#it'll replace therapy for both of us

[yapperina]

zayne is the type of man methinks who was so deeply repressing every single romantic/physical urge and need (in the pre-relationship period at least) that if any of it ever seeps through the cracks of his composure he'll be the most bewildered of all AND I NEED TO BE THERE TO SEE EVERY MOMENT OF IT

you go for a hug for whatever reason and zayne holds you so tightly your back cracks, the moment lingering a tad too long to write it off as a friendly gesture and you have to literally tap out before he lets you go. the tiniest frown on his face like he's too trying to figure out the fuck was that about. immediately going to adjust his glasses and mess with the cuffs to mask the awkwardness

[thedisablednaturalist]

Tw for weight loss mention

The whole exercise will cure your disability thing is a fucking joke. Yes exercise is beneficial for your health, but only if you aren't already on shaky foundations. You need to be on a treatment plan that WORKS before going into the maintenance phase. You wouldn't do regular maintenance on a broken item, you'd work on getting it up and running first. And maybe it would even need specialized maintenance afterwards if it's especially fragile.

I have fibromyalgia and acute degenerative disc disease. My immune system attacks my nerves and discs in my spine are slowly calcifying and causing the bones to constrict and damage my nerves (i think thats how it works). I have days where it feels like my body is on fire from nerve pain and days where it feels like my spine is about to rip from my back. And days where I have both (like today!). I get numbness in my hands and feet. I have horrible migraines. I can no longer walk unaided more than maybe 5 minutes without severe pain. I have something wrong with my knees and hips but the doctors don't know what yet.

You'd think I live an obviously seditary lifestyle correct?

Hell no.

I walk aided on average 6 miles a day over difficult terrain OUTSIDE of regular activity almost everyday. My legs are muscular and strong. I get my heart rate up and a good sweat, like all the gym rats swear on. I am often doing physical labor such as weeding, digging, sample collecting, pruning trees etc.

I'm not saying this to make other disabled people feel bad or prove that they can do anything if they just tried harder. This is an extremely painful lifestyle I've chosen that takes a lot of lifestyle management AND BOUNDARIES to keep up with the work. I also have an extremely forgiving boss who is also physically disabled and knows what I'm going through (deciding between your passion and your health and having to do so each and every day) No one should ever be expected to do what I do. I'm not even sure if I should be doing this myself.

This is to prove that exercise? Has not cured me. My muscles are strong but still hurt as if they're broken and I have to take more breaks than my coworker. I am constantly getting out of breath and I flare up regularly if I'm not careful. I am in excellent physical condition outside of my disabilities. I go to different doctors several times a month to get checked out.

I previously went through a diet program and lost a lot of weight (basically starving myself and got off my depression meds which cause weight gain but are also the only ones that work) and guess what? That didn't do shit either!!! I still felt horrible!!! I've since gained back the weight anyway after switching to focusing on adding more nutrient dense foods than taking stuff away from my diet (also muscle weighs more than fat, and fat helps cushion my aching joints and spine).

The muscle doesn't do shit for my disabilities outside of maybe some stability. Exercising everyday doesn't make the pain go away. Without my medications and aids and nutrition plans and steroid injections and spinal adjustments and physical therapy (that takes my fibro and spine into account) and alternative work methods I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO. Exercise alone is like trying to make a car run with no oil. Yes it'll go but it'll get more and more damaged till it can't and will need its entire engine replaced!

And yet I see new doctors and they look at me and the first thing out of their mouths is do I exercise? I should try doing a little every day :) and then i fucking blow their minds when I tell them about my job. No longer can they use that fucking cop out on me. I've been through this rodeo. Ive tried their suggestions. If you are in pain and nothing is helping? Exercise ain't going to do SHIT. You need to get to a point where you can move without severe pain first (if that's even possible). Then and only then should you consider implementing regular exercise if you can. Also weight loss talk is a red flag and a cop out. They made me lose 50+ lbs before they would look into the reasons behind my pain. Weight loss did nothing for me and exacerbated my pain.

I am living proof that all that shit is a lie and a cop out. That is the point of this post. I cannot believe people with serious medical conditions are being forced to put their bodies through extreme duress just to be believed. You are not disabled because of laziness or because you sit a lot. Plenty of people live seditary lifestyles and do not live in constant excruciating pain (they may develop disabilities later in life due to this however, and should be doing preventative exercises to maintain their health)

Please, share my story with doctors. Use me as an example. I am proof that "exercise first treat later" does not work. I should not have had to wait years to have my pain validated. I'd rather hundreds of fakers get (what? A blood test? An MRI?) than one chronically ill person get told to try yoga and go away by a doctor.

[lobautumny-but-horny]

cw: Ageplay, diapers

Stheno, fearsome witch of the Serpent's Tail creek, is tired and stressed. She's in over her head. Something needs to budge, and she's sure as hell not gonna let it be her. She needs an assistant.

So, she does what any witch of her caliber would do and conjures a doll directly from the Aether. It's a spiritually taxing process, and an imprecise one at that. However, it has the distinct upside of delivering exactly what you need when you don't already know exactly what you need. The results tend to be at least somewhat surprising, and today is no exception.

Curiously, the doll that stands before her is a patchwork plush doll that seems half teddy bear and half monster. The teddy bear parts are pink and the monster parts are green, it has gray details elsewhere (such as its tummy and "claws," as much as anything made of fabric could be called a claw), it has a cute fang poking out of its mouth, and little horns peek out from above its messy, black hair.

It has a... comforting aura about it, and looks like the exact sort of thing she would've wished for back when she was a scared, weak child. She finds this connection both curious and disturbing, and she pushes it out of her mind for the time being.

After assessing the doll for a long moment, Stheno finally speaks to it. "You there, what is your purpose?"

"To reduce Miss's stress and anxiety through emotional support!"

Hm. Maybe I don't need more hands on deck after all. But still, it's not like now's the time for a therapy session, so...

"Well, I don't need any of that at this precise moment. If you wish to make yourself useful in the meantime, you can make a pot of coffee and then help me by organizing the research papers I've scattered around my study."

"Yes, Miss!"

As the doll skitters out of the room, Stheno returns to her work. Workshopping new spells is always difficult, and with the kinds of enemies she's recently made, she needs to create some particularly intense wards. Since magic is irrational, the kind of power she needs is beyond the limits of conventional math. So, she's attempting to research fae math, which isn't making any goddamn sense. Not that it's supposed to be comprehensible to a human mind, but still, you'd think that for all her-

"Miss? Here's that coffee you wanted."

She snatches the mug out of the doll's paws and chugs the whole thing in just a few gulps, not caring that it's scalding-hot.

She thanks the doll, informs it on how to organize the research papers, and they both silently and diligently work until well past sundown. Eventually, Stheno passes out at her desk as the sun starts to peek above the horizon.

She awakes with a start, realizing she's tucked into bed, snuggling with the doll. She reels, for a moment, at the sensation of waking up feeling rested and comfortable. It's been months since she even set foot in her room. She reaches up to pat the doll on the back of the head, muttering a "good doll" as she kisses its forehead.

It stirs from its own slumber, yawns, stretches, and gets out of bed. "Miss, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Dealer's choice. I warn you, though, we don't have much food in the house other than instant ramen."

"Oh, this one actually went to get groceries after it tucked you in this morning. It'll go whip up something nice for you!"

Wow, maybe this is exactly what I needed. Wait, shit, the research. Feeling good will do nothing if an army kicks my door down.

She replaces her nightgown (Did her doll dress her in a nightgown?) with her typical dark, dramatic robes and heads down to her study. After skimming her papers to catch back up on where she was last night, the doll appears with a veritable feast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Stheno feels impossibly energized and focused after cleaning her plate, and gets to work. The doll was absent for most of the day, saying that the house was filthy. She assumes this meant it was cleaning.

Work goes fantastically fast, and Stheno manages to come up with the steps to the exact ritual she needs to perform, and perform it she does. Finally, she can take some time to relax for once without worrying about any guilds or armies finding her.

Several days pass, and one morning, she awakes with a start. Something isn't right.

It takes her a few long moments to figure out what, though. Her crib is nice and secure, all her favorite stuffies are with her, she's not hungry or thirsty, her onesie is very comfy... She supposes Mommy isn't with her, but that's probably just because it's preparing breakfast.

Suddenly, it clicks, and panic sets in. Wait a minute, since when do I live like a baby? Did the ritual not work? Have I been cursed?

She scans her memory, but she's not missing any time. She's been gradually waking up living more and more like a baby every day and only just noticed. She does some diagnostics to test for curses, and can't sense anything wrong with the energies around her. She realizes that she's been sucking on a pacifier this whole time and spits it out. Why does this all seem painfully normal? In her panic, she doesn't even notice her diaper grow damp, and then soggy.

A few minutes later, Momm- no, her doll, opens the door and starts walking to unlock Stheno's crib and bring her down to the dining room for brekky, before getting stopped with a question:

"Is this your doing?"

"Hm? What, all the baby stuff? No, this one's not even capable of making such drastic changes. It was assuming that you were doing this to decompress. Are you not?"

At this moment, several things click. Of course. It should've been obvious from the moment she woke up. The subspace bubble she erected around her house to keep out unwanted guests must've also been insulating her emotional energies, causing repressed desires to intermingle with the latent magical energies around the house and manifest as reality warping effects, and-

"Wait a minute, you said 'drastic changes,' right? What, precisely, are you referring to?"

"Well, for starters, you've gone completely incontinent. You also haven't been able to work your hands or legs very well. This one has to admit it's been pretty cute watching you crawl around and need to be doted on extra hard~"

Interesting. Stheno investigates her memories and sure enough, Mommy's right. What's most curious is how she feels about all this. Her sudden helplessness feels somehow correct, soothing.

She's so deep in thought that she barely notices as Mommy opens her crib, plucks her out of it, checks her diaper, and lays her on the changing table. She barely notices as she instinctually puts her binky back in her mouth. She barely notices just how horribly cute her wardrobe has become, an endless series of pastel onesies, shortalls, and very short dresses, every article of clothing drawing attention directly to her thick diapers.

Stheno remains dimly aware of all the ways in which her life has quite suddenly changed, of how she's become everything she wasn't: Cute, submissive, needy, immature, happy. She doesn't mind, though. After all, her emotional needs are finally being met. She figures that things will return to normal when her needs have been sufficiently sated.

And that's how Stheno's life goes for the next several months; Mommy feeds, bathes, and clothes her, gives her lots of cuddles and attention, entertains her, and she feels profoundly happy and fulfilled for the first time since... Since...

Damn, have I really never felt like this before?

This lasts until one day, unceremoniously, Stheno wakes up to her normal bedroom. Dark colors, no nightlight, no crib, no mobile hanging above her, soft pastel onesies replaced with dark, dramatic robes. Part of her is disappointed, but most of her feels energized, rejuvenated, ready to brew some trouble. She gets out of bed and starts checking around the house to make sure everything is, in fact, properly in order, and everything seems to be except for two facts: She's still stuck in diapers she can't seem to figure out how to change, and she still feels a compulsion to call her doll Mommy. These are, she ruminates, acceptable compromises.

Stheno returns to her work, waging open war against a world that has scorned her so, and takes comfort in the ways she has allowed herself to keep feeling cute, vulnerable, little, even as she turns nobles to newts (a classic prank from centuries past, still just as funny today) and brings entire monarchies to their knees. Pretty quickly, she comes to a realization. While most would consider her infantile side shameful or embarrassing, she's bringing all of human civilization to its knees. If anything, they're the ones who should be embarrassed. So, she leans into this angle and switches out her wardrobe to be more infantile, to draw attention to her diapers.

And so, she was given the title of the Wicked Toddler of the West, which would have possibly been demoralizing if she ever lost a single battle.

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

ways to build confidence/appreciate your appearance

I had someone ask me how I try and build self confidence and appreciate my own appearance, and while I'm a massive hypocrite, I figured that what I wrote in response to her was a good public post. Here's my suggestions. None of them are unique, just what occurred to me:

This is obviously fraught with difficulties depending on your circumstances, but one thing that's helped me is sharing pics of my face with one of my friends who loves how I look. The way she'll boost my confidence is excellent. Obviously you probably shouldn't do that with people you barely know, or online (though this friend is online, I only showed her my face after we'd had several voice calls and stuff so I knew she's not a dodgy person) (yes it's a mutual) (I love you mutual).

Also! Wearing clothing that makes you feel attractive in whatever way. Like if there's a colour that makes your heart sing for joy over it, find that and wear that. Anything you look at and go Yes This Is Right, wear it. I have a few tshirts that I particularly like; for me, those are Strange Planet tshirts, but it'll be different for everybody. Find your own 'style', if you can - that doesn't need to be like 'replace your whole wardrobe', I'm talking 'find things you really like, and get them if you can, and wear them'. Make them, if that's something you want to do and have the opportunity to do. My wardrobe is largely op shop things, with a few that I've specifically bought, or materials I've grabbed and got my mum to make into dresses or skirts, while they're on clearance. It just takes time, sometimes.

Body neutrality is also another concept that I've seen around. I find it... not great, personally, though it helps sometimes. Your body is just that: a body. It means you can do the things you want to do. It carries a brain that you use to think. It's a body. Don't overthink it. (I do overthink it, of course, but like. we're supposed to work on not doing so lol.)

Another important one for Christians is the thing I too often forget, which is that we're loved by God. God designed us the way he designed us and he did it for a *reason*. We may not know that reason, but it was a reason. I was once told by a Christian doctor that I needed to not get in the way of God's plan for my life. I don't necessarily know God's plan for my life, but God does.

And if we're talking things like having an ED, SH or any of those nasty little rabbit holes (I say that as someone who has both), they're highly maladaptive coping mechanisms. I'm not going to say they're good ones, but they can be replaced with better coping mechanisms - that's one thing that therapy's good for, but also you can look up CBT/DBT handbooks if you want to learn some of that stuff. I know I've looked up the handbook I was given by my psych before, and found I could download it freely on the internet.

Ultimately, I think, try and find things you like about yourself - physical or not. For instance, I like my stubbornness and how competitive I can be. Those have downsides, of course, but I like them for the most part. Physically, I like the fact that I'm a ginger. I'd advise you to try and make a list of things you like about yourself, to remind you of what you do like, not just what you don't. When we're not feeling great, our brains can bombard us with all the things we do badly or perceive ourselves as doing badly. Having a concrete list can help to remind you like 'oh actually I like this thing about myself'. Remembering, too, that there are people who love us just the way we are (and God loves us too) can help. I don't know why the people who care about me do care about me, but they do and I gotta remember that.

I cannot overstate the clothing one enough, honestly. Wearing things you feel nice in is important, regardless of whether they make you look conventionally attractive (and wearing things you're comfy in will make you attractive to someone, and even wearing a potato sack, if you enjoyed it, you'd find someone who liked you wearing a potato sack).

Anyway there's the end of my list. I might add on to it later.

[destinysbounty]

I cant remember if ive ever mentioned my Floorboard AU before, but either way im gonna talk about it now and you cant stop me

Premise: Aspheera didnt banish Zane, she killed him. Poof. Vaporized. Gone. Kablooey. And the team, determined not to fall apart like they did the last time he died, decide to just. Not talk about it. Not address what happened. Just bottle everything up and pretend all is well, because theyre all terrified that if they openly acknowledge the gaping absence Zane left behind then it'll cause a team conflict. Things got messy last time Zane died, and they don't trust themselves not to fall apart twice. Which, when you think about it, might just be the most fitting way to honor Zane's memory, seeing as he was like the king of bottling things up (Ninjigma, anyone?)

Of course, this is only made more challenging by the fact that Pixal has inherited Zane's ice, and every time she uses or trains her new element its just a bitter reminder - to her and everyone else - of the fact that Zane is gone.

So now the ninja are going through all the motions of the Wildbrain seasons, but with everything warped by the loss of Zane. Like, Pixal dealing with all the mixed feelings of having Zane's powers, Wu training her, Kai lowkey resenting Pixal because he doesn't want her to replace Zane, Jay blaming himself for not taking Zane's vision seriously but ALSO refusing to tell anyone about it out of shame, Lloyd and Wu both fiercely blaming themselves for what happened, and Nya and Cole doing their darndest to hold everyone together but NOT doing very well. Someone get these kids some therapy.

And it's not just the characters, but the plot - in season 12, Unagami makes a Zane NPC to distract the ninja. And in season 13, they agree to go to Shintaro in the hopes that maybe a vacation will be a good distraction break from everything that's been going on. But with Cole's Mom TraumaTM opening back up, and a bunch of slavery happening, and the team getting split up, nobody is having a good time. Not to mention that Kai and Pixal end up stuck together, which sucks because they don't exactly get along anymore. And then of course, Seabound ends with Nya sacrificing herself - which ends up being the last straw that rips apart the team for realsies.

Now here's the catch: in the same way that Harumi was brought back by the Crystal King, so too has Zane been resurrected. The Overlord knows Zane is a powerful adversary, and would much rather have him on his side. Not to mention that Zane still has some Golden Power indelibly woven into his soul, and the explosion that killed them both also bound their fates together. When Zane defeated the Overlord, he earned his enemy's hatred and respect in equal measure.

But unlike Harumi, Zane's body was destroyed, meaning he cant be restored to his original vessel. So the Overlord instills Zane into a crystal construct that is bound to his will. Zane has to obey the Overlord, and he has no choice in the matter.

That being said, even as he's puppetted by the Overlord, hes not completely bereft of agency. He still resists every chance he gets, constantly trying to find some loophole in the Overlord's demands that will allow him to return to his friends and warn them about the coming threat. Also, he notices Harumi's reservations and doubts, and begins trying to appeal to her senses and get her to betray the Overlord. And while he's not 100% successful, he at least gets the ball rolling for Harumi's eventual redemption arc. Zane WILL defeat his enemy by making them his friend and that is a THREAT.

Zane also realizes that since he cant physically disobey the Overlord long enough to contact his friends, then maybe he can find a way to get someone else to do it for him. When choosing recruits for the Crystal Council, Zane manages to convince the Overlord to resurrect Morro for his cause - Morro was on their side in the end, after all, and only the ninja are aware of this. See, Zane is under the Overlord's control because he cant be trusted to keep his free will without fighting back - but if Morro keeps up appearances about being evil, then the Overlord might give him more leeway.

Morro isnt exactly happy about being dragged into a mess that has nothing to do with him, but reluctantly agrees to help Zane (if only in an effort to make up for his past). So they've kinda got a bittersweet begrudging alliance at first, that slowly evolves into something resembling a friendship.

And of course, while Zane is busy having the worst day of his life for like 50 days in a row, the ninja are ALSO having a bad time because the whole team is practically a hair-trigger away from a massive blow-out confrontation. That's what happens when you bottle things up, kids.

I have a lot more ideas for the AU, but these are all the broad strokes i have definitively planned out.

(If youre curious, its called the Floorboard AU because the WIP I had originally planned for it had the working title "The Floorboards Creak Under the Weight of Your Guilt." This is because the fic started out as a oneshot about the brief timeskip between the Fire and Ice Chapters, dissecting everyone's grief in response to Zane being assumed dead AGAIN. But then I thought "what if he died for real" and then things just spiraled out of control from there. I might change the name of the AU at some point though, who knows)

[00katrinka00]

Landcaster Legacy Gen 7 Update #57

Dear Diary, I'm glad Lacy is back, my mom set up a therapy appointment for her today. I think it will be good for her to talk to someone. Meanwhile, I have a shift at the boba shop that I'm not looking forward to, but afterwards Sage and I have a date so that'll be fun. -Violet

"Alright, Lacy, why don't you start by telling me a bit about yourself," began Dr. James. "What do you care?" "I care, because I want to help you work through all the hard feelings you have right now. In order to do that I need to know a bit about you first." "This is bullshit."

"Please, how would you know what's going to help me?" "I am a licensed therapist," Dr. James reminded her. "My life is so complicated, you wouldn't know what to do with it," Lacy rolled her eyes. "I did get a degree in 'it's complicated'" Dr. James joked. "So, try me?"

"Violet," called Tiffany, her manager. "I want to introduce you to someone. This is Claudia." "H-hi," Claudia said. "She's a bit shy, but since Owen is off to college, I've hired her to be his replacement. I need you to train her today." "Do I get paid more for training?"

"I mean can you even believe that she just runs away in the middle of the night. It was so irresponsible of her," Violet ranted. "Ummm," Claudia was at a loss for words. "She was gone for a week, a WEEK, and we didn't hear anything. My mom got the police involved."

"So, um, how do I use the boba machine?" Claudia quietly asked. She wanted to get Violet back on track. "You aren't going to tell me how annoying I'm being? Or insult me for being self-centered and only talking about myself." "No?" "Owen would," Violet sighed.

"You want me to insult you?" "No, I hate Owen," Violet told Claudia. "He was so unbelievably annoying." "I'm confused, can we just go back to you teaching me how to make the drinks?" "Like he ALWAYS acted like he was better than me, oh my watcher I can't stand him."

"Honestly, him graduating and going off to college was great for me, because now I don't have to deal with him anymore." "It sounds like you miss him." "I do not!" Violet snapped. "Not at all." "But you keep talking about him." "I do not." "Okay, um, so how do I make the drinks?"

Lacy sighed, if she had to be here for the next hour why not participate. "I guess it started with my mother. She wanted me to be just like her. The expectations that she put on me were just too much. I felt suffocated living with her." "And what about your father?"

"He just went along with whatever my mother did," Lacy explained. "I don't even think they really loved each other; it seemed like marriage was more transactional for them. Have kids, carry on the legacy. They never listed to what I wanted." "I'm glad you told me all of this."

As Lacy continued to talk with Dr. James, Violet headed to the pier, after her shift ended, for her date with Sage. "Guess what!" Sage exclaimed. "What?" "I got accepted to Britechester!" "Y-you did? I didn't know you were thinking about college."

"Well yeah, I want to be a music critic, and the first step to that is studying art history at Britechester," Sage explained. "I even got into the distinguished program." "I kind of thought we'd make music together, in Del Sol Valley, at least after you ditched Janie."

"I thought we'd start our own band," Violet admitted. "Oh," Sage muttered. "Look, you're an amazing musician, you don't need me. The main reason I even joined Janie's band was because I was new and wanted to make friends. I'm not as passionate about performing as you are."

"But what about us, after graduation?" "We can still date," Sage assured her. "I mean look at your brother and Nat, they aren't letting distance ruin their relationship." "You're right." "We can visit each other on weekends, it'll be fun. Like a little vacation every week."

Both girls stood up and Sage took Violet's hands. "I promise, we'll make it work. I like you too much for us to break up." Sage kissed Violet's hands. "That's a relief," Violet laughed. "Here I thought we were on the verge of becoming just friends." "Never."

[bemusedlybespectacled]

im an aspiring family lawyer in my 1st year of college. is there anything i should know after i graduate? i’ve heard many say that you can major in what you please (my major is english and my minor is linguistics), but what plans should i think about making? i do want to take a gap year as well. thank you for your help :)

Good questions! Yes, you can absolutely major in whatever you want and law school will not care so long as you do well in your chosen field. That said, it is good that whatever your major is, the three major skills you should get out of college are:

Making written arguments based on evidence that you synthesize yourself. I was a history major so I am really good at this, but English majors, economics majors, and other writing-heavy majors also work.

Being able to make logical proofs (different from a written argument in that it's not about swaying a reader so much as laying out "if X, then Y"). Philosophy majors and math majors are really good at this.

Any kind of public speaking ability, whether that's taking a specific class (that's what I did) or just taking classes with a presentation component.

The first two are tested on the LSAT and end up being used a lot in law school, the third one is frankly necessary if you want to do any litigation, which family law is.

I did not study for my LSAT because I was a bit of a cocky bitch in college who had never studied for a standardized test in her life and wasn't going to start now. I got a 161, which is basically a B? If, however, you are not good at standardized tests or want to go somewhere that's really competitive, like Harvard or Yale, I would 100% find some study material before taking the LSAT. Your score is good for five years after you take it, so you can take it in your junior or senior year and it'll still be good after your gap year.

This is advice that's both generally helpful for most legal careers other than corporate/transactional law and very important for family law in particular: law is a service profession. Your clients are going through one of the worst experiences of their lives and they are going to act like it.

If you can only pick one skill to learn, then it should be "cultivating a deep wellspring of emotional patience (or at least not taking it out on your clients)." I went through basically Emotional Shit Boot Camp by interning at a courthouse helping pro se litigants for a summer, but I had law school classmates who were nurses and social workers and waitresses prior to law school, which requires the same set of skills.

I don't care if you need to go to therapy or have a strong circle of sympathetic legal friends or work in the slums of Gotham for six months as some kind of strength training exercise, but you need to be capable of handling clients emotionally. Your clients will take out their frustration at the law and the judge's decisions on you, or try to use you as their replacement therapist, or make decisions that tank their case (going on a drug bender, shacking up with a sex offender, getting back with their abusive ex for the fifth time, etc., etc.). If you can't handle clients doing stupid shit, then you are going to burn out really quickly and/or develop a substance abuse problem. I am not even remotely joking.

[realcleverscience]

"@thebardostate : Things die for good reasons. Extending the life of organisms that are no longer reproductively viable would only increase the burden of overpopulation. It is ultimately a self-indulgent and foolish quest that will benefit the rich (it's an opportunity to hoard more wealth) at the expense of most of the rest of humanity."

Definitely a valid view though I see it a bit differently. 1. to start, it's not clear to me that "things die for good reason", as much as that "things die bc evolution didn't select for them to live longer." In other words, our goals as humans are not necessarily the same goals as the blind force of evolution. (e.g. medusa jellyfish don't die of old age. they are functionally immortal. that's just how their biology worked out.) Similarly, in terms of the "evolution for reproductivity" angle: life extension could well mean extending reproductive viability. Imagine people having a kid when they're 100 years old!

2. More importantly, I think reproductive patterns will adjust. E.g. most western nations' birth rates are below the replacement rate. i.e. population shrinkage. In some countries, the gov'ts are desperately trying to get people to f*ck and have more kids. Depopulation is also a concern. I would also add that data shows birth rate decline in many countries as a. women get more rights and education, and b. as conditions in the country improve. I expect both of those trends to continue. Related to that, people are having kids later in life or even having no kids at all. I imagine that if the human lifespan was extended to 300, that most people wouldn't spend it pumping out kids constantly. Instead, maybe people have one to three kids, starting at age 100, who they put a lot of work into. But this is admittedly just my speculation.

3. Overpopulation: As I said, I think birth rates globally will continue to decline, but there are also other options, such as expanding our range of resources so that there's enough for earth to sustain more people. Alternatively, we could also use gov't law. E.g. one extreme could be something like china's old one-child policy. On the other end, we could incentivize behavior with tax incentives. E.g. you get an extra $5k/yr for your first child. You get $1k/yr for a second child. Third child gets no tax benefits. Fourth child and you start to *lose* benefits. My point here being that there are also other options.

4. self indulgent - I mean... I guess so. Though I never considered wanting to be alive as self-indulgent.

5. access: while the rich will always have more options than the poor, I don't think that such technology will be just for the rich. For one, there's just too much money to be made from it. If you have a magic pill that can drastically reduce illness and extend life, most people are going to desperately want that. There's just so much money to be made, that I don't think this will be left inaccessible. Also, patents expire. Even if the first 25 years this was just for the rich, it wouldn't stay that way for long. Also, it's unlikely that a single pill will do everything. More likely that it'll be a combination of several therapies. Maybe once a year you go to the doctor and get a few shots; maybe a few pills to take at home, etc. So they'd also have to control *all* the various therapies, as well as the various versions of each offered by different companies. Then there's also the international angle: even if healthcare is f*cked in the US, there are other systems overseas. The rich would have to wrangle with gov'ts across the world. Which also relates to my last point: the public would lose their sh*t if this wasn't available. I'm talking riots and violence. So I don't think this will be limited to just the rich.

That said, I do think you raise some good points about the things that are required (legally, culturally, economically, etc) for such a monumental shift in humanity's nature.

Thanks for your comment

I've been interested in radical life extension since first reading some Kurzweil books around 2007, nearly 20 years ago.

At the time, when I discussed the idea most people reacted like I was insane. Sooo... really glad to see this topic getting more attention and being taken seriously now. For instance, I believe there's an x-prize now for longevity, which indicates they think these are goals we can start to realistically achieve.

That's important bc obviously humanity has *talked* about radical life extensions for literally thousands of years. When DNA was being first understood in the early 1900s, people talked about extending life. When the human genome project began in the 1990s, again we spoke about potential healthspan breakthroughs. But decades have passed with little progress, so it's understandable why even those interested in the technologies and concepts might be disillusioned. Like fusion energy, it always appeared 30 years away... forever.

However, like fusion energy, we are achieving practical steps which make it seem like those goals are actually within reach now. For instance, while we've known about genes for a hundred years now, we are only *just now* starting to edit and manipulate them.

Aging is still not fully understood, but it seems primarily to function at the cellular level - things like DNA, RNA, mitochondria, and connections and communications between cells, etc. These are complex interactions and sciences, but we are reaching a point or unprecedented control at those levels.

Additionally, what the "perpetually 30 years away" attitude also misses is that the pace of scientific advances grows faster over time. "30 years" of scientific research in the early 1900s might be closer to 10 years of research today. This applies to the growth of AI in medical advances as well. Not only are AI capabilities growing dramatically each year; those AIs are helping us to unlock knowledge, materials, and abilities in other fields as well. (As mentioned, genetic-level medical interventions are finally happening, and there's an avalanche of research and breakthroughs happening.)

So it's certainly possible that I'm wrong, and that life extension techs will always be '30 years away', and I'm failing to appreciate that lesson of history... but I think there are *very* good reasons to think that we are close to breakthroughs. Which poses an important question for society:

Do you want to get old and die like your grandparents, continually weakening and growing increasingly ill till you die at around age 90?

Personally, I'd love to halt my biological aging, improve and extend my "health-span", and to live at least an extra 50 years to explore all the new amazing thing science will produce in that time.

We can be another generation that lives and dies and is forgotten, or we can invest in research to fight back the grim reaper and bring that '30 year' window closer to fruition.

What do you want?

p.s. Yes, there are important social issues tied to this that require important discussion and policy guardrails, etc. And yes, maybe not everyone wants to live for 1,000 years (and they wouldn't have to). That said, it's very rare to find someone excited about getting older, weaker, and dying.

[charnine]

I really need some advice. I love my fiance a lot but there's always been a particular bone of contention between us - sex. We've been togther 10 years and he always complains that we don't have enough sex and when we do I don't participate. I've recently come to the conclusion that I'm asexual (specifically bi-rom ace) and the only way I can bear sex is to dissociate. Fiance hates that and says it feels like he's just using me and raping me when I'm unresponsive. However, if I try to reciprocate in anyway I feel repulsed and then it really does feel like rape. I feel so broken, I don't know what to do. I feel bad for both him and me. For him, sex and love are intertwined and he needs that connection for a fulfilling relationship. I completely understand that. I just don't know if I can be the one that can give it to him. However, we do love each other and want to be together. But I don't want to be continously fighting about this. It puts a huge strain on our already fragile mental health and I don't want our relationship to become toxic. Recently, I've been considering polyamory. I've told him that I'm ok with having an open relationship and him sleeping with other people. However, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with random hookups or if he has a relationship outside of me, because I don't want to be "replaced" in his affections. Since I am bi-rom I'd feel more secure welcoming a third female partner into our relationship. It would also solve a lot of other issues like kids. Fiance wants at least two bio kids while I'm scared that I won't be able to take care of children because I suffer from chronic illness which leaves me disabled a lot of the time. Fiance is also open to the idea. But I have no idea how to go about that. I've only even been with my fiance. I've only recently accepted my sexuality. I'm not going into this thinking it'll be easy. I know I'll have to learn to deal with thing like jealousy and possessiveness and dating a new person comes with it's own set of issues. I also come from a conservative South Asian family, so being open about it may not be an option.. However, there's aspects that excite me too. I've always considered my fiance my best friend, and I'd love a female best friend as a life partner. It also gives me a chance to explore my bi-romanticism. I just don't even know where to start. I don't know how to access safe websites and avoid shady people and communicate that this is not a kink, we are serious about a partner. I also want to try couples therapy but I'm scared the therapist will tell us we should just break up.

[dukereviewstv]

Duke Reviews TV: Batman: The Animated Series 1x10 And 1x11 Two-Face

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews TV, Where We Continue Our Look At Batman: The Animated Series By Talking About Episodes 10 And 11 Of Season 1, Two-Face...

This Episode Sees Harvey Dent Starting To Transform Into The Duality Obsessed Two-Face When He Expresses Anger Issues That Are Being Caused By Another Personality In Harvey's Subconscious Called "Big Bad Harv"...

Big Bad Harv...

Going To Get Psychiatric Help At Bruce's Behest, His Psych File Ends Up In The Hands Of Mobster Rupert Thorne (Played By Officer Mooney From Killer Klowns From Outer Space) Who Decides To Blackmail Him In Exchange For Favors In D.A'S Office...

Will Batman Be Able To Save Harvey From Thorne? Or Will Big Bad Harv Take Over Completely And Handle The Problem For The Bat?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Two-Face...

The Episode Starts With A Dream Sequence As Harvey Runs From A Disembodied Voice Saying "It's Time"...

Woken Up By His Secretary, Carlos, Who Tells Him That Gordon Called Saying That They Started A Raid On A Derelict Building Being Held By Rupert Thorne's Men...

With Batman's Help, The Men Are Captured As Harvey Congratulates Gordon And The Police But When One Of The Crooks Kicks Mud In Harvey's Face, Dent Goes Beserk On The Crook And Has To Be Pulled Off Him

Reverting Back To His Regular Self After That, Dent Has No Memory Of What Happened And Just Simply Says That Maybe The Criminal Hit The Right Button...

Back At His Headquarters, Rupert Thorne Tells His Hot Mole, Candice...

To Find Something Dirty About Dent's Past That Could Be Used In His Favor

Later At A Campaign Rally At Wayne Manor, Carlos Tells Harvey That The Judge Let Thorne's Men Go Because The Warrant Was "Incomplete" This Leads To Harvey Losing His Temper Again Because He Believes That The Judge Was Bought Off Like Everyone In Thorne's Employ...

Bruce Tries To Calm Harvey Down But All It Does Is Make Harvey Take His Anger Out On Him, It's Only When Harvey's Fiancee Grace Slaps Him...

With Bruce Advising Harvey To Get Psychiatric Help, Grace Tells Him That Harvey Already Is, Only For Harvey To Be Embarrassed, Despite Being Reluctant To Due To His Campaign...

Visiting His Doctor That Night, She Induces Hypno Therapy On Harvey, Where She Meets Harvey's Other Personality, Big Bad Harv...

And This Scene Frightens Me Every Time I See It....

(Start At 0:37, End At 2:26)

Asking If There's Any Other Way, The Doctor Suggests Increasing Their Sessions And Doing Less Campaigning Which Harvey Agrees To Do As Long As It's Kept Quiet, But Unfortunately, Thorne's Mole Candice Is Right Outside The Door And She Heard Everything...

Months Pass And Harvey Is About To Recieve A Landslide Victory In His Re-Election But When He Gets A Phone Call From Rupert Thorne Who Tells Harvey That He Knows About Big Bad Harv, And That If He Doesn't Get Into A Car Outside In The Alley, His Political Career Wont Be Intact For Much Longer...

Worried About His Friend, Bruce Suits Up And Follows Harvey To Thorne At A Chemical Plant Where He Tells Harvey That In Exchange For Keeping Quiet About Harvey's Psych Record, He'll Want A Few Favors From The D.A'S Office...

With Thorne Asking If They Have A Deal, Harvey Has A Psychotic Break And Attacks Thorne And His Men...

Harvey Smash!

Batman Tries To Stop Harvey Not Realizing That It's Not Harvey He's Dealing With But Big Bad Harv...

With Thorne's Men Fighting Both Harvey And Batman, Thorne Eventually Grabs The File And Bolts With Harvey Going After Him...

(Start At 2:26, End At 3:12)

I Usually Love Kevin Conroy But I Don't Like That No He Did There (Despite Knowing That Alot Of People Do) I'm Sorry But I Just Wish It Was Louder So I Could Feel His Anguish To The Situation Where Here I Just Don't Feel It...

Taking Harvey To The Hospital, Bruce Worries About The Mental Scars Than The Physical Scars While Candice Rejoices At Getting Rid Of Dent Despite Thorne Not Being So Convinced Harvey Is Gone..

Later At The Hospital, The Doctor Starts Removing The Bandages...

(Start At 1:29)

So, Yeah, That Ends Part 1, So, Now We Move On To Part 2...

A Few Months Have Passed And Harvey Is Now Full Two Face, Hitting Rupert Thorne's Joints, Humiliating Him Just As He Humiliated Harvey With The Help Of His Boys, Min And Max (Voiced By Micky Dolenz Of The Monkees)...

And He's Not Using James Cagney Impression Voice For The 2 Henchmen?...

(Start At 0:04, End At 0:10)

I Am So Over This Show!

I'm Kidding Of Course, That Would Make It Cartoony And God Knows We Can't Do That For 2 Seconds With This Show...

Infuriated That Harvey Took Him For $200,000, Candice Is Basically Like...

Because They Created Him While Rupert Places Out A Contract A Million A Face For Two Face...

Back In The Batcave, Bruce Has A Nightmare About Harvey...

(End At 1:09)

Finding A Picture Of Two Face, Bruce Vows To Save Harvey By Any Means Necessary...

Getting A Visit From A Detective Leopold Who Wants Her Help In Finding Harvey, Grace Is Given A Transmitter Which She's To Activate If Dent Contacts Her...

However It's Revealed To Us, That Leopold Is Really Candice In Disguise...

Going Over His Profits, Two Face Opens His Wallet Only To See A Picture Of Grace Which Causes Him To Freeze For A Second...

Min And Max Offer To Bring Grace To Him If He Misses Her So Much, But When He Gets His Coin Out And Flips It, It's Lands On The Bad Side So It'll Have To Wait While They Pull Off Their Big Plan Of Taking Down Thorne Once And For All..

Back In The Batcave, Batman Looks At Two Face's Previous Targets Realizes That Aside From The Fact That They All Have The Number 2 In Them, They're All Fronts For Thorne's Activities, This Leads Batman To Realize Where Harvey Is Headed Next...

(Start At 1:26)

Batman Is Woken Up By A Janitor Who Tells Him That Two Face Is Gone...

Driving By A Wedding Shop Where He Imagines Grace As The Bride On A Cake. Asking His Boys To Stop So He Can Flip His Coin...

And It Must Have Landed On Good Heads Because He Calls Grace And Says That He Wants To See Her...

Having Min And Max Outside Of The Apartment Waiting For Her, Grace Hangs Up Before Activating The Transmitter Giving Candice The Signal As Thorne Rages About The File Harvey Stole...

Arriving At The Abandoned Wild Deuce Club, Grace Sees Two Face Who Has A Cloth Over His Scared Side (Kind Of A la Phantom Of The Opera)...

As He Tells Her How He Is Now With Chance And She's Basically Unable To Accept It As It Wasn't Chance That Made Him D.A. Or Made Him Fall In Love With Her As He Removes The Cloth Telling Him That He Never Has To Be Afraid Of Her...

But It All Goes Down The Crapper When Thorne's Men Knock Out Min And Max And Thorne Enters With Candice, Who Tells Two Face What Grace Did Despite Thorne Saying That She Thought She Was Warning The Police...

Despite Thorne's Men Searching All Over, They Can't Find Thorne's File Which Forces Thorne To Go After Grace..,

(Start At 0:43, End At 3:32)

Alot Of People Have Said That Joel Schumacher Took The Last Couple Of Minutes Of This Part And Turned It Into This Part In Batman Forever...

(Start At 0:44, End At 0:59)

But Like The Part With Scarecrow In Nothing To Fear I See It As A Meer Coincidence...

With The Police Arresting Thorne And His Gang Along With Two Face Who Has Grace By His Side. Gordon Wonders If There's Hope For Harvey And Batman Replies Simply Where There's Love, There's Hope, Before He Tosses A Coin Into A Fountain For Harvey Ending Our Episode...

Now Before I Give My Opinion On The Episodes, I'd Like To Talk About Those Last Words Of The Episode...

"Where There's Love, There's Hope"

Those Lines Are Slightly Melancholy For Me...

Why?

Because After This Episode We Never See Grace With Harvey Again....

After This Episode And A Brief Cameo In Fear Of Victory, The Next Time We See Two Face Is In The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne Where He's Full On Two Face And Bidding On Bruce's Secret Alongside The Joker And The Penguin..

So, The Question Is What Happened To Grace? Did She Fall Off The Edge Of The DCAU Continuity?

Hi, Duke Here, The Following Was Going To Be A Long Winded Rant On Grace And What I Thought The Writers And Creators Did To Her, But After I Wrote That Rant, I Looked On DCAU Wiki And Discovered That They Moved Grace's Story With Harvey To The Comics...

Namely The Batman And Robin Adventures Comic, Where In Issues #1 And #2..

She Falls Victim To A Nefarious Plot By The Joker, Who Enrages Harvey By Suggesting That Grace And Bruce Wayne Are A Couple, This Leads Two Face To Kidnap Grace, Bruce And Dick, Threatening To Kill Them All...

But Realizing That He Has Succumbed To His Bad Side, Grace Stabs Two Face In The Face With His Coin Implicating That Their Relationship Is Over...

However, In Issue 22 Of Batman And Robin Adventures...

Two Face's Life Is Thrown Into Chaos When He Loses His Trademark Coin During A Breakout And Has Replaced It With A Quarter. Little Jonni Infantino, A Gangster Who Caused The Breakout..

And An Obvious Nod To Carmine Infantino, Comic Book Artist And Former Editor Of DC Comics...

Threatens To Kill Grace If Two Face Doesn't Provide Him Information On One Of Rupert Thorne's Thugs, Weird Tony Hendra, Who Was One Of Harvey's Last Cases As D.A....

Running To A Payphone, Two Face Calls Grace, Warning Her To Get Out Of Her Apartment Before Jonni Can Get To Her. Calling Bruce Afterwards To Tell Him That Harvey Saved Her Life, He Tells Her That He Will Send Alfred To Pick Her Up And Bring Her To The Mansion...

After That, That's The Last We See Of Grace, But It's Hinted That She Still Deeply Loves Harvey...

These Stories Are Good, But I Wish That #1 And #2 Were Portrayed On The Animated Series...

Mainly Because I Know There Are People Like Me Who Don't Go Out To Comic Book Stores And Get The Comics, So, In Turn People Like Me Are Confused About Where Characters Like Grace Are...

Not That There Are Anymore Characters That Leave The Show And Have Me Asking Where They Are, Like I Did With Grace But Still...

If Paul Dini Or Bruce Timm Are Looking At This I'd Like To Know Why They Went This Route With Grace And Didn't Explain Where She Was On The Animated Series For The People Who Didn't Read The Comic?

I Mean They Explained What Happened To Nora Fries After Sub Zero The Least They Can Do Is Explain What Happened To Grace After Two Face...

Anyway We Now Return You To Your Review Already In Progress....

God!

But Aside From My Problems With That These Two Episodes Are Very Good...

The Story And Characters Were Well Written And Their Take On The Character Of Two Face Is Brilliantly Written, Definite Props To Richard Moll For Amazingly Voicing Two Face In This And Many Episodes Of BTAS, All In All I Say See Them Both...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[lacefuneral]

YOU - "Who killed you?"

CORPSE OF JAY LACEFUNERAL - "Transandrophobia killed me."

ENCYLOPEDIA [Impossible: Success] - Transandrophobia is an ideology posited by some members of the trans-gender underground. It claims that trans-masculine individuals experience a unique axis of oppression.

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Proponents of transandrophia theory believe they are oppressed for being men.

YOU - What? That doesn't match with what I know from my Inexplicable Feminist Agenda or my Trans-Gender Ally Add-On.

LOGIC [Easy: Success] - That's because "transandrophobia" doesn't exist.

ENDURANCE [Trivial: Success] - No, they have a point, bröther. All of your suffering is caused by wömen and people that aren't white. You should internalize this ideölögy.

AUTHORITY [Trivial: Success] - I agree with that guy. Everyone should respect us more.

PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Medium: Success] - No, no, no. Absolutely not. You are not some kind of crossdresser.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Hard: Success] - Crossdresser is not synonymous with trans-gender, although overlap exists between these communities both historically and in present.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Challenging: Success] - We haven't tried hormone replacement therapy yet. Who knows, maybe it'll fix us.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Impossible: Success] - You would also look VERY cool in a '10s swing dress.

DRAMA [Trivial: Success] - Yessssss!

PERCEPTION - [Trivial: Success] - Guys, quiet. There's a Trigat Mini near the victim's body.

INTERFACING [Hard: Success] - The same model of instant camera Lieutenant Kitsuragi carries. You should check to see if the victim photographed their attacker.

HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Easy: Success] - You manage to carefully fish a crumpled sheet of photo paper out of the bottom of the camera.

THE PHOTOGRAPH - It is a photograph of a young white man in a t-shirt that says *TRANSANDROPHOBIA IS REAL.* He is holding a knife.

CORPSE OF JAY LACEFUNERAL - The victim has been stabbed in the chest, right through a t-shirt that reads *I SUPPORT TRANS WOMEN.*

VISUAL CALCULUS - I don't think I'm even needed here.

LOGIC - Nor I.

hang on i have a really stupid joke but i need to make it a comment instead of an original post because i don't want idiots to find it

[punkscowardschampions]

Ronnie & Joe

Ronnie: still stalking mckenna Joe: what, we can't BOTH like music? Joe: that's gonna be problematic for me tbh Ronnie: mozarts ghost aint gonna possess him in the encore Ronnie: you can fuck off Joe: you can enjoy your night Joe: I'll take my chances Ronnie: take your chances somewhere else Ronnie: or you wont have any Joe: you looking out for me? Joe: not necessary, I promise Joe: you look like you got your hands full as is Ronnie: its a threat Ronnie: shouldnt be necessary Joe: my apologies for making you work harder but its still not cutting it Ronnie: [throws something at him in a dangerous manner watch out everyone] Ronnie: we can both be into cutting Ronnie: not a problem for me Joe: [when he's probably with his flatmate or similar like they will complain honey they basics lmao, meanwhile just like 😏] Joe: careful, people will think you care Ronnie: what fucking people Ronnie: your girlfriend Joe: for one Ronnie: muzzle your bitch or give her shit to sink her teeth into Ronnie: it aint complicated Joe: I don't think not glassing randoms is exactly rocket science either Ronnie: nothing random about you Ronnie: you fucking wish Joe: you want some projection with that Joe: I found you, remember Ronnie: wasnt hiding nancy Ronnie: not still a runaway kid Joe: then don't hide Joe: I weren't looking for you, alright Ronnie: bullshit Ronnie: you said there aint no other bastards Joe: I meant tonight Joe: this is just coincidence, nothing more Ronnie: leave then Ronnie: your buyers remorse is about as welcome as you Joe: hardly Joe: that's not what it is either Ronnie: they were all out of shiny sisters baby Ronnie: take what you can get Joe: I've already got one of them Ronnie: yeah Ronnie: i remember Joe: you don't want a refill then Joe: replace the one you tossed Ronnie: you on the spectrum or do you not wanna read social cues Joe: well I ain't leaving either way but if you don't wanna make the most outta it Joe: 👍 Ronnie: keep putting words in my mouth & see what happens to yours like Joe: what spectrum are you on if you think that constitutes a please and thanks Ronnie: take it up with your ma Ronnie: she wasnt about to teach me how to play nice Joe: not really her forte Ronnie: thats why im still waiting for my plane ticket home yeah Joe: possibly Joe: I don't know Ronnie: 💔 Ronnie: how olds your good sister Joe: jury is out on good Joe: but 14 so we'll wait and see Ronnie: ill fucking drink to that Ronnie: if she was a write off shed already be Joe: depends on your perspective Joe: I try not to have one Joe: [is at bar] Ronnie: depends on your mas Ronnie: we cant all be black sheep Joe: exactly Joe: they don't really get on Joe: but she's probably just dreading the PTSD a teen pregnancy scare will bring Ronnie: should have kept me around Joe: yeah Ronnie: 1 more abortion and your country would offer me a fucking exorcism Ronnie: fun for all the family Joe: some girls have all the luck Joe: would not believe how hard it is for a lad to get one 🙄 Joe: [just putting the drinks for 'em on their table, when Charlie probs gonna flirt with you like oh hey] Ronnie: your girlfriend will let you hold her hand for her 1st Ronnie: stop sticking it in your cello & youll knock her up in no time Ronnie: [just staring at the drink like you've never seen one before] Joe: come on, she's CoE if I've ever seen it Joe: abortions? sure, but exorcisms ❌ Joe: [tryna just walk off but you know they'd be like who are you hello?! 'cos annoying lmao] Ronnie: not in ireland anymore baby Ronnie: [when you walk off like where the fuck have you got to be my dear] Joe: [at least he's not gonna drop the bomb, just being vague af like oh we met once or whatever goodbye] Joe: you gone yourself? 🛫🍀 Ronnie: on whos 💰 Joe: idk, your pals maybe Joe: but I've fucked off so he can at least top up your drink 'cos its long gone too Ronnie: wanker Ronnie: [comes back and punches charlie love you boy] Joe: [just wait 'til you have your own mindblown with that crazy connection boy] Joe: ✊ Ronnie: [gives him the biggest fuck you look ever like I can't believe you typed that] Joe: [just loling a lil 'scuse him company its not at whatever you said] Ronnie: [comes over, ignoring everyone else obvs, to drink his entire drink and walk off again] Joe: [omg stop flirting you two, everyone like what is going on tbh] Ronnie: [dancing with charlie cos he don't take kindly to being punched but you don't wanna answer his questions either] Joe: [save it for later you nosy hoe] Ronnie: [when you see his poor flatmate going to pee and follow her intimidatingly soz bitch] Joe: [this poor girl is in no way prepared lmao] Ronnie: [thinking she's about to get mugged or murdered] Joe: [when you're 18 and its your first time away from home no doubt this poor girl honestly] Ronnie: you deffo she aint catholic Ronnie: could see her in a penguin house Joe: weren't a question on the flatmate icebreakers Joe: shoulda asked for some segregrated accomodation but thought londoners were meant to be post-religion post-everything so Ronnie: 💔 it aint god its you baby Ronnie: shes no londoner Joe: no, I do know that one Joe: she's from Kent, I think Joe: or Surrey? Ronnie: not holy holier than tho Ronnie: u Ronnie: never gonna please a horse girl mckenna Joe: 😏 Joe: I'll not go there then Ronnie: charlies fucking easy to please Ronnie: youve done the 1 drink minimum & youll avoid the pregnancy scare Joe: I think he's the one that does the pleasing Joe: so I've been assured Ronnie: gets him off dont worry like Joe: I'll sleep easy now, tah Ronnie: lullabies are shit but yeah Joe: 🤞 that ain't his encore either Ronnie: if it aint opening an artery to spray the crowd count me the fuck out Joe: I wouldn't hold your breath Joe: though might be more fun Ronnie: [dramatically holds her breath in his direction like kids do] Joe: [just watching 'cos weird and into it] Ronnie: [lowkey going purple probably because you know she won't stop til she hits the deck] Joe: [just watching 'til the last sec when you obvs gonna catch her] Ronnie: [giving him a look when he does like we have to stop meeting like this but then exposing his tattoo wherever that is cos gotta check that really happened] Joe: [I hope you didn't opt for your booty, lol, probably inner bicep moment or something 'cos not that bitch getting those out at any chance] Ronnie: [just touching it like you're not shamelessly flirting with your brother okay then] Joe: [just looking at her face hardcore 'cos you can pretend you're checking her tat too] Ronnie: [when you come back to yourself and remember you're supposed to hate him for being your brother so you push him away unnecessarily hard and retreat to your corner] Joe: [go off to the bathroom yourself boy] Ronnie: [french exit while he's gone even though it'll make Charlie more annoying] Joe: [have fun Joseph] Joe: you missed the bloodbath Ronnie: made my own Joe: safer bet Joe: on all counts Ronnie: safer for your girlfriend Ronnie: & you Joe: you know she ain't my girlfriend Ronnie: no shit you dont wanna claim that conquest Joe: wrong again Joe: not gonna bang my flatmate who pays the bigger part of the rent 'cos she gets the en-suite Joe: give me some credit Ronnie: shed give you some if you gave it up to her Ronnie: but if youd rather pay rent Joe: there's no way I can keep that going 4 years Ronnie: she aint hacking it Ronnie: you can fucking smell the homesickness Joe: its like, down the road init Joe: ugh Ronnie: & Ronnie: she cant fit her horse in the en suite baby Joe: 😂 Joe: true..I'll make some rich friends to move in when she gallops off into the sunset then Ronnie: theyll not slum it with you for 4 years Joe: but I'm so charming Joe: what's the solution then, sis? Ronnie: sell yourself or kill yourself Joe: 👌 Joe: already with ya Ronnie: yeah dead connected us Ronnie: 🖕 Joe: you're the only one that's allowed to be suicidal? Ronnie: oldest cunt gets dibs Ronnie: aint that how this sibling shit plays Ronnie: whatever you wanna do ive already done it Joe: half the time Joe: but the other half is youngest gets away with it 'cos they're cuter so Ronnie: cause theyre a crybaby Ronnie: yeah you can have that soft lad Joe: 😥 bit of a prerequisite for the suicide Joe: so generous Ronnie: i left you alive so you can do yourself in Ronnie: since youve got such a boner for it Ronnie: generosity begins & ends Joe: You can stop thinking about my boners then Joe: that'll be my attempt at the virtue Ronnie: put em away Joe: you tryna expose me Ronnie: you dont need my help Ronnie: flashers keep more hidden than you Joe: really Joe: don't seem like that's something that would bother you Ronnie: youre that special mckenna Ronnie: every fucking thing you do bothers me Joe: 💘 Joe: check facebook some more, I'll keep my events up to date Joe: can avoid each other easy Ronnie: nah you see me you walk the other way Joe: I got places to be babe Ronnie: yeah a&e Ronnie: if you dont get the fuck outta my face Joe: see, you're well about it Joe: I got it, yeah, we're not family Ronnie: were nothing Ronnie: & if thats what gets you off pay for it like the other cunts do Ronnie: not my 9-5 Joe: I found Soho by myself, don't worry Joe: we're good Ronnie: boss Ronnie: stay there Joe: more expensive than Sophie's horse that Ronnie: train her up to be whatever the fuck you want then Ronnie: 4 years in she could probably kiss with tongue like Joe: you gotta ask yourself why you care Joe: 'cos I know Ronnie: i dont have to ask myself fuck all Joe: deny it then Joe: works for me Ronnie: theres no need to deny theres cunts i wanna talk to less than you Ronnie: or i that i gotta have something to do while i wait Ronnie: 💘 Joe: you're all talk Joe: say no more Ronnie: fuck you Joe: yeah fuck me Ronnie: stick your therapy speak in whatever hole you reckon can take it Ronnie: ill reverse over your head before i submit to this psychology bullshit Joe: not what I'm studying Joe: or doing Ronnie: you reckon if you say im all talk itll get you some action Ronnie: dream on motherfucker Ronnie: i dont look like her that much Joe: bold assumption Ronnie: nah Ronnie: charlies more like a brother than you & ive done everything there is to do to that tosser Joe: bold to assume I'm half as fucked up as you Joe: spent long enough telling me I can't be 'cos I got a ma and now I wanna fuck her, okay Ronnie: wearing it on your sleeve aint you though baby Ronnie: saw your arm & yeah i reckon halfs about right Ronnie: but me at 19 wouldve left you in more pieces than that Joe: you must be proud Ronnie: what the fuck of Joe: your 19 year old self Ronnie: youd have liked me better at 9 Joe: alright but a nonce joke is hardly original Ronnie: neithers wanting to fuck your ma Ronnie: read a book schoolboy Joe: that's you throwing that about Joe: not one I ask the prozzies to act out tah Ronnie: what the fuck else was your lil challenge about then Joe: what was yours? Ronnie: i didnt fire any shots shithead Joe: not true Joe: i got the 🍒 to prove it Ronnie: fuck me youre that cunt Ronnie: 1 sos & i owe you my life yeah Joe: where'd you hear that Joe: what was it, needle not clean or something Ronnie: you dont need to wait for a death that slow Ronnie: fucking do it Joe: why do you do it Ronnie: why do you give a shit what i do Joe: interesting Joe: why do you fuck with your face like that Ronnie: too late to keep it pretty for you Ronnie: should have nancy drewed this shit earlier Joe: you ain't gonna answer Joe: alright Ronnie: cant we both like pain Ronnie: is that your problem Joe: 'course Joe: no monopoly on that shit Joe: its universal, so the books say Ronnie: bullshit do you read fuck all else but sheet music Joe: not no more Joe: but i can read more than scales, like Joe: have to write essays and shit sometimes Ronnie: fucking hell Ronnie: save this riveting shit for your flatmates Joe: she does art Joe: dunno what the lad does, he's out his room less than me Ronnie: horse cocks out of clay like Ronnie: bet shes the professors pet Joe: 🤞 she gets in an ill-advised affair with a pervy prof Ronnie: every other repressed white bitch has done it Joe: my home is safe Joe: hooray Ronnie: til i sleuth your address Joe: then its petrol bombs and dog shit, I know Ronnie: after theres fuck all left to steal Ronnie: 🤡s in films 🔥💸 Joe: and eat six year old's arms Joe: crack on Ronnie: i aint bitten any kids since i was Joe: I'm proud even if you ain't then Ronnie: raise the bar baby Joe: guess the other lad you were with don't technically count no more Joe: actual kids are that annoying Ronnie: kids get to be annoying Joe: lucky ones Joe: the ones that get to be kids Ronnie: no shit Ronnie: youll be born & die a saint Ronnie: such a fucking martyr Joe: when God comes a calling, you can't refuse, obvs Joe: guess that's what she gets for not aborting you, nice bonus for being good Ronnie: yeah Joe: likes a joke as much as the next Joe: gutted for her Ronnie: cant take the scouse sinner out of her however much irish catholic dick shes taken since Ronnie: 💔 Joe: if its only paddys in heaven, I'll lose the invite Ronnie: you better stay in purgatory then Ronnie: dont want you in hell with me Joe: you're just jealous I'll be too busy getting tortured by some other demon Joe: you're alright, anguishing over my wrongs for eternity sounds like a bit of me Joe: I can hack it, more painful than being sodomized with pitchforks or whatever weak shit you're in store for Ronnie: wanna see your cum face even less Ronnie: fucks sake Joe: 😂 Joe: shh, you already know he's got that sick sense of humour Joe: your own clockwork orange moment for eternity now Ronnie: 💘 Joe: you ain't nothing like I thought when I was 🔎🤔 Ronnie: cheers for the romantic cliche you pussy Joe: you're that special Joe: and welcome Ronnie: what did you reckon id be like Joe: like the rest of 'em Joe: complete the cliche Ronnie: fuck off Joe: what, I did Joe: there ain't a bigger compliment, honestly Ronnie: i dont wanna hear your compliments Ronnie: or how big they are Joe: 😏 Joe: you asked Ronnie: cause i cant resist hearing how fucking soft you are Joe: that makes you pretty fucking soft yourself then don't it Ronnie: fuck you Joe: back here, yeah Ronnie: back at get someone else to knock you out Joe: shouldn't be hard Ronnie: depends how hard you are Ronnie: could be a turn on or off Joe: either way, its incentive for them to go harder Joe: can't lose, me Ronnie: enjoy yourself baby Joe: never Joe: if I lose my overwhelming urge to die what have I got Ronnie: new overwhelming urges Joe: won't be that good Ronnie: write it in your diary i didnt ask for your review Joe: you can do that you know Joe: they've all got profiles, like they're a shit local pub or something Ronnie: what a fucking state Joe: won't miss it when I'm in pugatory Ronnie: if i had a shot for every time you cried your eyes out id miss that Joe: you'd miss having a liver Joe: and functioning braincell Ronnie: didnt mean that kind of shot shithead Joe: your aim is for shit, true Ronnie: or that one Joe: ahh Ronnie: you had me at dirty needles 💘 Joe: s'worth being alive for, then? Ronnie: what the fuck waste of a question is that Joe: why? Ronnie: what do you think Joe: reason I'm asking Joe: if its just another slow way to kill yourself then I'm sound but if its more than that then its a potential for the repertoire Ronnie: if it was id have taken a faster way out Joe: its noted Ronnie: why do you wanna die Joe: its not even Joe: I ain't actually sad, soz to burst your 😥 bubble, IOU some shots, whatever Joe: just wanna turn my head off, not have to participate Joe: deal with any of it Joe: but saying you wanna be put in a coma doesn't quite have the same punch Ronnie: underline that note then Joe: yeah? Joe: not like I've never thought about it Joe: think about it a lot, hence the need for a fucking switch Joe: how cliche to look like I'm doing it to spite her though, eh? Ronnie: whatever you take now thats strawberry flavoured childhood bullshit Ronnie: youve found your prescribed dose of working adult medicine Joe: it don't touch it, not worth taking unless you wanna down half a blister at a time and have a decent kip Joe: get me some and I'll pay you 20% for your trouble Ronnie: come over Ronnie: told you im waiting Joe: alright Joe: if I ask for your current location do I give away that I'm not a decent stalker Ronnie: youve fucking shown that card bitch Joe: figured Joe: be obliging then Ronnie: [a location of who the fuck knows where cos we don't need Charlie or Bronson there for this excuse you lads] Joe: [when you need some privacy for your bonding] Ronnie: [when you need some privacy to shoot up your half brother who you ain't even told your other fam about] Joe: [fun and games] Joe: cool Joe: 🤞 i'm there just after the heroin Ronnie: get here before or ill be in no state to keep obliging you Joe: I'm yet to be initiated, my timekeeping skills are 🔥 Ronnie: give a shit about your cv Joe: I'll be there Ronnie: your loss if you aint Ronnie: dont come crying to me Ronnie: i wont hear it for fucking ages Joe: i'm not an idiot Ronnie: it dont matter who or what you are Ronnie: stopped listening after the ill be there Joe: 💘 Ronnie: get it tattooed next yeah Joe: yeah Ronnie: over the real fucker Ronnie: cause you love a cliche Joe: 'course Joe: have to find another dickhead with a gun though Joe: that one did not know his left from his right Ronnie: get what you pay for baby Ronnie: & we didnt Joe: touche Joe: I'll forgo accuracy for that Joe: and the dirty needle, obvs Ronnie: getting to put his hand on my tit will blow the brains he has like Joe: 😏 Ronnie: but if i toss him off thatll get shit back on track Joe: hot Joe: love that you have a plan Ronnie: cute Ronnie: you reckoning im pure chaos Ronnie: not your manic pixie dream skank Joe: ain't planning on being a composer Joe: least not now Joe: don't need to write about you Ronnie: 💔 Joe: make up your mind Ronnie: you aint on my mind mckenna Ronnie: dont get your balls in a twist Joe: do you wanna be on mine or not Ronnie: i know whats on yours Joe: same Joe: makes a change Ronnie: compose a song about your confusion then like Joe: less cliche than a love song Joe: still Ronnie: do it from the pov of the horse Ronnie: be a hit with your flatmate Joe: you just wanna get me stalked Joe: paybacks a bitch, yeah Ronnie: wanna get your habit paid for before you start it Ronnie: throw her a boner Ronnie: whats the fucking drama Joe: i don't fancy her Joe: nor having the convo about where all her moneys going Ronnie: & Ronnie: i dont fancy the cunt with the tattoo gun Ronnie: got fuck all to do with it Joe: & Joe: you're lowering standards, not getting anything up Ronnie: close your eyes & think of gear Ronnie: youll do anything for a horse like that Joe: let me try it first Ronnie: dont need to hear about your trust issues baby Joe: better stop talking now then Ronnie: yeah Ronnie: shut the fuck up Joe: [you know when its like 'removed message' that] Ronnie: 🖕 Joe: what Ronnie: i cant cut your sense of humour out Ronnie: cant live with it Joe: no funny business Joe: just a buttdial Ronnie: charlie aint here but adorable that you 2 homos hit it off Joe: just scousers gotta stick together or did you know him from back home Ronnie: he didnt give you the rundown Ronnie: mustve made him speechless mckenna Joe: too busy trying to work out how I knew you Ronnie: we grew up together Ronnie: & the mime standing next to us Joe: cool Ronnie: nah Ronnie: fucked Joe: I mean that you still know 'em, talk to 'em Ronnie: we aint trying to throw our family away for a new one Joe: like I said, s'cool Ronnie: like i said hes gonna eat that shit up Ronnie: you fawning over his family set up Joe: good to know Joe: not really my type either, call me fussy Ronnie: fucks sake Ronnie: join the god squad now & save yourself the 12 steps Joe: 'cos I don't wanna do a bloke or my horse girl roommate Ronnie: cause you only wanna do your ma Joe: you can't just give me dud options and come to that conclusion Ronnie: we playing fuck marry kill now Joe: not playing nothing with you Joe: cheater Ronnie: crybaby Joe: you'll 😥 when I have to kill your mate Ronnie: you wish Joe: making people cry is your thing Joe: I don't need to fight that claim Ronnie: like you aint been wanting to save me again since the 1st time Ronnie: thats your thing yeah Joe: save you from what? Joe: smack? obviously not Joe: other self-destructive tendencies? try again Ronnie: it obviously dont matter Ronnie: id never seen you & id still never seen a cunt more excited to do a rescue Joe: and I'd never seen you Joe: maybe you'd got all kinds of fucked up 'cos of all the shit I dragged up Joe: basic decency ain't nothing to get excited about Ronnie: i know how to self soothe im a big girl now Joe: didn't need you self-soothing yourself to death on my conscience Ronnie: didnt ask you to give a shit Ronnie: catholic guilts best left at home baby Ronnie: youll never find a place with the cockneys Joe: about myself? Joe: its barely but hanging on by a thread Joe: soz Joe: dead girls fuck you up Ronnie: not your type either then Joe: ultimate type Joe: don't wanna commit right now, tah Ronnie: 🤞 i od & you can finally sort your misery boner out Joe: too giving you Ronnie: im dead i aint giving a shit Joe: put that on the headstone Ronnie: pay for it you write whatever cliche you want Joe: you want a classy picture affair Joe: got it Ronnie: stop getting me Ronnie: it makes me wanna blow my brains out Joe: its obvious you wanna be seen Joe: no spooky sibling connection required Ronnie: fuck off Joe: what's better than ruining a graveyards ambiance for the mourners for the forseeable Ronnie: theres no room in the ground soft lad Joe: they just chuck you in with the old bones Joe: or 'move' them Ronnie: hot Joe: mhmm Joe: plague pit is the way to go Ronnie: fit the horse & the girl Ronnie: how fucking romantic Joe: that's me Ronnie: ill put john in the 💘 for you baby Ronnie: your ma robbed you blind of so many lennon comparisons Joe: still time to be pretentious with soph Joe: fuck off getting out of bed for good Ronnie: smother her with a pillow & fuck her corpse youll be feeling peace & love Joe: 💎🍓💘 Ronnie: playing with emojis & yourself aint getting you here Ronnie: hurry up Joe: can't make you any closer Ronnie: 💔