#given that he's on the spectrum himself and studied psychology

[spxnglr]

"Egon may respect Gozer's genderfluid status but it's Peter who reminds them all that their proton packs are rated E for Everyone."

My fiancee's thought upon watching the final bit of GB1 w me.

[quirkwizard]

I'm not sure why I made this. I just thought it would be fun to do and now all you have to see the fruits of my labor. So, without further ado, the Pro Hero Parent Tier List. Hope you all enjoy it and try not to take it too seriously.

F Tier: Gran Torino, Recovery Girl, and Yoroi Musha: The simple fact is that these three characters are way too old to be parents. Maybe if this were a grandparent tier list, they'd be higher, but it isn't, so they're all going in the F Tier.

D Tier: Endeavor: Look, do I even need to explain this one? You all know what he did. One of the biggest problems in the story is the result of all the messed up stuff Enji did as a dad. His attempt at redemption was to remove himself from his family. Easy bottom tier.

Nana: While I'm someone who tries to understand Nana's position and decisions in regards to her kid and her role as a "One For All" user, she still didn't seem like a very good parent even when she was around. She herself even admits that, so that is what puts her so low.

Gang Orca: What few interactions we see him having with kids is screaming about their failures and throwing them when he is dissatisfied with their answers. That is bound to cause some trauma later. Like some Pavlovain response when they think of Free Willy.

Hound Dog: He may be a guidance consular that works with kids, implying some understanding of child psychology, but if his first reaction is to yell and growl at any emotional problems in front of him, he probably isn't going to communicate with his own kids.

Thirteen: I get that Thirteen is someone who takes a lot of care and consideration with her power and is quite safe to be around. That being said, I don't think that someone who is at risk of destroying their own child at the atomic level should really be handling children.

C Tier: Edgeshot: There really isn't a lot to say about Edgeshot as we don't get a lot of personality outside of being stoic, which could certainly be an issue for a parent. That being said, being willing to sacrifice yourself for a kid does push him above the bottom of the tier list.

Mount Lady: If we're considering her early in the series, she'd definitely be at the lower tier given how irresponsible and self-centered she is. Though considering her development and how mature she's gotten in general, she barely scrapes by as an average parent.

Kaumi Woods: Kamui Woods is just kind of average. There just isn't a lot going on with him that could give or detract merit from the little hero work he's done. He's here by default. His inability to hug his kids without giving them splinters would certainly be an issue.

Manual: Again, he's average. The most we have is that he seemed to do pretty well with handling Iida's whole situation but didn't seem to notice it in the first place. Otherwise, he's pretty plain. I could see him being the lame dad his kids don't want to talk to or be around.

Miruko: Definite Tiger Mom. She'd be making her kids do all kinds of sports stuff and getting them to exercise all the time. She cares, but she shows it by trying to make her kids excel at what they're doing. Great if they're into that, but I can see it fostering a lot of resentment.

Sir Nighteye: Like Miruko, but at the other end of the spectrum. He would be the kind of dad to make his kid study a lot because that's what he would think would be best for them. Cares and can loosen up when needed, but is emotionally distant most times.

B Tier: Ms. Joke: She is a teacher, meaning she must have some understanding of kids. She'd definitely be the "Fun Mom". She'd always try to keep a smile on her kid's face, even if that meant making terrible mom jokes. Be ready, she has been working on them for years.

Ectoplasm: He seems to be pretty good with kids, but the real clencher is his power. No matter what, he could always be around to be present in his kid's life. And hey, family dynamics are always changing. Who is to say a family can't be just a kid and their thirty-six identical dads?

Ryukyu: She can be hard on herself, but she seems to have a soft spot for children and do well with her wards, given how well they have turned out, being commanding without being harsh. And let's be real: who wouldn't want to have a dragon for a parent? That alone would put her pretty high up here.

Eraserhead: This may be a controversial pick putting him so low, but hear me out. I think Aizawa would try to be a good dad, but he's married to his job, being too tired and absent to really make it work. And did you see what he bought for Eri to wear? What self-respecting father would ever do this his child?

Fourth Kind: A good role model to any kid who tries to foster strong moral foundations and understanding of community in his wards. All around, a pretty stand-up guy to have as a dad. He loses points because punching kids is not a good way to punish them, even if it hurts him more than it hurts them.

Midnight: This could be because I read Vigilantes, but Midnight actually shows quite a few parental traits, like being highly empathic and understanding of those younger than her. Then again, I can only imagine the kind of teasing and general awkwardness that would come from having the R-Rated Heroine as a mom.

A Tier: All Might: If we're counting him without "One For All", otherwise he'd be working too much to be a dad, I think that he'd be a parent. If his students are anything to go by, he'd be a pretty effective parent. We can also tell that he plays favorites with his kids, and that knocks off a few points.

Present Mic: This may be a surprise pick, but I can see him doing pretty well as a parent. He can be the fun, comic dad that plays with his kids and can get on their level, but he can instantly go into serious mode if he needs to. The fact that he can do both so well, which you kind of need as a parent, puts him pretty high on the list.

Best Jeanist: Another stand-up guy, just trying to be a good role model and look amazing while doing it. I mean, the guy had an actual positive impact on early series Bakugou. That has got to count for something. Probably has all kinds of weirdly good life advice if you can understand fashion metaphors.

Rock Lock: One of the few real parents on this list, Rock Lock just seems like a responsible parent. He did try to call out the kids for being on missions, but he was kind of right in that regard and just looking out for them. Probably try to keep his kid from doing stupid stuff. He'd be a good, but restrictive father.

Hawks: Like Present Mic, I could see Hawks being a chill dad who doesn't seem to know what's going on but actually knows everything that happens and always has one eye open when it comes to his kids. He'll give his kids their freedom, but he's going to be there to catch and guide them when they really need him.

S Tier: Mandalay: Another one of the few real parents here, and one with a pretty bad hand. Mandalay not only had to take over as a guardian out of nowhere but had to do it with a heavily traumatized child while trying to lead a team as a pro-hero. The fact that she seems to be doing as well as she is puts her this high without question.

Fat Gum: No one should be surprised that Fat Gum is this high. He's super protective without being overbearing, tries to instill valuable lessons to make them develop, and does his best to encourage his wards to be the best they could be. And could you imagine him giving hugs? That would make any problem vanish.

Tensei: Tensei is just such a good guy. He's a good role model and leader for his team without it being detrimental. He knew Koichi for about a day and he was able to understand Koichi and tried to set him up for success. Imagine how well he'd do with his own kid. Plus, he's an older brother. That's like a being a parent with training wheels.

[gg-ladybug]

I am back from the nether of eduction, so everyone hold their breath while I get back in the swing of things. This analysis I did a while back after Evolution perfectly follows on for my next mini-analysis that I haven’t quite gotten all on paper yet, but it’s worth adding on.

When I was really considering the Agreste’s sacrificial tendencies as a whole, the final really pulled everything together. My content warning gets a little deeper here, so proceed with caution below the read more line! Check the tags carefully, as this centres around the more nitty gritty psychology of mental states that is often triggering for some people.

There’s often an assumption that people who attempt suicide have always had this well thought out plan that’s progressed traditionally. In a cycle similar to the one below:

However, that’s not always the case. Studies have shown that most suicides are actually an impulsive decision that’s made within an hour or less of an actual attempt. Not only that, but in relation to the traditional range of suicidal thoughts, people often jump in a non-linear pattern around that spectrum at random times. Many times, attempts are made during an intense emotional moment by someone that may or may not have been actively suicidal prior to that point.

Or, even if they were, they weren’t someone who would create a traditional “plan” like people are often taught. The final step from thought to suicidal action can be triggered by a defined event or by an inexplicable impulse from within.

Impulsivity is a VERY important aspect, but it goes unnoticed in a lot of considerations. The triggers, behaviours, and thought patterns can look very different. When we hear stories, people often share how surprised they were about the turns of events, as the idea of being happy one day and suicidal the next seems untenable. Yet for someone with suicidal tendencies, it’s actually a very common jump to make.

That’s what makes preventative measures crucial, as we have to focus on minimising the risk involved with a tough moment. Easy access to lethal means increases the chances that someone will act impulsively, and the deadlier they are, the worse it can be.

If a suicide attempt takes longer to enact, or it is generally harder for whatever reason, there are more chances for the impulsive moment to pass, or more chances for additional intervention. For example, making firearms harder to access, and adding netting around bridges is a commonly used method across the globe. In itself, it is not enough to stop someone from taking their life, but it may be enough to cause reconsideration or add vital seconds to a rescue attempt.

In relation to Gabriel and Adrien, they’ve had consistent traumas (mostly relating to their family / heroic & villain life) that would naturally affect their emotional regulation. Given how the household deals with those things, by hiding it or not addressing it at all, any hard moments will cause everything to explode.

Taking into account everything previously mentioned, there is a massive risk involved when there’s a boy with pure destruction, and a man that had the ability to wish anything into existence.

I’m sure you see where I’m going here.

Episodes like Guilt Trip show this concept off well. When Adrien becomes overwhelmed with negative emotions, he naturally tries to take the quickest option available to minimise his thoughts. Despite this, he is able to shake them off relatively quickly and recover like nothing happened.

As for the season 5 finale, it’s also no surprise that Gabriel succeeded with his wish. Whether or not he always planned to sacrifice himself (which I’m inclined to believe he did, especially in reference to some previous actions and words of his) is irrelevant. But in that specific moment, by using Emilie and Adrien directly, Marinette managed to get under his skin. Definitely deeper than even Nathalie had.

Coupled with the volatile situation of his cataclysm, Nathalie’s impending death (assume it didn’t happen right after the final conversation with Ladybug), his crumbling relationship with Adrien, and Paris’ state of affairs as a whole, it’s not shocking that this would be his big moment where he decides it’s time.

However, unlike Adrien, he had no one that was present in the moment that could stop him. In any sense, the way the series concluded ties in well with all my previous thoughts surrounding Gabriel’s self-blame as a whole, and it’s yet another point for when I inevitably do my Agreste family analysis.

It was NOT a surprising turn of events, and they’ve clearly been hinting to Gabriel’s disregard for his own safety since day 1.

Okay, but one of the most compelling things for me was the fact Evolution made me grimace for Gabriel-

Of course, I know people are going to be sat reading this like:

But just hear me out

For the first time, we’ve genuinely seen Gabriel this desperate. To the point he’s downright suicidal. He completely forwent any warnings given to him, sacrificing his own health in the hope he could get the upper hand on the heroes. Frequently, he was unable to walk, or even just stay conscious. Seems familiar, right? Gabriel is beginning to start acting like Nathalie in season 3. Which is, in itself, ironic considering her complete 180 at the end of the episode.

But we don’t really take it seriously

I mean- it’s not just a nuance thing either. They’re clearly crossing the bridges of mental health this arc. The paralleling between Marinette and Gabriel is amazing. The final scene was a staple to the fact they were always two sides of the same shitty coin. Same day, same reactions. But for completely different reasons. One feels the weight of failed responsibility, and the other finally feels responsibility.

Even taking a look at his panic attack, you’ll see a minute detail: his eyes are zoned in on his ring.

Gabriel has spent this last year + entirely devoting himself to the Hawkmoth character. Expensing his work life and other relationships in a co-dependent like state to revive his wife. But with Nathalie (and only Nathalie) in his corner, he’s never had to deal with the fact he’s done wrong. By not indulging anybody else; he’s had no rational mind to guide him. And dear lord is he the type that needs to be guided.

The only person who’s mattered in terms of opinion was her. Adrien would, had he been in the know, but he isn’t. Simple as that. He doesn’t know. To Gabriel, his disdain for Hawkmoth couldn’t be properly proportional, because of a ‘surely it’d be different if he knew about his mother’ mindset.

He’s a family man, and he considers Nathalie (as of this episode at least) part of said family. Going so far as to give her the other ring. If Nathalie concurs, he thinks he’s doing exactly what he should be. He admires her. He’s said as such in the Nathalie mini-episode. Until now. Someone he so openly cares about, as far as he sees it, hates him. And while getting the thrashing he deserved was all the satisfaction, his response certainly was not.

In a way, it was child like. He’s disappointed his guardian for the first time, and he doesn’t know how to deal with that. But the progression is important, because we’ve finally witnessed another milestone. Persistent, traumatic grief can cause us to cycle (sometimes quickly or in a nonlinear pattern) through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

These stages are our attempts to process change and protect ourselves while we adapt to a new reality. He’s finally come out the denial era. And while this new found anger may be misplaced onto Ladybug, it’s still a sign he’s finally beginning to accept what’s happened to Emilie.

Many people have said he’s lost his goal after all this time, and that may be true. But I raise this: it’s not about power either, like many suggest. In the ice-Paris scene. He’s merely trying to prevent what he sees as an ambush.

As far as he knows, he has a fair reason to worry about the mysterious box. It’s happened before, it can surely happen again. He’s aware they’re trying to draw him out, and that’s dangerous. Every time he underestimates the smallest of things, it bites him. We laugh, but from an outsider prospective, many would’ve overthought it.

Even when he was making the decision, he thought they were trying to defeat him as Scarlet Moth. Destroying the current timeline before he even had a chance to meddle. Monarch had no way of knowing whether or not his change would take place first. And all things considered, that’s precisely what they were trying to make it look like.

He wasn’t going to take their miraculous, he was attempting to push them into another burrow, like before. Hence his promise of return. He was going to go through with Nathalie’s idea! He just needed to stop them attacking the old him before dropping the USB in. Had he wanted to wish it, then there would be no need to come back at all. He was worried about his current timeline. Current relationships. So on and so forth. If he ‘chose wrong’, then he’d have nothing to go back to.

His choice wasn’t driven by power, merely worry for what he currently has. Gabriel is beginning to see what’s in front of him, rather than behind. That worry, though, was immediately repaid by the most devastating words of his life, no doubt. He, basically, was just told that his wife’s death was his own fault. Whether or not that’s what Nathalie actually meant doesn’t matter. That’s how Gabriel took it.

Given what we just saw too, that he’d been the one to deliver the miraculous to his wife, those words would’ve hit all the worse. The real kicker was the declaration of what he deserves. He’s just been shunned by his one true friend. Everybody else is merely an associate, or someone he sticks with because he owes them something, or they have something for him in return. Even the dynamic between him and Audrey relies heavily on the fact she was his mentor and likely has some other (presumably magic related) weight.

Plus, we see no evidence of any other family. The canon family tree for Adrien shows no grandparents from Gabriel’s side. Only Emilie’s. His current connections are likely all he has.

So step back, and take a look at this from a different angle. Widowed husband, mere inches away from saving his recently deceased wife. Reliving the very moment that caused her death. And then, his timeline comes under fire. So he goes to stop it. Just to be tricked. And then abandoned by the one person he can confide in. And widowed husbands often take other woman as ‘replacement wives’ in an attempt to get their emotional outlet back. A woman he puts on an equal mental pedestal to Emilie just told him to go fuck himself, in 3 different metaphors.

-His decision making

-His mental capacity

-His worth

Fucking ouch

He is, frankly, moving to his PV goal. Mirrored by the change in attire. Richard Sphinx was trying to forget his wife. Doing everything he possibly could to distract himself from her absence, and filling the void with material things.

At first glance, it’s not much, but if you think about it. It was… heavy for a first episode. I have no doubt he’s going to feel more sucker punches this season until his eventual defeat. And that’s genuinely concerning when we see how far he’s already descended.

[shelbyswift]

everyday i wake up brazilian so... i really REALLY need your help!!!!!!!!! (please reblog if you can 🥺)

Hi there!

My name is Sylvia and I'm a Brazilian psychology student who has just gotten an unconditional offer to study at Royal Holloway University of London, starting September 2021. It has always been one of my biggest dreams to go to university abroad, but I never thought I would actually be given an opportunity like this someday, considering my coming from a very humble background. I am the first in my family to ever be enrolled in higher education, and I owe that to my father's determination and resilience. He grew up in conditions of extreme poverty in northeastern Brazil, taught himself the entirety of our national tax system by spending hours and hours on end reading in libraries, and worked his way up to a tax & accounting management position at Thomson Reuters (which he has now held for over 15 years), all the while raising 6 children. Although my family has been extremely blessed to now live in a much more comfortable financial situation than the one I was born in, the political and economic air has shifted, and the reality of our country is no longer a prosperous, hopeful one — especially for anyone looking to work in science. Amidst constant attacks from the current government against universities, human rights, the scientific community, the truth and democracy, I can't help but fear the prospect of my academic future, or of my future in general, as well as my family's. My father is now 68 years old and the only provider to my household, I'm afraid he won't be able to play that part for much longer. So, at 21, it is my responsibility to step in and make sure my little sister gets the education he enabled me to get, supporting them, my mother and myself financially. It is highly unlikely that I'll manage to do that successfully as a scientist in Brazil.

I don't mean to dwell but, If I'm gonna ask you for help, I feel like I owe you a full explanation as to why I need it. I am a late-diagnosed autistic woman, which might sound weird if you have a preconceived misconception of autism engraved in your mind, but the under-recognition of autism spectrum conditions in girls and women is actually a gravely common and dangerous issue that prevents us from having access to support at an early age, thus arising serious consequences for our health and wellbeing. I am not sharing this information in order to "play the victim" or get you to donate from a place of pity, but to explain why I long to work in science so much, and need to be somewhere that will grant me better opportunities. My biggest dream and professional goal is to help girls like me have a happier, healthier, more fruitful experience of the world than the one I was met with for so long, preventing unnecessary suffering through accessible neuropsychological work, while raising awareness to the dangers of misdiagnosis fueled by bigotry in scientific research. The Brazilian government's been pushing deep cuts of billions of reais (brazilian currency) in science funding over the last few years, causing students to lose their scholarships, be forced to use obsolete equipment or stop the research they have been conducting altogether. This scenario makes it extremely hard, if not impossible, to turn dreams such as mine into reality.

That being said, the anual tuition fee for Psychology BSc overseas students at Royal Holloway is of £21,400 —  approximately R$161.427,00 in brazilian currency (reais), which is more than my family's yearly income. At the end of the 3 year course, that amount will have added up to £64,200 — almost half a million reais. If I get a scholarship (the best one available for overseas students is the Reed Inovation one, which awards the winner £5,000 a year), I would still be expected to pay R$371.131,68 (£49,200). Unfortunately, there is no way me and my family will be able to afford all this, and that is why I have started this fundraiser. I don't expect to reach the full goal in donations until September, but I would never forgive myself if I didn't try, as even half of the amount would already make a huge difference and perhaps allow me to actually go.

Thank you SO much if you took the time to read this up to here, I will be forever grateful for any help I can get, even if you just share this!

Here’s my Paypal link.

Hope you have a nice day 💚✨

Proof:

[manie-sans-delire-x]

My thoughts/analysis of We Need to talk about Kevin

From abnormal psych class paper:

The character I chose to analyze and diagnose is Kevin Khatchadourian from the 2011 film, We Need to Talk about Kevin. Brilliantly depicted by star Ezra Miller and various other child actors, Kevin is an angry, emotionally detached boy who struggles in his complex relationship with his mother. We see the unhealthy relationship develop between the two through-out the film as Kevin grows from a baby to a young man, ending in tragedy as Kevin achieves his ultimate revenge against his mother by massacring the rest of their family as well as several classmates in a school shooting.  

After carefully noting Kevin’s behavior and the way he and his mother Eva interact when he is a young child, I have decided to diagnose Kevin with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). The diagnostic criteria from the current Diagnostic and Statistical manual (DSM-5) for RAD reads as follows: 

A. A consistent pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, manifested by both of the following: 

1. The child rarely or minimally seeks comfort when distressed. 

2. The child rarely or minimally responds to comfort when distressed. 

B. A persistent social or emotional disturbance characterized by at least two of the following: 

Minimal social and emotional responsiveness to others 

Limited positive affect 

Episodes of unexplained irritability, sadness, or fearfulness that are evident even during nonthreatening interactions with adult caregivers. 

C. The child has experienced a pattern of extremes of insufficient care as evidenced by at least one of the following: 

Social neglect or deprivation in the form of persistent lack of having basic emotional needs for comfort, stimulation, and affection met by caring adults 

Repeated changes of primary caregivers that limit opportunities to form stable attachments (e.g., frequent changes in foster care) 

Rearing in unusual settings that severely limit opportunities to form selective attachments (e.g., institutions with high child to caregiver ratios) 

D. The care in Criterion C is presumed to be responsible for the disturbed behavior in Criterion A (e.g., the disturbances in Criterion A began following the lack of adequate care in Criterion C). 

E. The criteria are not met for autism spectrum disorder. 

F. The disturbance is evident before age 5 years. 

G. The child has a developmental age of at least nine months. 

Specify if Persistent: The disorder has been present for more than 12 months. 

Specify current severity: Reactive Attachment Disorder is specified as severe when a child exhibits all symptoms of the disorder, with each symptom manifesting at relatively high levels. 

Kevin displays behavior that meets both criteria A and B. As a baby he cried constantly, reportedly even when held, showing an inability or unwillingness to be soothed. As a toddler he shows defiance, disinterest in social interaction, and a refusal to engage in play, such as when his mother is attempting to play with a ball with him and he refuses to roll the ball back or respond in any way, instead staring at her with a sullen expression. Kevin also refuses his mother’s pleas to say the word “Mommy”. As a slightly older child, Kevin continues to act defiantly and shows anger, ripping up the paper when his mother attempts to school him, immediately soiling his newly changed diapers on purpose, throwing food against the wall and onto tables, breaking his crayons, making nonsensical noises to irritate his mother, and destroying his mother’s artfully decorated room. When he is taken to the doctor to be examined, he shows no expression, does not speak, and stiffens his body. When his baby sister is born, he purposefully sprinkles water onto the newborn, causing her to cry. It should be noted however that in one instance Kevin seems to relax his cold exterior and accept comfort from his mother, shown by the scene in which he falls ill and cuddles with his mother while she reads him a story. He even apologizes for her having to clean up his throw-up. Unfortunately, as soon as he is feeling well again he is back to being rude and rejecting any attempt of hers to take care of him, refusing her help to change his clothes.  

As for criteria C, although Kevin has not experienced extreme abuse or neglect, I believe Kevin suffered from a traumatic birth as it was mentioned that his mother was resisting. His mother Eva did not desire a child, especially not one as difficult as Kevin, so she emotionally neglects him and is cold to him. Eva makes it very clear to him that he is unwanted, telling him straight to his face that she was happy before she gave birth to him and not correcting him when Kevin mentions that Eva does not like him. In one instance, she is accidentally too rough with him and breaks his arm, which Kevin later refers to as being the most honest thing she ever did. Kevin also meets the criteria of D through G, and his symptoms are persistent. I would say Kevin has moderate to severe symptoms as he does exhibit all listed symptoms quite regularly.  

I believe Kevin’s psychological problems may also have developed into conduct disorder (CD) as an adolescent and then antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or psychopathy in adulthood, especially after taking into consideration the mutilation of his sister’s eye and the killing of his sister’s guinea pig, his father, his sister, and several classmates. He shows no guilt or empathy, appears to have shallow emotions besides anger, and shows no evidence of having affection or emotional bonds to anyone. He is also very manipulative; putting on a fake act of normalcy for his father, turning his parents against each other, and navigating the legal system to get his best outcome. However, I know that children with RAD can also be violent and if not treated, behave in a way very similar to conduct disorder in adolescence and ASPD or psychopathy in adulthood. The main reason I chose to focus on RAD over CD or ASPD is because I believe the root of Kevin’s problem is immense pain at being rejected and unloved as a child and that he harbors a deep desire to have that connection but is unable to accept affection.  He is so focused on and consumed by his anger towards his mother, while someone with true psychopathy may be more detached and indifferent. I also leaned more towards RAD given that he showed symptoms from such a young age and did not seem to have any problems outside of his issues with his mother, such as acting out in school or engaging in petty, impulsive crime. I do wish that the film showed more of his interaction with his peers. Lastly, I felt RAD was a more accurate choice because of the subtle signs of it that are associated more with RAD than CD, such as stiffening his body when others try to hug him, making nonsensical sounds, and not making eye contact as an infant, although that may not have been intentionally put in the film. Either way, his parents certainly needed to talk to professionals about Kevin when he was a child. Had they done so, perhaps they could have prevented the tragedy of both his life and the pain he inflicted on others.  

Response to tumblr ask:

I agree! I would have loved to see how he interacts at school, what he does when he’s alone and has spare time, and more of his childhood.

I think he had multiple reasons:

1- To make his mother suffer since he obviously has a lot of anger and resentment towards her

2- Because he doesn’t feel much positive emotion and gave up on ever feeling pleasure or enjoyment from regular life. Normal life is incredibly boring for him. He wanted to DO something- real, meaningful, make something happen. He wanted to Live. I very much relate.

3- He enjoys the attention he gets from it.

We talked about this in my forensic psych club- whether we should give interviews and all this attention to violent criminals. Our society is fascinated by them to the point where we make movies and books. People sell and collect memorabilia. They have fan-girls writing love letters and showing up to their court sessions, even fighting each other over them. It’s pretty crazy. But on the other hand, it’s important that we study them. Or is it? There’s a debate about everything.

4- His philosophy and world view. 

He is very nihilistic, he doesn’t believe life “means” anything and right/wrong doesn’t exist/is just a matter of opinion or viewpoint. His actions don’t really matter either, nothing does. I used to think exactly like he did when I was a teen, and I still do in a way.

As for your last question, it’s easy to forget one way of thinking when you’re in another. It’s hard to remember how one state was when you’re in a different one. Also, as shitty as outside life can be, life in prison is even shittier. Makes you appreciate the ability of choice and being able to do things, even just to walk around outside or buy an icecream cone. He was also only 15 at the time of the crime, and in the last scene he’s 18. A lot of chemical changes and neural development happens in that time. He matured- his way of thinking about himself, the world, and the others around him changed.

[terresdebrume]

Tl;dr I am descended from a bunch of people who had many, many, many reasons to repress their emotions and we're still learning how to handle that collectively and individually

To whit, on mom's side:

My great grandfather was a black man from Guadeloupe who somehow met and married a white Parisian woman and had four children with her before world war two, and his family name is a very common name for freed slaves in the region –> if not his parents, at least his grandparents were likely slaves. Then he himself went through WW1 (don't know if he was a soldier, tho it could be a possible reason for him to go to the métropole) and WW2, and, again, married a white woman in the 1930s, which would not have been easy.

Said great grandfather was at a minimum the 'tough love' type, at worst abusive (I know my grandfather and his three siblings got belted as kids, don't have much detail other than that)

My maternal grandmother was from a poor family and had to stop her studies after getting her Certificat d'études to go to work. I know from what she said that this was a very painful event for her. I also know that she lost at least two (maybe three?) siblings during the war. Whether they died *because* of the war is unclear. She also had a miscarriage prior to my mother's birth (who is the eldest of 3 daughters) and has fairly obvious anxiety issues once you know what you're looking for

None of these people had access to any kind of psychological help, or social structures designed for help either

On my father's side:

Devout Catholics

My grandmother at least was displaced because of ww2: her parents were Belgian and moved to the east of France, where (I think) she met my grandfather

My grandfather was in the Algerian war. If I'm not mistaken, he didn't really see any fighting, but given the horrors the French army inflicted on the local population I would be very surprised if he didn't at least have secondhand knowledge of some of them and that can fuck you up too

My grandmother had lifelong depression issues and attempted suicide when I was 18, which nobody wanted to talk about beyond saying she wasn't trying to die 'she just didn't want to wake up'. For this, she received electric shocks based treatment at least twice (I remember seeing the bruises on her temples the one time we visited her, after)

I suspect that my father suffers from similar issues as mine and simply didn't get the support he needed, and in any case there are some clear issues in the family considering one of my three uncles once smashed all the ground floor window on his little brother's house

My paternal grandparents had clear favorites in the family and were either terrible at hiding it or didn't care to

Most of these people didn't have access to adequate psychological support or communication techniques

And I, possibly somewhere on the autistic spectrum, definitely queer and also trans of gender, landed in the middle of this very 'if you have mental health issues, consider not having them' double combo and developed frankly predictable anxiety, depression and self worth issues and somehow sometimes I still wonder why

Tonight at dinner I found myself giving a genealogy of why my family is the way it is and I am once again sad that I don't speak creole or have a stronger connection with Guadeloupean culture

I dunno that this is ever going away tbh

[mashounen2003]

Some random Sonic headcanons

In their vast majority, they’re valid only in my fanfics, but they could also be “adapted” to other people’s works or to the canon.

—————————–

Tails is a transgender boy. He was called "Militia Prower" and was assigned the female sex at birth, but discovered his true identity shortly before his fifth birthday. He was lucky that Sonic, Sally and the rest of his friends in Knothole Village (and the rest of the villagers when they found this out) accepted him, respected him, continued to love him and brought together the resources and knowledge available to allow him to begin transition once the time comes.

—————————–

Jewellery theft ain’t Rouge’s only passion: she also has a vocation for Psychology. When the bat woman wasn't stealing jewellery or carrying out a mission, she studied to pass subjects of the Degree in Psychology; GUN funded her studies after she pointed out this knowledge would help her to do a better job as a secret agent.

————————��–

Tails has an unspecified ASD (autism spectrum disorder), and “reading” others’ facial expressions and voice tone was always difficult to him. If he manages to understand them, it’s just because he usually interprets the understanding of non-verbal language as an exact science: he previously studies all about facial expressions and voice tone, how they’re generated and what they could mean depending on the context, watches people’s gestures and analyzes them, but he doesn’t use intuition for this as almost everyone else does.

On the other hand, he’s very perceptive: he pays great attention to details and seemingly irrelevant things, and when people do anything and he’s just near there with nothing better to do and without anyone caring about his presence, he also has a habit of carefully watching and analyzing those people and their actions and gestures. He may not initially be able to capture, for example, micro-expressions of someone with whom he’s talking; but if he’s given the necessary information about them as if they were accurate scientific data, he’ll be able to make surprisingly correct assumptions about what his interlocutor is feeling and actually wanna express, which helps him, for example, understand and comfort someone who’s going through a bad time and doesn’t wanna admit it; Rouge, with her knowledge about Psychology and her experience as an agent, is usually the one who helps him by providing that information, besides treating him for free whenever he needs.

—————————–

Sonic regrets a lot of things, including some which he thinks were his fault; for example, people who were victims of Robotnik/Eggman while the hedgehog was busy somewhere else with something else or wasn’t available for whatever reason. His title of “Hero of Mobius” makes him feel obligated to keep this to himself, without letting that other side of him be seen by anyone, not even by his closest friends. He usually cries, and a lot, when there’s no-one watching him.

—————————–

To Sonic, formal events are always boring and annoying, due to his well-known “free spirit”, his aversion to how shallow the attendees usually are, and a certain adrenaline addiction he developed over time. But in Sally’s case, she hates such events intensely: they remind her too much of how her father Max forced her to fit in a predetermined role and took control of her own life. There was a time when she even claimed to be willing to wear a bomb vest and run straight to Robotropolis in order to not being in a formal event.

On the contrary, Tails functions very calmly in a formal environment and may even genuinely enjoy it. He already is someone “traditional”, very polite, even if he may be assertive, sassy and razor-tongued at the same time when he feels like it; on the other hand, those who usually attend these events are wealthy people who would do anything to have a scientific genius like Tails working for them when he’s old enough, so everyone seems to be trying to please him, instead of waiting for him to please them.

—————————–

There’s an “inside joke” in the Freedom Fighters…

Knuckles participates in missions only occasionally, and when he’s there, it’s usually for something related to the Master Emerald being stolen again or something. Some members of the Knothole team -namely, Sonic- ain’t very happy with the echidna seemingly entering and leaving the team whenever he wants (or rather, whenever the Master Emerald wants, because it’s obvious for the team members the Guardian’s life revolves around that giant gem constantly stolen or destroyed), and one day, Sonic came up with a kind of “revenge”.

The team would present themselves to everyone else (including the bad guys) as "the Freedom Fighters… and Knuckles”. And if an advertisement about them was broadcast on television and someone phoned them less than 6 hours later, Princess Sally in person would give them a forceps “to put Knuckles wherever the f*** they want, no matter whether he fits or not.”

—————————–

[This one is on the videogames’ universe mainly]

There are a few brief moments when Tails has self-esteem high enough to completely overcome his shyness. If someone saw him for the first time ever in one of those moments, they’d surely confuse him with a character from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Josuke, most likely), and if that happens in the middle of a battle, he may be flashier and more derisive than Sonic, even scornful, to the point of making the blue hedgehog jealous.

—————————–

One day, Mighty was on the verge of being kicked outta Team Chaotix.

After each of the team members had done all the housework at least once, it came the day when Mighty would have to cook, so the armadillo made fried eggs as the main course, and later he made flan for dessert. Since almost everyone else in Chaotix was oviparous, they didn’t take it very well.

Ray’s mediation attempts, coupled with Mighty’s promise never to step on the kitchen again, were the only thing that saved his place in the team.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hey there! I've been keeping my distance from the fandom ever since the end of S4 for my own mental health, but I'm slowly starting to dip my toes back in. I wondered, oh beautiful fic-library goddess, if you had a rec for a S5 fic, something that would be canon compliant with S4, believably explaining away the fuckery. I'm a slow burn kinda girl, enjoying emotionally stunted, not overly fluffy dialogue. Thank you so much. Your presence in the fandom is a constant source of comfort! ♥️

Hi Lovely!!

Aww, glad to see you’re still around and doing well!

That said, I actually have quite a few lists for S4 fics people have written, plus I have some new fics I’ve read since my last S4 Fic Recs list, so I’ll give you all of those :)

POST-S4 FICS Pt. 3

See Also:

MY LISTS:

TFP Is Canon

Parentlock

Parentlock Pt. 2

Post S4 / S4 Fix Its

Post S4 / S4 Fix Its Pt. 2

S4 Rewrites

S3 / TAB / S4 [FIX IT] Fics (March 2019)

COMMUNITY RECS

Parentlock Post S4

MASTERPOSTS

Post S4 Fics

Non-Abusive Post S4 Fics 

TLD Fix it Fics 

John Apologizes Masterpost 

Fics Dealing Directly With John Beating Sherlock Up

Post-S4 Fics and Fic Suggestions

S4 and TLD Fics (May 2019)

Better Late Than Never by sussexbound (NR (T), 3,021 w. || Post-S4 / TFP Doesn’t Exist, Sherlock POV, Love Confessions, Drunk Sherlock / Sober John, John Takes Care of Sherlock, First Kiss, Jealous Sherlock, Emotional Turmoil) – He suddenly wants John Watson out of his bedroom, out of his flat, out of his life, because he has been lying to himself these last few months, he realises. He doesn’t want John here, not with the way things are. He doesn’t want 221b Baker Street to be nothing more than rest stop John returns to on his journeys between women. He doesn’t want to play co-parent if Rosie is going to be snatched away from him and placed in the arms of whatever nameless woman du jour John lands on next. He doesn’t want to keep being so careful, so generous, so, so…

The Burning of the Leaves by blueink3 (M, 15,915 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Angst, Reichenbach, Parentlock, Past Jolto, Idiot John, Sherlock’s a Mess, Puppies, Fluff, Possessive / Jealous Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock POV, Matchmaker Sholto, Melancholic Feelings, Emotional Sherlock, Domesticity, Love Confessions in the Rain, Kissing in the Rain, Pet Names) – After the events of series 4, Major Sholto invites John and Sherlock to lunch one day. It nearly proves to be too much for their tenuous relationship as the past haunts the present, putting the future that Sherlock so desperately wants at risk.

The Winter Garden by Callie4180 (T, 31,213 w., 13 Ch. || Post-S4, Retirement, Christmas, Slow Burn, Grown-Up Rosie, Parenthood, Rosie’s Cat, Angst with Happy Ending, Holidays, Beekeeping, Magical Realism, Sherlock POV, Sherlock’s Violin, Future Fic, Sussex, Honey, Magical Healing Honey, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Scar, First Kiss, Touching) – As Sherlock nears the end of his career, he’s given the gift of a cottage in Sussex. The honey from the beehives out back is amazing. Almost…magical.

White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine’s chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn’t ask John.

The Monument of Memory by J_Baillier (M, 79,663 w., 14 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It Fic / S4 is Canon, Angst, Family Drama, Guilt, Case Fic, John Loves Sherlock, Complicated Feelings, Mentalism / Hypnosis, Murder, Grieving John, Sherlock is a Bit Not Good, Team Work, Trust Issues, BAMF John, Psychological Trauma, Protective John, Autistic-Spectrum Sherlock, Parentlock, John POV) –  A genius traumatised by a past he’s only beginning to recall. The psychopath sister that time forgot. A missing woman and a mentalist who may or may not be a murderer. And, in the middle of it all, stands John Watson.

[whatdoeschronicevenmean]

Ch. 2 Nobody told Curtis and his fellow guards to get brutal. But no one really needed to tell them this. It was enough to pay them modest salaries to enforce order in overcrowded, understaffed prisons that were neither equipped nor expected to do much else. When Curtis was in Vietnam, most of the officials in charge of America’s criminal justice system still subscribed to the rehabilitative ideal—the notion that in addition to maintaining public safety, criminal sanctions should be designed to improve the life chances of convicts, who deserved an opportunity to become productive members of society after completing their sentences. For much of the twentieth century, this was the dominant view among, policy makers and corrections officials, shaping everything from sentencing laws to probation systems to the therapeutic programs offered to prisoners. But by the time Curtis had moved to Florida in the late 1980s, the rehabilitative ideal had given way to a more punitive approach, emphasizing the imperative to punish and incapacitate both violent criminals and nonviolent offenders.

As the rehabilitative ideal crumbled, America’s prisons experienced a spectacular boom, thanks to draconian policies—mandatory minimum sentences, three strikes laws—that, for several decades, were popular. The elected officials who enacted these policies spanned the political spectrum, from Ronald Reagan, who vastly expanded the scope and severity of the drug war, to Bill Clinton, whose 1994 crime bill gave states incentives to put even more people behind bars. These laws were not foisted on the public against the wishes of ordinary citizens. They reflected and embodied popular sentiment. In the decades when the rehabilitative ideal held sway, convicts had often been depicted as disadvantaged individuals who’d been unjustly deprived of education and opportunity. Now they were labeled “thugs” and “superpredators,” dehumanizing, racially coded terms that implied they were beyond redemption and deserved to suffer.

In his 1922 book, Wall Shadows, the criminologist Frank Tannenbaum identified “the exercise of authority and the resulting enjoyment of brutality” as “the keynote to an understanding of the psychology of the keeper.” Drawing partly on his own experience serving time on Blackwell’s Island, where he was incarcerated for “unlawful assembly” after participating in protests for the unemployed, Tannenbaum attributed this psychology not to character flaws but to structural conditions, in particular the desire that guards felt to affirm that they were different from—and superior to—the people under their watch, with whom they shared the same harsh, oppressive environment. “For his own clear conscience’s sake the keeper must, and does instinctively, make a sharp distinction between himself and the man whom he guards,” Tannenbaum wrote, “and the gap is filled by contempt.” In his classic study The Society of Captives, published in 1958, Gresham M. Sykes contested the view that most guards were “brutal tyrants,” arguing that to maintain order, many learned to negotiate and compromise with prisoners. But Sykes did not make the life of the typical “keeper” sound any less dreary. “The job of the guard is often depressing, dangerous, and possesses relatively low prestige,” he wrote. 

... In 1973, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals urged commissioners to recruit minority officers with more sympathetic attitudes to prisoners. “Black inmates want black staff with whom they can identify,” the commission argued. To test the hypothesis that hiring Black staff would improve relations with incarcerated people, the sociologists James Jacobs and Lawrence Kraft surveyed guards at two maximum-security prisons in Illinois that had begun to diversify. The Black guards in the survey tended to believe that “fewer prisoners belong in prison” and to have more liberal political views, they found. But they were also more likely to agree that punishment was the primary purpose of confinement and to be “more active disciplinarians” than their white peers. One potential reason for this was that administrators screened out Black candidates who were sympathetic to prisoners, Jacobs and Kraft speculated. Another was that, like their counterparts in the police, Blacks who were hired felt added pressure to prove that they belonged by suppressing their sympathies. Whatever the case, Jacobs and Kraft questioned the assumption that hiring minorities would lead incarcerated people to be treated with greater respect, concluding that the attitudes and behavior of guards were “built into the organization of the maximum-security prison.” Notably, although they adapted to the strictures of the job, the Black guards in their study were twice as likely to say that they were “embarrassed” to tell people what they did for a living. Also striking was one finding that transcended racial lines. “A majority of guards of both races would not like to see their sons follow their occupation,” Jacobs and Kraft found.

Between 1960 and 2015, the percentage of Black prison guards increased more than fourfold, paralleling the growth in the number of Americans—in particular African Americans—behind bars. As the prison population ballooned during the age of mass incarceration, Blacks were increasingly given the “opportunity” to run the penal institutions where more and more people of color were caged..These were “good jobs,” some economists argued, and it is true that the growth of America’s prisons lent prison guards—newly christened “corrections officers”—a degree of newfound legitimacy. In states like New York and California, COs earned decent salaries and joined unions that came to wield substantial political clout...But the jobs in question tended to be reserved for people with limited options who lived in struggling backwaters.

...The area surrounding Dade was an example of what the sociologist John Eason has called a “rural ghetto”—small towns in depressed rural areas that were home to many of the prisons built in America since the 1970s, when the number of correctional facilities tripled. Until this time, rural areas tended to oppose allowing prisons to be constructed on local land for the same reason that wealthy suburbs did: to avoid association with institutions that were seen as disreputable and potentially dangerous. But as factories closed and family farms went bankrupt, the civic leaders in many rural areas began lobbying to have prisons built in their counties. Whether any lasting economic benefits resulted from this strategy is unclear (one study concluded that, to the contrary, prisons impeded growth in the areas where they were located). What is clear is that luring these “stigmatized institutions” to town further cemented the lowly status of the communities in question, places of concentrated disadvantage where poverty and racial segregation were deeply entrenched. “Stigmatized places are more likely to ‘demand’ stigmatized institutions, particularly if the stigma of the community is equal to or greater than the stigma associated with the institution in question,” Eason observed. “Rural towns most likely to receive a prison suffer the quadruple stigma of rurality, race, region, and poverty.”*

[“The idea that work can be morally injurious has not gone entirely unnoticed. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, it was described in often-moving detail in articles about physicians and nurses who were forced to make excruciating decisions—which patients should be hooked up to ventilators? who should be kept alive?—as hospitals were inundated with COVID-19 cases. “None of us will ever be the same,” wrote an ER doctor in New York City who worked on the front lines of the pandemic and published a firsthand account of the anguish that she and her colleagues felt.

Notably, though, it took an unforeseen crisis to thrust doctors into such a role, a crisis that eventually abated. In the case of many dirty workers, the wrenching choices—and the anguish they can cause—occur on a daily basis because of how society is organized and what their jobs entail. Unlike doctors, moreover, these workers are not lionized by their fellow citizens for working in a profession that is widely viewed as noble. To the contrary, they are stigmatized and shamed for doing low-status jobs of last resort.

People who are willing to do morally suspect things simply to earn a paycheck deserve to be shamed, some may contend. This is how many advocates of migrant rights feel about the Border Patrol agents who have enforced America’s inhumane immigration policies in recent years. It is why some peace activists have accused drone operators involved in targeted killings of having blood on their hands. These activists have a point.

The dirty workers whose stories unfold in the pages that follow are not the primary victims of the systems in which they serve. To the people on the receiving end of their actions, they are not victims at all. They are perpetrators, carrying out functions that often cause immense suffering and harm. But pinning the blame for dirty work solely on the people tasked with carrying it out can be a useful way to obscure the power dynamics and the layers of complicity that perpetuate their conduct. It can also deflect attention from the structural disadvantages that shape who ends up doing this work. Although there is no shortage of it to go around, the dirty work in America is not randomly distributed. As we shall see, it falls disproportionately to people with fewer choices and opportunities—high school graduates from depressed rural areas, undocumented immigrants, women, and people of color. Like jobs that pay poorly and are physically dangerous, such work is chiefly reserved for less privileged people who lack the skills and credentials, and the social mobility and power, that wealthier, more educated citizens possess.”]

eyal press, from dirty work: essential labor and the hidden toll of inequality in america, 2021

[edharrisdaily]

Ed Harris talks Kodachrome, Westworld and the state of America

Riding high with his killer role in television’s Westworld, Ed Harris continues to bring the flinty characters that have been the hallmark of his career to the stage and the big screen.

Ed Harris has become something of a symbol for the single-minded American man. He’s used his resonant voice and intense blue-eyed gaze to play cowboys and astronauts, soldiers and sheriffs, artists and assassins.

That means he’s worn many hats: a beret as Kristof, the genius reality-television puppetmaster in The Truman Show; helmets – diving ones and space ones – in The Abyss and The Right Stuff respectively. The latter, in which he played Mercury astronaut John Glenn, proved a career breakthrough: a shot of him as Glenn made the cover of Newsweek just as the real Glenn headed into politics.

There have been plenty of Stetsons, too. He wears a big black one as the merciless Man in Black in the television series Westworld. That character could be a distant relative of the black-hatted title character he played in 1987’s Walker, the craziest movie of his career – well, until last year’s Mother! – about the American who appointed himself president of Nicaragua in the 1850s. It lives on in cult infamy.

On the line from New York, Harris laughs at the millinery-oriented overview of his career. “Ha, ha, ha. I just like wearing hats – especially as I don’t have any hair on top of my head.”

In his new film, Kodachrome, he sports a jaunty Panama to play a famous photographer who embarks with his estranged adult son on a road trip from New York to Kansas, to the last laboratory still processing the colour-slide film of the title.

It’s a relatively low-key role for Harris, not least because his prickly character is dying. “It was a great character to play. I had a really good time doing it.”

He is a man who, it must be said, sounds much friendlier than some of the characters he plays. “How are things in New Zealand?” he asks. Good, thanks. How are things in the US? “Good God almighty,” he chuckles. “Pretty pitiful situation, I guess, at the moment, eh? It’s embarrassing.”

At 67, Harris is a man whose career remains on a steady roll. In the past couple of decades, he’s appeared in plenty of big films but also managed to direct two of his own – notably the acclaimed Pollock, a biopic of the abstract artist Jackson Pollock, in which he also played the title role – and spend time treading the boards of Off-Broadway theatres.

When we talk, he and his wife of 35 years, Amy Madigan, are coming to the end of the season of the David Rabe play Good for Otto in New York. They were on stage together in London early last year, too, in Buried Child by the late Sam Shepard, who was also a Right Stuff alumnus. Do husband and wife come as a package?

“We have of late. It’s been really fun, you know.”

Born in New Jersey, Harris was a high-school athlete and football star before he attended Columbia University, and didn’t take up acting until his family shifted to New Mexico. He studied drama at Oklahoma University, then in Los Angeles, where he’s been based ever since.

He met Madigan when they were both cast in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart, starring Sally Field. They’ve since appeared in nine movies together, including Pollock, in which she played art collector Peggy Guggenheim.

The idea for the film was sparked when Harris’ father gave him a copy of a biography of the artist, but it took 10 years for the actor to get it to the screen.

It won him a best-actor Oscar nomination (co-star Marcia Gay Harden lifted the statuette for best supporting actress) and cemented Harris’ reputation as a single-minded tough nut. He famously smashed a chair on set to give Harden’s performance a jolt.

The film took its toll on the Harris-Madigan family finances. “I spent a ton of my own money on that film. You know I didn’t need to, but I had to. So I wouldn’t have changed that for the world.

“I had spent so much time working on developing the script and working on this guy and painting and getting to know people that knew him and getting the rights to his works … I was totally immersed in it. And I didn’t care what I had to do to make the film right.

“I mixed that film twice completely and went to three different composers. I would have done whatever I had to do to get it what I wanted it to be. I didn’t even think about it. I mean, my wife was kind of going ‘Ed, what are you doing?’. But we survived.”

If Pollock was an artistic triumph in step with his challenging stage work, in the movies Harris remains better known as a go-to guy for a voice of authority: in Apollo 13, he was mission controller Gene Kranz (“Failure is not an option”), and he’s played a fair few sheriffs, colonels and generals.

Nasa – the real one – has asked him a few times to perform narration duties on commemorations. He can’t get away from it in the movies, either. When Sandra Bullock’s stranded astronaut calls Houston in Gravity, that’s Harris responding.

“I mean, I am fascinated by space but it’s not something that’s like a major thing in my life.”

Harris’ commanding tones haven’t always been that commanding. “I used to have a really thick Jersey accent when I was going to college,” he says, “and just over the years, you know, part of my craft is to be able to use my voice appropriately for whatever given character.

“And I actually feel really good about the whole vocal stuff in Kodachrome, because it’s lower-register and pretty relaxed.”

The last time he played a dying man on screen – a poet with Aids in The Hours in 2002 – he got the fourth of his four Oscar nominations for it. Playing another one – and another difficult artist – in Kodachrome was harder than it looks.

“He might not be that active but physically it’s really challenging because he’s hurting, he’s aged, he’s frail. His mind is still sharp. Even to play an invalid you have to be in pretty good shape because you have to be able to use your body in a way that allows you do that.”

The film is also a meditation on the cultural change that has come with an increasingly digitised world. So where does Harris, a man who plays a robot-killing cowboy on television, sit on the digital-analogue spectrum?

“I’m a bit of a dinosaur, I’m afraid. You know it’s passing me by big-time. I am decent on the computer and that kind of thing but first of all I really like film films.

“I take a few decent photos I have a great old Leica camera that I actually used in the movie and I’ve taken some pretty good photographs. But I haven’t done much of late. I’ve been toying with the idea of building a little darkroom and getting to shoot some black and white but that’s just in my head at the moment.”

Presumably the photos would go up on the wall chez Harris-Madigan next to the Pollocks he painted in character.

“Well, a couple of friends got some, and one of the things about making that movie was you would shoot what he might be doing on canvas and you see that. But then to save time and canvas they put the camera back on me painting, and I will be painting over stuff that I thought was actually not so bad and just totally f---ing it up. So there wasn’t that much work left that I thought was decent.”

Harris is hoping to direct a psychological thriller based on Kim Zupan’s 2015 book The Ploughmen, about a Montana deputy sheriff and a local serial killer. Until then, Westworld gives him a regular pay cheque and keeps him busy for most of the year. So does figuring out what is going on in the show.

No, he didn’t know the twist about his character – that another regular character in the wild west android theme park was actually the Man in Black too, at a younger age. And that he owns the place. It was all bit of a surprise.

“You never know where they are going to take you. I’ve never worked on something where you find out in episode six something very basic about your character that might have been nice to know in episode one.

“I think they think that it’s going to keep the actors fresh or something. I told them, ‘Well, you know, last year I did 125 performances of Buried Child, and I knew what the script was going to be and what was going to happen with the character, and the 125th performance was just as fresh and alive as the first one. I don’t have a problem understanding and knowing what is going to happen to my character.’ But whatever.”

He’s not complaining. He has steady work in a high-profile show that is kind of a western, a genre he loves. He directed his own very good one, Appaloosa, in 2008. That one featured Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, Renée Zellweger and no killer robots. In Westworld he’s enjoying being a gun for hire and wearing that hat of his.

“I like putting on my Man in Black outfit. It makes me feel good.”

[linkspooky]

Hey, I’ve been reading a lot of your BNHA metas, (they’re all absolutely awesome btw) and I was wondering about two things, what kind of mental illness do you think Shigaraki has? And I read a post somewhere that speculated that he might have suffered a tbi when his father hit him with the tree sheers, do you think that might be true?

Hello anon, thank you for your ask! 

I will try to answer your questions the best I can, however beforehand I think it’s important to note that I don’t really like diagnosing characters outside of like specific examples where the authors tell us this is the disease they were attempting to portray, or headcanons. Shigaraki clearly shows signs of mental illness, but I don’t think Horikoshi writes characters by looking up a list of symptoms in the DSM and then writing them based on that. 

Also yes, the two clearest examples of mental Illness (Shigaraki, Twice) are both villains but I have faith that the mental illness of Shigaraki is an instance where it’s used to humanize him and show how much of a victim of a system both characters are, rather than just to give the villain traits that are abnormal and therefore creepy and dangerous. 

I can’t give you a specific dianogisis but I can give you a more in depth look at several symptoms that Shigaraki displays. 

Excoriation 

Excoriation disorder is an obsessive-compulsive spectrum mental disorder that is characterized by the repeated urge or impulse to pick at one’s own skin to the extent that either psychological or physical damage is caused. In Shigaraki’s case it’s clearly a stress response that is aggravated the more violent, unstable or dangerous a situation he is put into. 

Which is why I find claims that Shigaraki is content with violence, or likes being a killer and is comfortable living this way to be false. Because Shigaraki’s own body constantly rejects him. He feels a compuslive need to scratch and harm himself because his body cannot handle the stress of being violent. It’s a stress response because Shigaraki does not actually on some level want to be doing these things, and living in a constant state of stress and harm makes him more compelled to vent his stress by following his compulsions. 

The compulsion he feels can sometimes get so bad that in childhood he was rolling around the floor, crying and frantically scratching his whole body. This is not what All for One said and him holding back his urge to kill, but rather Shigaraki responding to the stress. Shigaraki is seven and was put in front of two homeless people who were threatening to harm him and he already came from a physically abusive household. He’s in unbelievable stress with no healthy way of venting it, and thereofre he compulsively self harms. 

GAME TALK

In general Shigaraki uses a lot of game talk. This is not so much a symptom of mental illness necessarily as it is a coping mechanism, but the goal is for Shigaraki to distance himself from reality. Basically it’s a mechanism for rgaining control because if you imagine life as just one big game where you are the player, you feel much more in control then some random kid who lost his family in a freak accident then got picked up by a super villain. Gamespeak is also a way of being deeply impersonal with the situation, in case it goes bad Shigaraki can say it’s just game over. It’s a layer of distance between him and reality, like I said, escapism to cope. His insistence of using game terminology for everything could also be seen as a “special interest” but once again that depends on your intepretation Shigaraki shows a whole cluster of symptoms that overlap with a lot of things. 

HIGH ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Shigaraki in a fight where he and AIzawa are jumping around trying to kill each other, Shigaraki is able to notice a detail as minute as when the hair falls over Aizawa’s eyes it stops, and also that his quirk was weakening because the tiny seconds long windows were getting shorter and shorter. 

This is an extremely small detail to notice. Hyper-sensitizing, or hyper-attention to detail is another sign of mental illness, because usually the brain filters out superfluous details like this because otherwise noticing everything in that fine detail would overwhelm the senses. 

Immaturity 

Shigaraki is completely unable to handle his negative emotions like a well-rounded adult. Though, I dislike how All Might and the others phrase it in this discussion because it is a pretty ablist description (downright sick in the head, a toddler’s sense of feeling like he can do whatever he wants). (the ablist part is that they’re using symptoms of his clear mental illness to dehumanize him.)

Regardless, Shigaraki of course does act like a man child, constantly talking about games, giving up easily, not having the patience to converse with others especially in situations he does not want to be in, throwing tantrums. 

Children who are abused and neglected especially to the extreme extent that Shigaraki has, show long term developmental (that is term for the process of growing into a full adult) and behavioral problems. To the point where some studies have shown even the brain’s chemistry is permanently effected and the brain grows differently. 

Children need a stable environment, and also positive role models for what adults act like to grow into full fledged adults, Shigaraki had neither of those. In fact he was also raised almost entirely outside of society except for the first five years of his life, so there is also no outside influence on his upbringing as well, which is why he is like a child, egocentric, unable to handle his emotions, because mentally he was never given the chance to develop past one. 

ISOLATION

This is something that Shigaraki showed at the start of the series, but also has shown to develop past. At first he never left his room and from the several trash bags it’s quite obvious he spent long periods of time in there without taking care of himself or the environment around him in any significant way. 

Shigaraki is no longer isolating as a result of having gotten closer to the league, he is basically available to them at all times and does not shut them off in any significant way. Which in this quick tangent we can also talk about symptoms Shigaraki does not have. Shigaraki is able to read a room pretty clearly, and knows how to hide himself in a crowd enough to keep Deku hostage with no trouble at all, and even leave the scene with Uraraka there without provoking her into attacking him or tipping her off what he was doing right away. Shigaraki is fairly competent at reading other people and he does have social skills so he’s not like someone who never sees the light of day or cannot interact with others and is clueless on how people think. 

He’s also shown to be capable of making emotional connections with other people, and also of being considerate to those people’s needs. Which also shows that Shigaraki is capable of communication and also has an awareness of the feelings of other people and the ability to empathize, he is just choosy about who he makes connections with. He is definitely not someone unable to form an emotional connection with another person. 

Shigaraki also shows a pretty flagrant disregard for all social norms, but that can be a result of being raised outside of society all of his life.

Shigaraki also likes to piss people off on purpose, almost like he is testing their boundaries and what he can get away with the same way a child playing around might.

Dissociation

We have seen Shigaraki experience Dissociation in both senses of the word. First we have seen him physically detach himself from his feelings, and his own body in the middle of a fight and still continue on in a fugue-like state. 

He experiences dissociation in the sense of the word meaning periods of detachment to your body, drifting away from your consciousness, severe feelings of alienation from himself, extreme difficulty concentrating or holding focus to the moment, his perception of both time and the area around him slipping to levels that are borderline hallucinogenic. 

Dissociation is a mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.

Shigaraki also displays traits of what is more classicly known as Dissasociative identity disord. He has two names, and clearly considers the life of Shimura Tenko to be separate from Shigaraki Tomura for a long time at the start of the manga. It might not be full on DID, but he at least dissociated his memories away from himself long enough that he forgot all of them like those memories belonged to another person, not Shigaraki but rather Tenko. 

Shigaraki also foils Twice pretty heavily who developed actual dissociatve identity disord. He even shares similiar symptoms of speaking to himself when he speaks to the hand of “father”. I am not saying he has full on DID like I said I’m not diagnoising just that he displays several symptoms of it. He also came from an abusive household at an incredibly young age, which is where DID most commonly manifests. 

Shigaraki also shows signs of flashbacks when his memories return at inconvenient times during fights when direclty exposed to violence, or he experiences a trigger reminding him of his past. Flashbacks are a symptom that have the most in common with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

To answer your question on whether Shigaraki has a brain injury from when his father hit him with shears, there is evnidence suggesting he could have suffered brain damage, especially in the symptoms that he shares with Twice. However, at the same time Shigaraki also would have developed brain damage either way. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something that permanently rewires the brain after exposure to trauma. His brain has suffered a traumatic injury regardless of whether or not it was the garden sheers that did him in. 

Suicidal Ideation / Self Harm

Shigaraki in general wishes to not exist, or to destroy everything so it will not exist anymore. Even if it’s not a direct wish for suicide that symptom is called suicidal ideation. It’s intrusive and persistent thoughts of suicide. The likely cause is once again, Shigaraki is absolutely not comfortable living like this, and is constantly overwhelmed with stress and pain and is seeking an escape. 

Shigaraki also actively seeks out harm. The same way he obsessively compulsively scratches, he puts himself into harmful situations like the extremely painful hellish surgery the doctor said he did not even have to endure if he did not want to. He feels compelled to harm himself, even when he is not fighting against someone else. He inflicts harm on himself becauseit is once again an unhealthy way to process his emotions. Oncce again all of these symptoms are there not to make Shigaraki out to be terrifying and incomprehensible because he is mentally ill, but rather to show he is a human being caught within the cycle of abuse with extremely unhealthy methods of coping with that fact. 

[oneletteredwondered]

A Collection of Soulmarks

Pairing: Polyamsanders/Calm/Lamp with very minor hinted past anxciet

Every one has a soulmark, and even though the sides are not out in the real world, they are no different.

--

There has only been one other time that Logan has come down the stairs to see Patton so at a loss. The look on his face very confused, and ever so slightly panicked. It had been years ago, when Thomas had finally reached an age when his soulmark would develop, and thus soulmarks had developed on them as well. Logan hadn’t even noticed his own at first, but he did notice Patton acting strange.

Strange in the matter that Patton stood outside with his hands clenched at his sides and tears barely being allowed to come through.

“Patton?” Logan asked, coming to stand next to his counterpart. Patton didn’t say anything at first, just took another deep labored breath, and kept staring into the distance of the mindscape.

“Patton?” Logan tried again.

“I can’t see colors Logan.” Patton said with a eerie hollowness to his voice. Logan blinked at him. He could still see colors just fine, and Roman, the drama king, hadn’t come downstairs yet.

“Where did the colors go?” Patton asked him quietly. Logan reached out a hand to him.

“Patton I am unsure of-” Logan’s voice got caught in his throat, because the glowing under his shirt is certainly not normal. He carefully pulled off his tie and unbuttons his shirt to be able to fully see what is going happening to his chest. A brandishing of black dots is scattered over his heart, like freckles, but he’s never had them before, and surely not ones in the shape of a heart that glows bright blue.

“Patton I am glowing,” Logan told him. Patton’s head snapped over looking more alive than he had just a minute ago. His eyes widened as Logan very much glowed, and finally he looked up and met Logan’s eyes.

“Oh!” Patton stared at him then and Logan allowed Patton to snatch his hand and hold it tight.

“Your eyes are such a dark blue Logan,” Patton said then. Logan had to twist his mouth to keep himself from breaking into any more of a confused expression.

“I thought you said you couldn’t see colors?” Still confusion found it’s way into his question. Patton giggled and looked around, a frown only coming back slightly.

“You remember what Thomas learned about in school a few months ago right?” Patton continued to frown as he walked over a to bush outside the mindhome. The lessons flooded back to Logan, and the thought of soulmates struck him hard. He and Patton? His insides twisted at the thought, but not in a bad way.

“What color are these flowers Logan?” Patton asked him suddenly. Logan tears his eyes away from his glowing soulmark on his chest to what flowers Patton may be referring to. He squints curiously, knowing exactly what plant Roman had put there a long time ago.

“Those are red roses Patton.” Patton hummed and picked out three of the fullest and brightest, sending a full smile Logan’s way before rushing inside. Logan took a deep breath himself. If Patton couldn’t see red, then there’s probably a royal pain in the butt that could help him. Logan smiled softly to himself and followed Patton inside, noticing now the splattering of black dots over his left hand, and how they grew a bit brighter red the farther he got inside.

Again, that had been a few years ago. That same perplexed look is now on Patton’s face again. This time he’s inside staring at a vase of flowers on the table.

“Patton are you alright?” Logan asks as he gets closer, his chest soulmark lighting up as he does. Patton worries his lips between his teeth.

“These are violets, right Logan?” Patton asks him, voice steely and shaking all at once. Logan looks at the flower closer, the color a deep violet indicating that Patton is not wrong in his statement.

“I believe they are.” He says back gently, unsure as to why the question has come up. Patton nods his head quickly to himself.

“And what color are they Logan?” This gives Logan pause, for based off the name given to the flowers, the color of said flowers should be an easy thing to know.

“I do not under-”

“They are grey Logan.” Patton interrupts, finally looking up with his jaw clenched tight. Logan blinks dumbly at him, because Patton hasn’t been forced to see grey in years. Because Patton’s eye sight had been at the full color spectrum. Logan doesn’t have a chance to say anything when Roman comes barreling down the stairs. Logan’s soulmark on his hand lights up when he does.

“My loves, what a predicament!” Roman announces and brandishes his left wrist for them both to see. Two of the timers on Roman’s wrist are still dull, their timers blinked out when Roman saw them both, but now there is a third that they all know hadn’t been there before. The time on it changes rapidly and out of control.

“Well, this is.. something.” Is all Logan can think to say as he scans his exposed arms for any sign of those black dots that make up the constellations that are Patton’s and Roman’s soulmarks respectively. 

“What do you think they’ll be like?” Patton asks, now excited knowing he isn’t the only one with something missing. A new soulmate, how wonderful! Logan huffs and resolves to look for the marks later.

“Well they will sure be a grand sort!” Roman marvels at his timer, watching as it ticks from seconds to hours to days back to seconds again. He and Patton spend the day weaving stories about who their new soulmate will be, how they will act. Logan excuses himself to think. No new side has appeared on this side of the mindscape, no new room added to the house. He can only sit and wonder with the rest of them.

--

It’s only when Thomas is taking a mini psychology class during his highschool years does something new happen. There had already been a discomfort in Thomas as he knows talking to parts of his personality isn’t the most normal, but when they start to talk about stress and anxiety, even for ten minutes, it shifts everything into place.

Logan is in the hallway of the mind palace, on his way to inform the others of what he now knows, when it happens. It feels like an earthquake and he stabilizes himself the best he can, especially when he sees a door crack itself into existence right on the other side of his own. It’s a dark black wood with a plain silver knob. The house settles soon and Logan can feel the panic in Thomas rising. He can pay attention to this other side later, but for now, he hurries down to the living space to find Patton and Roman both whisper shouting at each other in a flurry.

“I don’t know what happened!” Roman waves his hands about.

“What is going on!” Patton waves his hands back.

“Why are you both whispering?” Logan asks at a normal volume. Both of them jump and stare at him, then each other, and back at him.

“It felt right?” Patton squeaks out. Roman nods along and gallantly sweeps his arms out to hold Logan. Logan lets him.

“Are you alright bookworm?” Though his not affectionate of nicknames, Logan likes it nonetheless.

“I am perfectly adequate, the new side’s room has-”

“New side?!” Patton leaps into Logan’s face, eyes full of stars. He doesn’t wait for an answer as he dashes up the stairs towards their rooms. Logan sighs.

“Hey Logan,” Roman holds his hand, keeping him still for just a moment. Logan raises an eyebrow to him, a silent cue for Roman to continue.

“What was Thomas thinking about when the door appeared?” Logan closes his eyes as he thinks, the words of the teacher coming back to him easily as he is the part of Thomas that process’s all new information. He knows exactly who the new side is.

“He was just discovering that he has a certain form of anxiety,” Logan says. He doesn’t expect Roman’s nose to twist up at the information, and he certainly doesn’t expect that look to stick around when Patton comes bounding down the stairs, new side in tow, and a bright smile on his face.

“I can see the violets again!” Patton announces happily, hand held tight in the other sides. Roman’s expression doesn’t change, even as Patton does his best to make everything seem nice. Logan stays silent, watching, as the new side, curls in on himself under their gaze, growing more and more scared like a cornered animal.

“His name is Anxiety!” Patton beams. Roman sneers.

“The one thing that stands in the way of passion, is fear,” He says darkly. Logan looks at Roman curiously, unsure as to where this animosity is coming from.

“You’re no box of chocolates yourself Prince Piece-of-Shit,” Anxiety spits out. He rips his hand out of Patton’s and stomps up the stairs. Patton meekly calls to him, but receives no response but a door slam that shakes the house. Patton rounds on Roman then.

“Why would you do that?” He asks unhappily. Roman for all his pride doesn’t look ashamed of what he did, scratching at his wrist defiantly. Logan chooses not to mention that the numbers have finally stilled at zero.

“He’s going to cause trouble, just wait,” Roman says. It’s the start of something harsh in their relationship. A tense something they don’t talk about and avoid the topic. Patton wants something more, Roman wishes for less, and Logan hasn’t said a word.

--

Logan studies Anxiety over the next few days, watching his behavior. From the soft but guarded talks with Patton, his arguments with Roman, and the knowledge that Logan himself hasn’t actually said anything to the new side directly just yet. He’s trying to find Anxiety’s soulmark but it’s always hidden under his hoodie. He’s never gotten close enough to see any glowing on himself either.

It’s late one night while Thomas is working on a term paper that the two end up in the same room. Logan is sitting with the information needed to write the paper on the coffee table in front of him. The floorboards creak and he glances over to Anxiety paused on the bottom step. Logan returns to looking over the papers casually.

He remains focused as Anxiety slinks into the room, the kitchen, wherever, and then proceeds to make his exit. Or so Logan thinks. It takes him a moment to realize he never heard the stairs creak with someone ascending. His quick glance over turns to confused staring seeing Anxiety at the base, holding a thermos in his hands so tight his knuckles have turned white, and eyes focused intently on the dark stairs.

“Anxiety?” Logan calls out. The side doesn’t respond right away. Logan stands and goes closer.

“Do you require assistance?” He tries to get their attention again. Anxiety doesn’t look away from the stairs. There’s something in the terror in his eyes though that makes Logan stay near him.

“How can I help?” He asks softer this time. Anxiety seems to barely even sense his presence. His hands are shaking ever so slightly. Logan stays near him though, and he supposes that’s good when Anxiety does speak.

“I am.. not fond.. of the dark.” He stammers out as if embarrassed by his confession. Logan almost question him, but a part of him thinks that questions aren’t exactly what Anxiety needs right now. So instead, he carefully slides past the side and walks up the stairs only to turn on Anxiety’s room light from the top.

There’s a soft inhale of air from down the stairs as the light cascades out, removing the threat of darkness. Logan remains at the top, hearing the stairs creak with weight, and soon Anxiety is there holding his thermos a little less tightly.

“Thanks,” He mutters and slips into his room quickly. The door is shut just as quick. Logan clears his throat.

“You are welcome,” He says to the closed door. Just before he heads back down to finish his work, he conjures a nightlight at the landing at the top of the stairs, letting it’s soft glow illuminate his walk down.

--

“Hey Logan?”

“Yes Virgil?”

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Well that’s not what he had been expecting out of the anxious side. Logan spins in his desk chair to stare at Virgil with a perplexed expression as Virgil messes up his rubix cube.

“Yes,” Logan says plainly. Virgil makes an ‘oh’ noise, and the worry lines he wears grow deeper. Logan watches him as his moves with the cube grow more rigid and hazardous.

“I hadn’t- I mean I just- I didn’t expect you to- I don’t know,” Virgil says too much and not enough all at once. It’s been quite some time since he’s felt the need to hide his feelings from them. After a certain few events and going to get the anxious side from within his own mind, things had settled for the better. Roman and he worked out their differences, Patton hadn’t stopped smiling for a whole week and a half, and Virgil felt comfortable coming to Logan in times of need.

“I just thought, I guess, that you wouldn’t really?” Virgil tries again but still makes little sense. Logan hums to himself quick.

“I do believe in soulmates, but I have questioned the accuracy of them before,” Logan says. Virgil makes that same ‘oh’ noise again, but this one sounds more unsure. Logan huffs.

“I did not mean that to sound like I doubt my connection with any of you, but I had once thought how it could be possible with how we all acted the first time,” Logan clarifies knowing that Virgil would dig himself into a spiral if he is left to wonder about even the smallest of things. Virgil nods his head.

“Okay, yeah, that makes sense, I guess,” He concedes. Logan lets a small smile come to his face.

“If I may ask, Virgil, what is your soulmark?” In all the years of knowing each other, living together, long ended movie nights, wardrobe changes, Logan has never seen the marks that grace Virgil’s body. He never asked before.

“Oh uh, I can- yeah,” Virgil slowly peels off his patch work hoodie, words adorning his arms in very familiar sets of handwriting.

“This is Patton’s,” Virgil holds out his arm, pointing to the looping script that read out clear as day ‘Hey kiddo! It’s so nice to meet you! Can you come out so I can see you?’. Even in written form, it sounded like Patton.

“And Roman’s is here,” Virgil bends his arm to show off the fancy script. Logan grimaces as he remember hearing Roman say very clearly ‘The one thing that stands in the way of passion, is fear.’ Not his best moment.

“And yours,” Virgil extends his other arm then, showing Logan’s quick writing of the first words he actually said to Virgil printed there. ‘Anxiety? Do you require assistance? How can I help?’ He remembers that night clearly, and thinks of it every time he passes the nightlight in the hallway. Virgil is putting his jacket on before Logan can question the dull text that rivals Roman’s for dramatics near the crook of his elbow. It looks scratched and Logan decides it’s best not to comment.

“Do you uh, have one for me?” Virgil asks then. Logan blinks at him.

“I would assume so,” He says. That gives Virgil pause.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” The pause does not last long. Logan rolls his eyes with a flippant wave of his hand.

“I have never seen any glowing near you but I am not going to question our link together.”

“Glowing?” Virgil asks. Logan nods.

“I have glowing soulmarks, my hand for example when I am near Roman,” Logan holds up his hand to show up the black dots, they create an elegant image when lit up. Virgil twists his hands together.

“You’ve never seen it?” Virgil asks quietly. Logan shakes his head. He doesn’t really need to, to know that he and Virgil have something shared. Virgil  shuffles closer and pushes Logan to turn around then. Logan lets him, only letting out a confused question when Virgil hikes up the back of his shirt and the lights dim with a wave of his hand.

Soon there’s Virgil’s phone in Logan’s face, a picture of his back with a collection of black dots in shape of a sigil bright in purple right between his shoulder blades.

“Oh,” Logan says taking the phone and staring at the image. He’s never seen this one before.

“I think uh, that’s? Mine?” Virgil says then, Logan turns to him with a soft smile, one that is carefully returned. They lean up against each other.

“I should hope so,” Logan tells him. He finds the sigil later online and thinks it’s very appropriate that the charm linked to the shape is one of many for protection. Perhaps a rocky start to their relationship, but when Roman and Patton find them later and tackle them to the ground in a mess of limbs and laughter, Logan is glad they got to this point of understanding.

--

what are endings, take this nonesense and shoo!

[incursionofthedamnedrpg]

Name: James Reid Birthday: July 20th (29) Species: Werewolf Lookalike: Aaron Tveit Availability: Taken

Personality

James possesses the mentality to remain unjudging despite anything he is being told. It is a trait that has projected him in his position as a psychiatrist. He could be told that the person has committed a murder and he would not be phased in the slightest. He sees the world in different shades of grey rather than black and white. In his eyes, there is no good and evil just varying degrees on the spectrum. This makes him very observant to people’s traits. He notices little things in their body language as well as the things they see. James is a understanding man with a calm exterior and an air of professionalism in working hours. Unlike most werewolves, James isn’t aggressive or reckless unless if he has too much to drink. He is very intelligent and savvy with how and when to say things. He works hard - sometimes a little too hard by some’s standards - and always wants the best for his clients and more so for his friends. He is incredibly loyal to those he believes are friends and family that deserve it and is a sucker for messed up people. He feels like he can help everyone and hates when he feels that he has failed them.

Past

James showed signs of understanding from an early years. His grandmother, whom he was very close to, died when he was just four years old and he understood that she had to pass and it was better than her suffering. He went to a private school where he would often spend time watching the other children and studying their reactions to different situations. He would observe how different children reacted to being told there would be a random test or even tests that had been organised for weeks. He took a interest in those around him rather than himself most of the time but still managed to get excellent grades. His younger sister was born when he was six years old. He spent most of his childhood in the private boarding school so didn’t really see her other than in the holidays when he would return home. Nevertheless, he loved his sister. Sure, she was a little spoilt by his parents but he could forgive that for the sake of family. When James was old enough to choose, he jumped at the chance to study psychology. To see how the brain worked and why people reacted the way they did. It interested him. He enjoyed it. It was never a task to learn something new for him. He aced exams and moved on to college. Harvard, no less.

This was when he met Esme. She was the love of his life. Intelligent, Beautiful and her ability to put up a fake facade was astounding in James’s eyes. He quickly psycho-analysed her and worked out her insecurities and everything she was hiding in her head. She was a beautifully chaotic case for him and that’s what made him fall in love. He loved how messed up she really was. Esme practically became part of the family and officially when they married five years in to the relationship. James had passed all his exams with flying colors and was working in a psychiatrist’s office by this point. He had noticed a change in Esme after a couple of years of marriage. He couldn’t quite place what was happening or why she had changed and she wouldn’t open up to him like she did before. That was when he came home to find her lying on the bed with an empty bottle of anti-depressants. Sure, he knew she was depressed but it usually died down after a while. He was angry. He was angry at himself. He should have seen this. This shouldn’t have got this far. The funeral took place and he noticed a man at the back that he didn’t recognise. The man was malicious and the only time he ever saw a person as evil. This man, he had drove his wife to suicide. He was the reason she had changed. After days of drinking, he woke up to just remember one thing about the night before. He had killed that man. He murdered him and dumped the body in the woods.

James triggered his curse and discovered just how messed up things could get on the full moon. After the first one, he went to his parents to confront his parents about his experience. He remembered both of his parents would disappear on full moons. His father confessed that he was a werewolf and promised to take him under his wing. When his mother didn’t say anything, he spoke to her in private. She wasn’t a werewolf or she would confess. That was when he got the truth about his little sister. His little sister was the product of an affair. The only time his mother could be away from his father without noticing was on the full moons. Autumn wasn’t a werewolf, he knew that for sure. However, he promised to keep the secret for the sake of his parent’s marriage and Autumn’s mental health. He knew how much Autumn was a daddy’s little princess and he would hate to ruin her relationship with him.

Present

James got a call four years ago when a highly rated psychiatrist was found dead after a ‘animal attack’ and that they wanted James to take over his practice and clients. This was only a couple of months after his wife died and the distraction from his own alcoholism was welcomed. He took the job and moved to Mystic Falls. His first case was with Victoria Donovan. A young girl with a drug habit. The main thing he remembered from this case was how she rang his number at the practice saying she was a vampire and no longer needed him. By the time he tried to return the call, she was already gone. He felt he had failed Vicki and the rest of her family despite her sibling not knowing about her psychiatric help. James tends to still watch people around him and study them. The town only gets more and more interesting for him and now he wishes to talk to those around him and learn about than those who request his help at the office.

Connections

Autumn Reid

James, other than their mother, is the only one to know that Autumn is only his half-sister and about his mother’s infidelity. He wishes to protect Autumn from the truth and from creatures that could harm her, given she does not possess the werewolf trait from his father.

Matt Donovan

Secretly, James was treating Vicki before her death for her drug habit. He wishes to reach out to Matt years later to discuss these sessions.

[james-winston]

Several years ago I started researching to make a long post about the impact fame had on The Beatles, but I never got around to finishing it. What always stuck with me though is just how dangerous fame is. Fame literally killed John. Chapman initially planned to shoot someone else, but considered John more famous. George’s attempted murder in 2000 surely sped up his death in 2001. Alcoholism almost destroyed Ringo in the 70′s and 80′s. The fact that the worst Paul seems to have come away with is a warped perception of himself and the world is amazing.

Given the small pool of subjects, there's very little research on the psychological impact of extended and profound fame. There's only a handful of people on earth who can even relate to Paul and Ringo’s set of circumstances. One study I read (coincidentally by a guy from Liverpool John Moores University) found that the power you get from fame has a similar impact on the brain as cocaine. The same study also found that if you're famous for more than 5 years your life span shortens by around 20 years.

Obviously the damage caused by fame is on a spectrum, the extreme end being assassination, but all four of The Beatles experienced a myriad of smaller traumas as well. One biographer talked about how John, “couldn’t bear to be touched uninvited by strangers,” and Paul commented on how, “embarrassing,” it was to be grabbed/kissed in public.

George seems to have gotten the worst of it by far. His wife Olivia describes him as having PTSD. After Beatlemania he developed claustrophobia, and would often have recurring nightmares where he would hear people screaming. He hated loud noises and “didn’t want to be startled.” He worried about being assassinated due to the constant death threats. Michael Palin describes walking down the street with George who would often begin, “getting a little twitchy [like] an animal in a searchlight.” Tom Petty spoke about George refusing to join him on stage on tour because it was, “so loud and smokey, and they’re acting so crazy.”

When The Beatles landed in America in February 1964, George was 20 years old. Paul was 21. John and Ringo were 23.

not to be a beatles fan on main but I just sat through the first part of the new Get Back series and like. the older I get the more traumatizing fame seems. I can't even be mad at these guys for their shitty personalities because the situation they live in is so unbelievably damaging that any insane behavior you can imagine would be downright predictable. they need to go to one of those sanctuaries for entertainment animals who should never have been in a circus in the first place

[back-and-totheleft]

Stone, cold sober

Re-telling the story of September 11 with a measured hand and lightness of touch hithertoo unhinted at, director Oliver Stone proves a more serious thinker than his paranoia-soaked canon would suggest. Here, he explains how his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam framed his outlook on life and art.

The introductory handshake comes with an additional squeeze of the wrist and a roguish smile.

“You’re Irish. I can tell.”

No. Your correspondent hasn’t been transported back to a disco in the 1970s. Instead, she’s in New York’s Regency Hotel meeting Oliver Stone. That twinkling opening gambit has brought about a Proustian rush of wayward tabloid headlines. I remember that idiotic book on the making of Natural Born Killers, with its scurrilous tales of loose ladies, psilocybin mushrooms and cocaine abuse. I recall that story about the director commandeering the Warners corporate jet to do peyote in the Mexican desert while making The Doors. I remember too how the set of Alexander reputedly became an extravagant saturnalia. Sure enough, I can effortlessly picture this man partying down with Colin Farrell, a duel study in swaggering Dionysian charm.

Though Stone insists his appetite for debauchery has been greatly exaggerated, he’s always owned up to unruly habits. Yes, he does have a fondness for marijuana dating back to time spent on the frontline in Vietnam. He has also ‘expanded his consciousness’ with the occasional psychedelic. But driving offences from last year and 1999 have, he claims, more to do with pre-diabetic medication unwisely knocked back with alcohol than exotic marching powders.

Still, it’s an impressively scandalous record for a man of his years. Stone is 60 now, though you’d say he were a decade younger if you suddenly spied him on the street. In person he’s imperturbably casual, far more relaxed than the ‘madman’ headlines might lead one to suppose. His glowing tan is offset by a bright yellow polo shirt and he sits way, way back in his chair holding your gaze all the while.

Accommodating and easy in his manner, you’d be hard-pressed to identify this individual as Oliver Stone – Controversial Filmmaker. That is, nevertheless, to whom we speak. Stone boasts a fearsomely uncompromising reputation as a screenwriter and director. Throughout the ‘80s when the post-classical frisson of counter-cultural Hollywood had fizzled and poachers died off or turned gamekeeper, only Stone kept the faith, authoring politically conscious cinema at a time when the Academy was honouring Driving Miss Daisy.

His screenplay for rapper’s favourite Scarface set the frenzied pace and ultra-violent tone that would later characterise his visual style. But Stone was too engaged with the world to become the new Brian De Palma. Salvador, his first major film as director, probed the gulf between the ideals of American foreign policy and realpolitik. Platoon, Wall Street, JFK and Nixon would further confirm his interest in micro and macro conspiracies and establish him as an outlaw auteur.

Though he’s now rueful about being stereotyped or “pinned like a butterfly”, he was a good sport about it, appearing as a conspiracy nut in Dave and Wild Palms.

“You know, I’ve never really regarded myself as a political filmmaker”, he tells me. “I consider myself a dramatist. I always get involved with people more than the politics. With the movie JFK, for example, the book by Jim Garrison had a lot of theory. I was more interested in making him part of that story. And Oswald fascinated me. If you watch that film it is really a trail of people played by great actors. Nixon, despite the whiff of conspiracy, is truly a psychological portrait of a man. Many people in the right wing thought it would be a hatchet job but I really made him apathetic. I refuse to be pigeon holed. I am not a political guy. I don’t go to rallies. I am not an activist. I don’t have the time because I’m busy being a writer.”

He may deny the role of agitator, but his opinions, both off and onscreen suggest otherwise. His most recent work in the documentary sector includes Persona Non Grata, an examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and two features about Cuban president Fidel Castro, Comandante and Looking for Fidel. (Stone has described himself as a friend and an admirer.)

He has, before now, referred to the events of September 11th as a ‘revolt’ and expressed an interest in the work of Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism advisor whose book Against All Enemies accuses the Bush administration of ignoring the al-Qaeda threat, then linking the group to Iraq, contrary to all evidence.

“We Vietnam vets, in particular, found it very difficult”, says Stone. “We had the backing of the world in Afghanistan. We were rounding up the main suspects. Then we go into Iraq with no support. Militarily, it was stupid. It was overreaching. And any American who travels can tell you how the rest of the world is resentful. What the hell are we doing in Iraq when the enemy was 4000 al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan?”

When it was announced last summer that Stone would direct World Trade Centre, a film focusing on ‘first response’ police officers trapped by the Twin Towers collapse, many eyebrows were raised. “To allow this poisoned and deranged mind… (to recreate 9/11) in the likeness of his vile fantasies is beyond obscene,” raged one conservative commentator. But World Trade Center, it transpires, is Stone’s least obvious work even by his own consistently innovative standards. The towers do not fall back and to the left. There is no grand plot or secret ruling elite. “This is not a political film in any sense”, insists Stone. “It harks back to Platoon in that respect. In Vietnam, we didn’t sit around talking about LBJ. And the truth is, I don’t think we can say for sure what happened during 9/11. We spent more investigating Bill Clinton’s blowjobs than the destruction of the World Trade Centre. Whatever was going on in the background, if you look at the forest through the trees, it seems to me that what has happened since is far worse than what happened that day. So the politics and conspiracies behind that day, whatever they may be, are not as relevant as where we are now.” Completely eschewing polemic, the movie instead offers a heartfelt portrait of ordinary fellows on the front line. Stone’s traditional constituency are, needless to say, horrified, and assorted doublespeak statements have been issued attacking World Trade Center as “non-conspiratorial lies.”

John Conner, a leading voice in the Christian branch of the 9/11 Truth Movement, went so far as to ask the following– “Was Stone used by the Illuminati as an unknowing pawn to whitewash the 9/11 conspiracy theories to the masses? Was he approached with the project and coerced into a commitment to occupy his time in attempts to thwart any other 9/11 angle from being used? Is Stone a pawn in the game? Perhaps Stone didn’t know at the time, and found out too late.”

Oddly, however, like Paul Greengrass’ United 93, Stone’s film has found champions from either end of America’s bipolar political spectrum, often the same folks who had previously dismissed him as a pinko malcontent. L. Brent Bozell III, the president of the conservative Media Research Center and founder of the Parents Television Council — a latter day Mary Whitehouse in trousers — called it “a masterpiece” and sent an e-mail message to 400,000 people saying, “Go see this film.” Cal Thomas, the right-wing syndicated columnist and contributor to The Last Word, wrote that it was “one of the greatest pro-American, pro-family, pro-faith, pro-male, flag-waving, God Bless America films you will ever see.”

“I just felt this was a great story dying to be told,” explains Stone. “It may not be like anything I have done before, but Heaven And Earth wasn’t like anything I had done before. Nor was U Turn or Natural Born Killers. I do jump around and each film is a different style. This isn’t like United 93 which was a brilliant piece of vérité. This is more like a classic John Ford, William Wyler or even Frank Capra film. Against tremendous odds this rescue takes place. This has the traditional Hollywood tropes of emotional connection to four main characters from the working class.

"I would love to bring Hollywood back to that, making films where people actually work for a living, not sit around making things happen with a remote control like that Adam Sandler film. Born On The Fourth Of July was blue-collar. So was Any Given Sunday. Although it’s about elite athletes, it was about work. They had to punish their bodies for their lifestyle.”

A marriage of disaster movie and combat zone drama, World Trade Centre follows Port Authority officers Sergeant John Mc Loughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) on a doomed rescue mission into the Twin Towers. On September 12th, they were among the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble. Though the original script by newcomer Andrea Berloff read like a relocation of Beckett’s Endgame, Stone has widened the remit to include the rescuers and the anxious wives at home. As a director noted for working within a decidedly masculine milieu, was it a challenge to represent domesticity, I wonder.

“Oh yes,” he admits. “That was a big challenge. On the surface this is a very simple story of catastrophe and rescue and heroism. But if you go beyond the cliché it is very fresh. Everything the rescuers did was dangerous. We assume rescues just happen, but it is hard work. These men really crawled into places where they thought they would die. It took hours to get them out. I tried to show some of that digging. But an even bigger cliché in these circumstances is the waiting housewife. Actually, it goes further than that. Each of these women died that day. They sit there as the hours pass and the only news is no survivors. You knew no one would come out of there. The buildings were so pancaked. So it was like death for them. I wanted to portray that. I wanted them smelling the sheets from the previous night where they had slept. Again it’s a cliché but the idea was to take the cliché and make it fresh.”

Another subplot concentrates on Staff Sergeant Dave Karnes (Michael Shannon) a Christian marine in Wilton, Connecticut, who watches events on TV and tells his colleagues that America is now at war. Once he decides that God wants him to go to New York he heads to Ground Zero with a flashlight and eventually hears the two cops in the debris. A postscript before the final credits informs us that Kearns has since served two tours of duty in Iraq.

“It’s a remarkable and weird story,” Stone admits. “But that’s how it happened. I also think Kearns represents a significant sector of the American population when he says, ‘We’re going to need some good men to avenge this’. For many people, revenge was their first thought.”

And there you have it. For all the pigeonholing as a conspiracy theorist, facts are of paramount importance to Stone. He spent two-and-a-half years researching JFK. He spent three years immersed in Persian history for the much-maligned Alexander. It was a labour of love and the ill-tempered critical reception seems to have cut to the quick.

“I’m a historical dramatist,” he explains. “I wasn’t a Kennedy assassination junkie at the time, nor was I a 9/11 junkie. But I love the past. It hurts when I read someone claiming that I’ve fabricated something. But then you make a film like Alexander and scholars say you have it right, but critics say it’s all wrong.”

Similarly, while Stone has been at pains to represent those involved in the World Trade Centre disaster as faithfully as possible, he has not been able to quell dissent completely. The widow of Dominick Pezzulo – a cop portrayed in the film - has accused Jimeno and McLoughlin of cashing in on the tragedy by selling their story to Paramount. There have also been mutterings about the film being too soon.

“I know,” nods Stone. “But I honestly think it is the right time. The Killing Fields was made five years after those events in Cambodia. During World War II, Hollywood made propaganda films. Casablanca, made in 1941, takes a very anti Nazi position even before we declared war. The Vietnam movies took longer to make, but life goes faster now. I would say to you the consequences of 9/11 are so bad that we better look back now and understand what happened on that day. When you leave it too long, events become mythologized. Watching Pearl Harbor, you’d think we won that battle. This is the epicentre of 9/11, but there are many stories that still need to be told.”

Though personal and more modest in scope than the $63 million budget might suggest, the director does hope that his intense focus on McLoughlin and Jimeno has a wider relevance.

“They did not have a clue as to what was happening,” he says. “They knew it was a terrorist attack but there was no discussion of politics. They’re cops. They are far more likely to talk about pop culture, whether it is Starsky And Hutch or GI Jane. It wasn’t Bergman down in that hole.

So I am not claiming this movie will answer all the questions. But let’s say you go to a psychiatrist and all your life you have been repressed because you were raped when you where 14. Perhaps the psychiatrist says, ‘Let’s go back to that day’. They make you remember that day and it changes all the defences you had built up. So perhaps by undoing the screw, the secret at the beginning, you can take some of the armour off.”

The events of 9/11 may be difficult to disentangle, but no more so than the filmmaker himself. Born in New York City to a Jewish father and Catholic mother, William Oliver Stone was raised Episcopalian by way of compromise. His parents divorced after his father, a conservative Republican, conducted various extra-marital affairs with family friends. Young Oliver spent much of his subsequent childhood in splendid isolation between private schools and five star hotels - ‘a cartoonish Little Lord Fauntleroy’ by his own account.

Still, Stone needs neither bullfighting nor marlin fishing to confirm his Hemingwayesque credentials as an artist. He attended Yale and dropped out twice before enlisting to fight as an Infantryman in Vietnam. Mixing with the lower orders and smoking pot soon transformed the spoiled youngster into a military hero. He was wounded twice in action and received the Bronze Star with ”V” device signifying valor for “extraordinary acts of courage under fire,” and the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

Soon after the war, he was arrested at the US-Mexico border for possession of marijuana. His father bailed him out but the experience served to radicalise him. Later, meeting understandably embittered veterans such as Ron Kovic pushed Stone further to the left.

He has, however, wooed Hollywood despite the often overtly political nature of his films. He won his first Academy Award as the screenwriter of Midnight Express and has been further honoured for directing Platoon and Born On The Fourth Of July.

Now, after World Trade Centre, has attention and lavish praise from the likes of Bill O’Reilly turned his head? Not bloody likely.

“People are people,” he tells me. “I think people have to take care of themselves and their families first. But there are bigger questions now. The ecological movement want us to clean up, but how can that work when there is always the issue of jobs? It’s a very selfish world and avarice triumphs over the green imperative. After Katrina, there was a tremendous outpouring of help. That was also true when the tsunami hit Indonesia. People are very generous in America and there are some very fine Americans. Unfortunately, a lot of them don’t have passports. Most of them don’t know where Iraq is. And a lot think al Qaeda and Iraq are the same thing. There’s a problem with the education levels. American television keeps people trapped. The news is very superficial and mostly filled with advertisements and rapes and murders. If you travel in the country and you stay in the smaller places you find very limited resources. If America spent the same amount of money as we spend on embassies and CIA stations around the world on our major cities with the goal of helping bring those cities to a way of life that was democratic and economically viable, we would have a tremendous success in this country. Instead, we have an international presence and I don’t know if it is worth it. All we are doing is promoting a system which is now suspect all over the world. We have broken our constitution repeatedly since 2001.”

He smiles cynically.

“I don’t think pictures of soldiers pointing their naked dicks in Abu Ghraib has helped us at a local level either.”

He’s still got it.

-Tara Brady, “Stone cold sober,” HotPress, Sept 19 2006 [x]

[florenceandfrost]

“there are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”

BACKGROUND

Born into a family of three, Kisten hadn’t always been called by such an obscure name. Because of his cat-like features after birth, the nickname “Kisten” actually originated from his mispronunciation of “kitten,” stemming from whenever his mother would call him one. Ever since, it stuck, save from on his legal documents.

While the Costello family was arguably one of the most loving when it came to their children since the momentMissy Costello, his sister, came into the world, the happy atmosphere declined upon the death of his mother when he was around six-years-old, turning seven. Their father sought for comfort in his work, believing if he kept busy, everything would be okay ( a trait Kis has inherited ), which left the Costello siblings to themselves.

Throughout their childhood years, the Costello duo were inseparable, which made sense given how they were only a year apart, with Missy being older. They shared the same friend group, the same room, the same heartaches - feeling the pain when another was hurt; they were each other’s best friend. It was not only because they were siblings, but because they would make up for what the other lacked.

Kis had the emotional stability - that sixth sense for empathy, at least when it came to his sister - and Missy gave him the tangible comfort and support from anywhere on the spectrum of physically taking care of him, especially he simply couldn’t himself. They would assume the role of what the other would need, which is how they managed to make it so far with just themselves. They had to create a home.

The bond between the siblings never wavered, even when Missy was bitten by a lone wolf during her junior year of high school. The shock of the incident was enough to scare her alone, but when the transition happened, never in her life had she needed her brother more. Petrified of what she was becoming, Kis did something for her that he can say he’ll never regret. He convinced her to scratch him, so he could turn into a werewolf too.

Kis willingly accepted his sister, but that was a different story for their father. On the outside, he acted as though he could handle what his children were - had become - but as the years progressed, it was evident that he really never had condoned it; he was ashamed of it. The concept put an even further strain on the duo’s relationship to him, although the feeling was never mutual.

It wasn’t until Kis had graduated from high school did his sister and him find the answers they had been looking for. It was revealed through a member of the Wahy'a pack that he had been unknowingly close to an Ookami girl, thus meaning there was a target on his back. The attack on his sister had been a direct result, with the name “Costello” having been misinterpreted by the brute that was sent to finish him off. Because of the effects of the attempted murder - them resulting in werewolves, themselves - a proposal was offered.

In order to be initiated into the Wahy'a pack, intensive training and study had to be undergone. While his knowledge about werewolves, packs, and the concept of hunters expanded, Kis had never been more intrigued. Of course, he had heard stories, and had done plenty of research himself when his sister had initially been bitten, but it was nothing but myth or legends. This was actuality, and he accepted the new life. He intended on killing a hunter, if that’s what he had to do in order to make another home.

After months of careful observation, hiding in the shadows and doing his utmost to be cautious, Kis invited his sister with him to make a name for themselves so they could finally rest. He knew the stakes, and how much of a strain they could be to someone’s heart. They were kids. In fact, he kept second guessing bringing her, kept wondering if Missy could perform the task, and rightfully so when she was nearly killed because she couldn’t do the killing herself. She couldn’t kill another person; another “human.” Someone that was “once like us.”

In order to protect his family, Kis slayed both of the hunters that he had tracked that night, and claimed that he and his sister had done the killing respectively. Without any further evidence needed other than the bodies at the scene, their initiation was complete. They’ve been part of the pack ever since, with Kis even unintentionally climbing up the ladder to reach the ranks of deputy.

EXTRA

Is 6'3", which also means he’s a relatively taller wolf. His hair matches his fur - charcoal black.

Has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Business Administration, graduating three years ago.

Currently works at a marketing firm, on his way to become a human resource manager.

Is lactose intolerant, scarred by a bad experience of chugging a half-gallon of milk.

Lives in an apartment complex with his sister and Jael Sinclair.

CONNECTIONS

MISSY COSTELLO. 26, OF THE WAH’YA PACK. Kisten is her younger brother by two years. She probably wouldn’t be able to live without him.

JAEL SINCLAIR. Kisten is her roommate, in a three-bedroom apartment. He has a crush on her, but he isn’t saying anything. Don’t mention it.

REMUS WALKER. 23, OF THE TIKAANI PACK. Kisten hates him. That’s all.