#These people are monsters who pick on the vulnerable and gullible | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cassava-49 · 4 years ago

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Death 5

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 6/ Part 7

"G-guys," Allegra called as she pointed at the figure from afar. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked worriedly. This made them all go to the windows as Felix's eyes widened in shock. "That's a Geryon," he said in a breathy voice. "A what?" Kenya asked not understanding what he meant. "Look at the structure, it has humongous feathery bat like wings and scorpion's tail. I have only seen pictures of it depicted in the Divine Comedy, but I never imagined Hawkmoth giving someone such abilities to do so," he explained. Marinette, however, was shell shocked as she recognized its rider. "Lila," she said in a hushed tone as she began backing away. Noticing her reaction, Felix knew who the intended target was.

"Everyone, we need to do something," Felix said getting their attention. "What do you mean?" Lindalee asked in concern. "The villain's target is Marinette, and from the looks of it, she wants her dead. We need to protect her," he continued as he took Marinette's trembling hand in his trying to calm her down. "No, it's not only me," Marinette said in a low voice. "From the looks of it, she'll kill anyone in her path. We need to protect everyone in this hospital," she stated in a more powerful voice. "Alright, what do we do?" Claude asked with all seriousness, willing to protect his friend from such fiend.

...

"Stupid Grim," Allan mumbled to himself as he continued destroying the tree in front of him. "Why couldn't you take me away! I want to go home! I want to live in peace already, damn it!" he continued shouting. "What am I going to wait for? When Earth becomes hell?" he sarcastically asked as the ground shook. He then saw a shadow loom over him and the tree. He slowly turned to find three slobbering heads of a vicious dog with an undefinable breed looking at him with hunger in its eyes.

He immediately jumped onto its heads to avoid their jaws as he narrowly escaped. For some reason Cerberus could see him, and it could've bit him. He could feel it's warm breath, which was strange given that he's dead. "What the hell?" he asked to himself as he jumped onto the top of the nearest building to observe what was happening to Paris. It seemed as if hell needed more space and transferred some of its residents to France. To his right he could see that the colour of the Seine turned to blood, with Charon was cruising with some petrified people, while centaurs were at the banks, prepared to shoot anyone who wishes to escape. To his left he could see the akumatized victim stalking it's prey.

"You can't hide from me forever Alya!" the akumatized victim cried. He looked at her and observed. "Come on out. I'd hate for you to be the last, that's Marinette's place," she continued. "There you are," she stated as she made Alecto lift the car that was blocking her vision. "Lady Luck and Monsieur Noir will stop you," Alya declared as she said her punishment. This made Castigare cackle saying, "Oh, I doubt that Alya. No one can, Kim or should I call Monkey King, and Alix are currently having a blood bath battle for their wrathful attitudes. Rose, Juleka, Nathanael and Marc are enjoying their rain fire for being homosexuals. And Max, poor Pegasus, he lost Markov and is currently burning in his tomb. Mylène and Ivan on the other hand, such pure souls, yet were gullible nonetheless to chase sinful opportunities, they're currently experiencing a blind race over an every shifting flag on a ground of maggots," Castigare informed with a sinister grin. This made Alya's eyes prick with tears as she awaited her punishment. "But for Marinette, oh she'll suffer. After my furies tear her limb from limb mercilessly. And her screams are silent, for she is asleep, for now," she added menacingly.

This caught his attention, Marinette? Why would she want Marinette? Unless, he thought realising who this girl was. "Lila Rossi," he muttered under his breath as he made his way into François Dupont to find Lady Luck and Monsieur Noir struggling to keep the she-wolf at bay.

The two continued to fight off the three beasts forgetting the easiest escape, taking a different route. Allan sighed at their attempts to fend them off. Given that these creatures can see the dead, he might as well distract them to give the two an escape to save his friends. He picked up a discarded book and threw it their way. This caught the beasts' attention as the three of them began to corner him. He stood his ground as he watched Lady Luck and Monsieur Noir escape to hunt Castigare down. He smirked as he said, "Well then, let's see if your dead bodies could make a difference."

...

Allegra and Marinette stood inside her room, carefully monitoring her body to make sure no creature would enter. Lindalee and Kenya were monitoring the hallways near Marinette's room, given that they're the second most skillful comatose ghosts in their group. Felix and Claude, on the other hand, were in the frontlines, waiting for the villain's arrival.

"I'm sorry," Marinette blurted out. Allegra immediately rushed to her and engulfed her in a hug. "There's nothing to be sorry about," Allegra assured. "But because of my vulnerable body, it's making all of you worked up in protecting me," Marinette said guilty. "Well, we can't help it can we. It's natural to not want help from those around you, thinking that it makes us feel like more of a nuisance. But we are doing this because we want to keep you safe, because we know that you would do the same for us. You're our friend, we're not going to let anyone harm you. Chin up, darling, everything will be alright. Don't freight," Allegra soothed.

"This would be a lot easier if Allan were here," Claude commented as they watched Lila get closer. "Well, he's never at the right place at the right time," Felix answered. "Let's just make sure that there wouldn't be any casualties. There are a lot of vulnerable people in hospitals," Claude mentioned. "Yeah, we just slow her down until the heroes arrive," Felix replied. With that Castigare jumped off Geryon and waltzed into the entrance.

The nurses gave her an annoyed look as she shouted, "Which room is Marinette Dupain?" The security guard immediately tried to remove her from the building, only to have his actions in vain as Castigare summoned her furies and pointed them to him. This meant for them to take action as they took him away. Castigare approached the front desk to ask the nurse again, the drawers began to vibrate making everyone to look around. The first thing that they used were the vials. Using their enhanced speed, Claude began throwing the glad from different directions. Felix took a couple of surgical needles and aimed it at her, with one was full of general anesthesia.

"What is happening?" Castigare asked as she was being attacked by office and medical supply. "Is this a new miraculous?" she began to ponder aloud. She clenched her teeth, she didn't have time for this. She immediately summoned her Cerberus to find Marinette.

The three headed dog complied and barged into the hospital and began looking for Marinette's room. Upon nearing the hallway to her room, Kenya and Lindalee immediately destroyed the floors, making sure no one was at the floor below them. This did not stop Cerberus though, as he began to fall, he was able to snatch onto Kenya's shirt. It's claws digging deep into her skin, piercing it to the rib cage and damaging her lungs causing the young girl to release an ear piercing scream. "Kenya!" Lindalee shouted as she tried to grab her friend.

Their wandering souls are a lot like Voodoo dolls, any damage they get may affect their actual bodies. Right now, Kenya's body is not receiving enough oxygen. Her heart began to speed up rapidly, causing the nurses and doctors to panic as they try to revive her. Kenya's soul, however, was slowly feeling lighter and lighter. Lindalee jumped down as she tried to look for her friend beneath the debris. "Kenya! Kenya!" she continued to call out. Once she got to one of its paws, she immediately raised it to find Kenya there. She's not bleeding, since she's a ghost, but she was slowly fading. There may be two meanings, either she's waking up or, she's dying. Lindalee placed both her hands on her mouth in shock.

"Did you hear that?" Marinette asked. Allegra nodded as she opened the door to find the destroyed hallway. "Where are Lindalee and Kenya?" Allegra pondered out loud. "Allegra," cried a voice from below. "Lindalee? Where are you?" she asked with concern. "Down here, help me, no, help Kenya, please," Lindalee pleaded, her voice getting softer. "Marinette, I think they're in trouble. I'll be right back," Allegra said as Marinette nodded. "Go, I'll be fine. Keep them safe," Marinette answered.

Once Allegra left, Marinette felt another pit of guilt in her stomach. Please be safe, please be safe, she chanted to herself. Hoping that all her friends were alright. She looked at her body, she looked at peace, her breathing was normal so was her heart rate. She looked out of the window and saw that the blue sky turned into a blood red shade as monsters polluted the sky. People were given different sufferings depending on their heaviest sin. She could see limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence and fraud. Paris turned into a living hell and Lila's destroying it all.

...

"Cerberus?" Castigare tried to call out as she began dodging all the things that came her way. "Damnit, where are you?" she tried again. Realising that the dog will not be coming anytime soon signified that it has failed her. "Geryon," she shouted as the monster came crashing through, protecting her from all the destruction coming her way. With that, she allowed it to block the passage as she stalked her way to Marinette's room.

"She's heading their way," Claude called. "I've got it, don't worry," Allan said as he entered. This made the trip boys smile at their friend's arrival. "What? You didn't think that is let you guys have all the fun. This could be a better way at venting, no holding back," Allan joked as he cracked his knuckles. "Go crazy," Claude supported. "We'll be outside her room to make sure nothing goes that way," Felix said as they nodded at each other and began.

"Hey, ugly!" Allan tautened as Geryon turned to face him. "What are you doing!" Castigare scolded. "There's no one there! Let's get a move on!" she raged as she tried to steer him to Marinette's room. "I see you can't resist the souls of the dead," Allan continued. "Why are you still here? Have you not found your way to the afterlife?" Geryon asked seriously. "Well, let's just say that some souls aren't meant to cross, yet," he answered casually. "Come along, I will take you King Minos for your judgement," Geryon ordered. "Wait, wait, who said that I'm meant for hell," Allan replied. "Knock it off!" Castigare demanded as she smacked it's head with her sceptre to behave. Being a demon, he shook her off as he began chasing Allan around for his judgement saying, "All souls must cross over. No soul must be left wandering the world of the living!" Allan laughed as they began the chase and continued taunting him, "Not this soul. You have to be quicker if you want to catch me."

"Come back you useless monster!" Castigare shouted, feeling slightly embarrassed by being thrown off. "Listen Castigare, you're no longer holding your end of the bargain. Hand me the miraculouses or else I'll take your power away," Hawkmoth reminded. "Shut up, Hawkmoth. You will need me so by taking my akuma away you'll lose your closest ally," Castigare threatened back. This earned an evil laugh from Hawkmoth. "Oh, really now. Don't think that your irreplaceable my dear. If I recall correctly, even if I take your akuma away there's still a chance that you will be deported and your parents will know about everything. You would be trialed for terrorism, even though your a minor, you willingly allowed yourself to get akumatized multiple times. I can even vouch on that, don't forget hospitals have cameras. Don't think that I don't know about what you had don't to your victim, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he slapped the truth in her face menacingly. This made her grit her teeth at the truth that Hawkmoth slapped in her face. "Shut up! Shut up!" she cried out as she held her head trying to block him out. "Never bite the hand that feeds you," he mumbled to both of them as he began threatening the removal of her powers, but unlike Evillustrator, this one's more painful. This made her screech in pain as she felt her whole body on fire. "Alright, alright, I'll get the miraculouses," she conceded. "Good girl, now you'll hold up your end of the deal. Use your new found powers for both yours and my desire," he said as he stopped her suffering.

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duckintime · 4 years ago

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I’ve been thinking about the concept of being young. The concept of being a child. Naive and uninformed, making trial and error type decisions, believing in fantastic things like the monster under the bed, how vulnerable we as children are to deceptions even when deception is as mild and well intended as Santa Claus, etc. We are dependent on those who are older and have more knowledge about things - our parents ideally put a roof over our heads, feed us, educate us, and love us as best they can. Then little by little we grow up, we become self aware, we can be embarrassed, we lose our innocence, and we become more skeptical, we are less easily deceived. People have to earn our trust, we look for evidence and NOT just trust our parents word for it, and hopefully we have the self confidence to question authority. We venture out into the world, we leave the shelter of our parents and we begin to make our own way. Ideally we become self sufficient, we become responsible for our own behaviors, we develop confidence in our own decision making, and we bravely find the courage to pursue our hopes and dreams, we achieve, and find our own independent path in the world. And then right when we get into a rhythm maybe at age 40 or 50, things start to change because our parents start to appear vulnerable as they age. We see through our own projections of parental superiority and we start to realize our role with our parents is dynamic and shifting. We start to understand that we have to look after our elders. We become the custodian of parental care, around the same moment when we just got used to our children needing us a bit less! 🤣 We realize we are both honored and burdened by our parents. Our kids will be in whatever situation we set them up for when we age. 🌲 Apply this situation to society and the planet. When a society is young and functioning like a child, it is exploitive, it only takes resources from its Mother Earth and gives back much less than it takes.... That’s okay when you’re a child, but as we grow up we cannot keep exploiting our parents. We must be more aware of our impact, we must become more self sufficient, we cannot continue to take and take and take, we must give back in order to stay in harmony and in balance. We must grow up, be less naive, be leas gullible to conspiracy theories, realize no one is going to take care of us but ourselves. In fact we are responsible for more than just ourselves, we are responsible for the well being of our whole village, we must take care of both our children, our parents, our neighbors, and the planet. The whole global society, the people and the physical planet needs us to stop being young and exploitive and start growing up and giving back. The objective of life is NOT to be more materially wealthy than our parents. Society/Government doesn’t owe us a better life, we owe each other the self awareness that comes from looking beyond our own selfish needs and seeing how we impact everyone around us. Once we start giving more resources than we take, we will start to see abundance all around us. We are all one. What you give is what you get. Delayed gratification, working and building for a future takes time, planning, cooperation, an investment of resources, and the understanding that WE ARE ALL ONE. There is no “us” or “them.” We have to grow up, and begin to see ourselves as the grown-ups, as the parents, as the custodians of everything. Live like all the land belongs to you. Pick up the trash along the sidewalk, plant flowers in the median, help the person on the side of the road, check in on neighbors, assume everyone is challenged and everyone is doing their best in the face of their own private adversity. When we care of ourselves, when we conserve resources, then we can help each other. When we can help each other we feel gratitude that we are in a position where we are privileged to help. In turn, when we need the help, we realize we are grateful when someone is looking out for us. We sew those seeds of care for others and then we benefit from that investment.

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ryewi · 6 years ago

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When I’m With You I’m In Utopia [Chapter 11]

Summary: 9 years ago, the world split in two halves, Utopia and Dystopia. One of the laws allows citizens of both worlds to visit the other once in their lifetime, for a whole week, after which, they’re forced to return home. If by any chance, they don’t return, a death punishment is sentenced. Jeon Jungkook, a citizen of Dystopia seemed to be desperate enough to challenge that exact law.

Genre: Utopia!au, Dystopia!au, fluff, A N G S T, drama, to be added~~

Words: 2,1k

Warnings: none!

It had been minutes, hours, days, since she was taken away. Faith’s hurt eyes haunted him, each second less bearable than the last one. Jungkook wasn’t able to sleep properly for the previous three nights, always somehow kept awake by the image of Faith’s eyes screaming for help. How they played between a man inducing fear and another one causing disappointment. Jungkook never wanted to be a letdown, not again at least, yet that’s exactly what happened. He could remember every rational thought in him screaming run, fight, help, while the heaviness of his limbs refused to cooperate. That’s your faith slowly disappearing, that’s the only hope you have, wiped away. Jungkook was an asshole, an utterly egoistic animal.

Somehow, after the whole accident, Jungkook managed to hurriedly pick the lock on Faith’s door and enter inside, mind still in complete fuss over what just happened. There really was no reason as to why he didn’t react, or why he was currently spending time doing absolutely nothing. Maybe it was their huge physique or their formal outwear that intimated the smaller boy and made him obey their silent orders. There also was no reason why Jungkook wasn’t cuffed and forced inside of the black car together with her. Not sure if that was a part of a plan, he decided not to think about it for long and get on with making a ploy of his own.

On the kitchen counter, Faith’s shopping bags remained unopened, vibrant hair color and bleach peeking through a layer of bright t-shirts. Jungkook eyed them often, eventually unpacking the contents and finding out that the shirts were bought for him. Although not so certain about the dye, Jungkook decided to use it when a sudden idea popped up in his head.

As if on que, the TV screen flashed a bring red, bold white letters spelling out HOT NEWS on the obnoxiously vibrant background. After a five-second-long intro, a woman dressed purely in white, with short black hair that barely reached her shoulders, started apologizing for the sudden interruption. Mrs. Wells, as she introduced herself, seemed just as out of place as everyone else, the urgency of situation providing so much tension for the panicked woman. Jungkook’s full attention was on the screen, patiently listening to every single word that left her thin lips.

“Today, marking the 25th of September, debates around the experiment Utopia/Dystopia coming to an end, after nearly a decade, have officially begun. Sessions will be held throughout the rest of the week and one final decision will be made at Sunday, 9am.”.

»»————-　♡　————-««

In a miniscule room, the single light source seemed way too bright. In that same room, the walls seemed to close in with each passing second, suffocating the tiny creature inside. Air felt too thick and hard, temperature couldn’t stop rising, only to drastically drop at, what Faith assumed was, night. If someone was to ask her what day it is, Faith wouldn’t know how to reply. That awful thought bothered her too, the loss of awareness in time and space aroused confusion.

Maybe it was because of the way she was handled food on a cheap plastic tray, or the way she was spoken to, that made Faith feel vulnerable and gullible. Only a slight raise of their strong tone was enough to get her exhausted muscles to obey and follow in whichever direction they walked towards. Faith just had no more energy or will to stand up and show her fangs, allowing whoever and whenever to throw her body around and have their way.

In reality, it wasn’t as bad as she thought it was. In crucial moments of one’s life, their brain tends to overthink and believe in an extremely hyperbolic picture of the situation. Not being any different than the next person, Faith fell victim to her own deceiving.

She was handled meals regularly, three times a day, with enough proteins to keep a human healthy. The guards only ordered for her to move one room to the right, every other day, but they did that to everyone else. What happened to the person whose room she took yesterday, was unknown. Or maybe, she just didn’t want to think about it.

She didn’t want to think about it because there was a chance that she could be next.

There was a vent through which fresh air entered daily, at 5pm, but Faith failed to notice it. She also failed to notice how every once in a while, a speaker placed outside of the cell, played calming music. It sometimes even transmitted important news from a radio that was connected to it. News and music were rarely ever loud enough to reach past the thick unknown material of Faith’s door, cutting her out even more.

People on this floor were all like Faith. Every single person here felt emotionally attached to someone they shouldn’t have, which was only normal. They have ended up behind the bars for being human, for wanting to save and cherish someone who offered them comfort. Everyone was fighting, counting down seconds and flinching each time their name was called. Their hearts stopped too whenever the rooms were exchanged, expecting quick and sharp pain of a small caliber against their temple.

It was a constant game of cat and mouse, although this time, the cat was already the winner.

At 2pm, right after lunch, the music suddenly and drastically increased in volume, sending waves of vibrations throughout the whole floor, only to abruptly stop. Not for long though, as the calming noises were replaced with a powerful, yet shaky voice of an unknown woman.

“Today, marking the 25th of September, debates around the experiment Utopia/Dystopia coming to an end, after nearly a decade, have officially begun. Sessions will be held throughout the whole week and one final decision will be made at Sunday, 9am.”.

Faith’s ears perked up at that, a slight sparkle of hope overtaking her weak body. The female grew extremely pessimistic in a matter of days, but one could argue that being optimistic while waiting for a death sentence was insanity. She rarely smiled, only letting a pair of lips curve up during occasional day dreams, images of life back to normal filling her tormented mind. The description of a Dystopian was more fitting for Faith than who she actually was.

That exact glint of hope was soon blown away as the door to Faith’s room were opened and one of those two strong men walked in. It was the one that didn’t dare speak a word while his colleague handled all the harsh talking and emotional abuse. He was swearing the same suit and neck tie from a few days ago, although today, there was a nametag stuck on his front pocket, presenting a shiny, calligraphed Lucas. Faith looked up and flinched upon noticing his towering figure in front of her. Just a thought about that monster was enough to freeze Faith’s tense muscles, let alone such proximity in person.

“Ms. Keith?” Lucas spoke up, tone somehow soft, harmless and, friendly. His eyes showed deep remorse as he crouched down next to the bed Faith was sat on. It seemed as if there were a thousand words on his tongue, but no time to say them all because time kept disappearing and every second was important.

“Yes?” Her voice was quiet, eyes wide and attention sharp, “that’s me”.

“Please follow me” He replied, slowly standing up and offering a strong hand for Faith to hold on to. Eyeing him cautiously, then moving on to the held-out hand, she shook her head and looked away. The man nodded along and beckoned for her to follow as they left the tiny room together.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you, sorry”

Faith remained silent for a couple of moments, trying to keep up with Lucas’ long strides. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, that had no right time for an answer. Maybe even now, wouldn’t be the most suitable, but it was the best opportunity she was given in a while.

“Do you enjoy your job?” She asked, small hand reaching out quick to hold the strong man back.

“Miss, I-”

“Do you enjoy sending people to slaughters for being human?” Faith’s eyes began to slightly water, voice beginning to break as the sole weight of the whole situation hit her. Her book is already entering the last chapter, leaving thousands of pages after it clear.

Lucas looked hurt, face showing slight discomfort at the straightforward addressing. If he had to be honest, the reply would be no. There was no moment that the feeling of pity towards every imprisoner wasn’t present. He shared the same opinions like the female in front of him, it was all too wrong. Hunting down innocent people, invading their privacy, leading them to secure death, just for loving. Surely, if he wasn’t blackmailed, Lucas would be out of this place for good.

“Do you think I gain pleasure from knowing that I’m someone’s last memory? That I cheer when I hear an agonizing scream twenty seconds after we said our goodbyes? It’s a constant burden of counting one more life on my soul, gosh Miss Keith there’s nothing I can d-”

In that moment, a woman formally dressed in all grey appeared around the corner, surprising the man. Lucas jerked his hand out of Faith’s grip, an unreadable expression reappearing on his facial features, before turning away quick. Faith regained her own cold expression, trailing behind a tall and strong physique that still led her towards an unknown location. Faith wondered when will her time arrive, when will she come face to face with someone who’ll be able to justify murder in a couple of short sentences. Someone who’ll throw 20 years of life into water for simplistic moral reasons.

There was no time to wrap her head around the passing thought, well maybe that moment might be just now, as Faith was shoved inside of an obnoxiously light room. Squinting and trying to adjust to the sudden change of light, her eyes tried to make out the silhouettes of three unknown men. It took a couple of seconds, but even when she was able to see normally, their faces remained unrecognizable. The three men seemed to be shocked at the sudden intrusion, obviously not expecting to see their next case in person.

“Miss Keith, welcome to the discussion room” The tallest of them said, extending his palm for a shake, which Faith felt obliged to accept. “My name is Mr. Cole, I’m in charge of monitoring imprisoners during special sessions”, he motioned towards the other two, somehow not bothering to formally introduce them, “these are my co-workers”. On the quick mention of monitoring, Faith’s eyes scanned the room quick, immediately noticing a rather big mirror. A one-way mirror.

Got you.

“We won’t be bothering you for long, just the formalities, in case we see each other around” Mr. Cole made sure to emphasize the last bit of his sentence, clearly sure that Faith would understand what he meant. Just when his crew was beginning to clear out, Mr. Cole moved away, letting Faith’s eyes glide over a man that had his back turned to them, reviewing a couple of papers. His posture seemed familiar, especially in a black suit that expressed his figure perfectly.

“This is the man that’s going to have a talk with you. You’re free to leave if you feel uncomfortable, although I advise you not to” Pulling out a sickening smile, he excused himself and left the room with a loud “she’s yours”.

Faith was hesitant to move and approach “the man”, already feeling a slight urge to leave. The aesthetically and morally unpleasant mirror provoked her attention, calling out for a glance every two seconds. Faith was aware that there was a team of at least five people behind that glass, and she wasn’t certain if that relaxed or freaked her out more. Flipping a middle finger towards what she calculated was center of the glass, Faith cautiously walked towards a lone table and chair in the middle of the room.

As if on que, a second after Faith’s bottom was safely placed on a strong hold of the wooden chair, the man turned around, throwing Faith’s documents all over his workplace. His huge palms were outstretched on it, fingers and arms shaking in fear and anxiety.

A few moments and flinches later, she dared to look up. Faith’s eyes roamed from their vibrating fingertips to strong biceps and eventually focusing on the scrunched-up face that she could only recognize as,

“Namjoon?!”

AN: Hi I’m aware this might seem rushed, but I’m really under so much pressure bc of school and I’m trying to deplete the last of my inspiration before I turn into an unmotivated mess. Anyway, there are like 3-4 more chapters to go, and it’s all really just high-end tension and cliffhangers from here. I already have the ending written so I can with confidence say it’s staying like that till the end. Thank you for reading, have a great night/day!

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tornapartbensolo-blog · 7 years ago

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Up in Snoke

Art: Opulent Leader by John Burns

“When I found you, I saw raw, untamed power, and beyond that something truly special.” Powerful words from the creepy and elusive Supreme Leader Snoke. In the second trailer for The Last Jedi, he says them as images flash by of Kylo Ren leading troops into the Resistance base (the shot parallels Anakin Skywalker leading troops into the Jedi temple), a closeup of Ren's helmeted head, and another of his hand picking up a refurbished lightsaber. The sentiment -- yes sentiment! -- is also reflected in this passage from the novelization of The Force Awakens, where Snoke tells Ren:

“I have never had a student with such promise -- before you.”

Ren straightened. “It is your teachings that make me strong, Supreme Leader.”

Snoke demurred. “It is far more than that. It is where you are from. What you are made of. The dark side -- and the light. The finest sculptor cannot fashion a masterpiece from poor materials. He must have something pure, something strong, something unbreakable, with which to work. I have -- you.” (Foster, 2015, p.139).

Meanwhile on Ahch-To, Luke’s meditation exercise with Rey also takes in the big picture. We hear him encourage Rey in The Last Jedi teaser trailer:

Luke: Breathe. Just, breathe. Now, reach out. What do you see?

Rey: Light. Darkness. The Balance.

Luke: It’s so much bigger!

Both our protagonist (Luke Skywalker) and our antagonist (Snoke) recognize that the Force is something more than a dichotomy of dark and light. They’ve got the universe figured out. Director Rian Johnson referred to Kylo and Rey as “two halves of our protagonist.” I’ll get into the yin and yang of our facing-off Force-sensitives next time when I do my Reylo post, but Episode VIII is going to be the start of the showdown between Luke and Snoke.

In The Last Jedi tv spot #6 (they’re getting spine-chillingly darker), Rey's answer to Luke was revised to:

Rey: Light. Darkness... and something else. [helplessly] It’s calling me!

That something else is Snoke.

Luke: [frantically urges] Resist it, Rey!

So, who is Supreme Leader Snoke? When I first saw the character, I thought, “WTF? Who would follow that?” First of all, he’s a hologram of a being who’s somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories, lurking in the shadows, oozing out of black holes (or, that’s my image of Snoke, anyway). Most of his followers have probably never seen him in the flesh, but we will in The Last Jedi. And it’s flesh that’s regenerating through Project Regeneration after having suffered major trauma. Snoke’s legacy of pain and anger manifests and focuses itself on the Resistance. He will make them suffer.

Entertainment Weekly caught up with actor Andy Serkis who does the voice and motion capture for Snoke: “Serkis describes a cruel master, a 9-foot-tall alien humanoid who disparages and dominates his two lieutenants: Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson.) He’s a predator who identifies weakness and exploits it, drawing the young and promising to his side with promises of power, then using and discarding his protégés when they are no longer of use.” Unless Kylo regains his strength (I vote for joining forces with Rey) and his good-standing with his omnipotent master, Supreme Leader will crush him. “His training of Kylo Ren is not yielding what he wants,” Serkis says. “Therefore his anger towards Kylo Ren is intensified because he can’t bear weakness in others. Part of the manipulation is goading him with Hux and playing them off against each other.”

You have compassion for her….It isn’t her strength that is making you fail, but your weakness! (Foster, 2015, p. 207)

As EW and other sources have reported, we won’t get much of Snoke’s backstory in The Last Jedi (gee, I guess that’s an invitation for me to continue to write it!) But it’s been hinted that The First Order is superbly funded by the casino city of Canto Bight. So, that explains why Snoke dresses like Liberace playing Vegas with his long, golden smoking jacket and fat black kyber crystal ring. He can afford the best cryogenic and medical procedures. So, who is he and what in the Force happened to him? Here are some fan theories I think have possibility:

Zombie theory: He’s Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious), Darth Plagueis, Vitiate, some other Sith Lord, or an ancient Jedi brought back to life.

Clone theory: He’s the clone of Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious), Darth Plagueis, some other Sith Lord, or an ancient Jedi.

Force-entity theory: He’s some sort of being born out of a corruption in the Force, a manufactured monster.

Shaman theory: He’s a Shaman of the Whills.

Essence-transfer theory: He’s a Sith Lord body-snatcher.

I’ve based my stories so far on the last one, but I think any of these backstories would be awesome for the character. It would make sense if he were Darth Sidious, Darth Plagueis, or Vitiate, because all of these Sith Lords were obsessed with finding immortality and exploited other life forms and the Force to achieve it. In the end, they failed...or, we think they failed. However, Snoke’s regenerating form doesn’t resemble any of these Siths. And in the November issue of Empire, Andy Serkis states that Snoke is not a Sith, which means the character isn’t following any Sith traditions. Still, he could originally be a Sith lord who’s transferred his/her essence into a new body.

Throughout the history of the Sith, they’ve had this problem that the more powerful their dark-side powers become, the more their physical bodies start to deteriorate (there’s always a price to power). Hence the need to find new bodies. Snoke is obviously having corporeal problems, so I’m sticking to my essence-transfer theory, although he’s now found a way to revive his crushed and decaying body. He’s lived for a very long time that way. In the novelization of The Force Awakens, he tells Kylo Ren: “I watched the Galactic Empire rise, and then fall. The gullible prattle on about the triumph of truth and justice, of individualism and free will. As if such things were solid and real instead of simple subjective judgments.” (p. 139)

One thing that's hinted at in the Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig and in Rey’s Survival Guide is that the Empire had a secret research facility on Jakku. Perhaps this facility was dedicated to keeping Palpatine alive and conducting experiments with essence-transfer. Andy Serkis calls Snoke “darker than Palpatine.” That doesn’t surprise me. Palpatine for years had a network of observatories throughout the galaxy, “each one being part of his goal to find out what laid beyond the known galaxy.” I think this is where Snoke comes from -- the Unknown Regions of space, from beyond the galaxy. He may have come through one of the observatories and used it like a portal. They were supposed to be destroyed on the Emperor’s death. As told in Battlefront II, Luke Skywalker visited the Pillio Observatory a year before Ben Solo was born and found the Emperor’s compass, which we’ll see in The Last Jedi. Speculation is that it’s that compass which led Luke to the first Jedi temple on Ahch-To.

In The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren suggests to General Hux after FN-2187 defects that the First Order may want to consider using a clone army. Kylo is familiar with the merits of clones. So, what if Snoke has his own clone factory in Palpatine's Jakku observatory, replicating a supply of fresh bodies for him to inhabit? And what happens when the clone bodies are no longer strong enough to handle his powerful essence? Perhaps transferring his essence to a corpse (from which life can’t be drained) might be a better start. I explored those ideas in this story.

So, considering all these possibility, this is the Snoke theory I’ve incorporated into my stories:

The creature known as Supreme Leader Snoke is a powerful being from beyond the known regions of space. He’s had or has more than one student and he possesses strong dark side knowledge. He’s damaged, crippled, and vulnerable, but he’s building up his strength to some day rule the galaxy (or universe). That’s why he needs Kylo -- in body and soul -- as his enforcer. But he needs access to the light to survive and to become immortal. That’s why he needs Rey. That’s why he needs them both -- power and life. “When I found you, I saw raw, untamed power (Kylo), and beyond that something truly special (Rey)....Darkness rises and light to meet it.”

Life is power.

Who or whatever Snoke is, he had his eye on baby Ben Solo while Leia was carrying him. Check out this passage from Empire’s End:

“Leia.”

Her name, spoken in the dark.

Luke. She reaches for him but doesn’t find him.

The dark, now lit with stars. One by one, like eyes opening. Comforting at first, then sinister as she worries, Who is out there, who is watching us? Hands reach for her, hands of shadow, lifting her up, reaching for her throat, her wrists, her stomach --

Inside, the child kicks. She feels her baby turning inside, right-side up and upside down, struggling to find his bearings, trying so hard to find his way free of her.” (p. 105)

Creepy, no? Snoke’s on his own jihad against the Resistance, gathering promising young Force-sensitives to him. In the December 2017 issue of GQ, Adam Driver was interviewed: “‘We talked about terrorism a lot,’ Driver says of his early conversation with Abrams and Johnson about his character. ‘You have young and deeply committed people with one-sided education who think in absolutes. That is more dangerous than being evil.’” Like ISIS, Snoke is swaying the young, isolated, and vulnerable to do his bidding and to build his power base.

According to The Art of The Force Awakens, Snoke almost became a female character (p. 212). I think it would be awesome if Snoke’s battered body continued to regenerate to reveal a beautiful woman. Given Ben’s sensitivity and lack of bonding with a father-figure, I think little Ben would have readily responded to a surrogate mother -- a replacement for Leia who wasn’t there enough for him. Enter Amanda Snoke in my stories, who looks a lot like Captain Phasma -- because they’re a line of Snoke’s clone bodies -- one to lure Ben into the First Order and one to keep him there. So far in my fanfic, Snoke is inhabiting the body of the Amanda clone as Dr. Amanda Snoke, a child psychologist who becomes Ben’s court-appointed guardian when he gets into trouble and the Solos lose custody of their son. Dr. Snoke nurtures and guides him as a good guardian should, but when Ben becomes a young man, she seduces him and introduces him to the Acolytes of the Beyond and the Knights of Ren. After the release of The Last Jedi, I’ll continue the storyline.

Role-playing Kylo Ren on Twitter, I used to unplug Snoke’s holoprojector a lot and then throw Hux under the bus. Well, that obviously didn’t stop Supreme Leader. He’s back and he’s pissed. But there’s still hope if we just unplug that regenerating machine.

Quick!

@MyKyloRen 1 December 2017

_________________________________________

Fry, J. (2015). Rey's survival guide. White Plains, NY: Studio Fun International, Inc.

Foster, A. D. (2015). Star wars: The Force awakens. New York: Del Rey.

Szostak, P. (2015). The art of Star Wars, The Force Awakens. New York: Harry N. Abrams.

Wendig, C. (2017). Empire's end: book three of the Aftermath trilogy. New York: Del Rey.

#kylo ren #ben solo #snoke #force-sensitives #the force awakens #the last jedi #sith #luke skywalker #rey

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thebenzene · 5 years ago

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9 days before

10/5/19, 9 days before, 10:14 PM

Hi. I almost forgot to write this. I am very bad when it comes to consistency. I had a fair day, though. Except when this guy has ruined it for me. I mean, I already am ruined, he just makes me worse. No, I might want to blame him, but, the hell he even cares? It’s not like he’s really into me or deeply concerned about my well-being. Ngl, I think he’s just there for emotions. He is just for things that are in favor of him. And if not, he’s gonna act up like he’s the one troubled lololol. I have been doing things to adjust for him. I know, he’s old, and I’m like old but not that old. I haven’t even turned 18! I mean, yes I’m young. Since when did I become attach to this guy anyway? I just met him on this dating app, Tinder. Why the fuck do I think that we will last? What is this insane idea that makes me fear to lose him? Like, I need to wake up. The hell he even cares, right? This is like, his nth time encounter some romantic bullshit and this is my first. He has caused me much distress yet here I am, standing still to this some crappy promises I have said. I love him, sure, to my best extent. But I always disappoint him whenever I do things that he doesn’t like. I mean, come on man, I am trying my best. It seems like he doesn’t really love me like “love” me. It was like a sort of infatuation, not to invalidate his feelings but, he is too needy. I mean, in some way, I am too. Like, I somehow long for his validation? I mean, isn’t romantic relationships supposed to be like this? I don’t know anymore. I SHOULD HAVE NOT APPEALED THAT THEY HE WAS LEAVING. LIKE, FINALLY THAT WAS IT. But then, I WAS FUCKING DESPERATE AND I NEEDED LOVE AND AFFECTION. YOU KNOW, SCREW THAT. I CAN BE MISERABLE ON MY OWN. NO FUCKING NEED FOR SOMEONE TO DRAG UPON THIS SHITSHOW. Nice, congratulations Pauline, that’s your karma for screwing people up and then leaving them tangled of your words. Wherever that directive came from, screw that! I am too young for shit and I don’t imagine myself ending up with him. We’re way too immature for each other. Why the heck does he want my selfies anyway? Why on earth does he want to call me anytime he wants? Who? Is? He? It’s not like I owe him a lot. I just hate it when people become too much demanding. Like, woah chill. I am being honest here. Stop, when you are being told to do so. I get it, he wants my attention. I can call him, but not on weekends??? I don’t even have my phone with me??? CHILL??? He was like “Oh I needed more of your selfies to learn how to value you more” and “sorry if I offended you”. Bitch, what the fuck? You’re a creep… and, are you even sorry like… “SORRY”? I don’t think that’s how apologies work? Are you playing with me? Man, if you want to leave, JUST. FUCKING. GO. I am so tired of all the bullshit and all the drama and all the hassles. I don’t think I can endure that? He honestly got me scared. He can easily threaten me like that. HIS AUDACITY. I always stay unbothered knowing that I used to not care all the time if it wasn’t a big deal. But, I can just let this pass? I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN SO SORRY LIKE I AM SO FUCKING SORRY AND ALL THE PROPER PROTOCOLS ON APOLOGIZING I AM SO FUCKING SORRY THAT I AM FUCKING DUMB AND I CAN’T BE WHAT YOU LIKE I CAN’T BE WHAT YOU WANT I’M SORRY YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH A MINOR WHO IS SO FUCKING UNSTABLE WHO CAN’T EVEN MAKE HERSELF CALM. I always have been insecure. But I am trying, seems like he doesn’t recognize that. I look like a desperate bitch in front of him. I feel like he even perceives me as a young kid thirsty for validations, problematic and pathetic, unreliable fucking wasted, someone who’s fucking gullible who can easily believe everything he says. And guess what, maybe that’s right? AND HE SHOVES THAT UP RIGHT ON MY FACE FUCKING BASTARD. He wasn’t really sorry, he was just being guilty. That. Is. Not. Sincerity. GOD DAMN IT I MIGHT WANT TO LEAVE YOU BUT I CAN’T ALL I CAN SAY IS AFTER ALL THIS TIME SOBRANG GALING MONG MAG-MANIPULATE THAT IT FUCKING HURTS PUTANGINA LANG BOLD OF YOU TO MAKE ME MORE MISERABLE ON MY BIRTHMONTH GOD FUCKING DAMN IT. I am fully aware that I am ultramegafucking problematic. I have no excuses. But this person, fucking me up, DOWNRIGHT SLAPPING ME OF HOW WEAK I AM, THREATENING ME OF THINGS JUST BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT I AM WEAK, DISGUSTS ME. “Oh, I am so sorry. Oh, I’m at fault. Oh, make me understand. Oh, I didn’t know.” ALRIGHT STOP TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY VULNERABILITY. STOP. MAKING. IT. SEEM. LIKE. I. DO. NOT. VALUE. YOU. FUCKING BITCH I HAVE DONE OVERFUCKINGFLOWING EFFORTS FOR HIM. BOLD OF HIM TO SAY THAT I DIDN’T VALUE HIM. I am in rage. I am in the verge of breaking down again. OH MY GOD WHY IS THIS LIFE SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS. GOD, MERCY! Before I knew, I am already crying. Why did I let myself fall for this person? I used to be apathetic. I used to reject the notion of Eros. I used to refuse upon giving in on this romantic love. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME? HAS LOVE DRIVEN ME CRAZY? WHAT? I don’t know anymore. I don’t think I can endure this. Why can’t he understand that his actions have consequences? He have unfriended, blocked, refused to talk to me many times. Yet, look at me, I never learned. Who do you think am I? Someone whom you can talk to anytime you’re in the mood for a conversation? Someone whom you can pick up and drop off anytime you want? SOMEONE WHOM YOU CAN BE WITH ANYTIME YOU’RE ACCESSIBLE TO? I love him but I don’t know anymore. He is so abusive. I have loved him to the best of my extent. I even always took the initiative to settle things together. Lol God, look at me, indulging myself in this shitshow of misery. I am so so frustrated. I just want to disappear but I can’t die. He has turned from this innocent person trying to get to know me to this colossal monster devouring everything I can offer him. I know he’s better than this, but maybe not for me.

Wow. What an entry. I got so furious just because of a person. Yes, before I forgot, I even manage to set him first before my acads. OH MY GOD PAULINE HAS TURNED INTO THIS MISERABLY IN-LOVE PERSON. I am more than disappointed of what I have become because of this person. Things are supposed to be constructive, but I was very very wrong.

P. S.

I think he’s staying not because of love anymore. Either because of my attention or because of his pity on me, lol even crazier.

Staying strong superficially,

Pauline

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trendingnewsb · 7 years ago

Text

Trump and the Risks of Digital Hate

In the year 1929, the Nazi propaganda tabloid Der Stürmer published a caricature of an imaginary group of devious looking Jewish people peeling off in a car after apparently running over a German boy, left bleeding in the arms of his father.

In the year 2017, the president of the United States retweeted a video of a dark-haired teenager assaulting a blond, Dutch teenager on crutches, with the erroneous caption, “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!”

In the year 1942, the Nazi pamphlet Der Untermensch accused Jews of delighting in destroying churches, with the caption, “For the Jew and inhuman the highest satisfaction comes from the destruction of churches!”

In the year 2017, the president of the United States retweeted a video of a bearded Muslim man smashing a fair-skinned statue of the Virgin Mary with the caption, “Muslim Destroys a Statue of the Virgin Mary!”

For many Americans who woke up to President Trump’s tweets Wednesday morning, these videos seemed unduly hateful, and in the case of the video of the boy on the crutches, even fraudulent. (According to Dutch authorities, the assailant was born and raised in the Netherlands.) But for researchers of propaganda, the historical parallels within the videos were more chilling than anything else. There are, they say, just two differences between the German caricatures and the president’s tweets. First, the social media age has given Trump more readers on Twitter than Der Stürmer or Der Untermensch ever had. And second, we have no way of knowing how this chapter in history will end.

"I think this is real dangerous shit," says David Livingstone Smith, a professor of philosophy at the University of New England, who specializes in the history of dehumanization and who authored a book on the topic called Less Than Human.

"This is scary shit," echoes Jason Stanley, a professor at Yale and author of the book How Propaganda Works, whose father fled Nazi Germany in 1939.

To be clear and compliant with Godwin's law no one is comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler. "That would be absurd," Smith says. His concern is that the president and the general public have not learned history's lessons about the impact this type of fear-mongering can have. That's especially true today in the age of Facebook- and Twitter-driven echo chambers, in which any headline, photo, or video can be slyly captioned or edited to distort its original meaning to comply with a group's existing bias. The long past of propaganda blended with the communication channels of the present and future form a toxic mix.

"I think this is real dangerous shit."

David Livingstone Smith, University of New England

Trump's tweets may look like an impulsive and offensive attempt to pander to the Ann Coulter wing of the Republican party, but looked at through the long lens of history, Trump's messaging has dangerous undertones that could be compared to propaganda tactics found in the well-worn playbook of how to demonize entire categories of humans. As forbidden as such historical comparisons are in polite society, Smith says, it's in ignoring history altogether that societies risk falling into the time-tested trap of believing that pending mass atrocities clearly announce themselves in bright neon lighting.

"There’s always a backstory," he says.

It typically begins with leaders fomenting fear, specifically by portraying a relatively powerless group as a societal threat. One of the most powerful examples of this was the portrayal of African American slaves in the antebellum south. "African Americans were the most vulnerable members of the population," Smith says, "Yet they were represented as violent monsters, particularly African American men, who were represented as almost super-human in the danger they posed."

The script repeated in 1934, one year after Adolf Hitler took power, when German Jews were already being herded into the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich. The front page of Der Stürmer featured a headline, typed out in red and underlined, that read, "Jewish Murderplan Against Gentile Humanity Revealed."

Similarly, in Rwanda in 1993, Hutu Power propaganda magazines like Kangura ran stories accusing the Tutsi, already a persecuted people that had been driven into exile, of "evilness" and "killing, pillaging, raping girls and women." That message was amplified by the launch of RTLM, an extremist radio station that promoted some of the most vile and violent propaganda about Tutsis. One Harvard study has since shown that the better the radio coverage was in a given area, the worse the bloodshed.

All of those examples, of course, came before Facebook and Twitter. These destructive myths and stereotypes can now be disseminated to millions of people in a matter of seconds. And it's not simply cartoons and phony headlines filling people's minds. Doctored photos and misrepresentations of real footage, like the video the president shared, are a dangerous new development in the history of propaganda, experts say. "Everyone knows caricatures exaggerate," says Claudia Koonz, a historian at Duke University and author of The Nazi Conscience, "but gullible viewers, including probably Trump, see videos as reality."

The Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar are the most recent and tragic victims of this trend. When the government barred ultranationalist Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu from preaching his anti-Rohingya messages, for fear they were driving his followers to violence, he took the message to Facebook. Now Facebook, which has 30 million users in Myanmar, up from 2 million in 2014, has become a central repository for Wirathu's photos, which depict crimes supposedly committed by Rohingya, some of which Facebook has removed.

Complicating matters more is that activists on both sides of the ethnic cleansing being waged against the Rohingya by the Myanmar Army are contributing to the misleading information being circulated on social media. People concerned about the Rohingya have shared photos depicting tragedies from other wars, misrepresented as part of this current massacre. Meanwhile, those seeking to demonize the Rohingya have disseminated archival war photos, wrongly describing them as evidence of Rohingya militarization. All of it contributes to a cloud of confusion that makes it easier for Myanmar's leaders to claim the very real violence is being overblown.

"What would have been horrifying a year ago is now normalized."

Jason Stanley, Yale University

In the social media age, not only does the information travel faster, but the sheer volume of shocking images people are exposed to on a daily basis helps numb societies to the hate they're seeing. President Trump tweeting explicitly anti-Muslim content from the leader of a British hate group, who was herself arrested recently for hate speech, has already fallen from the headlines, as issues like tax reform and the Russian meddling investigation dominate. In 2017, Trump's tweets were just another Wednesday. That has its own frightening implications, too, historians say. "What would have been horrifying a year ago is now normalized," Stanley says. "That’s part of the playbook, too."

These messages don't have to promote violence to solicit it. History indicates that dangerous rhetoric tends to sound cautionary at the outset, ringing the alarm against what the people in power deem to be a serious threat. The people who spread it, he says, think they're "out to save the world. Their idea is to rid the world of a terrible evil."

That, according to White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was Trump's motivation in this case. Asked by members of the press why the president would share a video that lies about a Muslim migrant committing an act of violence, she said, "Whether it's a real video, the threat is real."

Yes. A threat so real it could only be illustrated with lies.

The tweets the president retweeted used simple language to frame Muslims as a dominating societal menace ("Muslim destroys statue …"), despite the fact that Muslims make up just 1 percent of the US population and that, since 2001, homegrown right-wing extremists have killed nearly twice as many Americans in the US as radical Muslims have.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations immediately condemned the videos, calling them an "incitement to violence against American Muslims." Such violence is already on the rise. Pew Research found that in 2016, a historic number of anti-Muslim assaults were reported to the FBI, more than in 2001, when anti-Muslim fervor was high.

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After Trump shared those videos, pundits and politicians argued that the president's tweets would only help ISIS recruit. Trump, they argued, seemed to be overtly confirming terrorists' claims that America is the enemy of Islam. And yet, according to Steve Stalinsky of the Middle East Research Institute, the question isn't what impact this video will have on ISIS, an organization so depraved it would manipulate even benign statements from the president. The question is, what impact it will have on groups in the US?

"Talking heads will say this is going to help ISIS or jihadi groups with recruitment. I don't know that that's necessarily true," Stalinksy says. "Recruitment for right-wing groups? That's a different story."

So what can be done about it? Social networks, certainly, have a role to play in preventing hate speech from spreading online—a perilous high-wire act they have not yet successfully maneuvered. But, given their reluctance to censor the president's messages to the public, that still wouldn't stop the man in the White House from waking up on any given morning, picking up his phone, and clicking Retweet on any selectively edited video he chooses. On Friday, even Twitter sent mixed messages about why, exactly, it's allowing these videos to stay up. In Germany, Volksverhetzung, or incitement to hatred, has long been criminalized, and a new law there requires social media companies to remove it or face hefty fines. But in the US, the First Amendment would inhibit such government-driven attempts at censorship. That means the power to prevent such escalating hatred quite literally rests in the president's relentlessly tweeting hands.

President Trump wants badly to justify his plans to ban citizens from a host of primarily Islamic nations from entering the United States. Videos portraying Muslim violence—both real and fabricated—fit neatly into that story. But they also fit neatly into a much longer story of tragedy around the world. Whatever his motivation, history provides few excuses for those who fail to anticipate the damage that words and images can do.