maybe itâs because i dont have access to the fire sides and so am possibly missing some context here, but i donât super understand what people are talking about when they say Brennan has been trying to convince us Steel is this super loving mother (figure) to Suvi. Like heâs def never been like âSteel, my secret plot twist villian- whoops I mean mommy dearest enters the scene hahaha.â I feel like one of the things Brennan is incredibly good at is presenting characters. Allowing characters to flow through him and just exist. And with Steel, yes sheâs encouraged Suvi, been playful with her, and has been open emotionally with her, but that doesnât negate any of the natural ways Steel is, at the very least, suspicious.
im listening to the podcast from jump (on spotify, so no side stories, though i was able to listen to the childrenâs tale once via a friend when i listened to the podcast the first time. sort of irrelevant here since i dont remember it with exact detail, but just showing i have some of that context) and even in episode 1, Steelâs role in the citadel and description are enough to give pause. Her alignment to the citadel are immediately in opposition to the character journey Suvi will take (if you assume, i suppose in a meta sense, episode 53 Suvi is where Aabria was always heading)
But even if you donât think too deeply about her role, her words are also duel edged (pun intended). At this point, weâve reeled from the âone day youâre going to see what i can doâŚâ but literally right before that she muses on what peace might mean, she goes on about duty meeting the thing one wants to do. itâs better you listen to the whole quote, iâm not gonna type it out here, but it comes across as very wise and honorbound. her point about owning the things you have to do as things you want to do, alignment. itâs all well and good but it also sounds like The Justification Machine. Episode one, yall.
In that same episode when she pulls Suvi aside before sending her off to Grandma Wren she essentially says âremember, weâre in the world, not of the world.â Liiiiiike hello? ring ring sound the fundamentalist alarms!
My younger sibling has this saying thatâs always stuck with me. âPeople tell on themselves.â The magic of Brennanâs story telling isnt so much in him leaving hints (personally, I think when he really wants a player to latch onto something, heâs particularly heavy handed), itâs in the autonomy Brennan gives his characters. Itâs how, in his words but paraphrasing a bit, the ego falls away and he lets his character inhabit him. People always tell on themselves. Steel and all the set dressing around her have been telling on her since day one. Steel loves Suvi, prizes and cherishes her, and AND well before episode 53 Steel shouldnât have been trusted.
Transphobia is about to be signed into law in the UK. We can fight this.
I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.
Last year we broke the record for an LGBT+ mass lobby of Parliament. Will you help us break it again? Join us on 25th June 2026 to demand be
The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.
Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or donât pass too well.
A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:
Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.
Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.
Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns
Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.
I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.
It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:
Worried about what to say?
Bring your personal worries about transphobia being signed into law, and trans friends being excluded from public spaces. You are a living person who deserves dignity. Remind your MP of that. You will also get guidance and brochures from Trans Solidarity Alliance that outlines our demands. This is mine from last year.
Money issues?
Trans Solidarity Alliance provides a travel bursary that you can sign up for via the link.
Got a refusal or no response from your MP?Â
Come anyway! You can request a same-day appointment with your MP through a process called greencarding. They will come and see you if theyâre already in Parliament. Even if they donât, theyâre made acutely aware of your cause because you showed up in person. This is my greencard from last year.
Here is the EHRC Code of Practice in full. It's a tough read, but some highlights are:
Organisations canât provide trans-inclusive, single-sex services, or they risk being sued for discrimination.
e.g. domestic violence support for women including trans women, menâs rugby group including trans men (12.68).
Trans people will have nowhere safe to pee.
If youâre a trans man, businesses can't allow you to pee in the men's, and you can also be ejected from womenâs bathrooms if youâre perceived as a man. Vice versa for trans women. EHRC suggests a âthird spaceâ bathroom, which is discriminatory and unworkable for most businesses. (13.130-133)
Sports organisations must exclude trans people from single-sex competitions (13.73).Â
A womenâs only sports competition must exclude trans women because of their biological advantage or face potential lawsuits (13.74), but a trans man who has undergone testosterone treatment can also be excluded based on fairness rules (13.81).
Trans women are stripped of the legal definition of âlesbianâ, and therefore no longer have legal protections if theyâre discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. (2.50, 2.92).
Here is the Good Law Project's better explanation of the EHRC Code.
I have also made a PDF printout of QR codes for the government petition, email your MP tool, and mass lobby link to pass around your communities. DM me and I'll send it to you.
So, this is overall a great interview with the cast that people should go check out, but Brennan answered a question about Wren and Steel that I've been wondering for a while, so I wanted to share this with everyone.
Under this new ruling, multiple vulnerable groups will be impacted across social care and healthcare sectors. If an autistic person with high support needs, someone with a serious mental illness, or a person with a severe learning disability is locked in a care setting and sedated, but does not actively protest, they will no longer be considered "confined" by the state. They will lose their automatic right to independent reviews, a legal advocate, and protection from closed care cultures.
This ruling states if someone is sedated and does not instigate a complaint regarding their circumstances while ACTIVELY SEDATED, then they have no right to legal checks and balances to preserve their wellbeing??? Is this correct??? The UK is falling apart.
They move in together full time and Ilya notices that Anya acts differently with Shane than she does with him, more quiet and less playful, and he worries that means she doesnât like Shane or is jealous, so he hires a dog trainer to come over and see if thereâs anything they need to do to help
After a while of talking about how Anya acts the trainer says thereâs nothing to worry about, Anya likes Shane just fine, itâs just that she sees him as the boss and is acting accordingly
And Ilya is like. But. Iâm the one who adopted her? And raised her before Shane got here?? And the trainer is just like yeah well she sees you more like an equal. And Ilya is like WAIT she thinks Shane is in charge of both of us?? And the trainer is just like well do you interact in a way that would make her think that?
Ilyaâs life flashes before his eyes as he thinks of all the times Shane has come over with a snack for Ilya and a treat for Anya, or all the times Shane has announced theyâre all going for an after dinner walk, or pets Ilyaâs hair and tells him he did a good job at practice, or the fact that he uses the same warning tone with Anya when she misbehaves as he does with Ilya when heâs causing problems on purpose
Shane comes home to Ilya with his face in his hands going oh god Iâm not Anyaâs dad Iâm her brother and she thinks weâre both your pets. And Shane just goes. What.
i think we should be ridiculing them more for this. you don't get to try and go all "queer website" when your staff likes to go on nuking sprees targeting the trans fem users
"why do people act like calling their kink gross is oppression đ" maybe because historically people have always tried to find an excuse to be violent against sexual minorities or those who experienced sexuality outside of the norm in general, & when attacking your run of the mill trans & gay person is no longer "acceptable" the next best thing is Trans & Gay Person Who Gets Off On Shit I Don't Like. oh & also because youre not just calling someone's kink "gross" youre organising targeted campaigns to harass & stalk people who make you a little icky & calling it a "moral service to the community". but you know, semantics.
Specifically if anyone wants to read more about the DSM stuff here's the link to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, who helped spearhead the revisions to the DSM-5
According to the CDC, in 10 percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch the child do it, having no idea it is happening. Drowning does not look like drowningâDr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guardâs On Scene magazine, described the Instinctive Drowning Response like this:
âExcept in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.
Drowning peopleâs mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning peopleâs mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the waterâs surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response peopleâs bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.â
This doesnât mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isnât in real troubleâthey are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the Instinctive Drowning Response, aquatic distress doesnât last longâbut unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:
Head low in the water, mouth at water level
Head tilted back with mouth open
Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
Eyes closed
Hair over forehead or eyes
Not using legsâvertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder
So if a crew member falls overboard and everything looks OKâdonât be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they donât look like theyâre drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, âAre you all right?â If they can answer at allâthey probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parentsâchildren playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.
Can I just say thank you to OP for putting such a detailed description on this?
Iâve been a lifeguard for 6 years now and of all the saves Iâve done, maybe two or three had people drowning in the stereotypical thrashing style. And even those, like the save I made last weekend, it was exactly like OP describes where the personâs head is going in and out of the water but it isnât long enough to get any air. Mostly you recognize drowning by the look on someoneâs face. If someone looks wide eyed and terrified or confused, chances are theyâre drowning. That look of âoh shitâ is pretty easily recognizable. And even if you canât tell for sure: GO AFTER THEM ANYWAY. Iâve done âsavesâ where a kid was pretending to drown and I mistook it for real drowning, but thatâs preferable to a kid ACTUALLY drowning.
Also please remember that even strong swimmers can drown if they have a medical emergency, get cramps, or get too tired. If your friend knows how to swim but theyâre acting funny get them to land. And even if someone can respond when you ask them if they need help, if they say they do need help? GO HELP THEM.
However . If the victim is a stranger, I canât recommend trying to get them. Lifeguards literally train to escape âattacks,â because people who are drowning can freak the fuck out and grab you and make YOU drown as well. If you do go in after someone, take hold of them from the back and talk to them the whole time. IF YOU ARE GRABBED: duck down into the water as low as you can get. The person is panicking and wonât want to go under water and should release you. Shove up at their hands and push them away from you as you duck under. Donât die trying to save someone else.
Please guys, read and memorize this post. Not all places have lifeguards. Being able to recognize drowning is such an important skill to have and you can save someoneâs life.
In a water park once, I was suddenly grabbed by a child and he dragged me under the water without warning. I was going to get angry with him when I resurfaced because I thought he was being an ass, until I looked at him go back in and out hyperventilating the entire time. I grabbed him under his arms and began trying to drag him out while screaming for the lifeguard.
When the lifeguard got us both out, a woman came running down and accused me of harming him and said he had been completely fine in the water. That there was no reason to drag him out of there. The lifeguard had to explain to her that her son had been drowning, to which her response was to say that she didnât hear him call for help.
