#everyone in the world has lost their credibility

[lostbluejayart]

Cowboy Bebop oc: Niah Foxx

Niah Foxx. A twentieth century woman born in the 90's. She was one of the many victims frozen in time during cryogenic slumber due to the catastrophic gate disaster. And Niah awakens in the future to an alarming, new reality that turns her world upside down. Everything, everyone she once knew is gone. Life seems familiar, yet, life speaks to her as if a stranger. And she soon gains knowledge how mankind has taken to the stars, abandoning planet earth, their beautiful home now left alone . . . almost desolate.

Niah believes she don't belong in this new era, believes she don't mold into this new standard of society where crime and lawlessness abound across the solar system. People have lost touch with themselves, authenticity is absent, and people exchange credibility of truth for dishonest gain.

[osaemu]

when they hug you

PAIRING: tartaglia, xiao, venti, kaeya, diluc, zhongli x reader

SYNOPSIS: when is his embrace the most memorable?

CONTENTS: cursing. indirect mentions of death in xiao and zhongli's parts.

childe spins you around in his arms the second he returns home from another one of his missions. you two collapse in the snow, laughing like children and smiling so hard your faces hurt. being in his arms again feels like home — for both of you.

"haven't seen you in a while, hm? c'mon, let's go grab a drink while you tell me all about what's happened while i was gone, yeah?"

xiao pulls you close in the middle of the night when his mind starts to replay every battle he's ever been through, every friend he's lost, and every time he thought it was over for him. his arms find their way around you because he wants to know that you're still there – to ensure you won't slip through his fingers, just like everyone else did.

"just making sure you're stil— ah, i mean, keeping you safe. go back to sleep. oh, me? i don't need that much sleep. don't worry about me."

venti wraps his arms around you whenever he gets the chance. it's usually for comfort or out of laziness — primarily the latter. sometimes he'd just plop down next to you in the tavern and wrap his arms around your shoulders and lay there, drunkenly mumbling something you can't make out until you finally agree to take him home.

"huh, why is everything so blurry?! i can't— don't let me go, or i'll fall! and if i fall then i- huh? you won't let me fall . . . ? good!"

kaeya wraps his arms around your waist when he has a point to prove, whether it's to you or to the world. if he's trying to make a point to someone else, boom, your pretty face is in between his arms as visual credibility. and god forbid that he's trying to make a point to you, because he'll have no problem trapping you in his arms for as long as it takes to get you to agree with him on whatever the matter is.

"tch, is someone getting distracted? eyes up here, babe. look me in the eye while i tell you why i'm right about this."

diluc hugs you long and hard after a shitty day. he probably has a terrible headache and muscles in desperate need of a massage, but your hand trailing down his back makes everything a little more bearable. 

"fuck, my head is killing me. help your boyfriend out and give him a drink or two, yeah? or a massage. actually, i'd prefer that, love. you're the best."

zhongli holds you in his arms when you're about to leave. maybe it's to go to work, maybe you need groceries, and maybe you even just want to step outside. he always wants to make sure that you leave with a good memory of him — having lived for thousands of years, he knows all too well how unpredictable life is. he never wants to have the regret of seeing you for the last time without a smile on your face.

"bye, darling. i'll see you soon, stay safe... yes, i know i say the same thing every time you leave. why shouldn't i?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: i had a three year long childe phase </3

[g-on-ef]

Vivzipop has to make every character dumb in order to prop up Stolitz.

Let's start off with the grimoire okay if this book is as powerful as every single sin claims it is why on earth is it not under better protection ??? !!!

You would think the higher ups of Hell would keep a closer eye on it and make sure it is heavily guarded and that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands or gets stolen.

Like you mean to tell me not once did any of the sins or Lucifer caught wiff of what was going on that a powerful object was being misused to kill people ???

Not a single royal took notice that imps were traveling to the living world with a powerful object ??? !!!

Like Blitz knew where to find it and easily stole it you would think again you would think someone would've caught wiff of it if this object was so powerful and would realize it was stolen especially since it was shown on a commercial for all of Hell to see {and yes while he air it on a channel that no one watched you would still think the higher ups would keep track of their objects and at least have some type of tracker or something to let them know it was stolen !!!}

Like they made such a huge deal of the grimoire but honestly the book lost all its credibility when we knew about the crystals and when they themselves don't even care about it even if it's at the hands of a prince/royal they would still try to keep a better eye on it !!!

Now with the whole Stella and the other bird {I forgot his name} again yall mean to tell me they never realized that Blitz is using the book to gain access to the mortal world ???

Like how the freak did Striker knew about it but they didn't ??? !!! How did Striker knew Blitz had access to the book but Stella and her gross brother didn't ???

And if yall tell it was Millies parents why would they tell a stranger about it ??? Either way it makes no sense that Striker knew but two royals didn't !!!

Striker oh my baby you were such a manipulated suave sophisticated character and viv destroyed you !!!

I said it before and I'll say it again I would die on the hill if Norman was still voicing him he wouldn't be this dumb down nor would he be whatever the hell Viv has done to you.

But anyways back to the subject at hand.

The court room oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy first of all I'm not gonna get into the sheer stupidity of Stella's Brothers plan others who can articulate it better have already spoke on it so imma just focus on how Viv needs to make everyone stupid for Stolitz to succeed

Now onto the case someone explain to me why Ozzie didn't tell the court the full truth ??? He knew about Stolas and Blitz deal so why didn't he defend Blitz when he had the chance ??? Why didn't he tell Satan that hey listen they had a deal but it's off because now he's using one of my crystals ???

Like why didn't he step in like he did when Mammom attacked Fizz and protected him ??? He knew about the deal and yet *makes hand gesture at the mess*

Now let's get to the world building

Imma talk about Striker and

Listen I'm bias on striker so what I'm about to say is my personal bias !!!

My own personal opinion Harvest Moon Striker is what Viv wants Blitz to be.

from Striker's introduction he hated royals he was the first to openly mock them he was the first to try and kill a royal {I know it was an Assassin job but it still doesn't change the fact he was the first to try and kill him} and he was the first to call out Hell and how the system was rigged against him and his people !!!

Not only that but it makes me laugh so hard that people were praising Blitz for calling out all the deadly sins in the courtroom but hated Striker for doing the same to Stolas but than again Blitz wasnt stabbing their beloved bird so I guess it don't count.

If Norman still voiced Striker Viv would've given Striker that storyline the one that involved Striker getting revenge for his people and actually tried to kill the higher ups !!! But he doesn't so Viv is giving him every mistreatment she can think of.

Also Viv you cannot call your character that's calling out how the system and how two of his kind basically became what Imps are expected to be {fiz a "pet" and Blitz a sex toy} a supremacist and than have your other character do the same calling out the system and how royals treat them !!! Like lady do you even know the words that you are using or are you just calling your characters every big word to sound smart ???

Like Viv just needs to kill Striker cause at this point every time she has him on screen she is either making him dumb or making him contradict himself like please just kill my snake boy off

Striker you deserve better and in a talented writer's hand you could've been one of the greatest villain/morally grey character ever written

Now back to the world building imma be honest mastermind and the whole court trial means jack shit because throughout the show we are shown that imps and all other hellborns are treated fairly !!! {Ironically the only time we saw them being treated badly was when Striker was first introduced}

Other than that they basically are treated decently !!!

Like if imps are treated so horribly why

Blitz and Co are able to run a successful company that they have "a shit tone of clients" and sinners already know about them once they are dead ???

Moxxie was able to not only get reservations at a high end restaurant but also preform there ??? {Let's also not forget Moxxie wasn't punished for disobeying a royal because Ozzie basically told him his club only allows derogatory things to happen there and the fact that after Ozzie told him to sing about it and chose to sing about romance and basically insulted a royal by not listening to him (yall can say I'm reaching but the fact that in other media if this happened the culprit would have punish) and he still sang it even after being told no

Millie got away with hurting Ozzies partner {in other forms of media if someone hurts a royals partner they would have been killed at the stake}

Fiz was not only able to quit working for Mammom but also insulted him and humiliated him in front of a large crowd and still got away with it {even if he was with Ozzie the other sins and royals would still punish Fiz}

Tex and Fiz are able to openly date royals

Loona was able to insult a royal and get away with it

Blitz was able to book an appointment at one of the best hospitals in Hell that they even treat Royals even if it takes years he was still able to book one.

And so much more like again the only time we the audience are reminded of the awful treatment of imps is when Striker is there like *makes wild hand gestures*

Octavia my sweet Octavia you deserve better you fucking deserve better !!!

I've seen a lot of people hate on this scene but me personally I love it

Stella didn't have to look for Via she didn't have to look for Via but she did she went to look for her daughter knowing she'd be hurt and comfort her.

Sadly I just know viv is gonna destroy this relationship so for now imma enjoy these little moments.

Helluva boss would've been a great show if Viv stuck to her original plan of them hunting down people and becoming a fou d family instead of turning it into the stolitz show sadly we are stuck with this shit show for as long as Viv wants it

[ladymrf]

He is on duty in the tower, sitting at the long conference table reading some documents. Superman has just returned from another planet and is writing the report. At another point on the table, Batman is silently reading a report from the Titans.

The tablet that Tornado is using is receiving a video call. It is his personal device, and the call is from the civilian number of one of his terrors. Cassie.

"Is this a good time, Tornado?" Her voice makes everyone in the room look up from their tasks. Tornado makes no attempt to explain himself. He just moves the tablet away from him so that Cassie can see him properly. She is in civilian clothes and her face is sweaty and dirty with dirt. "I can call Snapper if it's not."

Tornado feels the fatigue in his mechanical bodywork. Cassie called him, which means it's a problem for him to solve.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," Cassie says too quickly, someone snorts near her, it sounds a lot like Cissie's high-pitched tone, Bart runs after her with a torch in his hand and my God, is that a bird on his shoulder? "Okay, so something happened."

"Cassie, what did you guys do?" Tornado asks again very, very tiredly "Send me your location, where are the rest of you? Do you need a doctor?"

"Uh… Look, it was unintentional, it really wasn't our intention, I swear, but you know we take our collective bimonthly day off, right? So we went on an adventure, that is, following Tim's parents' old theories about lost places and well, we kind of found an entire city under a part of the Amazon jungle?" Cassie says with a forced smile on her face, Tornado doesn't have the strength to be surprised "So some strange magic turned Greta into a bird and now we're stuck solving a puzzle to bring her back, don't worry, Tim is almost there, we'll explore for a few more days for fun and then come back to tell the world about our discoveries."

"My mom would be so excited!" Tim appeared on the screen with a huge smile on his face, dirty with dirt, sweaty and for the first time in months, vibrating with life "It's incredible Tornado, there's so much to see and dig."

"Okay, Indiana Jones from Gotham, go back to finding out how to get Greta back with two legs and not two wings." Cissie pulled Tim off the screen, in the background Anita appeared holding a torch, on her shoulders sat a small monkey "We called you to tell the Supers not to be surprised by the difference in Conner's heartbeat…"

"What happened?!" Clark arrived at his side in less than a second, picked up the tablet and looked at the children worriedly "Is he okay? Where is he?!

Anita raised the monkey in front of the tablet and the animal waved, Clark went white and had to lean on the table.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back, the answer is here!" Tim shouted off-screen and added quietly "Somewhere."

Cassie took over the screen with a frozen smile "We just thought it best to let you know about the change and that it will take longer than expected to return."

"Okay." Tornado took the device back from Superman's hands "The break lasts three days, how long should I wait before I come after you?"

"Two weeks." Cassie said.

"That's a long time to be away." Batman's voice appears, the dark presence appears next to Tornado and addresses the screen "You have an ongoing case with Spoiler and Batgirl."

Cassie is static on the screen, the call drops Suddenly. Tornado sighs, the oldest tactic in the book, but for the kids' credibility he says "The signal must be bad in the middle of nowhere."

Batman doesn't seem convinced, it's not Tornado's problem, he needs to send messages warning the kids' guardians about the change of plans.

[pedge-page]

I tend to stay quiet about these things because quite frankly I'd blow my lid off and melt the world around me with my fury but.

It amazes me that people can come on here and have the option to be kind to others and leave an incredibly positive impact on people they interact with, and feel good about themselves for it, but choose to be insufferable shitheads who want to bring everyone else down so they feel as miserable and angry too instead. This isn't math class. Two negatives do not equal positive.

For any newbies , we've lost some of the most talented and inspiring writers in this Fandom thanks to these trolls. The same trolls who have been here for less than 2 minutes are the ones who whine about why there isn't enough content coming out fast enough for their enjoyment.

When we say "18+ only" that also applies to people who use their adult brains. If you can't handle that a properly tagged fic that has explicit warnings about its content is stuff you won't like, the mature thing to do is just shut up and move on. When you start to become you own gestopo trying to police other people's FICTIONAL work that had nothing to do with you in the name of purity censorship rather than just moving on with your own life, you've lost all credibility of calling yourself an "adult". Idc how old you are. You're not ready for the internet. You're not ready to be reading fan FICTION. You're not ready to interact with other adults.

If you spent half as much energy doing this level of "activism" in the real world where REAL people are being hurt , you wouldn't have time to be responding to a million messages applauding or condemning you about your take on FICTIONAL. WRITING. You'd actually be doing something useful with your life. But alas, harassing writers is all you're good for.

You are not the hero you so desperately want to think you are.

And folks, if you're going "hey I'm not harassing anyone!" Ask yourself if you've left a racist, homophonic, transphobic, ableist, elitist, narcissistic anon in someone's box. If you meet one of those boxes, guess what! You're the problem !

The internet is going to be filed with things you don't like. It always has. It always will. But guess what? This is gonna be real shocker for some of you:

YOU ARE RESPONSBILE FOR THE CONTENT YOU CONSUME, ESPECIALLY AS AN ADULT.

YOU ARE RESPONSBILE FOR THE CONTENT YOU CONSUME, ESPECIALLY AS AN ADULT.

YOU ARE RESPONSBILE FOR THE CONTENT YOU CONSUME ESPECIALLY AS AN ADULT.

You picking and choosing what is and isn't ok IN FAN FICTION makes you look stupid. Like I can't tell you how fucking moronically hypocritical some of you are. It has to be a joke.

So if you aren't going to be the adult, and choose to go make a stupid ask to let someone know you don't like their thoughts, don't do it on anon. If you believe in yourself and aren't afraid of your morals, say it with your chest and your profile. Let us be the adults and block you so you don't have to see our content, and we don't have to deal with illiterate kids trying to interact with us anymore.

OR

YOU COULD TAKE OPTION #1 : YOUR VERY OWN LUXURIOUS "BE THE ADULT FIRST" PACKAGE! IT COMES WITH THE INCREDIBLE FEATURE OF "BLOCK THE CONTENT THAT GIVES YOU THE ICK WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL"!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT !?!?!? ITS ALL YOURS all YOU have to do is click 2 buttons! It's sooooo much easier, pain free, and mental and emotionally freeing to just do that instead of typing out some horseshit post or ask and then dealing with everyone on your ass! The added bonus of nobody being on your ass! Did I mention the great feeling you have about not seeing that content anymore! AND as a special thank, we're offering "guilt free conscious" just especially for you! So you can go about your day not thinking about it anymore! No muss no fuss. It's easy!

[jmdbjk]

BTS Military enlistment thoughts...

These are my thoughts and opinions. Information is out there if you seek it yourself. Nothing has been confirmed by any of the members or the company.

News media says Korean male citizens Kim Namjoon, Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook will be enlisting soon: Dec. 11 for the first two and Dec. 12 for the latter pair.

And that Jimin and Jungkook seem to have chosen the companion enlistment option. Yes, "option" because they could have chosen to go in separately.

Koreans who are familiar with how this all works, have tried to explain the process. From what I understand, the companion option allows them to serve their entire enlistment together.

They weren't forced and this wasn't their only option for enlistment. They chose this themselves for a reason, for personal reasons, that none of us can know because we aren't them.

Many speculate but NO ONE KNOWS their reasons!

According to various sources, they will be at the same training center as Jin. There are many groups doing ongoing training there. But I don't believe they will be in the same company that Jin serves as assistant trainer. Credible sources say that Jin's unit at the training center is not accepting recruits on Dec. 12 which is the supposed date that Jimin and Jungkook will enter the military but we don't know for sure. But being at the same training center would allow them to see each other when they have time.

This reunion:

We won't know for sure until it actually happens.

Many are throwing around wild speculation regarding the fact Jimin and Jungkook are the only two with tattoos and therefore had fewer options. But they aren't. All the members have tattoos now. The Korean military needs all the manpower they can get, they aren't excluding men with tattoos, they are just limiting the situations they can serve.

The options are limited (and only slightly) for them because very visible tattoos, especially on the arms and hands, would allow them to be identified too easily. This is a consideration and criteria that is regulated in militaries and law enforcement around the world and is not isolated to Korea. Criminals are identified by their tattoos. Military personnel can also be identified by visible tattoos. In a situation where it is imperative that enlisted remain anonymous, hand tattoos would be a dead giveaway for identification. I'm sure there are other reasons for no tattoos allowed in certain assignments.

The application process began months ago and is the same process all Korean male citizens would go through to be approved for the companion program.

No one is really discussing Tae and Namjoon, everyone is going batshit crazy over Jimin and Jungkook. Let them do their service in the manner they wish. None of you have any say-so in it so shut up.

No one is capable of or even wants to step back and consider the big picture which is more telling.

Regarding Tae and Namjoon, I would venture to say that after basic training, its possible Namjoon will serve in some capacity with the Defense Ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification which he was named ambassador for earlier this year. That office is located in Seoul I believe. The fact he is well-known publicly and he can speak English would enhance his success in an assignment of this sort. This agency recovers those who lost their lives in action during the Korean War in which American soldiers also perished.

Recovering those KIA happens near or in the DMZ.

IF the hearsay about where Jimin and Jungkook might be assigned after training has any truth, they are supposedly headed to this area as they also perform minesweeping when searching for KIA remains. Again, none of this is confirmed, I am just employing critical thinking...

Tae supposedly has chosen the Special Task Force of the Army's Capital Defense Command. That seems like it implies he'll remain within Seoul during his enlistment.

It's all speculation, but I think these men carefully considered their options and the ramifications. None of this was done on a whim, from Namjoon's ambassadorship and the possibilities of it, to Jimin and Jungkook's companion enlistment and why they chose that option, NONE OF IT WAS DONE WITHOUT CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. They had to apply MONTHS ago for the options they were allowed to choose. They are not the only men in Korea enlisting this year, there are tens of thousands of others.

No one is considering, IF Namjoon is in Seoul during his enlistment, he would have something in common with Tae. And Yoongi. And Jin will be discharged in June, Hobi will be discharged in October... the implications, the connections... their target is 2025. Nothing is a coincidence. They can't be working while enlisted, however reuniting briefly with friends over dinner and drinks is allowed... what they talk about during their get togethers is none of our business.

ALL THAT BEING SAID... Hybe did a tremendous job this past summer with the 10th anniversary Festa celebration, involving various municipality governments, procuring large corporate sponsors and communicating to news media in the almost month long series of events. They elevated the general public's awareness of BTS's impact and therefore instilled value and pride for their continued success.

No military commander would want anything to happen to the members while under their watch.

NOTHING IS A COINCIDENCE.

P.S.: The idiots sending in emails to the Defense Ministry are hurting EVERYONE. The level of lunacy knows no bounds with certain people. They suffer from a pathological psychosis. Don't engage, don't acknowledge.

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Skeleton slips on a banana.

All skellies except Willow.

Undertale Sans - He stays the face buried in the floor and refuses to move again. It's pretty clear the world doesn't want him to wake up today so he's not going to struggle and accept his fate. Call him when it's time to eat.

Undertale Papyrus - Papyrus is MAD. He just lost the dish he cooked all morning. He's cursing and screaming, and then he just stops. Who put that comically well-placed banana on the floor? ".... SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANS!!!!!!!!!" The whole house is shaking because of how loud he is. Even Sans knows better than to go out of his room for now lol.

Underswap Sans - He's not amused. He was about to break his record on his morning jogging and that stupid banana ruined everything! He doesn't even like bananas! He's stomping the thing until there's nothing of it left.

Underswap Papyrus - He ate a banana, threw the skin, missed the bin, took a step forward to catch it midair, slipped on the banana, and fell on his back. He decides it's enough for one day, and goes to curl up on the couch to cry.

Underfell Sans - He takes a deep breath, summons a blaster, and dusts that stinky banana out of existence. It's maybe a bit too extreme, but it feels good so he doesn't regret anything. He's a lot calmer now that he was allowed to express his anger.

Underfell Papyrus - He gives a death glare to everyone who saw him fall so pathetically and makes sure each of them knows he will remember their faces until the end of the world and that if they dare to cross his road again, something bad will happen to them. Yes, he's dramatic. But thankfully, he also has a scary face and somehow everyone believes his little bluff. Sometimes, he loves being scary.

Horrortale Sans - Uh. He's a bit confused about what happened. He was walking in the street just fine and suddenly he finds himself on his back, Willow looking him down from (very) high and smirking at his misery. He just blinks in shock, then does his best to stand up and do like nothing happened. He didn't even see the banana. Maybe because it's stuck under his shoes. Give him some time, he will eventually realize from where this horrible "plush plush" noise is coming.

Swapfell Sans - Trying to save himself, he made things worse. The banana is now crushed under his entire leg, on his beautiful handmade suit. Nox is in denial. Surely that didn't just happen. He will close his eyes for a few seconds, and when he'll open them, it will all just be a nightmare. That's when Rus comes, smirks, and asks if he shit his pants or something. It's enough for Nox to explode and throw himself at his throat to strangle him.

Swapfell Papyrus - Cool, he found a banana! He starts to lick the ground to eat it. Everyone is disgusted, his brother pretends he doesn't have a brother anymore, but Rus is happy to be in the middle of everyone's attention and will eat the whole thing to please the crowd. Everyone hated this.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He sighs. Of course, it had to happen right in front of the King and the Queen. He felt his credibility skill dusted at the same time of his enormous ego. That's fine, laugh all you want. He will come back. Stronger. With a thousand bananas. We will see who will laugh after that. He stomps away, sobbing the royal couple like the sassy queen he is, and leaves, the butt covered in smashed banana.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He stays on the floor, just sad. Why does this always happen to him? He's just a baby, he did nothing wrong ever in his life :( Ok, maybe he smashed he threw a few bananas at that Karen who looked at him badly in the store. And ok, maybe he forgot he threw bananas and slipped on one of his own bananas in front of everyone. But still, he's a victim in all of this. That's unfair :( He's going to call his brother to complain.

[johnegbertlover413]

(anon fear) john egbert is kind of mean. I SAID IT. hes kind of MEAN. he does WHATEVER HE WANTS. he has this.... normie aura...... that i dislike. jake english however is relatable and has that GYATT! so im right

SHIT UP. JOHN IS QUITE LITTERLY THE NICEST BETA KID!!!!

Dave is Dave, rose is a sarcastic asshole(that’s why I love her), Jade is a bitch. He is the objective nicest it’s even in his mspa wiki. He does whatever he wants because he is the best and he deserves it!! He deserves the best in the world because he’s such a gooood boy.

HE IS JOT A NORMIE!!!! John Egbert is a fatpilled neet who computermaxxes inside his house all day because he is soooo depressed by basic suburban living he needs to play a game where he dies multiple times and has to deal with the loss of basically everyone in game over to feel fulfilled and it almost immediately goes away when he’s on earth C. He does back to never leaving his house. But sadly john has no daddy this time so it’s even worse.

If anyone’s the NORMIE it’s Jake.

Also john probably has a fatter ass. Jake lived in a deserted island where he prolly only ate berries and pumpkins(especially pumpkins) so he has not meat on his ugly bones. But JOHN was hand fed cake on a silver platter by his daddy multiple times and day. He has a big caboose. Simple math.

Conclusion, u anon who lives in fear, have lost all credibility and I hate you and you should die.

[f0point5]

I have a question and if it’s crossing parasocial boundaries, please call me out but I’m just curious. Why did no one report Jos when I keep seeing things that make it seem like it was an open secret that he was abusive towards Max when he was young? I am Indian so I understand that some cultures do just “stay in their lane and mind their own business” but I thought Dutch people were known to be quite blunt so I think it’s strange that no one called it out. Also the more I learn about formula one and Motorsport in general is that it’s a pretty small world so for people to know what’s going on and not doing anything, how do they live with themselves? I know that some people believe that once someone reaches a certain level of success that their trauma becomes a reason for that success but it’s just so gross to me how people talk about it all. And I’m not at all trying to police Max’s relationship with his dad bc I personally understand having a complicated relationship with a father but it just makes me sad that no one protects these kids.

I think Toto said in drive to survive that all drivers are “traumatized children” so everyone in power in Motorsport knows it’s awful for these kids and yet nothing is done to protect them. I know this wouldn’t solve everything but there needs to be something within Motorsport that protects these kids like an organization or some type of limit (I honestly don’t know) bc if everyone turned the other way for Jos, who else are they “protecting”

Well, we can’t ask the people 😂 it’s actually very talked about amongst Max fans though.

I’ve got several theories on this but just a general disclaimer I don’t know anyone involved in this so I’m just going off what I’ve read and seen in documentaries, what I know about certain cultures and subsets, and pure vibes.

Firstly, I do think people tend to mind their business. My experience of Europeans, especially 15-20 years ago…your kids and your family is your business. And people have different parameters for what they consider abuse. Emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse were nowhere near as defined or understood back then as they are, and even now what “line” will be crossed before each person steps in is very different. Edit - I also just realised, people remember all this stuff now but if you think about it, they probably didn’t see the same people at every single karting race every single weekend. So Max races in Italy one weekend and maybe something happens, but then you go home and forget about it for two months until you see him at a kart race again? Not everyone travelled to every race, from what I understand about how karting works. So really, I don’t think it was sticking in people’s minds so much as it would be if they were seeing this at pick up time every day at a school, for example.

Second, I don’t know how many of these accounts by random mechanics and people are accurate. People will say stuff like “Oh Jos took him in the back of the van and hit him” or “he kept his helmet on because he thought Jos would hit him”. Well firstly, I’ve also read a quote saying Max would keep his helmet on so people wouldn’t see him cry. And Max was like 10…did anyone ask him about any of this? No. The stories of physical abuse - to my recollection - aren’t coming from people who know the Verstappen’s intimately, more people who observed them and have made assumptions about what went on. The stuff about him shouting at Max and being hard on him has come from multiple sources and is admitted by Jos and Max so that we know is accurate but to my knowledge, Jos has said he only ever smacked Max on the back of the head once, and Max has never said Jos hit him. So I kind of think a lot of these inferences from track mechanics…I don’t want to say “not credible” but I do think because of Jos’s past there’s a tendency to sensationalise who he is. He’s obviously a guy who has anger management issues, so it’s definitely possible that he lost his head a few times and was physically abusive. Do I believe this ritualised physical punishment narrative people allude to? Personally I wouldn’t take that at face value. So I’m not sure how much there actually was to “report”? You can’t call child services because you saw an angry guy yell at his kid.

Third, I really don’t think anything Jos is known to have done in front of other people was out of the realm of the possible in that environment. Usual? Maybe not. But so extreme that people were scandalised? I honestly don’t think so. I think people pretend to be scandalised about it now because Max is famous. And I think people remember it because of who Jos is, and who Max has become, but I think there are a lot of parents who get like that about their kids’ sporting careers and it wasn’t the first time anyone had seen it play out like that. When you think about how much money and time these parents are pouring into it, how overly invested in their son’s careers they ALL are, you can easily extrapolate it to understanding that all that effort being ruined or taken for granted is going to make a parent blow a gasket. It’s not right but most of these parents are not raising these kids in the “right” way. I do think seeing a former f1 driver swearing at his karting wunderkid 10 year old is something people will remember more than random guy screaming at his son who came 12th. I don’t think either thing would have necessarily raised that much concern in an environment like karting. Because I’ve competed in various things as a kid and let me tell you not all the parents were kind to their children about the money and time they spent on it.

So yeah I think it’s a combination of these things.

I also think, and have previously said, that people approach the Max/Jos thing with a very narrow view of how relationship and child rearing works. Max may well have been able to achieve what he did with a different approach from Jos, but at the same time, without Jos, specifically him, Max doesn’t become an F1 driver at all never mind a champion. For all he did wrong, he poured his heart and soul into his son’s passion and there aren’t all that many parents who would do that. And i will die on the hill that Max wouldn’t have become the person he seems to be if Jos was the person people paint him to be. The amount of confidence and unflappable self belief Max has doesn’t come from nowhere, you don’t become that self assured if you are only ever torn down. What we know is 1% of their relationship and I think even from what we know it’s clear that Jos absolutely adores Max, beyond the fact that at least in karting, he chose to be his coach first.

But I do think karting, and really any “career” that kids need to start that early and is such a demand on a family, can’t be pursued in a way that isn’t going to leave a mark on a kid. I consider growing up in competitive sport to be a bit like being a child star, in the way that it has a high propensity to greatly affect your childhood and family dynamics. Because the dynamics it breeds are not “normal”, the people who do that to their kids are for the most part not “normal”. You’re not going to raise normal kids to fo extraordinary things. Now, is “normal” the only way to raise a happy adult? No. I think a lot of people forget that.

I don’t think it’s up to any governing body to mandate how parents parent, though. At a push they could have a code of conduct at tracks for sanctioned events that prohibits certain behaviour from parents. But it’s not up to anyone but the parents how they’re raising their kids (within the realms of legality).

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

So, I may not have won the poll, but I’ve decided to continue on the hand lore anyway! I’m going to tag some people but I want to warn you all this contains heavy angst. Make sure to check the tags for trigger warnings!

Start

@daboyau

@phoebepheebsphibs

@littlemissartemisia

@foxolotlfreak

He had been patting himself down basically every second to make sure those things hadn’t left his fanny pack and then suddenly they just weren’t there anymore.

The heavy feeling in his chest started at that point.

He barely started forgiving himself for causing the first apocalypse, his brothers telling him he had no way of knowing what would happen.

Others were to blame, like Warren or Hypno for taking the key in the first place. The Foot Clan, for asking for them to take it.

Sure Leo’s showboating and carelessness were bad but it wasn’t out of malice. He didn’t want to destroy the world. He didn’t know.

But this time he did know.

He saw the worst things imaginable and knew how it effected the people he loves. All he had to do was to stop those stupid mushrooms from hurting anyone else.

Leo saw the look in Raph’s eyes when he admitted what happened. Raph insists that it was just a mistake, that con artist was grabbing at his fanny pack. They probably fell out afterwards or he took it and dumped it when it couldn’t be sold.

What Leo saw in his eyes made him feel differently.

It was similar to how he always looked at him during their missions after Leo became leader.

Judgment.

He can’t be completely sure that Leo wasn’t just being careless. That one distraction caused chaos and havoc throughout an entire multi universe competition.

Leo feels like Raph feels the worst about the little girl he was protecting at first. He was so sure he stopped them from getting her. How they got past him to the nurse’s office, he doesn’t know.

That hand is a big part of it at least though, that’s clear.

Leo feels more tears starting to come.

He’s lost all credibility now, hasn’t he?

Not just to his brothers, but probably everyone there. There’s nobody else to blame for what’s happening. There’s no way anyone else has screwed things up like he has.

His fingers twitch, rubbing his arms painfully.

He needs to calm down before he starts becoming too rough with himself.

Leo reaches into his fanny pack in order to grab one of the many fidget toys. His mouth forms a deep frown at not feeling a favorite of his in there.

So he lost it too?

Pathetic.

Movement in the side of his vision has him glance towards it.

The hand.

That freaking hand!

It has his fidget toy!

Did…..did it take the container too!?

Maybe he didn’t lose it!

It was stolen!

Hope starts replacing that burden in his heart and he stands up.

The hand starts skittering away, so he quickly starts following after it. He’s too distracted to realize that his brothers are also distracted. They don’t notice him as he leaves.

The hand gets into a room and Leo backs it into a corner.

“Finally! You’re not getting away this time. Maybe if I get rid of you the spores will go away again too!” Leo summons and raises his weapon, smiling out of pure relief.

His expression drops when the hand spreads its fingers, revealing some type of canisters between them.

They fall, quickly releasing “gas” that is all too familiar.

He tries to hold his breath and rushes towards the door he came in through. Leo is only quick enough to see the hand escape and the door close behind it.

Leo bangs on the door as hard as he can. Even if no one hears him, maybe his hands will break through instead.

Luck fails him.

He runs out of time.

The room is filled to the brim with spore smoke as, eventually, even his turtle DNA fails him. He finally has to breath.

Contaminated air fills his lungs with a large gasp.

He shuts his eyes tight and covers the sides of his head where ears might be if he had any.

As long as he doesn’t see or hear anything he should be safe until he gets found, right?

Wrong.

Horrific images flash around in his mind until he’s forced to open his eyes to stop them.

What he sees is absolute devastation.

It’s a war zone all around him. Everything is in pieces. Buildings, roads…..people. Shots are ringing back and forth, some of it looking like it’s from alien tech.

He knows exactly what the spores are showing him and it feels his body with a dread that should have been prevented.

Leo can’t move an inch.

It’s obvious to him that the spores are just showing him what he thinks the bad future looked like. The only information he has about it is what he got out of Casey JR. Admittedly, it’s not that much because his brothers made him promise to stop telling Leo about it.

It was impeding his recovery, Donnie said.

He wishes he knew more so that he could tell the loud, nagging voice in his brain that maybe this isn’t just what he made up to fill in what he didn’t know. That this has the possibility of being connected ninpo memories. That this is exactly what happened and is even more awful than he ever could have imagined.

Kraang appear in front of him.

Fear shoots through his veins. They’re not real. He knows this isn’t happening. It can’t be happening.

“What’s this? The leader of the resistance without his guard dogs? They must have finally abandoned their weakest link after you led that last squadron to their deaths. Culling them was highly enjoyable.” The kraang taunts.

Leo grits his teeth.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone!? Why is it always me!?”

The kraang laughs like he’s just been told the funniest thing in this war torn world.

“Because you deserve it. Every second of all of it! And even more than this!”

He can’t think of anything to retort. He’s so tired of everything.

“No last words? Good. We’ve all long since grown tired of your voice.” The kraang aims his hand at Leo, a light beginning to power up inside.

Fine, it’s all fake anyways. This might as well happen. Nothing he can do about it even if he wanted to. Nobody is coming to help him either.

The kraang keeps laughing the more his laser powers up.

No wonder Lou Jitsu always escapes in his more spy themed movies. Death rays take way too long to work.

He tears up.

Leo wishes his dad was here.

The laser finally powers up. The kraang smiles widely. Something red goes up in front of him.

Wait, what?

NO!

The laser fires.

Leo is suddenly grabbed and tossed away into safety.

He tries to quickly stand up, but something stops him.

Raph’s future clone is on keeping him to the ground, hidden behind a broken building where he can still partially see the kraang from before.

The original Raph had bought time for the clone to get Leo to safety.

Both of them were being erased, disintegrated.

Tears stream down Leo’s face as he stares up at the clone who stares back with a smile.

Leo knows fully well that anything he says right now won’t actually be said to anyone.

He says something anyways.

“I love you Raph. Thank you. For everything. I never told you.”

The clone smiles more.

“Big bros always know. Love ya too, Leo. Tell everyone else for me.”

Leo watches as the last parts of his brother’s clone floats away as ninpo into the air.

He’s suddenly somewhere else, but still in this future hell scape.

Donnie’s arm is around his own and Leo sees blooding pouring from a head wound. Usually it makes them look worse than they are and it’s not actually a concern but this definitely looks like it is.

“Leo…..put me down….”

Leo can’t stop crying.

“I told you I’m not leaving you here!”

That’s not his voice.

Well, it is and it isn’t.

Deeper, rougher, far more strained.

“Put me down!” Donnie shoves himself away from him.

Leo falls over trying to catch him but they both end up on the ground.

Oh, he’s supposed to be hurt too.

He sits up and tries to get Donnie up as well.

“I thought this apocalypse made you smarter. I guess you could never be as smart as me, even when they hit me like this….” Donnie says, staying put.

“Shut up! You’re coming with me! Mikey is just a little further!” Leo screams.

Donnie chuckles.

“You won’t even give me a pity laugh? I’m the funny one, papa used to say so.”

Leo desperately tries to stand.

Donnie yanks him back to the ground.

“Leo. Listen. I need a flavor. F-Favor, I mean. Favor….”

Oh.

Donnie’s not making it either.

“Anything, Donnie.”

“Stay here for a minute. It shouldn’t take longer than that.”

Leo chokes back his sobs as he begins clinging to him.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

“This might be the brain damage, but I want you to keep talking. Don’t stop until….you know. Tell your dumb jokes, even.” Donnie clings to him as well.

Leo takes a shaky, deep breath, then starts talking about anything and everything.

The night sky is clear above them both.

It reminds him of when they shared a room and their ceiling had those glow in the dark starts.

They used to lay together like this and talk all night because of their shared insomnia.

Leo talks and talks and talks, getting some quiet responses from Donnie until eventually he doesn’t.

He doesn’t stop talking or holding until he’s being physically separated by Mikey and some other resistance members.

Leo doesn’t stop talking still. He wants Donnie to respond even thought he knows he never will again.

Mikey hugs Leo tightly and he finally starts crying so hard he can’t talk anymore.

It’s all over as Leo is placed somewhere else again. He knows this part very well. Mikey is shattering into golden pieces in front of him with a big smile.

Leo doesn’t care anymore that he shouldn’t be able to do anything.

He rushes forward and holds onto Mikey’s arm to try to help like his brothers told him they did before.

A chain wraps around Leo, moving him back to Casey just before Mikey fully disintegrates.

He was stupid to try in the first place.

A dumb decision.

Again.

Again.

And again and again and again and again and-

It never stops.

His brothers won’t let him die.

It’s not fair.

He doesn’t want to be the last one left.

It hurts.

He’s tossing Casey into the portal and Leo is gone right after, right in front of him.

Leo is drifting now.

A black, empty void.

He’s even more tired than he was before.

There’s no one else with him. He can’t even be reunited with everyone he lost, or could have lost.

It’s so confusing.

The prison dimension was pretty similar to this place. It’s even more even empty than that somehow though. Probably because kraang prime isn’t here with him.

Leo is completely detached from reality.

His eyes have dimmed as he sits on the floor, against the wall. He’s running out of time for anyone to be able to do anything.

He can’t hear the shouting coming from somewhere outside, not close by but shouting nonetheless.

Mikey noticed first that he was missing and now the others are in a complete panic. They lost him once and now they’re losing him again.

They don’t know how right that is.

As the situation only gets worse, a hand watches, perched up high on the ceiling like some kind of spider who’s carefully watching the webs its made.

There’s already one prey caught.

Three more to go.

[redvelvetwishtree]

Israel can rot in hell

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Good Omens, staying skeptical, and the mystery and the lie at the heart of Gravity Falls

-Neil Gaiman, 29 June 2023

I recently came across this post by @apathetic-revenant, which goes into extensive detail about a whole secret meta lie generated by Alex Hirsch, creator and head writer of Gravity Falls, midway through the show.

It went like this: the show was very focused on mysteries, codes, ciphers, etc, and early on a character discovered a mysterious journal with an unknown author, and this drove the plot. There were clues placed in the show so that people could solve the journal author's identity, or more probably so that it would all make sense in hindsight after the big reveal. However, the show ended up with a larger-than-expected fandom who started organizing online in a way the creators hadn't expected or planned for, and they were worried everyone would collectively solve the mystery too easily, too soon, and the suspense and appeal of the story gradually unfolding would be lost.

So they took a fake BTS photo that appeared to reveal the journal's author and "leaked" it online. To give it credibility, the show's creator posted "Fuming right now" and then deleted the post soon after, once they were certain it had been seen and screenshots taken. The Gravity Falls fandom then stopped trying to solve the mystery, as they believed the answer had already been revealed. It was a solution "targeted toward delaying that group problem-solving, without actually affecting the experience of any individual person watching the show."

Ok, Good Omens fandom. Are we Gravity Falls all over again? Are we also experiencing meta lies?

Is it possible that Amazon's marketing department has just released a new promotional video about Aziraphale & Crowley's "timeline of interconnectedness" (discussions here and here ) where they honestly:

got several of those timeline dates wrong, including labeling the entirety of seasons 1 and 2 as belonging to the same year?

mixed all the season 1 and 2 clips together so they're completely interconnected and out of the order they were presented to us so far?

didn't consult with Neil Gaiman for even a moment to be sure they had their facts straight? (Or literally anyone else who's spent years working on it? Or even someone who has just watched it once while paying attention?)

didn't understand the way most series tell a story by moving through time in a realistic linear fashion?

When Neil said today that "time is fine" in response to questions about the timeline of interconnectedness video, was he trying to misdirect the fandom away from the mystery that's clearly hidden throughout both seasons (and especially season 2)?

The Good Place seems suddenly more relevant than I'd imagined:

Neil has told us that his Tumblr posts aren't canon. He's also said:

"Never trust the storyteller. Only trust the story."

"Writers are liars, my dear, surely you know that by now? And yet, things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot." -Both quotes are from The Sandman [link]

So here's my plea to whichever part of the fandom might read this: Stay Skeptical. It's wonderful to talk to Neil about his characters, the worlds he's created, his writing process, his views on world events, his sense of humor, his kindness, his compassion and empathy, and his good advice & encouragement for the entire range of the human experience. I respect him very much, and I'm thrilled he's here on social media talking to all of us. (Except he doesn't have social media, obviously. He's like Schrödinger's Social Media Neil-cat.)

I'm looking forward to all the surprises I'm certain are in store for us (and Aziraphale and Crowley) in Good Omens season 3. I trust Neil (and Terry!) to deliver our beloved characters to a very satisfying ending. But I don't trust Neil to honestly answer all of our questions on social media - and neither should you.

Especially not when he's already blamed obvious season 2 changes to the Bentley on the "lighting" (as just one example).

With lots of thanks to the members of the @ineffable-detective-agency - including @bbbitchvibbbez, @kimberleyjean, @maufungi, @noneorother, @theastrophysicistnextdoor, and @thebluestgreen for all their excellent fact-checking, ideas, and discussions!

Interested in diving further into all the Good Omens mysteries? I have more posts plus Clues and metas from all over the fandom, here.

[aydaptic]

If writers word is law and canon must always be respected then Reed900 is also wrong?

Given that Cage has said that he doesn't make games for faggots?

In the game itself it is never explicitly stated that Hank and Connor are father and son, and myself and thousands of others never picked up that they were supposed to be. Writers saying things outside of the media when they chose not to explicitly put it in is meaningless. Like JK Rowling constantly tweeting things that aren't in her books.

If they wanted it Canon, they could have explicitly added it. They chose not to.

(1/2) At what point did Williams/Cage say something like "Gav sees Niner as a son" -- which would make shipping them equally as bad -- like they've come out and said "Hank sees Con as a son?"

You've lost all credibility comparing the two.

Cage allegedly saying what you claim, to my knowledge, is nothing but an unproven accusation. Where's the proof? Anyone can throw accusations.

An author stating something outside of a product is not "meaningless." To think you can override the creator/dictate what's canon is self-entitlement. It's their sandbox, and if they want to change the sand, that's their right. The rest of us are just playing in it. It's like saying that whatever I reply in an ASK -- when ppl ask about my Reed900 Alive series -- isn't canon in my very own ficverse.

Someone: "What does your Niner do when he's severely stressed?" Me: "Singing 'Hold On' to soothe himself -" Someone: "That isn't canon bc I didn't see him doing so!"

I hope you understand where your arguments fall apart now.

As this ASK was sent less than 5 minutes before another, I assume you're the same anon, so I'll add it here not to clutter tags/dashboards.

(2/2) Other ASK below the cut:

I repeat... It's "objectively creepy/wrong to ship two characters" when the lead writers themselves coded them father/son.

Hank isn't "replacing" Cole. A man can have several sons. I've heard this ridiculous argument so many times and it boggles the mind that ppl still use it. My big brother didn't cease to exist when I was born.

Just bc you need them to state so in-game doesn't mean it's not canon. The world doesn't revolve around you. Just as the world doesn't revolve around me. Ppl have different opinions/takes on many things. To demand everyone think the same is to erase individuality.

Clancy Brown isn't a lead writer. He's an actor. Neil Newbon has said plenty of things himself about Gav/Elijah. Those are their own fanon headcanons of the characters they played. Not objective facts. The only objective fact about Gav that Neil has talked about, as far as I'm aware, was when Neil said he and Cage agreed the nose scar was recent. It's also proven by the scar being red still and not white/healed.

If you have more to say -- as I don't wanna clutter the tags/dashboards with ASKs talking about the exact same thing -- do it in the replies.

[rpmemecollection]

Emilie Autumn's Fight Like A Girl Sentence Prompts

A series of prompts taken from Emilie Autumn's 2012 album F.L.A.G, possible nsft content, trigger warnings for suicide, self-harm, ableism, and sexual assault. Change bits and bobs as needed.

01 Fight Like A Girl

❝My heart is a weapon of war.❞ ❝My voice is my weapon of choice.❞ ❝An eye for an eye, a heart for a heart, a soul for a soul.❞ ❝We fight for our dream, we fight to the death, we fight for control!❞ ❝There is no such thing as justice. All the best that we can hope for is revenge.❞ ❝A hostile takeover, an absolute rebellion to the end.❞ ❝I'm giving you a head start, you're going to need it.❞ ❝I'll get my revenge on the world or at least 49% of the people in it.❞ ❝If I end up with blood on my hands, well, I know that you'll understand.❞ ❝We are under attack.❞ ❝What is the body count? I've lost track.❞ ❝If nobody's mentioned how this will end then I will be the first.❞ ❝There are more of us than there are of you so show me your worst!❞ ❝It's so easy to kill. This I learned by watching you.❞ ❝If I have to, I will It's not pretty but it's true.❞ ❝I am through lying still. Just a body to be beaten, fucked and, if I'm lucky, left for dead.❞ ❝No mercy, it's a bit too late.❞ ❝Don’t run, don't hide, don't wait.❞ ❝If we've got no honor then we've got no shame.❞ ❝If it's in self-defense then we will take no blame.❞ ❝Even if you're only a boy you can fight like a girl.❞ ❝I'll get my revenge on the world.❞

02 Time For Tea

❝Hatchet? Check! Scalpel? Check! Rusty steel syringe? Check!❞ ❝It's time for war!❞ ❝It's time for blood!❞ ❝It's time for tea!❞ ❝One day that little girl may find a filthy metal spike and drive it right in the middle of your forehead.❞ ❝But for you, the game is over. This is revolution!❞ ❝We've got the tools, we've got the time to punish a most worthy crime against humanity.❞ ❝Somewhere it's always time for tea.❞ ❝We've been trained by the very best. We think you just might be impressed!❞ ❝Revenge is a dish that is best served now!❞ ❝We've been trained by the very best.❞

04 What Will I Remember?

❝What will I remember?❞ ❝What will I forget?❞ ❝When this life is ended and gone, what will I regret?❞ ❝If tomorrow, I don't wake up, what happens?❞ ❝If I never were born, if I never died, would it even matter at all?❞ ❝What should I decide?❞ ❝I always imagined I'd mean something to someone. If I won't, least I tried.❞ ❝When my body suffers, when to breathe is pain. Is it really madness to think of breaking this chain?❞ ❝Where's my second chapter? Or will the first also be my last?❞ ❝Is my story over?❞ ❝If I fall asleep? Would anybody find me and would anybody weep?❞ ❝I can't even pretend I care but songs I'll never sing. Well, that means something.❞ ❝Yes, that means something.❞

05 Take The Pill

❝Take the pill or you'll be sorry.❞ ❝Take this bloody pill and make it quick.❞ ❝You no longer rule your body. You no longer own those rights.❞ ❝You will wake up when we say so you will sleep when we shut out the lights.❞ ❝Enjoy your stay because you can't run away.❞ ❝Get back in line. You'll be just fine.❞ ❝That's all you have to lose? Ha! That's funny.❞ ❝Don't you want to be sedated? Don't you want to ease this pain?❞ ❝We are not happy with your progress, you're not yet considered sane.❞ ❝We know your tricks, we're on to you.❞ ❝We know exactly what you'll do.❞ ❝Your accusations are a joke. Your credibility is shot.❞ ❝Just keep your eyes down and your mouth shut. That's the only choice you've got.❞ ❝Who would you believe?❞

06 Girls! Girls! Girls!

❝Step right up, we bring to you the finest entertainment!❞ ❝I am pleased to be your humble servant!❞ ❝Step right up, we've something here for everyone's enjoyment.❞ ❝I do this as a gift, not for employment.❞ ❝If you're willing to be thrilled, this is a hell of a ride!❞ ❝Some of them are really quite attractive, as you'll see and some are truly hideous, I'm sure that you'll agree.❞ ❝Others still look rather quite a lot like you and me but you mustn't let them fool you.❞ ❝So grab another cup of tea, and follow me.❞ ❝Now, has anybody any clever questions for your guide? For a penny more, go on and ask we have nothing here to hide.❞ ❝Are they born with this disease, or is it something they contract?❞ ❝Has any patient ever been released? Would you send her home if her bizarre behavior were decreased?❞ ❝While they may pretend propriety, we'll never let them loose!❞ ❝They're half price after four o'clock, so toss us a dime!❞ ❝Some are born mad, some achieve madness, and some have madness thrust upon them!❞ ❝For a little extra on the side, we can arrange for a slightly more intimate encounter, wink wink!❞ ❝We've got pills for depression, obsession, aggression, possession, indiscretion–there's a bloody pill for everything nowadays!❞ ❝This seems just a bit inhumane.❞ ❝You see, they're really more like animals than people which has been proven haven't any souls at all.❞ ❝The only bits that aren't inferior are bosom and posterior.❞ ❝They won't bite. Well, they might.❞ ❝They don't recall the taste of freedom.❞ ❝If you haven't got a dime, toss us your pearls.❞ ❝I've got a lot more words to say but I just can't make them rhyme.❞ ❝This is what comes of over-educating.❞ ❝Certainly, there's no debating some we just find fascinating.❞ ❝Get your money out! We're waiting!❞

07 I Don't Understand

❝Let me take your picture.❞ ❝Is that a camera?❞ ❝I don't understand.❞ ❝What are all these bruises?❞ ❝These lacerations… may I look?❞ ❝Would you allow me to place these flowers in your hair?❞ ❝Should we hide the scar?❞ ❝The scar is beautiful. It's like a heart.❞ ❝Is it ever over? Will never end?❞ ❝This obsession is madness at its most perverse.❞ ❝My God, what in the world could be the purpose of this game when every time it ends the same?❞ ❝Poor Shakespeare's turning in his grave!❞ ❝No! No, that's perfect! Don't move an inch, that's far more real.❞ ❝I've never seen a face like hers, the world should look upon it.❞ ❝She's done more than she knows.❞ ❝I haven't heard those words in years.❞ ❝Why must she be chained? I don't understand.❞

08 We Want Them Young

❝We want our freedom from this prison.❞ ❝Help us! Please let us out!❞ ❝I should be home by now, someone will come for me.❞ ❝You’re difficult, we are the solution.❞ ❝God, didn’t you know? Didn’t you think? Didn’t you see? Fool!❞ ❝Let us relieve you of your burden, from the fear you’re living in.❞ ❝Protect yourselves from their corruption, from their wickedness and sin.❞ ❝It’s far too crowded in this cell!❞ ❝We are not living — we’re in hell!❞ ❝When will the tables finally turn? When will they fall?❞ ❝When will they burn?❞

09 If I Burn

❝I could explain, I could use rhymes and rhythms meant to catch your eye but I know you won't see.❞ ❝I don't care, maybe I'm afraid but still, I swear.❞ ❝If I burn you will see the fire in your mind when you sleep.❞ ❝If I rise up in smoke around your eyes, you'll know it's me.❞ ❝The rain won't wash away the ashes underneath your nails today.❞ ❝Doesn't matter where you go or what you do, because if I burn, so will you.❞ ❝I could bargain, but I'd lose.❞ ❝Yes, I could beg you to be merciful and set me free.❞ ❝I could threaten you with hell or I could promise not to tell.❞ ❝You could take my life with conscience clear.❞ ❝Cause if I burn, so will you.❞ ❝When you sleep, you'll feel my icy fingers crawling down your back.❞ ❝When you wake, you'll find me right beside you, waiting to attack.❞ ❝When you walk, I will be right behind you, quickening my steps.❞ ❝When you try to shut me out, I will be laughing in your head.❞ ❝Oh, I'll be there, maybe I'm afraid but still, I swear.❞ ❝You will see the fire in your mind when you sleep.❞ ❝There are two sides to every story. Except for this one!❞ ❝It's not over till it's over and it's never over.❞ ❝You can break me, death can take me, but it's never over.❞

10 Scavenger

❝I am a scavenger and I'll take what I need.❞ ❝This isn't personal, we've all got mouths to feed.❞ ❝Yes, I enjoy my work, I'm a perfectionist.❞ ❝One man's trash is another's treasure.❞ ❝One man's cash buys another's pleasure.❞ ❝I'll rob from the cradle, and I'll rob from the grave.❞ ❝It's just human traffic, and I'm just a slave to the medical community, they gave me my start.❞ ❝They pay by the part, so I'll throw in the heart.❞ ❝I am a scavenger a vulture, if you will.❞ ❝If the price is right, I'm not adverse to kill.❞ ❝It isn't your diamonds that I'm after but I'll take 'em.❞ ❝It isn't your kisses that I'm here for but I'll take 'em.❞ ❝Why would we waste them?❞ ❝Why shouldn't I taste them?❞ ❝There's always one door that you forget to lock and I will be waiting.❞ ❝There's always one street that you know you shouldn't walk and I will be waiting.❞ ❝I will be waiting.❞

11 Gaslight

❝We’ve tried to fight this, but we can never win.❞ ❝If it’s like last night, this could be my last breath.❞ ❝I hold tight to any hands I see but nothing’s alright; they’re always watching me.❞ ❝No one’s coming, coming to take me home.❞ ❝When the guard comes to take me away I will be tortured until the break of day.❞ ❝Nothing’s alright; they’re always watching me and no one’s coming to take me home.❞ ❝He’s always looking down as we are beaten.❞ ❝How can this fucking town not know what’s happening to all their little girls?❞ ❝I am dreaming of joys I’ve never known.❞ ❝At least I’m breathing, at least I have my wits.❞ ❝We try our best though to quiet down the fuss.❞ ❝We know tomorrow it could be one of us.❞

12 The Key

❝The key that murdered any freedom I once had is offered to me now, can this be but a dream?❞ ❝The key that locked us in is now what sets us free.❞ ❝The inmates have emerged and now they look to me. To lead them to the light, to lead them to the door.❞ ❝I’ve nothing left to lose.❞ ❝They only know that we were free and now we’re not.❞ ❝What happens next, I cannot possibly explain.❞ ❝Suddenly, I know what must be done. There can be no one left alive, they all must die if we are to survive.❞ ❝It’s time to show our strength. It’s time that we unite.❞ ❝It’s time to change the game.❞ ❝It’s time we learn to fight.❞ ❝It’s time this house is ours. It’s time we take it back.❞ ❝It’s time for bloody war! It's time for the attack!❞

13 Hell Is Empty

❝Hell is empty and all the devils are here!❞

15 Goodnight, Sweet Ladies

❝You lie but sleeping. Someday we will meet again.❞ ❝You’re not forgotten, eternal night can’t fade your memory, dim your light.❞ ❝You’ve made a difference, you’ve won your fight.❞ ❝We lift our branches, and though we weep, no death could conquer you, only sleep.❞ ❝Goodnight, sweet friends.❞ ❝No death could conquer you, only sleep.❞ ❝Let no voice falter, let die no flame. Let all remember your every name. Let faces turn to the starry sky. Let songs be sung ’til our throats are dry.❞ ❝Let no voice falter, let die no flame.❞ ❝Let all remember your every name.❞ ❝Let faces turn to the starry sky.❞ ❝Let songs be sung ’til our throats are dry.❞ ❝Never let me sleep.❞ ❝Like a frightened child I run from the sleep that never comes.❞ ❝Under the arches of moonlight and sky, I close my eyes and pray for the garish light of day.❞

16 Start Another Story

❝Start at the beginning, finish at the end.❞ ❝Everything you'll tell them is true. Nothing is pretend.❞ ❝But when you long to come running back, remember this is now, that was then.❞ ❝Yesterday will find you where you've been before.❞ ❝Let the past remind you what's done. Now, look for something more.❞ ❝There's a place I can almost see before us.❞ ❝Never if, only when.❞ ❝Start another story, tell it as you go.❞ ❝Make a happy ending or sad, tell it how you know.❞ ❝Just remember, a day gone by is never really gone if your tale goes on.❞

17 One Foot In Front of the Other Foot

❝How did I get myself into all of this mess?❞ ❝How did I come to this, where every song I sing is nothing but a list of pain and suffering?❞ ❝We never will forget, and no, we will not forgive.❞ ❝We've fought hard not to die, yet we don't know how to live.❞ ❝How do we change our world to what we want it to be?❞ ❝How do we move beyond all of this misery?❞ ❝One foot in front of the other foot.❞ ❝I've been in chains since I was nothing but a kid.❞ ❝We don't know freedom, not quite sure that we ever did.❞ ❝I used to have a home, now I don't even have a name.❞ ❝I'm nothing but a number, here we are all the same.❞ ❝We've lost so much, so many of those we love are dead.❞ ❝How do I get these memories out of my fucking head?❞ ❝How do we bear this burden, far too much to carry?❞ ❝How do we change our prison to a sanctuary?❞ ❝We've been kept from the light, no one ever gave a damn.❞ ❝If I've no one to fight, how do I know who I am?❞ ❝We waged a war with hell, and look, we still survive but just because we live does not mean that we're alive.❞ ❝We've won the final round, but how to enjoy the win when we've been broken down, and we'll never know what could have been?❞ ❝Heaven help us, where do we begin?❞

[harry-sussex]

I don’t know why I am surprised. I feel like I have been getting glimpses of the true Meghan (whom I loved) since Oprah. But for her to confirm this in such a vague way that she can wiggle out of it later if it serves her purpose it so fucking disgusting. Like I am genuinely disgusted. And where the hell is Harry? If this is all true why isn’t he the one confirming as it supposedly happened in front of him (I think. The story keeps changing)? To do this to Kate and Will (and Charles)…he must truly be so filled with bitterness and hate…I just…can hardly fathom it. It’s just so horrible.

I said all of this just about word for word to Vanessa and Arantxa last night. You and I are so on the same page - for some reason, I am also surprised, but you’re right, neither of us should be at this point. I loved her - I loved her so so so so much - I bought a dress from her SmartWorks collection, I have the cookbook, and I have the denim J Crew dress she wore to Wimbledon because I adored her and I idolized her. I flew to England alone to join their wedding festivities! I held onto that feeling for SO LONG (way longer than I should have, way longer than any of the other rational Harry girls out there) and now she has broken my heart in a way I never could’ve fathomed. There were some hmmm moments in the earlier years but they were so minor that it wasn’t enough to change the fact that I loved her anyway - everyone can vouch for it. I LOVED her. The slightest of shifts started with Oprah but I was firmly in their camp for months afterwards until it started getting really bad. Even then, I didn’t really see it in full until it kept going and going and going, culminating in Endgame. It’s over, my friend. It’s so, so over.

God, we were so blind. I know I was. Rose colored glasses. I loved her! I loved loved loved her! There was so much potential! They could’ve taken over the world! I always say “how much worse can it get?” and somehow it always does! You’re 100% right - they can’t keep it straight! How can you believe it even happened when one day this “person” said it to Harry himself, and the next day it was to Meghan, and then the next day he heard it through the royal household grapevine, and then the next day it’s blatant racism, and then the next day it’s a subtle unconscious bias that is perfectly forgivable with some education, and the next day it’s “I never said that, the media just manipulated my words and ran with it,” and then the next day and the next day and the next… It’s hard to believe any of this nonsense even happened because there have been 15 different stories! It’s even harder to believe that they’re blaming Charles and Kate! Everything they’ve said since they’ve started talking completely contradicts what Omid wrote! And this applies to literally everything! Not just this, but with so many other things! Nothing ever lines up - nothing ever makes sense - it’s all so fake! WHO in their right mind could possibly believe any of it when the story changes every day?

Falling out of love with her has broken my heart - but now, it’s inevitable. How can I continue to defend this? How can I continue to grasp at straws trying to understand their POV when it changes every 20 minutes? I still believe that they suffered so, so much but the details are so hard to believe. The worst part? They could both literally pass a lie detector test because they’re so convinced that they’re right - they cannot see how much they contradict themselves or how, every time they speak, they lose a bit more credibility! They’re so clearly doing this for attention because nobody in their right mind believes them anymore! How could you? There’s no credibility left! The well has run dry! They’re convinced that they are “speaking their truth” but they’re lying at every turn - maybe one version of the story is the truth, but who the hell knows? Only a maximum of one story can be true but there are 15 stories for everything! God, I have lost every ounce of idolatry I once had for her and realizing it after all this time hits like a freight train.

The way Meghan went about this is literally nauseating - it’s all to grab the headlines (and, hence, the almighty dollar) while still being able to rescind and avoid a lawsuit. Omid too, he’s not innocent. They both know EXACTLY what they’re doing.

And you and I are thinking about what nobody else seems to be - where the HELL is Harry? What the fuck is he thinking? Which one of them is really doing the talking? Yesterday’s leak from the Sussex camp about “not intending to name names” quoted Meghan only - not a word about Harry. It’s his family! His father, brother, sister-in-law! Why isn’t he owning this as much as Meghan and Omid are? Not for nothing, Omid doesn’t even sound like he believes what he wrote - it sounds like he just regurgitated whatever bullshit he heard from the Sussex camp. WHY ISN’T HARRY TALKING? Why isn’t he defending his wife? Is he hiding in a basement somewhere (or, god forbid, a hotel) waiting for the storm to pass - until it comes time to ruffle the waters yet again? What is their goal? What is their LITERAL endgame? Will it continue forever? When will it stop? How far does it have to go before someone, anyone - the Waleses, the King and Queen, the media, Harry himself - forces it to stop? What the literal fuck is going on?

[ajpendragon]

Humanity

“What did you do?”

“Hi, Scott. Good to see you too.” John replied mildly, eyes never leaving the screen in front of him.

“Nope! You’re not getting out of this.” Scott narrowed his eyes at his brother, staring him down with the full force of the Tracy glare. “What did you do?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific. I’ve done a lot of things today. I brushed my teeth, ate breakfast, worked on-“

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“He deserved it, Scott. His foolish incompetence put you and Alan in danger, and injured Virgil. If he can’t be wise with his money, he doesn’t deserve to have it.”

“No, John. We can’t do that. We don’t decide who deserves it or not. That’s a betrayal of everything that International Rescue stands for. We’re the ones who save people, not arbitrate justice.”

“Betrayal? I’m the one betraying the family? No, Scott. It’s not me. The only one betraying the family is the one who continues to send his brothers into danger because he refuses to make a hard choice. I’m making things safer for our brothers, for the world. He doesn’t deserve that money. I left him enough to live off of, assuming he doesn’t waste it, but most of it went to people who needed it. People who won’t actively make our lives harder with their own stupidity.”

“Put it back, John. We can’t do that. We cannot stand as judge, jury and executioner.”

“I will not. I refuse to continue to stand by and allow him to endanger our family. I thought you would understand, Scott, but I should have known you wouldn’t. You never did like to make the hard choices. At least this family has someone willing to.”

John cut the call abruptly, leaving Scott to stew. As soon as the hologram flickered out, he turned to look at the figure floating in the corner.

“Was that sufficient?”

“We’ll see. If that wasn’t enough to get your big brother to come up here, I’m not sure what will. You’d better hope he’s mad enough to come up here and yell at you, or we’ll test just how long you can last floating out in space without oxygen.”

******************************************

Scott was furious, storming through the house down to the hangers. John had completely lost it. Sure, they had all thought about it a time or two, but thinking was as far as it got. It was as far as they could let it get.

They were not the law. They were not the deciders of right and wrong. They couldn’t be. It would destroy any credibility IR had. They saved everyone they could. They didn’t pick and choose who was worthy of their help. That betrayed the very idea of International Rescue.

A quick change into his uniform, and he was firing up the engines on Three. The elevator would have been faster, but he knew John wasn’t going to send that down for him right now. The rocket launched, pushing him back into his seat as it accelerated though the atmosphere and into space.

Thunderbird Five floated serenely, the calm showing no sign of the storm approaching. The commander was coming, and he was not happy.

He docked Three onto Five’s access port, waiting impatiently for the seal to pressurize before storming onto the space station.

“Hello, Scott.” His brother greeted him, seeming unsurprised to see him. “How can I help you?”

“You know exactly what-” Scott shot back angrily, before cutting off abruptly upon realizing that they weren’t alone.

“Hello, Mr. Tracy.” The Hood greeted him, the gun in his hand shifting to Scott. “So nice of you to join us. Your brother knew just how to get you to come.”

The betrayal in Scott’s eyes cut John deeply, but he stood firm. He had his reasons, even if his brother couldn’t understand. “It wasn’t hard.” He said, his voice as smug as he could make it. “You’re quite predictable, Scott. Always going on about responsibility and honor and watch-“ John stumbled over his words for a moment before resuming. “And all that. It doesn’t take much work to outthink you.”

Scott swallowed heavily. John’s words hurt, as he knew they were intended to. His brother was too smart to say something he hadn’t thought through. John was the best communicator in the family, which meant that he could cut someone to ribbons with only his words without even breaking a sweat.

Wait a second! John never misspoke. He thought about every word that came out of his mouth, which means…

Scott turned back to his brother, watching more closely. “Maybe I am predictable. Maybe I am just as stupid as you seem to think I am.” He forced the cutting words out of his mouth, trying to distract the Hood from the brisk tapping of John’s finger against his leg. Morse code! “Even if I am stupid, at least I’m not taking the law into my own hands.”

H-O-L-D. H-E-L-M-E-T. O-N.

“At least I haven’t decided that I can chose what’s right and wrong.”

Scott leaned back against the wall behind him, subtly looping his arm through the handle behind his back, and gripping his helmet tightly, ready to move. He could see John doing the same.

“At least I haven’t spent so long in space that I’ve forgotten my humanity.” He was shouting now, keeping the focus on him as much as possible. “At least I still act like a Tracy.”

His voice drowned out John’s whispered commands, and they both jammed their helmets on simultaneously. Then the only thing he could hear was the rushing of wind as the wall suddenly retracted, sending the Hood hurtling off into space.

The force tried to pull him out too, and he could see John fighting to hold on as well. He gripped tightly, watching as the Hood drifted off, before his ship suddenly appeared in front of him and he pulled himself into the airlock. The ship quickly disappeared out of sight.

The wall of the space station slid back into place, and the room quickly filled with oxygen again. At EOS signal, both brothers removed their helmets, looking guiltily toward each other.

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t mean any of it.”

They reached towards each other, clasping each other in a rare hug. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah.” Scott agreed. “But not here. Let’s go home.”

John followed him back onto Three, settling himself into the copilot’s seat as they pulled away from the space station. The ride home was silent, both of them retreating deep into the safety of their own minds, neither ready to talk yet.

******************************************

A short time later, both of them were sitting on the deck outside Scott’s bedroom, glasses in hand. They sat in silence for a while, trying to process the day.

John broke the silence first. “I’m sorry.” He said quietly. “I didn’t know what to do, so I made a call, and it was the wrong one. I should have figured it out on my own. I should never have upset you like that.”

“You did nothing wrong.” Scott shot back promptly. “You were put in an impossible situation, and you managed to get everyone involved out safely. I won’t lie and say what you said didn’t hurt, but I understand why you did it. I did the same thing to you. And some of what I said I don’t have any excuse for. I was angry at you, and I said horrible things I didn’t mean.”

“I know. I understand why you said it. I understand why you were mad. I was trying to make you mad, so I can’t really blame you.” John took a long drink, draining his glass in an attempt to regain his composure. “I think I’m going to turn in. It’s been a long day.” He set his glass down, unfolding his long legs as he pushed himself to his feet. “Goodnight, Scott.”

Scott set his glass down next to his brother’s, following him into the room. “Stay?” He asked softly. “It’s been a long day for both is us, and I think we could both use the company.”

John thought for a moment, before dropping down heavily on the bed. “Okay.”

He conceded. He threw back the comforter and climbed in, saving room for his big brother to climb in after him. They settled in the dark, neither truly ready for sleep despite what they had claimed.

“Was there any truth in it?” John asked, so quietly that Scott almost didn’t hear him.

“In what?”

“In what you said about me. That I’ve spent so much time in space that I’ve lost my humanity. That I’m not really a Tracy anymore.”

Scott sat up, dragging his brother up to look at him. “There was not a word of truth in any of it. I said what the Hood wanted to hear, but I didn’t mean a word of it. You are the best of us, John. You hear the worst the world has to offer every day, and you still remain strong. You know just how to help, how to keep people calm and focused. You have not lost your humanity, John. You help the rest of us keep ours.”

There were tears dripping from John’s eyes by the time Scott was finished speaking. Scott wrapped his brother in a hug, holding him close until John calmed somewhat. “I’m sorry for everything I said. Humanity doesn’t deserve you. I’m so proud of all that you’ve done, John. Nothing you could ever do would change that.”

They settled back down into the bed, Scott keeping his arms wrapped around his brother. They weren’t okay, not really. They had both said such hurtful things that they would remember in the dead of night. When the adrenaline wore off, they would feel the effects of their near-death experience. But for now, the assurance that they were together, alive, was good enough.

******************************************

Scott shot awake in the middle of the night, startling his brother from his sleep next to him. “We have to give Fishler his money back!” He cried.

John settled back down, closing his eyes again. “I never took it.” He said smugly. “I set it up so it would look like I did, but I didn’t touch it.” He assured his brother, already back asleep.