#but i'm going only by officially defined periods here

[vickysaurus]

Geologic timescale units whose ending is closer to the present day than to their beginning:

Pleistocene (210 times closer!)

'Pleistocene Stage 4' aka Late Pleistocene aka Tarantian

Chibanian

Calabrian

Pliocene

Miocene

Neogene (8.3 times closer)

Paleogene

Cretaceous

Mesozoic

Paleozoic

Proterozoic

Precambrian (7.7 times closer)

[not-poignant]

This is the anon the said 'safe'. Your tags hit me hard, since I'm actually starting a transition but am avoiding hrt. I've been getting pushback on it, and been told I'm not really trans without it. I know what I want to change to feel like myself. Also what I don't want to change. That's probably why 'safe' was my choice. It sucks when you think you should belong, but still feel like you aren't good enough. It helped to hear you have felt the same. I just want to give you a big virtual hug.

Ahhh I have a similar story, anon <333 I'm so sorry you went through it too.

Under a read more because it contains transphobia towards a nonbinary person from a binary trans person. My experiences are from a nonbinary lens, anon, so take the bits that are useful to you and ignore the rest, depending on where you sit on the trans spectrum <333

When I started realising I was transmasc (I'd known I was non-binary for a while) I remember that I talked to a trans man about it, he'd been going through the process for a couple of years at that point and we'd talked about that too at different points.

And I remember mentioning that I'd thought about hormones, but I was still on the fence because I'm nonbinary, not like 'binary trans' (i.e. I'm not going from point A to point B, where you move from AFAB to man or AMAB to woman), and I was talking about wanting they/them pronouns and maybe he/him pronouns at that point.

And he said: 'Oh cool, yeah, hopefully that helps until you decide for sure with testosterone and surgery.' I had this moment of like ??? and he was like 'when you realise and can be brave enough to commit to being a guy, I hope that goes really well for you.'

It was one of the most transphobic things I'd ever heard, not because it was said from a hateful place (it really wasn't, I'm still friends with this guy), but because it came from a friend, I was being very vulnerable during the conversation and it left me feeling like I didn't have a right to consider myself trans at all for about two years after that. It pushed me into this space where I'd been defined by a fellow trans person as a 'coward until I decided to be officially a man.' And then for two years I kept looking for that inside of myself, denying my non-binary-ness in favour of looking for a very clear and decisive 'I'm a man!' moment. It was a horrible period of time, gender-wise. Because being identified exclusively only as a man or a woman is dysphoric to me, so trying to do it to myself was like cutting at myself with an axe.

It's also very much like when gay and lesbian folk would say to me - back when I identified as bisexual - 'get back to me when you pick a side / become a real queer.' There's a real phobic bent among folks who are 'one or the other' (sighs) towards people who are in the liminal with this stuff and that's where they belong. And it hadn't occurred to me that I'd hear a version of that from a fellow trans person. You'd think I'd have learned, right?

He and I are still friends, but I stopped talking to him about all of my experiences as a trans and nonbinary person. It was clear to me, in that moment, he saw me as a much lesser version of an identity he'd embraced and was living. You know, how so many people think of nonbinary transmascs. (It's also frustrating, because trans men also don't need to have hormones or surgery to be trans men, and it makes me furious when people take this attitude with binary trans folk too, but I'm mostly focusing on my own experience here, of the myriad ways we encounter transphobia in the trans community).

I never heard anything quite like that again, but I've had one other trans guy be like 'when you're ready for testosterone, I'll support you' like he was waiting in the wings for me to 'fully make a decision to be 100% a man' which isn't a decision I can make, because I'm not 100% a man, lmao, I'm like 80% of one, and 20% something else, and 0% woman, lmao, which is why I call myself nonbinary transmasc.

I was lucky that through research and listening to voices in nonbinary transmasc spaces and more open-minded trans spaces that I realised that I'd encountered transphobia, and that this specific kind of transphobia is particularly common in the trans community, especially in cases where a trans man or woman has a period of being nonbinary as an experiment to see what transitioning feels like before they fully commit to the surgery and/or hormones and name etc. that they often wanted all along. So they often project this onto other people, because for them being nonbinary was a midway point, or the middle of an evolution. But being nonbinary isn't an experiment for most nonbinary people, it's literally our identity and it always will be. (And any binary trans person reading this, don't ever use this rhetoric with your nonbinary friends, or your fellow binary trans friends who have elected not to use hormones or surgery - it's transphobic.)

These days, I'm proudly trans and proudly part of the trans community, but I'm also aware that there are a lot of binary trans people who will treat me and other trans folk as 'other' because I haven't suffered through the same surgeries or adjustments that they have. That's...their transphobia, and it's not me expressing my identity wrongly, or being 'lesser', it's just straight up transphobia. It belongs to them, not to me. I don't believe we have a unique word for nonbinary transphobia, it all comes under the same umbrella, but that's definitely what it is.

When you start to feel like you don't belong, anon, remind yourself that this is internalised transphobia, not to punish yourself, but to remind yourself that it's not true. Those feelings belong to the people who gave them to you, but they're not innately or inherently true, they actually have nothing to do with how valid you are at every stage of your transition.

You're fully a trans man if you don't take hormones, and you're fully nonbinary if you do. Whatever you need (or don't need) to affirm or express your gender for you, is what you need, and that deserves to be respected and fully validated no matter what, at any time. Whether it's binding or not binding, hormones or not hormones, hormones and then 'not for the next few years' and then hormones again, surgery or not surgery, etc. Whether you're a trans man, woman, nonbinary, agender etc.

People have this idea of what it is to be a 'proper' trans, bi, gay, lesbian person (like the 'gold star lesbian' which is horrendously disgusting as a term and concept), but all you need - literally all you need - re: these things, is to just... know you're these things. That's it. That's how a gay person can know they're gay without having sex. That's how a bi person can know they're bi without sleeping with someone of the same sex. And it's how a trans person knows they're trans without looking perfectly androgynous or perfectly binary trans (depending on what they desire) on the outside. (Don't get me started on fatphobia in androgynous and nonbinary spaces, and the equation of true 'nonbinary androgyny' with thinness, because that's a whole other rant for another day, lol).

I'm sorry you've experienced that pressure to be 'more' of something from society / particular people. I can specifically relate on the hormones front because I actually went quite far into looking into taking T, to the point where my doctor was ready to sign off with an endocrinologist, before I realised that it wasn't the right decision for me. It might be one day, but right now I know I'm transmasc without it, and I'm concerned about some of the side effects with my neuroendocrine tumours. There are other ways I affirm my gender that work great for me. But I did have a moment of knowing that would impact how other people see me, and it's one thing when it comes from all the cis people, but it's another thing when it comes from the trans community as well. :( Thankfully most people are really validating now, use the right pronouns, and I just don't confide nonbinary vulnerabilities with folks who saw being nonbinary as a midpoint of their own evolution/journey, just to be safe, lmao.

Wishing you fortune and strength and much validation, anon <3 You are amazing as you are, whatever you decide to do or not do in the future. :) *hugs*

[aquotidianoddity]

I've seen some people trying to make this into a race issue, and far more people who are thrilled by the implications of this, and since I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to the Finnish Welfare State (an expert compared to the average Finn) I thought I'd add a brief analysis of what exactly has gone into the success of Finland in this regard. Admittedly, I'm not an expert on homelessness, but I'll also try to translate/synthesize the information found here: https://vvary.fi/asunnottomuus/

I'm going for broad strokes here, so if you feel I've left a perspective out, feel free to add it yourself! Also, I believe most compassionate Finns feel like there is too much cruelty in the system and it needs to be fixed. The recent election has certainly caused instability and fear. As a Finn and a socialist I sympathize, but as an American I can't help but be in awe of what you've accomplished.

There is no word for "welfare" in Finnish. The term Welfare State is translated as hyvinvointivaltio, which actually means Wellbeing State. I have read extensively the constitution of Finland, as well as all laws pertaining to welfare associated with unemployment in Finland, and while I in no way speak in an official capacity I have worked professionally in the the administration of these laws, specifically with a group of people who include the houseless. What I say here is only my own experience and my own analysis, but it is based on an experience.

Finland is often described as a classless society, but this is simply not true. There is, of course, the owning class (porvaristo), entrepreneurs (yrittäjät), and wage earners (palkansaajat). The white collar/blue collar divide exists here, but my experience is that there is less animosity between these classes as in the US. I worked for three years cleaning a meat factory, and the only reaction I got from my coworkers when I told them that I had graduated from university with a Master's degree was 'ok'.

Another potential class could be "receivers of welfare". This class can't really be translated to Finnish, bc there is no concept of welfare without wellbeing in Finnish. In purely monetary terms, you can receive a transfer of money (tulonsiirto) in the form of tuki (aid/allowance), etuus (benefit), raha (money/allowance), lisä (addition/allowance) or eläke (pension). Your legally defined category of welfare recipient determines what you can get, so in this way I suppose Finnish law is blind to class, but at the same time creates its own classes.

Finnish Welfare law tries to be universal, and it attempts this with varying levels of success. Anyone who is ruled sick by a doctor has the right to sairaspäiväraha 'sick leave benefit'. This note from the doctor is as easy to get as it is to ask for it (usually), and the benefit is equal to 70% of your income averaged from the previous 12 months. It is paid per day, and you can get it for 300 days in a 2 year period. The minimum is approx 750€/month. This is a state benefit and has nothing to do with unions. In fact, the worst union contracts usually guarantee one month of full wages per year. If you work in a field that requires education it can be much higher. The important fact is that anyone whose sickness affects their income can get this benefit, even if their income would otherwise be 0.

There is a three-tiered unemployment insurance system that deserves a post in and of itself, but I'll stick to the lowest tier, as that is what the houseless are most likely to receive: työmarkkinatuki 'labor market subsidy'. This is the minimum unemployment insurance in finland and it is also paid per day and approx 750€\month. I have worked primarily with recipients of this benefit and although the effort is poorly funded, poorly managed, and insufficient in its effect, there nevertheless exists a governmental effort to identify and address the social issues that have caused an individual to become so unemployed that they don't qualify for the higher levels of unemployment. Personally, I had a job making 2850€\month and after becoming unemployed get the highest level of unemployment insurance, ansiopäiväraha, which for me is 1750€\month.

Työmarkkinatuki is the aid given to the long term unemployed (long term in Finnish Welfare usually means longer than a year), or to those who have never worked. Often these are students who don't find a job right after graduation, but there is no lack of social and personal problems that can lead to falling into this class of Finnish society. I will say that in my experience I have never met someone receiving this benefit whom I thought to be getting it because they are lazy. But I also have never met anyone who gets it because of institutionalized inequality in Finnish law/society (specifically law and society, not culture, if this distinction is at all clear).

These minimum benefits of 750€ are taxed at a rate of 16%. Kela, the institution responsible for paying these benefits, withholds automatically 25% for taxes, and most Finns don't know they can change this.

Anyone can receive asumistuki 'housing allowance', as it is based purely on how much your income is, but not on your class. At the lowest amount of income this allowance pays up to 80% of your rent up to 400€/month (this changes slightly based on region and, admittedly, the algorithm used to calculate your benefit is slightly more complex than this). The maximum amount of allowable income per month is approx 1900€\month, but 300€ are automatically deducted from wages earned from gainful employment.

The minimum amount of welfare that you should get then after taxes is about 900-1000€/month, assuming you have no income and no assets. Anywhere but the capital, this is about the absolute minimum to survive if you are healthy, you have no debt, no family, and essentially everything in your life is perfect and optimized and you have no luxuries whatsoever. For example, if you have just graduated from uni and still live in a student apartment and still qualify for student meals, but haven't found a job. This can honestly be a godsend, and was one support that was not at all available to me when I graduated with my masters and was not a citizen.

There is of course eläke, pension, and this can be given based on age or based on inability to work. There is no "disability" in Finland, only "inability to work pension", työkyvyttömyyseläke. This also deserves its own post, as it is easier to get than the equivalent in the USA, but still difficult to get in the Finnish context. Finns may even take umbridge with my use of the word 'easier', but I'm trying to explain to a nation who has nothing what sort of minimum they could actually demand for themselves.

While many houseless in Finland, and they are more than 3000 at the end of 2022, get työmarkkinatuki, the lowest form of unemployment insurance, many have transgressed against the often obtuse and always changing obligations required of someone who gets unemployment insurance. Nowadays, thanks to the harshness of the center-left party, this includes, or perhaps even is entirely encompassed by applying for 4 jobs a month for most people getting UI. These "transgressive" people get the lowest form of aid possible, toimeentulotuki. You get ofc the housing allowance (if you have a house or a rental lease) and then a stipend with about 750€\month (another simplification) and a euro to euro reimbursement for "unavoidable expenses". These are most often medications (also cheap in Finland and subsidized automatically 40% by welfare), but they can be other things as well. At this point you would likely already have a social worker and in the most extreme cases a housing advisor who helps you navigate this system. You may be pressured into finding a cheaper apartment, but you are usually allowed 1-3 months to find an apartment that is "cheap enough". However, I've heard of cases where someone is given toimeentulotuki to cover all their necessary expenses for even 5 years in a row. 5 years of a life, but 5 years of constant governmental scrutiny in your personal life.

Admittedly, the Finnish Welfare State, when dealing with those who are on the absolute edge of "normal society" fails often. But these are often the most hopeless cases of all, and yet the entire government is structured, in one way or another, to keeping these people in society, housed, fed, and on their way to gainful employment. The question in Finnish politics at the moment is not necessarily should these support pillars exist, but how comfortable should one be when relying fully upon their support.

The Finnish system rewards those who it deems worthy. As an individual covered by the state admins union contract, I got 2 months full waged during sick leave for depression and complications due to undiagnosed autism. As a member of the union, I paid 1.25% more in payroll taxes for 4-5 years, and when the doctor strongly suggested I quit my job I did so with her official diagnosis in hand and was able to get 61% of my previous wages for a year and a half. On top of which I still get 32€ per month in housing allowance.

But wait! Now I have a part-time job that I get about 700€\month from. My 1750/month of unemployment has dropped now to 1400€\month, but my tax rate is not 16%, but 11.5%. I came here first as an immigrant and got less than the minimum, but as a citizen I get sooo much more.

How does this relate to houselessness? Compared to the US, it's sooo very difficult to become houseless in Finland. Your life really has to go wrong for it to happen, and you have to work against many layers of "support" to fall through the cracks (unless you are an immigrant or a refugee). And there are very powerful political parties who are trying to make it easier. But golly, if the USA were to implement the entirety of Finnish Welfare politics as they stand now, our society would improve immeasurably and lives would be saved.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the elections that just happened in Finland. We have now a center-left government and have now voted in a center-right party as the head of the future government of Finland. They will undoubtedly reduce the amount of benefits that those who get työmarkkinatuki and asumistuki will get. They also want to reduce the amount of time I'm allowed to get the increased amount of unemployment insurance that I get now. After 1.5 years I will fall to työmarkkinatuki, which has no time limit for how long you can get it. I hope to be a student by then, but if not accepted to university I will be forced to move to a cheaper apartment. Deviating to my live and sense of self, but only inconvenient in the broader scheme of things.

The question of Finnish politics could perhaps somewhat recklessly be describe as positive, despite the fact that the minimum support will certainly be lowered. At the very least, the supports will not be removed entirely.

The constitution guarantees some form of minimum support. Really, the most vulnerable among us, especially with the prospect of the coming owning class government, are the illegal immigrants. Even refugees will suffer, for they do not qualify for any welfare beyond free housing and food in a dormitory and 90€/month for everything else. Always society is providing opportunities in education and rehabilitative programs, but always society is questioning how comfortable you should be during these processes. Again, far better than the US example, but problematic in its own right.

I do hope that Finland never gets to point where it wonders if someone who has never worked deserves benefits from society. Already the majority of European states do not allow for even superficially "universal" welfare benefits. I think the result, if not the question itself, will be found in how Finland incorporates the category of Finnish into its own society. Already "Finn" is more powerful a race in Finland than "White", and Finns are easily led to believe that they pay too much in taxes (not true, if you consider the price of retirement and medical insurance in other countries, ie the USA) and that they pay too much to welfare to support refugees, also not true by Kela's own statistics. The average recipient of Kela benefits is Finnish, but of you were to ask the average Finn right now 8.04.2023, after the result of the recent parliamentary vote, that person may respond that the greatest threat to the financing of the Finnish Welfare State is the refugee.

I don't know what more to say than to emphasize the fact that the homogeneity of Finland has nothing to do with it's success. Indeed, as a homogeneous nation finland already struggled with financing those who fall through the sieve of society they have woven, and these are far more likely to be Finnish than they are to be refugees. Do not think even the citizen of the Nordic welfare state to be less tempted by the specter of racism that most nations will destroy themselves to to worship. Think only, that that the Nordic welfare state is in absolute terms further from that outcome than any other alternative.

who would have thought that the solution to homelessness is providing people with housing? 🧐

[missbaphomet]

Fortnight

Artist: Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone

Album: The Tortured Poets Department

Track Number: 1

Year: 2024

Resources: The official music video, Genuis (for lyrics and misc. supporting details), addictioncenter.com, my friend with a music degree

This is my personal interpretation! I do not claim to be objective or that this is the only interpretation! This is simply one possible interpretation and what I am getting from this song!

[Verse 1: Taylor]

I was supposed to be sent away But they forgot to come and get me

I was a functioning alcoholic ’Til nobody noticed my new aesthetic

But you’re the reason

And no one here’s to blame But what about your quiet treason?

The album opens with an allusion to mental health facilities, and closes with a song titled after a woman who was institutionalized for a period, so I'm sure we can expect to see more of this going forward in the thematic elements of this album. This verse, to me, is establishing the emotional turmoil felt by the singer in another failed relationship. She appears to be suffering a depressive episode bad enough that she feels she was supposed to be taken in for her health, but they forgot.

A 'functioning alcoholic', per the addiction center, makes up about 19.5% of alcoholic and are defined by the ability to maintain jobs and relationships. These types of alcoholics tend to have depression, but are less likely to suffer from other co-occuring issues. I feel this line is meant to express that she developed a dependence on alcohol, but was able to maintain some front of normalcy which prevented others in her life from noticing, pushing her deeper into her alcoholism until she lost the 'functioning' part.

She blames this on her unnamed former partner. With the addition of the last couplet, she seems to imply that from an outside perspective their falling out had no guilty party, but she then revealed some perceived sleight from her partner, or 'quiet treason' that destroyed their relationship.

[Chorus: Taylor]

And for a fortnight there, we were forever

Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather Now you’re in my backyard, turned into good neighbors

Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her

This failed relationship seems to have been a flash-in-the-pan, intense but short-lived type of affair, with a fortnight being two weeks long. The pair still seem to live in the same general area, and in fact are neighbors. They don't speak about their dead flame, but also never get past small talk and pleasantries.

I believe in this instance, 'your wife waters flowers' is an alternate form of the phrase 'to water your own grass', derived from 'the grass is greener where you water it', meaning to nurture what you have instead of searching for something better. I believe the substitution of flowers here is meant to emphasize the status quo, picket fence appearance of the ex's relationship. The ex appears happy and put together with a dutiful wife, which illicits rage from the singer who directs her jealousy towards her.

[Verse 2: Taylor & Post Malone]

All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February

I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary

And I love you, it’s ruining my life I love you, it’s ruining my life

I touched you for only a fortnight I touched you, but I touched you

Mondays are widely regarded as the worst day of the week. They are the start of the typical work week, and have a negative connotation of either being slow or being the day when all the problems that happened over the weekend show up, making them seem to have more issues than other days. February is the shortest calendar month, so having an 'endless February' emphasizes the feeling of time dragging on further, leading to the feeling that even the shortest time frame seems infinite. As a side note, February also has Valentines Day, a holiday for lovers, on the 14th, falling at the end of a fortnight.

There is no 'miracle move-on drug' or equivalent, so I interpret this as the mentioned drug merely being the realization that it's over, which would be a 'hard pill to swallow' or a 'bitter pill'. However, this didn't seem to stay long, as the effects of this realization were not long-lasting.

The singer is obsessive over this relationship, to the degree she is losing her ability to function, as referenced by a 'change in aesthetic' in verse 1. She is literally ruining her life. As short as the relationship was, it did happen, and she finds some amount of solace in the fact that she 'touched' the Ex.

[Chorus: Taylor & Post Malone]

And for a fortnight there, we were forever

Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather Now you’re in my backyard, turned into good neighbors

Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her

And for a fortnight there, we were together

Run into you sometimes, comment on my sweater Now you’re at the mailbox, turned into good neighbors

My husband is cheating, I wanna kill him

Over time, the pair seem to be growing closer again, moving from surface level pleasantries to more personal conversations and even visiting each other.

As for the line about wanting to kill her husband, that seems to be a recurring theme in several songs such as Florida!!! from the same album and no body, no crime from evermore. This could be indicative of the singer moving on slowly, turning her anger from the the wife to her own husband.

[Bridge: Taylor & Post Malone]

I love you, it’s ruining my life I love you, it’s ruining my life

I touched you for only a fortnight I touched you, I touched you

I love you, it’s ruining my life I love you, it’s ruining my life

I touched you for only a fortnight I touched you, I touched you

The effect of this song being sung in canon seems to imply mutual feelings between the Ex and the singer. It almost seems that in getting closer once more, this is a moment where they admit their mutual regret at how the relationship ended, but both have come so far now that they can't change the past.

[Outro: Taylor & Post Malone]

Thought of callin' ya, but you won't pick up 'Nother fortnight lost in America Move to Florida, buy the car you want But it won't start up 'til you touch, touch, touch me Thought of calling ya, but you won't pick up 'Nother fortnight lost in America Move to Florida, buy the car you want But it won't start up 'til I touch, touch, touch you

Again sung in canon, the singers grieve the lost opportunity, acknowledging the fragile position they stand in: they ignore each other's calls, but if they allow themselves to stray, they could have the future they want. Neither is willing to take the first step, so both remain in the same situation.

In this instance, I believe the music video is intended to be more artistic than adding additional context to the song, but there are some very distinct choices that are interesting.

Taylor reveals facial tattoos when wiping her face, implying the impact he had on her behind the facade of normalcy

Taylor wears what appears to be victorian style mourning garb before she and Post show connection

Post appears in several scenes without his tattoos. I'm not entirely sure the significance of this, but it is worth noting. Someone theorized in the comments of the music video it's to show Taylor sees the real him, but thematically that doesn't really track for me.

Asylum imagery, including physical restraints and a nurse administering medication

The music video is shot in black and white with the exception of some colored shapes between Taylor and Post during one segment.

[mountain-high-philolsophers]

October 31 - First Period Assembly

Whispers and stifled laughter came from the boys (*teacher sorted) of the first period auditorium. They knew today was a day that would be going down in school history, the legendary school assembly to kick off the month of No Nut November. Mark Settledown, president of the Mountain High PhiLOLsophers Club, and Jackson Hardy, school principal, sat together at a table on the stage, each trying to look in charge.

Mark grinned brightly from the stage as his presentation began. He grinned a lot. "Good morning, penis havers!" he said.

"Boys," corrected Mr. Hardy, from beside Mark. "This is the boys assembly."

"Yeah? And could you define 'boy'?"

Mr. Hardy sighed. This was going to be a long month. The manual sent to his office included an enormous list of official definitions, debated and approved of by the best politicians Texas could elect, and after months of legal struggles, his opinions on its contents no longer mattered. He rubbed his eyes and said, "A boy is anyone born with a penis."

"So good morning, penis havers!" repeated Mark, even more enthusiastically. "Tonight at midnight begins a game we will all be playing for the next month, one I'm sure you've heard of, called 'No Nut November'! For anyone who isn't aware, here are the general rules. Save your questions for the end, please..."

The rules were familiar to everyone, they'd been on the news for months. Don't cum, simple as that, and it applied to girls (*everyone else in the school) too. No one could put anything in their cooch or their ass, and none of the boys (*people who didn't want stuff in their butt) were nervous about it. Nervous laughs came from the boys (*penis) in the audience.

"...which brings me to the reason you're all here. This..." he said, whipping out a small package for everyone in the assembly to see, "...is a special condom, issued to everyone in this room. Everyone should have one..."

"And only one," interjected Mr. Hardy.

"...so make sure you get one one before you leave. You will notice it has our school mascot on the outside, and on the inside..."

He tore open the condom and grabbed his water bottle, making a show of fumbling with the condom for a bit before finally putting it on. "Ah!" he said, finishing, "You have to find the right side up and roll it all the way down." Mr. Hardy looked at him, annoyed, as Mark continued.

"On the inside are a series of markings, whose purpose is officially a mystery." He looked at Mr. Hardy, furiously disapproving. "Now remember, you only get one, so make sure to hold onto it until the end of the month. Are there any questions?"

Students raised their hands, and the first question went to a shy student in purple glasses. "I don't really want to talk to anyone about whether or not I jack off," he said. "Is there really no way to opt out?"

Mark shook his head. "Not really, but as long as you give a number, any number, then no one is allowed to bother you about it. Just say one day, you're allowed to lie, dude. No one is going to check. You don't get punished for losing, and you don't get school points for winning. If your friends don't care, then no one will care.

Mr. Hardy clarified. "While legally students may not choose to opt themselves out of class activities such as this one, 'one day' is considered an official non-answer, meaning nothing. However, without a note from your parents, you cannot say 'not playing'. You must either give a number, or say still going."

"But...!"

Mark sighed, and said, "The one day rule gives you a way to be within the rules without actually playing. It's a plot device so the story can be about high schoolers awkwardly attempting to be sexy without technically being forced into anything except social awkwardness. If you don't like the genre of story you're in, get a note from your parents. Next question."

The next questioner was Rodger Harwell, a bully who had at one point punched Mark in the face for breaking the fourth wall. "If it's not graded, then what makes you think anyone will play this stupid game?"

Marked laughed. "It's not graded, but it is a real game, with real winners and losers. Some of you will want to win, and some of you are losers." He made a L with his fingers on his forehead. "Are you a loser, Harwell? Can you even go a whole day without touching yourself?"

Mr. Hardy got mad, and question time moved on.

The next few questions were largely procedural. "What if I get a wet dream?" (As long as it was not a lucid dream), "Are there free passes if you really need to?" (No), "When does the game begin?" (Exactly at midnight), and "Is there a way for readers of this story to ask their own questions if they're confused?" (Yes, send this blog an ask).

The last question before the bell rang was directed only at Mark. His best friend, Abbot Costello, asked him "Do you think you'll make it?" And Mark grinned, and said, "Absolutely. Go Wildcats!" The auditorium yowled, and first period assembly ended.

[b-splendens]

mmmm Bellia

everything is going wrong like a trainwreck in slow motion, about to happen, but not yet happening. i am going to be Busy over the summer but anyways, here's stuff on BELLIA

Officially, the vibes are now: France, the United States, Warring States China, England, maybe a bit of Spain (i don't really know). Default language I'm still using is French though.

Ye Olde roman empire analogue instilled a lot of the foundations for what would later become Bellia. For one, they bestowed its later place name, remarking on both the area's beauty and the warlike nature of the peoples. They also transferred/moved a lot of people from the south and east to administer the various groups of people. Over time, the various municipalities of the Bellia province grew in unrest and contributed to the decline of the empire. the region mostly consisted of various duchies, some of which retained some vestiges of formerly foreign cultures and serving to distinguish those lands from the others. over time, in-migrations and other invasions contributed to the moderate diversity of the duchies, who fought a lot with each other.

at one point, one such duchy unifies the whole place, and a formal "bellia" comes into being. later on though, unrest between certain former duchies and other forces of history result in a kind of revolution that restores power to a bicameral legislature like that of the British system. more shit happens. they get entangled in Danyangju. the imperial long like them more because they're willing to accommodate their strict imperialism over places like dasan, in exchange for good relations and trade. other northern nations stir up trouble and help initiate the White Sandalwood war. Bellia hates those nations and sees an opportunity when some of the Dasan royals/resistance flee to its shores. Bellia essentially uses the war and its chaos to expel its rivals' influences not only from dasan and the NE, but also Lesquatre-îles (shijima), able to do so because the imperial Long has fractured and its various parties just want the northern barbarians GONE.

after the Jaded coalition signs the treaty giving up the notion of protected trade for "free" trade, Bellia becomes a prominent presence in Danyangju. things look a lot like post-WWII. the jades have a big civil war. Bellia occupies the newly established Yulguk, but not Lesquatre; over there, it looks kind of like really early Edo. back at home, they absorb what i'm tentatively defining as "the dutch" amidst war, reign victorious, and warily defend against the northern threat. Bellia eventually withdraws from Yulguk and maintains a not insubstantial presence there while benefiting from the favorable mining and other resource leases that Geumjong (probably should call him Geumjo tbh) gives them in exchange for the financial loans for reconstruction. before/during this time Bellia absorbs new waves of immigrants from Danyangju fleeing the turbulence aftershocks , natural disasters, and economic ruin. Notable "Asian" populations are from Lesquatre, Yulguk, and the Jaded territories, while more elite/upperclass individuals from places like the Manh kingdom come to establish diplomatic ties and study missions, newly freed from imperial long hegemony.

in general, social stratification enhanced by industrialization and urbanization, combined with the influx of immigrants, as well as the absorption/occupation of a highly contested territory sow discord. but in general, the period observed in jakho is like the belle epoque.

the cultural differences between the new arrivals and the locals strains the concept of pan-bellian nationalism, which tends to flatten out variety despite bellia's diverse past. but more specifically, the inclusion of the "dutch" into the empire fuels this tension. "dutch" activists/radicals/whatever promote ideas of separatism and independence, specifically along historical duchy lines. historically sidelined or politically excluded duchy areas also like that idea, or want to reform the government to give greater power to them, instead of the few uber-rich or important provinces. in general, a lot of parties with their own interests want the government changed to be less elitist, similarly to in Yulguk. controversially, some "dutch" radicals see themselves as opposed to the new immigrants and will align themselves with xenophobes. other "dutch" thinkers want to win the support of the new immigrants and channel their resentment of marginalization into organizing for a new government. another line of thought seeks to sever Bellia's ties to its not-exactly-colonies in order to weaken its economy and help topple the government.

in the case of the tentative first murder mystery, the murder and its framing on a certain Yulois scholar-prosecutor is intended to play on all of these lines of thought. the case is intended to fan the flames of xenophobia, sow distrust between Yulguk and Bellia, and channel counter-reactions into the cause of reforming the government or its policies. OR, maybe this is a red herring and it's actually supposed to just get a juicy story for a greedy, desperate journalist, exploiting juicy interpersonal drama for the big bucks >:)

[d1nosorcerer]

a rant about medieval periodization which no one asked for

alright, we're about to get REAL nerdy. Ahem.

so, for a bit of background, a while back I was reading an article by historian Alex West about his view of the Middle Ages; it's interesting, but I'll link to one of his later ones that summarizes things more for the sake of your time: The Hemispheric Middle Ages — Part I. I agree with many of the points made and reading those ideas is part of what inspired what I'm about to go over here.

The extra-quick TL;DR is that, in his and my opinion, the "Middle Ages" are best defined as having ended with the Columbian Exchange (for lack of a better term*) that started in the 1490s, and that the term should be applied to (most of) Afro-Eurasia, not limited to just Europe, but also shouldn't be used for the Americas or Oceania. For more on why that is I'd suggest reading the articles, he explains better than I could.

*the Hemispheric Exchange, perhaps? The term doesn't necessarily endorse Columbus' awfulness, but it feels misleading to center such a broad and large-scale event on a single person who wasn't even alive for all of it

What I have to add here is my own idea of when the Middle Ages, for lack of a better term** began. Of course, to some degree this is inevitably going to be arbitrary. Creating a unified periodization for a region so large, even one more interconnected at that time than most are led to believe, is kind of nonsensical. I'm just having fun, to be honest, but it's not like historical academia is suddenly going to change course just because of what I said in this post. I'm not even a historian!

**Post-Classical" is a different term, but not a better one: it's just as Eurocentric and still named in relation to the surrounding eras. In any case, if I were attempting to challenge the concept of the Middle Ages entirely, I wouldn't bother talking about all this

With those probably-unnecessary tangents out of the way, here's what I think: the best starting time for the Afro-Eurasian Middle Ages (as opposed to one centered on western Europe/the western Mediterranean, where the fall of Western Rome works well enough) is the first few decades of the 7th century, roughly coinciding with the Byzantine-Sassanian Wars of 602-628. This can be seen as a transition period of sorts between Late Antiquity and the Medieval era.

I pick this time because numerous events could each work as the start of an era in certain parts of Afro-Eurasia within that timeframe, and multiple of those had ripple effects that led to them being important to other regions in that area as well. These are:

The aforementioned Byzantine-Sassanian wars, which impacted areas including southern/eastern Europe, west Asia, and north Africa, weakening both of those powers enough to pave the way for the rise and rapid expansion of the Rashidun Caliphate (and also Heraclius' rise to power & formalization of Greek as the Roman Empire's official language during that era)

The formation and consolidation of the Tang Dynasty of China

The formation of the Tibetan Empire (which covered a larger area than modern Tibet) in 618

The collapse of the Gokturk Khaganate in 603

The decline of the Empire of Aksum in the Horn of Africa

The formation of Islam, a religion followed by a quarter of the world's population today, which would (together with the first point) lead to imperial conquests that greatly reshaped the Mediterranean, West Asia, and adjacent regions

Again, it's just as arbitrary as any other, but I think it works better than 476 or ~500 which is mostly only relevant to the Western Roman Empire, and maybe arguably the Gupta Empire. My list is missing things from west Africa, northern Europe, and most of south and southeast Asia, but multiple of the above events would become relevant to their history by the end of this period. It works less well for Africa south of the Congo and west of the Great Lakes (no, not those Great Lakes, these Great Lakes), but there's not a lot of detailed information about the events going on there in the 7th Century CE anyway, at least not with precise dates, so it'd be harder to properly include that.

I suppose if we're going with the theme of connections between regions, an argument could be made for the 8th century when you could cross the middle-ish latitudes of Afro-Eurasia and mostly be within the territory of two empires (Tang & Umayyad) and the trans-Saharan & Indian Ocean trade were beginning to increase in scale (not to mention the Radhanites). Or perhaps the late 13th century when those trade networks reached their height and Eurasia was also linked by land due to the Mongol Empire's facilitation of commerce along the Silk Road(s). But both of those stray far enough from the commonly accepted definitions of "Middle Ages" that they could be confusing.

It's probably better to just employ more specific and malleable periodizations that are tailored to the contexts they're used in. But A) i'm a goofy little nerd who likes to categorize things, and B) the concept of the Middle Ages isn't going anywhere, so it might as well at least make a bit more sense. In my view of the world, the Middle Ages of Afro-Eurasia began from ~600-630 CE and ended in 1492.

And that's on period.

[thetruearchmagos]

Well, well, well! We seem to have gotten ourselves in the subject of military structures... :)

So, got some thoughts about this one, which are in no way meant as a slight against your sheer breadth of horse-related knowledge! Still, I've been spending too much time thinking about the role and history of cavalry forces to not want to talk about them.

Why Are Some Modern Military Units Called 'Cavalry'?

So, I'll start by saying that tank units and cavalry units, though having an overlap, aren't necessarily 'inherently' tied together much.

For a case study in the use of the term Cavalry, I'll keep to what I know and use examples from the US and Commonwealth militaries. There, you get units like:

The King's Royal Hussars,

And the 11th Armoured Armoured Cavalry Regiment, two units with pretty obvious Cav. distinctions in their names and histories.

At the same time, it's important to note that that many Cav. units, such as:

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

And various Squadrons of the 17th Cav. Regiment, carry on similar traditions but without the heavy armour, or in the latter's case even staying on the ground.

What, then, is the cause for the use of the term 'Cavalry' to name the military units of modern armies? As a military focused Worldbuilder I've definitely put some thought behind the question, and here are some things I've come up with. Of course, I'm an amateur, and none of this is really set too hard in stone!

Knights Of Old, Knights Of Now: Legacy And Lineage

Off the bat, here's a simple to understand, if arguably less important, sort of explanation. It's especially prominent in the British cases above, where those two battalions have histories which stretch centuries, well before the first motor vehicles ever rode the earth. I mostly raise this point to say something about the importance of the notion of heritage, which has for so long been a key factor of morale and cohesion for military organisations. Most Armies take pride in the past actions of their institutions and units, and carrying on their names is often hoped to encourage currently serving members of their own organisations to 'do their best' in the manner of their predecessors.

Particularly in cases where units have ties to certain regions and their populations, such as the above RSDG, these names may have the additional effect of enhancing the ties between a military service and the people they serve and draw their strength from.

Indeed, I'd argue that in the KRH's case, lineage is the only reason for the continued use of Cavalry vernacular for the unit. As we'll see below, Cavalry units fill certain roles, which from what I can gather the KRH as a unit does not, or at least not specifically. [The UK's approach with what's termed the Regimental System is actually quite interesting, but beyond our scope.]

What Is Cavalry Now?

Here, we move on to the more 'militarily relevant' reasons for the continued existence of the Cavalry as a distinct branch of the armed forces. I suggest that Cavalry exists not defined by the 'substance' or materiel it uses, be it a Percheron or a Patton*, but by what it seeks to do for the commander in the field. And that goes a little beyond being 'incredibly destructive'!

For this, I draw heavily on a number of online sources, mostly US ones since the brits [as far as I can tell] refuse to share them anywhere I can get at them! Since they're official publications, I'm sorry but I'm probably gonna butcher them by the end of this, but I hope what I've got will be informative! Also, this is going to have to restrict itself to a strictly modern-ish age perspective on Cavalry. If I had to include Antiquity, the Middle Ages, napoleon's day, and on and on, I wouldn't actually be able to pull it off since I don't know the periods, and we'd also be here all day. Maybe next time......

To Know Your Enemy

I'll start with what is, as far as I can tell, the most important and uniquely 'Cavalry' role that the branch serves: what's often termed 'Fighting for Information". The big job of a commander is to orient and direct their command in order to achieve its mission. Flailing around blindly in the dark is not terribly conducive to that. Thus, as stated in Cavalry Operations [FM 17-95]**, Cavalry "clarifies, in part, the fog of battle". From the same resource, "[the] fundamental purpose of cavalry is to perform reconnaissance and to provide security".

That somewhat neatly divides that term I used, 'Fighting for Information", in two. From this excellent resource I managed to find, these twin purposes of Cavalry could be [very, very, very much] simplified as:

To gain information on an enemy force by fighting their main strength, and forcing a reaction that can then be observed;

To deny the same enemy force the chance to do the same to your own forces;

And to fight as needed to position the Cavalry unit to carry out the above.

The first task is in a sense a more active mission, serving to gain information in the face of concealment or deception that would foil the attempts of other sources. The next is more of a reactive task, as it doesn't always require the Cavalry unit to seek out and engage an enemy force, and can involve acting more as a 'tripwire' of their presence.

Thus, by defining Cavalry as those units able to carry out these functions, you might see how all the above examples of Cavalry units might fall under that pretty wide umbrella of a term. Tanks, light or heavy vehicles with dismounts, and even aviation assets could have the capacity to carry out the various tasks assigned to the Cavalry. Regardless of their ability to pull off other missions, when organised as Cavalry and told to fight like Cavalry, for our purposes they become Cavalry.

Heavy Metal: The Role Of The Tank In Cavalry

Finally, we come to tanks, the sub-topic inspired by the fun fact that inspired this whole... thing. If it's possible for a Cavalry unit to be such without the help of these 'heavily armored [sic]*** and very expensive" vehicles, why would a Cavalry unit need them?

Indeed, there are a number of challenges posed by the presence of tanks, which exist regardless of what role the unit serves but which impact that unit to different degrees of importance depending on its mission. A major issue might be the burden of sustainment, which can be seen with the fact that the Abrams tank consumes over a gallon and a half per mile cross country. To keep them in the fight, a robust and large train of supply would be needed. Tanks, alongside other heavy vehicles, might pose constraints on mobility in more complex terrain, and the need to utilise only certain routes with considerations for bridge weight capacities and the like.

As Cavalry's ability to fulfill its functions is strongly tied to its ability to manoeuvre faster than enemy forces can, some might think tanks would be more trouble than their worth.

While that might be the case in certain contexts, where circumstances favour them tanks provide what nothing else can. A key advantage of Cavalry is its ability to fight with enemy forces to force them to reveal information and react the way the commander wants them to, and tanks give otherwise lighter Cavalry forces the firepower and protection they need to make an appreciable impact. You'd just as soon ignore the presence of a troop of main battle tanks as you would the charge of the Light Brigade, but the former might last a little longer in the face of cannons which volley and thunder.

Finally, while tanks and similarly heavy armoured vehicles might guzzle fuel and have a hard time in urban areas or thick woodland, tracks can outperform light wheeled transports in certain environments. In more open country, the former usually fair better offroad than even the most well rigged wheeled vehicle. That is, after all, why the tank was invented in the first place.

----------

Conclusions

I don't really have any. This was a real wild ride to write up, and now that it's done I'm struck by a strange sort of terror that I can't explain. I guess I hope I wasn't too wildly misinformative about things. If anyone, anywhere, gets anything out of this, I'd be pleasantly surprised.

Really, all this experience has taught me is that I am just a colossal nerd who reads too much when it comes to this field. As if I didn't know that already......

I'd like to Tag basically everyone I know, but for now I'll Tag @athenswrites @hessdalen-globe @caxycreations @lividdreamz @r-eight

-----------

*I hope anyone reading this appreciates that joke!

** Did I read all of it? Heck no, but luckily for me most of the relevant stuff was actually in the first chapter.

*** I refuse to acknolwedge the existence of the absence of that 'u'!

Hi there! Arch here, I've got a question for you!

You see, I've got this family of armoured vehicles in the 12 Worlds which I've decided to name after various "Trades" / professions. One of them's called the "Farrier", which as far as I can tell refers to someone helping to put horseshoes on horses. As the only person on this great Internet that I'd trust on anything horse related, was wondering if you knew any other jobs / Trades in that field like that?

GASP you've given me a gift this day

You're correct, farriers trim, rasp, and fit metal shoes to the hooves of horses. Depending on if you want to go for historical military related jobs or stick to civilian jobs, there are a ton!

Civilian:

Groom, Jockey, Outrider, my personal favorite the Dude Ranch Wrangler, Floater(horse dentist), Coachman, Hackman, Whip, Stablemaster, Postilion, Piquer, Constable/Marshal (originally related to care of the stables), (horse) coursers, and Saddlers

Military:

Charioteer (fun fact, this is also the name of a irl tank!), Knight(of course) squire, Hobelar, Cuirassier

I restricted these to solidly English language terms, but if you are looking for some amazing terms, there are many Spanish or Spanish-derived terms referring to American ranchers and herders, for example Vaquero. There are also many French-derived words such as chevalier that have entered the English lexicon. I also didn't bother including to more hilarious ones such as cowpuncher since I assumed you wanted at least some aspect of seriousness.

[harleyquinnstation]

☙Why Harley and Ivy were always meant to be together❧

I often see people on the internet who complain about Harley and Ivy being a couple, it's usually people complaining about how they only became a couple because DC wanted to be 'woke' or something and how they preferred them how they were before, so here I wanted to make a little post to show how there was always something going on between Harley and Ivy long before they became canon.

Harley's first appearance was on September 11 1992 in Batman: The Animated Series, she appeared for four episodes as Joker's Sidekick until on January 18 1993 her fitfth appearance ever was in the episode 'Harley and Ivy', here the two meet for the first time, and become partners in crime, being defined 'the new queens of crime'.

Harley's first comic book appearance, eight months later in The Batman Adventures #12 (September 1993) is together with Ivy, and her first canon appearance in Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (October 1999) also includes Ivy.

This shows how Ivy's character was always important in Harley's history, and she was never just Joker's Henchwoman.

But this doesn't mean there was anything romantic between them right? Well let's take a look at a couple things.

Here's some official art by Bruce Timm himself, who (for the people who might not know) is the co-creator of Harley Quinn; He made quite a few drawings of the two together back in the days where they appear very close like this picture here where they're huggin, or there's even this pic here where Ivy approaches Harley for a Kiss with mistletoe while Harley is nervous about it. Apparently there's even more risqué art but I'm not including that for obvious reasons, sadly Bruce Timm sexualises Harley a lot, but despite that this shows that Bruce Timm himself always saw these two as a thing.

Fun Fact:

Talking about Harley's own creators view on Harley and Ivy, her other co-creator Paul Dini wrote the 'Love is Love' comic for DC's tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting:

Moving on, Harley and Ivy appeared in other episodes of the Batman Animated Series together and became a real Iconic duo. But What about the Comics? Here's some instances in older Comic-Books where the two are portrayed as being pretty close:

Batgirl Adventures (1998) / Batman: Harley and Ivy (2004)

There's also some instances where one of the two was portrayed as caring deeply about the other:

One being this in Batman Adventures #3 (2003) where Harley is all Lovey-Dovey about Ivy.

Or there's also this panel from Batman: Gotham Knights #14 (2001). where when asked if she gets lonely Ivy says that she's got everything she needs while being surrounded by pics of her and Harley (And funnily enough also a picture of Supergirl).

But the major example is definitely this panel from Batgirl Adventures (1998), which honestly speaks for itself and truly shows how even back in the day these two were often perceived as a couple.

Fun Fact: This panel and the one before were both written by Paul Dini

Worth mentioning: during this period in time there was a phase where Ivy was often somewhat hostile towards Harley, and even hit her at times (As you can see mainly in Batman: Harley and Ivy (2004)) This is often brought up by people who ship Harley with Joker. It is undeniably true that there were instances were Ivy definitely wasn't good for Harley, but not only did that kind of behaviour from Ivy stop since they then changed her attitude back to normal and created the whole 'Harley is the only Human Being she cares about' thing, but it's also important to remember that Joker is abusive to Harley in basically every universe, more importantly the main one, while with Ivy, she was only abusive to Harley in the DCAU comics, while being normal and loving in other universes, and her behaviour was also mostly comedic since we can see Harley doesn't have much of a reaction in those comics.

Last but not least, another instance of Harley and Ivy's relationship having romantic undertones is found in Gotham City Sirens (2009), which is more recent but still takes place a few years before the couple became canon.

Here in Issue #24 Harley accuses Ivy of caring so much about her because she is in love with her, Ivy gets incredibly mad about this, so much that she almost tries to kill Harley, but stops after seeing her Arkham cell covered in Joker graffiti, she remembers that she has a problem and how much she cares about her. Here Ivy is clearly in denial about her feelings, a dynamic that we later see appear again years later in The Harley Quinn Animated Series, though in a much different way.

In conclusion, Harley and Ivy clearly have history, and it's crazy or at least ignorant to claim that their romantic relationship came out of nowhere.

This post also turned out a bit long, I don't know if anyone will read it or care about this but if anyone did I hope you like this little snippet of Harlivy history, and I incourage you to add more if anything comes to mind!

I remind you that these are fictional character and you're free to ship whoever you want, even Jarley! or you're free to not like the ship of Harley and Ivy of course, even though me being me I obviously wouldn't get that.

I hope everyone has a nice day, and I hope we get more and more of Harley and Ivy in the future!

edit:

I felt like adding these quotes from Paul Dini (Co-Creator of Harley) to the post (link to the interview)

"When Bruce and I did the Harley and Ivy miniseries, it was certainly implied that [Ivy and Harley] had a relationship with each other—they shared hugs and kisses. I didn’t want that to overpower what the story was, but the relationship between them is so natural."

"The more I worked with [Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy], the more I could see [a romantic relationship] happening. Unfortunately, at the time, in an animated kids cartoon, you really couldn’t get into the complexity of that or honor what a relationship like that could really be. We just showed them together as friends and on fairly intimate terms when they were out of the costume, but nothing was implicit because if we couldn’t do that relationship properly then we didn’t want to do it at all."

[beepboop358]

The Opera in the HNL Control Room Video Hints to S4

I don't know if this has been done before or not but I did this right after the tweets dropped, but I wasn't posting then so I'm posting it now LOL (better late than never right?)

On May 5th, 2021, one day before the May 6 release of the ""Eleven are you listening?" teaser (002/004), the Stranger writers tweeted this:

with the accompanying video:

The opera that's playing in the background is "Quand Le Bien-Aime Reviendra" which translates from French to English as "When The Beloved Will Return"

I’ve also seen it translated as "When My Sweetheart Returns To Me”. (any french speakers please correct me/google translate if it’s wrong)

Next I looked up what this opera's plot is about, because there has to be a reason they picked this specific thing to play in the background, nothing they do is random xD

At first when I saw father and daughter detail I thought of Hopper and El, but I reallllyyyy don't think it's referencing them. For one, El won't end up with Mike because he's gay and in love with Will, so El can't fulfill the "marrying her lover" part of this story. There's also no references to Hopper's death/reappearance in here if he is the father character.

It's the daughter's lover that disappears and returns after fighting his enemy, and the daughter goes "mad" thinking he has died. Germeuil (the lover) is "the beloved" the opera title refers too. The father is not a super important part of the picture here. This opera is more about a couple than a father/daughter or parent/child.

So that leave's us with two possibilities for who this opera could be referencing:

1. Joyce is Nina, and Hopper is Germeuil.

OR

2. Will is Nina, and Mike is Germeuil.

3. A third possibility is that the Opera references BOTH Jopper and Byler in s4, or just some aspects of the opera's storyline for each couple.

Possibility 1: The opera references Jopper

Germeuil (Hopper) fights his enemy and disappears:

Hopper has already disappeared in a fight with the enemy. He was fighting the Russians & the upside down during all of s3, and he disappears or during the final battle of s3, with Joyce literally watching the fight between Hopper and the Russian happen right as she's trying to close the gate.

Nina (Joyce) goes mad and forgets details of the traumatic event:

Just like I mentioned in my Victor Creel Theories post, there are several hints throughout the show to mental instability running in Joyce's family, and Nina is described as going "mad" when her lover (Germeuil/Hopper) disappears and she thinks he has died. Everyone thinks Hopper is dead, Joyce included. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Hopper's death will send Joyce spiraling, and cause her to forget the details of the event due to psychological distress.

Possibility 2: The opera references Byler

Germeuil (Mike) fights his enemy and disappears:

Mike wasn’t seen in the recent st4 sneak peek teaser (but neither were Jonathan, Argyle, and Joyce (unknown if Will is the one in front of the burning car but I think it is), and Finn was the only person who posted a picture of the clock with the caption “In the upside down, meanwhile…” and not “Meanwhile, in the upside down…”, like all the other cast members and official ST accounts. He never fixed the caption, which leads me to believe it wasn’t a mistake, but rather a clue. I wonder what this means for Mike’s storyline this season - does he get stuck in the upside down somehow?

Germeuil (Mike) fighting the enemy probably refers to some upside down monster, and he gets taken to the upside down during a battle or something.

And Nina (Will) goes mad and forgets details of the traumatic event:

Nina is described as "forgetting aspects of the traumatic incident in a manner consistent with a diagnosis of psychogenic amnesia"

"Psychogenic amnesia or dissociative amnesia is a memory disorder characterized by sudden retrograde episodic memory loss, said to occur for a period of time ranging from hours to years. More recently, "dissociative amnesia" has been defined as a dissociative disorder" characterized by retrospectively reported memory gaps. These gaps involve an inability to recall personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature"

There's a popular theory out there that Will has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and while DID is not the same thing as dissociative amnesia, there is the same dissociative aspect in both where the person represses/forgets memories that are traumatic to them. I recommend you read @kaypeace21's theory on this here and here.

If Mike was to disappear into the Upside down, it would certainly take a big toll on Will, which may cause him to go "Mad" (again hints of mental instability in Joyce's family, and Will is Joyce's son) This event may also bring out a more hardcore and powerful side of Will, and could trigger memories of his own life that he has forgotten. It could also be what makes Will face the lab/the monster this season.

Noah said this would be Will's darkest season, and my mind immediately goes "darker than getting possessed by an evil inter-dimensional monster who wants to kill everyone? How is that gonna work?"

But this theory is pretty dark, and it just might fit the description.

It also might fit in with the theory that Will may be one of the test subjects in the "Eleven are you listening?" teaser, which goes along with the theory that Will may have a connection to the lab beyond his relation to it in s2, which I discussed in my post about how Will, Sara, and El are all connected.

Anyways, this is all just speculation right now since nothing is confirmed, but it's interesting to think about how this opera might hint to s4 storylines.

[pagesofkenna]

one of the librarians at work the other day asked me my pronouns and I started thinking of my journey from identifying as a straight girl in highschool who was openly homophobic but trying to be a nice person about it, to identifying as a genderless bi-ace person who has to consciously swat aside both internalized homophobia and a casual disinterest in relationships-in-general to admit attraction for other afab people

and then I started thinking about how this journey basically all happened on tumblr, and because I've always talked about myself constantly I basically liveblogged my way through it??

so I started digging through my own blog archives and I'm gonna compile the posts I find here. this is basically a callout post for myself lol

(Starting dates - I left High School in June 2010, spent the '10-'11 school year almost completely alone and friendless. Met up with some friends in July 2011 who introduced me to Tumblr, and I made an account. Made some Tumblr friends. Started reading Homestuck beginning of 2012 (this is relevant).)

February 28 2012 - "Am I the only weirdo who doesn't think Troll Relationships are that confusing?" I tagged this post with "i like how he defined moirallegience" and follow it up with a post days later about how much I love the concept of moirails (aka platonic lifepartners. I'll talk for years about how jealous I am of queerplatonic relationships)

March 9 2012 - This incredibly embarrassing Sherlock post I actually stole and reposted (??? remember when asks used to not be rebloggable) about how I (and the person whose post I stole) didn't ship those characters because I hated the idea that people couldn't be close important friends unless sex was involved. I'm only including this post because 1) it's clear this was from the time period when I was trying to be less homophobic but obviously failing, and 2) I talk about only shipping characters when it's obvious they're going to get together, like... kid you're ace...

April 4 2012 - I finish catching up with Homestuck and am reading the regular upd8s (originally I'd linked the wrong post, here). I reblogged this DirkJake fanart on April 26 - from my commentary it's clear I was trying to be 'haha cute but not in a gay way!' about it which continues to be embarrassing

June 28 2012 - This is the first post I can find on my blog that mentions asexuality, and it's not even that kind of asexuality (Bill Nye is talking about how reproduction works). I don't remember having a big Asexual Awakening so I'm trying to figure out when I first heard the term at least, and it was sometime this summer at the very latest

July 9 2012 - Homestuck posts the [S] Dirk: Synchronize/Unite updates, which apparently I watched/read while babysitting rip. A lot of complicated feelings go into this! It's the moment I officially start shipping DirkJake, and I tagged this liveblog with "I'm kind of freaking out" to completely undersell what my brain was actually going through at that moment lol. I'm including this because this was a big step for me and also ties into my asexual awakening. Before this I'd gone through a process from 'homosexuality is a sin' to 'I can accept gay people, but I can't support their gayness' and was, blessedly, not liveblogging my process evolving from that. Realizing that I might be ace, that my indifference to sex and romance was a me thing and not a moral failing of everyone else, was a huge part of that. Another huge part was the fact that I latch onto depictions of people having crushes (which I attribute to my asexuality; its the longing, not the relationship necessarily, that moves me). When this update went live, I could not emotionally distinguish the joy I felt for this gay character from the joy I would have felt for a straight character - and thus, hypothetically, as a person who didn't really do crushes, the joy a gay person must feel from the joy a straight person must feel - and it made me reanalyze a lot of things.

August 7 2012 - I liveblogged myself watching a movie that would lead to me making friends with a girl who would eventually be the first girl I have a crush on (who wasn't a celebrity)

September 14 2012 - The first post I can find that I reblogged that uses the term Asexual (as in the sexuality). My tags on this post are hilarious, watch the joke sail miles over my head lol. It's clear I must have known about Asexuality by this point and started identifying with the term soonafter, though I don't record when that happens

October 12 2012 - I tried as respectfully as possible to ask, 'as a cis person', what trans people were identifying with. It's amusing now as both an honest look at the process of shifting the notions we'd been raised with, and as an example of me not yet having the language and self-awareness to say that I had no internal gender.

November 13 2012 - Someone asked about my sexual orientation and I said I'm 'heterosexual with asexual tendencies' like a fool. Past!me was so missing the point, that poor child. From what I can remember from that time, I had crushes on male celebrities, and occasionally thought about sex as an abstract or hypothetical, and figured 'yes this is what normal Straight People think' despite the fact that I had no desire to actually pursue a sexual relationship (and I was also consciously celibate - I was 19 at this point, still very active in my church, and I had honestly thought my disinterest in sex was just because of how good I was at the 'no sex before marriage' rule)

January 11 2013 - I made a textpost asking for anyone to explain 'Gender' to me and literally no one responds. Valid.

(Sometime early 3013 I start working at Target, my first real job. )

February 14 2013 - I breezed over the massive crush I had on Allison Paige by declaring Gigi Darcy (the character she played) as my valentine for the year. In fact I made a bunch of posts about her that year, this is just the highlight (I didn't consciously acknowledge this as a crush; I called her my 'girlsquish'. Looking back it was totally a crush, and everyone who didn't call me out for it at the time is a saint).

June 25 2013 - I made a readmore textpost basically saying 'I'm going to keep calling myself female because that's the only thing I've ever called myself, but I don't understand why anyone should have to be one or the either'. In this post I allude to a message I'd gotten weeks previous, which I never responded to publicly and cannot find in my inbox now. That message, from an incredibly patient friend, asked 'wouldn't you get upset if people started calling you a boy, or referred to you as a man??' I remember that as my 'aha' moment because... no, I wouldn't, because if everyone called me a boy then even if nothing in my body changed I would be a boy (because my gender had more to do with how people saw me than how I felt)

July 20 2013 - I reblogged this video about BMO and gender roles. This on its own wasn't a huge revelation, but there's a series of posts I reblogged this summer/fall about characters I adored and identified with, who I started to realize were genderqueer (see also this post about Hana Kimi 2011, which I was watching at the time (I express gratitude for a character who doesn't see the big deal with another character's gender reveal), this fanart of Momiji Fruits Basket, this post about Haruhi Ouran High School, and this essay on Hanji Zoe, under which I admit to loving Hanji because of their gender ambiguity. I'll talk more about Hanji further down, but I want to point out that if I hadn't realized I was asexual, I wouldn't have been able to categorize my feelings for them as a crush).

September 18 2013 - The first post I reblogged that I tagged with my secret crush tag. Around this time I realized I had a crush on a girl I was tumblr friends with - I was way too scared to ever tell her, and we lived too far away for anything to come of it. I characterized her as a fox and myself as a duck - incompatible, with the very real risk of me getting eaten alive. I made dozens of posts about her in November (the height of the crush, I think?) and by the next June we'd stopped talking to each other entirely. Looking back, I was probably way more obvious than I'd thought, and she might have been trying to dissuade the crush, but 2014 was a rough year for me and this friendship ending was a big part of it.

(January 2014 I leave home for University for the first time, have what I style as "the worst year of my life." Looking back I can see that all my gender stuff was happening that year, so, woof, that was a lot to be working through.)

January 4 2014 - I wrote a long textpost about how I thought my conscious decisions to not date and not have sex had effected my ability to recognize my own sexuality. I ended by tentatively defining myself as 'bi-romantic gray-ace'. Then I followed this up with another textpost about the massive crush I had on fictional character Hanji Zoe. I refer to my feelings as 'aromantic/sexual' and I'm not sure if I meant 'aromantic/asexual' or 'aromantic + sexual' but I probably was being intentionally vague because UHH FOLKS it was definitely sexual (I've since thought a lot about how the sexual crushes I get are only ever on nonexistent/unapproachable people, like fictional characters or celebrities) Later I got a message that prompted more discussion on celibacy and asexuality, and labels.

January 18 2014 - I made another textpost about how important Hanji's gender was to me, in which I admit that I didn't feel comfortable talking about my own gender at that time

February 13 2014 - I made a textpost regarding pronouns, in which I say that I'm still not emotionally prepared to talk about my own gender ("every time I start thinking about it I just nope") but state that I don't care what pronouns people use for me, and I hadn't cared in years

February 14 2014 - Facebook had made a change allowing you to define your gender as something other than 'male' and 'female', and I made this post complaining about the limitation of options. Essentially, I had no problem saying what my sex was, but none of the gender markers seemed to apply. Eventually I changed my Facebook label to 'gender nonconforming' (and, later, 'agender'). (I also briefly mention the fact that it took me years to be comfortable referring to myself as 'female sex', and that learning about gender had helped me feel comfortable with that identity. I'm honestly surprised to find that comment; I was poorly attempting to say that I struggled with femininity all my life, and that learning I didn't have to be female-gender as an adult had made being female-sex easier.)

February 27 2014 - A short textpost I made complaining about how gender didn't make sense ("i dont know how to relate to posts that talk about it").

May 31 2014 - I reblogged this short post and made a joke that I "turned off gender whenever people weren't paying attention"

June 14 2014 - I got a message asking how I identified. I responded that I was "asexual or graysexual" and over-explained that I didn't feel sexual attraction and "I'm not even ready to be in a relationship yet so I don't really think about it much" (friends I was 21 years old). This is also the first time I openly acknowledged I was biromantic to another person (after tentatively using that label in January). I also talk about how I don't understand gender ("gender just seems arbitrary"), and how I'd realized the previous September that 'gender' might "actually be an actual thing that actual people have and feel... and I don't feel it." I state that 'she' 'he' or 'they' pronouns are all fine with me.

July 16 2014 - I wrote a very frustrated rant about how I couldn't figure out 'Gender', saying that since it's a 'social construct' is it not 'real'? Is it a Tangible Thing? A friend responded and likened gender to more of a 'Force', which I responded to here, saying that made much more sense to me (making an analogy to imaginary numbers, "they're only imaginary because we can't quantify them properly").

August 26 2014 - Post in its entirety reads "About me: Gender Edition. Gender: N/A. Pronouns: English." After dancing around it for over a year I believe this is the first time I actually state that I'm agender (or, practically so). I make a few more posts for the next year expressing frustration at sex vs gender terminology but from at least this point forward I'm very openly agender and nonbinary.

(also September 14 2014 - I wrote about how I was "raised pretty gender neutral." I talked about my four older brothers and how my mom didn't make a lot of attempts to raise me 'girly'. I also talk about trying to be a feminist and realizing I didn't notice media sexism because I always identified with male protagonists just as easily as female. My mom later privately responded to this post and made the argument that she raised all her children pretty 'neutrally', inasmuch as she could, which honestly she makes a great case for.)

[thebreakfastgenie]

You’ve probably already talked about this, but your opinion on how Josh and Donna finally happened?

I have but I'm always happy to talk about it!

I'm like... 50% satisfied with it. I am very glad it happened and I'd be upset if it didn't happen at all.

I don't like the whole season 6 arc at all and I do feel like the main purpose of it was to keep them apart because the show had written itself into a corner where it made no sense for them not to get together. I think the natural time to do it was season 4 and if not then definitely the beginning of season 6. Ultimately I think it was a casualty of the conventional wisdom at the time being that the main couple had to stay will they/won't they as long as possible. I much prefer organic storytelling and there's more room for that in today's television landscape.

As it stands, it feels like the moment passes, and when they do finally get together Donna is such a dramatically different character it doesn't really feel like the culmination I've been waiting for since season 1. I absolutely hate that awkward period where they're sleeping together but it's not defined. That doesn't feel like them to me. I think they'd know right away. You could maybe get a storyline out of them both knowing but having trouble actually saying it officially, but that's not what we get. I also feel like they kept flip-flopping the situation to prioritize taking Josh down a peg over anything that actually made sense.

First, Donna is the sexual aggressor. Okay, slay! Along with that, Josh immediately recognizes the significance and is anxious about being romantic enough, while Donna is cool as a cucumber and worried about winning the election. That does make her his ideal woman, but I don't think the scene entirely plays that way as written, that's just me reading into it to try to make it work. It's cute to see him pining for a change though. Then, Josh is the one who can't commit. That just makes no sense with what we just saw two episodes ago. Josh basically tried to start a relationship on election day, he's the one who kept saying they should talk and wanted to do it when he was able to concentrate because it's important to him, while Donna kept setting up booty calls, and then he says he doesn't know what he wants from her? Of course he knows.

All of this makes sense if you think he's anxious about balancing a relationship and his work and doesn't want to mess it up because she means so much to him and she's vulnerable and trying to protect herself, hence the boundaries, but that does not really come across in the show at all. It's just oh he's not sure he can commit, she give a deadline, he learns a lesson about being a workaholic. I think it's just a casualty of the show at this point having way too many characters and extant storylines to wrap up in very few episodes, but they spend so much time on Santos and Vinick, who, while interesting, are really plot devices as much as characters. The final arc should have spent more time on the characters we've been following since the beginning and the relationship that's been such a huge part of the show. It's just rushed.

That's what I don't like. Here's what I do.

I love their first kiss. I think it's perfect. I love the polling data thing. The awkwardness at that point makes sense! It's just very them and I love it. I love that they have sex on election eve and watch coverage in bed and I wish they had let it be less awkward and more mutual! I love it being incredibly obvious to Will. I love Matt Santos being the only person who doesn't realize they're sleeping together. I love their vacation, actually! Josh taking Donna with him on the vacation he's forced to go on is a really nice bit of growth for him AND them. Just take the four week deadline out of it. I love the scene where they wake up together on inauguration day. It's a nice parallel to the times we've seen him wake up before, only now Donna is there! He's not alone! He's grown so much and he's going to be healthier and happier because they're in it together.

So in the end, it works well enough. I'm just glad it happened. And I can gloss over the bumps for my Santos admin headcanons that have a bit more of a season 4 Josh/Donna flavor.

[scripttorture]

In your opinion, would the act of branding be classed as torture? After escaping my villain's lair, my character is recaptured & subsequently branded both as a punishment & to mark him as belonging to the villain. It's mostly for the sake of causing my character immense pain - there was an option to do a more painless way of marking him, but my villain decided to go for the most painful option. I'm wanting to get a few opinions on this, if at all possible. Thanks for any help you can give!!

Whelp you can not get multiple opinions from me, because I am only one collection of ferrets in a coat and hat person. More seriously I think you’re using ‘torture’ in a colloquial sense here and torture is a legally defined term.

 The definition of torture used by the UN in international law is essentially that torture is any painful abuse carried out by an on duty government official (or group that controls territory) for one of the following reasons:

To try and obtain information (this does not work)

To try and force a confession (statistical studies suggest this works about 10% of the time)

To intimidate

To punish

 If the person being tortured isn’t the one torturers are trying to target it still counts. So if a police officer arrests the brother of a person they want to force a confession from and hurts the brother to try and make the original person confess; that is still torture. It is also still torture if the government officials hire someone to torture for them.

 Some countries have torture laws that include international criminal gangs as potential torturers. Some do not.

 So the question of whether this ‘counts’ relies on information you haven’t given me. Because legally speaking torture is not defined by the type of abuse inflicted on a victim. It is defined by the position of power and authority held by the torturer.

 And honestly there isn’t a lot of leeway in that respect. Either the villain is in a position of legal authority and legally holds power over the victim or they do not. If the villain is essentially part of the ruling or occupying force in the country this takes place in then this is torture. Otherwise it’s abuse and assault.

 Here’s the thing: the answer on whether this would ‘count’ or not may not actually have a big impact on your story.

 The lasting symptoms torture survivors experience are symptoms of trauma generally. They can be experienced by survivors of abuse, assault, accidents and people who witness horrible events even when they’re not directly effected.

 So if this story is focused on the survivor character the list of symptoms I have here is still going to be relevant. So is the post on memory problems over here.

 The big difference is effects on a societal level and the scale of abuse. The term torture implies thousands of survivors, it implies abuse as public policy. And that means communal effects. It means communities where everyone knows someone who was tortured, someone who disappeared. It means knock on effects that stop people trusting authority, stop people reporting crimes and encourages recruitment by the opposition.

 What exactly that all means and looks like varies a lot. It also seems like a tangent to your question so I think I’ll leave it there. (If you want more information feel free to send in another ask.)

 Branding and other burning tortures have been used as legally defined tortures. For the most part you don’t see them today.

 But it was common in parts of Europe historically, in England branding is recorded as a punishment in Anglo-Saxon times and seems to have continued into the Middle Ages. So a period of roughly 800 AD to 1400 AD, with it gradually becoming less frequent as attitudes and common torture techniques changed.

 I’m sure these tortures were used outside Europe but I’m unsure whether they were as common in other historical cultures. I’ve found references to burning in both China and Japan but in most cases this seems to have been part of execution and I’ve mostly seen it come up in cases where the authorities seem to have wanted to make the execution particularly unusual (ie treason.)

 I’ve got quite a few posts on branding, you can find them here.

 And if you’ve got any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask. :)

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[hugsandpeaches]

It's U Again

Fluff

bxg

jiu x reader

---

Minji and you are High School sweethearts, well, before.

Both of you wears the same clothes, dream the same dream, thinks the same thing most of the same time. You two are defined as 'soulmates'.

She was very talented, you too as well. As said earlier, both if you has the same dream. A dream of being idols.

"I got accepted as a trainee!" Both you two surprised each other at the same time. It was an accomplishment you two dreamt of. Both of your hardwork has been paid off. But there's a thing...

Trainees can't date.

Your dreams led the both of you to separate ways. It hurts. Minji's training period is coming and you have to send her away on the train station.

The day she's leaving was very gloomy. It rained hard as you and Minji waited for her train to come. Her head laying on your shoulders, hand holding yours tightly. She want to savor her last moments with you as her boyfriend.

"When you debut, I'll wait for you"

Her heart skipped a beat and then she lifted her head up, meeting your eyes.

"You'll do the same thing too, right?"

Her eyes glistened in tears and hugged you side ways.

"When we became successful someday, let's not forget each other." As she told you the words, her train came and you stood up, helping her with her bags. She entered the train and you were left behind the yellow line she just crossed. There's just a little number of passengers getting inside the train so the train doors closed as she stepped inside.

Minjin stopped on the glass door looking at you, tears streaming down her eyes. She waved her hands at you and you copied what she did.

"Y/n-ah, we'll meet again"

The train started moving slowly and you followed it's direction, still looking at Minji. She was smiling at your actions and was shocking her head. The train moved faster and you felt the rain slap your face as you ran.

"I love you"

Minji mouthed you behind the glass doors and you ran as fast as you can, dropping your umbrella, just to say back the words.

"Minji saranghae!"

Once again, Minji waved her hands and you stopped from running, rain washing you and your clothes.

<6 years later>

5 years ago, Minx debuted and then 1 year later, Dreamcatcher was born. The group's popularity started to climbed up as they toured around the world. Minji never forgot you. She always kept your picture on her bag without the members knowing. Minji always ask for you whenever she come home but too bad you weren't there. Your parents told her that you moved to US to do something. Minji understood but it kinda hurt her because you didn't let her know.

Well, she lastly asked for you 6 years ago. Now, dreamcatcher is having their comeback and have been busy this past few months not noticing this rookie soloist under SM Entertainment.

Fans started going crazy about his visual and how soothing his voice is.

Lee Y/n.

Your name was all over internet. You didn't knew you were going to be this viral after your cover of Xiumin's You last week. SM promoted you by singing their ballads then dropping your teaser the day after. You've been busy preparing for your debut for a month so you didn't recieved any news from her. Netizens was amazed by you and then started talking over you.

You were the current hot topic.

But the only thing that you want is being noticed by her.

Did she recieved the news?

Did she read something about me?

Is she proud of me now?

Questions took over your mind as you became nervous coming into the stage. You were the first performer of today's Mcountdown.

You placed your position on the stage and hopefully searching for her on the dark crowd but she wasn't there that broke your heart. You bowed your head in disappointment and then started performing as the your song started playing.

After performing, you took your last glance on the now bright crowd but still, didn't saw her figure. You forcefully smiled at your audience and bowed before exiting the stage. You saw your manager waiting at you and you hugged him, thanking him for your successful debut.

While walking, you were your sad expression. You can't believe she wasnt there supporting you.

"I miss her"

Just then, a loud heels running on the hallways was heard by you and then someone suddenly bumped on you while doing your turn on the intersection hall.

A tall yet not so taller than you just bumped their head on you chest and then ran off without saying sorry. That was rude but you guess she's chasing someone important.

You looked down and then saw bunny necklace, you were familiarized by it and took it anyway. It was the same necklace you gave Minji 8 years ago.

The girl must been dropped it while bumping at me. You thought and then walked back at your dressing room. You sat there and then looked at the thing on your hand.

"When will I meet you again, Minji?"

I placed the necklace on my pocket and then stood up.

"I'm hungry"

Jiu's POV

"I'm here, manager unnie" I opened the door and saw my members on their phones. "Unnie, there was a handsome guy on the monitor earlier. You're late to see him" Gahyeon said while munching her food. "And he's the same age as you, maybe..." Dami wriggled her eyebrows at me while smiling sheepishly. I sighed and then sat down beside the two maknaes.

"I told you guys, I'm not interested" I said and then placed my hand over my neck. An unfamiliar feeling came into my body as I didn't touched my necklace.

"My necklace is missing" Dami looked over at my neck to confirmed it. "You rarely took that off, maybe you didn't wore that earlier? " Gahyeon asked. I shook my head and stood up.

I went out of our dressing room to find my necklace.

That wasn't just a necklace. That was his gift from our 1st year anniversary, how can I lose it. I led my way to the girl's comfort room where I went earlier and again while turning into the hallway, I bumped into someone... again.

Wait, maybe I dropped the necklace after bumping on someone earlier!

I avoided who I bumped into and was about to run when I felt my arms being pulled.

"Wait miss, you bumped at me 2 times already and you didn't even apologize "

Is that- that voice sounds familiar.

"I'm so sorry, something important is missi-"

Third Person's POV

Minji stopped on her tracks as she saw the person's face. The person was also shock from who she is, forgetting his hands was still on her arms.

"Minji?"

"Y/n?"

The bot immediately let go of her hand and then bowed at her. "Annyeaonghaseyo, Lee Y/n imnida" Y/n greeted with the widest smile plastered on your face.

Y/n can't believe what's happening just now. He's now face to face with his first love, the only girl he loved. Jiu on the other side was surprised but same as Y/n, she cant contain her happiness. Her lips started to spread into a smile and chuckled.

"Is that really you, Y/n? Am I only dreaming?" She pinched herself just incase. "Ani, I'm real" the boy spread his arms and turn around. "I'm real Minji" his smile never left his lips. Jiu came and pinched his cheeks as well.

"You're real!" Minji exclaimed. You then heard footsteps coming into one of the corners but luck is on your side. You two were just standing infront of your dressing room.

You opened the door and pulled Jiu in. She never complained, why would she? She had been waiting for this moment to happen.

As the both of you went inside, you immediately enveloped Minji a tight hug. You felt her hug back that made you tear up.

"I can't believe this is happening, please tell me I'm not dreaming!" You told her and you felt her shook her head on your chest. Then suddenly, you felt your shirt getting cold.

"Minji?" You broke the hug and you saw her brightly smiling at you, her tears rolling down her cheeks with her mascara. "Yah, don't ruin your make up" you wiped her tears using your sleeves. "You're performing soon, I'll watch beside the stage" she nodded at you and got out from your arms.

"Oh- I remember, your necklace " you grab the necklace on your pocket and turn her around to put on the necklace on her.

After putting in on, you kissed Minji's cheeks making her blush and turn around at you. "Yah, we're not official yet, take me out to date first" she said and pushed your shoulders.

"Hmm, noted. So...?"

Silence filled the room, the both of you smiling while staring at each other. "I missed you" you look down on the ground while fiddling your fingers. "Me too" you heard her said that made you blush.

"Have you watched my performance?"

"Performance?"

Your head shot up and you glared at her. "Y oi u missed it, did you?" Minji bit her lip and looked down. You smiled at her cuteness and then went closer to her again.

"It's okay though, at least we met again. So Minji... I mean, Jiu-ssi" you said and took out you hand for her to take.

"Faith really made us see each other, would you like to go out on a date with me on Saturday" you kneeled down at her and she started squealing. "Yah~ what are you doing, get up" she held your hand and pulled you up but you remained in your place.

"Only if you agree, Jiu-ssi" she smiled sweetly at you and pecked your lips.

"Of course, I would love too" you smiled and then stood up, pulling your necklace that was hiding behind your shirt.

On your necklace, there are two rings that was familiar to Minji. It was your necklace since you were still together. You wore it everyday. She wants to ask why there are 2 rings on it but her head says 'it's just design, that's it's

"Kim Minji, you were mine before, I'll make you mine again" you pulled out the rings and put the small one on her left hand. She blushed and you put the larger ring on your left hand.

"Now we're unofficially enganged" you smiled cheekily and kissed her forehead.

"Welcome back"

[synnefo-nefeli]

Hi, this is Bicycle from your Stranger Stories comments. I had a thought and would like to hear your opinion. So I gather that in your A/B/O universe, there are multiple mating seasons a year (this is what I remember, correct me if I'm wrong) when omegas go into heat. Would this mean, at least for the children of A/O couples, that birthdays would be concentrated around 9 months from each mating season? How would this impact the culture? Would there be birth seasons as well as mating seasons?

Hi!!

Thank you so much for this excellent question and for your patience! I am so so sorry that it’s taken me forever to answer- I’ve been trying to respond for a while but words are hard this year orz.

So yes, you are correct that there is a mating season once a quarter.

The Winter season lands somewhere between late December - early February (we are here in Strange Days FYI)

Spring Season is between late March- early May

Summer: Late June- early Aug

Fall: Late September- early November

But keep in mind that the season’s dates can fluctuate.

The mating seasons are dependent on when the omega population goes into what is referred to as a “true heat”.

A true heat where the omega population’s pheromones are strong enough to cause an Alpha to enter rut.

Alphas can only knot during ruts, which is important to successfully conceiving /managing or ending the Omegas heat. The need for the knot is due to the fact that while Alphas (depending on their weight) produce more semen compared to Beta males, unlike Betas, the semen isn’t viable for long after ejaculation- so the knot is needed to keep it all in to increase the chances of conceiving. Plus being tied to your partner along with the post sex endorphins is really good for the couple’s bond.

So due to the mating season being dependent around the omega population’s true heats- it is why the season is spread across a few weeks. It’s not always a defined time, rather it’s an estimated time omegas are most likely to enter a true heat. Some omegas can enter a heat earlier or later than the spike of the season. But with modern medicine and science, the world has become better at predicting these periods.

Depending on the weight of omega and if they’re using blockers/birth control, they may also “skip” a season. But again it depends on what the omega is on. Athena for example, is on birth control and a blocker than minimizes her symptoms. So she’ll feel the effects of the season but it’s not enough to trigger a full on heat. The worst she’ll feel is fatigued and the best, a bit frisky. However she won’t feel the overwhelming need to mate, like, let’s say, Apollo.

Miles prefers to skip heats all together, at least, that’s what ppl say is his official position.

All other times through out the year, an omega May experience a “false heat” one a month for a day or so, but the likelihood of conception then, is very low as outside of mating season, an Alpha is unable to knot /the omega isn’t actually ovulating. However there are instances of successful conception outside of the season. It’s extremely rare, but it has happened.

Anyway, now that the “science” is out of the way, let’s talk cultural impacts.

So yes, it is common for A/Os birthdays to be clustered around certain times of the year. There are definitely “baby booms” four times out of the year, deoending on an area’s overall A/O population.

Side note: I made my own AA birthday charts, based off other games timelines and characters ages and wouldn’t you know it? Majority of the protag’s birthdays are clustered between Jan-March with a few outliers in April and May (Klavier May 23rd and Simon, April 1st in my head canons- I wrote an extended post on Klavier and Apollo’s birthdays for Heard Your Heart Beating). In chapter 14 of SD I mentioned that Miles and Phoenix are the same zodiac sign so they were definitely born within a few weeks of each other, most likely conceived in the Spring mating season the year prior.

So what does this mean for the packs? Well, if a lot of omegas in the same pack are pregnant together it strengthens the bonds between those omegas. The children born are raised as packmates and the responsibility is of raising them is shared between the adults of the pack. The children grow up considering the others they were born with as siblings /close cousins. Depending on the pack, it may be considered taboo to mate with a packmate from the same cluster you were born into, as it can be seen as mating your sibling (despite there not being any actual biological relation there), and it doesn’t encourage diversification of the gene pool if packs are inter-mating.

It’s more common for the kids to break away and form smaller packs with their own mates from other packs /families. This is how things like Houses and Tribes get started as children eventually split off from the main house but still retain loyalty to that lead pack.

Having a cluster of children introduces a “class” mentality (like “class of 2024” sort of deal) and it’s used as a way to introduce the younger packs into society through customs similar to debutante balls/London Season/coming of age ceremonies we see in the real world.

It’s during these introductions (usually at the age of 15/16 whatever age when all of the children in a “class” have had their first rut or heat) into society is a way to mingle and network with other families outside of the children’s packs. Not surprisingly, these are events were breeding contracts or the right to court are often negotiated between families.

This cluster mentality is also enforced through the marriage /mating ceremony, as the couple will have their ceremony during the first mating season following their engagement. Due to this, there are hotels and resorts that cater exclusively to Alphas and Omegas as they can make most of their annual revenue from about 12 weeks or so out of the year. Venue space is fought after because not only is about the ceremony, the couple will also stay for the next week or so as the Omega will be in heat. So having accommodations like this for A/Os is really important.

There are also older establishments run by Alphas who have back rooms ready a few times throughout the year to accommodate an A/O couple while they’re out; should the omega suddenly have their heat. (Apparently mounting your omega in public is frowned upon in the increasing majority that is polite Beta society XD) These accommodations have helped the A/O community start to assimilate into Beta society.

There’s more that will be covered in SD eventually (courtship practices/breeding rights/mating ceremonies, etc), but I hope this post answered a lot of your questions.

[dwellordream]

Hello! You've mentioned rewriting But the Wolf a couple of times now, which is certainly exciting as I enjoyed it and would love to see how you would approach it as an increasingly skilled writer. Could you give any hint as to the changes you are planning? I'm guessing maybe some parts of the Berena/Jaime dynamic? I totally understand if you prefer not to reveal anything at this point. Your stories were always interesting but your recent stories are especially captivating and well developed!

I don’t want to make any promises because there are other fics I’d like to write before rewriting that one, and one of my problems is I have little interest in working on two ASOIAF fics set in roughly the same time-period at the same time. As in I don’t want to be writing 2 WOT5K fics at the same time because it would be too overwhelming. I do have some vague ideas as to what I would like to change in a rewrite/reboot, and I can list them here although none of it is set in stone, of course. Just to begin with I think the very premise of the fic (a Stark daughter wedding Jaime Lannister after Robert releases him from the Kingsguard) is on shaky ground because in what world would Ned agree to this. Yes, Robert could overrule Ned as King, but they were already on tense terms at the time and it seems out of character for Robert to insist on this, having no love for Jaime himself and having already married Cersei. So were I to rewrite I think I would approach it from the point of ‘Rickard and Tywin were in talks to betroth Jaime and Berena years earlier’ (like how Jaime was maybe going to be betrothed to Lysa in canon), but this is derailed with Cersei encouraging him to join the Kingsguard and him happily agreeing. Thus the match is off, both Tywin and Rickard are pissed, Rickard pivots to trying to get Elbert Arryn for Berena instead, considering that an even better match.  Unfortunately the Rebellion then kicks off, Elbert is killed before him and Berena are ever officially betrothed, everything else proceeds as in canon, Ned marries Cat, Lysa marries Jon Arryn, etc, and then in the aftermath, Robert agrees to release Jaime from the Kingsguard, and the idea of that old betrothal that was all-but-announced between him and Berena comes popping back up. It’s still a stretch but I could see Ned reluctantly agreeing to it on the grounds that he knows it was what his father had intended for Berena, Jon Arryn is putting the pressure on to make peace with the Lannisters, *and* Berena herself is in agreement and thinks the marriage should happen. Why is Berena all for it? Because in this rewrite I would come at it from the perspective of a young Berena helped Lyanna plot to be the Knight of the Laughing Tree, and then helped her plot her grand escape with Rhaegar, which obviously had terrible consequences. Berena feels tremendously guilty for this, blames herself in part for the Rebellion (however misplaced that guilt may be), for Lyanna’s death, etc. As she cannot join the Night’s Watch as Benjen in canon did, and she feels horrific about what happened to Rickard, she sees the marriage to Jaime as a sort of penance or what she ‘owes’ for her part in Rhaegar absconding with Lyanna, despite her only being like 12/13 at the time. Ned would never force his sister into it, but seeing her *seem* enthusiastic about the marriage, Catelyn being like ‘yeah, it’s the Lannisters, they suck, but they are a Great House, it’s a good marriage’, and both of them wanting to support Berena = the match goes through.  Jaime, as in the original, is not a happy camper and certainly blames part of it on Berena, feeling she was just scheming for a rich husband and an ‘easy life’ at Casterly Rock as opposed to the ‘brutal North’.  Anyways the marriage starts off very rocky as Berena, although initially trying to make the best of it, quickly realizes Jaime is not at all into this, he’s also just an asshole to everyone involved, sour feelings quickly multiply, etc.  I’m also leaning towards in the rewrite the births of Joff, Myrcella, and Tommen all still happening because Cersei is frequently visiting the Rock and the Lannisters are frequently visiting the capitol, and it seems even less likely to the average person that an affair could be happening if both Cersei and Jaime are married.  I’m not sure yet what I would keep/change about Berena and Jaime’s kids. Might be some different birth orders/names.  Tyrion does not get married but the Tysha incident is probably averted and thus he has 10% less horrific childhood trauma. Berena’s ladies in waiting have a larger role and more defined personalities. Genna and Kevan probably play larger roles as well.  Ned doesn’t die.  Cersei and Berena would have a very strange dynamic insofar as yes, Cersei loathes her with all the fire of a thousand suns and would off Berena in an instant, but is also... oddly fond of her at times because she is the one other person who knows Jaime as well as Cersei does? Not that they’re uh... light-hearted frenemies now but that it’s a very fucked up sort of ‘Jaime is my other half and thus you’re almost as much my spouse as his’ back-and-forth where Cersei flashes between outright ignoring Berena, being all buddy-buddy with her, and being privately venomous towards her (not that this becomes a Jaime/Cersei/Berena poly relationship haha but... on an emotional level, kind of?). Like Berena becomes almost... oddly attached to Cersei too, despite coming to know all this horrible shit she’s done.  The characterization of both Berena and Jaime would be slightly different. I think the original went easy on him, insofar as excusing some of his horrible behaviors. In a rewrite I would go all in on detailing how genuinely disturbing the entire Lannister family dynamics are and what it is like to be an outsider married into that mess. Berena would be a different character in terms of behavior, probably dutiful in so far as ‘this is the marriage, it’s what I’m stuck with’ but in terms of the personal relationship with Jaime, she’d be just as petty and spiteful as him- they’d have similar personalities insofar as coming across as pretty flippant/’light-hearted’ but there being a lot of Bad Stuff insofar as repressed guilt/shame underneath the exterior. I don’t have many more specifics but for now that’s what I have mapped out.