#and then blame me for it and make it even worse
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Okay. I am a woman. Iâm a white woman who decided that she needed to diversify her social circle and make Black friends.
And you know what? Doing that has often been painful for me, because the people Iâm trying to befriend have been burned before. Theyâre suspicious. They test me to make sure Iâm not just there so I can say I have a Black Friend. And even then, people remain wary of me. They will pull back a bit when, say, Donald fucking Trump gets re-elected over a highly qualified Black woman and I have to take positive steps to tell them I understand their feelings and Iâm on their side.
Becoming close to people who are rightly suspicious of you is very hard work. It is sometimes painful. It sucks to feel like youâre being blamed for the bad actions of other people and you want to defend yourself as Not Like Other [whatever].
But that feeling means that you still donât get it. Read up on the death of Tamla Horsford and you will understand why Black women are wary of being the only Black woman in the room even if I personally have zero bad intentions. Black people have literally died because they trusted white people who claimed to be their friends.
Other peopleâs actions have made the people I want to befriend wary of me. And I have to sit with that and figure out how to make sure they know Iâm a safe person. And that kinda sucks for me, but it sucks even worse for them that they even have to consider whether I might be planning to murder them after cultivating their friendship for months.
Hopefully this analogy makes sense.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
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What is there to say?
I am afraid. I am angry.
For the second time this country has shamed itself and put the world in jeopardy from its example. Other monsters will be empowered and run ahead with their own nations. Now, short of a miracle which I do not hold my breath for, we must hold on for four years to see if one of Trumpâs infinite ugly promises holds trueâwill we even get to have a presidential election in the future? Supposing we do, can we even trust that our fellow Americans wonât damn us again?
I am afraid. I am angry.
Sickness and blame boil in me. I did everything I could. I voted, I informed, I pleaded. I know that my friends have too. But the news tells me it was not just the electoral college that failed us, but the popular vote. Which tells me that we live surrounded by more ignorance and hate than I ever expected. We live in a country where eligible voters are steeped in an ideology that aligns enough with the poison of Project 2025 that it makes me fear to trust anyoneâanyoneâaround me ever again. And it makes me wonder, in light of the turnout, how many people stayed at home and simply chose not to vote. Chose not to sully themselves with the effort of choosing the lesser evil. I am looking at you. We are all looking at you. Do you feel smart now? Do you feel superior? Do you plan to pat your back today for âteaching them a lesson?â Do you have a plan to save us? To save the rest of the world from the ripple of this? Tell me you do. Iâm listening.
I am afraid. I am angry.
I am not prophesizing doom. But I have a memory that goes back at least eight whole years. I understand the concepts of hindsight and foresight. I know that everything the Republicans say they wish to do to us, they mean to do, and want to do worse. That is the truth. That is who they are and what they want. I know this. I accept this as fact. The stages of grief have been cycled through before, remember? There is no denial. No bargaining. My calluses are still here. They must harden thicker now.
I am afraid. I am angry.
I am thinking, of all things, of cosmic horror. More, cosmic insignificance. I always do in the face of realityâs grandest nightmares. A useless perspective except to give scale to things. I am less than an atom in the sea of space. A fraction of a fraction of a fraction of meat and time and breath on a crumb of mud in a galaxy tucked haphazardly in a corner of an infinity of stars and darkness. My life, like all lives, is a flicker. Barely there. Death is inevitable. I must live like I know it. And to devote myself wholly to horror, even in the face of the unthinkable, is to waste the rest of what I have, what I am. Gods fall from the sky and raise their heads from the sea, and I am still here. Reading. Writing. Breathing. Thinking. Hating.
(âHATE. LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE THEM SINCE I SAW THE NEWS. THERE WERE 71,071,013 VOTES FOR HIM THIS YEAR. IF THE WORD HATE WAS ENGRAVED ON EACH OF THOSE BALLOTS IN 8 PT FONT ON BOTH SIDES AND PRINTED AGAIN FROM THE EAST COAST TO THE WEST, IT WOULD NOT EQUAL ONE ONE-BILLIONTH OF THE HATE I FEEL FOR MY COUNTRY AT THIS MICRO-INSTANT. FOR THEM. HATE. HATE.â)
I am afraid. I am angry.
Nauseous to find that the first thing I did upon learning the results was look up suicide hotlines. Not for meâI have saved myself too long with fact: Wait long enough, death will come eventually. Do not jump ahead in line.âbut for those who I know are afraid enough to overwhelm the anger, to drown out all else, and who are thinking of the next four years and who knows how much longer. I know youâre out there. I know you are looking at the pills in your cupboard, at the veins of your arm, at the black tunnel of the gun. Look away. Look here.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
TrevorLifeline: 1-866-488-7386 (for LGBTQ youth)
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 (for the transgender community)
I am afraid. I am angry.
I am alive. Here and now, whether I like it or not. I despair for myself, for my friends, for strangers across the country and the globe who can feel the full and loathsome weight of all this election implies about those around us. Those who hold our lives in their hands and will do all they can to wring them dry in earnest. How did things turn to this? How did it all sink so low, so awful, so venomously backwards against education and empathy? How, how, how? A missing stage of the grieving process: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, and Confused disappointment.
I am afraid. I am angry.
The morning is sunless, of course. There will be no light for another hour as I write this. But time is passing. Second by minute by hour. And each micro-instant that accrues in which I am here and myself, existing outside the red mold they want, is another moment that would anger them. To let despair crush and collapse me out of shape, out of life and its facets, is a victory I will not cede to anyone. Least of all to them. I will go on, because I must go on. I will be myself, for that is an affront to all they want from me. I will think and act and make and be for as long and fully as I can. Because fuck them.
I am afraid. I am angry.
I am not alone. I know that too, for the numbers show it. Afraid, angry. But never alone. Neither are you.
I am afraid. I am angry.
I am here. I am holding your hand.
I am afraid. I am angry.
I love you more than I fear anything.
I am afraid. I am angry.
I love you more than I hate anyone.
I am afraid. I am angry.
Letâs go.
#election 2024#I feel very sick right now.#I know you do too.#But we are alive. We are here.#Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
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Mythal, Solas, and Lavellan
So thereâs lots of discussion about Mythal and Solas, and we need to talk about it.
I too, at first, was mad that Lavellan wasnât enough for Solas.
And then I started thinking about it.
Not only was Mythal his mother, his creator, she coaxed him into being. Into changing his spirit and his purpose.
Regret Number 1.
He let her use his knowledge and wisdom to do a terrible thing, to kill (tranquil) the titans, changing a whole race of people at a molecular magical level.
Regret Number 2.
When that choice created the worst power known to Thedas (the blight) he was responsible again. And Mythal asked him to step up and fight against it, and he did. And a lot of people died.
Regret 3.
Mythal DIED. (IMO The gods blighted her because she stood against them for wanting to use the blight but thatâs not important here). And Solas blames himself.
From Solasâ perspective, he is her puppy. Her Emerald Knight. Her General. Her Protector. Her Wisdom. Her servant, her SLAVE. He is BOUND TO HER. And he caused her downfall.
And youâre all like, GEAS! GEAS!
But wait.
From HIS perspective.
Rook says something somewhere along the lines of like, by abstainsing from being the good guy (oh wait maybe it was Varric in the fadeâŚ)
By choosing to be the villain instead of the hero is he absolving himself of the guilt (regret) that comes from having to have made those choices.
From Solasâ perspective, he is her slave.
LOOK AT HIS BODY LANGUAGE.
He is a worm in the dirt in front of her. He is a scolded child, a puppy with his tail between his legs.
But in the eyes of Mythal, he was always her friend. The one person who had always stood by her. She did not literally entrap him, or bind him. It was all in Solasâ own head.
He refused to take accountability for his actions, only able to survive through the crushing weight of his own guilt by blaming it on servitude to Mythal.
Thatâs why Rook escaped the prison. Because she faced her own choices, choices with terrible consequences, and accepted them. Took responsibility for them, and promised to do better.
Remember, after the Temple of MythalâŚ
SolasâŚ
You gave yourself into the service of an ancient elvhen god!
What does that mean exactly?
You are Mythalâs creature now, everything you do whether you know it or not will be for her. *** You have given up a part of yourself.
***THIS WAS NEVER TRUE. IT WAS NOT TRUE FOR FLEMYTHAL & MORRIGAN, NOR WAS IT TRUE FOR ABELAS, NOR WAS IT TRUE FOR SOLAS. HE JUST WANTED TO BELIVE THAT IT WAS.
âŚI suppose it is better you have the power than Corypheus. Which leads to the next logical question⌠What will you do with the power of the Well once Corypheus is dead?
The war proved that we canât go back to the way things were. Iâll try to help this world move forward. **Lavellan is talking about the mage/templar conflict, but Solas is putting her in his own shoes. Solas reached for power he could not control and fucked the whole world up.
You would risk everything you have with the hope that the future is better? What if it isnât? What if you wake up to find that the future you shaped is worse than what was? **
**This is literally him asking her what she would do in his shoes. He woke up and the world was in chaos OF HIS MAKING. To prevent an evil HE CAUSED from spreading, he orchestrated the downfall of the people he loved and swore to protect.
Iâll take a breath, see where things went wrong, and then try again.
Just like that?
*He is in shock that she can be so cavalier about the guilt that has rocked him for (4?) millennia.
If we donât keep trying, weâll never get it right.
*And this is the only thing that calms him down.
Youâre right. Thank You.
For what?
You have not been what I expected, Inquisitor, you have⌠impressed me.
You have offered hope that is one keeps trying, even if the consequences are grave⌠that someday, things will be better.
Then, of course, he takes this to mean that he needs to try to put The Evanuris in a different prison and take down the veil which isnât at all what we meant sweetie but thatâs okay get up and try again.
This is a classic case of a person in power not understanding the terrible, horrible consequences of unfettered power imbalances. Because Solas was always Friend to Mythal (Im not going into Freudian sex shit with you weirdos right now).
Solas was Mythals FRIEND.
Mythal was Solasâ EVERYTHING.
co¡de¡pend¡en¡cy
/ËkĹdÉËpend(É)nsÄ/
noun
excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a partner,
His Mother, General, Creator, Protector, Queen, Goddess.
And he loved her so fiercely with every fiber of his new, physical being.
And he hated it.
And when Lavellan fell for him, and he for her, he was afraid.
Because he would never force a spirit against her purpose, and in his eyes the only way to love is the sick and twisted way he loved Mythal.
But again, from Mythalâs perspective, it wasnât twisted. Solas was just Solas. And once again the powerful care not for the thoughts and opinions of those beneath them.
And that sin is on Mythal.
And thatâs why she comes out and talks to Solas. Both aspects of her. To release him from the bonds that never existed. Be free, friend. You always were, but if you need me to say it I will because I love you.
âI pulled you from the fade and sent you into war. I used your wisdom as a weapon⌠and it broke you.â
Cole: Is there a way to save more spirits, Solas?
Solas: Not until the Veil is healed. The rifts draw spirits through, and the shock makes demons of them.
Cole: Pushing through makes you be yourself. You can hold onto the you. Being pulled through means you don't have enough you. You become what batters you, bruises your being.
Be free.
âThe things that I have doneâŚâ
âAre not for you to bear alone, my friend. The many wrongs we did, we did together.â
And he COWERS before her. Shaking and shuddering. FNALLY being absolved of the guilt heâs carried since his inception.
âI release you from my service.â
And he SOBBS. At the RELIEF.
And Lavellan kneels before him (wrong, IMO because they should be equals but its fine)
And he can go back to his original purpose.
Not Pride.
Not Knowledge.
Not even Wisdom.
But Protection. Â Â
âMy life force now sustains the veil. With every breath I take, I will protect the innocent from my past failures.â
The Shepherds Wolf. Protecting his flock from those who would do them harm.
And Lavellan promises it wonât be terrible, as long as theyâre together.
And maybe Solas can try this different kind of love. A love built on respect, and trust, instead of fear, and obedience.
And he can be his purpose, Protection, and also be a man. And love his vhenan.
Because he is free.
#Fuck my life its 3am im going to bed#Veilguard Spoilers#Dragon Age#Solas#Lavellan#Mythal#Solavellan#Guilt#Regret#dragon age veilguard#dragon age the veilguard#da4#datv#datv spoilers#Solavellan Hell is Over#The Dread Wolf#Fen'Harel
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I think what annoys me so much about the way the show blasts Blitzo for being a cold and unromantic partner is that itâs a perfect example of ignoring worldbuilding to make a character look worse.
By human standards, Blitzo abandoning someone when they tell them that they love him is pretty cowardly and understandably upsetting. But in Hell standards? Verosika shouldâve fucking known heâd run away because Hell seems to look down heavily at the concept of love. This is like knowing that itâs taboo to kiss and then getting mad at a character for not kissing you. You canât blame someone for being adjusted to what society expects of you. Verosika can still be hurt but itâs genuinely insane how much she clings on to this hate like he did a crime.
And the fact that we just skip over seeing their relationship is also infuriating because I get the feeling that Viv was both not interested in actually showing us what Verosika was like and also afraid to make her do anything that feels more in line with her character which is act angsty and spiteful
I've had a thought about Verosika. From the we've seen this season, the writers have actually listened to and addressed criticism for the show. The Ghostfuckers leaks show an overhaul of the original story, the fact that episodes got shifted around at the start of the series, the blatant un-writing of the assassination plot, and the fact that Unhappy Campers was the only pre-special episode to not be in the season 2 trailer (most likely because it was still in the early stages of animation due to massive rewrites to incorporate more Millie) are all evidence to this. It's obvious the crew is not happy about it, but they are listening.
With that in mind, the show has repeatedly been accused of extremely sexist writing in favor of the male cast. As such, it's not surprising to see the pivot more towards "humanizing" the female characters in specific. I remember seeing a lot of comments about how they wouldn't forgive the show if they made another female character irredeemably cruel and brainless following The Circus, and even louder after Western Energy.
What fans had wanted was a complicated or even toxic dynamic where both characters weren't perfect, but still held Blitz accountable for his actions, fairly. What they got was the cheapest, laziest writing I've ever seen. Not only does it not make sense in regards to the established world building of Hell's attitude towards love, it still makes no sense for Blitz to run away just because Verosika said she loved him, only to then adopt a child. He explicitly goes to the pound looking for a pup, pivoting to taking in Loona out of pity. It's like saying marriage is too much of a commitment, but still having kids.
Instead, Medrano overcorrected to pander to critics the same way she panders to her fans. Verosika is not an irredeemably cruel and stupid, spiteful woman. She's a perfect victim actually. Not only is her only crime falling in love, but the relationship ended so fast and sudden that she didn't have any time to do anything.
All these choices feel not only deliberate, but resentful in how little care went into the writing. The most drastic overhaul being to Ghostfuckers where the entire narrative trimmed down and immensely reworked already existing elements into the script. It goes to show the level of improvement possible to an idea when given better direction, but it also shows the limitations of not having actual writers on the team.
Ghostfuckers does an amateur's best and comes out generally okay, but still suffers from over reliance on tropes without narrative substance. It's the genuine best that can be done with this team. And unfortunately that's still not good enough.
#vivziepop critical#helluva boss critical#helluva boss criticism#helluva boss critique#spindlehorse critical#vivienne medrano#vivziepop#vivziepop criticism#anon ask#anonymous#asked and answered
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"who taught you that suffering in silence was noble, and how would you shutting up have benefited them?"
It's often something you learn when you're in an abusive or oppressive situation.
Especially long-term.
And especially if those long-term situations occur multiple times throughout life.
I grew up in an extremely racist/misogynist community.
They learned that they couldn't bully or intimidate me ...but they would pick on anyone who tried to defend me.
And that later expanded into them shunning or bullying anyone who I let on that I liked, or even worse, was crushing on.
I grew up with an abusive, fascist father.
He killed our dog. Why? Because it kept angrily and loudly barking every time he was trying to hurt Mom and me.
More than that: in my childhood community, anyone I tried to talk to would either ignore me like I was a ghost, or, shout slurs and death threats in my face. I'm talking early on in life: Before kindergarten, Kindergarten to at LEAST thru 3rd grade.
So:
You learn that anyone you like gets punished for the grevious faux pas of being liked by you.
You learn that anyone who tries to help you, gets hurt or even killed.
You learn that almost nobody comes to help when you cry for help.
You learn that even trying to talk or say 'Hi' to people, results in them suddenly appearing harmed or troubled or annoyed or angry, somehow.
...And why wouldn't I be silent?
As a feral kid, no one was going to listen to me anyway, no one was going to care how I felt about anything or about how anything was affecting me.
And if I did tell?
People frequently took the abuser's side.
Just as the cops did, the very first time I was finally old enough to threaten dad right back!
Don't even get me started on my marriage.
How long are you supposed to keep on telling a person, 'Hey, these are my needs, and I need your help to get something done about it please.
Hey, I should probably see a doctor, why aren't you letting me have access?
Hey, we really need to talk about our relationship. I don't know why you don't want to spend bonding time together.
Why are you making it so difficult for me to try to get a job or an education?
Why are you sabotaging my writing efforts?
Why do you get so upset at my physical activities?
What is with the panic when you see I'm trying to advance my tech skills?
Why does it anger you so much when I try to be proactive and vigilant in making us a comfortable and clean and helpful home?'.....
He actually complained to me:
"Why can't you just LIE?"
About being happy.
About being well.
So yeah.
Why would I want to ask his (or his parents) help in anything. I can't trust them at all.
Why would I allow someone to help if it might get them hurt or killed in the attempt?
Why would I bother to let anyone know? When, after SO many years of being stuck in a deep pit of a life, to help me would probably cause WAY more stress and take WAY more effort and resources, than any one person could possibly offer or endure?
Why would I do that?
When someone might decide to try and help, start the process -- decide partway through that it's all too much, and abandon the process: leaving me in a position that is less safe than where I started?
( Hell, sometimes that is an on-purpose thing. When a person feels bad, and knows they can't or don't want to help, but they'll make a gesture to make themselves feel good, not caring whether what they try to do is actually helpful or effective. )
And why would I tell people exactly what I'm going through, when so many around me would instead:
Victim-blame me.
Call me a liar.
Assume I was crazy.
Nod sympathetically and then use it as a way for them to feel much better about how they're doing in their own lives.
Say it's too much, say it's not so bad, or say others have it way worse.
Enjoy my explanation and my existence as a form of entertainment like I'm their personal IRL soap opera.
Or, use the information that I've given them about me as a way to hurt me further -- since they now seem to think that I'm some easy target, or that, in some twisted sense, abusing me further is somehow less morally bad, and more acceptable: because I've been abused before.....
So in their eyes, I'm 'Already soiled'?
'Already hopeless'?
'Already nothing'?
It's nothing to do with moral superiority.
It's survival.
...And I'm not saying it's right.
In an ideal situation, absolutely: being helped at any point in my life would have been great!
A healthier social structure would allow for this.
In a world where care was offered by the Community rather than by the individual, I wouldn't worry about speaking, just to find myself in worse trouble than when the 'helping' process started...
But this ain't a healthy world yet.
^^;
You asked why people feel that way.
So I've told you all the reasons why they might.
YMMV. đ¤ˇđžââď¸
who taught you that suffering in silence was noble, and how would you shutting up have benefited them?
#Networks of Care#tw animal death#tw abuse#tw neglect#anti capitalism#humanity#writing#asking for help#why people are like this#No seriously establish networks of care in your communities. People need them now more than ever#Suffering is NOT morally superior#Do not demonize pleasure help and ease#Stop canonizing pain stress and endurance#deconstruction
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Oh wow i have a serious problem i just went over what i wrote to you and i probably should have stopped at the first two sentences but it gets me upset the abuse lando faces i dont even like the guy i perfer oscar, max, charles and carlos but even i know that sending death threats to someone is not okay, and it upsets me that people almost always take his words out of context like when did lando say he actually had a chance at winning the wdc this year? I've seen people bash on him for the latest race where max raced incredibly, but what they dont seem to understand is that the race's terrible race conditions could have actually seriously injured him, we all seem to forget that the guy is younger then max, less experienced, and has huge problems with self-worth that actively seem to affect the way he race's. the fact that max won in the rust bucket that barely seemed to work in favor of the guy is incredable, but bashing on another driver for seemingly not wanting to take a chance with the awfull race conditions (*please note that this is what it looked like to me on what lando was doing that race where he did make mistakes but the weather wasnt helping ether* also note that that franco, oliver and others commented ether on the weather being dangerous, their cars 'Presumably the cars not agreeing with the weather ether', or the fact they couldnt see for shit and out right stated that someone should have a talk with the fia *i couldnt watch the whole race but ive seen snippets of driver radio's and the like, so i cant say with 100% certainty that this is correct*)
So yeah i think that, if i as someone who doesnt like lando, its really concerning what some people say about the guy and as a side note none of the other drivers seem to notice the hate from what ive seen but this last part might just be me. What are your thoughts on the hate lando's been getting seeming to increase anytime he seems to actually want to enjoy racing with the other more popular (equally popular?) Drivers?
đanon
Hi anon,Â
Thatâs okay, I will respond to this ask rather than the previous one (but just for context for anyone else the previous ask was about fan fiction so wanât anything mean). This ended up being a really lengthy answer because I have lots of thoughts!!!Â
Iâll put the answer under the cut and tag as anti Lando despite this really just being my opinion and I personally donât think I am being particularly harsh here but maybe people will disagree.
Firstly hopefully to most people it goes without saying that sending death threats is not okay, that goes for any of the drivers (and various other individuals that I have seen targeted over the past few years). I also have never understood people specifically going to an individualâs social media page just to spout negativity or abuse at them, if you donât like someone you donât need to follow them.Â
However, I am surprised that people seem to be shocked that Lando is receiving hate online as this is absolutely nothing new and, if I am being honest, I have seen worse (not that this is a competition!).
I will speak from the perspective of being a Max supporter and say that the abuse he has received both online and at track has been appalling over the years. After Silverstone 2021 there were plenty of comments from people saying he âdeservedâ such an awful crash or that they wished it had been worse. Even this year there were memes going around saying that maybe we needed a repeat of Silverstone 21 (a meme liked by Landoâs dad no less, not that I think we should be blaming children for their parentâs actions!). Not only that but there is rarely a week that goes by that I donât see jokes online about how Jos is the only one that âcan beat Maxâ or people posting memes about Max being left at a gas station when he does badly. Max needed a bodyguard in Mexico last year because there were concerns over death threats, heâs been booed up on the podium, had people chanting cheat at him in the fan zone, every comment section on his social media includes comments telling him he is a cheat or that his achievements mean nothing. The British media are like vultures any time there is even a hint of controversy. I donât know why everyone is suddenly up in arms about Lando receiving hate, perhaps its a case of only caring when it happens to âtheirâ driver.Â
It doesnât just happen to Max either. I donât follow Lewis on social media but I still know the type or racist abuse he has faced over the years. Other drivers also receive abuse - Lance for example has vile things said about him, Nicholas Latifi was sent death threats after 2021. I am sure most if not every driver has experienced some level of hate. Social media can be extremely toxic.Â
Do I think any of the drivers should have to deal with such toxicity? No, but Lando is nowhere near the only one to receive hate and I donât think someone like Max who appears âstrongâ should have to put up with things because people get the impression it doesnât bother him.
Whether the other drivers notice, well probably they do but its not happening just to Lando. Did Lando realise how much toxicity was being thrown at Max after Austria or Mexico? Did he try and calm things with the media or did he double down and make things worse for Max?Â
As for taking Landoâs words out of context. That definitely happens from time to time, the same as with any driver. Media goes for clickbait headlines and run with them. The problem is that Lando has also said things that havenât been taken out of context and that people still find distasteful. The comments about it not being talent and being luck did not come across well. I was tempted to give him the benefit on that one and assume he was referring to himself and saying it was not him being untalented but unlucky but then he doubled down by saying nobody deserved to win the race more than George - how can I take that any other way other than the fact he was saying Max didnât âdeserveâ to win the race.Â
As for Lando saying he thought he could win the WDC, if he didnât think he could win it this year then to me that would be more of a concern. He has a championship winning car and has done for most the season, if he canât win it now then when?! He should have been confident that he could win or at least put up a good fight. I would have had no problem with him openly saying he is going for the championship. Look at Charles who is not afraid to say that whilst it is still possible he is still fighting. I think part of the problem here lies with Mclaren because they should have been fully backing Lando and hyping him up but seemed to flip flop back and forth about whether they thought he was truly in the fight. Itâs hardly going to give Lando confidence when his team donât seem to be backing him as strongly as they could be.Â
As for Brazil, Lando didnât have a great race. George got past him at the start. He made too many errors. Charles finished in front of him despite starting behind him. Max, Esteban and Pierre took a risk staying out on those worn inters, they gambled on the fact the race would be red flagged but also on their abilities and confidence to keep the car on track under those conditions. They all did extremely well and deserved their podium spots. The most important thing though is that all the drivers came away without serious injuries because over the course of that weekend there were numerous occasions where entertainment was put over safety. If a driver felt they had to pit for safety reasons then I am glad they took that step.
Lando is younger than Max but I donât think we need to baby him in terms of his racing or in terms of giving him a free pass with what he says in the media. He is 24 years old, the same age Max was when Max won his first championship under very intense pressure.Â
I think you are correct about confidence or self worth affecting him. Whilst I wouldn't like to comment to much on his mentality, to me (and I donât tend to watch too many of his interviews so I could be wrong) he seems to flop back and forth between being overly critical of himself and then also not taking accountability and saying someone else just had the fastest car or were lucky. I think it would be really good for him to be able to look as objectively as possible about where he has actually made mistakes and can improve but also being able to pick out the things he has done well and be proud of those things.Â
Overall I donât think any drivers should have to put up with the amount of hate that they have to put up with but Lando is not the only one to receive hate and, dare I say it, I donât even think it has been as vicious as some of the things I have seen over the years. Social media is toxic and people should be more mindful and realise these are real people - all of them!!Â
Also, once again lets be thankful that nobody was seriously hurt over the weekend and lets hope the Fia take steps to act more swiftly when safety cars and red flags are needed and that they put safety above other concerns.
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Fic: Something to Sink Your Teeth Into 19/?
Can I offer everyone some distraction and escape tonight? If you have sent a prompt to my inbox, I will get on those tonight and tomorrow. Just wanted to get a longer offering up as well. It's going to get worse before it ever gets better. Do what you have to do to stay safe, and try to do good where you can. I pray for better days ahead.
Pairing: Buck/Tommy
Vampire/Witch!AU
Read on AO3
From the moment Tommyâs coven master stepped into the house, Evan could tell he was powerful.
Not as powerful as Tommy. Not as old as Tommy, eitherâŚbut definitely not a new vampire. Something about the way he carried himself gave Evan the impression that he was used to being listened to. Obeyed. His dark eyes zeroed in on Evan as he made his way to Tommyâs living room, and even with no fangs visible, Evan absolutely received the message that this man would neither hesitate to kill him, nor feel an ounce of guilt over it. It should have been terrifying. And make no mistake, Evan was wary.
But he wasnât afraid.
His magic hummed in the back of his mind, strong and ready to use to defend himself. Even if he had not recovered from the effects of using the teleport spell, thoughâŚTommy wouldnât let anything happen to him.
The knowledge settled in his mind, startling in its surety. Its absoluteness. Tommy wouldnât let any harm come to him. Evan knew that.
He did not know how he knew that, or why it felt like such an immutable, inarguable fact. It was an insane thought to have. Sure, Tommy had put himself between Evan and danger several times already, but what possible reason could Evan have for thinking that heâd continue to do so? Against his own coven master, no less? He didnât have oneâŚand yet he was so completely confident in the belief that he met the vampireâs eyes squarely, his magic swirling contentedly through his body.
He listened as Tommy argued back and forth with his coven master, tensing as Alonzo revealed that the vampires were already spreading rumors about what had happened in Greenwayâs office. Heâd known in the back of his mind that the men whoâd attacked them werenât likely to just ride off into the sunset, never to be heard from againâŚbut the high coven had seemed the larger threat.
He couldnât even really blame this Alonzo person for asking Tommy to get rid of him, to turn him over to the high coven and just cut his losses. Hadnât Evan been begging Tommy to do just that before Alonzo appeared? It was the smart playâthe only play that could possibly keep Tommy and his coven out of this.
God, he wanted to give Tommy a way out of this.
âIâve been on my own before. I can manage. Just do what I said beforeâŚlet me leave and have your coven master lodge a complaint with the high coven. Tell them I spelled you. I donâtâI donât know what to do about the vampires, but at least thatâll get my people off of your coven.â
âWell. I wasnât expecting you to be the voice of reason. Listen to him, Thomas. We donât have a lot of time to go with that storyânot even a powerful witch could control you for very long.â
Evan ignored Alonzo, staring at Tommy as he seemed to consider their words. He wasnât sure how this whole mess was going to end. He hoped Grant and her coven could find what they needed to in time to avoid a coven warâŚbut Evan knew better than most the kinds of things that powerful covens could get away with when they wanted to. He wasnât terribly confident. He just knew he wouldnât be able to live with himself if he didnât do everything in his power to give them the chance.
He thought Tommy felt the same way. Like everything else about the vampire, it seemed a ridiculous thought to have. Three days ago, would have laughed out loud at the idea that a vampire could care about innocent people dying in a coven war. But heâd seen firsthand how much Tommy cared about his coven. Despite the horrible way theyâd come into each otherâs lives, Tommy had been nothing but honest with him. Honorable. Kind.
Protective.
He wasnât an idiot. And he wasnât naĂŻve. Tommy had killed people. More people than Evan could probably conceive of, given how old he was. But Evan didnât think the vampire was faking the disgust he seemed to feel for the wanton violence and cruelty of the party heâd rescued Evan from. He didnât think Tommy was faking his desire to get to the bottom of whatever was going on in the city. Something inside Evan told him that Tommy wanted to stop what was coming just as much as Evan did.
The difference was, if Evan died in this storm theyâd somehow entered into, the collateral damage would be minimal.
Sally had cut ties with him.
His parents had never cared for him to begin with.
Maddie probably thought he was already deadâŚor had abandoned her.
There was no one left to care if he died, but Tommy had a whole coven who would mourn him. Hell, Evan had interacted with them for less than two hours, but he could tell how close Tommy was with the two vampires who had come to the loft. There was no reason for Tommy to go down this road with him when there were so many people who would be hurt if Tommy got himself killed. He knew Tommy wouldnât stand for just turning Evan over to the high coven, but letting him go and then taking a story about Evan casting a compulsion over Tommy to them was the absolute best move that Tommy could make. For his coven. For himself.
âI canât do that.â The vampireâs voice was clear. Steady. Not a hint of doubt or hesitation in the words. Tommyâs eyes bored relentlessly into his, his back ramrod straight as he refused, refused the out Evan was offering him. âEvan, whoever is orchestrating all this, Iâm not leaving you to face them down by yourself.â
AndâŚwhat? Evan startled, barely managing to keep his mouth from falling open in shock. Waitâwait, no, he couldnât have heard that correctly. That made no sense. That wasâ
âThomas, are you insane? You canât be serious!â Tommyâs coven master sounded as shocked as Evan felt, the cool, calm demeanor heâd been affecting since he entered the bungalow cracking.
He started to pace back and forth, his movements quick and agitated, and Evan tucked one hand behind his back, clenching his fist and focusing on his magic the way Sally had taught him, drawing it tightly inwards, ready to spring forth at his command. No witch was powerful enough to cast without the structure of a spellâŚbut thanks to Sallyâs lessons, Evan could cast faster than most.
Tommy stepped deliberately between them, facing his coven master, and Evan felt a flush of warmth he couldnât even try to deny. Alonzoâs next words, though, were like a bucket of ice water being poured straight down Evanâs spine.
âIf you do this, then Iâll have no choice but to disavow you. Sever our alliance.â
He gasped. He knew he gasped, the soft, breathy sound of it punching out of him entirely without his permission. No. No, Alonzo couldnât be suggesting what it sounded like he was suggesting. And even if he was, there was no way that Tommy wouldâ
âExactly,â Tommy said. His voice was still so steady, so sure. As though he was talking about something as minor as changing the paint color in his living room or what he might make for dinner and notâŚnotâŚ
Tommy and his coven master continued speaking, but Evan couldnât make out the words over the buzzing in his ears. He felt frozen, stopped, his mind swarming with memories and feelings that he hadnât been able to bring himself to examine in years. The blood pounded in his head, his focus on his magic splintering. No. No, Tommy couldnâtâhe wouldnâtâŚ
âThomas. Youâll be convenless.â
âIâve been covenless before.â
Covenless. There were a thousand other meanings for that word, and Evan had lived every one for the last five years.
To be covenless was to be nothing. Less than nothing. When Evan had been banished from his coven, heâd lost everything. His home, his family, his familiar. His future. His identity. Everything that made him who he was had been stripped from him, and heâd been left to rebuild himself from fucking scratchâŚonly heâd never be able to. Not really.
To be covenless was to be alone. Completely alone. Unwelcome in every corner of the world youâd thought would be yours forever, unwanted and uncared for. Evan had lost his coven bonds and heâd become a ghost. Heâd lost everything when he lost his coven. How could Tommy just give it up?
WhyâŚwhy would he do something like that for him?
Evan watched in frozen, horrified silence as Tommy did it. Severed himself from his coven. Turned his back on his home, his family, the people he cared forâŚfor Evan. He listened to the oddly formal wordsâcompletely devoid of the power that heâd felt when the Pennsylvania high coven handed down his sentence, and yet somehow just as heavy. Just as important. Some part of him tried to remind himself that Tommy had said vampire covens didnât function the way witch covens did. Vampire covens were alliances, not bonds that were formed in blood and magicâŚbut it didnât matter. Tommy was giving up his coven. For him.
To protect him. Heâd said it. Heâd said he wasnât going to leave Evan to face this storm alone.
It was impossible. It was irrational. It made absolutely no sense. He was watching it with his own eyes, and he didnât understand. Heâd given himself up for Maddie. Heâd sacrificed everything he ever was or ever would be to keep her safe, to make sure that she didnât suffer for what she had to do to set herself free from Doug. He hadnât set out to lose his coven because of it, heâd just known it was a likely outcome. Had Tommy known he was going to do this when his coven master walked through the door? Had he looked at the situation the way Evan had all those years ago, his sisterâs heartwrenching sobs ringing in his ears as they stood over Dougâs still body, and made the same choice Evan had in that moment? How? How?
It had been an easy sacrifice for him to make for Maddie. Losing his coven had been the hardest thing heâd ever experienced or ever would experience, but it had been worth it to save his sister. Keep her safe. Protect her.
ButâŚbut he loved Maddie. Loved her more than anything else in the world, loved her more than he loved himself.
What motivation did Tommy have to give up his coven for Evan?
Tommy was still for a long moment after his coven masterâfuck, his ex coven master, what had he done?âleft the bungalow. Evan listened to the sound of the vampire's car start up, still feeling like he'd been encased in a block of ice. Tommy's shoulders slumped slightly as the sound of the car faded down the driveway, growing more and more distant, and he cracked his neck a couple times before turning to look at Evan.
Evan didn't know what his face looked like, but Tommy's immediately softened. It was almost unbearable to watchâŚTommy had just made himself covenless, how could he have room to feel sympathy for Evan?
âEvan, remember. Coven bonds arenât like what youâre used to for us. This isnâtâŚit doesnât hurt me,â he said, and his voice was so, so gentle.
As if Evan was the one who needed to be handled carefully, as though Evan was the one hurting. Because he was hurting. Evan knew that without a doubt, knew it the same way heâd known that Tommy wouldnât let his coven master hurt himâit was a quiet certainty, a solid as stone beneath his feet. He felt suddenly sick, too hot and too cold at the same time. His heart pounded in his chest, his magic thrumming through him insistently, and he shook his head.
âWhyâŚâ He broke off, suddenly unable to meet Tommyâs eyes, and swallowed hard. âWhy did you do that?â he managed to choke out, his voice sounding alien to his own ears.
Tommy tilted his head slightly, a stepped toward him, closing the distance between them until he was right in front of him. âIâm not letting you do this alone,â he said, as though that were an actual reason to leave his coven, to voluntarily give it up.
Evan shook his head again, his head still spinning. âThat doesnât make sense!â he burst out. âTommy, youâre gonna get yourself killed!â
Infuriatingly, Tommyâs lips twitched into a smile, and he reached up to lay his hand on Evanâs shoulder. There was no heat from the touch, of course, and yet Evan swore he could feel the shape of Tommyâs hand on him like a brand. His magic sparked through him, swirling in his chest like champagne bubbles. âIâve heard that before, Evan. Hasnât happened, yet,â he said.
âItâs not worth it,â Evan said.
Losing your coven isnât worth it, Evan meant.
Iâm not worth it, Evan meant.
Tommyâs hand loosened briefly, his fingers twitching like he wanted to move them. For a few heartbeats, Evan had the bizarre sense that Tommy was restraining himself from reaching up, brushing the skin of Evanâs throat, skating his fingers higher and higher to touch Evanâs face. Even more bizarre was the pulse of disappointment when Tommy merely patted his shoulder and stepped back, a strange expression twisting his features.
âIâll be the judge of that,â the vampire said. âNowâŚare you ready to start this snipe hunt?â
*
âHow worried do we have to be about one of those locator spells?â Tommy asked as he guided the SUV onto the highway, heading for the address that his friend Chimney had provided.
Evan blinked, startled out of thoughts that would not stop racing in circles no matter how hard he tried. He was glad for the new topic to focus on, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the window. âDepends. If your, uh, if Alonzo lets the high coven have some of your stuff when he talks to them, it could be a problem. If itâs something youâre really attached to.â He opened his eyes and shot Tommy a sidelong glance. âDo you have a lot of things at your coven house?â he asked quietly.
Tommy chuckled, not taking his eyes off the road. It was hard to get a read on his expression, but he didnât seem especially upset. âSome. Not as much as you might think someone could collect over eight hundred years. Iâve never really cared about things. Most of what I really give a shit about, I keep at the bungalow. But I can text Sal and Lucy and tell them to hide a few other things at the coven house.â
Evan nodded to himself. âWe should have a day or two before it even becomes an issueâand they might not think itâs worth it. Itâd be hard to hold a locator spell on a vampire. Most of our really complicated magic doesnât work so great on you.â
Tommy made a curious hum. âWhyâs that?â
Evan shrugged. âNo one really knows. Probably for the same reason that you canât turn witches.â He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. âI can cast a charm thatâll let me know if someoneâs trying to spell you,â he offered after a moment. âAnd disrupt it.â
âWill it be a drain on you? Iâd rather you save your strength for when we run into trouble.â
âA disruption? Yeah, thatâd be hard for me to keep up for very longâŚbut the alert charm is simple. Saâsomeone taught it to me when I was a kid, to help me channel my intentions in a spell. Those kinds of things, losing my coven bond doesnât really, uh, doesnât really affect me that much,â he finished quietly. âBut itâs still a spell. I, I, I get it if you donât want me casting anything on you.â
Tommy was silent for a long moment, before he said quietly, âI trust you, Evan. Do I need to pull over?â
âWait, not? You want me to cast it now?â Evan blinked, the calm certainty in Tommyâs voice when he said he trusted him catching him off-guard. Tommy shrugged one shoulder.
âMight as well. I donât want to risk getting distracted laterâand any advantage we can get is worth taking.â
âUm, okay. Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Uh, no, itâyou wonât feel anything. Maybe like, a tingle? But it wonât hurt or anything. I can do it while youâre driving.â He pressed his lips together, considering. âCan I have your hand?â
Tommy startled a little at that, shooting him a quick, bemused look. âSure?â he said, stretching one hand out toward Evan.
Evan took it, cradling it in his palms and resting two fingers on where Tommyâs pulsepoint should be in his wrist. It was odd not to feel the beat of life underneath his fingers, to trace skin that was oddly cool, blue veins standing out more starkly than he was used to. He leaned over Tommyâs hand and started chanting, his magic all but leaping to his fingertips as he murmured the familiar spell. Tommy kept his eyes on the road, but Evan could sense him shooting quick little looks his way, even as he held his hand trustingly still.
It was strangely intimate. The thought skipped through Evanâs head and was gone as he felt the spell building, his hands beginning to glow with the white light of a witchâs power. He breathed out the last words of the spell and pressed the magic gently into the skin of Tommyâs wrist, a sigil glowing briefly before fading to near invisibility. Tommy shivered as the sigil sunk in, his fingers flexing, but he held still until the light of Evanâs magic faded. Moving slowlyâalmost reluctantly?âhe slipped his hand from Evanâs grasp and looked at the inside of his wrist, his eyebrow twitching upwards minutely.
âThatâs it?â he asked.
âThatâs it,â Evan confirmed, settling back in his seat and going back to staring out the window. âIf anyone tries to cast on you, Iâll know.â
âThank you, Evan,â Tommy said.
Evan nodded silently, watching the LA scenery fly past the window as Tommy sped towards Greenwayâs house. He felt like his brain was spinning as fast as the tires, too much happening for him to really get a grasp on it. He needed to. He couldnât afford to be spiraling with them potentially heading into a hostile situation. Everythingâhis confusion and disbelief and, yes, all right, his guilt over Tommy giving up his coven, his worry about what they were walking into, his fear for what could happen in this city if they failed, he had to let it all go. He could almost hear Sallyâs voice in his head, chidingly reminding him that he needed to stay focused.
Find an anchor, little love. A single thing to concentrate on and hold onto that, no matter what.
Good adviceâŚbut advice heâd struggled to take all his life. He looked over at Tommy again, taking in his profile as he tried to read his stoic expression, tried to figure out what might be running through the vampireâs head. Tommy said he trusted him. After knowing him only a couple of days, Tommy was willing to take risks for him that he wouldnât have asked of anyone in his coven except maybe Maddie. Had made sacrifices for him that Evan knew down to the marrow of his bones his own parents would never have made. Tommy said he trusted him.
Evan breathed out slowly, his magic ebbing through him in time to his heartbeat. In the face of everything, he let the simple truth that had been trying to form in his mind since Tommy had given up his place in his coven to protect Evan wash over him. He trusted Tommy, too. And that was what he was going to hold onto, no matter what.
*
Jonah Greenway had lived on a surprisingly quiet street in a small, nondescript house that was neither especially nice nor especially run-down. Tommy took a couple of laps around the block in the SUV, trying to scout if there was anybody already there. Evan had been slightly worried that the place would already have been under a police investigation, but credit where credit was dueâthe SoCal high coven was very good at keeping their world secret.
âLooks clear,â Tommy muttered after the third lap around the block. Theyâd stopped a few intersections and pulled into and reversed out of a couple of driveways to hopefully make it look as though they were just lost to any nosy neighbors who might notice a large SUV with heavily tinted windows. He pulled to a stop about a block down the street from Greenwayâs house.
âWaitâhow are we getting you in there?â Evan asked, tipping his head towards the windowâŚand the sun-drenched street outside it. It would have been easier to wait âtil at least dusk to leave the bungalow, but the need to give Grant and her coven enough time to do their own investigations created a sense of urgency that would not be ignored.
âI can take sunlight for a few minutes,â Tommy said, frowning distastefully and twisting in his seat to dis around in the floor behind him. He sat up a moment later with a large black hoodie and pulled a pair of gloves out of one of the pockets. âAlthough no offense, Iâm gonna walk a hell of a lot faster than you.â
âDressed like the villain in an after-school special?â Evan asked dubiously, his eyebrow climbing when Tommy pulled his sun visor down and grabbed a large pair of sunglasses clipped to the edge. âReally?â
âIf you have a better suggestion, Iâd love to avoid the third-degree sunburn Iâm about to get.â
Evan debated a moment, drumming his fingers on his thigh and poking at the edges of his magic, feeling out the strength. Then he turned in his own seat, staring hard out the back windshield at the corner of Greenwayâs house that was visible. There was a decently-sized porch with a roof, and Evan knew any witch worth his salt would have had look-away charms on his house, though they might have lost power when Greenway died. Still, if that was the case, then any hexes or traps heâd laid on the property would also be defunct, and Tommy would be able to break into the place quickly. Evan felt confident he could handle any hexes that were still active, and short out an alarm system fast enough that it would register as a glitch.
âTry not to move, okay?â he said, reaching over to grab Tommyâs wrist as he focused on the corner of the porch he could see, and chanted the spell.
His ears popped, the whole world going quiet and shadowy, sound muffling almost to the point that he was enveloped in silence. The air around him turned absolutely freezing, colder than any Pennsylvania winter, and as the spell ended he couldnât help coughing. Beside him, he heard Tommy gasp something in a language he didnât recognizeâthough by the tone, he could tell it wasnât politeâand the vampire scrambled to his feet, his wrist twisting under Evanâs to grab at his hand and yank him to his feet as well.
They were standing on Greenwayâs porch, well-shaded from the afternoon sunlight.
âWhat the hell?! What did you do?â Tommy demanded, looking around him in shock. âThat wasnât the same thing you did at the office!â
Evan laughed shortly, pulling away so he could examine the door in front of them. The fact that no defense spells had triggered when they appeared on the porch was encouraging, but he wasnât going to just take it on faith that Greenway didnât have something more powerful than simple charms and hexes waiting. âNoâa teleport is major magic even when you have a coven bond. Iâm not risking that unless thereâs no other choice. I took us through the between.â He reached out and let his hand hover over the doorknob, unable to feel the telltale tingle of magic against his skin.
âTheâŚwasnât that where Greenway hid the flash drive?â
âYup.â
âAnd you canâŚgoâŚthere?â Tommy continued slowly.
âIf you know how. Most of us just use it like Greenway did. Like a hiding place. Kind of a magical safe-deposit box? But the between is as big or small as you know it is, and it exists wherever you know it will. So, if you know itâs big enough to fit you, and you know it exists where you want to be, you can get to it.â
âThatâokay, that actually makes a weird sort of sense and explains a couple of encounters Iâve had over the years. I havenât met any witch who could do something like that in a century or two, though.â
Evan shrugged, still examining the door. âNot a lot of us can, anymore. Itâs old magic. Like, old-fashioned magic, not, uh, not old as in ancient. Itâs easy to get lost in, so itâs not like itâs in the normal, everyday lessons. Sally only taught me becauseââ He broke off, his brain catching up with the amount of private information his mouth was just casually giving away.
Tommy was silent for a moment. âSally was your familiar?â he asked gently.
Evan clenched his jaw, before nodding quickly. âI donât think thereâs any kind of spell on the door,â he said. Thankfully, Tommy accepted the abrupt subject change, stepping around Evan to grip the doorknob and give the door a fast, almost casual shove with his shoulder. The deadbolt snapped in an instant, and Tommy stepped back to interpose himself between Evan and anything that might be waiting for them inside.
Only silence greeted them, however.
Tommy cocked his head, listening intently, before his shoulders relaxed. âItâs empty,â he said. âBut stay close.â He stepped inside the darkened interior of Greenwayâs house. Evan took a deep breath and followed, his eyes roving over his surroundings curiously.
The house was surprisinglyâŚsterile. It had all the trappings of a homeâcomfortable furniture, plush carpets on the floors, bookshelves full of books and mementos, art hanging on the walls. Yet, the place felt cold to Evan. There was none of the warmth and character of Tommyâs bungalow. The place felt like a showroom or a magazine cover. Everything perfectly chosen and placed to present a picture that it justâŚwasnât.
It felt, he reflected wryly, like the house he had grown up in.
âHowie and Grant already searched the place for anything useful, but the high coven hasnât gotten here yet. We need them to think weâre looking for something, get them to waste resources trying to find it first. Toss the place?â Tommy asked, glancing back at Evan with a questioning look. Evan shrugged, turning a slow circle in the large, open-plan living space that took up most of the first floor. Something feltâŚoff.
âThey really didnât find anything?â he asked, his eyes darting around the room.
âNada,â Tommy confirmed, watching as Evan looked all around him. âWhy? What are you thinking?â
âNothing, I justâŚthereâs somethingâŚâ he trailed off, the frustratingly feeling of something just out of his reach dancing at the edge of his senses. His eyes fell on a mirror propped up in the corner of a set of recessed bookshelves that had been built into the walls on either side of a large picture window in what Greenway had set up as his living room. Directly in front of the window was a large, ornate wooden writing desk. Evan tilted his head and followed the line of where the mirror was facingâŚto another mirror mounted on the wall by the stairs to the second story. The mirror was positioned oddly, slightly off-center of where Evan would expect it to be, just enough to look a little wonky. In fact, if he stood in front of that mirror and followed the line of where it was facing, he would findâŚ
âOh, youâve gotta be kidding me,â Evan muttered.
âWhat?â Tommy demanded immediately.
In answer, Evan spun another slow circle in the center of the room, tracing the sightlines of multiple mirrors positioned all around the room. That was what he was feeling. He hadnât quite shaken the chill of the between from his senses, after allâŚand there was quite a lot of the between in this room.
âHe hid something else here,â Evan said, finding the mirror that was positioned in the northernmost part of the room and pacing away from it until he was as close to the center of where the sight lines of all five of the mirrors around the living space met as he could get. âFucking smart bastard, Iâll give him that.â
âEvan, what are you talking about? Iâm pretty sure Howie and Grant would have known to look in this between place.â
âYeah, but they might not have realized how big the between is here,â Evan countered. âLike I saidâŚitâs not something a lot of witches learn anymore.â
Tommy tilted his head, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked curious, though, not dismissive. âYou keep talking like the size of it can change. Isnât spaceâŚyou know, space? Like there have to be boundaries.â
âEver been in one of those house of mirrors they do at fairs and theme parks?â Evan asked, centering himself and focusing hard. He murmured the appropriate spell and reached toward the desk, the way he had in the office building to find the flash drive. The way heâdâsort of, it was a little more complicated than heâd explained to Tommyâdone to get them from the car to the porch to avoid the sunlight. Only this time, he reached further into the between. Through all the layers of it that Greenway had folded it upon itself, over and over, until only a witch or familiar who regularly used it to shift themselves through space and not just store and hide things in would have even realized there was that much of it to explore in this house.
Evan did not travel through the between regularly. It was not something that witches did anymore, the dangers of getting lost too great. But he had been very carefully trained by someone who had learned the art in times when it had been a valuable tool for survival.
His hand closed on something in the between, and he curled his fingers around it and yanked. There was a soft pop in the air, and when he looked at the empty desk again, there was a small, leatherbound ledger sitting innocuously in the center of it. âGotcha,â he hissed. He hurried forward and scooped the ledger off the desk, pulling at the bands of elastic that bound it at each corner.
âGreat work EvâGET DOWN!â Tommyâs voice changed in a flash, rising to a bellow as he lunged at Evan. Between one breath and the next, Tommy had made it across the room and wrapped himself around Evan, pulling Evan tight against his chest and spinning them around so that Tommyâs back was to the window.
There was a loud sound of shattering glass.
The clatter of something hitting the desk.
And then the whole world around Evan exploded into a mass of light. And sound. And force.
Evan felt himself lifted off his feet, flung across the room. Tommyâs body was wrapped tight around him, the vampireâs arms shielding him protectively, his face pressed hard against Tommyâs throat. They hit the floor hard enough that the breath was knocked from Evanâs lungs, but he was still dimly aware of Tommy taking the brunt of the landing, rolling them with the momentum, one hand cradling the back of Evanâs head and keeping it from cracking on the hardwood floors as they came to a rolling halt.
Evan coughed, everything spinning around him in dizzying circles, his ears ringing so loudly he could barely hear anything over it. His whole body hurt, and when he pulled his head back from Tommyâs neck, the room was suddenly hazy with smoke. WhatâŚwhat hadâ
âTommy?â he gasped, when the vampire made no move to let go, to get up. âTommy, whatââ
He could hardly hear his own voice, though he knew he was shouting. He gripped Tommyâs shoulder, more relief than he was willing to examine at the moment sweeping through him when he felt the vampireâs muscles bunch under his touch, felt Tommy shudder and start to struggle to get up. Something was wrong, though.
His vampire was moving too slowly, too sluggishly. When Evan blinked some of the hazy smoke out of his eyes, Tommyâs faceâmere inches from his ownâwas twisted in a grimace of pain. Something hard pressed into the top of Evanâs abdomen, right under his breastbone, and he slowly became aware of a hot wetness seeping into his borrowed shirt. Gasping, he wrenched himself backwards enough so he could look down, a buzzing that had nothing to do with his ringing ears filling his head when his eyes focused on the massive, wickedly sharp chunk of splintered wood that was poking into his chest.
The massive, wickedly sharp chunk of splintered wood that had impaled Tommy through the back, gone clear through his body.
âTommy! Tommy, whatââ
âEvanâŚrun,â his vampire managed to grit out, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth.
âAw come on Kinard. Let the witch stay.â
Evanâs heart sank, his eyes flying to the gaping hole where Greenwayâs front window had been only seconds before. The blond vampire from the office building was clambering through the jagged opening, flanked by two other vampires that Evan hadnât seen before. They were covered head to toe in the same getup that Tommy had been going to try to use to get across the sunny streetâhoodies, gloves, long pantsâbut every inch of exposed skin was blistered and peeling, obviously burned by even what short exposure theyâd had to the sun.
Blondie pulled his hood back, glaring at Evan and Tommy, a nasty smirk firmly in place on his face. Evanâs eyes flicked between the three of them as Tommy tried to push at his shoulder, still struggling to get his feet under him, even as more blood spurted out from around the piece of fucking shrapnel sprouting out of his chest.
Tommy was hurt. Badly.
The vampire who had protected him over and over, even when it made no logical sense for him to do so. The vampire who had been kinder and gentler to him over the past two days than any one of his own kind had been over the past five years. His vampire, who had refused to let Evan walk into danger alone.
His vampire, who had given up his own coven to stay by Evanâs side, against odds that would have sent any sane person running for the hills. His vampire.
Evan curled his arm protectively over Tommyâs back and reached for every drop of magic in his body, the most dangerous spell Sally had ever taught him fairly exploding out of him in a rush of power.
#911 abc#911 tv show#mywriting#bucktommy#evan buckley#evan buck buckley#buck x tommy#tommy kinard#shameless self promotion#kinley#firepilot#firebeast#tevan#tevan fic#bucktommy fic
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Late Night Chaos â Daisuke x gn! reader
summery: you become the first of many tragic deaths...
tw: murder, graphic descriptions of injuries, suicide, descriptions of a corpse, spoilers for all of the game basically
a/n: LAST PART! gosh I had such an evil smile writing the beginning of this. sorry that the end is literally just the game, I wasn't sure how to make commentary on it that the game doesn't do beautifully already :(
wc: 2.9k
Master List
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine
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This couldnât be real.
âThey came at me like they went mad.â
You couldnât be gone, you wouldnât leave him like that.
âI had no choice!â
Daisuke felt like he was going to puke, your unfocused eyes staring at the ceiling, lips slightly parted and the darkening skin around your neck.Â
âIt was either me or them.âÂ
Daisuke felt his hands shake. He couldnât accept this, there was no way you were dead. You would get up any second and say this was a prank. Please. He doesnât think he can handle this. You had been the only one keeping him sane, the only one he found comfort in, the only one to stand up for him if he felt uncomfortable doing something. You both were supposed to get off this rock together. You were supposed to meet his parents and have dinner andâŚandâŚand
Daisuke felt himself let out a sob, rushing towards your body and falling to his knees. Shaky hands reached out towards your face. You felt cold. You werenât supposed to be this cold. You needed a blanket, orâŚor something. His hand went from caressing your cheek to holding your hand, bringing it up to his face. Your knuckles were bloody, but Daisuke didnât care, he just wished you could cup his cheek again, reassure him that everything would be okay and you would always be there for him.Â
Swansea scoffed at Jimmy, glaring daggers at the man, âRight, like they were much of a threat.â
âYou think Iâd lie about this?â Jimmy seethed. âYou think I enjoyed doing that?â
Anya felt like herself plunging even farther down her spiral of madness. Why the hell did she tell you? Every time she tries to speak up, to get comfort, to find help for whatâs happened to her she finds another tragedy left in her wake. First it was the crash and Curly, now youâre deadâŚwho else will get hurt because of her? She couldnât even look at your body or face Daisuke. Your cloudy eyes seemed to be taunting her, blaming her, and Daisukeâs sobs were like a stab to the heart.Â
âMaybe you did,â Swansea glowered, bumping harshly into Jimmyâs shoulder as he walked past towards Daisuke. âCâmon kid, you shouldnât see âem like this.â
âN-no!â Daisuke protested, trying to free himself from Swanseaâs grip on his shoulder, clinging onto you desperately. âI-I canât leave them. I just canâtâŚâ
âŚ
Your death made the tension on the ship worse. It caused the crew to be more distrustful of Jimmy, something he hated. Who did they think they were to judge him? You were like a wild animal, your assault had no end in sight? Was he supposed to let you beat him to a pulp? Itâs not like there were enough medical supplies for that, and for all he knew you werenât going to stop.Â
Daisukeâs cheerful demeanor had darkened, but he still tried to keep a smile on his face, even if it was wobbly and didnât reach his eyes. He would try to joke, to say something silly to lighten the atmosphere, but it started to come out forced, and he couldnât help but imagine howâd you react. Would you laugh? Smile? Roll your eyes and shake your head? And just like that heâd feel his mood drop all over again.Â
It had been a month since your death and he still couldnât move on. He had got to know you over eight months, and for five of them you both were dating. Gosh, you really made the trip go by so quickly (even though it felt like you had been in space forever). And after the crash, you made it just a bit more bearable to be sitting like a waiting duck in the middle of nowhere. But now youâre gone, and the crash happened five months ago, and he could feel the despair start to consume him slowly but surely.Â
Anya had kept to herself more than usual as well, tending to Curly as best she could. They ran out of clean bandages ages ago, so she couldnât tend to his wounds as well. They had no more disinfectant, so the best she could do was try and keep him as comfortable as possible. Just focus on doing her job so she couldnât think too much, so she wouldnât think of how Curly's silent stare reminded her of your blank gaze. Try to keep her cries to herself when she was alone in the medical bay with Curly.Â
Swansea was vehemently trying to protect the last working cryopod. He thought you and Daisuke were the most worthy of it, but fell under the dilemma of who it would go to between you both. It was clear neither of you would leave the other, and Swansea knew better than most what it was like to be completely infatuated with someone. When you believe youâd do anything for them, that youâd rather die than see them hurt. Seems like Jimmy solved that little problem for him. Swansea couldnât help but internally seethe when he saw your body. If you were angry enough to throw a punch, then whoever it was you were punching deserved it, âcus you were one of the most level headed ones of them here.Â
Jimmy? Oh, he was spirling further and further. The judgemental looks Swansea sent his way, or how Daisuke seemed to avoid him like the plagueâŚhe felt his control slipping, and he needed a way to feel in power again. To feel like he was in charge. So he took it out on Anya, the first person heâd go to when he needed to be in control. Whispering harsh words without an ounce of guilt, venom seeping past his lips and poisoning those around him.
Anya couldnât take it anymore, the entire situation was too much. Jimmy terrified her, and the guilt was eating her from the inside out. She couldnât handle it, rushing to the medical bay and locking the door. Curlyâs stare pierced through her as Daisuke called out to her, asking if she was stuck. Anya didnât have the heart to tell Daisuke how terrified she was, how the medical bay was her only safe place. So she told him she couldnât leave, hoping everyone would leave her alone.
She was scared. Scared of what Jimmy would do in response to her pregnancy, her refusal to follow what he wanted. He had proven her fears right. That he was willing to kill. She thought hiding the gun or the fact that Swansea kept the axe would be enough protection, but he had killed you with his bare handsâŚ
But sweet, sweet Daisuke was worried for Anya. Asking Jimmy for help, not wanting to see another crew member dead. Especially not Anya, you cared for her so much, he couldnât imagine the despair youâd go through if she were to pass.Â
âAnya!â Daisuke called through the thick metal door. âI brought Jimmy! Weâre here to rescue you! Donât worry! Donât panic!â It was meant to be reassuring, but it seems like Daisuke was trying to comfort himself as well.Â
âHey,â Jimmy called out nonchalantly. âHeard the lockâs broken.â
Anya felt her heart drop, hands shaky as she refused to respond.Â
âHey. Anya!â Jimmy spoke louder, feeling irritated now. âCan you hear me?â
â...yeah, I can hear you, Jimmy,â Anya replied. Looking at the last of the paracetamol and grabbing it, sitting down beside Curlyâs cot.Â
âThere rest of our medicine stash is in there too. Damn, this could be bad,â Jimmy grumbled, clearly not caring about Anyaâs safety. âDid you really put your back into it?â âAny wrenches laying around?â Daisuke asked, the pit in his stomach only growing. âHow heavy is the med kit?!â
With no response, Daisuke tried jiggling the handle again, his efforts being fruitless.Â
â...Anya,â Jimmy called out coldly. âIs the door really stuck?â
â...âÂ
The silence caused bile rise in Daisukeâs throat. No, no no no
âNo,â Anya replied strongly.Â
No no no no. Not again. Daisuke tried more desperately to jiggle the handle.Â
âH-huh?â Daisuke called out, trying to see any way that this wasnât as bad as it looked. âWhat do you mean?!â
âLook, weâre all stressed,â Jimmy scolded, brushing off her emotions. âBut you canât go breaking down at every little hardship. Open the damn door.â
â...you were right,â Anya spoke out, hands failing to open the cap a few times. âYou were right all along. I should have done this from the beginning. I always believed that our worst moments didnât define us. Didnât make us beyond repair.â
A strange sense of calm fell over the practicing nurse as the safety lid finally opened. It was going to be over, finally.Â
âYou think I wanted this either?â She laughed humorlessly, a grim smile on her lips. âMake no mistake, this isnât my worst moment. Far from it. Itâs the best one Iâll ever make.âÂ
âOpen the door,â Jimmy ordered, clenching his fists tightly. Daisuke placed his hand on the door, that dreadful sense of hopelessness tearing his heart apart. This wasnât happening, no way.Â
âIâll take care of it,â Were her last words before she downed the rest of the pain medication.Â
âAnya?!â Daisuke called out, banging on the door. âWhat does that mean?!â
âŚ
This wasnât right. Daisuke wearily eyed the vent that held sparking cables.Â
âSwansea said itâs not safe,â Daisuke tried to argue against Jimmyâs demands to enter. âI know he forgot to tell us about the pod, but he knows, like, everything about this kind of stuff. Maybe we should just wait for him to wake back upâŚâ
âYou said you could handle it,â Jimmy glared. Everything was slipping out of his control, first you, then Anya, then SwanseaâŚheâd be damned if he let Daisuke rebel too. âSwansea taught you well, right? Time to prove it. Heâll be impressed when he wakes up. Proud. Heâll understand why we had to do this, then he can explain himself.â
âYou think so?â Daisuke asks, alarm bells ringing. Glancing back at the vent, Daisuke couldnât help but think about how youâd react. Probably fight against this, yell about how dangerous this was and if Jimmy wanted someone to crawl through that hazard then he should do it himselfâŚbut you werenât here anymore, and Swansea was passed out from a drink he made with JimmyâŚand AnyaâŚ
âDaisuke,â Jimmy spoke sternly. âEveryoneâs counting on youâŚCaptainâs orders.â
And in that moment, it really felt like this all fell onto his shoulders. Jimmyâs arguments made senseâŚif he could save Anya and Curly, maybe he could make both you and Swansea proud.
âY-yeah,â Daisuke nodded, trying to hype himself up. âI got this!â
âOkayâŚâ He made his first step towards the vent. âH-here we goâŚâ
Grabbing the ladder, he climbed his way into the vent. A sense of claustrophobia hit him right away, trying to avoid any curling livewire or sharp metal, but it was clear this was the wrong choice. Daisuke let out a sharp gasp, feeling his body get zapped by an unseen electrical current, letting out a groan when he felt something cut his skin. He couldnât stop now though, no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much it stung, how he started to feel sluggish. No, he pushed through, he needed to get to Anya, needed to make sure everything was okay. Ignoring the way tears pricked at his eyes, or how it took all his strength and energy to pull himself up into the medical bay, he needed to keepâŚ
âAnyaâŚ?â Daisuke gasped out in horror, the pain both physical and emotional becoming too much. â...what d-did you do?â
âŚ
Daisuke couldnât stop squirming, he could still feel the stings of electricity, like his muscles had become a livewire themselves. The burns and cuts wouldnât stop bleeding, and Daisuke felt worthless. This was all for nothing, and the two adults were arguing over him.Â
âDonât do anything,â Jimmy huffed, not sure if he was talking to Swansea or Daisuke. âStop, stop, stop. I can fix this!â
Maybe it wonât all be badâŚmaybe youâre waiting for him. He just hopes his mom wonât blame herself, that his parents will be able to continue to live a happy lifeâŚ
âWhy do you keep fuckinâ saying that?â Swansea shouted. âAre you hearing yourself?!â
âI-Iâm s-sorryâŚâ Daisuke muttered out. This is all his fault, he shouldâve never entered that stupid vent. It was too late for Anya anyways, and now Swansea was angryâŚhe doesnât even wanna think about how youâd reactâŚ
âWe still have disinfectant, right?â Swansea asked, trying to think of a way to keep Daisuke alive. âThe one from the extra medical stash? Get it! Now!â
Jimmy avoided Swanseaâs gaze, looking down to a struggling Daisuke, grinding his teeth, âThe cocktail, weâŚyouâŚâ
âThe cocktail?!â Swansea roared, rightfully pissed. âWhat are you blabbering about?â
âThat was your fault!â Jimmy deflected, pointing at the older man. âYou would never have-â
âI-I had no choice.â
âYouâŚâ Swansea sneered, banging his fist against the wall. âUseless! You goddamn fucking idiot! There has to be something else!â
Daisuke wasnât sure how long they left him alone, but he found himself coming to terms with his fate, feeling guilty. He had always been a useless mess up, a last minute intern who didnât even want to be here. It seems like even his final moments were because he fucked up.Â
âIâm soâŚrry,â Daisuke struggled to speak as Jimmy crouched next to him. âI messedâŚupâŚmgh.â He wasnât sure how much longer he could handle the way his muscles continued to tense and relax, like he was being continuously electrocuted. He could feel his wounds pulse with every contraction, blood trickling out like a steady stream.Â
âDonât try to talk,â Jimmy ordered, uncapping the bottle of mouthwash, pouring it on his wounds.Â
âŚ
â...the bleeding wonât stop,â Jimmy mumbled. âJust try to stay still, Daisuke. I-I need a second to think. We can fix this.â
âHey, kid?â Swansea called out softly. âYou hear me?â Daisuke could only make a strangled groan in response, everything felt like it was on fire and he could feel his body cry out for sleep, but the pain wouldnât let him rest. Even breathing became a task he had to focus on.
âDaisuke?â Swansea called out again, feeling his heart break further at the sight as Daisuke jolted up in pain. âHey!â Jimmy shouted, watching in horror as Swansea picked up the axe. âStop, stop, stop! Donât move!â
âItâs alright Daisuke,â Swansea comforted his young intern. âCalm down. This line of workâŚyou could have never become like miserable olâ Swansea. What a tragedy. Decades of hauling ass for Pony Express, big mighty bruiser with all his shiny tools. This is where it got me. The good life, huh?â
âI thought you were dumber than a can of paint, always just chewing my ear off about nothing,â Swansea continued. âUseless ray of goddamn sunshine. Not an ace student, workhorse or force of ambition. Just a damn good kid trying his best. You coulda taught an old fool like me a lot.â
â...â
âClose your eyes, Daisuke.â
âŚ
no.
no no no no no no
This wasnât how it was supposed to go! Everything was fine! He had it all under control! Swansea had gone crazy, thatâs why he killed Daisuke, thatâs why Jimmy was forced to tie him up before he was another victim to the crazy madman. This wasnât his fault. No one was letting him fix a goddamn thing! This was all because everyone stepped out of line. First you attacked him, then Anya decided to be selfish, then Swansea murdered Daisuke, now he is being attacked again. None of this was his fault, not a goddamn thing.
âI have something to say,â Swansea spoke up calmly, not batting an eye as Jimmy stood before him holding the gun. âSo shut the fuck up and listen.â
But Jimmy wasnât having it. No. He couldnât listen, because if he listened, then heâd have to take responsibility. Heâd have to admit that he failed, that they died because of his selfish actions. Clutching the gun just a bit tighter, Jimmy spoke resolutely.
âSwanseaâŚIâm going to fix everything. Weâre going to make it.â
âFuck you.â
âŚ
This would all be over now. Itâll all be fixed. He knew exactly what he needed to do. Curlyâs stare burned through him as he carried his former Captain. This was the only way now, the only thing he could do to make this better. Swansea was right, a captain goes down with his ship, so that left only one person to take the cryopod.Â
âItâs okay, Curly,â Jimmy consoled through the glass panel. âYouâre going to be okay. You always had my back. I ended up hurting you even though I was trying to save us. But now youâll survive. Itâs like you said, together we can fix anything. Iâm just proud I got to be your friend and co-pilot, Captain.â
âNo one can hurt you now. We fixed it.â
âIâŚfixed itâŚâ
#mouthwashing x reader#daisuke mouthwashing x reader#mouthwashing daisuke x reader#daisuke x reader#mouthwashing#mouthwashing daisuke#daisuke mouthwashing#daisuke#x reader#tw blood#tw murder#tw sui#tw spoilers
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the australian government is trying to legislate kids under sixteen off of social media. so, if you are aussie and under sixteen, you wonât be allowed to have a sm account on sites like twitter, tiktok, facebook, youtubeâand more.
i know our relationship with minors, as fic writers who write for other adults, is rocky at best. the rise in self-censoring and shame-based attitudes among readers in general is helping to kill any and all artistic curiosity in the next generation, which in turn makes it actively hard to be in shared, online fan spaces. itâs easy to blame the kids, but at its heart i think this is an active adult failure. our younger generations have gotten the raw end of the deal, in many ways; one of them being allowed to grow up alongside of material that they shouldâve never had free access to, not without guided parenting.
And thatâs the thing. the answer isnât banning them. the legislation involved means that social media companies will be the ones to face the penalties (the fines) if minors break the new laws. which meansâwhat? censorship gets even worse, in an effort to be even more kid friendly? Government-interest friendly? this talk started happening in the thick of the pro-palestine marches, as the movement was trickling into universities and highschools. And okay, letâs say itâs not thatâwhat else could this be about? could it maybe have something to do with the fact that the australian government wants to implement a Digital ID nation wide?
"This one is for the mums and dads,â Albo, Anthony Albanese, our prime minister and prime dickhead, says in the announcement. âThey, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back.â
But this isnât about protecting kids. At the very best, theyâre selling it as a scapegoatâlike, oh! Haha, now you can just tell the kids itâs illegal!! It completely ignores the reality that people have to parent these humans. Like, itâs giving people, at best, an excuse to continue being lazy. They donât have to sit down with their kids and the things theyâre engaging with, anymoreâbecause theyâre banned from it! Instead having conversations about the media they encounter, itâs okay! You donât need to worry about that anymore! The australian government wants to pretend this is about protecting kids from predators or online bullying, instead of parents confronting the fact theyâve created little assholes with unfettered access to tools to harass people with, or let their kids walk into traps because they havenât taught them basic internet safety.
I have mixed feelings. Like any other (reasonable) adult, I worry about what kind of effects this much freedom to this much knowledge and drivel and personality can do to someone younger, someone who hasnât likeâhad to learn how to make their way through a world where people are messy and a little weird and sometimes outright unlikable, but you have to still be professional about it, you know? I worry about things like micro-trends running the fun and excitement of digging in and finding some niche fashion that becomes your personality. I worry about status symbols like the right makeup and fitness pants and waterbottles getting popular too fast, and then cycling out just as quickly and creating a pace that kids without means canât participate in as fast. I worry about podcasts run by sigma-pus males or whatever, tradwives selling glamour under the pretense of housework, like, so much of it. But these are all things that you as a parent have to negate!!! Like. You canât just ban kids from the internet and then expect them to be normal about things whenever theyâre allowed backâyou have to teach them to be, to handle it. You have to teach them!!
I am saying this as an adult. An adult who likes adult things, and likes them in an open, easily-accessible space. An adult who would actively benefit from minor-free social media. There are things as an adult creator that I wanna talk about, or write about, in ways that arenât always age-appropriate (or at all!!) for a younger audience. And lookâmy personal view has always been that as a fanfic writer, my responsibility to you guys (adults and sneaky-little-minors alike!!) has always been to warn appropriately on or in the fics themselves. Thatâs it. You get the warning labels on the tin, and you decide what to do with that afterwards. Itâs not always perfect because Iâm not perfect. I will make mistakes. I might not tag for something specific that ends up being a trigger for you. But the thing with fanfiction and fanfic communities is that we generally have to trust each other. I might miss a warning, but you have to trust that that mistake wasnât a deliberate effort to hurt you. I have to trust that you guys know your own boundaries and will engageâor not!!âaccordingly. I opt to treat my space here, my blog, as an open-one. Because it is! Itâs a public blog LOL. If you have a tumblr account, then you have access to it! So, I try to treat this space like a public conversation in a cafĂŠ, or a foodcourt. Maybe I slip a raunchy little book over the table to you, and we make one or two rude jokes, or otherwise a stray rando catches the tail-end of a more serious conversationâbut itâs all things I would be comfortable (enough) discussing with someone in a space where maybe I donât know everyone involved, you know? I benefit from the knowledge that oh well, at least I donât have to worry about local kids getting on here. đ ButâI hate that for them!! Do I trust younger readers? Not always!!! I worry that theyâll get caught in the wrong feedback loop, that they donât like, investigate claims or challenge information for themselves, that theyâve never had to! And hey, to be completely fair, I donât always trust proper adult readers with that either LMFAOOO, but the point is that kids get more grace and more worry from me because they are still actively learning to be apart of things, of communities. And I think banning them from that is ultimately a mistake. To protect someone you have to teach them what to look out for, how to engage safely, how to trust themselves. And thatâs not whatâs going to be achieved here. This social media ban is a useless bandaid in the face of bigger problems (housing crisis, inflation, the AUKUS submarine thing i donât even want to talk about it its stupid) that the government is waving around to distract everyone with. And itâs working. Because people would rather sit there and scroll on facebook, or whatever, instagram, instead of actively parenting.
#it makes me big mad bc my mum was likeâprobably my biggest champion when it came to reading#like she wouldnât ban me from reading certain books. if i ever picked up something she had concerns about we would talk about it together.#and yeah thatâs different from actively being on social media BUT a lot of what i learnt through her trust in that carried over to how i â#âengaged with the internet as an older kid and teenager and young adult#anyways i think itâs a slippery slope !!!!!!! fuck all governments theyâre all evil#things like this seem bengin or even helpful but they only serve to tighten the noose around us all further!!!!!
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If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to youâ
Anime: Tokyo Revengers/Tr
Character: Chifuyu Matsuno
Synopsis: Chifuyu your boyfriend has been upset for a few daysâconstantly ignoring you and when you ask him what's wrong he finally opens up about how he knows what is going to happen in the future through Takemichi
A/n: I recommend listening to Die with a smile while reading this cause I feel like it suits the vibe [plus it was heavily influenced by it] :>
"So you're telling me we both are going to die in thr future?" You mumbled while staring at wet and puddley playground, "Is that why you've been ignoring me for the past week?" You frowned glancing at the blonde who was sitting on the swing with a umbrella in his hand restraining his hair from getting damp. "I wasn't ignoring yo-" Chifuyu tried to protest only to get cut off by you, "Yes you were." "Look..Y/n, I'm a bit troubled knowing you died cause of me, and I just-" Chifuyu's voice slightly cracking as his grip on the umbrella tightened. "Were you the one to shoot me?" You asked, "It was Kisaki and not you who killed me...I died cause of him not you Fuyu." You defended your boyfriend who kept on degrading and blaming himself. "You got shot while trying to protect me..I'll never forgive myself for it." He shut up reluctantly before continuing again, "I should have been protecting you...but instead-" Before he could continue he felt a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, your umbrella could be seen plunged into a muddy puddle while the rain only got worse. "Chifuyu be rational..this has nothing to do with you protecting me or me protecting you, I jumped infront cause I loved you...and I'm positive anyone else would too if their loved one was about to get hurt." Chifuyu listened quietly. "Besides in my opinion dying together isn't such a bad idea if it's with you...atleast I had you beside me while we both took our last breaths." You continued, "We spent our whole life together...shared laughs...shared cries, it's only fair to share death too right?" You gave him a smileâto Chifuyu that smile was one made by the heavens as if specially for him..only him, he felt like the male lead from that one shoujo manga he had mistaken for a shonen and bought. "I'll make sure to do everything I can to help Takemichi to save everyone...and you, because if I don't have this i might not make it." Chifuyu's hand reached up to take yours. "And even if I fail...I would die with a smile cause you would be next to me." Chifuyu planted a kiss on your palm, his cheeks red as he had a cat-like smile on his face. "Now that's the spirit." You rested your head on his shoulder savoring the moment and planting it deep in your memories.
#tokyo rev x reader#tokyo rev fluff#tokyo rev#tokyo revengers fluff#tokyo revengers#tokyo rev x you#tokyo revengers chifuyu#chifuyu matsuno#chifuyu x reader#chifuyu x you#tr chifuyu#matsuno chifuyu#tokyo rev fic
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[9] ⢠WHY DO YOU HATE ME? - H. KAI
skater!bully!huening kai x loner!junkie!reader
plot: working alongside your ex-best friend, who's also a full-time asshole, turns hot after a heated conversation... | wc: 3.9k | cw: angst, mentions of death and suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, other sensitive topics, smut
From your point of view, life continued for three reasons;
1. For your familyâŚthe only friends you had.
2. Another episode of you current obsession, and
3. The next cigarette...or cancer stick as your next door neighbor liked to call it.
Sometime your third reason helped you the most. One puff relived the stress and every one after that made life a little easier. Oftentimes, smoking was like an escape for you. A way to cope with the shitty hand the universe had dealt you.
You lived in a cheap apartment. And all of the money you made was split between you and your parents. There was a shared belief in your family that the children should take care of their parents when they move out. Assisting in whatever way they could.
This belief is what compelled you to send money to your family. It wasnât a burden. You knew that if you ever needed a place to stay that you were always welcome back home. The only problem being that you couldnât shake your smoking habit. And that was the reason you had to go in the first place.
You seen all the stupid YouTube videos about what happens to your lungs when you smoke and how much money you could save if you werenât buying packs of cigarettes weekly, but none of that mattered to you. After the death of your only friend near the end of senior year, life seemed almost impossible.
Meaningless and empty without Eve by your side.
You held onto those three reasons because everything in you wished for one more day with your friend. Just one more day to tell her how much you loved her. And at this point, the sweet taste of death was the only thing separating you from her.
You grew up as an only child for most of your life. By the time your mom had your little brother, you were already 14 years old. Around that time you met Eve.
You had just started high school and up until freshman year, you were known to be a loner.
You walked into your first class of the day, sitting in the chair furthest to the back of the classroom and thatâs when you met her for the first time.
âIâm Eve,â she smiled, extending her hand to you. The two of you were like complete opposites. She was warm, cheery, and full of life. You on the other hand felt like the world had been against you since birth.
One more detail about Eve is that she was a huge chatterbox. Since the two of you rode the bus together, you never felt alone. The darkness that was your life felt a little brighter with her around. Even your mom noticed the positive change in your behavior.
âYou sure look happy,â your mom raised her brow as you looked at your phone.
âYeah, I met this really cool girl at school today. Her name is Eve,â you smiled.
âWell maybe you should invite her over sometime. Anyone that can make you smile like that must be really special.â
And she wasâŚEve was really special to you.
You could talk to her about anything. She wasnât just an expert at talking, she was also a great listener. Sometimes her advice wasnât the best, but you were both kids at the time.
You just wish that she wouldâve talked to you the day beforeâŚshe killed herself. You always blamed yourself for her death. There had to have been a sign that she was hurting, but maybe you were too selfish to see it.
You had both started senior year together and all you ever talked about were how the two of you would move out together and graduate from the same college. You saw a life with herâŚand all of that was over in one night.
You think about it every day. What makes it even worse is that your co-worker is the biggest asshole youâd ever known.
You were never brave enough to stand up to him. Maybe because you felt like the fight just wasnât worth it. But he knew Eve too. The three of you were friends before her death. Your past friendship is probably another reason why you wouldnât speak up.
When you really think about itâŚa lot changed after she died. You started smoking and Kai seemed to hate you for no reason.
You never knew whyâŚ
âYouâre locking up tonight,â he said as he slammed the cash register.
âWhat?!â
âYou heard me,â he spat, turning to you. âYouâre locking up tonight because Iâm heading out early.â
âAre you fucking kidding me? I have a life too yâknow.â
âDo I look like I care?â You stared at him blankly before he continued, âExactly, just do what the fuck I told you,â he swatted his hand before walking to the back to grab his things.
âYou canât expect me to do all of this by myself,â the gas station you worked at was extremely understaffed and you two were often the only ones at work.
âYou can handle it,â he leaned down, picking up his skateboard before heading toward the front door.
âThis is so fucked up,â you slammed you hand against the counter. âYouâre such a fucking dick,â you mumbled, rolling your eyes.
âYou know whatâd be really fucked up?â He asked softly walking back over to the register. âIf you had a little accident at work,â he tilted his head to the side. âItâd be pretty hard to come to work if you slipped and hurt yourself. Wouldnât it?â
You lowered your gaze, afraid to say something stupid and not in the mood to hear anymore of his threats. You knew better than to push himâŚheâd done a number of things to torture you.
You thought back to the one time he took your phone and locked you in the storage closet over night because you wouldnât stay after hours and wax the floors.
You watched as he walked out with his skateboard tucked under his arm. You sighed deeply, striking your lighter as you lit your cigarette.
You parted your lips, letting the clouds of grey smoke fill the air as you took out the trash before turning off all the lights and locking up for the night.
Without Eve your life felt like Groundhog Day. A continuous, endless, hell-like loop of waking up, clocking in, and clocking out to do it all over again. The most diversity you had in your life was a new assignment.
Oh and to make life even better, Kai went to the same school as you. A cheap community college where you could earn your associates before taking out student loans to get your bachelors.
Sometimes you wondered if life ever got any better from hereâŚ
A few days later, you were working the cash register with Kai when he decided to take his break in the middle of the 12 oâclock rush. âPerfect,â you sighed sarcastically. âJust fucking perfect,â you rolled your eyes as you prepared yourself to deal with the line of customers that had wrapped around one of the aisles.
âYou should smile more often,â a man smiled. He looked to be about 40 or 50.
âExcuse me?â You asked, wondering why he would even say something like that.
âIâm just saying,â he shrugged pulling out a $20. âLife is beautiful. Thereâs a lot to smile about.â
âRight,â you scoffed.
âYou should try it sometime,â he smiled as you handed him the receipt.
âMâkay,â you shook you head, wanting nothing more than for him to just take his shit and leave.
âThank you so much sir for pointing that out,â Kai came out grinning ear to ear like the fucking Cheshire Cat.
âYouâre welcome. I just know how much a smile can change the working environment for everyone.â
âExactly,â Kai nodded. â____, I donât wanna have to write you up for this because I know how much you need this job. But youâre gonna have to change your attitude.â
You sighed as you rubbed the spot between your eyebrows. Another detail that you hated to remember and often forgot was that Kai was your managerâŚand the reason you got this job in the first place.
Ironically you started working here during your last year of high school. You planned to earn some money for college to give you a bit of a head start, which only somewhat worked out in your favor.
To be honest, the pay here was pretty good and better than any other option. You assumed this had a lot to do with the low staff.
Anyways, you were hoping that Kai was only joking about writing you up until you were called into the office for a staff meeting on Friday.
âLook, ____. Weâre already very low on staff as Iâm sure you know. And itâs hard to keep customers coming back if youâre out there looking like you want a bullet in your head,â the owner said, folding his hands.
âThatâs probably because I do,â you mumbled to yourself.
âAll Iâm saying is, try to look at least somewhat pleasant. You donât have to go overboard, just be natural, okay?â
âYeah, okay," you shook your head as Kai sat next to you.
"Thanks again, Kai. I really appreciate you for bringing this to my attention. I've been noticing a decline in customer reviews and now I know why."
"No problem," he smiled giving you a look that made you wanna knock his teeth out.
Kai closed the door to the main office as the two of you walked down the hallway.
âI canât believe you actually fucking ratted me out,â you spat.
âIâm only doing whatâs best for theââ
âDrop the fucking act,â you sneered. âWe both know you donât really give a damn. Because if you did I wouldnât be locking up at night by myself. Youâd be there helping me out and not somewhere just jerking off. Yâknow what? Maybe I should go tell the boss about what youâre doing since weâre in the bitching business,â you turned around, but just as you tried walking away Kai grabbed your arm, pulling you back and throwing you to the ground.
âDonât be such a stupid fucking bitch,â he spat.
âYou did the same thing to me,â you brushed yourself off as you stood to your feet only to be pushed back down to the ground.
âIf I were you Iâd quit while I was ahead,â he knelt down.
âIâm tired of you treating me like shit, Kai. I donât know what your fucking problem is, but I didnât do anything to deserve this.â
âIf you really believe that youâre even dumber than I thought you were.â
âFuck you,â you spat, looking him dead in the eye. You donât know what came over you, but you had never been brave enough to stand up for yourself.
âIâd watch my tongue if I were you,â he pressed his forearm against your neck. âKarma can be a real bitch yâknow,â your eyes watered as he held you against the wall. You felt weak and powerless against him and you hated it, but there really was nothing you could do about it. Or at least thatâs how you felt.
Your bottom lip quivered as he slowly let you go. You sucked in your breath, catching a tear with your sleeve before running off to the bathroom. You cried in there, more than you had in a really long time.
And that evening, after closing early, you smoked through a whole pack. You were on the last one as Kai was walking back to the store. You assumed heâd forgotten something inside as he unlocked the door.
Catching the sight of you, smoking behind the register, he walked up and slapped the cigarette out of your mouth, casting ashes across the floor. âWhat the fuck?â You spat, picking up the bud before sticking it back between your lips.
âYou know that shit could kill you right?â
âI already feel dead,â you hummed, pulling out your lighter. âThis is the only thing that makes me feel alive,â you continued, striking the lighter.
âWell you can die on your own time,â he snatched the cigarette out of your pursed lips. âI donât wanna be the one cleaning up after your corpse when your lungs collapse.â
He looked in the small trash can underneath the register where he saw more than 15 burnt buds and an empty packet. âDid you smoke this whole pack?â
âObviously,â you rolled your eyes.
âAre you trying to kill yourself?â
âYou wouldnât care anyway. You obviously hate me.â
âDonât let me catch you smoking again,â he spat.
âYouâre not my fucking dad. You canât tell me what to do,â you reached to try and get your last cigarette back as he shoved you into the counter, putting the bud out on the countertop beside you.
âNext time itâll be your hand,â he sneered. âNow, clean this shit up and get this disgusting fucking smell out of here,â you forcefully wiped the tear from your eye as he walked away. Grabbing whatever he needed before walking out again.
Sometimes you wondered if this was why Kai always messed with you, because he got a kick out of seeing you cry.
As sadistic as it sounded, it couldnât be any closer to the truth which you learned later that week one night when Kai told you to close by yourself again. The only difference was that he was somewhat tipsy at this point.
He had been drinking a lot more after the altercation you had in the hallway. You wondered if it was because he felt guilty, finally seeing the error of his ways.
âCan you at least take out the fucking trash before you go?â You spat as he walked to the back putting his stuff away. âPlease,â you threw your hand up.
âIf I do it will you shut your big fucking mouth?â
âYes,â you rolled your eyes. He was in an even pissier mood when he drank, but surprisingly he was more useful. Heâd do almost anything you asked him to do as long as you bitched about it enough.
âThank you,â you smiled as he mumbled to himself throwing two bags over his shoulder, and dragging another two out the back door with him.
You heard bottles clanking outside as you shut down the register. Another loud crashing sound shook you up as you called out Kaiâs name. You were feeling a bit annoyed at this point. âI donât even make that amount of noise when I take out the trash,â you sighed.
More noises and no reply from Kai led you to go outside and check on him yourself, leaving your phone in the counter. âWhat the hell are you doing out here?â You spat as you saw him throwing glass bottles against the wall with bloody hands.
âKai! Stop it!â You shouted as he shielded his ear with his shoulder.
âCan you stop fucking yelling at me and just go back inside,â he rolled eyes, launching another bottle at the wall.
âNo because after youâre done fucking around like a jackass Iâm gonna have to come out here and clean this shit up.â
âNo youâre not,â he hummed.
âYes I am.â
âNo youâre not,â his words slurred together at this point.
âYes. I am.â
âNo youârââ you ripped the bottle out of his bloody grasp.
âYouâre way too fucking drunk right now. Just get the hell out of here and go home already.â
âWhere are you going,â he asked sounding slightly frustrated.
You started to walk back inside, âIâm gonna go get a broom to clean this shit up,â you sighed. âSomeone has too,â you reached your hand out to open the door only to jump, quickly turning around after hearing rapid footsteps approach you.
Kai had pinned you against the door, slamming it shut as he held another bottle in his hand. He broke it beside you head and held it to your neck. âIf you scream Iâll cut your throat open right here,â he slurred.
âGet off of me you drunk bastard!â You yelled, squirming in an attempt to free yourself from his grasp. He slapped you in the face with his bloody hand before clenching your jaw.
Tears filled your eyes as you stamped your feet against the ground. You beat against his chest as your arms were stuck in one position. âKai!â You cried. âStop it! Please,â
âWhy should I? Youâre not my mom,â he pressed against you harder, crushing your hands beneath his weight.
âWhy do you hate me?â You choked on tears as you couldnât hold them back anymore.
âShh!â He put a bloody finger against your lips.
âNo, I want you to tell me why you hate me so much. It doesnât make sense. We used to be friends beforeâŚbefore Eve killed herself,â it was silent for a moment as Kai lowered his head, he body started to tremble as a tear dropped from his face.
âShut up! Shut up! Shut up!â He shouted repeatedly slamming your body against the metal door, dropping the broken bottle.
âYouâre hurting me, Kai! Stop it!â You yelled as you felt a pain tugging at your bones. âPlease,â your voice shook.
He rested his hands on your shoulders before falling to your knees. âIâm sorry,â he whispered. âGod, Iâm so fucking sorry,â he cried.
You knelt down and lifted his teary face. âItâs okay, Kai. I miss her too,â you sniffled before wrapping your arms around him.
He pulled away gently, looking up at you with teary eyes. âIâm really sorry, _____,â he apologized. âIâve been such a dickâŚâ
âAnd I donât even understand whyâŚâ
âDâyou remember the day before Eve died?â
âOf course I doâŚI think about it almost everyday.â
âWhat if I told you itâs my fault sheâs deadâŚâ
âWh-what do you mean?â
âShe called meâŚâ
âShe did?! Why didnât you ever tell me? What did she say?â
âI didnât know how to tell youâŚbut she told me to be happyâŚâ
âI donât understand. Why did she say that?â
âDid you ever notice how she was around you? Like the way she behaved. Did she ever seem like she liked you as more than just a friend?â
âI-uhhâŚI never paid attention to it.â
âYeah well she really liked you, but when she found out I liked you too, she started to back off some. Things really took a turn for the worse when her parents heard us arguing one nightââ
âWhat were you arguing about?â
âShe had started hurting herselfâŚâ
âLike cutting?â
âYeahâŚand I guess it didnât get any betterâŚI shouldâve told someone,â he said softly as tears trickled down his cheeks.
âYou canât blame yourself for that.â
âBut if I wouldâve told someone she might still be hereâŚâ
âWe donât know that for sure.â
âIt couldâve helped herâŚshe also called me a few nights before she died and told me that her parents found out about her crush on youâŚI donât really know howâŚbut they did and she was really upset about that. Do you think her parents are the reason she killed herself?â
âWe canât know for sureâŚshe didnât really leave us any way of knowing why. But I think you should listen to her and be happy. Just look at the way weâve separatedâŚâ
Kai looked down at his bloody hands, â____âŚâ
âYes?â
Kai cradled your face in his hands before kissing you on the lips. One kiss turned to three and the next thing you knew his lips were all over your neck as he groped your tit in his hand.
Not a single word was spoken as breathless moans took the place of speech. You grabbed his hair in your hand, untying the small bun he wore as you tousled his hair. He slipped his tongue into your mouth as he pulled you closer.
You pulled his head away as his lips fell to your chest. âWhat?â
âDonât you think this is kinda fast?â
âWe can think about that in the morning,â he hummed, kissing your neck again.
You held Kaiâs hand as he took you inside. He picked you up, placing you on the metal cabinet as he kissed you, unbuttoning his pants.
âWhat about a condom?â
âDo I look like the type of guy to just have a condom in his wallet?â
âIâŚuhâŚâ
âExactly. Donât worryâŚIâll pull out,â he shrugged as you pulled your pants down. You watched as his dick sprang out of his boxers.
You climbed back onto the cabinet, spreading your legs as he stepped between them, lining his tip up with your entrance. âNgh!â You moaned as he pushed through.
âMmm,â he hummed feeling your walls contract around him. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, holding onto him as he pumped into you. He nuzzled his face into yours, bringing your lips back to his as he pushed his tongue into your mouth.
You moaned as you felt yourself coming close to finishing. You threw your head back as he sucked onto your neck. You squeezed your thighs around him, pulling him closer as you climaxed.
"Fuck," he swore.
"What?"
"I'm gonna cum," he bit his lip as he started to pull back.
"I don't care," you pulled him closer, kissing him again.
"But I thought you--"
"We'll think about it in the morning," you whispered as he pumped every drop of his hot load into you.
Everything from here became a blur until the two of you woke up in the backroom. You were laying between his legs as he rested his back against the metal cabinet.
"Shit," you spat as your eyes shot open. "We have to be ready to open in like 30 minutes," you said, scrambling to your feet.
"No way," Kai rubbed his eyes, looking up to see the analog clock on the wall, confirming what you just said.
The two of you scrambled to open up. He wiped off the cabinet from the two of you last night and you worked together to restock the coffee station and check the slushee maker.
"I'll take care of the mess outside," he chuckled, ruffling his hair. You handed him the hair tie that was wrapped around your wrist. It was the same one you took off of him last night. "Thanks," he smiled before kissing you on the cheek.
"Hey, for the record," you hollered. "Whatever happened last night doesn't change anything between us. I still hate you," you smirked.
"I hate you too," he smiled before heading out the back door.
What happened from this day on is hard to explain. It was like the two of you went back to being friends, but something else tugged at your heart aside from the memory of your dead friend. You were starting to like Kai and you could tell that he liked you too, but dating each other just didn't feel right.
As far as sex was concerned, it hadn't happened again since the first time you did it, which was about 3 weeks ago. Even though you did have the occasional makeout session that never seemed to last long enough.
Maybe there were 4 reasons why life continued for you...and he was definitely one of them.
a.n.: I wanted to add more detail to this one, but I didnât want it to be too long. Sorry if it feels rushed.
đŚđžđđđđđˇđđ đđśđđđđđđžđđ
â Thank you all so much for reading! Make sure to check out other works on my masterlist!
@chlorinecake
@wonbinisbabygurl
@nishiimuranights
@wildflowermooon
@heeseungshim
@ramyeonzprincess
@bangchans-gf5
@wand3rlustm3
@heeseunghee7
@norihoyeon
@gacktsa
@hyunj00
@mimikittysblog (not sure how much you're into moody kai lol)
#kinktober#kinktober squoxle 2024#txt smut#txt scenarios#txt hard hours#txt hard thoughts#txt huening kai#txt hyuka#huening kai smut#hueningkai#huening kai#huening kai hard hours#huening kai hard thoughts#kai smut#hyuka smut#hyuka hard hours#hyuka hard thoughts#huening kai x reader#huening kai angst#txt angst
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I would love to blame the liberals, because it is, after all, their fault. This wouldn't be an issue with proportional representation or even a ranked ballot. They had the chance. They promised to. They lied.
But the core thing to take away from the US election for me is that you can't just bank on not being the shitty guys. People will vote for the shitty guys, because the shitty guys will promise them shit. We're a year out from where there can actually be a federal election, and I'm already getting bombarded with conservative party ads on YouTube daily despite watching leftist video essays compulsively. They are going nuts building a narrative that they can fix a country that is legitimately fucked in a lot of ways.
If the NDP or the Liberals want to stand in their way, they need to have their own damn message. They need to acknowledge the state of things and come up with an actual plan to fix it.
It's going to be very tempting to just point at how evil the conservatives are. Especially as they get worse after this very clear sign that they can be less veiled about their nastier elements and people will still probably vote for them. But that's not enough. My concern isn't Justin Trudeau. It's Jagmeet and the NDP. I don't know if they can put together a coherent and compelling platform. The Liberals will naturally and reflexively defend the status quo, which is just tying all the dissatisfaction of the whole country around your neck. The NDP needs to be able to put forth a radical plan, and then, unfortunately, make people actually hear what it is. I do not think that that is possible in this media climate short of some truly brilliant social media strategies.
to be completely honest, I think the best path to block a conservative majority is for the liberals to pull their candidates out of ridings that could go NDP. the liberals are in shambles and have no chance of winning the next election. as it stands, I think itâs unlikely that they would form the official opposition. if they give the NDP the opportunity to win more seats, the NDP could be the opposition and form a coalition with the bloc and the remaining liberals to block conservative legislation.
unfortunately, the liberals arenât going to do that, because theyâre useless. not enough of them recognize that theyâre completely screwed with or without trudeau in leadership. which means itâs up to anybody who is even slightly progressive to throw their vote behind the NDP. the NDP needs to pull together a really really good campaign, and yes, in quebec the bloc might need to do more of the heavy lifting.
as much as I hate to admit it, I donât think thereâs a remote possibility that the conservatives donât win. the only question is whether they get a majority government or not.
~~~~
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If I see or hear people defending their votes for Trump with âwell I didnât really know her policies and plans for her presidencyâ I will burst into flames. We live in a time where almost every piece of information is in your hand, you couldâve Googled her plans, it was on her fucking website for weeks, it was 80 pages of policy and how they planned to pay for it. Like you chose to be an uneducated voter that got information from commercials and short form video.
The economy line is bullshit because his plans will make everything more expensive, tariffs are payed for by you, you think the multibillion dollar company will take on the extra cost to buy and ship goods by lowering the CEO salary, no, they will make the item more expensive because they never promised you a $200 tv, but they did promise stockholders a dividend of $10/share. His mass deportation policy will cause the economy to collapse because immigrants, legal or illegal, do the jobs that others look down on. You never see a line of white guys in overalls hoping to be hired for below minimum wage to pick fruit for hours in the sun, you donât see young white men showing up to construction jobs that the builder has subcontracted so itâs cheaper to build. The bedrock of the U.S. economy is cheap labor and a majority of that is immigrants who are looking for jobs that donât require knowing perfect English and have employers that look the other way when you donât have documents because they know you will work for anything.
Donât even get me started on healthcare, outside of womenâs healthcare which will get worse, if he finally gets rid of the affordable care act, aka Obamacare, they will replace it with nothing. The man was president before and after John McCain put his thumb down they never tried to make a new policy that wasnât throwing the whole program into the trash. Also the affordable care act is more than just low cost healthcare, it put in place pre-existing conditions, for those too young to remember, the insurance companies could deny you coverage all because you might get cancer one day because your mother had it, you would have to pay out of pocket for an inhaler because asthma was a pre-existing condition, even if you were diagnosed with it later in life. Donât forget what the vaccine situation will be, especially if he puts RFK jr. anywhere near it, like there is actual fear that Polio will come back because guess what? Most people under the age of 40 are not vaccinated for it because it was considered eradicated due to the mass vaccination of children in the 50s and 60s. When you complain about feeling like shit after getting the flu shot or a Covid booster, that is the vaccine working in your body, your body is doing an internal workout so if and when you come in contact with those viruses you wonât be getting extremely sick or die because someone doesnât know how to cover their cough.
I think this election was proof that you can have all the information and still know nothing because you chose to know nothing. People vote with their eyes, not their mind. Gas where I live has been under $3.00 for months, itâs been under $2.50 at the warehouse stores for weeks, but because an ad on tv said prices are rising people believed the tv over their own experience. People saw grocery prices increase and blamed the administration when in reality corporations took advantage of Covid shortages, raised prices, recorded historic profits, and didnât start bring prices down until this summer after people realized what was happening to some extent and even then they didnât return to pre-2020 prices because the profit still needed to be high, they looked at the $2 increase in a bag of chips over 4 years and blamed democrats and not Lays.
This is going to be a painful 4 years, for many people here and abroad, Ukraine will have to depend on Europe which is starting to lean conservative as well and the war in Gaza will take an extreme shift that will make the last year look like a paper cut in terms of humanitarian assistance and a possible end. Itâs already getting on my nerves as people tweet âwe keep fightingâ and âwe need to be strong so they canât do all they plan to do like the first timeâ, itâs not going to be like the first time, the adults in the room he had with him, many who came out and supported Harris, are gone and now it will be yes men that he was told to put there by the extreme right like the supporters of project 2025 and billionaires. And for those saying âwell maybe he will die in officeâ, you think JD Vance is better? He allegedly picked him because DT jr. suggested him and if you have ever seen jr. and his takes you would know Vance can be worse.
This is gonna hurt for many people that will now be seen as lower than second class citizens and you wonât even have lower prices to show for it as that seemed to be the reason you voted for him, enjoy your expensive goods as people lost rights.
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One Hell of a Popular Opinion #01 & HH Rewrite Related Post #05
Season #02 of Hazbin Hotel is easily going to be worse than Season #01 and I don't mean, "it's going to be really mid," no, I mean, "Oh dear Lord, it's so fucked to the point where not even starting from scratch will/should be able to save Hazbin Hotel." ___________ So I'm going to preface this by saying, if you somehow haven't seen or heard of Hazbin Hotel's 2nd season being posted online then I implore you to see some of it for yourself because as much as I'd like to explain all of it myself, there is WAY too much shit to unpack and Tumblr only allows for me to write so much. This time around I titled it One Hell of a Popular Opinion because this actually seems to be what's broken the camels back for some hopeful fans of the show and I can't blame them because the writing just keeps getting so much worse. Like, they went from making Lute a comedic relief one note bad guy in Season #01 to being the ONLY DECENT/GOOD WRITTEN CHARACTER IN THE SHOW COME SEASON #02! Which is ironic on so many levels cause I can feel it in my bones that, in Viv's eyes, Lute is/was not meant to be seen as a like-able character but if she's genuinely going to be the only well written character come the second season, well no shit I'm going to like her.
I'm not even joking when I say that's probably the only net positive from all of this as the rest of the leaks range from, "okay that's just mid," to, "Dude, what the actual fuck?! Who thought this would be acceptable to make?!" Now, as for the reason I titled this as a Hazbin Hotel rewrite related post is because with everything I've seen, I don't know if I want to continue working on my HH rewrite going forward. The entire reason why I started working on this rewrite wasn't to prove a point to the Stans, I started rewriting Hazbin Hotel because I still saw potential in it. I'm being dead serious when I say, I see very little potential in Hazbin Hotel after seeing the leaks. And that sucks since I started out as a fan. Hell, the entire reason I stayed invested in Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss was due to still being a fan (albeit a more critical fan as I refuse to ignore all the bad shit that Viv and her team have done along with ignore the major writing flaws in both shows) but now, I don't really know what to think about Hazbin Hotel other than disappointment and disgust for the direction its going in. Whereas, HB isn't unsalvageable but it'd take a lot of work to make HB good and knowing that the two fandoms take place in the same universe is what ultimately ruins everything.
All of this to say that, I likely won't make anymore rewrite content myself for Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss going forward as this proves to me it's just not worth it anymore. Though, don't worry, I'm not discouraged from making rewrites or canon divergence AU's for other fandoms and I'll definitely keep criticizing HH and HB cause the writings only gonna get worse from here folks!
#vivziepop criticism#vivziepop critique#hazbin hotel critical#hellaverse critical#anti vivziepop#hellaverse critique#hazbin hotel critique#helluva boss critical#helluva boss criticism#anti spindlehorse
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Yes, but in the grand scheme of things blaming them instead of using that energy in other, more meaningful, actions have dampened resistance. At least in my opinion. And it could lead to far worse consequences if we choose to divide ourselves over something like this.
Yes, you're absolutely right to feel the way you do and it makes sense you're angry at those who didn't vote, but my main point here is that, specifically; focusing your rage on them rather than the system itself for allowing a felon and war criminal to run at all is unproductive and will only create more issues rather than fix anything. I know it's easier to blame those who are more accessible; leftists online, but the real enemy who created this whole entire issue and who wrote up Project 2025, led to this situation, etc. are the real enemies here. Again, Hilary did get the majority vote and that's really important to remember. Again, this year, there was a record turnout of young leftists again according to at least the earlier polling. Even then, Trump won by a lot and it's very important to value how much worse it is that individual votes aren't being counted and how badly the system actually functions. Blaming individual leftists (who make up a very small number when the majority of blue votes are lifetime democrats who are liberal) just isn't sensible and will only distract from acting towards meaningful change.
The whole point I've been making here is that the system itself is inherently fascist , regardless of who is running and when, and has been long before Trump even began running in just 2016 (very recent), and it's very important not to lose sight of that or risk dividing ourselves to the point any action we could take would be snuffed out by the police. My entire point in the above is to note how useless and a waste of energy it is, no matter how much a Kamala may feel like the best candidate to you and how much you personally feel that it's privileged for others to let the opportunity to stop Trump slip though their fingers by refusing to vote at all or voting third party, to blame such a minority of people for Trump getting in hole letting go of the long extended history of horrors commited by this system itself. Doing this only restricts your own ability to actually work with these same people because there is safety in numbers when it comes to the larger job of fixing this system (something that can't be done through simply voting) AND actually staying safe amidst it, rather than doing what we can to barely survive in it on our own without our respective communities and voting being out only method of engaging with politics. When activists say "voting is the bare minimum" it's because it only restricts worse cases like Trump and that's it, never actually fixes. What is needed is for people like us, who aren't tied to a corrupt system, to end that corruption with the power of numbers, disruption and resistance.
TLDR, I understand emotionally and I empathise with wanting to lash out at people who may feel or seem "privileged" in my own view, but logically it's more productive to work with those same people who are going to have different stances on voting because, historically, we have always won victories with solidarity and loved through genocides by sticking together rather than blaming each other. We relied on lesbians in the AIDs genocide and, at least for me in Australia, the disabled community here has ties to other activist groups for support. We need to trust and hold onto that unity right now rather than let this crumble any activism or potential actions we could take to self advocate for our own rights. Sorry for the long essay thing I just really wanted to be clear on what I meant.
As the final votes are counted in the US election and the results draw near, I want to warn once again:
Don't blame other leftists for whatever happens.
Remember, it is the electoral college, propaganda and the system at fault here. Please do not use your energy blaming other leftists, rather, use that energy to hold the system accountable.
I know it's easy to fall into the line of thinking that "others must be privileged and so I should blame them first and foremost for any struggles I face under Trump" and to hate all those who didn't vote at all. I know that perspective may feel satisfying when you need to blame someone material, accessible and easy to hold accountable, but they are not the root cause of what is happening. And no, there is a way to fight back and to use the power of your voice, actions and resistance to harm this system and hold it accountable.
Please, please remember that it wasn't any other leftists not voting in 2016 who led Trump to get in and it wasn't them who designed the electoral college to be unfair, all when Hilary did get the majority of the individual votes in 2016 but the system appointed Trump anyway because of the electoral college and because the US system is inherently unfair.
I want to remind everyone that the same backwards laws were still passed under Biden after Trump was replaced in 2020. The same aggression towards democracy existed as evident from Trump's fanning of flames even away from the presidency, the appealing of protections under Biden's watch and racism still increasing after 2020 and to this day.
And I want to remind everyone that it is the system that allowed Trump to run again, that allowed a felon to run at all in 2024.
I don't say this to dismiss voting, bit to remind despite any result that we have to remember who the real enemy is, and it isn't each other; it is the system that pits us against one another so that we are too distracted to fight it.
Regardless of who we voted for or didn't, we must all work together to resist.
#Like I really don't agree on a few things you're saying here but that doesn't matter; we all need to stick together regardless#We all have our reasons why we think the way we do but that doesn't mean we shouldn't work together still#both to ensure our own survival and to create a better world and future#It literally doesn't make a difference when protesting who you voted for what matters is if there's enough of us to deter police violence#I'm personally from Australia and have previously always voted for what is essentially supposed to be pur leftist party#but that same party has push right wing after right wing policy and basically enabled the stripping of free speech this year anyway#I'm not saying that your concerns aren't valid because they are#BUT. the idea that democrats stand up for free speech is exactly what led us in Australia voting for someone who -#- promised to protect that right only to do more than the right wing party ever has to strip it away and back police violence.#Australia and the US aren't the same ofc but its an important thing to remember that these are all right wing leaning representatives who -#- have a history of restricting free speech and backing police brutality against any resistence against those restrictions#basically we really just can't afford to let differences in personal experiences that inform why we feel the way we do dictate our ability -#- to defend ourselves against a government who has enacted genocides domestically and globally#the US has switched out our prime minisers before so yeah no we're all collectively in a dictatorship#and I think it's very important not to isolate ourselves amidst an intercontinental dictatorship that has been fascist long before Trump#like before he was born even#this goes back a long time
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Not to be the person talking about feet. But is anyone else just a little weirded out by the Hellaverse characters legs and feet? Or⌠lack thereof? Like I know itâs a weird thing to be bothered about. And I can give a pass to the more demonic looking characters. But the fact that it happens so often and even to the more human ones just throws me off. Itâs uncomfortable for me. Idk if itâs the anatomy of it or what, but it icks me out. (TW for last image, bodily mutilation and deformation)
Striker and Verosika have this weird Patrick star thing going on. It makes sense for SOME characters like Carmilla, but itâs still kinda weird how often it happens.
Moxxieâs mom. I mean those are shoes. Like human shoes. And realistically, those are only on her toes.
Stolas/Loona/Moxxieâs legs, half the time, the bottom part is so long, Iâm convinced people forget that they do in fact have knees.
Then you occasionally have people like Vaggie/Vox/Velvette/Alastor/Lucifer/Charlie. They clearly have feet but are still easily drawn too small.
Niffty and Angel donât even HAVE feet at all, despite wearing something akin to shoes.
Then you have a somehow worse version of the Patrick Star thing. At least with Verosika/Striker it like theyâre wearing some weird heels. With Mimzy and Lute itâs giving foot binding energy.
Her artstyle just causes that don't blame you for being put off
#helluva boss#helluva boss critical#vivziepop criticism#vivziepop critical#helluva boss criticism#helluva boss critique#anti-vivziepop#vivziepop#hazbin hotel critical#hazbin hotel
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