#I was proven wrong and now I suffer the consequences

[nade2308]

Jack's reaction to us deciding we did in fact like the movie version of him

@thethistlegirl @malewifebillcage

[imagitory]

I've never been more heartbroken in my life.

I was gobsmacked in 2016, don't get me wrong. I was devastated and frightened and shaken beyond words. I even had to go behind a wall and collect myself at one point that horrible November 9th, 2016, after colliding with a man wearing a red MAGA hat at work. A good chunk of us at work talked amongst ourselves about it, offering each other comfort.

But this? This is different. I could imagine dumb people making excuses for voting for Trump in 2016 -- saying that they thought a businessman would be good for the economy, saying that they wanted someone who wasn't a "Washington insider" like Hilary Clinton. Sure, it was stupid, but people can be stupid. Quite frankly, a lot of people are stupid, in this country and otherwise.

But now? Anyone who voted for Trump now has voted for a man who not only rounded up immigrants and put them in concentration camps separated from their families; bungled the response to COVID-19 so badly that the American death toll easily surpassed every other country on Earth; has poisoned the Supreme Court to the extent that they overturned years of precedence with Roe V. Wade and has basically given Trump cart-blanche to do whatever he wants while he's president; was the first president in history to refuse to concede on election day; was impeached for crimes in office not once but TWICE; was instrumental to and passionately supportive of the full-on attempted coup at the U.S. capitol on January 6, 2021 that could've very easily resulted in the deaths of his own Vice President and multiple members of Congress; has spoken glowingly of despots like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un and even said he will be "a dictator on day one" if elected again; has both used slogans originally used by modern American Neo-Nazis ("America First") and purportedly told one of his ex-subordinates that he wanted generals like Adolf Hitler's...but also has by the day proven more and more just how mentally inept, vindictive, and mean-spirited he truly is.

And unlike in his previous races, Trump is ahead in the popular vote too. We can't just blame this on the electoral college being antiquated and gerrymandered AF like in the Trump-Clinton or Bush-Gore elections. Even if all of the third-party voters in this country had grown a bloody brain cell and voted for Harris so as to show solidarity against Trump and his form of American fascism, it still somehow wouldn't be enough. We could potentially blame this on lower voter turn-out -- according to what I'm seeing so far, even with all the votes not counted in this race yet, it looks like there were far less votes cast this election than in the last one, though likely still more than the 2016 race. But even so, I don't think that's the only problem. I truly think there were just a lot of people who turned out en-masse to vote for Trump. And all I can think in regards to those people is...

This is beyond stupidity or even selfishness. This is cruelty. This is large swaths of people deciding that they want fellow American citizens to suffer -- because in their minds, if those people suffer, that'll somehow make them happy. This is a large chunk of America saying, "yeah, you know all that crap about 'liberty and justice for all'? Screw that, I want a 'strong man' to bully people different from me for my own amusement." And -- perhaps -- there's also an element of feeling like their vote doesn't really have any consequences for them, so why should they care if the man they voted for is a god-awful person? It's not like that man will hurt them.

I had hoped. I had hoped, seeing the outpouring of support from liberals, independents, and conservatives for Harris/Walz. I'd hoped, seeing how many ex-Trump appointees were standing up against him, how much people were shouting their disdain for Project 2025 from the rooftops, and how many women were protesting in the face of Roe V. Wade being overturned. I truly had started to hope that America would prove we'd grown beyond our country's own original sin -- how our United States preached freedom for all while still being built on the backs of slaves and refusing to grant a vote to over half their population -- by electing a smart, successful, charismatic woman of color who sees our country as great in potential and wants us to pursue that potential as our first female president, rather than backtracking all the slow progress we've made over the last 200+ years.

But now...my hope has faded. My heart is in pieces and the world is so dark. I hardly know how I'll function at work tomorrow, even if I know somehow, I have to try. We'll all have to stand somehow. Somehow, someway...we'll have to find the strength. We'll have to stand, and we'll have to keep moving forward, even when it feels like we're a Little Mermaid walking on knives.

We'll have to stand.

[vickyvicarious]

It seems like the general first impression was "The Demeter crew is suffering and sleepless and dying, while Mina is having a nice sightseeing vacation", but... Doesn't it seem less of a contrast than that?

Lucy's now increasingly odder sleepwalking was there from day one of Mina's arrival, making Mina sleepless. While the crew sleeps with one eye open.

Even on the first day on Whitby, Mina was taking about death and lost ships. While the crew was beginning to lose men. Mina and Mr Swales talk about tombstones and suicide. While the First Mate jumps to his death.

*Mina voice*: the reports of my hot girl summer have been greatly exaggerated...

You're onto something here, definitely. Of course, in the original book, we don't see anything from the Demeter until a little ways into Mina's stay, so it (re)reads as more foreshadowing than it seems like a parallel, but that's one of the really fun things to notice in the daily format! I'm reminded of Lucy's three suitors and her letters about looking into her mirror coming so soon on the heels of Jonathan's encounter with the three vampire women and with his mirror getting broken.

I never noticed just how much a lot of Mina's storyline here lines up so well with the Demeter though. And now that I'm thinking about it... There's a bunch of those kinds of connections!

Of course, there are overall ones. Like you said, Lucy's sleepwalking begins right away, and it robs Mina of her sleep. Meanwhile, the crew of the Demeter are kept awake by storms, by double-watches, by having to pick up the work that no one else is left to do. But though that's pretty overarching, there are also some moments that line up really well. For example, July 27: "Lucy walks more than ever, and each night I am awakened by her moving about the room." and July 28: "Four days in hell, knocking about in a sort of maelstrom, and the wind a tempest. No sleep for any one. Men all worn out."

Then there are Mina's conversation with Mr. Swales, especially the latter one with its talk of suicide, of going to hell - only two days before the mate leaps to his death rather than allow Dracula to get his soul. Mr. Swales also parallels the first mate a bit in being, as Mina says, "a most dictatorial person in his day" and very insistent that there's nothing supernatural going on, though as yet he's not been proven so terribly wrong about that the way the first mate was.

On July 24, Mina says there is "a buoy with a bell, which swings in bad weather, and sends in a mournful sound on the wind. They have a legend here that when a ship is lost bells are heard out at sea." That same day the Demeter is approaching more bad weather, and later on they get lost in the fog. (Though we never get mention of any bell ringing.)

Mrs. Westenra is afraid of Lucy's sleepwalking because she "has got an idea that sleep-walkers always go out on roofs of houses and along the edges of cliffs and then get suddenly wakened and fall over with a despairing cry that echoes all over the place." On August 2, the captain is awoken by a cry that sounds close, but which he cannot see the source of in the fog. The next day, the mate runs up onto the deck crying out after being figuratively 'wakened' to the true horror of who he's up against just before he leaps over the side of the ship. Also on August 3, Lucy goes about searching for the key so she can get out, and the mate went searching through the boxes in the hold. He clearly found what he was looking for, and it had terrible consequences; if Lucy finds what she seeks in her sleepwalking, what might happen to her?

And, one that I can't believe never occurred to me before... Mina's not only worried about Lucy, of course. She's very afraid for Jonathan. Because he, much like the men on the Demeter, has vanished unseen. He went off to his work (on watch/work trip) and hasn't been seen since. Even when she hears from him, it's brief and she can sense the letter is uncharacteristic of him, short and lacking detail. The reason, though she doesn't know it, is of course that Dracula stopped him from saying anything else/more. Jonathan's real sentiments and words were 'lost in the fog' so to speak (the false trail laid by the letters being the metaphorical fog here). It reminds me of the one sailor's cry that awoke the captain. And even with that, she's still waiting for more word of him and should have had it by this point. But he's simply gone.

It's not endless horrors for Mina at the moment, but the ominous tone is certainly building over time despite more positive moments happening too. To use a weather metaphor, more and more stormclouds have been gathering over time, looming threateningly overhead. And it looks an awful lot like the weather Dracula brought to the Demeter.

[wackpedion]

My Analysis of MSI's Royally Fucked

This is going to be a look into Mindless Self Indulgence's song Royally Fucked through the lense of it being about csa (child sexual abuse), if such themes are uncomfortable or triggering this may not be for you

before I begin, I will note that I will be using they/them pronouns to refer to the perspective presented in the song. This is because I don't know if Jimmy Urine is a victim of csa, I don't think he's ever commented on it and for all I know this is a song simply in the perspective/character of someone who did experience it, and its frankly not my business to speculate on his personal life and so I am keeping it ambigious when talking about the views expressed in this song.

Now let us begin, starting with the first verse:

They start off with cursing out some unnamed figure (likely their abuser), right off the bat painting a negative and hateful picture. And then there is the next line, which I think is very significant in setting the tone for the song

"Mom, Dad, why don't you finger me too?" Always sticks out to me when listening to the song, for how gross weird and especially overt it is. To me I think it signals a warped mindset they have from past abuse, that a similiar trusted adult authority figure has hurt them in the past and so such thoughts come to mind. If such a person has done something like that to them, why wouldn't there parents? It wouldn't be so abnormal or shocking.

Then follows the chorus, which is quite self deprecating.

The "I will never be young" line I think refers to how, as a child they never really got to be a child because of the abuse and trauma they suffered through, this is especially relevant to csa in where victims are subjected to adult things, and often told or made to feel more 'adult' (e.g. "you're so mature for your age"). And now having grown up to be an adult that window of time to be a child is closed and gone forever. They will never get to be young.

"I will never be loved" is a self deprecating thought that often derives from low self esteem, which is common among abuse victims. It is then followed by "I will never be wrong", which is a statement in relation to the past lines, stating that they won't or dont think these statements will be proven wrong. They won't ever be young, and they won't ever be loved, and they're not wrong for thinking that.

"I am royally fucked" refers to how they're fucked in the head from the abuse and trauma, and also how their current life is a mess because of the complications from all of that.

Onto verse two, it starts off with "love it, love it, love it, love it, you son of a bitch". To me it sounds like it's about how the perpretator took pleasure in the victims abuse, and how they hold further resentment for them for that.

Now this is where it gets interesting, "All of them dead now, let me be the same". I believe this has a sort of double meaning. For one the more literal one, in that the people who hurt and aided in their abuse are dead now, and they wish to die too. Suicidal feelings are common among victims of abuse. However I interpret this to be a sort of metaphor of sorts for moving on.

"All of them dead now" being that these people are gone, and they got to move on from what happened. Whether it be the more literal interpretation in that they got to leave what happened behind in/through death, or simply being gone and removed from the victims life and not having to suffer consequences for what happened, being as good as dead. The victim wants to be able to move past what happened too, "let me be the same", but is unable to, as shown by the line "fall on my knees" which invokes imagery of a broken down, vulnerable weak person.

The chorus follows and then there is this bridge

"Don't let them see me now, don't let them see me like this" expressing that they don't want anyone to see them as they are being now in the song, broken down and vulnerable. After this a final round of the chorus plays, reiterating their self deprecating thoughts.

And that concludes my analysis, I have been listening to this song on loop for several days and I wanted to put my thoughts down to share.

Some tags for the people who expressed interest in seeing my interpretation/analysis:

@ilovebeatingmywife @sourbombz @shinigamichan @infinitebearrreblogz @msi-obsessive

[kedreeva]

Sorry about the color mix up. I appreciate the reply and additional info! I guess bc I know nothing about peafowl (and the fact i dont breed any type of animal), I'm having a hard time understanding how being sterile would be unethical. I do somewhat get the shortened life span. I really would like to understand this, I just sometimes need stuff explained like I'm 5.

Up front, there's no "somewhat get" to a shortened lifespan being caused by a mutation in captive populations. If an animal is capable of living 20+ years (and some live 30+ or even 40+!) and some non-essential mutation is causing them to live 7-9 years, it's flat out absolutely unethical to breed that mutation, full stop, regardless of anything else going on. That's indicative of a MAJOR problem in their genetics. There's NO ethical reason to breed that because humans like how it looks. So, even without the sterility, these birds would 100% be unethical to produce.

The short answer on sterility is this: we don't know WHY they are sterile, but they shouldn't be, and that means something has gone wrong. When something goes wrong with an animal, and it's something genetic that can be passed on, the ONLY responsible and ethical thing for a breeder to do is to stop using that animal for breeding and closely monitor any already-produced offspring for signs of the problem, and likely not breed them, either.

The longer more complicated answer is this: sometimes it's possible to separate the problem from the aesthetic when it comes to morphs, like it was for cameo + blindness, but sometimes it's NOT, like it wasn't for spider + head wobble for ball pythons. In those instances, it's... difficult. Because you're LIKELY going to produce animals that suffer the same problem as their parent(s), in the attempt to separate the problem from the aesthetic, and sometimes that's ALL you're going to produce. As a breeder, it's your absolute responsibility to NOT release the offspring into the general population, where the problem may be replicated without control, and to keep or cull the affected individuals if the problem cannot be separated from the aesthetic, or AT BEST find them guaranteed pet-only homes that will NEVER breed them.

Sometimes the problem IS purely aesthetic or harmless, like it was for pied in peafowl, and sometimes it's not, like it was for vitiligo in peafowl. The problem comes when you ASSUME a mutation is the first, and treat it like the first when it's really the second. This has caused FAR reaching consequences in the peafowl community, and I'm sure in others, where now the autoimmune disease that first bronze had has been passed into genpop by folks who thought they were breeding a harmless new variation of pied. Hybrid animals are often sterile (not in peafowl though, hybrid cristatus-muticus birds are fertile) because of a mismatch in chromosome pairing numbers, and often that's harmless. So, in some cases sterility is not an issue because it's the expected result or is otherwise harmless... but in the case of peafowl, it's NOT an expected result and we don't know if it's caused by something harmless or not.

Some species, like mice and horses and cattle and dogs, genetic testing and DNA mapping done with millions of dollars has proven that while some stuff isn't purely aesthetic, it also doesn't cause harm to the animal in a way that affects quality of life or that can be adapted for in captive care. For example, in chickens, the frizzle gene causes curled feathers in single copy and an absence of feathers in double copy. This gene is considered ethical to produce IF the breeding is done responsibly by putting a single copy bird over a zero copy bird, which produces smooth coats and frizzle coats, but it is unethical to produce double frizzles (called "frazzles") because frazzles cannot thermoregulate, can easily sunburn, and easily suffer skin injury during normal chicken activity.

For peafowl, we have NO genetic testing. We do not have the genome mapped. As far as I know there's a research group working on it (mostly for green peafowl though, in conservation efforts), but that's not remotely finished or available to the public to test anything. We don't know where any of the morph mutations sit, or what is causing them or if they do anything beyond just change the color. Sometimes color mutations are the result of malfunctions in enzymes. For charcoal specifically, we don't know what the mutation does, besides what we can observe on the outside- the birds have half or less the lifespan of normal birds, poor feather quality, and the hens are sterile. Is the sterility harmless like it is in some hybrid animals, or is it actually a major organ failing? Is it the only major organ that fails due to this mutation, or is it just the first sign of their shortened lives? Is it some deficiency in something the birds need to be healthy? Does it hurt the bird? We don't know, but we do know the mutation and the problems (multiple, please do NOT forget that this is one OF MORE THAN ONE problems) can't be separated, and so until we do know why and whether it's harmless or not, the ONLY ethical response to seeing a problem in a major organ's function linked inextricably to a mutation in color is to not propagate that mutation. If someone wanted to fork over the millions it takes to sequence and map genomes and then determine exactly what is going on with peafowl, that would be nice and good, but I don't see that happening. When I win the lottery big, I'll be doing it, but til then we can only follow normal breeding guidelines

Also, to put this into perspective... peafowl mature sexually around 3 years old. They are chicks until the turn of the new year following their hatch. They are yearlings that year, and immature 2yo next year. They aren't actually considered fully grown until 6 years old, and should live another 14+ years. Charcoal birds die a 1-3 years after full maturity. Is it a coincidence that they fail to thrive shortly after full sexual maturity, or is it linked? Again, we don't know. We don't know if the sterility is fine or if it's just a symptom of something worse.

Even without the sterility, though, charcoal has enough issues it would be unethical. If it was JUST sterility, with no other deleterious effects, then maybe it would be different. But it's not.

[eucatastrophicblues]

The problem I have with the attitudes in American Catholicism is that they’re cowardly, and hypocritical, and built upon this frustrating double-edged sword of “I don’t actually want the consequences of my actions to happen BUT I don’t want to change the way I vote”, and no one seems to want to face that. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that the reason they voted Republican is because of abortion, because they believe abortion is murder. Okay. Murder is bad, we agree on that. Now, what about environmental degradation through pollution that causes pediatric cancers? What about the campaigns on the right to delegitimize and ban vaccines? What about the dismantling of social safety nets and anti-welfare attitudes? What about the hatred for the homeless, or the insistence that they jump through hoops to access resources that are not good enough? What about the privatization of government agencies that service the vulnerable? What about civil forfeiture and police brutality?

All those things are murderous too. You’re voting for the party that’s for them.

Okay, you say, but those things don’t directly cause the murder of children. Except they do. Take a peek at infant mortality rates before our robust food and drug safety standards and widely accessible vaccines. Congrats! That’s what you voted for.

For the past eight years I’ve been told by countless Republican Catholics and Christians that voting red didn’t really mean they’d go after Roe v Wade, that voting red didn’t actually mean that the kinds of utterly horrific human suffering that pop up in countries with a total abortion ban would happen. “This isn’t really going to happen,” they say. “But we have to vote for it anyway!” They want to lose, because they want to continue protesting and continue feeling like moral exemplars but they don’t actually want to face the fact that they might have voted in a tyrant. They don’t even personally care about abortions - pro-life activists reliably get abortions all the time, while loudly insisting that this doesn’t actually make them pro-choice. They also coerce people in their lives to get abortions all the time. This movement wasn’t started to save babies. It was started to convince gullible Christians to vote for tyrants.

None of you want to believe that you’ve voted for someone evil. You say “oh, I’m a sinner” and wring your hands in a self-shielding, self-soothing way. You twist yourselves into knots to acknowledge that you’re imperfect while professing lies (I’m not responsible for what that man does if he’s elected, I voted for a single issue and my choice should only have that consequence, I’m not culpable if I’m just wrong about what happens, God doesn’t care about elections) because you can’t face that you, yourselves, with your own hands, did this.

You are the cause of tens of millions of mental health spirals. You are the reason people are frantically passing around suicide prevention hotlines. You are responsible for the panicked and desperate prayers for impossible salvation coming from the mouths of countless frantic Americans of all stripes. Your choices have caused several people I know to plan to flee the country. You have increased the amount of human suffering in the world.

It’s your responsibility and your duty as a Christian to face that. To own that. To take it before the throne of the Most High and ask for forgiveness. You don’t get to say we’re all exaggerating. You don’t get to say we’re panicking for no reason. Republicans tried to overthrow the government in a violent coup. The other side is begging their friends not to commit suicide.

You caused this. You caused it because you thought that the hypothetical deaths of hypothetical children (who, because you voted for Republicans even though state constitutions have been AMENDED TO GUARANTEE ABORTION ACCESS as a direct result of Republican policies, can be proven to not actually matter to you!) were more morally vital than the real deaths of real people happening right now.

[notstilinski]

She Started It Starters !

Taken from the 2023 novel by Sian Gilbert, She Started It! Some of these have already been edited. You can change them however you see fit! Potential trigger warnings include violence/murder, substance abuse, self-harm, etc.

“I’m not going to turn down a free first-class flight and stay on a private island.” 

“The problem with you, (Name), is you’ve always felt like the past doesn’t matter because it’s over. You don’t think about how actions always have consequences. You’re too focused on yourself and not focused enough on other people.”

“I don’t think we should go. This seems a bit suspicious to me.”

“Who’s carrying anything around? I’m not.”

“Maybe they actually earned their way there without connections.”

“Desperate enough to be loved by anyone. You always were greedy.”

“I don’t think I like (Name).”

“Haven’t the past two years proven just what I’m doing out of the goodness of my heart?”

“Never mind. I was just being a bitch.”

“I know you were joking, but don’t do anything like that again.”

“You’d say if there was anything wrong, wouldn’t you?”

“This isn’t how you start a conversation. It’s how you start a war.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m used to being the butt of a joke anyway, so if they try anything I’ll recognize it in a second.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll kill them at school, just you wait.”

“What part of ‘leave me alone’ don’t you understand?”

“They’re dead. I’m going to kill them.”

“Not if I kill them first. To sending that bitch to hell!”

“Could we do it? Would anyone even care if they… never came home?”

“We need to look for them. Search the island. Just in case they’re hurt somewhere.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would someone come and just hurt (Name).”

“Hey, you only need to look around this room to see how talented you are.”

“If someone confesses to murdering (Name), maybe we can help you cover it up.”

“Ah, yes, they just picked themselves up after all that blood pouring out of her and took themselves on a nice little walk.”

“You sneak into my room and you’re the one asking me questions?”

“Christ, (Name). You’re scared of me, aren’t you?”

“You don’t have to like someone to care about their murder!”

“We just have to make it until morning. (Name) is coming first thing. We just have to survive the night.”

“I tried to! None of you would listen. None of you wanted to talk about the past. You all pretended like nothing ever happened.”

“Rather you than me. Close the door behind you.”

“I’m sorry. I was a complete idiot, like (Name) says. I’m selfish. I only think about me. And I guess I’ve always been jealous of you.”

“I deserve them. Look at what we did to (Name). I deserve everything they’ve ever done to me.”

“We all kept things from each other. And I know better than most that we can all do terrible things.”

“I’m so done with this. (Name) deserved to die anyway.”

“Sorry, that was mean of me. I don’t mean to be such a bitch all the time.”

“We can’t have (Name) suffering. Not the leader of our gang.”

“If that were the case, why are you still alive?”

“You can’t be here. You’re dead.”

“Thinking about stabbing me in the back, (Name)? Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I think the butcher thought I was some kind of cultist. He didn’t ask too many questions.”

“Something can be edgy and controversial and still within the rules, you know.”

“Did you think that was going to be a fresh start for you, is that it? A please where no one would know about poor little (Name)?”

“Things will get better. I believe you when you say it wasn’t you.”

“So you’re the one who gets all the attention at the moment and I’m still doing favors for you?”

“I forced myself to watch the entire thing. What struck me most was the sheer joy you all got out of it.”

“(Name) killed themselves the day after  they told them they deserved to die.”

“Even right now, after everything, you’re still thinking about how you’re going to kill me before I can kill you. Isn’t that right?”

[lovecanbesostrange]

X-Men '97 keeps being amazing. Now one more episode to nail it all. Not gonna put everything in tags, so let me ramble on about Tolerance is Extinction Part 2:

What I love most already is that every decision makes absolute sense from a character's pov. Which kinda is the most important thing. Tensions are running high, emotions are cranked up to 11 and some words hit like very painful slaps. But everything makes sense. And this isn't about one character being totally right and the other being totally wrong (except Bastion of course, the ultimate villain and all).

Oh yeah, starting with him. When he cries in the opening you want to spit on him. He is responsible for all the suffering the Prime Sentinels - including his mother - are going through. But wow, when he says that everything is silent, because the blackout has killed all electricity and in that moment Bastion knows a new kind of peace? Great. Jumping ahead here, gonna be honest. If my great plan to save the world would hinge on putting some tech on my very powerful oponent, I would put the teleporter on that team. I'm not saying this lightly. I love Second Coming very much and the panels of Nightcrawler's death in X-Force #26 still haunt me. So I don't want my precious Elf anywhere near Bastion, but... I mean... he has the best chance to use the element of surprise, while Jean would deal with a powerful distraction. Which didn't happen because of Sinister, but from a planning stage Kurt was more needed there. He didn't even go up against Rogue in space to hammer on the connection there.

Now, I'm glad to see that Magneto's worldwide EMP does have consequences. This is however the second thing I'm a tiny bit miffed about. Thousands upon thousands people are probably dead because of this total blackout. Just think about every ICU in any hospital anywhere just for starters. And the truth is, Magneto did kill mutants with that move as well. He sure saved some by shutting down the Sentinels, yes, but also mutants are definitely among the... collateral damage. And this is where "Magneto is right" is very important to me. I think a lot of people like to run with that slogan, but don't see that what Magneto is right about is his fear. Not his methods. Charles is too idealistic, believing in the very best of humankind to win. He is too naive. Magneto is proven right over and over. And that is a sad thing, nothing empowering about it.

What I like is how Erik describes his feelings, how he focuses on Leech. That little mutant boy clinging to him in his final moments. Who believed that Erik could save him... Magneto's anger makes sense. Ultimately his actions fall under cool-motif-still-murder, but oh the motif is heartbreaking (I will not steer into real world territory and the topic of radicalization).

So Rogue is my fav. She is my absolute favorite character in any superhero comic I have ever read. She is one of my top tier alltime favorite characters in anything ever. I have been with her through a lot with so many writers and so much bs... AND I ENJOYED EVERY SECOND OF HER THIS EPISODE!!! Starting with the costume, which is just asdksdnfälsdmrfäüwe4foip34jtfpowmf I LIVE for her green hoodie outfits, from her villain era to later variations. To step away from THE 90s costume (which was put back in the comics, because it is her most iconic look), uhuhuhuhuhuhuhu I knew something was up. Again I do believe that ultimately Magneto is doing far more harm than good, but I understand why Rogue went with him. The one unfair thing was that Kurt was actually there with her on Genosha. He even saved Magneto and Rogue from a blast. But she kinda ignored him and adressed everybody else. But the one thing she's been living with is that yes, she chose Magneto when offered to be with him on Genosha as his chosen Queen. BUT romantically after that dance and kiss, her heart chose Remy. And poor Gambit died without even knowing. I am very happy with how they retconned the whole prior Rogue and Magneto encounter into it all. His dreams of a mutant island nation and Rogue wanting to see such a place. For a few minutes they had all of that on Genosha. It would have meant to leave the X-Men. Which would have been interesting. To leave behind her spot on the superhero team, but Kurt was part of Genosha, also Madelyne. I like the way they greeted each other in Ep 5. Rogue was ready to change the whole direction of her life once again -- even though her heart definitely belonged to Gambit. And then there was death everywhere.

I like that Rogue and Cyclops both question the Professor, but come to different conclusions on how to deal with it. I have to say it, while it was fun when the whole stick of Professor Xavier training a few mutant teens was examined more and the dark underbelly of what he was doing was revealed, it was refreshing. But a part of me is soooooooooo over all the shady-Charles-stuff over the years (ugh, Krakoa... DUDE). The character was crushed under the weight of his pursuit of peace. I like when there is some nuance and a spotlight on how he is the embodiment of "meaning well". One person alone can't fix everything. Humans (mutants) make mistakes. All this to say I liked the talk Charles and Scott had. That Charles believed so much that his old friend Erik could be persuaded to try (he was right, it did take a whole genocide to push him over the edge, that's something) and that this sorta betrayal would push a door open for Scott and Jean to walk away. To have a life. He acknowledges that he put so much burden on them... but he miscalculated. Scott can't walk away from responsibilities. He couldn't sit back and raise a son when the world was still on fire (even if nothing bad had happened with Nathan). It's too late. Charles already raised him to care.

When Roberto stepped forward to go with Magneto I wasn't surprised. He hid his powers for so long, always in fear of what his parents might say - and they fucking let the Sentinels take him. Wow. Of course he feels betrayed and this peaceful talk from the X-Men... it's hard to not choose violence. But it was even better that when the time to fight came, it was clear he never wanted to hurt Jubilee. Or really any of the others. Not when he knows people. And oh, poor Jubilee, burned up his card (Claremont Avenue, I saw that XD ), because of course from her perspictive he's just being dumb.

I have a question about that Muir Island base - do the mannequins for Cyclops and Wolverine have wigs under those masks? Who sat down and made those for Storm, Jean and Rogue?? Also kinda funny to see those costumes, when... well Rogue was already wearing a version of that. (AND SHE WORE GAMBIT'S COAT THAT SHE LEFT BEHIND OMG THE FEELINGS I HAVE...)

Anyway, Storm and Jean - the mutant wives!!!!! Aaaaahhhh, even more feels. Storm was... not treated well this season. I mean the depowering story is great, but she was missing from so much stuff, that was terrible. But when she is on screen, she is her best version, love it. And I also loved how angry she was when the tech to take away a mutant's power was mentioned. So personal. This is the true meaning of "wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy". A Goddess! With this Storm it's even possible to portray someone who is Lawful Good to a fault.

And then they casually pull Fatal Attractions out of the hat. Well, parallels work before that. Gambit's death compared to Illyana's in the comics, so Rogue takes Colossus' place. And now Wolverine had the displeasure of the adamantium being ripped from his skeleton. Fuck. They used so many storylines this season (for the record, I am waiting for Apocalypse and am also in the camp of people who believe he might bring Gambit back as Death).

So many things happened. Morph as Hulk was a treat. That they are able to copy physical traits, thus powers, makes them S-tier. And yet, I would have put Kurt in that spot. That Morph thought disguising themself as Sinister would get them close was sorta funny. "that cowardly weasel would never"

Then there was Jean vs Sinister and Cable. AND HOW SHE TALKED TO CYCLOPS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The emotional pummeling left and right...

But really it's great that everybody has a reason for what they are saying and doing. Including Wolverine, being the best at what he does - a SNIKT in the back when the fight is too dire. Although killing Magneto is a problem if you want to save earth (yes, hallo, Polaris, we could need your help).

[shadowmaat]

Neuralemon

I am filled with dread. The first human test subject has been implanted with Melon Husk's brain chip. They have survived, inasmuch as detecting a "neuron spike" implies some level of aliveness. I sincerely wish them all the best, whether that's a full recovery or a painless death.

I understand the importance of medically-implanted devices to help improve someone's life (pacemakers, bionic eyes, neuromodulation devices for epilepsy, etc). I agree that they're important. However, I've also heard stories of, for example, companies going out of business and leaving the owners of those implants without any chance of software upgrades, tech support, or support of any kind. If someone's implant glitches or stops working, there's little anyone can do to help. There are so many ways that things could go wrong, even if a company has ethical intentions.

When a company only cares about maximizing profit and will cut as many corners as they can, well. It gets grimmer. And when the CEO of that company has proven over and over again he has no idea what he's doing (other than making money) and won't listen to the smart people he hires to run his businesses for him? A brain chip exploding or burning the flesh around it is not outside the realm of possibilities. I also wouldn't be surprised if it gets turned into some kind of subscription service: if you want your chip to continue working, you'll pay up or suffer the consequences. What happens if there are connectivity issues, as happens frequently with his cars? What kind of support network will users have, especially once the trials are over? And if the company folds, what then? Do people have until whenever the chip fizzles out to enjoy the benefits of its use and then they revert back to whatever state they were in before? Does he cut them off immediately? Will he have his people go in to remove the chips so no one can "steal" proprietary data? That's IF the chips even do what they're supposed to, which is a pretty huge IF.

I'm appalled that the FDA gave the go-ahead for this, but not overly surprised. Their credibility has been on a steady decline for a while, now. E-lon's was never high to start and just keeps digging itself deeper into the sewage.

May the gods help the recipients of these chips, because E-lon sure won't.

[688199]

The potential of morality and power corruption as themes in the early concepts of Miraculous Ladybug

in the ever first bible, there’s one particular difference regarding kwamis that stands out.

it’s the fact that kwamis only grant wishes of the user.

those that hide behind anonymity tend to do evil as their identities are no longer tied to their actions. this is a well known fact which has been proven many times in the real world. it’s also known that those in power, or have power, tend to fall into corruption.

in early miraculous, kwamis basically do that. they give users power, and it is up to the user themselves to choose what they can use this power for. good? or evil? is the question. and what defines good/ evil? kwamis are essentially the catalysts in bringing out one’s own morality, forcing them to confront it face to face and question themselves: what do i do?

it presents moral dilemmas and the complexity behind morality, when paired with anonymity and power. unlike current miraculous ladybug in which everything is more black and white.

for example, a person might start out wishing to right the wrongs of their past, giving them the ability to time travel. but in trying to change the past, they alter the future for the worse. are they good? or are they bad? both? or neither?

in another example, a person might start out wishing to be strong so that they can stand up against bullies. but upon receiving super strength, they become corrupted and become the tormentor, what they used to fear.

in a last example, a person might also start out wishing bitterly to make everyone in the world suffer like they have, in poverty, hence granting them the ability to manipulate the weather so that crops will dry, and people would suffer. however, they realise the consequences of their actions and instead use them for good.

ladybug isn’t being a hero because she’s “destined” and “chosen” to be one. ladybug is a hero because she wants to use her powers to help others. similarly, chat noir is a hero, despite having powers of destruction and starting out only having powers for freedom, because he ends up wanting to do things for the greater good.

their justice aligned moral compass overcomes the temptation of abuse that their power comes with. the fact they can easily fall into corruption yet they don’t is what makes them respectable heroes because their actions aren’t influenced by anything except themselves and what they believe in.

i think this makes for a far greater lesson than whatever miraculous is doing right now.

“feeling emotions, both negative and positive, is perfectly fine, but it’s what you do with those emotions that is most important.” vs “don’t feel negative emotions or else you’ll hurt people around you!!!” (is basically what i get from miraculous ladybug)

[pyropsychiccollector]

Natsu Harem: Fairy GET! 7/14

I haven't forgotten about this series. (人◕ω◕) We're hitting the midway point.

Brandish Mu. (人◕ω◕) Yes, we've got another enemy to reform here~...

When did they meet?

Brandish... is pretty straightforward, honestly. She's probably the last of the harem to arrive. So not a lot of history is being changed so much... Just maybe some events in Alvarez arc. (人◕ω◕)

They met on Caracole Island, when Team Natsu went to rescue Makarov, who went to Alikitasia to negotiate. (人◕ω◕) Nothing really changes in these opening parts. Why would things be different? They're a part of rival continents. And Zeref is gearing up for war. ... Not that Brandish knows that yet. She just wanted her gelatos, and the stand ended up getting destroyed. Brandish's whole day is ruined. (人◕ω◕)

She shrinks Marin to square things with the Fairy Tail wizards, who are incited about Marin attacking them... And then she shrinks the whole island and gives them the warning to not go to Alvarez, if they know what's good for them. Brandish might be lazy, but she's loyal to her home. (人◕ω◕)

Events are quick to spiral after that. They manage to save Makarov and get back home.... But Alvarez catches up pretty quick and begins invading.

When did they get closer?

It's a bit of a typical "prisoner becomes smitten by the enemy" scenario. ... Although. Well. (人◕ω◕) Brandish is still loyal to her homeland. Even after hearing about the truth of her mum's death. Even after growing close to Natsu and Lucy... Brandish refuses to fight Alvarez, but she'll at least talk to August. Try to.

Here's where I'll shake things up a bit. Cuz... Let's be honest. Mest should have never been allowed to tag along with Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Brandish. (人◕ω◕)*** Yes, Mest. Let's use Brandish as a Trojan Horse and try killing the most powerful member of Zeref's army... I'm sure that won't come with consequences. Especially after he just said he would try hearing them out because of Brandish.

... None of that paranoia in my house, no sir. (人◕ω◕)*** Makarov was competent and kept Mest away from those negotiations, seeing how worked up Mest was. Yes, it did risk Natsu and Lucy... But Natsu has proven himself time and again, and Makarov has seen people turn themselves around for the better - Gajeel, Laxus, Sabertooth... So the Guildmaster sees no harm in giving Brandish a chance.

This gives August an opportunity to speak with not just Brandish, but Natsu as well. Now, don't get the wrong idea - much like Brandish, August holds too much loyalty to Zeref and Alvarez. He's not about to turn about-face and go against Zeref's orders. He's still rather disapproving of Brandish being hesitant in this war. ... However, August can tell the kind of person that Natsu is. Even Lucy. Yes, they're adamant of fighting until the last man, but they refuse to kill their enemies.

And it gets August thinking about who Natsu is to him... Though strange, Natsu is technically his Uncle. As well as August's father's greatest weapon, and preferred method of suicide... But with the mindset Natsu has right now, he's not about to go and fulfill Zeref's longstanding wish. August also has doubts that Natsu has the strength or wherewithal to end Acnologia... Still, he can see Natsu's spirit firsthand. Even when August oozes with killing intent to see if Natsu would back down, turn and flee... Natsu doesn't.

August finds himself in this peculiar position of wanting to keep their rather odd family together. ... Even if that wish runs counter to his father's desires. If they could find a way to deal with Acnologia, to end his father's suffering without killing him... If August could finally meet his mother... If he could keep Brandish happy for a little longer... For these reasons, August is willing to keep Fairy Tail alive long enough to "negotiate" with His Majesty... Although he highly doubts Zeref will listen in his current state. Nevertheless, his talks with Natsu, Lucy, and Brandish seem to have gone well enough, and Brandish herself has higher hopes with August's improved mood.

... Unfortunately, Universe One is still cast. The Spriggan 12 are still transported closer to Magnolia, while Fairy Tail is scattered.

Still, August does put his foot down more, as the General of the 12 stands by his decision to keep Fairy Tail alive long enough to negotiate with His Majesty. Irene believes it to be a waste of time, attempting to kill Mirajane anyway... August stops her (Brandish "heals" Mira by shrinking her wounds) and nearly gets into a clash with Irene right then and there. ... But he doesn't, forcing Irene to take them to the Guildhall instead, where the 12 reunite with Zeref. Technically the 9 of them, since Serena, Bloodman, and Wahl still died.

It goes about as August dreaded. Zeref still wants the Fairy Heart, and he is in no mood to negotiate. Irene, Invel, Dimaria, Neinhart, Jacob, Ajeel, and Larcade still wish to fight. There's not much August and Brandish can do but support them, though August assures Brandish he will do his utmost to spare Fairy Tail as much as possible...

Fairy Tail still comes to save their First Master. Natsu still beats up Neinhart, and while Brandish is annoyed at the conflict with her comrades... She gets it. If Grandpa August is going to spare Fairy Tail, then she will too. She won't bother with a ruse to get Lucy to take her out. This brings Brandish into conflict with Dimaria who's been spying on them, and they wind up taking Dimaria down together without Brandish nearly dying. (人◕ω◕)

... Natsu still ends up falling comatose again, because the Seeds are vying for control within him. Brandish tries to help him, but shrinking that "tumor" didn't seem to help, and Porlyusica confirms that for her. Due to how events shifted, Brandish is a bit more... attached to Natsu, especially after he made sure to keep Dimaria and Neinhart alive. She won't let Lucy have the all-important duty of keeping Natsu warm~... Screw the fact she barely knows the guy. If all she has to do is lay with him and keep him warm... Brandish can do that. Brandish can do the hell out of that. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕) Lucy's put out that she's not allowed to do that herself, but after Brandish threatens to shrink her down to Mari's size... Well, Lucy stopped kicking up a fuss. (人◕ω◕)

When does friendship turn to something more?

Brandish's... love... for Natsu is pretty fast-moving, surprisingly. Chalk it up to the war they're in, and the fact they technically slept together. (人◕ω◕) It wasn't just that, mind. Natsu proved the kind of valiant, honorable man he was. Grandpa August approved of him, and he's a close friend of Lucy's, who Brandish winds up wanting to start fresh with. On top of all that, Natsu has Sir Blue Fluffy. No, Brandish is not going to stop calling him that. (人◕ω◕)

... Although... (人◕ω◕);;; Brandish gets a bit moody with Lucy being close with Natsu. In any capacity. That goes for a ton of the girls in the harem. Brandish might be late to the party, but she's veeery greedy. Part of that has to do with her high rank in Alvarez, used to having things handed to her on a silver platter. If she wants Natsu, she gets him. And if Natsu wants to go out on jobs and adventures...? ... (人◕ω◕);;; Well, Brandish considers expediting the journeys and stopping by gelato stands along the way. You think she won't go along just because it's too troublesome? Shows what you know. Brandish might not like exerting effort, but that active nature is a part of Natsu, and she wouldn't change... much... about him.

... Alright, fine, maybe she'd make him a little more laidback. But honest, Brandi-chan just wants to take vacations. Very long vacations. ......... (人◕ω◕) Yes, there's much time spent in bed with hubby. Don't you judge her. (人◕ω◕)

For Natsu's part... He appreciates Brandish trying to save him several times in the war. And though she won't necessarily betray her homeland, Natsu gets it... He's glad she's loyal, even if that puts them technically at odds. Natsu understands loyalty to one's family, and August might be an intimidating guy but he's not unreasonable like some of the other Spriggans.

After Irene got taken down (not killed), August tried approaching Zeref along with Natsu and Brandish... It didn't go very well because the Curse had pretty much eroded Zeref's mind by this point. But at least August got to meet his mother, and they sort of got closure as a family when Zeref and Mavis passed on... Brandish pleaded with August to help rewrite Natsu's book so that he wouldn't die... And he did so. Because Natsu was family.

Alvarez wasn't in much shape to help defeat Acnologia, but they lent their magical power for the Fairy Sphere spell.

All of that said: there wasn't much that could keep Brandish from defecting to Ishgar (specifically to Fairy Tail). August did try putting his foot down, considering Alvarez lost so many in this war... But he couldn't say no to Brandish, not when it meant he could visit his remaining family more often. Natsu was a bit baffled why Brandish wanted to join FT after everything, but he wasn't about to object. (人◕ω◕) He's a bit too used to affectionate women at this point~... She and Happy get along, and her shrinking and expansion magic is just too fun to play around with. Guild brawls are very exciting with Brandish around. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)

Juvia and Kagura are shifty-eyed with an "enemy" that's allowed to join up just like that (they're not the only ones)... But, well. Brandish is hardly the only reformed villain around here. The bigger problem is Natsu just allowing Brandish to date him without fuss. Just like that. Her Command T magic is so potent... And did they mention Brandish is too greedy? A real glutton for Natsu. (人◕ω◕) Alas, Natsu clearly loves Brandish deeply... Just like he loves all of them. It's not fair to cut out Brandish when they all have a chance with him... Even if they really want to veto Brandish joining the club. (人◕ω◕)

Kagura is especially grumpy... But that might have to do more with Brandish so casually playing around with Happy. ... Who Kagura also really loves. (人◕ω◕) At least Cana knows Brandish's weakness~... Just get her into a sneezing fit, and Brandish can be subdued. Yes, this is doable. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)

Natsu is a lucky man to have such conniving, calculating girlfriends... eventual wives. (人◕ω◕)

[crowleys-bentley-and-plants]

A curious ask for a criminology student. Which is worse: a guilty man going free or an innocent man being sent to prison? Why?

oh anon i will never shut up now i love this question. prepare for the biggest word vomit you have ever seen lol

okay so first, this question is very vague, because what is the guilty man guilty of? stealing something once isn't as bad as murdering hundreds of people for example (to give an extreme example lol). same goes with the innocent man, going to prison for a couple of years is far less severe than being sentenced to life for something they didn't do (not gonna include the death penalty because firstly my country doesn't have it and secondly im fundamentaly against it)

however, if we take a general view grounded in ethics and principles of justice, many legal scholars and philosophers (such as William Blackstone who famously said "it is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer") argue that sending an innocent person to prison is worse. i tend to agree with this because i think the legal system should prioritize protecting the rights of individuals, especially when it comes to something as severe as taking away someone's freedom. the foundation of justice should be built on the principle that it’s more important to avoid harming innocent people than to ensure that every guilty person is punished.

a wrongful conviction doesn't just harm the individual, it also weakens the moral authority of the justice system itself. when the system makes such errors, it undermines public confidence in its fairness and reliability, which can have a ripple effect, causing people to doubt its ability to deliver justice in future cases.

on the other hand, allowing a guilty person to go free could endanger public safety. it can also lead to a sense of injustice for the victims and society as a whole, who expect the legal system to hold wrongdoers accountable. additionally, when a guilty person is not punished, it could send a message that criminal behavior doesn't always have consequences, potentially encouraging more lawbreaking. in this sense, the legal system fails to fulfill its duty to maintain order and deter future crimes.

ultimately, i think it depends on the values we prioritize: protecting society at large or protecting the rights of individuals. both outcomes are harmful in different ways, but for me, the wrongful imprisonment of an innocent person strikes at the heart of what justice is supposed to stand for. a justice system that fails in this regard loses its legitimacy, and without that foundation of fairness, the system itself starts to break down.

if you take both extremes, so a mass murderer going free against an innocent person being put in prison for life, then i think it's definitely the innocent person going to jail that's worse. after all, in many legal systems, the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" emphasizes that it is better to err on the side of letting a guilty person go free than to risk imprisoning the innocent. but if you start thinking about a mass murderer going free vs someone being put in prison for idk 6 months, then the situation becomes more complex. while the mass murderer being free clearly represents a greater immediate threat to society, the question still hinges on how we value individual rights versus collective safety. i think most legal professionals would argue that collective safety in this case is more important. like Jeremy Bentham said "the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation." from this view, allowing a mass murderer to go free would be a serious failure of the legal system, as it would likely lead to more harm to society and further endanger innocent lives.

which is true of course, but a justice system that consistently prioritizes security over fairness risks becoming oppressive. if the system starts to wrongfully imprison individuals, even for short periods, in the name of protecting the public (the "better safe than sorry" argument), it could create a dangerous precedent. this could lead to abuses of power, where innocent people are routinely sacrificed for the perceived greater good, eroding public trust in the system over time.

so yea i believe that prioritizing the protection of the innocent is critical. if a legal system loses sight of that, it risks sacrificing its moral authority in the name of safety, leading to deeper systemic problems in the long run

disclaimer: this is just my opinion, you dont have to agree with me. i would love hearing other point of views but please be respectful about it

[realmackross]

PARTIES: @recoveringdreamer @faoighiche @realmackross TIMING: Second week of January SUMMARY: A balam, fae, and zombie come together to save the town from getting trampled. WARNINGS: unsanitary tw, head trauma tw, eye trauma tw, animal abuse tw (it's a spn creature, but I'd rather be on the safe side)

They weren’t sure why they still did things like this. After the first few times that venturing away from town had proven disastrous, one might think that Felix had learned their lesson. But… they were never much of a learner. Always slower than their siblings, always struggling with simple things like reading the words on a page. Leo had often commented on their lack of intelligence; it was difficult for Felix to insist that he was wrong about that.

At least they had a purpose today. They’d had the Pit’s contract hanging over their head for years now, but they’d always been too nervous to really test the limits of it. In the beginning, sure, they’d gone against it at every turn and suffered the consequences in turn. But they’d grown… complacent after a while. They wanted to stop that. So, they were testing the limits. They were seeing how far they could stray from town before the ill-effects of their contract set in, testing it out to see if leaving town was the trigger or if things only went sideways when they actually skipped out on a fight. It would be good information to have, they thought. It would be nice.

They were a little ways outside the town’s borders with no consequences to speak of now, and feeling more and more confident the farther they strayed. Maybe they could do something with this, something substantial. Maybe…

There was a cloud up ahead. Felix squinted at it uncertainly. It was dark and moving, and for a moment, they wondered if it was because of them, somehow. Was this a consequence for leaving town? No, that didn’t make any sense. They felt fine. Curiously, they moved closer, shifting just enough to allow the jaguar’s senses to enhance their sight, smell, and hearing. The sound was distant, but growing much louder as they moved towards it. Pounding… hooves? Felix continued on.

They spotted a figure up ahead; not the source of the sound, and probably not the source of the cloud, either. Human… or human-like. It was hard to say for sure. “Hey!” They called out as they approached. “Do you know what’s going on? I saw a — cloud.”

---

Mackenzie had been out for a jog. In fact, jogging had become her new regular thing, but it wasn’t for the exercise. It wasn’t for the fresh air or nature. It was for one purpose only, and even though it had been months, her intent was to see if there was any sign on the outskirts of town of the damage she had done back in September. Bones. A husk of a body. Anything that clued her in on the problems she had caused after touching the Serpent Flats.

However, something else lay just up ahead. Something that let out a horrendous sound as it charged forward and towards her and the town. She had seen these before. At Monty’s farm. They were sprinkled around the edge of the farm as protection for the animals, but she had never seen one in action or really knew what they could do. But Mack did know how big they were, regardless of the way the ground shook as their hooves hit the paved road. Nothing she wanted to hang around for, and without hesitation, found herself running back as quickly as she could towards town and someone coming their way, “Go back!!! Don’t come this way!!! There’s danger!!!” She had hoped her voice carried, but between running and just not having the strength when she was alive, Mack didn’t know if they could hear her.

---

Burrow had heard her precious parasites call to her. A wail that led her down a path with a cloud at the end. An innocent thing, if not for the wails growing louder the closer she approached. As the wind carried down a single taste of that cloud, it went down her throat like barbs. A full course of it would certainly leave her hurling. Perhaps even death. Many of her parasites were safe from it, either lacking a need for breath or possessing the capacity to move. But many of the breathless were nestled in those that did breathe. Those that grew sicker as panic had them welcoming more of the poison. A cycle that would tumble further down into the grave. Her parasites would be dragged down with them. No. She would not allow it. 

The ground rumbled, matching the great beating in Burrow’s chest. She called to her precious ones. Move. Writhe. Bite. Make a great mess only for this moment. Make your presence known, make your pain known, so that it may urge your hosts to move. MOVE! Her parasites made it so, but the hosts were not as understanding. Though the hosts did move, they lacked a sense of direction. So they remained, choking still on the cloud. Her parasites still wailed, joined by the screams of those creatures unknown. “Mo chreach 'sa thàinig,” she hissed. 

Laced within the wailing and the stomping and the screaming, Burrow heard the presence of humans. Their screams were frantic and confused, unlike the quaking and the cloud that all continued through the trees unabated. Their lack of cohesion hinted at a lack of alliance. But humans were known to lie. Further evidence would be needed to trust that judgment — to trust them at all. She continued, swift and silent, not adding to the clamor in the air. There was no use in exposing her position to all the ones that screamed. 

---

They came closer to that maybe-human shape, spotted the source of the cloud in the distance. Familiarity tugged at their gut, a quiet but persistent thing. They’d seen these before. Hadn’t they? On Monty’s farm, the day they’d fought against the bat vampire. What had Monty called them? Felix couldn’t remember. They did remember the way the animals screeched when the vampiric being tore through them, the memory making their mouth go dry. 

The voice of the other startled them from their thoughts, and their eyes landed on a woman. “What — What’s happening? Do you know? Where did they come from?” They weren’t Monty’s. Felix knew that, on some level, knew that their friend and his farm were safe as anything ever could be in Wicked’s Rest, but the worry still ate at them. They came closer, some of that cloud moving towards them. Felix inhaled, choking a little as they stumbled back. What the hell? “Hey, the — The cloud! I think it’s, uh… bad. You should — You have to get away from it!” They lifted their arm to cover their mouth and nose with their sleeve, a makeshift, ineffective gas mask, and surged forward, desperate to pull the stranger away from the gas… and utterly unaware that there was someone else watching.

---

Mackenzie had made it as fast as she possibly could ignoring her surroundings including the person hidden in the trees watching and waiting. However, the gas that had filled the air hadn’t seemed to phase her. Instead, she had thought it was just a cloud of dust being kicked up with the haze. Zombie vision wasn’t the best and neither were zombie lungs, but whatever this was that was making her new found ally cough like crazy, Mack quickly caught onto; especially when they made an effort to cover their face and proclaim it was bad. An easy out to her not being normal, if she didn’t play along. Being a zombie and keeping it a secret was hard. “Uh, right.” She feigned a cough or two and quickly pulled her shirt up over her nose and mouth. That was some shitty acting, Mackenzie.

“I don’t know what’s happening…” Make them think you’re out of breath Mackenzie. Throw in a few more coughs. “But…But I was out for a jog, and I saw them coming this way. I’ve seen these before…not these particular ones, but someone I know has some, and I’ve never seen them anything but docile. They're headed this way though, and I think their next stop is Downtown.” She coughed again for the hell of it.

---

Burrow had taken one last breath before the cloud consumed her. While it would last her much longer than the humans could hope, she did not want to waste it talking to them. At least those weak lungs of theirs did hack out a cover for her steps, so there was some use in them. Between the hacks and wheezes, they kept mentioning a ‘them’. Likely those creatures: the ones who stomped with a distinctly hooved nature. Everything else was silent, drifting into death’s embrace. Yet, some of the stompers charged passed her without a care. The fog grew so thick about their mouths it would have surely choked them out. And yet, they continued, that fog trailing behind them like an old friend. They were to blame for her parasites’ pain. And those humans knew them. Of course. It was always the humans and their poison that worked together to see their end, even if in this case the death was more generalized.

Burrow called onto her precious ones — the ones not trapped in a slowly dying body. The mistletoe in the branches and the worms in the roots heard her. They writhed in preparation, waiting for her call. She did not approach the humans; she only made her voice known to them. Precious oxygen wasted, but in the hopes it could help save her precious ones. “How. Do. I. Stop. Them?” If the humans would not comply, she would show them how nature was not to be trifled with. 

---

At first, the blonde wasn’t coughing or showing any sort of difficulty with the gas, and Felix felt concern ebbing through their chest. They didn’t know much about poison or how it operated — what if it paralyzed her lungs somehow? Made her think she was fine when she was really dying? But then she started to cough, and the sound filled him with such an intense relief that that threatened to choke him just as surely as the gas did. “Yeah,” they agreed with a cough of their own. “I’ve seen them before but never like this.” They wished Monty was here; he’d know more about them, know how to stop them, what to do. Felix, as they usually were, was all but useless. 

At the idea of the creatures heading for downtown — and taking that gas with them — the balam paled. “We can’t let that happen,” they said urgently. “People will get hurt. People might — We have to —” Stop them, they were going to finish. But before they could, another voice spoke up, asking the same question that was on Felix’s panicked mind. They turned towards the sound, trying desperately to find the person who’d spoken. They were in trouble, too, they needed to get away from the gas too. And all of them needed to keep the stampede from getting to town. “I don’t know,” they called out uncertainly. “But we need to find a way. Maybe…” Hadn’t Monty rounded on them with a lasso, like they were normal cows? “We should herd them. Away from town, away from whatever’s upsetting them.”

---

Phew. Mack felt the same relief come over her that seemed to have come over the person standing in front of her. She was in the clear. At least momentarily. She was sure at this point that if they lingered around these things, her secret would come out. But something had to be done. The animals had to be stopped, because Mackenzie didn’t want more blood on her hands even if it was second hand and due to not stopping ginormous bovine. And just as she was about to reply, another voice was heard. But like her ally, Mack found herself frantically looking around for the other person.

No luck. Fuck this town was weird. But Mackenzie didn’t have time to dwell. Otherwise, her and a mess of other people and things would be flattened, “Herding them is a good idea, but how? I don’t think those things are going to listen to two people and a mysterious rogue voice.” She glanced towards the woods wondering if that was where it was coming from.

---

I don’t know. Burrow rolled her eyes. “Lies. You know the creatures.” She didn’t have the breath to worm it out of them. At least they had offered an idea. Herd them. She had done the same to the others of the forests. Did the creatures who had caused her parasites pain be hosts themselves? If so, she would claim their insides the same as any. She scurried through the vegetation — deeper into the fog until her eyes stung with tears. But she was a being who worked best in the dark and the unseen parts of the world. A diminished sight would never be a deterrent. She ran further, deeper still, until the stomping grew so loud it shook her soul.

There they were, the source of all this mess. Burrow could see the silhouettes blending and meshing together. An amalgamation of deadly smoke and sound. But despite all the misery, in that great and shifting form she could sense a pleasant buzzing. Her parasites. She called to them. Move. Writhe. Bite. Make a great mess only for this moment. Make your presence known, make your pain known, so that it may urge your hosts to move. MOVE! It was slow at first. It was always slow at first. She cowered behind a tree to avoid a pair of horns from beheading her. But slowly and surely, there was a shift in the creatures’ behavior. Aggression relented to unease. What once was a rampage became a mess of quivering. The creatures no longer knew where to run.

---

“I don’t even know what they’re called! I just have a friend who has some on a farm but they don’t — I thought they were just weird looking cows!” Frustration was clear in Felix’s voice, louder than they usually let themself get. There was a tinge of panic to it, and they pressed their sleeve harder against their nose and mouth in a desperate attempt to keep themself from hyperventilating and breathing in way too much of that poison gas. They considered their options here. Did they bring the jaguar out? They doubted it would do much good. If faced with a situation like this, the jaguar was more likely to flee to safety and leave the town to be overrun than he was to herd the creatures in the right direction.

But then… something happened. The third person, the one who was in the smoke and breathing in way too much of it, seemed to vanish. For a moment, Felix was terrified that she’d succumbed to it, been overtaken and left choking and sputtering unheard on the ground. But then, the herd seemed to change direction. Felix let their eyes shift more, risking the change in color in shape to give them a better look. There was a figure in the fog, ducking behind a tree. She was controlling them, somehow. Taking a deep breath of clean air and holding it, Felix ran towards them.

“The Fields!” Their voice was quick, the words forced out with as little precious breath as they could manage. “Drive them towards Gatlin Fields!” There was a lot of open space out there, and it was near Monty’s farm. If nothing else, Felix thought, they could text the zombie for an assist.

---

It seemed the conversation carried on between the mysterious voice and the person near Mack, but the mention of Monty peaked her interest. They knew Monty too? “You know, Monty?” She moved in closer toward them. But she could tell that it was getting harder for them to breathe. If they stayed here much longer, she’d be carrying a body back to town, and how was that going to look? Of course, hearing the steady sound of hooves switching direction caught her attention, and the concern for the mystery person that lingered in the back of her mind had disappeared.

Something good was happening. Not good for the ones that were bound to die from the toxic fumes of massive cow-like creatures, but good for the town of Wicked’s Rest. However, with the creatures headed towards Gatlin Fields, Mackenzie’s mind went to the farm and the hundreds of undead who reside and worked there. If those creatures trampled and gravely injured the zombies, they’d have a horde of mindless hungry undead and soon a town massacre on their hands anyways. And Sellama!!! Mackenzie couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to Sellama.

Taking off running in that direction following Team Bovine, Mackenzie knew something had to be done. If this mystery person could herd them, could they stop them too? “You have to be able to stop them!!! If you don’t you’re gonna have an even bigger problem on your hands!!!” She was trailing the only person she could actually see.

---

The humans barked commands at Burrow as if she had any control of the situation. As if these creatures she had never seen before were of her domain. As if she would care about their opinions! She slipped further into the fog, letting it take her until her sight grew spots from irritation. Even if the humans’ assumptions about her nature were incorrect, she did not enjoy that they could discern anything about her. Parasites were not meant to be known. If only she could disappear up into a tree or down into the ground. But she had a purpose, a magnificent duty, to fulfill. She was nothing, deserved to be nothing, if she could not fulfill it. So, she would continue.

Burrow called to the parasites of the stompers. They borrowed into muscles that were never meant to know their name. They writhed out of orifices, slithered under skin, tore apart tissue. She hoped it would not lead to their sacrifice. Hopefully the humans would have the decency to be grateful and not enact the means to her parasites’ death. The stompers wished the opposite. They shrieked, causing the fog to spew from their mouths with such thickness it looked solid. Their hooves joined the acceleration. They rampaged away, forgetting the town entirely in their desperation to be rid of whatever was happening to them. “They go where they go.” She did not care to elaborate. The humans had already claimed more of her oxygen than she had been willing to give. Whatever they wanted was to be dealt by the whims of nature, not her. 

---

Felix was surprised to hear their friend’s name from the mouth of a stranger, and they turned towards the blonde with a furrowed brow. “You know Monty?” But there was little time to worry about their mutual connections now; they needed a solution, and Felix’s newfound companion seemed to think that the Fields was a bad one while the mysterious person in the thick of the fog seemed unable to control the beasts with any kind of precision. There was no perfect answer. There would be people anywhere the beasts ended up, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe by the second. Spots danced at the edge of Felix’s vision. They were keeping their breath as shallow as they could, but this presented problems all its own. Not enough oxygen was getting to their lungs, and that which was being delivered was tainted. The jaguar stirred, pushing for control. Felix pushed him down. Not a good time. 

“Okay!” They agreed, coughing again as the fog around them thickened. “Okay, they go where they go. But we need to make sure it isn’t towards town. We need to… steer them any way we can.”

---

“Yes, I know Monty! A conversation for another time!” She continued to chase after the person, the beasts, and the mysterious voice, but hearing the agreement to let the beasts go where they wanted to go – which was now towards Monty’s farm, left Mackenzie screaming out in their direction, “NO!” If I don’t tell them why…Fuck! She pushed harder catching up to Felix, so her voice could stay low, “You said you’re friends with Monty right? Well I’m like Monty. And if you were to severely injure me, I would be looking for food anywhere I could find it, including Wicked’s Rest. Do you catch my drift…” She looked over at them hard, not showing any signs of struggling with the poison now. No coughing. No breathing at all.

Mackenzie had hoped that this plan would work. Just enough information for them to catch on without her having to say the word zombie, just in case they didn’t know what Monty was. And if they didn’t she would find another way. Even if it meant somehow jumping onto the beasts’ backs and ripping their flesh off with her teeth or beating them with a rock to get to their brains. If they didn’t have brains they couldn’t function or harm anyone, despite her hoping and praying she wouldn’t have to go that route for the sake of innocent animals.

---

The humans were discussing amongst themselves. At least that gave Burrow reprieve from their attempts at command… For the most part. She did not spare them anymore of her ears or mind. Her focus focused solely on her parasites. She pushed to them — through them, inside them — entwining the same as they did the stompers’ guts. Her call grew larger, deeper, digging into the soil. Others answered. Her vines were a whisper on her neck, safely tucked away from the humans. Too far away. She would never have them so close to town, and she would not ask them then. It put them all at risk. But maybe… maybe she could reach them. They could claim those stomping feet and render them silent. She could save the parasites within and find them new hosts. Ones that did not bring death to all the others. A wonderful plan! But a lot of could’s that hinged on the cooperation of the very thing that caused all the death. If only she could call to them like her parasites.

Burrow followed after the stomping and the death, her legs growing tired but not her heart. When the stomping turned towards town, she called to her parasites for more pain. A pain that was only eased when they changed their direction back to the woods. Back to where her vines waited, writing in anticipation. At least the creatures could comprehend cause and effect. Hopefully it was enough.

---

“Good call,” Felix agreed with a sheepish smile and a quiet cough. Now wasn’t the time to be focusing on mutual friends. Now was the time to… save the day or something. It was difficult to concentrate; Felix was trying to breathe as little as possible to avoid inhaling the mist, and the lack of oxygen was beginning to get to them just a little. As the blonde went on to talk about Monty — and how she was like him — Felix thought of the way the cowboy had reacted during their fight with the vampire. They grimaced. “I’ve seen that,” they admitted. “But… Monty also knows how to deal with these things. He has them on his farm. And he doesn’t need to —” They coughed again, the fit breaking up their words. “Breathe,” they finished breathlessly. Anywhere else they sent these things, there would be an undeniable risk of… suffocation. Like the suffocation Felix was suffering from now. Their vision blurred a little, and they pressed their sleeve harder against their nose and mouth. Whatever they were going to do, they needed to do it fast. Otherwise, Felix wouldn’t make it out.

Their unseen companion might be in trouble, too. Felix wasn’t sure if she, too, was undead, or if she was struggling just as much as Felix themself. They hoped adamantly for the former, not wanting anyone else to suffer like this. In any case, she seemed effective in whatever she was doing to steer the beasts. They moved towards the woods. A safer destination than Monty’s farm, perhaps, though nothing felt entirely safe. Felix was a little too distracted to think of it too much, to consider the pros and cons. They were barely on their feet now. “We should… follow,” they gasped out, swaying a little. “Make sure they go where they won’t hurt anyone. Come on!”

---

Not only had her worry been on a farm full of zombies that could potentially wreak havoc, but now, Mack found herself keeping her eyes on Felix. They didn’t seem to be doing so great, and she could tell they were getting much weaker. But some relief had seemed to come, when she noticed the huge beasts break stride and turn towards the woods. They were no longer headed towards Monty’s or town; the mysterious voice in the woods had done it. But how much longer could they or Felix survive? It didn’t seem necessary to keep discussing the risks of rabid zombies when they were no longer in the path of destruction.

At this point, Mackenzie was only following in case she needed to drag anyone back to safety. The toxic fumes that trailed the beasts had no effect on her whatsoever, and as long as the town and the farm seemed to be safe, which they were for the moment, the young zombie knew what she had to do, “Maybe you should turn back! You’re getting weaker! And it looks like our mysterious friend in the woods has it under control!” She wasn’t sure if the person that had found a way to control raging bull like creatures was even human themself, or if they were in the same danger of suffocating, but right now Mack could only focus on what she could see.

---

Burrow’s legs screamed for a rest she could not take — her lungs screamed for a breath she did not trust. The air was still clogged with the poison. It had not yet made the humans fall, but she could not rely on that knowledge. The poison affected all the others differently, shown by how some of the hosts lay dead by its might. Feeling her parasites choke inside those dead bodies threatened to release a scream: a scream for those without a voice. But she could not waste any air. She had to continue so the others would be spared the same death. If only the stompers weren’t so unruly. But there were those who listened to her will. Her precious vines writhed over to where the stompers’ paths would end. All she had to do was make sure they met the finish line. She commanded the worms to do one terrible tearing. Erupt as many muscles as they could, render those hosts useless, for soon they would be dead anyway. The vines would make use of them. 

Her worms listened, but her body did not. Burrow finally took a gasp. A gasp of searing pain. Her body quivered against the intrusion. Her glamour did as well, revealing bits of her truth. Tendrils pooled out from her mouth as if they could push the toxins away. It did not ease the pain. Her parasites continued in her stead. She could feel, in a distance unseen, that the vines had begun to claim their prize. The stompers were powerful. So many of her vines snapped from their alarm. But she could feel how the stompers stumbled, weakened by the worms inside. Those worms still needed to be rescued. They would die along with the stompers if she did not reach them. She just… had to reach them. She gripped the body of a fallen rabbit. The worms that had been suffering under its dead skin gladly entered her own. Their invasion brought a pleasant tingle. Enough to bring herself back to her feet. Stumbling, with convulsions for breaths, but she continued forward. 

---

“N-No!” Felix stammered, taking another stumbling step forward. “I’m okay. I want to help.” They closed their eyes for a moment, trying to concentrate. Within their chest, their lungs ached. They let the shift take them, let those lungs give way to more powerful ones, ones that could hold a breath for longer. With their current state, half suffocated by the poison, the partial shift was a messy one. The external shape of their chest shifted in a way that was unnatural on the rest of their torso, tufts of fur beneath their shirt. They hoped it wasn’t too noticeable… or, rather, that there were so many other things going on that no one would be able to spare the attention their way. 

With the jaguar’s lungs in use, Felix could hold their breath longer. Up to twenty minutes, if you stretch it, their brother told them once before shoving them into the lake with a laugh. They’d done some research, after that, curious as to how long it could really last. There was no definitive answer. Fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, an hour… It was hard to say for certain, and Felix had always been pretty adamant that they’d rather not accept the strain of finding it out. But it would come in handy here, in any case, and he followed the blonde zombie into the woods in spite of her protests.

Their unseen friend had driven the creatures into a vulnerable position. Tangled in vines, unable to move freely. For a moment, Felix thought it might be over. They could find someone who knew about the beasts and take care of them, and it would be fine. But one of the cow-like creatures was thrashing in the vines, wild and desperate, and it broke free. It stumbled forward, it was — strange. Its movements were stilted, somehow, unnatural. Felix took an uncertain step back, grabbing the zombie by the arm to pull her back with them. Something’s wrong, he thought, but he didn’t dare open his mouth to say it, didn’t want to release the breath still held in those powerful lungs just to state the obvious.

---

Mackenzie hadn’t noticed the partial shift in Felix, but she did keep her eyes trained forward on the beasts as she noticed them faltering with each step. Whoever their mysterious companion was, they had a deeper control on the animals than Mack initially thought. But somehow the three had been paired up by the universe to stop whatever had caused the creatures to rage in the first place. Creatures that normally seemed so docile when she had witnessed them before. It hurt her knowing that the ending to this story might not have been what she had hoped.

As she inched closer to where the animals had finally been sent downwards with a tangle of vines and Earth, Mackenzie was just about to approach one of them, when she noticed Felix grab her by the arm. If it hadn’t been for them, Mackenzie was sure to have been squished by a hoof. “Thanks! I think something’s wrong with it...” She looked over to Felix with concern on her face, but not before the animal started to stumble toward them both again. With the other ones subdued, Mackenzie knew something had to be done about the stray, and without giving it a second thought, she let her stunt training and fearlessness take it’s true grasp on her.

Running as fast as her deadened feet would carry her, Mackenzie found the nearest tree and started to climb upwards. It had been a while since she had climbed or had really done anything that physical that she was aware of at least, and it was somewhat of a struggle at first, but then instinct kicked in and she found herself shimming out onto a sturdy enough branch. And just as the animal stumbled back in her direction, Mackenzie launched herself onto it digging her fingers and hands into its long fur to get a good grip knowing exactly what was about to happen.

“FUUUUUUCCCKKKK!!!” The word echoed out through the trees as the animal started bucking around emitting more toxic gas, while Mackenzie was flung from one side to the other, before it started taking off in a completely different direction from Felix, mystery person, and the other tangled up animals. And reluctantly, she knew what she would probably have to do if it got too close to town - dinner for days… 

---

You all may rest. Burrow’s worms had done so well, ensuring the demise of the death fumes. Her worms deserved to be nestled sweetly in their homes. If only those homes were not slowly succumbing to a choking death. She would find better homes, but first, she must save them. Her mouth ducked under her layers of clothes, which filtered the air as she took a shaking breath. It stung and quivered with rejection in her chest, but she forced it to stay. Forced it into a numbness, despite the throbbing in her head. While her lungs wished to be free of the air, the stompers refused to be done with theirs. They thrashed and stumbled, but did not escape their leashes… save for one. Her approaching presence had strengthened the might of her vines, who writhed faster than the stomper’s depleted bodies. In time, the only proof of their life would be the clouds still circling through the air. Clouds that would slowly dwindle into nothing. But her parasites could not rely on that patience. 

Burrow hands gripped the stompers’ necks: one to save and one to cut. Her parasites slithered into her waiting hand, while the other slit the throats. Again and again, one by one. With each joyous reunion of her worms and each joyous claim of her vines, she felt her trembled body grow straighter. Except, one disrupted the pattern. Another won its fight against the vines, ripping free of its hold. But it was not free from death. The vines that still coiled about its body tripped its feet. It made the creature stumble into Burrow’s path, and then into her blade, and then into death. In death, they will all serve her parasites well. She smiled, thinking of the mighty hounds to be made from their bodies. They were so lucky, to be molded into ones so beautiful.

But Burrow was not yet done. She looked to where the humans had clamored after the final stomper. While she could not see, she could feel her vines tight hold in the faint distance. With its voracious grasp, it tugged at her heart, and she followed after it. 

---

It was chaos. Somehow, even more so than it had been when there was a herd of animals to worry about. Felix continued to hold their breath, refusing to let themself speak now despite how the words wanted so badly to escape their lips. Save your breath, they reminded themself. You don’t know how many you have left if you keep breathing this stuff in. Their vision was swimming, their chest aching, but they held fast. Even as the zombie they’d aligned themself with climbed up a tree and launched herself onto the back of the last animal left loose.

Felix couldn’t help but let out a surprised sound, losing a fraction of the precious air they’d trapped in their lungs. The creature bucked wildly, emitting more and more gas until it was hard to see around it. They hardly noticed the mystery person’s movements from the woods, certainly couldn’t make out what was being done to the creatures trapped in the vines. All they could see was the shadow of the creature the zombie had jumped on, trying wildly to buck her off. If she fell…

Undead wasn’t the same as invincible. Felix knew that. He’d seen it proven in the Pit, time and time again when zombies or vampires fought and walked away with just as many bruises and bumps as the shifters did, even if those injuries promised a quicker healing time. Healing wasn’t the same as not hurting. And Felix didn’t think the zombie deserved to hurt.

Determined, the balam shifted their hand so that their fingers ended in sharp claws. They didn’t like the idea of hurting the creature, but what choice did they have? They needed to keep anyone else from being injured by it, be that the zombie, their unseen companion, or the people in town. Rushing forward and dodging the wild hooves with practiced skill, Felix ducked underneath the creature and dug their claws into its underside, hoping to at least slow its rampage.

---

At this point, Mackenzie didn’t know what any of her partners were up to. All she could focus on was clinging on for dear death. The way it bucked and twirled had reminded her of the mechanical bull episode on Dropped. She rode that fucking thing so many times, that by the end of the filming day, she couldn’t even walk back to her dressing room. This was a very similar situation, but somehow she had still managed to lean into its fur and speak softly to it, “Hey Girl…easy. I don’t want to hurt you. None of us want to hurt you. We just want you to calm down okay?” She still had a tight grip on the creature's fur, but she took the risk and started to stroke it softly on the neck with her other hand.

It had seemed to be working, until she heard the beast yelp out in pain. And start bucking even more than it had been before. Letting her other hand latch back onto its fur, she somehow continued to hang on while it started to slow down some, but just like the sweet aroma of anything dead or knocking on death’s door, Mackenzie could smell the blood that was seeping into its fur underneath and that meant only one thing.

A zombie that could barely control herself on the back of a wounded animal was like Edward Cullen sparkling in the sunlight. It just went together, and as she could feel herself losing her mind and her eyes starting to glaze over, the zombie’s reflexes started to slow, except for her insatiable need to feed. And with a wide maw, bit down hard into the creature's back and yanked out a piece of flesh just before being thrown off the animal and hard to the ground below, where she lay motionless.

---

As above, so below. A statement the humans took literally — mirrored on both sides of the stomper. A reflection that was shattered, as the above was flung higher to the sky. Flying with the same grace as a beetle: destined to fall. Fall into madness as well, for Burrow had seen how the human tore into the beast’s hide. Was that the effects of this strange toxin in the air? It would explain why they had both launched themselves onto the rampaging beast. At least it was a madness she avoided with her closed lips. She avoided the fallen human as well, as she diverted her course slightly. 

A course Burrow was not sure had a finish line. Though her vines still coiled about the stomper’s legs, it was not assisted by its brethren. They tripped and staggered the mighty beast, but lacked the security of the ones before. She did not trust to approach it. Nor did she feel much of a need. With the stomper’s kin dead, the smog of death had become a haze. Certainly irritable to most hosts and devastating to the ones too stupid to avoid, but her parasites were much the same. As long as the hosts still stood to provide for her parasites, she did not care. 

To whom the stomper would provide became a question. All of Burrow’s parasites had sufficient arguments. It was already her worms’ home, but a home that had become pitiful and failing. The beast had impressive gusto despite its wounds, but for how long? Her vines would make use of it no matter its state, even in death. Oh, but she could not choose. Their wants were her wants were their wants: she could not choose because they could not choose. Both sides wanted themselves as sole owner. So, she would wait and see which want would be victorious. Make your claim and make it quick.

Burrow returned to her role from before. A silent observer to the whims of nature. 

---

The beast bucked the zombie off its back, and Felix released a little of the precious air from their lungs in the form of a stilted gasp. She’d be okay; logically, he knew that. After all, they’d seen Monty get his arm torn off, and he was texting just a few days after the fact. Zombies were much more resilient than balam. (Felix tried not to think about his mother in the woods, bullets tearing through her flesh. They tried not to think about it but, sometimes, it was difficult to think about anything else.)

With the jaguar’s sharp ears, they heard the hidden companion from the woods approaching. They turned to look, sharp eyes finding her as she came to a stop and observed the scene. She wasn’t helping anymore. Why wasn’t she helping anymore? Felix glanced down at their hand, at the claws they were trying to conceal by folding it into a fist. Had she seen them? Was she afraid? The thought made Felix feel a little uneasy. They’d never wanted anyone to be afraid of them, but so many people were. A monster was a monster, especially when its claws were soaked in blood.

But there wasn’t much else to do, was there? The beast was stomping. It was still heading towards town, its hooves were still landing too close to the zombie’s head where she lay. With a quiet resolve, Felix launched themself forward again, using a little more of that air stored up in the jaguar’s lungs to murmur apologies as their claws tore into the creature’s back.

---

Mackenzie was stunned, and it had taken her a minute to get back to her feet; narrowly being squashed by giant hooves. She knew it had been rather risky, but she had hoped the piece she had taken out of the animal’s back had slowed — nope. Never mind. The sound of the wailing creature, as Felix dug their claws into its back (wait…claws?) alerted the zombie that her efforts had been hopeless. And though she had wished it hadn’t come to this, at least the town and the farm full of the undead were all safe.

She watched as the beast stumbled around. Its pace slowed, but her concern grew for the person latched on top. They looked like Wolverine hanging in the back of the creature. And then her eyes shifted to someone else. The mystery voice from the woods. So they did have a solid form! Mackenzie couldn’t quite tell who was a ghost and who was real anymore. But her attention turned back to Felix, who was probably going to need a little more back up, “Hey! You! Person from the woods! I’m assuming your vines are what tripped up the other beasts? Can you use them to get me back on top of that thing? I think it’s going to take all of us together simultaneously to stop this creature!” She looked at the person, who stood silently.

---

Eyes ticked, ticked, ticked back and forth in pursuit of her target. But no longer was Burrow filled with a need to do more. In that air of calamity, she had found her peace. Either way this ended, the beast would be claimed by her parasites. She did not care which way nature decided, as long as that host continued to squirm in her grasp. And squirm it did, as it ricocheted off every rock and crack. Lost without the aid of its brethren, the stomper ripped through the land like a train with no track. Yet, that human who remained, continued to remain. The human should have been sent crashing right into the other, and yet, he didn’t. Her attention on the display was no longer casually placed. She focused onto the human — onto the hands that gripped. No, not gripped. They slashed; they tore; they bore nature’s blades. The curve of the claws were familiar: feline. Feline… Was that one of na lèintean craiceann? It would make sense why the cat had been so keen on assisting the human, for they all loved the humans so. 

A generosity the human thought would be shared in Burrow. She asked for help where no help would be found. Burrow continued to stare in silence, with no interest in giving the human what she wanted. But, she could be persuaded. Her head tilted curiously. “I will use my vines to put you on the beast, if you promise me a favor of my choosing.” A vague proposition to match the ambiguity of the human’s potential. What could this human do for her?

---

It was like one of those mechanical bulls, Felix thought; they clung to the creature’s back as it swung and bucked, but they had a bit of an upper hand not often granted to cowboys in dive bars. Thanks to their claws, they could maintain their grip while also damaging the beast. It wasn’t something they really wanted to do, but… It was necessary, wasn’t it? The needs of the many versus the needs of the one. They couldn’t let this beast go into town with its poison breath and its damaging hooves, couldn’t let anyone else be hurt. 

They also couldn’t take it out on their own.

They glanced to their companions, to the zombie and the girl from the woods. They seemed to be having a discussion, though Felix couldn’t make out the words over the sound of the creature’s rampaging hooves. Whatever they were talking about, the balam could only hope that it ended with them helping finish this job. Otherwise, they doubted they’d be able to hang on much longer, claws or no claws.

---

Mackenzie was starting to tire out, and the hard hit to the ground didn’t make things easier. If this beast wasn’t stopped soon, not only would they have a large beast to still take down, but a hunger stricken zombie with no functioning brain cells, “Uh, yeah! Whatever. Fine! Just get me up there!” Mack didn’t know the mysterious woods person had been fae. She didn’t know she was making a deal she was going to have to keep and that that very deal was binding and at the discretion of someone she’d only just met. But her heart was in the right place, and she knew it was going to take a team effort for this to work out for the betterment of everyone.

Once the promise had been made, Mack quickly scooped up a large rock as she could feel the vines sweeping her off of her feet, and before she knew it, she was back on the beast hanging onto its neck fur as she slowly inched her way up to its head with the decent sized rock still in her grip, “I’m so sorry. I don’t want to do this to you, but there’s no other choice and a lot of people could get hurt…” Mackenzie glanced back at the person latched onto the monster’s back with sad eyes, before turning her attention back on the animal, where she took the rock in both hands and started to repeatedly hit the animal over the head, but this time there was one goal in mind — get to its brain. With no brain, it couldn’t function, and she wouldn’t lose herself in the process.

---

The bind coiled around the human with the same eagerness as her vines gripped the stomper. Human and stomper alike were trapped in Burrow’s grasp. But their shared fate did not sprout any connection. As soon as the human was rejoined with the stomper, she ensured its end with each beat of that rock. Producing wet cracks far louder than any stomp of those hooved feet. Such a violent approach for one who seemed so compassionate. Emotional, yet brutally competent. Burrow could find usefulness with such a person. The specifics were yet to be determined — the depths of their exchange would wait until the reveal of the most efficient path. In that moment, Burrow was a simple bystander to all the wonderful ways the human could be used. Every vicious strike, every mournful cry, painted a grand picture of the human’s assets.

Those displays of the human’s usefulness chipped away at the stomper’s own. Beat after beat, the stomper’s feet lost its hold upon the ground. Only stubbornness kept the beast continuing forward, but even that threatened to seep through the cracks forming on its skull. A theft that was assisted by those greedy vines, who stole away the feet’s stability with a tight tug. Beast and cat and human alike tumbled to the ground for the last time. The stomper splayed upon the ground: its butcher block and early grave. With a final beat, any remnants of consciousness were smashed into bits that littered the forest floor. 

Burrow waited at a distance, until that spray of gore ceased. As soon as the last piece oozed into the ground, she approached the fallen stomper. With eyes steady upon both the strangers, she called her parasites to the furthest limb from both. She grasped the stomper’s hindleg, watching both of the strangers carefully, as her worms wiggled into her waiting arms. To safety they burrowed, in hurried lines. Once the last worm was secured, she quickly moved back to her own safety. Back to the trees; back to a watchful stare. “I will tell you the favor when I decide what the favor will be.” 

---

Each thud of the rock hitting the beast’s skull elicited a flinch from Felix in spite of their bloodied claws. They’d never liked violence, never enjoyed it. The fact that they seemed destined to exist in an endless cycle of it was a cruel twist of fate they weren’t sure how to get away from. At least here, it was a necessary thing. They were destroying this animal to save the people in the town below, were making a small sacrifice to save a large number. It wasn’t like in the Grit Pit, where Felix fought for the entertainment of people who wanted to see them hurt. It was better than that. 

Finally, the beast fell. The thud of its body hitting the ground seemed to echo, and Felix winced at that, too. But it was over now, and over was better. Over was good. The girl from the woods came over, and Felix watched with wide eyes as she approached the fallen beast. Worms crawled from the dead animal and seemed to disappear into the strange woman. Felix had suspected by her behavior and her ability to hold her breath against the poison in the air that she wasn’t entirely human, but they had no idea what she was. It was probably rude to ask, so they didn’t.

With the creature dead and the poison dissipating, Felix let out the breath he’d been holding and took in a desperate gasp of oxygen. “That was — wow.” They breathed, stumbling back a little. “I, um… You guys did great.”

---

Mackenzie continued to beat upon the skull of the beast and with every blow to its cranium, a tear fell from her eyes. Despite their efforts to humanely stop the creature, this had become the outcome. Not only had Mackenzie become a monster when she was in a state she couldn’t control, but she had now felt like a monster in her waking hours. What was this town doing to her?

With one final blow and the tangle of the vines from the mysterious person from the woods, Mackenzie felt herself go down with the clawed person and the huge dying animal. And with a hard thud to the ground, found herself toppling off and the bloodied rock sent flying into the distance. The temptation to consume the nearly deceased animal was beginning to overtake her though as she crawled forwards to meet it again barely hearing the woman of the woods promise that she would be calling on a favor that Mackenzie would eventually have to keep. But it was the complement of how great they had all done that drove her gaze over to Felix, “This…isn’t something to celebrate…and I’d advise you to leave, unless you want to see what really happens when a zombie feeds…”

Her eyes were beginning to glaze from bloodlust and the oozing of the animal's mind onto the ground. And unable to contain herself any longer, the ravaged and dead human began to feast on her kill to satiate the needs of any injuries and temptations that could have plagued the entire town, if the team of three strangers hadn’t stopped the innocent animal from trampling Monty’s farm.

[meangan-thee-lesbian]

So Kathleen Folbigg's ex-husband is apparently 'dismayed and devastated' by her pardon and release from prison and bro, we get it, you gotta cover your ass, after your kids all died of natural causes, and rather than just grieving with your wife like a normal person, you were apparently raised to believe women are to blame for everything, so you chose to frame your innocent wife for murder, and get her locked up for two decades, over some cherry-picked pages you ripped out her diary, presented to the police, and proclaimed that these thoughts of a grief-stricken mother wondering if she was somehow responsible for her dying kids was proof she murdered them, and then while the mother of your kids was rotting in jail, you went and got yourself a baby mama that could give you the healthy kids you wanted, and then just sat back and lapped up all the sympathy for being the poor ex-husband of 'Australia's worst female serial killer', and then when your plot started coming apart at the seams, and investigators were asking if you might provide your DNA just on the off-chance your kids might have inherited something from you, you were like 'nope no siree idgaf how quick, easy, costless, etc you make it I'm not giving my DNA, why, bc I don't want to is why', which resulted in an innocent woman languishing in prison for a further several years, until science eventually got to the point it didn't need your DNA to prove she was innocent (and let's just clarify a criminal proceeding should never have to get to the point we're proving someone is innocent, it should always be innocent until proven guilty, beyond all reasonable doubt, which was certainly never the standard of evidence reached in Kathleen's case), so now after decades of the government perverting justice to support your word about the wrongs of a woman, decades of senior government officials bemoaning with you about how terrible it is your wife has maintained her innocence and keeps wasting everyone's time with her silly little appeals, decades of people falling over themselves to print your sob story, now after decades of being the poster child for hard done by Aussie Battler, you're now getting a little taste of what Kathleen has had to go through, now people are asking questions about you, but dw even if there was any solid evidence of your malfeasance in this, even if you wrote in your diary wondering whether you were somehow responsible for your wife being locked up for life, don't worry about, because there's no risk of your male ass going to jail or suffering any consequences at all, so how about you just take a knee, show some grace, shut the fuck up and leave this innocent woman alone? It's the least you could do.

[ladymorghul]

Hey, love your tumblr, since we are defending Alicent here, I just wanted to point out how ridiculous the line " and now they see you as you are " that Rhaenyra said to Alicent after Aemond lost his eye. I mean what was that even supposed to mean?  what is she supposed to be? A mother who’s worries about the safety of her children were proven right by the king gaslighting everyone into believing that Rhaenyra’s white children are Velaryons and ignoring the MAIMING of his own son? A person who is trying to uphold the law? Because no matter what her motivations are she does have the lawful high ground ( her son is the Kings firstborn son and Jacearys rivers is a bastard ). It’s crazy how the writers make Rhaenyra say the most nonsensical lines and people are still supposed to root for her and not for Alicent. I mean Alicent showed literal regret for barely leaving a scratch on Rhaenyra’s arm once she calmed down while Rhaenyra NEVER as much as apologizes for what her sons have done and made them face zero consequences. 



i agree to some degree definitely. i absolutely hated that line and the way people cheered for it like rhaenyra said some amazing shit when it doesn't even make sense.

"now they see you as you are" and like i like to say: no, now i see rhaenyra as she is.

alicent might have left more than just a scratch on rhaenyra however the show framed rhaenyra as such a victim for suffering that cut and such a hero and such a martyr while the 10 year old w the missing eye was framed w as little sympathy as possible. people literally cheered when aemond lost his eye because the child bad words.

and yeah, alicent shows regret and rhaenyra doesn't. she doesn't even try to tell her children that what they did was wrong seeing as they both take shots at aemond even years later when they supposedly mature: jace talking about 'fond memories' and luke laughing in his face which shows a complete lack of remorse for a permanent disability, especially when aemond didn't even say anything to him.

and don't even get me started on viserys, who's like......... one of he worst people, who didn't care for a single second.

but yeah, rhaenyra was not in the right in that scene whatsoever, even emma acknowledged this.

[horizon-verizon]

https://www.tumblr.com/a0random0gal/731982293103738880/guuys-im-back-and-with-the-finest-team-black?source=share

I read that post and now I have four questions for you:

does the death of Rhaenyra's children have any basis in AsoIaF or historical basis? All I can think about was Robert but Ned himself did not think the best of his friend when it came to dealing with children.

2. how different are Cersei and Rhaenyra's situations from a legal perspective? The way I see it, Jace, Luke, Joffrey (both), Mycella and Tommen are legit.And I think we see that it really doesn't matter whether or not they were born to their married parents because until it was proven THEY WERE legitimate in everyone's eyes and we see that with Renly thinking that the bastardization of his "nephews" was an interesting plot from Stannis but in the end it doesn't matter because rebel is rebel.

3. Do you have any parallels between Stannis and Alicent's motivations? Given the weight of faith, I would dare say that both believe that their arguments have "legal" weight., but while Stannis is motivated by a rigid sense of duty that prevents him from seeing the gray areas (correct me if I'm wrong but Stannis follows the reasoning that If those children are bastards ~ Robert has no legitimate heir ~ with Robert dead I am now the heir ~ I have to fight for the crown)while Alicent... My instinct tells me that she relies more on the faith part? Those children are bastards and therefore Rhaenyra and the children should suffer any consequences? (I spoke of course about show!Alicent even though I referred to the books above, book!Alicent is motivated by ambition and I personally think that's enough of an explanation)

4. In the best case scenario with Rhaenyra being discovered she would have had to make the trek, right?Wouldn't that be just as damaging to the crown? I know there is a post that says that If Cersei's father were alive he would never have allowed it because it would not only be a humiliation for her but for all the Lannister.

This will be long.

You: "does the death of Rhaenyra's children have any basis in AsoIaF or historical basis?"

Aside from Cersei having Robert's bastard kids killed both for posthumous revenge of him humiliating/abusing her and to reduce the likelihood of her own kids being compared/found out, I can't think of any ASoIaF-specific historical events where a bastard was targeted and killed. Robert's killing of Rhaegar's kids and desire to kill Dany doesn't stem from their bastardry (they weren't even bastards) so much as their claim conflicts with Robert's hold on the Iron throne.

However, the difference b/t Robert's ascendance and Rhaenyra/her sons' is that Rhaenyra/her sons were already going to inherit the throne all by themselves through both their blood/parentage and Viserys' blatant decree. Robert got the throne through rebellion and the right of conquest, and this last part does have both historical precedent/basis in real life (William the Conqueror and esp Henry VII of Tudor, who was of the bastard branch of the previous English Plantagenet royal house/Henry VIII's father) and the ASoIaF world (Aegon I, Arlan III, etc.).

Henry VII, again, part of the bastard branch of the Plantagenets and a Lancaster, nevertheless became the king of a dynasty known for its (admittedly violent and discriminatory, esp when we get to Henry VIII) stabilization of England (as in there were no civil wars or huge inland wars like the Anarchy or the War of the Roses).

William the Conqueror was a straight-up bastard in the sense that his parents weren't married (Robert I of Normandy and concubine Herleva "[also called Arlette, the daughter of a tanner or undertaker from the town of Falaise]". His father specifically named him his heir, it was accepted by powerful Norman nobles, and the French overlord, Henry I of FR, accepted this inheritance. William the Conqueror conquered the English Isles in the Norman Conquest of 1066 and thus also forever changed English history from then on.

Robert is not a bastard but if Orys Baratheon was a bastard sibling of the Targ conquerors, then Robert also comes from a "bastard" branch of the Targs IF we say that even after all those years, the Baratheons are just a "bastard" branch. He and Henry VII Tudor would have that in common; both used conquest/battle AND their blood ties to a legitimate ancestor (Robert through his mother Rhaelle, Aegon V's daughter).

We already should know that the Dance is a fictionalized reimagining of Anarchy, but some of its inspirations/plot points and characters come from the War of the Roses. There is the Two Princes of the event, but this story/event more closely tells us about Aegon III and Viserys II than any green. Like Rhaenyra, the York King Edward IV was usurped, and his brother, Richard Gloucester (who Henry VII defeated to win throne). This brother of Edward IV locked away the two boys, declared them illegitimate, and made himself the king--Richard III. He's held responsible for their mysterious disappearance and probable deaths. Now, who does this guy most resemble, Rhaenyra-Viserys-any black? Or Aegon II/a green? Rhaenyra was not a usurper. The past king (Viserys) cannot "usurp" something that was already custom, which is both girls being named heirs to noble houses and a king having the right to name any descendant or relative their heir (and as I said above about William the Conqueror, even a bastard could be named heir under certain circumstances, extreme or uncommon as they may be). The usurpers in the Dance have always been and will continue to be the greens, all of the adults: Otto, Alicent, Aegon, Aemond...Helaena is a weird place. Back Aegon and Viserys: they are the princes who lost most of their families and were at the mercy of a relative who's better interests or desire was to kill them off. Alicent even suggested physical harm to Aegon III to Aegon II to stave off Rhaenyra's remaining bulk of supporters.

Once more, Rhaenyra's kids would have been safe and she would have had a better time ruling and keeping her throne if not for the greens' ambition.

So, it all depends on circumstance more than any claim of consistent application of "bastard" and the decisions/preventative or strategic acts of others. "Bastard", the more you go back in time, loses itsa meaning and its application comes from how you can remove "obstacles" according to your own specific circumstances, so claiming a general "Alicent's kids definitely would have been picked off/used by some errant noble and I don't need to show the proof or cluse of some noble rebelling/planning to rebel against Rhaenyra w/o the greens' backup or usurping intentions" is made in bad faith.

You: "how different are Cersei and Rhaenyra's situations from a legal perspective? The way I see it, Jace, Luke, Joffrey (both), Mycella and Tommen are legit."

I discuss Cersei vs Rhaenyra & their kids HERE in terms of how/why Cersei chooses to have Jaime's kids, gets away with it, and HotD's failure to produce a good-faith fanfiction of the Dance from their effect of the Velaryons, the 3 Velaryon boys, and female sexual autonomy. All this was from an anti-consumerist, anti-racist, and feminist angle.

So legally, I'd say that Rhaenyra's kids have "more" legal legitimacy by virtue of the fact:

it's that their mother was in the same political seat(s) as Robert or some male Targ heir bc she is the heir/future Queen -- unlike Cerssei's kids, Rhaenyra's children will always have blood claim to the throne through her, Cersei is not of either Targaryen nor Barathreon line and she's a Queen Consort, not a princess or Regnant

Viserys/Corlys/Laenor all want these boys to be their respective line's inheritors

It's very important to note that nobles break from or twinge the dominant customs or laws all the time throughout Westerosi history, even way before the Targs' conquest esp concerning bastards. With Roose Bolton and Walder Frey, we know they pick and choose which laws or customs to follow for their own convenience ambitions, or envy, getting away with it through force or manipulation. Rhaenys the Conqueror herself made the rule of six to punish a man for beating his wife despite the fact that it was a Faith-given right to men to beat their unfaithful wives by twisting that same law to women's advantage. We don't hear about Gael until way after Jaehaerys dies. Alicent tries to maintain Rhaenyra's sons are bastards at one point by pointing out their appearance and the "proof-by-cradle bonding" thing; the V boys still were all able to have hatched dragons bonded to them not long after their own births, while most of Alicent's kids who had Valyrian features had to later bond when they were older. Alicent was grasping at straws to force people to be confronted with their own acceptance of Viserys/Corlys/Laenor's acceptance so they wouldn't really go out of their way to later stop her usurping Rhaenyra. Remember she took the entire castle by surprise.

Finally, there is a real historical precedent for nobles to hide the parentages of their children's relatives or selves for survival, leisure, stability, or power:

“With regard to royal children, the only consideration more important than their kingly blood was the monarch’s self-interest.  Many kings acknowledged children they knew had been fathered by someone else. Often, kings did not want to cast doubt on the paternity of older children they knew to be their own.  In the case where the king could not father children, sometimes court factions heartily desired the queen to bear bastards in order to stabilize the throne and cement their own interests.

Fortunately, the queen’s complete and utter disillusionment with her husband usually set in after the birth of the heir.  And so it was not deemed worthwhile to lose international prestige, throw the nation into tumult, and question the paternity of all royal children, simply to deny the one cuckoo in the robin’s nest.  In the early nineteenth century, the last son of King John VI and Queen Carlota Joaquina of Portugal was extremely good-looking and slender - unlike either of his parents - and happened to be the spitting image of the handsome gardener at the queen’s country retreat.  Other than a few snickers behind painted fans, no one said a word.”  

AND

“It was never adultery alone that did in a queen, or the fact that she did not resemble the Virgin Mary, or that she had polluted the royal bloodline.  It was politics.

If the queen followed the traditional pattern of bearing children, embroidering altar cloths, and interceding for the poor - pious duties that the Virgin Mary would likely have approved of - even if she took a lover she was usually left in peace.  There was rarely reason to shoot down a political nonentity at court.  But an intelligent ambitious woman who spoke her mind and built up a faction was always open to the accusation of adultery by her political rivals, whether the accusation was true or fabricated.

Adultery charges offered the accuser many benefits.  The very mention of adultery suddenly cast doubt upon the legitimacy of the offspring of a suspected queen, possibly rendering them unfit for the throne and opening the door to other ambitious candidates - usually the accusers themselves [...] (Sex With The Queen -- Eleanor Herman)

You: "Do you have any parallels between Stannis and Alicent's motivations?"

The Alicent of the show is motivated politically insofar as a lot more personal and...juvenile since she's put into a much more desperate/vulnerable/abused position than in canon: she's mainly concerned with taking Rhaenyra down to feel avenged and in control in response to Otto's abuse and the notion that Rhaenyra is after her and her kids/her reign would endanger her and her kids. Her faith, like in the book, facilitates her anger and sense of offense at the "bastard" V boys being granted the right over the children she was forced to have by Otto/Viserys, even though both book and show!her 100% belief in the Faith's traditionalist teachings. It's that she believes, always has, AND is emotionally/politically buoyed through them...insofar as a man is used to hurt Rhaenyra (show) or get her the highest position of power (book). Alicent probably would think of herself as the Faith's representative & means in KL.

Stannis, as you said, is more an anti-gray man who claims Cersei's kids aren't Roberts and are bastards with no claim at all to the throne (again, Rhaenyra's kids, even if they were declared bastards, still have some claim through her being their mom). And admittedly, he'd be correct. For Stannis, the Faith is secondary, not mixed into his passions. We see him switch to Rhollor when he feels it convenient and we can guess he stopped believing in gods/religion after he watched his parents die in that storm. Religion is a pragmatic tool he refuses to admit he's using as a tool.

However, both characters are definitely deluding themselves and acting in bad faith (existentially, denial of facts or choices/free will). Show!Alicent makes as if she is trying to help Rhaenyra or that she loves her; she doesn't. She's trying to overpower her, the page of episode 10 is bogus logically, and the writing for Rhaenicent itself doesn't make sense for her to have had pure love for Rhaenyra even before she marries Viserys bc we don't know how her admiration for Rhaenyra was reciprocated enough for it to develop into actual love. Plus most of the actions we do see from her to Rhaenyra are envious rather than understanding. Stannis only cares about religion and oaths so far as they get him what he wants, does believe in Melisandre's prophecies bc they prove themselves (assumedly), but eventually kills his own kid (not illegitimate) for his own rise to power--something not even Cersei nor any iteration of Alicent would do in a 100 yrs--...And book!him still has that sort of self-deceit and hypocrisy, a refusal to acknowledge his own lack of faith in anything but power.

You: "In the best case scenario with Rhaenyra being discovered she would have had to make the trek, right?"

What trek? As in exile?