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girlactionfigure · 1 year ago

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Gaza Scandal

by Seth Mandel

“We cannot just be a relief organization,” Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross until 2022, said in a 2015 speech about the organization’s failures during the Holocaust. The Red Cross, Maurer said, was regretful: “It failed as a humanitarian organization because it had lost its moral compass. It failed … by responding to the outrageous with standard procedures, it looked on helplessly and silently.”

It would be more accurate, actually, to say the Red Cross expressed regret. Because it’s clear its officials weren’t all that sorry.

Not only has the ICRC, which receives many millions of dollars in U.S. contributions, failed to advocate meaningfully for the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and not only has the organization appeared uninterested in gaining access to them or their release, but it now faces legitimate questions about its complicity in Hamas war crimes.

Over the weekend the IDF released footage from al-Shifa hospital showing Hamas fighters bringing hostages to the medical compound on Oct. 7, the day of its bloody incursion into Israel. One hostage, an Israeli soldier, was likely killed there. Fighters dragging the hostages can be seen interacting freely with medical personnel at the hospital, in case anyone still tries to argue that hospital officials have plausible deniability. And as some have pointed out, there was no way for the hostages to get to Shifa without being taken past several other hospitals on the way, so they were not brought in for medical care.

Ridiculous excuses thus dispensed with, we can move on to what ICRC officials knew and when they knew it. The Red Cross was no stranger to Shifa. On November 6 and 7, for example, it boasted of ICRC caravans transporting supplies to Shifa and patients from Shifa. What did ICRC personnel see as they cleared out patients for transfer? More important, what did they pretend not to see? They had communication with and access to the hospital compound and its staff; to what purpose did they use this access? They were aware of the material needs of the hospital and therefore what was being used daily. ICRC doctors and surgeons around Gaza were in contact with colleagues at Shifa.

And we certainly know they are capable of outrage. ICRC Director Robert Mardini, for example, had this outburst on Nov. 11: “We @ICRC are shocked & appalled by the images & reports coming from Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza. The unbearably desperate situation for patients & staff trapped inside must stop. Now. Hospitals, patients, staff & health care must be protected. Period.”

Mardini was talking about Israel’s supposed lack of respect for medical facilities in wartime, just to be clear. ICRC regional director Fabrizio Carboni was also quite exercised about it: “The information coming from the Al Shifa hospital is distressing. It cannot continue like this. Thousands of wounded, displaced people and medical staff are at risk. They need to be protected in line with the laws of war.”

Meanwhile, the ICRC had no qualms about portraying Israeli troops as a constant threat to medical personnel or would-be butchers, or going on Al Jazeera to remind the IDF of its obligations to the hospitals that Hamas was already misusing.

Indeed, the ICRC’s partnership with Shifa is a point of pride for the organization. In July, as Hamas was planning its Oct. 7 massacre, officials boasted of improvements to the hospital “implemented by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Gaza,” i.e. Hamas. “Hospitals stand at the heart of communities, and Al-Shifa Medical Complex Emergency Department is now beating strong and steady for Gaza,” crowed William Schomburg, a top ICRC Gaza official.

Back in that 2015 speech, Maurer faulted his organization for not balancing its private efforts with public pronunciations. But one difference between the Red Cross’s work in World War II and the current Gaza conflict is that in WWII, the ICRC’s record was mixed. Yes, it failed Jewish prisoners repeatedly. But it also facilitated communication to and from those prisoners, provided medical care to some of them, and was involved in prisoner exchanges—all actions for which it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1944. The Nobel committee acknowledges now that the ICRC knew more about Nazi atrocities than it let on at the time, suggesting that the Red Cross’s full wartime record might not be deserving of such an award.

This time, it has let down the hostages in every way imaginable. At the end of its note on the 1944 Nobel Peace Prize, the committee writes: “The Red Cross has since expressed regret for this suppression of the facts.”

How long will it take them to come clean this time, and what will it require to ensure there is no repeat of the ICRC’s Gaza disaster?

H/T @scartale-an-undertale-au

#Israel #Red Cross #Hostages #Hamas

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necrotic-nephilim · 4 months ago

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any recommendations for where to start reading for jean-paul valley and luke fox? i rlly wanna know more abt them but i have no idea which comics to read first

hello anon! i have a ton of recommendations, i love Jean-Paul and Luke and they're both great characters to get into! Luke is pretty easy to get into, but Jean-Paul can be a little complicated so I'll start with him.

Jean-Paul Valley

so i'm going to start with this: *do not* start with *anything* to do with the New-52 when it comes to Azrael. though there are some plots where he plays a significant role, he's butchered to the point he's just not the character you actually want to read. also don't start with Azrael (2009), that is not Jean-Paul, it's a different guy entirely. the recs i would give are

Batman: Sword of Azrael - this is Jean-Paul's introduction and backstory, i would consider it required reading. it's a great sorry and pretty short!

Batman: Knightfall - so. this is what Jean-Paul is iconically known for, the arc where Bane breaks Bruce's back and Bruce gives the mantle of Jean-Paul for a bit. and because of the nature of Jean-Paul's psyche, he goes off the rails and is a brutally violent Batman who has to be rid of the mantle. this is a *long* event. there's Knightfall, Knightsend, and Knightquest. and tbh this isn't really the baseline for Jean-Paul's personality, this is him at his worst and most fragmented. so, if you *want* to skip it for now and come back to it, you can. while it's important for his development, it's not really his baseline and if the big storyline daunts you, just skip it.

Azrael (1995) - (note: at issue #47, the title changes to Azrael: Agent of the Bat. it is still the same ongoing, just switch over to that title) this is his main comic run that went on for about 100 issues. it's very good. because he's a main Batfamily character, his comic will crossover into any big Batman event like No Man's Land or Contagion. you *can* read those events when you get to them, but they're not required if you'd just like to stick to him for now.

Azrael Plus the Question - this is a one shot and tbh, you don't have to read it, it's really not necessary. but, i'm a fan of the Question so, this is my self-indulgent rec. it's a fun short story and i wish we got more of these two <3

Sword of Azrael (2022) - (note: if you are reading this as single issues, you should read Sword of Azrael: Dark Knight of the Soul, the one shot that leads up to this. if you pick this up as a trade, that one shot will be included) by *far* my favorite Azrael story. this is *such* a good mini-series, i cannot recommend it enough. it's the modern era/timeline, but it very beautiful handles Azrael's history as Batman and all of his guilt and builds the the next steps for his character. i wish i could recommend this as #1, but you should at least read Batman: Sword of Azrael before this. but do read this, it's everything.

Luke Fox

Luke is introduced in the New-52 and is one of the highlights of that era. but it is the New-52, so some of it isn't the greatest. he does go on to feature in a lot of Rebirth stories as well. he does appear here and there in Batman: Eternal, but he tends to be a side character who doesn't get much focus, so you can read that if you'd like, but expect a more ensemble cast.

Batwing (2011) - start from issue #19, that is where Luke picks up the mantle up until the series ends at #34. it's his introduction and a great run for him. (note this series is collected as a trade under the name Batwing: Luke Fox)

Batgirl (2011) - he appears beginning from issue #43 and is mostly present up until the end of the run. i don't really love this run, i hate what it does with Barbara, but it is some essential reading for Luke.

Detective Comics by James Tynion IV - this is where we cross over into Rebirth territory, Luke is an important player during Vol 2: the Victim Syndicate, Vol 3: The League of Shadows, Vol 4: Deus Ex Machina, and Vol 7: Batmen Eternal. and!! during Tynion's run, Luke and Jean-Paul have *significant* interactions because both appear heavily. they end up pretty close to the point in the Rebirth era, Luke is one of the people Jean-Paul is closest to in the Batfam. Tynion's run is pretty good so i would honestly recommend reading the whole thing, but you can skip around to just the issues where Jean-Paul and/or Luke are important players.

there is obviously more for both of these characters if you want to do a completionist run and read *everything*, but these are the places that are either most important or easiest to start with. happy reading anon, i hope this helped!

#necrotic answerings #comic recommendations #jean paul valley #luke fox #i hope you enjoy these two anon i love them dearly #and you get the bonus of them interacting heavily!!#there's actually some content for people who ship them as well!#personally i view it platonically but i definitely see the potential #also i didn't mention justice league odysessy for jpv bc i just don't like it.#like. eh wasted potential there.#sword of azrael (2022) rlly is my roman empire.#praying dan watters will include jean-paul in his nightwing run.#it is all i ask.#anyhow i'm always happy to give comic recs!#and if i don't know i will probably know what direction to point you in #so either way i will try my best to help!

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eretzyisrael · 1 year ago

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by Seth Mandel

It would be more accurate, actually, to say the Red Cross expressed regret. Because it’s clear its officials weren’t all that sorry.

#icrc #red cross #international committee of the red cross #shifa hospital #al shifa hospital #red cross failure

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sirensea14 · 11 months ago

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And--the last ones of my 2022 old art posting :)

Striker, no outline art :) he was my favorite of the butcher gang

And then Ink Bendy, poses are from Indie Cross btw

#bendy and the ink machine #bendy and the dark revival #bendy the cage #indie cross #fnf mod #bendy the ink demon #ink bendy #striker #sirensea #fanart #old art #butcher gang #well- thats all folks

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lucky-clover-gazette · 2 years ago

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domestic bisque

fluff | 3381 words | vidow cottage au

Vio and Shadow make soup, and there's no plot. They literally just have a cozy evening together. Good for them!

They sit together for a while, watching the snow fall, silent and content. The smell of simmering soup fills the den and Pinecone continues to purr like a motor.

Shadow tucks a strand of hair behind Vio’s ear. “Love you.”

Vio leans in—not for a kiss, but simply to meet Shadow’s forehead with his own. “Love you too.”

read it on ao3 or under the cut, with author's notes:

Author's Note: The title is a soup pun. Appreciate it.

So funny story, this used to be a much longer and more melodramatic fic that I shelved all the way back in November of 2022. It’s been sitting incomplete since then, so I finally decided to take all the fluffy soup parts and play into that, while cutting out the angst. So if this feels a little awkward and disjointed, well… that’s because it is. But still, I think it’s very sweet, and I hope you enjoy :)

It’s perfect soup weather in the woods outside Castle Town.

Snowy, but not overly so, chilling the cottage just enough to justify use of the fireplace. Shadow busies himself in the kitchen, clearing the counter of Pinecone’s canned food and spare bags of tea, and begins to unpack freshly-purchased ingredients. He smiles at the sound of Vio’s footsteps as he enters from the den.

“Found it?” Shadow asks, taking a bunch of celery stalks over to the sink for washing.

“Yes,” Vio says. “I would appreciate it if we avoided getting anything on it.”

Shadow examines the leather-bound volume from afar, well-worn from at least a century of use. He’d make fun of Vio’s concern, but he also understands how important this historical volume is—it’s one of the previous Hero’s few remaining belongings, chock-full of handwritten insight from the man himself. Vio had begged Zelda to lend it to him, and she’d only handed it over after they both promised to return it in good condition. It was a warranted measure, honestly, since the majority of Shadow and Vio’s furniture was stolen from Hyrule Castle… and that’s not even mentioning their evil root beer stash in the cellar.

It had been Shadow’s idea to make the soup, after Vio offhandedly mentioned its inclusion in the Hero’s journal entry. Most of the ingredients are still common in modern Hyrule, except for the Reekfish—luckily, according to the Hero, the soup is better off without it. And with a name like ‘Reekfish,’ Shadow is inclined to believe him.

“Do you think Pinecone will get curious with all the ingredients laying out?” Vio asks, eyeing the massive pumpkin and wheel of cheese visually similar to the horns of Ordon goats.

Shadow glances into the den at their cat, a three-legged tortie watching the snow fall through a frosted window. “Pinecone,” he calls to her, watching her ear twitch in recognition, “are you going to make trouble while we cook?”

She doesn’t answer. Shadow shrugs.

“Did you know that the Hero could talk to cats?” Vio asks Shadow, resting his elbows on the counter.

“No,” Shadow says, “but that’s very cool.”

“Once we’re done cooking, I’d like to show you some of the passages,” Vio says, avoiding eye contact. “I mean, if that’s something you’d be interested in.”

Shadow smiles. “Of course I’m interested. Looking forward to it.”

“That’s… yeah, me too. Hey, can you make fun of me now?”

Shadow crosses the kitchen and plants a kiss on Vio’s forehead. “You’re cute.”

“That is specifically the opposite of what I requested. Also, you are cute too. Obviously.”

Shadow returns to the counter with a smile and grabs a knife from the wooden block. “I’m dicing the veggies and mincing the garlic, right?”

Referencing the recipe, Vio nods. “What can I do to help?”

Shadow withdraws another knife, this one serrated and twice as long. “Feel like butchering a pumpkin?”

─────────────────

They launch into their parallel tasks in contented silence, the only noise coming from Vio as he struggles to cut into the large Ordon pumpkin. Shadow slides the diced celery into a glass bowl and takes a break to assist Vio, who has switched from the kitchen knife to his Four Sword.

“Here,” Shadow says, “I’ll hold it steady while you cut it in half, right by the stem. Then you just have to scoop out the seeds with a spoon, slice it into pieces, and roast them in the oven so they soften. Once they’re done, you should be able to squish them into a puree with a fork.”

Vio narrows his eyes. “How do you know so much about this?”

“Vendor at the market talked my ear off about it. She was sweet.”

Shadow really had appreciated the Ordonian woman’s advice, as well as the fact that she’d treated him like a normal person. It’s been a little more than six months since Shadow’s reign of terror over Hyrule, and a lot of people in Castle Town still hold a grudge. Okay, maybe not a lot, but townspeople rarely go out of their way to engage in small talk.

“I’ll preheat the oven,” Shadow says as Vio begins to gut the pumpkin. He turns the dial and returns to his counter, making short work of the remaining ingredients.

“Pinecone, no!”

Shadow whips his head around as Vio begs their cat to get off the counter, his hands covered with orange pumpkin guts. “Shadow, can you please stop laughing and pick her up?”

Shadow retrieves Pinecone with a chuckle, kissing her forehead and returning her to the stool by the den window. She curls up and Shadow has the strong urge to sink his face into her soft fur.

“Pumpkin’s going into the oven,” Vio calls from the kitchen. “I’ll clean up the mess before we continue.”

“Sounds good,” Shadow says, giving Pinecone another peck (there is no limit to forehead kisses in this household). He consults the journal, placed far from the carnage, and commits their next steps to memory.

“We can start the soup while the pumpkin roasts,” he says to Vio, who furiously scrubs his hands in the sink. He has his hair up again, in that lame purple scrunchie, a few stray bangs falling into his face. Shadow feels the urge to tuck them behind his pointed ears, but there are more pressing matters at hand.

─────────────────

When Shadow and Vio first moved into the abandoned cottage, their friends had insisted on a small housewarming party. Some of their gifts are useful on a daily basis, such as Red’s hand-knitted blanket and Zelda’s fountain pens, while others are bound to a more specific purpose. A great example is a yet-to-be-used artisanal casserole dish from Green, which is shaped and painted to resemble a pumpkin.

Shadow removes the heavy vessel from a shelf and gently places it on the counter. “I wonder,” he says, “if somehow the Hero of Twilight’s spirit influenced Green to choose this gift. Since he apparently had a thing for pumpkin soup.”

Vio joins Shadow’s side, sizing up the dish. “Interestingly enough, he’s not the only one. Records indicate that several versions of the Hero have encountered pumpkin soup during their adventures.”

“You’re kidding.”

“The Hero of Winds grew up on Outset Island, where the locals made pumpkin soup that healed his injuries. Some sources even say his own grandmother created the recipe.”

“I see. And have there been any other heroic pumpkin soup encounters of note?”

“Yes,” Vio enthuses, “with the first reincarnation of Link, actually. He lived in the sky and flew on a huge bird. In order to save his version of Zelda, he had to deliver pumpkin soup to a whale inside a thunderhead.”

“Very normal,” Shadow remarks, one eyebrow raised.

Vio smirks. “About as normal as a magic sword turning the Hero into four distinct individuals, one of whom fell madly in love with the original Hero’s evil shadow.”

“You know that makes you sound like the weirdo in that situation, right?”

“Like you weren’t hitting on me from the start.”

─────────────────

Shadow busies himself with the soup, placing the casserole dish on the stovetop and grabbing a stick of butter from the fridge. He slices off two tablespoons and melts them against the warming vessel, then empties the glass bowls of prepped celery, carrots, and onions into the dish. They sizzle on contact.

“Wooden spoon, please,” he calls to Vio, who promptly places the instrument in his outstretched hand. He uses it to saute the veggies while Vio removes the sheet pan of softened pumpkin from the oven, pureeing it just as Shadow had described. Shadow tosses in the garlic as Vio begins to clean their prep dishes.

“Wanna pop open some vegetable broth?” Shadow asks once he hears the sink turn off. He receives no response and turns his head to see Vio kneeling by Pinecone in the den. Shadow opens the carton of broth on his own and pours it into the dish, taking care not to let it splash in his face.

“Soup has to simmer for ten minutes,” Shadow calls to Vio, bringing the Hero’s journal into the den. He plops down on the floor, because wherever Pinecone decides to be is more often than not where they end up. He nudges Vio and drops the book in his lap. “Show me something interesting.”

Vio gives Pinecone one last full-body pet and nods. “Very well. How much do you know about the Hero of Twilight?”

Shadow shrugs. “Nothing more than what you’ve told me.”

“And what have I told you, exactly?”

“He talked to cats, didn’t use the Four Sword, killed another version of Ganon but missed out on fun times with Vaati.”

Vio scoffs. “Yeah, well, he got Zant.”

“That’s a cool name. What was his deal?”

Vio begins to flip through pages, narrowing his eyes as he scans the text. “Ah-ha!” he exclaims, and it’s so unbelievably dorky that Shadow kind of wants to kiss him on the mouth. “He talks about Zant here,” Vio says, angling the page so Shadow can read.

A note on Zant, usurper king of the Twili tribe: For the majority of my journey, I believed him to be the greatest threat to Hyrule, the final enemy I would need to defeat. But Zant had only served as a proxy for Ganon, who allowed him passage through a dark mirror to wreak havoc on the world of the light.

Shadow makes a sour face. “Wonder what that’s like.”

“Keep reading,” Vio says with a small smile.

Imagine my surprise when Zant became frantic and unhinged in battle, the opposite of the imposing figure I had once believed him to be. Perhaps his initial stature had been an act, disguising the instability and insecurity within.

Stranger still, Zant somehow managed to linger despite a very graphic death. It’s almost as if his spirit couldn’t die, not truly, until he thwarted his former master. Princess Zelda and I defeated Ganondorf, fulfilling Hylia’s Triforce prophecy—but somehow, Zant struck the killing blow. He banished Ganon from the world of light by violently severing the connection between them.

“Huh,” Shadow remarks, his voice now proud. “Wonder what that’s like.”

─────────────────

Eventually, Vio appears to remember something important. “Has it been ten minutes, for the soup?”

“Just about,” Shadow says, getting to his feet. “Be right back.”

Shadow returns to the kitchen and adds the pumpkin puree, along with a dash of cinnamon, to the simmering mixture. The beige broth becomes a warm amber before his eyes, already starting to bubble with the new ingredients.

“That smells fantastic,” Vio says, peering over Shadow’s shoulder. He wraps his arms around Shadow’s waist, and sandwiched between a simmering pumpkin soup and his favorite person in the world, Shadow feels truly blessed. And then he cringes, because they’re supposed to be creatures of darkness, so why would he default to such a disgustingly wholesome adjective as ‘blessed?’

“About fifteen more minutes,” Shadow says, and Vio hums. “You could have stayed in the den, you know.”

“Missed you. And I want to help clean, you’re doing all the hard work here.”

“Well, I’m not going to argue with that.”

They finish the remaining dishes together, Vio washing while Shadow dries and puts items away. The soup fills their tiny kitchen with the aroma of pumpkin and warm cinnamon spice.

Shadow returns to the stove, stirs the soup with a wooden spoon, and covers it again. “Let’s keep it simmering a little longer.”

Vio nods and leads Shadow back into the den. He retrieves the journal and plops down on the couch, where Pinecone seems to have been waiting for his arrival. She immediately curls up in his lap and Shadow isn’t jealous at all, definitely not, because that would be ridiculous and he is not ridiculous.

“What are you waiting for?” Vio asks, stroking Pinecone idly. “Get comfy.”

“Didn’t think that word was in your vocabulary,” Shadow quips, settling beside the pair and resting his head on Vio’s shoulder. He breathes in the familiar scent of lavender shampoo, and wonders if Vio has just the one purple scrunchie, or if he rotates identical purple scrunchies every few days…

“Looks like you’re thinking hard about something,” Vio observes, reaching an arm around Shadow’s waist.

“Nope, not me.”

─────────────────

“And that’s it,” Vio says, closing the journal. “For tonight, anyway. I think I’ve had just about enough.”

Shadow nods. “Sucks about the mirror, and what happened with Midna. They seemed to really get along. Do you think they ever saw each other again?”

“Probably not,” Vio admits. “Not everyone is willing to perform dark rituals to recover a loved one from a different realm.”

“Lame.”

─────────────────

They sit together for a while, watching the snow fall, silent and content. The smell of simmering soup fills the den, and Pinecone continues to purr like a motor.

Shadow tucks a strand of hair behind Vio’s ear. “Love you.”

Vio leans in—not for a kiss, but simply to meet Shadow’s forehead with his own. “Love you too.”

And then Shadow pulls away.

“Soup,” he reminds Vio, standing up. “Bring the recipe, I think it’s cheese time.”

Vio is sleepy, beyond relaxed, and it’s adorable. “You’re cheese time.”

Shadow raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“I have no idea why I said that.”

Shadow chuckles and returns to the kitchen, releasing steam when he removes the casserole dish lid. “Looks good,” he reports. “Now, tell me all about cheese time.”

Vio cringes. “Please shut up about cheese time.”

“No.”

“Actually,” Vio says as he scans the page, “it’s not even… time for cheese… yet.”

“Tease.”

─────────────────

“Do we have a blender?” Vio asks, already opening up kitchen cabinets. “Or a food processor?”

Shadow cocks his head. “Did they, back then?”

“That’s what he wrote. Oh, here!”

Vio removes their blender from the cabinet and places it onto the counter. Shadow shakes his head.

“Bad idea. Hot liquid will make the lid stick. Use the immersion blender instead.”

Vio narrows his eyes. “What is that?”

Shadow removes the handheld wand from a drawer and raises it in the air for emphasis. There are blades at the end, and when Shadow presses a button they come to life.

“Not all of us have swords,” Shadow quips as he plunges it into the pot of soup, turning it into a smooth orange bisque. Some of the mixture splashes onto his face, right by his mouth, and he allows himself a taste.

“Hylia,” he mutters, tossing the immersion blender into the sink. Shadow opens the fridge and retrieves their final ingredient, turning to Vio with a wolfish grin. “Cheese time.”

─────────────────

As the soup simmers over low heat, Shadow stirs in the soft cheese and melts a dusting of brown sugar into the bisque.

“You can do the salt and pepper,” Shadow tells Vio, grabbing him by the waist and positioning him in front of the stove.

Vio nods uncertainly as Shadow forces the shakers into his hands. “This much?” he asks, seasoning the soup with great hesitation.

“Looks good to me,” Shadow says, resting his head on Vio’s shoulder. “Smells good, too.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait to try it.”

Shadow dislodges himself from his boyfriend and grabs two bowls and spoons from the cabinet. He brings them over and repositions Vio, reaching across the range for a ladle and beginning to serve the Hero of Twilight’s beloved pumpkin soup. He garnishes the two bowls with the remaining goat cheese and places the lid on the casserole dish—he’ll package up the rest later, maybe even deliver it to Green and Zelda as a thank-you.

“Couch or table?” Shadow asks, although he’s pretty sure he already knows the answer.

“Couch, please.”

─────────────────

It’s precarious with the soup bowls, but they manage to arrange themselves nicely on the couch. Pinecone has resumed watching the snow fall by the window, and for once they prefer that she keeps her distance. Vio and Shadow both sit upright as they dig in, and… wow. Shadow had sampled the soup before, but this? With the cheese and everything? It’s fantastic.

“What do you think?” Shadow asks Vio, whose spoon currently lingers in his mouth. Vio nods intently with a decadent noise of approval.

“It’s perfect,” he says. “Legendary, even.”

“Glad to hear we did the recipe justice, from the mouth of the Hero himself. Well, a few reincarnations removed, but you know what I mean.”

Vio sighs. “I think he’d be happy. Seeing us, like this. I don’t know, maybe that’s just what I want to believe, but—”

“I think it’s a wonderful thing to believe,” Shadow says, placing his bowl down on the coffee table. Maybe his soup will get cold, but the idea of holding Vio in this moment is too tempting to pass up.

Vio leans into Shadow’s arms and hums. “This is so nice. Thank you for getting the ingredients, and doing most of the work.”

Shadow grins and kisses Vio’s forehead (seriously, it never gets old). “How about you do the dishes and we’ll call it even.”

Vio rolls his eyes but nods. “I should have seen that coming. You’re so evil.”

“The evilest. What atrocity will I commit next?”

Vio’s gaze meets his, and the blonde puts down his soup. Shadow recognizes the expression immediately—slightly lowered eyelids, a mischievous grin. Internally, Shadow has taken to calling it Vio’s Throne Eyes. Because, y’know, reasons.

“I’d love to find out,” Vio nearly purrs, and Shadow pretends to be annoyed.

“You’re just trying to get out of doing the dishes.”

Vio frowns, his eyes darting towards the kitchen. “You know what? You’re right. I think I’ll go do them now.”

He begins to move but Shadow’s grip only tightens. “Wait, don’t—”

Vio grins, and Shadow blushes. “You were saying?”

“You’re the worst,” Shadow chuckles, rubbing his hands over Vio’s back. In the absence of a soup bowl, Vio climbs onto his lap. Shadow kicks the coffee table slightly aside, displacing a bit of soup onto the wooden surface.

On his way to a forehead bonk (or kiss, dealer’s choice), Vio pauses, glancing over Shadow’s shoulder. “Hold on.”

“Um. Are you still joking, or…?”

Vio shakes his head. “Garlic and onion, in the soup. Pinecone could get sick.”

Shadow desperately scans their surroundings for anything that could keep them where they are. They could put the journal over one of the bowls, kind of like an impromptu lid… but if it got damaged Zelda would probably banish them, especially if said damage occurred while they were making out.

Vio sighs and removes himself from Shadow’s lap, picking up both bowls from the table with an apologetic smile. “Be right back,” he says, and Shadow does not move a muscle.

“Make sure the pot’s covered, too,” Shadow calls out, and Vio cradles both bowls with one arm to raise a thumbs-up.

In his partner’s absence, Shadow turns to Pinecone, still peacefully watching the snow fall. “You have no idea what we do for you,” he mutters fondly. The cat’s ear twitches.

─────────────────

From the kitchen, Shadow hears running water and the clink of dishware. Despite his protests, Vio is still doing what Shadow had asked.

Shadow considers picking up the journal in Vio’s absence, but decides against it. He would never say this out loud, but he doesn’t really care about the Hero of Twilight’s life. He understands why Vio does, though, and supports that interest wholeheartedly—he’s been told about Vio’s long nights in Hyrule Castle, researching resurrection rituals with only the company of the Hero’s writings.

And maybe, wherever he is now, the Hero has witnessed Vio repair the mirror and recall Shadow from his dark realm. Shadow knows their situations aren’t identical—namely, Midna chose to separate herself from the Hero due to royal responsibility (boring), while Shadow had broken his own mirror in a self-sacrificial middle-finger to the concept of darkness itself (badass).

But, still. The parallels are there. And Shadow doesn’t see the harm in Vio indulging them, as long as it makes him happy. But Shadow’s not here to dwell on the past—he’s here to eat pumpkin soup, and to kiss his boyfriend.

And you know what?

He is all out of pumpkin soup.

Author's Note: Someday I will actually let them make out in a fic. I’ve written it before, but it always comes out quippy and awkward and painfully self-aware. Which, hey—at least I’m consistent. I am considering an optional side-scene to an upcoming fic where they actually do, in fact, get to make out on the page, so please let me know if that’s something you actually want to see.

Thanks for reading, and if you’re going to play Tears of the Kingdom in a few days like me, have so much fun!

#fs #my writing #vidow #vio x shadow #vio link #shadow link #four swords #four swords adventures #this fic has been in wip hell for months please just take it

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omegaremix · 6 months ago

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Summer 2022 Mixtape:

Front Line Assembly: Mechanical Soul

Omar Shooli: “Hab Isii (Hug Me)”

Iftin Band: “Sirmaqabe (No Secrets)”

Mukhtar Ramadan Iidi: “Baayo (Hey Woman)”

Musical Youth: “Pass The Dutchie”

Clancy Eccles: “Feel The Rhythm”

Days Spent: “Gaslighter”

Pure Hell: “American”

Tears For Fears: “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

Girlpool: “Nothing Gives Me Pleasure”

Funkees, The: “Mimbo”

Krigshoder: “Aktiv Dodshjelp”

A Number Of Names: “Sharevari”

Nas: “Brunch On Sundays”

Constant Smiles: “Run To Stay”

King Woman: “I Wanna’ Be Adored”

Grandmaster Caz & Marley Marl: “Punk What You Gonna’ Do About It?”

Petrol Girls: “Fight For Our Lives”

Dalek: “Decimation (Dis’ Nation)”

Public Enemy: “Food As A Machine Gun”

Catharsis: “Choose Your Heaven”

Rid Of Me: “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Les Rallize Denudes: “People Can Choose”

Ho99o9: “Battery Not Included”

Alexisonfire: “Sweet Dreams”

Snooper: “Powerball”

Einsturzende Neubauten: Alles In Allem

Mom: “Things Comes Into Place”

Solomon Shibeshi: “Endet New Negerwa”

Alchemist: “Broken Bottles”

Benny The Butcher & P. Diddy: “Ten More Crack Commandments”

Anders Rhedin: “Mediation Music #1″

Nite Jewel: “To Feel It”

Camp Cope: “Blue”

Consolidated: “Two Minutes To Midnight”

Feels Fine: “Washed Out Blue”

Fontaines D.C.: “I Love You”

Grivo: “Fatal Blue”

Mount Kimble: “Maybe” (James Blake RMX)

Lou Reed: “Street Hassle”

Nick Klein: “Tambourine Player”

Unknown Me: “Traffic (Taipei)”

Public Service Broadcasting: “Lichtspeil III Symphonie Diagonale”

Shit Narnia: “Abundant, Scattered”

Ruste Juxx & Tone Spliff: “For Every Shell”

True Blossom: ”Serious Boys”

New Mexican Stargazers: “Santa Fe Cruiser”

Pinch Points: “Am I Okay?”

The Offset: Spectacles: self-titled

Corrosion Of Conformity: “Elphyn”

Deeper: “Only A Shadow”

Maraudeur: “Robot Machine”

Daniel Johnston: “In A Lifetime”

Taqbir: self-titled

Black Dresses: “Hertz”

Beauty Pill: “At A Loss”

Raooul: “I Had Richie Bucher”

KRS-One: “Raw Hip-Hop”

Las Eras: “Frio”

Revolting Cocks: Big Sexy Land

Rid Of Me: “My Own Summer”

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry: “People Funny Boy”

Iguana Moonlight: “V”

Haircuts For Men: ”Dead Friends”

Constant Smiles: “You Are Still Out There”

Chastity: “Innocence”

Dum Dum Girls: “Hey Sis”

Slant: “Casualty”

Glare: “Floating”

Rixe: “Coups Et Blessures”

Skanks The Rap Martyr ft. Ruste Juxx & Tone Spliff: “Double Cross Ranch”

Scary Hours: “Uvalde”

Men, The: “L.A.D.O.C.H.”

Free Kitten: “Oh Bondage Up Yours”

Snooper: “Come Together”

Grimes: “Shinigami Eyes”

Hesitation Wounds: “Guthrie”

Tewodros Mekonnen: “ሐገሬ (My Country)”

Ultimo Resorte: “Cementerio Caliente / Peligro Social”

Kriegshog: “Burn”

Neo-Punkz: “If I Watch The T.V.”

Yeastie Girlz: “Sue Your Friends”

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soft-girl-musings · 1 year ago

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20 Fanfic Questions

ty for the tag @virtie333, sorry for the delay!

How many works do you have on AO3?

7, so far!

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

17,707 (that number makes me unreasonably happy)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently: Moon Knight (2022) previously: The Arcana (dating sim, pre-Dorian butchering), The Hobbit franchise (I'd like to continue this one tbh!!) potentially: the Lokiverse (mans has been in too much), Spiderverse

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

An Unexpected Proposition (Kili x Fem!Reader - 43 kudos) Strawberry Cordial (Muriel x Apprentice OC - 37 kudos) Last Night (Jake Lockley x Fem!Reader - 26 kudos) Perks of Being a Wallflower (Jake Lockley x Plus Sized Fem!Reader - 17 kudos) Unfamiliar Territory (Muriel x Apprentice OC - 15 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

ABSOLUTELY, it makes me happy to do so. I love telling writers how I feel about their works (all good things i promise). and i love when folks take the leap and share their feedback.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh golly, technically Frankincense & Myrrh (The Arcana, Muriel x Apprentice OC). bc it's 1) unfinished and 2) will deal with a lot of the post-resurrection trauma Tamar (my Apprentice) will go through. it'll still be fluffy and more comfort than hurt if i ever get back into it, but man i really miss seeing her go through it.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i'd have to say Perks of Being a Wallflower! no angst, just insecurity leading up to the ending lol

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'm not popular enough to attract the haters

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind?

i don't <3

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i feel like the closest thing to a crossover i'd attempt is something in the mcu, since every major event affects everything else in some way

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

great heavens i hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nah

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

not in the strictest sense of the word. but in the future, i plan on crediting the folks i share hcs and thots with, they've had a huge hand in shaping the world of my stories.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

the only thing that comes to mind is Matt Murdock x Claire Temple but i 1) have not finished Daredevil and 2) fully respect her for distancing herself from that disaster boy

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Frankincense & Myrrh - the Arcana fandom was spiraling when i entered in 2020, and while i love all the research and outlining i did for that story, it would take a lot for me to dive back into the game/lore to flesh out that story. Tamar Ufam you will always be famous to me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'd have to say dialogue and my attempts to make the stakes believable

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

(actually writing lol) in all seriousness, taking the time to string together the little story pearls i come up with. i burn myself out sometimes and end up not writing anything.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i enjoy seeing it! what i don't like is people going "lol no hate on my google translate spanish/whatever language" (mostly when the language is poorly applied) bc we not only have the technology/better websites to use, but real people online willing to assist with translating/contextualizing. if you're going to do it, give it its due diligence. fingers crossed i can follow my own directive on that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Cats the Musical. I don't want to talk about it.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

published: tie between Last Night and Perks of Being A Wallflower. the first 2 fics i've published for my new fave Jake, and i see a lot of myself in Reader. these two will always be near and dear to my heart. unpublished: Relic to Relic (Loki x Fem!OC), outlining that story got me through my junior year of high school. while i'd need to rework some aspects of my OC's arc/abilities, i wouldn't mind writing for these two again.

tagging @cchickki @hon3yboy @mrs-lockley if you'd like to brag on yourselves!!

#eventually i will write a character besides jake lockley with canon lines and everything #but not this day #my works #tag game

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devitalise · 1 year ago

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omg imo I could've sworn there was at least one full week left of november for some reason but dec 1 is on friday BYE locking myself up to finish my books 🏃‍♀️ HOW WAS YOUR NOVEMBER READING!! are you already in the holiday spirit are you planning on reading/watching some holiday related things to get you there? this one's rando, but do you have any favorite holiday foods/desserts/drinks you're excited to indulge in during this last month o 2023 ☃️

november being 30 days always goes by SO quickly she knows we're ready for the main event. november was a very good reading month for me let's get into the

november book wrap up

Small Island by Andrea Levy

i finished this pretty early on in novembr, my thoughts are along the same lines as my goodreads review: Great piece of historical fiction. I found parts of this so funny and I'm not sure if that was the original intention but I did have a giggle! The humour was found moreso in Gilbert and Hortense who are just so, so different to each other and Hortense's wilful misunderstanding and naivete as she tries to be a Model Minority was just so funny it was a much needed brevity compared to the heaviness of the rest of the story. Such foul racist thoughts that can be burdensome after a while, though. Yeah! I don't need to read the POV of a white British man stationed in India in the second world war ever again, actually! I enjoyed reading though.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin

reread this because I hadn't picked up a high fantasy book I'd actually enjoyed in a little while. Great! I love ASOIAF as a series love returning to a known entity. I can't find my copies of A Storm of Swords or A Clash of Kings so continuing my reread is on pause until those unearth themselves.

Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Brilliant! So, so atmospheric. Incredible translation to me, obviously I won't know for sure until there ever comes a day where I can read Polish, but I got so much of the story out of this. It was just so cool and not what I expected at all going into it. I've never read anything like it before so getting to grips with all of the quirks of the style, subject and character was its on experience.

Butcher's Crossing by John Williams

Stoner was one of my top 2022 reads, so I saved this knowing that I'd like it. Rachel Cusk coded. It didn't blow me away like Stoner did, but I appreciate these are two very different books with completely different approaches. Where Stoner is so insular, things are kind of bursting in Butcher's Crossing. William isn't a complete active character, but he's participating in his life. Really cool setting, one of the most tense books I've read which I find can fall short in books with more action but the way tension builds and builds and builds in these fraught interactions between the four men on the mountain is fucking incredible. Immediately watched the film after this, and I love Nicolas Cage as much as the next person, but it fell short for me as an adaptation and as a film, sadly! Will be reading Augustus very soon as the last novel Williams' acknowledges as his own work.

The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage

Another Western! Apparently I couldn't get enough! Not long finished this, so bear with for complete thoughts. Realised that I haven't read a book with such a sinister character in a while. Phil is sinister and strange and he's complicated, and I just really liked this book! Took me a while to get through because it is so dense at parts, but I think playing the long game definitely paid off. I love books that can make life so dramatic, all of the small stuff builds up to this big moment kind of thing. Netflix removed this film??? Will be making time to watch it this weekend for sure!

Outlawed by Anna North

3/3 with Western's which is so out of left field for me I feel. Finished it today, but on my top 2023 shelf, for sure. I think reading these back-to-back has made me appreciate the difference in style and storytelling so much more. I was a bit nervous because I've found previous Reese Witherspoon book club picks really juvenile, and whilst this is way more accessible than BC or TPotD, there's still a lot of complexity that I was able to enjoy. I love communities and found families, and it just really got me reading this book about these "women" ostracized from society making something of their own at risk of imprisonment and hanging. Thought it was really neat :)

December Reads

I'm on the Kindle through to the end of the year (10 days to New York!) so I'll be getting a couple new titles to diversify my options more. I don't have anything set in stone but I did download pdf's of The Hunger Games series which I've never read before so I might do those.

My Christmas mood started on November 1st! Multiple plays of Ariana Grande's Christmas & Chill, and I've already watched a few Christmas films. I watched The Holiday for the first time recently and found it boring :( I'm not a Jude Law enjoyer sorry.

Oh I love a hot cider! Ferrero Rocher's, stuffing, anything Christmassy really! I'm also so excited for a Christmas in New York! I have an itinerary going and many pictures to take!

#book talk #djservo

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