#resources. i see people absolutely not worried by the fact that we are on the bricks of a nuclear war thinking that only one country is

[justaholeinmysoul]

Science: there's draught as u can see from The FOOTAGE there is no water and u gotta prepare for bad times

News: how sad no more parfumes and no skiing :((( what else is water for

My boomer mother and her friends not seeing snow since 1980: it sure will snow, I see no issues, this summer we're gonna build a swimming pool and wash cars

Me: 👁 👁 - - 👁 👁

[arguablysomaya]

i can't fucking believe it's literally a year out of the election, in the middle of a genocide that the whole world is watching, and I'm seeing democrats already scolding people (some of whom literally have family being killed in occupied Palestine) to vote for Biden.

are you fucking kidding me?

not only is he backing a genocide, perpetuating lies to justify this genocide, and directing domestic resources to repress people here objecting to said genocide (which should be enough already), he was also already unpopular before now, has barely done anything to counter the rising tide of Christian fascism you're all worried about, not to mention that he's old as shit and can barely get a sentence out

just from a purely logical, facts-based perspective, anyone trying to push Biden as a viable candidate right now not only doesn't care about the lives of Palestinians, but also actively wants marginalized people here to lose liberties. as far as I'm concerned, advocating for Biden is advocating for a second Trump term, because that man absolutely cannot win in the general election.

instead of wasting time scolding progressives (AGAIN) when we point out extremely valid criticisms of Genocide Joe, put that fucking energy toward canvassing for a new Dem/progressive candidate. we're a year out from the election. if you actually care about the lives of the marginalized not just internationally, but domestically as well, you have to put some fucking effort in instead of relying on the consistently-failing strategy of yelling at voters instead of demanding representatives do their fucking jobs and represent us.

[trans-androgyne]

For the person in my inbox worried about becoming transmisogynistic in the middle of this discourse, as they notice themselves becoming defensive when hearing trans women discuss transmisogyny nowadays: first, I'm sorry your ask disappeared when I was working on responding to it, this is the best I can do from here </3

But more importantly: I get it, I really do. I'll tell you about how I handle it. I used to check the transmisogyny tag daily with the intent of better understanding and supporting trans women and fems, but had to stop for my own wellbeing. Just scrolling for a minute would force me to see so many people who absolutely despise trans men and mascs, considering us the oppressors to punch up at. They'd misrepresent our theory and experiences, claim we had things easy, generalize and stereotype about us, and so many other hurtful things. Almost every single time I would go to reblog any post about transmisogyny from there (and I do mean on literally all but two occasions), I would check the person's blog and find out they would shittalk "transandrobros" and "tme trans people" and attribute the systemic transmisogyny they were discussing to us as though we had just as much power as cis folks. I was given a lot of reasons to feel put on the defense, and I noticed myself start to prepare myself for an internal argument every time I opened the tags. That's when I realized I needed to step away from those discussions for now, at least on tumblr. It is simply not a good environment to learn about transmisogyny in. Instead, for that I am turning to 1) academic resources (e.g. A Short History of Trans Misogyny) and 2) trans women in my life I trust. I suggest you do something similar. It's important to learn about transfem issues, but it is very much not your responsibility to listen to every hateful tumblr user. If you can find trans women who discuss transmisogyny on here while also believing us about transandrophobia, I will be overjoyed for you.

This is something important to think about. People of all genders are in fact being radicalized in this discourse. Someone I hated just became a full TERF! And as I've mentioned, there are far too many radfem leaning trans women and transfems who become not only defensive but actively hateful and mask off bigoted when hearing us talk about our oppression. It's too common in the trans community right now. It doesn't make you a bad person to notice defensiveness. It just means something needs to change. Be sure not to end up associating trans women in general with discourse; engage with trans women and fems outside that, whether it be friends and acquaintances, their art/music/etc, funny content, cute stories, anything. Listen about transmisogyny when it is the right time and place. See trans women and fems as your beloved sisters and siblings first and foremost, and work on what you need from there.

[toushindai]

totk spoilers but are we ACTUALLY meant to think it’s poetic or flattering or triumphant that Rauru was like “oh YEAH? Well in thousands of years this guy called Link is gonna kick your ass”

How much has he even heard about Link? He must have had at least one more conversation about him with Zelda because the Master Sword doesn’t come up in the Zelda and Sonia tear, and by the King’s Duty tear Rauru’s just like oh don’t worry, if we don’t finish Ganondorf off I’m sure your bf can handle him. As I’ve said before, his “We rely on your knight” line rubbed me the wrong way starting with its appearance in the trailer, and it really does not feel less entitled after watching said knight (and that legendary sword he carries) very very VERY nearly get one-shotted by Ganondorf at the beginning of the game. And Zelda knows this! What does she feel watching her Better Dad Substitute sacrifice himself and simultaneously sic the evil bad guy on Link—a siccing which explicitly shapes Ganondorf’s attitude towards Link at the beginning of the game? At what point did she have the emotion of “welp. I know why Ganondorf knew Link’s name now.” The musical blending of the LOZ theme/hero’s theme with Rauru’s theme seems to suggest that it’s not an emotion meant to be had at exactly that moment, but I cannot watch Rauru sneer “remember that name” without yelling HE DOESN’T NEED THAT INFORMATION at the screen.

I played through the GSI in Japanese recently and Rauru did seem a touch less entitled to Link than I’ve been reading him—mostly because of the formal, polite, outgroup-equal language he used with him—but I still can’t get over the extent to which Rauru heard about Link a few times and decided, sight unseen, that he was going to clean up Rauru’s mess. My man what made you think that. What gave you the right to decide that. And how frightening to be Zelda and watch Rauru pin all the world’s hope on her beloved knight who Ganondorf absolutely fucking wiped the floor with. We see this worry in her in the Master Sword in Time cutscene! To what extent can Zelda’s transformation and before that her petition to the other tribes of Hyrule for Link’s sake be understood as a forced action due to Rauru’s conviction that Link could do this no sweat? Almost entirely, I feel—but does the game know that?

I just. Isn't it intentional? Doesn't it have to be? The fact that Rauru already needs the correction, once, that he cannot and should not face the Demon King alone. Then his melodramatic claim that Link has got this on lock. Then Zelda being like 😬 not sure about this actually and going through the whole process of talking to the ancient sages + draconifying for the sake of the Master Sword. Because Rauru absolutely set Link up to fail and Zelda is the one making sure Link has the resources, including the support of others, he needs to succeed. And the game is so much about community, about not doing things on your own.

And yet the way the scene is scored and animated and the way all the other characters talk about Rauru's sacrifice seems to treat this as a a moment of culmination, of triumph. I am getting such mixed messages here.

Understand, I’m saying all of this with an aching fondness for this poor self-deluded hypocrite. And also teeth-grinding frustration. I think he deserves to feel suffocatingly humiliated when Link almost didn’t survive Ganondorf’s attack and I also have tremendous sympathy for the shame and terror that it might be far too late to correct his mistake that he must have felt as he waited for Link to wake up. Both of those things. Hopelessly lonely man who found people to love him and built himself into a role he was never adequate for. I wish the game looked at this a little more. I wish I could tell if the game intended this at all.

(This is not the most intelligently written post but I assure you I mean every word of it.)

[blueyappers]

The negative responses to The Catcher in the Rye are concerning

''Holden Caulfield is annoying.'' I get it. If you were forced to read this book in school you might have had better things to do than to plunge yourself into a rich white boy's ''what's the point?'' -manifesto. I struggled at first too and it isn't my absolute favourite story. But don't be surprised when systems all over the world struggle to respond to the rapidly declining mental health of the youth. Some of yall (especially the adults out there) miss the early signs of serious mental health issues in the same way you miss the multiple reasons for Holden Caulfield's behaviour and world view in the book. Let me explain:

Yes, Holden is annoying. He's an unreliable narrator, that doesn't seem to care about much. What else do we get to know about him and his life through the book?

He's 17.

His brother, someone that he clearly cared for, has died.

He has a cold relationship with his parents.

He mentions feeling sick.

He wants to (and almost does) run away from everything.

He smokes cigarettes and drinks.

He wants for people to leave him alone/ can't build a proper connection.

He frequently pretends to be something he is not for ''fun''.

He has general apathy towards life and things he used to enjoy.

The book implies him being a victim of SA.

To those fellow psychology enthusiasts out there: do you see any warning signs? Now, Holden not being quite well mentally, some would say clearly depressed, isn't a big revelation. What matters is the adults in the book, they all suck.

Holden has no support system, other than his younger sister that he adores. None of the many adults in the story take the responsibility to ask a minor about why he's drinking or what he's doing alone late at night. In fact, he almost gets beaten up and robbed by said adults. But then his response to his surroundings is hated on? Man, he's coping the way he can with the resources available to him. (Cigarettes and worrying thought patterns)

It's often said that The Catcher in the Rye is about growing up, and there is definitely some truth to that. However in my opinion, the book is very much about the many ways adults fail teenagers. And I can't help but be reminded of how common this is in the real world we live in.

Don't be a phony, check on your loved ones <3

[ozzgin]

hope this doesn't come off as rude, but do you condone the usage of ai art? because I noticed you use ai art for quite a few of your post headers ^^;

No worries, it's a reasonable question, although a rather complex one! There are multiple layers that I would like to go through when answering you.

Do I condone the use of AI as a replacement for actual art? Obviously not. I enjoy drawing, and I enjoy collecting art. This won't change regardless of technology. The reality, however, is that generative AI will continue to develop, whether we like it or not. So, you know, instead of denying its existence, I would prefer to openly discuss it and have it regulated by laws and ethical conducts. For example, laws that would protect artists from being laid off in favor of one single AI engineer. Or laws that would limit the profit companies can make using undisclosed AI. Basically, making sure that this new technology serves the people instead or rendering them useless.

Do I condone the use of AI for individual use? Depends. My opinion is that non-profit, entertainment purposes are not the root of the problem. Someone generating a funny image of a cat is not the equivalent of someone generating hundreds of images a day. Those terrible environmental statistics you see online are mostly targeted at this kind of business usage. If you were to go on Instagram, for example, you would find a lot of accounts who publish vast amounts of AI works, often omitting this fact. Some sell merch, advice, or - if they are honest about their methods - courses and books on prompts and AI imagery. It's an actual thing. Does it take visibility away from actual artists? Absolutely. Even worse, it leads to a lot of doubt, where artists must prove themselves against accusatory claims. Again, I believe the solution is not to ignore progress or demand it stops, but to find concrete measures and implement them.

I use AI images for story headers, strictly for decorative purposes. If I want to express something visually, I will draw it myself. I do not have the time nor resources to draw every single picture I want to use on my hobby blog. Whoever disagrees with it is free to pay me a full employee salary. Mind you, on that note, I've seen a lot of people mentioning Pinterest and similar as open sources for pictures. They are not free repositories to just grab whatever you want. That photograph of a foggy forest was taken by someone and requires crediting. That unspecified manga panel was drawn by someone and requires crediting. 90% of the images I see here have no source or credit. I find it terribly hypocritical to parade as a supporter of human arts while conveniently ignoring every case where said human art is stolen, modified or uncredited.

Lastly, do I condone the use of AI by artists? This is an interesting topic, and a recent case immediately comes to mind: a well-established artist I've been following for over a decade has alluded to potentially training AI to replicate their art in the future. It's their way of easing their workload. Is it any different from comic artists using filtered photos to skip drawing backgrounds, for example? Is it any different from commission artists pre-drawing body parts and objects as brushes and stamps, so they can skip a lot of the drawing process? I am not a professional artist, nor do I require the use of this sort of assistance, but I cannot help but wonder: how many of the individuals who had a meltdown over this suggestion have actually paid or tipped an artist in their life? How many of them regularly call out stolen content? How many are mindful about the content they share/distribute/save, making sure it involves given permissions and fulfills ethical standards? I'm not necessarily calling people out; rather, I'm saying that the outrage is misdirected and untargeted.

I don't have a concrete conclusion to the last paragraph. It's a novel dilemma, a gray area with a lot of factors involved. At least to me. I wanted to include it in the conversation to show that generative AI and its implications are rapidly changing and expanding, so it's difficult to encapsulate it all in one definite opinion. All I can tell you is that my appreciation for human art has not changed, and I will continue to support it. :)

[sbk-zgvlt]

I’ve actually been sitting on an au idea for quite a while. I discussed this IN DEPTH with my friend a while back but I wanna get your thoughts on it. I was wondering what would have happened if Sebek was sorted into a different dorm. I always settled for him being sorted into Pomefiore, seeing as how their whole thing is embodying the Evil Queen’s spirit of tenacity, of which Sebek has an abundance of. They’re also skilled at cultivating a unique sense of style, something Sebek ALSO does quite well. BUT SEBEK ADMITTED HIMSELF IF HE HAD TO BE IN ANY OTHER DORM BESIDES DIASOMNIA HE’D CHOOSE OCTINAVELLE. But the thought of Sebek in Heartslabyul flourishing under a strict regiment of conduct and Riddle’s no nonsense rule. I JUST KEEP WONDERING WHICH WOULD SUIT HIM BEST. While I also think he would represent Savanaclaw’s persistence well, I just think he’d despise the chaos and lack of order. And Ignihyde is out of the question.

But then that also leads me to the OTHER au of all the freshmen going into different dorms. Jack headed off to Heartslabyul, Epel to Savanaclaw, Deuce to Scarabia, Sebek to Pomefiore and Ace to Octinavelle. Personality wise I think they’d blossom in their newly assigned dorms respectively, but I wanna see what you think.

OH WE ARE COOKING.

I'm going to start playing with the idea of the whole first year group switching dorms before doing the "only Sebek switches" one.

First of all, absolutely love the dorms you casted them in mwah mwah mwah. Jack is a stickler for the rules in his own weird kind of way, believes in fair play and is quite possibly one of the most law-abiding students in the school...if it weren't for the fact that if morality and his own beliefs comes into play, he's willing to break a rule or two for the sake of his friends.

Epel is going to be underestimated by a LOT of Savanaclaw, but his stubbornness will help him put up a good fight. Even if he loses in the end, its shown that the students are smart enough to not go by someone's looks after they prove themselves to be strong and persistent. There is a chance that his character development regarding masculinity and his toxic view of it may be delayed...unless Leona gets on his case about it, because the women in Sunset Savanna are NOT to be messed with and so is any other woman, kid what the FUCK are you on about.

I was a bit unsure of Deuce being in Scarabia, but then I remembered this is the kid who changed his ways after overhearing his mom crying about him and decided the best way to make his mom proud is to become an honor student. Being an honor student is fucking HARD, as someone who USED to be one, so bro needs to plan and worry about more things than just academics, because trying to snag a spot as an honor student also means being on your best behavior.

Then I was STILL unsure, and saw Ace was at Octavinelle, and that's when I realized oh these mfs are a package deal fr!!! Deuce and Ace could switch between Octavinelle and Scarabia and IT WOULD STILL FUCKING FIT THEM. Ace is cunning and resourceful in ways you wouldnt expect (Scarabia), while also being very thoughtful and considerate when it comes to his friends (Octavinelle). Deuce is mindful of how his actions and words can affect other people (and his spot as an honor student) as long as his emotions dont get the best of him (Scarabia), and is goodwilled (Octavinelle). I love Adeuce.

Anyways, onto the ACTUAL idea part. Yeah. that wasn't the whole post. Sue me.

Jack can fulfill Adeuce's role in Book 1, me thinks. Even if he doesn't break any rules, his sense of justice will get him to call out Riddle for how his actions have affected the whole dorm. Riddle's overblot will be a bit delayed, since there's no punching the dormhead and the ruined unbirthday thing, but that shit's definitely going to happen still.

Epel would also be able to fulfill Jack's role. His admiration for Leona and Ruggie will make him feel all the more betrayed when he finds out that theyre actually going to cheat their way through the game. I feel that he would want to showcase his skills by battling a worthy (very much overpowered) opponent, not someone who'll end up underneath a stampede. Jack tagging along will also spur him on as they both share the same admiration for Leona.

ACE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO MESS WITH AZUL HAHAHA. THIS is one overblot that will actually be sped up. The same things still happen, except Yuu and the group get the information much faster from ACE, who is oh so willing to betray Azul and the Leech twins. He got sea anemone'd haha. The loser.

i FORGOT TO MENTION: Ace and Deuce are still the first people Yuu meets. Just yknow. Different dorms and all. Im not sure if Deuce would fall for Azul's contract, considering the fact that he's under Kalim and JAMIL, the latter knowing fully well how Azul is, but for the sake of the story he DID get sea anemone'd.

Because Im a sucker for them, Ace initially didnt give up information without something in return, before Yuu suddenly said out of nowhere that Deuce also fell for Azul's contract. Ace laughs it off, saying if theyre trying to get him to pity Deuce, they have to try harder than that. But eventually, Ace caves in because he genuinely does like Deuce because "he's a cool guy" and agrees to help them out free of charge. Theyre a duo in any universe fr 🔥🔥🔥

Scarabia overblot is the only thing that turns out to be MOSTLY the same, minus Deuce being sad that Jamil wasnt cool like that...but the mess is cleaned up fairly quickly.

FINALLY getting to Sebek. Fuck.

Sebek is INCONSOLABLE that he is NOT in Diasomnia. He unfortunately cannot camp out in their courtyard as he's claimed he will because Vil and Rook have him on CONSTANT supervision. Vil is a bit sad he wasnt able to get the lavender-haired boy in Pomefiore, but I guess he has to settle for the loud guy instead...he can work with this, Sebek already has this unique charm to him anyway.

Rook is FASCINATED. A HALF-FAE!?!?!?! IN THEIR DORM!?!?!? A dream come true. He literally stops tailing after any beastmen and mermen for a week, and Leona prays to the heavens above in thanks. He's even more delighted when he finds out Sebek consumes media of the same obscure opera he follows, so rest assured Rook is hanging around Sebek.

Im not sure if Sebek would take Epel's place in VDC, but I guess its SOMEWHAT possible, since he's shown some skills in Spectral Soiree anyway. Epel is still involved anyway because the apple juice is literally from his family, so.

Sebek's character development will be faster, I will say. Vil's view of beauty does not lie in one's looks as most people may believe, as he views beauty to be something you WORK HARD FOR. Rook sees beauty in EVERYTHING, regardless of any flaws. These two are actually going to be quite impactful on Sebek's journey on learning that his fae blood does NOT make him superior than others, but his human blood doesnt make him inferior as well. Yeah. I think he'll turn out alright.

Ignihyde events turn out the same way, although Im not too sure as well if Sebek takes Epel's place as well. This is where Im too stupid. Sorry guys. And now we head to DIASOMNIA.

...WHICH I WILL CONTINUE IN ANOTHER POST!!! AS WELL AS THE "ONLY SEBEK SWITCHES DORMS" IDEA!!!!!! BECAUSE THIS IS TOO LONG!!!!

[agathathevelvetlady]

Late Night Thoughts on Metaphor: ReFantazio

Probably going to periodically post thoughts on Metaphor. I'm currently at 6/16(?), so I'm still in the first real dungeon. Lots of points (and spoilers) below the read more; you have been warned.

-Storywise, this game seems made for me. Immediately differentiating the player from the protagonist is a very interesting move coming from ATLUS of all people, and I love me some metaplot. Seeing my own name on the end of the Royal Magic Scroll sent an actual chill down my spine. -Hell, the fact that the protagonist actually speaks is so jarring. I don't know if we've EVER had a speaking ATLUS protagonist. -The whole idea of fantasy being not just a form of escapism, but a form of idealism is a very interesting response to how Megaten handles Alignments; it feels like a much more hopeful version of that basic idea. -Speaking of which, I absolutely love that the protagonists book is clearly about our world but is absolutely an idealized version of it. The idea that our world is in some way aspirational to these fantasy characters? Cool as hell! -Any worries I had about the game having it's edge removed because of the T rating are also gone. Hell, I would argue there's more edge to it than some of Atlus' M rated titles. Seriously, how'd they get away with all this blood and people getting hanged without an M. -On a personal note, I think it's incredibly funny that ATLUS released a semi-meta JRPG where the main characters powers come from "Archetypes" at the same time I was working on a semi-meta TTRPG wherein characters get their powers from "Archetypes". Utterly hilarious coincidence. -I love the fact that there's a bit of nearly every ATLUS game in here. You got DDS mantras, Etrian Odyssey resource management (we even have ariande threads!), Persona social stats/links/time management, Megaten Press Turn combat, FUSION SPELLS (but actually balanced this time), not to mention nearly all of the classes being from some ATLUS game or another. Hell, we've got the Etrian Odyssey Brawler and Gunner in here. This is awesome. -The time mechanics feel a lot less grindy than something like P5; it seems like we'll be restrained to a much shorter chunk of time but it makes each action matter a lot more. -Coming off of P5 Royal being so piss easy that I could do most dungeons in a single day without even trying even on merciless, I am so glad that Hard mode is actually like, Hard. I've already wiped a few times, and it is SO refreshing to have to actually leave the damn dungeon. Does wonders for the game's pacing. -Being able to engage in a bit of real time combat to wipe out fodder enemies or weaken stronger ones is a wonderful system (I believe it's taken from Trails but don't quote me on that). It lets us skip past most of the "fodder" fights and really cuts down on the combat being too repetitive since the times when you will fight will always be against things which actually challenge you. It's not as brain dead as just running up and hitting the attack button, or Persona 5's stealth ambush system. There's times when I legitimately have decided to just engage a fight then and there because I thought it would be too risky to try and go for a break attack. I love making decisions like that. The fact that you have different move sets based on class weapon similar to SMT IV makes it feel fresh enough to keep doing. Character wise, I'm pretty happy with the core trio. I would die for Strohl and that is not a joke. Plot wise, it keeps pulling out things that really just amaze me. That fucking stone head in the sky man. What a great idea. Overall, I'm really happy with the game so far. Cautiously optimistic and with some minor nitpicks (I think some of the VFX need to be toned down tbh). If it follows through on the ideas it's setting up? I could genuinely see this becoming my favorite ATLUS game. I feel like I'm playing Vanilla P5 for the first time again, and it's a beautiful feeling.

[the-ball-is-round]

I will always support the USWNT, and not to be dramatic, but I think this is what heartbreak feels like.

I’m just gonna be so honest. This is not the USWNT that I fell in love with ten years ago. And Vlatko as a coach has been an absolute disgrace to the history of this team. We aren’t getting past Sweden. It just won’t happen.

-The fact that we have had three years to rebuild this team after 2020 and this is what we have to show is horrendous.

-The fact that we haven’t been in a battle with our federation the way other teams have been and this is what we have to show is horrendous.

-The fact that we have more resources and more money than any other women’s team and this is what we have to show is horrendous.

-the fact that we have been world champions for eight years and ranked number one by FIFA for over a decade and this is what we have to show is horrendous and a disgrace to the legacy of this team.

This is just so disappointing. Sure, the players haven’t been as individually brilliant or consistent as we’re used to (in fact they were absolutely terrible individually against Portugal and they have lost all their ability to play with energy and are making increasingly inexcusable mistakes), but the blame for this failure lies with the coaching staff.

- There is no fire or desire to win in this team. The team keeps saying ‘they gave everything’ and I just don’t think that’s true. And it’s hard to watch these players not give it their all when we all know they can achieve so much more.

- our young players are so unprepared on this scale, and our team doesn’t know how to play with each other because Vlatko refused to make any decisions about anyone in the past three years until two months ago. How can a team play well then they’ve never played together?

- Vlatko doesn’t play players where they’re good. Sure Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett are good outside backs. But they are absolute beasts in the midfield. Sure Julie Ertz was good in center back when she last played it in 2016, but she is an absolute hazard for other teams in defending mid.

- they haven’t actually made any formation or structural changes since Jill Ellis left. You can’t keep the same tactics for four years and not expect teams to dismantle them.

- They’ve shown a serious inability to tactically adapt to different opponents within the flow of a game.

- They aren’t using the bench players. For years we’ve said that the US has the most talented bench in the world. Why aren’t they being used? To be so far into this tournament and to have not used eight of your players is just bad resource management.

- His lack of substitutes in a game is so worrying in this age when we’re seeing so many injuries. It’s just so frustrating when he doesn’t even try to make changes throughout a game.

- And to top it all off, Vlatko is so massively delusional about this team’s success under his management. He keeps saying “we got the job done”. You didn’t. You hung on by a thread and the only reason you succeeded was purely based on luck. You can’t make positive change if you don’t acknowledge where your problems are.

I will always back the USWNT. Besides what they’ve done in the past on the field, their off the field impact has been immense and I will always be proud of them for that. They have absolutely changed this sport for the better, and I will stand by their work for equal pay, the queer community, and people of color.

But reflecting on this tournament, what little girl is going to be inspired by this performance?

[hunt-me-sergeant]

Hi, it's me again with another theory cause I'm an overthinker ! Phee theory it is.

Let's put all the Tech and Phee situation aside. I personally have nothing against the ship and Phee. She's an amazing character and a boss lady. Tech deserves happiness. I enjoy her character as much as I enjoy Cid. That's why she's intriguing to me.

However, I don't trust neither of them. I don't trust anyone except for Rex when it comes to The Batch.

I just feel that the writers are trying really hard to misdirect us. Away from Cid and Phee's true intentions.

So let's compare. We have ☯️ situation here.

Cid

From the start, she was shown to be kind of mean, dislikable, morally grey character and all she cared about was her business. The subject of "trust" has been mentioned many times between The Batch and her and we know it's definitely not there.

In the episode (that people call a filler episode) "Faster", we had a chance to see more of Cid. We found out she has a low key dark past. We heard Millegi's advice to not trust her.

With her The Batch was always busy, going on missions with their guard up. They were always ready for a fight.

Now we see they decided to cut ties with Cid due to her denying them help on Makko.

Phee

When Phee was introduced, we immediately fell in love because we met a cool pirate lady, who doesn't take anyone's shit and she gave all the deserved attention to our man Tech. She's doing God's work.

Another filer episode "Entombed" where Phee taking them on a mission to look for a treasure. We could see more of her and her amazing stories. Omega absolutely adores her, she's like a cool aunty. She's all smooth and awesome. Sweet.

Now we have her helping The Batch. She took them on Pabu, where she made them feel safe and relaxed. She showed them a place to stay.

What a nice contrast, isn't it?

Also quick note : Those "filler" episodes are not fillers in my opinion. They had a purpose – to mislead us even more. See how all the fillers were connected to Cid or Phee?

But as I said in my Cid theory, this show taught me to pay attention to every detail and every little word.

And what made me go "hmmm" was Phee's "makes you wonder, doesn't it?" When Hunter asked why did she bring them on Pabu.

I dont trust both of these ladies, but while everyone thinks Cid will be the traitor, I think it's Phee whom we should worry about.

The writers seem to try to make us see Cid as a bad person. While with Phee, we are totally sold to the vision of her being a friend.

The moment when Phee heard they cut ties with Cid, she immediately took them on a planet that is a secret sanctuary and that Cid doesn't know about its existence.

She took them on Pabu, saying this is a place to stay. When Hunter asked her if she meant them staying there permanently, she didn't say simple yes. She used Hunter's weakness - Omega, "She seemed to like it here."

And Hunter was sold. They are now thinking of Pabu as a potential home. They are safe, relaxed and what's the more important... they lowered their guard.

Let's look at this from the "If Phee is indeed the traitor" POV. She took them on a secret planet. No one now knows the batch's location except for Phee. They don't suspect anything bad happening. So...one signal sent to the Empire, and they have the batch on a golden platter.

You'd ask, "If it's true, what does Phee gain from betraying the batch?". Maybe it would be an exchange for freedom of Pabu? Maybe some ancient good or someone of a high value to her that the Empire now posses? Treasure can be many things right?

It's true that she would endanger Pabu but Shep said they don't have any reason to come on Pabu since this planet has no valuable resources and even if they come they will be manage, whatever that means.

We all know that Pabu being the silence before the storm is a fact. Funny enough, the whole episode looked like a foreshadowing of it.

The Empire is looking for Omega. We will probably see Crosshair being sent for the hunt. He needs some information about where she can possibly be. Cid doesn't know about Pabu's existence, so she can't be the traitor, even if she wanted. She has no location to give the Empire.

Some may think my theories about Cid and Phee are too complex for this show. But are they? Meanie becoming a hero and sweet soul turning out to be a traitor is one of the most basic tropes in both kids and adult shows. Also if you think I'm reaching then scroll away idk 🤷🏽‍♀️.

At the end of the day I really hope both, Cid and Phee turn out to be the batchers' friends and will help them escape the Empire for good. But you're lying if you say theories aren't fun 😌

[therummesoccupied]

IDW'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ISSUE #72 - THOUGHTS

WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD

We're back with another thrilling installment of "Tay Sits Down to Write the Review Hours Before the Next Issue Releases!"

Lemme start by saying, the cover art for this one, by Natalie Haines, absolutely rules. Jet and the Phantom Rider circling each other while lightning strikes a Surge-shaped storm cloud in the background is so cool out of context, and even cooler in.

This issue, to me, the beginning of what I'm calling the Phantom Riders arc, following up the Extreme Competition arc from the last three issues, and looking to be the climactic story of the Clean Sweepstakes saga.

As is often the case with the first issue of any arc, this one is a bit of a slower one, not quite as thrilling as any issue of the arc before. It goes by quick, but there's still a ton of neat stuff in here to dig into, most of it is just... quieter in nature.

The story opens up with Surge and Kit marching right into Clutch's office and declaring that they will no longer be participating in his operation, desiring to leave behind their lives of villainy and pursue the much more fulfilling roles of heroes. It, uh... doesn't go well for them.

What's interesting here is that Clutch never actually makes any form of direct threat about what he'll do if they leave. He doesn't fly off the handle and smash anything to make an example for them. He doesn't even raise his voice.

And that's one of the things I love about Clutch as a villain. His entire strength is manipulation. He knows exactly which strings to pull, exactly which tone to employ to keep his operatives in mind. As I've said before, he doesn't have an army the size of the Eggman Empire, strength to contend with the Deadly Six, or an intellect on the level of Dr. Starline. But he has one thing none of them do - an unrivaled understanding of his resources, and exactly how to make use of them. There's just something so fascinating to me about a Sonic the Hedgehog villain who's entire strength comes from pulling strings and getting into peoples' heads.

I love this guy! I hope he doesn't... y'know... die at the end of this saga, because frankly, I'd love to see him return again in the future.

We also get Sonic on the run, trying to stay under the radar of the Babylon Rogues, until...

Real world years after their introduction, Sonic finally meets Nite and Don! I'm a huge fan of this scene - partly because I really like Nite and Don, and I'm always happy to see more of them, and partly because I love this kinda thing! Main characters from the games meeting side characters from the comics that they've never run into despite them having been around for a while! These path-crossings between characters who are well-established but don't usually interact is something I love in any story, but especially in Sonic, because it gives me an opportunity to see these characters I've known and loved for such a long time explored in ways I've never seen before! This goes a long way toward making the world feel more lived in, and is the kind of thing I'd been hoping we'd see more of as the comic got to have more and more continuity under its belt.

Also, I know it's a little thing that has already been shared a lot, but I love how visibly angry Sonic is in this panel. I've been gushing over any little hint of Sonic's 90's edge being brought forth in this saga, so any more of it is always gonna get me right where it counts.

Here, Nite clues Sonic in to the fact that, in addition to Amy and Tails, the Chaotix are also looking into Clean Sweep, which means we will more than likely be seeing them at some point in this arc.

(Side note: Nite's mug has a modified version of the Crush 40 logo on it, and the poster behind him has an edit of their eponymous album. This is awesome and Crush 40 is awesome.)

This is cool because I love the Chaotix, Vector specifically being one of my favorite characters, but it does worry me that they might be showing up... a little too much? Maybe it's just me, but if feels like they show up a lot over the course of IDW Sonic, especially lately between the Misadventures arc, A Very Chaotix Halloween, and the Spring Broken special. I've gotten into it a bit in other posts, but aside from Sonic Tails, Amy, and Eggman, I prefer most Sonic characters to be "sometimes food."

The cast is so big that you can constantly keep revolving side characters in and out, occasionally throwing in new ones, and go a good while between repetitions, which, in my opinion, only helps to make the appearances of these characters to feel more impactful and, again, make the world feel more lived in. Sonic has so many friends that he doesn't always see many of them that often. It makes sense to me, but maybe it's only me.

Anyway, it'll seem neat to see how they play into everything that's going on here. What's interesting to me is, back in Misadventures, when Clutch hires the Babylon Rogues to steal Echidna artifacts from Angel Island, he says that he did so to keep certain parties occupied while he conducted his business with the Restoration - setting things up for the Clean Sweepstakes. I'd assumed the parties he spoke of were the Chaotix specifically, whom Knuckles recruited to help retrieve his stolen relics.

However, if this was his intention, it seems the Chaotix have gotten involved anyway. Was this a simple oversight on his part? Were his efforts in vain? Or is something more going on? Was the party he sought to distract actually Knuckles? Does his grand plan involve some kind of play for the Master Emerald? If so, that'd be a very bold move for him. For now, though, the best we can do is speculate until we get a better look at the scope of Clutch's scheme - I will say though (and this is a bit of a spoiler within a spoiler), Evan Stanley has posted some WIP pencils for upcoming issues that appear to be part of this same arc, and one drawing among them does seem to show an Emerald present, so it's pretty safe to assume at least one Emerald, be it Chaos or Master, is definitely in the mix here.

Meanwhile, poor Surge is going through it. She lays out exactly what I have found tragically beautiful about her entire character arc, especially over the course of this saga: She envies the freedom of Sonic, but can never have it. No matter what, someone is always seeking to use her for their own ends, and if they can't, the make sure that she can never have the freedom she seeks by damaging her life beyond any hope of repair. It's a surprisingly deep and sad thing to see played out in the Sonic universe, and at the point she's at, I'm not sure there's any good way out for her.

That being said, Kit seems to have his own course of action in mind, and I'm excited to see exactly what it is, because while Kit was designed to be the reason to Surge's rush, he's always seemed to be the one capable of going even further off the deep end when pushed. He always seems to have some pretty extreme levels of violence in mind when he gets quiet and focused. He's kind of creepy like that, and who knows what he's got in store. Whether it works out in his favor or not, I don't imagine it looks good for Clutch, who, like so many others before him, has likely underestimated the little fox.

The last scene of this issue has Amy, Tails, and Belle trying to make their way to Jewel's office to expose Clutch, only to be intercepted by Clean Sweep Inc.'s mascots, who reveal themselves to be none other than Rough and Tumble. We knew these two were working under Clutch, but they haven't shown up in a bit, and it left me wondering exactly where they fit into Clutch's machinations here. Turns out they were right in the spotlight the entire time. Makes sense, given the way they're usually played for comic relief.

They pretty immediately call for backup - which is funny to me. It's characteristically underhanded of them, sure, but it also shows that they've been gaining some level of understanding of just how outmatched they are when dealing with Sonic and co. I did notice that Tumble says they have more infiltrators on their hands, implying they've already dealt with a few before these three arrived. I'd say it's pretty reasonable to assume they're referring to the Chaotix, so it's likely Amy, Tails, and Belle will be running into them soon.

Story-wise, this issue has a lot of neat stuff to dig into, just not quite as much forward momentum as recent ones. And that's good! You have to have setup to have payoff! Plus, these quieter scenes provide a great opportunity for character exploration, an opportunity this issue takes full advantage of. Just about every character gets plenty to do here, plenty to show us who they are when they're not in the heat of action.

In terms of art, this issue is everything the previous arc would lead you to expect. Aaron Hammerstrom continues to bring us some absolutely gorgeous pencils, with some really solid inks from Matt Froese, an artist I've been following since long before their work on IDW Sonic, and have been delighted to see show up in the comic's credits.

As I mentioned previously, we seem to have some upcoming pencils from Stanley herself, and while I love Stanley's art and am always excited to see more of it, it does make me a little sad that we won't be seeing as much from Hammerstrom or Min Ho Kim. They truly have become my absolute favorite artists working on this series - even over legends like Yardley and Hesse. Guess I couldn't see their pencils exclusively forever, though. Whatever the case, Stanley's upcoming stuff looks good, and I'm excited to see more of it, as well as what happens next, which I'll be seeing in... *checks watch* ... About an hour.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'll catch you next time!

[chutkiandchotte]

Khushi, Family, and Unconditional Love

This post happened because I started thinking about how, for Khushi, having the Raizadas as her in-laws is such a critical part of her personal happy ending and the healing-from-her-trauma journey. 

Certainly, in my opinion, they represent a MUCH happier family unit for her than the Guptas. Now listen, this isn’t a Guptas-bashing post (though I can definitely whip one of those out, some other day maybe). But if we’re talking about Khushi’s trauma and her ultimate happy ending, we have to talk about how the Guptas treated Khushi, and that brings out some harsh truths!

Little Orphan Khushi

Note: I’ll exclude Shashi from this analysis for the time being because he truly accepted Khushi as a daughter, loved and took care of her to the best of his ability, and nearly giving his life to protect her. 

But Buaji and Garima, are NOT the same as Shashi. It’s absolutely undeniable that underneath the surface of their love and care for Khushi is an undercurrent of neglect, contempt, and discrimination. Khushi IS family, but she ISN’T the same as Payal. Payal is truly beloved, for herself. She is considered an ideal child, full of virtues. Khushi? Khushi is loved as a duty, taken care of as the orphan burden. And this sentiment isn’t buried too deep - its a little too close to the surface, awaiting only a little anger, to burst out. 

Khushi is a PROBLEM, to be managed, to be controlled, the best they can. Payal is nurtured and a little spoiled, to be protected from the worst of the what the world has to offer, whereas Khushi takes on burdens entirely to large for her age for the sake of her family, and it’s all taken for granted. She is given way too much responsibility, she is the one making sacrifices to protect THEM and it is all subtly accepted and normalized. 

Why was Payal, the unmarried elder one, not linked with Shyam, if he was so eligible? Because for all his charms, he was ALSO the orphaned connection-less paying guest whose background no one knows much about. If it was Payal who went to work at the Raizadas the second time, would Buaji even CONSIDER letting her go? Would Buaji let Payal keep a secret about her stalker/sexual harasser, forcing her to hang around this same man all the time, for the sake of protecting Khushi’s future? 

See, they aren’t fairy tale evil step mothers. So it’s not that they don’t care for Khushi at all. They do care! They just don’t care AS MUCH as they do for Payal. The care for Khushi isn’t instinctive and emotional the way it is for Payal, the care comes from a sense of duty towards a child under their responsibility. And Khushi knows it. She feels it ALL. Will she ever admit this to anybody? Nope! But she knows. 

What Do We Do With The Problem of Khushi?

So, if they’re not evil and beyond redemption, then why are the Guptas like this? It’s not that they’re looking for reasons to hate Khushi, in fact, they observably do have a certain amount of affection and care for her. But, I believe, there’s a filter that distorts how they view her and how they love her that limits them. That is the filter of “she is an orphan we adopted who is draining our common financial resources and adding to our net worries by her very existence”. 

For middle class people, the financial burden of an extra child is nothing to be sneezed at, ESPECIALLY when it’s an additional girl child. The context of conservative, middle-class, small-town India is ever present in every scene with the Guptas. Again I repeat, there are no villains here (except Shyam) nor are you supposed to hate Buaji or Garima. It’s just that, to understand these delicately imbalanced family dynamics, you have to consider the society that they live in. A girl child represents a net financial drain. And that can’t be waved away no matter how evolved you are. The BEST case scenario is a man like Shashi, kind, generous, liberal-hearted, fair-minded, and loving, who would take Khushi in and NEVER blame her for any of this. But he can, and he very much does, worry about how to give his daughters the protection and the happiness they deserve considering his limitations. He worries. And the stress of it all takes an undeniable medical toll on him. He can never resent Khushi because he knows it’s not her fault. But he is absolutely worrying extra because of the fact that it’s two daughters, not one. 

By the way, this kind of bias is incredibly common (and extremely depressing). You’ll see a step child kind of attitude towards many girl children, even those who are fully blood related, in certain sections of society in India. Where will the dowry come from? Who will pay? What is the worth of a girl child when all she will do is take away a chunk of her family’s wealth with her? The indictment here is largely for the social structures that perpetuate this kind of terrible injustice, generation after generation. The best meaning individuals can be at wits end as to how they can take care of their families in such circumstances. 

THIS is also the crux of why Khushi really feels that burden of unlimited gratitude towards her parents, this is why I believe she is so extra EXTRA motivated to be the breadwinner, protect her family from financial woes, to prevent her father ANY amount of extra worry especially any on her account. As a girl child, Khushi wants to prove to them they haven’t made a “bad deal” by taking her in. She wants to show them the rich dividends of doing this great favor of loving her. (Let’s all take a minute to hug Khushi) (Arnav thinks this way too!!! Exactly this, just that being a man his motivation is more aspirational and less emotionally and logistically complicated).

The other aspect of this, is that in desi cultures, girl children are also considered a greater as well as trickier moral and social responsibility. The “honor” of women is fragile and must be protected blah blah blah and other nonsense. So any bad behavior on the part of Khushi is seen as particularly ungrateful in a way Payal’s would never be. Why? Because Khushi was rescued by them from the horror of being a girl alone in the world, given a home and protection and respectability, and in turn, she owes them a lifetime of being EXTRA careful, EXTRA perfect, so as to not add to their stress of raising girl children.

So, viewing Khushi through this girl child orphan/burden filter, they can never quite appreciate her for what she is, never quite let themselves love her for her own self, completely. They see her exuberance, her mischief, and worry about it causing logistical problems for them. They see her charming yet innocent nature, and worry about her getting intro disrespectable situations which would reflect badly on them and Payal. They see her “sanka-devi ness” ie her weirdness and penchant for trouble, her headstrong and stubborn nature, and worry about how that makes her bad marriage material, on top of already being an orphan. And you know what? They’re not entirely wrong; some of these qualities Khushi has, are NOT what people look for in an ideal Indian woman in the marriage market. But as her family, the Guptas should help her make the best of these circumstances and support her in her journey, rather than making her feel less than, and problematic, just for being her natural self. But, those are their limitations! From their perspective, they definitely think they did the best they could do, and they for sure did much more than what most others would have done. 

This is a bit of a head-canon, not entirely show-based, but it’s one I like: I think that it’s only when the Guptas see Khushi through other people’s eyes, specifically the Raizadas’ eyes, that they learn to fully appreciate her strengths. And it’s when she’s actually gone from the house, that they start to realize how much joy and emotional strength she lent to their household. 

Khushi’s Deepest, Unspoken Desires

So how does all this shape our little orphan Khushi, naturally affectionate and giving, sensitive and self-esteemed, determined and naive and idealistic and passionate all at once? She LOVES the Guptas, she would lay her life down for them, she can’t hear a word against them or question them even in her own thoughts. She can never consciously acknowledge any flaws in her adoptive family or their upbringing of her. But nevertheless, their attitude towards her DOES influence her subconscious desires and deepest ambitions. She sublimates her unmet family needs into her marriage dreams. She is seeking resolution for the trauma of her broken family and life as a burdensome adopted child, from her idealistic and actually quite unrealistic dreams of her perfect future husband and in-laws. 

The one thing that Khushi craves for, that she secretly, and desperately hopes for, is unconditional love and acceptance. She longs to be in a family unit where despite having no blood relation, she has full rights to her proper position, a claim to every material and emotional consideration, and no one can question it or take it away for any reason and she needn’t feel obliged to anybody for what she gets. It all - the love, the care, the money, the house, is unquestionably hers. In short, the type of acceptance and position you can get from being a beloved and respected wife and daughter in law.

Also, she wants a husband and in-laws who love her for what she is and just as she is with no asterisk or element of duty. She wants that unconditional love, with full freedom to be herself, to express her full range of Khushi behaviors. She’s seen how all her life, her mother and aunt have struggled to accept the extremities of her sanka-devi-ness. Considered it a problem. Even Shashi, though he accepted and encouraged her, didn’t represented a source of full comfort and support for her simply because Khushi herself never wants to worry or trouble him, she is so scared to disappoint him or bother him too much. She craves to be around people who she doesn’t have to work quite so hard to impress by suppressing her natural self and being what they want her to be; people who spontaneously enjoy her natural dorky, energetic, impulsive self; people who don’t need anything from her but just want her around, for herself. It’s her ultimate dream because Khushi is a loving, selfless soul deprived of a healthy family unit. She craves the same kind of love that she gives out.

Khushi’s Khushi: A Realistic Fulfillment of Unrealistic Dreams

Now, as I said, Khushi puts a lot of onus on her future marriage to help her achieve her deepest desires. I think that’s what marriage, the divine, lofty ideal of it that she cherishes in her heart, means to her. Of course, this 18 yr old girl’s dream of achieving all of the above through marriage is just that - a quite silly, though poignant dream. It’s not realistic. An average marriage does not encompass most of what Khushi wants from it. An average conservative desi marriage, even less so. But never fear. Devi Maiyya, and ASR, are here - to both teach Khushi a few lessons in the realm of reality, and then also to eventually give her the much more realistic, tempered, mature version of her cherished dream. 

To clarify - I don’t think Khushi having these dreams is silly or stupid. Khushi is valid, all right??? She’s got every right to seek the kind of love and acceptance via romantic and “found family” structures which she never got in her adopted family. What I am saying is, her dreams are immature, the way teenagers’ dreams often are - they aren’t based in reality and aren’t reasonably achievable. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on the dream, it just means that with life experience and learnings, you learn to tailor and temper your dream to a more nuanced, realistic version, that encompasses life’s complexities. Like Khushi does!

This is one of the reasons, despite all surface evidence to the contrary, Arnav IS the perfectly imperfect man for Khushi, the balm for all her wounds, the answer to all her duas (wishes/dreams). Arnav’s unique and loving family is an important part of what he offers Khushi, just like Khushi’s easy and effortlessly loving relationship with his family is an important part of what Khushi offers him. These are the building blocks of their long-term suitability for one another as life partners.

Why The Raizadas Matter, And Not Just As Arnav’s Family

The great thing about the Raizadas is, they aren’t just “Arnav’s family who like and accept Khushi”. The Raizadas are, in a sense, like Khushi’s own found family. She has relationships and attachments with them independent of Arnav. They actually gave her what she wanted, that is, a family that loves her for all of who she is, who never viewed her as a burden, who truly want her around with no qualifications to change who she is. 

They just are always so tickled by ALL of Khushi’s drama and silliness and pranks; and yet appreciate how responsible and wise she is for her age. And even when she messes up or crosses a line (mostly Arnav-related lol) they rarely take offence, even though they would actually have the right to on several occasions! They ENJOY having her around, they seek out her company, find her jokes funny, ask her for ideas, want her opinions, respect her capabilities. They appreciate all her strengths - her bravery, her intelligence, her creativity, her sense of humor, her people-savvy skills, the way she mingles with everybody, the way she can find solutions to every problem. They’re all a little bit in awe of her, I think, the same way they are in awe of Arnav. As they should be!!! Arnav and Khushi are truly THAT power couple, equally matched in their intelligence, beauty, and bravery (and also in their irritating stubborness lol) . And the Raizadas see that.

[ Also like, just, shoutout to the Raizadas for actually being a surprisingly chill, mild, and reasonable family in the landscape of Indian television populated with EXTREMELY dramatic, viciously misogynistic, and needlessly hostile family units. (Seriously those of you who do not have this context, believe me, compared to your Average Tellywood Family, the Raizadas are practically angelic, all right?) ]

It’s absolutely funny to me how much the Raizadas enjoy seeing Khushi dominate Arnav. Like, let me tell you, if this was Your Average Tellywood Show, they would all HATE Khushi from witnessing her resignation speech for humiliating their darling male son heir child. Instead, they are hilariously amused and kind of in awe and low-key cheering her on whenever they see her taking on ASR. 

And, psycho Indian to-be in-laws would be all set to blame Khushi for the Arnav-Lavanya break up. Instead, they are SO partial to Khushi the whole time she works there, to the point that it actually makes Lavanya feel really bad that she’s working so hard to fit in and not fully succeeding while Khushi is doing it effortlessly. It’s not even about the sanskaar (cultural knowledge which Khushi has) or any of that - its just about the natural chemistry that Khushi has with the Raizadas, it’s much stronger and flows easier than with any other potential bahus, including La and Payal. Like, they’re all friends, and they get along, and its all fun and chill!

And by Tellywood rules, after the elopement, they should be cursing her as a characterless woman. And after the Shyam thing (during the Didi ki saut track) -  don’t even get me started, we got mad at what we got but it could have been MUCH MUCH WORSE you guys. 

Nevertheless, we can’t let them off the hook completely, just because they aren’t as evil as their counterparts in some other stories! The Raizadas were definitely being unfair to Khushi, with a typical patriarchal bent, in their in their judgements and scoldings and expectations during these high crisis periods. Their reactions were understandable to a certain point (speaking about just general disappointment) as they still didn’t have the complete picture at that point. But blaming a woman and letting a man off the hook for the same mistake? Not even considering the power imbalance at play that might have influenced circumstances? Not okay! 

In their favor, even when they are in the throes of confusion and understandable disappointment at Khushi, they treat her with reasonable ire. I mean, there’s no dramatic hair pulling or excessive name calling or physical violence (except for Mami’s cruel taunts, but she’s been consistent with those from day 1). Just quiet and cold disappointment, which of course, is bad enough, but it’s realistic, it’s not overdramatic. And again - in their defence - they don’t know the extent of her suffering - she never tells them the whole truth. They think these are her decisions, and they are as disappointed as they would be in a friend they trusted, who let them down. And while they may be disappointed, and they may hold back in expressing their affections, it’s clear that the inner love for her never wavers, they never cross over into hating or abusing her. Even when Anjali is at her most Shyam-manipulated distorted perspective stage, she never hates Khushi or wishes her ill; her inappropriate or misplaced reactions/emotions are mostly focused on herself, her relationship with Arnav, and the loss of her husband. 

A great example of the Raizadas natural affection for Khushi is in the contract marriage period, especially Holi. They are quite easily won over with Khushi’s efforts to woo them and the madcap antics on Holi. You know why? Because they just LIKE her too much to stay mad at her! And it’s hard to stay mad all the time at somebody you inherently like and want to hang out with and make plans with lol. Once they forgive her, they let go of all the resentments. They accept her whole heartedly. They support her in all of her craziness and outlandish ideas, her wishes and ambitions like her dabba service, her home tuitions, even in her irritating Arnav shenanigans! Not quite understanding what’s wrong with contract marriage era Arnav and Khushi, they even clumsily try to play matchmaker, and marriage counsellor, trying to bring them closer to each other. Crucially, it’s not just Arnav they worry about - they genuinely and earnestly worry about Khushi and her happiness, her safety, too. 

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Khushi was adored by Nani, befriended by Anjali and later NK, and liked/respected by the likes of Akash LONG before there was any idea of “arshi” in any of their heads. In fact, Khushi was Arnav’s enemy. They actively FOUGHT Arnav to keep Khushi in their lives, to keep hanging out with her. She was on “their team” first lol. In terms of interests, hobbies, and likes, she has so much more in common with Raizadas, than with Arnav, who is a bit of an odd fish in his family. So, they like her as herself, first, and then think of her as “Arnav’s wife” whom they would be obliged to like and politely get along with no matter who she ended up being.

That natural and unconditional affection that she has from her in-laws, is a HUGE dream come true for Khushi. Seeing the kind of acceptance she gets from them, I think, heals an essentially broken part of herself and allows her to come into her fullest potential. 

I THINK that’s what they were going for with the Miss India track, from the family angle - to show a full circle for Khushi’s character, to show her standing strong and independent after achieving her dreams, backed by the support of a truly loving and accepting family who are extremely proud of her, with the unwavering love of her Arnavji who is always there to catch her when she stumbles. No denying, they FAILED (big time) in the specifics of achieving this intention because of the terrible execution of the last couple of tracks in IPK. 

But if I consider the overall picture, the complete end-to-end journey of Khushi in the TV show as a whole, then I can definitely see how the character arc of a outwardly happy, inwardly traumatized little orphan seeking true unconditional love and acceptance, not just from a man, but from a family, was beautifully fulfilled.

[bodybeyondstories]

Just ignore it - 1

David is teaching a course on identifying and managing magical anomalies, and begins to suspect there may be a reality-warper in class. Largely because everyone's butt looks too good to believe.

2 (Next)

(btw this is inspired by one of my favorite TF stories)

“Now the point of these journals is to start recognizing energetic and temporal anomalies, better attuning yourselves to…”

I paused mid-sentence, feeling that something was off, taking a beat before I continued with the lecture. I was hoping to have some time to settle into the Fall semester before having to deal with an inevitable minor metaphysical crisis, but a reality warper a few weeks in was not what I saw coming.

Having a job that includes resolving paranormal wrinkles in spacetime seems exciting until you realize that somehow they’ve found a way to turn it into yet another 9 to 5. People often expect some sort of imposing mansion or gothic structure whenever they hear “Center of Supernatural Sciences,” but it’s actually a squat concrete block cobbled together by a regional college in the 70s. The scariest thing for visitors is figuring out how to connect to the WiFi, though if you’re rude to Seema at the front desk, she will put a hex on you and that’s just your own fault. It’s been a mainstay on this campus for decades, but for how much longer was unclear, as administration has been defunding us relentlessly for as long as I’ve been here. The university doesn’t see our value in light of its own investments in mass surveillance technology and a more ‘hard science’ study of spookiness, but the work we do is still important. Supernatural phenomena are much more common than a lot of people realize–it’s just a matter of actually paying attention–and our work is split between teaching, research, and service, addressing issues locally and regionally as they arise.

And no, we’re not magic cops. We’re not out to punish or control, fist bumping each other as we shoot silver bullets first and ask questions later. That’s archaic. We investigate, mitigate, and remediate, stepping in whenever the fabric of reality gets a little too bunched or frayed and mending as best we can.

I teach a class called “Investigating Supernatural Threats” almost every semester, which is a title that I absolutely despise–I think it’s an insult to our more than human neighbors–but the department is worried that if we change it we’ll end up losing funding to the criminal justice program, and it’s a hill I’m only willing to get bruised on. But it’s a survey of identifying and responding to paranormal, metaphysical, and magical shenanigans, so it tends to get all kinds. It’s usually a relatively small group, a smattering of grad students from occult history to crypto-zoology, museum curators and archivists needing a refresher on what to be cautious of, and often–which I’m personally delighted by–new forest rangers sent by the state’s Department of Natural Resources who are doing overnights for the first time.

But back to the issue at hand. It’s my job to stay observant across multiple temporal and dimensional planes, so I’m known for picking up on minor phenomena and patterns that at first glance may not seem significant. So around week 3, I couldn’t help but notice that most, if not all, of the men in the class had near perfect, juicy butts, yet all unique in their own ways. I was used to commanding attention with a round booty sitting pretty on my 6’1” frame, looking downright disproportionate against my lean swimmer’s build–a blessing and a curse, really–but some of them were giving me a run for my money. Which isn’t really an issue, squats are en vogue and there are plenty of male leg day enthusiasts thanks to social media trends, not that I’m complaining, but in week 4, I picked up on the fact that all of their pants fit so well. Too well. Like not just fitted but custom made for each of their unique and sizeable proportions, as if carefully crafted to emphasize and display their bubble butts. A telltale sign.

During class, I kept my extrasensory eyes and ears open, seeing if I could pick up on any novel energetic shifts. And I felt something odd. Something deep and subsonic, pressing tentatively against the borders of our reality, like a sperm whale floating up to a kayak without making a sound. I could feel an energy seeping into local space, something building to some sort of threshold, before, with a submerged *pop* that I could ‘hear’ elsewhere, it was gone. It was like nothing had happened. In fact, nothing had happened. I turned to the board to continue writing something that I had forgotten, only realizing after class had ended that I had been writing about two inches above where I had left off. I did a somatic check, quickly scanning my body from toes to head to fingertips. I felt fine, had all ten fingers, only two eyes, an ass that could stop traffic, still a strapping 6’3”. But had that been true an hour ago? Doubt was setting in.

As someone who teaches the detection and mitigation of magical fuckery, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with a potential situation like this. You’d be surprised how often some horny gay warlock has a little too much fun and needs to be reined in, or someone’s chaos magic manifests without them realizing–even worse, with them fully realizing. If you’ve ever had to neutralize an entire college dorm (and a frat house to boot) you would understand why we need more funding and support in magical education, but this isn’t the time for my soap box. A mystery’s afoot.

My most important piece of advice: Just ignore it. The thing is, a reality warper is a serious matter. If you call someone out, you better come correct and prepared for anything. Even just them knowing that you know–or that you’re on the hunt–can get real messy real fast. So you have to act casual. Don’t let them know you’re on to them, and don’t let them know that you know that something is seriously off. This is why I always introduce an extended project around tracking anomalies in the fabric of spacetime, having my students keep journals of anything weird, unusual, or metaphysically wobbly. Don’t react in real time, just on paper and in private, keeping a record of things as they happen. But it seemed like whoever this was was influencing the passage of time in very subtle ways and everyone’s memories, for the most part, were adjusting accordingly. Which is why no one in class has batted an eye at the fact that the asses in this room look like they were expertly morphed to near-comical proportions. After all, what else is new? So I took a different strategy and laid a trap.

The donk on my 6’4” frame (Hmm…) was a sight to behold. All muscle with a healthy layer of padding ballooning out from my otherwise lithe form. It was leaps and bounds my best feature, had been for as long as I could remember. I was used to men staring dumbfounded in public as my cheeks swished back and forth, including my own students whenever I turned to the blackboard, pushing it out ever so slightly as I leaned forward to write, the globes of my ass encased in one of many perfectly tailored pairs of tweed slacks. I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, seeing as any pants off the rack would either be way to loose in the waist or way too tight in the glutes, risking catastrophic failure. So I got my pants carefully fitted, but the thing was, so did everyone else. All the men in the class, from muscle butts to perky, round ones, to jiggly booties and wide hips, always had expertly fitted pants without fail. So we know what the focus of the shifts was, but it seemed like it was an expert reworking of time, and with that, memory. The phenomenon of unusually juicy asses in class pinged on my paranormal radar, but mine had always been this way. Right?

The thing is, the fit of everyone’s pants wasn’t just good, it was too good. Perfect, even. Yes, I had memories of having all my slacks tailored but they fit like they had been hand sewn on a lifelike model of my bulbous glutes with millimeter scale precision, not too little and not too much. So I found a pair that I didn’t much care for and took a razor to the back seam to weaken it just so. I squeezed into my form fitting pants and made my way to campus, careful not to stress the stitches too much and too fast, waddling into the room early and looking forward to this ordeal being over. Before anyone showed up, I cast a spell of detection around the space. Not detection of magical activities, which would’ve risked tripping any alarms that my possible warper may have already had in place, not to mention the possibility of interfering chaotically with their own spell whose function I was still unsure of. It was more of an emotional and energetic heat map, tipping me off to any sudden shifts in people’s auras.

Class began like normal as I offered some further thoughts inspired by the previous week’s discussion of AI programs as a potential tool of revealing and visualizing temporal anomalies. The discipline, in order to stay relevant, had been getting into the implications of digital technologies and new media for magical phenomena, so I figured we should spend a little more time on the topic. Also I was genuinely interested in hearing people’s thoughts, albeit distracted by the ticking time bomb of my basketball buns putting catastrophic pressure on my pants as I sometimes too excitedly paced across the front of the room. 

Per usual, I could feel the crescendo of strange, unfamiliar power rubbing almost playfully along the barrier between worlds, but everyone’s auras seemed fine. There was no corresponding wave of connected energy from any one person, beyond the general simmer of erotic activation (i.e. horniness) that spiked every time I turned my back to the class. I had become familiar with the exact threshold that this power would hit before it seemingly reset everything to a new, slightly more enhanced normal, and I was counting on the regularity of that threshold with the timing of this next move.

The previous, and now continuing discussion of new media had led me to realize that the enhanced asses in the room really did look like expertly done morphs and the perfect fit of every pair of pants, no matter the material, was simply improbable. Whoever this was, whatever this was, was operating along the edges of possibility, letting fantasy seep into what we generally regard as the real (or what we think is the real). So I figured, why not use one of my favorite tropes and see what happens.

My tweed slacks were impeccable but not indestructible and as the energetic threshold was reached I just happened to drop my chalk, quickly bending down to retrieve it. The spike in erotic attention from the view of my ballooning backside paled in comparison to what followed, as the seam of my pants finally gave way, my cheeks spilling into view along with a pair of pink and purple polka dotted bikini briefs that did nothing to cover the shelf of my ass.

I played it off with my expert acting skills (this wasn’t the first time I had to feign surprise from some magical mishap), performing a practiced mixture of embarrassment and humor that I assumed the reality-shifter would expect. From the men in class was a mix of nodding in understanding and whispers of It’s even bigger than I thought and How did those pants even fit. I felt a wave of erotic energy move through the room, but there was a spike of something else in the back corner. Something sharper, a tendril of fantastical power peeking into our dimension, concentrated around Logan, who I found staring directly at me with a look of surprise and mild confusion.

I knew of Logan, he was an archivist based in the college’s paranormal artifacts collection, and I think he had signed up for my class as a refresher for methods and safety when investigating and collecting potentially powerful and chaotic objects. He was skinny all around, topping out at no more than 5’7”, his thick, hexagonal rimmed glasses sitting below a mop of bouncy curls with an undercut. He usually came in wearing a pair of loose, flowy drop crotch pants, a surprisingly bohemian look with his otherwise reserved demeanor and sensible button downs. He was demur and unassuming, not seeming like the kind of person to cause this kind of trouble. But at this point he was the only dude in class that didn’t have an absolute dump truck.

The following week, I wondered why I had even hatched that plan in the first place, seeing as I always wear a skirt over tasteful leggings. I had given up on wearing pants years ago because it was just too much of a hassle, opting instead to let the globes of my ass bounce back and forth with more freeform bottomwear. Slacks were constricting enough in the back, but I was also tired of my donkey dick being suffocated in the crotch. A blessing and a curse. It looked like a couple of the guys in class had followed suit, perched on their round glutes as they let some thick bulges snake down leggings or compression shorts.

No wonder those pants ripped, I thought. I probably haven’t worn those in–

Ah ha. Another bread crumb. And an added wrinkle. Time hadn’t been totally rewritten and my memory hadn’t been totally wiped, just altered in the most efficient way in that moment. In fact, I was still mentally very much on the case and making progress. It wasn’t the sort of loose thread that a reality warper this competent would leave, and by now they must realize that I of all people would be on to them. I began to surmise that Logan wasn’t the one pulling the strings, but was actually some sort of conduit. Maybe for a bored trickster god playing an erotic prank–which, frankly, happens much more often than you’d think.

That week, through irony or serendipity, we actually were discussing strategies for navigating the psychological and emotional games that tricksters love to play, but as the supernatural energy began building on schedule, that previous playfulness had hints of… irritation? The power was a little discordant and I could feel it somatically in a way that I hadn’t before; it seemed everyone else could too. We continued on like normal as my leggings felt fuller and tighter in the glutes, my shoes feeling uncomfortably snug as more of my ankles revealed themselves, my dick inexorably snaking its way towards my hip while staying totally soft.

This was new.  And potentially a game changer. But I, along with my students, followed the central mantra of my profession: Note it. Track it. But until you have a plan in place, just ignore it.

[historia-vitae-magistras]

Hello, I have ceased functioning. You have actually ended me this time. Also I have done the thing where I pick out the best lines and it turns out to be huge swaths of the fic again.

“Be quick and be safe!” Matt tells them. It’s a benediction as hoarse as his prayers are when he thinks there is no one around to hear him. They’re just as futile, too. The time their slaughter brought them is at a standstill, and Matthew’s bullets are gone.

I just... the comparison of "be quick and be safe" to prayers, both in how Matt sounds and how much good it'll do, combined with the hard stop of "Matthew's bullets are gone", absolutely set the tone and tension in the most beautiful, terrifying way. I was instantly heartbroken for the three of them stuck in that hell, and on the edge of my seat.

But she’s ahead of him. It’s the way the world works. Zee sailed into a new day ahead of him on their spinning planet.

I love the way you include these little mentions of their geography! It makes sense for them to perceive themselves/others that way, and it's also absolutely gorgeous imagery.

“Look at me!” She said, this time harsh and sharp. “We do these things together, right? That’s what we said. My balance is your balance. You watch my back, I cover your arse.”

Sobbing I love these two. I couldn't grab everything because then I really would've grabbed most of the fic, but the constant drumbeat of "they belong together, they are the most important person, they're two halves of the same whole" - it's so good. So much of their existences is brutal and lonely and terrifying, but they have each other.

Arthur and Alfred are together, already half aware, and Father looks relieved, openly so. Not a good sign. Alfred looks bewildered. Less empire than boy startled out of bed. Because he still tends to sleep in one of those, even now. Because he is precious and held in reserve.

Okay, the juxtaposition of Jack recognizing that Arthur is relieved to see them vs. the resentment of Alfred having a bed, because he's precious and held back... perfect encapsulation of Arthur's shit parenting. He loves his kids, he does, but Alfred is the favorite and the rest suffer for it. (Also kind of shows the fundamental horrors of the "family." Sure, Alfred's the favorite, but Arthur loves them all and isn't happy that Matt, Jack, and Zee were/are out there - but the three of them are colonies. The purpose of their existence is to sacrifice lives and resources for Arthur's goals, how he feels about them as people won't save them. If Alfred wasn't an empire in his own right he might well be out there too, because being the favorite wouldn't save him from the facts of life as a colony.)

“Enough!” Arthur slammed his hands down on the map-laden table and tugged Zee away, shoving one arm between Alfred’s chest and Jack’s, curling so he was in front of her. But he couldn’t break the grip Alfred had on Jack’s collar. “Get your hands off your brother, boy!”

Without losing sight of the shit parenting, I do appreciate Arthur trying to shut Alfred down and defend Jack.

“I was here, watching his back while you were home turning a fucking profit! We were here when it was all for nothing! You only showed up for what? For what? To take credit? Aunt Bridgie always said you were brave, that you were brilliant. She forgot to mention what a bastard you are!"

GET HIM JACK. I know Alfred's worried about his brother, but Jack is damn right - he doesn't get to ride in 3 years late and then accuse Jack and Zee of being the ones who don't have Matt's back. (Arthur is an entirely other story.) And Brighid telling Jack about how great Alfred is gave me... a lot of feelings. I have not sorted through them all yet but it's a lot to do with that line you wrote (paraphrasing) - "It was my magic that protected you too. Remember that as you take my people and make them your own." Alfred and Jack have this connection through Brighid that feels really powerful but I can't figure out what I'm thinking about it.

“You shut your mouth. I’m not the one who just abandoned Mattie.”

“Ah, my dear boy, but you did that first.”

AND IT'S ARTHUR WITH THE STEEL CHAIR. I mean good lord. He's not wrong, and I'm not even mad at him because Alfred's being a dick, but Jesus Christ. I was yelling at my phone at that one. Arthur is absolutely not entitled to be making that argument, but I feel forced to admire the precision. I also can't tell if that's meant to be on Jack's side or if Arthur just couldn't resist making the jab. 10/10 bastardry, I hate him but am forced to admire the audacity.

“Want another first?” Alfred wasn’t facing them now. This was an argument older than both of them, conducted in shouts muffled from the other end of the house. “I took his head off his shoulders at Yorktown. I shot our dear lord father’s jaw from his fucking skull and his skull from his shoulders and the lobsterbacks surrendered. And then they left. And when the gutters overflowed, you were born.”

I fucking... okay, first, "an argument older than both of them" is so powerful, as is the image of Jack and Zee hearing this argument that's had such a huge impact on the empire - and thus their existence and how they're treated - from the other end of the house. Like, they know it happened/continues to reverberate, and it very much affects their lives, but they aren't allowed to be part of it or witness it, they just deal with knowing it's there and whatever the aftermath is. I'm reminded of the Cromwell fic, where I can simultaneously see kids experiencing a family thing and also colonies experiencing imperial policy.

Second, what the actual fuck Alfred. POS. I know he's upset about Matt, but that's such a fucking horrible thing to say. (Also, a not insignificant portion of your birth was from the "gutters overflowing", asshat.) I felt even worse than I already had for Jack and Zee right then.

“As flattered as your brother would be to see you defending what little of his honour he hasn’t left in a brothel, I rather think we should get to the task of finding him first, no? And perhaps, if you lot can manage more than one task at a time with the single wit I seem to have left you to inherit, we could perhaps even turn back what looks to be an entire German offensive that’s just caught us with our cocks out.” He paused and glanced at Zee. “Barring you, dear girl.”

Arthur, Matt's missing. Maybe refrain from calling him a whore until he's back.

I'm not going to call him just as responsible for the fight, but there must've been something he could've said other than "hey son, I know you're worried about your baby brother, but remember that you abandoned him during the event that's negatively defined our relationship for over a century." Like, he does not get to say that and then act like it's just the kids that are distracted from the tasks at hand here.

"caught us with our cocks out... barring you, dear girl" fucking killed me. You have such a knack for humor, both writing the jokes and knowing where to insert them/how to maintain the balance with the drama. It's so good.

“Excuse you,” A note of laughter in a gravelly voice, still half-ruined by gas. “I am Father’s best knife. Only the finest for when the Krauts come for dinner, eh Dad?”

Matt correcting Alfred from "favorite" to "best" is... I have feelings. On the one hand it's kind of Matt bragging ("I'm not the favorite, I'm the best"), but on the other hand there was the reference to Alfred being the favorite earlier so I'm simultaneously reading it as "I'm not the favorite, I'm the best." Also, this felt very cinematic - we're all focused on the argument, Matt's missing, how are we going to find him, and then bam! He joins the conversation without missing a beat. I love that kind of stuff.

Jack nearly elbowed Dad in the face as Arthur tried to look at a particularly large blood stain oozing from Matt’s shoulder but had to settle for turning his cheek and looking him in the eye a moment before he and Zee nearly got bowled over entirely by Alfred rocketing through. He practically picked Matt up.

Again, Arthur's parenting sucks but I do appreciate him immediately trying to get a look at Matt's injuries (and I wish Jack had actually elbowed him in the face.)

All of the talk/examples at the end of the fic about how the two sets are really similar was so wonderful in a heartbreaking way. They're separate pairs, they're only brought together by the external force of empire - but their dynamics are so similar, right down to the older carrying the younger around everywhere. Jack and Alfred are so similar, but that disconnect in experience and treatment is such a wall between them nonetheless.

I am tired and this fried my brain with feelings and thoughts, so I don't have anything particularly interesting to say - I just absolutely adored this fic and the way you handled all these dynamics. You're such a wonderful writer <3

Thank you 😭😭😭 I can't just 🥺 thank you.

[multiplicity-positivity]

hey, we're a newly discovered system ("newly" being kinda loose here. its been something ive (🐦) experienced for so long in my(?)* life that i thought it was normal and no one talked about it. and at least a year since properly established contact with another headmate)

we've all been participating in looking up resources and whatnot for this kind of thing bc there's words for this stuff??? and we just never knew???? but im incredibly scared by the sheer size of it all

just earlier today fell into the rabbit-hole of sys-course and it has me doubting everything. again. i frequently worry (and frequently another headmate speaks up and reminds me he can hear my worrying and its lowkey annoying to him LOL) but like. augh.. it tears me apart and makes some of the others nervous too because im so loud about it accidentally

i feel like im faking because i cant remember anything traumatizing (or anything before a specific age range really), we still function as a group fine enough, we're not particularly switchy + are often blurry, and we have really robust communication that almost sounds too good compared to the other experiences we've read.

but on the other hand... i (personally) know roughly when i formed, what of "my" actions were not actually performed by me, tug each other around over control and time management, do understand and feel the change from switching, and just. cant deny this experience. its confusing for me. but just me personally. there are other headmates who don't see any issues and are fully aware and accepting of our multiplicity.

i guess i'd just really like some positivity for alters who are confused and trying to figure things out, even if some of the others seem to have it all down

-🐦

Hi! We’re so sorry that y’all have been dealing with this!

Syscourse is honestly a nightmare. It causes so much stress and anxiety for systems and doesn’t actually help resolve differences or bring the community together. It’s mostly just the same handful of people shouting at each other endlessly, so we’d definitely recommend you and any system avoid it if they can! Involvement in syscourse can absolutely diminish healing and encourage self doubt, and it has the capacity to hurt systems in the long run!

Remember that, while trauma is a requirement for systems with DID and OSDD-1 to form, there’s way more types of plurality than just these! You don’t have to have been traumatized as a child to end up plural. It’s also worth pointing out that these dissociative disorders function by hiding, masking, or disguising trauma. Many people with complex dissociative disorders grow up entirely unaware of their trauma history. We ourselves did not think we were traumatized when we first discovered our system! Since then, however, we’ve learned that we do in fact have tons of trauma to process, along with a CPTSD diagnosis.

If you’d like to learn more about dissociative disorders or plurality in general with hopes of learning more about your system, we definitely recommend checking out our master post of resources! We’re trying to keep it up-to-date with any plural, dissociative disorder, or ptsd recovery content we can find - I’ll link it below!

Finally, we would be more than happy to write a positivity post for confused alters, headmates, and systems. We’ve queued this post for tonight at 8:00PM EST! Please keep your chin up 🐦, we sincerely hope things get better for you soon!

🌸 Margo and 💫 Parker

[saintsenara]

inhuman resources dolores umbridge general | 4.2k words

dolores dressed in brand new robes and arranged a mother-of-pearl cat-shaped hair slide in her curls. the effect was rather good, she thought, admiring herself in the mirror once she'd applied her make-up. all that was needed was a splash of chanel no. 5, an unfortunate muggle habit she just couldn't quit. she’d tell the dark lord that it was a specialist blend she had an apothecary put together especially for her, should he ever ask. or maybe he would share her sympathy for coco chanel's entirely sensible views...

speaking from the fire in the gryffindor common room, sirius black will assure his godson that dolores umbridge is definitely not a death eater. how does he know? well, he's seen the paper trail...

this piece was written for week eleven of @ladiesofhpfest, on the theme of ministry misses [you can find the masterlist for this week's fics here].

author's notes under the cut

as the summary says, i’m always really struck in order of the phoenix by sirius’ absolute conviction that dolores umbridge couldn’t be a death eater - and, indeed, that she’s the catalyst for his iconic "the world isn’t split into good people and death eaters" line. he’s right, of course [umbridge’s role as a character in the series is to show harry that the rot in wizarding society goes far beyond voldemort], but it seems so strange to me that he would be so emphatic when we know that the order is worried about the death eaters recruiting in the ministry - and who has access to fudge - and yet a woman who is canonically extremely close to the minister [and whose emphatic denial of voldemort’s return delights the dark lord] is never suspected.

but, sirius’ thinking does make sense… after all, lord voldemort is many things, but he isn’t ordinary. umbridge, on the other hand, is a creature of absolute [and evil] banality. she is not a fanatic, but someone who is completely mundane, who ends up perpetuating horror in the name of "professionalism" and "doing things by the book". she spends the entirety of this piece unwilling to confront the fact that the death eaters are not interested in giving her a nice authoritarian desk job, of the kind she’ll get in deathly hallows. this voldemort would prefer to destroy the social structures of the wizarding world completely.

in canon, it’s also fair to note that umbridge’s banality could reasonably be described as twee. this is absolutely because jkr generally dislikes hyper-femininity - and so umbridge’s fondness for pink and kittens indicates that she is in some way sinister, in the same way that rita skeeter’s fake nails indicate that she’s morally inauthentic, lavender’s giggles indicate that she’s vapid, and pansy parkinson’s ugliness indicates that she’s a bitch long before she opens her mouth. [even though, as @whinlatter points out, umbridge’s gender performance is really not what we’d expect from a female politician of her era, who tended to make themselves seem less feminine, in order to compete in a male-dominated world.]

but, on the other hand, it is also true that a fondness for twee makes a great villain. the line about umbridge’s house being in keeping with the rustic aesthetic of the village in which she lives is lifted directly from hot fuzz - a god tier film about the evil lurking underneath picture-postcard bucolic splendour. her interest in inhuman resources in dress codes and nuclear families and coco chanel is connected to this - a love of the proper and nice and elegant which ends up being outrageously cruel.

it also ties to something which always stands out to me about the umbridge of canon: that she truly hates magic. indeed, her aesthetic seems to be a deliberate comment on this - jkr has a tendency to make the non-magical pastel-coloured and distinctly lacking in the sort of whimsical medievalism of the wizarding world [see, for example, how petunia dursley’s clothing is described] - and i think it’s worth examining how umbridge’s rigidity is quite strikingly at odds with how we see magic being used by the rest of the villains in the series. lord voldemort, after all, believes that there should be no limits on magic whatsoever, and none of his cronies seem inclined to disagree. it is this, alongside her profound dislike of the dark lord’s beloved hogwarts, which augustus rookwood uses to put the final nail into umbridge’s application.

[rookwood is being extremely nice in doing this, given what lord voldemort did to his leg…]

what voldemort intends to do with the ministry should he win the first war is unclear in canon. he evidently expends a huge amount of time and resources on infiltrating it, and the majority of his terrorist activity in the 1970s seems to be targeting high-profile political figures, but he also seems to have no respect for career civil servants and no inclination to preserve the vast bureaucratic machine which enables them. i am sure that umbridge’s conviction that voldemort would like barty crouch sr. - who is set up in goblet of fire as being, in his obsessive proceduralism, almost as cruel as the death eaters - is completely wrong. the dark lord is clocking the precisely-trimmed moustache and getting the ick.

voldemort also seems to have little respect [even if he acknowledges that it is personally useful] for the corruption in the ministry of magic which this proceduralism enables. he’s shown in canon to be someone who dislikes the social structures of the wizarding world - above all the patron-client relationships purebloods expect to have with those who are not - and i can’t imagine that umbridge’s desire to give the state further control over people’s lives endears her to him either. after all, telling his followers who to marry or befriend is his job.

the ministry is, though, also just a mire of incompetence, which is a further reason why voldemort [who, in canon, is incredibly efficient, even if his film version is a moron] would loathe it. this is an institution which is using owls indoors until the 1970s [and i strongly advise you to google why a black and a tan owl taking a shit on the irish minister’s head would cause a diplomatic incident…], and which is apparently incapable of noticing that its staff is using the internal memo system to recruit for a terror cell using pretty easily deciphered code. but maybe they can be forgiven - the death eaters are hardly working to lord voldemort’s exacting administrative standards either. [a running joke, which also appears in another piece i've done for this fest, death (eaters) in paradise]

maybe hogwarts could do with a bit of government oversight…

three final points: on the epistolary, let me give a shoutout to a brilliant fic, case number not found by doshu, which definitely inspired this.

on the incidental characters, let me give a shoutout to both aurelianus "catsmeat" williams [who fans of one year in every ten - and, of course, fans of jeeves and wooster - have already met], frank jemble [who is indeed just as much of a dick as his name implies], and gaius and bohemond kneebone [also in one year in every ten], whose surname i found on a list of middle english family names a decade ago and have been obsessed with ever since.

and on poor old rodolphus lestrange, let me issue an apology to @sofoulandfairaday, whose boy is being constantly made to look like a fool at my hands. in lord voldemort’s defence, the inferius which bit him genuinely did get loose by accident.

and anyway, cornelius fudge is having a much worse time.