#because of how often they put incorrect information as the first result or pull from unreliable sources

[sonknuxadow]

does anyone know if there's like. an actual official source from sega themselves of what the lyrics to the sonic frontiers vocal tracks are because i keep getting conflicting answers on certain things

[thespectral-wolf]

This post has been in my drafts since April; at the time it only had a few hundred notes. I wanted to give my own two cents to the discussion, but didn't know how to express my thoughts then. But I guess a poorly-worded opinion is still better than not talking about it at all.

I'm a translator. I have an MA in translation, I work in the industry. For the two years of my studies, the topic of Machine Translation (MT) has always been there, even if we didn't always explicitly talk about it. Every conference included discussions on where MT (and AI) is going and how it'll affect the trade. While we were actively discouraged from using them in our first year, in the second year we were given assignments to use Google Translate, DeepL or even ChatGPT to translate texts and see how they fare, and correct them. And mind you, we weren't translating novels there. Economics, finance, legal documents. Those get the food on the table for a translator, and those are the stuff that MT excels at.

The use of machine learning has been a topic in this field for far longer than anywhere I think, because Machine Translation (MT) that uses neural networks has been around longer than the explosion of the AI trend (Google Translate switched to this model from statistical algorithms in 2016).

And the question is always there: is MT going to put us out of a job? Short answer: no.

The long answer is that we know that MT can and will be used, so we have to learn how to utilize it. The EU has its own MT that is trained exclusively on EU texts. The ISO standard already includes the definition of post-editing, which is the proofreading of machine-translated texts. Translation agencies and translators alike already use it. I use it. And you use it too, I'm sure of that. It's here and it ain't going anywhere.

But MT is nowhere near perfect. In the assignments where we had to put texts in Google Translate and DeepL and see their output, the results on first glance looked pretty good, and for example, in a comparatively small language like Hungarian, it often put out very well formed sentences. But there's the catch, the texts are only good on first glance. There are a lot of problems where the MT used incorrect terminology, puts out weirdly formed sentences or even adds or removes words (what we know as hallucinations in Large Language Models). Because MT only creates output based on parallel texts, texts that already had a translated version to learn from. It doesn't do research. It doesn't know who the text is translated for. It doesn't know what the topic or the broader context of the text is. That's what the human translator is trained for! The translator does the research and even if they aren't well-versed in the topic they translate, they know how to check if a term is correct in the given context, they know where to look and who to ask.

There's also the problem that there's so much machine translated text out on the internet now that MTs are now pulling data from those, no matter how bad the machine generated texts are. It practically starts inbreeding if people won't go out their way to "clean" all that text of problems.

At their current state, an MT may be sufficient for translating a webpage or a comment or an e-mail for you, but it sure as hell won't give you a legally good translation of your contract on rent (on that note, please do not use free translation services to translate documents with sensitive or personal information in them! You don't know what'll happen with that data!)

And I think this is the fate of machine illustrations as well. You can make an extremely good generative model to make picture-perfect images, but you cannot circumvent human professionalism from the process, not if you want a quality product.

This machine kills AI

[firsthopemedia]

How To Improve Your Lousy Writing Skills In The Workplace FIRST HOPE MEDIA https://www.firsthope.biz If there’s one important reason why you need to write effectively in the workplace, it is this: the quality of your writing imprints a lasting impression on the reader. This reader may be your boss, a client, or a person who is ready to make a billion dollar business deal with you. Have you ever read a poorly-written document that made you lose interest right away? It was so poorly-written that you lost trust in the author and asked yourself why the author was wasting your time? How about those junk e-mails that sneak into your junk box like annoying cockroaches? You know the ones I’m referring to: the ones pitching vitamins, software, and sex aids. These e-mails are the biggest showcase of writing blunders, stricken to death with grammar mistakes, misspellings, and sloppy sentences. I doubt these e-mails pull a sale because their poor writing style immediately alienates the reader. What impression does your writing leave on your boss, clients, or co-workers? Does your writing alienate readers, cause you to lose sales or clients, or cost you job promotions? Or does your writing build streams of loyal readers, increase sales for the company, and help you earn six figures a year at your job? Whatever type of writing you do in the workplace, always know this reality: readers believe the quality of your writing reflects your skills, work ethics, and integrity as a person. If you write eloquently, clearly, and lively, the reader trusts you and you are able to build rapport quickly. If your writing is sloppy, disorganized, and riddled with errors, the reader assumes the rest of your work is flawed, your work ethics are flawed, and perhaps as a person you are flawed. Why should this reader waste his time reading the rest of your junk or even do business with you? This article provides fail-safe strategies to help refine your writing and help you to communicate with clarity, simplicity, and impact so you will never write junk again. You will learn five masterful steps to guide you in planning, writing, and refining an article; and you will learn how to avoid common writing mistakes. AIM! FIRE! FIRE! To become a superb writer, your first task is to establish your aim. Yiddish novelist, dramatist and essayist, Sholem Asch, once said, “Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.” What message do you want to convey with your writing? To establish your aim, ask yourself: 1) “Why am I writing this document?” 2) “What do I want to communicate?” 3) “Do I want to inform, educate, report, persuade, challenge, or entertain?” Developing your aim will help you to adopt the best writing style for your reader. For example, an educational document will likely be more formal than one written for entertaining. CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS To write effectively, you need to connect strongly with your readers. Ask yourself: 1) “For whom am I writing this? Will I be writing for colleagues, my supervisor, my team of employees, or our clients?” 2) “How much information do my readers need?” 3) “How familiar are my readers with the topic?” 4) “How much time do my readers have? Would my readers prefer a short, succinct presentation of facts and statistics, or more narration and exposition?” Knowing your audience will allow you to write content in a way that appeals to your readers. SHAPE YOUR DOCUMENT You know your aim. You know the people who will likely read your document. Now plan your document. What information will it contain? What information will most likely grab the reader and hold their interests? What points do you need to get across? Start with a rough outline of ideas. Then go through the outline and add more information and more detail. An outline will create the structure for your document. Soon enough your writing will come more easily, quickly, and with greater clarity. WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW BEST At this stage, read over your outline and write the first draft. Establish the main idea of the document and support your argument throughout. If a blank white page glares back at you like headlights, just start writing on whatever topic you know best. According to American novelist Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Don’t worry about the sequence if the ideas come to you out of order. You can cut and paste later. WORDY WEIGHT LOSS If you have time, step away from the document. Come back to it later with a fresh mind. Now add material where needed. Trim away unnecessary sections. Refine the text to communicate what you want to say. Remember: less is more. Try not to repeat ideas. Repetition, unless necessary, is tiresome for the reader. Keep the piece moving along. Use a lively pace. Progress through your points efficiently. The following sections address some of the most common writing problems. Use these tips to write more clearly, effectively, and lively. I.) PUNCTUATION a) Apostrophes Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive form of “it.” Incorrect: Our department submitted it’s reports for 2005 last week. Correct: Our department submitted its reports for 2005 last week. Do not use apostrophes in the possessive forms “his,” “hers,” and “ours.” Incorrect: The window office is her’s. Correct: The window office is hers. Do not use apostrophes in plural nouns. Incorrect: How many new computer’s are we getting? Correct: How many new computers are we getting? b) Commas Do not connect two complete sentences with a comma. Incorrect: The meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early. Correct: The meeting was cancelled, so I finished my work early. Correct: Since the meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early. II.) MECHANICS a) Split Infinitives Do not insert words between “to” and the infinitive form of a verb. Incorrect: I was told we needed to slightly tighten the deadline. Correct: I was told we needed to tighten the deadline slightly. III.) SPELLING a) “A lot” is always two words. Incorrect: I have alot of work to do. Correct: I have a lot of work to do. b) “To” is a function word often used before the infinitive form of a verb (to go). c) “Too” is an adverb that means “excessively” (too difficult). d) “Two” denotes the number 2. Incorrect: This file cabinet is to heavy for me to move. Correct: This file cabinet is too heavy for me to move. e) “There” is an adverb indicating a place (over there). f) “Their” is a possessive word that shows ownership (their computers). g) “They’re” is the contraction form of “they are.” Incorrect: There results for this quarter were excellent. Correct: Their results for this quarter were excellent. Incorrect: Their working very hard today. Correct: They’re working very hard today. IV.) STYLE a) Sentence Variety To write more lively, vary sentence structure. Use alternate ways of beginning, and combine short sentences to create different sentence lengths. Before: I organized the files for all the new accounts this week. Then I created a more efficient labeling system. I color-coded everything. I made sure all paper files had been documented electronically. I put these files in the empty file cabinet. After: This week I organized the files for the new accounts and created a more efficient color-coded labeling system. After I documented all paper files electronically, I put these files in the empty file cabinet. V.) ACTIVE VOICE vs. PASSIVE VOICE The English language has two "voices": active voice (the subject performs an action); and passive voice (the subject is acted upon). In business communication, all good writers write in active voice. Lazy writers write in passive voice. Writing in active voice shortens your sentences and makes your writing sound more direct and formal. Examples: PASSIVE: The recipe book is read by her. ACTIVE: She reads the recipe book. PASSIVE: The radio announcement should be listened to by everyone. ACTIVE: Everyone should listen to the radio announcement. PASSIVE: The photo is being taken by the photographer. ACTIVE: The photographer is taking the photo. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll stop yourself from writing lousy in the workplace. Your writing will be lively, clear, and concise, and you will build rapport with readers. Perhaps it’s now time to e-mail your boss a perfectly-written e-mail requesting a salary raise?

[snapecanslytherinin]

How are they still employed??

I hope you enjoy!! No warnings just fun times!!!

Word count: 2099

..........................................

How they got employed? Well that is relatively easy to answer; they all aspired to be a part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia and showed great strengths with the ability to easily pinpoint the places the criminals would flee, along with having an outstanding skill in getting information from them that they needed. How they STAYED employed? I can promise you that it is a mystery to each of them at this point. Between the pranks they pull, how much they truly annoy Strauss and how they all barely manage to turn in paperwork done correctly and on time, it is truly an American mystery by now.

There is the time that Kira was caught posting criminal dick pics on Strauss' facebook account, thank god Aaron was the one to catch Kira, or they may have gone missing. Or the time Vel kept hacking the main sound system and played emo hits for the entire day which only made her sad. Then you have the time that Sammy 'kept telling Reid blatantly incorrect facts which ended with him crying in Hotch's office and Hotch taking away Sammy's internet at work for a week. While they may be crucial to the team and how they function, everyone has thought about giving them three their own office to share, hoping to keep the chaos controlled. I feel the best way to explain how these heroes function is just a list of the chaos from the past month.

Kira

1. Monday morning, at precisely 8:30, the bull pen is filled with the sound of a scream from Vel who is currently standing on Reid's desk, using him as a personal shield. Hotch comes flying out of his office, only to see a cackling Kira in the corner and instantly knows Vel has been pranked. Sighing and walking to the back of her desk he sees a rubber realist spider, and rips it off from where its taped. Kira instantly knows they are in trouble when they see the famous Hotchner glare.

"My office. Now."

2. "So how do you think he will react?" Kira asks perched at the edge of Sammy's desk.

"I don't know, but keep me out of it. I'm still in trouble for stapling Hotch's tie to the desk." Before Kira could react, a bombing Italian voice sounds from behind them.

"Kira, I know you are the culprit. Stop putting pasta sauce in my drawers. Do you understand how infuriating it is to expect a pen but get A JAR OF PASTA?!?"

3. Sitting in front of the criminal with Emily at Kira's side, they stare dead at the creep, surprisingly making them shift uncomfortably in the seat avoiding eye contact. The team needed information and decided that Kira was best fit to make him regret ever keeping a secret.

"So" Kira finally speaks up, " you like to murder people huh?"

"Yeah, sure. Why else would I do it?" They answer back sarcastically?"

"Tell me, how would you murder me?"

Walking from the interrogation room, criminal pulled off behind them, Kira walks straight to Hotch, a Proud look across their face, Vel and Sammy running over to hear the news.

"How did you get him to talk?" Hotch questions, a weary eyebrow raised.

"Well I asked how he would murder me, and he isn't a sexual sadist, so APPARENTLY vigorously letting out sexual moans when he explains what he would do and talking about getting some alone time together, it can really make a murderer uncomfortable, and fess up."

Vel

1. Rolling in to the bull pen, Vel slides by Morgan and spins to face the others desk, sitting on top of her own, slushie in hand. Losing a deal with Kira, Vel had to show up to work in roller skates, and deciding to spice it up some, she chose to add heart sunglasses, a work appropriate red flared skirt and a FBI navy shirt she found at a goodwill a year back.

"What in the world are you wearing?" Morgan asks a smile making an appearance.

"I lost a bet, so this is my work outfit. Nowhere does it say I can't wear roller skates. The sunglasses and space buns are just to add to the effect. I think it's very work appropriate!"

The first two hours of the day went along without a hitch until she was called into Strauss' office, for some unknown reason.

"What are you wearing Agent?"

"Well ma'am, I looked through the entire handbook and it says nothing about roller skates, my skirt is the correct length, and if I'm honest, I think I look amazing."

She was excused from the office since, she was correct and Strauss couldn't say a word about it, having her get back to work. Instead of doing the files she needed done, she chose bother Morgan by trying to talk him into getting a pair, showing them off to a proud Rossi and also getting avoid by Hotch, since every time they crossed paths, Vel would grab his sleeve for a free ride, and he refused to let the office see him cackling at the interaction he actually found amusing.

2. It was a rainy Friday afternoon, which resulted in Vel choosing to stay in for lunch, and bug the shit out of Hotch until he murdered her, or found a way to shoo her off; which would be quite hard, because she knew how to talk her way out of a goodbye, jesus does this child have issues? (yes)

Hanging upside on the couch, legs crossed over the back, Vel sat there as a disgruntled Hotch was placed a few feet away at his desk, trying to finish his current pile of work.

"Do you think star fish have feelings?"

"I don't know, Vel."

"Would you kiss Rossi for 500 bucks?"

"I'd rather choke."

"If I lost my voice what would you do?"

"Cry happy tears, probably."

"Fuck, marry, kill; Me, Morgan, JJ?"

"Language, Agent."

"Answer the question."

"Kill Foyet, get rich, never play this game again."

"Nothing about that answer was correct!"

"Fine, fuck, marry, kill, me or Morgan. Only two choices."

"Kill myself."

"WHY ARE YOU SO BAD AT THIS!!"

"You are super pretty, Hotch, you know that?"

"Thank you. Please shut up."

"Do you like me?"

"I can't imagine where I would be without you and the other two migraines."

That left a smiling Hotch and a quite Vel, choosing to take a nap, now tired from all of her questions. Plus who could pass up a nap on his couch?

Sammy

1. "No okay, but hear me out, Reid. It's a talking Mongoose!"

"It isn't real Sammy! why would you believe that!"

It is the last time Reid will insult Sammy's cryptids, I mean what kind of monster do you have to be to argue with Sammy about something so fun and exciting!

It is a week later on the jet, coming back from a long case in Ohio and everyone is thrilled to finally go home. After take off everyone does their own things, Hotch and JJ do some finalizing on paperwork, Morgan listens to music, Rossi and Emily share a drink, Kira and Vel watch a horror movie together, which normally Sammy would join, but instead he sits next to boy genius, rereading a book.

"Wanna play some chess?" He asks with a chipper tone.

"Of course Sam, I'd love to!"

Pulling the board over to them, Sam asks if Reid will grab them some drinks, to which he obliges leaving Sammy alone with the board. Quickly setting up the pieces, he adds a little extra love to Spencer's pieces, him arriving shortly after.

"Let's get this game started!" Trying to move a black piece, Spencer's eyes grow wide before letting out a girlish screech, realizing that Sammy glued his pieces down to the chess board.

While that action got him work grounded for two months, and the out of pocket money to buy a new board, Sammy was content, and Reid learned to not question the cryptids ever again.

2. Sammy wasn't one to often interrogate, usually bored by the slow place or ready to fist fight the room's occupant, but when he does enter that work area you can imagine, just like Kira and Vel, he himself also has an interrogation quirk that shows itself in each case.

"Listen, just fess up to the fucking murder, and I'll hand over the candy of mine you've been eyeing the entire time."

"THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WILL ASK! ARE YOU GOING TO ADMIT TO FIRST DEGREE MURDER, IF I CAN PROMISE YOU'LL GET A LIFE TIME SUPPLY OF COOL RANCH DORITOS!?!?"

"Okay I know this is super serious, and I usually offer the snacks to the criminals for information, but Hotch, if I can talk Vel into sharing her Mac n Cheese cups with you on the jet, will you go drink some water, you look like you could pass out."

All of that is relatively normal, but the next encounter is not something anyone on the team expected to happen, and frankly, caused Vel to have to use her inhaler from laughing so damn hard.

There the team sat, a long dark wood table in the court room, under their clasped hands as they awaited the trial for themselves. The BAU has gotten in trouble before, but when they failed to remove all by standers before trying to take down and apprehend a bomber, resulting in injuries, there they all stood on trial for their actions. In front of them were the supervisory board, all very scary mean looking men, who were bound to scare Penelope and Vel more than any criminal they've seen before. Each person got their own moment alone with the board to speak, although he others were still near by and could hear the events of each private session. Sammy's came third to last, passing Emily who was on her way out. Sitting down he crossed his arms on the table and looked as professional as Hotch could convince him to, waiting for the question to be asked. After arguing with them for what seemed like every question, Sammy had, had enough and knew he was going to be suspended anyways, so thought to have at least a good exiting line.

“Would you like a snickers, Sir? They say you aren’t you when you’re hungry and you are being annoying as fuck right now.”

With that last comment he was excused with a week extra of suspension, but he couldn't care less. He got to get away from that grouch bag and that's just an extra week to go visit his favorite folklore.

THE THREE PIGEONS (DON'T ASK, NO ONE KNOWS)

1. No day was greater for the pigeons, than when they decided to hide tiny plastic babies around the office. They put them where ever they could manage; in everyone's coffee cups, taped to pens, glued to paperclips. The best was when Hotch when to open his bottom desk drawer only to find it filled with tiny babies, the look on his face causing the trio to burst out laughing, and out themselves as the culprits.

2. When I tell you they like to mess with Hotch, I mean this man can never get a moment of silence when they are around (Even though he enjoys their company, he would never admit it) which brings us to the great season of summer, when he couldn't get them vacation time to go camping, he walked into his office the next day, to see a tent step up in the center of the room and his furniture pushed to the side. On the floor sat the group, in pjs, laying in sleeping bags and watching a movie on a tv they somehow managed to get in. The day was filled with forcing to watch one with them on his lunch break, having to quiet the laughter when he got a phone call, and by the end of the day, the whole team was in Hotch's office to do paperwork and enjoy the "camping".

Although they create mass chaos and definitely made some things harder than they have to be, the team would be lost without them, and they sure in hell would be lost without each other in this work force. Now just wait until you hear the story of how they become the BAU teams fuck toys ;) [for legal reasons that last comment was a joke....unlessssss]

@davidrossi-ismydad @good-heavens-chris-evans

[perspective-series]

Zapped Perspective (10) (Final)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Mention of treating people like pets

First Chapter || Previous Chapter

——————————————————————————————————–

Roman’s sleep that night had been...weird. Maybe it was all his time he spent with Virgil and listening to him about his world because he dreamed of a place where humans didn’t know borrowers existed. He...also dreamed about Logan but that was nothing really new. Still, the overall dream was weird and left a strange feeling in him as he woke up.

Roman barely opened his eyes before swinging his legs off the bed. He yawned and stretched and then opened his eyes, looking in the direction of the house Virgil now occupied. His eyebrows furrowed, however, when it was gone.

“What?” He stood up and looked around his room. His mind caught up with him as he looked around and saw that...this wasn’t his room. This was nowhere close to his room, where was he?

And, most importantly, where was Virgil.

Meanwhile, just a few feet away, a certain borrower yawned, awoken by the familiar sound of Patton getting up. But something had sounded..wrong.

Logan opened his eyes, sitting up and blearily opening his eyes to take in the sight before him.

Logan blinked. He blinked again.

“Roman?” Logan spoke up in disbelief, wondering how a dream could appear so vivid.

Roman froze at the sound of an all too familiar voice. A voice he hadn’t heard in days but had seemed like forever. His hopes were high even as he tried to force them down. He slowly turned, looking down at the nightstand and towards the borrower standing there.

The borrower wasn’t Virgil.

“...Logan?” Roman whispered, as if saying it any louder would cause him to disappear. He took a step closer.

Logan nodded, slowly getting to his feet as his mind tried to wrap around this phenomenon because how on earth could Roman be here of all places? And yet...Logan had never experienced an illusion this lucid, and despite suspecting this was all fake Logan felt his heart throb with hope.

Roman’s breath hitched and he came even closer, kneeling down slightly. He slowly reached out his hand, half expecting Logan to disappear as he gently patted the top of his head.

But he didn’t.

Roman’s eyes widened and shined with tears. “You’re real…” He whispered before grinning wide and scooping Logan up, holding him to his chest. “Logan! You-you’re actually…” Roman felt his tears start to fall.

“You’re actually here.” Logan finished his sentiment, clutching to Roman’s shirt like it was a lifeline as his own eyes began to feel quite wet. “I-how-? It’s- It’s not possible…”

“Who cares?!” Roman laughed. “You’re here. I’m here. We’re together again and that is all that matters.” He brought Logan up to his face and nuzzled him with his nose. “I missed you so much…” He whispered, tears still falling.

“I missed you too.” Logan could have given a hysterical laugh, hugging Roman back with vigor. He could have made a witty comment about Roman’s dramatic behavior, but any flaws Logan had once seen were so undeniably Roman that Logan eagerly embraced them all. “I missed you to what was frankly a ridiculous degree, I became such a mess, my thoughts kept traveling back to you subconsciously and I was quite distraught.”

“Heh, I...felt the same. You should have seen me the first day you went missing.” It was easy to joke about it, now that Logan was safely back with him. “I even scared Virgil...a little bit.”

Logan leaned back a bit, enough so he could look Roman in the eye but still refusing to break contact with his human. “You really did meet Virgil, then? And the two of us just inexplicably swapped?”

“Yeah, I did! And that means you really met Patton, right?” Roman asked.

Logan nodded, his ears turning a bit pink. “He was not as physically affectionate as you, though.”

Roman blinked before a teasing grin appeared on his face. “Aww, did someone miss our cuddle sessions? You did, didn’t you?” Roman teased, prodding Logan’s chest gently.

“I was accustomed to a certain lifestyle!” Logan protested. “It was an unexpected change that was not wholly welcome.”

“Uh huh, just admit it my little nerd, you have a secret soft spot for my cuddles. And really, who can blame you, I am the best at them after all.” Roman said, showing this by pulling Logan into another hug.

“Considering I have only been in close proximity to two humans, I doubt that title can be reasonably drawn.” Logan argued, but he leaned eagerly into the hug all the same.

Roman laughed, having missed Logan so very much. He was happy to see his borrower again. But now that the excitement was subsiding a little, Roman couldn’t help but look around the room. “Hey...where are we, anyway?”

“Ah, yes.” Logan realized now that it must look strange to Roman, despite having become familiar scenery to Logan. “This is Patton’s apartment. It would seem that, if my hunch is correct, for an unknown reason you and Patton have now switched dimensions just as I had with Virgil, resulting in you traveling here to dimension B.”

Roman blinked. “Wait, so...I’m in Virgil’s dimension right now? So no one here knows borrowers exist?”

“Well, Patton knew, and you know, obviously.” Logan thought back for a moment. “And possibly a rather confused information phone woman. Regardless, in spite of individual incidents, borrowers are not public knowledge.”

“That’s so...weird,” Roman said, taking a seat on the bed. “How do borrowers even live? Well, I mean, I know how because Virgil told me but still.” It was nice talking about this with someone who understood.

“Indeed.” Logan nodded in solidarity. “It has been quite strange, I actually woke up in his nest the first day, it’s nearly impossible to see and quite a dangerous mess in the walls. Then I could hardly go anywhere because Patton is always concerned with me being ‘discovered’, and it took forever to explain to Patton it’s more efficient to be carried from room to room.”

“Huh...well, I’m glad he didn’t hurt you at least. Not that I think he would have! From what Virgil had told me, he was really nice.” Roman explained himself. “...Although he did break Virgil’s leg when they first met…” He hadn’t forgotten about that.

“He what?” Logan said incredulously, his eyes blown wide.

“He didn’t mean to, of course. But he grabbed Virgil wrong when they first met and...broke his leg. That’s what Virgil told me, at least.” Roman explained. “And yet, even with that, Virgil still called told me I was a worse first meeting, can you believe that?”

“Did...did you harm him as well?” Logan asked cautiously.

“What? No! Of course not.” Roman pouted. “How could you ever even think that?” Roman shook his head.

“No, I just...may have scared him a bit...but in my defense, I was very worried about your wellbeing. And him claiming to have come from another world was very unbelievable...at the time, anyway.” Obviously not so much now.

“Then Virgil’s line of reasoning sounds completely illogical.” Logan frowned. “Even despite his fright, you did not cause him physical arm, while Patton caused him a serious injury.” Though Logan found it hard to believe Patton was capable of such a deed, but perhaps that could explain Patton’s hesitance towards touch.

“Yes, well...Virgil did tell me his reasoning. He claimed it was because he thought I saw him as nothing more than a...er, pet. It took a lot of explaining to convince him that he was wrong on that front.” Roman explained with a frown. “I still don’t understand how I am worse but...I will admit our first meeting could have gone...better.”

“That doesn’t excuse his response.” Logan insisted. “You were just as confused, and while I understand his fright, he is the one living the sheltered and incorrect borrower lifestyle.”

“Yes, I agree with you there.” Roman chuckled. “How about you? Was your meeting with Patton better than mine with Virgil?”

“It was tense.” Logan squinted, attempting to remember the details. “I was quite convinced he was pulling some manner of practical joke for the longest time, and when I attempted to contact you via cellular device I grew distraught. However, besides Patton occasionally breaking down in an emotional manner, I never found myself in any danger.”

Roman let out a breath of relief. “That’s good. I’m glad you’re alright.” Roman couldn’t help but hug him again.

He then stood up, walking towards the door. “Now come on, let’s go see if Patton has any food we can have for breakfast.”

“He usually does.” Logan informed him. “Patton keeps a more well-stocked kitchen than yourself.”

“Hey! I have plenty of food!” Roman argued but when he looked in the kitchen, he bit his tongue. “...Okay yes, I see what you mean.” There was a lot of food. Patton must like to cook.

“And it’s healthier.” Logan noted smugly. “You can see he actually knows to use his stove as something other than a neglected friend.”

“Oh hush, bite-sized einstein.” Roman said but with a teasing smirk. Oh, how he missed this. “I make plenty of good food.” Roman grabbed some pancake mix with his free hand, deciding that was what they were having today. He assumed Patton wouldn’t mind.

“You make edible food; that does not guarantee it has a redeemable quality.” Logan retorted with a small smile, having missed their banter as well.

Roman pouted but then came to a dilemma. He would...have to set Logan down if he wanted to cook breakfast. He bit his lip. “I...looks like I need both hands...for breakfast.”

Logan understood the situation immediately, not wanting to be put down in the slightest. “I could go on your shoulder.” He offered, pointing up. Logan was often against such a position when Roman was actively moving around, considering how easy it would be to be jostled off, but today Logan felt willing to make an exception.

Roman’s eyes lit up. “Yes, great idea!” Roman set Logan up there and was more careful with his movement as he started on breakfast. “So, you mentioned Patton wasn’t very...touchy?” He supposed it made sense, based on Virgil’s accounts.

“Indeed.” Logan confirmed, grabbing a tight hold of Roman’s collar. “It was only last night we had our first movie night with continued contact.”

“Oh? And how did that go?” Roman asked, both curious and maybe a touch jealous.

“It was better.” Logan said decidedly. “Compared to the more isolated ‘bonding’ activities. It was clear I was touch-starved, even if that is a mostly figurative concept.”

Roman blinked. “You were...oh.” Roman looked down at the cooking pancakes, eyebrows furrowed. “Well...I suppose we’ll have to fix that.” He said, reaching up with a free hand and pressing Logan against his neck.

“You already seemed quite intent on that.” Logan actually chuckled, nestling into Roman’s neck and rolling his eyes only slightly. “You have not stopped touching me since picking me up moments after your initial recognition.”

“And I do not plan on stopping any time soon! Have to make up for lost time, after all.” Roman claimed, putting the finished pancakes on a plate and heading to the table. He looked sat down but then paused. “Er...although I might have to so you can eat…”

“Does the mighty Roman really lack the imagination necessary to concoct a plan where a simple borrower can be fed without being released from his grip?” Logan challenged.

Roman blinked, before determination settled in his eyes. “What? Of course not!” He grabbed Logan off his shoulder and placed his cupped hand on the table. He then grabbed a piece of the pancake and gave it to Logan. “There,” He said smugly.

“I am unimpressed by your ingenuity.” Logan assured him, smirking as he began to eat. “That was not exactly difficult, but now you have blocked yourself from consuming food.”

Roman frowned and looked around for a solution before looking down at his shirt and smirking. “Sorry Logan, I’m afraid I’m going to have to move you into third class.” Roman all but dumped Logan into his shirt pocket with a chuckle as he then began to eat.

Logan let out a small noise of offense, a habit he had picked up after spending so much time with Roman. “This is incredibly unsanitary.” Logan huffed, continuing to eat as he certainly did not sulk.

Roman laughed, having missed Logan’s comments. “Aww come on, I washed this shirt just last week.” He joked.

“That will hardly matter after it becomes coated in pancake crumbs.” Logan couldn’t stop the smile that grew from the feeling of Roman’s laughter rumbling around him.

“Huh? Hey! No making a mess in my pockets!” Roman jokingly yelled, still chuckling. “If I find crumbs in there later, I’m making you eat it.”

“Now that seems unnecessarily cruel.” Logan’s brow furrowed.

“Well, I for one, think it’s more than fair.” Roman laughed. He paused to take a bite, his laughter dying down slightly. “...I missed this.” Roman said, a small smile on his face. Virgil was great company, don’t get him wrong but he had never fully warmed up to Roman. Not to the extent that he could joke and tease and handle like with Logan.

Logan leaned into the fabric wall that separated him from Roman’s chest, basking in the warmth and listening to the steady thumping of Roman’s heart. “I missed this as well.”

***

Patton yawned, his hand gripping tighter around the warm blanket that covered him, feeling far softer than it usually was.

Patton froze, tracing his hand along the fabric again. This was definitely not his blanket.

Slowly Patton sat up, gazing wearily around at what was clearly not his bedroom. In the corner sat a large ornate dresser, and in the other corner sat...a dollhouse?

“Logan?” Patton called out cautiously, growing worried when Logan wasn’t on the nightstand. Neither was the blanket he usually used as a little bed.

Virgil shifted and groaned as he was woken up by the sound of a different name being called. Roman must still have a bit of hope in him, that he would wake up with Logan back. But...wait, the voice hadn’t sounded like Roman. Maybe it was just his half-asleep state but it had sort of sounded like…

But no, it couldn’t be. He was still in the dollhouse. Still in Roman’s house. In Roman’s world. He wasn’t home...he was never going home. The thought alone made him want to stay in bed but he decided against it. Instead, he got out and went over to the window. “Sorry Roman, it’s still-” His voice caught in his throat as he saw the human sitting up on the bed. A human who wasn’t Roman but still a familiar one. “P-Patton?” Was he dreaming still?

Patton jumped, completely startled at the sound of that all too familiar voice. “Who said that? Virgil?” Patton dared to hope as his head darted around, scanning the room.

“Patton! Over here!” Even if this was a dream, he wasn’t going to miss a chance to see Patton again. He ran downstairs and out of the house, waving Patton over.

“Virgil?” Patton gaped incredulously, shocked at the tiny figure that emerged. He quickly darted out of bed, kneeling in front of the short table. “But- I- what were you doing in there? And where are we?”

“W-We’re in Roman’s room, I…” Virgil felt a few stray tears run down his cheeks and he wiped them away. “Are...Are you real? Is this a dream?”

“Oh, Virgil, I- no, it isn’t a dream.” Patton felt his heart aching, praying this was real. He couldn’t take it if this was just his own mind playing tricks on him. “Can I...can I touch you? I mean, to prove it?”

Virgil would almost always say no to when Patton asked him. Because he wasn’t a very touchy person, especially with someone so big. But in this instance, in this desperate need to know, he nodded.

Patton immediately wanted to scoop Virgil up, but he restrained himself and went slow, not wanting to startle Virgil. A small sob escaped him once the borrower was in his hands, tears of joy surfacing. “Oh, Virgil, you have no idea how much I missed you.”

Virgil gasped as the actual real feeling of hands slowly picked him up. He brushed his hand over the nearby thumb, more tears leaking from his eyes. “This is real…” He whispered, looking up at Patton. “You’re...P-Patton, I-I thought I would never see you again.”

“Same here, kiddo.” Patton held Virgil gently to his chest, shaking as he tried to give the borrower the best hug possible.

Virgil did his best to hug back, relishing in the touch he knew was Patton. His best friend. “But-But how are you even here? This is Roman’s world.”

“I don’t know, I just woke up here.” At the mention of Roman, Patton pulled Virgil back, looking over the borrower with a worried eye. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? I mean are you alright?”

Virgil smiled. “I’m fine, I promise. It...It was a rough start.” He winced at the memories. “But we’re okay now. I’d even say we’re...friends.” Speaking of though, it didn’t seem like Roman was anywhere in sight and considering Patton woke up in Roman’s bed… “I think you and Roman must have switched places this time.

“You really think so?” Patton glanced back at the bed, still a mess from when Patton rushed out. “Well, I hope so. I know Logan was really missing him.”

“I’m going to go with yes. Which makes all this make even less sense.” Virgil mumbled, pushing his hair back. “It’s starting to seem like this switching business is random or something…” He shook his head. “But you know what? Who cares, you’re here and that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah...here.” Patton slowly remembered all that Logan had said. “Is all that stuff really true? Are borrowers really...um…” rather than finish his statement, Patton just made a sort of hand gesture to try and get his words across.

Virgil winced. “Yeah...but from what Roman said...I think it’s a lot better than what I initially thought. I thought borrowers were pets but...it’s more complicated than that.” Virgil kind of wished Roman was here so the human could explain everything better.

“What do you mean?” Patton pressed, remembering Logan trying to explain the same thing.

“Roman was saying that there are a lot of steps in order to get a borrower. Like interviews and all that stuff. It’s always up to the humans, in the end, but Roman claims there’s hardly been a case where the borrowers and the humans don’t reach an understanding…” Virgil did his best to explain. “It still doesn’t sit quite right with me but...it’s not the worst outcome, I guess.”

“Me neither, but I’m glad you’re okay.” Patton tried not to think about what might be happening outside these four walls.

“Yeah, Roman is one of the good ones, I’m happy to say.” Virgil said with a smile. “How about we get some breakfast in us and then we can...figure out what we’re going to do.”

“Alright, sounds good.” Patton paused, remembering how Logan liked to be carried but Virgil had always wanted to walk. He felt almost as unsure as when he first found Virgil. “Um, do you want to walk? Or I can give you a lift, if you want.”

“A lift would actually be great right now.” Yes, being able to walk on his own would be nice too but he just wanted to be close to Patton right now.

“Alright, sounds good kiddo.” Patton nodded, carefully standing up. “Logan actually preferred that, if you can believe it. It was...different.”

“Really? I mean...I guess it kind of makes sense, from what Roman said about him. I just always had a hard time believing it. Different is one word for it.” Virgil commented, still not understanding how a borrower could like the constant touches. Sure, once every now and again but all the time? And by Roman? It was overwhelming, to say the least.

Patton walked towards the kitchen, still a bit thrown off by the image of Virgil in his hands for so long; of course, if Patton had his way he’d be holding Virgil for a while still. He never wanted his little friend to disappear on him again.

“Did, ah, did Roman carry you?” Patton asked, trying to keep his tone light.

“Yes, all the time,” Virgil answered, running a hand through his hair. “Like...all the time. He was very hands-on and grabby but...he was also gentle-at least after our first meeting-so I guess it wasn’t too bad. Still overwhelming though.”

“And you were okay with that?” Patton frowned. “Did you try telling him off, did he listen?”

“I did try, at least at first, but no he didn’t really listen.” Virgil shrugged. “I kind of gave up near the end cause that’s just how Roman is.”

Patton paused, for a moment too furious to keep walking.

“...well that doesn’t sound very nice.” Patton muttered, a bitter edge to his voice as he entered the kitchen.

Virgil put his hands up. “Whoa, Pat, it’s okay. It was fine, really! That’s just how things go here. I guess borrowers here never really…walk anywhere? They probably don’t even know how to climb. They rely on humans to be able to get places. Besides, Roman did have a point. It, uh, was faster.”

“Well just because it’s faster doesn’t mean you should have to do it.” Patton huffed, but his tone had softened slightly as he gave Virgil a fond look. “Slow and steady can win the race too. It should be about what makes you the most comfortable.”

Virgil chuckled and smiled up at Patton, returning the fond look. “And that’s why you are and will always be my favorite human.”

Patton’s heart jumped for joy, and he gave Virgil a teasing grin. “Aww, I’m your favorite human?” For a while, Patton had been his only human.

Virgil chuckled. “I mean, compared to Roman there really is no competition in the first place but...yeah, Pat. You really are. No matter how many humans I meet-which I hope stays at three and never goes up.”

Patton paused, his hands hovering above the counter. “...three?”

Virgil blinked. “Oh! Yeah, Roman took me out to a diner and I technically met the waitress there. She was nice but still not compared to you.”

“Uh-huh.” Patton bit down lightly on his tongue, trying to decide what to say as he set Virgil down. “That's ...nice? What...what happened? What was that like? How?”

“It was...nerve-racking, for sure.” Virgil admitted, remembering how terrified he was. “But...well Roman and I actually ended up having fun? It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Since people here know about borrowers, no one batted an eye at me. They even had tiny utensils and silverware and tiny portions for borrowers. It was kind of cool, actually.”

“Well that does sound pretty neat.” Patton agreed, even if the idea of bringing Virgil out in public still made him anxious. In fact, the idea of leaving Roman’s apartment at all was nerve-racking, considering it could be a whole other world out there.

“Okay, breakfast.” Patton clapped his hands together, before beginning to open cabinet doors at random. “What’re you hungry for?”

Virgil shrugged. “I’m good with anything. What does Roman have?”

“...great question.” Patton laughed awkwardly, trying to orient himself in the new space.

Virgil tried to peer up at the cupboards that Patton has opened. “Hmm...try that one. I saw Roman get food out of that one before.” He pointed.

“Aha!” Patton gave a triumphant grin, pulling out a single cardboard box. “Mac and cheese!”

Virgil chuckled. “Knew Roman had to have had something in there.” He joked.

“I mean, it’s not a typical breakfast food, but I think it’s fine.” Patton shrugged, now scouring for a pan.

Virgil sat down, feet hanging off the edge of the counter. “So...do you think we’re stuck here?”

Patton focused on his prep work. “I...don’t know. Maybe? It’s kind of strange it keeps happening though.”

“Yeah...it was already weird when it was just Logan and I. But now you and Roman switched? It doesn’t make any sense. What’s even the cause of this?” Virgil asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought it over.

“We couldn’t figure it out. Logan and I tried researching a bit.” Patton explained.

“Yeah, so did Roman and I and nothing came up. I have a feeling this is the first time it’s happened...well, second time now, I guess.” Virgil corrected himself. “It’s just so weird...how are we going to get back home?”

“I don’t think we will- I think either we’ll be thrown there by accident, or…” Patton’s phrase dwindled off, looking around the room. “We live here now, I guess.”

Virgil looked around too. “Man, that’s weird to think about.” He muttered, despite having come to terms with it already, it was different now that Patton was here with him. “I mean...at least we have each other.”

“Right.” Patton nodded, giving a determined smile. “And together, we can do anything.”

[ohhgingersnaps]

Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19

Hi y’all! I’m seeing some posts floating around about hydroxychloroquine and I just want to present some data, because there is a bunch of misinformation out there and I think it’s good and important to be well-informed!

Obviously, part of the issue here is that COVID-19 is such a new disease and researchers just don’t have answers to a lot of questions. That’s how science works! Unfortunately, right now that means that we’re trying to make decisions while we’re also in the process of gathering data and figuring out how this disease works, so the recommendations keep shifting as new information comes in. Sawbones actually recently did this great episode on how to interpret a lot of the information/misinformation out there. They give a ton of useful info about what the different types of medical studies are (prospective vs. retrospective vs. case study), how to tell how reliable a journal article is, and so on. They also did a really great episode on hydroxychloroquine specifically (although that episode was aired in April, so we probably have newer information than what they discussed).

TL;DR There are a lot of articles out there (I’ve collected a bunch of them here). Almost all of the reliable ones I’ve found conclude that hydroxychloroquine isn’t effective in helping reduce COVID symptoms, but all of the data is still very preliminary due to the evolving nature of the situation.

Long post with a ton of references under the cut!!

A few important definitions and notes for looking at the following studies (info about the different types of studies pulled from here)...

A prospective study is the most reliable type, and it’s the type of study you probably think of when you think about a clinical trial. You take a sample population and assess their risk factors before they’re ill, and then you administer medicine/placebos, study, and collect information about the population as time progresses.

A retrospective study is based on data collected after the fact. This is still really useful, but it can sometimes become problematic if it depends on the memory of the people involved.

A case study is based on one specific person’s experience. It’s definitely better than a Twitter or Facebook post about someone’s personal experience with the virus because the story itself has been properly researched, analyzed, and vetted for inaccuracies, but one instance is never enough to provide solid data. [edit: solid enough data for policy-making, I mean.]

Things published on preprint servers (like MedRxiv) have not been peer-reviewed. This doesn’t mean that everything in those papers is a lie, but the test methods, gathered information, conclusions, and analysis of data haven’t been reviewed by other researchers to determine whether it makes sense, so always take papers published on these types of platforms with a grain of salt!

Some journals are more reliable than others, but it’s often hard to tell which ones are which if you’re not a researcher in the journal’s particular field. One useful metric is often impact factor (calculated based on how often the journal is cited vs how many articles are published), although sometimes that’s unreliable because the impact factor is usually also smaller for journals that deal with more specific fields of study. If the article itself is cited a lot, that’s also usually a good sign of reliability.

Here is just some of the Official Info (TM) I’ve been able to find...

FDA cautions against use... -- This is a press release from the FDA telling people not to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID treatments outside of a clinical trial, due to the potential for negative side effects. An FDA review of the potentially life-threatening side effects can be found here.

NIH halts clinical trials -- This isn’t an actual paper, it’s a press release, but it’s from the NIH website so I’m including it. They concluded mid-trial that hydroxychloroquine wasn’t a useful treatment and stopped the study Some more info on the study can be found on the page, although a detailed paper hasn’t been released.

The RECOVERY Initiative -- Similar to the NIH trials, these tests were stopped due to perceived lack of drug efficacy. Some additional info on the study is here. The study is associated with the University of Oxford, and their results for some other treatments are published in the New England Journal Of Medicine (NEJM) here.

And a few papers that found little to no impact on recovery...

Hydroxychloroquine with or without Azithromycin in Mild-to-Moderate Covid-19 -- The NEJM is considered highly reliable and is often cited as one of the most reliable medical journals, with an impact factor of 70.670. This is a randomized clinical trial with 667 patients. The study concludes that hydroxychloroquine does not make a significant difference in the status of patients 15 days after the drug is administered.

Hydroxychloroquine in Nonhospitalized Adults With Early COVID-19 -- I’d consider this journal reliable; its impact factor is 21.317, but it’s the most commonly cited journal in its subfield. This is a randomized double-blind trial on 491 patients with placebos. They found that there wasn’t a significant effect on non-hospitalized people with COVID symptoms and likely exposure. (Unfortunately only half had a positive test confirmation from a lab, due to the testing shortage in the US.)

Another randomized controlled study indicating no benefits in 293 non-hospitalized patients.

A paper in favor of its use...

Treatment with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and combination in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 -- Not a doctor, so I’m not sure about the reliability of this journal. Like, it’s published by Elsevier, but its impact factor is 3.202, which feels really low to me, so...? I’m mostly including it because I want to be balanced, and this is the article I see quoted most often in support of this drug’s use. This actually does show some improvement in the death rates of patients treated after hospitalization, with a 13% (with) vs. 26.4% (without) death rate. This is a retrospective study on 2,541 patients, but a lot of their other conclusions also run contrary to established data (ex. they report Caucasian patients as having a higher death rate). This press release has a good summary of the info in the paper.

And an interesting bonus! (Incidentally, I think Sawbones also discusses this case in their misinformation episode.)

The infamous retracted article in the Lancet -- The Lancet is probably one of the most widely-regarded medical journals, and a similar article by many of the same authors was retracted from NEJM around the same time. This study used a massive database of information on patients (Surgisphere). Interestingly, this study actually showed a negative impact on survivability, but questions about the reliability of the data arose and as a result, the paper was retracted by a majority of the authors. I include this to show the efficacy of the scientific process. We’re human beings and so the process definitely isn’t objective or perfect (the article was published in the first place, after all) but ideally, we should be calling each other out for incorrect or faulty data.

So most scientists aren’t saying that we know this drug doesn’t work! But touting it as a cure, when most of the reliable data so far is either inconclusive or negative, is actually harmful, for three reasons.

Hydroxychloroquine can cause serious, long-lasting side effects, especially if you’re not careful. Misrepresenting it as a cure will lead some people to seek it out, even outside of the clinical trials in the hospital; at least one person has already died from doing this.

As Sydnee points out in the Sawbones episode, the drug itself is necessary for some people with ongoing medical conditions (lupus, arthritis, etc), and unnecessary shortages of the drug will negatively impact them.

People keep spinning this as some “secret cure” that doctors don’t want people to know about. This makes people more likely to indulge risky behavior or disregard professional medical advice, which actively puts themselves and others at risk. Honestly, this sort of mistrust of experts is part of why the US doesn’t have this situation as under control as other countries do.

I’m a scientist but I’m definitely not a medical expert, so if anyone has corrections or additions, please feel free to add them!

[cyberneticpeoplespolis]

On Blockading

A treatise on NVDA tactics from a Marxist perspective.

Update: 2019 edition!

I’m updating “On Blockading” for several reasons: For starters; this post got more popular than I could have predicted and that carries with it a greater responsibility to give up-to-date advice. There have also been several developments in Direct Action tactics in Aotearoa since I wrote this: the Weapons Expo has been officially kicked out of New Zealand thanks, in part, to the success of the 2018 blockade I wrote about here. I’ve also been a part of subsequent movements like the Ihumaatao campaign where Direct Action tactics were once again used. These experiences, as well as finding out how horrendously incorrect some parts of this guide were, meant I needed to revisit this piece and bring it up to date.

An introduction to NVDA in New Zealand Non-Violent Direct Action is the backbone of several movements in Aotearoa, a long and proud tradition that has historically seen successes in anti-nuclear proliferation, anti-racism, indigenous rights and anti-imperialism. 

When US warships threatened to bring nuclear-capable missiles to NZ, community organisers built boats in their backyards, or got their rich friends drunk enough to agree to lend a yacht, so that they could amass a flotilla to harass US Navy submarines and missile cruisers. The blockades grew so successful (in part thanks to the sheer inability of the NZ Police to acquire adequate boats) that public pressure resulted in Nuclear-free legislation that amounted to a policy against port visits by major US Warships. When the Government’s resolve weakened and a visit by the nuclear-capable USS Buchanan seemed likely, it was once again groups of blockaders who forced the state’s hand into enforcing the Nuclear Free policy.

In 1981, a tour by Apartheid South Africa’s Springbok rugby team prompted a nationwide anti-racist movement that effectively halted the tour at several points through the use of Direct Action tactics. Organisers studied tactics from overseas closely, and developed several innovative solutions to state violence. Makeshift helmets and armor were common where clashes with the Police were likely, and the last test in the tour came to an abrupt end when Marx Jones flew a light aircraft over the pitch, dropping bombs made of flour and paper bags.

However the Springbok tour also showed the other side of NVDA. Many organisers suffered concussions, PTSD and other injuries and trauma that prevented them from continuing to work. A whole generation of talented activists were taken out of commission by targeted beatings and arrests - a sobering reminder that no matter how innovative our tactics are, the State retains a monopoly on violence, and will use it mercilessly when needed. Since the late 80s, NVDA has continued under the banner of the Peace movement, which remained strong but was ultimately sent into decline somewhat by the total devastation of NZ Unions between 1984 and 1991. The peace movement has been comprised of a mish-mash of anarchist, catholic worker, Tino Rangatiratanga activists, church groups and other miscellaneous community organisations. It also had a strong Marxist component from the early days right up until the global collapse of socialist groups in the 90s. 

NVDA In 21st Century Aotearoa

In Aotearoa the main site of struggle that involved NVDA was the repeated attempt by peace activists to prevent the New Zealand Defense Industry Association from hosting trade conferences with major arms manufacturers, aviation companies, shipbuilders and private security firms. These forums, known as the “Weapon’s Expo” or “Wexpo,” happened yearly, usually around October, ever since the purchase of ANZAC navy frigates in the 1980s until the cancellation of the 2019 Wexpo. While in 2018, in the face of increasing public scrutiny, the event organisers claimed to not be showcasing any weapons, media access was restricted, and even if weapons were not conspicuously on display, delegates were still free to deal in them, or make profits on innocuous items that could be reinvested into arms manufacturing. 

In 2018, despite a distant location, bad weather, vastly increased police presence, road checkpoints, extensive defensive barriers, intimidation tactics and fewer activists, we were still able to shut down the conference for many hours each day, using creative tactics.

The remainder of this treatise is an exposition and refinement of the tactics used in our blockades of the 2018 Weapons Expo in Palmerston North. I write this both for domestic comrades who weren’t able to attend, and for international comrades who may be able to apply some of our tactics in an increasingly unpredictable world. 

Blockade Tactics

In previous years, blockades were conducted in loose affinity groups centred around contingents from various left organisations. These groups were often uncoordinated, but also very fluid, hard to disperse, and generally able to cause chaos. Unfortunately these tactics were not always effective at keeping activists safe, and the arrest and injury rate at previous years was unacceptable. 

During the debrief after the first day of blockades, our group reached a number of conclusions, especially after other groups commented on our cohesiveness and discipline. This was because we recognised the need for set roles within the group - namely, a coordinator, a radio operator, and a scout. The coordinator is able to make tactical decisions, the radio operator is able to devote full attention to staying in touch with other groups, and the scout is able to keep an eye on the overall situation away from the action. These three set roles needed to be known by the whole group, and needed to keep their distance from major actions so that they could continue doing their job. 

The blockade team on the other hand was comprised of activists willing to directly confront police, and entrust any major decision making to the coordinator. This authority was necessary as most NVDA tactics require a degree of discipline so that individuals do not break a line, such as by stepping back from the action without finding a replacement.

In addition to the roles, we realised that some basic commands were necessary: these were:

Spread out: The blockade group disperses

Come Together: The blockade group converges

Lock: The blockade group locks arms and forms a tight line

Starfish: The blockade group lays down on the ground

We found it necessary for all group members to repeat the command as soon as they heard it so that all members could hear the call. We will now go into the tactics associated with the latter two commands.

Locking versus Police Lines

On the first day of action, after pulling down the first defensive barrier, we were confronted with the first police line. This included officers from the so-called “grab squads” who were identifiable by their black gloves, and were tasked with randomised arrests. Luckily, enough of the activists present had been trained in the correct way to lock arms and defend against a police line. Turning away from the police (if you are facing away you're less likely to be falsely accused of assault), we locked elbows, with our fists facing inwards. Our group split into the blockading team, and the coordinators - the radio op, coordinator and scout - as supporters outside the line were necessary to keep an eye on developments. 

This formation was effective at preventing the easy arrest of random members (although one was pulled out successfully). However, it cannot hold indefinitely - the police are allowed to touch you, but the lightest tap on their shoulder is grounds for an assault charge. This prevents the line from simply pushing back. Ultimately it is an extremely passive formation that is only good for temporary delays. To counter the police line, you must make the police fear that their line cannot contain the crowd, however this is only applicable in situations where Police aren’t likely to simply panic and start assaulting people, such as a situation where there is considerable media coverage. Building up a force of activists on the flanks, while the police are spread out evenly across the road, creates a situation where the police will fear that you are going to be able to push through. In a situation where their duty is to protect something behind them, they will usually retreat to a narrower choke point if they cannot maintain a line.  Successful applications of NVDA aren’t about passivity - it is about actively making the police have to reconsider their tactics by adapting to changes. The basic strategy is outlined below.

Starfishing versus convoys. In a situation where the police are trying to move a cargo (in our case, weapons company delegates), it is often necessary to stop vehicles in the road. The most effective method of using bodies to block a vehicle that we have found is the Starfish. Although, like many NVDA tactics, it assumes your opponent has a conscience - in practice, the drivers were sometimes willing to threaten the lives of activists in order to deliver the delegates on time. 

The starfish constitutes four or more activists either sitting or prone on the road, arms interlocked in a circle facing inward or outward. Prone starfish usually result in the police pulling at activist’s legs, while sitting starfish are easier to pull apart at the arms. In order for a starfish to work - there needs to be effective support teams around them. The starfishing action is pretty hard on everyone’s bodies - not only are your elbows, hips or knees on hard bitumen, but police are often pulling at legs, hair or arms. The support team needs to be bringing water, filming police violence, informing drivers of their legal responsibilities (to not put protesters in danger), and keeping an eye on the situation and radios. In addition, support activists must get around the back of the vehicle to prevent reversing. Cars, lock-ons and other actions can all support the starfish.

Mobile Groups Due to the number of activists involved in a blockade group, it can be difficult to load everyone into cars and keep mobile. Drivers get lost or lag behind, members don’t hear the call to pull back, and generally the group will lose cohesion after a few hours of action. Larger blockade groups therefore were more effective on foot, where they could find strength in numbers, and individual car-loads of activists could not become separated. This also created issues on the first day. Police convoys were able to follow unusual routes to get to the venue, and for a while, the police had the initiative and could choose when and where to confront us. All struggle is about regaining the initiative - choosing your battles and turning passive or reactive action into unexpected action.  To keep mobile, and to help us strike in locations the police didn’t expect, we found it necessary to create rolling blockade groups, that were centred not on a large group of activists, but rather an eight-seat van. These vans are relatively common, and many activist groups will have access to at least one or two. And from our experience, just one was a very potent force. On the second day, the police forces were gathered early in the morning around the arena. The previous day had been centred around the eastern entrances to the stadium, so roughly a hundred police were patrolling the eastern street. What they did not expect was for mobile blockade teams to arrive at the starting point for their convoys rather than the destination!

The van’s objective was to be relayed information on convoys by the scouts to the radio operator, the navigator would plot the estimated movements of a bus, and find a location to intercept it. The driver would approach the convoy as it moved towards the Weapons Expo and block its path forward. In the confusion, the two “blockers” exited the van and blocked the forward and back routes, while the van rolled up alongside the bus. The van was equipped with a ladder, firmly attached to a pallet on the roof. The ladder was lowered onto the bus, where a climber, assisted by another activist holding the ladder and any supplies they might need, would board the roof of the bus. The blockers would then inform the driver that they had been boarded, and it would be illegal to move until they come down. This process is displayed below.

The bus, now relatively immobilised, would have to wait for the police to arrive with ladders before proceeding. This gave blockade teams the time to get to the bus on foot and prevent any police counteraction. These tactics were more effective than our wildest expectations - for example, just one of these mobile blockade vans was able to stop three buses of delegates (perhaps 120 people overall) from leaving their hotels! All with only eight activists. 

Criticisms of NVDA

NVDA is not Adventurism

The criticism that direct action constitutes an “Adventurism” has its roots in several conflicts in the 19th century, in particular conflicts between Marxists and advocates of Bakuninist programmes, ie. those which emphasise spontaneity, strikes and direct action rather than the prior building of party structures.

An article by Lenin - Revolutionary Adventurism - that appeared in Iskra in 1902 illustrates this well. In it, Lenin denounces the defense of terrorism offered by the Narodnik Socialist-Revolutionaries, who had advocated for a campaign of assassinations against Tsarist ministers... Already we can begin to see the false equivalency central to accusations of adventurism, NVDA is obviously totally dissimilar to terrorist assassinations.

The central point of Lenin’s criticism is that he refutes the SR’s claim that terrorist activities are able to transfer power from the state to the revolutionaries. He is correct in that it doesn’t follow that blowing up a minister would result in growth of the revolutionary movement, or that that minister’s power would somehow be gained through a destructive act. In this instance there is no transference of power, and so we can begin to see why a critique of NVDA as adventurism formed on the left - can we be sure that NVDA helps to build the revolutionary movement? This is a valid question that we should be asking, but in practice I think it is obvious. NVDA actions are, at their best, blockades of state apparatuses, or private interests that support the repressive apparatuses of the state. If we’re to make private industry grind to a halt, it's clear that we will need to eventually block the choke points of capital. But before that, do blockades assist in building the movement? It is clear that we can’t jump ahead to blocking off key industries in our tiny numbers, so is there a form of blockade that is effective, not only at wounding the state, but also building our own power?

To this I would offer our own experiences as an organisation engaged in NVDA as an example of blockading as a means of building the movement. NVDA, when done well, is not the actions of a small group of professionalised activists, but rather an expression of worker’s sentiment towards repression, it can also weaken the state (by preventing the army and police from effectively operating), build the experience of the organisation for later decisive blockades and galvanise public sentiment against the state (wherever undue repression is seen). None of these statements are true of the adventurist terrorism that Lenin denounced, and unlike the actions of the SRs, our participation in blockades involved a clear transference of power, and came at little cost to our organisations.

NVDA is not the same as Pacifism

As socialists, we are rarely pacifists. We recognise that the state, at its essence, is simply the police and army, and as such it comprises a tool of class repression. At a certain point, dangers to the capitalist class will be dealt with with violence, and we can’t fail to defend our friends and comrades simply because of vague moralistic sentiments. That being said, we should recognise that, at the current stage, pacifists have a lot to contribute to the struggle, and we are not yet at a stage where the state can operate unfettered by middle class morality. The media operates as a means for middle class morality to interfere with struggle - and this can either be to the benefit or the detriment of a worker’s movement depending on whether we are seen as active or passive actors in any struggle. Since middle class morality seeks to preserve the status-quo, it values passivity in the face of violence. For these reasons, if socialists are operating in a media-heavy environment, it sometimes helps to be seen as passive victims of police violence. We usually are anyway.

That being said, since NVDA often seeks to directly interfere with the everyday operations of capitalism, it is almost never seen as pacifistic by the media. The violence and anger of protesters is emphasised even when it is clear that the police are beating them and not vice-versa. Nonetheless, until middle class morality breaks down completely (as it will in a crisis), NVDA is our only means of direct strategic interference in production and exchange without bringing down the full force of the state on our movement. This is different to the popular conception of pacifism as passivity in the face of danger.

NVDA in future.

I hope that this post inspires comrades to pursue NVDA in areas where a direct intervention in the apparatuses of capital is necessary to build power and further the struggle. What the people of Aotearoa achieved is truly remarkable and it is doubtful that the NZDIA will be able to continue funding conferences like this in the future. In a world where the state apparatuses will only grow more brutal we need to begin taking action in meaningful ways - not as an individual display of adventurism, but as a mass movement capable of strangling the neck of capitalism in our home.

[nouveauweird]

do you have any recs for learning about screenwriting / how to screenwrite? i'm one of those writers who kind of sees things like a movie and i'm wondering if things would work out better for me with a new medium. thanks in advance!

I hope you’ve got some time to read all of this because it got really frickin’ long.

I was introduced to screenwriting in a Writing Lab in college and followed suit into a Screenwriting IA (Integrative Activity, where students demonstrate what they’ve learned over the course of their studies in the Cinema and Communications program). 

So admittedly, most of what I learned was from two teachers who already knew their stuff and worked in the industry. However, I was so interested in pursuing screenwriting once I’d fallen in love with it, that I bought all the “optional” resource books my Screenwriting teacher had recommended. 

The Screenwriter’s Manual: A Complete Reference of Format and Style by Stephen E. Bowles, Ronald Mangravite, and Peter A. Zorn Jr. really has the basics for what you need to learn how to get into screenwriting. It is available on Amazon for a range of prices. 

I also read significantly through The Screenwriter’s Problem Solver: How to recognize, identify, and define screenwriting problems by Syd Field and to be honest it can actually be useful for any kind of story writer, as I perused it and applied some of its content to a few films I found were really poorly executed. 

I own, but have not significantly perused:

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee 

My uncle who is a screenwriter recommended highly, I personally haven’t dived in yet because the McKee has a stupid disclaimer about why he chose to use He pronouns to refer to the writer throughout the book which was a bit irritating so I just covered it with a sticky note and let it sit for a while.

Writing Short Films: Structure and Content for Screenwriters by Linda J. Cowgill

*Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark.

*Showing & Telling by Laurie Alberts

*Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg (currently reading)

*Take Off Your Pants! : Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker. 

* = not screenwriting specific, general writing.

Two other books that come highly recommended by both of my uncles who work in the industry are: Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, and Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field.

Since I didn’t learn this completely on my own, I don’t have many online resources, but a quick google search of “Basic Screenwriting Format” should yield you some decent results. HERE is one I found, which has a few book recommendations in it as well. Airtable has resources for screenwriting as well but I am not as familiar with it, search “screenwriting” in the template section.

Here’s what I can recommend right off the bat, sign up for Celtx. It has free and paid subscription services, and you can keep 3 projects on your account at a time, but you can also just download them as PDF’s to free up space and reupload them later and the format will be in tact. Scrivener also has a screenwriting word processor, but it’s a (one time) paid program. 

There are many other word processors for screenwriting, but the best for beginners is Celtx. Most processors these days do the formatting for you, unlike 10-20+ years ago when you had to figure that shit out yourself. All you have to do is get familiar with where everything goes. 

Which brings me to the next part of my answer…

A Screenwriting Crash Course 

For a whole fucking load more of information, look under the cut.

First and foremost, I think it’s important to understand that the narrative description / action / description (all terms used interchangeably) is written in present tense 3rd person, and that you should focus on describing exclusively on what can be SEEN and HEARD. You should also try to be as concise and brief as possible. I found this was quite freeing because while I do love the metaphorical descriptions in prose, screenwriting is a very snappy and visual medium to write in. 

Another thing to understand is that beyond learning the basic formatting rules of screenwriting, you can pretty much bullshit formatting you’re not sure about. I’ve read many screenplays where certain elements were not consistent, such as whether or not the writer chooses to put their characters’ names in CAPS every single time (you should at least do so when the character is first introduced).

It’s actually really easy to find scripts of your favourite films online with a quick google search, it might take practice but I’ve managed to build a decent collection of screenplays that I like to read and get an eye for certain formatting tricks that won’t be in a “how to” book. Screenplays also read very quickly. There’s a general rule of 1:1 for page:minute, meaning 1 page is usually equal to one minute of screen time, and if not, it usually averages out.

I’m going to pull some quotes from The Screenwriter’s Manual to give you a bit of an idea of where you can start: pg 25 - 44, 49 - 63

You can find photos of the table of contents HERE if you’d like to message me directly with specific questions, I’d be happy to send you photos of the section you want. 

The Staging

The first component in the scene line [or slug line] provides the most basic information about the set-up for the scene.

The staging is ALWAYS abbreviated and followed by a period. There are only two choices for a scene: 

INT. for an interior set, informing the reader that the scene takes place in an inside environment

EXT. for an exterior set, specifying an outside environment. 

1. The Location

The second component in the scene line is the location in which the scene takes place. 

The location follows the INT. or EXT. designation and is separated from it by two character spaces [most screenwriting processors will do this automatically].

Do not abbreviate any words in the location component of the scene line. For example,

INT. APARTMENT is correct, and INT. APT. is incorrect.

VERY IMPORTANT

It is absolutely essential that every specific location be distinguished from every other location. 

If Joe lives in an apartment, then you can call that location INT. APARTMENT But if, in the same screenplay, Bob also has an apartment you can no longer use INT. APARTMENT as a location for Bob’s apartment.

To eliminate confusion, one solution is to call each apartment location by the resident’s name: INT. JOE’S APARTMENT and INT. BOB’S APARTMENT

Once a specific location has been identified in the scene line, all subsequent scenes taking place in that location MUST be identified in exactly the same way.

FIRST NOTE:

The location identifies where the activity and dialogue take place…

… if John lives in a multi-room apartment and John is currently in his bedroom (so that other rooms are concealed from view), then the scene line must read, INT. JOHN’S BEDROOM or INT. JOHN’S APARTMENT, BEDROOM

[If the action moves from one location to another there are different ways to indicate it; one would be to created a new scene line to indicate the new location, or to indicate the new location in the description like “John walks out of his bedroom and into the LIVING ROOM”. ]

…

FOURTH NOTE

A scene line can take either of two common variations: 

Most often, the scene line will define a specific location, such as INT. JOHN’S LIVING ROOM which limits the field of view to the area where the “camera” is placed.

If the scene takes place in a more generalized location, you can write it as an open scene, such as EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS … By identifying the scene in a generalized way, you are indicating that it is not important to your narrative to identify precisely where on the campus this scene takes place.

THE TIME

The third component of the scene line indicates the general time at which the scene begins. 

The time follows the location and is separated from it by a character space, then a dash, and then another character space.

[ example: INT. JOHN’S HOUSE, ATTIC - DAY ]

The time component of the scene line is most typically specified as a simple DAY or NIGHT. However, the time component can define a more precise period of the day or night. For example, DAWN, MORNING, AFTERNOON, RUSH HOUR, etc.

… You CANNOT specify an exact time, such as 3:30 PM, in the scene line. If such a specific time is required, you need to [include it in your description]…

When there is no lapse of time from one scene to the next, the time element in the scene line could simply be, CONTINUOUS. … if the time lapse is very brief, then you could use something like, MOMENTS LATER, A FEW MINUTES LAYER

AN EXEMPTION:

If a scene takes place in a location in which there is no way to gauge the visible time (DAY or NIGHT), then that element is omitted from the scene line.

ADDING SPECIFICS TO THE SCENE LINE

IDENTIFYING HISTORICAL PERIOD

[example EXT. PARIS, FRANCE - DAY (1946)

EXT. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DAY (1920′s)]

INDICATING A MOBILE SITUATION

If a scene opens with a moving vehicle within the location, then that can be indicated in the scene line. For example… INT. JOHN’S CAR - DAY (MOVING)

2. ACTION or [DESCRIPTION]

Description imparts the necessary detail to the essentials of the scene, describing such features as the characters, sets, props, and any necessary action and sound cues. 

It is generally best to keep the level of detail focused on the actions and dialogue that comprise the narrative. That is where your attention and the reader’s interest should be directed. 

By describing the particular props and decor in a scene and how each character dresses or grooms, you can suggest such character information as personality type, emotional condition, religious affiliation, economic level, artistic taste, and for forth.

First, establish the scene, describing only what is visually apparent in the location and giving only as much detail as necessary. 

You cannot describe anything that cannot be seen… until they have been revealed. 

You do not need to itemize things that are generic and would ordinarily be present, such as furnishings, colours, arrangements, [etc]…

However you MUST specify anything that is unusual or essential to the scene. 

[ My uncle imparted me with a great tip; screenwriting doesn’t maintain traditional prose rules about paragraphs. You should try to keep your descriptions a maximum of four lines, and feel free to break them up into one-line or even one-word for emphasis.]

… 

VERY IMPORTANT: 

You can only convey what is happening at the moment… [No what has happened or what will happen]. 

You CANNOT provide any biographical, psychological, or situational information [about your characters] unless you can find visual means to do so (such as a newspaper article, a television program, [etc.])…

INTRODUCING CHARACTERS

Each character must be introduced in the description the first time [they] physically appear in the screenplay. This includes not only major characters, but also supporting characters and even minor characters and groups that function as characters. 

NAMING CHARACTERS

When a character is introduced, [their] name is ALWAYS typed in ALL CAPS regardless of whether the character is identified by a proper name, a profession, or an appearance… EVANS, AGENT ONE, DERELICT…

Once a character has been introduced, all subsequent references to that character’s name in the description should be written in a normal manner with initial caps… Evans, Agent One, Derelict… 

DESCRIBING CHARACTERS

As the screenwriter, you know who is a major character and who is a supporting or minor character because you have the entire story in your mind. The reader, however, is in a different situation.

… The amount of detail you provide about a character’s appearance and demeanor will give the reader a key to that character’s important in the script. 

As a guide, when characters are introduced, you need to make clear how important each is going to be by tailoring the description and context accordingly.

[ You should describe their appearance and what they are doing when you introduce your characters. There are many different formats to describe a character when you are introducing them, and none of them are the hard and fast rule, you will probably end up settling for your own preferred method].

WARREN EVANS, late twenties, intense, handsome with closely cropped hair and a neatly trimmed moustache, is working with cool precision at one of the hundreds of banks of wiring terminals. he is dressed in coveralls and wearing thin latex gloves.

A VARIATION:

A character’s age can also be assigned a numerical designation, such as…

WARREN EVANS (late 20s), ruggedly handsome, dressed in… 

Seated at the table is CINDY LEWIS, late 20s and very attractive…

[ Generally you should only mention eye colour, skin colour, height, weight, hair style/colour if it is relevant to the narrative. ]

WORDS THAT GET CAPPED

In addition to using CAPS to introduce characters in the description, there are established conventions for other elements that need to be typed in CAPS but only if they affect the narrative…

Those elements include: 

all essential costumes, props and decorany important action, effects, or emphasisany required music or sounds

Although some of the following instances require CAPPING, many will be judgement decisions. 

FIRST NOTE:

You CANNOT identify every costume, prop, or decor on the set. Ordinary objects that have no special significance to the narrative should be left [ in normal text].

SECOND NOTE:

… if a certain prop is important to the story, you should CAP it when it first appears, regardless of whether it is important to that particular scene.

WHEN TO CAP AND WHEN NOT TO CAP

CAPPED words can be effective only if they are used sparingly and appropriately, if CAPPED words are used too frequently, their significance will be lost.

3. THE DIALOGUE-BLOCK

The dialogue element, [also] called the dialogue-block, of the screenplay format consists of three components:

the character-name specifies which character is speaking…the dialogue reveals what is being said by that charactera parenthetical, when necessary, instructs [or indicated an element of] how or to whom the character [is speaking].                           EVANS                 (to the group)   Sorry I’m late. This round’s on me.

GENERAL RULES

ALWAYS contains the character-name and dialogue, and it MAY, if helpful, also contain parentheticals.is ALWAYS single spaced with no blank lines that internally separate the individual componentsis ALWAYS preceded and followed by a single blank line

[ Parentheticals should not be used too often, you should be attempting to provide context for how the character is delivering their line in the description by providing adequate mood/intensity/emotion.]

CHARACTER NAMES

A character-name is the designation used for the speaker…

… Once a character-name has been established, you MUST consistently use that name from that character.

For example, if you’ve introduced the character as COLIN PRYCE in the description, then you will probably want to use the designation COLIN or PRYCE in the dialogue-block.

DIALOGUE

Everything that the actor speaks that is heard by the audience is dialogue. 

[Dialogue] is ALWAYS written in basic prose with initial caps and proper punctuation. 

EMPHASIS IN DIALOGUE

To emphasize a particular word or phrase you should underline it.

OFF-SCREEN or VOICE-OVER CUES

[ Off-screen: when a character is not physically present in the scene peaks from a nearby location, close enough that they could enter the scene. Such a character might be speaking from a room out of view or from behind a concealed area.

Voice-over: (1) a voice heard from a mechanical device such as a telephone, radio, intercom, tape recorder, answering machine, walkie-talkie, etc. (2) The voice of a narrator, which is required when the dialogue is spoken by an unseen narrator. (3) The thoughts of a character, applied when a character is visually present and what is heard are their thoughts.

Usually, a character who is speaking dialogue is visually present within the scene. However, there are two important exceptions: off-screen and voice-over.

The off-screen (O.S.) and voice-over (V.O.) cues 

- ALWAYS follow the character-name on the same line- are ALWAYS enclosed in parentheses- are ALWAYS abbreviated in upper case.

PARENTHETICALS

Parentheticals are a convenient device to convey specific information about how the dialogue is being said… 

[Parentheticals] are ALWAYS enclosed by parentheses… are restricted to words, phrases, and fragments… ALWAYS apply to the dialogue that immediately follows it.

Parentheticals need to be concise and direct, indicating such brief information such as:

- to whom the character is speaking (to John), (into phone), (to himself)- a particular gesture or mannerism(raising his glass), (looking at her watch)- how the dialogue is being spoken(angrily), (coughing), (softly), (thick ____ accent)

WRITING PARENTHETICALS

Because parentheticals are limited to words and phrases, they [should always be written in lowercase and with no punctuation, for example:

(loudly)

No more than two directions should be included in any parenthetical. If two directions appear they should be separated by a semi-colon:

(to the class; loudly)

THREE SPECIAL CASES

- a (beat)- a (pause)- an (interrupting)

[A (beat) indicates a change of thought, suggests a moment of indecision, or conveys a dramatic effect.

A (pause) signifies that a break in the dialogue occurs. This is most often used in phone conversations. 

An (interruption) indicates that the dialogue begun be the previous speaker is being interrupted by the current character (there are a few different ways you can format this). ]

I won’t go any further than this because this is already extremely long, but ultimately I invite you to take a look at some of the scripts (here and here) I’ve written and doctored as an amateur screenwriter as well as digging up your own favourite movie scripts which will give you a good idea of how to implements what formatting.

[musutofu]

【 Dating Iida 】

Iida has always been very serious about pursuit of a career in heroism and his resolve has only been strengthened by the transgressions the Hero Killer committed against his brother. That means he’s has no time to divide his attention between his schooling and a relationship, especially if it’s with someone who doesn’t see how important his rise to official Hero status is to him. And even if they understood he wouldn’t waste his time pursing a relationship because he’d believe they both have a duty to perform to the best of their abilities, sans distractions, to train and learn so that when they do become Heroes they’ll be worthy of the title.

That being said, it’d be hard for you to hear a rejection from Iida specifically because he’s so inexperienced when it comes to romantic relationships. His traditionalist way of viewing things means he’s more or less oblivious to more modern courting practices and will simply take it as you being a good friend rather than showing your interest in him outside the realm of friendship. He won’t bother to question you about the behavioral habits you only exhibit around him, thinking it’s nothing more than visible proof that the two of you have a strong platonic bond that goes past the boundaries of a normal friendship.

Meeting his family will come without a thought of how it may look, him bringing someone home to meet them. To Iida it’s a way of him reciprocating your friendship and showing that he trusts and appreciates you in the same way you seem to feel towards him. The meeting won’t be awkward, though there’d be a few moments where his parents or brother seem to want to ask you something; probably a clarification of your relationship with Iida since he hadn’t mentioned the details during your introduction. It’s Tensei that finally asks the question after pulling you aside while Iida was distracted with helping his mother clear the table.

Some time after that trip to the Iida residence, he’ll ask to talk to you privately. Tensei had passed on his knowledge of relationships to his younger brother and it made Iida realize that it was plain as day to everyone except him that you were in love with him. And while he doesn’t want to hurt you Iida feels like he owes it to you and himself to squash these feelings before they pose a threat to your development as a Hero-in-training. He doesn’t want to see you squander your potential by getting hung up on him in a way that he feels he can’t reciprocate. And although Iida denies your romantic feelings he’d be firm in reassuring you that he doesn’t want to lose you as a friend.

He doesn’t, but the era after his rejection comes with complications he hadn’t foreseen. Because while you act as you had before, albeit a tad less affectionate, Iida can’t help but feel as though he’s ruined something. After another long talk with his brother it’s brought to his attention that he apparently also had a crush on you and by rejecting your feels he’d hurt himself as well. The new information makes it even harder for Iida to be near you and as a result he begins to neglect your relationship, making excuses not to see you outside of what was necessary and ignoring you when at all possible. It’s the opposite of what Tensei had advised him to do but Iida refuses to be the reason you don’t rise to greatness.

In the end it proves to be his downfall and it takes an intervention from Aizawa-sensei before he gathers that he should probably try to mend you relationship. Iida is nothing short of amazed when you not only forgive him but agree to try to see where properly dating could take you. It goes against what he’s been telling himself for months on end, but taking his own advice had failed so spectacularly that Iida feels like he owes it to you to at least try. If it proves to be detrimental both of you agreed to call it quits without making it into an ordeal.

Dating you doesn’t mean Iida suddenly has a grasp on all the ins and outs of modern dating and you’ve assured him that he doesn’t have to learn them. It smooths out the edge of awkwardness that plagued the beginning of your relationship as Iida clumsily tried to emulate the other relationships he sees in school. Without trying to force unnatural habits, Iida proves to be an amazing boyfriend in his own way.

Public displays of affection are prohibited in school no matter how much you whine or point out whenever you see another couple doing it. School is still a place of learning and no amount of pouting from you will get Iida to change his mind. He’s more lenient outside of school hours though that’s to say still strict on what he’ll allow. Touches are limited and kisses are chaste. The only time he’ll let you have full reign is in private or around your closest friends or family. Anywhere else would be improper.

He’s grown fond of reading to you. It started during one of your study dates when you insisted you were reading the problem wrong after so many incorrect answers and Iida offered to read it to you to see if it would help. It had and you started asking him to read difficult questions for you whenever you study together. It eventually carried over into your downtime. With Iida being such an avid reader you’ve spent more than few hours enjoying the silence together while he reads and you occupy yourself until one day you dropped what you were doing and asked him to read to you. Now he does it without you needing to ask.

Training has become a common pastime for the two of you in lieu of going on dates. Iida isn’t in the habit of going easy on you or treating you with restraint simply because you’re dating and he’s asked for the same treatment from you. It’s an agreement made out of respect. It would be doing both of you a disservice if you didn’t put your all into practicing just because you’re in a relationship. There is nothing learned or gained from going easy on one another. Both of you are too preoccupied with analyzing each other’s fighting patterns and looking for flaws to remember to be gentle anyway. You’re also too concerned with bettering yourselves to keep a running tally of who wins or looses each match.

It’s a point of pride for Iida to make it known that the two of you are dating. He always introduces you as his significant other before saying your name. And it’s always accompanied by a proud smile. If he mentions you in conversation he’ll usually refer to you as his partner or lover rather than using your actual name. He doesn’t care if he has to explain afterwards who you are, he just wants people to know that he’s dating you and is madly in love with you. If they think he’s strange for referring to you as such then so be it.

Everything you say is of the upmost importance to him and he’ll remember most things you say even if it’s only something mentioned in passing. If you say that you saw a pretty necklace when you were at the mall he’ll go buy it for you and save it for a special occasion. If you mention being interested in a new restaurant that’s opening soon he’ll book reservations as soon as it opens. If you compliment him on wearing a certain color he’ll make it a point to wear it more often. It never ceases to amaze you that he can remember things you’d thought were so inconsequential when you mentioned them.

Iida started dating you with the worry that it’d ruin both of you, but now that you’re together he can’t think of his life without you by his side. He’s well and truly in love with you and he always feels guilty when thinking back to the first time he rejected your feelings. He may not say it often or in so many words, but Iida makes sure that you know you’re loved more than words could ever explain. Instead of making him worse you push him to be better and that’s all he could ever wish for.

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backpage websites Previously in a property far, far, I realized a guy. This man had been interesting because this individual resided his life through every thing bad, not great. That may audio the little strange but think about your living and the actual conversations you may possess upon any given time. How often are you currently overwhelmed with advertising, or even real reviews from friends or perhaps communications preaching the advantages associated with something? For example, "This restaurant is great simply because it has got the best greens bar around. " Or even how about, "You ought to shop at Nordstrom's this particular weekend because they tend to be possessing a great sale! inch The most recent information, "You must stay in this hotel simply because they have got the largest rooms! inches

backpage websites

Everybody in the globe from business to individuals always puts their finest feet forward. They emphasize the particular good, and hide unhealthy. We sell based in our own assets, we succeed depending on being the greatest. This failed to work about the guy Knew. This individual lived his existence simply by everything bad. He or she desired to know that typically the lettuce in the greens was three days aged instead of refreshing. In case that was not poor sufficient for him in order to avoid, he'd eat often the salad. When the sale from Nordstrom's was actually going on, he might want to know the actual mark-up Nordstrom's is creating to each of your on sale product. If it had not been as well much, he would store someone buy. If this person was resort shopping, he or she would want to understand that this maid service is actually terrible, and that the particular room smelled such as smoke cigarettes. If he could endure the bad, he would certainly move forward.

A few get his notion as well as speak about something so really near and dear to any or all of our wandering minds. The idea here: If a person knew everything bad regarding dating online, are you able to reside with them? Does typically the advantage outweigh the disadvantages?

1) There are any lot of fake information with dating websites. Bogus users are spammers appearing because real people. Whenever choosing a website to satisfy people, you have some sort of lot of choices. Numerous dating sites have superior spam filters and moderators that block spam action and thus, keeping often the nuisance down. On the actual flip side the huge majority of websites you don't have any spam filters, which means 9 out of each and every 10 people are bogus! Pick your site of option carefully, and realize that absolutely no matter what, you get to be weary regarding spammers.

2) The high quality of on the internet candidates will be low. Could perception involving online dating can not be regarded as false, it most definitely are not able to be considered true! Individuals believe that those who else online day cannot discover a date within actual life because they are usually not good searching or maybe are socially inept. Reality: Not all people upon internet dating websites look just like Brad Pitt as well as Megan Foxx. Fact: Many people sign up for dating websites as they are not really graced with the ability or confidence to fulfill other people in a interpersonal environment. Truth: Just due to the fact the first two are generally facts, it does certainly not mean they are poor top quality members! Bottom line, a new dating website is the reflection of real life and also there is something with regard to everyone. That is anybody to be able to judge what is very good or bad? Realize which whenever you date online, include to meet up with people if you're not going to similar to until you find your own perfect diamond necklace. That's life. The actual next time experts any crowded room, browse around an individual. It'll resemble all of the users on an inernet online dating site.

3) There not necessarily enough people in the region. For many internet dating websites, particularly the more youthful ones, this is most likely true, especially if anyone live in some sort of countryside area. If this is usually the situation, you have 2 things you may possess to understand to deal along with. - You could satisfy somebody online through a new relationship website that life in the closest major town or city to you actually, and commute. The particular travel may be a pull, however would you generate an hour to get the guy of your dreams? Your own other option is for you to become a member of the website, along with keep checking your current user profile on a weekly foundation to keep track connected with all the new folks joining who live inside your neighborhood, and have very first pick from the litter! When you feel like becoming philanthropic, you can actually share the particular dating account with some of the buddies, who will then discuss it with their close friends through Facebook, Twitter or even what ever. Before you realize it, a huge quantity of people is going to be becoming a member of that internet dating web site in your area, in addition to you're not likely to recognize any of them!

4) Internet dating is frowned on. It may be surprising, but even in this planet there are men and women who do not regard the service internet courting offers the lonely. In their own defense, these folks have lower confidence, reduced self confidence and will probably become solitary forever. They usually are not date worthwhile. All those who online date require courage to try some thing new, knowledge to perform the online introduction video game, and the confidence to help write off the fools who also determine. At the finish of the day, a person will marry as well as stay a happy life, and they'll not.

In conclusion, On the internet Dating Pulls! So perform hotel rooms, so really does Nordstrom's, and so carry out almost all restaurants. No issue what the service, topic, or product, there is definitely something incorrect with all of them. Online dating is not necessarily for everyone, because for a few, the bad exceeds typically the good. On the switch side, you should right now know the negative points about online dating sites. Are an individual able to deal together with the bad once the ending result could be often the love of your lifestyle? A person be the assess...

[calleo-bricriu]

Yeah sure do just this year then.

Fine.

Well, we're off to a great start.

The thing with the Tower is that it--yes fine, all right, you never really want to see it upright, but there's an aspect to it that makes it not entirely awful. While it does tend to mean a fundamental, usually negative, often destructive, sometimes violent change in your situation there's always that one little area that tends to be overlooked amid all the chaos and destruction: Throughout and in spite of it, it's already starting to be rebuilt.

So, whatever it is that happens is something I'll recover from.

Eventually.

Doubtful I'll be the same after that recovery, but it's not going to kill me.

Coupled with Temperance, even whatever self-destruct it is that I go through will be carefully controlled, at least where my descent into the smouldering rubble is concerned.

Temperance also indicates that someone else will be involved in triggering that descent into rubble, and the Sun points toward me realising that going along with it is going to be the best option as it will allow me a larger measure of freedom that will allow me to do a controlled descent.

Hitting the ground in a controlled descent is preferable to the other sort where you just sort of slam into it at full force and spend the next several years repairing all the damage that caused.

I have my thoughts as to who the Tower represents here because I've pulled that card repeatedly when they've been involved.

Swords.

Good.

This one is just being or feeling trapped. Can also indicate consequences which, given the first three cards, isn't unlikely, dramatics from people around you, and being put into a situation in which you're powerless and silenced.

Usually hit that one on the way down from a crumbling Tower anyway, so not surprising.

Ah, and more swords! Looking like it's going to be a great year.

More of the same, though I don't--exactly have the ability to strictly feel fear, let alone terror, anymore. That apart, this one also goes on and on about negativity, stress, feeling overwhelmed, the subject of gossip, regret, isolation, focusing on the wrong thing as the main issue to avoid the main issue, you know, the usual.

I don't think it's talking about me, however, because Temperance and the Sun give a pretty solid indication that I'll be generally fine; it's most likely that violently falling apart Tower that's going to be miserable and I'm just going to be stuck in a position where I have to listen to it. My own temperenace, let alone a card telling me the same thing, is more than enough to know better than to try and stop someone else's slow self-destruction unless I want those swords sticking themselves into me as well.

Which I don't.

Either that or it's just pointing out that the Tower is a walking disaster of a person.

That's something I'd figured out ages ago if it's who I think it is.

I actually like this reading based solely on the cards that are clearly talking about me and the cards that aren't.

The last one falls well in line with where Temperance and the Sun do here and I've figured out the order I'm supposed to be reading this and what it's talking about; the information above isn't incorrect, but it's not talking about a situation it's just talking about who will be involved and describing them.

It's two interlocked pieces, like this:

So, the red line is just a description of the other person and the violet line is a description of me. It intersects at the start and at the end as, whether I care for the idea or not, I’m getting swept up into it and, since the other two cards don’t cross, the end result--could be significantly worse for both parties involved as Temperance and the Sun will always mostly blot out those two nasty swords in the end, especially with that Four of Wands rounding out the majority of what’s surrounding the Eight and Nine of Swords.

You’re welcome in advance.

The downside of that is that it's two interlocked pieces which does point toward what I already detailed: A completely self-destructive pain in the arse is going to try to drag me down with it. Figures. Wouldn’t be the first time; I’ve known a lot of Swords over the years and have the scars to prove it.

The thing is, no matter how hard it tries to bring me down to its level, I'll just sort of lightly hop down, touch down, assess the damage, dust off, and move on to continue being spitefully successful and happy despite their best efforts.

The thing about me is that I don't really break. I have broken before, spectacularly in a couple of cases, but, at this point? At this point I break about as well as bread dough. Wear yourself out trying if you'd like, I'll eventually bounce back and you won't have left any sort of lasting mark.

Since this one only spans out a year, there are two ways it could go:

1. The self-loathing, self-destructive one will give up and just let me be.2. That and I also get let go.

I suspect it'll be the first option as the Four of Wands doesn't specifically address being freed and the Eight of Swords, while it could indicate the other person feeling trapped (and they likely do), there is bleed-over and no indication that I'll be cut loose so much as it indicates that they'll stop trying to break me and shift focus into making me feel welcome and secure so I settle down and largely make myself Not A Problem anymore instead of triggering my fantastic opposition reflex as they're going to find out pretty quickly that that doesn't work.

Happy now?

I know I will be, despite the absolute fucking nonsense that's decided it's going to latch onto me at some point in the next few months.

When generalised happiness isn't in the cards, so to speak, spiteful happiness always is, if you know where to look for it and how to utilise it effectively and I utilise it effectively enough to produce a Patronus from it so, again, I'll be just fine.

[phroyd]

This Insane Idiot Just Won’t Stop! - Phroyd

The government had begun printing census forms, the Commerce Department had publicly announced its legal surrender, and Justice Department lawyers had rested their case in court. But President Trump wasn’t ready to give up the fight.

With a tweet that sent much of his administration scrambling over the Fourth of July holiday, Trump decided to unilaterally revive the government’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

It’s a move that fits into a long pattern of Trump going to the mat — and occasionally overruling his own administration — to force a fight over polarizing issues. While the strategy has so far yielded mixed results, it nonetheless allows Trump to cast himself as a relentless change agent — an image that has become central to his reelection bid.

“We’re fighting very hard against the system, that’s a very difficult system but we’ll make a decision,” Trump told reporters Friday, adding that he was “thinking of” issuing an executive order to add the citizenship question to census forms.

The Trump administration, which told a federal court Friday that it would reverse its plans and continue pursuing the citizenship question, faces long odds. The Supreme Court recently blocked the government from moving ahead with asking about citizenship, after saying the administration’s stated rationale was “contrived.”

Stung by that legal rebuke, and facing fast-arriving deadlines to move forward with the constitutionally mandated census, Trump’s government publicly decided to drop its effort to add the citizenship question. On Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the decennial population tally, said the administration was abandoning its effort and had begun printing the census forms without the citizenship question.

But the appearance of a premature surrender — and the backlash it caused among conservatives — was enough to cause Trump to intervene.

“The News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE!” Trump tweeted Wednesday. “We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question.”

The president has repeatedly rushed into the brink with last-minute reversals in similar situations, creating the impression that he is saving his administration from throwing in the towel on key priorities before exhausting all options.

In December, after Trump’s congressional negotiators had agreed to support a bipartisan spending deal to keep the government open — without providing funding for building new border barriers — Trump overruled them.

A 35-day partial government shutdown ensued, with the president and lawmakers locked in a stalemate over border-wall funding. Trump used the battle to attempt to bolster his political prospects, running digital ads to inform voters about his hard-line position.

President Trump stops to talk to reporters as he walks to board Marine One to depart from the South Lawn at the White House on Friday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

When Trump did finally agree to give in and sign a spending bill, he coupled his surrender with the announcement of a national emergency declaration that he said would allow the government to repurpose existing funds to build the wall.

Several federal judges have since ruled against Trump’s effort to spend taxpayer money without congressional approval.

Despite the legal setbacks, the president can still tell voters he is fighting as hard as possible for his priorities, said Doug Heye, a former spokesman for Republican House leadership and the Republican National Committee.

“For a big part of the base, activity is achievement,” he said. “Demonstrating a willingness to fight is not just as important but, to a big part of the base, more important than having a cohesive strategy to win.”

For Trump, losing quietly on certain issues is more personally offensive than going down with a dramatic fight, said Tim O’Brien, author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald,” a Trump biography.

“This is a president who always thinks theatrically — he doesn’t think strategically,” he said. “The second any issue gets perceived or portrayed as ‘Trump lost,’ is almost a guarantor that he’s going to change course pretty quickly.”

For a president who promised voters they would be tired of winning, Trump has shown no hesitation to take on losing legal battles. Courts have struck down his attempts to strip money from sanctuary cities, block congressional inquiries into his finances and overturn several environmental regulations.

In all, federal judges have ruled against the Trump administration more than 60 times over the past two years.

Trump usually appeals negative rulings against him, often with the goal of reaching the Supreme Court — a strategy he described in transparent detail after his national emergency declaration in February.

“We’ll have a national emergency, and we will then be sued and they will sue us in the 9th Circuit,” he said in a February news conference in the Rose Garden. “We will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling and then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we’ll get a fair shake, and we’ll win in the Supreme Court.”

In the legal battle over the census, the high court did not serve as Trump’s buffer against lower courts. Opponents have argued before federal judges that the citizenship question would result in an undercount of millions of people who fear acknowledging that a noncitizen is part of their household. Hispanics would be disproportionately affected.

Trump appeared to give his legal opponents more ammunition Friday by making comments that indicated the citizenship question was about impacting how federal districts are drawn and how taxpayer dollars are allocated. That rationale — which Justice Department lawyers had explicitly denied in court — appears to be at odds with laws that require congressional representation and federal grants to be based on total population, including noncitizens.

“Number one, you need it for Congress — you need it for Congress for districting,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House. “You need it for appropriations. Where are the funds going? How many people are there? Are they citizens? Are they not citizens? You need it for many reasons.”

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in his opinion that the Commerce Department’s stated purpose for adding the question — that it was requested by the Justice Department to aid in enforcement of the Voting Rights Act — did not past muster.

But where his lawyers saw defeat, Trump saw an invitation to try again.

“I have a lot of respect for Justice Roberts, but he didn’t like it, but he did say, ‘Come back,’ ” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House. “Essentially he said, ‘Come back.’ ”

Heye said Trump will not hesitate to use negative court rulings to his political advantage, by casting himself as a victim of an unfair system.

“If you’re in Trump’s base, everything that he does reinforces his central argument that the system is rigged,” he said. “So if the court rules in his favor, it’s a big victory for Trump. If the court rules against him, Trump can say, ‘This is how rigged the system is against you.’ Win or lose, he still can move that argument forward.’’

While the base-first strategy has helped solidify Trump’s support, it’s not clear whether the president’s approach does more harm than good for his electoral prospects.

But Trump’s willingness to push the limit to fight for his priorities might also come across as chaos to some moderate voters.

Trump revived a trade skirmish with China with new tariffs last year after his treasury secretary said publicly that the United States was “putting the trade war on hold.” Trump banned transgender troops from serving in the military and announced he was pulling troops out of Syria without getting buy-in from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who abruptly resigned in December after the decision.

And on immigration, he has threatened to shut down the southern border, impose tariffs on Mexico and reinstitute family separations.

Accusations that he is politicizing the census or sparking a potential constitutional crisis by defying a judge’s ruling to add a citizenship question could contribute to the sense of White House disorder that has turned off swing voters, O’Brien said.

“Immigration is an issue where there is an overwhelmingly broad public consensus,” he said. “People support immigration as long as it’s well-managed, and they don’t want to see it politicized.”

Phroyd

[homerenovationvancouver-blog]

The Kitchen Renovation Doesn't Have to Be As Painful As You Might Think

You've reached your own personal tipping point: the toaster won't work when the coffeemaker's on, you're down to one working burner on your stove, only one person can be in the kitchen at a time so your family eats in shifts, and finally the microwave blew on the morning of your big presentation at work, and you decided, "Enough is enough. We need a new, functional kitchen!"

You're not alone. Usually everyone has a particular tipping point; that one last thing that sends them into the renovation pool. You try to hold on for as long as you can because you're dreading the noise, the dust, the inconvenience and the disruption to your daily life. When your space becomes unusable, it's time to do something. But you can't just jump into a renovation, particularly one as costly, time consuming and inconvenient as a kitchen renovation, you need a well thought out plan of attack if you're going to pull it off in the quickest amount of time with the least amount of inconvenience and expense.

Start by developing a Design Plan: A renovation will only be as successful as the research and planning that's put into it. Like any business proposal you develop for work, you need to have a clear goal of what you want to achieve with the renovation. Do you yearn for updated electrical wiring, maximizing storage space, adding an eating area, appliances that work?

You can start by popping into kitchen renovation stores to look at the latest available features in kitchen design. Speak to the staff, tell them you're at the beginning of your journey and see if they have any ideas for you.

Cut out photos of kitchens you love from magazines and put them in a folder. Identify why you like the kitchens you've chosen - is it the space? The lighting? The colour? The style of cabinetry or countertops? It is even helpful to give your designer images of things you definitely do not like. That way they won't propose those very things in your dream kitchen. When you determine what you really want, it will help your kitchen designer draw up the plans that suit you.

If you have a friend who's recently renovated her kitchen, take pictures and identify what you like about it as well and stick it in the folder with your other pictures.

Toronto architect Jacqueline Rhee says that when she sits down with potential clients and they say to her, "Design us something gorgeous," she has to explain that they aren't giving her enough information. She says, "What their idea of 'gorgeous' is and what I might have in mind could very well be two different things. Maybe they want French Country, but I have an idea that they might prefer a sleek contemporary kitchen." The more direction clients can give their designer about their likes, dislikes and what their goals for the space are, the better the design can live up to their expectations.

Budget: The good news regarding a kitchen renovation is that it tends to be a good investment. The Appraisal Institute of Canada estimates that a kitchen renovation will return 75-100% of your investment if you were to turn around and sell your home. However, the sky is never the limit, even for Donald Trump. Just as you would plan your company's annual marketing budget, you need to develop a budget for your kitchen renovation. A general rule of thumb for how much to spend on a kitchen renovation is up to 10-15% of the value of your home. But don't feel like you have to spend that much; if you can do more with less, do it. For example, if your cabinets are in the right location and sturdy but just tired and outdated, consider refacing them. Refacing comes in at about 50-75% of the cost of new custom cabinetry.

Hiring a Kitchen Company and/or Contractor: Most people hire a contractor or kitchen designer through word of mouth. If you've been to a friend's recently renovated house and you like what you see, start asking questions: Who did the work? Did you work well together? Was he on time and on budget? Is the end result what you expected? Was he well-organized or did you scramble to get finishes at the last minute? Were there any major problems during construction, and if so, how did he handle them? If you liked the answers your friend gave you - assuming your friend isn't shell-shocked from the direct grilling she's just received - get his card. Now, find at least two other contractors and/or kitchen companies so you can compare quotes.

Meeting with the Designer and Contractor: If, while you're meeting with a designer or contractor, your gut tells you that no matter how great the work is you couldn't stand being in the same room with him for more than a minute, cross him off your list of candidates. You may have to meet with this person every day. If your personalities don't mix, you'll never be able to solve problems together. Likely, however, if you're getting that vibe, the contractor or designer is too; it's best to part ways before a relationship has begun.

If, on the other hand, your first meeting is fantastic and you're bowled over with his enthusiasm and ideas and you get along as if you'd known each other your entire lives, you still need to do your research. Ask him how many jobs he can handle at once and how many he has going currently and make sure he is bonded and insured.

Further necessary research - the internet is your new best friend: Researching kitchen companies and contractors has become a whole lot easier with the age of the internet. Now there are websites which are specifically focused on capturing word-of-mouth reviews from consumers online. If the companies you're interested in using don't have any reviews, you may want to look at other companies that do and compare their services. Also check out the company's website. If they don't have one, you have to wonder how professional they are.

Another tip you can try is entering the company's name in search engines like Google and Yahoo!. You may find some feedback people have posted on them on various forums. You can also post a question asking if anyone has ever used this company. Finally, check the references he or she gives you as well, talk to a few of his past clients and go see the work he or she did for them.

Once you've chosen your designer, contractor and/or kitchen company, get ready: Ask yourself if you can live through the renovation by setting up a second kitchen in the garage or basement. Do you have toddlers who would be better off away from the construction site? Make arrangements to be out of the house for a specific amount of time and make sure that you and your project team have discussed the most reasonable move-out and move-in dates.

Did you have to factor furniture storage into your budget or can it be wrapped and stored on site? Again, your contractor will tell you which is the best option depending on the size of the job and your storage space availability on site.

During the renovation: Assumptions: One of the breakdowns in communication between homeowner and contractor is in assumptions made by one party or the other. For instance, one woman had purchased bathroom sinks and fixtures for a brand new home. The contractor saw that the powder room fixture would be outfitted with separate taps and a faucet and so drilled three holes in all the sinks because he assumed that all the fixtures were the same. Unfortunately, they weren't and the homeowner had to replace the other fixtures to match the holes.

But incorrect assumptions can just as easily be made by the homeowner. A homeowner handed a water filter kit to the contractor and asked him to install it. The homeowner had read on the box that the water filter was good for the whole house and could be fitted on the main water supply. When she returned at the end of the day, the contractor had installed it under the kitchen sink. She'd never told him where it was to go, she had just assumed that he knew it was meant for the entire house.

Problem solving: In any renovation, no matter how minor, there always seem to be unforeseen problems. It's not as surprising as you might think. What happens behind the walls stays behind them until they're ripped apart. Up until then, you might not know that the insulation used was actually newspaper, or that the plumbing went through the wall that needs to be demolished. How your contractor and you handle these problems depends on how proactive your contractor is.

During Sue and Leon's main floor renovation, the designer had called for the laundry room backsplash to consist of stainless steel tiles; beautiful, but at a cost of approximately $5,000. Sue balked. The contractor suggested instead a row of the tiles, two feet high, just behind the washer and dryer at a cost of $500. Sue was grateful that contractor made her aware of the costs and had an alternative suggestion for her.

The end result -- your dream space: Living through the dust, noise and strangers in your house for weeks to months on end can be tiring. Even though you get along well with the crew and your contractor, you can find your temper becoming short, particularly if there are delays during the project leading to prolonged construction. Recognize that delays are often unavoidable and that one day, you will be back in your home, the workers will be gone and your new beautiful kitchen will be all yours.

On-line Resources: This Old House: This website is a DIYer's dream. There are videos and tips on probably every aspect of renovating a kitchen. Kitchens.com: A wealth of information on everything you ever wanted to know about kitchens, including information on "greening your kitchen." Better Homes and Gardens has an extensive section on renovating your kitchen including an "inspiration gallery" to give you some ideas. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: CMHC has an excellent website for any renovation or home purchase. The kitchen renovation area has downloadable charts you can use for reference guides as you go about your renovation planning. Appraisal Institute www.homerenovationvancouver.ca  of Canada: The Renova section of this website allows you to input the cost of your renovation and it will calculate how much of a return you would receive if you sold your home.

[douxreviews]

Jessica Jones - ‘A.K.A. I Have No Spleen’ Review

"My name on your case file does not make me a victim."

Jessica Jones is forced to confront her own vulnerability.

You can imagine how well that goes.

There's something interesting going on this season with Jessica Jones and the way they're layering the plot across episodes, and I'm really grooving on it.

'The Perfect Burger' and 'You're Welcome' pulled the time honored conceit of telling more or less the same story from two different perspectives for the sake of making some interesting character contrasts and burying a couple of reveals. That's usually a good trick, structurally speaking, since not only does it allow you to do some character exploration, it also has the bonus effect of making your season feel more tightly focused. 'I Have No Spleen' pulls another variation on this trick by essentially having Jessica spend the entire episode pursuing a false assumption that is ultimately revealed to be a mare's nest before it circles back to the exact same ending point that the previous two episodes shared and giving us some new and unexpected information.

So, that's essentially an entire episode's run time devoted to a side quest that turns out to be irrelevant and mostly serves to mark time until Jessica can be in the right place under the right circumstances to finally pick up the real scent. I say that pretty baldly, which makes it sound like a criticism, but it absolutely is not. It allows a lot of space for character work without feeling like the plot is treading water, and like the technique used in the first two episodes results in the storyline maintaining a lean and focused feel, which is a really good look for the show. If there was a specific complaint I had about season two, it was that it often felt more sprawling and unfocused than it was intending to be. These first three episodes feel like a very specifically designed course correction to that.

There's a clever use of audience assumptions here, since we're all more or less on the same incorrect page. We and Jessica are assuming that she was the target of the attack, and that therefore the attacker must be someone who has a beef with Jessica. This naturally leads both Costa and Jessica to assume that it's one of her clients, since the quickest way to get irritated with Jessica is to have met her. Jessica takes it one step further and assumes that it must be the work of Andrew Brandt, her most recent investigatee. Brandt is of course the ever-so-charming gentleman who had his sister beaten up in order to acquire a statue, and the resident of the apartment that Trish and Jessica both ended up in. See both previous episodes for that complete story.

Of course, that turns out to be not at all what's going on, and we'll talk about that in just a moment, but let's dig into what this episode really had on its mind when it wasn't pretending to be hot on the trail of Jessica's attacker. This episode was about two women who see themselves almost entirely in terms of eliminating all trace of vulnerability from their lives, and what happens when they have the illusion of invulnerability stripped away.

Speaking of invulnerability for just a moment, I can't have been the only one who'd forgotten that Jessica wasn't technically invulnerable, right? When she was stabbed I was genuinely surprised and had a very clear moment of, 'Wait, she can't be hurt, can she?' We get so used to heroes with super strength and the power of jumping really high that we subconsciously just assume that freedom from being hurt is part of the standard package.  And of course, it isn't. If it was, Luke Cage wouldn't be so special. Well, sure, his abs would still be pretty special, but that's beside the point I'm making at the moment.

One of the goals for Jessica this season is an attempt to live as a hero. She's genuinely trying to be a better person and to use her powers in a heroic way, as a result of the events of last season. But in her mind, in order to be a hero you have to be invulnerable and she has just had it proved that she is not. That's an incorrect assumption on her part, of course, but it really makes sense for her as a character that she would see things that way. This was actually a really nice way for the show to pick back up the most successful aspect of season one, the way it addressed the sexual assault survivor metaphor. In Jessica's situation, with what Jessica has been through, nothing can be as important to her as her sense of self protection. No burger is perfect enough to protect Erik Gelden if he was in any way responsible for taking that away from her.

Jessica's plan for regaining the sense of control that she needs just to get through her day to day life is to solve the mystery of her attack on her own and not let the police handle it, which is entirely on brand for her. It's touching that Costa kind of gets that and lets her do it. Her plan gets a bit of a setback when she finds out she's been on entirely the wrong track, however, and it's here where the episode shows what I was talking about earlier in regard to a 'treading water' plot not being without value. This is the story of Jessica Jones needing a win in order to regain her sense of security, and not getting it, and that's a story worth telling. Particularly as the thing that ultimately allows her to stay in the hospital and thereby metaphorically accept temporary vulnerability, is the text of help from Jeri Hogarth.

Jeri is Jessica's mirror at this point. She's starting to be unable to ignore the impending acceleration of her ALS symptoms and is desperate to find ways to regain the sense that she's in control of her own life. Unfortunately, for Jeri that seems to involve deliberately seducing her ex-lover in an attempt to break up that ex-lover's current happy marriage, which is... I mean, where do you even begin to unpack that? The look of disappointment on Jeri's face when she finds out that Kith and Peter have an open marriage, and therefore her successful seduction of Kith was entirely meaningless, is heartbreaking and complicated. And look at that, it occurs at exactly the same point in the plot as Jessica's lowest moment in the hospital.

What makes this all fascinating is the scene which is really the emotional core of the entire episode. Jeri comes to Jessica's office, and among other things they discuss one another's current weaknesses. What's fascinating is the fact that they're both constantly attempting to turn the conversation away from their own problem and instead express sympathy and support for the other's. Neither of them can bear to be the object of concern for even a moment, despite the fact that they both quite clearly do care about one another's troubles and the expressions of sympathy they're making are 100% genuine. They're just also a way to avoid receiving sympathy themselves. That's just a great scene.

As for the side characters, They carry on much the same. Malcolm continues his journey to the heart of 'pliable ethics.' Trish continues to embrace the life of a superhero with all the verve of a college freshman who just discovered environmentalism, and is just as intolerable while doing it. Although it was hard not to sympathize with her when her co-host told her she was born to sell crappy clothes on shopping TV. Trish and Jessica's relationship has always been my favorite thing about this show, and I have such grave concerns about where this final season is going to leave them.

And while I'm sharing concerns and hopes, could Malcolm's new girlfriend Zaya maybe not turn out to be evil? Please? Because I'm getting a serious 'I'm going to turn out to be evil' vibe from her. Similarly, I'm really hoping that Erik the burger guy doesn't turn out to be evil, although I find him kind of attractive and everything in my personal dating history guarantees that that means he's evil.

Of course, the real winner of this episode is clearly Doctor 'I Love to Make Spleen Puns.' Totally loved that guy.

Bits and Pieces:

-- I really enjoyed the detail that the hospital totally understands about superhumans and factors that into patient care. That was just a really nice bit of world building.

-- Does Jessica's superpower set involve having a better than average immune response? Because what the show said was accurate; the duties of the spleen are also taken on by the liver and, to a lesser extent, the lymph nodes, but maybe Jessica doesn't want to put too much reliance on her liver handling the job. I'm just saying.

-- Did Jeri have any reason other than trying to break up Kith's marriage to have Malcolm spy on Peter? I think I might have missed something significant regarding that.

-- Minor quibble, but the hospital would have discussed her spleen situation with her before getting Jessica a medic alert bracelet. For one thing, insurance tends to not cover them, and for another they take a bit to get made. There's no way that she would have found out she'd lost her spleen that way. I get that it's 'show don't tell' narrative shorthand, but I felt obligated to put the real information out there.

-- While we're talking sound medical advice from your considerate television review website, blood in your urine (for males) is absolutely typical after blunt force trauma to the torso, and typically will be released before the flow of urine, not after. It's most often nothing to be concerned about, but check with your doctor if it persists or worsens. DouxReviews is not a medical practitioner, and should not be viewed as a source of diagnostic feedback.

-- I was just thinking that Jessica shouldn't be able to walk around as casually as she was doing when she collapsed and passed out. Thank you, show.

-- I suppose that, technically, what happened to Wendy in season one might be described as a tragic accident. But that feels like underselling it.

-- Reading between the lines, Jeri cheated on Kith with Wendy and then left Kith for her.

-- My favorite moment of kindness that I've seen on television for ages: Malcolm, knowing that Jessica would resent any help he gave her as pity, prepared a bill for his time in advance so that she had an out to protect her dignity. That actually made me go 'Awwww' out loud.

-- I adore Gillian, Jessica's new assistant, and have a million questions about her backstory.

Quotes:

Doctor: "That's what I'm trying to ex-spleen to you." It's hard not to love the doctor.

Jessica: "Where would a liter of bourbon a day fall on the reckless scale?"

Jeri: "The Cale Caesar is quite filling." Kith: "Talk about faint praise."

Kith: "See? All of the wine."

Jessica: "A hero is strong. A hero is invulnerable. A hero has a goddamn spleen."

Jessica: "You've been a hero for five minutes. I've been one half my life." Trish: "You've been super, Jess. There's a difference."

Gillian: "It's 12:29. I'm taking lunch. And there's a client waiting in the office. Should I tell them you've recently been the victim of a violent crime and are currently indisposed?"

A really focused and well structured entry into a season that I feel is only just getting started. I mean that in the best possible way. I think the word I'm looking for here is 'disciplined.'

Eight out of ten cases of unabashed verve.

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Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.