Coutelier

J.P. Coutelier is a writer of sci-fi mystery and adventure, diagnosed with autism as an adult. Struggling to fit in as a child, they instead daydreamed to themselves, sometimes going for walks or spending time in the library reading about physics, history, psychology, and philosophy. Not much has changed.

Other Socials:

You can help fund further trips for Nevis on Ko-Fi:

For fan stuff:

The next movie I go to see will likely be Supergirl, which seems like it will be showing Kara Zor-El as somewhat traumatized since, unlike her cousin, she actually had a life on Krypton and remembers its destruction.

Although as a fan of Aerie from Baldur's Gate 2, I am of course well aware that while whenever a male character is brooding, reckless, or lashes out because of his past, it is because they are deep, complex, tortured individuals. When a female character does any of those things, it is because she is annoying, whiny, or secretly evil, because obviously it is physically impossible for women to actually be affected by trauma.

I kind of think Aerie is the ultimate example of this double standard because she is in fact very kind and very sweet for the most part. She just has some moments where she expresses anxiety, grief, has lapses in patience, because she is a young woman healing from having her limbs hacked off and before that years of abuse and slavery - she is not a perpetually cheerful waifu 100% of the time, but instead of empathy that is enough for her to be branded the things I mentioned before.

Nevis wishes it to be known that while, yes, he did poop on the sheriff, he did not poop on any deputy.

“Hold this,” Jenn said, handing the mic to Tenley as they climbed back into the front of the van. “Aim it over there,” she instructed while lowering the window, gesturing toward the police line.

Tenley’s lips curled into a wry smile. “We’re spying? On cops?”

“Just be careful they don’t see you,” Jenn cautioned, plugging the headphones into the audio interface. She supposed, if she were to psychoanalyze herself, the police had been of little help when her parents disappeared. Meridiem were just too powerful, leaving her with little confidence that even well meaning cops had any ability to get justice. In that sense, she had learned to be independent.

She settled into the driver’s seat, sliding a keyboard onto her lap, fingers gliding across it as she tuned HULL to filter out extraneous noise - traffic, chatter of pedestrians, rustling of leaves - and all she heard were the voices around the crime scene.

Slowly, the voices of Chance and Francis emerged from the static.

“…that was a great show,” Francis was saying.

“What was?” Chance replied, sounding typically tired.

“Murder She Wrote! That Jessica Fletcher… she sings, she dances…”

“Emma.”

“Huh?”

“Jessica Fletcher had a British cousin, Emma MacGill, who performed in musicals. But they were both played by Angela Lansbury.”

“Ah. She was truly an all round entertainer.”

“Yeah,” Chance agreed, both men sighing wistfully.

In the van, Tenley shifted in her seat impatiently. “So what the hell are they talking about?”

“Middle age, I think,” Jennifer shrugged, “just… be patient.”

Something like that. And you're wondering who the hell is paying for Enterprise?

The answer is they don't really expect many people will; it's just there to make the Pro option look like a bargain. It's one of the most blatant examples of goldilocks marketing. Like how restaurants might have $100 wines, but they're really just there to make the $60 wine look reasonable.

I'll be honest; I will always fall for this. I'm one of those people who shuns the expensive option and go for somewhere in the middle, and marketers have me completely figured out.