#also some of the radicals have names but i also forget their name. what is a jiao zi pang i also dont know

[8cfc00]

i love making up little stories to try to memorise chinese characters in a short time like ahhh 碳 (carbon) thats like coal. which is the rocks (石) you find in the mountain (山), which you put inside a thing (the two lines) to make a fire (火)

[spideyhexx]

A miscellaneous night with mr coriolanus snow

this is longer than it was meant to be but also happy bday to me for writing😭enjoy :)

Coriolanus internally winced at the state of the elevator when he gestured for you to walk into the lobby of his apartment building. He was hoping all day that it would be magically fixed by maintenance, but he should have known better. 

He brushes his hair back at his left side and clears his throat, gesturing towards the stairs, “We’ll have to take those, I apologize.”

“No worries. We need the walking after taking the trolley,” you chuckle and nudge your elbow into his side, letting him take the lead. 

Coriolanus tries his hardest not to touch the spot on his side that you touched, afraid it’ll make his cheeks flush more than they already are. He manages a small laugh in response to your words. He had been adamant the two of you take the trolley since it was dark out and then adamant that he paid for you both. It was his last two tokens. Something he’ll tell himself tomorrow was a slip-up, but for now it was the best decision he could have made. 

You typically studied with him in the library after classes, but as of late, Coriolanus found talking about anything and everything with you to be more than splendid. Perhaps it’s because you knew of the Snow's state and never made a snide comment about it. Or the way your posture was ever so perfect. The way your leg crossed over the other, poised gracefully more times than not. There was an air of elegance about you, yet the way you spoke so kindly to him, so interested in him, reminded him of something warm and comforting. Not the fake elegance that many of his Capitol peers put on to form alliances and kiss-up to the ones above them. No. You were genuine, he decided, a long while ago. 

When the two of you reach his door, he takes the key out and turns it in the lock, silently praying that his grandmother was asleep already. To his luck, neither her or his cousin are in sight, and he locks the door behind him after you step in, setting the keys in a small dish tray in the foyer. 

“We can go to my room if you uh…,” he trails off as you look around the living space with a curious glint in your eye. 

Your eyes find the stained glass portrait of his father and he almost wants to yell your name to bring your attention to…to what? The fireplace? Dirty. The couch? Stiff. Himself? Too conceited. 

But you don’t speak a word on it and he breathes a sigh of relief. Your eyes fall on the stray mannequin draped in some dark blue fabrics and a smile graces your lips, “I suspect this is Tigris’ doing?”

“Yes. Her friend lent her some fabrics to mess with, but she hasn’t made a choice on what to do yet exactly. I don’t know why this is out here,” Coriolanus says as he takes a few steps closer to be at your side. 

“There’s good light in here,” you suggest, glancing to the windows where you can see the dilapidated building across the street. 

Coriolanus nods and follows your eyesight. He shifts on his heels, then toes, hands clasped to the strap of his book bag, “If I’m not doing my reading in my bedroom, it’s usually out here.”

The grin you give him almost makes him forget why he invited you over. Ah, yes. He had told you he had an edition of a history book written by your great uncle, that you so desperately wanted to get your hands on. Your family had none (because said uncle went rogue and joined the districts). Coriolanus is not sure why he had the book in his possession in the first place. It had to have been at the Academy and he forgot to return it, but after the uncle fled to whatever district he left for, they threw out any and all books written by the man. 

Part of him thinks he should be concerned as to why you want the book, but he’s read it himself. There’s nothing radical there that could turn you into something else to his memory. He offered to give the book to you. Coriolanus planned on bringing it to class the next day to give to you but you insisted it would be better to hand it off privately. He had a sneaking suspicion you just did not want to go home, but he didn’t push. 

At first, he was hesitant to let you come to his apartment. He had a multitude of plans in place to specifically keep his friends from not coming to his apartment. But he couldn’t find it in himself to follow any of them when it involved you. 

When he realizes it’s been silent for too long, he clears his throat, “My room is just this way,” and walks down the hall, wincing to himself at the creaky floorboards. 

He turns the knob and at first, the door doesn’t open. Coriolanus pushes his shoulder against his door as subtly as he can, which pushes it open and his cheeks heat up at your small chuckle. 

His room is not messy, but nothing to write home about. The only thing a little messy is his dresser, which had a drawer open a shirt hanging out of it that he quickly, subtly, pushes into the drawer and closes it. 

“Oh my god,” you say and he freezes, wondering what he’s left out that warrants that reaction. 

He watches you walk over to his bed and point at the stuffed dog that lies next to his pillow. He’d like to be swallowed whole right about now. 

“That’s so cute. He needs a wash though.”

You think it’s cute? Oh, he’s in over his head. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, he needs a wash, I guess,” Coriolanus mutters, putting his book bag down on his desk chair and watching you carefully pick it up. 

“Does he have a name?”

“Horace.”

“Naturally,” you mumble, holding the stuffed dog up as though you are examining it. “I like him.”

“Just don’t go telling everyone at school, they’ll have a whole laugh about it,” he chuckles. He’s trying to come off as joking, but he’s also maybe completely serious. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Coryo, I won’t mention it.” You put the dog down gently next to his pillow, patting it’s head twice, then you set your book bag on the floor. 

He gestures to his room once your eyes meet his, “I know this isn’t much but-”

“Coryo.” 

The look you give him makes him shut his mouth and he lets his shoulders ease only the slightest bit. He barely realized how tense he had been. 

“It’s still your room. That’s nice. I don’t care what it looks like,” you tell him and each word hits right through to his heart. 

He nods and then clears his throat, turning to his small bookshelf to find the book for you, “It might be a little dusty, but I haven’t touched it since I read it.” Pulling out the gray spine of the book, he blows over it, grimacing at the dust and then brushes off the cover, handing it over to you. 

Coriolanus feels a sense of pride in his chest at how happy you look, clutching it to yourself and then looking at the forward, “Thank you, Coryo. I’ll let you cheat off my biology exam for this.”

He chuckles, “I don’t need that.”

“I know,” you say, and a lull falls over the two of you. For the first time, he sees you be the one to clear your throat awkwardly and you bend down to grab your bag. 

Coriolanus thinks himself a respectful man, but he does look at your thighs as you do. He rationalizes that it’s fine because that one time in seventh grade he was pantsed and you saw his thighs so who cares if now he’s-

“Coryo.” 

He blinks and returns his gaze to your face, “yes?” 

“Is it cool if I stay a little longer?”

He’s nodding before he’s speaking, but maybe he should have thought it through. Maybe it was bad to have you stay. Distraction. That’s what you are, really. Or are you? You do study with him and the studying has definitely helped him over the past year. So is it really a distraction? 

Staying a little longer turns into two hours passing.

Coriolanus tells you about his neighbors across the street and how he loves people watching from his window. You relay your own people watching stories and he shares laughs harder than he has in recent weeks. 

You’ve migrated to his bed, feet on the ground, but your back against the stiff mattress. Coriolanus sits backwards in his desk chair, facing you, and after another bout of silence, he says, “That cannot be comfortable.”

“It is if you tell yourself it is.”

He snorts. Since when does he do that?

“No. I know my bed. That’s not comfortable,” he sighs, “I’m sure your bed is miles better.”

Your face twists up into an emotion he cannot decipher. Distaste? Disgust? Contempt? Whatever it is, he feels as though he’s said something wrong, so he jumps to say, “I didn’t mean like-”

“It is more comfortable, but I’m okay here.”

Coriolanus wonders if he’s on the precipice of learning something new about you. He’s never been to your residence. Only heard of your high-achieving father and high-achieving mother. You rarely talked about them, other than to occasionally complain about their pressure on you. 

“Will they be worried about where you are right now? Your parents, I mean,” he says in the softest tone he can muster. He prepares what to say in case you blow him off. 

“I called them while we were in the library. When you went to the bathroom.”

“Ah,” he nods, “And?”

“And…they don’t mind. Though I should go back before midnight,” you glance over at his small clock on his nightstand. “I would just rather be anywhere else tonight. It's too stuffy there.”

Coriolanus wants to laugh. Stuffy? In your nice, expensive, big apartment? “Why’s that?”

“Cause they just…,” you trail off and gesture aimlessly with your hand, “they’re always a lot, okay? But on my birthday? Fuck, they’re even worse. I would much rather spend it with someone I like, hence,” you gesture again, but to him this time. 

Coriolanus wants to celebrate the small victory that you like him, but he pauses. “Birthday? It’s your birthday?”

You turn your head so you’re able to see him while still laying down, “yeah.”

His eyes widen then he chuckles, “and you didn’t mention?” He feels bad he didn’t know. He should have, right? But the fact you hadn’t told him and he didn’t see anyone mentioning your birthday today tells him you seldom want people to know. 

“Didn’t feel the need to.”

“Right. Well, happy birthday to you,” he says, his voice having a slight sing-songy lilt to it at the end and it gets you laughing. He can’t wait to tell Tigris about this tomorrow.

“Thank you, Coryo. And I meant it. I’m glad to be spending it here with you,” you say and he watches your hands fiddle like you’re nervous. 

A rush of boldness overcomes him and he stands from the desk chair and plops down on his bed right next to you, his arm fully against yours. Shoulder to shoulder. Coriolanus stares at the ceiling, inhaling deep, “I wish I knew how to bake. I’d make you…I don’t know…double-double chocolate cake?”

“You remembered!” 

He laughs and nods, recalling the very chocolatey cake you had three slices of at a party the Plinth’s were throwing a couple of months ago. He wonders if that’s the day he decided you were worth being distracted. 

“Do you remember my favorite pie?” 

You narrow your eyes to think, turning to look at him. He mimics the face you’re making, which causes you both to dissolve into giggles. 

“Blackberry. Or pecan,” you finally say and he nods, “Yes to both.”

His index finger twitches and touches your fingers as he studies your face. The soft smile on your lips and the slight tiredness in your eyes. Your hair is less kept than it had been earlier, which feels so unlike you, but you are being so you right now that it doesn’t matter in the slightest. He’s sure his own curls are out of order. 

Coriolanus keeps lightly lingering his fingers on yours, his voice a drop quieter, “Do you ever think that…everything you’ve worked hard for…can be lost because you…care too much?”

You look taken aback at the question at first, then you settle. His heart jumps when you let your hand hold to his instead of the dance your fingers had been doing. “I guess sometimes I do. Caring a lot is painful in many ways but…it’s also…”

“Nice,” he finishes in a whisper. Coriolanus doesn’t intend to look at your lips, but he does and he’s sure you notice. 

“It’s nice and…shows others how passionate you truly are.” You decide, playing with his fingers instead of your own. 

“But isn’t it also a weakness? Something others can pick out and use against you?”

Your brow furrows slightly in thought, “Sure…but you just have to be smarter than those against you so they can’t exploit it. And I happen to know for a fact that you, Coriolanus Snow, are one of the smartest people I have and will ever meet.”

The weight in his chest melts and smiles, not sure how to respond to such a grand compliment, other than saying, “Snow lands on top.”

It makes you laugh. A full laugh that has you gripping to his hand firmly and somehow bringing the two of you closer until you rest your chin near his shoulder, “You’re aware that that is extremely cheesy, right?”

“Oh, always,” he mumbles, and takes that risk of looking at your lips in a more obvious way, and he tries to convince himself that he’s imagining it when you shift closer. Your nose brushes and he envisions a world where he can kiss you whenever he wants. Where he can make you happy and laugh the way you just did forever. 

“At least you’re self-aware.”

“I’m incredibly self-aware,” Coriolanus mutters, as your nose brushes and nudges to his. It’s like a dance of who’s gonna make the jump first. 

You grin and bite your cheek to lessen it. His heart feels like bursting out of his chest and he wishes he wasn’t holding your hand because he’s definitely getting clammy. But he can’t think of that. There’s no way Coriolanus can dwell on the other parts of his body when your lips are so close that he can feel your breath on his lips. That he can see your eyes go through the thought process, wondering if you should kiss him or if you should let him kiss you first. 

You’re not sure who does it first, but your lips meet in a gentle touch. Hesitant on both ends, yet searing with an undeniable surge of something warm. Something satisfying. Coriolanus is the one to deepen it. Squeezing to your hand (for his sake), he tilts his head and kisses you deeper, memorizing the feel of your lips on his. When you shift on the bed to turn more towards him, he doesn't break the kiss, not even when he feels your hand rest near the collar of his shirt, like you’re tugging him in. 

When you inevitably break for a breath, he chases after you, only to pause and clear his throat from embarrassment. 

“Sorry, I was just-” Your lips find his once more and Coriolanus melts into it, letting you bring his hand to the side of your face right when your tongue slides along his lower lip. He hopes he’s not a bad kisser, but when you hum into his mouth and rub your hand to his neck, the confidence surges in him. 

He’s not sure how long the two of you kiss, on and off, tongue and no tongue, wandering hands that never quite go to places more intimate. But when you break off and duck your head into his neck, resting against his side, he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around you and bring you closer. His lips find the top of your head, kissing there, and rubbing your arm. 

When you fall asleep against him, he fights with himself over whether to wake you and get you home safely, or to let you stay there in his arms. Coriolanus will mull it over in a couple of minutes. For now, he relishes in the moment. Who knows if he’ll let himself have it again. 

[charlie-rain-0]

unpopular opinion: marauders fans have ruined the character of regulus black and severus snape. regulus is a right-wing, pure-blood supremacist who values ​​his house-elf life more than muggle life. he's not a poor little boy, but someone radicalized(he has admired voldemort from a young age and neither of his parents are death eaters.), in line with his family's ideals. he's an interesting character, but he's not a kind or good person.

you don't like snape for what he did during the golden trio (which, in reality, in the context of a 90s "private" school, isn't particularly shocking. sorry, but the durleys wanted to send harry to a school that caned children) or the fact that he once insulted lily? okay, whatever you want, but by being a spy, he risked his life (and died) for voldemort's downfall. and regulus is a supremacist so overall i'm not sure he was using "muggleborn"

the reality, apart from the fact that you are hypocrites (who for the majority have forgotten that canonically the poor kid who was bullied by a gang of mostly rich and popular kids was severus and not someone else) you prefer to replace severus snape with a bad copy (by distorting a character who could be complex and worth studying)

regulus is easier to like: he's almost empty canon-wise, more handsome than severus, and dies early enough for us to forget he's also a magical n@zi

the ridiculousness no longer has a name when i come across posts saying that lily evans was best friends with regulus black

YeS bUt It'S fAnOn- yes but it remains just as ridiculous (especially with the aim of wanting to demonize a canonically gray character to babygirlized another). the canon is only useful to you for taking down snape, the rest of the time you prefer to forget about it-

you could have made a real bad character who realizes that the world is not as he thinks it is.

(yes, even if you're not ready to debate: snape is one of the rare characters who has physical traits reminiscent of the regions of swana.)

ps - snape isn't a particularly good person, but he's not the devil some marauders like to portray

ps2 - rab has a "redemption" but it doesn't erase who he is (or at least as much as snape's "redemption" doesn't erase his complexity)

ps3- at worst, you can celebrate whatever you want, but honestly, with your comments on snape, I'm scared of what you're like in real life. you look a bit too much like my school bullies who picked on me because i was weird, queer and mixed race (+ dressed strangely).

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi, I have some loose thoughts, and I would like your opinion, I know that in the books everything is about Lestat (and that the series will be more about him and Louis) but I really hope that doesn't happen in the series because I always ending up hating the characters where everything is about and for them, and i want to keep liking Lestat! it's simply annoying, I would like the series to explore the history of the four characters, I think it would be much more interesting, I also think that people aren't really analyzing Armand and his relationship with Louis properly, people tend to think that Armand controls Louis 100% of the time and the writers and Jacob himself have said that they wanted Louis to have some agency, for example, when Armand suggested new art for the wall, he suggested colorful art and people insist on saying that Armand keeps him in an prison, controlling everything in the apartment, leaving everything dark, I don't know, when at least for me Louis is doing this, because he is unhappy and in a way, he wants Armand to be unhappy too, they are both not with who they want to be, and I think Louis must have really asked Armand to make him forget the first interview because he was no longer able to deal with the guilt about Claudia and Lestat and he didn't really want to try to commit suicide again, but Armand, in order to keep the lies going, had to keep controlling his mind, so he kept increasing the control until he reached a point where he didn't even wanted (obviously i dont know, just especulating) but he didn't know what to do, because I think Armand loved Louis in some way. I also don't see people talking about the fact that Armand thinks that Marius, who is older and more powerful than him, died at the hands of other vampires (who I think were younger than him, I don't remember) so why not they believe that Armand really thought that the coven could kill him, if they were focused, we know that he could have prevented it but I don't think he knew that...anyway, I think we have to listen to what Armand has to say, because until now we only know about lies and omissions that he told, we don't know what was really happening or what was going on in his head until this moment. Sorry, because it's a lot and english is not my first language!

Hey!

Not everything is about Lestat :), but he is the narrator of a lot of them, and is part of the story in most :) Given the books Rolin said he takes from (already) makes it clear that he focuses on the Loustat/Lestat centric books, which carries obviously repercussions for the show. But that just as a note :)

I do think, and I just said this in another ask again, too, that the show is built on the big four, namely Louis, Lestat, Armand and Daniel. These are the corner stones they chose, and the rest of the relationships and stories will revolve around them I think. But... Lestat will stay, and, well... he will be very prominent in the upcoming seasons, let's put it that way.

I... have an idea for when Louis could have asked for his memories to be erased, but I don't think he would have asked Armand. I mean, this is the guy who keeps the stones in his ankles as a reminder. I don't think he would willingly choose to lose the memories, no way. There might be ways to make that statement true, story-wise, but if it is, there is a LOT more to it.

Armand had to constantly readjust Louis, that is no speculation, that is something Assad has said :), and that is clearly visible in s2, too, especially on rewatch. Louis' behavior shifts, radically, from part to part, depending on what is... needed.

As per Armand and the "coven killing/controlling him"... nonny, that part has been proven a lie. It has been proven by the few pages we got of the trial script as well. Armand was never in any danger from them. He directed the trial. He was their master for centuries.

He killed Claudia and tried to kill Louis.

That said, you are correct, the "current" knowledge of the characters has to be taken into account. And Armand might not know yet that Marius is still alive (though I do think that him hanging art of Marius in the penthouse speaks volumes). I say might, because it depends. In the books he sees someone he thought dead at some point, and ... that must have led to a lot of speculation.

And yes, I would love to "listen" to Armand, as you put it. I would LOVE an adaptation of TVA or maybe a spin-off of him and Daniel in Night Island. I'd love that.

But Armand has been giving a very edited tale, that has already been stated, and he has changed the tale in Louis' head, has implanted and changed memories. Daniel latching onto the fact that Lestat could not have spoken in Louis' mind after turning was supposed to be the clue there.

Next season, Lestat will give his account - and whether this fandom likes it or not, but Lestat is canonically doing so for Louis, to make him understand, and he has no reason to lie and he does not soften much either. And that understanding of Louis being the driving motivation will have the "documentary" result in something quite different than what s1 & 2 were - and Louis will understand.

In the books, that is when they reunite - before other things happen. I... no matter the other stuff they put into s3, but I don't think that will be any different here, since they keep quite close to the books for the big emotional points.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 65 Feels Posting

Greetings, dear void. Once again the unexpected has happened and once again I am here to yap about it. Not as much as I could say because the struggle bus is merciless but there's more translation notes than usual I guess.

Rough TL of the editor's notes: Front Page: "斬欲"に負けた久々李!! ["zanyoku" ni maketa Kuguri!!] Kuguri loses to his desire to "slice"!! Technically desire should be in quotes too but it looks silly like that in English. Last Page: 自らと重ね合わせ導いた選択-!! [mizukara to kasane awase michibiita sentaku-!!] A choice that was guided by his own experience-!! God I struggled with this one. But I think I got it right in the end... maybe... don't count on it. I'm just proud I figured out that 導 (michibi, to guide/lead) was the kanji I was looking for in a blurry, pixelated mess.

Anyway, so... damn, what happened, exactly?

Names Extravaganza

We got more names! Since I'm already looking up kanji I may as well do the TLs here.

"Lily Hishaku" is 斗斗 (Toto) which is highly unusual for a name and I don't think it would pass muster in real life. 斗 (to) references the Big Dipper constellation or a sake dipper for the most part; otherwise it has some obscure uses and mostly exists as radical no. 68. I wonder who named her...

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Fun fact about the Hishaku while I'm here I guess since I haven't talked about it before. 毘灼 (Hishaku) is made up of the kanji for "help/assist" (毘, hi) and "miraculous" (灼, shaku). 灼 as a verb has lots of interesting meanings like to burn, to roast/grill, and to be jealous of. Oh and 毘 is part of the kanji that make up the name Bishamonten (毘沙門天), the Japanese version of Vaisravana- the guardian god of Buddhism and Birushana Butsu (毘盧遮那仏), the Vairocana-Buddha who symbolizes all of the observable and conscious world. It doesn't really exist outside that context except for 荼毘 (dabi, "cremation"). Hmm!

I've been basing some of my pet theories about the org around the kanji chosen to name it to some extent, so I figured I may as well note it down after forgetting to for so long.

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Shirakai Itsuo (白廻 逸夫), the master of the White Purity style, is definitely a man at least. 白廻 (shirakai) could be roughly translated as "white game" and 逸夫 (itsuo) could be idle/elusive husband lol. At the very least, shira (白) means "white" and o (夫) means "husband/man". So we know where the name of the school comes from and maybe got some insight into the guy who founded it. But we'll have to meet him to be sure. We got a name, so surely that will happen.

Sengoku Yojirou (戦国 与次郎), the random hotel manager guy, has a pretty manly name.

戦 (sen)- battle, war 国 (goku)- state

Trivia: 戦国 refers to the Sengoku period in Japanese history, a time of civil war and lots of social upheaval. Thanks, Wikipedia! 与 (yo)- bestow, participate in, award 次 (ji)- next, order 郎 (rou)- son

So the overall impression of his name is of a son that was born during a period of war... hm. This one's a toughie for me but I think it could be something along the lines of "the next son born in battle". Don't take me as 100% accurate on that though.

Yes his name contains the same kanji that the Masumi leader uses as his name/codename. It also has the same goku used in "Kokugoku Onsen (State Prison Hot Springs)" where Uruha was staying but that's certainly a coincidence. I don't expect to see this guy again but hey, a name. For a random guy. When we're still calling other characters things like "Bandana" and "Hatshaku" lol.

Blue-Balling Kuguri

My man does not understand that Chihiro is the protagonist of this series.

Poor Kuguri. He just wanted to fight and slice and he got left behind. He's definitely a shameless nerd though, lore dumping about the Iai White Purity style all over the place for us like that.

Combined with what we know from the previous chapter about how the Bearers were scouted and chosen, it makes sense that two people who could master such a difficult style were picked to wield Enchanted Blades. RIP Uruha and watch your back, Samura. Because even though he's never had a teacher, Chihiro has his dad's eyes and can mimic stuff he sees.

If he didn't use his sorcery to make the blades, then will we learn what Chihiro's is? Or maybe his sorcery was used to give the blades their unique properties...

So I know there are going to be lots of bad-faith takes about Chihiro having special genetics after this, but that's not the intent here. The phrasing around him "inheriting unique eyes" shouldn't be taken literally; Shiba's line about Chihiro having "Rokuhira's eyes" from chapter 54 didn't come back now to hint that he's got a special bloodline talent or anything. He just learned from the best of the best when it comes to noticing tiny details and adjusting for them on the fly, then applied it to fighting. Chihiro is still closer to Batman than Sasuke okay? At most he just has a knack for it like his dad does. Chihiro is smart and learned some useful skills that he can apply across disciplines. Once again, just like Enten, he's using part of his father's legacy to fight.

What style Chihiro learns could go any which way, but maybe he'll stick with White Purity since we got the name of the guy who founded it and thus will probably meet him at some point. What remains to be seen is who exactly that person is, how they will meet, and what Chihiro can learn in the ~3 days he'll have left after Iori makes her decision. Thankfully they have some breathing room since the Hishaku completely lost track of her.

I'll get you next time, Gadget!

Anyway, congratulations to Chihiro for adding another person who will be obsessed with him to his harem.

Chihiro and Iori's Choice

How convenient.

京屠殺戮ホテル I guess "Kyoto Bloodshed Hotel" in the official translation. How seriously are we supposed to take this? Not at all, I suppose. Especially with the manager's appearance and his manly war-themed name. Seems like the Masumi have made use of this hotel often with how he recognised them though.

And of course we get into some real heartbreak in this ridiculous place.

This guy needed PTSD counseling and lots of therapy.

Samura being guilty AF with the tear-track scars again. I do feel bad for him and I want to know what The Incident was...

There's an interesting nuance in Samura's line in the first bubble that was lost in translation. The Japanese is: あの子は戦争の穢れとは無縁の子だ [anokoha sensou no kegare to wa muen no koda], which was translated well into English. But the secondary meaning of 無縁 (muen) wasn't brought over- it means unrelated/unconnected, but it can also mean "unrelated to the teachings of Buddha/unable to be saved by Buddha". So basically, more religious guilt from Samura here. This dude is very sincere about his beliefs despite how much he struggles with them. He definitely feels inadequate as a Buddhist on top of all the other things he's got going on. Seriously, he's got way too much self-deprecation going on for the whole cast, let alone just one person.

Speaking of reminding us of how guilty everyone's feeling:

Thank goodness he has the Masumi with him.

Chihiro looks so damn exhausted as usual when he's making these vows to keep pushing himself to protect. God. If he's able to mimic an esoteric sword technique after seeing it once and getting a brief description of how it works, why can't he learn some self-care from the Masumi?! But we know the answer: he doesn't think he's allowed to rest because of all the blood on his hands.

Talking to Iori about Samura will at least have him sitting down I guess. Better than nothing. Because Ro is absolutely right in that once the seal's undone, Iori will be a target on both sides. Chihiro's making more work for himself because of his bleeding heart, of course...

Oof ouch my feelings.

Chihiro recognising he could have had a normal life but choosing the time with his dad over everything... he's so empathetic, I love him, I want only the best for him! I just hope he doesn't lose anyone or anything for making these compassionate decisions. Iori's very safe -sincerely doubt the author will kill a defenceless 16/17 year old girl- but the Masumi and Chihiro himself are in a hell of a lot more danger than they already were thanks to this. Can Chihiro really protect Iori from the Hishaku and the Kamunabi? Surely he recognises the potential threats from both sides even if he's letting his emotions take over here.

"I'll do the impossible in one day." - Shounen Protagonist Guy

Maybe! Chihiro wants to become Hakuri's samurai and Iori's protector by learning one of the most rare and difficult sword techniques out there in 24 hours. He can do it because he's That Guy, but damn. That's some resolve he's got.

I like where this is going with Iori, too- she's definitely not going to go back to safety after all her memories are restored. So it's very exciting to consider what will happen next. Also, there will be two people who the Kamunabi will want under their thumbs now- her and Hakuri (when he's healed). No way they will let such valuable people walk free of them... one the daughter that Samura cares for so much (great hostage!) and someone who can transport the blades to or away from them. Very cool stuff.

I'll be waiting a little more to see where the story takes us before drawing conclusive parallels between Iori and Chihiro. I'm also keeping an eye on what happens to Iori after this arc is done. She's gotten a lot of buildup and attention so she's probably going to stick around in some capacity. I just hope it's not as a love interest for the sake of having one... it sucks when a girl gets stuck with the burden of carrying the romantic subplot by themselves and can't do much else. But Hokazono's mostly been great so far so that's something I won't fuss about unless it happens.

Alright dear void, let's sit tight and wait to see what happens. See you next week and do a small gesture of kindness for yourself today.

[dcdreamblog]

Roy Raymond's book about the history of PIs has a chapter on PoC PIs and he mentions a native American private detective who went by "Pow-Wow Smith"; I seem to recall that this was a nickname occasionally used for Sheriff Ohiyesa Smith, the Western Hero (which he hated for obvious reasons); was this a descendant or just someone using it for name recognition or...?

Yea that one's a...I mean I'm sure it was progressive for the time. So to back fill some information for those not in the know. We're talking here about famous sheriff Ohiyesa Smith of Elkhorn, Nebraska.

(Smith's official portrait from his exhibit at the National Cowboy 7 Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City (can you tell they're my best source for shit like this?))

Yes that was the name he went by, only about half against his will. It is how he is recorded for posterity and while I do not enjoy it, his actual relationship to the name and his own legacy during life was...complicated to say the least.

He was born on what is now the Red Deer Valley reservation to the Santee Sioux, a band of the Eastern Dakota in Nebraska and went out to learn about the "white man's world" via the nearby town of Elkhorn. He was a skilled tracker, fighter and shooter and so was made deputy sheriff in short order and eventually promoted to sheriff full stop.

The name "Pow Wow" was given to him by the townsfolk in what by all accounts seemed to be a genuine attempt at affection. Yes, Ohiyesa made it clear, especially in his early career that he would have preferred going by his "Indian name" (his words, not mine) but as the town continued to insist and as he integrated himself more and more with that community he made his peace with it calling it, from his own diaries... "The people of this city blessing me with their approval. I cannot fully remove the part of me that is proud to here the name "Pow Wow" spoken proudly by my people and with fear by bandits and outlaws" Make of that what you will, he was a Sioux man who had gained some measure of status and even acclaim in the late 1800s. While he was to many respects a trailblazing and radical figure I can't find it in my heart to condemn him for picking his battles and making his peace.

He was even granted US citizenship directly by an act of congress (Because no one is allowed to forget native americans were not given automatic citizenship until *1924*)

He eventually married another SIoux woman named Fleetfoot Smith and they had many children, who in turn had children, on and on until we get to today's subject. U.S Marshall Ohiyesa Smith the Second.

(Cropped newspaper photo of Smith from the Gotham Gazette)

Yes, Smith is indeed a direct descendant of the famous man with whom he shares a name. He is also on the rolls as a member of the Santee Sioux of Red Deer Valley. By all accounts he is a U.S Marshall in VERY good standing with a sterling record (as I was told very directly (and loudly) by a government source (I have those now) who assumed I was investigating him out of some kind of assumption of misconduct.)

If there's an award that a U.S Marshall is eligible for, Smith has one it thrice over and everybody I spoke to had nothing but decent things to say about him. Though he's probably most famous outside "true crime"-esque circles for an utterly bizarre caper he was wrapped up in that involved an old fashioned shoot out at the derelict Gotham Gulch amusement park.

[craynekiller]

more FNaF hcs because the tism™️ is telling me to info dump

sorry if some of these are the same as the last one I forget which ones I put before 🙁

-When Mike was chasing after the car he tripped scraped his knee broke his ankle and busted his kneecap and just gave up on life right then and there

-Mike smokes weed but he could take the tiniest tinniest hit of a bong and he’d cough up a lung so he just mainly sticks to blunts or bowls

-Abby has called 911 multiple times because she wanted to contact Vanessa but it obviously didn’t work. 

-Vanessa used to dye her hair fun colors but she can’t anymore cuz of her job but she wears colorful extensions 

-Abby’s therapist has tried so hard to hint at Mike that he should get an autism diagnosis because his sister has one and he still hasn’t picked up on it despite showing clear traits of autism 

-When golden Freddy and Abby left the cab he just handed Cory a piece of paper with ‘one million dollars’ scribbled on it in green crayon. Cory was to scared to say no he just was like “yeah ok sure” and then cried 

-Mike and Abby did not go to Aunt Janes funeral they instead went to Dave and Busters and played arcade games while their entire extended family blew up Mikes Nokia phone

-Aunt Jane was a “wine mom” and was in heavy denial of being an alcoholic 

-Abby really likes bugs and puts them in her pockets but Mike is terrified of bugs so he freaks out whenever he sees them crawling on her or in her laundry 

-Vanessa apologizes to people while arresting them

-The animatronics consider the cupcake to be their puppy and get confused when people think he’s a menace

-One time Doug ran into Mike and Abby at Walmart once and he just threw his thick ass lawyer wallet at then then ran away to have a panic attack. Mike and Abby bought a blow up pool that day

-Doug had to go to therapy due to Aunt Jane being an absolute fucking Karen

-Doug’s now a regular at Sparkys and is besties with Ness, he considers Ness “The son he never had”

-Bonnie kid (Jeremy) really liked Spider-Man

-Vanessa has a pitbull named Princess that she took home from an animal control call. (The dog is a fucking danger to society)

-Abby picked up on some 80s slang from the animatronics and now just says radical to everything 

-Max and her friends would be doing TikTok trends before TikTok was even a thing (stealing soap dispensers from public bathrooms, sticking pennies in electrical sockets ect)

-Vanessa is a Disney adult/hj

-There’s a rubix cube in the pizzeria that the animatronics have been trying to solve since they’ve been dead basically 

-Every night after Abby goes to bed Mike goes to the kitchen and eats shredded cheese by the handful. Abby caught him once and he cried.

-Mike is the type of person to ask those weird questions while watching movies, like: “If their underwater how are they drinking soda?”

-Mike would stuff all his emotions and feelings down till he bursts and it usually results in him locking himself in his room while having a panic attack

-Max was also a weed dealer so Mikes out of a babysitter and a plug. 

-Vanessa hates soda, loves tea tho

-Mike really likes the Care Bears and uses Abby as an excuse for liking it

-Ness uses those really cheesy pet names for Mike, some of them southern originated because I believe in southern Ness solidarity. Ex: Sweetie pie, Sugar, Doe

-Abby is really good at hide and seek but caused Mike a few panic attacks because of how well she hides

-After Freddy’s neither Mike or Abby could sleep without a nightlight so she lent Mike hers on the agreement she could sleep in his room with him. (He of course accepted)

-Mike: Where’s my Diet Coke?

Vanessa: Oh I threw it away, sodas not good for you.

Mike: Oh ok- WHAT.

-Abby still asks Mike to tie her shoes for her even though he already taught her how to tie them herself

-Mike has a very particular morning routine that he has to follow every morning and feels icky if it gets interrupted for any reason 

-Mike is more noise sensitive and Abby is more texture sensitive but Mike still hates certain textures (ex: olives)

-Mike has considered owning chickens and even went with Abby to look at little chicks but she soon started sneezing and feeling sick and that's when they found out she's allergic so that quickly got shut down

-Abby gives her stuffed animals lore and hierarchies and Ness is always asking her about it when her and Mike go into the diner

-Vanessa Has a very minimalist style not because she likes it but because she's scared of getting attached to anything she calls home which at times worries her when she's with Mike, Abby and Ness. This results in her sitting in bed, chewing on her lip thinking of constant escape plans and emergency exits in case her father ever returns, if something bad happens, etc.

-Mike likes seeing Abby draw him and pretends not to notice when she stares and tries to get the color of his shirt just right (he buys clothing in colors she has to make it easier)

-Abby is the type to point out cows and horses and will repeatedly kick Mike's seat even while he's driving until he acknowledges them

-Abby doesn’t understand why her and Mike can’t just print more money to make them rich and Mike has had to explain to to her 12837383838 times

-Ness is a theater kid (yeah if you didn’t see this coming I think you need glasses)

-Ness and Mike play lps with Abby, Abby explains all of her lps lore extensively and Ness listens to every bit of it while Mike is just like: “I love you both but wtf”

-Mike sometimes age regresses sometimes when put under pressure and Ness is literally the best caretaker ever (this one’s based on a Dreamtheory fic I read once and I fell in love with the idea)

-Ness and Mike call each other every night before going to sleep and once Mike forgot so he woke up the next morning to 300+ voicemails from Ness asking if he’s ok

okay that’s all i have for now I’ll post more later when i feel like it oki byeee 😘✌️

[opentanie]

a genuine question, do you want a love triangle situation because you believe it will add to the story or is it because you shipped maysilee and haymitch before this book axed that ship and can’t seem to get out of that mindset? if the former, how would a repeat love triangle like gale, peeta and katniss help the story? also i dont see the lenore dove comparison to gale at all, to me she exhibits the behavior most covey that we’ve met in tbosas display. also i dont think she constantly thinks of maysilee it was one thing about the pin and that she was mean but we never hear lenore dove say that haymitch said that that was something she said once and not really thought of, i think maysilee and lenore dove wouldve got along well considering maysilee caught her painting. i do think your analysis forget that they are 15/16 year old young girls with varying backgrounds so preconceived notions are to be expected, would love to hear your thoughts on that? hopefully this doesnt come off as rude it’s genuine curiosity since your reaction to sotr is completely different to the majority.

I had a really long response to that which got erased, when my phone shut down which it does only once in blue moon, so I'll take it as a sign to cut to the point:

If anything, I was a Hayffie shipper. Haysilee was fine but mostly because I was interested in Maysilee Donner as a person, and contrary to popular belief, I think romantic plotlines are one of the best way to show us who the chatacter really is, if executed well.

Which brings us to the fact that love triangles, IF EXECUTED WELL, are not about teams but about the person in the middle choosing between two versions of themselves. For Katniss, the choice was between anger and fighting fire with fire (Gale) vs finally finding peace (Peeta), and THAT'S why Gale was doomed to loose her. For the version of Haymitch I proposed, the choice is between his old self, that ultimately gets destroyed by the brutal reality of the arena vs who he becomes now. Lenore Dove outliving Maysilee mirrors the illusion that he can come back to who he was, and her death means the ultimate shatter of it. We know both of these girls are doomed to die, so make both their characters and their deaths mean something more than cheap moment of angst.

Both Gale and Lenore Dove are the close companion of the protagonist, who are more radical in their criticism of the regime. They're even introduced in very similar scenes. Also, as I'm trying to shrink this reply before I loose it too, I'm going to answer the point about LD commenting on Maysilee: 'constant' might be an overstatement on my behalf, but the fact that LD's opinions on Maysilee are contrasted with Maysilee's lack of fucks to give about LD already paints, by accident and lack of thinking on SC's part, a picture. Yes, LD is a teenage girl, and maybe she would outgrow her need to comment on some other girl's choice of pet or what she does with her things, but why doesn't Gale get the same grace for his criticism of Madge? For comparison, He's 17, his name is bazillion times in the pull, and this rich girl jokes about being ripped herself. Why Lenore Dove's urge to break into Donner's house and steal the pin is treated like a character's quirk, when Gale is refused the right to be a human being and have emotional responses? Anyways, the point is that antagonism between the girls is already there to use.

The thing with Lenore Dove and Covey is that, in reality, Lenore Dove knows almost nothing about Covey. Most of it is dead, all is left are two middle aged men and her - and those men were kids when all adults got killed. The Covey in TBOSAS was already mimicking something they vaguely remember, and what Lenore Dove does is parroting THAT. I know it's not a popular reading of Covey, but any other reads to me as some sort of Noble Savages and just offensive to Romani people, on whom SC clearly based them.

Hopefully, that covers all the points you've brought up, anon, as I want to believe your intentions were genuine and not to pick a fight. As for why my opinion on SotR differs from general, I have this great disease that whenever I'm given fanservice, I hate it - "Crooked Kingdom" is also the worst book in Grishaverse for me, and if you know anything about GV, that tells a lot.

[acheronist]

........so what do u think peglar's childhood was like? 👀👂

WELLLLLLLLLL......

so his dad was a gunsmith in westminster & henry was the younger sibling of two (elizabeth was a few years older than him, and she also received henry's arrears from the franklin expedition after everyone was pronounced lost & dead. she was married at this time and was henry's immediate next of kin. so presumably their parents had died by this point...) but he and elizabeth got dunked in a 2-for-1 baptism like john torrington & his sister did tho which is so funny. pov you have one baby and underestimated how much work babies actually are, so you forget to get it baptized on time, and then by the second baby rolls around you've got a better grip on parenting, so you take both kids in on the same day. lmfao.

anyways back to the childhood tho. they lived like... a few blocks away from the river thames so he'd probably already had a fondness for water, i think, just based on my own childhood of having two older brothers and living near a semi-important river (lol)

but that made me wonder if like... he and elizabeth ever played army...? because i definitely was made by my brothers to play army and soldiers a fair amount. and if my dad was a gunsmith and i was an opinionated little freakboy who wanted to be a navy sailor when i was older, i'd definitely try and sneak into dad's work and play pretend a little bit. and i wonder if sarah peglar (mum) ever scolded him for not including elizabeth or vice versa when they was out playing with the neighborhood kids...

they lived in a pretty well-populated neighborhood and he attended the blewcoat school "for poor families" WHICH ALSO ALLOWED GIRLS TO ATTEND so maybe henry and elizabeth went there together. cmon get up we have to walk to school on timeeeee. i think he was probably a little bit dyslexic tho based on how his spelling was in 1845-47... i think the only formal education for reading and writing would have been at this blewcoat school in westminster , so i wonder if the writing backwards was a trick he pulled out to impress his classmates... don't notice how bad his spelling test grade was!! just look how cool and clever harry is!!! he can write a whole paragraph backwards!!!! whoaaah!!!! idk i just hope he had a gang of friends he was running about and causing silly lad antics with. i hope elizabeth followed them around and was begrudgingly included in the antics because they were supposed to be keeping an eye on each other during the afternoons or something. based on the amount of times he mentions keeping an eye on his friends on terror / mentions tom by name in the wallet papers i think it's not too hard to imagine henry was protective over people he loved.... i assume this extended to his sister, too. also like.. not that this was his childhood necessarily, but his dad's gunsmith shop was literally down the road from the big ben clocktower which would have been under construction (1843) during the same time he was ashore between ships (post hms wanderer & pre hms terror) so i wonder if he ever went home to visit the family and was like FUCCKKK SORRY I'M LATE FOR DINNER TRAFFIC SUCKED. CONSTRUCTION FOR THAT CLOCK IS SO ANNOYING. that would be very funny to me.

ok anyways back to childhood: john peglar (henry & elizabeth's dad) voted for francis burdett so there's at least some indication that their household was like... fine with being politically radical and heavily opinionated. (i would also point out that there's a fair amount in henry's wallet and diary that's just him having a gossip session by himself. opinionated indeed.) but also henry doesn't seem the type to really get into trouble tho... based on his career history he generally rolled his eyes kept his head down and did his job unless he was pushed hard enough, in which case he had no problem speaking out. in 1833 on the marquis camden, henry was lashed two dozen times for "drunkenness and mutinous conduct" but i've also read that the captain of the ship at the time was a Notorious Asshole Who Loved To Use Lashing As Punishment? so jumping to conclusions without real evidence, i think henry probably saw his fellow ABs getting treated badly by the captain, had 3 more beers than he should have, and said FUCK THIS GUYYYY!!!!!!! and then got punished for it. we're not going to think about the lashing scars opening back up again in the arctic btw. so anyways the point of all this is to say i think henry was probably fine with protesting when things suck, which he probably learned from his dad. maybe there were nights when john and sarah were talking politics and henry sat on the other side of the wall listening when he wasn't supposed to. maybe elizabeth would come sit with him and he'd have to shush her because neither of them were supposed to be listening because it was past their bedtimes but they sat and listened together anyways. scurried back into bed trying not to get caught even though john and sarah definitely knew they were there.

but also he was 13 when he entered the marine society ("a charitable organization for helping destitute boys and training seamen") so maybe he saw the navy as a chance to help out his lower-middle class family..... maybe they had a hard time and henry wanted to help out now that he was sort of almost grown up!!! and he clearly excelled thru this sailor training camp because after a month they tossed him onto hms solebay where he would have learned more hands-on stuff about working on a ship. knots and such. maybe this is where he realized how good he was with ropes... he could have been the best lad in his "class" when it came to knots etc. he also would have learned properly how to use a gun here, but again, his dad's a gunsmith. he probably would have had an experience advantage over most of the other boys w/ shooting and loading and managing a gun as a tool. so it's not surprising i think that he was in and out of 'training camp' really quickly. his first real ship was hms clio and he was a spare ship's boy and quickly got transferred to hms magnificent, WHICH WAS A HOSPITAL SHIPPPP and worked in the sickbay as a ship's boy and was earning a real paycheck. in my heart this was probably a very formative experience, and gave him a basic understanding of medicine/nursing? which i bet came in handy during the expedition when things were getting desperate and everyone was sick. i know amc had bridgens playing pinch-hitter nurse for terror camp but i wonder if in real life, maybe henry took up that role? maybe he even managed to keep his own illness under wraps for longer than most of the other expedition men Because he could recall things he learned on hms magnificent... idk.....

anyways at this point we start getting into henry's teen years. does this count as childhood? he saw two men get killed by lightning strike at age ~16 and he jumped around between ships pretty often and his conduct was generally either 1) bored and unremarkable or 2) normal and good :) and then he got lashed for being a petulant "mutinous" teenager who likes beer too much, as previously mentioned, and afterwards he just kind of hangs out until he's 22 and joins the gannett and meets 💞thomas armitage💞 and now i need to stop typing . lest i begin rpf-ing on main a little bit too much.

ok thanks ummm he's my most special guy unfortunately. henry my best friend henry :-(

[gayeilgeoir]

You all seemed to like this the last time I did this so we’re doing it again. Here’s a radical feminist analysis of Taylor swift’s feminist songs! I’ve done The man, so I’m moving onto Mad Woman, one of my favourite personal songs of hers.

A summary of this songs overarching meaning is that as a woman, your reactions are judged tenfold. You are instantly more dramatic, more violent. Here, Taylor embraces it, she realises she cannot fight to be seen as a “nice girl” and also as a dignified human being who stands up for herself.

“Does a scorpion sting when fighting back? They strike, to kill and you know I will”

Here, she calls her response and anger towards the misogynistic backlash she received inevitable. She does not claim to be innocent, likening herself to a scorpion and calling her anger a fight, but she does not believe that fighting back villainises her, it’s an inevitable result.

“What do you sing on your drive home?…fuck you forever”

Here, Taylor paints an image of her haunting the narrative of the life of the people who have hurt her. She imagines their guilt, heading her music, seeing her face and she reveles in it. She is ending the phase of her life where she forgives and forgets, let’s people walk over her and does not advocate for herself. Here she delights in the guilt and suffering of the people who have made her suffer.

“Every time you call me crazy I get more crazy, what about that?”

Here, Taylor disallows the use of her pain and anger as weaponry against her. She refuses to let misogynists shame her for her anger and use it to prove their own point of her being over dramatic. She does not play into their image, but makes it useless

“And you’ll poke that bear till her claws come out and you find some thing, to wrap your noose around”

This refers specifically to being a woman in the public lens . Having yourself picked apart, every detail of your scrutinised within an inch of its life until you finally crack and your human reaction to being aggravated for years is used to defame you. One woman will be tolerated by all, but to do so, she must devote herself to all. She has to be constantly making herself smaller to not step on others toes and make them feel bad about themselves, she must not be too proud of everything she has fought for, because being famous and a woman, means if you are not completely the pinnacle of patriarchal womanhood, you’re shot down because you’re sending a message to young women and girls that they can be something else.

“And women like hunting witches too, doing your dirtiest work for you”

I’ll try my best not to name and shame, but I think we all know who this line refers to. She talks of a woman who serves the patriarchy by putting down other women. She belittles and degrades women for little reason to make men like her more. “Doing your dirtiest work for you” refers to being a vessel of misogyny, if a man you hates tells you you’re ugly and worthless, It hurts a lot less than a female friend saying the same thing.

“The master of spin has a couple side flings, good wives always know. She should be mad, she’d be scathing like me but no one likes a mad woman”

The “good wife” in this analogy is a woman who lets people walk over her, accepts abuse and allows men to treat her badly. She becomes an accessory to a man the acceptance of his bad behaviour. “She should be mad” means Taylor is saying that it’s a pity these women feel the need to be subservient to be accepted, and they need to learn that they can be loved and fulfilled without devoting all of themselves to patriarchal ideals

[bots-and-cons]

Arcee and female human reader pls?

Reader is a girl but she's thought, adventurous and a trouble maker she often hangs out with the other male soldiers from the military and with the kids as well but sometimes likes to do dangerous or radical things for example jumping off of a really high water fall and diving on the water and often dreaming out of base, and cuz of that and (the lost of her old partners) Arcee had become protective of her because it's not rare that reader often comes back with some cuts or slight injuries

Then one day reader sneaks out again to go and explore a forest that had been having a lot of decepticons Activities or energon signatures recently (being the curious she is goes to explore) and Arcee quietly following her, then when really deep into the forest arcee picks her up and walks back scolding reader but she then just sighs not being able to stay mad at her for to long and just goes back to base with her.

(Sorry for being annoying and sending 3 messages your writing is so good btw)

A/N: I’ve been kinda ignoring this request until now, Idk why to be honest, just didn’t feel like paying attention to it. Now that I actually read it again, I wanted to write a scenario for it. This is set in the last season of the show, so they’re not in the bunker base or whatever anymore. I did this with the usual they/them pronouns, it's just a habit at this point. Also thank you! :D

“Has anyone seen (Name)?” Arcee asked as she looked around the hangar.

“Nope” Miko said.

“Not in a while” Jack shrugged.

“They left a few minutes before you guys got here. Ratchet opened the groundbridge for them. I don’t know where they went exactly” Raf chimed in, pushing up his glasses. “But I can find out”

Raf opened his laptop and started trying to locate your phone. It took a moment, but then the laptop made the little “ping” sound it made whenever it found the device it was looking for.

“Where are they?” Arcee asked a tad impatiently.

“Remember where we had those decepticon sightings a while back? They went there” Raf showed Arcee the laptop screen.

“Oh for Primus’ sake” Arcee muttered.

You’d told Ratchet where to bridge you and, to your luck, he seemed to have forgotten it was where the decepticon sightings had occurred just last week. You wanted to investigate what was going on over there, because of the numerous sightings and such, but you didn’t really have any other easy way to get there. Ratchet forgetting was very convenient for you, and you knew Arcee was going to be pissed, but you went anyway.

You were walking around the woods, but there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. The birds were singing and the insects were making their own little noises. There wasn’t anything weird going on, which was a bit of a disappointment. You didn’t want to end up face to face with a vehicon or anything, but you did want to find out what was going on.

After a while of wandering around, you heard the sound of an engine. You couldn’t tell which direction it was coming from, so you just hid behind a big boulder, as the sound got louder. You were really hoping the sound was coming from behind you, so the boulder would hide you, but you still weren’t sure.

You heard the telltale signs of someone transforming, and then it sounded like whoever had transformed, was standing on top of the boulder. You were a bit under it too, since the huge rock was at an angle.

Arcee had your latest location from Raf, so you should have been right there. Had you dropped your phone? A small thing like that would be much harder to spot than a whole human being. She was standing on a big rock and looking around, but according to Raf, you should have been right there. Arcee dropped down from on top of the rock, and the noise that followed almost made her jump back up.

“Holy shit!” you shrieked.

“What in the name of Primus is wrong with you?!” Arcee whisper shouted.

“You spooked me, besides, I wouldn’t have yelled if you were a decepticon”

“Alright, I’m taking you back” Arcee rolled her optics and picked you up.

As she picked you up, she noticed you seemed disheveled. Your pants were ripped on your right knee and your knee had dried blood on it.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Arcee asked cautiously.

“Oh this?” you motioned towards your knee. “I just fell and skinned my knee on a rock, stung like a bitch to be honest”

Arcee just stared at your bloody knee for a while. Rationally, she knew that even a fragile human such as yourself wouldn’t die from such a small injury, but what if… Suddenly she found herself feeling angry towards you, why did you always have to pull these stupid stunts and disappearing acts?

“You’re a reckless idiot, you know that, right?” Arcee snapped.

“Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?” you asked, tilting your head slightly.

“You hate it when you pull these disappearing acts on me. I’m supposed to keep you safe, so how can I do that if I don’t even know where you are?!” she raised her voice.

The whole thing clicked for you quite quickly. You hadn’t realized how much your way of coping messed with Arcee. You would rather go off on your own, so no one would get hurt because of you, but because you went off on your own, Arcee couldn’t make sure you were safe, which was clearly bothering her.

“I won’t do it again, I promise” you suddenly pledged.

Arcee was quite taken aback by your sudden promise, because that was the last thing she had expected you to do. She had expected an argument at least, probably even another yelling match. She didn’t know what to say to you. You were looking at her with such an honest expression, you really meant what you had said.

Arcee just sighed, and placed you on her shoulder.

“Is that it? You sure you don’t wanna yell at me a bit more?” you smirked.

“I would love to yell at you more, but I’m worried the cons might hear me, so I decided not to” Arcee rolled her optics.

“So there are decepticons here?” you exclaimed.

“(Name)” Arcee sighed

“Yeah?”

“Shut up, please”

You just chuckled, and made a motion in front of your face as if you’d closed a zipper, but you were still smiling at her.

Arcee wasn’t angry anymore, she never could stay angry at you for long. Now all that was left was getting you back to the base. That should be the easy part, right?

[dontforgetukraine]

"When encountering the propaganda of the Kremlin and its allies—whether blatant or subtle—we often focus on social media. Some also highlight false balance reporting or talk shows in mass media. But what sources and channels do we often overlook? Let's take a closer look. Sorry to say, but books. I know I've mentioned them before, but they are so often overlooked in this context. There are countless books filled with anti-Western conspiracy theories out there. Did you know there's a book called God Bless You, Putin, written by an Austrian author? Maybe you recall some of the worst books you've seen in recent decades? They defend Putin, blame the West for everything, spread 9/11 conspiracy theories, and let's not forget what they propagated during the pandemic... Then, as ridiculous as it sounds: lunch break discussions, coffeehouse chats, or even cigarette break talks during club parties—word of mouth still plays a huge role. Some 'useful idiots' and conspiracy theorists are very well-prepared to sound 'reasonable.' Experiences? I'll give you one example: Outside a bar in Bansko, Bulgaria, a guy approached me, handed me a bottle of whiskey, and said, 'I have to say, we Bulgarians hate the US and love Russia.' You can imagine that it was the start of a very interesting discussion. Teaching staff in schools and universities are often overlooked. They can be the most dangerous agents of influence when following a radical agenda, as students and society trust them a lot. Movies: I'm referring to films that are fictional but fuel 'conspirological thinking,' as well as those that claim to be 'based on reality' but are actually based on the ideology of the screenwriter and director—no names mentioned ;-) Last but not least, relatives, friends, colleagues at work... Over the past few years, many people have approached me and asked, 'How can I tell him/her respectfully but clearly that this is disinformation and propaganda?'" —Dietmar Pichler, disinformation analyst

Screenshots of tweet thread under the cut.

[chernobylchronicles]

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN POLAND IN LAST DAYS?

To perfectly understand what happened in Poland in last days, we need to take a look back at events that was in October. In Poland election to the Parliament took place at 15th of October 2023. Two main political parties (PiS and KO) got results as 35,38% for PiS (Kaczynski) and 30,70% for KO (Tusk). PiS had more percent of voters but opposition took power because they had more places in parliament. This is because of the fact that opposition includes not only KO but more parties such as the Left, „Third Way” and so on. To make it shorter, we had problems with putting opposition into power, but finally they made it.

While PiS was in power, they had everything. They had media (TVP „Polish Television”), police, courts. The main thing that the opposition need to do is to take this out of them. On Wednesday, the government wanted to take the TVP and make it democratic. However, there was a problem because PiS politicians were inside of the television building and they were protesting against the new power. They said that they are fighting in the name of „freedom of speech”. (How ironic, judging by the fact that they were the people that took this freedom of speech away from the National Television in 2015, after winning the election).

What was happening at the National Television at that time? The „journalists” decided the episode of news program as there was nothing happening. The new government fired them. Before 7:30 pm, they went to another radical and right wing television where they were asked by the journalist about the what happened before (about they be fired).

At 7:30 pm, new journalist from the National Television announced new program on air. It was very short and the journalist Marek Czyż said hello to the viewers and he told:
„As you probably heard, there were some changes, so you can expect explanations. Let me explain: no polish citizen, who gives money to public television from they taxes, don’t have a duty to listen to propaganda. No matter of who’s the propaganda”. There is also programme’s new name. There is no „News” (in polish „Wiadomości”) anymore. Now there is „19:30” which is a reference to the hour that the program is on air.

I was watching „19:30” every day since Wednesday and I can say that personally I see some changes. First of all, I would like to tell that I think that there are new journalists. The program seems to be more objective. In example, when they were showing the budget deficit, they showed it how it was during Morawiecki being prime minister (PiS) and during Donald Tusk (current prime minister) so the viewers can make a comparison.

I am still very skeptical about new program. I can’t forget about what was going on before, during PiS government. However, they started in quite a good way and I will be watching it still to have a control about what is going on.

Marek Czyż was TVP journalist before PiS, he left because he could not agree on what was happening with the television during PiS power. Now he came back. I don’t know what it means. Is it will be good or bad? We will see.

I am happy that we are coming back to Europe and that our country is democratic again.

I’ll still be watching their backs about what they will be doing. I chose that party in the elections so that is why I believe that I can demand some things from them. Politics is not black or white, it is grey and that is something that we have to remember about. What will happen with the previous „journalist” from the TVP? Time will tell and we will see.

@fuerst-von-argot

@elenatria

[kennku]

So, uh, the DMC Netflix show was bad.

I'm usually very lenient with this kind of stuff. I didn't mind the show being a bit of a reboot AU. It could be an interesting take. Castlevania had something interesting going for it, so I wasn't expecting much, but expected an okay time with some cringe. I did not expect this level of incopetency. Spoilers for the entire show below

The writers are absolutely allergic to any subtlety, any character development, any piece of story *has* to be spelled out verbally by lines that could have been fit into a short sentence instead. Not to mention visual storytelling, but that's too high of a bar.

The entire flashback of the vice president getting the portal device? Completely pointless. Show us the portal opening in the distance, then him with the device - that would have been more than enough for the audience to realise what happened. We already know he is a maniac. We already know the blackmailed buy (I forget his name) was getting on the chopper. What the fuck was that entire long scene for?

The only example of attempted subtle storytelling was episode 5. It had good moments, but even then the writers do not have any faith in the audience. The scenes and imagery are so heavy handed and hamfisted, it's like they have to spell everything out for you lest the dumb viewer misses the point that was made multiple times throghout past episodes. How many times do we have to hear there were oppressed demonic refugees? Ten times wasn't enough, apparently.

Now don't get me wrong. The idea of expanding upon the hierarchies of hell and Mundus's opression are a fascinating subject and I wanted the story to expand on it for ages. I love the idea of putting Sparda's legacy into doubt, because there were no easy answers there. He was responsible for a lot of hurt, as well as a lot of good. My issue is the games were able to present subtle hints without pages of lines spelling it out by characters who have no business talking like this.

Not to mention the entire premise of the show has become ridiculous. If you want Dante to remain fun, if you want fighting demons to remain fun, introducing this conflict is a catastrophe for the tone of the show. How am I supposed to feel about Dante making fist weapons out of a corpse of a demon who used to be an opressed refugee and was pushed to the brink?

The fanservice fest is also very tiring. I don't mind fanservice, but seeing Lady go toe to toe and survive both Echidna and Cavaliere? Lady is a badass, she is a fucking machine but those are really powerful demons.

Speaking of. What the fuck is Cavaliere doing here? Hello? He was crafted by Urizen. Specifically in the image of Nelo Angelo, using Trish. He exists because Nelo existed, and because he was then finally free. So... he's been crafted by Mundus now? In isolation it's not a terrible explanation, but Cavaliere and other Angelos hold so much meaning in the series because of the series history. Because of what Vergil has been through.

Don't get me started on inserting 'Murica and their politics. Fucking American flag in the background while Dante fights the Rabbit. American army invading Hell and somehow having enough time to set up an entire fucking facility and not being eviscerated as soon as they step foot in there? I guess Arius is a fun, fitting addition considering the setup, but the setup is entirely ridiculous. Is Dante going to be fighting the fucking American army now? Fuck, he really is Leon.

This series' heart always has been seeing the humanity in demonic and seeing the demonic in humanity. Dante, Trish, Lucia, even the anime touched on it. I'm absolutely not mad at the idea of humanising some demons. I am mad at the lazy, badly written way it was done. I am mad at inserting stupid lines about radical left or right, millenials and hamfisting a terrible portrayal of the Poor Refugee. I am mad at how they handled Dante's family, how much they had to shove Eva in your face. How much he talks about it, and in such an unnatural way. How he immediately latches onto Sparda was a hero and I'm gonna make him proud.

DMC3 has done all of this and way, way more with way less lines and much subtler storytelling. It's honestly quite shocking. It's also very funny in resrospect remembering all of Shankar's weird ass kissing to the fandom only to show... well, this. incredible work my guy. Had some good healthy fucking laughs though at how bad it was.

[who1ssheesh]

After reading your soft Xan thing (super cute I'd love to request more if possible 😭 ) you don't think he would ever hit his s/o do you? I've seen a lot of xan and s/o and they're always like "he loves you BUT you gotta have excellent dodging skills lolol". I don't think he would, like the thought wouldnt even cross his mind if he truly loved someone and vice versa

I am totally preparing some more soft and poetic Xanxus (spoilers: him and brutalist architecture) xoxo

I kinda remember this type of headcanons and I can’t help but hate them. a lot. Maybe it’s my ick and im too radical, but even as a joke/silly imaginary headcanons/fanfictions I don’t like this at all, I hate abuse or disrespect in any form 💔💔💔

Disclaimer: I totally don’t judge people who imagine Xanxus like this, he absolutely could be such a prick in real life, but life is already horrible, so I myself prefer to imagine my 2d anime hasubando as a better person, plus Xanxus gives off a huge vibe of a very loyal beast person.

Now let’s get to the TEDtalk, im going to explain why I think so <:^)

It is very important who his lover is: a part of mafia or a civilian. I actually love to write his S/O as someone outside of mafia, because that’s how Xanxus’s true softness shines through.

Lover outside of Mafia

This dynamic is very different, but don’t get me wrong, it is even more serious. Because here’s something Xanxus doesn’t show otherwise:

Vulnerability.

It’s such a contrast to his world, and while Xanxus brushes it off as a “civilians are too weak to handle mafia”, there are more layers to this that even he doesn’t admit or even doesn’t realize. His lover is innocent, most of all, softer and peaceful - something that he doesn’t admit he craves.

It is a woman, whose name is said like a prayer, whose fragile soul is a holy symbol, and he is a pilgrim of her sacred body. He is war, a shot before the scream. She is the quiet after gunfire.

Also fight me on this: Xanxus has a special place in his heart for his mother. And there is something….something about it that I cannot even explain properly. He is still a violent man, but still…while mafia is a rotten place and a rule “we don’t touch children, women, and innocent in general” is just a fairytale for an imaginary moral code to sell people and make them believe that mafia is something driven by honor and family, Xanxus would be the one to actually follow this rule. And that’s because of his mother - there is something very small but warm inside of his heart left by her. Xanxus does act softer for civilians, and especially women; sorry for my sexist language, but I mean………..you respect your lady, okay??? He didn’t want to taint them the same way mafia ruined his mother

Xanxus is brutal toward those who challenge or disappoint him in his world of war. A civilian or someone untouched by Mafia politics is outside that battlefield. To harm them would be like attacking something sacred or fragile.

He’d see them as his. Possessive as he is, he likely wouldn’t tolerate anyone else hurting his lover, and by extension, he wouldn’t do it himself. It would violate his internal logic of ownership and protection.

It would remind him of what he hates. If he ever hurt them like that, it might make him feel like his father or the other hypocrites he despises—something he subconsciously fears becoming.

He might still yell, withdraw, or show frustration through cold silence—but that’s different from throwing something at someone emotionally significant. That would be a line even he wouldn’t cross unless the relationship was broken beyond repair.

Lover in Mafia World

Okay, forget about “uwu sexist Xanxus feels soft for civilian women”, now we get the real gender equality: Xanxus hates everyone equally.

But being serious now, he is indeed harsher with mafioso s/o. Here you have a terribly hard goal - earn his respect. Respect is not something Xanxus gives lightly. If he acknowledges someone as an equal—or even close to it—it means they’ve proven themselves in blood, fire, and survival.

Where others flinch, she meets his gaze like a blade—not to cut, but to reflect the monster he refuses to name. She is the battlefield he does not scorch, the war he cannot win, and the only one he would bleed beside without shame.

It’s unnecessary. He doesn’t need to assert power over someone who already knows where they stand with him.

It’s wasteful. Xanxus is not an idiot (but we can argue about it) and is calculated beneath the rage. He doesn’t waste energy on gestures that don't serve a purpose. Throwing a glass at his lover might weaken their unity, which—by his logic—weakens him too.

Trust. For someone like Xanxus, whose past is built on betrayal (his hatred for the Vongola bloodline, his resentment of being passed over), trusting someone is an almost sacred act. To harm that person impulsively could feel too close to betrayal.

He might be rough, curt, or even cruel in tone—but he wouldn’t cross the line into meaningless violence against someone who stands beside him in the battlefield.

In both cases, what stops him isn’t kindness or restraint in a traditional sense—it’s Xanxus’s warped sense of loyalty, respect, and possession. He doesn’t show love the way normal people do, but for someone he truly cares about, he directs his violence outward—not inward.

And I wrap it up with a simple life rule, that Xanxus absolutely can be related to:

Your partner is your choice, and if you don’t respect it - you don’t respect yourself.

[therealmrrobinson]

DEATH OF A UNICORN Movie Review

It’s funny that the weekend of March 28, 2025, saw the release of two radically different horror movies from two studios who have become prominent names in the world of horror. The Woman In The Yard from Blumhouse attempted to be a psychological horror movie that dealt with themes of grief and how to move on from a horrific tragedy. Sad to say the end result of that movie was not only terrible, but a straight up middle finger to the audience when it came to its ending. Death Of A Unicorn from A24 has its own piece of social commentary to talk about, but also ends up being a wildly entertaining movie with the quirky weirdness you’ve come to expect from A24 horror films.

THE GOOD

This is a good old fashioned monster movie, and it delivers when it comes to seeing people getting killed by unicorns. There is a lot in this movie that can be compared to the Jurassic Park series, and that’s especially the case with the way the Unicorns are portrayed. There are two unicorn parents that are essentially the Buck and Doe T-Rex’s from The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Whenever they are on screen, there is genuine tension and those scenes are pretty atmospheric. However the movie doesn’t forget to deliver on some very gruesome and often over the top kills. The kills in this movie are pretty brutal and it’s done in a very silly manner without taking away from the movies more tense sequences.

With a title like Death Of A Unicorn, there is certainly an expectation that it’s going to be somewhat comedic, and the cast definitely understands that assignment. The characters react the way anyone would react if they found out Unicorns were real. Paul Rudd is doing his usual routine and is naturally charming as always, and Jenna Ortega has some great moments as well. However the two actors that deliver the biggest laughs are Téa Leoni and Will Poulter. Téa Leoni is that incredibly dry and snooty wife that probably got married because her husband (Richard E. Grant) was a very rich man. Will Poulter is also hilarious as their entitled son who pretends to be the smartest man in the room.

THE BAD

One of the major themes of the movie is how billionaires are trying to advance science for profit without thinking of the negative consequences of their actions. It’s one of the other elements borrowed from the Jurassic Park franchise, and this aspect is as subtle as getting kicked in the head by an actual unicorn. Given the current state of the world where cartoonish billionaires have a habit of ruining things, it ends up being the least interesting aspect of the film.

It spends so much time on this plot, that the movie doesn’t focus on the heart of the film, which is the relationship that Paul Rudd’s character has with his daughter played by Jenna Ortega. Another key theme in this movie is how far a parent will go to protect their child. The unicorns definitely represent this theme in the most literal sense, but there’s not enough attention given to Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega’s chemistry. When the movie begins, their relationship is rather rocky and opens the door to explore why things between them are the way they are. The movie never seems to be as interested in this relationship as it is with killer unicorns and billionaires that are preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should.

OVERALL

While Death Of A Unicorn does suffer from similar issues that plagued Mickey 17, mainly with it being very on the nose with its social commentary, it makes up for it with being a fun creature feature. The kills are fantastic, it builds good tension, and the cast takes their roles seriously enough to be invested, but not too seriously given that it’s a killer unicorn movie. It’s not my favorite horror movie that A24 has put out, but considering what opened up the same weekend, this movie speaks more to what I like to see in horror films!

RATING

GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT