#but demanding they achieve that by abandoning their goals

[trans-yllz]

saw a post about how jiang cheng isn't selfish because he's done all of this stuff for his loved ones and it's like yeah. jiang cheng loves very deeply and that's. exactly why he's selfish. jiang cheng being selfish doesn't equal jiang cheng being heartless or unloving. his goals are to selfishly keep his loved ones, most notably wei wuxian, to himself at the expense of their own personal autonomy. when jiang cheng goes to the burial mounds and begs wei wuxian to give the wen remnants up and come home, he does it because he loves him, but he also does it because he's a selfish coward who puts his own wants for wei wuxians safety and companionship above wei wuxians personal wishes and the lives of the wens. these things are not mutually exclusive in fact they are intricately connected

[reasonsforhope]

it feels like several countries (not just the US) have completely abandoned the idea of less carbon emissions this month. Is there any good news from this month about countries choosing the opposite?

You caught me at a good time, I actually just finished reading a newsletter (from the excellent Fix the News) that mentions a few.

From their newsletter, February 27, 2025 (heads up these might only be in the premium edition, though):

"Germany, once a notorious polluter, cracks down on cars and achieves clean air. Germany complies with all EU air pollutant limits for first time since standards were set in 2010, with nitrogen dioxide finally joining particulate matter in meeting thresholds across 600 monitoring stations nationwide. Even Munich's infamous pollution hotspot dropped below the 40 μg/m³ limit following years of court battles that triggered speed reductions and vehicle modernization." Heise

"Japan raises emissions targets, aims for 60% cut by 2035. Japan has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% from 2013 levels within the next decade, aligning with the 1.5°C global goal and a net zero target by 2050, according to government officials. Japan plans to reduce fossil fuel use by 30-40% by 2040, with renewables like solar and wind expected to provide 40-50% of electricity. The plan marks meaningful progress for the country, which relied on fossil fuels for 70% of its power in 2023." The Press

And there's a lot happening in the US too, believe it or not:

"US states hit the ground running on renewables. Wind and solar are expected to meet nearly 50% of power demand in Texas this spring, in Minnesota the state’s largest utility just announced plans to reach carbon-free targets by 2035, and 48 days into 2025, fossil gas use for electricity in California is down almost 28%, while battery use is up 78%."

[otkuhotgirl]

─── 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓 .

# with eustass kid.

kid knew you were oftentimes untamable — he had never been one to shy away from a challenge.

⎰ & KINKTOBER, (late) day six. smut (mdni!). dacryphilia. orgasm denial. mentions of blood. sadistic!kid. slight degradation kink. afab!reader. no y/n used.

WC: 2k.

eustass kid was far from the definition of kindness. brash, ruthless; a force to be reckoned with. those who dared to present a bother were to be annihilated, the merest glance enough to ignite the inexistent temper. kid was but the precise definition of the color who had become his since birth — dangerous, courageous, dominant. above it all withstood his drive and persistence, the unmovable obstinance used to fuel the achievement of his goal. he was a man that wanted — a famished hand outstretched and demanding, striving to steal from the world if the object of his desire was not willingly given.

your adhesion to his crew was a product of such a thing. a capable individual — whose abilities would be far more useful to his crew — trapped in the command of an incompetent captain. his intervention was but a blessing, for now you could revel in a life where stronger crewmates — him, as per usual — had the means to protect you from powerful foes. and it was clear that you had fitted right in; a perfect addition, made to be his. kid fell for what was diligent and strong; he had no time to waste with weaklings. and you were a force to be reckoned with.

unfortunately, as any storm, you were oftentimes impossible to tame. eustass kid adored a challenge whatsoever.

it didn’t matter the amount of times his cock left you wrecked and limp, unable to take yet another step. the tameness in the aftermath of his punishments was short-lived. he had but an hour or two until you regained enough strength to pull at his strings, and to poke his temper until it exploded. you were a devil, lurking, teasing and coercing; coaxing him to fall straight into a well-placed trap. regardless, he’d follow — and he’d wreck you.

the weather was hot; the waters were calm. dive had managed to convince half the crew to scavenge the town for some ice cream, whereas those who remained opted for a swimming session near the shore. you were sprawled on a resting-chair, sunbathing with a stolen lollipop inside your mouth. the sweet was round; red. your tongue made circular movements before you sucked on it, hollowing your cheeks, well-aware of his persistent glare. a few droplets of crimson sugar coated in saliva stained your cleavage, and your thighs rubbed together; legs crossed as you pretended to care for a tan.

kid’s cock twitched at the glinting of sweat on your bare stomach and shoulders, and he abandoned the pretense of being busy with his tools. driven steps guided him towards you, and he hovered above your frame with maddened eyes.

“you’re blocking the sun,” you pointed out, frame engulfed in his shadow. kid all but grunted in response, taking his time to unravel the sight you posed.

at last, sensing the approach of yet another set of unwanted words, he snapped. “i’ll block whatever the hell i want.”

“is that so?” you hummed, placing your sunglasses on your head. he was given the entire grace of your uncovered eyes, piercing through his own with growing amusement.

“you’re bolder today,” kid noted, leaning forward until his weight threatened to overpower you. “think you need a reminder of how i deal with disobedience.”

you grinned — all teeth and delight —, sitting up with crystal clear excitement. challenge dripped down your sweet-coated tongue, sentences half-understandable through the lollipop wrapped around your lips. kid tugged at the plastic stick with enough strength to have your teeth colliding against one another, a clinking sound at the action. you sent an annoyed glance his way, and kid shoved the lollipop into his mouth, biting on it; sharp fragments flew past his lips and settled themselves on inches of your face and breasts, and before you could complain of the theft, kid threw you over his shoulder as though you were but a sack of potatoes. he could have fucked you — then and there at the deck — bare and whimpering for the crew to see. it would serve as a delicious punishment, to have you reduced to a mere puddle of lust; the force and reputation you were known to have, crumbling into a thousand pieces. yet kid was as vengeful as he was jealous, and the thought of his crewmates, having the sight of your naked figure etched into their memories, had him reeling in anger.

boisterous, heavy steps guided him to the captain’s quarters. he kicked the door open, falling hinges causing it to pend sideways. kid threw you on his bed and spat the lollipop stick on the ground, gripping your ankles and dragging you through the mattress. your feet grew free of his grasp and you teased his clothed erection, weight supported by your elbows. kid grunted — a warning. one thoroughly ignored, for your ministrations continued. at last, he snapped, wrapping a metallic hand around your neck, towering over your lying figure. you gasped once he rubbed his erection against your thigh, pre-cum staining the light fabric of his pants. his eyes had a glint of a challenge within them, daring you to retreat; to fear his size and what was to come due to the lack of proper moisture. the intensity explicit in your eyes mirrored his own, reciprocal desire and impatience pouring through every pore.

“what, captain?” you taunted, wrapping your legs around his waist. “lost your touch?”

kid wiped the fragments of the lollipop from your face, his large tongue swiping over your cleavage. his palms spread your legs, and his chest pressed against your own; forced your back deeper into the mattress. your feet slipped inside his pants, teasing the surface of his ass. kid clicked his tongue, annoyed at the coverage as his hand moved swiftly to remove them both, swollen cock pressed against his abdomen. his fingers curled around the waistband of your bikini bottom, and he tore it in half.

“will have to teach you a lesson or two, won’t i, brat?” he snarled, his tip slipping through your folds. you gripped his shoulders, breathing heavily in anticipation. kid grinned, gripping both of your wrists and pinning them to the bed, leaving you but prone to concede to his every wish; a cornered prey.

his cock did not slip inside, rather split your walls. you shouted, arching your back as the pain overcame the previous pleasure. he was embraced by the warmth of your intimacy, leaking head presenting a ruthless press to your spongy spot. kid did not bother to spare you a second to adapt, moving right thereafter. his shaft invaded you — base-to-tip; base-to-tip — balls smacking against the flesh of your ass, leaving it sore and sensitive.

“kid!” you pleaded, fighting against his grip.

“no captain?” he taunted, shoving himself inside yet again. “you’ll take what i give you, brat. and you will enjoy it.”

his cock twitched at the sight of your tear-stricken cheeks; fat droplets escaping past your hooded eyes. kid grunted, forcing his chest to brush against your own, his entire weight pressed onto your figure. you sobbed as he hammered his cock inside, stretching your walls; inflicting pain as his tip maintained a ruthless pace, an aggressive brushing on your cervix. kid groaned, reaching deeper into you the second your legs tightened its grip on his waist.

your once half-moist cunt grew damp, essence dripping down your entrance and being shoved inside yet again with his every thrust. the pain made you twice as excited, walls squeezing his cock in a manner that had his eyes rolling back ever-so-slightly. the metallic grip on your wrists maimed the bare flesh; left it aching, although not quite as much as your sensible, abused cunt. kid felt the creation of small fissures, thin trails of blood smearing both metal and flesh. you whimpered, trashing under the pressure of his weight.

“lost your words, brat?” kid taunted, grunting right thereafter. a pointed snap of his hips had his girth shoved deeper as he bottomed out, ripping a loud moan from your throat.

you squirmed, legs falling limp on the mattress. kid felt every stretch; the pleasure that made you soak his erection. his lips latched on your face, tongue swirling and swallowing the tears. you were crumbling, desperate. your lips were parted open, and drool trailed down your chin. he could see his tip through your stomach, the blood that smeared your forearms. you were close. kid’s cock was dismantling your insides, invading the past dried cunt. the pain you were submitted to had been equal to that of being torn in half, yet, you were close. ache and devastation mingled with the pleasure imposed by ruthless thrusts that had the large bed complaining; headboard meeting the wall. regardless, you were close. he could sense it through the squeezing of your cunt; the roll of your eyes.

he stopped moving. your head snapped at him, mouth agape; shock-etched expression. kid laughed, ignoring the painful twitch of his cock, still secured inside.

“what?” he mocked, using his other hand to twitch your hardened nipple.

“kid,” you sobbed, failing to roll your hips; to feel his cock deeper into your walls. “i’m close.”

he raised his head, angling it in a manner to catch a glimpse of your pitiful face. you were trembling, desperate. your cunt gripped his erection, threatening to milk him dry. your lips were scarred from the constant biting, your eyes were filled with unshed tears. marvelous — the prettiest —, and his altogether, body and soul.

“and what do you expect me to do?” kid inquired, snapping his hips; a violent thrust that stole the breath from your lungs.

“m-more!” you begged, trashing the second he stopped his movements yet again.

he smirked, clicking his tongue. “but do you deserve it, brat?”

“yes?” you tried out, unsure, observing him through the tears.

“pathetic,” he taunted, twisting your nipple with further strength. you mewled when he tugged at it, behaving as though he planned on ripping it off. “don’t even know what you want, do you, slut?”

you clenched tighter around his cock at the degradation. he barked out a laugh — loud enough to be felt through the walls. the pressure applied on your wrists increased; another violent shove of his cock. he stopped altogether right thereafter, pleasure from your desperation.

“what do you want?” he demanded. four, spacious and violent thrusts pointing out every word, at every breath given. you bit down your lips, scratching against the metal of his hand; drawing blood from your nails.

“i want to cum!” you screamed, moving your head in utter desperation.

kid clicked his tongue in annoyance, hips unmoving. his lips quirked up to form a wretched smile, cock aching amidst your walls, his balls growing heavier at the lack of further contact. yet, the pleasure came from your desperation; your lack of words; the inability to produce proper words. he could drag that moment for a while longer.

“and?” kid proceeded, daring to sound bored. you seemed frustrated; confused. “you’re not stupid. i’d not—ngh, fuck a stupid cunt.”

“kid,” you started, words retreating once you caught on the sight of his disappointment. “captain, please!”

“please,” he mocked, copying your strangled intonation.

“captain, let me cum,” you sobbed, biting your lower lip. “please, p-please!”

kid smirked. “no.”

you gasped, frustration overcoming your will to obey him. kid snapped his hips, abusing your cunt with a violent pace. he could sense your willingness to shelter his size, a never-ending shouting at the unstoppable hammering of his erection inside of you. he was taken — inch by inch — at each particular thrust. kid grunted at the sight of his tip — swollen, leaking, in-and-out — a crown of white around it. fresh, fat tears rolled down your cheeks and kid all but laughed, pouding into you without an ounce of regret.

you were moaning; desperate; clinging to him as though he was the anchor that tethered you to the earth. the knot was close to unraveling, the orgasm nearing its arrival, when kid stopped. you tried kicking him; fighting against his grasp. all but feeble attempts that made him twice as aroused.

“again,” he demanded, controlling the tide of his own high that threatened to burst.

“captain,” you sobbed, words but a half-understandable croak. “make me cum, please, i want to cum.”

“again,” kid stated, scratching your stomach. you whimpered — though he knew you’d rather snarl at him.

“captain,” you weeped, choking on your tears.

“that’s it, slut,” he encouraged, regaining the snap of his hips, thrusting his aching shaft inside. “again.”

“captain, captain, captain,” you kept begging; drooling. your words became slurred right thereafter, your mind embracing a haze of nonsense led by the ministrations of his cock.

kid dug his knees deeper into the mattress, snarling as his pace quickened, growing sloppier. he spat on your opened mouth, his tip hammering against your g-stop, gummy walls smeared with his essence. this time, when your orgasm neared, his hand gripped your chin to force your face to meet his own. your tears wetted the tip of his index, and he all but snarled, shoving himself deeper, a particular snap sending his load straight into your awaiting cunt. you crumbled underneath him, your own orgasm washing over you; tides coating his leaking cock as he persevered.

kid let go of your wrists to roll over and press his back on the mattress, the limp side of your body placed on his chest. he wrapped an arm around your waist, cursing under his breath when you tried to move.

“it’s warm and i’m sweaty,” you complained, hugging him closer in shock at the sound of undoing metal; pieces of his faux arm thrown all over the room.

“and i’m tired,” he rebuked, cuddling you closer. “shut it and rest.”

you cursed him, figure growing rigid at the movement of his chest underneath — for he had heard your every word.

“you’re a tough learner, aren’t you, slut? guess i’ll have to teach you again.”

— 🐈‍⬛ : bumpin’ that bumpin’ that bumpin’ that

[centrally-unplanned]

My own personal pet peeve Worst Trump EO is the one forcing all federal workers to abandon remote or hybrid work schedules. I can't think of a job better suited for hybrid work; government employees are paid less than they could make in the private sector and so need amenities as incentives to stay, and their work is typically very procedural and thus requires minimal collaborative creativity. Meanwhile, despite what a few headlines will tell you, hybrid work arrangements are increasing, not decreasing, and are the plurality of all office arrangements today. Most of the "mandate" stuff you saw from some big orgs was a combination of headline/selection bias and confusing the fact that fully remote work is decreasing in popularity, and orgs are transitioning to ~3 days in the office or some such.

The EO is just full on culture war, punishing government workers for the sin of being "Libs" who need to be owned. And, to boot, it is baking in the exact problem the federal workforce always has - a complete inflexibility on how they do their job due to the whims of politicians divorced from their org and mission. If I wanna hire the best person for a job and they demand 3 days remote or they going to Deloitte, then a hiring manager should be able to agree to that. None of his business CEO appointees would run their orgs this way. Even Elon Musk, with his headline Wars Against Remote Work at Tesla & SpaceX, couldn't actually achieve that, adding things like:

The billionaire added that “Working remotely is also ok if their manager vouches for excellence. Same policy as Tesla & SpaceX.”

As anyone who has managed anyone knows, half the staff are gonna be "excellent", and that aligns with anecdotal data I have heard (mainly SpaceX) that flex days are frequently taken outside of crunch times.

There is no illusion that this will help anyone. It is purely punitive, with maybe an added dash of trying to force people to quit for downsizing goals (shedding employees arbitrarily, selecting for those who have the best outside options - how strategic!)

[the-cosmic-cauldron]

How the Signs Self-Sabotage

Aries

Aries self-sabotages when they can’t get what they desire when they want it. If their goal feels far off, out of reach, or requires long-term commitment, they may avoid it altogether. Anything that demands patience and endurance can cause them to disengage rather than push through.

Self-sabotage: Avoidance

Taurus

Taurus self-sabotages by becoming too comfortable with their current reality. Even if their situation isn’t truly fulfilling, they adapt to it and settle into that comfort rather than pursuing what they truly crave.

Self-sabotage: Comfortability

Gemini

Gemini self-sabotages by prioritizing knowledge and being right over taking action. They get caught up in finding the best or most efficient way to do something, but in their pursuit of information, they delay or avoid implementation.

Self-sabotage: Overanalyzing instead of acting

Cancer

Cancer self-sabotages by allowing their lower vibrational emotions to dictate their decisions. When stuck in emotional ruts, they struggle to break free and may engage in self-destructive behaviors, making their situation worse.

Self-sabotage: Emotional destruction

Leo

Leo self-sabotages by retreating from the spotlight when they feel insecure or unappreciated. Instead of stepping forward, they withdraw into the background, avoiding the attention they actually crave.

Self-sabotage: Going ghost

Virgo

Virgo self-sabotages when things don’t go according to their ideal plan. If something feels out of order or beyond their control, they may abandon it entirely rather than working through the challenges. This makes them prone to avoiding conflict or messiness.

Self-sabotage: Conflict avoidance

Libra

Libra self-sabotages when they lose interest in something. Unlike water signs, who are guided by deep emotions, Libra needs mental stimulation and intrigue. If something no longer excites them, they may disengage—even if it’s important.

Self-sabotage: Prioritizing interest over necessity

Scorpio

Scorpio self-sabotages by suppressing their emotions. If they don’t express their feelings—whether through journaling, self-reflection, or talking to someone they trust—their inner turmoil builds until it manifests in self-destruction. This internal chaos eventually spills into their external world, making them more volatile and reactive.

Self-sabotage: Self-destruction

Sagittarius

Sagittarius self-sabotages by avoiding deep commitment. They love learning and exploring, but if they only skim the surface without truly immersing themselves, they never gain the depth of knowledge or experience they crave.

Self-sabotage: Lack of depth and commitment

Capricorn

Capricorn self-sabotages by placing too much emphasis on material success. In their pursuit of financial security, status, or external achievements, they may lose sight of their true values. This can lead to an internal emptiness, as they measure their worth by what they have rather than who they are.

Self-sabotage: Losing sight of true values

Aquarius

Aquarius self-sabotages by avoiding deep, one-on-one emotional connections. They are visionaries, focused on the future and big ideas, but this often leads to a disconnect from the present moment and the people around them. Their lack of emotional grounding makes it difficult for them to navigate personal relationships with the depth they require.

Self-sabotage: Lack of intimate connection

Pisces

Pisces self-sabotages by constantly seeking more, making it difficult for them to feel truly satisfied. Their boundless imagination and idealism cause them to chase dreams that seem just out of reach, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction with what they already have. This lack of gratitude and presence prevents them from fully embracing the beauty of their current reality.

Self-sabotage: Lack of gratitude and presence

[astrology-by-sita]

9H AND YOUR SPIRITUAL BELIEFS

9H and its ruler shows what kind of belief you have.

ARIES RISING SAGITTARIUS 9H: you will explore different belief systems of various cultures. You do not limit yourself to one belief. You may experiemnt various spiritual practices.

TAURUS RISING CAPRICORN 9H:

spirituality for you is a goal to be achieved with persistence and consistent effort to overcome hurdles in your path. You take your time in your practice and with perseverance you reach your spiritual goals.

GEMINI RISING AQUARIUS 9H:

try not to abandon your own spiritual ideals to fit into society. You can be skeptical about the world beyond the material and have a rather scientific outlook. You will explore quantum phsyics and find a belief that convinces your rational mind.

CANCER RISING PISCES 9H:

you are mystical & devotional in your spirituality. You want to lose yourself in connection with the divine. Art forms that praise the divine appeal to you like spiritual music. You are likely to sacrifice for a spiritual ideal. Watch out for false gurus

LEO RISING ARIES 9H:

you believe that spirituality and standing up for yourself and fighting for your rights go hand in hand so likely "Liberation Theology" for example might appeal to you. The "new age" view that non-vioIence is the answer does not convince you.

VIRGO RISING TAURUS 8H:

you will appreviate nature as a manifestation of the divine. For you nature is sacred and you might adopt Animism as a belief. As a part of your practice you will defend Mother Nature and the planet from exploitation or fight for animal rights.

LIBRA RISING GEMINI 9H:

you are an intellectual and will likely read a lot of scriptures and ancient books and might join discussion groups of these books. Your belief aligns with your rationality and logical orientation.

SCORPIO RISING CANCER 9H

Patriarchal traditions in conventional religion are not for you as you worship the feminine Mother Goddess archetype. You will cosnider yourself a child of the Divine Mother and will be her devoted worshipper.

SAGITTARIUS RISING LEO 9H

watch out from mixing your own ego with spirituality cause spirituality and ego do not coexist. If you do that you will become like an authority in any belief you adopt. People will seek your council about their own spiritual problems.

CAPRICORN RISING VIRGO 9H

you embody "The Hermit" archetype in tarot. Spirituality for you lies in service, humbleness & modesty. The practical & spiritual go hand in hand for you, the mystical mixes with the "mundane".Austerity should not be taken to extremes. Charity is better

AQUARIUS RISING LIBRA 9H

You believe in justice and equality and any belief that excludes that is not for you. Transcendence lies in demanding the rights of others, cause the Divine created us all as equals.

PISCES RISING SCORPIO 9H

The word "taboo" does not exist in your dictionary, and conventional religion isn't for you as it has many taboos and shies away from addressing subjects that transform society. You are likely to worship dieties that conventional religion views as "dark"

[sir-adamus]

One thing I love about RWBY is how it manages to thread that needle of, "That's a person" & "They have a reason for being this fucked up" without forgetting or failing to convey, "Doesn't mean they aren't still being bastard!"

See Adam, Ironwood, Salem, Mercury, hell even Jac got some of that treatment, as much as his narrative role needed and more than someone like him would usually be given.

In that regard though, it does always leave me vexed and confounded that people act like the Brothers will be some big exception. As though their issue is just that they are a little confused and don't understand some things, but once its explained and or they go home, it'll all be chill.

Like, sorry but if the woman they tortured for potentially millions of years still gets the "She's still being a bastard" treatment I cannot envision why the Brothers genocide would avoid being framed or treated as such.

yeah it's kind of weird how people have a blindspot for the gods being petty, arrogant assholes in the backstory; like it's been a weirdly common trend to see people making posts claiming it's fine for the gods to be assholes because they're gods (and therefore shouldn't be held to any kind of moral standard whatsoever), or thinking that post-volume 9, now the goal of the show is RWBY reuniting the relics to summon the gods because "the world is united" and the gods will deal with Salem.

like, the terms of Salem's immortality are made very clear, and these jackasses aren't gonna rescind on their punishment of her (which i need to point out was immensely disproportionate even before the mass genocide. "you need to learn a lesson, so now you can't die until you do" is fucked up) just because everyone else is on the same side.

and on top of that, the gods returning only means hanging a Sword of Damocles over humanity's head, because if they don't stay united, then it's just gonna lead to another disproportionate tantrum and Remnant getting the full scorched earth treatment. not to mention the gods dealing with Salem would ultimately prove her right and be immensely unsatisfying narratively (it would literally be a deus ex machina)

RWBY borrows heavily from Final Fantasy and other JRPGs, and a major recurring element in those sorts of games is that defeating the present big bad in the narrative is never the end of the story, there's always a greater scope threat that's usually either your dad or god or both. coupled with how Light and Dark are heavily influenced by mythological gods and how those are often petty, short-sighted and abusive bastards who cause more problems than they solve, and we've recently been outright told that the Brothers have completely misunderstood what 'balance' is and how that's factored into their conflicts and decision making, and how that then filters down to their treatment of Salem, demanding she understand something they don't and expecting her to learn it through the punishment they inflicted on her only ended up causing more damage

Salem's defeat has to be factored into ending her curse, and the end of volume 9 makes heavy implication that it's RWBY, not the Brothers, who are going to achieve that. but even with Salem then out of the picture, the Brothers are still a threat, they still wiped out the population of an entire planet for childish reasons and routinely abandon their creations; someone else could go for the relics to try and summon them, so there's the potential damage they could do to Remnant again, and who knows what same horrors and punishments the Brothers are inflicting on the worlds they've gone on to make and abandon since?

[girlactionfigure]

if you just woke up from a 15-month coma to check on the Middle East, it looks like a total US victory. everyone thirsting for American blood (Iran, Russia, Hezbollah) is in shambles, US allies (Israel, Saudi, Turkey) are ascendant

the US worked long and hard to PREVENT this 

so, here's a quick recent-history lesson on winning vs. not:

Oct '23: I notice how strange it is that Americans only talk about ENDING wars, they seem to have forgotten that wars can end in VICTORY or in STALEMATE and that this is the crucial difference

Oct-May: Israel moves painstakingly through Gaza hunting for Hamas. this period accounts for 80%+ of the casualties in Gaza (~35k by May, ~8k since)

meanwhile Israel is eating rockets from Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen with limited response, 10,000s of Israelis internally displaced 

5/31: the election race is heating up, and Biden needs a boost. he's demanding that Netanyahu END the war, stating that Israel has met its goals and there's nothing more it could achieve. Brooklyn fills with "Ceasefire Now" window signs and weekly "free Palestine" protests

June '24: Bibi insists that actually Israel's goal in Gaza is lasting security, not merely to fuck around, and that this requires buffer zones and keeping terrorists in prison. He faces massive pressure from within and without to give up hopes for victory and take a stalemate

27/6: Biden debates himself out of the race, and suddenly the White House and the American people have more important worries than Khan Younis. from July onward the US has no active executive branch. Biden drops out and goes to the beach on 7/21, brat summer officially begins

July '24: Israel takes out Hamas' military mastermind Mohammad Deif in Gaza and Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran

Hezbollah fires a rocket that kills 12 children playing soccer in Majdal Shams, and in response Israel takes out Hezbollah top commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut 

17/9: beep beep

27/9: Nasrallah out

16/10: Sinwar out

26/11: ceasefire in Lebanon, Hezbollah pushed north of the Litani and cut off from the Iran Axis

27/11: HTS et al storm Aleppo

6/12: Syria's new leader is giving interviews about human rights and inclusivity to US media 

when you see how rapidly victory after victory came as soon as Biden went on vacation, you realize how hard his and Obama's administrations worked to avoid winning for 12 years 

US did do two important things: 1. mostly secured the Red Sea by striking the Houthis until they pulled back 2. helped intercept the Iranian missile barrages in Iraqi airspace, reassuring it's Sunni allies that this isn't a fatal threat to them

result: 1. US Navy has uncontested control from the Gulf of Oman to the Mediterranean, which Russia is now forced to abandon 2. 75+% of Chinese oil imports now come from US protectorates and can be cut off by US in case of war 3. an American can ~safely drive from Dubai to Beirut

@yashkaf

[nayatarot777]

who’s mad at you + why?

• pile one •

who’s mad?

cards: the tower, page of swords. 9 of swords

this is someone who has a lot of fears and anxieties for some reason. perhaps due to something that they’ve said/gossiped about that proved to be quite destructive. they’re someone who you had a tower moment with, and perhaps someone who doesn’t know how to communicate properly. they could talk about struggles with anxiety, and maybe they’re someone who is constantly in crisis mode. to the point that their life is always in shambles and they never know how to help themselves out of it. this person might regret something that they’ve said because of the destruction that they’ve caused, but this person is also very two-faced it seems. i’m seeing gemini, and feeling the energy of the 7 of swords (although it hasn’t come out). you could feel like this person was side-eyeing you, evil-eyeing you, or judging you in some way. but again, they could regret doing that now.

why?

cards: king of wands, justice, 4 of swords

they’re mad because you seem to be going after your own personal goals and achievements, meaning that you have to balance out your life in order to keep a clear mind. you may have realised that this person was not reciprocating your energy or that you deserve better treatment than whatever this person was giving you. they’re mad about your own self-governance. you seem to be prioritising yourself and demanding fairness in your connections and general life. you could have focused on them and invested too much energy into helping them, which resulted in you realising that you need to put a lot of that energy back into yourself. this person knew that they were taking advantage of you in some way, and they’re just mad that you’re more aware of what’s fair and what’s not now. meaning that they can’t use your energy for their own benefit.

if you’d like a private reading, please check out my pinned post ✨💞

• pile two •

who’s mad?

cards: 8 of cups, 3 of swords, the devil

wtf is going on here, pile two? this person is someone who definitely isn’t in your life anymore. this person was emotionally overwhelming and maybe even manipulative, so you walked away for the sake of healing. but i feel like this is someone who’s still trying to manipulate your energy or bind themselves to you continuously. even after walking away from them. the devil shows that this person is possessive. they have some weird ass obsession with you and it’s almost like they feel as though they need to still have a say in your life. this could be a capricorn or scorpio placement. if you haven’t walked away from them fully, then this is someone who you experienced some type of transformation with. a permanent change to the connection that you have with them. they may be responsible for inflicting pain that deeply affected you, or maybe even trauma/triggers. i feel like this is someone who’s mad that you’ve managed to drag your issues through the mud and use them for self improvement or self discovery. this person is someone who could have abandoned you multiple times in the past, but it seems like you’ve abandoned them this time around. and they’re mad about it. while also feeling powerless.

why?

cards: 3 of cups, 2 of pentacles, the wheel of fortune

your life seems to have done a complete 180 (or it seems like it’s on the trajectory to that) because things are turning in your favour. they’re mad because of your connections with other people too (maybe they’re evil eyeing your friendships). and this is because you’re now very selective with who you invest emotional and physical energy into. there’s an energy of exclusion too, so perhaps this person also doesn’t actually know what’s going on in your life because they’re disconnected from it. there’s also something about other people “singing your praises”. if you have mutual connections with this person, there are multiple people who talk very positively about you. that makes this person big mad 😂. i’m hearing that it seems like you’ve effortlessly won a situation (particularly a social situation) too. without even trying. i heard that this person feels like you have the upper-hand constantly. and like everything constantly works in your favour.

if you’d like a private reading, please check out my pinned post ✨💞

• pile three •

who’s mad?

cards: 6 of pentacles, the hermit, knight of swords

this is someone who you spoke a lot of truth to about their expectations or their codependency on you. they may be someone who almost begs for help or attention constantly (similar to pile one), and they’re usually not willing to do some soul searching and focus on realising what they need to learn in certain aspects of life. it’s like they expected you to direct them and tell them what to do. to give them the wisdom that they felt like you held. this is someone who could be quite isolated and lonely, focused on pessimism more than anything. either pessimism or maybe they’re depressed. i’m also seeing that they could be someone who uses materialism and money as a way to avoid loneliness. they could be a giver themselves in some way, but they definitely feel quite alone and maybe even lost and in need of help.

why?

cards: king of cups, 2 of cups, judgement

this person is mad because of some type of awareness about a particular connection that you have with someone. maybe you’re someone who isn’t very emotionally expressive, but you’ve found a reciprocal connection with someone else. this person also may feel like they were judged by you in some way, or perhaps that they were discarded for someone else. this person could also be upset about your connection to a king of cups (a masculine water sign or a masculine, emotionally stable person in your life. this could be a partner or a brother). idk what that’s about. this person is definitely mad about some type of connection that you have with another person though. and also they’re upset about your ability to realise something on your own. your insight triggers them for some reason. also how you can “rise from the ashes”. you seem to know how to rebirth yourself and close out cycles in your life for the sake of protecting your peace - as well as someone else’s.

if you’d like a private reading, please check out my pinned post ✨💞

[contemplatingoutlander]

This is an important article by Linda Greenhouse, writing in The New York Times. Therefore, the link above is a gift 🎁 link, so anyone can read the article, even if they don't subscribe to the Times.

Below are some excerpts from the article:

To understand today’s Supreme Court, to see it whole, demands a longer timeline. To show why, I offer a thought experiment. Suppose a modern Rip Van Winkle went to sleep in September 2005 and didn’t wake up until last week. Such a person would awaken in a profoundly different constitutional world, a world transformed, term by term and case by case, at the Supreme Court’s hand. To appreciate that transformation’s full dimension, consider the robust conservative wish list that greeted the new chief justice 18 years ago: Overturn Roe v. Wade. Reinterpret the Second Amendment to make private gun ownership a constitutional right. Eliminate race-based affirmative action in university admissions. Elevate the place of religion across the legal landscape. Curb the regulatory power of federal agencies. [...} That was how the world looked on Sept. 29, 2005, when Chief Justice Roberts took the oath of office, less than a month after the death of his mentor, Chief Justice Rehnquist. And this year? By the time the sun set on June 30, the term’s final day, every goal on the conservative wish list had been achieved. All of it. To miss that remarkable fact is to miss the story of the Roberts court. It’s worth reviewing how the court accomplished each of the goals. It deployed a variety of tools and strategies. Precedents that stood in the way were either repudiated outright, as the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision did last year to Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, or were simply rendered irrelevant — abandoned, in the odd euphemism the court has taken to using. In its affirmative action decision declaring race-conscious university admissions to be unconstitutional, Chief Justice Roberts’s majority opinion did not overturn the 2003 Grutter decision explicitly. But Justice Thomas was certainly correct in his concurring opinion when he wrote that it was “clear that Grutter is, for all intents and purposes, overruled.” Likewise, the court has not formally overruled its Chevron decision. Its administrative-law decisions have just stopped citing that 1984 precedent as authority. The justices have simply replaced Chevron’s rule of judicial deference with its polar opposite, a new rule that goes by the name of the major questions doctrine. Under this doctrine, the court will uphold an agency’s regulatory action on a major question only if Congress’s grant of authority to the agency on the particular issue was explicit. Deference, in other words, is now the exception, no longer the rule. But how to tell a major question from an ordinary one? No surprise there: The court itself will decide. [...] My focus here on what these past 18 years have achieved has been on the court itself. But of course, the Supreme Court doesn’t stand alone. Powerful social and political movements swirl around it, carefully cultivating cases and serving them up to justices who themselves were propelled to their positions of great power by those movements. The Supreme Court now is this country’s ultimate political prize. That may not be apparent on a day-to-day or even a term-by-term basis. But from the perspective of 18 years, that conclusion is as unavoidable as it is frightening.

[laidback-thrills]

EDIT: THIS IS SLIGHTLY OUTDATED. More coming soon.

Hello all!

I've been meaning to talk more in depth about this!!! I put a "read more" bc this is a little long and I don't wanna clog up the tag.

BUT

DSAF CULT AU!!!

My DSAF Cult AU is very canon divergent.

Dave Miller is a fledgeling demon who was once a young nephilim. He remembers very little about his past, but something horrible has made him what he is now.

He has a full, actual Enochian name, but people tend to throw up and shit and die when they hear it, so he chose to go by "Dave" because "It's common! I'm a normal, common guy!", but also because he trusted and loved someone like a father.

His demonic sigil and general telltale symbol is the extremely long sacrificial dagger driven into his skull. No matter what form he takes, he will have it. It can be taken out for a short period of time before Dave begins to have trouble staying corporeal.

Now literally borne with a total inability to feel remorse for his actions, he is a sick and twisted monster that does not know how to control his own extremely horrifying powers. He requires a conduit to channel them, lest he explode.

He was all alone in the world. A freak, even when "disguised" as a human. (He's purple for fuck's sake, he smells like rot and he's scaring people!). Connection eluded him, although it was all he ever wanted, even as a horrifyingly malicious entity. It's very much a similar situation to regular DSAF - he was "abandoned", and now forever seeks

Until some idiot.

Jack Kennedy was a desperate man with a missing family and no future. He was addicted to every kind of substance, heavily in debt, and crushingly isolated.

After uncovering some interesting literature from his shitty Fazbender's Pepperonerie job, he decided that he was desperate enough to follow the instructions in the grimoire. Nothing to lose anymore, and a big goal to achieve. A skeptic as he was, he did not expect the ritual to work, but when it did, it completely changed his world.

Jack did not immediately make a contract with Dave, out of pure shock and wariness, but the fucker stuck around anyway. He was offered a deal and spent a while debating it.

Eventually, it went through.

Jack was granted a demonic boon. Power, money, pleasures of the world, and a chance to put them back together. In return, he traded his body and soul for Dave's services.

The process was painful.

An agonizing death, and a transformation. Dave's sigil burned into his back, and all at once, he was rotten and orange.

Then, the demon ate his soul.

Dave benefits greatly from the exchange too (baby's first contract). He gets a lot of power from it. It keeps him anchored. Gives him something to do. Someone interesting to play with. Company at last, and it's someone that can't run away from him!

Jack is Dave's saint. They are intrinsically bound. Jack is the first person to ever form a contract with Dave— Blackjack is caged inside of Dave, alive and warm, providing him with abilities and power he didn't have before. The Black Dog is loyal to its original master, however, and attempts to return to him. As a result, the soul more or less keeps them tethered. They physically cannot stray too far from eachother.

Post-contract, now armed with the knowledge that more souls = more power, and wanting to actually put a use to their power, they get to work!

With supernatural persuasion and a great gambling streak, Jack gets his start in Nevada. There, they build their empire off of the backs of desperate gamblers who put their soul on the line. Hungry, lonely men, hookers, the desperate and the naïve...all are errant souls that Father Jack will lead right on home.

Dave requires fresh blood for any spell, but demands child sacrifices to perform large spells, but that is quite alright. With the influx of followers, children are not too hard to come by. The death of a toddler, and an unholy miracle is performed— Jack's precious little flock has a home, a commune tucked into the desert.

(It isn't DSAF without a little toddler stranglin'!)

Jack and Dave- they get them good. Victims, converts- they're promised security, "God is dead, but we've got the power to help you!" Father Jack's a friendly and convincing fella, it seems, and after all...his Gospel is very legitimate- why have just faith when you can see your new God? When that doesn't work, there's always fear. Don't believe his word? Why, they'll show you horrors of which you've never seen! Father Kennedy's fun loving, but he's a soulless bastard, and he's not shy about putting the fear of all things unholy into his flock.

Of course, once the sinners are deep enough, it's too late to escape. Father Kennedy has some dirt on them. This lovely community is built on violence, after all, and Father knows exactly what they did to get here, and exactly what they've said at confessional. That, and...who does not fear the erratic demon?

At the commune, the "church" is hidden away in the labyrinthine basement of an invaded Freddy's location. (The management seems...more than willing...) The Pepperonerie is a front, concealing profits and deaths from the government. The Priest and the Demon wash their money, wash their hands, and serve unsuspecting guests pizza with a healthy dollop of propaganda.

When they aren't terrorizing their followers, however, Dave and Jack spend their time together. It is with mixed enjoyment. They find new purpose in each other. Commit horrible atrocities and live it up in V E G A S, baby! They're...gasp...starting to crush on each other? They're also sexily trying to kill each other just a little bit.

"I hate this purple motherfucker...but I want to kiss him on his hot mouth..."

Important note shoehorned in—

Jack does not worship Dave traditionally, the way the other followers do. He does not fear him at all. He recognizes Dave for what he is- a lonely, desperate fool. As far as they go, the demon is on his leash, not the other way around. He only prays when he needs something, in the very beginning. As their relationship advances however, and they commit atrocities that would make mankind pale, Jack becomes a very religious man. Not because he is afraid or respects him as any kind of authority (he does not respect him period), but because he is Really Gay. The way he prays is devout and hungry. Only in prayer can Jack manage to say what he means.

Actually, Dave ends up more worshipping *Jack* more than Jack worships him. It's turned on its head. Dave is sooo down bad and in love, he'll do anything. Anything at all for his priest, his clementine. His obsession is very much comparable to canon. He haunts Jack and everything that he does. Jack is never alone, never truly, because a dark looming purple shadow will always follow him. He steals his things and vies for his attention at all times of the day, because he is so wrapped around Jack's orange finger it's stupid...

"Jump." "How high?!"

Peace, quiet and privacy is an extinct concept to Jack, unfortunately.

TLDR; They're horrible to eachother but are in love and their hands are drenched in the blood of children (as usual) but now it has a gay worshipping undertone.

This is not everything, of course. Next time I talk, i'll delve more into the serious and rather toxic side of their relationship but this is just some stuff i've managed to crank out! Sorry if it's all over the place! I have one billion thoughts. Feel free to ask any questions, too, I'll do my best to answer. There will be more soon.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

In the lead-up to Inauguration Day, all six of the United States’ largest banks backed away from a United Nations-sponsored climate initiative amid attacks from conservative lawmakers and regulators.  

Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo left the Net Zero Banking Alliance between December and January in what was perceived to be a concession to right-wing criticism of so-called ESG — decision-making driven by environmental, social, and corporate governance considerations. Nineteen Republican attorneys general had issued “civil investigative demands” to those banks in 2022, demanding that they turn over information about their ESG practices. They argued that the alliance was beholden to “the woke climate agenda” and that it violated antitrust laws.

While the banks’ exodus from the alliance certainly looks like a setback for the banking sector’s climate progress, environmental advocates say it is a reminder that voluntary initiatives have never been sufficient to drive the sector’s decarbonization.

“There are other levers that we can use to hold banks accountable,” said Allison Fajans-Turner, a senior energy finance campaigner at the nonprofit Rainforest Action Network, which publishes an annual report on how much money banks commit to fossil fuel projects. In light of the Trump administration’s pro-oil and gas agenda, she said that over the next four years activists and policymakers will have to keep the pressure on and, critically, push for stricter legislation at the state and international levels.

“It is quite clear that major U.S. banks will not police themselves,” she added.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance, or NZBA, launched in 2021 under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and has about 140 members after the six American banks — and four Canadian ones — exited. The alliance asks member banks to commit to achieving net-zero greenhouse emissions across their operations and “lending and investment portfolios” by 2050, and to set intermediary emissions reduction targets for 2030 and every five years thereafter. It also asks banks to disclose their annual emissions, and sets some recommendations to limit the application of carbon offsets toward banks’ climate goals.

However, much like the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, the NZBA relies on voluntary participation and compliance, and does not have any enforcement authority. It’s been criticized for not asking enough from its members, which are allowed to participate even if they continue underwriting the expansion of oil and gas infrastructure. U.N. proposals that would tighten its requirements — particularly around financing of fossil fuels — faced strong opposition from recently departed banks like JP Morgan and Bank of America.

[stellar-wing]

Dune 2 Paul is such a tragic figure - not in a poor meow meow way but in a ‘you didn’t change the system even though you could have because it was easier to achieve an approximation of the freedom and your revenge by playing with the system’s rules’. Wiiiiiild

And like… he demands to marry the princess, signalling he wants to integrate into the imperial system - which intensifies his distance from Chani who knows that he has not only abandoned her, but the Fremen’s full freedom - like Paul has rejected Chani, symbol of the Fremen (in the way women usually r symbols in nationalism) and gone for the princess, but Chani still lives and chooses to operate away from him, continuing to fulfil her goal of freeing the Fremen that she held dear long before Paul arrived

[aihoshiino]

Was talking about this in passing to my friend Isa (@astrabysm) the other day but the more I engage with Oshi no Ko & the side stories, the more I come away feeling like centering lies and lying as the driving core of Ai's character really misses the forest for the trees.

Lying is, of course, extremely important to Ai as a character but I think it functions more as a thematic umbrella which can be used to unify a lot of the disparate elements that inform her characterization - idol culture, purity culture, commodification and infantalization, etc. The themes of deception/masking/falsehood are important to understanding Ai bit infinitely more important - and imo, more core to her character - is WHY she feels she has to lie and what motivates it; her self hate and fear, her history of abuse and abandonment by people she should otherwise have been able to unconditionally rely on, her despairing loneliness and her absolutely desperate desire to form real, genuine connections and companionship with other human beings.

To paraphrase Isa more directly, because I think they really hit the nail on the head with this: "Ai is someone who tells lies but she's not A Liar". Deception in of itself is not her end goal in any respect; it's a survival tactic that she internalised at a formative age and never had the opportunity to unlearn - and even then, Ai is honest and sincere just as often as she lies.

Really, the biggest "lie" Ai is telling is the one people have demanded she tell: the illusion of an eternally pure and cheerful idol. But being an idol has become so forcibly entangled in Ai's personhood at the expense of allowing her to just be a human that of course she thinks of herself as a liar for being unable to live up to that image.

She wants to, though! Ai herself says it in Viewpoint B that her "Ai of B-Komachi" persona is just an idealised self that she desperately wants to become: a kind, invincible girl who loves other people. And the horrible irony of it is that Ai IS that girl already; she's so kind and warm and desperate to connect with other people; even though she struggles to understand them she fights with all her might to close that gap. When she falls short, it's HERSELF she blames for not being good enough. She has never once expressed any bitterness or anger towards the people who've mistreated her, however much they might deserve it.

The real "lie" of Hoshino Ai are these twin, opposing perceptions of her as a pure and perfect idol and a scheming, manipulative liar. They're both wrong. The unvarnished truth is simply that Ai was a normal girl doing everything she could to achieve normal happiness in the midst of an abnormally cruel and lonely life - and in the very end, she was even punished for that.

[tanadrin]

TBH, in a lot of cases wrt infighting, I think the near group is afraid because of experience with being pushed away from their original goal due to that sort of pressure to self-moderate, where they end up losing because the Moderates won, and I think that's the case with leftists here too.

Like, both in terms of the historical narratives of leftists who "sold out" in the name of realpolitik being the reason why leftists lost, and the visible rage that (at least in their view) following the "vote for the lesser evil" argument is being used to exploit us by a party that has active contempt for leftists that wants to keep us ineffective and trapped with them, if that makes sense?

I think it comes from a deep feeling of helplessness at being electorally trapped the Dems , and I feel like saying "vote against Trump" isn't going to break through to them until folks come up with a genuinely good response as to how they can break out of said trap.

Gotta be clear about terminology here: in the leftist example, the in-group is whatever actual leftist group we're talking about; the near group are people more proximate to them on the ideological spectrum than the far group, but who are definitely not members of the in-group. They are part of the out-group, and thus get treated as opponents. The far group is also part of the out=group, but frequently gets ignored in favor of contests with the near group. Near group and far group were coined as terms to explain why battles between an in-group and out-group often focus heavily on only one subsection of the out-group, even when that subsection in theory might be allies (if not actual members of the in-group) in contests against the other.

I think this fear of losing out to the moderates is very much the in-group perspective, and I think it's wrong. If we're talking about, say, the labor struggles in the US at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the "moderates win" scenario (which is ultimately what happened with the New Deal) is a way better deal for labor than the "reactionaries win" scenario. Was it full-on communism? Of course not. But full-on communists never constituted an effective political majority in the United States, and full-on communism was never in the cards as a result; the choice then, as now, is often between "a moderate--even pretty good--outcome, if we play our cards right" and "demanding metaphysical purity to the point that we are politically irrelevant."

Plenty of organizations are happy to maintain metaphysical purity, and to succumb to political irrelevance--it's a surprisingly durable mode of operation if your goal is survival of the organization above all else. But nominally political organizations exist to pursue political goals, and I'm not in favor of strategies that amount to functionally abandoning those goals, in order to maintain in-group cohesion.

Example: the Democratic party is the way it is--i.e., like most political parties, but even more so--because it is a sprawling and often uneasy coalition--broadly speaking between liberals, progressives, and leftists, but each of course can itself be broken down further. The thing with these sprawling and uneasy coalitions is that they often leave everybody mad, because nobody gets everything they want. But also, they work. They are tatical creatures that exist for tactical reasons: I don't expect anybody to look at the Democratic Party platform and go "Yes, this is the One True Good Ideology." And I expect some people will look at the platform they produce and go, "this isn't enough of what I want to justify me supporting this coalition."

But if somebody's problem isn't that they disagree about tactical goals or tactical methods--if their problem is that they reject coalition fundamentally as compromising their ideology--then I do not believe they sincerely want to achieve anything. Because whether it's by electoralism or direct action or violent revolution or civil war, every political struggle in history requires some form of coalition-building. And the guys that build the bigger coalition usually win!

[angelsandemons]

I want to talk a little bit about the idea of Adam as someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD, because I've been thinking about it a lot.

I won't go into too much detail of the "is he actually NPD-coded and why might be like that?" question because that's already been pretty well explored in Georgia's Hazbin Hotel Therapist Analysis: Adam the Narcissist! video.

But if you're not in the mood to watch that, here are the nine clinical features mentioned in the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for NPD, only five of which actually have to be present with an onset in early adulthood for the diagnosis:

Having a grandiose sense of self-importance, such as exaggerating achievements and talents, expecting to be recognized as superior even without commensurate achievements

Preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, beauty, and idealization

Belief in being "special" and that they can only be understood by or associated with other high-status people (or institutions)

Demanding excessive admiration

Sense of entitlement

Exploitation behaviors

Lack of empathy

Envy towards others or belief that others are envious of them

Arrogant, haughty behaviors and attitudes 

Goergia's video talks about how NPD is ultimately a trauma response, if an extremely maladaptive one, and feelings of abandonment can be a possible contributor to development of this disorder. And considering the situation with Lilith and Eve...yeah, that tracks.

So I think the next question is: how does that factor in to Adam's potential redemption arc, whether that exists in the canon show or just in fanfic/roleplay? The things that worked for Sir Pentious absolutely are not going to work for Adam because the root issues are completely different.

I think for Adam, the trick is not going to be trying to get him to feel remorseful for his actions but to try and get him to feel like improving his behavior would be a benefit to him personally. This isn't to say that he can't feel remorse mind you; I'm just saying that making that the goal, the focus....you're more prone to setting up that effort for failure when dealing with someone that has NPD.

And the process of making sustainable changes to maladaptive behaviors can often require the person to unpack parts of themselves that aren't nice or pretty, and I think that will definitely be the case with Adam. Because you can't really create an action plan if you don't have all the pieces laid out in front of you; you can't monitor yourself for triggers or harmful behaviors if you don't know more about how you tick.