#and i don't really like the ones where it's like they have reformation machine or something. unless it's specifically a scifi story otherwi

[shydroid3000]

#i keep thinking about this & cartesian dualism #like light. your body is YOU. #every part of it is YOU. your body is not just a cage for your mind#death note

@dancing-lex Your tags are making me think about something: So yeah, super yes with the Cartesian dualism connection. And in that vein.... Descartes framed non-human animals as automata who were not thinking/feeling but mechanistic. This view he used to justify vivisection on live animals, which he practiced/advocated for. (Now, vivisection was a common scientific practice then, but Descartes was notable for arguing that non-human animals did not actually feel pain or anything else, and thus something like vivisection was akin to taking apart a machine). Which..... I mean, can't help but remind me of the King of Justification, Light Yagami, ya know?? I mean, Descartes justifying vivisection as an act that was like totally fine and not something to feel bad about *at all*... is not that unlike Light going to great lengths to justify murdering (initially) two people, and then tens of thousands more. 'Cause murder is bad, but... the world is rotten and *his* specific kind of murder of a specific *kind* of person will actually make the world a better place. And he's the only one who could do it, so really it's his responsibility to. And I mean, vivisection did bring advancements and benefits for human society (and animal testing continues). And Kira brought certain ostensible benefits too. But in both cases, they rely on a fundamental devaluation of certain kinds of life. And with Descartes, a devaluation that involved reducing non-human life to nothing more than mechanical, things that experienced no more of an inner life than a clock. And while that's obviously not what Light thinks, it does feel like there's a sort of undercurrent of something similar there for him. I mean, the way he uses certain people around him as though, to him, they were simply tools (Misa, Takada, Mikami...). And the people he kills... the way they're engaged with mostly as just a category to him, rather than full individuals each with their own inner lives. I mean, in a way, he takes this sort of mechanistic view of the whole of human society. Something for Kira to take apart and reform so that it operates more smoothly. And like Descartes cutting into a living being, it really is okay for Light/Kira to slice into human society, remove an eye (for an eye), even stop its heart. And it's okay to not feel bad about the screams, really, because... well, he's God of the New World, and this is what a god does, and he's still *good* deep down, because it's all for a greater good. After all, humans are to a God kind of like what other animals are to a human, right? So he doesn't have to hurt inside when he hears whispers of screams on the wind, sees life fading from eyes in each sunset... right? Anyway, the framework of Cartesian dualism is really interesting to think about. It almost seems like to Light, he and L are the only two people he truly, truly conceives of as thinking beings in a way that really 'counts'. (Putting aside perhaps his family who I do think he values in his certain way). Like, other people walk around in their bodies having thoughts and feelings. But Light and L are minds, rational minds, in a way that transcends the more embodied existence of other humans. Anyway this feels so rambly and messy haha. It's very late (/early in the morning haha) where I am, so it may not entirely be coherent and I don't have the mental power to re-read and edit it haha. But your tags got my brain spinning, because the Cartesian dualism framework is an interesting lens to view Light through..!

Light is someone who perceives a very strong separation between the body and the mind, and is very disconnected from his own body. And I do wonder if, by nature of them being so similar, this is something he projects onto L as well; & helps him divorce the thought of the death of L's body (ie. his shell) from the death of L's mind (ie. his true self). So Light kills the body, the part of L that isn't really him, to incapacitate his mind, not kill it. He's compartmentalized it in such a way where he doesn't have to think of death as being true death.

It isn't until Light is about to die himself that he is able to mentally bridge the connection between his body & his own conscious existence, and realize what it really means to die.

[teal-fiend]

Vore world where reformation is a technological gift from a higher life form who saw this vore society struggling, due to the rampant cannibalism. And they decided that the best way to solve it was to give prey the ability to be revived but only in cases of being eaten by a predator. It doesn’t cover other mortalities. 

This technology is so complex that no scientist can unravel it, and many people take it as a divine miracle. There are religious sects dedicated to the reformation phenomenon. 

For most people, you accept that there’s a chance you will be eaten by a predator. It will be one of the most painful things you can imagine, but you’ll make it out alive and unscathed so really not that bad. An inconvenience at most. But prey know that the damage is very temporary, which makes it easier to handle.

This would explain why prey are not terrified out of their gourd when being hunted by a predator. They’re annoyed and many (although there are exceptions) don’t want to be eaten. It’s not the end of the world though. And maybe they will be offered financial compensation, depending on where they live

[roseltheteacup]

“RED” /// POST-GAME /// RE-BUILT AND RE-ACTIVATED

A more fully-formed sequel to my headcanons post, along with the postgame outfit I designed for him!

“Red” was born from necessity. He was Felix’s response to being reanimated and losing his memory, and Red simply occupied the front seat in Felix’s mind, climbing towards All City as the real Felix reformed subconsciously. Red was essentially Felix’s line of defence without even realising it.

Red is also represented by the cyberhead. Since that cyberhead didn't have all of its components removed to fit Felix’s head, aspects like its memory chip remained intact to document everything Red experienced on his journey, making it possible for him to remember things once he’s reactivated in postgame, where he receives a true machine mind and AI.

It took time before the crew understood that Felix wasn't Red. While still lending himself to the BRC, their teammate was… different, than they remember. Tryce and Bel know that the change happened somewhere in Mataan, but due to everything that was happening at the time, never got to confirm it with Red/Felix himself.

It took two weeks before Red was back in working order, and in those weeks, he was basically between life and death. Everyone: Prince, DJ Cyber and even DOT.EXE pooled all their efforts together to reanimate their friend and bring back the person known only as “Red.”

And so, Red was given the chance to live as his own person and as a true cyberhead, without fear of his life only serving as a liminal space between where Faux ended and Felix began. He is no longer temporary.

Red uses Faux’s discarded body as a base, but due to some wounds being too severe, more than half of his limbs had to be replaced with cybernetic prosthetics, including a modified spine. Being fully AI, Red adapted to this quicker than most humans do, but still required time and physical therapy to get back on his metaphorical feet again (and his literal feet.)

When looking at his cyberlimbs, he does feel a sense of… completeness. Red was born from a collage of other people, and throughout his existence, has struggled with the concept of being “temporary.” But his body, now, proves that he wasn't so. He is more than the sum of his parts, sewn back together by people who love him, and owning a life that he owes to no one but himself.

He lets everyone sign his prosthetics. Bel started it first and signed in an obvious spot, and annoyed Tryce until he did the same. Felix signed in a more inconspicuous spot (knee) because he likes giving Red the space to be his own person.

Red and Felix are like siblings in the sense that Felix is supposed to be the responsible one and Red is (mostly unintentionally) the annoying gremlin.

Probably nonbinary but also likes the category of “dude” and “guy” so he doesn't really give a shit.

“I don't really care about all this.”

“You don't?”

Works part-time at the Domino's equivalent in the Bomb Rush universe and always brings his board to work. If you see him performing tricks in the kitchen: please don't tell his manager. He's very proud of this job.

He likes watching those “Isopods eating food” videos.

[jotadoul]

rubbing my forehead to cope with reading an article where the author claims Zaibach is like the USSR. unnngggghhhhhh only if the USSR resembled ridley scott's 1984 apple ad, lol.

well, aside from the deutschy name and being inspired by industrial revolution era england— a colonial power— headed by a protestant english symbol of western thought creating the world as he wants/understands it straight from the 1700s to 1996, i see the show as using his belief that god must necessarily have a hand in driving the natural world (Newton insisted that divine intervention would eventually be required to reform the [planetary] system, due to the slow growth of instabilities) extrapolated to him eventually viewing himself as such a god. but forgetting all of that,

Zaibach

i think the name is mostly nonsense, but fwiw the hebrew verb "zabach" primarily means to sacrifice or to slaughter, particularly in the context of offering an animal to God as an act of worship.

Metropolis (1927) concept art by erich kettelhut

Zaibach

Metropolis was made during the era of the weimar republic (the german reich.) things were really shit because of WWI, then oh! prosperity! while the resentment and hatred from the right boiled, then the great depression ended that prosperity, then the nazis came into official power. Metropolis is known for having been greatly edited (endlessly recut and with versions lost) such attempts in part were to remove the communist-sympathising subtext in a film about a false and fairly explicitly german utopia— inspired too by the tower of babel and 1920s new york skyline— for the wealthy elite... wherein those same elite plot and scheme to construct clever events to keep themselves in power and remove the need for workers at all by destroying them and relying instead on machines (see: the great worker riot of 2026.) don't get me wrong though— there's plenty to criticise about Metropolis, much of it coming from Lang himself.

there are 3 major, interconnected machines which run the city. this one is called The Heart Machine.

the "Heart Machine", which is the central dynamo that generates most of the power to the entire city. Every day it produces an average of 1000 megawatts of power that is transferred through various power nodes throughout the machine room complex. The machine has run non-stop for 25 years with the exception of pausing for preventive maintenance. Unlike most equipment build in the late 1900s to the 2020s, these machines were built not to be replaced. The heart of the city system was built by Fellar, Inc. and came with a price tag of 78.7 million M.

The Heart Machine is under the charge of one man, Grot, a worker who has maneuvered his way up through the ranks by "helping" uncover covert information about the workers. 

(from here)

Metropolis, osamu tezuka

also, if you're interested in the approach to design—

The film's use of art deco architecture was highly influential, and has been reported to have contributed to the style's subsequent popularity in Europe and America.

art deco had no goal or philosophy of restructuring society/lifestyle. it glamourised the industrial revolution, moreover the opulence that everyone but the workers enjoyed, seeking to symbolise wealth and sophistication and rejection of tradition. Art Deco design exemplified opulent consumption, crass commercialism, and the acceleration of contemporary life summed up in the Futurist credo "Speed is beauty." (here. also would like to add that most? all? in the futurist movement were italian fascists who went and died in the war, effectively killing the futurist movement too.) however, in america, whose infrastructure was impacted far less by the war than europe, the style continued almost seamlessly into the new international movement— such is the case with any decade and its trappings; there's no actual definitive beginning or end to an era, especially for poorer people (whose customs and ideas are upcycled by the wealthy.) all of this art was continued or discontinued more randomly than that. ftr though i'm using generalities as opposed to finer details here only for the purpose of discussing what/how things appear in Escaflowne.

the exterior of Zaibach is more art deco while the interior, as well as that of Escaflowne itself, are from the movement of the pre-WWI art nouveau— since they're both related to Atlantis/draconians, who within the series have the strongest association with art nouveau as if a symbol of their elegant idealism, that makes sense. art nouveau sought to establish a "synthesis of the arts" (Gesamtkunstwerk) breaking down the previously firm distinction between fine art and applied art— incorporating the lushness and assymetry of nature into architecture, stained glass, metalwork, etc. etc., allowing rooms and practical/functional objects to "become" art as well, with the same approach as illustrations. it also should be said that art nouveau pulled heavily from japanese prints, as seen previously in the orientalist """japonisme.'"""

hôtel tassel, the peacock room, myst III exile

Decorative artists experienced a rise in status following the turn of the century; similarly, a rise in wealth and social as well as technological progress gave birth to the widespread luxury industry. This golden combination solidified the Art Deco movement.

William Morris, the founder of the art nouveau arts & crafts movement in england, was a staunch revolutionary socialist/anti-imperialist. he believed one should "have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." according to him, the main goals of the movement were "to give people pleasure in the things they must perforce use, that is one great office of decoration; to give people pleasure in the things they must perforce make, that is the other use of it." during a time which saw the beginnings of mass-production, the intended effect of this was to restructure a person's relationship to even the mundane items in their possession (see: commodity fetishism) and in that process, exposure to and relationship to art.

art deco suffered heavily during the aforementioned great depression because the materials to make it were no longer affordable and the labour classes exploited for other means. so i view it as... dornkirk claims he did all the shit himself but we know he's building on these ancient ideas and amassing/hoarding resources to achieve this, and he's keeping these organic forms— as representative of the natural world and part of that world being humanity— for himself exclusively as he burns the world down. however, we're not moralising art here, just as fritz lang regretted focusing on the moral over the social. escaflowne is also a weapon of war and must be put to rest as part of van's own break from punitive tradition.

ultimately, what we see in Escaflowne is people— while retaining any surface-level, or even essential and difficult differences, made even more clear by the sheer amount of different cultures/customs to which we're exposed— changing the calamitous course of fate when committed to a common goal, quintessentially represented by communal, mutual love and respect. i would say that's much more communist than what Zaibach represents.

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

I was talking about the last Airbender with one of my friends and how the whole "ending the cycle of violence" actually works really well and serves the story and the message it wants to send. it's one of these only instances where the choice of not killing the big bad guy makes SO much sense beyond the "murder bad".

It's the air tribe SURVIVING the genocide the fire nation despite all the hurt. It's so thematically powerful.

But having the supposedly anti imperialist show KEEP the military at the end? Is misguided at best. We're talking abt the same military that is built upon the blood and exploitation of others. Like the point is RIGHT THERE, and yet...

And gen I think that's what Arakawa is; misguided.

Cause she gets so many things right in her works that I don't get how else she could've chosen to end Scar's arc like *that*.

I just think she hasn't been properly introduced to intersectionality and radicalism and thus she's stuck in the liberal limbo. But then again, I might be wrong idk ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

ATLA shares a similar anxiety towards the oppressed who become "too violent" ala Jet and Hama. Pulls the classic "make the radical/angered victim of genocide behave cruelly to their fellows in order to equivocate the violence of entrenched power with those lacking".

Though I can give it to ATLA that, narratively, Aang defanging Ozai rather than killing him is an act of reclamation of his culture, as the sole surviving Air Nomad. Though we can ask how the meta-narrative uses this cultural context to soften the blow against an empire. But, given the homage to existing pacifist practices and ideologies, it feels more earnest and less nakedly protective of imperialist institutions compared to mangahood. But the cycle of violence is the growth of the Fire Nation as an imperial power, not the retaliation against the war machine; if Aang had chosen to kill Ozai, that's not a perpetuation of a cycle. Empires don't arise simply because someone took one down, and empires don't conquer and slaughter people because an empire had been quelled. The cycle of violence doesn't really map onto such things as imperialism, not without flattening all violence to "bad always".

It's been a long time since I watched the show; contrasting it to Brotherhood would work well, but who has the time? If nothing else, ATLA at least follows the victims and survivors of the Fire Nation's imperialism and massacres, rather than mangahood which largely stars genociders and imperial citizens. From what I can recall, it also has better pacing, doesn't squander its more serious and sombre moments with ill-timed gags, and the comedy/gags are more seamless/less intrusive than Brotherhood in particular. So hey, there's that too.

The supposedly "leftist", "anti-imperialist" show (Brotherhood) sure does a lot of excusing, coddling, and valorizing the military as an institution. It rests on a juvenile conception of noble idealism that, surely, all proud upstanding soldiers want to achieve for the nation. Positive nationalism! That's good and righteous, yeah? (No.) We sidestep the fact that no amount of 'noble' propaganda changes the exceptional violence that a military is literally meant to wield against those the state governs/wishes to govern/wishes to eradicate because, actually! It's the homunculi! Father makes the military and the nation it controls bad!

So there, problem solved. Anti-imperialism achieved.

We can only speculate on Arakawa's personal political beliefs. One's works are not necessarily indicative of every thought, belief, and action you hold or wish to see in the world. So no doubt she is simultaneously misguided on some things, liberal/nationalist/reactionary in others, and perhaps holds some quality beliefs as well. People are multifaceted messes, all of us. But, at least while looking at the politic of this one work of hers, it is boldly pro-military, pro-nationalist via reformism and the maintenance of the hegemon of powerful nation, and, frankly, racist towards brown people. Arguably mangahood is orientalist in its treatment of Ishval (exotified and negative/"savage"/"primitive"), Xerxes (exotified and 'positive', excuses and exemplifies the protags and their heritage, "advanced"/"civilized"/tragic in contrast with Ishval which is seen as aggressive on par with Amestris), and to an extent Xing.

Tbh, my biases prevent me from shaking the thought that she hated that Sho Aikawa et al had Amestris be shone in the hideous light of its systematic cruelty. That she resented Scar being made to be the enemy of Amestris as an entity, and a direct enemy of its military. (Oh no, he's an enemy of all the "~good~" that militaries stand for! 😱😱😱/immense sarcasm)

Perhaps she always planned for her version of her character to be 'reformed' (I have to hold in my bile). Perhaps that plot beat only blossomed in her mind after witnessing Scar kill off 7000 soldiers in his final act, 1) because she thinks that's cruel to the soldiers (🙄🙄🙄), and 2) because waaaah Scar died 'evil' (🙄🙄🙄🙄). As Brotherhood carried forward in its plot, all I could see were direct inversions of 03. And Liore (as well as Scar) is a prime example. Look at how Brotherhood assures us that actually the Liorans are fiiiiiiiine, they all banded together to work as a team to rebuild, they just got all turned around and violent but it's no one's fault except the nebulous sins of humanity, haha whoops! They're super happy, their outlook bright and cheery! No more military aggression here, and all without the violence of resistance fighters! We don't even blame the guy who upended the theocratic rule of the city, no sirree. All is well! Rose even thanks Ed for showing them "the way". All of this is a direct rebuttal to the horrific violence of the military invasion shown in 03, of the mass slaughter, of the rape, of Ed being shown the part he played in this destruction. Edward surrounded by the crowded graveyard of murdered Liorans as Scar stands above him, having been right all along about the role people working in the military will play, is one of 03's clear-eyed condemnations of the sabotage and subterfuge powerful states use against their targets. Rose doesn't thank Ed for what he did, for what happened to Liore, and the mass suffering caused on behalf of the state, for which his meddling accomplished.

It couldn't be more clear that Arakawa was not ok with any of this. I could chalk it up to "she simply wanted to set her manga apart from the first anime" which I know to be the case more broadly, given her statements on the matter. But it's the way she ignores Liore in her version of the story, the way everyone is oddly... fine. The way Rose assures Winry that they've improved as a people as a result. And the way Scar is just routinely tarred and flogged until he bends to the military while decrying his own actions as "terrorism" (I won't dive into the numerous meanings of such a loaded term for now). It's all of that that makes me see her work as a more active, intentional political statement rather than an accidental, incidental one.

As I stated before though, neither of us can be certain on what she believes within herself, let alone what she would claim. (People have a tendency to feel one way but their actions and reactions may claim otherwise. You can say you're against imperial violence while making millions of excuses for imperial nations.) It's still worth dissecting what can be seen, directly stated, and interpreted from mangahood itself, sans the author. Because regardless, the works themselves do have a voice. And that voice is often heard without the context of 03. Because I'm sorry, but mangahood would not be so stringent on its reformism without 03's more stark, relatively realistic take on militarism and imperialism.

Yet mangahood purists would have us believe that it exists not in conversation or rebuttal to 03 but instead in a vacuum. Pure. At best some fans see mangahood as a 'correction' of the 'mistake' of the 2003 adaptation, simply because the source material is king even when that source material doesn't fully predate the 03 anime. And that's fucking ridiculous and warps the chronology of fma's history as a franchise all for the convenience of ignoring mangahood's glaring contrivances and issues.

[myymi]

Prime! Tails vs. Nine ; Who wins?

my take on this topic is possibly an unpopular opinion but sure, i'll throw in my two cents

you're probably expecting me to say nine would win, but i don't really think so.

a lot of people think that prime tails is weaker than his modern self but there is literally no proof of that. we only see him in one fight. sure, he's using a little robot instead of spindashing or whatever, but that doesn't mean he's weak or is suddenly too reliant on his tech. there's several reasons he could have been using the robot in place of actually fighting (testing his latest machine, wanting to keep his main focus on the prism, keeping a distance from the fight to be a support, etc.)

regardless of the reason, we only get to see prime tails fight in a background role. you can't really judge a character's strength when they're fighting alongside four other people, especially when three of them are the main heavy hitters of the group. it doesn't make sense. if you apply that logic to the other media, then frontiers tails would have to be weaker than prime tails because we don't see him fight anything at all (excluding dlc, obviously). it just doesn't work that way

that's all without even mentioning the fact that nine is shown to rely on his tech in every single fight he's in (even non-physical ones, like his arguement with sonic before he takes the prism to the grim; he uses his metal tails to make himself bigger to appear more threatening). no matter the situation, nine always uses tech first. he'd be incapable of fighting anyone if his tech is taken away, which prime tails is easily capable of doing.

an extra tidbit;

following the theory that the different shattverses of characters are just them split apart and when the prism was reformed it merged the shatterspaces together to reform green hill (i will die on this hill, this theory is canon2me), prime tails would easily beat nine in a fight, tech or not. nine is only a third of tails, and therefore lacks a lot of the experience tails has. sure, nine grew up in a city where every day was fight, but it wasn't much different for tails. it's just not stated as explicitly. not to mention that tails has people that have taught him how to fight and tackle different situations whilst nine had no one. tails has several more tricks up his sleeve than nine, so if they somehow fought each other i think prime tails would win. don't think it'd even be a close fight tbh

[chaifootsteps]

One of the many things that bugged me in the final, was Al's segment in the last few minutes, mostly because like everything in this show there was so much missed potential. So I present a part of a re-write I would love to do, this part focusing on Al because he could have been really cool and not an edge lord. Also most of this is stuff I've seen in other asks/re-writes that I think would be cool.

So Al in this version is pretty close with pilot/original Al. He was still a serial killer who loves to make deals. He has his code for killing of killing those who take advantage of the weak and most of his deals are deals of protection(ie. every time you help me, you can call on me to help you that number of times), he still makes deals for his own gain of course and is still as ominous as in the pilot. Also he functions like a warlock from dnd, with no real power of his own. Also also, he never swears at all, not once and if he does its a more old timey swear, he cannot talk with out his staff and has to perpetually smile.

Have him keep his sentiment from the pilot that he's here at the hotel for his own amusement and that he does not care about anybody in it. Have Al start of as very aloof and keep him this way for the frist 10(give or take) episodes(also give the show more episodes). Have Al never use his powers on screen have only give hints that he's as powerful as everybody says he is. Over the first season have the cast grow to like each other more Al include but much much more mildly. The main villains of s1 should be the Vs also save Heaven for last or later. So s1 final, the Vs attack the hotel or sm and the main cast + sinners who have checked in to the hotel(believing it not to be a lost cause, which also gives Charlie some extra motivation). During this have a part where Al has to use his suposed powers only to reveal that he has none or that they are extremely weak. At some point either durning or before his 7 year sabbatical they where either taken or disappears for some reason(maybe because of a deal he broke?). After this have Al use what little magic he has to teleport away leaving the hotel(because he's a coward/does not want to be seen as weak in anyway). The cast gets the Vs to leave them alone with one of Sir. Pent's machines bc he's the best and we love him.

Another thing that I want to do is show Al being aroace. Have an episode where he goes with Angel to the Vs tower just to mess with Vox but they run into Val and Alastor is very obviously uncomfortable near him, you could even have Angel notice this and try to have Val piss off.

Ok moving on to next season, Al is missing and have the gang(mostly Niffty and Husk bc in this au those three are friends and you can pry that from my dead hands. Also Husk and Al have a deal of mutual protection, they help each other out. Hell this could be another reason why Al left at the fight because he could do anything to help Husk.) start looking around pride to try and find him. They do and he immediately teleports away leading to a short chase until Al runs out of magic. Then the rest of main cast confront him about the whole ordeal. I'm not sure how exactly it goes but Al durning the whole conversation is trying to doge all questions and lie as much as he can(the main cast after this still don't know all the details but the main idea is that, Al had a deal with somebody who gave him powers when he first entered hell, maybe Lilith? And 7 years ago he broke it somehow, leaving him to disappear trying to regain lost power). Husk and Niffty manage to convince him to keep helping the hotel and probably question him more in private. I'm not sure what the rest of s2 would be about, I know that s1 is about more sinners checking into the hotel and also getting Angle away from Val. s2 Might be about Charlie finally getting to talk w/ Heaven and would you look at that they love the idea of a hotel for sinners to reform because heaven likes the exterminations about as much as hell does(exterminations are still about over population in this au). Also s2 introduces Lucifer.

I'm not quite sure what exactly happens in s3 and 4 but I know that in s3 Al starts believing in the hotel more and caring about the people in it(would he ever admit this? no.). Somebody in this season also presents him with betraying the hotel which he says no to. Idk how s4 goes but it ends with some angels(not all of them, only the most dedicated exterminators) going to hell against heavens rules to kill as many sinners as they can. They get stopped obviously but I still need to work out more details.

I'm still working on sorting out other stuff for this re-write also sorry if this is really long or annoying, I've had this sitting in my brain all week. If you don't mind I might also send asks about the other characters in the re-write

Good rewrite! Interesting stuff!

[basedkikuenjoyer]

HxH 403: We Need to Talk About Halkenburg

403 was...a lot to take in. Classic Succession War chapter and as much as I liked the Phantom Troupe interlude I am glad to be back to the real main thread for this chunk so far. Though it makes this chapter one where you have to recall things you maybe only read once a few years ago. A lot pertaining to the "top tier" machinations between two of the bigger fish. First Prince Benjamin and Ninth Prince Halkenburg. Upended by something Kacho's letter revealed, the latter should be a higher number because his mom is the first queen. They lied to protect him.

People guessed that last week, the really cool part of all this was when he did the arrow thing again. This time showing a new dimension; he doesn't just have to use his main retinue to build up the collective nen. He also gives the ability a name, and that name is an interesting reference. It can be read as an allusion to We Need to Talk About Kevin. An early 00s book then movie about a school shooter. Told through the lens of his mother and notably the boy uses a bow and arrow. So it doesn't feel like an entirely for fun nod. My read on Halkenburg for a while is that he's ripe for going beyond the pale justifying any means to his end after the confrontation with Daddy.

But now it seems like he's on death's door. Which is what really threw me. We have other threads moving forward in this chapter. Kacho/Kaiser/Melody seem ready to strike quick and Zhang Lei is getting desperate to court Kurapika's nen expertise. But Halkenburg is the real story of this chapter.

He's always been an intriguing prince in this clash. The reformer, and because of that he always felt like a big player. I don't think the First Prince's guard actually got to him with the bio-weapon in his boot. It seems like he knew about and expected this. So was he trying to finish something before a disease caught up to him? Is this a ploy? Trying to set up an excuse to go for a darker version of the plan with Kacho? Post-mortem nen? Who knows.

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

You're in Denial: Arthur X Celestine

Lady Celestine is one of the four heroes of Yore and just happens to be the love of Arthur's life. She's a very integral character... kickstarting serval events in the story. I hinted at their dynamic in the past: it's the classic enemies-to-lovers troupe (my favorite- blame Bridgerton: They're Kate & Anthony )

Their relationship is an integral part of the story: hopefully, I can get you all on board this ship (it's okay if you don't, it's part of the prelude). She kicks off several plot points in the story. She's the oracle & blacksmith of the GSA and is responsible for creating Triple Star, Exabliur, and Galaxia (unfinished - completed by another). But her main job was to look after the Fountain of Dreams that was in the temple of the ancients.

Which is where this lovely scene takes place. (And they're lotus flowers, not lilies...)

This happens before Meta and Gala, so this is a young Arthur (the before times).

Sir Uther had three apprentices...

The pecking order was: Arthur, Morgan, and Nonsurat. Which created a wall between Arthur and the other two. It also didn't help that Arthur wasn't the nicest guy either.

Before, Arthur was known as Sir Uther's "golden boy"... Cold and calculating, ready and willing to do Uther's bidding without question. An unfeeling war machine by Uther's design. He was Sir Uther's top soldier: a position Morgan envied & despised Arthur for it...

He was at the top, but it was a lonely spot. As a result, Arthur had closed his heart off from the world: never being his own person. Causing him to wear an apathetic and arrogant personality. He was his master's tool, nothing more. This was his lot in life, and he had accepted all of it.

On Celestine's end, she was a caged bird all her life...

Celestine can't predict the exact future... only show potential paths. But with her powers can guide people to the outcome they want. Which is why she's given the title of Navigator of the Constellations. Nightmare knew of her ability and desperately wanted her power. Only appearing with if alongside the other heroes of Yore when needed (which was only Uther & Icarus at the time).

However, there was a sinister reason behind it... the ancients wanted to monopolize her power. And was confined to the temple most of her life as a result.

Because of her powers, she knew what the ancients really were; a bunch of self-serving hypocrites. So she played the "naive, sweet little priestess": but hid the heart of a dragon. She had a few followers that served under her court; her position kept them within arms reach. In reality, she was alone...

She's the Merlin of the story and Celestine... did not take kindly to Arthur. When she found out that Arthur would be the one to end Uther's reign... "there has to be another Arthur because this one's an arrogant little prick!" She met him a few times: shadowing Uther, and saw him as his dirty henchman.

Arthur did not have a high opinion either of Celestine due to Uther's influence. As the chief blacksmith, Celestine would hire based on talent. She did not care if a person was a high-born or low-born... which Uther did not like. Uther saw her as a foolish little girl who did not know how the world worked. As a result, Arthur saw her as a sheltered, naive, delusional dreamer... however, this would all change.

After the temple was attacked by Nightmare: he was assigned as Celestine's bodyguard. Arthur was not ready for the bucket of sass that was Celestine. Sharp, witty, and vicious (with a few other surprises), she was not one to be messed with.

Arthur was at her mercy since she was technically above him. Though much to his surprise: she insisted on being treated as his equal. Unlike his master: who demanded respect... she was nothing like him. Celestine infuriated & fascinated him all at the same time.

For Celestine, she took this as a chance to reform him... which translated to: "For the sake of the galaxy, I need to take this man down a peg!" But... was pleasantly surprised that her original notions of him were wrong (half of them he was still a little prick ). And teased him every chance she got to reprogram him from his "unfeelingness,"... much to Arthur's annoyance and her delight. But she came to care for the man more than the prophecy.

In time they both realized they suffered the same loneliness. And found comfort in each company... and valued their time together. Arthur, he did not need to be"Sir Uther's golden boy": just Arthur... the feeling was mutual on Celestine's end. She never needed to pretend with Arthur and felt safe being herself with him.

They loved each other but didn't know the words. Both were too inexperienced and young to realize this. And if they did say it... their positions wouldn't allow it... What became of Lady Celestine?

Hmm... oh, I wonder what happened to her?

Keep reading to hear a bit about Morgan... (the runner up in the poll)

Morgan herself was also supposed to be one of the heroes of Yore and complete the set (of four)... But it just didn't fit well. I wanted her to have more emotional weight. Making her one of Uther's apprentices and a rivalry with Arthur seemed more fitting.

There was more of a personal connection to them. Giving her more reason to want to take over the GSA. Always desiring Uther's praise and recognition but never receiving it.

If Morgan won the poll, it (the comic) would've been about her and Norsurant. While they may have been the spares; Norsurant & Morgan always had each other (in a sibling sense).

But after Arthur fell from grace by taking in MK: Morgan became obsessed with taking his (Arthur's) spot. And ended up leaving Norsurant behind to pursue the empty spot. However, this incident also changed his relationship with Arthur.

Like Morgan: Nonsurat believed that Arthur was the golden child that could do no wrong. But after this incident: made realize that he had Arthur figured out all wrong.

[titleknown]

Look, regarding your last posts, I think some of these people are trying to guilt-trip/inflame/goad people like you into doing something extreme. Like doing a Luigi. It's a long shot, but comes with 0 risk to them.

[In reference to this post]

{EDIT} Put this past the break because A) it is long, and B) it was written late at night and emotionally driven, so it's probably worth reading it in that sense rather than any deep statement wrt internationalism.

...I don't think it's that drastic anon, mainly for practical reasons. They'd rather people joined a revolutionary movement, because collective action is generally more effective than isolated martyrdom.

I think it's that they don't think that anything can be accomplished, especially for the wellbeing of the Global South, without revolutionary government-overthrowing action, and to convince people that it's immoral to try and go through governmental methods because it's poisoned to the root.

I think they sincerely believe that, often related both to the weight of history and painful personal experience, and they're pushing it because they feel alone and like "Why is nobody willing to help me?"

And it's hard not to see their point in our shitty decaying wreck of a system, especially from people subject to our shitty empire.

But they don't do a very good job of convincing me that it's possible, at least not before I'm dead or without my life getting unfathomably worse.

So they beat my view of "A better world is possible" to death with hammers and replace it with:

Like, as an example, everyone loves to remind us of the chain of atrocities that sustains the US Supply chain in that same snide "think about it" way.

But they give no indication of how to allow people to get anything beyond barren subsistence, they give all indications they think that is logistically impossible, and that if you try to engage in a way that might allow for a better world and things that spark joy to still exist, they say you're a part of the problem, a part of a long series of "reforms" that rehabilitate the machinations of empire and are the reason the evil has not been destroyed.

This is the reason computing is such a bugbear to me by the by. It's not a world where my computer would be taken forcibly from me that I fear, but one where servers for the online places I go would go dark one by one as their parts run down and their electricity allocations get cut more and more before the online cord is let to decay for good and even the internet archive is dissected for scrap, and my computer would fall apart in its natural cycle of use and I could not repair it because the parts to do so would no longer be made or feasible to make.

And if I got mad or pushed back against this vast and unfathomable loss, people would at best condescendingly chide me for my selfish chauvinism and say if I really wanted it I'd either go through the ever-shrinking amount of hoops to get at the crumbs left, or at worst put me up against a wall and put a bullet in my skull. That's what I'm afraid of.

Basically everything that's awful about capitalism if you care about anything nonstandard or niche, except somehow even worse, but you have your basic needs met so you aren't allowed to complain.

And I get the feeling that my struggles and the struggles of all my friends up here do not matter, no matter how immiserated they are, because of how the people saying the stuff that brings me despair (Who are often directly in the Global South) have it even worse off.

Coupled with the idea of course, that "things will only get better for us if that revolution occurs, and if you want things to get better for you that means throwing us under the bus."

When I see leftists on here talk about how wanting to work in the arts is bourgeois, or how disabled people using food delivery services or cleaning services is bourgeois (Because under communism nobody will help you), I feel that void of hope growing, this feeling that me and my friends' struggles don't matter, because for those in the Global South they say it's either Us or Them.

I feel like so much of what they say that isn't "Don't forget, you're here forever" is "A better world is possible, but not for you." That is, when they're not flat-out saying "kill yourself you filthy yankee."

Like, I saw this a lot after the election too, people shitting on those who're scared that Trump is going to make things worse for them by saying "Well, under Biden/The Dems, things still got worse for [X], so we have no sympathy."

Which like... doesn't convince me of the necessity of non-electoral revolution, it just makes me feel like things will get worse until after I die, and that if things get better for me and those I care about it will be at the expense of immiserating billions.

Hell, it was a falling out over a related matter between two artists I follow which caused this recent scrupulosity spike, which leaves me feeling like a bad person for still associating with one of them even though I've non-parasocially known them for over a decade now, even if I think they both fucked up on a personal level there.

...I will flat out say, this post is from the perspective of someone from the Global North, in a relatively privileged albeit precarious position from disability, who is in fact constantly beset by those scrupulosity issues, and I don't know of a solution that wouldn't involve shutting those people down who; again; have real problems and deserve to be heard!

It's just... I suppose some sympathy would be nice.

Some sympathy that people stochastically yelling at me over this all the time hurts, some sympathy that they make me feel like my life is going to get worse until I die no matter whether under capitalism or under a truly just communism because they're so fucking shit at being convincing that they can do shit to help people outside of governments or do their revolution before I die.

Some fucking sympathy that my dreams for my life are broken nearly beyond repair and that so many of my friends who deserve the world are struggling with nothing, and that even if other people have it even worse, my friends still matter too!

I'm just... so tired of everything feeling hopeless, and the one movement that should give me hope telling me that hope is something other people deserve but not me, I should just lower my standards or die, because if I don't I'm just as bad as the people hurting me and those I love.

I'm tired of feeling like I'm being constantly judged for wanting things to get better for me and my friends before I die.

[saltyr3mix]

EVERYONE ELSE GO HOME YOU ARE MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD FOR THE NEXT HOW EVER LONG THIS TAKES YOU TO READ. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS.

Ladies, gents, all of the above below and in between here is my rambles about new life sparrow because he has infested my mind like the skulk that infests him.

OK WERE DO I EVEN BEGIN WITH THIS GUY

Okokokokookokooo SO

We love a flawed character who has good intentions and a not so good way of showing them. he comes off as over enthusiastic and insensitive at first with his studies of hybrids. which is....just a tad bit relatable as someone often seen as energetic i can be too much for people at times so i get it.

Also everyone that drew the parallels between the way Sparrow talks about hybrids and O!Owen talked about demons is correct. it's terrifying. and if sparrow ever goes down that arc i will write incredibly angsty fanfiction about it and cry.

If you haven't already im going to point anyone reading this in the direction of my New life smp fic, Storming sacrifices on ao3 by Salty_R3mix cause thats where a lot of this next part comes from.

i head cannon that on New life when players die/switch hybrids they have to fall into a coma like state to do so and it takes time in between those shifts. Sparrow is on the longer side of these shifts for the more drastic the change the longer. to go from human to machine and then machine to skulk. thats like a solid month or two of their body just reforming and recreating. both times.

ALSO THE MOST RELATABLE THING ABOUT HIM.

HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE HUMAN.

WHICH IS JUST SO SAME BESTIE LIKE IF I LIVED IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE GET COOL TRAITS AND MAGICAL POWERS AND I WAS JUST BORING? YEAH I WOULD STUDY THEM AND TRY TO BE ONE TO! BOLD OF YOU TO ASSUME MY LOVE FOR FANTASY AND MAGIC ISN'T ALREADY BASED OFF THE NEED TO ESCAPE THE REAL WORLD BECAUSE IT SUCKS AND ITS BORING ANDGHYKULKNBVGVUKL

Anyway hes also insane. like, i get it. but also you could have found a away to make the process less painful im sure. hes smart. but his egarness got the best of him.

Anyway one of my favorite things to think about and debate is the 'chip' in his head. cause to me and my messed up little mind that has read well over at least 20 hours worth of sbi hybrid fanfiction in the summer of 2022. to me that just sounds like instinct. hot take but i don't think it was that big of a deal. what was wrong with the situation was prior to becoming a copper golem, Sparrow was human. if any other hybrid became a copper golem. they would be a lot less bothered by it. Sparrow was not used to that sheer level of inhumane instinct that it overwhelmed him and he just let it. t Not knowing what else to do. until eventually getting so lost and consumed by it that he had to you know....blend himself.

I miss him though. i like robots. and he was so fun to draw. i draw him all the time. just because the design i made for him is one of my favorite things ever.

OH AND SKULK SPARROW. THIS MAN. HE IS SO MESSED UP. THE NARRATIVE CAME CRASHING DOWN IN FRONT OF HIM AND SCREAMED THAT HE IS DOOMED.

I haven't seen a character so demised by the narrative that wasn't my own since outsiders Apo and maybeeeeeeee Celio form wtd. beside the point.

He is so overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time its iconic. one seconded hes lonely after copper literally abandoned any former relationships. the next he can hear things through the skulk. but then he brings a guy down. kills him. decides to build a gate. AGAIN. WE KNOW HOW THIS ENDED LAST TIME OWEN. WHEN HAVE GATES EVER WORKED IN YOUR FAVOR. i think it's just a cannon event for them at this point. Owen with gates and Apo with levers. (GUYS IM JOKING HERE. DON'T CARY THIS CURSE INTO PIRATES PLEASE LET THEM BE HAPPY FOR ONCE)

Ok yeah. Im really excited to watch skulk and other versions of sparrow later realize that no matter what monstrosity he ends up as. he'll never be as free as he was human again. Every hybrid comes with their own form of instinct that he will be forced to follow. some lighter than others. and hell, even if he does end up as human again the effects are still there forever lingering.

ALSO I AM HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH THE 'Wait? His name is sparrow but he still answers to Owen. this clearly must have lore implications.' PEOPLE. To anyone who has ever had that thought you are the best. i've read i think 3? fics based of it and oh my word im obsessed with that idea and the different takes on it.

and here is where i come to a close. do i have more to say? probably. but my hands hurt and my thoughts are slowing in pace so if you want more feel free to ask id be overjoyed but ask another day. i mean i didn't even touch on his interactions with the other players.

i am so clearly sane and stable about this character btw. i don't know what made you think otherwise.

[atlailx]

EarthSpark Season 1 Finale Retrospective (from someone who hasn't seen every single TF show)

(I'm not too sure how to format text posts but whatever)

Spoilers for Transformers Earthspark (obviously lol)

I finally had enough time to finish season 1 of Earthspark, and though I loved the finale, there were just a few things I think it could've improved on.

1. The ending was too easily solved, we had that HUGE buildup of the machine that could kill anything with energon in its body, then it's just reversed 2 minutes later? The finale would have generated so much hype and appreciation for the second season if it ended on a cliffhanger.

2. A few of the plot devices didn't make very much sense if you REALLY think about it. For example, once the Autobots arrive at the Malto's home to save them from ghost, why didn't they take off their ghost badges? They clearly do not associate with ghost anymore, why were they still wearing the badges? And even after that, when the Terrans and Bee defeat a mind controlled Elita and OP, why didn't they remove their badges? They saw that the badges are what caused them to power down at first, and it's safe to assume that once Elita and OP awoke from the Terrans defeating them, they'd still be under mind control. (Unless this was specified in the show and I just missed that)

3. This is minor, but where did the cassettes go? Surely Soundwave would've freed them, right? Also where is Tarantulas?

4. When Twitch and Thrash were on the tower fighting Mandroid, they knew that the cybersleeves were powering the energon machine thingy, why didn't Thrash just free the Maltos while Twitch distracted Mandroid? (Unless that's what he was trying to do originally, I may have missed/forgotten that)

Though I do have complaints, the finale had so much good in it

1. I love how Twitch and Nightshade were the main two Terrans, their personalities work so well together.

2. The camerawork and animation is amazing, the blend of 3d and 2d works so well in the finale and it looks phenomenal.

3. The reference to the hanger fight from previous episodes when Twitch propelled herself with her cannon was perfect, I love that she picked that up from Megs.

4. Overall it was an amazing finale, and though I still do prefer Cyberverse and TFP to Earthspark, the second season could steal my heart.

Speaking of season, here's a few things I'd love to see in the 2nd season of Earthspark (Obviously not every single one, that'd be a bit too cluttered for a single season)

1. More characters who (in canon) who changed sides (during the war) such as Jetfire and Drift, I'd love to see the dynamics of a reformed character showing their perspective on the past.

2. Add the DJD, they would be perfect for Earthspark, since in IDW, they hunt down Megs for changing sides, they'd be perfect since Earthspark Megs changed sides. I just want to see Earthspark Megatron be held responsible for his actions during the war, and would love to see Megs explain more of his previous ideals and tactics.

3. Give us more time to address the stuff that happened in the war, since we've seen people talk about it, but we need to SEE it, with characters like Starscream addressing the insane shit that happened within the cons ranks. (Similar to my previous thought, lol)

4. More classic characters being MAIN main characters, like give us more Arcee or Wheeljack. (This could be fixed with spotlight episodes)

5. More character spotlight episodes, we need to explore individual characters, especially the now freed Decepticons. I'd love a Shockwave, Soundwave, or even Skywarp spotlight episode. (Also where did the cassettes go? They should've been freed during the finale)

6. Possibly introduce Quintessons since this show loves Quintus Prime so much, and if they don't do that, introduce some of the other Primes.

7. Because of how progressive the series is with its representation, introduce Knock-Out, finally canonize Breakdown and Knock-Out's relationship in a show (I know it's canon in IDW), instead of just implying it like in TFP.

8. Have the second season focus on developing characters and introducing new ones, have the second season be a set-up for the third, and build up the antagonist through pre-existing characters. For example, using my Tarn/DJD suggestion, have an episode where Megatron reveals the DJD has found his location, and have him explain what the DJD is, and why this is an issue. Or with my Quintesson suggestion, have Quintus Prime give the children a vision of the Quintessons and warn them about their approach, then have the children ask what the Quintessons are.

9. This show could introduce Unicron, but honestly, a plot following the effects of the war would be better, though a Unicron plot is always welcomed.

10. Expand the Terrans more, they all share the same enthusiasm, and just feel a little too similar. I'd love to see Twitch become more pessimistic after all the insane stuff that happened in the finale, show her being affected after nearly being killed, watching her family "die", and having to mature so quickly, show Twitch being weary around Megs after nearly being killed by him under mind control.

[fideidefenswhore]

do we know much about fitzroy's relationship with his stepmother? i remember reading something about how he didn't like her and returned or exchanged a horse she had gifted him.

Well, assuming you mean AB bcus Jane was his stepmother for all of, what, weeks before he died and as such I don't believe there's any record of gifts between them (although it is possible that Jane knew of him more than your average courtier, since Edward Seymour had been his Master of the Horse);

I don't think exchanging a gifted horse indicates much of anything outside of he simply didn't care for the horse, given that Fitzroy did the same with his own, actual mother?

"Bessie chose to make him a present of horses, demonstrating a level of awareness in his interests. They were not an altogether successful gift, however, with the boy exchanging one of the horses with his chamberlain for a gelding [...]"

Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII / Norton, Elizabeth

This idea of animosity between the pair has been popularized by Weir's rather disengenous characterization of the quote "'a malign smile seemed to pass over the features of the young duke' during the proceedings" (apparently, her execution, since he wasn't present at the trial) as simply one from a "later account", the implication being something as touch-and-go verifiable, two-generations removed as George Wyatt or maybe the Spanish Chronicle...would it surprise you to know how much 'later' the 'account' of the event was (1...8...7...9)?

Discluding her fall there's really not much we know about their relationship. Even including that, despite Chapuys' report, he either didn't believe Fitzroy's response to his father's assertion that Anne would have poisoned him was worth posterity, or, more likely, he didn't give one. Presumably he believed him and attended her execution, but should we read much more into that than filial, even sacred (when your father's King, it's both) duty? He was also constrained to attend the executions of the Carthusian Martyrs in 1535, and no one reads into that the same way, in fact the preeminent biographer of his mother, Norton, suggests that his maternal family was more inclined towards traditionalism than Reform.

Certainly there's no reports of Anne disparaging him, or not wanting him in her company, nor, until May 1536, of attempts to poison him, like there were for her stepdaughter. He seems to have been somewhat of a fixture at court, but then, he was married to one of her ladies (something it seems she arranged and that Chapuys did suggest was to 'reduce' his status, but he said the same about the Earl of Surrey's marriage by her machinations and was wrong on that account, too, a daughter of a Duke wed to a Duke was entirely appropriate). Despite that he, at the least, overtly conformed where her stepdaughter didn't, it's probably safe to assume Anne was, on some level, wary of him (he wore purple, members of his household referred to him as "the prince", etc.); and maybe that went both ways (he complained with "perhaps a hint of disgruntled petulance" when his property of Collyweston was taken from him and granted to Anne, although he was politic enough to vent to Cromwell, not his father directly). If they were, they were both smart enough to bury resentment or suspicion of the other under courtly politesse.

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Blaming apathetic voters for voter apathy is like blaming homeless people for homelessness. I know it's scary, but please do not fall into the pit trap of blaming the individual.

National vote-by-mail and mandatory voting. If we're going to have a real representative democracy like we say we do, where everybody votes - just the baseline! - we need that. We don't have that. And saying "We don't have that because people didn't vote for it" when the vote is being actively suppressed is... self-soothing at best and more likely a malicious smoke screen. Don't buy it.

Now, if we really wanted to swing for the fences, we'd also get some campaign finance reform, total transparency, overturn Citizens United and all the super PACs, and do national ranked-choice voting. We'd also stop using the goddamn dodgy electronic voting machines, that's just tempting fate. We're not doing that either.

We can't even keep states from passing laws that make it illegal to hand someone standing in line to vote a bottle of water. And if you really want to scare yourself, google "democracy desert." I can't blame someone for not wanting to get heatstroke in order to cast a ballot that might by some miracle enact some change... only to see it get overturned or just plain not-enforced.

Protest and direct action are the only thing left to us, but I can't blame you if you'd rather not get arrested or killed trying to fix a broke-ass system you didn't break, either. It is not my right to demand that of you, I can only try to remind you to support those who are willing to take the risk for all of us.

I got lucky. I managed to get out of the States. I no longer support concentration camps with my tax dollars, and maybe I'll get me some genuine citizenship in a few years. But I also helped get Biden into office before I left, like I must assume folks like you wanted. He didn't get rid of the camps. Those tents and cages will hold trans people they don't want just as well as they're holding immigrants they don't want. Oh, yes, and they will kill you. Not all at once in a gas chamber with clear photographic evidence, but you may suffer a tragic accident. Even without Trump calling the shots.

All we can do is slow it down and give more people a chance to get safe, but it's not slowing down much anymore. It's just speeding up a little less.

If you can get out there, if your body isn't so damaged and broken that you're liable to pass out and inconvenience the volunteer medics (I am so sorry, you guys. I should've known my limits. But at least I brought you some water, I guess. Even if someone threw water at a cop later and they retaliated by shooting a child with a pepperball) then you gotta get out there.

Voting isn't gonna save us (and I do mean us, I'm trans and nonbinary and a descendent of immigrants, one of whom may have come up from Mexico without that coveted paperwork and authorization, but Ronald fucking Reagan gave everyone in his generation amnesty), so what more* are WE ALL going to do?

*I promise, even if it's not direct action, there is something more you can do. Find it and do it.

Forever thinking about how, on election day in 2016, I wore a shirt with an American flag on it because it was what was clean. And the 20-ish year old bagging my groceries made a snide remark about it, followed by 'I didn't vote, they're all the same anyways.' And a fellow grocery worker chimed in agreement that he wasn't voting for the same reason.

And now I can't go to a local drag event without having to walk through a gauntlet of nazis.

I realize that the election is a year and a half away, but please don't fall for the 'they're the same' rhetoric this time around. Both candidates will suck, but they'll suck in different ways and one of them wants my community dead.

[mood2you]

Okay the machinations of Spiderverse make more sense to me the second go around... But now I don't really understand the have your cake and eat it too. As long as you're not late. Everyone does, kids should be encouraged too! Peter B Parker has a family and his "work" of being in the Spider time-cops. Miles dad may be a bit of a workaholic but due to Spider-Man's uniqueness they get moments like looking over the balchony, and after all he's a good dad. You could majoe in physics and minor in spanish.

Or they don't. Universes dissolving because Spider-Man did something selfish is very stupid imagine the ego existentialism Tony Stark, main character of Earth in Tom Holland's universe the same way Thor is main character of Asgaard, which is also stupid but if you have a whole universe to populate hey! If this Spider-Man disaolved hia verse Tony would be like wa but I'm the main character! So that's arupid

then if The Spot is doing it why did he mess with Miguel he's not Miles! Like how dis this dissolving atuff start?

I'd rather the stupid main character thing. Then if they can make Spot reformed and good he can just put the whole dimension into a spot and then put them in another dimension. It's easy: put all of Mumbattan in a dimension where gravity is a little different ao rhe buildings can even taller, and stuff. And in the dimension is the police chief and the child because all life is precious...

Pavitr wven says "I can do both" ans that hopefulness gives him more atretgth to pull the bus higher. I onow the message isn't to give up on one thing for the old thing, simce Miles is gonna do borh and we jaut have to wait and see how hendoes it! You know Gwen really sid save her dad just by talking to him! Half way theough your big speech!

It's not about having a super cuchy priveleged life to not have lost anyone, and I don't think it's ever eaay to clearcut how to save Uncle Ben beaides actually going to the library and not lying... But if he could save him it might be just as inspirational, that he can save people in general

[anon-sect]

New Work Boots

Jason looked at his work boots. The heel was starting to come apart at the seam. He was in some ways greatful. The boots lasted him about a year and half on his security job work at Tap Office Center building. Yet he saw the need for a new pair of work boots. He kind of felt sorry for his boots though. They served him well, and were super comfortable, but just didn't last forever.

Jason's boots use to be a human. One night will at work, Jason caught a thief in the act of fleeing the building with several laptop computers in his backpack. He could have called the police, but he had a better idea. The thief needed to be punished in a way that would make him regret his actions tonight. With a snap of his fingers, Jason used his transformation power on the thief. He began to shrink. Jason caught the backpack so that the computers would not be damaged in the fall. The thief shrunk down to the appropriate size, split into two and reformed into a nice pair of steel toe work boots. Jason returned the laptops and put on his new pair of work boots. He made sure the thief's face served as the insoles. He wanted him to see his feet stomp on his face everytime he went to work. The thief may have made the wrong life choice, but it worked out in Jason's favor. He punished the thief, and had a special comfortable pair of work boots. That was a year and half ago, now those boots were wearing down under the constant use of his feet.

"I never did catch your name, but it doesn't matter. You were a a good pair work boots and served my feet well. I will soon replace you though. You have gotten worn out. I hope you enjoyed serving my feet, though, because I found it very pleasureable." Jason spoke to his boots while continuing his shift. The thief was nothing but boots to him ever since he transformed him. Justice was served under the brutality of his feet.

Jake cried every day for the past year and half. He was stealing laptops from the law firm he once worked for, but was fired. He almost got a way with them if it wasn't for that security guard. Ever since he was tortured under his feet. The constant pounding on his face nearly every day, not to mention the foul foot odor in which he had no escape from. If only he had a time machine, he would have made a different decision that day. He had been stuck comforting the security guard's feet ever since. It was painful. Really words can't describe what he been through as the security guard's boots. The security guard's comfort was pain on his face and boot bodies. It was like he had been living in an eternal hell since that night with no end.

On the next Friday night, Jason heard a loud crash in one of the offices. He immediately went to investigate. Just his rotten luck another thief was attempting to steal on items from off a desk. Jason then thought, it just might be his luck after all. He needed a new pair of boots, and the thought he just found them. When the thief noticed Jason, he immediately used his powers before the thief could try anything. A minute later, where the thief once stood, was now a brand new pair of boots just the right size for his size 11 feet.

"For trying to steal on my watch, I sentence you to serve as my boots to comfort my feet while at work or whenever I want to wear you. I don't know your name and don't really care to know it. You are an object for my use, that is all I am concerned about." Jason spoke to the boots and went back to the security office. He took off his old work boots and threw them in the trash. He didn't care about the previous soul trapped boots. They serve their purpose and was ready to be thrown away like a common object.

Jason tried on the new boots. He loved how stylish they looked. He might wear them more than just for work. The insoles were more comfortable than the last pair of boots. He could have used his power to repair the other pair, but he just really saw them as a object he could easily discard. His new boots felt different for some reason. He might have to keep these around for a lot longer. He went back to work as though nothing happened, enjoying his new boots on his feet.

Jake felt himself being thrown away like a piece of trash. It was degrading and humilating. All of his humanity gone and trashed by his previous owner as though he meant nothing to him. He may have been wrong to try to steal from the office he once worked for, but he didn't deserve this fate, he felt like. Not knowing what would become of him now frighten him.

Tom felt every step of the guard's feet. It was extremely painful, but he wanted to bring the security guard as much comort as he could. When he realized what the guard did to him, he accepted his fate. The odor from the guard's sock feet was so foul, he could have gagged. Being pounded into the floor with every step was pain beyond measure. Even if the guard was moving, him just standing still was no help. Support his entire weight felt like death with no end. But he figured if the guard like his boots so much, he might not discard them so easily. He would worship the guard's feet and comfort them like the purpose he was transformed into, boots. It was painful, but the alternative of being thrown in the trash was far worse in his mind.