#anyone who’s played either of his games

[heavenorhella2001]

This had never occurred to me way back when when I first watched playthroughs of the game/played it myself, but;

Seeing this post made me remember Max's meltdown, when she was trapped in her own mind/a broken version of reality.

And seeing this now?

Max definitely has PTSD.

Everyone always primarily discusses/ focuses on Chloe's trauma (which is understandable. I'll always be a Chloe defender and don't want to downplay her trauma by any means.)

But, unfortunately, Max's is overlooked.

Now, a lot of people might view this skeptically, question the idea of Max having PTSD. To many, it might seem like Max doesn't really have any lasting form of major trauma after the events of the game. Maybe she really was content and at peace and happy-go-lucky. (I've always scoffed at that scene at Chloe's funeral, when Max smiles at the butterfly.) And I'll admit, within the context of the story maybe we aren't supposed to think so. But if that's the case I just have to assume that's due to the developing team's lack of knowledge, experience with mental health and how it works, the impact things like this have on someone. Not that they are coming from a malicious place, of course. But very rarely does a person 'get it' unless they've been through it themselves. The average person simply won't understand.

But if you see everything I've described here as it's laid out, it makes total sense;

Let's talk about Jefferson. He is just one of many elements in the game contributing to Max's trauma. He was her teacher, someone she looked up to, respected, and was supposed to be able to trust. She truly felt safe around him. It's implied she had a crush on him. But her image of him completely shattered. After the truth about him was revealed, she was no longer able to trust her own judgement of people, her perception of reality.

He drugged her when she was vulnerable, and she was helpless to watch as he shot and killed the love of her life right in front of her. He kidnapped her, and she was thrown from the frying pan right into the fire. When she woke up she was tied up in a basement, helpless, and he had burned all her photos. Not only precious memories, but also one of her only means of going back and fixing things. He then took photos of her, over and over, this went on for who knows how long, while she was drugged, tied up and helpless, in order to satisfy his own perversions. Throughout, he mocked and tormented her.

Then, let's go into what happened with Chloe. Having to watch her best friend, the girl she loved, die over and over and over again. Max felt responsible for fixing it, preventing it, because she was the only one who possibly could. She would blame herself, think of it as a failure on her part each time Chloe died.

After watching her die in various ways, so many times, I'm sure Max questioned if she really even could save Chloe- or if Chloe was supposed to die from the start, and the universe was determined to restore the balance, no matter what Max did or how hard she tried.

And then there's Kate. This could go one of two ways depending on your choices, one of which is infinitely worse and more traumatizing, but either way it would definitely have haunted Max and left an impact on her.

Imagine how you would feel, knowing one of your closest friends was being bullied. Knowing they have been drunk/drugged and taken advantage of at a party. Yet instead of anyone coming forward, doing the right thing and helping Kate out of that situation, everyone at the party instead weaponized it, used it against her, slut-shamed her even though she wasn't in her right mind, was barely even conscious and was in no way able to consent to anything that was happening. Not that slut-shaming her would have in any way been okay or excusable even if Kate was acting of her own volition. Knowing that, even though you don't agree/don't identify with that, that your friend is deeply religious and clings to faith as a means of comfort. Knowing that she feels like a failure, that she feels like she's betrayed her faith, everything she stands for, and her family, even though she was in fact a victim in her situation. Being able to read letters, watching her family victim-blame her, hide behind their beliefs as a means to tear down someone they should feel obligated to protect, to support. Watching your friend be alienated by everyone around her, including her own family. Watching the school bullies write obscenities about your friend on the walls, and in the bathroom, make jabs at her and taunt her at every possible opportunity. Your friend's light has begun to dim, she starts pulling away from you, begins hiding away in her room more, which now feels like a dark, oppresive void. You know your friend is depressed, and you're trying to be supportive in any way you can, but there's a distance building between you you feel you can't bridge.

Then it happens. She kills herself/tries to kill herself. In front of you, and everyone who tormented her. Even then, the people who hurt her have no shame, laughing and recording her when she's in crisis. You begin to question and blame yourself, blaming youself for not noticing something was severely wrong earlier, not recognizing the impending signs for what they were. You want to help your friend, to save her, but your powers at failing you at the worst possible time. You only get one chance to do this, like everyone else, and you have to do it the right way.

If Max managed to talk Kate down, that's still an instense emotional weight, still a serious event to work through and process.

If Kate jumps…well…

Max feels like a failure. Like she contributed to Kate's death just as much as everyone else. Like she may as well have pushed Kate off that ledge herself. Not only watching your friend die in front of you, but knowing that it was self-inflicted in a moment of desperation, that they chose to do so and your words had no effect…

Now, the end of the game. Depending on what you choose, Max either has to to feel an immeasurable weight on her conscience, the responsibility for the destruction of the town where she was born. Where she grew up. Where she has countless memories, despite its' faults. The deaths of almost everyone there she's ever known.

Including (especially) Joyce.

The guilt of feeling like she took Chloe's mom away from her too, after Chloe had already lost her dad.

Oh. And that reminds me.

It was an incredible miracle, Max discovering her ability to go back through time via photos. Being able to go back 5 years, to when she and Chloe were only 13, before all the horror had happened, and save William. The sense of sheer relief, happiness and accomplishment she felt. She felt like a hero.

Only for it to all blow up in her face in the worst possible way.

Seeing Chloe, now a total shell of her former self. Completely disabled, and paralyzed. Helpless. Unable to live on her own. Seeing firsthand the emotional and financial stress William and Joyce are going through as a result of the accident. Chloe having so little quality of life that she pleads with Max to kill her, because she can't even do it herself.

(This is not my narrative or opinion on Chloe's situation, by the way. This is how it's portrayed. Quality of life, determining whether your life is worth living to due a life-changing accident or consequent disability is the choice of the invidual whom it effects. I'm not saying that anyone in Chloe's situation, who is paralyzed would inherently have no quality of life or no reason to live. That really depends on the invidiual, what that person needs in order to truly live and thrive, whether that person has family and friends and an emotional/practical support system in their life, etc. For Chloe, for me, and for many other people, though not all, living that kind of life would not be worth it.)

Max, depending on your choices, having to kill Chloe, to choose the merciful path, allow Chloe to exercise her autonomy in a world in which she can no longer do so and put her out of her misery. Knowing that she's doing for Chloe what she'd want someone to do for her if she were in that situation, yet still full of pain and regrets.

Max then having to go back and undo it all. Allow William to die again. Watch Chloe experience that horror and trauma again, knowing now she could've prevented it. But at what cost?

Lastly, if you chose to let Chloe go. To let her die.

That makes it immeasurably worse in my opinion.

The week she and Chloe spent together, reconnecting and rebulding their friendship, everything they went through together, would essentially never have happened.

Chloe, in this timeline, died alone in a bathroom. She never recieved any sort of closure, never got to know what happened to Rachel, questioning if Rachel perhaps just abandoned her, similarly to how Max did.

She never got to resolve things with Max, never heard from her again. She never got to know that Max still loved her, still cared about her and thought of her, but was too scared and guilty to reach out.

She never got to patch up things with her mom, or with David.

Everything Max went through. Everything she experienced.

To recap:

Having to watch her best friend, the woman she loves, die over and over again, feeling helpless, trapped in this endless, hellish cycle of death.

Being lulled into a false sense of security, betrayed and abducted by someone she thought she could trust, someone she looked up to.

Witnessing firsthand Kate's suicide/attempt, feeling like she failed her.

Being forced to let William die again, and force Joyce and Chloe to suffer that loss again.

Having to watch Joyce mourn her only daughter, after already losing her husband. Knowing she could've prevented it.

Everything that happened would still exist, but only in Max's mind.

She has no one she could ever confide in, talk to, or open up about it.

Chloe, for her, was that person.

No one would believe her, albeit understandably.

It's implied her powers vanish after she goes back that final time to let Chloe die.

She'd have no way to prove her story was true.

Carrying the weight of that burden, that knowledge and trauma, alone, would drive anyone insane.

Feeling like everything she went through, all the efforts she made to keep Chloe alive, were pointless.

I don't believe there is any way Max could be okay after that.

She'd be a hollow shell, just going through the motions. Totally disconnected from the world and the people around her. (Understandably. Who the hell could she connect to? Who would understand her?) Everyone at Blackwell, and their student lives and petty drama would feel so insignificant. So incredibly stupid and shallow to Max after what she's been through.

In fact, I've always felt - years after the events of the game, were you to choose to let Chloe die - that Max likely killed herself.

Over time, she probably began to question herself, to feel crazy, and begin wondering whether any of what happened, actually did, or if it was just something her mind created.

Max's trauma, her thoughts and emotions in regards to all of this are reflected in this part of the game, her mental breakdown. You can see her self-loathing, the way she blames and criticizes herself, in her interactions with herself and in her distorted journal entries.

Anyway. I never really liked Max all that much as a protagonist.

I thought she was a pushover, a little shallow, cared too much about what people like Victoria thought of her. I thought it was pretty unforgivable the way she ghosted Chloe, at the most traumatic, formative time of Chloe's life, when she had just lost the most important person in her life, besides Max. I understand anxiety, feeling awkward, helpless and flailing in that situation and not knowing what to say or do to make it better, but it just doesn't matter to me. Nothing excuses that.

However…

Max, did ultimately (well, depending on your choice at the ending,) make it right.

This has given me some perspective, and I have a lot more empathy for her now.

     you thought you could control everybody and everything, huh?      —   twist time around your fingers?

[cheshireliam]

"Wrapped in Wicked Romance" Story Event: Chapter 1

Ring Schwartz

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

Kate: Why did you… kill them…?

Ring: “Why”...? Is it not natural? 

Ring: I’ll kill anyone as long as Dari orders me to.

His face, splattered with blood, showed not even the slightest bit of doubt about the murder he just committed.

It was at that moment when I finally realised it.

He, too— was utterly evil. 

…

One night, I stumbled upon a secret I never should've known, which led to me becoming Fairytale Keeper for a month.

A week after, Vogel, an organisation consisting of Cursed Ones similar to Crown, appeared and seemed to be hiding something. 

…

A few days after my encounter with them, I was called upon by Vogel’s chief— Darius. 

Darius: I’ve heard about it. To deepen your understanding of Crown’s members, you became their lover for a day.

Darius: We want you to do the same thing with us. The kind Miss Fairytale Keeper will surely agree to it, right? 

Unable to make the decision on my own, I quickly went to discuss it with Victor. 

…

Victor: Lovers for a day with Vogel? 

Kate: Yes. They also mentioned that they want me to show them around the city at the same time. 

Victor: I see… I don't have a problem with that arrangement. I happen to also have been thinking about giving them a tour of the city. 

Victor: What are your thoughts, Kate?

Kate: I… I can't stop thinking about what Harrison said to me that day. 

Victor: That Vogel is lying, is it?

Victor: I understand your concern, but we still can’t say for certain whether their lies are harmful to Crown. 

Victor: I doubt that they would be so reckless as to harm you in this situation. Therefore… 

Victor: The most important factor we should consider is what you want to do.

…

(What I want to do…?) 

(Victor did say he'd turn them down if I don't feel comfortable, but…)

(Since I’m going to have interactions with Vogel as a Fairytale Keeper, I’m personally curious about what kind of people the three of them are.) 

(So in order to find out… I’ll accept this request.)

(But before that…)

Kate: Excuse me, who is that tailing me? 

Ever since I left Victor’s office, I’ve had the gut feeling that someone was following behind me. 

When I voiced it out, a man emerged from the shadows.

Kate: Ring…? 

I called his name, although I still wasn't used to doing that because he only said very recently that I could address him as such without the use of salutations. 

Ring: Y-you misunderstood. I didn't mean to tail you today.

Ring: There’s something I want to ask you about… I just couldn't figure out when to approach you.

Kate: … Something you want to ask?

Ring: I wanted to ask who you’re choosing to be your lover for a day. 

Kate: Umm… and what do you intend to do with that information? 

Ring: Depending on whether you choose Nica or Dari, I’ll need to change my route and method for being their escort for security purposes. 

Ring: With the close, intimate distance of being “lovers”... who knows what tricks you’ll pull on the two of them. 

It appeared that Ring was wary of me and planned to protect them regardless of who I chose.

(Hm? But in that case…) 

Kate: What happens to the whole escort planning thing if I choose you to be my “lover”?

Ring: ME!? 

Ring: I- I don’t understand… Normally, either Nica or Dari would be chosen for this sort of thing. You don't need to consider such a possibility. 

Kate: But Darius said to choose “one member from Vogel”. 

Kate: So choosing you isn't a problem, right?

Ring: I-it’s a HUGE problem…! M-me as your l-lo-lov-lover…!? 

… Initially, I asked the question because I was genuinely curious how he intended to go about the escorting. 

But seeing Ring turning bright red and panicking sparked a mischievous impulse in me.

Kate: I’ve decided! I’m choosing you as my lover for a day.

Ring: WHAT!? You absolutely CANNOT do that! 

Darius: Really? I think that's a wonderful idea, though. 

The voice cutting into our exchange was Darius, who happened to be passing by.

Ring: D-Dari… why?

Darius: Somehow, it sounds like it’d be interesting. 

Ring: But what if she “cajoles¹” me into doing her bidding…!? 

¹ The word for “cajole” is 篭絡 (ろうらくrōraku). Here, when Ring’s says it, it was written in hiragana as “ろーらく” to express that his pronunciation of the word wasn't very accurate; possibly because his first language is german and not english. 

Darius: You know such a complex phrase as “cajole”? Good job, good job. 

Darius: But don’t worry. Miss Fairytale Keeper could never be a threat to us.

Darius: Have I ever been wrong about such things? 

Ring: … Never.

Darius: Then there's no problem at all. 

Darius: Go on, Ring. Pass auf dich auf (have a great day²). 

² For the record, I don't understand German at all. I’m only translating based on the Japanese translation provided by the game in the form of furigana.

As soon as Darius said something to him in their native language, Ring became obedient like a well-trained guard dog. 

Ring: … Alles klar (understood). 

…

The next day, I became Ring’s lover for a day and was tasked to give him a tour of the city.

Kate: I look forward to spending the day with you. 

Ring: … Oh, uh, yeah. Dari ordered me to “pretend to be Miss Fairytale Keeper’s lover for a day”. 

Ring: Going on a… d… da… date… with you… I- I’ll do it just fine. Just you watch…! 

(Ring looks extremely nervous…)

I was a little nervous myself, but seeing how tense he was actually made me feel better. 

Ring: S-so… the first destination is The Scala, right?

Kate: Yes. Since it’s a date, I decided to take you to some of my favourite places today. 

Kate: We could take a carriage there, but the weather is pleasant today. Shall we walk instead?

Ring: … Got it. Also, um… 

Ring looked like there was something he wanted to say as he stretched his right arm out in my direction. 

Kate: …?

Ring: Ah! No… nothing. T-this is just me warming up! 

He pulled his arm back and started rolling his shoulders in circles.

[house-of-slayterr]

Arcane x Little Reader:

Jinx:

Jinx is overjoyed to have another little around. Now she’s not the only one that gets it. Violet was her go to when she was younger and still regressing. But now that she’s older, she relies on Silco when she’s regressed. She doesn’t do well being little and alone.

But now she has you, a friend she can share this experience with. Jinx isn’t known to share, but yorue the exception. She loves drawing with you, sketching so many designs for her next projects. Or she’ll just straight up draw you in cute little outfits she thought up. She loves to draw all over your arms to give you temporary tattoos.

She loves to play and run and explore when she’s little. She’ll drag you everywhere with her, like you’re her favourite teddy bear. Depending on how young you regress, she’ll treat you more genetly. Baby regressors get to see the softest side of Jinx, and get the most of her attention.

If jinx is big when you’re little, she gets highly protective. Nothing hurts her little firecracker. She’s not as good as Sevika as shielding your from danger and trauma, as she was never shielded when she was younger. But she’s good at helping you deal with the after. She’ll even let people go if you’re scared enough, just to come check on you quicker to make sure you’re ok. The only person jinx shares little time with is Ekko, he’s the only one she trusts to look after you when you’re like this.

Silco:

Silco wasn’t new to this, as he already has Jinx. But he knew better than to treat the two of you the same. Jinx was fragile in a sense, but you don’t have to be so delicate with her. Jinx has seen his outburst, even when small, but you, he never dared to lash out near you.

If anyone made you cry or hurt you, lord help them. Their end would come violent and swift, no hesitation. He doesn’t mess around when it comes to your safety and wellbeing. If you’re upset enough, he’ll stay with you and send Jinx to deal with it.

He loves to hold you in his lap, if you’re quiet, he enjoys the peace. But if you’re a talker, he doesn’t mind that either, so long as it’s your voice, he’ll listen. He’s tender with you and doesn’t care who sees or if it “hurts his reputation”. He made some mistakes with Jinx that he doesn’t want to risk with you.

Safe to say you have everything you want with Silco as a caretaker. He’d give the world to you if he could.

Isha:

Isha adores you so so much. She’s so happy to have another friend to play with, especially if jinx is busy. She loves to play with your hair and paint your face. Depending on the age you regress to, if you’re a little older she loves to play games.

You’ll run and play tag, or hide and seek, or try to pull little pranks on Jinx or Sevika. But if you regress younger than her, she’ll act out stories for you, or make little sock puppets to keep your attention.

Isha is the best if you get hurt, because she knows how to stop your tears. She’ll crawl into your lap and try to get you to rock with her. Which usually ends up with the two of you asleep wherever you are, cuddled up together.

Isha loves to match you during little time. She’ll play dress up or copy your actions playing mimic. You’re her best friend ever, and she loves regression time.

Sevika:

Sevika was surprised at first. It took some explaining on your part for her to understand what was happening. You were worried at first it would creep her out, or make her think less of you. But all it did was make her more protective and jealous.

If anyone steals her baby’s attention, she’s fuming, she hates to share. She’s gotten into fight over you, some just small verbal spares where she’d try to hold her tongue to not swear infront of you. She usually tries to keep her tone low around you, especially when talking directly to you. But sometimes she still loses her cool. If anyone dares to speak bad about you, or worse, hurt you, well let’s just say you never see them again.

She’ll ask you to put on “eye covers” if she has to hurt someone so you won’t have to watch, and get more trauma. The thought of you being scared or sad, makes her skin crawl.

She’s ALWAYS carrying you when you’re big or little. As a caregiver it makes her feel safe to know you’re so close, and it makes her feel strong. Doesn’t matter what she’s doing, she will not reject an Uppies request. And she loves to sleep with you cuddled on her chest. You’re the most important thing in her world.

Viktor:

Viktor was quick to learn about your regressor tendencies, he’s a very observant man. When he isn’t working on his Hex Tech, he’s watching you. His best friend and the person he loves more than anything.

He started noticing you got cranky when you were tired, a trait you shared with Jayce, but he quickly realised it was more intense than that. It was a simple crankiness and a good nap always solved it. You’d be back to your normal self like nothing was wrong.

Then he’d notice you get quiet, your usually chatty self would withdraw as you got sucked into your own daydreams. Or how you’d get excited if something you liked was mentioned. He found most of your quirks quite adorable.

But the first day you fully regressed infront of him he understood, everything about you made sense. He sees you so small and fragile and wants to do anything to keep you safe from the scary things in the world. He’ll hold you close in the lab, or if you have to sit in the corner because something him and jayce are working on isn’t safe, he’ll give you his lab coat or let you play with his cane if he’s seated.

He takes more breaks if you’re little for a while, coming to check on you and play with you and your plushies for a few mins, or ask you engaging questions to keep your brain stimulated. He thinks you’re the smartest little he’s ever met.

A few times jayce has had to warp a blanket around the two of you because Viktor stayed late in the lab and you refused to leave without him. He’d sleep so peacefully with his little one safe in his arm.

“Little miracle” is what he calls you, because he finds it amazing how strong you can be despite your regression.

An: I know these are short, but I’m still getting back into writing lol

Tag: @mothmans-kingdom @kados-of-chaos

[cometconmain]

Just gonna point out here (targeted in the direction of anyone calling the CEO shooter a terrorist) that this constant slapping of 'terrorism' on shit that isn't by people in power who want to delegitimise acts of measured violence against specific people in power who actively caused the suffering and death this was about are making people stop treating that term seriously and I think that's a really big problem.

Nobody else died. Whoever did definitely kill the CEO didn't blow up an entire building to get to one guy. He didn't do a mass shooting of the building to get to the one guy. He didn't target random civillians and hold them hostage and sexually assault and slaughter them while planning killing as many people as possible regardless of what they've done or not done as individuals. He didn't attack a concert to get one guy. His only political statement with the murder was 'these people have been murdering us in the tens of thousands for decades and it's time they understood we've had enough through the only language they seem to understand because they ignored us when we were talking peacefully and went on killing us anyway because due process was never going to stop them when they have the game rigged in their favour.' And he made sure only the person responsible for these acts of horrific fatal negligence against innocent people was the one who died and no one else. That's not terrorism. At most it's assassination and we can argue about whether or not that's a helpful mindset to be accepting in the long term as much as people like but for fuck's sake people HAVE TO STOP labelling shit terrorism that isn't. It's watering the term down and people who are rightfully angry at being shut down at every turn when they do things that can't be swept under the rug (which applies to all kinds of non-fatal activism so don't come at me on that) are starting to ignore actual terrorism when it happens because their experience is that anyone using that word is just trying to remove the last shred of power a group has to stand up to their oppressors.

Do we have to just also make sure we consciously don't let ourselves redefine that term in either direction? Yes. But it's a two way street and everyone else misusing that word in the first place need to meet us in the middle in not waving it around slapping anyone and any activism they're made uncomfortable by like it's a wet noodle regardless of what the people they're slapping are ACTUALLY doing or not doing.

If we decide terrorism is bad (and obviously actual terrorism genuinely is!!), and then decide anything involving any form of violent resistance in the face of increasingly violent oppression is now terrorism, what kind of message do we send to all the people who are basically being told they're not allowed to resist that oppression now even if the situation isn't changing enough from the peaceful measures because every time they come with an olive branch they're met by a policeman/soldier's baton/tear gas/taser or even bullet?

The longer we go without listening to people when they ARE talking, and shutting down all other avenues to reach change except for the violence we also condemn as blanketly wrong regardless of circumstance, the more enraged and violent those people will get. It's basic psychology and easy enough for people not experiencing that inescapable oppression to say kindergarten level shit like 'violence is bad; killing is wrong.' If someone tries to kill you in the street and necessary escalation to stop them results in their dying, is that wrong? But they were trying to kill you. Were you supposed to limit yourself and increase your chances of death because they had a family? What about your family?

There have to be nuances to this because the world is more complicated than the play room where all the toddlers who can't handle that nuance are. Little Tommy isn't stopping little Johnny from talking to him because he doesn't have that kind of power. An adult can step in and resolve the child-level issue and make Tommy listen to Johnny and teach them to handle conflict peacefully and respectfully.

That doesn't apply to the adult-level capitalist world where money over millions of people's lives is the norm and intricately rigged and enforced so it never changes through peaceful resolution (we can keep chipping away and we do make things more bearable than the rich people want to give us, but it's a constant and exhausting battle while in the meantime everyone we love is either dead, dying or at risk of dying around us every day this goes without being properly fixed). In a world where a homeless man can be murdered in cold blood on a subway train after the attack stopped, but a CEO who has killed a horrific number of people in cold blood himself gets shot and his killer made an example of to the angry populace who see this discrepancy and understand that the powerful are only trying to maintain their status quo, there is only so much saying "Please pretty please stop killing us. We're human beings. We've justified to you over and over again why what you're doing is wrong and you still kill us with no consequences and no end in sight but maybe if we just keep talking and expecting a different result it'll happen" can do to stop the status quo that is constantly being propped up by corporate and governmental interests.

No one actually wants to be in a civil war. Most of us don't want to kill people. Bringing the rich and powerful who have killed so many to justice through due process and a proper trial is always going to be better and healthier for our society than walking up to them and shooting them.

But if you give people no other choice because you will never see that proper trial by your own design...

What else are those suffering and dying meant to do? Just keep suffering and dying quietly? Accept this constant violence toward them only to have their desperate violence called unacceptable and wrong and terrorism while yours is quietly swept under the rug?

Never target innocents. Never try to wipe out an entire group of people for the actions of a few. That IS terrorism and unjust and unacceptable because it's unnecessary force against random innocent people. But if the few who are doing those horrific actions aren't being stopped by normal societal methods of dealing with them peacefully and they continue shutting down every avenue you try to take to make them face justice non-violently and you actively make sure only to target them that's not terrorism. That's being pushed to the brink and finally breaking the way everyone will eventually under that type of oppressive violence and then making sure only the people actually committing that violence against you receive violence in return. That's self defence.

This literally is the only course left in a truly dystopian system where there truly is no end in sight except through making it clear people can't take it anymore, because they don't let people express that peacefully either. What else are those people supposed to do when you will never go to trial and ALSO refuse to let due process and proper trials happen to those you want silenced?

Terrorism stopped sounding like a bad thing to us when people made it mean anything they didn't like. And that's seriously fucked up because actual terrorism where people are targeted indiscriminately for a political or religious statement really is wrong and fucked up and unnecessary and has to stop. It's never necessary to do that even if it's about fighting the status quo and increasingly violent oppression. You can do that without killing or even risking innocents. The guy who shot the CEO proved that. There's a middle line to walk here and we have to make sure we don't let people flopping labels around like wet noodles make us think that terrorism is just ok now because it's been applied so frequently to defence of the public both violent and peaceful in a system where they shut down all other methods of change they would have to listen to otherwise.

And the people treating it like a wet noodle only to go on to committing acts of violence and aggression to terrorise the public with no repercussions themselves have to stop doing all of that and all the shit this is about in the first place. We know what the authorities are doing with this public spectacle and all it's doing is making people angrier and happier to commit more violence. This is how you get more and actual terrorism, not less of it, because people with less care for those nuances are going to see you doing this shit and decide that makes it necessary to expand the crosshairs. (Again, people need to know the difference and choose not to do that; but you know these assholes will jump on that the second it happens to lend credence to their decrying of genuinely necessary and properly measured violence against them to stop their constant unrelenting oppressive violence against everyone else. And then all the bootlickers who have not yet experienced the leopards eating their faces will tut tut and decry everything too in support of the leopards all while those leopards are eyeing up their faces next.)

Honestly I'm pretty sure the Redcoats would have called the Americans fighting for their freedom 'terrorists' during the American Revolution if that had been something they could use to delegitimise the Americans' cause in the public eye. It would be interesting to see what they did say instead because it's unfortunately a very effective tactic people in oppressive power over others use all the time now. I wonder if people used to fall for it as badly back then too as they do in the modern era.

"I’m very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial in this case.  He’s being prejudiced by some statements that are being made by government officials. Like every other defendant, he’s entitled to a presumption of innocence. But unfortunately the way this has been handled so far his rights are being violated. And as you know, Your Honor, there’s a wealth of case law guaranteeing his rights to a fair trial, but none of the safeguards have been put in place yet here — in fact it’s just the opposite of what’s been happening. 

He’s a young man, and he is being treated like a human pingpong ball between two warring jurisdictions here.

These federal and state prosecutors are coordinating with one another at the expense of him. They have conflicting theories in their indictment, and they are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle. 

He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career. It was absolutely unnecessary. He’s been cooperative with law enforcement. He’d been in custody for over a week. He waived extradition. He was cooperative at all accounts. There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles — that frankly I had no idea it was in their arsenal — and to have all the press there the media there. It was perfectly choreographed. 

And what was the New York City Mayor doing at this press conference, Your Honor? That just made it utterly political. And as your honor knows under Loro v. Charles, the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit has held it to be clearly established that these staged perp walks to the media unrelated to a legitimate law enforcement objective is unconstitutional. And I submit that there was zero law enforcement objective to do that sort of perp walk. There’s absolutely no need for that whatsoever. 

And frankly, Your Honor, the mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence that he, too, is afforded dealing with his own issues. And, frankly, I submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr. Mangione. 

And there are consequences to this. 

He has a right to a fair trial. And I just want to put on the record statements that the mayor made publicly about my client. Nothing saying “alleged” for example. And he said “I wanted to send a strong message with the police commissioner that we’re leading from the front. I’m not just going to allow him to come into our city. I wanted to look him in the eye and state ‘You carried out this terrorist act in my city, the city of New York that I love.’” And he wanted to show symbolism. 

Your Honor, he’s not a symbol. He’s somebody who is afforded the right to a fair trial. He’s innocent until proven guilty. And the mayor was talking to jurors — future potential jurors that elected him. Those are the people that elected him that he is talking to and calling this man a terrorist.

So, Your Honor, I just want to make a record of this and put everyone on notice that this has to stop, and my client is entitled to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence."

[adrift-in-thyme]

That moment when you remember this guy had to chase the postman not once but TWICE during two separate adventures (one of which entailed catching that guy at the right moment to set off an important string of events)

(Credit to @linkeduniverse)

[kizzer55555]

DP x DC: The Most Dangerous Card Game

Ok so Danny has essentially claimed earth as his. And he is fully aware that there are constant threats to the planet. Now he can’t stop a threat that originates on earth (that’s something he’ll leave to the Justice league) but he can do something about outside threats. Doing some research on ancient spells, rituals, and artifacts, he cast a world wide barrier on the planet to protect it from hostile threats so they cannot enter. This will prevent another Pariah Dark incident. However, barriers like this come at a price. You see, there are two ways to make a barrier. Either make one powered up by your own energy and power (which would be constantly draining) or set up a barrier with rules. The way magic works is that nothing can be absolutely indestructible. It must have a weakness. The most powerful barriers weren’t the ones reinforced with layer after layer of protective charms and buffed up with power. Those could eventually be destroyed either by being overpowered, wearing them down, or by cutting off the original power source. No, the most powerful barriers were the ones with a deliberate weakness. A barrier indestructible except for one spot. A cage that can only be opened from the outside. Or that can only be passed with a key or by solving a riddle. So Danny chooses this type of barrier and does the necessary ritual and pours in enough power to make it. And he adds his condition for anyone to enter. 

Now the Justice league? Find out about the barrier when Trigon attempts to attack, they were preparing after he threatened what he would do once he got to earth. How he would destroy them. The Justice league tried to take the fight to him first but were utterly destroyed, so they retreated home to tend to their injuries, and fortify earth for one. Last. Stand. Only when Trigon makes his big entrance…he’s stopped.

The Justice league watch in awe as this thin see-through barrier with beautiful green swirls and speckled white lights like stars apears blocking Trigon and his army’s advance. The barrier looks so thin and fragile yet no matter how hard the warlord hits, none of his attacks can get through and neither can he damage said barrier. That’s when Constantine and Zatanna recognizes what this barrier is. Something only a powerful entity could create. For a moment, the league is filled with hope that Trigon can’t get through yet Constantine also explains that it’s not impenetrable. And clearly Trigon knows this too for he calls out a challenge. 

And that’s when, in a flash of light, a tiny glowing teenager appears. He looked absolutly minuscule compared to Trigon and yet practically glowed with power (this isn’t a King Danny AU though).

And that is when the conditions for passing the barrier are revealed. And the Justice realize that the only thing stopping Trigon and his army from decimating earth. The only way he can get through….is by beating this glowing teenager in a card game. 

Not just any card game though. The most convoluted game Sam, Danny, and Tucker invented themselves. It’s like the infinite realms version of magic the gathering, combined with Pokémon, and chess. And Danny is the master. So sit down Trigon and let’s play.

(The most intense card game of the Justice league’s life).

After Danny wins, this happens a few more times with outer word beings and possibly even demons attempting to invade earth, yet none have been able to beat the mysterious teenager in a card game. Constantine might even take a crack at it and try to figure out how to play. He’s really bad though. Every time this happens, the Justice league worry that this might be the time the teenager looses. Yet every time, he wins (even if only barely). 

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam, and Tucker have gotten addicted to the game and play it almost daily. Some teachers might seem them playing the game are are like ‘awww how cute’ not realizing this game is literally saving the world. Jazz is just happy they aren’t spending as much time on their screens playing Doomed.

[ratatatastic]

i love the poker table and all the shit that has come from it if not because you can see exactly who's the loudest persistent bitch there and who exactly finds that endearing spoiler alert its exactly who you think it is womp womp

deeply important to me on a "whos the best and whos the worst at the table" maffhew and benny insisting forsy is the best because of his good pokerface and his consistency and even swaggy agrees that forsy is pretty good meanwhile benny cant help adding an "ekky thinks he's the best" while he's at it and swaggy has to get his two cents in as well: "and [ekblad] thinks he's pretty good."

and when forsy gets asked best and worst he decides he can't say worse and instead only lists the people he think are the good and: "ekky's pretty good actually but he's very... he's a little bit more wild so he's got some big swings."

and at first it's like oh maybe this is a benny/swaggy bullying ekky moment as they're prone to wont to do (ekky deserves it and likes it) but then forsy immediately says afterwards that c*usins is: "but i think nick c*usins. hes doing pretty good. yeah, I know, I know... we're gonna get him though."

which immediately discredits why he thinks ekky is a good player because both benny AND demers were like c*usins is the WORST at poker

and if you think oh forsy is just a carebear of a man and he cant choose the worst- NO HE DOES NOT. HE ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT BECAUSE in the same interview he has no qualms of naming lundy as the worst playoff beard (2nd year in a row btw): "its gotta be one of the finns probably... lundy" and calling out luosty for his culinary abominations: "luosty is eating—he's putting raw onions in the pasta which is... yeah thats a little... weirdo, weirdo!"

this is just forsy whos very bad at hiding his bias and will warp the world in favour of it because he'd rather die than not pick ekky for TWO whole questions (best at poker and best playoff beard)

and with primetime panthers we learned that ekkys too loud and pushy for both benny and swaggys taste that they both elected him as the worst seatmate on the team plane which is so comical that mr. im not very good at poker but I still sit with them and get shocked when ekky bounds over and wants me to play too would say such a thing huh

and the double whammy is that swaggy prefers forsys who's the complete opposite of ekky

and i just think everyone going, forsy is nice quiet and reserved in his facial expressions and ekky is loud insistent and not as good as he thinks he is, is just sooooooooooo

[lethaldefect]

Okay, I wasn't supposed to answer because it's Christmas and I'm lazy, but I'm enjoying this discussion too much XD

First of all - my first post was a mental shortcut, written under the influence of emotions and everyone who was supposed to understand did.

From the important issues - I consider all the things that were shown or said in the series directly to be obvious. Personally, I don’t agree with the practice of "selling" and explaining certain plotlines and information only through books, short stories, or creators’ Twitter posts. If something wasn’t clearly stated in the show or was presented dogmatically, it’s either undeveloped or nonexistent to me. I’m not talking about subliminally conveyed information, but TDP writers don’t excel at conveying things indirectly anyway.

The whole point of my post is that we don’t have clear and detailed answers to the issues I’m discussing. I’m not interested in vague generalities. As long as I have questions (and they’re not about unnecessary details), the plotline isn’t resolved for me. Certainly not in a satisfying way. Maybe, as an adult viewer who’s been part of the fandom since the beginning and works in a similar industry, my expectations are too high. But personally, I believe I have every right to have expectations. Especially since there are plenty of sister series with far fewer plot holes and missteps.

But getting to the point:

If this is enough of an answer for you, great! I’m glad you’re satisfied and find it sufficient. But I know that for many people, this information feels like "this doesn’t actually explain anything." Especially since Zubeia presented the information about Aaravos’ imprisonment with the sentence "we all loved him, but suddenly it turned out that for thousands of years he was making some revolutions, so we locked him up". Honey, what revolutions? What exactly did he do to warrant such a severe punishment? Did he even have a chance to defend himself? What’s his version of the story? Why, despite dragons’ hatred for humans, did everyone believe some human girl without batting an eye, and even let humans work on his prison? Xadia loved him for centuries after Leola’s death. What happened to suddenly make him the most hated being in the world?

Here’s a serious plot hole – Zubeia herself admitted that Aaravos is so powerful and dangerous that even all the Archdragons couldn’t defeat him. That’s why they conspired against him and used a moment of weakness to imprison him. But to do that, they needed the help of Akiyu, a human mage, and the Orphan Queen. They themselves admit that they wouldn't have defeated him without a trick. So, what was the trick? Either Aaravos was so arrogant that he let his guard down around them, or they played on his emotions. A fight is, of course, possible too, but surrounding him and expecting he wouldn’t defend himself or kill them would’ve been a risky move.

Again – Sol Regem’s involvement in Leola’s death is just a trigger point. He wasn’t even king at the time. Aaravos, with his power and likely immense political influence, could’ve done anything to him. He didn’t; he chose to play a game with him for centuries. Leola’s death is, of course, one of the reasons – probably the most significant – but that doesn’t mean the story between Aaravos, Sol Regem, and Aithne Solaire is resolved. At least, not for me. As I said, the whole point of these posts is that FOR ME, these are unresolved plotlines. Regarding the Archdragons, we also don’t know what exactly happened to Luna Tenebris, although it seems strongly implied that Aaravos was involved, considering his connection to Aditi’s death, which happened around the same time (btw, does anyone besides Janai even know that Aaravos killed Aditi?). Regarding Zubeia – I mainly fixated on this because she’s probably the only Archdragon in context where Aaravos said, "like the day you betrayed me." Not "they". SHE betrayed him. This isn’t about objectivity; it’s irrelevant here. It’s about impact and context. If Aaravos considers her a traitor, he likely had expectations of her. He viewed the other dragons as arrogant but not Zubeia. He probably didn’t expect her to take part in his imprisonment or allow it and not side with him. Aaravos blames her for betrayal but said Avizandum was the one who caused his imprisonment. Even knowing the Orphan Queen turned him in – for him, it’s Avizandum who’s responsible for his imprisonment, and Zubeia is the traitor. Given Zubeia’s character, I don’t expect she actively participated in imprisoning him. That’s why I said she allowed Avizandum to do it because she didn’t dissuade him from that decision. Of course, I could be wrong, but I have the right to speculate, since we don't know anything about it :D

The Starscraper issue is even more shallow and almost random to me because we know nothing about the Celestial Elves and their actual role. And I don't mean the information that they can't integrate into the affairs of the world, they guard star artifacts blah blah blah.. But the impact of this sect's existence on the world and history. They seem strangely connected to the Stars despite being Skywing Elves. What’s their connection to the Stars, why do they exist, and do they actually do anything important besides guarding artifacts, issuing prophecies (which they tell no one about), and "not meddling in worldly affairs" (which they actually do)? So – Did Aaravos, as the only known Startouch Elf walking the world, have access to the Starscraper? Did he have access to the artifacts stored there before his imprisonment? Was he connected to the Starscraper at all? We’re told he took or stole the staff and crown stones, but maybe he had the right to them.

I know. Aaravos’ connection with Ziard was clear from the beginning. The idea that he might’ve gotten the staff from someone else was just a wild speculation. Although we have no absolute certainty that Aaravos is the only Startouch Elf walking the world.

I love this theory about Elarion! Long before arc 2 I had a theory that he might even have been one of the founders or had a very high position in the city. In any case, it’s the plotline I’m most disappointed didn’t appear. Elarion was the biggest and most important mystery related to Aaravos for me. The series ended, and not a word was said about Elarion.

Again – if the series’ ending is satisfying for you, that’s great. For me, it’s not (which doesn’t mean I didn’t like this season – I liked it a lot; it’s one of my favorites). And the problem is probably mostly with me. I had very high expectations for every season and the series as a whole. I saw so much potential in some plotlines. A lot of potential that wasn't used. So I’m disappointed because I would’ve done it differently if I had the chance.

Why do I think everything about Aaravos is still a mystery? Because what the series explained was never a mystery to me. It just raised more questions than answers. Aaravos’ nature, character, and motives were clear to me even before Season 3. I even predicted he had a daughter who tragically died. After Season 2, I looked at him and said to my friend, "He totally gives girl dad energy. Let’s give him a daughter and kill her to make him sad." So yeah… I didn’t learn anything about him that truly surprised or shocked me. Once again, FOR ME, there are more mysteries than there were before. And I know many people feel the same.

Anyway, thank you for the discussion! I haven’t had this much fun in ages; I feel like that guy with the red strings XD If you want, you can keep it going; I’ll gladly counter.

I hope you didn’t take my responses as an attack, and if you did, I’m very sorry! I hope we get lots of content in Arc 3 (and that we actually get it) because there are so many things worth expanding on more than the main plot.

By the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

wait a fucking minute...

We still don't know why and how Aaravos was imprisoned.

And what exactly his beef with Sol Reg and the other archdragons was about.

And what his relationship was with the Orphan Queen.

Oh yeah! And also his relationship with Ziard... and city of Elarion...

DID THEY JUST KILL HIM WITH ABSOLUTELY NO EXPLANATION?

I'M SO PISSED OFF

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

I was rewatching The Stone Forest and I really like to think that Hilda had to pass by the Bell Keeper’s outpost on her way out of the city limits. I like to think that idiot looked at what was happening, shrugged, and said ‘eh, she’s the scariest thing out there’

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

If there is at least one thing I can credit FE for doing better than Tales in localization, it's not trying to actively go out of their way for an entire game to avoid subtext or direct text between two men that is romantic or implied romantic. Funny when it's so present that the attempt doesn't even work; infuriating that it was attempted to begin with.

So as much as I often have issues with some of FE's localizations, at least they have a leg up on loc Tales for that.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

they really got so fucking lucky that warin's Special Talent was charisma and manipulation and not like. chemistry or something. that coulda really kneecapped their whole persona before they even got started

[thearcherbrothersx]

Declan detected the shift in Cora's demeanour, in her mood, almost instantaneously, but he let the scene play out, let Marcus have his little exchange. One Declan was quite certain was very intentional and not for Cora's benefit. Not for Declan's either, really. Though he was spared the large majority of his brother's games, he sometimes became collateral damage. What Marcus' specific objective was, he didn't know exactly, though he was sure it wasn't as straightforward as it would be with just about anyone else. Later, he'd get it out of him.

Thankfully, his girl seemed to release some of the tension he'd noticed as soon as his fingers touched her. Leaning down a little to help her reach his jaw, he granted her a small smile. "I'll be with you as soon as possible, angel," he told her then, his full attention on her for a moment, like they were the only two people in the room, before he redirected it to his brother.

Marcus watched the proceedings quietly. As much as an asshole he was, he would never really get between Declan and someone he cared about in whatever capacity he managed that. It was rare enough as it were for his brother to get involved like this. So Marcus held his tongue, even releasing his focus form Cora to look at his watch.

The twang of her accent thickened, causing a broadening of Marcus' smile, dark eyes dancing with something between amusement and fascination. If she wanted to turn his words into something they weren't, who was he to say she couldn't? Clearly, he'd done something to inspire her ire. So the sarcastic little wave earned more of a reaction from Declan than Marcus, the older male clearing his throat in gentle admonishment. But it stopped there; he didn't say anything, really. He let the set of his features as he looked at her speak for him: She would behave herself in his presence, with or without guests.

When Cora left the room, Marcus chuckled, shrugging his shoulders at his brother as they moved towards the kitchen. Given the nature of the conversation, he didn't stop to make sure Cora was out of earshot before he spoke. "Don't think your new plaything likes me very much," he teased, clearly none too bothered. Declan quirked a brow. "She wanted to. You chose to make it difficult." As he spoke, he gave Marcus the kind of look he reserved for his younger brother. In response, Marcus delivered a look of faux innocence, his tone full of exaggerated hurt. "What? I was being perfectly civil." The rest of the conversation took place behind closed doors as the two males closed off the service kitchen.

***

It took twenty minutes for Declan to make his way into his bedroom, stopping in the doorway to take in the look of Cora in his bed like this, all comfortable and curled up in one of his shirts. "You don't look like the wait has been too hard on you," he observed, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. "Hungry?" He then asked. "I gave the cook the night off, since I was planning on spending it out of the house, but I can have something delivered."

Cora simply gave a hum of acknowledgement and a nod at the news that Marcus was adopted. It wasn't often that anyone else could ever catch her attention when she was with Declan, but at the moment her attention was drawn to his brother. She was careful of her face, not narrowing her eyes to study him as she typically would, instead just watched him, watched how he looked at her. Like he knew her. She couldn't make sense of it, but when he looked at her, it was with knowledge, not curiosity. She wasn't entirely sure she cared for it. 

So she became another version of herself, more reserved, just giving Marcus a grin as he wished her luck. She also didn't particularly care for being on the outside of what felt like an inside joke at her expense. Declan's hand landed against her back, and Cora felt it again - the relief she felt in his presence. She'd entirely forgotten about dinner, in all honesty, hadn't eaten at all that day - she'd been far too nervous, and then the small space of Goldie's bathroom had become something like a cult classic "getting ready" montage. So, naturally, as soon as he mentioned food, her stomach rumbled, thankfully not loud enough for anyone to hear, but for her to feel without mistake. 

"Y'all have fun." She spoke softly, more to Declan than both of them, leaning up on her toes to kiss him gently along his jawline. "I'll be waitin' for ya." She couldn't tell what Marcus's deal was, couldn't decide if he was a friend or something else, and tried to remind herself not to judge the situation until she had more of a reason to. What was the actual chance she'd see him again? The compartment Declan kept her in was so far removed from all the others that this seemed like a fluke. 

So her attention went to the younger brother, giving Marcus a small smile, a little wave, that Kentucky lilt unmistakable as she drawled, "Oh, I'm sure I'll see ya real soon." She could bullshit with a bullshitter, after all. "So nice to meet ya." And then she was off on her own adventure. This was another first - Declan had never left her alone to her own devices in his home. She had a general idea of her 'safe zones', as she thought of them, and did as she was told. 

It was strange being in his room without him, the quiet almost unsettling, Cora humming softly to herself to cut against her nerves. She felt like a kid hunting out Christmas gifts as she ventured to his closet. Her first objective was to find a free hanger, slipping out of her dress, hanging it up. She spent far too long, selecting a shirt to wear. There were factors to consider - function and form. Ultimately, she went with a comfortable choice, picking out a shirt that looked and felt well loved compared to the others, big enough that it almost swallowed her. 

There was a temptation to snoop, to learn what she could about him, but then a feeling of dishonesty grated against her and she just couldn't. So instead, Cora ambled toward his bed, laying across the duvet, pulling her phone out of her bag, content to text Goldie and scroll Instagram until he arrived. 

[welcometogrouchland]

EXTREMELY CRUSTY but I’ve been working on oc designs in between DC prompts. My little meow meows im so sorry i neglected you (i will inevitably do it again </3)

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Karlach is very very nice tree and I am a squirrel heh

If you need help with the game just ask because before BG3 I had no idea about the playstyle either-

god yeah me too, i want to climb onto Karlach's back and hang from her shoulders she is my favorite and i love her

thank you!!! i'm very slowly getting the hang of it (not that i'm good by any stretch), but i'm having fun!!

[heartbeetz]

I NEED to get back into oc f/os. I just remembered my old casino themed anthro shark guy. He never got a solid enough ref sheet (or lore, really) for me to feel comfortable making him one of my f/os but maybe I should remedy that at some point. Big Jack.........

[rotisseries]

glad to see we all like to have a normal one on byler tag dot tumblr dot com