Poem: "The Most Room in Your Heart"
Dec. 16th, 2017 03:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the December 5, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from technoshaman, alexseanchai, and janetmiles. It also fills the "guardian angel" square of my 12-3-17 card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genprompt_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by technoshaman. It belongs to the Damask thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"The Most Room in Your Heart"
There are two locks on the door
of the bedroom that once belonged
to Maisie and now belongs to
both Mallory and Dairinne.
One is a simple sliding latch,
high up toward eye level, and
the other one is the key lock in
the metal plate under the knob.
Mallory likes locks.
They are simple and
easy to understand.
They make boundaries
both clear and secure.
After all the time that
she spent sleeping on
the futon on the landing,
Mallory revels in having
a door that she can lock.
The problem is that
locks and babies
don't really mix.
Heron has impressed
on her that it's not safe
to hand over the baby,
lock her door, and then
fall asleep where nobody
could reach her in a crisis.
Nor is it particularly safe
for Mallory and Dairinne
to fall asleep together in
a locked room, just in case
something should go wrong.
And locking Dairinne in is
apparently right out, even though
it'd keep people from waking her up.
That leaves Mallory with a room
that can't (shouldn't) be locked,
and of course, in a house full of
college students, it means that
people barge in at awkward times.
After the time that Paige walks in
on them both completely starkers
because Dairinne had barfed on
Mallory and it was easier just
to shower off together and
Mallory hadn't gotten clothes
back on them yet, she's had it.
"I can't stand this," Mallory says
to Heron, waving her hands. "I don't
want to live in a house where I
can't lock my frigging door!"
"It's not the door, Mallory,
it's the baby," Heron says.
"I know, I know," she says,
"but if this happens again,
I swear to fuck I will start
boobytrapping my door.
There will be buckets."
"Mmm, let's see if we can
find a better solution than
that one," Heron says.
"Knock yourself out,"
Mallory mutters.
She wants to slam
the door in his face, but
that would definitely
wake up the baby.
How is this her life?
She used to be Farce,
a scary supervillain,
the terror of Urbanburg.
Now she's afraid
to slam her own door.
"You seem pretty upset,"
Heron says. "Do you want
to talk about it while I search?"
"It's just, there's so much more
that I have to do now," Mallory says.
"I don't mean just the practical stuff
like feeding and diapering. It's that
everyone wants me to talk about
the baby and give me advice
and it's all so exhausting."
"Emotional labor often is,"
Heron says. "Some of it
is necessary to maintain
relationships ... but you
should think about which
ones you truly care about."
"Not many," Mallory grumbles.
"You. Our housemates. I guess
your family doesn't totally suck."
"Thank you for that," he says,
and one corner of his mouth
curls into a faint smile.
"I just hope that you can
come up with something
to fix the door issue before
I snap," Mallory says.
"How about this?"
Heron asks, showing
her a product page on
his tablet computer.
It's one of those silly signs
like they have in hotels to
hang on your doorknob.
One side is pink and white
with a sleeping baby and it says,
Please do not disturb. The other
is blank whiteboard with a pen
clipped along one side of it.
"Really?" Mallory says,
raising her eyebrows.
"You think that'll work?"
"It will if I explain the situation
to our housemates," Heron says.
"It's better than a bucket of water
over the head, and they know it.
They'll treat 'Do not disturb' like
a lock except in an emergency."
Mallory snorts. "You're like
my own personal guardian angel,
or would be if I believed
in that sort of stuff."
"Well, you learned
to believe in me,"
Heron says. "That's
good enough for me."
"I need to have something
to hold onto, or I will go nuts,"
Mallory says. "I have baby things
spilling everywhere. How can someone
so tiny take up so much of my space?"
"I know new babies always require
some adjustment, but I'm still sorry
that you're having such a bad time
with this," Heron says, wrapping
his warm arms around her.
"It's not bad, it's just weird,"
Mallory says. "I feel like she's
taken over my whole life. It
drives me totally crazy, and
yet I love her so much, too.
Heron hugs her tight and says,
"Sometimes, the smallest things
take up the most room in your heart."
* * *
Notes:
"Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
-- Winnie The Pooh, A.A. Milne
The master bedroom is the one with the ensuite. It originally belonged to Maisie, who gave way to Damask, who passed it along to Mallory and Dairinne since a new baby has much need of a bathroom.
Door etiquette can get complicated, especially in a house shared with several housemates and a baby.
Door booby traps have their own trope, named for the bucket version. These instructions detail several methods. Watch videos for a tub of flour and funnel of water.
See Mallory's door sign. The front side is pink on top and bottom, white in the middle with a baby's face, and blue text says, "Please do not disturb." The back side is all blank whiteboard with a dry-erase pen clipped on one side to write messages.
technoshaman, alexseanchai, and janetmiles. It also fills the "guardian angel" square of my 12-3-17 card for the genprompt_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by technoshaman. It belongs to the Damask thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."The Most Room in Your Heart"
There are two locks on the door
of the bedroom that once belonged
to Maisie and now belongs to
both Mallory and Dairinne.
One is a simple sliding latch,
high up toward eye level, and
the other one is the key lock in
the metal plate under the knob.
Mallory likes locks.
They are simple and
easy to understand.
They make boundaries
both clear and secure.
After all the time that
she spent sleeping on
the futon on the landing,
Mallory revels in having
a door that she can lock.
The problem is that
locks and babies
don't really mix.
Heron has impressed
on her that it's not safe
to hand over the baby,
lock her door, and then
fall asleep where nobody
could reach her in a crisis.
Nor is it particularly safe
for Mallory and Dairinne
to fall asleep together in
a locked room, just in case
something should go wrong.
And locking Dairinne in is
apparently right out, even though
it'd keep people from waking her up.
That leaves Mallory with a room
that can't (shouldn't) be locked,
and of course, in a house full of
college students, it means that
people barge in at awkward times.
After the time that Paige walks in
on them both completely starkers
because Dairinne had barfed on
Mallory and it was easier just
to shower off together and
Mallory hadn't gotten clothes
back on them yet, she's had it.
"I can't stand this," Mallory says
to Heron, waving her hands. "I don't
want to live in a house where I
can't lock my frigging door!"
"It's not the door, Mallory,
it's the baby," Heron says.
"I know, I know," she says,
"but if this happens again,
I swear to fuck I will start
boobytrapping my door.
There will be buckets."
"Mmm, let's see if we can
find a better solution than
that one," Heron says.
"Knock yourself out,"
Mallory mutters.
She wants to slam
the door in his face, but
that would definitely
wake up the baby.
How is this her life?
She used to be Farce,
a scary supervillain,
the terror of Urbanburg.
Now she's afraid
to slam her own door.
"You seem pretty upset,"
Heron says. "Do you want
to talk about it while I search?"
"It's just, there's so much more
that I have to do now," Mallory says.
"I don't mean just the practical stuff
like feeding and diapering. It's that
everyone wants me to talk about
the baby and give me advice
and it's all so exhausting."
"Emotional labor often is,"
Heron says. "Some of it
is necessary to maintain
relationships ... but you
should think about which
ones you truly care about."
"Not many," Mallory grumbles.
"You. Our housemates. I guess
your family doesn't totally suck."
"Thank you for that," he says,
and one corner of his mouth
curls into a faint smile.
"I just hope that you can
come up with something
to fix the door issue before
I snap," Mallory says.
"How about this?"
Heron asks, showing
her a product page on
his tablet computer.
It's one of those silly signs
like they have in hotels to
hang on your doorknob.
One side is pink and white
with a sleeping baby and it says,
Please do not disturb. The other
is blank whiteboard with a pen
clipped along one side of it.
"Really?" Mallory says,
raising her eyebrows.
"You think that'll work?"
"It will if I explain the situation
to our housemates," Heron says.
"It's better than a bucket of water
over the head, and they know it.
They'll treat 'Do not disturb' like
a lock except in an emergency."
Mallory snorts. "You're like
my own personal guardian angel,
or would be if I believed
in that sort of stuff."
"Well, you learned
to believe in me,"
Heron says. "That's
good enough for me."
"I need to have something
to hold onto, or I will go nuts,"
Mallory says. "I have baby things
spilling everywhere. How can someone
so tiny take up so much of my space?"
"I know new babies always require
some adjustment, but I'm still sorry
that you're having such a bad time
with this," Heron says, wrapping
his warm arms around her.
"It's not bad, it's just weird,"
Mallory says. "I feel like she's
taken over my whole life. It
drives me totally crazy, and
yet I love her so much, too.
Heron hugs her tight and says,
"Sometimes, the smallest things
take up the most room in your heart."
* * *
Notes:
"Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
-- Winnie The Pooh, A.A. Milne
The master bedroom is the one with the ensuite. It originally belonged to Maisie, who gave way to Damask, who passed it along to Mallory and Dairinne since a new baby has much need of a bathroom.
Door etiquette can get complicated, especially in a house shared with several housemates and a baby.
Door booby traps have their own trope, named for the bucket version. These instructions detail several methods. Watch videos for a tub of flour and funnel of water.
See Mallory's door sign. The front side is pink on top and bottom, white in the middle with a baby's face, and blue text says, "Please do not disturb." The back side is all blank whiteboard with a dry-erase pen clipped on one side to write messages.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-16 11:43 am (UTC)I had to wonder just how many of them were family men though.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-16 05:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-16 05:48 pm (UTC)that door tag... I'd trust velcro more than a clip... less pointy bits, holds better. But hey. Use what you got.
Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-16 06:21 pm (UTC)They're good people. It just takes practice to adapt to changes in a household. They all get along well enough that people have been pretty casual about doors, and only locked them when they really wanted privacy. Especially that one, which used to be Maisie's, and as the landlord's daughter she tried to stay accessible most of the time. But that's the room with the ensuite, so they sensibly shuffled around to give that one to the new mom and baby, who need a bathroom most often.
>> that door tag... I'd trust velcro more than a clip... less pointy bits, holds better. But hey. Use what you got. <<
Depends on the construction. A shoddy version of both will fail, a decent version of both tends to work.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-16 06:30 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-16 07:19 pm (UTC)Some people attach their pens with string. Currently the whiteboard on our fridge has a pen with a magnet that just sticks on the door beside it.
Wow!
Date: 2017-12-16 07:22 pm (UTC)BASH: (whispering) "Put your hands in the air."
Supervillain: "Why are we whispering?"
BASH: "There's a 'Baby Sleeping' sign next door."
Supervillain: (raising hands) "Let's take this somewhere else."
Re: Wow!
Date: 2017-12-16 07:30 pm (UTC)Re: Wow!
Date: 2017-12-16 07:41 pm (UTC)Re: Wow!
Date: 2017-12-16 07:46 pm (UTC)EXIT ALL. ON TIPTOES.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-16 08:34 pm (UTC)Re: emotional labor: A lot of what Mallory's getting thoroughly (rightfully, IMO) sick of doesn't sound as much like emotional labor as it does putting up with people's well-meant unhelpful advice, platitudes, and bullshit. I'm surprised Heron didn't make the distinction more plainly. There quickly comes a point when that's plain old work not worth doing. Being a parent =/= losing your own identity separate from kid, or being modeling clay for every well-meaning soccer parent wanting to use themselves as a template.
I <3 <3 <3 you, Ysabet. I just... really badly want Mallory's roommates to have listened to the 'stay the @#&! out of our room unless it's an emergency' rule the first time Mallory said it. I'm surprised they didn't have more of a handle on that one. Screwups happen, but eesh. And for Heron to not do the counselor thing as a default--ugh. Sorry, that just squicked me in this situation. Normally he doesn't have that effect on me at all. This was just a towering case of duh, pal. Duuuuuuh, and of course Mallory can't scream 'what do you think?' because baby.
So not a parent here. Giving up that much autonomy, that much agency... This just drove it home.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-16 08:46 pm (UTC)For my crew though, we all share a single pizzeria, with some quiet rooms in the back that are not customer-facing areas as we have people here who don't want to deal with customers or can't for various reasons. Some of them just duck into those quiet rooms for short periods of time. Others have specific rooms that are ours, and all of us have places to be after hours, too mostly.
We all have places for ourselves, and though there're no doors per se, except on the non customer-facing rooms, restrooms, kitchen and the like, we still do follow etiquette. If someone looks like they want to be alone, we ask them and respect their answer.
However, system as a whole does have more standard door etiquette, complete with signs in some cases. It's important, even in a system who all share one body to have privacy and respect from all parties involved.
Hm. Maybe we should write down all our house rules some time. It'd be an interesting read if nothing else. If I wasn't trying to finish nine articles in a day right now I would.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-16 10:29 pm (UTC)'nother idea: One of those coil-tether stickers, only for a marker rather than a regular pen.
https://www.candybuffetscoops.com/products/dry-erase-marker-tethers
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-17 02:09 am (UTC)Honestly, I think Maze& would have probably gotten it the first time, all things considered, since they know just how important privacy is, I'd think?
Also, agreeing on the fact we'd have blown our top on Heron right about then if he'd come off with that counselor stuff at me right after I had a kvetch like that. :P
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-17 02:12 am (UTC)Firstly, this is a great story. I still think Mallory should seriously arm her door with buckets of water. :P Except, knowing her luck one would fall on her head!
Secondly, something I've always wondered. Do Maze&'s housemates know they're a system? I'm assuming they do, because of differences in posture/body language/etc, but I had to ask because I'm curious.
Thirdly, not trying to be a nitpick here, but shouldn't that be "The room that used to belong to Maze& since there isn't a Maisie anymore?
(no subject)
Date: 2017-12-17 02:33 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 03:35 am (UTC)Re: Wow!
Date: 2017-12-17 03:35 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 04:04 am (UTC)Heron is so calm that it takes an extreme amount of pressure to make a blip on his scale. That's just how he is. I don't know about you, but I would really rather not ever see Heron lose his shit. Because that man could lay some serious hurt on anyone who somehow managed to raise his wrath.
>> I'd have blown my cork if he'd asked me if I wanted to talk about my feelings in that counselor-y way right after I'd gotten done snarling about not being able to keep people out of my damn room. Duh, Heron, <3 though you are. <<
Mallory did. She just did it quietly because the level of (justified) tantrum she wanted to throw would have made the baby cry. And she's not happy about having to stifle her emotions like this, and that problem isn't going away in the next, what, five years or so?
>> And why is he the one doing the explaining of the sign on the door, instead of at least tag teaming it with Mallory? <<
Because Heron has the social skills to make it work without hurting anyone. Mallory doesn't. She can barely manage to fake normal on a good day when nothing's going wrong. The others are college girls: decent people, want to get along, but this is a huge change in the household and they just don't know how to handle it. They've been mostly romping in and out of each other's rooms except on the uncommon occasions that a door is locked for really private time. If you can't lock the door anymore, you've lost that signal -- and Mallory's too exhausted to think of a new one, and nobody else realized it was this big of a problem. Meanwhile, Heron has loads of experience managing public-vs-private space in a house with many people of conflicting needs.
>> It's her door. Letting the only dude in the house explain... ehh. Even though he's the one familiar with the sign, he's not the one living behind the door and getting barged in on. This feels like half Mallory's call, at least. <<
It's her call whether the idea is worth trying. She's willing to try it. She might even give people a few days to learn the new system, if prompted (or bribed). But if they don't treat that sign as a lock -- buckets. I wouldn't bet on her even using water as more than a first warning. Supervillains will prime it with motor oil or paint, and not even think about the possibility of spackling their own stuff until after the fact.
>> At best, it's a case of someone with knowledge of an item preempting the person who'll be using it, which is iffy but understandable. At worst, it makes me wonder if someone might listen to Heron over Mallory, which I doubt, but still, eew. <<
Well, Heron is better at communicating than Mallory is, he's older and more experienced in general, and she's still gun-shy about her housemates because she doesn't feel like a real member yet. So people do listen to him more. One reason Mallory turned to supervillainy is people wouldn't listen to her -- but another is she didn't have anyone to help her cope with things she couldn't handle on her own. That means, for now, her letting Heron help is a big step forward.
In the long run, though, Mallory needs to pick up some of the skills she's missing, much like Damask need to flesh out what Maisie had that they lost in the split. Mallory relying on Heron permanently would shortchange her personal growth. I don't think she likes the idea of being dependent on anyone else, so when they get past the first couple of months, it'd be good for her to think of branching out a bit.
Say, look for a class in civics, psychology, or EFA for spring semester.
Mallory: "Why do I need this shit?"
Heron: "So you won't be stuck relying on me to explain things to your friends forever. If you don't like being dependent, then you need the skills to be independent. Your choice, of course."
Mallory: *grumble* "But it's boring and stupid."
Ham: "I know, but I need to take one too, because I'm tired of having no idea what Clement is thinking or how to take over if someone knocks him flat. Remember the kittens? I remember the kittens." *shudder*
Mallory: "Well, maybe if we take it together, it won't totally suck."
And no, she won't think of the solution herself, because her parents are inept. She'll notice the problems caused by her lack of social skills, but not how to fix them. If she knew that, she wouldn't be a supervillain or have passed out drunk at a party.
>> Re: emotional labor: A lot of what Mallory's getting thoroughly (rightfully, IMO) sick of doesn't sound as much like emotional labor as it does putting up with people's well-meant unhelpful advice, platitudes, and bullshit. <<
Putting up with people instead of telling them to fuck off is emotional labor. It's one of the things that women and people of color list most often, and consistently describe as exhausting: all the stuff you do to keep other people happy, to avoid offending them, to participate in a conversation you don't even want to be in. It's expected. And it's work.
I doubt she'll keep doing it when the baby-fog wears off, because supervillain. When she wakes up in a few weeks, she'll probably just say, "I'd pretend to care, but nah, I really don't and also I need to get to class." It's easier for people to get away with this when she's half-asleep all the time.
>> I'm surprised Heron didn't make the distinction more plainly. <<
At the moment, he's just trying to solve the immediate problem of replacing the social function of a door lock with something more baby-safe. However, more discussion of this point is welcome and would be good for Mallory too.
>> There quickly comes a point when that's plain old work not worth doing. Being a parent =/= losing your own identity separate from kid, or being modeling clay for every well-meaning soccer parent wanting to use themselves as a template.<<
Absolutely. But there's a range between "doormat" and "fuck off."
>> I <3 <3 <3 you, Ysabet. I just... really badly want Mallory's roommates to have listened to the 'stay the @#&! out of our room unless it's an emergency' rule the first time Mallory said it. I'm surprised they didn't have more of a handle on that one. Screwups happen, but eesh. <<
They're college students. The baby is cute. They're used to unlocked doors in this house being more accessible. And Mallory not only has poor social skills but is half-asleep because new baby. I doubt she said more than, "What the FUCK? Get out of my room!" Which is clear in terms of the desired action in the moment, but not an explanation or a renegotiation of door etiquette.
Learning to identify a problem, break down it causes and components, and work out a solution -- test it, revise if necessary should it not work the first time -- those are all life skills. Mallory hasn't done great with that stuff so far, although she's getting better.
>> And for Heron to not do the counselor thing as a default--ugh. Sorry, that just squicked me in this situation. Normally he doesn't have that effect on me at all. This was just a towering case of duh, pal. Duuuuuuh, and of course Mallory can't scream 'what do you think?' because baby.<<
Sorry about that.
>> So not a parent here. Giving up that much autonomy, that much agency... This just drove it home. <<
Yeah, I get that.
Honestly, Mallory isn't all that suited to parenting either, but she is determined to do it. That's going to be a huge adjustment for her, it is a bumpy ride, and nobody is going to handle it with perfect grace.
Things like this are why almost every superhero show that introduces a baby will get rid of it within the same episodes, because a baby changes everything around it. Which is the part I find the most interesting. How does a supervillain handle being a mother? How does she make up for the fact that her parents were lousy at it? How does she handle the fact that her more-experienced backup people seem very weird to her? Clumsily.
But she hasn't quit yet, which puts her ahead of other parents who ditch their kid at a safe sanctuary and walk away.
If you want to dig into this stuff in more detail, feel free. You certainly raised some valid points.
Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 04:08 am (UTC)Mainly that, with a side of Mallory isn't good at explaining even when calm and rested.
>> But yeah, that "You seem pretty upset. Do you want to talk about it?" would have me ready to spit nails too, just because it comes across as patronizing even if he doesn't mean it that way. <<
This is T-America. That kind of phrase is so widely taught in EFA classes, it's as reflexive for people as seeing someone fall down the stairs and saying, "That looked like a hard fall. Did you hurt yourself?" Doesn't mean it's not annoying, sometimes, but it's common and often works because people need to vent.
>> Best I'd be able to manage would be "stop channeling your da." More likely would be a sarcastic "Ya THINK?" <<
*laugh* Oh, I bet she says both of those things sooner or later! Feel free to prompt for them. :D
>> And I'm not nearly as damaged, frazzled or sleep-deprived as Mallory. I do remember those days, though. <<
Yeah, sleep-deprived supervillain, won't this be fun?
Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 04:53 am (UTC)Okay ...
>> Firstly, this is a great story.<<
Thank you!
>> I still think Mallory should seriously arm her door with buckets of water. :P <<
She will if her roommates don't respect the sign. I think they they will, but if someone forgets ...
>> Except, knowing her luck one would fall on her head! <<
Mallory has Luck Powers and a decent memory, so she could probably avoid that.
>> Secondly, something I've always wondered. Do Maze&'s housemates know they're a system? I'm assuming they do, because of differences in posture/body language/etc, but I had to ask because I'm curious.<<
So far, very few people know. Most folks just think that "Maisie" has mercurial moods. (This is true of many multiples.) One of the things I'd like to cover over the summer, prior to this point, is Damask talking with Dr. G more and eventually telling Maisie's parents what happened.
I don't think the housemates know yet. How many of them Damask tell will depend on a lot of factors.
>> Thirdly, not trying to be a nitpick here, but shouldn't that be "The room that used to belong to Maze& since there isn't a Maisie anymore? <<
It was Maisie's first, and later Damask's. I'll see if I can clarify that.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 04:57 am (UTC)Oh, here's something wild: WetErase ink. It writes on any non-pourous surface, and once dry, won't be disturbed by your basic dry-erase eraser... hit it with a damp paper towel, though, and it's gone. Gripping hand? On regular (porous) cellulose paper? It's *permanent*. Comes with a Platinum Preppy sign pen specially modified (with silicone grease and an o-ring) so that you can fill the entire *barrel* with ink, some 3-4ml... although personally I prefer putting a converter in it and drawing the ink up through the tip. For one thing, less leak-prone; for two, it means the marker starts instantly since the tip is wet before you even start drawing the ink back through the feeds and into the converter.
This is useful when there's something you want on the board semi-permanently (like, say, a calendar outline or a regular message), in addition to the ephemeral messages you make with regular dry-erase markers.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 05:38 am (UTC)Interesting.
>>Oh, here's something wild: WetErase ink. It writes on any non-pourous surface, and once dry, won't be disturbed by your basic dry-erase eraser... hit it with a damp paper towel, though, and it's gone. <<
Used to be, you could get those in ordinary markers, and if you bought a pack of markers there would be one black wet-erase and several colored dry-erase ones. But the last time I looked, I couldn't find any. :(
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 05:46 am (UTC)And I get that some phrases are as reflexive as the post-sneeze gesundheit in Terramagne, but in this instance, it still rode the line between helpful and plain obnoxious. I'd have likely let loose with something like "Ya damn well think, Counselor Troi?"
Re: emotional labor: Yep, that's a pile of bull disguised as work. I don't deny that it's work. But it's bull. Please, can Mallory rightly lose her sh*t at someone over this some time? she's earned it, and so have women/POC/WOC everywhere, and I know you'll do it justice. Bard with excellent claws over there. :) This could potentially fill Mallory's very real need to lose it once in a while. Emotional stifling because kid is necessary, but holy craaaaaap it sucks, and it's about time 'life isn't fair' was not the end of the discussion.
Re: supervillainy and party drunkenness: Uh, whoa. On the one hand, iffy social/life/whatever skills do explain those things. On the other, yikes victim blamey! *blinks*
I do <3 <3 <3 you, Ysabet, just so we're clear. I'm not trying to tear you down. I took issue with a specific... well... issue or two, but not with you.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-12-17 05:52 am (UTC)