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celaenaeiln · 5 months

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Was Dick ever mean to Jason when they first met? Because I’ve seen a lot of fanon where it’s implied/shown that he was, but I haven’t seen anything to prove that it’s canon (and I’m happy you’re back even though you weren’t gone long I love your blog)

Aww thank you!!

Ugh I don't know where fanon keeps getting the idea but Dick was never mean to Jason as Robin.

Let's start with the erased version, otherwise known as pre-crisis.

Jason Todd was born to acrobatic parents and also performed in the circus. Here's the interesting bit: it wasn't Bruce who found out about them, it was Dick who was at the circus and cheered them.

Batman (1940) Issue #357

Where was Bruce? He was busy becoming squid food in Gotham.

Anyway Bruce escapes and meets up with Dick who is still Robin and helps him solve part of the crime. As he's discussing the case with Dick, Dick mentions that there may be a connection to Bruce's case and something Trina Todd said.

Yup! Dick becomes friends with Jason's mom <3

Batman (1940) Issue #358

Bruce doesn't trust her but Dick does and Bruce trusts Dick so he accepts.

So Dick goes to meet Trina and her husband but they've already left to sneak into the villain's lair and get caught by Killer Croc. So he chases after them. Barbara joins in as Batgirl but Batgirl and Robin are too late because Killer Croc has already fed Joe and Trina to crocodiles.

Batman's still fighting his own case while all this is happening.

Waldo the Clown takes Jason to the manor and while Jason's in the kitchen looking for food, he finds the door behind the grandfather clock open, goes inside, and finds the batcave.

He finds a trunk of Dick's old suits as Robin and that's where the iconic pre-crisis Jason Robin scene comes -

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Which first of all Jason why are you wearing other people's clothes without their permission? But anyway Jason hears people coming and finds Batman's busy grabbing information with Selina and so he hides in the trunk of the Batmobile. Robin Dick and Batgirl solve the case on their end and find out there's a trap for Batman so they come in and save Batman and his allies. Jason sneaks out of the car and finds his parents are dead so he tries to kill Killer Croc but Dick and Barbara stop him.

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Dick's just like "oh, you sweetheart."

Dick wants to adopt him but Bruce is like mine because they're both like "It's my fault his parents died, I should take responsibility."

Detective Comics (1937) Issue #526

Dick was really nice to Jason.

Batman (1940) Issue #529

Dick is Jason's idol. He and Dick have a great relationship, so much so that Dick actually passes on the Robin name and suit to Jason.

Batman (1940) Issue #529

I could make a meme out of the handshake scene with Bruce being one hand and Jason being the other and in the middle the hands meet is "idolizing Dick Grayson".

So Dick and Jason had a fantastic relationship.

And then some things happen where this Jason wasn't well-recieved by the audience because of the way writers handled the transition from Dick's robin to Jason's so DC realized that they need to make Jason into his own person with his own personality, looks, and story.

So they magic marker erased the previous timeline and now we have the actual Jason Todd that's actually relevant to every comic that comes after.

Yet in this current timeline too, Dick treated Jason sweetly.

Here Dick's first meeting with Jason, he actually saves Jason from the hands of drug dealers.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He let go of his hiding spot to get the new Robin out of trouble.

Jason is not at all happy about this.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And Dick's pissed off because he found out there's a new Robin through a newspaper and he just lost a drug deal he's been waiting on to bailout the new Robin.

So Dick storms off and Jason asks Bruce about Nightwing

Batman (1940) Issue #416

And I'm going to reiterate parts of this post for this part (people please please read this post because tumblr has an image limit and I've explained it in detail there but I can't here)

Dick had no idea Bruce passed on the Robin costume. He finds out through the newspaper because Bruce is pissed at Dick. Like he's so mad that when he told Dick to leave, Dick actually left.

You know how there's a saying about not being able to take back words of anger? Bruce is feeling that heavily. He already had suspicions that Dick wanted to leave but before Dick could tell him, he fired him so he wouldn't have to hear those words. But Bruce is super mad that Dick left anyway. So what does he do? He makes the first boy he sees Robin.

And Jason finds out Dick was Robin when he confronts Bruce why Nightwing knows Bruce's identity. And that gets Bruce more mad because he's now feeling guilty which is when Dick comes to confront Bruce.

After meeting Bruce, Dick talks about what he's been up to since he left and put Bruce in a good mood before he starts tearing into him.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Bruce looks so wrecked. The guilt and sorrow is tantamount to his pain.

Then Dick asks Bruce why he choose someone new.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

So Bruce tells him. But Dick and Bruce's relationship go way deeper than just friends or family. They know each other. They revolve around each other so Dick calls him out, and out comes the truth

Batman (1940) Issue #416

But here's what it means in terms of Dick and Jason's relationship:

Instead of letting Jason become some sort of spite move, Dick becomes the bigger man and decides to turn Robin into a legacy.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

He passes it down like it was meant to be passed down. Because let's be honest here. The Robin name and costume is Dick's. If he wanted to, he could've taken it back, Bruce be damned. And that was one of Jason's fears.

It's Dick's approval of Jason and them catching the drug dealers together at the end that cements Jason as Robin. It's his acceptance and good will toward Jason that Bruce is grateful for.

Batman (1940) Issue #416

Dick also validates and praises Jason in the comics whenever they meet.

The New Teen Titans (1984) Issue #31

He's basically, "Don't worry about Bruce, if you get in trouble, I'll take care of it."

The only problem is they didn't meet a lot but when they did it was good times all around.

The third version of Dick and Jason's meeting.

In this version holy honking heck. First of all it's a flashback when Bruce fires Dick because he feels like he's too busy with other duties to be with Batman and then after a series of events in present time, it shows that Bruce literally kidnapped Jason and gagged and tied him to a chair. And Alfred's like WTH BRUCE?!

Even more things happen on both sides (curse you 30-image per post tumblr limit) and Bruce essentially makes Jason watch all the videos of Dick and sets Jason's gauntlet test to be a game of tag with Dick.

Dick is completely unaware of all this happening because he's just having fun busting up thugs and playing with Barbara, having no clue that Bruce and Jason are literally watching him livestream through his bike dash cam.

Nightwing (1996) Issue #105

Jason literally shows up while Dick's pondering on a rooftop and is like who're you? Oh wait you're him lol. Move over there's a new robin in town! And Dick's just like WHAT?! He such a little shit about it.

Dick's immediately like okay I'm upset at Bruce but I have to help this new kid out. There's no hesitation, no regret, no anger towards Jason at all. Just pure desire to see him succeed.

Not gonna lie, Jason's just awful towards Dick because he thinks that Dick is his test or something Dick's just like, "can you cool it for a sec?" They soon find out about a huge crime drug activity going on and Dick sorta mentors Jason through it while on the case. I'm not gonna include the panels but it's just Dick and Jason working together. It's fun to read and cute because Dick's protective of him and Jason's like a little bird following a bigger scarier one.

At the end the crime is solved, Jason and Alfred go home, and Dick calls Bruce to tell him this -

Nightwing (1996) Issue #106

He was so, so nice to Jason. Actually it's impossible for anyone to treat Jason better than Dick treated him, not even Bruce was this nice to Jason.

In Nightwing (2016) Annual, there's another story of Dick and Jason's meeting. In this case Dick comes over after Alfred calls him and Jason's sulking in his room because Bruce grounded him. He pulls Jason away and they go on a Nightwing and Robin adventure where Dick talks to him, teaches him, and lifts his spirits.

Nightwing (2016) 2021 Annual

Dick being mean to Jason is pure fanon, it's so fanon that there isn't even a single comic panel that can be used in support of that horrible idea. He never ignored Jason. Dick makes it very, very clear that his problems are with Bruce won't interfere with his relationship with Jason. He treats Jason as an independent person with his own personality and genuinely looks after and cares for him in every retelling. The only thing is they didn't meet very often but when they did, Dick was such a good brother.

#dick grayson #nightwing #jason todd #red hood #robin jason todd #bruce wayne #batman #cl anon asks #cl asks #thanks for the ask!

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genericpuff · 6 months

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zoo wee mama, the new Hbomberguy video is a RIDE and it's absolutely relevant to everything going on in webcomics. let's talk about it.

youtube

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about this video going around already (it's gotten 2+ million views in just a little over 24 hours) but if you haven't, I highly recommend you set aside time to watch it yourself, I was surprised to see how much he had dug up especially regarding Youtubers that I never suspected were plagiarizing. He also says some very on-point stuff about how we view content creators and plagiarizing in this "do it yourself" industry that really resonated with me because it's stuff I've been saying for years in the webcomic sphere.

I won't spoil the video much because I think it's best experienced watching it for yourself (especially because he's putting all the money he earns off this video towards compensating the people who had their work plagiarized by one Youtuber in particular who's especially guilty... I'm not even gonna mince words, it's James Somerton) but this passage in particular just felt so validating to hear from someone who clearly holds themselves to the standards that more Youtubers - and creators in general - should be holding themselves to:

"I think a lot of people are inclined to protect creators they like on the grounds that plagiarism is a very academic-sounding problem, like something that happens in research papers or journalism, not something that you can do in a silly video made for entertainment purposes. Why are we holding Youtubers to standards? That would be like expecting accurate history from someone whose name has 'historian' in it! Because Youtubers often project a sense of being scrappy, do-it-yourself amateurs, it feels almost wrong to expect them to be professional... but a lot of them are professionals, regardless how authentic their persona may be. Youtubers are now among the most recognizable faces on the planet, and have become immensely wealthy doing this. Some are so influential we literally call them influencers. Maybe it's a good idea to have some standards for not stealing. Maybe." - Hbomberguy, "Plagiarism and You(tube)" timestamp: 3:35:32

Obviously this has nothing to directly do with webcomics but I do think it's something that reflects very similar behavior within the webcomic community that's, frankly, worth discussing. Many people justifiably want to make a living off their work, want webcomics as a whole to be taken more seriously in the mainstream next to traditional publishing, and for webcomic creators to be taken more seriously as professionals.

But at the same time, I still see a lot of infantilizing of the people in this industry, done by both their fans and the people within it, the idea that being a professional (noun) isn't mutually inclusive of being professional (adjective). It's how we've gotten creators in the past like Snailords, mongie, and yes, Rachel Smythe, who are often shielded by their fanbase on the basis of, "they're just indie comic creators doing what they love, leave them alone!" when they're very much not that, at least not anymore. At least two of those three creators have TV deals (though whether or not they'll make it to the screen is debatable), and all three of them have or have had Webtoons seemingly wrapped around their finger more so than any other creator (though mongie has argued she left Webtoons over unfair treatment, it really doesn't seem like that to the people who know how much mongie was intentionally pushing the rules of what she was allowed to post on the platform, particularly with her Sam x Charles smut).

They are not 'indie creators' anymore and they are not exempt from criticism just because their younger fanbase mistakenly assumes them to be the same age as them. Rachel, mongie, and Snailords are all in their mid-to-late 30's. They all have merchandising deals and either have TV deals or want to have TV deals. They've all been given priority advertising by Webtoons even at the cost of undercutting all the other creators and series on the platform that need it more. They are not "scrappy" creators, they're contractual professionals now and they all do not act like it. Whether it's reacting poorly to criticism or using their characters as a mouthpiece for their own egos or even just using their comics as a poorly disguised fetish, they're all contractual professionals who do not act professional. And they're not the only webcomic creators who do this.

And again, I've talked about this before on here and in the discussions on reddit concerning LO and other webtoons, so it's incredibly validating and refreshing to see Hbomberguy put those feelings into words (albeit about Youtubers, but let's be real, Webtoons is definitely trying to be the "Youtube of webcomics", as is Tapas and other competing webtoon platforms) because that sentiment rings true for a lot of the webtoon creators who have practically failed upwards and only forgo their advertised "professional status" when they're under fire for their actions and writing. Rachel is an "award winning creator" and "self-proclaimed folklorist" until her comic is criticized for its blatant misrepresentation and disrespect towards an entire culture, then all of a sudden "it's just fanfiction". Mongie is the creator of the bestselling series Let's Play until she's called out for racist depictions of Asians and Hispanic people in her work, then all of a sudden she's "just trying to make a fun comic" that's not meant to be taken that seriously. And of course, their audience of teens and young adults who don't know any better keep forgiving them and vehemently defending them because they wrongfully assume that these creators are scrappy teens just like themselves who just started making webcomics for fun and then achieved fame and glory overnight (which they're not!)

We should be having bigger discussions about what awaits the webcomic and "content creator" industry as a whole in the future and what standards we should be holding creators and their work to. We can't possibly expect these mediums to be taken seriously as a professional industry if we don't set better expectations for the quality of the work that's being created and the creators who are building these platforms for themselves.

"In current discourse, Youtubers simultaneously present as the forefront of a new medium, creative voices that need to be taken seriously as part of the 'next generation of media'... and also 'uwu smol beans little babies who shouldn't be taken seriously when they rip someone off and make tens of thousands of dollars doing it." - Hbomberguy, "Plagiarism and You(tube)" timestamp: 3:36:18

#hbomberguy #webtoon critical #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical #let's play critical #Youtube

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anthroposeen · 2 months

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tmagp 12 relisten notes

Celia:

- requests tea, not coffee, the OIAR custom. points to her being from the TMA universe + bonus thing! there was no tea in the OIAR and sam lended her some. potentially a demonstration of their relationship dynamic lore-wise (celia representing other-wordly things and sam's insistence on interacting w them. this is definitely a reach, though, since im very much a 'the curtains are never just blue' person)

- she agrees to go out with sam but needs to "sort some things out" maybe related to jack, georgie, or her individual research

Sam:

- he asked her out! oh my god (alice's father)!

- is trying to distance himself from the magnus institute (TMI) but is still unable to break his curiosity about it

Alice:

- watched sam ask out celia (we can assume it was with the manner of a deer in the headlights)

- "its rude to have no game" i love you maam

- no glitch after she says "i cant believe im missing out on all of this- devastating" but could be because it comes off as more sarcastic than a blunt lie

- "we dont always get what we want, do we?" potentially a hint at her feeling about sam

- "i go by alice, now, actually" important only because i adore you miss dyer

- seems to genuinely care about gwen, lending to the idea that shes protecting her coworkers

- "i dont wonder. i know" no glitch followed this statement. it could be because it was meant as a joke and not to deceive gwen, but who is to say

Gwen:

- she's trying to discuss the morality of their roles and seems to be unhappy to participate in mascot strip club murder

- "you dont wonder what the point is? who benefits from all this awfulness?"

Glitches/lies:

- "dont worry about it, it wasnt that bad" alice, referencing TMI

- "no." sam, lying about not being interested in information about TMI

Incident:

- this is the result of gwen giving mr bonzo the hit, and it seems to have been read at her computer (once again implying theres a consciousness within FR3D1 or jmj)

- incident made by jordan bennett -> maybe related to this universe's bennett family (connection to barnabas bennett) but i doubt its lore relevant

- no obvious alchemic ties in this incident

- this case is narrated by norris/martin, but goes against the regular theme of his incidents (lonliness, loss of a loved one)

- the robotic sound of the narration seems to be diminishing, with very little of the beginning and end of the incidents being read in a monotone and robotic voice

- i want to voice my deepest appreciation for the title being "getting off", along with mr bonzo initiating a hit for the uk government in a strip club. incredible. absolute cinema from the minds of AJN and johhny sims truly

The target:

- before this episode, my theory was that klaus, colin, and teddy were the most likely to be the hit

- based on this list, if the target is the groom, it makes the most sense for it to be klaus, since there has been no mention of colin or teddy being engaged, and thats a clue i dont think the writers would leave out. however, the groom is called "baz" by his friends, which is a nickname i dont recognize (but its potentially on the rpg somewhere?)

- im not very convinced that klaus was the groom in this incident. i think the hit may have been obvious to lena, but gwen has yet to connect all the dots, leaving the audience a bit in the dark as well

#tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp 12 #tmagp theory #tmagp spoilers #alice dyer #mr bonzo #sam khalid #celia ripley #gwen bouchard

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magellanicclouds · 25 days

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Halo - An Essay: regarding waste management systems and devices for MJOLNIR armoured Spartans It has been a hectic sort of few weeks. Between work and getting sick again (for the fourth time already this year thanks to my crewmates who can't remember it's their duty to stay home when they're ill) I've been on the outs. I haven't had the energy for much, but I'm usually a pretty active person, so this has kind of made me loopy? Which feels like as good a time as any to talk at length about the concept of catheterizing Spartans for waste management in MJOLNIR.

Let me explain.

This Silly Post crossed my dash recently and I fully understand it is meant as lighthearted fun - we have fun here. But it also dragged out some strong thoughts I've had haunting in the back of my mind about this for years because I'm super normal about Halo, and have time on my hands and the right amount of sleep deprivation and medication on board. So I wrote 3500 words about it. And about Karen Traviss, who is pretty knotted up in this conversation, since she's the one who decided to start it back in 2011.

To preface, I'm not an expert, but I have worked in emergency medicine for 25 years, and been a fan of Halo for almost as long. I've had more of a lukewarm relationship with it the last decade or so if I'm being honest, but it will always have a home in my heart; I just think letting it under my skin like that in the first place may have made me feral and prone to biting. Thankfully, I can always happily rotate Fred in my mind until the heat-death of the universe, so that's nice. Anyway, full disclosure: the essay below contains discussion about medical devices, physical trauma, and I am sharing quite a lot of personal negativity about the Kilo-5 trilogy and Karen Traviss. That said, if you'd like to sit in on the length of what I'm about to yell into the sky about all this, you can find it under the cut. I love you.

Welcome to my dissertation.

Section 1 - The Relevant Background:

Equipping Spartans with urinary catheters weeded itself into the Halo universe in the 2011 book Halo: Glasslands, during a conversation between Spartan II Naomi-010 and ODST Mal Geffen. Glasslands was the first in Karen Traviss's Kilo-5 trilogy, and she is both the originator of this, and the only official Halo author or source to have used catheters specifically since. Some context: I don't personally like these books, or their author, or even her reasoning for why she chose to add this. My personal preference doesn't make something 'bad', and I'm not out to hurt any feelings. Kilo-5 isn't a total wash for me, there are some characters and ideas that I'd of otherwise loved to have seen explored through the lens of a different author, but these books felt smothered under Traviss's habit of always injecting her very loud personal voice into the narrative fabric. I think this is something that's fine to do in an original series, but doesn't really belong in an established third party IP. She bangs on about so much of her own narrow worldview and self-assured prejudices across the trilogy that still discussing them today creates division in the fandom, and sadly did a lot of lasting damage to a couple characters. But for the topic here, the dialogue that started all this cath chat came from Naomi-010, having idle conversation with Mal who asks her about bathroom breaks. “I’m catheterized. Another reason why that machine has to be so precisely calibrated. This suit plugs into me in a lot of places.” 'The Machine' she's referring to is a Brokkr assembly, which was introduced to the lore as a large mechanical armature used to get Spartans in and out of MJOLNIR. You can see them in action in cinematics from Halo 4 (+Spartan Ops) and 5.

One single mention, and it was big news. Traviss was naturally interviewed about it because of course she was - people can't help themselves but forget an entire novel and tunnel vision on 'but how pee pee?', and her answer has always irritated me. It's not in what she says, so much as what 'what she says' means in her voice. Traviss didn't answer it directly, but instead talked about how she likes to get into character's heads by addressing the mundane necessity of things that often go overlooked to expand a sense of familiarity with the character and their world. Sounds super reasonable, I know, but don't give her too much credit - that's not a quote. It's just me paraphrasing and honestly I was pretty generous in my wording. Probably because I agree! What bugs me about it, is if you've ever read literally any interview with her, or her personal musings about her writing process, you know there's a bit of an 'honesty' issue there. She's somebody who feels perfectly comfortable ignoring established character voices, traits, or histories to satisfy whatever roles she's reinvented for them, and too many others wind up as mouthpieces. How much are you really challenging yourself in finding characters' voices when most of them are just yours? And the part about familiarity with their world? I giggled a little. She doesn't care about their world, or their aesthetics, or their technology, or their medicine. Because she didn't care about Halo while writing these, and she's not vague about admitting that. It's a matter of pride for her to purposefully refuse to research those things, in the same way she disregarded Star Wars and Gears of War - she doesn't consider the effort to be a valuable part of her process. So instead she'll skim the foundation, gather some recognizable names, pick her targets, and trusts that her personal experiences combined with an outsider perspective will generate better content to seamlessly overwrite what existed. Cool, Karen. Annoying, but why bring all that up? We're here to talk about catheters, right? Well, the fandom for the most part begin and end their assessment of the dialogue at urinary catheters, but the whole quote implies so much more than that - "This suit plugs into me in a lot of places." We're not just dealing with a cath, but apparently with multiple additional external-to-invasive connections. Reader, this dialogue is a plinth to Traviss's bizarre refusal to research not only the franchises she's contracted to write in, but also just into the basic function and hazards of existing concepts that she wants to introduce, and all because she's convinced herself she's done learning about the world. Choosing to ignore the creative freedom of limitless potential in a future of technology that would be basically magic to us today, and instead degrade 529 years of advancement is certainly a take, but it's even more ridiculous to do it with a subject (The Spartan Programme) that is considered to be the peak of advancement in that future's setting. That's clownery, just like her alleged commitment to adjusting her perspective to suit a universe's world.

I want to close out this section with a question: Why is it that writers in the Halo space - both fan and official - cling so tightly to current-day modern concepts as if they'd still be perfectly relevant in 500+ years? Music, for example, apparently suffered a multi-century stagnation in lots of published and fanmade Halo media. Though my partner made a strong counterpoint about this to be fair: we still listen to music composed by Mozart. So there's an argument to be made there. Medicine though. There is way less latitude to embrace the classics there. It's been shown across several games, novels, and films to be sufficiently advanced well beyond anything we're currently capable of or even understand, so why undermine that and choose to drag it centuries backward? For clarity, I am not talking about what might be standard in the public or private sectors, nor the enduring things that'd be used by the public and military alike, like sterile dressings, syringes, supplemental oxygen equipment. Those are the Basics and they will be relevant to us indefinitely. But I'm talking about the UNSC. I'm talking about ONI R&D. I'm talking about Section Three. Retrograding tech and failing to address a necessity that applies to every living person in the Super Soldier Wizardry department makes my mouth flatten into a tight little line.

Section Two - Caths, and why this whole thing got written:

Indwelling urinary catheters, both urethral and suprapubic. There's a laundry list of problems here, but I've distilled it down to the three biggest when suggesting they'd have any safe practical application in Spartans: Care. Activity. Damage. There is unreasonable expectations of care and maintenance for caths with regards to people who can be on operations isolated for months at a time with no support of any kind and are often limited to carrying only what can be kept on their person. The level of extreme physical activity Spartans engage in on any perfectly normal day whether deployed or not is unfit for the stability and safety of a cath. And damage; obvious enough, but with this one I'll be taking a huge emphasis on concussive forces - explosions. Something Spartans are subjected to a lot. I'll be using the height of modern-day catheter quality as a baseline for this, since that's what Traviss felt was sufficient. Regarding Urethral vs Suprapubic, Traviss doesn't specify by name, but Naomi's comment in full reads to me that she's only catheterized temporarily while armoured, hence the assembly needing to be so finely calibrated. Foley caths are temporary urethral caths that would only supplement the urinary process while a person was armoured. Suprapubic caths however are surgically placed devices. They do need routine tube replacement to keep them clean, but unlike the Foley that just serves as an aide measure for an otherwise fully functioning bladder, suprapubic caths are usually placed in people with congenital bladder disfunction, or who've suffered injury or disease that left the bladder in poor health or failure. This type of access will always require a tube in place and this would be the exclusive method of urination - in or out of armour. My Big Three Concerns fit both types similarly, though there is some additional risks associated with urethral caths that I'll cover.

Care: Caring for an invasive cath is a not insignificant effort. They're prone to blockage, kinking, and bacterial growth. They're so frequently responsible for UTIs and kidney stones that these complications are just considered the Standard Fair for having a cath. Their need to be frequently replaced because of their penchant for bacterial growth is the kicker here - whole floral colonies sprout up in caths and can eek their way out into the body through compromised tissue and wreck havoc. They have no self-cleaning mechanism, and steadily deteriorate. Changing and replacing an indwelling cath is a procedure that requires additional supplies that'd have to be carried, and needs to be done in a practiced and clean setting; preferably medical. Granted, there are people who manage the removal and insertion of their own caths at home, but they still need to ensure a clean and safe environment while they do this. A Spartan could never be guaranteed that, nor would it even be wise to consider the vulnerability of removing so much armour to handle it. Modern day caths are recommended to be replaced every 30 days or so, with some models able to be in place for a few months at a time, but that's with constant daily care and cleaning; something that'd be unreasonable for a Spartan to maintain while entrenched who knows where for who knows how long, and without access to replacement medical supplies. Those endurance times between replacements are geared for the average public person who leads an average public life and care for their cath as directed and don't get into fist fights with Sangheili. Needless to say, the endurance time for the same device in a Spartan who leads a wildly different lifestyle probably cuts those times down to a third.

Activity: Modern day caths are designed to offer people the most utility and versatility possible. Both models are available for people who are bed-bound or have extremely limited mobility, as well as for those who are mobile, independent, and live out average lives. With regards to the latter, suprapubics are somewhat more common, if for no other reason than to reduce the Foley's higher risks of induction injury, but modern urethral caths also allow for regular movement and activity with a more reduced chance of becoming dislodged or damaged than they would have had a couple decades ago. But when I say regular activity, I mean going on a walk. Shopping for groceries. Doing basic house chores. Even light exercise and sexual activity can be managed with physician advisement and the appropriate precautions taken. Anytime a Spartan was fielded they'd have to be all the more overly-cautious about Movements Outside of Their Control during confrontations, maneuvers, ambush, environmental or vehicular incidents. Even when things go well there'd be too much risk involved. That said, traumatic decatheterizations happen more frequently than anyone would like, and I'm talking about regular old Joe Everybody. I respond to no less than a dozen of these incidents a year. Both types of catheter are held in place by a bulb balloon that's inflated from a port with around 10-30ccs of saline after the tube enters the bladder (30ccs would be more appropriate for better security of the line). Before removing a cath, the saline is removed to deflate the balloon and the tube is guided out - with a Foley cath, that means being guided out of the urethra. When a Foley cath is traumatically removed, the saline filled balloon - which is like five times wider in diameter than the average 6mm urethra - does a pretty devastating amount of damage on it's way out, penis or vagina; though a penile urethra has significantly more length to damage, and the penile meatus very typically is torn. These incidents run high risk of bladder hematoma as well, which requires urgent surgical intervention. The very worst traumatic decatheterizations I've responded to were all penile and had trauma to external tissue. Ever microwaved a hotdog a little too long?

Damage: How often are Spartans subjected to explosive and other concussive forces? Silly question - answer: a lot and often and unavoidable. And we know they still feel the powerful feedback. Despite shields and dampeners and a self-moderating gel layer, strong inertial forces are still felt through the suits. Across multiple novels we're given details about near misses and blasts, accelerated or uncontrolled falls, rattling their teeth, hampering their vision, hearing, or balance; they've been rendered unconscious and suffered internal injuries. The fact that most of these events don't flat out kill them is a credit to their armour and augmentations. For reference - when a person experiences explosive or concussive force from a distance enough to avoid separation of limbs, bisection, etc, the totality of their injuries can't and won't be seen externally. How they present on the outside is just the tippy tip of the iceburg - it's what's happened to them internally that you need to be concerned about. Cracked or fractured bones, torn musculature, arterial shearing, hollow organ rupture, cardiac and brain tissue bleed, to name some common ones, and this kind of trauma extends to all implanted devices as well. For example, rods and nails and other structural aids or replacements are much more resilient than your organic tissues, and can dislodge when tissues tear or rupture, damaging anything in their way like shrapnel. The fragile little balloon of a catheter will shatter when subjected to even relatively minor explosive force, so to even consider for a moment that this would be a viable piece of equipment for people intended to routinely be involved in explosive environments is beyond willful negligence. That there wouldn't be a better solution to the question of waste management - a necessity for literally all human people who make up the entirety of the Spartan branch, with the infinite funding of ONI R&D seems so stupid to me that I… well, that I wrote this. Because, friends - participating in active warfare is not cath-safe. The kinds of physical demands and forces on Spartan bodies are not cath-safe. The risks will never outweigh the benefits to this. Even while sealed in powered armour and a skinsuit tech layer, the very thought of Section Three engineers or Halsey or anyone involved in the development of MJOLNIR dismissing the glaring obvious failure of Spartans having any kind of externalized invasive devices is so unreasonably negligent that it could only be the brainchild of an author who's convinced that these characters are all actually just psuedo-intelligent government boogiemen who aren't as capable as they claim to be. But No. They are that capable, and they are that intelligent and the fact that they have a bottomless budget and deeply flexible ethics is literally what makes them so dangerous.

So if we have to address this, how do we do it? Apparently there was always an official answer for this. Former Franchise Development Director, creator of the Master Chief**, and extremely racist asshole Frank O'Connor weighed in on this in the same interview, where he almost immediate rejected and denied Traviss's catheterization claim and says that 'this sort of stuff' was the kind of thing he and the other creative heads at Bungie/343i talked and planned about all the time. So how does this work then, because we're invested now. According to 'ol Frankie's elegant input: they just pee freely into the suit. That's it. For clarity, he's talking about the skinsuit and not the MJOLNIR interior proper. He goes on to say that connectivity between body and MJOLNIR at all levels is fully noninvasive, but precise, and that it doesn't matter what kind of body output a Spartan introduces into the suit interior, because a hygienic valve system (??) will scrub it continually and collect all matter for recycling and reintroduction via capillary action powered by movement. It's not clear in what layers or intermediaries these mechanisms occupy, he doesn't break it down more than that. But that's the answer, and it did exist back when Traviss was penning Kilo-5.

Is this answer better than haphazardly plugging extension cords from actual organ systems into MJOLNIR interior? Yes. Like, leagues better by comparison, but also I still think it sucks. To me anyway. It's flat out gross as hell, which definitely fits the personal brand of a man who proudly overfed his cat and called himself "Stinkles", but also it just doesn't strike me as the kind of design strategy ONI would pursue for any of their assets. Beside it just being 100% torn from Dune's stillsuits, it's also missing that special brand of proprietary Section Three je ne sais quoi. There's layers upon layers of too-specialized equipment installed into these people for everything else, why skip this? A body function that should have been Point 3 on a 50 point list of 'stuff to manage'. Also though? It's a lot of freedom. This is just another easy opportunity to add yet another layer of dependence. Spartans are expensive equipment. It doesn't do to give them any fewer reasons to think they can ever walk away.

So anyway, I figured I'd take a crack at it. I came up with this while editing the last two paragraphs: [Waste management] - a fully internalized collection and processing device - lets say a cybernetic implantation - that entirely replaces the bladder. It has bio-organic lumens that interconnect it to the GI and Hepatic organs. The implant assists in accelerating the processing of gathering and refining waste materials with the help of nanobots that identify and redirect waste along the lumens of each system, plus they keep the implant clean and free of bad flora. All twice-processed waste gets refined a lot quicker and any water by-product of the process is refined and redistributed back to the organs along the lumens. None of the refined water is removed from the body for drinking, because that's an unnecessary step; it's already inside. (Drinking water would be the responsibility of a suit system more likely - like, sweat leeching in the skinsuit; refine, filtrate, purify, collect into a reservoir, and jettison the excess sodium. ) There is no 'extraction of other viable nutrient' from the remainder, it's been twice identified as waste. It gets catabolized and consumed by the nanobots as a fuel source, and no externalized waste is created at all while the Spartan is geared up. The implant doesn't always run like this - it only engages this way when the Spartan is wearing MJOLNIR, and when they're not, it just works like an out-of-the-box bladder. The intermittence of usage lets the organic organs truck along as usual, preventing risk of atrophy, and the Spartan can just use a bathroom like everyone else. I'm not a bioengineer, but I do like sci fi and I think all that sounds like something that'd be possible in this sandbox. And that's the real fun of it, isn't it? There's no way anyone today can anticipate what sort of gadgetry might be available 500+ years from now, especially in a fictional universe that includes military tech hybridized with reverse engineered alien tech.

I think it's fascinating when writers and artists shake loose and really grab the reins, and I love seeing the fruit of that labour in this particular tumblr community so often. We're not a huge Halo circle, but we're a passionate one, and if this essay leaves you with nothing else, I hope it will at least remind you to Go For It when you're writing your next fic or drawing your next piece, or composing, or sewing, or printing, or anything!

In Conclusion: Rest easy, friends.

Despite Traviss's word and even books that went to print, the official canon is that Spartans are not catheterized. If that's a bummer for anyone, canon can't stop you from writing whatever you want, but I do hope maybe you'll remember my reasoning for why it might not be the best idea? At least not for armoured Spartans. A Spartan, but they're laid up in hospital? Any non-Spartan personnel? Maybe you're writing in the public sector, a colony world or vessel? Sure - I'll bet caths are still plenty widely used. Why not? They're a blissfully simple and useful effective piece of equipment. It's just all about adjusting and adapting for practicality. Medical science, like any technology, adapts and evolves infinitely as we learn and discover new things. Treatments or drug algorithms I'd of used just last year have already undergone changes, and protocols are amended constantly. It's why a person 'practices' medicine; why a scientist is always a student. If questions like this or similar really need answering in your next work, remember: Give yourself the credit you deserve, and embrace the spirit of invention. Let my Cyber Bladder, by Sparklets be the candle in the window for you!

You may all retrieve your keys from the bowl and unsilence your phones. Stay safe and please text me when you get home. Thank you. ' u ' **Addendum: Former Bungie Creative Art Director Marcus Lehto is in fact the person who is most associated with the creation of the Master Chief.**

#halo #long form #my writing

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ferretwhomst · 1 year

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Holy Shit I Just Realized Something (toh finale spoilers and Badly Structured, Massively Long Rant up ahead)

when we first meet willow in early s1, she's in the abomination track and as we all know she is Struggling. abomination magic just doesn't come as naturally to her as plant magic, which is fine, but it isn't being addressed by the school.

soon enough she gets switched over to the plant track as she wishes- i don't remember the exact details of the episode, it's been a little while, but iirc principal bump shows up after willow covers the entire inside of the school in vines and basically goes "no, i'm not punishing you, instead i'm switching you to the plant track because you're clearly more skilled at this type of magic."

which none of us really thought about, right?? maybe some of us were like "hm, that was a bit abrupt" but we didn't think too much of it because we didn't have much of an idea of bump's character yet.

not much later, it's revealed that bump himself is a part of the abomination coven. (it's not exactly Discussed but his sigil is visible in some shots, like this one.) he is bound by sigil to be restricted to abomination magic and nothing else.

one slightly less relevant detail that i find interesting is how he doesn't Look like an abomination coven member, and so he seems a lot less invested in his status as an abomination witch. now you may be thinking: ferret, that's a moot point because 1. not every magic user is going to have their preferred type of magic/coven/track whatever implemented into their design and 2. princy b wears his Principal Robes every time we see him up until the finale, so it would be difficult to implement those details into his design anyway.

now, that second point is actually, uh. Fair. but as for the first point, allow me to explain

here are two prominent abomination coven members, darius deamonne and alador blight

both of them are pretty obviously abomination coven members right off the bat. darius, being a coven head, has a Shit ton of purple in his design to indicate this (and that's not even including his hair). with alador, this is toned down, but it's still obvious by the permanent abomination goo stains on his coat (and also by the fact that he apparently doesn't wash his hands after working on the abomatons /lhj). these two are specialists, in different ways, of course, but ultimately their skills lie in abomination magic, and neither of them have expressed a wish to try other types of magic at this point.

but here's the thing. as far as i can tell, bump is Not a specialist. while he is a skilled abomination witch, we rarely see him make use of the fact except for during fight scenes- he doesn't seem very invested in it. plus, when we see him during the epilogue, he's enjoying a new hobby, which is...

...plant care, much like willow! :)

(side note i love the holes in his hat for frewin's horns)

now, of course you could interpret this as bump simply discovering a New hobby between where wad left off & the epilogue. but to me, this says that all this time he was held back from his passion for plant care for multiple reasons, for example his job as the principal of hexside definitely put a strain on him in terms of how much time he could spend doing things for himself. but now that he's retired, and the coven system has been dismantled, he can spend more time doing things that bring him joy, just like many others in the epilogue.

this means that when he saw what willow was capable of back in s1, and transferred her to the plant track, he was really saying "i see you're struggling, and i won't let you go through what i went through by forcing you to go down a path that isn't yours." and god he means so much to me for that.

anyways end of rant, if you're here reading this i sincerely congratulate you for getting this far without passing away . i am very unnormal about hieronymus bump and it shows.

(also, PLSPLSLSS reblog this if you agree i spent like an hour here sitting here typing this all up on my phone at 1am AHDKDJFJE)

#toh #the owl house #toh spoilers #the owl house spoilers #toh speculation #principal bump #principal bump toh #hieronymus bump #willow park #willow toh #alador blight #alador toh #darius deamonne #darius toh #only mentioned them briefly but why not tag them as well #anyways i love bump more than i can begin to express #ferret rambles #sorry this is mostly incoherent but tbf on me its past 1am on a school night and ive been sitting here brainrotting for over an hour

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vidavalor · 29 days

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Hey! Sorry if I'm missing something, but I've had the phrase "unexpected quarter" rolling around in my head for a while and I was thinking about "quarter" as a term for "shelter" or "mercy," and how Aziraphale wasn't at all expecting to be out here giving Gabriel shelter and mercy, but he is, and wondering whether that could be foreshadowing - maybe Gabriel will wind up returning the favor somehow. Do you think there's anything to that, or do you think I'm looking at the wrong definition of the word?

Hi @chaoticlivi! Hot chocolate for your Gabriel-themed Ask. *adds marshmallows* 💕 You and me are on the same page with this one and I'll add to your thoughts. (*does happy dance over other people looking at the words* lol)

Quarter is actually the word that The Voice of God uses as an example in Her opening monologue to teach us to do exactly what you're doing-- to look for multiple definitions of words being used. You're doing exactly what the show is suggesting we do, imo.

When The Voice of God opens up the series, She first discusses theories on when the universe was created, which is both for language benefit and also just to help establish that the Earth is only a little over 6,000 years old in the GO universe. When She gets to the bit about the almost-correct theory, She says that it was off by "almost a quarter of an hour," right? Within the same monologue, She then later reads from the horoscope about help coming from "an unexpected quarter." We now have, in a monologue full of language instruction, the same word used twice, in two different ways, and there are a lot of other examples of things like this. It foreshadows that we will see this a lot and tells us to be on the lookout for it.

I wrote a thing about other ways quarter has been used and about how it's pointing towards Gabriel that I'll link down below if you want to check it out but I want to add this into your thoughts because I totally think that Gabriel will be lending shelter and understanding in S3 to Aziraphale.

If Crowley can walk into Heaven and still open up highly classified files and if, as we've seen in the story, he and Aziraphale discovered long ago that angels can do what the demons can and that that the fallen angels still have their old powers and Heaven is lying to them, then they are now, as of the end of S2, in a position to tell other angels and demons this. Crowley already basically told Muriel when he opened the file in front of them. This would then mean that Ol' Purple Eyes is still, in terms of power, The Supreme Archangel of Heaven. Overthrow The Metatron and the being with the most individual power is Gabriel (who also, honestly, seems like a being about ready to democratize the fuck out of that situation lol.)

In 1.01, The Voice of God re-introduces us to Crowley & Aziraphale together with a four-sentence intro to the park scene that is full of language details, some of which have actually gotten more meaning since S2. Just like how Crowley's joke in the scene of "not delivered-delivered-- just handed it over" about delivering Adam got even funnier after S2 gave us Bildad the Shuite, there are a couple of things in God's monologue in the same scene that make more sense after S2 and much of it has multiple meanings that worked before S2 and still work after it. The first sentence has a line that is very relevant to S1 and overall but has another, new layer after S2, and which goes with our ideas for S3:

"Everyone knows that the best place for a clandestine meeting in London is-- and always has been-- St. James' Park."

One of the many meanings of clandestine in the sentence is what you get when you break the word up: clan destined. A clan isn't just an extended family-- though, it can be-- but it can also just describe a group of people with specific things in common. One definition of park is also just an area devoted to a specific purpose (like an industrial park.) With that in mind, a line that sets up understanding of plot in S1 is also then prophetic for the end of the series as well because the best place for a clan destined meeting in London is-- and always has been-- St. James Park and, well...

#ineffable husbands #aziracrow #good omens #good omens meta #crowley #aziraphale #good omens 2 #good omens theory #jimbriel #the archangel fucking gabriel #ineffable husbands speak #etymology

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 9 months

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AITA for name dropping some of my friends’ connections?

i (20X) have multiple friends that have connections to pretty famous internet celebrities, creators, etc. i wouldn’t call them household names, because a lot of them are pretty contained to solely online presences, but definitely names most twitter/tumblr users would recognize. i won’t go into too much detail for privacy reasons, but essentially, i’m two degrees of separation from a LOT of popular internet creators.

this isn’t something i talk about often, if really at all. i’ll mention these people to my irl friends all the time, because they’re also my friends, but never about their connections (unless it’s relevant at the time). i met almost all of them naturally, some without even knowing about their connections, either having common interests, or being in the same discord, fanproject, etc. i didn’t befriend them in an attempt to get closer to whatever celebrity they know is what i’m trying to say. at least two of them even made said connection after we’d become acquaintances.

college recently started again, and me and my roommates were invited to a party hosted by some of the girls that live on our floor to get to know everyone better. we ended up playing two truths, one lie to break the ice and get more comfortable with each other. me and my roommates all have a bit of a flair for the dramatic, and stories to back it up, so when it got to their turns (all of them went before me), they went all out. for example, one of them brought up how her moms met david bowie or something because they happened to be bowling in the same alley and ended up talking and getting drinks together. i forget who it actually was, but still. very out there, absurd stories that sound unbelievable/fake, but very much happened.

this is where i may be the asshole. when it got to my turn, i ended up name-dropping some of my connections. i said something along the lines of “i have fairly close connections to x, y, and z.” writing it like that doesn’t have the same impact, but you get my point. everyone in the room knew who they were is the important part. the room guessed what the lie was wrong, and promptly began to ask how i knew the people i’d named. i explained i had a few internet friends that had/have worked closely with them, and that i either knew certain things the general public doesn’t, or that i’ve had the privilege of contributing to projects/suggesting ideas because of it. it’s important to mention that i didn’t lead with having insider knowledge/positions, because i know i’d be the asshole if i had. they asked, i answered as much as i could, which wasn’t much more than i stayed here. i didn’t say any specific projects or ideas for what i think are fairly obvious reasons. they hadn’t reacted very much to any of my roommates’ insane bullshit, so i hadn’t expected such a response and thought my truth was fairly tame in comparison, honestly. (another example: one of them has nearly drowned 7 times, with 5 of those times all happening on a tuesday. they’ve told me all 7 of those stories and i think they’re super interesting, a lot more than me just having connections to people i don’t even personally know.)

anyways. the conversation moved on, the same continued, all seems good. that was a week ago, for reference. i find out a few of the people there are in my classes, which is great! i get to talking to most of them, and they’re all as friendly as they were when we met, except for one, who i’ll call holly (not her real name). holly acts cordial when she has to (group discussion, that sort of stuff) but whenever i try to talk or interact with her outside of that, she outright ignores me. she fully walked past me once despite us not only making eye contact, but me waving and calling her name. i didn’t get why she was acting like that all of a sudden, because she didn’t have any problems with me during the party. i didn’t think i’d done anything to wrong her, but just in case, i reached out to one of her roommates to ask if holly had told them anything about it, or if they remembered me doing something to make her react that way that i just forgot or didn’t realize i’d done.

one of them got back to me today that holly had apparently gone on a tirade about how disgusting i was, how i was clearly just “using” my friends because of their connections, that i only used them for clout and popularity, etc. which, as i said, is FULLY not true. what bothers me most is that she reached that conclusion with absolutely no evidence other than one conversation, one that me and all my roommates were clearly using to highlight the more silly/out-there aspects of our lives. most of the time i spent explaining things consisted of me gushing over how cool and hard-working my friends are for having those opportunities and how much i look up to them. i don’t know if she wasn’t paying attention or thought i was lying or what, but now i’m worried i may have actually come off that way. like that maybe i actually WAS just using them in that instance, whether i intended to or not, and that i came off as super assholeish and manipulative. so, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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nonbinaryspy · 7 months

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Our Path Ahead: Micaiah and Sanaki Meta

"Stealth is rather thrilling!" "Shh! You'll get us spotted!"

Along with amazing art, a fun unit, and some adorable conversations, the latest duo unit in FEH offers a perfect chance to compare and contrast Micaiah and Sanaki's backgrounds as well as imagine how they come together post-RD. I'll be sharing relevant quotes from RD to showcase how their FEH interactions follow up from it, so this post will be long and spoiler-filled for both RD and the latest FEH update.

I'll first share Sanaki's arc in RD, then discuss their dynamic in the latest FEH update, and end by digging more into Micaiah's arc in RD.

Sanaki's RD arc has her contending with the fact that she can't hear the voice of the goddess, or do anything else associated with the apostle's powers. Of course, this is because Micaiah inherited these abilities along with her brand, but in the meantime, the senate takes advantage of the confusion to call Sanaki a false apostle and take control. This in turn makes her doubt herself.

At first, during 4-P, Sanaki sounds like she believes her upbringing should make her just as, if not more, capable than Micaiah:

Sanaki: “If Micaiah, an untrained girl from the streets of Daein, is fighting, then I shall stand my ground as well.”

However, she quickly learns what Micaiah can do. While she wants to learn more about why Micaiah has the powers she lacks, she is too scared to approach her at first.

Sigrun: “… We seem to have missed our chance to speak with her. What a remarkable girl. Lady Micaiah can hear the voice of the goddess Yune and learn of impending danger. She is much like you, Empress Sanaki.” Sanaki: “… Let us head back.” Sigrun: “Are you sure? You said before that it was imperative you speak with Lady Micaiah…” Sanaki: “It’s not important. Forget it.”

In 4-3, however, Micaiah takes the initiative:

Micaiah: “Yes, it’s me, Micaiah. Um… May I sit next to you?” Sanaki: “What? Oh… Uh…” “…Of course you may.” Micaiah: “Thank you. …This is awkward. I’m sorry. I know that you are not very fond of me, but I wanted to talk to you.” Sanaki: “It’s not that. I like you just fine. It’s just that…you make me feel inadequate.” Micaiah: “It’s because I can sing the galdr of release and hear Yune’s voice, isn’t it?” Sanaki: “How…did you know?” Micaiah: “I can sense the flow of people’s thoughts. By seeing the movement of a person’s mind, I can usually deduce what the person is thinking…” Sanaki: “You can read minds?! What a boon that would be to running a country… If I could read people’s minds, I could tell what the nobles and senators were thinking behind their smiles. I wonder why the goddess didn’t bless me with such power?”

Though Micaiah thinks Sanaki dislikes her, and she doesn't know they're related, she is already drawn to try to connect with her. Sanaki, meanwhile, is still hung up on the idea that Micaiah has the abilities she lacks, and that she could have prevented the current problems if she'd had them instead.

Later in the chapter, she contextualizes this while talking to Sigrun and Tanith, saying that after the last apostle's assassination and the ensuing power vacuum, her birth and ascension led to "a sigh of relief [that] sounded across the country." This is clearly a lot of pressure to put on a child! After all the turmoil the senate causes, Sanaki feels responsible, saying that "the country’s sigh of relief was unwarranted" because she couldn't hear the voice of the goddess. She's convinced the fault lies with her and the powers she lacks. Tanith and Sigrun, however, maintain their motherly banter throughout this conversation, and then confirm that they're loyal to her for who she is rather than any born abilities:

Sigrun: “If you thought that our allegiance was to the office of the apostle, well, you were wrong. Even from a young age, you have been working with Lord Sephiran to fight the senate on behalf of the people.” Tanith: “Our loyalty lies with you, Empress Sanaki. You will always be our empress. Please do not forget that.” Sanaki: “…I am…blessed. Not by the voice of the goddess, but by loyalty like yours.”

As will be shown later in this post, in the latest FEH content, Sanaki describes how even now, Tanith and Sigrun are still supporting her in a new world, helping her train and gain new abilities. Sanaki was raised to value herself for her potential inherited powers, but in the end, it's who she is that wins the love and loyalty of her family and the people of Begnion.

At the end of RD, the siblings come together and decide that Sanaki will continue to rule Begnion, no longer as an empire, but as a nation on equal footing with Daein, which Micaiah will always consider her true home.

Sanaki: “In that case, my sister, please consider staying in Begnion. With your power and charisma, you could do so much good here.” Micaiah: “No, I’m afraid I can’t.” Sanaki: “Why-Why not?” Micaiah: “Daein is my home, and Daein needs me to help it heal and rebuild. Not Begnion.” Sanaki: “But Begnion–“ Micaiah: “Begnion has you, Empress. You will be a just ruler. Make your country proud to have you.” Sanaki: “Will I… never see you again?” Micaiah: “Hardly. I think that what our countries need now is a sense of family and friendship. I ask that you sign a treaty of alliance with Daein and announce that we are equals.”

In this conversation from the epilogue, we see Sanaki continue to suggest that Micaiah would be a better ruler for Begnion, but Micaiah disagrees. She knows that Sanaki is just as determined to keep the people of Begnion safe and happy as she is to do the same for Daein, and assures Sanaki to that end.

In the latest FEH update, we see these traits in practice, as Sanaki is very committed to training for the ninja festival. Even in their friend greeting quote, she is still training while passing along messages:

Sanaki: Urgh… There's nothing to be done if we've been detected. Our infiltration training is over. Let's away, Micaiah!

I also love putting some of their castle quotes in conversation with each other.

Sanaki: A ninja... If only I had such a person at my disposal, perhaps then I might have quelled the senate's rampage.

Here, we see that in FEH's take on a teenage Sanaki, she is still blaming herself for the senate's actions and questioning what she could have done to stop them. She therefore still wants to acquire more power:

Sanaki: People are fragile... Which is precisely why they must learn to have strength. Do you not think so, Micaiah?

Micaiah, meanwhile, has quite a different line about strength:

Micaiah: It's about time for the festivities! Shall we take a short break? Participation in a festival takes ample strength.

As Sanaki's older sister, and having already seen how hard Sanaki is on herself, Micaiah encourages her to take care of herself and be patient. This is also shown in their level-up quotes:

Micaiah: Keep your head up, Sanaki. We are improving slowly but surely.

Meanwhile, we see Sanaki still has her drive to stop those with corrupt intentions:

Sanaki: Stand down! Your ill-intentioned deeds are over!

However, she may have another motive, in her desire for attention from her sister:

Sanaki: Aha! It hit the mark! Micaiah, you must observe this technique!

When they first met in RD, Sanaki was too nervous to even approach Micaiah, and came across to Micaiah as disliking her. But now she is actively seeking out Micaiah's approval and companionship.

All of this clearly follows up from their dynamic in the RD epilogue. What really sells this for me is their level 40 dialogue:

Sanaki: I can scarcely believe how incapable my body is of following my wishes. I can't seem to move like you, Micaiah. Micaiah: I spent my life running between alleys and the underground... I'm bound to have a bit more endurance than you. Sanaki: It may not appear to be the case, but I've done my fair share of training with Sigrun, Tanith, and a few others. Micaiah: You mean to say you've been doing special ninja training with members of the Holy Guard? Sanaki: To train, we've been swatting at fast-growing ivy in the mornings. At times it's so tall, Tanith must lift me. Micaiah: We are quite similar, you and I. We both take these festivals seriously and are earnest in our pursuits. Sanaki: Yes, well...er...we are sisters after all! Though, I simply figured if I was going to participate, I may as well go all in. Micaiah: That's one of your best qualities. You are incredibly decisive and have such strong convictions—a true ruler. Sanaki: Well...this conversation has taken a turn, but I quite enjoy being with you. Shall we continue this discourse? Micaiah: Of course, not only for our sakes but for Begnion's and Daein's as well. But we must watch those sneaky shadows.

In RD, Sanaki initially implied that Micaiah's upbringing would lead to her being less capable, but now it's presented as having given her endurance and survival abilities that Sanaki never had a reason to develop. This conversation also shows Sanaki continuing to train, as she's accepted that she must rely on abilities she cultivates rather than assuming the goddess will grant her power. Like Tanith and Sigrun, Micaiah is able to recognize that Sanaki's strength lies in her determination, which of course is a trait Micaiah shares.

Even as they spend time together incognito as siblings, they still have their political roles in mind, and their conversation turns to focusing on the abilities required of a ruler rather than only treating this as a family vacation. Given the roles they've both found themself in--Sanaki due to birth, and Micaiah due to circumstance--having a normal outing is easier said than done.

Their precious voiced conversation also showcases their different pasts, abilities, and experiences with family, especially in the first half of it:

Sanaki: Excellent. Now that I've slipped in undetected, all that remains is to reach out and take... Micaiah: Found you! Sanaki: Blast! That is the third time in a row you've caught me! What gave the game away this time? I suppose that is a foolish question to ask a diviner. You looked into the future, didn't you? Micaiah: Not at all. I merely took the time to familiarize myself with all the little nooks and crannies in this place. More by force of habit than anything else, admittedly. I needed that sort of awareness to survive, growing up. Sanaki: Ah... Of course. I can scarcely imagine the trials you must have endured in those years... Micaiah: Now, now, none of that. It's all behind us. Right now, I'm at a festival with my sister—and I couldn't be happier. It reminds me of festivals back home, though. I'd often see brothers and sisters leading each other around. It used to make me envious, seeing siblings holding hands, enjoying their time together as family.

I love how FEH presents the idea that Sanaki is learning to not define Micaiah only as the one who inherited Lehran's powers. While she assumes Micaiah relied on future sight, Micaiah in fact used the survival instincts she needed while living on the streets as one of the Branded. Sanaki expresses sympathy, but Micaiah, as a character who has a harsh past and looks ever to the future, is currently trying to live in the present--appreciating what she finally has simply by being there with Sanaki.

Though Sanaki yearned for the powers Micaiah has, in RD, Micaiah says she always felt they were a burden. She gets overwhelmed among groups of people due to always feeling their emotions, especially the emotions directed toward her. Considering how much hatred she's experienced throughout her life as a Branded in Daein as well as a freedom fighter, this is undoubtedly a traumatic thing to live with. Even when she finds people who support her, she ends up being put on a pedestal she never asked for. Seeing the future can also be a burden, as she may or may not be able to stop the dark visions she sees. So while a festival could be an overwhelming experience for someone with her empathic abilities, being at this festival in FEH, living in the moment with her cherished family and going around incognito as a regular person, would be a healing experience.

Even then, she is unable to turn off her survival instincts that tell her she must be aware of potential danger and places to hide. Meanwhile, Sanaki's own protection relies on being visible--on being able to call for her guards at any given moment, as well as use her status as a shield. Being stealthy at a ninja festival is far from her own wheelhouse, as some of their voice lines amusingly show.

It's clear that Micaiah and Sanaki have lived very separate lives, and they've had different types of family supporting them. Micaiah is used to sneaking around as part of a group with Sothe and the Dawn Brigade, most of whom are younger than her and who she must protect, while Sanaki is used to having the adults around her dote on and protect her as their liege, most notably Tanith, Sigrun, and Sephiran. She is used to being the center of attention, as is shown in the paralogue, where she does not want to have to share her new sibling with Sothe--but she also is used to being isolated on a pedestal rather than being treated as an equal. So in the duo unit's voice conversation, Sanaki is at first awkward about the idea of holding Micaiah's hand to walk around the festival, but quickly latches onto the chance for affection and companionship.

Sanaki: I hope you harbor no intentions of chaperoning me like that. I am an empress, you will recall! Still... I suppose I would consent to holding hands. If you'd like. Micaiah: Oh, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just reminiscing, that's all. But, since you've made me such a generous offer, how could I refuse? Go on, take my hand. Sanaki: Very well! Hehehe...this will be fun. Come, we have a festival to enjoy! Hurry it along now! Micaiah: Oh! Hehehe! Keep swinging my arm like that and you're likely to send me flying!

(Side note: this isn't even the only mention Micaiah makes to flying in this update. I have to respect her commitment to bird puns.)

Part of Micaiah's arc in RD involves her grappling with the idea of belonging. Years ago, she and Sothe were all each other had, due to her experiences being Branded and his own past as an orphan. They are used to relying on and fiercely protecting each other as a result. Still, before PoR, Micaiah tried to leave Sothe, as she didn't think someone who was Branded could really have a home or family. She knew that as she aged, her heritage would become apparent. The rejection that the Branded face gave her understandable issues with attachment, but thankfully, she and Sothe were able to reunite. By that point, traveling with Ike had also taught Sothe greater acceptance of other races, allowing him to support Micaiah better.

Ike: The first time I met him, he’d hidden on a ship we were taking. He mentioned he was looking for someone who was like family to him. It was you he was searching for, wasn’t it? Micaiah: I…I tried to leave him behind. When we went to Crimea, I split off from him and took a ship to Begnion. But when I reached Begnion, war had broken out between Crimea and Daein. I knew I had to return to Daein to look for him. I couldn’t find him, so I went to Crimea. But I still couldn’t find him… We found each other again after the war, in Daein. In the back alleys of Nevassa, where we first met. Ike: You took routes opposite to each other. Micaiah: When I told him why I’d disappeared, he got so angry… I’d never seen him get so emotional before. Ike: I can’t say that I blame him. I’d be pretty furious if I heard someone that I loved was wandering around two countries at war. Besides, I’m sure he’d hidden his feelings about being abandoned until he saw you again. Micaiah: I thought I was reaching the limit of how long I could stay with him. He grew each and every day, but I remained the same… I didn’t want him to be harmed by the curse I lived with. Can you imagine how hard that would have been on him?

Given how she literally has an ability called sacrifice, and is often put in positions of responsibility, whether it's looking after Sothe when he was a child or becoming the leader of a resistance group, Micaiah's first instinct was to sacrifice the bond she had, not understanding that her leaving Sothe behind would be harder on him. Never having been allowed to have a place in society, she underestimated her own importance to someone else. However, she learns that sacrifice is not always the most noble option or the best solution to a problem.

After speaking to Ike more, Micaiah decides that she'll return to Daein, whereas she initially had been thinking she would "travel to a far-off place." Though she was afraid to try to stay with the people of Tellius, as she had always been told that her blood was cursed and that she wouldn't have a place with anyone, she has found a home and a family. The chance to remain with those she cares about is worth the hardships that may lie ahead.

Earlier in the game, as she got involved in wider political plots, she had to make decisions about who to protect when she couldn't save everyone. This includes Tibarn confronting her with the choice to either surrender--thus dooming the people of Daein to the blood pact--or sacrifice Sothe, as well as her decision to protect the people of Daein even if it means fighting the other nations. Sothe is the only family she has known, and Daein is the only home she has known, so these decisions weigh heavily on her.

By the end, Micaiah has found things she didn't know she could look for--an answer to her mysterious origins, blood relations in Sanaki and Lehran, and a family outside of Daein. She and Sanaki can seek international peace together by working publicly from a distance, which is very different than Micaiah having to stick to the shadows or make sacrifices to protect the people closest to her. As someone who values peace, she no longer has to choose between her love and her ideals.

This quote from the latest FEH update (from when you power up the duo unit) sums this up quite well:

Micaiah: Let us unite in strength and mold this world into one of peace, together.

(Blessed thought to add to my ever-growing list of fic ideas: Since the herons can use sending stones, theoretically, Sanaki and Micaiah could use sending stones to communicate Post-RD. Diplomatic phone calls that turn into late-night sister chats!!)

Still, that doesn't mean that she's instantly going to know how to interact with people she just found out she's related to. In her talk conversation with Lehran in 4-final, she's unusually shy:

Micaiah: Um… Lehran: Yes? Micaiah: You’re Lehran, aren’t you? Lehran: Yes. Micaiah: You… Forgive me for asking, but… Aren’t you my– Lehran: Can we talk about this later? Micaiah: What? Oh, I mean, of course… Sorry to bother you… Lehran: Child, you couldn’t possibly bother me. It’s just, the talk you and I must have is going to take a long time. I don’t think Ashera would wait for us to finish. Micaiah: Oh… Very well. Lehran: What is it? Micaiah: Oh, nothing… Never mind. Lehran: Micaiah? Micaiah: Y-yes? Lehran: Looks like you could use some backup. I’m good with a staff, too, you know. Micaiah: Th-thank you.

Unlike Sanaki, Micaiah is not used to approaching a father figure, and trying to broach this topic with Lehran of all people is no doubt intimidating! He, being more used to this role, is able to demonstrate his desire to support her while remaining pragmatic about the urgent situation they're in.

I bring this up because in the FEH paralogue, Micaiah fumbles her initial attempt to spend time with Sanaki, bringing up Sothe rather than paying attention to the sibling she's with. As said, Sanaki is particularly likely to find this frustrating, and due to her trademark bratty personality and Micaiah's teasing big sis instincts, this leads to some banter. In the end, however, they are able to express their feelings and their desire to spend time together as siblings.

Micaiah: Ah! What are— Is this some new kind of ninja attack?! Hee hee hee! Get off, get off! Owowow! …Hey, that tickles! Sanaki: All those who disturb the apostle's peace must be dealt the most severe punishments! …Beg my forgiveness! Micaiah: Forgive me, O Apostle! I will forever more—until the end of the festival—enjoy spending my time with my beloved sister. Sanaki: …That's all I wanted! Micaiah: I know we haven't had a chance to spend much time together as sisters yet, but... I hope we can do this sort of thing together as family from now on. And with practice, I'm sure to get better about just enjoying my time with you while I'm with you. Sanaki: Micaiah... I'm glad you understand. Now, let's get back to enjoying our time here! We're wasting valuable practice time!

This family has plenty of baggage, but they crave connection and have a great capacity to support each other. Though their backgrounds may be different, there's so much for them to learn from each other as they lead their respective nations and become a loving family. I'm so glad that FEH gave them a chance to finally get to know one another and share the affection they deserve.

#fire emblem #tellius #fe10 #radiant dawn #fe heroes #fire emblem heroes #sanaki #micaiah #micaiah fire emblem #sanaki kirsch altina #long post

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peaches2217 · 6 months

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your mareach family headcanons are everything. they're so cute! i wonder, how would luigi and peasley take to being uncles? would they even start wanting one of their own, or will they just pledge themselves to be the best uncles this kid has ever had?

I am so happy someone's actually interested in my Uncle Luisley concepts because I keep having to omit Peasley for the sake of wider applicability and I am so ready to not do that

(@mrspockify if it's okay, I'd like to use this post to answer this ask of yours too, since there's so much overlap!)

Luigi, of course, is absolutely thrilled. Mario has wanted kids pretty much his whole life; now he's getting that chance, and Luigi's gonna have a little niece/nephew/nibling, and by their power combined that's gonna be the safest and most spoiled kid in existence! There's a lot of jumping and shaking each other and whooping and hugging and it's just an absolute spectacle. (I... may or may not have a fic in the works. 👀)

Since he's Prince Consort of the Beanbean Kingdom, Luigi lives about an hour's flight from Toad Town. He visits regularly to bring gifts or to make sure Mario's not running himself into the ground worrying over Peach's health or just to see what else he can do because he's so excited! Whenever he's home, he'll often make checklists of things the parents-to-be may or may not need and set out to gather everything before his next visit, be it practical items like bedding or nursery supplies or more sentimental offerings like a collection of their mother's best recipes (Peach has been wanting those recipes for ages now, so really it's long overdue). He even briefly tries to take up sewing so he can make the tot some clothes (with... disastrous results, admittedly. Such a tiny needle... so much blood...).

Peasley's initially a lot more indifferent to the prospect of being an uncle. He's happy for their friends, truly, but the news doesn't stir him the way it does his husband. But he doesn't remain indifferent for long, and that's because Luigi is absolutely radiant when discussing/performing his perceived duties as an uncle. Peasley worships the very ground he walks upon. Anything that makes Luigi this happy is bound to make him equally happy in short order.

Being an only child (and a little out-of-touch if we're being honest), he has no idea what being an uncle even entails, so he just goes along with all of Luigi's ideas: bedding? He'll have a dozen hand-stitched silken pillows and blankets commissioned because the little royal deserves only the best! A cookbook? He'll have one penned by a professional scribe on the finest parchment, because Mama Mario's legacy shan't be recorded on anything less! They're wanting name suggestions? How about we spend the whole night tossing ideas back and forth, my love? There's a dusty old parlor a few halls down; let's turn it into a nursery so the baby will have a comfortable place to stay should babysitting duties befall us! Admittedly it's still less about wanting to be a good uncle and more about ensuring all of Luigi's desires are fulfilled to the utmost, but hey, he's still a great future uncle by proxy, so that's what counts, right? 😆

They do inevitably discuss having children of their own somewhere along the line, what with the topic being so relevant now. They will at some point need to produce an heir, biological or adopted or unrelated yet entrusted with the title (Peasley is trans, meaning biological children is an option for them). That said, they ultimately decide they're happiest on their own for now; if they decide they want a child somewhere down the line, then that's a bridge they'll cross when they come to it. They've got a good fifty years, stars willing, before they have to worry about who will take over after Peasley, so they're not in any rush.

Queen Bean, on the other hand, isn't getting any younger, and the Mushroom Kingdom's upcoming arrival is a stark reminder of that. Her son and son-in-law proudly show her the parlor-turned-nursery that they've spent weeks renovating, and as they prattle on about all of the luxuries they've equipped it with for a baby that's not even their own, she can't help but feel exasperated.

She pulls her boys in for a hug, anchoring a massive hand on each of their shoulders so they can't run away. "I trust this nursery will one day serve my grandchildren, yes?"

Peasley shoots Luigi an apologetic look, fighting back a wince. Luigi's just trying not to laugh. "We're... discussing it, mother," Peasley finally says.

The Queen smiles placidly and pats them both. "Discuss it faster."

#in summary:#luigi is hella gratuitous in his excitement and peasley is his enabler #they’re both going to be incredible uncles 😌#peaches has opinions #tw pregnancy #luisley

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canonicallyobserving911 · 1 year

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Buck & Eddie: The Legal Guardianship, Icebergs and Reverse Uno Cards

Icebergs are large blocks of ice that were previously attached to glaciers. They’re found in oceans and their actual sizes can’t be determined just by looking at the part that’s seen above the surface because sometimes it’s smaller than the larger portion that’s below the surface. Therefore, when the captain of a ship sees an iceberg, they must change the direction in which the ship is traveling or risk crashing into it which could cause the ship to sink, i.e., ‘The Titanic’.

Eddie’s will can be equated to the bottom of an iceberg because it’s always lying below the surface. It’s huge and if it’s ever enacted it will be life changing for both Buck and Chris because it would mean Eddie has died, Buck will become Chris’ legal guardian/dad and Chris will have lost another parent.

Why am I comparing Eddie’s will to an iceberg? It’s being compared because it’s relevant to the conversation Buck and Natalia had at his loft in 6x17 “Love is in the Air”. Let me explain.

Eddie’s will has only been mentioned once in CANON and that was when he revealed it to Buck in 4x14 “Survivors” one year after he made the change. Neither of them told their significant others about it and they haven’t been shown talking to their families about it either. Eddie didn’t tell AF about it while they were dating and Buck didn’t tell TK while they were dating.

Therefore, the question is, why didn’t they tell them? If Buck and Eddie are just platonic bros like the show keeps trying to make the GA believe, it wouldn’t be an issue, right? No, it wouldn’t be so the idea of them just being platonic bros, best friends and/or work partners can’t be the reason.

Here's the issue I found with Buck and Natalia’s conversation in 6x17.

Buck only told Natalia about his past relationships after they bumped into LD at the bar and after TK appeared on his TV discussing her tell all book about the 118. He told her he would explain everything over dinner and after he did, he said he knew it was a lot and she agreed but then she said she guessed she could be a lot too.

She was willing to continue doing whatever it was they were trying to do until the next interruption happened. Please note, Buck didn’t have to tell Natalia about the sperm donation but he chose to after Kameron showed up at his loft unannounced.

The part some viewers may have missed is Natalia prepared to leave BEFORE he told her about his sperm donation. Why is this important?

It’s important because she said she could deal with his past and at the time she may have meant it but the issue was his past wouldn’t stop returning and that made her feel some type of way about it. It appears Natalia became overwhelmed when Kameron started complaining about the baby being on the way and how Connor was freaking out. It’s possible their conversation made her uncomfortable and she decided to leave, which she had every right to do and she may have been trying to excuse herself without making a scene but it was clear she didn’t like what she was hearing.

The interesting part is even though she stood up from the table before Kameron said she needed a place to stay, it probably means she already thought the situation was awkward and she couldn’t figure out why a pregnant woman would come to Buck instead of going to her friends or family to tell them about her problems. Then when he finally told her about the sperm donation, she said it was a lot and she needed a minute to think. She grabbed her purse, thanked him for dinner and told him to take care of himself the same way TK did at the end of 5x18 “Starting Over” followed by her leaving.

It was their second date and he didn’t have to tell her anything but he decided to reveal the sperm donation on his own without her asking. That was very mature of Buck because he didn’t have to mention it especially since Kameron didn’t say anything about the baby being biologically his but the caveat is Buck still didn’t tell her everything.

If the fact that his past constantly returning was a lot for her to handle and the sperm donation sent her out the door, how is she going to handle it when she finds out about the legal guardianship? It’s a VERY LARGE DETAIL of his life that he didn’t mention, it’s been below the surface for more than two years and if it’s ever enacted, both his life and the life of whomever he chooses to be in a romantic relationship with will change forever.

So why didn’t he tell her about it?

The answer is because THE WILL means more to both Eddie and Buck than the show is willing to allow them to admit. If they ever talk about it, they’ll have to admit what it means and it appears they aren’t ready to let Buck and Eddie go there yet. Let’s be real, their jobs as firefighters are dangerous and they could die while they’re on a call which means if Eddie has NO INTENTION of changing his will, they’re significant others should be made aware before things get too serious so they can make an informed decision. They don’t have to mention it during the second date but it’s a conversation worth having and they’ll have to decide when to say something.

If the speculation for 6x18 “Pay it Forward” regarding one of them (Eddie) being lost and almost dying again is true, then maybe they’ll finally be forced to talk about it and deal with it.

The point is Eddie never mentioned it to AF while they dated, Buck didn’t mention it to TK while they dated and he didn’t mention it to Natalia either which means there has to be a reason. The legal guardianship continues to be this huge life altering decision that figuratively resembles the bottom of an iceberg and it remains below the surface but neither of them are talking about it.

It appears the show is using the legal guardianship like it’s a Reverse Uno Card they could drop into an episode at any moment because those cards change the direction of the game the same way Eddie’s will can CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF BUCK AND EDDIE’S RELATIONSHIP.

Will Buck and Eddie be ready to confront everything they’ve avoided talking about for the last 5 years in 6x18? Only the showrunner(s), writers and producers know the answer to that question.

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diana-bookfairchild · 1 year

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@hinnymicrofic May Prompts Day 17: Lessons

TW: A kind of teacher and student relationship. Both are of age, Harry is only a temporary instructor and this is pre-relationship but it's there.

Ginny had never loved lessons more.

Auror Harry Potter – temporary Duelling Instructor, but she felt calling him Professor would be contradictory to her efforts to seduce him – had been suspended for not obeying orders in the field. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for her, his superiors and Dumbledore had cajoled him into teaching at Hogwarts.

She’d heard him grumbling about it to Ron plenty of times.

Ginny was really glad she’d opted to take Duelling lessons during her Charms mastery.

She’d known Harry for ages, of course, but being four years younger than him had not inspired him to see her as anything other than his best friend’s little sister, the seven-year-old who had had a debilitating crush on him in their childhood.

The one triumph she’d had had been last year, when at Christmas at the Burrow Sirius had hung enchanted mistletoe and Harry had had to kiss her. The way he’d stared at her after their brief kiss had given her a spark of thrill right down to her toes.

Now she was twenty-one, three years into her five-year Mastery. She had no desire to see him kicked out of his job, of course, so her seduction master plan was very subtle.

But she thought it was working.

His suspension was for six months – half of which had already passed, so he wouldn’t be her Professor for much longer anyway.

He didn’t act as much of a Professor to her either. She’d stayed back after the lesson to tease him about his duties as best man in Ron and Hermione’s upcoming wedding. He’d gotten some chocolate biscuits out for them to share.

She munched as they discussed the temporal translation theory. Neither of them were experts, not being Hermione, but it was relevant to both Aurors and Charms, so they were knowledgeable enough to debate it.

“You’re coming to the Burrow for Christmas, right?” She asked.

“Yeah, most likely. I don’t think Sirius has anything special planned.” He answered.

Ginny laughed. “Mum might kill him if he does without giving her any notice.”

“You have a point; I’ll have to warn him.” He watched her, and Ginny licked the tips of her fingers as she finished her share of the biscuits. She felt his eyes on her and the sensation made her heart flip. “You know, I don’t get why you picked duelling as one of your classes.”

She shrugged. “It was one of the electives, it’s pretty relevant to my focus, and I’m fairly good at it.”

Harry smiled faintly. “I’d say more than just fairly good.”

Something inside her buzzed at the compliment. She ignored it, and tried to make him feel as he had her. “Well, I had an excellent teacher.”

Harry stilled. “Miss Weasley—Ginny,” he started. “I know what you’re doing.”

Ginny inclined an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”

He considered her. “You’re trying to seduce me. Your Professor.”

A heady mix of fear and thrill passed through her. “How in Merlin’s name did you get that idea? I’m not trying to seduce anyone.” She was succeeding at seducing, so that was true.

“Don’t lie to me.” Harry sounded very unimpressed.

She sighed and made a show of giving up. “Fine. But not you. There’s this guy in class – Gareth Overcliffe. He’s—”

“A Herbology mastery student. I know,” Harry growled, and Ginny observed with delight the – was that jealousy? – that leaked into his voice and eyes. He gathered himself impressively quickly, but he was an Auror after all.

“Right, I suppose you would,” she said blithely. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to gauge if he’s interested in me.”

If you’re interested in me.

Harry looked amused now. “I feel I need to remind you that I’m a trained Auror and can detect feelings and lies pretty well.” Their eyes met, and he broke the gaze a few seconds later. “And what if he isn’t interested in you? Will you stop the … seduction?”

There was a tone change. He seemed slightly uncertain, poised for disappointment.

Well, may as well set him straight.

Ginny looked up at him cockily. “Oh, I can assure you, there’s no chance of that.”

#hinny #harry potter #fanfiction #fanfic #hinny microfic #harry james potter #ginny weasley #teacher student #sort of #pre relationship #flirting

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humornaut · 10 months

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A Silly Little Post Regarding Mari's Birthday

Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a bit, but I kinda wanted to throw this here. I've spoken about it on both Twitter and Reddit, so this is just rehashing stuff I've mentioned before.

Mari's birthday. Officially, it is March 1st. This makes sense as a little joke, since it shortens to Mar1! However, there is something that has always bothered me about this.

143, as I've mentioned before, is a big number within Omori. If we take Mari's stated birthday, and count the days to Sunny's birthday (which is interestingly the date of the moon landing, a fact that is drawn attention to in Breaven), we get 142 days.

Why would Omocat, someone who is seemingly so fixated on this number, stop this date one number short? We may be able to assume that the non-Sunny or Basil birthdays weren't decided on until after the game was completed, since there are no references to them in game, but still. Was the reference to Mari's name that important?

What if the information that we have been told regarding Mari's birthday is incorrect, or otherwise misleading?

Taking a Leap

There is something special about March 1st. It is the day after the last day of February. Not just February 28th, but February 29th. Consider that someone born on February 29th of a leap year would almost always celebrate their birthday on March 1st. For all intents and purposes, 75% of the time, that would be when their age officially changes.

Had Mari been born on February 29th of a leap year, then length of time between the date of her birth and the date of Sunny's birth would be 143 days, and still allow her to have the "Mar1" reference most of the time! However, I would not mention this in a post like this if this were just a neat idea. I believe there is some evidence for it!

A Quick Note on Hero's Age

Before getting into the evidence directly, I would like to bring up something regarding ages in Omori, and how we understand them.

Within Headspace, Hero says that he is 15 years old. That means we can place him at 15 pre-canon, and 19 in the current day, right? This is how most people interpret it. But I have an issue with it.

When Hero returns during Two Days Left to see the hero sandwich that was purchased for him, he makes the following comment:

What this tells us is that this is Hero's second summer back from college, at least. Why is this relevant? In the United States, where the game takes place, your average person turns 19 during their freshman year of college, and 20 during their second year. Considering Hero's January 1st birthday, this should actually make him 20 during the game's events, and 16 for most of the pre-canon events that we see, with the notable exception that he would be 15 during Christmas. Considering Hero's over-achiever status, one could possibly make the assumption that he simply skipped a year, explaining him being 19 but in his second year of college, but we should also take into account that we are directly told that he barely left his bed for about a year "even for school". Even graduating on time would've been a big ask, and skipping grades isn't all that common to begin with.

There are three much more likely explanations here, in my opinion:

Hero's age within Headspace is taken from Christmas/before most of the events of the photo album, explaining why he would be 15. Of course, the photo album exists within Headspace, which Basil didn't receive until after Hero's birthday, but this could simply be Sunny's mind cherry-picking. It makes sense that he would generally want to remember his interactions with his friends prior to when the violin entered his life. Regardless, this concept is impossible to confirm, as to my knowledge, the age of Aubrey, Sunny, and Basil are not discussed, so we wouldn't be able to go off of them being 11.

Hero's birthday inconsistency can be chalked up to no one other than Sunny or Basil having a stated birthday in the game itself. It's most apparent with Aubrey's birthday, where Basil took pictures of an event only two days after, but never mentions hers, implying that the other characters simply did not have concrete birthdays prior to the publication of the birthday chart.

At some point in development, the ages of the younger kids in the album were switched from 13 to 12. We know this because an earlier version of the album messages exists within Omori's files. From this, we might also extrapolate that Hero's age was also reduced from 16 to 15, and they simply forgot or didn't care to correct the line implying that he has been in college for two years.

Ultimately, there is no actual evidence for any of the potential explanations for this inconsistency. However, we should also consider that there is no actual evidence that Hero and Mari are even the exact same age! We take the fact that they are as a given, but Mari's age is never discussed like the rest of the group. Considering there are multiple mentions of her taking college prep courses leading up to the incident, but none for Hero despite his over-achiever tendencies and similarly future-minded parents, we could very well assume that Mari is actually a year ahead of Hero.

Whatever you believe, I did want to bring this up while discussing Mari's birthday, since it likely does play into how much you buy into this. I also believe that it is relevant that Mari be 4 years older than Sunny, for reasons that I will discuss later.

The Evidence

I would like to acknowledge that there is nearly zero direct evidence either inside or outside the game to support or deny the idea that Mari was born on February 29th of a leap year. Basil skips her birthday in his album, absolving him of having to comment on any weirdness surrounding it, and we have not yet had Mari's birthday happen on a leap year for it to be commented on otherwise.

Of course, the 143 connection could serve as evidence in of itself, but is there anything more?

Well, for this to even be possible, we must be able to show that Mari could've even been born on a leap year. How do we do that, when specific years are never mentioned?

Well, for one, we know that at the very least, pre-canon happens in the 90's, due to Hero's portrait in Last Resort. In addition, there are several days in the album that have to be school days, and March 9th and March 10th must be a Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Without getting into too much detail, this leaves us with two possible years for the year of the photo album: 1991 and 1996. Using various circumstantial evidence such as the kind of technology we see represented, which of those dates would be closer to Omocat's childhood, and some merch related evidence involving the Hooligans jacket, I'd like to focus in on 1996 as our date, though this can also work for 1991 with the evidence we have.

If we work off of the assumption that Mari was 16 years old when she died, then that means that she would've been born in 1980. That's a leap year, showing that it is possible that she was born on that date! Of course, this doesn't work if you believe that she was 15 when she died, but 15 would also work if the game takes place in 1991. However, I do believe that we are to believe that Mari was 16 when she died. Consider the following:

Mari is born in 1980; a leap year, her birthday to July 20th is 143 days.

4 years later, Sunny is born in 1984; the length of time with their birthdays is 143 days.

12 years later, the year of the album. Mari turns 16 and Sunny turns 12; their birthdays are 143 days apart.

4 years later, in the year 2000, Sunny leaves his house. 143 days from her birthday to his.

Of course, it still does work if Mari is 15 and the game takes place in 1991 pre-canon, but I think the four year age difference is relevant as well, due to how it lines up above, plus Hero being in his second year of college implies that the common interpretation of Hero being 19 in the real world sections of the game is actually inaccurate.

None of this really adds up to anything for certain. However, we are about half a year away from the first time Mari's birthday has happened during a leap year since the release of the game, and I would very much argue that the appearance of this number is not accidental.

#omori #omori spoilers #omori analysis #omori theory #birthday #omori mari #omori hero #omori sunny #photo album #i will be vindicated in 2024 #set your notifications now

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theonevoice · 7 months

Text

Warning: Ineffable tragedy ahead

I was fidgeting with the possible implication of this post by @aduckwithears and this post by @newfangledfancy because there was something in this sword discussion that hooked my little fanart brain. But as I was mentally sketching ideas I'm afraid I managed to grasp the mental image that was vaguely floating in the back of my mind since the beginning of this sword detail speculation.

It was Gaetano Previati's painting inspired by the episode of Paolo and Francesca in the Canto V of the Divine comedy.

Paolo e Francesca, Gaetano Previati, ca 1887.

If you don't know the episode, it tells the story (an actual historical episode that, at the time, caused such an outcry that some historians compare it to the public reaction that followed Lady Diana's death in the 90s) of a married woman who secretly falls in love with his husband's brother, who secretly loves her back, and for a while they manage to bury their passion, mainly by denying it and not acknowledging it even with themselves. They suppress their feelings so violently that they become dangerously unaware of them, and one day, while they were alone together "without any suspicion" (of their possible fall, so sure they were to have canceled their mutual attraction - but of course it's telling that they chose to spent time together, away from anyone else), they start reading a book about, of all things, the legend of King Arthur, and when they come to the part of Lancelot kissing Guinevere, they are suddenly overwhelmed by their feelings and kiss (here it's were I remind you of the two little figures, one black and one white, kissing in the theater during the title sequence of s2: passion ignited by fiction, be it a novel by Jane Austen or a Richard Curtis movie). And right away they are surprised by her husband, who kills them both with a single stroke of his sword.

This is how Dante tells the story (Francesca is speaking here, and the most relevant part of Dante's retelling is that she and Paolo are depicted as "one character split in two" - I don't need to explain how this is linked to our ineffable husbands) [tentative english translation below]:

"Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende, prese costui de la bella persona che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende.

Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona, mi prese del costui piacer sì forte, che, come vedi, ancor non m’abbandona.

Amor condusse noi ad una morte. Caina attende chi a vita ci spense. [...]

Noi leggiavamo un giorno per diletto di Lancialotto come amor lo strinse; soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto.

Per più fïate li occhi ci sospinse quella lettura, e scolorocci il viso; ma solo un punto fu quel che ci vinse.

Quando leggemmo il disïato riso esser basciato da cotanto amante, questi, che mai da me non fia diviso,

la bocca mi basciò tutto tremante. Galeotto fu ’l libro e chi lo scrisse: quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avante."

Love, that quickly seizes the gentle heart, enthralled him with the beautiful person (1) that was taken from me, and the way (2) still insults me.

Love, that forgives no beloved from loving back, enthralled me with his pleasure (3) so strongly, that, as you see, it still doesn't leave me;

Love brought us to one death; ⁠Caïna (4) awaits him who quenched us from life. [...]

We were reading one day, as a pastime, about Lancelot, and how love seized him; we were alone and without any suspicion (5).

Many times that reading made us raise our eyes, and turned us pale, but only one point was able to overcome us.

Whene we read of the desired smile being kissed by such a lover, this one, who never from me shall be divided,

kissed my mouth all trembling. ⁠Galeotto (6) was the book and he who wrote it. ⁠That day we did not read it any farther.

[sorry if it sounds clunky, I tried to translate the words in a way that conveys also the most widly accepted interpretation of certain passages, but it's still an allegorical poem from the XIII century... here's some notes to clarify a couple of points:

(1) "beautiful person": to be intended as both body and soul.

(2) "and the way": meaning the way in which they were murdered.

(3) "his pleasure": meaning the pleasure of being loved by him.

(4) "⁠Caïna": one of the 4 regions that form the deepest circle of hell, where traitors are punished (the Caina is the place where traitors of their own family are held, named after Cain).

(5) "without any suspicion": meaning they were so sure to be able to control their feelings that they did not "suspect" themselves of giving in to their passion.

(6) "Galeotto": the Italian name of Galehaut, a knight of the Table Round who is responsible for arranging the secret meeting of Lancelot and Guinevere.]

#good omens #good omens 2 #crowley #aziraphale #good omens thoughts #ineffable tragedy #good omens speculations #ineffable lovers

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greater-than-the-sword · 8 months

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hi! I always find your takes on things really interesting and mentally stimulating, so I'd love to know your opinion on this one: recently I came across the take (from some generally very conservative and reliable Christian theologians/bible teachers, not reddit crackpots or anything like that) that the concept of "friendship" is not biblical, but that the only really biblical structures for human relationships are within a family context, specifically marriage and siblinghood. (now, a caveat: the people discussing this were doing so within the context of a greater conversation about some odd things that have happened within the side-b movement, but I still think that's a pretty extreme claim to make at any rate?) would you have an opinion that you'd like to share about this? personally I think it's a little weird and extreme to denounce friendship as a whole amongst Christians.

Sorry I got caught up in watching this video. I consider the 3 people in it to be very decent sources, indeed, though I'm much less familiar with Christopher Yuan. I had planned to read his book but haven't read it yet.

Mrs. Butterfield has a very interesting perspective on SSA issues given her background. I don't necessarily agree with her on everything, she has a few strange takes, for example she also espouses a view on "exclusive psalmnody", that is, claiming that Christians shouldn't sing hymns or other christian music, but ONLY the psalms because they are in the Bible.

Ironically, she HAS written a lot of stuff on the need for closer Christian community and relationships, so it may be that she is here attempting to "balance" this stuff or something.

So... looking at this video they start off addressing not "friendship" as such but a very specific concept called "spiritual friendship", which is a terminology used by specific groups. Now, I hope these guys are misunderstanding what's going on here because I would love to believe the best of the folks who are a part of this movement. But what they're attacking is actually this idea promoted by an organization called ReVoice that it's a good idea for SSA people to form these "covenental" relationships with a person they're already same-sex attracted to. He also mentions that the book says some people in these relationships "embrace non-sexual romance". It's also been described by some as a "sexless marriage".

Before I get into it one other thing I like about the video is that Rosaria makes a really great point about Gnosticism and "secret knowledge". The idea that there need be this new terminology or "neologisms" and concepts whose spiritual meanings are known only to the initiated and that they can only be understood because by those who have unique personal experience is a very gnostic idea.

And one thing Christopher Yuan is very correct about is that from this (Side B) movement there is a great deal of messaging ambiguity, which is a major complaint of mine as well about that movement.

Then they get on to this part of the video where it's discussed how some people think intersex conditions existed prior to the fall, which is a bizarre claim on its surface since these people are frequently very sick from their condition, as well as obviously the "He created them male and female" line. But that's not as relevant to your concerns.

But I understand why you feel concerned about aspects of the video & the messaging.

That's because isolated from the context of SSA, none of the things mentioned are actually bad things to do with your friends. Cuddling. Celebrating important dates. Even living together, or in communal settings (as much as they dunk on it because it's inspired by the monasteries) or moving from place to place together. So when does this become unhealthy? I don't wanna give an "I know it when I see it" answer but. I think it's when a person has a temptation and they're not fleeing that temptation, instead they're trying to see how close they can get without going over.

So like yes. Individuals called to celibacy can struggle with community and need to form strong communities, and I feel like it's adding to the Bible to arbitrarily condemn the forms this takes. (That is, to condemn communal living would be adding to the Bible.) Again I feel like also this conversation is missing an honest look at pre-20th century norms which might include unrelated adults called "Uncles" or "Aunts" living with a family (surprising number of cases of unrelated household members getting, "adopted" as it were or at least that's my impression). None of this stuff should be considered intrinsically related to sexuality in my opinion. By contrast, the concept of "romance" is intrinsically related to sexuality.

(As an aside, Yuan totally butchered the term "bromance" - this is an older term that actually has nothing to do with homosexuality, it's an ironic/humorous term for an emotional or close friendship. It's fallen out of general use now because people take the idea of friendships becoming gay too seriously and therefore the ironic intent is lost.)

Then later Rosaria Butterfield gets to the part about excessive androgen production in people with XX chromosomes, and her response to this is, "Or maybe the fall just caused us to desire things that God hates". My response to this is really, "does she even know what the word intersex means"?

To me those last two points contribute to my general sense that the commentators are willing to speak without fully knowing what they're talking about.

Back on the topic of "friendship", you have to realize that even if all Christian relationships ARE to be defined in a family context, we ARE family. All Christians are brothers and sisters. So I don't see that as limiting. [maybe this is the closest thing to an answer to your original question]

Personally my views are marked by the fact that I do NOT see a smooth continuum between "friendship" and "romance", as it is not a matter of degree but of nature. That's why I say "I know it when I see it." SSA creeping into a friendship will corrupt its nature in a way that any degree of closeness will not. I don't see any way of policing this by policing people's actions. It is not an external sin, it is a sin of the heart.

However, you can often realize people's intentions based on the words that they speak. I would urge people to distinguish their conception of close friendships from this terminology related to sexuality, marriage, or romance.

#christianity #side b #side x #friendship #asks #note.#they confessed to not understanding the line about 'disability theologians'#but i know what that was referring to #and its worse than they think #the book they were critiquing is saying that some disabilities would have existed pre-fall #as in #like blindness #because it's an identity characteristic #therefore it would be 'offensive'#to call it a result of the fall #which i strongly disagree with obviously bc its antibiblical

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