#the standard is 2 reports a day and i did 5

[ivory-line]

just to tell y’all how my fuckin day went i woke up at 4am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep so i decided to just get ready for the day and go into the office hella early to try to catch up on my fuckin nightmarish workload atm. i ended up locking my keys in my truck WHICH I NEVER DO BTW i’m usually so paranoid about doing it that i have several safety measures in place but i was so tired i fucked up. i had to call a locksmith like i had nothing on me to break into that bitch with and while i’m sitting on the curb waiting for the guy to show up that one old (MARRIED!!!!) hookup messaged me again asking to see my tits?? at 8 in the fucking morning?? and then the locksmith charged me double what he quoted me?? and i’m on my period so i’m already emotionally fraught and critically miserable. i ended up 20 mins late to work when i should’ve been nearly 2 hours early and all the reports they’ve been giving me for weeks now have been so ridiculously difficult that i’m having stress dreams every single night about them. anyway so that was my day today and i’m having wine about it

[evidence-based-activism]

I keep seeing this claim that schools/the education system today are designed for girls and disadvantage boys and that’s why girls and women are out performing boys and men at basically every level of education. Does this claim actually have any merit or truth to it? Because tbh I have a hard time believing it and I find it interesting that this seems to be the popular explanation for why girls are doing better in school when I somehow doubt a similar explanation would be widely used if girls were doing worse.

Thanks in advance and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day (or afternoon/evening/night)!

I hope you have a lovely day as well! I know this response took a while, so I hope you still see it!

Evidence For and Against a Gender Gap in Education

There's been a lot of reporting about how boys are "falling behind" in education but there is ... much less evidence to support this. (At least for young children, who are generally the focus in this sort of conversation.)

To start with, we can look at the data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is "a congressionally mandated program that is overseen and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences" [1]. Using their data explorer to examine trends in performance, we see very similar performance between boys and girls in general. However, looking at the most recent year for any particular subject and grade level (grade 4 ~ age 9; grade 8 ~ age 13; grade 12 ~ age 17), we can see some small differences.

Boys have higher scores than girls in:

Mathematics (500 point scale for grade 4 and 8; 300 point scale for grade 12) in grade 4 (-6 points), 8 (-2), and 12 (-3)

Science (300 point scale) in grade 12 (-4); girls and boys show no significant difference in grade 4 or 8

US history (500 point scale) for 8 (-4) and 12 (-4); girls and boys show no significant difference in grade 4

Geography (500 point scale) for grade 4 (-4), 8 (-3), and 12 (-5)

Girls have higher score than boys in:

Reading (500 point scale) for grade 4 (+6), 8 (+8), and 12 (+13)

Writing (300 point scale) for grade 4 (+17), 8 (+19), and 12 (+14)

Civics (300 point scale) for grade 4 (+7) and 8 (+2); girls and boys show no difference in grade 12

So, according to a standardized test measurement in the USA, there is little difference in boys and girls performance. Where there are differences they: tend to be small (mostly single digit differences on 300- and 500-point scales) and varied in direction (i.e., boys score higher in some things and girls in others).

Notably, there are substantially higher racial gaps (20-30+ points) in these subjects, suggesting that there isn't a "boy crisis" there's a "marginalized races crisis". (For both sexes, but, interestingly, more so for boys.)

In addition to that, this examination of longitudinal data [2] reaches essentially the same conclusion (different direction of gap by subject, small effect size, bigger racial difference, etc.) but also concludes that most boys "gain ground" as they age. This Dutch article [3] examines several large-scale national and international datasets and also comes to the same conclusion. (Importantly, however, as this will come up later, they did find substantial gender differences in "non-cognitive domains".)

All in all, this suggests the empirical evidence for a "boy crisis" in grade school education is weak.

That being said, there are a couple measures that do provide support for the idea specifically in older students. First, Brookings analyzed data from the Department of Education [4], and found that there is a sex gap in high school graduation rates such that a lower proportion of boys than girls graduated. Notably, however, this gap is much smaller for Asian Americans and White Americans than for Black Americans and Hispanic Americans, which suggests this is – again – more of racial issue than a gender issue.

In addition that, women are outpacing men in college entrance and graduation in the USA, according to the Pew Research Center [5]. Specifically, 39% of women over age 25 have a Bachelor's degree compared to 37% of men. However, when considering only the most recent cohort (adults aged 25 to 34), 46% of women have a Bachelor's degree compared to 36% of men.

Importantly, however, this difference is not driven by structural inequality. For individuals who did not earn a Bachelor's degree, 44% of women report financial constraints and 38% report family obligations, compared to 39% and 35% of men respectively. In contrast, 34% of men reported they "just didn't want to" and 26% report they didn't need it for their desired job, compared to 25% and 20% of women respectively. This does not support the narrative of an external "boy's crisis".

And, in addition to all of that, men are still the majority in highest paying jobs, the majority in governmental and commercial leadership positions, more likely to be the primary or sole earner in a family, and earn more - on average - that women [6].

I'd propose that any differences in educational achievement – if they existed – would be irrelevant without a similar "real world" impact. That is, what does it matter if girls outperform boys on reading tests (or boys outperform on math tests) if they are not also gaining ground in their adult professional careers?

---

Boy's Behavior

Having established that there isn't very strong evidence for a sex gap in educational achievement, I want to note that there is evidence for another type of sex gap: behavior.

This study [7] actually provides evidence that nearly all of the sex differences in grades (i.e., girls receiving higher grades from teachers in primary school) is dependent on the student's behaviors. In other words, once adjusted for "noncognitive skills", differences in grades disappears.

And remember that Dutch study [3] from earlier? They also found that teacher rated young girls "substantially more favourably than boys" for "social behaviour and work attitude". For older students, boys rated themselves less "peaceable" than girls.

The common belief that female teachers (as compared to male teachers) hurt boys performance also appears unfounded, as indicated by this review article [8]. These studies [9, 10] also draw the same conclusion, and additionally suggest that boys behavior/attitudes in school is worse than girls for both female and male teachers.

(Some people may read this and think that this is the result of girls "maturing faster" than boys. So, I'd like to point out that is almost certainly a result of socialization. Someone else has written a blog post about this topic [11], but also see this post about brain sex that also considers the reach and effects of early socialization.)

---

Conclusion

All in all, there isn't strong evidence of a "boy's education crisis". While there are gender differences in education performance they vary by subject and grade level, tend to be very small (much smaller than other demographic differences), and don't appear to have a "real world" impact.

There is evidence that boys are less disciplined and less positive in educational environments, a difference that is most likely driven by how boys are socialized in comparison to girls. (For example, boys are encouraged to be more out-going, girls are more likely to be praised for "good behavior", girls are included in chores more often and at younger ages, etc.)

I hope this helps!

References below the cut:

NAEP: National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2024, March 21). About NAEP: A Common Measure of Student Achievement; National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/

Husain, M., & Millimet, D. L. (2009). The mythical ‘boy crisis’? Economics of Education Review, 28(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2007.11.002

Driessen, G., & Van Langen, A. (2013). Gender differences in primary and secondary education: Are girls really outperforming boys? International Review of Education, 59(1), 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-013-9352-6

Reeves, R. V., Buckner, E., & Smith, E. (2021). The unreported gender gap in high school graduation rates. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-unreported-gender-gap-in-high-school-graduation-rates/

Parker, K. (2021, November 8). What’s behind the growing gap between men and women in college completion? Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/11/08/whats-behind-the-growing-gap-between-men-and-women-in-college-completion/

Schaeffer, K. (2024, February 27). For Women’s History Month, a look at gender gains – and gaps – in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/27/for-womens-history-month-a-look-at-gender-gains-and-gaps-in-the-us/

Cornwell, C., Mustard, D. B., & Van Parys, J. (2013). Noncognitive skills and the gender disparities in test scores and teacher assessments: Evidence from primary school. Journal of Human resources, 48(1), 236-264.

Coenen, J., Cornelisz, I., Groot, W., Maassen van den Brink, H., & Van Klaveren, C. (2018). Teacher characteristics and their effects on student test scores: A systematic review. Journal of economic surveys, 32(3), 848-877.

de Zeeuw, E. L., van Beijsterveldt, C. E., Glasner, T. J., Bartels, M., de Geus, E. J., & Boomsma, D. I. (2014). Do children perform and behave better at school when taught by same-gender teachers?. Learning and Individual Differences, 36, 152-156.

Carrington, B., Tymms, P., & Merrell, C. (2008). Role models, school improvement and the ‘gender gap’—do men bring out the best in boys and women the best in girls?. British Educational Research Journal, 34(3), 315-327.

Graham, R. (2023, September 22). Do girls really mature faster than boys, or do we just force them to? The Noösphere. https://archive.is/2023.09.22-090402/https://medium.com/the-no%C3%B6sphere/do-girls-really-mature-faster-than-boys-or-do-we-just-force-them-to-68e31307abf3

[physalian]

IngramSpark: Good or Nah?

I decided to work with them last minute to set my book up for success, and, in case they screwed me over, I could hate them in a properly informed manner.

So!

IngramSpark (IGS) vs. Amazon (KDP) so far: A detailed comparison.

Spoiler Alert: FUCK INGRAMSPARK

Alrighty these are two proof copies (author copies) of the exact same book made with the exact same PDFs. IGS is on the left in all pics.

Stuff to note:

The IGS copy is slightly greener, the purple is less vibrant. KDP made the exact colors I painted this with in photoshop.

The KDP book is slightly thicker and while the spine print is slightly off center, the front cover is perfectly centered. Compare both of the lower moons on the right side and it's very obvious that IGS cut theirs incorrectly. It's cut incorrectly because their paper is thinner, thus needing a slightly narrower print PDF (which isn't something they would tell you).

KDP is slightly thicker because they used thicker paper. Theirs is less polished creme, you can feel more of a grain of the pages, but because they're thicker, they're less transparent. I can read straight through to not only the back of the title page, but straight onto the next piece of paper for the IGS copy, and theirs cost more to print.

KDP shipped in lighter packaging, which meant my copy got a little banged up as opposed to the cardboard coffin the IGS book was in. Pick your poison.

KDP

PROS

A breeze to work with in most areas. I did not need to use customer service, so I can’t comment on that, but I’ve heard it’s superior to IGS in every way. They do have a community chat that I have used when confused (more below) and pages upon pages of how-to resources.

Simple user interface, very easy to click through all the set-up menus and not once did it freeze or crash on me (more below).

Did not use their formatter or cover generator, I used Adobe and did my own so I can’t comment on their quality.

Their “print previewer” was fantastic. I could click through the whole book and they explained very thoroughly where some issues were and what I should look out for and they let me use my own files without issue instead of having to build them in the platform.

Their royalty rate is the best you can get in this industry, because they’re not selling to anyone but themselves so there’s no middle man taking a cut of the profit.

Print quality of the book itself is fantastic. Only thing I miss is the ability to emboss, but no print-on-demand company does that as far as I’m aware. The colors were an exact match to my design in Adobe, I have no complaints.

Instant reports and near-live report refreshes for ebooks. Print copies don’t register on reports until the book ships, but Amazon prints and ships within ~2 days.

Because it’s Amazon, even though proof copies aren’t applicable with Prime, my copy still got here in 5 days including print time. My print copy totaled the print cost plus $3 in standard shipping that I could have rushed.

It did get a little banged up on the bottom but I think that was during shipping not at the printing press.

If you’re really strapped for cash, they do offer free ISBNs *but these are KDP only ISBNs, you don’t own them, and they are non transferable between vendors and POD companies. Bite the bullet and just save up for your own ISBNs and buy them in bulk if you can and you plan on publishing at least 2 books in your lifetime (like a paperback and hardcover of the same book, even).

After I submitted my ebook for preorder, I kept finding little details to fix and lines I wasn’t happy with that got nixed at the 11th hour. Updating this was seamless and free and the updated versions were processed within 6 hours or so. Amazon did not lock in the files to the date the preorders were set like IngramSpark would have.

CONS

They still don’t have paperback preorder, but they do have a feature where you can submit for a future release, which is just giving your files over to go live on a set date. Thing is: When you get to the end of the setup, there’s a button that says something like “submit for publication” which does not actually mean “move your publication date to right now” like I thought. So I missed my paperback date by 2 days.

Their proof copy has that annoying grey “Not for Resale” stripe across the cover so it looks wonky in marketing images.

They have a “cover art size calculator” feature, which did not line up with the actual file size I needed come submission time, off by a few millimeters. Which meant resizing in Photoshop and it was incredibly annoying and tedious.

Upon finally hitting the “publish” button Amazon flagged my book and told me to fix the highlighted errors. Well there were no highlighted errors, and said error(s) could be anywhere across four pages of details. I had to consult the community notes to figure out what they were talking about (it was an ISBN issue) which was quite annoying.

IGS

PROS

Well-known as the best print-on-demand (POD) company with the widest reach, including Amazon, for expanded distribution. (NOT IN MY EXPERIENCE)

Also well-known as the highest quality self-publish paperback, that still doesn’t do embossing. (NOT IN MY EXPERIENCE)

They do paperback preorders (which I did not participate in).

Integrates flawlessly with libraries and retailers that Amazon won’t do (which is about its only claim to superiority). My book was searchable on Barnes & Noble within 48 hours.

IGS, like KDP, has free ISBNs (US only), with the exact same non-transferable issue. However, because they integrate across all sellers, Amazon included, if you only intend to work with them, you’ve reached every market anyway.

CONS

Their royalty rate sucks ass. I had to price my book $1 higher through IGS because I was literally at a deficit with all the printing costs and vendor discounts (so if you want my book for slightly cheaper, buy it through Amazon). Through IGS, I think I’m making about $1 in royalties, when all is said and done. And I’ve heard, shockingly, that that’s pretty good.

I didn’t try to use their customer service because I know it’s notoriously terrible. But it would have been helpful when their website crashed.

Their website crashed on me three times when trying to upload my files. Before it crashed, their “submit files” button simply did not work, so I had to go the roundabout way through their formatter and cover wizard (which I didn’t like) which then told me my 300DPI cover art was too small. The exact same file I submitted and had in my hands at perfect resolution to Amazon. It took almost 2 hours of running around in circles on their site to essentially start from scratch to get this up and running—and I did all of this with polished files from the get go because I knew revisions would be tedious. Can’t imagine the hassle if you aren’t ready to go immediately (this is why I didn't do a preorder with them).

I have heard that if you make changes to your files, they don’t go into effect until the next month, meaning if you have typos, and anyone buys your book before the next calendar month despite you fixing them in the system, that person is still buying the old version. I have also heard that generating reports is not seamless. After 60 days, revisions also cost you $25 a pop (KDP is free).

If you submit pre-made PDFs for your manuscript and cover (as in, you don’t format or generate them within their system) they do not have an instant previewer. Mine took 48 hours to deliver a link, when that shit should be automated and instantaneous and should allow me to use my own files.

IGS does not have Amazon’s monopoly on shipping, so to get my book here at all quickly, it cost me almost $20, rush fees applied for only 1 day faster than Amazon did. “Quickly,” being I ordered the proof on the 24th, and it won’t get here until the 28th. Meaning, that if you’re not paying rush fees, you’d have to wait longer.

They can be quite confusing with revisions during the preorder process. Per their website, they can begin printing your book “generally” 30 days before go-live. Which means someone who preordered your book on the 3rd gets the version of the book that was available on the 3rd, even if you update it on the 5th, because they print those immediately, even if the book’s official release date of the 30th hasn’t passed. You’d pretty much have to be completely done with revisions before setting up for preorder with them to be absolutely sure, which means wasted time. I don’t know why they don’t just queue up the books to be printed on a hard deadline a few days before release.

So. While I hate that Amazon has a monopoly, about the only thing IGS has going for it is their expanded distribution when everything about their business, from their platform to their user experience to the actual quality of books is at best dead even with KDP, but in my experience with my best foot forward, IGS annoyingly inferior.

I don’t think they’ll remain the “best POD company” for very much longer. I did not do hardcover for ENNS as of this post so I can’t comment on either service’s print quality, only what I’ve seen in other reviews. Some people like the jacket-less print-on-the-cardboard look (Amazon), some people (me) like the jacket, if only so I can use it as a bookmark.

*I wrote the above paragraphs before getting my proof copy from IGS and fucking hell they're not even competent at printing

It is also a massive waste of paper and shipping resources to have to print multiple versions of proof copies fixing errors outside of my control. My proof copy from KDP is perfect. IGS? Nope! But they wouldn't let me properly preview it so I had no idea this would happen.

Even as a consumer who might hate the idea of giving Amazon more money, there’s an argument to consider: I totally understand the desire to keep brick and mortar stores afloat and I don’t want Amazon’s monopoly on the market to grow even larger. However, Amazon makes sure that you’re making more than pocket change on your book, unless you jack up the prices for readers on the back end so the whole thing costs more all the way down the pipeline. I refused to do this.

That deficit that forced me to price ENNS even $1 higher than Amazon really bothers me with IngramSpark. That deficit exists because of a higher print cost and a 55% discount given to vendors so they can still make their cut of profit from stocking your book. IngramSpark had me sit through a whole video saying “if you don’t do this no one will stock your book” while saying you could go as low as 54% but that might scare off vendors.

In essence, at this time, KDP makes sure that you, the creator, make money. IGS makes sure that they and the businesses selling your book for you make money. I didn’t do any of this for profit, but it does hurt seeing all your hard work, possibly years of effort, have a royalty of $0.87.

So, yeah, is IngramSpark worth it?

I don’t yet know what their reach will amount to. It’s a dream of mine to see my book on a bookstore shelf, but signing up with IGS does not guarantee you sales, it just guarantees you the best chance possible at reaching potential buyers. But at the moment, all it looks like to me is fees, a bad UI, cheap printing, arrogance from perceived superiority in the market, and a business built boldly in favor of its own profits.

Amazon’s a shady-ass corporation, but I’m going to have to say they’re the better bet. At the very least, for your first book when you don’t have an audience and if making a profit is important to you.

—

I did not try to use any other POD like Draft 2 Digital or Barnes & Noble Press, as I already have KDP and IGS is the best platform to integrate with KDP.

See here for the cost breakdown of my debut novel from draft to publication.

[darbyoakana]

An Overlord's Tail - Chapter 2

An Overlords Tail Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Summary: Vox X reader, F/M. Vox shows up at your apartment, wanting you back. Warnings: Fingering, vaginal penetration. This story is 18+, minors can fuck right off.

Other Notes: Enjoy the smut, after Chapter 2 it's going to be a slow burn

Darby Link Tree

____________________________________________

Chapter 2: (Un)wanted Visitor

“Don’t actions speak louder than words?” The hand at your cheek ran its fingers through your hair. His other hand pulled you into him by your waist. Holding your breath, you tensed as he leaned in. You bit your lip. “See, you missed me too.” 

______________________________________________

The next few days weren’t so bad, you had two days left in the imaginary trial period. Charlie was keeping Alastor busy which meant you actually had time to work. Your shoes had remained dry, papers were finally organized. Several of which clearly had dried tears on them. One even had blood. You felt bad for whoever had previously attempted this job. You skimmed through the few existing reports on the computer, catching up on the resident drama. 

You were in the middle of making a list when Alastor’s shadow swatted the cup of pens off your desk, laughing as it darted away. You groaned and rolled your eyes. The shadow itself was proving to be much like a sinister cat, not really causing any serious damage but you wanted to strangle it nonetheless. Could you strangle a shadow? Alastor himself had changed his approach on how to aggravate you. While he was not fond of people touching him or invading his personal space, he seemed to live a life of double standards. Alastor constantly got into people’s personal bubbles. Maybe he thought it bothered you as much as it would bother him? The micromanaging however was getting on your nerves. 

Speaking off, just as you finished up your first resident report, there was Alastor. Face way too close to yours. You turned your head to face him, your noses almost touched. This was the sixth time he’d bothered you today. 

“Good afternoon dear!” 

“Hi. Is there something I can help you with sir?” you asked, trying to keep a professional tone. 

“Just checking on your progress!” 

“Oh, that's actually perfect I have a few things I wanted to run by you!” 

“Is that so? I am all ears!” 

“Well, one of the biggest complaints we’ve had so far is the lack of laundry services. Nifty has been taking care of it but we are starting to get an overwhelming amount of requests. I know Nifty enjoys what she does, so I don’t know if hiring more help in that department is the right call. But I was thinking we might want to consider creating a laundry room where guests can take care of their own laundry, which would take some weight off Nifty’s plate. She’d still take care of the bedding in the rooms, but the residents would be responsible for their own clothes. So in the meantime, I’ve contacted a laundry mat down the street and worked out a deal with them to give our residents a discount for using them.”

“Lovely idea!” 

Alastor was starting to think you might actually be right for this role. In truth, he needed someone with the ability to endure this hotel. While driving people away was fun for him, it did serve a purpose. 

“Secondly, looking at the meal schedule and cost- We are spending a lot on wasted food. And the meal schedule is a bit of a shit show. Relying on guests to sign up isn’t running smoothly. I did find out that the guest in room 310 used to be a chef. I asked him, and he is willing to take care of meals 3 days a week. And with the increase of residents, a continental breakfast would be more efficient. And we could have a simple rotating menu for dinners. I called around and got some quotes on catering services that I can go over with you later.” You whispered the last part.  ”This would also lower the chances of Charlie cooking.”

“Ha Ha!” He squeezed your cheeks in his hand like a grandma would, just much harder. “My my, aren’t you efficient.” 

“Thank you” you mumbled out of your squished mouth.

Overall you felt that things were going pretty well, Alastor wasn’t as aggressive about getting rid of you, and you were proving to be useful. And he had someone new to bother. 5 PM rolled around, and you felt far less exhausted than you did the previous nights. As you were heading out the door- 

“Hey toots, were you not offered residency here at the hotel?” Angel asked, sitting at the bar. 

“I was. I figured it was better to wait until the ‘trial period’ was over before making the commitment.” 

“What trial period?” 

“Haven’t you noticed, Alastor’s been driving anyone away who takes this job,” Husk remarked. “But you seem to be doing alright so far, kid, what’s your secret?” 

“A tortuous six years at VoxTek,” you laughed. 

“Oh shit, I thought you looked familiar! You were Vox’s assistant… and uh… Side piece if I’m not mistaken.” He winked at you.

“That is unfortunately correct.” 

There was that intrusive image of Vox fucking you on his desk again. 

“Oh man, he’s going to shit an absolute brick when he finds out you are working here!” Angel said, amused. 

“Yeah well, whatever, fuck him,” you remarked. 

“So you still miss him huh?” Angel said slyly. If anyone knew anything about toxic codependent relationships with your boss, it was Angel. “It will get easier, promise.” 

“Doing my best to push it out of my mind and focus on other things.”

“Well, I think it’s great you were strong enough to leave and start over. It is very unlikely Vox would show up at the hotel. And HEY- if there's ever a boss that ain’t gonna try to fuck you, it’s Mr. Creepy pants over there.”  He nodded towards Alastor who was talking with Charlie. You couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Good to know. Well, I got to get going guys, see you tomorrow.” 

As you made your way up the stairs to your apartment, you worried. There was no way you’d be paid in time to keep your apartment, even if you were, you were a month behind. Your keys jingled in the lock as you swung the door open. Your apartment was a tiny studio. Empty kitchen, mattress on the floor, nothing to write home about. But tonight there was one thing in your apartment that didn’t belong there. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” There, sitting on your counter was Vox. “Please, let yourself in. Make yourself at home.” 

“Aw come on babe, don’t be like that.”

“And how should I be?” you asked aggressively.

“Are you still mad? Aw, dollface, you know I’m sorry.” He hopped off the counter and walked towards you. “I want you back, come home with me, please?” 

“Fuck off Vox.”

“I promise I’ll make it up to you, I miss you. Plus my new assistant is garrrrrbaaaage.” 

“You are really something, you know that? It’s been three months. Three months I’ve been gone and you haven’t reached out once.” 

“I wanted to give you your space. But don’t you think it’s been long enough, doll?” He pouted. “Plus you need somewhere to live, you’ve-”

“Oh. My. God.” You cut him off. “You bought this building, didn’t you? Just so you could evict me? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?” 

“Just a little motivation, that’s all.” 

“The manipulation never ends with you, does it?” You were wide-eyed, angry.

“Oh please, you want to talk manipulation? You think I wouldn’t find out about your new little job?” He scoffed. “Low blow, babe. Working for Alastor just to get back at me?” 

“I know there is nothing I can say to make you believe otherwise, but not everything is about you. I couldn’t find any other job, I have no idea why but no one else would…..” You paused as it clicked in your mind. You took a deep breath and sighed. “You’ve been sabotaging that too, haven’t you? The hotel was the only job you didn’t have power over.” You started to laugh. “That’s just too brilliant. All your efforts and now I’m the one place you can’t reach me.” 

That pissed him off. Vox pushed you against the wall, you continued to laugh. Vox had become unfamiliar with not getting what he wanted. People went out of their way to please him, including you. But not anymore and he didn’t like it. 

“Quit being a bitch about this. I said I was sorry. If you don’t want to work, that’s fine.” His voice softened. “Babe, I’ll take care of you.” He ran his finger down your cheek. “Come back, please.” 

You were struggling to ignore the wetness between your legs. You were desperate to feel close to someone, you’d been lonely and in truth, missed Vox quite a bit. 

“You can’t talk your way out of this one.” You avoided looking him in the eye.

“Don’t actions speak louder than words?” The hand at your cheek ran its fingers through your hair. His other hand pulled you into him by your waist. Holding your breath, you tensed as he leaned in. You bit your lip. “See, you missed me too.” 

Your brain was screaming, alarms going off. Don’t give in, don’t be weak! But it was too late. Vox’s tongue was exploring your mouth, and the ache in your loins was throbbing. He knew he had you. The hand at your waist drifted down to your thigh, his fingers pushed your panties to the side, sliding between your lips. 

“Fuck, doll, you are so wet right now.” He sunk two fingers into you, and you held his shoulders as you gasped, every muscle clenching. Leaning his screen on your forehead, he whispered. “Mmm fuck, I’ve missed you so much.” 

His fingers moved in and out of you, slowly, as his thumb grazed your clit. You felt the heat rise within your whole body. You’d given in and didn’t care. Things had been difficult, you were exhausted and ate up the idea of forgetting everything for a few moments. You wanted to feel loved more than anything, even though you knew deep down it wasn’t real, it wouldn’t last. Your hand ran down his chest, palm cupping his hard cock under his pants. He moaned softly. His fingers became more aggressive, fueled by need. Your hand fumbled to find his belt, clawing at it, desperately trying to unbuckle it while he pummeled your wet cunt with his claws. 

“You want my cock so bad, don’t you doll?” His free hand whipped the belt off him, and he dropped his slacks to his ankles, freeing his pulsing erection. You gripped his dick in your hand, he moaned as you ran your fingers up and down it slowly. “MMM. You want it, baby? Show me how much you want it.” 

His fingers pulled out of you, leaving you feeling hollow and a smear of wetness between your thighs. You lowered to your knees, licking his engorged head. Licking Vox’s penis was a lot like licking a battery, a light electrical sensation ran through your tongue. He spread his fingers, observing the strings of cum hanging between them, before placing them in his mouth. You were massaging with your tongue when his other hand gripped the back of your head, shoving your face closer to his body. His cock hit the back of your throat with a gag. 

“Uuuhhhmmph! G̷̩̥̪̠̃͂̂͋̕̕ͅŏ̴̢͉̥̘̀̇̑̾̃̋̚̚ḑ̵̝͍̟̼͕̭̯̝̗̯̇͆͗̔̂̊͠a̸̧̺̮͕̦͖̝̻͓̠̱͎̻̤̓͒̊͂̿͊͂͋̊̚ͅm̶̳̙̆͆̀̈͆̔n̴̙̲͙͕̅ babe.”

Relaxing your jaw, you let him fuck your face. Tears welled up in the corner of your eyes from suppressing your gags. He pulled your head back to look at the mess he’d made of you. Running his tip over your lips.

“Fuck me, please,” you softly whined.

“Anything for you, babe.”

Still holding a tight grip on your hair, he guided you to your feet before shoving you onto the bed. You laid back, resting on your elbows, legs open. Vox slotted himself between them. He ran his tip up and down between your sopping-wet lips, humming at the sensation. 

“I love it when you look so needy, don’t worry hun, I’m going to make you feel so good.”

You bit your lip in anticipation, laying back fully on the bed. Leaning over you now, in one thrust he inserted the entirety of his shaft into you. You cried out, in both pleasure and pain. He gripped your throat as he relentlessly punished your cunt with his dick. Vox let out a pleasured grunt as your soft tissues clenched around him. The wet slap of his pelvis meeting yours was divine, but it was the cries you made that sent him closer and closer to climax. 

“F̸̛̛̱̤͇̘̬͙̪͌̍͛̔̉̍u̶̪̗̝̅̿̄́̆̉̎͘͠͠ǔ̶̧͖͈̦̺̹͈̳̹͙͉̤̱̍̎̈͗̓̈́͋̓̏ừ̸͉̪̇̈́̌̍̌̂͂̊͒̀̕ç̴̡̲̲̼̠͙̖̺̮̝̻̟̃̉̒̓̑̐́̏͌̎̊͘̚͠ͅc̵̨͔͕̉͑̾͊̇̾͑̒̾̑̋͠ͅk̵̨͙̜̦͔̗͚͊͑…” His screen glitched as he bottomed out, over and over.

"Please..." your eyes rolled up into your head. “Please… Please Vox” 

“You know how much I love it when you beg,” he growled. “I’m going to make you cum so hard, you won't be able to walk.”  

His thrusts became shorter and harder, close to the end. He was holding off his climax the best he could, craving the feeling of you cumming all over his cock. You were close, the build-up was knotting up in you. You knew the neighbors could probably hear you at this point, you no longer had any control over the sounds escaping your slacked-open mouth. And with a jagged gasp, you squirted, riding the waves of orgasm. Vox hissed as the tightening of your walls sucked him into you, filling you with his own release. Your jaw chattered as a small surge of electricity washed over your body with his orgasm. You both remained motionless for a few moments, catching your breaths before he slowly pulled out of you. He collapsed on the bed next to you, you rolled to your side to meet his gaze. 

“You know I’m sorry, right?” his tone was sincere as he cradled your cheek in his hand. 

“I do,” you tried to give him a smile, but the tears were already building in your eyes. “I believe you, that you are sorry. I can even forgive you, eventually. But it doesn’t change what happened.” 

“I can make it up to you, I promise. Please give me the chance.” 

“How can I? You hypnotized me and broke my trust. It makes me question everything.” 

“I know,” he sighed. “It was fucked up of me. I swear I’ll never do it again, we can even make a deal. Just.. come back.. Please.” 

“How many times though? Before I found out?” Vox felt a heaviness in his chest. Guilt ran across his face. “Are my feelings for you even real? Was any of it?” 

The tears were streaming, making a large wet spot on your pillow. 

“We can start over. I know it will take time but let me try to earn your trust again.”

“I’m sorry. But for once you have to live with the consequences of your actions.” You tried to wipe the tears away. 

The look of hurt on his screen was unbearable. It took everything to shove down the burning in your throat. You knew you couldn’t keep the strength to tell him no, not when he looked so pained. 

“I’m sorry Vox. You should go.” Your jaw shook as you let out a sob. You rolled over, turning your back to him. 

You wanted more than anything right now for things to go back the way it was. Blissfully ignorant. The moments when it was just you and Vox, who he was without the other Vs. The late nights, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The flutters you’d feel from the way he’d glance at you in meetings. But things had become too broken to fix. Your heart ached. 

Vox reached out to touch you and hesitated, he swallowed hard. While, yes, he had made some poor choices. He did miss you, you were his relief from the day. Where he found comfort when Val was being too much. When the pressure of being who he was as an overlord became too heavy. He tried to tell himself otherwise but the cruel reality of it sunk in when you left. The realization that he took you for granted. 

You heard the crackle of electricity and with that Vox was gone. You let go of the strength, and the burning pain flooding up from your chest, exploding. You let out a loud wail. Curling into a ball holding yourself, you blubbered into your pillow. You cried for what felt like forever until you were completely empty and raw. 

Only then did you fall asleep. 

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for abandoning my assistant at our new job?

I (22F) am a grocery store department manager and my assistant (26F) is my best friend. We previously worked at nice, low-volume, good work culture type store for a year and a half together while she was still a clerk. The notoriously horrible and constantly-falling-apart store down the street suddenly had two openings for our department for manager and assistant manager. She was definitely overqualified to become an assistant and I had good reports as the manager at this location, and thought we could work some magic on that place and really shape it up. So we made a plan, applied for the transfer and we were accepted. Once we started working there the department started performing amazingly and the people within the department were very happy with us as the new management crew.

Two issues - number 1 there is a store assistant manager who is racist, homophobic, and sexually harasses employees (she has 15+ HR complaints against her and it’s beyond me why corporate doesn’t fire her). She has targeted my assistant and within her first 5 days of working there, she wanted to call for a replacement, and called her lazy. I knew about this person before transferring but my assistant didn’t. I warned her beforehand and encouraged her to use the corporate HR hotline to report any and all behavior. (I have been a victim of this lady too, she asks me invasive sexual questions…)

Number 2 - I am now being worked 7 days a week, 10-12 hour days, and various start times anywhere between midnight and 1 pm. I’ll be off at 4 pm from a day shift, have to go back in at midnight, work midnight to noon, and then cover the evening call out by going in for another 2 hours from 4pm-6pm. Because I’m the manager, I can be worked like a dog but other people are not allowed to even stay an hour of overtime per week. My sleep deprivation has led me to faint, be hospitalized, miss doctors appointments, etc. All around awful. My store managers recognize that I’m suffering but due to corporate standards for scheduling, there is no escaping this, unless I want to make my poor assistant go through what I’m going through, which I refuse to allow another person to experience this.

I can’t take it anymore. I finally broke when I showed up to a scheduled overnight shift 2.5 hrs late due to pure exhaustion, and started having hallucinations on shift. Corporate surprised us at 8 am that day and gave my department a bad review, and I broke down in the middle of the sales floor in front of corporate, customers, and my store managers screaming “FUCK THIS I CAN’T FUCKING DO THIS ANYMORE.”

I was surprised that I wasn’t fired but store management was surprised that I didn’t walk out. I didn’t because I have rent to pay. But the incident finally made me realize that this store is hurting my health and I’ve decided to send applications out to other jobs. Stepping down within the company or transferring back to the old store is not an option because department head is not open and even if I stepped down, they’d still work me like a department manager because they know what work I’m capable of. I want something new, a fresh clean slate.

However my assistant very badly needed this pay raise and guaranteed full time contract. She wouldn’t leave. She has an upcoming wedding and needs to put food on the table for her child. She is my best friend outside of work and we’re very close. I would feel terrible abandoning her in an already shitty work situation that I dragged her into - it was my idea and my reference for her promotion. I made promises to take care of a certain portion of duties if she did another portion. If I left, it would be ALL on her, job of both assistant and manager either as an assistant or if she’s offered manager. Either way, that would be a worse schedule than what I’m going through right now. And she would have to deal with that terrible store assistant alone. Anyways, I’d be scared to lose her friendship if I left. But I can’t take it anymore. She recognizes that too, however, she’s sympathetic to the literal medical faults my schedule is causing.

I feel like it’s my fault that she got harassed in the first place, and I feel like it’s my fault that she’s now unhappy with her job. I don’t want to lose my best friend.

WIBTA for leaving my job?

What are these acronyms?

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Hi there! :)

I've seen some other autistic people talking about how CBT doesn't really work for them, and, personally I can agree that it doesn't work for me either. I just wanted to know exactly why is that. Do you happen to know? Maybe it's because of our cognitive rigidity?

Thank you 💓

Hi there,

Everyone is going to react differently when it comes to any therapy. However, I did find one source that listed some things that won’t work during CBT. According to this article:

Why Doesn’t Standard Talking Therapy Work for Autistic People?

1) Most Therapies Rely on People Being Able to Recognise and Report Their Mood.  

 2) The Therapeutic Goals are Not Appropriate for an Autistic Person.

3)  Autistic Burnout is Not Recognised.

4)  The Therapy Requires the Client to Take an Alternative Perspective.  

 5)  The Therapy Relies on Cognitive Challenging. 

6) The Therapist has a Neurotypical Communication Style.

7)  The Social Demands of the Therapy Session are too High.

8)  There are a Limited Number of Sessions.

The full article will be linked below if you’d like to read more:

I hope this helps answer your question. Thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) || Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) || Chapter 12b (I'm So Tired of Being Lonely) | Also posted at AO3

Chapter 13A: Angel

I want your love // Let's break the walls between us Don't make it tough // I'll put away my pride Enough's enough // I've suffered and I've seen the light

Baby, you're my angel // Come and save me tonight You're my angel // Come and make it alright

Soundtrack: “Angel,” Aerosmith, 1988 [click here to listen]

The Road

May 1988

Claire sipped her mug of oolong tea and kicked off her boots, nestling into the curve of the high-backed chair in the corner of the room, flipping through the latest issue of Time.

“…said when you asked me yesterday, I really want to keep the press at a minimum this tour.”

“And as I said when you told me that yesterday, this reporter is a straight shooter.” Colum Laird – Print’s new manager, all five feet of him – crossed his arms, face stern. “I’ve known him since my first tour with Zeppelin back in ’73. Met him on the Starship. We had a thing for the same groupie.”

Jamie sighed, not meeting Colum’s gaze in the reflection of what Claire teased him was the “movie star mirror” that she now realized was standard issue in all dressing rooms.

“Anyway – I know he’s a big fan of the band. I invited him to the show tonight, to hear the new stuff. The new songs are fucking great, Jamie – and you’re so smart to do the acoustic thing now, to test out the new stuff before going back into the studio for a proper record. You’ve done a grand total of one interview in the three weeks since we started this thing. And you kept the focus on the music, which I understand. But everyone wants to know the stories behind the music.”

“And as I told you yesterday, I don’t want to go into the detail. It’s private.” He was polite, but Claire knew him well enough – from three weeks spending every moment together, from hotel rooms to restaurants to the tour bus – to know when he became exasperated.

“You’re gonna have to do it eventually.”

Claire felt Jamie’s eyes on her – and looked up. His gaze held hers for a moment.

“I’ll talk all anybody wants to hear about addiction, and recovery, and sobriety. I’ll do that every day for the rest of my life, if people will hear me say it. But I’m not going to talk about my heart with some reporter that I don’t know, and who will only print what I say for the public to consume and throw away.”

Colum sat down in the empty chair next to Jamie’s, arms still crossed.  “One of the new songs is called ‘She’s My Addiction,’ Jamie. People will want to know who she is.”

Claire watched Jamie’s jaw clench. His eyes tore from hers to look straight on at Colum.

“She’s my heart, Colum. I shit you not, from the first moment I saw her at The Ridge, that was it for me. I knew I had to be in her life, somehow. She took me for who I am, and she didn’t care about all the bullshit that had got me there in the first place. She’s it. She’s my ride or die. And I’m terrified that one day she’ll just have enough of what my life is, and she’ll fly back to Boston, and that’ll be that.”

Her heart clenched – she wanted nothing more than to hold him close, in that moment.

“Colum, what Claire and I have is so fucking special. I don’t want to share it with anybody. Not this reporter, not my band, not even you. But I just did with you, and it was so fucking hard to do it, so that you can really understand.”

Colum ran his hands through his shoulder-length gray hair, a wide silver wedding band flashing. Claire wondered whether he’d made an honest woman of the Led Zep groupie.

“Just meet with him, Jamie,” Colum sighed. “The first chat can be what they call off the record. I can bring him here after the gig tonight. Just to get a feel for him. And if you don’t have a good feel, I’ll drop it. And he won’t screw us over in publishing something anyway.”

Jamie extended a hand to Claire – and immediately she padded over to him, socks whispering against the floor. She sat on the table in front of him, and his hand settled on her jean-clad knee.

“What do you think about it, Claire?”

She traced his eyebrows with her thumb, not caring about Colum just feet away from them. “I think you should talk to this reporter, Jamie, and you shouldn’t shut out any questions he asks. People need to know who you are now, and since I’m part of who you are now, that’s fair game.”

“I don’t want to expose you to all of the shit, Claire. Reporters and paps and fans.”

She smiled. “Both my eyes are wide open. I don’t care. People always appreciate honesty, and they can always smell bullshit. Be honest.”

He turned his face to kiss her palm. “They’ll dig up so much dirt on you.”

“What do I care? You know all of it already. It’s not like you’re spotless. And if I hadn’t fucked up my life so badly, I never would have met you.”

He huffed. Thought for a long moment.

“I’ll do it. But Colum, I have three conditions.”

Claire saw more than heard Colum’s sigh of relief. “Tell me.”

Jamie took Claire’s hand in his, kissing the inside of her wrist. “No questions about my prior manager – he’s a bloodsucker but he’s still powerful. I’m not going to air that dirty laundry.”

Colum nodded. “Fair. What else?”

“Claire has to be in the room when I talk to him.”

“Seems reasonable.”

“And, she can’t be named in the article. It’s inevitable that I’ll talk about her. People will figure out who she is soon enough. At least let me have a few more weeks until the tabloids figure out who she is.”

Colum stood and clapped Jamie on the shoulder. “Consider it done. I’ll bring him by after the show.” He glanced down at his watch. “Twenty minutes until curtain. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. And thank you.”

Colum nodded and slipped out of the room.

Jamie turned to face Claire, and she effortlessly slid onto his lap. He rested his head in the curve of her neck, nuzzling her collarbone, and she threaded her fingers through his hair.

“I can hear you thinking,” she said softly.

“I don’t want to burst our beautiful bubble,” he whispered.

“It’ll have to happen, Jamie.” She held him close, gently massaging his scalp. “Once you make the record, and once you go on a bigger tour. Easier for it to happen now, with someone who’s apparently got a good reputation. While we can control some of it.”

“And then the paps will camp out in front of your apartment. Mob you at the grocery store.”

She kissed the crown of his head. “I’ll deal with it.”

“Some tabloid will interview Frank. You know it’s coming.”

“I do. And those same reporters will find a dozen women you hooked up with after shows, all across the country. But it doesn’t matter.”

He kissed her neck. She shivered, and felt his smile.

They’d agreed to remain celibate until their wedding. It hadn’t been such a bad idea when they were still mostly apart – but these past three weeks on the road, sharing a bed in each hotel room, had put their resolve to the test.

“You’re right. We’re under no obligation to share more than we need to.”

She pulled back, and leaned down to kiss him.

“Finish getting ready. I’ll see you after the show.”

He darted in for a quick kiss. “Not if I see you first.”

[britcision]

So let me tell you what they do when you’re human and your RBC (red blood cell count) reaches 4 g/dL

1) you are required to report to the hospital for emergency blood transfusion. They did not call me; they called my emergency contacts, because apparently I should not have been driving

Drove myself to the blood test 15 hours before but shhh don’t think about that

Cuz yeah, 2) the lab calls directly

It doesn’t go to your doctor first

You get the call from the lab tech, the second the test has been run. Literally, my doctor was told after we were, because Time Is Of The Essence

I, bad at being up at 8am, kept trying to go back to bed. This was not permitted

3) you get your ass put through the ER at lightning speed, I have never gone through faster including for the chest cramps that I could not stop screaming through

Still haven’t been rushed in with an injury as opposed to chronic illness fucking me up though, so ymmv

I felt significantly better with the extreme anaemia, I was just tired and bad at stairs

I did not even believe I needed to be at the hospital that urgently (literally my dad didn’t wait for me to get dressed he got me out of bed and in the car)

4) they don’t wait for a bed they stick your ass in a chair in the hall it’s fine lying down is optional but blood is not

This may be due to it being the day after New Years, when a lot of people have made the poor hospital very busy from both Christmas and the new year

This is why it is Extra Bad when the local hospital is so underfunded they close their ER doors for the entire month of December and reopen January 3, Doug Ford

5) you get at least 600mL of new blood, sharpish. That’s two bags, and the Standard Blood In Speed is 4 hours per bag and the fastest they’ll go if you haven’t had a transfusion before.

Do not let them put the fucking needle in your hand because those veins are small and require slower speeds but lying bastards will tell you it won’t

They are lying

If you have had a transfusion before and were Good At Blood, you can get it at double speed so each bag only takes 2 hours and you aren’t in the hospital all day on your birthday

Unless aforementioned lying bastards put the needle in your hand, in which case double speed is the same 4 hours as Standard because they are dicks

You can listen to most of 20, 000 Leagues Under The Sea in 8 hours. Receiving blood transfusions does not enhance the experience

It may in fact be detrimental

6) the nurses will not believe you when you come back in 2 weeks after your first transfusion because you have noticed you’re having the same symptoms as the time you were RUSHED WITH ALL HASTE

The hospital will then do their own blood test to decide if they take you seriously, realise your RBC is now 6 g/dL as opposed to a healthy 12-16 g/dL, and suddenly move much faster

Pointing out you were there two weeks ago and they should already be seeing the old test results in your medical history does not help

7) noticeable symptoms of such severe anaemia include hot flashes, for which you should acquire ice cream sandwiches

Ice cream sandwiches are great for short hot flashes 10/10 recommend

Mint flavoured even better menthol tastes like cold

Tl;dr: blood is apparently underrated and you do in fact need a lot of it super urgently

Also red blood cells on their own live about 2 weeks and if your RBC goes right back down after that your bone marrow is no longer making red blood cells

You will not be able to tell where any of the buggers have gone because your RBC can get down to 4g/dL without any blood actually exiting your body so they’re probably re metabolised

[thelawfulchaotic]

A Gun Control Post to Piss Everyone Off

The only reason to own a pistol is to hurt a human being and nobody should own them.

Assault rifle bans are idiotic political posturing from the left and have no (measurable) effect whatsoever on mass shooting.

Mass shootings with pistols are just as lethal as mass shootings with assault rifles.

Assault rifle bans are actually bans on specific parts and modifications to existing rifles that are entirely legal. Technology is at the point where 3D printing can create those modifications.

(Not that "this modification is ILLEGAL" is unprecedented; in my state it's a class 4 felony (2-10 years) just to saw off the barrel of a shotgun.

Not even USE IT. Just SAW IT OFF.

Making the crime of "lying on a firearm affidavit" (about protective orders, domestic violence convictions, felonies, involuntary commitments, etc.) into a felony is horrendous policy.

Sometimes people don't even know that they have a "protective order" against them because it wasn't called that at the time in an arcane civil legal proceeding where they did not have the right to counsel.

Yes this has happened to a client of mine. The "protective order" in question was an order from the Department of Social Services to not have her abusive boyfriend around her children. The firearm she was attempting to buy was defense against the abusive boyfriend. Technically? She should have gotten 2-10 years and become a felon. :)

Voluntary vs. involuntary commitments is often a matter of paperwork. Sometimes paperwork is wrong. Sometimes people don't remember that a commitment was involuntary.

All you're doing is felonizing and criminalizing an already oppressed and marginalized population.

Harsh mandatory minimums contribute to the problem.

Liberal politicians coming for your guns. The cops that you met at that Blue Lives Matter rally are the ones coming for your guns.

If you are pro-cop and pro-second amendment protections, you are lying to yourself about the reality of one of those things.

Cops can take your guns even if they aren't related to a crime you committed, even if they were just in the presence of someone else who committed a crime who could arguably be "possessing" the gun. They'll happily destroy the guns or sell them for profit, and they'll make the process of getting those guns back as difficult and arcane as possible so that you will inevitably fail.

If you are pro-cop and pro-gun, what you really like is just violence.

Drug convictions and nonviolent convictions should not be a reason to deny someone gun rights, even if they are felonious.

There is no historical precedent in this country for using substances or nonviolent offenses as an excuse to take guns away. Until one day someone decided to do it.

Why?

Because the people who were getting targeted by the justice system were black, and the government didn't want them to have guns.

Protective orders should not be a reason to deny someone gun rights.

There is no right to a lawyer for protective order hearings.

The standard of proof in protective order hearings is preponderance of the evidence (i.e., more than 50% of the evidence), not "beyond a reasonable doubt" like criminal cases.

Remember, not all victims of violent crime seek protective orders, but LOTS of lying assholes do seek protective orders to try and control other people. And lots of lying assholes get protective orders.

And who the hell am I to say all this?

I am a public defender (for closer to 10 years than 5), a pacifist, and someone who learned how to shoot and even participated in a shooting contest when I was 13.

In all that time, literally thousands of cases, how many times have I seen a police report where someone successfully uses a legally owned gun to intimidate away a person threatening violence?

Once.

[kingsofeverything]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by the lovely @haztobegood and @disgruntledkittenface. Thanks, y'all!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

115 with 2 co-writes!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

2,058,707

3. What fandoms do you write for?

One Direction, babyyyyy

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Second Hand Unwinds, Say Something, Fall At My Door, Leave Your Mark On Me, Find You Home

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I'm super behind right now because of school, but I do.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I really don't know because I write happy endings, so...... probably one of the timestamps from the Don't Want Shelter universe from before they got together called A Well-Made Mistake

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I really don't know! Like I said, I write happy endings, so I guess maybe The Second Hand Unwinds because they're both just so relieved to see each other?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

lol yes

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeahhhhhh...... I was like what do you mean 'what kind' but idk it's pretty standard fucking imo lolllll

10. Do you write crossovers? What the craziest one you've written?

I've written a few fics for @potterdirection but I think that's it. Unless you count crossovers into the Shawn Mendes and Maggie Rogers fandoms lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

The only reason I even have a wattpad acct is to report stolen fics :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

All the time! Love it! You can find my translated works here :D

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! A few years back, I begged some amazing writers to help do a round robin fic for @louandhazaf Nic's birthday, and we wrote Wine Not? and that fic brought so many amazing people into my life!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Larry, obviously.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

There are so many, but I'll always come back to my robots au that will never see the light of day. It lives on in my mind!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Idk man. I'm not good at thinking of these types of answers.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Second halfs. The rest of the story.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've only ever written Louis saying like one thing in Italian and then it was just comparing Harry's to the gates of paradise lollllll but kudos to anyone who does it. I liked the way Maggie @disgruntledkittenface did the French in Darling, so it goes.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

One Direction <3

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Hard questions!!!! I honestly can't answer this. All of my fics are special to me for one reason or another.

This was fun! Tagging literally anyone who sees this and @louandhazaf @uhoh-but-yeah-alright @londonfoginacup @jacaranda-bloom @sadaveniren @dinosaursmate @phdmama @lululawrence @absoloutenonsense

[neteyummydrabbles]

glistening drops of honey [part 5]

pairing: neteyam x fem human reader warnings: cringe, one-sided sexual tension words: 618

devour part 4 here:

the next day, i was to learn how to arch my back. neteyam brought me a yeeyee looking bow and arrow, and said, "you better learn to protect yourself out here. i gasped sorrowfully, "b-but... won't you be there to protect me...?? :(" a chuckle escaped his plump lips, "keep dreaming", he nervously quivered and broke eye contact, looking at his yummy feet instead of my delicately seductive gaze. as he shifted closer to my body, stood behind me, and placed his martial palm on my deteriorating vertebral column. he put his hand over mine, guiding me to aim at the target. i could feel his warm, raspy breath against my neck. my neck hairs stood up and so did his cock. i intertwined my digits with his, as our breathing synchronized.

i let go, flinging my arrow into the distance. it landed kilometres away from the target on the tree, resulting in hysterical laughter pouring out of neteyam's rugged larynx. "heyeyyeyyey :(((" i exclaimed giddily. "it's only my first try...... and besid- besides..... i'm a l-little distracted...'' my gaze shifted to his chiseled greek-god like body.. "you know what i mean, d-d-don't you??" a puzzled expression met my serenading ogle- "no, i don't, actually- and i'd like it to stay that way. now back to practice."

"ugh", i groaned. i wondered which of one of my charms would be able to break through his tough exterior. why was he not weak in the knees, even hypnotised by my seductive tone and scintillating comebacks? i scoffed, returning to practice. maybe obeying his commands would get him to notice my exotic presence. this time, i aimed straight for the target, letting go of my previous conquests of neteyam's cock heart.

our vulnerable archery session was interrupted by the sound of hooves clicking into the field. a crispy groan escaped neteyam's mouth. "ugh, not again, sylwa'nin! you and bi' tsyal always roaming around patrolling everyone-". "well..." a shrill firm voice echoed, "someone's got to make sure y'all lazy madams do your jobs." my eyes roamed to the duo- bi'tsyal was tall, around neteyam's height, with strikingly strong eyebrows. sylwa'nin, on the other hand, was rather short for a na'vi , though she seemed to be standing tensely to exaggerate her height. the stiff posture pronounced her biceps, as she stared condescendingly at my dainty build. "yea bois, we gotta report to sir, alrightty?" bi- whatever his name was- voiced. "got a problem?" neteyam looked over to my confused and timid expression, reminiscent of the helpless newborn birds that flew away upon sylwa'nin's intimidating arrival. "oh." he sighed, unimpressed. i braced myself for the witty comeback that i knew was to follow. "i know you're into old dudes, but sucking up to my dad isn't going to change the bloodline." i smirked, proud of my man, as i looked sylwa'nin and bi'tsyal up and down. my striking gape was halted as realisation dawned upon me. did he say- dad??

jake sully, the legend , was neteyam's father??!!?? the very man i had been captivated by on my pandorian ventures was the son of none other than toruk makto- the na'vi gods must have blessed me !!! no wonder neteyam was so hot.

sylwa'nin scoffed violently and bi'tsyal coughed fervently, as their spit flew onto the grass, serving as fertiliser for the parched vegetation. they walked away, knowing nothing would meet the standards of the shame they just endured. as the sun began to set, tinging my cheeks with a hint of dreamy orangey red, neteyam remarked, "guess that concludes today." i sighed, knowing i would have to wait a full eight hour rem cycle before i could be engulfed in neteyam's breath and banter once again.

like, reblog and follow because cringing is caring <3

[foundtherightwords]

All Our Yesterdays - Chapter 6

Pairing: Ralph (Timewasters) x OFC

Summary: Thu, a museum archivist, only wants to escape her dull life in 21st-century Hanoi. The last thing she expects is to end up in 1929 Indochina via a time-traveling elevator and cross paths with Ralph, an Englishman on the run from the French Foreign Legion. Romance blossoms between them, but in a colonized country, unrest is always looming on the horizon, and Thu must decide if she wants to stay with Ralph in the past or return to the safety of the future.

Warnings: outdated/period-typical attitudes about women, mentions of war, mentions of pregnancy and abortion (involving a supporting character), some angst, some smut (non-explicit)

Chapter word count: 3.4k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5

Chapter 6

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather cooled down considerably. There was a chill in the air of the early morning and late in the evening, and a thin veil of silvery mist could be seen hanging about the treetops, though it quickly evaporated with the rising sun. Clothes shops started stocking up on scarves and jackets, and newspapers started carrying advertisements for the newfangled wool pullovers and cardigans. Thu was glad she'd arrived in the fall; even without the urban heat islands of the 21st century, there was no way she could have survived a summer in Hanoi without at least an electric fan.

October passed by, and November rolled around, bringing with it the first cold snap of the year. Thu tried to hang on to her silk áo dài and cotton chemises for as long as she could, thinking it would be pointless to buy warm clothes if she were to leave soon, but as the days dragged on and there was no sign of Homeless Pete, she gave in and bought herself a winter wardrobe. At least I would have quite the collection when I get back, she told herself. But such thoughts were less and less frequent these days. The city was still not quite like her home home, but its familiarity was now comforting rather than bewildering.

It also helped that work was going well for her. At the office, Madame Phuong entrusted her with the typewriter, and when it was clear that she was overqualified to be an errand girl, she became a sort of unofficial copy editor and was sometimes even allowed to accompany the other reporters when they went to cover some events—unlike their male colleagues, the women found it safer to go out in pairs or a group. If Madame Phuong thought it was strange that Thu could type so well but couldn't speak French, or that her spelling was a little off from the usual standard, she didn't mention it. For this, Thu's wage was raised to 30 đồng a month, which wasn't much, but since her rent was so cheap and her need so little, she could afford to live quite comfortably.

Of course, it wasn't all pleasant, living in the past. In her wanderings through the city, sometimes she encountered scenes of poverty and misery so shocking they haunted her for days. She tried to tell herself there was nothing she could do to help, but it did little to alleviate the guilt that tied left her stomach in knots. That was why she stuck to walking or taking the trams. Most people took rickshaws, but Thu felt bad for the drivers, who always looked like they barely had enough to eat, so she never tried them.

Ralph seemed quite confused when, during one of their outings that took them a little further outside the city center, she had refused three rickshaw drivers in a row.

"It feels like I'm—I don't know—exploiting them," she said.

"But it's their job?"

"Yeah? Where's their union then? Where are their benefits? Do they get to retire with a pension?"

"Do they have all that in the future?"

Thu was quiet, thinking that the cyclo drivers in her time didn't have it much better either, but at least they were paid for by tourism companies, and riding with them didn't feel dehumanizing. "No, the pulled rickshaw was banned," she said. "We still have the cycle rickshaws. They're mostly for tourists though."

"But if you don't ride with them, it won't make their lives any better. In fact, it may make things worse, because that means they won't earn money," Ralph pointed out.

Much as she hated to admit it, he wasn't wrong. Thu realized that applying her modern sensibilities to the past would only lead to frustration. So from then on, she did take the occasional rickshaw, though only when there was no tram, and she always made sure to tip the driver generously afterward.

And there was the matter of amenities. The Internet and TV, she learned to do without quite easily. There were so many interesting things to see and experience every day that she didn't miss them at all. She was lucky that there was electricity at least. Still, she found herself missing the little things, things she'd never thought of before. Like a hair dryer, for example. Now if she wanted to wash her hair, she had to remember to do it the night before so it would have time to air-dry, as the only hair dryers available in town were the giant ones used by Western-style hairdressers. Or a shower. Washing with a bucket and a dipper wasn't the same as showering at all, even if you emerged just as clean. Or feminine hygiene products. Thanks to her birth control pills, she didn't have to worry about her period for a while, yet it still caught her by surprise, and she had to have a horribly embarrassing conversation with Mai about it. She supposed women used cloth napkins in this time; she just wasn't sure if they always carried some around like the modern woman carrying tampons.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Mai said sympathetically and ran to the shop next door, before coming back with a paper bag full of clean muslin scraps and safety pins, which she surreptitiously handed to Thu. She wouldn't even hear of Thu paying her back. Thu had always thought the girl rather empty-headed and flighty, but this incident had made her a lot fonder of Mai.

But despite all these little inconveniences, Thu had started to settle down. She no longer had to reach for her phone to ground herself, and like her modern clothes and the rest of her backpack, it was shoved into a drawer in her dresser, while she went about her day, feeling more and more at home in 1929.

***

On November 11th, Thu was assigned to accompany Lien, one of the newspaper's senior reporters, to cover the Armistice Day Parade. Thu was excited—she hadn't read much about such parades from history books, and wondered how it would look compared to the locals' traditional celebrations. She also thought it would be a good opportunity for Ralph, who had managed to sell a few of his autochromes. An autochrome of this parade would look magnificent. So they agreed to meet at Puginier Square, near the Palace of the Governor-General of Indochina—or, as she knew them, Ba Đình Square and the Presidential Palace—where the parade was to set out.

But Ralph didn't show up.

Thu stood by the little park in the middle of the square, her eyes searching the crowd outside the Palace for Ralph's familiar boater hat. At first, she thought he merely got delayed, but as time went on and he was nowhere in sight, she started to get anxious. A cheer went up as the Governor-General left the Palace, escorted by the cavalry, to inspect the troops, and the parade began, so she had no choice but to go along with it.

"Are you waiting for somebody?" Lien asked. A little older than most of the staff, in her mid-thirties at least, she was considered the managing editor of the paper in all but name, and her warm, gentle ways served as a nice counterbalance to Madame Phuong's sternness.

"No," Thu said, a little more sullenly than she'd intended. Ralph had never missed one of their outings. True, sometimes she'd had to barge into his room and dragged him bodily out of bed to make sure he got to a job in time, but he always showed up. What if—and here her heart went cold for a moment—what if he had been arrested by the Legion? Surely not. If there had been an arrest, she would've heard about it. There wasn't much news around the city, and something big like that would've circled fast. So what on Earth had happened to him?

Twice, Thu thought about asking Lien if she could nip off to check on Ralph, but she felt bad about leaving Lien in that noisy crowd on her own. So she trudged along with the crowd and the troops as they marched down Puginier Avenue, followed by parade floats decked out in flowers and greenery to form dragons and other fantastical animals. To all this, Thu hardly paid any attention. She was still hoping to see Ralph dashing through the crowd, holding on to his hat, and apologizing profusely for being late—

"It's too bad that your photographer friend isn't here," Lien said, as if she could read Thu's mind, while her pencil flew over her notebook. "We're too small a newspaper to afford a photographer, but some of the bigger ones would pay great money for photos of an event like this."

"Oh, I'm sure he's busy with something," Thu said, trying to sound casual.

She was well aware of what the women at the office thought of her and Ralph, but she'd always shrugged it off. Unlike the girls of the time, she didn't care if her reputation got ruined. Nobody knew her anyway. However, when somebody brought him up in a pointed way, as Lien just did, she would still get a prick of embarrassment in her stomach. She almost wished they would tease her about him, just so she could say, once and for all, that they were just friends.

Because that's what we are, just friends. Friends can be angry and hurt when they get stood up. Friends can worry about each other's well-being. Right? Never mind that she had put on her new cardigan to meet him that day. Never mind that she had opted out of the office lunch, although it could save her money, in order to try the many street food vendors around the city with him. Never mind that her heart tended to go into arrhythmia whenever she caught his eyes or one of his smiles, especially the ones that showed his dimples...

Thankfully, she walked into Lien just then, which ended that dangerous train of thought and brought her back to reality. The parade had reached the War Memorial at Robin Park, known as Lenin Park in her time, a popular hangout of skateboarders thanks to its smooth flagstones. She hadn't been around this area much. It was, as it remained nearly a century later, the administrative center of the city, and located a little further away from the 36 Streets, so she had no reason to go there.  

The mayor of Hanoi was going to give a speech. In the past two months, Thu had picked up the odd French phrases here and there, but certainly not enough for her to understand a whole speech, so she turned away to idly eye the memorial. She had only seen photos of it, since it was torn down after Vietnam gained independence from France in 1945. It showed a group of World War I soldiers pointing their weapons toward the Flag Tower of Hanoi just across the avenue (Bet the locals love that, Thu thought with a snort), and around the base were four more statues showing the core classes of the Vietnamese society - a farmer to represent the rural class, a blacksmith for the artisans, a vendor for the merchants, and a scholar for the intelligentsia.

It appeared the locals had little respect for the memorial. Despite attempts from soldiers and policemen to keep it clear, some children and even grown-ups were clambering onto the base for a better view of the mayor and the troops. Some had even climbed on the back of the water buffalo that accompanied the farmer statue. Thu could see their white pith hats and black cloth turbans bobbing amongst the bronze figures while the police tried in vain to pull them off.

Then something else caught her eyes. Or rather, someone else.

A black wool hat over a head of pale, stringy hair. A long, black coat, silhouetted against the white marble of the base. A face that, even from afar, she knew would be covered with a scruffy white beard and contain a mouthful of rotten teeth.

Homeless Pete.

Her heart jumped to her throat. Without even bothering to excuse herself to Lien, she took off, elbowing her way through the crowd, skirting around the soldiers forming a barricade around the mayor, running toward the memorial just as the police chased yet another group of rubberneckers off of it. Homeless Pete was amongst them. He staggered off—soon, he would be lost amongst the crowd on the other side of the avenue, and she would lose her only chance of getting home—

Somehow, Thu managed to grab his coat.

The old man turned around. It was him. She had been half-afraid that, in her eagerness to find Homeless Pete, her eyes had deceived her, but it was him. She almost wept with relief.

"Homeless Pete!" she yelled in English, not caring who could hear. "Thank Heavens I found you! Listen, you have to send me back! I've been following your rules, I've had fun, but can I go back now? Please?"

He blinked at her. For a heart-stopping moment, she wondered if he even understood her at all.

Then Homeless Pete gave her a familiar grin. "Chocolate?" he said.

Now it was her turn to blink at him. "What?"

"Chocolate," he repeated. When she still didn't seem to get it, he repeated, "Chocolate!" a touch impatiently. He held his open palm in front of her. "Chocolate!" he said, then closed his hand into a fist and walked two fingers across his other palm. "Chocolate! Home!"

"Oh!" Thu exclaimed, understanding at last. "If I give you chocolate, then you'll get me home?"

Homeless Pete nodded.

"OK, great!" She tugged at his coat. "We'll go buy chocolate, and then to the time machine, and you'll get me back to 2023—"

But Homeless Pete stood firm, shaking his head. "No. Stay here." He pointed to the memorial.

Should she risk causing a scene to get him to the Printing House, or should she leave him here and risk losing him again? She looked around at the crowd and the soldiers; already, they were drawing some curious looks, the scruffy-looking Western man and the young Vietnamese woman apparently locked in a game of tug-of-war. Thu gritted her teeth. If she caused a scene here, she knew she would be the one thrown into jail or the madhouse.

"You'll be here?" she asked. "You promise?"

Homeless Pete nodded eagerly.

"OK. I'll be back with the chocolate. Don't go anywhere!"

She ran through the crowd again. She caught a glimpse of Lien's startled face and shouted, "Emergency! Gotta go! Sorry!", before bouncing across the avenue, back toward the city center.

Chocolate, chocolate, cho-co-late, she thought, each syllable echoing in her mind in time with her footsteps. Where would they sell chocolate around here? Sugar Street? No, that's for traditional cakes and candied fruits and stuff... Maybe Godard's? Yeah, Godard's would be the place...

The thought of Godard's reminded her of Ralph, and she came to a halt, almost colliding with a rickshaw, which earned her a curse from the irate driver. She couldn't go. Not yet. Not without saying goodbye. And who knows? Maybe I can convince him to come back with me.

Taking a deep breath, she turned toward Rue Borgnis Desbordes.

***

The studio was closed, but the door wasn't locked. Thu took the stairs two at a time and pounded on the door on the second floor. "Ralph? You home? Open up! I have the most amazing news!" No answer. Cold fear crept back into her heart. What if he had been arrested?

At the third knock, she heard some shuffling from the inside, followed by a croaking voice, "All right, all right, keep your hair on, I'm coming." She sagged with relief. He was fine after all.

Perhaps not entirely fine. As the door opened, she saw that Ralph was in his pajamas, with a thick scarf wound around his neck. His usual smoothly pomaded curls were flopping down his forehead, his face was flushed, and his eyes bleary.

"Are you sick?" she asked. At least that explained why he didn't show up at the parade.

"Must be a sore throat or something. It's this cold snap."

She eyed up him and down. "Can't be just a sore throat. You look terrible."

"Fever for two days, and my throat hurts. What else could it be?"

She reached for his forehead, only to jerk her hand back as if she'd just touched a hot stove. "Heavens, you're burning up! A sore throat shouldn't cause such a high fever."

"So you're a doctor now?" Ralph rolled his eyes at her. "I'm fine, all right? I'm almost twenty-five, I can take care of myself."

Oh, so he was going to be one of those guys that turned into a giant baby when he got sick, wasn't he? Thu had dealt with her younger brother enough to not be offended by that. She stepped inside and peered more closely at his face. Something familiar about that flushed look... She took his arm and pushed his sleeve up. The skin on his arm was flushed too, and her fingers left behind some pale impressions that took a while to return to normal.

"That hurts," Ralph protested, pulling away.

"Do your joints ache? Headache?"

"Yes..." Her worry seemed to be rubbing off on him. "Is it the flu? Or malaria?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it's not malaria," Thu said, her heart sinking. "I think it may be dengue fever."

"What's that?"

"You guys don't know about dengue fever yet?"

"They only warned us about malaria when I was transferred here."

The history of tropical diseases wasn't her area of expertise; she only had the knowledge of a local. "Have you been sleeping under a mosquito net, like I told you to?" she asked.

Ralph looked away, embarrassed. "I forget sometimes."

Thu shook her head disapprovingly. "We also call it hemorrhagic fever," she explained. "It's spread by mosquitoes. You get a high fever for about three days, and if it's severe, you bleed internally."

Ralph's face blanched.

"It sounds worse than it is, actually," she hastened to reassure him. "I've had it twice and it was no worse than the flu. Well, except for the second time when I had to be hospitalized..." Ralph went even paler, and she realized she wasn't doing a very good job of being reassuring.

"I can't go to the hospital," he said.

Thu suddenly understood his reluctance. He couldn't be Monsieur Davinier at the hospital; they would check his papers, and if the Legion had a warrant out for him, that would be the end.

"You won't have to go to the hospital," she said with more confidence than she actually felt.

"I don't suppose you happen to have any modern medicine that can cure this dengue, do you?" he said, trying to smile.

As always, his smile went straight to her heart, even wan as it was now. But she had to tell the truth. "No... Even in my time, we can only manage it, not cure it." Then, remembering her paracetamol, she said, "But I have something that can bring the fever down. Wait here."

She ran back to her boarding house, went up to her room, and dug her backpack out of the dresser. A pang went through her when she realized that, in all the fuss of Ralph being sick, she had completely forgotten to tell him about Homeless Pete. Her mind wrestled briefly with her heart. She could just give Ralph the medicine and ask Mai to check on him before she left. The fever was unlikely to be that bad. But... but... there was always the chance that it would turn severe, and he would need someone to watch him in case he went into shock. And they didn't even know about dengue fever yet, so even if he went to the hospital, someone needed to explain to the doctors what was wrong...

With a sigh, Thu put the paracetamol into her handbag and left the backpack where it was. Homeless Pete and the time machine would have to wait. For now, Ralph needed her.

A/N: I've had dengue fever twice. Even in its less severe form (which doesn't involve internal hemorrhage, just some mild bleeding from mucous membranes), it's still the worst thing I've ever had, worse than COVID even, so I'm afraid poor Ralph is going to have a rough time of it :((

[thenewfuture]

This goes back to that previous criticism I made about Hiyoko's simulated death scene. The closest comparison I can think of would be "slasher movie victim writing". Where a character is so utterly unlikable that it feels like you're meant to outright cheer on their murderer subjecting them to a grisly death. That's how it came across, and the current scene is really not helping matters at all. Especially the implication that Hiyoko owes the people who framed her for murder an apology. Just…no. That is ridiculously unfair, and Fuyuhiko and Peko are mature enough to know damn well that they're not entitled to that. In fact that's something else that I feel needs addressing. The writing's emphasis on sympathizing with the murderers is getting a little...much. I mean yes, of course we the audience can and should find it in our hearts to forgive them. But I think they're being let off the hook a little too easily. Mainly at the expense of the people they harmed. And it's not just Hiyoko being unsympathetic compared to her own murderer and the people who framed her. Or Mahiru coming across as the unreasonable party in the matter of settling what happened in Chapter 2 and in the Twilight Syndrome incident. But also cases like with Gundham and Teruteru or with Teruteru. Yes all things considered, Gundham is the most sympathetic blackened in the game. And there was a gentleman's agreement going on. But I think the others would be quite right to call them out on the fact that they didn't need to get two people killed or have a lengthy class trial. One person committing suicide and making it as obvious as possible that they did so (like Sakura did) would have sufficed. They let male pride needlessly complicate matters (and unintentionally led to Nagito's later actions down the road). Teruteru frankly was let off way too damn easy for his actions. Unlike Sayaka and Leon in the first game he had a far better understanding of what the cost of committing a murder and getting away with it would mean for his classmates. And he had an ENTIRE DAY to think things through and report Nagito to the others. Plus unlike his co-conspirator, he doesn't get the excuse of being mentally ill for wanting to start the Killing Game. He really needs a scene where he owns up to the fact that he bares equal responsibility to Nagito. And speaking of Nagito, he seems to be the one killer who's the exception to this treatment. Being scorned by everyone for his actions. Even though when you look at things objectively his was perhaps the most understandable and sympathetic reason for starting a class trial that didn't involve mind control or self-sacrifice. No one shows empathy for his actions in Chapter 5 or acknowledges that Monokuma manipulated him into mutilating himself to death. By deliberately withholding the part about the Junko AI possessing them all. And probably also the fact that they were brainwashed and didn't commit those crimes of their own free will, judging by the way that Junko's AI tries to downplay those claims when Makoto intervenes. On their own, with no one there to offer emotional support, it is likely that any of the Remnants would have completely snapped if they'd been in his position during that revelation. I'm sorry but it feels like there are a lot of double standards going on when it comes to the "problematic class members".

I cannot apologize enough if Hiyoko's death scene seemed unsympathetic and harsh. Maybe it was and I went too far trying to get the point across or convey it. But even so, I am still proud of that work and I swear to you it was supposed to have the exact opposite effect. Even so, I'm going to break down the rest of your ask here because....wow is it a lot...

Murderer sympathizing. So if you've played any murder mystery game; DanganRonpa, Ace Attorney, Zero Escape, etc..., you know that it primarily focuses on figuring out who committed a crime and more importantly WHY they did it. Motives for killers vary over games and mysteries, but there comes a time when you can understand a killer's motivation. Now, no sane and stable person would ever kill someone in real life, but if you can understand the push as to what drove them to such actions, then that character has depth and is in some ways relatable. DanganRonpa is full of these types of characters, on the sole basis that the players are TRAPPED IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE! Killing to get out is encouraged! Almost every character in these games would have at least one reason to kill, making them all sympathetic! Now of course there are some outliers in the mix(Celeste, Despair-state Mikan, Korekiyo) but the ratio of sympathetic to not is quite high. So why did I say all this? Well, you the payer have to understand why some killers did the crimes they committed? Well then so should the characters by default too. Especially in an enclosed setting like DanganRonpa, the characters have to come to grievance that some amongst them has just died. How could they possibly react to that? Well Hiyoko reacts like this:

Hiyoko was there when she heard Teruteru say he not only wanted to stop Nagito from murdering someone, but to also see if his sick mom was all right after all this time had passed. And yet, she say this. So its clear Hiyoko has the mindset of: kill=bad. She is the outlier of the group. Hiyoko cannot understand why Teruteru would do such a thing, or why others would feel sorry for him. Hiyoko is the one in the wrong here.

2. Hiyoko owes Fuyuhiko and Peko an apology. Okay, we understand sympathy for killing somewhat, right? Good. Let's move on to Fuyuhiko and Peko. Fuyuhiko found out his sister was murdered. His classmate knows something but won't tell him. In fact, she even hid evidence and lied about the fact just to cover up her own. Fuyuhiko has every right to be pissed! And in some cases, the right to kill Sato for what she did! Okay? Okay. On to Peko. Now of course I'm not expecting one to understand the feeling Peko has of being used by the Yakuza and basically a weapon only to serve someone else. But the want to protect someone from becoming the blackened is understandable at the very least, no? Now, OF COURSE, Hiyoko has every right to be royally pissed at being framed for murder. I don't expect to forgive them easily. In fact, if you saw this blog at all, you'll know that Fuyuhiko and Peko apologized to her first! They are fully aware of not expecting an apology from Hiyoko. They've made peace with that fact. Hiyoko DOES owe them an apology for bursting in on their therapy session! Now again, you may say that aspect is going too far and you'd be right. I personally think it falls in line with Hiyoko putting her beliefs and ideologies first and wanting others, especially her best friend, to agree with her take on it. I mean it's already pretty on brand with what the two do. Hiyoko does something bad, and Mahiru just accepting it.

3. Gundam and Nekomaru. Now I'm not here to discuss the moral implications of murder versus suicide. I will say this though. Chapter 4's trial and murder was about wanting to live, no matter what. Hajime's offer to not kill and just starve to death was just throwing life away as Gundam put it. It's like stories of a soilder who would rather fight with a stick than just to give up and die. He has no options left and his chances are pretty slim, but he still wants to live. That's the whole reason behind Nekomaru and Gundam's duel. A duel for life. Whether the others live or Gundam wins the class trial, no one is giving up on life. Everyone wants to live. And so they fight for that honor.

4. Nagito. "speaking of Nagito, he seems to be the one killer who's the exception to this treatment. Being scorned by everyone for his actions. Even though when you look at things objectively his was perhaps the most understandable and sympathetic reason for starting a class trial"

Okay that may have been in pretty low to go for that, but still. I'll humor you and say that Nagito maaaaaaay have had a good reason for it. Stopping suppossed psychotic terrorists does sound like a good enough reason.......too bad he ruined it by basically insulting everyone in the 4th trial and half of Chapter 5. He kept insulting the others and especially Hajime for reasons ONLY HE KNEW ABOUT! Monokuma did not manipulate Nagito in any way, in fact it was the exact opposite. Monokuma simply gave him the file because he cleared Russian Roulette at the highest difficulty, I don't he expected anyone else to do that. Nagito's plan was all his own! You think Monokuma could have predicted out of ALLLLLL options to murder the gang, that Nagito would just choose to poison a fire grenade and let his luck choose the one person he wanted to win!? Now you say that the file hid the fact of Junko trying to possess their bodies and that they were brainwashed, but OOPS I guess we'll never know because Nagito ripped the fucking pages out by the time Hajime and Chiaki get to it. Thanks, you ugly trash turnip. Maybe he knew, maybe he didn't, we'll never know. We're simply just playing guess at this point, so it's futile to justify this action any further. Bottom line: Nagito did it all his own without any help because that's how deeply committed he his to his own ideology about hope and Ultimates.

Anyway, I keep saying Hiyoko will get better, but if you're still on this and you don't believe me or won't even like where I go with it. Then it's probably best if you leave, honest. I won't make you stay and read my blog if it upsets you this much. It was not my intent, honest.

I am really tired, it is so late that I stood up making this answer....

-Mod

[lucysweatslove]

I've seen different numbers quoted for specifics, but prior to the industrial revolution, humans really didn't work the (US) "standard" 40+ hours/week.

One source (Juliet Schor's The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure) notes that male peasants in the medieval era worked ~1,620 hours/year, about 31 hours/week on average. Medieval peasants. Yes, during the summer they likely pulled some 16 hour days, but they did so with time for meals, real breaks, and even an afternoon nap included in this. In general, a medieval peasant likely had about 1/3 of all days of the year off work. There are reports of Spanish workers getting ~5 months off for holiday, and in France, Sundays were guaranteed off + 90 "rest days" + 38 additional days off for holidays (nearly 1/2 of the year total). During particularly high-wage times, a peasant may only work ~150 days in a year.

Going back even further to the bulk of human history: some believe hunter-gatherers likely worked ~15 hours/week.

I've seen a lot of attempts to discredit this and argue that no, these people worked harder and longer than we do now, saying something akin to "but that doesn't account for time preparing food or caring for children or--." But our typical 40-hour work week doesn't account for that, either.

Our society defines success on the national level by economic measures like the GDP . This isn't a measure of health or happiness. Instead, it is influence by how much we are working and consuming, and what monetary value the world assigns what we do. In order to get GDP up, we work longer hours producing more goods and services so we can spend more money on more goods and services.

We did not evolve to spend 40+ hours/week working with minimal time for rest and recreation. Humans need to play, to gather with others (or socialize in another way), to laugh and sing and create, and absolutely 100% to get good sleep.

I'm somebody who enjoys work. I'm going into medicine because I find that work fulfilling and it's something I want to spend some of my time doing. But the average attending works ~50 hours/week, an amount of time humans have not evolved to work. Legally a resident is not allowed to work more than 80 hours/week, but I personally know residents who have in fact worked more than that and were expected to lie about it. Medical students are told that medicine should be their #1 priority, they can't get any time off for any personal events, including important event like weddings planned a couple years in advance before applications were even submitted. And then we wonder why doctors have such a high burnout rate?

We all need more time to do the things that make us human.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

John’s Inquiry (Luke 7:18–23)

1 After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent two of his disciples 3 to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

Jesus Testifies about John (Malachi 3:1–5; Luke 7:24–35)

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? 8 Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings’ palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is the one about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence,h and the violent lay claim to it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

16 To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to one another:

17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge for you, and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her children.”

Woe to the Unrepentant (Luke 10:13–16)

20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago inp sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

23 And you, Capernaum, which is lifted up to heaven, will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Rest for the Weary (Luke 10:21–24)

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

27 All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

28 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” — Matthew 11 | Majority Standard Bible (MSB) The Majority Standard Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 50:10; Exodus 4:11; Numbers 12:3; Deuteronomy 28:54; Job 37:24; Psalm 118:26; Proverbs 23:21; Isaiah 14:13; Isaiah 28:12; Isaiah 29:18; Jeremiah 23:14; Joel 3:4; Amos 1:9; Malachi 3:1; Malachi 4:5; Matthew 3:1; Matthew 3:4; Matthew 3:15; Matthew 5:19; Matthew 5:46; Matthew 7:28; Matthew 9:34-35; Matthew 14:5; Matthew 4:12; Matthew 5:29; Matthew 12:20; Matthew 13:9; Matthew 13:21; Matthew 13:43; Matthew 14:3; Matthew 17:10; Matthew 21:26; Matthew 23:7; Matthew 28:18; Mark 1:2; Mark 3:22; Mark 12:38; Luke 1:76; Luke 7:32; Luke 10:13; Luke 16:16; Luke 22:42; John 5:36; 1 John 5:3

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

WPTV is learning more about some of the social studies textbooks the Florida Department of Education did not recommend for students.

Last week, WPTV education reporter Stephanie Susskind told you about 66 books that were accepted or modified to meet state approval. Now we've uncovered that, of the dozens rejected, two of them were for high school Holocaust education classes.

33 social studies textbooks submitted for review to the Florida Department of Education were rejected for not meeting state standards. Those textbooks cover everything from civics to financial literacy to the Holocaust.

Marc Hopin leads the Alpert Jewish Family Service in West Palm Beach, providing care to people throughout the community, including 200 Holocaust survivors. He said highlighting that point in history is critical to prevent it from happening again.

"The Holocaust, it didn't start with guns and death camps. It started with words. It started with, sadly, some of the words we are hearing in Palm Beach County today. Some of these antisemitic leaflets and projections of swastikas," Hopin said.

Hopin is impressed with the level of Holocaust education in Palm Beach County schools. "We are asked all the time by high schools and sometimes elementary schools, can we bring a survivor to speak to the students? And the survivors love it," Hopin said.

But the Florida Department of Education brought some new Holocaust educational material into question as it adopts new social studies textbooks.

Last week, the state released several examples of textbook material that was rejected, including a description of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While we don't know exactly what was in the Holocaust textbooks that landed them on the not recommended list, the state said the "History of the Holocaust" book received a 3.7 score out of 5 for aligning with subject specific standards. A book needs at least a 4 to be accepted.

A textbook titled "Modern Genocide" received a 2 out of 5.

"There are many textbooks and other approved instructional materials that support our efforts to make sure our students never forget about the horrific annihilation of Jews by Nazi Germany," said Alex Lanfranconi, the director of communications of the Florida Department of Education, in a written statement to WPTV.

Lanfranconi added that Florida requires instruction on the Holocaust for all students beginning in fifth grade.

According to Lanfranconi, "reviewers evaluate each instructional material based on its alignment to state standards," and "this process ensures instructional materials on the adoption list are of the highest quality and align to Florida's state academic standards."

"Florida has many materials and resources available to support high-quality teaching of Holocaust education, including comprehensive Holocaust education standards," Lanfranconi said. "The textbooks are evaluated based on these standards. If the activities and lessons within a textbook do not help students learn the content and master the standards, then the textbook would receive a low rating for standards alignment, as did the two textbooks in question."

"I would hope that at the end of the day — and I don't know when that day is — that we have enough Holocaust education materials and a way of presenting it to put some of the other issues aside," Hopin said.

Hopin added that while the books are important, there's no substitute for hearing from someone who survived it all first-hand.

"As much as we can offer opportunities to have survivors come and present, we should be trying to do that. We're running out of time," Hopin said.

The Florida Department of Education said it's working with the publishers to address concerns so the books can be added to the adopted list.

A bill signed in 2020 also designated the second week in November as "Holocaust Education Week" in Florida schools.