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t0bey · 4 years ago

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plum drop the essay on fuyu/peko and mondo/taka paralelles !!!! i am curious

ask and u shall recieve (inserting my first ever page break because holy FUCK this got long)

oke! I guess I’ll start off with Peko’s initial conception as a character, which was the main initial comparison danganronpa intended between Peko and Kiyotaka.

I’ve noticed danganronpa has a tendency to re-use character tropes or roles after each game, tho their fates end up differently. For example, Chihiro was the smart, cute, and sweet character who ended up dying early on and had little significance outside of alter ego afterwards. Chiaki is the same, except if Danganronpa took Chihiro’s character and made her one of the main protagonists that has much more significance in the game.

The staff of SDR2 confirmed that they based Peko off of Kiyotaka, from their intense red eyes (which was intentional) + predominately b&w colorscheme, they both have swords, and their characters are tied to justice, though in different ways. Not to mention both are meant to be extremely disciplined, but ultimately struggle at socializing due to their rough backstories. But that’s where Peko’s ties to Taka as an initial concept end there, because the parallels between Peko/Taka and Fuyuhiko/Mondo are a whole ‘nother ballpark.

Before bringing that up though, we should note that while their designs are significantly different, Mondo and Fuyuhiko are extremely similar in terms of their backstory and personality (down to their ability to curse like a sailor). Both struggle with an inferiority complex (Fuyuhiko w/ how he isn’t taken seriously because of his babyface, Mondo w/ how his self esteem is really fragile and gets jealous of others when he acknowledges them to be stronger than him). Both act like tough, aggressive lone-wolfs (well, Mondo pre-sauna anyways), but have been stated to have a soft side, to the point they doubt their capabilities of being a tough leader because of it. They both even have a sibling they both believe would be a better leader than them (Daiya and Natsumi). BASICALLY fuyuhiko and mondo are the same role, being the intimidating gang leader that no one should fuck with, but in actuality has a lot of insecurities behind that facade.

Ok, ok, time to the ACTUAL relationship parallel analysis. We now know why Peko/Taka are meant to be parallels, and we can definintely make a solid claim for Fuyuhiko and Mondo. This isn’t new for Danganronpa, in their tendency to use patterns but give them a different twist depending on the game. Which is exactly what happened in regards to chapter 2 of THH and SDR2, respectively.

The games’ chapter 1s are simple: meant to introduce the characters/game/stakes. Leon and Sayaka’s deaths were tragic, but the emotional impact of them wasn’t the main priority by the writers. Only to show that this was, indeed, a Killing Game where anyone’s possible to die. But chapter 2 of danganronpa is intended to be the chapter where you’re introduced to just how emotional and tragic the games can actually be, meant for maximum heartbreak (for both the characters and the player).

Chapter 2 of THH was where the different students’s relationships between each other became more solid. Sakura and Aoi were good friends. Toko’s obsession for Byakuya first solidified. Hifumi being Celeste’s servant, etc. Taka and Mondo’s fast developed friendship is no different. After the sauna, the two clicked so much that they believed calling each other just a friend wasn’t really accurate, and settled on calling each other brother instead. While they don’t have memories of their close friendship during Hope’s Peak at this time, it’s heavily implied that their closeness during that time made them subconsciously gravitate towards each other so fast, which could also be seen with Sakura and Aoi, and how Chihiro was able to find Makoto familiar during their introduction.

Peko and Fuyuhiko’s relationship could be considered to be just as close. The two grew up together, quite literally since they were kids. Like Taka and Mondo’s relationship pre-sauna, Fuyuhiko and Peko’s relationship was somewhat strained, though it’s more deeply rooted than two extremely contrasting guys clashing over their perceptions of each other. Fuyuhiko is extremely insecure in his place as the Kuzuruyuu clan’s head, and sees Peko’s desire to protect him and carry out his commands as an unwanted crutch that challenges his desire to be independent, as well as extremely worrying considering how because of this, Peko devalues her own life and worth as a person. Fuyuhiko very much loves Peko as a person, and as such tried to distance himself from her during their time on Jabberwock Island. Though unfortunately, Peko took this as him loathing her in general, further cementing her desire to be his “tool” because if he couldn’t stand being around her, she might as well make herself useful to him.

Now. Finally to get into the explicit parallels between the relationships of Kiyotaka/Mondo, and Peko/Fuyuhiko. Peko and Taka’s perspective on their relationships is a great starting point.

Each game’s chapter 2 shows just how willing both Taka and Peko are willing to go in order to protect Mondo and Fuyuhiko. Peko’s motive for killing Mahiru wasn’t to escape, but to in her eyes save Fuyuhiko from the Killing Game, by using herself as his tool to carry out muder, and have everyone incorrectly vote for her so Fuyuhiko could get away. She was his bodyguard in the truest sense of the word. Now in THH’s chapter 2, instead of fighting against Mondo in proving his guilt, you’re fighting Kiyotaka. He refuses any evidence you throw at him, arguing relentlessly to prove Mondo’s innocence, to the point the only reason he stopped was because Mondo told him to. And you later find out, in chapter 3, that Kiyotaka felt so determined to prove Mondo’s innocence was because he felt like it was his responsibility to, as he cared for Mondo so much.

So, in a way, Taka considers himself Mondo’s bodyguard. Just without the years worth of reinforcement that you’re nothing but a tool to be used which makes you devalue your own worth as a person. (Not that his self esteem and willpower wasn’t ultimately crushed by Mondo’s execution, but that’s only because the circumstances he lost him was undenyingly brutal considering the Killing Game). While the circumstances of Peko’s desire to protect Fuyuhiko are really murky and problematic considering how she was raised, Danganronpa confirmed that she protected him so much because of her care for him, to the point she was willing to sacrifice her own life to assure that Fuyuhiko is safe. And Kiyotaka was willing to go to the exact same drastic measures, by voting for himself.

It’s also worth noting that in the stage play, he willingly accepted to be punished alongside him by doing this to make sure Mondo doesn’t die alone.

So from my own understanding, Super Danganronpa 2 took the tragedy of Mondo and Taka’s relationship, and flipped it so that while it still follows its signature use of repetitive patterns, they made the circumstances different, but just as heartbreaking. And how? Because they took the Taka of the relationship, and made Peko the culprit. It’s not the Mondo this time, which is who you’re supposed to expect to be the culprit, because of your expectation from THH’s trial 2.

Peko tried her best to protect Fuyuhiko, much like Kiyotaka tried to after he recognized the fact Mondo was the blackened. Both were, at the expense of their classmate’s and their own lives, were willing to protect them both, no matter what. Peko took a more active role in trying to do this however, which is what Kiyotaka severely regretted not doing, as stated in chapter 3.

And Fuyuhiko is what would have happened if Mondo was forced to face the consequences of his actions (in Fuyu’s case, being partially responsible for Mahiru’s death, in Mondo’s case, Chihiro’s). Instead of Taka arguing to prove Mondo’s innocence, it’s Fuyuhiko who’s doing that for Peko. A deliberate use of subverting the pattern given to us by THH’s chapter 2.

That’s the main takeaway, but I suppose I should also address the romantic parallels while I’m at it. I personally don’t like Kuzupeko as a romantic relationship, mainly because of how Peko’s self worth and personal value of herself as a person was as a direct result from being considered Fuyuhiko’s “tool” and their professional relationship as yakuza leader/henchman. Fuyuhiko does love her as a person, but that doesn’t negate the years of psychological degradation Peko endured to consider herself as a tool. Though in typical Danganronpa fashion, they choose to gloss over the problematic aspects of their relationship while heavily implying romantic subtext between them. So while I can’t say I’m a fan, I know the game/DR3 anime says otherwise.

And as for Ishimondo, I know some will disagree with me, but I definitely feel that their relationship is heavily lined with romantic subtext as well. Not much is really explicit in the game outside of Ishida and Hifumi’s romantic rivalry for alter ego (who Taka considers Mondo), but the mangas and posters definitely show their relationship that most would consider normal for couples.

But at the end of the day? Both Peko and Taka love Fuyuhiko and Mondo, whether or not you consider both, one, or none of their relationship to be romantic. They wouldn’t have put their own lives on the line if it was anything else. And it’s that emotional connection between Kiyotaka and Mondo, and Peko and Fuyuhiko that’s meant to give you an emotional punch in the gut for THH and SDR2’S chapter 2’s, because of how far the two were willing to protect them.

#ask #spaceymedicgamer #kiyotaka ishimaru #peko pekoyama #cw kuzupeko #ishimondo #danganronpa #super danganronpa 2 #DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

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warrioreowynofrohan · 4 years ago

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The Leithian Reread - Canto VI (Beren in Nargothrond)

While The Leithian-related plot of this canto focuses on Beren in Nargothrond, almost the first half of it is a brief summary of the Silmarillion from Return of the Noldor through to the Dagor Bragollach. Which I love, since those events for the most part aren’t coverered in Tolkien’s other poetic works, and I prefer the poetry structure of the Leithian to Tolkien’s other (non-rhyming, more Rohirric-sounding) pieces of epic poetry.

This is a good place to note, for readers who are new to the poetic Leithian, that some names are different from the Silm (Tolkien started a revised version with Silm-consistent names, but he didn’t get very far with it). The Noldor are referred to as the Gnomes - a rough transliteration of their elvish name into a human language, drawing from the Greek for ‘knowledge’. Tolkien later rejected this on the basis that the word was already too associated with entirely different mental images, but given how transformative his use of ‘elves’ was (typical fantasy elves are now almost all inspired by his ideas of tall, beautiful, long-lived immortals), we might have completely different concepts of ‘gnome’ now if he’s gone ahead with it.

The second big diiference is that Finrod is referred to exclusively as Felagund - his Dwarven honorific - whereas his father Finarfin is referred to as Finrod. Tolkien had a lot of difficulty with Finarfin’s name and it went through a pile of different iterations. There are also other minor differences, like Finwë being referred to as Finn.

Returning to the poem - it’s hard to pick a favourite part of the summary section; I love so much of it. This is the closest I’m ever going to get to the Noldolantë (Tolkien wrote a couple pages of another poem focusing on the Return of the Noldor, but I don’t like it as much).

The mists were mantled round the towers

of the Elves’ white city by the sea.

There countless torches fitfully

did start and twinkle, as the Gnomes

were gathered to their fading homes

and thronged the wide and winding stair

that led to the wide echoing square.

There Fëanor mourned his jewels divine,

the Silmarils he made. Like wine

his wild and potent words them fill;

a great host hearkens deathly still.

But all he said both wild and wise

half truth and half the fruit of lies

that Morgoth sowed in Valinor

in other songs and other lore

recorded is.

There’s such a wonderful sense of place and of mood in those lines; the Return of the Noldor has always been one of the most compelling parts of the Silmarillion for me. In the same way that Elves have a different sense of time than Men, Valar must have a different sense of it than Elves; they’re acting, but within their own sense of time, and for the Noldor, in the wake of the Darkening, the desire to do something rather than wait around for the Valar (who are looking more deeply fallible than they ever have before) to fix things must be extremely powerful. And Fëanor’s presence and words and fury, brought into that environment, is like fire to oil. To be active and purposeful in the face of disaster, rather than passive and directionless - that’s a powerful force. The poem also acknowledges that Fëanor’s not entirely wrong (“half truth and half the fruit of lies”), however deeply distorted his ideas about both the Valar and the Secondborn are. As I’ve said before, I think that Eru intended for the Elves to be in Middle-earth, not Valinor; the entire Leithian is centred around the value and importance of an elf-human relationship that continues to affect the history of Arda down through the Third Age (and, in its symbolic meaning, even further).

There’s also a line about the Oath: Who calls these names in witness may not break his oath, though earth and heaven shake. The texts on the Oath are somewhat contradictory on its breakability, though they are united on its importance and severity (it is decidedly not just words, or something that can be casually laid aside). The Silmarillion says “so sworn, good or evil, an oath may not be broken, and it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world’s end”. But that contradicts itself - it it can’t be broken, then there can’t be oathbreakers. Maedhros and Maglor’s final conversation at the end of the Silm is more illuminating to me: it’s not a matter of the Oath being physically or psychologically impossible to break (if it was, how did they go the 400 years of the Siege of Angband without actively attacking Morgoth?), but of fearing the fate they have called down upon themselves (the Everlasting Darkness) if they do break it. (Plus a lot of sunk cost fallacy, by that point.) Which is considerably less sympathetic: murdering innocent people in order to avoid the consequences of your own bad decision is, ultimately, the choice that innocents should bear the cost of your own choices, which is ultimately a form of cowardice. (Not to mention the inherently contradictory nature of saying “I’m going to do evil so that I won’t be damned,” which Maglor eventually realizes.)

(More of my thoughts on the Oath here.)

This is also one of the few texts we have that actually states the Oath (or rather, part of it; the invocations are not included) rather that describing it. I think all the ones we have are in Tolkien’s poetry; there’s no prose version.

The Kinslaying is not mentioned in this Canto; that’s saved for the Duel of Felagund and Sauron in the next one. But this canto does include possibly the only poetic rendition we get of Fingon rescuing Maedhros from Thangorodrim:

Fingon daring alone went forth

and sought for Maidros where he hung;

in torment terrible he swung,

his wrist in band of forgéd steel,

from a sheer precipice where reel

the dizzy senses staring down

from Thangorodrim’s stony crown.

The song of Fingon Elves yet sing,

captain of armies, Gnomish king...

They sing how Maidros free he set,

and stayed the feud that slumbered yet

between the children proud of Finn.

After describing the Siege of Angband and the Long Peace, the narrative moves on to the Dagor Bragollach, and specifically Barahir’s rescue of Felagund. (And in this account, as in the Silm, Orodreth is Felagund’s brother, not his nephew.) From there, it returns to the main story and Beren’s arrival in Nargothrond. It could not be more different than his reception in Menegroth:

When the ring [of Barahir] was seen

they bowed before him, though his plight

was poor and beggarly...

Fair were the words of Narog’s king

to Beren, and his wandering

and all his feuds and bitter wars

recounted soon.

Regarding Felagund’s fulfillment of his Oath to Barahir, and the betrayal by Celegorm and Curufin, and the abandonment by the Elves of Nargothrond, I’ve already written a fair bit in my (much earlier) posts on Finrod & Nargothrond and Celegorm & Curufin. I’ll add a few additional points here.

First, I do not think it was irresponsible of Felagund to leave Nargothrond to go with Beren. If his presence as king of Nargothrond was important (and I think it was; basically all of Nargothrond’s decisions after he leaves are bad, and he’s been the peacemaker and diplomat between different elven and human groups throughout the Silmarillion up to this point) that is all the more reason why Nargothrond is indebted to Barahir and his descendents, since Felagund would already be dead if not for Barahir’s actions.

Secondly - and I’m getting this from Philosopher at Large’s Leithian Script, which emphasizes it very heavily - Felagund, as liege-lord to the Bëorings, has certain obligations to them even outside of his oath, including providing military assistance in times of need. Usual chains of communication have been cut since the Bragollach, so Felagund’s only just now finding out that the Bëorings have, aside from Beren, been basically exterminated; and that Barahir and later Beren spent years fighting a very long-odds guerrilla war without ever asking or recieving assistance, while Nargothrond was safe and largely inactive. This is going to strongly enhance Felagund’s (legitimate) sense of indebtedness to Barahir’s kin.

Thirdly, Celegorm is often treated as something of a meathead (because he acts like one; all his decisions are terrible in both moral and practical terms), but this sequence makes it clear that both he and Curufin inherited their father’s rhetorical abilities; his speech is specifically compared to Fëanor’s speech in Tirion (Many wild and potent words he spoke, and as before in Tûn awoke his father’s voice their hearts to fire, so now dark fear and brooding ire he cast on them...) But ironically, the direction of Curufin’s speech is opposite to Fëanor’s - while Fëanor’s was about rallying the Noldor to fight Morgoth, Curufin’s is about discouraging them from fighting Morgoth, by frightening them, and he does it so effectively that it’s unlikely Nargothrond would have showed up at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad even without the additional motivation of being furious at the brothers. And continuing on that theme, the brothers are setting themselves against the first real attempt anyone has ever made to regain the Silmarils from Morgoth. A mission that resulted in Beren and Lúthien having one Silmaril, and the Fëanorians having the other two, would obviously be better in terms of their goals than all three remaining in Morgoth’s posession, but they don’t appear to even consider it. This is part of a long thread throughout the Silmarillion - every action taken directly in service to the Oath aids Morgoth and harms the Eldar.

The people of Nargothrond, by the way, really do not come off well here - they’re rejecting their king for someone who has just threatened violence against them all (Celegorm’s speech is basically threatening them with another Kinslaying here and now).

And as a final point - what Celegorm and Curufin do here is one of the worst crimes imaginable within their society. The sacredness of the relationship between guests and hosts (and they are guests in Nargothrond, having fled there from the Bragollach) is a major theme in a lot of pre-modern societies. People familiar with A Song of Ice and Fire will remember its importance there; for a more historical source, Dante places ‘traitors to guests and hosts’ in the ninth circle of hell in the Divine Comedy and goes beyond that to state that people who betray their guests or hosts go directly to hell even before they die, while their body becomes inhabited by a demon for the rest of their life. From this betrayal, to the usurpation of Nargothrond, to the attempted rape of Lúthien, to the attempted murder of Lúthien, to Celegorm’s servants leaving Eluréd and Elurín - young children - to die of exposure, everything we see from the brothers from this point on is them committing crimes that are literally unthinkable to elves. Which is to say that the Eldar might have found Dante’s explanation pretty credible.

#tolkien #the silmarillion #fëanor #sons of fëanor #beren #finrod #celegorm #curufin #nargothrond #oath of feanor #lay of leithian #leithian reread

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blarrghe · 4 years ago

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♥ Dorian and Taren!

Look what you did, you made Dorian cry.

Lengthy emo feelings ahead. No cut because mobile sorry =/

Dorian had seen Taren cry. More than once, in fact. It wasnt that it happened often, just that the elf had quite a lot to contend with. There was no shame in it, and indeed Taren took very little shame in anything pertaining to his emotion. He was free with it; asking for help almost as easily as he offered it. Almost. The first time Dorian had seen Taren cry the whole thing had actually come to a rather dramatic head specifically because of the Lord Inquisitor's refusal to show vulnerability. But grief makes people do uncharacteristic things. It had done so to Taren; made him hide his fear and doubt behind unrelenting activity. Work work work, until the crash. Dorian had been there for the crash, and it had been the first time he'd been there, like that, for anyone.

Dorian had seen Taren cry a few times after that, not with a crash, but just for a moment under a hug at the end of a long day. And he had begun to understand that it was a reasonable thing to do, sometimes, to cry. The world was a very tumultuous and unhappy place, filled with demons and bandits and various vicious beasts. There was no shame in fear or grief or loneliness, and truly, it was ok to cry.

For other people.

For Dorian, a more suitable alternative had always been - and would remain - expensive, strong brandy. On the day he recieved news of his father's death, he found some in the cellars, and taking it without asking soon found himself a quarter of the way through the bottle, hunched over a desk at the top of Skyhold's mage tower. It was an unusual venue for him; he never had migrated over from the library after the tower was built. But the tower smelled like lyrium and thrummed with residual magic, and at the top of it it was cold, and quiet.

He rubbed a thumb over the letter in his pocket, and swirled the brandy in his glass. Father was dead. It had been coming long enough; he wasnt young, and his friends were mostly false ones, but it came on suddenly nevertheless. It also came with consequences. Opportunity, he reminded himself, to actually apply all that good-principled change he'd been dreaming up all his life. And Taren would understand, he always did.

Or he might not.

Another drink.

He might say he understood and then resent him.

A larger drink.

He might have reached it, that end he always knew would one day come.

He drained the glass.

He pulled the letter out of his pocket and poured himself another glass. His mother's writing was fine, her words matter of fact and devoid of emotion. He wouldn't have expected much more, and he didn't expect that she was at this moment taking the news any differently than he was; with a strong drink and a quiet moment alone. She would cry at the funeral, dramatically, and then gather up the fortune bequeathed to her and take a sojourn out to the family beach house. She'd likely be gone from the estate before his luggage arrived. Oh, but he did not want to have to live in that house again. He took another bitter sip, gritting his teeth against the thought that he had never really lived in that house at all.

Well, he chuckled dryly to himself, he could free all the slaves while mother was away. Have her come back to find him cooking his own meals.

All these lines of thought quickly led him back to the main point, which was that his father was dead, and he wasnt quite sure how he felt about it. But however he felt, it was unpleasant, and he sought to numb it with brandy.

They had exchanged a handful of letters, after that strained reunion in Denerim. His father had asked for a forgiveness he had never granted, and that even now he was not sure he could. There was some decency to the letters, a reluctant push toward reconciliation brought on, no doubt, by his father's reckoning with his own mortality; his death had resulted from illness in the end, not political motivation. And how very bitter that dance had felt. A father who had only marginally accepted him after years of pushback, asking to be heard out of love. Thanks to the letters, thoughts of his childhood had been digging into him since well before the eventual death, and the nostalgia in them was heartwrenching and infuriating. He had given his father many proud moments, impressing his early teachers and outshining his peers. He had almost been such a perfect son.

Dorian had answered every letter slowly, leaving them at the bottom of his long to-do lists. Mostly he had just wanted to avoid those conversations because he didn't exactly know what to do with them. What to do with a relationship so steeped in resentment? What to do with all the things that would never change, that he would never get an answer for? What to do now that there was nothing else he could ever say.

He should have written longer letters. He should have had a better father. He should have been a better son.

A memory slipped itself in uninvited between mild frustration and a growing fuzziness in his thoughts; a vacation, praise for learning some new spell, the giddy joy of being seven and already important. Pride. A good memory, a happy memory where his father was kind and his mother was sober and his legacy was exciting. It was always the warmest memories that left his heart cold.

He had spent about half his life a golden child, then in a flurry of dissillusionment and ideological exasperation, made a very deliberate show of throwing it all away. Rebellion and resentment had been his only modes of communication with either of his parents for years, and with more than enough good reason. Dead or not, some broken part of him would always be angry. And the parts of him that were whole knew well enough that his anger was justified.

He had idly imagined the familial fallout of death a number of times; in his darkest moments, he'd ruminated on the shadow he could cast with his own, and in fits of anger and heated verbal sparring, he'd passionately invoked his desire to see his father's. He had known for a very long time that ungrateful though it may seem, he wouldn't feel much troubled by its eventual occurence. He had assumed that his tears for matters concerning his legacy, his failures as a protege, and his mistreatment were long spent. But grief makes people do uncharacteristic things.

Drinking was probably not helping. When the first salty droplet fell into his brandy, his mind was already a rough sea of happy memories and unhappy reactions, unhappy memories and refreshed anger, unspoken rants and unwritten apologies. All the things that had only just begun to feel far away and over during his time in the South were back, emboldened by the discombobulated nature of a mind altered by drink. The waves crashed into him, and with an ugly wail and a choking breath, the rest of his tears spilled out from behind his eyes.

He crumpled the letter into a tight ball, and threw it across the room with all the force he could muster. Despite the force behind it, the wad of paper bounced off the wall and rolled along the floor with nothing more than a quiet patter. His violent little burst of energy only fueled things further, and then he was slamming a fist into the desk and pushing away the bottle of brandy in order to preserve it from a sudden urge to smash something.

A sob heaved itself from his throat, and he lowered his head into his hands to shake out the rest. Most of his complex feelings of anger and grief were swallowed up by curse words, and he let the colourful stream of them run through his head while his breaths hitched and broke under more sobs.

Taren had never seen Dorian cry. Not even when his voice had cracked and wavered in Redcilffe after confronting his father, not even when he had pulled him in tight and swearing under his breath after their close calls with death, not over anything. In fact, every distressing moment in Dorian's life seemed to be relayed with humour; a well developed mix of sarcasm and bravado. It wasnt that he was insensitive, the man had simply had a lot of practice maintaining his face, and letting that face fall was new and foreign territory. He would no doubt have given Taren a nonchalant explanation of what had happened in a day or two, the emotional impact always something you had to know him to hear. But Taren would. Dorian was a passionate man, and while he was wordy and quick witted, most of what he felt came through in action. He'd throw it all out there like it was nothing, then hold him in a desperate grip and sink his kisses deep into his bones, and that would say everything.

But Dorian wouldn't have that chance. Instead, as he wrestled with his composure with his head bent over the desk, Taren quietly ascended the stairs. Dorian didn't even realise he was there until his hand was on his back, rubbing gentle circles over his shoulder as another shaky breath jostled them up and down.

"Vhenan," his warm voice was quiet in his ear, a soft breath of a word that held so much. Exactly the right thing, and exactly the wrong thing, for it triggered a surprised inhale and an embarrassed crack in his voice as he tried to reply with some assurance that he was fine through the tears.

"What can I..."

Dorian took a few more breaths and rubbed at his eyes, forcing an unconvincing smile and reigning in the display.

"Nohing, Amatus. I'm fine, I'm fine."

Taren didn't move. His hands massaged Dorian's shoulders slowly, and a kiss landed in his hair. "Tell me what happened."

Dorian sighed, and nodded his head to the left just enough to signal Taren to where the crumpled letter sat on the floor. Taren took the few steps across the small room and picked it up. With a cautious look to Dorian first, he undid its folds and smoothed the letter out. He read it slowly, eyes scanning the page and then flicking up to Dorian again with close-knit brows. "Oh," he whispered as he finished taking in the news, "oh, ma vhenan."

This was not their spot up in the library where things were comfortable. Dorian wasn't hunkered down in a cozy little alcove with two comfortable seats and the homey clutter of books and candle stubs and notes, he was bent over a solitary desk, in a small and dim little room at the top of a tower. When Taren returned to his side he tucked himself in at a kneel and took up one of Dorian's hands.

"So, shall we make it quick and painless then?" Dorian asked, forcing another of those smiles that didnt quite make it.

"What?"

"My leaving."

"Dorian," he said it like no.

"Dont tell me you want to draw this out. I dont think I can stomach more crying." Even as he said it, his voice cracked over the words.

Taren sighed, and gave Dorian's hand a solemn squeeze. "I do though," Taren replied, "I love you." Dorian sat up, turning his face reluctantly to Taren's. "I wont make promises for myself. You dont have to do any more crying." He smiled at him, all real, "but if you must leave, I'd like to draw it out for as long as I possibly can."

"Bastard."

Taren chuckled. "It's too soon to point that back at you, isn't it?" A rare moment of pithyness from the Inquisitor. It worked, Taren was almost never anything but achingly sincere, and the surprise of a joke in extremely poor taste jolted Dorian to an actual snort of a laugh.

"Maker, I must look a fool. I've been wishing for this day for years."

Taren frowned. "You're not a fool."

"I kept putting off his letters..." He felt a need to explain something, a reason for the hysterics. "I should have, I should have..."

"Listen to me," Taren was suddenly serious again, taking both his hands and fixing him with a knowing gaze. "Whatever happens, whatever you need, I'm here." Dorian felt his face scrunching up again against his permission. "I love you." Taren said again, every time a lightning bolt. He swallowed, and hid his wretchedness in Taren's shoulder.

He had thought he was done. The fit of shaking and wailing interrupted by the warmth and comfort of Taren's voice, the masking power of a joke, the space enough between thoughts to find some ground to stand on. But as his eyes closed over Taren's shoulder and he felt arms wrap close around him, something else washed over him. Being held somehow made it all better, and all worse. His body convulsed, inhales entering his lungs in jagged chunks, just one bit of air at a time. His eyes left a damp spot in the soft fabric of Taren's thick sweater. Taren's hands pressed firmly into his back, one moving slowly up and down. His own hands clung to the wool of Taren's sweater in tight fists. The shattering breaths grew longer bit by bit, until they were deep and calm again. Taren always smelled a bit like campfire smoke, underneath notes of sea water and fresh pine. He inhaled, buoying himself on the familiar comfort of the embrace until his eyes were truly dry.

When he pulled away Taren had another smile ready for him, though his eyes were wide and full of concern. Dorian responded with a watery smile of his own. He pushed himself away from the desk, his chair sliding roughly on the wood paneled floor, and reached across the desk to retrieve the bottle he'd shoved aside.

"Brandy?" He offered, pouring a finger of it into his glass and tossing it quickly back.

Taren leaned on the desk, still watching him with an affectionate gaze. "Yes," he agreed, "but let's go somewhere else."

Taren rose to his feet and Dorian followed. Before anything, Taren took his hand and pulled him into a kiss. And without ever letting go, he led him away from the tower.

#dragon age #dai #dragon age fanfic #my writing #writing prompts #cw death #dorian pavus #taren lavellan #my ocs #pavellan #hurt/comfort #angst #cw for dealing with the death of shit parents??#heavy shit #and why yes i do need 7000 hugs and am using fic as an outlet #how could you tell?

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ninastarkov · 4 years ago

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Ahsoka and the clones:

Rex and Ahsoka edition

Part 2

Hey guys! This is the third post in a series about Ahsoka’s relationship with the clones (here’s the one on ahsoka and the clones, minus Rex and ahsoka). I talk about what we know in canon/what’s reasonably predicted off that, what the fandom has decided, and my own takes.

It might make more sense to read my part 1 post before this one, for an analysis of their friendship in the movie through season 3! On this one I’ll go through seasons 4, 5 and 7, though obviously season 7 will have the most. Anyway, here we go!

Referencing my last post, I see them as going from mentor-student to friends and equals to family. I’ve established them as equals by the end of season 3–Ahsoka has grown a lot from that snippy 14 year old padawan, and Rex has grown to trust her. By the end of season 7 I see them as found family (i’m sorry found family is just. my favorite.)

Season 4

Ok, Ahsoka and Rex pretty much don’t interact AT ALL in season 4. But...umbara. Though Ahsoka isn’t actually present for umbara, her (and anakin’s) influence on the 501st, and the contrast between them and krell, is clear to see. I think his relationship with Anakin has just as much of an impact with what happened on umbara, but since this post is about Rex and ahsoka i’m not going to focus on Anakin.

Also WOW umbara is long but I like the points I made so get ready:

Rex has spent the whole war under Anakin, and most of it under Ahsoka. Anakin can get angry and Ahsoka can be immature especially early on and they’re both headstrong idiots sometimes, but they’re good people who care deeply for their troops. Krell is everything Anakin and Ahsoka are not. The relationship that Rex has with them is part of what makes it so hard for him to go against Krell (the other, probably bigger part being his conditioning into seeing Jedi as authority figures to always follow). Ahsoka has shown that she’s willing to die for them, with the geonosis mission, and that she mourns their deaths, with ryloth. And while not explicitly shown in canon, most of us agree that she tries to connect with her troops. Krell shares none of these traits that Rex has gotten used to seeing in his Jedi. Rex believes that the Jedi are good, and trusts them to make hard decisions to get to victory. Krell breaks this trust, and I have to think that this would have long-term consequences on his relationships with Jedi in general, and Anakin and ahsoka specifically. We aren’t shown the aftermath of umbara in the show (which is one of my biggest complaints but,, off topic), but we can’t expect such a fundamental break in trust to not have its effect on all of the 501st and their Jedi. I would say that Ahsoka probably had to build up a lot of trust (that had previously existed between them) with Rex again after umbara. And since their relationship in the show doesn’t seem to change much afterward, I could guess that Ahsoka spent a lot of time trying to help Rex and the 501st cope and trust their Jedi again (also, I’ve read some fics about ahsoka helping the troopers through the aftermath of umbara and now I believe that had to have happened for their relationship to return to what it was before).

So, at least in my opinion, after umbara Rex is less likely to place complete trust in ahsoka (though he probably hates that he can’t). Also, remember me talking about them being equals by now? Yeah, another thing Krell breaks. Ahsoka sees Rex as an equal, though technically she outranks him. She looks past the rank and sees the person (the person with more experience than her). Krell is, again, the opposite. He literally sees clones as fundamentally inferior to himself, and that dehumanization that Rex faced had to have had an effect on his own self-worth. Being constantly degraded by a figure that Rex thinks he’s supposed to see as an authority to follow, probably means that afterward his own sense of self-worth would have gone down significantly—nevermind the guilt he feels over waiting to take action against Krell. So, though Ahsoka still sees Rex as an equal, it’s complicated for Rex. For one, he’s lost trust in the Jedi, so the respect towards ahsoka purely because of her Jedi status is diminished. On the other hand, I think his opinion of himself has gone down. It’s a complicated dynamic, now. However, by this point in the war, I really think that Rex and ahsoka see each other as family (I see Ahsoka’s family including Rex and some of the older 501st like Jesse and Kix and anyone can Fight Me On This but ANYWAY). As fellow soldiers or even friends, I think the trust between them would have been permanently damaged. But as family, Rex knows ahsoka, knows that even though he’s lost some faith in the Jedi, she will never be like Krell, or even other Jedi like Quinlan Vos who aren’t literally evil but aren’t good towards the clones either. And on Ahsoka’s side, she’s going to do anything she can to help her family through the aftermath of umbara, even as a Jedi.

I think most of the aftermath is resolved between umbara and Onderon, but zygerria was. there. Rex and obi wan were slaves for an unknown amount of time. This part hurts, but I would guess that in Rex’s time there he was forced to confront some hard truths about the role of the clones in the war. They’re all proud to fight for the republic, but that doesn’t change the fact that they don’t have a choice. I think this also sets the stage for that big conversation between Rex and ahsoka after maul is captured in season 7 (“we clones have mixed feelings about the war”), where they discuss their own feelings about the war and how it’s affected them. (Also I know that most of what I just said is about Rex and not really ahsoka, but his changing viewpoints are really important in their dynamic).

Season 5

By Onderon, I think Rex and Ahsoka’s relationship is mostly back to normal (equals), and any trust lost has been repaired (not counting Rex’s permanent disillusionment(?) with the Jedi). It’s literally only them plus Anakin and obi wan oh the mission, and it seems like they’re having a good time (as much as you can in a war zone). I point out Onderon because it’s the last time they’re together before the Wrong Jedi arc.

And now...the wrong Jedi. Hearing that Ahsoka killed clones during her escape HAD to have shaken Rex. A lot. There was definitely a moment where he thought back to umbara and Krell. But Rex also chased ahsoka outside the prison, and saw that she did nothing to harm the people coming after her—in fact, went out of her way to avoid it. I think Rex was definitely struggling with himself here—his experiences with Krell would have him believe that ahsoka is capable of this, but his bond with her would have him think the opposite. Overall, in my opinion there was a moment when Rex believed it to be true (due to umbara), but I think he would have rejected the idea relatively quickly because he knows ahsoka (they’re FAMILY and she wouldn’t hurt his brothers!).

Then ahsoka is cleared but leaves the Jedi. Leaves the 501st. I don’t think that she talks to Rex or any Jedi after she leaves the temple, which means she’s out of contact for months. Rex gets a second hand account of what happened through Anakin, and knowing anakin’s anger and pain over the situation, I can’t imagine he wanted to talk about it much. So Rex probably gets told that ahsoka was cleared but isn’t coming back. (Honestly I really don’t know how this would go down but i’m leaning towards an angry Anakin giving as little explanation as possible because he doesn’t want to talk about it). Add this to what I talked about in my first post on ahsoka and the clones, how maul gleans from Jesse that the Jedi abandoned her—meaning this was Jesse’s view of what happened—this probably means that her family in the 501st blamed the council for abandoning her and didn’t blame her for leaving. This also fits with the welcome she recieves in season 7. So even though Ahsoka left, Rex still holds the same respect for her (or more, even), and still considers her family. And even though ahsoka felt she had to leave the Jedi, I doubt she ever blamed the troopers for coming after her, so she still sees Rex as family.

Season 7

Skipped season six since...no ahsoka, obviously. Just keep in mind Fives’ arc (😭😭). Also, Anakin changes. He’s still a good person, a good general, but i’m assuming Rex notices he’s more angry and a little more distant than before. They all miss their favorite padawan commander :((

NOW, Old Friends Not Forgotten:

the LOOK on Ahsoka’s face when she sees all the troopers with their helmets painted...*single tear*. Rex looks so happy to see her, and of course ahsoka is glad to see him too, but there’s clearly a large part of her that’s shocked she’s getting such a warm welcome. I think she was worried that the Rex and the troopers would think she abandoned them (and a part of herself thinks that as well). But obviously, Rex doesn’t feel that way (“you don’t have to call me commander anymore” “ok, commander”). And the helmet paint!! You can tell Rex is worried she won’t like it bc he says something like “oh the paint job is a bit messy but we hope we got the point across.” But of course ahsoka understands they’re trying to honor her, and is grateful. AND! Armor painting is such an important way for all the clones to show their individuality, and they gave that up for her (even if Rex and Jesse went back to their original paint). And back to that little moment where he calls her commander—ahsoka says “you don’t have to call me commander anymore.” I think this was her guilt at leaving showing itself, and hints to us that she thinks she’s not worthy of that title. This may be more of a stretch, but she didn’t say “i’m not a commander anymore,” she said “you don’t have to call me commander anymore.” Maybe there’s some larger guilt about her role in a republic that doesn’t care for the ones that fight and die for it. Also a stretch but I think this alludes to the fact that they see each other as equals—though technically ahsoka was a commander and Rex a captain, they were a team. Now that Ahsoka’s no longer part of the GAR, Rex doesn’t have to call her commander, doesn’t have to keep to the strict rules of authority. Instead he can have her back as a friend, as family. And when Rex calls her commander anyway, it shows his continued respect for her, not because he has to respect her as a superior and Jedi, but because she’s earned his respect through her actions.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, Rex smiles more in this one episode than probably the entire rest of the show combined?!? We get the small happy moments, when Ahsoka doesn’t need a jetpack and races Rex to the ground (and he LAUGHS—i’m pretty sure that the only time Rex has actually laughed was in the movie in response to ahsoka, and in that ep). And once they reach mandalore, “some things never change”—they’ve returned immediately to their old dynamic. Honestly I think that one line sums up a lot of their relationship in season 7 and afterward, all the way to rebels. They may spend a lot of time apart (15 YEARS WHY), but they will always be family—that will never change.

This part is based on a picture from the ep I saw once, never to be found again (and I tried looking through the old friends ep but I can’t find the shot where you can see this), but i’m pretty sure there’s one moment in one of the episodes where you can see tally marks on Ahsoka’s bracers. She HAD to have picked that up from Rex, idk I just thought it was a nice thing to point out (unless I’m remembering the image wrong lol in that case ignore this paragraph).

Next, after Ahsoka meets with the council and doesn’t tell them about what Maul said about Anakin. Rex calls her out on it, and she doesn’t give a reason why she didn’t, but we can all guess. Anakin is probably the person she is closest to, and is the reason that she didn’t believe Maul’s claims. She probably didn’t want to tell anyone about what Maul said, because she would never believe Anakin would fall (😭). But she told Rex. This is a HUGE example of how much she trusts him, because she trusted him with this terrible information about her closest family. The only other person she had planned to talk to was Anakin, obviously. Yes, part of the reason why she didn’t tell the council was because she knew they could be...less than sensible...at times when they suspected a Jedi of using the dark side, like with her farce of a trial. (Sidenote, when Mace calls ahsoka “citizen” and Rex makes a face lol). I just. This is probably one of my favorite moments with them of the whole show? The amount of trust Ahsoka has to have in Rex to tell him that Anakin is being groomed to be a Sith Lord. I want to connect this back to all those years ago on Maridun(?) with aayla and Bly, when she trusts Rex to stay behind with injured Anakin while she goes with everyone else to find help. Ahsoka has trusted Rex with Anakin from basically the beginning, and such a long time of trust is necessary for her to tell him about Maul’s words.

Ok, now we have what you’ve been dreading waiting for...Shattered. Right before the Horrible Moment, Ahsoka gets a sort-of vision about what’s up in coruscant with Anakin and palpatine—and her immediate reaction is to run to Rex to tell him about it. Again, TRUST. There’s not even a second thought about whether to tell him or not, showing that Rex is the one person she feels she can always confide in. Of course, she doesn’t get to tell him.

First off, there were two things that saved ahsoka. One was her bond with Rex, that bought her time to react, which is what I’ll talk about. The other was Rex’s knowledge of what happened to fives and the chips. I’m not going to discuss that much in this post but just disclaimer that I view that as just as important in her survival (I think @gffa made a post on these two things which I wholly agree with and i’m sorry if i’m wrong and it was someone else that made that post!!)

Anyway. After the original Wrinkly Old Man tells Rex to execute the order, Rex is able to fight it for long enough to buy Ahsoka time to prepare, and give her the information that will save both of their lives (“Find him...Fives!”). You can see that he’s fighting so hard against the order, though in the end it wins out. He turns to face Ahsoka and he’s CRYING!!! I don’t have much analysis here because what happens in the show really says it all—ahsoka is his family, he doesn’t want to kill her. But once the chip takes over, Rex is gone.

On Ahsoka’s end, of course she knows something’s up. She knows Rex would never try to kill her, even if he was ordered to. That one line she says to Maul when she sets him free says everything about how lost she is (the clones turned against me. Even Rex.”). The latter statement isn’t meant for maul, since of course he doesn’t know much about Rex or their friendship (besides what he may have gotten from Jesse). This is all ahsoka trying to figure out what the hell was happening—because she could believe the clones turned against her, maybe. After her trial, after Brain Invaders, it’s probably easier to. But even Rex. Going back to what I said about the wrong Jedi arc, I think that Rex believed ahsoka to be innocent. Even in that arc, Rex was on her side. But this time, he wasn’t.

And then ahsoka finds out about fives and the chips. The holo of her that one of the droids plays to Rex before they knock him out makes me so sad. Ahsoka had to know that the Rex that was under the order wouldn’t listen to what she was saying in the holo, so i’m thinking that (besides a distraction) her words were meant for Rex to remember after the removed his chip—one more reassurance that it wasn’t his fault.

And here’s my thoughts on the chanting “I am one with the force and the force is with me,” as they try to find the chip in Rex’s head. Ahsoka had to have created some kind of connection between them for him to be saying these words with her—while unconscious AND still under the order. I know next to nothing about force bonds and the technical stuff, but it seems that a likely explanation for the chanting together is that some kind of connection was created between them in the force. Into the world of wild speculation, this could mean that Rex is more force sensitive than the average guy? Even if it was a temporary connection, it would make sense that Rex would have to feel the force somehow in order to connect with ahsoka to say the mantra. (Not sure I actually believe this but...putting it out there)

Once his chip gets removed and Ahsoka asks if he’s okay, Rex calls her “kid” again. I point this out because it’s definitely been a while since he’s called her anything but commander—probably out of a place of respect. But his first instinct after the chip is out is to call her “kid.” This was partially for reassurance that he’s back, because a Rex still affected by the chip wouldn’t call her kid. I also want to say though, that his first instinct is to call her kid, not commander, because he sees her as family first. And then when he has to tell her that every single clone is chipped, he calls her ahsoka (I think for the first time ever??). They’re far, far beyond their normal roles as captain and commander, and this reflects that. I also wonder if Rex realizes that ahsoka would hate to be called commander right now, after being forced to hurt the troops she has always tried to protect.

Aaaaand then they try to escape only to find the hangar filled with all the troopers, Jesse leading them. Ouch. Rex cries AGAIN (can any of us handle it? no.). He tells ahsoka that all of the clones, his brothers, only care about killing them—they don’t care if they die trying. Rex sounds so angry in this moment and for a second ahsoka looks surprised, but then she realizes how Rex is feeling and they have a Sad Moment when she takes his helmet off. There’s a moment when he visibly deflates as ahsoka seems to realize what he’s really feeling. And yeah, he turns away once his helmet is off, but he let her take his helmet off and see him cry. I feel like Rex has always been the person that’s strong for others, and doesn’t like to show his own vulnerability. Throughout the show he’s always been a steadying presence for others, whether it’s with ahsoka or fives or someone else. Even on umbara, he doesn’t let himself fall apart. But he lets ahsoka see that here. In his relationships with others, Rex almost always has to be the authority, the one who keeps calm in the face of everything. But with him and ahsoka, they can be equals—they can show their uncertainty and sadness. The only other person we see Rex really be honest with like this is Cody, in the bad batch arc when Rex talks about how he’s watched so many brothers die, and Cody says “it’s hard being the one that survives.” Cody and Ahsoka are the only people that have seen this side of Rex, because he trusts them more than anyone, and feels he doesn’t always have to be strong in front of them.

Then ahsoka says “you’re a good soldier, Rex.” I can’t NOT connect this to “good soldiers follow orders,” and Fives’ death. I don’t think ahsoka knows all about the “good soldiers follow orders,” but she knows Rex. She knows that Rex has always tried to be the good soldier, has been taught that following orders is everything, but has also grown so much over the course of the war (from meeting Cut to going through umbara to watching fives die). He’s grown into a person that realizes sometimes he has to make his own decisions, even if that doesn’t fit with the orders he’s been given. She gives him the reassurance that, despite everything, he’s still the person that he wants to be. Ahsoka sees through the anger he puts up, because of course he doesn’t want to kill his brothers, but it isn’t them anymore and what else are they supposed to do?

Once they are forced to fight the rest of the troopers in the hangar, it’s obvious that ahsoka and Rex work well together. Not much to say specifically, but the teamwork? the coordination? we love to see it (but also hate to see it bc o u c h).

Now we get back to trust (it always comes back to trust). Once they find the y-wing to escape on, Rex tells ahsoka to “get me over there” and just. Runs and jumps into thin air? Of course ahsoka gives him a boost with the force and he gets on the y-wing, but we know that Rex doesn’t like heights. It’s been a running joke through the show for other people to throw Rex in the air (geonosis? bad batch MULTIPLE TIMES lol), but it’s always without him asking and he Does Not Appreciate. This time he TELLS ahsoka to throw him over there and doesn’t even hesitate to jump. If Ahsoka hadn’t caught him he would have fallen to his death, and yet he trusts her so much that he does it anyway. He doesn’t even wait for a response from her after he tells her to throw him over there! Now, I don’t know if Rex is actually scared of heights or not, but if he is then this shows even more trust between them. He trusts her with his life completely, and probably vice versa.

And now we get to the end. Ahsoka and Rex buried all of the troopers they could find, because they’re family and it wasn’t their fault and they deserved better and agshdkjskjdh. At this point, they don’t know what’s happened in the rest of the galaxy, but Ahsoka’s felt the death in the force and they probably fear the worst. They are the only family they have left. We end with them about to get on the y wing and probably go to figure out what’s happened. Ahsoka stands at the graves and Rex sees her from beside the ship. There are no words, but they are united by the family they’ve lost.

Personally I find it really hard to believe they would have separated right after that, and i’m not sure what’s canon anymore with the ahsoka novel and when it starts, but whatever. Fitting (ish) with the ahsoka novel, they eventually realized that it wasn’t safe for either of them to stay together and had to say goodbye. I like a headcanon by someone on here (just lmk who you are and I’ll tag!!) about how ahsoka and Rex eventually find Wolffe and Gregor, but wolffe is badly affected by Ahsoka’s presence and so she makes the decision to leave. No matter what actually happened though, they stayed family, even apart. When they meet again in Rebels it’s so sweet!! They’ve both come so far from who they were at the start of the Clone Wars. In the beginning, Ahsoka saw Rex as a sort of mentor and quickly gained a lot of respect for him. Rex, in turn, was at first unsure about ahsoka but changed his mind fast. Ahsoka grows into the best Commander she can be by the end of season 3, and by this point they each see each other as equals. Though Ahsoka is commander and Rex captain, she respects his experience and cares about him as a friend, and maybe even family. By seasons 4 and 5 they see each other as family, after Ahsoka was there in the aftermath of umbara and Rex trusted her in the wrong Jedi. Even though ahsoka left, she never blamed the troopers for what she went through. And when she returns in season 7 she sees all of her family again, just for a moment, until it all comes crashing down and she and Rex are all each other has left. Over the three years of the war, Ahsoka and Rex was one of the friendships that wasn’t broken by betrayal or breach in trust. They had each other’s backs and grew to trust each other with their lives, and that didn’t change even after the war ended.

WOW that was long—I got carried away and went a lot into their individual characterization as well. Sorry if the conclusion was a bit dramatic, I wanted to wrap it up meaningfully. Let me know what you like and agree/disagree with, and hope you found this interesting!

#star wars the clone wars #the clone wars #clone wars #tcw #tcw season 7 #tcw s7 #ahsoka tano #captain rex #tcw finale #sw meta #tcw meta #this was very very long wow #sorry it took me a while #so many words #ahsoka and the clones #long post #my meta

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reaperalexiel · 5 years ago

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Post Blue Sky Wheatley Headcanons

(For future writings.... if i ever get around to it.)

Thought I'd post for those who are interested.

Because of lack of human contact, he always twitches or jerks whenever someone touches him. However, he loves physical assurance and contact and always recovers from it.

Loves to cuddle or hug Chell.

Always initiates the hug, unwanted by recipient or not.

Has discovered the sight of blood makes him squeamish, especially his own, but not as bad as heights.

Never goes outside on a rainy day if he can help it, too much water.

Cold water? Forget it.

Because he is skinny as a rail, is always freezing. Hugs Chell a lot because she is like a living furnace.

Wears sweaters even in summer due to always being bloody freezing.

Wears business casual as his everyday attire, lots of sweaters though. The only things that really fit him without being too short in the arms or too loose. Vests for more formal occasions.

Sweater vests. End of discussion.

Has to wear velcro tennis shoes for a while due to being VERY bad at tying knots due to lack of experience at hands. Slip ons work too. Maybe gets tied shoes a couple of years down the road.

Endlessly fascinated with food. Eats a lot of bread and anything Chell makes regardless of how good it is. (Which 99% of the time is magnificent.)

Constantly has a fear of fitting in among Eaden residents for quite a while, but if he made more friends that might pass...

Ends up on Doc Victoria's table more than he would like. He is a walking accident. Always covered in bandages. She honestly doesn't mind. He doesn't know it, but she's a loner, but considers him one of her only friends.

Doc Vic is very stoic, even more than Chell, but seems to get a bit more open when Wheatley is around.

Wheatley is the only person who can make Victoria laugh. Everyone who sees him do this act as if he just gave a blind man sight after having his eyes pecked out.

Once Wheatley learns her name, he stops calling her "Dr. Eyebrows". Unfortunately for Victoria, EVERYONE ELSE starts calling her that. Especially Garret.

Wheatley is the only person who has accidentally made Victoria self-concious.

Speaking of impromptu nicknames, any nickname Wheatley calls someone will eventually be adopted by everyone else. He usually does this impulsively and doesn't even remember giving them this name. He'll hear someone call Garret "Cleverclogs" and ask who thought of that and reacts with bewilderment when told it was him.

He has this weird delusion thst being smart means you are happy and successful, probably brought on by limited interaction with scientists (and his own crippling anxiety)

Has mild anxiety that can lead to full-on panic attacks if he gets too lost to his fear.

Being exiled in space has made him a bit more self-aware, but learning the truth about his function and how he was programmed (rerouter) and what he had done have caused Wheatley to become more reflective in serious moments.

Is prone to hiding any crippling self- doubt or loathing so as to save face, but crumples like dry leaves and spills everything if prodded enough (especially Chell).

.....if he had friends who respected him, I honestly believe he would become extremely loyal. He's desperate for recognition and validation by peers and any kind action by someone means the world to him after the treatment he recieved in Aperture.

He may not be fearless, or the smartest (lol), or the strongest, or the quickest, or the most collected mental-wise. But he probably has the most genuine heart. Certainly the bravest, given his fear. But he faced Her and won, id call that brave.

He always HAS to try. Even if he KNOWS he's going to fail. He HAS to try. And even with all his failures, even with all the times he's run away, he ALWAYS comes back and tries again. In some way, he's almost as determined as she is (almost, no one is as determined as Chell).

He genuinely loves to help people.

He can empathize with most people because he's had a VERY eventful life.

Anxiety, self-loathing, guilt, depression, loneliness, paranoia, betrayal, abuse, worthlessness, etc... and a lot more.

His friends tend to open up to Wheatley more than other people. He comes off as naturally trustworthy (which he's gotten better at, being trustworthy i mean) and empathetic (which he is).

Wheatley loves to learn. The only problem is he has trouble differentiating if the knowledge he learns is USEFUL.

He learns a random set of skills with varying degrees of success.

Ex) -baking from Chell- not without supervision

-gets Victoria to teach him how to dress minor wounds (gets a lot of practice lol), she takes it a step further and teaches him how to do CPR (not very good at first) and how to splint (takes a long time, but he gets it)

He can't be taught other than one-on-one because of his focus issues. Anyone who teaches him has to have both patience and sole attention on him.

He often sucks at most things at first, but give him enough time and he'll become decent at it.

Wheatley's best skill is talking. He's had a lot of practice talking to himself in the facility. Also has a natural knack for it. Makes him an awesome radio DJ, which makes him somewhat locally famous. Some people give him the moniker, the "Voice of Eaden". Most people don't even know where Eaden is.

Aaron is somewhat always watching out for Wheatley, the unofficial mark of Eaden residency.

Garret loves to see what faces Wheatley makes when he's flustered.

Wheatley has the most expressive face.

He's also a total drama king.

Wheatley will only actively try to scorn or be mean to you if he feels you've belittled or threatened him in some way, rational or otherwise.

Wishes he didn't have to keep his real nature and past secret, but knows the consequences of Aperture knowledge falling into bad hands (plus Chell had a really long talk with him about not it being safer for everyone as a whole). Also people would think he was loony cause he's human now.

If someone DID find out about him and kept it to themselves, it would be a huge relief because now he doesnt have to worry about blowing it in front of this person anymore.

He sucks at lying, so he doesn't do it often. But is surprisingly good at keeping secrets, usually too scatterbrained to think about them anyway.

He's a good singer, but he's really shy about it and only sings to himself when no one is around. The scientists would tell him to shut up when he was a core when doing this. :(

If Wheatley got professional voice training, his voice would sound like BUTTAH. Mostly sings jazz.

Wheatley's favorite genre of music is jazz.

#portal 2 #blue sky portal #wheatley #headcanon #any headcanon is express of opinion of me of course

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a-crimson-lion · 5 years ago

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A Rant About Katsuki Bakugo

[Katsuki-stans and the like, you should probably steer clear from this.]

[Also, spoilers.]

Before we start, I want to make something clear: you are allowed to have your own opinions. You like Katsuki? Great! You disagree with my post or parts of it? That's fine! You can have your opinions and interpretations, and I can have mine. That's completely okay! Again, if these types of posts make you uncomfortable, feel free to leave. It's as simple as that. These are just my personal observations; you don't have to take them to heart! These types of arguments are... touchy, I'll admit, but they don't have to be a hell-scape. You got that? Good. Now then...

...let's begin.

P.S. Long Post. You've been warned...

I'll start by saying that Katsuki Bakugo never really appealed to me when I got into the series. I'll admit that I've only gotten to Season 3 in the anime (waiting on Season 4) and I've read up to the end of the Shie Hassaki arc in the manga (I have also had the burden of being bombarded with manga spoilets, but eh, c'est la vie). With that said, I still haven't come to like Katsuki. Telling Izuku to kill himself in episode one has only guaranteed that he'll never be far up on my favorite character lists. I will admit that he is definitely NOT the same character he was at the start, but even then, when compared to fellow classmates and other characters, his growth is miniscule. I get that it won't be an immediate overnight change for Katsuki, but when he's compared to characters like Tenya and Shoto, it's clear that his progression as a character really isn't all that. There are a few things that bother me with just his character in general, but let's start with this:

Handling Katsuki's actions and the consequences

One of the many arguments for Katsuki's character is as follows: "Yeah, he hasn't been explicitly punished for his actions, but the narrative makes sure to punish him with karma!" I used to believe this too, and I actually thought it was helping him develop into a better character. Except, it hasn't. 'Cause Katsuki has barely learned anything from those experiences other than "I'm weak," which is another problem for later. Let's review:

The Sludge Villain Incident. Katsuki gets caught and fails to escape, Izuku tries saving Katsuki, All Might ends up saving them both. Izuku gets scolded by the pros for his "reckless actions" (even though they didn't do anything, the lack of a proper quirk is no excuse) while Katsuki gets praise, which he blatantly ignores because he's pissed at Izuku. He then proceeds to follow Izuku home and tell him that he didn't need saving, even though he likely would have died or have been captured by the sludge villain had no one intervened. And before you tell me that Katsuki stopped bothering Izuku for a while, that wasn't because he recognized that Izuku did something right, it was because Katsuki was busy sulking at the fact that he's only getting noticed by being a victim, which he hates, and he proceeds to direct that anger towards himself. Once again, the only message he gets from this is that he's weak, even though most people are, in one way or another.

The Battle Trail. After Katsuki loses the Battle Trail to Izuku, he proceeds to nearly have a panic attack before getting a small pep talk from All Might and later Izuku. He isn't rectified for nearly KILLING, and if not that then nearly SEVERELY INJURING, another student. Katsuki didn't cooperate with his partner, which was the point of the exercise, and instead decided to do his own thing, which ultimately helped bring about their team's downfall. Again, he recieves no punishment beyond nearly losing his cool and self-loathing. All Might's justification for continuing the Trial is also kinda wack (THE BOY USED HIS HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE FIREARM AGAINST ANOTHER STUDENT AFTER BEING TOLD NOT TO). Then, instead of a proper punishment, All Might tries comforting him, and Izuku even tries telling him about One for All (though arguably he'd be fine not knowing about it, and he hasn't told anyone else). Katsuki's takeaway from the entire thing is that he'll get stronger and surpass his classmates, which in some cases is admirable, but in this case, it's downright egotistical. No one can be the best at everything, not even All Might.

The Sports Festival, pre-tournament. Katsuki is pissed when he gets 3rd in the obstacle course. Katsuki yells like a disgruntled toddler when his team gets 2nd place (even though that means he gets to advance).

The Sports Festival, Round One. Remember that whole karma argument? Well, that goes out the window when Katsuki just makes a bigger explosion to counter Ochako's well thought out plan in order to win the match. I get it, not every plan you'll ever come up with will always succeed in the face of adversity, but where the hell did that big explosion come from any way? Shoto curb-stomped Hanta in an earlier match, but he was pissed at Endeavor, and he even apologizes afterwards. Izuku broke out of Hitoshi's mind control because One for All isn't exactly a by the book quirk. Katsuki... just creates a bigger explosion because he's strong? Really? IDK guys, it just doesn't carry the same weight as the first two examples. Also, yes Katsuki was pushing close to his limit, but that never comes up again in the rest of the Sports Festival or even the manga until he and Izuku are going up against All Might. His "weaknesses" aren't treated on the same scale as his fellow classmates, which, in the series' case, should be on equal footing.

The Sports Festival, Final Round. Katsuki basically wore down Eijiro in the second match (which is what Ochako almost did but of course Horikoshi can't give Katsuki some proper reprocussions), and then because his quirk produces light, Katsuki easily deals with Fumikage in the third match. He then proceeds to beat Shoto in the final round, and loses his shit. Now, I might be able to kind of understand where Katsuki is coming from, had it not been for the glaring fact that Katsuki listened in on Shoto's Tragic Backstory(TM). He knows that Shoto has difficulties using his fire side, but the second he uses it against Izuku, suddenly all Katsuki can think about is how he wants to beat Shoto at full strength, even though Shoto's situation is not an overnight issue. Katsuki doesn't see this however. He thinks Shoto is mocking him, which is simply not the case, but Katsuki is too self-centered to care. He ends up winning the festival, but he feels like he doesn't earn it just because Shoto couldn't get past his daddy issues just yet. When you put it like that, Katsuki just looks downright petty.

Sports Festival Finale. This is where most people tend to take Katsuki's side, but I have my counterarguments about the issue. Did Katsuki have the right to be mad? Arguably yes, but he could have simply sucked up his anger and waited until after the Festival was done to lash out, and we all know he didn't do that. Midnight had to knock him out just so he could get his hands off of Shoto. Should the teachers have restrained Katsuki like they did? Arguably no, but remember, this is a super-powered society. Maybe someone could have held Katsuki back if there weren't quirks, but Katsuki has freaking grenades for hands, and he has no qualms about blowing up Shoto simply because he didn't come at him with full strength. So restraining him, while unsightly, was probably one of the few ways to keep Katsuki from going apeshit at the Festival, considering the circumstances and Katsuki's behavior.

Katsuki's Internship. Best Jeanist is one of the few characters in the series to note Katsuki's less than ideal behavior. He gets a lot of flack for it , though, because how dare someone hurt the precious explodo-boy! Oh yeah, defend the kid with a massive ego and noticeable anger issues that go beyond comic relief. Besides, what did Jeanist exactly do besides this? Ruin Katsuki's hairdo? Make him wear jeans? Give him actually compotent advice on how heroes should act and interact with the public? The first one I might get, but other than that, Jeanist deserves no hate. To make matters worse, Katsuki learned nothing from his internship! Which segues perfectly into our next point...

Racing Assessment Post-Internships. Once the kiddos get back from their internships, All Might has them do another hero exercise, and the rest of the class gets to see how Izuku has improved. My problem with this is that they immediately compared his improvement to Katsuki's style. I personally don't see it, and I'll admit that Izuku probably borrowed fundamental bits of Katsuki's strategy, but all in all, Izuku came up with Full Cowl on his own. It shouldn't be linked directly to Katsuki the way it is in the series. We also get a nice quick monolouge from Katsuki about how he wasted his time during his internship, even though that was Katsuki's fault! Geez, what an ego...

Final Exams. I won't sugar coat it: Katsuki gets his ass handed to him by All Might. He comes out of that experience with injuries, but you know what? So does Izuku. And if I remember correctly, Katsuki was the only one who wasn't initially willing to cooperate. By God, Katsuki smacked Izuku with his gauntlet just because he was trying to talk. Even though getting through the escape gate is considered a legitimate way to pass the exam, Katsuki is too engrossed with beating All Might (THE NUMBER ONE HERO) to see that, and actually contemplated losing just because he was working with Izuku and refused to accept his help. It took Izuku decking Katsuki in the face for him to start remotely cooperating with his teammate. Izuku was the real MVP in all of this. And what does Katsuki get for his actions? He just passes. No talk afterwards. No reprimanding for his refusal to cooperate. No remidal lessons at camp. Nothing to help better Katsuki. What's worse is the reason for pairing up Izuku with Katsuki. Look, I get that the teachers don't know about their past, but Katsuki doesn't get along well with anyone in the class, except maybe Eijiro, and even that relationship is flimsy! Izuku would be willing to work with anyone, even with Katsuki. So what's the friggin' point!? Just pair Katsuki and Izuku with literally anyone else in the class besides each other! Maybe then he'd learn a thing or two about teamwork, yeesh...

Deku vs Kacchan 2. The Training Camp Ambush happens. The Provisional License Exam happens. Katsuki is not treated well through either, and he ultimately takes his growing frustrations out on Izuku. Now, I was glad that Katsuki didn't pass solely because he didn't approach the later part of the exam with what would be considered a hero's attitude. But then his fight with Izuku happens. It ends, and they both get punished, but Katsuki also learns about OFA, which I personally believes is unnecessary since there are virtually multiple candidates who deserve to learn about it more, and it actually does nothing for Katsuki as a character, but that's a discussion for another day. What really gets me going is on how Katsuki is portrayed during the fight. If you've seen the anime or read the manga, you know the scene where he asks Izuku why he was the reason for All Might's end. I'll admit, it actually got to me the first time through; Katsuki actually appeared human to me. But I think @itsclydebitches said it best in their own post analyzing Katsuki, which you can read here. Here's an excerpt:

"Now let’s make something clear: Bakugo obviously has feelings beyond anger and disdain. Of course he does. I’m not arguing that he’s a sociopath and like I mentioned back during the sludge incident, you can be scared and upset and still be a terrible person. So many people read this scene and immediately jumped on the ‘hug Bakugo’ bandwagon. The poor baby! He’s been blaming himself for All Might’s retirement this whole time!

Is that awful? Does it need to be addressed? Yes. However, you know who else is carrying misplaced guilt?

Literally everyone else in 1-A.

Izuku also blames himself for All Might’s retirement. We get a whole internal monologue on how if he hadn’t crushed his arms again he might have reached Bakugo in time and then none of this would have happened. Todoroki and Shoji also blame themselves for not reaching Bakugo in time. Tsu blames herself for not stopping her friends from walking into danger. It’s implied that other kids blame themselves for not tagging along. Everyone wonders what else they could have done to change things.

I could go on. The point is, misplaced guilt is horrible but it doesn’t make Bakugo special. It’s not a free pass to excuse his behavior, especially when this all just happened. All Might’s retirement has no bearing on everything that came before that. When Tsu felt guilty about her roll in all this she called everyone together to speak with them. Bakugo drags Izuku out to try and pummel him. Everyone is suffering in one way or another, but only one of these kids is dealing with that by hurting others."

When put into perspective, Katsuki's guilt is nothing special, nor is it an excuse. Eijiro felt guilty when Katsuki was kidnapped. Tsuyu felt guilty for reprimanding her friends for wanting to save Katsuki. Hell, if we go back to the Two Heroes movie, Izuku is shown to feel guilty about the fact that All Might's quirk is fading and David Shield doesn't know because he was never told about One for All. The list goes on, but I think we've covered most of the bases.

Plus, even after that entire fight, Katsuki proceeds to regress back to his initial behavior before and during the Shie Hassaikai arc. He doesn't want anyone getting ahead of him, so he expresses glee when the work studies might be cancelled. He wines and covers his ears like a toddler when he hears about Izuku getting ahead of him. Sure, he has a few soft moments, but they seem to be "one step forward, two steps back" sort of deals. They signify his character development, sure, but again, compared to others, it isn't much.

Well, I just finished covering why even the narrative hasn't properly handled Katsuki. Now let's move on to:

The Faulty Relationship Between Katsuki and Izuku

Now, their entire dynamic is arguably hot garbage, but I'll specifically be discussing the relationship between Katsuki and Izuku when it comes to being heroes: "Save to win, win to save" and all that stuff that happened after Deku vs. Kacchan 2.

Let me just start of by saying that Katsuki has done virtually nothing to understand this logic, at least during the beginning. While I will admit that Izuku and Katsuki's initial goals of saving and winning (respectively) are on point, in both their actions and some of their representation in the story (Katsuki only getting villain points, Izuku only getting rescue points), their development from that point is unfortunately unequal.

The thing is, Izuku has been actively working at winning part of being a hero. That's where the problem starts: if Izuku has been trying to learn how to win, Katsuki has learned virtually nothing on how to save. We can see this as early as the Entrance Exam Arc.

Let's look at the chronology of things from Izuku's perspective. He manages to pass the exam in resuce points by saving Ochako (save). He learns to slightly control his quirk during the ball toss, and manages to stay in U.A. even though he was dead last on the rankings (win). He manages to win the Battle Trial, albeit succumbing to his own injuries (win). Izuku is just trying to save people left and right during the USJ incident (save). Izuku dominates the Sports Festival Obstacle Course (win). Izuku helps his teammates during the cavalry battle, who in turn help him and the team advance to the tournament (win/save). Izuku manages to beat Hitoshi Shinsou (win). Izuku convinces Shoto to use his fire, and proceeds to lose the match (save). Izuku learns Full Cowl, allowing him to stop breaking his bones and use OFA more effectively (win/save). Izuku and company take on the Hero Killer (win/save). Izuku helps Katsuki pass the Final Exam by going back for him and dragging him out of the escape gate (win/save). Izuku manages to beat Muscular in order to save Kota (win/save). Izuku devises a plan to help save Katsuki, and later on helps encourage All Might (win/save). Izuku learns Shoot Style to ease the strain on his arms (win/save). Izuku passes the entire Provisional License Exam (win/save).

This is all before Deku vs Kacchan 2. Now, let's look at Katsuki's record:

Dominates the exam and gets first place by gaining 77 villain points (win). Gets thrid place in the Quirk Apprehension Test (win/loss(?)). Loses the Battle Trial while also refusing to cooperate with his teammate (loss). Tries blowing up Kurogiri even though Thirteen already had it covered; later on manages to corner Kurogiri just so the villains have nowhere to run (win/loss(?)). Comes in 3rd during the Sports Festival Obstacle Course (win/loss(?)). Barely knows his teammates and proceeds to act on his own interest while ordering his teammates around with a very small amount od human decency (win). Gets second place in the Cavalry Battle (win/loss(?)). Dominates in the tournament bracket, but is not satisfied with the final battle (win/loss(?)). Learns virtually nothing during his internship out of spite (loss). Refuses to cooperate with Izuku during the Final Exam, only passes because Izuku saves him (win/loss(?)). Refuses to head back to camp during a villain attack after being instructed to do so, ultimately gets captured (loss). Gets saved from the villains by his friends (win/indirect save). Learns AP Shot technique and its Auto Cannon variant (win). Passes the first half of the Provisional License Exam (win). Fails the second half due to his lack of concern for the "victims" (loss).

Which brings us back to Deku vs Kacchan 2. From what I presented above, it looks like Izuku is already dedicated to learning how to win. The problem is that Katsuki isn't learning how to save. That's probably because he's still learning how to lose. He's terrible at it, but Izuku has experience with losing because up until U.A., that's all he's been doing in the eyes of society. A loss doesn't bother Izuku unless he feels like he could have won/saved whatever his priority was at the time, like when Katsuki was kidnapped. Often when Izuku wins, it's tied with saving something. When Katsuki loses, it's either an offhanded win or just a straight up loss. That's something Katsuki isn't used to, and something the narrative hasn't managed to ammend. Mostly because Katsuki often wins more than he should if he wanted to get a better worldview, but that's only part of the problem.

As I said in a previous post, Katsuki's initial focus is solely on winning. Izuku's initial focus is solely on saving.

In Izuku's case, he also has the benefit of being open minded. If you tell him, "You have to win if you want to save," Izuku will understand that. Heck, most of his battles are often initiated because he wants to save something! Katsuki's winner mentality, however, isn't as open-ended. He wants to be the number one, end of story. No one can be stronger than him, and he'll get pissed at anyone who's "weaker" than him for whatever reason. Even if you tell him, "You have to save if you want to win," Katsuki won't fully understand that unless saving means winning Number One. That's the disconnect. Izuku will save in order to win anything. Katsuki will only win if the saving gets him to number one.

Izuku has possible standards. Katsuki's standards aren't possible, even for him.

Well, that's all I got for tonight. This post took a while, but I feel like I did good on my part. Before I completely sign off, let me leave you with this:

I honestly hope that Katsuki improves. But the thing is, I want to be shown that, not TOLD. I don't need Izuku or Class 1-A or Eraserhead or even All Might him-freaking-self telling me "Yeah, Katsuki's great!" and then proceed to see him still acting like a passive-aggressive (and sometimes flat out aggressive) asshole. I don't want him to be "soft" one moment for character development and then proceed to see him act like his usual jerkish self several moments later. I want to see Katsuki's improvement with my own two eyeballs, and for him to stick to it. I want him to progress, even in spurts, with virtually no regression. I want people to acknowledge his development, yes, but they shouldn't have to state or overstate it so many times that it feels fake. I want him to finally come to the conclusion that Winning Isn't Everything, and take that to heart.

When that happens, then I won't hate Katsuki. I might not like him significantly more, but I will have more respect for him. Until then, I'll just be here, enjoying the other parts of My Hero Academia that actually keep me invested in the story, like the protagonist, Izuku.

That's all from me. Have a good day/afternoon/evening, everyone.

-Crimson Lion (7 August 2019)

#bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #katsuki bakugo #katsuki bakugou #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #character analysis #discussion #meta #rant #vent #long post #late night post

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transssexualheart · 5 years ago

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yknow, once in highschool i was sitting in the art room idly doodling when one of my classmates came up to me and started commenting on my “anime” drawings (yk how everyone who isn’t an artist thinks that all cartoons are anime). i didn’t ever know that kid very well, nor did i know most of my classmates very well, but it was a generally known fact that he was neurodivergent in some way or another (judging by his behavior and what i know about autism, i assume he was autistic, but i never knew for sure) and he was generally pretty friendly, so i was just having a nice little conversation with him until he started talking about how he hated “the japanese” for bombing pearl harbor (he was a big history buff). i started calmly explaining to him the flaws in that logic and how it’s unfair to judge a whole race of people by an event we have long since passed in history when my friend at the time made eye contact with me from over his shoulder and started motioning for me to leave it be. had it been any of our neurotypical classmates she would have not only let me go off, but backed me up, so why was this different? i realized that this was a common attitude people have about neurodivergent, most notably autistic people, that plays into the antagonization of neurodivergent people. people just... give up on them. teachers give up on their autistic students and parents give up on their autistic children. they figure that if they’re autistic, they’ll never EVER understand how to treat other people, or will never understand right from wrong. the truth is, an autistic baby is born knowing just as much about morality as a neurotypical baby. we all have to learn morality just the same, from our parents and our elders, it’s just that some people might learn differently than others. the only reason we see violence in neurodivergent people, beyond perhaps a lack of empathy, is because their parents and peers made up their minds about whether or not this individual had the capacity to be a good person the second they recieved the diagnosis, and never bothered to teach them right from wrong, or to demonstrate that there are consequences for their actions. a different boy in that school, also neurodivergent, molests a girl on the bus. not a word is said to him about it, and they make the girl change busses. he stalks other kids around the school and authority figures act like there’s nothing they can do about it when kids bring it up to them. they perpetuate the stereotype because they WANT to see neurodivergent people as monsters.

#rain rambles

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soartssy · 6 years ago

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Welcome to my ted talk.

So I just watched Catalyst episode(now one of my favs this season whole series) and I just wanted to share my thoughts about it and how this episode foreshadows certain things that might happen in the last episode..

Marinette faces the task of doing a “heroic deed” (even though she is Ladybug) for her classmates during heroes day. She makes promises to them about preparing an “effortful” tasting of different foods for the whole school (something about cakes, pastries,fruits and stuff..I just based it off the subtitles lol)

Of course the whole class is enticed by her idea especially Adrien (the smol bean really took the time to ask his father if he could go😭)

She tries to convince her parents to help her bake the pastries but their hands are also tied up as well (LB cake for the Mayor) and they couldn’t do anything about it. Marinette doesn’t want to be a disappointment to her class since she has promised them that she will do it.

“I made a big commitment to my class... Now I’m going to disappoint them all.”

Her mom advices her: “There’s still some time to tell them the truth. Your friends will understand.”

She replies along the lines : “that wouldn’t be heroic though”

But her mom tells her this:

“Having the courage to face your mistakes, that’s heroic.”

Instantly she replies back saying:

That’s right! There’s time for me to make these macaroons myself! (Not listening to what her mom just said, she ends up having burnt macaroons for the class. Yum)

My point is this:

Throughout the whole show, we’ve seen Ladybug performing the impossible, doing things her own way and never giving in to other’s opinion. There may be times that her actions depends on other people’s opinions especially when she is Marinette.

In certain episodes, Marinette is also naive and indescisve of her own actions. She tries to either ignore, forget or hide her mistakes which shows her being “human” at some point. SHE AVOIDS CONTRONTATION.

Like in Befana, she doesn’t want to disappoint her grandmother so she decides to hide her true feelings about going to the party while being unaware of the consequences of her own actions to her grandmother.

Or her descision to chicken out last minute when it comes to confessing her feelings to Adrien.

Or her indesciveness when it comes to choosing between Adrien and Luka (you had two hands gurl. CHOOSE BOTH XD. Or just be with Kagami instead XD)

This is contrast to her persona as Ladybug who always seems brave, confident and somewhat decisive in making choices.

And almost all of the time, as Ladybug, she plans things and does things her own way. Although Chat Noir does help her out (even Carpace, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee), she always in control from planning to capturing the akuma.

But unknowingly, a storm is brewing.

This is where Catalyst comes in. The episode initiated change. It is not the change itself but the one merely responsible for it.

This episode poses as a sudden threat to not only the mircaulouses but also to that promise that Ladybug made in the first season: “protecting and keeping Paris safe from harm”.

This will be the starting breaking point that will initiate and foreshadow all conflicts in the last episode of the season which I believe is to happen at the “gala” mentioned by Natalie to Gabriel in the latest episode.

Basing from the current episode, my prediction is that the part 2 “Mayura” episode will begin where it last ended: the heroes may have prepared something for the occassion (of course) in the last scene of Catalyst.

In Mayura, this is where we begin to see Marinette’s shy and indecisive persona mainly emerging from Ladybug as the heroes try to defeat Catalsyt and Hawkmoth.

During S1&2, Ladybug, with Chat noir by her side, had to save and defend Paris from any impeding threat especially Hawkmoth. From a simple task: That’s a heavy burden to carry.

Until now, she faces a much bigger threat and she has all of the heroes by her side (which is awesome since this is the first time we meet them all together in one scene).

Yes, although there would be more hands to help her defeat Catalyst and Hawkmoth. There is also an increase chance of casualties present within the circle.

ThINK OF It. If ever any of them is captured/seized, one miraculous could become a major point for Hawkmoth’s side. By just seizing one of the heroes, hawkmoth could find a way to rat out the others thus, endangering not only themselves but also their families and even the whole of Paris!

Edit: Chat Noir could be a likely candiate for being one of the casualties in the last episode since he didn’t appear in the S3 poster👀

So just think of the burden and pressure that Ladybug has on her hands. Everything has to be perfectly planned out. A single blip, miss/error could practically ruin their chances of winning the game.

So, in Mayura, we could possibly see Ladybug and her gang following the plan to capture and defeat Hawkmoth. Everything goes perfectly but then-

the plan goes wrong.

A rising confict they didn’t expect, has happened.

Whether it is a reveal between characters/ Mayura being introduced in the episode/Natalie or Hawkmoth taking advantage of the situation

this idea might happen before the gala & the gala might be the cliff hanger for season 3. im calling it but i dont want that to happen

Inevitably, the heroes’ plan fails.

Similar to the incident wherein Marinette promises to make the food-tasting a reality in the catalyst episode.

We also begin to see Ladybug in a state of denial during the Mayura episode. She tries to keep everything under control but the plan goes horribly wrong. She tries to convince the heroes to keep on fighting but they couldn’t do it anymore. Similar to the response that she recieved from her parents, they simply can’t commit to do it. Fighting the akumas and saving Paris has come to a maximum limit.

Then, we begin to see the main breaking point: ladybug conflicted, once again, if she is really upto the task of defeating Hawkmoth & Catalyst.

Like in zombizou, now, the task is entirely upto her to fix the situation.

REMEMBER WHAT HER MOM SAID: “There’s still some time to tell them the truth. [They] will understand.” AND “Having the courage to face [it], that’s heroic.”

This is a long shot but I think her mom’s advice will help her at a crucial moment. Because this time, in order to resolve the problem: defeating Hawkmoth. First, she has to confront him. This is where the leaks of Ladybug with Hawkmoth in the secret basement perfectly fits. The episode will slowly unravel long-awaited truths the fandom has all been dying for since the first season. Ultimately, preparing the journey for season 3.

Ladybug gathers up her remaining her strength. Somehow, she captures Hawkmoth and seizes his Miraculous, but not realizing he and his akumas are just the cherry on top. Now, she has to look for the creme of the crop. The queen behind the King: Natalie Catalyst Mayura

While some of the heroes are looking catalyst (who somehow managed to become Mayura at this point), seeing that they have accomplished so much: uniting against all odds and “finally” defeating evil, they decided at some point to call off the search for the mean time as they decide to celebrate (thru the gala) since this time, they have captured Hawkmoth. (Not knowing her true powers) and besides, it’s heroes’ day!

Once again, Paris is now at peace and thanks to the heroes, everyone is safe from harm.

Or at least it seems to be.

As the gala begins, Mayura makes her debut as she disrupts the event, causing chaos

THEN-

Credits roll-

See you again the NEXT SeAsoN! 🙂🙃

BeCaUsE tHatS hOW THE SHoW WoRKS!

Sounds depressing right? But seeing the latest episode. Chat Noir uses cataclysm on himself... is this even a kid’s show? I won’t be surprised if they pull of a cliff-hanger that will leave the fandom devasted. (I call dibs on this)

But I hope her pals would step in to help her and use all of their remaining strength and power to stop whatever brewing storm may be in the last episode and everything ends with a happily ever after. i dont want a cliff hanger pls

So basically my theory for the Mayura episode:

The episode will focus more on the heroes’ journey of defeating and discovering Hawkmoth’s true identity while setting up Mayura as the main villain for season 3

Details about the Miraculous, Gabriel’s motif behind the miraculous and Momma Agreste will be further revealed

This might be too early but i still want this to happen There will be a crucial point wherein heroes/villains may reveal their real identities to each other

The gala will either be the next main location in the episode wherein the heroes’ plan will take place or it will be the place wherein Mayura will be revealed after Hawkmoth is initially defeated by the heroes—cliffhanger for the next season

PS if my speculations are wrong, at least this idea could be a potential fanfic or something LOL

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #mlb season 2 #catalyst #mlb #miraculous episodes #finally #mayura #ladybug and chat noir #adrien x marinette #miraculous episodes season 2 #adrienette #mlb spoilers #spoilers #luka couffaine #miraculous ladybug season 2 #ml season 3

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rothorns · 5 years ago

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Who is your favorite person to have sex with?

“Hm. haven’t had much time for sex lately. since you said had, of course,” he responds perplexedly, not sure why anyone would show any interest in his sex life. “But perhaps, if you’d asked me who was my favorite person to have sex with, I might’ve told you—

I don’t have a favorite person. But there is are select people who I enjoyed having sex with; each coming with their own reasons—”

CORDELIA was representative of his youth— before it’d been forcefully torn from him. He had basked in her newness, the enticingness of what was forbidden to them, the fates granting them their last opportunity to be holy. The last chance at seeking pleasure in their own innocence. One of the last moments in times before they fully grasped what consequences would likely come from such traitorous actions. Before they were thrust headfirst into a sea of corruption. Catherine had been everything he wanted, and nothing he needed. In a perfect universe, they might have been able to make something more of themselves, been more than a series of treasonous exchanges. When he was with her, he forsook everything he was taught and became everything he ever wanted— a wordsmith, spelling out his love for her with his tongue, teeth, hands— leaving not a part of her untouched. And yes, he had loved her. Roman had almost been in love with her— had their love not been ripped from him so prematurely.

EDMUND had been no more than a ghost of his tumultuous youth. He would be one of the first people Roman would encounter during his sexual awakening. He’d been freshly heartbroken and completely convinced that his namesake would prevent him from ever having a proper relationship. Dating within the mafia was difficult, and dating someone outside would be unfair. He simply could not subject someone he loved to those conditions. He’d spotted Easton across the bar one night. There’d been something so tempting about him. There was evidently something eating away with him, and Roman would learn later that night that it had been rage. So beautiful and so full of rage. He had enjoyed every minute of it. It had been drunk, hurried, and sloppy— neither had felt obligated to keep up a facade for the other party. Something unspoken occurred between them, Roman could sense it in the harshness and tenseness of his movements. They’d been on the recieving end of the other’s projected feelings and not the cause. He wouldn’t see Easton again until it was on the frontline of the Capulet ranks, and Roman couldn’t help but think that a pretty mouth was going to waste, as well as his impassioned, uncontrollable rage. He would either carry the Capulets to victory, or destroy them from within— and Roman was counting on the latter.

QUEEN MAB challenged him to reliquinsh control. Roman understood the terms of their relationship perfectly: Mona had selected him to be one of her playthings, and with him, she was able to do as she pleased. He knew that duration of their relationship would all depend on her. It was exciting, constantly being left in limbo, not knowing the exact moment she would tire of him. These had been the terms, and Roman has been enjoying them to the fullest. He’d never been with anyone quite like Mona— someone who knew exactly what they wanted, and when. There was no room left for speculation, as everything was unequivecol when it came to Mona. It was a much needed shift from the encounters he’d been used to. Roman was always grateful for the people who introduced him to something he didn’t already know, and needless to say, he’d been hooked. Roman had made it easy for Mona, he’d walked blindly into her bed without a single reservation, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been in over his head. He was ensnared in her web, but Roman knew to tread lightly— pissing off the queen of the shadows was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

PERDITA had been his escape from his own identity. With her, it was never about the war, and he was free of all attachments that came with his namesake. There was no Cosimo and Damiano, no Montagues and Capulets, simply Roman and Paola. Their affair had been brief, as Roman had only been visiting for a few days, but within that short period of time, Roman committed Paola to memory. From the way her hair fell across her face, to how she paced her words when she spoke, to each individual way she was capable of shouting his name. A weekend with Paola would not be enough. A week wouldn’t suffice either. A month was no better, nor was a year, as no amount of time with Paola would satisfy him. He would always be left with the fact that their relationship could never be permanent, knowing that at any waking moment, someone would arrive to drag him back to Verona. A life of secrecy with her would have been her only option, as he decided from the moment he laid eyes on her, that he wouldn’t involve her in the war. But seeing her now— Roman can’t help but think that he should’ve told her the truth.

ROSALINE blighted his heart. To be so blantantly destructive with the heart of another, without a single qualm, was an act Roman had not yet been capable of understanding. Rafaella was his first love, or what he believed love was at the time. He proclaimed this love for Rafaella almost immediately, intent on recreating everything he’d learned from the romance poems and stories he’d grown to adore. Everything was calculated; he would’ve given anything to have ensured Rafaella was happy with him. But his shortsightedness caused him to miss out on was the fact that he’d fallen directly into her grasp. He’d made it entirely to easy for her, letting her funnel streams of information out of him and into the Capulet ranks. Even to this day, he is still attempting to sort out his feelings regarding the situation. But when the thought of Rafaella isn’t leaving a vile taste in his mouth, he’s reminded of the blissful ignorance that came with being her; engulfed in his own youthful naivity— believing wholeheartedly that love would always be enough. The delicateness and the softness, him always being fearful that if he held her too hard that he’d crush her, back when he believed the woman could do no wrong. How absolutely wrong he’d been, and at the expense of his own heart.

“—but alas, you did not, and here we are.” He smiled cheekily.

@catherinedaly @eastoncraven @chenmona @paoladamasco @rafaellacapulet

#( ask roman. )#i really did not need to tag everyone in this asdlfasdlfk but too late #( catherine. )#( easton. )#( mona. )#( paola. )#( rafaella. )

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xfulmen · 7 years ago

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&& Are you proud of me?

↯ █ 全能ライトニング

Another war is taking place at this moment. Another war that would bring fatal consequences. Another war that manifests calamity, bestowed upon the lands of Fiore. Another war were mages have to fight for survival. Another war that those who wield the insignia of Fairy Tail will bring victory to. Conflicts of great similarity to thise have transpired in the past and overtly will happen in the future. Those who live to fight, have become accustomed in such confrontations. Quite unfortunate, in actuality. But that was the truth.

The Alvarez empire was reputed for their grand prowess. Power that could bring ultimate destruction. Each single member of the Spriggan 12 has proven to be commendable to write a book about. And Laxus was able to face one of them, and easily bringing him in a verge-of-death state. However, it was the lightning user who merged as the conqueror. It was him who was standing. It was him that brought to an end to one of his opponents.

However, nothing was over yet.

In fact, far from it. Not only all the Guilds had to face those who belonged in the Alvarez Empire, but also they had to deal with an army of a gargantuan number. Incomprehensible, if more so. But inevitable as well. Such was the reality bestowed upon them. A scenario displaying horror at excellence. From a first glance, it seemed impossible to defeat such enemy. The possibilities of the fairies, alongside anyone who was fighting by their side, appeared to be below zero.

THIS WAS THE INCARNATION OF DESPAIR.

Despair. Hopelessness. Terror. All of those sentiments combined in one scenery, demonstrated in front of everyone’s sight to behold. Cruelty personofied right upon them, disallowing them from getting a glimpse of hope. A glimpse of the future. The future where everyone seeks to obtain and write it on their own way. Such task appeared to be out of question, at least for the time being.

Everyone was fighting. Counteract against those recognized as foes. Amongst them, there was a dragon slayer, with lightning as the prime element. Laxus was also fighting alongside with his comrades, focrcing his way to grasp victory and a better future. Notwithstanding his current physical condition, this was not an excuse to lay down and let the rest do what needs to be done. The mere thought of him staying in the sidelines, was making his blood boil. He had to fight alongside with everyone else, and that’s what he was doing. And his dinstictive element engulfing his broad body, was the perfect illustration of what he was doing at this exact moment. Returning the said calamity to those who dared to place it upon him.

However, it was not enough.

He had acknowledged the fact that it would take more than just a variety of onslaughts to neutralize the enemy. This time, the number held great importance. It was overwhelming, for certain. From average lightning attacks to his potent dragon slayer magic. It was definitely doing him a favor, but it was enough.

Then, an idea crossed his mind.

An idea that he never expected to appear in his mind. It was the reason for his expression to alter momentarily, atempting to accumulate a miscellany of contemplations, trying to figure out a plan as well as the perfect execution. But time was also a big issue here. Every single minute, every single second counts. He had to act fast, whilst still being collected.

But he couldn’t help himself but wonder whether this was indeed, a good scheme to perform or not. Last time he attempted to do such a technique, it resulted to a failure. Undeniably, back then he wasn’t as strong as he considered himself to be. Not to mention that such attack is not to be done against those considered as allies. That was the causation for its failure. The fact that in his heart he couldn’t eviscerate those that he had a bond with, whether he would tacitly admit it or not.

But this time, things were different. This time there was no sentiment towards the enemy apart from animosity. This should be the type of emotions that will benefit this particular technique to be executed at excellence. For the better and desired result.

Even so, such ability possesses a great consequence that could be proven to be fatal for his case. The cost of his life is something at stake, and losing a powerful comrade at such circumstance could be a grave mistake done from his part. But Laxus was already aware of this. He had recognized the fact that this is his resolve. And he would make sure to carry out such technique with the best of his skillset. Even if it costs his own life, he will make sure to turn his life as a stepping stone for a better and brighter future.

Perhaps this is what he needed to do. Perhaps this was the ultimate way to demonstrate his redemption towards those that he had once harmed at great extent. Perhaps this was the best way to showcase to his grandfather that he has indeed changed; that he has grown into a better human being. He has become someone that people can rely to. Somebody that people can depend to. A person that people can feel protected and safe. And if the vanquishment of his soul is gonna meliorate the circumstance for his fellow companions, so be it.

And that would be by using one of Fairy Tail’s great three magics.

FAIRY LAW.

And so, without hesitation, the lightning mage started releasing an immense amount of magic pwer, then shaping it into the form of bright light between open palms. The bright light was emitted from his existence, illuminating the atmosphere, the locality--- everything that surrounds him. Ineluctably, numerable individuals glanced at his direction, portraying bewilderment with their current face expressions. Some of them were even horrified that Laxus would go unto such lengths. But he paid little attention to such details. He had already made up his mind. He had already accepted his fate. Whether this was what he wished for his future or not, it held little significance.

However, if there’s one person that he wishes to unveil any final words, that would be his grandfather. As much as he values the Thunder God Tribe, this time the senile figure known as Makarov Dreyar, was standing on a higher pedestal. Not in terms of value, but in terms of sentiment.

He couldn’t recall upon his reminiscences the last time he recieved an approving look from the elder. All what he could remember ever since his attitude took an alteration, was an expression portraying disappointment. An expression showing diisapproval. Nothing positive, not even at the slightest.

But the lightning dragon slayer couldn’t blame him. In fact, he could understand the reasonings behind those expressions. Laxus had gained quite a rebellious persona. He had become an individual that could demonstrate arrogance at a grand level. His way of contemplating things, his beliefs and life was different from the current Master of Fairy Tail. And his actions spoke in the same manner as well. His reputed ‘Battle of Fairy Tail’ event was a detestable remembrancce that he wishes to extinguish. A memory that shall remain engraved in his mind, reminding him what kind of a man he used to be.

Reminding him why his grandfather stopped showing any traces of approval.

Maybe--- just maybe, by doing this, he might be able to obtain a sign of appreciation. A beck of approval. How much he wished for such a sign, God knows. For once, he knew he was doing the right thing. For once, he was aware that he was going to be of great assistance. For once, he was doing something that would help him achieve his grandfather’s approval.

And so, giving a final look at the shorter figure--- the one that the Thunder God held much respect to, he took a deep breath, ready to yell in appropriate chant for the said technique to be accomplished.

❛ Fairy Law. . . ACTIVATE!! ❜

Instantaneously, blinding light enveloped the entire area, forbidding anyone from being able to see anything. Several people were heard screaming out of hopelessness. After all, this legendary magic inflicts massive damage on whoever the caster perceives from their heart as an enemy, leaving friends and bystanders completely unharmed. The choice between friend or foe is decided by the user's heart, and they cannot lie to this Magic. No question as to why it is considered one of the most powerful Magics and is one of the rare legendary spells. Not to mention why Laxus failed the usage of such ability.

The next thing to notice after several minutes that have passed, was smoke surrounding this place, and a significant decrease of number of the enemies. Now, those that were standing tall and ready to bring this war to an end, were those that the incarnation of thunder considered as allies. The tables have been turned. This was the greatest opportunity to strike. The biggest chance that they have gotten thus far.

His pattern of breathing was growing heavy. He could feel his lungs unable to serve the common act of respiring. His body felt numb--- immobile. The capability of moving appeared to be the toughest task to transpire. However, it was unavoidable. He was well awared of this. Hence, he has no regrets. He could hear the voices of his fellow comrades screaming his name out of fear and despair due to what took place at this moment. Most of them were easy to decipher. The Raijinshuu were included, ineluctably. However, it didn’t matter at this point. It was too late.

HE DID THE RIGHT THING.

FOR ONCE, HE DID SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.

HE SECURED EVERYONE’S CHANCE OF WINNING THIS WAR.

If there was one thing that he regret doing is not being capable of looking at his grandfather. Not out of shame or any sentiment like this. But merely, because his structure was failing him. Thus, in a few seconds later, his body made contact with the dirty ground. Only a few respirations left. Irises of fire opal ready to be shut for an eternity. And yet, one thought; one question was occupying his-- now frail-- mind. He was capable of perfoming such feat. But did he secure the so-desired approval? Or even a mere approving look from Makarov Dreyar? Who knows. Deep in his most susceptible flexor, his heart, he believes that he secured such a spot. But even so, the same question was still lingering in his mind, as he was about to have his final exhalation.

Gramps... are you proud of me?

#↯ █ LETTERS❜#↯ █ VERSE: AU❜#long post #IN AN AU WHERE LAXUS USES FAIRY LAW INSTEAD OF MAKAROV #HA HA HAAA I'M CRYING RN #I HAVE NO REGRETS #NEXT TIME I WRITE A DRABBLE IT WOULD BE A NON-ANGSTY ONE #OR SO I HOPE #CANT MAKE PROMISES OOPS #tw death

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reyatthefeel · 5 years ago

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Daniel Chapter 2 Part 1

This chapter is so full of mystery and suspense we have to break into two parts so I'm diving right in.

God uses the situation that begins to unfold to prepare a way for Him to reveal Himself, not just as the God of all gods, but the God that desires a personal relationship with humans and of course, to do the impossible.

As it begins Nebuchadnezzar, troubled by a dream, summons his wise men, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. He had already decided that he was going to kill all of them if they could not tell him what it meant. He wasn't just asking for an interpretation of the dream but for them to be able to tell him exactly what his dream was and then interpret it's meaning. He knew if they could do that they would not be able to decieve him by telling him something that wasn't accurate. What these wise men knew was that what he asked was impossible and tried to explain this to the king pleading their case by stating that only the gods could reveal what he was asking. Unfortunatley, they further explained, that their gods would never reveal this to them and the reason given was that their gods did not live among them. In other words...they don't have any form of relationships with human kind, especially personal relationships, seeing man as something beneath them.

All those wise men standing before the king could not know the intimacy and wonder of such a thing as the relationship that Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) had with the one true God. The gods these others served offered no help, no peace, no hope. Surviving this situation would require doing the impossible which their gods could not do therefore, they could not give the king what he asked for. (-ENTER GOD-)

The king was furious and ordered the execution of all the wise men in the Babylonian Empire. With that the Kings army was sent out to find and kill them. This, of course, included Daniel and his friends.

Upon the arrival of the army, Daniel hears of the Kings decision. Can you even phathom what 'the feel' was stirring inside of him? What would you do in this situation? Run!!! But not Daniel.

I imagine, against all human instincts, and obviously in the boldness God had given him, he went straight to the man in charge. Arioch, the Commander of the king's guard. The Bible says Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.

This captivated my attention because Daniel didn't say anything worthy of a wise man to Arioch. He asked a simple question..."Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" So what makes that so wise and tactful? I thought the answer could simply be the favor of God on his words and though I believe that was definitely present, there was something more here. It specifically says Daniel used wisdom and tact and though his words do not seem more wise than the average there is so much more to wisdom than words. I have to believe that it was not in the words he spoke but in the attitude and demeanor with which he spoke them. His facial expressions, body language, and tone. There is so much wisdom in how we use them. Daniel also understood the authority of Arioch knowing that all authority was ultimatley because God allowed it and I believe he showed humility and great respect toward Arioch.

I love the next part that says Arioch explained it to Daniel. Here he is to kill him but he pauses to answer Daniel's question, in detail. What? He must have felt the respect from Daniel especially in the midst of the chaotic circumstances. I can't help but wonder if it left Arioch in some state of awe and perplexity, that as he was there to kill them all Daniel boldly, yet humbly, approached him and maybe even seemed unafraid of death. That could have captivated Arioch's attention all by itself. Oh to be a fly on a camel that day!

Whatever the case, this encounter was far from normal. It was a mighty God at work!

With the explanation from Arioch, Daniel knew what to do. Again with pure boldness he went before the king to ask for time so he might be able to provide the interpretation. The king granted it to him. Yep! This takes me back to chapter 1 where it tells us that the king found Daniel and his friends ten times better than all the other wise men in the entire kingdom. That had to play a factor here. That means that God was working on this situation before it ever unfolded. I absolutely believe it is part of the reason the king agreed to grant Daniels request. Isn't it just like God to use our current circumstances as foundations for our future ones. --Side note....whatever your going through, trust that God is using it to prepare you and others for what's coming.--

The next few hours were critical. The very first thing Daniel did was find Shadrack, Meshach, and Agendago and asked them to begin praying that God would reveal this mystery so they would not be executed. That was their only form of recourse or action. What else was there? Only the one true God could make the impossible possible. Prayer was their only way to fight. Oh...the power of prayer!

That night Daniel recieved a vision and in that vision every detail he needed to present to the king was revealed. Daniel praised God! I believe he danced around the room and cried in joy as he spoke the words....

"Praise be to the name of God forever and ever...." He continued as it shows us in verses 20-23. His heart must have been filled with such awe and wonder.

---------------------------------------

TAKE AWAY

(Chapter 2 Part 1)

1. God is a relational God

If this doesn't get someone excited I'm not sure you fully understand. Right here we see one of greatest differences between the one Holy God and anything else that tries to compete in our lives with God. A genuine true love. The kind that is cobstantly in motion on our behalf. God does not view humanity as something of an annoyance, though we are totally beneath Him, but sees us as valuable and wants to be close to us. To walk through every hurt, every joy, and every crazy moment. He is most definitely relational.

2. Gods love is a righteous.

God's love for us is not the kind that says do whatever makes you feel good. Quite the contrary. It says... I want the very best for you because you are so important and because I know what you are capable of as your creator. I love you so much I have set guidelines and boundaries to help you know how to strive to live in a way that not only pleases me but brings great blessing to your life.

He gave us the commandments and Holy Scriptures that will help us achieve our greatest self. The very best of who we are in our humanity. This is God's love.

3. God works through every situation but allows hardships to help us.

We often hear these days that God is only love and if you follow Him you will have blessings...blessings....blessings. That is true but we have confused our definition of blessing with the worlds. God's greatest desire for us is to live the life He has given us in such a way that no matter what may come, good or bad, we continue to trust in Him and by the guidelines He provided. In fact, the hardest hardships that come often bring the greatest growth and closeness with God. Those are eternal blessings and those are the ones that change us for the better, renew our minds and refine us as it talks about in Proverbs 25. The beauty of it all is that our God never lets any hurt or hardship (which always includes some form of death whether physical, financial, relational, etc) happen without planting something beautiful in its place. This gives us a platform of new understanding and compassion for others walking through hard situations. He often also uses those hardships to prepare us for something that's coming that we cannot yet see.

I see and hear everywhere around me people proclaiming God is love. This is true but it is not the distorted tainted love of humans and we have sadly humanized God. Humanity says do whatever you feel. If it makes you feel good then it's right for you. But what feels good almost always has harsh consequences at some point, leaving families broken, individuals confused and lost in life, diseases rampid, children lost in a horrific foster system, and on and on. Human love is accepting of things that are unhealthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is unforgiving, it does not ever forget, and it often never trusts the right people. This is why God said in Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts."

This is the love of a Holy and Soveriegn God that grants us grace and mercy and true forgiveness when we make a covenant with Him. When we truly decide to stop choosing sin and strive to do our best to live according to His standards. He grants the grace and mercy and forgiveness because He knows we are imperfect and cannot ever work to achieve perfection which is why He sent Jesus. But He still expects us to do our best to live as Holy as humanly possible. Not to simply accept the worlds ways and distort His words to justify sin. I'm just as guilty in this as anyone else. God has been showing me that and I am so grateful because I want to live in a way that truly honors Him. I believe this is so important for us to understand as sadly, many have said the Ten Commandments and parts of the Bible that instruct us in behavior were for then not for now. That is a lie straight from the depths of Hell! So heres how I have come to see it and maybe this will help you as well.

God gave us the Ten Commandments as a quick reference guide if you will. Like when you purchase a new piece of equipment and it has a guide book but the basic instructions are the quick start guide to get it put together so you can at least start using it. Then you can go back to the reference guide to learn how to use every feature that can make your life so much better. To learn all the the little things that the quick start guide never taught you. When your friends, who have the same equipment, come over and see you using yours to do things they had no idea it could do, they are amazed and want to know how you did it. How can they make theirs do that. This is that.

The reference guide is The Bible and the Ten Commandments are our quick start guide. Using the quick start guide allows us to live with honor and integrity but it doesn't get us there which we know all too well from the rich man's story. For those who decide to really study that reference guide, amazing things will happen in your life, in your attitude, your behaviors, and people will want to know how you handle things so well. How you can get through hardships. How you have this beautiful relationship with God and they will want it too. Tell them to read the reference guide to be able to make their spiritual equipment work in ways they didn't know it could and take their personal relationship with God to a whole new level.

Daniel and his friends understood this. And just wait till you see what's coming. What they did. What they were willing to do and how God honored them for it! So much more intrigue to come!!

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spookyenemyperson-blog · 6 years ago

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My health insurance just went up again. I live in New York any places i can check out? It will be greatly appreciated

AAA car insurance question?

I've been with State Farm since the 1970's, but am a member of AAA. I was going to take my State Farm papers down to the AAA office and see if they could give me a better rate. My question is, does anyone have any experience with AAA car insurance? Good or bad, I'd like to hear about it.""

Finding car that was taken by insurance after accident?

I was in a car accident, and my car was considered a lost and my insurance company than took it and gave me a check. Is there a way for me to know whats happening with this car now? If it's been sold or its sitting somewhere??""

Health Insurance/Student emergency card help!?

I'm currently filling out a Student Emergency Information Card and I'm stuck on the Health Insurance portion... For the portion, it only says Insurance #, I have HealthNet but I don't know whether to write the group number or the subscriber number.. I'm kind of sure it's the subscriber one, but I need some assurance. Also, it asks for Medi-Cal straight after that with Yes/No.. How do I know if it's medi-cal or not?""

Can u keep a car in a garage without it having insurance?

I'm getting a car this weekend. It is taxed but I won't be able to afford the insurance stright away, what can I do??? I'm 18 and haven't passed my driving test yet. Any help welcome, thanks""

Health insurance .?

hello...i am 33 year old and going to school full-time. anyone out there know any cheap health insurance that i can apply for? i am mostly healthy but just in case. plus does the government support full-time students with at least health insurance? i am from memphis tn are. thank you!!!

Do you all have health insurances?

I mean what is a health insurance? more info please thanks

How much would car insurance cost for a 17 year old from allstate in california?

does it also matter what kind of a car it is? I have a 1999 chevy malibu

How DUIs and accidents effect your car insurance rates?

I know several people that have multiple DUIs. The strange thing about this is that they all pay a fraction of what I do for car insurance. I have a car that is almost 20 years old and I pay just liability. My payments are higher than my friend who drives a 2007 Honda with full bumper to bumper coverage. I have two accidents on my record right now. But are accidents weighed heavier than DUIs in the eyes of insurance companies? Its quit frustrating

""Why can't we have Geiko,State Farm, or Progressive auto insurance in the state of Ma?.?""

I always see t.v. commercials for them but at the bottom of the screen it says not available in Ma. and a few other states that I can't remember. If I could save money buy switching to one of those companies I would but I can't , so I have to pick from Commerce or Metropolitan. My car insurance is really expensive (I pay over $300 a month) I have only had my license for a couple years so I under stand the whole new driver thing and my car was new when I bought it so I have full coverage but the car is only a Kia Rio, far from a sports car or luxury car. I pay more for my insurance than for the car payments.""

Tabor South Dakota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 57063

What questions should i ask before getting LIFE Insurance?

Im about to get life insurance, but i dont know how it works. What are some questions i should ask the insurance agent before signing any papers? Please help!""

Im 18 how can i get affordable insurance?

im a private contractor self employed individual i dont make much at the moment im still covered by my parents but i want to checked out and im ebarassed to ask parents because i feel like i might have something they have enough bills and issues and id like to be responsible for my own actions and bare the consequences if i must but hopefully its nothing...

AIG car insurance in west coast?

hi i recenlty moved from east coast to west coast...i used to have car insurance with AIG while at eastcoast....does any one know if AIG serves car insurance in westcoast also.....especially in Los angeles

""When getting an auto insurance quote, can you lie?""

if you lie to get discounts, can they find out and do anything? i'm about to buy new insurance, and they ask if you had any violations in the past 6 months, and i do, but if i skip that part, can i get in trouble? also do they do a background check if you say your a good student when you don't go to school at all?""

Can anyone recommend a cheap company for temporary car insurance (UK)?

only need it insured for a few days to get it MOT'd?

What are a few cars that are cheap to insure and cheap to run for a 17 year old?

Wanting to know 4 or 5 cars that you think are ideal for a 17 year to insure and be able to run?

""Where can I buy cheap auto insurance in Houston, Texas?Just moved here, only paid $30/month in California!?""

Want to buy cheap auto insurance in person! In California I paid $30 a month at a place that catered to poor people basically, but had good coverage for cheap. I am not interested in paying double online with Geico, progressive, etc (as the quotes I've gotten are). Where can I get cheap basic coverage in person in Houston Texas? Thank you.""

Which car insurance companies aren't on comparison sites?

I know direct line don't use them but what others don't? I've checked all the comparison sites but would just like to check the ones they don't cover. Thanks.

Need a car with VERY cheap insurance. 17 year old male.?

Im just about to pass my driving test and i'm looking to buy a car, something very small like a 1.1L. I've had a few insurance quotes and then results are coming up as 7000?! Even for a ford fiesta or a peugot 306. I put the annual mileage down to 3000 and put my dad as a named driver but it is still very high. What cars could be lower thn this, and any good insurance company that offer low quotes for younger drivers.""

Will health insurance cover scar removal?

Is a subaru wrx a good car for an 18 year old?

I'm 18 and I'm thinking about buying a wrx. It has 150000 miles with maintenance history and was run on high octane gas... seems to be mechanically taken care of. It needs a new paint job but I don't mind the project. Is it hard to drive this car on 5spd for people who have minimum manual experience? (i can drive a manual but I haven't had much practice) I plan on taking care of it and running it easy. How much does insurance increase if there's a lein in the car? Is it difficult to transfer leins? Car has 6600 left on lein and its a 2003.

When to add insurance a newly purchased used car?

I'm purchasing a used truck from a relative of mine for pretty cheap and I'll have to drive the vehicle back down, about 130 miles, to my city by myself. My question is do I have to purchase insurance for the truck before I go up there? Or do I have a grace period where I can drive the truck (say 5 days) without insurance and then once I have the title and other paperwork in my name, go and get insurance? I'm in the state of California, if that helps.""

Is a jeep grand cherokee overland reliable w.cheap insurance for 16 yr old?

15 now looking to get one possibly is it good for me

Motorcycle insurance???

I just got a 07 kawasaki ninja zx6r i got a nice deal on but trying to find insurance on it is hard. Why do they want like an average of 500 dollars a month and thats like 4x what i pay for my car insurance.

Can I get around paying really high price for Car Insurance being only 19yrs old>?

I am 19, dont want to pay high price for car insurance. My friend said I can do this: find a cheap insurance company for my dad/mum to get insured on the the nice car (e.g. BMW) just them, not have me on it aswell, then find the cheapest car to insure with co-op, with me under my mum or dad, altogether it shouldnt be more than 2k and you I can drive the beemer, as long as the beemer is registered in my dad/mums name. Can somebody tell me if this would actually work or not? Please no philosophical answers or opinions on right or wrong or against the law - I dont give a F**k. Just want to know whether this would work or if anybody else has any ideas 10 September at 23:00""

SVT Cobra 03 Insurance?

My father has a Mustang Cobra 03. Since I have a permit now, the cobra is all mine. I am wondering how much will I have to pay for insurance? I am sixteen years old (sirousely) .Male. No Violations. A student. No modifications to the car. Only driving it to school and work. I tried getting qoutes online but they are not availeble for my age. Please give me an Estimate. Help. Plz.""

Is there a site I can get insurance quotes online without someone calling me?

I'm trying to compair car insurance companys and renter's insurance, but I just want a estimate. All the sites I try tell me that an agent will contact me. I really just want to compare prices over the internet.""

Keep car insurance payout?

So my car was scratched up during Hurricane Sandy, it didnt get hit by a tree, just stuff flying all over the place. So I called my car insurance like a good fellow and told them. I didnt even plan on going through insurance. I went and got my car independently assessed and the repair cost was $1000. A cheaper option was to just buff the paint (thus only showing the few deep scratches there are) and this cost about $200. I was considering both options,, but honestly I was leaning towards the cheaper alternative. Got my car assessed by my car insurance and they left me a check for $3200. The insurance guy didnt even take time to explain what I am to do with the check. Should I deposit it and then have my car fixed by my mechanic or go to a place that they (insurance people) recommend. Can I keep my insurance payout and have my car fixed anytime? What about the difference? I m not looking to make a quick buck, I didnt even plan on using insurance. But I dont want to be stupid and not have my car fixed either or throw away a windfall. I own my car, though I do make payments on it. I have 2.5 years left till I pay it off completely (loan of 5 years). What do I do next? Please help.""

DO YOU NEED ANY TYPE OF LICENSE TO PROCCESS AN ENDORSEMENT ON AN INSURANCE POLICY?

FIRE CASUALTY LICENSE ??? TO PROCESS A CHANGE OR QUOTE ON AUTO INSURANCE?? IN THE STATE OF CA

Co-Buyer Auto Insurance?

All, I helped ex GF to buy a car. I thought I was co signing for loan but apparantly I am a co buyer of car. The registration is her or me . I dont mind being responsible for loan. If she messes up loan I will make payments. She tells me she has car properly insured etc. What worries me is if she lets insurance lapse or cause a major accident could I end up in trouble. Can I insure myself against her letting insurance lapse or causing major injury/damage? I currently have no personal auto insurance (have company vehicle). Is there anything else I can do to protect myself? Im very worried about this. Do I need to be or am i overreacting? Pat""

Do I need to have insurance or proof of insurance when renting a car?

I'm planning on making a trip to Chicago. I have been wanting to go on a road trip for a long time. And I am afraid of taking a bus or going on a plane. A plane ticket costs a little bit too much for me. I'm 21. I currently do not own a vehicle of my own. So I am considering renting a car. I'm just wondering if I have to have car insurance in order to rent a car. I've never done this, so I have no idea what kind of things are required in order for me to rent. I've got my driver's license and a clean driving record. I don't have a line of credit. I don't have any credit cards so I hope there's no credit checks involved. Also, what's a rental car service that you would recommend? One that is cheap, honest, reliable, etc. My budget is $300. I'm going to meet a friend in Bartlett who is going to help provide me with lodgings so my only expenses to consider besides the car, are fuel and food costs. Thanks.""

""Help selling a car to an Italian, Insurance problems.?

I have just sold my car to an Italian and he now wants to drive the car to Italy. He's been told he can't insure a car that isn't registered in Italy and my Insurance company can't help. How can he get Insurance for the Journey? What other pitfalls can we expect?

400 dollars a month for car insurance that is CRAZY?!?

I went on a website that gives you a free estimated quote for how much insurance would cost, I completed drivers ED and it is still about 400 monthly or 5000 yearly for an old crappy car! My dad called his insurance company to add me on to his truck and that is 80 monthly or 1000 yearly but he is never home so it would be pointless to get added on to him. I need a car to get to a from work since I live 20 minutes out of town. How do they expect young drivers to afford that? What did you pay when you first got your license? I'm female & 17""

Whats the best way to sell life insurance without being a sleazy salesman?

""Does anyone know where to get cheap UK car insurance for a 17 year old male, preferable uder 1000.?""

Does anyone know where to get cheap UK car insurance for a 17 year old male, preferable uder 1000.?""

Tabor South Dakota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 57063

Can I buy medical insurance online or something right before I go to the hospital ?

Am allowed to do that or is there some kind of waiting period you have do ? also if you don't have to wait and can go immediately are there any really good low cost medical insurance plans for Northern California.

Help on insurance?

does anybody know were i can find an affordable full coverage insurance in Los Angeles? its for an Escalade.

Cheapest car to insure?

I'm not asking for lectures of any kind, I simply want to know what the cheapest cars are to insure. The Ford Ka is a cheap one. I don't want to be told there are no cheap car insurance, just the cheapest of them all. I'm a 17 year old male in Nov. Live with parents in a good area with no crime.""

What insurance company should i go with if I'am going to start driving at 17 with a sports car?

Hi, i'am receiving my license on August 31st and i turn 18 on September 23rd, ill be getting a 03-04 Nissan 350z coupe, i have no idea what company to go with or what price range to expect, my mom called GEICO, her current company and they said putting me on there with a Sports car such as the 350z would raise our payment about 5,000$ a YEAR! i dont know if this is true...or if my mom was lying to make me not get a sports car.. (she has tried to talk me out of it alot latley) What insurance provider has best rates for starting male drivers?""

How much is too much for insurance?

Hello. i own a 300zx twin turbo, i have modified it my self with some stuff.. but thats not importent right now. my question is that the cheapest insurance i can get for it with full coverage is around 250 a month..Im willing to pay for it, just because i love everything about this car.. but to my self i think its far too much. im 19 years old, and i was wondering what kinda stuff brings down the amount i would have to pay for insurance? ( i got my license when i was 18, ive had it for about a year now) thanks.""

How much would insurance be on a 2001 convertible mustang for a 16 year old?

hey everyone I was wondering what price range i would be looking at for a 2001 convertible mustang. not looking for a exact answer just a ballpark range. I have a 3.00+ gpa male 16 year old no ABS on car convertible thanks all.

Can you get motorcycle insurance for summer months instead of all year round?

I was scoping out some insurance rates and it seems like you can't just get insured for the summer months when you actually ride. You have to pay it all year round and if you cancel they wont insure you the next year. Does anyone know of any way to just get insured for the summer months (May - August)?

""Coverage characteristics of usaa auto insurance, allstate home insurance, tricare health insurance, aflac disa?""

need to find coverage characteristics on coverage characteristics of usaa auto insurance, allstate home insurance, tricare health insurance, aflac disability insurance, prudential life insurance......need help quick , coverage characteristics on all the above ASAP""

Are we required to have insurance?

We live in Oregon. We have a Blazer that is just sitting in our driveway not being driven. Our insurance doesn't know about it. My husband thinks if we insure it for a month the insurance will require us to insure it always even when we stop driving it just because we own it. Is that true?

2 Door Cars vs 4 Door Cars cost of Insurance?

I am interested in going from my 4 Door Acura TSX to a 350z or G35 Coupe, 2 door cars. I was wondering what the difference in prices would be for me, I am 19, no accidents, no tickets, clean record. As of now my parents have me on their insurance which I am sure makes it much cheaper, so what would the average cost of switching be if I was on my parents insurance or I was to take up my own. Please let me know, Thanks! :)""

Do I need insurance on a 50cc scooter?

I'm getting one because I don't want to get a different license and it's convenient. I'll get tags on it, that's easy. Do I also need to get insurance for it to be street legal?""

Where can I find business cargo insurance at reasonable rates?

We're a small company trying to get started, that's why we're looking for insurance at a reasonable rate. Any help will be welcome. Thanks""

Might have a cancerous mole. can i get it removed for free without insurance in california?

It's half way down my back back, on the left side, kind of ON my side, but not quite. This isn't an aesthetic issue, and i've had the mole for years. Some years back, though, I noticed the mole had a couple hairs growing out of the center of it, which was never the case before. This last week, I noticed it seems bigger and further raised from my skin than I can recall, and there seems to be kind of a black head on it. I can't really get a good look at it because...well it's on my back...but it worries me. I have NO health insurance other than some state assigned card they gave me that I think is just for free STD testing, and I really don't have any money. Are there clinics that will do this sort of thing for free or for a very low cost like maybe $50? I really need to have a doc do it, because I need it biopsied since it's looking so strange now. Thanks for the help.""

""My monthly car insurance payment was due 1 day before i had an accident. i have been paying on time,?""

been paying on time, but hadnt made this one. I'm I covered?""

Car insurance...oh my god?

hi, i just pass my driving test, my car (insurance group 7)....i search on confuse.com for third party car insurance is 4000 one year..although i'm 30 years old. is this ture? ...show more""

""I am driving from OK to TX tonight, and have active car insurance, but expired paper insurance, please help!?""

Okay, my car insurace is active, up to date, but I did not receive a paper copy of my insurance in the mail. I tried to print it out but my printer is jammed. I do have the expired proof of insurance in the car...if I get pulled over for any reason when driving from OK to TX, how much trouble will I get into? Thanks for any insight on this!""

Can anyone get affordable home insurance?

I live in an older home and it is the family home. I am a senior citizen and have always had homeowners insurance....until this year..seems it just got to expensive it was out of my reach. I would like to get some but has to b reasonable.My home at this time does need some little repairs which I will need to do...BUT will I b able to get insurance before the repairs are done..I realize I will have to pay for those myself..But want to try to get insurance for the future....Will they insure a home before the repairs are done? or Not? Thank u I live in Texas

Let's not have universal health care but just make health insurance more affordable?

and have the insurance companies take out take all these pre existing condition clauses. Then we don't have to worry about giving health care to illegals or higher taxes. Does anyone agree with me?

I have got automatic driving license 2 days go and I`m looking for car insurance?

i just checked with direct gov to understand the insurance policy then i checked the compare sites to get a better deal depending on the car that i will buy , the problem the least ...show more""

Car insurance 17 year old?

I'm turning 17 in April, I was just wondering what the average car insurance prices for somone who is 17. I tried getting a quote but seeing as i dont actually have a car yet, its been quite difficult. How do they give quotes, based upon engine size, make or something completely different? Thanks.""

Car insurance for 19 year old driver?

Hey guys, So I'm a 19 year old student looking to buy a car, more specifically a 1996 Pontiac Firebird. I'm not gonna ask the regular question about how much this costs, 'caus i already tried quotes from geiko, farmstate and all those, but to get a car insurance on that car it's going to cost me around $4.000 at geico which was the cheapest.. Main question: If i don't care about my own car, like if it breaks down or gets destroyed stolen or whatever I don't care caus' it only costs like $4.000 itself. Can I then buy just the required insurance to cover third party damage ? I think it's called a Liability insurance? Problem is that I've searched the internet, and can only find complete packages, but I heard there's a lot of money to be saved that way, and by a lot I mean A LOT, is this true? If yes, where would I find insurance that only covers third party's losses?""

Cheapest Car Insurance in California?

I just moved to Los Angeles and I'm wondering what is the cheapest car insurance company in general? Thanks in advance!

What are the chances my daughter could get good health insurance?

That's affordable? She has a few preexisting conditions. Spina Bifida (birth defect) asthma and Chiari Malformation. She only has one kidney. Right now she's receiving Medicaid but theres a cap on how much me and my husband can make a month and we really want to do better. Is Obama going to do something about Health care? I only have 3 choices if there are no changes, win the lotto, move to England or let things stay the way they are.""

Car Insurance Problem!?

Hey all heres my problem. I go in the navy in 4 weeks and my car insurance does'nt run out until april 2009. While im at base i wont be using my car until maybe feb 2009. Is there anyway i can cancel due to the fact that i wont be using my car. I don't want to be paying 121 a month when im not using my car at all for a while. Much help appreciated, mark!""

Why do i have to pay car insurance?

okay, ive been driving for about 3 years now (im18) and in those 3 years ive had to pay about over $200 a month for car insurance plus the yearly down payment of $600. and in those 3 years ive never been in an accident. im always cautious, drive good, etc... where has all that money gone? its a robbery i tell ya. its a scam, a waste of money. an extra burden on our shoulders. now my license is suspended for not paying insurance. i barely have enough to pay rent and other bills. so why pay $200 a month for something i dont need? there must be some other way. i know what you people are gonna say. your too young, you could get into an accident and all that other bull shte. and thats all it is. bull shte. or, you never know when the accident will happen. okay. but what about the 3 years? 3 times 600 down payment is 1,8000. plus the 200 time 36 months is. $9000 total... wtf? and if i ever did get an accident, it wont be as big as that of a bill. all im saying is. is there any way i can legally drive without having to pay insurance? i live in florida. what if i got a lawyer to fight the case. saying car insurance is a fraud?""

Tabor South Dakota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 57063

Car Insurance in England question?

If I am insured but I drive another car (included on policy) but that car is not insured by owner will ANPR pick up car has no insurance and do I commit offense? And if I am not insured but drive a car that is insured by owner does it come up on ANPR as being insured and therefore I wont get caught? Is the driver insured or the car???

My mom is 84 and has trouble paying her supplemental insurance at 225 per month. What can she do?

Where can she find affordable medicare supplemental insurance. She now has Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and she no longer can afford it. Thanks for your help.

Cheap Car Insurance For Teens!?

hi, i am a 18 year old male from england and i am looking to buy a car as soon as i pass my driving test soon, i dont know what car to buy becouse i really need cheap car insurance as i have 4 points on my provisional driving licence from a crash when i was 16 on a scooter, some people say corsa's have cheap car insurance but im not sure, has anyone got any tips to knock the price down becouse at the moment it is stupid about 6,500 for a 1.2 ford fiesta i got quoted! helpppp!!""

Confused about car insurance.?

I recently got my license but my parents aren't getting me a car just yet. If i ask to drive one of their cars they say no because i don't have insurance. They said they will get me insurance within a month but I'm curious if this is correct. My friends dad said as long as that car i am driving has insurance i can drive it, but my parents are saying I need the insurance. I don't know, I'm really confused.""

Where can I find a good car insurance?

I leave in Los Angeles. at the present time I have insurance with Farmers but I want to change it because it is expensive. I'm thinking about Progressive Insurance, What do you think and what else do you suggest? Thanks""

Can you be fined for owning an uninsured car? (California)?

Even if the car is not driven? And if it is registered?

How much is insurance for a used 2008 infiniti g37 insurance for a 16 year old male?

I will be turning 16 this march and im already looking for cars. I have good grades, about a 3.8 GPA, if not better. Im planning on paying for the car myself. not all up front of course. Im planning on getting a job and putting a down payment down of about $10,000. I would of cuorse pay the rest off monthly. If i do end up buying the car id like to get an estimate for how much it'd be... Id do all discounts possible and i live in illinois.""

Where to find cheap insurance when I have a teenager that lost her license for three months?

My daughter received three tickets and her license was suspended, She is able to get it back now but the insurance company wants to charge me $500 a month just for her. Are they kinding who can afford that.""

How much will it cost to insure my house cleaning business?

How much will it cost to insure and bond my house cleaning business? I have been running it solo for the last 6 months so I didn't to get bonded or anything, but I will be hiring 2-3 employees within the next month. How much can I expect the insurance and the bond to cost? And, for extra credit, what is the best type of insurance to get? I run it out of my home, if that makes a difference.""

Best insurance companies for 16 year old passed my test?

ok ive pased my test and i gettin a car this week and i need some insurance on the car obviiously lol, well basically whats the cheapest car insurance""

Are the extreamly wealthy required to have driver's insurance?

e.g Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Donald Trump... Assuming that they are proverbial multi-millionares/billionares who and can easily prove that they would be able to pay any conceivable liability costs out of pocket if necessary.""

Health insurance question?

Had COBRA insurance, terminating, looking for health insurance. One health insurance has turned me down. Am on SSDI and have a condition that needs outpatient surgery monthly. Anyone have any suggestions?""

Insurance will only cover 1000$ of dental issues?

My friend's parents haven't taken her to the dentist in 10 years. Now she has 21 cavities. She says that it will cost 6000$ and insurance will only cover 1000$. Is there anyway she can separate the fillings so that insurance will pay (almost) all of it?

What's the best way to get car insurance for a new driver?

I'm buying my first car soon, probably a Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris or possibly a Ford Focus. The vehicle will be used and I only have my G2 (since Dec. 2011). I'm over ...show more""

Where can I get Affordable Life Insurance?

Insurance quote for first car?

Hey guys I've been saving up for a while and have come to a conclusion of what i want for my first car 2006 Porsche cayman s iam16 at the moment and am making just a smudge under $900 a month and from my calculations i should have enough money by the time I am 20-21 so i was wondering how much my insurance would cost. I have my g1 and am getting my g2 in November and will be a occasional driver and would be driving my brothers car an Acura rl and would be getting a cayman as soon as i have enough money. My family is insured by TD and BMO so a quote from them would be preferred but if i can get a quote from another place that is cheaper but still provides full coverage it would be nice plus i will be going to uni and working so it will be daily driven and garage parked 50% of the time (other fifty will be my brothers/dads/moms car) and will NOT be winter driven I live in Brampton On thanks

Why is my car insurance quote massive?

Since few weeks im just looking up comparision sites quoting 1.0 engine first cars such as corsa, pug 206, punto, clio, polo etc ( not all of them are 1.0 but from what ive heard it doesnt make that much difference). In fact, i havent got my licence yet but i adjust my details as if I had one already. It was okay when i searched a quote for corsa and polo for provisional - ended up at 1k yearly. Then I've checked full uk at both comprehensive and 3rd party only - prices went up from minimum of 6k up to 30k which is enormous and ridiculous. What might be wrong with that. Most of people says like it should be up to 2 grand, even my instructor said so. Is that my name, postcode, something wrong with cars I choose? It'd be understandable if i wanted range rover or aston martin as first car. Im foreigner, nearly 19, studying and working both full time. It feels like they just picking at me.. Any ideas though??""

How much do you pay for Insurance in your state?

I live in New Jersey and the Insurance for an auto is so high here. I pay $168 a month for a 2003 ford explorer that is loaded. I have no tickets, my record is clean. I also have lived in Utah and my Insurance was only $50 a month. Just wondering what everyone pays in different states?""

What to do about car insurance claim?

On wends. I was waiting at a red light and another car wrecked into my car. We pulled over and I called the police and my insurance and all that other fun stuff. He got a ticket and when the cop came back to me he gave me the other guys information. (as in his name, car, and license plates number and thats all.) I called my insurance (State Farm) the next day to see if they had any more information because I thought my insurance was gonna get in contact with his insurance (Titan insurance.) The guy at state farm said that in my policy there is a 500 dollar deductible. (I thought this other guys insurance was supposed to pay for this, not mine.) So I asked the guy that and he said if I wanted to go through his insurance I had to get a hold of them myself. (But isn't the two insurances supposed to get in contact with each other?) The last two days i've been calling titan insurance and state farm trying to figure out what the hell is going on because this titan place seems like they have no clue whats going on and state farm is telling me to go through my policy and none of them have answers to my questions. Why should it go through my insurance if hes the one that hit my car? I've never been in a car wreck before so I'm not sure how all of this is supposed to work so any advice would be good.""

An affordable car to purchase with cheapest insurance for a 17 y/o?

Hey, I'm 17 and looking to purchase my first car. Of course, insurance is a big issue for me. I was wondering what car would be a good buy where insurance wouldstill be cheap? I'm looking at spending around 500 for a second hand car, so all these new electric economic cars which cost thousands that google keep bringing up are too miuch for me. I heard about ford KA's, Nissan Micra's, Renault Clio's and Vauxhall Corsa's being good, however, when I look on insurance websites there's about 50 versions of each car with different engines, doors, years etc, and I don't have the slightest clue which version of the car would be the cheapest, other than having a smaller engine. I was wondering if anybody could provide me with the make and models of the cars which are the cheapest to insure, but are still well priced and can be picked up easily second hand. Thanks""

Lying to insurance company?

The other night I hit into a pole in a parking lot and no one saw, and caused the pole no damage. However, the front of my car has a small damage. Money is tight. What if I were to tell my insurance company that I did not know how it happened and I'm looking to repair it...""

Cheap insurance for a sixteen year old girl on suzuki 124cc maurder?

living in limerick ireland

Insurance through the military?

My dad was in the USMC back during the Vietnam War and is now on 100% disability. I was approved for the Dependents' Education through the GI Bill and now I'm wondering if I can get low-cost health insurance through the military as well. I'm 18 and am his only child living at home. We live in New Hampshire and I am currently going to school full time. Like I said, he is on 100% disability through the VA and I was looking at the US Family Health Plan at Martin's Point but I'm not sure if he has to be on the plan so it would be a family plan or if I could do it as an individual plan. He is covered 100% but has to travel like 2.5 hours away to go to Togus in Augusta but I'm not sure if I would be covered in any way through any of this or if I could at least get affordable health insurance through him? Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any of you who attempt to answer my questions! (:""

How insurance did you pay for your insurance and how old where you?

I am 17 now, and i want to buy a 125, on average what do you think i would have to pay""

How much will my insurance be?

If I am a 16 year old male, and I want to get a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6.... About how much should insurance cost?""

Tabor South Dakota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 57063

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/car-insurance-17year-old-help-jacob-berry/"

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danny321 · 7 years ago

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Business Trainers along with Business Coaching -- Exactly what are These people?

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kennethmullins · 7 years ago

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Guest Post By Colin Cortbus: Angela Merkel‘s Empire of Censorship and Deception

Colin Cortbus, who has written here twice before about free speech issues in Germany, returns to discuss recent German censorship measures.

Angela Merkel‘s German government has decided to crush digital freedom of speech to silence opposing voices ahead of an election. The measures taken by the German government have chilling consequences for digital freedom worldwide – and Vladimir Putin‘s regime has already began to copy them.

After over 11 years in power, Germany‘s tired Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partners appear to have panicked that they might underperform in the crucial, upcoming federal election in September.

It is not hard to see why. The circulations of mainstream newspapers, which traditionally mollycuddle the Germany‘s political establishment, have been uniformly falling. The only nationwide papers to make gains in sales at all in the last year were Der Freitag, an outspoken, left-liberal newspaper focused on opinion pieces, and Junge Freiheit, a national-conservative outlet strongly critical of the government. The Junge Freiheit‘s adversarial, if at times deeply disagreeable, reporting has long been a thorn in the side of Germany‘s political elite. Unspurprisingly, the newspaper was unconstitutionally targetted by the state‘s domestic intelligence agencies until 2007. To this day, the taxpayer-funded Federal Agency for Political Education warns the voting public that the paper represents a “key outlet of a radical nationalist opposition, which seeks a fundamental change in the social, political and cultural conditions in Germany“. That is an entirely fair, opinionated criticism of the paper‘s percieved mission if you are a private citizen. But it can hardly be deemed to be an ethically acceptable intervention into the debate when it comes from a publically-funded government agency with a legal duty to maintain “balance and distance pursuant to the rule of law“.

But even such Orwellian methods can‘t put a stop to the fact that increasingly, ordinary people are expressing scepticism towards the Government‘s official narratives – preferably via social media, where they can network more easily with like-minded people, often under the saving cover of anonymity. This makes old-style, brute force legal thuggery quite redundant. The government‘s inquisitorial hirelings might potentially be able to intimidate one or two frightened citizens into silence by threating to take vague, and constitutionally bogus measures; For example, police reportedly opened a “criminal investigation“ for “defamation“ against a speaker at an opposition party campaign rally in December who criticised Angela Merkel as „criminal and insane“. But against an ever-growing, often anonymous, sometimes out-of-control crowd of outspoken netizens, these crude, resource-intensive, individualised tactics are but a bureaucratic drop on the hot stone of popular discontent.

Absent of an easy route to get at the netizens themselves, what the government really needed was a quick way to force social media firms to make their platforms inhospitable environments for critical, dissident expression; But taking action against social media networks did not turn out to be all that easy.

In 2016, prosecutors had to humiliatingly drop a pointless, four month-long investigation into a German Facebook executive. The manager had been bizarrely accused in a citizen‘s criminal complaint of abetting racist incitement by puportedly not deleting hateful comments quickly enough – even though his personal role within the social media company did not actually have anything to do with content control.

But coercively targetting social media companies remained an attractive option for the German government. Outsourcing censorship to privately-owned social media firms presents a neat way to circumvene the high bar of constitutional scrutiny that would apply to the state if it tried to enact such censorship directly.

In this context, a tiny number of largely hard-line pro-Government legislators convened in an almost empty parliamentary chamber, just before the end of the last key pre-election Bundestag sitting, late in June. Without all too much ado, they quickly rubberstamped an ominous sounding law; the Netzwerkdurchstetztungsgesetz, or Network Enforcement Act in English.

On paper, the Network Enforcement Act is supposed to combat the purported dangers of “fake news“ and “hate crime“ on social media, in light of events related to the US presidential election.

But this is a poor, figleaf excuse for one of most Machiavellian anti-free speech laws in the Western world.

Surprisingly, the Network Enforcement Act itself does not create any new speech offences designed to better deal with the incitement of violent racial hatred or the glorification of terrorism. In fact it does not even confine itself improving the technical means to clamp down on such specific speech.

Far rather, it weaponises Germany‘s already wildly overbroad and repressive anti-insult and criminal libel laws, which have been previously highlighted on this website. Under these pre-existing, but often ineffectively or inconsistently enforced laws, truth is no absolute defence and even criticism of long-deceased historical figures can be criminalised.

Pursuant to the Network Enforcement Act, social media companies now face substantial fines of up to 50 million Euros if they fail to delete content that is “obviously illegal“ under these laws within 24 hours of recieving a complaint. The same fines apply if not-so-obviously illegal content is not deleted within one week. Moreover, social media companies are also obliged to respond to requests (possibly for data about allegedly criminal users) from state prosecutors within 48 hours – a fraction of the time it would take a good lawyer to write a letter disputing or refusing any mala fide requests.

German courts take months or years to decide whether or not certain speech counts as criminal libel or insult – and even then they often cannot agree. Social media companies cannot possibly accomplish the same in 7 days, much less 24 hours – and the Network Enforcement Law does not even attempt to define what is meant by an „obviously illegal“ posting that has to be deleted in 24 hours. As a result, social media companies will simply feel forced delete all and any disputed content, amid a flurry of malicious complaints from censorious politicians and businessmen who are keen to stifle criticism and inconvenient election campaigning. No wonder, given that experts estimate the fines and costs in case of non-compliance might set social media providers back by up to 530 million euros in total, annually. Merkel‘s government knows all this full well. Legal experts have voiced strong criticisms of the Network Enforcement Act at parliamentary hearings. The government has been advised by its very own parliamentary research service that the law is in breach of European Union rules. Experts acting for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which Germany is a member, have voiced concern that the law fails to strike an adequate balance when it comes to freedom of expression. David Kaye, the UN special rapporteur for free expression, has pointed out that the „ obligation placed upon private companies to regulate and take down content raises concern with respect to freedom of expression… A prohibition on the dissemination of information based on vague and ambiguous criteria, such as ‘insult‘ or ‘defamation‘ is incompatible with article 19 of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights“. Moreover, the UN special rapporteur noted that he was “also concerned at the provisions that mandate the storage and documentation of data concerning violative content and user information related to such content, especially since the judiciary can order that data be revealed. This could undermine the right [of] individuals enjoy to anonymous expression ..“.

When a government is desperate to win an easy election and vindictively crush popular dissent, such fine matters of international human rights law are scarely of any relevance. Merkel and her ministers have not even taken window-dressing steps to ensure the law would eventually withstand legal challenges once it comes into force– or for that matter that compliance would be affordable for social media companies. Even the government‘s official justification for the law – to prevent ‘fake news‘ or ‘hate speech‘ from impacting election campaigns, as purportedly occured in the US, is a dishonest non-sequitor; Although the government has had a rock solid parliamentary majority for years, it only passed this law at a point in time so close to the election that technically, the Network Enforcement Act is extremely unlikely to come into force until a few weeks after the election.

What the law says, and what happens when or if it ever comes into force technically is actually quite arcanely insignificant. The law already achieves its objectives by merely existing as a future prospect; The potential of the government even contemplating enacting the costly, repressive, vastly overbroad act is entirely sufficent for bringing in the sweeping and lawless regime of state-mandated, privately enforced mass digital censorship that the government appears to crave so strongly.

In an effort to avoid endless legal battles, vast administrative efforts and hundreds of millions of euros in administrative costs, social media firms will likely be cowed into deleting controversial, critical content preemptively; Right now, prior to the election or the law coming into force. After all, any profit-oriented private business would want to do everything it could to try to avoid the vastly expensive law entirely. By acting now to show the government that they can do the censorship job themselves, making clear that they are capable of acting informally and directly, that there is no actual need for this meddlesome legal regulation. After all, when the coalition government brought in the law, it explicitly stated that one reason for the purported neccessity of the law was that “too small amounts of illegal content are being deleted“ by social media providers, and that user complaints against illegal content were not being processed by social media providers “immediately and sufficiently“.

Thus, the Network Enforcement Act unleashes an immediate, informal, and ultimately lawless tsunami of content deletion; Content deletion that will be conducted kleptocratically by private businesses out of their sheer need for economic survival, far away from the prying eyes of the public, without even a facade of due process or any means of legal recourse. And as an added bonus for the government, netizens who rely on anonymity right now to freely express their thoughts are also likely to be pressured into silence. However vague, the possibility that someday in the future their user account details could be given to prosecutors in some ominous, ill-considered 48 hour express procedure will now weigh heavy on their fingers as they type.

The result will be a stolen election defined by the voices of a politically well-connected media elite, with debate taking place firmly within the government-dictated boundaries of acceptable expression.

Heated, at times hyberbolic, and yes, occasionally emotionally hurtful grassroots exchanges in the marketplace of ideas are what defines a functioning, open democracy. In Merkel‘s new Germany, free, open debate will only be discernible by its silent absence.

Naturally, Merkel‘s government desperately wants to hide this sore reality from a global public.

Very few contempory authoritarian leaders enjoy the enacting their repressive laws in the light of day. When a global swimming championship came to the Hungarian capital Budapest, wannabe-strongman Victor Orban rushed to take down neo-Soviet style propaganda posters that had previously polluted almost every street with their ugly presence. Evidently, he did not want foreign sports fans to think too much about how his regime uses tax-payer funds to promote its own party political propaganda, all while enacting cheap, nefarious pseudo-laws designed to prevent opposition movements from displaying privately funded anti-corruption messages in public. Turkey‘s dictator Erdogan also loves to distract from his systematic destruction of free speech, Kurdish human rights and religious liberty by ranting about fantastical conspiracies involving Gulenists and supposed Kurdish PKK sympathisers (who are secretly actually linked to “atheist Armenians“, according to one of Erdogan‘s right-hand men). It could just as well be Elvis Presley plotting to silence the prayer call of Ankara minarets with loud country music broadcast from his hideout on Mars via a supersonic hyperloop; Any lie will do as long as it takes the heat away from the crimes Erdogan himself is actually committing.

Germany‘s power-obsessed leadership doesn‘t just want to maintain a bog standard clean reputation. It is actively trying to establish itself on that very special moral throne Trump recently vacated because of his venality and imprudence; That of the leader of the free world. And that requires some very out of the box political reputation management.

So, just hours before the German parliament passed the Network Enforcement Act on the 30th of June, its legislators truimphantly passed a bill introducing equal marriage rights for gay people. Merkel had decided to no longer require lawmakers belonging to her centrist-conservative CDU party to vote against the measures, allowing lawmakers to freely choose how to vote as a matter of personal conscience.

Conveniently, this unexpected decision by Merkel dominated the global and domestic news cycle for days. It made the chancellor a darling of global community. Critical coverage of the Network Enforcement Act was relegated to a minor item in the packed news agenda.

But Merkel‘s decision to hold the marriage equality vote at such a time was not just a cynical attempt to abuse gay people‘s rights as cheap political cover to distract from the introduction of repressive censorship laws. It also represents more widely the hypocritical, stage-managed 'democracy' the government presides over.

Angela Merkel had over 10 years in government to find the time and space to realise that gay equal rights were an issue of conscience, not suited to partisan voting instructions.

Choosing to hold a free vote just before the election doesn‘t appear to represent a genuine change of mind on the issue.

Far-rather, it seems like a deeply utilitarian device to allow Merkel to avoid a humiliating forced concession to her political rivals a few months later; All of Merkel‘s three potential coalition partner parties had included red lines in their manifestos, pledging that they would never enter a coalition with the Merkel‘s centre-right CDU party, if she continued to refuse to introduce gay marriage. Germany‘s proportional electoral system essentially makes coalitions unavoidable. So, come what may, long-overdue marriage equality would have been on the books by the end of the year; But by introducing it this way Merkel could dishonestly soak up some of the international credit, and maybe collect some votes from gullible centre-leftists domestically as well.

And what about the government‘s lawmakers, who ceremoniously gathered together in parliament, voting in favour of gay marriage on account of their ‘conscience‘: Where was this conscience of theirs in the years before? Does it only compassion towards gay peoples‘ civil rights when it is electorally opportune to do so? Did they not think that the equal rights for gay citizens are sufficiently important to merit defying mere partisan voting instructions over?

As Germany has economically boomed under Merkel‘s leadership, social compassion and honesty in the public sphere has reached a record low. Corrupt property developers, ruthless drug dealers, and organised crime are being allowed to take over economically deprived parts of Berlin, Frankfurt, Bremen and Colonoge with impunity, while police simply watch. As Berlin‘s political-corporate elite shops in an ever-growing number of luxury all-organic supermarkets, they cheer on the financial rape of Greece and other Southern European countries by the German-led EU‘s austerity programs; Brutal regimes of cuts and privatisations have left some ordinary, hard-working people in those countries unable to afford even basic essentials such as food and medical care. The supposedly anti-racist, pro-equality mainstream media in Germany outdoes itself day-on-day in finding new, politically-useful ways to implicitly suggest to their readers that ‘lazy‘, ‘heat-dazed‘ Greeks deserve all the degrading austerity they get.

While German authorities dishonestly smear outspoken political rivals as a racist or extremist without due process to shut them up, the government‘s very own Federal Police Agency racially profilies perfectly law-abiding Turkish, Kurdish, Arab and African German citizens with glee; Flagrantly violating the Basic Law‘s protection of equal individual liberty in a desperate but sleek attempt to win over the votes of the very people the government publicly condemns when they speak out. The government that digs up every moral trope in the box to condemn racism when it happens to come from its political opponents on the (far) right is the same one that to this day has never brought to justice the murderers of Laya-Alama Conde, a black man brutally tortured to death by German Police in 2004 in the city of Bremen; A sadistic crime for which cops took 9 years to even apologise for. Evidently, the only kind of xenophobia the current government has ever cared about combatting is the variety that reduces its share of the vote.

Merkel‘s government is taking Germany, and with it the European Union, a step towards the path of Putin, Lugaskenko and Victor Orban. Building an illiberal democracy in Germany risks setting back freedom globally, and emboldens dictators.

Unsurpringly, Vladimir Putin‘s authoritarian United Russia party has already moved to replicate the Network Enforcement Act. In July, it presented an extremely similar draft social media bill in the Russian parliament, the Duma, that even goes as far as explicitly referring to the German law as its inspiration. Proving that imitation is the sincerest flattery, Russian legislators even copied the exact, expedited content deletion timeframe of 24 hours directly from the German government‘s law.

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