There's no "I" in Team but there are two in Migraine

Bruce had no issue with teamwork, despite what his children and colleagues might think. Teamwork was great. If done properly it was efficient, and it was good to have backup. Competent backup, at least. 

Bruce helped found the Justice League. Obviously he was a supporter of teamwork. 

However. 

Some teams he really could have happily lived out his life without them ever existing. 

He had a list. 

One: Dick and Clark Kent

Clark had been the first hero he had introduced Dick to. It was a move he had regretted ever since. 

He was glad the two of them got along, of course, but did they have to get along so well? 

He could withstand torture but the two sets of sad puppy eyes attacking at the same time was on another level altogether. 

Two: The Titans

Pros: Dick was making friends. 

Cons: Dick was either away with his friends, or they came home with him. Really, all Bruce wanted was to spend one week without putting out any fires caused by teenage superheroes. Literal fires, not metaphorical ones. Well, actually there were plenty of those kind too. 

Three: Dick and Jason

When Bruce first brought Jason home he wasn’t sure how Dick was going to react. And so maybe he panicked slightly and didn’t end up telling him for three weeks. In his defense, the voicemail he had left asking Dick to call him soon was left before the newspaper article came out. 

Perhaps not his best moment. 

Eventually, though, the two boys were introduced. 

There was some yelling that took place, mostly directed at him, but other than that things seemed to go rather smoothly. Assuming, that is, that smoothly meant neither of them seemed to care about getting to know the other one, and mostly kept to themselves and their own activities. 

And then, four months, two weeks, and five days after Jason first came to the manor, Bruce came home to discover the two of them had bonded over some unspoken activity that neither were willing to divulge. Alfred knew and didn’t disapprove so it couldn’t be that bad, but from then on out it was…well…

Bruce began the daily habit of checking his blood pressure. 

Four: Talia al Ghul and Lois Lane

Bruce didn’t know how the two of them had met and he didn’t want to. See, Dick, he was okay with not knowing things. Sometimes. In this one instance, at least. 

Five: Dick and Slade Wilson

Worst three weeks of his life. 

Six: Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn

He was happy for them, he really was. He just wished they could be happy together somewhere less structurally damaging. 

Seven: Jason and Harley Quinn

Explosion therapy was not a thing, despite both their arguments otherwise. They didn’t even give him a Joker effigy to blow up. They could have at least asked. He would have happily paid for that one and all the rest of them. 

Eight: Tim and Barbara

 He wasn’t that old. He knew how to use his computer. 

Nine: Jason and Cassandra

Too competent. They should never have been allowed on the same team for any game ever. If he heard one more complaint from any of his other children he was going to seriously lose it. 

And then there was that one time the two of them disappeared for a week and no one, not even himself or Clark, could find them. They had turned back up with grins and minimal injuries, and Bruce had tried to not investigate, he really had. But he needed to know, regardless of how much he regretted it later. (A lot. He regretted it a lot.) 

Ten: Dick, Jason, and Constantine

Bruce hated magic. 

Eleven: Jason, Diana, and Barry Allen

No one knew how or why the three of them had teamed up. It had been four months of secret meetings and pointed looks and minor heists that couldn’t technically be traced back to them but Bruce knew. And then there was the regular day-to-day hero-ing. Diana, he could understand. That’s what she did. Jason? Had always been vocally opposed to getting too involved with the Justice League, but had also always looked up to Diana, so maybe that was understandable? Allen? The man was retired. And he wasn’t suddenly out of retirement for some reason, no. He was just there to “lend a hand” to the other two. 

At least Bruce could comfort himself in knowing Jason was spending time with two respectable individuals. It was certainly a step up from his unfortunately ongoing acquaintance with Rayner. 

Twelve: Stephanie and Hal Jordan 

They should never have been allowed to meet. It was a disaster. For Bruce. 

Jason had been the one to introduce them, as he had proudly let Bruce know after the first breaking news cycle hit.

Thirteen: Duke and Damian 

Bruce would have told Jason how thankful he was that he was acting as the moderating adult influence with those two if he didn’t think Jason would start doing the opposite out of spite. 

Jason would make a great parent someday. 

Bruce would love a six month vacation. 

Fourteen: Alfred and Martha Kent

He didn’t really need to explain this one, right? Everyone could just move on, continue with their lives and so on and so forth. 

Fifteen: Damian and Batcow

Because a boy needs a cow and a cow needs an emotional support duck, turkey, cat, dog, rabbit, goat, and raccoon. Apparently. Tim and Jason were, in Bruce’s opinion, far too enthusiastic to provide research as evidence whenever needed (or not needed, as was usually the case). 

I'm preparing myself for the personal disappointment of Ted going back home to Kansas (even though I don't believe that's his home anymore) and that Trent will see him off in a ruby slippers shirt, especially since Lance has worn one before and we now know a lot of Trent's shirts are coming from his closet:

But in writing another meta I've been thinking a lot about Ted Lasso's clothing, particularly how it is used to connect with others and showcase growth. Sometimes that attempt is a failure and the growth is a detriment to the character, such as Nate trying to copy Roy's all black suit, and sometimes it's a success and the growth is something to celebrate, like Roy finding a compromise between his and Phoebe's tastes with his dark-colored, tie-die t-shirt. Beyond the issue that I don't want Ted to go back to Kansas at all (not unless the intention is to have him realize that Richmond is his true home now), a Dorothy shirt would fall flat for me because there's no in-universe connection to Ted. We as the audience understand the allusion because we've been picking up on hints since Season 1: Ted makes a quip about not being in Kansas anymore, he holds high scores on a Wizard of Oz pinball machine, he's surrounded by other allusions such as an emotionless man in need of a heart (Roy), a scared lion who rejects being a panda (Rebecca), and the comedic, presumed idiot who does in fact have a brain (Jamie). But all of that exists on an analytical level. In-world, Ted hasn't identified with Dorothy and what few connections there are -- such as that acknowledgement that he feels out of his depth in a new world -- are no longer accurate three seasons later, after a hell of a lot of growth. Unlike the suit and the shirts that exist overtly on screen as a way to say, "These characters are sharing a connection," Trent talking to Ted in a Dorothy shirt would feel too removed from textual!Ted and textual!Trent to have the same impact. This shirt totally sums up his story!... provided you've done the work to interpret all the easily missed hints and ignored the ways in which a Wizard of Oz ending would (imo) be a regression for Ted.

With an acknowledgment that I'm playing with all this through the assumption that Trent's shirt will have something to do with Ted, rather than us just getting an Overtly Queer shirt to show that Trent has fully embraced who he is, I've been hemming and hawing over what I'd give him instead. In some ways, Ted is notable for his lack of distinct fashion. He wears Richmond gear 70% of the time and the rest is plain colored long-sleeved shirts and collared shirts with polos. It's a distinctly Ted look to be sure (passionate and athletic vs. soft, comfortable, and mildly professional while still feeling approachable), but there's less material to work with than, say, Keeley's vibrate, quirky wardrobe; or Rebecca's preference towards outfits that emphasize her power as a kind of shield: wealth, beauty, her height; or -- of course -- Trent's move from buttoned-up journalist to queer bracelet, queer mug, queer style icon t-shirts. I can't think of anything Trent could wear off the top of my head that would a) be within his "vibe" and b) scream "I'M DECLARING MY SUPPORT AND/OR ROMANTIC LOVE FOR TED FUCKING LASSO."

Except, of course, for a "BELIEVE" shirt.

While I love and fully agree with Ted's speech about how belief needs to come from within and, thus, their sign is not actually necessary, a part of me is still disappointed that "BELIEVE" is no longer a visual part of the club. I'd be more willing to accept letting it go if we hadn't seen that Ted himself still relies on those visual reminders. Not only does he choose to put the sign up in the first place rather than simply telling the boys to believe in themselves, but back when Nate was doubting their chances in Ted's apartment, Ted sprints to his bathroom to retrieve one of mini signs he, obviously, keeps on hand and presumably sees every morning, soon as he gets up. It's important to him, not just the message, but the physicality of the reminder itself, so I've been expecting/hoping for the message to return in a new form by the end of the season.

Granted, that little moment was a while ago and it's possible that the writers didn't realize the implications it would have when Ted later ripped up the sign. However, another reason why I don't think my expectation is completely hopeless is because of the Season 3 promo, wherein all the Richmond family make their own BELIEVE signs. Forgetting a small gag back in Season 1 or 2 is understandable, but the promotion for the latest season? Why in the world would our advertising emphasize -- and celebrate! -- all the characters creating signs of their own if the message was meant to be, "Let the sign go. It's no longer needed"?

We didn't get this scene in the show proper, but it still speaks volumes that they filmed a moment where every character puts their own spin on the BELIEVE sign, using it to highlight their personality. Then, we end with a shot of Ted's touched approval as he talks about feeling seen.

Chronologically, Trent would have been around for all this. There's no need for the team to make their own signs until they realize the original has been torn and, obviously, Trent had become a part of the family by then. He's the one who discovered how the sign was torn in the first place. So if we read the promo as canonical, even if it didn't end up in an episode, why wouldn't Trent have joined in with everyone else? Thing is, he doesn't have a locker to hang a sign on, or even an office to put it in, and given that he's worn the same two bracelets and consistently used the same mug, there's really only one way that Trent shows his personality:

Shirts.

Some of which are notably brightly colored with blocky text referencing American-style learning.

I don't want Trent to walk into the finale with a Dorothy shirt whose importance only exists on a subtexual level and heralds Ted leaving the actual home he's worked to build. I want Trent to strut out in a bright yellow shirt with BELIEVE across the front, announcing to the world that, yes, he believes in the Lasso Way. Give me the implication that he had this made when everyone was personalizing their signs. Give me a fully confident "dork" who's willing to excitedly proclaim his love and support without fear of censor. Give me a BELIEVE reminder that's now tailored to the individual and can be worn or safely tucked away as needed. Give me the possibility (because it's not gonna be canon😭) that Trent is in love with Ted and he's going to display that in the most overt but-not-actually-saying-it way possible.

He sees Ted and he loves what he sees.

Dorothy and her allusion don't exist in the textual show proper and they're definitely not connected to Trent's relationship with Ted. What is though? The very first words Trent said about Ted that weren't an insult, accusation, snide remark, or disbelieving question:

"I can't help but root for him."

What better way to take Trent full circle than to let him literally wear his heart on his sleeve, shouting in bright colors and with a noticeable vibe that yes, he does believe in Ted Lasso.

Leo going batshit crazy designing weapons, right? Insane and dangerous ideas and most everyone telling him not to, right?

The only ones that aren’t are the Aphrodite kids- in the world’s biggest twist of irony- who love being extra and flashy and having cute things and are tired of other demigods not taking them seriously.

Still, Leo wasn’t expecting Drew.

Sure, the other Aphrodite kids love having weapons that no one else has and that no one else would even try to use. They love surprising other campers during training with some of Leo’s outlandish additions like explosives and lasers and trick missiles to their spears and swords and axes.

But it didn’t prepare him for Drew showing up at the Bunker and ordering a custom sword and set of armor. He didn’t even know she knew the Bunker existed.

They snipe at each other during the entire design stage, because that’s where they are with each other at this point. Leo gets so frustrated and starts making suggestions no one in their right mind- which is saying something- would agree to just to get her to give up on the project and then does a double take when Drew is immediately onboard.

And Leo doesn't get it, why Drew’s so insistent on getting this gear, why she puts up with his shit and his insults and his attempts to get her to go away. He’s pretty sure any of her siblings would have quit by now, even with them wanting to be better fighters. After all, there are plenty of perfectly good weapons in the forge and the Athena kid’s shed.

The truth is that Drew and her cabin went through a literal war, and they still aren’t taken seriously. They were more willing to fight than the children of the literal god of war, and did it with their own Aphrodite flair, showing that they don’t have to sacrifice or change who they are to be heroes.

But no. Everyone still sees them as a joke.

There’s only been one exception to that fact, and the only “real” hero the camp acknowledges from her cabin is someone Drew views as a traitor.

And what really hurts is that when the only “real hero” from Aphrodite rode into battle, it was with those so-called children of war, not her own siblings.

So, yeah, Drew’s not sure what else she can do to show them, except maybe this.

And when Leo learns this, he gets it.

Because he gets it. He knows what it’s like to be underestimated and taken for granted. He knows what it’s like for people to see him only for his surface level.

He’s spent most of his life trying to seem harmless and superfluous, just a joke, and he knows how exhausting it is. At least he got some protection out of it, from making himself someone that isn’t ever actually seen at all, just a stock character in the background of other people’s lives. That was his decision, though.

Drew didn’t even have a choice in being treated like that.

So, yeah, she’s angry- furious even, boiling over with it, and with the pressure she’d been under (and doesn’t he know what that’s like, being thrust into the role of head counselor when he doesn’t know a thing about leading).

And maybe he can’t get behind how Drew goes about it- but then again, isn’t his own sense of humor mean-spirited? Hasn’t he let his own jealousies and insecurities make his jokes a little too sharp, a little too cruel? Hasn’t he thrown other kids to the metaphorical wolves, to be the object of mockery because it meant he wasn’t the victim?

No, he and Drew are a lot alike. They haven’t gone about things the right way, but Drew seems to be trying a new tactic, and maybe Leo can too. Maybe they can help each other.

Because Leo wants to prove himself too. He wants to prove that his inventions work, that he’s capable of building the most important ship for the most important quest, that he is worthy of his place among the Seven of prophecy.

There’s this understanding between them after that, where they still don’t really like each other, may like each other a lot less because they see the worst parts of themselves in the other. And it doesn’t help at first that Drew’s watching over every stage of the process because she’s so invested in this. It makes Leo nervous and snappish.

But they form a begrudging respect for each other, because okay, weapons have to come from somewhere, and so far the ones cabin 10 have gotten from Leo have been- well, really good AND he incorporated pretty designs and he’s got this focus that Drew can’t not admit is impressive.

And okay wow, Drew is so unapologetically herself, mean and smart and ambitious, and she follows along with his rants about smelting and casting and even godsdamn flying buttresses when he gets off track because “I’m not just a pretty face and a killer right hook, Valdez.”

Their bickering starts to take on a playful undertone but still sounds like they can’t stand each other to anyone listening. Drew startles laughter from Leo because she’s got a biting wit that’s more than just making fun of people.

Drew breaks down and brings her manicure kit to the Bunker because it physically pains her the way Leo’s are bitten raw and neglected. It turns into the literal weirdest sleepover ever, and Leo’s slept in the back of flying metal dragon with Jason and Piper, so that’s saying something. But it’s fun.

When the project is finished and Drew plans on unveiling it at the next game of capture the flag, Leo talks Annabeth into joining his cabin’s alliance with Aphrodite, because they have a standing truce to work together, and he can’t leave his friend hanging when cabin 10 goes on a rampage.

And they rampage.

Leo’s actually a little scared of Drew, who swings her sword with hard won strength and precision, deftly releases the hidden vial of Hydra venom in the hilt to coat her blade and lets her melt through the leather straps of her opponents’ armor, and leaves the impression of a dove on the faces of people she knocks out with the butt of the hilt.

She takes out gaggles of campers with her enchanted, weaponized perfume bombs and fistfuls of rose petals grown with the water of the Lethe, a task they’d been warned against by both Demeter and Hypnos cabins. But they’d done it anyway, finding a careful balance so as to not wipe memories, but to disorient and make victims lethargic.

She’s strategic with her aim and her ammo, and with her small amount of charmspeak, causes chain reactions of confused and dizzy campers stumbling into their allies and taking out the rest of Drew’s opponents for her.

An Ares kid’s spear glances off her breastplate etched with the design of hearts and she snaps the shaft before sweeping their feet out from under them with a graceful spin.

She leaves a trail of hearts carved in the soles of her boots in the damp earth as she makes her way to the enemy flag, so everyone knows who it was that walked that path.

-Has had our Twisted Wonderland Saw AU rotating in my brain- Tell me, friend who are the house warden's go-to victim of choice? (For example: they target someone who has committed a certain kind of crime.) I look forward to your answer 👀

Oh, I am delighted to answer this! Thank you for the ask, I love our Twisted Wonderland Saw AU, and as the end of September approaches I become more and more excited to go see Saw X.

Warning, contains mentions of: corruption, rape/sexual assault, harassment, kidnapping, abuse, racism

Riddle - The rules of the games have always been about targeting people who are taking life for granted, whether it's their own or someone else's. Riddle loves rules. I also think this would translate over to laws; as they are definitely rules. So, in general I think Riddle is not overly picky about which law-breakers he puts into a trap.

However, the ones he gets most satisfaction from putting in a trap are the ones who are meant to uphold the rules. People in power who should be protecting others, but end up abusing the power and instead using it to allow themselves to get away with crimes such as theft, assault, etc., those are the ones Riddle feels deserve this the most. He's going after corrupt cops, corrupt politicians, people who scam others out of money with fraudulent practices.

Riddle knows that what he's doing also breaks some laws, but he doesn't feel it's hypocritical of him to target those people. After all, he's using what power he has to protect others from corrupt individuals by forcing them to either change or die.

Leona - Leona also goes for people who abuse their power; specifically people who use their physical strength to intimidate and overpower others and hurt them. Basically, muscleheads who use their strength against others. I think he would hate them the most because he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about brains vs. muscle.

I think it gives him a bit of satisfaction to trap people who think they can just muscle their way out of problems or make others take the consequences. He likes the realization in their eyes when they finally realize they have to face the consequences of their own actions. They don't have to necessarily be convicted criminals for him. (he still thinks John is a bit nuts though.)

Azul - I think Azul would actually have a list of people for Jigsaw to have investigated on the regular; all people he'd be willing to put into traps. Why? Because he still runs the Monstro Lounge; with multiple locations. "But Meags," you might say, "what does that have to do with anything?" Well, honestly, while Azul works his staff hard and demands a certain level of service for customers, he's not stupid and he hates when people make a mess of what he sees as his. So, Azul goes less for the criminals, but more for the people who are shitty to the waitstaff. People who mock their servers, people who are rude to bartenders and harass them, racists who throw a fit about the nationality of whoever is serving them, people who make a scene and disturb the environment of the lounge, and anyone who makes his staff feel like absolute shit. Azul knows he needs workers who want to come to work, not people who dread every minute of interaction with the customers. So, maybe he doesn't get to know all his staff personally; he's got a big chain of restaurants in this AU. But, he's gonna make damn sure he doesn't let customers get in the way of their work or damage the mental health of his staff. It's a bit of an open secret among staff that if you tell Jade or Floyd or Azul that a customer harassed you, a few months down the line that customer will stop coming to the restaurant for good.

I honestly think he'd want to put so many in a trap that Jigsaw tells him he has to make a wait-list and also has to sprinkle in some different victims here and there to avoid suspicion being thrown on the Lounge.

Kalim - It's been established many times in canon that Kalim has been a victim of poisoning attempts and kidnappings. This is part of the AU too. I think Kalim would want to prevent other children from suffering like that, so I think he actually goes after people who abuse and mistreat children. Especially if the judicial system decided not to put them behind bars or gave them a lenient sentence. It pains him to see how poor the justice system can be when it comes to the protection of children. He feels compelled to do something about it, and while working to support charities and advocate for children's mental health and support is what he can do publicly, sometimes it really feels like it's not enough.

Vil - Vil is going after people who use date-rape drugs. He can't stand it. He's the kind of person who knows what it's like to feel like you have no autonomy in a situation (movie industries are notorious for how they mistreat child actors) and he hates it. He's also of the belief that if a person needs to use drugs to get with someone they're interested in, they are truly pathetic. He hates the attitude of "it should come to me naturally and if it doesn't that's everyone else's fault". If someone says no, they mean no, and Vil is fully in support of that.

SA is a terrible crime and he is fully disgusted by it. While he will choose various committers of various crimes/infractions, sexual offenders are his go-to for traps when he can.

Idia - The bigger the challenge, the more Idia wants to do it. He wants the ones who are so clearly committing crimes, ripping people off, stepping on people, scamming people, and abusing the people who work for them; but have so little concrete evidence tying them to their deeds that the police have nothing to arrest them for. That, or they are technically not committing crimes but are definitely making life miserable or even endangered for other people for no reason. He gets a thrill out of finding all the little pieces and stringing them together, and he feels wholly satisfied when the whole trap comes together and he gets to watch the person finally face their comeuppance.

He's a pro at getting information, almost as fast as Lilia and Malleus are when it comes to researching and stalking the victims. He's got a number of online aliases and uses them to get as much information as he can from any and every source. For him, there's always a thrill when he finally nails someone who thought they were completely able to get away with mistreating and abusing others.

Malleus - For Malleus, his choices depend more on the day and what he sees. In this AU, we've established with each other that Malleus and Lilia being Fae allows them to bump up their timelines because they don't need to spend as much time stalking and researching the perpetrator due to Fae powers.

I think that for Malleus, he doesn't really have a type that he wants to put in traps. If he sees someone committing a crime or degrading another person, they are all potential victims for his traps. Because clearly they need to be taught to appreciate their own life and the lives of others.

Of course, for all the Housewardens, the Number One person they want to put in a trap is Anyone Who Harms/Insults/Offends Yuu. Because they are very protective of their non-magic friend and love them dearly. :D

Thanks again for the ask! I hope you enjoyed these answers; let me know what you think💜

Was thinking about the macaque spirit king again and remembered you did mention her in SKW assassins backstory post and that they trained under them.

So for an Idea for her backstory revolves around the fact that to the rest Aioli, FFM was Paradise on earth and was constantly invaded before wukong really made a name for himself. So, it's only imaginable what life was for for less lucky demon populations. The trope they belonged was in one of the worst parts of the continent and was constantly fighting for survival, let alone have time to really enjoy themselves at least to the extent of their FFM counterparts.

It's mostly that she was able not only to keep the physical and environmental threats at bay, but was about to shape what was once a personal hell for them into a strong safe haven that enabled them to thrive, creating the kingdom they know today as well as raising up to be the macaque spirit king. She's very much shaped by her experience being very reserved and a bit aloof to outsiders, which reflects in their cultural mindset with a few exceptions, can be seen as the opposite as FFM's. A bit of a everyone pulls there own weight, where only as strong as our weakness link type beat, but is still very put a high value on community and helping each other out and doesn't tolerates disingenuous actions or using others for your own gain, FFM mount definitely has a similar mindset, but I just they MSK kingdom takes it to a whole new level.

SWK and MSK could have met before the alliance was made through SKW travels since I like the idea of the area around their territory still being very rough and general being impressed with him making it through it by himself. She could find the FFM citizens abit annoying and the rest of her subjects to an extent, but also admits they have a bit of a charm to them, especially with what lengths to maintain a status that enables them to have that type of freedom, especially after the recovery from the fire.

As for her and macaque's checkered past, I can definitely say for as close as macaque came to his goal in jttw, especially fooling the gods to an extent, that wasn't his first time, mix that and the culture of MSK kingdom, it isn't an surprise it ended the way it did. He was mostly born or introduced in low on the totem pole, since if there are likely other six earred macaques and you where just named six earred macaque, you weren't cared for, I'm sorry. Likely caused trouble was the last straw was likely him trying to gain some power with his usually stick and possibly got other hurt or did in the process and they just took him by all six ears and threw him out. I think what really made her antagonistic towards him was the early days of him and SWK relationship and the eventual fall out. When was very much enraged when she found out he was welcomed at FFM and her catching word of his fondness for SWK just made the fire worse. She most likely tried everything in the book to take him out of it, but it continued. And after everything was said and done, their mind was set on SEM.

They was upset a SWK for not taking their warnings, but her angry and vitriol lays with SEM. He was given a second chance in their he wasn't completely deserving of and gave him everything and more, but in SWK moment of weakness and need was the first to turn against him, if it met getting what he wanted damn how it effects everyone else and his actions during and after proved that to her. Even, if and when he makes amends and him and SWK start again, she's going to give him credit where it's due, but she's never going to go beyond that and takes everything his does at face value and with a handful of salt. And I think they're saying would be "new coat, same starving dog. It will become despite at the slightest hardship and will be willing to bite the hand that nurtures it, if that means a meal." They're trying to be happy for SWK, but as soon as SEM slips up or reverts back, she will make sure it will be his last.

On a lighter note, LOVE the Idea of her and Nezha bounding over their distaste of macaque and even help her nephew with the means to torture his stepdad😂 she's truly the mean, opinionated childless rich lesbian auntie that always has a special new weapon to make your stepdad's life a bit more of a living hell as a treat.

FUNNILY ENOUGH I SAW HER AS AS SHE/THEY GAY!! but i love the final idea yes yes so TRUE

I LOVE ALL OF THIS SO MUCH??? I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

I actually played around a little and made her a reincarnation (Su Yijun) and.. yknow if this was the MSK I wouldn't mind! (though i made them more soft spoken and empathic and selectively mute so 👀!!!)

Here they are:

I like the idea of her personality being more brash and outspoken in the past (like what you said) and then regaining that side of himself when he gets his memories back!

But i love this sm thank you for sharing it im FOAMING at the mouth at the idea of them being an uncle to Nezha PLEASE

For you, was it wrong for Kakashi to give Sasuke a condescending scolding?, was Kakashi's attitude wrong?, I mean when Sasuke leaves the village at the end of Naruto and when Kakashi is already Hokage. I ask because I wanted to know your opinion since I almost always see the side of S*suke's fans who say that S*suke didn't do anything wrong and that he didn't deserve to be treated like that by Kakashi

Kakashi didn’t give Sasuke a ‘condescending scolding’

He stated a fact. Him and Naruto vouched for Sasuke and fought for his freedom, and a result of that is that if Sasuke does anything else that others deem wrong it will bite at Kakashi and Naruto as well.

Especially since Kakashi is newly Hokage and it was one of the first things he did.

Regardless of how we as a fandom feel about what Sasuke did, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the shinobi world has labeled him a terrorist and continues to think of him in that way even after the war.

Kakashi and Naruto are sticking their necks out for Sasuke because they believe in him. They know he’s bot the big bad that other people are making him out to be.

However, by doing so they are also opening themselves up to criticism and attack. Naruto will receive less since he’d the hero of the world, but Kakashi? The newly instated Sixth Hokage? He’ll receive the most judgement if Sasuke turbs around and makes himself an enemy of the shinobi world again (which he sort of does in Boruto, and again as a fandom we know he’s not wrong to help Boruto but the other people in canon do bot)

Also, Sasuke did do wrong.

Like we get the general idea that what he wants is revenge against those who wronged him and that’s mainly danzo and the elders

And i for one support him in that goal

But he did attack the five Kage summit to get to Danzo

He did just about kill Karin to get his attack through to Danzo

He did ditch Suigetsu and Juugo in order to hyper focus on getting to Danzo

He did go after Bee as a member of the Akatski, a terrorist organization, and while we know he didn’t kill Bee Kumo had every right to believe he did and label him a terrorist for it.

He did want to kill the Five Kage’s, and was willing to kill Naruto to get his way.

Sasuke’s goals of revenge were valid but some of the things he did to achieve that revenge were terrible and his ultimate goal of just killing the Kage and becoming a sort of dictator to force peace was really f***ed up.

I cheer for Sasuke in his goal to revenge, but people who act like he did nothing wrong ever are either ignoring canon or just do not care that he was aiming to become a tyrant to force peace

Which is NEVER the answer. That’s not peace. That’s fear and oppression.

So Kakashi saying ‘if you do anything else wrong it’s on my head’ is actually right

He vouched for Sasuke

He stuck his neck on the chopping block to gain Sasuke his freedom because he believed in him

It’s not just Sasuke in trouble if he goes rogue or even terrorist level again. It’s Kakashi’s as well for vouching for him.

Even if you do belive that Sasuke never did anything wrong in his life; i think it’s ok to accept that the rest of the shinobi world does not believe that and that Naruto and Kakashi were putting their necks on the line vouching for him

The holiday season was to be seen everywhere. Unlike most people, Nunnally wasn’t truly enjoying it. It meant more work than usual. Parties, meetings, charity events. She didn’t feel any magic, only a pressure to be perfect. To deliver what everyone expected from her. She gave the last glance into the mirror, ready to be back at the event. Before anyone noticed, she had disappeared. It wasn’t the time when she could (although she wanted it so much). She forced a fake smile onto her lips. Now she was ready.

Her steps were light as she joined the guests talking and enjoying themselves. After moving around for a bit, she found herself standing next to Hibiya. She smiled to him (perhaps out of habit; perhaps genuinely happy to see him; it was hard to tell); Nunnally let out a small sigh, getting ready to go back to entertain the other guests, when she realized they both ended up under the mistletoe. She internally chuckled; all the evening she was paying extra attention not to end up under mistletoe with anyone. And she did succeed up till now. Nunnally could probably simply walk away, but some childish playfulness awoke in her, and she actually brought Hibiya’s attention into that specific decoration hanging above them.

With a small (and frivolous) curtsy, she was waiting for his reactions. Would he actually go for a kiss?

The holiday season meant Hibiya was truly thriving. He loved the weather, the celebrations, every day had somewhere new to be. Nunnally caught him checking his phone off to the side, glancing up as she approached. All she earned was a simple "Hey," knowing she was likely just trying to steal a moment to catch her breath while he was trying to check tomorrow's plans. He didn't know much else about her, and was fine with that, but he knew she wasn't exactly the type to enjoy strangers' attention like he was.

"It's cold in here, right? I wish they'd turn the heat up." A throwaway complaint as he shoved his phone in a pocket, Nunnally equally as much ignoring him to take his attention elsewhere. He watched the mistletoe hang motionless for a moment, thinking there was something more he wasn't seeing until he looked back at her.

Nunnally's curtsy put enough of an impression that she was waiting to be kissed, nothing more or less. A chuckle left his lips at what was becoming the usual playful mood between them. Whether it was something she planned, using Hibiya to upset someone else, or seeing it as a cheeky excuse for some romance tonight, he would oblige. After all, he got along with Nunnally. Even when they didn't, there was something still fun about it. He wouldn't dare be upset about being seen kissing someone with beauty like hers.

Hibiya leaned over and gently held her chin as he first kissed her cheek. As a test, partly to make sure he wasn't failing some test of hers, but with the added benefit of teasing what Nunnally was asking for. Not long after, Hibiya kissed her lower lip. He paused, allowing for whatever made up meaning she might project onto the kiss to form, but was sure not to overstay his welcome. A kiss under the mistletoe, nothing more. Far from something he was willing to cause a scene for.

"I wouldn't have guessed you'd use such a silly thing as an excuse to get what you wanted." A pleasant smile resting on his features. Maybe these passive-aggressive comments they couldn't seem to go a conversation without were getting to him, in a surprisingly pleasant way. It fell juuust a level deeper than the other superficial relationship he was comfortable having with everyone else. Nunnally ever so gently poked at something he ignored for quite some time now. And though he didn't plan on that changing, it was fun to pretend every now and then. "Is there something more you wanted from me, or am I dismissed?" Hibiya teased in a low tone, once again, allowing her to keep the advantage over him.

@lured-into-wonderland

You are so good at writing L. It’s everything I love to see with him. I think as much as he valued Light for being his intellectual equal he really appreciates ‘normal’ people. He does a lot of work to save people, to protect average life. Near says in the one shot that L told him he doesn’t do his work for justice but as a hobby, regardless tho in the show, and in the spin off L change the worLd, he was willing to risk and then give up his life for people. UGH. I love him so much. He needs someone to make him feel like a person

I dunno if I need to put a spoiler warning here or anything I think this is more an authorial intent warning. Regardless, if you mind authorial intent stuff, beware.

It’s important to keep in mind that he was adopted at 8 years old and then was allowed to be in solitary confinement for years. He’s not close enough to the outside world to relate to it but he’s not socially obtuse. He understands how to operate in normal society at the level an 8-year-old does, and he understands how to interact with people in regards to his work— he can keep up a conversation about things relating to his job reasonably well– but I don’t think he spent enough time socializing– he was probably just a generally weird kid– to be comfortable in society. He does seem to enjoy spending time with people to some extent– he doesn’t seem uncomfortable around the others in the task force and he apparently enjoys concerts and amusement parks– but he isn’t so comfortable with people to know how to make friends past that. He seems unapproachable, stuck in his own head, and typically people don’t talk to people stuck in their own heads. I think there was a point in his life– probably early on– when he was genuinely doing this for the funsies. Eventually, though, if you constantly expose yourself to a bunch of terrible people, have to look into every single one of their actions, you have to do one of two things. You either decide to let the fact that there are thousands of people who commit horrible crimes for stupid reasons get to you, hate the world, go use your intellect to bring the whole world down, and impose your intellectual rule which, realistically, would probably make you no better than the people you’re trying to catch, or decide not to care, to let these terrible crimes become abstract and just view it as a game, realize that in your position you only have so much power, take out what evil people can’t be caught normally because allocation of resources and let it be a hobby. He chose the latter, which was probably better than the alternative, but on the way to committing to that decision he lost some of his humanity. I can’t speak to the external works, but I think that’s why he was so passionate about the Kira case; it’s not just that it was challenging– though that’s probably what he tells himself is the reason– but it’s harder to be distant from the deaths of hundreds as opposed to tens. No matter how inhuman he is, no matter how little he reacts to the gruesome, sadistic people he’s usually tasked with, the impersonal slaughter of hundreds of people who were already doing their time is just a whole other level of inhuman.

I think that’s why he cares so much about this relationship. It’s a reality check. The other people in his life grew up in the same situation– teaching themselves to trivialize human life, to distance themselves, or losing their minds to megalomania and hatred for the world– and can’t sympathize with people. They, in fact, sympathize with them less than L does; Near is not so much using distance as a coping mechanism as much as he is trying to replicate L and Mellow is just being Mellow because they came to the house, presumably, way earlier than L did. Having someone come up to him, a normal person who has an average attachment to humanity, and interact with him is a big deal. He relates to you in a different way than he can relate to Watari or the other kids, because he can relate his personal experiences of giving a shit about humanity to yours and fill in the gaps he hasn’t been able to fill for a decade. This sudden reminder of what people are usually is also why he had that introspective moment, like how you don’t know how much you are starving until you eat. That’s also why he is so apologetic and hesitant to get close to you; after having a chance to realize how different he is from them he doesn’t want to make them like him. His existence is almost inhuman; what kind of horrible person would want to encourage that?

It’s not that you’re the first person to care about him. You’re just the first to identify, without prompting, what he needs emotionally as opposed to what he says he needs.

(gehenna-calling) um. 22&23 for mark, 38 for porphyria

I. I TYPED OUT A LOT AND THEN IT CRASHED AND LOST MY PROGRESS. UGHASHFDAJF Anyway thank you beloved mutual for helping me out of the pits of despair.

22 and 23 - What does your character like in other people? And: What does your character dislike in other people? (I’m gonna answer in one paragraph.)

I’ll kind of divide the people Mark likes into two categories - the people who he more quickly gets along with, though sometimes in a shallow sense, who he likes (liked?) to surround himself with - and the people who he Likes on a more deeper level even if they don’t vibe at first. For the first, Mark likes people that are similar to the image Mark projects of himself. Being around other snarky academic types makes him feel safe; he knows what role to play, they understand him, and it’s easy to find things to talk about that aren’t too personal. The conversations are legitimately enjoyable and yeah, it’s basically Comfy. They aren’t going to push him too far and any deep conversations won’t be about personal topics, and as long as they aren’t misanthropes (Mark truly loves all that humanity has accomplished and believes it will keep improving, though he doesn’t show this side of himself often), they’ll get along well. His touchstone Dr. Armatto falls into this category; though this is a deeper care/like because he shares that love of humanity’s history and Mark has just accepted that he isn’t gonna share deeper personal things (like that he’s gay) with him, and has made his peace with that.

For the second part, of course the standard things that make people like others apply - but there’s a certain type of personality, that is willing to meet Mark where he’s at but also know the right ways to push him gently, subtly, in a way that doesn’t have to make him acknowledge that he’s being pushed, that he likes, even if he couldn’t put his finger on why. This type of person also has to be capable of indulging Mark’s nerdiness even if they don’t share it, lol. So someone more extroverted but with patience, if I had to oversimplify it a bit. Sampson fell into this category. I think his coterie member Rose might fall into this too, though their friendship kind of developed weirdly because they had to start trusting each other with their lives on like, night 1 of knowing each other and then for many battles after. 

What he doesn’t like is overt misanthropy - which I mentioned before. Like, Mark IS cynical, but not about humanity in a large sense. He also doesn’t like impulsive people; he needs stuff to be planned and if possible, know what to expect. Incompetence bothers him more than the average person I suppose; he’s less likely to brush something off as ‘its fine don’t worry’ (even if he helps out the person who screwed up anyway, lol). He doesn’t like laziness either - Mark works hard! (Don’t think about the fact that at this point, some of that GrindSet is just an excuse to Not Think About The Horrors). He doesn’t like it when he’s pressured into things, he’ll get stubborn about it and think the individual is obnoxious (even if again, he does deep down want to be pushed, it has to be in a certain way.) Uhhhh also even if it is the 2000s and a lot of people are homophobic, if they’re vocal about it obviously Mark won’t like that either even if he wouldn’t say anything. 

Then for Porphyria: 

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

This one is pretty easy - she is more likely to remove the problem, because she sees it as a mage’s duty to help sleeper society. So if it’s a problem, she and her cabal can certainly fix it, instead of leaving it for someone else to run into. She would only remove herself if she can’t fix it - and she can check this with a simple scrying spell. It’s easy for her to know if something is possible, or very unlikely, even if she isn’t yet strong enough in the time arcana to know the details. 

So yeah - she would see it as irresponsible to avoid the problem when she could fix it, and she’s pretty confident that she, with her cabal, can solve most anything they come across. What a QUEEN i love her. 

Our Story Begins

Name: Nalanthar Arabana (He/Him/They/Them)

Race: Half-Elf

Class: Bard (Court Bard)

Level: 2

-

Name: Suni (She/Her)

Race: Tiefling

Class: Wizard (Pact Wizard)

Level: 2

-

Name: Veldris Vomod (He/Him)

Race: Tiefling

Class: Rogue (Knife Master)

Level: 2

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD

So I decided to group these guys into one post because the beginnings for these three in the prologue are nearly identical and their branching paths, I feel, will not be demonstrated in full until they finally get out there in the world. So, let's go over our key plays so far!

Starting with the one and only, Nalanthar Arabana! So, in my BG3 blog, I explained that Nalanthar was first created in my Pathfinder Kingmaker CRPG game. Instead of being a Valor Bard or any combat focused Bard, he's instead a Court Bard, meant to debuff enemies with his bardic aura as he ridicules them in battle while also being a smooth talker.

Nalanthar's backstory stays relatively the same. Nalanthar, while it's not expressed through the game mechanics, is a Half-Elf Drow from the Darklands (Pathfinder's equivalence to the Underdark). He didn't have a great upbringing as his mother hated him and his father hated him slightly less. Nalanthar's blood is from his father and some random Human slave who he hooked up with. He never met his mother and doesn't care to know or look for her since he's nearly a century year old. So she's probably dead.

Despite doing all he could to appease his parents and meet the expectations of Drow society, he eventually left his thankless life to peruse his own path. This resulted in him going to the surface world and taking up small entertainer jobs to make a living, but also sharing the marvels of Golarion to others.

Nalanthar's purpose for coming to the Stolen Lands was mostly to record the doings of the soon-to-be-ruler of the Stolen Lands. However, things get quickly complicated when shit goes down in the prologue that we'll talk about later.

-

Next, we have Suni. Suni is a Tiefling who grew up poor in the country Absalom, Pathfinder's equivalence of Waterdeep. Despite her low status in society, she had a brilliant mind, but could not afford to elevate her education. Her mother and father were caring towards her, thanks to her mother being a Tiefling herself. Typically, a Tiefling coupling with another individual, even if it's another Tiefling, wouldn't immediately produce another Tiefling. But Suni was a surprising exception.

Suni grew up to a pretty standard life and decided to join a rag tag of adventurers to explore new horizons outside of Absalom. This got her in contact with a Wizard who was willing to teach her their trade. But Suni learned rather quickly that while she had a academic mind, the complexities of magic was a whole different animal. Didn't help either that a year into adventuring with her previous party, the Wizard got put in a hashtag. Suni took this untimely death to her advantage to snag their book, but she was now left with no tutor to further help her.

Suni for a long time could not conjure anything greater than just a cantrip and she was nearly close to just calling it quits. But she was then approached by a creature of unfathomable beauty and boundless nature, a Nymph who called themselves Nyrissa. Even though Suni was no where close to her territory, The Nymph made limited contact with her asking for help. Suni agreed to help, but could not get an answer to where Nyrissa was.

Their conversation was short, but Nyrissa provided Suni with a boon. She would grant her power and the ability to use arcane magic if she were to help her. Suni, allured by the ability to finally do more with her magic prowess than just conjuring ice from her fingertips, she took the bait. But there was still the problem of not knowing where the Nymph was.

Suni wouldn't be completely blind as Nyrissa sent little breadcrumbs to Suni such as strange Fey creatures and weird dreams. This would eventually lead to Suni learning that she needs to reach the Stolen Lands. Lo and behold, there will be an expedition going to the Stolen Lands. Like Nalanthar, Suni joined in hopes of helping the Nymph and had no interest in becoming a baroness...Also she lied on her resume to get in thanks to her being specialized in enchantment magic. However, once again, things are about to get complicated.

-

Finally, we have Veldris Vomod. Unlike the previous two, Veldris is actually a noble individual. Not personality wise, oh no, he's an asshole. Status wise? Absolutely. Unlike Suni, who was raised by loving parents, Veldris had none of that. Veldris had two Human parents and suddenly getting a demon baby was definitely jarring.

Veldris, despite being spared from infanticide, didn't get to fully embrace the noble life. His noble family wanted to keep his birth within a tight jar and throw him in the deepest shadows of their chambers. The only people in his life that gave a mild damn about him was the servants, even though they did the barest minimum of just sending food and basic needs to him.

Growing up, Veldris learned quickly that he was owed the life that was out of reach from him. He refused to be a footnote in history as the "mistake" in his family's life. So he learned quick to lie, cheat, and steal his way through life to become #1. He was willing to fuck over his own family, if it meant he would come up on top.

And Veldris's chances at something greater when he caught word of the need for venturers to the Stolen Lands to claim the land as baron or baroness. To Veldris, this was his opportunity to regain his glory and his rightful place as a man of power.

-

Now, let's quickly go over what happened at the prologue. So, the 3 characters meet at the hall with various other would-be barons/baronesses who are eager to know why they were summoned. This is where we see a lot of the starting companions such as Linzi, Jaethal, Harrim, Valerie, Amiri, and Kalikke.

Jamandi Aldori explains that the Stolen Lands has been disputed territory for the longest time now and from the sounds of it, they are hoping to appoint someone as a new royalty to the land. The why hasn't been explain, but the country of Restov is willing back up the new baron/baroness if they were to reclaim the lands. The only problem is that there is a huge nest of bandits that are led by someone by the name of the Stag Lord.

We are tasked to get rid of the Stag Lord and reclaim the land for ourselves. While here, Linzi approached our heroes asking if we would be the protagonist of a book she was making. While Nalanthar and Suni were kind about her request, Veldris was not impressed.

Soon, as the trio were going to bed, they were suddenly awaken by Linzi who expressed that some assassins entered the mansion and started murdering all of the contestants and burning the place. We fought our way through the mansion while also recruiting our new and potential companions.

Now, there's someone we gotta talk about, Tartuccio, a Gnome who talked a lot of shit about becoming the next baron of the Stolen Lands. He and Linzi were the first to be recruited and he presented each of the heroes with a ring that provides a much needed bonus if you're a squishy mf like a Bard, Wizard, or even a Rogue. However, when we succeed at saving Jamandi Aldori, he will do a quick switch & reverse on us as they try to pin the reason for the assassination on the mansion on us.

Regardless of what checks you make, you're essentially forced into two groups, your own team and team Tartuccio. However, what I like about this game is that your choices determine what companion you get during the Prologue. Nalanthar & Veldris got Harrim, Jaethal, and Amiri, which you get Amiri regardless because she's one of Pathfinder's Iconic characters to represent the Barbarian class. As for Suni, because she's my Good Playthrough, she got Linzi, Valerie, and Amiri.

To end this, we'll talk about Oleg's Trading Post and the introduction of Nyrissa. So, when the trio approaches the Trading Post, they happen upon some henchmen of the Stag Lord that are trying to hassle Oleg into paying "his due." Now, Nalanthar and Suni did the good guy route and fought the bandits and allowed Oleg to keep his change. Veldris, however, took his coinage for himself, and still fought off the bandits.

As for Nyrissa, this is mostly going to be Suni focused, but she was honestly happy to finally meet in person the being who gave her the ability to use magic. Suni happily accepted to help Nyrissa and to defeat the Stag Lord. Veldris, however, only agreed since the Stag Lord is in his way of become a baron. Nalanthar just hopes to get in Nyrissa's pants, honestly.

Hi hello i would love to hear your hornet nest takes on P03 if you dont mind.... 👀

Three people want to watch me get stung by wasps. Alright, sure.

Disclaimer: I don't actually know just how "unpopular" these are but I know that at least some of it isn't very common opinion.

For starters: P03 is an asshole.

Obviously, this is not an uncommon opinion in the slightest, but it does preface the rest of what I'm about to say here.

My problem doesn't come with P03 in particular. There will always be people who interpret a villain as more of an anti-hero type character and honestly? That doesn't bother me. It can give the character more nuance and also gives a bit more solid ground to some of their actions. Interpreting P03 as morally grey/an "ends justify the means" type of character doesn't bother me in the slightest; I'd actually agree with a lot of it. To me, all four scrybes are sort of a "lawful evil" type of deal (with "law" being concerned with holding themselves to a specific code and "evil" being "putting their own desires above the needs of others even when knowing doing so will cause harm"), but if someone were to interpret them as more neutral entities, that makes sense in the context of the game too, y'know?

What irks me is when people will use this to excuse/dampen P03's actions and then... not apply that to other characters in the same work.

Magnificus is an excellent case-in point here.

Obviously I'm not going to excuse his actions. He tortured a bunch of college students to turn them into playing cards. That's fucked up. Doesn't matter how cool the abilities they end up with are; the means of that do not justify the end result.

But... P03 does the same damn thing. And I mean, almost identically the same thing. During the challenger's time at the Temple of Technology in act 2, you have to kill two of his three worker bots in order to proceed, after which they're inscrybed and used in his boss fight. "But they chose to do that" it actively tells you right at the beginning that they are to throw themselves on the line if they can't amp up the upkeep which—as they're not in charge of making specific bots come off the assembly line/making up new cards entirely; only P03, as the Scrybe, can do that—is therefore a necessity.

The worker bots are unwaveringly loyal to their Scrybe, yes, but... so are the wizard pupils. And the Woodsmen. And the Ghouls. The Ghouls never had to deal with Grimora doing fucked up shit (at least, not that we know of) but the Woodsmen certainly did! The Woodcarver says it herself:

He was controlling them, not the other way around. Not to inscrybe them, but still very much using the masks to hijack their personalities and put them in the game. But no one seems to really touch upon that.

The concept of inscryption is a whole different topic too but I'll keep it short: it's not a super black-and-white thing like how we see it (i.e. "Why the fuck would you want to be a card; that sounds miserable"). To the denizens of Inscryption, it's a pretty damn high honor to be a part of the game that governs everything around them. Even Lonely Wizard, who is the only underling to defect from their scrybe, doesn't seem to particularly mind the fact that they're inscrybed (and are willing to stay in such a state as long as they're in anyone else's deck), the part that they're (rightfully) pissed about is the fact that they went through years of sensory deprivation only to be inscrybed by someone completely different whose method was so much less painful comparatively. Full body scan with your entire body being rearranged into something inorganic has got to be painful, but not as drawn-out as being stuck in the dark for years.

The only reasons why the Scrybes are so miserable about their fates is:

They're not even in their proper bodies, they got changed into low-level beast cards.

They're used to being on the other side of the table; they're supposed to be the ones running the story and they don't like being strung along.

But I've gotten off track.

My point is, I like P03. I like people's interpretations of it as more neutral than outright evil. I'd prefer if people didn't completely ignore the shit it pulls in canon (not a big fan of some of the borderline woobification I've seen but, again, that's pretty unavoidable in fanbases and ultimately people can do whatever they want; have fun guys. Plus it tends to be pretty few and far in-between).

I like it when the Scrybes are all portrayed as straight up villains as well. Woodcarver says that too: the scrybes don't seem to care for human life as a whole (with maybe Grimora as an exception). Maybe an individual person, yes, but not the whole of it, especially if it puts their world in jeopardy. They'd all much rather prefer to keep existing for the most part and only really see Challengers as entertainment. When people lean into that, that's completely fine too!

But villainizing one villain in a group of villains disproportionately just... isn't the way to go about it. I just really don't see the point in doing that when you could just as easily have four different brands of morally-grey people that clash in a variety of different ways and that's so much more interesting to me than giving one/a couple of them the opportunity for "redemption" then just tossing the rest into the super mega hell pit for Also doing fucked up shit. I'd much rather see Four Different breeds of Mega Asshole than one who is actually secretly an angel and the rest are completely irredeemable, y'know? And maybe P03 WAS nice at one point, but given what we see in canon? Not anymore.

.

TL;DR I don't like it when people excuse the actions of one scrybe then piss on the others when they've done similarly bad shit. P03 is just my example here because I've seen quite a bit of content where people depict it as secretly nice/G0lly-like whereas the others have no redeeming qualities.

.

Also unrelated to the rest of this ramble but while I'm already getting stung by hornets I may as well add that I don't really like the Uberbots. A lot of people make full-blown AUs where they're all separate entities and vasty different personalities and all and—as fun as that is (genuinely I love reading other people's stuff about them)—it's just really not my thing. They are just P03's cringe ass ocs to me; with maybe the exception being G0lly. Though seeing her as an old self-insert is equally funny.

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/women-in-burkinis-on-the-beach/

Women In Burkinis On the Beach

Browsing the internet, I discovered a story concerning identical twins. They were separated when one of them was lost in a market and never returned to her South Korean family.  Instead, an American couple adopted her and brought her to the United States.  Years later, when she was reunited with her sister, doctors discovered the girls had similar personalities, but the one who’d remained in Seoul tested 16 points higher on her I. Q. test. Experts supposed their environments made the difference. The Korean girl lived in a harmonious, loving home. The American girl suffered 3 concussions while in the care of rancorous parents whose marriage ended in divorce.  Because the story is anecdotal, there’s no science to support any conclusion, but the difference in intelligence between the two young women posed a question. We know climate influences behavior.  Could it be the same with exposure to violence? A google search turned up little information, but it did reveal another set of facts. Studies in the United States and throughout the western world indicate the human species is getting dumber. Not everyone agrees.  Some argue the tests are dated which leads to errors. Nonetheless, the numbers reflect a steady decline since 1970 and have continued to fall with each generation. In the 1950s, the average I. Q. score was 91.64.  Today it is 89.20.  Projections for 2050 put the average at 86.32. Violence has dogged humanity since the species crawled out of the mud, so a link between it and a decline in intelligence might seem negligible.  On the other hand, impending doom on a grand scale has never loomed as large as it does today.  Vladimir Putin, for example, raises the specter of nuclear war as casually as if he were threatening civilization with a catapult.  The prospect of a radiated earth raises our mutual anxieties. Even a goatherd in the Andes knows of the danger thanks to his smartphone.    As a survival mechanism, fear is good. When we turn it against each other, it presents a palpable threat. Variations in I. Q. can exacerbate fear because they lead people to see the world differently. In turn, that difference makes them vulnerable to dissimilar forms of prejudice.  While not ironclad, people at the higher end of the spectrum tend to need fewer boundaries to feel safe. As a result, they register contempt for people who are conservative or conventional.  Conversely, those with a lower I. Q. are uncomfortable with non-conventional folks. Simply put, people dislike those who are different from themselves.  A view they all hold in common, however, is a prejudice against the historically powerless. They also share a prejudice against leaders who are too smart.   …groups with smarter leaders perform better in objective measures [but] some studies have hinted that followers might subjectively view leaders with stratospheric intellect as less effective. A principal reason may be the public’s inability to relate to them, or the solutions the leaders pose are too complex to follow. Culture frames who we are to a large degree but intelligence plays its part. We can modify culture but how do we modify a characteristic baked into our brains? Is there a way to escape the intellectual barrier and find common ground?  Or is it easier to continue to war with one another in a primitive game of might makes right? A working democracy could be the solution. In that setting, we are required to exercise tolerance toward one another.  We must be willing to listen, negotiate and exhibit a willingness to lose. As we fear what is foreign to us, the last effort takes courage. We need a reason to trust. Fortunately, nature provides us with a reason. There are 8.7 million plant and animal species on this planet. The system thrives on variation. At the human level, we do well to embrace the example. Surely, there is room in this world for a Muslim woman in France to wear a burkini on the beach.

so this man administered Narcan to someone overdosing on the way to the movies. when the EMS arrived, he let them know, both the number of doses and how long ago so they could take over care. as the EMS walked away, he said under his breath, “people shouldn’t have that shit.”

if this man had Epi-Pen’d some white dude in a polo having anaphylaxis, he’d be on the evening news (not the goal, just a point); but because it’s a drug user experiencing fentanyl poisoning, it’s “i wish you wouldn’t have bothered.”

that is someone’s kid, friend, [possibly] sibling, cousin, uncle, [possibly] spouse, etc. hell! it could’ve been this person’s first time as an impulse choice. it may not have even been what this person thought it was. it may have been laced. what if it was someone you cared about? what if it was you?

i recognize that a majority of this country thinks drug users should die, that they’re lazy and good for nothing, just taking up space/money/air only to play with their lives daily. “they choose to use/they continue using despite knowing the consequences and how it effects them and others (they don’t care about anything other than getting their fix)/they steal/they act out/they do it to themselves/why are my taxes paying for free food for those who spend theirs on drugs/why are my taxes paying for healthcare for those who put themselves at risk/etc.”

i acknowledge that family members/friends/significant others/healthcare workers experience burnout, fatigue, and overall, quite a wide range of emotions from being effected by someone close to them in this position. y’all’s thoughts and emotions are validated. many users are aware as well, just as confused, just as frustrated, just as scared, just as tired.

[substance] abuse and addiction is quite heavily misunderstood; it is complex. it is not just “one thing,” it is multiple things coexisting at once; there is not one answer. addiction is never purely psychological; all addictions have a biological dimensional purpose: to create an altered physiological state in the brain. it is “a complex interaction between human beings and their environment(s).” it is a chronic neurobiological disease. in more simple terms, the function of the brain is impaired resulting in reduced and abnormal brain activity (electrical brain-wave patterns are measured to gauge energy levels used during different emotional states and various responses to activity). when there is an abnormal number (less than) of receptors presenting activity, the brain is more willing to “welcome” external help <substances> that would help “normalize” or balance it; bring the body/brain back to homeostasis. typically, addicts are already set in stone; in other words, there are predispositions induced by genetics AND (typically early) life experiences; the addict brain is already susceptible.

**the receptor im referring to is dopamine.

drugs, themselves, do not cause addiction. it is the feeling for the [developed] craving that will eventually result in compulsive seeking, that is addicting. there is already a preexisting vulnerability with significant ongoing stress.

divine energy is the immortal essence of existence that lives within us, through us, and beyond us. when there is a disconnect, spiritual deprivation occurrs, which allows addiction to settle itself in. this can be influenced by social/political/economical status. this can also be influenced by personal events, family history, genetics, and physiological condition. at this point, there exists a spiritual void, an empty hole. that hole, sense of deficiency, is loss of essence. we develop behavior patterns and coping mechanisms to cover and “fill” this emptiness. anybody is just one bad day away from addiction in their life. those whom are dismissed as “junkies” are not creatures from a different world, remember that.

it’s painful to see and feel how heartless and cruel people are to those in the grips of addiction. people who use drugs deserve love, life, to flourish, friendship, medical care, support and grace as much as anyone else. if you agree, PLEASE SPEAK UP!!

save a life. harm reduction!!!

Thinking of the time when I was little like 5 when my grandma made this vanilla cake or something and I eat it, and it tastes like fucking bananas but I finish the slice to be polite

Then later she gives me another slice and part way though I'm just like "I'm sorry, I can't finish this cause it just tastes like banana to me for some reason"

Turns out the reason was because she'd made a banana cake to show that I actually liked it and was just being picky

My mom's parents had a way of owning themselves by beefing with a literal child, cause as an adult I can think of few things funnier than trying to trick a kid into eating something only for them to naively have no clue why it taste like the thing they hate, but it does and they hate it; so they'll have to pass

Like... how do you keep acting like that your whole life even after that? How do you not feel so dumb you vow never to try and force something on someone again?

Cause they did that shit all the time, my grandpa was obsessed with these readers, I think he had this fantasy of being a country school teacher back in the good old days (like he was a professor, but that wasn't Leave it to Beaver)

Well it was fucking boring, and I took a look at the college reader and was like... how about I read this? (I was like 8 or something)

No, I had to read them in order... so I said ok I quit, and he's like "uh no... you can't... this is really really important to your mom that you keep doing this"

So I ask my mom later why the fuck she cares about me reading the readers, and she's like "I don't, I never said that", so he instantly gets caught in his lie and I never read another lesson, all because he wouldn't let me read out of the more advanced stuff

Once again, as an adult I'm like... if I had a kid wanting to read way about their level I'd be like fuck yeah, I'm winning here

I'd be like "ok, lets let you give it a try, and if you have any questions ask and if you just find you don't enjoy it you can put it down", and if I wanted them to keep reading the other shit I'd just say "you know, being able to read aloud is a good skill, so if you don't mind I'd like you to keep going with the old stuff less to practice reading and more to practice public speaking and being able to read something aloud in a natural sounding way"

But no, he muled up and then lost which is something they both did a lot (mostly him, but only cause he actually liked me or at least the idea of me, where as my grandma never has liked me and never wanted anything to do with me so he had more chances to make a fool of himself)

Like not letting me take breaks with Tae Kwon Do, and so I just quit

Or me not liking the scout troop he had selected but liking one that was like half an hour closer to where he lived... but he didn't like them as much as the wacky assholes, so I had to keep going there... so I quite

Or the way he'd make headcheese sandwiches and they sucked so I just wouldn't eat when he'd make them, but then when I found out they were made with cow brains or whatever I said yeah pass, and he decided I was just grossed out when... no, it just sucks

Like I gotta tell you, trying to force kids to do stuff and not being willing to accommodate them just makes you look like an oaf. It makes you look like a sunday cartoon villain that keeps getting clowned on by a kid

Sure, maybe he could have enforced shit better if my parents had gone along with it and not given me autonomy, my grandma's literally complained to my mom that I wouldn't be so worthless if they'd been able to raise me, but no... they just would have fucked me up even more than they already did, and I would have been miserable and fucked off at some point

You see it in the people who do get treated like that and have no choice but to obey, you don't get perfect little dolls that do exactly what their parents always hoped for, you get very broken people

A weird reflection on a conversation with a Pro-Capitalist

In the not-so-distant past I had a mutual acquaintance who was very pro-capitalism. I will call him Carl. He had a degree in something finance related, I don’t entirely remember the specifics, but I remember he said things a lot of the time that seemed very apathetic and nonsensical. So, to continue my newfound habit of utilizing this blog as a hybrid between a journal and gateway for conversation; I want to navigate some of the thoughts and realizations I had from this individual. 

Here is some further relevant context between the two of us as individuals; I am an educator at a childcare center that is a part of a primary schools out of school hours care program. I earn a pretty decent amount but that is weighed down by the low hours I have. My fiancé who works at a retail store for less, but has higher hours earns roughly the same amount in her paychecks as I do. Carl had studied economics at a college and had a well-paying office job and putting in years of dedication toward his career, however, was well known for struggling with work life balance and maintaining social connections. 

We had a lot of arguments about the nature of capitalism and how it either served for the employee or exploited them. The main point of his argument was that capitalism is extremely misunderstood, and required a lot of education to understand but once you acquire that education you would know it is in the best interest of all involved. Now in most circumstances I’d agree that education is one of the most important tools for someone to have. And that it is important to take into account the wisdom of those who are educated. However, the problem here is that if the only way to properly understand how the system that will affect every aspect of your life is through university level education, the system might simply be too complicated. 

I’m of course no expert in the matter, but I don’t think it's that unreasonable to believe you want most people who’re a part of a system to understand said system. And I think it’s a little naive (which, don’t get me wrong is not a negative thing to be. Rather tragic) to have not realized how easy it is for a system to be exploited when the majority of the population are not experts educated enough to understand they’re being exploited. 

This segues into my next point, I think human nature plays a bigger part in any system, not just Capitalism, then Carl really understood. It goes without saying there is a chunk of the population in our world that is willing to exploit others for their own personal gain. It also goes without saying that no system is ironclad, and all will have loopholes. Unfortunately, those willing to exploit those loopholes are going to find themselves at an advantage over the honest people who don’t do that. The more they are able to exploit the greater that imbalance becomes until it becomes impossible to ever reach their heights through genuine means. This is closer to the reality we see today, where movements are popping up as people realize there is no such thing as a good billionaire, because they have reached heights unattainable through honest means. 

It does concern me a little, what people are being taught in financial courses to have such rose-tinted glasses. Maybe it's solely the theory of how the system is supposed to work without any of the reality, and none of the exploitation. I hope one day he realizes the problems people like myself face as workers, rather than continuing to believe that those who financially struggle in their day to day lives are at fault.