#the great lakes one is actually something i feel very strongly about ok

[songofwizardry]

more for your consideration:

the phrase "The Great Lakes" now refers to the African great lakes in the East African Rift Valley (which include Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Lake Albert, Lake Turkana...)

the "Plegde of Allegiance" now refers to the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the Philippines

the "dollar" with no additional clarification refers to the currency of Brunei

We've had enough of the English-speaking internet defaulting to USAmerican terms that we are all forced to learn against our will. Here are the new default settings:

"Southern" no longer means Texas. It now refers to the Philippine island of Mindanao.

"The Midwest" is now Harare, Zimbabwe.

The default legal system is now that of the devolved administration of Scotland.

"College" is an educational institution for 13 to 18 year olds, as in some parts of New Zealand.

The "president" is that of Guyana, currently Irfaan Ali.

If you use these terms to refer to something in the USA then you have to specify or else we won't know what you're talking about and you'll sound like an idiot. Thanks!

[sakura-ame-no-ai]

"bring a jacket next time."

pairings: tetsurou kuroo x reader

genre: fluff

notes: in japan, their way of checking the time is much different than america. they use 24-hour clocks. so if it was 1 in the afternoon, it would be counted as 13:00 for them.

a/n: it felt like some special holiday for me today and i don't know why... but seriously, how is my last kenma fanfic getting so much love istg- anyways, enjoy this fanfiction! i couldn't think of a good title for this on... :sob:

you sneeze suddenly when a gust of wind blows against your legs. it is indeed cold outside, but the shriveled leaves scraping their way down the street makes it seem much colder.

"why does it have to be so cold on a beautiful night like this..," you mutter to yourself, wrapping yourself with your arms.

too bad you didn't contemplate on bringing a jacket with you before bursting through the door with kuroo calling behind you.

well, now you feel a little guilty remembering that you lied to kuroo that you were going to buy some snacks at a nearby konbini. in reality, you just want to spend most of the night searching for some shooting stars.

you make a brief trip to the park, to which you find everything abandoned. that one big red slide that you always see children fighting to have their turn on is now empty and lonely. the swings seem motionless, too. however, they still rock back and forth every now and then when a chilly breeze rushes by. the seesaw is tilted down at an angle, making one side touch the ground full of woodchips.

you search for that favorite brown bench that has legs made out of an elegant black metal of some sort. soon, you discover it sitting under a big maple tree silently. it faces a metal fence that is as high as your waist, which a beautiful view of a huge lake stretches out on the other side of that fence. you don't hesitate to plop down and make yourself comfy on the bench, admiring the wavy reflection of the glittering stars and moon on the water's surface.

you could stare at such a view all day...

well, you would if you had brought a jacket though.

the cold night air wraps around you, trying to embrace you in a friendly way, but all it does is make you shiver and lift your feet onto the bench. you hug your knees and bury your mouth and nose inside your arms and knees, cursing to yourself about why you were stupid enough to not bring some warm clothing before setting out.

"just like i thought," a voice that sounds very familiar booms out from behind you, making you flinch.

you turn your head around to see a bedhair walk up to you with a cheeky grin.

"tetsu?!" you squeal, a little shocked that he actually know exactly where you were. "how did you know i'm here?"

kuroo is bundled up in a scarf and his nekoma jacket. he also has a thick piece of folded cloth draped over his right arm, making you assume that it's probably a blanket.

"i've never seen you that eager to do some shopping at the konbini, kitten," he replies, taking a seat next to you.

"you've always been a fan of sceneries outside, so that gave me an idea."

you give him a look of amazement, awed by the fact that he knows you very well like you're his child or something. however, it isn't long before kuroo bonks you on the head.

"you little rascal~ why didn't you bring a coat? it's like below 25 degrees celsius, and here you are, hanging out at the park, short-sleeved, and without a jacket or coat."

you whimper at his remarks.

"well, you know i was excited, tetsu..," you pout, puffing your cheeks out.

he chuckles, "nobody was blaming you, ok?"

kuroo takes a moment to peel off his nekoma jacket and place it over your shoulders. you gratefully hug it over your shoulders. other than the fact that it smells strongly of that lavender body soap you gave him, the jacket felt warm from kuroo's body heat, making you feel safe.

an unintentional smile slips onto your lips and you readjust your gaze to the sky.

"say... do you think there will be any shooting stars tonight?"

kuroo lifts a brow before fixing his gaze at the sky as well.

"oya? hunting for shooting stars?"

you nod eagerly, continuing to look up attentively.

"mhm! you told me that it's shooting star season!"

the branches of the maple tree above you sway gently, swishing its leaves together to create gentle rustling sounds.

kuroo smiles and points towards one of the stars.

"do you know how stars are formed, n/n?" he asks you, his finger directing your gaze towards the appointed star.

you squint to make a more intricate observation of the star while racking your brain, trying to remember your astrology lessons at school.

"well... don't stars form from accumulated gas and dust in space?" you finally conclude, remembering one fact your teacher has emphasized back then.

kuroo nods happily.

"yep. stars form when the gravity of the dust and air collapse together, which makes them heat up out of pressure."

he continues to ramble on about how stars mostly contain hydrogen and helium, the lightest elements to exist in the universe, and how stars are, in reality, exploding balls of gas.

you listen patiently as he explains. you are always interested in his nerdy science talk, as well as the way he is invested in his own world when a discussion related to a scientific topic arises.

it takes him a little bit to finish his explanation with a sneeze.

of course, he's not wearing his jacket. that's why.

you take off the jacket you were wearing and hand it to him.

"you're gonna catch a cold, so take your jacket back."

however, he pushes it back into your chest.

"no, kitten. you have it. i'm worried about you more."

you begin to pout, angry that he's always caring for your health instead of his own.

"no, kuroo," you say with an upset look. "this is not my jacket."

you two begin fighting about who should wear kuroo's jacket, exaggerating the possibilities of not wearing one and lecturing one another.

"that's it," kuroo sighs, looking troubled.

at first, you are confused by his words.

"what do you m-"

it was at this moment that kuroo covers the blanket that you forgot he had brought onto his back and then trapping you inside his arms, wrapping your body inside the blanket.

"there, now we're both warm," he smirks.

you take a while to understand the situation you're currently in before blushing madly. you look up at him, only to see that usual proud smirk on his face. he obviously did this on purpose.

"tetsu?! what the actual hell?!" you scream.

"oya? anything wrong?" he asks a little too 'innocently', pissing you off.

you growl back, "of course, you dumbass! people might see us and take this to like a million different wrong directions!"

"kitten, it's almost half-past 23:00. it's really unlikely that we'll be seen since most people are asleep."

you can't counter back, because that sly cat is right. most people are asleep at this time, so it's highly unlikely that you'd get caught like this with kuroo.

you have no idea how to react, so you decide to lean your back against kuroo, resting your head on his chest. at least, you realize that you feel much warmer than wearing his jacket. in the end, you start to relax, paying closer attention to the steady rise and fall of his chest while he breathes.

"do you ever see stars as memories when you look at them?" you ask kuroo, tilting your head upwards to meet his gaze.

"sometimes," he smiles, looks at one of the stars.

"like that one near that giant cloud reminds me of when i stole your meat from your lunchbox."

you cough.

"do you think this is a great time to bring this up??"

he only smirks at you. "you asked if i get reminded of anything when i look at a star."

you pout a little and fix your eyes to another star and point your finger towards it.

"well, this one reminds me of when yaku beat your ass for stealing meat from my lunchbox."

you two begin talking back and forth, saying which star represented which memory, laughing about the old days, and fighting about various things, like who should've gotten to eat that scrumptious piece of steak.

as you come back to argue about the lunchbox situation again, a white streak catches your eyes, snapping your attention back to the sky.

"look, tetsu! shooting stars!" you exclaim.

what kuroo turns his head to look at the sky with you.

sure enough, more streaks of white rain down like a slight drizzle.

"hurry up! make a wish!" you tell him before clasping your hands together before your face and close your eyes.

kuroo looks at you, then back at the sky. after a while, he closes his eyes and makes his wish.

i want to stay by y/n's side, even after i graduate.

however, he doesn't say it out loud. instead, he wraps his arms around your chest after you have finished making your wish.

for the first time in forever, kuroo gives you the most genuine smile that you've ever seen, which surprises you since you're so used to his cheeky smirks. it reminds you of honey and its sweet flavor.

"you know, kitty, we could do this next time," he coos in the sweetest voice you've ever heard him use.

"did you think i'd stop you?"

"ummmm..."

you look side-ways towards the tree beside you before give him your honest response.

"weeeeell, i thought you'd tell me it'd be too late into the night to do something like this and that i wouldn't be able to wake up if i stay up star-hunting."

kuroo chuckles, petting your head lightly with that big hand of his

"things like this are exceptions."

your eyes light up to his words. he has officially announced the permit to stay up searching for shooting stars that you adore a lot. it makes you very happy that you smile back warmly.

"thank you, tetsurou," you sigh, leaning into his chest comfortably.

"it's nothing, y/n."

he continues to stroke your hair in a soothing way as he maintains that genuine smile on his lips.

"just bring a jacket next time, or star-hunting will be off-limits."

[mooosicaldreamz]

We obviously need your song by song analysis of evermore please!

i got asked to do this about four times so here it is.....much anticipated. i know. please note that when i say that i hate her or despise her i don’t actually mean that. but i do

EVERMORE

OK LETS GO

WILLOW - ok, groovy first time you hear it, right? has a strong rumbly wiggle. let’s VIBE. the low of the verse, the high of the chorus…oh my goodness! what is she doing. she’s just out there! wow. “wherever you stray i follow” is a banger. “life was a willow and it bent right to your wind” with the overlay oof let’s go.!!!! a shockingly strong first entry of the record…best one since “welcome to new york” maybe!!! let’s just say it!!! for some reason “i come back stronger than a 90s trend” throws me off though…i don’t know. it’s just so moody pop, no one is doing it like her!!! i hate her

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS - every time i listen to this song i listen to it four times. not a joke. it’s perfect. i don’t think i need to convince anyone! it’s perfect!!!!! what are you doing? taylor swift, the most dramatic bitch, has been writing dramatic bitch songs since she was fourteen and yet, somehow, she contrives to write even more dramatic things as she ages. this song is a JOKE. there are not ENOUGH songs about denying proposals! it’s just simple and sad. oh my god. it’s insane. the fact that she wrote this with her boyfriend (i have a running theory that they are married, we are going to refer to joe as her Perfect and Glorious Husband from now on) …… come on. the ENTIRE BREAKDOWN. “YOUR MIDAS TOUCH ON THE CHEVY DOOR / NOVEMBER FLUSH YOUR FLANNEL CURE / THIS DORM WAS ONCE A MADHOUSE / I MADE A JOKE WELL ITS MADE FOR ME / HOW EVERGREEN OUR GROUP OF FRIENDS / DON’T THINK WE’LL SAY THAT WORD AGAIN / AND SOON THEY’LL HAVE THE NERVE TO DECK THE HALLS THAT WE ONCE WALKED THROUGH” ……. concluding with that absolute stabby killer “what a shame she’s fucked in the head” oh my god……….. and the song resolving in a very adult “you’ll find someone else” god

GOLD RUSH - ok so like this song is like ok it’s got the same groovy high /low that’s happening on willow but it’s so different! it’s so good! the pulse of the beat propelling the whole thing through and then the falling apart “oh what must it be like to grow up that beautiful”……………..ok. the visceral image of “my eagles t-shirt hanging from the door” …………. i admire very much taylor’s oncoming gift of moving through high/low imagery…… i love her so much? it’s so HARD. “my mind turns your life into folklore” beautiful! BEAUTIFUL! also i have some belief in me that this is about karlie kloss but i shall not dive into that hole.

TIS THE DAMN SEASON - oh so i’m supposed to LIVE with this song EXISTING. WHY!!!! HOW……..oh my god………..taylor was like, yes, i’m going to write a song about a famous girl going home and banging her high school flame for a week and jack and aaron were like oh ok. “i parked my car between the methodist and the school that used to be ours.” she is such a joke. “you could call me babe for the weekend” like ok emo!! emo!!! OK. I LOVE THIS SONG

TOLERATE IT - taylor really gave us the most depressing track 5, but it’s absolutely a banger and i love her! she is just vibing! oh my god. what a specific emotion to pinpoint with this song….it’s such a gift. no one is hitting this space

NO BODY NO CRIME - this song has no business being on this record but in the BEST WAY, like how daddy lessons mysteriously appears in the middle of lemonade. oh my goodness. this is just pure country revenge song. taylor was like oh actually i haven’t forgotten my roots and i hate men more than i ever have. and she got haim to sing with her. and it’s so good. the low “i think he did it” oh my goodness. this song is a joke. how is it real? it’s just a perfect radio song. it reminds me very much of “before he cheats” but it’s a lot more sonically calm

HAPPINESS - similar to “tolerate it” and i think “champagne problems” this song is beating on an emotional bush that is really really hard to hit the head of. like, so she collabed with the national and bon iver on this record and previous obvi, and i LOVE them, but their music can often be very………impressionistic? perhaps? is how i might put it. it’s sometimes hard to get a note of specificity from it. imo. but taylor loves a fucking story bro. and she has figured out how to tell made up stories. she can’t be stopped now. like…this space of a breakup and knowing that it’s for the best and being sad in this way? name a pop star who has a song this nuanced. for real! god. i despise her. “across a great divide / there is a glorious sunrise”

DOROTHEA - the other half to the far superior TIS THE DAMN SEASON and a banger all the same. it has the bouncy joy of the most buoyant national songs. in the same vein as the also far superior BETTY, she has her sweet dumb boy slurry and less intelligent voice. i love that she paints these narrators this way, it’s just nothing she would have ever reached for ever before this period. she has a Perfect and Glorious Husband now and she has begun to understand teenage boys, FINALLY.

CONEY ISLAND - i have upon many occasions opined that i love the national VERY MUCH. i once went to a festival with my gf and her sister to see them even though i was expressly not invited and you know what despite the fact that it caused a lot of angst, i got to see the national play TERRIBLE LOVE in the middle of the night and I SCREAMED IT. so like, listen. what is matt berninger doing here, to me, specifically????????? i was somewhat hesitant about how their voices might blend, but it works astonishingly well. and i think that it’s so wonderful, i can’t. the imagery of a dreary coney island…..”sorry for not winning you an arcade ring.” as taylor always proves, the bridge is spectacular. “were you standing in the hallway / with a big cake / happy birthday”……”and when i got into the accident / the sight that flashed before me was your face / but when i walked up to the podium / i think that i forgot to say your name” sorry to yOU calvin. she had ISSUES. and now she has a Perfect and Glorious Husband. also “sorry for not making you my centerfold” ok kaylor

IVY - this song is about emily dickinson and i DARE you to tell me that i’m wrong. I DARE YOU. I DARE YOU. you’d be wrong! embarrassing for you. taylor finally writing a probably legitimate queer song and it’s about fucking emily dickinson is so on brand…..it’s dripping with poetry and groove and she’s so fucking dumb i hate her so much. her narrative of ivy and poetry and the lakes district…….ok taylor. i know. i know you watched all the dickinson things that came out and you identified with her. the gentle sway of the “oh, goddamn” and the “oh, i can’t”……i CAN’T EITHER TAYLOR !!! i CAN”T TAYLOR!!!! “oh goddamn / my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand / taking mine but it’s been promised to another / oh i can’t / stop you putting roots in my dreamland” TAYLOR. and then she says, “oh you didn’t realize this wasn’t gay?” “i want to know the fatal flaw that makes you long to be magnificently cursed” like @ emily yourself taylor “he wants what’s only yours”……TAYLOR. give me the entire catalogue of emily dickinson songs!!!!! i can’t do this. “springs breaks loose / but so does fear” “i’d live and die for moments that we stole / on begged and borrowed time / so tell me to run / or dare to sit and watch what we’ll become / and drink my husband’s wine.” taylor if you see this post, a, i love you, b, i need you to tell me about ivy, and c, PLEASE can i have tickets to your next tour in the year 2025 or whenever because my gf never buys me any to your shows……….i love this song if it isn’t clear. i think i’d love it if it wasn’t gay

COWBOY LIKE ME - ok this will sound weird and if you’ve read this far i’m going to assume that you don’t care about me being weird…but this song reminds me of the fanfiction STAY THE NIGHT by lynnearlington (maybe u’ve heard of it). please reply if you think about this and feel the same. “never wanted love / just a fancy car” “you had some tricks up your sleeve / takes one to know one / you’re a cowboy like me” the opening line re: the tent-like thing reminds me very strongly of the fourth of july at our family’s country club and they set up a tent over the parking lot and this song just makes me think of that vibe????? i don’t know. i have vibes. i love this song a lot, which is impressive because it follows after the gay euphoria of IVY. perhaps this is because it gives me its own gay euphoria. “now you hang from my lips like the garden babylon” ???? is one of the most gay, seductive, brutal lyrics i have ever heard. she wrote that down and was like, oh yeah, vibez, hundo p. she did that to me

LONG STORY SHORT - this song is an honorary sequel to I FORGOT THAT YOU EXISTED from the lover era (honestly i’m still in the lover era). but i actually think this song is better! so we are taking that. “actually i’ve always thought that i looked better from the rearview” ok taylor let’s access that feeling! “no more keeping score / i just keep you warm” is like, stupidly sweet.  rip to calvin but now taylor has a Perfect and Glorious Husband.

MARJORIE - made me cry, simple and beautiful. one of the more personal songs on the tracklist! and something that i had never considered that she would write about, but i think the quarantine period has allowed a lot of us to dig into our feelings, so….vibez. we’re vibing!

CLOSURE - this song’s production sounds a lot like bon iver’s recent productions, very tech-y and repetitive and spare. rip to karlie kloss but taylor has a Perfect and Glorious Husband and karlie’s legal last name is kushner so who really won? hmm? i love “i’m fine with my spite / and my tears / and my beers / and my candles” the inclusion of candles is just. vibez. there are four candles lit rn in our apartment!

EVERMORE - i think this song is very intriguing and i’m still puzzling with it! the simplicity of her depressive gray November phase and then the very ebullient and bold bon iver interlude……..really has a manic/depressive, sad/angry vibe???? it feels so on brand for this pandemic quarantine…..and it works shockingly well, except for that i’d rather listen to the bon iver part for 10 minutes more. “all my waves are being tossed / is there a line that i can just go cross” and then taylor’s sort of call and response with his interlude……should just be the whole song.  but it’s still good. that’s how annoying she is

[chequeredwhitpost]

Episode 4 - [So I’m Dating A Sorceress] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(The Next Day) | (School)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I’m walking with Darci through the school-- since apparently nothing serious enough happened to shut the place down. But thankfully, yesterday at lunch went great. It was amazing to eat lunch with both my friends and my boyfriend. 

“You’ve got that ‘dream-boat’ look on your face again, Arya.” I hear Darci say.

Glancing over at her as she snickers, I ask her what she’s talking about. 

“You’re daydreaming face! The face you make when you’re thinking about your boyfriend, you know?” 

“How did you…?” 

“Oh, trust me, I get the same look when I’m thinking about Tobes. My dad’s always calling me out for it, too.” 

“Hmm..”

Darci suddenly gasps, grabs my wrist, and hauls me off in the direction of a group. 

“Claire! You’re back!” Darci exclaims, letting my wrist go. 

She goes to hug Claire but instinctively pulls back before they do. 

“You’re not sick anymore… right?” 

“Nope!” 

“Awesome!” 

They hug, as my presence is noticed by Toby and Jim.

“Hey, Arya.”

“Sup, Lake.” 

He frowns.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing. I just,-- you know you don’t have to call me ‘Lake’, right?”

“Oh, sorry. Just a habit, I guess.” 

I turn to the duke.

“Hey, Tobes.” I smile.

“Sup, Arya.” He waves.

When Darci and Claire pull away laughing, all eyes fall on them. 

“That was one killer cold!” Darci stumps, “We gotta celebrate now that you’re back!!” 

Toby balls his hands up into fists excitedly. 

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Darci squeals, looking at me and Claire and Jim. 

“Double date!”

“Triple date!” 

Toby and Darci look at each other, Toby being confused.

“Triple? Who else do we know that’s dating?” 

Darci looks at me, pleadingly. 

Toby gasps.

“No way! You have a boyfrie--” 

Darci quickly covers Tobes’ mouth. 

“It’s a secret!!!” She whisper-shouts.

Claire’s face lights up and she realizes the news. 

“No. Way. Who is it??” 

Darci looks at me, begging me with her expression for permission to tell. I cross my arms and scoff.

“Fine. But this information does NOT leave this circle!!” 

“Got it!” 

“Understood!” Pipes Toby.

Everyone looks at Jim.

“Why would I want to tell? Your secret’s safe with me.” 

I nod at Darci, giving her permission to tell.

She squeals like a fangirl-shipper. “It’s Douxie!” 

The dust I feel on my cheeks comes to life, painting my face with pink and red blush. Toby and Claire gasp.

“You’re dating HIM??”

“Keep your voice down, Claire!!!” I hiss.

Toby snickers, “I told you that you were gonna wanna swoon.” 

I grumble under my breath, “Tch.” 

“Ok, you have a lot to explain later!” 

“Fine, fine. But I think he has to work tonight.” I mention. 

“Who, Douxie?” 

“Yeah. So, let me text him and see what’s happening. I’ll tell you guys what times work best for us.”

“And Toby and I will text you what we’re planning on doing for the date.” Darci nods to me. 

I return the gesture.

“Yeah. It’ll be good to get out.” Claire pips.

 The bell rings and we all split. 

“See you guys tonight~!” 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As I’m sitting in history class, half-listening to Ms. Lilinud teaching the class, I’m holding my phone underneath my desk and texting Douxie about what his work schedule looks like for tonight. 

__________________

Arya: Hey, love, so our news of being together may have reached out just a bit to Darci, Claire, Toby and Jim. Though, for now, they’ve promised not to tell anyone.

Arya: But they’ve invited us out to a triple date tonight and I was wondering how long it looks like you’ll be on the clock? 

Douxie: Well, my shift’s over at 5:30 tonight, and I’m going in at 3:30. 

Douxie: What were they thinking of doing for the triple date?

____________________________

I text him all the details and then go into my contacts and text Darci what I learned.

I tell her that he’ll be working until 5:30 and she tells me that they were thinking of catching a movie at the theater. Toby’s pick. (And he’s keeping it a surprise, apparently.) Something tells me it’s going to be a scary movie… The cliche. And that we’d be going to a fancy steak place, too. Sounds great, and I really look forward to it. 

I sigh, putting my phone away to listen to the class lecture… boring. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Time Skip)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It’s 5:53 right now, and I’m finally done getting ready for the date. I hear a knock at the front door and go to get it. (It’s really helpful that Jake’s over at a friend’s house tonight…) When I open the door, I find a very casual -- yet charming -- Douxie waiting on the front steps. He sees me in my attire and sort of just melts in his stance. 

He shakes his head, snapping out of my ‘magical’ trance. I laugh softly to myself and notice the flowers in his hands. They’re lilies, my favorite kind. He chuckles, rubbing the nape of his neck nervously, as he holds the bouquet out for me to have.

“For you, love.” He says, 

I smile, thanking him as I take them and quickly rush them to a vase. (After letting him in.) Once I add some water and put the lilies into a golden-clear colored vase, I turn to Douxie and we head on out. (Quick stay, but still.) 

I lock up the house behind me and we start walking for the restaurant. On the way, idle chit chat is made. 

…

“You look beautiful.” He tells me.

My cheeks turn pink as our hands brush up against each other while we walk. 

“And you look… charming, in the best way possible.” 

“Why thank you, love.” 

“Love?” I quote him.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like it?” 

“No, no, I like it! It’s just sudden… Is all…” 

“Hmm.. You know, you’re actually quite adorable when flustered.” 

“Douxie!” I giggle.

“Ah, come on, you know you like my flirting.” He nudges into me, 

I sigh contently, “I suppose you’re right.. I cannot deny a good liking to puns and flirts.”

“Yeah, that’s the Arya I know.” 

I lean closer to him and take his hand in mine. We walk the rest of the way, which isn’t very far, admiring the town at sunset. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When we arrive at the restaurant, we find Toby and Darci, and Jim and Claire sitting at a round table outside. It’s nice out, so I don’t really mind. But by the looks on Darci and Toby’s faces, we just missed an awkward moment. (Which I think is dodging a bullet, so whatever.) 

“Hey guys!” I greet them.

They all look to us as we approach -- Toby and Darci smiling like children on Christmas morning. Stupid but adorable. Douxie helps me into my seat, pushing me in, before taking his place right next to me. I pick up my menu and notice that a lot of the prices are through the roof. 

“Yikes! This place IS fancy!” I joke.

I earn a few laughs, before Toby brightens up and turns to Darci.

“Only the best for my Darci.” 

“Aww, T.P.” She swoons. 

Everyone goes to their menus. 

“Ooh! I heard the Duck Confede is stellar. I think I’ll get that.” 

“Same! O-M-G, when I went to Paris with the fam, the duck was amazing!” 

“Aaah, Pari~! Ze city of love! Tell me more?” Toby leans in closer to Darci, as I continue to browse the selections. 

I hear Claire talking about Paris in the background, but I don’t really tune in. I look over at Douxie and see him browsing the food, too.

“Hey, have you been here before?” I ask.

“Yes, but not as much as you’d think.”

“What’s your favorite thing to order here? I could use a recommendation right now, haha.” 

“I really like the stew and the steak. And their mashed potatoes are rather good too.” He leans in to whisper, “It’s a secret recipe that I have yet to slip out of the chef, haha.” 

“Hah. Well, you are always looking to improve your cooking!” 

As the table shifts suddenly, and Jim starts repeating the word ‘ow’, Douxie and I turn our heads to the two best friends, suspiciously…

O...Okay? Well, anyways… 

Darci turns her attention to both Claire and myself.

“So, Claire, Arya… You two both saw the first Danger House, right?” 

“Isn’t that a horror movie?” I ask. 

“You guessed correctly!”

“I don’t do great with horror movies…” 

Douxie chuckles from beside me, to which I roll my eyes-- smirking.

Darci turns to Claire, narrowing her gaze, “I haven’t seen it.” 

“O-M-G, well, where do I start?” 

As I listen to Darci explaining the movie’s basic plot, I notice Toby and Jim whisper-fighting behind their menus. ...Weird… 

I notice one of those familiar faces approaching our table in the restaurant uniform. 

When she gets to our side, she looks up from her notepad and sees Douxie and I, and we instantly recognize her. 

Zoe sighs and narrows her dagger-like glare onto Douxie. 

“Welcome to Minty’s Dining, where everything is perfectly in place. What can I get you on this lovely evening..?” She asks, as if she hates it here. 

I wouldn’t blame her if she has to greet people like that everytime. ‘Where everything is perfectly in place’? That’s weird. Really weird. 

Darci looks at Zoe and points to her menu.

“Ok, level with me,” 

As Darci is asking her food question, Toby turns to Douxie and I and starts making conversation.

“So, how long have you two been dating?” He asks,

“Not very long. Just since Saturday.” 

“Really? You two are being so… couple-y. It’s like you’ve been together longer than that.” I shrug, “Well, we’ve been friends since practically ever. You could just say that we’re really close in bond.” 

Douxie chuckles, laying his gaze on me, adoringly. I smile back just as strongly. 

“You two are such a cute couple.” Clarie notes. 

“Thanks. I could say the same of you and Jim,” and I turn to look at Toby, “And you and Darci.” 

“That’s awful sweet of you, but please, don't stop.” Toby jokes.

It earns a chuckle out of me.

As Zoe explains the ‘duck feet’ meal isn’t all that is says, Claire starts to sway back and forth in her chair, as if she’s really dizzy. She grabs her drink of water and takes a drink from it….

Toby whispers-shouts at Jim, something that I don't catch, but it clearly affects him. 

He takes his own menu and passes it to Zoe.

“Steaks all around! Thank you, Zeus. I’m sure you’re busy.”

“My name is Zoe.” She sighs, “Whatever. How do you want your steak prepared?” 

“Well done.” Jim answers,

“Well done~!” Toby says, followed by the same answer from me and Douxie.

Zoe hardly even looks at Claire before… 

Claire lets out a roar? 

“Raw! Dripping with blood!” 

I lean back in my chair instinctively, all sorts of freaked out. Douxie does the same. 

Everyone else looks at Claire, like she’s gone psycho.

Claire realizes what she’s said and quickly covers her mouth, shocked. Zoe gives Claire an impressed look, before writing that down.

“As you wish.” She smirks, “Six steaks, one extremely raw.” 

“I’ll be back with your orders shortly,” Zoe walks off. 

Douxie’s voice is slim, and quiet, but I still hear him when he asks me, 

“Tell me you saw that too…?” 

I nod. 

Claire stands up, suddenly freaked out with herself, and looks to Darci for help.

“Darc’? Bathroom?” 

Darci gets up to go with her and Toby starts panicking.

Douxie looks at me, questioning if I’m going to go with, which I probably should, but probably won’t. 

Claire looks back at me with sad eyes and I cave in. I get up and go to go.

I hear a thud, and a whimper and look back at Toby, wincing in pain. 

“The other… rule three…!” He squeaks. 

Dunno what that’s about, but it makes Darci freak.

“T.P! Are you OK? What happened?!” 

She clicks her tongue, looking to me, “I’ll be right there.” 

I sigh, looking at Douxie with a reassuring, and hopeful smile.

“I’ll take care of Claire until you get there.”

I follow Claire to the bathroom.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We open the door to the lady’s room and walk in. I turn on one of the sinks and motion for Claire to come closer. 

“Here, try splashing your face with some cold water.” I suggest,

She nods and does what I say. 

“Come on, Claire, pull it together!” She tells herself. 

She looks in the mirror and sighs, before splashing her face again.

“That was quite a show you pulled out there. Any idea what happened?” 

“No. I just don't know what came over me.”

“Well, I think I might know…” 

Claire splashes her face again, and the lights here in the bathroom shut off. My suspicions are only confirmed when Claire’s reflection doesn’t follow her actions in the mirror. Instead, her face freezes in view. 

When Claire comes up and wipes her eyes, she sees her frozen reflection and questions it. 

“Uhh…” She hums.

Claire reaches her hand to touch the glass but her image comes to life. -- Which is enough to freak anyone out, really.

“Helloo~, darling!!” Says a harmful voice, “Claire, is it?” 

Claire backs up into the sink behind her. 

“This. Is. Not. Real!” 

I sigh, biting my nails, “I’m afraid it is, actually.” 

I step into view of the first mirror. 

“Hello, Morgana.” 

“Why, if it isn’t little miss Arya Sithers. My little ‘experiment’ from way back when. You were fun all those years ago~.” 

“This isn't a game, you know.” I snap. 

Claire, now breathing heavily, grabs onto my arm and hugs tight, confused.

“Arya? What is going on?!” 

“Can’t say. Don’t know. Not yet anyways.” 

“Oh, there’s that daring spirit of yours! I always did adore that part of you. You might even say that you got it from me~.”

“Bullshit. Now, this is how this is going to go--” 

“Ah, ah! Now, now, spirit. Be a good little pet and play nice.” 

“You do not own me.” 

“ARYA WHAT IS GOING ON!!?” 

“Claire, be quiet for like, two seconds, ok?” 

Claire’s ‘reflection’ in the mirror looks at the original.

“Ahaha, sorry dear. Did I scare you?”

“T-this isn’t real!” Claire rubs her eyes, “I’m-- I’m imagining this!” 

She tries running for the door, but gets held up by an invisible force… Or not really. More like… Magic.

“Claire!!” I cry out.

“Morgana, release her!! Now!!” 

“That’s funny. It almost sounds like you’re telling me what to do?” 

“I did! Let her go!” 

Morgana puts Claire down inside the restroom, slamming the door shut lock. 

“And you,” She says towards Claire,

I grab the maiden and pull her close. I will protect her.

“You think I’m just a reflection that you can run away from? I am under your skin.”

What? 

“No. You didn’t!!” 

Claire looks down at her hands, horrified. 

“Get out of me!” 

She slaps herself, hard.

“Claire!! Don't! That’s not gonna work!” 

“She’s right, you know~.” 

I glare daggers into the mirror, which reveals now Morgana’s form instead of Claire’s.

“Give me one good reason to not tear you apart! Right here! Right now!” 

“Because. You don’t want your date to end so soon, do you?” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“A threat for you? No. It’s a threat meant for HIM. Your precious Hisirdoux.” 

“Shut up!!” 

Morgana’s laugh echoes through the stalls. Now really freaking out, Claire starts walking backwards in between the line of stalls, 

“Stop it!” She cries.

She starts running herself into the doors.

“Claire! I just told you! That’s not going to work!!” 

I try to go to her, but a physical magic grabs me and hauls me back-- right into the wall. I grunt, my vision going hazy. A yellow light crawls out of the mirrors and approaches Claire. Morgana… No! 

“My! You are strong! Strong enough to wield my weapon. Strong enough to be my gracious host. You open up a big enough door and something’s bound to escape.” 

What… is she talking about?

“The portal… The sickness… The signs under my bed!” 

“You already told Gunmar all he needs to know, but since I’m out and about, I thought we kill Merlin’s Trollhunter! As soon as we get him alone!” 

“Claire…! No!!” 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I black out for a second. But it’s not long before ‘Claire’ is waking me up, aside Darci.

“Claire? What happened!!” 

“I don’t know. She just… fainted.” 

“Arya!”

I feel water splash me on the face. I open my eyes, a heavy pain all across my backside. Darci lets out a breath of relief and helps me up. 

“Arya are you OK?” 

“More like … K.O.ed.” I groan.

I glance over at Claire as Darci is checking me for bruises or broken bones. But her eyes glow yellow, and I know it really happened. Morgana… took Claire. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[End Chapter / Episode 4]

[darkestwolfx]

Fight or Flight - Re-Review #38

The perfect scenery for an episode which is taking it’s title from an old saying relating to the natural instincts of animals and humans - the fight or fight instinct; whether you stay and hold your ground (a little like Kayo), or whether you try and run in fear of your life (I can imagine Gordon having to do this quite often when he is caught pranking his brothers). Oh, but did we mention, it’s actually in the air? Yeah, it took two minutes to get to that point!

So, because this episode darts around all over the place, I’m doing this review (again) in sections according to character and storyline, because I like everything to be all neat and tidy, okay? I’m thinking of all of you here by giving you ease of access to a complicated and jam packed episode - you should be thanking me.

Also, I will apologise in advance now for the fact that this review is mostly picture based - literally I think this section here is the wordiest of all.

So, moving away from the ominous cargo hold, which is no doubt bound to be full of idiots - because let’s face it, that is just the way that things work in TAG - let’s start with the fact that we are opening in space again! Yay, John’s domain. And the scenery is pretty damn right on this one. I love how if you look really carefully you can make out the different shapes of the continents below.

And here we have a space spider - someone call Gordon and Alan, it’s an alien! Oh wait, no, hang up, it’s only Brains. A rather nervous Brains - obviously the ‘flight’ part behind the title of this episode. It’s nice to see him up in (or on) Thunderbird Five again. It happened in TOS in ‘The Cham-Cham’.

“I’m just having a little trouble adjusting to being weightless.”

“It was the same for me when I started. You get used to it.”

But of course, they can’t even manage to do repairs and maintenance without something coming there way!

“Your databases are offline because I started a systems check. It’s ok, I backed everything up onto MAX.”

“Atta boy, MAX.”

Thank goodness for MAX, ey?

And here’s the situation;

“A cargo carrier experienced a missives systems failure. The ship is on a crash course for Anderbad City.”

Anderbad City first appeared in the TOS episode ‘Perils of Penelope’, with Anderbad being a play on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s surname. It was given notable features such as the Anderbad Tunnel and the Anderbad Express, but it was never shown in full. TAG have added a Flight Control Tower, so we can assume that Anderbad is a big city with travel at the centre.

So, here we go, I thought I’d go back to the cargo hold first which is a little backwards I know, but I’m doing it because... just because okay? Reviewers choice.

Run for your lives! The machinery is striking back!

Scott nearly getting hit and then running back for the flight deck is absolutely hilarious. 

“We have a new problem.”

And I won’t deal with that part, I’ll choose to fly the zeppelin, is probably what Scott was thinking. Because, yes, that option seems so much better!

“Looks like we’ll need that back up, Kayo.”

It was probably a good thing that she was ready and waiting in this instance, because Scott couldn’t have done that much multitasking, great though he is.

“How are you guys doing in there?”

“Oh you know, just playing hide and seek with a giant bone crushing claw. You know, no big deal.”

Yeah, you’re right, the bigger deal is that you might die anyway, so playing hide and seek is probably the least of your worries right about now. In fact, that might be preferable depending on your viewpoint. At least that might be marginally more entertaining than sitting and waiting for death to come.

“How does a giant, mechanical loading claw take it’s tea?”

“I don’t know.”

“With a pinch of sugar.”

“That’s the worst joke I’ve ever heard.”

I have to admit, I’m with her on that one. Who even thought that joke up! And who heard that joke and then thought ‘hey, that’s a good one to go in the script!’ I didn’t even laugh, I will be perfectly honest.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get them out.”

“Why would I worry?”

Hmm, maybe because it’s a life threatening situation? Just hazarding a guess here.

Kayo should be happy anyway - she got to show off her bad-guy chasing gymnastic skills, even if it was only against machinery.

“International Rescue. Time to go. Follow me!”

“You’re kidding right?”

“No, I’m pretty serious.”

“We can’t jump and flip around like you just did!”

No, I don’t imagine you can.

“I’ll distract the claw so you can make a run for it.”

Literally the point of this episode,  isn’t it? Running for it?

I have a theme song for it - look up ‘Run for It’ by (you won’t regret it).

“Where does that lead?”

“Emergency exit.”

“This definitely qualifies as an emergency.”

Hell yes, I would think it does!

“Kayo, you need to get out.”

“Great idea, Scott, thanks for the suggestion!”

No need to be sarcastic - he’s just looking out for you, remember?

As a side note, look at the robot! I want one... I bet its more environmentally friendly than my car.

“The ship’s loosing altitude faster than my projections. But why?”

“It looks like the liquid hydrogen fuel cells have cracked open.”

“And I’m guessing that’s bad?”

Yes, Scott, that’s bad.

“The tanks keep the fuel isolated. but if an electrical fire starts on impact, you’ll get what we scientists call a big ka-boom. Which is also what my insides feel like.”

“What’s the time frame?”

“John says I’ll feel better once I get used to zero gravity.”

“I think he means before the zeppelin crashes.”

“Oh right. Factoring in altitude, wind speed, ship weight, adjusting for cargo, and letting x equal the rate of fuel loss, we get... oh my!”

“Scott, you’re gonna’ need to move. Fast.”

“FAB. And Brains, that means feel better soon.”

Yeah... that conversation gets me every time. They never said how fast Scott needed to move, but hey, it’s okay, because he listened. Considering the zeppelin appeared seconds later.

“Thunderbird two could nudge the ship and change course that way.”

Of course that is the first suggestion that Scott comes up with. Just shove it out the way and be done with it. Good plan.

“I would strongly caution against that. Those leaking fuel cells could easily rupture.”

Or not.

“Ka-boom, got it. Ok, I’m gonna’ need to get on board. Maybe I can regain some control of this thing.”

Yay, we get to see Scott pilot a zeppelin! That’s a change.

“Hey, Virgil, just taking a little air!”

“I’ve got Thunderbird One slaved to my controls.”

Yeah... because a line like that always means good things are coming. I love how Virgil at least knew what it meant - take Thunderbird One.

“All systems critical. We’re on auxiliary power with almost no altitude control or steering. I can’t risk landing with that fuel leak. I’m gonna’ point her down and bail out. She’ll crash safely into the lake before reaching the city.”

You can’t say something like that without expecting trouble.

“Crash course set, ready to bail out.”

“Hello? Anyone there? We’re stuck! We can’t get out! Trapped!”

“Hello? Can you hear me? John, did you get that? I thought everyone was off this ship?”

“Me too. Hang on. The numbers don’t match. They messed up their count.”

Great! And so we revert to the cargo hold, which I’ve already covered.

“Do we have time to get the crew out before we reach the city?”

“Negative. You’re gonna’ have to fly over the city, and bring it down in the open countryside on the other side.”

“We’ll never make it. We’re still losing height.”

“If you offload 90% of the fuel, there’s a chance you’ll be light enough to make it over the city.”

A chance? I suppose we have to take it because there’s no other option really.

“Ok, I’ll keep flying. Virgil, you start pumping out that fuel.”

Yeah, because that will buy us lots of non-existent time! At least it’s better than nothing.

“Oh, it’s going to be tight.”

“Tight, but we should make it tight? Or John’s space suit tight?”

“I don’t know if I know how to answer that question in a way that’s reassuring.”

“Space suit tight.”

Scott’s doing a really good job of flying under pressure here, I would just like to say.

“I think it should be enough.”

“You think or you know?”

“I think I know.”

Very reassuring Brains. I feel very non-reassured.

“That should do it, Scott.”

“Got to be sure.”

“Now, Scott, get out!”

Listen to John, for goodness sake, Scott.

Fly for your lives! There’s an explosion!

You know, Wolfie definitely understands the reason for this episode title now. They were being really clever - well done Dan Berlinka.

In my opinion, this is one of the closest calls that they’ve showed us, and I really appreciated that. TOS did it a few times in ‘City of Fire’ and ‘Danger at Ocean Deep’ (I’m talking proper close calls here, because I know there are many near misses), and TAG have done it quite often with Gordon, but this one was a really nice show of skill and panic, and absolute expertise at the end of it all.

“Yes! He made it!”

Hooray! We’ve succeeded! Let’s all go home!

After a hug... but maybe remember to not hug John... he looks like he’s feeling a little awkward there, Brains.

“Nice work everyone. We limited the damage at Anderbad city to one billboard.”

That poor billboard. But yes, successful.

And look what’s waiting at home!

I was wondering where Gordon and Alan had got to... “on a supply run”... yeah right, who’s great idea was that. They only have themselves to blame for what the boys bring back. Interestingly, they never said where Scott and Alan were at the end of the last episode (and I was waiting for that), so it was nice to actually see the pair pop up right at the end.

“Hey guys!”

“How was the supply run?”

“Routine. But wait till you see what me and Alan picked up at an antiques store on the way back.”

“It’s the same game John used to play all the time.”

A nice little reference back to ‘Skyhook’ here. Continuity at it’s best.

“You grab prizes with the claw!”

Yes, we do have eyes, thank you, Alan.

“Who wants to go first?”

Cue mass exodus of the lounge... And a tumbleweed to roll through in the wake of it all. (Actually, could some one get me a tumbleweed please? I feel like my cat would appreciate it. Shes called Munchies, by the way.)

“What did I say?”

“We should have brought some prizes.”

This is funny, because Alan probably said that, and Gordon probably ‘ignored’ him.

“Oh, claw machine needs prizes!”

“No wonder they didn’t want to play!”

I don’t think that was quite it, but hey, let’s not disappoint them anymore. Look at Gordon’s face.

P.S. This ended up more wordy and longer than I had expected! I’ve outdone myself for midnight pieces of work (and a very dodgy internet connection).

[writingwithcolor]

I’m writing a story in which a nation of nonhumans, having been trapped in a pocket dimension for two millenia, integrates into human society. Would it be insensitive to have them successfully argue that, as they were indigenous peoples of the Americas, they should be legally recognized as a Native American tribe with tribal sovereignty? Native Americans (specifically of the Ojibwe tribe) magically trapped them in the first place, but I’m hoping that’s ok because all humans have magic, not just

“Native American mystics” or w/e, and the character designs aren’t based off any NA myths. But they’re VERY inhuman, resembling animals, and a subplot is that they’re called “monsters” so often they begin to embrace/reclaim the term. It’s mainly just a device to deal with the logistics of integrating thousands of new people (with their own established government) into the American political system at once, so I can scrap it if needed.

Ancient Monsters Indigenous to America; Should They be Called Native?

So. There are four parts to this question, based off how you’ve worded the question. 

1- Native Americans Shunning An “Okay” Group

2- Native American Monsters

3- Imposing Monsters Where None Exist

4- What Makes Someone Native

One at a time:

Native Americans Shunning an Okay Group

If these inhuman people are a genuine threat or were a genuine threat, then this is less relevant. But even if some of them were a threat, and the whole group was shunned, you end up recreating a big piece of racism in modern day:

Natives hate outsiders “needlessly.” If only they gave this group a chance, they’d find out they weren’t that bad. But they’re too mean to do that.

The modern caution around Native and colonizer culture mixing is, as the term implies, modern. Natives didn’t necessarily shun outsiders, and as evident by how colonizers needed us to survive for awhile, they were relatively welcoming early on. In Canada, we even have a whole group of people who were born out of intermarriage between traders and Native people: the Metis.

But non-Natives tend to take this caution as an insult, because they assume they should be welcomed with open arms despite the atrocities committed. Colonizers have far, far, far exceeded the threshold for “general mistrust”, but they don’t realize it. They think everything should be fine, because schools teach only that Natives used to be welcoming, but then turned mean and jealous without saying why.

For example, when I was in my teens, my grandma went on a probably 15-30 minute rant about how my (white) cousin wasn’t allowed to work horticulture on the local reserve because it was taking jobs away from Native people. My whole family spent the next hour agreeing with her, how they really were just so closed off and mean, he was just trying to help.

Now factor in how the largest group of unemployed people in Canada is Native people, because they lack job skills from a lack of opportunity. Now consider how horticulture was actually one of our specialties and there’s still a lot of tradition around how to take care of the land. And how a white person fresh out of college with a degree was being brought in as the “expert.” And how he was doing the work, instead of helping people on the reserve do the work (which would allow them to put landscaping skills on their resume, giving them a foot in the door)

Suddenly that “unnecessary shunning” makes a whole lot more sense, doesn’t it?

I want to know why the Ojibwe sealed them off. Because I highly doubt such a drastic action would’ve been taken if they were truly a benevolent group. 

Native American Monsters

And this is where things get touchier.

I want to ask all writers who want Indigenous monsters to ask themselves one question: why do you want to tie Indigenous identity to “monster” so strongly?

It’s a fixation I see time and again: the concept of Indigenous people as inhuman, as having ties to the inhuman, as having ties to creatures who could be feared. 

If these monsters are a complex society, are intelligent, are generally… people, then you’ve fallen more heavily into the first point I mentioned (which I’m uncomfortable with) but mitigate this part. They’re shown as people-like and worthy of respect, then it might work as showing Indigenous people aren’t inhuman.

Or it might further reinforce the concept that all Indigenous people are monsters.

Which one it does depends on the writing. Either way, it’s something I’m deeply uncomfortable with, just from sheer exposure. A lot of the questions I receive are about dark, twisted, criminal, or otherwise monstrous Indigenous people. Like, about half the questions. It’s a lot.

Why are we tied so strongly to monsters? What about Native identity makes this such an easy connection? Why just the monsters and none of our healing from them?

Why?

Imposing Monsters Where None Exist

Further, it’s honestly a bit weird to me that they don’t come Ojibwe/Great Lakes legends. Because I’d assume sealing away a whole population of monsters would merit some oral legends and teachings for how to seal them back away should they return. And these monsters would bleed into other peoples’ legends, with how each creature as a concept spread across such a wide landmass and across so many peoples. So everywhere these monsters touched, there’d be some version of the story.

It’s a little too close to playing god with real religions for me. Indigenous oral legends around the globe are meticulous, and when analyzed are as solid as written history. Creating a group of monsters that are not based in our stories, that have no oral histories and legends, just has me wondering how this impacted society. 

Monsters have a place in Indigenous society. They are cautions, they are warnings, they are sickness, they teach lessons about how to care for the earth and/or yourself to starve off the monster’s approach. 

(And no, this doesn’t contradict the fixation on Monstrous Natives. Why do you fixate on the monsters and not how we heal from them? I specify “we” because there’s a tendency to make the antithesis of Native monsters Christian, which further colonizers the narrative. We had our own ways of healing)

Indigenous people, in general, have history from around the Ice Age (Australian Aboriginals have from during if not before). Two millennia is nothing for the oral history, even if you brought in the angle that the stories were genocided out in the residential school system (Which would be a very touchy subject as well). Because something that big would be spread among a dozen tribes, and would have threads that survived in whispers.

Indigenous religions aren’t a mythology playground where you can free-reign insert or remove whole concepts like sealing away monsters willy-nilly. 

I’d run this concept by somebody Ojibwe before proceeding. They might find a way to make it work, or they might tell you that there’d be a much deeper cultural impact than can be handled by an outsider.

What Makes Someone Native

Here’s the thing: being Native isn’t just about how we were here first.

There’s taking care of the land. There’s our language. There’s our unity to each other. There’s our religion. There’s so much nuance to what makes somebody Native that goes beyond just time spent on the continent. 

Each tribe has its own definition of what it means to be part of the tribe. The government doesn’t always line up with who we are, but we have our own definition. A lot of basic principles are similar (sustainability, for one), but the nuance for each people will be different.

And the government still doesn’t recognize all the tribes that were self-governing peoples before colonizers got here. That fact alone makes it a stretch to believe these monsters could successfully argue to the government they belong as Native. The only reason I could see it as successful is the government rather overtly assuming Native people are monsters, which codifies the above.

You’ve got to keep in mind that the government wants as few Natives to exist as possible. Because the more Natives exist, the more political power we have, the more resources the government has to allocate towards us, and we are seen as an inconvenience. 

Getting off the registry of Native people is laughably easy. Getting back on is notoriously hard. This isn’t a case of “have a hearing and the government gives you full status rights.” It’s “we have petitioned the government to have our claim to this land recognized for literally hundreds of years and now they’re about to bulldoze our sacred land so we have to protest to put a stop to it and suffer the arrests and deaths required to keep our land safe and hope that this protest gets enough pressure on the government to have them back off.”

(True story. The latter describes the Oka Crisis, which thankfully did have the land restored, but not until 1 death on each side, and 75 Mohawk and allies injured. And it was a long, long, long drawn out process).

Natives are, technically, wards of the state. The more Natives exist, the more people the state has to take care of. And history proves the state absolutely hates taking care of Native people.

Overall

This feels off in multiple ways, for me. It’s treating our legends as if they’re just frilly decorations that don’t deeply inform our culture, for starters, then there’s how no matter which way it’s sliced it’s reinforcing some sort of racist idea about Natives: either we shun “good” groups for no reason, or we’re tied to monsters. Then there’s the assumption our identity can be easily expanded to include a nonhuman group when it’s more complicated than that. There’s also the assumption the government would actually work to add more people it has to take care of.

You’re going to need to do a lot more research and reach out to a lot more sensitivity readers. It’s so far removed from who we are and our cultural identity I’d take a good hard look at the concept before continuing.

~ Mod Lesya

COMMENTARY:

@octopodesinmybutt

So the concept of "indigenous monsters sealed away" would actually work really well with Irish mythology about the Fae/Tuatha de Danon. They're considered the real indigenous ppl of Ireland. It's a bit more complex than that, but you could look into it.

[a-cai-jpg]

let’s go on a rly badly made rollercoaster (hopefully you’ll make it back home)

So throughout the day, as I took breaks between my angry typing in response to some videos I had to watch for work, I thought about what I wanted to write about today. 

I wanted to write about something I wanted to write about if that makes sense. For so much of the past few years, I've written things that other people wanted me to write about, in a mannerism other people preferred. Something vaguely academic and smart-sounding, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Here is my thesis, here is how I'm going to prove that I'm right and you're wrong, and here is me making a half-hearted effort to consider your obviously incorrect opinion before reasserting the fact that I am right.

(i kid, i believe that intelligence is the ability to consider multiple realities. i grapple too often with the notion of absolute truth, breathless and terrified of falling into a great, black mindhole. of course i don't actually believe i am Right.)

But honestly, I like writing that meanders, that starts somewhere, and then goes somewhere far, and then ends up right next to where it first began. Why measure displacement when you can measure distance?

(I say all of this, but the most common criticism I have of anyone's writing is "your purpose is unclear and you barely made an effort to achieve it. highly recommend re-thinking your thesis.")

And I had things I wanted to talk about. Like, what watching television means for me and why it's so difficult to commit to a show. Or, what about why I hate it when people ask me, "How are you?" as a conversation-starter after months of not-talking. Or, maybe the very firm stance I hold that Les Miserables is a far superior musical to the Phantom of the Opera (again, I respect your opinion and probably think you're wrong if you think otherwise but hey, what is absolute truth amirite?).

And all of those things will perhaps one day make its way onto this webpage, a data cache amidst billions, trillions, I don't actually know how the Internet works, and I find it so fascinating that I am writing these words into existence and releasing it into the universe and one day it will make its way into someone's mind lifetimes later and--

I do this thing a lot, where I feel something very strongly, for no apparent reason. And then, I pull out the notes app on my phone, and I write.

And I've written about this notes-app-writing-thing that I do...on the notes app. And a lot of it is quite nice, and a lot of it will never be read by anyone else but future me. And I expect, a lot of it will make its way onto this very same webpage because everything I'm writing is everything I've written before.

I used to have this idea, definitely inspired by a movie but I can't quite remember the title, about how your dreams are always constructed of people, things, and places you've seen before. Then a friend was like, "Ok, then how does anyone get a new idea?" And then I was like, "Yo, fight the movie, don't fight me." (No, actually, I was like, "But reality and dreams are different" and then the conversation just spiraled.)

But this idea that everything in your dream is everything you've seen before makes me wonder if everything that will be created has already been created. After all, how does time work for a supreme being or Supreme Being (capital S, hello)? Like, is the universe's space and time laid out flat like a globe if you cut the seams or like--

(I think I'm going off track.)

(What I meant to say is--)

So, instead of writing about things that I have half-formed thoughts about, I'm going to write about something that I have definitely talked about but never written and/or thought about writing about okay here we go--

We used to talk about which one we liked more: the sunrise or the sunset. We had all ubiquitously said something like, "I know most people pick ____, but I think I like the ____ more."

And see, time has passed in a way that's rubbed sand over the words you said, and I can't quite remember which one was which. 

We talked about many things, mountains and gallons of words spent between us, spiraling from our lips like they were on the urgent journey to create something greater. Someone might have thought that these words would make their way into a future for us, a novel written so that we only have to live through the pages, but did you know that the words you speak write only your past?

And I think I lied when I said this is something I talked about but have never written about, because I choke on the words when I try to describe you and my head becomes fuzzy and I can't quite remember, but when I write about you, you become clear, melting into letters that flow from my chest to my fingers.

Look, this is the unfortunate truth. You have become simultaneously more and less than you. In my reality, you are who you have been in the past, when I still knew you, and that "you" has been embedded in my writing. You have become a theme, a string of motifs, a character sometimes, or even entire stories. 

And in your reality, you are becoming someone that I will never get to know.

(I am not talking about a person, I am talking about a collection of abstract ideals.)

Recently, I watched a Korean drama about characters in a comic book. It got me thinking about what happens to the stories we write, the stories we brew in our minds. When I was in middle school, I used to write stories in my head all the freaking time. I remember I couldn't finish the story, I was terrified of finishing the story, because what happens to the characters after the story ends?

(I came to terms with my existential crisis at the ripe young age of 7 years old, so why were the aftereffects catching up to me in fucking 7th grade?)

Cue character development--I'm still dealing with the fear of not living with my head in the clouds, but hey, at least I know how to end stories now.

(Not in the technical sense, in the literal sense. I once ended a story by adding another paragraph, and then another epilogue, and then another paragraph, until I finally closed the Word document and submitted it. Thus, effectively ending it.)

But I still wonder, what does happen to a story once you let it go? I've created countless worlds, drafted enough conversations to make my mouth go dry, seen the lives and deaths of enough people to be some sort of supreme being (lowercase s) in my own sense, but where does it all go?

I really try not to, but sometimes I entertain the idea that somehow, it goes on without me. A half-formed world with a crumbling sky and a cliff that falls into absolute oblivion, but there, underneath the sprawling tree, the heroine is.

She is.

And maybe then, we are.

We are, in the future that we had planned but isn't quite the one we're currently living. We are sitting at that lake I told you about, drinking cider and eating onigiri and watching the sunset. We are driving up the mountain, but really, you are the one driving because you were the one who got your driver's license first, and the rest of us are sprawled in the backseat screaming at your headrest as you nearly kill us by scraping our rental car against a railing. We are planning your wedding, looking your partner up and down, ignoring you when you say, "No really, they're my soulmate, I love them, god, Annette, can you believe it? Soulmates are real" and we are--

Man, we are all those things, but we never thought further beyond that, huh?

So maybe, we are ends.

And so maybe, all those stories ended too, when I closed the chapter in my head and put the metaphorical pen down and took a deep breath and lived my life, this real one where things hurt and things make me cry and laugh and love. But then, hey, maybe, we really did write the future. Because we are and will continue to be everything we had planned, 11 years old and sitting at my Windows XP. Until we are not. 

But even if we are not, you still are. And I still am.

Daily song rec:

Saturn by Sleeping at Last

This song fucking gets me man. Sometimes I feel something deeply sad well inside me when I hear the lyrics. But also, is this not the most beautiful melody ever written?

(The Korean drama is “Extraordinarily You.”)

[editedscratch]

hey buddy give me all your opinions on oddsac?

ohhhh shit ok this a lot. this is gonna be a lot. PLEASE send in another ask and lmk your opinions, too. I am waiting with open arms. but here goes nothing.

First of all, I love it. I love the idea of anco doing a visual album because their music reallly lends itself to that, and I find it fascinating to be able to get a glimpse of all the crazy, complex, beautiful shit that goes on in these freaks’ heads when they’re putting these albums together. I would LOVE for them to do another visual album in the future. I think, regardless of whether or not certain aspects of the film might seem meaningless to you, it’s still very intriguing to watch all of it and take it in and think about it. and at certain points I was blown away with the whole experience, simply because I don’t often GET that visual when I’m listening to music. it adds a whole other layer of information to dissect and makes some of the music like ten times more intense because the sounds are suddenly in front of your eyes as well as vibrating in your ears. (honestly, I’m thinking especially of urban creme, which I realize is strange given that it’s essentially just static, like what meaning could you draw from that, but to me the meaning was all in the connection between the visuals and the music that felt so strong like I was totally drowning in it.) I don’t have synesthesia, but at times I felt like I did and it was really really cool. 

All of that being said, though, I personally am of the opinion that the music CAN be separated from the visuals. like, I’d totally listen to the album without watching the movie, because the music itself is damn good, definitely some of their best work. I understand that the visuals influenced the music and vice versa, but in the same way that you can listen to movie soundtracks by themselves, I really don’t feel strongly about keeping the two parts together, and would actually love if an audio version of the album was released one day (I know, I know, blasphemy). 

to acknowledge another thing: I’ve also heard of some people who are super underwhelmed by the visuals in general and think anco could have done better. I don’t really think that’s true of me. I don’t know if I could say any of the visuals were “genius” or at the same level as a lot of anco’s best work (if they did another visual album, something tells me it would be even better), but everything had its place in the movie, and I think there’s something for everyone to focus in on. I think ODDSAC is actually surprisingly accessible, like the emotions are conveyed extremely well regardless of how you interpret the actual material or pick up the plotline, or whatever. Personally, I’m like not really a film person (meaning I don’t watch a whole lot of films or enthuse a lot about them), so I’m sure a lot of it went over my head, but even I could still get a lot out of it and appreciate when the cinematography was beautiful, or the juxtaposition was interesting, etc etc. Of course there were many times when I was like, “wtf is going on,” and there was quite a bit of “I’m very scared right now,” but after sitting through the whole thing, you can’t help but be like, satisfied with all of it. like your questions and concerns might even be irrelevant. In that sense it fulfills its purpose, I suppose. (though I’m super interested in hearing your take on the meaning/plot! I actually hadn’t watched or thought about the movie in a long time and therefore had to rewatch before answering this ask, but it’s fresh in my mind now and I’m open to any and all interpretations.) 

Fave scenes/fave tracks/more random thoughts: Ummm, “what happened” for sure is absolutely incredible. that’s one song that was INCREDIBLE with its visual. (when the dance beat kicked in? it’s cathartic and the absolute best way to end the movie.) same with “lady on the lake,” and ofc avey’s voice in that is phenomenal. “working” into “tantrum barb?” ohhhh man. you better believe I lost it. Deakin makes a really beautiful sad vampire and he deserved better, I know he’s probably like in the swamp now but I want a sequel, damnit! I wonder where noah’s scene on the rocks was filmed? I want to go there. “Screens” is wonderful and super personal to me. and SHIT I forgot to talk about “mr. fingers” but like, I guess we all agree about “mr. fingers”. I swear I’m listing every song by now, but “kindle song” with its visuals was another great few minutes. What are your favorite moments/songs, I’d love to know. I love the reflections on the water during “screens,” that was definitely one of my favorite cinematography moments, as well as the dancing at the end. Seriously, how cool is it that “what happened” managed to go from eerie/terrifying to like total freedom and bliss and love in like, a minute? because I’m still not over it. Random questions: Do you still eat marshmallows or did that part traumatize you? Did some parts feel overly playful or detract from the music, in your opinion? Do you also yearn to know more about Geologist’s mysterious knight character?

And I guess that’s all for now! I wrote so much and it still feels like there’s so much more to talk about (classic anco dilemma). you can ask me more specific questions in another ask, or not, but you totally should send in your opinions. Like, even if you disagree with everything I’ve said, I’d appreciate it. 

Sorry for the delay in answering this, by the way, I just got back from vacation! Thanks so much for letting my ODDSAC thoughts break free and meander for a bit. 

[eastbridge-sb]

MLS Asian Handicap Match Previews – 22nd September Sunday

New England Revolution v Real Salt Lake

Both teams are in need of points in their respective playoff quest. The Revolution have been hard to beat under Bruce Arena only losing twice since early May. However, a number of draws in recent weeks have somewhat stifled their progress. The Revs have only won 1 of their last 7 games although have been on the road a lot recently. They remain inside the Eastern Conference playoff positions but have teams like Montreal and Chicago breathing down their necks. The gap to those sides is just three points so New England could do with winning this match to give them some breathing space. For the most part they’ve been pretty formidable at Gillette Stadium and this is the sort of location that nobody enjoys visiting.

Real Salt Lake actually sits fourth in the Western Conference which is somewhat of a surprise. It doesn’t feel like they’ve been one of the better teams this season but things are so close in 2019 that fine margins are involved in terms of position. The problem for RSL has been their away form and on the road their record reads 3-3-9. This is perhaps ok compared to some teams but they are definitely beatable on their travels. Both teams have relatively few injuries to worry about but the team I fancy to win is New England. This feels like a more important match for them and I think they will be more focused. Bruce Arena should be able to find a tactical advantage and I like the idea of backing The Revs on a -0.75 Asian Handicap. You could just take them straight on the nose but this handicap is a juicer price.

Asian Handicap Betting Recommendation: New England Revolution -0.75 at 2.060

LA Galaxy v Montreal Impact

I backed Montreal Impact last week at home to Cincinnati and I have to say they looked bloody awful. Bear in mind this was facing the worst side in MLS who had lost something like 15 of their last 20 games. It was a pathetic effort from the Impact who truth be told never looked like scoring during their 0-1 loss. The Canadian outfit decided to part ways with French manager Remi Garde a few weeks ago. This was a surprise to me because they hadn;t been doing too badly. New man Wilmer Cabrera had already been sacked by Houston Dynamo this year and so far doesn’t look like a great appointment. The Impact are still in playoff contention but are probably going to have to win all of their three remaining games to stand a chance. Right now, that doesn’t look like happening.

LA Galaxy meanwhile, roared back to form last weekend by hammering SKC 7-2! In the aftermath of that match Zlatan Ibrahimovic declared himself the ‘best player that MLS has ever seen’ Whether this is true or not is debatable but if he;s in the mood very few teams can stop him in this league. The Galaxy have been inconsistent of late but their home form has remained strong. They are still formidable at StubHub centre winning 10 out of 15 matches. That aforementioned victory last week propelled them to 5th in the Western Conference but with so many teams breathing down their necks it’s imperative they keep winning. I strongly fancy the Galaxy to win this match and I’m surprised such generous odds are currently being offered on a -1 Asian Handicap line. As big as 2.11 can be snapped up at the time of writing and I’m all over this one. Montreal look like they are done to me and Galaxy are much the better side anyway. They take this one comfortably in my opinion.

Asian Handicap Betting Recommendation: LA Galaxy -1.00 at 2.110

Preview by: @meatmansoccer.

Access these prices from Steve Wyss’ selections for this weekend’s Eliteserien match through Skype Betting now.

The post MLS Asian Handicap Match Previews – 22nd September Sunday appeared first on Eastbridge.

source https://eastbridge-sb.com/mls-asian-handicap-match-previews-220919/

[sempiternalsandpitturtle]

Good people is good business: A Q&A with Mary-Anne Merriott

“Good people is good business,” says Mary-Anne, Castleford’s Head of People and Culture. Which sums up a lot about her attitude to her position – and how she wields her experience to constantly improve our team and processes.

We had a chat with Mary-Anne to find out more about what drives her positive attitude, and how it might be applied elsewhere.

You have a strong history in people and culture. What made you passionate about these areas?

That’s a long story! I strongly believe in being a force for good as much as I can, so this is a really value- and purpose-driven career for me. It’s my way of being part of the solution, and doing my bit to contribute to the world.

I come to work every day feeling like I am doing something that matters and helping the people around me. Even a little bit makes a positive difference.

What’s the first thing someone should know about creating a positive team culture in their own business?

Don’t act like a jerk. That’s really the only rule!

Smiling and saying “good morning” every day is actually really high impact. I’ve turned around toxic teams by starting with such a simple approach. It’s not rocket science; a huge HR industry has evolved around this question and I think at times it overcomplicates things.

Basically, for people to drive strong business/commercial results, you want to create a positive cycle – and I’m on a mission to spread it wherever I go. That means treating people well, providing a great environment and experience, developing your team and building their careers, and – above all, really – treating them like human beings.

BONUS TIP: If things are already good, don’t mess it up by trying to tinker around with ‘cultural initiatives’. Just let the good stuff roll! The basics of being a decent, friendly, respectful, polite human being still work and I think sticking to them is always the starting point. The results speak for themselves, and they have big ripple effects.

You’ve nearly been at Castleford a year now. What’s it been like so far?

Wow – nearly a year already! It’s been awesome. I love working in the digital world and at the SME scale – being closer to the action, making a direct and significant impact on things.

And our people are absolutely great. We have a fantastic team and cultural DNA at Castleford. It’s so refreshing to work with a group of people who are actively hungry for development and professional growth, and who love what they do.

When you’re in a big corporate environment, it feels like you need to be more arms-length from the people who you’re trying to help. You can’t be as friendly. That’s not the case here, and it’s been very meaningful to me (because I’m a human being too!).

OK, it’s time to ask the serious questions. We know you love hiking. What’s your favourite NZ walk, and why?

I don’t think I could choose just one!

I had a fabulous solo six days in Nelson Lakes in January around the Travers-Sabine circuit and I already want to go back for more. Six days wasn’t enough time. The next time I’m there I’d like to hit Mt Misery and Angelus Hut, camp by Lake Constance, go up Waiau Pass and down the other side … I’ve been dreaming about it all year.

When will it happen? That I’m not so sure about…

If we’re going hiking tomorrow, what are the top five things we should take?

How content marketing of you to ask me for a top five list!

I would always recommend packing:

Map and compass.

Food and water.

Head torch.

Waterproof jacket.

A sense of awe and adventure.

A locator beacon and a first aid kit isn’t a bad idea, either. I always carry one unless I’m on a lazy summer stroll.

Somehow I always end up being the person helping out the confused tourists or unprepared people I meet along the way. I tend to give away lots of sweets and nut bars, so I’m always carrying extra.

  from http://bit.ly/2IeAq65