#i bever really considered this before but now that i have. i see it.

[fourphoenixfeathers]

Idk why, but to me Predaking reads more like someone who was stuck in a cycle of abuse. His naivety isn't because he's a child, it's because he's never been given the chance to learn better. He was mistreated and dismissed for most of his life, and it shows in the way he navigates the world after learning to speak and transform. In many ways, he's exactly what he was shaped to be. (There are many ways he isn't. Predaking is a really interesting look into nature vs nurture but that's for another time maybe.) And when Predaking showed his intelligence, the tactics used to control him changed to manipulation and gaslighting, something that Predaking had no experience defending himself against.

I think there are a couple reasons the fandom is tempted to infantilize Predaking. Predaking's inexperience and non-conformity with the social dynamics in the faction is very well telegraphed in the show, and social inexperience is often conflated with childishness. He takes too much at face value, and his trust is shown to be sorely misplaced as the viewer knows the whole situation.

Now I'm not saying that Predaking is autism coded, but naivety and being susceptible to manipulation is something that people on the spectrum are also often infantilized for. There's a pattern in society of treating people who are gentle, clueless, or easy to manipulate as being foolish or unable to be independent.

Another reason I think Predaking is infantilized is just for the sake of sweeping his past under the rug. If Predaking is a child, he can't be held responsible for the part he played with the cons. And if only he could be taken in by someone older and caring who would be a better influence, they could fix him right up. It's an easy solution for a complex situation.

Of course, Predaking is not a child and is immune to the adoption plot. He's an adult with full faculties. He grew up in a toxic situation and he's been taught a terrible worldview, but at this point unlearning that is his choice alone. He could benefit from some guidance maybe, but it would have to be on his terms and as an equal.

Predaking gets scooped up by a good parent: I sleep

Predaking mentally deconstructs his weird af dysfunctional faction and does a self discovery: real shit???

I have no idea if I'm making any sense, it's late and my memory of season 3 is not as fresh as it was last time I posted about predaking

I swear, Predaking is the most mischaracterized bot in the TFP fandom.

If he’s not a bloodthirsty, serial abuser, he’s a child.

[siddyyyyyyyy]

Only Friends

Tim Drake x Reader

wc: 0.8 K summary: You both get flustered in an interview warnings: none, no y/n used a/n: got this silly idea while daydreaming (once more) even though i have three fics going on rn. (also, it would be better if you know the concept of 'World's most searched questions' from Wired) enjoy!

It was like every other day, just getting ready for an interview, taking the interview before doing the other stuff you have to do by yourself. It's simple, not too stressful or overwhelming. And you are actually quite excited considering it's not an usual interview. It's actually on the 'The Web's Most Searched Questions', it feeling a little exciting to be in such a format for the first time. For preparation, you watched some interviews of other actors or different celebrities to make sure you got the concept, also making sure you got the times and location right with your co-star, Tim Drake. He's in most interviews with you because of the latest movie you both acted in together. This time, being enemies in the movie. Other movies or shows, you had either neutral or romantic relationships together. But in reality, you were nothing more but friends and colleagues. You considered yourself lucky with such a nice and funny colleague, having known him for a few years already. Besides the more romantic and heated scenes, you both remained close friends throughout your career.

Once you both are ready to take the interview, having the mics set and camera pointed at you, it's time to begin. The staff explained to you one last time of how it all works, having your big card of questions first. You both inteoduce yourselves to the audience, well, camera, and slide off the first tape to the first question. It reads your name, followed up with a question, if you played in a show from six years ago. Of course, you answer it truthfully, it going well for now, explaining briefly when that show aired and how it was playing that part. Moving on, the next question is just as normal as the other. A simple question about one of the films you once starred in, answering honestly again. The next one is a little bizzare, even to you. It reads your name, followed up with a rather random and personal question. "... am I, what? Do I gossip on set?" You read aloud, being mostly confuses on why that's the third most searched question on Google about you. Where did people get that idea from. You turn to Tim beside you, still confused. "Did you start that rumour?" He can barely contain a straight face at you, shaking his head while cracking up. "I think it's about the secret pictures of us 'gossiping'." Tim answers, putting air-cotation-marks with his hands at the last word. There were a few pictures the paparazzi took of you both whispering things to each other, but you never really thought too much about it. And you definitely were gossiping, it was just rude to be truthful about it. "Ah, right. These pictures still haunt me at night, but no. I do not gossip on set. I wait until I get home." You joke lightly as you look back to the camera, continuing with the next question on the board in your hands. The last four questions go on without any weird one's popping up, until you uncover the last one. "... and Tim Drake couple?" You read aloud again, your brain short circuiting at the question. You and him, a couple? Seriously? You knew people like gossip, but was that actually serious? Tim blushes slightly beside you, glancing over to you to see your reaction. You seem just as taken aback as him. There's not much to say, really. Finally, you shake your head and look back at the camera, trying to make it as casual as possible. Ignore the five seconds of silence before your answer. "Nope. Never been together." Tim nods in agreement, keeping his wyes anywhere but you. You really haven't expected this to go awkward, considering interviews bever get awkward. There's always someone talking, either the interviewer, you, or the staff. But this is genuinely awkward. Embarrassing even. You are sure you will get nightmares about this exact incident years later. Clearing your throat, you hand your board back to the staff, Tim getting his own now.

His first question is just as light as yours, the mood getting quickly back to the one before. It's light, fun and easy. You talk a little too and poke fun at Tim as he answers his question, eventually getting to the third one.

"Tim and Drake couple with..." He trails off, seeing your name at the end. This time, it's rather annoying than embarrassing. He sighs out and look towards you briefly before frowning at the camera. "Guys, we just had that question. It's embarrassing, really. We're not together, even if our roles say otherwise in some movies." Tim explains slightly annoyed, noticing how embarrassed you are at the question. You shouldn't be, considering it's definitely not your fault and people just like some gossip. However, you also feel some different kind of emotion stir up in you. The idea of being with someone, of people knowing you are together with someone is new and sounds way better than denying it all the time. Of course you won't say that on an interview, let alone to Tim, your long-time best friend of a couple years. You both know it won't get to something more than that, both being strict about that in your friendship. You've crosses the line of friendship in roles, qs actors, before but it never felt as good as actually being with someone.

Ignoring your thoughts as best as possible, you move on with Tim. His questions are rather more funny than yours, him messing around with his answers a little as well. There's a sloght difference you noticed, and it's that people seem to take you more seriously. Probably because of the roles you play, maybe because of the personality you put on for the media. Either way, it creates an interestjng dynamic between you and Tim overall. Fans seem to like it, and it seems to work great as usual on interviews. But you never thought they could think of you both in that way. The video is finished and you both return to your own cars, hugging goodbye as usual.

◐

A few days have gone by after that interview, and you decide to check it out. The video has about four million views by now, considering the video got published about three days after you filmed it. You start to watch it, skipping through it a little before the weird question. You seem indeed confused and flustered bt the question, them having edited your moment in a funny way. A computer buffering sound on the background, zoomed in into your face with a loading icon at your forehead. It's actually funny, even if it wasn't funny when you were answering it at the moment. Tim seems just as confused for a moment, you both denying the question as politely and smart as possible, to avoid useless scandals or rumours. Okay, wasn't so bad. Tim's part was less humerus, actually nore straight to the point with hoe annoyed he answered the question. The video ends after you say your goodbyes to the camera, getting to the comment section. You read the first few one's, them being supportive and sweet. The longer you scroll down, the more you start to lose hope in your fans. They genuinely seem to ship you. It would've been funny, but now that you think of it... it doesn't sound too bad. You make your way to some fanfic websites you still know from your earlier teenage years, searching up your name with Tim. Indeed, thousands of suggestions pop up, not having expected more than hundreds of thousand people wrote some kind of romantic content between the two of you. You are really sure Tim would hate you for it, but you go ahead and read some of it. Most were just some silly short stories about the two of you being in love on set, but some were the most heart and gut-wrenching fluff you've ever read. You didn't touch the angst tag, being too scared of getting hurt over fictional problems.

You take a break from everything, deciding it's best to never touch anything like that ever again and ignore it overall. You and him were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. You would sacrifice everything for him and make sure he stays happy, but never cross the line between friendship and partners, in fear of ruining anything. He would most definitely do the same, if not more for you, but there's no way you'll ever be more than what you are now. Drying off your few tears, it's time to get to the next set of filming, staying friends with Tim. 

←MASTERLIST

a/n: also, sorry for being dead in the last few days or weeks, idk, but there's a few things going on and i won't be able to reply or post as quickly as before, but I'll try!! hope you enjoyed it

[kikiscastleinthesky]

THE SOKKASM ZUTARA

I’ve seen a lot of tumblr blogs that ship zutara and I decided that is time for me to open mine too. So, yes, I’m a zutara shipper. And for the time being, my posts are going to be dedicated principally to analyze the ships in ATLA. 

Disclaimer alert:  I’m not forcing anyone to ship zutara. And I won’t accept hate because I (and many others) may have a different opinion, If you are one of those persons I invite you to leave, don’t waste my time and yours, because I’m not even going to reply. Everyone has the right to ship whatever they like and want, without been mocked, harrassed and humiliated. 

Well... now that everything is settled: 3...2...1 go!

I’m starting with this small analysis, because every zutara shipper has been attacked on why zutara and zutara is horrible yada yada but, this ocassion I’m gonna use all the attacks we get and defend it. 

I. Zutara is way the worst toxic relationship:

You call Zuko the abuser, the toxic and the bad tempered? Then you     didn’t get a clue of his redemption arc.

You call zutara toxic for:

a)     giving your mother’s closure and final acceptance into the group?

b)     saving each other’s life?

c)     being the “leading co-parenting” of the group?

d)     support you when you’re about to beg for his uncle forgiveness?

II. The cave scene didn’t mean anything, and just think about it, they would never ever get along well:•      

  Of course, I misunderstood Zuko confessing his own grief, probably he just hates her.

When Katara opens to her mother sorrow like she never did with anyone was like no big deal.

 That part when she offers to heal his scar with SACRED water was totally illogical.

And being the first person who he let touch his scar really said to me that they were absolutely toxic.

 Yes, he betrayed her initial trust. And it hurt, but guess who betrayed worst? The man who for three years was his father. But nope, Iroh, should never forgive Zuko, for what he did. (Right? Katara was betrayed and she should bever have interest in him, so Iroh would never forgive his abuser, right?)

III. Zutara is about getting in love with your abuser:

The abuser love? When did Zuko abused Katara? When did he forced to do something she didn’t want? Did he ever physically abused her or sexually assaulted her? Even if he tied her to a tree, he never humiliated her, he never hurt her or overpass against her. Or are you trying to make up his whole plot to eliminate all his attacks towards team avatar only rest in the female character? (Have you forgot how he betrayed his uncle? Or even himself?)

IV. Zutara is an age gap, it would be underage thing. “You don’t like Aang because he is a child and still pair Zuko, being a minor.” You want to hypersexualize two kids (Aang and Katara) into having sexual interest.

Katara would have been dating an underage guy too. She would have been 18 and Aang 16. I know! Age gap only matter when the man’s older. Both Katara and Zuko had gone through puberty, and both were in adolescence, both shared the same maturity level. Yes dude, there a huge difference in being a CHILD and being a TEENAGER, yes, still minor, But with puberty hit already.

Actually, I still believe even being 11-12 you can get like a… spark… a hint. Even if its not a relationship whatsoever, and not having sexual interest of any kind. If you really want to see what closest we get to a “real” attraction and potential between kiddos that age, you get S1Mike and Eleven (stranger things) / you get Chihiro and Haku (Spirited away) / you get Pazu and Sheeta. (The castle in the sky) –Wooo, that really changes things right?

But yet there are people that believe shipping zutara is “pedophile” I thought in seriously not replying to this stupidities but, here I am, dismantling their theories.

So, this is real life. An adult person trying to sleep with a prepubescent kid. So… there is no support on this. Because a ship is about two fictional characters in a fictional story.

What about fictional pedophilia? Well, we can change that: Fictional pedophilia is a psychosexual disorder when you ship an adult fictional character (+18) to have a sexual interest in a fictional prepubescent child (-12) and / or attempt to engage both characters in sexual acts.

So step one… are either Zuko or Katara either an adult or prepubescent child? As you can see in the image at the right, both have gone through puberty. Step two, are you trying to a couple of minors to get sexually involved? No, this is a love story, not porn. And before you yell at me for the porn zutara comics/fics on the web, I guess you should see the porn Kataang /fics comics on the web too.

But I don’t hate any ship. So, technically, neither Kataang, nor Sukka, nor Yukka, nor Jetara, nor Maiko is pedophilia.

Ok, yeah yeah its not pedo, but is statutory rape, so yet it’s illegal.

Oh yes, if we state that 18 is the age where you are considered an adult (at least in my country) both are minors, your term is partially correct. But guess what would be statutory rape too?

Sukka (15) and Maiko (16-17), both implied to have sex relationships and canon during the series.

The episode "The Southern Raiders" became (in)famous among the fandom for what is a truly epic instance of this trope. Zuko bumps into a very flustered Suki on the way to Sokka's tent, and she hurriedly excuses herself. He walks into Sokka's tent to ask him a question and finds him pants-less and surrounded by flowers and candles. He even greets Zuko with a suggestive "Well helloooo..." before he realizes who itis. After a short talk, he rushes Zuko out and sticks his head out to call for Suki. And if there was any doubt, Sokka is shown the next morning fiddling with a flower necklace for no apparent reason... except to indicate that maybe Suki had been “deflowered”.

And yet, if Kataang had sex, it would be statutory sex at some point too: 16 and 18 -Conclusions: Statutory sex takes all ships equally.

V. Poor Aang he would be devastated.

Kid, he’s 12, in the comics he’s 13-14. Or what? Haven’t you guys had a broken heart ever? Your high school sweetie? Or Aang’s so frail to not be able to find love? To close himself for a better opportunity? Seeking your own happiness in not selfish. What is selfish is seeking your own happiness at the other expenses.

And even that, we all know what would Aang do if Katara starts a relationship with Zuko. (Even if it wasn’t Zuko, I highly doubt he would like Katara dating someone else) He would go on avatar rampage. That is NOT healthy, that is NOT romantic. That is extremely possessive and selfish to do. It’s psychotic. Because Aang cares more about himself than Katara’s feelings, even if she would be happier without him.

VI. Zutara is all about sex interest.

Well once more you mistake chemistry with sexual needs. Wanting me to sleep with my husband means I only use him for sex relief? If I find myself sexually attracted to anyone probably means I just want to sleep with that person and nothing else.

VII. A hug is all zutarians have to acknowledge zutara:

We have a complete extended analysis in all the small details, but we like to use that forgiveness hug because in that hug you have more potential that all the kataang scenes all together. We have thousands of complete analyses, pages dedicated exclusively zutara. 

VIII. Katara “fell in love with Aang” and it’s not one sided.

Uh... Nope, just because two persons are good friends it doesn’t mean they are a good couple. Yes, the way the both of them interact is absolutely beautiful, But not romantically.

Do we see Katara’s view on romantically being drawn towards Aang? Yes, we see it, and yes, unfortunately, is one sided.

How Kataangers complete this:

·       The fortune-teller: I didn’t see like “Wow omg the avatar is going to be my future husband!” But… was like “uh… really?… well, I guess it’s him” Zutarians and Aunt Wu are the base for many backs up theories. ;) Aang is not the only powerful bender you know? And actually, that episode is way trying too hard to demonstrate the crush Meng has for Aang and Aang has to Katara. How is even healthy to accept that sometimes persons don’t like you back and it’s not the end of the world.

·       The cave scene: I forgot that Katara is telling him to be her boyfriend and they will live happily ever after. And really, it all gets us to a real Oma and Shu theory. Not to mention that they were “forced” to kiss because their kids innocence believed if they kissed, they wouldn’t die, and that Aang messed up things as well. But if you see it beneath, if she was truly interested, she would have told Aang: “wow omg we kissed, ok. let’s give him a clue…” nothing, she goes back in treating him same as always.

·       The headband dance: Well that’s a fair point yes. Actually, I felt something different…unfortunately Katara later had to tell him not to kiss her.

IX. Zutara is because you projected on Katara and had a crush on Zuko, because Katara and Zuko were your favourite characters and because is the bad boy style romance.

My crush was Jet <3, and zutara was the most logical endgame for girls. Ask any girl, ANY 14 yo who would like to date: A high school, nice and handsome guy or a 7th grader that had potential to be her best friend. (See the logic) 

And nope is not like “Insert fav characters of the opposite sex to ship them” You need to see real development.

I don’t know why they stereotype Zuko as the “bad boy” – relationship archetype. Zuko is never seen to be the classic fuck boy who treats girls like shit and suddenly there comes a lady to change him. Maybe he is a “bad boy” (confused though) in S1 and S2, but his redemption arc is literally the answer of why he is not “bad boy” anymore.

If Katara was truly and really romantically interested then she wouldn’t have friendzoned Aang. Once? Nope 4 times. And also… are we forgetting kind of imagery…

Friendzoned  

 When Aang fixes her a small necklace with the fishing  thread.

 When he kissed her at the invasion. She didn’t  reciprocate it. (I’m not even mentioning the mommy proud speech)

 When he wanted to talk about the kiss in the western  air temple (Comic love is a battlefield)

 When he kissed her at the play and she had to told  him to back off.

 Strange imagery

 She was June Pippinpaddleopsokopolis (Aang’s  granddaughter)

When Aang got shot, she held his body in her arms in  the exact way Mary held Jesus in Pieta’s sculpture.

 She was Sapphire Fire. (Aang’s pregnant mother)

After they got married, in the book legacy, she said  she enjoyed most seeing Aang becoming a man. (Honestly ladies if I got a BF  the least I want is seeing how the kid transforms into a man)

I’m looking forward to watch you grow into manhood  as I did to your father (Katara’s letter to Tenzin)

 I’m really  trying to deny Oedipus complex here.

Still hard for me to track Katara’s love interest for little Aang since all we see is more a relationship mom/sister or Harry/Hermione. I have heard rumours that Bryke wanted to give the ship “mystery” and “expectation” but I think they really messed up, I didn’t see expectation or mystery, I saw a child insisting to a girl that didn’t reciprocate. It wasn’t even like she didn’t have much of a chance, because her love interests:

Was killed by Long Feng

Gave him a hideous mustache and disappeared him after Azula’s attack in the western air temple.

Forced to be attached to a toxic relationship.

Apart that all those points I’ve mentioned, Kataang is not a relationship for me. Staying in a formal relationship with the first person they met of the opposite sex at 14 -12 (guys not even Disney does that, jeez not even studio Ghibli) and not having any chance to experience any other relationship. Never experiencing a broken heart, or someone better. I think that it gives the wrong idea, telling guys that no matter how long they are placed in friendzone, eventually the girl will fall for them. They just have to keep insisting.

You could say, but what a hypocrite! Snow White was 14 years old when she went to live with that prince! Many princesses are 16! And not to mention that many men were the first they met! Like Aurora, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. Well, you are right at one point. But ... the interaction of these characters changes radically, mainly because they never "give cute kisses" to their future husbands, nor do they treat them like their brothers or their children and ... the men were never friendzoned, except for Naveen at the beginning. You see the real attraction of teenage girls with an older boy. And I'm not saying that they should never be friends or support each other. Mulan and Chang were allies, friends, they supported each other, they saved their lives. But at no time was there the kind of interaction Katara and Aang had.

If Kataang was to be endgame, we would see Katara’s reaction to Jet, totally different, THAT kind of reaction was what I was waiting. (That kind of reaction is what every princess do, at least one time)

The same chemistry we saw in Yukka / Sukka. Honestly, I saw more chemistry between Haru and Katara.

Or at least give us some character development like: Aang, I know my feelings where not as you wanted but now I decided I want to be with you because (list everything here except he being the avatar), I really like you, perhaps we can give it a shot. Or like several things that could clue us that she is interested (come on people, two persons can kiss/hug/ have sex and that doesn’t imply they will be together in a formal relationship) But all we got was: Oh, right, he’s the avatar... suddenly I fell for him and I’m gonna kiss him fully in the mouth and that’s how I’ll tell him and that all my confusion has magically disappeared.

X. I’ve never saw that kind of spark between them. Again, it was “Just a hug”

Yes! That’s initially the whole point of it, a friendship hug, the truth of why we don’t need silly blushes. Because that forgiveness hug shows their initial relationship, they are friends! All their love needs to come first from a truthful friendship, by the contrary of calling the “immediate falling” like Aang did for Katara, it shows us that friendship love can evolve into something more beautiful, and that’s why we like the ship, because all zutara shippers know Zuko and Katara wouldn’t fall in love like that all of the sudden, they have to create the romantic relationship, and that’s what we portray in the fics.

What makes Zutara exceptional is that he, sees her, he hears her, he listens what she had to do, at anytime he forced her to do something she didn’t. And before a “teenager adolescence ship” he sees her as a human, with feelings with own ideals and goals.

And there is a complete and extremely well based analysis in: The crossroads of destiny + The southern raiders + The lighting saving.

XI. The comics show us how toxic they really where.

Their interaction in the comics was something I like to call: destroying a character. Not only Katara, who turned to be that awesome badass to the submissive girlfriend. From how I see it in the series to the comics there’s all I have to say: That’s not my girl.

XII. How Katara could be queen of a country that almost aniquilates her tribe and killed her mother? It would be a betrayal.

I think this argument is out. Not valid. Is like saying a Jew can’t date a German because of the holocaust. (German doesn’t mean nazi, just as Zuko, who was from the Fire Nation and didn’t order Katara’s mother assassination, and not every citizen of the fire nation means a ruthless killer). Is like saying that a Japanese can’t date a us citizen because of the bombs in WW2. And even if we see it “political”, is like… an aphrodescendant can’t rule a country that is racist, then Mr. Obama would have never reached the presidency.

Two persons can unify them, because they can demonstrate that being from different country that initally has not good terms can reach peace. The union between those countries represents the power of maturity, of overcoming adversities and the power of forgiveness. *Our lands now connected by love* And I want her to be queen, I want her to rule, I want her in charge, I want her in power. Imagine all the potential she could have (politics, business, negotiations, rebuilding, restoration, education, public health!! ***faints***) Not only for the fire Nation but for the whole world! Imagine that once Zuko abdicated they left to the south pole and she opened a fighting school and a healing school of her own (like master Pakku, but now her students are given a medical license that acknowledges them as professional healers) And this is just an idea. Like these ideas are hundreds. It would have been the perfect feminist role model!

XIII. Since the beginning, Katara was always interested in Aang and she always supported him and was for him when he needed her. That’s proof they were meant to each other.

If a girl expresses faith in your abilities, she loves you, she hugs you, and she supports you clearly she’s completely into you. Because obviously female best friends don’t exist.

[juniperhillpatient]

Could you write Richie introduces Beverly to comic books? Obviously a friendship thing

Thank you for the prompt ❤️❤️❤️ I’m sorry it’s so late. I spent forever editing it and then Tumblr reloaded & I had to re-edit. Save stuff on Microsoft Word always, I guess.

 Anyway, this was so fun to write. Richie & Bev’s friendship is so important. I based this off the book partially because I’m currently re-reading and that’s where my mindset is and partially because I wanted to reference this really cool fifties horror comic anthology I have, so this is set in the fifties like the book. It’s just a fun little one-shot though so I think if you’ve only watched the movies this will (hopefully) be just fine!

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy  ❤️❤️❤️

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“You cheated!”

“Did not.”

“Richie, come on, you distracted me by pointing to the window and stole one of my cards.” The two of them were sitting in Richie’s kitchen, a bowl of chopped melon and two cups of juice as well as an array of card games between them on the table.

“But I tawt I taw a putty cat!” Richie protested, waving his arms wildly. Then, in his normal voice. “Come on Bev, I wouldn’t cheat. I saw a cat out in the yard and because I am a good friend who points out cute animals, I wanted you to see it too.” He paused and rolled his eyes with an air of over-the-top drama and spoke in his most sarcastic voice. “I’m sooo sorry for being a considerate friend, Beverly, truly, sooo sorry.”

Beverly couldn’t help but giggle, but she stood her ground all the same. “First of all, it’s wet and gross out there so if there was a cat it wouldn’t have been cute it would have looked like a rat. Second of all, Richie, I would’ve won if you hadn’t done that and we both know it.”

Beverly recognized a spark in Richie’s eye that told her yes, he had stolen the card and would admit to doing so but not until after some decent banter. It was a lazy sort of afternoon, and this was not the first time the two of them had fallen into amiable arguing. There was a light rain pattering against the window. Maggie Tozier was sitting in the living room reading a novel by Beverly Cleary & Went Tozier was away working at the dentist’s office. 

Beverly appreciated spending time at Richie’s, and her willingness to play along with his shtick was her way of thanking him for inviting her over. Neither of them would ever in a million years bring up the fact that he’d been staring at the yellowing bruise on her cheek the previous afternoon when the losers were playing in the barrens, or that he’d obviously overheard her confiding to Eddie, as the two of them sat quietly off to the side, that she didn’t want to go home. Richie thought privately that Beverly had told Eddie this because she thought Eddie might understand such a feeling. Richie, however, never would have shared such an insight with anyone.

“Why I never,” Richie said, taking on the voice and demeanor of an overtly proper British person. “How dare you accuse me of such blasphemy!”

“Beep beep Richie,” Bev said, rolling her eyes. “What is that voice even supposed to be?”

“It’s a British guy,” Richie said in dramatic outrage. “I know you know what a British accent sounds like, Bev. Come on, give me something!”

“A British accent is more like this, Richie. Listen,” she made her voice much higher and did her best impression of a British accent. “Jolly oh, jolly oh good sir, oh yes indeed.”

“That’s terrible!” Richie groaned, falling back in his seat dramatically and throwing his arm over his face in disgust. They spent the next twenty minutes or so arguing over what a British accent sounded like and doing horrible impressions. The notion of playing any more games, it seemed, was gone. Beverly hadn’t expected card playing to last long anyway. Any kind of activity that required lasting attention was unlikely to be of great success with Richie. Richie had suggested they go to the movies when he called her up in the morning, there was a good monster picture showing at the Aladdin, but neither of them had any money. So, instead, they were spending the afternoon at Richie’s, to which Beverly had no objection. The Toziers’ place felt the way a home should. She thought Richie knew that she felt that way, and that’s why he often invited her over on days like today when the other losers were busy (Bill with speech therapy, Mike with housework, Ben with summer reading) or didn’t want to come out in the rain (Stan and Eddie).

“Alright you two,” Mrs. Tozier, whom Beverly liked a lot, interrupted just as Richie was halfway through a stream of truly profane words in an embarrassingly bad British accent.

“Sorry, Mrs. Tozier,” Beverly said in a hurry.

“Yeah, sorry, Mom,” Richie said.

“That’s okay. Just keep it down a little, alright?”

“Sure, of course, Mom,” Richie said.

“And keep that trashy language out of your mouth,” Mrs. Tozier told her son. “Especially around a lady.”

Beverly, who had been squealing with laughter before Mrs. Tozier entered the room, felt her cheeks flush. Richie’s mom, she thought, got what being a mom was about. She always had snacks, though usually healthy ones due to her husband’s dental profession, and often said nothing when Beverly would stay over late into the night on days when the thought of going home made her too sick to handle and she just needed to listen to Richie talk about nothing and make stupid noises for hours.

“Come on, let’s do something else,” Beverly said, putting the cards away as Mrs. Tozier left the room.

“Yeah,” Richie said standing. “I’ll show you my new ‘Weird Love’ comic!”

“Your -what now?” Beverly asked, intrigued.

“My new Weird Love comic. It’s a great one. It’s all about this girl who’s in love with a man who acts in a circus as a clown. She really likes him, except she’s embarrassed because she’s dating a clown.”

“I’m sorry what? What the heck are ‘Weird Love’ comics anyway?” Beverly asked.

“Oh, you’re kidding me!” Richie cried. “You’ve never read a ‘Weird Love’ comic? They’re great. They’re horror comics but about romance. Like, people who fall in love with monsters.”

Beverly shivered. “Who would want to fall in love with a monster? Or a clown? Yuck.”

As Beverly followed Richie out of the kitchen and upstairs to his room, thoughts of another clown, a distinctly unlovable clown, clouded her mind. She shoved such thought way as she and Richie entered his room. On the floor were toy soldiers he and Mike had set up in lines facing each other in preparation for battle, a jigsaw puzzle he had been working on with Stan, and a Mad Libs story he and Bill had been filling in with increasingly dirty words.

“Check it out,” he told her, grabbing a comic with a clown and a pretty lady on the cover from his dresser and flopping onto his belly on his messy bed.

Beverly followed suit, laying on her belly next to him and looking over his shoulder at the comic.

Years later, Beverly would remember the comic book clown, who was called Ben, and his creepy makeup and how it had delighted her child’s mind. Sitting in a much nicer and fancier home than she could have dreamed of at twelve years old, Beverly Hanscom would put her feet up on the coffee looking across to where Richie sat, looking off into the distance, being much quieter than she was used to. As the sounds of Bill and Mike’s argument about who would win in a bike race despite both of them being too old, and, on that particular occasion too drunk, to participate in such a race, she would remember that rainy afternoon and ask Richie about it. She would ask him if he ever thought it was kind of amazing how much they loved those silly horror comics at the time, considering everything they had been going through. “Nah,” Richie would respond in a quiet voice. “We were kids. Kids aren’t as easy to rattle as adults.”

Adult Richie would be right. As the two children read the comic together, flipping the pages eagerly as they became acquainted with Janie, a respectable and pretty woman, and Ben the clown, they giggled and gasped in equal measure. Neither of them brought up the real clown, the one that was stalking their every move and taunting them with things they didn’t like to think about like the soft way Beverly’s dad would sometimes ask “are you still my little girl, Bevvie?” or the way that werewolf had been wearing a jacket with Richie’s name on it and maybe he was the monster and it was him and his bad and secret (dirty) feelings causing all this pain.

Instead, they read the comic and laughed and Beverly asked Richie if she could borrow it so she could read it again. 

“I don’t think so, I wanna show it to Eddie. He goes nuts over these things. Loves 'em more than I do. And he hasn’t seen this one yet.” He paused and rolled off the bed onto the floor. He dug under his bed for a moment and produced two more comics, also with 'Weird Love’ printed on the covers in weird, gooey looking letters. “Here though, you can borrow these. This one,” he tossed her a comic with a woman screaming in terror on the cover. “Is about a woman who’s going crazy, but the guy who loves her has no clue. And this one,” he tossed her a comic with a man standing in front of a group of serious-looking people, “is about a woman who falls for a commie.” He said 'commie’ like a dirty word, soft and reverent. Beverly giggled.

“Thanks, Richie!” she said with a grin.

“Well, you’re gonna have to let me know what you think of them,” he said. “I’ve already read those ones like a billion times.”

“You have no idea how much a billion is you dummy,” Beverly said.

Richie stuck his tongue out at her and she proceeded to whop him in the face with a pillow.

The rest of the afternoon the two of them watched television and argued over whether the girl in the comic, Janie, had been crazy for being in love with that clown or if maybe that circus clown had some odd charm about him after all.

Another thing Beverly would remember, years later as the losers sat together in Ben and Beverly’s house, visiting as they did every few months, would be how very happy they had been. Even with everything going on and their lives in danger, they’d laughed so much that afternoon. 

[thecoleopterawithana]

Honestly, I really never had much interest in John and George's relationship not even their lsd experience I don't find it all that fascinating considering they both acted like huge jerks to Paul and acted foolish. Also George sure could be a great guy goodness, did he opinionate his feelings onto his and John's LSD experiences well, this "me and John had takes on thing Paul bever understood" Childish and unnecessary. Paul wouldn't have that if he were on the other side. Gross

Hey there! Sorry for the somewhat long period of radio silence, but this past week was filled to the brim in ways I’m not very used to dealing with, and online leisure activities had to somewhat go down in the priorities list…

But thank you so much for reaching out and for giving the chance for there to be some exchange of opinions on this subject! For while I accept and understand your point of view, I have to remain by my initial statement of fascination not only in George’s and John’s relationships but also George’s and Paul’s, and perhaps more importantly, George’s dynamic with the astounding force that was John & Paul together. 

Actually, all the dynamics within the family unit that was the Beatles, and between them and the people that came into contact with the ‘four-headed monster’, are what sucked me into this rather recent obsession in the first place. They lend themselves wonderfully as subjects for the examination of human nature and all its interacting intricacies… 

The comparison of this particular band to a tightly knit family is nothing new, and you’ve probably come across various analysis on their respective roles within it before. Labelling John as the ‘father’, Paul as the ‘mother’, George as the ‘son’ and Ringo as the ‘uncle/cousin’ makes it so people can quickly grasp the interplay that occurred between them. But on the other hand, trying to fit people into boxes of easily understood tropes is terribly reductive, and a lot of the little nuances and complexities are lost along the way. 

In the same way, trying to hold people up to an image of themselves they try to present or one we try to impose on them ourselves will inevitably end in unmet expectations and disappointment. People aren’t perfect. There is often a disconnect between how they innately react to stuff and how they ideally wish to be. This inconsistency may come across as hypocrisy if we try to hold them to a certain version of themselves and find that it doesn’t always fit. All the Beatles, like the human beings they were, exemplified this one time or the other. 

George could wish to always be his wise enlightened self, who understood the illusions of this world and how loving and accepting one another is what it’s truly important. He could know all this but still, there’s always an ego. He can both enjoy the advantageous position of a quiet observer and feel frustratingly muted by it. He can both look up to John and covet his approval and attention and be hurt and bitter when faced with the other looking down on him. He can both love Paul and expect him to take care of Stuff, and still lash out when feeling smothered or infantilized. A lot of people wish to be put-together, mature, know how to best deal with their emotions. But the emotions are there still, and they may manifest in attitudes we may deem as childish. And they were, for quite some time, practically children. Of course they knew they were hurting and alienating Paul! But still, as I’ve said before, George felt he was now being both seen by the person he always admired and sticking it to the one who always treated him like a kid. 

(And it’s curious to see that while John seemed in public commentaries and other known anecdotes to be far more dismissive of George and his talents/contributions than Paul ever was, the younger man appeared to resent the latter far more for patronizing him… Maybe it was because Paul was about as young to John as George was to him, and the first pair chose to hold themselves on the same level while still justifying looking down on George himself. Again, see? Repeating patterns of inconsistencies breeding disappointment, and with it, hurt and resentfulness…)

Though please don’t also try to hold Paul himself up to a perfect, mature ideal. You too will find yourself disappointed… As the human he was, he too couldn’t help but have his flaws, despite his life-long effort in ignoring/covering them up. He knew he was talking down to George. (Has admitted it several times!) And he knew how that made the younger man feel. But he still did it! 

So the idea that Paul is always the bigger man and if the situations were reversed he wouldn’t alienate George in order to have John’s complete attention? Well, that was pretty much the status quo, even if most times hurting George was an unfortunate consequence rather than the main goal. (But let me add that Paul wasn’t exactly above petty retaliation and hurting George back rather purposefully following what he did to him with the whole LSD stunt. Though he was more of a ‘sneakily tearing his parents drapes as revenge’ kind of guy.)  

The point is that none of them was perfect, and even if Paul tried to control himself and act/present himself as completely composed, he was actually more successful at this because he was so sensitive to what was going on around them. He knew what others were feeling, but that not always overpowered what he was feeling. 

(That was, in fact, one of the big challenges for Paul while working in a group: balancing all the egos involved. Getting things his way, because that way is better? Or sacrifice his vision so as not to step on the others’ feet? Maybe try to nudge people along so as to still get his way but in a way that feet aren’t felt to be trampled on? As we well know, the others started to catch up to the latter move in the later years, hence all the added tensions and the ‘Paul is a manipulative controlling bastard’ narrative. Which is neither completely true nor completely untrue… It was all a matter of complete disequilibrium and perception on the various parts…)  

But I feel as though I might have gone off topic here… All in all, this was just to illustrate how fascinatingly complex people can be and that we might lead a more peaceful and happy life if we exercise our empathy and try and understand where others are coming from and accept them as they are for it. 

As George himself put it:

Scan not a friend with a microscopic glassYou know his faults, now let the foibles passLife is one long enigma, my friendSo read on, read on, the answer’s at the endDon’t be so hard on the ones that you loveIt’s the ones that you love we think so little ofDon’t be so hard on the ones that you needIt’s the ones that you need we think so little ofThe speech of flowers excels the flowers of speechBut what’s often in your heart, is the hardest thing to reachAnd life is one long mystery, my friend 

Oh, we think so little of the ones that we love, sometimesIsn't it a pity how we hurtThe ones that we love the most of allThe ones we shouldn't hurt at allYou know my faults, now let the foibles pass'Cause life is one long enigma, my friend 

- George Harrison, The Answer’s at the End

[broadwaytheanimatedseries]

I'll first comment on the color naming rule, only team rwby itself really has that, the rest of the characters in the show have names inspired by anything. Now to answer one by one

Remy's semblence is as overpowered as any semblence, so pretty darn op. Come on these people can burst into rose petals, become stronger by taking hits, survive and channel lighting strikes through their body, and manipulate minds and the enviorments around them. If we're calling out semblences for being op, remy isnt exactly first in line. I considered making his power put people to sleep but that actually would be more op. A one and done move. Most foes he'll have to go up against will hardly give him a chance to use his semblence and when he does, they can fight with a numb hand or leg. He still needs to learn exactly when and where to strike. And like all semblences, using it takes a toll on his aura. Tho i should have clarified that he can either numb a single body part for say, an entire fight, or he can numb his opponent's leg for five minutes and then when its "awake" again he can numb a different body part. There are certain conditions to his semblence im just bad at explaining it.

I try not to make semblences that already exist in the show (thats just a me thing tho its no critique against anyone) and considering the story i plan to give the guys i think his semblence will come in handy. But youre right, its not all too usefull in combat, save for when an opponent is bluffing to the left while planning to move to your right or stuff like that, but he bever had to use his semblence for combat. He's very skilled in various martial arts. As for his name. Dijon is a shade of yellow and parakeet is a shade of green. He was the only one i considerd to be part of the color naming rule in my version. Also it made him sound like he really belonged in minagirie, imo.

I see what you mean but thats half the fun. Giving the cute pink innocent boyo a mace is just soooo fun. Also this version of picani has some...mild anger issues due to soaking up his friends' negative emotions (he just wants them to be happy!) And never dealing with his own emotional turnmoil. So i feel like a cute lil pink parade staff that hides a deadly mace is a pretty nifty metaphore wouldnt you say? Also he's often underestimated so DOUBLE THE METAPHORE. and i just decided his mace is called soul crusher.

Well i already talked about the color naming rule and how it doesnt exactly aplly imo so...

Yea, he pretty much is. Which is hilarious if you meet the guy cuz outside a battlefield/arena he will not shut up.

I put thought into the naming beyond the color naming rule. Boman means great mind in persian, Emile isnt an Oxford like Logan because he's the son born in his dad's former mariage, before Tiffany. (Btw Tiffany is another shade of blue and i debated between that and Carolina. I might still make Carolina Oxford-Picani as their little sister.) Lots of these characters dont really have a certain color i can immedietly link them with. If i were to include, say, Apollo and Jericho, i would look up names of shades of gold and silver, respectively, and decide what last names to give them accordingly. Long story short, i find that the color namimg rule cant be so cleanly and easily aplied to every character.

If i seemed passive agressive or upset or just came off as a straight up bitch, things that happen often cuz idk how to express myself politely, please know that i do not intend to cause a fight or lash out and im sorry if it seems that way. Your notes are much apreciated and they did help me develop some new ideas. I am thankful for your contribution.

Sanders sides RWBY au (inspired by someone else’s rwby au because originality?? Who’s she? Never heard of her.)

For information on logan, virgil, patton, and roman go to @sander-sides-rwby-au Besides the core four, we also have-

Remy Nightshade

Age: 18

Species: faunus (bat)

Semblence: in addition to all his natural bat abilities, Remy’s semblence allows him to block the nerves in any body part with a single touch. (Think tai lee’s chakra blocking from avatar. Which btw was like the coolest non bending abbility in the whole fucking show and needs to be discussed more often smh). The more people he uses it on/the more body parts he shuts down with it, the more it drains his aura.

Weapon: a *seemingly* ordinary wooden stake, untill you realise its only a really good pain job and not acually wooden, and extends into a kind of crossbow. A relitively small one you can wear on your hand like a bracelet. He calls it slayer.

Bit of Backstory: His mother was a bat faunas much like himself but only had the abillities and the slightly pointy ears and tiny fangs to show for it, while he has very noticable bat wings. She managed to gather enough money to move to atles, there she married into riches, with a man who liked her for who she is and didnt have a prejudice againt faunus like most of the snobs of atlas. He agreed to keep her secret, knowing full well how the rest of his peers would react. The Nightshades and the Imperials had been allies for generations, so naturally, roman and remy grew up close. Roman had never considered Remy beneath him for being a faunus, but his father sure did. He wasnt going to ruin an alliance thats lasted generations and had been very benefical to his family for many years over it, but he would always express his contempt and disgust to his son. Eventually, even if he doesnt realize it quite yet, some of it does get to roman, and he starts beliving in it somewhat. Remy senses a shift i Roman’s attitude towards him, small as it may be, and prays he’s got it wrong.

Dijon Parakeet

Age: 17

Species: faunus (snake)

Semblence: he can hear people’s thoughts, but only when they’re lying.

Weapon: double edged sword. (Couldnt resist the dramatic symbolism). He hardly ever uses it tho, he’s much more trained in hand to hand combat.

B.o.B: Born and raised in minegerie, young Dijon had to learn how to fend for himself. He was a damn good liar and his semblence activated for the first time when he was only twelve. Something felt off about the interection with the merchant and thats when he could hear the man plotting in his mind to scam him. He was ready to fight but thats when Virgil showed up. He handled the situation with such calmness and sass and Dijon knew he liked this guy. But he was also kinda mad at him for totally stealing his thunder. They’ve been the best of frienemies ever since and even raced each other to see who would get accepted into beacon first.

Emile Picani

Age: 19

Species: human

Semblence: Empathy. (The kind mantis from gaurdians of the galaxy has. He doesnt like to forcefully influence other people’s emotions tho, unless the situation absolutely demands it.)

Weapon: cutsie pink staff he likes to abssently twirl around, throw and catch like in a fun lil parade. It turns into a mace. Still entirely pink mind you. save for the spikes which are black.

B.o.B: Being the only child of the most sucssesfull women in the field of robotics, the renowned Lady of Tech, is some fucking pressure. Tiffany Oxford-Picani (who refued to change her name due to her marrriage entirely for the sake of Oxford Enterprise) didnt seem to have very high expectations of her son, but the public sure did. “Her real son,” Emile would often think, “is really Logan, not me. She doesnt care about me, but she adores Logan. Her little self made miracle of science.” As sad as it makes him, he never takes it out on Logan. In fact, he considers him as his little brother and treats him accordingly. Especially when his semblance tells him that despite not being human, Logan can still feel. Even if he denies it. Emile has already been in beacon for a whole year when logan shows up, and he’s made some friends!

Nathaniel Christopher Sanders

Age: 19

Species: human

Semblence: he can slow down time around him. He kinda abuses his power a lot which makes him really weak all the time. Using his semblence moderately was the first thing he learned in his first year of beacon.

Weapon: dust infused brass knuckles

B.o.B: Not much to say really. He had a normal life in Vale with his mom, dad, and his brother Thomas. But normal is so boring! He wanted some action, and his brother was always talking about being a good person and helping those in need and yeah, that sounded important. So he figured he’d kill two birds with one stone and become a hunter. And the first step was to get into beacon. So thats exactly what he’d do. When he got accepted he made fast friends with Emile Picani. The two were inseprable and halfway through the school year they were joined by a newcomer.

Brian Boman:

Age: 19

Species: human

Semblence: can project sounds. literaly any sound he can think of, he can project it straight out of his mind into the room. Sometimes he does it accidently because he was thinking really hard of what a certain thing would sound like. Sometimes he uses it to make a whoopie cushion prank without the whoopie cushion. But in combat, he uses it to create distractions mainly.

Weapon: warhammer thats also a gun. (Not sure if dust infused or not. Lets put on dust optional).

B.o.B: Born and raised in mistral, and having graduated Sanctum academy with flying colors and starting school at Haven academy, Brian was certain he would stay close to his friends and family most of his life. But halfway into the semester, he was transfered to Beacon. And the worst part, he couldnt even tell anyone the real reason. Thankfully, its not all bad news, as he meets Nate and Emile, who give him a warm welcome and together the three of them are unstopable. Luckily for Brian, one of the members of their team got kicked out of school earlier that year. Nate and Emile never liked him anyway, he was a jerk and they’re glad to be rid of him. However that did mean a spot opened up in their team, and so the team formerly known as team ENMI now became team ENBI. (Again, because i couldnt resist). Let me know if you wanna read more!

AND AS ALWAYS,

Stay Tuned!

[deniscollins]

Harvard’s Admissions Process, Once Secret, Is Unveiled in Affirmative Action Trial

Harvard University is among the most selective colleges in the world, with  nearly 43,000 applicants applying to be in the Class of 2022 and just 2,024 were accepted. Harvard uses a scale of 1 (top of the heap) to 6 (no chance) to measure the many aspects of a student’s profile. If you were Director of Admissions, what factors would you consider in determining which 2,024 students you would select out of the 43,000 applicants? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

The deliberations that take place inside 86 Brattle Street, a red brick building where Harvard University’s admissions committee convenes, have very much stayed inside 86 Brattle Street.

Until now.

A federal trial that began this week accusing Harvard of stacking the deck against Asian-American applicants is providing a rare glimpse into the secretive selection process at one of the country’s most elite universities. It is as if those sitting on the wood benches before Judge Allison D. Burroughs of Federal District Court in Boston have been invited inside the inner sanctum of the Harvard Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

There is the longtime dean of admissions, William Fitzsimmons (Harvard Class of 1967), on the stand, grilled on whether rural students receive a leg up over urban students. They do.

There on a big screen are his emails with the university’s fund-raisers, suggesting special consideration for the offspring of big donors, those who have “already committed to a building” or have “an art collection which could conceivably come our way.”

Grades, test scores, intended major, personality ratings, ethnicity — all the various factors that can help turn an anonymous high school student into a Harvard man or Harvard woman are being dissected for all to see.

Actual student files have been introduced into evidence, with Thang Q. Diep’s family history being pored over alongside Sally Chen’s test scores.

Court documents and trial testimony have introduced Harvard admissions jargon: “tips” are bumps given to applicants, the “dean’s interest list” is a compendium of applicants with clout, and the “Z-list” is a sort of back door into the college for students who are borderline academically. For everyone, the odds are long, as nearly 43,000 applicants sought spots in the Class of 2022 and just 2,024 received letters prompting high-fives and teary phone calls.

Although many selective colleges are known to engage in the same admissions tactics, Harvard’s lawyers lamented in pretrial papers that being forced to produce application materials would be like divulging trade secrets, and would allow students and college counselors to game the process, which is in full swing right now. The judge even likened Harvard’s formula to the recipe for Coke.

In the end, however, Harvard’s lead counsel, Bill Lee (Harvard Class of 1972), said this week that it had been necessary to spill some secrets.

“I’ve definitely not revealed the secret of Coke,” said Mr. Lee, who represented Apple in a patent suit against Samsung — another trial that exposed closely guarded secrets. But, he acknowledged, “you’re learning a lot about the admissions process that never would have been public otherwise. We want you to know. Once you understand it, you can understand how decisions are made.”

Some, but not all, of the secrets have buttressed Harvard’s elite reputation.

It casts a wide net for students, aggressively recruiting those in “sparse country,” predominantly rural areas that yield few applications. It considers a dizzying array of factors, from SAT scores (the higher the better) to athletic ability (recruited athletes receive a big advantage) to interviews (be “effervescent,” “fun,” but “mature”) and more. A lack of deep pockets won’t hinder a hopeful and might even help one’s chances, testimony showed.

But there were other disclosures suggesting that admissions decisions are somewhat arbitrary.

There is the special list for those whom the admissions dean has taken an interest in, some of whom are the relatives of wealthy donors. There is the vague “personal” rating, which can lift or hurt an applicant’s chances based on an assessment of character traits and background, from “outstanding” to “bland or somewhat negative or immature” to “questionable personal qualities.” And the trial this week has raised questions about whether unconscious bias affects the process, either on the part of admissions officials or the teachers and counselors who write letters on applicants’ behalf.

More important than numerical ratings — Harvard uses a scale of 1 (top of the heap) to 6 (no chance) to measure the many aspects of a student’s profile — is “the description and the complexity of the description” provided by those assessing the applicant, Mr. Fitzsimmons said this week in testimony.

A rare look inside a student’s admissions file this week has shined a light on what that means. Harvard referred the court to Thang Q. Diep (Harvard Class of 2019), who had only middling test scores but was admitted to the college by showing a strong work ethic and “infectiously happy personality,” as his admissions file says. Mr. Diep, who was born in Vietnam, submitted part of his file in court to help Harvard fight charges of discrimination.

“Here’s a person who until the fourth grade was in another country and English was not his first language,” Mr. Fitzsimmons said.

Mr. Fitzsimmons quoted an admissions interviewer as saying that what was most striking about Mr. Diep was “his fun, casual nature, but impressive, understated maturity.”

Mr. Diep’s admissions file noted he would be a likely candidate for the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, which offers full rides to low-income families. In summing up Mr. Diep’s personal essay, one reviewer highlighted his “immigrant Vietnamese identity” and that Mr. Diep was “grappling with sexual identity.” The reviewer mentioned a “filmmaking summit” as an extracurricular activity of note.

Other admissions files have offered insights into how reviewers distill personal traits from the accomplishments and activities listed. Erica Bever, an admissions officer, testified Friday morning about a student whose application she had reviewed, Sally Chen. She went to a highly competitive high school, but her scores were “a little bit lower than many of her peers,” Ms. Bever said.

Her father was a chef, her mother a homemaker, which Ms. Bever said made her consider whether this applicant had had the same opportunities as some others. She played first violin in an orchestra and was student association president, both characteristics that Ms. Bever said showed leadership. She was doing research, mentoring and web design.

But what particularly moved Ms. Bever were the teacher and guidance counselor ratings, she said, one of which said that Ms. Chen was “a well spoken, ambitious and humorous person.”

Ms. Chen was admitted to the Class of 2019, and is now on the witness list for this trial.

“We have to reject students who are exceptional,” Ms. Bever testified. “But we make choices.”

The group suing Harvard, Students for Fair Admissions, has also used application files as evidence, but points to what it says are patterns of stereotypical descriptions for Asian-Americans that bring down their personal ratings.

Harvard also looks at factors like parental occupation, which Mr. Fitzsimmons said offer clues about financial hardship, and intended major, to avoid having too many students with the same educational interests.

For instance, he said this week, there had been huge increases in would-be engineers and computer scientists, but Harvard had to be wary of admitting too many, because “a whole bunch” of them “will end up happily ever after at M.I.T. or Caltech.”

“One thing we always want is humanists,” Mr. Fitzsimmons said, adding that there were “fewer and fewer” of them.

An applicant might also be given credit for babysitting siblings, he added, “which I did myself.”

College-prep professionals and guidance counselors around the world are following the case, a veritable gold mine of insider information.

Belinda Wilkerson is a private admissions counselor in Fayetteville, N.C. She said that when working with Asian clients, she discusses with them a “perception” that there are too many qualified, and similar, Asian applicants — an issue at the core of the Harvard case. She encourages students to cast a wide net to avoid “getting so focused on a select few schools,” she said.

Harvard has testified that race, when considered in admissions, can only help, not hurt, a student’s chances of getting in.

Mr. Fitzsimmons said this week that one factor that could explain why Asian-American applicants get lower personal ratings may be the content of teacher and guidance counselor recommendations.

Mark Sklarow, the chief executive of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, which represents private admissions counselors, said many guidance counselors are simply unable to get to know students in depth, and could very well introduce stereotypes. Indeed, one industry report found that in 2015, the typical counselor advised nearly 500 students.

“If a school counselor is spending eight minutes per year with a student, it’s so much easier for those biases to play in, because you don’t know that individual very well,” Mr. Sklarow said.

Mr. Fitzsimmons and other admissions officers testified that reviewers receive extensive training when they begin working for Harvard. But under questioning by the plaintiffs, they said that they did not receive written instructions on how to consider race.

Judge Burroughs seemed to be looking for evidence of unconscious bias. “Are there times when you don’t realize that you’re tipping for something,” she asked Ms. Bever on Friday, “and you go to the data and you realize that there really is a tip that you didn’t intend or know about?”

“No, never,” Ms. Bever said.

Mr. Fitzsimmons emphasized that any advantage given to a candidate for their background would not outweigh all other application factors. “The committee never gives enough of a tip to admit an average candidate at the expense of a first-rate one,” he said.

One important aspect of a diverse class, he said, is that students learn from one another.

That is especially important today, he said, “in a country that is so segregated economically and, in some ways, with our social classes coming further apart.”

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

End of NBA training camp storylines with fantasy impact

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma has forced his way into fantasy draft conversations with a strong preseason. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By Alex Barutha, RotoWire Special to Yahoo Sports

Bulls’ power forwards (Mirotic vs. Markkanen vs. Portis)

Mirotic may have won this job by default, as Markkanen played in just three of the team’s preseason games while nursing a back injury. But the two did start together on Friday. While Portis showed promise, his outside shooting is still a work in progress and his rebounding ability makes him a candidate to possibly see time at center in small-ball lineups off the pine.

Mirotic starting at power forward should provide the team with the kind of pace-and-space looks they’re going for under coach Fred Hoiberg. Keep in mind, however, Chicago’s starting five has one of the highest potentials in the league to get tinkered with. Just because Mirotic is getting the nod to start the season, there’s no guarantee he’ll see 30 minutes per night or remain in that spot for 82 games. Markkanen’s name is still worth flagging in a variety of fantasy formats, as there’s a reason they took him so high in this year’s draft.

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Mavericks’ shooting guard (Curry vs. Ferrell)

Curry seemed to be the favorite to claim the starting shooting guard spot to open the season, but a stress reaction in his left tibia has left him sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. As a result, it appears Yogi Ferrell, who has been seen working with the first unit, will get the nod at the position. He played 26.0 minutes per game last season – a mark that could see a bump while Curry remains off the floor.

Celtics’ shooting guard (Brown vs. Smart)

Smart’s ability to function as a secondary ballhandler will probably result in him coming off the pine during the season, as the Celtics otherwise lack a high-impact player to back up Kyrie Irving (sorry, Terry Rozier). Brown looks to be the team’s starting shooting guard, though that doesn’t mean he has more fantasy value than Smart – it’s actually the opposite.

Brown is a respectable scorer and defender in his own right – that’s why he’s a starting shooting guard in the NBA. However, Smart is absolutely tenacious on defense and is a proficient enough playmaker to rack up a significant number of assists. Out of the two, Smart probably carries the most fantasy relevance heading into 2017-18. Smart saw 30.4 minutes per game last year, recording 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.9 boards and 1.6 steals.

Cavaliers’ center (Love vs. Thompson)

The Cavaliers completely revamped their roster this offseason and ended up with too many talented, sub-par three point threats – namely, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade. In need of spacing, coach Tyronn Lue has opted to shift Kevin Love to center (2.4 threes per game at a 37.3 percent clip last season) and send Tristan Thompson to the bench.

Love’s already-high fantasy value should certainly receive a bump, as positioning him at center will put him in more opportunities for rebounds and should help him see more open looks from beyond the arc while opposing centers (think Marcin Gortat, Greg Monroe) try to close out on him. Love was already grabbing 11.1 boards per game with Tristan Thompson on the glass with him — don’t forget that Love averaged 15.2 (!) rebounds per game back in 2010-11. That’s not a prediction, but it’s certainly his best opportunity to re-establish himself as one of the league’s dominant rebounders.

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Nuggets’ point guard (Murray vs. Mudiay)

Unfortunately, this is still up in the air. My thought was that it’s Murray’s job to lose. Well, Mudiay and Murray have been putting up relatively comparable stat lines throughout the preseason and coach Michael Malone has remained cryptic as ever about the situation. At this point, I’d still be most comfortable drafting Murray in fantasy because he can play both guard spots. Thta said, I’d certainly explore my other options first.

Clippers’ guards (Teodosic vs. Beverley and Williams vs. Rivers)

I’m convinced these four players will all split minutes with one another and see 24 minutes per game. Each of them have their strengths and weaknesses, though it’s hard to point at one guy and claim he’s significant better for the team than the other. If you’re playing a categorical format, you’ll want to chase Teodosic for assists, Beverely for steals (and maybe rebounds), Williams for points and probably not Rivers at all. Either way, it’s tough to imagine any player receiving the minutes to warrant selection earlier than the ninth round of any draft.

Lakers’ forwards (Ingram vs. Kuzma vs. Randle)

The Lakers are going to have to give Kuzma minutes, right? He’s averaging 19.2 points this preseason while never seeing 30 minutes in any game. And he’s doing it efficiently – 56.3 percent from the field. The problem is that he’s a forward, like Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, who also have shown promise. One would think that Luol Deng’s and Corey Brewer’s minutes go to Kuzma at this point. Larry Nance still exists too, though.

I’m a little more worried for Randle’s role than Ingram’s. The Lakers were reportedly refusing to include Ingram in trade talks for Paul George over the summer, which demonstrates how highly the team values him. I’m comfortable drafting Ingram where I would have drafted him before Kuz-mania, but I might let Randle slip another round to be safe. Kuzma, himself, makes for one of the best late-round fliers when considering upside, as well.

Heat’s small forward (Winslow vs. McGruder vs. Richardson)

McGruder had been the starter in the preseason, but the Heat announced Thursday that a stress fracture in his leg will keep him out for the next 3-to-6 months. While McGruder is a fine player and coach Erik Spoelstra seems to enjoy playing him, I can’t convince myself that he’s better than Winslow or Richardson – or, at least, a better fantasy player.

With McGruder on the shelf until at least January, I envision Richardson and Winslow essentially sharing minutes until Spoelstra says something (please, say something). I wouldn’t take either guy higher than the 10th round until there’s any indication one of them will be seeing real starter’s minutes. Winslow will get you steals (1.4 in 34.7 minutes across 18 games last year) and Richardson will get you threes (1.4 in 30.5 minutes across 53 games last year).

Knicks (everyone except Porzingis and Hardaway, Jr.)

Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. should both see significant usage with Carmelo Anthony gone. They’re both skilled, proven players who should see 30 minutes per night, every night.

There are still four point guards on this team and I have no idea who will win the starting job. Would I give it to Ntilikina? Yes. Will coach Jeff Hornacek? No confidence. But, I do have confidence in Ntilikina having the biggest fantasy upside of any option. Ramon Sessions, Ron Baker and Jarrett Jack aren’t more than fringe backups. Ntilikina is raw, but the Knicks won’t be good and they’re probably better off giving him a trial by fire. He’s still a flier though – I’ll make that clear.

It’s also tough to predict is the team’s center situation – now occupied by both Enes Kanter and Willy Hernangomez. It’s still not clear who will start, but both have proven to be effective in limited minutes. Last season, Kanter posted 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds across 21.3 minutes while Hernangomez posted 8.2 points and 7.0 rebounds across 18.4 minutes. I don’t really think Joakim Noah will come back from suspension mid-season and disrupt things too much, either. In short, Hernangomez is a better rebounder while Kanter is a better scorer and they’ll likely both see enough run to warrant ownership across most formats.

Kings’ entire roster (everyone vs. everyone)

 The Kings represent maybe the most frustrating team in the NBA from a fantasy perspective. They’re riddled with both quality veteran talent (George Hill, Zach Randolph) but also young up-and-comers (De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, etc.). It’s still unclear where the minutes will go and if there will ever really be a set rotation.

I’d feel safest drafting Hill, considering his massive contract and ability to play both guard spots, and Cauley-Stein, who is decidedly better than their other options at the position. The team is simply too deep otherwise to accurately predict the kind of workload any of these guys will be getting on a regular basis.

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