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immaturityofthomasastruc · 1 year

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How would you rewrite Chloé without redeeming her? Just curious.

Well, for one thing, it would involve taking Lila and just...

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Doing that to her.

One of the biggest problems with Chloe being an full-time antagonist from Season 4 and onwards is how often she and Lila fight for screentime when they're basically the same character, a high school mean girl with an irrational hatred of Marinette. Cutting her would make it much easier to give Chloe more screentime and focus as an antagonist.

With that being said, I wouldn't really change much about Chloe's appearances for the first season. She's still snobby, egotistical, and throws around her father's name like it's a boomerang. The first half of Season 2 would also be the same until "Queen Wasp". The attempted train-heculiar manslaughter still happens, only Chloe doesn't transform in public, and she faces a lot more backlash for what she did from the heroes, with Ladybug being especially furious because her parents were on board.

If you want, you could have Ladybug and Cat Noir argue about how to treat Chloe after this, with both sides making points about how she's capable of becoming better or worse, each side citing their experiences with her in their civilian lives. That way, it places more ambiguity over Chloe's arc, establishing that nobody knows how her development could go.

Queen Wasp happens the same way, only you can throw in something about the Miraculous making it hard for Hawkmoth to determine who's underneath the mask. For now, Ladybug isn't sure how to really punish Chloe other than taking away the Bee Miraculous, because as much as she hates her, she doesn't want to use her influence to make anyone's life miserable.

It wouldn't matter anyway, as in "Malediktator", the public now has a low opinion of Queen Bee, which helps drive Chloe to want to move out of Paris with her mother, attempting to make up with her the best she can. It's not perfect, but Chloe is so upset, she wants to get out any way she can. Malediktator still attacks, but Ladybug only chooses Chloe because of how desperate the situation is and she doesn't have time to find a new candidate and give them the basic rundown with Cat Noir being captured. Queen Bee of course saves the day, which helps public perception of her, they still have the party, and she helps out in "Heroes Day" too, becoming almost as beloved as the other heroes.

This leads into Season 3, which shows Chloe starting to act more like a hero in public, partially because she likes the attention, but also because she is opening up to the whole "helping people" thing. This shows her starting to get better, with fragments of her older self motivating it. We see her helping out a few times like the other temp heroes, only her cover is blown by Gabriel or Nathalie, who choose to target her during "Miraculer". Once again, that episode is basically the same, with Chloe rejecting an Akuma, Mayura attempting to get Queen Bee to join the dark side, and Ladybug benching Queen Bee for now.

This seems to have a negative effect on Chloe, as rather than see it as being for her own safety, she sees it as Ladybug taking away her chance to be liked. Chloe seems to be aware that people hate her, and as far as she sees it, compared to her civilian life, people seem to care more about her as Queen Bee than Chloe Bourgeois. The ironic thing is that Chloe believes that she needs the Bee Miraculous to be a hero, not seeing how simply doing good things in her civilian life counts too.

The second half of Season 3 is also the same, with Ladybug recruiting new temp heroes, only with Chloe slowly growing more jealous at other people getting to be heroes and not her. It's clear that while she initially means well, Chloe is starting to lean more into the idea that the best part of being a hero is the attention, not helping people.

The context behind "Miracle Queen" changes a bit, as instead of whatever the hell Heart Hunter was supposed to be, it's just Malediktator, the first Akuma Queen Bee ever fought. Chloe gets excited, as this means Ladybug has to help her, right? Nope. In an echo of the last time, Ladybug only recruited Ryuko because she was easily available, not just to ruin Kagami's date with Adrien.

This sends Chloe over the edge, as she now believes that Ladybug never valued her as a hero, making it easy for Hawkmoth to temp her with the Bee Miraculous. Chloe then becomes Miracle Queen, essentially saying "If Ladybug thinks I can't be a hero because of that ridiculous identity rule, then nobody else gets to be a hero either!"

When things are all resolved in a similar manner to canon, Ladybug and Cat Noir are disappointed with Chloe, as they actually thought she was getting better, only for her own impulsive actions to endanger her own allies' identities and forcing Ladybug to become the Guardian. Ladybug tells Chloe's parents what happens, and Andre grounds Chloe, meaning she can't use her Daddy to get out of trouble next season. Not even Adrien and Sabrina are willing to stand by her side after what she did.

From then on, Season 4 shows Chloe needing to become more resourceful, coming up with convincing lies and plans to get her revenge on Ladybug for supposedly ruining her life (when she doesn't get that it was her own fault this happened to her), and to generally go back to bullying her classmates. Eventually, she becomes a confidant of Gabriel because he recognizes how smart she can be when she puts her mind to things. The whole idea is that after being one of her greatest supporters, Chloe becomes one of Ladybug's greatest enemies.

There. With that, I put more focus into Chloe becoming better, showing her slipping into a darker mindset, and setting up how she would act after facing consequences for her actions in addition to providing a different form of character development by showing her becoming smarter as a result of her setbacks and embracing her new role as a villain. It's not perfect, but I think I put more thought into the betrayal than the writers did.

What did you all think? If you have any ideas for how an irredeemable Chloe could work, I'd be open to hearing it.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #mirculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #chloe bourgeois #queen bee #queen b

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your-mom-friend · 1 year

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I posted 2,816 times in 2022

That's 1,549 more posts than 2021!

190 posts created (7%)

2,626 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theonlythingimfuckingisstupid

@identitycrisis-electricboogaloo

@passion8alot

@obsidiancreates

@guardianrex

I tagged 643 of my posts in 2022

#rem rambles - 184 posts

#tma - 49 posts

#the magnus archives - 43 posts

#ask and ye shall receive - 17 posts

#tma s5 - 16 posts

#tma s5 spoilers - 15 posts

#wtnv - 15 posts

#tma s4 spoilers - 14 posts

#family stuff - 14 posts

#tma s4 - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#but this was too good of a point and “gay sex will always be a stronger force in the world than transphobia” is too excellent to not reblog

My Top Posts in 2022:

Jon facing the entities: hey there demons, it’s me, ya boy

Jon showing up in people’s nightmares: hey there boys, it’s me, ya demon

Jon becoming The Archivist: Hey there me, it’s ya demon boy

957 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

So in love with the idea that very few of the ghosts actually want to attack or hurt anyone and are kind of their as glorified personal trainers for Danny.

Like this newly formed half-ghost child is insanely powerful and no one understands why but what they DO know it that ghosts shouldn't go withhout using their powers for very long or it causes problems so they all show up to Amity to cause problems so that Phantom has a way to actually use and train with his ghost powers and release energy before he explodes or something.

And all his villains are so tired like god damn the kid has a new power one of you go handle it.

And after he defeats Pariah Dark and is technically in line to be the new Ghost King when he dies, his villains become INVESTED in making sure he lives as long as physically possible because no one knows how an untrained, over powered teenager is going to use the powers that seemingly show up at random.

And it is BECAUSE he is a child that they don't use his civilian identity against him because come on the kid does not need us outing him to his parents when they might KILL HIM (yes I'm aware they wouldn't but the ghosts don't know that)

I've seen this or a version of this covered in a BUNCH of fics (can't remember which ones so if you do feel free to mention them)

Idk just, the concep of Ghost Children being valued and protected as well as Phantom's Rogues Gallery just being there to make sure his powers don't blow his city off the map

1,476 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

me going from social to social documenting how the different environments are reacting to a drastic unexpected change to the internet landscape that they cohabit:

1,717 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

Ah yes, Jonathan Sims. He plays many famous and fantastic characters. Namely Jon Jonny and John

2,181 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

No but like one of the BEST tropes in fanfiction is definitely "local Hero's community definitely knows their identity but refuse to say anything" it's hilarious. Particularly when the hero is young, like Danny Phantom or Spiderman or Merlin.

This is ESPECIALLY true when the characters kinda just come together to make life easier for the hero

Like Amity Park having collective amnesia over anything Phantom related whenever the GIW come around, or the residents of Queens learning self defence so they can handle some petty crime so that Spiderman has time to actually do his homework, or servants and knights in Camelot making up excuses for Merlin or taking over some chores so he doesn't get in trouble

Any attempt to out the hero is quashed immediately on pain of total social ostracisation

Just give me people protecting the local teenage hero because god damn it he's doing good and he doesn't deserve all the shit he's getting

2,640 notes - Posted March 31, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Rem rambles #I love this so much

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armando-poeta · 1 year

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How Military Experience Can Help You Become an Effective Leader

Every year, over 5000 applications are sent to the Italian Air Force. Only 100 are selected to start training. In August 1994 Armando Poeta was one of them. The military branch is passionate about finding the people that are right for the job.

During three and a half years in the Air Force Academy, hard training begins. Cadets must partake in military drills, pilot training, college study courses, and more. They are not just learning what it takes to be a good soldier. They are learning what it takes to be a good leader.

How Does the Military Help You Become an Effective Leader?

One need only look at the 11 Marine Corps Leadership Principles to understand how they can help an individual become an effective leader in civilian life. They include the following:

Military Principle 1: Know Yourself and Seek Self-improvement

On a Civilian Level: A greater self-awareness will allow you to reach your full potential. It will help you recognize similar traits in others so you can lead them toward goal fulfillment.

Military Principle 2: Be Technically and Tactically Proficient

On a Civilian Level: Know your job so you can guide others.

Military Principle 3: Know your Marines and Look Out for Their Welfare

On a Civilian Level: A leader will look out for their team. They will take a caring approach that promotes loyalty, trust, and productivity.

Military Principle 4: Keep Your Marines Informed

On a Civilian Level: A leader will keep their team abreast of the latest developments. This approach will make employees feel more valued. It will eliminate repetitive actions and boost productivity.

Military Principle 5: Set the Example

On a Civilian Level: Don’t expect your team to display exemplary behavior unless you show it yourself.

Military Principle 6: Ensure the Task is Understood, Supervised, and Accomplished

On a Civilian Level: A good leader will be there for their team from the beginning to the end. They will ensure employees have a solid grasp of the task at hand. They will supervise them to ensure assignments are completed without micromanaging.

Military Principle 7: Train Your Marines as a team

On a Civilian Level: Due to different positions within teams, training may require one on one time with different employees. While this differs from military training, which has a more uniform approach, the idea of training employees as a team carries over. It promotes a sense of unity which is important in leadership.

Military Principle 8: Make Sound and Timely Decisions

On a Civilian Level: A leader must be ready to think on their feet and make smart decisions promptly.

Military Principle 9: Develop a Sense of Responsibility Among Your Subordinates

On a Civilian Level: Although leaders are encouraged to treat their team as equals on many levels, they should promote a sense of responsibility when it comes to meeting deadlines and achieving goals.

Military Principle 10: Employ your Command By its Capabilities

On a Civilian Level: Leaders must be aware of their team member’s capabilities and assign tasks they feel they will excel at.

Military Principle 11: Seek Responsibility and Take Responsibility for Your Actions

On a Civilian Level: Leaders should be accountable for their actions and admit when they are wrong. This will help promote loyalty in the workplace. It will set an example for those around them.

Military vs. Civilian Leadership

Military experience can go far in helping you become an effective leader, Armando Poeta says, but there are key differences to note when comparing it to civilian life. For one, the military style of leadership is more directive, rigid and task-oriented. This is mainly because a danger to life and property is involved which is not typically the case in the private sector.

There’s also less flexibility in the military leadership approach. In civilian life, the background of each individual is considered when determining the tasks they will be assigned and how best to complete them. In the military, all soldiers in a unit are guided with the same approach and must complete the same assignments.

The goal of military and civilian leadership also differs. Civilian leadership focuses on ROI, i.e., how much of a return on investment the company or individual will be seeing from a certain task or process. In the military, different goals such as self-improvement and protecting others come into play.

Armando Poeta thinks that, despite differences in military and civilian leadership, the principles are highly adaptable to one another. A good military leader can easily become a trusted authority in civilian life. The valuable lessons translate to encourage powerful results over a wide range of applications.

#armando poeta #military #future of aviation #leadership

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stark-defense-squad · 2 years

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I actually remember reading this on the anti Wanda maximoff tag some time ago,but it really made an impact.the post was talking about how Wanda stans/tony antis shit on tony for trying to kill Bucky(which he wasn't bc he would have destroyed him,we've all seen iron man 2 and 3.if he wanted you dead you'd be dead)but like rabidly support Wanda and her revenge.

When I said I wanted more female representation in the MCU, this was not what I meant.

Honestly, Wanda stans give me a worse headache than cap stans. At least with Cap stans, Ik they’re just falling for that stupid USA propaganda. Other than being fooled by her white woman tears™️, idk wtf is wrong with her stans.

Wanda fully aware chose to join Hydra, a neo-nazi organization, as an adult, just because they were offering her “revenge” on Tony Stark, which makes her a fucking neo-nazi. She consciously decided to use her powers to mind-rape the Avengers. She actively decided to send the Hulk on a rampage to kill innocent civilians. She actively supported Ultron up until she realized she was one of the fucking humans he was going to wipe out, which makes her joining the Avengers a conflict of interest at best and pure self preservation/manipulation at worst. And all of that is just Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Later, she murders POC innocent civilians because she has no control over her powers, then gets upset and throws a fit when Tony says, “hey, maybe you shouldn’t be on life-or-death missions when you can’t control your powers”. Imagine if someone who didn’t know how to use a gun waltzed into the middle of a highly stressful mission in the middle of civilian ground with a machine gun, murdered innocent people, then got upset that they had to face consequences.

Then she throws a fit when someone suggests her microwave boyfriend’s life is less important than millions of innocent civilians, and with Cap’s support, thousands of Wakandans (black Africans) are killed, for nothing might I add considering she did a shit job and Thanos still got a hold of Vision’s stone, and half of the universe is snapped.

And woe is she, so she loses control of her powers, again, and enslaves a whole fucking city. But she didn’t know! So when she finds out that she’s hurting all of them, she throws another fit and forces them to continue playing along with her little fantasy.

And not once has she ever learned from any of her mistakes. Not once has she been humbled. Not once has she been forced to face the consequences of her actions. In fact, for her mistakes, others are punished.

But it’s alright. All of this is alright. She’s grieving and traumatized after all. Right? Because Tony Stark killed her parents with his bomb when she was a child.

Cry me a river. Why doesn’t she try to get revenge on the terrorists that deployed the bombs? Why does she actively choose to be an entitled cunt and put thousands of POC lives at risk? Why does she join a fucking neo-nazi organization?

Imagine going “oh I’m sad, I’ll join the KKK to feel better”.

But Tony is rich and she’s a white woman and she cries on screen.

And that, right there, is their logic I guess.

#pro tony stark #anti team cap #anti tony antis #pro tony stans #tony stark deserves better #anti wanda maximoff #anti wandavision #anti wanda stans #anti scarlet witch #i hate her with every fiber of my being #i swear to god if I hear one more person say she’s just a kid #she’s lit in her mid thirties

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itsagrimm · 3 years

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Imperial!Tech 3

Summary: Tech's chip activated instead of Crosshairs so Tech is now an imperial commander tasked to serve the Empire at any cost. But is he willing to do so? And are you, dear Y/N as member of the experimental Elite Squad, willing to follow any order your commander Tech gives?

CN: self-harm, talk of death murder and war crimes, stalker behaviour, soldier life in a fascist state, power imbalance, overreaching behaviour, structural violence, sexually predatory behaviour and the likes, sensual overload, insomnia, references of drug abuse, depression and mental health issues, trauma

Imperial!tech X they*them Y/N reader, afab

Thanks a lot to @eyecandyeoz for your insight, feedback and thoughts. Check out their lovely blog!

I am sorry it took me so long. next part will be faster. I already started writing it.

And feel free to criticise especially concerning my use of CN and if the reader perspective is inclusive for you.

2800 words

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Tech collapsed into the chair as soon as Y/N had left the room. He was tired, so tired. He leaned back and put on his glasses. Him taking off his visual aids around Y/N was a degree of trust Tech rarely allowed. He was nearly blind without his glasses and the Kaminoans had considered terminating him for that. Tech was sure Y/N did not even know how much he had surrendered himself to Y/N and their touch. Their oh so soft touch. The memory of it was still fresh on his skin. It raced through is mind which for once was craving to match his body with the need to slow down and take a rest.

But it didn’t.

Y/N was pleasant to be around. Their touch was careful and considered. Only his brothers used to treat him like his. – His brothers, the former clone force 99, had left him behind after they refused to comply with order 66. Due to their divergence the inhibitor chip had not worked while he, Tech, had tried to kill the Jedi. – He had tried to kill a child. – The effect of the inhibitor chip was decreasing. His wound received on Bracca had an 84,743 % chance of damaging the inhibitor chip. But he should investigate further and get the chip out to stop any possible interference with his superior thought process. - Y/N was not aware of the inhibitor chips. He felt the need to tell them. Why? – The Havoc Marauder had not been mentioned on the imperial comm chatter for a while. – Echo was likely to take care of the ship now. – He should get some sustenance. He felt hunger. – Y/N – The Empire expected a degree of loyalty, uniformity, and compliance he was unsure he could deliver for long considering his diverging mind. – what would Hunter do? – the kaminoan proverb “yn’ja tha vaí m°O” was untranslatable into Basic but could be understood in Sit Bisti as “it needs tö be döne för the betterment öf äll”- The Empire was unlikely to grant him the freedom to find his brothers or in fact any freedom. – The canteen might serve Tiingilar tonight – He was a child slave destined to die in approximately 34,6 standard yearly rotations from old age if not sooner. – maybe the canteen will serve uj’alayi too. – Does Y/N speak Mando’an? He should enquire. – Of course, there will be no uj’alayi today. The Kaminoans did not allow sweet foods. – Y/N – How did the atmospheric controls work that ensured breathable air even for the highest floors of coruscanti buildings? - He knew why his brothers left him behind, but why did it feel so painful. – The empire was likely to kill him if he out served his usefulness for them. - He had tried to kill a child. He had killed several children on Onderon. How could he live with that? How could-

Tech forced his thoughts to stop by digging his fingers into his bloody scar.

The sharp pain felt soothing.

“Let’s consider making a list of the most pressing tasks for now.”

He starred at the ceiling.

“The Empire. It is the closest threat to my demise, but it can be my salvation if I am useful. Am I willing and capable to do that?”

His head started spinning again just at the thought of killing another child for the Empire. And yet serving the Empire gave him purpose he wasn’t sure he could muster on his own.

“Where are my brothers? How are they? How do I feel about them?”

Another unpleasant wave of thoughts and feelings washed over Tech before he continued.

“What is with the inhibitor chip inside my head?”

He nodded to himself. That was a rational and containable problem with fixed variables and clear answers. He felt comfortable with that question, pushing aside all the things he might have done due to being under the chips influence.

Only one question was left now.

“Why do I enjoy Y/N presence?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryloth had a warm and dusty climate during daytime. Y/N felt sweat dripping under the dark armour. The elite squad, including a new ES-03, was ordered to stand close by to Admiral Rampart, the highest imperial officer on Ryloth. And so, they had spent the last rotations following the Admiral around, doing tedious security work and presenting themselves like the Admirals favourite guard dogs to a public very much disliking their military presence. For once, even commander Tech looked annoyed about their not spec-ops appropriate services.

Today they were on the outlook. The Admiral wanted them scanning a large crowd for troublemakers and resistance fighters during a public announcement. Y/N couldn’t blame them. The Twi’lek of Ryloth had spent years fighting for their independence and spilled an ocean of blood on the dusty planet’s surface only to face an Empire now. Half a life ago Y/N would have hated themselves for being a soldier in service of a suppressing ruler. But now it was paid work.

“ES-01?”, Commander Tech brought Y/N back from their thoughts

“I am in position before the crowd.”

“ES-02?”

“Yes sir, I am on the building as you ordered.”

“ES-03?”

“Any nonimperial transmissions are being blocked now.”

“ES-04?”

“The war hawk is ready for take-off in case we need it.”

“Good. Do you register any noteworthy activity?

Y/N gazed through the crowd. They were mostly Twi’lek, waiting to hear from their leaders. All of them were in civilian clothing, none came with visible weapons.

“I can’t spot anything, sir.”

Tech said nothing. But Y/N could hear him type something.

“Analysing previous rebel fighter behaviour and strategies in similar situations they are likely to appear at these coordinates within the crowd today. I am sending you a list for you to especially pay attention to, ONCE.”, he finally said using the moniker the elite squad had given Y/N.

“Yes sir.”

Y/N looked at their holopad and started checking the coordinates commander Tech had calculated. At entry four they spotted their targets.

“Commander. I have a visual about 40 meters from my position, 10 o’clock. There are two fighters. Twi’lek. One female and one male passing. Shade of blue and orange.”

A moment everyone was silent.

“Confirmed.”, ES-02 stated.

Another moment passed.

“Observe them for now. Stay alert.”, Tech ordered before ending the transmission.

High above the Twi’lek senator started to talk. Y/N could not remember his name and paid little attention to his words. Unlike the Twi’lek.

“They are not happy.”, ES-02 stated flatly.

“Yeah thanks, I would not have noticed without you.”

“Always a pleasure to help out, ONCE.”

ES-02 was right. The crowd was angry. The imperial presence, the empty words of some disaffected politician, the fresh memories of the clone war. It was no surprise that the Twi’lek called out for their resistance leaders to speak.

“We want Syndulla! We want Syndulla!”, the crowd chanted.

A different voice from above started speaking. The crowd calmed down, not entirely happy but at least not a raging mob.

“At least we will not have to gun them down, now.”, ES-02 mumbled with a bitter voice.

“Would you really do that, two?”

“You know what they say, good soldiers follow orders, ONCE. And I intend to be one. Especially when I’m getting paid for it.”

XXXXXXXXXXX

Rampart was an asshole. He was a smug little administrator, willing to lie, back-stab and sacrifice whatever needed to achieve his goals. Rampart was the perfect general to handle a loaded situation like the one on Ryloth. And he was no fool.

Y/N hat noticed that he had kept both commander Tech and Howzer, the commanding clone trooper in charge of the regular clone troopers on Ryloth, close. A strategic move. Spec-ops commandos like the elite squad and regular commandos were in constant competition and mistrust to each other. Should one commander not deliver or even consider treason the other would interfere. And Rampart would always end up on the winning side of their clone infighting.

Y/N could here their arguing inside the office.

Commander Tech had ordered for Y/N to wait outside the office for new orders.

More arguing from the office was audible until finally Ramparts voice cut their bickering short.

The door opened and Howzer left. His expression was that of a practised reserved solider hiding his worries.

The door opened again, and commander Tech stepped outside of Ramparts office.

He looked tense.

Instead of a greeting or an order he just started walking. They followed him.

“Clone force 99 is here. But we are kept on a short leash. As always.”, Tech stated, “It is implausible to not use the best tools possible when confronted with a problem. Howzers troopers will not be able to beat them if necessary. Just like they won’t be able or unwilling to beat the Twi’lek should the need arise.”

Since Kamino the commander had started to share more of his thoughts with Y/N. All they had left to do was to listen and ask the right questions.

“Sir, you think Howzer will commit subordination?”

“There is a possibility of him and his men disagreeing with the new imperial leadership and it’s methods. Howzers unit has fought alongside the Twi’leks the past years. Bounds forged in the trenches can be stronger than loyalty to an administrator from Coruscant. But I require further data to assess the likelihood of treason.”

“What about clone force 99?”

“Their abilities and erratic strategies will be a challenge should we … no, should I have to face them.”

“So, we did not get the order to hunt them down?”

“No. Not yet.”

“And yet you already imply them as of importance.”

“It would be a grave strategic mistake to dismiss their presence.”

“So, what is the elite squad going to do about them? What are your orders, sir?”

Tech paused and adjusted his glasses.

“We are going to do nothing.”

“Sir!?”

“Don’t.” There was a warning in his voice. A signal to Y/N not to cross a line, invisible yet perceptible. He was after all a commander and Y/N just a soldier.

“I am sorry. I overstepped. You are in charge.”

He turned, stepped away and looked at Y/N. His eyes scrutinized them like a scientist inspecting a rare specimen of remarkable value.

They shivered.

His gaze was intriguing. It was painful to feel on display like that. And yet it was nearly intimate to be studied by Tech. Unsure if he would finally hit Y/N for their countless discretions or if he just contemplated their objections.

Finally, Tech nodded appeased and continued his walking without any further talk.

“What do you want us to do now, sir?”

Tech stopped.

“What do I want you to do now?”, Tech repeated as if the question had a different meaning to him than it had to Y/N.

He took out his holopad only to put it away again. He cleared his throat.

“I need you to stay alert. The situation is complicated. For now, get some sleep. The chances are below 4,65 % that there will be a significant development within the next two hours. After that I except the elite squad to be combat ready.”

“Yes sir.”

XXXXXXXXX

The Refresher room was empty. Most clones avoided the elite squad, and all the other members of their unit were taking a nap before the night shift which left Y/N to have the large washroom for themselves.

They signed.

Taking a shower and having some alone time to think and feel before finally taking a rest was what they needed.

Y/N started to strip out of the armour.

First, they took of the helmet, then the vambraces and shin guards before getting the shoulder pieces and lifting the heavy breast armour off before finally getting out of the abdomen armour. The black katarn fell to the floor, making loud echoing noises.

Y/N didn’t care. No one was to correct them on their improper handling of equipment here.

And as much as the armour was a useful necessity, it was a heavy burden in more than one way.

Their blacks followed and soon Y/N was standing under the refresher, naked and alone.

The water was hot and painful.

It was a welcome distraction to all the feelings of … well what exactly?

Y/N felt tears running down their face.

No, no, no. It’s just the refresher.

An uptight sob escaped Y/Ns throat. It was all so different from what they imagined. They had entered imperial service for the payment during a desperate time. And ended up witnessing murder after murder, committing murder.

Today they could have become accomplices to killing a crowd of innocent Twi’leks. And Y/N knew that they would have complied with the order to open fire on the civilians if given. How could they not? Surrounded by troopers like them, ordered around by heartless and calculating commanders.

Would Tech give a killing order like this?

Was he that heartless?

He had done so before.

He had killed so many times before their eyes and yet a piece of Y/N refused to see him as a murderer. In fact, they felt shameful about feeling and thinking about Tech – about their commanding officer – at all.

Y/N stopped fighting the tears and cried out loud.

Nobody would know about this.

Nobody would know about their doubt and vulnerability.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As always sleep had been an unwilling friend to visit Tech. With a sigh he gave up and got up from the cot. As always, his mind was racing. He had tried the breathing techniques Crosshair taught him after a particular long stretch of insomnia, but it didn’t work.

And Tech wasn’t in the mood to experiment with the vast collection of sedatives to force his body to sleep right before possibly facing his brothers and definitely meeting admiral Rampart soon.

Work it was then.

His holopad listed only unchallenging administrative tasks.

The new Shuttle was in top shape.

His weapons were cleaned.

Tech had nothing to keep is overthinking brain in check.

Kriff, his life really was miserable. A never-ending effort to bringing his spiralling mind some peace.

A notification came in.

What a blessing.

Tech looked at the holopad again. It was just a reminder to check on his subordinates, to listen in on their private talks and vital signs.

The order from Imperial Command was an uncomfortable task but it was the best he had to do right now. And listing in on some snoring was better than listening to the elite squads talk like last time. At least it felt less overreaching.

He started with ES-04 and workout down from there. Four was in deep slumber, nothing of interest to note. ES-03 was still new and his sleep was restless, a few murmurs about his home planet and family escaped his lips. ES-02 was dreaming. His heartrate was accelerated. Tech turned his observation of, not interested in the rutting sounds of ES-02.

ES-01 was left. ONCE. Y/N. The thought of peeping into their private life was not only uncomfortable, but it also felt violent to strip Y/N of their peace and privacy.

And yet, Y/N was the only one Tech WANTED to know more about. He felt his desire to learn more about Y/N like a physical need, an addicting obsession Tech knew he needed to be careful with not to indulge.

Was their slumber peaceful and sweet?

Did they have dreams about home?

Or did they fight their nightmares in sleep just like they did awake?

He swallowed.

He was just following an order.

He will do nothing more.

He was just a good soldier.

Y/N wasn’t asleep. Their bucket was off and there were no vital signs coming of them. But the acoustic signal was working.

Y/N was somewhere with a lot of echoes and running water.

Tech felt himself blushing and getting hot.

They were in the shower.

It felt so right to listen in on Y/N. Tech felt bad about it.

The thought of water running down their bare and naked body made Techs mind slow like nothing ever before. The pleasure of a calm mind made him groan.

He hesitated. This was not okay. He shouldn’t listen. He shouldn’t imagine a subordinate like that. He hated that he had to. He hated that the Empire gave him order to do so. But more than that he hated himself for following that order so willingly.

He reached for the off button on his holopad.

A sob.

Was that Y/N? Were they crying?

Tech’s mind went from zero into overdrive. He needed to know who or whatever made you feel like crying. He would find out. And he would remove whatever it was from your life.

Part 4

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kuralione · 3 years

Text

Cassian & Gangu Body-Sharing AU (Part 2)

(Part 1)

So, we resume our story after school of the first day. Cassian and Gangu are now unwilling roommates and neither are happy with Moros. Cassian has control over their villain half/body/form and Gangu has control over their civilian half/body/form. Gangu is currently the one in control.

(Oh, and because Cassian’s fight with the bullies never happened, Uchan was not encountered. He never saw Cassian/Gangu fight the bullies. They aren’t even vaguely on Uchan’s radar at this point.)

The trio hung around the school for a while after the day ended as Gangu hid somewhere and they all kind if tried to figure stuff out and freaked out for a bit together. Gangu did some googling to confirm Cassian’s story about being Cassian Lee the Psyker.

And oh boy, was Cassian *pissed* as fuck when Gangu found the article of his reported death and betrayal. Link as they are, Gangu is able to feel Cassian’s reaction and that is what ultimately convinces him that Cass is telling the truth.

(Gangu and Cassian are able to feel each other’s emotions and sense each other’s surface thoughts to a degree. They are sort of like a constant background buzz in the other’s head. While they are constantly aware of each other, what they pick up is kinda muted? A general awareness, but nothing detailed. Unless they are intentionally broadcasting what they are thinking or feeling. Though stuff bleeds through occasionally when someone is experiencing something particularly intensely. There may also be some memory sharing going on, but I’m going leave there to figure out later).

Cassian wants revenge on Lampas for his and Jeff’s death. Moros is all for this plan and also wants them to help with the sword-thing. Gangu is not on board for either of these ideas. They spend a bit bickering, but Cassian backs off on the matter for now. This is Gangu’s life they’re intruding on in a way. Cassian is a twenty-something adult and Gangu is a teenage kid. Cassian is aware of this and does his best to be a responsible adult in the situation.

(Cass and Gangu end up developing a big brother-little brother relationship with time.)

Anyway, it’s sunset at this point and they make their way home. This is when Blaster happens, they find themselves outside the building, it’s burning and they can hear that the villain has taken hostages.

Moros thinks they shouldn’t get involved and stay out of it. Cassian is rioting to go save the hostages and teach Blaster a lesson. And Gangu…

Well, at this point, Gangu is reluctant to surrender control of their body to Cassian. This would be the second time he’s done it and the first time Gangu has done so intentionally. Gangu also isn’t super keen to run off and fight a bad guy. He’s just some weak nobody kid who’s been bullied since forever and has some pretty rock bottom self-esteem. He’s also kinda scared of getting hurt and pain. Plus, Bystander Syndrome.

He doesn’t want to leave the hostages to Blaster’s clutches either. What decent person would? However that doesn’t mean Gangu thinks he should be the one to do the rescuing. Lampas should be arriving soon anyway right? Shouldn’t they leave this to the professionals?

Cassian convinces Gangu to let him take control and do something about Blaster though. The general argument goes something along the lines of Blaster being a piece of shit and the victims need to be rescued. There may be some parallels draw to Gangu’s own situation at school. He’s tormented and no one does anything about it. There are two people facing death in front of him and is going to just ignore it? Gangu doesn’t even have to do anything, Cassian will handle it all.

Gangu transforms into their villain form and Cassian is back in the drivers seat. Events proceed as canon; however, Cassian’s loss of control and the bleed over of his intense rage is scary for Gangu. Cassian’s distress after coming back to himself mitigates Gangu’s concerns to a degree, but only to a degree that he knows Cassian did not intend to go berserk and is shaken by doing so.

They flee the scene after releasing the hostages and Cassian reverts to civilian form and Gangu has control again. Neither are really in the mood to talk after what happened though. Since Gangu is active and Cassian does his sulking/brooding in Gangu’s head instead of on that park bench, they get home in time to have dinner with Yuri.

Afterward Gangu collapses on their bed and it’s been a long day. He has homework to do but like…he just can’t do it right now. Cassian, feeling responsible and guilty, offers to help Gangu out.

Gangu: how? you don’t know the class.

Cassian: I’m like 24-25, I’ve graduated from high school. My math is rusty and don’t ask me about Koran history, but I think I can handle whatever you have.

Gangu: isn’t that cheating?

Cassian: yeah, but I’d like to see anyone try and prove it. We’re sharing a body.

Gangu:…hm. Okay.

They lock the bedroom door and close the blinds and Cassian is in control of the body. It’s annoying as hell for him to write with his claws, but he manages it. He is out of practice doing math, but it’s not as bad as he expected. Cassian took the most advanced math classes when he was in school and Gangu was only taking grade level math class.

(Actually, basically all of Gangu’s are grade level expect for maybe one advanced course? He’s not stupid, but the bullying kinda wrecked a lot of his drive and…school isn’t a happy place for him, okay? It’s hard to excel or try hard even when you want to when you’re subjected to daily torment in the same building.)

Gangu is taking English as a foreign language which given Cassian is a native English speaker (while not technically his first language—given his mix up with understanding Moros about sword, and him being raised, living, and working in America since he was at least 7-8?—English is might as well be) he breezes through the English homework. A bit to well actually, Gangu has to go back and make sure the vocabulary and grammar matches with what he’s been taught so far. Gangu has to copy-rewrite everything Cass does since they have different handwriting.

Cassian and Gangu talk (mentally) as Cass does the homework. He makes sure to walk Gangu through what he’s doing so even if Gangu isn’t the actual one doing the work, he is getting some of the educational benefit. Cass might end up properly tutoring Gangu down the line.

Also, Cassian isn’t much help with history or government or that sort of thing. He learned American history in school and yeah he’s studied world history/politics, but he wasn’t formally taught anything Korea specific stuff in school. The American education system is very America centric—my affluent high school only offered two non-American history classes: world and European. Cassian might be passably in his knowledge—but there was no formal education in the area unless he took classes in college—which he might have not gone to in the traditional sense—seems more like he went to a Psyker variant. Gangu and Cassian are going to have to hit the books together for those classes.

Not the best first day of body-sharing, but not the worst ether. Gangu concedes that he could have gotten stuck with a lot worse than Cassian Lee. Cass, for his part, is trying really hard to make this as easy as possible for the kid. It’s a balancing act for him, between his desire and consideration for Gangu.

#vtk #villain to kill #villain to kill webtoon #villain to kill fic ideas #body sharing au #cassian lee (villain to kill)#Gangu Gwon (Villain to kill)

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aviya932 · 3 years

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I’ve been thinking whether to write it or not. On one hand this is super important, on the other hand people don’t really care and I’ll probably get hate for it. But this has to be said and I’m gonna do it. This is really long but if you really want to understand what is happening in Israel right now- this is it

I live in Israel, and for the last 48 hours we have been under rapid missile attack. Hamas, which is a terror organization, have been shooting constantly at civilian cities and houses, while at the same time there have been various riots in mixed cities- by which i mean cities that have both Jewish and Islamic population- that in normal days live in co-existence. You have to understand a couple things right now before you come at me:

I don’t talk about high tension cities such as Jerusalem. This is Lod, Ramle, Jaffa and Haifa among others. Those are cities that truly are peaceful 90% of the time and I will talk about Jerusalem and Gaza so just stick with me.

THIS IS NOT A POST ABOUT WHOSE LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT OR VALUABLE!! Living in Gaza sucks under normal circumstances but living in Sderot is not much better. There is no competition on misery and trust me as a person that actually live in Israel and knows what it’s like here on the day to day that we are well aware on how it’s like in Gaza.

this site REALLY likes to talk about experiences and how when you live through a unique event no one can talk for you about that because they don’t really know what its like. so right here right now it is my experience. You are welcome to ask follow up questions, you may send me a message to learn more or to disagree with a certain point. But if you don’t live here, even if you are from a neighbor country, then you don’t know what’s it like and i wish to god you will never know.

I don’t have all the articles right here with me, because most of the are in Hebrew and I’m writing this really quickly. So if there is interest I’ll give references and I’m really sorry for any typos here.

Here is a brief timeline of Monday, April 10. I’ll try to stick to as many events without being partial, and for contest there have been two major events on that day:

It is still Ramadan- which means that religious Muslims were on temple mount.

It was also Jerusalem day- which I have no idea how to translate but celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people and the old city from the Jordan army, and is an Israeli holiday in which it is custom to go to Jerusalem so there were a lot of Jewish people at the Kotel.

There’s a neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem called Sheikh Jarrah, in which there is an ongoing legal fight over ownership and governance. On April 10 there wad supposed to be a sitting in court about evicting Arab familiars. It was decided to postpone because of the tension but there has been many rallys over the topic.

During the Ramadan there has been a lot of tension, so the Israeli police have declared that no Jewish person will get on temple mount at that day. it made people mad, since it is a sacred location for us as well, and some groups have threatened to climb anyway. As far as I know no Jew have managed to get there, since things escalated quickly. Like i said, this month was very tensed, and when the cops hears that the Muslims in Al-Aqsa Mosque were hoarding stones they have decided to go inside. this was at about 08:30-09:00 AM. Since the mosque is right above the kotel this was very worrying but during the chaos there have been injuries- 21 cops and dozens of Palestinians. Stun grenades and stones. Hamas have given an ultimatum- either the cops get off the mountain by 18:00 or they shoot rockets at Jerusalem, which at the time is filled with as much Muslims as Jews. During the day there have been terror attacks against Jews that came to the city for celebrations and for the flag parade that was planned to start at 16:00 and to end at the kotel. there was a lynch against 3 Jews at sha’ar ha’ariot (lion gate. a lynch that was depicted by the media as the drivers’ fault and as a running over. the truth is that the driver tried to escape the stoning, hit a cement half wall and continued to be hit until a cop came to his rescue) and a 7 month old girl was hit at the head by stones.

by 18:00 Hamas fired 3 barrages toward Jerusalem. And this is the part when i can tell you first-hand. because I was there, because I could not believe that they will shoot at their own people. There were SO MANY PEOPLE at the time from BOTH SIDES. this is a precedent- until then every single shooting was aimed at Jewish city and never at Muslims.

HAMAS SHOOT AT CIVILIANS IN JERUSALEM, A CITY THAT IS CONSIDERS HOLY FOR EVERYONE, DURING THEIR OWN HOLIDAY. THEY SHOT MISSILES AT A CITY IN WHICH MUSLIM ARABS LIVE. THEY SHOT BECAUSE THE POLICE WERE TRYING TO STOP MUSLIMS FROM THROWING ROCKS AT JEWISH PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO GET ON TEMPLE MOUNT. AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE WORST THING IS? THE FACT THAT INTERNATIONAL NEWS IMMEDIATELY STARTED BLAMING THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AND POLICE AND COMPLETELY REMOVED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FROM HAMAS AND THE GOVERNMENT IN GAZA. It’s so so easy to blame Israel because Israel is more organized, because our government, while being mostly useless in the last year since we had 5 elections, is built by the peoples’ choice and not by fear, because Gaza is an underdog and we feel for the underdog- and for good reasons. Do not think for a moment that we don’t feel sorry for the people in Gaza. They live under a terrible government that cares more for the Palestinian agenda than their civilians, most Shekels that the Israeli government is transferring won’t reach the people and instead will be taken by Hamas to build bombs, guns, and tunnels. Hamas needs the people to stay underdogs. They will use them as human shields for as long as it gets them sympathy, they will take every opportunity they have to blame Israel and the media is giving them exactly what they want every single time- even Israeli media will twist facts and stories to sound more progressive and ‘woke’ and politically correct. so here are facts for all of you

while it makes me sound like a five year old it’s still true that this time Hamas shot first and unsolicited.

every country that has missiles shot at will, and has the right, to defend itself.

is it okay for civilian casualty? NO. Absolutely no. But don’t any of you dare to use that as a reason for Israeli cruelty. Hamas have sot over 1,000 rockets in the last 48 hours. IDF has attacked about a 150 locations. Hamas is shooting wildly at cities and homes without care who they hit. IDF is targeting senior Hamas figures only. Hamas is shooting from homes and streets. every IDF base that has weapons in will be located outside of civilian location.

IDF is using the “Roof knocking“ technique, and has been using for years. for those who don’t know it- IAF is dropping a non-explosive bomb- a smoke bomb that makes some noise- on top of any location they will hit to inform every single person inside that they need to get out. Only after a few minutes’ waiting will they hit for real. When Hamas is telling us when they will shoot it’s nothing like that. They don’t warn-they threat.

6 Israeli people have died so far. 2 of them were Muslim Arab-Israeli. They do not care who they hit.

the people in mixed cities have been rioting nearly nonstop for 48 hours now while attacking their neighbors, while burning synagogues, cars, homes and restaurants. One of my best friends lives in Lod. they have curfew from 20:00 today until 04:00 tomorrow. Her situations terrifies me more than any bomb because those are people who lived there for years.

not every Muslim and Arab is to blame, and blaming everyone is wrong. BUT ignoring what is happening right now is naive. Do not be blind and do not believe every single thing the media tells you. There are countless videos were Arabs fake death. where they dress as soldiers to fake scenes, where they openly teach their children hate and where their leaders openly lie on live television and get caught.

most of the time people lie because they really believe it, but that only serves the disinformation. Sometimes good intentions only cause more pain and hate.

Israel is not without blame. no one is without blame because life is not a book- there are no 100% good people and a 100% bad people. Life is complicated and so are people and political situations. You have to criticize your sources, and if they paint one side as good and one as bad then you should stop reading them. there are Israeli extremists as well, and far-right movements scare me as much as any Arab riots but no one is working in a vacuum.

the numbers are very different for many reasons. The death and casualties in Gaza is larger for many reasons, but I’ll focus on the most important ones. first, the IDF is more organized and so their bombs are stronger and more advanced. Second, Hamas is intentionally stationed in neighborhoods, schools and hospitals for human shields. third, Israel is using everything they can to protect its’ citizens and pays fortune on Iron Domes. Hamas does nothing to protect the people, and they have the money for that if they wanted since the receive money from Israel, the UN, and various different NGOs. If you don’t bother to protect your own how can you blame others? when people in Israel get hurt because they don’t have shelter they blame our own government.

right now everything here is a mess, and people from outside do not help when they only spread rumors and hate. You don’t live here? you have no clue what is happening. pray for all of us, but first educate your self and read more than one source of news for god sake. If you want the full picture you must read right-side news AND left-side news. Try to understand what is true, try to understand what is an exaggeration, try to understand what both sides are experiencing and don’t just assume that you are the smartest, most educated person just because you support the ‘right’ side. There is no right side. Only A side. So try to stand with us. Stand with Israel and have as much compassion for us as you have for Gaza. We are heading toward a civil war that will not hurt only one side, we have been living like that for years so trust me when i tell you that everyone is tired of how things are. We want peace but we don’t really see it happening anytime soon.

and for the love of god, don’t just send hate. I care about opinions, i want to think about stuff that i haven’t mentioned and to learn from others. Hate comments will not help either of us and will only keep us where we are now, and you trying to hurt me will honestly achieve nothing and will be kinda boring. Sorry for being so blunt but it’s the truth.

#Israel #jewish #jew #ישראל #arabs #jerusalem #ירושלים #standwithus #zionism #ציונות #יהדות #muslims

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of-dragons-and-fae · 4 years

Text

Stars in Magick

💫 Enlightenment and inspiration, inner purpose, astral magick and self reflection.

💫 Self care, safety during sleep, inner child magick, divination looking into past lives and encouragement of astral projection.

💫 Protection with exploration of the inner self, manifestation magick and clarity.

Star Water in Magick

🏺 Collect a transparent bottle or jar to gather your star water. Research what constellation it will be put under if it applies to you and refer to the constellation correspondence list.

💧 Fill it up with water either up to the brim or half way depending on preference (Not rain water as it collects pollution on it's way down).

💎 Feel free to charge the water beforehand with star connecting crystals if a starlit skys without pollution is not possible with the intention of charging it into star water, outside of the container not within for safety.

🌌 Set the container on a stable surface outdoors under a starlit sky with little to non-pollution with a closed lid. Leave for a minimum of thirty minutes, and the maximum of an hour and a half.

Star Colour Magick

Blue - Awareness, clarity, communication, emotions, fertility, fidelity, freedom, guidance, harmony, honor, hope, intuition, knowledge, peace, prosperity, protection, purification, relationships, spirituality, transformation, wisdom. Especially useful for astral travel and dream work.

Green - Abundance, balance, creativity, fertility, growth, kindness, love, luck, prosperity, renewal, success, wealth. Especially useful for healing and connecting with spirits.

Purple - Awareness, enlightenment, happiness, inspiration, manifestation, spirituality, wisdom. Especially useful for astral travel, clairvoyance, divination and psychic work.

Orange - Abundance, adaptability, beginnings, confidence, discipline, justice, luck, power, reconciliation, strength, transformation. Especially useful for dealing with change and healing.

Red - Action, courage, creativity, determination, fertility, leadership, love, loyalty, motivation, passion, power, protection, relationships, renewal, strength, willpower.

Especially useful for activating energy and breaking hexes.

White - Clarity, compassion, enlightenment, gratitude, happiness, harmony, hope, inspiration, peace, protection, purity, spirituality, willpower. Especially useful for astral travel, divination, healing, and psychic work.

Yellow- Awareness, clarity, communication, creativity, devotion, faith, friendship, happiness, inspiration, wisdom

Especially useful for astral travel, clairvoyance, dream work, and contacting spirits.

Constellation Magick

Andromedia.: Fixture of relationship issues, rekindlement of love, marriage, ignition of personal power, release spellwork, banishing magick, working through grief, shadow magick, helping move past the fear of death.

~ Alpha Andromedae (Blue): Independence and freedom

~ Gamma Andromedae (Gamma1 is orange, Gamma2 is blue, Gamma3 is white): Artistic abilities

Aquarius.: Power of Water magick, personal self development, regenerative energy, expanding creative abilities, spiritual endeavours, sea witchery and boost in manifesting luck spells.

~ Alpha Aquarii (Yellow): Luck

~ Beta Aquarii (Yellow): Fortune and attracting positive energies

~ Delta Aquarii (Yellow): Wishful magick

Aquila.: Preserving of traditions, messages, bestowment of clairvoyant abilities, Litha, Air Magick, success, reaching new heights, divination, psychic work, astral travel and realm travelling.

~ Alpha Aquilae (Yellow)

~ Beta Aquilae (Yellow-Red)

~ Gamma Aquilae (Orange): Balance

Ara.: Protection of the home and sacred spaces, binding magick, victory, aid in maintaining chastity, refuge, protective talismans, prediction of the weather, dedication of the altar.

~ Alpha Arae (Blue Star) - Less brightest.

~ Beta Arae (Orange Star) - Most brightest.

Aries.: Introspection into developing psychic abilities, fertility, abundance, strength, potent protective energies, aid in drawing down energy.

~ Alpha Arietis (Orange): Action and independence

~ Beta Arietis (White-Yellow Star): Spring magick

~ Gamma Arietis (White-Orange Star): Protection

Auriga.: Protection of children, storm magick, protection, wisdom, weather witchery, protection against evil, protection against storms, protection of innocent people/civilians, strengthening intentions and aid in divination skills.

~ Alpha Aurigae ( Alpha1 is yellow and Alpha2 is red)

~ Beta Aurigae (Blue-White Star)

~ Gamma Aurigae (Blue)

Boötes.: WIP

Cancer.: Fulfillment of tasks, working with liminality, astral travel, dream work, creativity, abundance, wealth and prosperity.

~ Alpha Cancri (White)

~ Beta Cancri (Orange)

~ 44M Cancri (Red, Orange, Yellow, White and Blue)

Canes Venatici.: Life force energy (wip)

Canis Major.: Protection of dogs and guardianship of new life.

~ Alpha Canis Majoris (White): Healing magick and death witchery.

~ Epsilon Canis Majoris (Blue and White)

Canis Minor.: Liminal sight, the ability to see spirits, protection of the home.

~ Alpha Canis Minoris (White)

Capricornus.: Gratitude, the Horned God, nature, fertility, abundance and playfulness.

~ Alpha Capricorni (Yellow)

~ Beta Capricorni (Beta 1a is orange, Beta 1b is blue white, Dabih Minor is blue white, Beta 2b is white)

~ Delta Capricorni (Delta 1 is white, Delta 2 is yellow white): Wisdom

Cassiopeia.: Use this constellations' energy together with the Cepheus constellation, strength, balance, respect and restoration of health.

~ Alpha Cassiopeiae (Orange Star): Maternity magick

~ Beta Cassiopeiae (Yellow-White Star)

~ Delts Cassiopeiae (Blue-White Star)

Cepheus.: Use with the constellation Cassiopeia, male sovereignty, strength and authority, home, family and security.

~ Alpha Cephei (White)

~ Beta Cephei (Blue-White)

~ Gamma Cephei (Orange)

~ Mu Cephei (Red)

Together, Cepheus and Cassiopeia brings balance to male and feminine energies, life and death, represents relationships of lovers and can be called upon to find true love and sparking everlasting union.

Centaurus.:

Cetus.: Unconscious forces, harmony, self esteem boost, travel protection, intelligence, protection when casting circles, transformation and growth.

~ Alpha Ceti (Red)

~ Beta Ceti (Orange)

~ Omicron Ceti (Omicron1 is red and Omicron2 is white): Liminality

~ Zeta Ceti (Orange)

Columba.:

Corona Australis.:

Corona Borealis.:

Corvus.:

Crater.: Mysticism, spirituality, the Water Element, femininity, blessings, the season of Spring, sensuality and fertility.

Crux.:

Cygnus.: Sacrifice, friendship, unity, the Fae, enchantment, the power of prophecy, astral journeys, mysticism, restful sleep, boosting self esteem, healing, strength and beauty.

~ Alpha Cygni (Blue and White Star): Fae, looking out for one another.

~ Beta Cygni (Beta1 is yellow and Beta2 is blue)

~ Epsilon Cygni (Orange): Air Magick, flight, freedom

Delphinus.: Sea witchcraft, protection of sea creatures especially dolphins, protection when travelling at sea, friendship, musical talent, cheerfulness, transformation, beauty, fun, working with elemental energies mainly water, discovering truth, releasing negativity, liberation, wisdom, otherwordly nature, aid in helping the passing over of loved ones, maternity magick, protection with pregnancy, fertility magick and travel spells.

~ Alpha Delphini (Blue-White)

~ Beta Delphini (Yellow-White) Talent

~ Epsilon Delphini (White)

Draco.: Draconic magick, wisdom, spiritual guardians, Earth Dragon Guardian, artisitic ability, skill, prosperity, good luck, power, protection of important spaces and items.

~ Alpha Draconis (White): Leadership qualities

~ Beta Draconis (Yellow)

~ Gamma Draconis (Orange)

Eridanus.: Wisdom, blessing of water, health, abundance, power, transformation, aid in meditation, wisdom, inspiration, boost in spiritual performance and musical ability.

~ Alpha Eridani (Blue-White)

~ Gamma Eridani (Yellow)

Gemini.: Balance of light and dark, transition, transformation, embracing dynamic of life, strength of unity.

~ Alpha Geminorum (Alpha 1+2 are white and Alpha3 is red): Success in legal matters

~ Beta Geminorum (Orange): Bravery and craftiness.

Grus.: Ancient wisdom, death, rebirth, energetically charging, boosting divination, understanding deep mysteries, and truth.

~ Alpha Gruis (Blue-White)

~ Beta Gruis (Red)

Hercules.: Strength, determination, purpose, potent creative energy, help in contacting the Fae, energising power, overcoming challenges, logic, boosting potency of spells.

~ Alpha Herculis (Alpha 1a is orange, Alpha 1b is blue green, Alpha 2a is yellow, Alpha 2b is yellow white)

~ Beta Herculis (Yellow Star): Offensive magick

Hydrus.: Prosperity, abundance, wisdom, reproduction, power, manifestation, emotional magick, cycles, healing magick, change, transformation, aid in raising energy.

~ Alpha Hydrae: Darker passions and untamed emotions.

Leo.: Protection, fertility, abundance, courage, balance between femininity and masculinity.

~ Beta Leonis (Blue Star): Stimulation of creativity.

~ Gamma Leonis (Gamma 1 = orange, Gamma 2 = yellow): Promotion of love and protection against enemies.

~ Delta Leonis (Blue-white Star): Liminality and strength.

Lepus.: Moon Magick, ment health support, self esteem, hope, wishing magick, abundance, fertility, quick thinking, aid in divination, boosts the energy of divination tools, transformation, hidden knowledge and discovery.

~ Alpha Leporis (Yellow-White)

~ Beta Leporis (Yellow)

Libra.: Justice, balance, introspectivity, reflection, good health, balancing of energies and support of legal matters.

~ Alpha Librae (Alpha 1 = yellow, Alpha 2 = blue): Negative influences

~ Beta Librae (Blue-Green star): Honor and ambition, together representing the balance of light and dark.

Lupus.: Eternity, afterlife, banishing, renewal, power, healing, rebirth, reawakening, elemental forces, protection of young animals, protection against unpredictable weather, ancestral magick and Earth magick.

~ Alpha Ursae Majoris (Orange Star)

~ Beta Ursae Majoris (Blue-White Star)

~ Alpha Ursae Minoris (Yellow-White Star): Navigation and protection against spells.

Lynx.:

Lyra.: Musical talent, poetry within magick, spellwork.

~ Alpha Lyrae (Blue-White Star): Social awareness and magick,artistic talent.

~ Beta Lyrae (Blue-White): Otherworldy and enchantment.

~ Gamma Lyrae (Blue-White): Faery Realm and introspection.

Monoceros.: Enchantment, Faery Realm, working with Unicorns, freedom, power, empowerment, blessings of love and luck and spiritual revelation.

~ Alpha (Orange), Gamma (Orange) and Delta Monocerotis (White): Beauty, astral travel, illusion in magick and glamour magick.

Ophiuchus.: Powerful healing magick, the Realm of Death, talents

~ Alpha Ophiuchi (Alpha1 is white, Alpha2 Orange); astronomy magick

~ Beta Ophiuchi (Orange); Empowerment of ones own magick

~ Alpha Serpentis (Orange); Balancing energy points

~ Theta Serpentis (White); Grounding magick and peacefulness

Orion.: Storm magick, overcoming challenges, success, victory, achievement, self confidence, death, afterlife, rebirth, feminity, empowerment and protection.

~ Alpha Orionis (Red)

~ Beta Orionis (Red)

~ Gamma Orionis (Blue)

Pegasus.: Nephelomancy magick, poetry magick, protection of horses, freeing someone under the influence of witchcraft, prophecy, liminal spaces, aid in transversing realms, divination, aid in seeing ghosts and connection with children.

~ Alpha Pegasi (Blue-White): Stability

~ Beta Pegasi (Red Star): Creativity

~ Gamma Pegasi (Blue-White)

~ Epsilon Pegasi (Yellow)

Perseus.: Enhancement of wishes, sun magick, freedom, uncrossing magick and breaking hexes.

~ Alpha Persei (Yellow-White)

~ Beta Persei (Beta 1 is blue-white, Beta 2 is orange and Beta 3 is white)

Phoenix.: Rebirth, regeneration, reincarnation, change, transformation, dynamic cycles, fire magick and support through challenges.

Pisces.: Creativity, procreation, unity, divination, mysticism and knot magick.

~ Alpha Piscium (White): Knowledge and integrating ideas.

~ Eta Piscium (Yellow)

~ Gamma Piscium (Yellow)

Piscis Austrinus.: WIP

Pleiades.: Peace, wisdom, unity, mysticism, power, channeling knowledge, higher self, procreation and increasement of intuition.

~ Ela Tauri (Alycone1 is blue-white, Alycone2+3 is white and Alycone4 is Yellow-White): Protection of birds and winged creatures and calming the weather.

~ 16 Tauri (Blue-White): Creation

~ 17 Tauri (Blue-White): Aid in moving past grief.

~ 19 Tauri (1+2 are blue white and 3 is white): Protection of cities

~ 20 Tauri (Blue-White): Springtime magick

~ 21 + 22 Tauri (Blue-White): Parenthood

~ 23 Tauri (Blue-White): Love

Sagittarius.: Achieving goals, male fertility, sensuality, vitality, awareness, freedom.

~ Alpha Sagittarii (Blue star); steadiness

~ Beta Sagittarii (Beta1 is Blue, Beta2 is yellow white); Athleticism,

~ Epsilon Sagittarii (Epsilon 1 is blue and Epsilon2 is orange): mental stimulation

~ Gamma Sagittarii (Orange)

Scorpius.: Protection, death witchery, potent powerful magick, repellent of negativity, psychic abilities, working on the Shadow self, spirituality, transformation and creativity.

~ Alpha Scorpii (Red star): Water magick

~ Beta Scorpii (Blue-White Star): Defensive magick

~ Lambda Scorpii (Blue-White Star): Offensive magick

Taurus.: Life, nature's cycles, fertility, abundance, wealth, beauty, glamour magick, regeneration, wealth and aid in consecration of tools and grounding.

~ Alpha Tauri (Orange)

~ Beta Tauri (Blue): Fire magick

Triangulum.: WIP

Ursa Major.: WIP

Ursa Minor.: WIP

Virgo.: Bounty of the Earth, cycles of the seasons, Ostara, divinity, aid in Earth Magick, blessing of spaces, regeneration and strengthening of love.

~ Alpha Virginis (Blue-White): Protection against danger, navigation, fortune and abundance.

~ Gamma Virginis (Yellow-White): Prophecy.

~ Epsilon Virginis (Yellow): Harvest, reaping and sowing.

Crystals to Connect to Stars

~ Blue tourmaline and onyx

~ Celestite and amethyst

~ Blue goldstone + blue apatite

Sources.:

My personal correspondences.

https://www.constellationsofwords.com/

Mainly from Star Magick by Sandra Kynes

Post by Of-Dragons-And-Fae

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch #cosmic witchcraft #cosmic witch #cosmic magick #space witchcraft #space magic #space witch #space magick #star witchcraft #book of stars #star magick #star witch #eclectic witch #ecletic pagan

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notcapableofbeingtheguy · 4 years

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HANK’S TRANSFORMATION AS REACTION TO TRAUMA— DECENTER THE SELF

“I think the universe is trying to tell me something and I’m finally ready to listen.”— 3x07, One Minute

(Main Post)

To understand how Hank’s trauma transforms him over the course of the show, let’s start by thinking about what Hank is like at the beginning of the show.

At the beginning of the show, Hank is the picture of toxic masculine arrogance. In the Pilot, Walt envies Hank for his power and confidence. Hank is cool, successful, manly, and everything Walt feels he is not. But we as the audience see how Hank’s ego is hurtful to those around him: he is callous, racist, misogynistic, and focuses more on the power involved in his job (the ~thrill of the bust~) than his potential to do good. What we don’t yet see, initially, though— and what it takes a great deal of trauma to reveal to Hank— is how his masculine arrogance, his obsession with himself, is also hurtful to himself.

Over the course of the first 2 and a half seasons, Hank experiences several traumatic incidents of witnessing and inflicting violent injury and death. First, Hank kills Tuco in a shoot out. Then he witnesses the tortoise explosion in El Paso. And he reacts to this trauma by engaging in increasingly reckless violent behavior— starting with bar fights, and ending with his brutal beating of Jesse.

Why does Hank react in this way? I believe it’s because, up until his beating of Jesse, Hank’s ego prevents him from properly coping with his PTSD. Hank is shaken by the violent incidents he is involved with in the field— exhibiting clear symptoms of PTSD. He has panic attacks and insomnia and startles at loud noises. Hank interprets all this as his mind and body failing him, failing to live up to his idea of a proper man and a proper cop. To accept that he has PTSD, that he has reacted to these situations emotionally, rather than brushing these violent instances off like a Real ManTM, would be to totally shatter his image of himself. So, he doesn’t accept this. When Walt suggests Hank talk to a therapist upon returning from El Paso, Hank immediately rejects the idea, saying “[if you] start going down that road, [you can] kiss your career goodbye” (2x 08, Better Call Saul). He has so built himself up in his own mind, that he believes if he admits any weakness, he will lose everything— his job, the respect of his wife and friends, himself. He won’t confront his trauma, and he won’t confront his reaction to it, and he certainly won’t confront how his natural reaction to the trauma makes him feel (frustrated, humiliated).

So he turns the anger and frustration he has with himself and his failing mind and body outwards. He is violent and reckless. In episode 3x03, I.F.T, Hank has a panic attack in a bar bathroom, from thinking about the possibility of being sent back to El Paso. And then he proceeds to pick a fight with two other patrons, under the guise of DEA business, but clearly actually because he needs to outlet his rage and panic. And Hank’s reaction is even worse when he believes Marie has been hurt (after Saul places the false call in Sunset). He is first thrown into a panic, and then into an uncontrollable rage— leading him to brutally beat Jesse. But this turns out to be the turning point for Hank, the moment when he truly, authentically changes in response to his trauma.

Let’s focus in on the brief moment in between Hank’s beating of Jesse, and his grueling near death experience with The Twins. The crucible moment when Hank’s transformation as I have described it— his decentering of the self— begins. This moment is actually one episode, and it’s one of my favorites: 3x07, One Minute. In beating Jesse as he did— blatantly outside of the boundaries of his job, Hank realizes he has gone too far. This violence touches his personal life— he fears for Marie’s life, and reacts by beating a civilian as a civilian— and so it is harder to make excuses for it as just another part of being in the DEA. Hank knows what he did was wrong. And this is (forgive the metaphor) the Jenga piece that makes the whole pile topple. He finally admits to himself (and to Marie) that “ever since that Salamanca thing” he’s been “unraveling.” He admits that his shooting of Tuco and the El Paso incident are the reasons for his violent and wrong behavior— that they have damaged him. He finally admits that he has been traumatized, and he has reacted to it poorly.

And after admitting this, Hank does something incredible. Something unprecedented in terms of who we have seen him to be previously in the show. He admits fault, he takes responsibility, and he quits the DEA. We see Hank truly and honestly humbled— he admits to both his weaknesses and his wrongdoings, with an unparalleled level of grace and self-awareness. He starts to become a better, more honest, more responsible, less arrogant person. He even weeps openly in front of Marie. This episode is Hank’s high point of the series, in terms of integrity and strength of character.

But then, oh then, there is fresh trauma for Hank.

Hank’s violent injury at the hands of The Twins, and his grueling recovery, hammer home even harder the fears and insecurities Hank had when his trauma was just emotional. Hank’s injury brings him to his lowest point— he is bed-bound, unemployed, and needs his wife’s help to take a shit. Everything Hank was feeling before— about the failure of his mind and body to live up to his masculine ideals— comes back with a vengeance.

And this does continue to humble Hank in the positive sense I described above. I believe that the incredible detective work that Hank is able to do in seasons 4 and 5 is enabled by this increased humility. I think it’s very apt when Hank says, in One Minute, “the universe is trying to tell me something and I’m finally ready to listen.” Hank’s strokes of investigative genius — first those that lead him to Gus Fring, and then the pivotal revelation that Walt is Heisenberg— could well be described as him simply listening to the universe, in a way he wasn’t ready to before. Gus had primed the DEA to never suspect him with his cop-loving act, but Hank was able to get outside of that bias and make that mental leap when all the other officers refused to believe it. He listened to what the evidence told him. And, though you could argue that Hank finding Gale’s book in Walt’s bathroom was purely random, I think Hank’s willingness to even consider Walt as a potential Heisenberg (let alone to extrapolate that possibility from a set of initials and a visually identified handwriting match on a random book) shows significant growth. There are countless moments before that in the series of incredible dramatic irony, where the idea of Walt as a drug dealer would occur to Hank, and he would immediately dismiss them as ludicrous. Because, of course, if Walt were a criminal, Hank would have to be an idiot to have been fooled by him for so long. There was a barrier of ego that was keeping Hank from considering that possibility. And only when it was removed, was Hank ready to listen to what the universe revealed to him.

But, the effects of Hank’s injury on him are not all positive.

Hank is brought SO low, and is SO humbled by his injury, that it moves to the point of humiliation. And he reacts to this by turning his attention away from himself and towards his fanatic obsessions. He decenters himself, by centering his whole life on something else. First there are, of course, his minerals. Then, he becomes obsessed with taking down Gus Fring. Then, finally, he becomes obsessed with taking down Walt.

This fanaticism is bad for Hank. His fanatic obsession with minerals almost destroys his marriage. His legally dubious pursuit of Gus Fring threatens his fragile career (and, unbenknownst to him, puts him on Gus’s hit list). And his fanatic pursuit of Walt eventually leads to his death. This fanaticism goes so wrong for Hank because, I would argue, fanatic external obsession ignores the self, where true humility accepts the self in all its flaws. Think back to Hank’s humble behavior following his beating of Jesse. Hank actually thought a lot about himself— he analyzed the patterns of behavior he’d had since his encounter with Tuco, admitted to his weaknesses, and took responsibility for his actions. He deflated his ego by taking a look at himself honestly, rather than by refusing to look at himself at all. But, after his injury, this is just what Hank does— refuses to examine himself, instead spending all his energy on something else. And that turns out to be Hank’s fatal flaw.

If Hank had examined himself instead of buying so many minerals, he would have seen he was ashamed of his physical disability and was taking that anger out on his wife. And he could have rectified that much sooner. If Hank had examined himself instead of relentlessly investigating Gus Fring, he would have seen that he was going back to the same type of crooked police work that he previously realized he was doing and quit the force because of. And he could have conducted his investigation more safely and ethically. If Hank had examined himself instead of fanatically pursuing Walt, he would have seen that he was furious with himself for failing to see Walt was Heisenberg sooner, and felt a need to redeem himself. And then maybe he would have been humble enough to ask for help from other DEA agents instead of going it on his own. And maybe, he would have survived.

Ironically, Hank’s attempts to think less about himself and his problems, actually ended up letting those problems rule his life.

Hank’s story is, in the end, a tragedy. We see the kind of positive growth Hank is capable of. His reaction to his trauma— the way he uses it to become a better person, husband, and detective— is often inspiring. By season 5, because of this growth, Hank arguably becomes the hero of the show. But, painfully, he isn’t able to grow quite enough. His ego remains involved in his detective work— though this time in the opposite direction (he frantically tries to ignore himself, rather than inflating himself, but this ends up involving him too much in his work nonetheless). And this, among the various sins of other characters, leads to Hank’s death. Which is so painful to see, because we know what Hank was capable of in terms of self-reflection, growth, and integrity. We know what he fell short of.

#breaking bad #brba #hank schrader #hank #brba analysis #brba meta #trauma post series #y’all...#i fuckin love hank schrader #im so sad he’s dead #rewatching One Minute repeatedly to write this post CHANGED ME #hope y’all are enjoying my dissertation

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 4 years

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#5: The One With Astruc's Self-Insert

In my introductory post, I said the main inspiration for this blog was @hypocrisyofandrewdobson. For those who don't know, Andrew Dobson is an infamous webcomic artist known for drawing webcomics that tend to demonize people he's come across in public or people who disagree with him online (either critical of his art or his political views), while portraying himself as the victim or wise man calling them out on their differing beliefs.

If you want to learn more about this guy who I consider to be far worse than Astruc, check out the blog in question. And no, I don't know why he draws himself as a blue bear.

Why am I talking about this? It's one thing for some schmuck on the internet to use his work to respond to criticism, but the creator of a popular animated series dedicating an entire episode to attacking his critics and trying to get others to feel bad for him is another story.

The second episode of Miraculous Ladybug's third season, “Animaestro” served as a wake-up call for fans (myself included) to make them realize how immature Astruc could be. The plot centers around the premiere of a movie about Ladybug and Cat Noir directed by Thomas Astruc, who voices himself in the original French dub.

And this isn't just a brief cameo like what Stan Lee did in the MCU. Astruc is the Akumatized person this episode, so there's naturally a lot of focus on him. Throughout the first half of the episode, Astruc portrays himself as this timid man who nobody recognizes or respects, like this idiot who doesn't know what animation is.

Doorman: This is a private event, sir.

Astruc: Huh? Excuse me? I'm Thomas Astruc, the movie director.

Doorman: You filmed Cat Noir and Ladybug? What are they like in real life?

Astruc: Er, it's an animated movie. It's all cartoon characters. We don't actually film anyone. See, there's this whole team that draw the chara—

Doorman: Whatever. Who would want to see Ladybug and Cat Noir as cartoon characters?

Get it? Wasn't that meta joke hilarious? This is how much I was laughing:

youtube

And Astruc continues to get about as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield when he interacts with other characters like Jagged Stone and Chloe.

Jagged Stone: Ladybug is one of my best buds! I can't wait to see her movie!

Astruc: Well I—I'm the director, so actually it's more my movie, so to speak.

Jagged Stone: Oh, so you're the one who created the story?

Astruc: Well, technically the screen writers wrote the story, inspired by Ladybug's exploits.

Jagged Stone: Oh, okay. So you did all the drawings?

Thomas: No, no. The animators do all the drawings.

Jagged Stone: So what do you do then?

(Later on...)

Chloe: So you're the one responsible for this movie?

Astruc: Yes, yes! Exactly! That's me!

Chloe: Then you were the one who left Queen Bee out of the trailer. You're lame, utterly lame.

I can't believe Astruc had a scene where he interacted with Chloe and didn't insult her at all.

The episode is determined to make the audience feel bad for Astruc. Nobody respects him and what he does. Isn't that saaaaaad? Nobody cares about animated film directors like Walt Disney or Tex Avery anyway. Not even these stupid children understand how hard Astruc works.

Several Children: Ladybug! Where's Ladybug?

Astruc: Hey there, kids!

Teacher: Ladybug isn't here children. We came here to meet the director of the movie. Children: (frowning in disappointment) Aww.

(Astruc looks visibly disappointed.)

Way to insult your primary demographic, Astruc. I thought you said kids have a better understanding of these stories when people criticized the writing of a certain episode (It's that scene in “Puppeteer 2” if you're curious/don't value your sanity).

It's almost like you're using that as an excuse to half-ass your work while still getting to claim this show is so groundbreaking.

In case you can't tell, “Animaestro” is one of those episodes. The ones where the showrunners decide to dedicate an entire episode to attacking critics of the show in a blunt fashion. Whenever a show addresses criticism, they either create an obvious strawman character to parrot the opinions of fans who don't like their work, or have someone defend the show and insult the critics directly.

youtube

The problem isn't that they're ignoring criticism. It's their show, and they aren't obligated to listen to critics or fans who don't like the direction the show is taking. On the other hand, they aren't obligated to fight back like this and treat their audience like crap. Any show that does something like the three clips I showed you usually comes off as petty and immature because they dedicate so much time to insulting the critics.

Even during the Akuma fight, Astruc has to call out Ladybug for having problems with his movie in-universe, obviously representing critics of the show Astruc claims have no right to criticize the show while it's still airing.

Ladybug: What's with that trailer too? I am not scared of cats, at all.

Astruc/Animaestro: You haven't even seen the movie and you're already slamming it?

Cat Noir: He does have a point, you know.

Ladybug: I wasn't slamming it. It's called constructive criticism!

Yeah, how dare Ladybug be angry that this movie is portraying her as a powerless coward dependent on Cat Noir as opposed to a confident and brave superhero. She just doesn't understand the genius of Thomas Astruc!

And of course the character Astruc claims is “perfect” is the one to take his side.

And that's another problem with this episode, the metatextual references. Before he gets akumatized, Astuc says he spent three years of his life working on his movie. I get that time in this show is weird (we somehow had episodes taking place on the first day of school, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and the first day of Summer), but how did Astruc's self-insert work on a movie based on a superhero who has only been active for a year? Meta-wise, it's an obvious reference to the scorn Astruc has gotten from fans after working so hard on his show, but the only people who would get that reference are the ones who are aware of Astruc's reputation online.

Self-Insert aside, I actually think the titular Animaestro is one of the more visually impressive Akumas featured on the show. Animaestro takes on several forms based off several different forms and eras of animation, like flash, anime, rubber hose, and they all stand out. Granted, some of them are obvious parodies of other characters like Goku or Sailor Moon, but the actual Akuma fight is fun to watch. According to the Mexican Miraculous Ladybug Twitter account, this episode took two and a half years to create, and it shows. It's too bad the story behind it is completely insufferable, almost like the cartoon equidistant to Pixels.

But then comes the part that honestly makes the episode worth it, mainly for how unintentionally hilarious it is. Do you want to know what Animaestro's weakness is? Do you really want to know?

Animaestro is physically incapable of moving unless someone is watching him. I am not making this up.

Ladybug and Cat Noir literally defeat Animaestro by getting everyone to stop paying attention to him.

I could make so many jokes with this, but I can guarantee you're already thinking of something just as good, if not better, than whatever I write.

And there's the end where Astruc gives Marinette his ticket to the movie, which prompts Marinette to kiss up to him for no real reason.

Astruc: Sorry, I guess you don't know who I am either.

Marinette: Of course do. You're Thomas Astruc, the movie director!

Astruc: She recognized me. Somebody actually recognized me!

Nothing happened to make her change her opinion on the Ladybug movie, she didn't really say anything to him earlier in the episode that connects to this exchange, and outside of a few lines Animaestro said, she doesn't even know why he got akumatized (even though ironically she and Chloe accidentally contributed to it because of the awful subplot involving Kagami I talked about last time). If anything, it comes off less like she actually appreciates Astruc's work, and more like she's stroking his ego just to keep him from getting akumatized again.

So yeah, this episode is awful, and the fact that it came out right after the controversial “Chameleon” only proved to show what kind of direction the show was taking this season.

But honestly, even if Astruc still wanted to make about how he doesn't get enough respect the episode could have potentially. All he had to do was make a simple change: Instead of making it about validation for Astruc as a creator, make it about validation for animation in general.

It's a common misconception that animation is only used for shows and movies aimed at children, so the episode could reflect it. Instead of the huge turnout where several celebrities appear at the premiere, instead, the turnout could be a lot smaller, with the media dismissing it as some stupid kiddie flick. Instead of getting akumatized because he gets humiliated in public/getting no respect from anyone else, Astruc gets akumatized because he sees the audience didn't go wild for the movie after the premiere. All he can hear them say is that it's just “kids stuff”.

So when Astruc is Animaestro, he goes on about how important animation is. How it's helped produce propaganda since World War II. How it helped improve special effects in big blockbusters. How the medium is used to create movies that simply can't be filmed on a physical set.

After defeating Animaestro, Ladybug shows up to talk to him. She had seen the movie earlier, and actually enjoyed it. She had a few problems with the story, but they were just minor nitpicks and inaccuracies Astruc wouldn't know about, and she was blown away by the animation. She tells Astruc not to be deterred by his critics, and continue to do what he does. As a designer in her civilian life, Ladybug knows the joy creating brings her, and both she and Astruc want to spread that joy through their work.

Back at the premiere, Astruc thinks about what Ladybug said to him when he sees some kids reenacting a scene from the movie. Astruc walks over to them and asks what they thought of the movie. They said they loved it and how energetic it was. When he tells them he is the director, the kids' faces light up and they say they want to do what he does when they grow up, bringing a smile to Astruc's face.

Isn't that a much more humble approach instead of what we got? It would have helped Astruc come across as more sympathetic, especially with animation fans. But instead, we got an entire episode of Astruc whining about how misunderstood he is.

And you know the footage used for the movie at the beginning? Remember that, because I have a huge rant about it saved for a later post.

For now, here’s an example of a creator appearing in his work done right.

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lets-get-kraken-boys · 4 years

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Yandere! Hawks/Keigo Takami X Reader: Caged Songbird~

(Description: Ooo, y’all are in for a treat today~! Hey, my first Gender Neutral AND Yandere fic on this account! And no less, it’s our favorite manwhore, Hawks! I sincerely hope you enjoy reading my story and if you like this fic, don’t worry, I have more yandere fic on the way~! Thank you for your time, consideration, and all the love you royals have shown a simple jester like me!)

Fanfiction Lingo

(Y/N) - Your Name

(N/N) - Nickname

“Normal speech.”

‘Inner thoughts.’

Requester: No One!

Reader Gender: Gender Neutral (They/Them)

Style of Story: Oneshot (Possible Part 2?) // Manipulative, obsessive, and controlling behavior; hints of stalking; kidnapping

Word Count: 1.7K Words

WARNING(s): Yandere themes, so if you aren’t okay with obsessive/possessive/psychotic natures then please don’t read!

[P.S: I DO NOT SUPPORT YANDERE TENDENCIES IN REAL LIFE!!! Do not confuse me writing this subject as encouraging it, there is a difference from reading/writing yandere stories V.S real life situations. Please, if someone in your life is behaving like the character in this story (i.e. obsessive, possessive, controlling, abusive, psychotic, sociopathic, LIKE A WACKADOO, etc.) get immediate help! That behavior in the real world is not romantic, sweet, or NORMAL! Stay aware and stay safe.]

“Baby bird, wait up!” the last person you wanted to talk to right now, Hawks, giggled as he drifted down to glide next to your frantic self. Even though you were already speed walking down the sidewalk away from his apartment where the two of you had previously been 20 minutes ago, you tugged your jacket closer to your frame and scurried faster through the drafty night in a desperate attempt to make him leave.

“Go away, Hawks. I’m done talking with you tonight.” you mumbled as he continued to spin around you in an almost teasing way that further pissed you off.

“Ouch, (N/N)~,” Keigo grabbed his chest where his heart is while floating directly in front of you to block your path with his massive scarlet wings, “Not even calling me by my first name anymore? C’mon, what happened to ‘my hero~’ or ‘Mr. Stud~’? Not even ‘bird brain’?” he mocked in fake shock.

You scoffed and stepped past his fiery feathers, marching down your path while shouting back, “You don’t get that lovey-dovey crap from me tonight!”

Though the rest of the world was dark in the wee hours of the night, the flickering street lamps guided you to the train station that would take you back home to your apartment that you thankfully hadn’t moved out of yet, even though Hawks constantly whined about you ditching the “dingy” place in favor of the two of you living together in his over-the-top penthouse. You had no roommates to notify that you were heading back after a few days with Keigo and you had long ago left your parents’ house to live on your own so you pressed on, blocking out his pouty, annoyed huffs of air in favor of dreaming about your cozy bed waiting to coddle you in its embrace with no fear of sharing the space with anyone.

“(Y/N), slow down for a second! Why are you acting so weird?” you heard Keigo’s voice and jogging footsteps sound from behind you. You recognized the feeling of his hand trying to circle around your wrist but before he got too comfortable, you snatched it away from him and swiveled your body back to meet his teasing hooded eyes.

“I’M acting weird? What about you! You brought this onto yourself, stupid!” you hissed while stepping a foot back.

Though that action didn’t make him falter, instead he stepped with you and stared you dead in the eye, “What did I do, hummingbird?” he asked with another sly cock of his head.

“Really? Me yelling at you in the penthouse wasn’t enough,” you growled, “You were checking through my phone while I was in the shower like a total CREEP, Keigo! What were you thinking, that I was just gonna come out of the shower, see you looking through my private messages with friends and family without you previously asking for permission to do, and I would say “Oh, no worries, love!” Are you nuts or something?!” you hollered at the hero whose smirk made you want to gift him a punch straight in the face for his cocky attitude.

“It’s fine, baby bird, I’m just checking to make sure everything was okay! You’ve been distant with me lately~,” his eyebrows twitched up and he gave a small pout as his wings slightly drooped to the pavement.

“Wait, hold on, we’ve been on a few dates for the past two months, no where near officially dating yet, and you think stuff like that is okay? You trust me so little that you have to go behind my back and search through my private things, to what? Prove a point to yourself or something? How did you even get my password?!” you barked in his stupidly attractive face.

“Love, you’re overreaching,” Hawks strode over to you and quickly locked you in his strong arms, though you tried to squirm away in disgust, “There are things in this world that a civilian like you wouldn’t understand. Heroes have to make so many hard decisions and as your hero, I have to make sure to be just that, save you from everything and everyone, even yourself sometimes.”

He leaned his head on yours and you heard him take a deep breath in only to let it out with an almost loving sigh while he continued, “There are bad people in this world that I encounter every day and I don’t want you accidentally stumbling on them through the internet. You know, it’s really rude of you to have kept Tinder on your phone even though we’re already in a committed relationship. Good thing you have me here to help!” he chuckled, his hold on your body tightening with each passing second.

Thoroughly creeped the hell out and not one to look past such obvious red flags though his looks tried to deceive you, you finally broke free of his tight grasp and shoved him back a few feet with shaky hands. You kept your hands outstretched in front of you, though you trembled in fear, and spoke in a fake strong voice, “That’s it, Hawks, we’re done, even though there’s nothing really to be done with in the first place. No more dates, no more hanging out, just flat out don’t talk to me ever again, okay? You see me on the street, walk the other way. I sincerely wish you the best with your dating life, but here’s a tip for the next person you seek out, don’t go poking your head into their personal life until you two are more than close. Goodbye, Keigo.” you finished, breaking out into a sprint towards the train station, leaving a flabbergasted Hawks in the dust.

Keigo stood where you had just been and simply stared at your retreating form as you sped off into the night. His eyes glazed over in pure jealousy and rage as his wings poofed up behind him to physically show his anguish. He stood under the buzzing streetlamp for a couple minutes more, processing the information, until he let out a small snicker. His snickering turned into giggling, escalating to laughter, and finally into an uncontrollable hollering. He bent over himself in the fit of insanity and after gulping down the lost air in his lungs as he looked back up to the place where you had previously stood with a menacing glint sparking in his honey-colored eyes.

“(Y/N)’s just...confused...yeah. Yeah! My god, how didn’t I see it before?! I’m such a bad boyfriend! But I can fix this,” Hawks shakily straightened back up and pulled his jacket tighter to himself, smoothing down his ruffled hair and wings, “Yeah, I can fix this.” He concluded to the empty air with a satisfied hum.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N), Keigo’s here to save you yet again~,” Hawks’ crazed smile flashed in the night as he flipped down his wind-resistant glasses.

~ Timeskip to 10 minutes later and we’re with you! ~

You panted for air as your run slowed into a brisk walk yet again. Now about a half a mile away from the complete psycho you had been with, you felt much safer now than any time you’d ever been around him, pro hero or not. You swiveled around on your feet and looked behind you as you walked down the street backwards, taking careful steps and surveying the area to make sure that weirdo hadn’t followed you. No one behind you on the lonely road, no one hiding in the allies or on the rooftops you could see, and no bird brain flying behind you in the air. It was almost eerie how alone you were but you still smiled, finally free.

“Thank goodness, that was getting awkward. I’ve really gotta stop letting guys with pretty faces fool me into a date.” you huffed to yourself as you remained walking backwards. Pulling out your smartphone from your jacket pocket, you swiped through your device and pushed on the phone app to call your mom to let her know that instead of heading back to your apartment you’d like to spend the night with them, no doubt in your mind that if Hawks was determined enough he probably would have scoped out your place already since ‘heroes have connections’ and all.

As you tried to press the ‘call’ button, you heard the sound of something swiftly cutting through the air behind you but before you had time to react your phone was launched out of your loose grip. You watched as the fast moving object shot and stuck into the ground, having entirely pierced through your phone and the solid cement, rendering the device useless. Nothing but fear raced through your veins as you recognized the weapon as one of Hawks’ scarlet feathers you had happily stroked not so long ago.

Before you could book it once more down the empty street, you felt two strong arms wrap around your arms and torso. You yelped as they constricted around you like a snake wrapping around its prey and began wildly thrashing your legs, trying to wiggle your way out of your captor’s hold. You heard the “hero” sweetly coo in your ear, almost like he was trying to calm a restless baby, and you suddenly felt big gusts of wind push around your body and through your desperate squirming you realized that you were no longer on the ground.

“Relax, baby bird,” Keigo sighed in content as he swung your body up and into his arms, pinning your arms to your side and carrying you like a royal being saved by their knight, “We’re just going back home so you can...calm down a little! You’ve been under such stress lately, haven’t you? That’s probably why you lashed out! I’m so sorry for not noticing sooner, love.” Tears of frustration blurred your vision as your legs thrashed as hard as they could, but nothing could loosen the man’s tense grip.

“Let me go, you...you psychopath!” you screamed out, fast wind whipping past your face as Keigo sped back to your prison.

“Awe~, (Y/N), don’t cry,” Hawks nuzzled your head, a purr rumbling in the back of his throat as one of his feathers brushed away the tears dripping past your cheeks, “Your hero will take care of everything now~!”

~ The End ~

#mha #bnha #mha oneshot #oneshot #yandere #yandere mha #fanfiction #keigo takami #hawks #yandere hawks #x reader #keigo takami x reader #hawks x reader #yandere hawks x reader #yandere bnha x reader

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dollsonmain · 3 years

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Ok, so....

They might go back to work full time soon-ish. Around That Guy’s birthday. That’s still a ways off, but good. Finally. Get him out of the house, please.

FaS was saying that the people complaining about that are stupid and annoying (turns out it was because she’s been back on full time for a while and is jealous), and Loud had said she didn’t want to go back to work full time because she’d had so much time to just live while they’ve been doing the every other week thing, AND they’re getting paid like they’re working full time anyway.

She listed off all the chores and rec time and things she’d been wanting to have time to work on and finally did etc. etc. Spending more time with her 19 horses, giving more riding lessons, lounging by the pool and stuff.

FoS mentioned following GuestMan on Facebook and how he’s done a TON of home improvement upgrades and is running his 3D printer almost non-stop. FoS herself said she’d started working on her guest bathroom and now felt like she needed to rush to get it done since she’d been full time for a few months and only had the weekends.

That Guy was like “Who wants to spend their only 2 days off in the week doing stuff like that?”

And I’m like.

Wow, you assholes are SO CLOSE to understanding what us “moron leftists” have been saying about the 40-hour work week and capitalism in general all along. SO CLOSE.

I’m almost surprised neither of them said “This pandemic was such a blessing.” None of these people lost anyone or anything. Other than That Guy losing me.

Of course, they do have to worry about congress taking a look at their contract and how 50% of the work force has been able to keep up for the most part (they all admitted they’re not reporting their hours correctly which is stupid because they’re working more than they’re reporting), and that their funding will be cut as a result.

If you’ve ever worked with the government and been privy to how they choose civilian contractors, you know they always go for the lowest bidder. That’s why Simple Green has been the cleanser of choice for the military for so long. The corporation that makes it was willing to cut the military the largest discount on massive bulk orders. I got out 17 years ago and don’t know who they’re using now. It might have changed.

So if the government gets wind that the job That Guy does (which, again, I don’t actually know what it is and I’m fine with that) could potentially be done for half the expense, they’ll start looking for contractors willing to do the job for half the expense.

FaS said her social media of choice is Facebook and has started sentences with “I’m not anti-vax, but....” and “I’m not ageist, but.....” and yeah I guess that’s on brand for someone I just generally don’t like. I mean, those are social red flags.

Loud is ok, I guess. Just loud and like Bats said, devoid of self-awareness. Son was in her way and she snapped at him to MOVE and glared at him and I was like uh......

She was being a jerk playfully which, with people that know that, that’s fine but with an autistic boy who you’ve only met twice and who has trouble with social queues and didn’t pick up on the fact she was being some version of shitty-playful because the tone of her voice and the look on her face both said ANGER, he was saddened by it. Read the room, Loud.

I’m also like, I hope That Guy realizes, hearing how all of his coworkers have been taking it upon themselves to get things done (which if he didn’t know then they really aren’t friends, are they?), that HE is the source of his own misery this past year and not his family. While all of his “friends” have been living life and getting things done around the house and entertaining themselves, he’s been miserable and doing nothing but playing video games and going out of his way to make life miserable for us.

He doesn’t have any hobbies or skills outside of video or table top games. He set himself up for this exact misery by never bothering to learn how to do anything.

The only task he’s taken upon himself this whole year was going through the storage room in the basement at the very beginning, which mostly fell on Son and me anyway.

And he’s leaned into trying to make us just as miserable as he’s been because if he’s suffering, everyone has to.

#long post

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klbmsw · 4 years

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Thomas Clay-

· There's a reason why we can't have nice things in this country. Our roads and bridges are falling apart. Our electrical grid is so antiquated that if most civilians understood how bad it really is, there would be drastic measures taken. There are a whole variety of cybercrimes that happen every single day including child sex trafficking that we can't even get the house or senate to address because Republicans would rather litigate Roe vs. Wade every election cycle than to accomplish anything real or meaningful that would make life better for the American people. Truly, I say this in all honesty and the utmost contempt, if any Republican wanted to help their fellow countrymen then they'd find the nearest pool of water and drown themselves. Of course Republicans are too heartless and selfish to do anything for the good of the country or their fellow man. As you can tell, I've become a bit more ornery the past three and a half years but the last week or so has put me in a lather of murderous rage after the Scumbag-in-Chief had the unmitigated gall to claim Kamala wasn't 'qualified' to be Veep while his toady DeJoy is dismantling our post office to prevent people from exercising their right to vote in the vain hope of helping Dumbfuckitus get re-elected. Anyone seen any Republicans saying this isn't okay? That slowing down the mail on purpose is keeping our veterans from getting their meds on time? Anyone remember the apoplectic rage seizures Republicans were having when Clinton pardoned Marc Rich? Or how silent they are now after he commutes Roger Stone's sentence?What I am grateful to Trump for is proving me right to all of my friends who would say to me, 'Oh Thomas! Republicans aren't as bad as you're saying they are! It's just a difference of opinion but we're all Americans in the end.' Well how'd that turn out for ya hmm?Republicans will lie about anything, cheat as the day is long and steal as much as they possibly can from future generation who will just have to listen to The Black Keys' 'I Got Mine' and suck it because doing anything for anyone else is anathema to the black hearts that pump the slime of sedition through their veins. Trump has known since before the election that Russia was interfering in our election to benefit him alone and after the election he promised to have a commission look into it. What's he done to keep a foreign country from undermining our Republic again? Well besides not a damn thing, he's floating the turd of an idea that he should have Putin come to Washington so he can show how 'tough he is on Russia.' It's enough to make even the grossest flatterer nauseous. If Republicans gave one solitary frig about a fair election, we could have block-chain electronic voting. Block-chain encryption is what Bitcoin uses and it is quite simply impossible to hack. It is impossible to forge or tamper with. Each nonce and hash created in a block chain is unique like a social security number. To give you some idea how big a 256 bit encryption chain is, when Alan Turing was trying to crack the German Enigma machine, the possibilities of finding the key were one in 158 million million million combinations or a trillion million. The numbers to a 256 bit encryption are so large they would make Kurt Gödel crosseyed. The technology exist right now for all Americans to vote instantly and safely. We would have all of votes counted instantly and we could declare a winner as soon as the last poll closed. But we can't have nice things like that because 5% of the population controls 40 senate seats which are you guessed it, Republicans. Republicans have no interests in a free and fair election because they know if they had to compete by winning a simple majority vote, they would be in a permanent minority. That's why scumbags like Brian Kemp and Ron DeSantis do everything they possibly can to keep black people from voting.Black people aren't their only problem come November. Right now Joe Biden leads Trump among Latinos 59% to 31% and naturally you would wonder how any Latino could support Trump. It's no different than chickens voting for Colonel Sanders but that's not important. What is important is that there are over 8 million newly registered latino voters in the United States, 2 million in Texas alone. I might be telling tales out of school but I don't think Latinos are much happy with Stephen Miller's nazi policies towards them. Think what you want but Trump is not trying to sabotage the Postal Service and constantly whining about imaginary voter fraud because he's not worried about winning this election. He's good and scared and he should be because as dumb as Trump is, he is well aware of what Attorney General Adam Schiff is going to do to his felonious ass! He can sign as many pardons for his friends and family as he wants but you can't pardon someone for charges that haven't been filed yet. If we ever hope to rebuild what's left of our self-respect as a nation then Donald John Trump must spend the rest of his god-forsaken life in prison for the crimes he's committed against the people and our Republic. For all you namby pamby democrats who still soil your honor by speaking to Republicans, just remember this; Republicans are nihilistic lying scumbags who should be afforded the same deference we grant syphilis and pederast. You best get that straight NOW before you start telling your 'friends', "it's got what plants need' because I am damn sick of having that orange shit-demon in my life and anyone who isn't on the Fuck Trump Train is a mortal enemy to all that's right and good about the United States and we must all be ready to raze the earth to remove that petulant miscreant from our house come hell or high water on November the 3rd.If you'd like to help me keep shoving a harpoon into Fat Nixon's ass, please join my patreon for a paltry $1 a month. Thanks. https://www.patreon.com/thomasclayjr

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paulinedorchester · 3 years

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Mosley, Leonard. Backs to the Wall: London Under Fire, 1939-1954. London: George Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1971; reprint, as Backs to the Wall: The Heroic Story of the People of London During World War II, New York: Random House, 1971.

Each generation gets the history that it needs — or wants, or demands. That’s what kept going through my head as I read Backs to the Wall, which appeared three years after France’s youth explicitly rejected both Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed leader of the Free French during World War II, and the political ideology that he represented, and amidst ongoing unrest over the Vietnam War. (It’s also worth mentioning that it was published in the same year as Norman Longmate’s How We Lived Then: A History of Everyday Life During the Second World War and two years after Angus Calder’s The People’s War.) This book gives up a World War II narrative in which Churchill was an improvement on Chamberlain only in that he wasn’t an appeaser, de Gaulle was worse than both of them put together, the Allied leaders all cordially loathed each other, half the British public wanted to sue for peace, and there was across-the-board mutual dislike between London civilians and American troops (and British dismay at the way African-American troops were treated by their white counterparts was far from universal). Do I exaggerate? Only slightly. Backs to the Wall is a sort of distant, city-specific pre-echo of Juliet Gardner’s sour 2004 book Wartime: Britain, 1939-45.

As with Wartime, however, this book does have the virtue of introducing us to a number of very interesting people. I became interested in reading it because it brought Vere Hodgson’s wartime diary to public attention. Mosley quotes or paraphrases Hodgson’s writing from the beginning of the war through its end, and also seems to have interviewed her extensively. His primary villain, meanwhile, is not Chamberlain but Chamberlain’s chief acolyte, Henry “Chips” Channon, from whose diary he quotes widely (and who turns out to have been born and raised in the United States, to my surprise). We hear a great deal from the chemist and novelist C.P. Snow and follow the misadventures of two civilians, Jenny Martin and Polly Wright, whose consistency in both bad luck and bad choices meant that neither of them was able to stay out of serious trouble for any length of time.

There are many glimpses of the London home front through the eyes of two boys, both eight when the war began: John Hardiman, of Canning Town and later of Aldgate, who was evacuated in 1939 but soon returned to London, and Donald Ketley of Chadwell Heath, who was never evacuated at all. Donald, who thoroughly enjoyed himself during the war, had an experience that speaks to our own recent reality:

Another good thing: quite early in the Blitz, his school had been totally destroyed by a bomb. Since Donald was shy, a poor student and unpopular with his teacher, he was overjoyed when he heard the place was gone. Thereafter he went each day to his teacher’s home to pick up lessons, which he brought back the next day for marking. In the following months he changed from a poor student to an excellent one, and although he was aware that his teacher rather resented it, he didn’t care.

Mosley also introduces us to Archibald McIndoe, the real-life counterpart of Patrick Jamieson, Bill Patterson’s character in the Foyle’s War episode ‘Enemy Fire.’ Art seems to have imitated life pretty accurately in that instance: he and his burn hospital in East Grinstead were apparently exactly like what was depicted, the only difference being that the hospital was set up in an existing hospital building, not in a requisitioned stately home.

Backs to the Wall seems to have been one of the earliest books to make substantial use of Mass-Observation writings. Most M-O diaries are anonymous, but there are two named diarists here who stand out. John James Donald was a committed pacifist whose air of lofty detachment as he observes the reactions of those around him to air-raids and other wartime event and prepares for his tribunal — which, in the end, he decides not to attend — quickly grows irritating. More interesting is Rosemary Black, a 28-year-old widow, in no small part because she differs markedly from what I had thought of as the archetypical M-O writer. Here’s her self-description on M-O documents: “Upper-middle-class; mother of two children (girls aged 3 and 2); of independent means.” Mosley continues:

She lived in a trim three-story house in a quiet street of the fashionable part of Maida Vale, a short taxi ride from the center of the West End, whose restaurants and theatres she knew well. She was chic and attractive, and lacked very few of the niceties of life: there was Irene, a Hungarian refugee, to look after the children; Helen, a Scottish maid, to look after herself and the house; and a daily cleaning woman to do the major chores.

Black took her children out of London at the beginning of the war but quickly brought them back, and when bombs began falling she kept them in place — air raids might be disruptive for them, but apparently relocation had been worse. She was very much aware that she was riding out the war in a position of privilege, and she often expressed guilt feelings; but this tended to fade away before her irritation at the dominance of “the muddling amateur or the soulless bureaucrat” in the war effort. Offering her services, even as a volunteer, proved very frustrating. “She was young, strong and willing; she typed, spoke languages, was an expert driver and had taken a course in first aid,” Mosley tells us, “but finding a job even as a chauffeur was proving difficult” in September 1940. (She actually wasn’t all that strong physically: as we learn, she suffered from rheumatism which grew worse during the war years and probably affected her outlook.)

Black was greeted with “apathy and indifference” by both A.R.P. and the Women’s Voluntary Service. Early in 1941 she was finally able to get a place handing out tea, sandwiches, cake, and so on to rescue and clean-up workers at bomb sites from a Y.M.C.A. mobile canteen. She was a bit intimidated by the women with whom she found herself working:

Their class is right up to the county family level. Nearly everyone is tall above the average and remarkably hefty, even definitely large, not necessarily fat but broad and brawny. Perhaps this is something to do with the survival of the fittest.

And the work did bring her some satisfaction, even if it was of the type that lent itself to being recorded with tongue placed firmly in cheek:

We had a pleasant and uneventful day’s work serving City fire sites, the General Post Office, demolition workers and Home Guard Stations, etc. We were complimented at least half a dozen times on the quality of our tea ... I think the provision of saccharine for the tea urns to compensate for the mean sugar allowance is my most successful piece of war work. What did you do in the Great War, Mummy? Sneaked pills into the tea urns, darling.

For all her good humor and astute observations, Mrs. Black was far from immune to tiny-mindedness. After an evening out in 1943 she wrote:

I had to wait some time for the others in the cinema foyer, and I was much struck, as often before, by the almost complete absence of English people these days, from the capital of England. Almost every person who came in was either a foreigner, a roaring Jew, or both. The Cumberland [Hotel] has always been a complete New Jerusalem, but this evening it really struck me as no worse than anywhere else! It is really dismaying to see that this should be the result of this war in defence of our country.

Indeed, Mosley cites the results of a multi-year Mass-Observation study that showed a marked increase in anti-Jewish views London’s general population over the course of the war. Since it’s just one study, and since I haven’t seen that study mentioned anywhere else, I am reluctant to trust blindly in its accuracy; and there’s also this:

The small flat which George [Hardiman] had procured for [his family] ... in Aldgate was cleaner and airier than the old house in Canning Town [which had been bombed], and the little Jewish children with whom John now went to school seemed to be cleaner than the ones in Elm Road; at any rate, he no longer came home with nits in his hair.

On the other hand, Mosley himself gives us only a fragmentary view of London’s wartime Jewish population: everyone seems to be either a terrified refugee or an impoverished East Ender. We hear nothing about the substantial middle- and upper-middle class population — mostly of German descent and in some cases German birth — that had already taken shape in Northwest London; and while we are briefly introduced to Sir David Waley, a Treasury official, in connection with the case of an interned Jewish refugee, we aren’t told that Waley himself was Jewish, a member of “the cousinhood.” On yet a third hand, Mosley also quotes other M-O surveys from the same period that indicate largely hostile attitudes to most foreigners in London, with Poles at the bottom of the ladder and the small Dutch contingent on top. (Incidentally, the book’s extremely patchy index identifies Vere Hodgson as a Mass-Observation diarist, which she wasn’t.)

Backs to the Wall closes with a very brief, remarkably non-partisan account of the 1945 general election and its immediate aftermath. “Neither side had any inkling of the way the minds of the British voters were turning,” he writes.

When [Churchill’s] friends suggested that he was a victim of base ingratitude, he shook his head. He would not have such a charge leveled against his beloved countrymen. Ingratitude? "Oh, no," he said quietly, "I wouldn’t call it that. They have had a very hard time."

The book is worth reading for the primary materials that it includes, but it probably tells us as much about the era in which it was written as about the period that it covers.

#world war II #u.k. home front #london #non-fiction after the fact #recommended with reservations #long post

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