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tooturtly · 5 months ago

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Thinking about how the origin of Harrow and Gideon’s fucked up relationship (you know, being children in the Ninth House) actually adds a lot of context to exactly why they are like that, but because it’s technically not on the page it’s harder to understand.

In anthropology and associated fields there’s a term called “habitus” that I think is useful for this discussion (I also like spreading anthropology bc this is the brainrot impacting the course of my career). This is an academic way of saying behavior that is so ingrained, so habitual, it doesn’t even require thought or pass any level of notice. How you walk is an example of habitus, how you chop vegetables, how you enter a room, what clothes you pick for certain occasions, literally anything you can do could be an example of habitus.

Humans are hardwired to learn, we are constantly picking up cues from the people and society around us from the moment we are born until the moment we die. We do it so much and so easily that we don’t notice unless it’s very overt, like someone holding your hand and explaining how to do something. Even then you will subconsciously pick up the ways that person does things, making it your own habitus.

For Gideon and Harrow, their habitus is different from our own as the readers, because habitus is deeply cultural, it comes from mirroring the behaviors around you. They have been taught how to act, how to speak, how to think in the ways of the Ninth, no matter how willingly or unwillingly they learned.

They weren’t born with a deeply antagonistic relationship, it was taught to them. Harrow was taught to uphold the Ninth, to give her entire life to it, to die for it so that the cost of her birth can be worth it. Her parents also modeled a strong aversion to Gideon. To avoid, to belittle, to ignore her so that they can ignore the generation they sold to keep the line of the Tombkeepers. Harrow obviously picked up this behavior, modeling it as she picked up the mantle of running the Ninth House at all of ten years old (which is insane by the way. Let’s take a moment for ten year old Harrow, a literal child who just watched her parents kill themselves and their cavalier and who expected her to kill herself, who had to pick up the pieces and try to do what they had modeled for her).

And then we have Gideon: a child (she’s still a teen in Nona, she hasn’t aged past 19) who at first wanted to fit in, who still desperately craves acceptance and intimacy, but who has been ignored, belittled, and abused her whole life. Who then gets that behavior repeated by the only peer she could possibly have.

She became a self fulfilling prophecy. She was treated as a nuisance who can do no right, so that’s what she became. She was punished either way for existing, so she did what was expected. Just as Harrow did what was expected of her in her roles, Gideon acted like what Crux saw in her.

They were both children failed in so many ways by the adults around them. Even Aiglamene couldn’t support Gideon wholly without going against the rulers of her house. So because they were children, they did what was modeled and taught to them. They fulfilled the prophecies laid out by the adults in their lives.

They, so far, have continued the cycles of abuse they were taught. Even in Nona, Kiriona is modeling the pain and anguish she has experienced all her life, now with the addition of Ianthe’s perspective on her life influencing her. (Ianthe comes from a vastly different cultural background, and hasn’t been inside either of their minds, so her interpretation of their relationship and the culturally appropriate response is wildly different from either of their readings of it)

It almost reminds me of Wuthering Heights, how to truly break the cycle you have to let the past go and find someplace new. But that’s just another series with vaguely religious undertones and some weird abuse and incestuous dynamics, likely completely unrelated. (Note, I haven’t read wuthering heights in a hot minute, but when I did I saw it as more a story of inter generational violence rather than as romantic love, so take my thoughts with some salt)

The toxic, antagonistic, and later interdependent (though the antagonism is also interdependent) relationship between Gideon and Harrow doesn’t have to continue. They can break the cycle. The cycle that strongly parallels John and Alecto in many ways. I hope they do. But their relationship as it is makes sense if you consider both characters, how they were raised, and how they were taught to act, without necessarily saying that one character or the other is evil/corrupt/the relationship is unsalvageable.

The cultural layers included in tlt are vital to unpacking the characters, and their relationships. We don’t always get it overtly because we’re inside the characters minds, but there’s important stuff included in there. To unpack all of it would take probably a dissertation of length and then you’d still miss some, but I have tried my best.

#the locked tomb anthropology #the locked tomb #gideon the ninth #nona the ninth spoilers #harrow the ninth #harrowhark nonagesimus #gideon nav #kiriona gaia #tower princes #tlt meta #harrow the ninth spoilers #this is not getting into how inherently toxic the necro cav dynamic is

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darksturnioloqueen · 3 months ago

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Masochistic!Reader x Kitten

**This Fic Series will NOT be for people with triggers. This Fic Series will have very descriptive moments of Sadism.**

Sadistic (Sadism - The Act Of Being Sadistic)

Deriving (getting) pleasure from inflicting (causing) pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.

Please Read At Your Own Risk.

⚠︎Trigger Warning: time lapse, being suffocated (figuratively), loneliness, angst?, a fight (words/ emotional), mention of killing animals. ⚠︎

You had successfully moved in with Matt. Everything was great. It was pretty much what you thought it would be for the first two months of living there. Elliott helped you move your bigger furniture, so he and Matt became a little closer. You knew nothing would change Cole's mind about him. Your parents were keeping their distance. You could tell they didn't support your relationship, but rather your happiness. You were fine with that. You had all the confidence in the world that you were meant for Matt. You didn't need anyone else to approve. That was two months ago.

"I'll be back later," Matt said absently, leaving immediately. He never kissed or hugged you goodbye, and you never expected it. Moving in, at first, was precisely what you expected. Endless sex. All the time, Matt would grab you and use you. You would be in the shower to waste time, and suddenly Matt was behind you, waterboarding you. You would be in the kitchen making a sandwich, and Matt would appear holding a knife to your throat. He was like a sadistic ghost in his house. You would turn the hallway corner, and he'd trip you just so he could jump on your body after it hit the floor. You loved every single surprise fuck he had for you. What you were tired of was the boredom, the loneliness.

Matt left rarely at first, which helped, but he wasn't a conversationalist. He wasn't trying to talk about his favourite movies or music. He was quiet. And when he was gone, you were alone. There was nothing to do in the house; god forbid if you left it, Matt would lose it. The webcam you had set up for the vast 15-minute distance between the two of you was no longer used as a gift. It held more of a prison security camera feel. It was set up in the living room, deep into one corner, which allowed a view of both the front and back door. Matt would know if you left, and he wouldn't be happy about it.

He was possessive. You loved that about him. Moving in made it unbearable. The access he had to you was keeping you locked in the house with nothing to do. The first few weeks passed without you noticing because you were moving boxes around, adding all your pink trinkets to his dull grey ones. You were hanging up your pink lace curtains over his black ones. You were having so much fun mixing your aesthetics, you didn't realize that once that was all over, you wouldn't have anything.

Not even Matt. His work inconveniently picked up, and his position as a silent investor now required him to be less silent. You smirked at the thought of Matt dreading being involved. You knew he did because whenever he came home from work, it was rougher, bloodier, and maybe even less emotional. You didn't care as long as he was happy. He seemed pleased to have you at his disposal whenever he wanted. After this last month, you realized your life couldn't revolve around him as much as you had hoped it could.

You had grown used to being independent. You lost all of that. You quit both of your jobs. Matt refused to let you pay for anything. The moonlighting submissive job was an easy one to understand. Yes, it made you a lot of money, but Matt already expressed how much he didn't like it to begin with, so that being the first rule he placed over you made sense. But the bank made no sense. He said it's because guys could hit on you. You calmly tried to explain that could happen anywhere and that was where you fucked up. You put it in his head that you could no longer leave the house.

The first two weeks were mostly unpacking and fucking. The third week into the fourth was only fucking seeing that all the unpacking was done. The second month started with him having more work involvement. And by the end of the month, two months later, you had your first real fight. This fight wasn't hot. It didn't involve any make-up sex. It was simply a fight.

"I need to leave. I need to see something other than these four fucking walls." You screamed.

"No." Matt staying calm was only riling you up more.

"Matt, I can't stay in here forever. I'm going insane." His jaw tightened. You felt like maybe you were getting somewhere, but you were met with his stone-cold demeanor.

"No." That was all the information he could offer you at this point. He was getting you in ways he never imagined possible, and the fear of losing that was ripping into him. He wasn't going to risk losing you.

"I need to leave. I need to grocery shop. I need a job, maybe. I need something stimulating." You saw his eyes glaze slightly at your choice of words. "No." You said sternly, pointing your finger at him. You knew 'no' didn't matter to him, but you wanted, no, you needed, him to understand how you were dying slowly, being imprisoned in his house.

"No." His tone was a little cockier. He sat back and folded his arms. He was sitting at the dinner table while you paced and lectured him.

"Matt, please." Your pouty face slipped out. You were ready to cry over the loneliness and the agony of being bored and alone.

"I'll fix it." He stood up, and you saw his semi-erect bulge. That was one thing you weren't ready for learning how to do. Fighting with a sadist was nearly impossible. If you were angry, they were meaner. If you pouted, they were happy. If you cried or showed any emotional pain, they were turned on ready to fuck the tears out of you. You couldn't win. Days passed, and nothing changed. You had lost. You believed he would 'fix it,' but nothing changed, and it would take another argument with him to try and see a difference.

He left hours ago, and you have been lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. There was nothing to do. You have binge-watched all the good Netflix shows, twice. You snooped the house to find nothing. The journal was gone. He was smart. Even when living with you, he knew how to hide things. He was outsmarting you.

You sat up straight, hearing the car door slam. You couldn't tell if he was upset or not by the door slam. What caught your attention was that a second car door slammed. You got up and walked to the back door, anticipating who else could be with him. He opened the door and looked at you with tired eyes. The dark circles underneath lifted slightly upon seeing you.

"Matt?" You questioned him. There was no one else with him.

"I don't like fighting with you." You raised a brow at him. "Okay, sometimes it turns me on, but not this time. I don't like that you are unhappy." He chose his words carefully. He knew he didn't have to tip toe around you but something in his fucked up brain made him. He couldn't help it.

"I'm not unhappy." You wanted to reassure him. "I'm just lonely or bored. Yeah, mostly bored." You huffed feeling the empty sensation take over your body, as if mentally feeling it wasn't enough.

Mew.

Your eyes looked at him wide. His lips slowly curled. "I love you, Pet." He smiled weakly. His voice was a little dry, unsure.

"What did you -"

Mew.

You were interrupted. Your emotions were starting to manifest at the bottom of your eyelashes.

"I'm not good with words, so here." He held out a box. He thought by now he would be able to explain a simple apology or his fear of losing you being so crippling he ignored how you were feeling about being suffocated. He felt his dick twitch and shifted his attention back to the view in front of him. Your hands were carefully balanced, tugging off the white bow loosely tied at the top of the pale pink box. His smile grew when he saw your tears spill down your cheeks. The lid was dropped carelessly to the floor.

"Matt," you gasped. Quickly popping its head up to the newfound space, a tiny, frail, all-white kitten with a pink bow makeshift collar poked its head out.

Mew.

"Matt." You said breathless again. You couldn't believe he got you a random gift, let alone a living one.

"I know my work has been annoying. Trust me, I don't like it either." Matt hated being away from you, and he was willing to bet he hated it more than you did. "But now you can have this to keep you company until I get work figured out." He shrugged, trying to come off as nonchalant. You looked at him and nodded, the kitten hoisted in the air.

"What should we name her?" You asked, knowing he didn't care.

"Whatever you want." He set his book bag from work down on the table. You nuzzled the pink, wet nose only to be pushed away by the soft little paw pads.

"Paris." You smirked up into the air in the direction of your new companion.

"Okay." Matt sighed. He was content that you were enjoying your peace offering.

"You aren't going to kill her, are you?" Your eyes widened as the flashback of him throwing axes at you crossed your mind. Hearing 'I'd just torture and kill it' ringing in your ears. You instinctively smooshed her into your chest to protect her.

"I'll try not to." Matt chuckled and patted you on the head. "She might be your pet, but you are mine." He gripped the back of your neck and slammed you into a kiss. With Paris getting caught between the two of you. You knew a kitten wasn't precisely the gift of freedom you were hoping for, but it was just another example of Matt trying for you. After all this, you thought maybe you could try a little harder for him, too.

I used regular Matthew Sturniolo tags on this chapter BECAUSE IT IS LIGHT. The other chapters ARE NOT light. PLEASE READ TW and PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Royal Subjects

@emely9274 @alexisa78 @iloveduckssm

#the dark queen ⚠︎#the dark sturniolo queen ⚠︎#the dark sturniolo tumblr ⚠︎#sadistic!matt ⚠︎#sadistic!matt poll ⚠︎#sadistic!matt x masochistic!reader ⚠︎#masochistic!reader ⚠︎#matthew bernard sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #matthew sturniolo smut #matthew sturniolo fanfic #matthew sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo x you #matt sturniolo fluff #matt sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo #sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #the sturniolo triplets

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arshisrabbaves · 7 months ago

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Arnav Singh Raizada and Redemption!

Ok so, let’s talk about it.

Rewatching the show as an adult made me realize that many people weren’t happy with Arnav’s redemption and how it was portrayed. They were looking for something more intense and serious

Now this might be a little unpopular opinion but THAT kind of redemption would be very unrealistic for him and let me explain it why.

By no means I’m trying to defend or justify his actions towards Khushi. I completely on the side that what he did to her or how he treated her was extremely wrong and toxic and I don’t support that, his past trauma shouldn’t be an excuse. However IPKKND is a show that handles trauma and trauma response in a better way than most of the ITV shows.

Notice how they (characters, storyline, scenes) never try to indicate that Khushi should fix Arnav’s trauma. That’s right! It’s because they are well aware that both of the characters are deeply traumatized yet have different outcomes. However I really wish they highlighted Khushi’s trauma as well and gave it more importance.

And now speaking of trauma they both had similar kind that of losing parents, but everything that happened later on was different.

For Khushi she was younger than Arnav when her parents passed away, only 8. She even mentioned it in one episode that she had no idea what death meant and always thought her parents would come back. And considering the fact that she was immediately taken in by Garima and Shashi there’s a high chance that they didn’t let her know or tell her anything about her parents death, leading her to believe that they’ll come back. There’s a high chance she found out later on after growing up or Madhumati told her while lashing out at her for something.

Notice how Khushi is always smiling, laughing, is very goofy and not only that she’s also always trying to fix everyone’s problem and never complains about her own. And even if she does she only does in front of her Devi maiya. It’s probably because she has a fear of judgement from other people.

I am very heavy on this but growing up Khushi heard a lot of such things as “You should be grateful for us, we took you with us and saved you. You would be in Orphanage without us” specially from Madhumati.

That’s why Khushi believed that no matter what happens she should always make them aka Guptas happy, never complain or do anything to make them upset. No doubt she was so hell bent on getting their forgiveness after the elopement track.

Arnav on the other hand was older than Khushi, he was more mature and had witnessed everything. His mother confronting his father, their deaths, his sister being left at the altar, his grandmother (Dadi) abandoning him and Anjali instead of taking responsibility and his uncle throwing him out of the house. Having to endure all this at the age of 14 made him more cold in general, which compelled him to ignore his emotions and just see things practically. It was his goal to be rich and successful so that no one can look down on him and he did that keeping his emotions aside.

You can critically argue that Arnav had some little changes after he started catching feelings for Khushi. Like being able to take jokes, laughing, having more compassion but still the huge parts were there. Notice how he still got nightmares and felt the pain deeply, and how he struggled saying things like sorry, Thankyou or even happy birthday. That’s the proof right there that falling for Khushi did infact NOT heal his trauma.

So that’s why! The kind of redemption people wanted would’ve required some intense therapy sessions which obviously didn’t happen 🤷‍♀️

#ipkknd #khushi kumari gupta #arnav and khushi #arnav singh raizada #sanaya irani #barun sobti #sarun

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fresh-bag-of-ham · 10 months ago

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seeking urbanism / housing advocacy advice (because you're the only person i follow who both posts about it and does it): my city (primarily a college town, population < 100k) is holding a community discussion about ways to increase affordable housing, including inclusionary zoning and other zoning reforms. what kinds of policy ideas / comments are best to bring to this as A Member Of The Public? does inclusionary zoning work like it's supposed to? are there other specific zoning reforms that work well? i know getting rid of parking minimums is a big one, but i don't know if that's achievable here yet.

MY TIME HAS COME.

First of all, if the forum is about 'affordable housing', then you may need to start with drawing the connection between affordability and increasing housing supply. There are a lot of tangents you can go down in a discussion of affordable housing, but the crucial point to get across is that increasing housing supply on its own makes housing costs go down. Investor speculation in real estate, e.g., happens because supply is constrained and those are the conditions where real estate values reliably go up, creating profit. It is a symptom, not a cause. See also: landlords in Austin, TX melting down on Twitter because they're increasing supply so fast there that they're having to lower rents. Video recently studied and shown to be 3x more effective for changing people's minds about supply-side housing than other interventions.

INCLUSIONARY ZONING. a.k.a. mandating that for any development with more than X units, Y% of those units must be 'affordable' units reserved for families earning Z% area median income. In a perfect world, all housing would be mixed-income housing. In practice, the effectiveness of IZ depends almost entirely on what you set Y% at. About five years ago, our local DSA passed a referendum increasing Y% from 10% to 25%. This change has basically stalled all housing development that this applies to because the projects just don't pencil. You need subsidy to build affordable housing, you have to cobble that subsidy together from a lot of different funding sources, and all these sources have different requirements on how their funding can be used. Your problems become twofold: (1) Most subsidies for affordable housing want you to build something that's more like 80-100% affordable, so a 25%-affordable development won't get funding. (2) The subsidy available for affordable housing is finite, so even if your 25%-affordable development were able to get subsidy, that necessarily is taking subsidy away from somewhere else. The same number of affordable units will be built, IZ just ends up trying to dictate how those units are distributed. It mainly ends up kneecapping market-rate housing construction, which, again, adding market-rate housing puts downward pressure on housing prices.

Our prior level of 10% IZ seemed to work ok..? but I would caution strongly against relying on IZ if you are supply constrained, which, I can't imagine you're not. A buzzy new strategy for mixed-income housing creation is "social housing" -- AOC wrote about it in the NYT last week, here's a talk about it that I admittedly haven't watched yet. This is what's getting traction here as DSA is tentatively walking back support for their very aggressive IZ policy that has not created the affordable housing they wanted it to.

If you have parking minimums, KILL THAT SHIT. We were successful in advocating for our table of parking minimums to be turned into parking maximums. Add/increase bike parking minimums, bike theft is a HUGE deterrent from biking here, so having a safe place to store your bike at home is critical if you want anyone to start leaving behind their cars. You also probably want to look at dimensional standards: increase heights, reduce setbacks, increase lot coverage maximums, reduce lot size minimums, if you're anything like our city then you probably have even more and weirder constraints you'll want to relax so new buildings can be bigger and hold more units. You probably have just straight up caps on number of units per lot -- kill single-family zoning, get at least 4 units or something per lot allowed! Lot area per dwelling unit is a particularly terrible constraint, basically creating a minimum amount of land you have to own in order to be able to have a home. Horrible! Kill it!

My personal preferred urban form is the perimeter block enabled by single-stair apartment buildings that's common throughout Europe and basically anywhere outside of the US and Canada. This will take reforms at multiple levels before it becomes possible even here, but Seattle-based architect Michael Eliason (@holz_bau on Twitter) has stair-pilled me on this form so powerfully, and https://secondegress.ca/ makes the extremely compelling (Canada-centric) case for allowing single-stair apartment buildings, which for us means changing building code at the state level. #goals, though.

I have had a lot of practice recently writing and organizing public comment to advocate for this stuff so I would be happy to talk messaging/strategy at any point, I could go on and on about this subject! I'm so thrilled that you're asking about this though, it's so important to get involved and show up at these kinds of meetings, because the people who reliably show up to these things are the retiree busybodies with nothing but free time to oppose every type of change imaginable and are the ones who got us into this situation in the first place.

#urbanism

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beardedmrbean · 3 months ago

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The Trump Organization has laid out a line-up of Trump 2028 merchandise for sale on their online store — including hats and T-shirts — fueling questions about a Donald Trump third term run.

The new Trump 2028 hat looks like Trump's signature red Make America Great Again hat and is selling on the website for $50 each as of Thursday.

President Donald Trump joked about a potential third term amid supporters chanting “four more years” over a month ago; more recently he told NBC he's "not joking" and that "there are methods" despite the U.S. constitution barring that from happening.

“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in an interview in response to running for a third term, “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.” Adding, “I’m focused on the current.”

When prompted in the interview about wanting another term, Trump responded, "I like working.”

According to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, a U.S. president cannot be elected for more than two terms, consecutive or not. It reads "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."

However, when asked about plans to seek a possible third term, Trump said, “There are methods which you could do it.” He was asked about a scenario where JD Vance could run for president in 2028 and then pass the presidency on to Trump, to which he responded that “that’s one” method. Adding, "but there are others, too."

Trump went on to note his presidential approval ratings and said that “a lot of people would like me to” hold office for a third term.

During the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., Trump’s former White House advisor Steve Bannon also floated the idea of a third term during a speech.

"The future of MAGA is Donald Trump!" said Bannon. "We want Trump in '28. That's what they can't stand. A man like Trump comes along only once or twice in the country's history. We want Trump!"

The constitutional amendment barring President Trump from running for a third time hasn't stopped him or his supporters from proposing it, as there is an effort among some in the party to push for a change in the amendment.

How can Trump serve a third term?

Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a resolution to amend the Constitution to allow Trump to run for a third term. The resolution proposes the change from two-term limit to three-term limit.

Changing an amendment is no easy task, requiring approval by two-thirds of both the Senate and Congress, and then to be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. The process was meant to be very difficult and time-consuming.

How old is Donald Trump?

Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946 in Queens, New York City. At 78 years of age, he was the oldest person inaugurated as president, in his second term.

If it were to become possible for Trump to seek a third term, he would make history again — as the oldest candidate to run for the office of president.

#nunyas news #he'd likely lose if he could find a way to run again #still want the hat though

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ciaossu-imagines · 2 years ago

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Hello! For the mini event: Mairimashita! Iruma-kun & AU number 17

Of course, anon dear! Thank you so much for the request and I hope you enjoy the headcanons, as late as they are getting to you!

Okay, so I will admit that, other than House and a couple episodes of both The Resident and The Good Doctor, I haven't really watched many medical dramas and aren't really familiar with the various tropes and such normally used in them…am I familiar with the actual medical field? Yes, yes, I am. Did that actually help any with this AU? Nope, not really. But I did finally settle on an idea? Yes! Does the idea require you to suspend a large amount of disbelief and require you to ignore how much of this would actually be very, very illegal? Also yes!

Anyway, so this AU I imagined up does very much take place in a hospital. It's not only the largest hospital in the area but the one with the most prestige and a sterling reputation. It's also a teaching hospital, an important thing to know, but also houses a lot of the specialists and such that people are literally on wait lists for over a year to get into. This hospital is actually owned by Sullivan, who also does have a hand in the running of it and is Head of the Board of Directors, with the most say as to how the hospital itself actively operates, much to the displeasure of some of its staff, as Sullivan is something of an eccentric…no, that's going to be putting it too lightly. Sullivan is most definitely eccentric.

His eccentricities are most definitely on display when almost fourteen year old Iruma Suzuki is brought into the hospital after a vicious beating at the hands of his latest employer. The boy is held at the hospital to be treated but because there's just so much evidence of repeated injuries and neglect, social services is called in. Social Services investigation into Iruma's parents discover a staggering amount of neglect for their son and that they have been forcing him to work at various jobs to support their own gambling habits and pay the bills. The boy has never even been to school.

Anyway, in the end, they don't really care if their parental rights might get lost. Iruma's parents willingly relinquish their parental rights to him and it looks like Iruma is going to be held, after he has healed and been released from the hospital, in a group home until a suitable foster family can be found for him. But Sullivan had taken an interest in Iruma, no doubt helped along by the fact that Iruma's initial doctor and the one in charge of his treatment plan was Dr. Opera, Sullivan's adopted son. And Sullivan's interest in the boy led to Iruma Suzuki becoming the second son Sullivan would adopt and spoil, despite being in his sixties at this point…something about Opera never settling down and giving him grandchildren so Sullivan would have to adopt his own.

While Iruma is technically his adopted son, Sullivan very much treats him as his precious grandchild and Iruma finds a fatherly figure in Sullivan, who spoils Iruma rotten. Opera, meanwhile, also takes an interest and welcomes Iruma into the family, becoming someone Iruma both looks up to and aspires to be like.

Sullivan decides and, after discussing the matter with Opera himself, that Iruma shall join the family business and when Sullivan passes will be the one to not only inherit the business (and make no mistake, a hospital is very much a business) and Sullivan's spot on the Board of Directors. He'll not only be expected to learn academically, and learn quickly, but Iruma becomes a volunteer candy-striper at the hospital as soon as he's healed and shadows Opera and Sullivan throughout the years.

Which leads to present day, when Iruma has gone through enough schooling and grueling training and studying to become a resident. The story really becomes his daily life as a resident doctor at this teaching hospital, him meeting the other residents and interacting with the doctors, nurses, and other staff members at the hospital, along with the weird, zany, sometimes sad patients he interacts with and treats, along with exploring some of the pressure he feels, knowing he's expected to run this hospital someday, along with cute family moments between Iruma and his adopted 'grand'father and adopted brother.

Now, to get into some of the wide and crazy cast of characters that Iruma does have to learn how to deal with and manage, because like, isn't that half the fun, having all these secondary characters to add to the overall plot, all while having fun little plotlines of their own?

So, first off, when Iruma arrives for his residency, Sullivan really entrusts Iruma to an actual doctor who really is supposed to mentor and help teach Iruma. Iruma had been hoping to do his residency in the pediatric ward under Opera, but for some reason Sullivan refused to allow it. Instead, Iruma is doing his residency under the watchful (and spiteful, because this doctor most certainly does not want to have to put up with being a mentor to anyone, and considers the time he has to waste teaching Iruma as time he could be spending elsewhere) eye of Dr. Kalego Naberius, Head of the ER Department. The ER at this particular hospital is always insanely busy, with the doctors, residents, and nurses getting to see a little bit of everything, honestly, so Kalego does get Sullivan's insistence that Iruma do his residency solely there. Every resident has to do at least a shift a week in the ER, since there is never enough staff there, but Iruma's residency is done solely in the ER Department and solely under the eye of Dr. Kalego. The two don't always get along, honestly, but I do see them growing to at least strongly respect each other.

The various teachers are, of course, doctors in various wings and departments throughout the hospital, except for Balam, who I do see as Head of the Pharmacy Department, since a hospital that size does, of course, need it's own pharmacy. A pharmacist himself, Balam has an encyclopedic knowledge of all pharmaceuticals, both medicinal and holistic. Now Balam looks really scary, especially because a childhood accident left him with some noticeable facial scarring, but the man is a gentle giant and after Iruma stopped being so frightened of him, I could see him and Balam getting along fantastic, even back before Iruma became a resident. Throughout his schooling years, before going to university, I think Balam took Iruma under his wing and the boy spent a lot of time in the pharmacy, learning a lot from Balam. Iruma still makes it a point to stop by to see Balam as often as he possibly can, and honestly, Balam shows up to the ER quite often anyway, because he and Dr. Kalego are childhood best friends who take lunch breaks together so he's another important 'teacher and mentor' figure to Iruma overall.

The surprising twist here, but one I really liked and just made sense to me. A child prodigy, Ameri Azazel graduated high school ridiculously early and I see her being the same age, at most a year older, than all the residents. However, she's actually Dr. Azazel, though still a fairly new doctor, only a year out of her own residency. She most often works in the pediatric wing with Opera, but does do shifts in the ER as needed.

I'm sure you're wondering…are the other residents Iruma's classmates in canon? Mostly, yes! How could I not? But there's still a few surprise twists, haha.

One of those surprise twists is that I really don't see Clara as an actual resident. Nope, I see her as being a fairly significant member of the hospital's kitchen staff. Though she doesn't do all the planning and overseeing of the hospital's meal plans and such, because the Head of Food Services does that, I see her being at least a sous chef in the kitchen itself, but she often shirks her duties here and there to actually go and deliver the meals to patients, which really should be left to a lower ranking member of the kitchen staff. She just finds it really fun to get to go and explore the hospital and see all the different staff members (and patients, though giving the patients their meals is actually supposed to be left to the nurses) and despite the many write-up's she's had over it, Sullivan and even Clara's own superior refuse to fire her or make her stop it. After all, she clearly means no harm and really just is a kind of nuisance at worst.

Another person I don't see as being a resident is Elizabetta. I actually see her as being a new nurse in the hospital. She works in different departments as needed, and honestly, though she's good enough at her job and does have a really good heart, with a lot of compassion for the patients, it's obvious she's really not that interested in making a huge career out of nursing. She actually just really wants to marry a handsome doctor who's wealthy enough so that she can become a stay at home wife and then mother and live a picture perfect, happily married life.

The last person I don't see as being a resident doctor is Kamui Caim. Instead he's an intern pharmacist under Balam. An odd, weird-looking little duck, the boy's honestly a little bit of an incel and definitely a huge pervert, who becomes known for being a little inappropriate with both the female nurses, doctors, and patients. However, when it comes to his actual area of expertise, Kamui is actually a brilliant pharmacist and really helps not only fill the astounding amount of prescriptions that come through each day, but is able to help prescribe and treat the various small ailments of people sent to the pharmacy for help instead of an actual doctor needing to waste their time treating them.

So, that leaves us with the other residents. The most important two are Alice Asmodeus and Sabro Sabnock. Both men have relatives who sit on the Board of Directors for the hospital. Sabro's uncle, in particular, raised the boy to believe that, when Sullivan was gone, Sabro's uncle would run the hospital and then pass it on to Sabro, so the boy was pushed to prepare for that from a young age. Brash and arrogant but actually really good-hearted, Sabro would like to specialize in sports medicine but was pushed by his family to follow in his uncle's footsteps and become a surgeon and his residency is done in that department.

Alice, meanwhile, is prim and proper and determined to make the most of every second of his residency. He also has quite the ego, but deservedly so, as he is brilliant and everyone has very high hopes for him as a practicing doctor. Due to an accident during childhood that had left his sister badly burnt, and witnessing her recovery and various surgeries and skin grafts afterwards, Alice does his residency primarily in the hospital's Burn Wing and hopes to specialize in that field of reconstructive surgery.

Another resident hoping to become a surgeon is Goemon Garp. Goemon was born with a rather extreme form of facial deformity and because of that, he was badly bullied growing up. It wasn't until after many medically necessary surgeries and then some extensive plastic surgery, finished by mid-high school, that Goemon grew to look relatively normal, though he's still not the most handsome man out there. However, he's finally happy with the way he looks and he wants everyone to have that opportunity, so he would, after his residency, like to specialize in cosmetic surgery.

Picero Agares, however, was well known to those in the hospital even before he becomes a hospital. Picero has suffered from narcolepsy from the time he was a child and was treated at the hospital. He hopes to become a doctor working in the hospital, specializing in sleep disorders…though everyone is a little shocked, as Picero has always been anything but friendly, even as a child, and probably has the worst bedside manner out of any of the residents.

The last of those residents who know what they want to specialize in, Soi Purson was born severely hearing impaired. He received cochlear implants in both ears by the time he entered middle school, which opened up a whole new world for him, really. Because of that experience, he really decided that he wanted to become an audiologist and is doing his residency primarily in the hospital's Audiology Department.

Schneider Allocer is an absolute genius, even rivalling Ameri. While he is a resident doctor, he's actually not sure what he would like to specialize in. There's too many opportunities, too many possibilities, too many areas to learn and grow his expertise in with hands on experience. He bounces around the various departments, along with the other three residents who have not figured out what they would like to specialize in.

Keroli Crocell is one of those three. Her family has always put a lot of pressure on her to go into medicine, to become a doctor so that she could have 'the best life', be financially secure, and bring honor to the family name. So she's gone to school, always done well, always brought honor to her family, and is doing her residency. But honestly, she'd rather be doing anything else, but especially she'd rather be playing with her band, like she does in secret on weekends, doing gigs at clubs around the city.

That leaves the other two undecided residents as Lied Shax and Jazz M. Andro. To be honest, though neither of them has decided on a specialty, Lied actually becomes a hit in the pediatric wing, while Jazz is noted to have the best bedside manner out of all the residents.

#replies #welcome to demon school iruma kun #mairimashita! iruma kun #headcanons #au headcanons #hospital au

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ere-the-sun-rises · 1 year ago

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I've got a bone to pick with the dude in the screenshot. Here's some of the reasons his words reveal he's a chode:

He "runs a school", does he? That means he's a high-end administrator, either in the school itself or in the school board (if its a public school) and does not actually have direct interaction with students on a consistent basis (or at all).

When he says that, he's implying he oversees teachers or students or both. If he was a teacher or had been one, he would know that being a teacher is a fuckload of work and would not be dismissive of them. If he had interactions with students like teachers do, he would know students generally don't shirk their work. If he's referring to both, he's a douchebag who looks down on his colleagues and their pupils.

A school (of any kind) is arguably the LAST place you would find workshy layabouts. Teachers, even shitty ones, work incredibly hard to do their jobs for a comparatively small amount of pay, especially considering the amount of work they do which they don't get paid for (clubs, after-hours tutoring, at-home grading, etc).

Students are not lazy. They intake a deluge of information on multiple subjects for 6+ hours a day, do work and homework and have to time-manage it. A lot of them also have extracurriculars they balance against the workload and exhaustion. They are also children, forced into environments that are not usually overly pleasant, possibly with people they don't like, for prolonged periods of time where they can't move around and are required to concentrate all the time. An adult forced into an equivalent of that work would crack under the pressure.

"The human impulse to not do anything" Really, my good man? So where did you find all this spare time to observe the unwashed masses of you were so fucking busy all the time, hmm? Tell me why you were at the Devil's Sacrament, Austen.

Also, actually, yeah! Humans do need downtime! We're a predator species - we're meant to lay around when we're full and content and nap in the sun. Every other top or near-top predator does this: big cats, wolves, whales, sharks, they all have time off where they just mess around. Go ask a biology teacher, if you can summon the spare time to do so.

Human beings, when given sufficient rest and free time, will find things to do. Tribal culture is a perfect example, go ask the history teacher aboit it. Native American tribes would do all kinds of maintenance work in their downtime - fixing things, weaving baskets, creating/mending clothing, teaching others these chores, passing down oral histories, blending paints, making beads, you name it. Nothing but necessity and desire compelled these activities ans if modern humans were given a chance, they would do the same.

An attitude like this one only comes from privilege. Anyone who's been raised poor or working class knows how fucking much of your life is taken up by work, chores and maintenance labour. Someone has to make money, do laundry, make food, clean the house. None of this goes anywhere if you don't do it. You don't have the money to pay for it to be done ot support a spouse who will do it instead (and they're working too, just not for pay). You get to sit up there, away from the daily toil, and pontificate on how the masses laze about when given enough leave to do so. How dare they?! How dare they not turn themselves into the meat grinder for a few more pennies?! What use is a family and friendships and hobbies if they haven't got excess money laying about?

That's what it's all about, right, Austen? Pleasure and leisure are for the rich and the rich alone. The poor should indenture themselves and praise the opportunity to work until they drop dead for the scraps they are given. They do not deserve to know human interaction outside of their coworkers and bosses, so see their job less than they see their home. What use do children find in play when they could be shackled to their desk for the entire daylight cycle? Are you peasants not thankful?

Oh? Is that not what you believe? Then why is that what you're saying?

My least favorite things about anti- UBI discourse is always the techbros whining that "nobody is going to work anymore! People will just watch Netflix all day!" and I have 2 responses:

1) Who the fuck cares. Who the fuck cares what people do with their time! That's kind of the fucking point!

2) People aren't going to stop laboring. Housework (look, it's right there in the word!) will still need to be done. So will maintenance on our homes and personal spaces. Children will still need carers, as will the elderly and disabled. There are millions of examples of ~work~ that we do all the time, uncompensated, that won't suddenly stop because we aren't forced to sell our labor to provide corporation's profits.

I'm not surprised that what is traditionally women's work is invisible to these dipshits, but it never fails to anger me.

Anyway. Join the IWW.

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ohioelectricityrates · 3 months ago

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Lawmakers Closer to Overhauling Ohio Energy Market

New Post has been published on https://www.ohenergyratings.com/blog/lawmakers-closer-to-overhauling-ohio-energy-market/

Lawmakers Closer to Overhauling Ohio Energy Market

Ohio Closer To Energy Market Change

Ohio lawmakers are hammering out two bills to modernize the state’s energy market which may help reduce your monthly electricity rates.

It’s no secret that Ohio has a problem with electricity rates. In fact, EIA 2023 estimates show Ohio homes paid over $120 per month on average. Mind you, those come well before recent rate hikes and concerns about increased energy demand. But Ohio lawmakers have been working to reform the state’s energy market to make your rates a lot more affordable. Here’s what you need to know about Ohio’s potential energy market overhaul.

New Ohio Energy Reform Bills

The Ohio Senate and House recently passed bills SB2 and HB15. These bills are packed with many provisions to help reform Ohio’s energy market. This includes quite a bit of discussion on renewable energy, rates, and pricing. While this means both bills are similar, key differences do exist.

For example, both bills prevent companies from adding Electric Security Plans to bills. This keeps companies from adding on costly riders that could hike up your bills. Both bills also set a strict December 31, 2029 deadline to file rate cases. Companies must then file new rate cases every three years after. Finally, each bill creates a way for customers to receive refunds on unreasonable, unlawful, or improper rates and riders.

In other words, companies must be timely with rate case filings, cannot add on pricey surcharges, and must pay refunds when owed.

Speaking of refunds, HB15 requires that money that has been collected for solar projects, but not remitted must be repaid to customers. However, SB2 requires that the money be placed into a fund that could be offered as loans for energy conservation and energy-saving contracts. This includes solar panel installation.

How HB15 And SB2 Help Customers

As you can guess, there’s a lot to unpack between both bills. So it can be hard to figure out what the bills can do to help you. But this list goes over some of the other major points that you should know:

Both bills repeal the 2019 HB6 subsidies for two Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC) coal fired power plants. These plants have cost Ohio ratepayers nearly $500 million.

HB15 and SB2 support behind-the-meter generation to allow high demand businesses to set their own generator systems. These not only supply them with power but also keep their high demand isolated from the rest of the Ohio grid. At the same time, it also allows these behind the meter generators to sell their excess power into the Ohio grid, which helps keep residential power prices low.

SB2 allows the creation of voluntary demand response programs. These programs let utilities reduce a participating customer’s load during peak times. For example, lowering your smart thermostat settings to reduce energy use.

HB15 allows the creation of community energy systems. These systems could lower bills by allowing small communities to generate its own power and help offset energy demand.

We’re still waiting to see finalized versions of these bills. But one thing’s for sure, once the final bill is signed into law, lawmakers expect it to keep prices down. Until then, you should make saving energy a priority and shop for cheaper electricity rates.

You can start your shopping right here at https://www.ohenergyratings.com. We’re also your best choice for tips and news that could affect your bills.

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lefae · 2 years ago

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Personal Update

On December 1, mom broke her ankle horribly enough to require surgery to fix it. I stayed with her through most of the hospital stay (I only came home one night because I have PTSD issues regarding that hospital and wasn't getting any sleep there because of it), and have had to spend most of my time since then at her house because she's completely non weight bearing and is incapable of much mobility at all on her own right now...

Given that I am physically disabled, with mobility issues - spinal damage and a once broken ankle that needs surgery again that I can't afford, both of which demand I severely limit the amount of time I'm on my feet or I risk losing my ability to walk completely even faster than I'm already losing it - you can just imagine the struggle that this is, given how difficult it is to simply take care of myself, much less another person. Add to that that we don't always get along when forced to be around each other for extended periods of time, and I don't get any chance to rest during my chronic illness flare-ups or to recover from them...

The rest of my family who had been helping with at least meals, running errands, and a couple overnight stays a week all have COVID right now as of December 24. Thankfully, there wasn't any family gathering, so neither mom nor I got sick, but that also means all of what minimal help and breaks I got have disappeared, to where it was a while production when I needed to get my aunt from the sperm donor's side of my family to give me a ride to the store to get a few things I needed for myself because no one else picked them up for me like they were supposed to.

I am bloody exhausted, in severe pain, dealing with severe depression on top of it all, because in all this, one thing has been made abundantly clear: it doesn't matter how fucking disabled I am, my family honestly doesn't give a shit and it's actively exploiting the fact that I'm unable to work (even if I found a job I could handle, it wouldn't be available here locally, the internet sucks to much to be able to do it remotely (plus they wouldn't leave me alone to do it regardless), and any commute would be insane even if it was in the immediate area since it's a 30 minute drive to the nearest fucking grocery store as it is, etc) to have me essentially work literally 24/7 with no compensation, I'm not even able to sleep in my own fucking bed, I don't have access to my computer at all most days, I have to work regardless of flare-ups or migraines or pain levels, and I've actively noticed a severe decrease in my own mobility trying to do this because no one else will, and the hospital sent her home instead of putting her in rehab like we were told they would because no one here was able to handle doing this but apparently that didn't matter and no one would listen to me when I tried to kick up a fuss despite my being the one who has had to do the vast majority of the work since, all while completely neglecting my own living space because I haven't even had time to go home and take out the fucking trash or clean out the fridge because apparently no one cares if I get sicker or permanently injured in all of this.

And the real kicker is when everyone else is being all "woe is me" because they miss my uncle who passed away in September, and expecting me to comfort them when I'm well past my breaking point to where I simply want to run away and never look back because I can't keep this up, I'm so tired and I'm so much pain and I'm scared that by the time this is over, I'm going to be unable to even stand on my own two feet anymore and it will be entirely their fault at that point and they'll just leave me to fend for myself like they've always done, yet expect me to push myself to the point of sickness and injury for them even when I say I'm not able to do it because they'll threaten me with taking away the financial support I'm dependent on them for.

So yeah... Don't expect a lot of activity from me right now, since I have a lot of trouble trying to type on touchscreens and I'm largely stuck on mobile for the foreseeable future. And if you can spare a few dollars so I can try to just order some things for myself to have it delivered rather than struggling and fighting with family to get any bloody help around here, I would deeply appreciate it (links to buymeacoffee & Amazon wishlists are in my pinned post, or it's possible to tip through this blog).

#out of coffee ( ooc )#personal #vent cw #abuse cw

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jack-bytez-genuine-corner · 1 year ago

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For reference but Gen Z hasn't, as a colloquial term for people aged roughly 17ish to 27ish, lived in a Western country not undergoing massive decline. In the UK it was the 14 years of Tory rule which culminated into tons of privatization, stagnating wages, privatization and eventually Brexit that all but collapsed UK relevance but simultaneously made life for everyone living there consistently worse over time. France, Germany and a few other EU nations have been in a brutal fight between ultrarich interests, Russian and China interference in elections, politicians and energy, while simultaneously dealing with high xenophobia and bigotry which bogs down both local and EU politics which has led to issues in health, housing and a decline in high, stable wages. Once you hit the US you get a culmination of all these issues alongside some I haven't said like how many governments are gerontocracies where a lot of these politicians are so old and out of touch that they can't even comprehend the technology of today but you also have our baked in structural issues like the Electoral College which lets land win over popular vote, Supreme Court which can and regularly does throw out any law and legal precedent it disagrees with, gerrymandering and voter suppression being legal and preserved through generations of inaction, basic rights only being gained in the most tangential stance due to how impossible it is to federally pass anything and codify rights which can be anywhere from "Tossed out by SCOTUS" to "Requires 2/3rds of both houses." The forced 2 senator model keeping land in power over people so it's true in both state and federal systems, the over 20 year wars from Dubya that has led to a mass decline in respect towards soldiers and absolute failure on that entire institution to make it seem like it's anything but official soldiers for hire which will bribe you to kill innocent people and even die in exchange for an education, broken body and broken psyche if you live, giant differences in state law which near universally leaves all workers overworked and underpaid while companies can immorally stop unions and fire their workers with zero reason nor recourse, finally topped with barely existent safety nets that are always one or two steps away from just not existing at all.

But what does this actually MEAN? Well Gen Z is unionizing more, getting more politically active, becoming much more critical of existing institutions, not to kill those institutions off but to actually make them work. We see this in the UK kicking out the Tories after 14 years of direct financial and institutional decline in favor of Labor. We see this in France relegating the far right Le Pen led party to 3rd in power while the current Macron led center is 2nd, while the progressive party is leading forcing a coalition between business as usual and actual change. While in the US I can't point to recent elections directly I can point to the rise in ballot initiatives to save abortion in many states which, if the current bans remain in place, would force doctors who perform a life saving abortion to go to prison or stay in their job while women died, alongside preventing the complete loss of OBGYN services to millions, the growing support for queer people, the creation and resurgence of many unions, talks and actions on political and court reforms to prevent corruption, alongside the steady losses for Republicans in every election in every state since 2018, with 2016 being the first time that Gen Z could vote while millions every 4 years can start protesting at the ballot box vs just in schools which has led to groups for gun reforms and a complete shift on work back to a much older view on work than our nationalist version we've had for over a century.

At it's core, every action has an equal or opposite reaction. You can count me as optimistic that after decades of decline we're going to see decades of fixing many wrongs to make a better world cause the old people of today didn't want to plant a tree they'd never live to see grow, and that's because we've hit a generation who has no nostalgia for the days of old and are patently aware of the issues. I'm pretty hopeful, but I can still be wrong I guess.

being unemployed is rad but being unemployed in a world that treats employment as a necessity that completes you as a person while also having zero access to unemployment benefits is maybe not so good

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stagefoureddiediaz · 3 years ago

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6x02 Costume Meta

of Sorry this took me longer to get out than I’d intended - I got a bad migraine on Tuesday evening that put me back a day so here we are a day later than I’d hoped!!

There are some really interesting over-arching themes at play this week when it comes to the use of colour in the costumes - in particular the use of black, green and of course - yellow and blue is still making its presence known - especially in relation to Buck.

No Maddie this week as we only saw her at dispatch! I’m going to start with Athena’s costumes and you can read more under the cut!

Athena

Athena is wearing a lot of what I like to call neutral shades this week - these are all colours that tend to be muted in tone - beiges, greys, whites creams etc all fall into this category and they are colours that can be overlooked if paired with brighter shades. combined though they also tell their own story!

Athena arrives in Florida wearing a white tee, a khaki olive green cardigan (which I’m going to start referring to as army green to make my life easier!!) and washed out green slim fit jeans. All of these are neutral shades of their respective colours and the army green is the most prominent colour here. Athena wears a lot of this shade of green - she always has done, but its prevalence in her wardrobe has been steadily decreasing as each season passes. the times we see Athena in this green tend to correspond with times when she feels like she’s going into battle, especially in her personal life - hence the abundance of it in season 1 - when Michael and Athena were essentially at war with each other and Athena was fighting to save the life she had made for herself.

Here though we have an Athena who is wearing white - the colour of open-mindedness and reflection. it is a colour that reflects rather than absorbs and a colour that wants to support others and make them feel good.

Athena in white suggests all of this - but the army green cardigan shows she is also prepared to go into battle. the other thing to note about this shade of green - because of its connection with the military it has connotations of being judgemental - again this is something we see some of from Athena in the scene inside the house.

She also has a new pendant on her necklace this season, but I haven’t been able to get a good enough still to see what exactly it is but from the still below it looks like it might be some sort of compass. If it is a compass then thats a really interesting direction (no pun intended) for them to take her necklaces in.

Athena has always worn the Gorgoneion necklace - a symbol of the goddess Athena and supposed to be a type of apotropaic shield (protective magic) said to protect the wearer from harm and imbue them with wisdom - in relation to work (esp when working in plain clothes) but she also wears it outside of work when she is in situations that require her to go into battle and be especially wise.

Then there is the Anchor pendant necklace - this on is very directly connected to her family - the suggestion being that family is her anchor - it is where she draws her stability, support and keeps her from going adrift in the sea of life.

Now in season 6 we have yet to see the anchor pendant necklace, but we have seen the gorgons head pendant and we have this new possible compass pendant. The implication here is very much connected into the fact that Harry and May have/are both leaving Athena - she has an empty nest and can no longer draw on the stability and support from her home life in the same way. it is suggestive of her searching for a new direction now she his essentially an empty nester - we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, but I’m pretty sure we’ll see Athena searching for something in her personal life this season.

The very bright lime green collared knit top is a new colour on Athena, but the story at this point is loudly about all the things green means - the colour of renewal. Renewal of an old friendship, the plans to renew the destroyed room, but also the renewal of the battle with Beatrice over Samuels situation.

Back into neutral tones and this ecru/silvery blue sleeveless top. the silvery blue tones are suggestive of enlightening the mind, of reflection, healing and restoration. and the ecru (a shade of greyish yellow), because the word ecru means unbleached, wearing the colour is suggestive of honesty - that it is a colour that suggests the laying bare of ones self. this is what we see here with Athena in this scene - she is being reflective and honest in her recollections of her childhood with her parents - especially with her father.

the last outfit we she Athena in is this beige long sleeve sweater and the arm green trousers. Beige is a colour which draws opinions on both ends of the spectrum - it is equally loved and loathed. It is considered a colour of tranquility and convention. To me seeing Athena in this colour for this scene suggests her desire to make peace with her mother - to not intrude on her mothers grief. it becomes a moment of bonding and understanding for them. the other thing to note about Athena wearing this colour for this scene is actually what is going on elsewhere. Athena is in a tranquil bubble - bonding with her mother - meanwhile Bobby is back at the house and dealing with a police investigation after finding a body with Jr. The blue and red of the police cars bounce off the beige Athena is wearing in a way that they wouldn’t do if she was in any other colour. It also makes her stand out in that scene - everyone else is in dark colours except her - it pulls her into the centre of focus and works with the voice over which is lifted from 2x07 to ensure we as a viewer are connecting the dots along with Athena about who that body under the floor belongs to.

Bobby

Bobby spends pretty much all of the episode in black - with the exception of one scene. The black has multiple meanings in this context. Black is an absorbing colour - hiding vulnerabilities, but it is also a colour of authority and strength as well as being able to blend into when needed (due to its proliference in clothing in general- its not a colour that stands out from the crowd unless you are the only one in black in the crowd). These are all things we see Bobby being in this episode - he is there as a support to Athena, he stands up for her and becomes authoritative when needed, but also semi blends into the background. It is a mark of Bobby knowing when to step in and when to hold back that we see come into play throughout the episode. there is also the underlying tone - which has been there in both episodes this season and was there at the end of 5b that Bobby is hiding his own vulnerabilities.

we do get a little break from the black though - in the form of a burgundy shirt. We’ve seen Bobby in this colour many times over the seasons. Burgundy is a colour of compassion but also intense focus. In this scene it is being used to show Bobby as having compassion for Athena and her history, but also imploring us the viewer to pay attention - to focus on what is being said - because there are clues to be had in that conversation.

Hen

boy oh boy did we go through a whirlwind of costumes for Hen this week!! the main over arching take away from her costumes is to take note of the use of patterning. I know I don’t talk much about the trousers they wear - this is mostly because when you’re costume designing you very often don’t know if legs will be seen on screen - it depends on what angles they chose to film from. this doesn’t mean you don’t worry about the trousers, skirts or whatever a character happens to be wearing on their lower half, but it does mean if you’re trying to get information across through the costumes you are better off focusing your energy on the top half. there is also that trousers etc tend to have less variety available - especially if you’re dressing a male character, so it is much harder to make use of colour theory in the same way. that doesn’t mean we never see it in the lower half of a costume - and Hen is here to show us how it can be done!.

to start we have this green satin bowling shirt with beige, red and white detailing, worn over a black vest and with beige plaid trousers with grey plaid stripe down side. I really love this look on Hen - such a great colour on her, and also a great use of texture. the satin with its sheen is generally a more dressy fabric - used for evening gowns etc. the darker green is, as I’ve said before, the colour of growth renewal and nature - it is the type of green you see at the height of summer - when everything is growing well and foliage is at its most lush.

then there are the tweed trousers - on their own not all that interesting - except they have a contrasting grey tweed/plaid stripe down the side of them - the two different patterns are fairly busy and hint at the scrambling of Hens mind that is to come. (Side note Luis is wearing stripes - this fits into my stripe theory if we consider the idea that Hen may be taking a different career path to Luis going forward!)

then we have the red blue and black sweater that looks like a Rorschach test. it also looks a bit like the MRI brain scans - espcially with the choice of colours. We see a lot of this sweater and it heavily hints at Hens mind becoming overwhelmed with her workload - at the confusion to come - that will lead to her failing her neurology test - interesting considering that both the Rorschach test (a part of the process of diagnosing schizophrenia) and MRI’s tend to focus on brain patterns - neurology!!

We then get this jacket with large and busy print in black, aqua blue, green and burgundy - further emphasising the way hens mind is becoming increasingly scrambled by trying to fit all of the various pulls on her time in.

baby pink tee with embroidered logos on front. This is an unusual one for Hen - its not a colour we’ve really seen her in before - I can only assume they were trying to tie the colour in to the scene - a moment when Karen was going to persuade Hen into not neglecting her sexual and romantic needs - using the pink to show romance rather than the passion of red.

The indigo hoodie is an interesting colour choice - indigo is the colour of integrity, knowledge and intuition and here we see Hen in the exam - not trusting her knowledge and intuition - the rubbing out of answers implies this. the use of camouflage trousers in combination with the indigo hoodie to me is suggesting the idea of Hen masking or hiding in plain sight - hiding her stress and the fact she is struggling to keep up with everything in her life - the camo essentially reverses (not really reverses as Hen knows all this stuff - but it kind of hints that there is a block to her using her knowledge) the indigo - she wore it to portray that she is knowledgeable but underneath she isn’t feeling that way (hence the camo being under the table - a bit like a swan - graceful on the surface but legs paddling frantically underneath)

cream longline v neck cardigan - cream is a colour of honesty and sincerity - but is also a colour about giving 100% - which Hen is definitely doing! This cardigan for me at least is also about subterfuge - its Hen putting up this front/mask - trying to pretend everything is ok - when she knows it really isn’t - they do say we are best at fooling ourselves an thats wht this cardigan is - its much more feminine and softer than anything else we’ve seen her in in the episode and that speaks volumes.

Finally we have the black hoodie with gold ears of wheat around bottom - there are so many things going on with this hoodie - its an epic choice from the costume team. If anyone fancies owning their own you can buy it here but as to the many layers of meaning embodied in this hoodie - well I hope you’re sitting comfortably as it might get long!

Lets start with the black - the colour of power, sophistication, but also a colour of concealing. here we have Hen in a position of authority (as she is captain) who Buck is asking for advice - Buck would also have asked these same questions to Bobby f he’d been there, but he would also have asked Hen as his friend away from the captaincy - here it is just a double whammy - and Hen isn’t really in the mental space to actually give Buck the full level of support he needs - but she tries to conceal that by giving him some form of answer - it is almost the same type of answer that Buck gave to Eddie during the hospital fire.

Then there is all the ears of wheat making themselves very loud around the bottom of the hoodie. there are so many things tied into wheat and especially into wheat used as a symbol on clothing. Wheat is a symbol of fertility, bounty and resurrection, it is also a symbol of the cycle of life - of the seasons passing (and if we want to get really into colour choices then when the 4 of them are stood in a line at their lockers they are dressed in colours associated with the seasons - spring - Buck - Summer - Chim - Autumn - Eddie - Winter - Hen!). When it comes to the use of wheat in clothing - there is an interesting little piece of information. the use of wheat motif was commonly used on clothing in the 1880’s and 90’s (it is also seen earlier than this but this period is particularly intense in its use) in connection with anxiety around the industrial revolution - the move from a society centred around agriculture to one centred around industry. I think this is an interesting concept to connect with Hen - the idea that she is going through change herself - from one career to another. the 1880’s and 90’s use of wheat was in essence a protest or a questioning of if moving from farming to industry was the right thing, in the same way Hen is now starting to question if moving from firefighting and being a paramedic, to being a doctor is the right thing (especially if you consider that in general terms paramedics are considered less advanced than being a doctor).

The colour of straw and wheat - moving through the season - the golden period is when it is cut down - when it has reached the point of turning - essentially the end of its lifecycle - it can only be useful (to humans) if it is cut down or it will rot away. its an interesting connotation - the idea that Hen’s growing period is at an end - this is further backed up by her conversation with Karen - when Karen tells her she needs to make choice - doctor or paramedic - she cannot be both - hen has reached a point in her growth where she needs to be cut down in order to grow again - because by cutting down the wheat you get the seeds to grow more next year - this also applies to Buck - the death of lev has cut him down - at a point where he is already searching for answers - Hen cannot provide them for him because she is at the point where she has nothing left to give.

I have been having lots of thoughts about harvest and reaping what you sow and the straw that broke the camels back because all of these idioms apply to Hen here - taking on the captains role in Bobbys absence proves to be the straw that breaks Hen’s back, and the insane schedule she set for herself to try and do it all means she spread herself too thin and is reaping what she sowed - if you spread your wheat seeds to thinly you get a lesser crop.

Then there is the Demeter connection as the Goddess of the harvest. For those who don’t know Demeter’s daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades (her Uncle) and taken to the underworld with the approval of Zeus (her father). Demeter tried to get her back, by preventing all plants from growing but because Persephone had eaten some of the food from the underworld she could no longer return to the world above full time - it was agreed that she would spend half the year in the underworld with Hades and half the year in the world above - thus we get the seasons. The Demeter connection also plays in to the idea of time (yes more time metaphors!) being split in half - that Hen has been essentially dedicating half her time to study and half to work, but also being separated/distant from her family - all while trying to maintain that part of her life as well. The idea the Demeter created the seasons in response to being separated from Persephone for half the year - separated from her family is such a fascinating concept in connection to Hen and her story arc for this season - does she remain studying to become a doctor; which will separate her further from her family (both the firefam and Karen and Denny) or does she remain with the fire department and pursue moving up the career ladder - whatever that path looks like!

The other aspect I've been thinking about is the fact that those ears of wheat are embroidered - these were probably done by a machine, but in general the process of embroidery is a time consuming one - much like the growing of wheat, it takes time for the picture to appear when you are creating an embroidery - playing on the concept that both hen and Buck are in the middle of something and therefore cannot see the full picture yet - that it will all come together once all the various threads are in place - but until then it is hard to see what you are creating - even when you know what the end piece should look like!

The embroidery also has a potential connection to the fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin and the weaving of golden thread from straw - the connection being the idea of Hen trying to achieve the seemingly impossible - and in the process 'bartering' with her child (forgetting Denny's robotics club meet) but ultimately finding a way to overcome her issue and keep her child (something is going to have to give and when that time comes - Hen will put her family first).

Chimney and Eddie

We actually need to talk about this scene as a whole because there is something interesting going on. Buck is the odd one out from the other three. remember what I said above about Hen’s jumper representing harvest and fertility and growth - well Eddie and Chim also represent this in this scene. We only get a brief glimpse of Chim and Eddie out of uniform in this episode and what both of them are wearing compliment each other and Hen’s jumper - they work in tandem to highlight what they are both trying to do in this scene. Eddie in brown - stability and reliability, it is the colour of earth and therefore ties into the idea of growth. while Chimney is in grey and green - grey again a colour of stability while green is growth and renewal. The check theory also comes into play here - Chimney physically touches Buck - almost as if passing on who the theory is going to involve. But Chim was also wearing check in the last scene we saw him in in episode 1 so it is also possible that the check is intensifying - that whatever id going to befall Chim will be big - we know he’s in the car (likely kidnapped) that (almost) hits Buck and we know that there is possibly a scene where Maddie can’t find him and thinks he’s the one running this time - we also know that Chimney will be going to therapy (couples at the ver least) this all leads to the implication that while Chim seems fine right now, he isn’t going to be for long - that his breakdown is going ot be a swift one.

Buck

Bucks light blue collared knit tee is telling several stories all at once here. There is the obvious connection to Lev, who is wearing the same colour of shirt - the meaning is obvious - we are meant to connect Lev’s story and search for happiness with Bucks own journey - this is less about what a viewers subconscious mind is doing, and more about what the active mind is doing - even the most casual of viewers will pick up on the matching colour choice. we should also connect this to Frankie - because he is also wearing the same shade of blue - his shorts! There is obviously the fact that Lev sacrificed his life so that Frankie could be saved, but there is also a subtle connection to chairs - chairs being what brought the walkway down. That Buck has decided to go for a single armchair rather than getting a new sofa - and the next episode we see single seater chairs being the thing that makes the existing cracks reach their breaking point - well lets just say the foreshadowing is clear - Bucks choice to go it alone will only widen the cracks rather than helping him close them! I’m just quickly going to point out the continued use of blue and yellow in this episode in stories surrounding Buck or Eddie - Frankie is in yellow and blue - and Lev is too - he could have been given any coloured lanyard for this scene, but they chose the yellow one!!

Then there is the other less obvious connections we can draw, because we’ve seen Buck in a pale blue exactly two other times in 80 episodes.

The second one is a more similar in shade of blue and it is the more recent one - the connection might seem obvious - the Buck we saw in x18 is mentally in a similar place - maybe slightly more at ease because he ended his failing relationship on his own terms, but he isn’t ‘happy’ that suit represents the beginning of Buck not replacing his couch - the beginning of a spiral about not wanting to get things wrong again. But in actual fact this isn’t the only connection and the bigger one connects all three tops. If you look at them all together you can see that the shade of blue is getting increasingly stronger - we go from the very powdery blue of the hoodie to the darker blue - with a hint of grey to it from the wedding, to this much brighter blue from 6x02. This to me at least (with colour theory in mind) is saying to me - these are connected - they are showing a journey - a progression - and I think we might continue to see this tone of blue on Buck going forward - perhaps lightening or darkening in shade depending on where he is in his journey.

I could go on further on several of these costumes, but as this has taken me longer to get done than normal andits already a long post - i’m ending here!

I hope you enjoyed and thank you as always for reading and for your likes, comments and reblogs - it means the world to me that you all enjoy reading about costumes and colour theory!

Tagged people below!

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack @bucksintheroom @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi @name-code-black-widow @prettyboyandthekid @callanee @calyssmarviss @alwaysme @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes @piningpettyeddie @bi-moonlight @spotsandsocks @projectabc @livingwherethesidewalkends @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @jordxnhennessy @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @ekstasisandangst-main @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz @gossamerglob @ktinastrikesback @adamrparrrish @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose @wolfybuckley @neon-d0rk

#kym costume meta #911 costume meta #911 costumes #kym colour theory #911 colour theory #911 spoilers #911 on fox #911fox #911onfox #costume meta #911 6x02 #6x02 #6x02 costume meta

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robertreich · 4 years ago

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The Filibuster is Unconstitutional

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about the filibuster these days. But here’s one thing about this old Senate rule you might not know: the filibuster actually violates the Constitution.

41 Senate Republicans, who represent only 21 percent of the American population, are blocking the “For the People Act,” which is supported by 67 percent of Americans. They’re also blocking an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, supported by 62 percent of Americans. And so much else.

Even some so-called moderate Democrats, like Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema, have outsized power to block crucial legislation thanks to the filibuster. Many of those who defend the filibuster consider themselves “originalists,” who claim to be following the Constitution as the Framers intended.

But the filibuster is not in the Constitution. In fact, the Framers of the Constitution went to great lengths to ensure that a minority of senators could not thwart the wishes of the majority.

After all, a major reason they called the Constitutional Convention was that the Articles of Confederation (the precursor to the Constitution) required a super-majority vote of nine of the thirteen states, making the government weak and ineffective.

James Madison argued against any super-majority requirement, writing that “the fundamental principle of free government would be reversed," and “It would be no longer the majority that would rule: the power would be transferred to the minority." Alexander Hamilton, meanwhile, warned about “how much good may be prevented, and how much ill may be produced” if a minority in either house of Congress had “the power of hindering the doing what may be necessary.”

Hence, the Framers required no more than a simple majority vote in both houses of Congress to pass legislation. They carved out specific exceptions, requiring a super-majority vote only for rare, high-stakes decisions:

Impeachments.

Expulsion of members.

Overriding a presidential veto.

Ratification of treaties.

Constitutional amendments.

By being explicit about these exceptions where a super-majority is necessary, the Framers underscored their commitment to majority rule for the normal business of the nation.

They would have balked at the notion of a minority of senators continually obstructing the majority, which is now the case with the filibuster.

So where did the filibuster come from?

The Senate needed a mechanism to end debate on proposed laws, and move laws to a vote — a problem the Framers didn’t anticipate. In 1841, a small group of senators took full advantage of this oversight to stage the first filibuster. They hoped to hamstring the Senate and force their opponents to give in by prolonging debate and delaying a vote.

This was what became known as the “talking filibuster” as popularized in the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But the results were hardly admirable.

After the Civil War, the filibuster was used by Southern politicians to defeat Reconstruction legislation, including bills to protect the voting rights of Black Americans.

In 1917, as a result of pressure from President Woodrow Wilson and the public, the Senate finally adopted a procedure for limiting debate and ending filibusters with a two-thirds vote (67 votes). In the 1970s, the Senate reduced the number of votes required to end debate down to 60, and no longer required constant talking to delay a vote. 41 votes would do it.

Throughout much of the 20th century, despite all the rule changes, filibusters remained rare. Southern senators mainly used them to block anti-lynching, fair employment, voting rights, and other critical civil rights bills.

That all changed in 2006, after Democrats won a majority of Senate seats. Senate Republicans, now in the minority, used the 60-vote requirement with unprecedented frequency. After Barack Obama became president in 2008, the Republican minority blocked virtually every significant piece of legislation. Nothing could move without 60 votes.

In 2009, a record 67 filibusters occurred during the first half of the 111th Congress — double the entire 20-year period between 1950 and 1969. By the time the 111th Congress adjourned in December 2010, the filibuster count had ballooned to 137.

Now we have a total mockery of majority rule. And it bears repeating that just 41 Senate Republicans, representing only 21 percent of the country, are blocking critical laws supported by the vast majority of Americans.

This is exactly the opposite of what the framers of the Constitution intended. They unequivocally rejected the notion that a minority of Senators could obstruct the majority.

Every time Republicans use or defend the filibuster they’re directly violating the Constitution — the document they claim to be dedicated to. How can someone profess to be an “originalist” and defend the Constitution while repeatedly violating it?

Senators whose votes have been blocked by a minority should have standing to take this issue to the Supreme Court. And the Court should abolish the filibuster as violating the U.S. Constitution.

#filibuster #U.S. Constitution #Mitch McConnell #James Madison #alexander hamilton #senate #Senate Republicans #video #videos

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