#their levels of patronising varies

[m-ayo-o]

how they say ✨ good girl ✨ JJK

Satoru

Like he's talking to a puppy xxx

Kento

Low, deep, lusty, heavy, turns you on evvvery time

Toji

Like he's talking to his daughter...

Suguru

He sounds like sex.

Megumi

Like he genuinely believes you are such a good girl

Yuji

Sweetly, shyly, as if he's a bit embarrassed to say it

Choso

He says it once, prefers when you call him good boy

[tyrannuspitch]

thinking about the very deliberate way loki varies the pitch of his voice in t1... the way he uses a higher voice (which could variously be described as feminine or childish or both) both to make the w4 think he's evil/treacherous/sinister and try to use that against them, AND to make thor think he's weak and helpless and try to use THAT against him... and neither work out in his favour.

like on one level it's so prophetic. so Destiny. becoming what he pretends to be.

the sinister image loki projects to sif and the warriors three seems to make them think he's been trying to kill off his family one by one to gain the throne, and their suspicions are what creates the circumstances that lead to loki actually trying to kill thor.

and the helpless image loki projects to thor is one of himself falling off the bridge, reaching for thor's hand, but slipping away. and then minutes later he DOES fall from the bridge. and although he is reaching upwards toward thor, he doesn't let him catch him.

and then beyond all this... there's the overall idea that being clever with your voice is suspect and shameful in general.

there's the title "silvertongue", which we see used only in mockery and which could very easily be backhanded at the best of times. (even the fact that it's silver makes it second-best to gold.)

and then there's how odin accuses loki of "twisting [his] words", as if it's a habitual thing, a known flaw in loki, when all loki is even actually doing is questioning him. loki is upset and seeking reassurance, but because he thinks and expresses himself in the "wrong" way (a way which is harder to control), he's met with suspicion and criticism instead.

and then there's this particular voice. the voice itself is seen as shameful. but the way he uses it, deliberately and cleverly to try and turn people's prejudice back on them, is even more so.

if he used that voice genuinely, without self-awareness and/or without the ability to turn it off, then he might be accepted as naturally lowly, but basically harmless. he would be patronised and disrespected but not quite so overtly othered. but instead he becomes a villain and an enemy, and violence always follows.

[chamomileteainabuttercup]

I feel like a lot of people who write this are thinking of it as a sort of redemption or vindication for how much difficulty both boys had with high school, to prove that they are smart and capable after all, but their circumstances were just against them or they needed a different approach.  College is held up as SUCH an important thing in many societies, despite the fact that it hasn’t been a guarantee of good employment or social standing for a long time, that people may unthinkingly accept it as something Eddie and Steve need to be successful and prove their worth.  I’m not assuming that’s the case for everyone, but it seems likely to be behind a lot of it.  I just don’t think they need it like that (and I speak as someone with degrees I actually somewhat regret getting, in terms of both time and money and what return there’s been on that investment, as well as the effect on my mental health). 

I’d agree that Eddie has hated the environment of school so much that he would never willingly go back into that kind of formal education situation, and he’d learn far better, in any case, in a largely one-on-one hands-on context like an apprenticeship (I don’t know if that term is used in the US like it is here) with someone he respected.  He’s handy and resourceful and honestly seems cut out by nature to be a craftsman or tradesman (if those rock’n’roll dreams don’t come true).  Jobs where you make and fix things can be inherently satisfying and I think he needs something that gives him strong intrinsic motivation and payoff to keep him happily occupied.  He’ll still get a lot of the more abstract kind of intellectual stimulation from his hobbies.

And Steve?  I think he could be really, truly happy and satisfied as a homemaker (and at-home parent once they’re ready).  It could be helpful for him to take some practical classes in things like cooking and home maintenance because I don’t think he’s had the opportunity to learn a lot of that from his parents and I imagine he’d get really serious about trying to create a home that has much more of what he values, in terms of being comfortable and welcoming and relaxing, regardless of status or style.  I really don’t see Steve wanting to be a teacher and I think, again, some people might be defaulting to “teacher” as “the best/most worthwhile job involving children” when it’s a very difficult and demanding job with ever-changing requirements and a lot of pretty technical stuff behind the scenes that I think would make his poor head swim.  (This is not me patronising Steve, I’ve been a teacher, note the past tense.)

I do think both of them might enjoy being involved in some kind of teaching or coaching on a community level, like giving guitar lessons from home or volunteering for local youth sports teams - just not things that require academic qualifications.  Of course if you’re using a roughly realistic setting of 80s and 90s North America that would be a bit of a tenuous situation for two queer men and they would need to tread very carefully to avoid suspicion, but we can always depart from realism in selective ways when we’d just like to give two characters we love a happy life together, and there have always been cases where enough people in a community were accepting and supportive of a particular couple to vary from the norm.

Maybe an unpopular opinion but everytime I see people send steve and eddie to college my soul dies a little. As a student all I can say is: dont bring the boys into this! They've suffered enough!

Especially Eddie. Like he does not want to go to college lmao. If that man steps foot into another classroom in his lifetime he will immediately burst into flames and be happy about it. I could see him in a trade school or mentorship to become a mechanic or a tattoo artist but Eddie Munson. In a classroom. Willingly? Fuck off

Steve might. MIGHT. Give college a go later in life if he wants a teaching qualification but that boy has so many issues to work through surrounding his intelligence and school in general I think he would really need to take a long while to feel confident and stable enough to go back. I see him attending part time in his mid to late 20s as an older student. But I think if he went off and tried to "be normal" and have "the college experience" as he is as a 20 year old it would just bring back up all his issues from high school and I think he'd be miserable.

TL,DR: Steve and Eddie are going places, just not college places and that's great actually!!!

[constitutionalweasleymonarchy]

MOLLY: Tuesday

From the flash fic collection Days That End In Y

prompt: meeting friends or family

.

Molly Brigid Weasley was born precisely when expected, and Percy was not ready.

He’d read all the books, all but turned the house into a padded cell, and cleared that week’s calendar of meetings with anyone more important than junior level management.

He was prepared. But not ready.

Everyone said it was natural to feel that way. Not that Percy admitted the feeling aloud to anyone but Audrey; it was unsolicited advice meted out with varying levels of patronisation, assuring him that it was normal to have absolutely no idea what he was doing.

Only he knew what he was supposed to do. The execution seemed simple enough — feeding and bathing and safety; these things could be learnt.

Percy was confident in his ability to be a father; what he questioned was his aptitude for being a dad.

Bonds like that didn’t come about just because you put in the time and effort. Percy had spent years making himself useful, watching out for those he had a responsibility to, and trying probably far too hard at times… and the people meant to love him had never actually liked him.

Whatever deficiency it was in him that separated him from everyone else, it wasn’t likely to get any better with children. Percy didn’t understand children at all, and trying to talk to one was usually an exercise in madness.

It wasn’t for lack of wanting. In fact, the more he watched Bill with Victoire, the sure-footed fondness and pride he showed her — or the ease and amusement with which George handled Freddie — and the way their children so clearly adored them and instinctively sought them — the more he hoped for exactly that.

Audrey insisted he would have it. It would be different, she said, when it was his own child; he’d know her implicitly as she grew under his care, and he would be Daddy, irreplaceable by anyone else.

The problem was, Percy himself was a prime example of how this could go horribly wrong.

It didn’t matter, for the purpose of this analysis, whether it was Percy or Arthur who’d been wrong back then: The fact was that Percy had spent a not-insignificant part of his life hating his father.

Whilst he would always have lingering opinions and disagreements as to how his dad had gone about certain things — the vestiges of resentment and frustration and confusion still imprinted upon him, the way a wand remembers magic performed a decade ago — Percy had finally come to accept that, whatever their differences on the subject, Arthur had done what he’d sincerely thought was best; that he’d tried in his own way and had cared for Percy in whatever way he knew how to do.

And this realisation did not help at all, because it meant that whilst Arthur had good intentions as a parent and Percy had tried to be a perfect son, they still became strangers.

But here was the world telling Percy that this was meant to be the greatest love of his life.

Percy had never felt like the greatest love of anyone’s life, romantic or otherwise, at least not until Audrey. He wasn’t even certain what that was meant to look like.

It only took him about ten seconds holding Molly to understand.

The first five seconds were pure shock that this was actually happening. The next five seconds were sheer panic. And then he was overwhelmed by the fiercest sense of devotion he’d ever felt in his life. This should only have intensified the anxiety, but Percy was suddenly very, very sure — because failing her was simply not an option.

He’d heard some say that holding a baby was awkward, nerve-wracking, like they might break at any moment. But Percy knew intrinsically that — though Molly was tiny and perfect and breakable — she was safe with him.

“You’re so… miniature,” he marvelled, caressing her ears, nose, fingers. He let out a little laugh of disbelief. “Who gave you the right to be this small?”

It was inane talk, but Molly didn’t mind — and she didn’t mind when he babbled on quietly about things that didn’t even matter, because there was simply so much he wanted to say to her.

“You know,” he said in a low voice, like a secret between them, “I hope you’ll go easy on me. Uncle George has been taking bets on whether Ron or I will crack first.” Hermione had been due right around the same time as Audrey.

“He’s giving even odds to me and five-to-one for Ron. Obviously I put twenty Galleons on Ron. So, you know, if you cooperate, this might pay for your first broom.”

Molly yawned, and he placed a kiss atop her head.

Whether or not she decided to cooperate, Percy was finally ready.

[pi-cat000]

BNHA: something sad (Resentment)

Summary: The last time Katsuki sees Izuku alive the other boy is rushing to save him.  A ‘the Sludge Villain incident gone wrong’ aka Izuku dies.

Characters:  Katsuki Bakugo

Fandom: My Hero Academia

WARNINGS! Major Character death, swearing, heavy angst, graphic descriptions of violence

Other parts in this AU: (Something Sad),  (Anger), (Grief) 

This is the direct sequel to (Implosion)

......

“Not many people get hit with a concussive blast of this strength and walk away will so few injuries.” Is what the paramedic that looks Katsuki over says, hand glowing a faint blue as he uses some sort of diagnostic quirk.

“It looks like you have a few cuts, bruising, strained muscles and sprained wrist from what I can see. I’d recommend getting a proper examination at the hospital but there’s nothing life-threatening here.” The medic continues.

The emergency doctor at the hospital confirms the diagnosis and shakes his head in disapproval, adding, “…bruising on your ribs and a fractured finger. No concussion, thankfully, but you’ll have a nasty bump on the back of your head. If your quirk didn’t make you naturally resistant to these sorts of shock-based blasts, you would be dead..”

…

After that, everyone is practically falling over each other to lecture him on how irresponsible and reckless he is.

..

His mum arrives and there is a lot of shouting which just pisses him off.

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT WHEN I GET WOKEN UP AT ONE IN THE MORNING BY POLICE TELLING ME THAT MY IDIOT SON, WHO SHOULD BE ASLEEP, IS IN HOSPITAL!!”

 “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!

Then there is the quiet disappointment he gets from his father when his mum is done yelling which only fuels his resentment.  

“I don’t understand why you did it son. Did you want to get into that fight? Or was it a mistake? Please. We can’t help if we don’t know what’s going on.”

Eventually, he finally snaps, “I fucking felt like it! That’s why I did it! And you know what, I’d do it again.”

It wasn’t like he could or even wanted to explain that he’d jumped out his window to wander the streets at midnight because he had had a bad dream and his All Might poster had looked at him funny. That the rage and anger were preferable to that sinking empty feeling that had turned his every waking moment into a pointless repeat of everyday routines and useless interactions.  That every time he let himself pause and reflect, Deku’s stupid smiling face was mocking him from the afterlife.

Next, he spends an hour with Senior Officer Watanabe recounting every possible detail from his stroll through the streets to his climactic fight with Lanky, Tiny and Grease-Hair.

“Well, you definitely don’t do things in half measures kid. So far we have private and public property damage, unlicensed quirk usage, quirk usage with the intent to harm, vigilantly activity, assault...”

“Assault! Why the hell is that on the list. Those bastards started it.”

“You can’t go around beating people up no matter how good your intentions are!”

“So, you wanted me to just watch!”

“Yes!” A long breath, “I know it can be hard but you need to wait for the pros. You got lucky this time but what if things had been different? You had misread the situation. What if you had been badly injured? What if you had accidentally injured the victim or killed someone? There is a reason we make people get a license for Hero work. Seison Masuyama is a B-rank villain.”

“B rank? He wasn’t that strong.”

 “His quirk, Kinetic-Force, collects kinetic energy and releases it in one overpowered attack. It’s deadly to most people. You were lucky he had already used it once that day and that you were resilient enough to withstand it."

After multiple repeats of the ‘you’re lucky you’re not dead,’ with a side order of ‘it’s a good thing you’re still a minor because you could go to jail for this,’ he gets to go home.

It is three in the morning by the time he arrives back at the apartment, two exhausted parents in tow, having been issued an ‘official warning,’ an order to complete 100 hours of community service and instructions to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He has never felt angrier or more resentful.

A days later and he is back at school, wasting his time watching clocks and avoiding classmates. 

Nothing had changed.

…

…

…

The car screeches to a stop at the school gates, throwing Katsuki forward in his seat. His mum turns to fix him with a stern glare, eyes narrow.

“If you’re not waiting right here by the gate when I come to pick you up or so help me I’ll be escorting you to and from your classroom from the rest of your school life,” she threatens.

“Lay off you old bat,” Katsuki snaps as was becoming routine since his mum had started driving him the short distance to school, “I got it the first million times.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”  A finger is pointed at his nose, waving in an almost menacing fashion. “Remember. Here. School Gates. 4:00pm. Don’t you dare think about ditching again.”

 Katsuki sneers and kicks open the car door, turning to slams it shut with as much force as possible in retaliation. He stalks through the gates, shouldering his way through a group of loitering students.  They all scatter when they recognise him. In some ways, he prefers dealing with the anger and yelling of his mum than his father’s quiet disappointment. That doesn’t stop it from being annoying as hell.

A spike of pain runs through his hand from where he must have used a little too much force on the door. Maybe he should take his father up on those kickboxing classes. Sure, he had practised punching after reading a bunch of online guides, but reading and solo practice were completely different when compared with real actual fighting.  That was assuming he was going to be getting into more real fights.  He opens and closes his bandaged fist, feeling a slight sting in his wrist and fingers. He glares. Four days on and he can still feel the echo of adrenalin.  The thrill of righteous anger had been so much more satisfying than the directionless rage he was accustomed to. It had rekindled some of that fire that drove him to be the best, to win, chasing away the sickening emptiness which had been dogging his every waking step.

He wants to feel that again…He wants to do something other than listlessly go through the same daily motions as he drifts towards his now uncertain future. 

“Hey Bakugō!” 

He keeps walking, ignoring whatever loser classmates wanted to talk to him.

“HEY!”

A hand lands on his shoulder and Katsuki twitches, a hairs breath away from spinning and firing a blast point-blank into the pest’s face. Instead, he stops and deliberately turns to glower at the pathetic piece of trash behind him. Murata Taheiji from his homeroom is standing there, one hand on his hip, flanked by two other boys he doesn’t know the names of. Two more appear to stand in front of him, blocking his way. They are all puffed up like they think they’re hot shit. Katsuki scoffs. Are these failures really trying to bully him? HIM!? 

“How about you get the fuck out of my way and go find a first year to pick on. You know, someone more on your level.”

That gets him an irritated scowl that transforms into a patronising grin, “You were always such a stuck up prick Bakago…Acting so high and mighty all the time. Not anymore, I know the truth. You’re just like the rest of us.”

“Huh?” he drawls, dragging out the sound, turning so he is facing the boy, “What the fuck are you on about.”

“My dad works for Musutafu police dispatch and he told me something real interesting yesterday.” A dramatic pause, “He said that you got arrested a few nights ago.” There is a laugh that is echoed by the four surrounding him. By now the confrontation has garnered the attention of several onlookers, who are slowly drifting closer.

“All that shit about being a Hero and you got arrested. What’d you do? Steal some candy from a convenience store? We all know you don’t have money.”

Around them, the growing audience is eyeing him with varying levels of eager anticipation like they think he’ll break down and start crying because of some dumb-ass insults. Damn, if that doesn’t just piss him off. How dare these losers think him that weak.

“Don’t compare me to your loser selves,” he dismisses aggressively, making to turn and forcefully elbow his way past. He is stopped by Murata’s hand which is still on this shoulder.

“You know what I think. I think you’re all talk.”

Katsuki stills, letting the words sink and curdle in his stomach. In one short move, he turns and steps in close to Murata so they are almost nose to nose.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he warns.  The other boy tenses, looking like he wants to say something else equally stupid. If he remembers correctly Murata has some sort of muscle-enhancer, reflex quirk. One of the only worthwhile quirks in the school.

Katsuki jerks his elbow up and around in a quick jab. It smacks into the loser’s face. Crack. Guess having fast reflexes didn’t make a difference when you never saw the blow coming.

There is a cry of surprised pain and shouts of alarm from the peanut gallery. The other boy falls back, tripping over his own feet. It is ridiculously simple to lift a leg and deliver a kick to the stomach, not even a strong kick, so his failed bully thuds onto the ground, tossing up a small puff of sand. Unlike the fight in the ally, there is no rush of excitement, no spike of anger or adrenaline. No exhilaration. He is just irritated and maybe a bit disappointed. That’s what he gets for expecting anything out of the pathetic losers that went Aldera Middle School. They were more annoying than anything else.  

Murata rolls around in the dirt, wheezing, trying to draw breath. He can almost imagine Deku running up to complain about his violent tendencies or sprout some shit about Hero’s needing to protect people like Murata didn’t ask for it when he decided to try his luck bullying someone obviously stronger than him.

The reminder of Deku sours his already shitty mood.

“Ah…you broke my nose. YOU BOKE IT…ah…it hurts. Do something!” The idiot calls to his equally idiotic friends as he tries to stop blood from pouring down his face.

Katsuki gazes coolly at the boy before directing his attention at the four other ‘bullies’ standing frozen around him.

“You extras got something else to add to that?” With Murata out of the game, the rest of the pathetic group shuffles about uncertainly.

“Ah…we’re good,” The tallest one says nervously, “Sorry about that Bakugō. No hard feelings right?”

He scoffs.

One of the boys moves forward to pull Murata upright, kneeling and pulling out a tissue to help stem the flow of blood. “Crap. I…I think Murata needs to go to the nurse. This looks serious.” There are a few more apprehensive glances in his direction like the other boys think he’ll insist on continuing the ‘fight’-ha! like this has been anything near a fight- until they are all bloody messes on the ground. Kaksuki rolls his eyes. As if he has the patience to deal with any more of these losers.

“Cowards,” he mutters, shoving past. The crowd of students who had gathered to watch the failed confrontation, scramble to get out of his way. A strong breeze rushes through the school’s courtyard, drawing attention to how quiet it has suddenly gotten. Barely audible whispers follow in his wake and he can feel many sets of eyes on his back, watching.

“He always did have a bad attitude.” They murmur.

“Guess he’s a real delinquent now.”

“…did you hear what Murata said. Do you think Bakugō actually got arrested?”

“That’s got to be fake right? Murata is full of hot air.”

“No way. I believe it. You don’t have to share a class with him, I’m telling you, Bakugō’s gone nuts.”

“Kind of scary when you think about it. With a quirk like that...”

He doesn’t know why they’re all so shocked. This isn’t the first fight he has gotten into on school grounds. Okay, so maybe he’d held off doing any real harm before now, well aware that U.A. would probably check his school record. It had never mattered to him because there was no point in beating up weaklings when he was obviously superior. Except for Deku…the only person he had ever really hurt, the only person he could get away with hurting without repercussions. And now he feels like extra shit. God, what a huge farce it had all been. Kaksuki clenches his fist and growls, wondering if it isn’t too late to ditch and go find somewhere secluded to blow off steam. Anything to escape this feeling of frustration.

 He doesn’t have time to make a proper decision because news of his ‘fight’ had obviously spread to the staffroom. One of the second year homeroom teachers comes barrelling out of the school’s front entrance, eyes immediately landing on him.

“What happened!” Their eyes move past him to the bloody Murata, “Go wait in the principles office. Now.”

Well, he didn’t want to deal with his annoying classmates anyway. He stalks away, the sounds of the teacher fussing over Murata growing fainter behind him. When he arrives, the principal’s office is empty and he flings himself down into one of the comfy couches, irritated. The bell for homeroom goes off and Kaksuki remains sprawled across the couch, arm across his face to block out the light and his view of the clock slowly ticking away.  

Just as he begins to contemplate leaving, Principle Fukuhara comes strolling into the room. 

“ Bakugō,” the man lets out an exasperated sigh, “Sit up please.”

Katsuki moves his arm to peek out and glare at the man, deliberately ignoring the instruction.

“I just finished talking to Ms Yuki and the school’s nurse.  You broke Murata Taheiji’s nose. I hope you realise how serious this situation is and that there will be major consequences. Aldera Middle School does not tolerate this sort of violence on its grounds.”

Silence. That was a fucking lie. Slowly, Katsuki pulls himself upright, meeting the man’s hard stare with his own. 

“Well, do you have anything to say for yourself and your disgraceful behaviour..”

Katsuki narrows his eyes, “The idiot was asking for it.”

Obviously, it's the wrong response going by how the skin tightens around the man’s eyes, “I see...I’m sorry you feel that way. Up until now, our school has been more than lenient. We have overlooked your shameful behaviour these last few weeks because we wanted to give you time to settle after going through such as tragic incident. However, I am afraid that this time you have gone too far. Your parents will be notified. You’ll see the school councillor. You will be staying back for after school detention. Since this is your first major incident we…”

“First?” He cuts the man off. He is sick of hearing the moron’s voice. “Hahaha and people say you don’t have a sense of humour.” He laughs an unpleasant laugh which increases in volume until he is almost shouting.

 “What sort of shit hole are you running? Three years I’ve been beating up the dumb idiots that come here and now you decide to care. Why is that huh? Is it because I’m no longer going to put this shitty place on the map and become a famous hero! HA!”

He lets his voice quieten, sneering “I’ll never be a hero so you’re shit out of luck.” Finally saying it out loud is like throwing a bucket of water over the embers of an already struggling fire. It hurts deep in his chest. The expression of shocked disbelief is almost worth it.

“Thanks for proving what a worthless profession it is,” he finishes with another hash laugh, rage simmering under his skin. When he tries to stand and leave a hand lands on his shoulder, pushing him back down.

The principal, who still looks somewhat stunned at his sudden outburst, orders, “Sit back down Bakugō! I am far from finished.”

Why do people always feel the need to grab him. He is so fucking sick of everyone pulling and tugging on him, trying to control him and hold him down. Katsuki turns slowly, that simmering rage pulsing, running down his limbs. Pop pop pop go his hands. He feels as explosive fire gathering in behind his eyes and in his shadowy stare. It is not the dramatic, adrenaline-induced anger he had felt when preparing for the ally fight. No, this is a dark burning rage, fuelled by his growing resentment.

“Touch me again,” he growls, low and intimidating, “and I’ll kill you.”

The principal snatches his hand back like he has just been burnt. A poignant silence follows in the wake of his threat.

“Suspension,” the man says, swallowing,  “You’re suspended. I’m calling your parents right now.” And is it just him or does he look genuinely worried? There is even a hint of fear in his wrinkled face. Katsuki takes vindictive joy in the achievement. Finally…finally the worthless morons are seeing him, truly seeing him and not whatever Bakugō -delusion they’d all cooked up in their heads.

[sexy-trash-can]

240 Words to Describe Someone’s Tone/Voice

Abrasive - showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh

Absurd - wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate

Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining

Acerbic - sharp and forthright

Acidic - harsh or critical

Admiring - approving; think highly of; respectful; praising

Aggressive - hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative

Aggrieved -  angry and sad because you think you have been unfairly treated

Airy -  giving an impression of being unconcerned or not serious

Ambivalent - having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided

Amused - pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner

Angry - incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing

Animated - full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant

Anxious -  typically with a feeling of unease

Apathetic - showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional

Apologetic - full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure

Appreciative - grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic

Ardent - enthusiastic; passionate

Arrogant - pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scoffing

Assertive - self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent

Authoritative - commanding and self-confident

Awestruck - amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential

Barbed - deliberately hurtful

Barking - utter a command or question abruptly or aggressively

Belligerent - hostile; aggressive; combatant

Benevolent - sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning

Bitter - angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty

Blasé - unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before

Bleak - without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary

Bombastic - high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated

Booming - loud, deep, and resonant

Bored - to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

Brash - self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way

Braying - speak or laugh loudly and harshly

Breathy - producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings

Breezy - appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk

Brittle - lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof

Bubbly - full of cheerful high spirits

Burbling - speak in an unintelligible or silly way, typically at unnecessary length

Callous - cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless

Candid - truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved

Caustic - making biting, corrosive comments; critical

Cautionary - gives warning; raises awareness; reminding

Celebratory - praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour

Chatty - informal; lively; conversational; familiar

Cheery - happy and optimistic

Childish - silly and immature

Chirping - say something in a lively and cheerful way

Clipped - speech that is fast, that uses short sounds and few words, and that is often unfriendly or rude

Cloying - disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment

Coarse - rude, crude, or vulgar

Colloquial - familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual

Comic - humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting

Compassionate - sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind

Complex - having many varying characteristics; complicated

Compliant - agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive

Concerned - worried; anxious; apprehensive

Conciliatory - intended to placate or pacify; appeasing

Condescending - stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising

Confused - unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague

Contemptuous - showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking

Crisp - briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail

Critical - finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticizing

Croaking - a characteristic deep hoarse sound

Cruel - causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe

Curious - wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning

Curt - rudely brief

Cynical - scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering

Defensive - defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful

Defiant - obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious

Demeaning - disrespectful; undignified

Depressing - sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic

Derisive - snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful

Detached - aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant

Dignified - serious; respectful; formal; proper

Diplomatic - tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful

Disapproving - displeased; critical; condemnatory

Disheartening - discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing

Disparaging - dismissive; critical; scornful

Direct - straightforward; honest

Disappointed - discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong

Discordant - harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony

Dispassionate - impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic

Dispirited - having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened

Distressing - heart-breaking; sad; troubling

Docile - compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating

Drawling - speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds

Dulcet - sweet and soothing

Dull - lacking interest or excitement

Earnest - showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious

Egotistical - self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful

Empathetic - understanding; kind; sensitive

Encouraging - optimistic; supportive

Enthusiastic - excited; energetic

Evasive - ambiguous; cryptic; unclear

Excited - emotionally aroused; stirred

Facetious - inappropriate; flippant

Farcical - ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable

Feathery - extremely light and soft or delicate

Flippant - superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous

Forceful - powerful; energetic; confident; assertive

Formal - respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules

Frank - honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact

Fretful - expressing distress or irritation

Frustrated - annoyed; discouraged

Gentle - kind; considerate; mild; soft

Ghoulish - delighting in the revolting or the loathsome

Glum - dejected; morose

Goofy - foolish; harmlessly eccentric

Grating - harsh and unpleasant

Gravelly - deep and rough-sounding

Grim - serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre

Growling - low grating voice, typically in a threatening manner

Gruff - rough and low in pitch

Gullible - naive; innocent; ignorant

Guttural - produced in the throat; harsh-sounding

Hard - unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding

Harsh - cruel or severe

Hearty - loudly vigorous and cheerful

Hoarse - sounding rough and harsh, typically as the result of a sore throat or of shouting

Honeyed - soothing, soft, and intended to please or flatter

Humble - deferential; modest

Humorous - amusing; entertaining; playful

Husky - sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse

Hypercritical - unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking

Impartial - unbiased; neutral; objective

Impassioned - filled with emotion; ardent

Imploring - pleading; begging

Impressionable - trusting; child-like

Inane - silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical

Incensed - enraged

Incredulous - disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious

Indifferent - having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned

Indignant - annoyed; angry; dissatisfied

Informative - instructive; factual; educational

Insinuating - suggest or hint in an indirect and unpleasant way

Inspirational - encouraging; reassuring

Intense - earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt

Intimate - familiar; informal; confidential; confessional

Ironic - the opposite of what is meant

Irreverent - lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously

Jaded - bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm

Joyful - positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated

Jubilant - expressing great happiness and triumph

Judgmental - critical; finding fault; disparaging

Laudatory - praising; recommending

Lifeless - lacking vigor, vitality, or excitement

Light-Hearted - carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous

Lively - full of life and energy; active and outgoing

Loving - affectionate; showing intense, deep concern

Macabre - gruesome; horrifying; frightening

Malicious - desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful

Matter-of-fact - unemotional and practical

Mean-Spirited - inconsiderate; unsympathetic

Mellifluous - sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Melodious - pleasant-sounding

Mocking - scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone

Monotonous - lacking in variation in tone or pitch

Mourning - grieving; lamenting; woeful

Muffled - not loud because of being obstructed in some way; muted

Naive - innocent; unsophisticated; immature

Narcissistic - self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying

Nasty - unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive

Negative - unhappy, pessimistic

Nonchalant - casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm

Nostalgic - thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past

Objective - without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact

Obsequious - overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling

Oily - unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating

Optimistic - hopeful; cheerful

Outraged - angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered

Outspoken - frank; candid; spoken without reserv

Pathetic - expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness

Patronizing - condescending; scornful; pompous

Pensive - reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative

Persuasive - convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible

Pessimistic - seeing the negative side of things

Philosophical - theoretical; analytical; rational; logical

Piping - high-pitched.

Playful - full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting

Pragmatic - realistic; sensible

Pretentious - affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy

Quavering - shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion

Querulous - complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Rasping - harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating

Reedy - high and thin in tone

Refined -  elegant; cultured

Regretful - apologetic; remorseful

Resentful - aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter

Resigned - accepting; unhappy

Restrained - controlled; quiet; unemotional

Reverent - showing deep respect and esteem

Righteous - morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing

Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous

Saccharine - excessively sweet or sentimental

Satirical - making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive

Sarcastic - scornful; mocking; ridiculing

Scathing - critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh

Scornful - expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive

Scratchy - rough; grating

Sensationalist - provocative; inaccurate; distasteful

Sentimental - thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past

Shrill - high-pitched and piercing

Silvery - gentle, clear, and melodious

Sincere - honest; truthful; earnest

Skeptical - disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting

Smarmy -  excessively or unctuously flattering; ingratiating; servile

Smoky - a raspy, coarse and tone of quality that is deeper than usual

Snide - derogatory or mocking in an indirect way

Solemn - not funny; in earnest; serious

Somber - oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave

Sonorous - imposingly deep and full

Sour - resentment, disappointment, or anger

Steely - coldly determined; hard

Strident - loud and harsh; grating

Stony - not having or showing feeling or sympathy

Suave - charming, confident, and elegant

Subjective - prejudiced; biased

Submissive - compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient

Sulking - bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen

Surly - bad-tempered and unfriendly

Sympathetic - compassionate; understanding of how someone feels

Thoughtful - reflective; serious; absorbed

Throaty - deep and rasping

Tolerant - open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient

Tragic - disastrous; calamitous

Tremulous - shaking or quivering slightly

Unassuming - modest; self-effacing; restrained

Unctuous - excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug

Uneasy - worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous

Urgent - insistent; saying something must be done soon

Velvety - soft; smooth

Vindictive - vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving

Virtuous - lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding

Whimsical - quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat

Witty - clever; quick-witted; entertaining

Wonder - awe-struck; admiring; fascinating

World-Weary - bored; cynical; tired

Worried - anxious; stressed; fearful

Wretched - miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed

[recreationaldivorce]

I appreciate that you mean well and are trying to help but this does feel a little patronising towards someone who's very familiar with these complaints processes and knows how the people who determine the outcomes of complaints are prejudiced against marginalised people who come to them to report harm done to them by the healthcare system. the reason why I was so surprised I got fruitful results from complaining to the practice manager is precisely because of my past experiences complaining about transphobia.

the process of complaining about harm done to you by the healthcare system is retraumatising as you have to explain what happened to you again and again as you escalate through each stage of the process (after the previous stage ends with "we investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing"), and adds additional trauma as you are doubted, not taken seriously, and condescended to every step of the way. and very rarely ends in justice for the patient, given both my own experiences and the experiences of my friends.

this is gonna vary by country but in the uk, where i live, the first step is an attempt at "informal resolution", ie you have to talk to the doctor or nurse or whatever who did you harm and explain how they hurt you and/or ruined your life and/or whatever. for very obvious reasons this first step really sucks for the patient.

then the next step, which can only be accessed if "informal resolution" didn't achieve a mutually agreeable solution, is for the healthcare workplace (so clinic, hospital, etc) to investigate itself. for additionally obvious reasons, this usually results in a "we did nothing wrong" conclusion.

after that, you can escalate to the trust that organises the workplace you were treated at. if it's fully nhs then this will be the nhs trust controlling the clinic/hospital/etc, if it's an outsourced private clinic/hospital/etc that the nhs is paying for then it's whatever company owns the practice. they can be further removed from the perpetrator of harm, but they still do have some level of vested interest in defending themselves.

and only after you have been through all that, which usually takes months, can you escalate to the independent PHSO who conducts a completely independent investigation. I have been on this stage of my most recent complaint for over a year now. the PHSO is steeped in bureaucracy and is a thoroughly bourgeois institution run by the exact same types of rich white people you see in parliament. they are naturally unsympathetic towards my complaint about experiencing transphobia and racism as part of accessing trans healthcare, and there are literal months between the updates I get from them due to the sheer amount of bureaucracy in them.

I'm well aware of the "professional bodies to whom [you] are accountable". they are not friends of oppressed people. when I complained to the gmc (the organisation which you must be registered with to practise medicine in the uk) about a doctor forcibly detransitioning me and using a justification in violation of the most recent wpath protocol, they got back to me by dismissively saying I was only complaining about the doctor "using outdated language" (which was obviously not what I was complaining about in the slightest). meanwhile the gmc did revoke dr helen webberley's licence to practise medicine because she prescribed testosterone to a 12-year-old boy. please consider whom these institutions serve and what classes and ideologies are dominant within these institutions that supposedly hold healthcare practitioners to account.

to be clear I do like to make complaints because I want to send the message that I won't be taking injustices against me quietly and I'll at the very least be annoying about it. but I do this with no illusions, and I would want to fully inform any trans or marginalised person about how the process works before encouraging them to go through it.

I think there's much more potential for organising amongst communities who face medical oppression within the healthcare system, though obviously organising for revolutionary power among oppressed people is an even more uphill battle than going through the formal route of complaint.

reporting someone to their manager is reactionary unless it's a doctor or nurse xx

[oosteven-universe]

Red Room #2

Red Room: The Antisocial Network #2 Fantagraphics Books 2021 By Ed Piskor This series is rated Adults Only DISCLAIMER: gore sadistic violence Grooming victims to be slaughtered on the DARK WEB for the enjoyment of psychopaths requires lots of work to keep them from being identified. The Poker Face organisation, one of the most successful black market Red Room companies on the internet, goes to great lengths to fulfill their customers' depraved fantasies while avoiding law enforcement every step of the way. From the creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design comes this ALL-NEW monthly comic book series! A cyberpunk, outlaw, splatterpunk deep dive into the subculture of criminals who live-stream and patronise webcam murders for entertainment in the darkest corners of the web with nearly untraceable cryptocurrency. As seen on Piskor's YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe!    This is one of the most vile displays of gratuitous and senseless violence and I love every single moment of it.  This is what I would imagine people getting onto the Dark Web to see.  I don’t know what it is that so many of love to see horror films with so much violence but we thrive on what it is so long as we think it fictional and something that would never come into our real life worlds.      I am loving every single moment of how this book is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances fleshes them out exceptionally well.  Let’s not forget the folks watching and their comments which fleshes them out as well.  The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re drawn into this with sheer morbid curiosity.      I like how we see this being structured and how the layers within continue to grow, evolve and strengthen depending on the avenues explored or opening.  This is where we see the characterisation and those chat tid-bits and whether they work with the main arc or simply swirl around it they add such great depth and complexity to the story.  How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is achieved extremely well.      I absolutely love the interiors here.  This is as close to working in black & white without working on white paper but a more beige paper.  The linework is mindbogglingly exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail work is mind blowing.  While we get some great use of backgrounds I would like to see more of them being utilised as they don’t only enhance the moments but bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a spectacularly talented eye for storytelling.  The quality of the work here really does negate the need for colour here and it’s just so captivating and mesmerising, violence and gore an all. ​    I shouldn’t enjoy this as much as I do because it really is this sick and twisted story but it’s so captivating, like a train wreck you simply cannot look away from.  Also that we see normal folks who get roped into to supporting this who you would never associate with this business and make no mistake this is a business.  Bitcoin and the Dark Web go hand-in-hand and you cannot purchase anything with any other kind of currency, simply cryptocurrency.  I’m legitimately fascinated by this book and it has such intricate and stellar writing and dynamic interiors that sweep you up on what you see and engage your own imagination and creativity.  

[thessalian]

Thess vs Exploitation

Seeing a post that I don’t want to hijack because it does make a good point, but I do want to add to it because it’s both a good point and a terribly oversimplistic one.

Basically, the message is, “The world as it is? The mess that capitalism’s become? It’s all our fault”. Because ... well, the example given was a cheap T-shirt. A bargain that “no one can resist”. One that we buy “Not for best, no, but it’s good enough”. One that earns the shopkeeper like five cents and the sweatshop worker who made it a penny at most. But we keep buying it.

Yeah, for some people, this is a true thing. For others? Here’s the thinking about that $1 T-shirt.

“Okay. Here’s a T-shirt that costs $1. I know that this was made by underpaid, overworked, abused people and earns some corporation more than it does anyone who actually did the work. ...But the thing is? I need a T-shirt, because all the other cheap ones I had to buy in the same circumstances have holes in them. And if I buy this T-shirt instead of making do with the ones with holes in until I can afford a better one, I get a healthier and more varied diet this month instead of subsisting on ramen again.”

The corporations that benefit from the state the world is in? They make damn sure that their exploitative model stays a self-perpetuating cycle. We don’t get paid enough, so we have to settle for cheap crap that is made by abusing people who get paid even less, and those people? They’re generally waved in our faces about how lucky we are to be paid a pittance and the threat is that our job could go to someone who’d be happy to settle for less, so we stick with it because a pittance is hard to survive on but easier to survive on than nothing, so we don’t get paid enough. And on and on ad infinitum.

We do need to accept that we are fuelling this self-perpetuating cycle of abuse and corporate exploitation. Thing is, there’s a difference between acceptance and blame. Blame suggests that we could do better if we wanted to badly enough. That we lack moral fibre. That we’re greedy and lazy and credulous. That we’re bad.

No. No, we’re not bad. The odds are stacked against us. Even those of us who desperately want to do right and do try to aren’t actually helping, because the corporations have arranged it that way. That more expensive t-shirt? Still sweatshop labour. Often the same ones that made the $1 T-shirt. Just they paid someone else a pittance to put a nice design on it. Maybe it lasts longer, but that’s because people treat it better because it’s more expensive.

Some of us - most of us - have to choose between the most ethical option or the one that actually provides for our needs. That is not our fault. It’s not our fault that we have to choose between patronising places that seem to treat their workers more ethically (but probably don’t) and going without, or patronising places that we know exploit their workforce and having enough to live. Not just ‘survive’ - live. I get that we want to be better people, but when you’re in a crashing plane, you put your own oxygen mask on first before you start helping others with theirs.

There is no ethical consumption under late stage capitalism. This isn’t something that people can fix with a change of spending habits. Given the sheer number of other interests any single corporation has, all they’d do even if a mass boycott got big enough to lose them even a tiny bit of money is to keep it as a tax write-off. This kind of shit has to happen at an international, corporate level. It’s going to take international standards on employee welfare, pay, food safety, goods quality, everything. This cannot be solved by one person, or one generation, denying themselves ... especially not when it comes to goods that are required for survival, like food and clothing.

And honestly, is this really the time to give people grief about buying as cheaply as possible? In the middle of a pandemic? With unemployment at a record high? When lockdown gets essential workers bullied about coming in despite government advice, giving them a choice between staying home (losing them shifts and possibly getting fired) or coming in despite government advice (risking them getting sick and at best not being able to stay home even when they test positive so spreading more disease, and at worse ending up in the hospital with no health insurance or, worst of all, dead)?

I know that this situation is tailor-made for exploitation by corporations. There is literally nothing we can do about that. Just for right now, maybe chill on the “BUY ETHICAL OR DON’T BUY AT ALL”. You can’t buy ethical anyway - it is literally impossible the way capitalism has been set up - so forget it. Maybe it would have been possible when this trend started way back when, but I can tell you from having watched through the eighties on up that that ship has sailed.

I don’t know of a polite way to say this, but it has to be said: video games are made in very exploitative environments. The CEOs are jackasses who do mass layoffs when they want to line their pockets, and force their underpaid staff to work in some cases up to 100 hour work weeks during crunch periods that last for months. These are non-essential items, and we buy them. Maybe when reblogging that post about how it’s all our fault that capitalism is how it is (when it isn’t; we’d have to go back a few decades to get to a point where we could have stopped this) where they cite essential items like clothing? Maybe consider reblogging a different post about non-essential items instead, or adding a note about the difference, or even just not reblogging it because it’s drastically unfair. Honestly, I’m not even blaming anyone for buying video games at this point; mental health is as important as physical health, and sometimes a good distraction and a bit of retail therapy helps. Plus all denying yourself all things that make you happy does is trigger or deepen depression and depth-charge one’s sense of self-worth Just ... I guess it’s kind of a combination of “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” and “before removing the mote from my eye, attend the beam in thine own”. I get wanting to save the world from the capitalist nightmare it’s become. I want the same. I’m just realistic on how we do it. It’s not about boycotts; we’re well past that. It won’t help. All we’ll do by blaming people is cause more mental health issues in people than they already have, at a time when we need fewer, not more.

Just ... be kind to people, rather than even indirectly judgmental. You don’t know what they’re going through, and their reasons for doing things. Don’t shunt blame from the corporations onto the people. It was wrong when it was done regarding the environment, and it’s wrong now. We win through votes and lobbying our politicians, not through boycotts and bullying those who won’t or can’t do the same.

Incidentally, this message is brought to you by the country that literally wants to strip down employee protections about the maximum-48-hour work week and paid leave and any accountability about employee hours (even as they say that the proposals leaked in the Financial Times are lies, somehow), so I have a feeling I’m going to be finding out a lot about employee exploitation in the next couple of years.

[thewreckkelly]

I never got the appeal and apparent influential nature of Oprah Winfrey as a serious commentator on any consequential subject that requires an actual depth of learning and expertise. I do understand the concept of asinine entertainment along with its marketing practices and am often impressed when copious amounts of money are spent on unseen highly professional artisans and their often successful endeavours to conceal a lack of substance within the shiny.

I’m not singling out Oprah but merely highlighting her as the most successful example of; ‘Lights Action, Patronising Pandering’ that constitutes what has become a sea of whatever is between diabolical and diabolical mediocrity in the world of that phrase; ‘Celebrity Influencers’.

(Again this is not an exclusive on Oprah - She is obviously a bright woman and her performance in ‘The Colour Purple’ proves an acting talent of proportion.)

However the balancing act of entertaining and informing in an effort to appeal to all and sundry must surely include a high degree of compromise in content and satisfaction which is something that is no doubt possible but not easy – like fornicating with a flying frog I suppose.

An inherent safety valve in our species survival is the exercising of the instinct of curiosity with varying degrees of caution. At our most simple we do not stick our fingers in the fire while levels of complexity include a consideration of how and why light bends – if indeed it does.

Like most people I like to;

·         Laugh

·         Lose myself for a time in the ridiculous, simple and macabre

·         Be gentle yet firm with well meaning idiots who actually believe the ill-considered rubbish they are spewing

·         Be angry and frustrated with charlatans who actually do not believe the rubbish they are spewing

·         Embrace and accept the difference of individuality

·         Cope with and shroud my own obvious shortcomings

·         Accept that taste is ..... well ..... a matter of taste

Lazy stupidity and / or an apathetic approach to curiosity - for truth and better understanding regarding bald populist statements - are a whole different Kettle of Pisces though.

Oprah and her trailing imitators are what they are and - when they make the big bucks - fair play to them is what I say. Other than that there’s little or no reason to elevate their public persona beyond the glossy and surface – watch for an hour / forget in a minute - unless of course something is said or done that goes beyond the mindlessness of pulp magazine entertainment.

[letterboxd]

Human Resources.

Kitty Green talks to our London correspondent Ella Kemp about “putting the audience in the shoes of the youngest woman in a toxic work environment” in her new film, The Assistant.

The long-undervalued job of a Hollywood assistant has come into stark relief thanks to recent events, and the stories that are being told of assistants’ experiences, working conditions and pay rates are jaw-dropping. (Episode 422 of the Scriptnotes podcast is well worth a listen.)

Filmmaker Kitty Green was well ahead of the conversation; her first narrative feature, The Assistant, quietly premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last August (and the Berlinale in February). Dubbed by many as ‘the first post-#MeToo movie’, it is a remarkable portrait of a young woman navigating just another day in the office. Except this is not just another office, and so many things are wrong about this day.

Starring Julia Garner (Grandma, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Electrick Children) as Jane, the assistant to the predatory head of a New York-based film studio, the story zooms in on the details of her routine—the tedious tasks, the belittlement from her colleagues, the oppression from her mostly faceless boss—with such laser-sharp vision that by the end we feel we know Jane deep in our bones.

Green has previously directed the documentary features Ukraine is Not a Brothel (2013) and Casting JonBenét (2017), the latter a meta-documentary that also hones in on the neglect and exploitation of young women, albeit under a different light (it is now streaming on Netflix). While Green’s documentary experience bears fruit in her attention to detail, the narrative form of The Assistant allows for a focus on mundane tasks and micro-reactions that documentary might not have access to.

Various Letterboxd reviews mention the anxiety-inducing way The Assistant allows us to watch Jane “probe her place in the established, tacit system of complacency… knowing that everyone around her is motivated by self-interest to pretend it doesn’t exist” (Josh Lewis). “Green encourages her viewers to pay close attention to what’s really going on beneath the surface,” (KristineJean) in “a horror movie of soul-sickening ambience” (Scott Tobias).

Though The Assistant’s film festival run was cut short, and the closure of cinemas around the world hurts for a lot of us, there’s something about the claustrophobia of social distancing and the intimacy of the small screen that maybe suits this picture. Nevertheless, seeing the film in a cinema in ‘the before time’ highlighted for Alyssa Heflin the ocean of different opinions that can come from misunderstood subtext: “Watching this in a room where you can hear people snickering at the girl and asking what the point of all this is adds a certain extra… incendiary level to an already deeply angry viewing experience.” Indeed, discomfort and crossed wires seem to define the messages at the core of The Assistant.

Kitty Green talks to Ella Kemp about the influence of Chantal Akerman, the infinite watchability of Julia Garner, and the oddness of growing up with a Nazi-free edit of The Sound of Music.

Jane (Julia Garner) takes another call from the boss in ‘The Assistant’.

The Assistant is your first fiction feature. The subject matter feels so immediate—what made you choose to not make a documentary of this, given your track record in that realm? Kitty Green: I went to fiction film school, and I made fiction short films. I then found work in documentary, so I made two feature-length docs. With this one, I was looking at exploring the micro-aggressions, the tiny moments, gestures, looks, glances, behaviors that often go overlooked when covering the #MeToo movement. We often talk about the bad men and the misconduct, but this is more about a cultural, structural problem. So I was hoping to amplify the more quietly insidious behavior that we need to address if we really want things to improve. A fiction film allowed me to hone in on details—close up—and the way you can take an annoyance through the emotional experience, putting the audience in the shoes of the youngest woman in a toxic work environment.

How did you decide to keep the timeframe to just one day in Jane’s life rather than fleshing it out over a longer period? The lead character is in such a complicated position. It’s such a difficult set of circumstances, the machinery that this predator has created around himself. I wanted to untick that, to discuss how difficult it is to be a young woman in that environment. So the day, the routine, was really important. What she was experiencing, how she was experiencing it; every task she did I gave equal weight to. Whether she was photocopying, binding something suspicious, you experience it as you would if you were in her shoes. That was important to me.

I had my fists clenched the whole time, when she’d be eating cereal, or washing up mugs, waiting for something awful to happen. Totally. It’s exploring misconduct, but it’s also looking at a whole spectrum, from gendered work environments, toxic work environments, through all these environments that support predatory behavior. I was interested in what the entry points are, without conflating those issues and being able to explore all the cultural systemic things we need to unpick to move forward.

The film is so focused on Jane, played by Julia Garner. How did you choose her? The script is pretty bare when it describes who she is, she’s just Jane. I didn’t have anyone in mind, really. I told my casting agent that we’re watching this character do the most mundane tasks, so it was important that she was striking. I said I needed someone infinitely watchable. I had seen Julia in The Americans and I remembered being struck by her, so I immediately wanted to meet her. She really understood the script, it worked out beautifully. We got to create the character together, we had a month of rehearsals where we really went through where she was emotionally at any given point, and Julia is wonderful so it was great.

Matthew Macfadyen and Kitty Green discuss a scene in ‘The Assistant’. / Photo: Ty Johnson

And Matthew Macfadyen—his character feels so crucial and his performance so pivotal, even in just one scene. What were you looking for when casting him? I’ve been a fan of his for forever, but I hadn’t seen Succession. Apparently the character has some similarities? I’ve only watched Succession in the past week… Somebody had to send me a clip to prove he could do an American accent! Matthew really brought something to that character and took it to another level. It’s so insidious what he does. He and Julia worked so beautifully together, it just got better and better every time.

How did you feel watching Succession now and seeing Matthew as Tom Wambsgans? Tom still feels different somehow. But I’ve had a good time watching it, he’s so great. There are parallels for sure!

The language you use in the film is so careful, so much is in the subtext. How do you build tension from these empty spaces? We had a great visual team who were lighting it in an interesting way. There was a lot of oppressive fluorescent lights. The sound was also very important—we had an amazing sound designer, Leslie Schatz, who does a lot of Todd Haynes’ stuff and Gus Van Sant’s. He’d done Elephant, which I thought was phenomenally sound designed. He sent out a team to record every kind of buzz, hum, whir, and we created a lot of tension in that soundscape. It heightens these moments when you can really feel the hum of the fluorescent lights or the alarm of the copier. Things like that are authentic to the world, so it doesn’t feel like you’re manipulating an audience, but they do add a dramatic tension.

During The Assistant’s various film festival screenings so far, audience reactions have been quite varied. Some people find it uncomfortable, some have found it funny. What would you hope an audience member would take from it? Who found it funny…? That’s a strange reaction, and a little terrifying. I think it makes some men uncomfortable and maybe their reaction is to laugh as a way to hide that discomfort. I get a lot of men come up to me afterwards and say, “There are things in that film that maybe I have done.” Those conversations are really important. There’s a scene where the men lean over Jane’s chair and correct her email, little things like that which can be quite patronising even if a lot of men think are helpful. But there’s a point where they cross a line, where maybe it isn’t helpful anymore and it’s a little insulting. I’ve had a few people who are bosses with their own assistants who have watched the film and have said they’re going to treat them a little better, and that maybe they’re wrestling with their own guilt. I think those conversations are great.

Julia Garner prepares for a take on the set of ‘The Assistant’. / Photo: Ty Johnson

What is your favorite one-woman-show performance, where one female actor entirely carries the film? A big influence on The Assistant was Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. It’s just one woman going about her housework. I remember seeing that in film school and being bowled over by it, I’d never seen anything like it.

Do you have a favorite scene that has ever taken place in an office environment? Offices… I mean, I love The Office? I watched it in preparation for this, even though there’s seemingly nothing in common except for the ways of the photocopier…

It’s important to inhale that kind of comedy while working on something more intense, right? For sure, that helps.

What is your favorite on-screen argument? I watched a lot of them to prepare for the HR scene, as it’s a confrontation between two characters. There’s a scene in Steve McQueen’s Hunger, which is a seventeen-minute dialogue. It’s an incredible scene. It’s not an argument but still some sort of confrontation. I was interested in scenes like that which are really long and stand out from the rest of the movie. James Schamus, one of my producers, made a film called Indignation, which has a confrontation between two characters, which also influenced the structure of what I was doing. I also just watched the latest episode of Better Call Saul in which there’s a sixteen-minute confrontation, which I thought was pretty remarkable.

What was the first film that made you want to be a filmmaker? To be honest I’m not sure. I got a video camera when I was eleven, and I started playing with it in our backyard, making little movies. It wasn’t that I saw a film and tried to replicate it necessarily. But I do have a strange story…

I had a copy of The Sound of Music in which my father had edited out the Nazis, because he was worried I’d be scared of them as a kid. So I have this strange 40-minute version of the film that ends at the wedding scene… And I always thought that was The Sound of Music, and then in high school I figured out there’s this whole other storyline I never knew existed. I guess that taught me the power of editing! I had to go back and rewatch what I’d seen, and it definitely made me think of the craft more as a viewer.

‘The Assistant’ is available to watch on VOD platforms (including Hulu) as of late July.

[marvellous-fangirl]

Laughter

Ava Starr is welcomed into the compound and you can’t help but notice how miserable she is - so you make it your mission to make her laugh

Oneshot

Word Count: 1,303

Pairings: Ava x Reader, Mentor!Scott x Ava

Warnings: Fluffy

A/N: I tried. Literally why does the opening sound like an angsty emo 12 year old writing a fanfic lmaoooo

She was broken. So broken that it made your heart hurt to see her. You would do anything just to see her smile, so you made it your mission.

The day that Ava Starr came to the compound, you had been out on a mission with some of the others. When you returned in the middle of the night, Ava had been sitting on the sofa with Scott and a lightly snoring Hope. Scott rose to his feet when he saw you enter and Ava turned in her seat, face hiding behind her hair, avoiding eye contact with all of you. Scott introduced her to all of you as Ava Starr. He did not explain what she had gone through but anyone who looked at her unkempt hair and dirty clothes could see she’d been through a lot. 

Those with injuries made their way to the medical bay, but you decided your bruises and scrapes were less important than welcoming Ava to the compound. “So Ava,” You began, clutching at straws. “Do you know your way around yet?” You asked, pulling your multiple guns and knives out of your suit and unloading those that required it. Ava eyed your weapons nervously before murmuring a not yet quietly. You unbuckled the gear on your torso and tugged it off, revealing a plain t-shirt beneath it. You wrapped your various tools in it and hugged it to your chest. “Uh do you want a tour?” Ava looked at Scott for advice, who smiled reassuringly. “Alright then.” She mumbled, still quiet and avoiding eye contact. Ava rose to her feet, looking at her hands and followed you out of the room. “Jarvis is the spare room ready?” You asked thin air. “The spare room is prepared and currently available to house a guest Y/N.” A disembodied voice responded, causing Ava to jump and squeal slightly. “That’s Jarvis.” You told her kindly, trying not to patronise her. Ava nodded, no sign of positivity on her face. “Uh right so this is your room.” You said, pushing open the door and letting her walk inside before you. Ava stood still, clearly not wanting to enter the room first. You withheld a sigh and stepped through. “Um the en suite is just through that door on the left. If you need me for anything then I’m just two doors down on the left.” You smiled slightly before starting to move out of the room. “Thank you.” Ava said quietly, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. You turned back and grinned, glad to see that progress was being made, before stepping out the door and softly closing it behind you. 

You emerged downstairs, having had a shower and having changed into some clean clothes, insomnia getting the best of you once again. You padded over to the fridge in your fluffy socks and began to rummage for something to eat, not hearing Ava creep up behind you. “Could I have something to eat?” She whispered. You let out a yelp as you jumped and hit your head on the fridge as you emerged too quickly. You looked around rubbing your head, about to verbally abuse whoever had just crept up behind you, but you held your tongue when you saw Ava, still not having washed and looking rather bedraggled. Ava giggled, the first sign of her humanity and you attempted to suppress her grin. “Sure!” You whispered in response, pulling out a couple of yoghurts. You closed the door and handed Ava the yoghurt and a spoon you had dug out of a drawer. The pair of you made your way over to the sofa, both gradually feeling more comfortable with each other. “Can’t sleep?” You whispered. “I find it hard to.” Replied the ghost of a girl. “What about you?” Ava asked, after eating a spoonful of the cool dairy. “Insomnia.” You replied with a half smile. It didn’t really deserve a full one. “I like it here.” Ava murmured after a few minutes of silence. “I’m glad.” You replied, once again trying to hide your joy. “I’m glad you’re starting to feel comfortable here.” You grinned. Ava chuckled. “Do you know how long you’re going to be staying here?” Ava looked at her hands. “No.” She responded bluntly. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.” You caught her eye and smiled. “You can stay here as long as you want.” Ava smiled, fully this time and your heart grew warm at the sight of it. 

Over time, Ava adjusted to life at the compound, gradually sliding out of her shell and charisma levels rising. She had no proper belongings and seemed to wear the same clothes constantly, rarely washing them, so you jumped out of bed one day, deciding to take her shopping. You frantically knocked on Ava’s door, fully dressed with a coffee in one hand and your wallet in the other. A considerable time since you had began knocking, Ava opened the door, hunched over and yawning. She was about to grumble when she saw you, and half laughed as she smiled. Before Ava could say anything you rushed:  “Get dressed, I’m taking you shopping.” Before stumbling hurriedly down to the kitchen, leaving Ava to roll her eyes with no audience. 

The pair of you had a wonderful time at the mall, you found Ava all kinds of clothes, and made her feel like a superstar, spoiling her beyond belief. When Ava showed the smallest interest in makeup and how she didn’t have any nice products, you had started piling any lipsticks or palette that Ava pointed to into your arms and payed for them straight away without consent and not caring about the price. You walked back to the compound, enjoying the company and not minding the weight of the two dozen heavy shopping bags as you laughed your way home, snacking on donuts and sipping hot drinks. “Thank you so much Y/N.” Ava smiled, after the smallest period of silence. “It’s my pleasure Ava.” You grinned, stuffing your mouth with another donut, causing Ava to laugh again. 

You helped Ava organise all of her clothes into her wardrobe, now overflowing with new items and her drawers filled to the brim with new products and trinkets. Afterwards you and Ava flopped onto the sofa to watch some TV, snuggling into each other absent-mindedly. Scott entered the room quietly, grinning at the sight of the you.  “I’m glad to see you two are getting along.” You hushed him in unison as seconds later they clapped to the ‘Friends’ theme tune, laughing immediately afterwards. Scott chuckled before adding “I see you have some new clothes Ava.” She smiled and nodded. “Y/N took me shopping this morning.” You grinned, resting your head on Ava’s as Scott left the room and you continued to binge your favourite show. 

Ava came home one night, having gone out with a few of her friends that weren’t in the compound and saw you grinning like an idiot when she came in. Ava raised an eyebrow. You laughed and pulled her over to the sofa, where there was a stack of DVDs and several pizza boxes of varying sizes. The sofa was adorned with cushions and blankets and Ava smiled when she saw how much effort you had put into it. You were wearing sweats and Ava quickly rushed upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. 

When Ava came back down, you were holding out some flowers for her. Ava grinned and took them, placing them on a countertop.  “Is this a date?” She asked quietly. You shrugged. Ava kissed you very gently and you froze, completely shocked by the action. Then you regained the ability to move and grinned once again, before settling down on the sofa with her.

[tyrannuspitch]

pre-t1 loki fucking haunts me but like especially the way people patronise him and he clearly expects to be patronised... like asgardians as a collective are all so quick to distrust him but there's clearly also this undercurrent of "loki is harmless, loki is helpless, loki is soft and weak and can't fight back" and. like... they've been taking comfort in his powerlessness. if he has power that's scary and wrong. but the loki they KNOW does NOT. the loki thor knows and misses and loved for so long was someone he saw as not just inherently subordinate but like. WEAK. never truly an adult. and it's also super gendered. loki is seen as "soft", childish, effeminate, and perhaps, at times, hysterical.

and then for thor we have this weird complicated mess where it's like. well on one hand he wants to be like... urgh loki man up you can't keep acting like this. you're a prince you need to act like one. because he knows that this is a stigmatised, shameful state and he wants better than that for loki.

but on the other hand, it's very convenient to thor for loki to be Lesser than him. and it makes him easier to keep in line, which thor sees as protective in itself. so loki being "soft" is acceptable as long as thor is there to compensate. because the danger and the protection go hand in hand.

and there's also violence involved in keeping loki "in his place". this is true of the power dynamics in general, but again, they're also super gendered - the body language in the throne room scene with sif and the warriors three, the way loki deliberately varies the pitch of his voice... people are threatened by the idea of loki being powerful, and loki being powerful is to a certain extent synonymous with loki being masculine to these characters. (including to loki.)

AND. loki acting more masculine directly coincides with him Turning Evil. so obviously thor will be nostalgic for the older, "softer" loki... even though on some level he must think he shouldn't want loki to be that way. but both states are deeply stigmatised.

and then there's ALSO the idea that queerness is unnatural, but queerness = weakness = lowliness, and lowliness is loki's natural state... there's literally no winning. whatever loki is, asgardian society will always claim he's meant to be something else, so they can always punish him for it.

like i kind of want to frame it as, oh, no-one would ever have suspected loki before he actually became a villain. he could be quiet/stiff, but for the most part he was seen as gentle, soft, and vulnerable. which would already be A Lot. but. the thing is. he was kind of seen that way. but - besides thor - they would still suspect him. he got the worst of presumed innocence (powerlessness) AND the worst of presumed guilt (shunning) at the same time.

he was always seen as small and weak and harmless, and he was always seen as a dangerous monster. and no-one cared that that doesn't make sense.

[mymelancholiesblues]

Could you do a headcanons one for Ada?

[I posted this earlier, but tumblr wasn’t showing it in the tags search, so I asked for a friend to send in the anonymous question to see if the tracking would work and well, it did. Go figure this fuckin’ site].

So, similarly to what I did with my Leon’s family and background headcanons, I’ll post here my Ada ones too. I’d like to repeat to please keep in mind that these are (obviously) my headcanons for Ada’s background and family and in no way is anyone else under the obligation to accept nor fully agree with them.

I’m glad that Capcom still hasn’t tackled Ada’s personal plot and character background, deciding instead to keep the mystery surrounding her character – and only opening very tiny holes for us to speculate.

My headcanons for Ada are very precious to me since I think that these would be the best way to further add complexity to her character and break down her purposes in the lore while also adding more layers to her relationship with Leon – and the rest of the main characters we saw her interacting with –, as the divisive line that separates Ada to the rest of them would transcend “work motives” and fall into conflicting worldviews, cultural convictions and ideology. I love to think that “as much as I wanted to trust you… I didn’t” line also applies to Ada, considering that her difficulties to trust in people would hold her back from ever explaining what she really believes in and is working towards to Leon, thinking that the prejudices his country always encouraged on the matter wouldn’t allow him to understand or even try to. We, as audience, know that the bond they share goes beyond that and would allow them to overcome these differences, but these characters aren’t aware of it.

Anyway:

– All she knows about her biological family is that her parents were political dissidents who left her behind when she was still a baby to flee China’s Cultural Revolution (let’s remember she was born in 1974);

– Lived in a very impoverished orphanage located in China–Vietnam border area that just barely had the resources to maintain the kids they sheltered. In light of that, she had to learn how to steal at an early age (six years old) so she wouldn’t starve to death;

– One day she tried to steal this Vietnamese man’s wallet, but he noticed what she was doing and of course caught up with her when she tried to escape;

– Realising she was just a hungry kid, he ended up paying something for her to eat, talked to her for a while and told her that if she ever felt hungry like that again she could find him at that plaza by noon. From that day on she would go back every day to that spot and hope to see him again;

– Despite life at the orphanage cultivating her to be a very wary and circumspect kid, she was still a small child, so it wasn’t particularly hard to gain her trust, which the man rapidly did so: talking to her every day and paying for something for her to eat;

– They talked about food, people, work, money… He spoke to her in a kind, friendly and comprehensible way, never in a patronising tone nor meaning to talk down to her just because she was a child;

– She started “working” at like… eight, carrying stuff around or fetching things people asked her to for the sufficient amount of money so she could have something to eat;

– Noticing that the man who helped her would occasionally disappear for an uncertain amount of time before reappearing as if nothing ever happened, she started asking questions. He would always respond to her in a straightforward tone, telling her that he was “working to help their people”;

– At thirteen, more inquiring than ever, she proposed helping him “to help their people” so she could pay back what he did for her;

– This Vietnamese along with two other men (a Chinese and, later, a Russian) were founders of an independent orthodox Marxist party. They helped working-class people that were marginalized by conflicts and man-made tragedies;

– Ever read about Unit 731 in Pingfang? So, here’s what I propose to you: Tao Shangzhi lost a precious part of him there (family, comrades, you decide). Met Thang Nguyên, who lost a son to the south vs north Vietnamese tension that the USA was financing, in a worker’s protest in 1965. Early 1976 they met trotskyan Vitaly Grebenshchikov, ex-KGB who defected the Soviet Union for their dawning participation in biowarfare programs, believing this to be the utmost unforgivable sign of URSS’ continued and escalating distortion of the communist agenda;

– Vitaly had the connections who possessed financial resources to make viable turning their party of three into a structured organization capable of acting;

– It was never clear to Ada if all along they planned in concentrating in particular individuals of oppressed groups specifically with the purpose of recruiting agents for the future, but the fact remains that throughout the years, Vitaly, the Russian, recruited three agents (two females, one Italian and one Romanian, and a German male), Tao recruited three (an Ethiopian female, a Mozambican male and a Cuban male) and Thang recruited two other females, one Korean and one Japanese, as well as Ada;

– Ada was the ninth member to be recruited;

– Having more people at varied age-groups, the party’s main focus was established in working to completely destroy the biological warfare and chemical arms trade industry by undermining it from the inside, as well as to collect information on biological threats to be at the forefront of the vaccination grounds;

– Although settling with twelve “fixed” members, the organization also had what they call “allied operatives”, individuals that weren’t fully recruited to their cause and in virtue of it, weren’t fully aware of their goals and means to achieve them, but could sympathize with part of the causes they did got to be informed of;

– Starting at fourteen years and a half, Ada trained with the rigour to be an Olympic class gymnast (she already had some sort of starting pointing in physical conditioning since she had to be fast to be a thief and strong to carry things around later in childhood);

– She also had thorough classes on history, geography, sociology and philosophy and some essentially basic-level in biology, mathematics, physics and chemistry;

– She can fluently speak in Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean. Furthermore, she possesses reading and listening fluency in Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, Romanian and Portuguese;

– In her training, the most severe exigences were: knowing how to speak in English without ever giving away that it wasn’t her first language, and to maintain her composure in the most adverse of situations;

– Knows her way around Taekwondo;

– Prepared to be perfectly capable of handling various automatic weapons and firearms;

– She believes in her party’s cause, always did. She doesn’t believe, however, that humankind is worth the trouble since she was sixteen;

– Hates imperialism and was convinced that the North-American population consisted of conceited, self-absorbed and egotistical people (till she fell in love with one, ha)

– Only completed her trainings by twenty years of age, although she was already participating in “gathering intelligence” missions since fifteen;

– I love LOVE to think that even though she was bit more experienced than Leon, she wasn’t that further away from him in terms of “field capability”;

– I don’t think John Clemens was retconned with RE2R, but, rather, Capcom’s choice to suppress mentioning him in this game was just logical and appropriate since the guy died early JUNE of 1998 and it wasn’t even minimally plausible that Ada didn’t know about that (come on, she’s a spy ffs!);

– Anyway, remember Clemens was “transferred to the Arklay Laboratory outside Raccoon City to take over Birkin’s role as chief of research” but “did not have the stomach for Umbrella’s illegal weapons research” and “started to question the motives of the research there and repeatedly questioned the superiors”? Well, at first, Ada’s mission was to get close to John precisely because he could be an “allied associate” and help in exposing and dismantling Umbrella;

– Despite the respect and comradery between the organization’s members, the only member she was really close to was Thang, but he died in a mission. Seung-chae Lee and Shimizu Yuuko (not their birth/real names), Thang’s other recruits, aren’t emotionally close to Ada, but the three of them share a deeper level of mutual reverence and camaraderie in comparison to what they feel to the rest of the organization’s members;

– Also, the two know about Leon. They suggested recruiting him to Ada, but she strongly prohibited them to do so;

– When Leon says things about helping people and putting an end to injustice and inequalities, Ada almost reveals everything there is to be revealed about her to him. Almost;

And… that’s it! Next “headcanons post” will focus on more simple things I have in mind for RE Characters (including Chris, Claire, Jill, Sherry, Helena). Ada and Leon get a bit more because they’re my faves. Hope you guys enjoy.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Specific examples vary wildly, but in general, a UBI is preferable to a system where basic free goods are given directly because putting the government in charge of micromanaging the needs of families generally ends terribly. A combined system works best, but basic needs without UBI is completely unworkable.

We have this thing in Australia that’s been trialled in recent years called “cashless welfare”, which is basically a basic needs guarantee. (It’s being trialled specifically in impoverished indigenous communities, for some... mysterious reason... that I’m sure has nothing to do with assumptions on the relative value of indigenous lives vs. other people’s lives...) The way it works is, people on welfare aren’t given money, but a “cashless” card that works basically like America’s food stamp system, which allows them to ‘buy’ approved life necessities like food and medicine, but not things like alcohol or televisions. (Insert patronising and racist bullshit here.)

I’m sure I don’t need to explain how much of a collossal failure this system has been so far. Even if those in charge of such systems aren’t actively hostile and dismissive of the people they’re supposed to be serving, even if they have the best of intentions, they simply cannot accurately predict what needs a population of people with all kinds of various family structures, medical differences, social structure and interests, actually need. You could do simple things -- provide free government housing, perhaps. But even then you get caught up in a quagmire of different needs. Who has a big family, or a small family? What happens when a family splits or merges? Who needs wheelchair access? Who likes large spaces or small spaces, who needs to be in the city for job opportunities, or the country for different job opportunities? It’s doable, but it involves a constant stream of paperwork, service labour and wait times while people petition for changes due to changing circumstances.

And housing is the *easiest* thin to provide directly. How do you provide food to groups of people with no income? Okay; you have X number of 4-person families and X number of 2-person families in this area, so you scale the food rations accordingly. Except some of them are celiac, some are lactose intolerant, some are allergic to tomatoes or to the specific preservatives used in the brand of canned beans you provide. Some of them are vegetarian. Some of them are muslim. Are there specialised packages for every possible allergy and moral or religious dietary restriction? If someone unexpectedly develops an allergy later in life, how long is the wait time to get this change registered? Is someone required to register with the government that they are muslim to make sure they can get the kind of food they can eat? If there’s a dsruption in supply lines and there aren’t enough onions so the onions are replaced with shallots, and a whoole bunch of people suddenly learn they’re allergic to shallots, how long do they keep receiving inedible food before the government can respond? What if someone just doesn’t like the food given?

What about clothing? Are poor people all just... provided with the same kind of clothing in their size?  Allowing them to pick different styles would be a massive increase in complexity in the system, but it would be perfectly doable... but it wouldn’t solve anything. Whatever the ‘government issue clothing’ is would immediately become a class marker on a level so much more concrete and certain than current expensive vs. inexpensive fashion styles. What if someone has a rough kind of job and tears their clothing a lot; do they get clothing more often than someone who doesn’t need as much? What about people who are just uncomfortable in certain kinds of clothing, or who won’t wear plastic or leather or some other common clothing material? Or religious clothing -- again, does someone need to be on a government religious registry to get the right clothing?

There is, of course, a very simple answer to these problems -- let the recipients go and get (or get delivered) what they actually need, rather than having it handled by others. But of course, materials are limited -- you can’t just have someone swoop in and take all the shoes int eh warehouse, you’d need some kind of credit system, where people could have X points worth of stuff, whatever they want, and leave the rest for everyone else. Let families control what they need, and make all the admin problems and system flaws and wait times disappear.

Which brings us back to the cashless welfare card. That’s just straightup having cashless welfare, a greatly inferior system to cash welfare.

Okay, so take that and remove the controls and restrictions on it. Let people decide what they need without the government telling them that they can’t buy new bedsheets or whatever because it’s not a necessity. Trust them to manage their own needs, make it so it works EVERYWHERE.

That’s money. That’s a Universal Basic Income. The only way to make the system work is to trust people to determine what they need, and get it... which is just giving them money. You can call the money something else, if you want, but that’s just adding a whole bunch of extra steps for no reason.

You can use a combined approach. Government housing, for example, is usually a good system to have in place. You could have basic needs (eg. food and clothing stores) that are government-run with cheap, standardised prices for cheap products, if you wanted goods to be government provided and not give money to billionaires. (Although it’d be easier to just get the money back by TAXING THE BILLIONAIRES.) These are useful potential support systems, but they only work if the people have actual, cash, no-holds-barred money. People die if you won’t trust them with money.

[teatipsforthea]

240 Words to Describe Someone’s Tone/Voice

Abrasive - showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh

Absurd - wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate

Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining

Acerbic - sharp and forthright

Acidic - harsh or critical

Admiring - approving; think highly of; respectful; praising

Aggressive - hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative

Aggrieved -  angry and sad because you think you have been unfairly treated

Airy -  giving an impression of being unconcerned or not serious

Ambivalent - having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided

Amused - pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner

Angry - incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing

Animated - full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant

Anxious -  typically with a feeling of unease

Apathetic - showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional

Apologetic - full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure

Appreciative - grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic

Ardent - enthusiastic; passionate

Arrogant - pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scoffing

Assertive - self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent

Authoritative - commanding and self-confident

Awestruck - amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential

Barbed - deliberately hurtful

Barking - utter a command or question abruptly or aggressively

Belligerent - hostile; aggressive; combatant

Benevolent - sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning

Bitter - angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty

Blasé - unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before

Bleak - without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary

Bombastic - high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated

Booming - loud, deep, and resonant

Bored - to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

Brash - self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way

Braying - speak or laugh loudly and harshly

Breathy - producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings

Breezy - appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk

Brittle - lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof

Bubbly - full of cheerful high spirits

Burbling - speak in an unintelligible or silly way, typically at unnecessary length

Callous - cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless

Candid - truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved

Caustic - making biting, corrosive comments; critical

Cautionary - gives warning; raises awareness; reminding

Celebratory - praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour

Chatty - informal; lively; conversational; familiar

Cheery - happy and optimistic

Childish - silly and immature

Chirping - say something in a lively and cheerful way

Clipped - speech that is fast, that uses short sounds and few words, and that is often unfriendly or rude

Cloying - disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment

Coarse - rude, crude, or vulgar

Colloquial - familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual

Comic - humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting

Compassionate - sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind

Complex - having many varying characteristics; complicated

Compliant - agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive

Concerned - worried; anxious; apprehensive

Conciliatory - intended to placate or pacify; appeasing

Condescending - stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising

Confused - unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague

Contemptuous - showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking

Crisp - briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail

Critical - finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticizing

Croaking - a characteristic deep hoarse sound

Cruel - causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe

Curious - wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning

Curt - rudely brief

Cynical - scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering

Defensive - defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful

Defiant - obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious

Demeaning - disrespectful; undignified

Depressing - sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic

Derisive - snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful

Detached - aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant

Dignified - serious; respectful; formal; proper

Diplomatic - tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful

Disapproving - displeased; critical; condemnatory

Disheartening - discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing

Disparaging - dismissive; critical; scornful

Direct - straightforward; honest

Disappointed - discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong

Discordant - harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony

Dispassionate - impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic

Dispirited - having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened

Distressing - heart-breaking; sad; troubling

Docile - compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating

Drawling - speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds

Dulcet - sweet and soothing

Dull - lacking interest or excitement

Earnest - showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious

Egotistical - self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful

Empathetic - understanding; kind; sensitive

Encouraging - optimistic; supportive

Enthusiastic - excited; energetic

Evasive - ambiguous; cryptic; unclear

Excited - emotionally aroused; stirred

Facetious - inappropriate; flippant

Farcical - ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable

Feathery - extremely light and soft or delicate

Flippant - superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous

Forceful - powerful; energetic; confident; assertive

Formal - respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules

Frank - honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact

Fretful - expressing distress or irritation

Frustrated - annoyed; discouraged

Gentle - kind; considerate; mild; soft

Ghoulish - delighting in the revolting or the loathsome

Glum - dejected; morose

Goofy - foolish; harmlessly eccentric

Grating - harsh and unpleasant

Gravelly - deep and rough-sounding

Grim - serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre

Growling - low grating voice, typically in a threatening manner

Gruff - rough and low in pitch

Gullible - naive; innocent; ignorant

Guttural - produced in the throat; harsh-sounding

Hard - unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding

Harsh - cruel or severe

Hearty - loudly vigorous and cheerful

Hoarse - sounding rough and harsh, typically as the result of a sore throat or of shouting

Honeyed - soothing, soft, and intended to please or flatter

Humble - deferential; modest

Humorous - amusing; entertaining; playful

Husky - sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse

Hypercritical - unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking

Impartial - unbiased; neutral; objective

Impassioned - filled with emotion; ardent

Imploring - pleading; begging

Impressionable - trusting; child-like

Inane - silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical

Incensed - enraged

Incredulous - disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious

Indifferent - having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned

Indignant - annoyed; angry; dissatisfied

Informative - instructive; factual; educational

Insinuating - suggest or hint in an indirect and unpleasant way

Inspirational - encouraging; reassuring

Intense - earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt

Intimate - familiar; informal; confidential; confessional

Ironic - the opposite of what is meant

Irreverent - lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously

Jaded - bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm

Joyful - positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated

Jubilant - expressing great happiness and triumph

Judgmental - critical; finding fault; disparaging

Laudatory - praising; recommending

Lifeless - lacking vigor, vitality, or excitement

Light-Hearted - carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous

Lively - full of life and energy; active and outgoing

Loving - affectionate; showing intense, deep concern

Macabre - gruesome; horrifying; frightening

Malicious - desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful

Matter-of-fact - unemotional and practical

Mean-Spirited - inconsiderate; unsympathetic

Mellifluous - sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Melodious - pleasant-sounding

Mocking - scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone

Monotonous - lacking in variation in tone or pitch

Mourning - grieving; lamenting; woeful

Muffled - not loud because of being obstructed in some way; muted

Naive - innocent; unsophisticated; immature

Narcissistic - self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying

Nasty - unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive

Negative - unhappy, pessimistic

Nonchalant - casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm

Nostalgic - thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past

Objective - without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact

Obsequious - overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling

Oily - unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating

Optimistic - hopeful; cheerful

Outraged - angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered

Outspoken - frank; candid; spoken without reserv

Pathetic - expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness

Patronizing - condescending; scornful; pompous

Pensive - reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative

Persuasive - convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible

Pessimistic - seeing the negative side of things

Philosophical - theoretical; analytical; rational; logical

Piping - high-pitched.

Playful - full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting

Pragmatic - realistic; sensible

Pretentious - affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy

Quavering - shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion

Querulous - complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Rasping - harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating

Reedy - high and thin in tone

Refined -  elegant; cultured

Regretful - apologetic; remorseful

Resentful - aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter

Resigned - accepting; unhappy

Restrained - controlled; quiet; unemotional

Reverent - showing deep respect and esteem

Righteous - morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing

Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous

Saccharine - excessively sweet or sentimental  

Satirical - making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive

Sarcastic - scornful; mocking; ridiculing

Scathing - critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh

Scornful - expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive

Scratchy -  rough; grating  

Sensationalist - provocative; inaccurate; distasteful

Sentimental - thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past

Shrill -  high-pitched and piercing  

Silvery - gentle, clear, and melodious  

Sincere - honest; truthful; earnest

Skeptical - disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting

Smarmy -  excessively or unctuously flattering; ingratiating; servile  

Smoky - a raspy, coarse and tone of quality that is deeper than usual

Snide - derogatory or mocking in an indirect way  

Solemn - not funny; in earnest; serious

Somber - oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave  

Sonorous -  imposingly deep and full

Sour - resentment, disappointment, or anger

Steely - coldly determined; hard  

Strident -  loud and harsh; grating  

Stony - not having or showing feeling or sympathy  

Suave - charming, confident, and elegant

Subjective - prejudiced; biased

Submissive - compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient

Sulking - bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen

Surly -  bad-tempered and unfriendly  

Sympathetic - compassionate; understanding of how someone feels

Thoughtful - reflective; serious; absorbed

Throaty -   deep and rasping  

Tolerant - open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient

Tragic - disastrous; calamitous

Tremulous -  shaking or quivering slightly

Unassuming - modest; self-effacing; restrained

Unctuous - excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug  

Uneasy - worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous

Urgent - insistent; saying something must be done soon

Velvety - soft; smooth

Vindictive - vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving

Virtuous - lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding

Whimsical - quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat

Witty - clever; quick-witted; entertaining

Wonder - awe-struck; admiring; fascinating

World-Weary - bored; cynical; tired

Worried - anxious; stressed; fearful

Wretched - miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed