#Start the revolution without me

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[citizenscreen]

Donald Sutherland and Gene Wilder in START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME (1970), directed by Bud Yorkin

[theperplexedpoet]

the pelican (concentrate)

just concentrate it's happening again now contemplate how we let it begin the pelican has landed the swamp within a swamp it's Florida rebranded all circumstance no pomp all the vibes of Crystal Lake masked psychopathic romp yes, the pelican's awake the swamp within a swamp now concentrate it's happening again to sublimate the weight of every sin the pelican has landed 'cause haters gonna hate the Misery's commanded for such a cruel fate it's history repeating where “never” once we spake pelican's self-defeating but haters gonna hate just concentrate it's happening again to obfuscate keep us from weighing in the pelican trumps eagle as far as symbols go is any of this legal perhaps we'll never know melting pot to powder keg all for hate and ego the pelican trumps the dead as far as symbols go just concentrate it's happening again cooperate be complicit in sin the pelican's corrosive in impact and effects the end will be explosive as history projects but we cut out that chapter from each of the school's texts pelican's a disaster in impact and effects just concentrate it's happening again don't celebrate it's not some kind of win the pelican has landed seller and the satyr it's Florida rebranded hater nomenclature all the vibes of Crystal Lake later alligator this is the straw that should break the seller and satyr just concentrate it's happening again don't relegate it to some lesser sin the pelican trumps eagle as far as symbols go is any of this legal perhaps we'll never know (7/8/25)

[professionaldustcollector]

[effluvlia]

Donald Sutherland

1935-2024

RIP

[skipperthekangaroo]

when i heard about donald sutherland's death this was the first thing i thought of. if you haven't seen start the revolution without me do yourself a favor and watch it. one of the most underrated comedies ever made

[ereh-emanresu-tresni]

.

[kittykatinabag]

Turns out I can still be surprised by the pettiness and cruelty in this dystopia of an administration.

[ragnars-tooth]

It never fails to piss me off that because of my degree I wasn't allowed to take the bookbinding module (100+ hours of teaching) because it was "covered in the illustration syllabus". Was it. Because I got 15 hours in 3 years and they were all optional.

We got to third year and no one knew how to do a saddle stitch bind and the tutors (who we had in first year also) got mad at us. Like girl idk we'd BEEN asking for you to do more than all give conflicting opinions on poorly explained briefs but sure. Its my fault I can't really remember how to do that thing I learnt once when I was a silly idiot child (a fresher)

Anyways I'm planning to bind some little zines for xmas gifts and I know already that I'm going to scream and cry and throw up and do it all wrong repeatedly 🙏

[hes-a-plant]

Just watched the Robot Revolution.

At the end of the episode Belinda says, “I saw that box in space! Is that your TARDIS?”

How does Belinda know what a TARDIS is?

Up until this point, the Doctor has not mentioned that it is called a TARDIS. He refers to it once, calling it his spaceship.

Also, a minute or so later, when she fully enters the TARDIS, she says “Now get me home. 24th of May 2025, my shift starts at 7:30am.”

Which is a very odd phrasing if you do not know that you’re in a Time Machine.

Which Belinda doesn’t, considering that she is surprised a few seconds later when the Doctor tells her she’s in a Time Machine.

My theory? Something is wrong with Belinda’s timeline, maybe some sort of time fracturing mess like we saw with Clara or maybe she has met the doctor before but he has wiped her memory (except it’s in his future so he doesn’t know it)

It’s almost like Belinda subconsciously recognizes the Doctor and is remembering things without realizing it.

[emeraldserenade]

Pen Pals ~ Robert "Bob" Floyd

synopsis: You sign up for your college's program where you become pen pals to a military personnel that needs one. You just happen to fall in love with the friend of your pen pal without ever meeting him

tw: fem!reader, Iceman lives because I say he does, slow burn, reader's parents die when she's 18, found family, reader's friends die in a car crash, reader can count cards, barely edited.

fic, ficlet, drabble, request

This took me DAYS to write but I am so proud of it. This is LONG

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Your college had a program, you would sign up and become pen pals with military personnel that didn't have one. You signed up because you had no one either, your parents both died in a car crash and you were an only child.

Turns out that your pen pal was the same way, Bradley, or Rooster, lost his father to a training mission gone wrong and his mom died of cancer. You two became fast friends after the revolution, he was over seas a lot, but recently told you that he was being called for a new mission and gave you a new address. It's one you recognized, you've sent him letters there before. San Diego seemed to always be his home base, which was nice since you also lived there.

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Bradley loved getting your letters, they filled a void in his heart. He's gotten in trouble one too many times defending you from the other guys. He kept your picture in his helmet and called you his sister to any one who asked.

"Rooster, you got a letter," Pete called to Bradley as he walked in. You always sent your newer letters to the base he was stationed at before he could tell you where he was staying.

"Still getting letters from that girl?" Jake teased but Bradley ignored him, you told him to stop getting in trouble for fighting for you in one of your letters.

"Who sends you letters?" Natasha meant it in the nicest way possible but Bradley stood up straighter.

"Uh, y/n, she's practically my sister. Her college does this program where they will pair up a student with a military personnel that doesn't have someone to write to them. She's been my pen pal since bootcamp," Bradley explained, tucking the letter into the pocket of his flight suit. "She knows about all of you," Bradley added on.

"Have you ever met her?"

"No, but she's sent me polaroids of her and her friends. Just simple photos taken while they were out at the park or the one she sent of them getting drunk at a frat party," Bradley reached into the pocket above his heart and pulled the polaroid from it. He handed it to Natasha who smiled at the photo. You were laying on the floor with your cat resting on your chest, you were flipping the camera off but there was a huge smile plastered on your face.

"She's pretty," Natasha pointed out and Bradley nodded.

"Careful, Phoenix, Rooster's fought people because of her before," Jake said loudly.

"Only those that try to objectify her, she deserves better than that," Bradley said strongly, it made Pete smile seeing Bradley so protective of someone.

"Hey, I'll join any fight you start for her," Natasha stated, already feeling a bond with the girl nice enough to write letters to a stranger.

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You were anxiously waiting for Bradley's next letter, you asked in the last one for photos of everyone. You knew he went on that super top secret mission earlier in the week but didn't know when he got back. And you specifically asked for more information about Robert Floyd, you had started growing a crush on him without knowing him. You checked the mail when you got home and there was a letter waiting from Bradley.

Hey, Jake kinda forced me into telling everyone about you. Don't worry, I didn't fight him. As for Bob, he's not much shorter than me and he's a little bit more on the quiet side. You like him though, I can tell. I had everyone pose for photos for you and added them to the envelope, some where taken at the Hard Deck too. My number is also at the end of this letter, the rest teased me about never giving it to you and never getting yours. Oh and the mission was a success. (xxx)xxx-xxxx ps, if you do develop a crush on any of them, Bob isn't a bad choice. - your not brother, brother, Bradley

You smiled as you read the letter, you figured Bradley would know you had a crush on Bob. You looked at each picture, taken off a polaroid like yours were. They each had the name of who was in it, each different hand writing and you guessed it was from who was in the picture. You paused when you saw Bob's, his military issued glasses and perfectly gelled hair somehow seemed to look amazing on him. He had a dorky smile on his face but you loved it.

you: Hey, it's y/n! I just got your letter Bradley: Hey! I hoped the pictures brought a smile to your face you: They did! You said you took some at the Hard Deck, right? Bradley: Yeah, why? you: I don't live far from there we could meet up, if you wanted to meet in person that is Bradley: Are you sure this isn't a way to meet Bob? you: Shut it! No, I actually want to meet my not brother brother Bradley: Then be there around 6 tonight! you: Will do, lieutenant

Six rolled around sooner than you expected and you found yourself standing by your car. You could tell it wasn't busy and the Bronco that was in some of Bradley's photos was parked outside. You hesitated to walk in, you knew Bradley but you've never seen him in person.

You took a deep breath and walked in, you were greeted with the loud music from the jukebox and the sight of a bunch of pilots in the back by the pool table. You beelined for the bar, knowing Penny could help calm your nerves, she was good at that when you worked here before.

"Hey, hon, what are you doing here?" Penny greeted you with a smile.

"Uh, remember that Navy pilot I'm pen pals with?" You questioned.

"Yeah, why?"

"He's here," you whispered and she raised an eyebrow.

"Your Bradley is the one over there playing pool?"

"Yeah," you nodded.

"Go say hi, he's been waiting for you since we opened," she shooed you away and, oddly enough, she did calm your nerves.

You didn't get far before you arm was grabbed, you were barely a step away from the bar. He was in a uniform and you had to guess he was a fresh wave since he wasn't in Bradley's photos or letters.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing all alone?" The man pressed himself to you and you jumped back into the bar. You didn't have time to tell him off before you heard it.

One Two Three Four "Overboard!" The entire bar shouted as Penny finished her ringing of the bell. It's how you see Bradley for the first time, he walked over with the other men you recognized from the photos, Jake and Javy.

"Welcome to TOP GUN," Jake said as they hauled the man away from you.

"Rule number one: never mess with my sister," Bradley said as they literally threw him out the door and shut it in his face. Bradley beelined back to you and pulled you directly into his arms. "Are you ok?"

"Didn't I say to stop fighting people for me?" It was a joke, one that made Bradley laugh.

You were dragged to Bradley's friends and suddenly you had offically met everyone. You and Bradley got along as if you had been real siblings who grew up together, you met the infamous Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and promptly ripped him a new one, your anger about what he did to Bradley simmering since you learned about it.

"Are we sure she isn't your long lost sister?" Jake joked as you finished yelling at Pete, your eyes blazing as you stared him down.

"I can say you have made the short list of people who truly scare me, congrats," Pete Mitchell was, for once, at a loss for words. A laugh and a hand landing on your shoulder pulled you from your staring contest with Pete, you were greeted with the face of an nice looking older man.

"Admiral Kazansky," the pilots around you saluted and greeted the man but he waved them off.

"Admiral, it's nice to meet you," you offered your hand, the only one not in the Navy so the only one not to salute.

"Please, after that wonderful tell off to Mav here, call me Tom," he shook your hand and you smiled.

You spent your night with the pilots, new and old, before going back home. Not having drank meant you could drive back home, which is what you did.

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You had become an honorary member of the Dagger Squad, your fake call sign Birdie came from the fact that Bradley wouldn't stop calling you his sister.

"Birdie!" You were headed to your car from class when you heard your nickname be called from across the quad. You grimaced as a bunch of your fellow grad students looked at you. You looked over and saw your gaggle of pilots running towards you. "We're going roller skating tonight, wanna join?" Mickey asked and you nodded.

"Why not put this in the group chat?" You questioned.

"These knuckleheads forgot you weren't in the groupchat that we have for work related things," Natasha revealed and you laughed.

"Ah, what are you all doing here?"

"We came to ask you," Mickey smiled and you scrunched your eyebrows together. "And because we all were in two cars and thought we would surprise you," Mickey added on and you nodded.

"Well, now we have three, who wants to ride with me?" Automatically Natasha, Mickey, and Bob claimed your car and the others went back to the other cars.

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You found your old roller skates tucked away in your closet, you had stopped at your apartment with the Dagger Squad to get changed and ready. Your outfit consisted of a white tennis skirt, a black tank top, and one of the Hawaiian shirts you had stolen from Bradley after getting bear spilt on you at the Hard Deck.

"I'm ready to go!" You announced and smiled as Bradley shook his head at you.

"Stealing my look?" Bradley joked.

"What can I say? I wear it better," you smiled at him as he threw his arm around your neck and pulled you into a side hug.

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Pulling up to the roller rink was fun, everyone had taken the three cars and you still had Natasha, Bob, and Mickey. The four of you had been singing and laughing the whole way there, even though you had to practically bat your eyes at Bob to get him to sing. It made it easier to do that since Natasha insisted on driving.

"I am NOT riding with chicken next time," Jake complained as he jumped out of Bradley's bronco.

"It couldn't have been that bad," you tried to reason but Bob gently placed his hand on your arm and shook his head at you. You stayed silent as the group walked in, you hung back with Bob as everyone walked. "You look nice," you told him, taking a glance at the shorts and plain shirt be wore.

"Thanks, uh, so do you," he nervously said and you gave him a smile.

"Birdie, you have your own skates?" Jake asked as everyone else was getting rentals.

"Yeah," you nodded, not particularly wanting to just tell the story on why you have them that night.

"Why?" Jake asked the question you knew was coming so you took a deep breath.

"I got them for a frat party my sophomore year of undergrad," you lied and saw him smirk before laughing.

"Why do you need roller skates for a frat party?"

"Because, I just did," you argued back before finishing up your lacing and standing up, you could have told the truth but didn't feel like bringing down the mood. You glided across the floor with ease, it was something you did on the weekends with your parents growing up before the died. You paused by Bob and leaned against the wall of the rink across from him, you watched as he stood and was surprisingly steady. "You can skate?"

"Yeah, I did it a lot with my younger brother," Bob told you and you smiled at him. You two made your way to the rink opening but you paused to help Mickey up and to steady himself.

"It's hard to explain how to skate but like, kinda push off the floor with your toes," you told him and watched him try. "Ok, just watch me for a moment," you told him before spinning to get on the rink and speed around it. You always felt free while skating, like you were gliding through the air without a care in the world. Before you knew it, Mickey was on the rink and skating around. It took him a moment to get the hang of it, but he did.

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You hung around Bob the entire night and Bob couldn't help but notice the way the print of Bradley's shirt you were wearing glowed under the lights. Your smile was contagious and he found himself smiling with you, ever since that night, the one where his friends threw the creep out of the bar and you fearlessly told Pete off, he found himself falling for you.

You were vocal about what you thought was right yet kind and soft spoken to those you loved. He envied the way you so carelessly talked to people and the way you seemed to hold attention so easily. Yet, you seemed to like him, he didn't dare think you could like him how he liked you. But you were always sticking with him, always taking his advice and opinions to heart, telling Jake to fuck off when he messed with Bob.

"Jake fucking Seresin!" You yelled as Jake wizzed past you two, almost knocking you off balance. "Can't believe this shit, can you?" You looked at Bob with a soft smile, the shock and malice in your voice gone. Bob was just glad it was 18+ night with the way you yelled out curse words when scared.

"No, I can't," Bob agreed with your words and you beamed at him, looping your arm through his and keeping up with the slow pace he set. "You didn't get those for a frat party, did you?" Bob asked before he could stop himself.

"No," you sighed, tightening your hold on him. "My parents died shortly after my 18th birthday, but they met in a roller rink. It was a couple's skate and they both had no date so they paired up, we went every weekend until they died," you admitted and Bob stopped moving.

"I'm sorry," he told you, looking you in the eyes.

"It's not your fault, you weren't the drunk driver that hit them," you told him, your eyes flickering to his lips for a moment.

"Stop flirting and start skating," Bradley said as he grabbed your waist and pulled you, pulling Bob along with since you refused to let him go.

"Bob, help me!" You laughed and he laughed with you.

"How am I supposed to help? I'm also being dragged?" Bob asked and you looked for a solution.

"Jake, annoy Bradley by coming to remove me from his hold!" You shouted to the blond, and true to his nature to want to annoy Bradley at any given chance, he came to help.

"Hangman, stop, she's my sister. It's my job to annoy her!" Bradley argued, trying to keep you in his hold.

"Tasha! Help!" You called for backup and soon the entire Dagger Squad was either trying to get you away from Bradley or for you to stay in his hold. You successfully got away and moved to Bob, grabbing onto him once again. "Let's go before Bradley realizes I'm no longer in his arms," you and Bob rushed off the rink and went to sit at one of the high top tables along the rink. You watched as Bob skated away and came back with two drinks and a large pretzel.

"I was going to get two pretzels but these things are huge," Bob said and you nodded in agreement. You two ate your pretzel, you occasionally breaking a piece off and feeding it to one of your friends as they skated by, and talked the whole time.

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Bradley was currently going through your laundry and taking all his clothes back. You two were waiting for the others to show up for movie night and you had pulled your laundry to the living room to fold.

"Why do you have so many of my shirts?" He asked as he grabbed the fourth one from your collection.

"It's my sisterly duty, my aunt tells me that all little sisters take their older siblings clothes. Just giving you the treatment you never got," you smiled as you plopped down on the floor next to him.

"You're making me wish I would have told them to get me another pen pal," Bradley sighed and you tackled him in outrage.

"Take it back!" You laughed, both you missing your apartment door opening. Natasha and Bob walked in followed by Mickey and Ruben, they were here early like always.

"No!" Bradley argued as he pushed you off him.

"Don't tell me no, take it back!" You pushed his shoulder as you laid on the floor laughing.

"What's going on here?" Natasha was the one to ask, she was also the only one (other than Bob) to never question if you two were truly only a sibling relationship.

"Bradley just told me he wished that he asked for a different pen pal!" You told them and watched as they all fake gasped.

"Bradshaw, how dare you be mean to our sister?" Mickey asked as he moved to sit on the floor with you two.

"Our sister? Then you can let her steal all of your shirts," Bradley said.

"Never mind," Mickey joked and you gave him an offended look.

"You two would let me steal your shirts, right?" You looked at Natasha and Bob, you knew Ruben would say no in honor of his wife.

"Of course I would," Natasha confirmed and Bob nodded.

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Movie night was in full swing and you were curled into Bradley's side, Bob was on your other side. You don't know why you agreed to a scary movie but you had a death grip on Bradley's hand, the one that was attached to the arm currently wrapped around you. Every time a jump scare would happen, you would tighten your grip and force yourself into his side even more.

"Birdie, I gotta go to the bathroom," he whispered and you looked at him with wide eyes. He sighed and looked over at Bob who was already looking at you two, a single nod between the two and you were being switched to lean into Bob. He wrapped his arm around you the same way Bradley had and let you bury your face into his chest and neck when the more gruesome parts came on. Bradley had come back from the bathroom by the end of the movie but you were still curled into Bob.

"Let's watch the second one," Jake said and you let out a squeak, one that called everyone's attention to the position you where in.

"There's more?" You questioned, your terror clear on your face.

"Yeah, All Hallows' Eve isn't technically the first but it's considered to be. Terrifier 1, 2, and 3 are the other ones," Mickey explained.

"Are we watching them all?" You pushed yourself even closer to Bob, you were as close as you could be without being in his lap. Your eyes darted to Natasha who stood and took the remote from Jake, staring his down when he tried to protest.

"No, we'll watch something else," she said and threw the remote at Mickey, he turned on The Princess Bride. As the movie played, you relaxed. You stayed pressed into Bob, simply enjoying his warmth and comfort, but you weren't jumping every few minutes.

The end of the movie rolled around and everyone was dissipating to separate spots for bed. You had an extra guest room, how you afforded this apartment was beyond you, and two air mattresses. Bradley ended up sprawled on your couch, Natasha claimed a whole bed to herself, Mickey and Ruben claimed a king sized air mattress, and Jake and Javy took the other king sized air mattress.

"I'm sure Rooster would let me have the couch and sleep in your bed with you, if you felt more comfortable," Bob offered but you ignored him and disappeared into your closet for a moment to change into the UVA shirt you managed to keep hidden from Bradley and a pair of shorts.

"No, it's fine. I'd rather you than Jake," you joked and Bob smiled, he shuffled into your bathroom to change and came out in nothing but grey sweatpants. You shuffled off to the side of your bed as Bob got in, he was tense and on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to make yourself small," you told him in a whisper.

"Oh," Bob sighed and moved in a little more, you two fell asleep at a respectful distance away from each other. Not that it stayed that way, you ended up tangled together

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You were met with the feeling of Bob pressed into you, his breathing was even but by the huff he let out when you pressed against his chest to sit up, he was awake.

"Sorry," you mumbled after you got up. You slowly climbed out of bed and made your way to the bathroom. Bob was still in your bed when you got out of the bathroom, there was something so domestic about him being in your bed. Something you didn't want to admit to yourself just yet, so you left the room.

You tiptoed your way past the extra room and into the kitchen, the only one awake was Jake.

"Good morning, Birdie," Jake smirked at you like he knew something.

"Morning, why is it always you awake first?" You questioned, pressing some buttons to start the hot water for your tea.

"Coyote was snoring in my ear," Jake told you, his smirk still present.

"Do you have something you want to say? You have that look," you made a vague gesture to his face.

"You spent the night in bed with, Bob," he said it like it explained everything.

"Ok, and? You guys too everywhere else," you told him leaning against the counter.

"You're telling me nothing happened?" Jake raised his eyebrow at you.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," you replied and Bradley walked in. He glared at Jake as he walked to your coffee machine, taking the pot and pouring himself a cup.

"You're too loud," Bradley sneered but gave you a small side hug and a whispered good morning.

"And she's not?" Jake argued.

"Nope, it's her apartment anyway," Bradley shrugged and you gave Jake a smug grin.

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Movie night had turned into an over 24 hour hang out. The entire Dagger Squad had the weekend off and since they were there Friday night, they stayed Saturday night as well.

Your Saturday consisted of going to shops and convincing Bob to let you do his makeup when you got back to your apartment. It's how you and Natasha found yourselves doing the boys' makeup, you were currently leaning over Mickey's face from your spot above him while he laid on his back.

"Mick, if you do not stop moving, I swear," you lowly threatened him as he shifted again, you were trying your best to do his eyeliner.

"You're stabbing me!" He announced and you huffed, gripping his chin and making him look straight up again.

"Stop moving," you finally told him, pursing your lips in frustration.

"Trace, you are not touching my face with that brush," Jake said as he slowly backed away from her, you had just finished with Mickey's makeup.

"I'll do it!" You announced with a wicked smile.

"Now I'm more open to Phoenix doing it," Jake muttered.

"Take your pick," you said, relaxing back into the couch. You counted to three in your head before speaking again. "Took too long, Phoenix is doing yours," you told Jake before turning to Bob. "You're next, come here," you pointed at Bob and then the floor in front of you. He swapped spots with Mickey, you smiled down at him as you gently took his glasses off.

"Phoenix you purposefully poked my eye," Jake loudly complained from across the room.

"I promise I won't poke you in the eye, or at least I'll try not to," you mumbled to Bob as you looked over his face. "You have such nice skin," you mumbled as you poked his cheek.

"Thank you, I think," Bob told you and you smiled down at him again. Bob was a nicer subject to do makeup on, he stayed still as you worked. You huffed gently when you couldn't get his eyeliner right, you tilted your head to try and look at him straight on but it didn't fully work.

"You guys are gonna make this weird," you said aloud before you moved to straddle Bob's waist. You ignored the whistles and yells as you leaned down to be face to face with Bob. "Sorry, I just want to make sure your eyeliner is even," you told him as your hair slowly fell around the two of you, effectively making a barrier that shielded you two from the others.

"I've definitely seen this video before," Jake said and you whipped your head up at him.

"Poke him in the eye extra hard for me," you told Natasha, your eyes blazing. Natasha obliged and you saw her drive the brush into his eye lid as she swiped it across. Satisfied, you looked back at Bob and smiled as you noticed his eyeliner was perfect. You moved off Bob and gave him back his glasses before he sat up again.

"Oh, no," Bradley slowly started scooting away from you but you launched yourself on him.

"Stop wiggling," you told him.

"You're not doing my makeup," Bradley argued.

"Hold him down," you announced and everyone who wasn't preoccupied went to hold him down, he was the last one without makeup done, or getting their makeup done.

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"It won't come off!" Jake ran back into the living room after his shower, the eyeliner still in place.

"Did you use more than just water?" You didn't even look up at him.

"No," he confessed and you held up a single packet of a makeup wipe.

"Use this," you told him, your eyes staying on Bob's face. His eyeliner didn't come off in the shower either so you were wiping it off for him. "And done," you told him, placing his glasses back on his face for him.

Bob and you got comfortable on your couch as you waited for everyone else, you were watching more movies. You watched as everyone got comfortable in your living room again, the thought that you could get used to it living in your head.

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You stood in the USS Midway Museum, it was quiet. Kids were in school and parents were at work, and you were staring at the door of the gift shop. After the news you got last night, you didn't want quiet. You were hoping for someone to walk in, it was starting to get too quiet for your liking.

Your prayers were answered in the only way you wished they weren't, the Dagger Squad walked in. You plopped down into the chair behind the counter and put your forehead on it before letting out a groan. It called the attention of the group and suddenly you were surrounding you.

"Get out from behind here before I call security on your ass," you mumbled, not even caring to pick your head up. You heard shuffling before you finally lifted your head. "Why are you here?"

"We got bored during lunch," Mickey told you and you slowly let out a breath.

"Go look around, leave me to rot," you pointed behind them and ignored the weird looks they gave you.

"Hey," Bradley leaned against the counter, the only one to not leave you.

"Hi," you replied as you noticed his gaze running your face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his face twisting in confusion.

"Nothing," you lied but there was no reason to tell him.

"Tell me," he urged and you broke.

"Remember when I told you about Kelly and Clyde?" You asked, knowing you had told him about them.

"Yeah, your friends that have been together for years," Bradley nodded and you just started crying.

"They died last night, car accident, it," your voice broke off as you leaned heavily against the counter. You were too busy crying into the counter to notice the others start walking to you and Bradley signaling for them to back off.

Bradley jumped over the counter and pulled you to him, he knew you didn't want words. You didn't want pity, you just needed to be held. To be reminded that you weren't alone.

"Kelly was pregnant, Bradley. All she wanted was to be a mom," you sobbed, gripping the back of his shirt in a vice grip.

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You stood in the house that held the ghosts of your two oldest friends. Everything was left to you, it was all too much. You wanted nothing more than to leave it be, to make it feel like they were still living there.

You knew you couldn't, you knew you needed to go through everything and see if there was anything you could send to some of their relatives. Even if they weren't talking before the death, even if they weren't happy about the marriage, they deserved something to remember the good times by.

Bradley stood behind you, leaning against the door frame. He was just offering you support, it was all you said was needed. You wanted Bob, but you felt like you were already worried about inconveniencing Bradley and couldn't do that to Bob.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

The Dagger Squad was sitting in your apartment, including Pete. They figured out what happened after you had a breakdown at work following the joint funeral, Bradley had been called to come get you and they all followed him.

Now, everyone was insistent that you weren't left alone. Even when you wanted to be, Bradley stayed in your apartment. He was a constant these days, and if he couldn't be there, Bob was.

You hated to admit it, but you did enjoy always having someone around. Just like now, where there was a movie playing on the TV but everyone was too busy playing poker to pay attention. Three games have been played and you were about to win the fourth, it took a moment but you started to count the cards.

"I'm all in," you pushed the small stack of candy you had in front of you.

"Birdie, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I've got a full house," Jake placed his cards down, it was just the two of you still in. You made a sour face before placing yours down.

"Sorry, Jake," you grimaced as you showed your hand. "Royal flush," you breathed out, tapping the cards with a smile.

"I," Jake just stared at you as every celebrated your win.

"I quit," you tell everyone, taking your large stack of candy and pushed it into your lap.

"You quit? You just won!" Jake outraged and you just leaned back against the front of the couch. You passed one of the orange candies to Bob, knowing he loved them.

"Yeah, I have more than enough candy. I'm not going to get greedy," you told him, passing another orange candy to Bob.

You watched the game play, continuing to count the cards. It was harder to do without a hand but you were going based off Bob's. You smiled as you realized Jake was about to lose again but said nothing as you watched them play. You laughed as Jake overdramatized his outrage at losing again and noticed the way he smiled when everyone laughed at him.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

"Ok, Birdie, how did you know exactly when to fold and when to keep going?" Bradley asked, everyone else turned to look at you and you sheepishly smiled.

"I can, uh, count cards," you admitted, turning to place your face into Bob's shoulder.

"You were counting cards?" Jake shouted and you pressed your face into Bob's shoulder even more.

"Don't be a sore loser, Bagman," Natasha laughed.

"You're not mad she was counting cards?" Jake shot back.

"We were playing for candy, her candy from her apartment that she bought with her money. She deserved to count those cards," Bob defended you and you smiled while slowly moving your head from his shoulder.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

"Will you just fuck Bob and let us all stop suffering with watching you two do whatever you two do?" Bradley said and you sputtered over your words for a moment.

"I have no idea what you mean," you defended as you stood in the hangar. You were visiting them at work, you had brought them all lunch as a thank you for keeping you company over the past few weeks.

"Here, look," Bradley handed you his phone, displayed on the screen was a photo of you and Bob you had never seen before. It was taken at the Hard Deck from one of the many weeks you had joined them, you and Bob were pressed into each other's sides. You were laughing at something, your smile wide and your eyes sparkling. Bob, however, was looking directly at you, his smile was smaller than yours but he was giving you such a look of love.

Bradley took his phone back before you could say anything and swiped to a new photo. The photo was also taken at the Hard Deck with you two pressed into each other's sides; however, Bob was talking to Natasha and you were looking at him. Your expression mirrored the one Bob had in the last photo.

"When did you take those?" You asked quietly as you handed Bradley his phone back.

"Doesn't matter, what does matter, is the fact that I haven't seen two people look more in love since my parents," Bradley told you and you widened your eyes. You knew it was a hard subject for him to talk about. "You two hold the same love my parents had and, I may be a little selfish for saying this, but they could live on in you two," Bradley told you and your eyes watered slowly.

"Bradley," you whispered before pulling him into a hug. "I'll talk to him, I promise," you told him before pulling away.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

You watched as everyone laughed and eat as you worked up the courage to talk to Bob. You caught Bradley's eye and he gave you a reassuring nod before you walked up to where Bob was sitting quietly.

"Can we talk?" You asked him as you walked up to him.

"Yeah, do you want to go outside?" Bob questioned and you nodded, you knew you wouldn't have the courage to talk in front of everyone. You followed Bob just outside the room and into the hallway, you two stepped off to the side so the others couldn't see you through the glass. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, just," you took a deep breath as you looked away from him. "Bradley showed me these photos taken at the Hard Deck, it put some things into perspective," you were messing with the end of your shirt as you spoke. "I like you, a lot, I may even love you," you mumbled, your eyes trained on Bob's shoes. A few quiet moments happened before you saw Bob take a step closer, the ends of his shoes touching yours.

"I'm in love with you and I have been for a while," Bob told you as he lifted your head up by a hand under your chin, you met his eyes and saw the look from the photo. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please," you told him, leaning closer to him. Your lips met in the middle and you smiled into it as you heard cheers. You pulled away and placed your face on Bob's chest.

"Finally!" You heard Jake yell the loudest and Bob wrapped his arms around you, your arms sneaking around him.

"Let me take you out on a real date," Bob whispered into your ear.

"Tonight?" You questioned.

"Tonight, I'll come pick you up," Bob confirmed and you pulled back just enough to kiss him again, both of you ignoring the hoots and hollers of the others.

➽──────────────❥

Masterlist | Requests If you want to be added to the tag list, follow the directions on my masterlist

[stealingpotatoes]

POTES SEMI-LIVEBLOGS KOTOR!

ive been writing my thoughts in the notes app but due to popular demand (one person asked for it) i'm posting my liveblogging DO NOT SAY/TAG/COMMENT SPOILERS PLEASE i read tags

warning im a yapper, im 10 hours in and theres a lot already (separated into sessions):

SESSION 1

whos this clown i thought i would be playing as revan

ive been too spoiled by dragon age origins this character creator sucks ass

only human???? ): fr?? ill just imagine her different in my brain or some shit

my life is being mansplained to me. is this bad writing or do i have amnesiacs

hes meta now??? hes talking abt the screen controls?????

omg a jedi and an evil jediii

omg their asses suckedddd they both died immediately

i <3 bringing a sword to a gun fight

WHY R THERE SO MANY SITH WHERE IS TJE RULE OF TWO

i clicked a workbench and it said lightsaber so either i get a lightsaber or i get a jedi friend whose lightsaber i can steal if im careful

I assume u play as revan in kotor2 so im gonna buy that now so i can play it when im done playing w this clown

i got light side points im getting a good grade in game morality which is something both normal to want and possible to achieve

everyone keeps saying revan is dead but thats my friend revan from tumblr hes clearly alive. or they???

my characters ass is distractingly present onscreen

huge fan of the way everyone collapsed drunk what the FUCK was in that wine

ok these sith ppl might be the bad guys but their armour is DRIPPY AS FUCK

ideologically i dont agree w the sith but they kinda went off w the fits

googling how to become a sith without being evil cause they have Drip

SESSION 2

i paid £1.19 to see revan he better show up in this game at some point

all these sith n i still cant find one revan….. stop faking ur death rn come out n talk to me babygirl this isnt like u….

why can i be light/dark side if im not a jedi. give me a laser sword

maybe this jedi gyal will know where revan is faking his death. or give me a fuckin lightsaber PLEASEEE

was just thinking 'does this game have romance' and then carth called me beautiful. i dont think im gonna romance anyone until i get this amnesia sorted

why is carth questioning me so much abt the crash im pretty sure i have amnesia

why tf did the jedi lady have me transferred to this ship are we in lesbians with each other???

carth's not wrong it is suspicious but i lowkey have amnesia so i coulda done that i coulda not

a lot of clone wars voice actors in this. was lucasfilm so broke in the 2000s that they could only afford the same 3 VAs for every project

mission is 14??????? we need to get my girl back in school

SESH 3

tale as old as time i fucking suck at racing games

ok i didnt realise you had to mash click i won

REVAN!!! REVAN!!!!!!!!!

why am i dreaming abt revan tho. real as hell but ?????

lmao cringe revan getting blown up. i thought the jedi beat rev-meister in a fight but no. accident

"such visions are often a sign of force sensitivity" COOL YAY GIVE ME A LIGHTSABER

BASTILLE LOST HER FUCKING LIGHTSABER??

CARTH IS RIGHT THATS LIKE DAY ONE JEDI SHIT. ok i still love her even tho shes a bit of a bitch and also doesnt have a saber

if we find a lightsaber im taking it first tho

whys carth getting weird abt me being weird that he doesnt trust me. i just wanna be friends mate

SESH IV: A NEW HOPE

'i mean no disrespect, but perhaps one of the male slaves could serve you better' i went in here to start a slave revolution and instead got called a lesbo

LMAO THERES A SPICE LAB???? WALTER WHITE WHERE ARE YOU

thats insaneee they blew up BILLIONS of people to get to one jedi?????? these sith arent fucking around theyre scary

UM THIS IS CRAZY GRAPHICS THE LIGHTING IS CLEARER/DARKER WHEN I COVER THE SUN W THE SHIP EDGE?? 2003 IS THE YEAR OF THE FUTURE

someone just called me padawan i kinda assumed i was in my late 20s do i just have baby vibes

all the jedi in the movies are so chill but every kotor jedi i've met so far has been a bit of a bitch

YO THEY HAVE A YODA!!! its not THE yoda but

cool so these guys are just the regional managers at best. your asses are not the council

why can everyone smell my force juju so strong

THATS STRAIGHT UP YODA'S CLONE WARS VA

why does fake yoda not blink both eyes at the same time. im calling him master tortimer he reminds me of the animal crossing mayor

bastila there was no need for such a fancy bow

malak is like evil aang

revan is so much shorter than malak omg

are me and bastila sharing dreams. are we both obsessed w revan

poor mission ):

WHAT WAS MASTER TORTIMER ABT TO SAY????????? EVER SINCE WHEN??? DID WE KNOW EACH OTHER BEFORE MY AMNESIACS????? DID BASTILA TELL U SMTHN MORE WHEN I WASNT IN THE ROOM???

im intrigued i like this whole hidden jedi shtick its very compelling. so is whatever theyre hiding from me

kinda surprising no jedi found me before tho given my force juju is so strong

IM A LEGIT JEDI NOW??? SICK!!!

does revan rlly not have pronouns i thought that was a tumblr thing but they straight up are a nonbinary icon ive never heard a single pronoun used. revan's pronouns are revan/revan's

damn revan seems so cool in these stories (charismatic war hero that convinced their troops to join them as conqueror?? julius caesar) and yet all we've seen them do onscreen is get blown up and die by accident

A YEAR AGO? the way they were talking i assumed revan died like. a week before the game started

master uh i forgot his name he has martin scorcese vibes said revan was a paragon of the jedi so what im getting is that all jedi gifted kids turn evil

even if i didnt know revan as a tumblr darling id KNOW revan has to be alive somewhere they way everyone talks abt them is too cool for a character who exploded and died. i think. i hope. I PAID £1.19 TO MEET REVAN

'only you and bastila can stop malak' seriously????? just us two?? ive been a jedi for like, 6 minutes and you guys keep calling bastila young???? do you guys not wanna help??

omg im getting carth to traumadump! <3

HE WAS ON REVAN'S ARMY>??

i totally knew the jedi code and did not have to google it whatsoever

they rlly said fuck going to illum heres a crystal from the bin

he told me id be a great sentinel and i was like i know but i want blue cause i dont wanna be matchies with bastila

OGH!!! I HAVE A LIGHTSABER!!!! THIS IS GAME OF THE YEAR!!!!

omg i made my lightsaber perfectlyyy which is rare <3 getting a good grade in jedi

maybe i was a travelling lightsaber salesman before my amnesia

seriously though WHO was i everyone's kinda stopped acting like i have amnesia since the first mission BUT IVE PLAYED DRAGON AGE THAT GIVES YOU OPPORTUNITIES TO RP UR PAST. THIS DOESNT. EITHER THIS GAME IS BAD (but i love it so its not) OR I HAVE RETROGRADE AMNESIA

also everyone keeps being like "Oh ur force juju is so strong" AND NOBODY FOUND ME TIL NOW??? suspicious. did getting a really bad concussion activate the force in me

im too confused and amnesiac'd to think abt anything except the fact i have a glowing stick now

FSESH FIVE:

big fan of using aliens to avoid having to get VAs to read every line

oh so carth's boyfriend saul betrayed him and became leader of the sith fleet so he has trust issues

well he needs to calm down. i can't betray him cause i dont know what the fuck is happening

yooo i love the design differences on the mandalorians

oh my god this lady wanted to fuck her droid cause it was her husband's. and then it killed itself. wtf. game of the year tho

wtf they jebaited this juhani person into going dark side but then i talked her out of it. that seems a bit mean of them

i hope she can join my party she looks too unique to be a random npc

ive been thinking and I might be going crazy but there was a loading screen tip ages ago that said jedis could wipe ppl's mind and all i thought at the time was 'fuck the shitshow acolyte didnt make that up'. but what if one of them wiped MY memory and i used to be a jedi or smthn ????????

cause they keep being like ur weirdly good at this??? did bastila steal my memories??????????

I KNOW I HAVE AMNESIA!! EVEN IF EVERYONE DOESN'T BRING IT UP BC THEYRE PROBABLY TRYING TO SAVE MY FEELINGS

if i dont have amnesia and im just deeping the fact the opening had my life being mansplained then im gonna look real stupid

anyway time 2 go to the fuckshit ruins cave where r-dog and malak went to

"it must be referring to revan. the dark lord and malak--" revan's pronouns are revan/thedarklord

bastila said theres no mention of the Builders in the archives. does she just know every text off by heart

THIS DROID IS 20K YEARS OLD ???

omg i can equip 2 lightsabers at once. game of the year

OK I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID ABOUT THE AMNESIA BASTILA IS ASKING ME QUESTIONS ABOUT MY BACKGROUND THAT I CAN ANSWER. I REPEAT I DO NOT HAVE AMNESIA

ok i didnt get choices and i didnt really uh… say anything that i didnt already get told im still not ruling out amnesia

also booo i didnt get to find out how old i was

master tortimer rlly looks like the ultimate ketamine yoda

LMAO THERE WAS A DIALOGUE OPTION 2 CALL JUHANI A CATGIRL

omg kashyyk from jedi fallen order!!!

I CAN UPGRADE MY LIGHTSABER THIS IS JUST LIKE JFO

omg this ship is fun i wish everyone had personalised bunk spaces like hfw… a game which came out 19 years after this i should probably just take what we have

im gonna start w manaan cause im p sure thats what B-dog said n its the same language the droid was speakin

omg hyperspace from star wars

THE GUY THE BUILDING FELL ON???

am i having dreams abt revan bc bastila killed revan and im connected to her this is so roundabout

maybe i'd sleep better if my ponytail wasnt clipping into the pillow

[kiwi accent] six

carth needs a xanax every time i think we're friends he stops trusting me

also lmao he actually pointed out how wild it was that a day one padawan is being sent on this uber important mission and HES RIGHT IT IS WEIRD!! i thought it was main character logic but he's calling it out

i really really like the sense of unease that's setting in like at first i thought it was just cause im not used to 2003 games but no this is on purpose bc carth my friend carth keeps calling it out

THERE IS A CHILD ON MY SHIP ??????????????????

lmao the representative for menaan is roland wann. its like poetry it rhymes

there are no cameras in the sith hangar <3 rookie error i can commit crimes now

bastila's favourite hobby is getting shot and walking into my grenades

this isnt a combat system this is a missing system

I GOT ARRESTED???? IM JUST A GIRL

nvm i had a datapad that said the sith were evil so theyve let me go free and we're besties

why do i feel like ive just walked into an underwater horror mission

this suit waddles at the speed of a penguin on fentanyl

i tamed the beastie this is like how to train your dragon

MALAK FIRED ON REVAN?????? WERENT THEY BEST FRIENDS???????

but maybe revan escaped when bastila wasnt looking THEYRE FINE THEYRE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. I BELIEVE

so hopefully when we run into revan they'll be like agh i changed my ways cause of the being shot thing and they'll be my bestie

great news i successfully communicated w the ship child and gave her back to dantooine. my girl has shockingly good linguisitics skills

bastila is so dour "oh watch out for the dark side" GIRL I AM. I NEED TO GET THE BEST GRADE IN GAME MORALITY

ok OFF TO KASHYYK i hope cal kestis is there… thru the force i guess… bc he wont be born for another 4000 years but its whatever

omg you'll never guess what. another vision. wow its one of the thangs. cool this is a tomorrow me problem

[notebooks-and-laptops]

"If we use force against our enemies, our allies will remember it": an exploration of the Archon Quest in DAtV.

Not everyone will have gotten this quest, as it's only avaliable if you saved Minrathous over Treviso. So let me start by setting the scene:

Rook has just found a secret list of Venatori plans in a Venatori vault. This includes a list of magisters who have been engaging in 'illegal slavery' and also a list of the backers of said magisters.

Dorian and Mae are arguing over how best to use this information. They have decided that one of them should become the Archon, however, they both have different ways they would go about it:

Dorian wants to 'crush our enemies by any means neccessary' - 'destory them and their networks by any means neccessary'. Maeveas describes this as 'swords and spies and blackmail; the devious means [Dorian] learned in the South'.

Mae wants to 'do this in the open. Show the people of Tevinter that we're here for them'. She wants to make this information public in order to 'inspire'.

Both will support the other, depending on what Rook decides. Both of them want to abolish slavery and get rid of the rule of Altus mages; 'the Soporati deserve a say in their own governance'. They say they have the same aims, but they would go about getting them in different ways.

Except...none of what they say actually makes any sense whatsoever.

Tevinter is Not a Democracy

Tevinter is not a demoracy. People do not 'vote' on who represents them.

Instead, there is a magesterium made up of magisters. These roles are hereditary (although you can have apprentice who take your title instead). You rule, because of your birth, or because you were lucky enough that somebody who rules because of their birth picked you.

There is not an election cycle. The magisters do not have to do anything to remain in power beyond making sure people aren't angry/scared enough to stage a coup.

Political factions exist within the magisterium, but you have to work to gain those who already are in it onto your side, you can't just get people to vote more of your faction in.

So....with this in mind, how is Mae's plan ever going to work.

Mae talks about wanting to do things out in the open. She wants to show Tevinter that politicans can be here for them. But those people...don't have a say. They can't meaningfully change things, or vote, or do anything beyond have a (probably violent) revolution.

And yet, we are led to believe that Mae's option will be the path of least resistence. Mae's option is 'working within the system'. What system? Mae won't be able to do anything, even if the public is on her side. It doesn't matter.

The magisters who are Venatori may die by the end of the game, or they may simply step down and give their titles to their children to avoid public disgrace. Maybe, maybe if people are angry enough, the heirs and apprentaces from other houses and magisters will take their place. But I don't see how Mae publishing this list of people and their backers will get her into power.

Especially in a country where slavery is legal. You know the people who would want Dorian and Maevearis's plans to succeed? Slaves. Because they're the only ones unlikely to be culturally indocronated to believe slavery is a good thing. Those a 'rung above slavery' like Krem, may also want their plans to succeed, but they'd likely have to be convinced, or have something happen to them (e.g. like how Krem's family struggled to remain in business because slaves can do their work for free so the products never cost as much) to push them into seeing all this. I highly doubt most people in this society as is would distinquish much between 'legal' and 'illegal' slavery. What even is illegal slavery? Taking people from other nations into slavery without the consent of said nations? That's most of the nations in thedas then. And if slave imports are continuing then surely everyone already knows that this is taking place and that people are arranging it.

AND EVEN IF THEY DID THERE ISN'T A DEMOCRACY FOR THEM TO VOTE MAE IN. To get Mae in, Mae has to convince the magisterium - and that includes convincing them to let her back in ON TOP OF convincing them to elect her as their ruler OR she has to have a violent overthrow backed by the people. That is the only way that 'inspiring' the people can succeed here.

Meanwhile, We have Dorian. Tarquin acts like Dorians plan will mean another Anders style chantry explosion, with things getting worse before they get better. But Dorians plan is vague to say the least. Blackmail? Okay. Working within his place in the magisterium? Now that makes more sense to me; if he can work within his place that might get him to be archon which would in turn allow him to potentially effect meaningful change from the top down with less tape around what he can and can't do.

But Mae implies Dorian is going to start killing people; 'if we use force against our enemies they will remember it'. But....what? Okay maybe Dorian plans to assassinate some people? But if he does, their kids will just get in. Maybe he just plans to threaten to assassinate people (interesting move as that's what got his father, but I think that COULD be an intersting direction for him) and that's what it means by blackmail etc. But if that's the case, is he really going to get to be Archon for long?

Dorians way looks way more like working within the system or...maybe turning the system into some of kind of dictatorship in order to make it a democracy so that Soporati can vote? Do ex-slaves get the vote in this world?

None of this makes any sense, their plans are so so so vague, and what they pitch and what they want means their pitches should be switched.

Who should be the Archon?

Towards the end of this place, Maevaris and Dorian say that a quater of the magisterium are Venatori. This is the implied quater that we have information on, and who needs to be taken out of the magisterium. But...okay, how?

In DAI, three of our companions (Vivienne, Leliana and Cassandra) are up for the role of Divine. But the reason they're up for the role despite all three of them being in some way a break with the past, is that there is nobody else. Everyone else who was up for the position died in the conclave explosion. All three of them have also gained large leaps forward in their reputation based on their actions in the inquistion.

But in DAtV....even if that quater are all killed in the final fight with the Gods, that means 75% are left over. I can see perhaps Dorian - who has maintained his seat in the Magisterium - being able to elbow himself into that power vaccum, win over the 75% and become the Achon. But Mae has been kicked out of the Magisterium already. She's lost her title. How is she going to get herself back in. As detailed above, it won't be by democracy. The Viper talks about her 'triumphent return' but nobody has actually given me a plan to get her to that triumphent return???

Basically; it makes very little sense that these two people are up for archon, even now we know the current one is dead. The archon is usually an inherrited title, either by blood or by being the apprentace of the previous Archon. The Archon can be voted in by only the magisterium if the archon dies without either of these things, however, so that's what they're going for here. But why would any of these 75% of magisters vote for Mae or Dorian?

And even if you argue that the Venatori list had the illegal dealings of more than just those 25% so Dorian and Mae could blackmail them for the position; firstly, Mae has already said she's not blackmailing anyone. So that leaves only Dorian. But the Magisters can pass their seats onto their children, instead of giving in to Dorians demands. That way even if Dorian exposes them, they're no longer in the Magisterium. Similarly, it surely is well known that the magisterium are dealing in 'illegal slavery' and surely even if it isn't, there are ways those within the Magisterium can use their money and power to pretend that they weren't involved with that. Polticians in the real world get away with these lies all the time!

Violence and Thedas

I'm not planning on making this point at length, but I do think the quote I opened this with also makes no sense for Dragon Age. 'If we use force against our enemies, our allies will remember it'.

In a game. Which is. About fighting enemies.

Like, this is a fighting game. We fight our enemies in this game. We don't sit down for tea with the Gods. We don't invite the red templars over to discuss politics. We don't ask the darkspawn if there's any way they won't do what they want.

We've been killing venatori for the WHOLE GAME by this point. We've ALREADY been using force.

I guess that the writers are trying to make a distinction between political violence vs. the rest of the game but uhhh. That doesn't really work either, especially in a game series which has had political violence pretty much at its core (we start with a game about CIVIL WAR and then move swiftly into a game where one of your companions commits an act of terrorism to inspire an overthrow of an unjust system) but also like. The implication that all groups who are bad are just 'evil' and have no motivations beyond 'power' and 'being evil' is dumb, and dragon age games used to be better than that. The Venatori, the Antam, the Crows, Butcher, Illario, The Grey Wardens, all of these people are playing with politics. Dragon Age games used to know this, they ahve a whole thing about 'the great game'.

But. Whatever. I said I wouldn't labour this point and I won't, but this quote makes no sense in a game where we've already spent the whole time using force.

(and also...isn't trying to abolish slavery perhaps a good thing to use force against? This quote implies that both the enemies (pro-slavery) and the allies (anti-slavery) have a similar moral standing which uhhhh i wouldn't say is true)

Why did this happen; some closing remarks

DAtV is vague enough about Tevinter politics that I feel you could, without knowledge of the previous games lore/the codexes believe the following points

slavery is a fringe practice in Tevinter

tevinter is a democracy

In this set of circumstances, their plans would make a lot more sense. Mae really could hope to get people on her side to vote out magisters who are engaging in 'illegal slavery' and other unmentioned things. She really could try and get elected on the promise of honesty and doing things differently, but still working within the system and eventually being Archon.

But this isn't the case. What's happening here is 21st century Demoractic (American Centric) politics are being placed onto a system which is essentially ancient Rome with absolutely no effort to try and make either confirm.

These days there are serious questions surrounding democracy, truth and lies we tell the people, whether its better to work 'behind the scenes' for a better world or not etc. These are all questions that have becoming increasingly relevant in the rise of the far right since 2016. And those who think the system need to change have MANY MANY arguments about whether we need to burn down the system, or whether we need to work within the system and with the backing of everyone to achieve our aims.

But that doesn't work in Tevinter. It doesn't mean anything.

I think the writers were trying to short hand some contempary politics into this world, were purposely vague about the parts of tevinter that don't fit that mould, tried to act like slavery was some form of modern discrimination that can be easily brushed to one side, and then just...released the game like that, with this choice.

But thinking about it for more than 5 seconds makes it SO STUPID. I literally spent ALL of that cutscene going 'wait what??? huh???' i watched it back three times before I understood what they were doing and why Mae and Dorians views were supposed to make sense before I wrote this post.

Another example of the writers not taking established lore/politics/culture in this game seriously. Another example of this game not taking its setting into account. I just. Yeah. This one really pushes me.

td;lr this storyline about who is the future archon doesn't work because Tevinter is not a democracy and they don't actually take into account the political implications, nor lay out actual political plans on how they'd achieve their aims.

[minetteskvareninova]

I am not on Bluesky and you cannot make me join, but if there was anything that could make me do it, it would be seeing this contrarian bullshit while procrastinating from studying on my Early Modern History exams. Because someone needs to give these historically illiterate morons a reality check.

Listen. I don't *like* Middle Ages. I don't vibe with their art, philosophy, politics, anything. But they existed. They brought something of value to the world. Over the course of the Middle Ages, Europe experienced important societal developments. Without these developments, renaissance literally wouldn't happen. Renaissance was in many ways (art, philosophy, science) a continuation of the Middle Ages, in that there really isn't hard cut between Late Medieval period and the renaissance. In other ways, it was exactly like the Middle Ages AND WORSE. The panic over witchcraft reached its zenith in the 16th and the first half of the 17th century. Lots of unscientific bullshit about medicine, alchemy etc. was still going strong well into the 17th century. In fact, 17th century really was the worst, I'd just despise it with all my heart if it wasn't for a few bright spots like baroque architecture, beginnings of the scientific revolution and the like. And are you seriously calling out medieval Europeans for their silly religious beliefs and tendency for violence when renaissance was THE era of bullshit religious conflicts?! Like, my man! Thirty Years wasn't a medieval thing! Even the thing about "going to war with your cousin" - THAT'S LITERALLY WAR OF SPANISH SUCCESSION WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT

I am not even going to talk about the 16th and 17th century on other continents, because in the Americas it was the era of LITERAL APOCALYPSE. Like how can you talk about any progress when that part of the world saw a brutality that would make the crusaders blush.

It sucks that Early Modern Era still effectively doesn't exist in the popular imagination. Its best parts are subsumed into "renaissance" and "enlightenment". Its worst parts are grouped in with the Middle Ages - not the least because they didn't actually improve that much, and in fact got worse a lot of the time. But you cannot celebrate the art of Da Vinci and just ignore the atmosphere of constant warfare between petty duchies it was born in. That's not how historical eras work. In fact, historical eras aren't really discreet categories with a clear cutoff point, but more like approximate divisions of a continuum. There is very little that separates the art of 1599 from 1600, but by 1650, you do kinda start seeing the difference.

Also! I know I keep repeating this, but Middle Ages didn't suck equally throughout their entirety. "Dark Ages" were the Early Medieval Era, which itself was a several centuries long period by most estimates. High Middle Ages were mostly as good as the Middle Ages got, you get gothic architecture, invention of universities, scholastic philosophy, the works. 14th century is when the things really start to suck again, Black Plague comes, you get wars and peasant rebellions, yada yada. But you also get the earliest "renaissance" art, so if you like that style, you can't disavow the Middle Ages entirely. And the 15th century is also mostly bad, except that one is when the renaissance and humanism period begins in earnest, so.

[ervotica]

“C'mere, sweetheart-“ & “Breathe, just breathe-" with finnick please 🤍

a life of our own

pairing: finnick odair x reader

summary: finnick helps you find yourself again when you’re rescued from the capitol. you’re desperate to trust him again.

warnings: hurt/comfort, a lil fluff, a lil angst, r was tortured and brainwashed in the capitol after catching fire (i got sooo carried away with this but i luv it! hope you enjoy, please remember to like/comment + reblog!)

hunger games masterlist

Your chest is red-hot with anguish; it’s all you feel lately. Confined to this white room, locked in, spending all your time waiting for something that won’t come.

Nothing is real anymore. Your life is a thick fog that you can’t decipher, can’t tell which bits of it are real and which were planted by the Capitol. They made you a weapon against the revolution, against Katniss and Coin and Finnick.

You know him, that much is evident in your unconscious reactions. The way your chest tightens and squeezes when he walks into a room, how your breath catches and you hunger after his touch despite not knowing exactly why. But you know that he’s familiar and that - at one point or another - you loved him.

He visits routinely like clockwork, every day at around the same time. And each time you don’t push him away, don’t flinch at his touch like you do the others, his confidence grows.

Your doctor has been practicing memory games with you, which parts do your life are real and which are fabricated. You repeat them in your head over and over and sometimes they slip out when you’re talking, too. You’ve been incorporating opinions on top of the basic facts you know, and you’ve been including what you know about him.

You rock on the bed with your knees to your chest, feet tucked underneath you as you recite everything you can remember about him. You mutter it under your breath, tongue clicking as you whisper.

The door creaks and you stop dead mid-sentence. Finnick slips in without a word, pulling a chair up to sit by you. He doesn’t miss the way you eye him warily, watching every movement, every tick of his jaw and twitch of his muscles. You’ve always been perceptive- it’s one of his earliest memories of you. How you watch people.

He sits and watches you in return; you trace every inch of his body with your eyes, the bruises on his arms, the points of his shoulders, the slope of his nose and chin, the curve of his jaw.

“Finnick,” you say. He smiles; his fingers rest on the edge of the bed.

“That’s right.”

You reach out to touch him; he stays dead still as instructed by your doctors, but lets you lift his hand to place it in your own much smaller one. You turn so you’re sitting cross legged facing him, holding his hand in your lap. His heart could burst with the way you’re looking at him, a cocktail of fear and longing in your eyes. Something else lies deeper than that, like you’re being pulled through the rubble of your own mind and to the surface. Something a lot like love.

“Can I ask you something?” Your voice is small, more timid than he’s ever heard from you.

“Anything.”

“You love me. Real or not real?”

“Real,” he murmurs.

“I think I love you, too. I know I did before. I just don’t know which parts of my brain are real.” You fiddle with his fingers, the pad of your thumb rubbing over his knuckles methodically. If this is the only way you’ll ever touch him again, he’ll take it. He’ll take every scrap, every morsel of affection he can eke out of you. Whatever you’re comfortable with.

“We can figure that out together.” He’s soft as he speaks to you and it’s a voice that you remember. A very distinct one in your memory.

“Finnick,” you say again. He nods and shifts closer.

“Sometimes you call me Finn,” he starts, pressing lips to your knuckles. “Or honey. Or idiot if you’re mad at me.”

You smile and he catches a glimpse of you in there, engulfed by everything you’ve seen, everything you’ve been told. But he knows he can pull you out.

“I don’t think I’d ever be mad at you,” you mumble. He purses his lips thoughtfully.

“Well, sometimes I am an idiot. And I know you tell me that because you want to keep me safe.”

You’re in agreement there, not knowing everything but knowing undeniably that you would do anything to protect Finnick.

You shuffle over in the bed and tug at his arm. He tilts his head curiously, knowing what you’re asking but not wanting to be presumptuous.

“You want me to come sit up there with you, sweetheart?”

“Yes please.”

“Okay.” He settles himself next to you, legs outstretched where yours are tucked up tightly to your body. “If it gets too much, you tell me and I’ll go, okay?”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Then I won’t.”

You shuffle round and swing your legs over his own so you’re almost completely in his lap; his arm comes up and over your shoulders automatically, like muscle memory. This is how you are in your clearest memories- together, a tightly knit partnership. He’s holding his breath, waiting for you to realise what you’re doing and lose composure, but that moment doesn’t come. You just sit and close your eyes, ear to his chest, listening to his heart beat.

“I’m tired,” you croak.

“You want me to leave you to sleep?”

“No.” Your voice is thick and uneven where you’re full of all these new emotions that you can’t quite place. “Will you stay?”

“I’ll stay as long as you want.”

He pulls the thin blanket over your body and smiles as you needle in close to him, face in the juncture of his neck. Hiding with him instead of from him.

“C’mere, sweetheart.” You relax at the pet name, your body going lax against his own as you start to fall asleep.

You can’t be asleep for more than 30 minutes before you start to stir. You’re muttering in your sleep as you start to twitch and reach out for something.

Your brow knits and it forms a crease in the middle of your forehead as you start to cry.

“Honey, c’mon,” Finnick murmurs, his hand pressed to your neck in an effort to rouse you. “It’s just a dream.”

His chest aches; he can’t bear seeing you in this state, knowing there’s not much he can do to make it better. Thinking it’s his fault for not getting to you in time.

You scream and wake with a start, wide-eyed and frantic. Your eyes flit around the clinical looking room as you try to gauge your surroundings and reorient yourself.

“Honey, it’s okay. It was just a dream, you’re safe.”

You scramble back and push him away, curling yourself up into a ball at the foot of the bed. Tears paint your cheeks and they shine in the harsh white lights, hiccuping sobs. He crouches a metre or so away, palms up, arms outstretched in hopes you’ll make contact again.

“Breathe, just breathe,” he says. “You’re okay. I’m here, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

You’re like a wild animal the way you look at him- panic-stricken and agitated, frenetic in the way you move.

“Honey, it’s me. It’s Finn.”

You swallow thickly and nod, your body slowly starting to unfurl.

“Finn,” you sniffle, holding out your arms. “Finnick.”

He creeps closer still and you practically throw yourself into his arms, face against the hollow of his throat, arms locked around his middle like a vice.

“I have you. I’m right here,” he says, over and over like a mantra. A promise.

“I don’t wanna live like this anymore.”

“You’re not going to,” he whispers. “I’ll be here until you feel well enough and then we can start planning our life. Together.”

“Okay.”

Your fingers card through the short hairs at the nape of his neck, wet eyes meeting his.

“I love you. I know it now, I can remember that.”

“I love you too,” he says, craning his neck to meet your eyes. “You’re my girl.”

You’re hesitant as you tilt your head up to press a kiss to his lips but he welcomes it, his thumb and forefinger holding your chin in place as he pecks you a few more times.

“We’re gonna have a life of our own, I promise.”

“A life of our own.”

[afloweroutofstone]

Hiii, I am curious to learn more about your personal politics. Are u socialist of democractic socialist? Do you reject Marxism–Leninism? Are you more of a reformist of revolutionary?

Over time I've moved away from talking about my own ideology on here for a variety of reasons (I have lots of disparate influences and there's no label I 100% identify with, everyone loves to start heated fights on here, it seemed a bit self-absorbed, etc.) But considering that it has been years since I've really made any attempt at laying out what my viewpoint is, it might make sense to do so again.

There are three terms you could fairly use to describe my views:

I am a democratic socialist because I think that the people should be able to collectively decide upon their shared fate, and that democracy is superior to both political dictatorship and capitalist oligarchy. (See Eugene Debs, Michael Harrington, etc.)

I am a liberal socialist because I believe that socialism is the logical extension of historical liberalism as an attempt at liberating people from existing hierarchies and authoritarianism. (See Carlo Rosselli, John Rawls, etc.)

I am a social democrat because I believe that the potential for successfully achieving transformative change through aggressive action within the presently existing system is drastically larger than the potential for a successful proletarian revolution, mass insurrection, etc., etc. (See Eduard Bernstein, Jean Jaurès, etc.)

This all puts me very firmly in the reformist camp of the reform vs. revolution debate. I would not consider myself a Marxist, although there are ways in which Marx's thought has influenced my own both directly and through the thought of others in the broader Marxist tradition.

In further detail:

I am a market socialist who believes in a large welfare state that provides for everyone's basic needs from cradle to grave; workplace democracy through widespread cooperatives and strong labor unions; progressive reforms to redistribute wealth more evenly; full employment; the reorganization of the global economy to eliminate present injustices; the diminishment of corporate power; strategic public ownership in certain key sectors; and the provision of opportunities for everyone to live their lives in the way that they desire.

I am a democrat who believes in an equal opportunity for everyone to influence public policy, including the periodic chance for the people to freely select their own leadership from amongst a variety of different choices, without unfair restrictions, corrupt financing by the wealthy, domination of the process by a political elite, or external interventions.

I am an anti-militarist opposed to armed conflict in any and every scenario where it can be avoided; an anti-imperialist opposed to the abuses of all powerful governments which take advantage of others and impose their will upon them; and an internationalist who believes in a democratic system of multilateral diplomacy and equitable exchange in which all countries can resolve their differences peacefully and cooperate for the common good.

I am a progressive who believes in an egalitarian culture that values every single person equally, abolishes rigid social hierarchies like patriarchy and white supremacy, welcomes immigrants, embraces secularism to separate church from state, and provides for the full rights and liberties of all peoples.

I am a civil libertarian who believes in the universal right of all people to fundamental liberties (speech, belief, protest, press, association, etc.) and protections from authoritarianism (privacy, government transparency, a fair legal system, limits to detention, humane treatment of prisoners, rule of law, anti-discrimination policies, demilitarized state security forces, etc.)

I am an environmentalist who believes in a just transition that ends our dependence on fossil fuels and establishes a green economy that minimizes (and even reverses) the damage of climate change; ensures clean air, water, and land; preserves natural ecosystems; and provides for everyone's needs in a sustainable fashion.