#charlie definitely has more powers but i can't remember them all

[pharawee]

Hi Jane! Thank you for answering my question :D Unfortunately, I now have MORE questions and as the one cursed with the knowledge of this omegaverse, you're the only one I can ask *nervous laughter* sorry

Do they explain the levels of Charlie's absorption powers and how they work in the novel? We know that he absorbs powers through touch and is able to siphon more the closer his is to someone. And you said in the tags that he somehow changed Babe's DNA (that's crazy btw???). Can he change the DNA of everyone he absorbs powers from or just those he is intimate with?

Oh that's okay. I aim to spread this cursed knowledge to everyone who will listen. But also the worldbuilding in the novel is actually really fascinating and I'm having a lot of fun with it (for someone who knew nothing about omegaverse before).

The novel goes into a lot of detail with Charlie's powers and some of it is spoilery for stuff that is yet to happen in the series. But basically Charlie inherited his powers from his mother who was also an alpha (no word on his father). She must have had somewhat different powers though because they only noticed when Charlie stole her powers. Those powers later vanished when she died.

Charlie needs to be close to someone to absorb their power. Babe mistakingly believes that it's through sex but Charlie probably does it through touch alone because by the time he meets Babe he already has a lot of powers (and he's a virgin so things don't add up otherwise lmao). I'm not sure I remember them all but he can change his scent, detect lies, put people to sleep, cause hallucinations, slow his own heartbeat... and then he also absorbs Babe's super senses.

There's no talk about genes or dna at all but something within Babe must change after Charlie absorbs his powers so he becomes worthless for Tony's breeding program. That or Tony is just really stupid. 🤡

It's later said that powers are directly linked to who people are (both as an individual and as their secondary gender) so taking away their powers somehow changes them fundamentally. It usually can't be done and will kill them. Even with Charlie it's more like stealing (e.g. if Charlie dies the powers return to their original owner; and if the original owner dies Charlie no longer possesses their power either).

[thebearme]

What's William Afton like in your Human FNAF AU?

ngl I was having a hard time here so I drew Willy for the past days to get an Idea that's more solid.

Here's Willy and Henry in the old days

Well... it was kinda hard to say. Pretty much the same temperament as the og one; I can't get into too much about his home life or how he behaves around the other Fazbear restaurants rn, that's for later posts.

He's the brains of the operation; He came up with the idea of Fredbear's family diner and welcomed his collage friend Henry to help him in this venture. With neither of them having knowledge in owning a restaurant beforehand, they decide to put the entertainment in the forefront with him and Henry performed. It was a small business back then, but it soon got big and with that so did William ego.

He's a bad father, husband and person like the original.

A bit of an uptight theater kid, so he was the MEANEST when it came to auditions and the overall everyday shows. Luckily, Henry in charge of the audition process instead of Willy.

Willy took his roll when he performed seriously, ironically the character he played was a hippie hillbilly for the 'ha ha American people stupid' satire’s sake.

Fredbear family diner had entertainment that was more like a theater show than a performing band. Henry wasn't much of a singer and Willy only knew a few songs on banjo, but their performances gave an amateur but campy feel to them if you were to watch the recordings of the shows.

Willy would micromanage the business if he wasn't pulled away from it. This leads to him being the most feared boss for everyone. His willingness to fire someone for the littlest thing is scary.

As much Willy makes it seem like he holds all the power, he still is under the leash of the higher ups that GAVE them the money to make this franchise to begin with. William will soon open his own company and entertainment industry later. (That's going to be baby's circus)

Henry and Willy would tend to use their diner performers has a little babysitter. Just dumping Charlie, Elizabeth, Evan and hell-even Michael if Mrs. Afton don't feel like dealing with him. But just because they're in the same building doesn't mean that they get to spend time with their fathers. And frankly, Willy doesn't want to.

Willy promoted Shirley to Head chef after one too many firings of the other cooks. (and other nefarious reasons that will be getting into later)

Shirley's dog being added to the character roster was definitely wasn't Willy choice, but it ranged positive with the higher ups and gave a bigger profit.

Like I said before, Freddy's actor, George, is the only one who's to get into Willy's head and tell him how he's a shitty boss. And that's because he's abit older than Willy, and the whole 'respect your elders' thing is something William has to reluctantly follow. But that doesn't stop him to redirect George's anger to Henry.

You already know that the performer of Bonnie, Janice, was looking for mentorship from William, but it doesn't go great. Well, if you think about Willy's 'pickiness' in actors and the norms in appearance of actors in the 80s... I think you could put one and two together. (before anyone gets mad, it's the 80s and Willy is your average old white man not an activist, so don't be surprised that he wants white skinny women instead of Janice and Shirley)

And for Francis, Willy barely remember that the character Foxy exist, let alone the person behind the character. Or at least he would like too, If it wasn't for Foxy being the most interesting and popular character for the age bracket of 12 and whatever age his 'bastard son' is. So for the time being, Willy just will act like he can't see him until he comes up with his next fuck up plan.

Willy is the same fucked up man that he's been, just without the murder.

[goodlucksnez]

❗ PLEASE NO REBLOGGING TO NON-KINK BLOGS

I have been feeling not great for the past week so you know what that means...time to record a character suffering. Al/ has been living rent free in my brain so i made a short thing of Al catching a cold and having to deal with it. no other person just him talking in his head/alone while he rests in bed with jazz playing(and it gets more distorted as it goes on)

This was actually kinda fun to record, i ordered soup and got to just kinda rest/talk-sorry if it is lackluster/boring i have no energy

cw: sneezing, (duh) some sniffles,coughing/clearing throat (I am sorry)

❗ PLEASE NO REBLOGGING TO NON-KINK BLOGS ❗

transcript:

Of all the things in hell.

Of course, the common cold is still a thing. Bubonic plague. Sure. Measles would gladly take them. Something is so unsettling as the common cold.

But I am one to persevere.

And I not backing down from the fight.

Although some TLC might be in order. Let's see what I can whip up.

Not bad, not bad. It's all. And see if it tastes just like I remember.

My mother, for as long as I live.I hope I remember this recipe fondly. Although….I don't remember this effect.

OH dear pardon me. I just can't seem to shake the chill. No matter, I still have things I need to do goals to accomplish. People, I want to tear the limb from limb until their body is gone.

my rampaging days may have to wait. Smile is a valuable tool. After all, Alastor. You can't show them any weakness not like you have any.

They'll jump and pounce like Peck of wolves, devouring your flesh until The only thing left is your soul.

The crowd that I run with nowadays doesn't seem to be that kind.

Oh dear.

They would never let me live it down. Pardon me. What a disgusting malady.

Out of all the ones after the extermination. Of course it's me.

 Charlie is immune to their power, their disease. And well, no one else really got badly. Hurt. Taking a blast from Heaven definitely wasn't part of the plan.

The show must go on.

[she-of-seidhr]

I have so many thoughts about The Rings of Power S2 SDCC trailer and some of the news that came out from the SDCC panel, but I am so unwell after watching it that I don't remember it all. Here's what I recall though:

The trailer is absolutely the best we've had of all their releases going back to S1. The difference is night and day. I like that this trailer has clear direction of what the general plot is going to be instead of just a bunch of clips that makes no sense whatsoever.

The Rhunic masks looked a bit futuristic to me. It reminded me of some background race in an MCU film, can't remember if it was in Thor 3 or Ant-Man 3, but yeah it looked a bit out of place and silly.

I really am quite puzzled at their insistence in dressing Gil-galad in gold hues when we have Pharazon and/or Sauron, or even the dwarves for that. I am hoping they are saving the silver and blues for the later seasons if we're not getting it now. That would look so striking since they went with the dark hair. Remember Thranduil's silk orange robe from The Hobbit? Now make it deep blue. Ah, a girl can dream.

I know this is a trailer so there's misdirection, but I wonder if that scene where Galadriel asks Elrond to promise he will not stop who I am assuming is Sauron is an indication that she's going to put up her sword (at least in S3 onwards) to do other things, bringing her closer to the Galadriel in the books in terms of character and also what we know she was doing during the Second Age. That will give Elrond and (as it should be honestly) Gil-galad the space to be the actual main protagonists along with the other prominent Second Age characters.

I wanted more of Cirdan instead of just a hand, and I got a different shot of his hand, this time going underwater. Exciting.

Entwives!!! I'm glad to see them featured, but I'm also terribly afraid they're going to show us how they were wiped out lost.

The Siege of Eregion looks fuckin' amazing. The shot of Sauron walking away with an explosion on the background? Sign me the fuck up.

Gil-galad's banners flying amidst the elven charge scene. Fuck me sideways.

Charlie Vickers was the best actor for me in S1, I have no doubts he will serve in S2. Owain Arthur, Charles Edwards, and Peter Mullan too.

I love Gil-galad to death but to be perfectly honest I kinda don't like how Benjamin Walker portrays him. That said, it definitely is also because of how he's being written. I imagine Gil-galad to still have warmth despite the burden of his position that has a 100% mortality rate.

Pharazon better not be fuckin' stabbin' that eagle.

Daniel Weyman's line delivery sounds so Ian McKellen, but I am still hoping he is a Blue Wizard. Then again, maybe he is just taking inspiration from the most iconic wizard portrayal we've ever had (that's not up for debate).

I know I said Robert Aramayo as Elrond is ok, but for some fuckin' reason I'm convinced that those curls is going to make him better in all aspects.

I love Elrond's hesitation about the Elven Rings because it deepens the mystery of just how much of everything we know so far has been by Sauron's design.

Really curious to see what Sam Hazeldine will bring to the Adar because he's got BIG shoes to fill. Joseph Mawle was born for that role. The subtleties and the quiet menace he brought to the Adar was just incredible.

Look, I like Tom Bombadil alright? But am I ever really hyped to see an adaptation of him onscreen? Not really.

Barrow-wights. Why, but yeah cool whatever.

I like that every ring has a different design and we're going to see all of them in their full glory.

Celeborn will show up, as he should. When and where, no idea but at least there's confirmation.

Glorfindel can show up. If I talk about this any more than I already have (although it's to my family members who don't give a single fuck about any of this), I would really start losing my shit.

Lloyd Owens who plays Elendil made some eyebrow-raising remarks in the SDCC panel in regards to Elendil and Miriel's relationship, so it has me worried about them going for a romantic route between the two. Theirs could be a story of friendship, loyalty, and steadfastness in the midst of all the unrest and danger, and it honestly cheapens the last scene they shared in S1, so I really hope they don't try any funny business with them.

Somebody did ask the showrunners if there's going to be LGBTQ+ representation which one of them answered along the lines of maybe we've already seen one. Is it really necessary? Is it really proper representation? Does it serve the story? There's so many additions to this series already that it's going to be one more thing that takes away from the lore characters who really should be the focus.

I know I'm still missing some shit, but yeah this list is long enough. Lots of good, maybe a little bad, but overall I feel good about this new season and I can genuinely say I'm excited again even after the meh that's S1. August 29 can't come soon enough!

[inconspicious-random-thoughts]

In regard to Roo, I have a theory about a connection between her and Eve. With Roo shaping up to be some sort of personification of evil itself, maybe she doesn't have a true physical form of her own and needs a vessel to do her dark deeds. Maybe eating the fruit of knowledge made Eve vulnerable to her possession. And as a result, Eve has had many moments throughout her life and afterlife where she's in control of her body for one period of time before Roo takes over for another to cause all manner of chaos she wants. Sort of a Norman Osborn and Green Goblin scenario.

I think this would make for a very shocking way for our wayward souls to be introduced to the Root of Evil. They meet Eve at some point in their endeavors and she (thinking she's managed to contain Roo for good) offers to help Charlie and Lucifer redeem sinners to make up for her role in allowing sin to manifest on Earth, only for her personality to take a sudden turn around as she breaks down laughing madly and then suddenly Charlie finds her new friend replaced with the ultimate evil.

What do you think.

Hello again my friend.

Oh they are certainly linked in my opinion. Its spelt all out in the few moments of the Amazon show.

I already pointed out that Roo that I believe she is Alastor contractor. Using her smile as the damning evidence.

The smile its is overly stretched similar to Alastor, plus the red eyes. I think Alastor smile is force. Not because we saw stitches that would force him to smile when his more demonic magic shows...which is suspicious. But I think its Roo signature that no one realizes. I think he would try to keep a smile as a personal policy regardless because it special to him between him and his mother in his living life. But it would definitely fell a few times if he actually was able to do so.

But how is the red eyes and smile connected to Eve you may ask.

BAM

Tho backstory lore of Heaven and Hell in the first few mins of the show, was shown in black and white. The only colors were used were gold to show Heaven/angels and red for evil and Hell. The very first red was shown as with the words angles shielded all from evil. Cue the first picture. The unnamed dark character (but we know its Roo)

The next show of red was the tree of knowledge. The tree that bare the fruit of mankind first sin. It....even shown the roots in red. The color the show picked for evil...the roots are evil...root of evil...Roo.

Eve bit into this forbidden fruit. She ingested evil and committed the first sin.

I find it very interesting that they show her smile turning red-after she accepted the apple. I think the red (as well all the red eyes) and smiles is Roo symbolism.

I been toying with the idea that Roo doesn't have a physical body myself. Surprisingly I forgotten about Eve when I been wondering this and focusing on Alastor.

My thoughts on it so far, but been too distracted to conform it in rewatches. When Alastor shadow takes life on its own, I think that's Roo manifesting in his shadow. To watch how things are playing out or to aid him. I remember in Alastor lore about the overlords, it was pictured his shadow was doing all the work. So it makes sense if actually Roo that brought them down with such ease by storeaway in Alastor shadow. Roo being his animated shadow is also a nice representation that he can't he separated by the darkness that he bonded to.

Ugh edit in bold. I just realized I was thinking too small. Roo may already be intermittently possessing Alastor. His song bit in the last song could been Roo the the whole time. And the animated shadow is the "evidence" he being possessed. (Along with all the red eyes out in the background) Roo may have more tangeablity being in control of Alastor, but is still severely stunted in terms of powers that they use to possess. So that can be her hunger for freedom to "unclip her wings" And wishing to pull the strings for grand scheme of things and revenge. She needs a more powerful body....a fallen sephium or a princess of Hell perhaps? I don't think it happen but not implausible.

I lowkey thought she was staging a set to possess Alastor. Forcing him to get things ready to and prepare him as a vessel and his own unwilling demise of his soul. Which Alastor is kept out of the loop on but already heavily suspects it regardless. Which is why he so frantic to trying to find a way out of contract before gets to that final step. But now hes weaken and does not have the aid of his staff so he has to tread more carefully but he doesn't have the time for that.

But Eve...no, that makes more sense. As I mention its insanely suspicious Eve hasn't been a player to the game yet. I mean, granted her soul is thousand upon thousands of years old, which meant she had to survive almost just as many exterminations. But I doubt a key character would be killed off well before the show took place.

The angle you threw in with Eve is a perfect plot set up. Imagine....the first sinner...redeemed. The motivation there as you pointed out. To make amends for creating Sins, bring evil to Earth and the creation of Hell. The publicity it would bring to the hotel. The amount of guest who would check in if the first sinner gets redeem. Its appears to be a win-win for everyone!

It's such a perfect setup for Roo to stowaway in Eve to finally bring their evil to Heaven doorsteps. I'm pretty sure, bring Heaven to its downfall is Roo final objective. Having the first sinner bring evil to Heaven is beauty poetry in Roo objective. I really like that idea.

I don't think Roo would have ill will to Lucifer, Lilith or Eve...since they unintentionally help her further her reach to Earth. Unless there might been additional lore when Lucifer fell into Hell and discover Roo they might been some conflict and he managed to contain the evil. By somehow taking away her corporeal body so she became more of a looming presence then a threat. unable to interact with the world properly. But Roo ancient, she'll find a way to to return.

[lucaswarmhotchocolate]

regarding my previous post I'm trying to flesh out this odd crossover plot bunny a bit more, and I think it would be interesting if harry and Voldemort both got sent to hell and became residents of the hotel.

Harry because he does Not want to be in hell and also he has a Saving People Thing and wants to help others redeem themselves. Voldemort would probably just want to stay close to the most powerful souls he can, and ofc that means hanging around the place with the king and princess of hell, and a collection of rather powerful and influential sinners. now you may be asking, "Lucas why the fuck would Voldemort decide to hang out around people in power why wouldn't he just try to Become the people in power and kill some overlords?" and to that I say; Voldemort is a smart man. he is capable of learning and growing. I think he can realize that the past 60 years of his life since his first year in Hogwarts were just so full of mistakes it makes him cringe. he will take this weird after-life in hell and make better choices!! not morally better choices, but definitely strategically better ones. also I think it would piss him off so much that as a sinner he can't leave the pride ring, he is Not used to that kind of limitation and he hates it.

I think Harry and Voldemort would show up at the hotel and immediately realize who the fuck is there and it would not be pretty. Voldemort would probably have a harder time with self control now because that his soul is back together because it would be really unstable and also personality disorders don't just Leave when you die. like that's not a soul thing that's a mind thing. Anyways he would still want to reach his goals and learn more about hell, get closer with the people in power, etc., so he'd make an Attempt of not fighting harry but it would fail. I think Harry and Voldemort would instantly get into a fight because Harry just got to hell and he's pissed that after All That he is in the same place as the man he was born to go to war against. However, I think they'd get interrupted by charlie and vaggie pretty quickly and would remember that they're not here to fight each other. So they both check into the hotel, get to know everyone a bit, and Voldemort would soon realize "oh wait this kid does not want to kill me and he's actually pretty powerful and gets along really well with the princess, it would make more sense to be civil around him." So yeah, Voldemort becomes noticeably less antagonistic toward Harry, is a bit less reactive, and generally pisses harry the fuck off with this sudden personality change and Harry would make up for it by being More antagonistic and reactive and etc..

and of course you all expect the obligatory angel comment "lol when r u guys gonna get it over with and fuck" but did you expect that to be a Plot Point? No? That's because I didn't either but it makes so much sense. Angel makes One (1) Angel comment abt them fucking and Harry's mind shatters. He is broken from the inside out. He never registered that as an option. He never had the realization that he had a crush on Tom Riddle and he never made the realization that yeah, odd internal monologues about how scary and weirdly elegant and graceful and beautiful your enemy is Might mean that you have a bit of a crush even on the non-conventionally attractive physical form he has. That one comment would make him completely short-circuit and he would have an epiphany so great and devastating that it makes him freeze for a concerning amount of time before leaving to Immediately imagine fucking Voldemort. He wouldn't be seen for days and he wouldn't jack off a single time but he would be in a near-constant state of cold showers, denial, shame, and then acceptance. Harry and Voldemort would probably fuck pretty soon afterwards and blah blah blah. you get it.

I feel like the radioapple needs far less explanation, however I will probably need to think it through later as I have a deep-rooted Need to keep them as canon accurate as possible and not have alastor be ooc because I love his c. it's a very good c.

[curseofbreadbear]

head hurts but i wanna write SO have my take on the mimic (and their "role" in my silly littol lore)

I'd like to start by introducing this video by TheChiptide which explains the Mimic, its functionality, and its likely role in FNAF canon. His video influenced my take on the Mimic and filled in quite a few gaps in my brain. Also, his videos on FNAF tech are fascinating and I highly recommend them.

Okay, so first off: Mimic's origins.

As stated in this video, the Mimic's technology is very reminiscent of the Charlie bots from the Silver Eyes trilogy. As is the case with MANY of FNAF's creations, Henry is likely the original creator of the Mimic (or is at least responsible for its programming); as is also the case with Henry's creations, the programming for the Mimic almost definitely fell into the wrong hands.

William procured many of Henry's creations after his supposed death; the endoskeleton who would later become Circus Baby, blueprints, prototypes...and the Mimic's original programming. William, obsessed with immortality and power, gets the idea to make a "copy" of himself using this technology. He specifically trains it to follow a behavioral pattern:

(taken from the "sequel" video, "FNAF is DOOMED!")

The Mimic program that William built upon is actually, as you may have guessed from the screenshot above, Glitchtrap. Some time after William's death in FFPS, this program was eventually scanned and integrated by a modern Fazbear Entertainment into a new VR title, "Help Wanted."

Glitchtrap is not a manifestation of William's spirit; it is a digital clone that William made.

Because of modifications that the Mimic's program makes to result in a "better state" (please watch this video, I can't do it justice), Glitchtrap furthers its own existence by replicating itself in peoples' heads via a white rabbit mask. It happened to Vanessa, and as of RUIN, it is now happening to Cassie. This is the Mimic's way of immortalizing itself, and if left unchecked, the Faz-universe is in a LOT of trouble.

Now, that's all well and good, but I've also been "dropping hints" at another way the Mimic manifests in the Faz-universe: as the Glamrock animatronics.

If you watch TheChiptide's first video (which I highly recommend again because I'm just giving y'all the Cliffnotes), he describes how the Glamrock animatronics' AI is so sophisticated that it resembles the Mimic's machine learning. Theoretically, if the AI was trained on the behavior of a real person, it would be almost indistinguishably human. This was likely the program's original goal before it fell into William's hands (remember, Henry was trying to recreate his daughter).

In theory, if the creators of the Glamrocks stumbled on this AI, they'd have their animatronics set out for them. As a matter of fact, they would already have data to base their characters off of; previous night guards, previous owners, or even current employees. If you're wondering why Glamrock Freddy has so many similarities to either Henry or Michael, this might just be the explanation for you.

I personally love the idea that Freddy's behavioral pattern was based on Henry specifically; modern Fazbear Entertainment seems reliant on nostalgia for the original character's (and the 80's). What could be more reminiscent of the original Freddy Fazbear's Pizza / Fredbear's Family Diner than the damn owner, the man who built AND played Fredbear on stage?

[syst3merr0r]

After watching the trailer 10x times, I wanted to share my thoughts on it, and the changes!!

Aka mun takes this as a chance to ramble about Hazbin Hotel-

Spoiler warning for the HH trailer under the cut!!

Okay, here we go!

I'm sad to see the og voices go, but now that we've been able to hear the new ones, I'm not as disappointed. Alastor, Husk, and Vox's new voices(i know Vox never REALLY had a voice, but i mean the iconic fan made one) threw me off guard HARD. And not in a bad way!! I like Alastor’s, it's more upbeat, yet it can also be intimidating like how Edward's was. Husk's voice is a BIG change!! I do like how it's now more smooth sounding, although it's still a bit difficult to match the voice to the face. Vox's voice made me cackle. I adore how it sounds, and it makes him hard "I'm better than you" nerd vibes. Or John Mulaney.

The updated animation and artstyle is BEAUTIFUL!!! Everything looks so clean and smooth, it's truly amazing what the HH team has done. MAJOR props to them!!

The fact we have yet to hear Sir Pentious is a bit concerning, but also exciting. It's been revealed his VA will be Alex Brightman, which is a bit strange that have yet to hear him. But we'll definitely be hearing him in the show!

I'm sorry I have to ramble about the stupid ass deer man- I'm very excited to see whether he plays the belated villain or if he's fighting alongside Charlie! As he says in the trailer, "It's time I remind everyone why I'm here" followed by a clip of him going (assumably) full/near full Radio Demon. Although it's not clarified whether he's talking to Charlie, the entirely of Hell, or to Lucifer/Adam. I can't wait to see how he acts in the show, and how/if he makes relationships/friendships with the others! Remember, he's the Radio Demon. He's an asshole- It also intrigues me that when it shows him using his powers, it looks like he's melting a bit. Either way, in quote of Alastor himself, "This is going to be very entertaining!"

Charlie and Vaggie are adorable together. But it does look like they're going to have some struggles in the show with maybe their relationship. Probably- based on what we've seen in the pilot and the clips for the series, Vaggie is very skeptical about Charlie's whole plan, while Charlie just wants her to trust in her.

All in all, I cannot WAIT to watch Hazbin Hotel, and see where these characters and story lead!

[marvelous-goose]

all of this is good info. i'd like to tack on some additional tips that i haven't seen floating around.

first, RIGHT NOW, go find a room in your dwelling that has neither external walls nor windows. don't have one? then find a room with no windows that has the smallest amount of external wall. this location is going to be your storm room. make it comfy! our "storm room" in my childhood home was the hallway, since we didn't have any windowless rooms; during hurricane charlie, we piled up blankets and pillows in the hall & ate up all the ice cream in the freezer so it wouldn't melt when we lost power.

in addition to making it comfy, you are going to want to collect all of your important documents, put them in a water-tight container of some sort, and keep them with you in the storm room. it's not impossible to replace stuff like your birth certificate or social security card, but it IS a pain in the ass.

now, during the storm, there are two things that will happen. you will lose POWER and you will lose CLEAN WATER. the former will absolutely happen before the latter, and if you are experiencing flooding, you will almost certainly lose clean water. i've seen a lot of hurricane shopping lists floating around, but i haven't seen much in the way of explanations for each item, so i have provided some of my own.

for loss of power, you need:

-light sources that are either battery-powered or completely analog. candles are a classic, but since they are also literally an open flame, they can make your dwelling warm & without AC to cool it off, you ought to have alternatives. flashlights are another classic, alongside a good ol' battery-operated radio lamp.

-speaking of a radio, you should probably have one of those as well. if your phone dies you'll need some way to access the news, so you can hear updates about the storm. since y'all are expecting extreme flooding, this is even more important.

-speaking of PHONES, you'll almost certainly want one of those portable battery pack/charger things. charge your phone and other devices all the way and avoid using them for non-essential shit once the storm hits.

-if you have a generator, make sure it's in good working order & get some fuel for it. you should also fill up your car's gas tank if you can. you won't necessarily have access to a working gas station after the storm is gone.

-shelf-stable food that does not need to be cooked or heated in order to be edible (and enjoyable). most canned food can be eaten at room temperature, but remember that you will not be able to cook ANYTHING once your power goes out, unless you have a gas-powered stove, and those are becoming increasingly less common. choose food that you know you can and WILL eat lukewarm.

-i also advise that you get some perishable food items that don't need to be refrigerated. hard fruits like apples, or fruits with a peel like oranges and clementines, are good choices here, but as long as you know you'll eat it before it goes bad, you're definitely in the clear. and in the days before the storm hits, make sure to cook and eat as much of your refrigerated and frozen food as you can! it's a double-whammy; you're avoiding food waste AND giving yourself a delicious meal before a scary storm :)

for loss of clean water, you need:

-bottled water. if you can't drink the tap water, even with a water filter, you'll need an alternate source.

-i've seen some folks recommend that you also fill up your tub with clean tap water before the storm, and use that water for non-drinking purposes, such as bathing. definitely do this, especially if you aren't able to get bottled water or are concerned about the duration of a water outage! (you can use other liquid receptacles as well -- fill up all your reusable water bottles with filtered water.)

-but i also recommend that you also get skin-safe cleaning wipes and hand sanitizer, so that you have the freedom to use your water supply sparingly for non-drinking purposes. the last thing you want is to run out of water before you have access to clean water again.

hope this helps, and good luck.

Y’all in the American SW and west Mexico better check the national hurricane center and your weather for this weekend and next week.

Hurricane Hilary is about to make landfall and that whole desert area is supposed to get a years worth of rain or more. Death Valley is supposed to get twice the annual rainfall. Severe winds, massive flooding, and landslides are all strong possibilities.

This is gonna get ugly. Please spread the word. This is a majorly anomalous event and people may be unaware of the threat headed their way.

[soda-boots]

Moths surround me, thought they'd drown me

This is a slightly concerning and definitely incomplete recount of yesterday (the 20th).

So post Passages, I have breakfast yada yada yada. Meet this girl named Antonia (we have breakfast and then dinner together actually with her friends Jessie and Islay). I go on the stand for xpression for a few hours and then go on the cinema crawl with the other committee. Meet some interesting people on there actually (most notably Lachlan). However before that I go to Rituals to see where Mo works and end up buying a 37 quid umbrella. Its a gorgeous umbrella and it better hold up. I rush back to my flat for my meeting with Jason and I think it goes quite well. I have dinner after and come back to my flat. I finally have the fantastic idea to go to the club... alone. I've never done it before and it's something I've always wanted to give a go. It's not like Jack and Haleemah are turning up at the club anytime soon and no one has ever invited me to join their group before (as far as I recall). I do try my best to be adventurous and this just me exercising that. I promenade to the shop to buy 2 bottles of cider and a can of pimm's. Downing one bottle and the can, while listening to Songs for You, I'm trying to hype myself up for this event.

I try inviting Lachlan to the club, but he can't make it (fair enough). Good even, this is a private event for me. The night starts to blur a little from here (but I can still remember pretty much all of it). I speak to Ellis about coffee or something and how coffee/alcohol makes me sleepy. An hour and a half before vaults opens to help the timeline. This is 7:27pm now.I talk about violet from Charlie and the chocolate factory I think at around 8

Going through messages to recount events is so funny lol. I listen to 'dem boy paigon' to hype myself up' and I believe I leave my flat say 8:40 pm -ish. I'm baskily power walking through these streets, no headphones on (I considered not even bringing my phone to stay fully immersed but I disregarded that whole ideology).

I walk by a bunch of people also going to town. These group of friends all walking and laughing together. At the time, I was so unphased by the juxtaposition of me alone and them in a bevy. It didn't matter, I was determined to have fun. {here begins ramblings from my notes app about how I'm feeling, what I'm hearing and seeing and comments from me}

‘We’re walking at gay speed “

This was so funny and initiated the whole idea

I wonder if it’s actually this cold or the alcohol has warmed up my body in some way 

It didn't feel as cold at first, but then again I was definitely tipsy, if not flat out drunk at this point. I felt quite warm in my chest actually

Speed feels a bit weird. I’m kind of dizzy, like in an odd state of vertigo . I should have worn my glasses because I why is verything a little bit more blurry 

I actually forgot that I felt like this. Time seemed to be moving very quickly at first. Like I was just racing through the streets. Everything had a slight blur filter on it and I was a bit dizzy. It was a strange feeling to be concurrently aware and so distinctly detached in this way.

I walk down the street towards the vaults and why do I start to sing 'mystery of love in my head'

Bounded by the time I cried ! I built your walls around me . White noise what an awful sound. Fluttering by rouge rivers. Feel my feet upon your the ground . Shall I find no other. oh woe is me 

For context, I'm struggling to type accurately (I know I'm sobering up when I can do it better again later in the night)

The walk felt like nothing 

It did feel strangely quick.

It’s closed (the vaults) . That’s so sad (one that it is closed and two that I got here while it was closed ) 

Of course in my eagerness, I get to the club while it's closed and now what do I do ? Go to another club (I'm determined !!!)

I just met Edward and his mum from film soc. I wonder how the interaction was from their end.

I stumbled back when I stop to speak to them. Edward is so nice and his mum seemed lovely. As I mentioned I wonder how that interaction was from their end. His mum had a strange but friendly expression on her face (she goes back to Belgium today).

Moving on, I see Rhys at some point (and I think it was around here. I also see Mo at some time while I’m on the cobbled streets near vaults but that’s earlier than this I think ). I trudge to Zinc and it's closed for a social !

I went to zinc and they were having a Taylor Swift Soc event. They’re playing all to well (10 minute version) that’s so cute . I think it’s Taylor Swift society . I don’t think it’s Taylor society because they started playing paint the town red by Doja cat 

I'm out of it at this point. The see-sawing between whether it is Taylor swift society or not. I was a bit upset that I couldn't go to Zinc (but I just walked towards fever) because they were playing music I liked. I love how looking back I kept asking the bouncers, how I could buy a ticket and they so nicely and attentively answered me. I must have so clearly looked clueless. I couldn't get into fever too till about 10 and I just left .

Timeline update - 9:27

I tell Ellis I might go home. He suggests I go to a pub, and so I do

Don’t dwell on your feelings too much if not you will cry !

I'm quite emotional it seems.

Have you ever had a krispy kreme? Was it crispy (context - I saw a Krispy Kreme van ) 

I'm walking back to vaults here and I can't find it again, but notice bar named Pixy's. I read the board and walk by some guy who acknowledges me and I walk past. I get a bit lost and then walk back to Pixy's. I go in and the guy from earlier kind of jogs and he's the bartender. How hipster of him lol. I have no idea what I want and say that to him. He asks what I don't like, I say lemon because I don't really know (in actuality, I do enjoy lemon flavoured things). He makes this drink with watermelon and thyme vodka, lime cordial and apple Frobisher, and it tastes so good ! He says if I don't like it I don't have to pay for it (ok sales man). I did pay for it. I probably would have lied and said I liked it regardless of how I actually felt. He put in all that effort to try and impress me (ehhh did he?)

I went to a bar called Pixy’s and I got this thing made with watermelon and thyme vodka and then like cordial and a apple and something Frobisher 

I sit and have my drink and every move I make has so much more weight to it.

Every movement feels exaggerated . Like with each sway, the strength grows more and more 

I’m definitely less coherent than I think I am 

Oh I’ve tried vodka now ( kind of)

There's a group of ladies having a great time in front of me. Once again the juxtaposition of them in their gaggle (but oddly I don't think about that at the time). I actually look back now thinking oh I actually had a fun time. I leave Pixy's and pass a bar called 'The Mermaid'. Just like with Pixy's I circle back to it very soon after and go in. I hoped I didn't fall down the stairs down into it. I go in and the art is very 'art nouveau' and the decor so heavily influenced by Art Deco. It was a shame there wasn't any have music playing. The walls were dark green. There were some geometric features within it.

I go to the bar and the man hands me their menu. Scanning it I notice a negroni and other things I recognise some other drinks. However, I loved the names of their mock tails more so I order one.

I went to a bar called the mermaid and ordered the rejuvenation. It has tomato and pineapple juice . Such a weird tasting drink. So tangy. The taste of tomato is highly present. Very acidic 

While he makes my drink, drink I have a chat with the bartenders. They ask why I'm out and I'm like I've never been to a club and none of my friends have really been interested so I'm doing it myself. The lady bartender seemed quite proud of me. the guy making the drink mentions it's a weird one unless you like tomato juice. I get my drink and sit in the corner and sip on my strange drink. It tasted nice as far as I can recall. I sit down and I'm texting people, Max (I see his new haircut) and Ellis (who is baking a bread). I might have texted Haleemah too. I hear a cuckoo clock ...

The cuckoo clockification of my mind 

There’s a really large plant here at the mermaid. I’m texting haleemah, max and Ellis. I texted Louise earlier 

The bartender compliments my jumper when I leave. The irony of me going to a bars named pixy and mermaid when I do a fantasy creature show isn't lost on me. I finally get into the vaults and of course I am one of two people there. Addendum: I text Louise before I leave my flat, while I'm pre-ing and when I first get to the vaults and it's closed

Help why did the dj at vaults start playing started at the bottom at vaults . The dj started playing burna boy 

Did I really offer the money back to the vaults workers after they forgot lol. The other guy in here (Andy) introduced himself 

I’m trying so hard to manufacture this fun night and I’m failing a bit miserably. The workers are in beanies and that’s really cute. I feel very uncomfortable when Andy comes around me 

They weren't wearing beanies, it was bucket hats. Andy is rather odd. He is quite tall and imposing and dwarves me, it doesn't help how close he keeps coming towards me. He seems to be having a lovely time on his own though. In a way maybe I should be more like him and let go. He's also here alone (like I am) but I would hope I don't come off that odd (now I have the implicit fear that I do). I leave and go off to the cathedral.

I’m at Exeter cathedral now. Why do I rely on religion so luck for some form of wholeness ?

It's that catholic school and religious family conditioning. I listen to 'goldwing' by Billie Eilish and walk around the cathedral; Examining the sculptures on the facade. I recite the Lord's Prayer and a Hail Mary (which I had to look up because I never formally learned it). I read the quotes/etchings on the floor around the cathedral and in a weird way they bring me comfort.

"Oh God give me of thy fullness

Thy surrounding and

thy peace"

It's attributed to traditional Celtic. I also view the monuments around and try to open some doors. It's 11 now. I know this because the church bells ring ( I never knew we had a church bells and it rang !)

I never knew Exeter had a church bell. That’s adorable and quite gothic.

Oh wow not Francis not noticing me . Uhh my god 

Francis is my old flatmate for context. I basically had to chase him to talk to him. I also noticed Jack B from the radio

Why does everyone wear such dark clothing at night. 

Contrasting my bright yellow jumper

Such a long queue at fever. It’s actually a bit cute how long it is 

I think it’s quite cute how long it is, it might be time to call it a night. I’m so over this whole thing 

I love how u still hold the vindication against America. In actually I did try and I did not enjoy. I did not like the whole night thing: I’m not saying I won’t reattempt but for a while. The club may just not be for me .

Of course I heard an American accent and got war flashbacks.

I leave fever and go back to vaults (for clarification this is the second time I will be inside ) and got to go right in since I got branded (stamped) with a pass.

Oh there are more people at the vaults now. 

Andy just keeps saying the most random things to me. “ I ain’t fucking racist “ the bartender even asked if I was ok . Andy if you need to start your sentence that way you’ve already missed it  He seems a bit nice.  I might be  sobering up because  I’m sobering up and feel more coherent (also I’m typing a lot better)  .

Why do I struggle so hard to villainise people? The bartender gestures towards me asking if I'm alright (nice of him I guess). I leave Vaults again. I leave vaults to join the queue at fever under the thought process that the line there will be more lively than this dead club.

People are so nice and caring here. Someone asked me if I was alright .

This occurs on the street for clarification.

I join the queue for fever and eventually end up talking to the people infront of me. They tell me I look 19/20. I literally turned 18 3 months ago. Can I just go a night without being ferociously humbled ??? Can I ? They were lovely however. Even offering to pay for my entry since I had no cash. I left soon after that

In a weird way it was contemplative. I’ve reached the point where I’m detaching my feelings and externalising them. I truly abhor  drunken patter.

I want to listen to seether by veruca salt .

Can’t fight the seether. I can see her till I’m foaming at the mouth.

For the final time I am back at vaults and it's finally lively.

I left fever and now I’m back the vaults . There a lot more people here and I still feel a bit more out of place: maybe it’s the music . The heart palpitation induced by this bass is simultaneously awful and glorious . They literally recognised me at the door. A guy literally said I was the second customer . I’m a bit sick from that lol . This haze / smoke smells so odd 

I know every song this dj is playing. He’s so cheesy . 

There was a weird amount of older people there and it was a bit odd. Not be ageist or anything (my ageism is showing). I tell a guy happy birthday because he's wearing a party hat and dance a little with this group of first years

And I actually began to enjoy myself it felt nice and fun . I kept locking eyes with people which was slightly disconcerting by oh well. The haze started to pick on and the lights flashed more aggressively and with party in the USA blaring in the back I finally left for home at 1:30-sh my first time clubbing was not bad at all. While I wish it was smoother. beggars can’t choose.

BBQ SOCIETY !!!

I hear someone scream that from firehouse while I walk back home. I love how it is still lively.

I think u try so hard to be interesting and fun and worthy of affection. A lot of the time I don’t notice but I think I might just be too insecure to truly be my own person in a way that I’m happy with. Sure I get glimpses of that every now and again but ok the whole I don’t think I'm that confident enough to to truly exude it . To actually go out and be

The come down lol. I think I'm saying here that I try to do all these things to make myself feel interesting and fun so I can come across that way to other people. I have the fear that I'm just so uninteresting.

Met Chris , Connor and will at the bottom of block d. They were so nice and fun. I'm going to go off to bed

We had a little conversation and my night ended like that.Chris, Connor and Will (and one more other person actually but he went of earlier ) are guys that live in the first floor of my building that I met when I got home. They seemed like fun, nice guys. Chris had a rather sad speech about him justifying racism he had received when he was younger (he’s from Singapore). I don’t think racism should ever be rationalised. For context, it was a child being racist to him (so he definitely picked that up around) which is so disheartening. Even thinking about it now (about 12 hours later makes me feel ill) .

I will fix any grammar errors later but that's it really

[clairewentwandering]

Steven F Uzdar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - Chantilly, VA

Visit: Tuesday December 13th 11am-2pm 2022

Louie and I spent our last morning with Charlie at the Air & Space Museum near the Dulles Airport. Parking cost less than $10 (Louie can't remember exactly), but they did only have credit options open that day (no ticket stall was open that would take cash). There was tons of parking available in the lot, and this museum isn't close to much else so parking directly here seems like the only option.

The museum layout is HUGE. With multiple levels, exhibits, an imax theater, an observation tower, and an engineering warehouse, it would take several multi-hour visits to thoroughly explore and experience the entire museum. I always expect air & space museums to be gigantic, but this may be the biggest I've ever visited. Pictured is a map of one of the floor layouts:

Visitors walk into the museum through a huge exterior colonnade, into the grand opening glass doors of the museum that let so much natural light in. Visitors then pass through several metal detectors and under the scrutiny of at least 5 different security personnel (on this given day at least). Beyond this point you have free access to the museum, and there are donation stands and an information center right at the front.

I liked that the first hallway has exhibits on Uzdar-Hazy, how he began the museum and his own motives (childhood obsessions with flight) that led the museum to exist today. The context of origin was neat as we got to inspect little model planes that U-H had made as a boy out of matchsticks, pencils, gum and nail polish (I forgot to take a picture)

The museum has special exhibits on planes from WW2 - with large dedicated panels of information to the Allies airforce in WW2, the beginning of flight in the US (with many early planes), and German planes from the Luftwaffe (Germany's WW2 airforce), and examples of Japanese planes as well. More recent planes that have been "retired" are shown in the museum, many being the only remaining plane existing of that particular model.

All aircraft have plaques identifying the make & model, specs and paragraph-long bits of history/interest about that particular make.

Here are some examples of planes I saw:

The Jenny is one of my favorites - to me it symbolizes a time in aviation when the point of flight was frivolous and playful. Humans were taking to the air to see what they were capable of, hosting air shows and rides, with no purpose but to astound and inspire.

In contrast the Blackbird was developed as a stealth plane, for recon during a time when the tensions of the Cold War were at their peak - after a long history of aircraft being used for war & power. Still though, Louie (who brings a background enthusiasm for aircraft) told me a story of the Blackbird operators and how they would tease other, significantly slower aircraft.

These were larger panels of information highlighting certain sections of the museum. I asked a docent if there were options for translations of info at the front desk, but he said that since the pandemic they haven't figured out a way to offer language alternatives (He described them using a headset prior to the pandemic). In this way the information presented definitely seemed to assume the demographic of its audience. Notably as well the 3 volunteer docents that we interacted with were all white men past retirement.

This FA 330 was used as a "kite" by German submarines to locate targets. Other craft built more simply like this were used for research purposes, but I failed to get photos of those.

KittyHawk

Craft from early aviation

The Enola Gay gave me goosebumps, thinking about that time in history when it felt appropriate to some to destroy a nation, the consequences of which it still recovers from today. Is there any ideal worth fighting for to that level of destruction?

The underbelly of a Corsair

I was curious about the use of a Sioux figurehead on the French WW1 escadrille. What was the intended symbolism here, and what are the unintended consequences of a legacy of naming war planes after our indigenous tribes while simultaneously hunting them, jailing them, demonizing them, and taking their children from them?

I just thought this wheel design was fascinating & brilliant!

In the museum there are also cases and cases of artifact displays. i didn't get photos of much but they highlights supplies, entertainment, weapons, and uniforms.

There were also aircraft there that were yet more frivolous - this SKyBaby being one of the smallest aircraft to ever be built!

Next in the museum was the Space exhibit, but we zoomed through that as we were running out of time and I wanted to see the observation tower. Here are a couple things I saw, but didn't look into:

I wish I'd caught the name of this spacecraft, it was stunning and reminds me of a boss you'd have to fight in a video game.

Finding the right route to the observation tower was a bit tricky, the floors are huge and there are only a few floor plans sprinkled about. We walked past a special exhibit of hot air balloons and their influence on culture, art and society. We also stopped to observe planes being restored/built in the engineering warehouse - visitors had a birds-eye view of what projects were taking place on the floor (no direct access though), it was a really profound way to see and appreciate the restorative work that occurs here at the museum. Felt behind-the-scenes without being intrusive or needing a guide.

There is a shake-shack restaurant inside the museum so we all stopped for a shake, the museum store right next to it (we've circled back close to the entrance/exit again). The Shake Shack guy says he doesn't know if food is allowed in the store, but he has seen folks try to take food into the museum and the security guards have forced people to throw out their food "they don't tell you to turn around - they tell you to get rid of it." I thought that was interesting and possible dramatic, but who knows? There were plenty of signs though, and one at the museum shop entrance saying that no food or drink was allowed inside the store. No problem! The area inside the restaurant had plenty of seating, wonderful warehouse-length windows with natural light to view the sky.

The store itself had a huge variety of items to interest its visitors - the demographics targeted would be interested in science-based games, activities for all ages, clothing, books (in english) for all ages, branded souvenirs (like keychains, mugs & shot glasses, magnets, etc...), toys, and big-ticket display memorabilia. The shop was very neat and the items were displayed together according to theme or type.

We then finally made it to the observation tower elevator, where a friendly docent instructed us to take the elevator to the top level, enjoy the view and to look for planes landing at the Dulles airport. We were admonished not distract the pilots by waving at them, and to report back if we were lucky enough to see any land. :)

There were two docents in the tower when we went - seeming to change guard. Neither of them interacted with us - I felt a bit more "watched" than approachable. In hindsight I should have interacted to see what information they did have and how they would interpret the otherwise incredibly bare observation tower. We saw several planes land at the Dulles air strip nearby to the North. The only signage in the tower was this directional "South" panel. It insinuates that there is a display to the right of the panel with stone tool artifacts and more that were discovered on the museum site prior prior to construction. There is no display, and the panel does not mention which Native tribes are associated with the Chantilly area. That is a huge loss and I wish I'd asked more about that while at the museum. A search tells me that around 1600 CE, the area was once part of the Powhatan Chiefdoms - a large nation of 30 united tribes with a governing head that actively lived across the territory at that time. From this information I imagine the archaeological findings from this site would be significant.

The observation tower left a lot to be desired in terms of interactive displays and information, so we left after 5-10 minutes and passed by the old docent, "We saw three planes land!... Well, one of them didn't make it... we waved." He laughed and we left to see the show "To Fly" which was described to be a survey of flight from the beginning to the modern day. I didn't realize until afterward it was filmed 1970. It certainly felt dated - none of us could name any substantial information we'd gained from the experience - we mostly just talked about how dizzying the visuals were - it was meant more to be an esthetic experience than educational.

As we left we were thanked and bid goodbye by the security at the entrance and walked back to the car to take Charlie to the airport. And that was our trip!

Museum Rating

Accessibility: This museum is further out in the boonies of Virginia - one would need reliable transportation to get to-and-from the museum. There is an under $10 parking fee, but payment options are limited, so while the museum is free, you have to pay money to access it. The signage is extensive, but there were no linguistic options, braille, or tangible things to experience. This museum was almost solely visual & literate experience. There are ramps and elevators everywhere, but few sitting spaces or reflection areas in the museum corridors themselves. The store definitely felt targeted toward english-speaking visitors. The museum is open daily from 10am-5:30, which is semi-accessible, but I would truly love to see museums open later to allow a different demographic access to its exhibits.

Service: Friendly staff and volunteers, though I didn't necessarily want to interact with every single person there. Easily over 40 volunteers and staff present, so they were easily accessible.

Depth: I think this museum's highlight is its breadth - panels for each plane were limited to a paragraph or two of information, I could have used more information/stories/connections

Breadth: Yes! While the museum's most visible narrative is the military aspect of flight, it is a huge collection of significant aircraft through time, and one can consider this museum as a survey of the human pursuit of flight. The fact that the engineering warehouse has also been incorporated into the museum's exhibits is exciting and adds a layer of "collection stewardship" to the otherwise "show and tell" exhibits. In addition it broadly tells the overviews of WW1 & WW2, of commercial flight, and of space exploration.

Narrative/Flow: The floors are easy to navigate, with maps accessible near transition points (stairs, ramps, and elevators), and you could begin on the left with early aviation and follow the narrative through a chronological retelling of aviation history, with emphasis on the militaristic uses of aircraft through time.

Interactivity: No points. While it looked like there were activity workshops, and simulation machines, they all needed docents to be run and had set schedules, so without an interpreter or guide those activities are inaccessible. The rest of the museum relies solely on docents, signage, and visual impact.

Relatability: Without the interactive aspect of the museum I related to it only through my original interest in air & space museums. This museum, while interesting, was not relatable. One area of missed opportunity was the observation tower - there could have been more information on the skyline and surrounding area - with identification and even historic overlay - what would the area have looked like in 1600? in 1800? etc... Another missed opportunity was highlighting the history of the land itself - an exhibit with information on the specific original inhabitants and what was found on this museum's site would have been a fascinating way to tie multiple histories together with the visitor. Another missed opportunity is a conversation about the Hiroshima bombing - With the Enola Gay looming I think it would be easy to add into the signage thought-provoking questions about human rights, advanced military warfare, civilian casualties and the responsibility of power.

Website: Easily navigable! The aircraft descriptions are all stored online too :)

Wonder & Awe: In spades. This is an astounding museum - it's humble to stand next to these wondrous pieces of machinery, considering how so many were made before the computer, before the calculator. It's a humbling experience to stand under the Enola Gay, it's weighty legend heavier than the plane itself. This balanced with the light-heartedness of the history of the barnstorming era, when flight was fancy-free and explorative, not necessarily directed and purposeful.

Wild Card Points: None. Overall this museum was impressive, but traditional.

[alastanor]

So I have rewatched the pilot episode of Hazbin Hotel more times than I care to admit. And every time I watch it there is a line Alastor says that really sticks out to me. Like a window into an aspect of who he is.

This scene is one of the very first we get of Alastor following his warning. To which, I think, makes it both important and actually quite telling. For multiple reasons.

For starters, Alastor was honest with Charlie and Vaggie from the moment he walked in the door. This goes against any concept we have, knowing his origins as a serial killer. Serial killers, as we all know, lure in victims and evade suspicion through dishonesty (not to mention serial killers have a tendency to kill to get some sort of sexual gratification, where Alastor is Asexual so the pieces don't line up there). But Alastor is honest about his desire to watch demons fail at trying to better themselves. He is honest about the reason why he believes Charlie's dream will fail, which by itself gives us a hint into who he may very well be.

That hint is that Alastor actually has a very strong sense of justice. So much so that he feels those in hell deserve to be in hell. Not just so much that they can't be redeemed, but that they shouldn't. For this reason, he wants to see them punished- to see them "trip and fall into the fiery pit of failure."

His sense of justice may have well been warped in the same way a yandere's concept of a loving relationship is warped. And that is something else I will get to in a moment.

If Alastor truly does kill out of some concept or personal sense of justice, the story Vaggie tells of Alastor toppling powerful overlords who had been dominant for centuries makes sense. We know, from what we have seen in the pilot, the Addict MV, and some comics that the Overlords are some of the most malicious demons in hell. If Alastor cleaned house, it is very possible that the overlords he killed were far more malicious than the ones that are left.

But back on track, Alastor doesn't come off as some creepy serial killer to me. Yes, he may have been one in life but that doesn't necessarily mean he was psychotic as he is sometimes portrayed. And my reason for that is, ironically, this:

Alastor straight up says, basically, "yeah, I can kill you, but I'm not going to." And this isn't the only instance of this we have.

The butcher, who we know was initially harassing a demon in his shop (as Alastor saw), reaches for his cleaver to attack Alastor. Whether out of fear or maybe he gets his meat from every animal-esque demon that passes through. Who knows. But Alastor saw the butcher as a potential threat and gave a similar warning to the one he gave Vaggie.

Which, for anyone who has seen my posts before, this was the butcher's strike two. His first was getting caught harassing his customer, to which Alastor civilly intervened. Only to demonstrate his ability during strike two. His strike three was when he was caught trying to hurt and possibly kill the lamb patron.

Which brings me to what may have caused this skewed sense of justice in Alastor.

In the image above, look at Alastor's face. He hears the scuffle inside, and freezes. The expression on his face is one of clear shock. It is a common theory in the fandom that this was significant for Alastor. Perhaps because he witnessed his mother, who he loved so very much, get abused. Unknown by whom, assumed to be his father, but either way this could very well be another clue.

What I personally theorize is that Alastor did witness his mother getting abused in some manner or another. Perhaps more than one. Which wasn't that uncommon in his time period, as divorce still carried a heavy stigma in society throughout the early 1900s. You were looked down upon for divorcing your spouse for any reason, with the exception of adultery, bigamy, and impotence. So his mother likely stayed in the abusive marriage because she had to, and Alastor was powerless to do anything about it until he was a grown man. But witnessing that injustice night after night likely brought about what inevitably made him a serial killer.

But who were his typical targets? I believe, not unlike how he was in life, anyone he came across that "deserved" punishment met their end by his hands. Alastor played the role of judge, jury, and executioner. This, of course, was a sin for which he was punished.

Not to misdirect, but I remember reading somewhere that in life he hunted deer. If this is true, I thought that was rather ingenious. Invite a shit person along on a hunting trip, and they have an "accident" while hunting. Never to return again. And even if he somehow got linked to a discovered body in the woods, assuming one was ever found, he can easily say it was accidental death or flat out deny it, and they couldn't exactly disprove anything he said. Especially when you consider how bad investigative technology was back then.

There definitely seems to be a method to his madness. Mind, he did try to kill Sir Pentious at the end of the pilot, and definitely seemed pleased with himself... but to be fair he was more of a threat with his machine pointed at Alastor than a butcher reaching for a cleaver or a moth demon girl with a spear. Not to mention Sir Pentious doesn't seem to care who he hurts. Even if he is an absolute dork while doing it.

But to conclude, I definitely think Alastor is a much deeper character than people think. All the characters are very deep, we have gotten a look into some of the depth to Angeldust. And I think that alone should herald some interesting depth to all of the main Hazbin Hotel cast.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

[saint-starflicker]

I wasn't alive yet in 1959, but I am also thinking there were other ways to go about it for a well brought-up young man. Knox knows Chris is "practically engaged" but is still going to break them up—Not the most noble of intentions to begin with, but he can still maneuver that. How often does he get invited to dinner parties with the Danburys? All the boarding school brats' parents seem to know each other and want to keep up with one another's joneses. Chris asked Ginny about the play, Knox can remember that and audition himself in hopes that Chris will be at the after-show events, and/or beg Neil to pry Ginny about her brother's girlfriend. Annoying, too many degrees removed, but there was an alternative there. He could send an easily-compromised letter divulging his intentions to begin courting her, and hope the way is clear for a definite letter back saying yes or no.

Those scenarios weren't as good to Tom Schulman as the scenario that he wrote, based on his life and his friends and some of his own imagination...So I do think it's fair to notice that Chris wasn't shown to be interested in Knox at all and that fact should've been respected but wasn't. Compare that to Sally Wheeler from School Ties 1992, who was a flawed character but at least was obviously attracted to David; Connie Baker from Mona Lisa Smile whose relationship with Charlie gets actively sabotaged by Betty, because Connie would keep reciprocating Charlie's affections and pursuing a relationship with him otherwise; Meredith Dardenne from If We Were Villains who was obviously unhappy in her relationship with Richard.

Maybe none of those movies or books that "did it better" would even be as popular if it weren't for Dead Poets Society existing, but the Knox/Chris subplot went the way it went because that was the unexamined norm at the time. I think it's all right to notice that that's not okay now: Too many great-grandmothers reminiscing about how they met their husband going something like, "He wouldn't leave me alone and I didn't want to make a fuss by rejecting him. He wore me down by constantly asking me out on dates." Schulman wrote it that way, probably because that's the way it was in his real life. And it is bad—it's my least favorite storyline in the whole movie, and my least favorite type of movie plot of all time.

I guess the question is...is the way we assert "that was so not okay" now, genuinely constructive? I expect Knox fans in the 21st century to already know that what canon Knox did in the movie actually isn't okay in real life, back then or now. (Sorry to my grandaunt, but that was not romantic.) I think we can also try to understand why Schulman wrote that like it's normal, why Peter Weir who invited so much eleventh-hour collaboration did not change this thing, Knox's actor was happy to have that job, I don't know Alexandra Powers' opinion of it back then or more recently, and why audiences in 1989 didn't consider romanticized stalking a dealbreaker. Are we doing the best we really can with that information and thoughtfulness?

Every Hollywood movie in the 20th century had a shoehorned romantic subplot. I have heard rumors of people in film school discouraged by their professors from writing women characters that were not romantic interests, so there would be no demographic appeal calculated by studio executives, and no green-light to investors to pay for the making of that film. I did not hear about anyone in the industry speak out against this until Guillermo del Toro about Pacific Rim ("It's important for little girls to know not every story has to be a love story.") That was in 2013.

I do still think Knox and Chris were the weakest link in the writing of that movie, but knowing the cultural norms of the 1950's and that of the film industry in the 1980's means that I can't really hate on a random Knox fan who probably has a headcanon where he wasn't so badly-written.

okay I'm gonna need the dps fandom to put on their critical thinking hats for a second 👀

imagine you live in a time before social media. before mutual friends on apps and before being able to search up someone's instagram profile after you meet them to follow them and maybe say hi.

imagine you just met someone you REALLY LIKE and you don't know anything about them, except when you talk for a little you find out what school they go to. and you want to talk to this person again. what would you do?

if the answer is "well, I'd probably ask around people I know for their phone number, and go to their school in my free time hoping to run into them so we can talk", then I regret to inform you but that is actually a very normal and appropriate answer!!!

however for some reason some of y'all think knox doing that in the movie counts as "stalking" apparently!!!

like. this is not the modern day? just showing up to someone's school trying to talk to them is not "weird" because it is one of and if not the ONLY OPTION!

and if anyone here says "but he didn't even go talk to her! he just stared at her from far away which is creepy." my SIBLING IN FELLOW DPS ENGAGERY!!! SHE WAS GOING TO AN AWAY GAME!!! SHE IS A CHEERLEADER! THEY DO THAT! knox literally LIVES IN A BOARDING SCHOOL. he does NOT know much about the goings-on of the outside world because they seldom get free time and he literally has to SNEAK OUT of the grounds without an escort just to go socialize. he DIDN'T GO UP TO HER because she was GETTING ON A BUS!!!!!!! his ass does NOT know the schedule of ridgeway high's football game attendances 😭!!!!

and if people bring up why he went back after the party, that was to APOLOGIZE. imagine if he never even tried reaching out to say sorry??? like yeah I know he got flowers and a poem and that's not the most "correct" apology in that circumstance but I guess he was trying to clean up his image/reputation a bit which tbh not a bad thing to do after f#cking up THAT horribly.

I seriously don't want anyone calling (movie) knox a stalker or a creep in a non jokey way because as bad as you believe what he did in the party scene is, this one thing at least is just not true.

and yes he literally never sought out chris again after apologizing. I don't know what to tell you man like this is just the reality of what happened

[3liza]

hey im not gonna spread your weird social media-mediated brain infection on my blog, instead here are some cool studies to look at about how the "beautiful people have an easier life, every day, all the time" is a simplistic view, and is also patriarchal as fuck. more recent studies on "beauty privilege" are finding that the issue is complex, and that perceived beauty acts as a negative pressure in some/many social situations. i have always wondered why my experiences varied so much from the apparent wonderland the pop-science concept of "beauty privilege" paints, and more recent studies (often designed by women this time, imagine) are getting into the complexity there.

you personally may want to think about not reading my social media accounts if they are making you feel and act like this. i think i am not going to interact with you anymore if i can help it because i feel bad about what it is doing to you. anyway.

the short version is that beauty is beneficial in heterosexual social situations when dealing with the opposite sex, but detrimental when dealing with the same sex. this aspect of the research is usually ignored because who needs nuance in their pop psychology, right? not this guy (pointing 2 self)

very simply put, a beautiful woman can flirt her way out of a ticket from a heterosexual male cop. if she tries it on a person who doesnt consider her a potential romantic partner, there may be (and apparenly often are) negative consequences.

similarly in my own life i find that 99% of the apparent opportunities i'd been given for being young and fuckable were predicated on me actually fucking* the person who "offered" them, and most of them turned out to be fake/insincere opportunities anyway. tumblr refers to this as "grooming" when applied to child subjects (which i was, for much of it) but the behavior persists into the target's adulthood, middle age, and even old age if certain conditions are met. i can't find any studies on this because you can't put a Sleazy Guy in a lab setting and ask him "hey were you actually going to hire this woman on hte up-and-up, or were you going to 'hire' her and then spend 16 months making increasingly deranged sexual harassment attempts before reporting her to HR for made-up reasons and then finally firing her or hamstringing her career? just wondering".

i always think about that episode of Always Sunny where Mac goes nuts because every kid in his class was molested by the gym teacher and he imagines this to be some sort of privilege, even though charlie was one of the victims and is clearly devastated by it. thats what this conversation feels like every time it gets to the level of anons making fake tumblr accounts to KEEP pestering me about this stuff. remember that thing i said earlier about blood in the water, and how i dont post about bad shit that happened to me because it attracts the wrong kind of attention??? hehuehueheuheuhuehriuhgfidsrhru

actually thats a whole other realm of study: why victims of sexual assault and abuse are often re-victimized. until recently it was assumed that the victims were making bad decisions in who to trust, and this is sooorrrrtt of true, but doesn't tell the whole story. i read a study once that i am trying to find and will post later if i find it, that took video of adult women study subjects (who had agreed to be filmed) walking normally just down the street publically, and showed this video to male test subjects. if im remembering the study correctly, which i may not be, the male subjects who scored higher on psychopathy indices were better able to indentify the women in the test footage who had been sexually assaulted at some point in their former lives.

something to think about is a lot of "attractive" qualities (including proccupation with physical appearance leading to altering that appearance to be more beautiful), especially in the manic pixie archetype, are very strongly represented in trauma victims, especially sexual assault survivors (as is the opposite, intentionally trying to be "unattractive" to avoid further victimization). this includes "seductiveness", one of the adjectives used to diagnose child sexual abuse victims before the verbiage in the literature got cleaned up. obviouly a child cant be "seductive" and thats pretty offensive and fucked up to say. what they meant is that the childs behavior has been altered by trauma to become sexualized to appease attackers. this is part of the "fawn" sector of emergency responses in humans (along with fight, flight, and freeze).

so when we talk so cavalierly of "beauty" and "attractive people" vs "unattractive people" we are simplifying an issue that is so complex it is difficult even to think about. this complexity makes me go "hmm" every time theres a study on it, much less a popular belief. a lot of it sort of doesnt square with easily-observable phenomena: if physical beauty is so correlated to success, why are the 1% of wealthy people, politicians, actual power-holders, hell even the CEOs of normal companies, very very rarely what you would consider physically beautiful, even when they havent aged out of what the culture thinks is the maximum span of time someone can be "hot"? some of this is just personal preference, and it's real hard to study any of this because of how complex that issue becomes. but where are all these hot successful people i keep hearing about? are they all trophy spouses and retired from the public eye? you can definitely cherrypick examples of "influencers" etc but thats an extremely narrow line of work, and not representative.

anyway! lot of the "do beautiful people get more stuff" research is from quite a while ago, wasnt designed well, and was based on a work and social culture that was quite a bit different than it is now. but even older studies document this effect. ive spent like many minutes typing about this stupid bullshit so im bored and annoyed now and i dont want to type about it anymore

1. Effects of Self-Esteem Threat on Physical Attractiveness Stereotypes

2. Does being attractive always help? positive and negative effects of attractiveness on social decision making (cant find the sci-hub version, alas, but documents a negative effect we're actually seeing an anecdotal example of in my inbox rn)

3. Is beauty a gift or a curse? The influence of an offender’s physical attractiveness on forgiveness

* often it wasnt even just a sex thing. it's very very often a romance/relationship that is desired by the perpetrator. it's a misapprehension of the public that sexual harassment/grooming is "just about sex" or even less accurately "just about power", it isnt

[bettercallsabs]

After Dark

Here we go again with some new trash. Yes! Let's spiral down quick into some chaos.

Steve Rogers x Plus sized Reader

Steve POV

Warnings: Violence, guns, adults language, crime.

Word Count: 1.3k

Taglist is open, so never miss a post!

My name is Steve Roger's. I am the heir to my father's legacy. The AAM- Assassin's All Mighty- is the biggest and baddest Motorcycle club in the midwest. We are ruthless. I am ruthless. My father's club, After Dark,  is his biggest front for conducting our work. His legacy will soon be my legacy. I will go to any lengths to protect it. I play death...

.....

That new girl. There's something about her that's beyond alluring. She's nothing like the other girls who work at the club. She's short and thicc, where all the other girls all taller and on the thinner side. 

But she's unbelievably breathtaking and I can't keep my eyes off of her.

Fuck. 

When she walks away my eyes are instantly drawn to the perfect ass. So full and supple. I can't help but lick my lips. I bet she tastes like heaven.

Bucky " Damn if I could smack that ass…"

I swear to God if Bucky keeps talking my fist will connect with his loud ass mouth.

"For the last fucking time, Bucky, shut your God damn mouth before I shut it for you. "

He is quiet, much to my relief. I don't know what my deal is, but I don't like him looking at her... at all.

My hands ball into fists at the sight of such scùm. I can't believe my father wants to do business with this low life drug dealer piece of shit.The sound of the clubs pounding beats echo around us.The club is filled with bodies as I scan the room for threats. I see three men with White Fang jackets feathering through the sea of people. I nod to Kane and Tommy, who move onto.the dance floor.

"why so tense Stevey boy?" Ulrich says as he smirks in my direction. I clench my fists tighter, a slight pain running through my palm as my fingernails dig deep. 

"Watch your tone Ulrich, remember who the fuck you're talking to. Now why are you here wasting my time?"

"Straight to business eh? Well I am in need of your families… expertise."

"Which one?"

"Guns of course. "

"Ha." The laugh that slips past my lips is anything but humorous. Of course this scum is here for guns. 

I shift in my seat, folding my arms over my chest. " what could you possibly have to offer Ulrich? You know we don't deal with low levels. Fuck your drugs."

"Hey now, don't hate the game. I only deal in designer drugs. I'm the king of the party. My drugs, keep your club popping."

"Like hell it does." Bucky chimes in, jumping quickly to his feet ready to throw arms. 

I gesture to him to stand down, and he takes his seat once again, his chest still puffed out like a filed up dog. 

"I'm still not hearing anything of interest…"

 

He leans in over the table, his tone low as he speaks. " I have some information on Bassu."

The hairs on the back of my neck spring to acting at the sheer mention of that bastards name. 

He's definitely caught my interest. Not wanting to seem to eager, I lean back into my seat. 

"If it's useful enough,  you may have a deal."

Ulrich slaps a Manila envelope onto the glass table top, sliding it in my direction. I waste no time unveiling the contents of the folder on the table. A handful of photos cascade out, photos of Bassu and his men at the docks. 

"When?"

"These photos are from yesterday morning."

Gazing down at the photos, I ran my finger along the length of my jaw… this was a trail, one I desperately wanted… and here it was before. As much as the thought of dealing with the trash, Ulrich had proven himself somewhat useful. 

"Fine. Let's talk orders…"

Ulrich's mouth curves into a faint smile, one of success. 

"What are you drinking boys? King Louis, Killian, rum?"

Charlie, hovers over the table.. 

"a round of Killian for the table. Ice."

"You got it babes."  She spins on her heels, strutting off toward the bar. I return my attention to the matter at hand, cutting a deal with Ulrich. 

It seems like the deal is cut in no time, Ulrich looks appeased, getting his much needed supply. Terry, was not going to be thrilled about this…

" Drinks up gentlemen."

 I lift my gaze from the paperwork before me, as a drink is set in front of me.. Y/N has to stretch over the table to get everyone their drinks,  her short stature, is no match for the monstrous booth… 

 It is quite the view…  I can feel my pants starting to grow tight at the sight of her full figure.

 Fuck.

I catch the ogling eyes of Ulrich's goons staring hard at Y/N, his hands hover over her waist for far too long. 

"Ulrich, you better watch your fucking goons before I gouge out his eyes and shove them down his throat after I make him watch his hand being severed from his wrist." 

Ulrich's lips peirce as he glares at his henchman. 

"Boss." Kane appears beside Bucky, his breathing staggered as he forces out the words. "We've have a problem." 

" what the hell?"

"Fangs, there's at least 9 of them, and they're strapped." 

I scruff, they wouldn't be dumb enough to hit on our turf. 

The echo of gunshots breaks the through the boasting club music. The sound of shattering glass fills my ears, as I reach for the HK45 tucked at my side. Bucky and I leap from the table, eyes peered for the direction of fire, but it's scattered. 

FUCK. 

"Charlie!" 

I hear the splintering screams of Y/N's voice, as she's tugging at Charlie's arm, who is frozen in place, shear terror washed across her face. 

"Kane! Get them out of here!" I bark orders, pushing him in the girl's direction, directing my focus to Ulrich. This son of a bitch set us up…

"Ulrich you mangy piece of shit!"

He throws his hands up. "It wasn't me Stevel, I swear. I wouldn't!" 

I don't care. My fist connects with his face, sending a feel of power rippling through my core, as I watch his body collapse to the floor. 

"If you're lying, I will slit your fucking throat."

My attention is now focus on the White Fangs, who are now collected in a pack near the entrance. 

"Causing a scene boys, in public? How reckless."

"You seem to be quite out numbered, to be speaking so freely, Mr. Rogers."

One of Bassu's men steps forward with a smug look on his face. 

"Am I? You're in my zone buddy." 

Gunshots ring out as four Fangs crumple to the ground, their bodies quickly falling motionless. 

One of my men, Tommy, emerges from around the corner, taking out one more as he makes his way towards us. 

"Interesting…" I take a step forward, my heart racing in my chest with adrenaline. "It seems there is suddenly less of you, shame they couldn't stay for dinner.' 

The man before raises his handgun leveling it between my eyes. I can't help but to let out a chuckle. Was this supposed to frighten me? It wasn't the first time I've starred down the barrel of a gun. 

More gunshots ring out, but not bullets are discharged from the gun pointed at me. The solid thud of bodies dropping sounds from beyond the piece of filth in front of me. His head whips around, his eyes skimming over his fallen men. 

I look to the direction of gunfire, as my father pockets his gun, a wide menacing grin plastered across his face. He hasn't killed in sometime, and he was enjoying it. 

My attention returned to the swine standing before me. "And then there were two… so much for being out numbered, wouldn't you say?" 

I raise my gun to his head, nestling it centered between his ungroomed brows. 

I want to pull the trigger, to watch the bitch drop…. but I need answers. He's no use to me if he's dead… 

"Where is Bassu?" 

…….

@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked  

@itsanerdlife  

@sea040561

@dsakita  

@princess-evans-addict  

@mariekoukie6661

@flashfanfics

@patzammit

@randomsevans

@alexakeyloveloki

@freckled-lass

[windbournefree]

AARON SORKIN'S "WOMAN PROBLEM" AND THE NEWSROOM

After binging on The Newsroom (and loving it) created by Aaron Sorkin I got to thinking about his reputed "woman problem" when some YouTube commenter described all the female characters on the show as "twits." That's a characterization I strongly disagree with, and will show why, but also can't shake the intuitive sense that his portrayal is rightly controversial. By that I mean it is right that it should be a matter of discussion, not that it is necessarily wrong. The people holding the discussion need to decide that for themselves.

First the bald facts. Women in this drama hold power: Leona founded and still owns the company, Mackenzie is the Executive Producer of the network's flagship news program with a male second-in-command and many male staff, Sloan is the acknowledged smartest person in the company with far more lucrative prospects awaiting her should she choose them, Maggie is promoted instantly from a personal aide to an associate producer by a woman despite her youth and inexperience. Women are in leadership roles with real power that they do exercise.

In their relationships to men, the women in The Newsroom engage in give and take.

Mackenzie may look at Will like a doe-eyed schoolgirl at times but she's in love with him and is self-recriminating about previous behaviors. She isn't like that with any other male characters. Even with Will she frequently takes charge and makes him follow her direction, which he does. Mac exercises real power in her relationship with Will from episode one on. When Will doles out his "punishments" she only takes them to the degree that she believes she should. She holds the power at any time to say, "That's enough!" which she does in regards to the engagement ring. When she does that he realizes he's gone too far and changes his behavior.

Maggie coddles Don in most of the scenes we see of them and breaks up with him mostly in scenes we don't see. I'd venture to guess that the early breakups happen because the relationship has no room for her passion and she gets tired of soothing his ego to make things work. In contrast, Maggie's drawn to Jim because he awakens and allows room for her passion. Most employees who confront and yell at their bosses as much as she does with Jim would be suspended and/or fired. He lets her get away with it to a degree because he recognizes that that same passion drives her to become an excellent journalist. And because he likes her. Both are true. Every once in awhile he has to reprimand her in public to assert authority over his team or it gives permission to his other staff to behave the same way. Maggie is no shrinking violet. She is strong and self-directed and refuses to allow a man to control her. Most of her errors come from inexperience and human frailty. None of them occur because she's a woman.

Sloan clearly wears the pants in her relationship to Don which, to his surprise, he doesn't mind. Ever once in awhile, though, they switch roles or just relate as equals. Don goes from dating the young intern who part of him wants to dominate to dating the highly intelligent, self-directed professional who no man can dominate and becomes a better version of himself as a result. Sloan's errors in her first broadcast about Fukushima occur not because she is scared by Will as a man but because she's scared by him as respected professional. His gender doesn't matter to her. When Charlie yells at her about it she tells him strongly, "Do not call me 'girl,' sir!" And that's to the head of the News Division.

Leona clearly rules the roost and fights with Charlie as an equal or as a subordinate, never as a superior. They fight the way old friends do.

In no respect are women as a class portrayed as inferior or subordinate to the power of men. So why do I get that intuitive itch that there's something old-fashioned about Sorkin's writing on gender relations?

I think it's that some of the male characters in The Newsroom tend to be the carriers of logic and reasoning while the female characters tend to be the carriers of emotional expression. This isn't always true: Sloan is highly logical (while also passionate) and Charlie is highly emotional (while also reasonable) and Neal carries both in balance. It's certainly true, however, of the Jim & Maggie relationship which is intended as a reflection of the older Will & Mackenzie one. Remember how, in episode one, Mackenzie points out Maggie to Jim and tells him that she's a younger version of her before she grew into herself and got hotter with age? And why has Jim long been Mackenzie's choice for supervising producer? Could it be because he reminds her of Will? I think so. I also think it's fair to assume that Sorkin does not intend for that rational/emotional dichotomy to typify all gender relations since he gives us alternate examples. More likely it's because Sorkin is a brainy guy who prefers an emotionally expressive woman to bring balance into his life. When he writes romance it comes out of who he is, what he likes. That's how he connects to the material at a feeling level. Some viewers may prefer a flip on those traditional associations and the Don & Sloan relationship may have been his attempt to provide that. It's not where Sorkin feels at his strongest or most natural, though, so he writes what he knows.

There ARE problems with The Newsroom, though, that I think if addressed would have reduced criticism. In no way should bosses be allowed to date subordinates over whose careers they have an influence. The producers decide what stories are aired. The career of a journalist rises and falls with the number and quality of stories they get aired. Dating a subordinate in this environment is a breach of ethics and most professional workplace standards. To be fair, Maggie was first an intern then a personal aide and only became an associate producer (journalist) as Don was on his way out so it wasn't a total breach; definitely in the gray area, though. The sexual tension between Jim and Maggie, obvious to everyone (as Sloan pointed out in the finale), often broke out into open conflict. Mackenzie should have addressed this conflict as their supervisor but instead encouraged it. As Jim points out it was Mac's idea for him to get together with Maggie in the first place. Again, it was Mac's advice to Jim to "gather ye rosebuds while ye may" that led to his and Maggie's first kiss and then Jim deciding this was wrong. Mackenzie's regrets about her relationship with Will colored her judgment and led her to offer advice that may have been okay coming from a friend but was inappropriate coming from a supervisor. She could have been rightly disciplined or even fired by HR if found out. Jim does decide that he can't date a subordinate however he feels but Mac should have intervened and threatened to move one of them out if they couldn't handle the tension in a professional manner. In the series finale Jim offers the Supervising Producer position to the woman he's in love with. How is that not an HR violation? How would Maggie's career not be dogged by rumors of "sleeping her way to the top" if she accepts it?

The other thing is the way emotional conflicts between several of the characters break out into office wide battles. Talk about an unsafe working environment! I can't see how the entire management staff wasn't fired on an almost weekly basis. And when Mackenzie commends Maggie for her loyalty by saying she wouldn't complain to HR if her hair was on fire I cringed. Is that the message you want to send out in a #MeToo world?

Aaron Sorkin says he likes to write "very romantically, very idealistically." The chaos in the newsroom is intended for laughs, not to be taken as a serious reflection of a workplace. The characters are flawed and frequently do not do what they should. The lack of HR supervision is even mentioned by a character in season one so there's awareness that liberties are being taken. I don't think there's an inherent woman problem here, just a production not as sensitive as it might be to the struggles women face in the workplace. There are good reasons why "no dating" policies are in place, why it's unprofessional to carry your personal life into the workplace. Workplace comedies routinely feature HR nightmares for the sake of laughs: Brooklyn 99 is a good example. We don't take them seriously. It's the sheer intelligence of The Newsroom and the realistic setting that may make the comedy part seem more serious than it is. Personally I see the show as a kind of joyful fantasy; Sports Night without the canned laughter. If you can separate the fantastic from the realistic I think you'll find that The Newsroom is actually very empowering for women.