#I JUST WANTED TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING ABOUT THE INAUGURATION

[beatcroc]

ENA Thoughts: an alternate reading of “job”

The ena series loves nothing if not to obfuscate its writing with ambiguous and/or obtuse terminology; i think in dream bbq the clearest example of this is with the term “boss”- using it to play in the space between  “person who is in charge of subordinates” and “videogame bad guy you need to kill”.

“Job’’, of course, is another one that comes up a lot; most frequently it's still in a literal and direct way as in “tasks to be done”- such as coral’s finding someone to inaugurate the horse door genie- and there a plenty of similar uses where it just means a general sort of "employment", but i think hoarder alex’s use of it here gives some really interesting insights on the other sorts of things it can imply

By any real-world convention, being a hoarder is certainly not a “job”. had he wanted to seem like he was doing something productive and worthwhile, he might have called himself a "collector" or something of that nature. my first read of this line was something like it being a cheeky nod in the vein of how many videogames treat things like “thief” as a “career” you can invest your character into,  but after sitting on it a bit, i think it can be applied in a broader abstract sense of "assigned role in this universe". The Job Of Being A Hoarder, Or Specifically Hoarder Alex, as it were. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily the "correct" read to take, i just think it creates some very very interesting narrative angles if you look at each usage of the term and swap out the meanings to see how it affects the surrounding context.

"Job" as ‘a narrative role to play’ is most notable i feel in that it’s like completely irrelevant whatever ena’s “job” or “work” actually is, and is more that her being "employed" is just a simple fact of her character.

Which is why this line from taski is also very interesting

Like most things in this series, there’s several ways to read her surprise here, though most of them I would think stem from enas not being, er, particularly well-regarded. On one hand i can see it as something like being scandalized; a "what do you MEAN they hired an ena???” or “how did YOU, as an ENA, land a job???”, but using the alt definition of job i described it’s more of a “what do you MEAN you have an actual narrative role here???”

which like. again, given how much people seem to dislike enas in general [and most especially THIS ena it seems??],it makes sense that they’d think it a bit uncouth for one to have actual significance & enact change in the world [i mean, compared to s1 ena at least who’s definitely chronically unemployed in every sense i’m talking about here].

it’s just interesting, trying to figure out which is more of an outlier between them. the taski line certainly implies to me it’s worker; as if enas are not usually supposed to be Important, as if they’re not usually supposed to be able to Affect things the way worker ena clearly is...

It also. has very. very interesting implications for when ena says she hates her job. both as the protagonist and in terms of her actual “employment”, she hates the work she has to do, understandably, i mean we see how thoroughly she went the fuck through it just in chapter 1.  But i think it’s also 1000% applicable to how much she hates herself, because, yknow,

That’s her role. that's just who and what she is. There isn’t actually any difference between her job as employment and her job as her role to play because being a ‘worker’ IS her designation. there a good handful of other [admittedly mostly-as-of-yet-unused] lines [they're in a file dump of the game's text so we're just gonna have to #trust] where she readily asserts that her "job" isn't actually about "employment" and is more generally just how things are and/or have to be for her

**note: i think we'll probably be seeing these interactions for real once chapter 2 rolls around; given how the dialogue is organized they seem to pretty clearly be just "interactions for the hub npc's once you get back there after chapter 1"; these here are for suspicious man, froggy, and kane respectively.

there's also this guy who's especially troubling in hindsight

like. it almost feels like a recursive thing.  ena’s role in the narrative is to… have a role in the narrative. her "job" is being the protagonist. the job necessitates she has to do a bunch of work bc she's completely at the whims of whatever the narrative--the job, the boss, anyone else- needs her to do, and the actions taken under the guise of her “employment” are directly intertwined with the events that drive the story. she is, in some senses, almost synonymous with her job and the work she has to do; and she is, much to her own dismay, not really anything else outside of that

** i'm pretty sure this bit is for a scrapped purge npc that they briefly mention in the backer dlc; there's a vague implication they may bring back the npc but i don't know how this specific interaction/dialogue would work in any other context so. very unclear if these will ever get used for real

anyway. obviously this is all a more abstracted reading on things, but i do think it's interesting how it winds up in basically the same place as dbbq's more straightforward themes and commentary about depersonalization and loss of the sense of self/degradation of the mind and body and as a result of too much impersonal labor. and of course i do think it's worth chasing abstraction a little given what the ena series is like on the whole :p

it's funny she uses "doomed" there specifically because it is.... truly kind of the keyword of all time for ena's character i think. ironically i wouldn't even say she's the classic "doomed by the narrative" though; it's quite the opposite in my view: the narrative is doomed because of her. like. i have possibly never seen a character more quantum fucking Doomed than worker ena. she is doomed by a past that will no doubt catch up with her, she is doomed at every moment in the present by the fundamental laws of how she exists in the world, and she is doomed for the future bc as far as we've seen there kind of just isn't anything else out there for her. there is just no story that can be told About or With this character, or that hinges on her influence, that can go well i think. joel & the team are crazy so i wouldn't be surprised if they somehow Can swing a cohesive ending where things turn out ok, but looking at things as they are now….man. i dont know. i just dont know. but i am so so so fascinated to see it through any way it may go.

[kaiidos]

I'm so sick of finding pornographic content in the trans tags. I understand that most of them are porn bots, but I wish the ones that aren't would just tag their stuff properly.

I just want to be able to comfortably scroll through memes and comfort content in these tags without getting immediately flashbanged :/

[halbarryislife]

I just graduated college and took my capstone on propaganda. Not the just the history of it but also its evolution, how it works, and what makes the best propaganda.

With the ‘unbanning’ of tiktok and the inauguration being within a day of each other a lot of propaganda has been thrown at us. I want to share what is called “the ten rules of hate” from Matt Taibbi’s book “Hate: Inc: why today’s media makes us despise one another”, which was published in 2019.

To give some context for the ten rules, Taibbi says in this chapter (chapter two) regarding the news cycle, "after generations of doing the opposite, when unity and conformity were more profitable, now the primary product the news media sells is division."

But before I state the rules I just want to remind everyone PROPAGANDA OCCURS ON BOTH SIDES. Neither side is better than one another when it comes to propaganda, it is a necessity. I say this as a democrat who believes the next four years are going to be hell. Just today I saw propaganda from both sides, ironically fitting into these ten points.

THE TEN RULES OF HATE:

There are only two sides

The two sides are in permanent conflict

Hate people, not institutions

Everything is somebody else's fault

Nothing is everyone's faults

Root, don't think

No switching teams

The other side is literally Hitler

In the fight against Hitler, everything is permitted

Feel superior

What most people get wrong about propaganda is that its intention is not change your thought process immediately, no. The purpose of propaganda is to nudge you in a certain direction. Whether that be you seeing that trump unbanned tiktok and for a split moment you think 'maybe he isn't so bad' or seeing an instagram post from Path2Progress saying 'it's a dark day in America' and you get a tinge of fear.

I am making this post because I want you to be able to look at the media you are soaking up and be able to notice that people are trying to manipulate you. Of course, there are other points to propaganda that I did not get in here as I could write several papers on this subject, which I have.

And before anyone says in the comments, "but Trump is literally Hitler", I'm just going to point out that this cycle of calling people Hitler started long before Trump's presidency in 2016. Glenn Beck, who's a conservative commentator really began the "Your neighbor is literally Hitler" movement. In Taibbi's book he writes, "Beck was awesome at this. Al Gore was Hitler. Obama was constantly Hitler." I know must Democrats would not consider these men to be Hitler, but I use this example to demonstrate its use in years past on the other party.

I am going to leave you with a quote from one of the first books written about modern propaganda. It's called "Propaganda Techniques in the World War" and was written by Harold Laswell, then published in 1927.

“But by far the most potent role of propaganda is to mobilize the animosity of the community against the enemy, to maintain friendly relations with neutrals and allies, to arouse the neutrals against the enemy, and to break up the solid wall of the enemy.”

[skyahri]

This is my current prompt list. Some are more developed than others and there's a few things I'm working on that aren't on here because, well, I just don't wanna share them lol. Feel free to use these as you will but please tag me! I appreciate the credit and I genuinely just wanna see what yall do with these.

MHA

Class 1A thinks Aizawa is lonely, so they steal his phone and download a dating app. Little do they know he's been married for almost a decade.

You and Bakugou reveal you're having a baby! You decide to surprise your friends before making it public, but it's turns out they didn't know you were even dating.

You'll be assisting Midnight and Thirteen in overseeing the female students at the UA Dorms. Upon meeting, Aizawa immediately dismisses you due to your less-than-professional style choices. Little does he know that your big smiles, frilly skirts, and cutesy heels are a stark contrast to your firm and assertive mindset.

Aizawa is picking Eri up from school when he runs into you- a classmates parent wanting to invite Eri to your daughter's birthday slumber party. For obvious reasons, Aizawa has reservations, but you offer to host them before hand to ease his worries. The whole thing seems terribly bothersome, but the pleading look in Eris eyes forces him to agree. Turns out, you're not so bad after all.

FTM Bakugou who is accidently outed by Inko Midoriya courtesy of baby pictures. Deku saves him in that moment, but he knows it's time to actually tell his friends. He starts with Kirishima.

(NSFW) You have a hybrid quirk and go through an estrus every six weeks after hitting sexual maturity. Still busy with your life as a third year UA student and unable to outsource your issue beyond the school walls, you look to someone just as pent up as you are. Luckily, Katsuki is more than willing to take the bait after you threaten to ask Deku of all people.

Pro hero Dynamite was spotted in public with a woman- wait, is that a wedding ring?! He'd done his best to keep you secret, not wanting you to experience the negativity associated with being romantically involved with someone famous. When fans find out, he prepares for the worst, but- wait... it seems they... love you? Possibly more than him, too!

(NSFW) After convincing Yagi to take over Aizawa's dorm duty tonight, you both make your way to a frat party being thrown at your college. He's definitely out if his element, but when his pretty little girlfriend begs him to dress up as Ghost Face and come along, he can't say no can he? Especially not when youre dragging him into the crowded kitchen for a drink and sit on the countertop, your short skirt riding up just a bit and- well, hes still a man at the end of the day. Too bad it's ruined by a handful of problem children who snuck out to be here. (All students are of age and in their third year. They just wanted to party lol)

Yamada finds a box of old pictures in Aizawas closet. When he comes across some from their teenage years, Aizawa remembers how happy you used to be before everything changed. When did you stop being... you?

(NSFW) A run of the mill mission goes sideways when the Villains have an unexpected player on their side. In an effort to protect your students from whatever mystery powder that's been thrown your way, you take the full force of what seems to be... sex pollen? You're able to save face for the remainder of the mission, but your composure is slipping quickly. Luckily, one of your coworkers is more than willing to help you deal with the... side effects.

Naruto

It's Kakashi's inauguration and Team seven is stoked! But wait, who's that woman standing next to their sensei at the podium?!

The village elders have been bothering Sasuke about reviving the Uchiha clan, going so far as offering to find a suitable candidate on his behalf. He initially declines, but as time goes on and he has yet to find a decent woman, he begrudgingly accepts.

Kakashi tasks his genin with watching over a civilian woman while he's away on a mission. Its simple enough, right? When he returns to the village and finds out they completely fumbled the mission, he's pissed. I mean how hard is it to keep his pregnant wife safe for three days?!

Kakashi has always seen his students as young, but has never thought of himself as old. Well, not until he's picking his kid up from school, where he runs into his former students, who are also picking their kids up. It doesn't help that Naruto and Sakura encourage their kids to call Kakashi 'Grandpa'.

Sasukes only friend is Naruto. That was fine when they were kids and practically only had each other, but now the blonde was a somebody, and that meant his time would have to be divided. Luckily you're around pester him in all the right ways.

(NSFW) Kakashi learns he has a size kink.

Tenzo is leading team seven back to the village, but he needs to make a stop first. It's a quick errand, one that will surely aid Narutos training, but might be a little difficult. They arrive at a house in the middle of the woods where you're already waiting for them. You look a little familiar, though. Almost like Pervy sage! (Jiraiya/Tsunade secret love child au lol)

Shikamaru is an attractive guy. He's handsome, smart, and cares deeply for his loved ones. Aside from how lazy he can be, there's nothing wrong with him. So why is it when he's seen around with you- the prettiest girl in the village- no one thinks anything of it?

Kakashi is wandering the village when he sees a new face moving into his apartment building, actually, right across the hall from him. When you turn around, he finally sees the baby strapped to your back. Being the gentleman he is (more so bored since his forced retirement), he helps you bring the remaining items upstairs. Then helps build them. And also takes you up on your offer for dinner.

Someone is messing with team seven, distracting them from their training. After spending all day trying to figure out who's behind the pranks, they come face to face with a little girl, hiding behind an oddly complex genjutsu in the trees. When captured and brought to their sensei, he taunts his students for getting bested by his six year old daughter.

ATLA

Zuko is tired of palace life, but as the Fire Lord, he can't exactly walk into town for a normal outting. He waits for the Autumn Mask Festival to sneak out, where he runs into you- a stranger willing to help him have as much fun as possible. Turns out you're the palace gardener, who immediately recognized him and decided to take matters into your own hands.

You're the decendant of an air nomad who was away from the temples to gather supplies during the raid 100 years ago. Your lineage is a well kept secret hidden smack dab in the middle of the fire nation and your parents have been diligent on passing down the knowledge of the air benders. When you hear of the avatars revival, you make your way to them and offer your teachings.

JJK

The kids having to tell their pseudo parents wives that they were KIA. Yuuji/Nanami, Megumi/Gojo.

Suguru Visits you one last time before he disappears, unknowingly leaving you pregnant. Its a secret you swear you'll take to your grave, but things get a little complicated when you start to see the curses hed been telling you about your whole lives. Then, at six years old, your daughter touches one of the creatures you'd been steering her away from, and it turns into an orb. You have no choice but to dig through Sugurus old things to find his phone and contact the one person you know could help.

Nanami lives across the hall from you. He's older, has a great job, and is a total buzzkill- but that only makes him all the hotter. Youre young, still in college, and incredibly annoying. He swears you speak another language- one chocked full of obscure references and inflated by flamboyant body language. You pester him in the halls and knock on his door to offer pastries at ungodly hours, so why did he hand over his phone so easily when you adk for his number? [Bonus!] Its been two months since your neighborly antics have turned into a full-blown friendship! You've spammed his phone with cacophony of memes and lore that he doesn't understand. You call him between classes and let yourself into his apartment to leave treats on his counter. He wants to be bothered, really, but can't find it in himself to be. You've just handed him an invitation to your masters ceremony- wait, what? His ditzy neighbor is getting her masters in aerospace engineering?!

Nosey teenage Yuuji is peering over his older brother, Sukuna's, shoulder and sees him texting a girl. He tells anyone and everyone who will listen, making them curious as to who this mystery woman could possibly be. Backed into a corner, he finally introduces you to, well, everyone, and they're shocked to find out youre a total ray of sunshine! Kind, bubbly, and a kindergarten teacher to top it off.

Sukuna, the King of Curses, is not a patient or forgiving man, but for some unknown reason, he allowed you to do as you pleased with him. You spoke freely and touched without permission, a gift youve never come close to abusing. One day he comes home from God knows what, in an obviously sour mood, and while you proceed with what you think is a good attempt to quell his anger, you're met with a slice to your cheek. It's minor, likely to not even scar, but the act is enough to cause a rift in your relationship and he has to find a way to mend it.

(NSFW) You're the best physics tutor at Yuuji's university and he's in desperate need of help. With more students than private rooms in the library, you settle on sessions at his unlces house. It's Saturday morning, you're gearing up to write an essay, only to discover you've left your laptop at his place- but that's no problem, because his uncle is home and can eat you in. Too bad he left out the part about how hot Sukuna is.

Lmao color-blind Heien Era Sukuna.

It's the middle of the night and you've been ditched by your friends at a club down town. With the last round of drinks kicking in and your phone battery running low, you call the only person guaranteed to be available on a Saturday night. Too bad that person is Yuuji's asshole older brother who's always been a little extra mean to you.

Nanami notices the shift almost immediately. In the five years you've been celebrating events at the nice restaurant down town, you've always ordered the salmon. Last time, however, you ordered steak despite how often you complain of red meat upsetting your stomach. Your occasional pining for sweet treats has become a nightly routine. A few bites of ice cream out of the freezer or something you grabbed from the konbini on the way home. Youve never used the restroom in the middle of the night before, but it's been a pattern the past two weeks. The final straw was your increased drowsiness. Youve always been an early riser, often beating the sun, but your internal clock has shifted forward. The addition of naps to your days does not go unnoticed by the blonde. You don't think much about any of these things until your husband is placing a box of pregnancy tests in your hand and asking you to trust him.

Suguru isn't sure why he agreed to a blind date set up by Satoru of all people. He's busy thinking of ways to politely escape whatever the blonde could have possibly sent his way, when he notices you taking the seat in front of his. He'd been expecting a loud, ditzy, party girl- not too unlike the ones his friend brings home on the regular- not this. No, youre obviously of higher class, someone closer to Satoru's status, if the quality of your clothing is anything to go by. You offer your name as well as your relation to Gojo, and its no surprise that your father's are long time business partners. By the end of dinner hes asking for your number, damn near vibrating in place as you type it into his contacts and send a little heart emoji to yourself so you have his too.

Your friends are complaining about men. You're happily listening, not having much to add since you're in a happy relationship, but one thing catches you're attention. "Isn't six inches kind of small?" Well, no, it's not. Apparently your boyfriend is very gifted, something you were unaware of since he's the only man you've ever been with. (Heavy Toji coded)

You don't know how you ended up here, sitting on the edge of Shoko's bed, bodies awkwardly contorted so your knees are touching hers. Her hand is in your hair, pulling you deeper into the kiss. She tastes like smoke, something so undeniably her.

In an attempt to prank Nanami, Gojo breaks into his apartment to leave a little something on his counter. As soon as the front door opens, though, he's met with a frying pan stopped just short of his face. He looks from the object to you- a civilian woman dressed in only a button down- but before he can say anything you're already retreating further into the apartment. It's easy to piece together that this intruder is like your husband, so you do as instructed and run into your room, hide under the bed, and call him. He's rushes home, nearly causing an accident in the process, and is pissed to find out the threat is only his annoying coworker. He coaxes you out of the room, open arms ready and waiting for the adrenaline drop youre sure to experience. When all is settled, Gojo's only defense is that he didn't know Nanami was married.

Toji has never felt old until he met you. You bartend at the club he frequents and after shooting his shot for what had to be the hundredth time, you finally agreed to a date. Then another. And another. And suddenly he was completely immersed in the world of his twenty four year old girlfriend. It was fun at first the drinking and dancing and partying- but he's not as young as he used to be and the liquor is catching up to him. At his wits end, he finally confesses that he can't keep up. Luckily for him, youre more than happy to stay in wit your old man boyfriend.

Baby daddy Sukuna who only recently got his shit together. You'd had enough of the in and out- the inconsistency, the empty promises, the lack of support- it was all affecting your daughter. He either needed to sober up and stay out of jail or you'd move forward with terminating his rights to your daughter.

Sukuna is in charge of the company while his father is in the states for the next month. His first order of business? Firing you- his father's bratty secretary. When Wasuke finally returns and sees his prized assistant gone, he panics, thinking his son drove you away. When he learns the truth, Sukuna is sent to beg for your forgiveness.

Streamer Sukuna, who plays first person shooters and horror games, collabs with you, someone known for their soothing minecraft asmr and animal crossing videos.

Gojo thinks you've been dating for the past year while you've been pining in secret, having no idea that this man was in wayyy deeper than you.

Gojo couldn't possibly be married, right? Then who was he on the phone with that could've had such an intimate contact name? That he was calling dear and love? Yuuji and Nobara are on the case! Too bad they could've just asked Megumi, who would've told them that his pseudo father is not just married, but a father as well.

Fairy Tail

You've known Laxus a long time, always by his side to support him, even if you didn't agree with his actions, and his banishment doesn't change that. One day during your travels, he tells you to stand by, that he can feel the guild pulling him and he'll be back soon. When a month passes and there's no sign of him, you venture back to the guild only to be met with terrible news. What's worse, is youre three months pregnant.

[falloutrebellion]

Say Yes to Heaven Part VI

Soulmark Fluff/Smut request from @hoohamaru 🫶🏼

Pairing: Kakashi x F!Reader

Summary: Your skills have secured you a job as a chef for Lady Tsunade's inauguration, providing you with a chance to finally leave your village and explore the world. Unfortunately, you unlock your clan's mysterious Soulmate Kekkei Genkai when you encounter a certain white-haired Jonin. In denial, you attempt to ignore it, only to drive him absolutely mad. How long can you resist before fate intervenes?

*Now edited with new cover image*

Part I. Part II. Part III. Part IV. Part V. Part VI. Part VII. Part VIII. Part IX. Part X.

CW: Adult Language & Adult Themes

Now on AO3!

I apologize for the delay. I broke my hand, so I have been typing with one hand, and it's taking me twice as long to get through these chapters. But here is the next one!

Kakashi spent the night. You didn’t mean for it to happen, but he was relentless—all hands, mouth, and hips. If you’re being honest, you couldn’t stop him if you wanted to. You’re just as addicted as he is, if not worse. 

Which is why you lie in bed in the early morning sun, your heart thumping so loud you swear he can hear it as he spoons you. His heartbeat was calm, a soothing, steady thud you can feel pressed against your back. 

And it reminds you how fucked you are. 

There is no denying it now— Kakashi has activated your Kekkei Genkai. All the unexplainable pieces fit together. How you can sense him, smell him, and now even hear his thoughts. It felt surreal, of all people in your clan, and I’m the one to unlock this stupid dojutsu. Just my god damned luck, you think to yourself with an internal groan. The gods must really hate you to trap you like this. Trapped to love this handsome, silver-haired Jonin. Which is not horrible, in theory, but what about your freedom to love? Freedom to pick and choose? And what if he didn’t actually like you, but was just controlled by the Un Mei No Hito? What then? He’s stuck with someone he doesn’t truly love, and you’re the manipulative one to do it to him. And besides, you’re in no rush for anything. There are too many eligible bachelors in this village to fall for the first one. Hell, you didn’t even get to fuck Genma yet… 

As if stirred by your thoughts, Kakashi’s arms tightened around your waist, holding you more possessively. You held your breath and didn’t move a muscle, as if you were afraid to wake him. His warmth enveloped you, traveling between your legs as his fingertips lightly dug into your skin.

Flashbacks from last night hit you like a wave, and your cheeks flush red, remembering the many dirty thoughts Kakashi had. Some of them he acted on, but others… well, let’s just say, he’d be 50 shades of red if he knew that could see into some of his thoughts.

That man is a freak. 

And you like him, a lot, actually. However, you currently can’t think of anything but him. He was in every corner of your mind, burying himself there and making it home. You knew it was the same for him, and that’s probably why he’s been coming after you like a dog in heat. You loved his pursuit, really, it was nice to be chased, and the dynamic you seemingly had over him was… useful. 

He is a man obsessed, and it felt great. 

But also terrifying. What happens now that your Kekkei Genkai has been activated? According to legend, after the first kiss, the two soulmates become forever entwined with each other, with fate always leading them back to one another. You two had done far more than kiss… so what does that mean? Is Kakashi under a spell, or is he truly falling for you– and are you falling for him? If not, will you really be stuck with him forever? Even if you leave–

“Are you holding your breath?”

You gasp and jump as Kakashi’s sudden, unexpected voice harshly pulls you from your inner line of questioning. His arms reflexively hold you in place, pulling you even closer to him, your rear flush against a familiar hardness. His thoughts went back to last night, the same ones you were just thinking of, and then another horrific question was raised in your mind. 

Can he hear your thoughts, too? 

You curse yourself internally, flooded with a massive mix of emotions as you feel a kiss planted on your shoulder. 

“I didn’t want to wake you,” you manage to squeak out. The heat from his body was seeping into yours, sending shocks throughout your nervous system. 

“Right,” he said matter-of-factly. 

Flustered, you roll over to face him, both of you fully naked and tangled in your sheets. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

He had that shit eating grin planted in his face and you narrowed your eyes as you stared at his beautiful features. “Oh, nothing.” 

You scrunch your nose and roll back over dramatically, pulling the sheets with you. “Ugh, you’re insufferable.” 

“You didn’t think so last night,” he chimes back as he squeezes your hips. 

Flipping back over to glare at him, you get planted with a kiss on your lips before you get a word out. He takes advantage of your open mouth by claiming it for his own, and his powerful effect weakens your resolve immediately. His energy captivated you entirely, his very essence pulsing through your veins. It caused your body to tremble under his touch involuntarily, reminding you of the power of your Kekkei Genkai. Your reactions fed his, as if he were set on consuming you while gripping you wildly. The electricity is back, lapping at your skin and down to your core.

And your body craves the connection like a drug, because you feel high as he devours you. Moaning into his mouth, you can feel the corner of his lips pulling upward in a smirk. You pry your hand between your bodies to his chest, pulling away enough to catch your breath. 

“You’re an asshole,” you mutter before he flips you on your back, resting between your thighs. 

“So we’re back to that?” He jokes as he looks over your body, taking in every curve that the sunlight touches. 

“Mhm, and I am wrecked, by the way. So, thanks. Did you forget I stand all day for a living?” You complain with a dramatic pout, the soreness in your limbs becoming ever apparent as he pressed against you. 

“I don’t have it much better,” Kakashi retorts lightly as his fingers foxtrot over your skin. 

“True, I don’t envy you, but you’re in far better shape than I am. And let’s not forget— oh fuck!” Talk of work reminded you that you were to attend a meeting with the Hokage this morning, something about the Leaf hosting an event. So, in other words, an imperative meeting. 

Pushing Kakashi off, you immediately run to the dresser with shaky legs and pull out a fresh pair of clothes before throwing them on the sink as you fish through the linen closet for your favorite towel. 

“Uh, is everything alright?” You hear Kakashi question you with confusion as he lies on the bed. 

“I forgot I’m supposed to meet Lady Tsunade this morning, which I have 23 exact minutes until I need to be there. So,” you lean in the doorway of the bathroom to throw him a look as he raises a brow, “do with that information what you will.” You say shortly before turning on the shower. 

You hear him say something, but the water muffles it, so you ignore it and hastily brush your hair and teeth before jumping in. The steam was already forming on the mirror as Kakashi pulled the curtains open and climbed into your shower to join you, causing another mini jump scare. What’s up with this guy? How is he so Goddamn quiet? It wasn’t long before his hands caressed your wet body gently, moving your damp hair to the side as he joined you underneath the water. It was incredibly intimate, and Gods above, it felt so good; it made your heart jump through your chest as his lips trailed feather-light kisses down your neck. 

You gasp as he slides his hand over your hip and dips between your legs, runs his fingers over your center. Squeezing his fingers, he pinches your clit between them, chuckling darkly behind you as your hips buck. “You’re distracting,” you breathe out raggedly, grinding against his hand in a circular motion.

“You’re distracting,” he murmurs darkly against your neck before releasing you. 

You can’t help but sigh in disappointment at the loss of contact, immediately longing for his touch again. Great, that’s going to be annoying. You’ll have to work all day thinking about him and what he’s doing to your body, mind, and heart. What the fuck is going to happen now? 

 “17 minutes,” Kakashi reminded you from behind as you turned to wash the soap out of your hair, now facing him. 

“Ugh, I’m going to have wet hair.” You complained as you two watched each other, both of you casually washing yourselves as if this was an everyday occurrence. Why the hell does this just feel… normal? 

It has to be your Un Mei No Hito; Kakashi’s presence is triggering these thoughts and reactions. Its powers were affecting you both, and if you weren’t around, maybe the connection would weaken. Perhaps that was the key—distance. If he’s not around, your senses would dull, and then your brain could form normal thoughts again. Right?

Well, soon you will be able to answer that question. You’re going to have to avoid him for as long as you can to test your theory. Which, in reality, you were not looking forward to. 

The shower only lasted a few more minutes, but Kakashi’s hands wandered many more times, leaving you in a shaky, miserable state.

“I hate you,” you say as you throw him a look, tugging on your shirt and pants. 

“Whatever for?” His grin is back, and you get one last glimpse before he pulls his mask up and he’s back to his usual… clothed, self. 

Your eyes narrow as you attempt to towel dry your hair again. “You know exactly what, asshole.” Checking your outfit in the mirror, you continue. “Also, now that I know what your face looks like, that mask is going to drive me insane.”

“Ooh, I like the crazy ones.” He chuckles as you throw a glare at him. 

“You drive me crazy,” you mutter as you retreat to the bathroom for a quick sweep of makeup before getting set to leave. 

“Maybe that’s the goal,” he chides as he leans against the doorway, hands casually tucked into his pockets.

“I promise you don’t want to see my crazy,” you warn playfully, even though you fully mean it. With one final flick of mascara, you turn to leave and find yourself face-to-face with his broad frame.

“Is that a challenge?”

He’s looking down at you now, his tone shifting, the teasing lilt replaced by something deeper. Your lashes flutter, and you look away, suddenly feeling that flash of electricity again, threatening to stop your heart. You wanted to tell him then, explain that all this was just your Kekkei Genkai, that it wasn’t their actual feelings. It was just a trivial thing that caused them to want each other. Because why else would you feel like this? How can you both fluster each other so effortlessly? Why does being so close to him twist your insides like this? He deserves to know, so he can try to separate these feelings from reality. 

But you don’t. 

Instead, you turn back and smile at him, playing off your inner turmoil. “Guess you’ll just have to see.” You say in as playful a tone as you can muster before placing a hand on his chest to push him out of the way lightly. 

Kakashi chuckles, a light sound you find strangely comforting, as he follows you out after you slip on your shoes.

“Guess I’ll see you around,” you say awkwardly, locking the door while he towers over you, studying your face with that curious eye of his.

“Well, I certainly hope so.” His singular eye searches you, as if sensing some apprehension.

“Yeah,” your heart pangs as you look up at him through your lashes. “Have fun training your genin today; don’t let them work you too hard.” 

You’re trying not to tell yourself to run, to escape this, escape him. To escape this handsome, kind, strong man who seemingly adores you for no reason. And that’s the thing that breeds your doubt- the lack of reason. He doesn’t truly feel this way; it’s just you twisting his mind and feelings. A part of you aches to explain that these feelings could be mere manifestations of your dojutsu, not genuine affection. But how? 

You felt guilty, as if you were luring a fox to a trap. 

Yet, every fiber in your being yearned for him, even now, as he stood before you with a narrowed eye, assessing you as you rake through your mind. 

“They won’t work me as hard as you did, that’s for sure.”

His words send a rush of warmth to your cheeks, and you hurriedly look away. He gently pulls your chin up with two fingers, tilting your face toward him. As he lowers his mask just enough to expose his lips, he places a tender kiss on your mouth, and your heart feels like it's about to combust. It’s a simple gesture, yet it leaves you reeling. You wonder if he would still do that if he knew the truth, or if the kiss was just another thread weaving you together. 

“Have a good day at work, neighbor.” He smiles, a softness in his gaze that makes your heart sink and soar all at once, before he turns to leave, waving with that effortless charm.

As he walks out of view, your mind races. Days like today make you want to believe in the connection, to ignore the tug of doubt. Yet, the thought lingers—what if this is all a trick of your lineage? Would he truly want you if not for that bond?

You take in a deep breath, fighting back the wave of uncertainty. Caught between being convinced you’re destined for an illusory fate and the possibility of genuine affection, you can only hope that the truth of your feelings is more than just a consequence of fate’s design.

With a heavy sigh, you trek off in the opposite direction, walking as fast as you can without running. You were really cutting it close, and the Hokage had seemed pressed about speaking with you this morning. The streets were just starting to wake up, with the early morning chatter and scent of baked goods flooding around you as you finally laid eyes on the familiar red building ahead of you.

Your final descent into the building passed your arrival time threshold, much to your despair. As you speed walk up to Lady Tsunade’s office, the air shifts, heavy with the weight of an unexpected uneasiness. You step into the office two minutes late, and you’re ready to begin spilling apologies before realizing she was talking to a tall man with a faceplate and short-cropped brown hair, her head in her hands as he practically whispered. You stand there dumbly and too afraid to move, watching their tense exchange silently. Your mind wanders helplessly, and you can’t shake the tumultuous feelings you’ve been grappling with since you left Kakashi. You felt anxiety rising, pondering how much you trust yourself and your feelings—debating what is real and what’s not, as if you had some kind of factual basis. Just as your thoughts begin to spiral, you notice Tsunade's serious expression shadowed by her laced fingers.

“Understood. If there are any further sightings, notify me immediately. You’re dismissed,” Lady Tsunade commanded with a sigh and a small wave of her hand. 

The man simply nodded before turning to leave, his eyes meeting yours before giving you the same curt nod. 

“Sorry for the delay, you can come in,” the Hokage says with a sigh. 

Luckily, no one even noticed you were late, so you played it off with a small smile. “No worries at all, m’lady. You said you had some news you wanted to discuss?” 

“Yes,” she drops her hands, and her expression softens.

Shizune steps forward with a clipboard in her hands, a scowl displayed across her face. 

“Lady Tsunade has somehow forgotten to mention that we are hosting a summit this week for all the great Kages. We need you to cater the event. You did such a great job for her inauguration, we figured that you would be capable and up for the task.”

A knot tightens in your stomach. "Oh, you want me to cater the event?" Cooking for the Hokage was enough pressure. But all five Kages? And in a matter of a few days? That was a lot to think about when your mind was drowning itself with endless thoughts of Kakashi. “But—”

“Yes, I want you,” she interrupts gently yet firmly. “Your skills in the kitchen and attention to detail reflect our village's hospitality. We need to impress our allies and show we are strong and unified in the face of danger.”

You look at her and try to hide your shock. “I uh, would be more than honored. But that’s a massive task in such a short time. You’re giving me three days to prepare.” You say more in a way to confirm more than anything.

Tsunade’s expression shifts as if in guilt. “Yes, but we are sure you can manage. Their entourages will be limited, so it won’t be a massive event like you did before. Your focus for the summit will be quality over quantity, but I don’t think I have to tell you that.”

As you absorb her words, determination begins to seep into your veins. She was right, there is no one better suited for a culinary challenge like you, and the stress may help get your mind off a certain silver-haired shinobi. “I’ll do it. I’ll ensure the Leaf appears as strong as ever, in any way I can.” But even as you say it, you feel a tightening in your chest at the thought of Kakashi. No matter how much you avoid him, you know you can’t truly escape him. He would definitely be at the summit—no doubt about it. 

Your mind drifts back to your unresolved feelings for him. How will you face him, knowing the turmoil that lies inside you? You have been trying to convince yourself that the attraction was just a trick of fate due to your Kekkei Genkai, but a truth tugs at your heart. What if it were real? What if the bond you felt for him was genuine? 

With the minimal information about the Un Mei No Hito, you were practically stuck dealing with it through trial and error. Or simply, just figuring it the fuck out. It was a horrible feeling that made you feel lost and trapped in something you knew nothing about. Your mind ran wild, teetering between both sides of the spectrum— believing your feelings were true, and the dark side that it was all just a sick spell you unknowingly cast upon Kakashi. 

Part of you truly feels the need to distance yourself from him while you sort through these emotions—the need to find clarity in this chaos of mixed signals and connections.

When you think of Kakashi, clips of him flood your mind: The way his eyes spark with mischief, how his laughter sends flutters through your chest, those moments when his gazes linger a bit too long. Yet, as wonderful as those moments are, your doubts shadow them. You can’t let this confusion cloud your judgment or complicate your responsibilities- or your entire future. 

You nod mechanically, trying to push those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the urgency of the task at hand. “I’ll need a list of the leaders attending and their preferences. Menu planning will be crucial,” you say decisively.

Tsunade seems pleased with your determination, and as she begins to outline the details, you make a mental note to avoid Kakashi in the lead-up to the summit. You’ve just been handed the golden egg of distractions, giving you a solid three days to figure it out. 

As the two of you plan out the logistics, your mind darts between excitement and anxiety—the tension of upcoming discussions mixed with the quiet dread of potential encounters with Kakashi. Could you really ignore him? 

And if you do, how will he handle it? 

The prospect of evading him during the preparation feels daunting, but you are adamant about seeing this through, to find out if what you and Kakashi have is real. As you contemplate the endless tasks before you, from menu planning to ensuring that every detail meets Tsunade's high standards, your determination to focus on the summit grants solace.

After discussing the expected number of attendees, the menu options range from traditional Konoha favorites to more exotic dishes from the neighboring lands. “This is crucial,” Tsunade says. “We want to impress the other leaders and show subtle strength. You won’t be doing this alone; our most elite Shinobis will be attending to show our skilled forces. And if you need any assistance, it will be available to you. I have the utmost faith in you.”

The excitement of planning fuels your resolve. You write down the titles of dishes, opinions about appetizers, and desserts flowing between you and Tsunade. Each scribbled note reveals a burgeoning sense of purpose, giving you a way to channel your energy into something productive while you mentally navigate your feelings for Kakashi. As the meeting wraps up, you exit the office, your heart still dancing between the fraught emotions of longing and duty. Stepping out to the streets, the refreshing breeze blows through your hair, drying the sweat that beaded at the back of your neck. Though the task was daunting, it provided you with a much-needed distraction to act on your experiment. With each step you take, your heart falters, unprepared for the grueling task of avoiding Kakashi Hatake.

The angst shall commence! But won't last too long 🤔

Tag List * @phantomvlood @hoohamaru

[tsaritza-mika]

Thoughts on Gortash's Inauguration

Granted I haven’t gone looking for anyone else who may have said it, but I just have to say that it took me a few play throughs for it to really hit just how subtly terrifying the Gortash inauguration scene is. Seriously, it flies so low under the radar as a literal horror scene, and it should because of the kind of villain Gortash is. Picture it: we finally reach Wyrm’s Rock, and it’s a bright, sunny day on the Sword Coast. Most of the NPCs you can talk to inside are hoping for some kind of positive change with elevating Gortash to Archduke, though rightfully some still seem to have reservations considering the still present threats of the Absolute armies and possible hidden agents amongst refugees. Even when we enter the main gathering hall, there are long tables of celebratory food and drink, people are walking around freely, and of course, since they are the upper echelons of Baldur’s Gate, there’s the security of the Steele Watch. But then we approach and trigger the cut scene to speak with Gortash. This man, literally just waltzes right up to us and begins talking to us about all of his/Durge’s plans and ambitions. There’s no attempt at hiding, no suggestion of taking things up to his office to speak privately. He just starts talking. And especially if you take Karlach with you, it’s obvious that no one actively in this scene is bothering to keep their voices down. Granted, the only hint I have of this, is that in previous cut scenes, Larian went out of their way to show when others may have wanted to speak up about anything in particular for any reason or were made uncomfortable by certain confrontations. The scene where we enter the room near the back of the creche and see the confrontation between Therezin and the Inquisitor, for example. There’s a specific shot where following issuing her orders, we see a few of the Githyanki looking as if they would argue a point if they felt they wouldn’t be possibly killed for it. But with Gortash, there’s none of this. He just starts talking. This display of power is TERRIFYING. Every single patriar in that room could easily say or do something, rebuke or rebel against the consolidation of power that will be taking place in literal moments. Except Gortash has made sure they can’t. Not only are his Steele Watch there, but considering what Gortash was known for before his ascension, and the details of his rise that we uncover up to that point, every single member of the nobility has been completely neutralized in some way. If not already tadpoled, as his plan outlines will be the case over time under his rule, it’s reasonable to say that it’s possible that Gortash found some way to blackmail or somehow leverage their silence. The sheer amount of work involved in order to gain this amount of leverage, is beyond impressive, not only because of the number of people that he had to consider, but also because of the risk that any of them, at any time, could use their influence to stop or significantly slow him down before reaching that point. Gortash showed us from the first moment we meet him in game, that he is not someone to be taken lightly. And he’s right. Gortash spent the last ten years making absolutely sure that anyone who would try to get near him without his express permission would end up as nothing but a blood stain on the cobblestone if he didn’t want them to be, and he showed us that by just walking right up to us in a crowded room and saying ‘hello’.

[giuliettagaltieri]

Dollhouse

Pairing: President!Coriolanus Snow x Capitol!Reader

Chapter Synopsis: The Skeptic

Warning: alcohol, doubts

Word Count: 1602

1 of 7

You were looking exceptionally beautiful tonight.

It was the inauguration of President Coriolanus Snow.

Everybody was present, the entire party buzzing with joy and pride for the new leader of Panem.

“Congratulations, Miss Swansworth.”  A familiar wariness has you narrowing your eyes and putting on a sharp smile.

“Dr. Gaul.”  You greet the woman who sits next to you.  “Thank you, but this is about President Snow.”

She reaches for a glass of posca.  Her heterochromic eyes are watching you closely.  “We both know that Mister Snow owes his victory to you.”

You raise your own glass and smile at her knowingly as a silent toast and you take a sip.

Coriolanus was stolen from you the minute you stepped into the party.  You encouraged him to establish relationships with Capitol’s most powerful men.  And you managed to evade people for quite some time as you blend in on the crowd.

There is truth to what Dr. Gaul said but you wanted Coriolanus to have this night all to himself.  He has been preparing for this his entire life, there are plenty of times when you can share the spotlight with him.

“I have watched you and Mister Snow quite closely, Miss Swansworth.”  Dr. Gaul says.  “I have seen the two of you do great things.”

You keep your expression neutral.  Dr. Gaul is not one to make small talk.  She sat with you for a reason.  

To remind you of her contribution to your rise in power or to send you a threat.

“Now, it is no longer just me who is watching.  Panem has its eyes on you.”  She continues, her eyes widening slightly, in a way of provocation and you tip your chin up just the slightest to show her you are not afraid to take on her challenge.  “Do not disappoint.”

A real smile spreads on your lips. 

“Failure is a foreign concept to me.”

“We shall see, Miss Swansworth.”  She returns your smile with a much wider one.  You watch her finish her posca and she stands, her eyes on you still.  “Afterall, I understand that Mister Snow only keeps those who are useful.”

You never took your eyes off her until she disappeared in the crowd.

That woman is dangerous.  She is not someone you fear nor admire, just a fair balance between the two.  But perhaps even leaning on the latter.

There is truth in her words.  Anyone can be replaced.  But you doubt Coriolanus would let you go as easily.  You are an essential chess piece to him, and it helps that he is fond of you.  But everything is fleeting.

You lean your back against the padded chair, breathing in the scented air.  You hope Thanatos Swansworth was having a toast with Crassus Snow up in the heavens…or wherever they may be.

It was fulfilled.  The promise you made to your father and to yourself.

Coriolanus is in the seat of power.  And you will share it with him.  You have secured a life of sovereignty and will be a powerful figure in the government of Panem.  It feels good to be around him, to revel in glory and to receive his expensive attention.

But is this all there is to you and Coriolanus?

Are you limited to playing games?

This is what you feared.  

When you have your mind set on something for so long, you are lost the moment you get it.

Of course, the next plan would be to ensure that Coriolanus remains seated at the pinnacle.  

How tedious.

You frown, surprised at yourself for thinking in such a way.

You reach for your third glass of posca for the night.  Perhaps being alone for too long in such events will do you no good.  And you refuse to let yourself dwell in these thoughts any longer. 

Dr. Gaul is good, you have to admit.  She has disturbed your peace in less than three minutes.

In great effort, you try again to enjoy your own company, you are midsip when your eyes accidentally meet his.

Coriolanus frowns slightly at your lack of companion, he makes an attempt to excuse himself from the table he is in but you shake your head, your crimson lipstick staining the rim of the glass.  His frown deepens and for a moment, he contemplates, but he easily slips back into the conversation.

You get up, eyes trained at the enormous doors that lead deeper in the building.  You grasp a bottle of posca on the refreshments table on your way out.

The peacekeepers open the doors for you and the music is immediately muffled after they close it again.

You walk around the mansion and pass the offices of the men who were filling their belly with posca and steaks.  You eventually reach your destination and the peacekeepers guarding the office are quick to recognize you and they salute before letting you in.

The Presidential office was dim but you appreciate its space.  You walk around, hand brushing on the effects placed in the room.  Eyeing the sword identical to the ones the Lady Justice holds, only smaller and the gilded vase of white roses on the side.

Yes, it would do.

The cushions of the sofa sink under you as you sit leisurely, you look at the empty chair at the center end of the office.  The throne.

You open the bottle and you sip directly from it.

Everything you previously did will all be child’s play in comparison to what lies ahead.

Coriolanus is meant for it.  You are certain he will do great.

Just like his father before him.

And just like your father, are you just going to remain a pawn for another Snow?

Reluctance returns in your head and it slowly poisons you.

A soft creak behind you pulls you from your thoughts.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

You hum to acknowledge him as you sip on the bottle once more.

Coriolanus stands behind you, watching the seat behind the desk just like what you are doing.

It belongs to him.  Everything belongs to him.

“You should sit down on it.”  He says and you tilt your head back to look at him.  Your position exposes your pretty neck, looking most vulnerable, but he knows you are anything but.

“It’s not mine.”  You say but he only clicks his tongue to dismiss you.

Coriolanus grabs the bottle from you and takes your hand, leading you to it.

You look at the seat, not really wanting it.

“Go on.”  He says lowly as he stands close behind you.

He smiles when your fingers brush on the intricately carved hardwood of the armrest but his smile falls when you turn away from the seat to look at him tiredly. 

Coriolanus composes himself quickly and lightly brushes past you to sit himself on the soft cushions.  

He felt powerful.  As if he can do everything with just a movement of his fingers.  But it was lacking.

You protest when he pulls you to sit on his lap.

“Corio-”

“This is your place.”  He spoke sternly.  “With me.”

Understanding that he has no plans of letting you go anytime soon, you relax against his chest, your feet swaying lightly.

“Are you happy, Mister President?”  You ask gently.

“I am…satisfied.”  His chest expands against your back as he breathes deeply.  “I don’t know about happy.”

His hand caresses your thigh in a comfortable manner.

“If being President does not make you happy, what else would?”

Coriolanus hears the bitter sarcasm in your voice but decides not to say anything about it.  He rests his cheek against your head as he watches you play with a wax seal stamp.  Your delicate fingers trace the Snow family crest engraved on it.

“Marry me.”

He said it so nonchalantly, like his statement carries no weight.  Just another move on the chessboard.

You grew up dreaming about the day when Coriolanus Snow will finally ask you to marry him.  Your days in the academy were dedicated to make that dream come true. 

A wedding between you two would have sealed the deal but the unspoken uncertainties in your head are speaking louder than you would have wanted.

“We can give it a month.  It’ll be plenty of time for preparations to-”

“I do not want to marry you.”

His caress on your thigh halts and his hand grips your flesh.

“What?”

You wince at his tone.  You knew he never took rejection kindly.  You look at your lap and saw his hold getting tighter and tighter.

“I have articulated myself perfectly.”

Coriolanus purses his lips.  It has been a while since he felt this loss.  You have become a constant in his life, always giving him your helpful insights that guide his decisions.  Now, it was you who has become a riddle.

“You feel for me.”  He says, but his tone was more of a question. 

“I do.”  You respond with your heart full, smiling at him from your shoulder.

“Then why won’t you marry me?”  He asks exasperatedly. 

You wanted to tell him why but you decided against it.  He might question your dedication for this and you are reminded of Dr. Gaul’s words.

Choosing not to answer seems like the safest option now so you stay silent.  

After realizing that you have no plans in answering, Coriolanus does not push you further.

You are a puzzling woman but he was almost certain you would want to marry him too.

As the night deepens, neither of you move, mulling the heaviness of what just transpired between you.

Quest for Happiness

[the-zenith-calls]

So as of right now (1:43 EST), TikTok is back in the United States. At least for some of us. And if you don't trust that post I can currently access it and I'm American. I doubt anyone will actually take the time to read this, but there's a wild comparison I want to make here so stay with me.

In 1979, the Iranian hostage crisis happened. Fifty-three American diplomats were held hostage until 1981. At the time, Jimmy Carter was president, and no one really liked him. So obviously he and the government were trying to negotiate with Iran to give our people back but Iran wouldn't comply. So, Jimmy Carter ended his only term as president in a very bad light, and Ronald Reagan won the 1980 election. Iran waited until Jimmy Carter was out of office and Reagan was sworn in to agree to release the hostages on January 20, 1981, Inauguration Day. This made Reagan look amazing.

Back to the present, we were told that TikTok would be banned on January 19. Well, today is the day and it's back. They banned it yesterday, actually, at like 10:30pm, and we got this popup. First of all, the words "fortunate" and "President Trump" should never be in the same sentence unless it's his obituary. Second, this makes him look fucking amazing. Obviously, this wasn't as high stakes at fifty-three people literally being held hostage halfway across the world, and as far as I know the hostage crisis wasn't orchestrated by Reagan to get him elected, but I just really wanted to point out the similarities of benefiting the American people on or around your Inauguration Day. Imagine your first act as president of a global superpower is benefiting 170 million people. The real kicker is that he isn't even president yet.

What I really want to point out is that Trump created this crisis when he wanted to ban TikTok back in 2020. It was never about securing our data, it was about cutting us off from the rest of the world. And now they say he fixed it. This is what he's going to do while he's in office. He'll create problems and fix them again and anyone who says anything about it will be disregarded because of his weird cult followers. If this sounds familiar, something similar happened in 1930s Germany.

Semi-related, in his fare well speech, President Biden warned us of an incoming oligarchy. I just wanted to put that out there.

Finally, if I see a single one of you celebrating that the ban went through, even though it was for less than a day, I will commit unspeakable acts. It wasn't only about losing entertainment, it was about our freedom of speech. You don't have to like the app but I'm willing to bet you hate it less than losing our First Amendment rights.

[milli-moi]

For all the Agathario writers out there: I am surprised no one has written this as a full piece yet actually but it would be cool to see it done well.

There are so many fics which give Rio a penis, whether that’s through magic strap ons, just magic, or Rio just happening to have a penis.

My feelings on this are two-fold, on one hand I think it sadly says a lot about what people are taught about sex. It’s as though a lot of people don’t know how to write a sex scene with two female characters without a penis-esque part (pun not intended but valid).

I know this could also be reasonably true since there are a lot of babies (aka those who are younger than Millenials and/or never had video tapes as a part of their childhood) in this fandom and we should welcome the babies! The babies were (I imagine at least for those similar in age to me -32-25ish) once us, who found a safe space in fanfic in order to explore and discover our own sexualities and gender identities.

The other side is the one I want to ask for help with. There is more trans representation now in safe spaces, and here is my request which I think would be a great read for both baby queers and the older, less-inaugurated queers too. I will admit I didn’t realise how much societally- spoon fed transphobia I had until my partner came out as non-binary and it’s changed a lot of my thought process but it was also pretty tough at points too.

I’d love someone to write a Trans or intersex Rio. It would most likely have to be a modern au, but that doesn’t have to mean taking magic out of it. It would be a really cool thing to have Rio and Agatha enter into a relationship to begin with where Agatha doesn’t know that the contents of Rio’s pants aren’t what she expected them to be. It would be cool to see Rio trying to edge information out of Agatha, try and see if the woman she is falling for very fast would be accepting of her genitalia. I’d love to see an Agatha who isn’t sure.

I’ve always written Agatha a bit like myself (lesbian who as a teen planned to marry a guy who I liked as a friend, tolerate sex so I could have kids, but the idea of putting that in my mouth, or even really touching it… nope!) but she doesn’t have to be averse to the idea, or maybe she is but she works slowly to overcome that fear and feeling as Rio is working to show that (or those) part(s) of her body to Agatha. It would be really beautiful and sweet to see them build a relationship and see Agatha become the fierce ally that she is (similar to what I’ve become I guess)

Could even go with an intersex Rio managing to get Agatha pregnant, creating the miracle that is Nicky in another way.

I have a lot of thoughts about this and I have some knowledge - my partner was encouraging me to try it, saying I do have some of the insight - but I don’t feel like I have enough insight into the male anatomy side of it. So I’m putting the beacons up! Anyone who wants to use this idea please,please do, and please tell me!! I want to read it.

I’d also happily help with some of my personal experience if wanted for someone to write this but the biggest thing is I’d love to see it be done!

Signal boost this to all the AAA fanfic writers out there!

Tl;dr:

Wanted: Agathario fanfic written with a pretty gay Agatha meeting and falling in love with a trans/intersex Rio, learning about their body differences and learning to work with them. A story about their relationship which also encompasses trans/intersex storylines and deals with learning to love a partner’s body because it’s theirs.

[very-gay-poet]

Scapegoats:

Scapegoats are a person or a group of people that are blamed for anything bad happening in a space (a country, state, town, family, etc).

In between the first and second World War, Germany had a terrible economy, so bad that parents regularly gave their children stacks of money to play with instead of toys. Soon, Jews were to blame for the economic crisis, with the help of Hitlers campaign. He pointed out a demographic for people to blame so they don’t start blaming the government.

I also want to highlight that in 2023 alone, there were almost 10,000 reports of antisemitic incidents in the US, comparing that to just the year before, 2022, with around 3,700 reports from the US, and under 2000 reports in 2008. Over the course of just a year, the oppresion of jewish people had risen at over 100% in just a year. Antisemitism beliefs are rising again, Jewish people are being met with hostility again, and it’ll just keep on getting worse if we do nothing about it. Especially with Elon Musk's little “stim” at Trump's inauguration. I’m no conspiracy theorist but It feels like him doing the Nazi Salute, Trump signing an executive order to make it legal to discriminate against people and canceling all D.E.I programs (also mentioning that the KKK were spotted recruiting people in Kentucky) seems to be a whistle to Neo-Nazis to let them know that they’ll get away with whatever they do, and give them the confidence to be more bold than they already are.

I don’t believe that this is a coincidence, and, I really hope I’m wrong here, I don’t believe that these people (Trump, Elon) are above antisemitism, saying it’s for not promoting christian values or something stupid like that. I’ll be getting into weaponizing religion later, but I feel that this is important to mention, considering that the stats mentioned above were of 2023, God knows what that number was in 2024 and I don’t think we’ll be getting the true number anytime soon. This is all my personal speculation so take this with a bit of salt, but I find it concerning with how we’re all calling the right and Elon Nazis and Trump a Hitler reincarnate (which is justified don't get me wrong), but aren’t mentioning all the antisemitism as a result of the rise this type of bigotry. Jews were the main target of the Nazi party, don’t forget that.

So the next time you hear that the reason why people can’t get a house is because immigrants are taking them, the Chinese made COVID 19, minorities are taking jobs away because they tick a diversity box, remember who's truly to blame. The Chinese didn’t kill all the people who died during COVID, your government did, because they didn’t take COVID seriously as they should’ve, saw the consequences, and don’t want the responsibility that comes with it. They base it on preexisting stigma to magnify it, many Asian people in America were treated with more hostility than ever during COVID, because the American Government needed someone to blame, and what better than a group that aren’t white and are "commies".

It’s acceptable discrimination so that no one will turn an eye on what the government really wants to do; be discriminatory. They base it on their own prejudice so they can get away with bills and laws further normalizing the prejudice in the country, and thus get away with it. We’re already starting to see this now, with the plane crash; Trump blaming diversity and “the right people not being hired”, is the perfect cover story to take away rights of minority workers, and publish it as acceptable discrimination. Remember, not being hired because of your race (including skin colour) , religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, or disability, is illegal, unless they have an agenda to push and have an excuse to make it “the right thing to do”.

If you find yourself feeling hatred for a certain group– ask yourself: will anyone benefit from this anger? The answer is always no. No one benefits from prejudice or discrimination. No one, except the rich pigs at the top. America is already turning into a plutocracy and it hasn’t even been a year yet, so remember: if you’re not already a billionaire, you’re never gonna be a billionaire, so don’t act like you ever will. Division is their favorite game, don’t let them win it.

this is a snipit from an essay I'm writing that's taking longer than I thought it would. So now I'm going to post some snipits of it in hopes that it can help people.

[purple-link]

I get what Alan Tudyk is trying to say, and I can respect what Chris Sheridan is trying to do. Ending a series on your terms is always best, regardless of whether or not you feel like the story's finished or not.

But I hate what Alan Tudyk mentioned about SyFy cancelling Resident Alien despite its popularity, and I have nothing but contempt about the professional creative landscape over it.

He said, "in different times, a popular show would have totally warranted a new season" (I'm paraphrasing). So what has changed? What about Resident Alien, a very good show with some very good values baked into it, warranted a cancellation instead?

The kind of landscape that would allow an opposing voice to be fired from CBS? The kind of landscape where projects are pulled or not even contemplated because they are too daring? I understand that Hollywood is not all like this, but I also feel like this is a betrayal of sorts, although I can't determine which yet.

But what I do know is this: Nobody wants to take risks anymore. And I'm not just talking about risks that allow a new show to take an interesting direction and increase its longevity.

I'm talking about scared shitless to do anything progressive, all because we've got a dickhead president who cares more about his lunch budget than he does about the country (amongst other reasons).

Take Steven Universe, for example. Men could not handle a young man like Steven being raised by, for all intents, women, becoming generous, caring, and most of all, sensitive. A lot of people hated the show for it's "unreasonable" portrayal of conflicts, the only solution being to talk it out.

I'm not saying that is the case, there's always room in modern times for a good sword-and-sandal story, but hating a series because it dared to do something progressive is probably the weakest excuse I can think of. Hardly call it masculine.

All throughout the 2010s, animation studios and filmmakers, and series creators, tried all kinds of things to tap into that progressiveness. And it sold. People were starting to understand hollywood and creators actually understood them, and were not made the butt of the joke.

But assholes are never satisfied, are they?

Wasn't long at all after Daft Dunk got inaugurated that all of a sudden, studios all over the place are dropping animation studios (not all of them, I see you Dreamworks), long running series are dropped "despite their popularity," and even Stephen Colbert got fired, seemingly for no reason.

Well, I got your reason.

People are afraid.

Of the President.

People are afraid of the President of the United States.

We're going to turn back the clock on decades of social progression and understanding because you're afraid of an asshole who is a bigger crybaby than you are.

This isn't about money, because honestly, I'm not really disappointed. Business is business. Hell, I'm not even worried that it's been four seasons. I think season four is going out with a bang, and I couldn't think of a better way to end a series (there are enough dangling plot-threads as it is).

I'm willing to bet Resident Alien was more popular than Alan Tudyk was saying, but because of money reasons, they're canning it anyway.

But if a show is popular, but it's not sustainable in today's economy, or because of new technology, I'm willing to bet it's not the only reason. People always want more money. Streaming just isn't getting the revenue good ole'-fashioned ratings gave them. They're willing to cut series off without a cent because it's more financially stable.

But it isn't helped that the new political climate is making taking risks so much worse.

There's hell to pay when adults aren't taken seriously, and there's never any excuse restricting or extinguishing a voice because you're afraid The Big Orange is going to come around and give you a slap in the face.

When people aren't taking risks because they don't feel safe, America's voice is silenced.

We are human, we are allowed to counter each other, hold each other accountable, and surprise ourselves. We don't like when people lie to us, and we like it even less when people try to control us.

Cancelling a popular show because you're afraid you're not going to get revenue, all because the political climate is becoming less progressive, is nothing but cowardice.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Tessa Stuart at Rolling Stone:

Illinois 9th District has only been represented by two people since 1965, and there hasn’t been a competitive primary since the race Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, the district’s current representative, won in November 1998. “I wouldn’t be born for another four months,” deadpans Kat Abughazaleh, the TikTok-famous political commentator now running to represent the district.  Abughazaleh is transparent about the fact that she is not what anyone thinks of as shoe-in for Congress: a 26-year-old narcoleptic freelance social media creator who doesn’t live in the district and has only lived in the state for less than a year, challenging a Democratic Party leader who has represented this part of Illinois for more than a quarter of a century.  That’s kind of the point: She is a normal person — with a rental lease she can’t break before it’s up, financial pressure bearing down on her, and prescription medication that she needs to function properly and that has been challenging to obtain since Elon Musk went after her employer, and she and many of her colleagues were laid off.  And when she looks to Congress, not only does she not see enough people who are concerned with the practical day-to-day challenges she and so many of the people she knows are struggling with — the costs of housing, health care, groceries, transportation — she also doesn’t see anyone confronting with any level of seriousness the peril of our current moment, two months into Donald Trump’s second term.  “We are in an emergency,” Abughazaleh says. “Right now, the answer to authoritarianism isn’t to be quiet. It’s not matching pink outfits at a state address. It’s not throwing trans people under the bus. It’s not refusing to look at the party at all and see where it could be better. The answer is to very publicly, very loudly, very boldly, stand up. The only way to fight fascism, and this has been proven over and over and over again, is loudly, proudly, and every single day.”

Abughazaleh may be young, but she is a wildly successful, incisive communicator who is stepping up at a time when it is clear that the party is in desperate need of new messengers. And she is popular on the social media platforms where sitting Democrats’ posts are continually flopping, ridiculed for their tone deafness.  The day after the 2024 presidential election, Abughazaleh thought she would wake up with an irrepressible urge to flee the country. Instead, she says, it was the opposite: “I woke up and thought, ‘You’re gonna have to drag me out by my dead body’ … I just got really angry, and I thought about running at that moment, but I was like, ‘No, I’m sure Democrats will do something,’ and then they haven’t — and it’s just been not only disappointing, but scary to watch.” Schakowsky, currently representing the district, “has had a pretty great track record on her voting,” Abughazaleh admits. But she is also 80 years old, and hasn’t had a competitive primary in decades. “She’s been a good congresswoman, but I want to be better.”

[...] Abughazaleh was born in Texas and raised as a Republican — really Republican. Her maternal grandmother, Taffy Goldsmith, was such a legendary GOP operative that when she died, the flag at Texas state capitol was flown at half mast. (Abughazaleh inherited the mink coat Goldsmith wore to Nixon’s inauguration.) Her father is a Palestinian immigrant. Both her parents, she says, were Reagan Republicans whose relationship with the party has ruptured since Trump took it over. Abughazaleh’s own political views took shape at college in Washington, D.C. She studied at George Washington University, and went to work at Media Matters after graduation, where she was employed until 2024, after Musk sued the organization, and she and 11 others got laid off.  The day the news broke, Musk tweeted “Karma is real” and his coterie of sycophants, including Libs of TikTok, piled on. Abughazaleh says it was one of the worst days of her life. The saga didn’t end there, either — Abughazaleh was deposed as part of Musk’s lawsuit against Media Matters, questioned on video for seven hours. (The lawsuit is ongoing.) After she was laid off from Media Matters, Abughazaleh did freelance video production with Mother Jones and Zeteo, but she is stepping away from work with both outlets during her campaign. “It’s terrifying… I don’t have health insurance, I have no income coming in, and am using GoodRx like my life depends on it — because it kind of does.” 

Progressive social media influencer and former MMFA journalist Kat Abughazaleh (Kat Abu) is running for a US House seat in #IL09, currently occupied by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D).

[originalleftist]

Ran across a Deppie post on Reddit, claiming Amber Heard's Instagram account had followed JD Vance.

They were of course spinning wild conspiracy theories, claiming it was some plot by her to get to Musk, etc. The usual bullshit.

Still, the basic claim seemed easy enough to fact-check. I logged into Instagram, checked Heard's follow list, and... yup. Vice President Vance.

Well, that was disheartening, to say the least. If she turned out to be yet another white person who went full Nazi, it wouldn't change my opinion of the trial- even bad people have rights, and can be abused, and her OpEd flatly wasn't defamatory by any reasonable definition. But it would have forced me to lower my estimation of her as a person considerably, and stop supporting her work.

Still, it seemed odd- Despite her past relationship with Musk (before he became openly fascist), her politics has been mostly Left-leaning for years, particularly on feminism and LGBTQ rights as well as voting rights. Vance seemed an out-character choice for her to follow.

And then it occurred to me.

A few weeks back I saw a post reminding people to unfollow the official POTUS, VP accounts, etc, because those accounts changed hands after the election. I checked my Facebook, and sure enough, I was unwittingly following the Orange Felon.

Heard followed Vice President Harris on Instagram. It got some mean-spirited media coverage gossiping about Harris not following her back. Sure enough, the Harris account is gone from her follows list. So, assuming she was following the official VP account, it may simply be that Amber Heard hasn't updated her Instagram follows since before Inauguration Day (she posts about twice a year now).

Which feels like a weird thing to know about someone I've never met, but also kind of humanizing, for lack of a better word- the sort of simple mistake that any regular person could make (myself included).

Anyway, this is your reminder for the day that:

a) You should check your social media post-election to make sure you aren't accidentally following Nazis now.

b) Most of what people say about Amber Heard is probably bullshit.

c) It never hurts to dig a little deeper with your fact-checking before jumping to conclusions. I could have just read the Reddit post, or hell just checked her Instagram page, and impulsively denounced her as a turncoat and a Nazi. I probably would have, if it had been someone else I hadn't spent the last three years publicly supporting.

(It also is possible, of course, that she's suddenly decided to follow Vance (and no other notable MAGA figures) for whatever reason. Vance is the top of her follow list, which might suggest a recent follow, but I really don't know how that works if an account you were following before changed hands, and Instagram's algorithm for ranking follows is... obscure. Nor would I put it past Meta to tweak the algorithm to boost Regime accounts, given how hard they've been sucking the Regime's dick lately (try posting the Felon's mugshot to Facebook if you want to see this in action- every time I do, Facebook falsely labels it an AI-generated image.))

[greatwyrmgold]

2024 was a good year for Trump and a bad year for Democrats. But it was a bad year for a lot of incumbent parties worldwide; Kamala Harris actually got closer to beating Trump than a lot of her global peers.

This isn't surprising. Inflation was up, the economy was rocky (relatively speaking), people wanted someone who would fix the problem. But people didn't vote for candidates who would improve the economy; most didn't impose crippling tariffs on all imports, but there's not a strong correlation between parties who took power and parties who are good at economics.

People just figured the economic problems were the fault of the incumbent party and voted in a different one.

...

There's an interesting phenomenon going around. As Trump does more and more cruel or counterproductive things, some people who proudly supported him in 2016, 2020, or even 2024 are starting to turn against him. They no longer think he will make America great again.

The thing is, he hasn't been doing anything unexpected. I'm a little surprised at how quickly he progressed from inauguration to ignoring Supreme Court orders to not deport legal residents for being visibly Hispanic, but I'm not surprised he did that.

Everything Trump does could be predicted by looking at proposals made by his political allies, or by his presidential cabinet, or things Trump said he would do if elected, or things he did in his first term. And yet, people didn't anticipate them. When Trump started Trumping, they were shocked. Somehow.

...

I've cared about politics for as long as I could remember. My dad would talk politics over the dinner table when my brother and I were kids, and other relatives were opinionated in their own right. In college, I started finding and listening to voices beyond my family, and I eventually wound up here. Intensely aware of the problems with the world and the reasons no one in power will solve them.

And you, my followers, have self-selected for being that same kind of person. You also think about politics. Before you vote, you do at least a bare minimum of research on at least the parties various candidates belong to, unless you pay enough attention to the news in general that you already know what everyone stands for.

But not everyone does. People voted for the Leopards Eating Something Something Party and assumed they'd just feed the leopards hamburger meat or something.

A lot of people don't care about politics. Some don't need to; they'll be safe no matter what happens in Washington, D.C. Maybe one guy will make things harder or easier for them and their social circle, but not enough to justify spending hours figuring out which is which, what experts say about them, whether those statements can be trusted, etc. So they just, don't.

...

What do we do with that? We're trying to run a democracy, but much of the electorate is ignorant and uninterested in being educated. Our political system is at the mercy of vibes. And unlike some aspects of said system, I don't think we can reform our way out of this one. In the absence of some conveniently benevolent tyrant, we need to rely on democracy, and democracy relies on a citizen body who cares enough to figure out what options are best for their society, or at least them personally.

How do we get people to care enough about politics to do a bare minimum of research, or at least to listen when people who did do the research warn them? Do we need a society where everyone needs to care about politics, because their lives are all so precarious that the wrong policy could end them? Is mass misery the only antidote to mass apathy? I hope not, but I don't see any other solution.

[aweirdlisa]

Generation Loss thoughts/theories

Okay I had to return from the dead to post about Generation Loss because decoding the Founder’s letter is something I am still proud of (it took me about 4? hours) and it got Genloss to grab me with its claws to pull me right back in! I’ve been a big webseries and ARG fan since like 2009 so I’m happy there is still some awesome content being made to this day.

First of all, Ranboo, the founders game website is phenomenal, absolutely sick work, I’m thoroughly excited and terrified to see what is next!

Second of all I rewatched and re-read pretty much everything of Genloss since the start and I’ve got thoughts I want to spill in one place to have them all together, so here goes (thanks for reading if you do!) I will try to keep it chronological:

In “T_1”, the very first video, we are introduced vaguely to a world where history may have been tampered with through generation loss which appears to be some sort of psychology/principle/scientific method probably founded by the Founder, which is taught and used to alter or censor certain events, effectively changing the world with it

With what we know so far I believe this generation loss movement isn’t just the editing and reproducing of versions of media to the point where they’re deformed or altered, but they can actually alter the things people see like our Hero and the other people did within the Social Experiments, to the point where even extreme things like gore can be censored (Charlie on the operating table for example), people can be “brainwashed” or “hijacked” in a way, we also see a brain shape in one of the images with the Genloss logo near it

In opposition to the Genloss party, we have Red Text Person, who seems to be against the whole principle and wants to kill the Founder of this movement

The inauguration in T_2 is either for us the viewer to see how readily available we are to killing other humans through choices on a screen, or it was a procedure that the folks in the Social Experiments went through to become “worthy“ and thus ready for the show

In “Connecting…” we hear that they are looking for individuals and to call if we spot them

In “Connected” we hear about Showfall media for the first time and how they have a missing person’s hotline

In “Connected” we also see a tunnel which I believe to be the use of transportation to either other universes (“One to another”, “one of many”, “look into infinity”) aka generations or simple time travel to other generations

In “Connected” we also have another influence of Red Text Person trying to warn us that we shouldn’t watch the show

In “Announcement” we learn that the missing individuals are all caught by “It”, “everyone but me” according to Red Text Person

Red Text Person at this point seems unsure where their signal is ending up, which is with us

The Social Experiments air live, where I thought Hetch was Red Text Person, but they turned out to not be on our side, having been given a role by the Founder (however voluntarily that may have been)

Ranboo aka the Hero and the others were the “missing individuals” mentioned in the earlier videos, ending up being caught as they are needed for the experiments, perhaps because they were a threat to the founder, rebels against the Genloss movement, or simply cannon fodder to test out what is possible with “infinity” as the Founder says

In “A Message From The Founder” the Founder announces he is creating the Founder’s cut, a “perfect” version of the story

In the meantime we are introduced to Zero’s journal snippets which start surfacing on twitter, however they were written somewhere in the 1900s, despite this we somehow affect her world/time through polls, where we end up blasting happy birthday through her radio

Zero started keeping this diary as result of a treatment / therapy she started due to something that happened 8 months prior, in addition she starts tracking the wild dreams she has as per suggestion of her friend “Jay” who is into the supernatural

Her dreams consist of a field with red sky, an unnatural cave/chasm, a sky rippling like water and crashing into her, a hospital turning into a hallway with a creature chasing her and eventually seeing herself with a wreck against a tree in the same field as before, the tree has a certain symbol etched into it, presumably the Genloss symbol

The wreck could imply the incident that occurred 8 months prior

Zero notes how she hates the uncertain future and how she wishes she could just control everything

Zero works for a store fixing VCRs and helping customers among other things

All shown entries are implied to be written between July 30th - Aigist 15th 19XX (probably late 1900s due to radios and VCRs being a thing)

In “Coming_Soon” another tease of the Founder’s Cut happens, yet notably the Founder mentions that what we are about to see actually happened live, but “just not here”, implying the possibility of a multiverse rather than the time travel situation

In “Again” the Founder clarifies that they made the Founder’s cut by replaying the Social Experiments over and over again until it became a perfect, pure version

The Founder’s Cut is released on YouTube, at the end we are shown a conversation between Miss Roads, aka Zero and her presumed therapist who tells her to keep a journal which is how we learn about Zero’s name and how she started her journaling

In “From The Founder’s Desk” we are introduced to a code in the form of a substitution cipher using newly created symbols that seem to be based off of the Genloss logo, this could be one of Four keys to the Founder’s door as mentioned on twitter, though what the keys are isn’t clear yet

Once translated, the message appears to be a letter from the Founder directed at an unnamed “you”, speaking of how the Founder watched and watched until noticing “you” and how special “you” were, but how “you were not perfect” and how they can and will create something beautiful and perfect

The letter could be referring to some final goal of creating a perfect “story” as mentioned before

In “Welcome to Generation 0” the Founder tells us about being ready to see the real story, the one from his generation, Generation 0 (an alternate universe or timeline?) we only need the keys and the door to get to see it, which will be provided to us in time

In “T_3” we hear the rumblings of a machine and see a red door which we now recognise from the Founder’s Game, Red Text Person shows up again, testifying of having seen people who shouldn’t exist yet do, implying they may have been displaced from their own timeline/universe or censored through generation loss, yet Red Text Person saw them

Red Text Person also refers to an “it” and “not knowing what it is for but I have to stop it”, the it in question could refer to a machine that the Founder uses to do everything they have been doing, or to the principle of Genloss itself

Lastly Red Text Person implies something is coming, but they will try to show us what “they” have done and to who

In “The Fortune Teller” we hear a voice speak of the future being a beautiful thing and then mentioning “the door” asking us if we know what lies beyond it and if we really want to open it, so far this video stumped me as to what it really means, the short sentence of hidden code also hasn’t been decoded with a 100% certainty but we will get there !

In the meantime VHS tapes of the Founder’s cut arrived to those who ordered them, where we were led to the Founder’s Game website, the “beginning” that was planted in our generation being the password to the website

The first part of the Founder’s game has us walk through a hallway, where we encounter the person from the T_2 video before they were killed when you make the “You vs Them” choice

We also see someone vigorously watch and rewind a tape in a room, this could possibly be the founder as they’re working on the Social Experiments at the time as they had not happened yet while T_2 person is still alive

Lastly we are given the option to choose between a Laboratory and Holding Cell B, which we will found out in a week whichever was chosen

Whew this was long! To recap my thoughts a bit concisely, I believe the Founder was the one to introduce/invent the technology used to alter people’s minds using generation loss to replace memories and influence the world they live in. It’s possible that Showfall was created as a company to apply their technology to spread and control media as they liked. If used on a large enough group of people they could effectively control entire worlds. On top of that it is possible time travel or multiversal travel takes place when we see the tunnels in the videos. People are taken “from one to another”, where they were “one of millions”, and get their brains messed with until they “are worthy” to participate in one of the stories.

What could possibly be the goal? Perhaps total control of everything we know, some sadistic story that will be “perfect” to the Founder’s vision. Maybe the freedom to create as many stories as they like. He mentions that the Social Experiments were a literal test to see what is possible with infinity, and that the rabbit hole can go deep with infinite generations, infinite stories. We are shown “his” generation up next and what will be the home of the “perfect” story, so it could be that he just wants to fix his own reality to suit his wishes.

How does Zero fit into this? She experienced some sort of incident leaving her troubled, which leads to her journal entries. She experiences strange dreams and talks of wishing how she could control everything. She deals with VCRs on the regular so she could become the Red Text Person who ends up witnessing “Generation 0” and tries to stop the Founder before things go to shit even more?

That or if you want to go full tragedy, she could somehow become the Founder in an attempt to fix her reality, where she could undo the incident that caused her so much trauma, but needs to practice on other realities first?

Zero is pretty much the biggest question mark to me at the moment, but the scale of the Founder, Showfall media, and their power are getting clearer and clearer, to a terrifying degree!

The timeline is a little wonky now that we are going from “generation 1” to 0 and that we are interacting with things from the past in the Founder’s Game, but I’m sure things will fall into place once it’s all over.

Anyway I could be incredibly wrong about all of this, but I am having an incredible time with all the lore and cannot wait to see where it all leads up to!

See ya!

[mariacallous]

The New Yorker Daily: Why L.A. Became an Immigration Flashpoint

Much of the reporting from Los Angeles has focussed on the protests and military presence downtown. But elsewhere, in surrounding counties, another type of drama is unfolding, one that isn’t so easily captured by sensational imagery that has been circulating online. Enforcement agents with the Department of Homeland Security continue to conduct raids as part of the Trump Administration’s national deportation efforts—doubling down on the very actions that sparked the recent demonstrations in L.A.

A flurry of such raids took place yesterday in Santa Ana, a city in Orange County, not far from Disneyland. The New Yorker contributing writer E. Tammy Kim was on site as protesters gathered outside a federal building, waiting to see if the next vanful of detainees would be brought in. I spoke to Kim about what she saw—and about why the L.A. area, in particular, has become such a flashpoint. Our conversation has been edited and condensed.

Talk to me a little bit about what you saw yesterday. How bad is it?

Around lunchtime, I heard about raids in Santa Ana. A few hundred protesters were assembled outside a federal building, holding signs and chanting. A line of federal agents in mixed uniform stood some yards away. They were holding machine guns and wearing full military-style outfits.

What was it like? How did it compare to downtown?

It was much smaller, of course. Also much more Latino—more than three-fourths of Santa Ana’s population is Latino—and seemingly every passing vehicle honked and yelled. Nearly everyone in this area has immigrants among their family and friends. The protesters had been expecting vans full of detainees to arrive. They had planned to hold up signs providing support and information to detainees who were brought inside.

When the vans didn’t arrive for a while, the crowd moved down toward where federal agents were positioned. At that point, a line of Santa Ana Police Department officers streamed in to where the protesters had been, blocking off one side of the street. When the protesters confronted the federal agents down the block, things got heated. There was yelling and more chanting. A couple of people threw plastic water bottles. They landed very far from the officers, but it was enough to prompt the officers to start shooting what appeared to be pepper-spray balls and flash-bang grenades. While the protesters were distracted, two vans, presumably transporting detainees, entered the driveway of the federal building, right by the line of Santa Ana police.

By early evening, there were only about a dozen officers and a couple hundred protesters still there. The crowd moved into a nearby park to avoid further trouble.

Do you have any sense of why these raids in particular have become such a flashpoint?

Raids are a constant in many immigrant communities. But, yesterday morning, federal agents showed up outside Home Depot locations; there were federal vehicles clustered in a parking lot. There was a sense that Homeland Security wanted to pick up a lot of people at once.

Officials say these detainees are the “worst of the worst.” Does that track with what you’re hearing?

The head of ICE, Tom Homan, pointed out that a criminal warrant was the basis for a workplace raid in L.A. But, in Southern California and across the country, federal agents have started to detain immigrants in courthouses who are just trying to fulfill their legal appointments. They’re picking up people in public spaces who they suspect are immigrants without papers. Trump likes to say that he’s targeting bad, criminal immigrants. But, in many raids, agents seem to be making no distinction between criminal and civil immigration violations.

Why L.A.? And why now?

Trump has been battling California for some time. Even before his Inauguration, when Southern California was on fire, he attacked the governor, Gavin Newsom, for his water-management policies, and later held a testy press conference with L.A.’s mayor, Karen Bass. Last week, Trump threatened to pull more federal funding from the state.

Trump wants to make numbers on his deportation promises, and California is a proud immigrant state. So the Administration apparently sees an opportunity to ramp up its raids and set up a spectacular conflict with one of its least favorite states, all at once.

For more: read E. Tammy Kim’s dispatch from L.A., where Trump’s deportation agenda has met its fiercest resistance yet.