#despite the horrific atrocities committed by and for them

[llycaons]

shopping for postcards for beloved mutuals and realizing how much I really really don't like this city

[girlfictions]

something i’ve been thinking about lately is like. growing up muslim right after 9/11 is something i’d never really reflected on much because it was all i’d ever known — at 5, my friend’s mum didn’t let her invite me to her birthday party because i was the only brown girl in our class, at 12, my classmates would joke about my family being part of isis, at 16, my dad was interrogated by american airport security for hours — and it always stung and it always hurt but it was just the way things were because the western world hated muslims. but i don’t think i’ve ever fully comprehended the extent to which we were hated until now.

palestine is being turned into a mass graveyard. every single day there are new photos of the atrocities being carried out against them and videos of them pleading for help and still those who can actually intervene turn a blind eye. israel is claiming to only be targeting hamas “terrorists” while bombing a refugee camp. israeli police raided and assaulted a non-zionist jewish neighbourhood. israeli soldiers are posting tiktoks of them torturing captured palestinians. this is not a complicated issue and it never has been. ethnic cleansing is being committed right in front of us. and yet the western world leaders refuse to call for a ceasefire.

and while zionist organisations accuse pro-palestine demonstrations of anti-semitism, while zionist celebrities insist that they’re afraid to leave their mansions in los angeles, a six year old muslim boy was stabbed to death and his mother wounded in the same attack in chicago. a muslim doctor was murdered while sitting outside her apartment complex in texas. hundreds of peaceful protesters have been arrested (many of whom have been jewish). despite what zionists want you to believe, this is not a jewish/muslim conflict. i have so much love and gratitude to my brave jewish brothers and sisters all over the world who are condemning israel for their actions.

ultimately, israel have been granted impunity by the west. they have slaughtered thousands upon thousands of innocent palestinians. they have bombed hospitals and schools indiscriminately. they have used white phosphorus, violating the geneva convention. they have completely eradicated nearly 900 bloodlines. how many more need to be wiped out? how many more children need to be buried underneath the rubble? how many more doctors need to be confronted with the bodies of their own family members? how many more journalists need to detail the horrific acts of violence they are witnessing? what more can be done to the palestinian people that has not been done already?

i truly believe that palestine will be free one day. i believe the palestinian people will receive the justice they finally deserve. but what breaks my heart is how much they have suffered and will continue to suffer before they are deemed worthy of help. and it would be to all of our detriment if we ignored how much of a factor palestine being a predominantly muslim state has played into the way the world has reacted to their genocide.

[eemamminy-art]

I was talking about this in a server but I wanted to put the thoughts here too

I think Zenos being the way he is stems so much from Emet-selch's beliefs that sundered people are lesser. Like it's the generational trauma that made Zenos that way in the sense of Solus' cruelty to Varis led to Varis' cruelty toward Zenos, but I also think that the loss of the ancient world and the contempt Emet-selch holds for humanity is also something he instilled in both Zenos and Varis. The notion that humanity is just inherently corrupt and evil, and that people will always resort to violence and harm toward one another because he's seen so many conflicts and nations that rose and fell over the millennia.

So in his kin, that sentiment is passed on. In Varis' case, he is aware of his grandfather being an ascian and is very much like, "I will be the exception to the rule, I will be the example of mankind standing above the ancients." Except, of course, Varis uses this mentality to justify some of the most horrific atrocities a person could commit, such as mass genocide through black rose, or killing his own family members in the civil war that followed Solus' death. Varis has this notion that he's an example of a "good" human, despite doing all of the terrible things that Emet-selch ascribes to humanity as a whole.

In Zenos' case, he was groomed to be a living weapon and has come out the other side of it with this bleak outlook. If humans are inherently cruel and evil and corrupt, why does anything matter? It made his baseline assume the worst in everyone, including himself, so his apathy is all-encompassing. There is no right or wrong, everyone kills everyone and it's all fucked up, so why bother trying to be "right"? What even are "right" and "wrong" anyway? It allows him to be someone who does horrific things, while searching for some kind of purpose or meaning. I wish we had gotten to see more of Fandaniel and Zenos interacting, because I think they are so similar in the sense of wanting for meaning and purpose but being so disillusioned with the world and with the cruelty of others that they themselves became cruel.

I think long before the "would you be happier had I a good reason?" speech and Alisaie's rebuttal to it, Zenos had this curious little seed embedded in him by his encounters with the warrior of light. It's not unlike how Lyse spends much of 4.0 both hating Fordola, and also being fiercely curious as to why she is the way she is and seeking to understand her. With Lyse though, she is guided by her strong sense of empathy and the notion that all of her people deserve their homeland returned to them regardless of their actions, while Zenos lacks empathy completely and up until now didn't really think about anyone, not even himself. But that curiosity is there, deep down, and I think it is a major driving force in keeping him going forward.

You could argue that Zenos' motivations are selfish: he does say himself that he is chasing the high of battle with a worthy opponent, and I think on some level that is true. But there is something deeper to it, something that really makes him question all he's known: "In that transcendent moment, what was it that I sought in you? And what was it that you sought in me?" He's seeking purpose, he's seeking the reason for what motivates people like the warrior of light to do good, and what "good" even is. It's so contrary to everything he's known, but it grabs hold of him until it becomes an obsession.

I think it's further elaborated on with some of Zero's story arc where she's learning about empathy, although her reasons for being that way are somewhat different from Zenos, I think they are similar on some level in that they can't really understand empathy or inherent goodness. She does eventually learn it, of course, and I'd like to think if given the chance to survive beyond the battle with the Endsinger, that Zenos could have gone on a similar journey too. That's what I envision anyway.

[blasphemousclaw]

honestly i think the most that can be assumed from hornsent wearing the caterpillar mask is that hes okay with the jarring process, since it has such heavy connections to bonny village+the gaols, plus i think itd make an interesting parallel to marika where you have these two traumatized characters who lost everything to horrific acts of violence whod them go on to condone OTHER horrific acts of violence just because it happened to The Other Guy (hornsent losing his family to the crusade, being okay with jarring shamans cuz its an important ritual of his people and he desperately struggles to retain any last connection he can to them; marika losing her family to jarring, sending messmer to crusade against the hornsent without caring about his methods just so shed have her vengeance)

theres even something to be drawn about marika from how hornsents quest ends ("if miquellas redemption would quell the desire for revenge i feel, then i dont think i want him to redeem anything after all" <-poorly summarized dialogue lmao) wherein, combined with the shaman village lore, we can draw the parallel that marika didnt *want* her thirst for vengeance slaked, because much like how killing messmer didnt bring back any of hornsents people, becoming a god was equally disatisfying for marika. in much the same way marika tramples over corpses to become a god, hornsent metaphorically walks over messmers corpse to try and take his place as crusader, this time against the people of the erdtree.

it also paints messmer in a REALLY interesting light. hornsent is so consumed by revenge he doesnt focus on anything else beyond a nostalgic reminiscence. miquellas goal, as told to him, is to give the hornsent a chance at peace and to rebuild, and hornsent would rather sacrifice that to feed his own flames of vengeance. similarly we can assume marika never told messmer the location of bonny village or the gaols because theyre untouched by the crusade, despite definitely knowing where they are, and the gaols indicate that even after bonny village stopped sending jars, they remained in use by utilizing prisoners (potentially even prisoners of war+deserting soldiers) for at least SOME time before we find them. indicating that also, to marika, it was the death that was important. the fear, and the killing, and the slaughter. messmer by contrast sets up a clinic for the jarred shamans, is capable of being convinced against crusading and burning certain areas such as salza arguing in favor of sparing rauh, and has a library dedicated to the people hes genociding that stores information about their culture and anatomy (judging by the models he has hanging in the storeroom).

messmer, who places himself symbolically between the hornsent and marika to spare her the shame of being the face of the crusade, committing atrocities out of sympathy and love for his mother, vs hornsent who desires to commit atrocities out of an overwhelming need for revenge, vs marika who DID commit atrocities for revenge and desired them to never stop even if it meant losing the things she cared about (despite initially showering messmer with blessings and affection and special physiks, eventually she stopped saying anything at all about the war without grace or honor, and only miquellas prying reveals it all again, including the son she loved and left behind)

like UGHHHH i LOVEEE when characters have foils and you can use the patchwork of lore to help fill in the blanks about everyone theyre connected to

oh Hornsent and Marika are ABSOLUTELY meant to be parallels… both are on revenge quests where their goal is to keep killing and killing until every single person related to their enemy is dead. Marika has Messmer burn the Hornsent cities to the ground in vengeance for her murdered village, but most of these people were civilians, farmers… familes and their children who had probably never even seen a jar — their only crime was to be part of the same society.

Hornsent, though he despises Marika and Messmer for burning his family to death, does exactly the same thing that she did: he vows to kill Marika and ALL her kin, and he goes after us even if we helped him simply because we are one of Marika’s chosen. It doesn’t matter that we gave him scorpion stew and that I’m sure deep down he wants to like us, we were always marked for death in his eyes just because of who we are.

This is exactly the purpose of the caterpillar mask… feeling any guilt or regret about his actions would get in the way of Hornsent’s sworn mission. Hornsent having this mask implies that he had some knowledge of what the potentates did and sought out their attire for their violent rituals as a touchstone for his own violent quest. A lot of people act as if the jarring process was something the entire hornsent population explicitly believed in and supported, and it’s true that the practice is basically built into the society’s entire prison system, but the ritual slaughter and jar worship are implied to be esoteric practices carried out only by specific groups of people… I highly doubt this is a practice that every Hornsent knows of intimately and enthusiastically supports. And we know some did explicitly oppose the jar rituals; the greater potentate who wrote the cookbooks we find was disgusted by the practices of his village. So Hornsent finding and wearing the potentate mask is like him knowingly embracing the darkest, most violent parts of his society in order to use them against their enemies.

Messmer’s position in this story really is interesting because with Hornsent’s quest, he’s set up to be like his “final boss,” the guy who cruelly slaughtered his people and called them savages. But when we actually get to Messmer, he’s so much more subdued then we’d have thought, like an apathetic shell of his former self… he doesn’t even verbally acknowledge Hornsent’s presence, like he means nothing to him. The war against the Hornsent was never Messmer’s war, it was Marika’s. Messmer carried out this violence in vengeance for his mother and her village, but when Marika stops speaking to him altogether, the war starts to feel more and more like pointless violence, like he’s just going through the motions.

I won’t go so far as to say that Messmer had much sympathy for the Hornsent he was murdering; the specimen storehouse was more of a project said to be created by his fire knights who were uncomfortable about letting an entire society’s knowledge go up in flames (but chose to burn it anyway). but he absolutely has a different attitude than his mother… he feels more like her tool… used up and discarded

and lol no worries

[mendokayalways]

I think we're forgetting in the whole idea of Cassida's tragedy and the Society of Primes in their devotion to the deities despite the anti-god stance of most Aeorian mages (I know they were already discovered by the Aeor govt but beyond that) before they tested it on any god - there was a in-world theory that Aeor was going to test the Malleus Factorum on another magocracy before any actual divine entity. They were gonna Death Star a civilization of mortals before they took out any Prime OR Betrayer. Aeor's Downfall was a tragedy but that doesn't mean that Aeor wasn't a horrifying place with horrifying ideals with just as little regard for mortal life as the Gods. The magocracies in general - we see it with the Ring of Brass and how they view "terrestrials". The way when Aeor comes to "save the refugees" only people who can contribute labor/materials to their society are valued - everyone else is left to die on a scorched Exandria. It's the same folly with Ludinus who refuses to see that he is no better than the Gods because he is making a huge gamble with the existence of the entire Exandrian AND Ruidian population, he has destroyed a city for an experiment, a communion. It's one thing to resent the gods for their horrific actions - but to commit the same atrocities in a war against them and declare yourself morally superior because of your hatred of them is just fucking hypocritical.

[grimalkinmessor]

Not to keep harping on it but Death Note has plenty of fridge horror to go along with the unintentional humor and romance.

Like,,,the ENTIRETY of Wammy's House is such a fucked up concept. An orphanage where they crank out genius kids into the world by...what? What are they doing with those kids? What do you mean one of them died in there? Wait—and the second one is a serial killer? And one joined the mafia? What—WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THOSE KIDS—

Not to mention the intricacies of L and Watari's relationship. He's seen as a butler/father figure until you find out that he's an inventor/war vet who took in an orphan with the express purpose of making him useful. No wonder Wammy's runs the way it does when the og, the man it is named after sees children as tools and means to an end. And, given that L has already made them so much money playing stocks that it doesn't even matter anymore (Mr. Builds A Skyscraper To House Five People), why is Quillish still with him? To keep an eye on him? To make sure L doesn't forget where he came from? Out of some sort of guilt for never teaching him how to take care of himself because those weren't the skills that Quillish thought it important to cultivate? Or maybe even to keep him dependent on Quillish to keep functioning properly.

And then there's the horror of L himself. Not even the implications of him, but the proof of who he is and what he can do. The thought of a man with so much money and power and influence that if he wanted to make you disappear, if he wanted to torture you or hold your loved ones hostage or kill you and everyone that's ever shaken your hand he could and no one would fucking bat an eye—that's fucking terrifying. (Where the fuck is Beyond—) And, not only does he have the power to do all that; no one would question it because he's part of Law™. His every action can be excused as being part of the Greater Good, despite the fact that L himself has admitted that everything he does is for his own benefit and/or entertainment.

Light, of course, is an obvious horror—but one of the most horrific things about him is glossed over. I'm not someone who personally believes in the Death Note's corruptive powers or aura or whatever, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that, once you give up the Death Note, your memories of it are erased. All the people you've killed, all the things that you've seen, you've still seen and done all those things, you just don't remember it. There's a hole in your mind, and all that prickly, thorny mess that grew in you when you were a killer is still there, choking you—you just don't know why. Why are you so unfazed by death? Why don't you cry when your mother dies? Why are you so afraid of being something that looks like you? Will you ever be certain of anything again? Will you ever, truly, know yourself when you can't remember all the atrocities you've committed? Can you ever change and grow again if your roots are gone? Or are you stuck in stasis forever now, your mind stalling in one place in order to keep you from remembering the people you've killed?

[fuckyeah-bears]

Genuine question. What was it about Hamas breaking into homes, doing war crimes, killing civilians, raping women, killing and possibly beheading babies made y'all break your "no politics" rule to post support about it?

Condemning one side for genocide while ignoring the other side chanting "gas the Jews" is a special kind of irony.

i don't have the energy to respond to this right now. i never once said i approved of or condoned hamas. hamas is a terror organization and any and all killing of human beings is wrong. however you are listening to propaganda. most of the sensationalized headlines about hamas, specifically the beheading one have all been proven to be fake and have literally no evidence. hamas does not represent the palestinian people or the people of gaza. and yet the genocidal israeli government has decided to indiscriminately punnish all 2.1 million people living in gaza for the horrific actions of hamas. this is called collective punishment and it is literally defined as a war crime. gaza's population is 50% children. gaza is the world's largest concentration camp and open air prison. it has been under military blockade for the past 16 years. israel controls the food water electricity fuel movement of people and everything else going in and out of gaza.

this is a walled off open air prison that is extremely densely populated, extremely poor, and full of children. and israel is depriving the entire population of food, clean water, electricity, and carpet bombing them, using banned illegal chemical weapons, refusing to allow in humanitarian aid. they have bombed hospitals, bombed residential buildings, bombed people fleeing after israel told them to evacuate (but joke was on them because they can't evacute since there's no where to go because israel controls all the check points and refuses to let palestinians out, instead trapping them in gaza while there's still no electricity or water or food or any other supplies coming in.

and then don't even get me started on the propaganda israel has been using to demonize and dehumanize palestinians. the defense minister literally called all palestinians "human animals" and said israel would treat them as such. top government officials have released images depicting palestinians as cockroaches and insects needing to be exterminated. they have referred to all gazan's as terrorists to justify their massacre of them.

this is fucking genocide. this is exactly what the nazi's did to jewish people. this is genocide. this is genocide. this is genocide. i have not heard a single palestinian person directing hatred at jewish people. (which is not to say that there has been no antisemitism going on, because there absolutely has, and I wholeheartedly despise it). however i have heard them criticize the israeli government for its depravity and cruelty and literal fucking war crimes it is gleefully committing.

criticizing israel for committing genocide is not antisemetic. criticizing a government for doing horrific evil highly illegal things against international law and against literally all moral humanity and human decency is not antisemetic. it is literally the morally right thing to do. what israel is doing is evil.

there are jewish people who agree wholeheartedly that israel's illegal occupation of palestine and their apartheid and ethnic cleansing are horrific. because they are.

and don't talk about irony. israel is the biggest fucking hypocrite in the entire fucking world. surviving a genocide does not give you the fucking right to perpetrate another genocide. but here israel is. and despite everything they do, they somehow always always play the victim despite the fact that they are the oppressor. israel will always say that any criticism of them and their actions is antisemetic. when in fact, it is entirely justified criticism of a deeply awful and morally bankrupt governnment that is and has been perpetrating heinous atrocities against the people of palestine for decades.

israel gives all jewish people a bad name. because real jewish people know that genocide is never okay. real jewish people know that israel's actions against palestinians are horrific and in no way justified. real jewish people stand with palestinians and support a free palestine.

all this and more is why it is the morally correct thing to do to support palestine and take a stand agains israel

and because you asked, the reason i'm breaking the 'no politics' rule is because of the responses from people like you. so many people have bought into israel's propaganda and their dehumanization of palestinians. there is so much islamophobia that any time people hear a single critique of israel, they jump in to condemn hamas and say 'oh so you support hamas' 'what about hamas' 'so you approve of people wanting to kill jews', demonstrating the insane racist mental gymnastics they are doing by literally mentally equating all palestinians with terrorists who deserve to be killed. and this is so widespread. people and all the world governments are sitting back and watching as this happens without lifting a goddamn fucking finger. with ukraine and russia, everyone jumped in to defend ukraine and support them and condemn russia. immediately. but it's radio fucking silence for palestinne. because of racism and islamophobia and because people are too cowardly to take a stand and risk pissing off all the masses of misinformed racist islamophobic biased people who support israel. and not only are people not fucking talking about it (or only talking about poor innocent israel and their right to 'defend themselves' which is the biggest fucking load of shit ever), almost all of our governments are actively funding israel's military. the very same fucking military that is literally committing a genocide right now.

if you're not horrified by all of this, then you are not a human being. if you do not stand with palestinians as israel blatantly to tries to annihilate them, then you do not have an ounce of humanity left in your soul.

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[yall-hate-kids-tourney]

Kyle (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) vs. Cozy Glow (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Y'all Hate Kids: Screwed By The Writers

Propaganda below the cut

-

Kyle (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Cw: bullying, near-death (?)

Kyle was treated unfairly and was used as a scapegoat (a.k.a. blaming him for things he didn’t do) by his friends.

With Kyle being mistreated by his friends being viewed and used as a joke within the writing of the series. Which is something that occurs all the way until Season 4 in the series.

Why is it so funny and a butt of a joke for a young teenager being repeatedly mistreated and not valued by his “friends” within the series? A teen who literally did nothing wrong to anyone?!

Kyle never even did anything wrong to be treated in this way. Kyle is just himself and isn’t that great at fighting, yet is treated unfairly and poorly because of that.

And while yes, his friends did start to value him in Season 4, that was only when he literally near DIED risking his life for himself and all of them by nearly being burned to death from a spore storm.

Kyle deserved much better: from the writing of the series and from the characters around him too.

Cozy Glow (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

"Cozy Glow is the twist villain of S8, and a central antagonist in S9.  She starts as a normal student who is revealed to be a manipulator who seizes all magic for herself, and when she is defeated, she is banished to Tartarus where she joins up with other villains to gain ultimate power and take over Equestria, and when they are beaten this time, all three are turned to stone.

Throughout her runtime, much is made of the apparent fact that, despite her young age and sweet appearance, she is evil through and through, her age and capacity to change never even considered.  No excuse is given for her behavior and she never betrays a hint of remorse (although in her very first episode, she behaves like a normal, and even kind, kid; if not for her second episode, the twist would have come out of nowhere). Naturally, there is a good contingent of fans who also take this at face value, so you can get the picture."

"yeah the kid committed atrocities or whatever and tried to take over the world for no apparent reason BUT SHE'S ALSO A BABY. she was imprisoned in tartarus and then turned to stone. yeah she's evil or something but also i feel morally against imprisoning children in hell and stone. 

by the way discord has stated that he was fully conscious while turned to stone, so we can imagine she is as well. this kid may have had issues before but she's gonna have SO MANY MORE once she breaks out. for a show about the magic of friendship i find it really weird that they condemned a CHILD to such a horrific fate.

also, where are her parents? children don't just get the idea that friendship is simply a tool used to gain power over others and that every kind person wants something from you in return out of nowhere. there's a lot of missed potential with her character and i'm mad about it"

[the-irreverend]

As a big fan of the Fallout show (and an even bigger fan of Undertale lol), I couldn't help but notice some very interesting parallels between Barb and Asgore:

A) They love and care about their family very, very much, so much that it ultimately ends up being the reason they do the horrific things they ultimately do. Barb did those things to protect her family from tragedy, while Asgore did so to avenge a tragedy.

B) Ironically, what only adds to their respective tragedies, in attempting to do (what they think) is best for their family, their actions only end up damaging their family as they drive a wedge between themselves and their spouses. Toriel becomes embittered with Asgore for seeking to destroy humanity, and Cooper becomes embittered with Barb for succeeding.

C) Although they still fully commit to the atrocities they're guilty of, it brings them an unfathomable degree of heartache, pain, and regret. They do the things they do not because they believe it's the best choice but because they believe they have no other choice.

D) Despite wielding a great deal of power and influence in their position, it's a prison for them. Neither of them can't just simply escape or walk away. If Asgore abdicated the throne, it would mean leaving his people unavenged and without hope for freedom. If Barb left her position at Vault-Tec, it would mean leaving her loved ones at the mercy of the bombs (or worse, Vault-Tec themselves.

E) Although they are both far from being good people, they still have an EXTRAORDINARY amount of complexity and nuance, which makes it all the more disappointing when I see fans mischaracterize/demonize them.

[utilitycaster]

fascinating how some people are acting like Liliana’s one of the vulnerable teenagers the RV has recruited and not a powerful, presumably level 20 general who’s committed horrific atrocities in the name of predathos. it’s like saying alex jones is a victim of qanon instead one of the primary peddlers of it. I get having sympathy, especially for for the troubled young mother 25+ years ago, but genuinely. what is going on here?

Hey anon,

Something I've noticed in fandom, not exclusive to this campaign, though perhaps heightened, is that a lot of people really struggle with the concept that victimhood does not absolve you of wrongdoing. It provides context; but it doesn't take away what happened to others as the result of one's actions, even those actions were taken under extenuating circumstances.

Caleb Widogast is perhaps one of the most stellar examples of this in Critical Role. There were many extenuating circumstances. He was an abused and manipulated teenager. His parents are dead by his hand. These are both true statements. Part of what makes Caleb so compelling is that he is, on an intellectual level, well aware that he was pushed into this in many ways both psychological and magical, and that he was a child. He also acknowledges - truthfully - that it was still him putting the pieces together of "my parents are traitors, and so I should do as I'm told here." The story is about him finding a way to move forward and live his life, but the victims - his parents - cannot forgive him, and the campaign indeed ends with a very clear message that what is done cannot be undone.

But not everyone liked Caleb's story. Some felt he should have been less forgiving of others and killed the entire Cerberus Assembly for letting it happen. Some felt he was unforgivable even by himself for his actions. And some disagreed with him - including in-world - and argued he bore no responsibility, and, notably, Caleb consistently pushed back.

I don't think Liliana is quite at the level of Alex Jones (who is, in my opinion, pretty much wholly unsympathetic; I've read through some articles regarding the Sandy Hook defamation trials and this guy just wants to sell supplements and will do anything to do so). But yes, she is comparable to someone actively pushing dangerous conspiracy theories and bringing others in. That is, again, the thing about cults. Even if you're not at the top, if you're recruiting others, or, in the case of cults that do harm to those other than just members - which the Vanguard undeniably does - participating in harmful external actions, then you are perpetrating violence. You are also a victim. These can coexist, but victimhood does not negate the harm done. Liliana is sympathetic. She is also actively making the lives of many people worse.

Now, some of the problem is that there are people who think releasing Predathos is not, in fact, bad, and so to them Liliana is not complicit in a sufficient level of harm. I'm not really interested in wasting my time on them; that line of thinking is pretty fundamentally at an impasse with mine and as discussed previously I find it rests entirely on incoherent and presumptive arguments linked only by broken metaphors and rank hypocrisy. But moving on, I think some of the other people arguing in defense of Liliana not just as a sympathetic character (which, again, she is) but as someone blameless and deserving of endless patience are perhaps struggling to separate "it is not helpful to endlessly flagellate yourself over past wrongdoings if you have truly made a turn for the better" with "some people will not forgive you, ever, because you have undeniably harmed them, and you are not owed anything from them." You have to live with yourself; of course you should grant yourself patience. Those hurt by you do not need to do so. If someone is brainwashed by a cult and they kill someone, the relatives of the murder victim might forever hold this against the murderer despite the brainwashing, and I, personally, do not believe this is wrong of them. I don't believe it's "inspirational" to forgive someone who hurt you sufficiently badly except in the sense that it would be put in the "inspirational" section of an airport bookstore that really means "extremely Evangelical Protestant in outlook." I don't think you should hurt them back once they've stopped doing harm, but you might never want to speak to them or interact with them again and I think you are valid in that choice. I certainly believe that any forgiveness can only come after a sustained pattern of change.

In short: I think people want a very Good or Evil narrative about Liliana when the answer is "she's a victim and she's also victimizing others, and it's valid for those harmed by her or by those she works with closely to say "I am deeply sorry you fell into Ludinus's clutches but the devastation you are leaving in your wake isn't something I can ignore or, at this point, forgive." As Ashton says, the fact that Liliana is deep in a cult doesn't negate the fact that there's a very real chance that same cult will kill her daughter - indeed, they came within a hair's breadth of doing so - and that that hasn't stopped her.

[radmalenia]

Most retarded zionist shit I've seen. Cringe settler moment

Ah...wow. This response will be a little lengthy. There is a shit ton to unpack in these two braindead sentences and I won't even get to it all here.

So first off, you used an ableist slur. Great start /s.

Second, you must have seen a post on my blog earlier with a message that boiled down to - "Hamas have done Very Bad Things, and intend to do more if they can (specifically to Jewish Israelis;) and so they must be seen for what they are and stopped" - Because that's all I can remember reposting in the last few weeks concerning this conflict. So apparently you decided that wanting them stopped is "Zionist"?? Not only that but some of the most dumb "Zionist" shit you've seen?

...I'm not buying that. It feels like you're just saying bullshit to be inflammatory.

And it seems you wouldn't know genuine Zionism if it smacked you in the face. Because you just think "Zionism" is anything that says something else beyond a simple "free palestine". Right?

It's telling how people like you never want anyone to discuss anything else - you want the discussion to simply be "Palestine good, Israel bad, no other players involved and no further nuance". You never want people to freely discuss Hamas... even as Hamas harms Palestinians all the time. If people try to you call it "zionism"; trying to shut it down on the spot.

- Would you even believe it if you were shown proof of Hamas stealing trucks full of food and aid meant for palestinians? Of them shooting any palestinians who tried to get to the trucks first?

- Would you even condemn the horrific rapes and murders they committed against innocent festival goers back in October; or would you ignore it? Or dismiss the horrors they committed as lies or exaggeration? Despite all the nauseating, traumatizing video and photo evidence? Despite a photo of some of them with their boots on the corpse of a woman they gangraped and murdered, literally winning a fucking "photo of the year" award?? Or worse, would you maybe argue it's "justified" because they've "had their land stolen and been oppressed for decades" or some such bullshit?... Because I've read people say that more than once now.

And if so, you should go die; because that would make you a vile disgrace - seeing how plenty of people have been terribly oppressed and yet never turned to violently raping and torturing to "protest" it or to "defend themselves". Seeing how rape is never self defense. And how there is never any justification for rape. Period.

So! We can and should criticize Hamas. And that is not fucking "Zionism" - it's criticizing terrorists. Hamas also wishes to wipe out all Jews; if somehow they won this conflict they would carry out genocide in Israel against the seven million Jews there. Whatever you believe Israel is or is not doing; they do have to contend with this threat. Palestine needs to be freed from this mess, but its freedom cannot come at the cost of the psychopathic rapist monsters who believe they have a religious mandate to wipe out Jewish people (and ideally other non-believers too;) being allowed to enact their sick intentions.

Speaking about this is no indication of Zionism OR anti-Zionism, it is simply the truth. Regardless of whatever the current actions of the Israeli government are; the truth about Hamas remains the same - that they are an Islamic terrorist organization who has committed atrocities, abuses israelis and palestinians alike, and says how they intend death to all Jews. An organization who are run and funded by a group of multi-billionaires who live safely in Qatar and have worked with media and other sources around the world for years now to make it so that, once this happened; many people would fucking defend Hamas instead of condemn them for the monsters they are.

They've gotten people like you to talk like criticizing them is some fascist action. To throw around shameful nonsensical things like "criticizing Hamas...is a settler mindset" .

Your brain is more twisted around than a complicated knot. At best you are deeply cringe and embarrassing and are projecting that onto others. At worst you might defend horrific atrocities and do apologetics for violent rape; and therefore are someone who would be better off not wasting oxygen.

Hopefully it's just the former.

Either way, you've just made a complete fool of yourself here in my ask box.

I hope if you read this then at least it will untie the knots in your brain a little.

[thenerdette]

X-Men: The War Of Acceptance.

You can refer to them as "freaks" or "outcasts," but "The Children of the Atom," famously known as the "X-Men," have always been the "black sheep" of the Marvel universe. Unlike their fellow superhuman counterparts, such as the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Spider-Man, the X-Men are denied the same privileges and benefits of everyday life. In the biased realm of media coverage, these other heroes receive favoritism and idolization, while the X-Men face prejudice and hatred.

Hypothetically speaking, if reality aligned with the Marvel universe, Mystique could evade charges of "identity theft" by shapeshifting into any of her victims. Meanwhile, Storm, a character who can manipulate the weather, might be wrongfully blamed for Hurricane Katrina. Given her name, she could be at the center of controversial discussions surrounding every natural disaster, even when the true cause might simply be "global warming."

Additionally, Professor X, a paraplegic mutant, could theoretically commit bank robbery without leaving his wheelchair. He could use his telepathy to control the minds of others, compelling them to do his bidding. This highlights the complications and potential damage that come with being a mutant. It’s a tough and thankless job for the X-Men.

In a world where racial profiling and intolerance are at an all-time high, the X-Men strive to lives by the principles of acceptance and understanding. Their goal is to promote a message of tolerance, despite facing hostility from many humans who fear and hate them. Drama follows the X-Men wherever they go, whether it involves their militant adversaries, the Brotherhood, or efforts to encourage humans to overcome their intolerance toward mutants, enabling everyone to coexist peacefully.

Not to mention, the philanthropist Professor X, is the headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters, also referred to as Mutant High. This is no ordinary school; it even surpasses the lavish homes showcased on MTV Cribs. It serves as the headquarters for the X-Men. The students—Cyclops, Storm, Phoenix, Rogue, and Wolverine—act as enforcers against humanity's hatred of mutants.

Professor X has cared for them and provided shelter from a world that often rejects them. Their loyalty stems from his commitment and nobility toward both humans and mutants alike. Professor X is often compared to Martin Luther King Jr. for promoting cautious approaches to his initiatives, which some may perceive as naïve. Due to his ability to influence people's thoughts, he refrains from using this power in immoral ways. Many fear that mutants could control others, reinforcing the belief that they are dangerous—a notion that Professor X actively fights against.

           

Professor X’s rival, former ally, and leader of the Brotherhood, the enigmatic mutant Eric Lensherr—better known by his codename, Magneto—is a man capable of controlling a vast majority of metallic elements. Lensherr has always perceived humanity's prejudice against mutants as an “Extinction Level Event,” which has ignited a problematic “fight-to-the-death” conflict. The consequences have included the genocide of humans, despite the sacrifices made by mutants. As the saying goes: “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

Magneto is often compared to Malcolm X due to his tactics, which embody an “any means necessary” strategy. He is willing to fight dirty, resorting to deadly actions if necessary. Often portrayed as an extremist, a dictator, or a megalomaniac, he is also a victim of his circumstances. Langsherr, a former Holocaust survivor, faced the depths of human hatred during his time in Germany's concentration camps under Hitler's regime.

As a child, he endured life in these oppressive camps, where the lingering smell of death pervaded the air. The numbers tattooed on his wrist serve as a constant reminder of his horrific experiences and the prejudice he suffered. He is determined that such atrocities will never happen again and is committed to ensuring history does not repeat itself.

The struggle for understanding between different groups often arises from indifference, a theme that extends beyond comic narratives into our everyday lives. Individuals frequently experience moments of indifference or feelings of inadequacy. The "X-Men" serve as a significant example, illustrating that being different is not inherently a flaw; rather, the challenge lies in society's acceptance of those differences. This narrative encourages individuals to embrace their uniqueness and to avoid guilt associated with being different.

Many people find relatable parallels between themselves and these characters. Although the X-Men possess superpowers, their stories reflect feelings of isolation and the challenges faced by those who feel "different" in their own lives. Moreover, the concept of being different is not necessarily negative. The X-Men, despite their complex relationship with society, act as unlikely role models, representing the idea of heroism and the aspiration for a better world.

This message resonates across various facets of life, highlighting that differences may arise from genetics, religion, or culture, yet individuals maintain their humanity. Ultimately, the X-Men’s narrative reinforces that, despite their genetic distinctions, they embody essential human values and experiences.

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

In addition to not being Ainu and having never claimed to be, I remember reading some of the extras that went with the FMA manga. Arakawa sometimes went on anecdotes and during one comic she explained how she interviewed veterans of WWII when doing research for FMA. One can see the parallels between Amestris’ atrocities and Japan’s own imperialism during that time period, with the remnants of those beliefs still present in other works such as Attack on Titan.

With that in mind, I guess it makes sense the FMA is so skewed in favor of the military’s perspective because it seems Arakawa didn’t interview any of the victims of Japanese war crimes, which occurred in mainland Asia. She also seems familiar with American media, and Americans have a lot to say about how Japan hurt them first.

But the conflict between Japan and America was between two colonial powers of fairly equal standing; So I can see Arakawa’s Both Sides take being influenced by this, as well as a lack of perspective from the victims of Japanese atrocities in mainland Asia. I think these factor into FMA’s lack of Ishvalan perspective. Likewise, Ishval becomes a center for commerce for Amestris and Xing at the end of the series, and I can’t help but wonder if knowing how Japan was occupied by the US after WWII, and turned out relatively fine (in her eyes at least) influenced this writing decision as a ‘desirable’ outcome for Ishval.

The Ainu claim really is just a network of broken telephone rumours meant to cleanse the mind of critical thinking regarding mangahood's politics. I have to laugh when anyone perpetuates the "Arakawa is Ainu" rumour.

Like American and European media that centers around their own involvement and perspective of the world wars, with their tendency to soften the horrors committed by whichever nation produced the stories in question, Japanese pop media carries its own biases that tends to absolve/soften Japanese imperialism and atrocities. This fact alongside Arakawa's interviews with Japanese WW2 vets is such an important point to bring up, so I appreciate this ask very much.

What stuns me is the (potential) implication that the Ishvalans could ever be a stand-in for an equal imperial power. Despite how desperately mangahood pushes the both sides perspective, nothing in its canon illustrates Ishval as a powerful nation state on its own, let alone one of any imperial might. Yet all the same, given Arakawa's focus on the perspective of Japanese WW2 vets (so traumatized by the slaughter, rape, sexual slavery, and fascism they carried out in Korea, China, the Philippines, etc) and the horrific dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan, I can see how this becomes the bedrock for mangahood's politics. Of course inspiration and a direct analogy are two different things. I won't claim that Arakawa "definitely sees Ishval as a stand-in for xyz powerful nation," but it does seem that she mapped the experiences of an imperial aggressor eventually made to heel at the foot of another imperial power onto her fictional non-imperial victims of genocide. (The USA should have never occupied Japan, but that occupation was in many ways quite unlike the bloody, often genocidal occupations the USA has done in, for example, Afghanistan, Iraq, and its ongoing military proxy of Israel occupying Palestine.)

Keeping in mind that part of the inspiration for the Ishvalans are the Ainu, and remembering Arakawa's place as a Japanese settler in Hokkaido, it would seem that settler-colonizer anxieties and guilt is at play here too. That any animosity towards the settlers from the Indigenous populace is no less "disruptive" towards peaceful coexistence. With the added layer of imperial aggressor vs imperial aggressor (and victims invaded by these aggressors thrown under the bus entirely), the focus on the experiences of veterans from her own nation sans mainland Asian and Polynesian victims, the patriotism for Amestris that may echo her own perspective on the duties of citizenry and soldiers, and a deeply liberal "apolitical" lens filtering these matters down to the most trite, wishful perspective possible, we end up with mangahood's politique.

This explains the dogged insistence that all players in a conflict (a term that easily implies both sides as well) are to blame for any and all violence. That all wars can be solved if we all awoke to the fact that we're all people and connected to one another. If we're all capable of great harm, then acknowledging the harm done should be enough to move forward with forgiveness. (Don't retaliate, that makes you just as bad.) It's all so frivolous and frustrating.

It's such a capitalist-colonial dream, that a former geopolitical enemy (who had been ethnically cleansed and torn apart by imperialism) can be resuscitated into a thriving economic arm of more powerful nations. And somehow peace will be established in this transformation. You could be onto something, that there's a belief that since Japan was so devastated by America's atomic bombs yet its occupation by America, in part, led to its restructuring as a capitalist, "advanced" society, therefore the same could be mirrored with Ishval and Amestris. Hm.

What a mess.

[drakyions]

all i ever do is ramble about ff7 on here. but i have another ramble that's just a cleaned up discord ramble <3 thanks ever crisis for fucking me up again

anybody else insane about the fact that shinra is continuously shown to prey on literal children or the otherwise less fortunate in general and makes them complicit in horrific acts of crime and colonization under guises of unity or abuse so horrific that it's inconceivable to imagine doing otherwise? anyone else insane about how shinra constantly pits the 'lesser men' against each other to avoid any sort of rebellion against them?

sephiroth, unable to see the kids fighting for their island as simple children because he is one too and does not see why that's so messed up. children are not innocent, untouchable beings - they are capable being hurt and hurting in return, of being a weapon just like he is. they are no different than any man. it's kill or be killed, in his own words. angeal, who grew up poor, constantly clinging to his ideals of honor because it's all he has, becoming a soldier (in his eyes, unaware of shinra's involvement with him) to make money to help repay his family - and given his actions towards others, likely to help people in his situation too. zack being a starry eyed wannabe hero, cloud being an ostracized small town country boy trying to prove himself, etc. etc. glenn, a full grown adult who desperately needs money for his family's survival, is the first person to go "this is wrong, i can't do this" only after participating in the slaughter of an entire people. anybody else want to SCREAM about how shinra takes these otherwise kindhearted people and sinks their claws in them so hard they are fully complicit+active in normalized horrific acts. does anybody else think about how barret and yuffie are actually extremely important characters within the narrative as survivors of the other side of shinra's - and by extension, those who work for them - horrific actions that are often downplayed/ignored/etc.

it just makes me so sad when people ignore What shinra is actually doing, boil down wutai to a big joke, woobify cloud or zack, and so on. i am not trying to say your innocent baby cloud strife a definitively bad man by saying he willingly joined a company that's committing atrocities, im saying it's an important part of his character (especially considering how he grows!) and serves the worldbuilding of ff7 of how deeply rooted shinra's ideals are within the world. in universe its insanely normalized to be nasty against anything that's against shinra. shinra's hold is so deep that even barret gets upset at the idea that he's aligned with wutai because of shinra's propaganda despite us knowing firsthand (through knowledge we'd only get as a player) wutai hasn't done jack shit to deserve that reputation because all its ever done was try to fight back. yuffie is like that for a reason. she's a child who has passively witnessed, and at least directly witnessed once (you know, the mission zack was on) violence towards her home and her people, and is trying to cope with it and take things into her own hands the only way a sixteen year old like her knows how. it's tragic! and many people ignore the 'fan favorites' active participation or complicity in, even though it serves their character and the narrative better.

to drive in the point, the downfall of shinra isn't even due to rebellion of those it has hurt through oppression/conquering. it was set in motion way before that due to a connected web of relationships relating to personal actions done to a small group of people. that's so fucked! not in a "bad writing" way, but just in a realistic-world fucked up way! its not "evil company gets whats coming to it from Rebellion by the Good Guys!" its "evil company gets fucked over because it fucked over some specific people on a personal level and that sets other things in motion." even with our main gang of 'heroes', OG makes a point of a lot of our casts motivations being more on a personal level and that Saving The World/Fucking Over Shinra just happens to be a side-consequence of that.

i love ff7 so much and i wish people would stop trying to sanitize or woobify the darker aspects of it when they serve such an important part of the narrative... anyway tldr

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history. Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

Review:

A girl willing to go to great lengths to rescue her sister from an evil king soon finds herself working together with the king's half brother in order to stage a coup and destroy the king. Based and inspired on real historical events/figures, the story is set in 1506, Josean, in which the evil tyrant King Yeonsan rules. Known for his cruelty and horrific abuse of women and girls, King Yeonsan will kidnap married women and young girls to abuse, traffic, and use as playthings. When seventeen year old Iseul's older sister is taken to become the king's latest prey, Iseul will do anything to get her back. The king's power is absolute and to challenge him would mean certain death. Prince Daehyun has not only witnessed but committed many horrifying acts in order to simply survive in his half brother's rule. He has been forced to shut his emotions off in order to just survive... having to watch King Yeonsan's rampant executions and abuse of people... and Daehyun has been bidding his time, patiently waiting to stage a coup and dethrone his brother. Daehyun and Iseul's path cross and despite their dislike for one another, their deeper hatred for the king will bond them together as they seek to free themselves of this monster. All the while a different monster is on the loose, a killer known as Nameless Flower, prowls the street, leaving behind dead bodies and messages to the king. Can Daehyun and Iseul make it out alive or were their chances impossible to begin with? This was such a heart wrenching and brutal read, especially since it is based on real history and on real atrocities committed. I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors that had occurred. The story was a fantastic look into this moment in history and despite how hard it was to read at some points, I was absolutely gripped until the very end and was so happy with how things turned out. I would absolutely recommend this for anyone who enjoys stories based on history, heart wrenching stories, and just a good read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[ladyofthebears]

Listen- i will be the FIRST person to admit and especially condemn any and all atrocities, war crimes, or abuse committed by ANY member of team black no matter how much i love them, and that has always made me willing to interact w people on team green despite me definitely not being on team green. But unfortunately interacting with said posts makes more team green content appear on my page until the rabbit hole goes so deep that i am suddenly seeing people fantasise about castrating children and commit horrific acts. So to protect my peace, i am just pushing not interested on almost all team green posts. Sorry loves, especially people willing to have civil convos, i just cant with this stuff rn