#i did all this work on our research paper since this was given to us MONTHS ago

[grison-in-space]

I'm sorry? Pigeons have to coo to ovulate?

okay, okay, I left this one out in the tags without elaborating the other day and you were not the only person who asked-- @nanavn and @corvus--caurinus were also curious. I did not have a ton of time yesterday when my brain was not leaking out my ears, so here I am today.

First, I apparently misremembered my grad school teachings: the best-documented case study of doves being required to hear their own coo in order to ovulate is that of the ring or Barbary dove (Streptopelia risoria), not the rock dove which gave rise to our domestic pigeons (Columba livia). They look like this:

They're the domestic doves you see sometimes that aren't domestic pigeons.

But yes, I was completely serious: hens need to very specifically hear their own nest coo to ovulate. The way it works is this: these doves have a very specific courtship pattern, where courting males at different stages of the nesting process perform first a "bow" coo, then a nest coo. Then the hen makes a nest coo back, and the pair goes on to build a nest together in which the hen will lay fertile eggs.

If you prevent the hen from producing this coo--and the first paper I've linked does this in several different ways with both neural lesions and also mechanical blocks of the synrinx--she will not ovulate. Then Dr. Cheng tried rescuing the effect for doves who could hear but not produce their own coos by playing back recordings of devocalized doves' own nest coos, recordings of other hen's nest coos, recordings of male nest coos (their own males, I think, for preference?) and no recordings at all. Hen nest coo recordings, especially the recordings of the hens themselves, were enough to rescue ovulation effect... but deafened hens who could, themselves produce nest coos weren't able to make ovulation happen half the time even when the male was right there. The male nest coo and his mating display is really important, because his coo stimulates the female to make her nest coo, and that's where ovulation starts.

In 2003, a little over a decade later, Dr. Cheng wrote a whole book chapter about auditory self-stimulation as a phenomenon in neuroendocrine shifts. It makes for pretty interesting reading! I'm going to really enjoy it this afternoon. Stimulated ovulation is actually a pretty common phenomenon in animals--often it makes more sense to only bother ovulating if you know there's a partner around to use whatever eggs you yield up--but this one is one of the most interesting and elaborate systems out there, and definitely the one that offers the most options to a given female dove to potentially consciously control her reproductive output.

But grison, you might ask, what about the doves outside my window? Is this just a function of this one dove species, or are lots of doves doing this to make ovulation happen? So I went looking to find out whether anyone has checked. The thing is that the heyday of pigeon behavioral research has faded somewhat in the intervening decades since Dr. Cheng's discovery, so there's not as much as I might hope where people sat down to investigate the question. I did, however, find a neat study on Columba livia demonstrating that auditory stimulation is more important to courtship displays and success than visual displays are, although of course the multisensory courtship is stronger than either sensory modality alone. So yeah, the cooing back and forth really loudly is part of a display that is functionally necessary for successfully producing offspring, and the auditory component is important for basically every pigeon that has been studied in this respect (albeit that number is pitifully small).

I also found this really interesting review of known uses of birdsong to set internal emotional states in birds (either for the self or for a partner or flockmates) that I want to look into with more detail, plus this really thoughtful review from Dr. Donna Maney talking about how "incentive salience" can use learning and experience to make certain cues bring up neuroendocrine changes in state over time, which helps individuals control how their endocrine system is reacting to stimuli in the world they've been shaped by. Clearly I have some reading to do...

[dreamlandiasims]

previous | next

Erwin: Back in the 70s, Strangerville was a military base and research facility. Well, it was a town before that, too, but the government presence really made it what it is today. The story is they got a report one day of some strange plant growing here and the feds rolled into to check it out. Turns out, the plant was alien in nature. The military did their best to cover it up, but it caught the attention of some of the early ufologists, namely the Curious brothers. Long story short, the military lost control of the situation, the plant-alien threatened to take over the town, and the ufologists had to dispose of it.

Frankie: There’s no way a single word of that is true.

Erwin: Yeah, well, that’s what a lot of people said to the Curious brothers. The government sealed the case up tight, and without any proof, no one believed them. Anyways, the town was pretty quiet after that. Officially, the military operation here was done. But in reality, they had worked out an under-the-table deal with some private organization, which bought the lab and took over research there.

Frankie: I met someone at the lab who said he owned it—well, paid for it at least. Ted Roswell?

Erwin: Ah, the Roswells. So this organization that bought the lab, it’s called Agnos. I don’t know much about it—there’s, like, nothing online—but it seems to involve the leaders and wealthy elite of cities all over the country. I’m talking Del Sol Valley, San Myshuno, Willow Creek… I don’t think the Roswells are really involved at the highest level. But they have the money to keep the lab in operation, so they’re given just enough power and influence to stay loyal.

Frankie: Wait… so how does BioSim Tech come into all of this?

Erwin: Well, now that’s the next piece of the puzzle. BioSim Tech is a real, legit company—but it’s owned by Agnos. They seem to dabble in a lot of different industries, but “bio engineering” is their main focus. On paper, the company is dedicated to “developing cutting edge solutions towards a brighter future for Sims everywhere”.

Frankie: Okay, sure.

Erwin: So it seems like they’re working on cures for disease, operations to increase longevity, things like that. But—and this part is just my theory, by the way—I think it’s all a front. I think what they’re really interested in is Strangerville’s connection to the extraterrestrial.

Frankie: Here we go…

Erwin: See, the alien plant… no one knows how it got here. It just appeared one day. Now, one of the leading theories among ufologists is that there are certain places in the world—places where there’s a higher frequency of abduction stories, UFO sightings, what have you—and that this means that the fabric, the material, separating our world from others is thinner, or more fragile. And so, periodically there are events that may cause a small tear—

Frankie: Aaaand you’ve lost me. How does any of this help me find my mom?

Erwin: I’m getting to that, if you’ll just listen…

Frankie: I’m trying! Could you get there a little faster maybe?

Erwin: Fine. Forget my theories, here’s what I know. A few years ago a new team of scientists showed up, some sort of changing of the guard. Still part of BioSim Tech, but… different somehow. More secretive, more controlling. And things have been weird here ever since. Technology going haywire, people losing their memories, and… well… people coming to town and never leaving.

Frankie: Wait, what?

Erwin: It’s not every person that drives through. But every now and then, they’ll decide to stick around—sometimes they’re tourists, sometimes… they have car trouble. And within a few days, they’ve disappeared. No one sees them leave, but we all just assume they skipped town. You know… helps us sleep at night.

Frankie: And you didn’t think to tell me this sooner?

Erwin: Look, I’m sorry. Like I said, it’s not every person that comes through. I didn’t want to scare you unnecessarily. Also… they scare the shit out of me. Agnos seems to have eyes and ears everywhere. People that go out of their way to warn others… also disappear.

Frankie: … What are they doing with the people they take?

Erwin: That… I don’t know.

Frankie: Then let’s find out.

Erwin: I, erm, what?

Frankie: You and me, Merlin. We’re getting into that lab.

[george-weasleys-girl]

Hiya! Can you write a fic on the twins hosting a Halloween party in the common room for the Griffindors? But Fred (her best friend) is sad as he notices reader isn't there, and he finds her (after using Harry's map) in the clock tower, she tells him she doesn't like parties as they're too overwhelming for her as there's too many people & throws her own personal party in the clock tower. 🎃

A Party for Two

Fred Weasley x fem!reader

Warnings: none

Fred sighed, his eyes searching the common room for any sign of Y/N. He couldn't understand why she wasn't here. Her roommates had arrived without her, saying she'd be along shortly.

That was an hour ago.

He wracked his brain, thinking back over the last couple of weeks. Y/N hadn't given him any indication that she wouldn't be here. Then, he began to wonder if he'd said or did something to upset her. She did seem a little quieter than usual at lunch today, but he'd just wrote it off to stress due to the research paper she'd been working on for potions class.

Where was she?

She wasn't in her dorm room.

Did she fall ill suddenly?

Did she hurt herself somehow?

Should he check the hospital wing?

The older twin weaved his way through the crowd to the one person who could help him find her quickly.

~•~

"Hey there, Y/N."

Y/N turned at the sound of Fred's voice and smiled. "You found me."

Fred held up the Marauders map. "What are you doing up here all alone?" He looked around the clock tower before sitting down beside her. "I kept watching for you at the party."

"Sorry," she sighed. "I really did intend on going. But the closer it got, the more nervous I got about the whole thing. You know I don't do well at parties. Too loud and too many people."

Fred nodded. "I should've remembered that, love. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she elbowed him gently. "You know, you should get back, instead of sitting up here coddling me. I'll maybe come down later."

"But, I don't want to leave you up here all by yourself," he argued.

"I'll be fine, Freddie," she coaxed. "I promise. Now go. Shoo." She waved him off.

Fred took one last sad look at her before heading back down.

~•~

Y/N sighed and returned her attention to the clear, starry sky. Her heart hurt at how crestfallen he looked when he left.

I'm a terrible best friend, she thought.

After about twenty minutes of debating with herself, she'd almost decided to go down to the party, if only for a few minutes, when a jack o' lantern floated up the stairs and sat itself down on the ledge.

Followed by another.

And then another.

Then, several candles floated up, with a few orange and black streamers that attached themselves to the wall.

"What the... " Y/N circled around, watching the parade of decorations dancing around her.

It was only then that she heard someone bounding up the stairs, and then Fred's ginger head appeared, a giddy grin gracing his face. He was carrying a small radio and some blankets. Behind him was a second, smaller parade of snacks and drinks.

"I thought since you weren't comfortable coming down to the party," he said, skipping up the last few stairs. "I thought you and I could have our own little party up here."

He laid out the blankets, and the food settled gently down on one of them. "What do you think?"

Y/N blinked back tears, taking in the scene. "I - uh, it's amazing," she stammered. "I really don't deserve you as a best friend."

"What?" Fred blinked in surprise. "Nonsense, you're the bestest best friend I could ask for!" He put his arm around her, pulling her into his side. "If anything, it's me that doesn't deserve you."

Y/N opened her mouth to protest, but Fred put a finger to her lips. "Nope. No arguing. I'm Fred Weasley, and I'm always right."

She snorted and shook her head, wiping at her eyes, before smiling up at him. "Thank you, Fred."

"Anything for you," he returned her smile. "Now, what shall we do first? Eat or dance?"

"Eat!" She said, diving for the food. "I'm absolutely famished!"

~•~

@milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley @nighttimemoonlover @jsjcue @wzrd-wheezes @fredweasleyyyyy @hufflepuffie @alexistonks @anvaaryn @samshifts @asuperconfusedgirl @superduckmilkshake @mysticsheepsoul @gemofthenight @1lellykins @junerprsh @sierraluvz @wolfkill16 @smallsweetvanillabean @costheticbabe @charmedfandomgal @hanne-montana @rhunew @greenapplegrass @lizzytrees @spididerman @Havenater1920 @jelloangela @whotfskai @netflix-addict @lunacurlclaw

[fake-guns-blazing]

yesterday at work, a group of young guys got in line to check out with me. three of them were wearing shirts that looked like they might be from a school; i wasn’t sure which one. i saw them signing in ASL and realized that they must all be deaf. i got this “oh no” feeling—not because of the guys, but because of me.

i didn’t freeze; i started doing my job, ringing them up. on the inside, though, i was thinking through a lot of scenarios. some transactions are very easy and don’t require a lot of communication between the cashier and the customer, while others are more involved: i might have to explain a sale or help a customer use our app, for example. i thought to myself, “i can’t speak ASL (and i don’t think anyone else who works here can either). what if this is one of those complicated transactions? what will i do then?”

i was very grateful when one of the guys asked me where the bathroom was by typing a question in the notes app on his phone. i thought, “there, that’s what i’ll do.” i grabbed my phone and typed out “aisle 5, at the back of the store.”

i did end up having to ask a few questions (“would you like paper bags?” etc.). i typed them out on my phone and showed it to one of the guys, and was pretty much able to gauge from his body language what the answers were.

i believe that this was the absolute best i could do in that situation, given my abilities (or lack thereof). but since then, i haven’t been able to shake the feeling that i could do better. not in that particular case (i don’t think), but in the future, i can do better. i’ve had a few encounters at work where some knowledge of ASL would have been helpful, but this one made me feel like it’s a need.

it’s a need, and it’s a want. a very real want. because at the end of our transaction, the guy i had been directing my questions to signed “thank you,” and i recognized it. sure, it’s a simple sign, but i honestly haven’t had much exposure to ASL in my life beyond the knowledge that it exists. if i had ever seen anyone say “thank you” in ASL before yesterday, i don’t remember it. there wasn’t really any reason i would have known what he was saying, but i knew! and it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. if i’ve ever had a moment of catharsis, that was it.

so i’m going to do some research and find out the best ways for me to learn, and then i’m going to learn, because i need to. because i want to. because i want to be more helpful to more people at work. because i want to make more connections. because i want less of that “what do i do?” and more of that “i understand!” feeling that gives me butterflies every time i think about it.

[newtabfics]

I'm hooked on redeemed ganondorf and the researcher. when do they confess? How did they confess really? What happened!

okay so...i'll admit, this is absolutely my own headcanon for their "confession". I say it like that cuz it's not exactly a confession. Read on to understand but before you do:

Trigger warnings for hostage situation and combat violence.

Ganondorf frowned when he knocked on her door. It was nearly the end of the day and no one had seen Y/N. Given her adept ability to get in trouble at any moment if left unsupervised, he began to worry.

When no answer came, he called out her name, listening carefully before opening the door.

"If I ever don't answer, just come on in. I might just be too engrossed in my study," She'd told him once ages ago.

His eyes scanned over the room before widening as he caught sight of her desk. The chair was thrown aside and papers were scattered everywhere, a knife embedded in the book. The knife pinned a single parchment to her book.

Ripping it out, he read over the note and felt his blood boil before storming out, letter in one hand, knife in the other.

This seemed to grab the attention of a lot of Sheikah, however, as everyone was immediately on guard. Even the dragons that loomed over Kakariko growled softly at his fury.

"Stop right there!" An aged voice barked, making him freeze. He looked over to see Impa walking to him with Link and Zelda in tow. "What happened?" She asked simply.

"Lady Impa," A Sheikah said. "He came out of Y/N's house with the knife. No one has seen her all day and–"

"Was I talking to you?" She asked him before looking at him. "Something's happened. What was it?"

Ganondorf said nothing before giving her the letter. His body language told of unchecked anger that had burned hotter than Death Mountain.

She took it and read it over, paling. "The Yiga," She hissed. "So they managed to sneak past our guards." Looking up at him, she said, "It seems they've found you again. What will you do?"

"I'm bringing her home," He said simply as Link and Zelda hurried up. "Link, the Yiga have kidnapped Y/N. They believe they can use her as a bargaining chip to free me from the Sheikah."

Link clenched his jaw as he nodded. "We should move quickly then."

Y/N kept still as she watched the Yiga around her. She was being held in a small room within their Depths Base. It was one of the many Link had confessed to infiltrating. The only thing is, this one in particular sat atop a series of huge stalagmites.

She peeked through the opening to see gliders fixed with fans patrolling the hut. Outside, a Zonai device she recognized as a Construct Head was fixated to the door, a Beam Emitter practically glued onto the top.

No chance of escaping by herself, she realized, sighing softly as she looked to the ropes on her wrist and feet.

Taking a slow breath, she bit into the rope at her wrists, testing and tugging at the knot to find some give for it as she listened carefully to the emptiness of the Depths.

With the Gloom gone, it was somewhat peaceful. Though there were the Frox and the Stal monsters, it was still quiet.

She gulped as she finally undid her wrists, rubbing them before working at her feet.

"Just keep quiet and we won't have to kill you," One of the yiga said as he tightened the ropes on her when she was brought to the others.

She'd been ripped from her home, her face aching from the beating as she focused on what she could do. But what could she do when she'd been surrounded by Yiga as they took the balloon from their base in the Gerudo Highlands and into the Depths? She wasn't sure how long had passed since she'd been taken late at night, just that she was exhausted and needed to escape.

Y/N adjusted in the room, peeking again. She blinked as she noticed the seal on the doors and sighed. There was absolutely no way of getting out unless she took out the Yiga that'd sealed the door.

A sudden alarm sounding, a horn, made her jump and duck down as she heard an explosion down below. A shadow loomed over the window as the Beam Emitter had gone off before it was ultimately destroyed and the doors ripped open.

Ganondorf came in and locked onto her quickly, his usual stoic expression replaced with unfiltered joy as he hurried to her, taking her in her arms and holding her tight. "You're alright," He whispered.

Y/n clung to him, shaking. "You know how to make an entrance," She giggled softly. "Please. I want to leave."

"Hold onto me," he commanded. She did so, blushing as he lifted her and walked to the edge of the cliff, jumping down. He dropped to one knee as the impact of their combined weight echoed around them.

"Master Ganondorf!" one of the Yiga members gasped before being knocked out by Link.

"She alright?!" He called over the sounds of the battle.

"Yes. Let's go!" Ganondorf barked as he hurried her to a strange Zonai Vehicle. "Hold on."

"Oh goddess, did Link  build this monster?" She whispered as he set her down, taking hold of the cannon attached. She ducked, covering her ears as it charged and fired into the clump of Yiga that aimed for Link.

He hurried to the vehicle and took hold of the steering stick as Ganondorf manned the canon, hurrying across the rugged terrain.

Y/N gulped as she saw the Yiga pursuing quickly and scanned the skies, paling as she locked onto the glider.

"Incoming!" She yelled, pointing to the glider with a canon of its own attached.

They didn't have enough time as the Yiga attacked, blasting the vehicle apart and knocking them in different directions.

Y/N groaned as she tried to sit up before being ripped to her feet. The knife against her throat made her whimper as Ganondorf stood, glaring furiously at the Yiga.

"Let her go," Link snarled, on his feet as he pulled out his sword.

"Not a chance! Return our master to us and we might spare her!" The Yiga member snapped. "We have you surrounded, Link. It's over."

Link clenched his jaw as he eyed his surroundings, noting the multiple Yiga members all twirling the blades menacingly.

"You will spare her," Ganondorf said simply. "She is mine. You won't hurt her." 

Y/N's heart skipped as the Yiga shifted, looking at Ganondorf as his eyes locked onto hers. "Y/N, I swear to you, I'll get you home."

"Ganny," She whispered, surprising her with the determined look he gave her before nodding, the blade nipping at her skin. "I know you will. I trust you."

"Wait what?" The Yiga asked, staring at Ganondorf in almost horror as his arms loosened.

Ganondorf moved too fast for even Link to react as he suddenly ripped away the Yiga's blade from Y/N and snapped his arm. The man yelled in agony as Y/N grimaced at the sickening crunch before being pulled against the massive figure that hurried back to Link's side.

Link moved in front of them, guarding them as Ganondorf quickly checked her for injury, examining her throat.

"I-I'm okay," She assured him as his eyes locked onto her cheek. The bruise, she realized. "You know how I am. I wouldn't let them take me without a fight," She joked softly. She gulped as his eyes darkened and his breath picked up. "Ganny?" She whispered.

"They hurt you," He rumbled before straightening and glaring down at the remaining Yiga members that staggered. "Which one of you was it?" He asked simply, even making Link shiver in fear.

Link glanced back to see Ganondorf glaring squarely at the shifting Yiga members before reaffirming his grip on his weapon. "Better answer him," He said simply. "He doesn't fuck around when it comes to her."

Ganondorf stepped forward, looming over the Yiga members. "I will reduce you to ash and resurrect you in the flames of Death Mountain until I have decided you've had enough. For three days, she was missing. For three days, I will destroy your body and rebuild it and repeat this until you are just as broken as the clan you claim loyalty to. Now, which one of you was it?"

Rather than answering, the Yiga fled, leaving the three in the underworld only lit by the nearby Lightroot.

Escaping the Depths was much easier, given the balloons now stationed at every Chasm. Ganondorf lit the flame as Link rubbed a soothing balm into her raw wrists. Slowly, the balloon began to climb up into the air.

"I'm okay. Really," She offered, smiling. "Thank you."

Link sighed, shaking his head. "You're learning how to fight. No questions about it. You'll have to put away your books to learn it though."

"What? No!" She whined, making him smirk as he elbowed her before nodding to Ganondorf. The man was still glaring into the darkness as if challenging anyone to come near them again.

Link's elbow bumped against her side as he smiled at her. Y/N blinked when he winked and stood, dramatically crying out in false fear. "Oh no! I'm going to fall! Ah!"

Y/N blinked as Link jumped from the hot air balloon, leaving both her and Ganondorf to peer over the edge to see his paraglider open up as he glided down into the Depths.

"How has he lived into adulthood?" Ganondorf muttered.

"No clue. Zelda says he's too wild for his own good," She responded before glancing at him. His amber eyes kept fixated on Link even after he'd vanished into the darkness. "Ganondorf…are you alright?"

"I should ask you that," he sighed as he finally looked at her as they sat. He reached forward, fingers grazing over her cheek. "Does it hurt?"

"Aches, but it's nothing that a bit of rest won't help." She gulped when his thumb rubbed over where the blade had gently nicked her, smearing the small drop of blood that seeped out. Her heart began to hammer as he moved closer.

He pulled her close, resting his chin on her head as he cradled her to him. Slowly, she relaxed into his hold and hugged him. "I'm glad to have you back alive," he sighed finally.

She smiled. "Wouldn't have done it without you." She adjusted and kissed his cheek. "Stop saving me so much. I'm starting to feel like a damsel," She joked.

Ganondorf only smiled, ignoring the way his heart hammered as he hugged her to him again as the balloon sailed over the Chasm edge and into the orange Hyrule sky.

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes-Chapter 3

Fandom: Supergirl

Characters: Kara Danvers, Clark Kent, Samantha Arias, Lena Luthor

Summary: What if superheroes had to pay a property damage tax every time they had a fight in the city?

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Kara was seated across from Lena in her office. They were both just staring at each other with Samantha looking at them nervously from the other side of the room. It felt like they were in a never ending don’t blink challenge except that it had only been just a few minutes. Lena’s startled stare from early had turned icy. Kara had to admit to herself that Lena was impressive. The girl exuded confidence and intimidation with her stare, but it wasn’t enough to scare Kara off. She just kept giving her brightest smile while she waited. After another 2 minutes, Lena blinked, sighed, and shook her head. Kara had to stifle the chuckle that threaten to come out of her mouth. 

I may be able to wear her down just yet.

“Why are you here, Supergirl?”

“As I was telling your co-worker over there, I am here to volunteer for the hospital. I saw that you needed people to interact with the….”

Lena shook her head and said, “No, No. No. Don’t give me that professional bullshit! Why are you really here?”

The raven haired beauty leaned forwarded in her chair with her eyes issuing a challenge. 

Ah, she can be insightful. But would she be receptive to my true motives though?

“Honestly, I would like to use this opportunity to set myself apart from the one you called if I remembered correctly, a pompous jackass.”

“I knew I should have paid extra to have this whole office sound proof,” Lena muttered. 

Kara chuckled to herself. Lena was proving herself to be more and more interesting. She just wished she could be completely honest with her. It wasn’t quite a lie that she told her. She hated constantly being compared to the golden child that is her cousin. At least that is what the public believes. They already established a narrative in the papers that she was not only his cousin but that she was younger than him and had took her in like she was some poor defenseless child. 

If only they knew that I am not only technically older, but had to change that bumbling idiots diapers. 

“Some would see this as some type of ploy given our families history,” mused Lena. 

Hmmm, not taking the original statement. Going to have to push just a bit harder.

“I do see your point, but I think this can be an opportunity to help each other.”

Lena narrowed her eyes and scoffed. 

“And how exactly is that?”

Kara smiled brightly and said, “I did a quick research on this hospital last night. You poured a good portion of your money into this place to create state of the art equipment to provide the best quality of care for the children here. However, you have no investors to keep the cash flow coming. Several papers have done hit pieces which suggest you are working with Lex at the hospital in order to experiment on kids.”

“Which are all lies!”

Kara smirked and said, “I know that, but the public needs help with figuring that out.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I propose a partnership between the both of us. You can use photos and videos of me interacting with the kids at the hospital, and I can make an appearance at the hospital’s benefits and events to create a positive spin to rehab this place’s image.”

“And what would you want in return?”

“I just need to work off my $10,000. Plus, it would be an added bonus if this helps people to stop mistaking me for my cousin.”

Lena sighed and placed her head in her hands. 

“I don’t know about all of this.”

Sam came over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Lena, this really could be we have been waiting for.”

“There has to be another way,” Lena muttered. 

Kara leaned back into her chair with a coy smile. 

“I guess the question you need to ask yourself is if you want your pride to come before the hospital since you don’t have enough money to keep it open another two months.”

Lena smashed her fist on her desk and looked enraged. 

“Hey! That is not fair. I can stretch my funds a little longer until we find somebody…”

Kara brightly smiled while leaning forward. 

“Do tell. Who exactly will be helping? The public hates you. Other superheroes seem to have the same perception as well since I am the only superhero that has applied to your posting other than the trolls since it went live over a year ago.”

The hate for Lena wasn’t exaggerated. The vitriol that Kara read in the paper about Lena made her skin crawl. The other superheroes weren’t much better. Some wanted to torture Lena to find out what she knew about Lex, but Clark stopped them. That startled Kara considering his hatred towards her brother. He said that going after her would go against everything they stood for. Kara often wondered if that was really true or if he was just giving the politically correct response. Kara stared back at Lena. She looked like she was in emotional turmoil twisting her hands like they were on fire.

Sam shook her head and sighed. 

“Lena, we are at the point where it is this or your mother and you know how your mother is.”

Lena placed her head in her arms on the desk and groaned for a moment. 

She looked back up with a grimace on her face. 

“Alright, we have a deal.”

Kara smiled brightly and put out her hand. Lena looked at it with a frown at first but gradually took her hand and shook it.

“Trust me! This will be a start of a beautiful relationship.”

“If only I could believe that fully.”

“Aww. Don’t sulk. I think we can make SuperCorp into a thing.”

Lena raised an eyebrow while staring at Kara.

“SuperCorp?”

“Yeah. A Super and a Corporate woman putting their families petty differences aside to make the world a better place. You can use it in marketing to promote the activities and benefits you want me to come too.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Sam chuckled and said, “It sounds perfect. I can already think of the things we can do with that theme.”

She quickly began jotting several ideas down in her phone.

Lena stared incredulously at her friend and loudly whispered, “Don’t encourage her!”

She turned back to Kara with reigned in passivity. 

“How do I contact you about upcoming events?”

Kara pulled from her pocket a small hand held device and handed it to Lena. She looked back up at Kara with confusion.

“You really just want me to press just the red button and you come running straight here?”

Kara chuckled and said, “While the red button is for emergencies, there are several other smaller buttons that you can used on the device.”

Lena frowned and looked at it more closely. She didn’t notice before, but there were several buttons, a phone and a pen. She pressed the phone icon which produced a holographic keypad where you can dial out and make a call. She noticed it had a contact list which currently only listed Supergirl, but didn’t display the number. She pressed the pen icon which brought up a holographic keyboard where she could type out messages. 

She looked up at Kara impressed but quickly changed her expression to passiveness. 

“This will do just nicely.”

She is so cute trying to hide how much she likes the tech.

Kara was jolted out of thought by a noise coming through her comms. 

“Supergirl, this is Batman. We need you in Central City. Gorilla Grodd and Solomon Grundy are raiding S.T.A.R. Labs.”

Kara sighed because she had been enjoying the tense conversation with the intriguing Ms. Luthor. 

“I am sorry to have to cut this meeting short. Duty calls.”

With that, Kara quickly flew from the room. 

It may take some time, but I think I can win Ms. Luthor over. 

[scientia-rex]

Hi scientia-rex, I've been reading your post on weight loss. It looks good, but i'm not sure what to do with it given that it's my doctor telling me loose weight. But my real question a while ago I was frustratedly googling research starting from the question "well why the fuck would liposuction NOT work?" Attacking the fat directly rather then pulling at caloric levers seems like at better attack vector. And it seemed like the answer was that the subcutaneous fat was the wrong fat to attack. The visceral fat around the intestines is different in type and does a lot of hormonal work. Ok, I googled, can someone remove *that* fat? And I found what looks like fucking gold to me. Because someone *is*! and they just started! Here are some links. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/04/22/belly-fat-removal-surgery-study-shows-remarkable-results-for-patients-with-type-2-diabetes/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29631983/ https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03953963 https://www.sbir.gov/node/1911833 Someone is doing early human trials on this and it looks like it's getting good results. I asked my doctor about and she had never heard of it. The other doc in the office asked around a a bariatrics conference and didn't learn any more about it there either. What is our take, is this as hopeful as it looks?

Hard maybe. Although the initial data cited looks positive, the fact that this experiment has been running since at least 2018 (date of first publication) and I didn't hear about it during residency and since then, and only one citing paper with similar results in a baboon model using cryoablation, I feel like this is less likely to be groundbreaking in the way the original author represents it. It could be, but you need to keep in mind that this is a multi billion dollar industry, and if surgeons or researchers smelled an opportunity to create a new surgical sub-specialty with insane profit potential, it would happen ASAP--not overnight, but probably faster than this, with more press. More researchers would be working on this, and there would be a rapidly growing body of literature, which there doesn't appear to be. No guarantee that it's not the Next Hot Thing, but you also need to keep in mind that the question of whether visceral fat actually is worse for us in a causative fashion than subcutaneous fat is still debatable.

I've lived through a lot of "very promising" research that turned out to be nowhere near as useful as it initially looked, so I'll care more about this if/when it gets the same kind of press as Ozempic did. I always compare new medical interventions to Viagra--when that came out, the whole world knew about it damn near overnight. No questions, no maybes, it was "this thing actually works," and all those ads for Spanish fly in the back of adult magazines collapsed almost entirely. Sure, you can still find random placebos in gas stations, but everyone knows what the thing is that works.

[cmbenvs3000f24]

Unit 2 Blog Post

My ideal role as an environmental interpreter has been inspired by nature interpreters that have made a difference in my life. This has influenced the qualities I value in interpretation and would hope to share with others. 

A moment that has impacted my interpretation journey was going on a whale watching tour while visiting São Miguel Island in Portugal. While it was amazing to witness sperm whales and dolphins in their natural habitat, the interpreters also educated us on threats to marine mammal populations, such as ship collisions and climate change. Since the boat also operated as a research vessel, they explained all the instruments they were using to collect data on these species. This tour opened my eyes to marine mammal conservation issues, but did so in an uplifting way. After the tour was complete, I did not feel hopeless about the state of our whale and dolphin populations. Instead, I understood the importance of the research being done by the interpreters, and felt inspired to get involved. 

Whale watching on São Miguel Island, Portugal.

I am not the only one who has been influenced by nature interpretation in this way. In a study analyzing the conservation intentions of whale watchers, research showed that creating an emotional connection through interpretation increased the drive of tourists to protect these species (Jacobs & Harms, 2014). Reading this paper and relating it to my own experiences emphasized to me the importance of research-based interpretation in conservation. 

This also relates to Tilden’s Principles of Interpretation. In the textbook, these are explained as gifts given to an audience through an interpretative experience. Two of these principles, the gift of provocation and the gift of beauty, stood out to me. The gift of provocation is the inspiration that an interpretive experience offers to people, challenging them to think in a new way. The gift of beauty is an appreciation of natural beauty that motivates conservation. These two principles describe how I felt after my whale watching experience: in awe of the beauty around me, and inspired to help. As a nature interpreter, I would want to pass these gifts on to others around me. 

In short, my ideal role as an environmental interpreter would be a combination of research and interpretation. I am interested in collecting data and studying wildlife, but also in sharing this information with others. This could mean working as an ecologist at national park or conservation area, or anywhere that people go with the goal of connecting with nature. I would love to help foster this connection in an enthusiastic, uplifting way.  Since this position may require driving research boats or leading hikes, I would need a wide variety of basic outdoor skills. I would also need a broad knowledge base on the topic that I am sharing, as I would want to be able to answer questions with confidence. 

A photo taken at Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island. I hope to work at a national park or conservation area in the future.

Experiencing good nature interpretation, and being given the gifts of provocation and beauty in a research-focused way has been inspiring to me. I would love to help pass these gifts on to others as an interpreter. 

Works Cited

Jacobs, M. H., & Harms, M. (2014). Influence of interpretation on conservation intentions of whale tourists. Tourism Management, 42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.11.009

Knudson, L.B.T.T.C.D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For a Better World. Sagamore Publishing LLC. https://sagamore.vitalsource.com/books/9781571678669

[jeannereames]

Out of curiosity, were there any facts (inasmuch as we can have in history) about atg/h that you were surprised to learn? Ones that are now in your view of them but when you learned them you thought them ooc or unrealistic

Sorry if this question doesn't make much sense, it's very late at night haha!

After studying them so long (over 30 years now), it can be hard for me to remember reactions, but two things do stick out:

When I realized Hephaistion wasn’t ethnically Macedonian.

While this is now pretty well-accepted, when I first stumbled over the name issue, back around 1995/96, working on my dissertation, nobody had assumed him anything other than a Macedonian. My discovery to the contrary was pure chance. The only place his origin town was given in our sources (Arrian) also happened to list Leonnatos as from Pella, but we know he was from Lynkestis. So I thought, “Oh, hey, I’ll go check and see if the names Hephaistion or Amyntor pop up on tombstones anywhere else in Macedonia.”

That was one BIG rabbit hole, let me tell you!

At the time, as a young scholar—even with oversight from two excellent senior ancient historians—I didn’t (in retrospect) do as thorough a job with the name search as I should have. I’ve remedied that since. My definitive work on Hephaistion’s ethnicity is now, “Becoming Macedonian: Name-mapping and Ethnic Identity. The case of Hephaistion,” with accompanying digital history mapping. But even back in the late ‘90s, my rudimentary onomastic (name) search was good enough to make my point so that it now appears in many/most entries on him. But it certainly wasn’t anything I expected to discover. An off-the-cuff question for my dissertation turned into a major rethinking about Hephaistion’s origins and helps us to better understand Macedonian naturalization.

The second surprise also concerns Hephaistion: that his military assignments were largely logistical and/or diplomatic.

When I set out to write my dissertation, my goal was to show that Hephaistion was more important than typically recognized in modern scholarship, so I collected every ancient reference to him, in all ancient sources. At the time, I did it on 3x5 cards. This research started in 1992, right after I got to Penn State. (Yes, I already knew what my dissertation would be on; I just had to convince Gene Borza that it was doable.)

Anyway, as I was playing with my cards, trying to sort them into broad types, I noticed some odd discrepancies. Now, first, be aware that statistics are a problem in ancient history because we have such SMALL samples. But looking at differences of 3-to-1, that got my attention.

That’s when I realized most of Hephaistion’s assignments were of a specific TYPE: logistical and/or diplomatic. Again, that’s now a generally accepted detail, but it wasn’t until I started making piles out of my 3x5 cards. Some of these conclusions were later published as “The Cult of Hephaistion,” with, yes, tables of these assignments.

This is a good place to make an important point for young scholars. Get in there and do the counting. Be comprehensive. Keep lists. Make 3x5 cards or sticky-notes. Record citations physically on large sheets of paper so you can visualize how it stacks up. In the day of digital, we lose track of just how much we can learn from SEEING in physical space.

Below are a couple pictures I took recently (2022), while recording Every. Single. Religious. Reference, in our 5 original sources. LOOK at it. Note the differences in patterns on the pages. That yielded a really interesting (to me) book chapter on how our sources talk about Philip and Alexander’s use of religion on campaign. This will come out in 2024 as part of a Companion book edited by Ed Anson. (Yes, there are tables!) I took the pictures to show Ed I was hard at work on it, as I was running a little late. But I’m glad I did take it, as it really illustrates how much one can deduce just from seeing.

I’ll be taking the same tactic as I move forward on my study of Hephaistion and Krateros’s careers. I’ll do for Krateros the same thing I did for Hephaistion (I still have those cards!). But I’ll also sort references by ancient author, to see patterns in how each represents the two men. I think it’s important to look at both, a horizontal examination of the type of reference, and a vertical look at trends within authors.

Yeah, I like my lists/tables. But I believe in being thorough. Impressions are suspect. Show me the numbers. (Even if I went into history to avoid math!)

[thefirstknife]

Is stuff like clarity control and ahsa widely known within the destiny universe? Or is it classified? Like does your average run of the mill vanguard operative know about what’s going on on Titan, Does that Exo that work at the bar in town know about clarity

Is it on a need to know Basis where vanguard operatives know but civilians don’t ?

Not only asking about those two things necessarily but things of a similar kind too. Things like the seraph satellites and their destruction, the stuff that’s happens in the throne world or even Saladin now being a part of caiatls war council as well

These things are fairly well known, at least to Guardians! I'm not entirely sure it actual civilians in the City know everything, though they must know at least some stuff given that it frequently impacts their lives and Guardians also tend to chat a lot. There's probably some stuff that doesn't really reach the civilians, but I believe most of it does one way or another, mostly through Guardians.

Usually how it's treated is that a select few people find out first, which technically just means the Vanguard and the Young Wolf and some other people like for example Osiris or Drifter or whoever is involved in the story. New missions, raids and dungeons are first uncovered and cleared by the YW and a few other guardians (since raids in particular need 6 total people).

But after that, all of these missions become open to others and every time we clear them, it's canonical in some way. Some more so than others; for example us killing Fikrul over and over in his strike was canon every time. Some other missions might be sort-of canon as in we go back into these areas to clear out ads, but we don't really kill the same boss over and over. But repeated visits are canonical and other Guardians are free to go in and learn and get loot. As soon as you get hundreds of people freely entering these areas, the news would spread pretty fast. The only question is how interested civilians are in some of these things.

A few examples of this:

recently when we discovered Spire of the Watcher dungeon, canonically the YW did it first, but afterwards Ana Bray hired another fireteam to go back in for more data. Our repeated visits are treated more or less the same; as Guardians going in for loot and information.

Stuff we discovered in the Vow of the Disciple is known and Guardians were hired to transfer samples and information out of the Pyramid, detailed here showing a random Guardian transporting samples which didn't end well for him. However, this shows that these things aren't kept a strict secret, as many Guardians are required to secure locations like this, keep enemies out and gather data. Similarly, the Preservation mission is canonically happening over and over which allows Guardians to enter the Pyramid and clear it of Scorn so anyone can go in and snoop around.

Other stuff that might feel like it would be classified, like certain texts, are widely available. Witch Queen Collector's Edition showed us that both Books of Sorrow and Unveiling are being read by pretty much everyone casually. These texts were otherwise unlocked by us in missions, but once they're unlocked, it seems like they become available to everyone else in the setting freely.

Sometimes others actually precede the YW and the Vanguard in some missions, like for example with Garden of Salvation raid. That was first done by a completely different fireteam, including the discovery of the exotic gun from it, Divinity. It's unclear how much of it they did exactly, but they reference the Divinity puzzle and actually get the gun. They were definitely in the space first.

We also know that civilians are also involved with research and science in the world, shown here by listing a few papers written by civilian researchers. This also shows that there's a scientific journals with a lot of volumes and papers being released. So even outside of learning things from Guardians, civilians surely have access to general knowledge and new discoveries in the setting. That doesn't mean that everyone knows everything by default, as it probably depends on someone's personal interests first and foremost, as well as how new or potentially dangerous some information is. For example at this point, stuff about the DSC and new discoveries about Exos are probably fairly spread out, so a random Exo civilians is probably aware of it (if they care enough to read into it). I'm sure some brand new stuff is kept contained for a while so Ahsa was probably a secret until we were sure that she's not a danger to us, but now she may be better known, especially since she fought by our side and is our ally.

[grison-in-space]

I did a bit of de novo genome assembly way, way back in the day which I have never been able to use professionally because my PI refused to spend $2000 more on getting new read depth. He had ordered the reads before actually learning anything about the pipeline and only about half of the libraries he had ordered were usable in any given pipeline, see. (Some had been for older assembly methods and others had been for newer ones, basically.)

Rather than find the money to fucking get me the reads to do it right, he heard about an open source project called RACA that was some dude's dissertation arguing that you COULD use some of the worthless libraries to fill in the gaps of the assembly and get a functional genome out of it. I spent two years trying to move massive quantities of data through that fuckhead's pipeline on the campus supercomputer to get the assembled genome out, and then I got to the end and found there was no output as fastq files or ant other format recognizable to me.

(Give me a break, I was 23 and had also been frantically learning acoustic analysis, basic electrical engineering, and technical equipment maintenance in the two years since I had started learning to code. Plus I was figuring out what I wanted my dissertation to be. I'd never grappled with anything more complicated than our home-written library of matlab acoustic analysis before, and it simply hadn't occurred to me that anyone would publish a non-functional pipeline to achieve a goal quickly anyone verifying that anyone else had done anything yet.)

Anyway, eventually he collaborated with someone else who ponied up $2000 and a postdoc to get new reads. My name was not on the paper, so that's two years of my life developing a particular and fairly unique skill set that I will almost certainly never use.

In retrospect it's less surprising than you might think that the PhD took eight years and absolutely shattered my confidence.

And the best part is that it was just about impossible to predict at the time that shit would go quite this bad, except that some people handle power well when they're stressed and some people maintain a strong layer of cognitive dissonance over their knowledge of power such that it's never real enough to be responsible about but always real enough to win a dispute.

Anyway I think every student should have two advisors so that everyone in the department should have to immediately know about it when a PI is floundering and have a strong direct incentive to do something about it. A LOT of my problems could have been fixed with one look with a gimlet eye from a senior, more experienced researcher being not impressed at a student under their supervision running on an endless treadmill to nothing. Frankly a lot of my problems could have been solved if my mentor had formal training or literally any supervision that could deliver metrics faster than "how close am I to my previous mentees?"

I know a lot of dual advised students wind up in a tug of war between two advisors, but like: that's the point. If one of them turns out to be insane and malicious then a) the students all have clear lines to bail, b) the other ones all realize quickly that bailing out the chaos and career damage of someone who is fucking it up is way more work than resolving the problem, and c) the one with more tethers to reality has a way bigger likelihood of formally retaining the student when and if a third party has to examine the contract.

Just. It was such a fucking waste. And not because anyone necessarily wanted it to be wasteful, either, or any malice, but because I was... mm, I think the fifth PhD student in that lab and that's actually not that many to be learning on. Systems that set you up to play with decades of people's lives should have more fail-safes and places for people to learn before they get to be the sole director of someone else's career for five fucking years, not less. And yet!

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics: Just a small sampling of H. P. Lovecraft's influence on popular world culture...

1. There's stores now that only sell Lovecraftiana!! This is as amazing as the 1st stores that sold comics & related paraphernalia alone...

2. This would make for a great paper head on your personal website...

3 thru 5. Here we see the effects of more modern culture on Lovecraft's own ideas. An unholy melding of humor, madness & the commercial realms of the Peanuts, a now free Disney rat & (fittingly) sea monkeys!!

6. This 1 is a new ad - but, is it real?! Or, just another fever dream?!! I can't tell...

7. The long time coming - strange eons? - meld between the Great Old One & Victorian retro-stylings. Hoping for more to come...

Like say, an 'armed' (Heh) Cthulhu Pirate-King!!

Make it so...

8. Finally, the finality of the human race is on!

But, is it so?

Remember, everyone who can hear or even know about the Lovecraftian Truth of Reality... Goes Mad!!

So, I wouldn't be too quick to accept some mad dude's tale... There's no telling what's in his brain stem.

Remember, the original story was that we'd become 'like' the Great Old Ones! Free to know 'beyond' Good & Evil.

If that 'fate' has changed - then, any future possibility is possible...

1914: "End of the Jackson War."

Intro: When writing of HPL, writers use letters, essays & biographies about him. Even his stories can tell us much about his innermost being.

Taken together, this mass of info make Howard 1 of the most well documented fellows ever!

There seems to be few periods that we don't know something about Lovecraft's life.

Even during the "Lost Time" of HPL's retreat from society - as new info is always been discovered...

Researchers now know what books Lovecraft read, who he was with & what they spoke about.

They even know what flavor of ice cream Howard was eating & when!

A good example is how HPL never mentions James Dwyer's "City of the Unseen" published in the Argosy mag of December 1913.

It's not a good story, but, not only did Lovecraft read it, it's central image¹ reappeared in HPL's own later works.

We know Howard owned a copy of it, because this issue contains the 1st return volley in the weird Lovecraft/ Fred Jackson Letter War.

Which HPL had originally instigated in the earlier September 1913 issue of Argosy.

But, all things must pass...

In the end, Lovecraft wrote his War's epitaph. And he didn't use overlong or overblown language!

But, he did sneak in some martial terms...

Work: "Pray spare an inch or two², (to) print (these) critics's joint adieu."

"So long... since we began (this) fray, That readers swear we've (stolen) your Log³ away!"

"Forgive... sinners that presume. To fill with... verse⁴, such precious room."

"Inflamed by war & in... martial rage, We held awhile the center... stage."

"Til, blinded by... (such) furious fire, We battled on, forgetting to retire."

"But, (even) feuds draw... to their ends & foe(s) live to meet as friends:"

"So do we now... in lasting peace, Lay down our pens & slander(s) cease."

"What sound is this? ...A joyous yell, As we say farewell."

Notes:

1. Dwyer's "City of the Unseen" is a Lost Race story about an ancient city in the Arabian "Empty Quarter"!!

This sounds a lot like Howard's Irem! The City of Pillars that was swallowed by the sands of Araby!!

It was the lost city mentioned in the holy Koran... And, it might have been found - thru spy satellite footage!

2. This is about the measurement of column space given over to stories, pics & letters in newspapers, mags, etc...

In some cases, stories had to be cut in length, summarized or re-edited to fit the available space.

At the worst, the affected story would be 'saved' for later publication...

3. The "Log" was probably the name of the Argosy's letters page...

Some mags might also use a 2nd name like "Action Log", "Adventure Log" - even just "The Letters Log."

4. As mentioned in earlier posts, some letter writers used poetry to project their 'attacks' & to 'defend' each other.

And, Lovecraft was right in the middle of it all, slinging poetic barbs at Fred Jackson's writing skills...

It was this Letter War that brought HPL to the attention of the mighty UAPA.

More next time...

[bluerosesburnblue]

I was watching a video discussing everything Pokemon Sword and Shield did wrong (mostly in terms of story) and while I think it's a good video for the most part, I do really disagree with the assertion that Hop's arc is good. Hop's arc is as much of a mess as everything else in that game, with some good ideas marred by godawful execution. Especially egregious to me is the way that people assert his arc is better than Hau's in Gen 7 while simultaneously missing the whole point of Hau's character, so I wrote my thoughts down. Comment was too big for Youtube, so I figured I'd post the whole uncut thing here as an analysis post

Hop's arc is still one of the biggest examples of wasted potential in the game. As it is now, it's just a half-baked mashup of Bianca's and Hau's arcs that doesn't do either the "giving up battle and becoming a professor" or "being overshadowed by a famous relative" aspects as well as them

On paper, some things work. Hop trying his best and still not being able to live up to Leon's reputation, but finding what he is good at instead is an interesting idea for a rival, but like I said, both of the main aspects of his arc are done better by prior characters and all Hop does is mash them together in an uninteresting, and sometimes incongruous way. To me, him choosing to become a Professor of all things is the most emblematic part of his wasted potential. Because... why a Professor? He says that he likes to help people, but what about being a Professor specifically is about helping people any more than, say, a firefighter? Hop could come out and say that he wants to be the next Ball Guy and it would fit just as much as his claim that he wants to be a Professor

At no point do we see Hop develop any interest in academic research. Hell, half of the time Sonia shows up to talk about the history of Galar, Hop tries to rush things and steer the direction back to battling anyway. If we take the Isle of Armor into account, then he's not even particularly good at helping or making observations about nature, since he drags us around the island making no progress because he doesn't know the difference between nectar and honey and doesn't think to slow down for half a second. It feels like they only made him a Professor to force a parallel with Sonia, making him the Sonia to our Leon, but it just doesn't make any sense for his personality or interests for him to choose that particular career path

What gets me is that the solution to this is actually presented at the end of the video: Pokemon Battle MANAGEMENT. The game is constantly telling us about how Hop studies battle tactics in order to beat Leon. He's the one making comments about our use of Super Effective Hits or Critical Hits. He's always going on about things like perfecting his throwing technique. The fact that he changes his team up shows his willingness to experiment with various tactics. So why not make him a Pokemon Battle TEACHER? And if that's too similar to Cheren in B2W2 or you don't think it makes sense given that Galar is the only region that inexplicably does not have a Trainer School, then a COACH to expand upon the parallels to modern sports. As it stands now, Hop makes it all the way to the finals for Gym Challengers and loses and just... gives up having anything to do with battle as a career forever, and I don't think that that makes any sense for him at all. He's a great battler, and what better way to utilize his skill, deep knowledge and passion for battle tactics, desire to help others, and deepen the sports aspect of the game than making him some sort of coach for aspiring Gym Challengers?

Compare that to Bianca, whose decision to become Professor Juniper's assistant at the end of the game is actually developed throughout the game. Even after our first battle with her, she's more amazed at the power of our Pokemon than the outcome of the battle, showing early on how her interest is in the actual Pokemon themselves and not necessarily combat. She's always asking questions about the world around her, and in Chargestone Cave we see her stay behind and spend time with Professor Juniper, giving us the implication that they're bonding offscreen and talking about the realities of being a Professor. She also brings up the idea of being a Professor before the postgame where she makes her decision. Hop has none of that, and at times actively goes against it by not really caring that much about Sonia's research

And while Hop's relationship with Leon is still decently well done, I still find it weaker than Hau's similar desire to escape from his family's shadows, and it drives me nuts how often people completely miss Hau's whole character arc and act like Hop having essentially the same core conflict, but with a different outcome, is groundbreaking. To an extent I can understand why, because SuMo's presentation of it is a bit weak (and I say this as someone who's loved Hau since SuMo, but even I'll admit that his arc was done much better in USUM... and was the only arc that was better in USUM), but reducing Hau down to just a happy-go-lucky rival with no real depth while building up Hop is such an insult to Hau and I see the fandom do it constantly

People forget that, like Leon to Hop, we are not Hau's endgoal; Hala is, and as such Hau's main goal isn't to be a Champion, but to be a Kahuna. The biggest difference that I find that makes Hau's story more compelling than Hop's to me is that Hau is already living with the aftermath of Hala's shadow. It's told to us in various NPC dialogue and explicitly in the SuMo postgame, but Hau's father literally left the entire Alola region and his whole family because he was sick of being compared to Hala, abandoning his young son and wife (who we can find in Hala's house) because he couldn't handle the pressure of being seen as a Kahuna's son. Hau is growing up in a broken home, and all he wants to do is succeed where his father failed, not by running from Hala's shadow and tearing apart his home, but by besting Hala and overcoming his shadow entirely. He mentions in the SuMo postgame that being the Champion is something he'd want to do to show off to his father if/when he ever sees him again, and I've always taken that to mean that he considers the Champion title to be an impressive feat that proves that he's left Hala's shadow that he can actually obtain right now, since we're told that the position of Kahuna is for life (so he can only become a Kahuna once Hala passes away)

And because people miss that context, they miss the entire point of his characterization and progression. Hau's cheerful nature is a FACADE. Gladion calls it out when you first meet him. He says that Hau IS strong, but he's kneecapped by not taking battles seriously. Why? Because he's afraid of losing to Hala even if he does give the battle his all, failing to overcome the same pressure as his father that caused him to tear their family apart. He's afraid of failure, so he chooses not to try all that hard, giving himself an excuse if he loses by claiming that he wasn't really doing his best anyway, so of course he lost. This way, he doesn't have to take responsibility for his failures and risk becoming disillusioned like his father did. Lillie's kidnapping is his turning point in both games, where he realizes that by not taking things seriously and trying to minimize his responsibility for failures, he's set himself up to ACTUALLY fail in situations that require serious effort. And it's through this that he learns how to actually overcome Hala as a Kahuna, because a Kahuna isn't just a good battler, but a local leader who bears responsibility. This is part of why I like USUM's additional scene with Hau in the Hau'oli Cemetery during Mina's trial, because he makes it more explicit that his way of doing things before was also hurting his Pokemon, who wanted to win for him but lacked his leadership to do so. It demonstrates how he's changed and how he's learning to reconcile "having fun" with responsibility, how his prior justification of "having fun" wasn't actually fun for anyone and just an escape mechanism to avoid a possibly unhappy reality

And that's not even getting into how Hau's arc fits the theme of the Alola region of family, both its good and its bad. Hau is not an exception to characters like Lillie, Gladion, and Guzma all coming from messed up homes, they just don't draw as much attention to it in the main narrative for him. He represents yet another facade that people put on in response to bad family situations, in contrast to Gladion and Guzma's anger and Lillie's anxiety and withdrawal. Hau is the "pretending everything's fine, don't cause problems" response. He even ties into the sun/moon symbolism, as his concept art notes that he's meant to be the sun to Lillie's moon. Both characters who have lost their fathers, but Hau chooses to remain boisterous and cheerful, like the sun, compared to Lillie's gentle quiet, like the moon

Hop's relationship with Leon isn't even bad, and I do find the idea of him ultimately FAILING in his goal where Hau succeeded to be an interesting twist that could have set him apart, but in comparison to Hau they just don't DO anything with it to relate it back to the themes of the game, and it ultimately comes across as just setup for the nonsensical Professor career swap. There was so much potential to expand the idea into the more sports-oriented aspects of Galar by showing Hop wanting fame and trying to be more showy, marketing himself as Leon 2.0, and trying to make his own fanbase the way that Marnie has Team Yell all in an effort to get his family's attention only for his fans to leave him after a catastrophic loss to Bede rather than just having him lose to Bede offscreen and then feeling bad about being worse than Leon for the rest of the game. They could have tied him more to the "strength" themes that they claim to have by showing him as the SHIELD to Leon's SWORD, with Leon having the offense and power, but lacking the tactical prowess that Hop has, and Hop coming to realize that a slower and more analytical approach can be a different kind of strength when compared to his prior rushing around trying to catch up to Leon. This could all come to a head in Hop choosing to become a battle coach/manager, accepting that he doesn't need the same fame that Leon has to be his equal by taking a less showy job, becoming the shield who protects and helps the newer Gym Challengers in contrast to Leon's sword that inspires them to take action

Bianca has a complete arc that takes her from not knowing what she wants to do with her life, to exploring various options like battle, modeling, and research, to finally settling on research after a game showing her curiosity about the world around her. She has a design and name that make her the White to Cheren's Black and a mirrored arc to him, where he starts out confident about wanting to be the Champion only to start losing faith and having to build himself back up, both arcs fitting into the theme of BW about exploring the grey areas in life, and the unexpected paths. Hau has a complete arc that takes him from a kid who refuses to take things seriously as a fear response to failure brought about by his father's choices to one who takes responsibility and ends up growing into his grandfather's shoes because of it where his father failed. He's the Sun to Lillie's Moon in both design and personality, with a story arc that fits into Alola's theme of family

But Hop has a relationship with Leon that serves as nothing more than setup for a decision that I feel goes against everything we're shown about his character, doesn't particularly tie into the themes of the game, and doesn't capitalize on the aspects that they set up that could have really set him apart from other rivals. I don't even necessarily dislike Hop as a character, and I don't agree with the fandom constantly conflating him with Hau because it's obvious to me that while they do have a number of superficial similarities, Hau's laid-back attitude and inability to take things seriously at the start is the antithesis to Hop's over-exuberant persona and tendency to take things TOO seriously, with their arcs ultimately taking the same idea (family's shadow) in different directions, but I can hardly defend Hop's writing when the end conclusion that they come to with him is such a non sequitur from what we're shown throughout the game. On paper, using his relationship with Leon and the framing of the pressure that professional sports puts on people to set up a career change isn't bad, and I do like how they try to show his struggle with his changing teams, but all they use his relationship with Leon for is set dressing for his nonsensical decision to be a Professor, and that ends up bringing his actually decent (but not fully used to its full potential) relationship with Leon down in my eyes

The end result for me is that Hop ends up lost in the mess of rivals in SwSh, all of whom really fail to live up to their full potential from interesting concepts to me, but at least Marnie and Bede don't actively make me want to rip my hair out the way that Hop's decision to be a Professor does. He's ultimately a victim of SwSh's overall shoddy and rushed writing the same as everyone else, but Hop is the character that I find the most frustrating because the ideas are there, they just aren't pushed to the level that they could be and that's what makes him the biggest waste of opportunity in my eyes

[black-suns-rim]

The story of White Death and Python

You guys wanted to know more about White Death and Python, so might as well kill 2 birds with one stone for the 700 follower celebration post.

Word count: 2,385

Enjoy

"For as long as I could remember, he was always by my side. He always stood up for me. I thought it was because it was the smartest one of the bunch, and he knew it. But he had actually cared for me so long ago… it's hard to believe it. We now hate each other so much — we are mortal enemies — but we never used to be…"

I got off of the throne of bones I had made. A fine trophy within itself made up of the various things I had killed over the years. I made my way to my life's mate. She stood at the temple's arcing entrance.

"You finally want to talk about him? After so long?" She put a hand on my shoulder and we pressed our foreheads together, greeting one another.

"I have never told you why he hates me so much. I have never told you the true reason why he hunts me specifically and I have never told you the real reason why I don't want you to interact with him."

She held my arm and led me out of the temple, "Then tell me, White Death. I have been patient with you thus far, waiting for you to be ready to speak to me about him. All of him."

"As you know, we were brothers by blood. Both of us having the same father…"

☆

Python and White Death grew up together alongside their peers and clan mates. They both belonged to the highly honored and respected Twin Xenomorph Clan of Yautja-Prime. Python was bulky even from a young age. Tundra (White Death's former name) was smaller and looked much different from his clan mates and peers. It was one of the reasons he was picked on and bullied. Almost all of the members of the Twin Xenomorph Clan were dark in color, while Tundra was snow white due to his mother's genetics.

Though he lacked height, he made up for it with his intelligence. Python saw his brother was smart and he could use someone like that on his side, so he began to protect him from most harassment. Eventually, the two gained brotherly love for each other — Python showed more outwardly affection compared to Tundra who almost always was cold to everyone and Python, but he did have some love for his brother. As they grew and became Blooded Hunters, the two drifted apart for a while.

☆

"Out of the blue, he wanted to meet with me many years after we became adults. He said he had discovered something that could improve yautja-kind." Python laid back in his bed. One of his mates, who was a trained medic, was treating one of his hunting wounds. She had given him a heavy sedative since he was in a lot of pain. She was surprised to hear him finally talk about his Bad Blood brother. She knew it was the sedatives but she was curious to know more about Tundra.

"And what news did he have to tell you, my love?"

"He came to me with what he said he had been working on for years. What he thought would make him and many others a better hunter…"

☆

"I showed him my hard work. The data, the examples, even pictures. Do you know what he called my genius work? A DISGRACE!" White Death raised his voice but he didn't startle Da'novi. She was used to his loud voice.

☆

"Do you see this brother? How amazing is my research? It could help improve the hunters of our society. It could help improve me!" Tundra placed down the many papers he had hand written on as well as pictures of his test subjects.

Python looked at the pictures and was slightly revolted by the animals he had changed to fit his vision. "Tundra… I see you are excited about this, but may I share my input?"

"Yes, what is it?" He sat down across from his brother.

"This… isn't natural. We hunt for glory and honor and to impress the ladies, but we don't do it to be…" He paused to think, "We do it to see whose genetics are better. I think this method might go against our culture; it might be disgraceful."

"Disgraceful? I'm looking out for the interest of our people, and myself. Our genetics are limited. With my research, we could become more, be more. Just look at these weak creatures I turned into worthy prey." Tundra pulled out some more pictures of these grotesque animals.

Python was beyond disturbed, "Tundra, there is a reason it was a weak creature. It is a part of life, the natural balance! If we mess with things like this, we would be ruining the natural balance!" Python raised his voice to make his point clear.

Tundra mistook this as aggression, "You do not understand me or my views!" He grabbed his papers and put them back into the bag he was carrying, "you have never understood my views! You will never understand what it is like being born 'inferior'!! Having your early years being a living hell, and being punished just for being alive and different from the rest of them!" He began to leave the room.

"Tundra! I only want to look out for you. I know our views are different, but this might be too far." He grabbed Tundra's arm, "the only support I can give is keeping this information between us. But I do warn you, the Elders may not like this if you plan on showing them in the future."

Tundra pulled his arm away, "you are no support to me. You never have been." His words stung Python like a deep cut. Tundra left the room without looking back and Python sat down, sighing heavily.

☆

"I knew I never understood him or how he perceived the world… but I didn't realize he wanted to mess with things that should never be messed with." Python tried sitting up but his mate pushed him down.

"Rest. If you keep moving, you'll hurt yourself even more." She said in a tone of slight agitation. Python was stubborn, even when he was being treated.

☆

"A couple of years later, he still never saw what potential my research had. The tensions between us grew as I came close to perfecting the sirim that would help me become a better hunter. But one day, his eldest son discovered what I had been doing and destroyed most of my hard work. I killed the brat in my blind fury and rage." For a split second, White Death showed a twinge of regret, but he quickly moved on.

"Of course my brother was… beyond upset with me."

☆

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!" Python took a swing at Tundra while screaming at him. Tundra dodged his brother's dangerous blow.

"HE DESTROYED MY YEARS OF RESEARCH!!" Tundra grabbed a sharp tool and flung it into the arm of Python. It stuck out from his arm but he kept throwing punches at Tundra. Tundra ran out of the hut he had been using as his lab and Python pursued.

Tundra was much smaller and weaker than Python. One hit from him and it would be all over. He led Python to an opening — a training field. Tundra grabbed one of the basic hunting weapons and shot it at Python. It only made Python's rage stronger. Python lunged forward, "TRAITOR!!"

Tundra used Python’s momentum against him. He had pulled out a traditional hunting knife from his belt and stabbed Python in the gut. He twisted the blade of the Knife and pulled it out in only the span of seconds. Python roared in pain. He fell to the ground.

The two were gaining a crowd. They stayed back and watched. Python noticed the crowd as he struggled to get up. Tundra then stabbed him in the back. He too noticed the crowd and grew nervous. He knew he was going to get into trouble for what he did to Python’s son. Python got up and finally managed to knock down Tundra while he was distracted by the crowd. Python kept laying punches to Tundra while he had him pinned. Python passed out from blood loss before he could kill Tundra.

Both of them were out and wounded badly. Some of the yautja went up to the brothers to go take them to the healer. Once the Clan Leader heard about the fight between them, he went to visit them in the healer's hut once they were awake. Python was the first to wake and he told DiamondBack what Tundra had done.

☆

"So, after that whole incident, they put me in a holding cell and waited for me to wake so I could be put on trial in front of the council of Elders. The rest of the story, you know." White Death sat down by the crystal clear lake that was right in front of the temple the two had come out of.

"Remind me what happened. I do love the story of how I helped you out." Da'novi smirked as she leaned against him. Her soft voice always had a way with him. He could never resist her.

"Hmm… only because you asked."

☆

"Tundra of the Twin Xenomorph Clan, you stand trial here today on the account of the murder of a Young Blood and unethical genetic experiments. How do you plead?" Da'novi had a cold tone in her voice as she looked down at the accused bad blood.

"I am not guilty. I was defending my research from the destructive hands of that vile young blood." Tundra answered coldly back. The Elders were taken aback by his answer. Another Elder spoke, "You have no regret for killing a child?"

Tundra held his ground. His feelings were still hurt and he hadn't had time to process all that had happened, "No. I have no regret." The Elders murmured amongst each other. Da'novi had never come across a yautja like him in her years. She was intrigued and wanted to know more about him.

"The council has decided! You are to be executed in the upcoming days! You have been given the dishonorable title 'Bad Blood.' " an Elder spoke with a tone of disgust. Tundra was taken back to his holding cell. Some hours passed before a hooded figure visited him.

"I was never here, do you understand me?" The figure, Tundra could not recognize them, which is what they wanted. He walked up to the door of the cell, "What do you want?" He asked aggressively.

"Your research, It is nothing like I've ever seen. I am impressed by it. All of your research is being destroyed as we speak, but I was able to grab two of the tubes of liquid you had. Are these important?" The figure grabbed both of the tubes from a bag and handed them to Tundra.

"Yes, these are very important. This is my life's work." He put both of them in a hidden pocket of his belt.

"I assume the liquid is that you used to genetically change those creatures?" The figure asked.

Tundra nodded. There was something about this figure he trusted.

"Then I will see you later… if that liquid saves you from your execution." The figure leaves. Tundra wondered who they were, but he was glad that they gave him two of the tubes of his sirim. He peeked through the opening to see if any of the guards were around. None. He pulled out one of the tubes and a syringe. He put the liquid in the syringe, "you better work when I need you." He whispered to himself.

The next morning, Tundra was taken from his cell and walked by two guards to the public arena where his execution was going to be held. A humiliating death, a dishonorable death. To be killed with such a title as "Bad Blood" meant he would not have a happy afterlife. While he faked trying to get out of their grasp, he pulled out his syringe.

He was kicked in the back of his legs and forced to kneel on the ground. The arena had many spectators in it. The occupants hissed and growled at the sight of Tundra. An Elder spoke, "This hunter is here for murdering a young blood and for unethical genetic experiments on other creatures! His status, Bad Blood! He will be given a dishonorable death for his crimes!" Right as the Elder got done with their speech, Tundra injected himself with the syringe quietly. It only took seconds before he started roaring and contorting his body from the pain.

The guards didn't know what was happening to him but they tried their best to hold him down. Tundra's body began to rapidly grow so fast that his skin tore. He knocked off the guards and slashed them with his claws. The crowd grew loud as Tundra mauled both of the guards within seconds. More guards came out with their plasma blasters aimed at him. Tundra jumped up in the seated area of the arena and made his escape, using the people as a protective shield.

Python had watched the whole thing go down, "He… did it…" He said in disbelief. His disbelief quickly turned to rage and he roared out in anger. His son would not be getting avenged today.

Tundra was pursued off planet but he escaped.

☆

"You were chased off the planet and escaped many Elites while still in the pain of your genetic changes. I still find that impressive." Da'novi stood up, "and now you are the most feared and hunted Bad Blood many years later."

White Death smirked, "I am. And I have gained many followers who believe in the same thing I do. A clan of outcasts and Bad Bloods. Fitting. And you, a spy amongst the Elder Council. A perfect mate." He stood up as well.

"Speaking of which, I must go. The council will be discussing ways of getting rid of you once and for all. You have been a thorn in their side."

They put their foreheads together as an affectionate goodbye. Da'novi left and White Death went back to his temple.

[assbutt-writes]

The Forest Chapter 2

Chapter below cut

[RECORDING STARTS, A BUTTON ON A TAPE RECORDER CLICKS, AND A FAINT TAPE WHIRRING NOISE CAN BE HEARD]

JON: Statement of Allison Holt, regarding the fire in her school and the books that dripped green goo. Original statement given February 15th, 2010. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

Look, I didn’t mean to burn down the school. Wait, no, that’s a lie, I kind of did, okay, but when you have hordes upon hordes of book-monster-things chasing after you and your only weapon is a single lighter in a room filled with monsters made out of paper, there’s only so much you can do. The up-side is that at least now school’s cancelled, and I don’t think anyone was hurt, at least not by the fire. I think I saw Travis get eaten by Mr. Byler’s copy of War and Peace, and Hannah might have been eaten by her copy of Flying the Dragon, but other than that, I think everyone got out okay.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. I think it started with the library. Luckily the librarians were out for lunch so it was closed, but it was terrifying to walk to those doors and see hundreds of books throwing themselves against the door, every slam causing more of this dark green goo to fly out of the books’ pages and cover the door. When I saw what was happening, I ran the other way, and I found the fire alarm near the entrance and pulled it. The alarm seemed to make the books more frantic, and even more of them flew to the door and started banging. I say flew, because that’s the easiest way to describe it, but it wasn’t like them flapping their pages like wings. No, they seemed to be teleporting a little bit at a time, moving somewhat slowly while flickering in and out of existence.

When the entire door was covered in books, I could have sworn I saw what looked like a woman wearing a tattered and old dark green dress, her entire body seeming to flicker in and out of existence, like a ghost in one of those old horror movies. Her mouth was open in a scream of fury that I could hear even through the door, and it left my ears ringing when she disappeared a second later. When the books broke down the door and started moving toward me, I ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction.

As I was running, I saw Mr. Byler’s copy of War and Peace shoot out tendrils of the dark green goo at Tyler Grant, which wrapped around him and pulled him closer to the book. I saw what looked like a ghost of a woman, her translucent, flickering body the same colour as the goo, and when the tendrils pulled him to the woman, she wrapped her arms around him, and he disappeared. I kept running and saw the same thing happen to Hannah. By the time the books caught up to me, I was in Mrs. Birch’s classroom, and I was completely surrounded. I felt around in my pockets for anything I could use as a weapon, and I found my mom’s lighter and sighed with relief. I had found it on the table that morning and put it in my pocket so she couldn’t use it.

I thought that since books are made of paper and these things at least looked like books, if I threw the lighter at the books, then they would burn, right? Well, I was a little too right. The book-monsters caught fire, but so did the goo, and then so did the desk, and I barely had enough time to jump out of the window before the entire room caught fire. I ran out to the field where the rest of the students were, and I looked around for my brother Elliot. Once I found him, I tried to tell him what happened, and he looked at me like I was crazy. Everyone I’ve ever told has looked at me that way. I’m not, though. I know what I saw, and, if my testimony isn’t enough for you, they ended up finding Tyler and Hannah’s bodies in the fire, with third-degree burns all over them. I did some research and found out that there were what seemed to be rings of acid burns around the areas where I saw the tendrils grab them.

JON: Statement ends. Once he gets back from securing the goo, I’m going to have Martin double-check the story about the school burning and the “acid rings” on the bodies of Hannah and Tyler. It might prove to be difficult, though, because the only person involved in this story whose full name is known is Allison Holt. This statement does seem to lend some credibility to the tape we found due to the acidic goo mentioned in both of them, along with the fact that this statement is dated in early 2010, meaning that this is either a prank played by some extremely dedicated people, or that this situation might be-

MARTIN: [DISTANTLY, VERY FRANTICALLY] Jon! Someone! Help! No, get off- [SCREAMS]

JON: [SHOUTING] Martin? Martin, what’s going on?

[SILENCE]

JON: [YELLING] Martin?

[THERE ARE SOUNDS OF THE TAPE RECORDER BEING PICKED UP AND A CHAIR ROLLING BACKWARDS. THE DOOR SLAMS OPEN, AND HEAVY, FAST FOOTSTEPS CAN BE HEARD. A FEW SECONDS LATER ANOTHER DOOR IS THROWN OPEN]

JON: Martin? Where are you? [PAUSE] Martin, this isn’t funny. [PAUSE, THEN SHOUTING] Sasha! Tim! Anyone!

[DOOR OPENS]

SASHA: Jon? What’s going on?

JON: [VOICE LACED WITH FEAR] It’s Martin. He’s gone.

[skaruresonic]

Does your tribe have a written constitution? I know the Quechan tribe did since the 60s cuz I did research on them for a Landscape Arch class, but I heard it was inconsistent amongst other tribes given how destabilized things got. Still sucks how ass it is to vote for this country with the lack of poll booths and PO Boxes

If you consider wampum "written," maybe. But if you mean "written" as in pen and paper, then no.

Our laws are the laws of the Haudenosaunee, and the main law the Haudenosaunee have is the Great Law of Peace, which is orally recited every year. Last year some of my classmates went to Wisconsin to hear the Oneida recite Great Law.

That's not to say we lack all forms of documentation; many, though not all, of us carry tribal cards. They're based on the Jay Treaty which says Haudenosaunee people and First Nations people are allowed to freely cross between Canada and the US.

In addition to being an indicator of tribal enrollment, red cards should theoretically allow us to travel without forcing us to rely on US passports.

The catch, however, and what makes things annoying, is very few if any places recognize our tribal cards as valid forms of ID, even the places that arguably should, like the Rainbow Bridge between the US and Canada. Crossing into Canada is always a crapshoot because most guards don't give a shit and won't let you cross without a passport.

New York only officially recognizes Akwesasne (St. Regis) Mohawk tribal cards. They don't recognize Tuscarora tribal cards, and that's the reason I was unable to get my permit the first time I went to the DMV. It didn't count as a point of identification, and so I lacked enough points to pass qualification requirements needed to take the test.

---

Still sucks how ass it is to vote for this country with the lack of poll booths and PO Boxes

We're lucky in that we have a... semi-working mail service, but the more embarrassing issue is takeout, tbh. Sometimes restaurants will deliver to just one side of the rez but not the other. Or the delivery person will stand by their car and refuse to walk up to your porch because they binged too many true crime podcasts and think they're gonna get murdered over a pizza lmao.

Re. voting: a lot of us don't vote, which is another issue of tribal sovereignty.

People have a huge stick up their ass about not voting, and they like to wax poetic about how you're a fascist if you don't. But honestly, it's really not that simple an issue for us because we have to grapple with the very real possibility that if enough of us register to vote in US elections, it sends the federal government the message that we don't consider ourselves a sovereign and self-determining nation. That we consider them our government instead. And that could potentially give them grounds to disseminate us.

That's always a slippery slope no matter what because the government wants any excuse it can take no matter how small, but it puts a lot of onus on us to not rely on them as much as possible. As a result, we tend to neglect a lot of shit that most Americans would balk at, like discarding census requests, not getting a passport, and not voting.

My aunt chewed me out merely for registering to vote at the DMV. (Apparently Council keeps tabs on everyone who registers. As if I needed any more reason to call myself a bad Indian, lmao.)

Granted, I haven't voted since registering, but... She really laid into me over something I incidentally did while getting my permit because everyone rags on you about how you really should vote, right? So I wasn't really thinking about it and she got big mad lol.