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prorevenge · 5 years

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Coworker tried to get me fired over breast implants, so I pulled a reverse uno card.

4 years ago now, when I was 24, my mum died of breast cancer, and as both my grandmothers had also died of it I saw a specialist for a screening. I found out I had some cells in one of my breasts that could have turned cancerous at any given moment.

I was told I had a few options:

I could have regular screenings every 3 or 4 months until it does develop into cancer (I was told the risk of the cells becoming cancerous was very high due to family history) but it could also potentially never could turn so I'd just be getting these screenings for no reason

I could get a single mastectomy on the breast with the bad cells, but they'd need to keep an eye on the other one, so I'd still need regular checkups for the other breast

I could get a bilateral mastectomy and remove all of my breast tissue, basically eliminating the risk.

I went for the bilateral mastectomy. It was admittedly the most drastic option but after seeing what cancer did to my mum and grandmothers I didn't want to risk it.

I was warned about scarring but told it should be fairly minor. It wasn't and I was left with 2 huge, pink, jagged scars on either side of my chest, each about an inch long and half an inch wide, and it caused me to go into a severe depression, where it got to the stage of me not even leaving my flat because I didn't want people to see me, throwing out my mirrors, and getting physically sick looking at myself.

I went to a therapist, who suggested a plastic surgeon. The therapist said they'd never normally do that but it was clearly something I was struggling with and I might never get over it, and the therapist could see why I struggle with it. Although I'll admit the therapist did send me to ask about scar reduction. The plastic surgeon suggested a cream, a laser or implants. The cream didn't work, and the laser was both expensive and risky, so I went with the implants. My natural boobs were an F cup so I went with a slightly smaller DD. Since then my mental health has improved and I feel a lot better about the way I look. My confidence has gone up, as has my self esteem. I know I shouldn't put so much into my appearance but I wasn't exaggerating about these scars. Huge, bright pink, jagged, raised, just really awful to look at and I hated seeing myself, and they are now nicely hidden away and you can barely feel them.

In the present day, I'm 28 years old and working in an office. I'm doing a lot better than I was. My coworker, Jill, found out I'd had a boob job (but not about the cancer thing), when myself and my friend from years before the mastectomy were planning a holiday and she made a joke about me going on a plane with my implants, and Jill overheard. By the end of the day, the entire office knew I'd had a boob job, but not why, and half a dozen people confirmed Jill had told them.

Over the next few months Jill made many "jokes" and comments about my chest to coworkers when I was in earshot, at one point saying I had "more plastic than Barbie" and calling me "fake in two ways". I didn't hear this one myself but a friend in the office told me that Jill had at one point referred to me as a "sack of silicone".

IDK what her problem was exactly but at one point she mentioned the NHS so I assume Jill thought that I'd got my tits done for free on taxpayer money (I'd gotten the mastectomy on NHS but gone private for therapy and implants).

I asked her to stop more than once, but unfortunately the places I'd talked to her were places like the lift and the women's bathroom, where there weren't any cameras, and Jill just kept making comments no matter how often I asked her not to. I wouldn't say it was every single day, but I heard at least 3 comments per week for 3 months.

I hit my breaking point when me, Jill and a few other coworkers were having lunch, I referred to something as being shallow and Jill said "you'd know all about being shallow" while gesturing to my chest. I snapped.

I said "do you know why I have these? A few years ago the doctors found potentially cancerous cells in my breast tissue, I was advised to get a mastectomy and was left with huge ugly scars on my chest. I went to see a therapist who sent me to a cosmetic surgeon, who advised me to get implants to hide the scars, and I did just so I could look at myself in the mirror without crying. So maybe next time you want to judge someone for having cosmetic surgery, you should ask them why they had it first". And feeling like that was a mic drop moment I picked up my food and left.

For the rest of the day I had about 1/3 of my office come up to me and offer support, and the rest tell me that Jill was just joking around and I was being a bitch. I replied that Jill was being a bitch long before I was.

I then got an email from HR saying they wanted to talk to me the following day, and when I called for clarification they mentioned a "hostile work environment" (note: this is apparently an American term and holds little weight in England but it's what was said over the phone). I knew the person who signed off the email and I'd spoken to. Her name was Debbie, and she was Jill's friend in HR so I was fairly confident on who had reported me.

I realised that if this was already being sent to HR, I needed as much ammunition as possible, so I went about collecting my information.

As Debbie had dealt with me so far, it was safe to assume she would be the person reviewing the complaint with me, and if that was true I was fucked. However, I vaguely remembered a section on complaints that was in my contract when I first signed with the company. I flicked through the contract and there was a part in complaints section that said I was contractually allowed to request a change of reviewer if I felt my allocated reviewer was biased. It was called an "impartial overseer". I photocopied the page and highlighted that part.

Then I messaged the people who had offered their support over facebook, and said basically "HR have asked to see me. Do any of you remember Jill insulting me to your face and are you willing to write and sign something saying what you heard and when?". Not everyone was willing to help as Jill is somewhat feared in the office due to her befriending HR and management but about 20 people were willing to help me.

I guessed roughly when I'd asked Jill to stop previously (the 4 asks over the last few months, some timings were easy to guess as they'd happened on my break or when I'd first arrived at work) and I wrote them all down, along with a rough time of when the lunchroom confrontation happened and a list of names of who was there for the lunchroom confrontation.

I got to work slightly early the next morning. I went round everyone who had messaged me and most of them managed to give me a printed and signed letter (some didn't manage to write one but nbd). This isn't exact words as there's 16 letters to sum up here but the gist was:

"My name is [their name]. I work with Jill Lastname and OP. On [date] at [time] (approx), I spoke with Jill Lastname, during which she referred to OP as [quoted insult]. I felt this was inappropriate as it directly related to OP's appearance and am willing to go on record further to establish that Jill Lastname has been discussing OP in the workplace in the same manner for 3 months now, causing me discomfort and creating what I feel is a hostile work environment. Signed [their name]"

I wound up with about 16 letters, all from different people, and one of them was in the lunchroom for my conversation with Jill. Some even had bulletpointed lists of everything Jill had said to them about me or other people, as it turns out Jill has issues with a lot of people's appearances. She apparently made comments about one coworker's weight, and something antisemitic about a different coworker's nose, all of which were put in these letters. There are about 45 people in the office so while 16 wasn't a majority, it's still a decent amount. The letters weren't hugely long, most were only a paragraph, but they had all the necessary information.

I was asked to come to HR at 10am. I took the letters from coworkers, the photocopy of the page in my contract, and my dates and times in a little folder with me.

I got there and Debbie was the one overseeing the interview. She got up from her desk, ready to lead me into another room.

I immediately turned to the other HR worker that was currently there and said "so is my meeting with you, then?"

Debbie said "no, you're with me."

I replied that this wouldn't sit well with me, as "my contract states I have a right to an impartial overseer" and as I said this I took the contract page out of my folder. Debbie read it (I wouldn't let her take the paper when there was a shredder so close by) and said she could be impartial. I replied that I really didn't mean to be a pain, but I had it on good authority that the person on the other end of this complaint is her friend, and my contract does say I'm allowed an impartial overseer.

Debbie stomped off to get Supervisor. Supervisor asks how I know she can't be impartial and I tell him that I have it on good authority that the Jill, who was on the other end of this complaint, is a close friend of Debbie. He asked Debbie if this was true, to which she only replied "I can be impartial".

Supervisor took a deep breath, asked the other HR rep to come with him, and the four of us all went to review the complaint. I thanked them for being so accommodating (I was worried I'd annoyed them), Debbie took out the complaint and all 3 of them went through it with me. Debbie looked homicidal the whole time the interview was happening, as she had clearly anticipated firing me (or at least recommending me being fired).

The interview went something like this. It took like over half an hour and they kept asking me the same questions but phrased different ways so this is a really drastically condensed version.

Q: You said outside that you think Jill Lastname reported you. Why is this?

A: Jill has had an issue with me for about 3 months now

Q: Why didn't you come to us when you realised Jill had an issue?

A: I had no issue with her

Q: What issue does Jill have with you?

A: Four years ago a specialist identified potentially cancerous cells in my breast tissue. I had surgery to remove my breast tissue, thereby removing the cells and the risk. After the surgery I was left with large scars on my chest. I went to a therapist for low self esteem and depression. The therapist suggested a plastic surgeon who suggested breast implants to cover my scars. All of this is in my medical history which you have a copy of in my file and my full permission to review. Jill found out about my breast implants but didn't know about the cancer. Jill had a problem with my breast implants, and decided to communicate this problem to our coworkers.

Q: Why do you feel this is true?

A: Here's 16 signed statements all from different coworkers, all testifying that Jill told the entire office I'd had breast implants on the day she found out and has since made comments about these implants frequently. They have quotes of what Jill said to them about it and rough dates and times.

Q: Rough dates and times?

A: No one knew this would be escalated to such an extent so no one really took notes as and when it happened.

Q: What event or events do you think directly led to this complaint of harassment?

A: For me harassment began when Jill told everyone about my breast implants without my consent, but as to the complaint placed against me, it would probably be what happened at about [time] yesterday in the lunch room. Jill made a comment about me being shallow while gesturing to my breasts and I replied by giving her an abridged version of my relevant medical history and ending with a comment about the importance of getting the full story. There are cameras in the lunch room, so I'm sure you'll be able to find that conversation. I'll admit I could have handled the situation better, but after 3 months I felt I had to put my foot down. Here's a list of names of people who were also present. There were 6 people at the table, including myself and Jill. One of these people is also in those letters, and has written their account of the conversation and signed it.

Q: Had you had a conversation with Jill prior to this regarding her comments about you?

A: Several, spaced out over the last 3 months. Each time I communicated to her that I felt uncomfortable and upset with these comments she was making and would appreciate it if she were to stop.

Q: To your knowledge, was Jill made aware of your former cancer at any point in this time?

A: No. It wasn't mentioned in the conversation with my friend she overheard and I didn't tell her because frankly it's none of her business and I did not feel the need to detail my medical history to a coworker in order to avoid further sexual harassment.

Supervisor stands up and says "well I think we're done here". He shakes my hand and sends me back to my desk saying that I'd hear from them after they reviewed the evidence (letters, CCTV, medical history and anything they had already) and made a decision on the case.

I got back to my desk, pulled up my CV, and prepared to start the job search again.

About an hour goes by, then the person who wrote the letter and was there for the lunchroom conversation gets called for a meeting with HR. They come back 10ish minutes later.

The other people who were also there for the lunchroom conversation get called one by one, except Jill. All of them are gone for about 10 minutes then come back, find a coworker, and say that HR wants to see them.

Then the people who wrote letters but weren't there yesterday are also called one by one and are each gone for about 10 minutes each, some longer, some shorter. By about 3:30 it looks like everyone who wrote a letter or was there in the lunch room has been interviewed.

Then, finally, Jill gets called in. She's gone for about 30 minutes and comes back fuming. She glares at me while I work, but I ignore her.

4:30ish, Jill gets called into HR again. 5 pm rolls around, everyone is either leaving or getting ready to leave, when Jill storms back into the office. She glares at me the whole time she packs up her desk. She then starts telling anyone who will listen that I got her fired before shoving her way onto the lift.

An email comes in from HR. My case is closed.

(source) story by (/u/3240278189)

#prorevenge #by /u/3240278189 #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

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RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Strings”

Happy Saturday, RWBY friends! I am, quite obviously, going to dive into the recap in just a moment, but first I wanted to take a short detour to discuss the elephant in the tumblr room. Namely, Supernatural.

For those of you out of the loop, the tl;dr is that a fifteen year, beloved show ended with a truly horrendous finale. Specifically, the finale rejected everything that the show had been building towards: the logical conclusion to character arcs, the theme that “family don’t end in blood,” the potential for a queer romantic relationship… I could go on. The point I want to make is that the fandom had every reason to believe we’d be getting these things. This isn’t a case of fans upset that the finale didn’t go the way they wanted as an individual viewer, but rather that the finale didn’t go the way the show clearly and explicitly said it would. It’s not an exaggeration to say that in many respects, viewers were straight up lied to.

(I recommend reading the reviews.)

What does this all have to do with RWBY? Well, I can’t help but think that history is repeating itself. Certainly there are some notable similarities between the two series. Both have long, meandering plotlines with no clear end in sight (though I hope RWBY doesn’t reach the 15 Volume mark…). Both began with a small, core cast, but quickly expanded—generating the expectation that these now equally important characters will be given their due. Both have moved from the small conflict of fighting everyday monsters to a god-based mythology. Both have a popular queer relationship dangled in front of the viewers, featuring scenes where they’re “obviously” in love… but will it ever be confirmed? Both have a fanbase that says loudly and confidently that the writers know what they’re doing. Just wait! It’s all been planned! We’ll be rewarded for our patience and soon all the naysayers will be proven wrong.

Thing is, the Supernatural fandom wasn’t rewarded. Right up until a week ago those fans—myself included—had faith that the writers knew what they were doing because they can’t really be that out of touch with their own story...right? It’s not possible. Yet they were, it was, and now that I’ve gotten solid proof of precisely how far a show can go to reject its own logic, themes, and premise, that just makes me more wary of RWBY’s mistakes. Before I had a solid faith that things couldn’t possibly get that bad, that no matter how much RWBY might be messing up in the short term, it will undoubtedly pull it together overall, because what show wouldn’t? Especially a show with such promise and, at times, wonderful storytelling. Well, Supernatural didn’t manage it and frankly I’m not sure what to do with that information.

Seriously. I don’t have any grand conclusion here. It’s not my intention to suggest that anyone should stop watching RWBY, or to claim that it will absolutely fail because Supernatural did. Obviously, we don’t know what will happen until we get to see it in the show. I only want to acknowledge these parallels and the similar journey I see both fanbases on. I can’t help but wonder if, a couple years from now, RWBY fans will be making incredibly optimistic posts about how it’s all coming together, just have some faith, everyone who says that the group won’t get a satisfying ending, or Blake and Yang won’t be confirmed are just mean trolls… only to wake up that Saturday morning and get another metaphorical slap in the face.

It’s something to think about.

But here I’ve spent a page talking about the wrong show. Let’s get into the episode!

We open on a black screen with lots of ambiguous noises. At first I thought this was Oscar struggling in the Hound’s grip or something, but then I remembered that RWBY likes to insert an episode between cliffhangers. I watched Ironwood (presumably) shoot a guy and he only came back this week (though that question still isn’t answered. At this point I kind of wonder if it will be). Oscar was kidnapped last week, which means we won’t get to see him until next week. Or… two weeks from now? RT skips the week of Thanksgiving, don’t they? Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Something horrible happens to Oscar and we need to wait two weeks to find out how it’s resolved.

Watch him escape the Hound off screen and return to the group with a new outfit 😂

So it’s not Oscar we hear, but Ruby, the last one coming out of the tube. Weiss is in the process of pulling Nora’s ear for that stunt… with a frankly strange looking hand. What’s up with RWBY animating weird hands lately? I’m pretty sure that’s not how anatomy works.

Anyway, Nora counters that this was a “Once in a lifetime experience,” but they were all going to go through the tubes regardless. Weiss isn’t pissed that you sent her through, she’s pissed that you did it unexpectedly when she was alone, heading into enemy territory. But of course, there’s no one in the room to hinder them, so the mistake is meaningless.

We’re setting the tone again though. For the first half of this episode everything is sunshine and giddy adventure, which doesn’t fit the situation at all. It also creates emotional whiplash when I’m suddenly supposed to be super worried about things later on. This sort of about-face works once in a blue moon, as an emotional punch, like we see in Mulan:

But RWBY does it every other episode, which makes the overall tone of the series confusing instead. Half the time RWBY feels like two different stories—the cartoony tale of girls going on fun adventures, and the traumatic tale of a fantasy war—that have been badly spliced together.

“Alight, Robo-Girl, which way?” May asks and Penny demonstrates why she’s the best for sneaking into a facility. She’s able to map out the whole place, including seeing where everyone is so they can avoid detection. Kudos to RT for going this route. I was worried that they would have Ruby and the others straight up attacking Atlas grunts, knocking them out/potentially even killing them because who cares, right? They’re the bad guys! So I’m glad they’re working to get in and out undetected. Granted, we see in some places that they’re clearly willing to fight the soldiers if it comes to that—they’re reaching for their weapons when Penny opens the final door, expecting the room to be full of people. They were going to attack—but at least they’re trying to lessen that conflict as much as possible. That’s the sort of choice I expect to see from heroes and I’m glad we got it here.

After scouting the area Penny corrects May: “And my name is Penny,” to which Ruby gives a satisfied “Heh.” I’ve got no problem with Penny rejecting nicknames, even potentially well-meaning ones, because she’s always struggled with her status as a real girl and her name is her own. She gets to decide what others call her. I do, however, have a problem with making the presumed trans character the one who is corrected. Granted yes, we haven’t gotten confirmation in the show that May is trans, but RT doesn’t get to cash in on that rep without likewise suffering the consequences for how the character is treated. You’re telling me that a trans woman is going to roll her eyes when someone asks her to use a specific name? Please give May flaws, yes, she’s a person, but out of all the millions of flaws across the human spectrum, this is the one we’re shown?

Not to mention Ruby’s continued attitude. It’s like, ‘Yeah, May. Stop being a horrible person who draws attention to the fact that Penny is a robot. I never did that.’ Except when Ruby first met her she didn’t know Penny was a robot. Just like she didn’t know Blake was a faunus—something we’re reminded of this episode. We might assume Ruby wouldn’t have ever made any missteps at the beginning of these relationships, but the fact remains that she got to know both girls before their minority status was ever revealed. Ruby loved them before she ever had to grapple with their differences.

Put in her place, May then demonstrates that she can make lots of people invisible, not just herself. That’s handy. She creates an invisibility bubble that reminds me of Harry’s invisibility cloak. In the sense that others might not be able to see you, but they can still hear and touch you, which makes sneaking around still pretty challenging.

No sooner have I thought that then two guards get into the elevator with them. The group keeps quiet as the duo discusses how no one can get close to Salem’s storm without “getting shocked right out of the air.” Interesting. And frankly one hell of a roadblock if the Hound escapes into the clouds. Oscar may be gone for a while if he doesn’t escape on his own... The woman also comments about how creepy it is that all the grimm are just hanging out, waiting. It’s “worse than if they’d attacked.”

No it’s not! RT, stop trying to implement the idea that Salem withholding her forces is some epically cool choice. She should have decimated everyone by now and the fact that she hasn’t just shows how transparent the problem is: you’ve created a villain that’s too powerful and now you don’t know what to do with her.

As the group sneaks out of the elevator Nora grins and presses all the buttons, which is, as expected, a dumb move. They’re supposed to be sneaking into this base. If they’re caught they’re going to be thrown in jail at best, killed at worst, but Nora wants to risk that for a practical joke? Again and again we see this insistence on incorporating comedy where it’s not only unnecessary, but actively interferes with other aspects of the scene.

Reaching a terminal, Penny inserts her finger and gains access via Pietro’s credentials. She’s really demonstrating this episode why she’s… pretty terrifying? I mean, Penny is an incredibly powerful fighter with a computer’s view of the world, access to everything in the most powerful Kingdom alongside its information, and she now has Maiden powers to boot. Which, I should add, it took her one fight to master (because remember, the heroes are now always as strong as they need to be to win…). Now that Watts is planning to hack her, I expect her to be an incredibly formidable enemy, just given the amount she could potentially do. I think Penny herself is too kind to exploit all that potential and as we’ll see via Pietro briefly taking control, she doesn’t always have the knowledge to use the tools at her disposal. But in the hands of someone like Watts? He’ll turn Penny into the ultimate weapon.

Access granted, they learn that they have to go “Right through central command!” Of course, Penny makes it sound like a fun game and the spy-movie music/cartoon lecture doesn’t help. Again, tone. It’s adorable! It just doesn’t fit sneaking into a military base with your lives on the line while Salem waits outside. That was a RWBY Chibi moment.

Penny explains—twice—that Ruby can use her semblance to fly them all through central command and it’s treated like a revelation. At first, I was pretty confused because Ruby has been dong this for ages? She carried Weiss in “Argus Limited” and Nora during the Geist fight. But upon close inspection, what Penny seems to have “figured out” is that Ruby can carry multiple people at once because the “mass doesn’t matter.” Okay. Not a contradiction then, though I think RT could have made it a little more clear that Ruby was shocked at the idea of carrying multiple people, not carrying someone at all.

What I do take issue with though is Ruby mastering this skill instantaneously. I mean, why is Ruby being forced to try this on the fly (pun not intended)—Penny has known the layout of the building since they made this plan. She knew they had to get past central control and that it would be packed with people. She’s obviously thought about Ruby’s semblance a great deal—and why is she succeeding? Give me a Volume 7 where Ruby actually trains in this technique, set up via Harriet’s comment early on about her semblance, and then she’s victorious here when it finally matters. Or give me Ruby assuming she can pull off this incredibly difficult skill only to fall out of her semblance halfway through, a roomful of Atlas personnel staring at them. Then what?

Not this.

This is a character who does everything perfectly on the first try without ever having to fail. Ruby is boring like this.

Crisis averted, we transfer to Ironwood who is… working with Watts.

What else is there to say? I’ve already laid out all the reasons why this is stupid and makes no sense. Others keep coming onto my posts to explain to me how Ironwood’s awful deeds up until now fully show his decent into villainy, conveniently ignoring the numerous limitations he was under and his choice to do what he thought was best for the world using inaccurate information. Ironwood was always a divisive character and many are happy to ignore the years’ worth of deconstruction done—a man who looks like the Evil Military General but actually isn’t—because they never liked him to begin with. Not liking him is fine, no one has to like any character, but I’m honestly shocked by the number of viewers who refuse to acknowledge how bad the writing is, even if it means defending a character they hate a teensy tiny bit (#SupernaturalVibes). As a friend put it, Ironwood now feels like a caricature of his former self, a Pure Evil Ironwood who appeared out of nowhere and is now here to stay. He shoots kids. He shoots unarmed civilians. He teams up with Salem’s men and tries to hack Penny. These are undeniably horrible acts, they’ve just been given to a character who never would have done them until RT randomly flipped the Evil switch.

The “RWBY” tag, alongside all the fluff moments of this episode, is now filled with posts encouraging Marrow to turn, yelling at the Ace Ops for being “bootlickers,” and capslock screaming at anyone who dared to speak up for Ironwood. It still sucks to have bad writing twisted into an attack on the fans and it’s going to continue to suck until at least the rest of Volume 8. I’d like to again remind everyone that Qrow teamed up with Tyrian a few episodes, yet because he’s again in Ruby’s graces, that was twisted into a ‘not that bad’ situation. The issue isn’t really that Ironwood is teaming up with one of Salem’s subordinates, but that he’s doing it to go against RWBYJNOR… the second a character teams up with Salem to get what Ruby wants (to not have her team in jail) then that’s totally fine… but that’s a wrinkle a lot of people are happy to ignore.

So yeah, Ironwood is an idiot now too. Like Qrow also was last Volume. He really thinks Watts isn’t going to betray him somehow? Although, I do wonder if the chance to ruin Pietro’s creation outweighs his loyalty to Salem, but the point is that Ironwood can’t be sure of that either. At least he’s smart enough to keep Watts under continuous guard. He puts his hand on Watts’ shoulders and goes, “I’d hate for us to have to try motivating you. Again.”

So he tortures people too now? Like I said, caricature. This was Ironwood and we were given no clear idea of where he disappeared to.

RIP a great character.

Watts notices though that Pietro has apparently accessed a secure area and alerts Ironwood to it. I laugh that the information is just ¡EMERGENCY! In large, red letters. Ironwood immediately makes an announcement for everyone to be on guard. It’s a level 3 lockdown — that won’t impede the group leaving via airship! — and they’re to use “lethal force” if necessary. Weiss is disgusted.

As much as I disagree with making Ironwood into a shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy — he’s definitely wrong to be doing this — I also find myself rolling my eyes at reactions like that. Yes, Weiss. You attacked four operatives until they were knocked unconscious. Prevented an entire city from escaping Salem’s wrath, endangering them all. Now you’re breaking into the most classified room in the Kingdom to steal an equally qualified project and use it for your own means. There’s no reason why Ironwood would level his might against you. Is death still an extreme response? Yes. Should Weiss be acting like Ironwood is crazy for responding to them in an extreme manner? No. Her remark makes it sound like Ironwood is attacking her poor, innocent, defenseless team… not the team that’s been lying to him, betraying him, attacking him, and stealing from him. Not the team carrying deadly weapons into a facility to take what they want at any cost.

With their presence known, May wants to go grab an airship. That’s the series now.

Meanwhile, Penny insists that they can still complete their mission and we see Nora come up with some sort of plan.

Except, what plan was this?? What did she say to the group? ‘Hey, let’s wait around until some guy conveniently walks by with a full cup of coffee. Then we can trip him and the mug will fly alllll the way across this gap to land on a terminal, startling at least two workers. Except this guy will be hated by the whole room because he’s always messing things up—his coffee mug has been changed from #1 Dad to #1 Dud—so that this little mishap will create a ruckus that gets everyone involved, giving us the opportunity to slip by them all.’

Seriously, what? This kind of “plan” only works with someone like Clover, where we know he has a good luck semblance and thus all these unlikely pieces fall into place. I could absolutely buy Clover smiling smugly, working under the knowledge that he just has to wait around a few minutes and something will come along that works entirely in his favor. But Nora? How did she know any of this would happen? Obviously she couldn’t have, so what exactly was their intention if this coffee carrying, hated guy didn’t show up? RWBY, your contrived plots are showing.

I do, however, love the grimm Jaws poster. Jaws is an absolute favorite of mine, so seeing a reference to it in RWBY? A funny one at that? It almost makes up for how bad this episode is lol.

Because frankly I’m bored. The group sneaks around, criticizes May and Ironwood, briefly confuses me about Ruby’s semblance knowledge, and gets through tons of Atlas personnel in the stupidest way possible. I have to watch this guy running out of the room with coffee on his pants screaming, “WHHHYYY???” and he doesn’t notice the five girls standing right next to him. It’s silly. It’s boring. Luckily for RWBY, things are about to pick up in the second half.

After Ruby gets them upstairs and the final room is also conveniently devoid of people, Pietro takes control of Penny—including yellow possession eyes like Oscar has with Ozpin—and he...gets Amity started. That’s it. After a whole volume of ‘It’s not finished yet’ and ‘We barely have the resources’ and ‘Robyn stole what we were using to do idek what with’ he presses buttons for a while and they’re in. How good for them!

I do love that Penny calls Pietro “Dad” though. I’m here for the android-father relationship.

While Pietro works we turn to Blake, Weiss, and Nora. Blake tries to convince the audience that Ruby and Yang had an actual fight with, “I’ve never seen Yang and Ruby fight like this.” Yeah, because no one in this group has ever said the sliiiiightest thing against Ruby, so you all read the tinniest disagreement as a “fight” to be worried about. I mean, doesn’t RT have friends to draw inspiration from? They’ve never disagreed about Huge and Complex Questions before? Never gotten pissed and then shrugged it off the next time you want to text? RWBY’s idea of a diverse friend group feels like many other writers’ idea of a sibling relationship: anyone with an actual sibling goes, “What is this?” Speaking of, Weiss explains that sisters often have “very different ideas about what’s right” as if, again, people don’t have different ideas? Just in general? Why is this suddenly a sister thing? She’s clearly thinking about Winter, but doesn’t actually bring it up, so all we’re left with is the same situation we had last Volume. Weiss thinks she’s right, Winter is wrong, and they’re just going down their separate roads because there’s definitely no reason to re-examine any choices here. It’s all static.

Until Winter betrays Ironwood, of course.

Nora tries to reassure Blake that the group will be fine (ha) even though they’ve split, the irony being that we, the audience, know they just got wrecked by the Hound. Jaune is a great leader though, Oscar has grown so much, Yang could defend them all in a fight, and Ren… well, she can’t think of anything to say about Ren. I hate the Nora is acting like Ren has drawn away from her for no reason, after she chose to kiss him—without consent—rather than listening to what was bothering him, then proceeded to pretend that this mystery problem never existed. What does she expect? I do, however, like the general acknowledgement that she doesn’t know who she is without Ren. Who is Nora? Someone who is “strong and hit[s] stuff?”

See, this feels like RT writing self-consciously because Nora doesn’t have much of a personality. Oh, on a surface level she’s bursting with it, but past the bubbly exterior? That single layer? We can add maybe one thing to this “Likes Ren, is strong, hits stuff” list: she’s funny. That’s it. Anything else we might add like “she’s loyal” or “she’s kind” is just a generic characteristic of this entire team. They’re all meant to be crazy talented good guys and even the “is strong” aspect is suspect when others frequently pull off attacks as showy as Nora’s hammer hits. So who is she? What are Nora’s dreams? What are her hobbies? Her fears? Her history? We’ve seen a single flashback of her on the streets and one scene back at Beacon where she listens to music and reads a magazine. Seven years worth of material and that’s it. There’s a reason why the go-to, non-combat action for Nora in fics is “makes pancakes.” We know so little about her still.

So I was excited for a brief, shining moment. Yes! Explore who Nora is outside of being strong and hitting stuff! … and then her big action this episode is, as she says, being strong and hitting something. Don’t get me wrong, outside of that setup it’s pretty epic. I like Nora going to those lengths to save Penny and I absolutely love the repercussions of the choice: a broken aura, passing out, and badass lightning scars all over her arms and neck (especially when women often aren’t allowed to accumulate scars in visual media). That’s pretty damn awesome. It’s just that it comes on the heels of the story insisting that Nora is more than this, that we’ll learn something new about her… and we haven’t. This is indeed cool, but we already knew that Nora was willing to crazy lengths by hitting things really hard. That’s already her established norm.

At least this moment has some really nice characterization alongside the stupidity. The conversation between Ruby and Penny is just plain stupid. Penny wants to stay to help with the evacuations, but Pietro says she should come with him in Amity. Why? As Ruby says, because then she’ll be up in the sky and Salem won’t be able to access the relic.

That’s what Ironwood wanted to do! We could have had this conflict episodes ago with you all working with him! I really can’t with this cast. Also, the rest of this is still confusing. I thought pretty much everyone was in the slums by now, so what evacuation are they talking about? Do they plan to evacuate everyone in Mantle out of the kingdom somehow… like Ironwood wanted to do with Atlas? And why are they acting like Amity is evacuating some people too? I thought they were just using it as a communication device? To add insult to injury, Ruby then contradicts herself a minute later when she tells Harriet that Ironwood can’t have the relic because “Salem will find her way to the relic no matter where you go.” Ruby, if Salem can access the relic high in the sky she can also access Penny in the sky. If you believe that literally nowhere is safe then why are you sending Penny away under the claim that she—and via her the Relic—will be safer? If you want Penny in Amity to lessen the chance of Salem getting the Relic, why can’t Penny be in Atlas while simultaneously (hopefully) getting a whole slew of people to safety?

I’m continually confused by this “plan” of theirs. Their claims just flip-flop according to what (supposedly) contrasts them with Ironwood. Even though that’s not actually the case.

Penny is me, sad while watching this train wreck of a scene.

So yeah, the Ace Ops are here. I’ve wondered since the trailer why Weiss looked smug while everyone else was startled. Turns out it’s because of her line, “So, your first time losing to us wasn’t enough?” I can’t express how much I dislike all the girls’ personalities now. I want to shake some compassion and humility into them. Plus, they never should have won that fight in the first place. Marrow yells, “We were holding back!” but coming from the team’s weakest member it reads as defensive. Like we’re supposed to go, ‘Lol yeah right, Marrow. Just admit you got your ass kicked,’ even tough the Ace Ops should have wiped the floor with them, holding back or not. That’s my biggest takeaway from this fight: it’s the reverse of what we should have gotten. The Ace Ops should have beaten Team RWBY with ease and struggled greatly against an android Maiden, not falling before a bunch of teens and succeeding against Penny if not for Nora’s timely breakthrough. Your half-trained cast of growing heroes should not come across as more powerful than an intelligently designed weapon now wielding magic.

Before the fight starts we get a whole lot of lines that are, frankly, frustrating. Vine tells Penny, “I thought you were supposed to protect the people, not hurt them” which is true enough. Penny is taking action that is putting a lot of people in danger, regardless of the fact that Ruby is at the helm. Problem is, the Ace Ops then blame her for Winter’s injuries and “stealing” the power? That’s not the issue here. The issue is Penny’s blind loyalty to Ruby, but by having the Ace Ops back a stance that is clearly inaccurate—Penny didn’t cause Winter’s injuries, Cinder did; Penny didn’t steal the powers, she was encouraged to take them—it makes them come across as Very Evil people who will twist things to make poor Penny look like the villain. Even if this is a case of Ace Ops having bad intel (which seems unlikely. Wouldn’t Winter have told them what happened?) RT has avoided letting the Ace Ops take a justified stance here because that would make them look too sympathetic… even though they do have multiple justified stances to take. Like, ‘Hey, stop keeping half a kingdom here where Salem can easily kill them all’ or, ‘Hey, why did you spend months betraying Ironwood and then turn on us instead of trying to find a compromise?’ Even, ‘Why did your uncle help kill our leader?’ There’s plenty that the Ace Ops should be rightfully pissed about, so choosing Penny and Winter out of everything feels like RT is firmly backing them into Ironwood’s corner: you’re just bad now and bad people blame innocent girls, rather than acknowledging the actual wrongs done against them.

So we have Ruby contradicting herself and the Ace Ops backing warped ideas that make them look worse than they actually are. Adding to the stupidity is the fact that Elm mentions that Winter is in “critical condition” and Weiss… doesn’t care. Harriet then tells Ruby that she’s “throwing [her] in jail right next to your uncle, runt” and... Ruby doesn’t care. Qrow is missing and Ruby just found out he’s been captured by Ironwood, yet there’s no reaction whatsoever. This show continues to go hard on the ‘screw adults’ mentality, huh? Ozpin needs to keep quiet and is horrible for coming back. Ironwood is now a cartoon villain. Winter made the wrong choice so no one cares about her anymore, not even her sister. The Ace Ops remain enemies despite trying to talk things out. Qrow? Barely know him. Who’s he? This is a Ruby loves Penny episode. There isn’t enough emotional nuance for her to care about him too.

The sad thing is I adore Nuts&Dolts. In a different context these moments would be a goldmine for me.

If anything, this episode feels worse than the majority of last week’s because there are good things here that have been thrown into a bad setup. I can’t get excited for the group’s battles when I see who they’re attacking. It’s hard to squee over Ruby hugging Penny when she doesn’t react to Qrow. Watching Nora go all Thor feels like it only has half its potential when it’s coming out of a very messing, ‘I’m more than just being strong and hitting things… which is why I’ll continue being strong and hitting things.’ RWBY has excellent moments set into a terrible story.

The fight, at least, is exciting. The Ace Ops goad Penny into stepping away so they can trap the rest of Ruby’s team—smart—and she’s forced to hold her own while Weiss tries to break through with her knight, then Nora overloads the system. To be frank, I’m not great at analyzing combat. Not unless I’m looking for something specific like whether a win is justified. I’ve already mentioned above the broad issue of the Ace Ops very nearly beating the most powerful fighter next to Salem herself, yet failing so spectacularly against Team RWBY. Outside of that context though? I really enjoyed this. Lots of tight action, creative attacks, teamwork, some emotional pauses throughout… it feels like a pretty solid battle. Put it on Youtube as a clip, outside of the rest of the story’s messiness, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic watch.

We can’t stay in the combat forever though. During all this Weiss calls the Ace Ops “cowards” for making it four vs. one. You know, RWBY should really just do away with dialogue and make the show purely action because the cast frequently sounds so stupid when they speak. Like her comment about Ironwood’s lockdown… really Weiss? ‘Yes, we might be wanted criminals who betrayed this group in the worst possible way, but how dare they not do the honorable thing and have three of their teammates sit out while trying to capture us? Even though the girl they’re trying to capture has magic. I mean, the nerve of them!’

Weiss, at this point I’m not sure how to explain to you that the people you’ve made into your enemies do not owe you a fair fight.

Another detail: we get to see Ruby fall off the edge of the walkway and this time she remembers she can fly! A definite improvement from Volume 6.

Finally: by the time Penny’s eyes go full Maiden in Elm’s grip, I think we’ve seen everything from our trailer. Episode 4 will truly be a mystery.

Ironwood has, of course, been watching the fight this whole time. When it looks like the Ace Ops will lose against the team he means to send in reinforcements, but Watts says he has “a message for your operatives.” Instead of capturing Penny they steal one of her swords instead, ending with a shot on Marrow looking conflicted.

Because remember, there’s no actual moral grayness in this story. The protagonists are right and everyone else is wrong. It’s (supposedly) black and white. Which means that if the Ace Ops have any hope of surviving this Volume and being seen as anything other than evil bootlickers, they have to join with Ruby. Marrow seems primed to do that.

Am I surprised? No. Disappointed? Always lol.

May has the airship ready to go and they fly off… despite the shields. And the lockdown. Consistency? Who’s she? Nora is said to be “in bad shape” and after another hug Penny leaves to hide in Amity, even though Ruby thinks that hiding is a useless, cowardly choice. Just not when she and her allies choose to do it.

We end the episode with Watts receiving Penny’s sword and making the statement, “If you can’t beat them… then make them join you.” I have to say, his cheesy villainy is something I continue to enjoy, even if it’s heavy handed at times. Watts is just fun. I do have to say though: if Penny is hacked, what does that say about her agency? We double-downed on the ‘real girl’ narrative by giving her the Maiden powers, but she’s simultaneously synthetic enough that a single piece of her can remove all autonomy? It once again feels like RT isn’t sure what point they’re trying to make, they’re just chucking a lot of themes at the wall and seeing what sticks. Still, we’ll have to let it all play out before making any judgements.

And that’s it for this week. It seems like this is a slightly shorter recap than normal, though that may be because I struggle with discussing pure action sequences, which made up a decent chunk of this episode. I’ll no doubt return to the Ace Ops vs. Penny fight when I’m not on a self-imposed, one day deadline for posting. The only thing left is to update the Bingo Card, but I don’t think we made any headway this week. So... good job, RWBY?

I’m still going to hold off on the civilian’s square until Salem’s army actually attacks, as well as the two day timeline square.

No Winter this episode

Watts is teaming up with Ironwood which is… so much worse than him teaming up with Jacques again. Does a square get an X if the canon is even worse than what you assumed it would be??

Maria was mentioned this episode. Jury’s out on whether she’ll actually do anything.

Atlas is still standing, we knew Penny was heading towards a hack so it’s not much of a cliffhanger, no Qrow, no Ozpin, no Neo or Cinder.

It certainly looks like we can check off “The team gets Amity up and running,” but let’s just see if there are any problems next episode. If the problem is only ‘We would have launched it if not for Salem’s attack’ or something, I’m checking it off. The point is it would have worked.

I’m also leaning towards “More obvious Blake/Yang implications without confirming a relationship” given Blake’s heart-to-heart with Nora… but let’s see if the Volume does anything more egregious.

All in all (and perhaps despite what I’ve written above), I don’t think it’s fair to totally drag this episode. As said, this feels like a strong episode in a bad story, something that I would have LOVED if a) Salem weren’t here and b) the ‘ethical dilemma’ wasn’t boiled down to a ‘Team Ruby is good’ and ‘Ironwood and everyone associated with him is evil’ situation. It’s an episode whose tone and character action belong in a different version of RWBY. If you gave us this fun episode in an earlier Volume against a Pure Evil antagonist? It would have been great.

Ah well. It is what it is. Expect more emotional whiplash when we come back and everyone learns that Oscar has been kidnapped by Salem’s talking pooch 🙃

See you then! 💜

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby strings #mymetas #rwby recaps #apologies if this Recap is messier than normal #I have a zoom meeting in five minutes lol #gotta go fast!

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princessofgayskull · 5 years

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There's something incredibly powerful to me about the episode Reunion that I think is so interesting (tw: homophobia and transphobia)

The episode itself is receiving high, well deserved praise for it's portrayal or George and Lance, representation of a married gay couple of color that stands out like an oasis in a desert of terrible or no representation. Within the storyline is woven in the powerful, thinly veiled metaphor of coming out to your parents and facing the very possible reality you could lose everything with the words "mom, dad I'm ...."

But it's not the only metaphor for coming out/being closeted in the episode.

Bow, who could be easily confirmed as trans on Twitter tomorrow and it could fit exactly with everything aspect of his coding and story, comes out to his parents who hate the rebellion, the war, and the soldiers as a leading member of their resistance. He has to, as his fathers demand an answer as to why he brought She Ra and Princes Glimmer into their home and then knew exactly how to defeat the monster adora activated. When he does so, he is visibily expecting rejection and misunderstanding, but he is met with boundless acceptance as well as unconditional love and support.

If anything, it's the best outcome a closeted kid could hope to receive as well as a lesson to any parents possibly watching with their kids: this is how you should react if you're kid were to come out and ideally, say something like George and Lance did.

But unfortunately, it's not always the reality.

While Bow struggles throughout the episode to keep his secret, Catra is in the Frightzone hiding one of her own. Having lost Shadow Weaver, she knows that "it's over" for her if word gets out. She's already on thin ice with Hordak, one more crack and she's done. Catra is shown throughout the season to be seeking the parental figure she was denied, prioritizing Hordak's approval over everything and repeatedly going back to Shadow Weaver. But as was with Shadow Weaver, Hordak's approval and mentorship of Hordak is completely conditional. She may be looking for a father, but he's not looking for a daughter.

the audience understands the Whispering Woods library to be a kind and inviting place so it's not a surprise when bow's dads accept him, but they also know that the Frightzone is the opposite. Catra has been abused, physically and emotionally her whole life, and she's in constant danger now that she lost a crucial informant.

Scorpia promises her that her secret is safe, that not a word of it will the room there in, but Hordak has been spying on her. He outs her on the spot and then punishes her for lying to him- what would he have done if she had told the truth? Forgive her?- by making an attempt on her life.

To me, it was reflective of the violence many LGBTQ children are at risk for and experience in their own homes. Bow got a chance to explain, but that little demon snitched on catra and outed her. We know that she will probably be kicked out of the Horde, possibly stranded, and will most likely lose her connection to Scorpia, the only remaining support system she has left. How many kids are kicked out of their homes and left with nothing because someone they trusted revealed they weren't straight or cis? We know that she will survive, but the trauma will stay with her for possibly her whole life.

One of the extremely beautiful and attractive things about She Ra is that is normalizes the existence of queerness without the present dangers of homophobia or transphobia, but the show never forgets what ties it to reality. The writing relies heavily on coding characters, as was done with Bow. Catra is very heavily coded as wlw, and her being 'outed' is in my mind, a painful but important element to that aspect of her character.

Reunion is a reminder that while there are parents who will always love their children regardless of who they are, there is a flip side many face. It equates the parents who deny their children love and shelter based on their child's sexuality or gender to the Bad Guy- because that's the only rep they deserve. It's one of the reasons why She Ra is such an important piece of media, because it is a constant reminder that we are not alone in our fights and that there is hope.

I can't wait for Catra's arc going forward, and I can't wait until she drives the sword of protection into Hordak's back.

#i tried my hand at a meta how'd i do?#sorry if this is triggering #its just something i noticed about the episode #catra #bow #parallels

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jeredu · 5 years

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Axel: You sure you’re okay? I can see your-

Saïx: It’s none of your concern.

(Implied XemSai in the background)

I have some Saïx headcanons to share with a load of screenshots to illustrate, but some of those images are from KH3 (no story spoilers, just some outfit spoilers mostly), so read at your own risk. Thanks to @crystallineabyss for the gonial angle info!

So. Headcanon: Saïx | Isa is AFAB/DFAB

I’m not naive enough to think it would ever be confirmed, nor do I really think Nomura had a reason to do this deliberately, given Japan and Disney aren’t exactly huge proponents of positive LGBTQ representation. HOWEVER, I do think it’s possible that someone on the modeling team wanted to sneak rep in under the radar? Allow me to explain:

I’m not saying this is canon. However, the basis for this HC is 100% based on demonstrable canon facts, and only enhanced by a few theories/assumptions. I’ve tried playing Devil’s Advocate against myself to DISPROVE this theory, but every attempt I’ve made to find inconsistencies in canon material has failed, and I’ve instead only uncovered more and more evidence.

First and foremost is body type (hip alignment, weight distribution, etc). There is no denying that Saix (and Isa) have a very noticeable hourglass figure:

Evident in KH2, but consistent in all appearances, including Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3:

and

So that’s part of it-

This in stark contrast to, say, Axel:

His whole upper body is honestly built more similarly to Kairi, Namine, and Xion. But he hides it well with those huge padded shoulders.

Notably, he’s the only one with a chest with a profile like this.

I’ll compare his BBS model with Lea. Please also note the faux sideburns, the baggy clothing, and the coat worn in a way to disguise a narrow waist and wide hips:

Notably, this is Saix in the foreground:

His shoulder/chest/bust is all very similar to kairi, but here’s another angle;

Lastly, let’s talk about gonial angle. Many thanks to @crystallineabyss for this info:

Saix's gonial angle indicates he very likely would've been afab whereas lea's is definitely amab

The gonial angle is something that is used to sex a body - mostly skeletal remains. It's a trend that helps ascertain if someone was likely afab or amab in life An angle of under 120° is generally masculine, and one over 120° is feminine

I also want to mention that his nastiness to Xion in particular in Days could be some form of projecting internalized self hatred. He also sees her as a literal doll, calls her ‘it’. You get the idea. That’s not proof, but it definitely supports rather than refutes this, given how poorly he handles his own negative feelings in general.

Edit: @xigsai raised another good point; Saix sits with his legs crossed at the knee, which is often uncomfortable and uncommon for someone who is AMAB since uh. Things get squished. His sitting posture definitely stood out to a number of people I’ve spoken with as odd:

I could definitely dig up more examples but this honestly is plenty. The most baffling aspect is that nomura’s art also is in line with this theory, when i assumed he wouldn’t be the one pushing for this. It’s just ludicrous to think Japan circa 2005 would have deliberately pushed this agenda in a high profile, mainstream game. But the facts are what they are, and there’s too much evidence for it to be pure coincidence. It’s too consistent, ZERO inconsistencies, in fact.

Again, this is not CANON because it has not been confirmed. But it is a reasonable HC given the facts presented. Personally, I would love to have good, respectful representation. If one WAS going to do so- not with symbolism but just simply by inclusion, then Saix is a perfect example of how one WOULD do so. If you didn’t know, AFAB = assigned female at birth. I’m saying Saix easily could be trans masc, and all evidence supports it, but it has not been confirmed and likely never will be. I love him either way, tbh. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

EDIT: I have a few more images to add to this, just to illustrate the differences in body shapes-

NOT TO SCALE- Gummiphone images are NOT TO SCALE. Note that Saix’s coat IS unzipped, but like Larxene and Xion, the zipper hangs loosely enough that it appears closed, indicating that his HIPS are the widest diameter in contact with the coat (below his chest).

and lastly, here’s the side by side of the BBS image I updated in the body of the post:

#saix #isa #kingdom hearts #jeredu art #headcanon #theory #you don't have to subscribe to this theory #i've just legit never seen anyone else suggest it before

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randomnotesofmyown · 4 years

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Psycho Pass (17)

Episode 17 - Iron heart

Order was restored in the city, yet damages and losses had been done.

Agents of Division one assess the aftermath of the chaos that resulted in

1) destruction across the city, 2) Kagari unaccounted for, and 3) one enforcer of Division two took advantage of the chaos and fled.

Masaoka asked Ginoza if he thought Kagari would escape.

Tsunemori wondered if they had won. Kogami replied "Detective work is, by nature, about treating wounds. Our investigations start after there are victims."

"But at least with this lost game we were able to end in a draw. We just have to settle with that." "In the end, what did all that talk about the safety of the Sibyl system mean?" "A safe and perfect society is just an illusion."

"In this society, people depend on things that are convenient but also dangerous. Our government made us take risks. But the risks were dispersed and distributed so cleverly that no one was able to notice it."

"Everyone might have been looking the other way. Precisely because there was danger...they had to act as if there wasn't instead, in order to keep their sanity." ep17-07 "I don't like to lump people together when I speak, since everyone is different...but I'll generalize broadly here."

"They can unknowingly try to evade their responsibilities."* Then Kogami changed the subject, saying that "how they're going to judge Makishima...the problem is what happens next. It's a far more difficult and troublesome task than shooting a dominator."

"it's an undeniable fact that he committed crimes." Kogami said in a teeth-gritting voice. "In any case, we still have that idiot Kagari to worry about. He split off from us and went down to the basement. Why did the communication end there?"

Ginoza and the others were still assessing the damages caused by the chaos instigated by Makishima. Kunizuka noted that "a large number of people needing mental care...detention facilities overflowing with people...economic losses due to crippled city functions..."

"It's too early to talk in the past tense. There's still the matter of his sentencing... The judiciary has been abolished for a while now. It will probably be difficult to prosecute someone based solely on evidence" said Masaoka.

Masaoka, "Okay. Okay." Then, Ginoza got a call from the PSB Chief. The Chief told Ginoza that the cases Makashima was involved in would be investigated by a special team formed by the Ministry of Welfare, and it was thus out of the hands of the PSB.

The Chief continued saying that Makishima's case being a unique one, medical staff would have to be there whenever he is interrogated, and it was important to keep the information confidential. Ginoza tried to voice his opposition, "Makashima Shogo was very likely involved in various crimes in the past. In order for the facts to come to light, the PSB needs to be able to interrogate him!" "Are there any unsolved cases in those past crimes you mentioned?" "No...but..."

"No, he was disposed of." The Chief corrected herself. "Rather than being worried about an arrested criminal, you have a big problem at division 1, don't you? An Enforcer escaped...and he's still missing." Ginoza, "We still don't know if he really escaped." Chief, "The Sibyl system has already been restored. Enforcer Kagari hasn't been caught by the surveillance network because he's been steering clear of it as he moves about. As it stands, you'll be held responsible." "That's...uh..." When Ginoza told division 1 the Chief's decision, Kogami exploded.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like that?! You're an Enforcer!" Kogami, "This is not the time to discuss our positions! It's strange that we aren't even allowed to question him when we were the ones who arrested him, isn't it?!" "It wasn't my decision, if you want to complain..." "'If you want to complain, talk to the Chief directly.' Is that it?! I'm an Enforcer, there's no way I can see the Chief, is there?! If I actually march into her office, it's you who will be in trouble, inspector." Then, as Kogami walked out of the office, Kunizuka shut her eyes. Her eyes remained closed as she answered Tsunemori's question of what would happen.

Ginoza ordered the division to search for Kagari. "Depending on his actions, it could mean the end of the PSB for different reasons."

Makishima came to. The Chief greeted him, "It's been a while, Shogo. It's good to see you haven't changed a bit."

"I don't think we know each other." "Well, my appearance has changed quite a bit in the past three years, so...First, I need to offer you an apology. About the book I borrowed from you a while back...I lost it due to the troubles that I had to go through." Makishima took the book and was noticeably surprised. The person he lent that book to was Touma Kouzaburo.

Makishima asked the chief for confirmation. And the reply was

"When I heard that you fell into the hands of the PSB, I felt that it was terribly unfortunate. But...that face...plastic surgery...No, that's not it. Considering that body structure, you're a different person." "Your friend Senguji Toyohisa achieved whole-body cyberization, too, right? But artificial body technology that is this flawless hasn't been made open to the public."

"Nothing of the Touma Kouzaburo you know is left except his brain." "What's going on? The culprit of those grotesque serial killings that seriously upset society is now the head of the PSB? It's not even funny." "In a precise sense, that's not the case. I'm not the only Kasei Joshu, and I'm not always Kasei Joshu, either. Our brains are unitized so that they can be swapped easily. We always take turns using this body...Well...it also serves as a bit of a break from our everyday work. " "'We'?" "Yeah. I am only a rep. I was only entrusted with talking to you here since you and I are old friends. We've never shown ourselves to people, but when it comes to our name, we are famous in a manner of speaking. You should know it, too. People call us..."

As the two talked, a music played in the background. And I couldn't make out what it was.

Kogami and Tsunemori went to the basement of Nona Tower to look for Kagari. Kogami was certain that Kagari would not run off.

"Then, abduction...kidnapping..." "Or he was killed in a way that wouldn't leave any traces of his body. For example, using the Decomposer mode of the dominator or something." Kogami deduced. Tsunemori got a call from Ginoza and learned that a broken dominator was found. The fact that the dominator was located at least 20 km from the Nona Tower made Ginoza question the possibility of Kagari not being caught even once by the cameras.

Cut to the Chief and Makishima. Chief, "As for the incident this time, your aiming for the right target was just like you, to say the least. In fact, your friend was able to discover the truth." The Chief tossed Che's smart phone at Makishima. He saw the video and played it

"The Sibyl system is said to use a PDP model, an extensive network of supercomputers performing parallel distributed processing. It's not really a lie, but it's far from the truth. It's ability to utilize a knowledge base and to perform inferences were not achieved solely by speed gains in conventional computing. By parallelizing the system that was able to do those things and expanding it mechanically, it was just given massive processing ability, that's all. The fact is that a system that expands and speeds up its ability to think by incorporating human brain activity was already put into practical use more than fifty years ago. Precisely because we kept this technology secret and used it carefully, today our country is able to function as the only country on Earth ruled by law."

"By having about 200 of the 247 connected in sessions at any given time, we can continuously monitor and judge the Psycho-Pass of every single person in this country."

Makishima saw the moment Che died in the video and kept his gaze on the screen as the Chief continued her talk, "After all, the ability to judge using only mechanical programs is limited to stress measurements based on the Hue check at best. Specifying Crime Coefficients, which indicate a more profound human nature, requires a higher degree of thinking ability and judgment. "

"What a joke. Management of a fair society by machines...A society that doesn't depend on human egos...People accepted the Sibyl system because that's how it was presented. And yet, it was actually done arbitrarily by you, an aggregate of human brains?"

"No it is boundlessly fair. We judge and supervise people. We are already an existence that transcends mankind. This first qualification to be a constituent member to the Sibyl system is to have an irregular personality that doesn't fit in with mankind's conventional standards. Without aimlessly empathizing with others...without being lost to emotion...you should be able to oversee human actions from an outsider's viewpoint. Such talent is desired. For example, like the way you and I are." Makishima made an inquiry sound. "I too am a unique human whose Crime Coefficient can't be determined from his Psycho-Pass. Because of that, I've experienced a great deal of loneliness. A personality that cannot be measured even by Sibyl's collective intellect is called criminally asymptomatic. Those with this personality are distinguished from all citizens and have a new ideology and sense of values. By finding such valuable people and taking them in, the system has continued to expand its range of thinking and gained new possibilities as an intellectual form." And Makishima realized why Touma disappeared without being executed. "Yeah, I was added as a member of the Sibyl system. I was puzzled at first, but I was able to understand its splendor very quickly. Omnipotence achieved through the expansion of both understanding and judgment sharing one's cognition with other brains, I feel like I'm a prophet right out of a myth. I understand everything. I feel that everything in the world is under my rule. There's a limit to the amount of pleasure a person can obtain. But pleasure brought out by intellect is infinite. You can understand that, can't you?" "Yes. It's not really hard to imagine." "Both you and I have been isolated and oppressed in this world full of contradictions. But we don't need to grieve over it anymore. We should be proud of the nobility of the mission given to both of us as our fate. The time has also come for you to take your proper place!" "In other words...you're telling me to become a member of the Sibyl system?" "Your intellect and deep insight...those are qualities we eagerly seek out in order to further evolve the Sibyl system. It's not to say that we can't make you a member by force. But...'value exists only in the acts based on one's free will'...those were your words, right?"

Feeling fed up, Makishima shut his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he picked up the book and replied that he didn't find becoming a cog in a machine appealing. The Chief continued her persuasion. "Of course, this would not impede upon your independence as an individual. In fact, as you can see, I'm still maintaining a sense of my self as Touma Kouzaburo. All you have to do is say a single word, 'yes.' The operation will be completed on our way to the Ministry of Welfare using the equipment we have here. The Makishima Shogo known to the public will disappear with your body, but you will become one of those who rule this world with no one being the wiser."

"That sounds like the doctor in Balnibarbi," Makishima said as he got up. The chief was confused, and Makishima recounted the story of what that doctor do to get politicians with conflicting opinions to reconcile: carry out a surgery to transplant half of person A's brain to person B and vice versa. "Once that is done successfully, they could 'produce that moderation as well as regularity of thinking'. For the self-conceited lot who think that 'they come into the world only to watch and govern its motion', Swift writes that it is the most desirable approach. " Sensing that all the persuasion effort didn't pay off, the chief reached for the dominator hidden under the desk.

The moment Makishima saw the chief pointing a dominator at him, he threw the book in her face. Then he lifted an equipment and smashed it in her head, knocking her over before he proceeded to disarm her. "You probably thought I wouldn't resist until I knew where I was, but as usual, you aren't very careful."

"By saying that, you hinted that we're in transit. We're not inside the PSB, as I judged that I could escape." "Why? You should have been able to understand the joy of omnipotence and the pleasure of governing the world..." "Just like God?" Makishima went on, "That might be pleasurable in its own way, but unfortunately I'm not into being an umpire or a referee, as I can't genuinely enjoy the game if I were one." Makishima then sent the Chief flying.

She crawled, trying to grab the dominator. Makishima wouldn't allow it.

Makishima smashed an equipment onto the chief, who begged him to stop.

Makishima blew a hole on the plane and escaped.

Kogami got up from a nap, about to drink coffee when he felt Makishima appeared next to him.

Shocked, he leapt away. Panting, he looked at where he felt the presence of Makishima and saw no one. Then he received a call from Makashima.

"It's not something worth you putting your life on the line to protect. I just wanted to let you know that. Well then, I'll see you around." Kogami called Ginoza, and was told that the plane carrying Makishima reportedly crashed.

End of episode 17.

*The subtitle provided was "We can involuntarily try to avoid our responsibilities" However, the very sentence that Kogami spoke before this one still carried the hint that Kogami regarded himself an outsider to the society, and to the human race as a whole. It made no sense if he would go from seeing himself an outsider from one sentence to adopting an exact opposite attitude in the next. So I changed the translation of "自分の責任を回避する努力を無意識に行うことが出来る (Source of the transcription here)" a bit.

Comment 1) Things I noticed from the conversation between Kogami and Tsunemori. Kogami distanced himself from the society he observed, he didn't consider himself a member of the society he lived in; he considered himself an outsider. Tsunemori, on the other hand, regarded herself a member of that society.

2) The conversation between Makishima and the chief touched on multiple topics. And it took me quite a bit to figure out how to summarize it. Makishima and Touma were similar in the sense that they both saw themselves outsiders to the human race and, with their level of intelligence, they did not see other humans on equal footing. The difference between them, though, was that Touma still yearn for recognition and wanted to be worshipped. It would satisfy his vanity even if that came from people he thought were beneath him. And in the process of playing God, he actually came to care about the world. Makishima was not one who would take up the burden of becoming God for those who lived like livestock, those he considered humans in shape only, and their worship was worthless. He want to find meanings, and he wanted to be entertained by seeing others acting on their own free will, making their own decisions. Sibyl, being a system that took care of everything for everyone and made things effortless and meaningless for everyone, was precisely what Makishima wanted to destroy. The knowledge that Sibyl system was a congregation of human brains only made Makishima despise it even more.

#psycho pass

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couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name · 7 years

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"crazy detention stories"...go

They’re really not that crazy I don’t think but fine- but as I had detention at least once a week for 3 years you’re only getting the highlights here:

So again, I only ever got detentions because I was late to school basically every day. Every single day, the office wrote me a late slip with my name spelled horrendously wrong. Different spelling every day. The most famous butchering was writing my name as “Millie Hoagie”. On my very last day of high school, I was predictably late, and they spelled my name perfectly correctly.

So listen my ‘reputation’ in school was basically “quiet good girl who’s never done anything wrong, ever, in her life” and “teacher’s pet” and the like. And despite the fact I was there every time all the ‘Bad Kids™’ who were also always in detention were always incredibly surprised to see me??? Like they never got over it. Every time I walked into the damn room at least half the class would be like “MOLLY YOU DON’T BELONG HERE YOU’RE INNOCENT!!” 😂

Also despite the fact I was basically invisible in the school as a whole all the trouble makers knew me by name because, and I quote a kid from my 10th grade Spanish class who was trying to hook up with me at the time here, “Guys like me are afraid of you, Girl, we’re just plain out scared that we gonna corrupt you!” and I still don’t know what he actually meant by that???

Bu anyway, this apparent rep usually gave me an upper hand with the teachers monitoring the detentions. Because, you know, some were fine, some were bitchy, some were insane. But all of them were pissed about the fact they had to be there instead of heading home.

The rules of detention were literally just ‘stare at the wall and don’t talk’, depending on which teacher they might let the students do homework. But since I was apparently a great person and always had the class’ incredulous response to me being in the room, they usually let me get away with sleeping or reading a book lol.

Of course…no one said any of the other kids were inclined to following the rules lmao. These were like, all the class clowns™ shoved into one room. Things always got real funny real fast.

It would always start off with the coughing game. If you’ve ever stepped into a school you should know what that is.

It would then escalate to everyone in the room playing catch whenever the teacher looked away for a brief moment

Detention was always in the health classroom so someone always tried to steal a limb off the skeleton without being to obvious

Some teachers would let people talk ‘quietly’ so jokes were fucking abound

One time I was minding my own damn business and a kid slides me a note saying ‘in like five minutes ask to go to the bathroom but head downstairs to the English wing’ before he snuck out without the teacher noticing. I get down there and he’s at one end of the hallway and another boy is at the other end. Upon seeing me, these boys run full speed down the hall at each other, leap up in the air when they get to the direct center, high five with full force, both scream in pain, and then hit the floor, clutching their hands. I was cracking the fuck up and trying to convince them to go to the nurse but they wouldn’t listen. I asked the guy why the hell they did that. He told me ‘because we wanted a witness and no one will ever believe you’ 😂😂

One time my sorta-neighbor Mike comes in and the teacher asked why he had detention and apparently, the principal had asked him where to find his friend Jose, and Mike responded “he’s out picking cotton” and the principal flipped out at what he perceived to be a racist joke and gave him a month detention. But the thing was, Jose was in an agriculture class and he was literally outside picking cotton that they had planted there earlier. Jose found it fucking hilarious and refused to tell the principal to get his friend out of trouble.

As I haven’t been inside a school building for quite some time now I don’t know if turtling is still a thing but it was…quite an epidemic for my senior class.

It’s when you turn someone’s backpack inside out right? But it was a full blown war with these kids. Trust no one. Never leave the room. Never look away. Holy shit. One of the best moments of this occurred in detention, when a boy reached to get a book out of his backpack to find it was gone. After 15 minutes of searching the room, he found it, turtled, hidden in a filing cabinet in the front of the room. Everyone, including the teacher, was loosing their shit, because how did someone pull that off so quietly and invisibly without someone noticing??? No one fessed up. The class was in fear of the turtle ninja for the rest of the month, but they never struck again. No one ever discovered who it was.

Guys: It was me.

One time it was raining and the teacher was in a bad mood so he insisted all the windows stay open. He left for a bathroom break or something and this one poor kid, who was now completely soaked as he was stuck with a window seat, just said “fucking bye” and just…climbed out the damn window. Left his backpack and everything. Didn’t see him again for at least a month.

There was one guy who always sold ice cream out of his bag when the teachers weren’t looking. Where he was getting it from and how it stayed frozen is beyond me.

Oh my God sometimes all the indie singer kids would just come and sit on the floor outside the classroom and talk loudly to annoy us??? The hell were they trying to accomplish??? Your singing ain’t special and you won’t be famous, please let us die in peace.

One kid had detention because when we were running laps in gym class he jumped up to hit the arch of the ceiling and accidentally set off the fire alarm. The teacher that day insisted on continuously referring to him as ‘the delinquent’, as if no one else in the room had broken the rules or something

One time one of the gym teachers was in charge of it and long story short he started doing the jersey turnpike. True horror.

One time the teacher got a call and she had to go down to the office and the second she was gone this one kid’s friend runs in with a huge tray going “Y’ALL I STOLE THE LASAGNE CUPCAKES FROM THE FOOD AND NUTRITION CLASSROOM” and we dined like kings.

Everyone would sometimes just break out in song for no God damn reason

One time one of the guys in charge of the detention was A) Not someone anyone recognized as a teacher and B) Potentially Stanley Tucci. Like…I was about 80% certain that this guy was Stanley Tucci.

He refused to confirm or deny or even give a name

One time I was really absorbed in my book when all the sudden a letter flew onto my desk, an anonymous sender that just said “You have a soft, sexy voice.” Neither of which is true, I’m pretty sure, and I could not for the life of me figure out who sent it omfg

One time a teacher was freaking out because he went to a psychic over the weekend and was told there was a lot of activity around him so I looked him straight in the eyes and told him I’m a medium and I can see that the devil had marked his soul and he threw me out of the room and refused to take that class for detention ever again😂

It was a hot summers day. The ceiling fans were on their highest setting. A boy nudges me, with a small carton of ice cream in his hands under his desk. “What do you think would happen if I scooped out a huge chunk of this and threw it at the fan?” he whispered. “Jamil, no.” I pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. Soon, the room was filled with confused screams.

Apparently all the other regulars™ had bought me candy grams around Christmas time so they were confused when I showed up to detention with no candy and apparently the student council member sent them all to the other Molly in the grade because she was the popular one and this lead to about 12 boys grumbling for two and a half hours like “The one damn time I attempt to be a gentleman” and “I know where she lives” and “Gonna gingerbread her fucking locker” I could not stop laughing

Oh God okay one time the teacher we had was literally. Off the charts.

Like there’s the chill teachers, and then the bitchy teachers. And then this lady. She literally reminded me of Stubel

So I didn’t even know who she was but I walk in and do my shy smile/quiet ‘hello’ thing and take out my book so she immediately zeros in on me as ‘the good kid’ as usual

But she literally seemed to think every other person in this class was a hardened criminal holy shit. She was all over the place barking orders and yelling. And of course, you’ve got a room full of class clowns, like they feed off teachers like this. So the madder she got the more ridiculous they got. I was literally almost in tears trying to force myself not to laugh because I didn’t want to risk her turning on me omfg

So she yelled and flailed about the room and they kept going with jokes and paper wasps and lying about their names and just doing literally every thing they could possibly do so this woman wouldn’t have the chance to rest

This escalated with every minute and came to a resounding end when the teacher decided the Australian Kid™ was chewing gum and picked up the trashcan and shoved his face in it, screaming at him to spit it out as he yelled back “YOU’RE ONLY DOING THIS BECAUSE IM AN IMMIGRANT”

he was in charge of all the bullshit that day and it was hysterical but he wasn’t the one chewing gum loudly that was me

The vp came in to see what all the yelling was about to find a teacher shoving a boy’s head in the trash, one boy shirtless as another drew tattoos on him, the phone off the line with it’s cord wrapped around a kid’s neck, two boys dueling with skeleton arms, one kid with her leg out the window, a kid tying a skeleton foot to the ceiling fan, rubber bands and paper wasps flying from every angle, three people turtling backpacks, someone brandishing an epi-pen, sexual hangman being played on the chalkboard, someone eating ice cream and fanning himself with money, and me, crying into my book with my hand literally bleeding from all my efforts to not laugh at what I was witnessing

We never saw her in detention again😂

My one younger friend got a detention for being late and was really shaken up about it and I tried to tell her she’d be fine but then she got caught sliding me chocolate animal crackers during it, and subsequently got another detention because of this; somehow I was not viewed as an equally guilty party and didn’t get in trouble

This one guy came in complaining “You guys all told me to get a twitter and I get thrown in twitter jail my first day!” “That’s like a thousand tweets in one day, how the fuck did you mange that?” “Bitch I had a lot to say about McDonalds!”

One teacher came in and was like “I don’t feel like helping with homework but does anyone wanna learn how to hack a computer?”

Someone got caught pouring water out the window but when the teacher looked to see why she saw the youngest of the goats™ standing under the window with it’s mouth open waiting for more

One time the teacher wouldn’t let me go to the bathroom and after I asked for like the 5th time he said “It can’t be that important!” so I just pulled a pad out of my backpack and silently sat it on my desk while glaring at him and this 40 year old man looked like he was about to pass out and he finally let me go

I remember our final detention of senior year we were told that if we skip it we can’t graduate so everyone went into that room with a ridiculously nostalgic attitude and one guy finally stole the skull off the skeleton and we fucking tossed it around the entire time while singing and blatantly ignoring the teacher’s complaining lmao

I know there’s more but it’s 7am and this is long so all in all like…I do not miss high school but some memories are bearable lmao

#true story #lol #high school #detention #again I'm sorry I don't think these are actually that 'crazy' or anything but hey it was a request #asks #molly mumbles

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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Peter Strzok, the FBI agent whose anti-Trump text messages raised concerns that the Mueller investigation was tainted by political bias, will testify before Congress on Thursday.

It has the potential to be an explosive hearing.

A veteran counterintelligence agent, Strzok was directly involved in the probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server in 2016, and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election.

But in the summer of 2017 the Justice Department found that Strzok had sent text messages critical of Trump to FBI attorney Lisa Page in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Mueller removed Strzok from his investigation after learning the information that summer.

But when some of Strzok’s texts were released to the public in December, many conservatives interpreted his cryptic messages to Page as evidence that he was plotting to interfere with the presidential election. One of his text messages in particular, which mentioned having an “insurance policy” against Trump winning, aroused suspicion among his critics.

But in June, the Justice Department’s inspector general released a report that found there was no evidence that Strzok acted on the anti-Trump sentiment he expressed to Page while working on the Trump-Russia probe, and the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.

“Our review did not find documentary or testimonial evidence directly connecting the political views these employees expressed in their text messages and instant messages to the investigative decisions we reviewed,” the IG report states.

However, the new report brought to light more texts from Strzok to Page, the most controversial one of which said, “We’ll stop it,” when referring to the prospect of Trump winning the election. Republicans and right-wing pundits claimed it confirmed that the FBI was on a political witch hunt to take down the president.

Strzok’s lawyer has said that the agent will get a chance to clear his name at the hearing on Thursday. But Republicans are going to hammer Strzok over his text messages, and try to glean some sort of admission of wrongdoing.

Simply put, the stakes are huge. If Strzok ends up managing the appearance well, he could potentially put a dent in conspiracy theories about FBI corruption. But if the hearing goes badly, it will do political damage to the credibility of the Mueller probe, and Mueller’s ability to investigate the full extent of Trumpworld’s relationship with Russia.

Back in December, the New York Times reported that Mueller had dismissed Strzok from his investigative team last summer because the agent had sent dozens of text messages critical of Donald Trump to a colleague during the 2016 election season. The texts showed he resented Trump and, among other things, referred to then-candidate Trump as a “douche,” an “utter idiot,” and a “loathsome human.”

Most damningly from the Republican point of view, Strzok once referred to an “insurance policy” against Trump winning. “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk,” he told Page. “It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.”

It’s unclear if he violated any FBI rules, but Mueller removed Strzok to ensure the investigation was free from accusations of partisan bias, according to the Times.

A few days later, CNN reported that Strzok, who also led the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, changed the wording in a description of Clinton’s behavior from “grossly negligent” to “extremely careless” in a draft of a major public statement that then-FBI Director James Comey made in July 2016. That change had the effect of softening Comey’s criticism of Clinton at a particularly sensitive time in the 2016 campaign, and may have made her less vulnerable to criminal charges.

Trump and conservative media figures seized on Mueller’s dismissal of Strzok from the Russia investigation and painted it as a shady maneuver intended to cover up partisan bias. And Strzok’s role in softening the language on Clinton’s misconduct, in addition to his text messages — which the FBI lost track of at one point due to a technical glitch — were interpreted by Republicans as a sign that Strzok was conspiring to tip the election in favor of Clinton.

In January, new reports showed that Strzok’s role in the Clinton investigation was not as pro-Clinton as it originally looked. CNN obtained emails that showed that Strzok co-wrote the first draft of the letter that then-FBI Director James Comey sent to Congress in October 2016, announcing that the bureau was reopening an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. That letter set off a political firestorm just 11 days before the presidential election and hurt Clinton at the polls — so much so that it may have swung the election in favor of Trump.

Ultimately, what has dogged Strzok the most is his text messages to Page. And the June IG report’s revelation about the “We’ll stop it” text has made things even worse.

It’s not clear exactly what Strzok meant. Was the “we” in “we’ll stop it” the FBI, or is it something vaguer (i.e., “we the people” will “stop” Trump by voting for Clinton)? It’s hard to say, but the former reading is certainly very plausible. And if that’s correct, then it could easily be seen as a promise to take action to thwart the Trump campaign.

But while it’s inappropriate for someone in Strzok’s position to express favoritism toward a certain presidential candidate, there isn’t clear evidence he acted on those views.

The IG report’s investigators looked into Strzok and Page’s conduct, and examined internal FBI records of the meetings concerning Trump that the two were involved in. Here are their key conclusions:

We found that Strzok was not the sole decisionmaker for any of the specific investigative decisions examined in this chapter. We further found evidence that in some instances Strzok and Page advocated for more aggressive investigative measures than did others … however, we did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that improper considerations, including political bias, directly affected the specific investigative decisions discussed below, or that the justifications offered for these decisions were pretextual.

It’s possible that Strzok never intended to act on his words, or that more professional FBI employees prevented him from acting in a politically motivated fashion. Regardless, the text messages are a personal indictment of Strzok — but that doesn’t mean the entire Russia probe has lost its legitimacy.

When Strzok testifies before lawmakers on Thursday, Democrats are hoping that Strzok is able to provide answers that clear up some of the controversy around his past conduct. Republicans, on the other hand, will likely hope to corner him or try to depict him as a symbol of the corruption of the FBI in the Trump era.

After a nearly 10-hour closed-door interview with lawmakers two weeks ago, Republican lawmakers reportedly found Strzok’s answers to be damning for the FBI, while Democrats seemed to think that his misdeeds were being blown out of proportion. GOP Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ) described himself as “mad and angry” after the meeting; Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD) said the whole thing was a “monumental waste of time.”

Whatever Strzok says on Thursday, chances are that divide will remain.

Original Source -> Controversial FBI agent Peter Strzok’s upcoming hearing, explained

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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junker-town · 7 years

Text

THE TOP WHATEVER: TCU kicks every ass in Stillwater, Oklahoma and leaves in search of more asses to kick

It’s this week’s updated ranking of only the teams that really need to be ranked right now.

1. TCU.

There are more delicate ways of saying this, but football is not a delicate sport: the Horned Frogs are number one this week because they beat some ass.

How much ass? Piles of it. Railcars full of it. Market distortions happened because of the amount of ass TCU beat in its 44-31 win over Oklahoma State. Shipments of ass had to be rerouted from other supply lines of ass in order to be rerouted to Stillwater, where Gary Patterson and his team beat it. Cowboys booster T. Boone Pickens probably made a killing by buying shares of ass in the first quarter, and moving them around the market. He’s a Pokes fan, yes, but he’s an investor first, and he’s not going to turn down a profit when he sees one.

But TCU gave up 31 points.

Run your conversion charts. In a Big 12 game, 31 points is like 22 points in an ACC game and 10 in a Neanderthal SEC game. That’s Oklahoma State. They’re going to get points, including at least one TD off a perfectly thrown deep ball you can do nothing about. The impressive part comes in granting those points, destroying any sense of balance by stuffing the run game, and responding by running the ball with Darius Anderson, controlling the pace, then waiting on Oklahoma State to press and hand over some turnovers.

It’s an old-school approach to facing a high-powered offense, retrofitted with new school trappings, all installed by a defensive coach who understands the realities of winning in the Big 12. For this week, while the ass markets slowly recover, TCU will be No. 1.

2. Georgia.

Flattened Mississippi State, 31-3, and gets the MVP for eliminating any need to watch their game at all on a busy Saturday night. That’s how to courteously save time for the busy viewer: leap out to a lead, extinguish all hope of the opponent moving the ball, and wrap it up in about 20 minutes of actual time.

The offense looked fine, but the Georgia defense looked horrifying against a very good offense, dominating point-to-point along the line of scrimmage.

This is to say that even if the Georgia offense doesn’t get to throw a flea-flicker for a TD on its first play of a game, the defense can keep them in any game, no matter how low the score.

Now that I’ve said nice things about them and given them a prime ranking for one week, watch them lose to Tennessee this coming weekend.

3. Alabama.

Don’t look at what they did to Vanderbilt in a 59-0 win. Only know that they ran 66 times for 6 TDs, and that Satan still wouldn’t have anything to do with this atrocity. STOP SAYING YOU WANT BAMA. THEY DON’T GET THAT IT’S A JOKE AND NEVER WILL.

4. Penn State.

Survived Kinnick Stadium at night in a 21-19 thriller. The achievement of beating Iowa at night when they score a prime number is never to be underestimated. Iowa thrives on a few things: weird scores, stifling defense, staying in games despite getting doubled up in yardage categories, and causing well-timed special teams disasters. The Hawkeyes got most of those things and still didn’t win, marking this as a serious achievement and a reminder that playing in Kinnick after fans have had a whole day’s worth of tailgating will terrify even the most hardened team.

P.S. Saquon Barkley is a god.

not the god but a god

5. Clemson.

Beat Boston College, 34-7.

Yes, this was a 7-7 game going into the fourth quarter, but that’s not surprising to anyone who watches Boston College play football. BC’s strategy is to slow the game down to a glacial crawl, punt as many times as possible, and mostly hope something good happens. (It rarely does, but that’s still the plan for some reason.) In a game like that, Clemson will eventually break contain and make the expected blowout look like the expected blowout.

Are we concerned about Kelly Bryant having a bad day passing? Sure, and we can’t exactly decide how concerned to be, given that Clemson could probably keep up this single wing running thing for most of the year and win by three scores against the bulk of their schedule. But still, it’s noted. A team that can stop the run will give them fits, particularly if that team can respond with anything like a little offense.

6. Don La Greca.

No words. http://pic.twitter.com/btsaBZLrpf

— Alex Seixeiro (@alexfan590) September 21, 2017

I’m just glad that New York City continues to set the pace for intellectual discourse in sports talk. I’VE BEEN WATCHING FOOTBALL FOR FORTY YEARS. FORTY YEARS.

7. Oklahoma.

Eked out a victory over Baylor, 49-41, which is less than you want to do against Baylor, and way less than you want to do when you tell Baylor that Daddy’s home and you’re going to spank them.

Teams getting acquainted with one another. http://pic.twitter.com/1HzdyAQfGz

— Eddie Radosevich (@Eddie_Rado) September 23, 2017

Chalk it up to a road game against an opponent learning how to play under new management. (By the way, that was inevitable, because Baylor under Matt Rhule was not going to be laughingly bad all year.)

8. USC.

A 30-20 win over Cal. That USC looked frustrated sort of confirms a lot of what people already think about USC.

They’re talented, but will misfire and let teams hang around.

Sam Darnold, who threw another interception and has seven on the year, is still pressing a little and figuring out who his receivers really are.

They will, after struggling, win most of the games they play.

The question is whether they will sharpen up, which they did over the course of 2016. Bonus mitigating detail in a sort of underwhelming game from the Trojans: Cal’s beyond improved under Justin Wilcox.

9. Navy.

Did something to Cincinnati in a 42-32 win. That something is hard to define, but it bears mentioning and praise here because all of the following things happened:

Navy ran 72 times for 569 yards in a regulation football game.

Navy had five players with more than a single carry each average over 10 yards a carry.

Navy had 31 first downs despite being designed to play at a pace slightly faster than a brisk walk between downs.

Navy did that offensive line thing all flexbone teams do, where they try to cut block defensive linemen, which makes defensive linemen move a lot like someone trying to escape the snapping jaws of an onrushing Rottweiler.

Navy only passed three times.

That’s triple-option cruelty at its finest. Applaud it, or risk getting your knees taken out in line at Starbucks by a hard-charging wingback out of nowhere. Ask Cincy: they’re literally everywhere.

10. Michigan.

A 28-10 game against Purdue, a defensive performance we’ll all look back on a lot more approvingly, when the season’s done and everyone realizes how vastly improved the Boilermakers were.

The Michigan offense still has some kind of disorder involving the redzone and third downs; the defense still might be good enough for that not to matter much.

11. MOooooooopolllol.

My ooffice and the

Houston coach Major Applewhite probably should’ve clapped back before the Ambien kicked in http://pic.twitter.com/v2Nc3z2Z1i

— Luke Zimmermann (@lukezim) September 24, 2017

In conclusion:

MOooooooopolllol.

12. San Diego State.

They’re going to score like 28 points and get Rashaad Penny all the carries. What you do in return is negotiable, but it’ll probably end up something like a 28-24 loss, like Air Force suffered, because that is what this Aztecs team is designed to do.

13. Washington.

The Huskies played a way more competitive game than you might think in beating Colorado 37-10, but even games become lopsided ones when the other quarterback throws three INTs. Washington hasn’t been explosive, but they’ve been efficient, and if you’re sort of wondering how that will look against long-bombing attacks like Arizona State or Oregon, well, we’re more than curious about that, too.

14. Washington State.

Pounded Nevada, 45-7. Washington State plays USC this Friday. [THUNDEROUS, OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS FOR FIVE MINUTES STRAIGHT.]

P.S. Nevada is a baaaaaaaad team right now.

15. Virginia Tech.

38-0 over Old Dominion. The Hokies only allowed seven first downs, and more importantly, beat another one of the 392 other universities you didn’t know were in the state of Virginia.

16. Utah.

Fine, Utah, you beat Arizona, 30-24, you’re 4-0 and doing that scrappy, ugly-but-undefeated thing you’ll do for a while, so you get a ranking. The next four games — Stanford, USC, Arizona State, and Oregon — are pure hell, so save some of that scrappiness for the next month. You’ll need it.

17. USF.

Beat Temple, 43-7, maybe is really good, and might still scare us because of some bad offensive stretches in between points binges.

TEAMS I REALLY WANT TO RANK BUT WHO LET SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HANG AROUND WAY, WAY TOO LONG

Memphis. Three and oh, tho.

TEAMS THAT HAVE CONFUSED US FOREVER AND ARE NOW ESPECIALLY CONFUSING BECAUSE THEY ARE UNDEFEATED, ALBEIT AGAINST BAD TEAMS BUT STILL

Wake Forest and Duke. I dunno, this year’s weird already, y’all.

THAT’S A MIRAGE, RIGHT?

Texas Tech. Continued to play ... ”defense” in a 27-24 win over Houston? Three wins and the nation’s second best turnover margin aren’t a lie, but let’s keep them overnight for observation anyway.

HAS ONLY PLAYED TWO FOOTBALL GAMES THUS FAR DUE TO HURRICANES

The Hurricanes of Miami, who beat Toledo 52-30. Shut up, Toledo’s pretty good.

WISELY AVOIDED PLAYING FOOTBALL THIS WEEK

Undefeateds Minnesota and Wisconsin. Goldy got his reps in anyway.

Goldy the Gopher trucking kids at half time is what Twitter was made for. http://pic.twitter.com/EFtqoTOZmN

— Dave Schwartz (@Dave_Schwartz) September 24, 2017

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