#ask-rl-america

[nanuk-dain]

Generation Kill Research Results

We all know that there's really specific stuff in GK that only those who were there would know, much of which we get in the books Generation Kill (Evan Wright) and One Bullet Away (Nate Fick).

I needed some more intel for my fics, so I went hunting for all the things RL Ray said about GK relevant topics on reddit. The result is a list of all his comments, from radio frequencies to how exactly he got burnt by Rudy's stove to the MRE components and the truth about the Zeus attack and what colour the PT shorts of Recon guys were.

The list has been vetted by @bookishdea to make sure that there's no personal info about the RL guys in there.

It's sorted by topic: weapons/equipment, radios/comms, beanies/uniforms, officers in Recon, Humvees, MREs, Humvee arrangement/Reporter, Zeus attack, explosion of Rudy's stove, Captain America's name, invasion, Recon training/conditions of OIF, Ripped Fuel, First Recon, Afghanistan/Ray's Marine Corps career, characters/people career background, paddles, GK production, float tapes.

I hope you find interesting stuff in there. I originally made it for myself, but since the effort went in already anyway, I figured I could share it with those who don't want to risk coming across RL Marines infos, but who might still profit from the GK-specific infos.

- all intel are responses of RL Ray (plasmata) on reddit in various subreddits, collected 23. Nov. 2023

- Q = question asked on reddit, A = Ray's answer. There's not always a question supplied, just where it's necessary to understand his answer

weapons/equipment

- At the time most of the Marine Corps was still using the M16s and M249 (SAW). Recon units were one of the first ones to get M4's and Para-SAWs (carbine versions of the M249). So, folks like officers and regular support folks were still carrying their standard M16, while 0321 Recon Marines were carrying M4s.

- Q: I was rewatching GK (again) and I think it was episode 2 when Rudy and Pappy took out the RPG team. I don’t know what the sniper rifle caliber is called I would think it’s a .338 laupa because that was standard sniper rifle of the Marine Corps.

A: No. It was an M40 A3 which shoots a 7.62x51mm NATO round. It is essentially the same thing as a .308 They are based on a Remington 700 and modified by USMC armorers. Anyone that went to sniper school would shoot that rifle. Recon marines go to sniper school. Those who didnt would still crosstrain on range so they werent totally ignorant to the weapon.

- Q: Why do some of the men in the 1st Recon Battalion have no attachments on their M4 ie Q-Tip, Christenson, and Ray, while others like Brad, Fick, Fruity Rudy had optics and grips?

A: Because some people think that having that shit on your weapon makes you look cooler. It is all personal preference.

- Q: I've always wondered if the real Brad rocked that PVS-17 the whole time like his character did.

A: He sure did. It is an easy way to always have NV handy without having to have something strapped to your fucking head all the time (PVS-7's).

radios/comms

-Q: In ep 2, right after the ambush scene when there is a radio check, whatdo the "up" numbers mean? (up 120 and up, up 700 and up, up 200 and up..etc)

A: It is a short way to indicate status. "Up" means we are all good and no one is injured or dead. IIRC the number indicates rounds of ammo left.

- Q: In the ep 2 episode intro somebody says: "All Hitman Victors, be advised, we are rolling freaks to TAC 1-1-9 at 1400 Zulu. How copy?" I understand everything expect "rolling freaks". Any ideas?

A: It does mean "rolling freqs" which is shorthand for "Changing radio Frequencies."

As you have seen in the series, the military communicates using radio's. As a security measure, everyone changes to a different radio frequency at the same time at set intervals. Lets say that the enemy was able to steal/capture a US radio. Then they would be able to listen in on all our radio conversations...this is bad. So, just in case that happens we all change frequencies (along with crypto fills and other things) so that radio only has value for a very limited time.

This is definitely also combined with crystallographic signature changes as well as something known as frequency hopping (SINGARS) for additional security.

- Q: So how would the teams be able to keep up with the new radio frequencies? Are they passed by runner or is a CYZ used?

A: They are typically pre-planned in a "comm plan" (communications plan). If a radio were to come up missing then they would change the comm plan and distribute however they could.

If you look at the HMMWV windshield next to Brad Colbert in the series you will see a clear acetate with something printed on it. That is a cheat sheet of the comm plan.

- Different types of radios are capable of different radio bands. Most of what you hear in GK is all VHF (ground plane) band radio traffic. The vehicle radios and the handheld ones do VHF. Different groups have different "freqs" (pronounced like freaks) or frequencies that they use. Just like the FM radio in your car, you can tune into different radio stations by changing the frequency. Bravo 1 is on 95.7 Hot Country....and Bravo 2 is on 103.3 Smooth Jazz. You are always switching between the different freqs to talk to who you are supposed to be talking to. So, my personal radio may be set to be on Bravo 1's channel, but the vehicle may be set to Bravo 3 and then another guy may have his set to the Alpha channel. Just like setting the presets in your car, you can do that on these radios as well...so you can quickly switch between them.

The reason you also hear pilots in some of them is that some radios are UHF (line of sight) band to talk to pilots. The small handheld radios were both VHF and UHF radios so we could do things like call for fire missions and give the pilots our 9 lines.

Com plans utilize multiple channels across different spectrums (HF, VHF, UHF, Satellite) and many types of radios that have different spectrum capabilities.

Dude, have you never played with walkie-talkies as a kid...hahaha. You know someone is talking on your freq because you hear them. Only one person can talk at a time on any radio channel. You can only be "tuned" to a single frequency at a time. There is a very rigid etiquette when using radios to keep things clear and efficient.

We switched from the 77's to the AN/PRC-135 in 2002 (1st Recon Bn).

The 135's would do HF freq hopping, auto antenna tuning, and directly take crypto fills. But, the best part was they had a detachable face with an extension cord; so you could seal up the radio in your ruck (waterproofing and all). Then you would have the radio face in your front deuce gear to control the radio if you needed to switch freqs or something.

Edit: I just realized that I was talking about the 104's not the 77's. Yeah, late 90's the 77's were replaced by 119's.

beanies/uniforms

- Part of it is real (the black beanie's) and the rest is done by David Simon. The real part is that we all wore black beanies. It wasn't breaking any rules as they were allowed, but most other units frowned on wearing them unless in private. We did all wear them everywhere and it kind of became a “thing” that the recon guys are the ones in beanies.

The David Simon/ Ed Burns part is the rest of the scene. I think they were trying to explain to the audience who Recon Marines were and used Trombley/Espera to do that. It was a wise choice as neither Trombley nor Espera were Recon Marines at that point…which he mentions in that scene.

It followed the PT uniforms we wore also. The Marine Corps wears “green on green” shirt/shorts. Recon’s official PT uniform is “black on black”…so if you see guys PTing in black you know they are Recon Bubbas.

officers in Recon

- A little late to the party, but there is no such thing as a recon officer. The "Reconnaissance Man" MOS is 0321 and is only for enlisted marines. Godfather was not a recon marine...no officers are.

1st Recon is comprised of many that are not recon marines; support personnel like motor T, communications, navy corpsmen, intel, etc. Officers that are platoon/ company/ battalion commanders are typically Intelligence or Infantry officers.

- Q: Not trying to correct you as you were there, I definitely wasn't... but Fick mentioned he went through BRC in his book. I guess maybe some officers go thru BRC but retain their MOS whether infantry/intel/whatever?

A: Rarely, some officers do go through BRC/ARS; but even if they do they still never are recon marines and are never in a recon team.

- Platoon commanders for Recon are kind of in the rear with the gear...they don't go out with teams. They typically command a ROC (Recon Operation Center) and provide support and are a liaison between the team and higher-ups. They feed the teams direction (via radio comms) and take intel and generate reports (again via radio comms)...but they aren't with the teams.

Humvees

- Q: If I may ask...were you guys ever told why you weren't given closed-top humvees (except of course the lead vehicle).

A: Because we didnt' have them. The HMMWV's we got were Army surplus ones we scavenged.

- You don't go to war with what you want, you go with what you have. Everything has to be adapted on the fly...which is what happened. Everything in war is a calculated risk with a margin for "acceptable losses". Were we lucky? Sure.

MREs

- Q: In ep 5, when Ray is making MRE cookies, would that actually work? If so, how good could those actually be?

A: Yes it actually works. The sugar will melt and crystalize in the creamer which makes it solid and like a cookie. When you haven't eaten anything other than MREs for months straight they are good.

PS2: Ray seems like a good guy to have drinks with in a bar.

I agree...but I am a little biased.

- Point of clarification: These aren't really MRE's, they are just components of an MRE that can come in different MREs.

Personally my favorite MRE was the Beef Stew. It came with a pouch of Beef Stew, Jalapeno Cheese, pack of two crackers, and something like Skittles. It also came with a little packet with things like Folgers Crystals Coffee packets, creamer, salt/pepper, wet wipe, etc.

There were 24 different MREs in a 12 pack "A" or "B" case. Each had a different main meal and then accessory packets that included things like Peanut Butter, Regular Cheese, Jalapeno Cheese, Crackers, "Bread Slice", Charms, Skittles, Lorna Doone Cookies, M&M Cookies ("Cookies with Pan Coated Chocolate Disks"), Nature Valley Granola Bar, Strawberry Milkshake, Pound cake, Hot Cocoa Mix, etc, etc, etc.

The GK time generation of MREs were fairly new at the time and included new meals like "Bean Burrito", "Cheese Burger", etc. There were quite a few that were in the previous generation like "Beef Stew" and "Minestrone Soup". Probably the absolute worst one was "Pork Slice in Jamaican Style Sauce".

- It was a common tradition in Brad and my old platoon to stash fun things to share amongst the team at fun times. Like when your team is all wet and cold and hasnt really slept for weeks then you bust something fun out to share…it is a great pick-me-up. My favorite thing to do were king size snickers bars.

Humvee arrangement / Reporter

- Q: Who sat in the passenger side rear seat before the reporter came along?

A: No one. We determined who was in what vehicle right before the invasion..so we knew we had to fit Evan in somewhere. He really wanted to be with Brad and me...so there he went.

- Q: Why?

A: Because we're awesome. Honestly it was because he was told we would be the go-to team (because of Brad and me) for any special fun missions and he didn't want to miss out on those. That and I think he liked our dynamic as "characters".

- Short answer is because that is where he chose to be. For this war the US did something interesting in allowing for journalists to be embedded with the military units for the invasion. There were a ton of journalists that came and got a briefing on different unit types so the journalists could pick where they wanted to be. There were three journalists that after hearing what Recon was and that we would be a combat unit (so you may get shot at if you go with them) picked to be embedded with 1st Recon.

The three journalists then came to where we were staged in Kuwait and met with the BN Commander (Godfather) and were then briefed more specifically on who we were and what our role would be during the invasion. After that briefing two of the three journalists decided they didn't want to kick it with us...pussies. I do remember one of them was some guy with Men's Journal.

Evan then started hanging around us and learned that our team would likely see the most action and be at the front the most...so that is where he wanted to be. After a few nights in the tents hanging out with us he decided that he wanted to be in our vehicle as he liked our "characters" for his story.

Evan, in retrospect, would frequently say he's not sure whether he was more brave or stupid/naive to embed with us for the invasion. After each firefight/ambush he would say that he was going to leave...then we would tell him to stop being a huge pussy...so he kept going.

Zeus attack

- Q: Was Trombley actually just sitting there observing like he did in the film? [note: about Zeus attack]

A: Yes and no. Lots of people were kind of looking. I was the one that jumped up and observed the gun firing to find its location. I then called Walt up to the MK-19 to walk him in on target while calling in CAS via rotary wing at the same time. I got a Navy Achievement Metal with Combat V for that action. Interesting the series got it wrong on that.

explosion of Rudy's stove

- I didn't set my face on fire, Rudy set my face on fire…hahaha. That was all healed in just a few weeks like it never happened…I heal fast. It is a common joke amongst my friends that i am Wolverine because of my rapid healing.

- Rudy was heating water for coffee. It didn't explode. To use diesel fuel in those stoves we would preheat the fuel tube with a hexamite tab. Hexamite tabs turn to gel when they burn. Rudy was carrying the stove outside and some diesel on the outside of the stove caught fire in his hands. He then dropped it and the hexamite splattered off it all over my face. Burning gel all over my face

Captain America's name

- Yeah. A little into the invasion he went running into these mud huts with a fixed bayonet. I was sitting in my HMMWV with my team watching him run in and made the comment “This guy thinks he is Captain America!” We all started calling him that afterwards. To not embarrass the guy publicly they used it in the book and film instead of his real name.

invasion

- Q: Given the might of US military and Nato forces, could the invasion have been planned better? Maybe take more time to get there instead of the confusion and rush?

A: There was a plan and it worked pretty well. Our unit was only one small part of a much larger machine so you don't get to see the overarching thinking behind the entire invasion, you just see a tiny tiny part of it. Two quips that sum it up nicely are "Speed is far more effective than a plan" and "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"

- Q: Why weren't tanks and armor part of your group specially when entering hostile town?

A: Because they were needed elsewhere and we were essentially probing the battlefield so the commanders would know where best to direct the invading force...including armored units.

Recon training/conditions of OIF

-Q: How do you cope with the constant dangers and lack of sleep, food and hygiene. Most people would operate at lower levels under these circumstances and make mistakes. Was there something you guys did that made things better?

A: You fight how you train. We were used to little sleep, food, and hygiene because that is how we always trained. So, when it came to war we were already very comfortable and used to operating in that condition. Same shit, different day.

- All Recon Marines have the same MOS...0321. There are team roles such as Pointman, Navigator, Slackman, RTO, Assistant RTO, Assistant Team Leader, and Team Leader. Every Recon Marine is expected to have held each role to be well rounded. You may be the RTO in one team and then a Navigator in another.

All Marines (not just Recon Marines) are marksman and have to qualify just the same. This is independent of their MOS. Every Marine is a Rifleman.

Nearly all Recon Marines have gone through Sniper School...this is nothing super special.

- Q: Though I did do underwater football with a few of the Recon guys for PT a few times. That was a pretty brutal game. Put a plastic chair in either side of the deep end of the pool (12'+ at Flores) and put an underwater weight between the chairs in the middle of the pool. Line up 5 guys on either side. Dive in on the mark and try to get the weight into the seat of the chair opposite of your side. Tap if you need air, usually you get released pretty quickly... After a second or two. And that was about the only rule. Underwater everything was game. Grabbing, choking, ripping off masks...and it was a brutal workout. You'd be sucking wind after a few goals.

A: When I was in we played a lot of "Underwater Soccer" which is basically the same thing just without the chairs. Two team on either side of the pool and a weight (either a 25lb bar weight or dumbbell) in the middle on the bottom. Your team gets a point when you touch the opposing teams wall with the weight in hand.

The other game I used to love was the "Whistle Game." In this game a metal whistle was thrown into the middle of the pool. It was every man for himself. You had to grab the whistle from the bottom of the pool and rise to the surface and successfully blow it. If you did then you got to get out of the pool. Everyone else keeps going. It was one of the "Pays to be a winner" games.

- Another fun side note: We used to play a game called "Tap-Out Pass-Out" in which we would ground fight (think Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and the only rules were no eye gouging. The game was only over when someone would pass out or tap out. While Rudy is/was an amazing standing fighter, he wasn't great on the ground. I am very good on the ground and would always beat him, much to Rudy's chagrin. Because of that Rudy began to diligently practice and improve his ground fighting, so I don't know if you should mess with him on the ground now.

Ripped Fuel

- Q: Ray, how much Ripped Fuel have you had?

A: Believe it or not I only had 2 the entire time. Two were issued to each marine as part of a med kit. The rest was just swallowing Folgers Coffee Crystals that came in the MREs.

First Recon

- Former B Co, 1st Recon Bn 0321 (1999-2003) checking in. 1st Recon was a Battalion in 1990? It was a Company when I first got there (I was in 2nd Platoon - 1st Recon Co)...then it changed into a Battalion a year or two later.

Afghanistan / Ray's Marine Corps career

- Question: Were you on this float? What did you do before joining 1st recon? Did you go to Afghanistan?

Answer: Yes. I was a pipeliner, so I was always always at 1st. I did go to Afghanistan. I was in 1st Recon Company, 2nd platoon on this float. It is the same platoon as Brad Colbert but I was in a different team.

- You can petition to "try out" for recon. If you pass a screening (run by Recon Marines) then you typically go to a "RIP" platoon (Recon Indoctrination Platoon or something like that) to be weeded out if you aren't able to hang. From there you go to a Recon MOS producing school (ARS or BRC) and if you pass that course then you become a "Roper" until you pass the unit Indoc. It isn't just jump right in.

- Q: I guess that means you went fleet grunt first then tested into recon yeah?

I enlisted 03XX then got 0311 out of SOI, then was picked up by recon at the graduation of SOI.

A: I am a fellow pipeliner. When i went in, 0321 was a secondary MOS (circa 2000)…so I was an 0311 with the secondary of 0321.

- Q: What year did you graduate boot camp? Company? Platoon?

A: January 2000, San Diego, Mike Co., Plt 3014

- Q: The 9/11 attacks solidified my choice in enlisting. At the time, I was a Sophomore in HS. 3rd period Geometry. Where were you?

A: Sitting in a pub in Darwin Australia (it was night time there) on libo. Shore Patrol comes running into the pub screaming for everyone to get back to ship (15th MEU on the USS Dubuque). Get back to ship just in time to see the second tower fall on tv. Go to drunken sleep as we set sail for Pakistan (Bravo Platoon, 1st Recon Company).

- He [note: Ray talking about himself] picked up Sgt. before he got out through. Fellow B Co 1st Recon alum. Yut Yut.

characters/people career background

- First Recon Bn is not just Recon Marines...it includes all the support personnel that are needed for a unit as well; like Armorers, Motor T, Intel, Supply, Communications, Admin, etc.

Jeff wasn't a Recon Marine; his MOS was Motor T. He was a Motor T Marine assigned to First Recon. We loved Jeff because he was super pessimistic and hateful. When Darnold was shot and medevac'd out, Jeff filled the vacancy in Kocher's team.

- Capt. Eric Dill was our Recon Platoon Commander during Afghanistan and can be seen in Part-8 @ 11:42. His/my platoon is the one that he handed over to Fick after we got back stateside.

- One thing to note is that Fick wasn't with Recon during Afghanistan...he was an Infantry Platoon commander. Afghanistan is where Fick became buddies with our current Recon Platoon commander, Eric Dill. Dill convinced Fick to come over to 1st Recon after getting back from Afghanistan. This is also where we "found" Garza, Leon, etc and convinced them to come over from the infantry to become Recon Marines.

- The first casualty was Darnold in Eric Kocher's team. He was shot in the forearm when we drove through an ambush. This is the scene where Walt was possibly tangled in the electrical wires and I believe it shows a HMMWV monster-trucking a car. Dirty Earl (Jeff Carizalez) then took over for Darnold in Eric's team.

paddles

- Paddles aren't just a Recon thing...they are generally a boat team thing...which Recon guys are amongst. Honestly, it varies as to who would get one. Some think that only other Recon Marines should get them...others think that support guys should too.

Typically the size of the paddle matters. The bigger the paddle the more senior/experience/loved the guy was. When I was in the small novelty paddles were for thank-you's to folks. Regular 4 foot paddles were for solid Recon Marines that were liked. Large 6 foot paddles were reserved for guys that had been there a while and were exceptional.

GK production

- David Simon (the guy that did Gen Kill) was really the instrumental piece to making it what it was. Early on HBO was going to have someone else do it...and it was straight up fucking Michael Bay style. David wanted real Marines to be able to watch the series and see not a single thing wrong with it; from the dialog, equipment/uniforms, actor body types, mannerisms, etc. He gave us a hell of a ton of leeway to just "be ourselves" so he could have that in the series.

I got involved early on when they were working on the scripts to make sure the slang and jargon added was Marine Corps specific and current. Even the radio chatter in all scenes was written by real Marines...all the pilot sides of radio chatter (like when calling CAS) was recorded by a real FAC.

All the actors were put through a two week "How to be a Marine" course. From how to wear their uniforms, how to carry their weapons, hazing motivational physical exercises, etc. One of the biggest problems was all the actors wanting to do exactly what Rudy Reyes did on set; and Rudy lives in a comic book so it wasn't all exactly accurate.

In one of the episodes, the Oscar Award winning Director (different episodes had different directors) was going to have guys flying when shot like you see in the typical movies. After the Marines on set (Eric Kocher and Jeff Carizalez) told her that was not real and she did it anyways; Eric and Jeff started just making comments like "This episode is going to fail fucking miserably", "Wow, this episode is going to suck balls", "This is the worst fucking thing I have ever seen"...as you already noticed, those scenes were redone.

float tapes

- About the Float Tapes: OMG!...these videos are gold. Watching through them now. I have already seen Gabe Garza (Part-3 @ 1:04 far right) Tony Espera (Part-3 @ 7:50) as they were both with that infantry unit at the time.

- I had never seen these so it is fun to relive this float. In Part 4 when they are doing the "Steel Beach Party" he has a part where he films guys playing hacky-sack with "Black Shirts = Cool AF" on screen. The black shirts are Recon guys (everyone else has to wear green). In that shot are Eric Kocher (in the green flight suit) and Larry Shawn Patrick (tall guy with sunglasses on) along with some other brothers. There were 22 Recon guys total on that float in 4 teams. I haven't seen me or anyone from my team in the videos yet.

- Part 36 @ 3:17 is Rudy Reyes, a guy i forgot his name right now in the SERE shirt, the blond guy to his right (James Klepel /was on my team), and the guy that walks in behind Espera (Luke Meister / also on my team).

Real Evan Wright intel (twitter) about GK

camera

- Reporter's camera was a Leica m6 50mm, analogue (film, not digital)

Manimal

- Anthony "Manimal" Jacks usually wore his teeth and was a serious person who spoke to me a lot about his family & his concerns about doing right, if we crossed the border. Being "Manimal" was sort of a character he played to amuse people

MRE crates

- As is clear in this photo, Holsey, too, could scarcely contain his joy that I was taking his picture. Note: he's seated on an MRE crate. Those are like general propose chairs and tables in the field, like "apple boxes" in the film industry.

[everydayyoulovemeless]

fo3 companions discovering the lw has a body pillow in their likeness?

Fo3 Companions Discovering that Lone Has a Body Pillow of Them

➼ Word Count » 0.5k ➼ Warnings » none ➼ Genre » Romantic/Platonic?

Charon doesn't have much of an opinion on it. Sure, it's strange, but what hasn't been in his life? He's had much worse holders to his contract and, if the worst thing you're going to do is own a body pillow that looks like him, he's counting himself lucky. Just don't make it any weirder than it has to be. He'll ignore it as long as you do.

Clover is actually kinda into it. She considers it an honor that you found a way to get your hands on a body pillow that resembles her! In her mind, it just shows that you care and maybe even love her! Although, she would've preferred that you'd just asked her to hold you at night. She finds that she gets a tad jealous over the pillow if you seem to be overly attached to it.

Star Paladin Cross feels the need to step in when she discovers it. Not only is it inappropriate considering she's your superior and was friends with your dad, but also because she finds it incredibly uncomfortable. She'll approach you kindly, trying to explain in the most professional way possible that she's just not ok with whatever you've got going on. You need to toss the pillow. There's not going to be a discussion about this.

Jericho finds it weird. He doesn’t do well with clingy or obsessive people, so finding out about this habit of yours raises all sorts of flags for him. How does someone even come across the means to obtain something so specific? And why aren't you using those resources to do something beneficial? He won't bring it up, but it definitely makes him look at you differently.

Butch is confused, to say the least. He’s tormented you for your entire life up until this point and.. you have something like that? Of him?? He finds it baffling that you could EVER find comfort in something that resembles him, even if he did make up for the past. He won't bring the body pillow up specifically, but you'll notice that he suddenly starts making jokes and innuendos about you being a masochist because he doesn't know what else to do other than assume that you are one.

Fawkes doesn't understand it, but he's not entirely against it. If anything, he'll feel a bit prideful about it. To him, it's as if you feel comfortable enough around him to view him as a source of comfort and, as a mutant, that's all he could ever hope for. Especially, from someone such as you. He won't tell you that he's found it, but you'll notice the shift in his mood as he becomes a lot more joyful afterward.

RL-3 decides that if you're going to go as far as making a body pillow of himself, then you should at least add the American flag as well. It's clear he doesn't understand what the implications are of you owning that, but he tries to make it about securing a stronger loyalty toward the country. Surely, you only own that because you have a certain respect toward America and its leaders, and it's something he admires greatly.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

You know I love you right?

warning : MINORS DON'T INTERACT/READ , +18, non-con, sexual assault, p in v, smut, implied/referenced oral sex, gun play, blood play, biting, knife play, kissing, use of Y/n, afab reader, implied necrophilia

Rick Grimes x fem!reader

Info : So the request is done it took me longer than I thought but here it is. I loved writing it and the dark non-con stuff was just so nice to have. Have fun reading @rl-nancyholbrook and everyone else too :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The apocalypse had happened. Since the outbreak of the disease, the infected since the walkers had appeared and left nothing but death, blood and more of their kind. It had become the cave on earth. Yet everything seemed so normal a few months ago. Society was still there, people still had their jobs and everything was just like in a perfect movie.

A film that had now turned into an apocalypse film. A sick joke. A bad show through which the remaining people on earth had to go. They had to push their way through dead people and their own families. A time in which small and large groups formed.

The military became something else and politics no longer existed. The right of the stronger had come. The right that worked best when people joined together in a group. A group that initially gathered around the policeman Shane several women, men and also a few children.

A group that stuck together and existed. Until after a few more months of uncertainty the young former reporters took up. Y/n Smile was known far and wide in America for her revealing reports about the government and its outrages.

But when she was found, she had been hiding in a tree from some of the creatures when she was found by the group. Or rather, she was found by two of the group's men. It was pure coincidence that brought the three parties together, or rather it was by chance that Rick survived at all.

But perhaps it was destiny that they would meet all three. As the two already did not know what that was between them. Colleagues, friends or were they enemies. Enemies who were both actually in love with Laurie.

The brown-haired was even still unknowingly pregnant and the child would be born into a world which only wanted his death. Since the two had heard her calls for help, the throwing of stones and sticks and the crying they were horned to her.

They had killed the walkers one by one and when they laid their two pairs of eyes on the young woman it seemed as if time stood still for a moment. Rick's heart pounded as he watched her tear-stained face tremble as she slowly stepped down from the tree. He offered her his hand and Shane did the same.

How Shanes couldn't take his eyes off her, wiping away her tears with his fingers and making her break herself. Two men, two sides, one wanted to destroy her for himself and the other wanted to have her for himself and take care of her. But Y/n herself had fallen for both of them.

They were her guardian angels, her rescuers in times of need, the hands she gratefully accepted were warm and even if rough she felt safe. It seemed for a moment that everything was right in this damned world. Just everything. ,,You okay darling?" asked Shane as he leaned against the tree, his hand staying on hers much longer.

He didn't have the decency Rick had, nor did he hide the fact that he was practically undressing her with his eyes. Between the three it was not love at first sight. It was an obsession. Rick squeezed her hand unrecognizably, gave her a slight smile and assured her of her safety. She knew she owed them her life and was forever in their debt.

A debt that Rick and Shane knew they would exploit, one in his own way. A way that was growing. For every free minute the group had, the two sought contact with her. Shane, with his charm and initial flirtation, quickly learned how good-natured, and perhaps a little naive, she was.

That she saw the good in people and that she especially had a thing for him. She watched as she brought her gaze in his direction. Coming to him when she might need some shooting training.

He almost greedily pressed against her, his fingers wandering over her body, all under the pretext of ,,I'm just helping you get into the right position". He drove over her back to suppress a throaty laugh when he felt that she was not wearing a bra. A slut in his eyes, a wounded deer that belonged to him.

When his fingers continued to wander and even though she had only been traveling with them for a few short months. Her surprised gasp and wince as his fingers ran over her breasts when all he had to do was correct their shape. ,,What's the matter, baby?" he had whispered to her, knowing that she was embarrassed. That her ears and cheeks became hot and she dismissed it stammering.

Even though no one seemed to notice, Rick saw every attempt by Shane, every flirt and every attempt. He saw everything. But where Shane rushed it, Rick's devotion and loving nature was all the stronger. When he walked up to her, he put his hand on her shoulder.

Always a smile on his lips. Pulling her into an embrace, feeling her breasts press against his torso. How she trembled slightly still burdened by the events. He lovingly pulled her closer, ,,I won't let anyone hurt you, my love," he had said. At that time she could not know how he meant it. How strong his desire for her was.

He was there for her and saw her as the woman he wanted in his heart. The two men in the weeks and months fought for their love and this literally. More than once the group had to pull the two men out of brawls when one of them made a comment too many. It was a struggle for a prize.

For love and their physical charms of the needy woman at least in the eyes of the two men. The behavior only worsened when they arrived at the farm. The normality of the "everyday life" pushed itself between the three. Y/n enjoyed for a moment the freedom she had and could escape from the cage of violence.

So it seemed at least for the beginning. Until the two men were at each other's throats again, forgetting that despite the times Rick and Shane were actually here for Laurie and not for Y/n. The young woman focused on her tasks.

The young woman tried to concentrate on her tasks. She enjoyed taking care of the animals, helped with the cooking, and simply had an open ear for her friends. Friends of whom she saw some as family and others as a kind of lover. She like every morning went to the chicken coop the bucket with food in hand a song on their. The cackling of the animals almost made her smile and began to distribute the feed.

The minutes passed and hardly noticed how the door to the steel opened. The smell of straw and wood mixed with metal and leather. Suddenly two hands pulled her to someone. Her back pressed against a larger body and she felt the warm breath on her ear.

The bucket with food was lying on the ground and the animals were rushing over it. ,,Hide yourself from me," Shane expressed his concern, but she clearly heard the malice behind it. She knew he was right. As much as she enjoyed being with him, his aggression, his kindness, always left her with fear. ,,N-No," she lied to him, not daring to turn her head.

He felt his hands running over her body, pressing, pinching and desiring every place. He imagined every night when his hand ran over his hard cock. Imagining that it was she who brought him to climax. The gagging and moaning sounds when she knelt in front of him more than once.

His hands buried in her hair and used her as his toy. His was to take when he wanted it. ,,You are mine, do you understand?" he asked, his one hand tightening around her throat. He felt her pulse increase as she slowly but surely stopped breathing.

While she flinched away as his knife pressed against her custom. But when he made the first cut after a few seconds, which were too many for him to answer, she knew he was serious. ,,Y-Yes, I get it," she gasped, and in the next moment felt his lips on her neck.

How he kissed his way along and she felt the smooch. He always marcked her, always did, and laughed to himself when Rick saw them. ,,Pretty girl," he murmured and broke away from her, wanting to take a breath, thinking it was over. Her beating heart calmed down and she banished the feeling of slight excitement inside her.

Before she felt the light slap on her butt she looked at him with disgust but he only gave her a dirty grin and disappeared from the chicken coop. She stayed behind not knowing that this evening would only become more horrible.

The large group and the family met inside the house in the evening. They all ate together Y/n between the two men. She could practically feel the tension. How the looks went from her to the other.

Shane's hand was resting warningly on her thigh and Rick's hand was touching her hand every now and then. The meal dragged on until all parties got up and wished each other a good night.

Y/n decided to help a little with the dishes, hoping that they would both go to bed in the meantime. She would get her rest while sleeping. It was already difficult enough to convince Carol that she had suffered a small cut on her belly by accident.

But by the time the moon was in the sky, she was pouring the water into the sink and drying her hands, heading for her room. Too late she saw a figure move out of the shadows and grab her arm. Shane. His jealousy took over him more and more.

With every look Rick gave her, Shane's obsession with her grew. ,,Look at him again and I'll let you fuck his rotting corpse before I kill you," he whispered in such a cold tone that goose bumps ran down her body. His grip was so strong that she was afraid he would break her arm.

Before he let go of her warningly and retreated into his room. She stopped in the hallway before pulling herself together and disappearing into her own room. Closing the door behind and exhaling slightly shakily. The image in her mind of Rick with a headshot lifeless beneath her.

Shane instructing her to continue fucking the dead body before shooting her himself. An image of cruelty. She began to take off her clothes, folding her pants, socks and sweater, glad to be out of her shoes and looking at the wise nightgown that once belonged to the owner of the house.

Like from another time it went through her head and she reached for the fabric and was about to put it on when she heard the creaking of her door. ,,Hey my dear...do you have some time for me?" she heard a familiar voice and heard the door close and the click of the lock.

,,Rick I-it's been a long day" she said not wanting to hurt him or reject him but the day seemed almost too much. As much as she loved him. To her dismay, she heard the click of a gun and turned around to see him holding the gun loosely yet with some force.

While in his gaze, however, there was nothing but love for her as he ran over her stripped body. ,,Love, I know the day has been exhausting, but please, I just want to spend some time with you to relieve some frustration," he replied before pointing the gun lightly at the bed. Something natural as she told herself. She understood very well what he wanted and yet. But she did not run away, did not scream or cry.

She did it. Did it because of him. She felt the mattress bend slightly as he sat with her. His free hand was on her cheek and she suppressed the flinch. He came closer to her and pulled her into a kiss, knowing that she was naked except for her underwear.

Her fingers placed in front of her breasts with a slight shake of her head and the subsequent barrel of the gun was pushed away. ,,Don't hide, you know how much I love you, don't you?" he asked, pushing her by the shoulder onto the mattress, the pillow catching her head.

She slowly but surely became aware of her hopelessness, but why was her heart beating so fast? Rick pulled her into another kiss, stole her thoughts and made her concentrate only on him.

He was the only one she should think about. ,,You're staying calm, aren't you? You help me out of love, don't you? You know that I only want the best for you, right?" he kept pestering her with questions, tearing her out of her mind and back into reality, grabbing her body with the gun still in his hand, threatening her body while he kissed her so lovingly.

But she always nodded and gave him what he wanted to hear while her heartbeat of fear slowly mixed with excitement. When his rough hands laid on her breasts massaged this gave a satisfied sound of itself as he heard her gasp. As her fingers drove over his wanted more and yet at the same time pushed them away.

He came closer to her, bent over her and felt his excitement clearly on his thigh. ,,I knew you'd want it too," he murmured and wrapped her in another kiss, hearing her light panting as he pinched her nipple. How her body turned for a moment under him. "R-,,Rick the-the others" came softly from her, interrupted every now and then by quick breaths.

She wanted to push him away when she suddenly felt the barrel of the gun in her mouth. A muffled gagging grunt came from her and tears came into her eyes as he moved the gun back and forth. They both knew that one move was enough to blow her skull off when he pulled the trigger. She was dead.

But inside she was sure that both Shane and Rick, who had both lost all morality in the apocalypse, would use her dead body until the heat slipped out of her and beyond. The lust in his eyes took over as he imagined that she was his cock and not his weapon.

How his hands would reach to her hair and he would praise her used and she was so good for him. He bent down to her, kissed away her tears and said softly, ,,If you are quiet they won't hear us, you don't want me to make you faint".

A statement that only brought more tears to her eyes she shook her head and with as much enthusiasm as she could muster and sucked on the gun. Knowing that even if he was gentler than Shane, his hands would be around her neck.

He would squeeze her until she was unconscious and then he would do with her as he pleased. ,,I know it's difficult my heart" he murmured leaving the gun still in her mouth as he continued to run his other hand over her body. This continued to develop between them the longer she sucked on the gun the harder his arousal showed on his pants.

The darker his eyes seemed to become through the dilated pupils. The more eagerly he drove over her body until his fingers drove over her belly. ,,What?" he murmured in amazement, and as quickly as he could, the weapon disappeared from his mouth.

He put it back into the holster and reached for his own knife instead. Wiping the light salvia thread from her chin and lips, she stiffened as she realized what he had seen and felt. Shane's cut. ,,It was Shane who did it, how could he?" the older man muttered to himself, seeming to stiffen more and more at the fact that his former best friend and colleague had hurt his love.

The knife in his hand was watched by her frightened eyes. Knowing that he could do anything he wanted again. But he just pushed her back into the pillow with his other hand. He put the tip of the blade to the wound and pressed his hand to her mouth.

Suppressing her scream and the painful moan as he left several deeper cuts. Erasing any sign of Shane before his warm wet tongue licked almost apologetically over the cuts. Sucking away the blood and taking his hand from her mouth.

Tears had come to her eyes again. But at the same time she tasted her own blood. The metal on her lips as he kissed her. Giving her back what he had taken from her. ,,I had to do it, you understand, don't you?" he asked, his hand gently against her cheek, pressing the knife against her skin, making her agree.

She nodded and closed her eyes to fight back more tears. But with each tear, the knife drew red stripes across her body as he continued to ravage her, and she heard his belt open and his zipper come undone.

He would do it. ,,Just a little, my dear, you understand only once and then I'll let you sleep, okay?" he asked, but he didn't give her an answer. He had already grabbed her arms and fastened them to the bedstead with a belt.

She wanted to hide it and told herself that she would help him, but when his fingers slid over her thighs and pushed them apart, she knew that he would not take any notice. ,,Just once" was the last thing he assured her of, sliding his fingers through her hair and thrusting into her.

A gasp escaped his lips and Y/n bit her lips. Not letting a sound pass her lips, knowing that if they were discovered they would both be thrown out. Or Rick in his madness would kill them all and use the farm for himself and her.

He would make her his wife and then probably tie her to the bed forever. She was his to protect from the whole world. He pushed into her as if she belonged to him and she could already feel the bruises on her hips. The praising words came over his lips.

Which brought goose bumps over her body and her excitement increased. Quiet excited sounds came over her lips saw his satisfied expression and he involved her in another kiss.

His hand wandered over her body and she heaved as the knife tip passed over her breasts. Pinching the sensitive nipple and driving her further out of her mind. While Rick let himself go his thrusts seemed to get harder every time.

He kissed his way down her body for every bruise Shane left behind, making a bigger one. Even to her fear he made a cut on her neck. So carefully that for a moment she didn't dare breathe. ,,You're just so good for me," he kept purring sweet, meaningless words.

The weapon on his belt alternated with the knife every now and then. When there were enough red stripes on her body he took the gun and let the cold metal move over it. He let her suck on the knife as well as on the gun and with his words she realized how much he wanted to do with her in his mind.

She was his to protect then she was also his to use. His thrusts to the sound of them both filled the room and the thought that they might get caught seemed long forgotten. For Rick there was only her.

Her sweetness, her lustful sounds, those beautiful teary eyes. Her warm soft inside she took him so well. Her body that offered itself to him. She was perfect. Perfect to belong to him. The thought of slowly bringing him to his climax, the thought of having her to himself.

To stay inside her forever. ,,So good ah-so fucking good" he gasped leaving light bites on her skin feeling her whimper every time he left them and still feeling her tighten around him. She also came closer to her climax. The desire of the two after further moments came to a climax. He pressed his hand on her mouth and poured into her.

Her body again bobbed up slightly and left the leather strimming on her wrist. The quick breath over the lips of the two came as he withdrew from her saw that her eyes were closed she was still processing the feeling.

Still coming down from their shared high. His eyes went over her body almost groaning with excitement as he saw his own cum sticking between her thighs. ,,Rick...will you untie me?" he heard her voice and saw her looking at him with a certain pleading.

She tried to free herself a little from the belt but when she felt the gun on her upper body she stopped. Saw his apologetic look as he let the gun move over her body.

His sperm picked up with the barrel of his gun and continued to stroke her body. Her gaze went down to his middle and swallowed he had become hard again. ,,I'm sorry dear but I just need you again" he mumbled apologetically and pulled her into a kiss again.

Knowing that she was crying again, he had broken his promise. Rick knew that the night was still long and in the end it was all the same. He was the sheriff, he would take responsibility. But first he took her for himself again. Took her as he wanted her. She was his to love. You will love me.

~~~~~~~~~~~

[tomorrowusa]

US aid to Ukraine, delayed by pro-Putin House Republicans in the US, has caused European NATO members to speed up their own assistance to the Ukrainians.

Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren says Ukraine should receive its first F-16 fighter jets this summer as Europe pushes to aid Kyiv amid complications sparked by a stalled aid package in the U.S. Congress. Ollongren told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service during a visit to Kyiv on March 21 that a plan to deliver 24 F-16s jets is on track, with the first aircraft coming from Denmark. "I think we are on track to see deliveries, first Danish this summer, and then we're going to scale up," she said while declining to give the exact number of planes involved in the first delivery. "We know that we will start with the Danish F-16s, that is now in our planning and in the Ukrainian planning. And in the end, I mean, it doesn't matter anymore. If it's a Dutch or Danish or Norwegian F-16 because [the planes are] going to be Ukrainian." The arrival of the fighter jets will be a long-awaited development to help Kyiv fill a crucial hole in its defense capabilities. Russia has used its more advanced and more numerous jets to repeatedly bomb Ukrainian cities, slow its counteroffensive, and threaten its ships exporting grain crucial to its economic survival, making Kyiv’s acquisition of modern U.S. jets a key ingredient to its successful defense of the country.

There is also talk in Europe of imposing tariffs on Russian grain.

EU eyes tariffs to 'choke off' Russian grain sales

Back in the US, contact your House member and urge support for aid to Ukraine against Putin's genocidal invasion.

With Democrats, thank them for their support; appreciation for previous efforts will encourage them to stay the course. With Republicans, ask them why they are helping one of America's most virulent enemies; tell them that Ronald Reagan would be ashamed of their tacit backing for the Evil Empire.

Find Your Representative

These 18 17 Biden district Republicans are particularly vulnerable.

^^^ 10 of those 17 are from California or New York. Most of those Republicans on that chart are from blue states. This is not something we can dismiss as a red state matter.

[ninetwelves]

OK SO IDK I DONT THINK I POSTED HERE BUT IM GONNA LIKE TRACK ALL THE TIMES (ALWAYS ON ACCIDENT) I GET NOTICED BY DRAG RACE QUEENS SO FIRSTLY:

SASHA COLBY LIKING MY COMMENT ON HER AND JANET JACKSON SAYING THE MOTHERS R MOTHERING

SHE REPLIED TO MY COMMENTIN HER LIVE STREAM IN AUSTRALIA ONCE THAT WAS SO CUTE

LUXX FUCKOKJFGOLKFJGO HERS R LITERALLY THE FUNNIEST I COMMENTED IN HER LIVE STREAM ASKING HER HOW WAS MEETING JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND SHE WAS LIKE "it was cool i guess...i didnt know who he was im ngl" IMCRYIFJDGOKBFDKGHIFKDGB ICONCICJDKHIKFKFDGKFDKG\

BUT REALLY RECENTLY I FOLLOWED UP ON HER MOST RECENT LIVE STREAM AND I WAS LIKE DID U HEAR JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND HIS WIFE R SEPARATING LUXX AND SHE WAS LIKE ITS MY FAULT !!!!JKDSHGIFKDHG HOME WRECKERRRJFKGKFDG IM CRYIGNGFND

(ALSO MONET WANTS TO THE FIRST LADY OF CANADA STOP I WANT THIS NGL)

THEN IN THAT SAME RECENT STREAM SOMEONE ASKED HER IF SHE WENT TO LATIN AMERICA AND SHE SAID YES I WENT TO SPAIN AND I WAS LIKE "LUXX SPAIN IS IN EUROPE-" AND SHE WAS LIKE IM NOT GEOGRAPHYGIST LIKE IN ALL SERIOUSNESS I LVOE HER DRAG QUEENS SUCH DUMBDUMBS

AND SUPER RECENTLY ONGINA SENT MY IG STORY A HEART EYES BC I SAID SHE LOOKED BEAUTIFUL IMMMMMFKJDUKHFDSIKHKFDSHJKJ !!!!

AND KANDY REALLY RANDOMLY LOOKED AT MY IG STORY OF HER AND JIMBO (I DIDNT EVEN TAG HER !!!fDKGKFG) SAYING "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TWO SCORPIOS R IN A ROOM" FKJDJFBDJSBD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!

AND MY FUCKIN G I RL L F R RII EE NND SS S RAJA LIKED MY IG POST OF HER AND MANILA FOR MANILAS BDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HIGHLIGHT OF MY FUCKING LIFE I CANNOT TELL YOU GUSYW HAT THATS DONE TO ME IMC RYING AND HSAKING AND THROWING UP THINKING OF IT

AND OFC JIGGLY LIKING MY COMMENT AWWWWWWWW HAHAHAH! !! !! ! ! !

MOTHERS R NOTICING ME ESP RAJA IS MY M O T H E R SO IMNJCDSLHFDLJGKFD

[darkangel1791]

This is gonna be an overly long story that nobody needs to hear, but here we go.

5 days ago (I think, I'm not sure, I deleted it) I got an ask that said, "Why are you pretending to know everything about Tumblr? Your blog is three months old!" In an extremely obnoxious and offensive way, you know, like trolls do. I deleted it, blocked them, it was over. Because, fuck you I don't have to explain myself! (Now I am going to hypocritically explain myself)

But I just had an interaction with an awesome person who I just met, and that's why I am still on Tumblr. So here is my Tumblr story.

I've been on Tumblr for years. I still had my first account until about 2 years ago. One of my RL family members found it, I have no idea how, and sent me a message like "Hi, this is Becky! What's all this about?" I just noped out immediately because if I wanted people in my RL family to know about the stuff I share on Tumblr, I'd share it on Facebook. I didn't even publicly say goodbye, just straight up ghosted my own Tumblr. If you want the username you can message me. I'm not even putting in on here because Becky.

But I also have other Tumblrs. My second oldest one is @keepxsolxinxsolxinvictus It is mainly for posting pretty pictures. I don't know how old it is, it's old.

But I found out from that Tumblr account that someone had found my old VC fanfic and was reading it and liked it. So I started this one to interact with this fandom because I still wanted to have my pretty picture Tumblr, and I didn’t want to give my followers there whiplash because "How did this become a Vampire Chronicles Tumblr overnight? I've been here for pretty pictures for years!"

So the take-aways from this are, IMHO it's a bad idea to answer hostile asks publicly because that's what they want. But also try not to let the asks get on your nerves because eventually you end up making a self-indulgent post like this.

You can change your Tumblr as your interests change (that's what it did with my first one) or if you have a theme going you can make side blogs or completely different Tumblr accounts. Do what you want.

If you can speak to your entire family the way you speak to your Tumblr mutuals, you are blessed, sweet summer child, never change.

But if you cannot do that without a lot of unnecessary hassles or long explanations (I have a sibling who has no idea what fanfic is and it would take literal years off of my life to explain it to her. Then she would want to know why anyone would do it. That's not even taking into account that most of my family is Conservative Christian, with all that that implies and means in America right now.) do not even let them know that you are on Tumblr, and if for some reason one of them finds you anyway, you can lie, ghost, or tell them to get the Hell out of your Tumblr, whatever works for you.

And, if I had a VPN installed on my 2018 desk computer, I could have lied more efficiently and none of this would be necessary.

[hopeymchope]

Hypothetically speaking, what could it mean for Tsumugi if she were to be wrong about Hope's Peak Academy being fiction? Like, not entirely lying, but unaware of the whole situation - even the mechanics of her illness - herself, maybe? (The reason I ask is 'if what I said is true, then Hope's Peak Academy is...' leading into a binary 'is or isn't' question, which for Danganronpa standards feels like a trap, and the ramifications of being caught in a trap could be interesting for the themes)

OK so.. you really lost me with the parenthetical part at the end, sorry. So I'm not at all clear on what you were postulating there. Nor am I sure what you mean when referring to Tsumugi's "illness," either.

However, could it sounds like you're postulating a scenario where Tsumugi isn't lying about Hope's Peak and its history being fictional in the V3 universe... not because Hope's Peak is actually fictional, but because she honestly doesn't know that it was real.

So: What could it mean if this were the case?

Possibility #1: Tsumugi has had her memories falsified or altered in much the same way that's purported to have happened to the rest of the cast. She believes her statements to be true and not lies because she honestly doesn't know any better. This is the easiest option to accept, of course.

Possibility #2: "Team Danganronpa" has willingly rewritten known history. The show's been going on long enough and is influential enough that, hey, maybe they've gaslit the world into believing those first few seasons were pure fiction, with the truth known only to the highest-level members. This could be beneficial to them because if you start your hit show with "unwilling people forced into tragedy," that's a hard history to overcome. It's easier to work people into accepting willing participants (*cough* allegedly) in a real-life killing game if you work your way up to that point gradually. Start from pure fiction and build on that. Right? Then the stakes raise more incrementally. And you know what they say: History is written by the victors.

Possibility #3: How long has it even been? How long was it before "Danganronpa" — the TV or web series or whatever — became such a hit? In a society that's achieved such peaceful malaise as the one the final trial describes, how much do people study history? How much do they pay attention to the truth of things? Maybe the reality is that people just... forgot what the real deal was with the first few seasons. Hey: America has reached the point where very nearly half (about 47-48%) of the country believes and accepts baseless conspiracy theories. It wouldn't take much to presume that the V3 world is a dystopia where "alternative facts" are now just accepted as the truth. We're already headed there in RL. So maybe Tsumugi believes the wrong thing because EVERYBODY does. That's the twisted norm.

[allthenewsworld]

US journalist in court as spy trial starts in Russia

For nearly fifteen months, Evan Gershkovich has been locked away in a Moscow jail.

Today the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter went on trial a thousand miles from the Russian capital in Yekaterinburg: the city where he was arrested on espionage charges while on a reporting trip for the Wall Street Journal.

We were among the group of media allowed into a courtroom to see him before the start of proceedings at the Sverdlovsk Regional Courthouse.

Head shaven, and wearing a check shirt and jeans, Mr Gershkovich stood in the metal and glass cage known in Russian courtrooms as "the aquarium". He smiled to cameras, but made no comment.

After a few minutes we were asked to leave the room. From this point on this trial will be held behind closed doors.

Prosecutors claim that the American journalist had been collecting classified information about a Russian tank manufacturer near Yekaterinburg on behalf of America’s Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr Gershkovich, his employer and the US government vehemently reject the charge. If convicted the maximum possible sentence is twenty years in prison.

“This is a bogus process. It’s outrageous and outlandish,” believes Deborah Ball, deputy world coverage chief for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the Wall Street Journal.

“[Evan] will not enjoy any of the due process that we would expect in any Western court. It will be closed door. It will be secret.

“Russia’s acquittal rate is less than one percent. We don’t expect any chance of him being acquitted.”

On the streets of Yekaterinburg, there is little hint of the drama that unfolded here on 29 March 2023. Russians stroll past the steakhouse where Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian security agents. Across town people sit outside playing chess, as trams rumble by.

The WSJ has accused Moscow of “stockpiling Americans” in Russian jails to be traded for Russians imprisoned abroad.

The list of US citizens currently in prison in Russia includes former marine Paul Whelan. In 2020 he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony.

Mr Whelan vehemently denies having committed any crime. As in the case of Evan Gershkovich, US officials have officially designated him “wrongfully detained”.

Last year, Alsu Kurmasheva - a journalist with Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) - was arrested in Russia. Ms Kurmasheva holds American and Russian passports.

On a trip home to visit her ailing mother, she was detained. She was charged with spreading “false information” about the Russian armed forces over a book she had helped to edit which contains criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.

Among the other Americans behind bars in Russia are:

Mark Fogel, a former teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, which has now closed. He is serving a 14-year sentence for drug smuggling after 17g of marijuana were found in his luggage at Moscow airport. He claims he was using the drug for medical purposes

Gordon Black, a US staff sergeant, sentenced by a court in Vladivostok to three years and nine months in a penal colony on charges of theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend.

When he has spoken publicly about the case of Mr Gershkovich, Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated he is open to the idea of a prisoner swap. There have been contacts between the US and Russia.

But whom does the Kremlin want in exchange?

President Putin has not named names. But he has dropped a strong hint. When asked about Mr Gershkovich a few months ago, the Russian president alluded to the case of Vadim Krasikov.

Believed to be a Russian agent, Mr Krasikov is currently serving a life sentence for murder in Germany.

“It’s evident that this is hostage diplomacy,” says Deborah Ball.

“The Russians have been perfectly plain about what their objective is. Putin has barely hidden the fact that he wants to trade Evan and regards him as a pawn. He’s a political hostage.”

The Kremlin knows that America makes deals to get its citizens back. In 2022, the US authorities released a convicted Russians arms dealer, Viktor Bout, to secure freedom for Brittney Griner. The American basketball star had been jailed in Russia on drug charges.

Now an American journalist is in the dock.

It is unclear how long the trial of Evan Gershkovich will last and how much longer the US reporter will be in a Russian prison.

“It’s impossible for us to read this. We just don’t know, we’re shooting in the dark,” says Ms Ball.

“The Russians regard this process, this sham trial, as part of some process they envision. Where it fits into what happens next, we have absolutely no idea.”

[xkzanova]

The Iraq Document legalization Diaries

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[potteresque-ire]

I think it’s unfair to compare a well done war movie to marvel. Marvel propaganda is subtle but america has tons of war movies where they are the heroes and all the other countrys mostly poc are the even enemy. No one called them propaganda movies and they have been nominated to Oscars etc.

America media tend to dismiss Chinese cinema as propaganda but there is literally no difference between their war movies and Chinese war movies. They are hypocrites as usual.

(Anon’s ask is based on this post.)

* Nods *. Whether the comparison is between Ace Troops and a Marvel movie (which another Anon suggested), or between The Battle at Lake Changjin and a Marvel movie, it’s, indeed, not an apple-to-apple comparison.

However ... and probably I wasn’t clear enough, the point I was trying to make was this: the patriotic content in the movies actually doesn’t matter that much. Or rather, it’s the RL system around the content that decides how strong and influential that content is, as potential propaganda material.

Why don’t we revisit the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of propaganda again?

The systematic dissemination of information, esp. in a biased or misleading way, in order to promote a political cause or point of view. Also: information disseminated in this way; the means or media by which such ideas are disseminated.

I suppose—myself included—when most people casually think of, or talk about, propaganda, they focus on the information. In this discussion, the information is the movies’ content.

However, it doesn’t feel quite right when I put more thoughts to it, because ... what if nobody watches the movie at all? Or, what if, the military does a silly “WE LOVE THE U.S.!!” song and dance number in a movie? Is it propaganda, or just a bunch of people who love their country (and why shouldn’t they?)? Falsehoods are often a feature of propaganda, but they’re also not pre-requisites; what falsehoods are really good for is they make propaganda easy to spot.

What, exactly, makes propaganda, and what doesn’t?

The reason I like the OED definition of propaganda over the myriad others I read is because it gave me that ding in the light-bulb. It tells me something I haven’t organized my thoughts around: this definition gives as much, if not more weight to systematic dissemination, the key word being systematic.

Yeah, I thought. That’s right. That’s what it is.

In my experience, a media product is insufficient to qualify as propaganda with the input or involvement of the government alone. As long as I can turn it off, it doesn’t qualify. It’s not propaganda if I can escape it; if it isn’t everywhere in my life and not by my own choosing.

It isn’t propaganda if there isn’t a government-backed system disseminating the product, if the government exerts no pressure requiring its people to consume the product.

No matter how patriotic Marvel movies are, I’ve never thought of them as propaganda because—confession time—I’ve watched a grand total of one of them, and no one has pressured me to watch any more. If Chinese citizens are equally free to decide whether to watch The Battle at Lake Changjin, I’d also hesitate to call it propaganda, even with the exact content.

Why hesitate? Because, as a Chinese media product, The Battle at Lake Changjin had to have undergone content surveillance to be released. This means, the government had already been involved in its dissemination—the Chinese Film Association, under the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, has already selectively silenced other content, via censorship, such that this one can sing its message.

Propaganda, as I said before, goes hand in hand with censorship. Under this definition, it not only has to have government backing; this backing, which gives rise to the systematic description, has to be in the content’s *dissemination*. The content can have government input, but it’s not required—you mentioned the Oscars, Anon, and the 2003 nominee for best foreign film, Hero 英雄 (2002, dir. Zhang Yimou 張藝謀), was widely discussed as a potential propaganda piece for China at the time of its release. As you may know, it was a period drama set at ~ 250 BC—the Chinese Communist Party was nowhere to be found then. Critics claimed its political message was pro-totalitarian, in how it favourably portrayed the tyrant and first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇.

While Marvel movies are very popular around the world, it serves to identify, then, who are the people driving the dissemination of its content, its political messages. Is it the US government or is it regular people, domestic and abroad, who adore these movies and consume them by their own choice? While the effect may share similarities, this makes the popularity of Marvel and other American products—including war movies—more of an issue of soft power, which is significant on its own, but different from propaganda.

If propaganda is the systematic dissemination of information, then, I think, this has to be true as well:  its discussions cannot ignore what is outside the movies. 

This is because propaganda, by this definition, connects what’s on screen  (information) and what’s off it (systemic dissemination). Identifying the potential propaganda elements in movies, therefore, isn’t quite the same as, say, judging the quality of their costumes. The promoted messages must be designed to cross the fiction-reality line, communicate and interact with the human experiences and knowledge base inside the theatre.

Propaganda has to be tailored to its audience.

A super simplified example. Let’s consider the following old photo from Beijing:

Ask a young someone from the mainland, and it’d likely boost their patriotic sentiment. The soldiers looked smart in their uniforms and formation; they were well-equipped with weaponry, and appeared to be watching for potential enemies. They appeared to be guarding the city, the citizen on the bike.

However, ask many older Hong Kongers, this image ... is about as far from propaganda as can be. Indeed, this is a photo taken shortly after the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre, during which the targets of the rifles were often just like the man on the bike. (June 4th in photos; TW: graphic violence, death). These soldiers were patrolling the streets as the aftermath.

A propaganda photo to one becomes a threat to another. This is because the knowledge base of young mainlanders and Hong Kongers is vastly different when it comes to the June 4th Massacre—Hong Kongers still remember it after 32 years, while most young mainlanders never know it happened.

Since this may or may not come up in Ace Troops over the next few days, might just as well include this tidbit here as well: when the People’s Liberation Army entered Hong Kong after the 1997 Handover, they were not allowed to leave camp without authorization. Their presence remained largely invisible. The reason, which the Chinese government also acknowledged, was this: Hong Kongers were terrified of them.

And so, what knowledge base does Americans bring to the patriotic war movies? Is it, as you suggest, Anon, ignorance that these movies, and American media products in general, contain propaganda?

Variety and Hollywood Reporter are two of the most respected film review sites in the United States, being dedicated to domestic and international entertainment and film news. Why don’t we take a look at what they say about the patriotic elements in The Battle at Changjin?

Here's the start of Variety's review:

Errors and omissions are standard features of historical dramas everywhere. It is therefore no surprise to find Korean War history being filtered to suit domestic requirements in the three-hour Chinese blockbuster The Battle at Lake Changjin.

Meanwhile, Hollywood Reporter's review says this:

The Battle at Lake Changjin has already been the subject of countless think pieces about its value as cinema versus its political aims. In fairness, few war dramas from anywhere in the world have been free of the same pandering and revisionism as is on display here.

While both reviews pointed out the film’s factual inaccuracies, they did also express an understanding of their presence: they recognized similar falsehoods are found in war movies everywhere in the world which, naturally, includes the United States. Of note too, perhaps, neither reviews actually called The Battle at Lake Changjin propaganda.

A quick Google search also provides a admittedly sparse, but existent collection of English-language articles, journalistic and academic, that explore the propaganda and/or pro-US factual inaccuracies in Hollywood movies, such as here, and here. U.S. government-sponsored sources about American propaganda can be found, too. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is the public broadcaster in the United States and is partially funded by the U.S. government; in this link, it talks about Why We Fight, the documentary films commissioned by the government during World War II as propaganda to persuade Americans to support US intervention into the war.

The presence of propaganda in US media is, therefore, not unrecognized. More importantly, it isn’t taboo to talk about. Again, it doesn’t mean everyone is aware of it—but the cause of this individual-specific ignorance isn’t a systematic effort to keep people in the dark.

Systematic, really, is the keyword.

Here, in the US, it’s very much up to everyone of us, as individuals, to decide what information we expose ourselves to, what we’re willing to educate ourselves about. Definitely, Anon, there are hypocrites among us whose fingers only point one way—we’re people, too, right?—but no one is obliged to listen to them. We’re wrong if we listen to them, if we fail to perform our own research, our own thinking. Here’s my very humble opinion—among one of the major differences between the governing philosophies of the United States and China is this: the former pretty much leaves its people to hunt for their own mind food in the wild, while the latter filters and purees what it believes is best, and spoon-feeds it to its people.

For those who’re used to the Chinese philosophy, the American philosophy sound scary, almost—wouldn’t people ingest the bad stuff? Wouldn’t they get their mind poisoned? And the answer is yes, it does happen. The freedom does come with risks—and we’re in the midst of a challenge (some would even call it a crisis) brought along by such risks. The freedom also comes with much responsibility—each of us is in charge of our own media consumption and with the deluge of information afforded by the digital era, it’s an almost insurmountable amount of work. The chance of us making mistakes is greater than ever before.

But humans are intelligent, aren’t they? Humans learn by experience. And the upside of the American philosophy is: eventually, most wild eaters do learn to identify the bad food. They don’t have a fence, a Wall to keep them safe but they get to roam. They get to pick the mind food they really like without having to scale, and often, amidst their bumbling adventures, they find food that is new, exciting, that opens a new world for them.

We’re talking now, Anon, in a banned website in China. By being here, you and I are already tasting wild mind food forbidden by the spoon-feeders. 

I imagine we’re sitting on some grass, chatting and far away, there’s a Wall, a red-painted placard that says 互聯網不是法外之地. Through a small hole, a spoon-feeder can be seen, picking out Dangai like a fish bone and flicking it aside, then smiling at the prepped food with the “improved” formulation. The to-be-fed is strapped on the feeding chair, while the light from The Battle at Lake Changjin flickers on their face.

An apple falls on my head. I squint at it, smell it. It’s okay...I think. Hesitantly, I take a bite. My airway doesn’t close. I breathe.

Still, I prefer it here. Do you, Anon?

[1863-project]

You seem to very much love RL fossils, as well as fossil pokemon, and that's great! But I've never seen you talk about the galarian fossils before.... so I wanted to ask your opinion on these funky guys based on RL paleontology mix-ups!

I do! I wanted to be a paleontologist as a kid, and it definitely shows. (If 5-year-old me had been allowed to make a TV show we'd have had Dinosaur Train a LOT sooner, that's for sure.)

The Galarian fossils, as I imagine most people are aware of by now, are inspired by...well, paleontology in its earlier stages wasn't very good at getting things right. Perhaps the most famous example of this is poor Iguanodon, initially discovered in the UK. When it was discovered in 1825, they didn't have a full skeleton, and the parts they did have led to some questionable speculation. The teeth - Iguanodon was an herbivore - resembled an iguana's teeth, so the newly discovered dinosaur got its name. Based on what parts of the holotype skeleton they had, this was their initial guess:

As we know today, this was objectively not correct. The worst part was that the scientist who found Iguanodon, Gideon Mantell, figured out from later specimens that Iguanodon's forelimbs were more slender than initially believed. Unfortunately, he died before he could contribute to the now-famously bad Crystal Palace dinosaur statues, so for decades this was what the public believed Iguanodon looked like.

Mantell didn't get along with Richard Owen at the end, either - although we owe Owen for coining the word 'dinosaur,' he was a creationist and didn't fancy evolutionary theories at all. Owen was better connected and better funded, and his vision of dinosaurs was what the public got to know until research improved.

Famously, one of those Iguanodon statues hosted a dinner party before it was completed:

(The dinner menu exists. You could have had curry in the Iguanodon.)

Early paleontology in general was a hot mess. In America the Bone Wars, which happened mostly in the 1880s, were an intensely hostile conflict between two paleontologists, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. It was an absolute shitshow, to say the least. Their reconstructions were sloppy because they were racing to outdo each other - Cope put Elasmosaurus's head on the tip of its tail at one point. People just weren't very good at this yet.

So now we come to Cara Liss, whose name tells you everything you need to know about her. Just like Cope and Marsh, and perhaps Owen before them, she's confident that she knows what she's doing and what she's talking about, and the Dex entries for the Galarian fossils are probably written by her or at least based on her alleged "research." She's no better than a 19th century paleontologist trying to outshine a rival scientist by slapping things found close by each other together to make one creature.

The cool thing is that people who love paleontology can make pretty good guesses about the fossils based on what we can see of them!

Fossilized Fish - most likely Dunkleosteus, based on the skull. This is a Dunkleosteus skull:

Fossilized Dino - not a dinosaur at all, but most likely a Plesiosaur of some sort. The Japanese name is actually "Fossilized Plesiosaur," which makes me wonder if whoever translated this thought Plesiosaurs were dinosaurs - it's a common fallacy. Pterosaurs get the same treatment.

Fossilized Drake - definitely not a dragon. If anything, it appears to be most similar to the Stegosaurid family, but it's inconclusive, because those appear to be spines instead of plates. At any rate, we deserve a real Stego fossil in these games.

Fun fact - the spikes at the end of a Stegosaur's tail are called a "thagomizer," which comes from a Gary Larson comic - because as we know, academics LOVE Gary Larson.

Fossilized Bird - I want to see this one completed correctly the most, because it appears to be a Dromaeosaur - and it almost DEFINITELY correctly has feathers. The Dromaeosaur family includes your raptors:

A lot of familiar names on this family tree.

There's a slimmer possibility that the Fossilized Bird was a Troodontid, one of my favorite groups of dinosaurs because they were likely highly intelligent (which gives them the potential to have all sorts of extra interesting behaviors - the one we see in Prehistoric Planet intentionally spreads a fire like a firehawk), but it's more likely that it was a raptor. Either way, IT HAD FEATHERS AND I AM LIVING FOR IT.

Where we are right now with paleontology is that Dromaeosaurs, Troodontids, and birds are more or less "cousins."

"Avialae," of course, is the group that includes modern birds. There's a reason we use the phrase "non-avian dinosaurs" nowadays - birds are pretty conclusively dinosaurs!

This got long, sorry! I can really get going when paleontology is brought up, apparently. Hope this is what you were thinking, anon!

[herstrengths]

You use an RL FC too?

//I do. I use Kiernan Shipka to interact with blogs that are not... animated people blogs. What’s the word I’m looking for-- uh, mostly just with Aang on brokenpair thus far. 

[sineala]

The gay Invaders

Hi, internet! Today I'd like to talk about one of the chronologically-first canonically-gay couples in Marvel Comics history: Brian Falsworth (the second Union Jack) and Roger Aubrey (The Destroyer). (I mean "chronological" in terms of in-universe timeline rather than RL publication date; I'm pretty sure Northstar is still the first to publication as far as unambiguously-gay Marvel heroes go.)

If you are a fan of reading or writing about Captain America being queer, you should care about Brian and Roger, because they were two of Steve's fellow Invaders in the 1940s, meaning that they are two of the people on the list of Steve's Old Gay Friends And Teammates, because, yeah, Steve sure had a lot of canonically gay friends during the war. Probably more than you'd think he would have had in the forties! (The other two are Percival Pinkerton, who's part of Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, and of course Steve's childhood friend Arnie Roth. Pinky is gay by word of Stan Lee, IIRC; Arnie was as canonically gay as DeMatteis could make him in the early 1980s, so they didn't say the word "gay" but it's really, really not subtle. Steve compares what Arnie feels for his "roommate" Michael to what Steve feels for his girlfriend Bernie. Yeah.)

I previously made a Tumblr post about Brian and Roger, rounding up some of the canonical evidence of their relationship, but that post is six years old now, and in the intervening years, Marvel has thoughtfully put the rest of the 70s Invaders run on Unlimited as well as the two Citizen V miniseries that star Roger and retcon his relationship with Brian as romantic. So I've read them now, and I've got panels.

Okay. I should probably begin by saying that Brian and Roger are not canonically gay in their first significant appearance together, which is in Invaders vol 1 #19 and #20, published in 1977. Roy Thomas does not seem to have intended them to be a couple, and they aren't canonically one in any of the original Invaders run. However, if you enjoy gay subtext, it's very nice.

This whole arc is the one that introduces Roger in modern canon. He's been brainwashed by the Nazis and the Invaders rescue him and get him back to his normal self. But in #19 we get his backstory in flashback, as related by Montgomery, Lord Falsworth (Brian's father; yes, MCU fans, the name should look familiar) and it turns out that Roger and Brian were basically best friends since childhood:

They were the dearest of friends!

Anyway, they both ended up captured by Nazis, they presumably changed their minds about appeasement as a policy, Brian got out and joined the Invaders, then they had to rescue the brainwashed Roger, and it's a fair amount of fun in a two-issue arc.

The subtext is even more prominent in Invaders #34, in which they find out that someone going by the Destroyer (which is Roger's codename) has been doing villainous deeds, and the Invaders worry that Roger's gotten himself brainwashed again. Brian immediately insists that it can't really be Roger because he knows Roger and Roger Would Never:

Unsurprisingly, Brian is right. It's not really Roger; Master Man is impersonating the Destroyer, and the villains have taken Roger captive, and the Invaders break him out and there is an extremely significant moment where it just so happens that Roger has to catch Brian, saving his life for a change, and they stare deeply into each other's eyes and Brian seems to be having difficulty finishing his sentences:

Some people who read this therefore concluded that Brian and Roger were extremely gay for each other. While ordinarily this sort of shipping is mostly confined to fandom, in this particular instance, one of the people who started shipping Brian/Roger was Fabian Nicieza, and Fabian Nicieza, as you probably know, writes comics for Marvel. I think you see where this is going.

However, first I must inform you that, sadly, Brian has been canonically dead for years. Captain America vol 1 #253-254 -- the two-parter about Baron Blood in the Stern/Byrne Cap run in the 80s -- establishes that Brian died in a car accident in 1953. (This is also the run where Joseph Chapman -- a friend of Jacqueline Falsworth's son Kenneth -- becomes the third (and current) Union Jack.)

(Roger then appears in a bunch of T-Bolts issues; I assume there's nothing interesting there on the gay front because I feel like someone would have told me. I should probably read more than three T-Bolts issues someday.)

So, anyway, in 2001, Fabian Nicieza wrote a miniseries called Citizen V and the V-Battalion. Roger, who is still superheroing as the Destroyer despite being pretty old by this point, is part of the titular V-Battalion, and he has a very prominent role in this miniseries. And in #1, we have the usual splash page of character backstory, and there's a very, um, interesting line there:

Regarding Brian and Roger's relationship, the narration informs us: "It sounds much gayer than it probably was."

This is interesting, obviously for a couple of reasons. One is that, up to this point in canon, as far as I can tell, literally nobody thought any of this sounded the slightest bit gay at all. (Other than, I guess, Fabian Nicieza.) The other reason is that, as we soon find out, it actually was as gay as it sounds. Thanks, Fabian!

In 2002, Nicieza wrote a second miniseries, Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting. Issue #1 opens with a flashback set in 1953; specifically, we see Brian's funeral:

Roger is extremely sad, and when Lord Falsworth expresses his sympathy about the death of Roger's "friend" and saying that he knows how much this hurts him, Roger mutters under his breath that he doesn't have the slightest clue:

All is revealed on the next page, when one of the other characters tries to ask Roger about superhero business and Roger snaps at him because, as he says, "I just watched my friend die in my arms."

Except "friend" isn't the word he starts to say:

Yep. That would be "lover." So Roger nearly outs himself. So, yes, now it's absolutely canon. Hooray.

Later on in the issue, which is set in the present day, we have a couple pages of Roger staring at pictures of the two of them and continuing to be sad:

Yeah. They were a couple.

So the question you -- being a Captain America fan -- might ask yourself is, okay, did/does Steve know about any of this? (The reason I started looking all this up was because I wanted to know if Steve knew.) I don't know if we have a panel of Roger specifically admitting any of this to Steve (and if we do, I would like to know about it), but I would be comfortable saying that Steve probably knew back then -- because, well, he seems like the kind of guy who would actually have been fine with it in the 40s, what with all his gay friends -- and also that I can't think of a reason why he wouldn't know now. Because he's definitely worked with Roger again in fairly recent comics, and also Roger is very much out, these days.

In fact, New Invaders #4 (2004) opens with Roger attending Pride:

So, yeah, he's out.

(Then he has to fight, as far as I can tell, homophobic Nazi vampires. They're yelling slurs in German. Great.)

In All-New Invaders #10, which is from 2014 (and which is not the same series as New Invaders), Roger shows up to help out the Invaders, and in passing, he just happens to mention to another character (Joseph Chapman, the current Union Jack), that he is in fact gay:

He and Joseph don't really like each other much; as far as I can tell, their acquaintance in New Invaders consists of Joseph being vaguely homophobic and Roger being bitter about him being Union Jack because he actually wanted to be Union Jack himself to honor Brian's memory -- you know, that thing superheroes sometimes like to do to honor their dead superhero significant others, viz. Hank when Jan was dead after Secret Invasion -- and now Union Jack is this annoying kid and not, y'know, the love of his life. This exchange from New Invaders #4 seems pretty representative of their relationship:

Anyway, yeah, he's pretty obviously out.

Steve isn't actually present for this conversation in All-New Invaders, but he mentions in a later issue of this run that he knows what Roger and his pals have been up to, plot-wise, so I feel comfortable assuming that he's talked to Roger at some point in the previous ten years or so, and therefore, since Roger is completely out at this point in canon, there's no reason Steve shouldn't know now.

On an unrelated note, it's also a fun issue if you're a Steve/Tony fan because this is clearly running in parallel with Hickman's Avengers run, which means that he spends half a page telling Namor that he's mad at him and the rest of the Illuminati (but mostly mad at Tony because... he's just obsessed with Tony in this run, I guess?) about the mindwipe:

This is the sum total of my knowledge about Brian and Roger. No, wait, I know one more thing, which is that Brian was a character in the late, lamented mobile game Avengers Academy, in which he was also actually gay; Roger does not seem to have been there. There's a CBR article that you can read about the whole thing, which mentions some of these details from the comics in passing. (I have no idea why it says that their relationship was alluded to in the Stern/Byrne run; unless I missed something big, the only thing those issues do is establish Brian's death. As far as I can tell, no one is gay in them.)

So, yeah, that's Brian Falsworth and Roger Aubrey, the two gay Invaders. Steve sure has a lot of gay friends.

[kirric-the-fan]

1, 10, 36!

When did you start writing?

2008. And you can blame nuwho for kicking all of this off (in the best possible ways).

10. Origin of your username?

So... it's a mix of several things: Vague association with using a secret code on my rl name, vaguely related character name from like the first original fic idea I came up with ages ago, a need to have a masc-ish name so I could play games online without being harassed, and a hint of a wierd family naming trope thrown in too. I've been using Kirric for as long as I've been writing. Kirrithian is literally 'Of Kirric'- it's just my stuff. And this side blog is Kirric the fan, bc it's my fannish side-blog. Pretty simple.

36. Do you write in the morning/afternoon/evening/night?

Actually, my best writing time is in the morning. I think it helps that it's out of sync with the americas, so there's less distractions, but my head writes best when it's fresh.

Asks from this post here! Thank you Apple!

[mostly-mundane-atla]

Hey, I love your blog, it's really cool and helpful! I wanted to ask more re: the utena post since I'm writing a Hogwarts AU and struggling with depicting Water Tribe characters, given the complex rl history. Would you say not to have any Water Tribe students at all or are there ways to depict them respectfully that you could suggest? (For context I'm thinking of having Arnook and Pakku as teachers, so if Katara, Sokka or Yue were students they at least wouldn't be far from family.) Thanks!

You're probably better off finding a Native person who actually likes h*rry p*tter because (and I'm sure you're a wonderful person so please understand this is not a slight at you) I really don't. I wrote something about having "silly triggers" as in things people consider not important or special enough to be "real triggers" (btw, if anyone gives you that bullshit, or says "that's just a squick" they're wrong and you deserve better) and h*rry p*tter is a minor one. I can talk about it, but I do have to keep myself grounded the entire time or it really messes me up.

I'd like to point out that a huge reason I'm okay with making an exception for Ohtori Academy from Revolutionary Girl Utena is that students being abused (yes, including in that way) and made to hurt each other and being surrounded with a more Westernized culture (constantly referencing European fairy tales and tropes and aesthetics) are all part of the canon. It's not just a stately school with roses and parties and pretty uniforms, it's a place of violence and stolen innocence with a bloody history and literal ghosts of the traumatic past walking through the halls and still manipulating others, no matter the lengths gone to convince everyone it's not. It's a place you escape from before it consumes you, because the world outside is dark and scary and uncertain, but you will be free. Free from their demanding expectations of what you ought to be. Free to be as yourself, for yourself. That's why I'm willing to make an exception. It's not about succeeding within the school or protecting the school or reclaiming the school, it's about understanding that it wants to hurt you for its own gain and that you don't need to follow its written or unwritten rules to be worthy of love, respect, or making it to adulthood.

I told my mom, who read the hp series to my baby brother, about how the author wrote about a wizard school in America that had Native students but was still a boarding school. You know, back when that was still a new thing. She gave me this shocked, hurt look. I think she said "are you fucking serious?" Something like that. So that should give you an indication of how in poor taste it is to my mother and honestly every other Native person I've talked to about it. They all had similar "ew, what the fuck" type reactions.

Though if it's already an AU I don't see why it can't just be like, a secret charter school in a small town or something.

Tldr: I wouldn't recommend a straightforward h*gwarts au for some very personal reasons, but I'm also not the only eskimo on tumblr so I'd see if anyone else with a little more interest in these things has anything to say. Their input is just as valid as mine.

[speakergame]

I can't believe how much I love the story so far, it's my emotional comfort WIP. I wanted to ask, is Sebastian half-Polish? Because I think I remember a post about his mom's pet name for him, but I'm also scatterbrained enough not to be sure?? My first language is Polish, so I'm curious if you know how we shorten the name 'Sebastian', and that rl Sebastians actually usually despise diminutives? xD

Sebastian’s mother is Polish, yes, though he was born and raised in America :)

there are lots of different ways to shorten his name, most of which he doesn’t care for (though that’s not the case for all folks named Sebastian - I've found that here in the US, most of the people I know with that name actually prefer to shorten it). he prefers to be called by his full name, but there are a couple of diminutives that he eventually won’t mind.