#PEOPLE'S!!! EXISTENCE!!! IS NOT!!! POLITICAL!!!!!!!!

[gc-genshin]

Sanctuary

Dr. Jack Abbot x f!nurse!reader

A/N: Need this old man bad. Late night and listening to the song “Ordinary” by Alex Warren led to this.

Word Count: 569

—

Dr. Jack Abbot had never believed in fate.

He’d seen too many carefully orchestrated decisions in trauma bays, too many political moves in hospital boardrooms disguised as divine intervention. The world didn’t run on destiny—it ran on skill, control, and timing. But that was before you.

He couldn’t explain the way you unsettled him.

In his world, everything was curated. Commanding presence, controlled tone, decisions sharp as scalpels. Relationships were pragmatic, efficient. But you didn’t play by those rules. You didn’t try to impress. Your brilliance was quiet, natural—like a force of nature wrapped in scrubs. Grounded in the chaos. And the first time your eyes met his, in the middle of a hectic trauma, something in him shifted—so subtly, he almost missed it.

It wasn’t attraction in the usual sense. It wasn’t the shallow thrill he got when younger nurses or med students idolized him. It was deeper. He felt it in his chest like a truth he wasn’t ready to name.

You were pulling him out of the ordinary.

Jack had never been lacking. Confidence, respect, control—they were his currency. But with you, it wasn’t about what he had. It was about what he was missing. You were at least twenty years younger than him, but you carried yourself like you’d lived a hundred lives. And somehow, around you, he felt young again. Unsettled. Exposed.

He wanted you to look through him, past the practiced veneer. Strip it all away. See him—just him. He didn’t crave your attention to feel validated. He craved it like something sacred. Like a man desperate to be forgiven for sins he hadn’t admitted to.

He caught himself watching you between calls. In the stillness after a code. When you tucked your hair behind your ear and glanced around like you’d forgotten the world was watching. You existed like poetry he wasn’t meant to read—delicate, sharp, untouchable. And still, he wanted to be unraveled by you.

He imagined what it might feel like to fall completely—to be broken open by your hands. To let you tear down every last barrier until he was bare in a way he’d never allowed himself to be. The people in his life wanted parts of him. The doctor. The decision-maker. But you? You didn’t seem to want anything at all. And that was exactly why he wanted to give you everything.

He pictured a world where he could press his forehead to yours, whisper the quiet, aching truths he’d never said out loud. Where you’d both be wrapped in something timeless, untouched by the pressure of image or protocol. The idea was intoxicating. You weren’t just different—you were divine. Your stillness. Your mind. Your presence. It felt like standing in a cathedral. And he, for once, was the sinner begging for absolution.

There were moments—brief, raw—where he thought you might feel it too. The way your breath paused when you passed each other in the hall. The flicker of hesitation in your eyes. But then you’d pull back—just enough to remind him: you were untouchable.

Let the angels have their heaven. Jack only wanted you.

Even if you never let him in.

Even if you tore him apart.

Even if he had to fall on his knees just to worship the ground you walked on.

He didn’t care.

Because in a life that had always been ordinary,

you were the extraordinary.

And he was already yours.

—

Eugh

[orieriee]

If LADS was a historical royalty manhwa .⋅˚₊‧ ⚜ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Your manhwa harem but with Love and Deepspace boy... What kind of male lead role would they be? 𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑

Disclaimer ‼️ This is just for fun and my own interpretation if the LADS boys are in a historical royalty manhwa or if they're in Bridgeton! Also possibly grammar errors, use she/her

Let me know if you want each of the boys' headcanons in a separate blog for a more detailed story!

INTRODUCTION ₊˚⊹♡:

Starting off with you, you are a notorious noble lady in Philos kingdom, particularly the daughter of the only earl in Philos kingdom. As you're coming of age for marriage, your father the Earl is determined to find you a suitable husband. His initial plan was to introduce you to the crown prince of Philos because you deserve the best of the best. However, you believe in true love instead of a union for duty and political purposes. While sorting through the finest candidates, you found out that there are many fine gentlemen in the kingdom, each with their own allure.

Which one will you choose?

Xavier 🌟

We're starting off with Xavier, he's of course, the crown prince of Philos Kingdom

He's the typical main male lead destined to be your fiancé

He may appear innocent on the surface , but he actually likes to poke fun at you

I imagine he's your childhood friend; the two of you played together a few times whenever the your father the Earl had work at the imperial palace

When you were children, Xavier said that he wanted to marry you one day

However, the two of you eventually lost contact as Xavier's schedule grew busier with his duties as crown prince and grew apart

Currently, the king and queen are sorting through the candidates for the crown princess

The king and queen had picked a princess from the neighboring kingdom but Xavier declined, saying that he already had someone in mind

So really, he was actually the mastermind all along (cue to the introduction), determined to make you his bride by secretly sending a marriage proposal to your estate

He even contacted your father first, not the other way around to arrange a meeting with you

Rafayel 🫧

He is said to be the enigmatic prince from the neighboring kingdom, who carries the bloodline of the Lemurian people

He is the son of a Lemurian princess, whose beauty and grace are reflected in Rafayel's face

He is also known for his artistic skills especially in painting and is famous among the greatest artists in the continent

He often holds charity events, raising funds from his paintings to those in need

Many noble ladies fangirls over him, as most of them thinks he's a romantic and very admirable

But he's actually quite shy when it comes to real romance and that's just all his facade

So the story goes like this, one day, you met him at a ball and he tried to get close to you because he wanted to get some information from you on some kind of Lemurian-related case

You two ended up working together to solve the case and he slowly fell in love with you instead

He revealed to you that he's actually the king of the Lemurian kingdom and he wants to take you back to his kingdom and asked you to be his bride

Now, you are his muse, and since then you exist in all of his art

Zayne ❄️

Zayne is the prodigious mage of the magic tower, because you know, foreseer? Tower of secret?

Zayne represents the typical Mage!Male lead

He's the youngest and one of the lead researchers of magic with huge contributions to the kingdom

Rumor has it he's actually of noble birth but that's for another story

Zayne is cold and distant because he's grown up hiding his true identity

And the thing with you is that, in his dreams, he kept seeing glimpses of his own future — and keeps seeing the same person by his side, but doesn’t know if it’s real or just a magical illusion

And ever since that day, somehow you keep crossing paths with him during important meetings or investigations

Magic can be unpredictable around strong emotions — and Zayne finds his powers reacting wildly when he's near you

He tries to do a research on it, and at first "rejects his fate", but every time he does, his magic is getting more unpredictable and out of control

In the end, he learns to embrace it — but the truth is, he had already fallen for you long before he ever understood it

Because the moment you first crossed paths, even before you appeared in his dreams, his heart had already chosen you

Sylus and Caleb under the cut!

Sylus 🐈‍⬛

Sylus is the archduke/duke renowned for his vast fortune and prosperous land in the north

He's just as famous — or infamous — for the rumors that surround him

He was rumored to be cruel, violent and ruthless by outsiders, but the people in the north think otherwise

People say he has a pet dragon that protects his land

With Sylus, I can definitely see enemies to lovers trope, the fierce and mean northern duke slowly falls in love with an unshaken noble lady

Well, it all happened when you decided to run away from home to avoid being in an arranged marriage to some stranger

After running away, your carriage broke and you stumbled upon the Duke's castle

And Sylus, cold-eyed and ruthless, has no intention of letting a suspicious trespasser go free, thinking you were a spy sent by the neighboring kingdom

But after some negotiations, Duke Sylus agrees to hide you — but only if you work for him

Basically you're just an adorable little scared kitten to him that he basically adopts you

In the end, he convinced your father to marry you to him instead (the people in his castle are overjoyed by the news that the castle will finally have a Duchess)

Caleb 🍎

Prepare for the angst because in LADS his story kinda has the forbidden trope, that makes him so Knight!Male Lead coded

The tension of forbidden love between of a noble lady and her knight, He struggles every day to maintain his self-control, never daring to step over the line drawn by your difference in social status

As your loyal personal knight, he's always there right by your side ever since you two were young

His duty is solely to protect you from harm... Not catch feelings for you

He would watch from the sidelines while the other princes approached you, jealous but unable to do anything expect for clenching his fists behind his back

Because protecting you also means protecting your happiness, even if it breaks his own heart

And yet, every stolen glance, every accidental brush of your hand against his armor, chips away at his carefully built walls

Every time you smile at someone else... At some... Princes and noblemen, it feels like a blade twisting deeper into his chest

Nails digging into his palms, forcing himself to stand still when every instinct screams at him to act — to claim you

But he remains silent

Because loving you was never part of his oath — and even if it costs him everything, he will not be the one to shatter your future for his own selfish heart

So, in conclusion:

🌟 Xavier as the Crown Prince

🫧 Rafayel as the king of Lemurian kingdom, disguised as a Prince from the neighboring kingdom traveling to Philos kingdom

❄️ Zayne, the prodigious mage of the kingdom

🐈‍⬛ Sylus of course is the rich Northern Duke

🍎 And Caleb is your loyal personal knight

[strawberrypinky]

I try to keep this blog relatively free of openly discussing politics for various reasons, but as I continue to watch what is currently happening in the United States, my horror outweighs my desire to keep this a purely fandom related zone.

I am an Englishwoman who was raised in Germany. Roughly four years of my History curriculum (a mandatory class I had to take, mind you) were dedicated to studying Nazi Germany. I directed a play for Holocaust Remembrance Day, and in preparation for it I was allowed to read original Nazi files on homosexuals in a federal archive. I am also an autistic woman.

I have read, precisely, what eugenics lead to, and it remains the most horrifying thing I have read in my entire lifetime.

The Nazis considered everyone unworthy of life who fell under one of the following "categories":

Epileptic

Schizophrenic

Manic-depressive

Suffering from Cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy

Deaf and/or blind

Homosexual or "transvestites" (which at the time was used to refer to intersex and transgender people, particularly trans women)

Anyone else showing signs of disabilities affecting cognitive ability or being diagnosed with one

Autistic people were considered “unworthy of life” by the Nazis. Although eugenics was already a troubling issue in Germany before their rise to power, the Nazis’ obsession with “biological improvement” in pursuit of a so-called perfect Aryan race led to horrific practices that echo the proposals we see today from RFK Jr. The Nazis gathered routine information from doctors’ offices and welfare departments, using it to compile lists of those they deemed “unfit.” Hundreds of children and adults were targeted — murdered, experimented on, or forcibly sterilised.

To publicly call for a “disease registry” to track autistic people is openly engaging in tactics used by Nazi Germany. It’s eugenics - point, blank, period.

Autistic people have, and always will continue to exist. They are not a “problem” or “crisis” to be solved, or a “tragic” aberration that needs to be snuffed out. Autism is not an “epidemic”, nor the result of vaccinations. It is not a “preventable disease”. Autism does not “ruin families”.

Today, we see a rise in autism diagnoses not because autism itself is increasing, but because we are finally recognising it in populations - especially women - who were historically overlooked. Diagnostic criteria have improved dramatically over the past two decades, and autism is no longer treated merely as a “last resort” label for children with cognitive disabilities.

The ongoing push to “find the cause of autism,” while simultaneously slashing funding for the Department of Education, Medicaid, and social services that support autistic individuals, is not about helping anyone. It is a thinly veiled attempt to justify modern-day eugenics under the guise of scientific inquiry. Most autistic individuals are fully capable of leading independent, fulfilling lives. And those who require higher levels of support are no less deserving of love, kindness, respect, and the fundamental dignity owed to every human being - not subjected to the cruelty of ableist agendas.

Watching history begin to repeat itself, despite countless promises of “never again,” is horrifying in more ways than I can even begin to express - and make no mistake: if anyone believes this agenda will stop with autistic individuals, they are gravely mistaken.

[paroxysmalwords]

I just find it fascinating that the Hunger Games are viewed in the Capitol not just as a means to subdue the Districts, but as an intelligent political mechanism for the longevity of not just the nation, but also humanity. It’s evident in young Effie’s referral to them as being a “greater good”, and young Coriolanus Snow reflecting on how they’d protect humanity and promote evolution.

And yet politically speaking, they do not make sense to me. If Panem is to truly be secure in the long run, the Hunger Games cannot go on, because the festering discord in the Districts and the dislike of the Games in the Capitol would eventually spill over. A good politician, even one like Snow, knows to balance carrot and stick, and the Hunger Games are too much stick. It’s different to war — they are making spectacle and sport of children’s deaths. This is not children dying as collateral damage in a military bombardment on enemy targets, not getting caught in crossfire, and not even being executed for crimes. It is a show of otherwise innocent children reaped at random for the sake of sustaining the spectacle of the Games. And in terms of the post-War context of their world, it simply does not make sense to continue to kill 23 people with reproductive potential every year before they have had the chance have children and sustain the population.

This is one of those things that I think has been papered over to make sense for narrative purposes. Even despots maintain a social contract, and Snow broke it by reaping from the existent pool of Victors during the 75th Quarter Quell. Career tributes and previous volunteers — “Capitol favorites” — tried to stop the Games, an option previously unthinkable, because as twisted and unfair as the rules of their world were, they were still rules. The Victors played by those rules in the Games, laid their lives to honor the Capitol, won “fairly” without pulling stunts or challenging the Capitol, and gained upward mobility. And yet the rules were still upended, because nothing was enough for Snow.

Here is where I think lies his fatal flaw as a leader. He kept the Districts in line with an iron fist, and managed to sustain the country and maintain its operations, production, and progress for decades. He understood the importance of reward and punishment, as evident in his “hope vs. fear” dialogue with Seneca Crane. But his arbitrariness, his willingness to pull the rug out from under those who abided by his twisted and inane rules is what did him in in the end. He broke the social contract. No, the Victors would not settle for being reaped again. And Katniss Everdeen, by virtue of her love for her sister, was unintentionally caught in the cross-fire and conveniently touted as a symbol. However, with or without her, this would have happened anyways, unless Snow’s successor discontinued the Games, simply because there was no true reward or safety for those who followed the rules — if there were real rules in Panem at all.

[callikari]

CHAMPAGNE COAST

before debut, you and heeseung were something quiet and unfinished. now, years later, your comeback is all anyone talks about — until a single look at a fashion event brings him back into the spotlight with you, and suddenly, the past you buried doesn’t feel so distant.

OO2. and then it happened

the room buzzed with the kind of electricity that only existed at fashion shows — that heavy, charged energy of too many important people gathered in one place, trying too hard to look like they weren’t trying at all.

your heels clicked softly against the marble floor as you moved through the entrance, the train of your gown trailing behind you. flashes exploded from the press wall outside, a sea of photographers shouting names, but inside, everything was muted — expensive, careful, unreal.

ive floated to your assigned seats at the front row, a stylist giving your hair one final spritz before retreating.

you kept your face poised, your expression soft but detached, exactly how they taught you to look.

until a ripple moved through the crowd.

the energy shifted.

you didn’t know how, but you felt it before you saw it.

heeseung.

he walked in with enhypen, looking unfairly good in a crisp black suit, hair brushed back effortlessly. there was something sharper about him now — a kind of quiet confidence that made it impossible not to look.

you hadn’t seen him in years.

not really.

after you both debuted, things had… shifted.

calls went unanswered, texts became less frequent. the industry was a busy place, and you told yourself you were just growing up, just focusing on your careers.

but the truth was quieter, sadder — somewhere along the way, the space between you stretched too wide to cross.

and neither of you tried to bridge it.

not then.

and now here he was, all polished edges and quiet stares, slipping into a seat just a few rows away.

“y/n,” wonyoung whispered beside you, voice giddy. “he’s literally right there.”

“i know,” you muttered back, pretending to fix the bracelet on your wrist.

“he keeps looking at you,” rei added, half-laughing into her hand.

you kept your eyes forward, glued to the empty runway. no way you were giving them the satisfaction. no way you were giving him the satisfaction.

but you could feel it.

his gaze was a physical thing, brushing over your profile like a ghost of a touch.

your heart betrayed you, stuttering hard enough to make you want to laugh at yourself.

heeseung, of all people.

after everything, after so much silence, after so many years of pretending he didn’t exist anymore in your world — he was looking at you like no time had passed at all.

the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show. a hush fell over the crowd, and for a moment, the only thing you could hear was your own heartbeat.

the models started down the runway, clothes swishing, music pulsing low and hypnotic through the speakers.

you should’ve been focused. this was the kind of event you used to dream about as a trainee. you were here. you’d made it.

but all you could think about was the weight of a pair of eyes burning holes into the side of your head.

and then — against your better judgment — you let yourself glance. just once.

just to prove you were imagining it.

but you weren’t.

heeseung was already looking.

not just a casual glance, either — a steady, soft gaze that felt like it could see right through you. he didn’t smile. he didn’t look away. he just looked.

you snapped your eyes back to the runway, cheeks hot.

beside you, rei and liz exchanged a look, grinning like they were in on a secret you hadn’t even said out loud yet.

“you two are so obvious,” wonyoung whispered.

“we’re not anything,” you hissed under your breath.

“mm,” yujin hummed skeptically. “keep telling yourself that.”

the rest of the show passed in a strange blur — flashes of color, slow-motion movements, polite applause — but your mind stayed stuck on the boy sitting just a few rows behind you.

after the final bow, you and the girls shuffled backstage, slipping out of the public eye for a second.

your phone immediately blew up with notifications — mentions, tags, fan edits, news articles.

you scrolled, dread settling heavy in your chest.

“tension in paris: y/n and heeseung’s surprising reunion stirs rumors!”

“ex-connection? netizens spot lingering looks between ive’s y/n and enhypen’s heeseung!”

“the way he looks at her… we need answers!”

the photos were damning. clear, undeniable shots of the two of you stealing glances mid-show.

you leaned back against the wall, head thudding softly against it.

wonyoung peered at your phone and let out a low whistle. “oh, you’re cooked.”

“i wasn’t even talking to him,” you groaned. “we didn’t even interact.”

“you didn’t need to,” rei said knowingly. “the tension spoke for itself.”

yujin laughed, ruffling your hair like you were a child. “you two are gonna break the internet at this rate.”

you let out a soft, helpless laugh. because honestly? you didn’t know how to feel.

terrified? maybe.

nervous? absolutely.

hopeful? you shoved that one down fast.

heeseung.

after all this time, still finding his way back to you without saying a word.

maybe some things were unfinished for a reason. or maybe, just maybe, some things weren’t finished at all.

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( cc ) taglist :: @bambisncs @iozaii @heesexual74 , @sojumimi , @angstywaifu , @aeminju , @leralise, @naevisringring , @vrikisn , @ninistranaut, @lilificationn @blvengene , @jiyeons-closet , @ineedsomezzz , @chuhees , @peachyaeger , @enhypenxbts

enhypen taglist :: @nocturnebite @cheruphic @chrrific @jungwonbropls @manaah02 @ijustreallylike2read @ijustwannareadstuff20

© callikari — all rights reserved

[newtonsheffield]

Can you imagine Anthony and Frankie meeting each other at a family event during the baseball season? I can see it being awkward as anything, but then Frankie starts to like Anthony and he becomes conflicted.

It’s really hard for Frankie. Because he would love to keep thinking Anthony as the absolute fucking menace he is on the field. He loves playing the villain when he comes to Busch Stadium. The guy puts his hand up to his ear while the crowd boos for him then grins when he crushes a ball on the first pitch.

Worse he’s the guy who steals second base then wiggles his finger at Frankie who wasn’t fast enough with the pop to catch him.

He’s a fucking asshat on the field. And it would have been way better for Frankie’s sanity if he got to keep thinking of him that way.

But now he knows the Anthony he met at his sister’s birthday party.

Frankie was working himself up for it for three days. More than aware that tomorrow he’d have to face Anthony at Wrigley Field. And Anthony Bridgerton at Wrigley is even worse than at Busch.

“Frankie.” Anthony nodded when it came time for them to be forced to interact, sat around the table at the restaurant.

“Anthony.”

Bridgerton’s got his arm around his wife, who’s talking with her sister. And awkward silence settles between them.

“You’re having a good season.”

Frankie lifted his eyebrows, “Thank you?”

Anthony smiled at him, then kissed his wife’s cheek. “I’m going to the bar, babe.”

That’s the thing about this Anthony. He’s a family man. He’s polite, clearly in his best behavior and Frankie can’t help but admire the way it seems like no one else exists to Anthony Bridgerton. His wife is clearly the most important thing to him. This is a guy he likes. This is a guy he respects. Maybe Anthony’s mellowed.

And then 24 hours later there he is skipping over to home plate to bloody Teenage Dream and Frankie’s blood is boiling again.

“Anthony.”

“Frankie. Lovely dinner last night.”

“Fuck off, Anthony.”

“Hmm, No.” Anthony swung on a ball, hit cleanly into the outfield.

Most people would have sprinted towards first base but not Anthony. Anthony high-fived Frankie’s glove waved to Josie in the stands and then took off, somehow still reaching second.

“Fucking asshat.”

[socialpants]

For real tho. I've mentioned this in a few other posts, but you have to speak the right language. A lot of words get coded as either Left or Right, regardless of their actual meaning or content. And using those words will trigger an automatic rejection reaction in people. This justifiably includes very obvious dog whistles for fascism, but also academic jargon which tends to be what a lot of people on the Left use.

Those words may be the best way to communicate with your fellow lefties because they're succinct (they refer to very specific academic concepts), but get your average centrist and conservative to clam up tighter than a penguin's butthole because they only know the bastardized mainstream/right wing media spin on the words. They don't want to be associated with that gobbledygook. Even when it's what they would actually want from politics and culture.

So while it's tempting to try to explain stuff to people using the actual right academic and legal words, you have to meet people where they're at.

Usually the only thing where the average joes' opinions diverge is money. If it's human rights, the right to be and exist and stay healthy... most of that we already agree on. It's money issues where we disagree

[hollowed-theory-hall]

hi! so i read your post on percy as the minister of magic and i definitely understand your point of view. i'm curious who you think would be a good minister of magic?

(Referring to this post about Percy as the minister)

The honest answer, I don't think any of them is an ideal minister. At least, not anyone I could think of. If you can take the Golden Trio and make them a minister together like some Roman Trimuvirate, we have something we could work with:

Like, Harry got the charisma, the fame, he draws attention and would be brilliant at telling people to shut the fuck up in the sassiest way possible. When tough things happen, and things get stressful, Harry keeps his calm and keep them moving forward. Plus, he has great instincts.

The thing is, Harry doesn't really care about the bigger system or politics at all. He'd find Wizengamot frustrating and dull, and wouldn't want anything to do with them unless he felt responsible to put in the effort (which he would if he were put in the position). But, like, it won't be something he wants to do. He doesn't have a passion for it.

Ron is more realistic and strategic and is best at looking at the wider situation and its consequences. He is also the most connected with the Wizarding World itself and the culture there. He is the trio's insider, who knows the culture like a native. He is more concerned with the system at large than Harry. He isn't a great liar, but he is strategic and can stay calm under pressure. And Ron post-war is more charismatic than we give him credit for, I think. (And he's the most hinged, emotionally balanced member of the trio, which is very important when dealing with other important people you want to cooperate with you). And, yes, he's lazy about school work, but when he needs to research something, all three of the Golden Trio sit their asses in the library and research when they need to. Hermione just enjoys it.

And Hermione is brilliant at research and bureaucracy. She can get things done, and Ron and Harry would mitigate her idealism. Hermione is very "my way or the highway" and can cause people who agree with her to not want her in charge. While something needs to be done regarding the house elves, her approach ends up offending the house elves she is trying to help instead of getting them to support her (which I think is possible with the right approach). What I'm saying is Hermione is not that subtle or that good of a liar and would struggle navigating the less obvious sides of politics, especially if she'd need to think fast. Hermione is good when she has time to plan, not so much when she is panicking and needs to think on her feet (that's when Harry's in his element).

But, basically, Hermione would get things done, Harry would lead people, and Ron would mitigate both of them, remind them of the reality they live in, and make the whole dynamic work. So, the golden trio together, as a unit, would be a pretty good option (from the ones we have).

Though, writing all the above made me think that Ron, as minister with Hermione helping him out with research and such, and Harry backing him, is slept on in this fandom. I think it could work. (Plus, he'd want it more than Harry would be happy without more attention)

I think Kingsley isn't a bad choice for a minister. I think he would do an alright job, all in all. He's realistic, cool under pressure, charismatic, and knows how to work within the limits of the ministry well. My only problem with him as minister would be that he'd stick pretty closely to the existing ministry's status quo. He does remove the dementors from Azkaban and probably improves the state of muggleborns, but, unfortunately, the wizarding world needs more than that. (Not to mention the anti-Slytherin sentiment that seems to be present in the epilogue spells another dark lord in the near future)

Amelia Bones would probably be pretty similar to Kingsley as a Minister of Magic, tbh. She'd just, realistic, cool under pressure, but probably not see the deeper problems in the very system she works in.

Couldn't really think of anyone else when writing this, but if you think I forgot someone obvious, tell me.

[pseudoquiddity]

Wait, hold on, I want to talk about Marxism and the Kains. If you will bear with me. And if you will also let go of/forget the Omelas child because I don't think the Kains want that kind of utopia, either.

For the Kains, the town was made as a focus to capture a "mystical manifestation of a world inscrutable and inaccessible for men" because sometimes, that impossible, fantasy world collides with the mundane. Example: mundane materials from mundane flesh-and-blood people created the Polyhedron, which houses genuine "mystical manifestations" and is "inscrutable."

When Maria says that Utopia requires "dirt, blood, manure, devourment, skins, meat, and bone tools," she means that it's part of the creation, not the product. Literally what the Kains want is an eclipse-like event brought about by a miracle and then captured to be used as a Utopia. Here's the timeline:

create the mundane town -> create a society wherein there exists two conflicting groups, devourers and creators, that live together -> the sustained existence of this is a miracle -> the "mystical world" eclipse is here and needs to be captured -> build a structure to house the miracle -> they build the Cathedral but it's not good enough -> the Kains fail.

This is why people in the game refer to the Kains as a cult because, to them, the true metamorphosis of utopia isn't "the dream of mercantile prosperity, sensible social structure, or political fairness." It's not Thomas More's or anybody's draft of a well-structured world - there is no Omelas, there is no child - it's this tenth-dimension reality that already exists in our world but is so inconceivable to us that it's invisible. In the sense that antibiotics have always existed in our world, even before they were made - we just couldn't always conceptualize of them. True Utopia is this on an unimaginably macro level.

The Kains suddenly, surprisingly succeed in the creation of the Polyhedron. They capture a miracle and can finally interact with and view it. This is the start of their Final Utopia.

Where the human rights abuses kick in is not in the product but in the creation of a Final Utopia.

This is what Georgiy (or Simon) has to say about it in the Marble Nest:

"My heart aches for [the dead]. This is dreadfully cruel. But perhaps the thing we are trying to build can only be erected with the help of those who have passed it - the exam of death. Who has learned not to fight it, like you do; not to deny it, but rather ... Embed it into themselves. Use it. Humanity has learned to use the law of gravity, hasn't it? There is your proof, just look out of the window. There was a time when humans could not brave the sky. But that time has passed."

So the idea here is that progress (toward an existence so advanced it is impossible, unthinkable) requires suffering. It requires poverty so that it can learn from poverty, dying so that we can learn to stop it. Imagine that we are in Dankovsky's future, where everyone is immortal; we are dependent on the pre-existence of death. All forms of dying were integral to this future.

In the same way that communism requires capitalism so that it can learn from the suffering of capitalism (according to Marx).

What Georgiy has to say about "not fighting the exam" is Marx's approach to history.

"Achieving modern levels of civilization required ancient chattel slavery and/or similar systems of brutal exploitation, misery and subjugation to begin the process of material accumulation that led to further innovation and cultural advance. Thus the broad historical alternatives are either justice on the basis of atomized farming at the eternal mercy of nature, or slavery and similar systems of brutality with the ultimate result of reaching modern civilizations." - Jeffrey Vogel

This is also not in dismissal of suffering, either.

"No such justificatory reasons are available for those who are required to sacrifice themselves on behalf of human progress. ... It is implausible to expect self-respecting slaves to regard our benefit as a sufficient reason for the sacrifice of their one life on earth." - Jeffrey Vogel (again. i'd recommend reading this article)

The tragedy of history is that liberty needs to be prioritized over justice in order for the creation of true communism. Communism, or utopia, or whatever the Kains are making, needs to benefit off the pain of those who never get to see it. And nobody has to like it, or feel okay about it. As Georgiy says, "this is dreadfully cruel."

Here I am at the plate, and not to "go up to bat" for more deeply flawed Pathologic characters, but the reason why the Kains are left-leaning is because they are Marxist, but the ugly kind of Marxist that isn't only about overthrowing capitalism and ignoring what came before it; how communism, in many ways, should thank capitalism - not like it, but thank it.

tl;dr, we all want utopia or an ideal state of living and the kains are people who don't ignore that ideal living stems from miserable injustices (I do also think that the Kains take missteps in their own Marxist philosophy because of interpersonal reasons - ie sometimes those injustices happen to them, too, and they don't like it - nobody does! they struggle on their strings)

tl;dr dankovsky goes home and kills himself not because the utopian future is ruled by conservative futurists but because he cannot morally justify the process it took to get there within himself. if utopia requires death than he'd prefer to join the dead. this is not the world for him.

tl;dr russian game is russian

[muffinghostie]

Oh project 2025 isn’t going to happen you’re being paranoid-

What the absolute fuck is this then? This country is so fucked.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

Of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept 11 attacks:

15 were from Saudi Arabia (a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

2 were from the United Arab Emirates (also a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

1 was from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon.

None of the hijackers were from Iraq.

None of the Sept 11 hijackers were Iraqi.

None of the 9/11 hijackers were from Iraq.

[unofficial-cactus]

Even if you've got no questions, read the FAQ. There are tutorials, tips, and other useful information on some of AO3's useful features.

Per the rules/TOS you can tag however you want, though there are some politeness guidelines that users appreciate people adhering to (I'll get to those in a moment). There are however 4 mandatory tag fields that do have rules around how you MUST tag them.

From the TOS FAQ:

What are the minimum criteria for tags in mandatory fields?

The tags on your work must meet the following criteria: Rating: If the work contains graphic adult content, you must rate the work as either "Mature" or "Explicit", or use the "Not Rated" tag. Archive Warnings: If the work contains depictions of content described by one of the four specific Archive Warnings, you must apply that Archive Warning tag or the "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings" tag. Fandoms: The work may only use fandom tags that directly relate to content currently present in the work. Language: The language tag must indicate a language used in a major portion of the work text, unless no such language tag is available. If you wish to provide other users with more information about your work, you are welcome to do so using the non-mandatory tag fields (such as Additional tags), your work summary, and/or the notes of your work.

In short to adhere to the TOS, Language, Fandom, Rating, and Warnings can be unspecific, but cannot be deceptive. I.e. Not Rated, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, and Unspecified Fandom are always adequate to adhere to the TOS. If the language is not fictional and is not on the list, you should contact support so they can add it.

The above four mandatory tag categories are the only ones policed by the archive. The rest is free game (outside of spam and harassment).

Which leads us to further tagging etiquette. These are not rules, and are unenforcable, but make the site a better place and help the people who want to read your fics find your fics, and the ones who don't want to read it, avoid it:

A good guiding principle of tagging is two consider the two perspectives (within reason)

If someone searched only for this/these tags and read my fic, would they be satisfied?

If someone explicitly excluded this/these tags and read my fic, would they be upset?

Honesty is the best policy - don't be a dick and intentionally mistag to get more 'exposure'.

As a rule of thumb, be more liberal with kink and trope tags, and be more conservative with character and relationship tags. This will help those who want to read your fic find your fic.

For characters and relationships, try and only tag the main characters and relationships with those characters - i.e. the ones that get the most 'screen time' in the fic. You can also always tag it as NAME - Background if a character doesn't show up much but you still want to tag them. This will still show up in works filtered for NAME but the reader doesn't have to start reading the fic to know it's not the main character.

Tags are freeform. You can create new tags and don't have to adhere to pre-existing tag formations. The process of wrangling means that related tags get linked to refer to the one 'canon' tag so show up in the same searches (wrangling is a volunteer job and smaller fandoms are less likely to have active wranglers though, so for smaller fandoms, it may be harder for people to find your work if you don't use any pre-existing tag formats).

Some people put silly notes in their tags. That's okay, but it's considered polite to not go overboard. There's a notes section both before and after the fic/chapter when you can add commentary. Remember that the primary purpose of tags is to help people find/avoid stuff they want to read, so less fluff in the tags section will make it easier for people to skim though the tags to see if it's something they're interested in.

AO3 wranglers also put together a helpful guide on tagging here.

A very important note on Bookmark Tags. Bookmarks can be both public and private. If a bookmark is public, people (including the author) can see what tags you added to that bookmark. This does not affect how the work shows up in searches/filtering. The same for notes. Bookmark notes on public bookmarks are visible to the author and general public but won't affect searches/filtering.

In short, be mindful of what you put on public bookmarks.

AO3 are not the morality police. Don't bother reporting things you consider immoral, downright evil, and unfit for human consumption. You're wasting both your time and the time it takes for the abuse committee to tell you to beat it. You can read their policy on offensive content here.

Reminders for new ao3 users (in no particular order):

- filter your searches like you would on a library website or in an online catalogue

- don’t post placeholders, fic searches, or recommendations as fics. DON’T! It’s against ao3 TOS

- there is no algorithm. ao3 sorts by date posted/updated unless you filter with specific search criteria

- ao3 is a non profit. that means it doesn’t sell ads to make money — it only survives on donations. this is why it can show you so many fics without ever flashing an ad or pop up at you!

- report fics that break TOS when you see them (I.e., placeholder fics, searches) to help other users navigate better

- the tag “dead dove, do not eat” doesn’t equate to gore/awfulness automatically. it is a complementary tag that enhances current tags. E.g., if the fic is tagged “gore” and “dead dove, do not eat” the author really wants you to mind the gore tag

- most fandoms have a variation of “no beta, we die like (x character)” and they all link back to the “No beta” tag

- publishing a new fic sometimes means it won’t show up in the fandom/pairing tag for a few minutes

- subscribers receive update emails at different times, depending on when you update/publish your fic. there’s no good way to predict when an e-mail will be sent — it can be in 30 seconds, or two hours later

- some fics are restricted by authors to those with ao3 accounts only. if you see a blue lock in the upper right corner, that fic is only visible to logged in ao3 users

- you can block commenters now! this didn’t use to be a thing

- updating a fic just to stay at the top of the pairing tag/fandom tag is a dick move. unless you’re legitimately editing or adding chapters, this just annoys readers and fellow authors, and people will skip over your fic

[pirateprincessjess]

IFPA will still allow transgender women to participate in women’s pinball tournaments. They also went out of their way to explicitly state their support for transgender people!

Fuck yeah pinball community

[ravenkings]

i know this is hashtag cringelib shit (and i don't fucking care tbh) but believe me when i say that vladimir putin is probably the actual most evil person on the planet currently. you can hem and haw and try to be ~edgy~ and say that whichever us president is just as bad blah blah blah but the fact is that, even notwithstanding the horrors he is currently perpetrating in ukraine and has also perpetrated in places like syria, chechnya, multiple nations in africa, etc. vladimir putin actively orchestrated the complete suppression of his own country through turning it into a true mafia state and also has most likely been involved in (or even orchestrated) multiple examples of state terrorism IN RUSSIA ITSELF in order to start wars or to cause fear to consolidate his own power.

furthermore he's assassinated an ever-increasing list of people who stood against him and frequently IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

like there is ultimately no way to negotiate with that man, and not even just for moral reasons but because the first chance he gets HE WILL FUCK YOU OVER. anyone who is suggesting (ahem donald trump ahem) that he is a reasonable actor who you can ""do business with"" either thinks he's in cahoots with him, is subservient to him, or is just fucking stupid (and i'm sure the current us president falls into all three categories.)

i know this is obvious to many but i do still feel like there are some reasonable though uninformed people who think that if a ceasefire in ukraine is brokered now, even on russia's terms, that it would still be a preferable option for ukraine.

i'm telling you RIGHT FUCKING NOW (with almost 30 years of prior evidence to go on) the second he gets a chance to regroup, putin would break that fucking ceasefire and try to seize the entire country once again just like in 2022 and this time, does literally ANYONE see ukraine getting sufficient help to fend him off then?????

and trust me, being under russian occupation under putin would probably lead to EVEN MORE torture and rape and bloodshed and cruelty (as we have EXTREMELY ample evidence of) than continuing the war and giving ukraine a fighting chance would.

the only way to think of vladimir putin and the only way to treat him is like a mad dog who needs to be put down because, at the end of the day, that is all he is.

[panstarry]

my final from last semester that i made into a zine. cooked this one up in a couple hours before the critique (the ink was still wet!), so it's very raw and kind of sloppy but the sentiment is there. i love you trans people of color. we are the backbone of this community 🌟

[ramonekemono]

The problem is that this is "test" of political climate isn't non intrusive. Why does rainbow capitalism exist? It's because it works on a large scale. It's because it has been proven to pacify the masses and direct their energy away from direct action. Smarter people might see it as a non commitment of corporations, but what about a good chunk of liberals who didn't have knowledge or experience when dealing with these sorta scam? What about people who genuinely believe in this as progress?

This isn't just a barometer reading of society's acceptance of a certain idea/identity. It's an active participant in modifying it, and dismissing them as just "symptoms" doesn't seem like a particularly good idea.

the rapid disintegration of rainbow capitalism pretty much encapsulates the problem with rainbow capitalism in the first place: it is and always was performative fair-weather allyship that evaporated in the face of any real political pressure