#and i *love* the history/military channel

[odinsblog]

Okay… today was a lil bit rough on ya boy. Bad, but nothing too serious - if this was the worst that 2023 throws at me, I’m winning like a mf. Anyway I smiled when this happened…. I can’t access the “read more” function anymore, so y’all gon need to see the tags

[tojisun]

!! suggestive (and mini smut) - minors dni; bimbo (fem)!reader has simon wrapped around her pinky (we luv to see it!); the squad’s here too; hinted age difference (30s v. 20s)

when they ask him where you two met, simon always tries his best to tamp down the smile threatening to grace his lips before clearing his throat and answering, "in the ER."

the questions that follow are always repetitive: 'what, why?', 'what happened?', 'how did things even go from there?' the last one is often paraphrased into some other versions, but the sentiment remains – people always get surprised, reduced into awkward stumbling because how could you even segue into a romantic relationship from having met in the ER?

well, simon thinks, it's actually quite fucking simple.

it was three in the morning and simon was in the lobby, waiting to be called in, when he saw you walk in: you clutched your broken heeled shoes in your hands, your beautiful legs were bearing injuries and cuts, and your hair was a wild mess. then, you ambled towards a baffled triage nurse.

"hi!" simon recalls your melodic voice echo, sounding too hyper even when you looked all banged up. "can i use y'r restroom? we got kicked outta the club."

simon was so focused on you that he didn't even notice the pack of girls following behind you, all of them looking just as haggard and bruised up. one of your friends was actually worryingly injured, so it’s no shock when the nurse rushed towards her, slightly panicked and confused before steering your friend away, leaving you there in the lobby.

then, you turned around, frowning at having been ignored, and it gave simon the best vantage point of finally seeing your face. he swears his heart stuttered in his chest, his lungs constricting, because holy shit, you are beautiful.

"then the rest is history," simon ends, pulling you close to him. any closer and you would have ended on his lap – something he preferred, anyway – but johnny continues to stare at the two of you with a slack jaw, his eyes almost bulging out in confusion so simon tries to keep it civil.

you giggle, and simon watches as the rest of the squad snap their eyes on you, as though expecting you to grace them with a better explanation. but simon knows that you probably don't even know what's going on, having been busy tapping away on your phone, your acrylics making distinct clacks as they hit the screen.

"i love the history channel," you singsong, batting your eyelashes as you give them a dimpled smile. "simmy-" simon almost coos at the nickname you gave him, "and i looove watching the penguins."

simon presses a kiss on the top of your head, ignoring the bewildered looks his squad is shooting him.

"that's the 'animal planet', love. not the history channel," simon corrects gently, rubbing his hand down your side.

"oh!" you say, unbothered by your mistake. "okay!"

and that was that.

"what the fuck," simon hears johnny wheeze out only to up making choking noises when kyle elbows him. simon ignores them, choosing to watch as you turn back to your phone, mass-retweeting a series of post made by the magazine catalogue that you've been following.

cute.

---------

"fuck," simon hisses, feeling the sharp edge of the kitchen knife slicing through the first layer of his skin. he watches the blood bead, trickling down his finger, and simon wipes it before it can stain the pristine green – "sage!" you tutted to him once – countertops.

"si?" you ask, padding towards the kitchen at the clamour. he feels you press yourself to his side, your perky tits nuzzling his robust muscles. "what's goin- y'r bleeding!"

he grunts, frowning at himself for having made you worry. he moves to reassure you that he's okay, but you're already tugging him out of the kitchen, your smaller hand wrapped around his thicker wrist.

god, he loves seeing the size difference.

you're wearing his military shirt, the material sliding down your body beautifully, before pooling just above your perky ass. simon unabashedly stares at the way your ass jiggles – hidden underneath the tiniest booty shorts he knows you own – his throat bone dry and his sweats filling up all of a sudden.

he barely realizes that you two are in the bathroom until you're steering him towards the edge of the bathtub before twisting to fish the emergency kit from the floor cabinets. simon almost groans at the perfect shape that your ass makes when you bend over, feeling himself throb with raging desire.

you pull out a pink emergency kit and skitter towards him again, slotting yourself between his spread legs. simon raises his hand – the uninjured one – to grasp at your waist, sliding it down to your hips, before giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"it's nothin' fatal, sweet'art," simon mumbles, thumbing your hipbone as he tries to comfort you.

you're still pouting at him when you say, "sure, i guess. but lemme help you?"

and who is simon to say no to that?

"of course, love."

he lets out a quiet chuckle when you press your glossed lips on his forehead, unbothered even when your lips leave a sticky stamp on his skin.

he watches you disinfect his wound with a strawberry-scented sanitizer before wrapping a pink adhesive bandage around it. his worries about having his open wound disinfected by a glittery sanitizer fade away when you picked his hand up to place a kiss on his now-bandaged finger.

glitter-induced infections no longer matter. not when simon's getting nursed to full health by such a pretty girl.

he licks the back of his teeth, clenching his jaw, and thinks, you deserve a reward, don't you, sweetness?

---------

johnny blanches when he sees the bandage around simon's finger. "LT, what in fuck's name is that?"

his loud voice snags the attention of garrick and their captain who ambled their way towards him upon hearing the commotion. garrick chokes on nothing when he sees the pink bandage that simon's sporting.

"bandage," simon replies, pride heavy in his voice. "from my girl."

johnny whirls and shoots a pointed look towards kyle and john. kyle is the one who breaks the silence.

"…are they safe for use?"

"what's the cat even bandaging?" johnny adds.

simon huffs, flicking his finger up to give the squad a better view. "firstly, this is 'hello kitty'. secondly, you questionin' my girl’s ability to care for me?"

john coughs, looking away, kyle arches a brow at him like the answer should be obvious, and johnny gulps loudly, before mumbling, "...yes."

simon sniffs, unable to blame them. "yeah, well, don't."

the squad is still quiet. waiting.

simon finally gives in and replies, "i checked. they're safe for use."

he rolls his eyes at their dramatic sigh.

"that's good to hear," john says before clapping his hands together once, urging them to disperse.

simon grumbles all the way back to his room.

---------

simon loves his pretty, dumb girlfriend to death.

he loves seeing you dolled up – skimpy dresses made of silk material paired with heels that could honestly stab someone to death. he also loves seeing you in nothing but his ratty jumpers – loose black sweaters stopping just after your crotch and the sleeves falling past your fingers.

but nothing tops seeing you naked and crying for him.

nothing could ever top this – your legs folded close to your chest, your ankles hooked on his shoulders, your pretty make up running as tears trickle from the corners of your eyes and flood your cheeks.

he thrusts his fingers in your cunt again, breathless when it punches out another slick gush of your squirt, drenching you two even more. you squeal, body locking, your hips lifting from the bed. simon has to press down on your belly to keep you stable.

"siii!" you cry out, thrashing on his hold, but simon just kisses your leg as he continues to fuck his fingers in you.

"shh," simon murmurs, feeling so choked up at the sight you make. "one more for me, yeah?"

you moan out a reply, a garbled mixture of 'yes' and his name, before wrapping your hands around his arms, your acrylics digging into his skin. simon doesn't even register the pain, still too caught up at fingering you to feel the way you're clawing him.

still too caught up at how perfect you are for him.

(later, when he checks the mirror and sees the angry red welts, simon purrs at the sight of them. because simon loves being marked by you, doesn't matter how, as long as he has bearings of your pleasure. pleasure he gave you.)

---------

simon receives a video message from you. it’s nothing long or conspicuous, but simon still chokes when he finally gets to watch it.

because in the video, you’re wearing simon’s old varsity shirt on top of your university cheer uniform.

“look!” you chirp, twirling for him. “found this in the closet!”

simon slams his captain’s door open and demands a vacation leave.

---------

the lieutenant has a new tattoo and johnny doesn't know what the actual shit it's supposed to be.

it looks like a wriggly blob of a... cloud? a cotton ball? candy floss?

it was still a somewhat fresh tattoo so simon never truly shows it off – johnny doesn't even know if it's worthy of being shown off – until one night at a bar, simon rolls up the sleeves of his jumper and leans to the squad to point at the blob.

"lookit," he slurs, tipsy and just a touch giddy.

finally, johnny cheers to himself before reaching forward to poke just beside the scribble.

"what's it?"

"mittens," their lieutenant croons, smiling down at his skin like a weirdo.

johnny has seen enough mittens to know that whatever that fucking squiggle is isn't mittens.

"uhm," kyle says, thankfully thinking along the same lines as johnny. "is it?"

"yeah," simon says wistfully, drunken in a lovesick way. "s'my girl's cat. she drew it f'r me."

oh. well, fuck. now that's just too cute.

wait.

"that's a drawing of a cat?" johnny rasps out, choking on his spit before turning to study the tattoo again.

it's still a fucking blob.

christ.

[shotmrmiller]

what about johnny who thinks reader is pure vanilla and that and goes slow on sex until he finds out about her search history and realizes reader is an absolute freak??...👀👀👀

please and thank u!

it'd be so funny for him to have you in missionary only for him to hear you babble words that almost stop his heart.

"come again, bonnie?"

now you're flustered, and it's not because he's currently splitting you in half with his cock.

"i, uh. i didn't say anything?"

wrong answer. he heard you clear as day and johnny doesn't take kindly to disobedience.

he stops moving altogether— you're now his pretty little cock sleeve as punishment. johnny chokes back a groan when you clamp down on him, tantalizing him with your slick, snug channel into thrusting again.

but johnny is part of an elite military group— patience is fundamental in his line of work.

"not movin' an inch 'til ye repeat yerself."

looking down at you, he admires the defiance in your countenance. it makes his cock twitch— it causes a whimper to escape your throat.

johnny likes a lot of things, but the one thing he loves is taming brats.

his will is indomitable.

no amount of cunt squeezing, nail scratching or pitiful little moans shake his resolve.

it's been at least 20 minutes— your inner thighs are on fire from keeping them open for this long, and your stuffed hole is throbbing with arousal, slick dripping down and dampening the bed sheet under you.

when johnny slightly shifts his legs with a grunt, it imitates the shallowest of thrusts, and you cave— crumble like a sandcastle.

thickly swallowing, you shakily whine, "i asked daddy to choke me."

"tha' wasn't so hard, now was it?"

the way he squeezes the side of your neck, restricting blood flow, and leaving you feeling light-headed has you coming in less than a minute.

[floradinterlunium]

SINCE I'VE BEEN GONE . . .

I took an extended vacation from "journalling" and documenting my thoughts regarding Jikook and fandom shenanigans because I wanted to take my hiatus when the fandom seas had been calmed and all was right with the world, justice had been served. I left on this high note...I naively believed that with Jikook traveling together and moreover enlisting together, all this drama regarding who JK prefers or loves more would would cease and desist. Oh to be young an naive!

For the life of me I cannot understand this fandom!!! If they can't NOW accept that Jikook are hands down, without a doubt, no questions asked the closest members in BTS and man KPOP history than there's no hope fore them!

Because I just can't wrap my mind around fandom logic regarding Jikook . . .

Jungkook 2023

Goes live a kagillion times to gush about JM,

straight up become a JM reaction channel,

begs JM consistently to hang with him, do lives with him, box with

gets giddy whenever JM replied in the chat

brings up JM every chance he gets

Shows us how familiar his boxing coach is with JM

Goes live whenever JM leaves the country

Dog scratches JM on the arm because they were together

Willingly cosigns JMs travel show plan even though a lot of it occured during his busy promotion season

Fandom: Jikook are dead and were never that close!

JM 2023

Plans this whole travel show with JK (no one else mind you not Rm, not Tae. . .)

Travels to different cities with JK, while JK's promoting his album so busy and probably tired, to film travel show

Talks about how he (in 2023) would spend hoooours drinking and discussing music with JK

Shows up with a massive scratch mark on his arm clearly from JK's dog

Discusses how poor Yoongi became a third wheel because they have a tendency to go into their own world and get "deep" when together

Fandom: 2023 shows us Jikook were never close

Jikook 2023

In an unprecedented move, Enlist together through the buddy system-a system that mandates they have to spend their entire service together...they can't even take leave separately. A choice they both made and wanted to make of their own free will.

Fandom: This proves they aren't together because in the military they can't be gay and have sex.

Tae

Hangs out with JK with his wooga squad

Leaves JK alone on a MTN

Post about spending time with JK

Post pics of him with JK

Ask JK to go live with him and proceeds to have a silent awkward as hell live where they barely talk to each other

Fandom: OMG they are soulmates HYBE is finally letting them be their authentic selves

JK

Goes to a movie with Tae and his squad

Goes Snowboarding with Tae's wooga squad but they ditch him

Goes live looking lonely and sad as hell all the time

Goes live for white day looking sad

Seems to be going through a crisis...even JM says he needs to get out more

Talks about JM a lot in his lives

Goes to Hawaii and goes skydiving with Tae

Fandom: OMG OMG JK must really love Tae to get on a plane and fly nearly 10hrs to see him. No one can deny their bond now

***Should someone remind them that JM already did that for JK's bday (which Tae wasn't present for) and they minimized it. Or oooh oooh should someone also remind them that JK gifted JM with a whole ass all expense paid birthday trip to his dream destination, went broke doing it, and then made a whole vlog about that trip that only showed JM's face set to the tune of a romantic love song?? Something that they also claimed was not a big deal! ***

WHY DID I COME BACK TO THIS!!!

[dioslesbianwife]

Here are some jojo villain house headcannons for the TV shows/channels I think jojo villains would enjoy.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Dio

Luxury Living Network: Likes to revel in shows about wealth, power, and decadence. Think Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

National Geographic: Enjoys watching predators hunt their prey. He’d identify with the top of the food chain.

The History Channel (Old School): Enjoys historical conquest stories, especially those about rulers like Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan.

Trashy reality shows on TLC would also be a guilty pleasure. He lives for the dramatic betrayals.

Kars

Animal Planet: Loves learning about the animal kingdom and biology, particularly predator-prey dynamics. He’d judge how far evolution has come since his era.

Discovery Channel: Loves documentaries about science, geology, and life on earth, though he’d scoff at any inaccuracies.

Sci-Fi channel: He’s secretly amused by humans' imagination of evolution and alien life.

Esidisi

Telenovelas/Soap opera Channels: Enjoys dramatic and over-the-top emotions—his own temper tantrums mirror them perfectly.

Wrestling Channels (WWE for example): Finds the combat entertaining and relates to the theatrical aggression.

Wamuu

Sports Channels (ESPN, Olympic Channel): Drawn to competition and strength. He’s especially invested in combat sports like MMA or wrestling.

Military History Channel: Respects the strategies and honor involved in ancient warfare.

Kira

HGTV: Finds peace in watching mundane home improvement or interior design shows, which align with his “quiet” lifestyle.

True Crime channels: Obsessed with watching shows like Forensic Files, hoping to pick up tips on how to avoid getting caught.

Fashion Network: Enjoys looking at high-end clothing.

Diavolo

Old school MTV: Likes the chaotic energy as it aligns with his paranoia.

Crime Networks: Loves anything that teaches him how to cover his tracks and outsmart enemies.

Vogue Network: Secretly enjoys high fashion shows for their eccentric designs (much like his clothing…choices).

Doppio

Cartoons: Despite being an adult, Doppio has a childlike innocence and would gravitate toward shows like The amazing Spiderman, enjoying the light-heartedness,. I think he’d mostly prefer old school shows like Batman the animated series or the old X-men show. Maybe Arthur, Powerpuff girls, Avengers, Clifford, etc.

Cooking Shows (Food Network): Doppio seems like he craves comfort, so watching cooking shows like those holiday baking ones or Master Chef could offer him a sense of warmth and happiness. I think he’d try to show the boss what he learned from them and try to cook simple things.

Pucci

Religious Channels: Watches sermons to draw inspiration. Though I do think he’d strongly dislike the kinds of televangelists that scam vulnerable people.

Discovery/Space Channels: Interested in space and time shows, considering his obsession with Heaven and universal perfection.

Classical Music Channel: Finds focus in orchestral music and opera broadcasts. Probably plays it in the background as he reads or annotates his Bible.

Funny Valentine

News Networks (C-SPAN, BBC): Watches political coverage and speeches to stay informed and critique the current state of governance and the world.

History Channel: Studies historical conflicts and leadership tactics.

Classic Movie Channels: Watches patriotic films or period dramas for inspiration and comfort.

[chaotic-archaeologist]

Any chance you know of some good archaeology/history youtube channels? Everytime i try searching i just get aliens and atlantis garbage

First and foremost in my heart will always be Time Team. This is a tv program that does three day digs in the UK, and it has some of the most realistic archaeology I've yet to find on tv. You can watch old episodes for free on their official YouTube channel (linked above)

I personally enjoy the historical programing done by the American Battlefield Trust. It's very Civil War-centric, and it does fall into the very politically-middle-of-the-road category that a lot of military organizations do, but they're good for what they are.

Tasting history is pretty much exactly what it sounds like! Think B Dylan Hollis, but maybe less sass and cooking as well as baking.

Karolina Żebrowska is one of the best and funniest historical fashion YouTubers I've yet to come across. Iconic, truly.

Janet Stephens does EXPERIMENTAL HAIR ARCHAEOLOGY! Basically, she finds out how to accurately recreate incredibly complex hairstyles from the past based on art. She's awesome.

Modern History TV is my go to for all things Medieval. He does a great job demonstrating the ins and outs of everyday Medieval life.

Enjoy, -Reid

[mariacallous]

The pictures are haunting. There are portraits of Ukrainian men and women who have spent months and years in Russian captivity: soldiers, civilians, paramedics and volunteers. All experienced torture and brutal treatment. Many carry physical scars from their time as inmates. They are among the prisoners of war swapped since 2014, when Vladimir Putin began his Ukraine invasion, with a covert takeover in the east.

In 2019, the Ukrainian photojournalist Zoya Shu began photographing those freed from Russian detention. Over five years, she spent time with former prisoners of war (PoWs) in their homes, talking to them about their life stories and listening to their harrowing accounts of beatings and other forms of daily abuse.

“They suffered. I see them not as victims but as survivors. What they experienced is horrendous,” she says.

Some of those she photographed have terrible wounds. In 2014, Russian “separatist” fighters carved a swastika on the back of a local man, Bogdan Sergiets, in the eastern city of Donetsk. They accused him of supporting Ukraine and being a “Nazi”. Another photo is a portrait of Aiden Aslin, a British volunteer captured in April 2022 while fighting for Ukraine. He and his fellow British prisoner Shaun Pinner, who were both threatened with execution, say they were beaten, stabbed with knives and electrocuted.

Other wounds are less conspicuous. Many prisoners, both men and women, said they were subjected to sexual violence and rape. In Russia and occupied areas of Ukraine, interrogators used a wind-up military field telephone to administer electric shocks, attaching crocodile clips to genitals and nipples.

“There is physical and psychological trauma,” says Shu. “It’s difficult to deal with, and profound. It takes a long time to heal.”

Another torture method is starvation. One former prisoner of war, Borys, said he lost 45kg (99lb) during two years in various camps: “I got very thin. When I was released I was so weak I couldn’t put my leg on to a step.”

Borys says a fellow inmate was so emaciated he became unable to walk and “went mad”, adding: “He couldn’t lift his arms. He stopped eating. They took him away. We don’t know what happened [to him].”

Borys says his captors hit him with plastic pipes and shocked him with stun guns. This was done in a corridor, where there were no CCTV cameras to record the abuse. One day, his guards said his situation would improve if he gave an interview to a Russian propaganda TV channel. They also tried to “re-educate” him.

“They loved to teach us about ‘history’ – we were ‘fascists’. They told us Ukraine was always a part of Russia and didn’t exist,” Borys says.

Other ex-prisoners said they were made to sing the Russian national anthem and recite patriotic poems and songs from Russia. “One goal is to destroy Ukrainian identity,” Shu says, adding that a soldier from western Ukraine who could not speak Russian received extra punishments.

“There is a pattern of constant and systemic violations [of human rights],” Shu says, calling this “state policy”.

Some former detainees have successfully rebuilt their lives. Others remain haunted by their experiences and suffer from depression and panic attacks. According to Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 3,405 people have been returned from captivity, including 95 PoWs on 17 July. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, military and civilians, are believed to remain in Russian jails.

The exact tally of PoWs is unknown. The figure includes about 1,500 soldiers captured in May 2022 when the garrison defending the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol surrendered. The Kremlin refuses to give a comprehensive list of the people it holds, adding to the agony of families whose loved ones went missing in action.

Shu is critical of international organisations that help detainees. In her view, they have failed to pressure the Kremlin to improve dire conditions for prisoners and to end widespread abuse.

“Where is the Red Cross? Where is the UN? Where is everybody?” she asks. “There doesn’t seem to be much activity or urgency. The level of brutality and torture in Russian prisons requires immediate action.”

[adolin]

something that i think is so interesting in nona the ninth is that we really see that the nine houses have varying levels of loyalty to/cooperation with the emperor. the most clear example is of course everything going on with the sixth house, but also when aiglamene says that the last time the emperor's intelligence sent someone to the ninth house they 'dropped [them] off eleven hours from the prison with ten hours' worth of air'. that being said, what do you think are the other houses' actual relationship with/feelings towards emperor?

Ohh yes I love those worldbuilding details we get in Nona! Some thoughts—sorry, this got long.

How (I think) the Empire is structured

From what little we know of the political structure in the Empire, I get the vibe that the Houses are mostly left to themselves, govern themselves autonomously, and make alliances with each other, without a solid formal structure in place above them. Many major political events happen without anyone even considering that the Emperor should be consulted on them: Harrow was worried about the Ninth becoming a vassal of the Fifth or Third if they should apply for relief; the Fifth have a lot of influence over the Fourth and “dynastic ambition”; the Ninth were left free to completely isolate themselves for eighteen years.

The Empire appears to be pretty decentralised on matters of internal governance, which I think fits with John's whole deal. He isn't very hands-on, he historically has spent decades a universe away from the Houses, and he doesn't care about the details. IMO, there's a marked difference between intra-Houses governance and the "Imperial" agenda.

1—Internally, the Emperor is very much the ultimate authority… IF ONLY he bothered to yield it, which he doesn’t. Partly because John is just Like That, and partly because he operates on a completely different timescale. But he does have the authority: when he decides to summon the House heirs, they come; when many of them die, there's no noticeable political fallout: he leaves for the Mithraeum, expecting to be away for at least five years with no communication, and that's not seen as an issue. He obviously doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone, and his authority is not even in question.

There's a mention in GtN of "Imperial law" that forbids necromancers from marrying out of House, but IMO 'Imperial' refers to the fact that it applies to every House, not that John came up with it. The Houses are so jealous of their own resources that they don't want their necromancers to affiliate with others; I think this is a law that suits the Houses first and foremost, and John couldn’t care less. In general, I think House leaders are very happy that the Emperor is so hands-off on internal matters, and this has been the case for most (if not all) of their recorded history.

2— Externally, though! The Houses are absolutely united when it comes to their equivalent of foreign policy, which is mostly handled by the Cohort. Interstellar travel seems to be regulated through military channels, and I would bet that a sizeable portion of the internal economy of the Empire is centred on the Cohort. Note that the "contracts" with the "shepherded planets" are between each planet and John himself—he's A LOT more involved when it comes to military matters. Even on the Mithraeum in HtN he's looking at reports and briefing—and when he's around he always resides with the Cohort and definitely makes executive decisions.

I think it's pretty interesting that John is a near-mythical figure to the Houses but Cohort personnel actually interact with him on a regular basis. Like, I bet that leaders of the Houses have no idea what the Emperor actually looks like outside of religious imagery, but there's a twenty-something junior officer who brings him coffee every morning. I think it's fascinating—temporal power vs. spiritual power; he's a religious figure to most of the Empire, but to the extent to which he's "Emperor" of anything, in a concrete, mundane sense, it's the Cohort. And I think that Cohort higher-ups have a lot of sway over the Houses (veering into headcanon land but @theriverbeyond made the excellent point that Cohort command probably have Opinions about the leaders of each House and can influence the decision to some extent)

Each House's relationship with the Emperor

We don't know much about it so it's all speculation babey!

The Second: THE favoured child. The fandom focuses on the Fifth and Third being rich and influential, and they sure are, but that’s based on Gideon’s POV (as filtered through Harrow’s knowledge) which about who is currently on top of the House scheming game. I think the Second just don’t care about House scheming because they are THE Officer House; the Cohort is based in Trentham, and I’m sure there’s a disproportionate percentage of Second House members among their leadership. The leader of the Second is the top brass (Judith’s dad is the Fleet Admiral—that’s a five stars rank) and as of NtN, he has enough pull to antagonise a Lyctor over supply lines. The Second absolutely enjoy privileged access to the Emperor and have a lot of power from it. The Third: we don't know! I think they are one of the Houses who are really really happy that God is off playing star wars and they can do their thing. Also, I think there are many commercial ties between the Third and the Cohort (and by extension, imperial authority) because a lot of the wealth within the internal economy of the Houses absolutely comes from military contracts. The Fourth: Fidelity facing ahead. The bomb kids. They seem to be somewhat subordinated both to the Fifth (at least currently) and to the Second (who, again, lead the Cohort) and probably don't do much scheming of their own. The Fifth: like the Third, I think they are very happy the Emperor is off with the Cohort. I think they have a perfectly civil, friendly relationship with the concept of imperial authority. Like the Third, it's very likely that their economy goes to supplying the Cohort with resources instead of troops, and they get rich from it. The Sixth: this is INTERESTING! They held a vote and decided to secede, but we don't know if the choice was unanimous (I doubt it!) or if there have been reactions from the population of the House (because the decision iirc was made by the Oversight Committee). We know a lot about the Sixth's inner workings, more than any other House barring the Ninth, and they actually send a considerable percentage of their small population to the Cohort. Their entire reproductive strategy of "diversifying the gene pool" relies HEAVILY on sending many people off-House (= to the Cohort) and as far as we know those people are still there.

I doubt the break clause is widely known among the wider Sixth population, because the secession seems to have come as a surprise to the Cohort (or at least Ianthe, who has access to their intelligence). Do all, or any, of the Sixth's people within the Cohort know what happened, or do they think the installation was destroyed? Basically, I don't know if "okay, let's secede" was as simple of a situation as Camilla makes it seem—and she explained about it when talking to Nona, so I bet it isn't.

Another thing worth noting is that, as Cam says, they ultimately "left for a Lyctor". I think it makes a lot of sense for Former Contract Lawyer Cassiopeia (who I still believe came up with the lifetime contracts) to have founded her House with a stipulation in place that they could leave if they decided to—I think there might even be a chance she told John about it back when, though I doubt he ever knew that the Library installation could be packed up and moved. Basically: there are A LOT of implications and possible consequences to the secession, and IDK how it's going to turn out.

The Seventh: we know very little about them. Protesilaus was a duelling champion, so clearly they are plugged into the "social scene" of the Houses—that's all I got

The Eight: very into the worship of the Emperor as "God," but I think they're more into their own interpretation of what the religious precepts of the Houses ought to be than what the God-Emperor actually wants. (Which I think suits John just fine). See Silas having a portrait of the Emperor in his room but also being the only one to say "God was wrong" re: Lyctoral process. I think the Eight like the idea of the Emperor as a symbol of authority, both religious and political (the two are one and the same to them) but they're very happy that he's off warring in the stars so they don't have to actually listen to anything he has to say.

The Ninth: I think the Ninth like the Emperor just fine, but from far away. They worship and respect him through the lenses of their brand of religion, focused on the Tomb. They clearly aren't involved in the running of the space prison, and the whole House seem to have been a religious hermitage at the edge of the Empire before they shut the House to pilgrims. I think John tries not to think about the Ninth at all, because Alecto, and they are mutually very happy each doing their thing.

EDIT: I originally wrote "I think Aiglamene's line about kicking off Intelligence officers is not necessarily a reflection on their stance on the imperial government; simply a consequence of the fact that they were hushing up the death of an entire generation of Ninth children and didn't want the intelligence guys poking around" but I was wrong there—the Ninth kicking out the bureau guys precedes the child murders. That points to a bigger distrust for military / Cohort / imperial authority than I initially considered, but I don't think it changes much. They're fine sending people to the Cohort and praying to God, but want to be left alone to run themselves

(SORRY THIS GOT SO LONG :D)

[luminouslywriting]

I'm so sorry to hear that you have to undergo surgery. As a fellow chronic illness girl, I know how that can be, and I'm sorry you're going through that. If you're still looking for things to keep your mind off it, I'd love to hear any general headcanons for the guys' interests? Just random things you think they might like that weren't specified in the show? I headcanon Buck and Brady as great cooks, for example. 😊

Nonny, thank you for your sweet message :) I so appreciate the love you're sending me! I would love to answer this ask, so more below the cut haha!! And as always, my requests are open and I love getting asks and requests from you all! Please note that this was cut for length and I kept it centered on Bucky, Buck, Rosie, and Brady!

Bucky Egan:

-This will come as no surprise to anyone, but I think he has an extensive collection of baseball cards that start from the time he was five onwards.

-I also think he really enjoys reading, specifically American Literature such as Rip Van Winkle or Tom Sawyer. He does really enjoy learning about New York as well, so he definitely has some New York memorabilia somehow.

-Board game KING. Actually, most games. He's down to play football in the dirt with his friends and he's down to play a game of checkers when the occasion calls for it.

-He strikes me as an animal person, for obvious reasons—so I think he must've had a dog back home or growing up. He definitely thought about going into some form of animal medicine before going into the military.

Buck Cleven:

-Stargazing or cloud-watching. I can't explain it, but I just know that this man has a fascination with the stars and clouds. It's a relaxing way to pass the time and it helps him center his thoughts.

-Plants?? He strikes me as a boy-scout sorta guy, so I picture he got his poisonous plant identification certification or something. He also has some favorite flowers that he likes gathering now and then.

-Science experiments. Again—this one is heavily based on the stuff we see in the show, but he collects the most RANDOM things and spare parts and will just casually build things or try to make things fit together because he likes to know how things work.

-COOKING, babe you're so right. He's a GREAT cook! Put him in front of a slab of meat though and he kinda panics. Breads? He can do it and make a recipe better than the original.

Rosie Rosenthal:

-Music history and theory; this NERD absolutely adores looking into the history of music. He knows about Brahms and Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Handel, and is able to easily memorize music and tunes.

-MOVIE BUFF. I can't explain it, but I just know that he can quote movies like there's no tomorrow and half of the time, no one even gets the reference.

-Oddly really likes reading the ads in the newspaper? He likes to see what's going on and what kind of help is needed.

-History boi with a niche for weird specific things. Like, he'd be in the middle of a conversation and he'd be like, "this reminds of when the Ottoman Empire...." or "Did you know that the Crusades were actually...."

John Brady:

-Poetry?? He really enjoys reading it, really enjoys writing it?? He strikes me as the type of man to enjoy Tennyson, Keats, or Byron

-Running; it's a really easy way for him to clear his head and he can go for miles before actually realizing that he's run that far.

-HE BUILDS MUSIC BOXES; listen, I have no context for this one, but he just starts tinkering around and this musical KING can just put things together super easily.

-Writes his own sheet music when he's got a lot of feelings....that doesn't mean anyone has ever actually heard said music, but it's definitely a way for him to channel his emotions into something constructive.

[burningvelvet]

Powerful women from the classical world + excerpt of a letter from Lord Byron to Thomas Moore describing his lover Margarita Cogni (Venice, September 19th, 1818):

“I wish you a good night, with a Venetian benediction, ‘Benedetto te, e la terra che ti fara!’ — ‘May you be blessed, and the earth which you will make!’ — is it not pretty? You would think it still prettier if you had heard it, as I did two hours ago, from the lips of a Venetian girl, with large black eyes, a face like Faustina’s, and the figure of a Juno — tall and energetic as a Pythoness, with eyes flashing, and her dark hair streaming in the moonlight — one of those women who may be made any thing. I am sure if I put a poniard into the hand of this one, she would plunge it where I told her, — and into me, if I offended her. I like this kind of animal, and am sure that I should have preferred Medea to any woman that ever breathed.”

The mythical and historical allusions:

In Roman myth, Juno was Queen of the Gods as well as a military figure often depicted armed. In Greek myth, Medea was a sorceress who gets revenge against her unfaithful husband through murdering their children and his lover. Although “Pythoness” could refer to demonic witches in other uses, Byron is using it here as another name for Pythia or the Oracle of Delphi, a divine priestess and the most powerful female office in the ancient world.

Faustina is either a reference to the Younger or the Elder. Faustina the Younger was the wife of Marcus Aurelius; he revered her so much that he gave her enormous power, although later historians (probably falsely) accused her of being a murderer and adulteress. Faustina the Elder was the adoptive mother of Marcus Aurelius and was one of the most beloved Roman women in history, whose coinage often features Juno.

Byron's life and writing in context:

When he was living abroad in self-exile, Byron often sought to entertain his friends back home by sharing his adventures in lurid detail. His vivid letters became well-read throughout the 1800s, and are considered some of his best writing. Travel writing and adventure stories were extremely popular in the 19th century, and even most of Byron’s fiction champions these themes. Living abroad and traveling became marketable parts of Byron's celebrity. He blended his own experiences into his work, and chief among these were his romantic experiences.

Shelley once compared Byron to the Greek myth of Circe when writing in a letter about Byron's excessive amount of pets. Circe was known for seducing men and turning them into animals who roamed around her palace. Like a witch or an alchemist, Byron frequently transformed his lovers into characters through his writing. Like countless others, Margarita Cogni was mythically immortalized through the writer's description of her. She and Byron's other Venetian lovers have become part of the wider Romantic era mythology tradition, like the constantly retold tales of Mary Shelley's invention of Frankenstein, Percy Shelley's drowning, and John Keats' love for Fanny Brawne.

By using references to classical women in this letter Byron is not only paying tribute to mythology, history, and the Italian landscape in a way that his foreign audience would find tantalizing, but he is also exploring romanticized notions of classical female beauty which are at turns conventional and unconventional. He channels the gothic sublime through the otherworldly power and danger these women all represent, as well as channeling more traditional concepts of feminine strength rooted in modesty, beauty, and passivity. Byron creates poetic contradictions.

Just as he famously describes himself as “changeable, being everything by turns and nothing long,” he utilizes paradox and inconstance in his writing, such as in this satirical formulation of Margarita Cogni as the ideal lover who is both Goddess and woman, mistress and slave, contemporary and classical, masculine and feminine, wife and adulteress, murderess and murdered.

One can clearly see how this is the same chameolonic, binary-blurring poet who would go on to write the gender-bending themes of Don Juan — “If people contradict themselves, can I / Help contradicting them, and every body, / Even my veracious self?” — and who years beforehand had written She Walks in Beauty — where “all that’s best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.”

[velnat004]

Hi! I love the idea of Turkish qunari, I was wondering if you'd be willing to share your headcanons about them? No pressure, I just think it's a fun concept to explore!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a meta but rather just self-indulgent stuff, if you headcanon the qunari as a different ethnicity OR have a non-qunari oc that is turkish-coded,  that’s completely fine by me!

“Before their arrival in Thedas, the aforementioned race were once a part of the kossith that predated the Qun. The earliest known kossith contact with Thedas was when a colony of them had settled in the southern Korcari Wilds in -410 Ancient. It was overrun by darkspawn during the First Blight, and it is presumably this colony which led to the darkspawn developing ogres. There were no other recorded sightings of the horned race for another 1000 years.

They returned as the Qunari en masse on warships, called dreadnoughts, and arrived in Thedas from the north in 6:30 Steel. It's said that they originate from an unknown eastern land across the Boeric Ocean. Some scholars theorize that the Qunari come from the supposed eastern continent known as Amaranth.[20] They once threatened to conquer all of the known world, but after several Exalted Marches during the Qunari Wars they have lost much of the conquered land. Since then, peace has been made since with every nation except the Tevinter Imperium; with whom they are still involved in a prolonged war for dominance of the north.” (https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Qunari)

Turkish history extends back thousands of years before the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Turks, originally a nomadic people from Central Asia, established several empires, including the Seljuk Empire and later the Ottoman Empire, which was founded in Anatolia by Turkish ruler Osman in 1299. The Ottomans took Constantinople in 1453 and became a dominant world power encompassing Anatolia, the Maghreb in North Africa, southeastern Europe, parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Persian  Gulf, modern day Iraq, and portions of the Caucasus. Consequently, the Ottoman Empire had a religiously and ethnically diverse population. Ottoman loss of territory starting in the 17th century prompted constitutional, educational, and military reforms to begin in the late 18th century. However, due to fragmentation of national groups within the empire, slow economic and technological progress, and the Ottomans’ ill-fated alliance with Germany, the empire collapsed at the end of World War I. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who had risen to prominence as a war hero in the Battle of Gallipoli (Gallipoli Campaign, (February 1915–January 1916), in World War I, an Anglo-French operation against Turkey, intended to force the 38-mile- (61-km- [https://www.britannica.com/event/Gallipoli-Campaign]) long Dardanelles channel and to occupy Constantinople., subsequently united disparate Turkish forces against the foreign occupation of Turkish lands and in favour of national sovereignty. (https://www.tc-america.org/issues-information/turkish-history-28.htm)

-----------------------------------

"The Qunari do not have a concept of personal identity. While they possess names, they do not use them, primarily using titles rather than names to identify and present themselves. The names are in fact simply strings of genealogical information used only by the Tamassrans for record-keeping. Some of the name-titles include Sten, Arishok, and Tallis. However, they do make frequent use of nicknames."

Before that, Turks, as well as other ethnicities living in the Ottoman Empire, had no surname. People were addressed with titles like "hadji" (pilgrim), "hodja" (teacher), "agha" (master), "pasha" (general), "hafiz" (someone who have completely memorized the Qur'an), "lady/madam" and so on.  (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/surname-law-a-profound-change-in-turkish-history)

-----------------------------------

"The Qunari call outsiders bas ("thing") and consider them unfortunate beings who, however, have a potential to grow if the Qun's wisdom is imparted to them.The best an outsider can hope for amongst the Qunari is to be considered a basalit-an, "worthy of respect"; a basalit-an is a worthy foe, and one that can be negotiated with to an extent, but still bas regardless."

Giaour/Gavur (a Turkish adaptation of the Persian gâwr or gōr, an infidel), a word used by the Turks to describe all who are not Mohammedans, with especial reference to Christians. The word, first employed as a term of contempt and reproach, has become so general that in most cases no insult is intended in its use; for example in parts of China, the term foreign devil has become void of offence. A strict analogy to giaour is found in the Arabic kafir, or unbeliever, which is so commonly in use as to have become the proper name of peoples and countries. (https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Giaour)

---------

Aside from the historical jazz, the word "Kadaan" sounds and translates similar to "Kalbim" in Turkish <:

Kadan: Literally, "where the heart lies;" friend. An all-purpose word for a "person one cares about," including colleagues, friends and loved ones. Also means "the center of the chest."

Kalbim : "My heart" in Turkish, an endearment word

i couldn't find her reply under one of my posts but @loghainderolo mentioned that Seheron is the Thedas equalevent of Cyprus

Thank u for the ask! :D

[sarroora]

Hey sorry to bug you but uhhh things aren't looking too hot in the good ol US of A right now because Mr. Overcooked Rump Roast is expected to win and basically has already

In my current situation I should be safe for a while but a lot of the people I know won't be

I'm hoping that whatever dumpster bonfire is going on over here doesn't affect Egypt too bad but shit damn I also thought that Kamala would win but look how that turned out, heh.

(You don't have to respond I just wanted to give you an update and some prayers ❤️🙏)

Hey dear ❤️ - no, please do, I too NEED to reach out and talk to people.

Like I only have a surface level understanding of how elections in the US work, but I know that the system is bullcrap. And yes, Trump’s a psycho so please protect yourself. The very idea that not every vote has the same weight at the end of the day is steeped in racism and classism but nothing surprises me anymore.

Really, if there’s anything the Zionist-American genocide against Palestine confirmed in clear light is how evil of a lie ‘western democracy and morality’ is. Like - the rest of the world already knew it for centuries (most of us endured long histories of abuse and settler colonialism since the Romans, after all) but now even people living in the west have their eyes open and no longer fall for the lies and propaganda. But it feels awful to be associated with what our govs are doing when we had NO choice in the matter.

GOD don’t get me started on Egypt - did you know that our complacent ‘leadership’ has allowed a ship carrying weapons to IsnotReal through our waters? People went nuts. Everyone is in a rage and feels humiliated that this happened.

Like here’s a short vid taken by a woman that went viral and even made it to foreign news channels. You may not understand what’s being said in the vid, but the people are aghast, and you can hear rage and panic and profanity all around. The lady recording could only keep repeating in utter disbelief, “you sons of bitches.” (Referring to our president and posse)

Yeah. Things are going to hell here overall. We as civilians are literally held hostage by a draconian military regime that’s throwing everybody in prison on one hand - including minors - and robbing people blind with unexplained ‘taxes’ and insane inflation on the other. The middle class is crushed. No economical reform and no jobs. And people go to prison for objecting - kidnapped by the police in the middle of the night and thrown in secret prisons across the country where their own families can’t find them.

The currency rate to the USD right now here is 1 USD to 50 Egyptian Pounds. FIFTY.

And it’s projected to reach 80 by the end of the 2024. EIGHTY. In less than 2 months. Shifting the blame onto anything else but the consequences of their own decision-making. All while the president and ruling class (military generals) are becoming wealthy and sit above the law. The justice system is in their pockets.

And guess what, Trump loves our guy. Why wouldn’t he, I wouldn’t put it past him that he do anything - even sell his own country and its people and the people next door in Palestine if Trump asked him to. And I’m sure Trump’s gonna push for Palestinians to be expelled from their land and settle in Egypt (which is another country Isnotreal is VERY interested in occupying next, btw) thus helping the Zionists fully take over what remains of Palestine and expand into Greater Isnotreal.

These freaks are insane, istG.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I heard of Harris, it’s not like she was gonna be much better than Trump. Just perhaps a little sneakier. US has treated Isnotreal as its 51st state for decades, it’s not like the politics of the country will change with her. Congress deals with Isnotreal as if it’s more important than America itself. Who’s given the title of ‘president’ doesn’t matter.

Until the US political system is completely changed and the settler colony that is Insnotreal is wiped off the map, we’re all gonna do what’s right in whatever small ways we can and be each other’s backs, even if we live on different continents ❤️.

[t4t4t]

What can we do against monsters?

This has been something that I have been thinking deeply about for a few days now, and it's been a few days not because the news broke, but because I was one of the first people to see it.

And that's because Aaron Bushnell had watched my content, my friends and comrades' content, and supported us. I saw the video of him calmly, bravely, stepping into a storm of flames that would ultimately kill him to bring attention to others on the other side of the ocean who were dying in similar and worse ways, on the very day that he did it. On the Twitch channel he streamed it on. Another member of my community had brought the account to my attention, and I recognised the name, and a corresponding youtube channel.

To be frank, my first thoughts were "why? you could have done anything but this! why?" I'm sure many of us can relate to this.

But recently it has hit me.

A person, who by all accounts of what information I can find online, was a closeted trans person (he used he/she pronouns in other discords I shared with her, and overwhelmingly went by the name of "Lilly" on her youtube and twitch and discord accounts) who was in the US Air Force, an organisation that has indeed in the past simply disappeared individuals who express any sentiments that their operations are unjust or evil, who knew in fact that one day soon, she may be sent to murder innocent Gazans in one of the most despicable genocides in recent history. 

Perhaps she had already been forced to participate in it. From what we know, she didn't appear to have been directly involved in the genocide. 

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/what-aaron-bushnell-did-in-the-military

But she ultimately felt complicit in a way that demanded action.

So what were Aaron/Lilly's options? Sedition? Traitorism? Perhaps it simply wasn't in her nature to want anyone to die. Perhaps she had already been forced to kill people indirectly and didn't want anyone else to, no matter how complicit they were in the murder of the colonised Palestinians. These are unknowns. But what we do know is that she completed one of the most radical and extreme acts of protest possible. She joins a long list of self-immolated martyrs of many struggles.

And to be clear here, I do not use the word martyr here flippantly. The countless Yemeni and Palestinian voices who have called her that, and awarded her many other honourable accolades including being publicly honoured in Sana'a, Yemen, yesterday (February 27th, 2024), confirm that this is how colonised and oppresssed people view her as part of their struggle.

https://x.com/intifada/status/1762670714060968139?s=20

https://x.com/Aldanmarki/status/1762043564870045992?s=20

https://x.com/ShaykhSulaiman/status/1762225663673561346?s=20

https://x.com/karaokecomputer/status/1762232705717322180?s=20

https://x.com/BIG__Brother7/status/1762090633873752093?s=20

Not just Palestinians, but globally, multiple anti-imperialist nations' representatives have expresssed a deep love and respect for her actions.

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/1762275594622943430?s=20

https://x.com/magne_toes/status/1762219467507945956?s=20

https://x.com/evoespueblo/status/1762588988445962341?s=20

It is only really white western imperialists who do not understand the act of self-immolation as an act of protest. From the endlessly proselytising zionist fascists who are celebrating another dead supporter of Palestine, to the moronic liberal desperation we've seen focusing on individualist and poorly understood anti-abolitionist mental health based criticisms: they simply do not understand what this means. What it represents. 

I would encourage people to read the information available about Thich Quang Duc, the Vietnamese buddhist monk who famously self-immolated in protest of the colonising of his homeland in 1963. It sent shockwaves around the world, just as Aaron/Lilly's death has and will continue to do. 

Thich Quang Duc's heart refused to burn to ashes even on a second cremation attempt of his remains, and is now displayed as a holy relic in Vietnam. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c

I wonder if Aaron/Lilly's heart would be given the same attention by her funeral organisers. I believe her heart, and the heart of everyone who engaged in such an act in the past for righteous causes are simply indestructible. Wherever it is, may it bless all those who come near and remind them of what she died for. These people were too kind and sweet for this world and the permanence of their remains is an testament to that.

Aaron/Lilly's friends have all commented on how sweet and kind and caring she was, and how  dedicated she was to the cause of liberation and anti-colonialism worldwide. There is nothing bad that can be said about her, even in the long aftermath of her death. She was simply human, in a world that is deeply, deeply inhuman.

She was up against monsters. Monsters that cannot be slain by ordinary means. Monsters that are many headed, can regenerate, and duplicate. Powerful demons that control our world and wreak havoc and pain and suffering wherever they choose to plunder, as greed is at their heart.

She acted in a way that she felt was the only way that she could. Her hand was inarguably forced, to do the one desperate thing she could to draw attention to what is happening.

May her spirit soar in the halls of our ancestors and rest easy knowing that we are all completely in awe of her bravery, dedication and solidarity.

I want to make some things clear at the end of this post however.

I have stated this on my twitter, and on my stream, but it bears repeating here. While I think this needed to be addressed in an appropriate way, and I stand by everything I have said above, I do not want anyone else to do this. I do not believe this is something that we have to do in order to make change happen.

I have always said that the need for non-violent building of power takes precedent over every single action that is done or proposed here in the imperial core. The fact of reality is that capitalism and imperialism are failing. It will soon come to a head where these violent machines will fail to work, or simply be abandoned by those who operate them. It is at that point that we absolutely necessarily must have a support network of power that means we can survive outside of that system and create a new world of fairness where everyone has what they need to survive and no one suffers harm and discrimination. I stand firm in my position that we can build this world together.

I want this world desperately. I want a world where people like Aaron/Lilly do not feel so desperate to do something so valiant and self-destructive because they have no other option.

So my final word on this matter is this.

We must continue to fight for this world and build it in her memory and honour. Not only is it what she would have wanted, it is what she died for. 

Mourn the dead. And fight like hell for the living.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Moto Shotzo

Debut: Kirby Super Star

Hello! Welcome, welcome to another post about a Kirby enemy as I am known to do. Right this way please! The post is under this box. Please go read it now.

THUNK

Heehee! You’ve fallen right into my trap! This was never REALLY just a Kirby enemy post. Now I have you as a captive audience to listen as I talk at length about an obscure Game Boy game! Heeheehee! Let’s begin.

Name: Tank

Debut: Trax

Moto Shotzo is merely a cameo, a reference, to one of HAL’s earlier games, even before Kirby! Ever since learning that, I had been so intrigued, but unfortunately they never released it on the 3DS eShop for some reason, which was my only way of playing Game Boy games at the time. But now I have played it a bunch! And now I know about it and I like to know about it and I like to talk about it!

Trax is a top-down shooter game starring Tank, the lovable tank. Are you wondering how a tank can be lovable? Maybe not, because you can clearly see that this tank is dang cute. But there is more than it just being cute, because it has hopes and dreams and a heroic heart! Tank is the only one of its kind in a peaceful country village, and is old and worn-out to the point it can only turn its turret in one direction. However, a military empire invades, and Tank is the only hope of its home and friends! Could it possibly defeat an entire army of countless more powerful and efficient machines all on its own! Yes! Because it believes in itself and loves and is loved!

The story becomes even more wonderful, however, when you consider how the enemy army’s main troops are tanks identical to Beloved Tank. There is no doubt that Tank was originally created for this very army, before somehow becoming peaceful and friendly! This is my favorite kind of story ever: when a machine created for evil purposes ends up, through its own willpower or through the kindness of others or whatever, rebelling against the circumstances of its creation, and even actively fighting back against it! I love love love to see this any time it happens, and for this reason Tank is such a special little thing! Usually this sort of character is on the side, but here it is the star, and I would like that to happen more often!

Trax is a very short game, but very fun and cute and replayable! This image is not of Tank being haunted by a vision of its own fiery demise. This is Tank having destroyed the weapons factory that happens to also be a giant tank. They use the tank design a lot in this game, but can you blame them? It’s so cute with its bulbous body and bulbous orbs it rolls around on! They can even move around independently in a way that looks like a creature’s legs!

And NOW we shall actually get to Kirby! Moto Shotzo’s only main appearance is in Super Star and its remake as an enemy, and since it is an enemy, I think we can safely assume these are the ENEMY tanks from the game. Dear Tank would not do this. Moto Shotzo is a weird name, since Shotzos are invincible and Moto Shotzos are not, but it’s fine. It’s fine!!! Really!!!

Moto Shotzo’s OTHER most notable appearance is in Kirby Quest in Mass Attack, where one of the Awesome Attacks has Kirby ride on one while being chased by the first boss of Trax. Now THIS is Tank! THIS is our friend! Appearing as an ally to Kirby, and an enemy to the empire’s army! The Mass Attack minigames are basically Fanservice: The Games, but they cared enough about their history to make it beyond just Kirby, and that is wonderful!

Lastly, look at this concept art for Dream Land 2! Rather than Animal Friends, Kirby was originally going to have a tank as a friend, and though the design is pretty different, this absolutely channels the spirit of Friendly Neighbor Tank. Look at it galloping like a jovial mammal!

No matter how much HAL grows, they always love to celebrate their history, and I love that about them! No one is forgotten. Not Shigesato Itoi’s No. 1 Bass Fishing, not Pinball: Revenge of the Gator, and no, not Trax! Even if there has only been the one game to its name, My Biological Child Tank will be beloved forever!

[mixtapenempire]

Lets talk about some dumb shit

In the morning I like to look at community posts on Youtube to see what there is to see like memes, updates on channels etc. Well today I stumbled upon this from a history youtuber who explains history with countryballs. (I have highlighted the more important parts)

Things are seriously getting fucking stupid. History is being censored on a platform of free speech, a platform where people can learn. And now they're making it hard for youtubers to even discuss one of these most important pieces of history to date. Oh and it doesn't stop at age restricting the Holocaust, they even get mad at sponsor segments.

Where Youtube is going it is making it very hard for content creators to follow, let alone historians who are already being forced on a tightrope. One even needing to resort to making their own website to allow other historians to come and put their videos there. This shit cannot stand and I as someone who loves military history, cannot believe we are letting this shit continue on without even making a peep. Don't think that's enough to make you talk? How about something every youtuber is facing lately, the fact that a rule is broken, but they sure as shit won't say which.

And it doesn't stop at WW2 history, unfortunately. Ukrainians who may be lurking upon my blog may know this already, but Youtube has been making it difficult for people to cover the most important European if not global event in the 21st century.

While no this post is not specifically about the Ukraine war, this is on a channel that covers the war, what is stopping Youtube from blocking out the war entirely if we are not making a stand?

Those who dare to silence history, show's they refuse to learn from it. And we all know what happens if we do not learn from history.

[burgersnacksformax]

Gk charas' google history headcanons

Shiraishi

He definitely has gambling websites open, and you know he knows what he's doing when you find "gambling.com/this-is-not-a-scam-website-xoxo/".

Which is then followed by dozens of searches along the lines of "scammed by gambling website", "how to get money back after scam", "how to report gambling website".

Also various paid corn sites, good for him

He uses Quora and Yahoo Answers as a reputable source of information.

So many goddamn 9GAG pages.

Vasily

Tons of links on social media of art by his favourite artists.

And Twitch, he probably watches vtubers while he draws.

There are also lots of vids in his history of first person shooters.

Random wikipedia articles of highly specific phenomena that piqued his interest.

And drawing references. His search history even seems suspicious out of context with the poses he searches.

Saichi

Travel and tourism vlogs, followed by google maps searches.

Also, recipe blogs and videos.

He has compilation vids all over his watch history, whether its compilations of "Funny Fails 🤣🤣😂 LOL LMAO #TRENDING" or just a compliation of moments from a show or a game, even if he doesnt play the game or watch the show.

Random trivia google searches, mainly because he mightve seen something he didn't know and ended up googling it.

And then he falls down a rabbit hole of random trivia, ending up excitedly telling Asirpa all about it.

Asirpa

Definitely watches animal fail videos.

Probably gets addicted to Wordle.

Does Not Use Keywords When Googling to point it's a miracle that google can even interpret what she's saying. Who tf searches like "I put my shirt in the dryer and now it shrunk and now I want to know if I can reverse it".

Watches educational youtube channels about literally anything. She'll fall dowm that rabbit hole.

Secretly loves those online flash games but would never admit to it.

Ogata

It's fucking wiped clean, almost nothing is there.

He mostly just does typical ogata stuff like searching up really specific facts that could get the average person arrested for knowing.

And also cat videos :)

Oh and he most certainly does not use google, he opts for browsers that keep you super secure.

He probably has reddit just to spread misinformation honestly.

Koito

Tons of beauty guru channels definitely.

He also has a channel of his own which is also in his search history a lot.

Search history completely unorganized. Youll see pictures and vids he finds funny, links to online shopping sites, wikipedia articles on military icons and tactics, etc.

He also loves reading travel blogs and watching vlogs.

Is really fucking good at Wordle, Asirpa hates him for always being able to get it right.

Tsukishima

also has koitos yt channel in his search history.

Lots of miscellaneous journals and artciles open for him to read.

He has perused a lot through online libraries too.

Does crossword puzzles online.

Reads the fucking. News. Every day.

Tanigaki

Ngl probably wouldnt google many things, and if anything his search history would be few and far in between.

But when he does search its things its so normal ?? Like "XXL clothing store near me" and "How to repair a broken air conditioning unit".

Gym websites and workout routine stuff. He maintains his build and I gotta respect that.

Also has facebook to check in on how his family and friends are doing.

And also baking and cooking videos.