#meanwhile on non-speaking roles we have:

[nekioka]

Seven is a lucky number: Year 1 - 2/3

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(Ramblings and sketches under the cut)

Yesterday I only posted part of the Benny quote that inspired this part of the story. Here's the quote in full:

"When House gave us the Tops to renovate, his robots dropped off boxes full of suits and ties and wingtip shoes. Told us we were the "Chairmen" now. That caused an uproar. But I said "the name sticks." Ciao to the old ways, baby - time to swing in style. If the shoes fit, you wear 'em."

And he also did call "Boot Riders" a silly name in-game, so that is also based on canon.

Benny is defusing the situation between his people and House by acting like House's idea is great. Again. Now House has even taken their name away, so once again Bingo is proven right. At this point Benny still considers this better than the alternative.

Even though I always use the same expression for House I still sketch his face. At this point I think I've simplified it to its barest essentials as you can see below XD And same goes for the dialogue, if these amazing lines are anything to go by. (The texts say: "New name old tacky" and "Family".)

Speaking of this particular page, like I've mentioned before sometimes I draw random characters from other stories on the background. Here's Kim Kitsuragi from Disco Elysium. And behind him is human version of Leshy from Inscryption. I actually have whole AU about all scrybes belonging to different Families (Leshy Chairman, Grimora White-Glove Society, Magnificus Omerta and P03 is experimental securitron that has gone rogue. Every week they gather together to play card games.)

My final pages usually have the same idea as sketches do but this time there were two panels that ended up being different. Both are from the last page. These seemed too chill so I added more (faked) enthusiasm.

Tomorrow final pages of Year 1!

[inamindfarfaraway]

Duke should hold a grudge against Dick for betraying the entire We Are Robin movement (mostly consisting of poor, non-white minors) to the police. In Gotham. Not to mention that Dick used to be a cop himself.

Meanwhile, everyone else loves Dick; the Batfamily, the Justice League, the Titans, everyone. So he’s unprepared to deal with this. And no matter how much every other superhero on Earth wants to defend Dick, they can’t exactly say that Duke shouldn’t be angry about that betrayal when it’s put into perspective.

Duke: Wait, you were in juvie before you were Robin? Did you do vigilante crimes that early?

Dick: No, it was just for the crime of being an orphan when there were too many other kids in the foster system. None of the adults wanted to deal with me, so they locked me up.

Duke: Right. Typical Gotham. Maybe the crime rates would be lower if there weren’t so many prison pipelines.

Dick: Exactly! I love this city, but I swear to God…

Duke, choosing to ruin a moment when they’re on the same page: Hey, you know what this means?

Dick: What?

Duke: You came full circle! Locking vulnerable kids behind bars in a Robin origin story. I guess it’s true what they say: you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the cop.

Dick: I was -

Duke: You were so concerned. You just didn’t know what else do to with us. You wanted to keep us out of trouble. Did that shit mean anything to you?

Dick: (sighs deeply) No.

Duke: See, now I’m even more disappointed because you really should have known better. Didn’t know I could get more disappointed. Wow. You do always exceed expectations.

***

Dick, planning a big mission: Then Red Robin and I will find a way to the control room while Black Bat and Robin take out the henchmen. Signal, at the same time I need you to infiltrate the Iceberg Lounge and retrieve -

Duke: Sorry, what?

Dick: I need you to retrieve the -

Duke: What? I can’t understand you. You sound like (realistic pig noises).

Dick: Signal. This is not the time.

Duke: I’m sorry, I’m sure whatever you’re saying is very intelligent. I just don’t know pig. All I’m hearing is (remarkably good pig impression for a city boy continues).

Stephanie: (starts laughing in the background)

Duke, straight-faced: Can anyone translate?

Dick:

Damian, who took Duke to a petting zoo last week: Fear not, Thomas, I speak adequate pig. I believe Grayson is ordering you to waste your talents on a side mission, despite your detective skills and powers of perception being particularly suited to navigating a death maze.

Duke: Thanks. I’d like to request a different role if that’s possible, please.

Dick: (inhales)

Dick: You can enter the maze first with Tim. I will focus on rescuing the hostages and meet you in the control room if there’s time.

Duke: That’s a good plan. Why didn’t you speak English before?

[scribblecon]

the fort max fic was so cute!! 😭😭 I’d definitely love to see a part 2 (maybe where he and the reader get some time to interact with each other one-on-one? perhaps max finally gets a chance to pet them) if you’re up for it c:

How can I refuse? I love the big guy so much 😭

A Minor Fascination Part 2

SFW, fluff, GN reader

—

Fort Max suppresses a groan. He can see you staring at him and the perplexed look on your tiny face is, frankly, adorable. The urge to cross the room and squish your cheeks is real, but he resists. He looks away. He will not make a fool of himself again.

It feels like there’s some kind of role reversal going on. Up until a few days ago, Fortress Maximus was staring at you whenever you were in the same room as him. Now, ever since his stilted greeting and abrupt exit, you’re the one staring at him. The way he tries to subtly turn away from you whenever he catches your eye makes you think he’s too embarrassed to speak with you again. Not that you can blame him, but the other bots have been teasing you and it’s getting on your nerves. If he has a problem with you, best resolve it sooner rather than later. When Max makes his way to the bar’s exit, you’re ready and waiting.

“Fortress Maximus!” You call out to him as he walks past your table. He turns, frowning, until he realises it’s you and you swear his optics widen just a little bit. “Could you give me a ride? My hab’s a bit far to walk by myself.” You give him a grin that you hope comes across as sheepish, definitely not singling him out on purpose.

He stares down at you hesitantly, then looks to the ‘bots sharing your table. Surely one of them could- slag. Chromedome, Rewind and Tailgate. Three of the biggest lightweights on the ship and none of them look fit to drive right now. He sighs in resignation and holds a servo out for you, which you gladly clamber onto with thanks. Fort Max does his best not to react to the sensation of your tiny frame in his palm. How are you so small? So soft? Slowly, he lifts you until you’re cupped against his chest, making absolutely certain you’re secure, before he starts walking.

The two of you traverse the Lost Light in silence for several minutes, you enjoy the view peeking over Max’s hand from where he’s holding you, definitely higher up than any shoulder perch you’ve experienced with other ‘bots so far, and making the most of being surrounded by the heat radiating off his frame. Maximus, meanwhile, is trying to focus on finding your habitation suite, but is preoccupied with anxiety. Doesn’t want to drop you by accident. It is only when you reach an empty stretch of hallway that you speak up.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”

“Can it wait until we get to your quarters?” Max keeps looking ahead. He knows where this is going.

“No, because I think you’ll drop me off and then immediately leave.” You look up at him, trying to make eye contact. Even when held against his chest, his face seems miles away. God he is massive. “I want to know why you’ve been acting so weird around me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve been staring at me practically non-stop for two weeks. Also, that introduction of yours the other day…”

Fortress Maximus stops walking, opens his mouth to protest, then closes it. Frag. The botched interaction was one thing, but he really thought he was being subtle before that.

“I promise I will explain. When we get to your room. I can’t-” His voice drops to a near whisper. “I can’t talk about it out here.”

“Okay…” Eyeing him sceptically, you sit down in his servo and lean against his chest. “Let me know when you get there.”

—

“This is your hab suite, correct?”

You look over Fort Max’s giant hand to see a number and a door. Giving the affirmative, the two of you enter your room and he gently deposits you on the desk. You waste no time in looking for answers.

“Time to ‘fess up. What’s going on with you?”

Watching him deliberate on how to answer, shifting his weight slightly, you can’t help finding his awkwardness around you slightly charming.

“Your hair.”

“Pardon?”

“I… wanted to touch your hair. But I didn’t want to accidentally hurt you.” Fort Max looks away from you to his servos. “You look so soft but you’re just so… tiny.”

That’s… kind of sweet of him, actually. Even if he did just admit he wants to pet you like a dog. You give him a sympathetic look.

“I appreciate the restraint, but you could have just asked.”

Max looks back to you. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Only if we redo our introductions. You ran off before I could tell you my name the other day.”

“Yeah,” He allows a small smile to cross his face. “Okay.” The smile falls when he hears you stifle a laugh.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just— that’s what you said last time, too.” You take a moment to compose yourself, then stick out a hand. “Let’s start over. I’m Y/N. Pleased to meet you.”

“My name is Fortress Maximus.” He reaches a digit out to meet your hand. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

“Okay, now that’s out the way…” You crouch down next to Max’s outstretched digit. “Stay still.”

“What are you do- oh.” Fort Max vents as you lean your head against his finger. It’s even softer than he imagined. He closes his optics, focussing on the sensation. Can feel some of the anxiety that has been gnawing at his spark since First Aid jump started him fade.

You admittedly feel a bit silly, rubbing the side of your head against a giant robot finger like a cat marking its scent on something. But said robot doesn’t want to hurt you and there is a real risk of him doing exactly that if he isn’t careful. He’s certainly more self aware of that risk than other ‘bots you can think of. So this is the workaround for now.

“You know, if you want to hold me or feel my hair again.” You stop moving, and place your hands atop Max’s digit, looking up at him. “You can let me know. I’m cool with it.”

Fortress Maximus opens his optics and looks down at you. How are you so kind to a mech like him?

“I think… I would like to hold you again.”

You smile up at him, your voice barely a whisper. “Yeah, okay.”

He sighs, the corners of his lips twitching as you collapse into giggles and he scoops you into his servos as gently as he can. You’re lucky you’re so cute.

—

previous

[autball]

Part 5 of a 5 part series about the ways harmful practices are being made to sound more appealing and how to spot the differences between helpful and harmful approaches.

Communication support is a desperately needed thing for so many autistic people and their families. So unlike some of the other things I’ve posted about this week, this is 100% a worthy goal. Unfortunately, many places that claim they can offer it are not delivering. 

In some cases, they simply don’t have the education to properly support communication needs (I’m looking at you, ABA). Other times they do have the proper education (ie Speech Language Pathologists) but they will gatekeep certain methods of communication, either because they believe harmful myths about them or they haven’t been trained in that particular method. Also, not every SLP knows about Gestalt Language Processing, so even an otherwise great therapist could be missing some information.

So here are some questions to ask when trying to figure out if someone is truly capable of offering well-rounded, neuro-affirming communication support:

Are they more concerned with making the client easier to deal with for others, or are they focused on the client’s rights, needs, and wishes? (We’re looking for the second one.)

Do they address the client directly, or do they speak as if the client isn’t even in the room? (We’re looking for the first one.)

Do they see speech and language as a behavioral thing? (Verbal Behavior and PECS are dead giveaways - and we want a NO.) 

Do they understand that an inability to produce speech has no bearing on a person’s ability to think and feel? (YES✅)

Do they only push for speech, see speech as the end goal, or value speech above all other methods of communication? (NO✅)

Do they honor things like echolalia, pointing to objects, and bringing an adult over to something they want as valid communication? (YES✅)

Do they honor things like refusal to participate, crying, and meltdowns as valid communication? (YES✅)

Do they believe that things like pacifiers, AAC, or responding to “non-functional communication” discourages speech/“functional” communication? (NO✅)

Do they know about Gestalt Language Processing and believe it is a thing? (YES✅)

Do they require “pre-requisites” before they will try alternative communication methods? (NO✅)

Do they require the client to earn time on their AAC device or remove the device when they deem it a distraction, essentially taking away their voice? (NO✅)

Do they know who to send you to if they aren’t personally trained in an approach they think would be more helpful? (YES✅)

Obviously, trying to find someone local to you with all the green flags and no red ones is kind of like trying to find a unicorn for most people. But if you have a choice between two or more therapists, you can at least go with the one who has more right answers and be ready to advocate/educate when needed. 

If you literally have only one option available to you and it’s not a good one, you can either be ready to advocate at every turn or just choose not to use their services. Yeah, that’s allowed! Not every autistic person needs speech therapy, and not all communication support has to be directly administered by a professional. You as the parent or caregiver will play a huge role in supporting your person with their communication needs, and luckily there are online resources and virtual trainings that can help you do that.

P.S. What’s the difference between PECS and picture cards, you ask? PECS is a whole ABA-based program that uses a limited set of picture cards and should be avoided for several reasons. Meanwhile, plain old picture cards are something that can be made and used by anyone without any specific program.

P.P.S. Zero debates about the legitimacy of Spelling to Communicate (S2C) or Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) will be entertained (translation - it will be deleted so don’t waste your time).

[ipso-faculty]

Is saying "intersex and/or mesosex" the same way of saying "trans and/or nonbinary"? Sorry I'm trying to (un)learn, I don't want to be seen as insensitive

No, mesosex should be thought of as a subset of intersex. I'd just say intersex. 👍️

I'm gonna give you a wall of text of context so upfront a TLDR: 😅

TLDR: positioning mesosex as in between perisex and intersex is like positioning bisexual as in between queer and not-queer. Intersex people are organizing for inclusive views of intersex and trying to create a middle ground between intersex & perisex plays into conservative efforts to divide and conquer us. 🧑‍🏫

So a big difference between being intersex and being trans/nonbinary comes from the role of medicine being far, far more powerful in its control and oppression of intersex people. In a lot of ways intersex is more like disability than like other queer identities. So much of intersex identity is gatekept by doctors. Intersex people are often told they're intersex by a doctor in a context of telling them they are disordered and broken. Fostering community amongst intersex people is hard because so many of us have been conditioned by doctors to think of themselves as rare freaks.

Right now we in the intersex community are fighting a kind of desperate battle for people to understand that it is intersex people who decide who is and isn't intersex, as opposed to it being up to doctors. And the intersex community consistently says that people with PCOS, Poland Syndrome, or even no diagnosis, who feel that their experiences line up with being intersex are intersex.

Meanwhile TERFs and other conservatives are pushing real hard to keep the definition of intersex as narrow as possible. They don't want intersex people to be common or for us to find community. They're invested in a narrative that intersex people are rare, and are disorderd men/women.

Right now, the track record of treating mesosex as not intersex has unfortunately been that it reinforces those conservative narratives. It's gotten used to imply that people with PCOS aren't really intersex, that they are mesosex instead. Same for undiagnosed intersex people. 😭

Even though this is not what I intended for the term, seeing what's happened with it in the wild it's been honestly scary and upsetting seeing this term get weaponized against an inclusive view of what intersex means. (And more experienced intersex folks raised concern about this well in advance 😨.)

Intersex being an umbrella category I think there is value in having microlabels within the umbrella category, which is why I updated my definition of mesosex rather than abandon the term altogether.

But yeah I would definitely steer far away from treating mesosex as though it's in between intersex and perisex - it's really not at all analogous to being nonbinary. I'd say a better analogy is that treating mesosex as if it is between intersex and perisex is like treating bisexual as being in between queer and non-queer.

The stakes are political inclusion and organizing - politically speaking, any effort to create a group between queer and non-queer generally serves to weaken the collective organizing of queer people. Same deal with intersex. Hope that clarifies things. 💜

[chaifootsteps]

Hello Chai! This is an observation I made as a native Japanese speaker in both Japanese and English speaking fandoms. (I’m posting this in your anon ask box since your account seems like a safe place.) (Do note that what I say might be biased, and that this is just a tendency.) Seeing all the discussions about shipping/fandoms made me want to jot down some stuff I’ve noticed.

I’ve come to notice that Japanese fandoms tend to care less about the political/social implications of things, as I’ve seen some popular ships (that even get Doujinshi events of their own) be stuff that would swiftly land you on a Tumblr blocklist here. (Aka the so-called “proship”s) This might have relations with how people are less engaged in politics than, say the United States. To quote the article “Democratic Erosion in Japan: A Silent Crisis”: (URL: https://democratic-erosion.org/2025/02/14/democratic-erosion-in-japan-a-silent-crisis/)

“For decades, Japanese citizens have neglected their responsibility as active participants in a democracy. Many perceive politicians as VIPs—highly educated individuals who should be respected and entrusted with decision-making. Meanwhile, ordinary people see themselves as “lesser commoners” who “don’t know any better” and should refrain from questioning authority.”

Although these two things might have no correlation, it is still interesting. However, this also means Japanese fandoms tend to know to separate IRL morality from the fiction morality, and practice the “Don’t Like Don’t Read” mantra well. (At least older fans tend to follow that.)

Meanwhile, I think the English speaking side of fandom can be more political. I’ve seen many people use their fandom engagement as a way to spread awareness of IRL stuff like for Palestine, or for Pride. However, I see people in English speaking fandoms trying to equate IRL morality with fictional morality which is not always an equal. This leads to people bashing one another and acting just like “puritans”.

I’ve read this article “THE PURITANICAL EYE: HYPER-MEDIATION, SEX ON FILM, AND THE DISAVOWAL OF DESIRE” (URL: https://specchioscuro.it/the-puritanical-eye-hyper-mediation-sex-on-film-and-the-disavowal-of-desire/?utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew) discussing if this could be coming from people seeing entertainment as their only way to show morality due to late stage capitalism. To quote (too much):

“The current state of cultural and material decline plays an important role in the shift toward Puritanism in media and art, in consumer appetite, and in the political posture of the State. That is to say, with the compounding crises we are bombarded with (everything from climate disaster to rampant racialized police violence to genocide) as a part of our daily lives under late capitalism, the need for escape, and indeed, the need for that escape to be completely unchallenging and non-confrontational, has become imperative. Moreover, as control over our own material realities becomes less and less feasible, the last lone place we believe we can exercise agency is within the landscape of that which we consume. This has resulted in the consuming public approaching all media and art with a moral imperative — that which we consume must be perfectly virtuous, sanitized of all problematic or complicated ideas and depictions, because it has become the stand-in for our very realities, our very political action as citizens; consuming has become our praxis.”

Once again, I might be making BS correlations, but this seems like something that is worth pointing out. Not saying which is more morally superior, but I think there are things that each fandom can learn from. Also this might lead to less misunderstandings between each fandom.

(Note: this Fanlore article kinda explains the situation fairly well from multiple cultural perspectives. https://fanlore.org/wiki/Must-know_for_Japanese_fandom:the_meaning_of%22proship%22_and_the_concept_of_%22proshippers%22_in_Western_fandom)

Sorry for the long ask. Hope you have a great day/evening!

Thanks for the info, Anon! This was interesting, and it's definitely always seemed to me like Japanese fandom culture -- whether it's due to people not being as plugged in politically or just a bigger distinction between fiction and reality -- is a lot more laid back. Also, I'm behind the curb and had no idea the term you guys coined for anti-shipping was "feelings yakuza," but I love it.

I think it would be one thing if western fandom culture traded that more old school approach to fandom for everyone being hyper-political all the time actually resulted in a better political situation and a better life for us, but it hasn't. Neither side of the globe is enjoying an Omelas-esque utopia because of their approach to fiction, the world still sucks, and the glaciers are still melting.

[daughterofevil158]

I just had the fucked up thought if someone try to kill Damon during the kg and it not working. How would the soulmates react to an attempt on his life? Especially if they don’t know who did it

Admittedly, part of why I went a different route when a similar question was asked is because of group-think leading to the "obvious" conclusion that it would've had to be one of Damon's non-soulmates.

But at the same time, it is so so so intriguing to think about

So going beyond the group-think bias, Wolfgang would 1000% be accusing Eva 😭. She clearly didn't have any problem with trying to kill him knowing that Damon would die as a result, so what's stopping her from using the soulmate bound itself as an alibi? (He is crashing out even harder than in the Cara trial, because the reenactment of his trauma was a live performance this time, I don't think even Damon could calm him down for a while). Wolfgang himself could be Eva's alibi and he'd still needle at the tiniest inconsistencies to try and condemn her. "He'd feel bad and apologize once he's regained his senses" I want to say, but we are nowhere near the character development necessary for that lol. Instead he'd just coldly admit to it before turning his attention to other suspects.

Eva is understandably pissed about this. Even if she's come to realize that others here do care about her, Damon was the first to do so, and having the guy who (in her eyes) is to blame for her going over the edge trying to throw her under the bus for the second time is Not Helping. I genuinely believe she would have straight up lunged for Wolfgang's neck had she not learned the power of yuri friendship from Diana and Cassidy. Instead, she puts all her anger at Wolfgang and anxiety about Damon into finding the attacker. While her purpose primarily for Damon's safety, at least 5% is so she can rub it in Wolfgang's face, especially if she finds the culprit first.

(good thing they still hate each other at this point or else the culprit would've been found and hogtied by lunch the next day)

Since there isn't a confirmed culprit, Desmond would be a bit more paranoid methinks. He keeps an eye on everyone for the first few days, and while it's only noticeable to those who know him well, he's a bit more tense when speaking to those he suspects. Depending on how close he and Damon have gotten by this point he might also just straight up ask Eloise if she did it. He doesn't want to believe it, but he'd rather be wrong and face her anger then and there than the betrayal if it was her.

Ulysses...would not be mentally strong enough to confront Wenona about it, but he is on it with writing down every piece of potential evidence. Also the one telephoning things between Eva and Wolfgang probably because he knows they need to at the very least be aware of what the other found. If anyone says something different the second-third-fifth time Ulysses asks (because they don't write everything down like you do boo) he's not correcting them, just dotting down the changes made since what didn't change is likely the unfiltered truth.

Meanwhile, congratulations, most of you are back at the bottom of the Damon trust meter until the culprit is found <3 Damon is trying not to show it, but he is noticeably wary of being with only one other person in the room. It sucks for everyone because they obviously know why he's acting like this (especially with the post-mock trial spiel) but it still hurts. Probably the only people he isn't super suspicious of is Ulysses (they've known each other), Diana (ch1 pathos reasoning), Toshiko (child), Wolfgang (honesty compulsion, literally the first question out of Damon's mouth was "Did you do it?") and maybe Jett (depending on whether the murder attempt would've been quick/painless or not). And even then there's still the little "what if?" being whispered in the back of his mind.

The other soulmates are either taking a support role in the investigations or keeping watch on Damon. But it's still discomforting to know that Damon's treating even the weaker soulmates with a level of caution.

(You should've known, you should've fucking known that a few weeks wouldn't compare to the entire lives they lived outside. You have to suspect all of them. Ignore the little voice in your chest that screams why why why when you do so. Do not breathe a sigh of relief when you have enough proof to cross one of your soulmates off your suspect list. When it's all said and done, do not apologize for trying to preserve your life. Do not mention the nightmares of the people who are supposed to care for you straddling you with hate in their eyes and a dagger in their hands, aimed at your oh-so-vulnerable heart)

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Hi!! Second question here!!

I see you talking about Kralsei a lot and I honestly LOVE reading about it!! I'm really curious to know what you think about their symbolisms of light and dark, and how this would reflect on their characters and relationship in the game itself!

...oh boy, do I have Thoughts about this topic. I could talk about this for DAYS, but I shall refrain and just offer you some of my most recent musings on the subject.

So yeah, I'm pretty much in the same camp as you when it comes to looking at Kris and Ralsei as representing their respective worlds - obviously Kris is our protagonist and the character we literally control, and they're a lightner, so they represent the light world, while Ralsei is the first (actually second because of Lancer) darkner we meet and get to know, and he calls himself the prince of the dark, so naturally he stands in for the dark world. The two characters have some kind of connection that hasn't really been explored too deeply in-canon, and there's all the talk about the balance between light and dark and how disaster will befall the world if the two were to fall out of alignment, and it does make you wonder what role exactly they will play in redressing that balance... but more on that later.

What complicates this view is the fact that there's three entities you have to consider: Kris, Ralsei, and Us. And then you have to ask a new question, which is that if Kris represents light and Ralsei represents dark, then what exactly are we supposed to represent? Are we the force that works to keep them in harmony? Or could we be the wedge that drives them apart, by forcing them to interact in ways that neither of them really want to? Obviously our involvement is non-negotiable at this stage, as there wouldn't be much of a game if we weren't present to exert our influence upon Kris, and by extension Ralsei. But it is possible that, in our eagerness to force them together/apart, depending on your viewpoint, we could perhaps be sowing the seeds for disaster further down the line.

Another thing I think about with regards to Kris and Ralsei, both in terms of their developing relationship and the debate surrounding them, is how important communication - or rather miscommunication - is when discussing them. In-game time, these characters met yesterday, so they don't really know each other all that well. Kris isn't exactly able to represent themself properly due to our influence, but even putting that to one side their proclivity for pranks might make it difficult for Ralsei (who we must remember doesn't really understand the concept of sarcasm) to properly understand them on the rare occasions they are permitted to speak. And for his part Ralsei is a textbook people-pleaser who seems to default to whatever he thinks would make Kris and/or the player happy over his own preferences, and we also know he has a bad habit of not telling people things he doesn't think they need to know, perhaps until it's too late. Put the two of them in a room together and there's a good chance that neither of them will have a clearer understanding of who the other actually is, but rather hold false representations of each other that all but guarantees further misunderstandings down the line.

And if these two characters WERE to end up in a relationship of some kind, whatever form that might end up taking, those misunderstadings could end up causing the very thing they were trying to avoid in the first place... but I shall park that thought there for right now :P

Meanwhile, there's also the point that WE do not really know Kris or Ralsei that well, or their respective opinions on each other. We have clues, of course, such as the teas and the ways these characters behave around each other, but there is the danger of extrapolating from these meager pieces of information, such as when people thought Ralsei might be "evil", or that Kris despises him because his tea doesn't heal for 120HP while Susie's does. And that can lead to assertions such as "Ralsei is essentially identical to Asriel so shipping him with Kris is essentially incest", which... I don't have enough time in the day to go over what is wrong with that right now, but trust me that is coming down the pipeline.

The crux of what I'm trying to say about all this is: we just don't know enough about the situation right now. We can't read Kris's or Ralsei's mind, and what scraps of knowledge we can glean from their conversations and narrative details isn't enough to base any sort of decisive statement on how their relationship might develop in the future. All we can say for sure is that something connects Kris and Ralsei, the game is pushing them together in these situations for some narrative or thematic purpose, and thus wants to say something about the nature of RPG romance, destiny, love, identity, agency, et cetera, through them.

But yeah... I've kind of rambled for like two hours at this point, so I think that's a good place to stop. Thank you for the second ask! :D

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

“Critical Role is just a DnD podcast and the cast are Z-List celebrities. You shouldn’t expect them to comment on what is happening in Palestine.”

They why do they have their own non profit org that is dedicated to humanitarian causes?

And are we seriously gonna sit here and pretend like they weren’t one of the first groups to put out a public statement regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

The fact that it took them four months to donate to any Pro Palestine charities honestly makes my blood boil.

It shouldn’t have taken them that long, all they had to do was voice their support for a ceasefire and their fans would have done whatever they could to help push for a ceasefire.

I’m not expecting them to fix the issue overnight, but they have one of the biggest platforms imaginable and they couldn’t be assed to do the bare minimum.

Meanwhile, voice actors who have much smaller platforms are organizing Pro Palestine rallies and using their social medias to speak out. Even though they know they’re most likely going to get blacklisted by the industry by doing so.

Like I said when I discussed Mercer’s video, I am happy that he contacted his reps and asked them to push for a ceasefire, but waiting five months to put out a statement is a pretty bad look.

Yes, the CR crew gets a lot of unwarranted hate, but for a group that built a brand around the importance of social justice, their handling of the current situation in Palestine has been downright abysmal.

[coochiequeens]

https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-female-rugby-players-complain-trans-opponent-hits-too-hard

Female rugby players are not used to feeling like they have been hit by a bus on the field. Or a truck.

A veteran female rugby player, who plays for the Stoney Creek Camels senior women’s team, said she was hit so hard in a recent game, it felt like a man delivering the tackle.

This transgender player, known as Ash — said to have registered as a non-binary person who identifies as female — stands about 5-foot-10 and weighs up to 220 pounds. 

“We are women,” said a female player on the receiving end of a tackle. “It’s a whole other thing playing rugby against men.” 

Or one who used to be — especially one of that size, who is also said to have been an MVP at the men’s level just last season. 

“I had never been hit like that before, even at the competitive women’s level,” said the player. “There was so much more brute force. There are women who are bigger than him, but no girl hits like that. This is a strong human.” 

“The player is a nice person, but that is not the point,” said the female player. “We are now at a disadvantage.”

This story has sparked a lot of discussion within the rugby community – many comparing it to the Leah Thomas swimming issue in the United States. But as one female player pointed out, competitive swimmers have their own lane and there are no collisions. In rugby, it’s all collisions, all the time. She said Ash’s legs are massive and strong, and “you feel the hits from (them) the next day.”

Diana Murphy a friend of some of the players, tweeted: “Three women’s rugby players had to be removed from a game and treated for injuries from hits sustained by a transwoman” and that she feels “Trans have no place in women’s sports.” Rugby Canada said there were no illlegal hits, but sources in the game said Ash received a yellow card from the referee for a hit to the head of one female player. Ash was pulled from the game. Players said they are not clear whether it was at the insistence of the referee or the Fergus coach. Either way, Rugby Canada said this is a federal inclusion issue and not only is this transgender player welcomed in the league, but the law protects that person from discrimination.

“We are aware of the matter in question but would advise that Rugby Canada has received no formal complaints,” said Managing Director Tania Richards. “All rugby played in Canada abides by federal government laws which regulates inclusion in sports."

She said there were no players hurt and there were no illegal hits as has been suggested on social media. What there has been, said Richards, is online harassment of the transgender player. The Fergus club has not yet responded, but has forwarded our request to speak with Ash. Meanwhile, there are some players who feel they should not have to play against someone who was recently considered male, but are afraid to reveal their identities for fear of being targeted or cancelled themselves.

All sides use the word “complicated” when talking about this matter. Rugby Ontario sent a communique to members, saying “for those who attended Sunday’s board meeting, you are aware of some concerns that have arisen about player safety in the context of a transplayer playing in club games” and “we are working closely with Rugby Canada senior staff on the matter and are together developing action and communication plans, informed by the counsel of their third-party crisis management PR agency.” They also asked, “if you are contacted by anyone in the community or the media, please do not engage by offering any opinion or comment on the situation.” What they don’t seem to be doing is fully accepting there are some female players who don’t feel comfortable going up against a transitioning opponent in a physical sport where size and strength play a role. One player said the collision she had with trans player Ash was unlike any other impact she has felt in all her years playing rugby.

[santoschristos]

Kali as the Yuga Shakti

The awakening to the Divine Mother and the Great Goddess that is occurring today at a global level is, yogically speaking, an awakening to the energy of Kali. The Mother Goddess as the dark, mysterious and transcendent Devi holds the key to the real power and presence of the universe in all her manifestations. Kali is once more entering into humanity and into the sphere of the Earth to work her magic and her awe.

Awakening Kali’s Transformative Shakti

To bring our planet into a new and spiritual era, a new world age of higher consciousness, we must first gain the Shakti or the capacity to do so. We must have the power, the competence, the sincerity and the grace of the higher forces. We cannot on our own take us beyond our human, social and psychological problems, because our behavior and mindset exists within their field. For this we must once more humbly seek the grace of the Mother, particularly as Kali, the Mother as the ruler of all time and transformation.

We need a new Shakti to bring this necessary global change about, a new descent of the spiritual power of the Mother Goddess. For this to occur, we must first bring the Shakti into ourselves, into our own minds and hearts, and learn to live according to its shocks, rhythms and transformative vibrations, letting it purify and remake our own psychological nature first.

The power of the Divine feminine is once more needed to facilitate a new birth of higher consciousness in the world, not simply at an individual but at a planetary level. We must recognize the Goddess in all of her forms, of which her transformative manifestation of Ma Kali is perhaps the most central. A feminine grace, gentleness and kindness is necessary to soothe the pain and anger that is burning us from within, stoked by the greed, ambition and ignorance of generations.

We must move beyond the vagaries of human passions and needs, opening up our hearts to the living Shakti force of Kali. Ma Kali yearns for her full expression to be felt and experienced in order to make our lives into something meaningful for the soul. We can sense her mystical force rising powerfully once again in this unsettled transitional era. She is searching passionately for sadhakas to carry forth her benign wishes.

For the truly new to come into being, the old must first pass away. This is the work of Kali’s Shakti or time-force. But it is not simply an external factor of the destruction of evil people by the good. Today, we largely live in a grey zone, where the purity of heart is practically non-existent. Meanwhile, no soul in essence is evil; all can be raised up if we reach them at the right time and circumstances. We must drive out all weakness, blame, pettiness and narrowness inside ourselves.

The negative or Asuric force does momentarily prevail, but often the darkness is greatest before the dawn, and the negativity must manifest outwardly before it can be totally swept away. There is no undivine force or power that Ma Kali cannot match, consume and dissolve into her higher peace.

The Devata or higher divine force needs to be honoured in our times of strife and chaos. We must look beyond our human and historical fixations to the cosmic powers. The inevitable ecological disturbances that are beginning to occur are meant to drive us into the shelter of these benevolent and powerful cosmic forms, to make us recognize our dependency on the greater universe and its divine essences. The Devata’s presence will once again manifest with a surge of benign energies to bring about a peaceful existence for humanity and for the Earth.

Ma Kali is the ultimate power behind all genuine spiritual and yogic movements and their unfoldment through the great process of time. Mahadevi Kali is the Yuga Shakti, heralding the new movement of Yoga awakening this Shakti power. Her role has already been manifested earlier in this era by great seers and teachers like Ramakrishna, Yogananda, Aurobindo, Anandamayi Ma and many others, who mainly worked through the power of the Mother Goddess.

Yet there remains an urgent need for new avatars and forms of Kali’s energy, a new resurgence of her worship and a greater descent of her grace. Kali holds the key to our future as a species and our destiny at a soul level. Ma Kali carries the power to uplift humanity, but to find that we must discover her as the Universal Mother resting in the flame of the spiritual heart within us.

We need to accept Kali’s purifying fire in order to raise us into the higher light in which alone our personal and global problems can be solved. Those who can endure and carry Kali’s fire can bring a new light to the world. They will discover a vision of the future that is in harmony with the eternal truth and universal vision. by Yogini Shambhavi

Image: Kali and Shakti Mahaboka

[bulletin-attal-sejourne]

A Oui for Stephane; the Nons for Gabriel

When the executive head met the parliament head in Brussels and Paris, respectively. It's interesting how the roles of the duo have switched ever since Q3 2024.

Time: 241125 - 241127

Bonjour à tous! It's Wednesday, 27 November 2024, a big day for the Eurocrats as the MEP voted for the European Commission for a very slight margin; Meanwhile, the budgetary tightrope walk in Paris could boil down to a motion of censure thus the downfall of the government

Welcome to BAT, for the mid-week recap of manoeuvres, and challenges of the former couple at the heart of power.

STEPHANE SEJOURNE

This morning, the European Parliament has just given Ursula von der Leyen's new Commission the green light. That's...that's it. Regardless of how marginal the approval votes was, after weeks of nail-biting hearings, France's very own Stéphane Séjourné is officially part of the team.

Big shoes to fill. The real challenges begin after the appointment, as Séjourné steps into the crucial role of overseeing Europe's industrial strategy. It's a high-stakes game with Russia, China, and the US all jostling for position. Delivering on VDL's promise of a "holistic simplification" approach (with the sheer annoying amount of Euro-red-rapes we have) and making Europe a global industrial powerhouse (our version of MEGA but less toxic), will not be an easy job.

Green industry is the name of the game. Séjourné will work closely with Spain's Teresa Ribera, the new competition and green transition chief. Together, they'll need to find a way to balance economic growth with climate ambitions, all while navigating the tricky waters of EU competition policy. Expect fireworks! (And not the romantic and fun one this time.)

Speaking of (unromantic) fireworks, some MEPs weren't too thrilled with the Commission's rightward tilt. French Socialists voted against the entire college, protesting the inclusion of Italy's far-right Raffaele Fitto as one of the vice presidents. Not a good sign for the future 5 years of cooperation, really.

Again, this is just the beginning. Séjourné has a busy 100 days ahead of him. He'll need to craft a plan to boost Europe's digital startups and help the continent secure its supply of critical raw materials. Plus, there's that little thing about making sure Europe's car industry stays in Europe. He really needs to get it working, with no effort spared, as he claims so!

(I just realised these three sources are written in 3 different languages. Speaking of European diversity!)

GABRIEL ATTAL

Sainte-Catherine agricultural fair! It was Monday, November 25th. While the budget brouhaha continues to consume the Parisian political class, the former Prime Minister and current Renaissance maestro, might as well recharge himself and ventured into the heartland of France, the Orne region to be precise. Was it a desperate attempt to escape the censure storm brewing in the capital or a cunning move to woo the rural vote? Let's examine the evidence, shall we?

The Scene: Attal arrived fashionably late, a mere 45 minutes behind schedule, but hey, even in the world of cattle auctions, a bit of Parisian flair is to be expected. Upon arrival, he was greeted with the full pomp and ceremony befitting a political heavyweight: local officials beaming, senators nodding sagely, a "parade of television cameras" jostling for the best angle, and the local député, Jérôme Nury, looking particularly pleased with himself1.

The Gifts: Attal was showered with local delicacies: a charming basket of regional produce from the mayor and, the pièce de résistance, a vintage bottle of calvados from Nury, who quipped: "It's the Élysée's official supplier, you need to start getting used to it". Was Nury hinting at Attal's presidential ambitions? ●

The People's Champion: Attal worked the crowd like a seasoned politician, charming the locals with selfies and fielding questions from farmers with ease. Whispers of "You're handsome," "He's so good looking" and "He's really young" followed him as he navigated the fairgrounds. Even the normally stern-faced president of the FNSEA Normandie, Anne-Marie Denis, seemed to soften in his presence.

Master of the Moment: Attal showed a willingness to engage with the issues that matter to rural voters, discussing bovine tuberculosis, agricultural regulations, and the ever-controversial Mercosur trade deal. He even tried his hand at the traditional Sainte-Catherine game of guessing the weight of an ox, displaying a playful side that likely resonated with the fairgoers.

Verdict: The mayor of Briouze, Jacques Fortis, who had previously threatened to resign over the town's exclusion from a rural revitalisation scheme, seemed positively smitten with Attal. He declared the streets "full" for Attal's visit and described the former PM as "very friendly, very simple". High praise indeed from a mayor who, just a few months ago, was ready to walk away from it all.

So, was Attal's agricultural adventure a success? Judging by the smiles, the selfies, and the mayor's glowing review, it seems the former PM made a positive impression. Whether this translates into actual votes in future elections remains to be seen. But one thing's certain: Attal is a master of the political stage, and he knows how to play to his audience of Norman farmers.

It is however a bit more complicated when he is playing 3D chess with a broken board – battling rebels in his own camp, haggling over budget crumbs, and trying to keep a government that looks shakier than a Jenga tower in a windstorm. Former pals? They're already plotting their great escape, eyeing up alternative political real estate. Another day, another drama for our young maestro of mayhem! To let us understand the complexity we shall begin with the topic flying all over TV and newspaper headlines:

Budget Battleground

We need to save!: Prime Minister Michel Barnier, facing a record deficit and mounting debt, has proposed a budget characterized by austerity measures. These include cuts to public spending and, most controversially, a reduction in employer contribution relief.

Opposition from All Sides: The budget has been met with fierce opposition from various political factions. The left, led by the Socialist Party and La France Insoumise, condemns it as "austeritarian" and damaging to social welfare. Meanwhile, even members of Barnier's own "socle commun" coalition, particularly Gabriel Attal's EPR group, are pushing back against specific measures.

Sounds boring right?: Well, let's talk about the stakes. The budget fight goes beyond mere numbers. It represents a struggle for political power and a clash of ideologies. The outcome will have a significant impact on France's economic trajectory and the social well-being of its citizens.

The Censorship Sword

Threat of a No-Confidence Motion: The left has explicitly threatened to table a censure motion if Barnier fails to address their concerns regarding the budget. This motion, if successful, could lead to the government's collapse and potentially trigger early elections.

Marine Le Pen's Crucial Role: The outcome of the censure motion hinges on the stance of RN, which holds the largest opposition bloc in the Assembly. Le Pen has expressed strong criticism of Barnier's budget, threatening to vote against it. Her decision could make or break the government.

A High-Stakes Gamble for Everyone: The censure threat creates a complex strategic dilemma for all parties involved. For the left, it's an opportunity to topple the government and potentially gain power. For Le Pen, it's a chance to assert her influence and advance her own agenda. For Barnier, it's a battle for survival, requiring him to carefully navigate the demands of his opponents and his own allies.

Attal's Role: While Attal is primarily seeking concessions, not a government collapse, the line between the two is blurry. His aggressive stance could be interpreted as a calculated gamble: pushing Barnier to the edge to extract maximum concessions, but risking a censure motion that could empower the RN. Adding to the complexity, Attal needs to manage internal disagreements within EPR. Some members are eager for a showdown with Barnier, while others are more cautious. A misstep could alienate potential allies and weaken his leadership. The management of disagreements is particularly essential when he is facing this problem of:

The traitors

A Resignation With a Message: Martine Madelaine and Sélim Denoyelle, former leaders of the Renaissance party in Charente-Maritime, resigned, citing the movement's "rightward shift." They specifically objected to the government's policies on pensions and immigration, arguing that these measures betrayed the party's original values. This resignation highlights the growing discontent among some Macronists who feel the party has abandoned its centrist platform in favour of a more right-wing agenda.

Minister of Ocean Seeking a New Horizon: Hervé Berville, who served as Secretary of State for the Sea in both the Borne and Attal governments, is also charting a course away from the Macronist core. While he maintains loyalty to Macron, he's looking beyond the current administration, expressing a desire to return to his social-democratic roots. Berville has reportedly been in contact with former President François Hollande and former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, figures associated with the traditional left and plotting for a solid left wing presidential movement in 2027. He's openly critical of the Macronist alliance with the right, particularly on the budget, which he sees as a drift towards "an Orléanist and bourgeois right."

Your ex's bestman, The Justice Crusader: Gone were the days in the Moines Oyster yard, now Sacha Houlie, still invited Stephane Sejourne as his bestman on his own wedding, emerged as the lead dissenter of the formerly Renaissance AN group, and sat as an independent (after the failed attempt to pull more deputies from EPR) and voiced strong opposition to Gabriel Attal's proposed law on juvenile justice, calling it a "very bad text" that undermines the principles of specialized justice for minors. This time, he was successful. With EPR elected officials Stéphane Travert, Belkhir Belhaddad and Lionel Causse, he significantly amended the text in commission, aligning himself with the left and pushing for a more preventative approach, a move that dealt a major blow to Attal and the EPR group, when the person concerned, very interestingly, was not present in thorough the voting process...

Gabriel Attal would like to make this text a marker. He himself did not show up to defend it. 

And why betray? As the saying goes, "There are no permanent friends or enemies; only permanent interests." Some started with genuine convictions, believing in a transformative vision, but found themselves gradually disillusioned. Others, always pragmatic, view political parties like career elevators – when one falls, they're quick to find a more promising route.

A classic cocktail blend of opportunistic moves with genuine ideological differences. For our future RE Secretary General, the challenge is clear: craft a compelling vision that speaks to the post-Macron era. It's about creating a narrative and direction that resonates with current members and potentially attracts new supporters. The goal is to provide enough clarity, inspiration, and strategic direction to keep the party united and motivated through this transitional period...And possibly even for a new presidency.

fin.

[rippleclan]

[Image ID: the title of the article is "Clerics & Their Code". Fennelspot sits underneath the words.]

A two-for-one deal, since the cleric description and the code of clerics option both won in the last lore vote. Today we'll be looking at the two main responsibilities of a cleric and the unique set of restrictions that bind them.

Clerics: Healing

The main job of a cleric, the one which most cats can relate to, is to heal sick and injured Clanmates. Their medicine dens are not only places for recovering cats to sleep but act as important stores for medicinal liquids, powders, and other concoctions. Clerics are very picky about who can meddle in their stores, but there are multiple roles that need access to the medicinal goods. Artisans trade certain medicines with other Clans. Mediators sometimes need herbal remedies for the mental afflictions of the Clan. Historians often learn about medicine in their studies. Meanwhile, caretakers and warriors often assist in collecting herbs and turning them into medicine. Other cats can all be recruited to help clerics in times of crisis when they need more paws caring for injuries or are too sick to care for others themselves.

Cleric medicine is a complex enough topic that a cleric spends most of their life devoted to the subject. It's not just about collecting the right leaves and stuffing them onto wounds. In this world, clerics have a wider range of medicinal technology. They harvest herbs and transform them into some of the following;

Infused oils: While WheatClan is the only Clan that produces the ever-useful flaxseed oil, which they trade for use in both food and medicine, clerics and artisans can make a simpler, cruder oil from animal fat (the finished product isn't considered "oil", however, due to its differences from flaxseed oil). Clerics infuse this oil with herbs by mixing the two in one pot, then setting it inside a bigger pot with some water over a fire (clerics have their own fireplace/oven setup that is only used for medicine). The water around the smaller pot infuses the herbs into the oil over the course of an hour. When it's done, they strain the herbs out of the oil and keep the finished product.

Salves/Balms/Ointments: Clerics mix their infused oil with a strong wax (beeswax or tallow) to create a stronger variation of a traditional chewed poultice (although they may add some solid herbs to the finished product). Ointments involve the use of water and are better for skin/fur issues than the stiffer salves and balms.

Concoctions: This includes adding herbs to food for medicinal benefits, boiling herbs for decoctions, mixing herbs with honey, and otherwise mashing them together.

Clerics also use the herbs as we are traditionally familiar with, having patients chew them or eat them whole. A cleric's job also involves a series of non-herbal strategies, which includes the use of leeches, exercise, grooming, rituals to StarClan, and more. Notably, while cobwebs are a great emergency bandage, artisans can craft actual bandages from animal skin and plant fiber. Some of these bandages can be washed out and reused.

Clerics: Connection To StarClan

The other major job of a cleric is to maintain a connection to StarClan and advise their Clan on the opinions and advice of their ancestors. If a StarClan cat needs to speak to a living cat, they will usually go for the cleric. Oftentimes, StarClan only has the strength and knowledge to send vague signs and omens which clerics are trained to identify and interpret. They visit StarClan's Shrine on the half-moon preceding the Gathering in order to reconnect with the ancestors and get more clear-cut advice (while also connecting with fellow clerics on spiritual/medical matters).

Clerics have a wide range of rituals designed to bring strength from StarClan. They can also summon StarClan spirits through a special ritual (which I will explain another time). They can even perform a variant of it to speak to a Dark Forest cat, but this is seen as taboo and would earn ire from StarClan's Judges.

The Code of Clerics Origins: The First Cleric

The first cleric in the impressive records all historians work hard to maintain was known as Hickoryroot. A lot of her story sounds like myth at this point, but historians have worked hard to keep it as true as they could.

It is said she was a SlugClan warrior from the days where roles were not split as they are in the modern Clans. It is said that she learned some of the first medicines from watching a human (a Native American, possibly East Cree) gather herbs and turn them into a medicine for a wounded friend. The stars saw her experimentation and provided the herbs she needed to establish the foundations of Clan medicine. This provincial relationship made the role of the cleric forever connected to StarClan.

The process of preparing medicine was so time consuming that Hickoryroot had no time to help with hunting, kit care, or the other duties of a warrior. As such, the Clans decided her role would be distinct from the others. She would work under a different set of rules. With that, the Code of Clerics began to grow.

The Decrees within the Code of Clerics

A cleric's job is to care for the health of their Clan and connect the worlds of the living and dead. As such, they are not expected to help in other duties in the same way as most of the other roles. In fact, it is the duty of the Clan to support the cleric in whatever they need. They need more bandages? Artisans will make more bandages. They need extra paws to harvest herbs? Caretakers will join them and care for their herb patches/gardens for them. The Clan will protect and feed the cleric so all they have to worry about is their job.

It is forbidden to endanger, harm, or disrupt the work of a cleric. StarClan helps them heal their Clanmates and guide the Clans as a whole. Since clerics are forbidden from combat, to attack one is sacrilegious and will send a cat to trial. Only StarClan can order a cleric not to heal someone in need. If a cleric decides they need to help, no one can stop them.

Hickoryroot established this practice as a social custom, but it was later solidified as code that clerics cannot take a mate or have kits, even as an honor sire. It's not that a cleric would be distracted by their family (they have friends, siblings, and parents, after all), but rather that a cleric is a servant of StarClan and has an elevated position over other cats. They cannot take a mate in an equal relationship and they cannot take the guiding role of a parent without diluting their spiritual connections. It should be noted, however, that this aspect of the code is only a tradition in RippleClan, not a decree. Clerics in RippleClan are allowed to pursue relationships. Whether Fennelspot will take a mate one day remains to be seen...

[total-drama-brainrot]

Alenoaheather grabbed me by the throat and body slammed me through 15 consecutive buildings a week ago and it is entirely your fault/lh

But I was thinking about the incredible Fake Dating AU y’all were putting together and had a question, then realized I could just ask the question because it’s ✨Tumblr✨. But what do you think would’ve happened if Izzy wasn’t there when Noah passed out at the gym with Eva? Like, imagine Alejandro and Heather bust into the gym, but because of Eva’s awkward ass self(I love her sm) it genuinely just seems like she knocked out Noah. How would you expect the scenario to play out after that, because I do imagine that Aleheather wouldn’t be happy about seeing Noah laid out like a starfish-

My apologies 😔 (I'm not sorry 😈). /lh

The idea of Eva holding up a passed out Noah by the collar of his undershirt, all but looming over him in her desperation to get him to wake the fuck up, only to have both Heather and Alejandro burst into the room and misconstrue the situation entirely is so fucking funny to me. Thank you for the mental image, anon.

Because Eva has aggression practically woven into the threads of her character; she speaks aggressively, se thinks aggressively, and we all know she acts aggressively. Even when she's trying to be gentle she's always going to be rough around the edges, so it'd genuinely look like she's about to pummel an unconscious Noah into nerd-paste. Without Izzy there as a mitigating force, Eva wouldn't have the eloquence to properly explain the situation before AleHeather jump to conclusions and act accordingly.

Which would mostly be Heather trying to beat the shit out of Eva, physical discrepancies be damned, as Alejandro scoops up their partner bridal style and fusses over the 'damsel' in the situation.

Because, out of the two of them, Heather's always been the more physically aggressive one. She's not afraid to start throwing hands- of course, Heather's more likely to attack others with her words, but she's never shied away from a more hands-on approach to conflict. Whereas Alejandro, for all of his displays of physical prowess, doesn't ever really use his strength in a hostile way (his boxing math with José non-withstanding), and he's far too much of a gentleman to ever hit a woman.

So Eva would be staving off an irate Heather, who's trying to claw her eyes out or something, using her superior muscle mass to (as gently as she can) subdue Heather so she could explain herself. But 'fighting back' only makes Eva look worse to the pair, and any explanations she'd try to offer would be all but drowned out by Heather's enraged screaming, falling on deaf ears. Eva really doesn't want to hurt Heather, so she'd hold back the majority of her overwhelming strength, but Heather would interpret that as Eva looking down on her which would only serve to fuel her anger.

Meanwhile, Alejandro and his saviour complex would be trying to resuscitate Noah from his overexertion coma (previously established; Noah goes sicko mode on a punching bag and his noodly ferret body couldn't handle the strain of physical effort), though half of his attention would be diverted towards Heather going beast mode on Eva- either because he'd be genuinely concerned/alarmed by her ferocity, or because Alejandro seems like the type of guy who'd find Heather going feral kind of hot (whichever's funnier).

Eventually Heather would either tire herself out and Eva could attempt to blunder her way through an explanation- under the dual judgemental/seething glares of AleHeather- to mixed results, OR Noah would wake up, have a 'what the fuck is going on here' moment, and quickly clear up the confusion in his patented know-it-all way. That is to say, insulting everyone involved for their incompetency whilst ignoring his own pivotal role in the disagreement, and then explaining that he and Eva are cool now. (He'd probably be a dick about it to; "We're besties, me and Eva are having a sleepover tonight and we're going to talk about Boys and Shoes and Makeup and you're not invited." Noah can't stop being a sarcastic jester-coded prick for more than one scene or else he'll implode.)

-

Of course, this is all just speculation. I expect @perpetualexistence has plenty of their own thoughts to add to this hypothetical, as the adoptive 'co-parent' of this AU!

This is mostly just me pushing my "AleNoah ask for no pickles, Heather's the one who confronts the cashier when they get pickles" Alenoaheather dynamic. Heather the girlboss and her two cringefail, pathetic-pilled boyfriends. She's the only one of the three who can be direct with her misgivings (Noah is blunt, sure, but he skirts around confrontation- see his reaction to Alejandro's comment in "I See London..."). Also a not-so-subtle nod towards Alejandro always prioritising being the 'hero who rescues the damsel' over the 'hero who confronts the villain', which is literally just canon. The guy's not confrontational despite being manipulative- the puppet master works behind the curtains, after all. (The only time I can think of him ever directly confronting someone is, again, his comment to "Noah in I See London...", which is less of an accusation and more of a pointed comment.)

[jasper-unofficial]

i know you're mostly kidding but. is there any part of you that's actually mad about straight dramas? i'll be honest. there is a small part of me that is 🤠

ur so real for that actually kgjlkdfjglkfdjgklf

no but. hm, i wouldn't say i'm actively mad. one of the things about gmmtv series specifically is that we are in a unique position where one more cishet series = one less queer series. literally. they have a specific amount of resources per year and those resources are poured into a specific amount of series they can afford to make. i know it's a little silly because it's not like some queer series was actively murdered to birth a cishet one, but it's a thing in broad terms.

it's also like i am not really even advocating for more bls necessarily. there is a reason why i choose such broad language to describe the series i want / don't want to see more of.

if you look at my list of favourite dramas, you will see things like 3 will be free and the warp effect and even dirty laundry on there. and the thing is, the main reason why i love 3wbf is literally because of an m/f pairing. but that pairing isn't cis. and generally, 3wbf is a queer series with a poly couple at its centre and a trans woman playing an important role in it as well. the warp effect technically revolves around lots of m/f romance, but you have a non-binary character and a trans character and lesbians and gays and puppy play - it's a really queer series, even if technically the main character is cishet and the main pairing is m/f. not to mention that it was actually something really unique and important in terms of how it discussed sex. dirty laundry is very much about an m/f pairing as well, i would say it's a fairly standard romcom about a guy and a girl, but you once again have trans women in that series, and generally it feels incredibly queer. most of all because all these series are directed by jojo tichakorn, of course, and all of his works feel incredibly queer regardless. and i love all of them. and i'd love to see more of them.

so i'd love to see more of those queer series with lots of different, important representation and more gls, of course, instead of, let us put it plainly, a series with the same fucking cishet storyline you have seen literally millions of times before. and even if the balance shifts at one or two companies like i want it to, those same cishet storylines will still be made thousands of times more often than queer ones. so it's not like i'm suddenly depriving people who wanna see boy and girl fall in love in the same way for the billionth time of the opportunity to do so. it's still out there. it's being made right as we speak. a lot of it. like a whole fucking lot of it. meanwhile, one dedicated motherfucker with a free evening on their hands can trace every single queer series that's being made at the moment with ease. the gap is fucking insane there.

[hardworkandguts]

Macross Delta

マクロス∆

(Anime)

mecha musical romance by Shoji Kawamori

Era: 2010s

Rating: D

Plot: Eight years after the events of Frontier, the ever expanding human civilization is dealing with VAR syndrome, a mysterious disease where those affected enter a blind rage after a goal is disallowed after three minutes of deliberations hearing a mysterious song. The only known remedy are the songs of Walkure, a tactical sound idol group flashing gang signs. Meanwhile, Hayate Himmelmann, a drifter, is fired from his job stacking crates in a space port, and meets a stowaway, Freyja Wion, an energetic girl who escaped from Windermere, dreaming to join Walkure.

Length: 26 episodes, 2 films

Thoughts: Right, let me get straight to the point and say this is going to be me getting really mad at it, and pretty evidently the reason I avoid talking of stuff I disliked because my extremely petty 90s British music journalist starts emerging. I dropped it once after 8 or 9 episodes, came back to it to reluctantly finish it months later, and now I'm rewatching it again because it's the last of the Macross shows and my brain would rather subject itself to watching it than leaving one unposted about. Although maybe I should just pretend it didn't exist, like all those Highlander sequels they never made.

So, the problems, which themselves allegedly started because it was supposed to be much shorter with a movie to finish the story off. This show bothers me so much on so many levels it doesn't surprise me the least it may have been retooled from a 400 minute project to almost double that.

The characters. Not only instead of one idol (or two, in Frontier) there's five. Like the rest of the cast they mostly have one unique thing about them and you're better off just remembering them for that and not trying to focus on any more details because it's a waste of time - there's really not much to anyone other than that, all are barely above "non speaking role" level. A big part of the problem of the bloated cast of mostly extras is the focus on Windermere. The "SPACY does dodgy shit" is already well established, there's no need to develop so much the backstory of them. SPACY screwed them, they're out for payback, make them kind of sympathetic or that the SPACY is as bad as them or something. I don't need all the scenes about internal workings that are just a slog or infodumping. Plus, who thought it would be a good idea to create the Aerial Knights, that just wreck the flow of every battle - arguably, the only thing it does well just to have captain guy talking to pilot B to let the true wind take him or whatever? You need maybe a couple guys, but seven interchangeable assholes?

Other thing I don't like is that it feels like an extra cynical cash grab. Yes, I've started the series by suggesting the pitch was probably "we can sell toys and soundtracks", but the decision to go full idol group seemed just opportunism to sell merch of five characters and just dump a load of mostly mid songs. The scene where they release a song to deploy a virus on the system and cash in from sales at the same time? It's the header image for a reason, the perfect summary of what many decisions taken for Delta feel to me. Sell waifus and iTunes downloads.

There's some stuff I like; it hits the notes Macross should hit - music, connected to the protoculture, is at the forefront of saving the universe (even if parts of it feel ripped off from Macross II), the variable fighters, theres initially not much in the tension between civilian and military command (as they're planet-based in the first half) but the plot revolves around the SPACY doing bad shit and trying to cover that that, and a love triangle. And this, better than anything, explains how short Macross falls - Mirage is just... a complete non factor? Like many things, it feels like everything was in place but the execution of the ideas was completely botched. It really puts some focus back on dogfighting (because those seven assholes really had to serve a purpose, but it's not like I had to know their family history and favourite hobbies), some of it pretty intense. Some of the songs? Not bad. Visually, it looks uneven. I can live with the 3D mechanical models and elements next to the characters in the previous two shows and accepted that's how things were always going to be, but here? Ugh. How do you manage to make something that on occasion looks more distracting than in the 90s when that stuff was new?

It got two movies, the first, released in 2018 is a retelling of the story reusing a lot of animation with some changes and a few omissions to the story (for instance, what Hayate's dad did goes unmentioned). If in one hand it compresses a lot of the story (bad), it also compresses a lot of the story (good), and it's hard to say if it my head was filling in gaps with stuff from the show or there were jumps where things don't make sense, but either way, if you find myself in my camp, it's probably the better way of seeing Delta (C). 2021 saw the release of Zettai Live, which continues from the end of the movie, and as Walkure and Delta are in Windermere as part of the peace negotiations, a new enemy folds with the goal of freeing the galaxy from the influence of humanity and the mysterious Lady M. It reuses some bits of the plot from the show, one of the series's favourites makes another appearance, and we get a sad but kind of meaningful ending. Do I prefer the movie version of the story? Well, it's certainly better in many aspects (B).

So, where does Macross go from here? If I had to guess, between the Labyrinth of Time short and the references to Megaroad here, I wonder if the plan is to bridge the franchise together. Time will tell, but this feels where it's going to lead - Lynn Minmei is presumed lost, so is Alto, maybe Basara found a way to get to them in his travels. The galaxy needs saving, and it will take more than one hero. What is Mari Iijima up to these days?

Recommended to: WELL NOT TO ME IT ISN'T. Except the movies.

Plus:

Predicted people with vaguely European names losing their shit because of something called VAR

The dogfights look veeeeeery cool

Freyja deserved a better show than this

Movies are an improvement over the show.

Minus:

I'd be more interested in hearing the shit the antagonists went through if they didn't suck so much.

The 3D models look *awfully* out of place next to the characters.

A complete slog with bland, undercooked characters.

Honestly, throw 30 more characters in there, will you? Maybe a gardener for the Windermere royal family or something.

The love triangle with two sides.