#my problems with privatizing government services let me show you them
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hey Kiran. um. not totally sure how to ask this. but i was hoping you could talk about some of your experiences with university as a disabled person of colour in Canada? bc i am those things as well (lol) and ive just about finished my first term and im thinking hard about whether or not i should continue despite the difficulty and youve spoken about some of that before. if you dont want to talk publicly i can come off anon
i'm okay with talking loosely about it publicly but if you want more precise/specific info talking privately would be better or if you want to know something that i don't mention in this answer. i also can't speak for experiences that i don't have, ie. my experience is my own and may or may not reflect yours or that of other disabled poc given the sheer diversity of people encompassed by that phrase. i'm just going to do bullet points here of stuff i think is most important off the top of my head:
- first of all, see if you qualify for the canada permanent disability student grant benefit if you aren't already receiving it. i'm familiar with OSAP but regardless of what province you're in, if you provide documentation that states you have a permanent disability to your province's student aid system and you show financial need you can receive up to $2000 per semester IN GRANTS (not loans) from the federal government as part of the canada permanent disability student benefit to help you with tuition and paying for other expenses, and even more if you do a spring/summer semester. again, it's paperwork and it's a drag, but that's a LOT of money that can make your life easier so you can focus on taking care of yourself and on your education. and again, i repeat, it's a GRANT not a loan, you don't have to pay it back.
- with that out of the way, i've found university exceptionally difficult and something i would only recommend if going to university is what is needed for the job you want to do or the field you want to be in. if you're unsure of what you want to do/what your goal is for university, or if what you want to do doesn't necessarily require a bachelor's degree, i don't think the pain is worth it. wait or do something else and then if you know for sure what you want and that you need a degree to get there, go ahead, and pace yourself. don't do a full course load, figure out what the sweet spot for you is and stick to that. my max course load is 3 classes per semester, less if i'm doing studio courses. if you have your disability status on file with your uni and with your provincial student aid system, you can take as little as 30-40% course load* (depends on the school and province) and you will still count as a full time student and reap the benefits of that.
- make sure that you have academic accommodations with your university's accessibility services, it can be a lot of work but it will save your life. having that & especially having accommodations that Require professors to give you extensions to assignments is so necessary and is the only reason i've gotten this far. the process for getting this & for getting permanent disability approved for student aid with the government various depending on your disabilities and can be exhausting and inaccessible, which is a problem in itself, but its completely necessary and something I personally would've been completely fucked without
- ive been in post secondary education for 6+ years now and i have never encountered a professor that refused to give me an extension on an assignment, including when I've submitted assignments late without mentioning it to them first, and outside of accommodations I put this largely on keeping an open and friendly communication with my profs. at the start of the semester I let them know that I have accommodations and will need extensions due to physical and mental health issues, and whenever i've had a flare up the first thing I did once I felt well enough to was to email them and let them know, and tell them that I am working on my assignments and will try my best to get them in as soon as I can. I have even submitted assignments weeks late, with an apology and amended with "I understand if this can't be marked/if it's too late, and I thank you for your patience with me regardless" and every single time they have marked my assignment without penalty. even if you have to suck up to them and apologize and do all of that shit, do it, because it'll save you. you don't need to elaborate and write your life story, just speak plainly and tell them you're having issues related to the reasons why you have accommodations and you're struggling but you're trying, and they will appreciate that. the vast majority of them want you to succeed and want to help you do that, you just have to try to meet them partway.
- if something fucked up is going on and you need help with a prof or some other kind of situation, contact your student union and ask them for help and they can either write on your behalf to wherever the complaint is best sent and follow up with it on your behalf OR point you in the right direction and offer support and resources. check if your student union has an accessibility rep and a rep for students of colour and contact them in particular, they are there to help you and they are your peers. they will also almost definitely have a food bank and can help you when it comes to your student medical insurance plan or any other concerns
- if you're on OSAP or other student aid and you need to drop a class, do it early, don't force yourself to suffer through it, because the longer you wait to drop it the higher chance you won't get a refund for the course, and if youre receiving grants that $ will be converted to loans if you don't get that refund. again, this is based on my experience with OSAP, but be aware of drop dates and plan accordingly. if something happens and you miss the drop date though, don't force yourself to suffer and stick through a course you know you cant finish. drop it before you get a 0 or failing mark on your file, because that can fuck you with the university admin side of things and get you on academic probation which can then effect your OSAP or whichever student aid service you have. based on experience I'd rather just get the $500 or however much tuition for that class cost me converted to a loan and deal with paying that back after I graduate, but of course it's entirely up to you.
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“ i’m not gonna hurt you. i’m just here to help. ” (I SAW THE DRABBLE MEME AND I WANTED TO SEND IT BUT I FIGURED I CANT YET SO I WENT WITH THIS AND ILY mwah*
memes for that specific brand of ships . accepting
Melissa let out a heavy sigh as soon as her key turned halfway and she unlocked the door to her home, slipping inside and not bothering with the lights while kicking off her heels and dropping a designer back onto the nearest surface without so much as looking. There were hundreds of dollars all over her - the make-up she wore, the expensive perfume on her skin, the dress tightly hugging her frame...
...And yet she was pretty fucking pissed.
This life of luxury and freedom of choosing her own path as she saw fit had been a dream; a siren song strong enough to push her off the original path of being a star and instead turning herself into an entrepreneur of sorts. Although paper trails were hard to follow for a business like hers that existed in the grey zones allowed by the legislation, Melissa nevertheless had one or two LLCs under her (real) name, some trusts and a couple of off-shore entities she had incorporated in case if she ever had an emergency.
It was growing apparent that she wouldn’t have a choice but leave the country very soon.
Running an escorting agency had been a goldmine... Until her girls got wrapped up with Vought. It was to be expected, of course - when you offered exclusive service and supes were the most adored individuals everywhere, it would be strange if they did not require company of the female, paying kind for their parties. However... The problem was that Vought’s legal and PR teams were absolute nightmares. Melissa was absolutely not signing any sort of document that could bind her (or her girls!) to some corporation with such intimidating tactics just because they employed laser eyed bast-
And then she screamed when she realized there was a man sitting on her couch during the entire time.
“Whoa, easy,” the stranger said with alarm in his voice, particularly when the modern day madame grabbed the nearest antique to use as a weapon (it was a porcelain vase, and the actual living flowers and the water that it contained were all dropped to the polished floor in seconds). He stood up from his seat, both hands raised and palms turned towards her, flat - he appeared to be unarmed, although it was difficult to say with the limited lighting provided by the pool area illumination alone.
“I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just here to help,” he enunciated his words slowly, making sure she understood him - but Melissa just scoffed, free hand gesturing towards his overall location with evident displeasure.
“Funny words for a man who just invaded my property.”
“I swear there is a good reason for that, ma’am - if you just allow me to explain? I have some ID I can show, I will just lower my han-”
“Don’t you fucking move or I’ll call the police. Tell me who you are, what the fuck you want and why I should not throw this at your head right now.”
He sighed then - but seemed oddly calm and even resigned with the overall situation; almost as if he had been prepared for this scenario, but had hoped for a different outcome. Craning his head to look at her better, he nodded and remained on the same position as if he had been caught trying to rob a bank, and elaborated.
“Name’s Chris Redfield, I’m with the government and I was hoping we could chat about one of your girls. I believe she goes by Violet?” Melissa did not react to that information, but she did seem to breathe a little bit easier. She wasn’t overly fond of the authorities, but at this point... She would rather deal with them than with private corporations.
“We have information that one of her clients is probably a wanted supe from southern France, masquerading as an expat here. I can’t go into further detail without having your assurances that you’ll agree to hear me out and... Possibly put the vase down? It’s a fine antique ma’am, and I really just want to help you - and your girl.”
Against her better judgement - Melissa lowered the piece, and set it back on the table where it had been before she turned the thing into an impromptu weapon. Sighing, she moved to a seat closer to the stranger, turning on a lamp and letting her hair down by removing a pin and dropping her figure unceremoniously to his side. The man also sat down again - under decent light, his features were interesting - pretty enough to draw eyes in a room, but also common to be forgotten later. A chameleon.
“Fine, Mr. Redfield. Show me your ID now - but no sudden moves, are we clear?” she frowned, looking at him rather menacingly for a woman with her build, “I’ve blinded a man before with a hairpin for getting too handsy at the wrong time - would hate to scar a pretty face.”
#r-edfield#r edfield#v: House of Flowers#soft & dark ship quotes#replied#so I used your The Boys verse for this one!#but I'm up for plotting and changing this if you wanna#but just because I fancied writing Mel being feisty#she has no idea who she's up against#and she's threatening him with a HAIRPIN#my girl sometimes I swear -_-
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He told me he had a dream that he met a pretty black woman experienced comatose and had issues with kidnapped children.....so I told him he is around american catholicism and veterans care I have a lot of problems with care of veterans and hygiene terrorism.....vaccine hells arrive because terrorists need militant targets to receive political legitimation otherwise their just some irrelevant coup like adolph hitler....
I have had very pretty black women dressed all in black arrive as gifts from the pastorals and they take us to hotels and let us clean up and have hope of benefits but once the hotel stay is over they will want to haul you off to a shelter which is just a lesser security jail....
Then you will have to have a sorority or fraternity and the nuns will really want severely abused children to stay with them about some prior financial obligation....
And these children will have a mother that is abusive though like belts at them or genital mutilation or hitting them all over their bodies like striking them...not just popping them not just being kind of a poppa like striking them....
And you won't possibly believe it's their mother the mother couldn't possibly be that hurtful that's not discipline
And he said no that's not what it's about....
He told me the neighbors don't like homeless around....and so I said I don't think the neighbors are in there anymore...they did attack them really bad and the Russians are in there as construction companies wanting gay parties if that's what your saying about having to be liked by upper class violence that just wants to know if it can get away with complete culture thieve ing
Men younger then me have told me they have had to be called a ho and on gay time to afford something
If it's those construction companies I believe you everyone's human rights is just whether or not their sex party liked it and no maturation compensation or moral obligation is here then....and we have to go to God about non stop raiding
Thats my apology to the neighbors L.A. has been a metropole a long time and a lot of migrants.....come through here willing to give them public land rights compensation to move their feelings of private property into appropriate places for that western game like the country
We come through here willing to not make them tolerate buyers something as liquid poor as buyers and give them public subsidies to settle out of the city so that house Rowe can be taken over for professional interest to manage migrant issues responsibly and appropriately
Yes they are very persistent that migrants be captured to mentalism and to me people need people with judicial sectors to give them their case files and digitized cities aid to direct them to emigrationists because things need to be sanitary and of service not some creepy riot and illegal government all the time....
There are like Irish here but translation of better comfortability fitting in with rhythm syncopation and consumer culture.....is again getting people called down syndrome and the Irish used to help emigration get in with their housing and a.i. communities and get economies going
He told me hitlers army was the most powerful in the world so I said no Ukraine ally if it's the West yes they had scarier more severe tanks and nukes at the West but once they try to go at my doppelganger east Europeans show off ME...as a woman that can be very tough and strong and Hitler was largely annailated it's Stalin that committed later atrocities
The West did learn from Hitler how to armament advance and become scarier then him
You did this to London so you may know how it feels for Dresden to be gone if territory is irrelevant
Recent the first women to my ME....can truly kick ass conquer and dominate
Uhm anyway it's better now then it has been so Ukraine ally if they cannot appreciate having a gas subsidy if it's just to attack impoverished people to be the only people with gas subsidies then their reserves can just blow up lobbyists for electric have said a long time they don't enjoy fossil fuels and no fossil fuels no war....
He warned me they are going to send everyone to war that a draft will start.....so I told him the war is coming to an end and to be frightened of peace more so...it might be worse if peace
He told me they will send me cross country so I said I have been sent cross country....i tried to hike out of new roads Louisiana and this whole line of tanks came up at me unaware so don't talk to me like I haven't lived through war ...it was like tinnenamen square
And I explained to him that's what homelessness is it has all been nothing but a draft it's enlist into trenches or their won't be much but rest home boredom this is drafting
I'm sorry but the plan for active duty is a lot more affluent here
Im sorry but trades and military parties outside of combative occurances I believe women's rights activists males are treated more delicately then peace civilians beat nik ways of life you have no idea what poor house peace on women can be like
Its been news of people murdering pregnant women even so be prepared for it having been shocking enough and for all the financial build up of roaring twenties to be gone and you with an ox plow
There already has been nukes re tested on reservations and we all still trapped here so be prepared for their tired of the insanity of war wealth and there not being much else other then house arrest insanities and when you have understood interpersonal combat in hoods in peace you will lose your you really experienced war we didn't attitude
Do not believe ida b wells was indiscriminate in her negro cases of innocence......do not project your black wealth lenience onto white Stanford studies or you will have to know what it's like to be shoved into free white conditions where no one would respond to calls for help aid and defense
I told him those people leaving the front door of the library are not homeless people those are terrorists.....people like them are very very affluently terrifying
Sometimes I'm called a war job like arsonist but I'm.mostly called a mental crying for help and police have to arrive....truth is most homeless people are slowly dying of unsanitary conditions
Those are creepy apple pay reefers and domestic abusers and they are just here to territorialize the homeless leaving.....their rapeists and their told human students are like their herds to shock into blitz institutions
I told him for the most part people are normal just mellow and common and what life is....if it's creepy Canadians with blue eyes that try to be the white klan....those people are very scary and wealthy and can really really hurt people or kill them
They are just here to shock and lightening strike blitz krieg....
Those people are really bad white males do though have rights about swarms of minorities that all lay claim to territory and normal ones know to say to black chicks that they get to be street scene right now their autistic time.....those people this morning did very very violent threats to make the black women leave that's just wrong
Maybe safety is an illusion maybe it's an illusion that a permanent totalitarian view of history hasn't really told everyone we are from here and I shouldn't be displaced because of problems from the states
So I think that security group is better able to control situations then it appears....they appear peaceful and slowly if they want to be violent at innocent civilians then they can territorialize get trapped there and kill themselves if they envy the homeless so much....
The Lord is my shepherd.....so sweet grass eventually that operant conditioning to sheep did have to completely go away and
Their rapeists this can be donkey or sea lion or elk but really shocks that abusive do believe people have a hide....
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Remember this:
I went somewhere I normally would & guess what. I was basically cornered into a situation where I was ridiculed & TOLD:
"A cyaa GOD a di devil!!! God nah mek you into NO..."
Here's the thing. You see Jamaicans are FRIGHTENED. Especially the general masses. Give them something shiny & they might forget their problems. But they are human who don't do well with change or anything new. While some of you on the internet are NOW ready to take me seriously cause you may understand or witness what is so CLEARLY obvious. However, they have never seen it happen before and may not have imagination, I get it. I understand the responses I get.
You know what else?
If I responded in a kinder softer way. THEY WOULD NOT take me seriously. IN FACT. The same Jamaicans who might want to comment on HOW I responded & it seem emotionally driven. When if I was kinder, softer or ignored in ALL my responses:
They'd keep going on with their foolishness, fuckery, laughter & drilling commentary about my life.
When God finally puts me in the position you will hear: "Mi nuh wah nuh weak Qeen fi run wi country. Look how she mek dem run ar ova when shi did right all along. if shi weak den, how shi ago can deal wid the crawsies guvament. Shi jus as uzles as the Farrin Kng & Qeen wi did hav. Might as well wi tek dem bak cah dem flashy aan rich..."
Translation: "We do NOT want a weak Queen to run our country. See how she let them trample her about everything when she KNEW she was right. If she responded and dealt with them so weakly, how will she manage against a the terrible government we have already. She is going to be just as useless as the foreign King & Queen we had before. It may just be better we take them back. At least they are brightly dressed and rich."
YES!!!
That is why God also tell me to be angry AND SHOW IT. When it's time to be. DO NOT back down or to stand firm. THERES A TIME & PLACE FOR EVERYTHING.
Or like this morning. I was LOUDLY defending my life. No matter the comments like:
"Get ready for you RADAM!!!"
That statement is actually funny because it comes from a new popular phrase that should become a proverb of Jamaica:
"wah sweet yuh gweaa suwa yuh rasss. RADAM!"
The thing about this is, She said it while she and others are laughing.
Reality: NOTHING about this is sweet to me. In fact I could even say the promises themselves aren't sweet well NOT ALL OF it appeals to me & make me excited. Yes, I'd FINALLY have a home, can go where I want or go on a vacation or MORE. But ONLY when God says so. He can give me ALL that & EASILY TAKE IT AL AWAY. But He won't because He knows I'm fully aware of that, respect that & don't want to go ahead of GOD. So it's not all raves, private jet & money.
In fact, the things I have planned for my businesses aren't EASY. They are not simple companies that have 1 solution. I planned so many things to solve so many issues or create the visions I have planned. That is 12 businesses planned. Well 10 are for profit businesses and 1 is a fully Non-profit. Then 1 that's part non-profit & part for profit. All to ultimately to benefit Jamaica & it's citizens on a whole. D you know HOW MUHC work that is.
Then to be QUEEN. EXACTLY.
It's a WHOLE service ROLE for people who may like me one day then the next hate me. PLUS it wouldn't be a figure head role. It would be WORK. Figure head Royals are outdated & have to find a NEW way to stay relevant. THAT IS NOT MY LIFE.
So NOTHING about my life NOW sweets me & the plans God have for me isn't fun & games or sweet.
So, where's the RADAM? It's guaranteed based on this NEW Proverb...
And you're laughing but I'm not. This is entertainment & funny to you but THIS IS MY LIFE & I'm frustrated but trying my best to be obedient.
...So wait who will receive it?
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✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ (give me seven!!!!!)
Seven?? That's enthusiasm :'))
(also here's the post I made a little while back detailing all of them to give you a better idea of who's who to who, it's not entirely up-to-date but it won't matter for this post; and I put relevant posts in hyperlinks on the names of the OCs)
Cécilia often puts things down on the nearest surface and then forgets them, which wouldn't be a huge problem... Except she shares her living space with a cat who likes to knock things off surfaces. She's had to mend a lot of things with her magic, mugs especially.
I imagine one day when Meredith was younger a friend's sibling asked her to accompany them to their fancy graduation and she went because she likes fancy parties, and she's acted as fake date a few more times since for the fun of it
Aster is a civil servant, which doesn't really carry the same meaning in english as it does in french: a fonctionnaire is someone who is payed by the government and can't be fired, only transferred to another post, and who passed exams to get their job. It can be any kind of work: as long as the job is paid by the government it's likely a fonctionnaire is doing it (though sometimes it's just a contractor) Fonctionnaires have a mixed reputation, the usual cliché says that they're lazy since once you've passed the exam to get the rank you can't be unemployed again, the state has to find you something to do (that's not necessarily true, some are lazy idiots who shouldn't be in charge and some aren't, it's like in any company except your salary is paid by the state) I think it's funny that Aster, who has the vibes of a guy who works overtime in a big private firm, is actually a civil servant, and I do value public service, so that's him!
I can't decide how media works in my universe where I put all my OCs (same media as us? different? parodies?) but Ophelia and Oswald are 100% into Star Wars/the equivalent and they have been trying to make and improve their own lightsabers using their magic for years
Raphaël and Raphaëlle are both old vampires and are super close. They don't see each other that regularly but if you put them in the same room they're going to be insufferable (affectionate). If they looked similar enough (they don't) people would ask them if they were twins.
Mercure or Leander and his cousin who still doesn't have a name would probably be the OCs I'd pick if I had to tell an actual story: Mercure because he's part-'tiefling' on his mom's side and part-winged-guys on his dad's side, but almost all the winged-guys live on a few islands in the corner of the map (like Sage Tristan and Mélusine) and they don't leave very often, so he wants to go there to meet his dad who doesn't even know he exists and that could be interesting; Leander and his unnamed cousin because I want his cousin to be randomly more powerful than average and do stuff with those powers, even if I don't know what yet. Thankfully I don't actually have to do this because I'm shit at thinking up stories, so if I end up doing something with my OCs it'll probably be some slice-of-life thing with Meredith and Cécilia, who are the most developed of the bunch by a pretty big margin :')
And for my SW OCs: Cehim, despite making the choice of living inside a spaceship in space most of the time, doesn't like it when it's cold. If there's space heating for your ship she has it because she hates being cold (the drawing I linked to doesn't show that but she wears jackets and jumpers and whatever, not just tank tops lol)
Thanks for letting me ramble about them I love them all but I never talk about them :'))
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via @sophia-epistemia’s recommendation (emphasis added):
This is a pattern of introducing middle-men that has proliferated throughout the finance side of health care: “Hmm, this part of our enterprise sure is expensive! Why don’t we spin it off as an independent business or outsource it? Surely some enterprising entrepreneur can figure out a way to do it more cheaply than we can, so we’ll just black box the problem and pick the lowest bidder to solve it for us.”
Here’s another example of that pattern. Medicare, the Federal health insurance for the elderly, insures people directly. But the Federal program for the poor, Medicaid, does not. Instead the Feds give the money to the state to run a Medicaid program. Here in Massachusetts, ours is called MassHealth. The federal government has outsourced the actual insuring of poor people to the state.
So the state insures poor people? Not exactly, here in Massachusetts. MassHealth is (mostly) not an insurance program. MassHealth funds insurance. It’s an insurance subsidy program. The actual providers of insurance are commercial insurers who offer MassHealth-approved plans.
This, by the way, is the big crucial concession of first Romneycare and then Obamacare to the health insurance industry: the state wouldn't take over insuring people directly, thereby putting the insurance companies out of business. The state would pay the insurance companies that already existed to do the job for the state. And the citizenry would have a choice of insurance products from a market place of multiple insurance companies. That is what made these plans the conservative answer to the liberal preference to single-payer. Back when they were considered conservative.
So when you get on MassHealth you get a choice of providers/plans. There are, last I checked, five. So your MassHealth-approved and –funded insurance company provides you health insurance?
Mostly.
If you choose Neighborhood Health Plan, and you require mental health care (one of several types of health care for which something similar is true) you will quickly discover that Neighborhood Health Plan (which, btw, is the name of the insurance company not the insurance plan) doesn’t have a network of psychiatrists and psychotherapists. They have outsourced the mental health component of their insurance product to another company, named Beacon Health Strategies.
I mean Beacon Health Options. They were just acquired by/merged with Value Options, and that’s the new name.
I assume all this divisioning is saving someone money, over what they think they’d be spending otherwise. But I can’t help but note that some share of the wages for at least one Medicaid employee, one MassHealth employee, one Neighborhood Health Plan employee and one Beacon Health Whatevers employee – minimum – have to come out of the premium for that patient, regardless of whoever is paying it.
Because it has to. There is no other money input into the insurance side of the system, besides the premiums. But I get ahead of myself.
The proposition that multiplying the number of parties and institutions that have to get a cut of every premium somehow reduces expenses is... eyebrow-raising. I’m not saying it’s not true, I’m saying that if it is, it says something pretty appalling about the comparison case.
...
But what I want to discuss is not the most charitable description, because I think these things weren’t just ineffective at keeping costs down. They were more like boring holes in the hull.
Here's a thing you need to know about The Beer Game: the reliably produced behaviors in the game are the product of humans being reliably human. The chaotic results are not required or enforced by the game. Rather the players in the game respond to the game's stimuli in a counterproductive way. There is an alternative way to behave (the theoretical maximal condition of losing only $200) that is vastly better. But people reliably don't do that because they have certain beliefs, intuitions, guesses, assumptions, and biases.
The whole point of the exercise is to bring to conscious attention these unconscious beliefs, intuitions, guesses, assumptions, and biases, so that they can be unlearned.
Allow me a digression from the whole of health care into that special mess with which I am most familiar: mental health care.
The DSM-III came out in 1980. This was Spitzer's DSM, the New! Impoved! Scientific! DSM for a new rational age. Insurers promptly adopted it – and promptly went through it and decreed certain diagnoses to be things they would and, more importantly, wouldn't pay for.
The following will be Sanskrit to many of you, but: DSM-III introduced the multiaxial diagnosis system. The payers took one look at Axis II and said, "Heeeeeeey, you can't actually treat that stuff can you?" and psychiatry said, "No, that's the stuff that's permanent," and payers said, "Oh, cool. Thanks!" and promptly made the presence of an Axis II disorder diagnosis grounds for terminating (paying for) mental health care, because, hey, Axis II disorders "aren't curable", so money spent of them – or on someone who had one – was "wasted".
This is how a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder – introduced with DSM-III – became so deeply prejudicial and stigmatizing: putting it on someone's paperwork could basically terminate their insurance. (Also, I have a hunch this is one of the things behind the idea that mentally retarded people can't be benefited by psychotherapy; mental retardation is also an Axis II disorder and I wonder if the Axis II == “no mental health treatment allowed” thing played out there, as well, but that's outside my orbit.)
This failed to rein in costs. (Actually, I'm confident the Axis II thing bit them in the ass really hard: people with untreated BPD/o generally consume emergency room resources like whoa.) So they examined the problem and they noticed something that I posted about: that you can't tell how well someone is functioning just from a diagnosis. Ah, okay, we’ve had been asking for the wrong information! Screw diagnosis! If Susie is stable on her meds and getting along fine, why should we pay for her to get psychotherapy just because she "Has Major Depressive Disorder"? Sammy's depression isn't so well controlled, so, sure, we'll pay for psychotherapy for Sammy, but, clearly, we need to know how impaired the patient is.
What happened next is that the insurance industry moved to what is known as the "impairment model". It wasn't enough for a treater to tell the payer what the patient's diagnosis is, the treater was expected to indicate the present impairments. Apparently, payers came up with their own lists of what impairments they would pay for mental health services to treat.
I say, "apparently", because they didn't tell the treaters. However, clinicians surmised these lists existed and some enterprising folks reverse engineered the lists.
Now, on one hand, this impairment model approach sounds very enlightened: diagnoses are deprecated, and understanding the presentation of a person's actual mental health condition is centralized. The problem is, however, that the other hand is trying to pick your pocket. We're still talking about payers (insurers) trying to figure out reasons they shouldn't have to pay for medical care. And their justification here isn't just that if you're doing fine with your Major Depressive Disorder, you don't need therapy, it's that if you are getting out of bed in the morning, getting to work, doing a job, earning a living, and meeting most of your obligations, and managing to eat and sleep and bathe, then that is the definition of "fine" and you are doing fine, no matter what you feel like. The impairment model is concerned with, duh, impairments: about what you can do, or more properly what you can't. It is unconcerned with suffering. It is unconcerned with subjective experiences. Feel worthless, numb, miserable, can't stop thinking of all the people you loved who have died? They don't pay for that to be treated if you're still keeping it together.
...
Now, note that in the diagnosis model, the treater can just write "major depressive d/o, recurrent, moderate" on the bill and be done with it. But that's not how the impairment model works. They didn't say, "Here's the list of things we'll pay for you to treat"; they were all cagey. Instead, they said, "Give us a little report on the patient, explaining why the patient needs treating." So now, clinicians are doing substantially more documenting just out of the gate and because they're then subsequently playing "20 Questions" with the payer to get payed, there's more back-and-forth.
Well, gee, that didn't get costs under control, either.
“Okay, look,” said some insurance companies. “This isn’t working. You guys keep explaining how all these patients are being so impaired by their conditions, and that can’t be right. Surely there can’t be that many behaviorally impaired people among our customers! [Clinicians everywhere: “BWAHAHAHA”] So from now on, we want you to explain not just what the problem is, but what you propose to do about it, and how its been going so far. No, we know you wrote a treatment plan, yeah, we required you to do that, no, we want a new thing on a different form. In addition.”
And on it goes. When I started at psyjob five years ago, we had to do treatment plans with both the diagnosis and impairment models, but then also fill out the insurance company's form ("unit requests") every so often to justify further treatment. Just as I showed up, I was informed that the new thing is that we needed to add a symptom checklist to the treatment plan. Okay. We were told that some of our payers are now demanding that we also track patient status with a standardized outcomes measure (think: a one page questionnaire the patient fills out), so we've added that, too. Okay. We were told that one of our insurers now requires that we fill out a two-party form for coordinating care with the patient's PCP: we fill out the mental health half, send it to the PCP, who is supposed to fill it out and send it back to us. We already requested an annual physical report, but we have to do this, too, now.
Seeing children on MassHealth? You now have to fill out a CANS assessment every 3 months. In addition to all the other paperwork already required by the state.
Who knows what new documentation tomorrow will bring? Nobody knows what it will be, but we all know it will be something, because the people trying to control costs are certain that if they just get enough information out of treaters, they will be able to figure out how to pay less for treatment.
As attentive readers will have long been noticing, I’m talking about coordinative communication.
This was, in fact, the place that the previously published Massless Ropes, Frictionless Pulleys: Coordinative Communication originally was going to go, before I factored it out. If you haven’t read it, you might want to go do that before proceeding. If you have read it, you might want to re-read it here.
What I’m describing in the two histories I’ve just shared – one about healthcare over all, and one about mental health specifically – are examples of how the demands for coordinative communication in the healthcare sector in the US absolutely exploded over the course of the last 40 years. The first also illustrates payers, both insurers and the state, recoursing to organ-ization in an attempt to manage the proliferating costs of coordinative communication, and, apparently, it failing to do so.
My hypothesis is this: that two things happened.
The first thing is that the expenditures on health care began to escalate exponentially as a function of the increased health care available to buy, and this process, which had been slowly gathering steam through the 19th century and into the 20th started rounding the curve of the hockey stick in the 1960s and 1970s.
Which brings us to the second thing that happened: the response. Just like in The Beer Game, players in the game reacted to the surge in demand, by attempting to do things to reduce costs. Wrong things. Precisely the wrong things.
There is a quote, famous among system dynamicists, from Jay Forrester, father of the field:
“People know intuitively where leverage points are. Time after time I’ve done an analysis of a company, and I’ve figured out a leverage point — in inventory policy, maybe, or in the relationship between sales force and productive force, or in personnel policy. Then I’ve gone to the company and discovered that there’s already a lot of attention to that point. Everyone is trying very hard to push it IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!”
It is my contention that in the US, the naïve response to the phenomenon of rising health care costs due to medical innovation was to increase coordinative communication, which counterintuitively caused costs to increase even more, and because that cost increase was not attributed properly to the increased coordinative communication, the answer to the problem of rising costs was seen to be ever more coordinative communications.
This was an economic death-spiral.
(source)
#on healthcare and cost disease#my problems with privatizing government services let me show you them#go read the whole thing it's really good
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The Vines that bind us - Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I don’t own Miraculous Ladybug or any DC characters. I own only the plot, and even that is inspired by the amazing story "Marigold Ivy" by @lwandile13 on Wattpad. Go check it. It's great. He allowed me to take some inspiration, for which I'm grateful. Also, don't translate the french words maybe. Or at least do it on your own responsibility. Big thanks to @Liza! on Discord for being my Beta :)
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Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a normal girl, with a normal life. But she had a secret. Her real name was Marigold Isley. She was born under that name in Gotham city sixteen years ago. Her mother never revealed to her who was her father, but Mari never cared. She was happy with her mom and several aunts and uncles. Technically, none of them were related to her by blood, but Rogues were quite close to each other (excluding some outcasts like Joker or the Menagerie). They taught her many interesting things such as lockpicking, stealth 101, or hand-to-hand combat. She was five when it started, so her first-ever practical test was breaking into a kitchen cupboard and stealing a jar of cookies. Overall, she was very happy.
It changed when she was eight. One very tired social service person named Elizabeth Barrow got wind of a child of a villain. That Elizabeth was new to Gotham after being reassigned from Metropolis and didn’t yet get the wind of how things worked. Maybe her colleagues didn’t like her, or maybe she was just too overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problem in Gotham. Previously, there was an unspoken agreement in the government that they wouldn’t notice Marigold. In exchange, rogues were calmer. Or at least tried to keep the death toll down. For a time, Gotham even started to slowly heal. But then, Elizabeth took the case of Marigold Isley. Ivy tried to fight. To protect her daughter. For three days, the city was held hostage by giant plants. It was only the fear in her daughter’s eyes that made Poison Ivy relent and let go. She didn’t want that life for Marigold. The one condition she gave was that the girl would leave America as a whole, to ensure she would be safe from all the madness.
And so Marigold ended up in the care of baker’s couple in Paris. She never showed any powers thus far and the adoption agency kept the parentage a secret. That’s when Marinette Dupain-Cheng was born. She continued with martial arts training and stealth training, but now only as fun and reminder of her mother and extended family, as opposed to actual necessary survival tool. She also picked up designing as another hobby, which soon turned into a kind of obsession. She was generally a ray of sunshine.
The one black spot in the happy world of Marinette was the Mayor’s daughter. Chloe Bourgeoise considered herself above others and just couldn’t stand sunshine girl. She ruined her clothes, sometimes damaged her homework, or verbally assaulted her. While Chloe was generally disliked, she was more of a nuance. Overall, Marinette was happy. At least until two events changed that.
When she was twelve, Paris was attacked by Hawkmoth for the first time. Marinette found herself becoming Ladybug, a superhero with magical powers that protected the city from harm. She received a partner in form of Chat Noir. It took some time before she got hang of it, and then more time before she and Chat became an actual team. Over time, more heroes joined them, even if temporarily only. She had people she could count on. She became Happy again.
Privately, she started her own brand: MDC, managed to become a class representative, and became best friends with Alya, who joined around the same time she became Ladybug. It was quite ironic. The superhero was best friends with one person whose greatest dream was to unmask the hero. Marinette also developed a huge (and a bit unhealthy) crush on Adrien Agreste, a famous model who was in her class. She spent years vying for his attention, but nothing ever came from her attempts. She was unable to even say a word around him and her face always became red like her mother’s hair. Overall, she couldn’t complain.
Then, when she was fifteen another black spot appeared. It was Lila (Liela) Rossi. She came to their school and immediately started sporting lies with every breath. Surprisingly, everyone seemed to buy into that, believing her like she spoke the gospel. Everyone but Marinette. She tried to expose Lila, but it only backfired. She became an outcast, disliked by everyone, and universally hated. Suddenly, it became okay to bully her because she was a bully herself and deserved it. It became okay to shun her and no longer include her in anything. The worst was Alya, her former best friend. At first, she just tried to nudge Marinette to give Lila a chance. When Marinette tried to show the truth, Alya practically attacked her. She was just as much responsible for Mari being cast out as Lila was. The fact that her best friend abandoned her only fueled the gossip and allowed Lila to drive the final nail in. In the span of a few weeks, Marinette was left alone.
Around the same time, Chat Noir became more persistent in his pursuit of her while Adrien, who Marinette knew was aware of the lies, was only telling her to keep the high road (do nothing). She could understand him. As a famous model and son of a well-known fashion designer, he was always taught to not provoke the press. It still served as a wake-up call on her crush.
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Marinette was packing her things after lessons when she noticed someone approach her from behind. Immediately, she tensed. After eleven years of martial arts practice, it was an instinct. Before she had time to turn around, something heavy landed on her desk with a loud Thud!. She turned to see Chloe standing over a large book, a single thick envelope, and a puffy bag that content Marinette couldn’t guess.
“What’s a…” She started, but Chloe cut her off. She had her usual ‘resting witch’ expression.
“The book contains every single instance I verbally assaulted you, destroyed something of yours, talked about you behind your back, or in any way otherwise did something wrong toward you. Here are the materials for the damaged clothes,” she pushed the bag toward her, “and here is money for other things.” Chloe gave her the envelope. “I apologize for all of that. I was jealous of all the attention you kept getting even though I thought I deserved it. I now realize that my behavior was wrong and hurtful. I will understand if you’ll never speak to me again. I kept acting ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” With that, she turned and started to walk again. Marinette idly noticed that there was no Sabrina nearby. Thinking back, Chloe was no longer acting (overly) mean toward anyone as of late.
Making a split-second decision, Marinette raced after the blonde and pulled her into a hug.
“Wha…” Chloe yelped before sinking into the hug. Neither girl realized they were crying until they finally separated. Blonde had her lite make-up in total ruin while Marinette had tears still going down her cheeks. “Does that mean you accept my apologies?”
Marinette didn’t answer immediately. She stood there with open mouth for a moment before smiling weakly. “Yes, Chloe.”
Since that day, they were best friends. It turned out to be a blessing. Chloe, once she finally allowed someone to truly know her, turned out to be a highly intelligent, funny, and very much still overbearing person. She still acted high and mighty, but it no longer felt mean, rather just… felt. She took to defending Marinette from the rest of the class. She was aware of Lila’s lies from day one but never acted on it until it was too late. Sabina abandoned her for the liar. Dealing with loneliness was hard on her. She didn’t even have parents that cared. Her father would probably move sun if she asked, but he had an emotional range of a toothpick. Her mother didn’t even know her name, so she didn’t bother.
Something about their friendship must’ve upset Lila because the girl upped her game. Marinette’s parents suddenly found themselves facing strong critique and constant inspection from the sanitary department and child protection questioning their parenting abilities. MDC, who was slowly becoming one of the go-to fashion designers for famous found herself in the middle of several fake media scandals, including one lawsuit over defamation. If it wasn’t for Jagged Stone and Penny rallying her customers, Marinette and her parents would end up broke. He managed to save MDC and practically made her untouchable. Still, Alya and Lila got off scot-free as nothing could be linked to them.
Perhaps what pushed Lila over the edge was Chloe confronting Adrien. She yelled at him for good two hours straight about responsibility and morality, pointing in detail exactly what he did wrong. She would probably go on if Marinette didn’t stop her. After that, Adrien finally apologized and tried to make things right, but it only turned against him. By then, Lila had everyone so deep into it, that he was powerless. She didn’t go after him as her partnership with Gabriel Agreste was too important, but she did tattle to the Fashion Mogul about it. Gabriel tried to get his son under control, but this was one thing that he couldn’t achieve.
It did inspire a whole youth fashion line ‘rebel’, which became a global hit.
All this time, Marinette kept two secrets. One was her identity as Ladybug and the guardian, the other was her true name and family. Until she kept neither.
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Marinette returned home after another day at school. Recently, her mother revealed she was pregnant with another child, even though she was believed to be barren. Everyone in the bakery was overjoyed and the couple even started to hand out small treats to any guest that came. The free samples helped the business return to a better standing.
When she entered, strangely there was no sound in the bakery. It was empty. Usually, her parents would both be very busy as it was still business hours. Slightly worried, she went upstairs. When she entered the living room, she found an envelope addressed to her.
Isley
We tried, but we can no longer tolerate you. We turned a blind eye when we learned how improper you act, trying to drag every boy you meet for some, and we quote, “alone time”. We didn’t react to the bullying accusations, believing them to be overexaggerated. Even when you were expelled, we still had hoped you’ll turn out into a fine young lady. But now, we must think of the baby. Today was the last straw. Hearing about how you ruined that poor impaired girl’s birthday was both cruel and against everything we taught you.
We held hope you won’t follow in your mother’s footsteps, but you proved us wrong several times. We supported your obsession over fashion, even with the drama it caused, because it was actually non-violent. At first, we didn’t want to teach you how to fight, but we convinced ourselves that you would have a way to vent the emotions somewhere away from us.
Please, don’t try looking for us. We will probably have already left the country or even the continent. The bakery is yours. We don’t want to have anything to do with the spawn of evil such as you.
We hoped you would turn out better
Sincerely,
Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng
Marinette tried to read it over and over again, but her eyes welled with tears. She had no idea she was screaming until her throat was coarse. Rationally, she knew she needed to keep calm or she would attract the Akuma, but emotions made her not care.
Unknowingly to her, the plants all around Paris responded to her cry. They started growing and spreading, trying to get to their queen and comfort her. The Akuma that would’ve come for her stumbled into one of the vines, corrupting it. Hawkmoth was surprised, it was not something anyone ever seen in Paris except on TV or some strange Japanese shows that play after midnight. The more important thing was that even though he akumatized the plants, he had no control over them. He couldn’t even recall his Akuma.
Back in Marinette’s living room, she started to feel the ground rumble. Soon, plants exploded from the ground and broke windows. She slowly looked at her hands to see them tinted with green. They were not the same as her mother’s, but close. She looked to the floor where pieces of glass littered everything. Her face was the same, but her hair became blue and her eyes were now the most vibrant iridescent green she’s ever seen, exactly the same color her mother’s eyes were.
She started to panic even more. Tikki floated next to her, talking to her, but Marinette couldn’t hear her. Or maybe process it. She could hear the plants call to her. She could hear them speak. They promised her revenge. They promised retribution on those who attacked her. God’s wrath would rain upon them from the sky and hell’s fury would consume them from beneath.
Impaired girl…
“Liar Rossi.” Marigold seethed. She knew there was only one person who would do such a thing. Only one talented enough to convince her parents she was a villain. If they wanted a villain, they would get one. Her mind was being clouded. Her clothes were already torn, replaced by a skintight outfit made of leaves, much like her mother wore. Then, Marinette remembered another part of the letter. She added a skirt made of purple petals that complimented her blue hair nicely and long sleeves that reached to her hands, ending with a triangle that reached her middle finger and surrounded it at the base. She left the decolletage as it was.
Exiting her house, she allowed the vines to carry her. There were only so many places The Liar could hide. First, she went toward School, as it was closest. She made plants carry her over the roof right into the courtyard while more of them broke the doors and blocked any exit. The fencing class was still going on, but The Liar was not there. She looked over the scared crowd, spotting two people she wanted to find. She needed to protect them from The Liar, else they end like her. She grabbed the fencer in a red outfit and her partner, knocking their masks to reveal Kagami and Adrien. The plants wrapped around them, forming a sort of cocoon before dragging them to the heart. Marinette then turned her sight to Eifel tower. She knew The Liar liked to drag the class there.
As she moved through town, she passed the Hotel where Chloe lived. Pausing, she made the plants lift her toward the balcony. Her best friend was indeed there, right next to the lit-up Bee-signal. Honeystly…
“Marinette!?” The blonde jumped in surprise
“Marinette is gone. She should’ve never even been. I’m Marigold, the daughter of Poison Ivy.” For a moment, the fog thickened, but Mari shook it off quickly enough, before whatever caused it managed to get the hold of her.
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng! If you got yourself akumatized, I’m telling my daddy!” Chloe shouted. Seeing the tears form in the iridescent green eyes, she looked at her friend with pity. “Oh, Mari! Is this the Liar again? Come here right now!” The blonde spread her arms for a hug. She didn’t care about the Akuma. Her friend needed her and she would help her conquer the world if she asked. Chloe owed Mari… everything. She helped her evolve beyond being the queen witch. In response to the gesture, the plants in the garden started to grow until they surrounded the two of them in a tight cocoon. Marinette stepped onto the balcony. She affectionately petted the vine that carried her so far before allowing it to return to its hunt for the Liar.
“Chloeee!” Mari launched herself at the girl. She sunk into the embrace, allowing tears to start flowing again. She sobbed her heart out while pushing a piece of paper she constantly held in her clutched fist before. The blonde took it and read while patting Marinette on the back of her head.
“Salauds! Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous! How dare that cochons! And the chienne! Wait till I tell daddy about this! Don’t worry Mari. I will protect you! I will ruin her! Merde!” The rant made Marigold pause. She never heard Chloe curse. Like… never. “But first. Mari. You know I love you and I would help you hide the body, but drop the Akuma. It’s making you look Ridiculous. Utterly Ridiculous! I mean the dress is so much spot on and so you, but the whole take over Paris is more my style. I can let you be my faithful sidekick while we take over the world if you want.”
For a moment, Marigold continued to stare at Chloe before she burst out in a fit of laughter. It wasn’t a nervous chuckle or the villain cackle, but genuine pearly laughter. It was just so… Chloe-ish. She couldn’t imagine anyone trying to dissuade an Akuma by offering to become a sidekick.
“You… You… Never change Chlo.” Mari smiled at her friend.
“Whoa. You… didn’t make me a fertilizer? I mean, of course, you wouldn’t. You are just too good of a person, but Hawkmoth…”
“I’m not akumatized Chloe.” Mari smiled. “It’s me.” As if to prove her point, she stood up and spun, allowing the blonde to see her from all sides. “This is how I really look. Apparently, I do take some after my mom.”
“Your… mom?”
“Pamela Isley, she was a famous biologist. Mom was brilliant. She used to be one of the smartest people in the world.” Mari praised. “There was this one accident that she is now famous for…”
“Pamela Isley? I remember reading about her.”
“Yeah… She is…”
“Didn’t she create this environment-friendly line of cosmetics?” Chloe asked in her typical fashion
“Yes! I have no idea why everyone remembers her only for the ‘Poison Ivy’ thing!”
“I know, right?” Chloe nodded. “Wait a…”
“Tada!” Mari said weakly before trying to look away, doing everything not to look her friend in the eyes. The blonde gently grabbed her chin and moved it so she could look right into the beautiful green eyes of her best friend.
“Mari! If you think I would abandon you just because your mother took veganism too far… You’re utterly ridiculous!”
Marigold smiled slightly. Slowly, the green receded and her eyes turned back to normal. The dress remained, as without it she would end up naked and she didn’t fancy trying to explain to anyone that.
She then turned to the plants and tried to order them to return to normal, only for them to resist. For a moment, her mind started to feel fogged, but it didn’t hold at all now.
“As much as I like the scenery, maybe we stop the plantpocalypse?”
“Um… Remember how I told you I wasn’t akumatized?”
“Yeah?”
“I think the plants are…”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Chloe shouted. “Listen here Hawkmoth! Get this Akuma the heck away! I don’t care about some fancy Jewels that will totally clash with your suit! I mean purple and white with red earrings? Are you colorblind?”
There was no visible reaction to the plants.
“Strange…” Marigold ran her hand over the plants. “They still respond, just refuse to yield.” Inside, Mari cursed that she couldn’t consult Tikki.
“So… Want some cookies?” Chloe asked. “We just have to wait for Ladybug to save the day. At least the damage will be repaired.”
‘Except Ladybug it trapped here…’
Suddenly, something small and black slipped through the vines and entered their small peaceful enclave. It zoomed between items on the balcony, trying to avoid being seen. It would’ve been successful if Chloe didn’t know about Kwamis.
“What was that!?” She shouted pointing at Plagg’s hiding place.
“What? I didn’t see anything!” Mari tried to lie. It was the one skill she never had. She did compensate for it by never getting caught.
“A Kwami! I’m sure I’ve seen one.”
“Kwami? Who’s Kwami? Is that some bird? How would a bird get here? I mean we are trapped in…”
“Ugh! I don’t have time for games!” Plagg suddenly floated before the pair. “Chat is trapped and can’t help without revealing himself. Paris is being destroyed mindlessly and nobody can do anything as the vines are harder than steel.” The cat summarized. “And I’m hungry. Give me cheese!” He looked at Chloe. “Camembert would be the best, but I’m not that picky.”
“Why come to us? Ladybug took away my miraculous.” The blonde asked.
“I didn’t come to you. I came to her.” The god pointed at Mari.
“Me?! Why? It’s not like…”
“We don’t have time for charades guardian! The Akuma is out of control! Literally! Hawkmoth’s connection was somehow severed and now you have a giant plant that knows only the rage. This is serious!”
Mari wanted to protest or try to save some of her identity, but then Tikki floated out of her purse.
“Oh no! Marinette! He is right! We have a huge problem.”
“Why?” The girl asked resigned.
“You’re Ladybug!” Chloe shouted but was subsequently ignored
“Hawkmoth must’ve akumatized the plant, hoping to control you, but he had no idea it was sentient. But it stopped being sentient the moment you let it go. I… It never happened before.”
“You’re Ladybug!!!” Chloe shouted so loud that everyone had to look at her.
“We can talk later. Now we need to somehow deal with the plants. Maybe… No. What about… But they are too tough… What if…” Marigold started to run through various scenarios and plans.
“Can’t you just order them to expel the Akuma?” Plagg asked bored.
“It… It might work.” Mari had a focused expression. In her head, she was running through all her knowledge of biology, miraculous magic, and how her mom’s powers worked. Hesitantly, she walked to the edge of the cocoon and called the main vine to her. The wall spread slightly and allowed the tip of it to enter. Mari touched it and started gently caressing it.
“you’re a good boy. Yeah! Who’s a good boy? You’re. Yes! You’re a good boy. But Good Boys don’t have Akuma. Do you want to be a good boy? Of course, you do…”
Chloe stood there and watched how Marigold kept talking to the plant like it was a puppy. She felt something fall into her hand. Opening the palm, she saw two earrings.
“I… I can’t!” She protested, but Plagg floated before her eyes.
“She can’t do it. If Akuma escapes, we will have plantmagedon on a larger scale.”
“Fine. Spots on!”
Just as Mari finally talked the plant into expelling the Akuma, Chloe caught it.
“Bye Bye Little Butterfly!” She released the pure white bug. “Lucky charm!” Chloe shouted. A red and black folder fell into her hands. She looked at it curiously. Inside, she found a complete set of adoption papers for her father to sign. She quickly pulled out the sheets and tossed the folder itself, releasing a swarm of ladybugs that repaired Paris to how it was before plants. The sheet stayed.
Transformation dropped after that and Chloe handed the jewel back to the true owner.
“You still have sooo much explaining to do!”
Nobody remembered about Adrien and Kagami being carried together to safety, which turned out to be Mari’s basement. And while Ladybug Cure should’ve restored them to where they were taken from, for some unknown reason they remained locked there until Mari returned late into the evening to spend the last night at the bakery. It would be some time until Tikki admitted that it was an act of revenge on Plagg for revealing her chosen’s identity. He had to go the whole day without cheese. The one good thing that came from it was that Kagami and Adrien had a long frank talk and ended up as friends. The relationship just wasn’t working.
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When Mari was adopted by the Mayor, she decided to keep using the Dupain-Cheng name at least for now. At first, Chloe’s father was against it, but once the girl presented it as a way of getting good press of mayor who personally looks after his citizens he practically ripped the papers to sign them. Although on paper he was the adopter, Chloe was the real parent/sister that took care of Mari. Lila seethed and spitted, but couldn’t really do much more. Adrien and Chloe roped Jagged Stone and Penny into Marinette Protection Squad. Luka and Kagami, who somehow hooked up, also joined. At some point, Mari entrusted Luka and Kagami with permanent Miraculous and Gave Chloe the Bee miraculous back. Some Fox illusion of Chloe publically applauding new heroine helped hide her identity. The hardest part was revealing to Chat, Viperion, and Ryuko her true identity. Adrien was a big surprise, but at least they finally dealt with their crushes once and for all. The fact that they were in love square in two people was way too awkward. Chloe and Mari did notice Adrien sometimes looking at Luka, but he was happy with Kagami. The only person that disproved of ‘Lukagami’ was Kagami’s mother, but she warmed up to him when he accepted the challenge to a duel and was completely pacified when she learned that Luka is apprenticing under Jagged Stone.
Jagged and Penny wanted to Adopt Mari, but ended up filling the role of uncle and aunt. After some time, Mari realized that she rebuilt what she once had in Gotham. These people might not have been her family by blood, but it mattered little. That family might’ve been damaged, maybe even broken, but they were happy together. They found solace in one another. Once more, Marinette was happy.
Until a trip to Gotham came knocking on the front doors.
NEXT
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Reflection of The Soul (pt9)
Luke twirled the pen around, trying to understand the confusing case. He looked up, hearing a sound by his front door. Smarts would tell him not to approach. And he didn't, until he heard meowing.
“Danny! Welcome home.” he smiled, watching the cat walk in. “Missed the food?”
“Meow.”
“Ah! I made a new recipe just for you. Just wait a bit.”
“Mreow!”
“So talkative today. Is something bothering you?”
“Meow! Mew!”
Luke looked at Danny, wondering if there really was a problem. Luke squatted, having his hand bitten.
“You want me to follow? Are we going out again?”
He did want to go out again. They were going in a different direction this time. Danny stopped in front of a box. Luke looked in, a pair of kittens inside.
“Oh… Nice find, Danny. Let's see…”
Vyn silently watched over Luke, wanting to observe how he would act in this situation. What was he truly like? He followed Luke as he took them home.
Luke set the box down in an isolated area, leaving food and water for them. They probably weren't the friendliest right now and he didn't want to overwhelm them.
“I should find a shelter that’ll take care of them. I already have a troublesome cat.” Luke muttered, Vyn glaring at him.
Troublesome his ass. He should try living a double life once in a while.
“Ah! I almost forgot about your food. One moment, Danny!”
Vyn walked over to the room, opening the door to check on the kittens. They hadn't touched the food or water. He tipped the box over, allowing them easier access.
“Danny, no!”
Vyn was picked up and taken out of the room.
“Let them get comfortable first.” Luke whispered, gently stroking his head. “Though it’s probably best I get them to a shelter who can care for them. My job is unpredictable.”
Vyn tilted his head, wondering how unpredictable. Luke went back to the kitchen after closing the door. Vyn started to explore, noticing papers on the table. He jumped up, reading them over. A detective getting involved with the government? It was probably best not to read more. But his curious kitty nature wanted to keep going. He jumped off the table, not giving in. The rest of the night was spent in peace, Luke often checking on the kittens.
•
Vyn stopped short, unbelieving that he was actually doing it. He eventually entered the shop, Luke emerging from the back.
“Oh, hello. Do you ever plan to bring those books or was that all a ruse to get me to spill I’m a private detective?”
“Who knows? I'll never tell.” teased Vyn, causing Luke to roll his eyes. “I'm sure you're wondering why I've come today.”
“Well I'm sure it's not for antiquing. Need my detective services?”
“I do actually. I need you to tail this woman for me. Jot down everything she does. It doesn't have to be detailed but understandable.”
They continued to discuss, delving into prices before coming to an agreement.
“May I ask why her?”
Vyn as usual gave him a smile rather than an answer. This guy was surprisingly secretive.
“You have that look on your face.” Vyn pointed out.
“Huh?”
“The ‘He's being secretive yet wants me to spill my guts’ look. This… this is something I'm not ready to delve into, my dearest Sherlock.” admitted Vyn before smiling. “Will you unmask the reason for my interest before time is up?”
“Why don't we bet on it? Winner gets the right to ask a personal question and must receive an answer.” smiled Luke.
“Confident you’ll win huh? I’ll show you you're very wrong.”
They shook on it, Vyn leaving soon after. Luke looked at the woman’s picture then at the back where brief information was written in beautiful handwriting. Well, he wouldn’t win the bet sitting around like this.
Vyn silently drank tea, looking over what was mailed to him. Another patient they needed his advice on. How many times did he have to tell them he was no longer in the business? He shredded the papers, separating them into two different recycles. He wasn’t ready to go back yet. Not yet… Vyn jumped, not expecting his doorbell to be rung. He racked his brain in trying to figure out who of the few who knew his address was supposed to come over. The bell was rung again. There shouldn’t be anyone.
Luke watched from a distance as she rang the bell of a home. Did she know the person who lived there? She finally walked away, a disappointed look on her face. He kept her within sight before checking the name on the residence.
“Vyn? Is there more to this than what he was letting on?” thought Luke, hurrying after the woman.
Vyn started to relax, no longer hearing the bell. Whoever it was must’ve gotten the hint. He was startled out of his thoughts by the ringing of his phone.
“This is the first time you’ve called me. Missed my voice?” he teased, sitting back down in his chair.
“I didn’t know you could be full of yourself too… I’m getting off track, I think there’s something you failed to mention the day you came.”
“And what do you think that is?”
“That you know more about her than you’re letting on.”
Vyn didn’t respond, leaving Luke in suspense.
“But I suppose that’s part of my job and the bet.” Luke sighed, watching her enter a store.
“Precisely. I await your conclusion tomorrow.” chuckled Vyn, hanging up after. “He’s already gotten this far huh… Truly a smart man.”
-
Luke organized his notes, waiting for Vyn to come through the door. He wasn’t sure whether to be angry or furious. Vyn entered the antique shop, noticing Luke wasn’t downstairs. He reached the counter, seeing a note beckoning him upstairs. Vyn knocked on the door upstairs, realizing it was open.
“I’m coming in.”
Luke turned away from the window, showing his immense displeasure.
“Judging by your face, you found the truth.”
Luke tossed the papers onto the table before sitting back.
“You sent me on a wild goose chase. She’s nothing but an admirer of you. Graduate from Stellis University to boot.” huffed Luke, practically glaring daggers into him. “I bet you knew exactly who she was, didn’t you?”
Vyn’s face said otherwise. Did he seriously not know her already?
“So that’s who she was. It’s a relief to know it wasn’t what I came to understand.” smiled Vyn, thanking Luke.
“So I’m guessing you thought she had ulterior motives, namely after your life for something you did.”
Luke couldn’t help but notice Vyn went rather stiff as if he hit something he wasn’t supposed to. More questions started to arise about Vyn’s past but he chose not to voice any of them, mostly because he probably wouldn’t tell him.
“Well, you still had a day left in the time limit, so you win this bet.” Vyn spoke, bringing him out of his thoughts.
Ah, he almost forgot. Now he had to choose a question wisely. Vyn took a seat, seeing it would take a bit.
“Alright, here’s my question. Why did you suddenly leave the field of psychology and insist on denying you were once a criminal psychologist?” Luke asked, narrowing his eyes.
This was the best he could do without making anything too uncomfortable. At least, that’s what he thought. Vyn wasn’t smiling and was silent for too long. Luke continued to wait until it became obvious Vyn was possibly stalling.
“Vyn.”
“Huh?”
So he wasn’t stalling, just lost in his thoughts. Luke cleared his throat, repeating his question.
“You know how to ask the right questions.” sighed Vyn, giving him a weary smile. “The short version would be, I was quite overwhelmed.”
Luke didn’t buy it. Though, he’s never been in the psychology field so he couldn’t say for sure that Vyn was lying to him.
“That overwhelming that you completely changed careers…?”
“Yes.”
It seemed he wouldn’t be getting anything else out of this. Luke started to gather the papers, signaling Vyn was free to go.
“One can only run so far before everything accumulated catches up to them.”
“Especially if you did something appaling.” Luke off handedly commented.
Luke looked up, hearing his door close. Was he hitting all the wrong notes today? He sent Vyn a text, apologizing if he misstepped. His message was read but not responded to. Now he was the one who needed to make up with the other party.
-
Vyn narrowed his eyes, his doorbell ringing. He wasn’t expecting guests. He looked at his conversations, the one with Luke catching his eye. They hadn’t talked since that day. So who was waiting outside his door? He walked over to the door, checking through the peephole. He opened the door, a look of confusion on his face.
“What are you doing here…? How do you know my address?” Vyn questioned.
“You forgot about the job you gave me weeks ago already? Just how old are you?” Luke responded flatly. “I know I should’ve asked before coming but you’re off today right? Mind if I hang out?”
“I-”
“Hopefully you weren’t planning to go out. Then I’d be imposing…”
“I wasn’t. Uh, come in then.”
Luke walked in, looking around. He didn’t know Vyn’s taste in decor but just by walking in he could feel Vyn all around.
“You can sit there. Coffee, tea, water?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
Vyn nodded, disappearing from sight. The place had quite a mature feel to it, much like Vyn when he wasn’t teasing. Vyn returned carrying a teacup and a teapot.
“What kind of tea is it?” he asked curiously.
“Chamomile. My latest purchases have yet to arrive.”
They sat in silence, Luke finding tea not at all fulfilling. It was kind of like flavored water? But warm? Though, he couldn’t deny how relaxed he felt just sitting in silence with Vyn.
“I apologize for breaking the silence but, is it okay if I just talk about things on my mind?” asked Luke, searching for an okay.
“Go ahead.”
Luke exhaled, setting his cup of tea down. He didn’t know what it was but he just wanted to talk about his feelings. Was this what people did when seeing a therapist?
“And I saw her again last week. Childhood friend. She’s doing well… very well. I couldn’t help myself and dove into relationship talk. She… she’s seeing someone. I must be an idiot to think she’d really wait 8 years for me…” stated Luke, getting quiet towards the end. “And now we’re working on a case together and it’s just… hard. And then there’s Danny who I constantly worry about, who comes back less and less… Everything is just… it all just feels bad.”
“And what exactly makes it all bad? If anything, change is good once in a while, no?” Vyn spoke, his gaze on Luke.
“But things already changed for me! I-!”
Luke went silent, catching himself before he slipped up. “I haven't been in Stellis for 8 years. Coming back was already a change…”
“And you think change only happens once all at once?”
“Isn't it?”
Vyn didn't reply, getting himself another cup of tea. That wasn't a no, but that wasn't a yes either. Luke picked up his cup, staring into the liquid. Not all change is bad, one example being him being selected to be part of a government investigator team. But the price he paid was losing his first love to some guy, a bad change. Then there was meeting Danny who did change his life, but not to a massive degree like his career. Luke covered his face, feeling lost. How could he forget the pressing case he was primarily working on? Everytime it felt like a lead, he'd lose it soon after.
Luke was startled out of his thoughts at the feeling of something touching his hands. They were pulled down, a smile filling his sight.
“I'm happy to know you trust me enough to know what's going on with you. Talking things out with a friend helps relieve a lot of stress. A burden shared is a burden halved.” Vyn spoke softly, curling his fingers around Luke’s.
Luke couldn't find his words today, his only means of protest being to slip his hands from Vyn’s. He was so comfortable he spilled everything to someone like Vyn rather than a friend he's known for years.
“Thanks for hearing me out I guess…”
“I don't mind but, do you still think it's all bad change?”
“No… It may seem bad now, but in the future it could be a change that led to something really good. Like Danny becoming my cat. Or… finding someone who will return my feelings.”
“And I don't doubt either of those could happen. You're an intelligent man, Luke. Don't forget that.”
A faint blush dusted Luke’s cheeks as Vyn patted his thigh before moving back to his seat. Why was his face warm? He quickly turned his head, trying to make it go away.
Vyn saw Luke to the door, promptly closing the door after he fully descended the stairs. Vyn exhaled, heading up to his study to do his entry for the day.
“Luke ceases to amaze me. I wonder what else he's hiding underneath that I have yet to extract? Though, hearing how upset he sounded over losing his first love, it was painful for me to hear. There are many plausible reasons but…”
•
Luke played with Danny, seeing he came right when he needed cheering up. Danny must have some kind of powers to know something was up. Vyn swatted at the string before jumping up for it. As much as he didn't like looking like a fool, he was a cat. And cats liked catching things that moved.
“Good boy! There, there…”
He certainly didn't miss the babying Luke gave him, that's for sure. Luke sat down, exhaling. He got a decent work out from that.
“Hey, guess what? I learned something new about that Vyn guy.”
Now he had his attention. What could he possibly know?
“I don't think he finds his past unimportant, more like it gives him terrible memories. I don't know what happened, but it must've been awful enough that he stiffened everytime.” said Luke, a serious look on his face. “I wonder if he was treated differently or something.”
Vyn instinctively backed away, forgetting what form he was in.
“Danny? What's wrong?”
Crap. He was going to suspect something. Act cute! Vyn rolled around, stretching out and meowing. Luke didn't question it anymore, too enthralled by the cute cat he was being.
“I do want to know more about him. I only know that he likes tea and used to be a psychologist. I don't know what he doesn't like or any other likes. I don't even know if he has relatives. Why is he so… secretive?”
Why did Luke want to know him all of a sudden? Did he actually want to be friends?
“As weird as it is to admit, he's grown on me and I don't dislike it.”
He couldn't help but feel a little touched. They finally broke through the barrier of unfamiliarity.
‘You're progressing much slower than we thought. An incompetent one isn't he?’
'It's not like you to show up when he's around. What's the occasion?’ questioned Vyn as Luke continued to talk.
‘We have been watching you for entertainment. We have thought you two would be closer by now. He's terrible at making friends. Hehe, this is why he's alone!’
‘Could you all shut up? I’m trying to listen to him.’
‘And what gives you the right to tell us what to do? We can expose you right now if we wanted. Behave yourself human.’
Vyn turned his attention back to Luke who was now writing on paper. It seemed related to work. He settled down by his feet, closing his eyes.
“Well, he's busy now so go on, speak. Tell me how I should live my life.”
“A rude one he is. Can’t we just expose him and go back to our lives? We promised the cat and we don’t break our promises. This human is annoying!”
“I’m annoyed because you disappear for countless days even when I went out of my way to try and contact you, then have the gall to suddenly appear and tell me I’m not providing enough entertainment for you? Why are you treating my life like that anyway? Don’t you have better things to do with your endless amount of time?” Vyn hissed, finding it hard to contain his anger.
“All human lives are simple entertainment for us. Don’t think yourself so special, vermin. He’s irritated enough, stop. Since when do we care for simple minded beings like him? We-”
“Shut up! I’ve grown tired of hearing all this nonsense and degrading. Just tell me what I want to know so you can go back to your human watching.”
The voice was unusually silent. So they weren’t going to answer his questions again? Typical.
“We will grant you two answers. Pick your questions carefully.”
“Why doesn’t this cat body like being touched, even if I trust the person I’m with?”
“The unfortunate soul was hurt when in vulnerable states, mostly when eating.”
“Wow, an actual straight answer. There’s something else isn’t there?” Vyn sneered, looking around despite knowing there was no physical body for him to look at.
“Look at this vermin! We give what he wants and then calls us schemers! Settle. No, I refuse! He is annoying!”
Vyn hissed for them to stop, their voices echoing in his head loudly.
“Fine. Thank you for the straight answer this time. Now that I know, I can work around it. Though, I suppose what we have now is fine.”
“Human, answer me this. Do you truly intend to live this double life until you die?”
Vyn thought on it. The future huh? There was no telling what would become of him and Luke.
“Don’t know if I am to be honest. Many things can happen between now and tomorrow. For all I know, I could expose myself to Luke within a few hours and lose this cat side of me.”
The voice was silent, hopefully contemplating his reply.
“For a simple creature, you understand surprisingly well.”
And that was the end of the conversation. Vyn opened his eyes, Luke still working on his case. He stretched out, curling up more by his feet. Luke reached down, giving him loving head rubs. Was it strange for him to prefer them like this rather than him in human form? Maybe because things just came more naturally like this. Pet owners are more likely to be open with their pets than close friends. There were no complicated emotions between owner and pet.
“Meow.”
“Hm? Hungry?”
Vyn hopped onto his lap, licking his hand. He just wanted to share the happiness he was feeling. Luke smiled softly, gently stroking his fur.
“Maybe I should bring you to Vyn sometime. I think he could use a little cat affection.” chuckled Luke, setting Vyn back on the floor. “Might as well take a break for now. I'll probably think better on a full stomach.”
If only Luke knew how ironic his statement was. Though, he really needed to consider the future. He couldn't keep being Danny and Vyn around Luke the entire time. He was going to have to choose one and stick with it. Maybe he could learn which form he preferred more.
‘Stupid human.’
Vyn looked around, wondering if it was that being again.
‘Hush. Let him do what he wants. If it'll get rid of the fog, we’ll be relieved. You're too soft.’
So they weren't joking when they called him entertainment.
“Danny? What's up? Here, the sheets. ‘Like Vyn’? What do you mean? ‘Personality’? You know abstract words like that? Hm, he's not bad but he's not good either. He can be annoying at times but I think he's someone I can get along with. That is, if he doesn't do strange things again. It was really nice to know he was listening to me when I was practically spilling my guts out. I didn't know he could be so… understanding.”
That was… Vyn pushed the thoughts away, preparing his next question.
‘You’? You're such a little cutie! How could I not love you? You're smart, adventurous, brave, although reckless too. And everyone loves cats.”
He finally understood. Getting closer as Danny wasn't the right path. It did help in getting information, but the true way to know Luke was by being, well, himself.
“Huh? You want to be let out? But you'll disappear again… Can't you stay a little longer?” pleaded Luke, trying to tempt him with food.
Vyn figured he could, having made up his mind about his plans going forward. He'd become Danny if he really needed to know something or if he needed to sneak around.
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Dark Side Of The Rising Sun Part 1
Yo what’s up!
After the success of my previous post, I’ve decided to bring a follow up where I talk about the many dysfunctions and issues facing Japan that I’ve learned in my research. Detective Conan often shows the criminal justice system of Japan in a positive light while in reality it has many issues due to the culture.
Now let me make this clear: Japan has many great things about itself that should never be ignored. However, these are real flaws that have or need to be addressed with many Japanese also recognizing them as problems.
Now I had to split this into parts as this is rather ungainly to put it all at once. If you have any questions please ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Suicide
Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with about 15.2 deaths per 100,000 people.
This is due to many factors such as Suicide not being considered a sin as well as historical connotations of it being a honorable way to go.
It is also considered a act of revenge, apology, and protest.
It is mostly caused today by factors such as unemployment, alienation and intense social pressure.
Japanese society is overall tolerant of Suicide but this is changing in recent times.
Another factor is the need for acceptance over individuality.
People with mental illness are often discriminated against, stopping potential help.
Internet Suicide Clubs where anonymous people make/plan suicide pacts and commit group suicide are a major issue.
If you kill yourself via Shinkansen, your family will be fined heavily. It is also the cause of half of the train delays and referred to as a human incident.
Tall buildings have mandatory suicide fences to prevent people from jumping off. When they succeed, they take off their shoes before hand.
It is common for suicidal people to take insurance policies and wait a year or two to go through with it so their families would be okay.
Ikka Shinju or family suicides are when the entire family kills themselves together due to Asian views of the family. When the parents kill their children before themselves, this is called Muri-Shinju or murder suicides.
Oyaku Shinju or parent-child suicide are where a single parent kill their children along with themselves.
Drownings, overdoses, hangings, and jumping off places are the most common form of suicide.
Judiciary
Traditionally, the judge is hated more then the lawyer is in the west as the Judge is often viewed as a symbol of the Japanese nobility judging the common man.
If you are sent to trial, you are certain to be convicted regardless of innocence due to the countries 99% conviction rate. (Really makes Eri’s work more awesome and badass doesn’t it?)
The Japanese supreme court is one of the most conservative in the world, rarely ruling against issues that are blatantly unconstitutional and anti human rights. As a result, one of the more positive proposals for amendments of the Constitution is the creation of a separate Constitutional Court.
If you are sent to death row, you will never be told in advance when you are going to die.
Culturally, once arrested the person is automatically considered guilty.
Police are often reluctant to overturn convictions as they insist that only guilty are arrested and convicted.
The law when a child is considered criminally responsible is 14.
Judges are often pressured into making convictions as their careers are negatively affected by a not guilty verdict.
Prosecutors are given the choice not to pursue a case regardless of sufficient evidence.
Prisoners in Japan, while somewhat treated better then much of the world due to it’s focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, have to follow strict military style regulations from minor things such as being forced to fold the bed, or to wash your face to more draconian measures such being beaten if you don’t march or sit the wrong way.
In turn, many have inadequate access to medical care as they don’t have many options for their healthcare.
It can take months or years before you are tried, meaning that a right to a speedy trial is completely nonexistent.
“Periods of reflection” where inmates are forced to be handcuffed, gagged and placed in solitary, are often not recorded by the warden.
Foreigners are forced to speak and write in Japanese.
Drug Use
It is considered vastly socially unacceptable to do narcotics in Japan.
Most drug addicts are even considered to be not human.
If a celebrity is caught doing drugs, his career is automatically fucked and he is blacklisted from the industry, as well as erased from current projects.
The most commonly sold drug is methamphetamine. This started after World War II due to Meth being legal for soldiers to consume in order to stay up late on petrol as well as from occupying Americans. After the was, it became a huge epidemic for 12 years.
Marijuana use has risen among youth. Despite it having little danger as well as medicinal uses, it is widely considered evil, with the law having no tolerance.
Overall, Japan has little drug use compared to the rest of the world due to the cultural taboo and strict laws. However, there are signs that it is being vastly under counted,
Most illicit drugs are imported from Taiwan and South Korea due to it being near impossible to grow it natively but it is becoming increasingly hard to do so.
Drugs overdoses are criminally under diagnosed.
Epidemics often occur due to low periods of economic growth and recessions. (Examples include the postwar period, the 70′s, and the Lost Decade after the Bubble Economy burst in 1989)
It is common for your family or doctor to call the police once you admit there is a problem. Then you are forced to take a urine sample and if it tests positive you are immediately arrested.
A lot of doctors open pharmacies to add to their income. As a result, many oversubscribe prescription drugs.
Hypocritically, Alcoholism is completely tolerated and not treated as a addiction due to alcohol being considering purifying in Shinto, a cure, and Japan having a intense drinking culture.
Child Abuse
For the most part, physical child abuse is considered a private issue and often ignored. While things are slowly getting better, Japan still has a long way to go. (Imagine if Kogoro did what he did to Conan in the west. Child services would be on him like a fly swatter.)
Child services often return the children to their parents even if they say their abusing them as the counseling centers need the parents to admit to their abuse.
It is a complete myth that Japan’s age of consent is 13. That is only the lowest one could set it. Most prefectures are set at 16 or higher. In turn, child molestation of those under 12 is heavily punished. However while vaginal rape of children is illegal, basically just about everything else as long as it’s statutory is basically alright.
Enjo Kosai or compensated dating is the practice of Teenage Girls to go on dates with older men in exchange for money and gifts. While not necessarily always leading to prostitution is treated as such and the girls are often blamed if they are hurt in the process.
Child sex trafficking of migrants is a serious issue and they are often treated as criminals and sent home without counseling.
Adoption of children is rare and frowned upon so many of them have to gro up in centers.
Children of unmarried couples are discriminated against due to the violation of the traditional Ie system and do not have the same protections or privileges of married couples because of its Koseki system.
Men are not obligated to pay child support and it’s near impossible to get them to legally as they can simply hide their finances by not telling them. Plus only one person can be named on the custody sheet.
Child Pornography was effectively decriminalized until 2014. No seriously.
Sexual Harassment/Assault
Domestic violence victims are disabused from coming forward due to the idea of bringing shame to their family.
Stalking cases are rarely taken seriously by the police
OH THERE”S WAY MORE BUT THIS LIST IS DARK ENOUGH SO LET”S SAVE THIS FOR A LATER DATE.
Working Conditions
Idols are heavily exploited and forced to follow strict rules such as having no social life, banned from having a boyfriend, etc. This is because they are supposed to sell a image of innocence and be there exclusively for their fans.
Anime creators are often forced to work long hours with little pay. This has resulted in a slump in the industry with very few new hires so they are forced to rely on the older animators whose health may fail sooner rather then later.
Funds are rarely given to films with artistic intent or that are political in nature, resulting the film industry suffering compared to the more internationally regarded South Korea.
Police Corruption
Until recently, Japanese police would work with organized crime to lower crime. The only reason they stopped was not out of concern for the everyday citizen but because they were embarrassed by the Yakuza when they began to show up more publically.
The media is often laughably compliant to the police, with they rarely offering a critical lens.
Police have undue influence on the Pachiko industry, with many retired officers being hired as muscle and for advice.
It is quite common for officers to embezzle from their slush funds.
In a effort to cover up crime, police often refuse to investigate mysterious or suspicious deaths, preferring to label them as accidents or suicide.
Police are often anti migrant and sexist to a fault.
It is neigh impossible to get a wiretap going due to rigid privacy laws.
Even the police can’t fire weapons as you need approval to even loose your gun so many officers have never fired a bullet.
Government Incompetence/Corruption
Voter Apathy is super high, with many elections having hilariously low turnout.
Many politicians have Yakuza connections, with the gang members serving as bodyguards and canvassing for votes.
Votes in the countryside are worth two compared to urban ones.
A lot of politicians are completely out of touch and constantly have to resign for gaffes (racism, sexism, historical revisionism, etc.)
Political acts are based on group consensus so it can take a long time to get meaningful reform done.
Criticism and debate is ironically frowned upon, with open criticism within a party being effectively banned.
Cronyism is common. While for the most part Japanese politics is based on expertise, many politicians are awarded ministries based on their support for the leader.
The NHK (Japanese version of the BBC) is largely neutral and free but the current Japanese government can dictate what it is to focus on temporarily.
Press Clubs are often given exclusive access to interviews and information from the government, so they get biased preferential treatment.
Okay I guess the point of this list is to bring attention to these issues and expand the opportunities of where to go when it comes to dark DC fanfiction. Don’t worry, here’s a cute Conan to make you smile!
#detective conan#shinran#ran mouri#Sato Miwako#Takagi Wataru#Mouri Kogoro#Eri Kisaki#drug mention#alcohlism#police corruption#political corruption#child abuse#suicidal#midnight thoughts#japan#conan edogawa
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illicit affairs [the woods 2/4]
No one ever tells you that picking up the pieces takes longer than shattering them
Word Count: 3.657
Warnings: heavy angst, mentions of death and death-related themes, descriptions of a memorial service.
A/N: Thank you to every one that sent me some love on exile! I'm truly grateful for your comments and I hope you like what's coming up on this story. Special thanks to the always wonderful @xbuchananbarnes for helping me out with this. The banner picture was found here. Dividers are from @writeyourmindaway ♡
and you know damn well
for you, i would ruin myself
a million little times
Working for Nick Fury sometimes made you sick to your stomach.
"That's very old school of you," you said, taking a sip from your coffee. The styrofoam cup was hot to the point of almost burning your fingertips, but having something on your hands kept you from twisting them nervously.
Nick raised an eyebrow - the one you could see, at least - and drank from his own cup.
"Your father always said I had a flair for the dramatic."
"Humph," you muttered as Nick rolled down the steel door of the storage unit. "Do you think he would believe your conspiracy theory?"
He shrugged, black leather duster coat swooshing in the wind.
"Your father was a soldier and a spy," he stated. "One of the best, I must say. He believed in his orders as long as he could question them. So yes, I think he would engage my conspiracy theory, as you put it."
You refrained from comment. That was Nick's way: mention your father enough times to instigate your grief, just enough to loosen your morals. The shame was on you for allowing him - even if his suspicion of an undercover plot inside S.H.I.E.L.D. fascinated your curiosity.
“Can I ask what made you start questioning your own Agency?” you mumbled under your breath as you and Nick made your way to his SUV. The sun was slowly dragging it’s hues across the inky sky, the stars fading as the golden light came to be.
“When Stark hacked the Helicarier’s systems there were some… Inconsistencies,” Nick replied. “Which naturally spiked my curiosity.”
“Naturally,” you smirked.
“I suppose I don’t have to tell you that this is not an official assignment, Agent Y/L/N,” he said.
“No, sir,” you shook your head.
“Good,” he pressed a button and the car doors unlocked. “Besides, I’m sure Captain Rogers’ presence in Washington will… Stimulate the inconsistencies we’re looking for.”
“Shit,” you cursed. “That was today?”
Nick tapped the clock on the car’s navigation panel.
“He’ll be at headquarters at nine. I expect you to be there.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” you said. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
Nick nodded.
“How is your grandmother?” he asked. “Is the treatment working?”
“She’s doing a round of chemo every forty days,” you clicked the seat belt tip in the buckle. “She’s stable, but, you know, it’s cancer. I visit her every weekend, though.”
“Are you sure you can’t convince her to move to the city?”
“Nope,” you shook your head. “She’s never gonna leave the woods, Nick. Can you even imagine my grandmother living in D.C.?”
A discreet smile played in the corner of your boss’ lips.
“I couldn’t imagine you living in D.C., yet here you are.”
You didn’t reply, choosing to sip your coffee instead. Nick turned the radio on as he drove off the storage lot and a playlist of Stevie Wonder’s greatest hits was your soundtrack on the journey back to the city. Daylight was high in the sky when the SUV reached the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s colossal headquarters sitting right in the middle of the Potomac.
It was just past seven, but already the premises were bustling with people. You supposed that’s what happens when a superhero starts his first day on the job - people show up early, wearing their best clothes and flawless makeup.
“What the hell,” Nick muttered. “This is an Intelligence Agency, not a fashion show.”
You stifled a laugh.
“You can’t complain about motivation in the workplace now, boss.”
Nick shot you a dirty look.
“My office. Nine A.M. Don’t be late.”
You mock saluted him then went on to find some breakfast.
Natasha Romanoff’s memorial service was held on a balmy December morning, at a Christian Orthodox church in Brooklyn.
All the time you’ve known her, Natasha had never mentioned religion and you were positive that she would’ve cracked two or three jokes about the priest’s monotonous speaking if she were there. Only she wasn’t, and all she left behind was a handful of grieving acquaintances.
There was no body to keep vigil over or bury. In between the thousand of unsaid words between you and Steve, the subject of Natasha’s death lingered. He tried to explain, as he did to so many other things, and maybe you would’ve understood if you just tried to be better at listening - tried harder to make sense of the incredible mess reality had become. Apparently it’s not easy to retrieve a corpse when the person actually died on an alien planet almost ten years ago.
Natasha’s beautiful face smiled at you from a portrait sitting at the altar. Her hair was longer, cascading down her shoulders in fiery red waves that curled into blonde ends. The shadow of a smile on the corner of her lips couldn’t elude the sadness lingering in her eyes. Even so, she hadn’t aged a day since the last time you saw her, in a time so distant it felt foreign, as if it belonged to someone else’s existence instead of your own.
Remembering 2016 felt like being dunked in ice water. Like the time you jumped into the frozen pond in the woods and opened your eyes underneath the stream, catching the twisted, milky sunlight. Looking back at that life - so peaceful despite all the trouble that surrounded it - was equally as numbing.
It was announced to the general public that the woman known as Black Widow bravely sacrificed her life during what was now being called the Battle of the Earth. Yet, when Steve called two days earlier saying that there would be a private service for Natasha's family members, you wept - not so much because a service meant that she was well and truly gone, but because she thought you were her family.
You met her at S.H.I.E.L.D., of course. Even before you crumbled to dust, you’d constantly wonder how different things would’ve been if you’d never let stupid Jimmy Rodriguéz’s words get to you. If you’d just ignored his taunts instead of hacking S.H.I.E.L.D’s database just to prove him you were smart enough to do it, maybe then an old friend your father never bothered to mention wouldn’t have come to your house in the middle of the night, saying that if you could bypass government-patented digital security, then you should move to D.C. and work for him. You would’ve never left the woods, never traded it for the tangled webs of secrets and deceptions a job as an intelligence programmer proved to be.
Perhaps then you wouldn’t be here, sharing a pew with Steve Rogers - the only man you’d ever loved and probably ever would. Perhaps you would’ve met someone else: a nice, normal, maybe even a tad boring guy, but you wouldn’t care because you wouldn’t be very interesting either - just a nice, normal, maybe even a tad boring girl. And the two of you would be ordinary, kissing goodbye in the morning and hello in the evenings, with the ever present assurance that this was how things were meant to be. Not the tragic tale of love and loss you shared with Steve.
You didn't wait for him to walk you out of the church when the service was over, yet your plan to flee without an awkward farewell misfired at the sight of Nick Fury by the door. He looked exactly like he always did - black leather eyepatch, black leather duster coat, seemingly plucked from your thoughts.
"Y/N," he greeted you, evidently surprised although only someone who's spent as much time around him as you had would catch it in the tone of his voice. "How are you?"
"Good," you replied, way too quickly. "Fine."
Nick nodded, then turned to the blonde woman next to him.
"Carol, this is Agent Y/N Y/L/N," he introduced you. "Y/N, this is Captain Carol Danvers."
"Former agent," you corrected, shaking the hand Carol extended. She had a gentle, but strong grip. Noticing her gaze looking up, you turned around to find Steve approaching.
"Carol, Nick," he acknowledged them, then said to you: "You ready to go?"
You nodded, whispering a quiet "goodbye" before allowing Steve to lead you outside.
"Thanks," you muttered when you reached the open air. Even New York's polluted breeze was more refined than the stifling atmosphere inside the church and you inhaled deeply.
"No problem," he smiled. "I was hoping we could talk. You know, if you had the time."
You had all the time in the world, or so it seemed these days. Almost two months had dragged by since you woke up on the floor of your apartment and every minute seemed to make up for the years you missed. You weren’t working or even living in the old building in Bushwick anymore - Cal and Daniel, the father and son duo that first aided you, were. You were just going through the motions.
No one tells you that picking up the pieces takes longer than shattering them. No one bothers saying that when they break, they scatter, and compiling whatever’s left is a perverted scavenger hunt.
“There’s a coffee shop over there,” Steve pointed to a row of storefront across the church parking lot when you hesitated to give him an answer.
You shook your head, trying to scare off the white noise that always seemed to pester you.
“Sure,” you said, wondering if in your alternate life you’d know how to say no to Steve Rogers.
“So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?” Nick said.
“You get used to it,” Steve replied, looking down at the gravestone. Carved on the marble were the words: Col. Nicholas J. Fury, The path of the righteous man. Ezekiel 25:17.
“We've been data-mining HYDRA's files,” Nick continued. “Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm headed to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you'd come.”
Steve shook his head.
“There's something I gotta do first.”
“How about you, Wilson?” Nick turned to Sam. “Could use a man with your abilities.”
“I'm more of a soldier than a spy,” he replied, resolute.
“Alright then,” Nick sighed and you thought he was honestly disappointed. He shook Steve and Sam’s hand and said: “Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here.”
He turned to walk away but halted when he saw you approach. It was the first - and only - time you saw him wearing anything other than the black duster coat and you were surprised to find him affable, rather than alien.
He pointed to the file in your hands.
“How many favors did you have to call in order to get that?”
“A few,” you smiled. “Turns out I still have some friends in Kiev.”
Nick snickered, a whisper of a laugh so discreet that it faded almost instantly in the breeze.
“And you’re sure you’ll pull on that thread? With Hydra out in the open and Congress breathing down your neck?”
His real question was implicit: was your relationship with Steve Rogers worth the trouble?
“I’m sure,” you said, clutching the thick manila folder that contained information on the Winter Soldier.
Beyond the dark disguise of his sunglasses, you caught Nick’s gaze - and you were sad that things ended this way.
“Be safe, Y/N,” he offered.
Nick Fury was out of the graveyard and your life before you could wish him the same.
"I'm sorry I didn't call for a while," Steve apologized as soon as the young waitress left your table with your orders scribbled on a notepad. "I had to leave town for a few days."
You nodded, picking a napkin from it's holder in the center of the tiny corner table where you and Steve sat.
"It's okay," you said. "I know you have stuff to do."
He was still, after all, Steve Rogers. You never tricked yourself into believing you were his priority, instead accepted in your heart that you would always be second to The Avengers, Peggy Carter, Bucky Barnes and whatever else Steve set his eye on and it was fine. You'd be the second place as long as you could be something.
"I went back to return the stones," he added. "Bruce managed to repair the quantum tunnel, so Sam and I volunteered to go back and put them in place."
Back. As in the past.
"Okay," you repeated, because your recent conversations with Steve constantly left you lost for words, with all the information about time travel and elemental crystals from outer space. "Did everything go alright?"
"Yeah," he clasped his hands in front of him, and his colossal frame made the wooden chair he sat in look even smaller. "I saw Peggy."
You looked up from your staring match with the napkin, astounded.
"Really?" your tone was clipped and Steve noticed. Throughout your relationship, Steve's former flame was the unmentionable, the firing pin in the granade. Even if you had accepted the silver medal, it didn't mean it wasn't agonizingly painful to know you'd never shine bright in Steve's eyes like Peggy's gold standards.
"In 1970, at Camp Lehigh," he rubbed his forehead. "She didn't see me, of course, but I saw her. There were a bunch of pictures on her desk - her kids, her husband, one of myself before the serum..."
"Why are you telling me this?" you interrupted him, napkin now balled up in your fist.
"I don't know," Steve shrugged. There was a light pink blush crawling up his neck. "Shit, I don't know why I thought this would be a good way to start what I need to say to you, but… I guess seeing Peggy live her life made me realize how much of mine has been wasted."
You scoffed.
"How could you possibly have wasted your life, Steve? You're Captain America! You've saved the world more than once."
"When it comes to you I've wasted it," he whispered. "And I'm no longer Captain America."
"What?" you gasped, purposely ignoring the initial part of his sentence.
"I passed the shield on to Sam," he announced. "He'll do a good job."
"Why?" you breathed out.
"It was time," Steve said, plainly as if you were discussing the weather and not the one thing that defined who he was for over a century. "The guy that wanted a fight so badly he became a military experiment isn't here anymore. He's changed, the world has changed. That shield is too heavy for me now."
You shook your head, stunned.
"I can't believe this."
Steve started speaking, but stopped when the waitress arrived with your drinks: cappuccino for you, espresso for him. She took an unnecessarily long time pointing out the sugar and sweetner were, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder, telling him with a giggle to call her if he needed anything. Your coffee suddenly looked unsavory.
"The world needs Captain America," he continued after she was out of your hearing range. "But Captain America doesn’t necessarily needs to be Steve Rogers.”
“I think Sam will do a marvelous job, Steve. I just don’t understand where this decision came from. Is this because of what happened with Thonos?”
“Thanos,” he corrected you. “And no. This has been looming on my mind since before him.”
“Since when?” you questioned. “Because before Thanos you were out in the world being a wanted man. Please don’t tell me this urge for normalcy came to you while you were hiding like a coward.”
Steve sighed.
“Look, I know you’re angry at me and you have every right to be...”
“I know I have every right to be,” you cut him off. “I gave you everything and you left me stranded. Do you have any idea how hard that was? My boyfriend of three years became a criminal and he didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye before he fled.”
You slammed your fist on the table, rattling the china. The foam of your drink sloshed, a tiny bubbly dot spilling from the cup to the platter.
Lately, every single one of your conversations with Steve seemed to end in a fight and you were to blame. As much as you tried to move on, either your biological clock wasn't adjusted yet or your heart couldn't let go of the night he appeared on your doorstep after being absent for so long. It might've been five years in history for him, but for you it was a mere sixty days ago. You couldn't match this caring, attentive Steve to the bearded man in the shadows, indifferent and unconcerned, so you lashed at him. You nitpicked his every word and quibbled over the smallest things and he always took it silently, enraging you even further.
"I'm sorry," you whispered. "I shouldn't have said that. It has nothing to do with the subject."
"It has everything to do with the subject, Y/N," Steve exclaimed, hands flat on the wood, like he was going to reach for yours but gave up at the last moment. "I was so busy trying to make the world a better place that I didn't realize I was ignoring mine until I lost it. Until I lost you."
You rubbed your eyes.
"You can't blame your job for your mistakes, Steve. Or mine, for that matter."
"What were your mistakes, Y/N?" he asked. "You could've fled after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., but you stayed because I asked you to. You could've started a different job, but you took the position with the Avengers because I asked you to..."
"I loved you," you interrupted. "I did all of it because I loved you. And even though sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I'd said no, I don't regret it."
There's something about the air when the truth is laid bare. It shifts just slightly, as though nature itself can feel the weight of the words spoken, so it moves the atoms around to make space for verity. And in the essence of the world, it is immortalized.
"Do you love me still?" Steve murmured.
"You know I do," you smiled softly. "But I am so broken."
Crushed. Turned to dust long before the Mad Titan snapped his fingers. In the mad race to start over, you were so distant from the finishing line.
You were wrong: your recent conversations with Steve didn't end in arguments, they ended with you crying and him consoling you. This time his chair nearly collapsed as he rose, reaching you in just one step. At first he towered over you, arms hanging without touching your body, but when your sobs intensified he kneeled by your side, taking the crumpled napkin from your hands to dry your tears.
"Shhh," he soothed.
"I'm so sorry, Steve," you said, but it came out jumbled and watery from your tears. “I’m sorry.”
Noticing that the few other patrons and the flirty waitress were starting to look, Steve threw a fifty dollar bill on the table and pulled you up, wrapping his arms around your body as he led you outside.
Night was beginning to fall over Brooklyn. Sunsets in the city were all about spotting a few twinkling stars amid the smog, before the lights from the skyscrapers scrammed them away. One would argue that the sky in the woods, a dark blue tapestry with hundreds of twinkling dots, was far prettier, but you always thought it was fascinating to see the cosmos shining in the orange firmament.
The city had its own magic. It used to buzz in your veins when you first moved here, staring out this same sky from a window at the top deck of the Avengers Towers. If only you could feel it again.
“Do you feel better?” Steve whispered into your hair when your breathing began to even out.
You nodded, cleaning your tears with the sleeves of your sweater.
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“Yeah,” you croaked. “I need to finish packing.”
“Packing?” he frowned.
“I got a call from my grandparents lawyer when you were gone,” you explained. “Turns out I still have ownership over the house in the woods, so I’m planning to move back home before Christmas break.”
Steve’s arms fell and he stepped away from you. The absence of his touch made you shiver.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah,” you sniffed. “Another family lives in my apartment now and I can’t stay with my cousin forever, so…”
“You could stay with me,” he intervened. “You don't have to leave."
"I need to start over, Steve."
"But what about me?" he pleaded.
Steve Rogers never pleaded. He was stubborn and tenacious, the worst person to get in a fight with. You'd learned to cave because he never did, and it was better to swallow your pride than staying days without speaking to your headstrong boyfriend when his job put him in danger constantly. For three years you told yourself that it didn't matter that Steve didn't love you fully - you loved him enough for the two of you. Only enough wasn't acceptable anymore.
You leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"I love you, Steve," you said. "But just like you're not the guy from the 1940s anymore, I'm no longer the hacker from S.H.I.E.L.D. either."
Steve cupped your face, touching your forehead with his.
"Don't leave me," he begged. "I can't live without you."
You kissed his palm.
"We've made a mess," you replied. "Just let me try and fix it."
You owe me that, you didn't say, but Steve knew. In the misty twilight, he only hoped you could forgive him.
#steve rogers fanfiction#steve rogers fanfic#steve rogers x reader#steve rogers x female reader#steve rogers x y/n#steve rogers x you#marvel fanfic#marvel fanfic series#marvel fanfiction#corneliabarnes#my writing#the woods
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To see just how much human potential is being squandered by having knowledge dispensed by the “free market,” let us briefly picture what “totally democratic and accessible knowledge” would look like. Let’s imagine that instead of having to use privatized research services like Google Scholar and EBSCO, there was a single public search database containing every newspaper article, every magazine article, every academic journal article, every court record, every government document, every website, every piece of software, every film, song, photograph, television show, and video clip, and every book in existence. The content of the Wayback Machine, all of the newspaper archives, Google Books, Getty Images, Project Gutenberg, Spotify, the Library of Congress, everything in WestLaw and Lexis, all of it, every piece of it accessible instantly in full, and with a search function designed to be as simple as possible and allow you to quickly narrow down what you are looking for. (e.g. “Give me: all Massachusetts newspaper articles, books published in Boston, and government documents that mention William Lloyd Garrison and were published from 1860 to 1865.”) The true universal search, uncorrupted by paid advertising. Within a second, you could bring up an entire PDF of any book. Within two seconds, you could search the full contents of that book.
Let us imagine just how much time would be saved in this informational utopia. Do I want minute 15 of the 1962 Czechoslovak film Man In Outer Space? Four seconds from my thought until it begins. Do I want page 17 of the Daily Mirror from 1985? Even less time. Every public Defense Department document concerning Vietnam from the Eisenhower administration? Page 150 of Frank Capra’s autobiography? Page 400 of an economics textbook from 1995? All in front of me, in full, in less than the length of time it takes to type this sentence. How much faster would research be in such a situation? How much more could be accomplished if knowledge were not fragmented and in the possession of a thousand private gatekeepers?
What’s amazing is that the difficulty of creating this situation of “fully democratized information” is entirely economic rather than technological. What I describe with books is close to what Google Books and Amazon already have. But of course, universal free access to full content horrifies publishers, so we are prohibited from using these systems to their full potential. The problem is ownership: nobody is allowed to build a giant free database of everything human beings have ever produced. Getty Images will sue the shit out of you if you take a historical picture from their archives and violate your licensing agreement with them. Same with the Walt Disney Company if you create a free rival to Disney+ with all of their movies. Sci-Hub was founded in Kazakhstan because if you founded it here they would swiftly put you in federal prison. (When you really think about what it means, copyright law is an unbelievably intensive restriction on freedom of speech, sharply delineating the boundaries of what information can and cannot be shared with other people.)
#i've read a lot of um... pretty dumb fucking takes on piracy this summer#and a lot of dumb takes on the publishing industry (i say from my work computer)#and i have never read a piece that touches on how paywalls don't seem to stop people from accessing fake news and radicalizing language#(except to the extent that every piece about youtube touches on that indirectly)#this piece is really good and sharp and funny and realistic and anticapitalist#and i highly recommend it :)
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Just submitted my response to the Trans Inquiry 2 (England and Wales)
You can see the call for evidence from the W&EC here on Twitter, and submit your evidence here. It requires a Word, ODT or RTF file to be uploaded. You can write as much or as little as you like.
The deadline is tomorrow, Friday 27th November 2020.
My response is below the cut, because it’s over 3,000 words long...! But please, be aware that you can write 20 words if you need to. You can just say “I’m trans and the reforms still don’t allow me to have a gender recognition certificate. They don’t go far enough, because the process is unnecessarily medicalised and still doesn’t accommodate nonbinary people.”
~
ABOUT ME
I am 34 years old. I live in Powys, Wales. I am nonbinary - specifically, I feel like I have no gender at all. My pronouns are singular they (they/them/their/theirs/themself, plural verbs). I learned what nonbinary was when I was 24, and immediately came out and began my transition. I have been attending the NHS gender identity clinic (GIC) in London since April 2012, about 8.5 years. Throughout that time I have presented as openly nonbinary, and have had surgeries and hormone treatments from the NHS to aid in an androgynous presentation. I have all the records and paperwork that I would need to receive a gender recognition certificate (GRC), if one were available to nonbinary people. I am openly nonbinary with everyone I see and interact with on a regular basis (social workers, support workers, landlords, friends and family, etc).
~
SUMMARY
The Government’s proposed reforms are positive but only a fraction of the changes needed to ensure trans people have equal rights and sufficient trans-specific medical care.
In particular, three additional gender clinics in the NHS are horrifically insufficient, especially for children and adolescents facing the body-horror and permanence of the wrong puberty, resulting in preventable major surgeries. Requirements for obtaining a gender recognition certificate remain excessive, demoralising and unnecessary. The financial cost currently involved is much greater than the £140 fee, making a fee reduction seem like lip service.
The gender recognition process remains needlessly and discriminatorially medicalised, unacceptably has higher standards for gender recognition than the NHS has for medical transition, and allows for stalling and abuse by spouses because UK marriage laws are needlessly gendered. It also does not account for Gillick competence in the case of legal gender recognition for children.
There is a complete lack of provision for nonbinary people, which is unacceptable, especially now that the courts have found that nonbinary people are protected under the transition characteristic of the Equality Act 2010. This means that nonbinary people are unable to marry or parent children while being authentic in their genders, and are unable to receive a correct pension.
These barriers presented to trans people mean that still only a minority of trans people will access gender recognition certificates, which results in unnecessary and preventable problems for trans people, but also for the systems that have to accommodate them in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.
~
RESPONSES TO PROMPTS
The Government’s response to the GRA consultation:
Will the Government’s proposed changes meet its aim of making the process “kinder and more straight forward”?
Yes, but only marginally.
Three new GICs: Each month the NHS makes several months’ worth of referrals to GICs. Nowhere in the UK is it possible to access a GIC within the 18-week NHS-set timeline; the average wait is 18 months, which is horrific for transgender adults, and devastating and traumatic for transgender adolescents who are forced to go through the body-horror of the wrong puberty while waiting for two appointments to be prescribed puberty blockers. [1] It follows that in order to bring this waiting list down to lawful amount of time we need to increase the number of NHS GICs not by 40% but by 400%.
Fee reduction to “nominal amount”: I have still seen no reason to delay making this process a demedicalised case of submitting a form declaring a change of legal gender, much like changing one’s name by deed poll. We are not charged to update our details with HMRC, so we need not be charged for updating our details at a General Register Office.
Placing the procedure online: This is something that should have been done decades ago, but better late than never. It is also an attempt to repair the Titanic with superglue as it sinks. The system is difficult to access for all trans people, but not because of the method of application. The problem is that we are required to apply to the gender recognition panel at all.
Should a fee for obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate be removed or retained?
It should be removed. It is arbitrary, and other administrative changes of a similar nature and risk level do not have fees associated.
Are there other financial burdens on applicants that could be removed or retained?
The requirement to provide medical evidence for change of gender is unnecessary and costs money. For example, living in rural West Wales means that for the 8 years I’ve been attending the London GIC I have been paying for accommodation in London, because it is not physically possible to travel to London by public transport and back in one day when attending a GIC appointment. Each trip costs me at least £80 or so out of pocket, because I have to find accommodation close to the GIC for me and a PA (I am disabled and receive direct payments). I am entitled to have my travel costs refunded by the NHS but others are not, so attending GIC appointments will cost them money even if they don’t have to stay overnight.
At the moment the wait of in some cases several years for a first appointment followed by 1.5 years waiting for the second appointment means patients being referred today will be waiting 4-5 years for their first hormone prescription or surgery referral, so a significant number of people who would like a GRC have to pay for private treatment to get the proof they need within a reasonable timeframe.
Should the requirement for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria be removed?
Yes. Legal gender need not be a medical issue. As when changing one’s name, legal gender need only be a case of signing a document with witnesses. The two reasons I’ve heard cited against demedicalising the gender recognition process are (1) fraud prevention and (2) protection of vulnerable women in single-sex spaces.
(1) We already have laws against fraud, and it is very easy and cheap to legally change one’s name in the UK. When you consider how “identifying” something like a gender is when compared to other identity metrics such as photographs, dates of birth, names, etc. (i.e. not very), it seems absurd that gender is so difficult to change. Existing fraud laws would allow for prosecution as easily if changing one’s legal gender were a matter of a statutory declaration only.
(2) We already have laws against abuse of women, women’s spaces are already protected even taking into account the Equality Act 2010, and in general the women responsible for protecting those women-only spaces currently accommodate and welcome trans women and have done for a long time. [2] Birth certificates are not required for accessing women-only spaces such as shelters, toilets and changing rooms. Other ID that might be required in a less free version of our current society, such as driver’s licences or passports, do not require a gender recognition certificate to have the gender marker changed, so demedicalising the gender recognition process has no effect on provision of necessary gender-exclusive services.
Anyone wishing to use an alternative gender presentation for fraudulent or abusive purposes does not have a more difficult time in the crimes that they are attempting to commit thanks to the Gender Recognition Act. The fact that currently only 1 in 10 transgender people have a GRC suggests that the system can currently accommodate people whose genders don’t match their birth certificates or tax records, so presumably making it much easier for people to make all of their IDs match will make no difference to fraud and abuse incidence, and may make it easier by removing discrepancies.
I would also argue that the current “gender dysphoria diagnosis —> correct ID” situation is back-to-front. Wanting ID that reflects a gender that is different from the one you were assigned at birth is evidence of gender dysphoria, and so applying for a birth certificate that shows a different gender to the one you were assigned at birth should be considered evidence of gender dysphoria for a diagnosis. It doesn’t need to go through a doctor; wanting to change the ID should be enough on its own.
Should there be changes to the requirement for individuals to have lived in their acquired gender for at least two years?
Yes. Being transgender isn’t something that comes on suddenly later in life. It is a neurodevelopmental issue, considered by some medical professionals to begin in the womb. Having to wait two more years to have that gender recognised in law seems arbitrary and unnecessary.
Most transgender people have known that their gender was different to the one they were assigned at birth for years before they begin their transition. I would say that making it very difficult to change one’s legal gender is, among other factors, something that contributes to this unfortunate tendency.
I understand that living in a new gender role for two years is considered proof of commitment to that gender role by the state. Proof of this nature is not required for other administrative matters such as change of name or title. Let’s imagine the same situation for something that might be considered harder to change because it is by its nature decided by biology: date of birth. If one’s date of birth had been entered incorrectly on a birth certificate and the individual or their parents noticed some years later, the birth certificate could be corrected with, at most, medical records showing that the baby was born on a different day. Likewise, to change a gender marker on a birth certificate should require, at most, medical records showing that the individual’s gender was assigned incorrectly at birth. This would be a copy of a letter from a doctor diagnosing gender dysphoria, which requires only 6 months of a specific type of discomfort. The legal system therefore is four times more strict about changing legal gender than the NHS is about referring for permanent gender-affirming surgery or prescribing hormones that cause permanent physical change. This is unnecessarily stringent. It could be considered discriminatory under the Equality Act 2010: trans people are less able to change incorrect records relating to their gender, in accordance with GDPR, because of the additional barriers.
If the gender recognition process was easy and cheap, and for some reason a person changed their gender marker on a whim and then wanted to change it back, it would be very easy for them to do so - but as you learned in the first Trans Inquiry some years ago, countries such as Ireland, where it is easy and cheap to change your legal gender, have not seen this happen. In general, we know that when it is easy and cheap to change your one’s legal gender, people tend to do it once and then never again.
What is your view of the statutory declaration and should any changes have been made to it?
I have no problem with the statutory declaration aspect of the gender recognition process. It seems acceptable that a change intended to be permanent should require the signing of a binding legal document, and that people who do so for fraudulent or otherwise harmful reasons be subject to criminal proceedings.
I am opposed to a spouse’s consent being required for married/civil-partnered people, as it gives another person unnecessary and potentially harmful control over their spouse’s transition.
Does the spousal consent provision in the Act need reforming? If so, how? If it needs reforming or removal, is anything else needed to protect any rights of the spouse or civil partner?
I understand that when one person in a marriage is changing their gender that changes the legal status of the marriage from a different-gender marriage to a same-gender marriage, or vice versa, and I agree that a spouse must consent to that change as an equal participant.
In order to resolve this issue, I would suggest making marriage law gender-neutral. There is no reason to have a same-gender marriage be any different than a different-gender marriage in law. It need not be “men can marry women, men can marry men, women can marry men, women can marry women” - it can simply be that an adult can marry another adult. That way, if one of the spouses changes their gender, the marriage is unchanged.
This would also prepare marriage law for legal recognition of nonbinary genders.
Should the age limit at which people can apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) be lowered?
I am not aware of any reason why it would not be appropriate. In the UK, the NHS has a policy of assuming that children are capable of understanding and consenting (or not consenting) to medical treatment. It should be assumed that a child can also consent (or not) to having the gender marker on their birth certificate changed.
What impact will these proposed changes have on those people applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate, and on trans people more generally?
Moving the process online will allow people to apply electronically, which would likely have a positive impact on the environment due to being less CO2-intensive. It may also make the process faster, which would be positive.
Making the process cheaper will allow poorer people to apply for a GRC, which is positive.
The NHS providing 3 more GICs will allow some patients to travel a shorter distance to access care, which is positive.
However, I don’t think these changes will have a significant impact on the most serious issues affecting transgender people. I consider these to be: excessive waiting times for transition-related treatments, difficulty of access to change of legal gender, the demoralising and humiliating nature of the gender recognition process, and the complete lack of legal recognition of nonbinary genders in UK law.
What else should the Government have included in its proposals, if anything?
Legal recognition of nonbinary genders (including availability of gender recognition certificates and X gender markers on state-issued ID), legal gender recognition by statutory declaration, 400% increase in the number of gender identity clinics in the UK, and no cost for GRC application.
Does the Scottish Government’s proposed Bill offer a more suitable alternative to reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004?
Yes.
Living in the “new” gender role is required for only 6 months, in line with diagnosis of gender dysphoria. A diagnosis of gender dysphoria is not required, as living in the “new” gender role would suggest that the person has gender dysphoria to the extent that they wish to live in the “new” role and the official diagnosis would be superfluous. A statutory declaration is required, which seems acceptable. All of this seems positive to me.
Requiring applicants to wait for three months to consider their application seems unnecessarily patronising and patriarchal, but the proposed Scottish Bill is still much more fit for purpose than the current and proposed England-and-Wales model.
~
Wider issues concerning transgender equality and current legislation:
Why is the number of people applying for GRCs so low compared to the number of people identifying as transgender?
I am not sure. I imagine there are several complex and intersecting reasons.
I think cost is probably an issue. I think that the amount and type of evidence currently required by the gender recognition panel is not very easy to obtain, and the applicant is unable to sit before the panel in person with or without a legal representative, and so there is a high risk that applicants will not meet the panel’s obscure criteria or be able to persuade them or answer their concerns/questions in person. If the application fails the money is lost, and the (significant) effort involved in application is wasted. The latter is offputting for everyone who might consider applying, and the former is a bonus barrier for poorer people.
I would speculate that it might also be because because living as a different gender than the one you were assigned at birth and getting medical treatment are easier and more medically urgent than changing one’s birth certificate, especially when compared to the frequency with which one has to show one’s birth certificate (and therefore “out” oneself, if one does not already have a GRC).
I think there is a tendency for people to think, “well, how often do I have to show my birth certificate or my tax records to people I have direct contact with? And how often are they going to be indiscreet and transphobic about it? Hardly ever, right?” But by the time they find out that transphobic people do exist and do make an issue about it, or by the time they have to show their birth certificate to someone they’d rather not come out to, it is too late and they are not able to apply for a GRC and get their records updated in time. Not having a GRC is therefore always a problem in the past, which removes urgency.
By comparison, gender dysphoria is a chronic and acute daily psychological discomfort, which is much harder to ignore.
Are there challenges in the way the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the Equality Act 2010 interact? For example, in terms of the different language and terminology used across both pieces of legislation.
I understand that the Equality Act 2010 has now been tested in court by a nonbinary person in an employment tribunal and found to protect nonbinary people under the characteristic of gender transition “beyond any doubt”. The Gender Recognition Act doesn’t accommodate or provide for nonbinary people, and is therefore in breach of the Equality Act 2010. [3]
Are the provisions in the Equality Act for the provision of single-sex and separate-sex spaces and facilities in some circumstances clear and useable for service providers and service users? If not, is reform or further guidance needed?
I think the guidance for the Equality Act should explicitly state that nonbinary people are protected under the characteristic of gender transition. I do not feel that I am knowledgeable enough to comment on any other issues.
Does the Equality Act adequately protect trans people? If not, what reforms, if any, are needed
Now that the Equality Act 2010 has been shown in court to protect nonbinary people under the protected characteristic of gender transition I have no complaints.
What issues do trans people have in accessing support services, including health and social care services, domestic violence and sexual violence services?
A lot of trans people just don’t report hate crimes to the police because the police often don’t do anything about it. [4]
Because trans people face extra barriers in matters such as housing, employment, and primary and secondary medical care, they need additional support from e.g. Social Services. This means they have the barrier of having to ask for more than other people do, and for that request to be considered by individuals in the system who may also be transphobic, before being granted.
There was a women’s shelter in a city I used to live in, which said on a sign at the door “no men allowed!”, but then on their website it said “women only”. I emailed to ask for clarification, because I am nonbinary and it was unclear whether I would be allowed on the premises. They said that if I identified as a woman I was welcome to enter. As I don’t identify as a woman I didn’t enter. I would presumably also be barred from entering a shelter for abused men. The difficulty for nonbinary people is that there are no provisions for us whatsoever, whether provided or funded by the government/local authorities or otherwise.
Are legal reforms needed to better support the rights of gender-fluid and non-binary people? If so, how?
Yes. We need to be explicitly written into laws and guidance relating to the following:
- Marriage
- Passports
- Driving licenses
- Adoption
- Sexual violence (as victims and as perpetrators, in matters such as disclosure of transgender identity and medical history, definition of rape, etc.)
- Birth certificates (as parents, e.g. language relating to mother/father, birth parent)
- Pensions
- Hate crime
- Provision of public services and facilities (public toilets, changing rooms)
- Any law that has gender-specific statements or provisions
… and probably more.
~
[1] https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/08/13/nhs-trans-patients-laurels-gender-identity-clinic-south-west-waiting-list-yeovil-pride/
[2] https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/08/03/domestic-violence-shelters-transgender-no-impact-on-services/
[3] https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/gender-is-a-spectrum-landmark-uk-ruling-61650/
[4] Not a reputable third-party source, but a well-described and typical anecdotal example. https://twitter.com/JayHulmePoet/status/1328995596670267392 “Once I reported a hate crime to the police. They dropped the case without telling me, and then when a hate crime advocate called them out on it they took no action AND blamed it on me being open about being trans. I've not reported a hate crime since. The irony of the police telling me not to tell people that I'm trans so I [don’t] get hate crimed (again, not how hate crime law works) is that there's precedent for trans people to be charged with sexual offences if they have sex with someone without disclosing that we're trans.”
#trans inquiry#trans inquiry 2#activism#UK#gender recognition act#GRA#gender recognition certificate#transition#trans
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"A Family in a Midst of Pandemic"
It is the 17th day of March where the Philippine Government declared the country on a state of calamity for six months.
It was early in the morning while Rogelio and his family were watching television then suddenly a news flash just came out. According to the news, there is an infectious disease spreading throughout the country known as the Covid-19 which is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. In addition, most people who fall sick with this virus will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment.
Everyone was shocked and slight panicking after they heard the news. Rogelio’s father, Papa Jon, is worried about the safety and health of his family and how this crisis may affect their lives.
“So what do we do honey?” Mama Aurora asked.
“We must wait for our mayor’s advisory so we could know what actions we must do”
“But what if something happens now or tomorrow?”
“I won’t let anything harm you and our family honey, trust me.”
Bill switched the show to the news channel and there we heard more information about this issue. According to the news reporter, the government will conduct quarantine to those towns and provinces with a high number of Covid-19 cases. Imus City is one of those town that has many records of Covid-19 cases that is why this area is declared to conduct ECQ or Enhanced Community Quarantine and will undergo many safety health protocols.
All government offices and private businesses except those providing essential services, were required to work from home or closed. Public transportation was suspended, and everyone was required to practice social distancing and wear face masks.
Papa is now struggling and much worried because he won’t have that much income to sustain our family everyday as he wasn’t able to work outside, while Mama is also worried if there are enough food and supplies in the house.
“Kuya Rogelio, what is going on? What is mama and papa worrying about?” Bill asked.
“Let’s just say that we are facing a really bad virus that wants to make as feel sick”
“Oh no, is that the reason why mama and papa feel bad right now?”
“Yeah Bill, but you don’t need to worry about that, we’re going to be superheroes just like superman and batman and we’re going to fight this bad villain”
“Yey, I wanna be a superhero kuya! I wanna help mama and papa”
“I’m sure you’re going to be a best one.”
Bill rush with excitement and heads to mama and papa. He hug them really tight as he says, “Mama, Papa, I am a superhero!”
“Oh sweetie, you really make mama and papa so happy and proud” Mama Aurora said.
It was a relief to make my little brother smile at that time. Another reason to make mama and papa happy despite of what’s happening.
The next day, there is a distribution of FM pass (Food and Medicine pass) on our community. They told us that the holder of this is the only one that can go outside to buy their essential goods and necessities. And also, as announced by the Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, there will be also distribution of SAP or Social Amelioration Program by LGU’s in every provinces there is.
Papa Jon was the holder of our family’s FM pass so he will be the one receiving the help from the government. Mama Aurora thinks the beneficiary of this SAP is very helpful for us, especially for those incompetent families to somehow sustain themselves this pandemic.
As the days goes by, many cases are recorded and many families and households are suffering as their communities undergo ECQ and the government funds are gradually being depleted.
“Papa, the news said that there are still cases in our community, it’s still growing papa” Rogelio said.
“Son, I know we really in our tough times so I want you to be strong and optimistic. We will get through this.”
He smiled and hug his father. Papa Jon always enlighten everyone to think better and positive because as this virus spread, depression and anxiety arises.
More days come and then one day, Papa Jon became seriously ill and continued to have headaches and coughs as well. He is weak and any medicine given to him does not work. They immediately called an emergency and rushed him to the hospital. Mama Aurora joined the frontliners and she assigned Rogelio to temporarily guard the house and take care his little brother. He also informed them that they had enough food to eat in the refrigerator and if they have needs or problem, they must not hesitate to call their mother.
Before they left Mama Aurora hugged and kissed her children and then hurriedly said goodbye. Bill burst into tears after his mother left with his father.
“Kuya Rogelio why did they leave?” Bill asked.
*Bill is sobbering from tears*
“They will take care of papa for now Bill”
“Is papa going to be okay kuya?”
“Papa will be alright, he is strong and brave after all, we just need to pray for his immediate recovery”
“I know papa Jesus will take care of him, right kuya?”
“Of course Bill, now I’m going to take you on bed so you can sleep”
“Okay kuya.”
While Bill was asleep, Rogelio went out into their yard to freshen up and meditate. She was terrified after her father fell ill and was taken to the hospital. Many things go through his mind that cause him not to sleep that night. As he thought and worried about his father's condition he suddenly remembered what his father had told him.
“Son, I know we really in our tough times so I want you to be strong and optimistic. We will get through this.”
He wept and regained his composure.
Mama Aurora returned without her husband. She quickly disinfected herself because she came from the hospital. She spoke to her son, Rogelio about their father.
“Don't let your brother know what happened to your father first because he won't understand it yet” Mama Aurora said.
“Your father has symptomatic signs and has a mild illness of Covid-19”
“What?”
“Are you serious, mama?”
Rogelio burst in tears after he heard his Mama Aurora.
“He will now undergo quarantine and let’s pray for his recovery”
“Yes mama.”
Mama Aurora is now unable to visit Papa Jon as this was a strict protocol held by the government. Their family was devastated when they could not be with Papa Jon. Bill was sad and misses his dad.
One night, Rogelio saw his mother outside wandering.
“Are you alright mama?”
“Yes sweetie, mama’s fine, I really just misses your father”
“Your father is the one who encourages the family. Whenever we are weak, he always there to support us and be our companion. Now that he is weak, we weren’t there beside him to support and show our love for him” Mama said
“Yes it’s true” Rogelio replied
“But you know mama, even though papa is far away I know he continues to fight for us. He is recovering so that he can go home immediately. Everything he does is for our family. We just need to support and believe him. We need to believe that he can successfully pass all the challenges and struggles he is facing right now because we are his family. We are his strength and inspiration.”
“You are right son, and just for a second, I see your father in you. I know one day, you’re going to be a good father to your family”
“Thank you mama, I love you”
“I love you too sweetie.”
Several weeks later and today was Papa Jon’s Birthday. Mama received a call from a hospital where his husband was admitted.
They said that Papa Jon is now recovered and can go home as soon as possible.
Everyone is so relieved and very happy. They held a small party for Papa Jon. They cooked her favorite dish and bought a cake. They can't wait for his arrival because at last, they will be able to hug and be with their Papa Jon again.
An hours later, the wait comes to an end. Papa Jon has finally arrived. Rogelio and his brother Bill shouted “Welcome home, Papa!” They hugged their father and their mother burst with tears.
“Oh my children, my wife, I’ve been waiting for this moment to come” Papa Jon said
“I always pray that someday I can see all of you, I’ve miss all of you very much”
“Thank you God for this wonderful gift.”
A family must shows courage and love to its members despite all uncertainty. They actually are all in this together. They all must do it to get through it.
Vermond Lennon A. Dinglasa Ms. Kae Dilla
G11- Rizal A
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On forced anidala: imo the deleted scenes and the little she says in the movies explain her choices well. She was a young girl, a child, thrown into a world of politics and she loves it, buuut she never had a chance to be herself. She's a "strong powerful woman" yet all she wants is a peaceful life with a husband and children on Naboo. Ofc reckless youthful Anakin will be attractive to her. There's more to it but not enough space to type it here but I wish Padmé had more meta, she's fascinating.
Yes! But also women can be both. They can be accomplished professional AND have romantic aspirations. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of fans struggle with the notion that Padmé can be super responsible and romantically reckless at the same time. they have a hard time understanding why such successful women would want romance, marriage and kids. I blame society but also Hollywood for perpetuating the idea that successful women are all cold and heartless ‘men-haters’.
I also think people forget this was Padmé’s first love and how intense that usually goes.
“A Senator after a Queen, and probably with many more offices ahead of her,” Sola said. She looked back at the playhouse and called for Ryoo and Pooja to ease up. “You speak as if it’s a bad thing,” Padmé remarked. Sola looked at her earnestly. “It’s a great thing,” she said. “If you’re doing it all for the right reasons. “And what is that supposed to mean?” Sola shrugged, as if she wasn’t quite sure. “I think you’ve convinced yourself that you’re indispensable to the Republic,” she said. “That they couldn’t get along at all without you.” “Sis!” “It’s true,” Sola insisted. “You give and give and give and give. Don’t you ever want to take, just a little?” Padmé’s smile showed that Sola’s words had caught her off guard. “Take what?” Sola looked back to Ryoo and Pooja. “Look at them. I see the sparkle in your eyes when you watch my children. I know how much you love them.” “Of course I do!” “Wouldn’t you like to have children of your own?” Sola asked. “A family of your own?” Padmé sat up straight, her eyes going wide. “I …” she started, and stopped, several times. “I’m working right now for something I deeply believe in. For something that’s important.”“And after this is settled, after the Military Creation Act is far behind you, you’ll find something else to deeply believe in, something else that’s really important. Something that concerns the Republic and the government more than it really concerns you.” “How can you say that?” “Because it’s true, and you know it’s true. When are you going to do something just for yourself?” “I am.” “You know what I mean.” Padmé gave a little laugh and a shake of her head, and turned back to Ryoo and Pooja. “Is everyone to be defined by their children?” she asked. “Of course not,” Sola replied. “It’s not that at all. Or not just that. I’m talking about something bigger, Sis. You spend all of your time worrying about the problems of other people, of this planet’s dispute with that planet, or whether this trade guild is acting fairly toward that system. All of your energy is being thrown out there to try to make the lives of everyone else better.” “What’s wrong with that?” “What about your life?” Sola asked in all seriousness. “What about Padmé Amidala? Have you even thought about what might make your life better? Most people who have been in public service as long as you have would have retired by now. I know you get satisfaction in helping other people. That’s pretty obvious. But what about something deeper for you? What about love, Sis? And yes, what about having kids? Have you even thought about it? Have you even wondered what it might be like for you to settle down and concern yourself with those things that will make your own life fuller?” Padmé wanted to retort that her life didn’t need to be any fuller, but she found herself holding back the words. Somehow they seemed hollow to her at that particular moment, watching her nieces romping about the backyard of the house, now jumping all about poor R2-D2, Padmé’s astromech droid. For the first time in many days, Padmé’s thoughts roamed free of her responsibilities, free of the important vote she would have to cast in the Senate in less than a month. Somehow, the words Military Creation Act couldn’t filter through the whimsical song that Ryoo and Pooja were then making up about R2-D2. [R.A. Salvatore. Attack of the Clones]
Though Padmé certainly put her professional life ahead her personal one, she still had wants. She still like the idea of love and children, even if she seldom allowed herself to think about it. But, in the end, despite all her big words about duty and responsibilities, she was as romantic and reckless as Anakin. She too put love about work.
[Anakin] wants to serve the Jedi, and he wants to love and be loved. [Padmé] refuse to accept he must be forced to choose. “I have no authority over you,” Obi-Wan continued. “I’m perfectly aware of that. But I would ask you—beg you—to do this one thing. Leave Coruscant. Return to Naboo. Give Anakin the time he needs to recover from his injury … and realize what you and I already know: that going your separate ways is the only possible remedy for this unfortunate situation.” She blinked back stinging tears. You say you understand, Obi-Wan, but you don’t. In every way that counts you don’t know Anakin at all. But I do. I know him. I have seen his true heart. All of it. My love can save him. But she couldn’t tell Obi-Wan that. He’d never believe it. And he would never turn a blind eye now that he knew she and Anakin loved each other. So she had to make him think he’d convinced her to abandon Anakin. The need for such a deception grieved her. She liked Obi-Wan, very much. And she knew he did love Anakin, in the pallid, self-contained way of the Jedi. But Anakin’s love was like the heat of a supernova. In attempting to control it, the Jedi would destroy him. I will die before I let that happen. [Karen Miller. The Clone Wars: Wild Space]
As for the ‘forced’ wedding: that was Padmé’s idea. She was the one who manipulated Obi-wan into allowing Anakin to escort her back to Naboo by himself. So, yeah, secretly marrying Anakin was absolutely something Padmé would do:
“Yes,” she whispered, still weeping. “I’ll leave Coruscant. Spend some time with my family. And—perhaps I won’t return. To be honest, I’m not certain I can make a difference anymore. I lost the battle against the formation of the army and now I fear the voices of peace have been drowned out entirely. I do need some time to decide what I’ll do next.” Surprising her, Obi-Wan took her hand. His fingers were cold. “You’re wrong. The Senate will need you now more than ever.” Gently, she pulled free. “Maybe. Obi-Wan … I should be the one to make the break with Anakin. If it comes from you, he’ll be angry, resentful, and I don’t want there to be trouble between you. Besides, if it comes from you he might not believe it, and then I’ll just have to tell him anyway.” He smoothed his beard, thinking. “All right.”“Let Anakin escort me home to Naboo. Saying good-bye is going to be difficult. I’d like our parting to be private. Please, Obi-Wan,” she added, seeing his reluctance. “You owe me that much.” He sighed. “I can make no promises, but … I’ll do my best.” “Thank you.” “Padmé …” He shook his head. “You’re doing the right thing. The only thing that can keep him safe. Anakin will need all his strength, his focus, for what is to come. You don’t see it now but you will, in time.” He left her then. Welcoming the solitude, she stood on her apartment’s veranda and stared across the Coruscant cityscape to the distant, imposing Jedi Temple where Anakin lay cradled in his healing trance. Have no fear, my love. I won’t let them come between us. And if we stand together, not even the Force will tear us apart. [Karen Miller. The Clone Wars: Wild Space]
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If You Are Vaccinated, You Can Dance the Night Away
Marissa Castrigno was walking through downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, when she spotted the sign in the window of one of her favorite dance clubs. After months of being shuttered by the pandemic, Ibiza Nightclub was reopening April 30, it announced.
This story also ran on Raleigh News & Observer. It can be republished for free.
Thrilled, Castrigno immediately made plans with friends to be there.
About 50 miles north in Jacksonville, Kennedy Swift learned of Ibiza’s reopening on social media. He, too, decided to attend with friends.
But on the night of April 30, the two groups were in for a surprise — one they would react to in starkly different ways.
In addition to IDs, they learned, they’d need to show covid-19 vaccination cards for entry. The club was letting in only people who had had at least one shot.
“I was shocked,” said Swift, 21. He learned of the policy a few hours before the reopening, when the club posted it on its Facebook page.
He and his friends had to cancel their plans, since none of them was vaccinated.
“I’m not against [Ibiza] exercising their rights as a business,” Swift said. “I just think it’s foolish. … This will discourage a lot of former patrons from returning to the club.”
On the other hand, Castrigno and her friends, most of whom had been fully vaccinated since early April, felt the policy made their return to nightlife even better.
“There was raw excitement about going out to a place and feeling safe,” said Castrigno, 28.
Similar conversations are playing out across the country as vaccination rates increase and bars, clubs and other businesses navigate how to reopen. The concept of vaccine passports — which allow people who have been inoculated against covid and are at lower risk of contracting or spreading the disease to participate in certain activities — has been floated for clubs, cruise ships and other spaces where large groups gather in close quarters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent announcement that vaccinated people can safely gather indoors and outdoors without masks has reignited the idea. Yet these passports remain highly controversial and their implementation is largely piecemeal. Many private businesses are making their own decisions, and governments in different parts of the country are adopting varying stances.
In New York, for instance, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in early May that places where proof of vaccination or a negative covid test are required can operate at a greater capacity. Some nightclubs there have implemented policies similar to Ibiza’s. In Florida, however, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a law prohibiting businesses, schools and government offices from requiring proof of vaccination, with fines of up to $5,000 per incident.
For Ibiza Nightclub in southeastern North Carolina — a political battleground state — the vaccine card requirement is proving to be a lightning rod. The club’s Facebook post announcing the policy had sparked 70 comments as of mid-May, and posts across other platforms echoed different sides of the issue.
“I am thrilled to see a personal business putting the health and safety forward in order to keep their business running,” one comment read.
Others took a markedly different tone: “This is pretty dumb!”
“Discrimination, expect lawsuits,” read another.
The Honor Code
Last week, after the CDC said vaccinated adults could largely live their lives mask-free, Raleigh restaurant owner Hisine McNeill felt a troubling pang of déjà vu. He owns Alpha Dawgs, a sandwich shop in southeast Raleigh, and said small businesses like his carried the burden of mask enforcement for much of the pandemic. Now, he said, they’re tasked with trusting adults who say they’ve been vaccinated. He isn’t ready to do that.
“I don’t have the luxury of taking chances on an honor code,” McNeill said. “If I have an outbreak because someone didn’t wear a mask and have to close down, who’s going to help keep me open?”
McNeill opened Alpha Dawgs in 2018 and, like most restaurateurs, he said, struggled through the pandemic, professionally and personally. He said he has lost friends and family members and doesn’t believe the pandemic is over.
“I know people personally in the ICU still recovering from [covid],” McNeill said. “I don’t need any more examples about how serious this is.”
So McNeill posted a new requirement on the restaurant’s Facebook page. He asked everyone to continue wearing masks unless they were prepared to show him a vaccine card.
“To whom it may concern,” McNeill wrote. “If you decide to come into my establishment claiming that you are fully vaccinated, I WILL ASK TO SEE YOUR CARD. If you don’t want to provide it then you will have to wear a mask in my store. And if you still don’t want to comply with either then I have the right to deny service. Thank you for your cooperation.”
The day after he posted that statement, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper eased most covid-related restrictions in the state, including its mask mandate. The Alpha Dawgs post stirred some online debate over masks and vaccinations and led to a few responses, including one from the Raleigh Republican Club.
“Should you be in the area…,” it read. “Eat somewhere else….”
McNeill felt the Raleigh Republican Club was calling for a boycott. Afterward, he noticed multiple one-star reviews pop up on Google, not from people who had been to the restaurant, but people accusing McNeill of discrimination.
“This is not political for me, this is a personal belief,” McNeill said. “I have an 85-year-old grandmother I see every other week. I’m going to make sure she’s protected.”
Raleigh Republican Club board member Guy Smith said the group’s post was written collectively, but he didn’t see it as a call for a boycott.
“Our philosophical position is it’s his business, the owner can choose to do what they choose to do within the confines of the individual business,” Smith said. “Our philosophical position is, to demand someone to demonstrate they’re vaccinated with a card, we think that’s out of bounds.”
Smith said the group also condemns writing bogus reviews of a business.
McNeill said Alpha Dawgs’ business has not suffered from the online dust-up.
“I haven’t had any problems,” McNeill said. “Only the online harassment.”
The Nightclub Expected Opposition
Charles Smith, general manager of the club, said he knew the policy would garner backlash, but “we’ve always put the health and safety of both staff and our patrons, and their families, first.”
Since opening as a gay bar in 2001, Ibiza has been a pillar of the LGBTQ community in Wilmington. Although its clientele has expanded over time, it’s still known for drag shows on Friday nights.
Last year, the club shut down March 12, about a week before Gov. Cooper ordered all North Carolina bars and restaurants to stop dine-in service. Ibiza remained shuttered for 14 months, using the time to renovate, Smith said, and leaning on federal and state assistance for small businesses.
When it came to reopening, he said, “the question was: How do we provide the absolute safest experience alongside the nightlife experience we’ve been known for?”
It wouldn’t be easy. Nightclubs are a perfect cocktail of covid risks: lots of people socializing and dancing in close quarters. Alcohol lowering inhibitions. Music forcing people to speak louder, releasing more droplets into the air.
“The concept of social distancing in a nightclub is an oxymoron,” Smith said. And the club’s staff didn’t want to be “the police of nightlife,” trying to separate people on the dance floor, he added.
The safest option, it seemed, was to require people to be vaccinated.
The club waited till all adults in the state were eligible for vaccines before reopening.
Now Ibiza requires patrons to present their vaccine cards or photos of the cards for entry. On reopening night, the club asked customers to wear masks and limited its capacity to 50%, per an executive order from the governor. But as of May 14, the state lifted its capacity restrictions and masking requirements.
Castrigno, who’d been looking forward to that night for weeks since she saw the sign in the club’s window, said it was “the most jubilant I’d ever seen Ibiza.” Several performers put on a drag show. Customers took turns dancing on poles. Some people wore masks with rhinestones to match their outfits, she said.
She wasn’t surprised that many people took the vaccine requirement in stride. “Queer people are well versed in the risks of public health crisis and protecting the community,” she said, referring to the AIDS crisis, which devastated the community in the ’80s and ’90s.
For James Colucci, who has been a customer since 2016, supporting Ibiza’s vaccine policy is about protecting the club’s employees. Some of them have “spearheaded the [LGBTQ] movement, so we can get together and have events like this,” he said.
But others say the policy is discriminatory and injects the nightclub into people’s personal health care decisions.
Joey Askew, a 37-year-old from Greenville, wrote on Ibiza’s Facebook page, “I’ll never go back to this club until they lift this mandate!!”
In an interview with KHN, Askew said he’s not ready to get the vaccine because there haven’t been lifetime studies of recipients to determine long-term side effects. He’s willing to wear a mask and maintain physical distance, but a vaccine requirement goes too far.
“A mask is something I can buy from anywhere and take off whenever I choose,” he said. “But I can’t take a vaccine out. It’s a permanent choice that [the club] is involving themselves in, and it’s not their place.”
In between the people condemning the club’s policy and those applauding it are many who are conflicted.
Mark Russell, 29, is a nurse in Washington, D.C., who cares for covid patients and contracted covid last year. He plans on visiting Ibiza Nightclub in late May while attending a small wedding in North Carolina where everyone will be vaccinated.
The club’s policy makes him feel safer, Russell said. But he also worries about its effect on people of color, who in many places have faced barriers to vaccination.
“It’s a battle in my own brain, thinking those two things,” Russell said.
For Heidi Martek, 55, the policy raised a personal question. “What about those who can’t get the vaccine?” she wrote on Ibiza’s Facebook page.
She has an autoimmune disease, making her body hypersensitive to any vaccine, Martek said, even the flu shot.
But when commenters on Facebook suggested she sue the club, Martek pushed back. The club is facing difficult choices, she told KHN, and there’s no right answer.
“Whether I can go in or not, I support them,” said Martek, who’s been a patron at Ibiza for six years.
She wants the club to survive the pandemic, unlike other establishments that have closed in the past year.
“It’s not like Wilmington is overwhelmed with LGBTQ clubs,” Martek said. “Ibiza is really important.”
News & Observer reporter Drew Jackson contributed to this story.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
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