it’s still so... hm. i'm not sure what words to use here tbh.

but to give the one character that has received such preferential treatment through early access development and full release even more new content + new lines even though he already has a wealth of scenes, detailed animations, incredible world responsiveness, that about totals to having a third more content than everyone else...

all the while the other characters, their romances, their stories and the way the world they're in reacts to them are still either a barren wasteland or bugged to the point they can’t be triggered.

Betrothed

Naoya can barely keep up with his duties as the next head of the Zenin estate and threatens to crumble under the pressure. Thankfully, his fiancée knows how to make everything better.

cw: smut - MDNI, rough and degrading sex, oral (m! receiving), afab reader, choking, power imbalance and toxic relationship

Your eyes dart furiously, taking in the blinding lights of the low-hanging gold leaf chandeliers, endlessly reflected by the tacky sequinned dresses of women swarming around the room. Everything's unbearable, the smell worse than the view, perfume barely covering the sweat of bodies intermingling together, with the added edge of lukewarm champagne and stale tobacco.

You hate it here, but above all you hate the heavy weight of Naoya 's hand on your lower back, steering you through the crowd. Naoya is insistent on showing you off to everyone. His latest, shiniest prize. His soon-to-be bride. Each introduction feels like an eternity, each handshake clammy and intrusive.

"I need a breather", you tell Naoya when the latest canine old geezer finally lets go of your hand after holding onto you for far longer than it is appropriate. 

"No you don't", Naoya retorts without even looking at you, his eyes fixed on another one of his acquaintances, a cordial smile on his lips. If it wasn’t for the vice grip he had on your waist, it'd almost feel like he doesn't even acknowledge your presence. You try to wriggle out of his tight embrace, parting your lips to protest but he's quick to silence you and he digs his fingers cruelly in the silk of your gown, wrinkling the delicate material.

"Behave yourself, don't even think about causing a scene", he hisses, looking down at you with a tight-lipped smile on his face. To Naoya, everything you do out of your own volition is akin to causing a scene. You relent, gaze dropping to your trembling hands, steeling yourself into following him again through the swarm of warm bodies.

For the umpteenth time tonight, when Naoya finds an audience of new faces, he spews his spiel about how your betrothment was fated. He’s good at it, paints a vivid story of how two snotty kids’ puppy love has grown to cement the relationships between their families’ businesses. Naoaya’s like a master at work, his little speech perfectly tailored to both appease skittish shareholders and entertain the overly-sentimental penchant of their wives. "It's kismet, her and I", Naoya says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

What Naoya doesn't share though, is his lingering resentment for you. You may have become more pliant now, more accepting of your place, but you haven't atoned. There's still an edge to the way you address him, and it serves as a bitter reminder of your initial reserves about the whole ordeal.

Still, the onlookers smile at him but he doesn't miss how their expressions falter ever so slightly when their inquisitive eyes settle on you.

They must notice how your attempt at a genial smile ends up resembling a twisted moue, and how you cower into his side as they bid you goodbye. Naoya notices the slight tremor rocking your hands and the rapid rise and fall of your chest. Despite your repeated blunders tonight, Naoya thinks unease is a good look on you. It makes you more malleable. Tamer. Eager for any escape, any reprieve he'll offer and, being the benevolent man that he is, he takes pity on you and drags you out of the ballroom and into a secluded corridor.

His hold on your wrist is unforgiving, blunt nails digging into your skin, but you still babble mindless 'thank you's with whatever breath you still have as you try to keep up with his long strides. He ushers you inside the first bathroom he finds before locking the door behind you.

Immediately, you crouch over and hold your face in your hands, spilling an incoherent string of apologies and frenzied thanks in between labored breaths. "Naoya, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to burden you - I mean, I didn't even think I'd end up like this, I was fine – in the car, I rehearsed, I was doing good but – " you try to explain, but he cuts you off. 

"What's new, you fuck up and I have to clean up your mess." He scoffs, not even sparing you a glance. Instead he stares at himself in the mirror hung above the sink, appraising his reflection with pursed lips. His eyes linger on the protruding vein on his forehead, widening at the sight of his face's sudden pallor. All your fault, as usual.

"Do you have any idea how you make me look ?", he starts again, massaging the bridge of his nose. "It's one thing if you want to ruin your own reputation, it's another now that you're my fiancée for God's sake - you're an extension of me, do you fucking get it ?". 

He kneels to be eye-level with you, fine eyebrows pinched together and nose wrinkled. He's fuming and you're starting to spiral. Just as you're about to hide your misty eyes again, he cups your cheeks in his hands, forcing you to face him. His thumbs press into your cheeks, creeping up towards your lash line. "How am I supposed to manage a company if I can't even deal with my wife ? You make me look incompetent, darling", he presses and the pet name makes you shiver. 

You sniffle and try to steady your uneven breaths, pleading with urgency, "I'm sorry, I'll be better, I just need to breathe, please". He cocks his head to the side, "And what about me in all of this, mmh ? Think you can fuck up my night because you couldn't just shut up and smile, then cry your way out of your responsibilities ?". His tone is low, his words biting. 

You know he's right. 

Noaya's formal introduction as the heir of the Zenin estate with you by his side was supposed to be flawless. It was a desperate bid designed by Naobito and his darling boy to control the narrative around the succession of the group, and to nip in the bud any stories about a possible carve-out to make the task of taking over the Zenin conglomerate more manageable, but you might've just fucked it up. You can already see the headlines, the rumor of the once revered Zenin conglomerate falling to the hands of a temperamental heir and his unstable wife will be echoed endlessly in every paper. It wouldn’t be the first time either of you ended up in the news, but this time is different - much worse than any previous petty attempt at dragging you through the mud. 

You shake your head fervently, eager to sooth his irritation, "No of course not, I'll make it up to you".  He sizes you up, mulling over your words, then he stands up and you all but clamber to your feet. "I'll make it right", you repeat with more confidence. He looks you up and down again, still irked but mildly curious. "How ?", he inquires, leaning against the sink, hands gripping the cool marble behind him and eyes narrowed at you.

You hesitate for a moment before relenting, "I'll do anything".

Ah, there it is. The night’s highlight. It’s not the first time this happens, by now it’s a well-practiced routine between you but it still feels heavenly every time he gets to push you into that overzealous, servile state of mind.

He might not be able to control the narrative around the shitshow his dad’s company has become or what every last geriatric investor thinks of him but in the grand scheme of things it might not even matter. He has other, better things to look forward to anyway.

Naoya takes two long strides to back you up against the cool wall. He looks down at you curiously and raises a graceful finger to trace the curve of your jaw. His hand moves up to wipe a lone tear that spilled past your lash line, and his lips stretch in a cryptic smile at the sight of the little crystalline droplet, now tainted black from your mascara, rolling down your flushed cheek. Naoya likes the way the streak of charcoal watercolor dirties you. You always look best with a tear-stained face. 

You can’t say much now, you’ve sealed your fate already and you’re not sure you’d want to tap out even if you could. You like to watch the anger in Naoya’s eyes dissipate, a dark lust slowly weathering down the storm of his ire. All because of you. He looks so handsome like this, when he lets you take care of him. 

Naoya barks out a laugh at your lovesick expression, grabbing your cheeks and shaking your face to snap you out of your daze.

“On your knees”, he spits at you. The change in demeanor is immediate. You lower yourself onto the hard tiled floor, the cold seeping in your skin even through the heavy taffeta of your dress. You fold your hands neatly in your lap and look up at Naoya with a poignant fondness that makes him sick. Something odd stirs deep in his gut at the sight of your obedience. A two-headed monster, half resentment and half lust, makes him want to hurt you then reward you for your willful servitude.

You watch him, mouth aghast, as he undoes his tie with one hand, the other slowly encircling your neck. He barely applies any pressure, content to keep his touch light around the soft skin of your throat. You know better than to trust this fleeting softness. Soon enough, he pushes his fingers into the sides of your neck and squeezes. His touch is anything but conversational now - the dig of his nails in your skin is vindictive. You merely gasp but don’t back away. Naoya seems mildly displeased at that, uncurling his hand away from your neck and lightly shoving your face to the side as he snarls, “Can’t you play along ?”.

You want to play along. You crane your head back, exposing more of your throat. He smiles. 

“That’s better”, Naoya croons. You melt into nothing at the faintest hint of praise. 

His pace is leisurely when he loops his tie around one hand and dangles it in front of you, brushing the expensive silk deceptively softly against your heated skin. Your eyes flutter shut in anticipation when he finally winds it around your neck, fastening a tight knot and wrapping the loose end around his fist. The first tug is tentative and barely makes you drop your jaw open. Naoya tuts, tugging harder this time, and he finally seems content when you let out a panicked gasp.

Using his tie as a make-shift leash, he jerks your face into his crotch. He’s half hard already, cock stiffening to life embarrassingly fast when you shamelessly rub your face against his too-tight trousers. The effect you have on him emboldens you enough to look right into his eyes as you brush the outline of his length straining against his thigh, the dark fabric of his suit doing nothing to conceal how much he needs this.

Naoya lets out a muffled groan when your nimble hands move to undo his pants, his breathing strained from the faintest brush of your fingertips against the head of his cock. You probe at the wet spot darkening his boxers, mouth watering when his cock twitches weakly under your hands. For now, you’re just content to stroke him over the ruined fabric of his underwear, doe eyes widening at how every brush of your hand against him has his cock leaking more and plastering the wet fabric to his sensitive length. 

“Stop fucking teasing”, Naoya warns you with another tug of his tie. He was never really one for foreplay, you reckon. Reluctantly, you peel down his boxers and free his cock, gnawing at your bottom lip at how heavy it looks when it springs free and slaps against his white shirt. Any reservations you might have had are quickly forgotten when you wrap a small hand around him, swirling your thumb around the messy head of his cock, while you fumble around with the buttons of his shirt, eager to see the trail of dark hair leading to his pelvis and Naoya whines - guttural and genuine, for once. Pride simmers low in your gut and you eagerly pepper small kisses down his stomach, scratching your nails lightly against his pearly white skin before brushing into the neatly-trimmed patch of pubic hair, your own mind growing hazier at every little breathy sound of pleasure bubbling past Naoaya’s pretty lips.

Looking up at him sends another jolt of arousal to your core. He looks so disheveled already, a light pink blush dusting his high cheekbones and you’re not sure if it’s desire or the shame of breaking down so easily in your hands that has him closing his eyes tightly.

He still has the presence of mind to pull harder on your leash, hissing through gritted teeth, “Think you have the upper hand, you fucking slut ? Do what you’re good for, finish what you started”. 

His words are devoid of their usual bite, and even as he towers over you and shoves your face right in his cock, he looks uncharacteristically weak. You still oblige, not before shooting him a knowing small smile that has his blood boiling and his dick jumping in your hand. Closing your eyes to offer him a reprieve from your piercing eyes, you lick a long stripe for his base to his messy tip,  laving it with kitten licks to coax more of his precum out of his already sloppy dick.

You smear the mixture of pre and spit over his whole length, your free hand cupping his balls, and Naoya actually moans, high pitched and needy when you twist your wrist and start jerking him off quickly, taking his overly sensitive head in your hot mouth and suckling on it so sweetly he thinks he’s falling for you all over. You’re so good to him, zealous and eager to please, that he doesn’t even have to ask before you’re moving your hand away and slowly sinking his dick in your mouth. It feels like heaven, the pent-up stress of the earlier fiasco already melting away as you take more and more of him into you, and he breathes a sigh of relief when his length hits the back of your throat. Naoya finds himself in a generous mood, you’ve been so good to him after all, so he remains unmoving for a while as you adjust to his girth stretching your swollen lips wide. That kindness is short-lived though, and soon enough he tugs the tie back, pulling you away before guiding himself in your mouth again.

He sets a rhythm of deep, long strokes that’d be painful if you weren’t so used to it already. How many times have you done this by now ? Dropping to your knees and letting him fuck in your awaiting mouth, making a mess of your throat, has become second nature to you. 

It’d be demeaning if it didn’t earn you so many pretty sounds of pleasure from Naoya, stifled groans fading into breathy whimpers and whines, and you commit all of them to memory, each one a token of his covert affection for you. 

Naoya’s pace picks up when you start echoing his labored breathing with choked moans of your own, each time pushing in deeper in your mouth until his aching cock breaches into the tight sleeve of your throat. You gag around him a little, instinctively trying to pull away from the foreign intrusion, but a mean tug on his tie keeps you there. He doesn’t even offer you the reprieve of pulling out this time. You let out a pained moan around his cock, misty eyes pleading wordlessly for him to pull away but he doesn’t. Naoya just smiles, an odd sense of serenity settling over his usually scrunched features, and reaches one hand to your throat to feel himself there. His touch is cooling, every graze of his fingertips against the column of your throat thawing at your panic and you slowly even out your breathing, even with how deeply he forces himself in your mouth. 

Something entirely different takes over now, lust brewing deep in your gut. You shift a little, trying to quell the embarrassing throbbing of your core by grinding down on your own heels, and Naoya actually laughs. He brushes a stray strand of hair away from your face to get a good look at your glassy eyes and the fine lines of drool falling past the seams of your lips. 

“So messy”, he tuts, catching your spit then smearing it on your cheek. You choke around him, a feeble protest quickly silenced by the cruel push of his twitching dick even deeper into your throat. 

“You actually like this, don’t you ?”

He doesn’t expect an answer, doesn't even really need one. Naoya just pulls out slightly and drives himself into your mouth, hard. You cry out incomprehensibly, helpless but so aroused, and reach a shaky hand to his thigh to steady yourself when he starts a cruel pace.

In and out, in and out - Naoya is a man possessed, taking as much pleasure from how your throat squeezes down on him as he does from your choked moans. He wants to bruise you, cover your face in so much of his pre and your spit that you become unrecognizable, but above all he wants you to like it. You certainly seem like you do, the once subtle rocking of your hips now shameless.

“My good little slut”, he praises, patting your head in an unusual display of fondness.

The word goes straight to your untouched cunt, its bite heightened by the punitive push of his cock in the tight sleeve of your throat. It shouldn’t feel so good, and it shouldn’t sate an unspeakable want that addles your mind but it does. You’re not sure why, maybe because it’s soothing to anchor yourself in the knowledge that you can be good, at least for something or to someone - an indisputable gauge of your worth. Affection is fickle and hard to grasp but the certainty of this - the hefty weight of a cock in your mouth, the promise of it stretching your cunt - is unassailable. On your knees, eyes rolling aimlessly and drooling uncontrollably, you’ve never felt so seen. 

Naoya pulls unexpectedly out of your sloppy mouth , grasping your chin to look right in your lidded eyes as he snickers, “Didn’t think you’d enjoy whoring yourself out so much”.

You blink slowly at him, coughing and choking on your own spit and he has to squish your cheeks together, swaying your face side to side to fight off your haze. “So fucking stupid just from sucking cock, what will you be like when you actually get fucked ?”, he snickers, slapping your cheek with his leaking tip. The idea has your mind reeling. 

You look at him like you’re asking him to find out for himself and he stares right back at you with the hint of a promise - a threat ? - in his eyes.

He pulls you to feet once more, ignoring the growing burn in his loins and the painful rush of blood to his cock, the skin of his aching length now feeling taut from your spit drying under the cool air. Pushing you to rest your upper body against the marbled sink, he kneels behind you, fumbling with your skirt until he gets a good hold on it and pulls it up to expose you. You whimper in embarrassment when he whistles and runs a curious finger along your covered slit. “So you really are a slut, huh ?”, he muses, tone light and detached even when he pulls your soaked panties down your legs and circles your entrance with a finger.

“Thought I’d just fuck your throat, let some steam off, but this -” he cuts himself off, slicking two deft fingers with his own spit before plunging them in your neglected hole, “ How could I not fuck you now ?”, he barks out a laugh when you immediately squeeze around his fingers and keen.

Naoya is almost in disbelief at how wet you are already, slick pouring out of you and coating your thighs every time his fingers graze a sensitive spot in your pussy, his cock leaping and aching to bury itself in your warmth.

He pulls his fingers out when your cries get louder, standing up to his full height behind you and tapping his cock against your ass. One hand guides his dick between your puffy folds, rubbing the mix of spit and precum you coated him in from your hole to your clit, the other fumbling to pull your neck back with your makeshift leash. He forces you in a deep arch, watching your face in the mirror. 

Naoya waits for your glazed eyes to focus on him before slowly sinking himself in your pussy. Your jaw drops when the bulbous head of his cock breaches past the first ring of muscles, and even with how wet he got you, your still hiss at the burning stretch. Naoya can’t be bothered with being gentle though, and he fucks the rest of his painfully hard length into your weeping hole in one, fluid motion. It knocks the air out of you, renders you completely boneless for him to fuck into as he pleases. Each thrust sends a jolt of pure electricity coursing through your limp body, white hot arousal running from your already sore cunt up to your spine.

Everything feels so good, his cock so thick and long it grazes effortlessly into that tender spot deep inside you, then bruises your cervix. You do your best to stifle your moans, acutely aware of where you are - what if someone heard you ? what would people say ? - but Naoya isn’t having it. He lets go of his tie in favor of forcing a finger in your mouth, coaxing you into moaning for him loudly and accentuating the slapping for his pelvis against your ass.

“Don’t act shy now”, he laughs breathlessly, pressing his finger against your tongue and watching you drool.

“I wouldn’t mind being caught like this”, he continues and, to your absolute horror, pulls his finger out from your mouth to slip under your dress and circle your pert clit. You break up in pitiful sobs, clenching impossibly harder around his cock, as if trying to keep him inside you whenever he pulls out. Naoya hisses and throws his head back but his pace doesn’t falter and he pinches your clit between two fingers, rolling it to turn your sobs in keening moans.

“Want to hear you – aah, fuck, you’re so fucking tight– want everyone to hear you be a good girl for me”, he pleads, delirious and so hungry for you, you can’t refuse him. You give into it, letting out wanton moans at every devious stroke of his dick into your sore insides, and in turn Naoya only fucks you faster, pressing into your clit harder.

You’re so fucking close, your whole body flashing with white hot pleasure and what sends you over the edge is Naoya’s fevered praise when he lets out incoherent strings, barely audible over the loud sounds of his skin on yours ;

“Come on, be good, make a mess on my cock - you’re taking me like it’s nothing, fucking hell, this pussy was made for me”. 

It’s so filthy, unusually desperate and raw, that it sends you tumbling over the edge with a strained sob of his name. Your orgasm has your cunt squeezing around Naoya’s length so tight, he stills and arches over you, the rhythmic spasming of your walls coaxing his own climax out of him. He comes with a guttural groan, his seed bursting in long and thick spurts and filling you so deliciously it lengthens the ebb and flow of your high. 

For once, Naoaya is quiet. He rides out his high and rubs a soothing hand over your stomach with a strange tenderness that somehow feels more intimate than the rest of the evening.

He shifts behind you, still buried deep inside you but now with his arms holding you to his chest, and he clears his throat to say something. Looking at him through the large mirror, you watch his face contort in a boyish expression. Almost bashful. He never does this, never lingers behind or clings to you. 

“Thank you”, he mumbles into the crook of your neck. It should sound wrong, off-kilter or entirely odd to be thanked for sex like a common whore. To you it sounds like love in bloom. You’ll take it for now, and hope that, maybe once Naoya learns to be a good heir, he’ll learn to become a good husband.

This will probably be pt.1 of a longer series called Family affairs.

Well that was the conclusion to that anon's rant. Maybe it makes sense for Lestat to want to save Louis because he is...the love of his life...and he...loves him??! I'm not saying white savioring is not a trope but applying it to Loustat..it feels kinda shallow to me

Sigh... Okay, I will ignore your snarky pagro tone and try to explain this to you as best as I can:

By making Louis, and also Claudia and Armand black/brown, the writers added another layer of complexity to the story that is not present in the book(s).

Changing Louis's race also added a further imbalance to his power dynamic with Lestat—and that's something that is repeatedly addressed on the show; it's no longer rich plantation owner vs young French fledgling vampire strapped for cash/looking for love. Now it's young black man living in the Jim crow south vs French white 150 year old vampire with immense powers and a seemingly endless supply of capital as Fenwick put it.

It also added another layer to the abuse in episode 5 because now it's a white man beating up his much weaker (in every sense of the word) black partner and that carries a certain optic given the race history in America in general and in the south specifically—which again, the show talks about explicitly and also hints at with it's imagery. And that also added to the massive backlash that scene received, especially from black viewers.

AND if the writers were to entirely retcon it in season 2 by implying that Louis and/or Claudia lied or that Armand was the one manipulating Louis's memory and he's been the true villain all along, again carries certain implications and has a certain optic because of Louis's, Claudia and Armand's race.

But like I said in the first ask, NOT doing it would also have its own implications. So really, the show has written itself into a difficult corner with that one, and I for one am very curious to see how they pull it off because it's bound to piss people off no matter which way they go.

As for the white savior thing, maybe the other first anon can write in again and clarify but from my understanding, it's a theory that some Lestat fans came up with where Armand would be revealed to be the true villain and then a grief stricken Louis tries to off himself out of guilt and white knight in shiny armour Lestat would swoop in to save him (I may be caricaturing a bit but that essentially it).

The issue with that is that it would remove all agency from Louis and essentially render him an NPC in his own story in favour of serving Lestat's redemption arc, the very epitome of what white saviorism is.

So yeah, it may appear shallow and inconsequential TO YOU, but to me, and probably to the writers as well, it's an important issue that they are aware they have to deal with if they want to do these characters and the story justice.

The Art of Perfecting Photos: How Professional Photo Retouching Services Enhance Quality and Appeal

In the digital age, the importance of high-quality images cannot be overstated. Whether for personal use, business, marketing, or e-commerce, the visual appeal of photographs plays a crucial role in capturing attention and conveying the desired message. Professional photo retouching services have become indispensable in transforming ordinary photos into stunning visual masterpieces. This article explores how these services enhance the quality and appeal of photographs, highlighting the key techniques and benefits involved.

Understanding Professional Photo Retouching

Photo retouching is a meticulous process that involves adjusting, enhancing, and perfecting images to achieve a polished and professional look. Unlike basic photo editing, which may involve simple adjustments like cropping or color correction, professional retouching delves deeper, addressing finer details and ensuring every aspect of the image meets high aesthetic standards.

Key Techniques in Professional Photo Retouching

Color Correction and Enhancement

Color correction is a foundational technique in photo retouching. It involves adjusting the colors in an image to ensure they are accurate and visually appealing. This process corrects color imbalances, removes color casts, and adjusts the white balance to achieve natural and vibrant colors. Color enhancement goes a step further, creatively altering colors to match a specific mood or theme, often used in fashion and editorial photography.

Skin Smoothing and Imperfection Removal

For portraits and fashion photos, skin retouching is essential. This technique involves removing blemishes, wrinkles, and other imperfections while preserving the natural texture of the skin. Advanced methods like frequency separation and dodge & burn are used to smooth skin and enhance facial features without making the subject look overly edited or artificial. The goal is to achieve a flawless yet realistic appearance.

Detail and Texture Enhancement

Enhancing details and textures can significantly improve the visual impact of an image. This technique involves sharpening specific elements, such as the eyes, hair, or fabric textures, to make them stand out. Tools like high-pass filtering and selective sharpening are used to add depth and clarity, ensuring that the fine details are crisp and noticeable.

Lighting and Shadow Adjustments

Proper lighting is crucial for creating compelling images. In post-processing, retouchers can adjust the lighting to highlight the subject better and create the desired atmosphere. Techniques like dodging (lightening areas) and burning (darkening areas) are used to control the light and shadow distribution meticulously. These adjustments enhance the overall composition, adding depth and dimension to the photograph.

Background Editing and Object Removal

Sometimes, the background of an image needs alteration to improve composition and focus. Background editing can involve removing unwanted elements, changing the background, or replacing it entirely. Object removal is another common technique, used to eliminate distractions or imperfections within the scene. These edits help maintain the viewer's focus on the main subject and enhance the overall aesthetic of the image.

Enhancing Product Details

In product photography, showcasing the product's features in the best possible light is vital. Techniques like contrast adjustment, sharpening, and reflective control are employed to highlight the product's details. High-end retouching ensures that product images are clear, crisp, and visually appealing, which is crucial for attracting customers and driving sales.

Benefits of Professional Photo Retouching Services

Superior Quality

Professional retouching ensures that every aspect of the photograph is perfected, resulting in high-quality images that stand out. This level of quality is essential for businesses, marketers, and individuals looking to make a strong visual impression.

Consistency

For brands, maintaining a consistent look across all images is vital. Professional retouching services provide uniformity, ensuring that all photos align with the brand’s aesthetic and visual identity. This consistency is crucial for building brand recognition and trust.

Time and Cost Efficiency

Outsourcing photo retouching to professionals saves time and reduces costs associated with in-house editing. Businesses can focus on their core activities while experts handle the retouching, ensuring high-quality results without the need for significant investments in software and training.

Increased Visual Appeal

High-quality, well-retouched images are more likely to attract and engage viewers. Whether for a website, social media, or print materials, professionally retouched photos enhance the visual appeal and effectiveness of the content.

Enhanced Customer Experience

For e-commerce and marketing, high-quality images contribute to a positive customer experience. Clear, detailed, and visually appealing photos help customers make informed purchasing decisions and build confidence in the product or service.

Conclusion

Professional photo retouching services play a crucial role in enhancing the quality and appeal of photographs. By employing advanced techniques such as color correction, skin smoothing, detail enhancement, and background editing, these services transform ordinary images into visually compelling masterpieces. The benefits of professional retouching extend beyond aesthetics, offering superior quality, consistency, time and cost efficiency, and improved customer experience. Embrace the art of photo retouching to elevate your visuals and make a lasting impression in today's visually driven world.

Best Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad 

Best Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad 

 Introduction:

In the clamoring city of Ghaziabad, where the mood of life is speedy and requests can overpower, there exists a helpful methodology that endeavors to carry congruity to people confronting sensory difficulties. Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) is a particular type of therapy that has acquired conspicuousness for its viability in tending to sensory handling issues, helping youngsters and grown-ups the same. This article investigates the meaning of  Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad, revealing insight into its standards, applications, and the positive effect it has on the existences of those going through the therapy.

Understanding Sensory Integration:

Sensory Integration alludes to the neurological course of coordinating sensory data from our current circumstance and our own bodies. For certain people, this cycle might be upset, prompting troubles in answering suitably to sensory upgrades. This disturbance can appear in different ways, for example, extreme touchiness or hyposensitivity to contact, sound, taste, and other sensory data sources. Sensory Integration Therapy intends to address these difficulties through an organized and individualized approach.

The Center Standards of Sensory Integration Therapy:

Individualized Evaluation:

Prior to leaving on the therapy venture, a careful evaluation is directed to comprehend a person's sensory handling designs. This appraisal helps in fitting the therapy to meet the particular requirements of the person.

Establishing a Sensory-Accommodating Climate:

The therapy meetings happen in a climate painstakingly intended to give the right sensory information. This might incorporate components like delicate lighting, relieving colors, and concentrated hardware to animate or quiet unambiguous sensory reactions.

Designated Sensory Exercises:

Sensory Integration Therapy includes drawing in people in exercises that test and upgrade their sensory handling skills. These exercises could incorporate swinging, climbing, material play, and different activities intended to advance better sensory integration.

Applications of Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad:

Youngsters with Chemical imbalance Range Issue (ASD):

Ghaziabad has seen a developing consciousness of the benefits of Sensory Integration Therapy for youngsters with ASD. The therapy assists these youngsters with growing better survival strategies for sensory upgrades, empowering them to connect all the more successfully in day to day exercises and social associations.

Consideration Shortfall Hyperactivity Issue (ADHD):

Sensory Integration Therapy has shown promising outcomes in assisting youngsters with ADHD deal with their consideration and impulsivity. By giving sensory encounters that direct their sensory systems, these youngsters frequently experience enhancements in concentration and discretion.

Learning Inabilities:

Ghaziabad's instructive scene has seen the integration of sensory-based intercessions for kids confronting learning inabilities. Sensory Integration Therapy can improve a youngster's capacity to process and answer data, adding to better scholastic execution.

Grown-ups with Sensory Handling Difficulties:

Sensory Integration Therapy isn't restricted to youngsters; grown-ups in Ghaziabad with sensory handling difficulties, whether because of formative issues or gained through injury or sickness, can likewise profit from this restorative methodology. It helps with working on everyday working and generally speaking personal satisfaction.

The Positive Effect:

Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad has made a permanent imprint on the existences of numerous people and their families. The tales of progress and change are demonstrations of the viability of this remedial methodology. Guardians have detailed better correspondence, improved interactive abilities, and expanded confidence in their kids going through Sensory Integration Therapy.

Also, educators and educators in Ghaziabad have noticed positive changes in the homeroom climate when understudies with sensory difficulties get proper therapy. Further developed consideration, diminished conduct issues, and expanded support in homeroom exercises are among the noticed benefits.

Conclusion

As Healthalliance keeps on developing, so does the scene of medical services and therapy. Sensory Integration Therapy stands apart as an encouraging sign for people wrestling with sensory handling difficulties. Its comprehensive and individualized approach has made it an essential piece of the remedial excursion for the overwhelming majority in Ghaziabad, cultivating a more comprehensive and steady local area. As mindfulness develops and more people experience the positive effect of Sensory Integration Therapy, it is probably going to assume a considerably more huge part in improving lives and advancing generally speaking prosperity in Ghaziabad.

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Website - https://www.healthalliance.in/sensory-integration-special-education/

The Healing Touch: Exploring Hijama Therapy for Ladies in Hyderabad

In recent years, alternative therapies have gained popularity as people seek holistic approaches to health and wellness. One such ancient practice making a resurgence is Hijama therapy, also known as cupping therapy. This traditional healing method has found its way into modern wellness centers, and Hyderabad, with its rich history, is no exception. In this blog, we will delve into the world of Hijama therapy, focusing on its benefits for ladies in Hyderabad, exploring the prices at various centers, and shedding light on the significance of this age-old practice.

Understanding Hijama Therapy

Hijama therapy, rooted in traditional medicine, involves the application of cups to specific points on the skin to create a suction effect. This process is believed to stimulate blood flow, promote healing, and detoxify the body. The therapy is not only physical but also has spiritual and emotional dimensions, making it a comprehensive approach to well-being.

Hijama for Ladies in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, known for its cultural diversity, has witnessed a growing interest in alternative healing practices. Many women are turning to hijama for ladies in hyderabad therapy to address various health concerns and promote overall wellness. Women-specific Hijama sessions are designed to cater to the unique needs and sensitivities of female clients.

Hyderabad Hijama Centres: A Hub for Wellness

The city boasts several specialized Hijama centers dedicated to providing top-notch services for ladies. These centers offer a serene and comfortable environment, ensuring a positive experience for clients. From trained therapists to state-of-the-art facilities, Hyderabad’s Hijama centers are setting a new standard in holistic healthcare.

Hijama Therapy Price in Hyderabad: Finding Value for Wellness

While the benefits of Hijama therapy are undeniable, it’s crucial to understand the hijama therapy price in hyderabad to make informed decisions. Prices for Hijama therapy in Hyderabad can vary based on factors such as the center’s reputation, therapist expertise, and the inclusivity of additional services. Let’s explore the range of prices for Hijama therapy in the city:

Hyderabad Hijama Centre A

Standard Session: $X

Premium Session (includes additional services): $Y

2. Wellness Oasis: Healing Haven for Women

Introductory Session: $Z

Membership Packages Available for Regular Sessions

3. Revitalize Holistic Wellness Spa

Exclusive Ladies’ Package: $W

Family Packages for Added Savings

Benefits of Hijama Therapy

The benefits of Hijama therapy are multifaceted and extend beyond the physical realm. For ladies in Hyderabad, embracing this ancient practice can lead to:

Relief from Women-Specific Health Issues: Many women find relief from menstrual discomfort, hormonal imbalances, and fertility concerns through regular Hijama sessions.

Stress Reduction: The therapy’s holistic approach contributes to stress reduction, promoting emotional well-being.

Detoxification: By improving blood circulation and removing toxins, Hijama therapy aids in detoxifying the body, leading to enhanced vitality.

Conclusion

Hijama therapy is not just a trend; it’s a timeless practice that has stood the test of time. For ladies in Hyderabad, the city’s burgeoning wellness scene offers a gateway to experience the healing touch of Hijama. By exploring the prices, benefits, and dedicated centers, women can embark on a journey towards holistic well-being. The revival of this ancient therapy in Hyderabad exemplifies the city’s commitment to embracing diverse and effective approaches to health, making it a beacon for those seeking a balanced and rejuvenated life.

Witch Hats and Prejudice Part II

<-- Part I

Olruggio, my love, my man, I’m sorry your proposal to Qifrey in chapter 40 didn’t go as you hoped, let’s sit down and discuss your workaholism, temper issues and saviour complex, yes? Yes. It’s couple therapy time at last, we’ll have a look at Qifrey and Olruggio’s relationship and at chapter 40 in particular through the following points:

-Panelling in the Orufrey conversation in chapter 40

-Prejudice and power imbalance in Qifrey and Olruggio’s interactions

-Help as a collaboration between equals (spoiler: they haven’t made it to that stage yet)

-What Olruggio wants from Qifrey

 Panelling in the Orufrey conversation in chapter 40

The conversation in chapter 40 is never framed as a happy reunion. If we reuse the analysis of the panels from Coco and Qifrey’s conversation I made in my previous post, we find the same markers of unease between Olruggio and Qifrey. Most of the panels are narrow, and get darker and darker as night falls. Qifrey and Olruggio rarely share a panel, and even when they do, they rarely make direct eye contact: Qifrey looks down, or Olruggio walks away from him, or they are curled in on themselves or standing on a slope at different eye level. For a while Qifrey is up in the air and mostly talking to himself. Oh yeah, and there’s a hat that gets in the way at some point.

It gives the sense that they are having two separate conversations, and that they never truly achieve the connection that we saw between Qifrey and Coco. On top of that, while the conversation is supposed to be about comforting Qifrey and earning his trust, Olruggio never manages to get a smile out of him, except for wobbly, miserable little grimaces. So what’s going through both of their heads, and why are they failing to meet halfway?

The chapter has an outward pull to it. The scene takes place on a slope that leads away from the atelier. The chapter opens with a herd of dragons flying away and into the night. Then Qifrey takes flight to look into the distance, while giving a very contradictory speech about how fulfilling yet dull his life is here, how happy yet trapped in an illusion he feels. He has to hold on to his cape as it flaps in the wind. It brings those dragons back to mind, like they are a metaphor for the side of him that wishes to escape. Qifrey’s migration season is just starting folks, it’s a confusing time for him okay.

In contrast to Qifrey looking ahead into a dark wilderness, Olruggio in this chapter is almost always looking back. He walks away from Qifrey to talk to him over his shoulder, or he looks back towards the atelier. In the only scene where he faces Qifrey full-on, the past is so present on his mind that he de-ages them both. It’s interesting, because it adds a caveat to his pledge of listening to everything Qifrey has to say: he is not so much trying to adapt to Qifrey’s new situation as he is trying to bring them back to the childhood stage of their friendship, when they were always together and kept no secret.

This whole looking ahead / looking back dichotomy brings me back to the mentality of the Great Hall, a society obsessed with keeping itself in an insulated bubble, wrapping itself in good intentions and noble ideals, and ignoring its own inner darkness and complexity. Qifrey, because of his inability to be content and stay in place, threatens that delicate balance. That sends the other witches around him into such a state of panic and outrage that even those who genuinely love him end up lashing out at him with uncharacteristic brutality.

Prejudice and power imbalance in Qifrey and Olruggio’s interactions

I have described in my previous post how vicious and oddly personal Beldaruit got in his attacks against Qifrey in chapter 36, but you can make the same case for Olruggio, especially since the two scenes run in parallel. There is something excessive about the violence with which Olruggio confronts his friend. For one, he is choosing a hell of a time to do it: the girls are safe, there is no urgency to press Qifrey for answers right this instant – except if he is hoping to shock Qifrey into honesty while he’s disoriented. Qifrey has just woken up from a three-day coma; he is half-naked in a place Olruggio knows worsens his nightmares; his scar is exposed; he is half-blind because Olruggio has taken his glasses; Olruggio is literally an angry dark blob looming over him. I’ve often heard it say that Qifrey is manipulative towards Olruggio, but in return Olruggio isn’t above using intimidation tactics against him, consciously or not.

There is also the staggering lack of empathy of the approach: what started this whole thing is that Olruggio learnt about Qifrey’s impending blindness. And his knee-jerk reaction was to attack Qifrey about it. Like, um, my dude, your friend almost died, he is going to go blind and lose his job, you wanna try being sensitive about it? (Note that Qifrey running after the Brimhats didn’t trouble Olruggio that much at first: after his interview with the Knights Moralis he is mainly concerned with “getting his story straight with Qifrey”; it’s only later on, when we see him staring at the glasses he’s just repaired, that he starts voicing his doubts about Qifrey’s intentions). He may be right to suspect that Qifrey is hiding things from him, but there’s a pretty big leap between “you are keeping secrets” and “you are wilfully using your own child as bait”.

This whole suspicious climate, that makes Olruggio jump straight to the ugliest conclusion possible, is once again a feature of the Great Hall mentality. The mind of a person who has been in contact with forbidden magic is forever corrupt, and his actions are forever suspect. Had Qifrey been anyone else, he would probably have been given the benefit of the doubt for losing track of his students while he was, you know, extremely concussed and suffering from blood loss. Interestingly, Olruggio’s concern – whether, when faced with a chance to go after the Brimhats, Qifrey would choose his quest over his students’ safety – is addressed as early as chapter 22: after an instinctive movement to rush into danger, Qifrey pulls himself back and takes measures to keep Coco and Tetia safe, and even plans to call Olruggio and the Knights Moralis as reinforcements to help rescue the others. Then he gets hit in the head by a giant snake golem, and the rest is history.

In general, Beldaruit’s and Olruggio’s accusations that Qifrey is using Coco as bait without caring for her wellbeing just don’t hold up. First, all the attacks by the Brimhats so far have occurred in completely mundane, teaching-related settings with other adults present (at the stationary shop, or during an exam), so pushing blame onto Qifrey clearly comes from prejudice rather than evidence. Second, if Qifrey’s sole aim was to get clues on the Brimhats, he would pressure Coco into taking the Librarian test as early as possible, but we keep seeing the opposite: he encourages her to take breaks and to enjoy her training rather than be laser-focused on her goals. Hilariously, out of the two tests Coco passed so far, Qifrey gave his approval for none, thinking it was too early for her (extra-hilariously, Beldaruit is the one who speed-ran Coco through her second test). I’m just saying, if Olruggio hasn’t noticed any of this and can’t take it in consideration before bringing out the accusations and threats, maybe he’s not doing that good a job as a Watchful Eye.  

Another thing about this climate of suspicion, added to the power imbalance between Qifrey and Olruggio, is that it prevents them from having a healthy fight. Olruggio invokes his duties as Watchful Eye to berate Qifrey whenever he steps out of line, but when Olruggio lets his temper carry him too far and misuses his own power (when he drags Coco out to the Knights Moralis even though she had already been officially accepted as an apprentice in volume 2, or when he accuses Qifrey of using Coco as bait in volume 7 without proof), Qifrey never criticises him for doing so. It’s not that he is shy about speaking up to power – he is more than happy to yell at Beldaruit and Easthies when they mistreat his students. But when it comes to Olruggio, Qifrey is compelled to shoulder as much blame as he can, and seems almost afraid of saying anything negative to him.

It would have been justified for Qifrey to start chapter 40 by getting mad at Olruggio for his earlier accusations: Olruggio had been insensitive, unhelpful and completely out of line. But instead Qifrey pretty much encourages Olruggio to attack him again: from his “I thought you might be mad at me” to frantically denying that Olruggio might have ever done anything wrong. In return, there is something defensive in Olruggio’s delivery during the “I’m angry that I wasn’t someone you could trust” segment: he walks away from Qifrey as he gives the non-apology, and it comes out sandwiched between criticisms of Qifrey for being reckless and a long speech of Olruggio praising himself, and how everything would be alright if only Qifrey behaved himself and relied on him more. It’s an issue that this old distribution of roles is so well-entrenched between them, with Olruggio as the golden student and Qifrey as the eternal problem child.

Qifrey’s exaggerated gentleness and praise towards Olruggio participates in the feeling of wrongness that weighs on chapter 40. The memory erasure scene is framed like a kiss, and Qifrey keeps complimenting him even after sending him into an unnatural sleep. It would come across as condescending and manipulative, except for how fervently Qifrey seems to want to believe that Olruggio is perfect, and that any dysfunction in their relationship has to come from him.

Qifrey, focused as he is on his own dark secrets, is utterly unwilling to see any darkness in Olruggio. It makes sense when you consider that Qifrey has also been absorbing the prejudices of the Great Hall: he thinks very little of himself, and has probably been looking up to Olruggio as a moral compass ever since Olruggio took him under his wing as a child. He must also comfort himself with the thought that, when/if his quest drags him away from the atelier, Olruggio will be a perfect teacher for the girls. Having to come to terms with Olruggio’s flaws must be terrifying to him. But what about Olruggio’s perspective in all this?

Olruggio is an example of how even those who materially benefit from an elitist, close-minded society are damaged by it in some way. He grew up in the Great Hall as a bright-eyed, idealistic genius, and even as an adult he clings to the principles of that society like a mantra: “bring the blessings of magic to the people”. He is successful and respected by his peers, popular with the nobles and well-liked among the commoners. Yet somewhere along the way he became a ragged, workaholic hermit.

I have mentioned in previous posts that I suspect Olruggio of grappling with his own, deep-seated fear of being unwanted and left behind. He betrays that fear in the way he is attacking Qifrey: his concerns about Qifrey’s treatment of Coco aren’t based on evidence, and underneath that veneer he is mostly complaining that Qifrey is neglecting him. “Be straight with me”, “Don’t lie to me”, “You wouldn’t even tell me about it”, “You took her as a student without a word to me first”. There again, Olruggio is being a bit hazy on how far his influence goes as Watchful Eye: from what we know, Watchful Eyes are meant to ensure that students don’t get mistreated, but they don’t get a say in who teaches whom: it’s the disciples who choose their masters. Olruggio grumbling about Qifrey adopting more and more children behind his back is cute when we treat them as a couple. But from the perspective of their professional relationship, Olruggio is claiming the right to veto Qifrey’s students and take them away from him without any evidence of abuse.

The problem is that Olruggio is very bad at expressing his feelings without using his job, and therefore his authority, as a crutch. It’s endearing when he uses it to explain away his gifts to the girls (“I just want them to test a prototype”) or his marks of affection and care (“Drying your hair so you don’t catch a cold is part of my duties as Watchful Eye!”). However, it adds a layer of threat to his arguments with Qifrey, because he is constantly dangling that authority over his head, even when he is urging Qifrey to trust him. In his more agitated moments, it turns into a one-man good-cop / bad-cop performance (“Step out of line and I’ll report you” / “Why won’t you confide in me? I’m your best friend!”). Sure, he is willing to side with Qifrey against the Knights Moralis when he deems it appropriate, but here’s the catch: Olruggio gets to decide where the line in the sand lies, and that line seems to shift depending on how hot his temper is flaring at any given time.

It’s no wonder their conversation lends them in a dead-end when it is so one-sided. Thourghout the manga, and in volume 8 in particular, the author explores the idea that help should be a collaborative effort between equals, that encourages both parties to grow and learn more about themselves. Trying to unilaterally “save” someone is almost guaranteed to miss the mark and come across as condescending; it might even cause further harm.

Help as a collaboration between equals

Therefore, Qifrey and Olruggio can’t really come to any connection unless they make it clear that they are helping each other, not just endlessly acting out their roles as the golden student who knows all the right answers, and the problem child who must be saved from himself.

Aside from the framing, help as an equivalent exchange is the other key difference between chapter 40 and Qifrey and Coco’s dialogue earlier in the volume. In order to counter Coco’s doubts and growing self-hatred, Qifrey reinforces everything he admires about Coco: from her social skills and capacity for teamwork to her practical skills and her straight lines. He reminds her of all the things that she achieved so far. He also strongly hints that her fight is his fight, too, and that they should hold onto hope for each other’s sake. Finally, he makes a (pretty dramatic, unnecessarily literal and definitely unsafe, but still awesome) leap of faith by letting her decide what direction she wants to take next. His support isn’t conditional on Coco making the “right” choice, but freely offered. In return, Coco makes a display of saving Qifrey as well, saying she wants him right by her side while she figures out her path. The rescue itself is symbolic (it would actually have been safer for Qifrey to go back on his own), but Qifrey’s gratitude is genuine, because Coco made him feel valued, irreplaceable, just as Beldaruit and Olruggio were making him doubt his place as a teacher.

By contrast, Olruggio’s speech of friendship contains a grand total of ONE compliment, served in such a back-handed way that it sounds almost like a warning: “To Coco, you are a good teacher, so don’t betray that trust”. This is weighted against a slurry of criticisms about Qifrey’s recklessness, and heaps of self-praise. Olruggio is making a case for why Qifrey needs help and why Olruggio is best-qualified to deliver that help, like he is making a sales pitch to a client. It’s probably not a coincidence that Olruggio is remembering his successful bout of diplomacy in chapter 39 as he gears himself for his conversation with Qifrey. Olruggio, look, I get that you have more faith in your professional persona than in your regular self, but you can’t talk to your best friend like you are doing customer service, it just doesn’t work that way.

The help that Olruggio offers leaves no room for Qifrey’s input: once Qifrey has confided everything and laid himself bare, Olruggio will pick apart “where he needs the help” and “when he is about to do something stupid”, and either support or stop him as he judges appropriate. It reinforces Qifrey’s inferiority complex and interiorised guilt, by implying that his moral compass can’t be trusted. It also places the blame for Qifrey’s rash actions solely on his lack of judgement, rather than on having to grapple with complex, life-threatening situations and being caught in a pincer between a terrorist group and an oppressive system. There’s no mention that the definition of what’s “lawful” and “responsible” and “just” has gotten a bit messed up lately, and that Olruggio himself has had to compromise with his duties to cover for the kids. Olruggio fakes confidence in his capacity to fix everything, and pretends that things can go back to the way they were, but it would have been more honest of him to ask Qifrey to work with him so they can form a united front to face their new, complex reality.

Instead, by claiming that he is helping Qifrey out of a sense of duty, as Watchful Eye and as a friend, Olruggio reinforces the feeling that Qifrey is a burden to him. This gives Qifrey more incentive to keep his friend away from his investigations, and to see himself as expendable. In that light, since their friendship brings Olruggio so much trouble and so few benefits, betraying him and stealing the memories that relate to Qifrey’s secrets start to look like the lesser evil.

The only way that the conversation in chapter 40 could have gone well is if they both freely admitted to needing each other. However, it is too early in Olruggio’s character arc to be honest about his own feelings and worries. And it is too early in Qifrey’s character arc to see past his own self-loathing and recognize that his “perfect” friend also needs support and guidance. Yet, when they do, it is hinted that Olruggio can draw inspiration from Qifrey, and help Qifrey in a more meaningful way by highlighting how Qifrey matters to him, letting them reach this stage of true collaboration.

What Olruggio wants from Qifrey

I think Olruggio is repressing a sense of disillusionment about his work, the fairness of the system, and his usefulness as a witch. We see glimpses of his anxiety in chapter 39 notably. While he says that his true role is to help the commoners, circumstances keep reminding him that like it or not, his main function is decorative. He gets dragged in on short notice to be yanked around by petty nobles and arrange light shows at weddings; he has to act in secret to help the destitute, and even then can only do so much before the rules of magic society get in his way. So far he manages to keep his head above water, using his talent for diplomacy and showmanship to keep the nobles appeased, and finding small, creative ways to help commoners without breaking any law. But it leaves him with the feeling of being trapped in an increasingly constraining role, and is slowly pushing him towards a burn out.

He seems to feel a kinship with princess Mia, who like him is used as a tool in petty squabbles between nobles. He even metaphorically puts himself in her shoes: after likening her situation to being trapped in the spotlight in a dance she doesn’t want, he applies the same metaphor to himself and his inability to act outside the narrow constraints of witch rules, of being constantly watched and judged. And then, adorably enough, Olruggio actually brings Qifrey into the metaphor. He muses that Qifrey, who has gone against established rules before, might be the key to escaping that dance.

For all that the “problem child” / “star student” dichotomy has been weighing on Olruggio and Qifrey and warping their friendship, there is a flip side to it as well. As a prodigy who always pressures himself to perform perfectly (to the point where he will work himself to a zombie-like state and then hide behind a mask to look perfect and pristine in front of his clients at parties, Olruggio no), Qifrey provides a chance at escapism. For all that he berates him for causing trouble, Olruggio seems to fondly remember their old adventures. It’s possible that he valued the opportunity to do rebellious, forbidden things without having to jeopardise his reputation. His fear of being left behind by Qifrey is then also a fear of losing his hope that, when the pressure of being the perfect witch becomes too much to bear, Qifrey will be there to break him free.

In summary, Olruggio wants Qifrey to be his rebellious prince who breaks him free from the ballroom, and we respect him for it. Qifrey had his reasons for not being able to confide in him, and they both have a lot of character development to do before they can reach a stage of actual collaboration and trust. But I don’t dispute that taking his memories was a dick move. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.  

AssClass Rewrite: How Kaho should’ve been portrayed instead

I’m just transferring what I’ve proposed in the discord server to here for easy access UwU.

I hate how Matsui oversimplified Kaho’s character until she’s literally being portrayed as Maehara’s overly unsophisticated bitch ex-girlfriend and left her like that, implying that it’s okay for fans to put her under the same level of being horrible as Seo.

Haha how about NO?

With all the red flags that are just plain obvious throughout Kaho and Seo’s interaction in the chapter, Matsui had the chance to write her as the unfortunate girlfriend of the school’s rudest student. But noooo, he just went “it’s too complicated so let’s just end it like that” and it’s pissing me off smh

So, here’s my take on her character UwU:

Kaho is like the BIGGEST SIMP for all the Ikemen in school, and she will go out her way to get close to them, even asking them out (Zaina and I headcanoned that she’s from the Tennis club, but only because Isogai was also a member and she didn’t think that the club is separated by gender lmao). She’s basically Ikemen crazy, a pursuer, and does all the chasing.

If that’s the case then, how did she ended up dating Seo, of all people, with his ugly rude shitty ass self being the opposite of what the traditional Ikemen is?

Let me add a defining personality trait of hers then: Kaho is very un-confrontational.

Because of this certain trait of hers, she couldn’t say “No” when Seo asked her out, especially since the guy has a really good reputation at school as a virtuoso and for his “exceptional” (yeah right) English skills, that his family is said to be stinking rich, and that his outrageous personality in general makes everyone in school uncomfortable.

As Zaina, who is @dreaming-of-assclass​, have pointed out in her tea spill post about Seo, there is an obvious power imbalance between the two, that it’s beyond uncomfortable to think about what could’ve happened to Kaho had she rejected him when he asked her out, broken up with him when she had enough, or especially had she got caught cheating on him behind his back. Paired that with my take of Kaho being un-confrontational, she’s literally trapped and it’s heartbreaking.

Her crush on Maehara is definitely genuine, from what we’ve seen in the chapter of how happy they are together and the fact that Maehara is very popular with girls in school pre Class E and is considered as an Ikemen, brushing aside his “fast-dating” trait.

Background  and background:

When Kaho and Seo first started dating, she briefly stopped her pursuing habits, but then suddenly went back to it after seeing more of how shitty Seo really is in general (As previously mentioned, she couldn’t just call the relationship off, considering Seo’s reputation in school and how much power he has in the relationship along with how un-confrontational Kaho is). So, I’m gonna assume here for a bit. Kaho “unofficially” broke up with him, by keeping a distance from him until they, hopefully that is, drifted apart that they’re no longer together without the need of an actual declaration of breaking up or something.

So by that logic, to Kaho, it’s now okay to go after other guys since she already “unofficially broken up” with Seo. Then we have Maehara: handsome, athletic, fun, good personality, and very popular among junior high school girls in Kunugigaoka town. Despite his fast-dating playboy trait, he’s considered by many as an Ikemen. Kaho loves Ikemen, especially the very good-looking ones. So after him she goes lmao. Of course, with your girl being both a simp and a pursuer, she’s the one who asked him out. And Maehara, being your everyday fast-dating playboy, of course, said yes.

Now we have the retaliation chapter:

Kaho and Maehara might have been dating for a few weeks at this point, considering that Maehara knows of her daily schedule and how she commutes to school. They’re chill with each other and just happy together. All good.

Then Seo showed up.

With all the points I’ve stated earlier about their power imbalance, with Kaho being un-confrontational, she’s beyond panicking at this point for getting caught. (Let’s be real, Maehara kind of made things worse by pointing out the sudden change in her schedule as of lately. Important point: I’ll address this too shortly).

Cue the big mistake she had made that day: using Maehara as a scapegoat just so that she wouldn’t have to deal with facing Seo’s wrath, especially with how horrible his temper was. Yes, it’s wrong for her to do that, but you can’t exactly hate her for it since poor girl is beyond scared, that she had to do it.

To quote what Zaina and I have discussed months ago, about the café scene:

Fumiko – “I’ve also noticed something in the retaliation chapter. It’s only Seo who actually insults disguised Kayano and Nagisa. Kaho was more like, reprimanding them angrily rather than explicitly insulting them. And when they were talking about what happened with Maehara, it was Seo who was carrying the whole. Kaho was more of “I know right?!” rather than expressing her thoughts.”

Zaina – “EXACTLY!! It’s so clear that he’s the way ruder one!!! And she’s just going along with things to please him.”

Fumiko – “She even looked scared when Seo asked her if she had previously brought other people with her to the café. If 3E were that empathetic enough, surely the recon team would realize the way Kaho was just trying to go along with Seo’s rudeness to please him.”

Zaina – “I feel like in canon, none of 3-E was thinking very straight, or open-minded like they usually do. Because of Maehara’s humiliation and the direct insults towards them, it felt personal and they didn’t want to see it any other way. This was unfortunately exemplified by Koro’s encouragement. He really wasn’t a good role model at all for supporting this. Because you’re right: how did none of the recon team, or anyone notice how the two interacted?? How scared and stressed Kaho looked?? Especially Nagisa, who specializes in reading people and is sitting right across them??”

The last point made a lot of sense. We should really make Nagisa notice Kaho’s obvious cry for help, and even Kayano too for how obvious Kaho was faking it to Seo.

So now, we have the whole revenge thing:

Zaina – “You know, the revenge that 3E got on Seo and Kaho was super harsh. But it’s even more messed up when you remember that Koro encouraged and helped planned it.”

Fumiko – “I don’t like how they managed to get away with that with little to no witnesses. The lasy who asked the three to cut the branches should’ve noticed that large branches fell on two kids in front of her.”

Zaina – “The problem with AssClass is that they never acknowledge the consequences of their actions ever, which makes it hard to be realistic sometimes.”

Fumiko – “Another thing I don’t like about the retaliation chapter was that Kaho and Seo thought it was just a very unlucky day for them. No one else knew that 3E did all that shit. They literally got away with it with 0 consequences.”

So here’s how I think 3E should face the consequences of their actions in this chapter, which involves adding the scene of where Seo shoved Kaho just to get inside the restroom from the farther convenience store, it may have not been explicitly shown in the manga, but it was implied.

Until we get to Nagisa and Kayano noticing the huge red flags in the café, to 3E initially, both Kaho and Seo are equally in the wrong and deserve the same punishment. All the canon process in the revenge can still remain here, if y’all fine with that. After noticing the red flags and witnessing Seo shoving Kaho out of the way, wouldn’t it be best if they started to reflect on their actions from that moment? Like “did we go too far? Is she really that bad as we all initially thought? Was this even the right thing to do in the first place?”

It’s also a good chance for them to reflect on the fact that Koro encouraged all of this and is one of the most involved in planning, considering the fact that he is still a teacher, and he literally encouraged them to humiliate two kids in public. At the same time, even Koro might reflect on what he teaches them.

Also, Zaina pointed out that Maeheara literally did not learn anything from this in the end and just went back to his fast-dating habits like the whole thing never happened in the first place.

So let me addressed what I’ve mentioned earlier, then.

Maehara and Kaho dated for quite a while if he already knew about her daily routine, and it’s showing that they really do like each other and enjoy each other’s company. No bad blood whatsoever. So after finding out that Kaho is dating him behind Seo’s back, also known as the rudest student in school with such a horrible temper, don’t you guys think it was a very bad dick move of him to expose Kaho, the very girl who he was just having a great time with, just like that while it’s beyond obvious at how scared she was of Seo and is trying to save herself from getting in big trouble? Couldn’t he just have helped her with making her excuses more believable so that both of them could get out of trouble?? He’s good at talking, so he can definitely make it work. So why did he choose the option where either him or Kaho could the brunt of it, when it obvious that he’s gonna take it considering he’s from Class E?

We’re also definitely gonna make him learn something out of this in the end smh.

 And that’s the end of my long ass essay UwU

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue Rescue Team DX Review/Discussion! (SPOILER ALERT)

Just yesterday, I finished Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue Rescue Team DX and I’ve been thinking about what really resonated with me about the game, and what I think in particular could be improved. I without a doubt enjoyed the game, and like the previous Mystery Dungeon games I played, the ending was so emotional and I loved the story. Of course our “good friend” IGN bombed the game with a 6 and complained about what makes Mystery Dungeon what it is, but I’m not here to do that. Let’s begin this super long review discussion.

1. The Story (*****) 👍

The story of Mystery Dungeon DX was quite intriguing. It didn’t go on for as long as other games, but I was very hooked on the suspense that the story offered, even if sometimes the foreshadowing gave a good hint of what would happen next at times. The story of DX begins with the arrival of you, the Pokemon of your choice (once being a human prior to said arrival) into the world of Pokemon. Upon arrival (much like other games), your eventual partner finds you and helps you get to know the new world you arrived in so mysteriously. You band together with your partner to begin a rescue team, which along the way has several bumps and delays including the building of your rescue base which you must count on Chestnut-hungry Mankey to finish. You the Pokemon (mine was Chikorita, my fave) have frequent dreams of a Pokemon-like figure that is communicating to you through sleep, but the messages they convey are a bit cryptic and don’t make complete sense at first. 

You eventually discover a legend in which a human supposedly stole a tail from Ninetales. According to this myth, if a tail was ever stolen from Ninetales, the one who stole it would be cursed. As Ninetales began to cast the curse on the human, their companion Gardevoir sacrificed itself to take the curse instead of the human. For much of the story’s beginning, this myth was put in question by the Pokemon in Pokemon Square. However, after consulting Xatu about the reason you the player were turned into a Pokemon in the first place, the myth began to be confirmed. 

You learn that the human that was protected from the curse abandoned Gardevoir, and Ninetales predicted that the human would eventually be reborn as a Pokemon, and when this happens, the world will fall into disarray. Gengar, the antagonist, tries to convince everyone in Pokemon Square that the player is the human causing all of the imbalance and disasters in the world. Initially, this accusation is taken seriously, causing you and your partner to become fugitives until you are able to discover the truth behind the Ninetales legend. This is where a big and very beautiful theme comes into play: faith. Your partner denies the truth of the accusation that you are the human that stole the tail and abandoned Gardevoir and chooses to believe in you no matter what. You both venture to where Ninetales is said to reside in order to get the truth. Along the way, Absol joins your party and helps you on your way to the top of MT. Freeze’s summit, the home of Ninetales. Upon reaching the top, Alakazam, Tyranitar, and Charizard clash with you and your partner due to you supposedly being the cause of the world’s crisis. Ninetales, however, stops the fighting and tells them a relieving truth: you are not the human of the legend. 

You and your partner return to Pokemon Square to present the full truth, but their lack of proof of their own exoneration makes Gengar continue to spread doubt. However, his campaign of fear-mongering falls apart, and everyone quickly realizes they have been conned by the troublesome Gengar.  Afterwords, rescue team ACT (Alakazam, Charizard, and Tyranitar) goes to quell the rage of Groudon, the Pokemon causing the earthquakes in the region. They never return, causing panic. Blastoise, Octillery, and Golem form their own team and try to defeat the unstoppable Groudon, but they too are hopelessly defeated. You and your partner decide to go after Groudon determined to defeat it. After venturing through the Magma Cavern and defeating Groudon, Xatu informs you of a falling star that is approaching the planet. It is this falling meteor that is the true cause of the world’s imbalance, and Rayquaza is the only one that can stop it. You the player are responsible for scaling the Sky Tower and convincing Rayquaza to cooperate in saving the world through battle. In a dream prior to heading outfor the Sky Tower, Gardevoir tells you that your transformation into a Pokemon occurred because you are the one destined to save the world, thus turning you into a Pokemon to fight alongside your Pokemon friends. 

This also means that once your mission is achieved, your role is over, sending you back to the human world. This makes you as the player sad, due to the inevitable departure from your close friend and partner. During this encounter with Gardevoir during sleep, a Pokemon’s presence can be felt trying to interfere with the dream, but it hastily leaves due to the overwhelming sorrow that can be felt. (This Pokemon is Gengar, who previously was turning your dream into a nightmare.) 

Xatu and Alakazam begin preparing the portal to the Sky Tower, but receive help from a mysterious “ghost” Pokemon. (Again, it is Gengar) Once the player makes it to the peak of the Sky Tower and once Rayquaza is convinced to destroy the star, the player ends up in the Netherworld. Here, Gengar can be seen and drags the player off claiming he will send you to the “dark world”, but claims he has “forgotten” his way around. In actuality, Gengar saves the player by taking them out of the netherworld and bringing them back into the Pokemon world, where you face your fate as the hero of the region. 

This is where the story concludes. You fade away after Gardevoir informs you that your role has ended. This disappearance shocks your partner and the emotional goodbye ensues. Afterwards, like in all of the titles, the player eventually returns to see their partner again due to the strong bond between them. I very much loved this story and enjoyed each twist and turn it offered. The idea of having unbending faith in someone you care about is powerful, and Gengar as a character is just a beautiful concept to me. An additional reveal that I neglected to mention until now for a reason, is that Gengar is the human that stole the tail of Ninetales and betrayed Gardevoir. This is part of the reason that he tried to invade your character’s dream, but fled in a panic. Gengar always regretted his selfish actions against Gardevoir but could never face the one he abandoned due to shame that he clearly hides throughout the majority of the story. To try to make up for his actions, he helps the player twice in saving the world that he was partially responsible for tearing apart. Gengar’s character as well as the plot just comes full circle and makes for a beautiful experience as a Mystery Dungeon fan. My only slight grievance with the story is the reuniting scene was too short, it came to a really quick conclusion and didn’t exactly show you what your partner’s full reaction was to you returning to the Pokemon world. Besides this, the story was fantastic, emotional, and unforgettable for me. 

2. The Gameplay (****)

There isn’t a lot I have to say about the gameplay, since it sticks to what worked well in the dungeon crawling genre, but added some features like the automatic choosing of your best move when pressing “a” and other helpful little quality of life improvements the game boasts. There is the auto mode for movement as well, pressing L will automatically make you search the floor for items, find Pokemon in need of items, and then find the stairs. Shiny Pokemon can now be found in dungeons, although the roster of them is limited. I appreciated that recruiting Pokemon takes more effort than it did in the past, you now have to have the matching friend camp to recruit certain Pokemon. You can recruit up to 8 Pokemon for a party while in a dungeon which makes fighting bosses more interesting. Even though the base of the gameplay is the same as its always been, it’s still fun for anyone familiar with the franchise that liked the gameplay in past games.

3. Visuals (*****) 👍

This can be addressed quickly and efficiently. The game looks beautiful.✨ The watercolor visuals makes it look like an animated story book and I enjoyed every moment of it. The boss encounter scenes look more fluent since the animations have been kicked up a notch and the style perfectly compliments the style of storytelling the game has to offer. A + +

4. Dialogue (***1/2)

Some of the dialogue was a bit stale at times, while it can be cheesy in others, but for the most part, it suited the game well. I feel as if there were more moments where I was either satisfied with the dialogue, or really liked it rather than off-put by it, but the few off-putting moments are still there. Sometimes dialogue would go from one thing to the next too quickly, but more often than not it was on track and consistently good. 

5. The Soundtrack (*****) 👍

Need I say more, the soundtrack in Mystery Dungeon games are killer. 🎶🎵🎼Never once did I hear a track I didn’t like, or a track that didn’t suit the situation/dungeon it was produced for. The song playing during the farewell scene made my eyes more teary (just like in the last 2 games I played) and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the music as a whole.

________________________________________________________________

Verdict:

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue Rescue Team DX is a game full of twists, turns, laughs, tears, and surprises. It’s faithfully good gameplay coupled with its strong story, soundtrack ,and characters makes for an adventure worth having in the world of Pokemon. Although it has some weaknesses when it comes to dialogue and its gameplay could have used a few more facelifts here and there, all in all, the game is a strong representation of what works in the Mystery Dungeon franchise. With an emotional ending, a fantastic message, and a great story, this entry to the franchise is one to be celebrated. 

My Rating: ****1/2  Strongly recommended.

So long as they don't give a sob story to Hilda & the minor female bosses, as well as make all the villains/NPCs recruitable with bullshit reasons like "I was on your side all along but simply under a spell" Eldigan or "tis only a flesh wound" Mahyna, I think I'd be fine with a FE4 Echoes. What would annoy you if they remade the game?

FE4 is still one of my favorite games in the series, so there’s a fair number:

Toning down or removing the incest, especially Lachesis -> Eldigan. I don’t even ship it, but it’s iconic. If Game of Thrones can include explicit sibling incest and become a pop culture phenomenon there’s no reason to be squeamish about it in Fire Emblem where there aren’t even any sex scenes.

Palette swaps everywhere again. No excuse for that these days.

Any attempt to shrink down the maps, because it’s just not going to work. As long as the game has the options found in all the newer games that let you speed through enemy phases it should be fine; they could even increase enemy density especially in Gen 2 to make more use of all that space.

Selective skill updates, like a nerfed Miracle but Pursuit/Adept/Accost all being the same. Either leave all of them as unbalanced as in the original or modernize the whole set.

No attempt to change some of the less interesting imbalances, like elemental tome types having an objective hierarchy because they’re identical apart from weight.

The breeding meta carted over with no significant changes. It would be much more dynamic if stuff like weapon and holy blood inheritance weren’t handled so rigidly, and the game could take cues from Awakening and Fates on class inheritance. There hasn’t been a game since Radiant Dawn without reclassing; can Jugdral remakes really get away with not adding some version of it?

Finn’s devotion to Quan being toned down. They can’t remove it or the setup for FE5 no longer makes sense, but they could definitely fail to address it. Optimally I’d prefer they just make him gay and remove him from the pool of bachelors since he wouldn’t be missed much there anyway.

The subs still being subs you can only get if you fail to get the kids, and most of them being uninspired knock-offs at that. They’ll have the assets and the space, so make them fully distinct characters and work them into Gen 2 in some way. Maiden!Lucina is a useful model for what to do instead with the kids if you don’t pair their mothers.

No added same-sex subtext, and no capitalizing on the existing subtext. FE4 is less heteronormative than one might initially think just because it has eugenics babies; Jugdral in general is definitely gayer than Awakening at least.

Ishtar’s probably going get a more sympathetic gloss because lots of people love her, but Hilda needs a certain something too. Not to be more sympathetic, but to have more connective tissue between the social-climbing mother putting her daughter on the marriage market and the tyrant capturing and torturing children for fun.

Honestly I kind of hate the child hunts plot point in general and consider it to be equivalent to FE10′s blood pacts in terms of arbitrarily forcing the plot to go in one direction. They strip a lot of the grey out of Arvis’s empire, and give Seliph’s goal of toppling it a strong moral dimension it would otherwise lack except in places like Issach where the empire’s forces are oppressing the populace for unrelated reasons. I get why they’re there, but I wish it were handled better.

No postgame/DLC additions, because there are some big battles in Jugdral that take place all offscreen and FE4′s big maps are perfect to show those off. I’m thinking the Isaach war in Gen 1, the liberation of Agustria in the postgame, and Bloom’s conquest of northern Thracia that leads into FE5 as examples.

Like, the thing you guys gotta understand is my loud opinions are far more defense mechanism than they are “I think I am right and nobody else is ever and people should listen to me only.”

Nah. They’re literally just me being as loud and as visible with the stuff that matters the most to me as is possible....because that actually minimizes the flack I catch for y’know...stuff I’m truly passionate about believing.

For example, my online behavior and tendencies in fandom on tumblr specifically....were largely shaped by my experiences in Teen Wolf fandom. Where I started out being as civil as possible wherever possible, and gradually got louder and angrier over time because THAT DIDN’T MATTER. Its why tone policing is bullshit, through and through. Because the real issue was never HOW I was saying what I was saying, it was what I was saying at all.

See, I flat out don’t like the fandom fave Stiles, as he’s portrayed on the show, and never did. Not from day one. He bothered the fuck out of me from the pilot. And this is a very controversial opinion in TW fandom, and was far more so back when I was first becoming ‘known’ in fandom, whatever the fuck that means or is even worth (seriously, its not worth a lot. You guys, stop putting so much weight in the visibility of more ‘well known’ bloggers....that doesn’t directly translate into the influence you think it does, especially when those bloggers are still holding what the majority of a fandom deems ‘unpopular’ opinions).

But back in my early TW days, I wasn’t really ‘known’ at all, for my blog and my opinions on the show. I was better known for my fics, which at the beginning, I was writing and updating fairly quickly. I’ve published somewhere just shy of 100,000 words of TW fanfic....and the vast majority of that was all written in just the first year or two in fandom.

And the thing is, for people who just found me on Ao3 and not on my blog originally....they weren’t as immediately aware of my bias against Stiles. Because I hate bashing ANY characters in fic. Even ones I don’t like, because the point of fanfic for me, is to FIX my personal issues with the source material, improve on the things *I* especially dislike....so even though I dislike Stiles on the show, in my better known TW fics, he was still present, and I was still trying to be as true to his core characterization as possible, WHILE addressing what I considered his core problem areas.

The kicker being.....a LOT of Stiles-fans LIKED my fanfic depiction of Stiles. A lot of S/terek fans included. You look at my TW fics like Where Wild Things Are or Lightning Crashes in particular....you’re gonna find a LOT of comments from self-proclaimed S/terek fans and Stiles stans....and those are just the ones I didn’t delete when I was forced to aggressively moderate my comments when a lot of those same commenters got loud and angry at me.

Which they did see....once they started connecting my Ao3 account to my blog, and my opinions on the show in general, which were starting to be more widespread in fandom due to some better known mutuals. I mean, its not like it was a big secret. My Ao3 pen name for my Teen Wolf fic is bigskydreamin’. It....wasn’t really anything I felt I needed to clarify, lmao.

But once people realized that the very same writer they liked for his take on Stiles very vocally disliked the show’s Stiles because of behaviors and scenes that I quote unquote deemed abusive (which I do, and stand by to this day).....they went fucking APESHIT on me. Like.....I can not even TELL you the extent of the nasty comments, anons, emails and reviews I got from some of the very same people who previously were glowing in their praise of my fics, especially the Stiles scenes.

All because I didn’t like the show’s depiction of certain behaviors and toxic dynamics, and set out to improve these things in my fic while being true to the characterizations....and which they had LIKED....until they realized my take didn’t come from a place of “oh I think Stiles is just the best.”

And then the fateful day came when one of them flat out asked me why I didn’t ship S/terek and if I would ever write S/terek....

And I had the balls to answer honestly. LOL. I wasn’t even insulting or offensive...just blunt. I told the person that I have serious issues with S/terek because of the power dynamics and the way they’re romanticized within fandom and most fics rather than called out and addressed, and I said I would never have any interest in tackling these topics myself in any kind of S/terek fic because my own past with abuse makes the ship just inherently unappealing to me because of how I perceive it, and I feel zero desire to ‘fix’ a thing I wouldn’t want on any level to begin with.

And they went and told all their friends and lol, RIP the rest of my TW years - and this was probably back in like, Year Two of my time in TW fandom. For a more accurate estimate, look for when I lost the will to update my big fics, because like. What was the point? Any positive reaction I got from updates at the time was just drowned out by the hate I got for adding to a story many of them were still reading, judging by the way my hit counts were still pretty steady with what they’d been with previous updates.....but that at the same time, they were heaping all kinds of shit on me for just....having opinions they didn’t like at the same time as I wrote stuff they still DID like.

The juxtaposition of those two things....lol. Man. Its a trip, I’ll tell you that.

And to be honest, the same thing has been happening ever since I started being more involved in Batfandom. You guys know how I reblog a lot of my own posts? That’s not something I used to do like, ever in TW fandom...because all the content I was making then was fresh. But I’ve always been a fan of Dick Grayson even while I was knee deep in TW fandom, so my longtime followers can tell you....I’ve been making these posts about him all along. A lot of my more popular Dick Grayson posts were written years ago, before I started getting active in this fandom....which only really happened over last summer. 

And the difference in TONE in a lot of my posts, is a lot of the ‘tamer’ posts.....which express the exact same viewpoints I have as in my more heated posts.....is because my ‘tamer’ posts were written as one-offs that I just wrote in passing while in a fandom that generally didn’t have any interest in my Batfamily musings....which did not at all stop me from still making those posts from time to time....because I don’t post ANYTHING for the sake of getting notes. Its literally just shit that’s on my mind, that I want to put out there for people to do whatever the hell they feel like doing with them. 

And so most of the posts I reblog, that seem more ‘mild’....its because I wrote them years ago, they got like maybe ten notes at the time, lol, and I’m reblogging them now because I have more of a platform and think they’d still be of interest to fans of that content specifically....but the stark tone difference is because when I wrote THOSE....nobody was jumping on my back the second I hit post to tell me how obviously wrong and stupid I was for not getting this or that or that and having this opinion on this character or just “caring too much about fictional characters.”

Like, you get what you give, people. You throw shit at me, eventually, I’m gonna start throwing shit back, and no, you don’t get to be pissed about that when all the evidence is there that I’m MORE than capable AND willing to have a good time just by myself....and more than happy to have people join in....as long as nobody’s being a douchebag. But if you get your douchebaggery on and start making my life hell....I’m gonna start raising my voice, because that shit fucking sucks.

The sheer vitriol I got for simply stating that I have no interest in writing a S/terek dynamic I see as inherently toxic due to the inherent power imbalances, BECAUSE of my own history as an abuse and rape survivor, which I was frank about.....it blows my mind. People are literally OFFENDED that in response to questions THEY asked me, I said....I do not like this thing, because of how it affects my feelings about my own trauma. 

Like, for years I have gotten monthly hatemail in my asks for spreading toxicity and hate through the TW fandom and ‘hurting real abuse/rape survivors by misleading people and calling S/terek pedophilic and misusing terms like that’....

And the utterly hilarious thing (in that not at all sort of way), is I have never ONCE called S/terek pedophilic, or anyone who ships it a pedophile. Never. Once!

You know why? Its not even because of my own personal view on whether or not that’s an accurate label for that ship....its because IT WASN’T EVEN RELEVANT TO THE SPECIFIC CRITICISMS I’VE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON MAKING.

Like, I literally never even got AROUND to expressing whether or not I thought that was a label that applies to that ship, because I’ve always had plenty of thoughts just purely on the specific power imbalances as I break them down in my view of that pairing....REGARDLESS of what you label those power imbalances. I don’t fucking CARE about the terminology. My concern has never once been what the fuck you call it, so I never made it ABOUT what anyone calls it, and purely focused on why I think it isn’t healthy just in specific terms.....and yes, pulled from my own personal experience and knowledge of abuse to back up why I feel that way, and to clarify why I feel so strongly about it.

But does any of this matter? Nope. Because all people cared about when directing hate my way for my oh so controversial opinions was not what was accurate to my views, but what was effective in discrediting them.

And the same shit is already happening in Batfandom, and its obnoxious, and tired, and yeah, its why I’m already kinda coming out of the gate hot and heavy, because within like....less than two months of me starting to post more regularly about Batfam specific content and getting some followers who have large fandom presences and boosted my posts to a pretty broad fandom circulation....

Its like, welcome to TW fandom, rinse and repeat.

Hardly any of the actual flack I’ve gotten in this fandom so far has anything whatsoever to do with my opinions on the Batfam....its almost all about the fact that I don’t like noncon/pedophilia/incest fics and am critical of the permissive attitude fandom spaces have cultivated around this stuff. And of the fact that I think the culture of false positivity fandom spaces try to enforce at the expense of marginalized fans who try to speak up about their experiences with racism and other forms of oppression and bigotry online, like, is similarly bullshit. Like, the thing people don’t like me for most of all, is that I’m LOUD and OPINIONATED about saying that these things specifically, fucking suck, and here are my own personal experiences that make me feel that way.

And notice the lack of actual argument with my actual posts. Notice how its all about ME....my volume....my ‘irrationality’....my obvious mental health issues (I’ve heard that one a couple times already, lol - no shit, I’m ADHD, have longterm PTSD, and a literal lifetime’s worth of trauma I’m still actively unpacking and sorting through, lol, what the fuck was the revelation in me having mental health issues? I’m not shy about it, and I don’t use it as an excuse for being an asshole.....guess what? I’m an asshole sometimes, and I can absolutely point to when and where I’ve been one. I’m not hiding it, and I’m not hiding behind mental illness).

Plus, y’know there’s my ‘fake wokeness’ because a white man can’t have any possible reasons or experiences that lead to him choosing to prioritize supporting people of color in fandom over other white people while still firmly being motivated by things that are born of his own life and his own lane, and just *gasp* happen to make me care more about certain shit than other white people do, like.....I’m as transparent as I am about my feelings and motivations for a REASON. I’m not UNAWARE of any of this or how I come across.....the thing so many of you don’t get is that none of this is a multiple choice test where you have to circle the right answer and you pass, you’re a good ally or a good influence or a good person.....all of this is just life. Its just us all making choices and everyone else reacting to those choices in whatever the hell way they choose. 

I’m not trying to win any points with anybody.....if I DID care about cultivating my own influence in fandom, I MORE than have the communication skills to couch my most controversial opinions in language that would be more palatable to the MOST influential corners of fandom, draw more people in, be less alienating or distancing to people who have a kneejerk defensive reaction to a lot of the things I say....like, however influential I may or may not be in various fandoms and various fandom circles....I am perfectly aware of how I could say or do things differently to have MORE influence in broader reaching circles....I just fucking hate that kind of game playing. 

I’m the opposite of trying to win points....I just want the people who are around me and who follow me to actually RESPECT me enough to fucking listen to me and what I have to say....because otherwise, how do either of us even benefit? What’s the point? Who’s gaining anything from any interaction?

So yeah. I’m loud, and vocal, and opinionated....I say exactly what’s on my mind and I don’t apologize for it. I’m an asshole to people who are an asshole to me first, and sometimes I fuck up and I’m an asshole to people who don’t deserve it. And if you call me on that and I pull my head out of my ass soon enough to notice in time that you’re right and I owe you an apology, I’ll do that! And if you don’t want to call me on it and choose to take the offense I caused as a reason not to follow me or interact with me any further....that’s perfect valid and understandable too, and absolutely your right! Do what you need to do for you!

But the one thing that will never ever ever win you any points with me and that I just despise more than anything....is the fundamental lack of awareness, and lack of respect for me and what I’ve lived through....that the S/terek readers of mine who started the chain of events that led to me settling on my current approach to interacting with fandoms.

That thing where some people in various fandoms think its perfectly acceptable and reasonable to like some of my fan content....but then get pissed and upset with me because I don’t like all of the same things you do, think all of the things you do, and am judgmental about various ships you might have or fics you might read or write......and then take this out on me.

Nuh uh. Not okay. Never okay. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, I DO NOT SIT THERE AND TAKE THAT SHIT.

Because the thing the people this describes seem incapable or unwilling to grasp is....

For all your talk of “don’t like/don’t read” and telling me and other survivors to take responsibility for curating our own fandom content and experiences and avoiding things that might trigger us....

Even when I TRY and do that to the absolute BEST of my ability.....some of you still get pissed at me and go on the offensive because I don’t want to interact or be around certain content or people who are inspired to create that content....because of what it brings up for me, because of my various past traumas.

Like, that’s what it boils down to, IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. People liking what I have to say, until I say I don’t like something they don’t like and here’s why....and then its open fucking season, because how dare I not want to associate with them because that association is likely to expose me to triggering things they also at the same time expect me to take responsibility for avoiding, so as not to blame anyone else for my exposure to such things.

Can you please maybe understand why that fundamentally DOES NOT FUCKING WORK??

And is not only utterly unreasonable, but offensive to ask of someone who’s just trying to participate in fandom and have a good time and simply STATE when and where relevant, that there are things that impact my ability to have a good time, just as there are things that impact the ability of other fans to enjoy themselves alongside you as well?

Or are we ever going to get around to some people admitting that their fandom experiences have absolutely nothing to do with caring about the ‘community’ people swear up and down exists, and solely prioritize their own personal enjoyment, and FUCK everyone else? (While meanwhile, also being all: but why aren’t they making more of the stuff that I at least was enjoying when they weren’t bitching about not having fun here?’ LOL. Can’t ever forget that part.)

Its just.

You all are fucking exhausting sometimes, I swear. And that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere, because I have as much right to be here as anyone, and I DO still manage to have a good time a lot of the time in spite of this crap, but that’s never gonna stop me from saying I have a right to have more of a good time and less of a literally triggered time, if any of you might ever care to prioritize that for me as much as you ask me to prioritize your good times for you.

This isn’t me doing anything other than saying....you all are fucking exhausting sometimes, I swear. Because sometimes, I just want to say that. Sometimes, it feels good to say that. And at every time, I have every damn right to say that in any way, shape or form I want to say it, at any volume I want to say it at, because none of this is me yelling at anyone, it is every single one of us sitting safe and comfortable in front of a screen of some kind, reading someone else express themselves and deciding how we want to take that expression and what’s being expressed, and how we want to react or not react in turn.

Like....just...its that fucking simple. That is literally all so much of this fucking ‘discourse’ is. People experiencing life in different ways than other people, and some people wanting to improve their experiences, some people wanting their experiences to stay just the way they are, some people wanting to ignore every experience that doesn’t fit their expectations or desired interactions, and other people just.....idk, just being fucking high, let’s face it, half the shit on this site is just plain weird and I like to assume the best of humanity and just chalk it up to half this site’s user base being high as fuck most of the time they post, LOL. 

*Shrugs* Congrats if you actually read all the way through to the end of this post....like....this is where I reiterate...I have ZERO expectations for this post. I have NO clue how people will react to it, how many or how few people will take it in the way I want it to be taken, especially because *I* don’t even know how I want it to be taken or what I would like to come of it. This is literally just me saying shit that is on my brain in response to my own personal experiences on this site and in this fandom. It is utterly, 100% up to you guys to decide what you do with it from here.

If I have one want for all fandoms, I guess it would just be.....for people to look to their own behavior and motivations and choices and take responsibility for their own shit before projecting onto other people and expecting them to do all of that while still refusing to do any of it themselves.

Too many people keep trying to drive one way on what are supposed to be two-way streets, and being shocked when that repeatedly results in collisions, pileups, accidents and blatant hit and runs.

We all live in a society.

Quit treating other members of that society like they only exist to cater to your existence alone.

The Hunger Games has genuine literary merit beyond the fandom reactions to it

Arguably, it was one of the most influential franchises of the 2010s. However, it suffers from being both extraordinarily overrated and criminally underrated when closely examined. It was a conversation in my Literature class that led me to wonder: does this series truly have literary merit? The question became inescapable as I was swept up in thought and nostalgia, and the deeper messages of the series are indeed clear to me upon revisiting the beloved childhood saga. 

The response to the films and even the books themselves reveal that Suzanne Collins’s critique of current society was right all along. The real merit of The Hunger Games series is painfully overshadowed by the elements that “sell well” within mainstream media. Because The Hunger Games is a story that features popular cinematic elements such as violence and romance, including a classic love triangle (see the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Twilight, Star Wars, Mission Impossible, Divergent, etc, etc), the series is devalued from its real message. The fans of the series place little value with any deeper meaning, and it is therefore lost to the menial focuses of the general public.

To begin, the focus of the book begins with the concept of the Hunger Games, wherein children are pitted against one another in a fight to the death. While this is portrayed in the books, the cinematic approach further visualizes the violence that is apparently so entertaining to audiences. Where scenes that give greater meaning to the series are not included or inaccurately shown, the theme of violence and gore is left to rise. Unfortunately, this undermines Collins's commentary on the prevalence and glorification of violence within our society, including in popular media and the news, especially when it comes to the normalization of such horrific acts such as the deaths of children, murder, and war itself. When these events become political fodder or are reduced to headlines, they lose their significance and real meaning: people are suffering and something must be done about the matter.

long post below the cut. I wrote this as a full essay rip

Furthermore, the series also satirizes the upper class and those with enough privilege to turn a blind eye to the suffering of those with not enough luck or initial privilege in their life to absolve themselves from danger, violence, and poverty. The Capitol is a society of wealthy people and the main audience for the games, yet they do not have to send children them to themselves. This isolated, secure part of an impoverished, divided nation, represents how, in our society, the wealthy and powerful take advantage of the lower classes through the exploitation of workers, unfair tax cuts and overall societal imbalances that systematically keep minorities at a disadvantage. While the 1% profits off of suffering, the rest of the world is left to suffer.

  It must also be addressed that most of the symbolism in the series, at least the books, is subtle and only hinted at by Katniss. Why these messages were not revealed even after the movies were released can be attributed to Suzanne Collins’s silence on her own series. With each cinematic release comes press tours and interviews about the meaning of the books and movies, but Collins notably has largely remained silent on the matter. In today's society, it is not uncommon to see authors such as JK Rowling, EK Johnston, Rick Riordan, and more take to Twitter, Instagram, or other websites to elaborate on the messages within their books and clarify what they meant, even retroactively adding to the meanings and characters featured within the books. But this neglects the death of the author, wherein readers are allowed to form their own opinion, regardless of the author’s intentions. The post-publishing contributions to a finished work can be done for profit or maintaining fan interest beyond the completion of their series. Yet, not letting their work exist as its own product, up for reader interpretation, devalues their work. Collins’s refusal to participate in this culture is admirable. Her words are placed in the hands of readers, continuing the legacy that existed for thousands of years before Twitter was invented. 

Even so, the pitfalls of this are her target audience of young adults, who often fail to understand the real messages embedded within the work. The literary analysis above is, unfortunately, necessary to prove the symbolism within the series because society instead chooses to focus on the elements of romance and violence present within the series. As a result, Collins's genius is truly underappreciated. Her writing and the literary merit therein flies over the heads of her readers. Again, the true value of the series has been lost in the glorification of violence and romance. Collins herself is arguably not advocating for these values; it was only by accident that her books became so popular for the wrong reason. Her other series are relatively unheard of but just as profound. The Underland Chronicles possess the same poignancy and significance as The Hunger Games, but its subject content is considered too outlandish by society to be thrust rapidly to the same heights as the latter.

Even so, the generalized reaction to The Hunger Games movies and books prove this point. The first of the series is the most popular and by general consensus, the most interesting. The following two books, especially the conclusion of the series, are considered to be boring. Yet this is the point. Mockingjay, the final book in the trilogy, depicts the dangers of war and the society that has been allowed to evolve from the ashes of a long-past conflict. The country erupts into civil war, but audiences consider this to be boring because of the emphasis on battle strategy, power struggle, and Katniss’s mental health, rather than outright violence and romance. And still, it is these ideas that contain the most literary value. These points, which I will elaborate on later, are superficially less interesting than the elements of a love triangle and kid-on-kid murder but must be acknowledged to find the true value of the series.

Even Collins’s portrayal of romance within the series subverts the expectation of modern love. The stereotypical gender roles between Katniss and Peeta are flipped. Where Katniss is tough, coarse and even unfriendly, Peeta is likable, charming, and charismatic. Katniss, especially in the first book, is seen taking care of Peeta who repeatedly gets injured; she is his protector while he is frequently criticized for his softness as a character. Yet in the end, Katniss chooses Peeta for his gentle nature and care; these are the qualities that she needs to balance out her own anger and roughness. She loves him for “feminine qualities” because she seeks a true balance of her own personality. Peeta is one of the few characters who remain uncorrupted and pure even with the horrors of their society. Few acknowledge this; the debate over Katniss’s romantic life is reduced to a love triangle between the baker boy and childhood friend. But in Collins’s own words, “Katniss isn’t just deciding on a partner; she’s figuring out her worldview.” The books do not portray a simplistic love triangle. It is the choice between optimism and a surrender to violence.

Katniss herself is unwilling to participate in violence and the idealization of murder unless it comes down to the survival of her family. Katniss’s defining qualities are her loyalty and love, rather than blatant heroism and the want to make change in the world. Unfriendly and hardened, she is static in remaining a fierce defender of her family. Again, this is purely realistic considering the hardships of her childhood. As a result, she is forced to act differently as a popular idol for both the Capitol and the rebels. Whenever she appears as a figurehead, she softens her personality to be likable and charismatic. The Capitol wants to see that she is still feminine, lovely, and unharmed by her upbringing in the districts. The threats against her family still motivate her; if she does not perform well, everyone she cares about will be killed. It is only when she has nothing else to lose that she acts out in rebellion. At the climax of The Hunger Games, she suggests to Peeta that they both kill themselves instead of killing each other. As one of two tributes left, she cannot bring herself to kill him, as her humanity defines her in that moment. Over the course of the games, she comes to care for Peeta, and she refuses to sacrifice that humanity, even if it means that she can go home to her family. Her next move beings a continuing trend; when she does not have the option to protect her family, she acts out in rebellion against the Capitol. She or Peeta will die in an act of defiance. By trying to kill herself and Peeta, she shows her true genius. If all tributes die or if more than one live, the Capitol loses, and she forces their hand on this matter. This moment displays her true, underrated intellect. 

Thus also begins the battle for control against the Capitol. As the series progresses, Katniss combats the urge to do the right thing for the greater good of Panem. In District 11, she tries to make up for the losses of their tributes by donating money and speaking from her heart about those who saved her life. But in the end, she is forced again into silence by the threat against her family. She will not compromise their safety even for a rebellion that could potentially liberate the country. Although she has inherent goodness, Katniss is the ultimate reluctant hero. In her own words, “all I want to do is protect my sister.” Unlike most heroes, she does not fight for the greater good, but for the protection of those who she cares about. Also unlike the archetypal hero, she is constantly restricted by her own inhibitions about what she personally has to lose. While this subverts expectations, it also emphasizes her humanity. Despite her cultural reputation as the girl with the bow and arrow, Katniss is a tangible character with real fears and doubts. 

Also, the symbolism of the loss of innocence is degraded because the series so popular for its violence and romance culminates in a book that emphasizes other points and uses action and love sparingly. They no longer have great narrative significance, meaning that the mass commercialization of the book became harder and its subject less interesting to consumers.

Other themes in Mockingjay display the corruptive nature of violence and power. Alma Coin, the president of the rebellion, rises to power as a direct result of extreme violence and brutal tactics. Even without her final act of bombing children, her true leadership is the result of violence, bloodshed, and long-standing war. Her presence suggests that violence breeds violence, even with good intentions. Because Coin is forced to wage war, as there is no other way to overcome the current circumstances of the country, war and violence become her expertise. The longevity of war implies that once the mindset of violence is adopted, it can never fully be washed away. While Coin has good intentions, she eventually becomes violent and even senselessly cruel.

This is further demonstrated in the scene, when after the war is won, she suggests that they hold a symbolic Hunger Games using the children of the capitol. This is an act of revenge to emphasize that the Capitol no longer has power. However, Coin continues the same vile methods of control, propagating the cycle of violence and bloodshed within the country. Katniss is one of the few people who recognize this; she is consequently the only one left to act on this knowledge. When asked to vote whether or not to hold the games, Katniss decides two things. The first is to vote yes, and in doing so, she recognizes that she has been used as a pawn by both Coin and President Snow, who need a figurehead to maintain power. She is intelligent enough to comprehend her powerlessness, and at that moment, resolves to do something about it. During the scene, she is depicted as having an almost silent conversation with Haymitch, in which they both agree to comply with Coin because they cannot currently do anything about their circumstances. Haymitch says “I’m with the Mockingjay,” signaling to Katniss that he understands the reality of the moment and will support her temporary compliance and future resistance. Katniss's intelligence is truly revealed with this scene, although most interpret her decision as her want for revenge. In reality, she has decided to kill Coin and effectively break the cycle of violence within the country.

When Katniss finally has the opportunity to kill Snow, she instead aims for and kills Coin. It’s never explicitly explained why, but it still reveals Katniss’s true perception of society. This gives her true power, with the responsibility to take action. It can also be noted that at this point, she has lost her sister and feels as if she has little else to lose in her life. She is no longer motivated by love for her family; now, she has nothing left to lose and this makes her all the more powerful. She knows that killing the new president and leader of the rebellion that brought them to victory and “liberation” is a fatal action, but when she does so, she damns only herself. She is free in the sense that no one can be used against her anymore.

Even so, when she is arrested for the murder of the new president, Katniss’s struggle with mental health is further emphasized as she rejects her medication and treatment, starves herself, and saves up her medicine in the hopes of overdosing and killing herself. She has nothing left to live for. She is described as inhuman and miserable, yet, almost abruptly, a change occurs. Katniss chooses hope. She begins to sing, experiencing untempered joy. It is random and it is beautiful. Those who struggle with mental health know that hope is not simply achieved; it can become a choice. Those with good resources can find hope more readily, but at the lowest point in one's life, there remains a decision to fight for change and the betterment of one's life. Katniss is forced to reconcile if she wants to remain living and succeed, despite any struggle that lies ahead in trying to get better. For no particular reason, she chooses to continue fighting and this is what makes her a true hero. She has lost her sister and her family and any chance at a normal, peaceful life. By killing Coin, she has ruined her reputation and prospects, yet she continues to live, and as a result, she ultimately achieves the life she had been seeking from the beginning. She is free, she can choose peace. From the beginning of the series, Katniss emphasizes that she never wanted a life in the public eye, and now with most of society failing to understand her action and rationale, she can escape. She never sought glory nor fame, and she pursues peace. This is the ultimate loss of the Capitol: the one who stood against them, who fell prey to them, who fought in their games not once but twice, choose hope and calm demonstrates the true beauty of Katniss as a protagonist. It is her simplistic wish to hang up her bow and arrow and go home that sets her apart.

At the beginning of the novels, Katniss says that she will never have a family because she does not wish to bring children into such a corrupt world. Modern circumstances including climate change, the current state of global politics, and general abject hopelessness parallel this feeling in our own world. But after overcoming this in her own universe, Katniss achieves true happiness. At the end of the novel, she has two children. At first, this may seem out of character or included merely because it is the stereotypical happy ending in media, but this is what truly emphasizes how far Katniss has come and the security that she has made for herself. With her intelligence and bravery, she has remade society into someplace where she is comfortable enough to have children, to raise them and settle down with the man she loves. Again, her choosing Peeta represents how she no longer has to give in to the roughness of her personality to defend those she cares about. She can be gentle and kind as she never was before. She can be a mother and pursue her own definition of happiness. Suzanne Collins's decisions as an author mean that there will be no sequels or spin-offs, no midnight Tweets to corrupt this joy. Most of all, Katniss’s solitude in this journey depicts the uniqueness of such intelligence and clear perception. Because she was the one with enough clarity to see the corruption and violence of the country, she has the power to remake it in her own image. This elevates her beyond a typical protagonist, and beyond the simplistic interpretations of teenage fans.

It is impossible to realize these things and not wonder what Suzanne Collins thinks of what has become of her series. With its influence severely devalued, such a great critique on humanity and all its complexity is lost. Ironically, the society that Collins was criticizing failed to understand her true message. The importance of these ideas cannot be stressed enough: we live in a society where there are daily power struggles between classes, and consumerism is controlled by monopolies of major companies. Not only that, but Katniss is reduced to a girl in love who is good at archery. And in the movies, she is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who dropped out of middle school and has repeatedly come under fire for offensive comments. Collins’s intelligence and that of her main character are criminally underrated. The public reception to The Hunger Games severely devalues the complexity of the series. Elements of violence and romance take place of deep symbolism and criticism of our world; movies are made to be entertaining and sell well rather than represent a good story. One can only hope that is the love of a beloved childhood series that will lead to them being revisited to reveal these truths with more meaningful clarity. 

Best Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad 

 Best Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad 

 Introduction:

In the clamoring city of Ghaziabad, where the mood of life is speedy and requests can overpower, there exists a helpful methodology that endeavors to carry congruity to people confronting sensory difficulties. Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) is a particular type of therapy that has acquired conspicuousness for its viability in tending to sensory handling issues, helping youngsters and grown-ups the same. This article investigates the meaning of Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad, revealing insight into its standards, applications, and the positive effect it has on the existences of those going through the therapy.

Understanding Sensory Integration:

Sensory Integration alludes to the neurological course of coordinating sensory data from our current circumstance and our own bodies. For certain people, this cycle might be upset, prompting troubles in answering suitably to sensory upgrades. This disturbance can appear in different ways, for example, extreme touchiness or hyposensitivity to contact, sound, taste, and other sensory data sources. Sensory Integration Therapy intends to address these difficulties through an organized and individualized approach.

The Center Standards of Sensory Integration Therapy:

Individualized Evaluation:

Prior to leaving on the therapy venture, a careful evaluation is directed to comprehend a person's sensory handling designs. This appraisal helps in fitting the therapy to meet the particular requirements of the person.

Establishing a Sensory-Accommodating Climate:

The therapy meetings happen in a climate painstakingly intended to give the right sensory information. This might incorporate components like delicate lighting, relieving colors, and concentrated hardware to animate or quiet unambiguous sensory reactions.

Designated Sensory Exercises:

Sensory Integration Therapy includes drawing in people in exercises that test and upgrade their sensory handling skills. These exercises could incorporate swinging, climbing, material play, and different activities intended to advance better sensory integration.

Applications of Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad:

Youngsters with Chemical imbalance Range Issue (ASD):

Ghaziabad has seen a developing consciousness of the benefits of Sensory Integration Therapy for youngsters with ASD. The therapy assists these youngsters with growing better survival strategies for sensory upgrades, empowering them to connect all the more successfully in day to day exercises and social associations.

Consideration Shortfall Hyperactivity Issue (ADHD):

Sensory Integration Therapy has shown promising outcomes in assisting youngsters with ADHD deal with their consideration and impulsivity. By giving sensory encounters that direct their sensory systems, these youngsters frequently experience enhancements in concentration and discretion.

Learning Inabilities:

Ghaziabad's instructive scene has seen the integration of sensory-based intercessions for kids confronting learning inabilities. Sensory Integration Therapy can improve a youngster's capacity to process and answer data, adding to better scholastic execution.

Grown-ups with Sensory Handling Difficulties:

Sensory Integration Therapy isn't restricted to youngsters; grown-ups in Ghaziabad with sensory handling difficulties, whether because of formative issues or gained through injury or sickness, can likewise profit from this restorative methodology. It helps with working on everyday working and generally speaking personal satisfaction.

The Positive Effect:

Sensory Integration Therapy in Ghaziabad has made a permanent imprint on the existences of numerous people and their families. The tales of progress and change are demonstrations of the viability of this remedial methodology. Guardians have detailed better correspondence, improved interactive abilities, and expanded confidence in their kids going through Sensory Integration Therapy.

Also, educators and educators in Ghaziabad have noticed positive changes in the homeroom climate when understudies with sensory difficulties get proper therapy. Further developed consideration, diminished conduct issues, and expanded support in homeroom exercises are among the noticed benefits.

Conclusion

As Healthalliance keeps on developing, so does the scene of medical services and therapy. Sensory Integration Therapy stands apart as an encouraging sign for people wrestling with sensory handling difficulties. Its comprehensive and individualized approach has made it an essential piece of the remedial excursion for the overwhelming majority in Ghaziabad, cultivating a more comprehensive and steady local area. As mindfulness develops and more people experience the positive effect of Sensory Integration Therapy, it is probably going to assume a considerably more huge part in improving lives and advancing generally speaking prosperity in Ghaziabad.

Any Other Information About Occupational Therapy

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Website - https://www.healthalliance.in/sensory-integration-special-education/

⌠ ELLE FANNING, 20, NONBINARY, SHE/HER ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, ELIZABETH “BOWIE” FITZPATRICK-ABERNATHY ! according to their records, they’re a FIRST YEAR year, specializing in UNDECIDED; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (messy, white-blonde hair, flushed cheeks, dirty converse, ripped clothing, destructive behavior, stacks of gold bracelets, lack of respect for others, wicked brilliance, cracked iphone screen). when it’s the (pisces)’s birthday on 03/13/2000, they always request their SHEPHERD’S PIE from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ kara, 26, she/her, pst ⍀

---  black adorned eyes or no make up at all, no inbetween, always humming to herself, only singing aloud in the shower or during a bender, writes on her hands, ink-stained on them and occasionally smudged onto her thighs. hates her family, but loves them and is close to her sisters in whatever way she knows how. messy room, messy relationships, messy life, messy white-blonde hair. flushed cheeks, dirty converse, ripped clothing, destructive behavior, stacks of gold bracelets, lack of respect for authorities, lack of respect in general, wicked brilliance, wicked humor, imperfect, careless, reckless, cracked iphone screen, dirty fingernails, black nail polish, unmade bed, unfinished joints scattered.  ---

+ Elizabeth Fitzpatrick-Abernathy, later referred to as Bowie, was born on March 13, 2000 in Spanish Fork, Utah, (the United States) to Dallon Fitzpatrick (mother) and Sheridan Abernathy (father). + growing up a devout mormon, a hyphenated last name was the only part of her family that could be considered modern.  + bowie is one out of six (1/6) golden-haired Abernathy Girls. + the Abernathy Girls is what everyone in spanish fork referred to them as. they fit into the town, but there was talk about the Abernathy’s often. you see dallon was only sixteen when she married sheridan who was thirty-six at the time. as far as bowie can remember, the couple had always been happy and healthy, but the age difference made them the talk of the town. + people in small towns always needed someone to hate. they had nothing else to do. so of course, the hyphenated family with the large age gap and six starkingly white, beautiful, pristine daughters were chosen. + at the age of seven, bowie got kicked out of her church choir for putting gum in a girl’s hair. the next time she (sylvia) arrived at school, she had buzzed her entire hair off and got made fun of for being bald. bowie laughed so hard that she got sent home for the rest of the week from school. instead of school, she spent the week attached at her sister’s hip and taking notes on how to grow up too fast. + all of the fitzpatrick-abernathy’s were musically inclined. when bowie was kicked out of her choir, the girls banded together and began playing music more at home. it came naturally. they all wanted to support the girl who didn’t speak. so they let her sing, encouraged her to ! the abernathy girls then began playing at church, at town events and eventually even further than that. the girls would still get together in current adulthood and play music on occasion. their music group then became known as “ The Abernathy Girls ” the same way they were known as such just by existing. + all of the parents that thought their children ought to have been in the spotlight for being well-liked or well behaved hated them. fake smiles were put on toward the family, but they spat behind their backs. + women even had mrs. abernathy over for tea and would pick her brain six girls, how does she do it, and so young. the truth was that they were looking for things to gossip about, to find out the darkness behind the abernathy’s that they knew must be there (it was though they never found it). mrs. abernathy would always be shown out before the time their husband’s got home. the women feared her youthful appearance, her glow, and beauty. it was like they thought dallon could TAKE something (someone) just by looking at it (them). + similarly, the town grew weary of the girls, never wanting the promiscuous, bad girls near their sons or daughters or boyfriends, etc. as if everything they feared about mrs. abernathy was also a gift she had passed down to her daughters.  + growing up with so many people in her home, there was never any room for elizabeth’s voice. she eventually found it to be easier to remain silent than to try and speak up. + the same sisters that would cut her off or tell her that what she had to say was stupid eventually begun calling elizabeth weird for never speaking and would poke and prod at her to get something out of her. instead of a verbal reaction, they would get something physical. for example, she bit down on her sister’s finger so hard that it went through the flesh and came off, causing her sister to have to get it sewn back together. + in this fashion, elizabeth found power in remaining unseen, while seeing everything around her. + she found that  ACTING OUT  got her family to care. + somewhere along the line, acting out became addictive. her behavior was no longer reserved for her family or even a product of her family but rather had become a part of her.   + twenty years later, bowie remains a mystery even to herself. + Abernathy’s were unapologetic. she is the Abernathy that is unapologetically wild, the rebel without a cause, always rebelling against her family in one way or another. + unlike her sisters, she can usually be found in black clothing with a lot of smudgy eye makeup. + she loves party dresses, black clothes, ripped clothes, and stacks of gold bracelets. + "fuck it" personality living an "i don't care" lifestyle. + carries herself in a way that is weirdly magnetic with a strut to her walk. + doesn't speak a lot until she gets to know you. speaks with her eyes and smile. + giant blue eyes are one of her identifying features and offers her an intense stare. + self destructive. + generally destructive, really. + makes you question why you were drawn to her destruction in the first place. + she has moments of what i like to call, "philosophical fuckery." + philosophical fuckery just means that bowie has a tendency to say things that are profound in a random fashion.  + there is something inside bowie that feels broken. + she sees people clearly for who they are, even if they don't want you to. she can see weakness, strength, and has the ability to get into people's heads.  + she is a watcher, first and foremost. this keeps her detached. + bowie’s scared of getting close to people and nowhere near in touch with her feelings. she’s absolutely ignorant about her feelings. + she has a go-with-the-flow, live-in-the-moment way of life that makes the only feeling she’s somewhat in touch with, her sexuality.  + the girl’s promiscuous, lusty and raunchy. + her extreme fear of intimacy is what keeps her detached.  + bowie CARES no matter how detached she may feel. + she is capable of love, but the feeling scares her. + trying to get to know Bowie Abernathy is like trying to bottle air. you are probably catching some of it, but there is no way of telling if the air stays in the bottle or not. + bowie is a thrill seeker. she loves the chase, she loves games, she loves talking in riddles, and loves to party. it's the only way she can successfully relate to people.  + she lives a party lifestyle even though she’s not yet 21. pre-gallagher was filled with raves and hard drugs. + she may be able to observe and analyze emotions, but she does not know how to handle them because emotions offer her no sense of control or comfort. + bowie is always in control of the situation, even if she's not talking. she is in control. she needs control. control is her comfort. + when she starts to get attached or fall in love, she starts losing that control in epic proportions and in epic fashion. + however when she sits on the sidelines silently watching a scene unfold, she is aware of everything and everyone. + she is the puppet master and has nuanced to pluck the strings if and when it interests her. + the needs of others do not affect her puppeteering. she can see what they need, how they will handle the situation, etc. but none of it affects her decision making; her decision making considers no one but herself.  + bowie needs to see a professional, has needed to for a long time, but with so many people in her family, the signs of her disorder had always been ignored or explained away.  + bowie has unconventional relationships. + most people are scared in new relationships, but when your brain does not function in the way that it should, it adds a whole new layer. we will call that layer: fuckery. + the added layer of fuckery causes bowie to get very close to BREAKING when she enters genuine and overly-close proximities with others.  + she can not handle the intensity and lack of control that love supplies. it weakens her defenses and allows for a mental break to occur. + she has yet to address the deep psychological issues that has lead her to doing hard drugs and using her family home as a party cave whenever she can get away with it. + bowie is not a reality-based person. her head does not process reality in a level-headed manner. this means that she is susceptible to manipulation and falls for manipulated realities. + since she already has a distorted reality, when someone else distorts it even more, it's hard to figure it out unless someone points it out. for this reason, she NEEDS the close relationships that hinder her emotional and mental health. + this chemical imbalance is the only part of bowie’s life that wakes her up enough to know she needs to find some sort of BALANCE, but it’s not enough to get the ball rolling all on her own. + bowie is addicted to the idea of "it happened, but it never happened." this is a tactic that allows you to change reality if you are not happy with it. + bowie comes across as controlled and confident and mysterious. + she is all-knowing, mysteriously holding the knowledge of everyone's deepest, darkest secrets.  + can manipulate a situation, but not for the life of her fix her own. + bowie plays games and parties har because it is the only way for her to feel close to anything you could possibly call pleasure or happiness. + falling in love and experiencing love, in general, makes bowie feel weak because she is not ready for the way it makes her feel about herself.

Rawvana: Vegan Scam

I’m going to be answering a few questions about the Rawvana scandal.

1: What was she caught doing?

2: What is her excuse?

3: What could she have done different?

4: Why does it matter?

5: What did WE learn from this?

Before I get to those questions, let’s do a quick run through about who she is.  

Rawvana was known for being Raw Vegan for a few years. She recently started adding in some cooked foods, but remains mostly raw. She has inspired many people to become vegan, including the Latin-American demographic... including myself. In fact, for a while, she was the only Spanish-speaking vegan on YouTube, giving her lots of outreach. She offers online coaching for workouts & meal plans – none of which are free. But she does offer free advice on YouTube as well as [some] simple workouts & recipes. 

Now to answer the questions..

#1: What was she caught doing?

While on a trip to Bali with another YouTuber, she was caught on film sitting at a restaurant with fish on her plate. As the camera was aimed at her, she very obviously looked nervous, as she tried to hide her plate with her arms. Now, this other YouTuber, Paula Galindo, seems to have editited that specific scene out of her video, but somehow the clip got released into that leaky thing we call the internet. I wasn’t able to find out how? Maybe by the time you read this, that info will be out, but she appears to have taken it out of her video prior to publishing it. Still... the clip has gotten released and it spread online like wildfire. 

#2: What is her excuse?

Here’s where it gets a bit complicated... Rawvana came out with an “apology” video. Let me explain why I say that in quotes... Now, maybe I missed it, but it seemed like she only apologized for the way people found out she was eating fish, rather than for the act of actually DOING it. Adding salt to the wound, she also states that she’s eating eggs as well. Wait.... what??????

Yep, she’s added eggs and fish into her ‘vegan’ lifestyle.  

Cue eyeroll... 

So her official excuse is that she has contracted SIBO, or Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. 

Her doctors told her she could eat vegan while having SIBO, but will need to exclude a lot of foods. A LOT... enough for her to say that she can’t survive on this diet. So they told her she needs to eat fish and eggs. She states that it is helping her with the condition and is planning on returning to a vegan diet as soon as she feels better.

#3: What could she have done different?

For starters, maybe don’t do a 26 day water fast? The thing about Rawvana is she seems to have always had an addictive personality. She used to be an alcoholic and confessed to have had drug problems as well. She bettered herself by changing that up when going raw vegan. She then seemingly became addicted to juice cleanses and water fasts. This isn’t something she has confirmed, it just seems to be the case.

According to PLANT-BASED NEWS, this is where the condition originated from.  

And the problem with water or juice fasting is that it will directly affect your gut mobility, which dictates the way your food and your feces move through your gut. And without regular bowel movements, your ileocecal valve will become weak. Your Ileocecal valve is a muscle flap between your large and small intestines. And when it becomes weak, due to low amounts of bowel movements, it will allow the bacteria in your large intestine to migrate into your lower intestines, which is the main way bacterial overgrowth in the small intestines begin from the start. When this occurs, you’ll have all the bacteria in your small intestines, where they shouldn’t be, and will begin to ferment anything you eat will and you will experience IBS symptoms.

Water fasts have been done by medical professionals in cases of cancer and metabolic syndrome. However, it could cause harm to those who are of healthy weight with a normal BMI, who are not suffering from anything terminal.

So, in other words, not only did she cause this to herself, She was basically promoting this ‘cleansing’ habit on YouTube towards vegans, while she was experiencing the symptoms of SIBO. This has actually been a common link to the wave of people going back to a carnivorous diet.

A lot of people are ditching the plant-based diet because they’re Ill-advised by people who don’t really study nutrition, and they’re being advised to eat fish and eggs for health – which is opinionated advice, as they don’t have proof that this will actually help them. In fact, eating fish & eggs is not addressing the underlining cause of SIBO. It is only temporarily making people feel better because fish and eggs don’t have any fiber, and taking fiber out of the diet will cause less gas/bloating. But that problem will always be there, it’s not actually curing anything.  

You can stop doing liquid fasts and illuminate alkaline water while taking antibiotics while on a plant-based diet, and that will be the best way to cure yourself. There are natural herbal antibiotics on the market that will help kill that overgrowth in a more natural way.

Rawvana’s reason for not wanting to take antibiotics, is because she wants to do things as naturally as possible. So her plan is to heal herself with food, and food only. If that means adding animal products to her diet, so be it.

Her actual choice was 1: take herbal antibiotics while on a plant-based diet and get cured, or 2: eat animals to ease the symptoms but not actually cure it.

Now, I can sympathize with questioning antibiotics. I tend to make that my last resort as well, but I would never allow myself to contribute to cruelty on my plate. If I had to choose, I would have taken the antibiotics without question.  

Eggs & fish are not antibacterial – so this is not helping her condition, it will not go away at all.

So what’s the deal with alkaline water? All she drank was Alkaline water and it is advertised as super healthy & good for you.  

She’s married a man who owns an alkaline water company, so she’s been talking about how great that makes her feel in her YouTube videos... even though she wasn’t really feeling well due to her SIBO?  

It's the same thing as taking PTI medicine. It decreases stomach acid so the stomach gets more alkaline, which causes bacteria imbalance. The acid helps kill off excess bacteria. Get rid of the acid, and you get more of a bacterial overgrowth, which can lead to SIBO.  

In other words, she’s not only making herself sick, she’s influencing others to blindly do the same damage to their bodies.

The video by PLANT BASED NEWS perfectly illustrates how juice fasting and water fasting caused the entire issue. I’m not saying don’t water or juice fast. Don’t do it often, or for more than a few days.  

Her water fast was 26 days long... some of her juice fasts are well over a week. That’s enough time for the ileocecal valve to weaken and start the problem.

I understand her husband might hate her for a while, but she needs to stop drinking alkaline water. It is dangerous to those who aren’t suffering from something toxic. 

Girl, you’re vegan, and mostly raw – you’re not eating anything toxic! 

You don’t need that!

& it’s making your symptoms worse!

After being diagnosed, if it were me, I'd have chosen herbal antibiotics while staying plant based. All you’d have to do is eat foods that are lower in fiber, and little by little, as the antibiotics start working, add in more raw, high fiber foods! No fish/eggs/cruelty required.

#4: Why does this matter?

Non-vegans are probably thinking, ‘so what? She ate a piece of fish – she's sick and it’s helping her – leave her alone.”

The issue is –it's NOT helping her; it’s just alleviating symptoms ...for now.

The reason it’s raised a lot of eyebrows in the vegan community is because people who follow her advice feel like they’ve been scammed. All this juice fasting and programs people are PAYING for – she's been telling people that it will lead them to a healthier life... and she’s been sick for years while doing this herself. Not only that, the only reason she came out with this, is because she got EXPOSED. 

Had she not gotten caught on camera, she probably would continue to make more people sick than she already has. To those who have gotten sick, it has turned them away from a plant-based diet. And they’re out there in the world saying, ‘plant-based diets are not healthy, it gave me SIBO.’ She is single-handedly making veganism look terrible to those who were willing to try it out with her influence.  

And those who have paid into her programs can’t help but feel scammed. 

Again, she promoted this “healthy lifestyle” and had people actually pay for programs, recipes, & workouts -while she was falling ill from these unhealthy habits.

This is fraud, and illegal.

Will there be a lawsuit? – maybe... only time will tell. 

5: What did we learn from this?

Look raw veganism IS NOT the culprit here. 

You can eat raw and still be healthy. 

The main cause of the issue is juice fasting and water fasting for long periods of time. And alkaline water.

I wanted to write this post to warn those who are thinking of joining her programs.  

Not only has she lied about feeling great while fasting, she is influencing millions to do this, and in turn get them sick. Maybe not intentionally, but I just feel that she really should have studied what she was doing a lot deeper than she did.

and as a warning to NEW VEGANS - please research your influencers! take a look at their diets and credentials before submersing yourself into their habits. 

I hope she learns from this experience and educates herself on her own mistakes; and goes back to a vegan lifestyle. 

I actually tweeted this video directly to her - I’ll keep you posted of any responses.

See more details in this video by PLANT BASED NEWS: 

Why I Won't Be Interested In Book 3 of RCD (even if there's a wedding...and I'm a sucker for weddings)

Book 1 was okay for me as a start to the universe. I was disappointed in the lack of balance between the LIs, and the poor treatment Victoria got, but I was hoping Book 2 would be a step towards rectifying that and keeping a better balance.

Then we got the note at the beginning of the book that it would deal with "issues of harassment and discrimination". Weinstein? I thought. And I was half hopeful, half nervous. Hopeful because this book was about the film industry, particularly Hollywood, and the writers looked like they wanted to address that. Half nervous because I knew when that moment came a part of me could find it triggering. In any case, I was ready to read this book and see how it would play out.

Some things it did right. Content warnings were given - both at the beginning of the book and in the chapter where Viktor Montmartre attempts to assault the MC. Her friends/LI came to her support immediately and the 30-diamond scene that followed was sensitive in the light of that situation, and had the LIs share experiences of discrimination inside/outside the industry. Teja talks to you about the "boys' club" among directors, Victoria tells you about the constant sexual harassment she faced from a co-star who she had to wait years to expose, Seth has a rare moment of projecting his pain from years of bullying on the MC when he insists she immediately do something about it before apologizing and opening up to her, Matt speaks not about his own experiences but the discrimination his father faced during his early years as a Latino actor struggling to get good roles.

So what do I have a problem with? Two things. I'll start with the thing that pissed me off - but not as much as the second one did:

The LIs

No one who has played this series is a stranger to the imbalance when it comes to Matt Rodriguez in comparison to the other three: Teja, Victoria and Seth, first from Book 1. Matt gets the lion's share of the attention and narrative space, Seth and Teja disappear for chapters at a time, as does Victoria who has to deal with writing that does her character a complete disservice, to the point where the writers thought nothing of letting her physically attack the MC. The latter could also only be allowed into the film via diamonds unlike Matt and Teja who you could forgive and kiss for free. There was enough backlash to force the team to change dialogues in the book...which meant a better balance of content per LI the next book, right?

Cut to Book 2, where Matt still gets the lion's share among the original lineup, the other three still get guest appearances in this story at best, and Victoria is still hardly around. Only difference is this time Seth and Teja are made to act like squabbling toddlers instead of the professionals they were in the first book. Added to this is the inclusion of the HWU-alumni LI Hunt (you could have a moment with Addison but that is all you get, and you don't get to do much with her in the finale either. I guess we'll only know if she'll be an LI for sure next book).

While it's great that they're there, it was still at the cost of the other LIs. These two haven't gotten many diamond scenes in this book, which I put down to the timing of their own arcs (Addison gets just one prominent diamond scene really, and Hunt gets a few - including two in the finale). So I'd like to look at the original lineup, to see if they'd gotten better treatment this book:

Matt: Very prominent in the story from the beginning. He gets extra time with the MC in an early chapter so he can tell her in secret that he's part of the same film. He is in the cast of Double Agent with her. She interacts with him regularly and gets multiple diamond options, including that of sharing a room with him, practicing fight scenes, taking him to the hospital and eventually sharing with him (for free) her news about The Last Duchess. The MC's decision to call out Montmartre on safety violations on the set emerges from the horrendous injuries Matt sustains while shooting for Double Agent. He is the catalyst for why she disobeys despite her initial plans and eventually gets fired. He has more opportunities and overall - even without the diamond options - seems closer to her than everyone else in the book by default.

Victoria: While they've toned down the aggressiveness they gave her in Book 1, and made her a lot more approachable, they go the other extreme of hardly showing Victoria at all. The MC is involved least in her storyline (where she is working on an interesting crime film called The Godmother) and there's very little you get to know about the movie or what she's doing otherwise. The only plus side is that she is the one who relates most to the MC's plight, having experienced sexual harassment from a co-star in the film Cross to Bear, and having had her grievances brushed aside because of how powerful the actor was. She also speaks of the MC as being brave for leaking out the news about safety violations in her NY diamond scene, and gets to lay it down to you exactly how tough it is. While the little content we do get is...nice, it doesn't make up for the horrible treatment meted out to this character in Book 1, and it doesn't try much to provide her the nuance she deserves.

Seth and Teja: I don't want to club these two together - them being my favourite LIs, both unique and amazing in their own right - but the book leaves me no choice. Both are done pretty dirty in RCD 2, and in some sense I feel like they've gotten the worst writing this book. They have an advantage in that the MC is involved in the making of their film, and she gets to meet them here and there in the series. However most of her free time with them is spent having to watch in horror as they fight and bicker and push forward their own visions without reaching a compromise. Eventually, their 'solution' seems to be a result of the MC handholding the two into solving a puzzle together.

Why do I think this is the worst writing/treatment that could be given for the two when they are being given some attention? Because their portrayal for most of this book does nothing to improve/build on what was already there, but completely against how their characters were built instead, in ways that can make people lose interest in them overall.

The Seth of Book 1 received his first blow in Hollywood when his amazing script was rejected, but dusted himself off and found alternatives instead. This has been a recurring theme with him. Even when his standup career experiences a setback in the series, he is quick to recognize on his own that his succumbing to that negativity is not going to help him, and with or without the MC he tries again. When she is accused by practically everyone of being a leaker, he is the one who looks out for her and reminds her of the lesson she taught him. The Seth of Book 2 doesn't try to diffuse the tense atmosphere, doesn't try to find middle ground. The character as he was originally portrayed would be glad he's this involved in the film. If anything, he would try and work things out with Teja, and come up with a solution that does justice to both their visions.

Teja in Book 1 was an overworked, underappreciated assistant director, who at different times was either treated like a servant to do Marcus' every bidding, or a talented protege who had to make up for her boss' inadequacies by holding everything together and making sense of his 'vision', and who later on does a brilliant job as a director. Teja knows what it's like to not be listened to, to be treated like her opinion is nothing compared to the director's "grand vision". She knows what it feels like to be not valued much on the set or outside of it, and they seem to remember this briefly in her diamond scene after the assault, where she speaks about a "boys' club" of directors that won't take her seriously. I could understand some level of aggression as a way to maintain her control over this project, but I simply do not see her allowing her petty squabble with Seth ruin her film. No one is as aware as she is that a good working environment is essential to a successful film, but here she is contributing to the overall negative atmosphere. They're hardly the same person, the Teja of both these books.

Most of all, the writing does them an incredible disservice by having their argument take precedence in their stories over the MC's plight most of the time, have them focus on themselves more than they would on how she's doing. Are we even talking about the same people anymore?? Seth was the MC's fiercest supporter when she was being accused of the leak. Teja, even in her anger, thought logically as soon as she got the call from Matt's agent and spent her time trying to confirm that it was him before speaking to the MC first, for fear that he would find out and do worse. Do you really think these same people would drag this friend/girlfriend of theirs into their petty fights, not work out a solution themselves and not keep in mind what she's been through? Would they really be so self-absorbed that they wouldn't stop bitching behind each others' backs and taking breaks from each other, to actually think about her? To the extent that she'd have to handhold them into finding a solution to their conflict? Seriously??

It was an acceptable premise destroyed by shitty writing. The problems that arise when friends work together professionally, the tussle between two visions for the same project. But both these characters are largely proactive people. They take initiative to make a difference in the atmosphere of the workplace if something is wrong. The Seth and Teja of Book 1 would have at some point (earlier) sat down and tried to work things out themselves. They would have been honest with each other and tried to see a way to combine their visions into something that made sense. And they wouldn't need to be pushed into that process: they would take initiative themselves.

Most of all, they would not look at a woman who had been through a traumatizing situation, and think oh, lemme just bitch all day about the other friend to her. They would try and make things better for her. They would try to put her first. So while Victoria struggles with being pushed aside in the story, Teja and Seth have to deal with characterization that seems to have been written by a team that doesn't even know their characters.

All in all, the only LI that actually gets adequate attention from the original set is Matt. It's extremely unfair on fans of the others, and it's quite deflating to learn that they didn't learn their mistake from Book 1 and actually work on maintaining balance in Book 2.

Book 3 implies that a wedding is in the horizon (which is possibly why the [original] LIs get to confess their love to her in the Book 2 finale), which means we might get to meet the LIs' families (I'm not going to hope, though) and learn more about them personally. (alternatively it could more likely refer to some other high profile couple with a big wedding where we get to shine as guests). They've also seemed to find people who want them in their work. So perhaps things might look up for them. But this book? This book seems to have forgotten how to write them.

At this point they might as well scrap everyone else and make Hunt and Matt the only LIs in the books. Because they're the only ones who seem to even matter anymore to the team. And inform the fandom now so we can dodge the bullet that is Book 3.

Is This A Powerful Message...Or A Plot Twist?

The book doesn't treat what Montmartre did so much as an issue that happens in real-time Hollywood, as it does a plot point. It happens, the player gets to choose how the MC responds and how she describes her feelings to her friend and LI, there is a plan in place aimed at exposing him and tactics Montmartre uses to disempower her, which finally leads you...nowhere.

The narrative never actually gives us a clear idea what this plan is supposed to be, what the MC is supposed to find, how the LIs who suggest this plan are involved. We're just supposed to know there IS a plan. Had the safety violations not been discovered, what would the MC have done? All we get to see is her in dire conditions (unless we spend the diamonds), determined to push through because she would somehow thwart him through means that the reader doesn't actually seem to get from the text.

Once she gets out, the focus goes on to Hunt who - if the reader so chooses - has already had some sort of moment with the MC in the speakeasy earlier in the book, and who is now her knight in shining armour when she's fired. The MC gets to act in his period film on the condition that it is kept secret (something she promptly forgets when she visits Matt in the hospital) and the focus shifts from the assault (if there was any focus there at all) and the aftermath to landing this plum role and proving herself again.

Hunt and the MC can get closer if she chooses, and some affection is already hinted at in the books even if you don't really romance him. Which can be discomfiting for those who don't want to, and who feel it's too much too soon for someone who faced assault already from an authority figure. I understand there's a balance they have to strike here - there was, after all, a demand for characters from the HWU-verse to be featured more prominently - but the fact that what the MC went through pales in comparison to this new development in the narrative...just makes the story even more imbalanced.

She does mention the assault to both Hunt and Addison - to Hunt when he confirms that she is no longer working in Double Agent and to Addison in their Chapter 12 diamond scene, but not very much of a thought is given to this issue after that. The focus moves entirely to the preparation for the film, the romance with the new LIs, and keeping these shoots a secret while occasionally communicating (through diamond options mostly) with the other LIs.

There is no indication that she's met other people who have suffered through Montmartre's abuse of power, no further exploration of how deeply-rooted a problem it is. And if you're going to make Montmartre's story a reference to Weinstein...it needs to be important within that story, not occasionally referenced to, with the MC saying "I'm sure other women have gone through this" in a few scattered places. It needs to have a stronger presence in the story itself.

And if this was avoided because RCD was supposed to be a 'fun, lighthearted' take on Hollywood in the first place...why put in a heavy subject there? Why imply that you will offer commentary on this issue when there is very little of it? Why, if you don't know how to give it the focus it needs? It doesn't need to be referenced every single chapter but at the very least it should be clear how important an issue this is to the MC, her friends, the industry as a whole. It goes straight from Montmartre's sexual harassment to his attempts to bully her into silence to calling out safety violations to the next movie.

Sexual harassment and silencing are very, very important issues within the film industry. If you're going to reference real-life incidents and movements in the books, you really need to be doing justice to that - not flitting from one plot point to another and treating what Montmartre did as a mere twist in the tale. The story doesn't need to be on this and nothing else, but what happened to her and to other women should have at least have been the core theme of this book. Not brought back at the last minute when the writers finally remember "oh this needs to be wrapped up, too".

The big message is suddenly left for the end, the Montmartre chapter closed with the press immediately believing the MC on this, Apricott standing by her strongly if you spent extra time with her (and in a general sense if you didn't), and Montmartre getting only a taste of the comeuppance he deserves. Most of us know this is too good to be true - it often takes years and a long line of survivors, and people who knowingly look the other way to get to this point of justice. But I would have been alright to this end, to a certain extent, if this was a theme dealt with properly in the book...which it wasn't.

Book 3

Had I not lost interest in this series altogether, I would have probably listed out what I'd hope for in terms of portrayals for the next book - the biggest of which was that they would at least hint at how differently the industry works for different women of colour.

A white woman's experience is different from an Asian woman's experience is different from a Black woman's experience is different from a Latin American/South Asian/Middle Eastern (all three of whom face massive challenges in accepting roles unique to them) woman's experience in the industry. At least three of those would face immense difficulties in getting consistently good work, are called in for roles that are stereotypical and tone deaf and do nothing for their careers...and sometimes good roles of those ethnicities are given to (surprise surprise) white performers. I recall thinking, once D&D and The Senior started regularly using different parents for the MCs and hinting at their variant experiences with regards to race and ethnicity, that this would be a wonderful way to go for RCD.

But I'm not sure I trust this team enough to handle that with the nuance required. Not even when their own original LIs - two of whom are women of colour - don't get to address racism in their own narratives (unless it's Matt, who has a secondhand experience of it through his father - something he will only address in diamond scenes). Not when Teja has just one reference to her first generation immigrant parents and their plans for her in a diamond scene, and her experiences as a Indian-American kid are mostly ignored afterwards.

Tbh...I don't give a shit anymore when the next one comes out.