#it is such a good story line icl

[reidmania]

sharpest tool | s.reid

(chapter five, i know it wont work)

‘I left you here, heard you keep the extra closet empty in case this year, i come back and stay throughout my twenties. What if I won't? How am I supposed to put that gently? And down the road, you will love me until you resent me. Mm, mm, mm, i’ve had the thought, tried to work it out through anxious pacing. what if I'm not, worth the time and breath I know you're saving?’

summary; spencer wasn’t prepared to be confronted by the realism of what he had done, he wasn’t prepared to see that penelope had been hanging out with you.

warnings; mentions of ghosting, spencer’s perspective guys!! this is quite angsty icl, theres no real indication of why he did what he did (unless u can see all my hidden clues) fem reader, like always. if u guys have any assumptions or guesses about WHY spencer did what he did, drop them in my asks, im so curious.

taglist; @gghostwriter @lavonee @guiltyyassin @spencersinonlygf @criminalmindssworld @iknwreid @fortheloveofgubler @yokaimoon @sapphirecobalt-1 @eddiesdrummergf @livvyliv15 @lover-of-books-and-tea @sebastiansstanswhore @bloodredrubyrose @sp3ncelle @nemobee777 @jencole214 @hazzarules @ameerakane20 @lucere @cultish-corner @psyches-reid

2.4k words

SERIES MASTERLIST

The bullpen hummed with its usual rhythm—the tapping of keyboards, the muted sounds of phone calls, the faint rustle of papers. It was a familiar backdrop, something Spencer could usually lose himself in, find comfort in. Today, though, it all felt distant. His fingers hovered over his keyboard, but his mind wasn’t on the profile he was supposed to be writing. It hadn’t been for days. Instead, his thoughts kept drifting back to you.

Two weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred thirty-six hours, and still, not a single word between the two of you.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He hadn’t planned to cut you off. Everything had been going well, hadn’t it? The late-night phone calls, the texts that made him smile at odd moments during the day, your smile in the morning after he had stayed the night, the way you had slowly become a part of his routine. You were more than just someone he talked to—you were someone he had started to let in, fall in love with.

Spencer hadn’t meant to ghost you. He’d had no intention of leaving things hanging like that. But now, two weeks later, the silence felt like an unbridgeable chasm, and the thought of contacting you filled him with a strange mix of fear and guilt.

"Spence, you good?"

JJ’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was standing beside his desk, her phone in hand, a playful smile on her face. For a moment, Spencer blinked up at her, disoriented, as if surfacing from deep underwater.

"Yeah," he said quickly, though the word came out more like a reflex than an actual answer.

JJ’s smile didn’t falter, but there was a glint in her eyes that told him she didn’t believe him. "Well, Penelope sent me something you’ll get a kick out of." She tapped her phone, scrolling for a moment before turning the screen toward him. "Check this out."

It was a photo—a bright, colorful snapshot of a shelf lined with bobbleheads. Not just any bobbleheads. Your bobbleheads.

Spencer’s heart thudded in his chest as he recognized them instantly. There was the Star Wars figurine, the baseball player, the goofy doctor who bobblehead you’d joked reminded you of him. He could practically hear your voice in his mind, laughing as you told him the story behind each one. You’d shown him your collection months ago, one of the first times he came to your house, your face lit up with enthusiasm as you shared that little part of yourself with him, it was when you were both still friends, yet he had noticed the way you had began letting him in to the small things, all the things that made you, you.

But now, it wasn’t you sharing it. It was Penelope.

Spencer’s mind scrambled to piece together how this had happened, why Penelope had this photo. You hadn’t mentioned anything about meeting her, but then again, why would you? Penelope hadn’t said a word to him either. How had she ended up at your place, seeing your collection?

JJ, still smiling, didn’t notice his silence. "Penelope is having a girls night with a friend" she explained, her voice light and teasing. "And apparently, that friend has a whole shrine of these things."

Spencer’s stomach twisted. He hadn’t realized that your world and his had collided so suddenly. He hadn’t prepared for it. And now, here it was, right in front of him. The life he’d stepped away from was continuing without him, and it stung more than he wanted to admit.

"Hey," JJ said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied his reaction. "Why do you look like that?"

Spencer’s throat felt tight. He managed a stiff nod, his voice barely above a whisper. "Uh- its... It’s hers." He didn’t need to say a name, the team hadn’t met you, but they knew about you, enough about you.

JJ’s eyes widened in surprise, and she lowered the phone, her playful demeanor fading into something softer, more curious. "Oh… I didn’t realize. Penelope didn’t say who it was."

Spencer glanced away, the weight of her gaze heavy on him. He didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. Not with JJ, and certainly not here, in the middle of the bullpen where the rest of the team could overhear.

"Spence, is everything okay?" JJ’s voice was gentle now, her concern clear. "You’ve been kind of… off lately. Does this have something to do with her?"

Spencer shook his head quickly, trying to brush it off. "No, it’s not that. I’ve just been busy with work. That’s all."

But JJ wasn’t convinced. "You sure? You never really said a word about her since… well, since you started talking to her. But now it feels like something’s changed— you’ve been so weird lately.."

Spencer wanted to mumble about how now there was nothing to smile about any more with the lack of your communication, but he chose against it. This was his doing. Before Spencer could respond, Derek wandered over, holding a coffee in each hand, his usual swagger in full force. He caught the tail end of the conversation, his sharp eyes flicking between JJ and Spencer.

"What’s going on?" Derek asked, handing one of the coffees to JJ and leaning against Spencer’s desk. "You two look serious."

JJ gave a small shrug, but her gaze lingered on Spencer. "Penelope was hanging out with a friend who has this crazy bobblehead collection. Turns out, it’s Spencer’s… friend."

Derek’s eyebrows shot up, his curiosity piqued. "Oh, that friend, huh?" He grinned and elbowed Spencer lightly. "The one you’ve been keeping all hush-hush about?"

Spencer forced a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Yeah. That one."

Could he still stay that? You were everything to him, friend sounded like the wrong word to define you, but with what he did, maybe a nothing, would be a better word to define what you were to him.

That felt so much more wrong.

All of this was wrong.

Derek chuckled, but there was a hint of concern beneath his playful tone. "Man, you’ve been acting weird lately. You wanna tell us what’s going on?"

Spencer shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The last thing he wanted was for the team to pry into his personal life, especially now. Especially when he was still grappling with the fallout of his own decision to pull away from you.

"I’m fine," he muttered, his voice a little too flat.

"You don’t look fine," JJ said, her worry deepening. "You can talk to us, you know."

Spencer opened his mouth to respond, but the words stuck in his throat. How could he explain? How could he tell them the real reason he’d ghosted you without giving away too much? The truth was too raw, too personal. It wouldn’t be fair to tell them and not you. He just couldn’t tell you.

But how could he explain that to them? To you? How could he admit that the reason he’d cut you off wasn’t because of anything you’d done, but because of the fear that had wrapped itself around him like a vise, squeezing tighter with every passing day?

"It’s… complicated," Spencer finally said, his voice barely audible.

Derek exchanged a look with JJ, both of them clearly unsatisfied with his vague answer. "Come on, pretty boy," Derek said, leaning in a little closer. "We’ve all got complicated lives. What’s really going on?"

Spencer clenched his jaw, the tension in his chest building. "I can’t talk about it."

JJ’s face softened, her voice lowering. "When was the last time you spoke to her?"

Spencer’s heart skipped a beat, and for a split second, he thought she might know. But she didn’t press further, didn’t push for details. Instead, she just watched him, waiting for him to say something more. He couldn’t answer the question like she wanted him to. He deflected

"I just…" Spencer hesitated, his eyes flicking between JJ and Derek, both of them watching him with quiet concern. "I don’t want to hurt her."

JJ’s expression shifted, a flicker of understanding passing across her face. "You’re not going to hurt her, Spence."

Spencer didn’t respond. He couldn’t. Because the truth was, he was hurting you, he would get you hurt,—whether he wanted to or not. For the record, he really didn’t.

Derek sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "Man, if you care about her, you owe her an explanation. Ghosting someone like that… it’s not fair."

Spencer flinched at the word "ghosting." He hadn’t meant for it to feel like that, but he knew that’s exactly what he had done. He had disappeared, left you hanging with no explanation, no closure. And you deserved better than that.

But how could he reach out now, after two weeks of silence? What could he possibly say that would make up for the way he had just dropped off the map? He knew he had hurt you, broken promises to not only you but to himself.

JJ placed a hand on his arm, her voice soft but firm. "You don’t have to tell us everything, Spence. But you should tell her something. She deserves that."

Spencer swallowed hard, guilt clawing at his chest. He knew JJ was right. He knew he owed you an explanation, something to help you understand why he had pulled away so suddenly. But the thought of opening that door again, of letting you back in… it terrified him.

Because Spencer knew, there was no coming back from the promises he had broken.

[mwagneto]

okay phew. my thoughts on watson episode 1. might put a readmore coz it'll probably get long. anyway um

so 💥 IN MY OPINION 💥 it was not good but it wasn't bad either it's the exact perfect mid i usually get with american episodic tv especially one trying to adapt something from england. not even a complaint btw i would've been shocked if it was good. i do think they needed a much stronger pilot but it was like... fine? like i had a good time with it overall and then sometimes i went HRHRGH WHAT. but anyway let's go category by category otherwise this'll be even more incoherent than it already is. so yeah cut incoming this is gonna be long as hell i was right

1) characters

watson: i elaborated on this topic in an earlier post but to sum it up, i think watson's personhood, by nature of being the pov character in the novels, revolves so strongly around holmes that it's an incredibly difficult task to define who he is without holmes, and especially to portray it. so far nothing this watson has said or done made me go "he wouldn't fucking say that" but at the same time nothing's made me go "he WOULD fucking say that" either. no actually him immediately jumping into a waterfall without any hesitation coz he saw holmes go in was extremely in character he would fucking do that. but like that just comes back to the whole issue of like, that's in character for him bc it's about holmes. but the rest? like who even is he? esp here where he can't even be defined by his position in his society or his era or his city because he's in modern day americatown instead of victorian england. so like overall i like the guy but as soon as the scene isn't about holmes he stops being watson and just becomes generic medical show leading man. i'm very curious to see if they can manage to make me feel like i really am watching dr john watson instead of just a random guy. but again outside of not really being watson i like him he seems fun

adam and stephens: i don't know why the showrunners would fuck themselves like this like why are you making your job so much harder by having 1 guy play 2 guys. edit ok apparently it's literally coz the showrunner wanted something challenging. well i hate it. also i don't think the twin thing works on any front it just makes me very uncomfortable to watch a guy trying his absolute hardest to pretend to be two separate people. it sucks. hopefully their plots will be interesting at least. calling it now there's gonna be a plot where they switch places

ingrid: i like her she's really hot imean interesting but her energy is so millenial i feel like she's gonna drop an umm that just happened! any second now. but that's not the character's or the actor's fault it's just a vibe i get

sasha: i had to look up her name on wikipedia icl but i only know the other people's names because every time a name was mentioned i rewound and paused and said OK THATS [insert name]. DONT FORGET. she just didnt get a proper namedrop ig. anyway i have 0 thoughts abt her other than her first line being about her accent which then proceeded to completely disappear in her 3rd line and then come and go as it pleased for the rest of the episode was really funny. the adoption thing is interesting tho let's see where they go with that

mary: mary-s (maries?) tend to be very strangely written bc every time they're included the writer wants to do a subversion of the generic irrelevant wife from the victorian era stories so she's usually a plot relevant badass which like. i don't think that's necessary. like you don't have to be doing all that. like i don't mind i'm usually neutral abt any given mary i just think it's annoying that they all default to that instead of doing literally anything interesting. so it's a relief that i actually like this mary coz even though she's still the usual plot relevant badass, it's not accompanied by her being watson's epic cool girlfriend she gets to be her own person. like as far as i can tell they're not gonna get back together #i ❤️ divorce. she's even bisexual!! sweep

shinwell: whyyyyy does he talk like that omg. please. also guy from the east end is a criminal duuuuude thats crazy however do they come up with these. sucks so bad. i'm gonna like him out of spite but he's such a bad character what are we doing

moriarty: what can i fucking say man. why is he here. also the acting was so bad??? like wh??? ???? why was it this bad. i guess you could blame the script but like, second takes exist yknow. you can do another one if the first take sucks. are you aware. anyway i hate it when moriarty is a big bad but we'll get into that in a later section... can't say much abt his character he was only in 1 scene. usually i'm a huge fan of colourblind casting but i don't get making him a poc if you're gonna make him the horrible evil mastermind but hey at least he's not a black woman killing orphans for money like in enola. still don't know why they did that. getting off topic anyway why did he also get hit with the yankify beam. does anyone remember england. sherlock holmes was there

2) the plot

the episode's plot: it was... fine? like it was stupid as hell but it's a medical drama so whatever. patient needs mouse bites to live. this vexes me. etc. i do think the whole today☝️ we're 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 NOT ❌ doctors ⚕️ we're 😎 detectives 🕵️ was kinda cringe but it's like the entire premise of the show so it's very much a megszoksz vagy megszöksz situation. how do you say that in english. my way or the highway. take it or leave it. you get what i mean

the overarching plot: i mean obviously this was one episode so i can't reflect on the entire thing but i CAN look at the setups and think about them. it's nice that a major part of this show seems to be watson coping with the absence of holmes. i think they should focus on it slightly more, like acd watson's life was essentially over and pointless post reichenbach and i don't think they fully emphasise the severity of that but we only have one episode so we'll see. i am very very annoyed that moriarty is a presence at all in this show and especially that they didn't even have enough faith either in the audience or their own material to wait a bit before revealing him. episode one bam he's there and he's immediately named. it sucks. we do not need him. hold my hand. look me in the eye. it's ok to write a holmes adaptation where moriarty doesn't keep coming back from the dead. it's ok to have a different villain. or just regular ass criminals that aren't masterminds. it's fine. it's ok. you can just have moran if you're desperate. in fact you SHOULD have moran we're literally post final problem pre empty house this is moran's main time in the spotlight. but whatever what's done is done. i just think what's done is dumb as hell

3) the technical stuff that reviewers love talking about to make themselves sound smarter

the dialogue: chief. it's not good. like it's not outstandingly bad but there were some lines that made me go 😬 and some of them are just. so bad. eugh. like i alluded to in ingrid's section, if a script feels like it could smoothly fit an mcu style quip without it feeling out of place, maybe reconsider the lines you're writing.

the lighting/colours: i actually really like this, i think it gives the show a very distinctive look. i do think it's weird how ambient all the lighting is in this hospital but it's a lot nicer than the horrible white and blue you'd normally get, plus as a serial surgery haver i would much prefer to have this to the inhumane buzzing leds. not to mention i'm eastern european so compared to our hospitals, this place is like a spaceship.

cinnamon topography: i just watched brilliant minds last week which had some of the most beautiful shots i have ever seen and easily the most beautiful shots i've ever seen in an episodic medical drama which is unfortunate for this show because it's also very competent in this field but my standards are all the way up. but yea overall the shots range from generic-good to pretty good so no complaints there. i really liked the shot of watson and mary talking with the garage pillar separating them, and the overhead shot of a board that says WE LIE in big red letters made me laugh really hard

4) miscellaneous

my cat just crawled into my lap while i was trying to spell meschallenios everyone shut up. ok she was there for an hour and then left so back to it

acd story references: i always think these are fun and very satisfying to clock, and by god there were a lot of them in just this one ep. my episode was like 240p so i couldn't really observe the background details (to be remedied once i get my paws on 1080p) but even then there was a ton of stuff to go duuude 🫵 at. the 1881 robot (year study in scarlet is set in) which was then immediately revealed to be called clyde (elementary turtle) was really funny like why are we referencemaxxing. like i mentioned in the john watson post, i hope they won't overly rely on them, but it was fun to pay a little extra attention to everything to see if there was a reference hidden anywhere

5) overall

my general faith in this is. very little. a lot of people have a lot of goodwill for this show, both because of elementary (which i haven't seen sorry) and because of morris chestnut (who i didn't know before this but i'm very much the kinda person who prefers to not even know the names of actors) but neither of those have any impact on my opinion or my trust in the show, nor do i think it should. even if elementary was my favourite show, i'd still expect watson to win me over just by itself. i'm also very worried about some comments the showrunner made, especially the one abt adler being holmes's lover (what?? 💀) none of which inspire confidence but again that's not part of the show either and if the show itself is good, i don't care what the showrunner thinks.

but is the show itself good? i mean, it's not bad and i never expected it to be good. i'm a huge fan of holmes adaptations and have seen way too many of them (pretty much every single one that's not unwatchably bad, and then some) so i'm always hyped when there's a new one. i don't hate this by any means, i'm glad it exists and it was a fun way to spend 2 hours watching something that's 40 minutes long and then an entire day writing a review of it.

like i said at the beginning of this unnecessarily long post, it's perfectly mid with some tentative swings in both positive and negative directions which is probably why i was able to write this much about it. if it was good i would've just said IT SLAPS YAYY YIPPIE and if it was bad i would've said "holy shit this is the worst thing i have ever seen" and that would've been it but instead here we are. hope you're glad you spent the past 7 hours reading this instead of war and peace. thank you for coming and hopefully my review of episode 2 will be a more managable size coz lowkey what the hell am i doing lol. goodbye

[konigsblog]

Hey Orla, so I want to write König x reader. But maybe i'm blind 😂, but I can't find König scenes on YouTube. I know there are König voice lines, but I need more, I want to understand his personality. Like scenes of campaign story, if I see him in scenes of what he's doing, how he react or talk to people. So I (obviously) you love König so do you know where I can find more scenes of König? Also, I want to download CoD app so I understand characters I want to write more, but the GB app is so big (I bet if someone read this they will say "That's what she said") and I don't have much space in my GB memory. So that's why I ask if you know if I can find König scenes CoD.

understanding könig - some resources and my personal opinions.

HERE! i hope this helps... this man is my husband, i love him and wish he was real icl 🙁

my personal analysis on könig's personality

TLDR; könig isn't an emotional crybaby, and instead an easily jealous, confident and cocky soldier that knows what he's doing. majority of the time, he'll use new recruits as punching bags for his anger, and struggles to admit when he's wrong. doesn't like that he can't be a soldier (due to his size and inability to stay still) and makes it known in his voicelines that he's still envious. example; “and they said i couldn't be a sniper, hah..”

voicelines, youtube

voicelines, tiktok (1) (2)

gameplay of könig

personally description in short sentences:

doesn't like being ridiculed and will retort back.

isn't shy, and has social anxiety. prefers sticking to his own circle rather than branching out.

gets a fill after his missions, feels more confident.

doesn't completely hate his height as he can use it do his advantage, but hates how scared women and children are of him.

takes his anger out on others and doesn't like admitting fault.

will put on a front to hide that he's socially anxious.

knows what he's doing, and knows he's good at his job.

remember this is all my personal analysis, and don't take this all seriously!!! ive been told my analysis is pretty accurate, and i'd agree. so here, this is i view him and what i thinks accurate :)

[artist-issues]

hello! this is a bit of an odd request but i saw your post on redoing zazu’s character in the new mufasa movie and it just made soooo much sense to me! the movie i think was great but i have my aversions towards the way they developed some of the characters icl. i was just wondering what you thought of the way taka/scar was portrayed in the movie. the reason i ask is because i have intentions to write a fanfiction where he isn’t necessarily the coward he was raised to be, but i’m not quite sure how exactly to go about that. obviously i figure something would have to change in his childhood. there’s just a lot of uncertainty on my part and you are by no means under no obligation to answer this at all i just wanted to pick your brain! you’re a wonderful writer and a wonderful artist and i love your blog! 🫶🏽🫶🏽

This is so kind, thank you so much! I actually was really dissatisfied with my art on that post, so people saying positive things about it is encouraging. It’s like salve on a self-burn.

I did respond to another ask about Taka and Mufasa’s characterizations. I rambled a lot, but basically I believe that they scattered a bunch of interesting ideas for Taka into the movie, and then didn’t follow through or stay consistent on any of them. I mean, for example, several times Taka is jumping into dangerous situations or going out of his way to save Mufasa or improve their circumstances….but then suddenly he can’t save his mom? He’s also a coward?

So I think they should’ve focused on what makes Scar “Scar”, and then carefully built Taka into that from scratch.

So what makes Scar ”Scar?”

I don’t think it’s cowardice. I mean, yeah he avoids fights and gets other animals to do his dirty work, and he plots assassinations on literal children. He does cowardly things. But the focus of Scar, as a character, was not “this guy is a coward.”

The focus was, “this guy is all about himself.”

Because, in the original Lion King, Simba had to grow out of “we’ll do it all my way,” to “take responsibility.” So the villain had to be somebody who was also “all my way” focused.

Remember Scar’s song? He literally says, in the climax, “I’ll be king undisputed, respected, saluted, and seen for the wonder I am.”

If you’re going to get in Scar’s head, and unwind him until you get down to Taka, you have to realize: Scar thinks he is the greatest thing to ever happen to Africa. He thinks he’s worthy of adoration. He is self-obsessed, and obsessed with how everyone else sees him.

He’s so self-obsessed that he only sees other people through the lens of “how does this individual compare to ME?” He stops seeing Mufasa as “brother,” and starts seeing him just as “the King instead of ME.” He doesn’t see Simba as “nephew,” he sees Simba as, “little hairball in line to inherit the throne before ME.” He didn’t even see hyenas as “rival poachers,” like most lions—he saw them as, “easily-manipulated numbers that could be useful to ME.”

That’s why I think “I Always Wanted a Brother” was such a good song. The story didn’t make the most of it, but it was a good choice. The focus of that song isn’t “Mufasa is my brother.” The focus of that song is, “Mufasa is MY brother because I SAY he’s MINE.” It’s sweet, but it’s also still all about Taka getting what Taka wants, which is what a story about Not-Pure-Evil-But-Eventually-Evil-Young Scar should’ve been.

So! I guess my long, rambly answer to you is, don’t focus so much on Taka being a coward, or Taka NOT being a coward. Focus on Taka being self-obsessed. Focused on who he is and his own destiny. Then take stuff away from him. Especially, take the spotlight and the adoration of others away from him. And he’ll slowly corrode, believably, into Scar in your story.

I mean, cowardice is fine. But it’s just a side to the main course of Scar’s character. Being a coward just means you value your own comfort more than anything else. Scar won’t challenge Mufasa or Simba directly because he knows he’ll lose, and that would be highly uncomfortable—but he doesn’t give up on his idea of his own future as the Respected King, because even though there’s a chance he’ll get caught scheming and punished, do you know what’s more uncomfortable to Scar than punishment? Not getting his way. So he’s too much of a coward to fight Mufasa head-on, but he’s not enough of a coward, in a weird way, to just let Mufasa have the throne.

That’s the balance of his character. He has to be “Seen For the Wonder He Believes He Is.” He’ll do anything to get that.

So that’s my advice! Write a Taka who is raised in such a way that he believes he is the Best Thing Ever—and is always jumping at whatever will get the most people to acknowledge him as the Best Thing Ever.

[animazi]

whoa look at me talking about the acolyte wow... I dislike commenting on currently airing shows largely because there is so much that is still a mystery ooh what could happen next, and this is very true for the murder mystery only the victims aren't who you think show.

this is an upsettingly long post ostensibly about how I think there will be a mae pov flashback, and really about how I think osha's flashback that we have now is not the full story, which is fairly obvious, but I've put way to much thought into getting together what passes for textual evidence for it. read at own peril contains much yapping about e3.

anyway. episode three. time to comment on the currently airing show. beautiful stunning cinematography - different director Kogonada, and yeah. wow. very pretty. a lot more obvious Symbolism shots, which I am a sucker for icl, and in general some very beautiful stuff this is, and I will go to bat for this theory (please please please be right c'mon leslye do this for me) half of the flashbacks, and it is all from osha's point of view. right ok. so. entertain me here. some people on twt have noted how there are some shots in flashback scenes in the trailer that we haven't seen yet, and this + torbin's scar and the one word title (all other episodes have been two words, with each clearly corresponding to mae or osha) + the fact that this episode is so visually distinct and Kogonada is directing e7 too + what I am about to talk about wrt mae and osha all leads me to think 'yeah, this is half of the flashback', and the other half is probably going to be the bit people get antsy about yay.

now! the mae and osha stuff - I think that Destiny (that's the name of this episode btw. I have so many thoughts about the jedi and agency as ever. that is a separate yap though) is going to be the less controversial of the two largely because, bear with me just lining up this wasps nest in my aim, it is 'pro-jedi' so to speak. the jedi are good, not bad. osha restates time and time again her desire to not be a witch, to explore the world, and the jedi are her way of doing this. sol is kind and saves her, and the jedi are nice, if strict. they stop her from having to do the ascension, a ceremony she really didn't want to do, and they saved her. now. for the disclaimer. I don't think the jedi are evil and bad, I think they are flawed as an institution, and that is the angle I am fairly certain the acolyte is going for - they care more about the legality of the situation rather than the 'moral good' of the situation they are in aka mae really does not want to leave, even if osha does - it would surely cause far more harm to take them both as the jedi pretty clearly intend to do. that in mind. I also think everyone is sleeping on how incredibly fun and biased these two (more on this later) flashback episodes will be. hands up if you've seen the last duel, anyone, anyone? well the last duel is a film about uh. the violent sexual assault of a woman in medieval france. and it is framed through three different accounts of the events as told by our three leads: jean (the husband), jacques (the rapist), and marguerite (the victim). marguerite's account is presented by the film as the actually accurate one, it is The Truth, but it is also the last version we see, so for the first two thirds of the film we have watched two clashing narratives, with no clear indication of who is right. the story of the acolyte is one inspired by leslye headland's relationship with her sister (linky link) a relationship where both sisters believe fully that they are in the right - if osha's account is 100% the truth, this really doesn't seem to track and the show looses most of its emotional depth, and while yes, sure, external material doesn't mean that the show will unfold this way, I am willing to bet (please please please please please) that it will. now. onto the actual content of this episode that I think supports my theory - aka osha's (clear) bias.

I am going to start with what I think is the strongest point, and work from there. so. basics. please remember that osha has spent the last 14 years of her life knowing that mae set the fire that killed her parents, the same fire that traumatised osha to the point that she was unable to continue her jedi training and had to take an illegal and dangerous mechanic job, and yet she still clearly loves her sister - I would guess from this information presented in e1&2 that mae and osha had a close bond before, and yet the flashback shows almost the opposite. osha chafes at mae's constant proximity, at the 'born as two but always one' line, they are near constantly fighting, mae seems like an out and out psychopath, freezing a space hummingbird and deliberately setting the fire in an attempt to kill osha (in funny news. the fortress had so many osha violations no wonder she wanted to leave hahaha I am a comedic genius). why does osha miss the shot then, in light of this? well, the thesis of this theory post is that osha is not remembering in full 4k HD honesty - again, she has spent most of her life certain that mae essentially killed her parents and indirectly ruined her dreams of being a jedi, and this lack of clarity about the truth comes through in how she acts towards mae. now. my evidence for this? largely vibes based, and could just be poor writing, but what is star wars (prequels edition esp) if not reading heavily into interesting writing :D largely here my hmmm moments all stemmed from how conflictingly Destiny (the episode) presents mae. she is at once a known freezer of space hummingbirds (but osha doing the exact same just for less time is fine?) and setter of fires while vowing to kill osha to prevent her from leaving, and also osha's clearly loved sister - yes they fight, but again, osha misses the shot that would have brought mae into jedi custody (custody that she fairly explicitly trusts). now, my hypothesis here is that osha looking back on these events as coloured by her knowledge of what mae will do unconsciously is framing mae as more in the wrong, inherently bad etc to make sense of mae's actions. now, additionally supporting evidence I will present to the review group is how vehemently osha (who is saved by and goes on to become a padawan to a jedi) supports the jedi, in a way that seems to have been, to me at least, argued before with mae. the girl has been drawing the jedi logo in her notebook, her love of the jedi is pretty apparent in this episode. and yet the witches pretty clearly fear the jedi and what they bring with them. they disagree with the jedi perception of the force - and this disagreement is not framed as wrong by the narrative thus far, the republic and jedi quite literally have banned them from ensuring the longevity of their coven - so why is osha so firmly convinced that the jedi are good? :warning: violent and unconfirmed theory :warning: through the lens of osha being biased as someone who was saved by the jedi, and clearly wanted more than life in the fortress, osha reframes her 'siding' with the jedi in childhood as a more 'moral' stance; the jedi and good, and mae, who burnt down her life, is bad; a conflict between (understandably) overprotective parents + a clingy sister and osha who wants to be her own person with her own identity (oh look a Theme) gets morphed into a conflict between the jedi (an identity osha later takes on, and still clearly largely adheres too, insert textpost about how despite leaving osha is still bound by core jedi principles e.g. compassion) and the witches (an identity osha never feels connected to and actively tries to leave behind).

I will also say I think you can see all of this in the title of the episode, Destiny. why is this the title? certainly its a break from e1&2 'lost/found' and 'revenge/justice', where they are descriptors of what osha and mae are (either literally as in being found or enacting). destiny does not fit this mould, and I think is a rather interesting framing of all this. it is osha's destiny to become a jedi, but for that to happen, mae seemingly must get cast as the villain, without any room for doubt or her side of the story. also, there is the fact that agency is such a big part of this episode (aww its my reoccurring favourite star wars theme). osha's lack of individuality/separation from mae, the way she feels unable to refuse the ceremony she clearly doesn't want to. the jedi (really just sol. I have so many thoughts about sol) offer osha the choice that she wants, and yet the 'sanctity' of that choice is taken away from her in the violent death of the coven and the burning down of the fortress. sol says if you wish you will train as my padawan, but she can never return to the ruins of the fortress, she must go to coruscant. logically and emotionally yes I understand this, but the show has made a point about how the jedi order does not really give you transferable skills - is the same not true in the other direction? osha has no family now, functionally nowhere to go that isn't the jedi order. the question is will you be my padawan, not will you be a padawan. destiny (or at least the actions of others) has made it so that the agency she just received has been dashed on the rocks. and to refocus on the actual topic of this post, that theft of autonomy was pretty directly down to mae, and so how else to process that other than casting mae as a villain.

now, in the show about troubled sororal relations (I restate my earlier link) there naturally has to be another side to the uh. sororal relations than just osha's. also I bet its going to be called 'choice' or some shit to mirror Destiny and the other episode titles and highlight the differences in worldviews of osha and mae, jedi and witch

this is all, of course, to go without even saying the unclear reasons for why mae set the fire. was she just evil and possessive, or (as the server posited) being controlled or mind tricked or startled or even was there some palpatine level manipulation going on by the master. questions that a mae specific flashback would answer.

anyway. good show I like it when the star wars makes me think about stuff even when it is 2am and I should be sleeping. watch literally none of this be true

[georgeharrisonshairymoustache]

@lasalebete more sio infodumping now wahoo *crowd goes fucking silent*

May as well start from the beginning...

To put some backstory context in, her family is from a long line of Coruscentian (the kingdoms name) Emperors since like....the year 625 (clarification that this is a fictional place and ADs and BCs aren't actually determined just yet cuz we haven't needed to do anything abt that) (and extra clarification that the current year in The Realghms is approx 1380).

If you were to imagine Sio race-wise then she's mixing between a slight middle-eastern (maternal) and a white Mediterranean (paternal)

Basically imagine pretty much Turkish and Greece

Cuz like...her ginger hair is SO common in Turkey and Greeceeeeeee (my only defense is that her features are entirely based on me I'm so sorry)

Reference:

(Shit drawing but ah well)

*ehem* anyway

Her dad, Demetrius (*insert surname that I won't use for personal reasons here*) was a traumatised war veteran who likely fought in the same war that Sio fought in when she was 16 (99 Years War). He came home veryyyyy traumatised, he was depressed, a heavy drinkerrrr, VERY victim-blaming, especially on Sio. Sio's Siblings, Zehraei and Bayezid were infinitely more favoured than her, even though Bayezid died of an illness when he was still little. As the years went on Demetrius went on to continue abusing her (via manipulation and guilt tripping), whereas her mother, Aylinei, seemed to be completely oblivious to his behaviour (I think that she knew all along but since she prefered Zehraei to Sio, and that she didn't want to be hurt by her husband, then she just never stood up for it HAHA GREAT MUM INNIT) !!!

Fast forward to 1361. VERYYYY important year for Sio and Elias (some reasons I won't indulge in yet cuz the essays would be far too long). In the capital city that they both resided in, called Annen, was sieged by the opposition army (Malusians) from the 99 Years War. During this time, Zehraei is brutally murdered by a soldier, and the family is destraught (obviously, icl Zehraei was actually a good person unlike many blursed characters). Her parents (and grandfather Orpheus) are SO destraught, not only because they're favourite daughter had died but also because this meant that all they could now rely on to continue their family tree was from this odd little teen who never found any interest in men whatsoever (oh how untrue that is mwahahah).

Then. Some bomb (or sumn like that) went off on the street while the family was fleeing the city, which knocked down the city watchtower. Fortunately, Sio was quite a bit further than them, having not noticed the large falling tower noises going on in the background since she was trying to calm herself via Stairway to Heaven playing in her headphones (long story as to why she's got access to both modern technology and led zeppelin that I won't go into yet).

So yeah, basically. Errrr maybe sound effects might put gjbe a better insight as to what happened to the rest of the family afterwsrds

*WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* *RUBBLE RUBBLE CRUMBLE CRUMBLE* *WHAP BANG WHOP WOO* *WEEEEE* *CRASH BAM WHAP ZAP LED ZEP* *falling tower noises*

*CRASH BANG WAP CARDI. B.* *body-crushing noises*

dw, sio noticed her family had all just been killed by that watchtower eventually, however she was a little disappointed that she had to pause jimmy page's guitar solo nearing the end of the song (cuz it's banging).

After all this she is hella sad tho she's also a bit relieved they're dead cuz now she has some actual freedom (elias probably helped her get grounded numerous times for like, time travelling).

Then there's a bit of a gap in timelines from where her family dies and where she signs up for the army BUT THATS FOR ANOTHER ESSAY CUZ GODAMN THAT WAR GOT SOME IMPORTANT SHIT

(I AM SO SORRY THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE THIS LONG)

[oliviamillss]

i'd love a story about a guy some girl rejected who's now a man whore but he hates all of the girls' friends but doesn't think she's that bad and randomly texts her like once every 3 months to be his therapist

[sapphic-sasuke]

you don't need to get to this quickly b/c pleasee focus on your exams but i made more looking for forgiveness fanart ! the second one isn't finished because of. reasons. help kakashi is such a character. anyway gl on your exams LMAO

- amary

I LIT SCREAMED WHEN I SAW THIS. u rly made art for my other fav scene?!!!!!!!!!!!! feeling so touched rn so unbelievably blessed. ICL recently ive been feeling p meh about my fic but you have just resurrected my love for writing looking for forgiveness and if i wasnt incredibly busy studying for exams id go rn and write sm fuelled alone by the inspiration and love i feel from ur art <3

THE FIRST ONE.. little sasuke looks so distraught omgg you got it so perfect, so right. HES ANGRY, MAD and unhinged. and can i just say im obsessed with the way you use my dialogue it fills me w so much joy fr !!! thats one of my fav things ive written like LMAO i was in my feels when writing that so <3333 (also.. i know almost nothing abt art but bear w me) but the way u emphasised how sasuke's lashing out w his arms/hands out n the sort of close up you did on it bc that alone is so much defiance against kakashi in his body language. i just love it . sm wooooooow

THE SECOND ONE HAD ME LIT IN TEARS MAN. sasuke kneeling on the floor w his hand touching the ground like ninjas do to their hokage.... to me showing how kakashi by using the sharingan on sasuke crossed a line nobody except the hokage could even cross... that kind of stifling, overbearing authority,,, the way he looks so stern and menacing looming over sasuke..... MY POOR BABY SASUKE i love love love this so much!!!!!!!!

ITS SO AMAZING ur art is so good i feel so ???? flattered that such an amazing artist likes my story T.T thank u so much amary n just in general ur one of my fav mutuals ur so great <3333 n thank u for wishing me luck on exams hehehe

[theimpossiblescheme]

Queens About Town

I was paired up with @mister-meowoffelees and her OC Virsilia for @mybonesohno‘s OC-icle Ball, and since I’m no great artist, I wanted to write a short and sweet fic about Virsilia’s relationships with both her mate Demeter and her friend Bustopher Jones!  I hope I’ve done this wonderful OC justice, and I hope you all enjoy this story!

“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to come and visit,” Demeter laughed unsteadily, leaning on her mate’s arm as they approached the great red canopy reading FOX’S.  “I figured I’d stick out like a sore thumb at these clubs.”

Virsilia merely shook her head before leaning it against Demeter’s to nuzzle her gently.  “Oh, don’t be silly… they’ll love you here, I’m sure of it.”  In truth, even if this was as far as they got—even if Demeter panicked at the last moment and wanted to stay outside or even turn back around and go home—Virsilia was still so proud of her.  She knew how nerve-wracking long trips outside of the Junkyard could be for her, and it took a great deal of persuasion on her part to get her to agree to come.  And Heaviside only knew how many cats were scared to death of Bustopher’s clubs on principle.  But she would be there every step of the way.  When Demeter gave her a shy smile in return, Virsilia squeezed her paw and led her through one of the open windows at the very end.

On the other side was a wide room, warmly lit by the sunlight streaming across the chestnut-colored walls and multicolored bookcases that lined them.  All around them were chairs and little sofas, and each one of them was occupied by a Man and his cat.  Long-haired pudgy cats who were content to sit in someone’s lap and purr, wiry long-legged cats who were looking for something to scratch and summarily getting scolded for it, adolescent kittens who were chatting up their neighbors… all shapes and sizes of feline guests.  Two of them—a fluffy white queen and an imperious-looking gray tom—were looking down at Demeter with heavy, scrutinizing eyes as she passed, but Virsilia just patted her paw and led her away.  Franz and Duchess could judge all they pleased… they weren’t the ones she was here to see.

At the end of a room was a very well-stocked bar and a barkeep in a white apron currently pouring two drinks into a mixer and shaking it vigorously.  Demeter paused for a moment to watch him, rising up slightly on her hind legs and cocking her head curiously.  “What is that… do you know?”

Squinting up at the barkeep, Virsilia watched him pour out a bright orange liquid into a glass and garnish the rim with an orange slice.  “I believe that’s a vodka screwdriver… but you mustn’t quote me on that.”

Demeter gave her a bemused look.  “Why would they call it a screwdriver, though?  It doesn’t look anything like one.”

Virsilia simply shrugged. “Who knows why humans do anything? They have a hard enough time giving us names most of the time.”  That got a smirk and a tiny laugh out of Demeter, so she considered it a small victory.

The barkeep passed the drink over to a heavyset, white-mustachioed man in a thick grey coat sitting at the bar, and Virsilia’s face broke into a wide grin.  “There’s our host… come on, love!”  Beckoning Demeter with her tail, she ran to the base of the man’s chair and stood up against the leg, looking up into his lap and giving its occupant a more gently sardonic smile.  “Are you going to come and greet your guests, or shall I have to show my mate around myself?”

At first there was only a hearty laugh in answer.  Then the man’s lap stirred, and a familiar, similarly heavyset tuxedo cat heaved himself off of the chair and down onto the ground.  “And hello to you as well, my dear,” Bustopher Jones replied, adjusting his monocle with one paw as he gave Virsilia’s a fond shake with the other.  Then he turned around.  “Are my eyes finally going in my age… or is that really young Demeter?”

Demeter laughed, shaking her head slightly.  “I’m not that young anymore, Mr. Jones—I have mates and children now.  And we met at the last Ball, you must remember…”

“Oh, I do.  But I don’t remember seeing you at any of my clubs before.” He lifted her paw and gave it a gallant kiss.  “Welcome to Fox’s, my dear.  And please, friends call me Bustopher.”

Virsilia smiled at the two of them, watching an embarrassed, but pretty blush painting her mate’s cheeks and squeezing her paw again.  “When she told me she’d never been here before, I insisted she come with me to see you. I promised she’d have a wonderful time.”

“Is it always so crowded, though?” Demeter asked, eyes flitting anxiously around them at all the other cats.

“Not usually.  It will empty out soon enough around sundown—I can give you a proper tour then.  But first, you must be famished, coming all this way…”  Gesturing for them to follow, he lead them around the bar and underneath into a cozily dark area littered with pillows for seats and small carboard boxes for tables.  As Demeter and Virsilia took their seats at a box in the corner, Bustopher reached under his chosen pillow and pulled out three small notecards that had been printed with menus.

“Take your time ordering,” he said as he made himself comfortable across from them.  “There’s a particularly delightful array of steaks—I would wager say only the Globe is better.”

“Oh, I’ll probably just get something small,” Demeter said, reading over her menu with an apprehensive look on her face.  “I don’t want to eat too much… and I’m not even sure what half of these are…”

“Darling, you don’t have to be shy,” Virsilia reassured her.  “Cats eat here completely free—you can get whatever you want.  Besides,” she continued in a lower voice, “I know you didn’t eat very much today.”

Her mate’s gaze dropped guiltily into her lap.  “I certainly meant to… you know how it is sometimes… I just couldn’t work up the energy.”

“I know.  And that’s perfectly fine.  But this evening, Bustopher and I want to treat you… and you wouldn’t want to disappoint us, would you?”  She gave her an exaggerated pout, and that got another little laugh out of Demeter in spite of herself.  It always gave Virsilia a little thrill to hear her laugh… she did so seldomly, and it meant the world to her that she could still coax it out of her, even in her darkest moods.

Either not hearing the whole exchange or tactfully pretending not to, Bustopher clapped his paws into the air.  “Garçon!”  A thin brown tom with a towel around his waist came rushing over, and Bustopher gestured toward Demeter, holding out his paw for her to take so she could stand up. “Show our lovely guest some of our dinner trays, will you?  She deserves to know what she shall be served tonight.”

“Oh, that’s all right—I don’t want to leave the table—”

“Nonsense, dear girl. You go and educate yourself, and make some friends along the way. ��I’m going to catch up a bit with your mate.”  He gave her a gently chiding look over his monocle, a look he must have given his nephews many times, and Demeter relented, letting go of his paw and turning to the waiter. And extending his arm gracefully, the waiter led her away down the dimly lit corridor formed between the bar and the wall.

Virsilia watched her go, nodding encouragingly until she was out of sight, before laying down her menu—she already had an idea what she wanted.  “Now before you ask, Bustopher, I won’t be treating all of your guests to a dance tonight.  I’m afraid I left my tap shoes back at the Junkyard.”

“The idea hadn’t even crossed my mind.”  Taking off his monocle and polishing it on his cravat, he squinted off in the direction Demeter and the waiter had left.  “But you must tell me… how did the two of you meet?”

For a moment, Virsilia wasn’t sure what to say… well, she was, but she had no idea how to condense it all.  Hers and Demeter’s story was such a long, emotionally taxing one, and no doubt most of it wouldn’t make for very good dinner conversation.  But she hadn’t seen her old friend in such a long time, and so much of her life had changed since then…  “We met shortly after she first returned to the Junkyard.  She had her little girl by then, and… well, she still wasn’t quite sure how to be a mother.  I stepped up to help her and teach her what I knew, and we spent so much time bonding together with little Jemima all the while.  I suppose it was only natural we would fall in love,” she added, unable to help a blush herself that she tried to hide with a paw on her cheek.

“I’d say you’ve been a good influence on her,” Bustopher replied, replacing his monocle.  “I could never have imagined the poor creature I met last year coming all this way, even with someone to lean on.  And I’d imagine that Jemima is no small help herself.”

“Oh, she’s such a sweetheart!” Virsilia exclaimed, melting into a fond smile.  “She’s so much like her mother, so kind and patient… she’s been more help than she realizes.”  Seeing Demeter smile wider than she had in so long, hearing Jemima call the two of them her “moms”—there were few things the world that warmed her heart more.  “Really, all of those kittens there are so sweet. I have to admit, that might be my favorite thing in the Junkyard—just playing with them, spending time with them whenever their parents are busy.  It’s never boring, I can tell you that,” she added with a chuckle.

“I can imagine not.  I always mean to visit more than I have lately, but Old Henry is always milling about between establishments.  Not that I mind at all, you understand,” Bustopher put in quickly, “but I do miss the lot of you on Bristol or Dover days.”

“We’ll have to all take a special trip to come and visit you sometime,” Virsilia suggested.  “I’m sure Skimble knows a train line we can take… and I’m sure Pouncival will be able to behave himself.”  She gave him a mischievous smile across the table, knowing exactly what his answer would be.

And he didn’t disappoint, widening his eyes and giving a small huff of a laugh as if he’d choked on something.  “I say this with affection, my dear… but I wouldn’t hold my breath for that.”

Virsilia just laughed. “Oh, I promise he would be on his best behavior.  Especially if Demeter were there—she’s like a mother to him, too, and he adores her. It’s… really rather difficult not to,” she admitted softly, blushing even harder now and doggedly looking back down at her menu to hide it this time.

Bustopher only gave her a knowing look and smiled back at her.  “I can see that.”  He lifted his gaze above her, and his face unexpectedly lit up.  “Ah, speak of the devil!”

Looking up, Virsilia caught sight of Demeter being escorted back to their table by the same waiter and noted that she seemed a little more relaxed than she’d been before.  “Back so soon, love?”

“It wasn’t quite as complicated as I expected it to be,” Demeter said, nodding her thanks to the waiter before sliding back onto her pillow and brushing her shoulder against her mate’s as she picked up her menu.  “I think I know want I want now.”

The waiter looked expectantly over at Bustopher, who merely waved toward the two queens.  “Ladies first, my dears.  The night is yours.”

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

what did u think of rakepick’s likely final appearance? i do still hate her icl. even if she did save mc it doesn’t redeem her of everything she’s done. rowan is dead because of her & i can never forgive & forget that. like if that was meant to be her redemption then it wasn’t a very good one imo. they didn’t have her apologize or show just an ounce of regret for all the bs she’s pulled even at the end of it all. at least she’s aware of the fact that she’s beyond saving & doesn’t act like she was somehow justified in what she did though. they didn’t even give her an actual backstory/motivation for joining r let alone a good one, like that’s one of the things they could have done at the very least. especially if this really is the last we’ll see of her like the final vault seemed like it was the end of her role in the story but it clearly wasn’t. but these few scenes with her do have an air of finality to it especially with that “this really is goodbye” line so i’m not expecting to see her again. i mean if she actually does die like some ppl have been saying, then this really is the end of her role in the story. honestly idk how to feel about that like i don’t forgive her & i’m not sad about it but the possibility that she might actually be dead is kinda hard to believe

I just hope it isn't her final appearance, because this scene did plant the seeds for her to become better fleshed out with time, if she does make one more appearance down the road. I'm not saying anyone will stop hating her or that they should, I'm not saying it will erase her crimes, but I still want to know why. I want to understand her mindset. How she got to this place in her life, what led her there. Who are you, Rakepick? With how prominent she's been in the story, I kind of feel like we as players of the game are entitled to know. And yeah, I know no one else cares, but just like you said - they didn't even give her a motivation. Wouldn't her character have been stronger if we learned more about her? Wouldn't the story itself have been stronger? Through Rakepick, we could have learned more about Jacob. Or The Cabal. Or Dumbledore. Anything, really. Could you imagine if, with her dying breath, she passed MC some kind of letter, or a bottle containing memories? So we could learn more about her post-mortem? Yes, it would be a blatant recycle of what was done with Snape, but I don't even care at this point. Anything, anything to make her less boring.

As far as what her motivation actually was? I do have a theory. I have an idea for how Rakepick might have been persuaded to join R. Because they seem to have a knack for recruiting people who aren't inclined to follow authority, who rely on their own personal power. I mean there's Merula, there's Rakepick, and even Jacob, based on all we've heard about him. I know Jacob turned on them, but there must have been something about them that drew him in in the first place, right? Well, my current theory is that R wants to change the world to make the Dark Arts be not only legalized, but normalized and taught in schools, etc. That their selling point is all about personal freedom with your own magic. That could be why they're all about power and victory, why failure is punished so severely. R's leader is the leader because they're the most powerful...though as I say that, I realize it doesn't quite gel with the whole idea of a dynasty. Well, either way, I think that's how they drew Rakepick in. Just wish we could have heard as much. R's plan could be something more mind-blowing, I mean if it's just a Pro-Dark Magic cult, they could have revealed that back when Moody first told MC it was a group. So maybe their plan is a bit more of a shocker, but they're running out of time to reveal what it is...

[ddpstudiosinc]

DDP Vradio - FreedomMarch - Interview - Katharine Wand - 20 OCT 2020 Pr...

IMPORTANT PROTEST - Aviation Sector - Parliament Hill Ottawa - Tuesday October 20th 2020 ... sign the petition... Petition for salary reductions of public sector: http://chng.it/zFJwVvJXB4 Aviation protest : https://facebook.com/events/s/marchtosavecanadianaviation/856557524876958/?ti=icl Great Interview       Katharine Wand Well these people are definitely, not a bunch yahoos.  Just good sensible Canadians having good reasons for disagreeing with the Government Narrative of COVID 19 -  From Professionals, Laymen, Artists, Tradesmen,  Canadians from all walks of life, have come together to inform there side of the story regarding the illegal use of Masks and illegal and unnecessary extended lock downs, and concern over chipping away of the Bill of Rights of Canadians.  Good Concerned Citizens have a right to assemble for protest.  Even though and always wondered whether we ever could exercise our Bill of Rights without having a Lawyer. The Line Canada www.thelinecanada.com GetMAD  Mothers Against Distancing www.getmad.online Hugs Over Masks hugsovermasks.ca Group Back To Work www.backtowork.bz Welcome to D.D.P. studios Inc.   We Make Thinking Fun www.ddpstudios.com www.ddpstudios.com/tv www.jesusmeetsthegayman.com

[stlhealthandwellness-blog]

Moments that Matter

http://tinyurl.com/ybn58ywf We all have defining moments that, like a stones tossed in a pond, send ripples of intention and purpose through the waters of our lives. It is these moments that change our inner navigation, shifting the currents flowing beneath the stories we tell ourselves about who we are in the world and who we can become. For me, one of those moments occurred in Smith’s grocery store when I was in my early teens. I’d gone to the store alone to pick up a few things we needed, which was nearly a daily chore in a family with seven children. My father was a local ophthalmologist and my mother was plenty busy herself, so as the second oldest, it wasn’t unusual for me to help out. I was pushing a cart down the cereal aisle when a tall man with a kind face approached me. He extended his big hand in a handshake gesture, and as I reached out to grasp it, he wrapped my fingers in a warm embrace. I watched the lines next to his eyes grow deeper as his smile spread across his face. “Your father changed my life,” he told me. “He gave me back my vision so I can see again.” That statement, made beneath the fluorescent lights of our local market, somewhere between the Cheerios and the corn flakes, made a huge impact on me. From that moment on, I wanted to change people’s lives, too. My appreciation for vision began before I was old enough to realize it. Both my father and grandfather were leading ophthalmologists, and their work was dinner table talk while I was growing up. From my earliest years, I’ve been fascinated by the science behind the human eye, but even more captivating is the beauty of creation behind each one. Right now, this very minute, there are about 7.5 billion of us human beings on Earth. That means there are about 15 billion eyes, and no two are exactly alike. From a technical standpoint, our eyes are even more uniquely individual than our fingerprints. But from a human standpoint, wow. How amazing is it that you have two windows to your world so rare that yours are, literally, the only ones like them in the universe? That awe-inspiring thought is one of the reasons I am passionate about what I do at Brinton Vision. When I look inside a patient’s eyes, I see a beautiful kaleidoscope of shapes, structures, and vibrant colors that I’ve never seen presented quite that way before. Sure, we’ve all got the same basic eye anatomy, but the artwork inside is astounding to me — every single time. I first discovered refractive procedures in my medical school training, and I was mesmerized by the growing field of laser technology. It was evident to me that the day would soon come when people like my grandparents wouldn’t have to spend their golden years unable to see well enough to drive, enjoy the outdoors, or navigate everyday tasks. In the early 1990s, LASIK surgery was all the rage, and rightfully so. For the first time, vision problems could be corrected safely and effectively without glasses or contact lenses. But it wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t for everyone. Today, not only is LASIK more advanced and effective, but there are now alternatives such as Raindrop, Kamra, Visian ICL, Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) and SMILE that can offer hope to patients who have been told that LASIK won’t work for them. For those billions of eyes in the world, there is now a wider array of laser-assisted solutions to choose from that change lives every day. Yet many laser eye centers provide only one or two options without telling people there may be better answers. Upon graduating from Harvard Medical School, I wanted to arm myself with the best education, the best technology, and the best mentors available — not for power or money, but so that I could create positive change in people’s lives. I spent considerable time obtaining advanced fellowship training in refractive surgery. I became involved in research projects to test and perfect the technology and procedures available. I am proud to say that Brinton Vision is the only practice in the state to specialize solely in providing the seven refractive procedures available in the U.S. What’s more, we have the technology and expertise to solve many unique vision problems, even for people who have been told they are not candidates for LASIK. Patients often tell me that we are different, and I think that’s true. We care and it shows in everything we do. Our goal is to do everything we can to empower you with the information you need to make an informed decision about one of the most important aspects of your life — your vision. Nothing has given me more satisfaction than seeing patients smile when they realize they can do everything from jumping into a swimming pool to texting their grandchildren, all with clear, crisp vision. Each day I go to work, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to realize the dream I set out to attain in the grocery store aisle so many years ago. I hope that someday my children find defining moments of their own and each set a course that leads them to find the joy and fulfillment that only comes from living a purposeful life. Brinton Vision is located at 555 N. New Ballas Rd. in Creve Coeur. Visit brintonvision.com or call 314.375.2020. About Dr. Brinton If you are considering LASIK or refractive surgery, it’s good to know your eyes are in the best hands. Dr. Jason P. Brinton, MD is an internationally recognized specialist in the field of refractive surgery. He is a graduate of Harvard College, earned his medical doctorate from Harvard Medical School, and is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He has been inducted to America’s Top Ophthalmologists by the Consumer Research Council of America, Leading Physicians of the World by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals, and Top Doctors in America by Castle Connolly. In 2015, he received global recognition as recipient of the Visian ICL Young Ophthalmologist Award in Barcelona, Spain, and in 2016 was named to Ocular Surgery News’ Premier Surgeon 300 Innovators in Refractive Cataract Surgery. He is a dedicated husband, father of four beautiful children, and is passionate about his life, his work, and service to others.  

[vileart]

A Girl and a Dramaturgy: Louise Orwin @ Edfringe 2017

A Girl & A Gun by Louise Orwin

Venue: Summerhall, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Venue 26   

Dates: 2-27 Aug (not 3, 7, 14, 21) 

Time: 18.00 (70 mins)

What was the inspiration for A Girl & A Gun?

I started researching the basis of the show, when I began re-thinking Godard’s famous statement: ‘All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.’  I’ve always been a massive fan of film, and the French new wave in particular, but as my politics developed I began to wonder exactly what it was that Godard was saying when he uttered those words. I felt like there was perhaps a clue in those words as to who he was making film for (spoiler

alert: MAN).  Thinking about the male gaze in cinema is nothing new- I am fanatic about Laura Mulvey’s work on this topic, but at this point in time I began to really think about my own appetite for these kind of images as a reasonably well-informed, politically engaged young woman. 

At the same time as pondering these ideas a few other things happened. Beyonce released her music video for ‘Videophone’ featuring her and Lady Gaga scantily-clad bearing multi-coloured guns as props; I watched Springbreakers and the scene where two teenage girls lie on a bed surrounded by guns and using them a sexual props stuck with me; and I came across the work of B-movie mogul Andy Sidaris, who essentially makes low-grade Bond-esque action films which always star playboy bunnies running around with guns.  I kept thinking about the references to guns in each of these contexts, how the images were stuck in my head, how they all elicited different reactions from me (but overwhelming a mix of being reviled and attracted at the same time), I wondered about the economy of power when a woman in a bikini holds a gun (is it/can it ever be empowering), I wondered who these images were for. I then started thinking about my own appetite for these kind of images, perhaps starting to realise that it was an appetite that had started at quite a young age.

Realizing that there was something almost unconscious about my response to these kind of films, I decided I wanted to make a show that interrogated the allure of the image of the girl and the gun on film, and interrogated how deeply embedded these kind of films can become in our psyches.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Yes. I mean, I hope so. If it’s not, I’ll stop what I’m doing right now…. But, honestly, it is absolutely my belief that performance is one of the best arenas to tackle big issues. We live in a confusing world, I believe, now more than ever.  With its half-read, click-bait, list-icles, and its ever-increasing platforms for political discussion, speech and demonstration, its fake news and its echo chambers. I think its hard to find spaces to really chew over ideas, to consider the grey areas, to ask the difficult, big questions. I think theatre and performance spaces are brilliant for doing just that.  If done right, they can provide an hour long meditation for audiences to consider topics and issues in all their complexity. And crucially, they can do this in very different means to the mediums we are used to, which I believe can help people understand issues in different lights.

In my work, I use ambiguity as a driving force to help open up, and grease discussion for topics that irk me, or anger me, or confuse me. I dislike being preached to, and I think many people feel the same. In my mind, ambiguity can activate an audience- keeps them alive with questions, and thus part of the conversation. That’s not to say that I don’t have strong opinions, but often the work I make covers a topic where there isn’t black or white.  I want to make work that provokes discussion and debate, that keeps you thinking, or keeps coming back to you, niggling at you long after you’ve left the theatre.

How did you first become interested in making performance?

I did a BA in Drama and English at Bristol which had a real emphasis on avant-garde work and film/mixed media performance which has undoubtedly had a huge impact on my work, but it was only after graduating from my MA in Performance Research from RCSSD in 2011 that I began working as a solo artist. My MA was basically a research-led course, so I spent a year in a studio banging my head against a wall trying to figure out what my practice was, and lo and behold a year later I emerged a fully-formed practitioner. Which is obviously a complete lie- it was when I graduated that’s when the real work began.  But that year set me in really good stead for asking difficult questions about my practice, and the work I wanted to make. I remember a course tutor saying to us: ‘what’s that thing that itches at you?  The thing that won’t go away no matter how hard you scratch at it?’ I find that’s where the good work always is- it’s a problem waiting to be worked out, worked through. And there’s a good chance that if it’s itching so much at you, its probably itching at other people as well. I guess it’s there that I realized that I had really specific things I wanted to itch at, and that it felt like performance was the only way I was going to get at them. 

Is there any particular approach you took to the making of the show?

This show was quite interesting for me in terms of process, because the concept or conceit of the show (whereby the show is performed by me and a new male performer every night, reading our lines and following stage directions from a live autocue) came quite early on in the process. This meant that the show became quite fixed in its development early on.  With other shows I tend to have a really long research and development phase, followed by a phase of making and writing where I let myself create without restriction, without fear of it being shit- I just produce and produce and produce. And then after this the editing phase happens.  With this show, I knew I had certain things that needed to happen when I was writing: I knew that the male part needed a specific arc of narrative or development, I knew that I needed to take into account the fact that there are constantly two cameras on stage, I knew that my role on stage would have to be performer, but also stage manager, and so on.

It was also the first time I’d ever written a film script- which was interesting and fun, and a very different challenge. My work is always very visual, so I’m quite used to story-boarding my work anyway, but this was a whole new kettle of fish.  

Technically, it was quite a difficult script to write. Although I could plan for my scenes, as the character of ‘Him’ is played every night by someone who hasn’t seen the script before, it was a balancing act between trying to be as clear and demonstrative as possible for that person, while still staying true to the ‘experiment’ of having an unprepared performer on stage with me. Not knowing quite what this performer will do, or how they will perform their role is exciting, but you still need to make sure that the show holds together as much as possible.

Does the show fit with the style of your other productions?

Yes, there are definitely elements in it which I think are very ‘Louise Orwin ™’ – its use of mixed-media on stage, its participatory engagement, its tone which is playful and possibly slightly threatening at the same time, its willingness to provoke an audience in dark and surprising ways. But the format is probably something which is very different to other shows of mine too. Plus it’s the first time I’ve assumed an actual ‘character’. 

When I’m on stage I’m normally playing some heightened version of myself, I call her ‘Louise in inverted commas’. The role I play in this, ‘Her’, is like a development of that- she is very campy with her Southern Belle accent, and her cherry stalk twirling and her flirtatious gestures, but in other ways she is also just an extension of myself. She is the femme fatale character I wanted to grow up to be as a child, she is everything I love and hate about hyper-femininity, and in this way she is everything I feel about my own femininity made physical, visible on stage. 

I like to play with audience perception of myself, and so there are moments when this character might slip- but the audience will struggle to identify whether this slippage is real or another part of the production. I like to keep my audiences guessing, keep them alive in the experience. If you give them everything, with no work of their own to do, you might as well just let them sleep through the show and deliver them a FAQ after.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

People often leave the auditorium feeling like they’ve been ‘part of something’. I think the device of using an unprepared performer on stage can make the audience feel as if they are watching one of their own up there. There is always laughter, and also a few tears. I’ve had women come up to me and tell me that the show spoke to them about how they seem themselves in society, or about struggling with past abusive relationships. I’ve had young men come up to me and tell me that they’ll never be able to watch their favourite films in the same way again. 

There are loads of hidden references all over the script and staging to popular cinema which makes the show feel super familiar to audiences- people have come up to me afterwards asking me if parts of the script are directly lifted from films, but its all original. This was a deliberate choice to give my audiences a feel of the uncanny whilst they’re watching, in the hope that this may help they see anew. 

I’m really excited to bring the show to Edinburgh too, with its plethora of performers (fresh meat!) and its saturation, and excitement, and its jaded audiences. I’m wondering how the show will develop and change each night, and how it might change doing the show for such a long time too. 

A Girl and A Gun Trailer from Louise Orwin on Vimeo. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Tahoma} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Tahoma; min-height: 14.0px} span.s1 {font: 12.0px Times} from the vileblog http://ift.tt/2uvsrxo

[sherristockman]

What Toxic Chemicals Are in Your Room? Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Wondering whether your son or daughter will be able to successfully complete the required coursework may no longer be your biggest worry when sending your child off to college. New studies suggest dorm life may be more hazardous than you might expect due to the presence of extraordinarily high levels of toxic flame retardants. According to Newsweek,1 scientists studying dust samples collected from college dormitories suggest students may be living among, and breathing in, chemical toxins that may negatively affect their health. Why the Dust in College Dorms Is a Cause for Concern Research published in Environmental Science & Technology2 indicates that scientists uncovered large quantities of chemicals designed to suppress fire — also known as flame retardants — in 95 dust samples collected from dormitory common areas and student rooms at two U.S. colleges. Scientists found all 47 flame retardants that were targeted by the study, some of which are believed to cause cancer and disrupt hormones. Two flame retardants, which are classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs,3 were detected in the dorm dust at record levels: Decabromodiphenyl ether, or DecaBDE: a flame retardant largely phased out in 2013, which the U.S. EPA has tagged as a “possible carcinogen” due to it having been shown to cause cancer in lab animals Pentabromodiphenyl ether, or PentaBDE: a chemical the U.S. EPA banned from manufacture in 2005, mainly because it is a known endocrine disruptor Dorms Found to Contain Alarmingly High Concentrations of Flame Retardants Certain PBDEs, which are used as flame retardants in applications such as automobiles, plastics, textiles and wire insulation, have been shown to be “persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic to both humans and the environment,” states the U.S. EPA.4 Researchers suspect college dorms contain a higher level of flame retardants because they are small, somewhat-confined spaces containing a lot of electronics and furniture. Due to their limited budgets, college students often use old furniture and bedding, some of which may contain flame retardants that have since been banned. Because PBDEs are not chemically bound to fabrics, foam, plastics or the other products in which they are used, they are susceptible to leaching. Chemical-laden particles from electronics and furniture leach over time and are collected in room dust. In the study, levels found and cited for the primary chemical within DecaBDE were a shocking nine times higher than anything previously recorded. Concentrations of PentaBDE were four times higher than levels found in any other environment. How Do Flame Retardants Affect Your Health? Four particular flame retardants were found in 100 percent of the dust samples studied, and three of them are suspected carcinogens believed to be capable of causing cancer. Of the three suspected carcinogens, one of them, known as TCIPP or tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, was found in dorms at levels twice the median quantities found in other indoor environments. While the effects of TCIPP require further study, chemicals similar in structure have been shown to have toxic effects on animal brain cells and are thought to decrease sperm counts and thyroid levels in humans.5 About the fourth chemical, named TPHP (triphenyl phosphate), the Environmental Working Group states, “[T]here is growing evidence that the chemical could affect hormones, metabolism, reproduction and development.”6 In a 2013 study,7 rats were exposed to the flame-retardant mixture Firemaster 550®, which is used in foam-based products and contains up to 20 percent TPHP. Scientists found that components of the chemical accumulated in tissues of rats, both before and after birth, resulting in obesity and early puberty for female rats. As such, researchers suspect TPHP is an endocrine disruptor. Miriam Diamond, Ph.D., a professor in the department of earth sciences at the University of Toronto, says it will take time to quantify the health risks of these substances. She states:8 “One reason why it’s not possible [to quantify the health risks] is because these chemicals tend to have effects that take a long time to manifest. Those effects are endocrine disruption … where the strongest evidence shows effects due to fetal exposure. The second reason is that the effects are not known for all the [flame retardants], and we don't know the impact of exposure to the complex mixture of chemicals people come into contact with in the U.S. and elsewhere.” Industry Groups Try to Make Flame Retardants Seem Better Than They Really Are Industry groups are notorious for making product-based toxins seems less harmful than they really are, and flame retardants are no exception. According to Newsweek, Bryan Goodman, a spokesman for the powerful and well-funded American Chemistry Council, an industry group, said the threat of toxicity is outweighed by the perceived need for flame retardants. He suggests:9 “[M]any of the chemicals found in this study have been phased out. The quantities of flame retardants found in dust were also ‘far lower than the levels at which toxicological responses have been observed in animal studies.’ ‘Fire is still a real threat to life and property, and college campuses are no exception. … [F]lame retardants, which are used at times by manufacturers to meet these flammability standards, can be an important line of defense for those living on college campuses.’” Do Flame Retardants Even Work? Goodman’s comments sound well intentioned until you realize the evidence that suggests flame retardants are effective in making fires less deadly is actually quite weak. In the video below, an investigative story produced by the Chicago Tribune,10 it’s clear that some household items treated with flame retardants burn at rates similar to untreated items. Furthermore, flame retardants can give rise to toxic fumes that are thought to cause cancer, hormone disruption and neurological deficits. According to Jon Whelan, director of the 2015 documentary “Stink!,”11 trade associations like the American Chemistry Council seek to influence policymakers to support greater use of chemicals in the baby-care products, furniture, household goods and personal products you use every day. He states:12 “The American Chemistry Council is the most powerful trade association anywhere, and it spends hundreds of millions of dollars to influence public opinion, fund political campaigns and underwrite aggressive lobbying efforts. Their goal is to avoid regulation that would impact profits of the largest chemical companies in the world.” Citizens for Fire Safety Revealed as Chemical-Industry Front Group After the release of the Chicago Tribune’s investigative report in 2012, a nonprofit organization known as Citizens for Fire Safety was outed as an industry front group. Prior to the investigative report, as the name seems to imply, Citizens for Fire Safety presented themselves as a band of concerned Americans advocating for fire safety. In reality, the organization was a trade association formed by three of the largest makers of flame retardants in the world: Albemarle Corporation, Chemtura and ICL Industrial Products. At the time, these three companies were believed to produce 40 percent of the flame retardants used worldwide.13 These companies used Citizens for Fire Safety to wage what the Tribune called “a deceptive campaign to fuel demand for the chemicals in household furniture, electronics, baby products and other goods.”14 In terms of the activities undertaken by Citizens for Fire Safety, the Tribune said:15 “Citizens for Fire Safety played an active role in states where legislators have proposed banning certain flame retardants. Its tactics included distributing videos featuring ominous music, footage of burning houses and narrators warning that restrictions on the chemicals would endanger children. The group also sponsored witnesses who testified before state legislators in favor of flame retardants.” American Chemistry Council Was Backing Citizens for Fire Safety All Along The American Chemistry Council long maintained it had nothing to do with the enormously successful, albeit deceitful, lobbying campaigns employed by Citizens for Fire Safety since 2007 to defend the use of flame retardants. Notably, during the five years of its existence, Citizens for Fire Safety was successful in defeating 58 of 60 pieces of legislation to ban chemical flame retardants across 21 U.S. states.16 Evidence of the council’s involvement emerged in 2015. At that time, Grant Gillham, the executive director of Citizens for Fire Safety, revealed that although the American Chemistry Council denied involvement, it actually helped create Citizens for Fire Safety. Gillham said the two organizations frequently coordinated activities. “They flat out lied about it," Gillham stated. "They denied that they ever did anything with us." About the flame-retardant industry overall, a seemingly disillusioned Gillham later told the Los Angeles Times,17 “I don't believe the industry has the science to support their claims that these products are safe, and that they work.” Tips on Protecting Yourself From Flame Retardants Regardless of your opinion about flame retardants, based on the findings to date, it is a good idea to limit your exposure to them as much as possible. Robin Dodson, Ph.D., research scientist at the Massachusetts-based Silent Spring Institute, was lead author of the dust study. She and Diamond share the following recommendations:18 When purchasing new items, seek out electronics and furniture that do not contain flame retardants Avoid using older furniture in college dorm rooms, because the foam padding and other materials may very likely contain flame retardants Remind your college student to vacuum and dust on a regular basis to remove toxic debris that leaches into their living area from electronics and furniture (Good luck with this one!) Ensure dorm rooms are well ventilated to avoid a build-up of leached chemicals Take care to wash your hands after touching electronics such as cell phones, keyboards, laptops and tablets, most of which contain flame retardants You should be aware that polyurethane foam products manufactured prior to 2005 — including foam used in mattresses, pillows and upholstered furniture — likely contain PBDEs. If you are not ready to replace these items, at least take care to ensure the foam is in good repair and remains covered. Older carpet padding is another major source of PBDEs, so take precautions when removing old carpet. You'll want to isolate your work area from the rest of your house to avoid spreading it around. For best results, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean up. When replacing furniture and household items, look for products filled with cotton and wool, or even polyester, because they tend to be safer than chemical-treated foam. Look for items labeled as "flame-retardant free." High-Quality, Nontoxic Bedding Is Vitally Important to Your Health As you replace PBDE-containing items around your home, I recommend you select those that contain naturally less flammable materials, such as cotton, leather and wool. This is particularly important for items you sit or sleep on for many hours each day. Since you spend hours a day in bed, you’ll want to give special attention to your mattress and bedding. Having purchased bedding for eight family members, Wellness Mama recommends organic bedding that is GOTS (global organic textile standards) certified.19 If you are concerned about toxic chemicals in your mattress, it’s worth your time to review some of my previous recommendations. Cleaning Products Are Another Likely Source of Toxins in Your Living Space As you attempt to clean up and keep up with leaching flame retardants, take caution with the cleaning supplies you choose. If you don’t, you may end up dousing your living space with even more toxic chemicals, many of which are not clearly identified on product labels. Concerns about the safety of cleaning products is growing nationwide. Newsday reports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is working on a measure that will require manufacturers to disclose all ingredients used, as well as any trace contaminants added during processing.20 In part, the state is focused on a chemical known as 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen, which has shown up in Long Island’s aquifers. Although 1,4-dioxane is primarily used as a solvent in manufacturing, it often ends up in cleaning and personal care products as a byproduct, and eventually lands in water supplies. During the manufacture of products like cosmetics, deodorant, shampoo and toothpaste, 1,4-dioxane develops through a process known as ethoxylation, which increases foaming and makes products less abrasive.21 Beyond 1,4-dioxane, the governor hopes to draw more attention to the thousands of other chemicals that are believed to be asthma inducers, carcinogens, eye and skin irritants, endocrine disrupters and neurotoxins. About the pending regulation, Dr. Howard Zucker, New York State commissioner of health, said:22 “[It] will give New York consumers the tools they need to make informed choices for themselves and for their families, and limit unknown exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.” Healthy Cleaning Products You Can Make at Home Healthy Holistic Living (HHL) provides two graphics containing tips on how to create nontoxic cleaning products for use in your home and college dorm room. You may have some of the primary ingredients in your pantry already:23 ✓ Apple cider vinegar ✓ Castile soap ✓ Coconut oil ✓ Lemon juice ✓ Castor oil ✓ White vinegar One suggested HHL “recipe” is for nontoxic grout cleaner: In a container, mix one-half cup baking soda with one-quarter cup of white vinegar. Use a toothbrush to apply the paste to your floor or shower grout, and scrub. Let mixture sit for five minutes, and rinse. Even Small Steps to Reduce Your Toxin Load Can Make a Positive Difference While the amount of potentially-toxic chemicals in your living environment may seem overwhelming and beyond your ability to control, I encourage you to focus on even the smallest of areas you are able to control. Start by reading the labels on your most-used personal care products and household cleaning products. As you are able to replace bedding and furniture, be sure to look for those comprised of organic, naturally flame-retardant materials in lieu of those doused in toxic chemicals. With one small, intentional step at a time, you can begin recovering your personal health and safety, whether you are at home or away at college.