purreve

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

A lot of people are talking about the horrific implications of what Bolaire does to survive, but I haven't seen anyone talk about what other choices are available to him. I wanted to bring this up because Bolaire has clearly thought about these alternatives, since he brought up to Hal before The Stab that he could choose not to put Bolaire on a new body, so long as Hal didn't leave him in the sewer to be found.

The choices that Bolaire has available to him, other than body snatching, are:

Find a way to destroy himself permanently.

Find a way to have himself sealed away in a dormant state.

Allow himself to be used as a weapon again.

Option 2 is, for Bolaire, pretty much the same as option 1, since he has no consciousness or life when he's not being worn. The main difference is that option 2 could be reversed, which would land him back in option 3, or body snatching again.

I think it's pretty clear that Option 3 for Bolaire would be a fate worse than death. The life he led before he ran off with Castep's body, if it can be called a life, was nothing more than slavery in service of mass death. And if anything, he got off lightly compared to how bad Option 3 could get for him. Can you imagine what someone like Primus Tachonis or Yanessa Halovar would do with Bolaire? It'd be a lot worse than simply being wielded by a soldier to slaughter the enemy.

So let's return to options 1 and 2, because there's a strong argument you can make that these are Bolaire's only ethical choices, and furthermore, Bolaire himself has intense body dysmorphia and doesn't actually enjoy snatching bodies, so he's surely contemplated these options.

Option 1: suicide. We don't actually know if Bolaire can be destroyed outright, and Bolaire himself may not know either. There are high level spells like Disjunction that can destroy magical items but with legendary artifacts and such, even a ninth level spell like that is not a guarantee. But let's suppose Bolaire wants to give it a try: how would he achieve this?

Well, to even have a shot at his assisted suicide actually working, he would have to recruit the assistance of a high-level sorcerer or wizard. So his options would be the Sundered Houses or the Penteveral. But these options are both very risky. Bolaire fought in the Falconer's Rebellion against the Sundered Houses, so he would distrust them, and rightly so. He would have to explain his nature to anyone who was going to help in the assisted suicide, and once they knew that, well, who knows what a Sundered Houses sorcerer might choose to do with that information? And until he became friends with Murray, which was very recent, Bolaire didn't have anyone at the Penteveral either who he could trust to definitely just aim to destroy him instead of turning him into a magical experiment or a weapon. And even now that he has Murray, she's a third-level wizard and definitely doesn't have the juice to have any chance of destroying him permanently.

Now let's consider Option 2. The benefit of option 2 is that you don't have to be a super high powered wizard or sorcerer to be able to seal Bolaire up in a box or something. The problem with option 2 is that if your Bolaire storage solution isn't absolutely airtight, someone could find him and get him back in the situation of being a slave / weapon / magical experiment. Once again, we run into this problem: who could Bolaire trust to know his secret and do a proper job of putting him away forever? Up until two days ago when Bolaire confessed his nature to the other Schemers, he had no one he could trust with that. It's notable that, as soon as he did have people he could trust to do that, he told Hal before The Stab in episode 22 that he trusted Hal to put him away somewhere safe if he didn't want to put Bolaire on the Crow Keeper. So Bolaire became open to this option as soon as it was viable. Could Bolaire end the campaign by surrendering himself up to Hal to seal him away somewhere secure forever? Very possibly.

Pronouns

An accent

Gloves are for jazz hands, not paper.

The vote is called for by the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, who view Jha'dur as a war criminal for her actions during the Dilgar War thirty years prior to the series. Many of the members of the LONAW were direct victims of the Dilgar, and even Jha'dur herself. Currently Jha'dur is in the custody of Earth Alliance forces who want to deliver her to Earth for scientific research purposes, and the LONAW wants a trial held first.

The Babylon 5 Advisory Council hears the petition of the LONAW, and holds a vote: the Earth Alliance votes "yes" to hold the trial, the Vorlons abstain (as they do for almost all votes), and the Minbari, Centauri, and Narn all vote "no". The petition is defeated.

What I find fascinating are the verbal reasons that the Minbari and Centauri give in the council room for why they're voting "no": That they have no right to judge Jha'dur since they were not victims of the Dilgar.

I find this fascinating because that's not what's being asked for now. This isn't the trial. This vote is not a ruling on her guilt or innocence. This vote is on whether or not a trial should be allowed to happen at all. And they both dodge the issue by claiming to not be in any position to judge her.

We know from other information in the episode that the real reason both governments vote 'no' is because they actually assisted the Dilgar and don't want to admit that. The Centauri engaged in trade and territorial exchanges with them during the Dilgar War, and a Minbari clan sheltered Jha'dur after the war in exchange for scientific research. Since they can't admit this publicly without exposing the secrets anyway, they make sure to have the trial quashed before it can begin.

But it's such a transparent lie when they hold the vote. Absolutely nobody believes it. The members of the LONAW actually storm out of the council room in rage and threaten to leave the organization as a whole. Military forces arrive in the area almost immediately. Jeffrey Sinclair only heads off a full-blown disaster by making a backroom deal to provide the LONAW with the results of Jha'dur's research, and promising to return her for trial after she completes her work.

medium and high support needs autistic people who often get left out of the conversation or spoken over.

people with "just" anxiety and/or depression who are treated as if their problems are lesser.

people with OCD who have intrusive thoughts about really taboo subjects (yes, even that one). people with OCD who don't hate themselves for every intrusive thought, or who have learned to be okay with their thoughts. people with OCD who genuinely worry they might be xyz type of bad person (yes, even that type). people with OCD who don't know if they violate people's DNIs because of their intrusive thoughts.

people with psychosis or any schizophrenia spectrum disorder. people who are left out of the conversation, stigmatized, shunned away as too scary to talk about or include. people whose conditions are frequently misunderstood and demonized.

people with DID, OSDD, or any other complex dissociative disorder. people whose mental illness is glamorized and idealized and misunderstood. people whose condition is deemed fake or performative, made up for attention. people whose condition is heavily debated even among the scientific community.

people with cluster B personality disorders who are treated as evil. people whose conditions are often the "exception" to others' neurodivergent positivity posts. people who can't google their condition without seeing posts about abusers, toxic people, people labeled as evil or crazy or attention seeking or manipulative, and any other demonizing language.

people with non-cluster B personality disorders who are often forgotten and left out of the conversation. people whose conditions are widely unknown or underdiscussed. people who struggle to find a community for their experiences.

anybody who is "a stereotype." people who actually do look like the image that everyone in their community tries to insist is just a stereotype. people who are not responsible for the ableism their community faces and are tired of being treated like they are.

anybody who has done things they regret because of their mental illness. people who were abusive, who were harmful, who were toxic. people who developed addictions, made mistakes, ruined their lives. people who want to do better and wish they could be treated with compassion as they try.

anybody who was wronged by the system. people who were given a stigmatizing label that marks them for the rest of their life. people who are shamed out of communities, rejected or fired from jobs, turned away from even mental health professionals who are supposed to be helpful.

anybody who is "too disabled". people whose experiences are left out of conversations where more abled people are trying to frantically prove their validity to neurotypicals. people who can't do things, people who need help, people who will never be independent.

anybody who is left out for who they are. BIPOC, physically disabled people, intersex people, religious people, and more. people who are excluded from mainstream conversations, and whose discussions about intersectionality are ignored or talked over. people who struggle to find others who are like them.

and so many more.

1. if you get the “answer my call” text, NEVER ANSWER THE CALL. 

They are calling you because they want to have the conversation verbally, and be able to lie later about what they said or didn’t say. Force them to continue via text or email- force them to continue the conversation in writing or not at all. 

2. “Lack of 2 weeks notice is unprofessional!” or the other version, “Not providing notice is illegal!”

No it isn’t. Neither is true. 

And in the US, all states except Montana are “at will” employment (though you may hear an employer refer to it as “right to work” to make it sound better, it’s the same thing). Sure, at-will employment means they can fire you without cause, BUT! It also means that you are not legally required to give a reason for quitting, or to give notice of any kind. 

Is it polite to give notice when you can? Sure. Do bosses expect it? Absolutely. But that does not make you legally required to provide it. 

3. The only thing I would change in the worker’s interaction here was their response when initially asked to come in. 

Employee: “Hey Mark. Sorry I’m unable to cover the shift tonight because I’m studying for my exam tomorrow.” 

Don’t give a reason for your lack of availability. It may be tempting to. You may feel rude if you don’t. 

DON’T DO IT.

You do not owe your boss any information about what you do off the clock, and any reason you give will only ever be used against you. 

Boss: “Hey I need you to cover Jasper’s shift tonight.”

Employee: “Sorry, I’m not available.”

And leave it at that. 

Do not elaborate. 

Do not offer additional information. 

When you boss asks you to elaborate, because they will, be polite but firm. “With respect, that’s personal. I’m sorry, but I’m unavailable to cover this shift/work late/come in early/etc.”

Be a broken record- you’re unavailable. That’s the only information they need to know, and it’s the only information they have a LEGAL RIGHT to know. 

A lot of people are talking about the horrific implications of what Bolaire does to survive, but I haven't seen anyone talk about what other choices are available to him. I wanted to bring this up because Bolaire has clearly thought about these alternatives, since he brought up to Hal before The Stab that he could choose not to put Bolaire on a new body, so long as Hal didn't leave him in the sewer to be found.

The choices that Bolaire has available to him, other than body snatching, are:

Find a way to destroy himself permanently.

Find a way to have himself sealed away in a dormant state.

Allow himself to be used as a weapon again.

Option 2 is, for Bolaire, pretty much the same as option 1, since he has no consciousness or life when he's not being worn. The main difference is that option 2 could be reversed, which would land him back in option 3, or body snatching again.

I think it's pretty clear that Option 3 for Bolaire would be a fate worse than death. The life he led before he ran off with Castep's body, if it can be called a life, was nothing more than slavery in service of mass death. And if anything, he got off lightly compared to how bad Option 3 could get for him. Can you imagine what someone like Primus Tachonis or Yanessa Halovar would do with Bolaire? It'd be a lot worse than simply being wielded by a soldier to slaughter the enemy.

So let's return to options 1 and 2, because there's a strong argument you can make that these are Bolaire's only ethical choices, and furthermore, Bolaire himself has intense body dysmorphia and doesn't actually enjoy snatching bodies, so he's surely contemplated these options.

Option 1: suicide. We don't actually know if Bolaire can be destroyed outright, and Bolaire himself may not know either. There are high level spells like Disjunction that can destroy magical items but with legendary artifacts and such, even a ninth level spell like that is not a guarantee. But let's suppose Bolaire wants to give it a try: how would he achieve this?

Well, to even have a shot at his assisted suicide actually working, he would have to recruit the assistance of a high-level sorcerer or wizard. So his options would be the Sundered Houses or the Penteveral. But these options are both very risky. Bolaire fought in the Falconer's Rebellion against the Sundered Houses, so he would distrust them, and rightly so. He would have to explain his nature to anyone who was going to help in the assisted suicide, and once they knew that, well, who knows what a Sundered Houses sorcerer might choose to do with that information? And until he became friends with Murray, which was very recent, Bolaire didn't have anyone at the Penteveral either who he could trust to definitely just aim to destroy him instead of turning him into a magical experiment or a weapon. And even now that he has Murray, she's a third-level wizard and definitely doesn't have the juice to have any chance of destroying him permanently.

Now let's consider Option 2. The benefit of option 2 is that you don't have to be a super high powered wizard or sorcerer to be able to seal Bolaire up in a box or something. The problem with option 2 is that if your Bolaire storage solution isn't absolutely airtight, someone could find him and get him back in the situation of being a slave / weapon / magical experiment. Once again, we run into this problem: who could Bolaire trust to know his secret and do a proper job of putting him away forever? Up until two days ago when Bolaire confessed his nature to the other Schemers, he had no one he could trust with that. It's notable that, as soon as he did have people he could trust to do that, he told Hal before The Stab in episode 22 that he trusted Hal to put him away somewhere safe if he didn't want to put Bolaire on the Crow Keeper. So Bolaire became open to this option as soon as it was viable. Could Bolaire end the campaign by surrendering himself up to Hal to seal him away somewhere secure forever? Very possibly.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Critical Role: Aramán (Web Series) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Thaisha Lloy & Occtis Tachonis Characters: Occtis Tachonis, Thaisha Lloy Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Campaign 4 Seekers Table (Critical Role), Angst, Missing Scene Series: Part 2 of The Measure of a Soul Summary:

Occtis doesn’t have a soul anymore. In a world where souls are made manifest as animal companions, that makes him conspicuous.

jewish + rromani lgbt solidarity!