#'thats what the last word tells me. so you have no reason to operate otherwise.'

[valtsv]

always thinking about her (the beautiful insult to canon silt verses ending that exists in my mind where VAL sets up a saints' union chilchuck style)

[glenncoco4]

You Can’t Count On Me

A/N: Chapter 6

••••

The sunlight streams in from the window, illuminating the two bodies buried underneath the fluffy white comforter. He slowly feels consciousness pull him into reality and what a spectacular reality it is. Peering down his body, the form of his beautiful girlfriend as she slowly startles awake brings a smile to his face. “Good morning, sunshine.”

She hums in appreciation as his lips touch the crown of her head and his fingers delicately dance up and down her spine, bringing a welcomed shiver through her body. “Mmmm. Am I dreaming?”

“No. Definitely not dreaming.”

“You know the last time I woke up after we made love, I was alone.”

“I’m sorry.”

She brushes off his apology, tilting her head back, the brunette brings her eyes to his. It’s been 4 months of her constantly thinking about what would’ve happened if he hadn’t left, and she always comes to the same conclusion. “At first I was kinda mad, but then I realized that if we had woken up together it might’ve been a little awkward or I may have panicked like I tend to do.”

“How do you mean?”

Her head finds his pillow as she burrows her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent that is so uniquely him. “Well, we never really talked about our feelings before we jumped into bed together. I mean we loved each other of course but it wasn’t verbalized that we were head over hills in love.”

His silence startles her and she begrudgingly props herself up on his chest only to be met with a goofy grin playing at his lips. “What?”

“I love you.”

God those words coming from his lips is something she never let herself think about, but now its all she can think about. The feel of his touch, his smile...he’s everything. Throwing her leg over his waist, her heat meets his already hardening member, and oh how she loves everything about this new part of their relationship. “I love you, too, but I can probably show you better than I can tell you.” Leaning down, she can’t help but mirror his smile with one of her own as her lips meet his. 

••••

After a very productive morning in bed the pair make their way into the Mission for the first time as partners. Kensi reached her desk, toss a deck of cards into his hands. “I need you to quiz me.”

“For?”

“I have lunch with Anna today.”

“I can’t believe she thinks you’re a curator.”

“What about you? She thinks you’re that guy from Fired Up.”

“I do fit the part, baby.”

They both freeze as the term of endearment leaves his lips. It’s weird but a good weird.

At the sound of their colleagues walking into the bullpen their smiles quickly vanish as Deeks lifts up the first card.

“Oh, uh, uh, Matisse?”

“Nope. Munch.”

He holds up the next.

“Van Gogh?”

“Cezanne.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Seriously, Kens, why are you doing this?”

Before she can answer, Sam walks in, observing the pair. “Hazing the new guy or is he hazing you?”

“Haze me, Kens, please?” The shaggy blonde holds up the next card for his girlfriend, knowing there’s no way she’ll get this one.

“Seurat.” She answers.

The ex-Navy SEAL gets a glimpse of the card, instantly knowing the right answer. “Monet.”

“Bing. Bing. Bing. Sam proceeds to the bonus round and Kensi wins the consolation prize otherwise known as a steaming bucket of fail.” His words may sting but the wink he sends her lets her know that he’s just playing his part in their own little op.

They decided it could be fun deceiving their coworkers about their newly defined relationship. And of course the competitiveness inside them lit up at the idea of a bet as to who would discover what was really going on between them first.

The detective was a bit surprised that his partner chose Eric, he on the other hand chose Callen. Even though he’s barely had a conversation with the man there was something about his quite and questioning demeanor that told him the team leader would find them out first. 

••••

As the day progresses the best friends are sent to the house that belongs to Vakar’s ex-wife. This is sort of their first test as a pair of undercover operators. It’s both exciting and frightening all at the same time. Experiencing something new with the most important person in your world is one thing but experiencing two new changes might be a challenge. A challenge that they’re both ready to face head on.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, the pair make their way towards the house as the blaring alarm sounds over and over again. “What do you know about alarms?”

“Do you not remember my stint with Robbery Division?”

“Right, it was around the same time I was taking the Counter Surveillance course at Quantico.”

“You mean the time you were always one upping me during our daily phone calls?”

She taps her knuckles on the wood frame door before turning to her boyfriend, studying the look in his eyes. “I’m not a one upper.”

“Not normally, but some how just with me.”

“Well I vaguely remember you one upping me this morning.”

His heart flutters as the spark shines in her mismatched orbs. The past 36 hours has been like a whole new experience with her in so many beautifully amazing ways. “Oh, touché.”

••••

As they step inside his apartment at the end of a long first day, the words she had spoken to Emma a few hours ago plays back in her mind. If this man loves you as much as you love him, its not gonna matter. It’ll bring you closer. She’s put off telling him for long enough and now that they’re together, she doesn’t want to keep anything from. Especially this. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

He takes hold of her hand, pulling her body into his before pressing a hungry kiss to her soft lips. A kiss that he’s been craving all day. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

“What? No, never!” She quickly pulls back, shaking her head profusely.  

“Good to know.”

The cocky grin thats curls at his lips makes her legs turn to jelly. Luckily his arms are wrapped around her waist, giving her much needed support. Taking a deep breath, she searches his eyes hoping that what she’s about to tell him won’t make him shut down. 

He watches as her beautiful mismatched orbs swim with what he thinks is turmoil. There’s not a doubt in his mind that whatever she has to say isn’t something they can’t work through. He leans forward, placing his lips on hers reassuring her once more. “Kens, what is it?”

“It’s about Jack.”

His brow furrows in confusion. That is definitely the furthest thing he thought they would be talking about tonight. “What about him?”

“When he left...”

“Hey, look at me.” His finger finds the underside of her jaw, tilting her head up. Cerulean blues conveying all the love he has for her with one look. “I love you. Nothing’s gonna change that.”

A small smile spread across her face at his words because in their 20 years of friendship he’s never once lied to her. “I told you that he left because of his PTSD.”

“Yeah.”

“But that’s not the only reason he left.”

“Okay?”

“I guess I didn’t realize or want to truly believe what he was talking about until recently...Marty, he left because of you.”

“Me?”

She nods as a soft teary-eyed smile crosses her lips. Her thumbs finding the small of his back, nervously running back and forth across his sun kissed skin. “Yeah, he uh...right before he left, he told me all these things about how he always felt like he was coming in second place to you. He told me that I light up when you walk into the room and how he wishes that I’d look at him even a fraction of the way I look at you. The last thing he said to me was that I was blind not to see how in love I was with you and how you felt the same.”

His face quickly falls as he pulls back from their embrace, making her heart rate speed up. She wasn’t technically lying when she told him about Jack but she did omit a huge part that affected him as well.

As he walk over to the couch a heavy sigh leaves his lips. He sits down, his face immediately finding the palm of his hands as he tries to gather his thoughts.

Trying to remember what he said a few minutes ago about nothing changing his mind about how much he loves her, she can’t help but nervously bite her bottom lip as she finds her place next to him on the couch. “Will you please say something?” 

“Jessica.”

“What?”

“The morning Jack left and you called me, I dropped everything to take care of you. After about a month, she...she uh-came to me and said that I needed to stop lying to myself.”

“Lying to yourself about what?”

“About how I feel about you.” He finally lets himself look at her, unable to get the image of them being together sooner and happier out of his head.

She always had the feeling that the redhead saw through her some how. They got along great, but something had changed in their interactions the last few weeks of her and Marty’s relationship. Now she knows what it was. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“When you said she left because you two were in different places you meant-“

“That she was in love with me, but I was clearly in love with you.” He nods, as the corner of his lips lift into a smile. 

Her brow furrows, wondering what he was thinking or why he didn’t act on his feelings. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?” He hits her with the same question, knowing that they more than likely have the same answer. 

She willingly goes with him as he pulls them back against the couch. Immediately curling into his body for comfort, her legs find their way across his lap and its in that moment that she realizes how seamlessly they’ve fallen into craving each other’s touch all the time. “We really are quiet the pair, aren’t we.”

“That we are.”

It’s few minutes as they sit there in silence before she flashes back to that night. “Wait a second. You came over that night you broke up.”

“I did.”

Her brow furrows, wondering why he wouldn’t want to be alone after ending a year long relationship. 

“After Jessica told me that I need to wake up, you called.”

“And you answered.”

A look crosses his face as if shocked that she would think he wouldn’t drop everything for her, no matter what it may be. “Of course I did.”

Tilting her head back, she looks up into his cerulean blues, her fingernails finding the scruff of his jaw. “Did we really miss out on 6 years together?”

They could dwell on what could’ve been but there’s no use in wasting any more of their time on it when they’re together, here and now. He shakes his head, trying to find the right words to say to her. “No, not really. I mean you’ve been the most important thing in my life, that never changed. The only thing’s that’s different now is, I can do this.” His lips find the crook of her neck, working their way towards the lobe of her ear. “And this.” He receives an approving moan as his hand works its way underneath the hem of her shirt and towards her breast. 

Her eyes drift close as his lips work their magic and send her body humming with excitement. “Keep talking.”

He suddenly stops his ministrations and briefly pulls back, earning a disapproving moan from his girl.  

Her eyes fly open, and is immediately met with a cocky grin. “What? Why’d you stop?”

“You just told me to keep talking. You’re definitely in love with me.”

“Marty.”

“Yeah?”

She shakes her head as her fingers curl around his golden locks, pulling him towards her. “Shut up.”

“And there she is.” His lips find hers as they fall against the couch, skin to skin, they become closer in more ways than one. 

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Hello! I would like to ask all the numbers for back to the bleed, but if thats too much i will be happy with 2 and 5. Pretty please and thanks 💜

Oh what the hell, lets do them all. I’m just waiting for a plane anyway.

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I planned on writing a different sequel (which I’m still going to do) that followed the comics path more closely. After Countdown, Flashpoint happened and folded the WildStorm verse into the main continuity. Apollo and Midnighter remember the time with Jason and when they break up, with nothing better to do, they kind of go looking for him to see how he’s doing. Obviously Midnighter finds Dick working with Spyral instead. But Apollo does find Jason (because that’s awesome juxtaposition and it should have happened in the comics...) and then the Red Hood & Arsenal bit from DC YOU doesn’t happen.

Anywho, Return to the Bleed - Jason having powers and returning to the WildStorm verse - was because of comments on Into the Bleed and Hate’s Such a Strong Word. 

2: What scene did you first put down?

I pretty much always write from beginning to end. There are a few exceptions but this isn’t one of them. The first scene I wrote is the first one you see 😊

3: What's your favorite line of narration?

As he watches Bruce tell him, again, how inadequate he has always been--from beyond the grave this time--he tries to harden himself against the way his heart shatters. 

Or maybe:

When was the last time someone didn’t try to tell him how broken he was?

4: What's your favorite line of dialogue?

Easy...

“I don’t like it when you treat me like I’m fragile,” the superpowered, invulnerable, sun god objects, “There’s no need to be so delicate with your words. Just say what you have to say, and do it straight

“Fuck that. I don’t do anything straight,” Midnighter jokes.

5: What part was hardest to write?

So far? The second half of chapter two.

I wanted them to fuck. They insisted on talking 😔

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

Um... probably M and Apollo. I love those guys. It’s crazy how much more affection and emotional intelligence they’re capable of compared to the Bats. Frankly, Jason isn’t the only one who would benefit from a relationship with one or both of them (platonic or otherwise).

I forget which part it was in but I described Apollo as the world’s deadliest teddy bear and, even though Midnighter hides it better, the same goes for him. Juxtaposing them with the no-kill-ever Batfam is crazy. Because these two are unapologetic killers of the worst of the worst and part of the reason they aren’t bothered by those lengths is their insane amounts of empathy. Next to them the Bats look like self righteous jerks who place more weight on their rule than actually protecting people.

7: Where did the title come from?

Well, Into the Bleed came from the WildStorm verse’s term for the inbetween space contecting different universes. It’s the Bleed that the Countdown crew were using to travel between worlds.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Nope.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

None written. Yet. There’s going to be an alt ending fic. See #1

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Because it’s a sequel to the first fic with this pairing lol. But I picked Midnighter/Apollo/Jason initially because they meet in a Countdown tie-in and I wanted to see them interact more given that The Authority isn’t shy about killing villains and that exact trait is what makes Jason an outcast in his own family.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

Getting Jason some much needed validation from people who understand him and don’t think that he’s a bad person.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

The superpower. It’s fun and WildStorn operates differently than the main superhero verse and I don’t think any of the Bats could run with The Authority and the the shit they face and survive long without a power.

I just keep waffling on how I want it to work.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn't listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

I listen to the Hozier station on Pandora.

Except, oh, the last month or so. I’ve had the BoP soundtrack on repeat nonstop since I bought it.

I’m not even joking. I don’t know how it hasn’t gotten old yet.

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Not really?

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

That I love the dynamic between Jason and Midnighter and Apollo 😂

[sidneygardnerblog]

Sparrow’s Truth

I can’t remember where I’m from, or who I am. There seems to be gaps in my memory but it seems as if whoever tampered with my mind left some clues. Like breadcrumbs I’m meant to follow back to the truth of who I am. So far I figure I’m some sort of hunter, why else would there be a bow in my hand & a quiver of arrows on my back? This just begs the question of what I’m supposed to be hunting down. Is my quarry the four others I woke up surrounded with? I can see faint outlines of them laying on the floor, but with them there, I’d have to wait until they stood up in the light to fully see them.  I can feel my heart skip a beat at the thought of them awakening. Have I ever killed anything but game before? I could escape, but in any direction the light seems to fade the farther away it is from where I’m standing. This clearing is the best place to be at the moment. I’ll have to wait.

Not being able to recall my own identity is starting to eat at me. It’s been at least an hour since I’ve awaken. It’s cold but still safe.  Something inside of me knows that this isn’t right & if I attempt to strain my memory, a wave of nausea washes over me. I’ve tried a few times, with the last resulting in me throwing up. I must’ve been kidnapped, it’s the only logical explanation. I can only assume the same for the other four.

The others are starting to wake up from their deep slumber. One by one, they come to. I study their faces for any sign of aggression or hostility. Nothing. Only looks of confusion & terror. They seem as lost as I am but it could be a trap. A facade mean to lower my guard. If I’m being honest, none of it matters. I need to get back home, no matter what. If it means having to put an arrow through each of their skulls, then so be it. Nothing will stop me from learning the truth of what's occurred.

My pulse starts to quicken. My mind is racing, searching for the right words to say. It’s almost as if I’ve done this before, attempted communication with persons unknown. One wrong stringed together sentence can lead to my death or theirs. Not knowing if they are in league with one another is what’s stopping my hand from reaching into my quiver. I’m not in a favorable position, so diplomacy is my best option. Taking action could only end in failure, something I’m vaguely familiar with. All of this, the tension in the air, the uncertainty that’s being portrayed, all of it is putting me on high alert. My ears are straining to catch any whispers. My eyes looking for any hint of movement. We stared at each other for what seemed like hours before a woman with some sort of machine on her shoulders broke the eerie silence.

“Well, since no one’s talking I guess I’ll have to open my mouth & ask the obvious question. Where are we? And who are all of you? Okay, make that asking two obvious questions. Sometimes I forget to keep count, ahahaha!” Asked the woman before laughing at her own joke, if you can call it that. Apart from being armed with some sort of yellow machinery on her shoulders, she looked normal. Trustworthy even, I doubt someone with ill intentions would be laughing with such delight. As she was laughing, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the man who hid his face underneath a hood started to slowly chuckle.

“My dear, if only I knew it’d ease the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I can’t even remember my own name for that matter. However, It seems that I’m able to manipulate space with these gauntlets of mine. I can feel energy just flowing all around me & it feeds me energy, which is how I’ve come to realize my ability. Alas, it’s also how I’m able to tell you’re all friendly & how our friend with the braided hair has been studying us. Care to share anything you’ve managed to learn about us?” Asked the hooded man, before pulling it down so as to reveal his face to us. A clean cut beard greeted us & his eyes seemed to glisten with curiosity.

“The same as you, that so far no one has shown any signs of aggression & hostility. I’d like to keep it that way, seeing as how we all seem to be at a loss of memory. All I’ve been able to figure out is that I’m a hunter, or at least I think I am. Just not sure why I’m here or what my prey is. “ Replying back to the question I was asked.

“I see. Such innocence in the words you speak. However, I can sense the quickening of your heartbeat & how your fingers ache to fire arrows. I can not allow you to harm any of us if that is your will. I am Steel, the shield of my allies & the blade against the throats of my enemies. Which do you align yourself with hunter? Better yet, do you see us as potential victims?” Asked the huge behemoth of a man who calls himself Steel. His voice boomed with confidence & I felt it echo in my bones. Straightforward & to the point, I can appreciate that. I was never one to mess with those who can stop my arrows without breaking a sweat & something tells me this man can with ease. Clad in orange armor & blue skin, he’s sure a sight to see.

“When I awoke before you all, I contemplated my reason for being here. I had the opportunity to lodge arrows in each of your heads but somehow, I felt as if this wouldn’t be the right call. I needed you all alive. I needed your help. I am an ally, a friend who will stand by you. We need to figure this out together. As for your keen observation, I feel as if we’re not safe here & I’m preparing myself to strike at any moment. Not knowing where we are is dangerous. All of this seems all to familiar to me, & I can’t shake the feeling that something horrid will occur.” I responded honestly, not caring if they believed me. Yet, it was enough for them. Steel grinned & gave me a thumbs up. The creaking of his metal fingers rang loud & seemed to reverberate around us. The man with the beard smirked & nodded his approval. The woman with the strange machine looked serious, vastly different than the first time she spoke.

“It seems as if we’re in some open clearing in some sort of room, otherwise we wouldn’t have heard any echoes but with there being little light pass this clearing that we’re standing in, it’s hard to tell just how huge it is. Better to stand here than investigate, there’s no telling what could happen if we step off. Mage, you said you can feel the energy thats flowing around us. Any way for you to sense if there’s a means of escaping?” Asked the woman in an almost stern voice.

Doing as asked without so much as a complain or retort, he attempted to do so. He began to levitate off of the floor, & his eyes started to glow purple. The gauntlets on his arms started to activate but before they could operate, a voice full of urgency rang out.

“Don’t use power here. Power gets sucked away. I know. I try escape too. “ Exclaimed a beast. A literal beast, not a man with the characteristics of an animal. I was beginning to wonder where the fourth body went. It seemed as if he had just arrived from somewhere. I was foolish. He escaped my vision & that could’ve been dangerous. Feeling ashamed, I hid my face from the others. This feeling, of making a mistake felt heart shattering. I don’t think I’ve ever made such an equally stupid & endangering one.

[badmousestuff-blog]

Ben Shapiro’s fatal flaws on Socialism

Or maybe I should call this “Ben Shaprio gets brutally smashed by Marxist Endowment”

Anyway I’ve not really watched much of Ben Shapiro in the past, I’ve never really seen him as that interesting, however when I found numerous videos related to him with pretty childish titles I’d expect from an An-cap, well that intrigued me. But alas I found Ben’s talks and arguments to be dismissive at best, he hounds on through his arguments with such ferocious speed and in such a large dominating presence that its very understandable why many would think he was a genius on the topic, I think even Peterson has taken notes. But the thing is he’s not, he’s a hack who appears from what I’ve seen to know an incredibly minuscule amount about Socialism, so much so I wouldn’t be surprised if he only found out about it by just listening to a few Milton Friedman and Tom Wood’s videos.

First Ben supposes that Socialism at its fundamental is about ‘Equal Distribution or wealth’. I don’t know how much theory he’s read into, it is true that Socialism tends to bring up the topics of Equal Distribution quite a lot, but this is largely an American Simplification (I say American because the two phrases are often interlinked by so many of them). The history of Socialist theory was never based on Government Redistribution, but upon things like Ownership, Control, and Democracy. To put it simply, its about the Pizza base instead of the Toppings, how the structure is fundamentally formed determines how it operates in the world. Thus we are interested in bringing the production into the hands of the people, as opposed to simply redistributing the creations there of. If production serves our interests, we will not see people going without food, going without housing. Right now production serves profit, which is not as reducible as “Anything that benefits you” like some Shapiro types like to state, Profit is specifically financial gain extracted from the surplus labour which workers create. This is the reason we oppose it.



To add to this Ben appears to have some of that good ole American historical revisionism in him, as evidenced by how he states (in regards to Wealth Re-Distribution) “Who told you that you get to tell the universe how wealth is distributed” In this statement he implies one of the most pernicious myths about Capitalism that if you think about it for longer than 10 seconds you should come to realise hasn’t got any value at all - The idea that Capitalism is Natural.
Capitalism is NOT our natural state, it is not the way that human beings operate naturally, it is not ‘voluntary exchange’, it is not ‘the most ethical world view, it was like all other systems before it a force of humanity, the inevitable result of history leading up to that point. Throughout 95% of human history we lived in small hunter gatherer situations, not communism by any means but certainly anything but Capitalism. What little economic exchange there was it was largely on a small scale friendship basis (Internal Debting), not done for the exchange value of goods. If there is any situation humanity is most like, and has inherited the most from, its Primitive Society. 

Capitalism like any system since then did what it could to enforce its rule (Property laws, Enclosure, Conquest, Police, Exploitation etc) it is not an act of nature that we have the arrangement of society in the way it is right now, its a very human product, and so Ben, talking to his crowd like a bunch of toddlers, gets no Recon points from me. Who am I to say how wealth is distributed? The same person who said Private Capitalist ownership should be the way it gets done, thats who. For all of Ben’s moral grandstanding of the ethics of Capitalism, in doing so he ignores all the parameters that were set up for the existence and expansion of the system, all of the blood that was caused in maintaining its existence, all of the bandages it raps around itself to keep itself sustaining just a little bit longer, so much so that it cannot be reduced to a Petty Commodities Trade. He can talk as much as he wants about how you get paid for your labour under Capitalism, yet never acknowledges the amount of surplus labour extracted from the process that is used to profit the Capitalist’s pockets. A certain Yugoslav has a term for this kind of thinking, its called ‘Pure Ideology.’

But then it got me thinking, Ben’s glaring hypocrisies are far from over, like his statements on morality “Its not moral to steal from someone (Socialism) just because enough people vote on the matter” Its hardly anything more than a redundant view on Socialism, but have you noticed the glaring elephant in the room here? Ben is certainly not a Anarcho-Capitalist, he’s just a plain old vanilla Conservative with a loud voice and Gishy Gallop. So if he’s arguing Socialism is theft, why is he not also arguing that Taxation is theft? After all the government gets to take plenty of money off of you and put it into whatever it wants. Hell you don’t even get a vote on that?
But no, he just argues that taxes should be lower, not gotten rid of, he will accept some taxation just not too much, he thereby falls into the common Conservative double-think. “Taxation is theft, except when I want it to be spent on the things I want it too” Get a grip Ben, either be consistent in saying that both taxes and socialism are buggery or don’t. The fact that this double-think is so prevalent in American society just goes to show how much of a grip Capitalist hegemony has.

What’s amused me very much about Ben’s talking points is just how circle jerky they are, they’ve become so ingrained in people’s minds they just take them on word of mouth, so he’s able to make an utter straw man of what we’re about. “Socialists always go around saying Nordic Countries are great” (They’re not Socialist, thats a BernieBro Liberal myth) “They always say thats not TROOOO Socialism”. Well that is somewhat correct, a lot of folks do argue places like USSR, China, and Cuba aren’t/weren’t Socialist, yet what he fails to realise is that just as many would argue the opposite. I am one of them. I know its very comfortable for many of my fellow leftists to argue “No they were State Capitalist/Transitionary/Fascist” but the thing I’ve had to come to realise is that we don’t get to decide exactly how they’ll turn out, many times we have to look at what we’ve got an analyse from there. Taking these’s countries achievements into account there is definitely no argument that without Socialist revolutions they would have been in a hellhole of a state otherwise. China for example could not have developed itself as the new rival to the west without the massive industrialisation brought upon by Mao, Cuba would probably look like Honduras or Haiti today if it had not defended itself and empowered its people. The results I have found to be incredibly impactful on the lives of these nations (with definite consideration to be made to the areas and economic development they are in), and not to be trivialised as simply ‘Social-Democracy on Steroids’. You can even find that given equal degrees of economic development, Socialism provides a higher standard of living in comparison to Capitalism… over 90% of the time.


Nope, I’m serious, check it out. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1646771/pdf/amjph00269-0055.pdf




That all being said I would just like to put this forward to Shapiro, to showcase again his glowing elephants. What would he say if I told him about our current Economic situation? Imperialism in the middle east? High taxes and regulations? Total destruction of the environment? Well I found out what his answer was last December. “Not Capitalism, Corporatism” AHHHHHHH, look at what we have here. In fact he’s wanks off so hard to Capitalism that he doesn’t even accept ‘Crony Capitalism’, to him Corporatism isn’t even CAPITALISM! If you haven’t realised the whole ‘Not True’ argument is going to be dependent upon your worldview of what something is, you will argue that Capitalism is not ‘True’ today because of X number of reasons, but you will always argue that Socialism is just that, pure and simple, no prefixes. Yet they will be thinking the same about you. Do yourself a favour and either take the entire cake of what you support, not just the icing top, or have the common curtesy of acknowledging your opponents will be doing the same as you. Well except for me.

So in conclusion then, all I’ve found from these brazened titled videos the likes of “BEN SHAPIRO SODOMIZES HIS MOTHER” is little more than

- Viewing Capitalism from an Idealistic and Non-Existent POV. - Making simplistic/false claims regarding the nature of Socialism. - An overloading of rapid fire accusations used to pacify the opposition - Making total hypocrisies on his positions

Oh sure he’s charismatic, sure he’s loud and proud, but he’s also obtuse, an opportunist, and using his own language… a false prophet.

[memesdefinewhoiam]

Eldarya Fanfiction-Far from justice

*If anyone has any request of a scenario for me to write about eldarya, or even mcl I’d gladly write it. That’s if you like the way I write...I’m trying my best believe me and any constructive criticism is deeply appreciated. Also, I’m not a native english speaker, so excuse me for any spelling mistakes*

I don’t even know how this mini story came into my mind, but I needed to write it down because it was eating away at my soul. This is a scenario where our beloved Gardienne *Erika* comes gravely wounded from a mission and Ezarel doesn’t know what he feels more-anger, sadness or desperation. If any of you are sensitive to subjects like emotional pain and near death/death situations, I suggest you stop reading.

Ezarel hissed in annoyance for the fortieth time that day when he reached the Hall of Doors and saw that for some unknown reason, there was a loud crowd forming there, preventing him from reaching his beloved working place. He tried pushing his way through, receiving glares and not so nice words from the people he bumped into. He listened in on the conversations around him, hoping to identify the reason for this "gathering". From what he knew, no one important was supposed to visit these days and Miiko wasn't making any announcements, so what was happening?  "-so very late. What could have possibly delayed them 3 days?" A girl that he recoginsed belonged to the Obsidian Guard mumbled with a frown. 

"I've heard that there was an attack-" her partner responded in an intense voice, but Ezarel didn't manage to hear the rest of the exchange.

Curiosity built up inside of him and instead of going to his lab like he planned to, he started making his way to the front to see what was happening. His eyebrows furrowed while he walked, taking in all the curios, frightened and infuriated voices that kept bickering. 

"-definitely a mistake to send her there" "-badly injured-"

His heart beat faster and faster for some reason, a sensation close to suffocation. He elbowed an astonished couple out of the way, finally being able to find out what all the fuss was about. But the image that stood before him was far from his expectations of a surprise visitor or a last minute notice.

A few higher up's from the guard, which he immediately recognized, were rushing back and forth, helping a group of people that was sent on an innocent mission two weeks ago. It was just the resigning of a resources distribution and utilization treaty, nothing too complicated, but clearly important. Nevra, Leiftan,a representative of economics and Erika were sent on that mission in hopes of completing it easily and without any distractions. Despite the girl's relatively short stay in Eldarya, she was proving to be quite an educated, formal and well-spoken -things that the blue haired elf still had a hard time to admit out loud- young lady, so Miiko and the rest didn't see any reason not to send her on this harmless operation. But the scene in front of Ezarel clearly told him otherwise.

He spotted Nevra and the ambassador immediately, both of them were covered in bruises and small amounts of blood and were clearly tired. They were being checked up on by one of the nurses, although they didn't seem to have any critical injuries. His eyes scanned the rest of the people worriedly in a desperate search and thats when they landed on two figures. He froze, a chill running down his spine.

The blonde and tall member of the Light Guard stepped into the room without his usual grace, his once white and green clothes were mudded and covered in blood and his eyes had a regretful look to them, but that's not what drew the attention and shock of Ezarel. It was the slim figure Leiftan was carrying in his arms that took his breath away in a completely unpleasent manner. She lay there, unmoving, her face holding a pained expression and her brown hair caked in blood. A silver arrow was protruding from her chest.

The elf inhaled sharply, an unknown feeling taking over him. He couldn't describe it into proper words. It was a mixture of physical and emotional pain, sadness, regret and the most prominent-anger. He didn't even realize when he reached Leiftan and took Erika from his arms with the utmost care, like he was handling a very fragile potion that could be compromised easily. In spite of his usual unwillingness to touch, he wanted to feel her close to him, to protect her from any more dangers that might come her way.

Everything was kind of a blur, although he truly wanted to be calm in this dire situation. He heard a distant and familiar voice telling him something urgent, but his green eyes remained locked on her face, searching for a sign that she's still conscious. Her eyes barely fluttered open, only for him to catch a glimpse of her pained and terrified purple orbs.

"Ezarel! Take her inside the clinic, NOW!" The same voice that spoke earlier commanded more loudly and desperately, jolting him awake from his momentary daze.

He turned to look towards the owner of the voice that now pressed a firm hand on his shoulder. Ewelein. Her usual calm face was nowhere to be found, being replaced by a look of deep concern. She pointed with her chin in the direction of the infirmary and Ezarel looked down at the wounded girl in his arms before rushing to give her the proper medical attention along with the blue-skinned elf and her assistants.

He gently laid her down on the operation bed, swiping away the hair that threatened to cover her entire face. He then backed away with a shake of his head and a last look at Erika's shivering form, letting the medical experts do their jobs.

"I'll do anything I can to save her, Ez." The words were meant to soothe him, but they only made him feel powerless and enraged with life itself. What did the poor girl do to deserve all of this?

He made his way back down into the crowd, approaching the rest of the team that was sent on the mission, measuring all of them up with a heated glare, although the elf knew deep down that the girl's wounds weren't their fault, but he seriously needed someone to throw his nerves on. And who could have been a better subject than the great Leiftan, who lately took a deep interest for Erika, swearing to protect her and flirting with her every chance he got. Where was he when she got hurt?

Ezarel stood furiously next to a concerned Miiko, waiting for the medical assistants to finish bandaging and checking up on them. Everyone was curious to finally learn what went wrong with the mission, but of course that the Chief wanted a private meeting first before announcing anything to the rest of the crowd. So when it was concluded that none of them had suffered any real injuries except small bruises, they all went in the Crystal Room.

It was a mess to say the least. The details weren't clear, they didn't know who exactly attacked them, just that when they stayed at the inn to reestablish the terms of the agreement, a bunch of people threatened and accused Erika of being a spy for the humans that want to take over Eldarya. A very heated argument took place, Nevra and the owner of the inn being the ones to stop it. On their way back from the mission, they got ambushed by what they guessed were the same group that harassed Erika because she was the main target of their attacks.  Once they hit her with an arrow, they were quick to disperse.

"I tried my best to keep her out of harm's way, but they outnumbered us and-" Leiftan tried to explain, but was interrupted by one of Ezarel's sarcastic and rude remarks. "Yeah, great job you did there, big boy"

The Light Guard member threw him a cold look, but the elf was completely unaffected by it. His sorrow was so deeply mixed with anger that it became confusing.

"Maybe you should have been there to properly protect her-!" Leiftan retorted, being once again stopped mid sentence by the elf. "Huh, and here I thought you always go around promising on your life to protect someone and then failing." 

That seemed to hit a nerve, but Miiko quickly intervened before things could escalate any further. "Ez, I know that you are very upset, but your remarks bring no help at all, they only worsen our predicament. The boys did all they could in that fight. Unless you can hold back your sharp tongue, I suggest you wait for any updates on Erika's health outside."

The blue haired man stormed out, mumbling a few cusses on the way and throwing them all a glare. He sat down on a chair right outside the Infirmary, his face shadowed by his long hair as his thoughts consumed him.

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, being transported in a world that she knew nothing about and finding out that returning home was hardly an option anymore. Almost everyone, including himself, had treated her badly in the beginning, even coming to the unbelievable decision of making her entire human world forget about her even though she was hardly a threat and only acted nicely towards everyone. He would never forgive himself for that, no matter how many years will pass over him. And now this happened. She got attacked only because of what a part of her race was trying to do. His heart ached because of the surprising empathy he was feeling. She was one of the best of her kind, full of compassion and love and righteousness and they tried to kill her for it. It wasn’t any justice in that. What kind of people would harm someone like her? But he also hurt her on a whole other level emotionally. He ran a hand through his now messy blue hair, in order to calm his nerves.

Ezarel sighed with such disappointment and stress, that everyone threw him sympathetic looks, knowing that his feelings for the girl ran far deeper than even he would like to admit.

He wanted to see her again so badly, to tease her and laugh with her at the stupidest things. To get lost in her purple and unusually stunning eyes and to notice that blush she gets every time she stands too close to him. Her way too nosy and friendly personality, always eager to learn. Death seemed like such an abrupt and tragic ending of a story that only just began. Then again, life was hardly fair for anyone. He laughed bitterly. He would actually miss her nasal voice calling him a moron.

The door opened next to him and he immediately jumped up from his seat in a rush to ask about her, but he stopped, his world falling apart in just a second seeing the look of sorrow on Ewelein's face and the tears threatening to spill from her blue eyes. His light didn't make it.

[ashethehedgehog]

my hopes and dreams are crush. ruined. i will never be whole. (lol) if the author took it down for personal reasons theres nothing to be done then, but do you think you can give a summary of the plot? the idea sounded really interesting and i really want to know how it went down.

Sure anon! Sorry about the wait for this, I’ve been so busy lmao.

I’m going too have to go off what I remember, I read this fic back in 2015 in about August or September, so a few of the smaller details are kinda fuzzy, but overall I remember the main plot so I can tell you that! The fic is puzzle/blind, because it has Yami/Yugi and Yugi/Atem, with Yami and Atem being two different people in this fic, but its not mobium at all, cause there’s no monarch.

Going under a cut because it ends up kinda long! Hit the Keep Reading if you wanna know about the plot of Gambit!

Gambit follows the events of two warring nations, a republic I believe and an empire. Yami is the minster of defence for the empire and Yugi is one of the top soldiers there who pilots a mecha. Yugi is a little unhinged in his approach to things, and the first part of the story you see Yami and Yugi bickering a lot with Yami trying to get Yugi to go on missions for the empire. Their banter and dialogue is some of the best I’ve ever read.

On the other side of the war is Atem, who is the shining star of the army, just an all round great guy. He ends up fighting Yugi in a mecha battle, and it ends in a draw with them both getting blasted and leaving no real victor. Yugi is super pissed about this, and demands to go back to fight Atem. Yami says no initially, and it ends up with this incredibly well written dirty sex scene with them doing it on Yami’s desk. Fascinating stuff, and honestly it was so good ngl, one of the best ahaha.

Meanwhile the emperor, who is Gozaburo, is an asshole who rocks up to torment Yami with details about the war. He tries to get Yami to sign this form that will take him off something that means he wont have a right to the throne anymore (Yami being Gozaburo’s nephew I believe? They’re related somehow anyways). Yami kinda doesnt want to do this, but Gozaburo leaves him not much choice, and he’s just delaying it a lil. Also during this time Yami and Yugi keep going at it in this really incredible sex buddies relationship, to take out all their pent up anger in and honestly its all written SO freakin well.

Yugi also does go back to fight with Atem, but he ends up in a big rainstorm, and discovers he took shelter in a cave with Atem without realising it, although they both work out who each other is, with Yugi knowing immediately but giving a truce for the sake of shelter, and Atem realising after Yugi tells him. Atem gets a little preachy, he’s a sweetie, asking Yugi why he’s doing all this and what not, trying to get answers as he becomes curious about Yugi’s life.

This person called Heba shows up, looking suspiciously a lot like Yugi but not being Yugi, and Heba is kind of hard to explain, but Yami is the only one who ever sees him, or seems to know about him. Heba warns Yami about Gozaburo trying to off him. Some stuff happens, and Heba actually ends up killing Gozaburo through radiation suffocation I believe? He pretty much just offs him quickly.

Cue Yami taking over the empire and becoming emperor. There’s a temporary truce between them while the rebels hope that the new emperor will agree to a treaty/end the war etc etc. And sometime around here is when everything starts to go to SHIT. For the first time lmao.

Yugi sneaks into the base where Atem is in the rebel stronghold and gets captured. Yami mentions how the war will continue, and the rebels keep Yugi imprisoned for now. I think they planned to execute him if I’m not mistaken. Except Atem gets a little too soft with him and Yugi ends up being able to escape. Poor gullible Atem I love him.

Yugi returns home, and Yami and Yugi still get it on, albiet they end up being a little nicer to each other, and Yami does some stuff to tug at the heartstrings ngl. There r some real cute moments in amongst the angst and mannnnn I love these two. 

Yami kinda starts getting a lot more paranoid about everything, and he gets awful mood swings, sometimes Yugi getting caught in them.

Yugi sneaks into this section of the base thats normally off limits because ppl r going missing and ‘who the fuck is Heba and why does Yami talk about him’ but also Yami’s terrible mood swings courtesy of Heba have Yugi worried about him.

It’s kinda revealed Heba is like the conscious of this old machine thingy, for lack of better wording bear with me, and he sees humans as like insects p much. So he wants to crush them all lmao. He’s been building this massive mecha to wreck everything and boy howdy does he plan to wreck everything.

Yugi confronts Heba, finds out all this shit and manages to escape, where he heads to the rebel country to Atem. He tells Atem all about this, and they get word Heba is on his way with the giant mech.

What happened back at the empire after Yugi ran away was Yami was majorly struggling with everything and he had a confrontation with Heba, who revealed to Yami all the stuff about him wanting to destroy all humans. There’s nothing Yami can do though, because Heba tells him he’s been slowly poisoning Yami with radiation all this time, and its the only reason Yami could see and ‘feel’ Heba so much. I’m pretty sure they were just a series of hallucinations. Heba effectively wipes Yami’s control, and uses his lifeless body to help pilot the mecha. 

Atem and Yugi meanwhile have their own ancient mech I think Yugi stole it from Heba when he escaped I dont 100% remember where their mech came from BUT THEY GOT IT. It requires two ppl to operate and they use it to fight against Heba’s giant mech. During the battle Yami manages to fight back with the last piece of his consciousness to get control of his body back enough to send a video transmission through, and he tells Yugi to blow the thing up, with him along with it.

AND IT’S JUST RLY SAD because Yugi knows he has to do it but then Yami will legit be gone for good, and Yami just smiles at him and I die fam I really do. 

They mouth an ‘I love you’ to each other before Yugi and Atem pull the trigger, and Heba’s mech along with him and Yami are blown sky high.

And then they win, and the war is over woo and my eyes are damp from all the tears I shed. Also without having Yami still alive to preach otherwise, his name was recorded as just another tyrant emperor, and the rebels got the credit for ending the war. 

It gets revealed around the end that Yugi and Atem are from an ancient race that was destroyed by Heba thousands of years ago, but Atem and Yugi were send away in pods to keep them safe. Gozaburo found Yugi’s pod and trained Yugi up to be a weapon in the war with crazy good pilot skills, while Atem was found by some nice farmers in the country and grew up being a nice kid. 

The story ends with this kind of weird thing were Yugi and Atem settle down for a while and Yugi ends up having a kid, which he calls Yami (that part killed me), it ends on a really nice bittersweet tone, which is nice, and I liked the way it ended, although I’m personally not a fan of mpreg, so that was kinda weird for me, but each to their own! Plus it’s the one minor thing in the story that I didnt agree with, and it’s easily shadowed over by how brilliant the entire story was to read, a real ride from start to finish, and gooooooood I just LOVE this fic sobs.

I probably missed a few things, or maybe screwed up the timeline a little, and purposely left out some smaller details if only for the fact I’m so busy I dont have time to give a play-by-play of a 200K fic xD But there you have it! Hopefully this paints part of the magnificence that was the wonderful fic Gambit! My absolute favourite fanfic ever :’’’>