#while she seems to be having some issues those are best solved on her own

[teafiend]

Watching Jung Eun Chae in all her glory as Moon Ok Gyeong is ironically making me miss Kang Gil Young 🥹😭 a lot 😭

MOG is so handsome, gorgeous - hot, hot, hot 🥵 - and everything magnificent, and am swooning and melting every time I see her on my screen 🤩😍🫠

Yet…

(A good time to rediscover KGY while I squee over MOG 🥰)

[fancyfeathers]

Huntian: Where did you get 10 million? That's a lot of money, and I understand you have to justify the money to your dad.

Miss Luthor: Well, a crazy guy attacked my father when he took me to work, and that crazy guy tried to take my arm because he said my dad snatched it or something. Obviously, I got scared and started crying like a little girl.

Songbird: Justifiable, but what about the money?

Miss Luthor: I'll get to that part. Later, my father solved the problem by giving that crazy guy a box. Since I couldn't stop shaking with fear, they carried me home. Since it took me a while to calm down, I ended up upsetting my father, and he gave me all that money as consolation and said he was going to transfer more to me.

Songbird: You need to cry to your father more often.

Blue Lantern: Definitely, because my brother says they just transferred a few million into your account.

Burn It All Down

No that is such a canon interaction to the story like cause Lex’s daughter was most definitely spoiled growing up but in a way to make up for everything, like oh her dad missed dinner because of a business meeting in Shanghai? He’ll have Mercy take her out shopping or to a concert. She is going to nationals with her volleyball team? Oh sorry he can’t be there in person since he is closing a business deal and will be in London, oh but don’t worry he’ll face time and watch the whole thing, and her mother and Mercy will be there the whole time to watch and he’ll pay for the best hotel for her and her teammates and fly them out on a private jet and she can call daddy right after the game to tell him how it went and cry if she lost.

Her entire closet back home is worth at least three quarters of a million if not more, let’s be honest it’s probably more, with all the designer brands he buys her and custom made, one of a kind clothes, all just for her. She is grateful but at some point it just feels like empty gestures, because while her dad knows every little detail about what goes on in her life via phone calls or security cameras, but he is barely there for most of it even if he acts like he is, all of those gifts are just empty apologies to fill the void of him not actually being there. It’s just her and her mom sitting at the dining room table most nights if her mom does not eat in her own room, then it’s just her sitting alone. Her parents no doubt have their issues which hurt their daughter in the process.

Then when she finally gets to spend actual time with her dad, of course it’s him taking her to work, her sitting on one of the couches in his office while she reads a book or something and he’ll talk to her every know and then but even then it’s mostly silence because at this point she’d rather be out at a picnic with her volleyball team.

(Link to the scene this ask is talking about from season two of Young Justice)

Then to make it worse, her father’s office nearly gets blown up by Roy Harper when he tries to get revenge on Luthor for kidnapping him, cutting off his arm, cloning him, and freezing him for eight years. She is absolutely terrified when she gets dragged down to the parking garage to get taken somewhere safe. But even then Roy tries to attack them there, fighting Mercy, meanwhile Lex is perfectly calm, while his daughter is a terrified mess because she has no clue what is going on as a sweet little sheltered rich girl.

So when Roy finally beats Mercy, he instead gets an explosive rope around her arm instead of Lex’s arm and she is just about to pass out in pure fear, meanwhile her father is still completely calm, even with the threat of his daughter’s arm getting completely blown off…

“That’s detonation cord Luthor, the kind Lexcorp sells illegally, it’s the perfect revenge. I use your own tech to do to your daughter what you did to me.”

“Expect we gave you anesthesia, your methods seem a tad more violent.”

“W-what is he talking about?! Daddy, what’s going on?!”

“Calm down my dear, everything will be perfectly fine, just let me handle it.”

By the time it is all over, Luthor giving Roy a case with something in it in exchange for him to leave the with his daughter completely unharmed, well physically at least, mentally anyway she is a wreck. She has to deal with the fact that her father is not only absent in her life but also a horrible person, shocker I know.

So she’ll be sitting in her room when they get home, still just getting through a panic attack after everything that has happened while hearing her parents arguing down the hall and then she gets a notification on her phone.

Ten million transferred into her account.

The next thing she realizes her phone is thrown across the room and breaks on the wall, but she doesn’t even care, she feels like she is going insane at this point, literally on the verge of shattering her bedroom window with a lamp and crawling out and running away and never looking back, not like she would get far alone without dragging her back. But when Apollo, Oliver Queen’s son comes to rescue her, knocking on her window and stealing her away like some sort of platonic Prince Charming , she doesn’t ever look back once.

Now what happens to her makes funny stories to share with her new friends, her new family, all of them laughing at their past trauma to cope in some capacity since they don’t know what else to do and she is certainly not going back to retail therapy and using daddy’s credit card to get whatever is needed to cover up the wounds.

[sasheneskywalker]

dc fic summaries i have in my drafts

(the fics are in various stages of completion, but i plan to finish them all)

demolition lovers [jason/tim]

The last time Tim saw Jason Todd, the man had brutally beaten him up and stabbed him in the chest with a batarang. He hadn't heard anything about him since Dick and Damian helped Red Hood rescue his sidekick, so Tim put him out of his mind, focusing on more important issues.

But a chance encounter in another country makes him realize that he and Jason are working on the same case and when the fate of the world seems to rest on their shoulders, they are forced to team up, racing against time to solve what might just be the most dangerous mystery in their careers yet.

triangles are the strongest shape [tim/kon/bernard]

Tim comes out to his friends and tells them he has a boyfriend. Kon mopes over ice cream like a moody preteen girl. Bernard eyes his boyfriend’s hunky best friend contemplatively

three for a wedding [jason/tim/roy]

While on a mission Jason and Roy touch a strange artifact that forces them to get married or risk dying painfully. It wouldn’t be a problem except Jason is secretly dating Tim and Roy has been pining after his best friend for ages.

baby, i'm an outlaw [jason/helena]

They woke up together in an unfamiliar bed, with no memories of who they were and no idea how they ended up in this situation.

Then there was the dead body lying in the corner of the room.

Or, Jason and Helena go on a road trip, kill some people, and fall in love along the way.

practical application [jason-centric]

Five times Columbia University students are surprised by Jason Todd’s skills and one time they find out how he acquired them

author’s notes [jason-centric]

Jason writes fanfiction. It's not that big of a deal, but some people apparently disagree.

Or, how gargoylejay becomes a fandom sensation.

ouroboros [jason-centric]

Jason knows the circle cannot be broken. Yet he never stops trying anyway.

keep your enemies closer [tim-centric]

Five times Tim calls on unexpected allies for help and one time he doesn’t have to.

fourth-wall observer [tim-centric]

Ever since Tim was a child, something about the universe felt off to him.

It wasn’t until he started reading books and watching TV that he realized that the world he was living in functioned in a disturbingly similar manner to those that were fictional. It was ruled by certain patterns, tropes, as he called them, and he could use his knowledge of them to uncover the past, understand the present and predict the future.

Or, Tim Drake and dealing with the fact that your existence and reality are just figments of someone else’s imagination.

The Dark Dame [bruce-centric]

When Bryce was first designing her vigilante costume, she decided to leave the official name of her persona in the hands of the public. She expected something relating to the darkness, the night, the shadows that seemingly enveloped her entire being while she fought criminals in the streets. So the first time she heard the moniker “Batman” in reference to herself, she was quite taken aback. Both because people apparently thought that her suit resembled an anthropomorphic bat and that she was a man.

wheel of fortune [oc-centric]

A bored college student finds herself in the DC universe and decides to have some fun. It turns out that you can achieve a lot when you own one of the most powerful artifacts in the world.

[banana-revenge]

Banana Rambles: Tokyo Revengers HEADCANON Edition -- Part 3

Chifuyu is an honorary Mizo Mid Five member. But problem is, ever since he, Mikey and seven others established Toman (in the final timeline), Takemichi puts more trust on Chifuyu than his own middle school friends.

GTA: San Andreas was released in 2005. So imagine Takemichi and the gang playing this in the comfort of their homes (while Mitsuya would visit Hakkai's house just to borrow Yuzuha's PC just to play) and thrashing each other out. Mikey always loses, to the point that he destroyed his own PC. Shinichiro swore not to buy him one again until he learns how to calm down.

Speaking of destroying PCs, Baji already wrecked his mom's own laptop because of the game. He hasn't played in half a year because of it.

No one in the boys could even defeat Hina when it comes to videogames. Not even Naoto. NOT FUCKING EVEN MIKEY. Nah, don't even start with Takemichi, you already know the results.

The first wave of Playstation Portables (PSPs) was released in 2004. And the first people who got their own were Pah-chin, Hakkai, and of course, Koko, because DUH (but he wasn't a fan of handheld videogames, so he gave it to Inupi instead. Lucky bastard, according to Mikey). Baji wanted to have one, but his mom wouldn't want to give him one without managing his anger issues first.

Speaking of anger issues, there are only four instances where Baji is calm: 1.) if he's in the dojo, training, 2.) if he's playing with Peke-J, 3.) if he has a very high fever, and 4.) if he is studying for veterinary medicine.

Baji is probably the only person brave and blunt enough to tell Chifuyu that his artistic ideas are shit. Inupi comes in second.

Probably the only time Inupi would be highly annoyed at Koko is if whenever the latter would take out his deck of tarot cards and he would glare at him, whenever he would catch him, telling him to put. It. Back.

Which made me think, Inupi is, actually, scared of the unknown.

Even in the final timeline, Taiju still thinks of Inupi and Koko as his 'pet dog and cat', respectively, which makes Yuzuha laugh until she loses her breath. Both weren't amused, of course.

Takeomi didn't train Senju. Benkei and Waka did.

Considering that Akane survived in the final timeline, she became a good big sister to Hina and the others. For some strange reason, Shinichiro is a bit scared of her.

I believe I have already mentioned in my previous posts before how Shinichiro loves spoiling his siblings -- including Izana. Why? They don't have any parents anymore to provide them the love and care they deserved.

Canonically speaking, as per the spinoff, Baji loves solving mysteries -- even if he sucks at it. Hina loves mysteries too. So imagine these two working together in a case, it would be fluffy and funny at the same time, it would even make Takemichi (lowkey) jealous of Baji.

Canonically speaking, Kazutora seemed to love big cat print-themed things, particularly tiger stripes, because DUH. So imagine him wearing at least one piece of animal-printed clothing on his ensemble and you'll hear Mitsuya stating all the litanies of saints cursing his sense of fashion.

But at least, as per Mitsuya, Kazutora still has more fashion sense than Takemichi.

Takemichi was lucky to have Mitsuya as a friend because, at least, his fashion sense improved by twenty percent. But without him around, and when he's at home, don't expect him to dress up like a normal human being.

No, please, don't ask Chifuyu for any love advice, or you might regret it. But you can ask Baji. He may not be interested in any kind of romance, but you'll be surprise at some pieces of advice he would give you when it comes to relationships.

And of course, the best person you can ask for a love advice is none other than Draken. You can even ask those girls in the brothel how he actually saved their hearts from breaking.

Ironically though, when it comes to keeping relationships, Draken is still learning. Luckily Emma is patient enough to lead him.

Even in adulthood, Mikey still loves kiddie meals.

There was one time where Mitsuya and Taiju had a cooking contest where Luna and Mana were the judges. The theme? A simple but flavorful fried rice.

Senju once had long hair. Ever since she cut it when she reached fourteen, just because she finds having a long hair bothersome, Takeomi has been praying every day for her hair to grow back longer.

Judging by how PazuReve would set the story mostly in a club, especially when the entire Tenjiku is involved, it made me believe that hanging on clubs were their favorite pasttime. Eleven years later, the club owned by the Haitani Brothers were their favorite hangout spot.

I believe I saw (and reblogged) a fanart of Kakucho playing the violin. What if HE REALLY DOES!?

In the school where Yuzuha spent her junior high, she was their school's ultimate 'it' girl. What's more, it's a private, all-girls' school. Everyone admired her as a goddess due to her beauty, strength, and smarts. Poor Hakkai he couldn't visit his sister's school. You know obviously why.

Because of Takemichi, Hina's favorite plant is a four-leaf clover. The rare occurence of four-leaf clovers from the usual three indicated a rare, often good, opportunity at anything. Hina compares Takemichi to a four-leaf clover because, according to her, he possessed a rare kind of luck, and no matter how dire a situation is, he would always dig for any good opportunity to succeed, where he would never give up trying to find luck until he would find it and succeed. So expect her to own four-leaf clover-themed items such as bags and earrings.

In the final timeline, Yuzuha became Hakkai's manager. But prior to that, she was a model herself, and Mitsuya, of course, had been designing clothes for her. There was even one time that she wanted a tattoo on her back, but she earned 90 percent of votes disagreeing with her decision. Guess who.

We all knew that in the final timeline, South became an MMA star. Whenever he would visit Japan, the first person he would invite to spar with him was Mikey. He also gives free capoeira lessons (he's a rank 6 Instrutor with a plan to go another rank higher in the future) to his friends and little kids. Takemichi is his favorite student.

Will Senju try to pursue other things aside from Martial Arts? Hell yes! After Toman disbanded, with Takeomi's encouragement, he and Sanzu started as a pop rock duo before they retired to focus on their own Youtube Channel. Sanzu does rap, though. He's damn good at it, according to Takeomi, just don't let him sing, he would beg.

And of course, she would shop for girly things. After Toman disbanded, she began to hang out more with the girls, with Takemichi being 'their favorite butler/chaperone'.

Hina loves playing the piano, and she's obviously good at it. When South visited Japan for the first time after Toman disbanded, he would play with her often, and they would teach each other some pieces that they knew.

Kazutora is canonically handsome, so the rest of the original first gen Toman founders weren't that surprised when someone scouted him as a model. He even thought it was a scam. He and Hakkai even had a spread side by side on one or two occasions.

If anyone would ask Hakkai the status of Mitsuya and Yuzuha's relationship, he would say, "We're getting there," especially when Mitsuya was starting to grow his hair a bit longer. But he would keep on telling it was for his own preference, and not for someone else (oh really? Hakkai would react).

I (probably) also mentioned somewhere that Yuzuha was also studying contemporary dancing. So imagine Mitsuya catching her practicing in their house when he visited them for some reason.

In the final timeline, during another fashion competition, Mitsuya agreed to become one of the models himself after some of his models got sick for some reason, leaving him with no choice but to drag his friends along with him (to hell, according to Draken) to vouch for those sick models. Maybe it was just luck or not, but the result was a success. They became one-hit wonders afterwards, but Draken vowed not to walk on stage again. That was when Emma discovered he actually has a stage fright.

In Hina's eyes, Takemichi was actually cute. (Not) Surprisingly, the girls agree with her, while his own friends were laughing about it. To prove them wrong, she asked Mitsuya -- and Hanma -- to do a photoshoot of her boyfriend. Takemichi wanted to refuse, but because it was Hina's request, he was left with no choice, while Hakkai began torturing him with Modelling 101 before the day of the shoot. It was a success, and Yamagishi ended up selling Takemichi's bromides and copies of his photos to school while Chifuyu and Akkun began to act as 'his managers'. They were surprsingly sold like pancakes, to Takemichi's anger.

As a treat, Mitsuya also agreed to do a photoshoot of Hina after a successful run with Takemichi. When Hanma wasn't available to do another shoot, however, Yuzuha helped to be the photographer slash makeup artist. They even did a shoot together as a couple, which, again, sold like pancakes.

Since then, Mitsuya has been doing some photoshoots with his friends every year, particularly during their birthdays, while Draken dreaded for that to come as he wasn't a fan of modelling per se.

Alright, my brain's been fried again, will add once something comes up (I won't be surprised if any of these in the list would end up as one-shots you've written, I'll be more than happy to read them!)

[84reedsy]

Okay but picture Scott, Roddy or whoever you think fits this best saying this to you " You know i love you right? Good, because im about to fuck you like i don't"

Yeah...I went with Scott...

Scott Hall was in one of those moods. One that told Michele to steer clear of him until he cooled down.  He would never hurt her,  but to avoid a fight or making things worse,  she kept herself busy in the bedroom, folding clothes,  organizing the bathroom and finally settling on reading a book she'd been putting off for way too long. 

A heated call with his ex, a contentious conversation with his boss, and her credit card statement arriving in the mail - all three within the matter of an hour understandably set him off. Making herself scarce was the best move. 

She could hear him stomping around,  mumbling to himself as he moved through the house as if his little tantrum would solve his problems. She smiled behind the pages as she turned them.  Scott could be such a hot head,  but he always more than made up for any cold shoulder. 

She felt bad that part of it was her doing,  but if he'd just let her get the mail, he'd have never even seen the bill. The dark stare over the top of the creased paper directed at her as she'd walked in his office made her shiver even now as she thought back to it. 

“When were you going to tell me about this?” He had dangled the paper in front of him.  She'd fidgeted, knowing she'd broken her promises to watch her spending. 

“I was gonna…”she lied through her teeth.  Scott only huffed an annoyed sigh out of his nose as he stood,  nearly slapping the paper on his desk. 

“Just my fucking lucky day isn't it….” He'd growled, walking away to blow off steam. 

She could hear him now in his gym, weights being racked, music playing loudly,  and even his strained grunts echoed through the halls as he tried to burn off his frustrations. He hadn't even bothered to come to the room to change into workout clothes.  He had to have been pretty upset to work out in jeans. 

Michele tried to think of ways to make it up to him - she could get a job to work while he was gone to help pay it back. She wrinkled her nose,  rereading the same page a second time due to her own distraction. She would apologize and mean it of course…but that probably wouldn't be enough. 

“He likes a good steak…” she mused aloud, wondering if a nice dinner reservation might help.  But her trying to throw money at a problem seemed to be part of the issue,  so she scratched that idea, “Maybe a little excursion to The Landing Strip…” Scott still enjoyed a visit to a strip club or two. Michele had to admit she didn't mind him going and she loved going with him even more. 

Of course being around that many naked women turned him on. She did not feel jealously when he'd slip a few dollars in a g-string or ample cleavage, because only she was what his hands touched. They'd barely make it to the car before he was inside of her in some way. 

Michele grinned thinking about the time they only made it to the car…but not in it.  It was a miracle they weren't arrested. Perhaps there might be a private room available for her to reserve. 

-----------------------

Scotts muscles bulged under the heavy weights. He pushed himself past his limits. His negative energy was coursing through him. He pressed the heavy bar upwards a few more times before racking it safely above him.  His chest was taut and sweaty,  rising and falling quickly with each labored breath. He sat up,  raking his hand through his damp hair. Grabbing his discarded shirt, he dried the sweat from his face. 

Adrenaline and testosterone were fueling him now,  the irritation he felt dictating both. He had a lot more things he'd thought of to say to his ex.  He had a few choice words for his boss that he honestly hoped the tiny man would choke on. 

And as for Michele, while she didn't purposefully push his last button - she'd sent him over the edge today. Whether or not she had so on purpose, she was here and she'd have to deal with what he wanted. 

-------------------

Michele hung up the phone,  knowing the room she'd reserved might have been a risk with the deposit she'd put down. But she seem his cares all melt away before with a good lap dance.

She was feeling proud of herself, smug as she tried to find where she left off in her book. She jumped though when the door to their room flew open and Scott stalked in, slamming it behind him with his foot. She looked at him wide-eyed and holding her breath a little. 

There was a hungry look in his eyes and it was anything but gentle. 

“Scott, I-” she started with an almost meek voice,  but he cut her off abruptly.

“I don't want to hear it,” he said bluntly. She felt her mouth grow dry as her book fell to her lap slowly. 

“You know I love you, right?” He asked, already knowing the answer as she nodded slowly, not taking her eyes from his. Her heart hammered heavily against her chest,  knowing what he wanted and what he would do to get it. 

“Good,” he undid his belt roughly, slipping it out of the belt loops in an aggressive, swift move,  “because I'm about to fuck you like I don't,”

[midnightsun-if]

If mc were having a bad day (you know one of those days that everything went wrong) how would the ros try to cheer mc up?

Koda: Lots of hugs and snuggles! He’d be the embodiment of a teddy bear while he tries to cheer you up— not leaving your side for even a moment as he strives to make sure that you have a small back on your face. Would try not to be too overbearing though if you needed your space, but he’d always be nearby regardless (just in case you need him).

Scarlett: She isn’t the best at cheering people up— doesn’t truly have a lot of practice with it. When she’s having a bad day, she typically likes to be alone— whether that be somewhere with Balerion or in a dark alcove somewhere… So, she’d probably get you some of your favorite things, leave a note detailing where you could find her, and let you go from there. It’s what she’d want to have happen with her; so she’s going off that.

Cyrus/Cyra: Would just sit quietly with you— either reading or writing something in a journal. They’d let you talk to them at your own pace, not forcing you to do anything, and they’d simply be there waiting. If you didn’t wish to do so? That’s completely fine. They’ll still be there for you.

Quinn: Will try their best to get you outside and go on a nature walk— the fresh air, sunshine, and sounds of wildlife always cheer them up when they’re feeling down. They’d take you to their favorite spots that they’ve found, wanting you to share in the joy of being there, and simply try to help you forget about the issues plaguing you.

Caden: Would try to figure out the source of the issue— what has gotten you so upset, was it a specific person, an event, etc? Wouldn’t force you to answer them, but they always believe that to solve the problem that’s weighing down on you, even if it seems immovable at times, is the best way to go about it— as the weight always has a way of coming back even heavier.

Sloane: If it’s a person that caused your bad day? They’d offer to go handle it (if it was severe enough). If it was just a generally bad day? They’d simply do what they always do— trying to make you feel that everything was normal, that they didn’t expect anything from you (or think that you needed to act a certain way for it to be like that), but they’d still make sure you were doing okay.

Blake: Koala Mode… Would be near you at all times, making sure that they kept your attention so you didn’t get pulled back into your thoughts. Will make sure that you’re happy and smiling by the end of the day— they don’t like seeing you sad and they’ll strive to make sure that you aren’t.

Reginald/Regina: Would offer if you’d like to cook something with them or if you’d like to make tea with them— just a calming activity for you both. And, as you’re doing it, they’d calmly ask you questions about your day, about what happened, and let you destress as you do the activity. Keeping a mindful ear on anything you revealed— in case they needed to help with it in the future.

[animezinglife]

OC Tag Game

Name: Mira Trevelyan

Class/Subclass: Mage/Knight-Enchanter (*My first playthrough had her as a rift mage, but Knight-Enchanter is more fitting)

Background: Mira was born near Ostwick in the Free Marches, and when her magic manifested in her pre-teen years, she was sent to the Circle. She is quiet, focused (at times to a fault), perceptive, and profoundly difficult to rattle when faced with challenging situations or put under pressure. Her reserved, quiet nature was at times mistaken for aloofness in the Circle, and she threw herself into her studies. Though outwardly she was a model student, her diligence (almost obsession) towards her training was largely the result of her feelings of betrayal and abandonment she experienced at the hands of her family when she begun showing an inclination towards magic.

Her family loves the Game. They were also distrustful of mages overall with the expectation that their children would grow to serve the Chantry in some capacity, they made Mira's talents about themselves and how it would impact their reputation within the Chantry, Templar Order, and among other nobility. This is one of the reasons Mira bonds more easily with Dorian-while the source of disapproval is different, she understands what it's like to have a parent or guardian condemn unchangeable aspects of themselves that aren't "acceptable."

Competition fuels her immediate family of Trevelyans. Prior to her near-estrangement from them when brought to the Circle, Mira and her siblings were pitted against each other in often cruel ways. She never had the same nature as the older two—lacked the need and drive to compete, instead preferring to take on the role of the mediator and find logical, working compromises. Very early on, she developed her skills as a mediator, but in both her family and in the Circle, these were not held in high regard or even a comparable esteem to the louder, more competitive and brash mages' takes.

Mira is cursed with what we might consider "radical nuance." She struggles with absolutes—it's unclear to her whether this has always been her nature or if it's a result of the survival/coping tactics she developed during her upbringing. She has an uncanny ability to accept situations for exactly what they are, and her mental gears turn quickly to develop and analyze potential solutions and outcomes. She accepts that at times, that means being left with choosing the "best of the bad options."

She is an avid historian and doesn't view the world in black-and-white. She is a deeply critical thinker, and one who's fully aware of her own capacity for evil. Mira follows the path that she cannot fully understand her own capacity for good without acknowledging and understanding her own capacity for evil. This comes up often in dialogue options where she admits she doesn't know whether she or the Inquisition will remain uncorrupted--she is instead fully aware that there is a high risk it will become that way, especially if too many favors are promised or they have too many hands outside the immediate goal of sealing the Breach.

Mira is objective at times to a fault. This generally serves her well as a leader, but can also make her difficult for the people to understand. It can make her seem like something more or other than human.

She breaks complex issues down into smaller, more manageable problems. What basic need has to be met? Which elements are the problem are most immediate and non-negotiable? What resources are necessary for Person A or Small Group B to become self-sufficient? How can those resources be arranged and negotiated in a way that benefits both provider and recipient? Mira can't solve the war between mages and Templars, but how can she get them working together and functioning as a unit at Haven and Skyhold?

These are the same tactics she used in her youth to mediate and survive both her family and the Circle, and she continues to grow them with the Inquisition beyond what even she thought possible.

These skills combined with her perceptiveness towards human (well, any people's) nature make her extremely adept in handling herself in court. She utterly despises the Game and prefers authenticity and directness. She believes in simplifying problems to address the larger whole and believes the Game--very similar to what she experienced within her own family and the Circle--is made to benefit the inauthentic. It makes it more difficult to identify, address, and work to resolve real problems.

Humility and self-reflection are huge with Mira as both a person and a leader. She doesn't hold grudges against imperfect people knowing she is every bit as imperfect herself. She respects the practice of reflection and believes that self-awareness, humility, and listening tell far more about a person than mistakes or past acts.

As such, while she can be a difficult Inquisitor to read, she is seen among her supporters as a merciful one. The only execution occurred when a heinous act of evil was paired with a complete unwillingness to reflect.

Mira knows the Inquisition's time will be limited in one way or another. Every action she takes is in accordance to what she hopes will provide the best chance of innocent people enduring hardship or evil. She knows she and the Inquisition will never prevent them all, and that if they aren't careful and don’t keep their own power in check, that they may one day become the same problem.

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight

Love Interest* (husband): Cullen Rutherford

-> OTHER

Family: Parents (the Bann, Maxwell, and Evelyn), Eldest Sister (Jocelyn), Older Brother (Liam), Younger Sister (Violet), Cousin (August), Aunt and Uncle (Unnamed). Later, in-laws Mia, Branson, and Rosalie.

*It's worth mentioning that since Josephine reached out to the Trevelyans for their support of the Inquisition, Maxwell has bent over backwards to try to make things right by his daughter. He has always regretted being so passive (and somewhat un-present) in how she was treated. Mira forgives her family, and ends up developing a decent relationship with her father, Liam, and Violet. Violet is at no fault in any of this, as she was too little to understand what was happening and simply missed her sister. Mira has maintained a good relationship with her cousin, August, over the years.

Birthplace: Free Marches

Job(s): Inquisitor (I have put zero thought into what she did beforehand)

Phobias: Failure

Hobbies: Reading, taking walks, gardening (later), and journaling. I think she eventually learns to enjoy playing music again, though it takes time since that was something pushed in her family. She never quite develops the "bug" for horseback riding, but she could spend hours grooming them and caring for them.

-> MORALS

Alignment: Somewhere between lawful and neutral good

Sins: Bitterness (at first, still towards her family), Anger (at first), Doubt, Lust (see: Cullen)

Virtues: Compassion, Courage, Charity, Forgiveness, Humility, Mercy, Faith, Temperance, Honesty, Devotion

-> THIS OR THAT

Introvert/Ambivert/Extrovert

Organized/Disorganized

Close-minded/In-Between/Open-minded

Calm/Anxious/Restless

Disagreeable/In-Between/Agreeable

Patient/In-Between/Impatient

Outspoken/In-Between/Reserved

Leader/Follower/Flexible

Empathetic/In-between/Apathetic

Optimist/Realist/Pessimist

Traditional/In-Between/Modern (<- it depends on what we're talking about)

Hard-working/Lazy

Thank you for the tag, @the-arcane-archivist!

[rubberduckyrye]

Me: yay! I get to talk about my favourite oc of the bunch now!

My brain: hey what if I *forces me to hyperfixate on how I'm rewriting Angie instead*

So I'm talking about Angie instead, more specifically what steps I want to take to make her less.... problematic?(Best word I could think of) But for plot reasons I have to have some reference to what she's like in canon.

I mostly focused on Angie's religious side for the rewrite. She's no longer monotheistic and instead follows a polytheistic faith, specifically Hawaiian. Most of the time when she talks about her gods she specifies which one, like she'll say that "Lono will keep you in good fortune". I've also made it so that her whole "Kami-sama can't answer cause he's taking a nap" thing is just a light hearted joke she makes when people mixes up or gets her gods wrong.

Now the blood sacrifices-

They are not gone, instead I've made it so that Angie's community saw blood as the soul itself. So her island had simply had a tradition where they made a religious dish for weddings that the newly weds eat, the dish contains the blood of the couple and it represents their souls mixing and becoming one. They also tended to have a culture of solving spiritual problems (ex: depression, personality disorders, trauma) by having the person bleed out the damaged part of their soul.

There's definitely more to consider but I don't remember it and I don't know where to look. Criticism and advice from you or someone else reading this is welcome :P

Okay so.

I like your spirit, you're on the right track and going places, but. I would just remove the blood thing entirely. If you want to go the route of Headcanoning the problematic away that's one thing, but since you're changing the story up anyway, so you might as well throw out the entire suitcase.

I was actually having a discussion with my partner about the stereotypes Angie presents just last night, as was going to reblog my posts on her racists caricature elements with a slight amendment.

I was struggling to find resources that specifically talked about Native Pacific Islanders being stereotyped as wild savages, and I was complaining to celest on how no one was talking about it and I felt like I wasn't able to do research right anymore. She calmly explained to me why I was having those issues and why no one seems to talk about the "savage Pacific Islander" trope we had seen so many times in movies.

1. The term Pacific Islander is, itself, a problem--as well as terms like Native Hawaiian, and other terms that are just not really used much in discussions about media. That's why I was getting so little information when I was trying to research of my own.

2, and this is the kicker: The stereotype of "Savage Pacific Islander" actually IS talked about as a trope--it's just under the same category as when we talk about the "Savage Native" (Like Native American, or the savage Indian (Indian being used incorrectly to talk about Native tribes of America) the whole Damn time.

While this specific link talks about a slightly different iteration of it, the Savage Native (I refuse to call them Indians that is blatantly incorrect) also has ties to human sacrifices and blood sacrifices, all of which paint indigenous people and culture that in a bad light.

The traditional acts you described could be used in a real life culture somewhere in the world, idk, but I would advise against using it regardless. The use of blood in any kind of ritual is seen as savage or cult like, which with the Native Savage Stereotypes, you REALLY want to avoid if you're making up new shit. Even if you explain it away and make it more symbolic, the fact you're writing a new story means you really should not have the blood thing at all.

As for changing up her religion, I do quite like it! I myself wasn't sure if I should use the Atua or the Kupua as a replacement, and it's something I'm still on the dense about since I am making it blatant that she is Native Hawaiian. I was personally advised by Celest to keep it as the Atua for recognizability's sake, and it'll allow me to throw in some fun facts about actual Atua, but I still can't find anyone who will tell me if Atua and Kupua are interchangeable.

I suggest you do as MUCH research as you can about the culture of your choosing. Like for example: Native Hawaiians sometimes have names that mean disgusting or horrible things, not because their parents cursed them though--in fact it's the opposite. Ugly names are sometimes given to a child to protect them from evil spirits and bad omens if they get sick or hurt in some way. I HV that Angie actually has an ugly name that the Atua call her on her head, one that her mama gave her, and Angie is sort of a white Christian name that was probably forced onto her ngl.

Anyway.

Do research on bad tropes for Pacific Islanders, and especially more research on the "Native Savage" tropes and anything cult related to it. Do research on Hawaiian and native Hawaiian cultures and be respectful about them.

I hope this helps (and sorry if I sound abrasive or curt) xndjxjsjnxaj

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

also during the tourney chapter will everybody else pick up on the bastardy of rhaenyras children or just her…. i hope that makes sense

also what are some things you think rhaenyra could have done in SOTF to have a better relationship with her cousins.. it seems like everyone’s cool except rhaenyra, ik she feels dumb

I'm assuming "her" is Rhea 2 since she's who most recently thought about the issue due to overhearing that argument between Corlys & Vaemond. And yeah, this is gonna be a big thing in that series of chapters, like definitely one of the major political focuses. No one's gonna really do anything, because its not the time or the place, but it...it gets really obvious. Rhaenyra, or anyone else at court really, hasn't seen anyone with super pronounced Baratheon features in 6(?) years by the time everyone goes to Runestone for Aemon's tourney...and then suddenly here's Boremund & Borros & the Four Storms & Shireen & Yorick’s 3 out of 4 kids that look supremely Baratheon (insert that "the seed is strong" scene from GOT & images of Bobby B with laser eyes here). It's a lot, bless Nyra's heart (said with love, I do like her).

As for how Rhaenyra could have fixed things...that's kinda complicated. I'm not trying to, like, absolve her of blame because she does make her own decisions (y'know, within narrative obviously), but a lot of what makes her make those choices isn't necessarily her fault. There's a couple major things I'm gonna talk about though, & I'm putting them under a cut because I tend to be pretty long winded.

She could have not gone to the brothel with the Roycegaryens' dad, which was definitely the major inciting incident in the breaking down of that relationship, but Daemon groomed her & falling into those old patterns (especially when you're having a bad time & the promise of getting to fuck the guy you have the hots for is getting dangled in front of you) is easier than addressing why you're having a bad time in a constructive manner.

She could have not decided Shireen is Public Enemy #1, but twisting her into a villain who stole what Rhaenyra's entitled to have (her cousins), is easier than unpacking how her dad has fucked up (& over) pretty much everyone he's ever been in contact with. Viserys married her situationship/girlfriend/homoerotic bestie & made everything awkward. Viserys has been a fucking freak about Yorick for most of Rhaenyra's life, & he represents actually getting Viserys’s unconditional love & attention on top of being the replacement brother she was "supposed" to marry (because being part of the brother/sister incest family 100% fundamentally fucks up your views on interpersonal familial relationships), she could have not internalized that but that is a kind of monumental ask. No one really picks what they internalize. So, like, it's easier to blame Shireen, Yorick’s wife & Ella's friend, for why things got awkward & why nothing is turning out like how she got told its supposed to. Because even if she acknowledges that it's her dad's fault what's she gonna do about it, he's the king.

Her big folly with the Shireen situation was just not talking to her like a mature person. I don't think that would have solved every single one of Rhaenyra's problems, but if she'd actually spoken to her to hash out the issue instead of immediately jumping on "you suck & I hate you" it would have gone a long, long way. Like, we might could have mended the hurt from the "you went to a brothel with our dad while he was still married to our mom!" but instead we are standing at the edge of the bridge with some matches & are just waiting for an excuse.

So, like, Rhaenyra's not stupid, she's just a victim of circumstance looking for confirmation bias instead of trying to fix her problems because that's easier. She's not making the best decisions she could with all the information she has, bur she's definitely committing to the bit (even though it's hurting her in the long run). She's got that same self-destructive streak Daemon does 🤷🏻‍♀️

[sirwow]

Oo you like reading oo.. in addition of posting wraiths call intro I give you all the current pikmin character summaries I have with it tehe

Alt text under the cut for those who dont wanna zoom in on the images

Olimar

A Father of 2 and a reserved average man. Grew up in a relatively uneventful life but with a constant want to escape to the stars and see the unknown. His parents, while passable, admittedly instilled early ideals of how a good family should be and often normalized their fighting that seemed a bit more then most families but nothing he couldn’t get through. Jumped jobs after failing to pass biology in college and ended up staying at hocotate freight for 15 years. Eventually quit when pushed to his limits of risking his life.

Louie

A young, quiet and usually estranged guy with dreams of being a cook. Growing up he was immediately dumped with his nana as his father had him by accident and neither him or his GF really wanted to raise a kid as they were busy enjoying the prime of their life after highschool. Nana didn’t mind raising another darling but admittedly had some of her own issues that lead to some strange or sometimes even cruel ways of raising Louie. If he didnt help with something or caused trouble, he’d be locked outside to let off steam but often ended up walking off into the hill side for sometimes days at end. He only saw his father when he came by for more money from his dad. Hocotate freight was his 6th job after dropping out of highschool and the only one he held for awhile till quiting when he actually really did need money and was getting stiffed.

Koppites

Alph

An engineer fresh out of college now working with his best friend to try and make tech to solve the food crisis n help his family. Alph was born the second youngest in his family and though never being close to his parents, was very close with his two eldest siblings and studying under his grandfather Drake w/ Yorke. Upon his recommendation from Yorke and Drake, the capital of Koppai’s top college accepted him to get his bachelors. After 2 years he meets Brittany in a Bioengineering class and become fast friends. He starts to drive her to college and they get each other drinks. After graduating together they’re selected to be the assistants to a possibly world saving mission.

Brittany

A botanist with a hope to solve the world’s food issue with her best friend but finding herself constantly stone walled by officials. Brittany once lived the high life in Koppai with her well off mother, safe from the world’s famine. Unfortunately her mother fell horribly ill when she began college and passed shortly after, leaving Brittany to move in with her Aunt Bea and cousin Nelle. She had to grow used to her new life in a much lower end of the city and deal with her grief, being relatively lonely for the next 2 years. This is until she met Alph in college and found his willingness to push on despite his situation inspiring and became friends with him. Often calling him late at night to vent or meeting up on the beach at 10 pm to hang out. Eventually after graduation she was selected to be a team botanist on an incredibly important adventure

Charlie

A lonesome ranger with lots of fame for his adventures but little to show in friendships or any kind of companionship past his pet duck. Growing up an orphan, Charlie always yearned for love and found it In his orphan mate Don. Growing up they were best friends and the local trouble makers but with time and joining a government program together they turned from friends to something more. Together they became known as an unstoppable duo across koppai and eventually did several odd job government missions with Yorke and Nelle as their crew. Upon their 5th anniversary though, Don proposed to Charlie and his nervousness about their dangerous job got the better of him, saying no. Afterwards he couldn’t bear the broken heart eyes of Don, ghosting him for 2 weeks straight. When Don finally did catch him they had a massive blow out and broke up. Charlie continued his job as a ranger but now was completely alone for most all his missions. This was until he was asked to go on a important mission to a relatively unknown planet to save the world and the government officials wanted him to get to know his crew that would be coming with him.

minor chars

Penelope

A stay at home mother and avid jewelry maker. Though her husband Olimar is always away she does her best to take care of their kids despite feeling a bit neglected herself. As such she usually finds her own solace in small time jewelry making whenever she’s alone at home with nothing else to do. Due to a past with a mother chastising her and saying she’d never get some things in life, Penelope can make very impulsive choices when she feels she has an opportunity. This helped her meet and marry Olimar but also making some much more horrible decisions when finding his hidden stash of money. Olimar raked her across the coals for this once he got home n now she gives all her money she makes from jewelry back to him to repay slowly. She still suffers from impulsive behavior but in a better light like buying their kids nice things or taking olimar out as much as she can.

Terry

The first child of Olimar and a lover of creatures and the unknown. Terry has always had a fascination with creatures since he was 7 (as long as he doesn’t have to touch them) and since his dad’s adventures to pnf-404 he’s been longing to see it for himself. When his dad switched jobs though, their family had to make a move from Hocotate to Giya meaning a new home and new school for Terry. Terry had a friend group on Hocotate but now he’s become the punching bag for his love of biology and science. Things only felt worse after his dad left again for his mission so in a fit of spite (and stupidity) he decides to just sneak out on a taxi to see PNF-404 and surprise his dad. This to say the least did not go to plan

Lebe

The 2nd child of Olimar and princess of the house hold. Lebe being young and quick to please has always being the more social of Olimar’s kids. She was quick to forgive their mother aswell but her need to be perfect still remains after. She never liked hocotate’s small town she grew up in and has been in love with Giya since she set foot on their new home. Lebe became a popular new girl in class in contrast to her bullied brother but she thought it was just a older boy thing. This was until Terry left for school one morning with Lebe and disappeared from school and home after dropping her off. Lebe did her best to act brave in the situation like her mother but she can’t help but be scared for her brother.

Bulbie

Once when Terry and Olimar were walking home from school on Hocotate, a soft whimpering sound caught Terrys attention and dragged his dad to the bushes. Inside was a small pup only a few weeks old who seemed like the runt of the litter. Terry easily convinced his dad (as a dog person) to take the dog home to take care of. Penelope was already tired from having another kid to handle so she was pretty resistant about having a dog to worry about aswell but it slowly grew on her until she agree with Olimar to adopt the dog. Olimar named him Bulbie after the Bulbs (Hocotate version of a mushroom) like pattern on his back n has been a loving part of the family since.

[e17omm]

Interesting. Welp, lots of thoughts about HSR 2.2 below.

Lots of thoughts so Ill start with a checklist.

Firefly: good so far. It doesnt seem like she hates her life being trapped in the SAM suit, and thats good. I was worried they were going to make her despise having to be Sam. Seems that she can survive for a while without the suit, which I find fine.

Now as long as they make her fight AS Sam and they wont really have screwed up anything with her. Not everyone needs to have superpowers. Let Firefly's powers come through Sam. She'll be a really unique character that way. Seriously, who else fights using a mechanical body armor like an anime Iron Man in a Hoyoverse game? I'd have no issues with Firefly then.

Well, except one thing, but I'll get to that later.

Now, the fucking plot twist? Holy shit. This really went from "that was kinda anticlimactic. We really went from "we do the cool thing" to "someone else does the cool thing" to "we pass out before we see the cool thing" like, really? Everythings solved and we're already ready to leave? We get on the train, have a chat with everyone, vote on where to go. And (presses hands together in front of my mouth) holy fucking shit.

My one issue is that I wish they actually ended the 2.2 story after the plot twist reveal. Of all the "cliffhangers" and "plot twists" they have tried to do, THIS WAS THE SPOT TO DO IT. THIS WAS IT. This was HUGE. Its in the third Penacony mission, so it would have avoided that thing with "oh yeah you totally wiped out the Herrscher of Dominance halfway through the second chapter" thing. Like, this is the end. We're done. We won and are leaving. In the 3rd story mission. This was THE moment to reveal the plot twist, just barely start it to not leave everyone confused, and then end it and save it for a 4th story mission in 2.3

But it was way too short. It was way too easy to just, get all the crucial pieces and solve the puzzle. We started Act 3 of the story and it only lasted like 20 minutes. It really could have done with SOME difficulty in getting all the important pieces to solve everything.

But we just learn about the plot twist, everyone important groups up, and we fight the final boss. Just like that.

Next on the list, Acheron! Or should I say, Raiden Mei? When that shadow asked for her name, I was PRAYING that Hoyo knew what they were doing, and they did! They didnt skimp out on it! Didnt go the whole "I have lost my memory of it" which would have been such a cop-out. But nope! They did it!

And the Honkai music? Fuck I had chills. And this is pure nostalgia of the best parts of HI3. Those parts were so good that you remember the music and the feelings you had with those notes.

I cant remember much of the music at the later stages of HI3. The story just hasnt grabbed me like chapters 5 to 25 did. (Hoyo should take notes of their own work, ngl)

Now... onto "Death"

"Death" might be the WORST character design I have ever seen. Not from the looks, but from their role in the story and how Hoyo uses it.

A shady character shows up, pulls out a gun, and shoots another character in the head. And later you tell me that that wasnt actually a murder? Bullshit. Get that garbage out of here.

And you know the worst part? ONE SCENE is what ruined "Death" for me.

Firefly's "Death" scene. Delete it. It ruins so much. She is the only one we see "Death" "killing". Why. She's not dead. Why did you show that "Death" "kills" like that? Who sat down and wrote that part? Literally just make us not see this scene and heavily imply that it killed her like they implied that "Death" killed everyone else and this would've been fine!

I can buy that Robin and Sunday are alive because we see neither of them dying. Robin is off-screen and Sunday is hidden from the camera.

But we saw a death when it killed Firefly.

Next time someone is shot in the head on screen I will be expecting it to be an imposter, a stunt actor, an illision, or WHATEVER ELSE. BECAUSE EVEN WHEN THEY SHOW DEATH THEY CHICKEN OUT. AND ALL THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF FIREFLY'S TRACES DISAPPEARED RIGHT BEFORE WE COULD SEE HER. WE COULD EVEN SEE "DEATH" SNEAKING AWAY AS WE ENTER THE ROOM. BUT DONT SHOW THE DEED BEING DONE.

...

Onto the final boss. ... Its... I mean, the boss fight is neat. Um, not sure if Hoyo now thinks that "big thing is intimidating" but this boss was just kinda, eh.

We've already defeated two big things with Cocolia's (now our) mecha, and then Phantylia. And now this sympthony thing.

Uh, Hoyo does know that big doesnt immediately equal "intimidating" or "scary" or "impressive", right? I just wanna be sure. Because this boss is none of that.

Uh the music also get a bit too pop-star-y? Its not bad, I just feel like it goes against the tone of what the story wanted this moment to feel like.

I also wish that Acheron actually did something to help in the end. She kinda just "eh well you can fight now. Me? Byeeeee~" I know that she had a glory moment in 2.1, but like, come on. Sunday just gives up fighting because we told him that people dream in order to wake up. Which doesnt sound philosophical enough to me to make Sunday have a freaking reality check and fall from the platform in shock and defeat.

Hoyo has really been trying to make so much of their stories in the Honkaiverse have a higher meaning and be a matter on philosophy, and then they keep asking why birds fly and I am so fucking tired of it.

Like, this is all they got and its not even a joke.

So, yeah. I kinda really wanted IX to show up and just, consume Penacony. That would've been cool and been decently foreshadowed. Could have had everyone go numb or like, whatever happens to us when we get close to IX in the Simulated Universe, and then have most people try to scramble to the ships to gtfo, and then have IX appear and consume the place.

But as long as we head to the Edo Star next, I'll be happy.

A place under attack by the Antimatter Legion and their distress signal recently went out? Send me there. Right now. Not even a question. I want to see the Antimatter Legion actually live up to what everyone has said about them. Dont fucking bait me on this Hoyo.

Oh yeah, another thing before I finish this!

Where are our ability to hear Stellarons? Did Hoyo forget that we can hear the voice of Stellarons? That is like, one of the most interesting parts about the Trailblazer!

Imagine a world where we get to Penacony in 2.0, and everything's fine and the same as it was. Except... we can hear the voice of a Stellaron. But, there's no signs of it. There's no Fragmentums. There's no sign of it at all. But we keep hearing its voice.

It could have slowly told us the story of Penacony over the course of these three patches so that we didn't have to get a history lesson before the climax of the story.

It would have easily added some mystery and questions while basically requiring no changes to the current story. Is there a Stellaron on Penacony, or are WE the only Stellaron on Penacony?

Speaking of the Stellaron inside of us... It has barely mattered after Belobog...

Hoyo... This should be a big deal throughout the story. Herta is shocked that a human body can host a Stellaron. We can hear the voices of other Stellarons. We could go nuclear if it goes out of control. Why has it not really mattered after Belobog? Hoyo, this isnt something you should just wave off like you have been doing with the Traveler's ability to wield 5 of the 7 elements. Dont make the same mistake twice.

This is dragging out, but I just keep remembering more things!

Hoyo, please dont tell me that you are unable to make long-term stories anymore. Everything has been self-contained recently. And sure, you've TRIED to make it feel like it has a larger impact, but in the end it always hasnt.

HI3 Part 1.5? It MIGHT be important later. I dunno if Vita has any importance at all to part 2 so far. All the regions in GI are basically self contained. You could take Mondstadt Traveler and toss them straight into Fontaine and you would basically not have to change them at all. All of HSR has also been rather self-contained. Happy that Dan didnt actually call the Luofu, that would have just made this all seem even more miniscule and also extremely convenient.

But... Remember when Himeko fucking died and the next 16 chapters was the fallout of that? Remember when we could have big story moments that still mattered for more than 3 months of real time?

Penacony's story is over, and I dont think that anything that happened here will have any impact on the next destination. Did we even actually pick up any new crewmembers?! Please tell me that the cowboy and Black Swan actually joins us for a while. You Chekhov's Gun'd it all the way back in Belobog!

So in short. I liked Penacony act 2 and 3 a lot. Not close to anything in HI3 chapters 5 to 25, but it was good. Could have been a lot better with (imo) rather small changes.

Also wtf is up with Hoyo's budget allocations? They put so much budget into the filler generic battle part of act 3. That was so much effort put into just filler. What's up with that?

[ryanmeft]

Movie Review: American Fiction

Thelonious Ellison is an angry man. You get the feeling that he is always angry, always has been angry and unless he changes something, always will be angry. He is right about the world and about people when he thinks that they all want easy answers and spoon-fed entertainment, but being right won’t fix what’s wrong with him. The movie is about whether he can do that himself.

What does he need to fix? Everyone around him has an opinion, and everyone may have a point. Understanding broken people requires broken people, so Monk, as he is usually called, is fortunate that his whole family is broken. They are still suffering from the suicide of the father, an unseen phantom. The mother (Leslie Uggams) is in the early stages of dementia. The plastic surgeon brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) has recently been divorced after being caught with a man, and has responded to his outing with unreserved debauchery.  The only really responsible member of the family is the older sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), a doctor at a fictional version of Planned Parenthood, but when she unexpectedly dies, the family’s remaining broken pieces must come together to solve the puzzle that is them.

Monk does this while struggling with the low sales of his books as readers prefer more salacious fiction that gives them what they think the black experience is like---guns, drugs, hopeful stories of rising out of imagined ghettos painted in the most generalized of lights. Monk doesn’t want to tell that kind of story, and indeed argues that he cannot. He is a well-educated black professor from an upper-middle-class background, and he wants to write about the experiences of black people like himself. The audience doesn’t want to read them, and eventually in a night of doubt he gives in and dashes off a quick book that plays to the stereotypes, with Keith David and Okieriete Onaodowan as the hilarious personifications of two of his characters. Like the play in The Producers, he intends the book to be derided and to fail, and also like The Producers, it is an unexpected hit. Hurting for money, Monk and his long-suffering agent Arthur (John Ortiz) play along to increasingly hilarious results.

The most pressing issue on Monk’s mind is his mother, who deteriorates rapidly. Uggams’ performance is full of sympathy. She has a single screenplay-dramatic moment that ends up forcing the family’s hand, but mostly her condition is treated as a slow descent. Notes of The Father, one of the few successful depictions of Alzheimer’s on screen, can be detected here, as she becomes abrasive as a defense and only turns lucid long enough to recall her husband’s infidelity. Brown as the brother injects comedy into the proceedings with his many drug-loving younger lovers and his acid tongue, but it is to the film’s great credit that he doesn’t remain merely comedic relief. His story eventually gets a catharsis that allows Monk to think he might, at some point, receive his own. Monk’s only real ally seems to be newfound girlfriend Coraline (Erica Alexander), but there are cracks there from the beginning, as he covers up for his actual abrasive nature with the kind of humor that is meant to hide hostility.

Monk’s nemesis is Sintara Golden, a best-selling author who “writes black” in every way Monk disapproves of. Played by Issa Rae, she comes off initially as a cheap plot device, but shifts a little when the two are thrown into the same panel of judges for a book award contest. Yet another brave touch in the movie is how their inevitable confrontation is handled. We can at least sort of respect her as long as she thinks she is doing a genuine thing, even if she isn’t. Trapped in a candid moment, she lets down her practiced talk circuit defenses and reveals her true reasons for writing the way she does. What those are I will leave for you to discover, but the character is much stronger and a suitable nemesis for Monk by not being made into a “girl boss” figurehead.

The movie is rife with conversations meant to expose the deep racial and personal biases well-meaning white liberals often inadvertently show. It is sometimes subtle and sometimes not, and for the most part each kind of depiction is effective. What strikes me most about this aspect of the movie is entirely subjective. I saw it in a preview screening at a film festival where the audience was mostly older and mostly white. Every time the film skewered some convention of “black” popular culture and the way non-black people see it, I couldn’t help wondering if I was the mark. If I was, I didn’t feel attacked by that, but rather encouraged to re-examine my views. The fact I did all this while laughing my ass off should at least tell you one thing: you should go see this movie.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Note: I don’t use star ratings. Here are my possible verdicts:

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid Like the Plague

[hareemqportfolio]

Having Courage and Being Kind: Rethinking Cinderella and Bravery as a Whole

Written in 2017 for The Scroll

Disney princesses are pretty much inescapable; they’re everywhere. No matter where in the world you live, you’ve most likely seen movies like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, leaving you with a remembrance of the iconic images featured in the movies. An example of this is the rose from Beauty and the Beast. Most young girls wanted to be a princess like Belle at least once in their lives. Even with these stories being deeply ingrained into our culture, there’s been a fierce backlash of the Disney princess movies. With feminism pushing for better representation of women in the media, a lot of people take issue with the classic stories, saying that the princesses aren’t the best influences on young girls because they rely on the men around them instead of themselves.

This has led to movies like Brave, Moana, and Frozen, which don’t have love interests, and they make the leading ladies solve problems on their own. While I think it’s great that the Disney movies are trying new things with their female leads, some of the criticism may be unwarranted.  

People focus on Cinderella as the epitome of a weak damsel in distress character. Leah Holstien, owner of a blog called themagicalworldof.com wrote an article explaining why she thought Disney’s Cinderella was problematic. The writer claims that the movie teaches girls to be ‘martyrs’ and care for everyone before themselves.

“Cinderella never once complains or fights back… She never complained, never showed any sort of weakness, or any form of meltdown,” the writer states.

It seems as though the writer hasn’t seen Cinderella since she was a child  because she has gotten so many facts about the plot wrong.

Cinderella does fight back. More than once.

If you don’t remember, when Lady Tremaine locks Cinderella inside her room in order to stop her from trying on the glass slipper, Cinderella fights back. She doesn’t fight Lady Tremaine, but she bangs on the door and tries to break out the bedroom. Not to mention the fact that Cinderella even attended the ball in the first place is already an act of rebellion. If her stepmother and stepsisters saw her at the ball after they already tried to stop her once, she would’ve been in big trouble. But, she decided to go anyways. She could’ve told the fairy godmother she didn’t want to go because it was too risky, but she didn’t. She even asserted herself  to her stepmother by telling her she wanted to go to the ball.

The writer also claims Cinderella never has any human meltdowns, even though she breaks down in tears after her stepsisters tear apart her dress.

You have to keep in mind what kind of environment Cinderella lives in. Holstein acknowledges that Cinderella’s family is abusive. Even the movie does. In the very first scene, the narrator tells us this: “Cinderella was abused, humiliated, and finally turned into a servant in her own house…”

The idea that Cinderella isn’t strong enough because she doesn’t fight back against her abusive family the right way is just infuriatingly small minded. Cinderella’s been made into a servant in her own home, she faces mental abuse every single day, and yet people think of her as weak because she can’t stand up to her abusers. Those people never take time to consider how hard it can be to confront someone in a position of authority, especially when that authority figure ridicules them every day. To imply that it’s Cinderella’s job to stop the abuse would be victim blaming, which is maddeningly problematic.

Cinderella was given a fairytale ending because even though she had such a difficult life she remained positive and brave. She was brave enough to tell her family she wanted to go to the ball,  brave enough to try to break out of the attic, and brave enough to stand up for herself by trying on the glass slipper. Wielding a sword and fighting a dragon isn’t the only way to be brave. You don’t have to fight a bear like Merida or join the army like Mulan to be heroic.

Cinderella is heroic because even when she’s living in a pressure cooker environment, she’s optimistic and kind. The narrator tells us this:“For with each dawn, she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.” Cinderella looks out for the animals that live around her, defending the mice from Lady Tremain’s cat, saving Gus from a mousetrap, and making clothes for the animals even though she doesn’t have to. This isn’t the movie telling girls to care for everyone else before themselves, this is the movie telling children that they can survive a stressful situation if they stay calm, stay positive, and face the problem like Cinderella. She doesn’t allow her tormentors to change her outlook on life, and actively fights back against them.

More recent princesses like Tiana, Moana, and Elsa have hardworking and outspoken personalities, and that’s great. I think Disney should have more variety with their characters. But I don’t think that automatically negates the heroism of other princesses. To me, Cinderella is so much more than just a damsel in distress. Cinderella teaches us––in the words of the 2015 adaptation––to have courage and be kind.

[rkivestation]

When my last remaining acquaintance from my school life said that we should spend our last days with everything that we have,only then,it hit me. It ended. And all I could ask myself and wonder internally,“It really ended?”.

The moment that I wanted to end desperately has now officially come to an end. And now that the moment is here,it rather seems a quick one. Everything happened too slow to too fast. And I'm here wondering that, isn't it what I always wanted? Since nursery to now? I wanted it to end. But now that it's finally coming to and end,I am seemingly holding back from going back to my memory lane. My childhood to teenage life served no memories that I could hold on to. Or so I thought. But I hate to admit I miss it all. I always say,“it was good while it lasted” and move on. Or at least try to. Untill I'm left with nothing but a wall around me that I built to avoid people.

I was never fond of a school life. I still am not. I wonder if it's because of how I had to push myself to be better each year. Push myself to blend it with the standards. Push myself to take in the criticisms. Push myself to let the people connect with me and my soul. And the conclusion I came to lately renders me speechless everyday. That, I've always pushed myself. I've pushed myself to the edge to not seem hateable. But in the process,I seemed to forget who I am. And how I'm not cut out to be a part of the society. I've also come to learn that it's not because I'm introverted. In fact,I'm not. Now I wish,it was the case. But the problem all along was my very soul not being able to connect with the people who are born with a standard pattern of personality. And I fail to be counted as any of the category.

I remember being home schooled by my father till I was almost five. And his means of educating me wasn't the type that's considered ideal. It was rather suffocating which taught me to stay isolated and in my own bubble where I only tried solving maths with tears streaming down my face everyday. And those long sessions shut me off terribly for me to function right when we moved to the capital.

I struggled with getting into a school as I was taught differently by my father. The capital made my head spin. It was overwhelming and I was afraid. And I continued to be afraid when I finally got myself admitted in nursery. And I remember being amazed when I saw students having the same books as me. I remember wondering it out loud.

I admit,back then,I was introverted and a kid with anger issues. My nursery and kindergarten phase is a blur of events to me (and I wish school will seem the same someday) but I remember being not so likeable ever since then. I had a childhood best friend from there who continued with me to my school but on a different and distant path. She didn't feel for me. But I seemed to feel for her and felt her absence when she was trying for a different school.

And luckily I found myself being in the same prestigious school as her the following year. The school that gave me a lot. The school that took a lot for me. The school that became a generous part of my life. The school that became a cruel part of my life.

My childhood best friend changed. She chased goals. And so I let her be. And it's funny how we are still in the same class,she's now less competitive, trying to blend in and make friends but it's her nature that allows her to come as a little awkward. But I'm proud to see her chasing better things now.

My start of the same school wasn't smooth. I remember not wearing socks as mom thought that this school doesn't need the students wear sock. Although,mom doesn't remember. I find the thought funny yet cute as mom's first child has to bear some good amount of embarrassment for her innocence.

I remember feeling the first ever thrill on the orientation day, it's what our school always takes pride to. Following the culture with love and ecstasy and I happened to enjoy it,with no socks,of course. When I was in nursery and kindergarten I always used to miss out the events they would held as I was in my own bubble to hear any announcement of it and that made me go there once in my uniform when everyone was in dresses. It was embarrassing,kinda,so I made sure to never do it in my current school.

But still each step I took was uncertain and challenging. I remember going to wrong class after the orientation(wherever the line led me) so I was sent to the other section by a teacher as I was struggling to wear my socks that fortunately mom put in my backpack. And unlike the class I went to by mistake my assigned class were a chaos of people and teachers. And in that moment,I realized,I have to say goodbye to my solitude and prepare for the crazy years ahead. From meeting my first friend there to having an unexpected person remaining just as a friend it was a crazy, melancholic journey. And I don't know if I feel thankful to these almost fifteen of years of feel the bitterness of resentment.

Maybe it's both. Considering my first friend Nawmi having a shit load of friends till now and on her way to presumably become a successful influencer.I wasn't fond of her when we first talked. And I'm still never fond of her when we wave. Maybe it's because how her group of friends was introduced to me by her and maybe we headed with a good start but it couldn't last long. As they are nepo babies. When the two Saras were all about bragging and shit I instantly felt off. And it ended up with me being teased and picked on by them for the lovely nickname my father decided to write on my notebooks. In the end of that year,I had to discard my nickname,scare them with the help of my father (which I shouldn't have done cause they still kind of hate me for that) and just continue to be on my bubble.

It's funny, right? I became a hot topic for my nickname. People would make fun of me. Mispronounce it as ‘Kiss me’,‘pick me’. But irony is,it was always a mispronounced nickname by my father. He named me wrong and even now I groan at the thought of it all.

I was fortunately unfortunate to be rolled as 2. It's quite a mix. Fortunate because my bench partner never really came and when she came she was to stupid to function. But unfortunate because said bench partner made me feel quite stupid too cause whenever she came I hardly knew what to do. And being roll 2 for my precious name made me quite the introvert I was back then.

I never planned to stand out. But I fortunately unfortunately ended up being the talked of topics for my grade. Stupid little me used to be one of the top 10. Although I never saw the light of coming in the third to first place. But I soon started becoming a competition to everyone. My childhood best friend was far ahead of me and one of the nepo baby Sara was the one to always see the fortune of being in the first place. Although,I'm starting to think it was all the magic of having connections because she stopped being anything not long after.

And my parents saw the potentials in me unfortunately and I was forced to keep on doing good, better. Untill I couldn't do best. And I never managed to do best. And it makes me laugh. Because I should have never done good and brought it up on myself.

I am always put to think I'm an unique individual with all the right and wrong spice.

Even now,I know I'm a part of the conversation somewhere in the capital. It's not my pride,nor a flex. It's rather a curse I live with.

People are either the talked of topics or nothing at all. But I seem to hang in between that. And it's exhausting.

[playfulpanthress]

No, they didn't!! I am so sick of people half watching a show, then getting pissy about non important crap!! Sokka was sexist in the animated version, true. But that was NOT who he was!!! His whole sexism arc is fixed in a single episode!!!!

As far as Sokka is concerned, his main flaws were self doubt and being insecure in his usefulness. NOT some stupid sexism side plot. And while you're crying about Sokka not being sexist, you ignore that the show doubled down on Pakku's sexism. And at least this time around they didn't "fix" the situation with nepotism.

Yeah, some of y'all forgot: the animated show did NOT solve the Northern water tribe's sexist ways. There are NO other girls in the combat class even after Katara fought Pakku. Because he only allowed her in. Because of who her Gran-gran was. At least the new show dealt with the deep devide in opportunities and gave the Northern water tribe women some ownership of the progressive future they wanted. It wasn't just some outsider coming in getting special accommodations and leaving them with no changes.

As for Suki being "ditzy and insatiably horny", wtf is wrong with you?? Since when did being unaware of warrior class teenage boys her own age make her insatiably horny? Or her not having experience with the outside world make her ditsy?? Would you let someone say that about her in real life? You seem hella sexist yourself.

She STILL challenges his innate sexism by being the better warrior. Only she did it without TRYING to prove a point. She has no idea why he ran off. He needed to understand that he may have been the best warrior left in his village, that didn't mean he was the best period. It showed maturity and humbleness to ask for a lesson. Even if we didn't get to see him overtly ask. Perhaps you need to be spoon fed your character milestones, but I enjoyed the subtleness.

Now my real issue with both of you not understanding what an ADAPTATION is. The new show WILL NOT have every single thing the animation contained. If you want that, watch the animation. If you like the animation and want to see characters come to life, watch the Netflix show.

Katara is NOT a "passive child". What show were you even watching?? She is real life firey. If she were as she was in the animation, people like you, would have complained. And a lot of the scenes that showcase her firey-ness aren't in the new show because of timing.

The prison ship is the single most important speech the animated show gave Katara. I am sure money as well as time is why they didn't do it. Perhaps they will next season, I don't know. But I wish people like the two of you, instead of bitching would be constructive in your criticism.

All I hear from people like you two is bitch, bitch, bitch. As if you want a carbon copy of the animation to be live action. But that isn't how it works. Live ACTION will NEVER be as good as animation. It can't be, as it isn't physically possible. But, live action can bring the spirit of a show to life. To look different, but get the gist of it. And I think not only did the live action do just that, but they improved the huge plot hole the animated show had (in Pakku and nepotism) and brought death to the show!

There are real stakes now.

I'm old, so I am about to make an old comparison, but if you look into it, you'll see what I mean. The animated ATLA is like the Americanized Voltron from 1984. Cute, serviceable, badass music. Then you watch the 'Beast King: Go Lion!' from which Voltron came and you realize how utterly watered down the show you grew up on, lied to you.

After you get out of therapy, the Japanese back in the day were not afraid like the West is to show what war REALLY means, you realize that though you still love the version you grew up with, the differences of the two appeal to different parts of you.

People complained once they saw the cast of the Netflix show. Because it made shipping Kataang hard. Those of us who remember what fourteen was like and knew what regular twelve year olds could be like, generally didn't like Kataang to begin with and we're happy that the new show doesn't seem to want to ship the kids. I mention this because I wonder if some of the hate just comes from this.

I have enjoyed this show, I have already cried watching it. There are things that I would have done differently, but I understand what an adaptation is. I just wish some of you could be as enlightened.

they "toned down the misogyny" w Sokka but then made Katara into a passive child™️ when she is notoriously head strong and just as stubborn as Sokka and a Mom™️ to them all. me thinks the misogyny just got rebranded

[raviscrumknowledge]

Scrum teething problems: Trust Deficit

Scrum teething problems: Trust Deficit

Scrum projects, especially in the early Sprints, reveal hidden problems and issues within the Scrum team. Imagine a Scrum Master on her first Scrum project just days after obtaining her Scrum Master Certification. All team members seem to be interested in her words of advice and are attending all the meetings she asks them to. One of the retrospective meetings appears to be running effortlessly when unexpectedly a senior developer complains about test engineers who would not trust the rest of the team members to provide adequate testing. He claims that more than two thirds of the User stories are therefore in the final stages of testing .The Test engineers retort that no one other than them is qualified to do proper testing and complain that Scrum ignores testing. Our Scrum Master sees this as a technical issue: testing needs to be automated to reduce the workload of testers. She even organizes the Scrum training adapted specifically for test engineers. As a result, the Scrum team seems to buy in into cross-functional teams and the need of automation.

Though the surface problem may have been solved, the actual issue is lack of trust. What her Scrum master training has not taught her is that when test engineers do not trust the rest of the team; maybe the reverse is also true. Team members are not honest and are afraid to talk about their mistakes and weaknesses. Consequently, the team engages in closed debates and resorts to indirect deliberations and shielded remarks. Eventually the problems bubble out of control, causing far bigger issues. In most organizations, before Scrum implementation, teams usually appear to be working smoothly while hiding their true anxieties from each other. A team that does not debate and engage in healthy conflict also lacks commitment.  Since team members are not expressing their views in open dialogue, they seldom commit to a resolution, although they may show agreement. Unfortunately, it starts a bigger problem: evasion of accountability. This allows the bullies to bulldoze their way through and leads to dissent and team members become more interested in their own results than in the project. When team members are uncommitted to and uninvolved in a well understood roadmap, they fail to confront fellow team members on activities and behaviors that are counterproductive to the project.

Before confronting team members and their lack of Trust, a Scrum master has to first ask himself/herself: Am I willing to be vulnerable? Lack of trust is usually caused by reluctance to be weak. When Scrum Masters fight the urge to constantly advertise how awesome they are and behave honestly, the team sees a leader they can relate to. Then Scrum Master can talk to the members and they will listen as a whole team. Next, a Scrum master can try group exercises where everyone shares details they otherwise would not. E.g. what was your worst moment in high-school? Scrum masters can also try to get the team together outside the normal work environment for this exercise. They should set objectives for the whole team and verify every team member is driven to achieve these objectives. There can be behavioral goals and individual objectives aligned with those team objectives. Making some of these changes may be a battle; Scrum masters may have to enlist senior management support to win. It’s the best way to avoid Trust deficit and the resulting breakdown in behaviour.