#and i'm also aware that people not from your country commenting on your country's politics is annoying

[eowyntheavenger]

Hi! I saw your post on telling Americans to vote, and I was wondering what you think of posts from people from other parts of the world who are calling Americans evil for voting for Biden because of his support for Israel. I've seen a few already. They seem to be completely convinced that Americans deliberately voted for Biden specifically to side against Palestine and no other reason, and spread the general (pretty ignorant and hateful) message of "Americans are evil because of the actions of their government and because they collectively refuse to vote for a president who is good and not simply 'the lesser of two evils'". It frustrates me because they seem to think they're experts on US politics, culture, and society and have all the answers, but it also makes me concerned because it reminds me of the whole Russian bot thing from last time. Like, I'm 99% sure the people reblogging these posts aren't Russian bots (don't know about the OPs though), and they unquestioningly believe this. What do you think of this and how would you go about addressing this issue? Do you think it's possible to get them to understand how little they actually know about the US and how they're actually promoting a message that makes things worse for everyone? I've also seen less scathing posts that are just disheartened and don't seem to believe the democrats are truly better to vote for than the republicans and so it's just two sides of the same coin. To be fair, I think that sort of feeling is only further encouraged because there didn't really seem to be much if any progress made with Biden, not even back to square one after Trump moved the country so far backwards. I think most Americans really wish the elections actually had good candidates and they could pick the best of two goods, but are frustrated and stuck with the current system and don't know how to actually get to the point where there are good candidates. (Though personally I think voting for the one who isn't actively trying to make themselves a king with unlimited terms is a decent start. I can understand the frustration though.)

Hi! Thanks for the ask. This stuff worries me too. I've gotten comments on my posts like that too, telling me/other Americans that we're evil for voting for Biden.

But I've seen a much larger number of comments and posts from people outside the United States BEGGING us to vote for Biden. I literally get tags like that on my posts EVERY DAY urging Americans to vote blue. So I think that's valuable context, even if it doesn't solve the problem of the "I hate everybody who votes for Biden" crowd.

And yes, it's definitely a shitty argument on their part to claim that people voting for Biden are specifically siding against Palestine. Literally every single person I know in real life and online who plans to vote for Biden has been criticizing and protesting his policies on Palestine.

In terms of convincing the anti-voters that they're wrong, honestly, I don't know. They don't listen to reason and they seem intent on spreading despair. Some of Biden's policies have been terrible (Willow oil-drilling project), some of them have been downright evil (military aid to Israel), but I'm a rational person and I know that Trump is worse in every respect.

I've tried debating them. It's been pointless every time. They genuinely don't know how the government works, which scares me. Common takes include: 1) a genuine lack of awareness of how pro-Israel Trump and the right wing are, combined with magical thinking that a virtually unknown third party candidate can win the presidential election, 2) truly impressive mental gymnastics blaming Biden for the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and 3) continuing the mental gymnastics to blame Biden and the Democrats for anti-trans policies...

I guess my advice is to either ignore them and move on, or debunk things when you have time/energy? It's easier said than done, I know. There's nothing more annoying than someone being stupid on the internet, especially when they accuse you of stuff that just isn't true, and especially when they're spreading dangerous misinformation or voter-suppression rhetoric.

Like you, I'm highly suspicious of anyone who advocates AGAINST voting, or against voting blue. And I agree, many of these people are not bots, like you said, but I call them useful idiots, because they're doing the bots' work for them.

The one thing you said that I'm going to push back on is "there didn't really seem to be much if any progress made with Biden." Biden's actually made lots of progress on a variety of issues, and reversed some of Trump’s damage, it just doesn't get a lot of fanfare and it’s unfortunately happening at the same time as Republican gains in state legislatures and while they control the Supreme Court. But Biden and his administration have:

• invested billions in green architecture and clean energy, including making sure federal investments benefit low-income communities

• introduced new fines for companies' methane emissions

• introduced a plan to cut the federal government's greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030 (that includes the military, which is a huge emitter)

• passed a huge bill for improving the country's infrastructure, including bridges, roads, broadband and more

• introduced first-ever national strategy on gender equality and equity and pushed Congress to pass the Equal Rights Amendment

• fought for women's reproductive rights after the overturn of Roe v. Wade

• put more women, people of color, and women of color on the federal bench than any of his predecessors combined

• nominated Kentaji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court

• boosted funding to historically Black colleges

• ordered the DOJ to end the use of private prisons by the federal government

• pardoned thousands of people convicted on federal marijuana charges

• created a White House office of gun violence prevention

• passed the Respect for Marriage Act, guaranteeing federal rights and benefits for same-sex couples

• rolled out a series of actions to protect the rights and safety of the LGBTQ+ community, including protecting queer and trans foster youth, improving access to mental health services, and addressing the rise in hate crimes

• challenged discriminatory state bans against gender-affirming care and trans athletes

• called to support trans youth in State of the Union address and restored the White House tradition of recognizing Pride Month

• changed passport rules so that people can obtain a passport with no gender marker

• examined efforts by each federal agency to advance LGBTQ+ rights around the world

• reversed Trump's transgender military ban

• protected the rights of incarcerated trans people

• forgave billions in student debt, repeatedly, and introduced penalties for college programs that trap students in debt

• slashed bank overdraft fees

• expanded guaranteed overtime pay for millions of people

• made union-busting harder

• prevented discriminatory mortgage lending

• made efforts to expand the child tax credit, which could lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty

• cracked down on agriculture monopolies to support farmers and small businesses

• made it so the government is going to start taking drug companies' patents away if they don't make affordable drugs

• made over-the-counter birth control pills available for the first time

• lowered the cost of hearing aids and expanded access to them

• spent millions of dollars on students' mental health

• reversed discriminatory healthcare rules

• reinvigorated cancer research

• announced plans to replace all leaded pipes in the next ten years as well as combatting lead exposure abroad

• changed rules for how people can get aid after disasters so they can get more protection and immediate payments more easily

• introduced new data privacy rules protecting people from tech companies

• pushed the federal government to monitor AI risks

• maintained steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression

• maintained steadfast support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese intimidation

• strengthened ties with allies in Asia and the Pacific Islands

• pledged climate change assistance to low-lying Pacific Island countries

• literally IMMEDIATELY after being elected, Biden fortified DACA, rejoined the Paris Agreement, and ended Trump's discriminatory "Muslim ban", ended the Keystone XL Pipeline and fossil duel development in wildlife monuments, (same as last link) rejoined the WHO, strengthened COVID-19 response measures on a variety of fronts, re-included non-citizens in the U.S. census, and passed executives orders on racial equity in the federal government

And I'm sure there's more I left out.

There are also things Biden does that literally don’t make the news, but matter a lot, like funding the Postal Service, and continuing to have a State Department so we can conduct overseas diplomacy (Trump tried to defund the USPS and wants to purge the State Department and fill it with loyalists).

[luna-rainbow]

I recently saw what might be the single worst Bucky take I have ever seen in the comments of a Youtube video. Brace yourself.

This person was saying that mind control is like the "Nuremberg defense" - namely that a soldier was "just following orders" and should not be used for Bucky because all soldiers are obligated to refuse to follow immmoral orders and they should be held responsible for the consequences of not doing so.

Also. Mind control is a "get out of jail free" card for moral reponsibility and if you believe Bucky had no agency or choice you must also believe Steve forced him to stop being the Winter Soldier.

Is this not the wildest, craziest thing you have ever seen?

Sigh. Children will latch onto the latest shiny word they've learned and throw it around to defend their blorbo, which I'm going to assume in this case is one Anthony Stark again.

Firstly, not all soldiers who pleaded "superior order" ended up having that plea dismissed; some were acquitted based on the recognition that they did not know the legality of what they were ordered to do.

Digging into it, the Nuremberg defence was not about soldiers refusing to comply with "immoral" orders -- because it's hard to define "immoral". Is it immoral to blow up another human (soldier) or bring down a building for your country, for example. It's specifically around war crimes, and when the soldier is aware it is a war crime but carries it out anyway.

Assuming this argument was in the context of the Stark murders (almost always is), the first question is, was it plain murder, was it a war crime (killing of a civilian), or was it part of armed conflict?

In which case we must return to Bucky's identity and mental state at the time. The war had ended in 1945, but Bucky was never allowed to leave the war. He continued on as the Winter Soldier, and the name wasn't just there to be fancy. He was perpetually imprisoned in a war of Hydra's making, hence his encounter with the Starks was not, in his mind, a civilian meeting a civilian (hence, it's not the type of "murder" that gets trialled in civilian courts).

Secondly, the Starks were transporting the serum, the genesis of which was a military project. Stark himself is an arms dealer who works closely with the American military. Therefore, is he really a civilian during the time he was killed? While political assassinations is its own ethical kettle of fish, his execution could be seen as part of an armed conflict tactic between two opposing sides.

Thirdly, the Nuremberg defence fails when the soldier is aware they have been ordered to commit a war crime and nevertheless chooses to comply. Bucky didn't even know his own name, how does anyone expect him to know the Geneva Conventions (which, by the way, was ratified in 1949)? He was ordered, as a soldier, to kill an enemy scientist transporting a military load. He had no frame of reference to work out who he was, who Howard Stark was (Stark recognised him, there was no flicker of recognition when Stark called him "Sergeant Barnes"), the context of the assassination, let alone make any judgement about the morality of killing him.

Not to mention the most important point which is that Bucky himself was a prisoner of war tortured into obedience. In other words, even if he had awareness of the immorality, he was forced to commit the acts under duress (and not under superior orders). And that in itself forms its own legal defence.

I...don't even know what to say about the last paragraph apart from the fact that their brains have melted out of their ears.

Steve literally gave agency back to Bucky. He gave Bucky the choice of finishing the mission or choosing to believe him, and for the first time, the Winter Soldier disobeyed his order.

People will literally look at a scene of a guy not lifting up a finger to defend himself and say "WAAAAH HE FORCED HIS ASSAILANT TO ATTACK HIM." I just--

[oh-my-damn]

Hi Mandy!

I hope you see and answer this because I’m just curious. Why is majority of everyone bothered by who Chris married? Like he’s not part of our lives, he doesn’t even know of our existence. Why is anyone taking this so personal??? Like I get the fame and love he has but these people are taking it to a very intimate and personal level that it never should be. So what if the girl he married isn’t who we thought he’d marry? It’s his life, not ours. Why should anyone be bothered by it? It’s literally not affecting any one of us at all. I’m so so curious, I really would like to know your opinion/thoughts & your followers/mutuals/other anons if they’d like to chime in.

Thanks, have a great day! :)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxHFi5XAMe8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

The reason we're angry:

A lot of people followed and supported him because of how outspoken he was and his political views. Dating someone who has done things like this and who calls these people her "soulmate" is very concerning. Then to top it off, said person (Justin, the person she has called her soulmate) is often invited to gatherings and have stayed at multiple of Chris' houses. So obviously him and Chris are also friends.

There was also a massive clean-up job of AB's instagram right at the beginning of them seeing each other. Word is they had to delete so much because of her controversial posts and tweets. There are also blinds about her being anti-semitic on the Warrior Nun set.

She is still friends with all of these people, by the way. They were probably even invited to the wedding.

There has never been an official apology for any of this, in fact, its never even been addressed. The closest we've come is the one I've put on here from Justin which is clearly not genuine at all.

When all of this was first uncovered back in December, instead of addressing the rumors, Alba Baptista posted a video of herself undressing in the shower to her instagram story and then promptly deactivated for 3 months. She came back in March and addressed nothing. But she did delete all comments regarding this and continues to do so, as far as I'm aware. She leaves up the ones about Chris being a pedo for dating her, though.

Then there's also the matter of the age-gap. The dynamic is obviously concerning, anyone with just a bit of insight into these things can see that. He followed her on instagram and most likely pursued her. That was when she was 23 and he was 39. It was also while she was posting pictures of her from shoots completely naked except for wearing a diaper, for example. She is from a foreign country and is not established in her career. He is a mega-star from the US and 16 years her senior. She is moving to Boston on his turf, and most of their relationship has been spent on his turf, if the pictures and videos he posted are anything to go by.

And that's without even mentioning her looks, which makes her look much younger than she already is. The entire thing screams "red flag", and it's on both sides in my opinion.

So all in all, there are a lot of reasons people do not support this union.

And I think that's rightfully so.

[cas-backwards-tie]

Chapter One: Assembly Required

The Missing Title

Baron Helmut Zemo x Reader

Summary: Enlisted to help a friend with a crisis you once specialized in, you find yourself in a foreign country getting ready for a mission in which the details you're unaware of. Reunited with a good friend, you follow his unhinged partner as you all prepare to stop more harm from being released onto the world.

Words: 5k

Warnings: Cursing, Illegal Activities, Terrorists, Politics, Bombs, Assassinations, Criminals, Secrets,

A/N: So I watched the series this summer, and while I hadn't anticipated to get hooked onto anything, a surprise appearance from Zemo had me falling in love with his character and now I'm writing this series and it'll just evolve forward into a story I've been daydreaming up these past few months. Also thank you to @imamotherfuckingstar-lord for hyping me up and encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone with the future topics of this story.

“Whatever, we just need to get inside,” Bucky dismisses Sam’s introduction to you. Truly, it’s a reintroduction, since you’d met him once or twice before, even if it was really only in passing.

From all the stories you’ve heard, you’re sure his attention was elsewhere, so you aren’t too dissuade by his stiff attitude. Sam offers you an annoyed glance in hopes that you, too, are either amused or off-put by the ex-assassin’s dour aura. With an alacrity you'd rarely seen in the past few years, his partner opens the auto shop's door and heads inside.

"What're you talking about, you wanna break Zemo outta jail?" Sam asks the man, clearly more perturbed by the incurring situation you'd stumbled into upon your good friend, Torres’, request. "Where the hell are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?" Following both the men with the little light their flashlights emit, you listen, unsure what exactly the job Joaquin sent you to help out on entails.

"We have no leads, no moves, nothing-" Bucky answers, but Sam cuts him off.

"-Except the one I just called in, yeah. What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars," Sam argues. Rounding the shelves of oil, dirtied gloves, tools, and mechanical parts, you try and watch your step. Albeit the darkness makes it harder than necessary to find your way without stumbling. Burner phone dug out of your pocket, you shine its faint light around your surroundings.

"And we also have eight super soldiers that are loose," Bucky reasons, his light casting downward as Sam shines it on him stepping over a rig. Despite not knowing James well, you know most people call him 'Bucky', and you know it's probably best not to interfere with the two men considering you're aware of Sam's indulgence when it comes to arguing. Hell, him and Joaquin could bicker for the rest of time. The thought elicits an amused eye roll on your behalf.

"Look, Zemo's gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours, no offense," Sam rebuttals, following suit as he steps over the rig. Suddenly his light is held still and there's a loud click before overhead lights come on all around you guys, lighting up what you can now see is a garage. Granted, the outside did have a sign indicating it was an auto-shop, you never know if it’s just a cover.

"Offense," Bucky comments, laying his flashlight aside on top one of the movable shelving carts. "Super soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy, but he still has a code." Lips parting in thought, you're about to speak up when Sam beats you to it.

"Yeah, and I've been on the wrong side of that code, Buck, and so have you. He blew up the UN, he killed King T'chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that?" Eyeing his partner with a ludicrous look in his eyes, he quickly finishes his train of thought. "You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It's a rhetorical question- they didn't. I know why this matters to you, but come on, it's pushing you off the deep end."

Despite your abhorrence for bickering, there was admittedly not much you could contribute to the conversation. Though the name ‘Zemo’ sounds familiar, you can’t pinpoint its origin. Tucking your burner phone into your back pocket, you place your hands on your hips in waiting. A big breath puffs out your cheeks as you pray they come to some sort of conclusion sooner than later.

"Sam, we don't know how they're gettin' the serum. We don't even know how many of them there are. Look, let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?" Though the topic is concerning, Bucky’s phrasing and search of consent elicit an amused smile.

"What did you do?" Sam asks accusingly, like the man’s already committed some sort of crime.

"I didn't do anything. The weakest point in a system isn't the software, or the hardware, it's the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it's nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond-“ Bucky starts to explain.

“-So why would two prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?" Sam questions.

"-Who knows? There could be many reasons. But the point is, these things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated with all those bodies flying around left and right, it wouldn't be hard to slip down a hallway or two. And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated, someone could use the chaos to their advantage." With his thorough knowledge of the protocols, it’s clear Bucky has a plan.

"I don't like how casual you're bein' about this. This is unnatural. Are you... and- where are we, man?!" Sam comes back to reality, demanding an answer as hypotheticals really won’t do much for whatever super soldier problem is going on. In the distance the metallic sound of a hinge squeaking and a click of a lock signals a door’s been opened.

Eyes flitting to its source, the three of you watch in anticipation as a blurry figure approaches, its shadow cast upon the hanging plastic curtains of the auto shop. Lifting a section of said curtain, a police officer or guard of some sort enters. Considering the lack of people around, you assume he’s here to arrest you all for trespassing. Vision shifting to the men in hopes they have a better plan than you, the two of them surprisingly don’t move.

“WHOA, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa- what’re you doin’ here?!” Sam yells, clearly upset by the man’s presence.

“No, listen. Look, I didn't wanna tell you cause I knew you wouldn't let this happen. Okay?" Bucky says calmly, a confusing juxtaposition for you, to say the least.

"What did you do?!" Sam turns his attention to Bucky.

“Nothing, according to him,” you quip. Gears turning within your mind, you’re starting to wonder if this is that ‘Zemo’ character they were just talking about. The former Winter Soldier aims a glare at you momentarily before refocusing on Sam.

“We need him,” Bucky asserts.

"You're going back to prison!" Sam declares, focus and pointer finger now targeting the dressed up guard.

"If I may,” the man speaks, lifting a finger to weigh in the conversation.

"No!" Both Sam and Bucky simultaneously yell, their similarity amusing if it weren’t a serious situation. If this is that ‘Zemo’ guy they were talking about who’s in prison… then clearly they’re in trouble.

"Apologies,” the mystery man’s accented voice elicits your attention which shifts over to him. Eyeing him up and down, you feel like he looks familiar in a strange way, but your memory is failing you in this moment. As his eyes turn in your direction, yours dart back to the two men closest to you.

"When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you backed him. You broke the law, and you stuck your neck out for me. I'm asking you to do it again,” Bucky’s words elicit slight paranoia and anger within you. Torres didn’t mention the help you’d be giving was illegal. While you’d technically broken the law before, it’s not something you were ever hoping to do again. If something goes wrong… you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to get out of this, and going to jail is not an option. Hopefully Torres could work something out if worse comes to worst.

"I really think I'm invaluable,” mystery man speaks up again. While you’re distracted by the notion of mentally planning next steps, the comment elicits a mildly amused smirk from you.

"Shut up,” Sam commands the guard-dressed man. He spares a glance in your direction, tacitly seeking affirmation, which he’s granted. “Okay. If we do this, you don't make a move without our permission.” Sam directs the latter of his sentence toward the accented man, to which he subtly shrugs.

"Fair,” he comments, holding the black cap between his hands in front of him. It reads ‘JUSTIZ’ in white big bold capital letters across the front.

"Okay, Zemo. Where do we start?" Sam inquires, handing the reins--temporarily, knowing Sam--over to the man in uniform.

“Woah, woah! He’s the guy? The one you were talking about- the UN Bomber?!” You exclaim, hands thrown out in front of you as you gauge the two familiar men.

Sam sighs, running a hand over his face. “Why do you think we made such a big deal out of it?”

“The one and only,” Zemo—as you now know—responds all too calmly for your preference. Though what were you expecting, really? The man who supposedly (if you remember correctly) broke up the Avengers, according to the news.

“Correction: you made a big deal,” Bucky retorts, a disgruntled look sent in Sam’s direction.

“Nevertheless, first I need to grab a few items,” Zemo states, turning and walking back behind the plastic curtain in the direction he’d come from. Though the two man-children behind you begin to bicker again, you follow the criminal behind the curtain. This attracts their attention as they follow, intent on watching Zemo and making sure he doesn’t escape.

Opposite where he’d come in there’s another door. Pushing it open, you walk through; a few feet ahead Zemo confidently walks toward a black sedan-style car that looks like something out of an old Hollywood movie. “Woah,” you whisper, taking in all the little details of what’s clearly more a showroom than a garage.

“So our first move is grand theft auto?" Sam asks sarcastically, you assume based off his tone. Approaching a yellow-colored convertible car of the same antique classiness you slowly reach out and run your hand along the smooth metal, taking in the intricate detaling.

"These are mine. Collected by family over the generations,” Zemo informs, opening the trunk of the black car nearest the door you all had entered through. Though you can see him stashing equipment into a duffel bag in your peripheral vision, you follow Bucky and Sam suit as you marvel over the opulent vintage automobiles.

"I spent years hunting people HYDRA recruited to recreate the serum-" Zemo explains. Information cataloging in your mind, your heartrate accelerates slightly as your vision shifts between the men in hopes of gauging their mentality. As the known terrorist approaches the vehicle you'd just been examining, you feel yourself stiffen slightly. Surely if he'd wanted me dead he'd have killed me already, right? As he opens the right-side back door and rummages inside, it seems as though everyone's attention has returned to the one speaking. "-Because once it's out there, someone can create an army of people like the Avengers." Slow and deliberate with his word choice, you can tell that there may not be any secrets left unsaid. As the man's intense brown eyes shift over toward you, and then Bucky, your jaw clenches, and you swallow.

Uprighting himself, he continues. "I ended the Winter soldier program once before. I have no intention to leave my work unfinished." With this revelation, relief washes over you and your tension ebbs again. At least it seems, for now, that you're not on his list. Crossing your arms over your chest, you refocus on the information Zemo's relaying. "To do this we'll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes." While the terrorist walks off toward the other side of the garage, you turn and follow his figure.

"Join the party, we've already started," Sam comments, seemingly trying to piece together whatever plan Zemo is forming. Walking after him, you try to keep up considering the man seems to be taking lead.

"First stop is a woman named Selby--mid-level fence I still have a line on--from there, we climb," Zemo explains. While an eyebrow quirks in confusion at the term 'fence' you don't verbally question it. It's obvious whoever he's talking about is some kind of 'in' and while Joaquin hadn't taught you everything he knows, you can still follow along with enough context to understand what they're talking about.

--------

It'd been easy enough to get to the airport as it wasn't far, only about a twenty-minute ride in a taxi. While the men attempted to ascertain a location from Zemo, the criminal had been reluctant to indulge them, simply profiting a 'you'll know soon enough.' to keep them satisfied.

"So how was the flight here?" Sam inquires, finally turning his attention to you as the past half hour has been hectic. Sitting between Sam and Zemo, you try not to let the awkwardness of the whole situation get to you. Up front, an old man drives the taxi while Bucky had insisted on the passenger's seat. The ex-Winter Soldier stares out the windshield, yet something tells you he's eavesdropping, which you wouldn't put past anyone in this vehicle, honestly.

"It was fine. Short enough, though the constant 'we're here, now we're here, no, we're here- was somewhat annoying. Like, I just kept having to reroute and figure out how the hell I was gonna get to you when you guys couldn't keep still for even a second!" This elicits a laugh from your friend on the left, and you can't help but smile for the first time since you'd arrived.

"Kind of hard to do when you've got an agent on your ass," Sam comments, an amused smile on his lips as he leaves room for you to continue.

"Oh God, who is it this time?" Palming your face, you know that this mission is dangerous, yet you haven't been involved in this world for a while, and considering the subject matter, it's rather crucial you help them out.

"The new shield," Sam explains. He gives you a tight-lipped disapproving smile, nodding in understandance of your reaction. Eyebrows raised and lips parting in shock, you shouldn't be surprised, yet you are.

"That's why Joaquin warned me," a hum escapes your lips, "makes sense. Can't say I'm a fan, granted I don't know him."

"You don't need to know him to know he's doing something despicable," Bucky comments from the front, not bothering to even spare a glance in anyone's direction.

"Hey now-" Sam goes to start something, yet you interrupt him with a dissatisfied noise.

"So we know that whoever their supplier is, they've gotta have a lab. A professional one, one big enough to be producing the-" you glance at the driver in the rearview mirror, "stuff, and once we know where we're going I can start looking into a lead. Sound good?"

The distraction seemed to work for now as both your acquaintances respond in some form. Bucky nods up front, the two of you momentarily making eye contact in the side mirror.

"Yeah," Sam answers, arms crossing over his chest as he sits back in the seat. Luckily, the airport is already approaching in the distance.

Upon arrival all the doors are thrown open and the men evacuate the vehicle. Zemo lingers at the door as he holds it open. Unaware of the implication, you instinctively slide out on your left, following your old friend, Sam. "How much do we owe him?" You ask. As Bucky begins speaking with the driver and Sam dismisses you with a wave of his hand, you follow Zemo as he walks toward the airport's runway.

The infamous 'Avengers' follow you two suit, the both of them adorned with sunglasses, even if it's not the brightest out today. Readjusting your duffel bag on your shoulder, you aren't entirely sure what Zemo's plan is here.

"So all this time you've been rich?" Sam asks incredulously, and it's then that you realize the private jet the group of you are approaching is for you. Steps falling behind, your lips part in shock and surprise. Bucky notices your change in pace and offers a look back in your direction, a quirked brow. Small legs quickening their pace once again to catch up to the tall men, you contain your awe.

"I'm a Baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country," Zemo answers. Another revelation, another piece of information you hadn't known and hadn't anticipated. While the man may be an international terrorist and criminal, you hadn't paid the case too much attention as it was going on considering you were going through your own set of problems within your work field during that time.

"A Baron?" You echo Zemo's answer as you outwardly process this information. Though you're by no means stupid, the title is something you're not the most familiar with.

"Yes, the thirteenth, to be exact," Zemo responds, offering a look back in your direction before returning his attention to the man awaiting your group at the steps of the private jet. The puzzle only grows as Zemo greets the older gentleman in a language you don't understand. With extended arms, the well-dressed gentleman takes the Baron into his arms. Kisses placed on either cheek, you find the custom familiar. Smiles on both the men's faces, you feel taken aback. Mind reeling, you only find your curiosity toward this criminal growing. "Please," Zemo encourages you all to follow him up the steps.

Sam mumbles something to the older gentleman, and Bucky doesn't acknowledge him as he gestures with his hand for you to go up first. The older gentleman begins to take your bag off your shoulder, but your hand is quick to find its way atop his. "It's okay, I've got it. Thank you."

"Are you sure, Miss?" The elderly man asks in English. With a nod, he releases the strap of your bag and offers a polite smile. Following Sam up the steps, the other two men follow suit.

With help from the taller men to stuff your bag in one of the compartments toward the back of the jet, you find the only open seat is the one across from Zemo. It shouldn't be a surprise, despite Sam and Bucky's marriage-like bickering relationship, they're friends, teammates, and are more fond of one another than you'd guess they are of Zemo.

Before you know it, the jet is taking off and you're in the air for the second time today. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced," the Baron extends a hand in your direction, eyes roaming your face as you do the same, taking one another in.

With a quick look toward Sam, you're sure the worry in your eyes shows. Just as the Baron is about to sit back and retract his hand, you envelop his hand with your own, much smaller one. A firm shake between you two, you aren't sure what Zemo will make of your past, but surely he'll find out at some point.

"It's fine," Sam says your name, catching your attention. Even if the reassurance is small, you trust him.

With a divulgence of your full name, you offer Zemo a polite smile. "I take it you and Sam are friends? Former partners, I assume?" he questions, his head tilting slightly as he gauges both your, and Sam's reaction. The latter coughs, suddenly turning his attention out the window. You take that as your cue to answer.

"We've worked together once or twice, but... really yes, we're more friends than anything. One of his coworkers and friends is like a brother to me."

"Apologies if that's a little warm, the fridge is out-" the elderly man from earlier hands Zemo a glass of champagne, "-but I will see if there is some good food in the galley," he informs the Baron. From his attire, you've realized in the short time between boarding and taking off that the man is Zemo's butler.

Accepting the flute, the Baron responds in a language that sounds akin to Russian, you'd guess. The butler laughs, "Oh, it's good to have you back, Sir." Although you're not sure why, a small smile graces your features as you watch the butler turn to leave, though he suddenly turns back. "Can I get you anything, Miss?"

With a look between the butler and Zemo, who simply repeats his earlier indulgence of 'please', you shake your head, only to furrow your brows, rethinking. "Actually, water maybe, if you can, please?"

"Of course, Miss." The butler offers a polite smile and nod before turning to retreat into the galley toward the front.

"A friend of yours?" You question, turning back to face Zemo. Swallowing the sip of champagne he'd taken, he nods.

"Something like that," he responds with a look you can only attribute to playfulness in his eyes. "Can I ask how you've wound up on this exploit alongside us?"

Eyes shifting toward the windows beside your seats, you feel your heart beating a little faster under his gaze Zemo stares intently at you. Unwavering attention, he simply sips his drink as he waits for an answer.

"I, um... used to work for the CIA in their R and D department," you admit, swallowing the thick feeling in your throat as you contemplate explaining the whole truth.

"Which is how you met Torres," Sam comments with a smile, swiveling in his chair as he engages in the conversation.

"Yeah," you respond, meeting Sam's gaze. "though none of us knew what they were doing at first, we were just hired as scientists to test and develop certain biological elements. Our friend--" you turn your attention back to Zemo, hoping to clarify, "--Joaquin, the one who's like a brother to me, he wasn't a scientist, but we came into contact a few times and considering we grew up together we ended up in similar fields: the government."

"And how you met Sam," Zemo assumes, to an exactly correct truth.

"Yes, eventually."

"So you worked in Eugenics?" Zemo dares to ask, blatantly. Though you hadn't been expecting the boldness, you aren't surprised by the question. It was reasonable.

"In some ways... yes, though we thought at the time we were only doing it for the benefit of the people's health. Eradicating diseases, testing possible solutions and seeing how they affected the gene code," you explain. "Things... changed, toward the end, toward the snap..." trailing off, it's clear to everyone that there's a story there.

Not interested in divulging your secrets and past traumas, you don't indulge the following silence. While Sam may know a few select details of what occurred in the R and D department, he doesn't know the whole truth of what happened to your unit. Only what their cover-up was.

"You don't know what it's like to be locked in a cell," Zemo comments, his thoughts obviously having drifted from the conversation. "Oh, that's right- you do." Turning his attention to Sam, he offers him a grimace along with false cheers, sipping his warm champagne.

"Why don't you tell us about where we're going?" Sam pressures, swiftly changing topics as he doesn't wish to go down memory lane, and certainly doesn't want to entertain anymore thought of your previous life, nor the onslaught of questions, ethics, and morals he knows Zemo would cave to if he had you alone.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes with a wave of his hand before flipping another page in the small book he'd produced from his jacket a few moments ago. "I was just fascinated by this," the Baron comments. Eyeing the front of the book, you don't speak German, however, you can recognize it. 'Das Offene Nein In Der Liebe' reads the title, though you don't recognize any words besides 'nein', meaning 'no', and 'der' which you're pretty sure means 'the'. Curious as to why Zemo is suddenly avoiding Sam's questioning under the guise of reading, your eyebrows furrow.

"I don't know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?" Zemo asks. In a sudden movement that makes you yelp and jump, Bucky has his gloved hand wrapped around Zemo's throat. Wide-eyed, you stare in shock and fear as you aren't sure what to do.

"If you touch that again, I'll kill you," the ex-Winter Soldier whispers, eyes filled with anger as he threatens the Baron. The thief quickly nods and Bucky retracts his hand, sitting back in his seat. Letting a big breath slowly filter through your lips, you try not to let the situation unsettle you. After all, from the fleeting moments you've been acquainted, Bucky's always been a wild card.

"I'm sorry," Zemo apologizes again, to your surprise. While you don't know either of the two men well, you hadn't heard them to be quite as... dramatic, as they've been the last hour. Still gathering yourself, you try not to meet anyone's gaze as your eyes travel to the flute Zemo still somehow holds in his grip. "I understand that list of names. People you've wronged as the Winter Soldier."

Your association with the man brought up, you let your gaze flit over to him, Bucky's face somewhat stoic on the outside, yet the faint view of his eyes from your position lets you see that Zemo's not wrong.

"Don't push it," the man warns, and you can't help but offer Bucky a sympathetic smile. While you don't know too much of his story or personal life, you've heard about how he's been through more than anyone could ever imagine.

"I've seen that book-" Sam speaks up, and you have no doubt he's trying to lessen the tension between the four of you. "It was Steve's when he came out of the ice. I told him about Trouble Man- he wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What'd you think?" Sam asks, turning the conversation into something more causerie.

"I like Fortie's music, so..." Bucky responds, finally shifting his attention back to Sam as opposed to staring out the window like he'd been doing for most of the conversation since take off.

"You didn't like it?" Sam asks, obviously offended in some way. Clearly his taste seems to differ from Bucky. Steve, though, was a different man. You hadn't known him personally, though you've heard all the stories everyone did growing up and during the time he was alive.

"Fortie's music is great, so- can't say I blame you," you agree, taking Bucky's side. Is it really taking sides if you're just stating your opinion, though? Sam clearly seems to think contrarily as he gives you a glare before turning his pressuring and quizzical look on Bucky.

"I liked it," Bucky states.

"It is a masterpiece, James. Complete. Comprehensive," Zemo pipes up, gesticulating with his hands to emphasize, "it captures the African-American experience." While you're personally not familiar with whatever movie, song, book, or album they're talking about, you can't help but find yourself biting back a smile. Sam's concerned look only adds to your amusement as he shifts his attention back and forth between the two men.

"He's outta line, but he's right. It's great! Everybody loves Marvin Gaye," Sam argues, finally turning an eye on you in question, "right?"

"I like Marvin Gaye," Bucky agrees.

"I... can't say I know Marvin Gaye," you admit embarassedly as your eyes turn toward your lap for a moment.

"Steve adored Marvin Gaye. Wait- what do you mean you don't know Marvin Gaye?! Everybody knows Marvin Gaye!" Sam argues, starting to go off about how Joaquin had to have shown you and how he'll correct that, that is, until Zemo speaks up again.

"You must've really looked up to Steve. But I realized something when I met him--"

"You met him?" The words leave your mouth before you cringe, palm coming up to your face as you remember. You hadn't been involved, but you'd seen the news. You knew what happened with Zemo. "Sorry! Sorry, I-" No one addresses your misstep, as you're sure they all know, or suspect, that it wasn't really your personal business anyways, even if the entire world knew what happened to some degree or another.

"The danger with people like him--America's super soldiers--is that we put them on pedestals," Zemo continues, reciting his line of thought on the subject as he ignores what you'd said, thankfully, and blows right past it.

"Watch your step, Zemo," Sam warns, obviously defensive over one of his closest friends.

"They become symbols, icons... and then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die, movements are formed, wars are fought. You remember that, right?" Dark eyes turning on Bucky, Zemo clearly is bringing up what happened, what? Almost... nine, ten years ago? Silently counting on your fingers in your seat, you conclude: nine years. It's been nine years since Ultron rose and attempted to overthrow the world. Nines years since the Battle of Sokovia happened. Yes, it's all coming back now.

Zemo. Baron Zemo, royalty of Sokovia, right? There'd been something in the papers, something about how his family had tragically died and that was the reason he blew up the United Nations headquarters. That's what he's talking about. Tuning back in to the conversation, you follow his line of thought.

"As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull?" Zemo shakes his head, and you can't help but do the same. "That is why we're going to Madripoor."

"What's up with Madripoor? You guys talk about it like it's Skull Island," Sam interjects, Zemo must have said something about it when you were zoned out.

"It's an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary in the 1800s," Bucky explains.

"It's kept its lawless ways, but we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves." The Baron turns his attention on Bucky, "James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone..." with no outward reaction, he turns to you and then Sam. "You two will have a part to play as well."

~~~~~~~~

forever taglist: @ohdamnadam , @safarigirlsp , @jynzandtonic , @moonlightsolo

[wirewitchviolet]

American Politics and Vampires

It's 2024, a capital-E Election Year in the U.S. and I am already starting to see the slow creep in my feed here of posts stressing the importance of voting, and the accompanying utterly infuriating mix of comments beneath them of sad little efforts from neo-nazis to counter that messaging and hot takes from clueless children that are pretty hard to distinguish from the former.

I was a little tempted after seeing a few of these today, but I didn't feel like being a big nag, and so instead I'm going to ramble about how a while back I saw someone ask a question that resulted in a really uncomfortable silence- "Why are there so many stories about vampires where they fought on the wrong side of the civil war?" (And yeah, these are actually very related topics.)

Let's picture for a moment your standard vampire. We've got someone who looks more or less like a normal human being, but is secretly a monster who is compelled to suck the blood out of normal humans, leaving them either dead, or as these sort of out of it, sickly, very suggestible types just barely going through the motions of life, and getting drained again before they can start to recover and escape. A given story might try to give you a more sympathetic vampire as an exception, because we don't generally enjoy reading stories about this sort of monster, but the typical standard vampire also totally loves their inherently predatory nature. They'll refer to the people they're draining as cattle or vermin or whatever, consider them to be lesser beings, and live in some big fancy castle or mansion or whatever, maybe getting all prideful about their ancestral lines or whatever.

Vampires aren't going to actively describe themselves as slave owners. They're going to talk about their familiars or servants or whatever, but let's be honest here. If you're a vampire in the U.S. in the lead-up to the civil war, there is zero chance you don't have a bunch of slaves and the federal government is formally abolishing that, you're not gonna like it and you're probably not going to have a problem killing people to be able to maintain your lifestyle.

Meanwhile, here's the quote people love tossing around about the group of people we refer to with a term that really doesn't fit anything about them: "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." - Frank Wilhoit

So... special people who consider themselves above normal humans, insist on being able to do things without facing consequences for them, and in particular being very keen on harming normal people who just have to deal. That kinda lines up perfectly with our description of vampires, doesn't it! And a hell of a lot of things, through the whole history of this country, make a hell of a lot of sense when you realize that roughly half of all politicians from the ones we have now all the way back to the founding of the country have been straight up vampires. Metaphorically speaking.

That's not to say that half the population of this country is comprised of vampires. It's more that vampires, by their nature, feel like they have to be in positions of leadership where they can control as much human cattle as they can, so they're going to claw their way to political power and hold onto it with an absolute death grip, any way they possibly can.

Like, knowing how bad this country has gotten about education on Certain Things, and other countries not having a particular incentive to learn these things, are we all aware of the three-fifths compromise? See, when this country was first founded it was really kinda 13 countries in this weird military alliance, and there was a lot of squabbling about who was paying for what and how to divide up this extra land everyone was collectively starting to acquire further and further to the west and everyone had to sit down and hash out the foundations of what's now the federal government. Part of that was establishing the whole congress deal, where rather than just putting some number of people in the seats from each state, there would be general elections of reps to fill seats based on total population. All well and good, except then a bunch of vampires stood up and went "hey so those population totals count our slaves, right? Because we've got a whole bunch of slaves, and obviously we're not going to actually let any of them vote because they're not really people but like they're mouths that need feeding within our borders so that counts right? We can send more vampires to serve in congress proportionate to all these slaves we have?"

Now you would HOPE the response to that would be "what? NO! Screw you! Quit having slaves!" or at least "what? NO! If you don't let slaves vote you can't count them as citizens for how many people you get to send in to represent your state you monsters!" What actually happened though, because there were already so many vampires in the room deciding this that just telling them all to screw off apparently wasn't an option was people went "OK we are not going to let you have 100 times the voting power of a normal human being because you're a vampire with 100 slaves... how about we just give you 60 times the voting power?" Which is completely absurd! But, yeah, half-vampire-run country. You'd also figure this particular awful disproportionate power grab issue would have died when we abolished slavery, but uh... we didn't actually do a super great job at that. The actual wording of our slavery ban has a heck of a loophole in it.

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." So you know, you're a vampire. You failed to overthrow the government and they made you release all your slaves, AND they're technically allowed to vote now. That's bad for you because not only can you not boss them around or get extra federal votes out of them, they're probably going to vote against your evil interests. Fortunately you argued for these loopholes about people in prisons, and hey, you can exploit the hell out of that! Build a ton of prisons! Pass laws that let you arrest huge amounts of people for... being former slaves essentially. Make huge huge numbers of arrests. Offer to house other states' prisoners too! All these people are totally living in your state, AND they're full citizens with voting rights, so, yeah draw those district maps up to count them all, but oh whoops, none of them can actually cast those votes, because they're in prison and all. Still, their bodies count for population proportion, so the one vampire with a residence next to the prison effectly just gets to vote for all of them. Oh and the way the 13th amendment is written you can totally have them all do any sort of slave labor you need done while they're in there. Dangerous firefighting, horrible no-shade road construction, whatever you like really.

There's all kinds of awful crap like this baked into our laws, and it's imperative that we get rid of it all, both because, you know, basic human rights, and because it's all in there explicitly to give disproportionate power to vampires and make it particularly hard to get rid of them. Meanwhile, yeah, the vampires are also very much aware of that, and doing everything they can to keep us from doing that, so they can continue to, you know, rule forever, kill us for a combination of the enjoyment they get and a means of population control to thwart all this pesky democracy stuff, etc.

Now, a big part of how all of this has shaken out is that America has profoundly bad system for handling elections. A lot of other countries do stuff where you rank a bunch of candidates and when the votes get tabulated there's this whole multistep process weeding out the ones with no chance and then counting based on people's second choices and all that, but no, we go with "this guy got 21% of the vote and the next highest only got 20.95% so first guy wins who cares about the rest of this" (at least for general popular vote stuff, there's special rules and exceptions for lots of stuff like... amending weird crap that keeps vampires in power where you need various wide majorities, naturally). Anyway all the vampires get this so they pool their resources and pick just one vampire to run for any given thing and throw all the votes they have (bloated by various messed up means of getting extra votes and not counting big piles that disagree with them) without any other vampires splitting the vampire vote. This kinda necessitates the counterplay of having just the one non-vampire run for any given office. So, how do we work out who this one non-vampire is? Well, in the vast majority of cases, people are so disinterested in politics that only one person is going to even bother to fill out the paperwork to run (or nobody will, just letting some vampire run unopposed!) but for higher profile stuff, presidency especially, there's usually enough people interested that we have (technically unofficial) votes to agree on who we're all going to vote for later. Which isn't the worst system? Think of it like a tournament bracket (and really it'd be better if we branched those more, or used one of those better systems other countries have).

Oh and this is also only covering the various government offices where people are voted for directly. There's a ton of others like, you know, the entire judicial branch, which is arguably the most important, because it ultimately doesn't matter what the law says about anything when a dispute, even one in incredibly bad faith, can be brought before a vampire judge who's just going to rule in favor of vampire interests. Nothing for it beyond keeping vampires out of office so they can't appoint other vampires as judges and such.

So... yeah. The most important thing in all this is hey, do absolutely everything you can to thwart the efforts of vampires. They're super well-organized and weirdly open about wanting to enslave or kill the rest of us, along with doing everything they can to get away from this whole voting thing and just kinda rule forever as feudal lords, free to claim the blood of all within their domain and all. Past that, you want people in power who are like... competent? Willing to thwart and dismantle vampire rule, while also actually doing whatever job they're in the running to go and do.

So basically, when it comes to matters of voting, the really important thing to do is not freaking blow everything off until the big vampire vs. non-vampire vote. If the non-vampire sucks at that point, that's on you for not pushing for and voting for someone who doesn't suck when the primary happened. And if all those people suck, it's on you for not opting to run yourself or pestering someone you like to do so. But yeah, if you spaced that long and now it's just a vampire or some jerk you don't like, deal with it, vote for the jerk. We need to protect the weak and vulnerable among us from the vampires first and foremost and keep them from outlawing stakes and garlic, people!

Oh and the other thing with American voting is that yeah sometimes in smaller local elections things get weird and there isn't a vampire in the running or there is but you know from polls that everyone has kind of agreed nobody's voting for the vampire and then cool you can maybe vote for some cool weirdo who didn't get party backing over someone who did. That's never going to happen in a big election though. There's too much infrastructure involved in getting viable candidates propped up, the vampire vote is going to be in play in a serious way, and any sort of third party/write-in candidate is just kinda going to be some weirdo who has no chance at all of winning and is just here on an ego trip, so, yeah just focus on disempowering vampires.

But again, I'm writing about vampires not voting strategy so uh... hey white supremacy kinda works as wannabe vampires with this metaphor. The vampires aren't going to turn anyone new into vampires most likely but they tempt weird pasty creeps with promises that they might get to be vampires later if they help the vampires with their agenda and bring them pre-battered victims and such. Oh and a lot of people would prefer to stake them than deprive them of political power and like, OK, put your money where your mouth is then. Talking about that sort of thing in public is just going to make them post more guards around their coffins. Vampire Hunters gotta work solo or in small well-vetted groups.

[rederiswrites]

Ok, I swear, this one's for the people who DON'T follow K-pop, and only know BTS as some Korean boyband that uses a lot of autotune. Just to highlight some things I'm currently enjoying the hell out of from their careers. Lemme start with some context.

So in Korea, Idol is a job above and beyond just performing onstage. You are meant to be a product. An object for adoration, specifically trained and cultivated to create the sort of parasocial relationship that sells out shows and merchandise. It is fucking rigorous. It usually involves substantial economic hardship unless and until you're one of the handful of groups that makes it big. It's also blatantly predatory, and idols are chosen when they're literally kids, at most 18 usually.

Your contract with the label frequently specifies that you're not allowed to swear, smoke, date, or generally do anything not squeaky clean anywhere you might be seen, which, since they've got cameras shoved up your ass and bolted to your bed, is everywhere. Merely touching a person of the opposite sex can set off a whole scandal and get you (or the poor unfortunate you breathed near) a huge pile of hate. They're also perfectly aware that they're "just" idols, just boybands or girl bands, to a lot of people, and not considered serious musicians, even in their own country.

Idols also have a pretty short shelf-life. Korean beauty standards are, as far as I can tell, even more youth-obsessed than in the US. The oldest female artists are like, 34. There's like, one woman over 30 for every twenty under 20. Men's careers often founder on their mandated military service, which is roughly two years (depending on branch). They've got to serve that by the time they're 30.

BTS got extensions, because they're a statistically significant percent of the entire South Korean GDP. But now the elder members have got to do their service, no way around it. Kim Seokjin (Jin) went in a couple months ago, Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) a few days ago. So the group is on hiatus, there's no helping it.

That was the background. What happens now is the fun part.

The Korean government played politics, bouncing back and forth on "should idols big enough get exemptions" for years, specifically namedropping and using BTS as a political toy. BTS themselves didn't comment on any of it, and played their cards very close to their chest and said nothing about their military service. Then they did a huge concert in Busan, Korea, where they resurrected an old rap cipher which involves chanting "Fuck you I don't care, you can't control my shit", performed it with such fire that it looked like they were legit about to start a riot, and then the next week announced that they were going on hiatus and Jin was entering the military.

Since then, let's see: nearly every member has at least posted a shirtless photo, and the three youngest members have done entire photoshoots (and in one case a music video) shirtless. Jimin released a single titled "Set Me Free"--not terribly subtle--and a photoshoot he made a point of saying he'd designed from the ground up, which is SOAKED in queer symbology. I have to emphasize that these choices are all MUCH more significant than they would be in the US. Min Yoongi put an entire album full of rage and violent imagery and painful intimacy and swearing, and smoked and shot people and performed self-harm in his music videos. J Hope released an album full of dark driving rhythms utterly unlike his previous work, and broke sales records as a solo star at Lollapalooza, even while still singing and rapping primarily in Korean.

Some of the members are quieter, clearly a bit unmoored without the thing that has shaped and dictated their entire adult lives, but they're also shrugging off the idol image with deep relief. Namjoon is philosophizing and being extremely frank about mental struggles and crying on camera. Jungkook is having regular almost uncomfortably intimate lives, where he just sings along with the music or folds his laundry or even just smiles sleepily at the camera for a while. Who the hell knows what Taehyung does. Exactly as he pleases, probably, but definitely while wearing thousands of dollars of fashion and looking like the prince of the dark sidhe.

I was looking forward to this. Not to the military service, of course. As a non-Korean, I'm well aware that it's none of my damn business, but of course I don't like it. But I was looking forward to these guys slipping the leash and having lives and careers beyond the chains of idolhood. And it's been pretty awesome so far.

[telomeke]

MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT EP.9 – A CALL FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY

(above) Ep.9 [3I4] 9.00

This little shared moment between Tinn and Gun is also MSP playing its part in Thai BL's collective support for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Thailand. The country is moving toward it, with Parliament having ratified a bill that will make this a reality, but they're not at the finish line yet and there are still hurdles to be overcome (i.e., it could still be pushed back at any time).

With this as the context, many Thai BLs recently have made it a point not just to raise awareness of the issue, but also to keep marriage equality in the forefront of public consciousness lest support for it lose momentum.

I think Not Me and The Eclipse also did this, but I'm not sure exactly in which episodes though (let me know in the notes, if you will, and also which other BLs/GLs joined the party).

I know Bad Buddy definitely did step up to the plate for this, with PatPran spotlighting the issue of LGBTQ+ marriage when they went through their Ep.10 khan maak on the steps of the Archi Faculty (and with a subtle callback too in Ep.11 – see this link here).

So this is MSP's turn at bat, and they're doing it with a sweet little flourish by the sea (maybe nodding at Thailand's popularity as a venue for beach weddings? 😉). Tinn is expressing his hope for them to marry one day, and Gun is radiant (if a little embarrassed and cheekily dismissive) at the prospect.

And in doing so they're keeping the issue alive in the public eye, while at the same time their joyful, puppydog innocence is helping to tear down stigmas and normalize what many still seek to demonize, by showing up the baselessness of othering smears on the simple issue of two people in love wanting their union to be recognized like anybody else's. 💖

A brief note on the Thai linguistics here though – Tinn IS being irredeemably cheesy, but his comment about switching from songwriting to marriage isn't quite as headslappingly klunky as the English subtitles would have us believe.

He's playing on the word แต่ง (pronounced something like dtaeng) which has several meanings, including to write/compose and to marry.

So at Ep.9 [3I4] 9.00 when Tinn talks about switching from dtaeng phlaehng (แต่งเพลง, songwriting, where phlaehng means song/music) to dtaeng ngaan (แต่งงาน, a colloquial term for getting married), his line is not quite as semantically dissonant in Thai as it is in the English subtitles (even if it is a bit corny 😂).

I think it would have been a better fit if they'd translated his comment more along the lines of "switching from writing songs to writing our marriage vows" instead. Ah well. 🤷‍♂️

Anyway, a tip of the hat again to My School President for finding a way to squeeze in a socially responsible (albeit very subtle) comment on the weighty topic of marriage equality amid all the light-hearted gamboling in this episode.

Neither the comment nor the context in which it's delivered detracts from the other. Even though they're making a political statement, there's nothing obnoxious or in your face about the delivery at all, which is the best way for a potentially-divisive message to land.

I do love this show! 😍

[karenandhenwilson]

The usual aftermath

Right now, the people who started this are experiencing backlash. Dealing with public posts condemning their behavior in sometimes not very polite way and dealing with anon messages. I can't say I have much sympathy for them.

As already said, they have stated several times that they don't think a call out post is bullying. But the thing is, you can't control what the mob will do with your words, your anger, your outrage. They'll run with it and they'll hurt people.

A friend brought up a good comparison: Imagine a person pulls the fire alarm in a busy building as a prank. Maybe a mall or a big business building. There is no fire, but no one knows that. There'll most likely be a panic, there will be chaos—and among all of that there will be property damage and the busier the building the more likely there will be injuries or even people dying. The person who pulled that fire alarm as a prank will be held accountable for paying the first responders who were deployed because of the alarm as well as any damage done during that panic in most countries, I'm aware of even if they never even saw the people who got hurt or who actually did any of the property damage.

Your call out post is you pulling the fire alarm. You are culpable for anything that happens afterwards, even if you have no chance from the very beginning to control the crowd.

Me saying "You brought this onto yourself" does in no way mean "I agree or support this behavior". I did repost some things on Tuesday, one of them has a phrase used in it that when I first read it, I only found it amusing and kind of fitting. I have in the meantime read a post by one of the people addressed by that phrase that's making me think a little differently about it.

As communication has been one of the things that's just completely lacking in this situation, I'll not just vague post about this one thing. The phrase goes along the lines of "the white women who started this and their token POC so they can claim they talked with POC about their accusations first".

I completely understand why any person who'd have to feel addressed by the word "token" feels hurt by it, probably horribly hurt. I've added to the tags on my reblog of this post to state I don't agree with that specific phrasing but still with the overall message. It's not a phrase I'd adopt personally, not even before I saw the thoughts shared by one of the people addressed by it.

There is a but, though. And that but is the situation as it openly presents itself to everyone who is not part of the group who created the call out posts about the artist. As far as I know there were three of them. And one person talking to the artist privately but also commenting openly on one of their posts before the call out posts. All four of these people have stated to be White at one point or another. So what everyone seeing the call outs could see was four White people attacking an artist who turned out to be Korean. 

The same people who loudly shouted into the fandom they wanted to make the fandom safe for POC were in the process of that "protection" attacking a POC. Whatever might have been said or might have happened in private in some DMs or on a Discord server, no one seeing the call out posts has any chance to know about it. So no one seeing them cold see POC raising some concerns and their friends supporting them even if that might have happened somewhere in the background.

So when I read the above mentioned phrase first, I found it fitting because all we had seen at this point were some White people harassing a POC, trying to lecture that POC about how they were allowed to perceive the coloring of the skin of their own race, and claiming there were POC voices in the background but no one could really be sure about it. It was an instance of me not taking the time to think about the people on the other side of the comment, which very clearly was a mistake.

I talked with someone involved in this whole debate about the uncertainty of how to support POC voices, of elevating their voices, without stepping out of our lane. A couple years ago I talked with some POC RL friends about this. After very long consideration and calling one of them earlier, I've decided to share what they told me:

Elevating POC voices means being at their side when they speak up. Sometimes that just means literally standing beside them giving whatever physical comfort they are comfortable with while they voice their protest. Sometimes that means listening to their (open) protest and then taking those words and expanding them, building on them. It doesn't mean speaking up when they don't feel like speaking up for any reason (of which there can be many, speaking up is exhausting). It doesn't mean taking their privately shared words and carrying them forward in an attempt to fight their battle for them. Especially not if they don't feel to be in a place to fight any battle at all.

I'm aware that's the opinion of a very small group of people compared to the world. But it's what my friends told me they wished how I and others would act with and for them. So, I'm living by it. And I’m trying to do it with everyone, no matter their race. I believe that me not deleting my reblog but adding a tag pointing out that this phrase is not okay is living by it, is carrying forward the openly shared words of a person who got hurt.

I very much hope this situation will die down now. And that maybe at least some people on both sides will learn from it. My DMs are open. I've not blocked a single person so feel free to write me. I'm of course reserving the right not to response if I get the impression you are coming at me in bad faith or if your tone is disrespectful. I'll not be answering any asks about this topic. That wouldn't be helpful in giving this situation a rest.

[songmingisthighs]

Oh I have been seeing that! Anti-semitism is for sure increasing in some areas, and I can't say that Jewish people are not justified for that fear given their history of oppression and hatred against them, I'm pretty sure everyone has seen people inside the pro Palestinian movement, making antisemitic comments, disguised as support for the victims of isrl... (calling not the IOF soldiers, but the Jewish people as a whole, descendants of the devil and what not, is unnerving) but that is also not a common stance between the movement.

Those feelings and doubts from Jewish people are obviously valid, although, they are NOT more urgent or important that the suffering and urgency of the Palestinian people (and that goes especially to those who use their fear as an argument in every discussion, as a way of adverting the attention from the genocide in palestine, or to avoid recognizing the lies and crimes of the state or Israel and its allies)

It can and will sound bad, but they are not the victims in this conflict, empathy and understanding can be given for sure, but not as a way of ignoring or minimizing the ongoing tragedy in and out of gaza/the west bank, where people are suffering a genocide and are being stripped off of their identity and culture. An example of that is the 'from the river to the sea' chant, just as you mentioned (and keeping in mind the infinity of claims the media in your country can be saying about it) it has been tainted by politicians and general citizens as an antisemitic chant, an attack against jews, a call for violence, and so much more, but ever since the Palestinian liberation forces created it in the 1960's it hasn't, not even by Israeli people who were well aware of its existence and meaning, been interpreted as a genocidal chant, not until now that they are losing the media credibility and support.

For different parts of the movement and outside of it, the chant advocates for the libertarian of Palestine, not as an attack against jews, but the apartheid state they suffer in Israel, and it's creation in itself, which caused the massive displacement and murdering of a great part of their population, and for those who could remain in their land, the inability to vote, have basic human rights, the freedom to cross certain parts of the territory, the uncertainty of someone else just evicting them from their homes, and consistent violence against them, having as the primary example the current genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the west bank

I'm sure you already know most of this, but I'm just saying it to assure you that using and standing with the chant 'from the river to the see' does not make you or anyone else antisemitic, not as long as people have the ability to recognize jews and zionism apart

Also sorry if any part of this ask felt rude, or feels confusing, I would love to keep discussing about this if it's something you're up to

no no it's not rude. i'm actually glad we can have a discussion like this rather than misunderstanding and ended up accusing each other of smth

tw : controversial topic

i totally get it though like the original intention and from my side, i hate how the situation became due to extremist or uneducated "supporters" who in support of palestine and palestinian ended up being antisemitic like i saw blue haired libs outrightly telling jews in general that they don't deserve their freedom even jewish americans who had nothing to do with the situation in the middle east

and coming back to the issue of brand boycott, i think it's ridiculous that people can't differentiate between not being able to make a political standing and supporting genocide. "bEiNG SiLEnT = SupPORtiNg gEnOCiDe" is a ridiculous precedent because people who support this idea are not putting things into context. I don't see this backlash towards japanese or chinese idols, only korean idols. why ? because western fans (esp americans) put KOREAN idols in the same category as them. i think kpop should be separated from politics bc it's just gross. if you don't like what they're doing, you're welcome to have an opinion but you're not entitled to demand anything. you can even leave the fandom and stop supporting the artists, it's entirely your decision.(the you is not you, anon, it's just people in general ig) like who are you to control how people act or behave because you don't agree with it ?

the way people act, demanding kq to release a statement and demanding certain photos be taken down is kind of facistic cencorship adjacent. "I don't like the message i assume you're supporting and because of that and because the rest of us agree on an idea, you must adhere to it and do what we want" like it's so gross how entitled these people are

and again, it seem like they're erasing hongjoong's philantropical activities just because he posed with a starbucks cup (it's not even a sponsorship), calling him a sellout and acting as if he's leading charge in an anti palestinian campaign which is so not the case. literally people are using this situation to cancel and boycott idols, they don't really care about what the boycott stands for, they just want to hate and that's more disgusting than posing with a starbucks cup

[nebulouscoffee]

✄ what’s your editing process?

★ what was the scene you most wanted to write in "Who We Are" ? what was the hardest scene to write?

and

▵ pick a fic and I’ll tell you my favorite line -> for "Home"

Thank you so much!😊

✄ what’s your editing process? - answered here :)

★ what was the scene you most wanted to write in "Who We Are" ? what was the hardest scene to write? - I remember being so excited to write Ezri's joining, which ended up being a ton of fun- as well as this (not yet posted) fallout between Jadzia and Julian. Plus the climactic zhian'tara ritual! A scene that's been quite hard to write is one where Jadzia sort of snaps and is... actually very mean to Ezri (hard because it's tough to find the balance between painful and still in-character; in canon it was Garak, who can easily be cruel- but while I think Jadzia can be uncaring sometimes she isn't usually mean like that, so what would it take to push her? how can I make it convincing?) - and ofc that climactic zhian'tara ritual lol, because HOWWW can I capture the sheer madness of Jadzia Sans Dax But Not Quite Idaris hosting the spirit of Technically Now Dead Past Host Jadzia Dax. Nothing is good enough!! Nothing!!!

▵ pick a fic and I’ll tell you my favorite line -> for "Home" - omg Home :') can't believe it's been two whole years since I sat down and thought "well maybe I should try writing a fan fic" & then accidentally gave birth to a 100k word monster lmao. I haven't actually read this one since last December, so I'm not sure these are in fact my fav lines- but people seem to comment about this exchange between Kira and Garak a lot, and I do like it!

“Nilvi isn’t even a Cardassian fruit,” he said randomly.  Kira knew. It was Amlethi; plucked from their soils and grown on Cardassian worlds. Jiruoub berries were Amlethi too; yet they’d fed her three years in the Resistance. Korman weeds brought by Cardassian invaders now blanketed moba orchards, inexplicably helping the indigenous trees grow. Two of the seven spices in Seven-Spice Hasperat were Cardassian.  Years ago, Kira would’ve defiantly relished a five-spice version, shamed her peers who didn’t. Now, she just thinks they’ve all been through too much to punish themselves with bland hasperat. Maybe time couldn’t heal all wounds. But it could turn her hasperat from a political statement into lunch. “My father enjoyed it,” she remembered. “So did my mother.” Garak paused. “You’ve met her, you know.”

This digs into a lot of things I find fascinating about their dynamic, and what they might have in common despite being from opposite sides of an Occupation- but it's also an important character moment for both of them; a recognition of how much their lives have changed, their worlds have changed, they have changed. The nilvi fruit does have symbolic weight in this fic lol- it's the thing that starts off the whole series of unfortunate events, yes, but also when it's first mentioned in chapter one, it's via Garak reminiscing about it as a symbol of cultural pride, unity, and Cardassian wealth, and with casual nostalgia. Him saying this now is a display of how much the events of the fic have forced him to confront that nostalgia- now, the fruit has become a symbol of Cardassian greed, entitlement and violence (both on a larger, planetary scale, and a personal one). I also really wanted to write this moment of peaceful self-awareness for Kira- there are things she will never truly heal from, things she'll never forgive (a lot of which are quite literally personified in the man she's currently sipping springwine with) - but that doesn't mean they can't come to take on new significances. I remember I was thinking about how maize is a dietary staple in most African countries, and red and green chillies are so famously associated with various Asian cuisines- yet, neither of those things is native to those lands. Every country from Sudan to Sri Lanka is filled with tea stalls that are now a crucial part of the culture - but shai/chai never used to be made with tea leaves until those countries were colonised. This is not a "silver lining on the cloud" type thing, of course- quite the opposite; neither Bajor nor any real-world nations should ever have been colonised (& this is why I included that "inexplicably helping the indigenous trees grow" line- the exact sort of thing that would get paraded around as a defence of colonialism! Just like railways, languages, European architecture, fusion art, etc. Whether Cardassian activity was poisoning the soil or inadvertently helping something grow, it doesn't matter- it had no business being carried out in Bajoran territory.) But this is an aspect of occupations I hadn't seen explored all that much in ds9 fanworks; that inevitable intertwining of cultures- so I wanted to write more about it, and given I drew a lot of inspiration from stuff I see around me I'm always so pleasantly surprised by how many people responded to it, I'm very glad it resonated

[alukardtheabysswalker]

If I'm to ever leave you with something while scrolling through my blog or finding my posts randomly I hope is this:

Morals, good morals, even leftist morals, are NOT indicative of emotional maturity and responsibility.

What do I mean by this? Let me give you some examples from my life:

My parents have always been leftists. My mom's been to every strike and walk in there's been fighting for the rights of many, organized and even made Molotov cocktails for her comrades. My dad has always used his position to fight for social justice, especially for the legalization of free abortion in my country, to the point that in the 80s he left his political party because his colleagues considered him "too radical". My mom gives free education to needy kids and my dad uses his platform as a journalist to make topics that are politically important be heard. They are both deeply involved with social justice. They also have the emotional intelligence of a four year old and should have never had children. They ruined my brother's and I mental health and will not acknowledge anything of what they did.

My first friend group from my teenage years was the most toxic, abusive, misogynistic, homophobic and probably all kinds of bigotry there was. We treated each other badly and attacked each other harshly. You know what was one of our favorite shows to watch together? Steven Universe.

We ate that shit, we loved the characters, we would sing the songs about compassion and love and go right back to making each other miserable. It got so bad that one of them was a fan of "What's the use of feeling blue?" You know, that song that's about how you can't keep your emotions bottled up because they will eventually rise and hurt you even more, so it's sung from a character's POV that's trying to argue that emotions are useless but by the end of it she can't hold back anymore.

He LOVED it, but not the actual message no. He loved that there was a song about how cool it is to not feel anything and how sensitivity is stupid.

Another friend who in my early twenties basically got me into feminism. He very calmly helped understand the issues with the patriarchy, he introduced me to Judith Butler and we had a workshop about gender, sexuality and gender roles. He also loved SU deeply, got all the art books and comics and made posts thanking Rebecca Sugar for her thoughtful representation of LGBT people.

He shut up a mutual friend who was trying to come out as bi telling her she was "probably confused". Later he gaslighted me when I was worried that our friend group might not like me, telling me it was all in my head and that I had to stop being so paranoid, to then talk shit about me behind my back and convince them to kick me out of the group like we were some kindergarten kid's band.

I could go on but hopefully I made my point clear.

And btw this is not an invitation to right wingers to comment "ohhhhh see? The left is just as bad/See? Y'all are hypocrits". No, shut the fuck up, this is not about you, at best you are someone who desperately needs therapy and it's making it everyone else's problem and at worst you're a Nazi so I don't give a fuck about your opinion.

The point I'm trying to make is that emotional maturity requieres work, and many people are not willing to make it. But if you are, you need to be aware that even if those around you or the new people you meet have morals that align with yours doesn't mean they can't be shitty people who might hurt you. For your own good you need to be clear in communication, setting boundaries and leaving when someone is just not good for you.

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Is Chile not more south than Mexico?? Also, Latin America is not a continent. Are you referring to North America, or the Americas, or just the USA? And why not just say Americans? Because when you say Americans, it is understood that that means the Country and not North Americans or Latin Americans. It just feels weird to say USAmericans and then talk about something that could also apply to not only Canada but also much of the "Western world" including, say, Australia or the UK or Germany. And does your experience in USAMERICA extend from coast to coast? It is a big country! You cannot speak for Canada but you can speak for people farther away than that? What about Hawaii, or Alaska? It just seems like such a strange term. As a North American who is not USAmerican...it feels Performative and gross.

Okay.

Yes, Chile is more south thank Mexico. I mentioned Chile because "the America's" is North and (Central and) South America which extends from Canada to Chile. I think. I did like a quick google search and should be doing schoolwork right now so just give me some grace.

I do know Latin America is not a continent. Mexico is considered a Latin American Country and is a part of North America. Latin America has to do with the ethnicity of the reigions (i.e. coming from Latin based, Romance Languages, etc, etc). This is also why I said "almost" everything south of Mexico is Latin American because there is a country (whose name escapes me) that isn't.

It just feels weird to say USAmericans and then talk about something that could also apply to not only Canada but also much of the "Western world" including, say, Australia or the UK or Germany.

Which is why sometimes I do specifically say "Western Christianity" or I'll talk about Christianity "in the West" (tho I am fully aware that West/East stuff is complicated and whatnot. For the sake of discussion we have to just set that aside for now). When I am reasonably confident that something is a problem in all of Western Christianity, I say Western. In fact, this is the majority of the way I talk about it. But in the case that I was talking about just now (a mistaken understanding of Christianity as some Old White European Religion) I can only speak specifically to how this manifests in the United States. For example, I am ethnically African American. During the 20th century there were quite a few people in that community who rebelled against the idea of being Christian because it was "the white man's religion" and became Muslim instead.... despite them coming from the exact same place.

In the politics of my home country that is a lot of nationalism that is inherently tied to conservative politics and conservative theology, which is distressing because it means that being anti-nationalist, and having a more accurate (biblically and historically) and diverse understanding of Christianity is associated with liberal theology ("associated" but not actually there. Liberals are just as Western-centric as the conservatives. This is probably a West problem but i have to talk to a friend about that before i could comment further).

Also for example, apparently Africa and Latin America have a prosperity "gospel" problem. That said, I don't live in either of these places and have yet to do any research so if was going to post about say, "The Christ of Culture Phenomenon and Prosperity 'Gospel'" I couldn't go in depth about either of those regions and probably wouldn't discuss them at all. I would focus my view on specifically my home country. Which just happens to be the US. Is it a problem in Canada? Idk. Probably but I don't live there, i don't now anything about it's politics or culture or theology. I'm sure it's similar (similar regions and what not) but they have a distinctive history that would shape them differently (that said: I do believe they have a liberal theology problem, like the us. But, i don't know anything beyond that it's there.)

I mean, my experience with the US is based in the fact that 1) I live here, 2) most people I listen to also live here (I am trying to find theologians from other countries but i don't have the time. Again. School) and a few of them go around the country. It is a big region, and when I discuss the theological issues of the United States, i speak mostly from a generalized point. I feel more comfortable talking about Brazil than Hawaii or Alaska. But that's because I know a bit more about the culture, philosophy, and theological issues. Heck, I mean north to south American theology is different (liberal to north, conservative south). This is simply a way of talking about something I see as an issue, in a way that isn't just "Well over here in the state i live in we have this issue". The issue of "Christianity is White Religion" is one that affects the very founding and expansion of this nation. So, ofc, I am going to talk specifically about this.

I say often (on my other blog) "this nation is up to it's neck in blood". On this blog I frequently call it "Babylon", because it is Babylon. But so is every other nation on planet earth throughout history. And I am aware of this, but when I speak of living in Babylon, and how it sucks, I am speaking of my personal experience. When I get more abstract, I do so because I know it's a universal experience, but in my mind I still have my more personal experience in sight.

I can understand why it might seem performative. And I do despise virtue signaling and performance. It is beyond "gross" and is striahgt up unchristian. But here's the problem: I genuinely do not like that people in the US call themselves "American" as a nation identity. My Brazilian mutual is also "American" because we all live in America! It's not an accurate term. Similar reasons why i don't use "grace" or "sin" "transgression" "iniquity" "righteousness" "soul" "hell" "heaven" (that one more rarely). Because those are theological words that get so overused we forget their meaning. I think it's dangerous for words to lose meaning. It's why I fight so hard against Arians calling themselves "Christian". Why I oppose translating the woman in Proverbs 31 "a woman of virtue" or ezer in Gen 2 as "help". Because words have meanings and histories and contexts. Why do people in the US call themselves "American" as if the United States is the entire continent?

Edit: To be clear, people can call themselves whatever they want. I personally in good conscience, however, cannot. My point about not liking it is not that I want to police people's speech or whatever, but I do believe in thinking about the words you choose.

I am a writer. A poet and an aspiring author. I care so much about what words get used (especially in religious settings) I aspire to learn Hebrew and Greek and to translate the entire bible one day. I love words very much. I assure you my use of any word is definitely not performative. I have done deep deliberation, meditation, and contemplation on my word choices.

[lila-lynn]

Board Meeting:

All us tumblr veterans out here need to have a conversation with the new tumblrs and discuss the following topics

Tags are to describe not only people, but also to name the show or movie contained in post, name the origin of the post, and list niches that connect to the context in your post, as well as other descriptors.

Tumbler is the true free country, where politics stay away unless they are used in reference to rights that are being violated. While not all political posts are controversial for Tumblr, if you're promoting just blind pride or unexplained degradation of a political figure, please go back to Facebook.

Tumblr can be whatever you want it to be, it has a million, no a billion, potential possibilities that it could achieve for you depending on how you use it. But please keep it a safe respectful place for all kinds and all mindsets.

Comment sections are for the following, when the author of post forgets to put the origin of the post in the tags, to follow up on answering a poll, and to describe the audio of a video for someone who has trouble hearing or is deaf. This also goes along with each image having words when it is a scene or there is audio to go along with it.

If you don't agree with me this is fine. Your feed and your opinions may be different than mine, and I love that. However, the hate that I have seen coming across my dash here is something that I come here to get away from as I'm well aware most other tumblr users do!

[papirouge]

You say that people should get over communism because it’s been dead for years, when the USSR fell in ‘91. Millions upon millions of people alive today remember communism. That’s not to mention other ex communist countries like Cuba. So I think they all have a right to be worried about communism when governments all over the world are adopting policies that are communist-esque like the crack down on free speech. You tell people to get over an ideology that has murdered millions not that long ago but you still call whites “white devils” and all kinds of bs for stuff Western Europeans did even further back. You clown on racists (as you should) while also inadvertently being racist yourself by calling whites names and constantly commenting on how western white society is inferior. (Remember saying some bs like “unwashed white asses” and other shit like that?) You’re extremely hypocritical in other areas of your beliefs as well, which would normally be ‘fine’ since everyone is a hypocrite to an extent. But you’re also extremely arrogant. You mention that social media is a massive stumbling block for Christians, which it is, only for you to spend hours on this hell site every day uncharitably hounding people and calling them demonic. Wake up. Everyone, including those you deem demonic/demon possessed can be redeemed. Maybe read the sermon on the mount again and work on forgiving your enemies. Thinking that someone’s soul can go to hell before dying is a thought from Satan. He’s stopping people from trying to save those who are under heavy spiritual attack. Go to church. Your discernment is clearly not developed enough to tell the difference between something from the Holy Spirit vs something from a demon. Which is fine, most people’s discernment isn’t very well developed either ( me included )

.....this post has to be one of the most glaring example of projection & gaslighting, but before I eat you out alive; one question : don't you find ironic of accusing *me* "uncharitably" hounding people & being arrogant when it's you who's been popping on my inbox to lecture and call me names? 🙃 lol You're not the first nor the last one trying to gaslight me like that, and I always found this glaring lack of self awareness fascinating lmao

You guys are obsessed to point out the horror of Communism because that's the only political movement whose main culprit were White. I said what I said and you will cope. I will refuse to care like that about communism precisely like you don't care like that about King Leopold II killing 6 millions Congolese. Sorry but you guys are not special. The only people who can whine about communism are those still living in the handful of countries left with a communist regime. If you're not, than shut up and stop acting like you were a victim of an overall dead political regime that has no impact on your life.

Leave me alone with your communism trauma and go bother Lenin or Stalin in their graves. You're not impressing anyone with your "oh but millions are dead" ..we learned that stuff in school, thanks. I'm from Africa and I literally have no lesson to take about harmful ideologies killing (my) people. Unlike Communism, racism is well alive in most countries. And yet I'm not here constantly whining about it. If you were familiar with my content (which I know you're not) you'd know that I'm not one to constantly flaunting about my race or dive into (anti black) racism discourse. So if I'm not one to whine about racism like that while being a racist, that's actually pretty logical and not hypocrite?? like, that's actually being able to cook a dish AND eat it. Like, you really thought you were UNO reverse-ing me but you still don't make any sense, I- 😭

Now, about that so called freedom of speech and me being (allegedly) racist.... 🤭 You see anon, my toxic trait is that I hardly bother denying wrongful claims about me, and I couldn't care less about being called a racist, but I just found your claims very nonsensical. If I was really racist, why would I need to add "White" before devil? I'm asking because I've seen actual real anti white racists for whom being White = being a devil in and of itself. If I thought every Whte person was evil, why would I put "White" before "devil"? maayyyyybe would it mean that I don't think that White people are not evil just for being White...? ever thought about that...?🤯 Also it's interesting how you seem somehow more bothered about the names I've been calling those evil White people rather than the reason why I did call them like that...🤔 Because I don't call regular White people like that. There had to be colonizer, racists, people who did VERY wrong things, etc. I'm sure you're one of those people who don't consider racism a big deal UNLESS it's to bring it up to whine about anti White racism uwu oh and I never said "Western White civilizations were inferior"....like- please- just stop making shit up, this is embarassing.

THEN, when you tried to go for the "you're so unloving and uncharitable" route that's when I definitively knew you were full of it and had absolutely NO IDEA of what you're talking about because I beefed with SO MANY CHRISTIANS over how we -as a community- should stop harassing/cussing people over their sins (gays, trans, criminals, etc)😭 That's precisely because I think that NO ONE is beyond repentance that I'm against death penalty or gun violence. THIS IS LITERALLY MY PINNED POST - like??? are you new??? The only time I go off against people and call them names is against Christians because our expectations/responsibility is actually higher ; we are expected to do better because we're supposed to know God. I will never understand where the idea that Christians should be "nice" EVERY TIME came from - especially when confronted to blasphemers, people twisting the word of God or harming innocent people. It's actually biblical to rebuke and separate the goat from the lamb. Being nice =/= being loving. Wake up.

And one last thing that tells me you're either illiterate or a liar : I never said social medias were a stumbling block in and of itself. I't's about I've always been clear that I was talking about WORLDLY ENTERTAINMENT. Actually, I vividly remember making a post about the ambivalence of the internet/social medias that could be used either for wonderful things (such as Christian channels that could virtually reach BILLIONS of people) or the worst (trash tv shows, Netflix, porn, etc). I didn't dunk on the medium (tv, computer, social media) but rather the MEDIA

"Thinking that someone’s soul can go to hell before dying is a thought from Satan" WRONG. The very Bible said people in the end times will get dreams and visions. Having visions of hell fits.

TL;DR : my actual discernment is pristine and developed enough to clock 5 things about your lame message :

🚩you have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know my blog, my opinions, whatsoever, and just made shit up along the way to milk the crux of your issue with my take on Communism.

🚩The way you're linking lack of freedom of speech to communism shows you have no idea what communism is. The media & social platform silencing citizen journalists & whistleblowers are NOT communists (a PRIVATE company such as META gathering so much power & citizens private information would NEVER fly under Communism, genius). The ongoing censorship of social media & MSM is actually a sign of late stage capitalism but you guys are too much of capitalists simp (to whom any form of criticism of capitalism wouldn't occur in their mind), cannot handle.

🚩people like you who won't shut about the "right to freedom of speech" will be oddly very patronizing of others exercising theirs

🚩you're one of those Christians who never learned to think by themselves and think being not nice or not going to church is a bad thing. Thank you for confirming me once again how right I am for choosing to be homeschooled by the Holy Spirit

🚩for having such wack "evidence" of my racism, you either have a very flawed reading comprehension, or a pathological liar. NGL my heart swings between both possibilities

[fedethemace]

Giving my two cents seeing the comments there: even if It looks like youre saying different things from One another, you guys are, infact, all corredt. Let me explains why. Longass character analysis ahead.

Also, MANGA SPOILERS ALERT, SO BEWARE!‼️‼️‼️‼️

You gotta take in the social environment difference there. Yes, Toshiro has grown both as a rich master, hes polite and shy (as reason why he idealizes Falin even).

He also is from a completely different culture than the two siblings, and hes not uses to Laios overly friendliness (which Is a trait that, believe me, I myself share with him with people I'm comfortable with, not blaming the blond Boi for BEING like this).

Laios should not mask Better, not at all: the man should Just learn how to share this trait with people whom are comfortable with this trait. Learning get more social skills isn't masking, It IS respecting other people's boundaries instead.

Notice how the writer points out that some customs in the Island which Is very "general European" coded has different customs from the East, where Toshiro Is from, in his case from a very japanese coded country. There Is not only differences, but unfortunaltely, casual racism as well.Hell, Kabru party even asks Rin the very insensitive question if She knows them because they're both from the East! Sounds familiar?

Which brings us to the mispronouncing of Toshiro name. Can you Imagine coming to a foregein place, learn a new language, try to mind your own business, you start to really like a girl that seem so similar to you, calm and polite, and suddently your cowoker thinks you guys are bestfriends. He keeps mispronouncing your name, gets in your own personal space all the times, he interrupts moments with the girl that you like, and you feel incredibile uncomfortable, to the point that at One point It explodes in a fistfight, you tell the guy that he has to stop, that hes the worse, that you were NEVER bestfriends, why cant this guy get a hint, why Is he so reckless?? Why the fuck did he became a criminal, purring the girl you love in a compromising position with th authorities????

But...on the other hand. Imagine that you're like Laios. You Always lived isolated. Your only friend Is your Little sister, Who became an outcast for a field your parents and your Town dont understand. You are all you have. You don't understand social queue well at all, and are NOT initially aware of It. Just looks like everyone dislikes you for some reason and you don't get why.

Then you and your Lil sis start a new job. You DO get Friends with your cowokers. Sure sometimes they tease you, but they deeply care about you, THEY SPELL IT OUT TO YOU as you are about to get in trouble for your sister wellbeing!

You finally found people you belong with...and then the One you thought you bond with the most, that you considered your bestfriend, tells you that he despises you and you're an horrible person. That you got your sister in danger and are NOT his friend. Then why the hell didnt he told you out BEFORE and didnt tell you out loud??? You WOULD have listened, as many times as you did before. You are so hurt, you guys get in a fistfight even.

This Is literally what the comments there accurately depicted as an autistic nightmare. And I think I wrote enough to explain that this Is 100% a cultural/social Clash and neurodivergence Clash. Because yes I think Toshiro also has a form of neurodivergence + he has a higher status compared to Laios. He cant understand how someone like him cannot take an hint, he probably thinks he Is being annoying on purpose. They're completely different and cannot find a way to get along then, right? Well...

The fact Is tho...they do overcome this at the end.

Not because Laios "stops being autistic", not Toshiro has stopped being himself either: they just grew to understand eachother more. Toshiro also learns Who the real Falin Is (not an idealized girl of his dreams, but a strong sweet Maiden with a LOT of flaws), and despite his feeling persisting, he doesnt assume she'll fall for him... because She never loved him, but grew to like him as a friend, and Will see him in the future.

Dungeon meshi Is an Amazing story about food, growth, and living with your own disability, your own culture, being yourself, and start to respect other people differences and boundaries.

If there's One thing that this story teaches you, Is that people don't live in a vacuum and there are some things that we Will initially fight over. We could LET them head us to war like It often happens...

Or we could learn from eachother and live in peace.

Thank you for coming to mu Ted Talk.

Final disclaimer: I am NOT a Person of color, I'm infact a white European from Italy. All I did was giving my two cents as a probably neurodivergent guy adapting to social queues well into adulthood and learn to respect other people and other cultures. DM surely helped. Thanks again!

Interrupting Falin talk to bring you the scene that shows why Laios really great autistic representation and why Shuro is the worst. he's a well written character but I hate him

[ellaintrigue]

TIME AND PLACE (And, yes, the joke is a bit misogynistic but we're talking about boomers here lol.)

I saw this cartoon the other day and chuckled. This was my mom and grandmother's favorite joke actually! Mom told my grandmother, "why is being a hooker better than being a drug dealer? Because you can wash your crack and use it again!" The two women cackled away.

But they wouldn't have told this joke in church or in front of strangers. It's okay to have a dirty mind and free speech but you must use respect when exercising both.

I am by no means trying to promote the criminal element but as I've said, I date them. And I also meet a lot of non-criminal varieties who sleep with a lot of women, which aren't really my type. So why is it that most of these men are way more respectful to me than the good old country boys who work hard and live respectable lives??

I feel it is a matter of socialization. I am an uneducated rural woman but I have self-awareness and empathy. These things don't get taught when you grow up on a farm and are only exposed to your family and a handful of locals.

As a result, nearly every time I talk to a rural blue collar man, I hear the worst ignorance. I am not talking about them directly cussing me out or insulting me but they think it's okay to comment on big tits or make sexual jokes to women they barely know. And I know it's because they grew up sheltered and still are.

I dated one in 2021 and he said he went to a party, a woman farted, and he started yelling to everyone, "THIS BITCH FARTED." I said, why did you repeatedly call her a bitch? He was from the Rockies, WV. He said he thought bitch was just another name for woman. He actually listened to me and realized it wasn't respectful and corrected himself.

Earlier this year I met a man from a tiny rural Virginia town bordering WV. Very rough around the edges, uneducated, bad teeth. He was polite and kind but then a few days in he randomly told me he had a big penis. Okay? See, I'm not a prude, but I don't want any man I don't know coming at me talking about sex or his genitals. And he wasn't trying to be disrespectful, he was just plain ignorant. I saw his father's profile on Facebook and it was a bunch of right wing posts and pictures of busty women with captions like, "look at her floatation devices, she won't drown!"

I let it slide and he didn't say anything else sexual until the next day when he said, "your tripod is home from work ha ha." I blocked him. I don't care if he had a big dick, that's not how you respectfully address a woman you are trying to get to know. And he didn't know any better, that's just how his father had raised him.

As for the felons and manwhores? My theory is that they have been around enough people to learn social skills, even if it wasn't always good people. For instance prison is the worst place in the world but it seems some of these men come out of it knowing how they DON'T want to be treated and they apply that to how they treat others. Meanwhile if they had just stayed home on the farm all their lives with mom and pop and the farmhands they would still think it was acceptable to talk about bitches and tits in front of everyone. And the promiscious men? They've learned what women like because you don't get in a woman's pants by calling her a bitch and randomly leering at her breasts in public.

That's just my theory. Isolation is never good. I'm an introvert myself but in life you really have to get out, be around people, and be in social situations so you know how to act right. Because being around a small handful of people with no social skills is just going to turn you into one of them

I'd rather deal with a guy with no father who has lived on the streets and experienced life rather than a guy with a father who has been exposed to nothing but stacking hay and being taught lewd comments towards women.