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supersilversleuth · 3 years

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The Loss that Shapes the Person, or the Person who Shapes themself? by SuperSilverSpy

Fandoms: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Batman - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Category: Gen

No Archive Warnings Apply, Dick Grayson & Brion Markov, Dick Grayson, Brion Markov, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Brion Markov needs…something, idk - Freeform, therapy?, well they all need that, Brion Markov is a Little Shit, that should be a tag XD, Unreliable Narrator, Scars, Se3Ep11, Another Freak, Episode: Another Freak, remember that one scene where Brion almost burns Dick?, that’s what I’m writing this about, Spoilers, Spoilers for Season 3, Missing Scene, SuperSilverSpy, SilverGrayson, SilverWhump

Summary:

“You think we’re so different, Brion? You think I don’t understand how you feel?” Dick asked, tone a little bit bitter. But his words after were honest and sincere, “When I was a child, my parents were killed right in front of me. I left my world behind for an unfamiliar and unwelcoming one. Now I have family again, friends. I lived my life, I left my world, my past, I left it all behind. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still take part of it with me, wherever I go, whatever I do. It’s still a part of me, but I don’t spend all my time obsessing over it.”

OR Dick has a talk with Brion Revelations ensue, ish

No. 16 - ON A NEED TO KNOW BASIS recovery | scars | aftermath

Series:

Part 16 of 2021 Most Whumperful Time of the Year - Dick Grayson-centric

Language: English Words: 1,365 Chapters: 1/1 Collections: 1

“So what's your next move?” Dick asked, “Roast me alive for suggesting you exercise patience?”

No, he didn't want to hurt anybody who didn’t deserve it, and it was clear he needed to get better control of his emotions to achieve that. After all, Dick didn’t deserve to be hurt, did he? Not that Brion didn’t want to punch him in the face every five seconds, but did he actually, seriously, want to hurt the guy? No, he still needed him. Dick had promised to help, and Brion would stay for as long as the man worked to uphold his promise, that was the deal. Maybe he could try this ‘patience’ thing out one more time, give it a second chance the way Dick had with the whole league of assassins debacle.

“Huh,” said Dick, once Brion was finished. “Okay. Yeah, now I get it. See, I think you know we're doing everything we can to find Tara.”

On some level, Brion knew the man was trying his best to help. He did know that, didn’t he? There wasn’t much evidence to the contrary. It wasn’t hard to figure out that Dick was still hiding things, he could just feel it. But did the guy have good reasons? Brion thought he should be the judge of that.

“So, is this really about her, or is it about Markovia?

“You've been online every day, every hour, obsessively following your brother's every move.”

In hindsight, Brion might not have been as discreet as he’d thought when it came to his internet activity. Still, how dare Dick accuse him of caring more about his brother’s activities than the safety of his sister. He loved his sister, and he was doing this all for her, wasn’t he? So what if he also wanted to keep tabs on his incompetent brother, that just showed he cared about all his family members, didn’t it?

“Stay focused, Brion.”

Oh but he was focused, very focused in fact. Just not on the things Dick wanted him to focus on. The man’s words rang out in his head, the way they’d tried to distract him from all the lack of information about his sister. Who was Dick Grayson anyway? What reason did Brion have to believe him, to trust him?

“Because, right now, you have a decision to make.”

Yes, I do, he thought, whether to trust this man or not. He wasn’t sure, and he was still coming down from the adrenaline of anger. Thinking over Dick’s words once more though, didn’t help much when it came to his temper.

So he sat and stewed, made lava and burned things up. He didn’t put new clothes back on, and he hardly noticed when Conner came back on the motorcycle he’d nonsensically fixed and driven out.

Eventually, Brion decided to go cool off down by the beach, he didn’t want to destroy any more property than he already had. Though he was far from home, he was still a prince, and he still had manners. He’d just been...not so good at using them lately.

He arrived at the beach to an unexpected sight. There stood Dick Grayson, unwrapping bloody bandages from around his torso. It seemed he had come back while Brion had been lost in thought and not paying attention.

“Did—Did I do that?” he couldn’t help blurting out.

Dick did not startle nor turn around. He just continued steadily, as if he’d known Brion was there.

“No,” he answered calmly, “I’d been wounded this morning, before our little scuffle, but the rest of my activities today were what made it worse.”

Brion couldn’t help staring.

There were so many scars. He wasn’t an expert, but they looked like bullet wounds, knife wounds, maybe wounds from a whip? There was more scar tissue than Brion even thought was possible. Dick turned around once most of the bandages had been removed.

His front wasn’t much better.

For one, there was the actual, mildly bleeding wound that was only partly covered, and for another, the scars looked much more deliberate. As if they’d been specifically placed there, or certain attacks had been made repeatedly in the same place. Brion was so preoccupied with all this that he almost didn’t notice Dick’s arms.

“Wait a minute…” he began, “We’ve seen your bare arms before, someone would have noticed those scars.”

Dick grinned a tired grin at him, “I’ve been doing this for years, I wouldn’t be very skilled at managing different identities if I couldn’t hide things like this, now would I?”

Brion only half heard him, something had caught his eye amidst the extensive scar tissue: burns.

Internally, he cringed, wondering how Dick managed to be around so many people with powers that could be so easily used to hurt him. Then he dismissed the thought, reminding himself that the man had proven his competency, time and time again. If anything, it should be metas who would be afraid of Dick.

Still, how could the man do this every day? How could he fight so well even while injured? Brion remembered their confrontation earlier. Dick had reacted quickly and showed no sign of pain. Who was this guy?

“Getting hurt is part of the job, part of what you’re getting into if you decide to become a hero. It’s the ugly side of things, the side heroes try very hard to ignore. I signed up for this job, and I gave everything to it, do you understand? This is my life. There’s no turning back for me.”

Brion thought he kind of understood, Dick was trying to show him that he kept his promises, that he did this kind of thing for a living and wouldn’t back out.

“This might be your job, it might even be your life, but it’s not mine,” he retorted, “all I want is my sister back, I want things to—to change for the better, I don’t know, I just wish things had turned out differently. You don’t know what it’s like, I’ve lost everything!”

Brion nodded, still reeling from the sudden realizations this gave him.

He’d been stupid to doubt Dick’s motives. And now, thinking back, he remembered countless times where he’d said things that must’ve sounded so rude to Dick, who had clearly gone through worse and still came out...well he’d handled it better than Brion was anyway. Who knows though? Maybe it had taken Dick years to get to where he was now, mentally. Either way, the man had reached a level of acceptance that Brion could respect and admire, if not strive for.

Dick held up some clean bandages, eyebrows raised. Brion shrugged, coming forward to help. They worked in silence, wrapping Dick’s wound back up and obscuring more of the scars that Brion tried diligently to avoid looking at.

After a while, they were finished, and they sat on a rock near the water, staring out at the waves in contemplative silence.

Dick had given him a lot to think about.

“You and I okay?” the man asked, glancing at him.

Brion nodded.

Dick continued, “And are you okay?”

He chuckled softly, “I wasn't, but moving forward, I think I will be.”

“Are you a man perpetually looking back at what he's lost, or a man looking forward to what he might become?”

Brion decided that all was not lost, he could get it all back and become someone great. That somehow, he would keep the best of both his worlds.

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serialfan666 · 4 years

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The Innocence of Adnan Syed

As many of you know, I have been a fan of the podcast “Serial” for a while and I wanted to explore my thoughts on season one; specifically why I believe that Adnan Syed (the convicted murderer in the case of Hae Min Lee’s death) is innocent.

If any of you have listened to the podcast, I’m sure you can share my frustration with the way that this man has been treated by the judicial system. I did make an actual table with just a few things Sarah Koenig covered in the season but I don’t want to make this post too long so I’m only going to go over some of the key reasons that point to his innocence as well as address the issues with the “evidence” the district attorneys presented. Let’s get into it.

Let's start off with the main thing that got Adnan convicted in the first place; Jay’s testimony and Haes diary. Jay was an “acquaintance” of Adnan’s - they were smoking buddies and Adnan knew Jays at the time girlfriend. Jay was also the state's key “witness” throughout the trials. Jay told the police and the courts that on the day of Hae’s murder/disappearance, Adnan showed him Hae’s dead body in the trunk of his car at around 3:55pm (which is nearly impossible but I’ll get into that later) and he helped Adnan bury her body at around 7pm that night. He also claimed that after Adnan and Hae had broken up, Adnan was furious and said that he wanted to kill. Haes diary also points to Adnan being upset about their breakup and says that during their relationship he was possessive, but this is easily dismissed because...well...they were teenagers, and that's completely normal. Let’s get into the interviewing process. We know that Jay was interviewed by police on four different occasions and every time his story changed a little bit. Of course, the interviews took place months after the events occurred and these were high school students that smoked weed so it is hard to remember exact events, but with an inconsistent story, I don’t believe that Jay should have been taken as seriously as he was. To add to this, there is significant evidence that the police coached Jay to fit their version of what happened. Jay himself even came forward years later claiming that Adnan never did show him Haes deceased body and that that fact had completely come from the police. We know that cops have a tendency to find one piece of evidence and cling onto it and warp all other details to fit their theories and I believe that is exactly what happened here - especially when you consider that neither Jay nor Haes new boyfriend “Don from LensCrafters” were investigated to the extent they should have been, considering they should have been other strong suspects.

Moving on to the DA’s next “strong” piece of evidence...the cell towers. blah blah blah the court used AT&T records based on cell tower pings to place Adnan in Leakin Park and the Best Buy parking lot where Jay said Adnan showed him the body in his trunk. Fax cover sheet along with court subpoenaed “subscriber activity report” was according to AT&T, not reliable nor accurate in placing someone in a location if you're tracking them using their incoming calls, but outgoing call tracking is. The two calls that police used to place Adnan in Leakin park were both incoming calls, therefore rendering the cellphone evidence unreliable and not useable in a court. But at the time the courts for some reason didn't know this and used it as evidence. Now we know that that is not something that should have happened but of course, the American judicial system is shit so they didn't care when he (Adnan) asked for a re-trial after finding out that information.

The next thing that pisses me off is the time frame that Adnan Syed would have had to follow to commit the murder on time before showing Jay Hae’s body in the best buy parking lot. We know that Hae was seen at school leaving at 3pm...Jay says that Adnan showed him her dead body in the trunk at 3:55pm. Adnan had a 21 minute period to get out of the busy traffic-filled school parking lot and streets, intercept Hae on her way to pick up her younger cousin from school, commit a murder, make some calls, and then drive to the Best Buy parking lot. Sarah Koenig, creator of Serial podcast wanted to see if this was even possible so she went out with another person to test it. They followed the exact path that Adnan would have had to follow if he did commit the murder and took into account the length of the phone calls he made at the time. They arrived at the Best Buy parking lot later than he would have. Meaning that they were very very very close for time...but they didn't make it. I'm not saying he cant have done it if he did commit the murder but I do think that it is extremely highly unlikely that he did. If he did kill her during this time frame, the murder would have had to be extremely planned out in advance and quick with no flaws; which, if was committed by Adnan, just wasn't the nature of the crime. It would have been a crime of passion, which leaves room for lots of error and is NOT planned out in advance.

One thing that was nearly completely overlooked during this trial was that Adnan actually DID have an alibi. Asia McClain, a friend of Adnan, says that her, her boyfriend and some other friends were talking to Adnan in the library at the exact same time that prosecutors were claiming that he was supposed to be attacking Hae. The alibi was completely dismissed and not thoroughly investigated as it should have been. Multiple people could have corroborated this but they were never questioned. Unfortunately, Adnan himself didn’t remember at the time of his questioning. Once again this brings up the issue that all the questioning took place months after the events which doesn't help when you're dealing with stoner teenagers, because let's be honest....they’re gonna have a hard time remembering jack.

Finally, the most infuriating of it all. The complete utter lack of physical evidence or witnesses. It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this doesn't add up. Hae Min Lee’s cause of death was manual strangulation...Let’s imagine someone is strangling you okay? What is the first thing you would do? Fight them right? You’d be hitting, kicking and scratching that mf with every ounce you have in you. In EVERY death involving a manual struggle between victim and murderer, the first thing forensics do is check the victim for DNA evidence because there's a strong chance there is some somewhere unless the murderer cuts off the victim's hands and takes clothes. But that obviously didn’t happen. What I'm getting at is that there had to have been some of the murderer's DNA on Hae Min Lees body - specifically, I would check under her fingernails. In fact, there was DNA evidence! The only issue was that it didn’t match Adnan. It was a match for a female that they couldn’t identify. The fact that there was absolutely NO physical evidence placing Adnan at the scene of the crime when the COD was manual strangulation makes this whole thing seem like a cover-up. There were also no witnesses that saw Adnan or Hae together leading up to her death or otherwise. There is Jay's testimony which is very clear to me to be untrustworthy, but even if it was true that doesn’t mean that Adnan actually killed her, it just means he found her body and did something with it...which I still don’t believe.

To sum this all up, the state’s evidence was shitty, rocky and altogether completely unreliable. I don't trust cops at all because they just want a win and they'll do whatever it takes to get one in their eyes. I don’t trust the judicial system because there was clearly not enough legitimate evidence to convict and I think the whole thing is bullshit and insulting to Hae Min Lee’s memory. Her killer got away with the crime, and everyone is suffering because of it.

#serial podcast #adnan syed #hae min lee #school project #true crime

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maraistyping · 4 years

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A tale of winter

There are always those kind of stories, the tales of heroes and villains in constant battles where more than just the evident is at stake, with the innocent victims almost joyful and carefree in both, spirit and personality, along with the brooding master mind painted with dark colors that can only strike fear in the souls of the living.

Then there are those, with storylines not so different yet not so similar either, whose age has become impossible to calculate since they have been told generation after generation nonstop, each one of them showing their own telling of it like a proud banner that held more meaning than strangers to it could possibly imagine, tales written and rewritten constantly, over and over again, whose details have been slowly worn off, the lines of their limits now blurred beyond repair every time one even dares to think about it since in most of the occasions memory deserves as much trust as a thief in the night.

This one in particular is one of them, a story that has been twisted since the beginning of time around campfires to nurse children to sleep, a tale of love that brought a lot of complications since the very first beginning, one that had traveled across the globe without a care in the world, on that you might recall as a whisper in the night: the tale of the appearance of seasons, the start of the winter.

It had all began during a sunny day, early in spring, the soft chorus of graceful birds crawling through the air, sweet nightingales adorning the sky free of gray clouds with colorful feathers of all shades and shapes, creating a moving rainbow that seemed to follow anyone who were to step under its shadow, and, underneath of the marvelous painting the nature seemed to make out of pure joy, there laid a beautiful forest full of light that certainly made contrast with the figure of dark robes that was currently making its way across the green fields, which seemed to waver in cold without a second thought in mind, threatening to wilt until they were all nothing but mere shadows of what they all once were, an empty shell void of any hint of life whatsoever.

The young looking man paid the soft whimpers of the flowers no mind as his black cape passed through them all, surrounding them with layers of eternal darkness before quickly vanishing as if it had just been a thin surface made of nothing but ghostly smoke, reappearing again no more than a couple of seconds after it had gone missing, apparently ready to hit another being with a wave of cruel frozen air.

He passed a hand along his black hair, gracefully moving some locks off his face, bringing down some fallen feathers that had been comfortable on his head, left there by some careless creature because of the mischievous acts of the howling wind around him, part so common to see on cheerful birds that had simply shrunk in between his fingers as soon as the skin of his palm had touched it. That was part of the reason for why he disliked stepping into the Overworld, it remind him of how he didn’t fit it, of how he was better off without any of the living creatures around that would only die at his feet as soon as the brown eyed was near enough for them to feel the aura of destruction that always accompanied his imposing presence.

If Nico would have been able to avoid going to the meeting that was taking place on Mount Olympus, he definitely would have chosen to not go, he knew when and where he wasn’t exactly wanted anyway, but the other deities had wanted to talk about how all the realms were doing at the time and, him being the Lord of the Land of the dead, meant his presence was more than needed. He was certain the so called reunion was nothing but a plot for the others to observe his movements, he knew the rest of the gods didn’t trust him at the same level they all trusted each other, he was the odd one after all, the gloomy one who had the world of the already deceased as his domain.

Always the odd one out, the unreliable one than more than just an individual being would think more than twice before trusting. Unpredictable. Lonely. Cunning to an extend that the world around him didn’t matter, taking and taking away from both sinners and saints without any kind of consideration whatsoever.

He let his glance wander around the environment he was in, boredom present on his brown eyes, which more likely held more life than his actual body, one that only indicators that showed he wasn’t completely dead on the inside. The scene surrounding him was not something he hadn’t seen before, watching the life running away from his own person should be a scenario he had gotten used so long ago, one would think that were to be the case at least from their certain point of view…but they were wrong, there was no way to do so, the black haired would know considering all the endless centuries he had spent trying, avoiding considering how life would have turned out if the fates hadn’t been after him since the very first beginning, always favoring his other relatives in a way he could only dream for himself.

So now there was him, his dark robes waving calmly due to the soothing action of the wind, the iron armor his cape of shadows hid from time to time shining with a shade of red as thick as blood, heading to what would be the most annoying hours of the decade. Nico absently played with the silvery skull ring that had found its perpetual home on one of the fingers of his right hand, sometimes he just enjoyed the feeling of comfort that its surface seemed to bring him whenever the hurricane of wild thoughts that was constantly haunting his mind became too dark, not that the effect was completely unexpected, the original owner had had a major impact on the black haired male. He reserved a special place in his heart for her, no one could ever replace the sweet and caring girl with stars on her eyes, that kind being that shared very reassembling features with his own self. Because that would give enough clue of how his sister was irreplaceable.

He would have to admit, he had been distracted, so lost on the echoes that bounced against the walls of his head that he had lost his grip on reality, the one that he considered particularly hard to hold on in the first place. Maybe if he had been focused enough on the world around him, he would have found it strange that there was a young, delicate vine colored with green leaves slowly making its way towards him, not wilting in the slightest, remaining youthful and beautiful even when it made contact with his ice cold skin.

It was unexpected, to feel the unperturbable life force of the newborn plant, stubbornly holding onto the right to live in a way he hadn’t seen ever before from a minor form of intelligence. A lot of things happened later that he wasn’t entirely prepared for, happenings he wasn’t ready for, in particular considering how fast everything occurred. It only took a couple of seconds for the grassy plant to seem to fully grow, small flowers starting to decorate the length of its body, showing off the potential it held on the inside, its graceful tactics.

Watching the flowers bloom was a spectacle on its own, if he were to be honest, the way the petals opened slowly to reveal an interior with more colorful brightness than the outside was something he really couldn’t put into words. Maybe that was because of how rare it was for him to see something like that, even when in a respectable distance, seeing it all from that close…was not what he would consider usual.

And so there he stood for what appeared to be hours, maybe years even, he wasn’t entirely sure, when time does not affect you in a way mortals would think of normal, the concept itself was bound to simply lose its meaning. His brown eyes focused its attention on the delicate, fragile looking sprouts, his glance analyzing every single one of the movements of the young living beings with dedication, a little side smile slowly appearing on his pale expression as some of them seemed to let out silent yawns, letting the center and core to be seen by the outside world, which they greeted with a fine powdery substance that quickly invaded the air around him, sneakily making its way to his nostrils until he couldn’t caught on any other smell but the sweet fragrance of spring.

The rest was pretty much a blur, he stopped registering everything whatsoever, the brightness of the sun slowly became dull, the green color of the forest became a grayish shade, everything started to become more and more meaningless. The lack of importance was not overwhelming though, he couldn’t care less, not when the soft cloud of pollen nursed him to sleep, something he hadn’t wanted to do so badly since so long ago that he found it impossible not to give in, the soft lullaby was calming in so many levels that he found himself unable not to obey to its wishes.

He welcomed darkness with open arms.

#solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo au #hades and persephone au #hades!nico #persephone!will #my writing

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akitokihojo · 6 years

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Plain as Day

Alright, here comes my first ever one shot! It is, in no regards, related to Father’s Day. I just finally had a peaceful moment to myself last night/this morning to finish the damn thing.

Be kind!

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The early morning air was crisp, the slight chill bringing his attention down to the sleeping woman beside him. Sometimes he didn't believe it. It was still fresh. Still new to have Kagome sleeping next to him in the small hut Miroku had helped him build just before the twins were born, but never thought he'd actually use.

Inuyasha propped himself up with his elbow and pulled the blanket around her shoulders to make sure the chill of the new season didn't bother her, gently brushing a strand of her raven hair off of her cheek. It had been a little over a month since her scent reappeared after three years and sent him flying through the forest trees to meet her at the well, and he'd never admit it out loud but he was still afraid, even after this long, that he'd wake up to find out it had all been a dream. Kagome knew. Of course, Kagome knew. Nothing got passed the girl. She'd told him they'd just have to enjoy the time they get with each other, sure enough sharing the same fear. It was all a load of cheesy shit to him if he was being honest, and he hated thinking about it. He'd be damned if he'd ever be without his Kagome again.

The dark-haired girl shifted in her sleep, unconsciously scooting her body forward until she was pressed against Inuyasha's chest, the icy tips of her fingers brushing along his bare waist and settling at his hip. He tried not to shutter, the cold causing a small trail of goosebumps to follow her touch. Instead, he relished in the feeling of her slender, sleeping body curved into his own. A feeling he wasn't sure he'd ever agree he actually deserved but would selfishly soak up for as long as he could.

Weeks ago, Inuyasha had planned a visit to his mother's grave. He preferred to go while everyone was preoccupied with other business and his absence for the day wouldn't be noticed. He didn't like being hounded with questions of where he'd taken off to, and there was no way in hell his visits to his mother wouldn't stay private. But it never happened. A couple of days before he felt it would be safe to escape, Kagome came back. And the thought of leaving her behind for even an hour was unfathomable.

The guilt was beginning to weigh on him now, though. The last time he visited her grave was nearly a year ago, and the only reason for that was because Sango was with child and this pregnancy was harder on her body than the last. Only a month or so after Miroku and Sango found out about their new baby, Kaede put her on bed rest saying she could lose her child if she continued to strain herself. And while Inuyasha frequently went with Miroku and Sango on demon exterminations, he stepped in permanently to take Sango's place.

Kagome's fingers twitched slightly against his skin and she adjusted herself once more, sighing into his chest. He couldn't help the smile that flicked across his lips, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. The thought of leaving her behind caused a physical ache in his lungs. So, he'd just have to drag her along.

Dipping his head down to the side of her own, his lips gently grazed her temple as his fingers threaded their way through Kagome's hair.

"Hey," Inuyasha whispered, placing a kiss just above her ear. "Wake up, Kagome."

She responded with a groan, tucking her head further into his chest.

"Wake up, we've gotta go." He whispered again, brushing his nails through her dark strands, being careful not to pull at any possible tangles.

"Go where?" Her voice was almost a whine, triggering her arm to wrap fully around his waist as if to prevent him from leaving her alone on the futon.

"You'll see." He kissed her forehead as she unfurled, fluttering her big, brown eyes open at him. "Get ready. It's a long trip."

"But-"

He shot her a look, eyebrow quirked upward. A look that said no more questions. A look Kagome was all too familiar with yet hardly listened to. He was lucky she was still half-asleep. She released her hold on him and crawled her way to a seated position, blinking the sleep from her eyes and attempting to tame her bed hair by smoothing her fingers through it and picking out the small knots she came across. From her peripherals, which were still unfocused and unreliable, she watched her hanyou leave her side and make his way across their hut to retrieve his kosode and suikan. She noticed the darkness of their home, turning her head to watch him shift around until he found the clothing he was looking for, taking note of the lack of shadow in the definition of his broad back and shoulder muscles as he tossed her own kosode on the futon before he had even finished pulling an arm through a sleeve.

"Is it morning?" Her raspy voice didn't help her sound as awake as she tried to appear, shimmying out of her night robes, not even slightly worried that her half demon wasn't already facing the wall out of respect, and slipping her arms through her kosode from where she sat.

A small, breathy laugh escaped his nose. "Yeah. It's morning. Just early. Hurry up."

"What's the rush?" Kagome huffed, crawling her lower half out from under the covers to pull on her hakama that was folded neatly at the foot of the bed.

Another look.

Seriously? Kagome sighed, tying the final knot of her clothing tight and standing into a pencil stretch in an attempt to fully waken up her muscles and ready herself for this mysterious and long journey Inuyasha was about to take her on. Whatever it was, she figured it was important to him if he opted out of talking about it. He never talked about anything important. Usually, she was lucky to be intuitive enough to figure it out on her own. This time, though, she had no clue what he had planned.

She remembered back in the day, back before Naraku was defeated and everyone had settled down, the only sudden and important trips Inuyasha would take he would take alone. She remembered waking in her sleeping bag those mornings, little Shippo cuddled up in her arms, to find Inuyasha gone without a trace. Neither Miroku nor Sango knew where he'd go whenever he pulled those stunts, and they'd have to sit and wait however long for him to return with nothing but a hunch as to what could have possibly been so important for him to take off on them. Sometimes training, sometimes Kikyo, sometimes for privacy to figure out his next move.

Kagome couldn't help but feel at least a little excited to be included on this one.

Inuyasha slid the door shut behind them, the sunlight just beginning to peak over the mountains.

"Should we let Miroku and Sango know we're leaving in case they come looking for us?" She asked, turning to face him. The soft curve of her lips sent a flutter through his abdomen, causing him to close the insignificant distance between them just to see how wild the fluttering could get, his fingers cradling the crook of her jaw and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Nah. They'll live without knowing where we are for one day." The hanyou replied, tilting her head back just enough to give him easier access to her lips, brushing a kiss against them and sighing to calm that tickling sensation he'd mistakenly excited that was quickly becoming far too much to handle.

It hardly worked. Not with the way her hands gripped at the front of his robes, or with the way she smiled into his kiss, or with the way she broke it far too soon just to give him another chaste kiss, brushing the tip of her nose against his. He could feel his cheeks grow warm, a common effect brought on by anything she did to him, no doubt a pink flush blemishing his face. Son of a...

In an attempt to hide it from Kagome, he quickly turned around and kneeled down, willing her to climb onto his back. "C'mon. We've uh... Got a ways to go."

One slender leg straddled his back, then the other. He gripped the back of her thighs firmly, giving a bit of a gentle bounce as he stood up straight to make sure she was secure and her weight was distributed evenly, then jumped into the nearest tree heading northeast.

He found himself subconsciously stroking Kagome's thigh with the pad of his thumb at some point, the cloth that separated his fingers from her smooth, pale flesh growing irritating and bringing his attention to what he was doing. Inuyasha had no idea how long he'd been doing it for, but the unenjoyable, tingling sensation he had from rubbing his thumb back and forth over clothing tells him it may have been a while. He used to do it all the time on their journeys in the past, all unintentional of course. The first time was after Kagome had gotten kidnapped by that Hakudoshi kid. After he'd rescued her from the evil, little shit's attempt to manipulate and control her for her powers, he carried her unconscious body back to Kaede's village. It was perfectly evident that she was harmed and he hated himself for letting that happen to her, and on his slow trek back to the village he found himself stroking her thigh with the padding of his thumb. As if to comfort her or something. Ever since, it had occurred more and more frequently. He'd caress, he'd notice, he'd stop. Wash, rinse, repeat. A vicious cycle that he couldn't put an end to because, frankly, he didn't want to. And Kagome never said anything about it, so why should he? Especially now.

He didn't take the time to enjoy the silky feel of her skin enough while he had the chance. The scratchy hakama that dressed her long legs snatched the pleasure away from him, making Inuyasha realize just how much he missed that short skirt she used to wear. He never understood how she fought battle after battle in the thing without her ass popping out, an art if you think about it, and constantly wished she'd just wear pants for once in her life because he'd have been damned if the accident occurred in front of that stupid, scrawny wolf... But if there was ever a time he found it absolutely acceptable for her to wear that skirt, it would be while she was hitching a ride on his back.

The sun was high in the sky, a few clouds drifting by and creating patches of shadows on the trail Inuyasha stopped on. He crouched down allowing Kagome to climb off and stretch her limbs, exhaling a blissful sigh and taking in a deep breath of the nearby field of flowers.

"It's so pretty out here! Have we ever been out this way before? I don't recognize it!" Kagome asked, pushing a stray strand of black hair the breeze blew in her face behind her ear. She turned and walked a little ways ahead, heading into the large field of colorful flowers.

"I have." Inuyasha responded flatly, wanting to smile at how her first reaction to the overly fragrant plants was to twirl around, pick a few, then twirl around some more, but finding it difficult to curl his lips out of the flat line they were pressed in due to the anxiety of the grave that sat just about a half mile or so up the grassy hill. He hadn't realized he was staring off in that direction until Kagome's soft voice broke his thoughts.

"You okay?" She had a handful of yellow daisies. Just the yellow ones. Always just the yellow ones. He'd never asked, and she'd never said, but if he had to guess her favorite flower that'd be it.

"Hm? Oh... Yeah. Fine. W-what are you-"

"Just relax." She was perched on her tippy toes, arms reaching above his head to stick a flower in his hair to the side of an ear, giving the appendage a little attention by rubbing it in between her fingers before rocking back on the heels of her feet to stand at her normal height. "There! You're as cute as ever, Inuyasha!"

"Feh! Demon's aren't cute." He huffed, quickly grabbing the daisy from his head and holding it in front of her clutched bouquet.

"Yes, but you're half demon. So that makes you half cute." Kagome smiled, reuniting the blossom with the others in her hands.

The hanyou rolled his golden eyes, holding his clawed hand out for Kagome to take, feeling that fluttering feeling in his stomach return when her small fingers laced perfectly with his calloused ones.

"C'mon, it's just a little bit further."

"Will you tell me where we're going yet?" She asked, giving his hand a tender squeeze and sending a wave of heat directly from his palm to his cheeks like a lick of flames traveling through his veins. He couldn't say why merely holding Kagome's hand made him nervous, but it did. Holding hands was the absolute lowest bar on the spectrum of intimacy and it still made him red in the face. Was it something he was proud of? Fuck no. Did he feel pathetic? Hell yes he did! Was he ever going to hold himself back from touching her in any which way he possibly could for as long as he lived? Over his dead body.

He dodged those dark brown eyes that no doubt saw the shade of pink he tried to hide and stared off in the opposite direction as they began their slow ascent up the hill.

"Just be patient, would ya?"

She squeezed his hand again as if to acknowledge what he said. It was a little quirk she did. Instead of saying "okay," if they were holding hands, she'd give a quick squeeze. Sometimes while taking a walk around the village, or even laying in their bed late at night after a long day, they'd be hand-in-hand some way or another and she'd give three firm squeezes. He still hadn't figured out what they meant yet.

"What do you plan on doing with those daisies?" Inuyasha asked, approaching the top and curving around the trail.

"I'm not sure. Maybe make some flower crowns for the twins. Maybe even give a few to Kaede to thank her for the training she's giving me." She shrugged lightly, eyeing the scenery ahead, taking in the sight of the large mountains in the distance and the grassy fields that spread far and wide. There was nothing this beautiful in her time. Not that she'd seen, at least. All she knew back in Tokyo were buildings, trains, people, and noise. Sure, Kagome was used to it and there was a level of domestic beauty to it, but compared to the serene, undisturbed nature that stood before her there was no competition. Feudal Japan won by a long shot.

She felt a tug on her hand as she fell behind, Inuyasha leading the two of them off the path and towards a small gathering of trees. She stayed quiet, noticing the uneasy features that scrunched his eyebrows together and had his lips just slightly curving downward. She felt his grip against her fingers tighten, felt the muscles of his arm tense, saw him stand up straighter as they walked through the trees, noticed the rise and fall of his chest constrict to the point that she was certain he was holding his breath.

Kagome followed the hanyou's line of sight, locking her eyes on an oval-shaped slab protruding from the ground just ahead. Small patches of green moss made their way up the sides of the slab, the lettering on the front faded and hardly legible. The stiff body beside her stopped completely several feet away, the curiosity building so intensely that, on impulse, she removed her hand from his own, closed the gap, and kneeled down in front.

Still, she couldn't make out the name, running the tips of her fingers along the carvings down the face of the stone.

"Who-"

"Izayoi..." Inuyasha breathed, his voice gruff and thick, strands of silver hair blowing across his chest with the breeze. "Her name... Was Izayoi."

He knelt down next to her, giving a small bow to the stone that Kagome sloppily copied from not being able to peel her eyes away from her hanyou, and met her with his golden gaze.

"Kagome, this is my mother."

Her lips parted to speak, but no words formed. She wasn't sure how to react. Should her shoulders have sunken like they did? Was that right? How about the way her own breath hitched in her throat? That couldn't have been right either. Instead she continued looking at him, even after he'd turned his attention back to his mother's resting place, a warm sensation coursing through her body from head to toe and pooling in the pit of her abdomen.

Kagome couldn't help the way her brain slowly wrapped around the information Inuyasha had given her. She was sitting in front of his mother's grave. She was sitting in a place she'd never even considered possible, not from lack of knowledge of its existence, because Myoga had briefly shared that Inuyasha visited it from time-to-time some years ago, but because she was well aware of how much Inuyasha cherished his privacy when regarding his mother.

They sat in silence for a moment, her brown eyes drifting from his calmed expression, to the old stone in front of her, to the old vase holding dry, withered flowers just off to the left. Without a second thought, Kagome took the dead flowers out, parts of them crumbling from her touch, and replaced them with her entire batch of yellow blossoms.

"You didn't have to do that." The hanyou mentioned.

She shook her head, placing a hand on the balled up fist in his lap. "I'm happy to, Inuyasha."

"I've never brought anyone here before." His clawed hands slowly opened up, welcoming her slender fingers to slide their way between his own. "I never even thought there'd be someone I wanted to bring here. But you... I... I wanted you to be a part of this, because this is a huge part of me."

Kagome felt herself subconsciously giving Inuyasha's hand three slow, firm squeezes when he abruptly gripped hers back, his golden eyes meeting her own once again.

"What does that mean?" He asked, eyebrow arching in curiosity.

"W-what?"

"That hand thing you always do. What does it mean?"

Kagome froze. Did she do it that often? She never once considered that he'd notice, and even if he did, she never thought he'd call her out on it.

"I-uh... It's just... I..." She could feel the searing heat hit her cheeks, her heart thumping as erratically as it did the day she returned to the feudal era. "It means... I..."

"Kagome-"

"Love you."

It was his turn to freeze, eyes wide, ears at attention.

"Enough about that!" Kagome laughed loudly, flicking her other hand up and down as if to dismiss the conversation, something she'd always done when she was nervous or flustered. "Listen, Inuyasha..."

She was changing the subject. And he was letting her. Albeit, unwillingly. He still couldn't figure out what to say. It were as if his brain forgot how to fucking talk, and he was just gaping like a damn idiot.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you wanted to bring me with you. It means more to me than you'll ever know. And... well, I want you to know that you don't have to talk if you don't want to. Whenever my family would visit my dad's grave, I preferred to sit in silence. You know... Kind of just to spend my time with him instead of focusing on idle chit chat. We didn't get to visit often. It was always hard on my mom. But when we were able to, it was quiet and peaceful and I was happy after. So, I understand if you'd like the same." She smiled sweetly, cocking her head to the side slightly and giving his hand a small squeeze before taking it away and standing. "I'll give you a moment with her."

He wanted to ask where she was going. More importantly, he wanted to stop her. He hadn't said what he'd wanted to say yet. He hadn't figured out what he'd wanted to say yet.

What the hell was wrong with him?

She returned a half hour later, a circle of yellow daisies knotted together in her hands. Yellow. Always yellow.

"Hi!" She smiled, noticing his knee bobbing up and down impatiently from where he sat.

"I was about to go looking for you, Kagome."

"Oh, come on, I wasn't gone that long." She rolled her eyes, sitting close enough that their legs were touching to stop his knee from continuing that irritating bouncing motion, and swept her dark hair behind her ear before the breeze could blow it in her face. "Besides, I made this flower crown. I thought your mom would like it!”

"Y-you made that for her?" He wondered, watching as she placed the tiara at the foot of the headstone, fluffing the flowers out around the sides.

"Mhmm," she responded, sitting back and admiring her work. "I hope that's okay."

"Of course it's..." He stopped, finally understanding the answer. Finally feeling like he knew what to say to the raven haired woman that sat at his side. That would always sit by his side. Even through the hardest times all those years ago, she was by his side, and he realized almost too late that he wouldn't want it any other way. It was there in front of him the entire time, plain as day.

Why did it take him so long to figure it out? Was he really that stupid?

Kagome watched his expression harden, brows furrowing together, jaw setting. His ember eyes suddenly bore into her, the flames inside his irises glowing fiercely. She couldn't help the sudden and heavy thump her heart gave behind her ribcage, or the look of question that she was sure was evident on her face.

"Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, I-"

She watched him swallow, watched him unfold his arms from over his chest and remove his hands from his red sleeves, watched as his fingers curled into tight fists over his knees and how the muscle in his jaw twitched.

Her heart gave another heavy thump, her palms beginning to sweat at how intense his stare was.

He took a deep breath, lips parting once more.

"I want to marry you."

#inuyasha #kagome #kagome higurashi #inukag #inukag fanfic #inukag fanfiction #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha fluff #inukag fluff #my writing #kagomeinthepast

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intobarbarians · 5 years

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#the witch elm spoilers

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salty-medley · 6 years

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After all that time wondering what those strange 5 letters personality things meaned...

EDIT : I didn’t know this thing could have so much reactions ( don’t laugh, you tumblr celebrity who have 13258 comments at each post, 1 comment is a lot for me ! ) and be se more seriously than the random personality test you could find in any feminine magazine. So to be clear : NO I don’t take any test seriously, as I said in the comments if it fits it’s cool, if not well... It’s ok too. But that post revealed something I already know : lot of people took everything too seriously. All the things which are in bold are true for me. Coincidence ? Maybe. But seriously who cares ? And it taught me something: if you want to have comments, just put “ #16 personalities” in the tags, it worked well today.

I jumped on it instead of working. Jk it’s my break time.

So apparently I’m a INTP - T , or a “Logician“, an analyst .

“ LOGICIAN PERSONALITY (INTP, -A/-T)Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.The Logician personality type is fairly rare, making up only three percent of the population, which is definitely a good thing for them, as there’s nothing they’d be more unhappy about than being “common”. Logicians pride themselves on their inventiveness and creativity, their unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor, Logicians have been responsible for many scientific discoveries throughout history.Logicians are known for their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic – in fact, they are considered the most logically precise of all the personality types.They love patterns, and spotting discrepancies between statements could almost be described as a hobby, making it a bad idea to lie to a Logician. This makes it ironic that Logicians’ word should always be taken with a grain of salt – it’s not that they are dishonest, but people with the Logician personality type tend to share thoughts that are not fully developed, using others as a sounding board for ideas and theories in a debate against themselves rather than as actual conversation partners.This may make them appear unreliable, but in reality no one is more enthusiastic and capable of spotting a problem, drilling through the endless factors and details that encompass the issue and developing a unique and viable solution than Logicians – just don’t expect punctual progress reports. People who share the Logician personality type aren’t interested in practical, day-to-day activities and maintenance, but when they find an environment where their creative genius and potential can be expressed, there is no limit to the time and energy Logicians will expend in developing an insightful and unbiased solution.Wisdom Begins in Wonder They may appear to drift about in an unending daydream, but Logicians’ thought process is unceasing, and their minds buzz with ideas from the moment they wake up. This constant thinking can have the effect of making them look pensive and detached, as they are often conducting full-fledged debates in their own heads, but really Logicians are quite relaxed and friendly when they are with people they know, or who share their interests. However, this can be replaced by overwhelming shyness when Logician personalities are among unfamiliar faces, and friendly banter can quickly become combative if they believe their logical conclusions or theories are being criticized.When Logicians are particularly excited, the conversation can border on incoherence as they try to explain the daisy-chain of logical conclusions that led to the formation of their latest idea. Oftentimes, Logicians will opt to simply move on from a topic before it’s ever understood what they were trying to say, rather than try to lay things out in plain terms.The reverse can also be true when people explain their thought processes to Logicians in terms of subjectivity and feeling. Imagine an immensely complicated clockwork, taking in every fact and idea possible, processing them with a heavy dose of creative reasoning and returning the most logically sound results available – this is how the Logician mind works, and this type has little tolerance for an emotional monkey-wrench jamming their machines.Let Those Who Would Move the World First Move ThemselvesFurther, Logicians are unlikely to understand emotional complaints at all, and their friends won’t find a bedrock of emotional support in them. People with the Logician personality type would much rather make a series of logical suggestions for how to resolve the underlying issue, a perspective that is not always welcomed by their more sensitive companions. This will likely extend to most social conventions and goals as well, like planning dinners and getting married, as Logicians are far more concerned with originality and efficient results.The one thing that really holds Logicians back is their restless and pervasive fear of failure. Logician personalities are so prone to reassessing their own thoughts and theories, worrying that they’ve missed some critical piece of the puzzle, that they can stagnate, lost in an intangible world where their thoughts are never truly applied. Overcoming this self-doubt stands as the greatest challenge Logicians are likely to face, but the intellectual gifts – big and small – bestowed on the world when they do makes it worth the fight.

Strenghs

Great Analysts and Abstract Thinkers – People with the Logician personality type view the world as a big, complex machine, and recognize that as with any machine, all parts are interrelated. Logicians excel in analyzing these connections, seeing how seemingly unrelated factors tie in with each other in ways that bewilder most other personality types.

Imaginative and Original – These connections are the product of an unrelenting imagination – Logicians’ ideas may seem counter-intuitive at a glance, and may never even see the light of day, but they will always prove remarkable innovations.

Open-Minded – Logicians couldn’t make these connections if they thought they knew it all – they are highly receptive to alternate theories, so long as they’re supported by logic and facts. In more subjective matters like social norms and traditions, Logicians are usually fairly liberal, with a “none of my business” sort of attitude – peoples’ ideas are what matter.

Enthusiastic – When a new idea piques their interest, Logicians can be very enthusiastic – they are a reserved personality type, but if another person shares an interest, they can be downright excited about discussing it. More likely though, the only outward evidence of this enthusiasm will be Logicians’ silent pacing or their staring into the distance.

Objective – Logicians’ analysis, creativity and open-mindedness aren’t the tools of some quest for ideology or emotional validation. Rather, it’s as though people with the Logician personality type are a conduit for the truths around them, so far as they can be expressed, and they are proud of this role as theoretical mediator.

Honest and Straightforward – To know one thing and say another would be terribly disingenuous – Logicians don’t often go around intentionally hurting feelings, but they believe that the truth is the most important factor, and they expect that to be appreciated and reciprocated.

Weaknesses

Very Private and Withdrawn – While Logicians’ intellectualism yields many insights into their surroundings, their surroundings are ironically considered an intrusion on their thoughts. This is especially true with people – Logicians are quite shy in social settings. More complicated situations such as parties exacerbate this, but even close friends struggle to get into Logicians’ hearts and minds.

Insensitive – Oftentimes Logician personalities get so caught up in their logic that they forget any kind of emotional consideration – they dismiss subjectivity as irrational and tradition as an attempt to bar much-needed progress. Purely emotional situations are often utterly puzzling to Logicians, and their lack of timely sympathy can easily offend.

Absent-minded – When Logicians’ interest is captured, their absence goes beyond social matters to include the rest of the physical world. Logicians become forgetful, missing even the obvious if it’s unrelated to their current infatuation, and they can even forget their own health, skipping meals and sleep as they muse.

Condescending – Attempts at connecting with others are often worse than Logicians’ withdrawal. People with the Logician personality type take pride in their knowledge and rationale, and enjoy sharing their ideas, but in trying to explain how they got from A to B to Z, they can get frustrated, sometimes simplifying things to the point of insult as they struggle to gauge their conversation partners’ perspective. The ultimate insult comes as Logicians give up with a dismissive “never mind”.

Loathe Rules and Guidelines – These social struggles are partly a product of Logicians’ desire to bypass the rules, of social conduct and otherwise. While this attitude helps Logicians’ strength of unconventional creativity, it also causes them to reinvent the wheel constantly and to shun security in favor of autonomy in ways that can compromise both.

Second-Guess Themselves – Logicians remain so open to new information that they often never commit to a decision at all. This applies to their own skills as well – Logician personalities know that as they practice, they improve, and any work they do is second-best to what they could do. Unable to settle for this, Logicians sometimes delay their output indefinitely with constant revisions, sometimes even quitting before they ever begin.

And it finally gives...

Mind 83% introvert Introverted individuals prefer solitary activities and get exhausted by social interaction. They tend to be quite sensitive to external stimulation (e.g. sound, sight or smell) in general.

Energy 69 % intuitive Intuitive individuals are very imaginative, open-minded and curious. They prefer novelty over stability and focus on hidden meanings and future possibilities.

Nature 86% thinking Thinking individuals focus on objectivity and rationality, prioritizing logic over emotions. They tend to hide their feelings and see efficiency as more important than cooperation.

Tactics 87% prospecting Prospecting individuals are very good at improvising and spotting opportunities. They tend to be flexible, relaxed nonconformists who prefer keeping their options open.

Identity 72% turbulent Turbulent individuals are self-conscious and sensitive to stress. They are likely to experience a wide range of emotions and to be success-driven, perfectionistic and eager to improve. “

Last thing but not least, “ If you ever watched “The Big Bang Theory” TV series, take a closer look at Sheldon for an example of an INTP. Sure, he may seem rude, harsh, and sometimes even mean. But when his friends have a problem, he is the first person they seek. His intelligence, honesty, and hardcore reasoning are mesmerizing. “ . It’s highly true in my case, I’m often described as cold, harsh or mean. But it’s not to hurt people, I’m just more logical than emotional. It does not mean that I haven’t any emotions, it’s just that those emotions don’t restrain me. Never ask me if you are fat, ‘cause if you are I will tell you the truth and not what you want to hear. It’s for that I don’t like when people use “curvy” instead of fat for example, it’s like being ginger and pretend that you are blond. It’s two different things, why not telling the truth ? Vexing people isn’t a problem for me, as long as I’m honest I still can look at myself in the mirror. It’s a real problem in some communities, like tumblr - and it’s mostly for that I never take part of events or discussions - or some games like Star Stable Online where people are mostly snowflakes.

It’s not I have nothing to say, it’s just you who are not ready to hear what I have to say.

#personal #16 personality types #16 personalities #intp thoughts #intp problems #intp

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likos064 · 6 years

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Free-Thought Ramblings

No rhyme nor reason

RAMBLING 1

Everything that happened in season 11 was a repeat of something that had happened before. MSIV is the continuation and repeat of Two Fathers/One Son

MSIII - Gethsemane/Redux I & II

This - Kill Switch/Ghost in the Machine

Plus One - IWTB/Requiem - Mulder can go to mental hospitals now? - See Max

The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat - Jose Chung From Outer Space/Alone

Ghouli - Emily

Kitten - Blood/Sleepless/Unrequited/Avatar

Followers - Kill Switch/Ghost in the Machine/War of the Coprophages - killer machines, killer roaches

Familiar - Die Hand die Verletz

Nothing Lasts Forever - Revelations/Hungry/Tooms - organs to survive

MSIV - Two Fathers/One Son

People are jumping to conclusions, if any other season of the X-Files, baring season 8 had been the supposed series finale, people would have been just as upset.

Season 1 - Deep Throat dead, Mulder kidnapped, The X-Files closed down and Mulder and Scully separated

Season 2 - Bill Mulder dead, Mulder dead

Season 3 - Mulder gone, Scully alone with the Alien Bounty Hunter

Season 4 - Mulder dead, Scully dying to make Mulder believe

Season 5 - Diana shot, Gibson gone, The X-Files burned down

Season 6 - Mulder locked up in a hospital. Scully finding a crashed UFO in Africa. Implied rape of Mulder.

Season 7 - Mulder abducted, Scully pregnant, Cigarette Smoking Man dead

Season 8 - Happy Ending

Season 9 - Mulder sentenced to death, Mulder and Scully on the run, Cigarette Smoking Man dead

Season 10 - Mulder dying on the bridge, Scully looking at a UFO

Season 11 - Jackson/William presumed dead, or not, Cigarette Smoking Man dead, Skinner dead, Monica dead, Scully pregnant

RAMBLING 2

Spraying the fields in Kitten being mentioned on the radio by Tad O’Malley in the car in the beginning of Nothing Last Forever ”they are dosing us folks, and now I know what you’re asking why would they dose us, why would they use these planes it’s the same reason chemtrails…”

Mulder about choices being right - referring to William and Scully giving him up for adoption?

Writers and directors being inspired by CW and its superhero TV shows, James Wong explaining that he chose Miles Robbins because he was a heartthrob but not in the CW way.

Carlena Britch’s Juliet’s way of moving and costume is reminiscent of Arrow,

The parkour in My Struggle IV

Mulder sees the missing parts of the gate, presumedly they go back into the church and speak to the priest who tells them about the family, that is why they come to speak to them. She didn’t say anything in confession, so he can tell them without breaking any confidence.

Should the scene have been shown, e.g. Mulder and Scully talking to the priest?

Same with the explanation as to how they found the organs. Scully mentioning the tracker and explaining how they let the organs be stolen. Instead of allowing us to see them do it.

Scully knowing Barbara Beaumont’s age based on a wikipedia with no birth date. Or does she know what year she was a child actress?

Making smoothies out of organs feels like a modern twist on one of the Dracula legends. The one about the Countess who supposedly drank the blood of young virgins.

How come only one of the attached seems to receive any benefit. The Dr. said that he had drained the body of nutrients, is it less like a flow and more like a pump, pumping the blood from the aorta into his body?

Barbara Beaumont so obviously flirting with Mulder in front of Scully, similar to Judy in Plus One. To the extent that she only addresses Mulder at times, the line about women having a little bit of mystery.

Jack Webb

Sunset Boulevard, but with aging, obsession with the past and fighting to reclaim and perserve.

The obsession with age and ageing, usefulness and obscurity. My Struggle III - Children, usefulness, Mulder being recruited by Mr. Y, The Cigarette Smoking Man intending to control William though Scully, and Scully through William, Scully intending to use William to save Mulder, the child’s safety is of a less concern than Mulder’s life, Scully being attacked because she is not useful to Mr. Y, This - Eternal life in cyberspace, Plus One - Children, ageing, fertility, The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat - the past, the malleability of memories, the unreliability of memories, loss of innocence, Ghouli - Children, experiments, fertility, you see what I want you to see, underestimation of women - send them to meet a monster and they… try to kill it, hacking the DoD again, Kitten - Experiments, small town mystery, military men, veterans and disgruntlement, revenge, Rm9sbG93XJz (Followers) - The age of technology, the birth of an AI and our destruction of its core personality, Familiar - Children, death, being replaced, the simplest solution, protection of police when they commit crimes, Nothing Lasts Forever - attempt at reversing ageing, the running joke with Mulder’s glasses, Barbara Beaumont’s comment to Scully about her skin, the sun and whether it is too late, MS IV - Children, fertility, massacre, Tad O’Malley being used, unrealiability of information, lies, deceit, the young will inherit Earth, the Cigarette Smoking Man needing William to put his plan into work.

The last conversation in the church doesn’t make much sense, and it is interesting to see the way most have ignored the pain Scully has caused Mulder. One of the worst things about her leaving him, which I can ignore with just a couple of adjustments in every episode, is that she becomes yet another person who abandons him. It makes her no different, than his mother, father, Phoebe and Diana. You might even argue that Jerry Lamana did the same. Everyone also seem to return only when they need something from him and he never says no. The way David plays it when Scully asks if they are together. His attempt to find words, to compose himself, the hurt that flashes over his face as she seemingly dismisses him.

Mulder’s last line about how he always wondered how this was going to end, also doesn’t make much sense. What has ended?

Would be interesting to know if that was in the script.

Everything’s going so fast, where are the slow moments, the thoughtful shots, the establishing of atmosphere. And the thing I miss the most is Kim Manners favorite thing. Those extreme close ups of David and Gillian’s face being arranged in different ways close together in a scene.

It is difficult to say what has been lost through different directors. Kim wasn’t the only one who put their faces terribly close together. Rob Bowman did the same in The Field Where I Died, and both Kim and Rob did it for the mythology two-parter Terma-Tunguska, they each directed one episode.

They still look way too much at each other’s lips though. That might just be an actor thing.

They divide of the characters in Ghouli. Scully walking closer to the detective than Mulder. Compare to the Pilot where they walk close to each other while the detective is further from them. Was that deliberate to create the idea that even if they have recently met they have known each other longer than this small town detective? They can’t trust each other, but they certainly cannot trust him either.

Technology how proficient they are compared to season 10. Mulder managing to turn a phone into a receiver of Langely’s message in This, despite not having the full instructions. Searching the DarkWeb on his phone.

No summarising or actual paperwork for X-files solved.

Everything looking more expensive. Cars, phones, clothes. Who gave the FBI a bigger budget?

Lack of theorising from Mulder, and lack of banter.

No autopsies.

Season 10 and 11 making up one season of 16 episodes.

RAMBLING 3

William B Davis was right about one thing when he wrote En Ami, he hadn’t gotten to act with Gillian, but there is a more interesting side effect of that and that is that Scully generally doesn’t get confronted with the mythology. She doesn’t make the choice because it is never presented to her with some exceptions in the Erlenmeyer Flask she bluffs her way into a facility and steals an alien embryo to give in exchange for Mulder - she was willing to steal and give away evidence of the truth they had been seeking and that people had already died for.

in Nisei and 731 she is confronted and led to believe that there are experiments but they are human in nature, leprosy colony and in Gethsemane she is told that the government gave her cancer to control Mulder. However, she is not given an option to save herself, Mulder asks Skinner to get him in contact with the Cigarette Smoking Man, but no one thinks to ask Scully if she would like to make a deal. Redux compounds this but once again making offers to Mulder, but never to Scully.

In Emily they once again have an opportunity to make a deal with her, but they don’t. They never offer to help her find Melissa’s killer either. In fact the only confrontation she had was with the Well-Manicured Man was when he explained that she was in danger. X refused to talk to her at all, and Deep Throat only did when there was no other option.

It is not that she is more honest than Mulder and Skinner, it is not that she is incorruptible but that she is seldom placed in a position where her corruptibility is questioned. In En Ami she shows herself being susceptible to what the Cigarette Smoking Man is offering, that is why she leaves with him. If she had been offered Melissa’s killer, a cure for her cancer, a cure for Emily who is to say she wouldn’t have accepted. She did it for Mulder. A biologist that she involved in the case died and she still exchanged the evidence for Mulder. In Paper Clip she asks Mulder to hand in the DAT-tape so that she can see Melissa again.

The Cigarette Smoking Man believes that he can control her through William, or the boy, as he calls him. However, Skinner thought he underestimated her devotion to Mulder. In Season 8 and 9 we are presented with the dilemma of choosing Mulder or William. She never makes the choice but she is at least presented with it. Krychek tries to force Skiner to make the choice, and Jeffrey gives the magnetite to William to stop the Cigarette Smoking Man’s plans.

William is not necessary to make a vaccine, Scully and Einstein use Scully’s blood to create one in My Struggle II, however, he appears to be necessary to save Mulder. When asked whether Mulder is immune we get a scene change before an answer is provided. The paternity issue presented by the Cigarette Smoking Man is for Skinner’s benefit. To lure him into working with him. Monica has already left by then. Mulder and Scully doesn’t seem to suspect anything, and so far they have not been presented with the possibility. (Ignore My Struggle IV at this time)

During the original run, in mythology episodes, the presence of cigarettes and cigarette smoke always indicated the Cigarette Smoking Man. The first time we see Skinner make a stand he has placed a non-smoking sign on his desk. Mulder finds cigarette butts in Krychek’s car after Scully’s abduction. In Wetwired, after Scully has become paranoid she checks the ashtray in the car to see if there are any cigarettes. Mulder assuming that something has happened and smelling the smoke off Skinner thus makes sense in the larger context of the show. Besides, Scully got attacked, Mulder feared that something was wrong and tried to contact Skinner.

One fraction is trying to kill Mulder, he will kill me, says the Cigarette Smoking Man the other Scully, the assassin was the same man Mulder followed to South Carolina, and who was sent away by Mr. Y. We don’t know if Mulder’s words about Scully being able to save everyone led to the attempted murder or if they always intended to get rid of her. They only offer William a seat together with Mulder. Which is odd because generally Mulder always gets offered something that in some way involves Scully: getting her back, being allowed to kill the men responsible for her abduction, the cure for her cancer, her life - the Cigarette Smoking Man expects Mulder to be grateful when he reveals Scully’s immunity in My Struggle II. Mr. Y and Erika Price seem to have another agenda when it comes to Mulder and Scully which makes them different from all the other people from the conspiracy that we have dealt with. The Original Syndicate kept Mulder alive to avoid him becoming a martyr.

RAMBLING 4

The X-Files, and its writes reluctance to portray Mulder as anything but an incidental father.

Scully confers paternity on Mulder at the end of Existence, not for the sake of Mulder, but for the audience. However, paternity is only established when she is willing, see Mulder’s line to Skinner about how it is up to Scully to reveal the father of the baby. The actors play as if though the characters have talked about Mulder being the father, see Scully telling Mulder about the people outside the house when she was giving birth, and his response that leads to him saying that they feared the possibilities. Implying that they’ve spoken about this, off-screen before. The difference between scenes in front of the camera, what they say and how they act and scenes off camera, that are later implied to establish a moment. David’s adlib about telling the kid he went down swinging.

Mulder’s paternity being revoked when he left, and cancelled upon William’s adoption. Scully continuing to be a mother, but Mulder no longer being a father. David’s absence necessitating a removal of Mulder from the story, highlighting Scully’s single parenthood, as well as life as a single mother that is available to be pursued, rather than one who is in a long distance relationship, or as her own mother a woman with an absent boyfriend/lover/significant other/partner.

The underlining of Mulder’s paternity existing only in relation to Scully by James Wong, through the episode Ghouli and in the interview he did about the episode, while undermining him as a father. Focusing on Scully as a mother, highlighting her choices and desires relating to motherhood while ignoring that such would exist for Mulder in terms of fatherhood.

Glen Morgan’s conversation at the end of Home Again detailing Scully’s fears, questions, regrets while ignoring that despite not being present when the baby was given away for adoption, not having a say if such a thing should be done, not needing to sign anything to make it happen, Mulder possessing those things as well.

The consistent undermining of Mulder as a father, the consistent underling of Mulder as an incidental father of Scully’s children, starting with The Jersey Devil in season 1, continuing in Home, Emily, Existence, Founder’s Mutation, Home Again and Ghouli.

The Jersey Devil - Scully wants kids, Mulder is suggested as their father

Home - Scully implying Mulder as a candidate for future children and he seemingly volunteering upon the subject being broached

Emily - Scully being a biological mother making Mulder the father. No paternity is ever established or explored, similar to Memento Mori when they say these are our mother’s but never talk about the fathers. Scully not conferring paternity on Mulder when the opportunity is given. Mulder not assuming parenthood when opportunity is given. Mulder written as a vengeful father, treatment of Scanlon, desperation of his actions. Mulder written as a father but only when Scully allows him, carrying Emily to the car, offering to stay at the hospital with her, bringing flowers to the funeral, staying beside her as she opens the coffin.

Alone - Scully excluding Mulder from knowing the sex of the child. The implication that there is something weird about him wanting to take her to lamaze class.

Existence - Scully naming William after Bill Mulder to establish Mulder as the father. Firstborn sons being given the name of their paternal grandfather.

Founder’s Mutation - Mulder denying missing William. Mulder comforting Scully when her maternity is being questioned and assuring her that it isn’t true. Mulder being at fault for not being a father, left William and Scully, didn’t need to sign adoption papers, denying missing William, shutting down the conversation on their son. His loneliness is his own fault.

Home Again - Scully talking about William, seeing William’s name. Children, creations being discarded by the one who created them. Scully being likened to them. Mulder not being a creator. Mulder not being a contributor, baring Maggie telling him she also has a son named William. The conversation on the log that is mostly Scully voicing her fears and regrets. The implication that answers pertaining to William, his life, his safety only belong to her.

Ghouli - Scully confessing to Jackson/William in the morgue. Establishing Jackson as their child through looking at her DNA. Paternity not needed to be established, see Emily. Mulder being allowed to comfort Scully, Mulder being allowed to stay with Scully in the hospital room, at the gas station. Messages meant for her being delivered to him when she desires. Messages only meant for her. Scully letting him in unlike in Emily. Not pushing him away at the crime scene, Jackson’s house. Jackson talking about his biological mother.

Nothing Lasts Forever - Scully assuming full responsibility over William, his being given up for adoption. Her fears.

Chris and others exploring Mulder as a father. Underlining Mulder as a father, baring who is your baby daddy storyline moments.

Per Manum - Establishing that Mulder and Scully tried IVF.

Three Words - The Lone Gunmen’s implication that Mulder needs to explain his partaking in a certain blessed event.

Empedocles - Mulder brining a gift. Conversation about being like a married couple. Guarding the door to Scully’s hospital room.

Vienen - Tell the kid I went down swinging - admittedly an adlib by David but still

Essence - Mulder not denying being the father but emphasising Scully’s right to tell. Krychek trying to get Skinner to kill the baby or Mulder. The father or the son have to die.

Existence - Scully naming William, Mulder holding the baby in her bedroom.

The entire season nine consistently establishing Mulder’s absence as being due to the father or the son needing to die. The super solidiers showing equal interest in Mulder and William.

Which means that entire storyline, possibly created to explain David Duchovny’s absence being made irrelevant if what the Cigarette Smoking Man said is true. Which for the record I don’t believe, he likes taking credit for other people’s work. I think Jackson’s belief is founded upon the mental connection the two have that I think is dependant on the brain matter stolen from Mulder in the Sixth Extinction episodes.

The End - Mulder talking about his son. The prosecution tormenting Scully with the existence of their love child undermining her as a witness.

I Want to Believe - Mulder talking about their son’s William’s absence causing them both pain.

MS I - Sveta telling Scully that she knows that the two of them have a child together.

MS II - Scully telling Miller that she and Mulder have a son, after establishing that Mulder cannot be saved with the vaccine.

MS III - Scully begging Jeffrey Spender to tell her where William is so they can save Mulder. Scully telling Mulder that they need to find William in order to save him, You need him and I need you. Mulder talking about his son with Mr. Y and Erica Price.

Plus One - Mulder and Scully talking about having another baby. Scully wanting to know if Mulder wants to have a child.

Ghouli - Mulder’s moment with Skinner saying that Jackson was his and Scully’s son William.

Familiar - Mulder telling Emily’s mother that he has a son but he’s grown now.

MS IV - Mulder telling William he is his father. William questioning this, because he doesn’t receive any visions from Mulder and doesn’t appear to be able to send to him either. William protecting Mulder from the goons and the Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder lamenting not being a father. Scully putting Mulder’s hand on her stomach and telling him he’s a father because she is pregnant. William being necessary for the Cigarette Smoking Man’s plan, the man who has been established since MS III as prioritising killing Mulder. Not hearing whether Mulder is immune or not when Skinner asks the Cigarette Smoking Man in MS III.

Who renamed Jackson, Chris Carter or James Wong? Does the renaming mean something? Is it a hint that we should question Mulder’s paternity, William being named after his father, Fox Mulder’s father, William Mulder to ascertain paternity in Existence.

Paternity of William being an issue due to the implication of lack of consent. Would you be okay if Mulder wasn’t William’s biological father because Scully slept with another man while dating Mulder, tried IVF with someone different - someone else that she knew or an anonymous donor? Which method is preferred? What is more important Mulder being Jackson’s biological father or his creation being consensual?

RAMBLING 5

Not complete lists works in progress.

Ignoring male abductees.

Duane Barry

Max Fenig

Billy Miles

Theresa Nemman’s husband

Mulder

(Jeffrey Spender?)

Scully is a woman and got abducted, focusing on female abductees.

Focusing on maternity while ignoring paternity.

Eve - The children having no fathers, all being women. Killing the adoptive fathers. Fertility clinics like in Small Potatoes?

Memento Mori - The clones telling Mulder these women are our mothers while saying nothing about who the father’s are or if there are any.

Focusing on women’s rights to children while ignoring and sometimes outright denying men the same.

The Jersey Devil - Rob’s enmity towards his ex-wife’s new boyfriend, her being implied to have primary custody.

Aubrey - The implication that BJ does not intend to the sheriff that she’s pregnant.

Never Again - Ed Jerse losing custody of his children.

Terms of Endearment - A man wanting children but a woman wanting a specific type of child and the destruction of those that don’t fit the criteria.

William - Scully giving up William for adoption.

Implied single men with kids, absent or invisible mothers

The Pilot - Billy Miles’s Father, Theresa Nemman’s father

Single women with kids

Conduit - Ruby’s mother

Paternity only being interesting as a crime.

Killing off Scully’s father in season 1 and Mulder’s father in season 2.

Aubrey - BJ’s grandfather being a rapist leading to her committing crimes.

Bill Mulder’s paternity being explored through losing a daughter, a crime in Colony/End Game. Acting like a proper father to Mulder minutes before being killed in Anazazi. His name being given to William.

Home - Not particularly who, but establishing that one of the Peacock brother’s is the father due to the multiple genetic deformities that the dead baby suffers from. Scully having nephewes implying Charlie has kids.

Small Potatoes - Eddie van Blunt impersonating Luke Skywalker and the husbands to impregnate the women and his paternity only being focused on because he is committing a crime.

Christmas Carol/Emily - Marshall Sims, Emily’s adoptive father being implied to work with the conspiracy.

Post Modern Prometheus - Dr. Pomodori being a neglectful father of the great mutato. His own father impregnating the women with methods similar to animal husbandry to create a being that resembles his grandchild.

Luke’s death, being a crime. Doggett’s paternity existing and being explored due to this crime.

Trevor - Paternity being established as reason for a crime.

Paternity on the basis of conferring from women.

Aubrey - The sheriff fathering BJ’s child being a plot point.

Terms of Endearment - The fathering taking place to satisfy a woman’s desires.

The mythology dealing with Mulder’s paternity, conferring Bill Mulder paternity through Teena Mulder while establishing that his biological father is C.G.B. Spender.

Talith Cumi - Establishing a connection between Teena Mulder and C.G.B. Spender to throw doubt on the paternity of her children.

Demons - Continuing to explore that connection, as well as implying that Bill Mulder did not father his children. (Never established if neither Fox nor Samantha was his. If Samantha was Bill Mulder’s that would make her Mulder’s half sister.)

Gethsemane - The government official helping Mulder and Scully being established as a father because they hurt his son in order to get to him.

Christmas Carol/Emily - Bill Scully Jr. being a father through Tara Scully being pregnant.

All Souls - Paternity being implied to explain the girls needing to die.

The Red and the Black/Patient X - C.G.B. Spender being Jeffrey Spender’s father through Cassandra Spender’s conferring.

Two Fathers/One Son - Mulder’s paternity being directly questioned in connection with the mythology.

The Sixth Extinction Amor Fati - Mulder being conferred as a father in the Last Temptation of Christ’s dream by Diana Fowley.

Per Manum - Implying something is wrong with the baby, leading to flashbacks of Mulder and Scully having tried IVF. Mulder as a father though Scully’s conferring.

MS III - The Cigarette Smoking Man implying involvement in the creation of William.

MS IV - Jackson calling the Cigarette Smoking Man his father. The Cigarette Smoking Man killing Mulder while talking about being his father and claiming responsibility of his conception.

Paternity being determined to establish the existence of powers.

Aubrey - BJ being a criminal being due to her grandfather being one.

Small Potatoes - The children fathered by Van Blunt being identified as such through having a tail. (Have these children inherited Eddie Van Blunt’s ability to assume another’s identity?)

All Souls - Angel/human hybrids.

MS IV - Jackson’s ability to receive visions from the Cigarette Smoking Man. (Implication more than establishment, Mulder was able to read minds in Biogenesis. His elevated brain activity due to this resembles Scully’s in MS III.)

Paternity to establish connection to authority.

The Pilot - Theresa Nemman’s dad

Red Museum - One of the tormentor’s being established as the sheriff’s son

RAMBLING 6

Carlena Britch’s character acting as if Mulder and Scully should feel sad that she will go to prison for her crimes by reassuring them that it was worth it. While they pretty much ignore and don’t look too bothered by the consequences of her actions. No personal relationship or sympathy having ever been established with either Mulder or Scully, but still being assumed in the scene.

No true connecting with the victim’s baring Familiar, losing a child, Emily Sims, William.

Playing favourites. Glen Morgan and James Wong’s favouritism of Scully, preferring to write her over Mulder. Glen Morgan’s exclusion of Mulder on the log, being mitigated by David and Gillian’s bond and his ability to act and connect with her while silent. James Wong’s exclusion of Mulder in Ghouli, being mitigated by David and Gillian’s bond and his ability to act while not being given any specific material and connect with her while silent.

Vince Gilligan being able to write for both as well as introducing a new character whose focus doesn’t take away from the established story with Brian Cranston’s character in Drive. Unlike Glen Morgan with Kristin Cloke’s Melissa Ephesian in The Field Where I Died. Vince Gilligan not playing favourites.

Darin Morgan’s reluctance to deal with the characters at all, ignoring most established facts to deconstruct the show while making fun of David Duchovny.

Glen Morgan’s need to torment David Duchovny in his scripts, making Mulder an Elvis fan, Home, Never Again.

Chris Carter not playing favourites, but sometimes letting his fatigue with the characters influence his script in Fight Club and his anger with David leading to him trying to kill Mulder through a brain disease.

RAMBLING 7

Real life and circumstances as well as limits influencing and limiting the episodes. A small budget leading to dark rooms, to avoid the bad CGI being seen and using the format of scaring through implication rather than seeing.

Using up the budget on Ice leading to Space being stock footage from NASA. Several rewrites and scenes being cut due to standards and practices.

Gillian being pregnant leading to Mulder and Scully’s separation and the closing of the X-Files to get Scully back to Quantico. Gillian being pregnant limiting her screen time in the beginning of season 2. Gillian getting pregnant leading to Scully’s abduction. Scully being shown pregnant during the abduction because Gillian was. Perry Reeves being hired for 3 due to being David’s real life girl friend and Chris hoping this would mean she would have chemistry with him since Gillian wasn’t available due to giving birth.

Mulder getting injured because David had twisted his ankle playing squash with Chris. X being changed to a male actor as the female actress they wanted wasn’t available. Truman Capote not playing the role of Jose Chung due to having been dead for 12 years when the episode was recorded. Mulder being an Elvis fan because David is not a fan. Glen Morgan’s wooing of Kristin Cloke leading to her prominent part in The Field Where I Died and his divorce informing Ed Jerse’s situation in Never Again.

Glen Morgan and James Wong choosing to have the Cigarette Smoking Man kill Frohike in their original script for Musing of a Cigarette Smoking Man because Tom Braidwood already had a job on the show as an associate producer. Memento Mori coming about due to Daring Morgan being unable to fulfil his obligations.

The implication that Scully got cancer and would die because Gillian wanted to leave the show, but when she changed her mind a cure was found.

The Unusual Suspects being necessary to give David and Gillian time to film the movie as well as the show.

David needing time off to promote Playing God leading to Christmas Carol.

Michael Buble not appearing in Triangle due to being fired for eating a hot dog.

Mimi Rogers being unavailable for filming Triangle, thus Mulder not seeing her as a singer who betrays him on the Queen Ann.

Arthur Dales character being given a brother with the same name when the original actor suffered a stroke and thus couldn’t reprise his role for The Unnatural.

David wanting to leave the show leading to Mulder’s abduction.

Mitch’s reluctance to become lead leading to the character of John Doggett.

Chris’s reluctance to focus on anything but Doggett in season 8 leading to him nixing David’s idea of exploring Mulder’s trauma after his abduction.

David leaving the show leading to Mulder’s absence in season 9.

Gillian being a single mother because Fox refused to let her leave the show, insisting that she fulfil her contract.

Mulder becoming an absent Dad because Fox refused to let the show end after season 8.

William being given up for adoption due to the difficulty of children in films and the plan to film a second The X-Files movie in 2003.

The second movie being delayed due to a law suit. The second movie’s script being unedited due to the writer’s strike.

Season 10 having only six episodes due to Gillian refusing to do more. Scully finding a coin in her mother’s possessions due to something similar happening to the Morgan brother’s when their mother died an event that also influence The Field Where I Died. Scully saying said coins writing didn’t match any of her and her siblings’s birthday despite being engraved 1964 02 23.

Miles Robbins not looking anything like David and Gillian but still being hired due to James Wong looking for an actor that resembled David not in looks but as an actor.

Had Mulder been established as an Elvis fan before he complained in Irresistible that no one had seen when Scully was forced off the road but numerous people claimed Elvis sightings?

#The X-Files #ramblings #questions #season 1-11 #season 11 #curiosity killed the cat

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nemetonisevilpassiton · 6 years

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Teen Wolf and the problems of Unreliable Narration

magessI have been open about how I feel about Teen Wolf's unreliable narration as a framing device, in that I think it was ambitious but it failed terribly but there is a lot of questions about it that need exploration.

Why is it unreliable? How much of it is unreliable? Why does it fail? What did it hope to achieve?

To start the meta writers en masse do not agree on how much of it is unreliable, it ranges from the last episode - almost certainly, to the last season half - sure does explain that mess, to all of it.

I'm in the all of it camp but there is nothing absolute in the answers the show gives.

Often that is the problem with Teen Wolf, there are no absolute answers and often when people come to us with questions that's what they want, so I know personally I give them all the information I've got with my answer so they can decide for themselves.

but in conversation with @demonzdust about the question of unreliable narration - sort of in a vague way I realized that the understanding of what unreliable narration is was preventing understanding of what it meant.

Any story told by a fixed narrator [not an omniscient third person] is "unreliable". It is not a pejorative or negative term, it is simply a statement of truth, an axiom. This is because people, whether fictional or not, are unreliable.

The best example is five people, who are all fixedly honest, see an accident as it happens from five different places. None of these witnesses have anything to lose or gain from the accident but all five of them give unreliable eyewitness accounts. This is for several reasons, their view of the accident might be limited by foot traffic, cars, buildings, they might be in a building and see it out of the window. They might have turned their head at the noise of it and so only saw the aftermath. Then there is natural neural filling where the brain fills in details that it didn't necessarily witness, so if you see a car speeding past you and then hear an accident and turn your brain might fill in details that you didn't personally witness. Then there is how people repeating the same story might, in all innocence and unaware that they are doing so, take in aspects of someone else's version of the story.

Then you get into the witnesses as individuals who have preconceived ideas and biases which they use to fill in the story. Even if this is innocent and non-offensive it still makes their version of accounts unreliable.

However it being unreliable does not make it unusable, it is through correlating all of the evidence, including the eye witness testimony that a decision about what actually happened is reached, so all the details in their story that line up are used.

And that's just one accident.

In narrative we see it most often in first person narration. That one character should not have all the information or access to all of the story [it's bad writing when they do], so their narration is unreliable because of that. So in Teen Wolf how we rarely see the villains monologuing in private and when they do the lighting is often the "dream lighting" which I'll go into in more detail later. If the whole show is narrated [like How I met your mother] then these details were filled in, either imagined or told to the narrator.

There does not have to be malice in an unreliable narration - but there can be.

In Wuthering Heights for example as bad as Heathcliff is to Lockwood in Nelly's version of events [the one that Lockwood recounts] he is a puppy strangling wife-beating son of a bitch, but Nelly blames Heathcliff for the death of her beloved Catherine [who was no better than Heathcliff].

There are five types of unreliable narrator in fiction.

These are : The clown; the picaro; the naif; the liar; and the madman

We do actually see all of these narrators in Teen Wolf.

The clown plays with expectations and narrative forms to twist the story into the version that they want = Peter does this in Visionary.

The picaro is a braggart to oversells their own part that they played in the story to make themselves seem much more spectacular than they are = Noshiko does this in the Fox and the Wolf

The naif is innocent, they do not know what is going on and tend to just roll with it, most naifs are children = The child does this in Memory Lost

The liar flat out lies, twists the story to advantage and is doing it knowingly, often to get out of some sort of crime = Gerard does this in Visionary.

If Scott is our narrator from Pilot then he is a liar pretending to be a naif, although I do not question the majority of the narrative until 6b there is evidence that Scott has tweaked some of the details very early on.

In scenes where Scott is without someone who can corroborate the story he is much more capable than he actually is, for example in season 1 in the scenes where he is alone with Allison he's got game, he is slick, flattering and amazing at flirting. In scenes where the two of them are in a group Scott completely lacks game. As Allison died she cannot corroborate that that is the way that it happened.

That scene is a great one to show unreliable narration because it doesn't mean anything, it doesn't alter the narrative, at that point the kid is more picaro than liar, but it is a lie.

Scott is introduced as a liar by his mother as early as 102, we see Stiles lie badly and Peter who we are told, often, is a liar, only lies off screen, on screen he twists the truth to get the outcome he wants. Peter is "the clown" in a vee neck sweater, but continually we see Scott lie, to his girlfriends, to Derek, often by not revealing information but sometimes he flat out lies.

And considering how he promotes what happened to make himself look better in inconsequential scenes does he do it in consequential scenes?

That's the rub

if Scott narrated the entire show then we cannot trust canon at face value, we have to investigate the glitches and come to our own conclusion.

if Scott narrated 6b it explains why it's a complete mess and the only thing narratively that makes sense of that season is him mentioning Monroe to gain Alec's trust.

if Scott narrated 620 then 6b is a mess for no reason and we can take canon up to that episode at face value.

As I said I'm in the all of it camp because there is so much reference to unreliable narrators throughout the show, the fiction named or referenced in the show is all unreliable narration [Othello, Heart of Darkness, Metamorphosis], the show uses techniques of unreliable narration [the Rashomon effect, flashbacks, other people telling stories that happened to someone] and we knew as early as season 1 that someone was skewing the events in Scott's favour.

Or to put it simply the show believed that Scott was the hero but the narrative wasn't as keen. @Sublimeglass pointed out in season 3 that the show and tell were two very different narratives.

There is, within the study of unreliable narration, an explanation for this. It's complicated but I'll try and explain it simply, when a writer creates a narrative character they are writing in three voices [when they do it well] but not necessarily intentionally.

There is the writer with their ideas and biases and preconceived notions that the writer cannot escape [so in third person this is the omniscient voice]

there is the narrative as the writer sees it [so in teen wolf this would be the show]

there is the narrator who has their own ideas and biases [and in teen wolf this would be Scott]

it is where these three voices do not align that we get "glitches" or places where show vs tell.

A good example of this is the blue eyes. We do not know what they mean, but we know what Scott thinks that they mean.

Scott, who got the explanation from Peter, believes that you get blue eyes if you killed an "innocent", however the narrative doesn't support this [Peter doesn't lie but that doesn't mean he can't be wrong] because if blue eyes = killer the hunters would have an easy job identifying that information and removing killers from packs. There is no evidence in the show that the hunters know what the blue eyes mean, and with the evidence the show puts forth blue eyes more likely means a wolf with a power boost which was most likely from killing, but as the pain drain uses the same ability as the consumption of someone's spark [it's a minor form of it] then its likely, considering the amount of pain Scott has consumed, that if he became a beta again, even without killing, Scott would be blue eyed.

Scott believes blue eyes means killer and is therefore bad, but the narrative [the writer] doesn't agree with him.

Scott believes that villains shouldn't be killed but the narrative very much disagrees because they keep coming back, and the writer believes in the judicial system as much as possible by supporting the sheriff in his decisions more than Scott.

So we have the three voices.

Then we have "dream lighting" and mirror verse.

Mirror verse is complicated and to try and keep this meta shorter than war and peace I'll summarise it, at certain points in the narrative things change very slightly, books are reversed so they read backwards, shirts change, writing appears and disappears, character positions are flipped, clocks change time and then go back again, magnets fall from the fridge and are restored and often have nothing to do with the story as it's happening, but those scenes where it does happen often end up are often key scenes about character.

For example in season 2 when the kanima breaks out in the library the scene is in mirrorverse, and it is the scene where Erica has the epilepsy attack despite being a werewolf, in mirrorverse that is a thing that happens, and Stiles reveals knowledge that he should not have, about triggering her healing.

Dream lighting, as we've been calling it, is easier. The scene is dark, lit from behind with a blue-grey filter. We see it in every dream sequence except Lydia's in season 2, we see it when Stiles is talking to the bandaged figure in 3b, we see it in s4 when Scott dreams about killing Liam, we see it in 6b when Lydia has the visions of the spider's webs. And if it was just in dream sequences that would be it, however it's not. We see it a lot of time in scenes which Scott should have no knowledge of [both the Dennifer and Draeden sex scenes have this lighting, as does Donovan's death], in the scenes where phantasmagoria is at play [where it is hard to tell dream from reality], we see it in Scott's triumph over Peter in 412 [where he is lit like the emperor from star wars with the circular window]. The Beast in S5 is mostly shot in that lighting, when Liam and Scott fought in the library it had that lighting as well.

And the lighting tells us that those scenes are suspect, if most of the scenes are dreams then it's likely that those scenes aren't "real" either, but reality is fluid in Teen Wolf.

So it's likely that those scenes are the ones that are most unreliable, where Scott has lied. If we take Liam and Scott fighting in the library the lies might be what Scott said, it might be that he fought back against Liam, it might be that Liam said other things, or it might be that the fight never happened. It might be an innocent it happened so fast I have no idea what really happened I'll fill in the details, or it might be an entire fiction.

And there is no absolute answer, there is no answer that says this is exactly what happened.

All of the evidence says Scott is an unreliable narrator, but we can't say for how much of the story, and we can't say where he lied, but we can say why - to recruit Alec.

Far TL:DR

The narrator is unreliable but that's not necessarily a negative thing, he's a liar but his lies in the show are generally well meaning [one thing @magess said recently that was more true than she probably intended is that Scott believes himself to be a good person - he's not but he believes he is and he tries hard to be but it doesn't, at all, come naturally to him]. We can not say absolutely where the narration starts but we can say why it's unreliable and what Scott hopes to gain from it.

The next rewatch means taking more notes with what we know now, because we've got all the information we're going to get, now we have to unpack it until it won't unpack any more.

#teen wolf meta #unreliable narration #unreliable narrators

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fitnesshealthyoga-blog · 5 years

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New Post has been published on https://fitnesshealthyoga.com/baby-boomers-swearing-by-marijuana-as-miracle-cure-for-ageing-problems/

Baby boomers swearing by marijuana as miracle cure for ageing problems

Barbara Buck first tried cannabis when she was 17, and loved how it made her feel — more motivated and distinctly less depressed and anxious. But she had to give it up for 15 years because of random drug testing when she worked in the recreational therapy field with the elderly.

Now 54 with a new career path as a realtor, she’s one of the many people finding cannabis to be a great healer later on in life.

“The benefits for me have been wonderful,” she told INSIDER. “I make edibles for sleep and a pain salve that works wonderfully on sore joints and muscles. I don’t have depression issues and haven’t since using cannabis again.”

Buck also uses CBD — a molecule from cannabis that doesn’t make you feel intoxicated — to stay calm and clear-headed if she has a stressful day at work.

“For me cannabis just makes my life better,” she said. “It’s also been a Godsend for menopause symptoms. Cannabis and CBD help to regulate my mood, and help with hot flushes and sleep like nothing else I’ve tried.”

Cannabis, which can be smoked, taken orally with oils, teas, and edibles, or absorbed through the skin with balms and salves, contains hundreds of different molecules. Research over the past few years has tried to decipher their different uses and effects on the human body. Running alongside the science are the people taking their health into their own hands, passing on through word of mouth how cannabis products help with their ailments and wellness.

One demographic that appears to be reaping the benefits is the over-50s, who, after a period of changing attitudes, are now embracing it as a miracle cure for some of the problems that come with ageing.

How cannabis can help older people

Marc Lewis, the CEO of Remedy Review, an online hub full of the latest research and information about cannabis, told INSIDER that certain molecules can “empower your body to better regulate itself,” so it should be no surprise older people find it to be helpful with their aches and pains.

“We talk to a lot of people who just want a little more relaxation, but then quite a few people are using these products for pain and sleep,” he said. “I think also in some conversations with older folks, the feeling is maybe that they can treat pain or improve quality of life without the side effects of other medications.”

Jonas Duclos, the founder of CBD420, which manufactures and sells CBD-based products, told INSIDER that most people over 50 who contact him are looking for a solution to the general discomforts of getting older. Sometimes, it’s a last resort because traditional pharmaceuticals are causing them more harm than good, upsetting their stomach, damaging their liver, and causing other uncomfortable side effects for people with already sensitive systems.

“Cannabis and CBD work as a great anti-inflammatory for the organs as well — the stomach will be better, digestion will be better, all those things,” said Duclos. “And that creates a tremendous change for older people in pain.”

Leading US medical cannabis campaigner Dr Frank D’Ambrosio told INSIDER a review of his practice demographics revealed that 40% of his new patients are aged 50 and above, and cannabis has been incredibly effective for them.

“Older patients, who invariably suffer from age-related disease processes and thereby incur expensive pharmaceutical costs, see cannabis as a cost-effective way to decrease their needs for a host of medications,” he said.

“The biggest drawback that I have seen is not medically related. Years of disinformation propagated against this healing herb by the powers that be to the elder population has left them fearful to recognize cannabis as a medicine.”

Read more: People use cannabis products for health problems like Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and acne — but misinformation and out-of-date regulations are stopping most from benefiting

Duclos said being able to bring more comfort to older people is a duty, and they shouldn’t be written off just because their body isn’t working quite as well as it did before.

“Honestly, if anything, I think it’s pretty amazing that we can help these people who have actually been working really hard their whole life, who when they retire, they can’t do things because they’re in pain all the time,” he said.

“We’re all going to get old. So taking care of those people is actually taking care of our future selves.”

Jonas Duclos.

CBD420

A 70-year-old French CBD420 client who chose to go by the name Mrs. Y.P. told INSIDER she suffered with fibromyalgia, arthritis, and incontinence for 20 years before she decided to try the “CBD that everyone kept talking about.”

“Not only were the pains from fibromyalgia gone, but it also reduced the pain from arthritis,” she said. “To my surprise, it also fixed my bladder issues. I used to need 4-5 diapers a day, but now — none! It changed my life.”

Regulations are out-of-date and inconsistent

Meanwhile, Mr. T.P., who is 64 and also lives in France, has used cannabis to help with the spasms and pain caused by Parkinson’s disease. He wasn’t comfortable trying cannabis with high amounts of THC — the chemical that makes you high — from the black market, so instead started growing the plant himself.

“The police destroyed it and charged me,” he said. “Cannabis is very illegal here … The police are everywhere and they’re making a lot of arrests. I’m really afraid to be arrested again, but the pain and discomfort is too much, so I take the risk of treating myself with CBD.”

He added that it’s nearly impossible to find safe and reliable cannabis products in France. That’s where CBD420 comes in, because it allows people can order CBD oils and teas online.

In France, CBD420 products are legal under EU law, but they’re illegal under French law, so there’s a lot of confusion and inconsistency about what authorities rely on.

Duclos believes these unreliable and out-of-date laws and regulations are the biggest barrier stopping many people from accessing cannabis, because they lead to the spread of misinformation.

“For us, it’s extremely important that people know what they can expect from the plant, and that there are ways to use it very safely, and to raise awareness about the products themselves,” he said. “There’s still a lot to do in terms of quality and misinformation, and there’s no standards and controls, so it’s very difficult to navigate on the web.”

It’s hard to really know which companies are being fair and transparent about their products and which aren’t, he added. For instance, cannabis is legal in nine states in the US for recreational use, and in 31 others for medicinal use only. But making it legal doesn’t mean products will automatically be clean and high quality.

Read more: A man’s heart attack may have been triggered by a cannabis lollipop that was 12 times stronger than a typical joint

“For us in Switzerland we’ve found many companies who aren’t honest about what they’re working with,” Duclos said. “It’s important to bring that information out there, how to identify a product, how to ask the right questions.”

Someone in their 20s and 30s will probably have a better chance of rifling through all the information online to find the products they want, compared to someone who’s older and less tech-savvy.

Hero Images / Getty

Cannabis products don’t all deliver the same effects, and if someone buys an oil with very high THC content it could give them an intense high they might not enjoy. It may even scare them into never using any cannabis products again — even the ones without psychoactive effects.

“That’s why I spend hours on the phone with older people,” Duclos said. “For me it’s a pleasure to spend a lot of time explaining to those people what they’re working with. And it’s even more satisfying when two months later, they call and say it changed the way they perceive their future, because they’re going to be able to do more things.”

When people have a bad experience with cannabis, it fuels its negative image, and adds to social stigma. This can have a wide ripple effect, pushing interest underground and indirectly stifling scientific advancement.

Anecdotal stories vs data

Research has shown CBD’s medicinal effects. One small study suggested it could help with epilepsy, and a large review found it is effective in relieving chronic pain. There’s also some evidence that cannabis can reduce the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, and the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

But so far, many of the perceived wellness benefits of cannabis products are anecdotal, meaning the data isn’t there to back them up yet.

Duclos believes the taboo around drugs like cannabis means people are reluctant to come forward about their experiences, though it’s in the personal stories where the most interesting impact can be seen.

James Malaspino from Florida, for instance, was recommended cannabis for treating his symptoms after a massive right side hemorrhagic stroke. He told INSIDER it left him with limited control over parts of his left arm and leg, severe tremors, and “left neglect,” which is a lack of awareness of the left side of the body.

“The first time I tried CBD, I immediately felt like I had better sensation, improved control, and almost complete negation of the tremors,” he said. “The most incredible thing was that after a few months I started getting impulses to do things like use my left arm to close the microwave or slide it normally into a shirt sleeve instead of pulling the sleeve onto the left arm with my right hand.”

Read more: Here’s what marijuana actually does to your body and brain

Malaspino is now in his 40s, but has never been particularly bothered by cannabis or those who used it, except for thinking “stoned people always seemed kinda stupid.” But since he found it to be such a helpful part of his recovery, he started recommending it to others, including his 74-year-old father who has been dealing with cancer on-and-off for about a decade.

But he quickly found there is still taboo, “especially in the older ‘Reefer Madness’ silent generation,” who grew up with an overly dramatic 1930s propaganda film about how marijuana could cause accidents, suicide, rape, murder, and a descent into madness.

“Multiple people were trying to get [my father] to try cannabis for his nausea, appetite, and so on without success,” Malaspino said. “It was not until I made him a bunch of CBD chocolates for Christmas that he was willing to even try it.”

Petri Oeschger / Getty

His friend’s 90-year-old mother with brain cancer was also vehemently against trying CBD for her symptoms, for no other reason than that she saw drugs as illegal, and therefore wrong. But for people like Malaspino, with everything he’s learned about cannabis, it’s hard to imagine ever going back.

“The low THC strains are like magic for my stroke symptoms,” he said. “So far I’ve seen it help friends with PTSD, anxiety, arthritis, even someone who had a root canal told me that it was better than the Oxycontin they were prescribed.”

What does the science say?

According to Lewis from Remedy Review, the latest research has found that CBD empowers your endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate mood, appetite, pain, and other major physiological functions.

“Your body’s natural state is to be balanced — it’s not to be anxious, or to be in pain — and what CBD does is it gives you the ability to achieve that natural balance,” he said. “That’s what the science is telling us, it’s that CBD helps your body be its best self, if that makes sense, more so than actually treating a symptom.”

For example, research has shown how cannabis can be used as an anti-inflammatory with the potential to treat skin conditions like psoriasis. With psoriasis, the body over-reacts and creates too many skin cells, so CBD doesn’t exactly repair the patch of dry and irritated skin, but rather helps your body to regulate itself and work better, Lewis said.

A recent survey from Remedy Review found that 9% of 1,000 seniors asked had used CBD for health reasons. Out of these, over 65% said they had a good quality of life compared to just 31% who said the same before trying CBD.

Among the reasons listed for using CBD were inflammation, chronic pain, and poor sleep quality, but many seniors also use it for anxiety and depression.

“The Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates that nearly 18.1% of the US population over the age of 18 suffers from an anxiety disorder, and only 36.9% of those suffering choose to get treatment,” the report says. “It’s encouraging, then, that some seniors are attempting to self-heal with this type of nontraditional ‘treatment.'”

Read more: Researchers are studying women who use marijuana while pregnant. Lots of expecting moms already partake in the practice.

Buck, for example, tried many different antidepressants, but she said they caused weight gain and blunted emotions. By the time she started smoking again in 2010, medical cannabis was legal in her state, so she tried her hand at growing plants. She then became a medical caregiver, supplying up to five patients with her 0.3% THC content cannabis.

Buck was always open-minded about cannabis, and now uses it both socially and for her health. She said it’s just like when people enjoy cigars, craft beer, wine, or bourbon when they relax, without the attached stigma. But she is also aware not everyone sees it that way.

“The worry I have about what people will think is more regarding my professional life in real estate,” she said. “In my personal life I don’t shout it from the rooftops but I will be candid with people, especially if they have a negative attitude toward it with no experience with it.”

Cannabis could change someone’s future

If you want to guide the older people in your life towards trying cannabis for their wellness, Lewis said it’s best to start with organic products that have been tested recently, with a brand that is transparent about where the original plant came from. It’s also important to guide them through what different cannabinoids are meant to do.

“I think the first thing we have to tackle is trying to separate CBD and THC,” he said. “Marijuana will make you intoxicated, CBD will not. And even then I think we’re only starting to scratch the surface.”

He added a caution that substances work differently for everybody, and a dose for one person won’t necessarily be the equivalent dose for another.

“You have to start slow and work your way towards a dose that works for you,” he said. “If you take a gummy bear or capsule, your body has to digest that, so it may take a couple of hours for you to feel any effects, whereas an oil or a vape pen you might feel pretty quickly.”

In other words, if you don’t feel the effects, be patient and give it time to work.

If you’re recommending cannabis to someone who is on a lot of medication already, Lewis said you should also speak to a doctor beforehand about any possible drug interactions.

“I don’t want people to turn away from talking to healthcare professionals because they’re not up to speed on what everyone’s buying,” he said. “It seems the market and consumers are well ahead of the science which isn’t always a good thing.”

Johnce / Getty

When someone does find a product that works for them, it can change their life. Duclos has even seen with his own parents.

“For three years my mother was on medical leave because of her hips and neck,” he said. “And thanks to CBD she’s not only back at work, but she’s gone skiing with my dad. To me, that’s mind-blowing.”

It can also just mean living life with a bit more enjoyment. Years of suffering from pain, loneliness, and isolation in their old age would make anyone bitter, Duclos said.

“It’s going to sound ridiculous, but cannabis is a great way to help people socialize,” Duclos said. “CBD helps against anxiety, helps against stress … It’s part of wellbeing and creates a better environment and better physical comfort. All those elderly people could have all that instead of suffering.”

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#health insurance news usa #health news usa #latest health news usa #Health News

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tootiredtm · 5 years

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YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE IS: THE LOGICIAN (INTP-A)

47% EXTROVERTED | 53% INTROVERTED

67% INTUITIVE | 33% OBSERVANT

54% THINKING | 46% FEELING

37% JUDGING | 63% PROSPECTING

93% ASSERTIVE | 07% TURBULENT

The Logician personality type is fairly rare, making up only three percent of the population, which is definitely a good thing for them, as there’s nothing they’d be more unhappy about than being “common”. Logicians pride themselves on their inventiveness and creativity, their unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor, Logicians have been responsible for many scientific discoveries throughout history.

They love patterns, and spotting discrepancies between statements could almost be described as a hobby, making it a bad idea to lie to a Logician. This makes it ironic that Logicians’ word should always be taken with a grain of salt – it’s not that they are dishonest, but people with the Logician personality type tend to share thoughts that are not fully developed, using others as a sounding board for ideas and theories in a debate against themselves rather than as actual conversation partners.

This may make them appear unreliable, but in reality no one is more enthusiastic and capable of spotting a problem, drilling through the endless factors and details that encompass the issue and developing a unique and viable solution than Logicians – just don’t expect punctual progress reports. People who share the Logician personality type aren’t interested in practical, day-to-day activities and maintenance, but when they find an environment where their creative genius and potential can be expressed, there is no limit to the time and energy Logicians will expend in developing an insightful and unbiased solution.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Extra tidbits.

--- Logicians are the least likely personality type to have active, physical hobbies. --- Logicians love sharing with others, and in finally meeting someone where romantic thoughts are appropriate, they show themselves to be excited, enthusiastic, and even playful, flirting with word-play and intellectual games.

#✧ / people say that i am heartless. / about.#long post /

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a-reocurring-dream · 7 years

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“The only question is: HOW?” part 1

After series 4, I think I am not the only one wondering about that. I am so eager to solve this riddle of a season that I decided to rewatch every episode as often as required to figure things out (TST about 5 and a half times by now, still discovering some things); may be masochistic, but here I am, more sure than ever that we are fooled by Moftiss and that our theories are far from wrong.

(Note: I still have not made an in depth analysis of every episode yet - so, in the following days, I will probably add a lot of things.)

So, I am going to make a list of the things that bugged me the most, beginning with TST:

In depth comparison: “The Six Thatchers” - blog entry and episode

Okay, so let’s take a look at the blog entry first:

(Note: I coloured the characters yellow, relationships red, significant details blue and the a significant repetition purple.)

First, I want to clarify one thing: This case is not just any random case that the show puts no emphasis on and can be dismissed due to the “John Watson is no longer updating his blog”-line; in A Scandal in Belgravia, it is actually shown while John points out that the blog-counter is stuck at 1895 – the year of Oscar Wilde’s trial and the year that John and Sherlock are always stuck in. It is also the year TAB takes place in - Mark put great emphasis on that. Thus, may we assume that TST is similar to TAB - is someone stuck in a Victorian fever dream?

Next aspect: mirroring. I tried very hard figuring out who is who in our love triangle. Sherlock was the easiest one:

Sally Barnicot: “barn” is clear. “i cot” is Italian, meaning “the crib”. Who is referred to being like a child over and over again and to a suffering Christ-figure? Sherlock, right. Furthermore, Sally’s first name has the same first letter as Sherlock’s: an “S”.

But then, I struggled a bit. At that time I was very convinced of Alibi Theory, and I still am, but the whole mirroring of this blog entry is totally messed up, because:

Beppo Rovito: “vito” is Italian and means “brambleberry”. That is fantastic. Well, if you do not understand here, I am referring to Rebekah’s video “The Blogs and more” (which, unfortunately, is no longer available on YouTube, because xe took most of xer brilliant videos down :/). So, a short summary on this “brambleberry”-thing: Hardly anyone knows about that deleted scene from TRF; originally, Moriarty would talk about how much John means to Sherlock and compare him to a brambleberry, meaning someone who comes in between a couple – in this case Moriarty and Sherlock. Considering the facts that Beppo and Pietro are already a couple and Beppo is not involved with Sally at all, it means: Mary is Beppo.

Pietro Venucci: He is the victim that had “a fiery relationship” with Beppo a.k.a. Mary. So, who had a fiery relationship with Mary, indeed? John. He is the only one left in this triangle.

Meaning: We have a fiery love triangle (amo vs. ammunition): Sherlock who is secretly in love with John, John whose heart gets broken by Mary (not just by means of her A.G.R.A.-past), and Mary who is messing things up. Every time Sherlock and John seem to be getting closer, Mary comes in between. Because of all this, the Watsons’ marriage is horrible. Sherlock is the only one knowing the truth about John’s heartbreak and fully innocent regarding it (see TLD’s final scenes; god, I just realised that I wrote this meta not knowing about TLD at all and getting that aseaffageads). Mary pretends not to see it - at least in public. (Don’t know if the fact that there is also homosexuality is worth noting, but I just leave it here if you want to draw your own conclusions on it.)

If you believe in the unreliable narrator theory, I tried to reconstruct the true events of TST with all of this in mind (while I have to admit, I am not sure what the Thatcher-bust is a symbol for, so I just left it in there): Sherlock and John have actually been working together the whole time. It was not Sherlock hiding in the house containing the last Thatcher-bust, it was John. Mary broke in and grabbed the bust. John called Sherlock to join him. Mary smashed the bust, revealing an A.G.R.A.-memory-stick (maybe revealing her true evil colours to John?), and tried to destroy it (or evidence/witnesses, ergo trying to kill John (maybe by shooting at him)?), but Sherlock and John were able to stop her from doing so. Mary confessed about her past and broke John’s heart. - PLOT-GAP - John leaves Sherlock (maybe metaphorically, as in “he is shot and dying”?).

I also thought about this whole event being about Ajay and Mary, not John and her, but, personally, I gave up on it (does not mean you cannot try to make something of it if you want to).

There are two details though, that fit EMP theory: the river and the sound of a window breaking. The river fits the weird water transitions we get all over TST, first when Sherlock is staring at the Wellsboroughs’ Thatcher shrine; if all of this is happening while Sherlock has been reading through John’s blog on the plane, it makes perfect sense that he throws in this tiny detail and exaggerates its extents (”couldn’t resist a touch of the dramatic”, see the lack of information we get about mafia-boss!Ricoletti and the massive amount of information we get about Mindpalace!Ricoletti). The “window breaking” is a good example for that, too: When Ajay and Sherlock fight, they break a window - very Bond-ish.

Let’s take a short look at the comments: theimprobableone (suspected to be Moriarty) is stressing how “disappointingly simple” this case was and Jacob Sowersby (Sherlock’s fan no. 1) says the exact opposite. Who are we to believe? If this is reference to the ARG - well, I leave you to your deductions ...

Moving on, let’s look at the obvious, yet modified similarities between this version of The Six Thatchers and the version of the episode:

“Harker”: In the blog entry, there is a Horace Harker who is the victim’s art lecturer telling John about the busts and saying that they have already been taken. He is alive. In the episode, Orrie Harker is Ajay’s only murdered burgulary victim (throat cut) who owns two of the busts as the only person (all the others have one - on the blog entry, everyone owns just one, too). Orrie’s name appears on screen with this additional information: “Invoice: 5869″, 59 skip-coded, which is reference to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 59. Also note the gender switching that resembles the one from TAB: Peter Ricoletti from TRF and Emilia Ricoletti from TAB. So, in both TAB and TST, we are introduced to two characters whose last names have already appeared on the show. The question is: Who is/are Ricoletti, who is/are Harker? Peter Ricoletti is a mafia-boss who Sherlock put to prison and who we do not get to know much about. Emilia Ricoletti offers way more information: She fakes her suicide in order to come back and shoot her husband, then orders a friend to kill her, is part of a conspiracy for women rights, sacrifices herself for a greater good and scares everyone with her ghost story. Knowing that, I thought of something: We have general similarities occurring to both Harkers and Ricolettis; the creators blur the truth into something else by redefining certain elements as are: a) switching gender, b) putting more emphasis on side characters, c) adding details that already showed up in real life in a different context.

the Thatcher-busts: In the blog entry, they are made by Pietro who hates Thatcher due to her homophobic attitude and turned them into a satire by putting devil horns on Thatcher’s head; after Pietro’s death, they are given to six friends and acquaintances of Pietro’s; Harker is getting none. In the episode, they are manufactured in Georgia and sold to five unrelated fans of Thatcher, including Harker. Again, this could be traced back to EMP theory.

To be honest, I wrote more than 50 pages meta in total about TST in the time between TST and TLD, trying to solve this riddle, and I am still far from finished (guess I’ll never will be). Hopefully, one day, things will be resolved, so I can sleep well again.

(I will add things to this meta in the next days.)

#tst #sherlock meta #bbc sherlock #tjlc #tfhc #ricoletti #john's blog #john's bungalow #emp theory #unreliable narrator #harker #sherlock parallels #mirroring #1895 #AGRA #tab #sherlock arg

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podcastenthusiast · 7 years

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YOI Fanfic Recs

I want to give a shoutout to some of my favorite fics, so here we go. Under a cut because it got long. No surprise there.

Beautiful fics involving the multilingual nature of Viktor and Yuri’s relationship:

Repeat After Me by queenieofaces

Victor learns language through mimicry, hears phrases and repeats them back until the inflection becomes second nature. Yuuri seems to communicate best through euphemism, through metaphor, through talking around the subject rather than approaching it head on, and so Victor tries his best to mimic him, to take his words and echo them back.

(Vignettes in language learning and communication, spanning the whole series.)

How to Return Home by queenieofaces

Victor comes home, but for some reason it doesn’t feel like home anymore.

(Technically a sequel to "Repeat After Me," but can probably be read on its own.)

Kotoba by MarrowVersusMarrow

"Friendship," and "love," in foreign tongues.

Call Everything on the Ice... by shysweetthing

In which Victor learns Japanese while in Hasetsu, and it vastly improves his ability to communicate with Yuuri—

HA HA HA just kidding.

You know these two dorks. It makes everything worse.

~~~

“No,” Victor says, skating up to Yuuri on the ice, “you have to push all the way from here, or you’ll never get the height you need for that axel.” He sets his hand on Yuuri’s ass, tracing the muscle group he’s referring to. “Not here.” He taps Yuuri’s thigh. He doesn’t know the words for the muscles in English, only knows how to show him.

Yes, technically he’s grabbing Yuuri’s ass, but how else is he to communicate?

Talkshow Host by MooseFeels

Yuuri lives for the silence.

put my heart on my chest, so you can read it too by driedupwishes

“Victor,” Yuuri says, rolling his shoulders as he leans his elbows against the top of the wall. Victor looks up, eyebrows arched in waiting, and Yuuri meets his eyes with the kind of ease that’s gotten more natural by the day since Victor arrived. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but, I was wondering…”

Curiosity flashes across Victor’s expression, one of the emotions Yuuri is able to recognize easily on his former-idol. Victor hums, leaning forward and tucking his phone away under his arm, giving Yuuri his undivided attention in a way that curls Yuuri’s toes in his skates. Once Yuuri would’ve flushed and stuttered at the feeling of Victor’s weighty gaze dragging across his face, but now he only shrugs and bites his lip.

“Is it hard for you,” Yuuri asks, “being in a country where you don’t speak the language?”

Darling by ClockworkDinosaur

Victor and Yuuri are not fluent in the others native language.

Lost in Translations by Jenrose

Victor Nikiforov was the best jumper in the world, well-used to leaping blind and landing clean in ways no one could match. Falling was for other people. Stumbling was not acceptable. It had been a long time since the wind had been knocked out of him so thoroughly.

Now with banquet shenanigans!

Fics in which Phichit and Yuri are Besties:

of eros and of dust by mori (cityboys)

It’s nostalgia, maybe, or Phichit’s kind, knowing smile, or just an unconscious need to talk about it—but he starts talking as the pedestrian lights turn green. About the Eros routine, about Victor, about the ring, about skating.

Give Me Up to Tears by Allekha

Four times Phichit helped Yuuri when he cried - from joy or sadness - and one time he couldn't.

Now When Arrows Don’t Penetrate, Cupid Grabs the Pistol by ken_ichijouji

Phichit Chulanont doesn't know how he ended up the skating world's wingman, but he ain't mad at it.

Instagram is Not an Ice Rink by ladanse

Phichit's phone buzzes. christophe-gc has posted a new photo, it tells him. When he thumbs the screen, it brightens to reveal a shot of Christophe Giacometti, lounging on a bench, wearing nothing but a Speedo and his skates. greetings from your local king of selfies, says the caption.

Phichit doesn't actually know Chris - not personally. He has nothing to prove. But Phichit is also, categorically, a competitive little shit, and he knows he can do better.

So it begins.

it’s just a simple symphony by caersun

Yuuri is already shaking his head. “You know I don’t like parties, Phichit.”

“Aw, but, Yuuri, you’re so fun at them!” Phichit says, pulling out his phone to show him the video evidence.

Yuuri gapes. “I thought you deleted that!” he yells, launching himself at his friend. On Phichit’s phone, the little past-Yuuri is absolutely wasted, getting into position to do a kegstand, to the raucous and egging cheers of over a dozen frat-bros in the foreground. The tinny chant of his name—Kat-su-ki! Kat-su-ki! Kat-su-ki!—sounds from the speakers, behind Phichit’s delighted trill of laughter.

Phichit pulls his phone out of his reach. “It’s for posterity!”

Or: A lot can happen in five years.

Sight by anxioussonic

Yuuri had become accustomed to performing without his glasses. In fact, he hadn't even considered contacts before coming to the United States for college.

Bookends by natika

"And of course I'm a distraction," Phichit concluded, entirely unoffended, "How else am I going to place above you at Four Continents?"

Yuuri gaped, "That's your target?!"

"You don't mind, do you? I'll admit, as a goal," Phichit said, "it lacks the elegance of 'get in Victor Nikiforov's pants', but -"

Yuuri let out a strangled squeak.

Intruding on my Feelings by natika

A rinkmate got into an accident, and Yuuri was torn up with worry.

It must have been Phichit.

They had been introduced formally. Yuuri had bowed, Phichit had made a wai; Yuuri had chanced a shy smile and Phichit had grinned widely, and Celestino had left them to it.

Phichit's first words to him were, "Can I have your number?"

america goals by magneticwave

Friendship means never having to say you’re sorry that the lighting in that Instagram made them look sallow. All of the bulbs in Walmart are fluorescent, so, really: what can you do.

Other wonderful fics, more Victuri-centric with some Otayuri:

How to Surprise Your Fiancé With Pork: An Honest Walkthrough by Viktor Nikiforov by Orchids_and_Fictional_Cities

The thing with Viktor is that once he’s set his mind on something, there is a very very minuscule chance of him not following through on said thing.

He wants to do something for Yuuri: partly as a Valentine’s Day gift, partly as a prelude to Worlds, and partly ‘just because’. It’s somewhere between dwelling on the abstract thought of Yuuri’s hunger as a competitor, and watching the younger skater on Facetime with his mother back home, that an idea starts to form.

This is how Katsuki Yuuri, the love of his life, the apple of his eye, the fire of his loins et cetera, ad infinitum, finds Viktor when he walks into the door: standing precariously with one foot on a barstool and the other on top of his counter, frantically fanning at his smoke detector with a magazine.

Vkusno! by mtothedestiel

"Next week on Top Chef: Denver, it's that most infamous challenge...Wedding Wars! But this won't be any ordinary wedding feast. Our top twelve chefs will cook for a secret, world-famous celebrity couple with international tastes! The stakes have never been this high. Who will be crowned Top Chef, and who will be asked to pack their knives and go? Tune in to find out!"

aka:

Newly retired, Victor and Yuuri are invited to be special guests on a popular American cooking competition. Oishii!

game over. try again? by counterheist

The divorce goes through on a Thursday.

An Intangible Force of Motion by doeinstinct

“I do fall sometimes, Yuuri,” he said. Yuuri shook his head, his longer bangs falling over his eyes as he pursed his lips and braced his hands on his knees. “No, I know that. I just...I’ve never seen you fall on a flip before.”

A new skating season brings with it new opportunities and experiences, but new isn't always a good thing. Luckily, they have each other.

never stop until the grave by Naraht

Back in St Petersburg, Victor attempts to combine coaching Yuuri with preparing for his own return to competition. The spirit is willing but the flesh may be weak.

no sleep till Sochi by Naraht

Forced to share a bed with Victor at the Sochi Grand Prix Final, Yakov learns more than he wants to know.

Old Dog, New Tricks by nivo

Yurio is but one dear, sulky teenaged slice of a much larger pie holding its breath – not that pies breathe, but one does not marry Katsuki Yuuri and remain innocent of terrible food metaphors – for a miraculous comeback Viktor will never make, because he can't, but perhaps more importantly, because he doesn't want to.

Russian for Dummies by cutthroatpixie

"Are you a beginner?"

Viktor was not a beginner. Viktor was the TA supposedly in charge of this study session. Viktor spoke Russian. Viktor was Russian.

"Sure!"

The Inevitable Unbecoming of Art by themaelstromwrites

Viktor neglected his life and love for twenty years, though to his credit, his career had never afforded him either of those privileges. A fateful encounter at the 2012 GPF gala changes everything, and Viktor is head over heels before he can say 'dasvedanya' to the man that stole his heart.

Viktor Nikiforov is an unreliable narrator in his own life story. Of course, so is Katsuki Yuuri. This is the love story you know, and the life story you don't.

The Fundamentals of Caring by braveten

“Let me guess, you’re going to go take care of Yuuri while he sleeps? Just in case he sneezes or something?” Yurio rolls his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. “Viktor, you’re whipped.”

Viktor rubs the back of his neck as he leans against the wall. “What does that mean?”

“It means that if Yuuri asked you to do a little dance for him in nothing but a coconut bra and a hula skirt, you’d do it.”

Viktor pauses, confused. “And that's a bad thing?”

My fun fact is: by stillmadaboutpetra

Yuuri fails to mention to his new non-skater friends who he is or who his husband is. Or that he even has a husband.

the distance between our fingers by awkwardedgeworth

If Otabek were a bystander, he would see Victor Nikiforov being a ruthless coach, raising his voice at Yuri's less than stellar free leg, It's a normal occurrence, the older retired skater pointing out areas Yuri can work on.

But Otabek is not a bystander, and he sees the glint of a golden ring from Victor's right hand, slipped around his ring finger like a reminder.

A reminder that Victor, estranged with nowhere else to go, was picked up by Yuri and Yakov to go back to Russia so he can have a semblance of a life back.

A life without Yuuri Katsuki.

Dance of the Red Death by strangeandintoxicating

Find something to live for.

Viktor Nikiforov loved too much. What begins as a cough morphs into something that takes the shape of an unseen monster hiding in his very blood. With the Russian government scrambling to sweep under the rug the worst of a crisis that's been thirty-five years in the making, Viktor is left with figuring out his own way to survive.

It starts as a way to escape, a youtube video of music and color and light, but quickly becomes something he never expected when Yuri Katsuki teaches him that surviving is not living.

This is not a story of anger. This is not a story of fear. This is not even a story of pain.

This is a 21st Century love overcoming the obstacles of the 20th Century's politics of fear.

This is a story of life.

the road that stretches out ahead by hellodeer

"What if we drove to France?" Viktor asks, and Yuuri says yes. Of course he does.

pardon the way that i stare by kevystel

All Yakov says, after Yuuri's free skate at the Cup of China, is: ‘Really?’

(The problem is that Viktor falls hard.)

like heaven to touch by kevystel

He looks younger than half the other skaters, with his fine features and the porcelain clearness of his skin, but here he is — here in Moscow with Viktor at his side, ready to impress a crowd that’s too used to roaring Viktor’s name. Viktor is prouder than he’s ever been.

Fill the World with Music by prettybirdy979

It's been a whirlwind of a week for Phichit, not only because of his competing in the Grand Prix Finals. Yuuri seems to have made it his mission to surprise everyone a dozen times over before the end of the competition. But there's only the gala exhibition tomorrow to go.

Surely Yuuri (and Viktor) can't manage one more surprise by then?

(Aka that fic where Viktor breaks twitter, Yuuri breaks the internet then pretends to not understand, and together they break their friends)

Bear Your Soul on the Ice by SassySalchow (diedraechin)

At age fourteen, Katsuki Yuuri had been determined to be Japan's next great figure skating hope, but with no coach that would never happen, so his ballet instructor packs him up off to Russia to train with Yakov Feltsman. The Yakov Feltsman, otherwise known as the coach to rising figure skating star -- and Yuuri's idol -- Viktor Nikiforov.

one heart to every falling thing by 100demons

“You know,” Victor comments idly, and he breathes out in a rush of static in Yuri’s ear. “I think this is the longest we’ve been apart since I first flew here.”

Post-Episode 5.

The Spaces Shaped for You by Chisotahn

The paths they'd chosen after the Grand Prix Final wouldn't be easy, particularly with Nationals just ten days away, but one thing was certain: no matter what happened, their paths would always come together in the end.

(Continuation exploring the time elapsed between the second-to-last and last scenes in episode twelve. Yuuri and Victor's journey to their Nationals and beyond.)

i walk my days on a wire by idrilka

“Asia sucked without you,” Yuri admits eventually after a moment, as he falls backwards onto the bed, his t-shirt riding up. It must be still hot in Saint Petersburg, if the forecast is to be believed, but Yuri has the hood up, obscuring his face at this angle. “But we all went back to the hot spring run by Katsuki’s family after the Fukuoka show, so I guess it wasn’t that bad.”

A story of a relationship, told in photographs and Skype calls.

#yuri on ice #yoi #yuri!!! on ice #victuri #victuuri #I don't know why I do these things

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asrarblog · 4 years

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Dear Colleagues! This is Pharma Veterans Blog Post #323. Pharma Veterans welcomes sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to [email protected] for publishing your contributions here.

Clin Investig (Lond). 2015; 5(2): 161–173.

doi: 10.4155/cli.14.116 Authors. Stephen L George*,1 and Marc Buyse2

[Quote] “Highly publicized cases of fabrication or falsification of data in clinical trials have occurred in recent years and it is likely that there are additional undetected or unreported cases. We review the available evidence on the incidence of data fraud in clinical trials, describe several prominent cases, present information on motivation and contributing factors and discuss cost-effective ways of early detection of data fraud as part of routine central statistical monitoring of data quality. Adoption of these clinical trial monitoring procedures can identify potential data fraud not detected by conventional on-site monitoring and can improve overall data quality.”

“The US Public Health Service defines research misconduct more narrowly, restricting it to the most egregious practices [4]:

“Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results;

Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them;

Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record;

Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit;

Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.”

The last point in the definition is crucial; the key distinction between misconduct or fraud and honest error is intent (fraud is ‘intent to cheat’).”

This paper particularly deals with a specific type of scientific fraud, i.e. deliberate fabrication or falsification of data in clinical trials. The authors suggest that it is difficult to estimate the exact incidence of data fraud in clinical research and it may be assumed it is low. This, however, is just an assumption.

“Overall, the available evidence is rather unreliable but seems to suggest that the incidence of certain types of misconduct may be quite high, but the incidence of data fabrication or falsification is low – but perhaps not as low as might be suggested by the frequency of confirmed and publicized cases. Given the large number of investigators involved, approximately 535,000 US scientists in 2012 [23], even low percentages yield a large number of perpetrators.”

The authors have reported some high-profile cases where data was fabricated and manipulated in order to get desirable results. The detail is so relevant that it is hard to edit it.

[Quote]

Robert Fiddes

In the 1990’s Dr. Robert Fiddes was the director of the Southern California Research Institute, a for-profit institution, and was the lead clinical investigator for a large number of clinical trials conducted for pharmaceutical company sponsors… Unfortunately, to maintain his highly successful business Dr. Fiddes had been conducting scientific fraud on an impressive scale for over a decade [40]. Ineligible patients were enrolled on trials; fictitious patients were also enrolled; some patients were pressured to enter trials; laboratory data were altered; blood pressure, EKGs and other results were fabricated; blood and urine samples were submitted that did not come from the patient enrolled (in one instance, an employee with proteinuria, a necessary eligibility criterion for some trials, was paid $25 per urine sample to be submitted as if it were a sample from an actual patient.). Dr. Fiddes was able to maintain his fraud over a long period of time despite audits and other checks until a concerned whistleblower contacted the FDA about the misconduct. After an exhaustive investigation, Dr. Fiddes pled guilty to fraud in 1997, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison [41].

Harry W Snyder Jr & Renee Peugot

In 1994, Dr. Harry W Snyder Jr, a prominent dermatologist and scientist at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company founded in 1986 in Birmingham, Alabama, was overseeing a clinical trial sponsored by BioCryst at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where his wife, Renee Peugot, a registered nurse at the University, was the study coordinator responsible for the day-to-day conduct of the trial. Both had considerable financial interests in BioCryst and a vested interest in the outcome of the trial. The product being tested was BCX-34, a purine nucleoside phosphorylase agent, used as a topical ointment in the treatment of psoriasis and in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)….. In February 1995 a BioCryst press release claimed highly favorable results for BCX-34 for both psoriasis and CTCL patients, particularly noteworthy for CTCL. A subsequent internal re-analysis of the data by the new Medical Director of BioCryst raised serious questions about the initial results and led eventually to a retraction in June 1995 of the results claimed in the earlier press release, now with ‘no statistically significant drug effect’ noted. Further inquiry and audits by the company and by the FDA led to charges against Snyder and Peugot of falsification of data, including the randomization assignments, to make the results more favorable for BCX-34. Felony convictions followed for both Snyder and Peugot, with prison sentences of 3 years and 2.5 years respectively, payment of financial restitution and permanent debarment by the FDA. The University also had all clinical trials stopped for a period of time while the investigation was underway for failure to properly oversee the trials. [42,43]

Jon Sudbø

In October 2005, The Lancet published a paper by Jon Sudbø, a Norwegian physician and researcher, and co-authors on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the risk of oral cancer [44]. The paper reported the analysis of a case–control study of 908 subjects from a population based cohort in Norway. Cases were patients with oral cancer (N = 454) with an equal number of matched controls. Based on detailed statistical analyses, the authors concluded, among other things, that “Long-term use of NSAIDs is associated with a reduced incidence of oral cancer (including in active smokers), but also with an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. These findings highlight the need for a careful risk-benefit analysis when the long-term use of NSAIDs is considered.” [44]. However, soon after publication, in January 2006, the editors of The Lancet received correspondence from officials in the hospital where Sudbø worked, that they had uncovered “ information that strongly indicates that material published … has not been based upon data from our national databases, but on manipulated data… it was not manipulation of real data…it was … complete fabrication.” [45]. This was followed quickly by a retraction of the article [46]. A subsequent investigation by an independent commission of inquiry found that all 908 subjects in the Lancet paper and all data were fictitious (250 subjects had the same birthday!) and, furthermore, that many of Sudbø’s previous publications contained fabricated data, including his doctoral dissertation. Many of these other papers have now also been retracted. Sudbø’s dissertation was rescinded and he is no longer allowed to practice medicine or work in medical research.

Yoshitaka Fujii

A letter to the editor of the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia in April 2000 called attention to some unusual results in the clinical trials reported in papers published by Yoshitaka Fujii, an anesthesiologist and researcher who had published extensively on his clinical trials involving agents used to treat postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) [47]. Specifically, the authors of the letter noted that in 21 papers reporting postoperative headache rates in randomized clinical trials of antiemetic agents, the numbers of headaches was exactly equal in all treatment groups in 13 papers and the numbers differed by at most one in the remaining eight papers. The probability of such a chance occurrence in one trial is quite small; the probability that it occurred in all 21 trials is so small that it strains credulity. The authors, in an ironic understatement, concluded that “…there must be an underlying influence causing such incredibly nice data reported by Fujii et al.” [47]. In his brief reply, Fujii failed to address the key issue of how such unusual results might have occurred, noting “…an incidence of headache seems to be identical, but it was true.” [48]. Remarkably, despite the suspicions this must have raised and the lack of a satisfactory explanation for the findings, other than this brief exchange of letters, there does not seem to have been any other official follow-up or repercussions at that time. Dr. Fujii continued to publish the results of his clinical trials over the next 12 years.

In 2012, JB Carlisle, a UK anesthesiologist, published an exhaustive analysis of the statistical distributions of variables from 168 randomized clinical trials conducted and published by Fujii over the previous 20 years, an extraordinary number of trials for any investigator [49]. For most of the categorical and continuous variables reported in these papers, the frequency distributions were much less variable than would be expected by chance alone, echoing and markedly extending the earlier findings on a single variable from a smaller number of studies. Carlisle’s cautiously worded conclusion was “Whether the raw data from any of these studies can be analysed, and whether this might provide an innocent explanation of such results…is beyond the scope of this paper.” [49]. In his letter replying to this paper, Fujii, as in his previous letter in 2000, again failed to address the key question raised by the statistics (i.e., what is the explanation for these remarkably implausible results?), but stated “…this article by Carlisle can obviously be very damaging to me and I want to answer it seriously, but I am not a statistician. I can only offer a few elements of rebuttal at this point…analyses of data obtained from the experiments were performed by myself and colleagues (co-authors), and this can be proved by them…The only thing I can say is that we performed the tests over years with full honesty and integrity. Additionally, I did not write these articles alone, and some of data were collected by others as well.” [50]. But this time the evidence would not be ignored. The editors of 23 journals formally requested a review by the seven institutions in Japan at which Fujii had worked [51]. Shortly thereafter, the Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists (JSA) also began an extensive investigation of 212 papers published by Fujii, including a review of lab records and interviews with other investigators whenever possible. Their findings were astonishing: Out of the 212 papers reviewed, 172 were fraudulent, including 126 ‘totally fabricated’ papers reporting the results of [52]. Meanwhile, as the investigations got underway, Dr. Fujii was no longer involved in research, having been dismissed from the university where he worked for failure to obtain ethical review board approval for his studies. [Unquote]

Continued……

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4340084/

Data Fraud in Medical Research – Part I – Blog Post #323 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues! This is Pharma Veterans Blog Post #323. Pharma Veterans welcomes sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large…

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