#because i must be a good example to the other employee's

[jamisafan]

When your forced to put your phone number in for two step verification but you live in a town with no cell service.

[faebaex]

Hi? It's my first requests, so if you don't mind could you please do GN!MC stingrays × octavinelle?

(I'm sorry if i have grammatical mistake)

Have a great day Author-nim ♡

Octavinelle with a Stringray Reader

author note: hiii welcome! i feel like it is going to become my mission to turn every imaginable sea creature into a reader (✯◡✯) i'm up for the challenge! this was really fun to write! also, accidental sugar daddy Azul? Accidental sugar daddy Azul <(￣︶￣)>

characters: Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, Floyd Leech x GN!Stringray Reader

background:

You are a stringray mer, specifically of Bluespotted Ribbontail species. You are considered quite attractive, and your small stature and timid nature only add to your allure. Despite having quite potent venom, your spinal blade does not carry over to your human form.

Azul Ashengrotto

Oh you poor, sweet summer child.

The first time Azul laid eyes on you, people swear they could see thaumark signs in his eyes.

It was like someone has personally delivered prey to him.

But he was doing you a favour, you know?

With your timid and tender nature, it was only a matter of time before one of the many rogues at this school took advantage of you.

But luckily for you, he can offer you protection. Just sign here and... Perfect. That was easy, wasn't it?

And that is how you began working as a server at the Mostro Lounge, in exchange for Azul's 'protection'.

You quickly became the most popular server at the Lounge, your attractive appearance and nervous, stuttery service becoming a hit with the clientele. Poor little thing, you tug just right on their heartstrings.

Azul was surprised. Whilst he was expecting you to have some popularity (exactly the reason he preyed on you in the first place), he wasn't expecting you to blow up like this.

But he isn't complaining! Celebrating, in fact. Sales have never been better, and seasonal specials have been selling out faster than normal since you joined his staff.

Anyone who goes in the VIP room after hours will see a huge grin on Azul's face as he pours over the business ledgers.

Its because of this that Azul starts to spoil you.

It starts small at first, an extra 15 minute break here and there, a side you hadn't asked for slipped on to your employee meal.

Soon enough, you are granted exclusive access to the VIP room, a perk that was only afforded to the twins up until now.

Oh and what a coincidence, you'll find a study guide for that class you are struggling with on the VIP room table as you take your break. It must have been left out after a client meeting... No harm in you thumbing through it whilst you take your break, Azul would coo.

Azul tries to be discreet, especially once the twins cotton on to your special treatment, with Jade flashing a sharp toothed eerie grin and Floyd complaining that he too wants free study guides.

Azul could justify it, of course, with that you are their best server, in order to maximise the hours you could work, he needed to ensure no other aspect of your life got in the way.

He was definitely justifying it more to himself than he was the twins.

So come, dear. Let him show you your new special uniform for the lunar new year seasonal service...

Jade Leech

You make work so much more fun for him.

Watching you quiver and almost drop a glass when he creeps up behind you and places a hand on your shoulder is just precious.

"Oya, oya. Those glasses are quite delicate. Do be careful."

However, despite the fact that he slyly bullies you for fun, he is a very good manager.

He will always ensure you take your break on time, and that your employee meal is ordered far enough in advance that it is ready for you as soon as you sit down on your break.

And should any particularly rowdy clientele decide to bother you...

Then he will ensure they are dealt with <3

It is his favourite part of the night, after all. How he adores it when you hide behind him.

Jade ropes you into his sneaky work agendas too.

For example, he'll coach you into pushing the mushroom dishes to customers so that he can stop Azul from taking them off the menu.

Probably the least sinister smiles you've received from him are when he beams at you when you deliver a bunch of mushroom dish orders to the kitchen.

Jade will stand with the most innocent smile as Azul looks on in confusion through the order ledger and the sudden influx of mushroom cuisine orders, with you hidden behind Jade.

Azul: "Why are they tucked behind you like that?"

Jade: "They're tired. :) "

Considering the nature of your 'deal' with Azul, Jade's protection of you extends outside of the Lounge into your school life.

But that doesn't mean it is convenient, even if it is effective.

He terrifies you just as much as the people around you, after all.

However it has its perks.

The lunch line is infinitely easier when you have a 190cm eel ensuring that you don't get caught in the lunch crush.

He likes to tell you over lunch how his favourite food is octopus when Azul is sitting right there.

He'll then remark, with the most unassuming of smiles, how he hasn't tried stingray yet.

Funnily enough, you don't feel so hungry anymore.

Floyd Leech

Oh dear.

This man terrorises you.

You're just so cute to him! Especially when you tremble and tear up when he spooks you.

He just wants to tuck you under his arm and keep you <3

Floyd is constantly on your heels when you are working. Whether he is spooking you or draping himself over you, he's always somehow impeding your work.

Azul is constantly scolding Floyd and tries his best to keep you separated, so that Floyd's behaviour does not bother you. Or effect profits.

Jade just looks on in amusement.

Despite the above, your relationship with Floyd isn't all bad.

You and Floyd take your breaks together, simply because he stops working when you do and throws himself over your lap when you sit down to rest.

He's fairly calmer then, passing the time by showing you pictures of clothes he is thinking of buying and asking your opinion on them.

You caused a few mood swings at first when you didn't give a good enough response, but after awhile you got comfortable enough to give him your honest opinion. That makes him happy!

He also shows you his basketball videos, even if most of them are just Ace getting taken out by one of his basketball throws.

He's definitely roped you in to going to practice with him one time. He thinks it would be funny watching you struggle to make the hoop.

Floyd is also the cause of one of your most terrifying incidents at NRC.

On one of your rare days off, you were taking a swim in the Octavinelle pool to relax and reacquaint yourself with the water, and Floyd snuck up on you and scared you.

And well...

You almost skewered him with your spinal blade.

You narrowly missed stabbing him right in the stomach. Even Floyd was shocked but the suddenness of it.

... Until the giddiest grin spread across his face and he started cackling.

You, on the other hand, started bawling your eyes out.

Floyd ended up carrying you to the Lounge because you wouldn't stop crying.

He sat you on a barstool whilst Jade prepared you a drink and Floyd went into the kitchen to steal you some ice cream.

Floyd then gushed to Jade about how cool you were when you almost stabbed him with your tail blade and how sharp it looked.

He looks freakishly delighted when he remarks that maybe next time you'll actually get him.

If you did, he'd probably wear it as a badge of honour and show it off to everyone shamelessly.

Meanwhile, Azul comes to check what all the noise is and pretends to be upset that the twins are giving out free refreshment, like he doesn't do that himself.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello hello! Long time follower!

I really like reading all your translations, theories and fanfics! It's really great to be able to read your thoughts about characters and cards because am a f2p so I have a very limited stash of gems to pull lol

So I was thinking about the rrcent jp update and I went back to read some of your work on Scarabia. I'll admit they weren't amongst my favorites before so I haven't paid too much attention to them. I was wondering then about the couple times you've said Jamil is well off? Maybe it's from one of his SSR cards of his home event, but I can't remember where he or maybe Kalim implies that?

That's it, just a silly question thanks so much for all that you do, I love so much all your theories and thoughts about the lore and the cast! Have a good day!

Hdsbskwhsk I’m glad that my blog brings you joy and makes your free to play experience more fun 🤩 Thanks for sticking with me all this time!

As for your question, I’m not actually sure if there's dialogue which explicitly states the Viper family's level of wealth. I couldn't find any when I combed through, so I had to go off of implications and my own interpretations of those. From what I’ve gathered, I see the Vipers as upper middle class, or at least middle class with a LOT of benefits (the benefits being present boost them to upper middle class due to the lifestyle the benefits afford them).

So firstly, I think there's a lot of debate surrounding Jamil's family income. Some fans seem to think that the Vipers must be destitute due to their position as servants and Jamil's disdain for how the Asims throw around their money and influence. However, perceived social status or class does NOT always equate to being low income. There are people irl who are technically "servants" and "hired help" that make a significant salary while working for much wealthier individuals. There is data for bodyguards, private chefs, executive assistants, and skilled nannies who earn six-figure incomes and/or excellent benefits working for celebrities, politicians, businessmen, etc. (Notably, guarding, cooking, scheduling/planning, and generally looking after Kalim are all a part of Jamil's duties.) Real world examples of this include employees of the White House and the British royal family.

Now, that all depends a lot on the type of people the employers are. There are many wealthy families who mistreat their staff and/or don't pay them well. From what I've seen of the Asims though, I definitely feel that this is not the case. To begin with, the Vipers don't just do one task for the Asims, they do a LOT. You're already aware of the constant work Jamil has to do around the clock to keep Kalim safe and satisfied, but his parents must do the same. They're described as experts in hospitality and are frequently hosting and entertaining guests from all over Twisted Wonderland. This is skilled labor, and that demands commiserate pay. Not only that, but Kalim describes his father as someone who is very generous (and the guy has plenty of money to spare). I don’t see why Mr. Asim would purposefully skimp on specifically paying the Vipers.

I would also imagine that the Vipers are afforded other benefits. Jamil has said many times that he has to look or act a certain way, as his behavior/appearance reflects on the family he serves. Therefore, the Asims may provide other things Jamil and the Vipers need to “look good” and to best represent and serve the Asims. This could mean food, clothes, transportation/travel expenses, education (like additional training, manners lessons, certification exams, etc.) all paid for on the Asim family’s coin. Jamil has mentioned that his parents gave him lessons in everything he’d need to know in order to serve Kalim, so this tells his parents are also well-educated and/or were at least able to pay for lessons for Jamil. And these lessons aren’t “normal” lessons either, it includes things like formal bodyguard training (you’d have to pay for this irl) and formal table manners (which most of us aren’t taught unless we seek it out).

We also recently learned in book 7 that the Vipers live on Asim property, which is very luxurious. Jamil states that his family would be on the streets should they lose their place serving the Asims—and this could be interpreted in a very literal sense if we think of as losing the roof over their heads. Yes, it's technically not land or housing that the Vipers own, but it is still free high-class lodging, nonetheless. It is a benefit that is afford to them (among others) because of their job(s), similar to those real life examples I mentioned before. One could make the argument that none of this wealth truly belongs to the Vipers. However, you could also argue that because these benefits come with the job, it technically is theirs as long as they keep their job (which is, in fact, how jobs irl work; if you stop working for an employer then naturally you’ll stop getting the benefits that come with that job eventually). It’s complicated. I suspect that, at the very least, part of the reason why the Vipers don’t want to depart from serving the Asims is because they don’t want to lose the pay and the perks that come with their work.

I want to add that the Vipers’ position also gives them the unique advantage of exposing them to tons of important individuals. They are able to meet and connect with these VIPs when most people could never even dream of meeting them, even if just from the viewpoint of a servant. It’s a similar to Lilia and Silver, who technically are not rich (money-wise) but still have ties with majorly influential people (members of the Draconia royal family).

Obviously, the Vipers still aren’t as rich as the Asims and probably will never be, but I believe they still enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. We never see Jamil worry about money or being short of it. He gives his VDC/SDC earnings away without batting an eye, unlike Deuce (from a single-parent income family) who keeps the money since it would really help out his mom. He doesn’t have to work a ton of odd jobs to make ends meet (unlike Ruggie). But Jamil does haggle and act frugal. I think that behavior comes from not a genuine need but Jamil being mindful and planning ahead to avoid being scammed. He’s shown to be a cautious individual who often is the one putting the breaks on Kalim’s extravagance, so I feel the skill also comes partly from having to be the one to curb his ridiculous spending and bring Kalim down to earth. Jamil is still the type of person who would tell Kalim when he’s buying too much or overdoing things, even when it’s not Jamil’s own money being spent and he knows Kalim can afford it. That’s what leads me to believe his frugalness isn’t necessarily the result of him being low income and “needing” to save. If that were the case, he shouldn’t care if Kalim throws his own money at buying diamond jewelry for all the dorm members as souvenirs.

I think the closest metric we have as a frame of reference for how wealthy Jamil is comes from the Tapis Rouge event. In it, Jamil forks out 500 thaumarks (or 50000 madol) to buy a jacket. He remarks that the price is fairly expensive but good quality so it’s worth it. Whether you consider this an indicator of his low or high wealth is really all relative to what your own perception is. Jamil had also previously remarked that what the Mostro Lounge charges is absurd. In Ruggie’s Ceremonial Robes vignettes, Azul quotes the price of one soft drink as 4 thaumarks/400 madol. Jamil responds with “Four? Talk about a markup.” It should be noted that the latter example doesn’t mean Jamil cannot afford a drink of that price; he’s complaining about how expensive Azul has made it to capitalize on the high demand. Do with this knowledge what you will.

Anyway, those are my thoughts! I hope I was able to explain myself well. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to express them ^^

[anonymousewrites]

One Hell of a Love (Book 3) Chapter Two

Sebastian Michaelis x Demon! Reader

Chapter Two: One Hell of an Appointment

Summary: Sebastian and (Y/N) go about their days as housemasters (and sneak around with each other).

            A housemaster is a master who lives in a public-school dormitory and provides the students of the house with guidance. Starting with the housemasters and their assistants, the four houses of Weston College have a handful of employees. Housemothers, who manage the running of the houses; cooks, who prepare the meals; and footmen, who serve at the table. However, housemasters are the only teaching staff among them.

            In the morning, housemasters go to the school building along with the students and teach classes on the subjects of which they are in charge. At night, they return to their houses along with the students, and in their free time, they review the work of those who wish to study.

            In short, a housemaster is a demanding profession, in which one must devote the better part of one’s day to one’s students.

            Sebastian sighed as he returned to his own quarters for the evening. Or, not his quarters, (Y/N)’s. Neither was concerned about being caught since they could escape easily, and they needed moments alone together after their hard work.

            “Did Ciel ask you to do more of his drudge chores?” asked (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Sebastian, tsking as he hung up his robes. “He accepts all manner of errands too readily because he thinks he can have me take care of them. However, I, too, am busy.”

            “I would give you a hand if you asked me,” said (Y/N). Their robes were already hung to the side, and their tie and cross were put away for the night. They were left in a relaxed button-up and slacks.

            “I know you would, darling,” said Sebastian. “But you are busy enough.”

            “Hardly,” said (Y/N), smirking. “My tutoring sessions are less tutoring and more of men realizing something about their sexuality.”

            Sebastian chuckled lightly. It wasn’t surprising that (Y/N)’s appearance had made several people question themselves and come away with the conclusion that they were not as straight as they had believed.

            And, of course, (Y/N) would never mention it to anyone but Sebastian in amusement. They were a demon, but they weren’t a fool. They knew that England would not be kind to any of the young men here that were going to enter society if they knew they were not following what society dictated for them. (Y/N) would give them space to be queer in the ways they hadn’t had.

            “What an impact you have,” said Sebastian, taking their hand and kissing the back. “And you yourself being in a relationship with a man.”

            “I set a good example,” said (Y/N), smiling. “Or bad, if you’d go by human standards of who to court.”

            Sebastian pouted. “I am who people should not court?”

            (Y/N) raised a brow at that, and Sebastian smirked. He knew he was manipulative and used humans for his own gain, so their point stood. As for dating a demon, he was a fine choice—the best. He respected (Y/N) and their individuality while truly loving them.

            Sebastian leaned in and kissed (Y/N). “Think about the scandal, were we caught. Two masculine figures in bed~”

            “Forbidden love, how terrible,” chuckled (Y/N), kissing him back.

            “And two housemasters, no less, how terrible,” said Sebastian, smirking.

            “Perhaps we should engage in some other forbidden activities,” whispered (Y/N) against his lips. “Before we lose this moment to ourselves.” They kissed down his neck while unbuttoning his shirt.

            “Your offer is tempting,” said Sebastian, eyes fluttering shut as (Y/N) removed his shirt.

            “How about sinful?” said (Y/N), pushing his shirt from his shoulders and leaning to kiss him again.

            “I do so enjoy sinning with you,” said Sebastian, pulling them towards their bed.

            “I am still clothed, I shouldn’t get in bed,” teased (Y/N).

            “Then allow me to undress you.”

l

            If there was one thing (Y/N) and Sebastian were (more so Sebastian, if he was honest), it was insatiable. They snuck moments together whenever possible. Their relationship was quite deep, and their love ran in their veins, so how could they stay apart? Though they occasionally got into more…scandalous situations and scenarios, (Y/N) and Sebastian could hardly resist one another.

            “Thank you for your help, Mr. Noir,” said the student from the final year of schooling. “I apologize for getting behind.” He blushed slightly. “Your explanations really made sense.”

            “Of course,” said (Y/N), smiling. “Now, get to bed. It’s getting late, and you cannot learn properly without rest.”

            “Y-Yes, sir,” said the student, nodding and heading to the door. He jumped as it opened and smiled. “Oh, hello, Mr. Michaelis. Good night.”

            “Good night,” said Sebastian, smiling pleasantly. Once the student had left the office, Sebastian closed the door. “As I said, you are busy.” He smirked.

            (Y/N) chuckled. “And as I said, they come for other reasons.”

            “And you don’t dissuade them?” said Sebastian, drawing nearer.

            “I do not flirt with them, that would be inappropriate,” tsked (Y/N). “I simply let them have their little pashes. They will have to hide it in the future.”

            “How kind of you,” said Sebastian, moving around the desk. (Y/N) stood and leaned back on the desk while Sebastian sat in the armchair.

            “I feel as if you are teasing me,” said (Y/N).

            “Merely out of love,” said Sebastian. He reached out, looped an arm around their leg, and pulled. (Y/N) was drawn in and fell onto his lap. They straddled him while Sebastian smirked at them. He was extraordinarily pleased with himself for that move. “You have the most adorable reactions.” (Y/N)’s nose twitched, and Sebastian grinned. “Like a cat’s.”

            “Sometimes I think you love me because I’m like a cat,” said (Y/N), though they meant nothing of their words. It was merely banter.

            “It does add to your charm,” teased Sebastian, his hands running up (Y/N)’s legs to their waist. “But I can assure you, my love comes from other aspects of your being, my darling.”

            “I’m not sure if I believe you,” said (Y/N), smirking as they challenged him.

            “I must convince you, then,” said Sebastian. He raised one of their hands, peeled off the glove, and kissed the back. “I adore your form.” He kissed the other hand. “I am tempted by your grace.” He placed their hands on his shoulders and he leaned in and kissed their shoulder over their shirt. “I watch your ferocity in battle with reverence.” Sebastian kissed their other shoulder. “Your intelligence and wit are sharp as knives.” He leaned in and kissed their neck gently, and (Y/N) sighed, letting their head loll to the side to give him more access. “You persevere despite all obstacles, whether in this life or your human one.” He nipped lightly at their neck, and (Y/N)’s breath hitched. “Your heart lives on despite hardships.” He smirked and kissed their neck lightly again. “You see the world in a unique light that allows you to be better than most of demon-kind.” Sebastian kissed their cheek. “You have your own set of principles you refuse to let anyone break.” He kissed their other cheek. “You are loyal to those who have earned it—which I am fortunate to be one.” He kissed their forehead. Then, Sebastian held (Y/N)’s chin and tilted their face to face his. “I love you for all these reasons and more, Felis.” He kissed their lips.

            “What a persuasive speech,” sighed (Y/N) after the kiss, staring at him with gentle, adoring eyes. “I dare say I love you, too.”

            “I certainly hope so,” said Sebastian, smirking. His hands returned to their waist and pulled them closer so their bodies were flush against each other. “But if you need further convincing, there are other places for me to kiss~”

            “What if I return the favor?” purred (Y/N), winking.

            “Tantalizing, but I wish to spoil you tonight,” said Sebastian, smirking as his hands began to untuck their shirt and run up the skin beneath.

            Knock

            Sebastian cursed—how unbecoming of the butler—and (Y/N) jumped off him with equal frustration. In a moment, (Y/N) was properly dressed again and in their office chair while Sebastian stood on the other side. They were the picture of two housemasters having a normal, non-scandalous encounter.

            “Come in,” said (Y/N), voice pleasant, but, internally, they despised whoever had interrupted them.

            “I thought I’d find you here,” said Ciel, stepping into the room. He looked at Sebastian and crossed his arms as he closed the door. “You weren’t in your office, Sebastian.” He knew to look in (Y/N)’s office for him, after. Ciel wasn’t blind at all, though he was glad that he had not walked in at a worse moment. That would have been horrible for his own eyes.

            “I had finished my tutoring for the night,” said Sebastian, smiling “innocently.”

            “Indeed,” said Ciel, unimpressed. (Y/N) just smiled at him with equal “innocence.” “Well, let’s get to proper business,” he said, sitting down in the student chair in the room. “I’ve been invited to a P4 gathering tomorrow at four.”

            “We had heard,” said Sebastian.

            “This is a rare opportunity,” said Ciel. “I must get the P4 and their inner circle to take a shine to me. So first, I must have tea cakes.”

            “Quite right, sir,” said Sebastian, taking (Y/N)’s teapot and boiling the water.

            “Why in blazes do I have to do something so inane like hand out cakes to children?” grumbled Ciel.

            “If I recall, you still do enjoy your sweets, Young Master,” said (Y/N) with a closed-eye smile.

            Ciel didn’t respond to that.

            “Is it not adorably novel, though? You can win them over with real sweets instead of the monetary kind,” remarked Sebastian. “However, I am due to coach cricket tomorrow at four. Which would you have me prioritize? If you order it, I can lay in wait nearby.” He steeped the tea.

            “Or I can,” added (Y/N).

            “I highly doubt we’ll be coming to blows. I’ll be fine on my own. But, in exchange…” Ciel smirked. “I command you, Sebastian—make me something that will knock the socks off the P4.”

            Sebastian bowed. “Yes, my lord.”

            “Yes, Young Master,” said (Y/N), bowing their head.

l

            “Damn!” Ciel, at barely five minutes past four, threw his basket of pastries down in Sebastian’s office. “I’ve been had!” In frustration, he threw himself down on the armchair. He had been told to come at four, everyone had heard it, yet the P4 and their Drudges claimed they had expected him at two. “This is why I loathe verbal agreements!”

            “Dear, oh dear, Young Master,” said Sebastian, slightly amused. “You let your guard down because you were dealing with a student.”

            “Humans envy those who excel,” said (Y/N). “You should learn to recognize when someone attempts to sabotage your quick progress.” They waved a hand. “I doubt you’ll fall for it again, then.”

            Ciel opened the basket and pulled out the sweets—he refused to waste them. “No, I shall not,” he said, eyes narrowed.

            “Have you explained yourself and apologized to Lord Edward?” said Sebastian.

            “Doing so would be lost on someone of his ilk,” said Ciel. “And I did in fact break the appointment.”

            “Then will you leave thing as they are and simply cry yourself to sleep tonight?” said Sebastian, smirking.

            “I think not!” declared Ciel. “Whatever it takes, I will find a way to make the prefects bring me into their circle. And I’ll settle my accounts without fail.” He took a bit of a strawberry with an evil grin. “I’ll make you regret squandering my efforts, Maurice Cole.”

            “So, what do you plan, my lord?” asked (Y/N), cocking their head. “Are we exposing Cole?”

            Ciel nodded sharply. “Maurice Cole must be a pathological liar. His hands tell of it.”

            “Oh?” remarked Sebastian, though he and (Y/N) already knew where Ciel was going with his observations.

            “The hands of the drudges at this school tend to be blistered and chapped from running errands for upperclassmen,” said Ciel. “However, his hands are as white and pure as the driven snow. Which means—”

            “He, too, is resorting to dirty tricks like you, Young Master?” clarified Sebastian. (Y/N) chuckled.

            “Exactly,” said Ciel. An irk mark appeared on his head. “That part at the end was wholly uncalled for, though.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, the way he categorically lied to me with ease and without so much as faltering tells me I’m right.”

            “So you recognized him because he’s similar to you,” said (Y/N), smiling pleasantly.

            Ciel grumbled at the comparison, but they weren’t wrong. “I can prove the falsehood in his statement with no trouble, but that won’t be enough to put an end to it. Sebastian, (Y/N), find others who have been entrapped by Cole like I was. And I also want you to thoroughly investigate Cole’s behavioral patterns and habits.”

            Ah, so revenge on his reputation. (Y/N) smirked, cat-like sharpness and cunning in their eyes. They approved. “Yes, my Lord.”

            “As you wish, sir,” said Sebastian.

             (Y/N) and Sebastian smirked at each other. The fun began.

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[ottogatto]

I would like to submit two ideas because I think I'm poking something but not going in fully, so I would very much like your opinions and additions about it (of course, as long as they remain in good faith *side eyes possible antis viewing my post*).

Marauders and surface-level rebellion

I've finally put to words something that really bothered me with the Marauders, though I don't know the name for it.

It started when I read a reblog that said:

I remember Brennan saying “laws are just structured threats made by the ruling socioeconomic class” during an episode of D20 and we truly just had to stan immediately

This is something dear privileged white woman Rowling didn't realize/understand well, since she held a high socioeconomical status even during her """poverty""" stage. It's known that, despite seeming to be defending ideas of fighting against fascism and "pureblood" supremacy in favor of acceptance of the other, her books reek of colonialism/imperalism. The story of the Marauders, a gang of privileged boys like her, is an in-world replica of that problem where Rowling betrays yet again her actual mindset.

The Marauders adopt the "bad boys who break rules" to get style, while completely losing/staining the moral sense in it.

Let's take piracy.

Some people pirate stuff because they consider that the stuff they'd like to get comes from unethical companies that abuse their employees or use modern slavery, or people who spread harm against certain minorities (like Rowling against trans people and thus the LGBT+ community), so while they may want to access the content, they don't want to give them money and might even encourage pirating their stuff to make them lose money.

Some pirate stuff because otherwise it's lost due to unfortunate "terms of use" -- see video games companies like Ubisoft (deletes gaming account after a while), Nintendo (does not bring back old games), etc.

Others pirate stuff because they just don't have the money but they still want to try the stuff that might make them happy and forget that they're poor -- reasoning that the company isn't losing any money anyway, or not much, since they wouldn't have been able to pay for it in any case.

Others pirate stuff because they consider the price ridiculously high or they consider it shouldn't be something to pay for at all. (Like education stuff -- isn't education supposed to be free for all, so that it can actually uphold everyone's fundamental and unconditional ( = not conditioned by wealth...) right to have an education? Oh and before anyone asks: I've DEFINITELY bought the ~15 expensive books that's roughly worth 500€ in total and that my uni asked I buy to study and get my degree...)

Rowling's Marauders is a group that would pirate stuff just because they'd think it would give them an edge, because they'd think it would make them cool to be seen as "talented" hackers who "defy" companies. Companies... that their own friends and families would own, and as such, would find that kind of behavior funny and entertaining (while they would trash other people around for considering it).

Another example. In society, in history, it's been proven time and again that breaking rules -- going against the law -- is an eventuality that's important for everyone to consider, if they want to defend their rights. Anti-racism, feminism, LGBT Pride, etc, advanced because people broke rules. In USA states where abortion is currently being banned, women and minors (+ their close ones) must now consider breaking the rules to get an abortion. (Privileged people don't give a fuck about those people, and if they suddenly decide that (moral) rules don't apply to them and they will get an abortion, they will just take a plane ticket to a country where abortion is legal, fiddling with legal stuff if necessary thanks to the lawyers their fortunes can afford and the lobbies that they're instituting.)

Revolutions happened because people broke rules too. I particularly like the 1793 Constitution in France Because it asserts that the people have the right to break rules and riot if the power in place threatens their fundamental rights:

Article 35. - Quand le gouvernement viole les droits du peuple, l'insurrection est, pour le peuple et pour chaque portion du peuple, le plus sacré des droits et le plus indispensable des devoirs. Article 35. - When the government violates the people's rights, insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of rights and the most essential of duties.

(Of course the power in place would state and enforce and make use of propaganda to say that it's completely illegal and illegetimate and that those who riot for legitimate rights are terrorists!)

Breaking rules is at the core of anti-fascism, anti-dictatorship, anti-totalitarianism. Breaking rules is essential when those rules are abusive. Too often, those who put those rules in place really are only setting their rules of the game to establish their power over the others. Or as the reblog says: "laws are just structured threats made by the ruling socioeconomic class".

Rowling's Marauders break rules because they are the socioeconomical class in power. As such, no one can do anything about it, no one will really tell them down for it. They get excused and justified and romanticized by their peers, just like billionaires & politicians are excused by their peers and notably mainstream media (which is owned... by other billionaires). They break rules -- not because they think it's necessary and the morally right thing to do despite the dangers it puts them in -- but because it makes them feel powerful, important, invincible, which for them is very fun. As Snape says: James and his cronies broke rules because they thought themselves above them:

“Your father didn’t set much store by rules either,” Snape went on, pressing his advantage, his thin face full of malice. “Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. [...]”

They break rules because they're allowed to.

Which is why, in reality, the Marauders aren't really breaking rules or defying anything or opposing an actual big threat. They're a bunch of jocks who are having fun in the playground that's been attributed to them thanks to their status and family heritage (others wouldn't get the same indulgence because they don't get that privilege).

They break rules because they want to look cool, to be the "bad boys". The message has been compleyely botched. Especially with Lily actually finding this hot.

Because Rowling finds this hot:

[...] I shook hands with a woman who leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, 'Sirius Black is sexy, right?' And yes, of course she was right, as the Immeritus club know. The best-looking, most rebellious, most dangerous of the four marauders... and to answer one burning question on the discussion boards, his eyes are grey.

(Anyone has an eyes washing station?)

Another quote:

"Sirius was too busy being a big rebel to get married."

(Nevermind the eyes washing, anyone's got some bleach instead?)

Stanning James Potter for being the leader of a gang that prides itself on breaking rules and always getting away with it -- it feels like stanning Elon Musk for being "innovative" and "a daring entrepreneur" despite being a manchild who exploits workers and modern-world slavery to play with his billions while always getting away with it.

They're not being "rebels" -- they're being bullies and flexing the fact they can get away with it thanks to abundance of privilege. Those are the tastes of a posh British white woman. She wanted the facade -- not the substance (that is, if she ever understood it).

You might say that they did oppose a big threat, the Death Eaters, but again, it's botched because:

they target a lonely, unpopular boy who's best friends with a Muggleborn Gryffindor, rather than baby Death Eaters like Mulciber, Lucius, Rosier, Avery, Regulus, etc.

The leader sexually harasses the Muggleborn Gryffindor because he's sexually jealous of the unpopular boy who dared not take the insult about his chosen House and shut up. Lily is treated as an object, they don't listen to her, and they barely speak about her later. (Lots to say to show that, which I won't do here because this is not the main subject.)

When the Marauders do join the Order, they do it... because they primarily want to adopt a rock-n-roll style and play the "bad boys" again. Or at least that's the message that's given to the reader:

They seemed to be in their late teens. The one who had been driving had long black hair; his insolent good looks reminded Fisher unpleasantly of his daughter's guitar-playing, layabout boyfriend. The second boy also had black hair, though his was short and stuck up in all directions; he wore glasses and a broad grin. Both were dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird; the emblem, no doubt, of some deafening, tuneless rock band.

(God, the Prequel is so cringy.)

They don't choose Dumbledore as the Secret Keeper, they don't tell him they changed to Pettigrew -- even though he literally was their war leader -- James uses the Cape to fuck around even though he was supposed to be hiding with Lily and then Harry (until Dumbledore takes the Cape from him)... and eventually, their group exploded, with James killed off, Sirius thrown to Azkaban, Peter (the traitor) hiding as a rat and Lupin going off to find jobs to survive.

Why did that happen? Because they thought of playing their part in the Order like going on a teenage adventure rather than engaging in a resistance organization. It was, first and foremost, about playing "the bad boys" and having fun.

(Harry half-inherits this. While he doesn't break rules just to look cool, and actually has several moments where he does break rules because it's the right thing to do -- like under Umbridge or, of course, when Voldemort takes power -- he does often get pampered when he breaks them in his earlier years. By Dumbledore, but also McGonagall, however much Rowling tries to sell her as a "strict but fair" teacher. Or by Slughorn, now that I think about it. That's something that enraged Snape, as it brought up memories of Harry's father -- Snape's own bully -- getting the same treatment.)

It's not a coincidence that Rowling not only failed to properly convey through the Marauders the true value of breaking rules, but also lusted over them for adopting that "bad boys" trope. It speaks to her own privilege -- she who never had to put herself in danger and go against the law in a risky attempt to protect herself or other less privileged people.

(Here's a useful read to expand on those worldbuilding issues.)

2. Dark Magic, obscurantism and conservatism

For context: Opinion: The Dark Magic/Light Magic Dichotomy is Nonsense (by pet_genius).

The idea of "Dark Magic" as something that's repeatedly told to be "evil" magic and where you cross the line of the forbidden, while hardly putting in question that notion that was (for some reason) enforced by wizard society, is another blatant example of Rowling betraying her mindset of privileged British white woman.

Rowling couldn't put herself in the minds of a society of "outcasts (witches & wizards) deeply enough to consider they would not see any magic as "Dark" at all (being a ""Muggle"" concept), or that Dark magic is only magic that requires something unvaluable to be traded off -- like one's soul or health or life or sanity. Instead, she has Dark Magic defined as "evil" magic, even though her own books show that you can do evil stuff with normal magic, and that you can do morally good stuff with Dark magic. This thing happened because Rowling could not think past her own little world and instead she poured a conservatist mentality (+ typical "Muggle", anti-witch prejudice) into the HP (wizard society) worldbuilding without considering that there could, in fact, be fundamental differences between the two worlds that include thinking of magic differently. (This has a lot to do with Rowling's wizard world being a pro-imperalism fest.)

"Dark Magic" feels like a lazy, badly-executed plot device to tell the reader who's a good guy and who is not. Because of course, that's how things work in real-life, huh… (Did she ever hear of "don't tell, show"?) It's used as an excuse to define who's evil (teen Severus) or not (James), who's worthy or not -- not how their magic was used. Which is a BIG problem:

“I’m just trying to show you they’re not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are.” The intensity of his gaze made her blush. “They don’t use Dark Magic, though.” / “Scourgify!” Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape’s mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him —

Even worse, Rowling doesn't follow her own in-world moral framework. Dark magic is acceptable for some people (Rowling's partial self-inserts: Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione to Marietta...) but not for those that Rowling hates (Snape, who ironically represents the closest thing to rebelling by unapologetically obsessing over the Dark Arts). Again, this is at best unadressed in-world hypocrisy, at worst an expression of in-world and out-universe privilege (I get to do this and stay a good guy, but you don't).

There could have easily been rightful criticism of whatever could be defined as "Dark Magic". What if Dark magic was just something defined as "Dark" usually because the power in place doesn't want the people to touch it? Is abortion or contraception or a sex-altering or a goverment-threatening spell, Dark Magic? Is foreign or ethnicity-specific or female-centered or queer-centered magic, "Dark"? How about showing why (Muggle-raised but also neurodivergent) Severus thought Dark magic was so great, showing his point of view, while also establishing where the true limits are? If Lily can't be the one who sees past the "fear-mongering anti-intellectualism/propaganda", how about Harry being the one who does, thanks to him relating to Snape on a personal level? How about making Hermione go from someone who condems Dark Magic, to someone who entirely changes her point of view and understands that this is all bullshit -- effectively showing the dangers of only following what the books say, without putting them into question or thinking by yourself? How about a nuanced view of Dark magic as something that requires a significant sacrifice, which is conceivable for something they see as equally or even more important [Lily's life for Harry; Snape's soul integrity for Dumbledore]? How about making the Death Eaters, people who deviate that legitimate interest, rather than just evil guys who thrive in Dark magic for its supposed added evilness? How about showing that Dark magic was just a notion invented by Muggles to throw "witches" (real or not) to the burning stakes -- later taken by the witches and wizards in power to define, in the magical community, what was okay or definitely forbidden because it's the trademark of those who represent a threat to the magical community (understand: people who riot or strike or protest against the ruling socioeconomical class' politics)?

But there was none of that.

"Dark" magic in HP merely seems to be a weird concept that at best accidentally takes the form of an in-world obscurantism, at worst is just the trademark of someone who cannot imagine a "hunted, ostracized" community with a different culture and mindset than her own. Aggravating is the fact that she used "Dark magic" as a plot device to magically cast some people as good and others as never bad – again, probably reflecting her own questionable mentality.

The fact Rowlnig invented the notion of Dark Magic and had her world consider it seriously as an evil thing instead of being open-minded seems to be less telling of her wishes to show a wizard society that can be as prejudiced as the muggle one, and more of her own bizarre world where you must be evil if you are knowledgeable in or interested in certain "taboo" things (RIP neurodivergents).

Rowling glorifies the Trio and the Marauders for breaking rules. Yet when it comes to actually breaking expectations and norms, notably in the wizarding society -- like the use of another magical species as slaves, or the blatant anti-Muggle prejudice held by everyone including "good guys" (or anti-centaur while we're at it), or stupid anti-knowledge prejudice like "Dark magic is evil" -- there is none of that. At best, it's surface-level opposition that comes out as white savior syndrome. At worst, the protagonists make it their noble code to enforce those norms, and "sinful" characters (Snape, for one) are punished for not conforming. Too often, those sinful characters are punished by the "good guys" with the very thing that they apparently oppose so fervently.

Without ever adressing the fact that those characters were ("morally") allowed to do that because it was just, in the end, a matter of who gets the privilege to do that, and who does not.

There.

Do you have anything to say to develop on those ideas? I feel like I'm reaching my knowledge limit and I'd like to see if those ideas can be expanded.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

A Note To All Employees

To: You fucking lunatics All Gage Acquisitions Employees From: Healer Mathye Bishop

Subject: Immunizations By this point, it is probably common knowledge amongst you maniacs everyone that in four months’ time, the adventurer core of the business will be heading out on a new venture to Tural—the New World.  As the entire country is unknown to us Eorzeans, I’m sure many of you will be engaging in new and wonderful experiences with the locals and the native wildlife.

(I fully anticipate some, if not all of you are going to get horribly eaten or maimed.)

To that end, it is now a requirement that every single one of you get updated immunizations for all known Eorzean diseases, and for the more notable illnesses of Tural. 

I repeat.  It is now a requirement. I am not asking.  The medical team is not asking.  Gage is not asking.  Dark is not asking.

“But whyyyyy???” I hear you whining.  I shall tell you why.  Unlike Ilsbard, and unlike Doma and Hingashi, there has not been that much interaction between us Eorzeans and the people of Tural.  Which means we are more than likely to be very susceptible to their illnesses, and they are more likely to be susceptible to ours.

…

For the dumbasses: We can make them sick and they can make us sick.

Which means as representatives of our landmass as a whole and for our various nations, we must set a good example.  This means everyone getting their shots.  This also means practicing basic medical courtesy should we get over there and someone gets sick but that’s a different lecture for another day.

Everyone.

There is no getting out of this.  This comes from Gage and Dark respectively.

I understand there are many who are afraid of needles.  That’s fine.  That can be worked with.  I understand there are many of you who hate me and would like to fling my corpse out of a window.  That is fair.  There are others on the medical team who can help you.

However.

If I hear, if I find out, if I witness one of you going over to Tural and inflicting disease upon the natives because you couldn’t be arsed to do the right thing and get your fucking shots, NOT ONLY WILL I ENSURE THAT YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY DEPORTED, I WILL ALSO REPORT YOU TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND ENSURE THAT YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED ENTRY AGAIN.  THEN I WILL REPORT YOU TO THE RESPECTIVE AUTHORITIES IN EORZEA, IN ADDITION TO WHATEVER PUNISHMENT GAGE AND DARK WILL HAVE FOR YOU, AND THEN I WILL PERSONALLY BEAT YOUR IGNORANT AND BIGOTED ASS INTO A PULP.

Expect notifications of when you can come in for your first round of immuizations.

Also if any one of you come near me with Valentione items I will also beat you into a bloody pulp.

Blessings of the Twelve/have a nice day/whatever the fuck motivational thing gets you going, I don't fucking care.

[chaifootsteps]

it's kinda sad fans will talk til they're blue in the face about how good it is for HB or HH to represent abuse and have messy queer relationships, but won't think critically about Stol*tz and just swallow what the show is telling them is the 'right' way to look at it.

I also think it's frustrating to see fandoms use having supposedly progressive values as a pretext to shut down critiques by generalizing all of it as 'just hating a bisexual Salvadoran female creator' (while ignoring threats, lies and doxxing done to the critical community), but then they'll completely refuse to do any class analysis in terms of the failings of how the show is written.

There's a really interesting conversation that could be had about the class structure in Hell and the way imps are obviously written as an underclass - they literally provide most of the food through farming and in nearly every other context we see them working, it's in menial or as literal servants (Stolas has a meeting about the divorce in a cafe literally called The Richest Cup with the side advertisement Where the Poor Pour For You! in Western Energy) - and how Blitzo fits into that.

As an imp he's supposed to settle for whatever he can get in life but he refuses to. He starts a business - something Striker says most imps don't do - and the idea is so ambitious he needs to get to the human realm to pull it off. And I think there's another conversation to be had in the way that critcizing Stolas for the Full Moon deal is immediately met with 'Blitzo could just wriggle out of it / Blitzo didn't have to start that kind of business / Blitzo should run IMP some other way' - putting it another way, viewers are more comfortable suggesting that Blitzo should settle for being a servant or working a minimum wage job & potentially bankrupt himself and his employees by closing IMP, than they are questioning why it is that the rich and powerful have unfettered access to the human realm through powerful artifacts when even lower class hellborns like Hellhounds can learn magic and use the Grimoire's spells proficiently.

They're more comfortable taking Blitzo saying he doesn't fuss about when he and Stolas hook up literally one time at face value and use it as 'proof' that Stolas never did anything wrong coercing him into a deal for sex because they claim Blitzo doesn't mind, instead of digging into the notion that Blitzo has internalized the message from a very young age that it's fine for him to be literally bought if he can get what he needs to live out of it, all because he was born a poor imp. In other words, viewers want any out that Stolas didn't do a bad thing and don't apply any nuance to the fact that Blitzo is doing what he needs to do to keep the lights on. Just because Blitz has learnt to cope with it by either disassociating or even trying to eroticize his own subjugation by being the 'dominant' one in his encounters with Stolas, it doesn't make it right. Being as blunt as possible, even if Blitzo looked happier later down the line in hanging out with Stolas the initial agreement was still made under coercion, and Blitzo keeping it going is not the evidence of a free choice.

I just think it's typical of the way people view power and wealth that they will endlessly nitpick someone trying to survive if they complain about their poor treatment and cherrypick examples to undermine why they aren't really a victim, instead of critiquing the wider system that allows Stolas all that power and wealth in the first place. And if we must do individual critiques - why is it OK to say Blitzo should just give up on the book and his business, but it's not OK to ask why Stolas couldn't just get him an asmodean crystal or not propose the full moon deal in the first place?

And on a more basic level, I think a lot of this is just human nature - fans want to like both Stolas and his creator so they'll do anything to say they're in the right. I'm sure if other characters or creators behaved the way Stolas & Viv did but they just weren't as popular or well-loved, no one would present so many bad arguments trying to defend them. It's just plain old cognitive dissonance because fans don't want to give up on a fandom/show/character they're attached to

This is a good analysis, Anon. Agreed.

[moontaingoat]

Shoplifting Tips for Beginners:

(compiling some of my tried and true advice in no particular order. these mostly apply to grocery stores because i find grocery stores the easiest to steal from, but you can apply most tips to other stores. none of these tips are guaranteed to keep you safe but they've always worked for me. also this is only about shoplifting small items that can fit on your person, because stealing large items is too risky for me personally.)

- be aware of who is around you without constantly looking around or appearing nervous. stay casual. don't let other customers witness you stealing, you never know who's a snitch.

- case the joint days beforehand without taking anything, buy an item or two. watch how vigilant the employees are, locate all the security cameras, find good unpopulated corners of the store where you can subtly stuff something in a pocket.

- FOOL THE CAMERAS TOO. i cant stress this point enough. most stores don't have someone consistently watching the cameras, but they'll roll back the footage to watch your whole trip if they see you being suspicious enough. ideally you'd like to find a place in the cameras' blind spots but it's not always possible. the footage is low res and limited by angle which can be exploited if you're smart about it. don't just stuff things in your pocket when no one's standing nearby. trick the cameras with sleight of hand. example: hold a small product in your hand. take your phone out of your pocket or purse and hold it in front of the product in the same hand while you pretend to text or something. then casually place both the phone and the product back in the phone's place. example 2: open a freezer door and stand between the door and the camera so the frosty glass blocks you as you fill your pockets or purse.

- purchase a couple of things when you steal. the more you actually buy, the less suspicious employees will be of you. you can get away with stealing a LOT just by going to a self checkout with over $100 of groceries and "forgetting" to scan several small items. (of course this requires the investment of actually buying groceries which not everyone can afford.)

- know the habits of the store you're stealing from. most walmarts ive been to check receipts after self checkout, so make sure any items not on your receipt are hidden under items you did pay for. ive never had my receipt checked at target but you never know.

- learn what kind of items have concealed security tags. usually this is limited to clothing, perfume, jewelry, and expensive meats or seafood, but stores that get shoplifted from frequently will often add their own. those ones are usually just a sticker that you can stealthily remove before taking the product past the security detectors at the door.

- speaking of detectors, they're imperfect technology. a lot of stores ignore the detectors going off unless they already suspect you of stealing because they glitch so much. pay attention to this and see if a store near you has this problem you can exploit

- if a security detector does go off while you walk past, you can just keep walking and pretend you didn't notice. employees will almost never follow you unless they already suspect you of stealing.

- if you do get caught with an item you didn't pay for, you can just say "whoopsie! must have missed this one!" and then go pay for it. as long as the employees don't recognize you as a repeat offender, they're not going to call the cops on you if you immediately act innocent and pay for the product.

- try to look well groomed. if you're stealing for survival you might not be able to dress well and look your best before a shoplifting trip but the "poorer" you look, the more employees will keep an eye on you.

- don't bring a big purse or a backpack. instantly makes you look suspicious. go for a small bag with barely any contents or baggy clothes with concealed pockets (weather permitting, because a huge jacket in the summer is another red flag)

- go during the busiest hours. at grocery stores, early afternoon on sunday is the busiest time of the week. especially the first sunday of the month because the food stamps customers have just gotten their month's supply. this means more customers and employees that could be witnesses, but it also means employees will be too busy to worry about you unless they think you're stealing a LOT. alternatively you can go in close to closing time where there won't be many witnesses and employees will be too busy getting ready to close to pay much attention to suspicious behavior.

- most grocery stores don't mind if you eat or drink the product before buying it, especially if you're feeding it to a fussy baby. you can exploit this rule by eating or drinking an entire single-serving product and then stashing the packaging somewhere without paying for it.

- if you're going to be a regular, be a friendly one. stealing from the same store too often is risky, but there's no good reason not to slip a block of cheese into your pocket instead of your cart on a routine trip, so to protect yourself from suspicion it helps to be a friendly regular. if you go a little past polite small talk with cashiers and bond with them, they'll trust you more.

- if youre underage stealing alcohol, don't be overconfident. limit yourself to 1 can of high abv seltzer or beer at a time and make sure your pocket bulging isn't obvious enough to give you away.

thats all i have for now i think. cops and losers and idiots who think law=morals dni

[doberbutts]

That post of yours also makes me think of how much exclusionist rhetoric is centered around the assumption that, for example, only people who are gay or lesbian are ever impacted by homophobia. That kind of thinking is not only incorrect, but also gives way too much credit to homophobes who do not, it turns out, have a nuanced and informed view of sexuality and gender.

Homophobes don't think in terms of "we are cis and allo and straight, and this other group is made up of people who are gay, pan, bi, ace, aro, trans, nonbinary, intersex, and any other number of labels under the queer umbrella". They think in terms of "we are normal and good, and this other group is different and bad."

I recall that one incident about the parents who kicked their asexual teenage son out of their home because they thought he was gay, and tons of exclusionists were insisting, "No, no, this isn't aphobia, this isn't discriminating against asexual people, this is misdirected homophobia, gay people are still the only ones being oppressed." Like, okay buddy, call it whatever you want, but this asexual teenager is still homeless now.

The sort of people who commit these hate crimes think in such rigidly binary terms. That man is attracted to men? It doesn't matter that he's also attracted to women, he's gay. That man doesn't want to have sex with women? It doesn't matter that he doesn't want to have sex with men either, he's gay. Oh, that man IS dating and having sex exclusively with a woman, but that woman was assigned male at birth? Gay. They're all gay, and we must hate them all for it.

Exclusionists will claim that ace people or bi people or trans people who don't medically transition or who are non-dysphoric aren't queer enough to be in queer spaces, don't face the same level of oppression, and meanwhile homophobes are more than happy to hate crime anyone who doesn't fit their narrow definitions of what is acceptable. The people who are beating up a man for being gay aren't going to stop upon being informed he's actually polysexual. They'll say "close enough" and continue beating him up.

Exactly. But then again many of these people refuse to consider a different perspective than their own.

I have an ace friend who, due to her solid lack of interest in men [or anyone] was assumed to be a lesbian by her boss. Her boss who turned out to be a sexual predator and preyed on three different female coworkers about her age [read: significantly younger than him] and was eventually fired for it. Her boss that, when she revealed she was dating a man at the time, admitted he had considered pursuing her as well but was discouraged by her lack of attraction and if he had known she could be "turned" he would have struck while the iron was hot, so to speak.

Is that not a combination of lesbiphobia, misogyny, acephobia, toxic masculinity? That he wanted this girl young enough to be his grand daughter to the point that he thought he could bully his way into her bed after seeing that she was not interested in being pursued? It doesn't matter that he was wrong about her being a lesbian. It doesn't matter that she could have just as easily been with a woman instead of a man. It doesn't matter that he doesn't have any understanding of the concept of asexuality. Here was a young woman who *could potentially* be swayed by power dynamics and/or alcohol, and thus she was added to his list of potential conquests.

Her identity, her feelings, her emotions, her life doesn't matter. What matters is that he was a predator and she was highlighted as possible prey the second he thought he might be able to convince her to accept his magic Dick Of Turning.

How do I know all this? He was my boss too. And I saw firsthand some of the things he did. Thankfully, as said, he was eventually caught in the act and fired for it, but not before he terrorized multiple female employees.

[whateverafterhigh]

Thinking about Dexter and how his parents thought there might have been a chance of him being the Beast, and wondering what about him growing up must have made them think that it was him (opposed to Daring or any of his many cousins).

Like, I know his “I’ll help anybody who needs it” approach was presented in a “I’m not like other girls” kind of way to Raven, and his agreement that it is unfair that there are people like Raven who never get a happily-ever-after is also framed for Raven’s benefit, and that both these things are there to establish him as a potential love interest. But what if that was expanded on to give him more depth, instead of just being to flag him to the readers as the male love interest?

What if Dexter was already taking this kind of approach to how he goes about solving problems as a hero at home?

For example, what if Dexter’s first reaction to seeing a mob of goblins or orcs walking up the main entrance of Charming Castle was to go out an talk to them? (Which is potentially stupid if they’re armed, and he was almost certainly yelled at for doing it) And while he’s out there he starts thinking, “hey, maybe these people have a point their conditions aren’t fair” but he’s still got to do something about the mob to at least de-escalate the situation somewhat, and so he just... helps them unionise or form a guild? And now the group are protesting legally so you’ll have to negotiate with them instead of attacking them, dad.

This will almost certainly cause friction between him and his parents because a) he’s just walking up to a potentially dangerous group of people who are armed and angry without back-up or a weapon and that’s going to get him killed one day, they’re allowed to be worried for his safety and sanity they’re his parents, and b) that’s not how you’re supposed to heroically solve this kind of thing why can’t you be normal.

Headmaster Grimm will hate it even more because he’s probably not paying the goblin and fairy cleaning staff. He knows full well that one of the differences between Kingdom Management and Kingdom Mismanagement is whether or not you should support your employees unionising, or pay your employees a living wage. Something, something... Grimm doesn’t want people to be too good because it’ll start making him look bad.

But given Rosabella is said to be supporting a new Beast-related charity or cause every week, maybe Dexter’s destiny will be the Beast?

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Remember that rambling we had a while back about Cassie trying to turn Freddy against Gregory by showing him footage of the shattering?

Imagine if she also salvaged footage of inside the elevator she got dropped off, with Gregory's voice clearly recorded as well as everything that happened in there up to the moment the elevator crashed.

Freddy is still excusing Gregory's actions in the shatterings footage? Yeah, that alone already leaves a bitter taste in the back of Cassie's mouth, but she's not done yet.

She then shows him the elevator footage. Something she personally had to go through because someone else imposed it upon her, a clear death sentence cast over her by who she thought was her friend, unlike the shattering of robots in order to steal useful things from them. The voice of Gregory clearly able to play god with her life there and he verbally chooses purposely to end it.

No matter what, Freddy can't smoothly excuse that, especially given the person who nearly got betrayed and killed is right in front of him, and no matter how much of a chokehold Gregory has on him, he cannot deny her being conpletely justified in feeling and thinking however way she is now. And if he tries to, he'll most likely only dig himself and Gregory even deeper, because one half a letter or gesture wrong and he could be giving off the message that Cassie should have died or deserved to die, or that she wasn't worthy enough as a living person to be left to live, that her death was the right thing and would have been justifiable and acceptable. And you know, passing off that message in the face of the one who nearly got killed, would not be good.

If you keep in mind that flavor texts in Ruin indicate Cassie was frequently in the PizzaPlex growing up since she was little, it would be safe to assume Cassie and Freddy have known each other for years. So this situation would only be EXTRA bitter and stingy. That apparently a child he's known for years and that is part of the "Fazbear Family" (as in being the child of an employee) was discardable and less worthy or valuable to him than a backstabbing brat he just met one night.

Man this would suck for everyone involved because there is no easy way out of this one. I'm not sure what the outcome of this mess would be, but man, the "what if" thought of Cassie being so distraught she lands into denial with the belief that "Gregory must have hacked you without your awareness to artificially force you into loyalty because the REAL Freddy would never do this or be like this!" and forcefully tries to get the Faz-wrench on him to try 'bringing him back to normal.'

This girl needs a break.

Oh god she really does need a break holy hell but this has given me some thoughts

So. Freddy. He's the most popular, hands down. There's no way he's not! Face of the brand, generic and always front and centre, even when he's not around! Always swarmed with kids and always trying to be a very good example!

What I tend to think about Freddy, is that he's very hands off. He doesn't typically form good, strong bonds with the kids on an individual level because he's always swarmed. They come and the go and if he didn't have a database built into his brain, he wouldn't be able to remember so many names and faces. His approach is just to sort of oversee things. Make sure no one is breaking any rules. Doesn't notice when kids leave because there's always so many of them that keeping track is near impossible. He focuses on whoever's in front of him.

Cassie is aware of this! She's seen everyone else act differently with a crowd than they do with a few kids! Of course Freddy would be no different! She always made that effort to be nice to him whenever he wasn't out entertaining, just like she did with the others when she got the chance, more so even! It must be pretty stressful being surrounded by kids all day, right?

She'd always thought that the animatronics had all seen her differently to the average kid. She was there a lot more often, during quiet times and in restricted areas, able to interact with them all outside of the public eye. She's heard them swear, seen them mess around, breaking rules, goofing off, skipping things on their schedules, and all sorts of other things. They've all hung out together a good number of times and Cassie had felt like she was friends with all of them!

But now, all of that is being questioned. The way Freddy talks to her is like she's no different to any other kid, like all those backstage moments didn't happen. He's doing the old "why can't we all just get along" spiel on her, despite the fact she nearly actually died several times and all his apparent friends got destroyed. Suddenly, she wonders why he was ever so popular, why she ever thought he saw her any differently to the swarms of kids running around at Fazerblast and most importantly, she's wondering if it's just Freddy that feels like that.

Roxy? Probably doesn't feel that way. Despite being deactivated by Cassie, she still rushed in to save her. They've had more heart to heart moments under the pizzaplex than she's had with anyone else too. There's some doubts, of course there is after this, but Roxy would have an easier time reasurring her than some of the others...

Do the others really treat her differently? Or did she make that up in her head too? Do they really care about her? Or did they just put on a show for her like they would anyone else? Is their kindness genuine? Or is it all just as fake as Freddy's?

The other thing I thought of was, what if Cassie doesn't know Prototype Freddy isn't her Freddy? She goes around, fixing everyone up as best she can, by herself or with her dad or anyone else, I dunno, and she never once considered that this wasn't the Freddy she knew all that time. Why would she? Why would she know about the prototypes? She might the daughter of a tech, but that doesn't mean she'd know everything.

So she repairs this Freddy, expecting the Freddy she knows and loves, and getting someone else. Protobear looks at her completely differently to how Freddy did. She's happy to have brought him back and he's nothing but nice to her and everyone else. She doesn't realise how different he is until she meets the other Freddy again. It feels like a bucket of ice water.

That shock of this not being Freddy, wondering what happened to him and worrying if he's okay and what could possibly make him let his friends get hurt like that, all turning to the realisation that Protobear is more the Freddy she loved than Freddy himself ever was...

She needs a break you're so right

[gardenofbookworms]

SPECIAL: BEE’S SEVEN SOMEWHAT OBSCURE MANGA RECS (long post)

today is a very special day and so i am taking advantage of this opportunity to give you all my manga recs before rose kills me :D

(“bee i thought you hated romance there's a lot of bl on here” bl doesn't count okay. shhh)

*note: author and character names are in last-name-first-name format when full name is shown

Kindergarten Wars by Chiba You

in japan there exists an establishment called kindergarten noir, where children can often be seen running around in the playground out front. though it may look unassuming—this is the safest kindergarten in the world, daily attacked by assassins (such as leo) yet never having lost one single child. rita is one of the staff members, all of which are former convicts with more kills than their age in years and enough baggage to weigh down a jet. her only goal in life? to find a hot boyfriend (and definitely NOT her nicotine addicted swindler colleague). but before that, there’s something that must be done at any cost—protect the children.

▪︎

the balance in this manga is actual, literal perfection. it’s officially classified as a comedy, and yet there’s a real seriousness behind the characters and their missions that makes it so, so emotional (the end of the asakusa arc…). not only that, but there seems to be a lovebug going around, and of course it’s not complete without the resident manga otaku (luke). the “elite” from another level in fighting aren’t set apart from the others in the kindergarten, either—the characters are constantly unified and there for each other which only made it worse when [redacted].

Servamp by Strike TANAKA

shirota mahiru is a very simple person. if you see a lonely cat, you pick it up, right? but what if the cat is a vampire, or rather, servamp, and he's just been dragged into the complex world of the supernatural (y'know, vampires, werewolves, demon children splitting in half)? with tensions growing between the seven and the “eighth”, the servamps draw closer to war. and, thinking simply, mahiru and his neet vampire kuro are the only ones who can stop it—and not without help, of course. now, how much of that was a lie?

▪︎

word is that servamp is ending this year which, nooo…but holy shit is it a good series. everything escalates really really quickly (and ridiculously but that's the charm) but each arc is obviously carefully thought out (sakuya……lilly……ophelia……tsurugi……). the complexity makes it a little hard to follow sometimes, but seeing the way the characters struggle to keep their morals and navigate relationships with each other and more stuff i can't fit here is so, so worth it.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead by Aso Haro and Takata Kotaro

tendo akira has a definite zombie apocalypse role—the guy who’s just happy not to go to work. having had his dreams crushed by an exploitative corporation, akira would readily take a zombie apocalypse over another day in the office. when his prayers are answered, he realizes he’s had no free time to be anything other than an employee. so what does he do? make a bucket list, of course! after a reunion with college friend kenchiro ryuzaki, the two travel japan and meet other survivors—shizuka, a strategist whose dream is to become a doctor, and beatrix, a foreigner and samurai who came to japan with bright eyes. hordes and manipulative former bosses may follow them, but they can’t fall to their level—because they’d much rather be eaten by zombies than miss out on a chance to live.

▪︎

i first found out about this manga through the anime (which is phenomenal but beware for your mental health). the way it kicks off really set the tone—akira tries confessing to his coworker, but it goes nothing like he’d ever plan for—that bittersweet start had me hooked throughout the manga. a lot, if not all, of the circumstances are nothing short of ridiculous, my favorite examples being the zombie shark (defeated by electric punch) and the government robots (defeated with the help of a gamer girl). above all, the bad guys aren’t the zombies! it’s—you guessed it—capitalism (yay!).

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai

highschool gyaru oosawa aya is set apart from the rest of her glamorous friends by (mostly) one thing—her music taste. deviating far from the typical, fresh j-pop that everyone seems to listen to, aya prefers her much-treasured american indie rock bands. koga mitsuki, who quickly earns her reputation as “the prince”, is the same way, except she’s on the opposite side of the school spectrum. but it just so happens that mitsuki, one of those “loner-types”, sits right next to aya in class. when their paths cross for real at the record shop where mitsuki works, a case of mistaken identity is the first thing that sets off their relationship—but when you break it down, they’re just two people who really love music.

▪︎

there are two things that i absolutely adore in this manga. a) MUSIC IS A BIG FOCUS. AHHHH if you can’t tell im also obsessed with music so (btw on spotify i have a playlist of all the songs featured in the manga if you’d like to take a look). really loved the exploration with mitsuki and aya’s feelings about music and also mitsuki’s uncle AND kanna too. and b) the art style is so captivating…the use of green, and especially neon green at that, is so so cool. it kind of reminds me of glitter pen ink with all its shiny-ness. flashy teen romances are definitely not my thing but this series…

Hirano and Kagiura by Harusono Shou

kagiura akira has never been good at waking up early, despite all his early basketball practices. luckily, he's got his new school dormmate hirano taiga to help him get out of bed. but as the school semester progresses, kagiura begins to realize something—he is horribly, hopelessly, in love with hirano. when he figures out hirano doesn't return his feelings, they enter a compromise; for ten seconds a day, kagiura is allowed to touch him with more affection than just between “friends”. starstruck, kagiura is willing to give him all the time he needs to come to terms with his feelings. but hirano isn't even sure of them himself—kagiura is so, so close to his heart, but are those feelings really romantic? and just how long is he okay with making him wait? and when will they be past the point of trying?

▪︎

how do i even start to describe this manga. every single chapter i read, there were at least three times i had to put my phone down and take a deep breath. why? because they are so cute rahhhhhh. kagiura’s initial underlying uncertainty about his feelings growing into something he's more sure about is. an amazing reflection of his maturity. meanwhile hirano is still catching up, trying to sort through everything but still cheering his kagi-kun (that's so affectionate i’m gonna cry) on. and obviously, because this is bl and who are we kidding, there's niibashi and hanzawa for comical outsider pov commentary (while i'm on that pipeline, i adore how hanzawa knows and trying his best to be supportive).

▪︎

“but bee, i thought you had seven recs?” i do, but unfortunately i am lazy af and forgot to write the last summary for given (kizu natsuki). it’s still one of my favorites though. music, romance, and of course, angst. yes it’s bl, shhh. i also highly recommend the bungou stray dogs series (asagiri kafka and harukawa sango) but since that’s a little more widely known (and we trend once a month, if yk yk), i’m not gonna get into it.

hope you enjoyed :DDD

[anonymousbeefriendfanfics]

Trick or treat for yknow who haha. Zoya and Langley

You have been.... Treated!

Trick-or-treat here!

Zoya probably never celebrated Halloween, because I don't see her being very big on holidays when it's just her. There's no point.

But. But! Halloween and Christmas are 100% big holidays with the Legion because of Horo. Even though she would probably try to insist she's a big girl now and doesn't need to go trick-or-treating like a child anymore, I can still see her being the one to bring up a Halloween party to Zoya. Of course, she says no at first, because they have bigger problems, but seeing how excited Horo gets over the prospect... well, how can she resist?

After being brought into the MBCC, of course, Horo and some equally-energetic Sinners (EMP and Hella, just to name a couple) are celebrating in full-swing, and Zoya... well, she doesn't care, or so she says. She won't admit it, but she misses the little Legion Halloween parties.

Ask her to dress up with you, especially in some sort of couple's (or group/polycule) costume? She just laughs, but keep at it, because she'll relent faster than you expect her to. She pretends to hate it because of various reasons, ranging from it being uncomfortable to too restricting or a 'useless' waste of time and resources, but she also has to hide her smile when you drag her in front of a mirror.

She will absolutely escort the younger Sinners to go trick-or-treating with you, if you request it of her. She'll pretend to be bored, sure, but you know her well enough to see the light in her eyes as she watches them run around in their costumes and fight over candy. She doesn't even protest when Horo shoves a chocolate bar into her hand, just smiles warmly and thanks her before taking a bite and offering the next one to you.

Now, as much fun as that is, it's not quite Zoya's style, and she would much prefer a more adult-themed party. One with alcohol, preferably, where dirty jokes and foul language are allowed and she can relax and let loose without having to worry about setting a bad example for the younger ones who look up to her.

Langley, on the other hand, loves Halloween! It's probably her favorite holiday, though she doesn't get to celebrate it as much as she likes with how busy the 9th agency always stays.

She will always have an officer or two stationed outside the building or in some nearby location with a large bowl of candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters. She herself will come down at least once to relieve them for a break if she isn't away on an assignment, just so she can have the opportunity to hand out the treats to the little ones. As busy as she is, she can spare ten minutes once a year, right? She's not big on kids, but there's something about seeing them on Halloween that soothes her soul.

She doesn't have much time for decorating but I feel like she enjoys it nevertheless, and throws a few simple decorations around the office in October. She'd love to decorate more elaborately, but there just isn't the time for such things.

She also throws a Halloween party every year - probably two, truthfully, because they're always too busy to stop working, so half her team will work while half parties, and then the next weekend, they switch off. She takes good care of her employees and parties like this are a must to let loose and have some fun every once and a while! They all work too hard, especially Langley herself.

I feel like she's the type who always has candy in her bag around October so she can randomly reward her subordinates by handing them a piece just to enjoy the baffled looks on their faces. She definitely finds out your favorite type of candy or treat and makes a point of hiding them for you in random places. She probably does this occasionally year-round but October especially is when she steps up the hiding game.

She also definitely buys all of the Sinners their preferred candies/treats for Halloween once she's shackled, just because she can and she enjoys seeing them so happy.

Also. You know Langley is the queen of costumes. She has the resources, of course, so she always has the most elaborate, beautiful costume. She always looks nice but she'll absolutely take the opportunity to dress up and look even better. Honestly she's probably the one to suggest a couple costume with you. I don't know what it'll be, but suffice to say it will be spectacular and it'll fit you perfectly. It'll be very tasteful and elegant, though!

Writing Masterlist 🐝 Requests Open!  Tag List 🐝 

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

Not Taekook related, but I was thinking a lot about the whole Min Heejin and HYBE drama, particularly the stories about the shaman and BTS, the leaking of private/personal information about idols (possibly Garam, Youngseo and others), also the allegedly trying to snare V. All this makes me wonder if MHJ had a hand in V's scandal with Jennie. It would be good to get your thoughts on it all.

This is all so seriously messed up. I think there is faults on both side but also some valid points too.

Whilst I will answer your main question about taennie and possibly the whole JK fake apartment video, I feel I need explore the situation as a whole. So I will structure it like this:

Thoughts on the key points/accusations on boths sides about the whole dispute

Was Heejin involved in rumours about BTS members

What I think will happen

Final thoughts

Ok...

Thoughts on the key points/accusations on boths sides about the whole dispute

I do think Heejin has some valid points about the visual concepts being used by other HYBE artists, although technically, MHJ doesn't own any of the IP she created with ADOR. I know a little about IP and Copyright there are 4 types...

Creator / 1st Owner - where the creator is also the owner of the product, for example: The author and first owner of copyright in a sound recording is the record producer. The author and first owner of the copyright in a broadcast is the broadcaster. The author and first owner of the copyright in a published edition is the publisher.

Works created for an employer - (this will apply to MHJ) Where a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or a film, is made by an employee in the course of his employment, his employer is the first owner of any copyright in the work (subject to any agreement to the contrary).

Commissioned works - This is like when HYBE commissions a producer/writer to create something, the rights belong to the company/person who creates the work (say Andrew Watt) not the commisioner (HYBE)

Joint Author/Co-Written - Joint ownership might arise, for example, if a person was commissioned to create a website together with one of the company’s employees. It is likely that both the person being commissioned and the company would be joint first owners of copyright in the website. For co-written songs the songwriters share ownership.

So unless MHJ had a special contract that gave her special rights over something, she has no control over what she creates as it BELONGS to HYBE, that includes NewJeans, the concepts and other IP.

It's clear HYBE has the evidence to show there is something underhand going on, and has probably had evidence for weeks. They probably discovered the plot because of the copying on files by that VP at ADOR. Also why would anyone make plan to takeover a company for the hell of it... it doesn't make sense.

Is it unfair that MHJ has a clause stopping her from working in the industry for a period of time if she leaves HYBE/ADOR... NO, these are common place in businesses, plus she negogiated and signed her contract... unless she didn't do the proper due diliegence.

The MHJ press conference was a masterful display of media play/manipulation. She deliberately wore clothes that made her look dishevelled, also the cap adequately hide the fact that she never actually shed a tear once in the whole 2 hours and her make up helped with this impression, by making her cheeks look wet from tears.

HYBE in a cult...

But obviously not true and MHJ and co are clearly dropping fake stories to tarnish everyone.

I certainly believe (after that news conference where she slandered nearly every HYBE group) that this woman leaked private and confidential information about trainees and idols.

Her and Bang PD were not close... so which CEO hired her in 2019, I'll give you one guess and his name is in this sentence... so he must have spent time with her and cultivated a working relationship at BIGHIT Entertainment prior to HYBE forming... MHJ was VERY selective in of which chats to share with the press... I expect Dispatch to expose more her conversations with BPD, which will paint things in a different light.

MHJ lied in her press conference... she took, with HYBE's blessing, Source Music trainees, staff and other resources to form NewJeans and ADOR... with HYBE's money.

HYBE CEO is dirt bag who likes vaginas... simply because he oversaw video game that was quite rude. It's not like he designed it himself, he simply oversaw the project, plus unfortunately that's a big thing in the Video Game world... it can be very msygonistic.

Was Heejin involved in rumours about BTS members

So was MHJ involved... on the surface one might think so.

I do think she might have had a hand in the Garam scandal and the leaking of Youngseo, members of two groups she saw (in her own words) as threat to NEWJEANS and her vision.

However, I don't think she had anything to do with Taennie or JK's fake video, it's clear (at least for Taennie), that YG was heavily involved and possibly HYBE too.

Now to the recent stuff that's currently be "leak" and stuff that might come out in the next few weeks... I think her involvement might be more logical.

What I think will happen

I think within the next month HYBE via a shareholders meeting with ousts the ADOR board and replace it with their own board and subsequently remove MHJ from her pssost.

ADOR's new CEO will be another woman from within the company

From what I understand, MHJ might have a problematic history with young people... I'm sure if she does it will come out.

There will be a trial of some kind and MHJ and co will be found guilty in someway

I think HYBE in general will take more control (at least at board level) of every sub-label over the next year, to strengthen its position but also but to improve coordination between labels to stop classes that have occured in the past.

NewJeans won't be leaving ADOR/HYBE, mostly because HYBE owns the brand of NJs and their concepts, but also it's be intimated that NJs would have to pay hefty reparations for said IP and to be released from their contract. I suspect post MHJ HYBE will sweeten the NJ's current deal with additional stuff.

Final thoughts

It's a mess, but within a few weeks/months it'll all be partly resolved to a certain extent.

I suspect this week HYBE through outlets like Dispatch will leak even more of the incriminating shit it has on MHJ and her co-conspiritors.

HYBE will remove the current board of directors at ADOR and then remove MHJ and he co-conspiritors.

I suspect we'll also get some expose about her time at SM that isn't pretty and adds more fuel to the fire and may show she has a track record of causing trouble.

I also suspect that when MHJ tries to sell her shares she'll end up having to sell them back to HYBE because I they will make it difficult for her to sell it to anyone else.

I predict NewJeans will have new comeback post MHJ that's even more successful than before.

[monocle-teacup]

Hi! I am glad that someone is interested in my posts! I think it would be more comfortable to respond to your reblog this way, if you don't mind, of course.

- On the lack of a first name

I agree, this was most likely the original plan, but it seems to me that by the end of the season the authors decided to make a completely black-and-white morality, so they had to dehumanize Meridian, and revealing the name and the emotional scene between him and Alex would not help this new idea. I don't blame it on the need to develop the plot quickly, because literally one or two lines of dialogue would fix it. So it was the authors who probably decided to go this way.

-The circumstances around him losing his arm

I understand this, and what surprises me is that there was not a single flashback or further details about this fateful event in the character's life. For example, at the GHOST base, in addition to working for Croft, he was looking for a cure for himself. The viewer could be shown some kind of screen with X-rays or diagrams in the background, where we could see some additional structures that were added by Arachnamechs. That would be an interesting little detail.

-The deal with him and Croft

Yes! I really like the way Meridian worked at these moments, his emotions and attitude towards Croft are obvious, as is her attitude towards him. My problem is that it looks like a puzzle with about 1/5 of the pieces missing. We understand what kind of picture should be in front of us, but the key point is missing. Meridian has been drafted and is supposed to hate the entire organization, not just Croft, but he's not trying to destroy the GHOST or kill other employees. Croft treats him not just as an employee who needs to be exploited to the last, until there is no replacement, as the head of a large villainous organization would behave. No, she does not feel such a level of inner hostility and does not show it towards other employees, only towards Meridian. I got the impression that there must have been a personal conflict between them, some specific event or series of events that made them hate each other. But here either the authors did not want to delve into this additional plot, or they did not come up with a reason.

I'm always up for chatting about Mandroid and other aspects of ES! It's actually quite nice to be able to actually discuss Mandroid's character deeper since IMO there's a lot to talk about.

The thing that gets me is that in the show's Production Bible, Mandroid's character description outright refers to him as a tragic villain. It's like the writers were afraid to actually explore this concept fully since that would go against the show's obsession with making humans that hate Cybertronians automatically terrible people.

There really needs to be a Battle of the Bay flashback not just for Mandroid, but so many other characters as well. Dot lost her leg in that conflict and it's when Megatron switched sides. But nope, the show was too busy bludgeoning the audience with the whole importance of family thing.

The thing about Mandroid is that from what's been shown he only goes after humans if they interfere with his plans (the Maltos) or in Croft's case, treat him like garbage. I see some fan content where it has him going after random humans when he just wouldn't do that. His main concern is Transformers not people.

I've made a post about this before, but IMO Mandroid and Croft are good foils to each other. If Mandroid is fire then Croft is ice. Croft is a very frigid person in general going by her interactions with Schloder and when she tries to arrest Dot and Alex. As ridiculous as her master plan of conquering Cybertron is, it does fit in nicely with her control freak tendencies. I mean, she has a personal army of mindless robots while Mandroid went out of his way to give the Arachnamechs personality. I have this headcanon where the two just instantly disliked each other upon first meeting.

[hoodoo12]

Dec 16th show

This show was the last I'll see till closing night, which I am lucky enough to be able to go to. Is lucky the right word? Shouldn't it be heart-breaking or something? idk

It has been nice to be able to have seen the show a few times, because I pick up new things each time. I don't mean that a lot in the show has changed, but because I familiar with it I'm not hyper-focused on the "action" of the scene and can watch the secondary actors on the stage. I feel like I saw a lot more of the individual clones during TBS, and of course I watched Elliott a little more. (Okay, a lot more, lol)

Dana Steingold was Lydia. She did an excellent job of navigating all of Lydia's emotions, instead of having just one overwhelm the nuance of the character.

Notes from show:

Alex wore a plain white shirt for several of the numbers. But not all of them (TBS, for example). I don't understand why.

Alex mocked my laughter at one point (after 'gay republican'), copying it before going to the next line.

The kid he picked for sad puppet show was right behind us (over our left shoulder). We overheard the family talking before it the show and the kid had never seen it before. His mom had to answer for him because he Alex terrified him mute (the kid was 10, for christ's sake). Alex could def see how uncomfortable the kid was because he crouched down to stare him directly in the eye and shouted, "YOUR PARENTS HAVE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE BRINGING YOU HERE", which only scared the kid more.

During his Katherine Hepburn speech, he pretended to be her down on all fours like they were going to screw doggy style.

During FoTL when David suggests, "act like a baby" Alex says, "What the shit is wrong with you?" and now that's my new favorite line.

Alex fumbled for "Brigadoon". He said, "I know my name is on the marquis, but you'll have to watch a new show. The Maitlands," and then stood there for a moment too long, gestured to them again for more time/effect before finally coming up with the line. The person with me thought since he couldn't remember the word he'd just finish with, " . . . the Maitlands. I'm out of here" and then "Yeah, I'm out of here. Fuck me, I guess" instead of "fuck Brigadoon."

Alex screwed up his mic during SMN. He went a little extra (more on that later) when he pulled back his wig to showcase the maggot brain, which messed it up. He repeatedly had to tap it/adjust it during the song to get it working correctly again. This is the second time I've seen that happen to him; it was pointed out that maybe I'm the common denominator when it stops working correctly . . .

Adam Dannheisser almost lost it when Leslie said "prostitution?" responding to his, "you're my employee and my lover" line. He had to take several moments to compose himself to not laugh. He did it though! Good job!

The guy Alex picked on as "that guy" was wearing a suit. The last time he addressed him, he added, "You got all dressed up tonight and got ROASTED." Pause for laughter. "Thanks for coming."

The guy sitting by me was INTO the show. Like leaning forward to laugh and shaking enough during it he rocked the seats.

The two kids (mid-teens) next to us were NOT into it. I don't know why their mom paid for front row seats for kids who didn't give a shit and who, during "Home", pulled out their phones to check their IG or Tiktok or whatever.

Maybe this is something everyone else was aware of, but the knees on his red suit are completely patched. Like his overcoat and the striped suit, they have these big stitches which I had never seen before. That whole suit looked a little more ratty to me than I remember it.

During COG when he and David swing each other over to stage right, Alex got some serious air. He was literally parallel to the ground (my companion pointed out after the show that I gasped, lol) so David must be gdamn strong to lift Alex like that.

Alex also made not one, not two, but three attempts to kiss David at stage right + made a grab at his crotch. Two of those things David was either not expecting or he's just a really excellent actor. It could be both.

Juno's leg skittered across the floor and almost fell into the pit, which I would have paid extra money to see because what the heck would they do??

Going back to "Alex being extra" . . . during intermission the person I was with was like, "What the hell? Why is he exhausting himself? Did you see? His make up is sliding off his face he's so sweaty and I've never seen him go so ham. This is Beetlejuice, not Alex."

She was genuinely concerned for him. Honestly, me too. He exuded more of a frenetic energy which, while appropriate for the character, was so much for so long the miasma of it hung in the air. Maybe he's just giving his all because the show is closing in 3 weeks. idk But with flu, COVID, and RSV also floating around, I hope he doesn't overstress his immune system so he can close the show out.