#these students are SUPPOSED to reflect people you should not put on a pedestal even though they are put on a pedestal in their world

[snowjanuses2]

The woobification of all of the Academy students on this site is so uncomfortable to me, sorry.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

I think that the moral of the episode King Tuck, or Tucker's take-away from his Duul Aman experience, should have been that being a leader isn't supposed to be about putting yourself on a pedestal and have things be done for and given to you, that being a leader is supposed to be about using that power to help and protect other people and reflect what is needed. That if you really want to be listened to, you should have something meaningful to say. I'd like a rewrite of the ending where Tucker keeps running for student president, and talks about how his platform won't just be about technology but will have good ideas to improve the institution of the school to make it better for everyone.

such a wasted opportunity, I guess they didn't want to have to commit to this as an aspect of Tucker's character, even though having to juggle this responsibility could have been really interesting

it also would have been a great form of character development if they ever chose to come back to him being a reincarnated pharaoh who would have to one day lead his people again, who are trapped in time waiting for his return to free them

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #160

After a long week of repeating quizzes, forging apology letters, and unexpected-but-not-really bonding, Tomoko and Yoshida are finally free to go. As the barrier separating Tomoko’s suspension and the outside world with her friends is finally lifted, we get to see just how both parties have grown from this experience. Even if Tomoko’s apology was more or less half-assed, something may have been gained after all...

Chapter 160: Because I’m Not Popular, It’s The Last Day Of Suspension

Whaddup, Tomoki? Your eye bags aren’t so heavy today. Is that artistic oversight, or has Tomoko’s suspension taken a load off your stress level?

Oh yeah, I had forgotten that Tomoki heads to school earlier than Tomoko does. He used to get really anal about avoiding his sister in the mornings, but it looks like he’s not so objectionable about it anymore... 

Is that how it works? I've never worked at a huge company with a sports club other than a fantasy football league, so I don’t have much of a reference. But if Tomoko is correct, then my assumption is that the sports clubs are used to indirectly promote “company loyalty” and get more work mileage out of their employees.  

It’s casual conversations like this that really show just much Tomoko and Tomoki’s sibling relationship has improved since way back then. Sure, they still take potshots at each other, but it’s more in the realm of affectionate brother-sister banter now. The days where they openly held the other with actual disdain have finally come to an end.

Not that they want to look particularly close when out in public, of course. 

It’s only the second page, and we’re already getting hit with the heartwarming feels? Damn, this is gonna be a tearjerker chapter, ain’t it?

As this chapter soon verifies, the last day of suspension is nothing short of formalities and kissing ass. 

Wow, it took the whole week to get full marks on those worksheets? Maybe I’m missing something here, but I’m not sure they’re really learning anything from those suspension packets if they’re just regurgitating answers.

Also, Dead-Eyes Teacher can actually smile? How about that.

Tomoko’s apathy towards her progress here leaves me wondering: Just how much do the teachers really think suspension is inspiring students to do better? My guess has always been that suspension is like a prison in principle in that it’s more about reforming them than punishment. It may work for some, though I’m inclined to believe that most of them just want to pay their dues and leave with very little actual reflection on their actions, like Yoshida’s perpetually blank face seems to suggest.   

Well, I suppose the lack of classroom distractions had to account for something, right? Though having her friends around could be seen as both a hindrance and a benefit towards her study habits.

There’snospecialmeaningforwhyMakosaidYoshida’snamefirst. 

There’snospecialmeaningforwhyMakosaidYoshida’snamefirst.

There’snospecialmeaningforwhyMakosaidYoshida’snamefirst.

There’snospecialmeaningforwhyMakosaidYoshida’snamefirst.

...darn it.

So on the Indifference Scale, she just slightly dips in favor of wanting to see them.

Oh Yuri, I know that being noncommittal is kind of your thing, but no one’s going to give you a hard time for wanting to see your friends, especially Mako. 

Do I sense a flash mob in the workings here? That’d be pretty lit.

So Katou actually does have some awareness that the idiosyncrasies of her behavior are, in fact, idiosyncrasies. I guess you don’t get to be as beloved as Katou unless you had some common sense. 

Even though we all already knew the answer, there’s something oddly relieving to hear it from Katou herself. I think it’s largely out of a sense of empathy for Fuuka, since she’s been strung along for so long, but also because it comes across as “humbling” to hear the on-top-of-the-pedestal Katou accept the truth.

That’s what happens when your expectations don’t match up with reality. You build up this impression for so long that you can’t help but feel jaded when it turns out to not be true, even if you didn’t actually want it to happen.

I call it the Ucchi Effect. 

Nooooo, Katou, you had it in the bag! You should have quit while you’re ahead!

But yeah. Katou didn’t really need to bring this up, so a part of me wants to think that she’s using the whole hair-touching moment as a consolation when the whole groping thing didn’t work out. 

Still, it’s kind of unnerving that she finds the idea of Tomoko, or anyone really wanting to touch her...there to be so humorous...

What goes around comes around. Stay strong, Fuuka. 

We get to see Yoshida’s mom?!?!

Officially the best chapter ever. 

I love how this whole time, the teachers have been pestering Yoshida to look more presentable. I’m not sure if Yoshida is being actively defiant or if she’s just clueless about these sorts of things, but I do appreciate that she complies without much fuss.

Getting those parent-teacher conference vibes right about now. The only difference is that those are some swanky couches.

I wonder if Nico Tanigawa just drew up a bunch of random old guys for this “Presidents Throughout The Years” or if they were based on real people. 

So...Yoshida’s mom. She definitely has the air of a high-powered career woman, what with the suit and all. It’s pretty ironic considering she has a delinquent like Yoshida for a daughter, but at the same time, maybe it isn’t. It’s been hinted before that Yoshida may come from a well-off family, so having a mom making a generous salary seems pretty plausible. Makes you wonder if Yoshida’s delinquent-ness is some form of rebellion...

I totally expected that Tomoko and Yoshida would have to do something like this, but still. FUUUUUUUUU–

In the immortal words of Tomoko Kuroki...

“How do I bullshit my way out of this one?”

Well, for what it’s worth, the principal looks like a nice, reasonable guy. But as Tomoko has proven time and again, you can never be too careful. Though I have to say, I’m surprised Tomoko would even consider screwing around instead of going right for the safe option. Having an active social life has really given her enough courage to take some risks, even if they end up with bad results more often than not.

So she thinks the principal is one of those perpetually smiling assassins you see in isekai series? That’s really chuuni and I love it.

So in the end, she takes the safe route. Fair enough, but her response is so stock and wooden that you just know it's gonna come to bite her in the ass.

In the midst of all the bullshitting, some of Tomoko’s honestly ends up rising to the surface. It’s the kind of unintended sincerity that really warms my heart. This whole arc has been a great opportunity for the adults in Tomoko’s life to recognize her unexpected popularity, so I’m sure Principal-san will offer some words of wisdom that Tomoko will take to heart for the rest for her li–

Nah, just kidding. Principal’s a troll.

I find it hilarious that Reina’s been put through the suspension wringer so many times, that it stopped being anything worth remembering. For all we know, suspension was just another Tuesday for her.

Of all the recurring characters, who would’ve thought the dog would be one of them? 

...

But seriously, whose dog is this?

Delinquent girls laughing at dirty jokes is ironically wholesome to me.

“Do you’re best!” you say? All the evidence points to Ucchi finally going forward with her apology to Tomoko. Of course, Lady Luck will have it be that something will get in her way. And the way this is playing out, we’re going to have the single greater encounter this series’ has ever given us.

The fact that Ucchi can accuse this dog of being gross just because it kind of resembles Tomoko is so stupidly unrealistic and stupidly hilarious at the same time. Girl needs to start majoring in gross-ology. 

Poor Emoji Girl just had a Freudian Slip that sums up her Tomoko-philia. 

Probably the most reasonable “Gross!” Ucchi has said in a long time.

I wasn’t sure if Tomopup’s appearance was just artistic license, but it turns out the dog looks just as freaky to us as it does in-universe.

Huh. So unlike Yuri, Mako gets both the first name and -chan suffix? Maybe the girl’s just that naturally personable.

I feel like calling out Katou for asserting dominance would be a drastically unsupported claim that would be built upon unreasonable shipping desires.

But that piercing gaze of hers makes that notion hard to assert.

How the tables have turned, eh? I wouldn’t say Mako was being that hypocritical; more like she gained a bit of rebellion during the week while Yuri learned to restrain herself a little bit. A push and pull you could say. 

Is this foreshadowing for integrating Yoshida’s delinquent buddies into the Class 3-5 group? Please, please please make it so!

Anna really does like to look on the bright side of things, huh? It’s a great perspective to have around, especially when you have a Reina in your group, who tends to see the world around her as a half-empty glass.  

I’ve been made aware that Mrs. Yoshida was actually apologizing for her daughter’s actions and not her own, which suggests that blaming others whenever you can is in the family blood. Even so, Yoshida’s mom is unexpectedly adorable (though given who her daughter is, it’s not that surprising). Perhaps she and Mrs. Kuroki ought to start a support group for Mothers With Troublesome Daughters. 

Speaking of which, can we get Yuri’s mom in the picture, too, Nico? You know, for reasons...

Ditching her own mom when the lady had to take time out of her schedule to represent her daughter’s suspended ass? The Yoshida household sounds like a fun ride (I say “ride” because prolonged exposure to Yoshida’s family sounds dangerous). 

Not to toot my own horn, but I always knew that if a time ever came where Tomoko had to leave her mother behind to see her explicitly named friends, her mom would encourage her without question. 

When it comes to apologies, acknowledgments, and the like, Tomoko is always late to the party. But even if it's at the very last second, she’ll get around to it. Tomoko’s relationship with her mom is probably the least we’ve seen since their familial love has always been more implicit. So seeing Tomoko outright admit that she really does appreciate her mother is incredibly heartwarming. 

Hey, hey, hey! That looks like a callback to the afterparty Tomoko told her mom she was going to at the end of her second year. Looks like it really left a positive impression on TomoMom.  

Not gonna mince words–seeing Tomoko’s mom look so proud of her daughter brings a tear to my eyes. 

She’s never really admitted it before (as far as we know), but Tomoko’s mom really was concerned about her daughter’s lack of friends at the start of high school. Some have accused her of being a bad mother for not taking a more active role in Tomoko’s social growth, but I was never in that camp. Sure, TomoMom’s not perfect, and she could’ve shown more of an interest, but I think it did Tomoko some good that her mother never judged her. Expressing her concern without badgering her daughter is peak mothering right there.

To reiterate what every fan thought at this shot: This looks like a series finale.

It rare for a chapter to end so unabashedly happy like this, but that rarity makes it all the more sweeter when it does happen. It dials it up to eleven when you realize what this means for the series going forward. One of the uncertainties Watamote has addressed is the possibility that everyone will drift apart once high school ends. Well, this single moment gives us a little test on that theory. Even if Tomoko were to disappear for a week, her friends will still be there for her. And even if it doesn’t work out as well once they go out into the “real world”, it looks like, as her mom says, Tomoko will be fine now.

And thus the curtain falls on the Suspension Arc. We’ve still got a few hurdles to overcome, but for now, things look sunny in the world of Watamote.

[aheartbrokenmind]

04-24-2020

Amy,

I have been constantly thinking about and losing sleep over that last letter I sent you. I am worried that I may have been too harsh on you. Not too harsh in the sense that they weren't things that needed to be said, but in the sense that it was heavily skewed negatively. I suppose it was just a reflection of my mood on that particular day and I don't regret saying what was said because it is all how I felt. However, that was a very miniscule fraction of the things I feel for you and unfortunately I feel that most of the things packed into that letter came from a place of spite.

I know the years of distance between us have been unbelievably hard on you. I have felt that too. In reality it is probably a superhuman feat on both of our parts that we made it as far as we did. Maybe I am just overly hopeful or was being unrealistic, but I truly believed we were going to make it to the finish line. The happily ever after. That is probably the main reason I went and had the engagement ring made. I felt like I could see the finish line. You were going to do one more year in Japan and then we would be planning and working on me getting a Scottish visa so we would finally live in the same place, together. I see now that maybe that finish line wasn't quite in sight for you. Maybe I misread all of our conversations about the future and marriage, or maybe a fog rolled into your mind and obscured your view of the finish line, I can't really say. Perhaps it was our conversation about my student debt that made you feel like the finish line had been picked up and moved ten more miles away when you were already exhausted and near collapse. I wish we would have communicated better. The fault falls on both of us for that. If I had known how badly you were struggling I would have done every single thing in my power to carry you over that line, no matter how close to exhaustion I was myself.

I keep wondering now, or maybe it is hope, that if we continue down these separate paths and I end up in Scotland what will happen. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that wasn't desperately hoping that you will find your way back into my arms, and I into your heart. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'd go to the ends of the earth just for the chance to feel your love again. That hope is not the only reason I want to end up in Scotland, I don't have enough paper to list all of those, but it is certainly one of them. Maybe when I end up there you will believe in me again. Believe in us again.

I know there had to be so many things going through your head before you made this decision and many that have continued after. Maybe I am guilty of holding you in such high regard or putting you up on such a high pedestal that I failed to see you being eaten alive. You're such a determined, strong, and fiercely independent woman that it was hard for me to believe that you'd ever quit or need a break. I can't blame anyone but myself for that. Those things have always been some of the things I loved about you most, but I should not have allowed them to blind me of your fragility. We are all fragile in our own ways and sometimes there is no strengthening those brittle pieces on our own. Sometimes the best that we can do is find someone who will protect those pieces of us or put the pieces back together when they shatter. Everyone needs help from time to time. Everyone needs a rest. I wish I would have been your help, your safe harbor, even if it took me dragging you into port myself. Unfortunately now I'm afraid we may both be lost at sea.

I still don't believe that the person you have been over the past couple years is the person you truly are. I think it has been you trying to protect yourself and in some ways trying to protect me during an unbelievably trying time in your life. I can't hate you for that. Honestly, it is probably the rational and smart thing to do. There is almost nothing about our relationship that has been rational or conventional from the beginning. It's been hard, everyone always telling us we're crazy. I'm not even sure they were totally wrong. I was, and still am, crazy about you. You are all and more than I had ever hoped for or could have possibly imagined. No matter where the road led us as individuals or as a pair I just knew you'd be the best at it. The best writer or lawyer. Perhaps both. The best friend I've ever had. The best partner for adventures I could ever ask for. The best girlfriend. The best mother to our future dogs. Someone who is constantly striving to make the world a better place. The best wife if we decided to get married someday and the best mother to our children if we wanted to have them. I know we talked about those things quite often and I’m not sure your mind was ever made up on them. I hope you know that on either of those massive decisions, I would have been completely happy with whatever you decided. If you decided you wanted to marry me I would have tried to be the best husband I could possibly be. If you had decided you wanted children I would have tried to be the best possible father to them that I could. If you had decided you didn’t want either of those things I would have loved you just the same and tried to be the best lover and companion you could hope for. I suppose that is why I feel so lost now. Every single combination of possible future plans that I had all came back to you. You, loving you, and making you as happy as possible was my goal.

I have thought a lot about the ring. I keep trying to figure out if I just completely misunderstood your intentions or dreams. I remember talking about marriage many different times. There were times where you mentioned just going to the courthouse and making it official so we would have an easier time living in the same country. We talked about just running away and having a ceremony with just the two of us. We talked about having a small ceremony and who our maid of honor and best man would be. There were times where you didn’t seem totally interested in the idea of marriage. There were multiple times that you mentioned not wanting to just get married so we could live in the same country, you wanted it to mean something. I guess maybe that is why I had the ring made. I didn’t want you to sacrifice the wedding of your dreams, whatever that might be, just so it was easier for one of us to get a visa. In all reality I didn’t even intend the ring as a guarantee that we would get married. I just meant it to show you how much I believed in you, and how much I believed in our future together. Obviously, my plans to propose didn’t go as planned at all, and I’m sorry that it caught you so off guard. I guess maybe it’s a good thing in the end. I would have hated to make you feel obligated to tell me yes and it probably would have crushed me to be told no. As chaotic as all of that was, perhaps it was for the best. I’m sorry if I misunderstood what you saw in your future, maybe I was blinded by the hope that what you saw was me.

I have talked to very few people about any of this, but I’m almost certain that the ones that I have probably think I’m pathetic. They don’t understand why I can’t just move on, why I can’t worry about and take care of myself. They keep saying in time I’ll forget about you and I’ll find someone else. That may all be true eventually, it’s hard to say. Right now however, I feel like half of me has just been ripped away. Maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I gave too much of myself to you. Maybe I centered my life too much around us and our future together. The truth is I believed in you so much, and still do. From the moment I met you, there was just something about you that made me want to believe in you. I was so willing to give everything I had to you, all of my pieces, because there was never a doubt in my mind that you were the one for me and that we would achieve our future. I believed that you and I, together, were unstoppable. Now you’re gone. You’ve taken all of those pieces of me with you and I’m left here fumbling around with the few random broken pieces that are left, trying to put together some kind of life with it. The truth is I’m finding it very hard to love myself without you. You made me better and want to be better. I loved the man you made me. Truthfully I think I always knew you were the more independent of the two of us. I knew you would always be the more okay of us if we went our separate ways. I never even really thought about it before now because I had so much trust in you. I guess now it’s pretty clear that I was right, you seem to be doing okay at least, and will probably move on from this far sooner than I will. I don’t think moving on will happen anytime soon for me. For right now there still seems like a shred of hope that keeps me holding on. Holding on to the hopeless hope that you will turn around and come back to me. Please just turn around. Come back.

If you decide to keep walking, just know, that no matter how far you go, there will always be a piece of you with me. I hope you save one of those pieces of me that you took as well.

Love you always,

Brian

[snake-house]

Tom Riddle X Male!Reader - power.

Tom Riddle X Male!Reader warnings: slight sexual themes he/him pronouns used for reader *reader and tom are in 6th year, and reader is a slytherin **au to some degree, he hasn't killed his family basically ___ "I don't understand what you're asking of me," You pouted, "If you're only asking because of my family name, you should have just said so, I'm the second son, you'll get nothing from me. But, you can speak with my brother." Your said with indifference.

You were used to people trying to get close to you, whether it was from being overly nice or trying to flirt with you, everyone wanted to get close to the Minister of Magic's son. Too bad you could care less about your status, you let your brother take care of all that. But just because you didn't care didn't mean you always acknowledged the fact. Tom narrowed his eyes at you, but the supposed look of intimidation only made you grin more, "I don't understand what you're talking about, [Name], can't I just ask a suitable partner to Yule Ball?" You tapped your finger against your cheek in thought, "No, you can't, because you're Tom Riddle. You think everything over piece by piece before you make a move." You tilted your head to the side and gave him a sly grin, "But, I will go with you as a date on a few conditions." "Why would you think to have the audacity to request things of me?" The dark-haired wizard seethed, slowly reaching his limit with your attitude. "Because I have something you want," You said in a sweet voice like it was obvious, "I'm the minister's son, I could help you get the connections you need to move up. You know your own ancestry will only get you so far," You knew you got him as he tensed with realization. There was a long pause between the two of you. Tom refused to cave to the idea that he would be in debt to someone, but he eventually gave in. "What... are your 'conditions'?" "Ah, I'm glad you're complying Tom," He growled, but you simply giggled, "I'm sure you've noticed the... type of people I tend to associate myself with? I don't really care about my blood status or my social standing at all, being the youngest in my family, they don't care what I do with my time as long as I don't make anyone look bad. But, that doesn't mean I always do as I'm told. "I know you tend to sleep with people to get what you want, it's no secret, but that isn't what I'm going to ask of you. What I require is a little more... permanent. Are you scared, Tom?" "Why would I be scared of you? You're magically and physically inferior to me," He spat, eyes blazing with fury at the fact you were dancing around the topic of what you wanted from him. "Because you don't like things that are solid and permanent, and that is exactly what I want." "Just get to the point." You smiled and clasped your hands behind your back in an innocent gesture, "When you make it to the top, because I know you will with my help, I want you to make me your wife. I'll give you all the connections my family has, whether it is to be politically powerful, or powerful in other areas, I'll help." You wanted to laugh at the fact you actually caught Tom Riddle off guard by your request. He didn't know what to think. Yes, you were correct that most people did wish to sleep with him when he wanted something, he was good at using his good looks in his own favor. So he was expecting that, not the fact you wanted to permanently be at his side when he ascended through the ranks of the wizarding world and eventually reaching his ultimate wish for immortality. "Why would you want that?" Tom didn't know why he asked you this, but the words came out before he could stop himself. "Because my parents hate the fact that I'm gay, but once they see that its you that I am interested in, I know they'll think twice. Not only are you a descendent of Salazar Slytherin, but you are very powerful. We both know I don't care about status, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the benefits of being a high-class pureblood wizard. Add in the fact that we will be an item, I will be envied by everyone and you will have all the power that you could ever want." You grinned as you watched the other wizard think over his words. Tom's eyes bore into yours but you didn't let your own gaze waver, "You want to be by my side as I come to power?" He asked to clarifying what you had said. "Yes," You unclasped your hands to tap your chin thoughtfully, "Plus, wouldn't it look good if you tied yourself to someone? It might make you look normal and not as power-hungry as you are. I'll even say that it doesn't have to be a physical relationship, it can merely be for show and for both of our benefit, socially that is." He pursed his lips, eyes narrowing on you, "You want all of that, when I only wish to take you to Yule Ball." "Of course," You said in a fake innocent tone. "Fine, I will make an effort for this all to work. Whether it is considered a contract or a relationship, I will try. But I keep no promises, as I don't expect you to as well." You smiled and shook his hand, "I'll be going to Hogsmeade this weekend, come with me so we can get matching robes," With a happy laugh you left him alone. Tom watched your form leave, shocked and completely puzzled by the interaction he just had with you. He now knew why you were sorted into Slytherin in the first place. He also knew you were lying about the fact you could care less about your status, he's seen the way you are around people. You relish in the way they true to woo you into their favor. With your father being this minister, and your brother well on his way to following your father's footsteps, everyone wanted to be your friend or at least on your good side. Tom wasn't the only power hungry student in Hogwarts. -- "Hmm..." You walked around Tom's form on the pedestal, "I think the one you were wearing before suits you better, but in green of course. Green looks good on you." You said. "Will I be able to give you such critiques when you step foot up here?" Tom hissed, the edge of his words licking with parseltongue. You grinned, "Of course, it wouldn't be fair if you didn't, don't you agree?" You turned to talk to the seamstress as Tom went to change back into the other robes he was just wearing. "Yes, you look amazing in those robes, I think a black button-up shirt would look the best underneath, don't you agree? You don't have to answer, you're wearing black underneath." You stated as the witch came up to tailor the set of robes. They were your favorite out of the three he tried on. They were a deep forest green that were made of the finest slink imported from Asia. The sleeves and the hem were lined in silver that were charmed to reflect light. They made everything about Tom stand out. His hair, his dark eyes, and after they were tailored, his body would look amazing in them too. He's handsome in everything, but when he wore finer things, he seemed to stand out more. "Why bother asking of you don't want an answer?" With a charming smile, you looked up from your survey of the garment and shrugged, "Because saying it aloud helps the my mind process things." After Tom was fitted for his new dress robes, as well as a few dress shirts and slacks as well as a pair of dragon-hide boots you insisted upon, the dark-haired male sat back on the leather couch set beside the fitting pedestals as he waited for you to come out from the dressing rooms. "What do you think?" The smile in your voice was evident as you stepped on the pedestal. Tom looked your form up and down, "What the hell are you wearing?" You giggled and gave the male a little twirl, "What, you don't like these? These were my favorite," You whined, smoothing down the fabric on the thighs, "I was think it would look better in blue though..." "No, change immediately. I will not be seen with someone wearing pink floral robes to the ball." Tom deadpanned with a wave of his hand, "I know you just wore those to get a rise out of me." You stuck your tongue out at the dark-haired wizard, "You are no fun. But, it is obvious you have never seen me out of our school uniforms, you'd be surprised by what I like to wear," You flashed him a grin as you stalked back off to the dressing rooms to put on a different set of robes. Your comment unsettled him. Tom knew he couldn't live his life with someone who wore things like floral robes on a regular basis, he would rather die than live like that. However, his mind immediately changed as he watched you step onto the pedestal for the second time. You stood upon the pedestal in shimmery midnight-blue robes. They were translucent at the edges to give off the allusion of the night sky, and did you take his breath away. "What about these? Do these meet your approval Tom?" You asked, turning to see the back in the mirror, and that is when Tom almost lost it. Because the robes were backless, Tom assumed this garment wasn't classified as robes in the first place. Tom had to keep himself in line as he watched you survey yourself in the mirror. He was human after all, and was still only sixteen and felt everything that a normal sixteen year old boy would. "Are those women's robes?" Tom asked in an astonished voice. You smiled and nodded, "Aren't they stunning? Of course because this is a school function, I will have a back sewn in, but when I saw this on display, I had to try it on. They only make robes charmed like this for women, which I don't understand why. So, what do you think? Am I up to par?" Tom once again let his eyes roam your figure, taking in every inch of your physique, "Truthfully, you look absolutely," His eyes shot up to yours, "Delectable." You instantly flushed at his words, turning away from the Slytherin heir to let the witch start tailoring the garment. "But," Tom began, standing to walk over to you and the tailor, "Don't have a back sewn in, if you have to," One of his hands rested at the base of your neck and slowly traveled down your bare back, leaving gooseflesh in its wake, and stopped at where your natural waist line was, "Only bring the back up to here rather than at the top of your tailbone, it will make your arse look amazing." "But the professors, they'll definitely call me out and make me leave," You mumbled, refusing to let him know how both his voice and hands were affecting you. "Let them, I won't let them make you leave. And before you even say it, let people stare, if you're adamant about being by my side till the end of days, I want people to envy you as you hang off my arm." There was a chuckle from Tom, but you refused again to give him the pleasure of seeing how you were reacting to his words and kept your head turned away. Tom loved your reaction, more so than he anticipated. If you had a weakness for compliments, he knew how win you over for his favor. "I-I don't know..." "What happen to your confidence? Though I do love this submissive side of you," He dropped his hand and went back to his spot on the couch to watch you get fitted, "At times your fiery side is quite fun." Once you were both fitted, and your things sent back to your dorms at Hogwarts, the two of you walked around the shops of Hogsmeade, you insisted on going into Honeydukes to get a few sweets. You were happy to find out that he had a sweet tooth and started showering him with gifts of candy. "I could only imagine what you're going to be as a spouse," Tom muttered as you draped yourself over the male in the common room as some sort of possessive display. You hummed, glaring at a seventh year girl walked passed and tried to brush her hand against Tom's hair, "I like to make it known what's mine, don't worry, in certain situations I won't be nearly as bad." You promised. "If you're allowed to stake your claim," He said lowly, pressing his mouth to your ear as he spoke, "I will do just the same because I know after Yule, others will start to look at you in a new light. And I won't have that." You practically purred at the statement, turning to look him in the eyes, "Do you promise?" "I'd make an unbreakable vow to the claim." He stated, snaking a hand under your shirt in a provocative display as he pressed a kiss to your temple, "When your robes come in, you'll try them on for me so I can see the full effect before anyone else?" "Of course." "Good. Also, I hope you're a good dancer by the way, I refuse to dance with someone who will make me look like a fool." Tom added, as if the thought has been bugging him for a while. "I'm a marvelous dancer actually, you have nothing to worry about. You should be worried because I took dance classes when I was little and will be much better than you will be on the dance floor." You grinned. Tom cocked his head to the side as he gazed down at you, "Is that a challenge?" "What do you think?" "I think you've got quite the nerve to challenge me [Name]," He warned, but even with the dark tone of his voice, you could see the playful glint in his eyes. You waved your hand dismissively at his threat, making his eyes narrow at you, "Don't worry, I'll never truly challenge you," You grinned, "... in public that is. Anyways," You stood gracefully from his lap, bending down to kiss the corner of his lips, "I'm going to bed, our robes should be here tomorrow if you want to see them." You didn't wait for his reply as you headed up to your dorm room, ignoring the stares you got as you walked away. It was Lestrange who walked up to Tom and ask the question everyone was thinking, "Since when has the minister's son been your new toy?" He asked as he lazily sat down next to the dark-haired wizard. Tom shot him a look but humored him with a reply, "Since I've asked him to Yule ball, why? Did you wish to play with him?" The Slytherin Heir was surprise, not that he would show it on his face, at the flush that filled Lestrange's face at his words, "Not at all, especially since he's with you," He mumbled, "I was just simply curious because you've never really seemed interested in [Name] before." Tom hummed in response, "I'm aware of the fact, but that's because he suddenly has something I want." "And that is?" Lestrange baited. "None of your business as of current." Tom stood swiftly and looked down at the boy, "When it is your business, I will let you know. But, not right now." Tom wasted no time in leaving the other male to his thoughts as he made his own way up to his dorm room for the night. -- When you let Tom into your dorm room after you changed into your dress robes for him to see, you stood, rather shyly Tom noted, with your hands clasped in front of your being. Though your demeanor seemed shy and bashful, you held your head up and shoulders back with confidence that made Tom understand what was going through your head. You weren't nervous about the way you looked, you knew you looked good, you were nervous in how Tom would react to seeing you in your ensemble. And it was the first time Tom found himself having to control his teenage hormones. Tom crowded you in and placed his hands on your hips, pulled you closed to him. A gasp fell past your lips as he trailed his nose up your neck, "What are you doing?" You whispered, hesitating before you placed your hands on his shoulders. "It looks good on you," He said simply, "Let's see if your dancing skills are really up to par." You grinned and got into position as he gracefully led you into a simple waltz to a silent song in his head. And doing your part, you followed his lead with perfection in every step. "You surprise me Tom," You drawled as the short routine came to an end, "I thought I would have to lead you in this area, but I was wrong." The taller sighed and openly rolled his eyes at your statement, "Very funny, do you have little faith in me?" You shrugged, "Anyways, I believe we will certainly not only surprise everyone at the ball, but I also believe we will stun everyone in the room, including the professors. We make a lovely pair." "Thank you, I think so too. We'll stun them all," You grinned and kissed his cheek, "If that is all, I'd like to change into my pajamas and get some sleep." You said as you made your way to your nightstand to fish your pajamas from  it. "I could always help you change," Tom murmured as he was suddenly pressed against your back, his hands back on your hips and lips pressed against your neck. You paused your actions and instinctively you moved your head to the side to give him more room. Though you weren't one to so easily put yourself in such provocative situations as Tom was known to do, you were highly tempted at the moment, "I'd love to," You whispered, "But I don't think my dorm mates wish to walk in on such a display." Tom hummed against your neck, still peppering the flesh with kisses, one of his hands now sliding up your stomach as the other ventured down to grip your arse. A gasp sounded from your lips followed by a shuddered breath, "Tom.." You warned. The boy sighed and extracted himself from you, not without nipping your neck at having been told no, "Fine, but I believe we need to change something within our little contract of ours." "And that is?" You asked as you finally got your pajamas out and laid them down on your bed and turned to him. "Do you remember your little display in the common room yesterday?" You nodded, "I can understand you being possessive since I have many offers all the time from people, whether it being a date or sex, but you can't even begin to understand how possessive I can get." You shivered slightly at the flash of something dangerous in Tom's eyes made you hold onto his every word. "You stated before we could have an open relationship, just a front to benefit the both of us," He flicked an invisible piece of lint from his robes, "But I won't have infidelity, not on my part or yours. Every part of you will belong to me, because you are mine and it is as simple as that." You mulled over his words before you responded, "I can deal with that. I'm physically attracted to you, and by your reactions I can tell you feel the same so that part won't be an issue. But," He looked at you as you paused momentarily, "I know I will be the one out of the two of you looking for a more emotionally component of this relationship." Tom was startled at the emotion you let yourself convey through your facial expressions, only ever seeing you in complete control of your mask as any other pureblood. He could however understand why you did such an action. "I could look into opening myself up for an emotional component, for you, but that would make you my only weakness and I would have to lock you away if things don't work out." He said simply. Your schooled sly expression was back, and Tom was actually relieved. He wasn't sure how much he could take of human feelings. "You won't have to worry about things not working out as long as you run your every plan by me first. I've lived a life of politics since I was young because of my father, I know when things will work and when they won't," You gave him another kiss, though this time it was on his lips, "Worry isn't a good look on you." "I'm not worried." "Yes you are, but that's alright. Let me be the one to worry for the two of us, and you can be the good-looking stoic man of us. Sound good? Besides as it is, isn't that what a wife is supposed to be?" You giggled at his look of contemplation. You were right after all, "Now get out. Yule Ball is a week and a half away, and I always need my beauty sleep. Shoo." Tom let you push him out of your dorm room and his numbly made his way to his. What did he get himself into? Was this even a contract anymore? You were more open for an emotional relationship that he was, but with how he reacts around you, he wasn't so sure you were the only one. -- On the day of the ball, you took your time getting ready, and thus started getting ready early as most of the girls did. No, you weren't taking your time to put on makeup or anything, you used the time to mentally prepare yourself of what you were going to put yourself through. This would be your first public affiliation with Tom, and starting your debut as a strong political couple. Tom waited outside the Great Hall, where the ball was being hosted, just as you requested of him. He didn't understand why you didn't wish to walk with him, but he humored your request. It was two minutes until the ball was officially supposed to start when Tom spotted you, and he was blown away just as much seeing you in your flattering robes as the other times he's seen you in them. He just wanted to hide you away and keep you all to himself. But he knew he couldn't. You were supposed to look ravishing on his arm, and you were. "I didn't think you were one to flirt with a fashionably late arrival," Tom drawled as he tucked your hand into his arm. You grinned and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, "I only do such things to keep you on your toes Riddle." Everything stopped when the two of you stepped into the Great Hall. All eyes were on you as Tom led into the room, back to the refreshments table first, not straight towards the dance floor. All the tables had been banished or put away, as well as expanded to hold not only enough room for the dancing couples, but as well as smaller round tables where dinner would be served. The ceiling wasn't charmed to show the stars tonight, though you could see a few, the main purpose was the faux snow falling from it, enrapturing the whole feel of yule and winter in the mix.   There were looks of awe and envy thrown at you, as well as disgust and anger, as well as a faint air of nervousness as people realized what a pair the two of you made. You expected all of this, and you were going to relish in all of it. Throughout the night, Tom didn't let you leave his side. He noticed the hungry stares from your male peers as soon as you walked in, and he was not going to let another male touch you when you so readily agreed to be his. You were asked more than a dozen times by different guys to dance with them, but Tom didn't let you. You were going to, out of politeness, but with the possessive grip on your hip made you decline every offer. He did say he was possessive, you just didn't expect it to this extent. It was hot and made you feel owned in the right way of saying it. At one point in the evening, after everyone had ate and things started dwindling down, Tom made a point to song you senseless against the wall- in front of everyone mind you. He made sure to reduce you to nothing but a puddle of mush in the process to show everyone that you were his and anyone who got in the way of that would feel his wrath. As you both walked back to your common room, you asked, "When did you want to get married?" Tom paused in the middle of the hallway, not caring if there was anyone who heard this conversation, but he was taken back by the question, "Whenever you want." He replied. With a nod, you continued back to the dungeons, wrapping both your arms around his. "Did you want to save your chastity for that night? Is that why you're asking?" Tom smirked, chuckling as you blushed and tensed against him. "That's-That's not what I meant by asking, I was merely curious of how soon you wished for it," You stammered, only adding to Tom's amusement. "So am I right? If your chastity still intact?" He mused. "Does it matter?" You whispered. He hummed in contemplation, "No, I was merely curious," He parroted. You huffed at his mock, but gave in, "I am in fact still a virgin, and with your possessive streak, I probably just stroke your ego," You sighed as his grin widened, "Don't tease me." "Oh no, I won't tease you. But I will revel in the fact I will own all your first pertaining to your body," He triumphed. "You weren't my first kiss," You protested weakly. "No, but I'll be the first to fuck you," He laughed outwardly as a gasp sounded, seeing as you both just stepped into the common room. You flushed brightly, "You're horrible." "Ah, but you love me, don't you?" "Maybe," You said as you kissed him goodnight and dashed in a flurry of midnight blue to your dorm to change and hopefully find some sleep before Tom came to haunt your dreams. As much as you'd hate to admit it, you were almost positively sure you were falling in love with one of the most feared up-in-coming wizards. You just hope he felt the same. You wouldn't know for a while, but he did.

[fallsemester2020]

Peer Responses

Adam Odolil-

“Gillan Williams’ artwork.

 What I noticed in Gillan’s work was the order of the leaves, rocks, and acorns. This made me think about how nature is in fact quite orderly even though it looks so chaotic. As you zoom in on a leaf or acorn, you see the symmetry they contain. I think this is part of the reason why people are so drawn to nature. It looks haphazardly arranged at first glance but upon closer inspection, you see how orderly it is. By explicitly putting the acorns and other materials in a clear pattern, Gillan made me realize how much order there is in nature. I think I can apply to this my personal life as well in that even if it is chaotic, I can still find some overall order or purpose within it."

Jillian Riley-

“The nature artwork that I connect with the most, is the one done by Diana DeVito. I really like how she made her artwork look like a compass. It reminds me of all the different directions we can go in life. Not one direction or path is the correct one, meaning that we all have a different story to tell. You as the observer are led in a different direction based on what object your eye catches first. This makes me imagine that the different leaves, and sticks lead you to a new adventure in each direction. I also liked the picture of the sunset along the Allegany river that she took. I like to capture the progression of a sunset, because as each moment passes in time, there is a new picture."

Alyssa Shelander-

"I truly enjoyed looking at all the student's outdoor work, however, I believe I connected with Hailey Echdahl’s outdoor work the most. I connect to her work specifically due to the bright and vibrant colors that immediately caught my eye. This caught my eye because the various colors stuck out that I felt represented energy and positivity. I also see this piece representing the season of fall due to the different colors of leaves, which is my favorite season. Finally, the various layers created a sort of a 3D dimension, allowing you to contrast the different leaves and see the beauty under it all. “

Gordon Santiago-

“After looking through the blog posts I found myself constantly looking back at the work done by Diana. Although I am not sure what brought me back to her work I found that there was a feeling of being centered with it. predominately I focused on the green stuffed into the acorn in the center of the sun like disc. It’s not a very complicated work and I’m not sure if the simplicity is what drew me to it, however it reminded me a lot of a sun, with the matching colors of the opposite sides calmed my anxiety because I don’t like asymmetry In art unless it makes sense.”

Hailey Eckdahl- 

“Hey Lauren!I really enjoyed your art that you created for this week! I like the progression of the life of the leaves as well as it representing the change in the season it shows the change in weather/seasons that we are experiencing now! I also liked you nature photos they turned out really cool! Great work.”

Josie Barcley-

“I really connected with Sam’s piece due to the combination of all its elements. I am familiar with album that Sam used while creating her piece so this allows me to form a connection not only with the art but with the artist herself. I also noticed how Sam was the only one that used filters on her photos and that was something that stuck out to me. All of Sam’s photos flowed together nicely. I also think that the photos of the bugs fit in well with the piece Sam created.”

Alby Alex-

“I found Gordon Santiago’s artwork very interesting. I thought it was creative and humorous to see a stick figure made out of sticks. When I saw the stick figure, it brought me back to my childhood. It reminds me of drawing stick figures for every individual. It’s funny how something as simple as stick figures can mean so much to a kid because they represent the people in his/her life. I noticed that in one documentation the stick figure had yellow eyes, and in the second documentation the stick figure had no eyes. Both documentations show no facial expression on the stick figure. I wonder if the artwork is trying to show that one expression cannot embody an individual. I also wonder what the circle of rocks was supposed to signify. Maybe the circle of rocks was displayed to focus on the stick figure, maybe it shows entrapment, or maybe it was put for no particular reason than display purposes. In addition, I thought the blue eggshell and the snake were fascinating to find outdoors. The snake is surely neat but creepy as well! How did you get such a close shot of the snake? Were you not at all scared? I didn’t think there would be snakes in Olean; but, I hope it’s nowhere near the campus! Overall, I enjoyed seeing Gordon’s nature artworks and documentations on the blog!”

Sarah Kone- 

“A peer's artwork that I connected with was the one by Diana DeVitto. For her pictures you can tell that her picture were taken around the night time and that is my favorite time of the day. The picture that she took of the lake (I'm asumming it is a lake) had a very nice reflection of the sky when it is about to get dark outside. That picture just looked really peaceful. The 2nd picture with the acorn heads and leave kind of reminded me of a sunflower (the way its shapped) and I like those.”

Alyssa Dean-

“The art piece that really drew my eye was Lauren Barry’s. I admire the simplicity of it as a whole. It also brings me a feeling of serenity as it is not very noisy or complex. I think that I connect with it so well because it almost projects who I am in a way — I love anything organic and earthy and physically being with nature. Her piece is quiet, simple, magical, and brings me peace.”

Leann Mangalath- 

“I related to Sam Henry's art piece because I interpreted it as a heart. The heart consists of raw, green leaves and rusty-colored leaves. In my mind, I viewed this as my heart being varied in terms of emotions. I have my raw emotions that come out but sometimes, I release my energy and heart sourly. There was a time in my life that I was very self-centered. This can be represented by the rusty-colored leaves. Then, it was not until my cousin who passed away recently that I realized that life is too short and that life should not be taken for granted. In the middle of the heart, there are white flowers and at the top of the heart, there is a stone-made pedestal with a white-pedaled flower on a yellow bud. This is a great way of showing that no matter what life brings to an individual, life will be fine overall in the end. In our hearts, we have hope to be our best versions of ourselves.”

Raine Pfeiffer-

“One of my peer’s outdoor work that I connected with was Ryan Pfohl’s. I really liked the messaged that was conveyed behind this art having to do with litter and trash found in nature. This really is a continuing issue in society that we all need to improve upon together. I can remember ever since I was younger my dad would take me up and down our road weekly and pick up trash and cans that was left by others. Nature is beautiful, precious, and so important to our well-being. That is why we need to treat it so carefully and never throw trash in areas it shouldn’t be.”

Diana DeVito-

“I really liked Lauren Barry’s piece. It’s very simple, but the colors blend perfectly together. It reminds me of the changing seasons, but also the uniqueness of each tree during the fall. It reminds me that everything looks different and unique while they change, and that’s what makes the transition to fall, or transitions throughout life so beautiful and exciting.”

Lauren Barry-

“After looking at the blog, I really connected with Margaret Sweeney's poem. When explaining what art means, they explained what art is from various perspectives. Art coming from the past, future, meaning opportunity or a lesson, really connected with me. In addition, starting with "Art is..." on one line, then following it with "And art is" on the next line provides a format that is consistent, which is nice for the reader. All in all, I connected with Margaret's poem, "Art Matters to Me”.”

Gillian Williams - 

“'Upon reviewing my piers work in last week's outdoor activity, I noticed much different and expressive artwork. Alby Alex's artwork stood out to me for many reasons. For example, there were many layers of outdoor material that help form a very contrast by the look from very bold colors and the different layers. Her use of materials was very well thought out.”

Zachary Delardi- 

“The artist I decided to reflect on within our class was Brett Smith. His art piece connected with me for multiple reasons. For starters, he did this at the house he lives at and I know this because I live at the same house. His photos have some comfortable vibes with me. I personally like this piece because it is very symmetrical. My major has me dealing with computers all day, so consistency/patterns is something that I think I am more incline to find visually appealing. As someone who has always grown up near a city, his choice of environment isn’t a big forest, but next to some roads and businesses. I thought this was different compared to everyone else and brought in a new look. Lastly, I was able to talk to the artist himself. It was interesting knowing that Brett Smith made this piece with a lot of emotion in mind. He said it reflected him as a young kid when he was growing up in rural Buffalo. He would ask his dad to throw a ball with him once in a while, but his own hand eye coordination was not good enough to earn his father’s respect. As any kid would when they are bored, he ended up playing with sticks in the yard. He said he used to make stick figures and call them “dad” and have conversations with them. I think we all do weird things as a kid to cope with situations we don’t understand so to bring that into the world of art and express that is very cool.”

Margaret Sweeney-

"Peer Connection – Zachary Delardi

I noticed we went to the same spot on the River Trail, so I had an instant connection with your work of art. I really like how you utilized all the resources in the environment, not just the nature. I think it is important to capture the entire atmosphere to portray the deeper issue of litter in our society. Zooming in on your art piece, I really like how you emulated a face. I find it fascinating when people use items in nature such as rocks and grass to personify a human. On a deeper level, it goes to show humans in their own sense, are equally as a part of nature as anything else. Your art piece was simple, yet effective in highlighting a deeper meaning, and I felt as if I really connected with it on a level that shows humans as connected with elements in nature.”

Brett Smith- 

“The art piece that I have chosen to reflect on is by the artist Zachary Delardi. His art spoke to me. Growing up in suburban Buffalo, I didn’t really get to camp a lot and that’s all I wanted to try to do as a kid. So, seeing the face in a wooded area speaks to my childhood. Also with the face not smiling speaks to me because it’s like that was me as a child not being able to go and experience camping like most of my friends at the time where doing. Living with the artist also helps with the piece speaking to me because Zach and I had a similar background growing up in a very suburban childhood.”

Chris Flood-

“I choose to look at Riley Dambaugh's nature piece. The reason I chose to do this was because it caught my eye when I was scrolling through the blog. I really liked it because of the contrast of the colors in the work. The stones on the outside are gray, but she puts berries on the rocks to add some color to that part of the work. Then the inside has green, yellow, and red which really draws your eyes. I also like how she stuck with the shape of the circle throughout the work, I really like the look it makes.”

Ryan Pfohl- 

“To Zachary Delardi: 

            The parents of one of my best friends like to travel to different places all over the world. They collect these tiki statues and tiki faces from all different places, and they have their tiki collection all hung up in one room of their house. I have also thought that their collection was super cool especially because it came from all over the world. Your nature art project reminded me of their collection as soon as I saw it. The way you strategically placed rocks of different sizes turned out great. Your work looks organized and well thought out, but it also has a messy look that gives it character. This was very creative, great work with this project!”

Riley Dambaugh-

“Nature photo submission that I connect with: Gillian Williams

Gill’s nature photo submission is simple yet beautiful. It is very pleasing to the eye. I love the colors used and the combination of all different things found in nature work very well together. The yellow and orange used give the submission the perfect pop of color. This submission immediately caught my eye, as it is very symmetrical and pleasing to look at. I also love how the rocks at the bottom contrast with the larger rock that they are sitting on, and help to tie the work together. Overall I love Gills submission because of the use of color and symmetry.”

Noah Vassallo-

“I can connect and relate to Zachary Delardi’s outdoor art. The way he assembled the stones and other components together looks exactly like a smiling face with two eyes, a nose, ears, and a mouth. He also used grass for the hair and leaves for the ears on his creation which I think is quite clever and creative. The colors on the stones he used really fit well with the muddy background. I also noticed that his creation sits on the banks of a nearby river. The river behind the smiling face strongly reminds me of a time in my childhood when I use to swim with my friends in a river near my house. I can imagine the smiling face as myself having a happy and fun day swimming in the river and hanging out with my friends as a child. Zachary’s art reminded me of my childhood and all the good times I had. It brought back fun and happy memories from my childhood which I can really appreciate."

Sam Henry-

“One blog post that I connected with this week was Maggie Sweeney’s. I really enjoyed looking at her outdoor artwork. I liked how she incorporated some things that people might ordinarily view has garbage and gave them a new purpose in her artwork. I also really enjoyed reading her poem about why art matters to her. I like how in her poem she looks at the different emotions involved in art. I also like how she takes about the importance of art in the passage of time. She discusses how art tells the story of our past and drives us into the future. My favorite part about her post is her picture of the spider on the flower. I like how changes the view that people often have of spiders. A lot of times people see a spider and think they represent creepiness and darkness. But in this picture the spider is made to look pretty and full of life.”

Chasity Garcia- 

“While I was walking and collecting objects, it was hard to find objects that had color on the trail. There were paint leaves and broken tree branches on the trail that lead me to use more than just object. T he land piece that really caught my attention was created by Riley Dambaugh. The reasons why I liked her piece so much is because it quickly made me visualize a campfire or a sunflower. The way the rocks are placed on the outside of the sunflower just allows us as the viewers to look at 2 pieces of work at once.”

[onlyfourmonths]

three months in

It’s the 22nd of November today, so it’s officially been three months since I left Sydney and what better time to start a blog to document my thoughts than right now, right? I’ve been real bad at trying to document my journey through text, and despite my numerous attempts, I find it hard to stay consistent. I thought if I made a tumblr I would be held more accountable because of how much free time I have between classes and because I’m always on my laptop. So I’m hoping I can fill this blog with memories of what is bound to be a small but beautiful period of my life.

So hi, if you’re reading this, I’m a fourth year student from UTS currently studying abroad at Yonsei University in Korea. It’s been a very soul finding three months and I am devastated that I only have one month left with all the friends I’ve made here - and to think that we’ll all probably never be in the same place all together ever again is so sad. But I suppose these fleeting memories are better having a place in the back of my mind than having never happened at all, right? 

For the very first post I wanted to reflect on myself. It’s 2PM and I’m sitting outside the main cafeteria - a spot I always find myself whenever I don’t have any friends to meet up with in between classes or when I finish classes. Just a few days ago, a friend asked if I had “found” myself here on exchange. The logic being because I’ve been away for such an extended period of time by myself. I was thinking back to who I was before I came to Korea and I truly couldn’t really pinpoint any changes that may have occurred... and I was actually quite sad because what’s the point of being on exchange if I don’t find growth in any aspect of my life? But I’ve been sitting on it for a few days and I do think I’ve grown even if it’s just a little...

First things first, I’ve definitely grown into myself. I am so incredibly comfortable in my own skin and if the world were to collapse or turn on me, I think I’d be alright... because I know myself...? There are always things that I’m never going to be able to change because that’s just who I am - for example confrontation, speaking etc... I can’t quite put it into the right words at the moment but basically I think I know who I am and how I react to things a lot better now. Things like “FOMO” or feeling societal pressures and just “conforming” don’t matter to me AT ALL. I knew I didn’t give a fuck back in Sydney but it’s truly been ingrained in me now. 

You know.. you look on social media and see people around the same age pushing their lifestyles and oftentimes you put them on a pedestal... nope. I think that’s also the Korean mindset - they just don’t give a fuck about anything or anyone but themselves and I fucking respect that. Don’t get me wrong - Koreans can also be incredibly sweet but they just mind their own damn business, you know? Peeing on the side of the road? Homeless and walking around with no pants? Sleeping on the subway? Literally no one gives a fuck and no one bats an eye. Ugh it’s just something I LOVE about being here. At the risk of sounding condescending I am grateful I have found my own path in life. I’ve still got a long way to go to be where I want to be but I feel good about where I’m at now. Also side note Koreans spit so much - much more than I’ve EVER seen in Cabramatta - I seriously don’t get phased anymore. WHO AM I?

I have a really great friend here - it’s quite devastating that she lives in the states because if she was in Sydney I think she’d be one of my closest friends - and through talks I’ve just realised how much I don’t care about the things that society thinks I should care about? The Western Sydney culture is NOT for me and I think it’s so refreshing being surrounded by people who are not enclaved by the same mindset. Exchange is sort of like high school and it’s weird to revisit after such a long time. You’re constantly surrounded by the same people and there’s going to be tension. I’ve learnt how to be a better friend and have truly found happiness on exchange with my two best friends here.

Ugh I was proofreading for the past ten minutes and I made mental notes about what to write but I’ve totally blanked so I’ll end it here. I think this post is quite the lengthy one so until next time. Ah the friend I just previously mentioned has just materialised in front of me. This is destiny. Bye.

[legalseat]

A Compelling Collection of Criminal Law Scholarship: Book Review of Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3

At times, it seems as though law is a heavily polarized field. On one side, there are the practising lawyers; the practical, front-line people who deal with the realities of our legal system on a day-to-day basis. On the other, there are the academics; the people who chart and explain the progression of our legal system, and who explore the implications of decisions and debate the good and the bad of what our system has been, what it is, and of the direction that it may take in the future. Too often, I think, we put the practising side of law on a pedestal. We students are especially guilty of this. What practising lawyers do is important. They enable the functioning of the legal system, help people to realize their rights. The arguments that they put forward shape the common law and create the framework within which judges render their decisions. In light of this, it is easy to view the academic side of law as unimportant: a side show which, while interesting, is often too far removed from the reality of law to be relevant.

However, such a view misses the great value that academic pursuits add to the legal field. Academia provides perspective. Since academics are not limited by a particular position and the pursuit of a particular outcome, they are free to undertake more expansive and holistic analyses which can consider issues from all angles. Academia builds understanding and legal discourse, which is itself a cornerstone of a healthy legal system. The comments of academics can often be just as persuasive as any case law, if used skillfully, and many a judge has referred with approval to such secondary sources.

Of course, the lifeblood of academic expression is the journal. This blawg reviews the Criminal Law Edition of the Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3. The present issue collects papers covering a wide range of topics, from developing jurisprudence and issues of evidence, to challenges faced by Indigenous persons in the justice system, to issues of the law and sex work, and more. Some present the outcomes of studies conducted by the authors, while others construct legal arguments. Below, I discuss some of the salient qualities of the Journal, as well as highlighting a few of the papers therein which particularly captured my own interest.

Before doing so, however, there is a preliminary matter to deal with. As stated above, publications like the Manitoba Law Journal are extremely important to the legal field, as they provide a forum for academic expression. They are also quite a chore to put together. Thus, before going any further, I think that it is crucially important to acknowledge the great amounts of time and effort that went into the making of the present volume. I have had the privilege of getting to know virtually everyone on the editing team, whether as instructors of courses that I have taken, through work on campus, or simply through sharing a class. All are very busy and involved individuals and, knowing how much they already had on their plates, I frankly have no clue how they found time to put this together. Behind every hour of time that the reader spends on the material contained in the Journal are many hours of work. So, to the editorial team, to the folks at Emond Publishing, and to the authors of the pieces themselves, thank you for your superb efforts.

On now, to the fruits of those efforts. I admit, it can be difficult to get excited about reading a law journal. Doing research over the summer, I read portions of a lot of law journals, mostly dealing with international law topics. While the contents are often interesting, they are not, generally, page-turners. However, in this regard the present issue of the Manitoba Law Journal surprised me. As I made my way through it, I found myself engrossed by the papers that I was reading; I quite enjoyed it. I think that this is a reflection of two aspects of the Journal that are very well done: the topic variation and the accessibility of the language.

The variety of topics and types of papers included in the Journal aids its readability. The Journal is divided into four substantive sections. The first looks at issues of evidence and emerging legal tests. The second examines issues faced by Indigenous persons, particularly in corrections. The third looks at issues of youth and the law. The final section includes two papers on sex work. Within these sections, the nature of the papers varies as well. Some detail studies done by the authors. Here, the focus is on explaining the hypothesis and methodology of the study, and then presenting and interpreting the results. Other papers present very focused arguments toward a specific end, such as the one by Scott Mair, which asserts the unconstitutionality of Canada’s infanticide provisions under s 233 of the Criminal Code.2 Others still, take more of a descriptive approach, highlighting the present state of affairs and the related issues. An example of this is the piece by Leah Combs on the underutilization of provisions in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act which are supposed to promote more effective corrections programming for aboriginal persons. The collective effect of this diversity is that the Journal avoids presenting the reader with similar concepts in a similar format repeatedly. This makes it easier to read because it does not feel repetitive. Many of the papers go in very different directions, making each section feel new and fresh, and avoiding monotony.

Building on the readability established by the diverse contents of the Journal, is the accessibility of the language. Choice of words is important in conveying a point, be it simple or complex. Using simple, direct, plain language can often make even difficult and abstract concepts much easier to understand. Conversely, use of rambling, technical language and an excess of unnecessary words can render the most basic idea arcane and impenetrable. Unfortunately, it has been my own experience that too many academics subscribe to the latter style. Luckily for all of us, none of these individuals have been included in the present volume of the Journal.

I found that the papers in the Journal were quite easy to follow. Even some of the more technical ones, such John Burchill’s piece on alibi evidence and disclosure issues, is eminently readable.2 This paper is a great example, as I have had no prior experience with alibi defences and the relating disclosure rules, yet the information was presented in such a way that I had little trouble following Burchill’s argument. The Journal reads clearly like this throughout. Once again, this makes the entire publication both easier and more enjoyable to read. Readers should not have to feel like Columbus, sailing off in a general direction and hoping to find an author’s point somewhere along the way. The present volume of the Journal imparts no such feeling: at all times while reading it, you know exactly where it is going.

Before concluding, I wanted to highlight some of the pieces that I found to be particularly compelling in this volume of the Journal. First up is, conveniently, the first paper of the journal: Examining How Lineup Practices of Canadian and US Police Officers Adhere to their National Best Practice Recommendations.3 The paper summarizes the authors’ findings in a study that compared the degree to which Canadian and American police follow the Best Practice recommendations handed down to them by their respective governments. I found it interesting because it sheds light on the implementation side of developing the legal system. Where police are not implementing the best practices they have been given, it raises important questions about why: are the officers themselves resisting the change, or are there unforeseen practical issues raised by the recommended practices? These are important questions that need to be followed up in order build a better legal system.

The second piece that I would like to highlight isR v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework.4 I was a bit biased on this one, as I read and briefed Jarvis over the summer. The case, involving a teacher who was secretly filming females’ chests with a hidden camera while talking to them in the halls, just did not sit right with me. At both the trial and appeal levels, Jarvis was acquitted, for reasons that were just absurd on my own view. I enjoyed reading Ryan Mullins’ arguments for an assessment of reasonable expectation of privacy which considers the totality of the circumstances. The case is on its way through the Supreme Court now. It shall be interesting to see how they decide to approach the reasonable expectation of privacy issue. Given modern technology, especially the ease with which we can be recorded, this case could set an important precedent for the future.

The final paper in the Journal that stood out to me is Healing Ourselves: Interrogating the Underutilisation of Sections 81 & 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.5 The provisions in question were designed and implemented to help reduce Indigenous over-representation in the Canadian justice system. This paper indicates that these provisions have not been used nearly as much as they could be, and explores why. Given that Indigenous over-representation is one of Canada’s biggest criminal law issues, I think it would have been inappropriate to publish a criminal law journal without including material addressing this issue. It is difficult, it is politically loaded, but it cannot be ignored. The findings made by Leah Combs in this paper are also important because they indicate that Corrections is not just resistant to implementing ss 81 and 84, but that they are actively siphoning funds earmarked for initiatives under these provisions into other parts of their budget.6 That is a serious problem and, whether you support the content of the provisions or not, should not be allowed to continue.

Thus, we come to the end of this book review for the present volume of the Manitoba Law Journal. What this journal, and all journals, do is important to the legal field. This volume in particular is well-written, interesting and diverse; it is clearly the product of much care and effort on the part of all involved in its production. I found my interest thoroughly engaged by its contents, which address issues of significance and relevance to the criminal law realm today. To readers and researchers wondering whether to dive into this volume, I would say you cannot go wrong by doing so.

The journal is available online in various legal databases, on the web for everyone, and at Academia.edu.

Endnotes

1 Scott Mair, “Challenging Infanticide: Why Section 233 of Canada’s Criminal Code is Unconstitutional”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 241.

2 John Burchill, “Alibi Evidence: Responsibility for Disclosure and Investigation”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 99.

3Michelle I Bertrand et al, “Examining How Lineup Practices of Canadian and US Police Officers Adhere to their National Best Practice Recommendations”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 1.

4 Ryan Mullins, “R v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 77.

5 Leah Combs, “Healing Ourselves: Interrogating the Underutilisation of Sections 81 & 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 163.

6 Ibid at 163.

A Compelling Collection of Criminal Law Scholarship: Book Review of Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3 published first on https://divorcelawyermumbai.tumblr.com/

[legalroll]

A Compelling Collection of Criminal Law Scholarship: Book Review of Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3

At times, it seems as though law is a heavily polarized field. On one side, there are the practising lawyers; the practical, front-line people who deal with the realities of our legal system on a day-to-day basis. On the other, there are the academics; the people who chart and explain the progression of our legal system, and who explore the implications of decisions and debate the good and the bad of what our system has been, what it is, and of the direction that it may take in the future. Too often, I think, we put the practising side of law on a pedestal. We students are especially guilty of this. What practising lawyers do is important. They enable the functioning of the legal system, help people to realize their rights. The arguments that they put forward shape the common law and create the framework within which judges render their decisions. In light of this, it is easy to view the academic side of law as unimportant: a side show which, while interesting, is often too far removed from the reality of law to be relevant.

However, such a view misses the great value that academic pursuits add to the legal field. Academia provides perspective. Since academics are not limited by a particular position and the pursuit of a particular outcome, they are free to undertake more expansive and holistic analyses which can consider issues from all angles. Academia builds understanding and legal discourse, which is itself a cornerstone of a healthy legal system. The comments of academics can often be just as persuasive as any case law, if used skillfully, and many a judge has referred with approval to such secondary sources.

Of course, the lifeblood of academic expression is the journal. This blawg reviews the Criminal Law Edition of the Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3. The present issue collects papers covering a wide range of topics, from developing jurisprudence and issues of evidence, to challenges faced by Indigenous persons in the justice system, to issues of the law and sex work, and more. Some present the outcomes of studies conducted by the authors, while others construct legal arguments. Below, I discuss some of the salient qualities of the Journal, as well as highlighting a few of the papers therein which particularly captured my own interest.

Before doing so, however, there is a preliminary matter to deal with. As stated above, publications like the Manitoba Law Journal are extremely important to the legal field, as they provide a forum for academic expression. They are also quite a chore to put together. Thus, before going any further, I think that it is crucially important to acknowledge the great amounts of time and effort that went into the making of the present volume. I have had the privilege of getting to know virtually everyone on the editing team, whether as instructors of courses that I have taken, through work on campus, or simply through sharing a class. All are very busy and involved individuals and, knowing how much they already had on their plates, I frankly have no clue how they found time to put this together. Behind every hour of time that the reader spends on the material contained in the Journal are many hours of work. So, to the editorial team, to the folks at Emond Publishing, and to the authors of the pieces themselves, thank you for your superb efforts.

On now, to the fruits of those efforts. I admit, it can be difficult to get excited about reading a law journal. Doing research over the summer, I read portions of a lot of law journals, mostly dealing with international law topics. While the contents are often interesting, they are not, generally, page-turners. However, in this regard the present issue of the Manitoba Law Journal surprised me. As I made my way through it, I found myself engrossed by the papers that I was reading; I quite enjoyed it. I think that this is a reflection of two aspects of the Journal that are very well done: the topic variation and the accessibility of the language.

The variety of topics and types of papers included in the Journal aids its readability. The Journal is divided into four substantive sections. The first looks at issues of evidence and emerging legal tests. The second examines issues faced by Indigenous persons, particularly in corrections. The third looks at issues of youth and the law. The final section includes two papers on sex work. Within these sections, the nature of the papers varies as well. Some detail studies done by the authors. Here, the focus is on explaining the hypothesis and methodology of the study, and then presenting and interpreting the results. Other papers present very focused arguments toward a specific end, such as the one by Scott Mair, which asserts the unconstitutionality of Canada’s infanticide provisions under s 233 of the Criminal Code.2 Others still, take more of a descriptive approach, highlighting the present state of affairs and the related issues. An example of this is the piece by Leah Combs on the underutilization of provisions in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act which are supposed to promote more effective corrections programming for aboriginal persons. The collective effect of this diversity is that the Journal avoids presenting the reader with similar concepts in a similar format repeatedly. This makes it easier to read because it does not feel repetitive. Many of the papers go in very different directions, making each section feel new and fresh, and avoiding monotony.

Building on the readability established by the diverse contents of the Journal, is the accessibility of the language. Choice of words is important in conveying a point, be it simple or complex. Using simple, direct, plain language can often make even difficult and abstract concepts much easier to understand. Conversely, use of rambling, technical language and an excess of unnecessary words can render the most basic idea arcane and impenetrable. Unfortunately, it has been my own experience that too many academics subscribe to the latter style. Luckily for all of us, none of these individuals have been included in the present volume of the Journal.

I found that the papers in the Journal were quite easy to follow. Even some of the more technical ones, such John Burchill’s piece on alibi evidence and disclosure issues, is eminently readable.2 This paper is a great example, as I have had no prior experience with alibi defences and the relating disclosure rules, yet the information was presented in such a way that I had little trouble following Burchill’s argument. The Journal reads clearly like this throughout. Once again, this makes the entire publication both easier and more enjoyable to read. Readers should not have to feel like Columbus, sailing off in a general direction and hoping to find an author’s point somewhere along the way. The present volume of the Journal imparts no such feeling: at all times while reading it, you know exactly where it is going.

Before concluding, I wanted to highlight some of the pieces that I found to be particularly compelling in this volume of the Journal. First up is, conveniently, the first paper of the journal: Examining How Lineup Practices of Canadian and US Police Officers Adhere to their National Best Practice Recommendations.3 The paper summarizes the authors’ findings in a study that compared the degree to which Canadian and American police follow the Best Practice recommendations handed down to them by their respective governments. I found it interesting because it sheds light on the implementation side of developing the legal system. Where police are not implementing the best practices they have been given, it raises important questions about why: are the officers themselves resisting the change, or are there unforeseen practical issues raised by the recommended practices? These are important questions that need to be followed up in order build a better legal system.

The second piece that I would like to highlight isR v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework.4 I was a bit biased on this one, as I read and briefed Jarvis over the summer. The case, involving a teacher who was secretly filming females’ chests with a hidden camera while talking to them in the halls, just did not sit right with me. At both the trial and appeal levels, Jarvis was acquitted, for reasons that were just absurd on my own view. I enjoyed reading Ryan Mullins’ arguments for an assessment of reasonable expectation of privacy which considers the totality of the circumstances. The case is on its way through the Supreme Court now. It shall be interesting to see how they decide to approach the reasonable expectation of privacy issue. Given modern technology, especially the ease with which we can be recorded, this case could set an important precedent for the future.

The final paper in the Journal that stood out to me is Healing Ourselves: Interrogating the Underutilisation of Sections 81 & 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.5 The provisions in question were designed and implemented to help reduce Indigenous over-representation in the Canadian justice system. This paper indicates that these provisions have not been used nearly as much as they could be, and explores why. Given that Indigenous over-representation is one of Canada’s biggest criminal law issues, I think it would have been inappropriate to publish a criminal law journal without including material addressing this issue. It is difficult, it is politically loaded, but it cannot be ignored. The findings made by Leah Combs in this paper are also important because they indicate that Corrections is not just resistant to implementing ss 81 and 84, but that they are actively siphoning funds earmarked for initiatives under these provisions into other parts of their budget.6 That is a serious problem and, whether you support the content of the provisions or not, should not be allowed to continue.

Thus, we come to the end of this book review for the present volume of the Manitoba Law Journal. What this journal, and all journals, do is important to the legal field. This volume in particular is well-written, interesting and diverse; it is clearly the product of much care and effort on the part of all involved in its production. I found my interest thoroughly engaged by its contents, which address issues of significance and relevance to the criminal law realm today. To readers and researchers wondering whether to dive into this volume, I would say you cannot go wrong by doing so.

The journal is available online in various legal databases, on the web for everyone, and at Academia.edu.

Endnotes

1 Scott Mair, “Challenging Infanticide: Why Section 233 of Canada’s Criminal Code is Unconstitutional”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 241.

2 John Burchill, “Alibi Evidence: Responsibility for Disclosure and Investigation”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 99.

3Michelle I Bertrand et al, “Examining How Lineup Practices of Canadian and US Police Officers Adhere to their National Best Practice Recommendations”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 1.

4 Ryan Mullins, “R v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 77.

5 Leah Combs, “Healing Ourselves: Interrogating the Underutilisation of Sections 81 & 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 163.

6 Ibid at 163.

A Compelling Collection of Criminal Law Scholarship: Book Review of Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3 published first on https://medium.com/@SanAntonioAttorney

[this-is-not-a]

What it means to have privilege

(Or, I once read a post on Scott Alexander’s blog about the social media response to MIT’s Professor Aaronson, a white male, lamenting about his romantic problems)

I.

Peggy McIntosh once made herself a White Privilege Checklist. Even if you’re not white, go through the list together with me and see which of these still apply to you:

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time. 2. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live. 3. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me. 4. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed. 5. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented. 6. When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is. 7. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race. 8. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege. 9. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods that fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can cut my hair. 10. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability. 11. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them. 12. I can swear, or dress in second-hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race. 13. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial. 14. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race. 15. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group. 16. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world’s majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion. 17. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider. 18. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to “the person in charge,” I will be facing a person of my race. 19. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race. 20. I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race. 21. I can go home from most meetings of organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in, rather than isolated, out-of-place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance, or feared. 22. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of race. 23. I can choose public accommodations without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen. 24. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me. 25. If my day, week, or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it has racial overtones. 26. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more less match my skin.

I scored 11/26 (How did you do?), which roughly reflects my experience as a Chinese American male; most of the stereotypes based around my ethnic group lean positive or neutral, at least in the sense that I am not prejudged to be threatening, stupid, or lazy; I think most other ethnic minorities in the US would score much lower on this checklist. By many metrics I am Basically White ™. If I wanted to add a few of my own specific ethnic privileges to the bottom I might include:

27. Other students don’t assume I am stupid or slow at work or in school because of my race 28. I don’t worry that police officers will be made uneasy when they notice my race 29. I can scan my social media feed without reading articles that antagonize my race in order to make a larger point about justice

And if I wanted to include some privileges my gender affords me:

30. My personality flaws are not generally attributed to being part of a larger truth about my gender 31. I don’t worry about attending social events with my coworkers 32. I can reliably expect the leadership at my company to be comfortable interacting with people of my gender

I think this is a useful exercise because it projects a unilateral concept into a more detailed multi-dimensional space. Part of my privilege means that I will be welcomed with open arms into the Math club, but some of my friends joke about not trusting me to drive them around. The same is true if you’re white; you are afforded a whole bunch of racial advantages, but even if your family grew up poor your upper-middle-class friends tell you you’re “playing life on easy mode.”

II.

I had amazing friends in college who could make me laugh so hard that I couldn’t breathe, inspire me to think on hard problems and sit and think alongside me, and make me believe that I could be great and change the world. A positive attitude towards learning that was instilled in me from high school meant that I didn’t fall down the trap of trying to be the smart-but-lazy guy who doesn’t care about anything. I would challenge those friends and assert my passionate view that caring about things is what’s cool. And this attitude meant that I did quite well in school and found a good balance of truly pursuing my interests and pencil pushing enough to build a resume without descending to the view of some of my other friends who insisted “the only point of college is to get a degree so you can get a job.” What I cared about was learning.

Oh and finding a girlfriend.

(Yes, I hoped maybe I could skim around that part and paint an otherwise lofty and pedantic portrait of my teen years. But the truth is, like most other teenage boys, I was absolutely obsessed with girls since basically high school for almost every moment I wasn’t actively engaged in an activity.)

You could break this down into equal parts cultivating my self-image and dealing with my fear of loneliness. I wanted to be the main character in the movie who “gets the girl,” and I wanted companionship and partnership. This type of objectification (that’s what it was; not all objectification is sexual) wasn’t necessarily healthy, but I think it’s something that a lot of teens go through and therefore something worth being honest about. There is a tendency to put people who you romantically desire up on a pedestal so that they become perfect-in-every-way symbols, and eventually cease to be real people in your mind. I wanted a girl - any girl - to show romantic interest in me largely as a way of validating my own personality. (I have grown since then but not enough that admitting this doesn’t still make me a little uncomfortable. It’s still mostly true.) I wanted an imaginary goddess who could only speak truths to appear to me and say “you are a good person and those eyebrows are perfect.”

Here’s one more bullet point I would want to put on the list, but crossed out because I don’t find it to be true:

33. I don’t worry about finding people who are willing to be in romantic relationships with people of my race and gender

In high school I first heard the phrase “Asian fetish” and knew instinctually that it didn’t apply to me. I knew that nobody out there found Asian boys like me attractive or sexy. I knew that my only hope was to be funny and creative, and maybe one day a blind person with no concept of physical attractiveness might fall in love with me (I’m being glib not offensive, just FYI if you’re blind). And the reason I knew it is expressed in another two bullet points that I need to cross out:

34. I see popular movies where someone of my race and gender ends up in a romantic relationship 35. I can easily find popular media where someone of my race and gender is portrayed as romantically desirable instead of comic relief

And to teenage me, who cared so much about finding a girl who might like me, this was a big deal, and it sucked. Why weren’t there ever whispers of girls with supposed fetishes for Asian men? Why were there dozens of TV shows and movies every year in which white guys and Asian girls fell in love but none where an Asian guy, who by all accounts might even be smart, funny, and attractive, ends up with any girl at all? I didn’t know what it meant but what it felt like was the world’s way of telling me “that kind of thing isn’t for people like you,” and even now I still have trouble outgrowing these things that I knew.

III.

Let’s take a step back. I know what you must be thinking. I’m thinking it too. How easy does my life have to be that my one complaint is that girls don’t find me attractive? How little agency do I have that I’m unwilling to admit that maybe I’m not such a catch and it has nothing to do with my race? Do I think being sexualized is so great that it’s worth the resulting increased rates of sexual violence? There are tons of articles out there written by actual women who have actually experienced this thing that they never asked for, to be sexualized and objectified by the media, and the verdict is in - it’s not worth it. And if I really can’t see that then maybe I should take another look at my privilege list. (Knew that thing would come in handy!) These articles are positive contributions to an important discussion. I just don’t think they exactly address what I’m talking about here, and if you’re not paying attention you might accidentally fall into that pit.

Sexual violence and sexual representation are not two sides of the same coin. I don’t think there’s any amount of sexualization from the media where the perks of being seen as desirable necessarily morph into a societal expectation that you exist solely as an object of desire. Instead I think that there are empowering forms of representation and reductive forms, and though the line between them is sometimes blurry that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, and it definitely doesn’t mean that all forms of representation are equally helpful or detrimental. I also don’t think that when someone complains about not having representation a valid response is to say “well look what representation gets you.” In fact, in general when someone is expressing their own pain, I don’t think explaining why their pain is not as big as other people’s pain is a real response so much as a method of derailment. In this case, I think of this topic as a long walk I need to take with my two legs moving individually. One leg is the unhealthy part of me that habitually aggrandizes the people I find attractive, and then finds that aggrandizing is surprisingly close to diminishing despite the metaphorically clean hope that they would be opposites; because to treat someone as being above-human means I am no longer treating them as even-human-at-all. The other leg is the part of me that just wants to be loved and wants to matter to someone. And if I bind them together then I will find myself needing to hop everywhere and growing tired (and falling into a pit).

It’s with the second leg that I want to express to you that I do not have the privilege of being proud of how my race is seen romantically, and I wonder if you do. I wonder what kinds of men and women out there get to be reasonably sure that their race isn’t standing between them and attracting a romantic partner. And I wonder if those people are even aware of it. Because like I said before, I’m not really that different from my teenage self. Things like writing and music are more important to me than ever, but an embarrassingly large part of me can only think about finding a life-partner, and to that part of me this single bullet point is one of the most important of the list. I know it’s not charismatic to admit that this kind of thing matters to me. I know this just makes me come off as a cry-baby. (And since I’ve just said it you can’t score any points by making fun of me for that.)

But if you think you understand privilege and your immediate reaction to, for example, the idea of a nerdy white guy expressing his pain about romance is that he needs to think about his privilege, even before I give you any details about what he wrote, if your nagging suspicion is that he must have said something in a somewhat misogynistic way or that he perhaps has a pent-up hatred of women that he can’t see himself and maybe Jordan can’t see either, maybe you don’t understand privilege as well as you think you do.

[thenihilistofthevoid]

Fifty Shades of Stark

(I read Fifty Shades of Gray ages ago when I was in college and thought I could do one better. This is the interview part, but replacing Christian Grey with Tony Stark and Anastasia Steele with Saburo Izayoi. This post will contain heavy elements of Scarletsteelshipping Saburo Izayoi x Tony Stark. Also it’s a sort of thank you to @maninanironcan and @tonyslittleworkshop for RPing with me, also I’d like to know if I’m portraying Tony right.) “I’m supposed to go interview Tony Stark but I’m sick... Saburo, can you go interview him for me?” Thomas asked, looking up at Saburo desperately. “Fine, Thomas. You owe me, though.” Saburo said tiredly, running his hand through his hair as he went to change into something more suitable for an interview with one of the world’s most powerful CEO’s. “You’re the best, Saburo.” The blonde and redheaded man said, sipping at the soup in his cup as Saburo put on his best suit, brushing his hair so he looked more respectable businessman than dragged through a bush backwards. Getting in his old Honda Civic, he put the address Thomas texted him into his GPS and drove off, it wasn’t like he had plans today anyway. He’d already finished off the coursework he had been given yesterday and was just going to veg out and binge watch Naruto in his dressing gown.

It didn’t take long to arrive at the tower, shimmering glass reflecting New York like a mirror, the train would have been easier but the noise would just make his headache worse. Thankfully this place had parking, although his car wasn’t worth stealing. Not much he owned was to be honest, he was like everyone else, a University Student drowning in his own debt trying to get his degree. Nothing particularly different from many other people his age, he had a job in the city as a waiter and good lord the general public were irritating to deal with. Swimming and Aikido Training 6 days a week to remain in perfect shape. He ate well with the occassional indulgence and like many people who pulled consistent all-nighters, had a serious thing for coffee. Preferably from Starbucks, but filter coffee was also acceptable in his eyes. He had to remain perfect as to maintain his high status. His marks were excellent, top of the class. Yet with all this perfection, came the sacrifice of feeling isolated, missing out on social activities and being generally excluded from most things because people thought he was “too good” for them. The lonliness was especially crushing during the dark nights where it threatened to suffocate him. He wanted to be able to connect with others but his own perfectionism disallowed that. His eating disorder, bulimia nervosa was still a dirty stain on his supposedly perfect image, thankfully nobody had found out about it yet. He felt tired all the time but didn’t let it show. It was ironic, that the person he was going to interview might be one of the few people who might understand his position and where he was coming from.   Sleep was an unaffordable commodity most of the time, but on his day off he slept in to recover the hours he lost from staying up most of the other nights doing work or working out. And as for romance or a relationship outside of friendships, he had no time for it. He attracted attention from girls he wasn’t into, although he hadn’t come out yet. A few boys gave him the look but Saburo was generally known as almost unattainable, people thought he had standards that were impossibly high instead of the fact that he simply wasn’t interested. He quickly arrived at the reception desk. “I’m here to interview Tony Stark for the New York University Student Newspaper. My roommate, Thomas Arclight was supposed to do it but he’s ill so I’m standing in for him. My name is Saburo Izayoi.” Saburo told the woman, who sent the info up to Tony. “Of course, go right up. Floor 3.” She said, perfectly polite. Saburo nodded and entered the elevator with a tall, blonde man. Extremely well-built, even more so than Saburo. He stood at about 6 foot or so. Absolutely gorgeous blue eyes... Saburo shook such thoughts out of his head. “You a new intern?” Steve asked, trying to break the tensions since Saburo was quite clearly intimidated by him. “No, I’m interviewing Mr. Stark.” He replied calmly, taking his glasses out of his jacket pocket and putting them on. The doors opened, and the blonde stepped forward. “Well, good luck.” He said with a smile. “Thank you.” Saburo replied, smiling back before the doors closed and ascended to the floor Saburo wanted, he quickly got out. “You must be Mr. Izayoi, right?” A dark-haired woman asked, coming up to him. “Yes... I imagine reception notified you of the change?” Saburo replied, the lady nodded. “Would you like a drink? Tea, Coffee?” She asked, guiding Saburo to a black leather sofa. “Coffee please.” He replied quietly, the butterflies were swarming in his stomach as he sat down, the woman rushing off and coming back a few minutes later with a cup of coffee with a small bowl of sugar lumps and some milk, Saburo just adding milk to the coffee and sipping it quietly as he went through the notes and questions Thomas gave him. “Mister Stark will see you now.” Pepper said, looking up from the computer at the dark-haired university student who was finishing the coffee he’d been given. “Thank you.” Saburo nodded as the doors were opened for him, that’s when he saw Tony Stark for the first time, in the flesh. He appeared taller than he did on television and his office was impeccably decorated. Everything was within his expectations, of course. “Mr. Izayoi? I’m afraid I’ve only got 10 minutes.” Tony asked, looking at the University Student. “Yes... Please, just call me Saburo, Mr. Stark.” The brown-haired man said, sitting down and getting his notebook out. “Are you doing journalism as well?” Tony asked, sitting opposite Saburo. “No, Psychology. I’m doing finals next week and I want to become a doctor in it.” He replied, staring at the man for a second before looking at the questions and started crossing them off. “You’re crossing the questions out...” Tony said, staring at the paper. “They’re questions to which you must have answered millions of times before. They’re boring and uninspired, so I’ll have to make my own set of questions.” Saburo replied, writing his own set of questions in Japanese. “You donate significant amounts of money to charity, I’m curious as to why. Because you’re not doing it to make your public image look better like other, self-centered celebrities, you donate far too much for that.” Saburo asked. “I donate that much money because I know not everyone has it as well off as I do. I want to try and help people, which is why I became Iron Man.” Tony replied, suppressing a smirk. “You’re certainly an interesting one...” Tony thought to himself, staring at Saburo. “Don’t give me such a predictable answer, Tony. You’re hiding behind a facade of perfectionism like I do, because it takes one to know one. The world puts you on a pedestal and you have to appear perfect.” Saburo thought, writing the answer down.

“Your Stark Expo every year draws in large crowds and you appear to love the attention. Stark-Fujikawa is based out of Akihabara District, Tokyo. It developed the technology for your Heads-Up Display in various SHIELD applications and your suits. Technology seems to be at the core of your heart and soul. Tell me, do you think people rely too much on the technology developed nowadays? I suppose what I am asking is, do you think we’re becoming less human with the advent of computerization of society?” Saburo inquired, this answer should give him an interesting insight onto Tony’s psychology. The mind of a CEO was something he wanted to probe. Ask the right questions, and that could be achieved.

“I think it’s important we don’t lose sight of ourselves in the midst of all this. Technology is meant to be a tool in our lives, not the dominating force.The people who know me can confirm I believe this.” Tony replied calmly, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Would you like some?” He asked Saburo. “Yes please, Mr. Stark.” Saburo replied. “That’s a bit more like it, so you clearly feel swamped by all this technology yet you don’t dare cut it out of your life. It keeps you alive yet you clearly feel controlled by it.” Saburo thought to himself. “Please call me Tony, Saburo. Mr. Stark makes me sound like my Father.” Tony replied. “There’s the parental issues, I thought he had those but those eyes of his and the response to being called Mr. Stark confirms it.” Saburo added to his thoughts. This was turning out to be a lot more interesting than he expected. Their fingers brushed slightly as Saburo took his coffee cup from Tony. He was almost gentle, he had a soft expression on his face. “I want to ask you some questions. I want to know more about you.” Tony said to Saburo which surprised the psychologist. “T-There really isn’t much to know about me. I’m 21, I’m a Psychology Student at New York University. I was born in Osaka and I moved here with my brothers 5 years ago...” Saburo replied, sipping at the drink. “What made you want to study psychology?” Tony asked Saburo, leaning back and looking at the small man properly. “The human mind is fascinating... I also want to help people with their own thoughts, their violent impulses. To try and repair the damaged minds of others or to save people from those who would do them harm...” Saburo said quietly, looking back at Tony as the dark-haired woman entered.

“Your next meeting is here, Mr. Stark.” She said, Saburo began packing his things but Tony held a hand out to stop him. “Cancel it, please. We’re not finished here.” The man said, the woman nodding and leaving quickly. “W-Why did you...” Saburo asked, shocked by that. “Why don’t you ask me a question you would like to know?” The CEO asked the psychology student. “Earlier, you said about the people who know you... Why do I think that nobody really knows you...” Saburo asked, Tony going a little red. “He figured it out...” The CEO thought to himself. “What are you going to do after you graduate?” Tony continued his line of enquiry, changing the subject. “I-I’m just trying to get through finals...” The psychology student added, smiling a little. He felt flustered, nobody made him do that before. “We offer an excellent internship program...” Tony said, leaning forward a little. “I’m not sure I’d fit in here...” Saburo laughed a little at that. “I-I mean, look at me.” He added, using self-deprciating remarks to decrease his self-worth. “I am.“ The CEO replied softly.

Saburo felt warm inside when Tony said that... A compliment. He was used to them from other students but they meant nothing to him, but a compliment from Tony Stark... That was worth something and it was so genuine... “I-I had better go. I need to go write this all up.” Saburo stated, Tony nodding. “Of course.“ He said, personally escorting Saburo to the elevator, something which made Saburo feel honored. “I hope you got everything you needed, I only answered two questions...” Tony said. “It’s fine, I have enough information for the article. T-Thank you for the interview...” Saburo said quietly, turning to face the elevator, Tony taking this chance discreetly take Saburo’s information card from his notebook, Saburo didn’t notice. “It’s no problem.” Tony replied with a smile as the elevator arrived, Saburo stepping into it and facing the CEO of Stark Industries. “Saburo.” Tony spoke quietly as a sort of farewell. “Tony...” Saburo replied before the elevator doors shut.

[legalseat]

A Compelling Collection of Criminal Law Scholarship: Book Review of Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3

At times, it seems as though law is a heavily polarized field. On one side, there are the practising lawyers; the practical, front-line people who deal with the realities of our legal system on a day-to-day basis. On the other, there are the academics; the people who chart and explain the progression of our legal system, and who explore the implications of decisions and debate the good and the bad of what our system has been, what it is, and of the direction that it may take in the future. Too often, I think, we put the practising side of law on a pedestal. We students are especially guilty of this. What practising lawyers do is important. They enable the functioning of the legal system, help people to realize their rights. The arguments that they put forward shape the common law and create the framework within which judges render their decisions. In light of this, it is easy to view the academic side of law as unimportant: a side show which, while interesting, is often too far removed from the reality of law to be relevant.

However, such a view misses the great value that academic pursuits add to the legal field. Academia provides perspective. Since academics are not limited by a particular position and the pursuit of a particular outcome, they are free to undertake more expansive and holistic analyses which can consider issues from all angles. Academia builds understanding and legal discourse, which is itself a cornerstone of a healthy legal system. The comments of academics can often be just as persuasive as any case law, if used skillfully, and many a judge has referred with approval to such secondary sources.

Of course, the lifeblood of academic expression is the journal. This blawg reviews the Criminal Law Edition of the Manitoba Law Journal, (2018) 41:3. The present issue collects papers covering a wide range of topics, from developing jurisprudence and issues of evidence, to challenges faced by Indigenous persons in the justice system, to issues of the law and sex work, and more. Some present the outcomes of studies conducted by the authors, while others construct legal arguments. Below, I discuss some of the salient qualities of the Journal, as well as highlighting a few of the papers therein which particularly captured my own interest.

Before doing so, however, there is a preliminary matter to deal with. As stated above, publications like the Manitoba Law Journal are extremely important to the legal field, as they provide a forum for academic expression. They are also quite a chore to put together. Thus, before going any further, I think that it is crucially important to acknowledge the great amounts of time and effort that went into the making of the present volume. I have had the privilege of getting to know virtually everyone on the editing team, whether as instructors of courses that I have taken, through work on campus, or simply through sharing a class. All are very busy and involved individuals and, knowing how much they already had on their plates, I frankly have no clue how they found time to put this together. Behind every hour of time that the reader spends on the material contained in the Journal are many hours of work. So, to the editorial team, to the folks at Emond Publishing, and to the authors of the pieces themselves, thank you for your superb efforts.

On now, to the fruits of those efforts. I admit, it can be difficult to get excited about reading a law journal. Doing research over the summer, I read portions of a lot of law journals, mostly dealing with international law topics. While the contents are often interesting, they are not, generally, page-turners. However, in this regard the present issue of the Manitoba Law Journal surprised me. As I made my way through it, I found myself engrossed by the papers that I was reading; I quite enjoyed it. I think that this is a reflection of two aspects of the Journal that are very well done: the topic variation and the accessibility of the language.

The variety of topics and types of papers included in the Journal aids its readability. The Journal is divided into four substantive sections. The first looks at issues of evidence and emerging legal tests. The second examines issues faced by Indigenous persons, particularly in corrections. The third looks at issues of youth and the law. The final section includes two papers on sex work. Within these sections, the nature of the papers varies as well. Some detail studies done by the authors. Here, the focus is on explaining the hypothesis and methodology of the study, and then presenting and interpreting the results. Other papers present very focused arguments toward a specific end, such as the one by Scott Mair, which asserts the unconstitutionality of Canada’s infanticide provisions under s 233 of the Criminal Code.2 Others still, take more of a descriptive approach, highlighting the present state of affairs and the related issues. An example of this is the piece by Leah Combs on the underutilization of provisions in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act which are supposed to promote more effective corrections programming for aboriginal persons. The collective effect of this diversity is that the Journal avoids presenting the reader with similar concepts in a similar format repeatedly. This makes it easier to read because it does not feel repetitive. Many of the papers go in very different directions, making each section feel new and fresh, and avoiding monotony.

Building on the readability established by the diverse contents of the Journal, is the accessibility of the language. Choice of words is important in conveying a point, be it simple or complex. Using simple, direct, plain language can often make even difficult and abstract concepts much easier to understand. Conversely, use of rambling, technical language and an excess of unnecessary words can render the most basic idea arcane and impenetrable. Unfortunately, it has been my own experience that too many academics subscribe to the latter style. Luckily for all of us, none of these individuals have been included in the present volume of the Journal.

I found that the papers in the Journal were quite easy to follow. Even some of the more technical ones, such John Burchill’s piece on alibi evidence and disclosure issues, is eminently readable.2 This paper is a great example, as I have had no prior experience with alibi defences and the relating disclosure rules, yet the information was presented in such a way that I had little trouble following Burchill’s argument. The Journal reads clearly like this throughout. Once again, this makes the entire publication both easier and more enjoyable to read. Readers should not have to feel like Columbus, sailing off in a general direction and hoping to find an author’s point somewhere along the way. The present volume of the Journal imparts no such feeling: at all times while reading it, you know exactly where it is going.

Before concluding, I wanted to highlight some of the pieces that I found to be particularly compelling in this volume of the Journal. First up is, conveniently, the first paper of the journal: Examining How Lineup Practices of Canadian and US Police Officers Adhere to their National Best Practice Recommendations.3 The paper summarizes the authors’ findings in a study that compared the degree to which Canadian and American police follow the Best Practice recommendations handed down to them by their respective governments. I found it interesting because it sheds light on the implementation side of developing the legal system. Where police are not implementing the best practices they have been given, it raises important questions about why: are the officers themselves resisting the change, or are there unforeseen practical issues raised by the recommended practices? These are important questions that need to be followed up in order build a better legal system.

The second piece that I would like to highlight isR v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework.4 I was a bit biased on this one, as I read and briefed Jarvis over the summer. The case, involving a teacher who was secretly filming females’ chests with a hidden camera while talking to them in the halls, just did not sit right with me. At both the trial and appeal levels, Jarvis was acquitted, for reasons that were just absurd on my own view. I enjoyed reading Ryan Mullins’ arguments for an assessment of reasonable expectation of privacy which considers the totality of the circumstances. The case is on its way through the Supreme Court now. It shall be interesting to see how they decide to approach the reasonable expectation of privacy issue. Given modern technology, especially the ease with which we can be recorded, this case could set an important precedent for the future.

The final paper in the Journal that stood out to me is Healing Ourselves: Interrogating the Underutilisation of Sections 81 & 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.5 The provisions in question were designed and implemented to help reduce Indigenous over-representation in the Canadian justice system. This paper indicates that these provisions have not been used nearly as much as they could be, and explores why. Given that Indigenous over-representation is one of Canada’s biggest criminal law issues, I think it would have been inappropriate to publish a criminal law journal without including material addressing this issue. It is difficult, it is politically loaded, but it cannot be ignored. The findings made by Leah Combs in this paper are also important because they indicate that Corrections is not just resistant to implementing ss 81 and 84, but that they are actively siphoning funds earmarked for initiatives under these provisions into other parts of their budget.6 That is a serious problem and, whether you support the content of the provisions or not, should not be allowed to continue.

Thus, we come to the end of this book review for the present volume of the Manitoba Law Journal. What this journal, and all journals, do is important to the legal field. This volume in particular is well-written, interesting and diverse; it is clearly the product of much care and effort on the part of all involved in its production. I found my interest thoroughly engaged by its contents, which address issues of significance and relevance to the criminal law realm today. To readers and researchers wondering whether to dive into this volume, I would say you cannot go wrong by doing so.

The journal is available online in various legal databases, on the web for everyone, and at Academia.edu.

Endnotes

1 Scott Mair, “Challenging Infanticide: Why Section 233 of Canada’s Criminal Code is Unconstitutional”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 241.

2 John Burchill, “Alibi Evidence: Responsibility for Disclosure and Investigation”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 99.

3Michelle I Bertrand et al, “Examining How Lineup Practices of Canadian and US Police Officers Adhere to their National Best Practice Recommendations”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 1.

4 Ryan Mullins, “R v Jarvis: An Argument for a Single Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Framework”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 77.

5 Leah Combs, “Healing Ourselves: Interrogating the Underutilisation of Sections 81 & 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act”, (2018) 41:3 Man LJ 163.

6 Ibid at 163.

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