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hobiebrownismygod · 1 year ago

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Hobie Brown/Spider Punk x GN!Reader

Summary: A protest turns to a riot and the riot turns into a massacre. You narrowly escape being murdered by a filthy pig, thanks to the one and only Spider-Punk, oh wait, Spider-MAN of Earth-138.

1.6k Words!

A/N: I don't see a lot of people talking about this side of Hobie's universe, so I thought I'd write something about it

TW: Mentions of blood and death, gunshots, tear gas, policy brutality

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"Shit, my bad"

You hear the words slip out of your mouth as you take a step away from who must be the third person you've accidentally bumped into in this crowd. Usually your clumsiness would draw attention from people, a couple scowls, maybe even some harsh language, but right now everyone was too focused on yelling their lungs out, pumping their fists in the air and shoving their decorated posters into the faces of the numerous pigs that were trying to hold off the crowd from entering one of Norman Osborne's many luxurious mansions.

It was another protest, this one specifically against Osborne's bright new idea to pass a law allowing corrupted corporations to decrease the pay rates even more, which would send hundreds of thousands of the already struggling blue-collar workers of London into worsened poverty. Run by punks and many others, this protest was turning from peaceful into something pretty nasty. Slurs, pebbles and even bottles were being thrown from both sides of the front line, just begging for one group to break before the other.

By break of course, you meant turn incredibly violent. Protests like these always did. They were meant to convince Osborne, maybe even force him to turn these laws, these policies, his horrific mindset, but they never did. The most that would happen was a death or two, either of a protestor or a police officer, and the next day, it would be like nothing even happened.

As you make your way through the crowd, trying to get to the front of the lines, you find yourself colliding with the chest of an abnormally tall man. You grabbed your nose, a sharp pain spreading from the tip. "Piece of-" You stop yourself as you look up at him, watching a slightly confused expression spread across his face as he towered over you. "Sorry 'bout that, peng. You a'right?"

"yeah, I'm fine" you grumbled, trying to move past him. "You trying to get the front, lass?" He asked, a slightly amused look on his face as he watched you try to push your way through the dense load of people standing in front you both. "I was" you replied, giving him another look before you successfully squeezed in between the group of people that you'd been trying to infiltrate before. "Be careful. Its not safe up there" you heard him call out to you, his tone sounding a bit patronizing yet comforting at the same time, like he cared at least a little bit about your well-being. You turned to reply, but he'd already disappeared through the crowd, his head and wicks visible over the top of the crowd due to his height.

The yelling had gotten louder and the protestors had begun throwing sticks at the cops near the front who were yelling right back, threatening to use force if necessary. They wouldn't dare on a crowd this large. There was no way.

You had made your way near the front, not caring enough to be gentle at this point and practically shoving past some of the people in order to have a better view at the front. A chant had started and you joined in, determined to make the most of your presence.

"FUCK OSBORNE."

"RIGHTS TO THE PEOPLE"

The chant repeated over and over, getting louder and louder each time as more people joined in, more and more bottles getting thrown over the makeshift fences, the cops getting frustrated, trigger-happy fingers moving closer and closer towards-

BANG BANG

Screams and shouts flooded your senses as your body automatically ducked, your hands flying to cover your head. The yelling intensified, deafening slurs and shrieks sending sharp ringing sounds through your ears as you felt the people around you begin to move, some bursting through the officers' defenses, others scrambling to find safety from the guns and, oh god, the tear gas. A gas meant to be non-lethal was being sprayed directly into the eyes and mouths of those unlucky enough to be in the general vicinity of the officers, the pigs having no mercy towards the helpless protestors stuck in the struggling crowds.

BANG BANG

The gunshots didn't stop, and you felt yourself fall back as someone shoved themselves past you, your elbows being scraped by the rough, cold pavement. You winced. That was gonna leave a nasty scar. You scrambled to your feet, but found yourself met with the head of a pistol, pointed directly between your eyes. "Scum of the earth." You heard a man mutter, his uniform decorated with multiple medals and badges. You felt your body shaking with fear as you slowly got to your feet, the man's hands trembling as his fingers moved toward the trigger. If I die, I die on my feet.

A flash of red and blue passed you, taking the psychotic pig with him, your eyes catching a small glimpse of his mask right before they were both slammed into the wall. The masked man slung his guitar off his back and smashed it against the cop's head, effectively killing him in one hit. The one and only Spider-punk had arrived.

He wildly turned to look at you, the eyes of his mask widening when he saw your bleeding state, but he didn't have time to focus on you. He swung toward the small huddle of police officers that were still terrorizing the crowd, leaving you behind to find safety. But of course, being the stubborn idiot you were, you weren't going to do that.

"Help!"

A young woman was sitting with her back against the wall, her leg all bloody and misshapen, her eyes swollen from the tear gas. She'd been shot, probably more than once from the look of it. But Spider-punk was busy, so you'd have to take care of her. "Hey, its gonna be okay" you said in a soft voice, trying to calm her down and snap her out of her crying state. She babbled, obviously in shock of what had happened, muttering incoherent sentences full of slurred praises for you as you helped her to her feet, letting her lean on your as the two of you limped away. There were cops everywhere, yelling and shooting, the tear gas flooding your eyes and your throat, making it difficult to breathe. But you had to help her. Because if you couldn't, what was the use of being here?

You helped her toward a small group of other protestors that had gathered, trying to help people out, handing her over for them to drive to safety in their cars which had only just arrived in order to get people out of there while Spider-punk did his job.

You turned around to watch as the masked man smashed his guitar against their heads, kicking, punching, throwing. It was a gruesome sight. My hero, you thought to yourself.

You were snapped out of the confinement of your thoughts when you noticed one of the cops approaching you, gun in his hand. Not this again. Thinking quickly, you grabbed a broken part of the fence, a plank of wood and rushed him with it, luckily dodging the bullet he shot at you and hitting him over the head, effectively knocking him out. "Shit" you muttered, chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath, adrenaline coursing through your veins. You dropped the plank and removed the gun from the pig's hand, holding it in yours as you continued to where Spider-punk was. Maybe you could help? After all, most of the others were either injured or busy...

You approached him, but he had already finished the job, your eyes settling on his figure using the web to tie the still breathing cops together and sticking them onto the wall. He'd annihilated their backup, but there was no certainty that there weren't more on the way. It was time to leave.

A web shot at you, the gun knocked out of your hand. You defensively raised your hands in the air, eyes widening as you watched him turn to look at you. "Not a cop" you said quickly, taking a step back. "Yea, I can tell" he replied, walking towards you. It was a fairly frightening sight, seeing a 6'3 masked man covered in blood and grime walking toward you, but something about him felt surprisingly friendly. "You a'right?"

"As good as I'll ever be" You lowered your hands slowly, still keeping your eyes on him. He put his hands on his hips, looking you up and down. "Saw you hit that cop over the head back there. Good job."

"Thanks..." his ripped shirt caught your eye. "oh" you left the soft realization escape your lips as you saw his wound. He'd been shot, pretty badly from the looks of it. "Oh this?" he asked, gesturing to his side, blood dirtying his shirt. "Don't worry about it, lovey"

"Y'should probably head home. Don't know when more of those pigs 're gonna show up" he said, his tone darkening slightly as he reached out his hand toward you. Suddenly he faltered, pulling his hand back. "Right, sorry. Can't take you home when there's other people needing my help." he sounded a bit sheepish as he kept his eyes on you, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. "S'alright" You replied, feeling a bit awkward. "I live close by."

"Yeah? Be careful out there, lass. Take care of y'self" he said with a playful salute before walking right past you. "Yeah. I'll see you around, Spider-punk" you said, looking back at him, feeling a bit confused at the interaction. "Oi, don't call me that. s'Spider-MAN not spider-punk." he said cockily, turning back to look at you.

"Right."

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adminbryantsaki · 7 months ago

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Under the Moonlight

Alpha ! Werewolf! Prince! Shouta Aizawa x Beta! Bodyguard! reader

(I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters within the universe. They all belong to Horikoshi Kohei. If this isn’t your cup of tea, blend of spices, or brew of coffee, move on. Reader discretion is advised.)

TW: Omegaverse, hierarchy, slight fear, sex scene and aftercare, drug den, heat and rut enhancement, masks.

WC: 4,853

The night was clear and you could see all the stars twinkling in the sky as you stayed at your post outside the castle that belonged to the Aizawa family. There were threats to the members of the family recently so more security was hired for this event. The threats had been focused on the Prince who was said to be a werewolf and some of the townspeople didn’t like the idea of a hybrid being their next ruler. You didn’t involve yourself much into the matters of the royal family but you were happy to get the job to guard the place for the night of the Spring ball. This event took place every year in hopes that all the young and eligible people in the land could find their mate and live happily ever after. That wasn’t quite your thing and you weren’t destined for that kind of happy ending because you were a Beta, and Betas in this kingdom weren’t often mated with Alphas or Omegas and given typical service jobs like yours as a security guard or something like a farmer or chambermaid. You were wearing a black suit and dark glasses as you leaned against the pillar and waited for someone to come and relieve you.

Soon, one of your co-workers came to relieve you so you could go inside and take a break and get some refreshments. You straightened your blazer before going inside and eyeing the refreshment table as all the other party-goers were mingling and dancing on the dance floor. You could see the prince with his dark hair tied back in a low ponytail wearing a black and silver mask that obscured his face so you couldn’t get a good profile on him but you could tell that he was attractive with how many of the young women all dressed up for this

Event to try and catch his eye and hoping to be his mate.

You were sipping on a glass of punch when the song ended and some of the young men came to the refreshment table to grab some food or a drink for their dancing partner. You looked over the crowd, seeing if there would be any suspicious characters lurking in the corners of the room. You didn’t know that the dark eyes of the prince had locked on you as if you were his prey and he was your hunter. You didn’t notice that he had his attention on you until he was heading in your direction. He approached you and stood by your side as he filled a cup of the cooling drink and looked at you.

“Hello. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. May I ask your name?” You heard the deep rumble of his voice sound in your ears as you caught a whiff of the pine and roasted coffee beans that was the Alpha’s scent. You looked to see his piercing dark eyes staring right into yours like that of a wolf staring down their prey before an attack as he took a drink of the fruity cocktail. You met his eyes and you seemed to be frozen in place as his gaze was intense and strong. He moved through the small crowd that separated the two of you, soon standing before you.

“My name is Y/n. You haven’t seen me because I’m one of the security guards. I only came in for some refreshments.” You told him and he nodded and backed off a step until the band came back to their instruments and began playing a lively tune. The prince looked to you and took your hand, kissing the back of it and guiding you onto the dance floor despite your protests.

“Wait! I should get back to my post! My boss will be upset if I don’t get back soon.” You spoke as you were pulled into a dancing position in front of the prince.

“Then they will have to answer to me.” He spoke and began leading you through the dance.

As the two of you danced, you could feel all the jealous eyes of all the other women in the room were on you, boring holes into your body as they wanted to be dancing with the prince instead of you.

“Don’t worry about them. Keep your eyes on me.” He spoke as he lead you through the dance until it was over and he bowed to you which you bowed back and the people standing on the sidelines applauded. You felt embarrassed as you noticed your boss looking for you in the crowd. Once he saw you, he locked eyes with you and signaled for you to go to him. The prince stopped you and walked up to your boss and explained everything. Your boss relaxed and still had you return to your post. You leaned against the wall at your post and thought of the dance you had with the prince as you heard the music playing within the castle.

About an hour passes and you’re outside, patrolling the gardens when you get the feeling that you’re being watched. You had the same feeling as before when the prince had focused his gaze on you before he approached you to pull you into a dance.

You looked around the area and didn’t see any sign of him or any other person in the gardens with you until someone grabbing you from behind, one arm around your waist with their other hand covering your mouth.

“Shh, don’t scream, Y/n. Its me, Shouta, the prince?” You heard the same, familiar rumble whisper into your ear that made your insides light on fire and you melt against his touch. Upon hearing him, you relaxed and pulled away from him.

“Shouldn’t you be inside? You’re supposed to be picking a mate from the female Omegas in the castle. Not a Beta like me.” You spoke and looked to the stone bricks that lined the walkway of the gardens. The prince moved closer to you and made you look him in the eyes.

“I should be. But they announced that everyone should pick their mate and declare their relationship. They’re saving me for last so I thought I’d sneak out here and find you because I want you as my mate. I don’t care what others say. All the Omegas in there are spoiled snobs which I don’t like at all. When I first laid eyes on you, I was instantly hooked and drawn to you. You’re different than the rest. I don’t care that you’re a Beta. I want you as my own. Will you let me, have you?” He asked as he held your hands in his. You were dumbfounded and had to process what he was asking of you for a moment then it hit you. The prince, the very Prince, a member of royaltywas asking you to be his mate. His mate for life. You looked him straight in the eyes and nodded slowly then spoke quietly.

“Yes. I’ll be your mate.” You spoke, just barely above a whisper.

“Hm? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.” Shouta spoke.

“I said Yes. Yes, I’ll be your mate.” You spoke and smiled. Shouta pulled you into his arms and he kissed you gently.

“We should go inside and wait to announce it. Everyone will want to know.” He spoke and led you inside.

You followed him, excited to be mated to him before the night was over. He led you into the ballroom that you were in to get refreshments before and he guided you onto a stage where he held you close and held your hand up in front of a crowd of well-dressed people and announced to them that he had chosen you as his mate and that he would claim you that night.

The next few minutes passed like a whirlwind as the prince guided you out of the ballroom, through a winding maze of hallways like the one out in the gardens to his private chamber that seemed far away from everything else in the castle and he seemed to be urgent to get there.

“My Prince, what is the matter? Why do we need to be so urgent to get here? I know you’re excited to mate with me, but can’t we be a little patient? You’re going to be my first.” You told him as you pulled your hand away from his. He turned to look back at you and to the door of the chamber with worry in his eyes.

“Just trust me. It’s one of the many secrets my family has kept hidden for a long time and its not one to be let out now. Follow me and I’ll tell you everything.” He spoke and led you into the chamber, locking the door and bolting it before leaning against the bar that kept the door from opening. You took your blazer off and laid it against the chest that was sitting at the foot of the bed before sitting on the edge of the bed and looking around to room, taking in your surroundings while waiting for the prince. The bed was a queen-sized mattress in a four-poster bed in a decently sized room that had a simple dark blue moon and star pattern that lined the walls in a checker-board pattern on a lighter blue background, surrounded by crown molding. You saw that the fireplace at the other end of the room was lit and crackling away which gave a nice ambiance to the room. There was a couch sitting in front of the fireplace which would be good for cuddling or even having sex with your new mate sometime in the future. There weren’t any paintings on the walls which some what made sense in a honeymoon suite. It didn’t matter though when you drew your attention to the windows which had their curtains drawn.

You looked up to the sky to see that the moon was full which helped guide the partygoers’ home with or without their mates now that the prince had chosen a mate. Your attention was brought back into the room by a deep, rumbling growl that sent chills down your spine. You turned to see that there was a werewolf standing where the prince once was and fear filled your eyes. You had heard of rumors that the prince had an ailment but it was never decided on what ailment he had. You watched as the wolf man shook his head and looked at you. He stood up straight from his hunched over position and walked to you as you pressed yourself against the windowsill trying to not get hurt by the creature you had been looked in the room with.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. This is something I’ve dealt with my whole life. I’ve had special healers and doctors come to make me a concoction that suppresses the more wolf-like personality, but it doesn’t do anything for the appearance. I am sorry if I gave you a fright by my growl. It was the only thing I could think of to get your attention back on me.” He spoke as he stepped closer so that you could see him in the moonlight. He had the same features as before but he now had a pair of black wolf ears and a matching tail, his eyes had turned a golden shade of yellow, and his mating fangs had grown long that they almost didn’t fit in his mouth.

“You look fine. It just caught me off guard.” You told him and let yourself relax a little knowing that he wasn’t a threat anymore.

You watched as he moved closer to you, giving you a better angle of how handsome he looked in the moonlight. His dark eyes seemed to have a ring of amber around them and they were fixated on you with a hunger that wanted to devour you alive. You backed up until you were trapped against the wall and pinned by the werewolf in front of you.

“You seem a little scared to be in the same room as me. Like I said before, you don’t have to fear me. I’ll take care of you and I want to have you as my mate and make you my queen… along with another things.” He told you before going in for a kiss which you stopped him.

“What other things are we talking about? I’d like to know what I’m getting into exactly before I agree to anything.” You told him and kept your hand on his chest which felt strong and inviting. Shouta sighed and pulled away from you, sitting on the bed and looking up at you and inviting you to sit next to him which you did.

“I wasn’t only looking for a mate. I was looking for a partner that had the strength and smarts to be my bodyguard when I run my underground ‘business.’ All the others in the past were too scared to even accept the deal. What do you think of being my personal bodyguard?” He asked as he moved closer to you.

“I’d have to think it over as this is all too sudden. Let us get the mating part over with and I’ll get back to you in the morning.” You told him and he smiled, moving in to kiss you gently and help you lay back on the bed he nodded.

“Of course. Take your time to think things over and come back to me with your answer.” He spoke before climbing on top of you and kissing you again, but deeper and with a bit more passion. You returned the kiss and began to unbutton your shirt to expose your neck to him.

“Not too far now, I won’t want to hurt you.” He spoke and watched you roll back the collar of your shirt and take the garment off far enough that your full neck and shoulders were exposed to him. He moved close and kissed your neck before choosing a side and making his mark on your neck and pulling away after a few minutes, leaving you a little winded.

“How did that feel?” He asked as you were trying to regain your composure with little to no luck as the pheromones coming off him were very strong and taking your mind over.

“It felt good.” You told him as your face clearly told him that you had caught a good whiff of his scent and that his pheromones were taking you over, making you relax under him and giving him the perfect opportunity to take the rest of your clothes off and spread your legs open so he could slide in between them and claim you as his mate. The ceremony to make you his princess and future queen would happen later after you’ve had the proper training to be a member of the royal family and all that. But now, you were consummating your bond with the prince as he was thrusting deep into you, hitting your sweet spot every time until you felt your climax reach your body and you released along with him, arching your back as you released and falling on your back and feeling him pull out and pull you into his arms.

“That felt amazing, my Prince. Thank you for that. I’m happy to be your mate.” You told him sleepily as he stroked your hair and kissing your head before sleeping himself. The next morning you woke up and found Shouta laying next to you and watching you sleep. He didn’t have any of his wolf-like features like the night before. He smiled when he saw you wake up and reached over to kiss you. He sat up when the both of you heard a knock at the door. Shouta stood up, wrapped a spare blanket around his waist and answered the door to only find that it was the staff of the castle coming with breakfast, some bathing items, and a first aid kit. Shouta thanked him and the servant left the room. He picked you up along with the bathing items and carried you into the bathroom where he set you in the bathtub as the water was filling up the clawfoot tub that you had settled in. He let you pick a scented soap that he put into the tub and helped bathe you, being careful of any cuts or scrapes you might have on your body. You hissed a little when soap would fall into your wounds but he made sure to wash your hair and rinse it out before helping you out of the tub and wrapped a fluffy towel around you before sitting you on a bench in the luxurious bathroom and laid out the first aid kit on his lap and began to patch up your wounds.

“I’m sorry about the scratches last night. I kinda got away with how good you felt.” He spoke as he applied bandages and gauze from the kit to the scratches and cuts on your back.

“Its alright. I knew you were caught up in the moment. I’m just glad you’re taking care of me since this would be awkward to try to explain to a co-worker.” You told him and he chuckled.

“Getting marked by a werewolf can have other injuries than this but I was being careful. You seemed to enjoy it though by the screams of pleasure you were giving me.” He told you and kissed you on the cheek.

“Did you think over the question that I asked you last night?” He asked as he patched up the last cut and put the first aid kit on the counter.

“Yeah, and I’d like to see what this ‘underground business’ is before I commit fully to this. I don’t mind playing your bodyguard to go check it out, but I’d like to know what I’m getting into.” You told him and looked at him. He nodded.

“Take your time and ask for help from any of the servants with whatever you need to get ready. I’m heading down into the base of operations tonight.” He told you, getting up and leaving the bathroom to change into his clothes and leaving the room to go about his duties. You took your time getting ready; looking over the rolling tray of breakfast foods that was brought into the room earlier that morning and you picked out the foods that you liked and ate them before getting changed and stepping out of the room to see a guard right on the other side.

“Hello, my lady. How may I assist you today?” They asked and began to follow you down the halls as you wanted to find your mate and head to this ‘underground business’ he was telling you about earlier that day.

“I’d like to know where the prince is. He and I have some business to attend to.” You told the guard and they took you through the hallways of the castle to a large meeting room where there were a bunch of important officials in the room, along with the prince who sat at one of the ends of the very long table, looking bored out of his mind by sitting in this meeting. His eyes looked to the doors when they opened and lit up when he saw you standing with the guard.

“Sorry about this, but I must leave now. I have plans with my wife.” Shouta spoke and stood up, walking over to you, and taking your hand.

“Your timing is wonderful, my love. That meeting was going on forever. Are you ready to see what we talked about earlier?” He asked and thanked the guard before leading you again through the castle halls, into the servant’s quarters and down into the wine, beer, and mead cellar. He led you to a secret door and told you to stay quiet as he pressed a lever and the door opened; he pulled you into a place that seemed to be like a whole different world. But before you would enter any farther, Shouta handed you a gilded mask that looked like his. It was the same royal blue and gold mask that he wore to the ball, but the one he was handing to you was a golden color with royal blue designs on it.

“Put it on. Everyone in here wears a mask to disguise what they look like for everyone’s safety.” He spoke and put his own mask on. You put yours on and held his arm as he guided you out into the main room of the den. You took in the various men and women sitting in chairs, on couches, or standing about the room. They all were wearing clothes that fit into a ‘black tie’ category and all had unique masks to obscure their faces. Shouta led you to an empty couch where he told you to sit and relax while he got you a drink.

While you waited, you scanned the room to see if there were any suspicious characters in the room. So far there weren’t any but you were aware of some servers walking around the room, carrying a tray with two bowls on them. One of the servers came over to you and bent down, showing you what was on the tray.

“Take one, the blue pill with enhance your Alpha’s rut and the red pill will enhance your own heat, ma’am.” They spoke. You politely refused.

“I’m a Beta. I don’t experience either of those things.” You told them and they nodded.

“As you wish. I wish you to have fun while you are here though.” They spoke and left you alone. Just then, Shouta came back and handed you a tall and thin glass of champagne.

“Did anyone bother you?” He asked as he took the seat next to yours and put your arm around your shoulders.

“No. I server did come up to me and offer me one of two pills.” You spoke then leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“From what I got, they are heat and rut enhancers.” You told him. he smiled and nodded.

He shifted to look at you and leaned in to whisper something else into your ear.

“You’re right, my love. I run a heat and rut enhancer den. Some of the servers have noticed and heard that there are some people wanting to threaten my life. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted you to come down here and protect me, just in case someone would try and kill me tonight. Understood?” He asked as he pulled away and looked you in the eyes.

“Understood.”

You told him and scanned the room for anyone who looked suspicious or threatening to the prince. There were the usual people that filled the place, already pairing up with other people in the room and taking them into side rooms that probably had nests or dens pre-built in them. There were a few other Alphas that were looking at you with a hunger in their eyes that told you they had already taken the Rut enhancer. You gave Shouta a subtle signal about the other men and women eyeing you and he waved over one of the servants.

“Is my private room set up?” He asked.

“Of course. It’s always prepared for you, your highness.” They spoke.

“Good. Have someone check it over then let me know when it’s ready. My mate here is feeling a little uncomfortable.” He told them and handed them a $100 dollar bill. “Keep it quiet too.” He added and the servant nodded, tucking the money away and under your watchful eye, they snuck into a private room on the other side of the drug den. Shouta turned your attention to him as he kissed you deeply, letting the other Alphas know that you were already spoken for.

A few minutes passed and one of the servants notified Shouta what his room was ready. Shouta nodded and thanked them. He then stood up and led you into his room that was a but larger than what the other rooms looked to be. Shouta’s room had a large den already built for him and whoever his mate was. You were the lucky person to have been picked to be the prince’s mate. You also saw a simple table that held two bowls of the same pills that had been offered to you back in the other room. You frowned and stopped to look at the pills. Shouta noticed and looked at you.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are the pills in here? Do you take the rut enhancers?” You asked as you pulled away from him.

“I do take them on occasion. But not because my rut doesn’t come as strong as it should be. The pills are made from a natural substance that my men and I found when exploring one of the fields nearby. After some experimentation, we found out that they have aphrodisiac-like qualities. One part of the plant worked better for ruts while the other part of the plant worked better with heats. If you don’t want me to use them for tonight, I understand.” He spoke and he held your hand

“No, its alright. Here.” You spoke and took a blue pill from the bowl and gave it to him, letting him take it from your hand, making your face heat up. He kissed you and led you to just before the entrance of the den and he stopped, beginning by slowly stripping off his clothes piece by piece until he stood before you naked. You could feel your face heat up as you looked him up and down. He chuckled and kissed you again, working your suit off and tossing the garments of clothing to the floor before picking you up and carrying you into the den where he laid you down on the plush blanket-lined floor and climbed between your legs, kissing up your exposed torso and to the mark on your neck which he grazed his teeth over, making you arch your back and moan out loudly as he also slid his full length and knot into you. He let out a low rumbling chuckle from his chest and kissed you again before he began to thrust at a steady pace, slowly speeding up, letting his scent spill out, fill the room, and waft into your nostrils as you held onto your mate as he worked to fill you up with his seed, thrusting into you over and over, making the both of you cum multiple times before you were spent but he could still keep going. He noticed your exhaustion and kissed your cheek.

“Rest my love. I’m able to care for myself. You did so well, darling.” He spoke and kissed your cheek, making sure to wrap you up in one of the thick, fluffy blankets and letting you sleep. He then left the den to finish off the effects of the drug with his hand and a jar to save the cum for later.

You woke up sleepily, back in the room you were the night before. Shouta was sitting in a chair, enjoying some morning coffee and some sunshine that was streaming through the window and onto your face. You stirred and he turned to face you with a soft smile on his face.

“Good morning, Y/n. Did you sleep well?” He asked as he got up and walked over to where you were slowly working to prop yourself up and lean against the headboard of the bed. You definitely were sore from the previous night’s events and you were feeling it today.

“I don’t know much after passing out in your den. But I do know that I’m sore down there.” You told him and he chuckled.

“I figured you would be sore in one way or another. I have a bath drawn for the both of us. I’ll carry you in as walking for you is off the table right now.” He spoke as he pushed the covers back and carried you into the bathroom, helping you get out of the long button-down shirt he had put on you to carry you out of his den before setting you in the warm water and stripping his own clothes off, sliding into the bath behind you and letting you lean against him as the two of you soaked.

The End.

#bnha #admin writes #mha #bnha omegaverse #bnha aizawa #mha aizawa #mha eraserhead #breeding kink mha #mha omegaverse #shouta aizawa #aizawa shota #aizawa shouta #aizawa shouta x reader

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ikanasocking · 1 year ago

Text

A supportive friend

I guess this is the most erotic story I have written so far. It contains inanimated tf, gay activities and to some degree mind control. If you are not interested in these topics you should maybe not continue reading it. Enjoy this new story.

Ron and Chris were friends for as long as they could remember. Doing mischief nearly every day. In school after school whenever they were together. But sadly it was not made to last. It seemed like Chris was developing feelings toward men, more then to women. So when he had his coming out, Ron was furious. He wanted nothing to do with a gay bitch, and broke every contact to Chris.

Chris was not taking it very well. And who would? Your best friend you trusted all your life rejected you, because you were into people of the same sex. Ridiculous. But this was all a thing of the past. Many years both guys did not hear anything from each other. And truth be spoken, they did not even want to. Chris passed collage with ease and found a rather lucrative job as a manager in a company. His superior was also the son of the CEO and gay as well. Both guys were like made for one another. But they kept it secret. Chris did not want to make the impression that he just got his job, because the gay CEO’s son liked him. And for his new boyfriend Kai it was okay to keep a low profile. Work was work, and after that, they could do what they wanted. More years went by. Kai and Chris made it official at one point. At least to Kai’s dad. Chris was welcomed into the family like their own son. And so they moved into their own flat.

At work it was no problem at all. People were happy to work for the both of them. They were a good team supporting each other, whenever they could. One day, Kai told his friend that they would get a new worker. He would start tomorrow and be in Chris team. Curios Chris wanted to greet his new employee the next day. Only to find Ron standing in front of him. A totally new Ron. He let himself go. He got fat. So fat that Chris would never have believed. They stood in front of each other just staring.

“Ah I see you met each other already. Chris, this is Ron your new assistant.”

“Hello”, Chris said and hurried into his office.

A lot of feelings were coming back to him and he could barely hold back his tears. Seeing his once best friend now here working for him as an assistant.

“I am sorry, I don’t know what got into him. Anyway, Nora will show you the building and give you insight into your future work. I am sure we will see each other later”, Chris heard his boyfriend say.

Not long after he got into Chris office and looked at him.

“I wanted to ask what was wrong with you, but I guess I can save this question, honey. Who is this guy?”

He asked and went over to him to comfort him.

“My childhood friend who broke every contact when I had my coming out.”

Kai took Chris into a comforting hug, while he let his feelings all out. Tears were running down his face. Kai did not know about all of this but guessed that Chris must have been hurt very bad, back in the day. When he calmed down, Kai released him.

“Everything okay?”

“Somehow”, Chris sad still shaken by the moment.

“Okay, why don’t you go home and get some rest. I will handle the rest here, for the day. Sounds like a deal?”

“No I can’t go now. I have some”, Chris began.

“No you have not. You go home now, get comfy and wait for me. I will bring dinner today. Nothing is more important to me, then you being happy and able to work. I will take care of the introduction of Ron and the presentation we prepared. Leave everything up to me, please.”

Under another protest Chris gave up and went home in a hurry. Leaving Ron and his boyfriend alone. He trusted Kai but not Ron. Nevertheless he got home changed clothes, got on the couch into a comfy blanket and started watching some shows.

Kai on the other hand took care of everything. First on the agenda was talking to his father about what happened. Then the presentation for the stakeholders of the company. And then he met back with Ron.

“So, Ron was it, right? I hope Nora showed you everything?”

“Yeah she was quite the darling. But I got a question.”

“Sure ask right away.”

“For whom will I be the assistant?”

“Oh I guess you met him earlier today. From what I know an old friend of yours”, Kai said with a big smile.

He wanted to be as polite as possible and not show that deep within he was furious this guy had the nerve hurting his boyfriend.

“For Chris? Oh I thought I would work for a real manager”, he said and Kai laughed.

He ordered Ron to follow him.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean someone like Chris cannot be a real manager. He is not even a real man.”

“That is an interesting view on things. Mind telling me why you think so? I mean if what you say is true, then I might have a new job offer open.”

“Gladly. He is straight as a circle. Only hunting to be dominated by another man. Maybe someone like me, a real man” Ron said with a proud tone in his voice.

Kai looked at him. Did you recently looked into the mirror? A real man would not say things like this. You might be a bear and even a daddy bear, but not a real man, was all he could think.

“Oh really? I did not know that he is gay. But loving men is not an indication for him not doing his job right.”

“Sure you will see it in short time. He will disappoint you. Me on the other hand will be the perfect guy for this position. I am everything he is not.”

That’s for certain, Kai thought and laughed.

“Well since you seem to have such a high opinion of your skills. I am sure you will not disappoint me. Do your best and show me you can do his job better then he can, and we might think about a promotion. Sounds like a deal?”

“I cannot lose anything, so sure. Deal.”

“Excellent. Since I send Chris home, get to know the office and your working place. If you got any questions just ask Nora or me. Have a nice day.”

With that Kai turned and went to his office. After the door was closed he had to take a lot of deep breaths to calm down. The nerve Ron had talking to him like that was infuriating the least. He never thought an attitude like this would even exist in this times. Slowly he went to his desk before someone knocked on his door.

“Yes?” he responded only to see his dad coming into his office.

“Everything all right?” he asked while Kai took a seat.

“I guess we will pull through it.”

“The new guy?” his dad asked and took a seat for himself.

Kai’s father was sprouting the perfect dad body, if this even existed. He kept his facial hair trimmed and short. A mother was not in their family anymore, as far as Kai knew. His father loved him more than anything but it turned out he was gay himself and got himself a husband, after his wife left him. At least this was, what Kai was told.

“Yeah.”

“Is he the reason my soon to be son in law was not able to do his presentation?”

“Kind of. They met and Chris was shaken to the bone. I send him home and took over. He was in no constitution to hold it.”

“I see. So who is the guy?

“A homophobe asshole”, Kai summed up.

“Oh really?”

“I guess he did not know about Chris and me and the only thing he told me in our conversation was how Chris would not be able to fill his role and he would be the much better pick. I must say, I am beyond mad at the things he told me.”

Kai’s dad nodded and got up then. He went to the door and opened it.

“Come in honey”, he said and Kai’s stepfather came in.

A lean guy with some girly attitudes. He was one of those guys you would look at and say, yes he loves men. The door was closed and both men came back to the desk.

“Okay, Kai. I think it is time to let you in on a little family secret. Your mother and I never really parted ways. We just had to use this excuse to cover up what really happened.”

“You and mom are still married? So you have two”, began Kai but his dad shook his head.

“No I am only married once. To the same woman that brought you into this world.”

“I don’t understand.”

“See? I told you he would not understand. Kai, I am your mother your real mother.”

Kai was taken aback. Why should they say something like this?

“This is impossible”, he said.

“We thought so as well. But there is something in our family. A special gift. You could call it even power. We can change people to out will. And since your father told me he would be more interested in man, I decided to become one myself. So we were able to stay together and live our live happily. And now we want to teach you how to do this. Or better we want to teach Chris and you how to do this. You are old enough and I guess this new guy deserves some punishment. Let’s have dinner together and talk about everything then. Okay?”

“Sure”, Kai said but still did not believe his father nor his stepfather.

After both left his office Kai wrote Chris about the plans tonight and carried on with his day. Luckily he was not disturbed by Ron again.

The evening came. Kai and Chris went to his father’s house, which was not far away from the place they lived. His father’s house would have been big enough for three to four families and he even offered Kai to stay with his boyfriend here, but he refused wanted to have some time for himself. The dinner was already served when they arrived. After they finished it they got into an old office room.

“So, we already talked about it. Chris, I guess Kai told you everything?” Kai’s dad asked.

“Yeah he did, but I cannot really believe it.”

“I am sure it is hard to accept but it is the honest truth. I am inherited this gift from my mother and well passed it on to my husband and son” Kai’s stepfather said.

“How? I can understand that you passed it on to me, but how to my dad?”

“We don’t really know. I talked to my mother about it and she said that it might be that this gift is passed on by having, you know what.”

“I still can’t believe it. You can change from man to woman by pure will?” Chris asked.

“Yeah I can. But I could do much more. Just a moment.”

With that Kai’s stepfather closed his eyes and began changing. His features became more and more girly until Kai’s mother stood in front of them. The clothes stayed the same and were way to big for the slender woman.

“Mother”, Kai whispered and she smiled at him.

“See and you didn’t want to believe us”, she said and smiled.

“This is against every logic.”

“Sure it is. But it is called magic, my dear.”

With that Kai’s mother changed back into her male self.

“That is unbelievable”, Chris said.

“We know but we want you to learn this as well.”

“But how should I be able to do this? I am not from this family”, Chris said.

“True but we are sure that Kai and you already had some fun. So you should be able to do it as much as Kai should.”

Chris turned red.

“So how do we do this and can we only change ourselves?” Kai asked eagerly.

“Wow slow down, son. First of all, you can change everyone you want into everything you want. With the years we used this skill to teach a lot of homophobic assholes lessons in respect. Nora for example would normally be Norbert or my office chair. Nearly everyone in our office was recruited for a purpose. They all went to a rash teaching. And now the next one would be our new guy Ron” Kai’s dad said.

So they began to explain how the boys could use this gift. After some tries it worked. For both of them. The ultimate proof for the fun, Kai and Chris were having.

“One thing before we let you go to sleep. Make sure that no one sees you using this skills. No one who is not supposed to be changed. The changed persons are unable to speak with anyone else but you about what happened. So it is vital no one sees you doing it”, Kai’s mum told them.

“We are careful”, Kai said.

This night they did not return home but stayed at the house. In the morning all four of them went back to work. Like usual they were the first in the office. Kai and Chris went to Chris office.

“Honey, before he shows up. I want you to know that I played Ron’s game and promised him that, if he could proof me that he is more capable then you he would get your job. With no intention of giving it to him. But just so you know.”

“Don’t threat honey. I have some ideas of improving his supportive skills.”

“Wanna tell me what you are going to do?”

“I thought about turning him into a condom or a dildo. But I guess I have another idea.”

“I am curios. Can I watch?”

“Oh sure you can. I plan to do it after work. In private.”

Kai laughed and left the office. The day want on and Ron showed up in time. He did not try to hide his disgust towards his new boss and did the bare minimum. But Chris was not paying any mind to it. It would be the last day Ron would be working for him. He invited him to a company dinner at his place together with a person of Ron’s choice. He agreed wanting to show his new “friend” Kai that he was dedicated. And so the evening was coming and Ron showed up at Chris and Kai’s home. Together with a friend of his.

“No ladies escort?” Kai asked with a laugh.

“The lady had already ladies night. So I thought of bringing a friend. This is Mark.”

He greeted everyone and so they went to dinner. After they finished Kai went to get some alcohol. Ron and Mark did not turn it down and began drinking the expansive whine and whiskey they were offered.

“You know, Chris, I am sure I can do your job better then you”, Ron said after being drunk.

“Is that so? Well then follow me to the office room. Then we can discuss the business part.”

So they went to the room next door. Chris closed the doors and looked them. He just hoped the little training he had yesterday would be enough.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Ron asked completely losing his words.

“If you want to have my job so desperately I am sure you will do everything you can to get it. So here is the deal. You blow me and you can have it. Does this sound fair?”

“Pfff sure a faggot like you would ask for only a blowjob. Get ready to surrender your job to me”, he said and staggered over to Chris.

“That is right, Ron. Come here. Get on your knees.”

He obeyed and looked into Chris eyes.

“Now then open my pants and pull them down.”

Again he obeyed. It was like Chris voice was like what his brain wanted. He was not able to set his own thoughts and Chris commands apart. They were one and the same for him.

“Get your nose into my crotch and start sniffing it”, he commanded and Ron obeyed again.

Eagerly he went on sniffing and licking Chris dick through the fabric. Chris watched for a few minutes.

“Tell you what, Ron? I guess you want this, do you? Being down there worshipping me and my meat. Does it fill you with joy?”

“Yes it does”, Ron answered completely oblivious to all the signals in his body telling him to stop.

“So why not spend every day there? How about you become the supportive friend you should have been all the years? You want to be my boxers, do you?”

Ron looked up in Chris face and pulled himself up. He got close to his bosses face and looked into his eyes with lust and oblivion.

“I want to be your boxers, Chris. Take me as a supportive friend.”

“With pleasure. Get down there and worship me”, Chris said and Ron went back down.

He began to lick Chris penis through the pants again and sniffed like it was the most beautiful smell he ever had experienced.

“Now blow me through the boxers”, he commanded and Ron did as he was told.

Chris used his hands and put them on Ron’s head. Slowly he pressed him closer to his crotch. With every push Ron seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the fabric of the boxers. First his face, then his whole head and the rest of his body followed. He was now nothing more than a boxer at Chris crotch. Suddenly sober he noticed something in his mouth. It was Chris erection that was so big. The taste was in Ron’s mouth and he wanted to spit it out. Shout at his boss what kind of sick game he would be playing here. But nothing came out. He could not even get the penis out of his mouth.

“Now you are supportive, Ron. Are you happy? This will be your live for the next years, I guess. Maybe I will change you back one day, when you have learned where your place is. But only if I not forget about you. Welcome to your new life as my boxers.”

Chris hand was stroking his dick and precum began to soak into Ron’s body. The taste was totally new for the boy but he could not escape it. The smell as well. This was his life. Chris put his pants back on and for the moment Ron’s world went dark. Happy and satisfied Chris went back to the other guys who were sitting there. Kai waited for him and smiled when he saw him coming back alone.

“So it is over with him? What about Mark?”

“I am somehow sad to do this to him, since I don’t know this guy. But he is a witness. Even though he is completely drunk. But he leaves me no choice. He can thank my boxers for his fate.”

With that Chris went over to Mark and woke him up.

“Come with me, boy” he commanded and he got up and followed him to the sofa.

Chris sat down and Kai as well.

“Now tell me, Mark. Do you like what you see?”

“I am not sure what you mean.”

Chris put his feet on the table and looked back at the guy.

“I mean my feet. Weren’t you checking them out all evening?”

“I no, I did not, did I? I mean they are somehow cute in a strange way, but I would not check them out. I am not gay”, he said.

“Well satisfying your curiosity has nothing to do with being gay. If you like my feet, why not play with them?”

Like Ron before him, he went on and began to play with Chris feet. He was so entranced that this was the only right thing to do for him. He went on and began sniffing, massaging and licking this foreign guys feet like there was no tomorrow. After a while one of his hands went down to stroke his dick which got hard. The perfect moment for Chris.

“You are enjoying it, do you? Why not experience it every day. Become my socks”, he said and Mark nodded.

He used both hands again and pressed his face as hard as he could into Chris feet. And so the magic began. He began to fuse with the socks and in the end Mark was nothing more than a pair of socks with a wet cum spot on Chris feet. Chris was satisfied and smiled like he had not in years.

“So are you happy now?” Kai asked and began fondling his boyfriend.

“Yes I am more than happy. My past is now over and I can look forward. With you, Ron and Mark.”

Kai smiled and began kissing his boyfriend.

The next morning Mark wanted to get up, but noticed he could not move. Suddenly it got bright and it was like he was lying on the ground, with a big weight on his body. He tried to talk but nothing came out. Suddenly he saw something. A boot coming close to him. This was when it hit him. He was a pair of socks. He did not dream it. It was real. The boot covered him and turned his world black. The smell was nearly unbearable. As was the constant sweat that was soaked up by his body. Even if he wanted he could not change it.

After a few weeks Ron and Mark got used to being worn every day by Chris. Mark used his time licking at Chris feet, even though he had not tongue it was still a pleasant feeling for Chris. Mark had tried to fight it as well but now he had nothing better to do then sucking his owner’s dick. Life was simpler for them this way. And for Chris and Kai as well. Not long after they got married and moved in with the rest of Kai’s family.

For now the story ends here but who knows? Maybe Mark and Ron will be released one day or get more company? Who knows?

#gay sock #inanimate transformation #inanimate tf #straight to gay #mind control

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himbeereule · 7 months ago

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Hello! I just read the demo. I loved it!! I'm excited to read the remaining parts of this prologue. By the way, I'm surprised at the trouble you took with the reactions to MC's attractiveness. Depending on our appearance will there be an important impact on history?

Anyway, thanks for the demo! I loved everything ❤️❤️❤️

Ehmm I have quite a few questions: 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

1 - Why is MC so popular? What is the reputation of the siblings among the people?

2 -Is there any reason why the empress is so absent in the lives of her children?

3 - Who besides the emperor and brother knows about Lebedev's incident with f! MC?

4- Will there be a funeral for the royal family?

5- I just love Lavrentiy. It seems like he was jealous (?), although he equally loved MC

6 - What were the last thoughts of MC's family before being executed? Will we see more of them in the future?

7 -How did other monarchies react to this "revolution"?

8- How rich/relevant is Nevtskiya in the world? And it has great military power? Besides agriculture, is there any other important sector for the economy? Can we promote the development of the country?

9 - What is the standard of living of the general population?

10 -Will there be much difference in the story of a male or female MC?

11 - What religion does the country have?

12 - Were there many other popular protests in the past?

PS we are lucky that the rebels didn't leave MC's body hanging or decapitated in some public place haha

Hey~

About the attractiveness: there will be scenes like the ones with Sabilov where it'll play a role, but it won't have a really important impact on the story overall.

1- MC is popular because the newspapers pushed them as a celebrity. As for why they did that... you'll have to find out eventually. As for the siblings: Artemiy is revered as the Crown Prince, but he's a pretty distant figure, so it's more formal than personal popularity. Lavrentiy is very controversial due to his escapades (you'll learn more about that). Sasha/Tasha is very private and mostly unknown among the public.

2- This'll be expanded upon in the scenes with your siblings I'm planning to add to the Prologue - basically, she realized the person she married (arranged marriage, but initially she was very happy with it) was an absolute asshole. So she ended up getting the kind of depression where you isolate yourself from everyone and everything.

3- Nobody, though at least one person is guaranteed to find out. Towards the end of the story, though.

4- No. You'll see why later...

5- I said it before, but I'm super happy people liked Lavrentiy. I hope his additional scenes will cement his image of "would actually be lovely if he stopped being so mean"

6- Can't answer, spoilers ^^"

7- There won't be intervention armies, but they see it as a prime opportunity to expand their influence. Whether you'll let them sponsor you or your enemies at the cost of getting dependent and owing favours will be a major decision later on.

8- Nevetskiya is huge, and old, but that's pretty much it. It's a regional power, too far behind in economy, society and technology to really contend with any of the great powers - but it is still counted among them. Industrialization is already beginning to happen, hence the revolution, and its development will be a factor in the story and especially the gameplay.

9- For the nobility - extremely high. For the clergy and the emerging traders and industrialists - pretty high. For the accountants, bureaucrats and landowners - okay. For the peasants and workers (which is almost the entire population) - abysmal.

10- There will be some exclusive story arcs for all genders.

11- I haven't really touched on religion yet, as of now it's just a vague polytheistic copy of the Orthodox Church. I'll develop its lore more once it comes up in the story.

12- Yes, there were peasant revolts every one or two years, but they were quickly and brutally suppressed.

#choicescript #eaglet #орлёнок #interactive fiction

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brothermoth · 7 months ago

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1890s America and Red Dead Redemption

Part One: Violent Delights and Violent Ends

-----

The latter half of the 1800s was a time characterized by struggle. Off the back of the Civil War, a country divided in not two but four by the rising industry to the east and the stubborn pastoralism of the west. The southern portion of the country beaten down, burned and disgraced, and the northern portion rolling in gold and prosperity. Whether they knew it or not, the common American had their life ultimately shaped by these divisions.

As the opening lines of Red Dead Redemption 2 state: "The age of outlaws and gunslingers was at its end" (Rockstar, 2018). Yet contrary to the following text, America was far from becoming a "land of laws". Laws for the poor, perhaps, but the wealthy still thrived and skirted just beyond the boundaries of human decency.

From the 1870s to the 1920s, miners and railroad workers unionized and carried out often violent protests in the hopes of gaining better working conditions. The poor had little but their fists, and they had no qualms about using them. It is in this turmoil we find Dutch Van Der Linde with his Robin Hood-esque visions of a crumbling elite and prospering poor. The struggle between workers and their iron-fisted overseers was bloody, and Dutch would not have it any other way. Those he took under his wing were the beaten down lowest tiers of society. How could they not see him as a shining idol of American idealism? What he wants, what he fights for, it is for them. Outcasts with nowhere else to turn, given a cause and a home and something that perhaps felt real to them for the first time in a long time.

Race is a topic not wholly explored, but touched on certainly within the game. Tensions rose as racial divisions were made even clearer, black Americans fighting for their own foothold in a world that has just opened up to them and their children. Lenny Summers is the first in generations to be born free of slavery. Javier comes from a country that has been terrorized by colonialism and corruption, yet he still dreams of returning. 1890s Mexico (and what we see in RDR1) is a topic of its own, though the spirit of people downtrodden by colonialism is echoed throughout both games. Sean, who was chased from the country his father fought for. Whose father was killed in his own bed, likely in the same room as his son. Violence in this world is inescapable, a swirling vortex that consumes everything in its path.

Dutch embraced this, as many leaders of the past and future have. If you cannot fight with peace, then sticks and stones make for much better conversation. I can't say I disagree with him, in all honesty, and that is what makes him so fascinating. He's right. He has a point, a cause. What went so wrong? Do heroes not get a happy ending?

In 1892, railroad employees of Carnegie Steel in Pennsylvania's Homestead plant went on strike when chairman Henry Frick cut their pay dramatically. 300 agents of the Pinkerton detective agency arrived, escalating tensions. Violence erupted, the Pennsylvania national guard was called. Sixteen men were killed.

Leviticus Cornwall is Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie is Leviticus Cornwall. The Pinkertons are rightful villains in our narrative, the gang is a thorn in their side which must be cut free. Law and order, right? Dutch was right, his killing of Cornwall was arguably deserved. Yet what makes it so wrong?

Dutch's actions are selfish, in the end. Not because he doesn't care for the people around him, as I believe he truly does. He sees things getting worse and worse and only digs in his heels. Dutch is the American Dream. The bloody messiah to the poor and disadvantaged. He guts them the same as any railroad magnate. Power corrupts, this is what we learn. Power and vitriol and paranoia. The people left struggling in his wake are the common folk who get caught in the crossfire, used and abused only to prove a point. They know nothing but violence, and who is to tell them otherwise? Even Arthur in his end of life maturation cannot pry himself free. He kills and kills and in the end he dies for it. Even John, who tried to leave it behind. Even Sadie, who was ruined by it, embraced it in the end.

The American dream is indecipherable from the American nightmare. They are lovers and companions. There is nothing to do but fight, and even then you have no hope of winning. It's a beautiful tragedy, is it not? All these people who never had a chance, yet who tried anyway. Workers who gained little and lost everything still took their signs and marched for what was right. Black Americans who were beaten down again and again still got up each and every day and did whatever it was they had to do. Native Americans, who were nearly erased. Who still cling to their heritage and claw back what has been stolen. Red Dead Redemption is about the small people. The forgotten in the annals of American history.

#red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption #dutch van der linde #arthur morgan

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doyouknowthisbook-poll · 5 months ago

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Do you know which book this is from?

Please reblog the polls, but KEEP IT SPOILER-FREE to make people read the excerpt with an open mind 💖📚 Title and author will be revealed after the poll's conclusion.

Note: Tumblr wouldn’t allow alt text for some reason, so for this poll, the alt text is below the read more.

Edit: The results are up here!

Kilorn will find me anywhere I try to hide, so I keep moving. I sprint like I can outrun what I've done to Gisa, how I've failed Kilorn, how I've destroyed everything. But even I can't outrun the look in my mother's eyes when I brought Gisa to the door. I saw the hopeless shadow cross her face, and I ran before my father wheeled himself into view. I couldn't face them both. I'm a coward.

So I run until I can't think, until every bad memory fades away, until I can only feel the burning in my muscles. I even tell myself the tears on my cheeks are rain.

When I finally slow to catch my breath, I'm outside the village, a few miles down that terrible northern road. Lights filter through the trees around the bend, illuminating an inn, one of the many on the old roads. It's crowded like it is every summer, full of servants and seasonal workers who follow the royal court. They don't live in the Stilts, they don't know my face, so they're easy prey for pickpocketing. I do it every summer, but Kilorn is always with me, smiling into a drink as he watches me work. I don't suppose I'll see his smile for much longer.

A bellow of laughter rises as a few men stumble from the inn, drunk and happy. Their coin purses jingle, heavy with the day's pay. Silver money, for serving, smiling, and bowing to monsters dressed as lords.

I caused so much harm today, so much hurt to the ones I love most. I should turn around and go home, to face everyone with at least some courage. But instead I settle against the shadows of the inn, content to remain in darkness.

I guess causing pain is all I'm good for.

It doesn't take long to fill the pockets of my coat. The drunks filter out every few minutes and I press against them, pasting on a smile to hide my hands. No one notices, no one even cares, when I fade away again. I'm a shadow, and no one remembers shadows.

Midnight comes and goes and still I stand, waiting. The moon overhead is a bright reminder of the time, of how long I've been gone. One last pocket, I tell myself. One more and I'll go. I've been saying it for the past hour.

I don't think when the next patron comes out. His eyes are on the sky, and he doesn't notice me. It's too easy to reach out, too easy to hook a finger around the strings of his coin purse. I should know better by now that nothing here is easy, but the riot and Gisa's hollow eyes have made me foolish with grief.

His hand closes around my wrist, his grip firm and strangely hot as he pulls me forward out of the shadows. I try to resist, to slip away and run, but he's too strong. When he spins, the fire in his eyes puts a fear in me, the same fear I felt this morning. But I welcome any punishment he might summon. I deserve it all.

"Thief," he says, a strange surprise in his voice.

I blink at him, fighting the urge to laugh. I don't even have the strength to protest. "Obviously."

He stares at me, scrutinizing everything from my face to my worn boots. It makes me squirm. After a long moment, he heaves a breath and lets me go.

Stunned, I can only stare at him. When a silver coin spins through the air, I barely have the wits to catch it. A tetrarch. A silver tetrarch worth one whole crown. Far more than any of the stolen pennies in my pockets.

"That should be more than enough to tide you over," he says before I can respond. In the light of the inn, his eyes glint red-gold, the color of warmth.

My years spent sizing people up do not fail me, even now. His black hair is too glossy, his skin too pale to be anything but a servant. But his physique seems more like a woodcutter's, with broad shoulders and strong legs. He's young too, a little older than me, though not nearly as assured of himself as any nineteen or twenty-year-old should be.

I should kiss his boots for letting me go and giving me such a gift, but my curiosity gets the better of me. It always does.

"Why?" The word comes out hard and harsh. After a day like today, how can I be anything else?

The question takes him aback and he shrugs. "You need it more than I do."

I want to throw the coin back in his face, to tell him I can take care of myself, but part of me knows better. Has today taught you nothing? "Thank you," I force out through gritted teeth.

#poll #lit #literature #polls #tumblr poll #tumblr polls #book excerpt #fiction #poll time

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three-of-swords · 1 year ago

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Fall of Porcupine was a textbook example of why a climax =/= the ending of a story. Stories need a falling action.

All the bugs, glitches, and graphical errors aside, the characters and story did seem really interesting. The story was fantastic, with a very clear catalyst for something going wrong, tensions rising, and then disaster striking, but like...

Well, spoilers under the cut I guess?

You start as a junior doctor in an underfunded hospital. You work on patients, developing a rapport with some of them. One elderly patient, beloved by the town, passes away. The town, already fed up with the hospital’s failing, starts to protest. Then a terrible bacterial illness infects the majority of the town, culminating in the hospital becoming over-capacity. The main character and his companion try to fix up the top floor, which has been out of use for awhile, but a fire starts. You end up running around saving who you can, and then dawn comes, your coworkers look back at the destroyed hospital... And credits roll.

I get that it’s supposed to be a massive thank you to workers in healthcare who are overworked and underappreciated, often working in environments that don’t give them the resources they need. But... They could have still made a better story out of it.

We don’t get any answer for the infection, which I assumed had something to do with the fountain water. It’s implied that the hospital fell into disarray because of an embezzlement scam, and while one of the partners to this crime ultimately dies trying to make it right, the other gets away scot free.

I was hoping I’d get to spend more time with the characters. Goof off in the woods with Pina, get a new plant, maybe play a mini-game where Finley gets to help build a memorial statue for a patient he couldn’t save. Mia plays basketball and is in an improv troupe, but each of these hobbies is mentioned only once and there’s no arc to her character. Mr. Glendower sort of just disappears after the funeral, except the weird, goofy scene where the main characters steal his key.

There was so much story and so much potential left in this game, but it ended immediately after the climax. I can’t say the story was bittersweet or hopeful. The only message it had was pretty much, “To healthcare workers. We see you.” Which would be fine, except that the story could have. A moral? A happy ending? A suggestion of a solution? No. It ends with the hospital burning down, the main characters exhausted, many people dead to an illness that was neither explained nor explored, and all those prophetic dreams and deep mysteries and selfish scams unsolved.

So uh. Yeah. Do not recommend. 3/10. If you want a story about caring for the sick or deceased, play Spiritfarer. If you want a game with an art style similar to Fall of Porcupine’s, play Night in the Woods.

#julian plays #fall of porcupine #unfortunately

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cinnamonest · 2 years ago

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Imagine a girl in the male majority au who is just so tired of the way women are treated! Being a skilled fighter, she tries to rally up all the women to strike a rebellion! If only she knew how horribly wrong it would go…

Can I just say I love that I have so many asks about this AU? To be honest in the beginning I thought it might be a bit too… intense for most people lol but y’all really seem to like that one which makes me very happy >:3

-----------------

On one hand, the idea of a full-scale rebellion is sort of a fantasy, really. You can’t really lobby very effectively, most girls are confined to their homes and are monitored well enough that it would be impossible to round them up or anything. You could get some brothel workers, perhaps, but not in a very large number. You’d have to be one yourself to have the option of roaming around in the first place, because there is no way any guy is going to allow that, at least not knowingly, and if one were to be informed of his property doing something so embarrassing in public, it would probably be the last you’d ever see of her outside again.

You’d have to go for a lesser option, but still trying to rebel in some way, make a social change. You can kinda sorta do some very ineffective things. Get some petition signed or get a small group to protest.

At first though, it’s really cute. You’ll have to forgive the amused smirks and chuckles you get, how is anyone supposed to take this seriously?

Not that you demand too much. You try to make it reasonable enough that it might be heard out. Primarily legal changes – let them have some say in where and with whom they end up, allow for contact with family members, let them own money and property, better conditions for brothel workers, outlawing corporeal punishment and public punishment. People might listen if you make reasonable demands… or requests, as you tell the one girl you all could find who knows how to write to put down on paper. “Demands” would sound too, uh… demanding, and they might not respond very well. You’re more likely to be heard out if you don’t come across as too abrasive.

Imagine, though, that after enough pestering officials, enough getting people come with you to increase the degree of an annoyance you cause, you are given the opportunity to earn your way to autonomy.

See, the primary argument against girls having freedom and all that is their own safety. Who would protect you from all the other guys that would harm you, if not for the one that owns you? It’s presented as an act of benevolence, sacrifice and selflessness even (and a lot of girls buy into that, since it’s the way it’s always been presented to them).

Consequently, this is also the first thing brought up at the notion of even an individual girl being granted autonomous status. Being denied that, then, is a form of protecting you from your own foolish naivete. You’re irrational (predictably), thinking with your feelings, and would get yourself hurt if left to your own decisions, which is just further evidence to why you shouldn’t be allowed such a thing.

But after you keep pushing, you are given the opportunity, under a specific set of conditions to be met. If you can do it, you’re told, it’ll be made a policy to allow others to take this option as well.

You just have to beat a guy in a fight.

Prove that you are capable of fending for yourself, without a protector. A random member of your particular nation’s law enforcement will be selected at random and spar against you, and if you can injure him to the point of being unable to carry on, knock him out, or get him to yield… then you win.

You’ve trained yourself quite a bit, specifically for that purpose, knowing you would have to prove yourself one day. Especially with a vision – they can’t afford to confiscate them all and cause you to become hollowed husks or anything, so public property like you are allowed to hang onto them under extreme regulation and threat of immediate confiscation if used for anything other than mild conveniences in daily life or purposes that don’t really affect anyone or anything. You practicing hitting trash and trees as targets isn’t bothering anyone, so people don’t care enough to stop you.

And since you’ve trained so much, you’d be ecstatic and hopeful for the opportunity. All that training gives you an advantage, you think, so you agree to it. Enthusiastically. You just feel a slight pinch of dread at the amused expression on people’s faces, like there’s something you don’t know.

But you quickly find out, when your equipment is stripped from you.

You reach out for it, protest, but it’s taken anyway. No, no. That’s not realistic, is it? You might be attacked in the real world without any of that.

No elemental use allowed. No weapons allowed. It’s an unarmed fight, bare hands and raw strength only. But hey, it’s that way on both sides, so it’s fair, right? That’s what you wanted after all, to be seen as a legitimate opponent, to be treated like you’re the same.

…Hey, what’s with that expression? Why are you backing out now? What happened to being so sure of yourself a few seconds ago, what’s the problem?

Of course, the questions aren’t being asked sincerely. You can see the mediator’s smiling expression, the mocking tone of his voice, along with virtually everyone else. It’s just cute. You know, like a little kitten or puppy trying to act all big and tough – you can’t take it seriously, but you can’t be too mad either when it’s so dumb and adorable.

It’s a bitter feeling to swallow, but you know better than to think you would stand a chance under these terms even against an average dude, much less against a man that’s undergoing physical training on a daily basis. You can see the guy has some muscle mass. You don’t like the look on his face either, like a dog that’s cornered some poor little animal.

You shake your head and back away, but you’re grabbed by the arm and pulled back.

You already agreed to it, so you have to, you’re told. Although the reason is rather obvious to you – there’s people watching, including some of those you managed to get to come with you, even a few other passersby who stop at the commotion. You get to have the privilege of an example being made out of you. To discourage anyone else from doing so in the future, out of fear of ending up the same way.

Not that you’re going to get beat up or something, no, that would be too cruel, and kind of pathetic to beat down something so much weaker. It’s more like you get wrestled to the ground, which is kind of like fighting? And he keeps your face pressed against the ground while fucking you in front of all the onlookers.

Although, it’s determined you and your ideologies are a bit too dangerous and problematic to allow you to continue having contact with other girls. You’re a bad influence. Besides, the guy does deserve to keep you as a sort of reward for volunteering for it, so. At least you won’t have to work in brothels anymore.

#.mmau #.miso

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whileiamdying · 2 years ago

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Holy Spider: why this Iranian neo-noir is attracting so much controversy

FILM & TV FEATURE

Director Ali Abbasi talks about his new film, Holy Spider – an evocative exploration of misogyny in Iran, which follows the real-life story of early 00s serial killer Saeed Hanaei.

20 January 2023 Text: Nick Chen

Holy Spider seems to have captured a moment. The Persian-language serial-killer thriller, written and directed by Ali Abbasi, is an evocative exploration of misogyny in Iran, and its theatrical release has run in parallel with the country’s protests for women’s rights. However, on a Zoom call from LA in mid-January, the 42-year-old genre-hopper suggests it’s not that simple. “I don’t feel like my movie is a topical movie,” says Abbasi. “It’s not about the plight of Iranian women. It’s not about how bad the government is. It’s a cinematic experience I’m proud of, that I finetuned for many years, and is about something more universal that sometimes gets drowned in the political conversation.

“But I’m happy that every time my movie gets mentioned, the uprising in Iran comes up. It’s such a huge moment. If I can get people’s attention to it, that’s great.”

Though Holy Spider, which was shot in Jordan, resembles an Iran-set Se7en, its lurid, movie-ready plot draws from the real-life case of Saeed Hanaei, a war veteran who murdered 16 women in 2000 and 2001, landing himself the nickname of the “Spider Killer”. As documented by Abbasi’s script, Hanaei’s choice of victim – he sought out sex workers – meant that Mashad’s conservatives considered him to be a local hero.

The support for Hanaei (played with a chilling amiability by Mehdi Bajestani) is particularly sinister as the film’s first half depicts several of the killings from his POV, as well as the façade of a friendly father he presented on the side. So much so, at Cannes, a Guardian critic tweeted, “I hate that I was made to watch this hateful, reprehensible, atrocious motion picture… I am confident (hopeful?) it will never see the light of day in American theatres.” In actuality, the film was picked up by Neon in the US and MUBI in the UK; it’s also shortlisted as Denmark’s entry for Best International Feature at the Oscars.

Chuckling when I reference the tweet, Abbasi posits that film critics tend to underestimate general audiences, and that they themselves can be narrow-minded. “These people expect something from an Iranian movie,” the director says. “It’s the Nespresso principle. When you go to a festival, you have the cool movie from the US, the edgy movie from Korea, and then the movie about misery told in a metaphorical way that’s heavily censored from Iran. When my movie doesn’t behave like an Iranian movie, they think it’s flawed.”

He continues, “I’ve seen reactions change from Cannes, some from the people who felt the movie was getting pleasure out of women being tortured in close-ups. A few months later, they understood there was a context for it when the uprising in Iran started. Nowadays, I get requests from feminist magazines, and it’s seen as a feminist film.”

After all, the real protagonist of Holy Spider is Arezoo Rahimi, a journalist who tracks down the Spider Killer, even disguising herself as a sex worker to attract his attention. The role is played by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, a casting director for the film who ended up playing the lead when the original actor dropped out at the last moment. While Ebrahimi has prior screen experience – she was a former TV star in Iran who fled the country following the leak of a sex tape – there’s still noticeable grit to a performance that won her the Best Actress prize at Cannes.

‘There’s the DNA of the Islamic Republic in this. The suppression of women and sexuality isn’t a fluke; it’s very much part of the system, and what keeps them going. I think that’s the main reason they’re so angry with us. They look at our movie and see themselves in the mirror. And they don’t like it’

Abbasi himself has a history of bizarre, unconventional films that are oddly watchable despite how their premises read on paper. While Abbasi lived in Iran during the years Holy Spider took place, he went to film school in Denmark, which was where he shot the 2016 slow-burn horror Shelley. However, his breakthrough was 2018’s Border, a Swedish, transgressive, gender-bending romance that toys with prosthetics, trauma, and the endless possibilities of the human body.

Tellingly, Holy Spider thanks two genre titans, Bong Joon-ho and David Lynch, in its end credits. The former, a friend of Abbasi’s, offered feedback on drafts and early cuts; the latter, more of an acquaintance, is a lifelong inspiration. I ask Abbasi to what extent he wanted Holy Spider to be as entertaining as, say, Parasite, when it’s also dealing with real tragedies.

“I don’t do a product,” says Abbasi. “When you do a studio movie, it’s like ice cream. An idea goes through a process of development. Prototypes are tested and tweaked. But my way of working is more intuitive. Do I want it to be entertaining? Yes and no. Because the subject matter is so heavy, it’s important there’s a force against its inertia. I want to give people motivation to wait for the next minute. Some people will find the decisions tasteless, and others vice-versa. It’s something I’m really aware of.”

The Lynch influence is more apparent in the neo-noir lighting of Mashad’s night-time sequences, including a blowjob scene that required a producer to smuggle a prosthetic penis into Jordan. Shortly after the Cannes premiere, Iran’s culture minister Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili warned, “If persons from inside Iran are involved with the film Holy Spider, they will surely receive punishment from the Cinema Organisation of Iran.”

“Iran has always been seen as a conservative country,” says Abbasi. “But it’s a country where everything is almost hypersexualised. You’re acutely aware – at least in the heterosexual context – that when you go on a bus, you go to the men’s part or women’s part. You shouldn’t touch women in this way or that way. I worked with women for years without shaking their hand.

“But what makes it very charged is that there’s a whole system that wants to intrude on people’s lives. They want to literally control how and who and where you fuck. At the same time, there are a lot of contradictions. Sex outside of marriage is banned and frowned upon, as is prostitution. On the other hand, you have temporary marriage, which is basically state prostitution that happens in religious offices.”

He continues, “There’s the DNA of the Islamic Republic in this. The suppression of women and sexuality isn’t a fluke; it’s very much part of the system, and what keeps them going. I think that’s the main reason they’re so angry with us. They look at our movie, specifically Saeed’s character, and see themselves in the mirror. And they don’t like it.”

Also during the pandemic, Abbasi was a director on HBO’s adaptation of the videogame The Last of Us. Kantemir Balagov, the intended helmer of the pilot, left due to creative differences, and Abbasi commented to IndieWire in May 2022 that “the Hollywood system is a little bit like working in Iran for me. I can’t do it.”

When asked about those remarks now, Abbasi says, “I just saw the first episode, and I think it’s turned out great. I’m happy and proud of working on it. It’s not like I’m negative about it. Coming from Europe, [Hollywood] has strange rules and regulations, and that’s not a secret. There’s a lack of transparency, and everyone’s afraid of tackling controversial subjects. Those things remind me of Iran, absolutely.

“But Iranian cinema is a propaganda machine for a criminal, ruthless, brutal regime. I don’t think that’s where Hollywood is, really.”

Holy Spider is out in UK cinemas on January 20

Join Dazed Club and be part of our world! You get exclusive access to events, parties, festivals and our editors, as well as a free subscription to Dazed for a year. Join for £5/month today.

#Holy Spider #Iran #Cinema #Saeed Hanaei #Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili #Arezoo Rahimi #Dazed Magazine

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darthkieduss · 8 months ago

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Try

Revolution doesn't just happen overnight. It can happen spontaneously, yes, but it builds and builds and builds until it can no longer be contained. The need for freedom, liberty and justice will become a force so massive that the government in Washington DC will not be able to ignore or write off as "tiktok kid activism". It is up to every single one of us to contribute to the revolution.

Oppression is not natural. Freedom is the nature of all life forms, not just us humans. While some animals such as the dog or cat can definitely survive better in a house under control of a human, I've never seen a dog more happy then when you let them outside. To control people, whether it be because of some dumb book written 2,000 years ago (by man not God) or because of some obsession with maintaining "order" is an act of narcissism. To think that one has a right to control what living breathing beings can do with their lives is a blatant act of claiming that they are gods over humanity.

Remember this: It is not natural to be controlled. If you are spiritual or super religious, God (or gods) gave us free will for a reason. If you are an atheist, then free will comes from nature. Governments try to control people because they are afraid. President Thomas Jefferson himself coined the phrase: When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The government tries to control people because like most men, they fear losing their power and wealth. They seek to control to preserve their power. That's why the government will commit atrocities like opening fire on striking workers like the Kent State shootings against students protesting the Vietnam War or the 1927 Columbine Mine massacre against coal miners simply striking for better wages and benefits. It is inhumane to control people. Sure, government has to exist. I'm not an anarchist, but the amount of control the US government has exhibited since 1981 is unconstitutional and must be opposed.

Reform is not the answer. Reform is just a bandage on a wound that needs stitches. Change is needed but change through reform is like a drug addict thinking he's kicking drugs by simply only doing drugs once a week. True Revolution happens when the opium is completely thrown out and destroyed. In order for true change to happen, it must come through sudden revolution. We must uphaul the system and like a phoenix, rebirth this country from its ashes.

It does sometime seem like it's impossible. "What can I do? I'm just one person and the US government has the military." Remember this, we outnumber them. The US military has 1,328,000+ active servicemen, with 800,000+ reserve while the US population is 334,914,895 (2023 concenus). Ordinary peasants took down the Czar's Armies and ruled Russia for 74 years. In many revolutions, those were in the military sided with the people, such as the French and Russian Revolutions. Hell, a vast number of those who swore an allegiance to King George III took off their redcoats and pledged their lives to the cause of the American Revolution. When enough soldiers see what is happening, they will dissent and swell our ranks. The British Empire was the most powerful military in the world at that time and we won, though we would've lost without France's assistance so don't get arrogant.

I know revolution seems impossible especially with all the propaganda that Fox News, CNN, MSNBC etc pop out everyday. Remember the Soviets and the Nazis shoved propaganda throughout their empires and both fell, people in both nations rose up against the far-left communism and far-right fascism. The British government often used propaganda, including religious propaganda, to ensure that their American subjects should be loyal to the King and yet we've been an indepenet country since 1783. The Russian government under Putin commands obedience and tells its people tremendous lies about its illegal war in Ukraine and yet millions of Russian people protest him. The Israelis claim that anyone who opposes Israel or its actions (genocide) against Palestinians in Gaza is Anti-Semitic and yet people all around the world, including here in the US, protest Israel.

It's also quite possible that multiple revolutions must happen in order for the big one to come about. The Soviet Union didn't come about because of one revolution in 1917 but of two. The people rose up against the Czar in February of 1917 only for sadly the extremist Bolsheviks to conquer Russia in the October Revolution of 1917. Our own American Revolution took over 10 years to ignite, starting with the British Parliament passing the Stamp Act in 1765 to the firing of shots at Lexington and Concord in 1775. The American Revolution occurred across thirteen colonies. So really, the American Revolution was about multiple revolutions exploding throughout the Colonies that united to form the United States of America.

This is not a shot at conservatism or leftism. Both the Democrat and Republican Parties have taken rights from Americans, from the Republicans passing the Patriot Act (essentially gutting the Bill of Rights) after 9/11 and Democrats not allowing that proto-fascist act to expire (it's set to expire every five years but the government under both parties keep delaying the expiration). This is an outline on how revolution must happen. Both parties have allowed the wealthy elite to plunder this nation and steal from the working class to ensure they have all the money and power (one is definitely more guilty than the other but I digress) .

Remember this: Revolutions happen because the people demand it. When enough people have tried method after method of chaning the system peacefully, what other alternative do they have left other than Revolution? Every protest, whether it's on the left or right, puts out in front of the people the failures of the government. Millions of women are to this day protesting that the supreme court has stripped them of their constitutional right to bodily autonomy. Millions of people around the world are in the streets protesting the genocidal act of Putin's Russia and Netenyahu's Israel.

Maybe it is hopeless. Maybe I'm just wasting time on this post. Most likely no one will see it. But I have to try. I would rather die on my feet then live on my knees. If I could do this fight against tyranny all over again, the only thing I'd change is the year it happened. Never give up. Even if you don't live to see the results. Even if you fail. Even if the government comes to your house to take you away. Your example will inspire others to rise up. We have to try. Change doesn't happen because we bowed our heads and went along to get along. And sometimes you have to out yourself. Sometimes you have to call out your alcoholic racist uncle at Thanksgiving. Even if your family turns against you.

Remember this: revolutions don't happen because of one person. George Washington didn't defeat the British at Yorktown all himself. It took the courage, bravery and sacrifice of thousands of brave American men and women. Even children, as proven by then 13 year old Andrew Jackson. Napoleon didn't start the French revolution. Vladimir Lenin didn't start the Russian Revolution. It's up to all of us. To lead by example.

We will sacrifice, we will struggle but ultimately we will triumph.

Let me end this with the manifesto of Karis Nemik, a character from the Andor series (a really good Star Wars series despite my preference for Star Wars Legends). Consider these words and take them to heart:

There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.

Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause.

Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege.

Remember this: Try.

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lucianinsanity · 11 months ago

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They are trying to make protesting illegal

Protesting is a right protected by the constitution, this is literally against the fucking law

And changing so many things in the way they are trying to IS ALSO AGAINST THE LAWS, wtf are they fucking doing? This is bullshit

They are trying to sell out resources to rich people from other countries, they are making new taxes, they are making taxes higher for the workers, the prices are duplicating in less than a month, providers can just make the price higher because free market or whatever, our right are being targeted

AND THEY WANT US TO NOT GO YELL IN THE STREETS? These are working people, these are retired people, these are students and parents and disabled people, those are the people they are trying to harm, those are the people who will suffer

The president Javier Milei just wants to get more money and will sell his ass to richer pieces of shit to get it

This is not benefiting the people, this is benefiting THE SAME RICH PEOPLE WHO WANT OUR RESOURCES AND OUR LAND

WE TOLD YOU THIS, WE SCREAMED THIS, WE EXPLAINED IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN

And we were told we were fools and now we'll lose so much again, and it will take so much to get everything back, we were about to start talking to get our Malvinas back, and now maybe we will never have them, I really thought I could see them become part of Argentina again, maybe later, but I wanted to be young

The president said Elon Musk wants a part of our resources, because why wouldn't he? And this is supposed to make us happy? We know who will benefit from that, even people who believe in the right can see that

Because here the far right is not patriotic, here it has a colony mentalist, here it sees our independence as a mistake, here it wants to sell to richer countries what we have to get a little bit more money, here the far right is a bunch of boot lickers who despise the country they are trying to lead

So yeah, people are going to get hurt

#an is venting #I hate it here right now #my digestive system is not taking this well

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cookiescr · 2 years ago

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Meh, it’s just the US which acts stupid (compared to deafault worker protecting laws in the western societies). We can’t get fired that easily anyways but many ppl just think it’s all good enough and we could have it worse, which just is the wrong mindset imo

Because of the new string ppl are getting rlly racist towards China again, I can’t listen to those covid „discussions“ anymore. And since I was forced to be in China for months during summer, I’d rather die than being locked up the Chinese way ever again. Mental health says hello

Man I once created the whole Kardashian clan and made them fight to death in a pit. Kourtney won HAHHAHA

Shouldn’t it be like high summer down there by now?

A colleague just came back from a month visit in curaçao and he told me it rlly is unusually cold, like 5°C colder than usual.

I think most ppl who are hyped about Xmas and everything are those who have a good family and friends time planned and are genuinely happy. So I wouldn’t say it’s a side effect of growing up and losing the spirit.

Imma try on Jan. 7th again with Xmas, because then I can go on the mountainside and see pretty trees and lots of snow. Best orthodox lifestyle, you always get to celebrate twice

Ohh dang ok now i realize where i heard the stories about people getting threats from the company if they wanna start a union are from yikes. Has someone like stepped up to try and make one or they just are still like “nah could be worse”

Dang sucks :/ idk much about how the lockdown still is on china tbh just some bits and pieces of hearing about people protesting because of how extreme some lockdown stuff is

Jsksjsks Out of boredom I am making atziri start beef with neighbors

Nah it’s like fake winter since we don’t have 4 seasons. Climate change maybe jdkdjjs

True and i think the pandemic might be like affecting everyone’s shit as well so it’s less cheery but more cheery than the last 2 years at least.

Yo hell ye no rule that u can’t celebrate christmas on january 7th

#one day i would like to dive into snow or at least throw a snowball #or make snow angel #or sled #also goddamn the cold took me out it’s great nap environment #thanks for the ask #anon #osa

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newrww · 5 days ago

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The Sociological Cinema

People who buy from Amazon aren’t the ones who are trying to sabotage workers’ attempts at unionizing or spying on and firing employees involved in “labor organizing activities at warehouses”.

Wages remaining largely stagnant since the 70s while rent & mortgage rates continue to rise, forcing people to try and scrimp and save in any way they can, including by buying from Walmart or Amazon doesn’t mean consumers are at fault.

[…]

I came across an amazingly disturbing number today. Some numbers are more than numbers — they tell stories, that cut across time, and hold the destinies of nations in their hands. This is one of them. This one, in particular, explains how America became a failed state.

This particular number is easy to understand. It goes like this. America’s billionaires now hold so much wealth that it’s now more than 20% of GDP. Let me put that to you more formally, and then I’ll tell you the story of why this number matters so much: America has about 700 billionaires, and collectively, they control about $5 trillion.

Those are just numbers, though. The story they tell is what matters — and it’s a grim, bizarre one of how a nation, even one as rich and powerful as America, can fall into poverty and ruin, and become a failed state.

Why does crossing the line of 20% of GDP matter so much? Well, 20% of GDP is also how much America puts toward public investment. It’s roughly the amount Americans invest in things like healthcare, retirement, schools, education, childcare — all of it.

Billionaires Made America a Poor Country

thing i responded to:

[...]My point still stands. If you get rid of Amazon millions would be out of work unable to feed their families. People who can’t get out and function in stores would also be screwed. Which nobody who’s pro “eat the rich” likes to mention. You’re happy enough to talk about the negative effects of billionaires, but nobody likes to say Amazon is actually a good thing for consumers. So is Uber, so is McDonald so is many other things owned by billionaires. If you care, buy from small businesses, stop buying from chain stores and vote for laws that will make it difficult for billionaires to avoid taxes. Getting rid of the billionaire does nothing, another person will just take their place.

My point still stands. If you get rid of Amazon millions would be out of work unable to feed their families.

The Amazon That Customers Don’t See

“One of the things that’s really fun about working at McDonald’s is to get really fast at all of this stuff,” recounted none other than Jeff Bezos, who spent time in his younger days at the fast food giant. “[I would] see how many eggs you can crack in a period of time and still not get any shell in them.” It proved a fitting start for the career of the future billionaire, as the embrace of wage-slave-misery-as-optimized-skill-building has since become a signature of his business strategy. More than seven-hundred-fifty-thousand people work for Amazon, the vast majority in jobs similarly repetitive to Bezos’s first one, picking and packing orders in fulfillment centers for dispatch to customers. McDonald’s used to be the iconic workplace of last resort, but Amazon fulfillment centers now compete for the title. One Amazon worker was less circumspect about the realities of working such a job, describing his designated fulfillment center as an “existential shithole,” according to Emily Guendelsberger.

We Keep You Alive | Lizzie O’Shea

I strongly rec this book, too:

Bullshit Jobs

refs:

Amazon staff to stage protest against “robot” working conditions on Black Friday

From Whole Foods to Amazon, Invasive Technology Controlling Workers Is More Dystopian Than You Think

I’m From Seattle. Here’s What Amazon Will Do To New York City.

Secret Amazon Reports Expose the Company’s Surveillance of Labor and Environmental Groups

Amazon is hiring a pair of intelligence analysts that will, among other things, collect info about “labor organizing threats against the company” and file “restraining orders against activist groups.” https://amazon.jobs/en/jobs/102606

Former NSA chief Keith Alexander has joined Amazon’s board of directors

‘We Are Watched to Prevent Mass Resistance’: Amazon Workers Discuss Being Spied On

On Tuesday, Motherboard published internal documents, reports, and an online tool confirming their suspicions. The files show that for years Amazon has meticulously tracked Amazon Flex drivers in dozens of closed Facebook groups across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Amazon corporate employees receive regular reports detailing the posts of its gig workers on Facebook, according to the files left online and viewed by Motherboard. Among other concerns, the tool monitors “planning for any strike or protest against Amazon.”

If we fight to end exploitation, billionaires won’t exist because they cannot if shit is just. Bezos made his money via exploitation.

#amazon #jeff bezos #anti capitalism #late stage capitalism

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cobi-4056 · 6 days ago

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PROJECT #4: DOCUMENTARY

From the moment I realized that our documentary project was due right after the 5th trans rally, I knew what I wanted to do. As its name says, this is the fifth time the rally has happened – I’ve only been to three, but I have a friend that’s been to them since the start. Every year he tells me that he’s happy to see how much our community has grown, and for this past three years I’ve been trying to get more people to come, too.

I was already familiar with the space I would enter, sometimes I think I’m even a little infatuated with it, so I thought I understood the dynamics. I think if I hadn’t been so familiar with this environment already, I would’ve been overwhelmed, but my role as a photographer (albeit a baby photographer who can barely crawl by himself) was made easier by the previous knowledge I had of my community. I knew the leaders, the safety brigades, our motto… what I didn’t realize was how much different being a photographer at the rally is than being one of the people at the rally. At first, I was very lost – my muscle memory told me to follow the group at the same speed, and I couldn’t understand why the pictures were not coming out the way I expected. We’d walked a couple of blocks before I thought to look around to see what other photographers did.

Once I started noticing them, I quickly began to understand that if I wanted to take the pictures I had in mind, I couldn’t also be a part of the people marching. Instead, I had to adjust to a new way of moving: run up to the front of the mass of people, take as many pictures as I could until the last few people crossed me, run up to the front again, and so on. I never thought the photographers at rallies did very much physical work – in fact, I always had this idea that they just stood there and documented, but it’s much more involved than what I assumed. By 3/4ths of the rally, I’d run out of memory, so I had some time to breathe and drink water. I joined my friends again and began tying my ideas together.

I mentioned before that I’m infatuated with this community, and I meant that. I know a lot of the people involved in it, either by name or by face or by Instagram posts, so I thought that my favorite approach to this project would be selecting a few iconic people/groups and centering them in a scene. I gravitated towards certain people during the rally, so I had a lot of pictures to choose from (I took at least 600 pictures, filtered 295 of them that weren’t blurry, then chose 15 from a callout sheet) and I ended up choosing these people:

The Maricas revoltosxs, who set the rhythm and the energy for the rally;

The Pachaqueers, who showed up at the rally in a police motorcycle and made everyone gasp at their arrival;

Nueva Coccinelle, the women who made it possible to live as any flavor of queer in Ecuador;

The Association of Trans Sex Workers in Quito, who face the most precarity out of all of us;

An indigenous group, who I think only joined us this year – they spent the whole rally dancing with their skirts and set up a performance in one of our stops.

The pictures I picked for this project aim to capture the many ways trans people can look, not only appearance-wise, but also in terms of emotion. Every one of us protests for something, and it’s up to us to decide which of our emotions we should embrace.

!!! RISK ASSESSMENT

project idea; A portrayal of the trans community in Quito, specifically in the space of our fifth rally.

possible risks; Protests can always turn violent. It's also important to note that, to the wider world, trans people are bizarre, so we're an excellent target for hate. In less violent terms, this is a prolonged walk under Quito's sun. The radiation and my hydration are concerns that should be taken into account.

safety measures; There are easily identifiable people who are trained to assist you in case you're faced with any violence, either from the police or from a transphobe on their street. I made sure to always know where they were during the rally. For the weather, I almost bathed in sunscreen, I brought a cap and my trusty bottle of water.

Since we live in Latin America, I assumed my camera would get stolen if I wasn't careful, so I always had one hand on it and I called an Uber instead of taking the bus.

---

Here are some extra pictures, with color, as a treat.

Spotted some of the signs my friends and I made!

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beardedmrbean · 4 months ago

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In Dhaka, students are on the streets directing traffic and keeping things running as police stage a strike following the popular uprising that toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The police, normally highly visible, are nowhere to be seen on the usually loud and congested streets of the Bangladeshi capital.

It seems that only students and some paramilitary forces are trying to maintain law and order, after weeks of unrest in which hundreds have been killed. An interim government is promised, but has yet to take office.

Police now fear for their safety after the deadly crackdown that caused so much anger. It failed to quell anti-government protests that had begun over civil service job quotas last month.

Things are calmer two days after Ms Hasina escaped to India, but there are continuing reports of sporadic looting and violence during the power vacuum.

Many Bangladeshis, particularly the young, hope the country is at a turning point.

“I want freedom of expression. I want a corruption-free country. I want people to have the right to protest,” Noorjahan Mily, 21, an Open University student, told the BBC.

“I am uncertain about where the country is heading, because the government has changed. But whether the discrimination will remain or not, I will only be happy when their demands are met.”

The country is now trying to come to terms with the shock of what has just happened, now that power has been prised from the hands of the country's long-time ruler.

More than 400 people were killed in the recent unrest, most of them civilians shot by security forces, but also a number of police. It’s the bloodiest episode since the war that brought the country independence in 1971.

At the airport, a worker handed me my bags, telling me the situation is very bad and the government used too much force.

“Many kids – as young as six, seven and eight – were killed,” he said.

Outside the airport, students wearing orange hi-vis vests were directing traffic.

“There’s no police here, only students,” the driver said. “There is no government, students are doing 100% security.”

He agreed with the students, saying they had done a good thing.

As we drove on, a group of students were putting out plastic cones to control the flow of vehicles.

“I’m here to protect my brothers and help with the traffic. From the very beginning, I participated in the quota movement that turned into a massive movement,” Julkernayeem Rahat, a business administration student at University of Asia Pacific, told the BBC.

“We are happy we’ve removed the autocratic government. We have gained our freedom and our sovereignty.”

He was confident that the man named as interim leader, Nobel Laureate Muhammed Yunus, will be able to form a government after a few months "with the help of students, lawyers, general people”.

“Bangladesh’s future is in the hands of the student leaders. God willing, things will be good,” said the 22-year-old.

Mahamudul Hassan, 21, is studying on the same course.

“I want democracy so that people of all walks of life can enjoy equal opportunities, equal rights.” He’s hoping for “a leader who can make those things happen”.

Mr Yunus was appointed to the post late on Tuesday by Bangladesh's president, meeting a key demand of student protesters, who said they would not accept an army-led government. He is now heading back from having surgery in France and could be sworn in on Thursday.

"I'm looking forward to going back home and see what's happening and how we can organise ourselves to get out of the trouble we're in," he told reporters on Wednesday at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, where he was due to fly to Dhaka.

Following reports of looting and revenge attacks on supporters of Sheikh Hasina, he has urged people to refrain from all kinds of violence, warning that if they did not, they risked everything being destroyed.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, the army chief said he was certain Mr Yunus "will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process and that we will benefit from this".

How things turn out is still to be determined – but as far as traffic management goes, the students seem to be doing a good job.

The BBC found it flowing much better than when we visited in January for controversial elections, boycotted by the main opposition, that handed Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League a fourth term in power.

It almost seemed like business as usual when we saw a group of men pulling large metal rods for a construction project.

“The traffic system is better now. The students are managing well. It’s better than when the police were here,” said Mohammed Shwapan, who has been a Dhaka driver for 24 years. “Today is busier than yesterday.”

He supports the choice of interim leader.

“As Mr Yunus is well known internationally, he can mitigate any potential economic collapse.

“I am worried about the international debt, how will Bangladesh be able to manage payments. That's why I think he can do a good job.”

The challenges ahead are enormous, and not just economic. There are many wounds to heal after Sheikh Hasina’s 15 years in power ended on Monday.

Her government is credited with economic reforms that have improved the standard of living for many in Bangladesh. But she was also accused of serious human rights abuses, including numerous extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances.

Many people have stories to tell of what their families went through.

On the plane to Dhaka, I managed to close my eyes for a few minutes. When I opened them, I found a handwritten note on an airsick bag in the back pocket of the seat in front.

On it, someone had written that his father was killed by Sheikh Hasina and his brother abducted. He had been in self-imposed exile for the last eight years for the safety of his wife and children.

Now he is coming back to what he calls “a free country”, to visit his father’s grave, the note said.

#nunyas news

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