seek revenge on would also you. And this is something you have no control over.”

Somehow, Wei WuXian smiled, “What should I do? For some reason, I think you make a lot of sense.”

Jin GuangYao, “And even if you didn’t lose control at the Qiongqi Path, could you guarantee you didn’t lose control sometime in the rest of your life? Thus, someone like you is destined to have a short life. You see? Doesn’t it feel a lot better if you think about it this way?”

(Chapter 104, ExR translation)

Jin Guangyao portrays the events leading to Wei Wuxian’s death as inevitable given his circumstances. On one hand, Wei Wuxian was the “untamed hero”, who always did the right thing without caring for his own reputation and without considering gains and losses. On the other hand, he made enemies wherever he went because he was unafraid to speak his mind and stand out against public opinion, even when he knew doing so would put a target on his back. While this is what makes him the hero we all love and admire, it’s what made him become a target of the sects’ hypocrisy, classism and self-righteousness. Wei Wuxian himself acknowledges there is some truth to what Jin Guangyao is saying, because he’s aware that his own attitude and personality made him disliked and judged by many.

Jin Guangyao is the kind of person who always tries to deflect blame when he does something wrong, either by claiming he didn’t have a choice or by highlighting other people’s responsibility. He’s a master manipulator: his words are so convincing because there’s always some truth in them.

After this exchange, Jiang Cheng attacks Jin Guangyao blaming him for everything that happened and calling him “son of a prostitute”, to which Jin Guangyao counterattacks by describing Jiang Cheng’s role in his shixiong’s downfall:

Hearing the words ‘son of a prostitute’, Jin GuangYao’s smile froze for an instant.

He looked toward Jiang Cheng. After some thought, he began in a lukewarm tone, “Sect Leader Jiang, calm down a bit, won’t you? I understand what you’re feeling right now. You’re in such a terrible mood only because you know the truth behind your golden core. When you think back on what you did all these years, your proud heart feels a tinge of guilt, and so you’re anxious to find a culprit for what happened to Young Master Wei in his past life, a villain onto whom you can push all liability. Then, you’d lash out at him, both in vengeance for Young Master Wei and to ease some of your burden.

“If being determined that everything from the Hundred Holes curse to the attack at the Qiongqi Path was part of my singlehanded scheme would ease your troubles, then feel free to think whatever you please. But what you have to understand is that, for what happened to Young Master Wei in the end, you are responsible too and in fact, you are very much so. Why did so many people crusade against the YiLing Patriarch? Why did they shout their support, no matter if they were involved or not? Why was he one-sidedly condemned by so many? Was it really their sense of justice? Of course not. A part of the reason is you.”

Jiang Cheng laughed coldly. Lan XiChen knew Jin GuangYao was going to start calling white black again. He shouted in a hushed voice, “Sect Leader Jin!”

Jin GuangYao wasn’t swayed, continuing with a smile, “… Back then, the LanlingJin Sect, the QingheNie Sect, and the GusuLan Sect had already finished fighting over the biggest share. The rest could only get some small shrimps. You, on the other hand, had just rebuilt Lotus Pier and behind you was the YiLing Patriarch, Wei WuXian, the danger of whom was immeasurable. Do you think the other sects would like to see a young sect leader who was so advantaged? Luckily, you didn’t seem to be on good terms with your shixiong, and since everyone thought there was an opportunity, of course they’d add fuels to your fire if they could. No matter what, to weaken the YunmengJiang Sect was to strengthen themselves. Sect Leader Jiang, if only your attitude towards your shixiong was just a bit better, showing everyone that your bond was too strong to be broken for them to have a chance, or if you exhibited just a bit more tolerance after what happened, things wouldn’t have become what they were. Oh, speaking of it, you were also a main force of the siege at Burial Mound…”

Wei WuXian, “Looks like being called the son of a prostitute is really Sect Leader Jin’s weak spot. No wonder you killed ChiFeng-Zun.”

Jin Guangyao’s main purpose here was hurting Jiang Cheng’s pride in retaliation for his insult, but what he said isn’t false. In fact, putting both of his descriptions together we get a pretty accurate picture of all the factors that contributed to Wei Wuxian’s downfall.

Given Wei Wuxian’s circumstances and personality - his cultivation method, his brash attitude, his actions that went against public opinion - it was just a matter of time before people started criticizing him and tarnishing his reputation, often driven by their envy and self-interest. Jin Guangshan’s greed and ambition also played a big part, since he succeded in adding fuel to the flames to make the rest of the cultivation world turn against Wei Wuxian, so that he could get his hands on the Tiger Seal and Wei Wuxian’s manuscripts. Besides helping his father in his fabrications, Jin Guangyao took advantage of Jin Zixun’s curse to set up the situation that caused Wei Wuxian’s loss of control at Qiongqi Path, which was the turning point that made the cultivation world’s diffidence toward Wei Wuxian turn into open hostility and convinced them that he was an actual threat to them all.

In this complex situation, Jiang Cheng himself wasn’t blameless and his actions impacted the events quite a lot. Not only his attitude made clear to everyone how fragile and strained his relationship with Wei Wuxian was, but it took almost nothing for Jin Guangshan to convince him to abandon his shixiong. Jiang Cheng’s position in the cultivation world wasn’t actually that vulnerable at the time: if he had managed to have Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue on his side he could have swayed public opinion in Wei Wuxian’s favor. The only thing he needed to do was show more conviction when he tried to speak up for him and actually explain the real extent of the debt of gratitude both he and Wei Wuxian owed to the Wen siblings. Without Wen Ning and Wen Qing’s help, the Jiang Sect wouldn’t even exist anymore. Given the importance of debts in the universe of MDZS, Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue would have surely been more inclined to believe Wei Wuxian hadn’t freed the Wen remnants and killed several guards because his demonic cultivation was corrupting him, but because he had a very good reason to take revenge.

I tend to find Jin Guangyao’s words quite interesting because he’s often right in his evaluations. It’s not his perception that is flawed, but the way he reacts to the things that happen to him and his habit of bottling up his emotions and remembering all the wrongdoings he received from others, instead of letting them go and focusing on the good things in his life. This is one of the main themes of the novel and makes Jin Guangyao a very interesting foil for Wei Wuxian, since Wei Wuxian’s willingness to leave all his grudges and negative feelings in the past is what allowed him to have his happy ending, while Jin Guangyao’s inability to do so was what ultimately ruined him.

[heartfulselkie]

How would you like the revel to happen?

(And if it differs how do you think it’ll happen?)

There's so many ways the reveal could happen, as Chat Blanc and Ephemeral have shown.

I think primarily I want Marinette and Adrien to grow into themselves a bit more. They have so much love for each other, but they're still kids and have some growing up to do. Marinette primarily needs to learn that she can't control every little detail, that the "perfect/successful" confession is unlikely to be preplanned and possibly not perfect at all. Adrien needs to learn his self worth, that who he is is enough, that he can be loved beyond whatever mask he wears.

Once they can overcome their faults that are stopping them from being...well them, then there's nothing stopping them from becoming the power couple we know they are. And the nicest thing is that they can each help each other overcome their fatal flaws, before and after the reveal.

Now Chat Blanc and Ephemeral have made one thing clear - a reveal is highly unlikely to happen while Gabriel is Hawk Moth. A reveal that actually sticks anyway. And as much as I love a good one-sided reveal, I think there’s a decent chance its all going to come out at once. Ladynoir and Hawk Moth reveals in quick succession. High stakes and maximum drama galore. Obviously it would be a major blow for Adrien to endure, not one he can take alone. So he needs to have Ladybug completely at his side, to know that its Marinette of all people with him, for him to last. And Marinette needs to know its Adrien for her to be able to support him. Obviously they knew during the climax of Chat Blanc, but that’s where those fatal flaws of their’s stopped them from reaching out to each other. Adrien didn’t have enough confidence in himself to overcome his father’s manipulation, and Marinette pretty much shut down and didn’t know how to react when the situation wildly got out of her control.

tldr:

Step One: Let them overcome their flaws and grow a bit (we’re already getting here a bit a S4 Marinette). Their bond will strengthen because of it.

Step Two: Reveals happen in a big blow out. Ladynoir and Hawk Moth masks fall. Ladynoir are able to face it together though as their love and support for each other has become unshakeable.

Step Three: ???

Step Four: Lovesquare profit! Gabemoth is dead/in jail and they’re finally free of his tacky fashion and manipulative bs. Adrien and Marinette are finally free to develop a romantic relationship.

Sorry this is kind of all over the place. 😅 There’s so many ways we could get a reveal and my personal take is for high angst and drama lol. But that’s the best thing about fanfiction and the Miraculous community - there’s plenty of reveal content to feast on no matter your taste. 😉

[eirikaanemo]

Summoning the Wind: The Finale

Part One: The Meeting, Part Two: Together

Venti x GN!Reader

1.8k Words

Warnings: Kissing at the end, tournament fighting, Demon Summoning™

Despite the surprising, sudden revelation and reveal, Venti and you continue working towards your goal. Demon tournaments are not things to be taken lightly. They are difficult and it takes a lot of preparation to be ready. And while there is no permanent harm done to the demon, if you’re not careful it can hurt you.

Strengthening your bond, sparring endlessly against whatever demons your teachers and classmates summon, and running through strategy after strategy are just a few of the things the two of you do to prepare. You practice dual battles, and strike up some contracts with some other demons as well. Soon all of you are working together as a team, efficient and effective. If you’re doing this, you’re going all in.

Your first fight is terrifying, especially with you being unable to use Venti as a failsafe. He was strictly around for emotional support, hidden under your hat. The two of you had agreed that he would only be fighting in the higher tournaments. It just wouldn’t be fair for you to use him to blast your way through the competition. Everyone deserves a fair fight. And you weren’t holding back, per say, just only using the amount of force that was needed.

Appraising opponents becomes second nature and you develop the ability to calculate the right amount of force to use fairly easily. But you always err on the side of extra force. You are in this to win it, after all. So despite your fear and nervousness, your first tournament goes very well and you are the undisputed winner.

You continue your rise to the top, taking things one tournament at a time. School wide, area wide, national, and area international tournaments all come and go with you winning all of them. The fights became easy, instinctive almost, but you continued training. Resting on your laurels leads to losing after all, and that’s not what you’re here to do.

Suddenly the time comes. It’s time for the ultimate demon tournament to take place. This is what you’ve been working towards all this time. And your contracted demons are just as excited as you are, Venti most of all.

Venti hasn’t gotten many opportunities to fight himself, though he has helped in one or two in his human form recently. So far, you and those at your school are the only ones that know of his true identity. Your school administration had effectively put a gag order on the information to protect your privacy, and you are very grateful for it. But the time is coming for you to reveal yourselves to the world, here at the World Ultimate Demon Cup tournament.

The fights are hard, even the beginning ones. From the very beginning you are given a run for your money. If you hadn’t spent so long training and preparing for this day you would not have survived past the first match. You were forced to use so much mana that it would have knocked you out if you hadn’t steadily increased your reserves as time went on.

But in the end, you won the match. Then the next one. Then the next. And suddenly you are at the semi-finals. It’s just you, two tier two demons, and Venti left to finish it. Thankfully, your tier two demons and Venti’s human form were enough to get you to the final match. This is it. This is your moment.

Your opponent laughs as you step your way onto the field. “Haha, really,” they crow. “You made it this far with your two-bit tier two demons? I’m surprised! You must certainly be something. But do not doubt, I will crush you under the heel of my foot!” You roll your eyes at their arrogance.

“We’ll see about that,” you reply. He snorts and both of you summon your demon partners onto the field. His is obviously a tier one demon. It is a geo-type sphinx, three times your height and probably weighing more than you could possibly imagine. In comparison, Venti in his little sprite form is completely dwarfed.

“Is that a wind sprite?” Your opponent asks, anger creeping into their voice and onto their face. “Are you kidding me? You think you can take out my summoning partner with a wind sprite! Rude! Brikelda, get rid of it and force them to summon a real opponent.” You smirk as Venti agily dodges the sphinx’s every attempt.

It takes a while, but the sphinx, Brikelda, eventually lands a hit. A hit that almost hit Venti out of bounds. But just before he crosses the line he changes into his Archon form in a flash. Using his wings he easily changes his trajectory to keep himself within bounds. The audience gasps as the announcers proclaim their awe. “And here, folks, you have the honor of seeing an Archon in action!” “It’s sure something, isn’t it, Dave?” “It sure is, Jose! It looks like this will be a lot more interesting than it first seemed!”

Your opponent lets loose with a wild cackle. “This will be more interesting than I thought! But don’t underestimate us! We’ve worked too hard to lose here!” Even with Venti’s archon form, Brikelda the sphinx gave you a hard battle. She fought until the bitter end. But, in the end, Venti is an Archon for a reason. And his strong partnership with you has made him even stronger. He’s in top form and it shows.

The battle is long, but with one last Wind’s Grande Ode, Venti successfully launches her out of bounds. Bouncing off the magical shield guarding the audience, she crumples to the ground and unsummons herself. After a moment of silence, the crowd bursts into cheers and applause. You startle at first at the loud noise, but smile and wave in victory.

Venti soars down from the sky to high five you. Hearing footsteps, you turn around to see your opponent. They are sombre and calmer than you’ve ever seen them. Extending their hand, they hold it toward you. “Good fight,” they say. “You are an opponent worth losing to. I’m glad that it was you. I wish you luck for the future.” You reach out, take their hand, and shake it.

“Thank you for such a great fight,” you thank them in return. “You really made me earn my win. You and Brikelda are a great team.” With a final smile the three of you leave the stage, them one way and Venti and you the other. Thankfully your prep room isn’t too far away, you don’t think you can keep holding your peace for long.

As soon as the door to your prep room is closed you let out something between a cheer and a shriek of victory. “We did it!” You proclaim at Venti. “I can’t believe we did it!” You run over to him and pull him into a tight hug. “Thank you, Venti,” you whisper. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

You feel him smile with amusement, excitement, fondness, and… something else you can’t quite place, as he pulls you closer. He’s been feeling that emotion more and more recently, but you’re not sure what it is. The few times he’s let it bleed over the bond it’s been a warm, soft feeling in your heart. If you had to put a name to it, objectively, you would call it love.

But that couldn’t be it. He’s a demon, an Archon even, and you’re just a human. It isn’t possible that he could love you like that. Yet the thought never really left your mind. And your own feelings that you’ve been careful to keep to yourself all this time, refused to let it go. Because oh how much you love his laugh. You love his songs. You love his eyes. You love him, despite all his flaws.

So you can’t help but relish in the moment. He’s larger in this form, tall enough that your head rests over his heart and his arms wrap around you comfortingly, strong and firm in their grip. His heart is beating quickly, and picks up even more after he presses a quick kiss to the top of your head. Your own heartbeat picks up, and seems to beat in time with his.

You can feel your face and ears go warm as you let out a noise somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. He loosens his arms to let you pull away some to look at him. His soft gaze rests on you as he takes in the sight of you in his arms. The earlier fights had drained your mana enough that it showed in your disheveled appearance, but you still looked just as wonderful to him as ever.

“I have something I need to tell you,” he admits. “I’ve tried to keep it to myself, but it’s slipped through our bond a couple of times so you probably know what I’m talking about. I’m going to say it anyway, just to get it out in the open. Over all this time we’ve come to know each other, I’ve become very fond of you. And not just as a friend.

“It started out as just a close friendship but my feelings for you never stayed there. They grew every time I saw you working to improve yourself, to 'become more worthy of having him as a summoning partner' as you would say when you thought I couldn’t hear. They grew every time you didn’t treat me and the others as any less than you or other humans. And now they’ve grown too much for me to stay silent about them.

“I love you, romantically, not platonically. You’ve come to mean the world to me. I’ve never felt so close to anyone before and have never felt more understood than when I’ve been around you. And I-” He pauses for a moment to swallow. “Can I kiss you?”

The question is quiet, vulnerable almost. His hand comes to cup your face, thumb tracing your lower lip as he looks into your eyes pleadingly. Your heart melts, and you smile. “Yes, please,” You practically beg as you reach up to cup his cheeks too, guiding them down towards yours.

Your first kiss is soft and slow as the two of you get comfortable kissing each other. The next is a little firmer, and the next even more so. You find yourself pinned against the wall with him having pulled away for a moment to let you catch your breath. He’s about to lean in for another kiss when you’re interrupted by a knock on the door.

“We need you at the podium in two minutes,” the person on the other side tells you before hurrying off to other places. The two of you stare at each other for a moment before bursting into action. He helps you freshen up and the two of you race to the award ceremony. As the two of you run he winks and adds one more comment to make you blush. “I guess we’ll just have to finish later~”

[robininthelabyrinth]

....Ok so I know that wwx & lwj are hardcore soulmates, but I honestly want too see what would happen if lwj loved jc instead? Like if he saw jc pet a dog or something, while at the same time protecting his brother? Idc but I’ve had the idea in my head for days

Donghua verse

Lan Wangji didn’t have much of an impression of Jiang Cheng at first, during his time at the Cloud Recesses.

He was supposed to have joined in the first round of lessons with him, in fact, but he’d instead chosen to remain in seclusion a few extra months, focusing on strengthening his will and his heart. This had meant, according to his brother, that he’d missed a truly epic showdown between Jiang Cheng’s unruly shixiong and his uncle – something Lan Wangji was grateful for, to be honest. He knew too well that if he was there that his uncle wouldn’t be able to resist comparing them, or requiring Lan Wangji to watch over him, or something like that, and honestly this Wei Wuxian fellow seemed like he’d require a great deal of effort and forbearance.

Instead, Lan Wangji came out only after Wei Wuxian had been sent away and Jiang Cheng left behind, and he found Jiang Cheng to be a serious and earnest young man, which was much more to his taste. He was diligent and hard-working, talented and intelligent and a little bit gullible, and it was a relief to learn next to someone who was neither as silly and frivolous as Nie Huaisang – who was so devoted to being useless that it routinely amazed Lan Wangji – nor as arrogant and self-absorbed as Jin Zixuan. The only flaw Lan Wangji could identify in Jiang Cheng was that he was a little chatty sometimes – always looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to chime in – but in some ways that was good, too; he could sit next to him and let Jiang Cheng fill the silence, and having a regular companion made his brother stop looking so worried about him all the time.

Still, they were only classmates, not true friends. He thought he was nice, but nothing to really trouble himself over – and that was a relief, too, given how much his yang qi had been out of control around that time. Adolescence truly was a burden.

It wasn’t until later that he started appreciating Jiang Cheng.

Perhaps it was at the indoctrination camp, when Jiang Cheng had quietly passed along his condolences but didn’t burden him with too much company – he was too busy trying to keep the famous Wei Wuxian from starting trouble with the Wen sect, which honestly pissed Lan Wangji off; it was as if the other boy didn’t realize that they were representing their families as well as themselves, and that whatever nonsense he got into would be paid in blood and tears by them. If even Lan Wangji were willing to set aside abstract questions of justice and righteousness in favor of protecting those he loved in the only way he could, couldn’t Wei Wuxian do it too, even if only for a little while?

Perhaps it was only that he thought if he were clever enough about it, they would blame only him.

It was the tired expression in Jiang Cheng’s eyes, the burdens of the sect that Lan Wangji recognized from his brother’s face merging in with the familiar mix of love and mild irritation at an older sibling’s ridiculousness that Lan Wangji knew was often in his own, that had drawn Lan Wangji over to him – he couldn’t do much without threatening what was left of his family, his still-injured uncle and his dying father and his missing brother, but he could sit near to Jiang Cheng on the nights that he couldn’t sleep and offer him the silent support of company, if nothing else.

He found himself wishing that he could play the guqin for him, though of course he wasn’t allowed an instrument; he ended up drumming his fingers against a convenient log to create a calming tune, and Jiang Cheng would smile at him from across the flames of the campfire; sometimes, it even felt as if they were back in their quiet schooldays, sharing with a glance their mutual amusement and frustration with their classmate’s ridiculousness.

Jiang Cheng was someone who understood the burden of duty, while Wei Wuxian looked only at the burden of sacrifice, Lan Wangji had thought to himself then, and he would later be proved right even if he wouldn’t know about it for years on end.

Perhaps the indoctrination camp was where it started, but it was during the Sunshot Campaign that the spark finally caught, kindling in his heart. Jiang Cheng had lost everything, just the way Lan Wangji had, and his beloved shixiong had gone missing as well, just like Lan Xichen had after the burning of the Cloud Recesses; Lan Wangji at once volunteered to go help him in whatever way he needed.

It was good for sect unity, and safer, too, so Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren had agreed, but in his heart of hearts Lan Wangji wondered if he hadn’t gone just because he wanted to see how someone else was handling the same pain that he had.

The answer, to be frank, was badly, but – but Jiang Cheng was still that serious and earnest young man, diligent and hard-working, and armed with nothing more than his own determination he managed to resurrect a fallen sect and turn it into one of their most deadly weapons against the Wen sect.

Lan Wangji played him the guqin whenever he could, and listened to Jiang Cheng when he spoke – still looking over his shoulder for Wei Wuxian, an instinct he couldn’t seem to break – and found to his surprise that he had, somewhere along the way, grown quite fond of this man, grumpy and bitter and always trying so very hard to do his best.

It wasn’t what he’d thought love would feel like, the way his father had suffered from it: a sudden explosion in his heart that overwhelmed him and swept him away, a flood that consumed him and destroyed all self-restraint, a sudden single-minded selfishness, a single person becoming the light of his life to such an extent that it cast all else into shadow, with no room left behind for anything else, not self, not sect, not family.

No, this was – quieter. A recognition that his days were richer for having Jiang Cheng filling his eyes and ears, the feeling of comfort and familiarity that before had only been associated with his family, the slow realization that he wanted this to be his every day: this companion, by his side, working together.

The realization that he wanted more than this.

He wanted to have the right to take Jiang Cheng into his arms when he was sad, to take him to his bed when he was happy, to be greedy for those rare soft smiles and proud when others admired him –

Lan Wangji had long ago come to terms with the fact that he was a cutsleeve (it had been struggling to accept that realization, in fact, that had kept him in seclusion those extra few months), and he knew that there was a greater than average chance that he would be rejected, but he knew Jiang Cheng well enough by now to know that following his first instincts to keep his feelings hidden within his heart would only hurt Jiang Cheng more later on.

After the fall of the Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng had learned to despise things outside his control – it was what he didn’t know that terrified him, the hidden motives in people’s hearts of which they never spoke, and he hated most of all the idea that people were making decisions on his behalf.

(He spoke of that hatred, sometimes, when the other sect leaders or remaining Jiang sect elders tried to order him around for what they believed was his own good, and his hands would always rise up to rub his arms as if he were cold; it was only after Lan Wangji heard the full story of how he had been bound by Zidian and forced away to save his own life, his parents overriding his desires and treating him as a child for the final time, that he understood the source of it.)

Lan Wangji knew that if he broke Jiang Cheng’s trust, his dreams of a future would never come to anything, and so he stiffened his spine and told him.

Well, he wrote him a letter, knowing his own lack of eloquence would trip him up if he tried to say it out loud, but he handed him the letter and waited while Jiang Cheng read it. The letter contained a myriad of assurances that Lan Wangji would never take any action if the feelings were unwelcome, that he was fine with being rejected and that nothing would change, that he merely wanted Jiang Cheng to know.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes went soft when he read the letter, and for a moment Lan Wangji had hope, but in the end he was rejected – but not for the reason he’d thought.

“You haven’t met Wei Wuxian yet,” Jiang Cheng said, casting his eyes down. “One archery competition and a few distant glimpses during the indoctrination camp don’t count. You can’t – I know you think you like me, but you haven’t met him yet. And you will, one day, when we find him again, and that’s why I can’t agree.”

Lan Wangji hadn’t understood what Wei Wuxian had to do with anything.

“It’s like a man who’s only ever seen the moon suddenly encountering a sunrise,” Jiang Cheng tried to explain. “I can’t let you make a mistake that you’ll regret later on.”

In the end, Lan Wangji did get a chance to meet Wei Wuxian, and he understood a little of Jiang Cheng’s fears: Wei Wuxian was indeed a rising star, his utter brilliance in all aspects too-easily eclipsing Jiang Cheng’s not inconsiderable talent. He was witty and charming, charismatic without trying, a clever and imaginative thinker that refused to take no for an answer – he took the Jiang sect motto of ‘attempt the impossible’ as if it were a challenge that he were capable of living up to, and perhaps it was because of that no one noticed the dozens of impossible acts that Jiang Cheng quietly did every day.

It had been the same before, Lan Wangji suddenly thought to himself; in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter, Wei Wuxian had energetically challenged the creature, and nearly come to grief – if Lan Wangji hadn’t turned his back away from him, irritated for no reason in particular, he might have missed the shaky-handed disciple that would have undoubtedly shot Wei Wuxian himself instead of the beast, and the blood would have sent the creature into a frenzy from which they might not escape.

Jiang Cheng had been the one to lead the disciples out, finding a way out through the murky water while Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had fought the Xuanwu, but it was only Wei Wuxian’s brilliant idea of having Lan Wangji use Chord Assassination while he lured the creature in to be beheaded that anyone ever remembered; it had been Jiang Cheng who had put the injured Wei Wuxian on his back and walked seven days without rest to get him to the Lotus Pier for treatment, evading the Wen sect the entire time, but it was Wei Wuxian’s righteousness and witty challenge to Wen Chao that people recalled.

Wei Wuxian was as bright as the sun in the sky, but his light was blinding, the heat of it scorching those that came too close. Lan Wangji could have loved him, Jiang Cheng was right about that; Wei Wuxian had a way about him that was nearly irresistible. If he had been the first light that Lan Wangji had seen, he could have been blinded by it, unable to see any other, swept away the way his father had been – an explosion of love, a flood of it.

He hadn’t been, though.

Lan Wangji’s greatest achievement in his life, he would later think, would be that he had caught Jiang Cheng in a private moment shortly before Jin Ling’s one-month party and told him that he found that he preferred the quiet pleasures of stargazing by moonlight over the brilliance of a sunrise; it meant he had seen Jiang Cheng’s wide-eyed expression of utter delight, uncomplicated by sorrow or bitterness, for what may have been the very last time it appeared on this earth.

Later, after everything, Lan Wangji came to live in the Lotus Pier. He did not speak of love, for Jiang Cheng could not bear to think of such things at the beginning, and he only offered his company and his music, the way he had before. He helped Jiang Cheng learn the limits of his grief all over again, the line between righteous anger and merely lashing out; he helped guard against Jiang Cheng descending into nothing but bitterness and anger that would consume the rest of his life.

He stayed, and Jiang Cheng, who had started to doubt if anyone ever would, slowly grew to love him for it.

(It was Lan Wangji who realized that something had been off about Wei Wuxian’s demise, and started investigating it privately, although oddly enough in the end it was silly, frivolous Nie Huaisang who figured it out first – even if the way he went about it wasn’t something Lan Wangji would ever approve of.)

After Wei Wuxian returned in Mo Xuanyu’s body, after the three of them travelled together to investigate what had happened to Nie Mingjue, Jiang Cheng turned to Lan Wangji with old doubts he hadn’t seen in over a decade, and said, “You’re not going to –”

“Ridiculous,” Lan Wangji said, and Jiang Cheng smiled.

“Ugh, you two are so married,” Wei Wuxian whined, as if he wasn’t still very firmly in Lan Wangji’s bad books for the whole revelation regarding what he’d done with his golden core without telling Jiang Cheng about it. “Why aren’t you married, actually? Jiang Cheng! For shame! Be a man and do your duty!”

“Get lost,” Jiang Cheng said, but there was a lightness in his eyes that Lan Wangji rather liked. Even with all his secrets and his lies, having Wei Wuxian back was good for Jiang Cheng, and what was good for Jiang Cheng was something Lan Wangji approved of, even as troublesome a thing as Wei Wuxian. “We’re not married.”

“We could be,” Lan Wangji said, and predictably Wei Wuxian started whooping in joy even as Jiang Cheng turned bright red. Lan Wangji ignored the troublemaker and reached out to take Jiang Cheng’s hands in his own. “I am yours. First and foremost.”

Jiang Cheng’s hands tightened on his, and even if he turned his face away to hide the fact that he was crying, Lan Wangji knew that he’d won his prize – that future every day that he’d dreamed of for so long – at last.

[beyond-crusading]

Saladin: a tolerant knight opposing fanatical Christians ?

Saladin achieved amazing political and military success: from a humble Kurdish officer in Nur ed-Din's army, he became the Sultan of Egypt, Mosul and Damas. In 1187, he crushed the Frankish army in Hattin and took back Jerusalem. Surprisingly, his fame in the Muslim world was short-lived: in the 14th century, the great historian Ibn Khaldun only mentions him in passing in his universal history...

In the West, in the contrary, Saladin was not forgotten. But he was not remembered - as we may except - as the faithless conqueror who had committed the awful crime of depriving Christians of Jerusalem. Even though his conquests were known, medieval authors started as soon as the early 13th century to present Saladin in a very positive light: Saladin was brave, chivalrous, courteous. As time went on, he started to be depicted as a perfect knight, whose only flaw was not being Christian.

This very positive perception of Saladin as an honorable and knightly enemy was transmitted to us in almost direct line since the early 1230s. The epics of the 13th-14th century and the "romans de chevalerie" of the 15th century made him into an honorable pagan, earning him the right to appear in limbos next to Homer and Socrates in Dante's Divine Comedy. The Enlightenment philosophers then saw Saladin as an ideal of tolerance. 20th and 21th century movies generally represent him by mixing these two traditions. For example, Kingdom of Heaven (2005) by Ridley Scott presents Saladin as an honorable enemy, tolerant of all faiths, wanting nothing more than to live peacefully with the Christians.

Saladin’s mercy in Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

This narrative, however, has been challenged by historians ! So I'd like to correct a few common misconceptions about him and the events of 1187:

1) Saladin wanted to live in peace with the Christians.

One thing you need to understand about Saladin is that he SEVERELY lacked legitimacy. He was a Kurdish general leading Turkish troops ruling over Arabs, and seized power in the Muslim world by revolting against his former lord, Nur ed-Din. Until the end of the 1180s, he waged an relentless war against the unarguably legitimate heirs of Nur ed-Din.

So how did he justify his conquests ? Like Nur ed-Din had done before him, he tried to be seen as a devout Muslim ruler. Maybe he wasn't the legitimate heir, but he would be the pious leader the world needed, who would defeat both heretics and crusaders.

The first act of his political career was to depose the Shiite Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt: he used this to boast his legitimacy by presenting himself as the defender of Sunni Islam.

But this wasn't enough. He needed to convince the Muslim world to support his rebellion against the Zengids aka the most powerful Muslim dynasty that had emerged for a hundred years. So Saladin turned to djihad.

Djihad was the religious belief that Muslims should expand the Dar al-islam (the territory ruled by Muslim rulers) by military conquest. Since the time he became Sultan of Egypt, Saladin based his legitimacy on the idea that he would be the one to retake Syria from the Christians.

But Saladin had to assert his power in the Muslim world first. This led to him to a situation where he had to fight the Zengids at home (in order to stay in power) and the Crusaders States in Syria (to bolster the legitimacy he needed to win against the Zengids, and to avoid being accused of hypocrisy).

He did the logical thing: take care of the Zengids first, while trying to limit wars with the Crusaders, and then attack the Crusaders, with all the resources of the former Zengid empire at his disposal.

A plan which eventually worked !

So suggesting Saladin wanted to live in peace with the Christians would be absurd: considering his lack of legitimacy, it would have been a sort of political suicide.

Also, we have no reason to doubt that he was a sincere believer in djihad, and saw it as an important religious obligation for any Muslim leader in a capacity to do so.

2) Saladin was courteous and merciful.

It's undeniable that Saladin had a certain... humanitarian side to his personality. He seems to have been ready to free prisoners and show mercy in some occasions.

HOWEVER his most famous acts of personal generosity - the ones accomplished during his campaign of 1187-1188 - were in his best interest, as they were part of a policy to encourage Christian lords to surrender their towns and castles to him. This would allow him to quickly conquer Syria, before the arrival of reinforcements from the West.

His generosity was not devoid of political calculations.

The courteous deeds of Saladin are reported with great praise in many of our Christian sources. The traditional understanding of the events of 1187 is mostly based on The Old French Continuations of William of Tyre, an extremely valuable primary source, but strongly aligned with the ideological and political interests of the Latin States ruling elite. This encouraged the autor(s) to emphasise Saladin's generosity, for three reasons:

- The idea of the "honorable pagan enemy" was very popular in medieval epics and romans

- The greater the enemy, the more acceptable the defeat

- Writing about Saladin's great courtesy helped justify the actions of the lords who had given over their cities to Saladin without much - or any ! - fighting.

Not only Saladin had a reason to be merciful, the chroniclers aligned with Holy Land lords had every interest to report it.

Thankfully other sources allow us to understand how Saladin was perceived by other contemporaries, who were not members of the ruling class:

- The Libellus de Expugnatione Terrae Sanctae, written by a mere soldier who fought at the siege of Jerusalem, expresses a deep feeling of betrayal against Balian of Ibelin and the other Christians who had chosen to "sell the city of God" to a Pagan King.

- The letters sent at the time (my research topic for this year !) give us a sense of the shock and horror that seized the contemporaries. There was certainly no admiration of Saladin's virtues there, nor any discussion of his great deeds.

A not very positive depiction of Saladin in a Latin manuscript

3. Reynald of Châtillon and Gerard of Ridefort were fanatics and idiots

Gerard (master of the Templars) and Reynald (lord of Kerak) were both highly experienced military commanders who knew exactly what they were doing. They were part of the faction which favored quick action against Saladin, before the unification of his empire. This was very sound strategical reasoning. Looking back, we see that Saladin's situation was precarious: if he suffered too much defeats at the hands of the Crusaders, and if he had to fight on two fronts at once, he would probably have lost. The truces favored by the other faction, led by Raymond of Tripoli, allowed him the time to strengthen his control on the Muslim empire.

When Reynald launched his famous raid on the Red Sea - threatening the Hedjaz, the birthplace of Islam, and raiding close to Medina, where the Prophet was buried - he dealt a devastating blow to Saladin: even if no long term teritorial gain was made, Saladin's legitimacy was badly damaged. How could he call himself the protector of faith, if he couldn't even protect the pilgrims on the road to Mecca, and the Holy city of Medina ! A few of these blows and Saladin could very well have lost his grasp on the Muslim world...

The incident that led to the campaign of 1187 and the defeat at Hattin - the raid launched by Reynald on a caravan despite the truce signed between Saladin and the King of Jerusalem - was another very calculated move. His goal was to force another war between the King and the Sultan, at a time when King Guy didn't want to go to war against Saladin. In Reynald's eyes, any delay would only give Saladin more time to unify his empire and prepare his troops.

So, were they fanatics ? Maybe. Were they idiots ? Certainly not.

A pretty unsubtle representation of Reynald and Gerard’s position in Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

(If you read this far I'm very grateful ! This took a long time to write !)

[askaceattorney]

Off I pop

A little tribute to my dad there.  ; )

Hap’piraki once again!  Here we are at my final day as a moderator here (temporarily, at least), so...

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(Oh, jeez...  What am I supposed to say here?  Where’s a cue card when you need one?)

So, to begin with, let me reiterate that I’m planning to be gone until July -- that may change, but that’s the plan for now -- and by “gone” I don’t mean I won’t be around, just that I won’t be answering letters.  I’ll still check in every now and then to make sure things are going all right, and I’ll continue posting the remaining character essays that have been requested.  This won’t include any new requests you may have, though, so you’ll either have to ask a different mod or wait until I get back for that.

In the meantime, I’d like to share a few short things about myself, and how Ace Attorney and Ask Ace Attorney have, in my opinion, changed my life for the better.

...Beeeeeeeeeeeeeelow the cut.

So, as I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been dealing with some serious struggles in recent days.  Oddly enough, most of them haven’t been directly related to the pandemic, the political tension, or anything else 2020 brought with it.  For me, the biggest struggles have been internal ones, most of which had to do with my self-confidence.

I’m going to borrow a quote from the Mod (writing as Dahlia Hawthorne, of all people): “When a person speaks, they say whatever is on their mind.  When a person writes, they are allowed to revise and rework.  Literature is the distillation of a person’s intentions into even a single sentence.”  In other words (no pun intended), writing lets a person say things in the most polished way they can, without having to worry about things like stuttering, second-guessing, or sounding insincere.  That’s the version of me that you get here.

In the real world, I’m as human as anyone else: dealing with things like stress, anger, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, worry, lack of motivation, etc.  I’d like to say that I deal with these flaws as best as humanly possible, but that isn’t the case a lot of the time.  In the 30+ years I’ve been alive, I’ve been guilty (no pun intended) of letting my emotions get the best of me, giving up on things too easily, wasting time lamenting the past, and treating myself worse than Franziska treats Gumshoe.  I can’t claim to have been very nice to everyone else I’ve met, either.

The point of this post isn’t to whine about my shortcomings, though.  See, out of all the demons I’ve had to face, one of the worst has been the idea that I can’t do anything well enough for it to make any real difference in the world, and never will be able to.  I hope you haven’t had to struggle with this idea yourself, but if so, you have my sympathy.

Thankfully, I happened to discover a video game series and a fan-made blog that helped me realize how untrue that idea was.  Which ones am I referring to?  I’ll give you one guess.

Like many people do when they suddenly gain some new responsibility (even if it’s something they like), when I first joined the blog,  I struggled with a thing called “impostor syndrome,” which is, according to the internet, “an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be.”  Sure, I’d done some comedic writing for fun before, and I'd known about Ace Attorney and its characters for quite a while, but was I really qualified to continue the Ace Admin and the Mod’s labor of love?  And what would it mean if I wasn’t?  Over 11,000 people (minus some bots) were reading what I wrote, after all, so could I continue making the blog enjoyable for all of them?

(Trick question -- satisfying everyone is an impossible feat, it turns out.)

Questions like that bugged me consistently, but thanks to the love of Ace Attorney I shared with the fan base, and the creativity afforded by its fun characters and their incredible stories, I was able not only to power through the challenges of running a popular blog, but to help make it into something even bigger than it was before, as well as gaining some interesting insights from people about a wide range of topics: the law, morality, science, religion, history, politics, philosophy...

...hairstyles...

...and so on.  I'm not sure what I was expecting to happen when I started out, but I sure didn’t see anything like that coming.

So, in summary, this blog and the series that inspired it didn’t just help me to maintain a healthy self-image, which is something every person needs; it’s been a huge part of what kept me sane these last few years.  Athena and her psychotherapy may not be real, but being able to strengthen my writing, artistic, and comedic skills here -- and to delight so many people while doing it -- might have been the closest I could possibly get to it.

And that, my friends, is where you come in.  I’ve said it plenty of times before, but here it is again: this blog couldn’t possibly exist without you.  Whatever reason you may have had for writing a letter to me, a different moderator, or the character of your choice -- whether it was curiosity, love, criticism, or just for the heck of it -- I want you to know that it played a part in reminding me that I, like everyone else, shortcomings and all, am capable of making a difference in the world, even if it’s just for a few Phellow Phoenix Phans.  Needless to say, I’ve appreciated every last bit of it.

My hope is to be able to do something similar to this in the future, possibly on a larger scale (what exactly, I don’t know), but even if that doesn’t come to pass, I’ll always be grateful for the positive impact I was able to make here thanks to your interaction, support, and willingness to appreciate the genius of Ace Attorney alongside me.  I repeat myself, but you guys are awesome.  Never stop being that way.

And yeah, I realize this isn’t my final goodbye.  I just thought I should treat it like it was just in case.  ; )

Anyway, it’s time for one last thing this post would be incomplete without: a heartfelt...

I’ll see you ‘round, folks!

-The Co-Mod

[x5red]

DCEU’s Supergirl: we don’t need another “Superman with boobs”

In 1985 Supergirl’s fate hung in the balance. On the one hand she was one of DC’s most popular female heroes, having recently had a successful stint in the Superman Family anthology book, followed by her own comic book, and was about to co-star in a new Supergirl/Superboy title. On the other hand her 1984 movie debut had massively under-performed at the box office. Ordinarily such a failure could be forgiven with the distance of a little time, but Supergirl’s failures came at entirely the wrong moment. Crisis on Infinite Earths was about to reboot the whole DC fictional universe, and in the process whole slews of incidental characters accrued during fifty years of print history were about to be wiped out. Who to keep and who to discard was the topic of perhaps a little contention within the DC offices, and in the spirit of that debate a simple hand-scrawled note landed on the desk of DC Publisher, Jenette Kahn. It asked, innocently enough, “Can we kill Supergirl in Crisis?”

The note offered four tick-box options: “yes”, “no”, “only if we have a new Supergirl soon”, and “none of the above”. Jenette ticked the last option, suggesting that she still saw enough market potential in Kara Zor-El to justify keeping her around. Then, for reasons unknown, she changed her mind, scribbled out her initial choice, and ticked yes!

And with that, the fate of the last survivor of Argo City was sealed.

Sadly some of the factors that resulted in Supergirl’s erasure in 1985 still haunt the character today. So the casting of Sasha Calle as the DCEU’s new movie Supergirl perhaps comes at a decisive time for the character -- and Sasha’s success or failure (indeed perhaps the success or failure of Supergirl herself as a popular DC character) all depend upon how bold DC are prepared to be with their new Supergirl.

A big part of the decision to kill Supergirl in 1985 had to do with her fraught relationship to her more famous cousin. Kara has always struggled to break free of Superman’s orbit, at least in the eyes of the general public, and it was that perception that was likely at the heart of the choice to wipe her clean out of existence. Regrettably, Supergirl’s track record in popular media, movies, and on television, has often only strengthened the perception that she is nothing more than a cheap Superman clone.

Dick Giordano, DC editor and author of the "kill Supergirl” note, seems to have had an ambiguous relationship with the Girl of Steel. Immediately after the Crisis miniseries all mention of Kara Zor-El was banned from DC publications (literally -- they avoided mentioning her in any editorial pages, and on the single occasion her name was mentioned in a reader’s letter, it was starred out like an expletive!) Despite this, Dick had personally ensured that a story featuring Supergirl -- or rather the ghost of a young blonde woman called Kara -- had featured in the second issue of Christmas with the Super-Heroes (1989), against DC policy. On the other hand, it was Dick who had allegedly made famous the term “Superman with boobs” to refer to Supergirl. The phrase is said to be how Supergirl was nicknamed within some quarters of the DC offices -- nothing more than a cheap Superman knock-off. It is unclear whether Dick supported this opinion, or whether his comments indicated regret at such attitudes. Either way, when Jenette found Dick’s note on her desk, one has to wonder whether Dick’s description flashed across her mind.

Of course, every true Supergirl fan will protest that Supergirl has always been far more than just a cheap photocopy of her famous cousin. Indeed in the months following her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths a number of DC staffers were reportedly surprised at the volume of fan letters and comments expressing their love of Kara. But all that love and all that respect within fandom has counted for little whenever Supergirl has broken out of comics into more mainstream media.

The 1984 Helen Slater movie has grown in popularity over the decades. Although it is still seen as a flawed movie, today’s comic book fans are far more forgiving of its shortcomings and prepared to enjoy it for what it attempts to be -- a childrens fairytale with superpowers, rather than a straight superhero adventure. But it is undeniable that the movie seriously damaged the reputation of Kara Zor-El with the general public. Rather than a strong independent character, divorced from the shadow of her cousin, they saw a confused mess of a story that presented Supergirl as a likeable and brave figure, but never really gave her the chance to fully demonstrate her true heroic qualities.

When Smallville decided to introduce a Supergirl character they challenged that perception by showing the public a confident and brave heroine, but Smallville’s Supergirl was only in a handful of episodes. Around the same time Kara had also made a handful of cartoon appearances, but nothing with a wide enough appeal to help change the general public’s perception of the character. So by the time 2015′s Supergirl tv show hit the digital airwaves, the public’s general sense of who Supergirl was (assuming they had any general sense of her at all!) was largely still shaped by the 1984 movie.

Sadly, rather than give us a Supergirl that was distinct and independent to Superman, the show chose to lean heavily into the Superman brand. Perhaps because the producers thought the show would sell better to non-geeks if they saw familiar super-tropes, the show borrowed extensively from popular Superman sources. Consider how the first couple of dozen episodes shaped the character and her world: Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl, is initially a personal assistant, but then becomes a mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, who wears glasses to protect her secret identity (ideas stolen from Superman.) Her dead mother was once a judge who sentenced criminals to the Phantom Zone -- she is able to talk to her mother thanks to a holographic artificial intelligence (Superman the Movie.) In a major story arc, said criminals escape and seek revenge on their jailer’s daughter (plot of Superman II.) In one episode an attempt to create artificial Kryptonite causes Supergirl to become evil (Superman III.) In another episode Supergirl is trapped in a coma in which all her desires come true (plot to Superman’s famous “For the Man Who Has Everything” story.) And so on...

The list of supporting characters and guest villains, particularly for the first few years of the show, borrow heavily from Superman’s canon of characters. It isn’t until Lena Luthor arrives in season two that we get a character who is historically closely associated with Supergirl in the comics, rather than her cousin or the wider DC universe. Admittedly as the seasons went by the show started to develop its own ideas, but it still borrowed far too often from Superman sources (the Red Son story arc, for example.) With sixty years in comics, Supergirl has her own roster of supporting characters and storylines -- true, they are not as iconic as Superman’s, but the tv show could have been an opportunity to give them more exposure. Instead, when borrowing from the comics, the show largely eschews Supergirl’s canon and stole from Superman.

So, as it currently stands in 2021, anyone in the general public who is aware of Supergirl now probably knows her mainly from two sources: an 1984 movie that depicted her more like a fairytale princess than a superhero, and a 2015 tv series that presented her as a so-close-to-Superman-that-DC-would-sue-if-they-didn’t-already-own-her-copyright clone of the Man of Steel.

Surely Supergirl deserves better?

The upcoming Sasha Calle DCEU Supergirl is an opportunity to change things. It needs to define Kara Zor-El as a strong hero, independent of Superman. Yes, she has his powers, and yes. she wears the same S shield on her chest -- but that is where the similarities should end. Fans didn’t write heartfelt letters after 1985′s Crisis, and stay loyal through her various re-incarnations over the decades, because Kara was just a pallid knock-off of her cousin. While the general public may not appreciate it, Supergirl has a rich history that interconnects with, but is very distinctly different to, her cousin Superman. Her personality, her attitude, her motives, her lived experiences -- they are all very different. DC needs to build on that, rather than ignore it.

If we end up with just another female echo of the Man of Steel, pilfering his supporting characters and plots while ignoring everything in the comics that makes Kara Zor-El unique, then surely the Girl of Steel be doomed forever to be seen by the general public as nothing more than “Superman with boobs.”

Here’s wishing Sasha all the best with the role.

[sayuricorner]

Ever After High x Twisted Wonderland AU  Headcanons special 2: EAH overblot forms

Part 8

AU concept

MASTERLIST

Here we go for a second special headcanons! ^^

This second special part will be headcanons about some EAH characters’s overblot forms.

Warning: Depression, anxiety, mental breakdown, abuse and mental abuse, panic attacks, non-con contact.

Blondie Lockes:

->Pre-overblot:

-So before transfering to NRC, Blondie was one of Apple’s victims at EAH when she lost her mind.

-Apple used her to keep an eye on the others students, spying for potential “rivals” who would “try to steal her destiny”.

-She would be harsh with Blondie, being threatening with her, calling her horrible names like telling her she’s just a “pathetic lowlife social climber who’s the others royal keep around just because she’s useful”.

-Blondie keep all this to herself thinking things will be back to normal but as time pass the abuse get worse to the point that Blondie begin to believe that Apple’s poisoned words about her were true.

-When she transfer to NRC, Blondie is a mental wreck: she’s skittish, jumpie, paranoiac and is constently on guard about her actions and what others think of her at a unhealthy rate.

->Overblot:

-More time pass and the more Blondie got worse.

-People at her new dorm, Scarabia, were welcoming and Ashlynn and Hunter were here too but even the welcoming atmosphere can’t prevent her anxiety to getting worst.

-”Am I doing it right? Do they think I’m annoying? I’m not doing anything stupid right? What if I did something I wasn’t supposed to do and they’re angry at me? Why am I so useless?”

-She’s even anxious when around Briar, because of Apple she think that Briar don’t really see her as a friend and see her more like a nuisance.

-Others around her noticed something was off with her and some of the EAH transfers like Briar and Raven and some NRC students like Kalim and Jamil try to talk to her.

-Unfortunatly the discussion get only to Blondie having a severe mental breakdown making her snap and go overblot.

-”SHUT UP SHUT UP! APPLE WAS RIGHT! I AM WORHTLESS! I’M JUST A PATHETIC LOOSER WHO MADE UP A FAMILY STORY ABOUT HERSELF TO FEEL SPECIAL AND WHO’S OTHERS KEEP AROUND ONLY BECAUSE SHE’S USELFUL TO THEM! WHY EVEN BOTHER BEEN AROUND ME WHEN IT’S OBVIOUS I AM NOTHING BUT A NUISANCE TO YOU?”

-Her overblot form is a monstreous fusion of goldylockes with bear features and wearing a broken crown.

->Healing from overbloting dialogues:

-"I always looked up at my mother! She was the mayor of our town and she was respected and loved by the townpeople!”

-”I was in admiration for her hardwork, to me at those times being a mayor was the best thing in the world and I wanted to be one just like her after my story was done!”

-”When I entered at EAH I feel... lost, being surronded by all those royals like I was a little daisy in a giant roses field. So I created for myself royal origins so I will feel like having more equal grounds with the others!”

-”Even if it’s was obvious they didn’t believe my “I’m a royal” stories they didn’t seem to mind. Life seemed to turn pretty well for me: I was friend with many royals, even best friend forever after with the future “Snow White” and the future “Sleeping Beauty”, I hosted my own web show and was 100% ready to fill my destiny as Goldylockes! But when Raven Queen refused to sign the Storybook of Legends everything changed... for the worst!”

-”I have done the best I could to help the Royals cause and to help Apple, like every friend would do, and everything seemed normal but then Raven transfer!”

-”Apple changed, she become more and more obsessed  with her destiny seeing enemies everywhere! I tried to be supportive, I tried to be useful! But in the end I couldn’t, Apple said it herself I’m useless, pathetic, worhtless, annoying...”

-”That when I realised the others don’t really like me, to them I’m a nosy annoyance who’s others barely tolerate.”

-”I’m making my best to help but it’s never enough!” , “People mostly see my flaws and don’t like me for them!” , “Whatever I do, I still mess up in the end!”, “Even after tranferring in a new school I am too warry about whatever I do! Too scared of being hated by my peers at the smallest mistake!” , “People often ask me if I made up my “royal origins” because I am ashamed that my mother is a simple mayor, but that not true!” , “I...” , “I just want to be as amazing like her!”

Duchess Swann:

->Pre-overblot:

-Some people would think that after she transfered and she is now not forced to follow her destiny anymore, Duchess would be less bitter but in reality it was the contrary.

-Even if things seem to have changed, Duchess thinked it was too good to be true that one way or another she will just finish like all formers princess swanns: dead or turned into a swann forever.

-She even remember the headmaster Grimm, the day she and the students left Ever After High, telling to their parents that they will regret not listening to him, that take their children away from the school will change nothing and that destiny will happen whatever they like it or not.

-This strengthened Duchess’s fears: How can she tell if she’s really free from her destiny? Is she really free or is she still bound to it like headmaster Grimm said?

-And when she saw the students of NRC and even the others transfers from EAH living their lives not having a care about what will happen to them in the future she couldn’t help it but being very envious.

-To her it wasn’t fair! Why did the others are happy with their lives but her not? Why does she had to had a such horrible future when the others can built themself a happy ending? Why?

-This made her more and more envious to the point of jealousy making her even more bitter toward her peers.

-MC from her new dorm, Ramshackle, was trying to be nice with her but her bitterness was so strong that Duchess just answered to their friendship aptempt, and to any student’s aptempt to even be civil with her, with her mean attitude.

-She got worse to the point she isolate herself from everyone else.

->Overblot:

-As for the NRC students, they were getting fed up with Duchess’s attitude.

-Most of them try to be at least civil with her but she is just out right rude with them.

-MC and their friends group talked to some of the EAH transfers to try to understand what was Duchess’s deal.

-When they learn about what was supposed to be Duchess’s “destiny” they were quite horrified, it doesn’t excuse her behavior but that explain it.

-They decided to go to talk to Duchess in hope to make her understand that she really don’t had to be scared about her “destiny” anymore.

-They search for her in the whole school and even use magic to locate her but are unable to find her.

-Than it become clear to them: Duchess had run away from the school.

-The group immediatly warn Crowley about Duchess’s desipearance and thank to a tracking spell he was able to locate Duchess near a lake in the Silent Woods.

-There, they find Duchess crying they tried to reason with her, but no matter what they could say she wouldn’t listen, closing herself more and more until she snap at them.

-”Oh yes, right! “you don’t have to worry about your future” you say, “the horrible stuff will not happen” you say! OF COURSE YOU WOULD SAY THAT IT SO EASY FOR YOU TO SAY IT! You get to live your lives totally carefree being happy and all that jazz! Trying to preach me like you know how I feel! WELL FLASH NEWS YOU DON’T! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GROW UP KNOWING YOU’RE DESTINED TO DIE OR TO BE CURSED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE CONSTENTLY SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO BRAG ABOUT THEIR OH SO AMAZING AND HAPPY DESTINY WHEN YOUR IS NOTHING BUT PAIN AND LONELINESS! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FEEL LIKE THE WORLD IS TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING IT CAN TO CONSTENTLY REMIND YOU YOU’RE DESTINED TO BE MISERABLE AND ALONE LIKE HAVING THE ONE PERSON WHO YOU THINK WAS YOUR FRIEND CUT YOU OUT AND ABANDONING YOU! AND YOU CERTAINLY DON’T KNOW WHAT IT LIKE THAT EVEN AFTER THINGS SEEMED TO HAD CHANGED YOU’RE STILL AFRAID THAT WHAT YOU WERE DESTINED TO STILL HAPPEN, THROWING YOU IN A ENDLESS CYCLE OF FEAR! Well if I’m really destined to be alone in the end I rather anticipate it and spend the rest of my existence in this lake all alone rather than having it happen to me by surprise! So now do me a favor and leave me alone! You hear me? GET LOST! GETLOSTGETLOSTGETLOSTGETLOST! GET LOST!”

-Her overblot form look like an horrific version of the Swann Princess with her feathers being black instead of white.

->Healing from overbloting dialogues:

-”I never knew my mother, all Princesses Swanns either died or are either forever curse as swann at the end of their story and when a new future Swann Princess is born she is either born from the forever cursed princess either born from the Black Swann but in all cases the future Swann Princess is never raised by her mother.”

-”I was born when my mother was forever cursed and as soon as I hatched I was took from my mother, given an human form and was given to my grandmother.”

-”I love my grandmother, but sometimes I can help but think about my mother, all alone, forever stuck as a swann and not even able to take care of her own daughter and I was saddly aware this was also the future that await me.”

-”My grandmother give me all her love and care with the hope I will grow up in a happy life without thinking about my destiny but unfortunatly there wasn’t a day in which I couldn’t not thinking about it.”

-”And when I entered Ever After High things didn’t get any better, being surrounded by people with an amazing destiny or a sad one but who are able to live with it made me envious of them to the point it was painful.”

-”I made some friends through my jealousy over their destiny kept me from being really close with them even with Faybelle who’s supposed to be my BFFA.”

-”Soon my jealousy and fears made me bitter and I became mean and cold toward others as a defense, I couldn’t bear to be close with the others when they were happy while I wasn’t able to and with my fear to be more hurt by being with others than being alone I prefered to be in loneliness telling myself the excuse that loneliness was my destiny anyway.”

-”Than I tried to trade or take other’s destiny in hope to had a more happy ending and with Sparrow helping me I though I had a friend in him, even if we acted more like we were accomplices, but nothing goes as excpected and Sparrow cutting me out only remind me what I was destined to be no matter what: Alone.”

-”I just don’t get it!” , “How can others be able to be happy even when some had a sad destiny but not me?” , “Even when I try to change my destiny like Raven it just blow up at my face!” , “Is this karma making me paid for trying to had another ending? Or did I just do it wrong?” , “Even after I transfered and I was assured I wasn’t forced to be the new Swann Princess anymore the doubt still gnaw me!” , “I can’t even bring myself to be nicer to others!” , “Even if I suffer being alone I fear to suffer even more by attaching myseld to my peers!” , “I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”, “I don’t now what to do!” , “Why?”, “Why can I be happy?”

Briar Beauty:

->Pre-overblot:

-Out of all Apple’s victims Briar fall within the ones who sufered the most.

-After all Apple was supposed to be her “best friend forever after” so her abuse toward Briar and her threats because she found her “too beautiful” did really distressed her.

-So when Briar, mentally weakened, learn she was also a Maleficent’s descendant when she got sorted in Diasomnia with Faybelle she was even more shaked.

-Don’t get her wrong she had nothing against Faybelle being her cousin or faes in general but the Sleeping Beauty’s and Maleficent’s lineages were supposed to be adversaries so how can she be a descendant of both Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent?

-In Diasomnia Briar try to hide her distress by smiling and being polite, “they were welcoming after all” she think “it would be rude!”.

-While she get to know her new dormmates, she took the opportunity to ask them some questions in hope to possibly know more about how her family tie with Maleficent can be possible but unfortunatly Briar didn’t get any success.

-The Diasmonia students asked her questions about her world and when she talked about her former destiny and the 100 years sleeping curse they were confused as heck.

-Silver even ask her “you’re aware that despite having been cursed to sleep for 100 years the original Sleeping Princess only slept for one day or two right?”.

-This absolutly shocked Briar, sleeping only for a day or two? what was the meaning of this?

->Overblot:

-Since this conversation Briar’s was filled with too many questions without answers.

-She then decided to search for answers.

-First she search in the school library the tale of the original Sleeping Beauty and discover that the original Sleeping Beauty had indeed only slept for a day or two despite the 100 years sleeping curse.

-This revelation stunned Briar, she wasn’t supposed to actually sleep for 100 years? She was even supposed to meet her prince before she fall asleep? All what she has been taugh her whole life was a lie? Why? Why was the tale changed to actually make the others Sleeping Beauties sleep for 100 years? What was thinking her former headmaster for allowing something this cruel to happen?

-A big panic seized her, her heart beating like she run a marathon, Briar beging to find difficulties to breath as if there was a lump in her throat.

-Briar tried to recompose herself, trying to rasionalize her throughs.

-More answers, yes she need more answers to get to the bottom of this, to see what more secrets was hidden from her.

-So she keep her search but the more she does the more stressed she become.

-With her classmates and dormmates she make sure to always keep a smile ans assure them she was alright when in reality she was not.

-But not everyone fall for it especially Lilia.

-Call it instinct but his experience from the times he raised Silver made him able to recognize the signs of someone young as Briar trying to hide something.(I don’t know about you but parental!Lilia headcanon is my jam! ^^)

-He became worried about Briar’s mental health so when he found out she was making research to understand how she was related to Maleficent, he decided to help her and ask MC and their friends group, and as well some of the EAH transfers, Faybelle include, to also help, but mainly to keep an eye on Briar since she seem to over the edge.

-So after some times of research the group learn the existence of an old mirror in the school which can answer any questions related to the Great Seven and their lineages.

-During the search and the discovery of the mirror Lilia and the others often asked Briar if she really want to know, worried about whatever they will find out can do to her mental but every Briar answered “Yes I’m sure! I want-no! I NEED to know!”.

-Once they found the mirror Briar ask it the origins of her lineage and the mirror show it to her.(See Headcanons special: Briar Beauty’s fae heritage)

-This reveal completly stunned Briar who feel like her whole world wreched.

-”I was... only the future Sleeping Beauty because my direct ancestor was used as a spare? And me being Maleficent descendant happen only because the descandant from Maleficent looked human enough so no one knew the truth?”

-She felt completly delusined, her destiny, her mere existence, all what she was taugh her entire life were nothing but a LIE!

-Briar is shaking uncontrollably tear appearing in her eyes.

-The others now extremely worried asked Briar if she was alright only for Briar to answer with a very weak laugh while tears were falling down through her cheeks.

-”Ha ha ha... I’m fine... Yeah I’m fine really... I’m okay... I’m... okay... Hahahaaaa... Who am I kidding... I’m not fine not at all! This sweet attitude, this smile I put on my face everyday to reassure others... They’re all fake! Just like me! My destiny... My friendship with Apple... My family history... Everything about me is fake! Fake... Fake... Fake... Fake! Fake! FAKE!!!!”

-Briar’s overblot form is a eldrich fusion of the Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent.

->Healing from overbloting dialogues:

-”I was always proud of my destiny, “the Sleeping Beauty” was one of the most popular and important tales after the “Snow White” tale so being the next Sleeping Beauty was considered as a great honor! But if there’s one thing I didn’t liked about my tale it was the 100 years sleeping curse.”

-”My family made everything they can do to mentaly prepare me for the sleeping curse since day one, telling me every day about how it wasn’t an end and that I will be happy with my future prince charming. Of course they never thought about the fact by sleeping for a century I may find love but at the same times I will lost all my friends.”

-”By the age of 5 I decided to prevent this future pain by simply not making friends, I was gonna loose them when my destiny will start so why getting attach to people who will dissappear way before you?”

-”But I realized very soon that loneliness was unbearable and couldn’t help myself but search for compagny and friendship from others, so I decided that if I can’t prevent myself to had friends then I will enjoy every second of my life before my destiny start so like this I would have amazing memories that I would sherish even after my 100 years sleep.”

-”Life was great: I enjoyed life as I can with parties and friends, I was at Ever After High THE greatest school for fairy tale characters, I got wonderful friends! Everything was fine... Until this fateful day where things just shatered!”

-”Raven refused to sign the book, creating the Royal/Rebel conflict, I stood at Apple’s side as the proud Royal I was despites my deep doubts, helping her and supportinig her.”

-”Then Raven transfered and Apple became more and more agitated about her destiny, I stayed by her side, defending her no matter what because that what friends right? Especially best friends forever after... But Apple... She...”

-”I though I was her friend but turn out that friendship was just fake! And when I transfered despite my sadness deep inside I was kinda relieved to be away from all this and hoped everything would be fine! But the more I learned about myself and my family the more I realized what I was in truth: Fake!”

-”I was prepared my whole life for something which wasn’t true in the end.” , “My friendship with Apple wasn’t genuine as I believed.” , “My destiny wasn’t even my birth right and was given to me only simple because I was a spare!”, “My family origins weren’t even what I believed everything I know just turned to be lies no matter where I look!” , “But then who am I? What am I?” , “I don’t know!” , “I...” , “I don’t know anymore!”

Daring Charming:

->Pre-overblot:

-At the first look you would think despite everything happened Daring seem to keep a cool head but in reality he was mentaly wrecked.

-Back at Ever After High when Apple loose it after Raven’s transfer, Daring didn’t know what to think about Apple anymore.

-It was like she was replaced by another girl who looked just like her but with a more wicked and meaner personnality.

-When it’s became clear she went out of line he tried to talk to Apple thinking a little talk and one of his smiles will set everything right as usual. But oh boy was he wrong.

-Not only Apple didn’t calm down but she also looked at him with a very cold stare and told with a as much cold voice “Daring, this is a matter that only concern me a future prince charming as yourself had no say in the matter so if you know what’s good for you you will stay at your place okay?”.

-This disguised threat shook Daring to his core and since that conversation he try to avoid Apple as much as possible too afraid to even face her.

-Unfortunatly Apple’s growing paranoia made her believe that not only other people wanted to steal her destiny from her but Daring as well.

-So she begin to monitoring Daring 24/7 staring at him like a hawk on it’s prey espetialy when he was talking to a girl, she didn’t leave him had a second’s respite or any privacy anymore.

-More than one time she would corner Daring and would "hug” him in a very possessive way making him very uncomfortable and would ask him “who’s your princess Daring?” and when Daring answer with a scared voice that she is his princess she would respond in a mean threatening voice “Yes! good, good! And this will never change right? You wouldn’t dare leave me for another don’t you? After all what would you become without me? without your destiny? You would be nothing! What did your parents would think? you wouldn’t want bring shame to them don’t you?”

-She would tell him things like that every single time she manage to be alone with him trapping Daring under her control, Darling and Dexter tried to protect their brother but they couldn’t look out for Apple constently.

-When he learn he will transfers to a new school Daring feel the news like a delivrance as for Apple she was firious and even screamed like a banshee to Daring something like “YOU WILL BE BACK! YOU WILL BE BACK CRAWLING AT MY FEETS! YOU’RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! YOU HEAR ME DARING? NOTHING!!”

->Overblot:

-When he enter NRC and was sorted in the Ramshackle dorm with his siblings, Daring was feeling relieved but also very wary and uncertain.

-On one hand he was happy to be finally away from Apple but on the other wasn’t so sure if it was a good thing or not.

-He was aware Apple became way too toxic for him but at the same time there was a little voice inside of him, a way too familiar little voice telling him in a endless loop “You’re nothing without me!”

-Daring’s head was filled with questions and doubts “Did he do the right thing?” , “Was leaving EAH and Apple a good idea?” , “What if Apple was right?”

-More than one time he debate with himself if yes or no he must call Apple to tell her sorry but everytime he remind himself how bad Apple had been to him only to had once again doubts “Yes but what if she was right?” , “I was supposed to be her prince it was their destiny what will he become without it?” , “and his family what they would think of him?”

-Day by day he become more stressed unsure about what to do.

-Darling and Dexter were worried for him especially when they saw their brother staring at his mirrorpad  for a long time not sure what to do.

-It’s when they hear him one day murmuring to himself in a trembling panicked voice “I can’t do it!” , “I must call her!” , “I need my destiny!” , “I’m nothing without her!” , “I can’t deceive my family!” , “I need it! I need it! I need it!” that Darling and Dexter decided to do something about it.

-With the help from some of their friends among the EAH transfers and  from MC and their friends group they planned to take Daring’s mirrorpad from him and to talk with him to make him see reason.

-After a chase in the school the group manage to take the mirrorpad from Daring and tried to talk to him but it doesn’t really go as planned.

-”No... NO! You don’t understand! You just don’t it! I know how bad Apple become! But I need her! I’m supposed to accomplish my destiny! I’m nothing without it! I can’t turn away I just can’t! I was supposed to be the new Prince Charming! I can’t deceive the Charming family name! I can’t! I need it... I need it... I NEED IT!!!!”

-His overblot form is a shattered version of the prince charming with his wrists and neck tied with a red string, a rod planted in his heart with black goo oozing.

->Healing from overbloting dialogues: 

-”Being the future Prince Charming was expected from me since my birth, I was the first born son from the Charming family so I was the best choice for the role!”

-”I was always raised to be proud of my future title and to be a proud prince, I made everything I can to be what was expected from a prince charming: beautyfull, brave, chevalrious, heroic. Always ready to save a damsel in distress or to slay a dangerous dragon all what was expected from a prince.”

-”I even met Apple, my future Snow White, when we were children and we grew up together, her and I were getting along very well together, we were great friends!”

-”Everything was just fine we were both living our own school life till our destinies begin, we had great friends, life seemed to be bright for us, at least that what I though, because when the Royal/Rebel conflict and Raven Queen’s transfer happen I saw Apple in a new light, a new light I didn’t like at all!”

-”I just didn’t recongized her, she wasn’t like the sweet and kind for which I was happy to know I will marry someday, instead she was cold, mean and very paranoiac about everyone around her she was even threatening anyone whe she saw as a threat... Just like an Evil Queen would do and it was terrifying me!”

-”She even imagine herself that I was going to leeave her or going to be take away by someone else, she became invasive, constently contolling all my moves and talking down to me as if I mean nothing to her but being very possessive of me at the same time.”

-”I was afraid of her I didn’t even wanted to be in the same room than her, I just wanted to run and when I was told I was going to transfer it was a true relief but Apple’s words and my own doubts were eating me, was that a good idea? What will happen to my destiny? What if Apple was right and my peers consider me as a failure?”

-”I don’t want to go back to Apple but my guilt and fears are paralizing me!” , “I was raised and taugh to be by her side whatever is happening but how can I do it when she hurt me?” , “I just want to get away from her but how can I do it when my duties, my destiny and my family name constently came back to my mind?” , “I just don’t know what to do what am I going to become if I’m not the prince charming?” , “What can I do to stop this pain?” , “I...” , “I’m scare about what to decide!”

Raven Queen(This one will be shorter since her overblot phase will be a important part of a whole headcanon part about Milton Grimm’s and Snow White’s downfall):

->Pre-overblot:

-The overblot Apple fiasco left Raven pretty shaked.

- Even if her friends keep telling her that what happen to Apple wasn’t her fault deep inside she still feel guilty.

-She try to hide her guilt feelings to the others, not wanting to worry them.

->Overblot:

-So the accident happen at the international Magical Shift Tournament.

-Raven was there with her other classmates to support the teams from Night Raven College.

-Everything seemed to be fine until Raven was approached by none other but Milton Grimm and Snow White.

-Raven’s friends came closer to her standing protectively beside her in case they would had to defend her against the two.

-When asked what are they doing here Milton Grimm and Snow White told Raven with a serious face that Apple desippeared and all this because Raven didn’t sign the book and that the only way for Apple to come back is that Raven sign the book and accept her destiny.

-This made all Raven’s friends furious to the point they beging a screaming match with the two adults, calling their statement a bluff. And they were right about this being a bluff.

-You see Milton Grimm and Snow White became desesperated to make Raven come back so they plotted the “make Raven believe that Apple goes poof because of her” to make her sign the book and so forcing to become the next Evil Queen.

-Now Apple’s involvement in this plan is different depending the two possible paths.

-In the “Apple’s happily ever after” path: Apple has no involvement in the plan and doesn’t even know about it since she leave the White kingdom with her father after her parents divorce and go to a new school and severed links with her mother.

-In the “Apple’s badly ever after” path she’s 100% into the plan and is hidding in her room while her mother and Milton Grimm put their plan in motion.

-While her friends were defending her, Raven in a total shock just snap.

-”No... NOOOOOOO! Why did this happen? How could this happen? I... I NEVER WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN TO APPLE! WHY ME WANTED TO MAKE MY OWN DESTINY ONLY HURT OTHERS? ALL I WANTED WAS TO MAKE MY OWN CHOICES! BUT ALL I GOT IN THE END IS MAKING OTHERS SUFFER! AND ALL THIS BECAUSE OF I’M JUST A SELFISH PERSON! WHY CAN’T I DO ANYTHING WITHOUT HURTING SOMEONE? WHHYYYYYYY?”

-Her overblot form is her mother version of the Evil Queen tied in heavy chains.

->Healing from overbloting dialogues:

-”If there was one thing I hated more than anything it was my destiny as the future Evil Queen! I always though it was an horrible title.

-”No one around me made me think otherwhise from my peers who were outright bullying me because of “how evil I was” to my own family with my mother doing everything she can to make me “more evil” like turn my puppy into an horrible rat.”

-”As I grow up I take the decision I will never become the new Evil Queen, that I will write my own destiny, living my own life but when I made it clear on the Legacy Day things become harder for me.”

-”All this created the Royal/Rebel conflict creating tensions and pression not only harder for me but also for the others rebels.”

-”When I found myself in the Night Raven College after my magic accident and got accepted as a student I felt like I was in a dream people here were understanding and were accepting for you I am.”

-”I was pure happiness! I was finally in a place where I wasn’t judge because of my mother and where I would be able to create my own future! But I didn’t know this would come with heavy consequences!”

-”As soon as I transfered things goes downhill at EAH to the points the students left the school as well and Apple... Oh Apple!”

-”I wasn’t aware about how bad she become the others warned me she lost it but I didn’t know it was THAT bad and when she become that thing I wondered “Was that because of me?””

-”I was eaten by guilt, my friends tried to told me again and again it wasn’t my fault but deep inside I couldn’t help it but think it was my fault! And now Apple desippeared and once again by my fault!”

-”Why when I do something someone is always hurt in the process?” , “I just want to write my own destiny and be happy is that too much to ask?” , “Am I really destined to make others suffer whatever I do?” , “I don’t want to finish like my mother but I don’t want others to be miserable because of me!” , “I... Just want to have my happy ending without hurting others!”

TAG LIST :( a reblog will get you a place in the tag list! ^^)

@virgil-is-a-cutie​ , @zebrabaker​ , @twistedwonderlxnd​ , @cowardlybravette​ , @iwilldietomorrowyees​ , @balsae​ , @shinypainterkid​ , @biscuitbirdpeach​ , @feuilleszuyu​ , @pale-lady-dreamer , @icant-choosename-help

[gtgrandom]

Beck and Jade: Toxicity

Alright kiddos.  With the resurgence of Victorious, I’ve seen a lot of new and old viewers idolizing this relationship, and while I 100% support your decision to ship what you want to ship, we need to acknowledge some of the red flags in this relationship and talk about why it shouldn’t be #goals.  I’ve seen too many teens talking about how realistic these two are (which is insane given the show’s comedic exaggeration) and how they want to embody everything Jade is as a woman, and my heart dies a bit. 

I know how annoying it is to see false accusations of an “abusive” couple by a non-psychologist simply because someone doesn’t ship it.  And yeah, I realize this is a kid’s show designed to entertain.  But I also realize what impact television has on the youth and their expectations of love.  So I want to set some things straight.  

Hot take: You can still enjoy the show while recognizing what a healthy relationship looks like. 

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First, let’s talk about aspects that WERE healthy:

1. Open Communication

These two felt so “real” because they would confront each other directly about behavior they didn’t approve of, things that annoyed them, etc.  Most of the time they were so direct, issues didn’t have enough time to fester and boil over.  Honesty is key in a healthy relationship, and for them, teasing and arguing served as an acceptable avenue for this honesty.   

2. They do learn to adapt to each other’s needs and grow together...sort of. 

Being able to recognize your own shortcomings and value your partner for their ability to see past those flaws is essential.  Fighting is okay if you can come together after it, understand why your partner was upset, and grow stronger from the experience.  The earthquake should strengthen the bridge after the new changes and reinforcements are put in place, not weaken it...

But time apart requires you to reflect on yourself.  When two people come back together and their means of apology is through kissing or sex...that tells you exactly what makes the relationship function.  

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Now...for the portrayal of toxic behavior and emotional abuse.

 1. Ugly jealousy

Jade’s jealousy is a constant source of conflict for the two, OBVIOUSLY.  While she might say what we’re all thinking, her possessiveness is unattractive - and had it been the trait for a male love interest on the show, fans would have attacked him for it.  You’re not allowed to control who your boyfriend hangs out with and befriends. You have no right to do so.  You can express to him, “hey, I feel insecure about our relationship when you hang out with this individual exclusively.  Can I come with you this time and get to know her better so I can put my mind at ease?”  If he doesn't take your concerns seriously, then you should leave the relationship.  

And if the new girl (as unjustified as it was) makes out with your boyfriend, you take your issues up with your disloyal boyfriend. You don’t continue to bully the other girl. 

There’s a difference between speaking your mind / sticking to your values, and being a total dick.  Jade crosses this line every episode.  She’s not iconic when she bullies her friends.  It’s really not that funny.

2. Putting words in Beck’s mouth

A lot of the times this is used for comedic effect.  Because you know how sensitive women are. You just can’t say anything as a man, lest she twist it around on you... :/  Regardless, it turns Jade into an instigator, an agitator, and a difficult person to reach a consensus with.  Don’t put words in your loved one’s mouth. Listen to what they have to say. Process it.  Come back after you’ve had a chance to walk it off and think rationally.

3.  Fighting at high frequency and magnitude 

It’s one of the “quirks” of this relationship.  Teens like to call it “rocky” and “full of chemistry.”  Nah.  It’s just plain ol’ toxic fighting and hostility.  Especially because it’s usually over something stupid and entirely irrelevant to their relationship.  A passionate relationship doesn’t mean you argue and fight everyday.  Your relationship should have more positive energy than negative.  Otherwise, why bother?

If they wanted to show a realistic relationship and the struggles teens encounter, they could have taken a dozen different avenues.  Like an episode where everything they say gets on each other’s nerves and they just need some space, but then at the end of the episode they can laugh about how they were arguing over something as silly as x,y,z.  

Instead, they made Jade the classic toxic bad boy trope.

4. Emotional instability and manipulation

Many people call Beck the calm, grounding force who is the only one capable of “topping” Jade.  That’s whack.  No one should have to babysit their partner because they’re so emotionally jagged and explosive. Sure, it makes for good comedy, but these two could have just as easily been best friends who knew how to deal with one another.  They even could have been a healthier pairing if the writers had made Jade treat Beck with more respect than everyone else.  But in the end, Beck has to be her backboard and police officer more than he gets to be her boyfriend.

Jade has too many issues to work through (jealousy, insecurity, aggression, etc).  She shouldn’t be in a relationship until she can properly channel that anger and resentment. 

Otherwise, she needs someone who won’t put up with her bullshit the way Beck does.  (He calls her out on it every now and again, but he also claims that he enjoys not having an easy relationship).

5. Disloyalty 

I’m not about to say that Jade is jealous for no reason.  Beck could be much better at showing her he only has eyes for his girlfriend.  That he puts her at the same level as (or above) his platonic friendships and acting career.  But this isn’t always the case, and Jade hates it.  

Another reason to break it off. Don’t settle for a man who punishes your behavior by allowing the new girl to kiss him -- or who makes you feel inadequate in any way.

That’s the tea.

That’s all for today, kids.  Ship the fictional pairing all you want, god knows I have my fair share of toxic ships (side-eyes Delena).  Just please don’t call it realistic.  And please know that real relationships take work (real love is a choice as much as it’s a feeling), but that doesn’t mean your relationships have to be this ugly. <3

[horrormaestro-aaa]

wow ,  just  wow.        as  of  october  7th ,  2020  it  has  officially  been   one  year   since  i  launched  jackie’s  original  blog.  now ,  her  concept  as  a  whole  began  much ,  much  earlier.  july  23rd ,  2019  to  be  exact.  i  knew  i  wanted  to  delve  into  the  world  of  stephen  king ,  i  knew  that  i  wanted  to  do  something  different ,  i  knew  that  i  wanted  to  take  a  novel  that  i’d  always  loved  with  characters  i  always  loved ,  &  give  them  life  through  someone  else’s  story.  ariel  “ jackie ”  torrance  was  the  product  of  that.  i   did  not   ever  think  i’d  get  off  the  ground  with  her ,  as  she’s  a  female  original  character  &  the  rpc  can  be . . .  well ,  the  rpc.  but  thanks  to  some  pretty  awesome  people ,  she’s  taken  on  such  a  life  of  her  own  with  eight  original  arcs  spanning  four  decades  of  her  life.  she  has  such  a  detailed  biography  that  only  writing  out   five   of  those  has  the  word  count  at  just  over  6,000  words.

she’s  truly  my  favorite  brainchild  out  of  writing  for  twelve  years  &  i’ve  met  so  many  amazing  people  while  writing  her.  so  many  amazing  people  that  have  pushed  me  to  go  farther  when  i  was  ready  to  throw  in  the  towel  on  her.  i  don’t  know  that  she  &  this  blog  would  be  around  today  had  it  not  been  for  the  lovely  beans  i’ve  met  along  the  way  &  continue  to  express  their  admiration  for  her  character.  so  i  wanted  to  make  this  post  as  a   thank  you.   thank  you  for  listening  to  my  3  am  rambles  about  the  tiniest  headcanons.  thank  you  for  enabling  her  impulsive  &  reckless  behavior  at  times  so  that  she  has  to  be  put  in  uncomfortable  situations  to  grow.  thank  you  for  always  believing  in  me  &  my  ability  to  tell  a  story  even  when  life  has  thrown  me  the   wildest   of  curveballs  &  i  don’t  get  to  be  as  active  as  i  once  was.

i’m  going  to  give  a  couple  of  little  shoutouts  below  the  cut ,  &  then  in  no  particular  order  i’d  like  to  thank  some  of  the  people  who  have  been  by  my  side  since  jackie’s  beginning.  if  you  aren’t  listed  because  we’re  recently  mutuals  /  friends ,   please  don’t  take  offense.  i  adore  you  all  &  it’s  such  a  pleasure  to  see  you  &  write  with  you ,  but  as  a  huge  milestone  in  her  creation  &  growth ,  i’d  like  to  give  credit  to  those  who  helped  keep  jackie  around  for  you  to  meet  her.

first ,  to  the  dan  to  my  jackie ,  the  steve  to  my  bucky ,  my  loveliest  virgo  wife :   annie ,  you  have   always   been  there  to  encourage  me  to  push  boundaries  with  her ,  push  her  out  of  her  comfort  zone.  get  inventive  &  creative ,  to  develop  npcs  with  such  depth  that  could  have  lives  of  their  own  too.  when  i  told  you  about  jackie  as  a  mere  concept ,  you  didn’t  hesitate  to  make  a  blog  for  dan.  you’ve  helped  me  strengthen  the  bond  between  jackie  &  the  only  family  she  ever  needs.  you’ve  helped  me  give  her  such  fantastically  deep  flaws  within  her  torrance  genes ,  but  a  relationship  with  her  cousin  that  allows  her  to  be  seen  as  more  than  a   “ mary  sue ”   relative  oc.  your  love  of  stephen  king  reignited  my  own  burning  flame  &  i  love  you  so ,  so  much.  trust  when  traveling  is  safer ,  i’m  cashing  in  those  flight  vouchers.  we   will   go  ask  mr.  king  about  dan’s  true  timeline.  bet.      //      @neverreallyend ,  @prouddov ,  @descriptionbegins ,  @spiritsfound

next ,  someone  i’ve  known  for  going  on  four  years  now.  my  softest  bean  &  the  other  1/3  of  the  triple  virgos ,  joey :   even  when  you  weren’t  on  tumblr ,  you’d  always  love  jackie.  like ,  writing  on  discord ?  just  even  listening  to  my  rambling  about  her ?  chef  kiss.  you’ve  been  alongside  annie  where  when  i  wanted  to  give  up  on  her  or  shit  got  rough  with  anything ,  you  had  my  back.  you  supported  me  on  this  journey  &  always  encouraged  ultimate  creativity.  i  cannot  thank  you  enough  for  that  or  just  the  friendship  you’ve  honored  me  with.      //      @notdoriangray

another  person  i’ve  known  for  four  years ,  but  arguably  has  enabled  most  of  the  dumbest  shit  jackie  has  gotten  herself  into.  my  chaotic  fire  sign  partner  in  crime ,  holly :   bro.  you’re  literally  one  of  the  hardest  working  people  i’ve  ever  met ,  &  because  of  that ,  there’s  been  times  where  we  don’t  talk  as  much  or  as  often.  but  we  always  stay  in  contact  no  matter  what.  when  i  spout  off  random  ass  ideas  or  come  to  tell  you  what  dramatic  or  thotty  shit  jackie’s  gotten  herself  into  this  time ,  you  tell  me  to  spill  the  tea.  but  it’s  also  gotten  me  into  personal  peril ,  toxic  friendships  that  you  could  see  through  &  help  me  be  a  better  person  in  the  end  for.  &  you   always   build  jackie  up  when  i  feel  insecure.  if  that’s  not  a  real  one ,  idk  what  is  dudeski ,  but  i  love  you !      //      @desireforged ,  @createdestino ,  @sharpsensations

my  significant  annoyance ,  cas :   you  were  100%  jackie’s  first  ship.  well ,  isaac  was.  you  get  it.  i  didn’t  expect  anyone  to  want  to  ship  with  her ,  let  alone  develop  something  over  a  year  in  the  making.  it’s  insane  to  me  how  loyal  you  are  both  as  a  friend  &  jackie  supporter.  i  can  tell  you  the  dumbest  shit  about  her  &  all  you  do  is  acknowledge  how  dumb  it  is  but  then  also  support  her.  i  think   i  love  her [ jackie ]   has  become  your  catchphrase  at  this  point.  but  her  connections  to  isaac  &  bruce  have  helped  me  establish  her  comfort  in  romantic  relationships  so ,  so ,  so  much.  you  have  no  idea.  it  leaves  me  shooketh  how  much  i  adore  you  &  everything  you’ve  done  to  help  keep  jackie’s  muse  alive.      //      @scarfwere ,  @milletant

fellow  non – binary  taika  waititi  lovebot ,  pantu :   what  started  as  me  geeking  over  how  well  thought  out  &  conceptualized  tj  is  &  how  astounded  i  was  at  the  originality  has  turned  into  the  most  excellent  of  friendships.  you’re  so  fucking  talented  both  with  writing  &  in  general   ( elizabeth  schuyler  is  that  u ? )  &  i’m  so  thankful  to  call  you  my  friend.  along  with  friendship  re :  jackie  &  tj ,  you’ve  helped  me  establish  another  sense  of  how  jackie  might  respond  to  romantic  intimacy  with  kc.  someone  who  is  something  more  than  temporary.  &  the  plot  we  have  with  @multides  in  her  it  verse ?  you  &  ash  both  with  eddie  &  danny  have  made  me  fall  so  in  love  with  how  jackie  sees  a  child  with  shit  parents  &  instinctively  wants  to  protect  them.  wants  to  guard  them  with  her  life.  it’s  yet  another  dimension  to  her  that  i  couldn’t  have  discovered  without  you  &  ash.  thank  you ,  babes.      //      @glittervcins ,  @inmarcesiblcs

&  now  for  everyone  else  who  has  always  me  feel  so  fucking  great  on  any  of  the  blogs  i’ve  had  jackie  on.  the  ones  that  are  no  doubt  a  reason  she’s  still  here  today  &  the  ones  who  make  me  so  damn  happy  she  is.  again ,  this  is  in  no  particular  order  &  if  we’re  newly  mutuals  please  don’t  take  offense  to  not  being  on  here.  also ,  if  you  have  more  than  one  blog  i’ve  only  listed  one.

@clownwork   //   @familiartm   //   @fuckingvictus   //   @multides   //   @thunderbringer   //   @dukecrocker   //   @troubldtwn   //   @dyingbrced   //   @snowbrn   //   @lustsfcrlife   //   @scribedhorror   //   @killedminds   //   @stapcs   //   @storiescrafted   //   @agtwarren   //   @starlyht   //   @kxngslxyer

[robertreich]

What’s Missing From the Coronavirus Bill

The public health and economic crises we’re experiencing are closely related. They reveal in stark terms the dangerous mythology of trickle-down self-sufficiency and the need for policies that respond to the real needs of people who are or will soon be affected. But Trump doesn’t seem to understand that. Before agreeing to an actual coronavirus relief bill, his administration was considering more corporate tax cuts, tax cuts targeted to the airlines and hospitality industries, and a temporary payroll tax cut. 

But tax cuts will be useless. They’ll be too slow to stimulate the economy, and won’t reach households and consumers who should be the real targets. And they’ll reward the rich, who don’t spend much of their additional dollars, without getting money into the hands of the poor and middle-class, who do.

Thankfully, Congress has moved forward on some of the most urgent priorities like free coronavirus testing, strengthening unemployment insurance and food security programs. But it doesn’t go far enough. Instead, Congress must immediately provide an emergency $500 billion to help all Americans protect themselves and their families, and keep the economy going. The money should be used for:

Coronavirus testing and treatment. Diagnostic tests should be mandatory and universal, and free. And everyone with the virus should have access to treatment and to any future vaccines, regardless of ability to pay.

Guaranteed paid sick leave for ALL employees. The current relief bill does cover paid sick leave for some but has huge carve-outs, exempting all companies with over 500 employees and some small businesses under 50 employees. That exclusion could affect up to 20 million Americans. Without guaranteed paid sick leave and family leave, workers who are sick will not remain home and will end up exposing others.

Extended unemployment insurance. Without it, large numbers of Americans will be furloughed or laid off without adequate income to support themselves and their families. As it is, unemployment insurance reaches a measly 27 percent of the unemployed. 

Extended Medicaid. No one should avoid seeing a doctor because of fears about out-of-control medical bills. Right now, 28 million Americans have no health insurance, and countless more are reluctant to see a doctor because of large deductions or co-payments. Especially in a health emergency, health care should be available to all regardless of ability to pay. 

Immediate one-time payments of $1,500 to every adult and $500 per child, renewable if necessary. Some consumers might spend the money right away to meet rent if they lose their regular paycheck. Others might have stronger balance sheets and spend the money at whatever uncertain date the virus is contained. 

Suspension of the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule that enables federal officials to deny green cards to immigrants who use social safety net programs. Programs like, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Women Infants and Children are more important than ever. For the same reason, testing and treatment should be available to undocumented immigrants, without fear of deportation. Trickle-down economics and trickle-down public health are deeply flawed. Corporate tax cuts won’t save us. The coronavirus doesn’t distinguish between rich and poor. We are in this imminent health and economic emergency together, and our own health and wellbeing are dependent on the health and wellbeing of everyone else. 

Each of us is only as healthy as the least-healthy among us.

[fasa-umich]

Kris Mallabo, FASA 2020-21 Co-Performance Chair

To cut the origin story short, I joined FASA and subsequently FASA E-Board because engaging in my Filipino culture has always been second nature to me, and I did not want my college experience to estrange me from my roots dwelling on the other side of the world. So, at the beginning of my term as performance co-chair, I had many plans and expectations ready to go. I had an anticipated timeline for performance events, inspirations for dances I wanted to conduct, and a solid vision of my sophomore year of college, month by month, lined up ahead of me.

Enter COVID-19, destroyer of plans, devil of expectations, and crusher of hopes and dreams. Prediction became the enemy, as did precedent. The lethargy of quarantine only amplified the helplessness and loss that plagued me as I watched all the opportunities and events I had eagerly awaited disintegrate in front of me, like a meticulously built sandcastle swallowed by the sea and leaving only wet lumps behind.

Alright, I digress. I’m exaggerating. Let an English major be a little dramatic: I don’t always get it out of my system when I’m writing fanfiction, you know.

First FASA performance! Something is awakened...

In all seriousness, the troubles of being a performance chair in the middle of a panna cotta made themselves clear very early on. Kalayaan was cancelled, and to fill the gap of summer performances, we had to quickly figure out a way to get virtual performances to work. We eventually succeeded, to both our relief and excitement. The satisfaction of a single success more than made up for all previously missed opportunities.

I feel like much of my term as performance chair worked out like this. To be transparent, frustration was a defining word of my time on board. Events were constantly cancelled due to COVID, and many of the cool ideas we had at the beginning of the year fell through. Because of this, however, the other defining word of my term was flexibility. I learned to quickly adapt to the constant barrage of cancellations and date moves, and we had to rely on our back-up plans more often than our actual plans -- bend, don’t break. As such, every time something worked out in our favor, it was a victory that negated every loss that came before it. There was no disappointment so great that a single accomplishment could not justify. The bottom line here can be summarized by the poignant lyrics of Chumbawumba’s sweeping 1997 ballad: “I get knocked down, but I get up again/You’re never gonna keep me down.”

I was very much wearing my shirt backward the entire day

If I am mentioning getting up again, however, I cannot do so without acknowledging what it was like being on board as a whole. ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ is no exaggeration. Although there were rough patches, board members were there to support us through it all. In turn, I learned that support goes both ways and that it’s just as fulfilling to help out a teammate when in need. It seems as though you could always find help from someone, whether it be as a board member or as a friend. The line of professionalism did tend to get a little blurry from how close we were, but it certainly added to the fun I had while on board. The sheer amount of things this year’s board managed to pull off, despite it all, has never failed to impress me, and I am humbled to be a part of a team that contains such talented and driven people.

The talented and driven people in question

One last little divergence before I move on to my little awards ceremony speech segment. I would like to emphasize how proud/happy/excited I am about PCN this year and Performance’s role in it. In its unexpected finality, working through PCN to accomplish something so visible and concrete after everything we’ve been through feels like a sweet yet massive cherry on top. I am writing this after just finishing our last PCN practice of the year. It does not feel real. Almost nothing has, since that fateful March day a year ago, but oddly enough this does not feel like the end to me. I am so grateful that we had this one last opportunity to dance through Filipino culture with FASA, and I can’t wait to see the finished product. I get back up again, indeed.

Performance in the wild

Okay. Without further ado, the awards speech. Thank you, Bea, for being a performance chair inspiration. Thank you, Jason and Jolene, for roping me in your wacky hijinks (JJK supremacy). Thank you, Kate and Estelle, for being an amazing cultural team that pulled off PCN in a year where everything was uncertain. Thank you, all of 2020-2021 E-Board, for good times, for pulling me through bad times, for teaching me new things. Thank you, most of all, to Josh, my lovely partner in crime. Not only would I not have been able to do this job without him, but I would also not have been able to enjoy myself while doing it. With his charm and seemingly endless supply of energy, I truly do not think being a performance chair would have been half as fun without it. We balanced in a way where I could see how my weaknesses aligned with his strengths and vice versa, but we did not settle into a dynamic where he always covered my flaws. Instead, I think he inspired me to strengthen my own personal weaknesses, to find my own voice, and be more assured of myself. I will treasure the memories of the late-night bonding conversations and schemes that took place before elections and continued throughout quarantine until I idly rock back and forth in my chair at the old folks' home. In so many words: hey Josh, you're a fantastic friend and a freaking awesome co-chair. Thank you so, so much for being by my side for this rollercoaster of a school year.

Giggling fit in 3...2...1...

And finally, thank you FASA, thank you for letting me serve you as a performance chair in this ~unprecedented~ time. If someone had told me a year ago exactly what I was getting into, challenges and all, I still would have run for board because even a panettone could not pry me away from my love of FASA and FASA performance. I mean, talk about a found family trope. To me, Filipino culture has always meant the feeling of a warm, ensconcing hug, and I found exactly what I was looking for when I sought out UMich’s Filipino org on the very first day of freshman Festifall. I’ve grown to love this community like a second home, and in turn, this allowed me to grow into a better version of myself (fun fact: I never went by Kris before joining FASA, but somehow that’s just what I ended up being called here. I love it). With FASA, I’ve felt love and friendship and teamwork and all those other shounen anime themes, and I feel like I belong. It’s been fun, it’s been (mostly) safe, it’s been aw yeah FASA yeah. To any future FASA member out there: hold tightly to the open arms FASA welcomes you with. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.

*Friends theme song plays*

Cheers,

Kris Mallabo