#the trouble with interns

[waitineedaname]

Al coming back from his travels: Xing was great! I've learned so much about alkahestry, and I think we're really making progress and getting Jerso and Zampano's bodies back! It was really nice to see Mei, and Ling is doing a great job as emperor, and I even got to visit some of Xing's neighbors to the east! I feel like I'm learning more about alchemy and alkahestry every day

Ed coming back from his travels: I Have Been Banned From Five Countries

[oncamelliastreet]

why are they looking at me like i called them slurs

[bizarrelittlemew]

calling it right now that season 3 starts like this

[dykedvonte]

I think it’s so ironic that the Pony Express escapes a lot if not all blame in discussion. I can’t even say I am excused from it but it’s just how hard people circle back to the characters alone without considering the environment they were made to be in.

Why would they design a ship where only two of the rooms lock? Not the bathroom? Not the sleeping quarters? We assume that all the companies in the universe are this shallow and careless to their workers but we explicitly know the Pony Express in extra vile. They are fed processed slop pack they can’t even really cook and the ration of those pack is meager at best. They hired and made people with a plethora of conflicting demeanors and beliefs work together on a mission where cohesion is important if not an outright necessity and punish them for not being happy about it. There’s no social protocols, not chain of command other than Captain’s word/choice and the only way to enforce that is with a literal firearm. They don’t allow them to celebrate freely and even took away leisure activities that would make them less stir crazy. They are only allowed a few hours of sleep despite their being no other real responsibilities or work on the ship, no matter the position or its importance. With any crew, with any level of synergy, this was a powder keg waiting for a spark.

I’m not saying characters that made mistakes didn’t make huge ones, but I think part of the horror is that at least for some (this is targeting Jimathan) those mistakes are partly made by a force of the hand. There’s a running theme of lack of choice and being forced into something and the very nature of how The Pony Express expected them to function plays a big part.

[suddenly-stickmin]

When your boss [who just disappeared one day and then randomly reappeared] is the same guy who blew you to smithereens.

[hbo--spn]

dean asking sam "are we having fun yet?" and thriving in prison gives off the same vibes as dean thriving in purgatory...

[iloveitxwhenaplanxcomestogether]

Peck's warm laughter beheld a buoyant mirthe, the kind notably absent from the office under Eldridge's iron-fisted control, and she contents herself to bask in it for as long as possible. "Me?" Amy sputters, finding herself caught very much off-guard. "Oh no. I'm not a mother." The stubborn reporter can barely get a decent man to glance in her direction much less make romantic overtures. "Though my mother continually holds out hope that someday I'll meet Mr. Right--" Why she's spilling such intimate information with a co-worker confounds her to a degree.

"I just..." Her head dips bashfully as she prepares her lips for her next confession. "I find it really refreshing that there's a man who is good with kids--" Sure. it's a clumsy fumbling, but Allen hopes it will allow her to save face with the handsome intern. "Do you have children of your own? Or are you just collecting all the skills you can because you find them useful?" Amy prompts perhaps a degree indecently. His being married or unmarried, having children or not, has nothing to do with the job being asked of him here. Still, Allen is genuinely curious.

Amy's dark eyes flash back towards Eldridge's office. The breathless levity that had been there drowns, a particularly violent death, and she sucks in a tired breath. That man is so vexing and loathsome!! She doesn't understand why she continues to battle for her place here, other than the fact she felt a duty to relate the truth to the readers whereas it might go unrevealed. "That's not too bad for a starter--" She does finally bring herself to confess with her eyes returning to Mr. Peck.

Her eyes narrow in astonishment as Peck strikes a number remarkably close to what she ought to see in her paycheck. With a simple shrug of her shoulders, she confides, "something like that, when he's not benching me or trashing my stories." In truth he overestimated her wallet. She's making even less per year since she's been gaining nothing but the Editor's ire as of late. A purely satiric laugh escapes her at the thought that she could ever be worth more than her meager salary at the Courier rag.

Her hand sinks easily into his larger. Unlike most of the people she rubs shoulders with, his hands are not velvet from inactivity or over-lotioning. No, they very much boast workman's callouses. She's learned to spot the difference over the years. Her own fingers curl eagerly around his and gift a tight squeeze. One that might have had a degree more affection than intended before the gesture is released.

Peck is a real puzzle, to be sure. His own responses are proving to be quite captivating. It isn't every day that she runs into someone who might be equally lured by a deep enough mystery. Sweet Mahogany orbs rake over him at his intellectual response. He is not nearly as dimwitted as her last intern. "You grow up in this city too? Or did you do your research. Sounds like you know more than most---" He's not wrong.

"I intend to do just that," she confesses about the grounds of her one woman crusade. Then her eyes turn from bright to doleful and the smile her lips boasted moments prior diminishes completely. "Sounds like you either have personal experience or know someone who does with how harsh this city can be." Amy's extending to him an invitation to speak, if he should like it.

Peck's next remarks earn him a nod of agreement. "They've already been operating far too long. I don't want people having to worry about this creep- or creeps. Even a homeless person has to deserve some semblance of safety." Amy expresses. She sighs. "Yeah well, as I've heard from the LAPD, their allocated resources are constantly being stretched too thin. Apparently they were some hundred-and-forty grand over-budget last February?" Though Amy does not approve of their easy dismissal, she can understand how much more pressing matters were getting the devotion of the resources- financial and other.

"Why not? Most of the people are going missing there. It's the one place all these cases have in common," Amy replies not skipping a beat. "Why? are you too scared? I mean, you're not technically obligated to come along..." Even as he locks step with her, she is offering him yet another way out.

Amy nods. "Most of them do see the country. But -- something in my gut tells me that isn't the case here. I can't explain it-" Okay. Maybe she could as feminine intuition. The last time she used that as an excuse Markham had turned her into Eldridge who explained at length that "woman's touchy feely feelings are simply NOT enough" before docking two grand and benching her for a week. She doesn't want to see the same thing happening here. "I sincerely hope that it doesn't come to finding a body, but if it must- and it'll give the police enough evidence--" her shoulders sag.

His inquiry gives her pause. "Other than the encampment, I haven't noticed any relation other than the possibly victims are all young and on their own. They have no one to look for them. Or at least, no one with enough weight to bear any consequence," Amy relates swallowing hard. She wished she had more to go on. Every time she tired to get a good grasp on this case, she was hit with those stupid cease and desists. And she, in all honesty, had no desire to stop until the truth of the matter was discovered.

A blush stains her cheeks as he parts open the door to the parking garage for her. "You can't just drop something of that nature on me and not explain." Now, she is intensely curious. Eldridge mentioned something about him spending time in Miami. That's hardly enough grounds to acquaint oneself with lunatics. Or had she missed something in the interoffice memo she casually dipped into the trash the day before his arrival.

She roars with laughter despite her best efforts to contain it. "Oh no. Naming shoes?" The brunette pauses. "You're being quite serious, aren't you?"A discerning gaze levies upon him while sobering a few degrees.

Amy's not used to such enthusiastically kind observations being made about her or her work. Any animosity she sheltered towards Mr. Peck for potentially being a minion of Eldridge's is long forgotten. "A--admirable?" She muses. "It's just the right and decent thing to do, don't you think?" Amy's brow quirks a little at his intended compliment, but it only makes her bristle just a touch. "Any woman would have to be ignorant not to care. We're all sometimes one bad day, one bad job, one bad choice away from poverty. Aren't we?" She queries softly.

Then exhaling a sigh, she supposed she could trust him with the real reason she is so deeply dedicated to this story. However, opening up like this made her feel extremely vulnerable. Vulnerable in a way that was not enjoyable. "Had my father not returned from a Prisoner of War camp, my mother and I very well could have ended up in one of the camps. One of my friends wasn't so lucky. She was one of the first people to go missing. I know, because I was taking her my lunches for months. Then suddenly, I couldn't find her. Everyone said she moved, but Clarissa wouldn't. She has-- habits. No, firm routines. She sticks to them for her own sanity. She doesn't depart from them much when it can be afforded--" She can feel a sense of urgency rushing like a wild, rabid river beneath the expertly annunciated words.

"I'm going to start with talking to Jane Erstin again. She's the unofficial matriarch of the camp. Not much goes on without her knowing, I think." Amy remarks as she unlocks her car and chambers in behind the seat. "You know anyone in the homeless camp, Mr. Peck?" She prods, almost hoping he too has connections he can speak to about this.

It seems under all her grumpiness; Miss Allen has a sense of humor after all. His quip about babysitting finally prompts a smile that softens the worry lines etching into the creases around her mouth. He chuckles, and tilts his head. “Don’t tell me—you have a precocious five-year-old at home, and you’re looking for a babysitter. Is that why your eyes lit up when I said that?” Her second question is a bit more serious, but hardly brings him pause. He is used to talking about money, and has no qualms with sharing such information. “Oh… around $8500 a year. A little below average for my position, I gather… but not terribly bad.” Once he starts having money come in regularly, he can very easily double or even triple his income with careful investments. He already has a few going, like Efrain’s club down in San Diego, or the Golden Pagoda in Chinatown, but a man really needs money to make money. Besides, this venture has less to do with being completely destitute and more to do with staying busy. Idleness does not suit his mental health well, and while conning war profiteers is amusing, it is also a speedy way to land himself in prison. He does not need to make a fortune here—he just needs a current job to ensure his landlord that he is not a deadbeat, and he needs something engaging enough that his mind will dwell on that instead of the war. If Miss Allen keeps staring into his eyes like that, he has a feeling this job will be more than interesting enough to keep his mind occupied. Turnabout is fair play, however. Narrowing his eyes sightly, he tilts his head. “Now, on the other hand, I would guess that you’re making around $15,500 a year? Somewhere in that neighborhood?” He smiles a bit. “Am I close, Miss Allen? Or have I grossly underestimated your worth to the Courier, and you make a good deal more?” When she extends her hand to him, intending to shake on her concession to his presence, he accepts the offer. Holding her hand firm enough that she knows he is sincere, but loose enough that he does not hurt her, he lets the handshake last precisely five seconds. Then he lets go of her hand. In retrospect, he wonders if he should have held onto it. Miss Allen’s sheer surprise at his question is almost enough to floor her before she even tries to answer him. Face supposes it is a good thing she is still in her chair… else he might be picking her up off the threadbare carpet, and setting her back on her feet.

“Well… ‘intrigued’ might be a strong word, Miss Allen since I don’t really know what is going on, but I am certainly interested.” He admits. “Besides, someone has to find out what is going on. Los Angeles has always been a hotbed for serial killers and other predators. Despite the movies putting all those degenerates out in the middle of rural Nowheres-ville, most of them are here in the cities. There’s no prey for them out there, but in LA? We’re loaded with homeless people, would-be starlets, bright-eyed innocents fresh off the bus from Kansas…” He pauses, realizing that his words are a bit too jaded for the persona he has been presenting thus far. Face backs off from his speech rather quicky, seeking to smooth it over with a few words. “The last thing Los Angeles needs is someone like that operating freely—and our police officers are far too busy to chase after every person who turns up missing. If they were so inclined, they would have to dedicate an entire building to that task alone.” He watches Miss Allen hurriedly collect some writing instruments and her keys. His answer to her suggestion is to fall in step beside her, folding his hands behind his back as he walks. “I assume you mean that we’re heading to the camp then.” His tone is a bit too casual for a wet-behind-the-ears rookie, but he does not catch it. Miss Allen starts talking before they even exit the office, outlining everything that she has learned so far. He stifles an oath when she mentions that the two orphans are officially on the list of missing people in this case. He owes Father O’Malley an apology, then. “Unfortunately, the police are right.” He grimaces. “The homeless… runaways… they’re considered a transient population. They get bored in an area, or it gets too hot for them, and they move onto another one. Sometimes they just decide to see the country, and they never stay anywhere long. Until there’s a body or evidence of a crime, the police can do precious little.” He blinks but walks through the door when his new boss opens it. “It could be an organized situation,” He agrees. “Is there any uniformity on the people missing? Are they in the same age range? Or are they all the same gender?” He knows that the orphans are a boy and a girl, a fifteen-year-old boy and a fourteen-year-old girl who fancied themselves in love, and ready to take on the world. In the infinite wisdom of youth, they assumed they already knew everything there was to know. Father O’s insistence that they stay in school, then establish a living before they committed to each other completely fell on deaf ears. If they ran off to seek their fortunes, they could be easy prey for any number of villains. Miss Allen’s passion for these missing strangers touches something warm in Face’s heart that is rarely stirred. Too few people fight endlessly for the unwanted and forgettable… to see her taking such a firm stand is intriguing. He has a soft spot for orphans and society’s other rejects because he has either walked the road himself, or knows other people who struggle with it. But why does she care so much? What prompts her to devote so much of her heart and soul to these kinds of stories, when he is sure her editor would prefer she pursue less controversial topics? She offers him an escape hatch as they reach the door for the parking garage. Instead of taking it, he pulls the door open for her. “Hardly, Miss Allen. I’ve known raving lunatics, and you’re hardly one of them. Why, I won’t even count you as ‘nutty’ until you start naming your shoes, and giving them distinct personalities. I think you’re just passionate, and you’re frustrated that no one else seems to care about this case so you’ve decided you’re going to take it on yourself. That’s rather admirable, honestly… though I do have to wonder why a woman of your education and breeding would care so much about runaways, and homeless drug addicts in the first place.” He phrases his question as a casual observation, an invitation that she can answer if she wants too. There is no pressure behind his words though—she does not hold any information he vitally needs right now, so he sees no reason to wiggle his way past her boundaries and into her confidence too quickly. Especially when it comes to women, the fast route may be an amusing challenge, but the slow road tends to be more intriguing and enjoyable.

[aroaceleovaldez]

You've talked about the pjo fandom's lack of fandom infrastructure a lot, what I want to ask is: why do you think the pjo fandom has so little?

I've seen other much smaller fandoms that have just developed infrastructure as the years go on but pjo feels like it's stayed quite stagnant in that regard. I would've thought that with pjo being so big there'd be a lot more than there is. Did we have a lot then we lost it along the way or did we just not develop it that much?

We definitely used to have way more! In my infrastructure list there's a LOT of old infrastructure blogs from back in the day. There's definitely more than what's on that list, but a lot of those blogs have been deactivated or otherwise lost. I've also talked a bit like [here] about some of the old stuff the fandom used to regularly have, like events that no longer run, common tag games and other community habits, etc. We also used to have more zines and other collaborative projects. These just don't happen nearly as often in our community anymore, because the people running them stopped being able to and nobody was able to pick them up and they were forgotten.

I mostly attribute this change to new fandom attitudes and the loss of community. Back in the day I feel like one of the most influential things to the fandom environment was how a lot of younger fans often looked to big-name-fans for how they should behave and navigate fandom spaces. A lot of people are familiar with the old "big 3" fanartists of the day - Viria, Burdge, and Minuiko - but what a lot of people don't remember is they used to trade art back and forth all the time! And with other artists/fans in the community! They were all just genuinely friends and so much collaboration happened between them! That's how we got a lot of the old big AUs and concepts in the fandom because people loved sharing those and collaborating. And because a lot of young folks often mirror the people they look up to in communities, younger fans were mimicking that behavior and there was a lot of exchange and communication and community happening in the fandom at the time. That behavior was demonstrated, replicated, and encouraged!

And young fans mirroring BNFs they look up to is still absolutely a thing! You can see this all the time if you just take a quick glance at fanart - how many character designs are clearly influenced from large artists in the fandom? Insert every Piper with Velinxi heart-shaped cowlicks here. But because there's a lot of ideas now about curating online presences as if it's a business (or literally turning it into a business) or outputting "content" we see a lot less of people - particularly larger fans in the community - vocally interacting with other fans. Everything feels very sanitized and polished and impersonal. There's way less exchange between fans now, or at least way less vocally.

And this is also pushed by general "new/passive fandom" culture as i generally refer to it, where there's so much more emphasis on consumption and "content" versus community (and again, that idea of curating socials like a business/brand). When everything kind of shifted with the like 2016-2018 adult content bans and everybody was moving around between platforms, folks lost a lot of means of learning about fandom history and their communities and how those communities looked. A lot of fans - including now older fans - have never known that fandom is supposed to be a community, and so now we have the older fans in the community with this very content-oriented presentation of fandom that is how fandom is generally advertised in mainstream media, because that's how they learned about it and how new fans are learning about it. They have no easy means to learn fandom history and nobody to mirror appropriate social fandom behavior from (which is also what i attribute to why so many fandoms have become "more toxic" or rude in recent years - especially with quarantine meaning a lot of young folks lost irl means of learning to mirror appropriate social behavior).

In smaller and newer fandoms, communities form easier and if they're the groundwork for the fandom it will persist and self-perpetuate most of the time. In general if a fandom is able to maintain that community aspect, it usually does just fine! (As per usual I point to the furry fandom as a great example of an older fandom with good infrastructure and community.) This is why I like to harp on about building community and reinstating these types of environments and blogs and such, and generally discussing the fandom's history as much as I can and remember it. People can't fix problems they don't understand or things they don't know about, so making that information as accessible as possible and encouraging these things is important.

[your-worst-boy]

"it outright tells you that, it says what we're really worried about is sowing doubts about U.S. leaders."

[ips-northstar-official]

Hello!

We apologize for the lapse in official communication. Due to a rights concern called in by a concerned pilot, we have had attention called to less-than-favorable conditions that one of our employees was working under, and have been taking steps to right.

Our beloved intern chose the opportunity to take some time off, without telling anyone, and unfortunately is also the only one who knows how to log in here.

[cosmicheartz]

messy goat concept

will be working on a better ref for em soon

Basic notes

any pronouns but uses They/Them the most

their bio name is Judith but started going by Judas after their family was killed for anonymity reasons? ( tbh they weren't very smart with it bc both names have the first 3 letters but you get the idea ). They're mainly referred to as Judas by their cult and " Judy " by Naenia/Their Narinder ( quick note some info on that is most likely outdated )

actually has a decent/positive relationship with Naenia ( granted it wasnt like that at first especially because they were planning to betray Naenia after slaying the bishops but at the end they couldn't bring themselves to kill her so they spared her )

less hung up abt being a cult leader compared to Solange but prefers to use " Herd " instead of cult ( sounds better to them personally )

speaking of their cult during vesselhood it was kind of a shitshow due to them not knowing how to properly keep the faith up so there were a shit ton of dissenters ( didn't help that they were pretty aggressive to their followers too. ) postgame They got the hang of running their cult/herd and is less aggressive to their followers ( it helps that Naenia is sort of the secondary leader in a way )

They train their followers to fight so returning to missionaries alive is greatly increased

as i mentioned before in Solange's universe ( which i'll dub the lambverse ) Judith/Judas also existed and was close with Solange but ended up getting killed by heretics sometime before Solange's execution ( stabbed multiple time in the stomach )

on the flipside in Judas' universe the Solange there was also close to them and unfortunately got killed by heretics(?) sometime before Judas' death ( throat was slit )

as a result Judas (Goatverse) and Solange (Lambverse) had an instant connection and bonded fast.

there is angst related to the fact that they aren't exactly the same as their alternate universe counteparts ( the ones that died )

Judas often hangs around Solange's cult and helps her with training her followers to fight

[unlawfulchaos]

The new bartender at the Hard Deck: That'll be $20.

Mav: I don't have the money.

Bartender: ...Then I'm sorry but I can't sell this to you.

Mav, sliding a $20 bill across the counter sneakily, like it's a bribe: How about now?

Bartender:

Ice, from the other side of the bar: Mav, stop fucking with the poor dude.

[awkward-sultana]

"More shocking was Ibrahim's elevation in June 1523 from personal service in the inner court directly to the grand vizierate, the highest office in public service. Suleyman's other viziers had worked their way up the ranks, gaining years of experience in government. They had earned their status; Ibrahim was given his. Suleyman's decision so alienated Ahmed Pasha, who believed himself next in line for the office, that he used the consolation prize of the Cairo governorship to stage a rebellion, thereby entering historical memory as "Traitor Ahmed." - Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire, Leslie Peirce 

"Mahidevran had nothing left to lose but her rank once Suleyman focused his favors so lavishly on Roxelana. The sultan was upsetting the careful balance among consorts that the politics of reproduction demanded, and Mahidevran apparently took it on herself to right it. She was a product of the old world of separate but equal family constellations, a system that imbued the role of mother to a prince with considerable honor and dignity. The monopoly by a favorite with multiple sons inevitably stole a portion of that stature." - Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire, Leslie Peirce 

[coolnonsenseworld]

Sampai's prompt for beach Klance - but colored!

I can imagine Hunk asking Keith if he wants a big tail too, and Keith, after seeing Lance fuss about how many details his fins should have would just snicker "Nah, I don't compensate".

[fwrails]

i just wna kiss him silly is that too much to askkkk

[afanofmanyhats]

You've mentioned your dislike about the Bionicle timeline before. What's your take on it and what doesn't work about it for you? I'm curious to hear your interpretation.

The main issue is the fact that it's a ridiculously, laughably long time for people to stay alive. It takes me out of my immersion to remember that this whole storyline takes place over a period of time ten times greater than the existence of Jericho, but characters like Ackar and Kiina on Bara Magna and the majority of characters in the Matoran Universe have lived that whole time. I'm not opposed to immortal/long-lived characters as an idea, but the story needs to do something with that time scale.

For instance, in Tolkien's works, the ages of the Elven characters has weight in their characterization and relationships to the others. The Silmarillion highlights their horror and sadness as they realize their new human friends will age and die in what feels like no time at all to the Elves. In the Lord of the Rings, the lifespans of Elrond and Galadriel add extra gravity to their advice and foresight; they've lived longer than any of the main characters and know the threat of Sauron better than anyone. Their longevity makes them unique, provides diversity and contrast.

Meanwhile, everyone in BIONICLE ages the same way, so there isn't really a highlightable difference in how aging affects you. It's entirely subjective. Helryx and Artakha are all the same age as Takua, possibly even younger, but they're the ones noted for being ancient. I know Takua had several layers of amnesia, but his personality largely stayed consistent, so the fact that he was apparently an irascible scamp since creation makes him feel static. You're telling me he only underwent major personality changes in the last few years?

The ridiculously long timeline also makes the story feel static because it's frankly pretty sparse. Bara Magna has been a desert wasteland with a half-dozen tribes since the Shattering; the only major political shift occurred when the Skrall migrated to Roxtus less than two years before the '09 arc. The MU's timeline is more detailed, but the information we do have still suggests its development is relatively stagnant. The League of Six Kingdoms and the Matoran Civil War/Great Disruption happen back to back, but then the timeline's fairly empty for 75,000 years. All we have to go off of for the main markers is the Brotherhood consolidating power and Dume is active as a Toa. We don't get more detailed politics until the time of the Toa Mangai, and then things start happening with greater and greater intensity that feels natural.

All this to say: when you're making an expansive timeline, it helps to make it feel dense, especially the closer you get to the events of the story. Human history is intricately complicated, with even Dark Ages still providing us ample discussion through archaeology and the lack of written evidence. BIONICLE's timeline has great worldbuilding from a political and social development lens, but it's too stretched out. I'd say that cutting the timeline down to 10,000 years would solve a lot of the issues I discussed. Also reducing the ages of many of the characters, especially the ones on Bara Magna. It's hard to sell Gresh as young when he'd be old enough to remember when humans first started leaving Africa, you know?