#failing german core

[thanatosisactuallythanatoes]

lowkey reading fanfiction in a non-english language is so weird. like i’m reading fanfic in german in an attempt to jupmstart my brain into comprehension before school starts back up and it’s literally the same four people over and over/ shout out to the homies keeping the german bnha fanfic community alive.

[necronomeconomicism]

Ok gotta talk about it.

As a Jewish historian, I fucking hate Israel in ways most probably will never be able to comprehend. I'm going to try and explain it anyways. The central creation myth of Israel is that it is Jewish, and then consequently, that Israel is a part of Jewishness. Its easy to simply state this is false, but fully comprehending this and putting it into practice in thought and deed seems rare to me.

The evil at the heart of this violence predates the recent acceleration of genocide. Israel is a colony, and more than that, an antisemitic fraud itself. After WW2, when Israel was being founded, the Jews of Europe generally did not wave goodbye to their neighbors and head to the promised land. Many were expelled from their homes. Zionism itself, as an action, was a false choice at the time. A mere excuse to place an ally in the middle east, and an excuse to complete the expulsion and destruction of the European Jew. The Zionist Jew is more than complicit in this, they actively seek the destruction and assimilation of all other Jews.

Many fail to realize, and largely because of Israel, that Jews are not inherently white, Ashkenazi, European-descended people. Our faith and culture has an immense variety that is spread all across the globe. Jewishness, in population and volume of culture, exists more so outside of Israel than within it. Israel is for a very specific kind of Jew. The kind that lets Yiddish die, that attaches themselves to European things, that makes themselves and their practices as white as possible.

And they have the nerve, the fucking belligerent GALL, to frame themselves as the necessary saviors of our people. To the Zionist, questioning Israel is to question Jewishness itself. They bake adoration for the colonial machine into their very prayers, and push them on us even as children. To *not* oppress, to *not* kill, to *not* genocide, is to invite death. This is the core of fascistic thought, of course. "Kill them before they kill us." And they KNOW this too, they really do. The truth of that irony does not matter, because as is true for all fascists, the truth itself does not matter to them. They wanted this, they wanted this even before the British saw it in their best interest to give them the land. Any excuse to RETVRN, as the neo-nazis say of Rome, or the German Empire, or whatever the fuck stupid country they want to poorly animate the corpse of. Some select Zionists even *sided with the fucking Nazis* in agreement they should abandon Europe to colonize Palestine. (Haavara Agreement)

My people have proved time and time and time again you don't need a nation state to have an enduring culture. We have protected ourselves for thousands of years without the help of these spiteful, doom-saying maniacs. I was going to post something like this on Passover, but that would be hypocritical. The state of Israel doesn't actually have shit to do with Jewishness. Hear Israel (the state and supporters, Israel the icon) I should outlive it long enough to bury it. (old yiddish curse)

Free Palestine. Donate what you can, they need it right now.

[bamfkeeper]

Choke.

RQ: 'I can't remember if I put this in or not so ignore this if I did, but PLSSSS that Kurt choking drabble w/ his tail that another asker suggested...... I beg of you 💙 I read your work non-stop it's SO good' - @citiirose

Pairing: Kurt Wagner x GN!reader

Warnings: Smut 18+ | Tail play, choking, unprotected sex, slight dirty talk

A/N: Hehe I'm happy to deliver <3 This is a little drabble so it's shorter than a regular fic, but ugh it was fun to do. He'd be so cheeky about this. I know not everyone likes WatXM Kurt, but I like the tail wiggle in the gif sooo. I always choose pics/versions I think match the scenario. BUT you imagine whichever one you want! Unedited ;; WC: 1.3k

Kurt was well aware of your fondness for his tail, and the mischievous German never missed an opportunity to tease you with its gentle spade. He would utilize it in various, tantalizing ways, each designed to heighten your senses and stir your desires in inappropriate situations. He would trace delicate patterns along your sides, sending shivers down your spine.

Or he would allow it to graze ever so lightly between your legs, igniting that dark spark of anticipation within you. And if he was feeling particularly cheeky, he would playfully tap it against your ass, eliciting a soft sound from your lips.

Given his penchant for incorporating his tail into his flirtatious repertoire, it was no surprise when Kurt decided to explore its potential in more intimate settings. The bedroom became a new playground.

He buried himself into you, balls slapping your ass as he thrusted into you. His hips moved in swift, rhythmic motions as his hands firmly grasped your form, his fuzzy chest pressing against the smooth expanse of your bare back. Kurt's lips found their way to your ear, whispering an array of sweet nothings, his voice thick with his distinctive accent and growing increasingly breathy as he exerted himself, his impressive stamina never failed him.

Your body responded instinctively to him, gentle moans escaping your lips and increasing with every thrust he delivered. These sounds of pleasure were effortlessly drawn out by his expert touch, he knew how to play you like an instrument he mastered. Between ragged breaths, you managed to speak, your voice heavy with desire. "Oh, Kurt... you feel so good..." The words tumbled from your lips as your body unconsciously pressed further into his embrace.

He grinned and exposed his fangs, his tail slowly snaking up your body with deliberate, teasing movements. The flexible appendage traced delicate patterns across your skin, your body tried to lean into it as it snaked around you. He gradually encircled your neck, the warm, velveteen texture felt delicious on your heated flesh.

As he applied a gentle pressure, you felt your pulse quicken, the sensation of his tail wrapped around your throat igniting a primal response within you. Your core throbbed with an intensity that surprised even you, each subtle squeeze sending waves of pleasure coursing through your body. The light constriction began to affect your senses, creating a heady mix of arousal and lightheadedness that was intoxicating.

The slight restriction of blood flow induced a euphoric buzz, your mind growing pleasantly hazy as your other senses seemed to sharpen in response. Every touch, every breath, every subtle movement became magnified, your nerve endings singing with heightened sensitivity. It was as if Kurt had unlocked a new realm of sensory experience, one that teetered exquisitely on the edge of danger and ecstasy. You played with your senses during sex before, since his body held such a unique texture, but this…was completely new and hot.

A breathy, desperate mewl seemed to come from the very depths of your being, escaping your lips and making his pointed ears prick up. Your body moved of its own accord, pressing back against Kurt with an urgency that surprised even you. The friction between your bodies only served to stoke the flames of your desire higher.

"Kurt..." you gasped, your voice thick with need and raw emotion. "Yes, yes!" The words tumbled from your lips in a frenzied litany, each syllable dripping with unbridled arousal. "Kurt..." you moaned again, your inhibitions crumbling in the face of overwhelming pleasure as you tried to convey your desires without getting lost. "Squeeze harder!" The plea erupted from you, a passionate demand born of pure, unadulterated want. Your voice was usually so controlled, but now it quivered with the intensity of your arousal.

He blinked, his eyes widening in surprise at your passionate reaction to being choked with his tail, exhilaration coursed through him as he processed your unexpected enthusiasm. After a moment of stunned silence, Kurt's lips curved into a devilish grin, his golden eyes gleaming with newfound intrigue.

Chuckling softly, he decided to indulge your apparent desire, carefully tightening his tail ever so slightly around your neck. The pressure increased just enough to be noticeable, but remained far from causing any actual harm or discomfort. The spade slowly squirmed its way past your lips, laying on your tongue as he felt your saliva gather and drool out past your lips. Kurt's voice dropped to a low, husky whisper as he leaned in closer, his breath warm against your ear.

"Ach, you like this, liebling? Well, well...you are quite the naughty little thing, aren't you? I must admit, I didn't realize you'd derive such pleasure from having mein tail curled around your neck like this..." His words were laced with a mixture of amusement and growing arousal, his hips snapped into you faster, his cock felt like it was throbbing inside you. Precum pooling inside you, coating your inner walls as he edged you to feeling his load to come.

You let out open, unrestrained moans as his spade pressed firmly against your tongue, your mouth remained slightly agape, a mix of pleasure and anticipation evident in your expression. Your hips were driven by intense desire, pressed back eagerly into his with each thrust delivered, seeking more contact, more friction. Meanwhile his tail continued to gently coil around your neck, adding another layer of sensation to the already intense experience.

He expertly manipulated the pressure, applying more force for several tantalizing seconds before loosening his grip, only to repeat the process again and again. This rhythmic pulsing sent waves of pleasure coursing through your body, each cycle building upon the last, pushing you closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. You felt your face grow hot when he increased the pressure and lessened the blood flow, it was so damn good.

"Squeeze harder, I can take it, goddamnit…please Kurt, don’t fucking trade me anymore!" you begged, the words tumbled from your lips without thought or hesitation. You found yourself in a state of arousal unlike anything you had experienced before, the intensity of your desire catching you off guard. You couldn't pinpoint the exact source of this overwhelming horniness, nor could you fully comprehend why you were acting so desperate and wanton. Kurt hadn’t really choked you before, besides a light touch to your neck with his hand. Was it really just his tail that was making you feel this way?

All rational thought had been pushed aside, replaced by a singular, all-consuming need. In this moment, all you wanted, all you could focus on, was the burning desire to reach your climax, to feel that sweet release that seemed so close yet frustratingly out of reach.

Your desperate plea was abruptly muffled as his spade-tipped tail pushed deeper into your mouth, effectively silencing your words. You emitted a stifled sound in response; while it didn't obstruct your breathing, it successfully prevented you from articulating further demands.

"Such a vulgar tongue..." Kurt growled, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of your neck. His voice dropped to a menacing whisper as he nipped at your earlobe with his razor-sharp teeth. "Perhaps I need to teach you in the art of proper etiquette, liebe?" The term of endearment contrasted sharply with the dark promise in his tone. "Your release will come only when you've mastered the skill of asking politely...without that filthy language."

His prehensile tail constricted further around your neck, the pressure intensifying to an almost unbearable degree. The sensation was overwhelming, causing your eyes to roll back in your head as waves of pleasure coursed through your body. Your sex throbbed and twitched, desperate and threatening to cum just from the feeling of his tail choking you. Kurt maintained his relentless rhythm, each powerful thrust driving his cock as deep as it could go and guiding you closer to the edge of ecstasy while denying you the final push you so desperately craved.

“Now…let’s see how long you last.”

Thanks for reading.

*BAMF*

Dividers by @/adornedwithlight

[txttletale]

you said that religion is actions and relations, not beliefs- would you be willing to elaborate and/or point to some reading? or like at least defining what "beliefs" means here?

sure. now i'm sure there's some much more recent scholarship on this but everything i think of this is fundamentally drawing on/extrapolating on the german ideology and gramsci's work--but the gist of it is that there is no (let us take an example) 'islam' that exists independent of its practicioners. this is a materialist (as opposed to idealist) stance on religion (& ideology more generally).

so what this means is that--sure, everything that comes under the umbrella of 'islam' does in fact share a few core concepts (the quran, the indivisbility of god, mohammad as a prophet)--but that attempts to make any sweeping generalized statement about the ideological content of islam are bound to fail because ultimately the islam of the iranian state apparatus & the islam of the taliban & the islam of muslim feminists in indonesia & the islam of the PLO & the islam of liberal arab-americans are all fundamentally different ideologically because they are shaped not by some eternal essence of islam but by the social circumstances and communities within which each of these groups is practing.

(want to be super clear that i am just using islam as an example here, the same can be applied to any religion in any place--christianity, for example, is not uniquely genocidal & colonial due to some inherent ideological content, which is why going through the bible to point out violence & slavery and being like 'see, this is what's wrong with christianity' is a futile exercise--christianity has been the religion of a genocidal & colonial ruling class across much of the globe, and so that practice of it of course takes on that character)

hence, for example, there's absolutely no contradiction between, say, the judaism of diaspora reform jews & that of the israeli state--the stark difference makes sense when you realize that they are not both informed ideologically by some inherent essence of judaism but by the historical context of centuries of persecution vs. decades of genocidal state building. no religion has an innate inextricable character--all character that a religion has is given to it when it becomes a social fact, and comes from the people who practice it and their material and power relations.

[grabattheseballsss]

Needy, rough sex with könig coming riiiiight up, boss! ☝️🤓

CW: {pet play, my shit German (pls be nice) sweet könig to mean könig to nice könig because yes!, eye contact, praising and degrading, about 10 seconds of fluff}

Reader is gender neutral, but they have a coochie meow meow and there’s some pregnancy mentioned bc 🤷🏻

(This is how I imagined koni to look like :3 the beautiful art is by @toxooz , their art is so HNNNGGGGGHHH)

He loves sitting on the couch, watching whatever’s on the tv, or reading a book, finally relaxing after a rough mission that went on for way too long.

He could hear the bell attached to your collar jingle as you crawl your way towards his sitting form, putting your hands around the lower half of his leg, resting your pretty face on his thigh as you look up at him, just begging for attention.

Feeling his huge rough hands move your hair out the way as he cups your flushed cheek “was ist lose, Mein Schätzelein ?” He asked in a quiet tone, his voice is already gone from yelling orders around the base, and he loves how quiet it is in your little cottage.

You didn’t reply, just wrapped your legs around his ankle and buck your hips against his leg, his muscled limbs were so thick and huge compared to you, he loved seeing your smaller frame in between his legs, arms, underneath him, above him, fuck he could stare at you for the rest of his life and he’d never complain.

“Use your words, Häschen” his tone turned stern now, as much as he loved your shy approach whenever you want something from him, he needed to teach his darling how to use their words.

“…need you, kö…” you’d whimper, slowly climbing up his lap, your thighs on either sides of his, your hands moving up his torso to his chest, groping and feeling him up, you’d put your head in the crook of his neck, your warm breath sending shivers up his spine as you whispered near his ear “need you inside me, Meister…”

König was a patient man, he had self control, he’s a colonel after all, if this was his younger self he’d have your legs on his shoulders, ramming his thick cock inside you in an aggressive pace, he’d leave bite marks and bruises all over your pretty body, he’d beg in your ear to let him knock you up, to have his babies, even if you both know you can’t he still wants to mark you inside and out, to turn you into his dumb doll that only thinks of him.

But, he’s already turned you into that, here you are, merry seconds ago you were humping his legs, begging for his touch and now, your bare body humping against his clothed dick, your breathing becoming shaky as your sensitive core was begging for him.

He’d bite his lower lip, restraining himself from taking you, but he knows that’s what you want, you act all innocent and sweet with him, all cute in your collar, your butt plugged with a beautiful short fluffy tail, your hair messy and face flushed as your body twitches and rubs against him for some sort of friction, just to please that itch you’ve not been able to get rid of.

Knowing that your fingers are far too small, your stamina is far too low and your toys are far too underwhelming for you to have a real orgasm, been ruined by this man that sat underneath you, his smirk only frustrating you more as he did nothing to help you, you know he wants the same thing, fuck you can’t feel it with the way his dick twitched towards your warm core, how his hips slightly buck up when your hips move away

But he’s too prideful, he loves seeing how desperate you are, how much of a mess you become just to have him inside you, just to have his hands all over your body, tugging your hair, forcing you to look down where you two meet, how his thick veiny cock enter and exit your hole, taunting you with how your hole holds onto him, how you’re basically begging to be bred by this point.

“Köni… please baby, I can’t take it anymore, please please, I’ve been sooo good all day, I promise, didn’t even touch myself, please please” oh your desperate cried never fail to truly turn this man feral, you yelped as his rough hands hold the bottom of your ass, his other hand landing a slap on it as he got up, with you clinging onto his body like a koala and the sound of the jingles of your bell that rang with each step he took.

Chuckling at your surprised state, how your body immediately held onto him as soon as he got up “come on, meine Häschen, let’s go get your reward for being such a good girl/boy” he kissed your temple as he made his way to your shared bedroom, throwing your body into the huge soft bed, your knees trying to touch each other but failed as he spread them apart, his huge hands trailing up your torso, groping at your chest, squeezing your nipples as his tongue lapped at your exposed cunt, sucking at the tip, his fingers coming upwards, groping at the meat of your thighs before he coated his finger with your slick juices, chuckling at the way you were already dripping.

His fingers slid in swiftly, making him hum “you sure you haven’t touched yourself darling ? Usually you take a few seconds to get my fingers inside you… did you lie to me, dear?” You choked at his words, tears starting to form up, shaking your head

“No! No no I promise, master, I didn’t touch myself!” You cried out as he took his thick middle finger out, slapping your pussy as his other hand gripped your face and forced to look at him

“Did you hump the pillows ?” He asked, your lips shut and you slowly nodded as your eyes drifted away from his, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes

“Filthy slut… but a smart one, you used your words carefully didn’t you ?” He praised ? Degraded you ?? His hands leaving you as he got up from the bed, taking his shirt off, his sweatpants and boxers following suit, you gulped at the sight, you never get used to how attractive he was, how his body looked like it was sculpted by the gods specifically for you.

His dick was standing, proud and eager, your breathing turned heavy as you waited for him to be inside you

“My eyes are up here, slut” he commented as he climbed up the bed, getting on top of you “fucking filthy mutt, rubbing your cunt on anything like a bitch in heat, Hm? Can’t stay away from my dick for more than a day?” His words were condescending, mean, but true, you both knew it was true, you were just a stupid whore who couldn’t help not having him inside you for too long

You nodded with your eyes closed, not caring for the degrading anymore, which earned you a slap on your face, your eyes shot open as you looked up at him “keep your eyes on me, it’s the least you can do after trying to trick me” his eyes were dark, his hands grabbed the back of your thighs, lifting them up by your head swiftly, his dick was lined up with your slick, wet pussy, the friction only making you shake from anticipation

“Now listen to me, and listen carefully, with each thrust I want you to apologise, got it?” You nodded quickly, which, again, earned you a slap “use your words, dumb bitch”

“Yes sir! I understand!” You yelped out, your feet now resting on his shoulders as he rammed his dick inside you, the motion making your bell ring again as you cry out from the pain, you haven’t had him inside you for days and none of your toys were anywhere close to his size, you gasped as you tried to catch your breath

“I-I’m sorry sir” you shakingly blurted out, and so he slowly took his dick three quarters out before ramming it right back in “I’m sorry, sir” you cried out again

And with each thrust you’d apologise, his eyes never leaving yours as he thrusted in and out of your tight hole, as it clenched onto his dick, begging him to stay in there forever, your hair was even more of a mess and the jingles from your bell just rang more and more.

“You thought you were clever, Hm? Acting all shy and innocent, trying to trick your master into giving you a reward you don’t deserve ?” His voice was low, quiet and terrifying, sending shivers down your arching spine as you shook your head and apologised over and over again

“I’m so sorry sir, I couldn’t take it anymore! I wanted to have you so bad! I love your dick do much, I’m nothing but a stupid cocksleeve, master!” What a way you had with words, such a smart, pretty doll, but sadly that tongue of yours got you into this so whatever you say will only dig you a deeper hole

His hand came up again to cup your face, squishing your cheeks together, laughing at you, how stupid and messy you look, how desperate you are, all for him to fuck you

All for him.

His pace quickened as he rested his forehead against yours, sweat drops travel from his face onto yours, your noses right besides each other as you both moaned and whined, your orgasms both getting close, the only sounds in the room were your whines and his groans accompanied by the jingles of your bell, your hands came up around his neck, wanting his body and yours to be glued together, your fingers in his hair as he cried out, his dark and stern tone turned into whined as he was reaching his climax

“Meine liebling, meins, oh mein gott, Ich möchte, daß Du bettelst! You can’t cum until you beg for it”

“Please, please sir, please, cum inside me, I want to have you filling me up, please! I need your cum stuffed inside me, breed me, köni… please I want to make you a daddy, please baby” your words were messy, just begging him, your mind was far too foggy to truly comprehend what you just requested.

His könig’s mind wasn’t, his thrusts turned slow and rough, as his cum spilled out his hips were glued to yours as he was determined to not waste a drop

His duck twitched inside you as the last drops of cum filled you all the way up, as you tried to move his hold on you tightened “don’t… move” you couldn’t say anything but okay, staying there in his arms as yours wrapped around his neck still, playing with his hair as you both were breathing deeply, calming your beating hearts

You let out a sigh then put your cold feet on his back making him jolt up, which made you laugh as he flared down at you “you little shit”

You giggled before he took his dick out “ugh I never get used to this sight” he mumbled with a smile “wait right there darling” he commanded, not like you had the energy to even move a muscle anymore, you moved your hand to take off the collar, getting tired of the sounds.

he returned with a warm towel, cleaning up the mess between your thighs before he scooped you up and took you both to the shower, pressing kisses all over your face, his touch turned soft and gentle, holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world

And you were. <3

[girlybelle]

𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. it's very light, almost unnoticeable since he has such good diction. however, spending quite a deal of quality time with your boyfriend made you fall even more in love with him over his every detail. it's arguably one of the things that enchanted you the most at the start of your relationship: the way his accent slightly thickened when he rambled excitedly about something he liked – or just talking rushedly in general – never failed to bring a smile to your face and hearts to your eyes.

everytime armin noticed your dreamy stare, he'd always nervously apologize for rambling again, his intrusive thoughts always telling him he might be boring you. “not at all, honey. i actually love hearing you talk about things you like.” you'd always tell him sincerely, smiling and cradling his hand in yours, giving his knuckles sweet kisses.

“o-oh, okay.” he'd say bashfully, a beaming smile playing on his soft lips. and it was true, listening to him talk was always so interesting, satisfying even. and not only for his appealing interests. you also never missed how attractive he sounded. only his voice was already enticing for itself; bright, soothing, a little breathy, and with the kind of timbre that soaked into your skin, melodic like only an angel's could be.

so when the faint accent mingled with his voice and tongue, it was beyond adorable to hear. i actually believe armin has a bit of a german ancestry through his grandfather and his perfect german fluency could be connected to it since he lived with his grandpa for a time. once when you asked him to read a text in the language for you, it was almost as if the words poured out of his mouth like pure chocolate. a simple thing as armin's voice in that language could send tingles to your deepest core. it was captivating, sultry almost.

also his accent mostly thickens with the extremes of his emotions – making him sometimes even slip a german word midsentence without noticing – it can go from extreme joy to annoyance. the first earning him dozens of kisses to his cheeks due to his surpassing cuteness... the latter, however, brings us to discuss a very important topic: frustrated armin cursing in german™... which in that case means it can earn him a effective and glorious kind of stress release, and you, well... let's say one of the most mindblowing sex experiences of your life.

i'll elaborate on the experience with expressive details on another day, meanwhile, enjoy this little brainrot.😋

by GIRLYBELLE.

[patriottruth]

This is a reminder that on March 4th, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States ordered donald j. trump to have 87 Democrats in both houses of Congress remove his insurrectionist disqualification from ever holding any federal office again. He failed to do so prior to November 5, 2024.

Here's a compilation of evidence I'm being asked for that I pulled together from Wikipedia:

On March 4, 2024, the Supreme Court in Trump v. Anderson reversed the Colorado Supreme Court decision, holding that Congress determines eligibility under Section 3 for federal officeholders and states may only bar candidates from state office.

While all nine justices agreed that the Fourteenth Amendment grants this power to the federal government, and not to the individual states, two separate opinions were issued. Justice Amy Coney Barrett concurred in the Court's decision that states cannot enforce Section 3 against federal officials, but wrote that the court should not have addressed "the complicated question whether federal legislation is the exclusive vehicle through which Section 3 can be enforced." Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in an opinion co-signed by all three Justices, concurred in the judgment, but said that the court went beyond what was needed for the case and should not have declared that Congress has the exclusive power to decide Section 3 eligibility questions, stating that the Court's opinion had decided "novel constitutional questions to insulate this court and petitioner [Trump] from future controversy."

On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6–3 decision, that failed and deposed insurrectionist 2020 election loser and former president donald j. trump had absolute immunity for acts he committed as president within his core constitutional purview, at least presumptive immunity for official acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts.

Berger v. United States, 255 U.S. 22 (1921), is a United States Supreme Court decision overruling a trial court decision by U.S. District Court Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis against Rep. Victor L. Berger, a Congressman for Wisconsin's 5th district and the founder of the Social Democratic Party of America, and several other German-American defendants who were convicted of violating the Espionage Act by publicizing anti-interventionist views during World War I.

The case was argued on December 9, 1920, and decided on January 31, 1921, with an opinion by Justice Joseph McKenna and dissents by Justices William R. Day, James Clark McReynolds, and Mahlon Pitney. The Supreme Court held that Judge Landis was properly disqualified as trial judge based on an affidavit filed by the German defendants asserting that Judge Landis' public anti-German statements should disqualify him from presiding over the trial of the defendants.

The House of Representatives twice denied Berger his seat in the House due to his original conviction for espionage using Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution regarding denying office to those who supported "insurrection or rebellion". The Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 1921 in Berger v. U.S., and Berger won three successive terms in the House in the 1920s.

Per the United States Supreme Court's "Berger test" that states that to disqualify ANY judge in the United States of America: 1) a party files an affidavit claiming personal bias or prejudice demonstrating an "objectionable inclination or disposition of the judge" and 2) claim of bias is based on facts antedating the trial.

All 6 criminal MAGA insurrectionist and trump-loyalist U.S. Supreme Court Justices who've repeatedly and illegally ruled in donald j. trump's favor are as disqualified from issuing any rulings pertaining to donald j. trump (a German immigrant) as the United States Supreme Court ruled U.S. District Court Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was when he attempted to deny Victor L. Berger (a German immigrant) from holding office for violating the Espionage Act and supporting or engaging in insurrection or rebellion against the United States of America.

Again, as the text of the Fourteenth Amendment clearly reads, and ONLY reads:

Section 3 No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 3 clearly and ONLY gives Congress the power to remove a disability of an insurrectionist to "be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State".

Section 3 clearly DOESN'T give Congress the power to impose or enforce a disability of an insurrectionist to "be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State". That's what Impeachment is for, and donald j. trump was impeached for insurrection and referred to the Department of Justice by a Congressional committee for prosecution for his and his supporters acts of insurrection against the United States of America on January 6, 2021.

Section 3 clearly DOESN'T give the United States Supreme Court the authority to illegally and criminally engage in insurrection against the United States of America by MODIFYING the U.S. Constitution AND LEGISLATING from the bench to relieve their own political party and the former insurrectionist U.S. President who appointed them from needing a two-thirds vote of each House to remove the disability of an insurrectionist to run for President of the United States and hold the office of the President of the United States should they be legally elected in a free and fair election. The insurrectionist MAGA cult that's taken over the former Republican Party of the United States knows that there was no way they were getting a two-thirds vote in both Houses of Congress to put impeached insurrectionist and convicted felon donald j. trump on the ballot, and so they had their six legally disqualified U.S. Supreme Court criminal MAGA insurrectionist injustices legislate from the bench AND ILLEGALLY and CRIMINALLY modify the U.S. Constitution to put Espionage Act traitor, convicted felon, and impeached insurrectionist donald j. trump on the 2024 U.S. presidential election ballot.

There are two steps in the amendment process of modifying the U.S. Constitution. Proposals to amend the Constitution must be properly adopted and ratified before they change the Constitution. First, there are two procedures for adopting the language of a proposed amendment, either by (a) Congress, by two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or (b) national convention (which shall take place whenever two-thirds of the state legislatures collectively call for one). Second, there are two procedures for ratifying the proposed amendment, which requires three-fourths of the states' (presently 38 of 50) approval: (a) consent of the state legislatures, or (b) consent of state ratifying conventions. The ratification method is chosen by Congress for each amendment. (Wikipedia)

The necessary CONTEXT for the LEGAL UNMODIFIED ORIGINAL text of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution is this: At the time of the drafting of the United States Constitution, the Americans known as "We The People" were fighting and dying to liberate themselves out from under a tyrannical king! Obviously, a President or Vice President who'd engage in insurrection against the United States of America DURING OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER the creation of the United States Constitution would be executed for TREASON; and because it'd be impossible for "a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any officeholder, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State" to BE IN A POSISTION TO IMMEDIATELY PROCLAIM THEMSELVES THE NEW TYRANNICAL DIVINE KING FOR LIFE OVER THE UNITED STATES AMERICA; and because all traitors were being actively and immediately executed for TREASON, it'd have been impossible for an insurrectionist traitor President or Vice President to run for any office again - because they'd be dead; therefore, it was unnecessary to include an executed treasonous President and/or Vice President in Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. With full knowledge and understanding of these facts, the criminal insurrectionist MAGA extremist U.S. Supreme Court injustices ILLEGALLY and CRIMINALLY legislated from the bench to modify Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution so that, as far as the 6 MAGA extremist U.S. Supreme Court injustices are concerned, it now reads as such WITHOUT having been LEGALLY amended by a both two-thirds vote of both houses of the U.S. Congress AND the approval of 38 of 50 U.S. states:

Section 3 No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. As of March 4, 2024, six partisan Justices on the United States Supreme Court bypassed the legal and proper constitutional amendment process, legislated from the bench, and added the following illegal and unenforceable legislation to Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution without Congressional or States approval and ratification: "Only Congress determines eligibility of insurrectionist candidates under Section 3 for federal officeholders and states may only bar insurrectionist candidates from state office. Federal legislation is the exclusive vehicle through which Section 3 can be enforced upon insurrectionist candidates for federal office."

How many elected Republicans, Democrats, and Independents in the House of Representatives and the Senate provided the necessary two-thirds vote to amend the U.S. Constitution in this manner? What are the names of all of these so-called elected officials and where are the official voting records? What dates did these voting sessions occur?

Which of the 38 U.S. states ratified this Congressional two-thirds-vote-approved constitutional amendment so that the Espionage Act traitor, convicted felon, and insurrectionist donald j. trump could appear on the 2024 U.S. presidential ballot? This is where the presidential Take Care Clause is automatically activated and the U.S. president enforces the laws of the United States and upholds, protects, and defends the U.S. Constitution, and perpetuates American democracy.

This is where all six MAGA criminal insurrectionist SCOTUS injustices face both immediate and permanent disbarment from ever practicing law anywhere in the United States of America AND Congressional Impeachment and removal from the Supreme Court of the United States of America for giving aid, comfort, and support to criminal defendant donald j. trump's felonies involving moral turpitude, forgery, fraud, a history of dishonesty, consistent lack of attention to the American people, the United States, his oath of office, and the U.S. Constitution, drug abuse, thefts of taxpayer and U.S. government monies, thefts of at least 13,000 classified documents and other U.S. government property, and a pattern of violations of all professional codes of ethics.

Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. Article Two vests the power of the executive branch in the office of the president of the United States, lays out the procedures for electing and removing the president, and establishes the president's powers and responsibilities.

Clause 5: Caring for the faithful execution of the law The president must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." This clause in the Constitution imposes a duty on the president to enforce the laws of the United States and is called the Take Care Clause, also known as the Faithful Execution Clause or Faithfully Executed Clause. This clause is meant to ensure that a law is faithfully executed by the president even if he disagrees with the purpose of that law. The Take Care Clause demands that the president obey the law, the Supreme Court said in Humphrey's Executor v. United States, and repudiates any notion that he may dispense with the law's execution. In Printz v. United States, the Supreme Court explained how the president executes the law: "The Constitution does not leave to speculation who is to administer the laws enacted by Congress; the president, it says, "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed," Art. II, §3, personally and through officers whom he appoints (save for such inferior officers as Congress may authorize to be appointed by the "Courts of Law" or by "the Heads of Departments" with other presidential appointees), Art. II, §2." In Mississippi v. Johnson, 71 U.S. 475 (1867), the Supreme Court ruled that the judiciary may not restrain the president in the execution of the laws. In that case the Supreme Court refused to entertain a request for an injunction preventing President Andrew Johnson from executing the Reconstruction Acts, which were claimed to be unconstitutional. The Court found that "[t]he Congress is the legislative department of the government; the president is the executive department. Neither can be restrained in its action by the judicial department; though the acts of both, when performed, are, in proper cases, subject to its cognizance." Thus, the courts cannot bar the passage of a law by Congress, though it may later strike down such a law as unconstitutional. A similar construction applies to the executive branch. (Wikipedia)

The Take Care Clause is the constitutional checks and balances guardrail to counter judicial activism, legislating from the bench, and a rogue U.S. Supreme Court that's supporting and actively engaging in insurrection against the United States of America and We The People of the United States with the purpose of overthrowing the U.S. government, installing a dictator/King for life, ending American democracy, and engaging in tyranny against We The People of the United States of America. Due to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity, President Joe Biden can simply overrule MAGA SCOTUS, remove donald j. trump from the 2024 U.S. presidential ballot, and issue an Executive Order barring all six of the criminal insurrectionist MAGA extremist SCOTUS injustices from taking or ruling on any 2024 U.S. presidential election matters and/or any matters pertaining to donald j. trump, per the Berger Test that legally disqualifies them from doing so. President Biden can then simply issue an Executive Order proclaiming that no sworn election official or law enforcement official anywhere in the U.S. or its territories can attempt to cause even one vote for the Espionage Act traitor, convicted felon, and insurrectionist donald j. trump to be counted for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

What all of that means is that between now and December 17th, 2024, donald j. trump has no choice but to go to Congress and have 70 Democrats in the House of Representatives and 17 Democrats in the Senate vote to remove his insurrectionist disqualification, as he was ordered to do by SCOTUS on March 4th, 2024, or he's not legally the President Elect and cannot be inaugurated, sworn in, or hold federal office again on January 20, 2025. The clock is ticking!

Here's why this will work: donald trump's legal tactics are deny, attempt to wiggle out of it on technicalities, and delay, delay, delay. Well, from November 2023 to March 4, 2024, donald trump not only said that he was never an officer of the United States, but that he also never swore an oath to support the United States Constitution. And then he said that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment says nothing about running for office, only holding office, and since he's only running for office, nothing can keep him off the ballot. And that's where this has finally caught up to him.

SCOTUS illegally took the case to begin with. SCOTUS was required to kick the case back to Congress immediately to force a two-thirds of both houses vote to remove donald trump's insurrectionist disqualification. But they illegally denied Congress the ability to vote on it at the time, illegally legislated from the bench to keep donald trump on the ballot by illegally amending Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, and dismissed the clear two-thirds vote requirement to replace it with "Congress must pass new legislation and amend Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in order to keep insurrectionists off of the ballot and out of office in the future. All six MAGA SCOTUS injustices can now be immediately and permanently disbarred from ever judging or practicing law anywhere in the United States now and in the future for that illegal legislating from the bench; because the U.S. Constitution clearly says that the Judiciary can never interfere with Congress legislating, or with the President enforcing the laws of the United States.

donald trump and his allies figured that was a win, that SCOTUS couldn't be challenged, that the Democrats could never get legislation passed to keep him off the ballot or from holding office again, and the matter was dropped. But that's where he was wrong; because Section 3 of the 14th Amendment still reads, and only legally reads, that the only way an insurrectionist can hold federal office again is by a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate; and that means that now that donald trump can't try and use the technicality of "I'm not even trying to hold office, I'm just running for office," and he's actively trying to hold office with no technicality wiggle room, donald trump's only path to the White House is to have 70 Democrats in the House of Representatives and 17 Democrats in the Senate vote to remove his insurrectionist disqualification by December 17th, 2017; and his favorite tactic of delay, delay, delay won't work because delaying means he can't be inaugurated, sworn in, and serve as the 47th President of the United States; and that means Kamala Harris would become 47th President of the United States by default.

If anyone is interested in fighting another trump presidency, contact every Democrat representative in the House of Representatives and the Senate and remind them that donald j. trump cannot be inaugurated, sworn in, and be the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025 unless 70 Democrats in the House of Representatives and 17 Democrats in the Senate vote to remove his insurrectionist disqualification before December 17, 2024. Many of them have online contact forms. You may have to enter an address near their local office in their district for the contact form to go through, but I know they're going to want to be reminded of this by as many people as possible in order to save humanity and American democracy from donald trump. Plus, Kamala Harris can be contacted via the White House Vice President contact form; and as a presidential candidate and the President of the Senate, she and President Biden can do a lot to enforce donald trump having to have his insurrectionist disqualification removed by a two-thirds vote of the House of Representatives and the Senate before December 17, 2024.

This is why donald j. trump has no path to the White House without having 70 Democrats in the House of Representatives and 17 Democrats in the Senate vote to remove his insurrectionist disqualification; and why all 6 MAGA Insurrectionist SCOTUS injustices will be immediately and permanently disbarred for legislating from the bench, denying Congress the opportunity to legislate as the U.S. Constitution requires, and illegally and criminally amending Section 3 of the 14th Amendment so that elected Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate would be denied the opportunity to represent their constituents via the required two-thirds vote to remove donald j. trump's insurrectionist disqualification from ever holding federal office again.

MAGA SCOTUS' Illegal and Criminal Actions in the Anderson vs. trump Case. From www.supremecourt.gov:

The text of Section 3 reinforces these conclusions. Its final sentence empowers Congress to “remove” any Section 3 “disability” by a two-thirds vote of each house. The text imposes no limits on that power, and Congress may exercise it any time, as the respondents concede. In fact, historically, Congress sometimes exercised this amnesty power postelection to ensure that some of the people’s chosen candidates could take office.

…it is Congress that has long given effect to Section 3 with respect to would-be or existing federal officeholders. Shortly after ratification of the Amendment, Congress enacted the Enforcement Act of 1870. That Act authorized federal district attorneys to bring civil actions in federal court to remove anyone holding nonlegislative office—federal or state—in violation of Section 3, and made holding or attempting to hold office in violation of Section 3 a federal crime.

Section 5 limits congressional legislation enforcing Section 3, because Section 5 is strictly “remedial.” To comply with that limitation, Congress “must tailor its legislative scheme to remedying or preventing” the specific conduct the relevant provision prohibits. Section 3, unlike other provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment, proscribes conduct of individuals. It bars persons from holding office after taking a qualifying oath and then engaging in insurrection or rebellion—nothing more.

Any congressional legislation enforcing Section 3 must, like the Enforcement Act of 1870 and §2383, reflect “congruence and proportionality” between preventing or remedying that conduct “and the means adopted to that end.” Neither we nor the respondents are aware of any other legislation by Congress to enforce Section 3.

The disruption would be all the more acute—and could nullify the votes of millions and change the election result—if Section 3 enforcement were attempted after the Nation has voted. Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos—arriving at any time or different times, up to and perhaps beyond the Inauguration.

Justice Sotomayor, Justice Kagan, and Justice Jackson Opinion on the Majority Ruling:

Yet the majority goes further. Even though “[a]ll nine Members of the Court” agree that this independent and sufficient rationale resolves this case, five Justices go on. They decide novel constitutional questions to insulate this Court and petitioner from future controversy. Ante, at 13. Although only an individual State’s action is at issue here, the majority opines on which federal actors can enforce Section 3, and how they must do so. The majority announces that a disqualification for insurrection can occur only when Congress enacts a particular kind of legislation pursuant to Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. In doing so, the majority shuts the door on other potential means of federal enforcement. We cannot join an opinion that decides momentous and difficult issues unnecessarily, and we therefore concur only in the judgment.

Yet the Court continues on to resolve questions not before us. In a case involving no federal action whatsoever, the Court opines on how federal enforcement of Section 3 must proceed. Congress, the majority says, must enact legislation under Section 5 prescribing the procedures to “ ‘ “ascertain[ ] what particular individuals” ’ ” should be disqualified. Ante, at 5 (quoting Griffin’s Case, 11 F. Cas. 7, 26 (No. 5,815) (CC Va. 1869) (Chase, Circuit Justice)). These musings are as inadequately supported as they are gratuitous.

To start, nothing in Section 3’s text supports the majority’s view of how federal disqualification efforts must operate. Section 3 states simply that “[n]o person shall” hold certain positions and offices if they are oathbreaking insurrectionists. Amdt. 14. Nothing in that unequivocal bar suggests that implementing legislation enacted under Section 5 is “critical” (or, for that matter, what that word means in this context). Ante, at 5. In fact, the text cuts the opposite way. Section 3 provides that when an oathbreaking insurrectionist is disqualified, “Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.” It is hard to understand why the Constitution would require a congressional supermajority to remove a disqualification if a simple majority could nullify Section 3’s operation by repealing or declining to pass implementing legislation. Even petitioner’s lawyer acknowledged the “tension” in Section 3 that the majority’s view creates. See Tr. of Oral Arg. 31.

Similarly, nothing else in the rest of the Fourteenth Amendment supports the majority’s view. Section 5 gives Congress the “power to enforce [the Amendment] by appropriate legislation.” Remedial legislation of any kind, however, is not required. All the Reconstruction Amendments (including the due process and equal protection guarantees and prohibition of slavery) “are self-executing,” meaning that they do not depend on legislation. City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507, 524 (1997); see Civil Rights Cases, 109 U.S. 3, 20 (1883). Similarly, other constitutional rules of disqualification, like the two-term limit on the Presidency, do not require implementing legislation. See, e.g., Art. II, §1, cl. 5 (Presidential Qualifications); Amdt. 22 (Presidential Term Limits). Nor does the majority suggest otherwise. It simply creates a special rule for the insurrection disability in Section 3.

The majority is left with next to no support for its requirement that a Section 3 disqualification can occur only pursuant to legislation enacted for that purpose. It cites Griffin’s Case, but that is a nonprecedential, lower court opinion by a single Justice in his capacity as a circuit judge. See ante, at 5 (quoting 11 F. Cas., at 26). Once again, even petitioner’s lawyer distanced himself from fully embracing this case as probative of Section 3’s meaning. See Tr. of Oral Arg. 35–36. The majority also cites Senator Trumbull’s statements that Section 3 “ ‘provide[d] no means for enforcing’ ” itself. Ante, at 5 (quoting Cong. Globe, 41st Cong., 1st Sess., 626 (1869)). The majority, however, neglects to mention the Senator’s view that “[i]t is the [F]ourteenth [A]mendment that prevents a person from holding office,” with the proposed legislation simply “affor[ding] a more efficient and speedy remedy” for effecting the disqualification. Cong. Globe, 41st Cong., 1st Sess., at 626–627.

Ultimately, under the guise of providing a more “complete explanation for the judgment,” ante, at 13, the majority resolves many unsettled questions about Section 3. It forecloses judicial enforcement of that provision, such as might occur when a party is prosecuted by an insurrectionist and raises a defense on that score. The majority further holds that any legislation to enforce this provision must prescribe certain procedures “ ‘tailor[ed]’ ” to Section 3, ante, at 10, ruling out enforcement under general federal statutes requiring the government to comply with the law. By resolving these and other questions, the majority attempts to insulate all alleged insurrectionists from future challenges to their holding federal office.

“What it does today, the Court should have left undone.” Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98, 158 (2000) (Breyer, J., dissenting). The Court today needed to resolve only a single question: whether an individual State may keep a Presidential candidate found to have engaged in insurrection off its ballot. The majority resolves much more than the case before us. Although federal enforcement of Section 3 is in no way at issue, the majority announces novel rules for how that enforcement must operate. It reaches out to decide Section 3 questions not before us, and to foreclose future efforts to disqualify a Presidential candidate under that provision. In a sensitive case crying out for judicial restraint, it abandons that course.

Section 3 serves an important, though rarely needed, role in our democracy. The American people have the power to vote for and elect candidates for national office, and that is a great and glorious thing. The men who drafted and ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, however, had witnessed an “insurrection [and] rebellion” to defend slavery. §3. They wanted to ensure that those who had participated in that insurrection, and in possible future insurrections, could not return to prominent roles. Today, the majority goes beyond the necessities of this case to limit how Section 3 can bar an oathbreaking insurrectionist from becoming President. Although we agree that Colorado cannot enforce Section 3, we protest the majority’s effort to use this case to define the limits of federal enforcement of that provision. Because we would decide only the issue before us, we concur only in the judgment.

[fraux140]

Some König Headcanons and Hottakes

So I want to preface this by saying no hate to anyone. These are just some opinions that I think some people might disagree with which is totally fine. This is also a little bit of me pointing out some of his flaws. I love him though.

He is not a shy little uwu boy who would have a panic attack if a cutie looked at him a certain way. If he was so prone to panic attacks and his anxiety was that crippling then he wouldn't have been in the special forces and he wouldn't be in a PMC - which are highly selective.

Personally I don't fully believe that he was a colonel. The only hint we have gotten of that is a one of the 'Bad Brothers' loading screens which just says 'Colonel König' with no more context. Colonels aren't really active on the battle field and it is very unlikely you would see one in action. Officers ranked that highly are seen as too valuable to be 'wasted' in infantry combat.

Continuing from my last point, even a lot of majors and Lt Colonels aren't battle prone. Considering he would have had to have passed through those ranks to become a colonel means that he would have spent a lot of time behind a desk and commanding teams such as platoons and battalions. We don't know enough about him to say that he isn't a good leader, after all he is simply an operator with a few paragraphs of text as a background. However, his voice lines and little text we do get about him tells us he is not one to enjoy standing by and having others fight on his command. He would MUCH rather be in the brawl.

And I know that Alejandro is a colonel and very active duty, however we can assume that this is largely due to his ambition and personal attachment to his home, which he wants to protect from the cartel. I'm not saying a colonel doesn't fight, but it is exceedingly rare.

My last anti-colonel theory point - why would a colonel wear such DIY gear? I just want to say if you hc him as a colonel that is absolutely FINE, those are just reasons as to why I don't :/

Moving on, I believe him to be a sore loser. For example, he was deemed unfit to be a sniper, and so he wears a sniper hood and has that voiceline "And they said I couldn't be a sniper". Dress for the job you want, not the job you have ig?

I believe he wants to prove people wrong. Getting rejected as a sniper wounded his ego so A LOT. I hc him to be between 32-37 and if he joined jagkdo/KSK (old bio said he was German and in the KSK, newer ones said Austrian and JagKdo, now there's no mention of sf so idk??) while he was younger, say around 23-26, he's had a lot of time for that wound to heal and yet it hasn't. This man holds hella grudges.

Because of this, I think that a fear of failure might also contribute to his anxiety. If he was asked about being scared to fail he'd smirk and say there was no way. But deep down in his core it eats away at him.

This might also bleed into his social life. He's fearful of relationships and remains single for a long time. He'd rather not ask you out instead of having you reject him for trying. He'd have to REALLY like somebody and also have some reassurance or signs that they liked him out.

Cannot accept accountability for simple mistakes. He knocked your coffee mug over? You shouldn't have left it there. Hit you a little too hard in training? You should be stronger. You should have dodged it. Not his fault you're not as good as him.

Is a show off. If he is obviously better at something then you'll never hear the end of it. Better driver? Better fighter. Yeah, he's bragging about it. Again, his fear of not being good enough rears its ugly head. He deflects it on to those who are weaker - they could never be him.

Damn this was a list of negatives, but I love him in spite of all of his flaws. What kind of list should I make next? I should probably do one with some positive traits lmao.

Anyway, I don't mind at all if anyone disagrees with these this is just how I see him. Maybe one day I'll write a fic where he acknowledges his demons and starts to heal.

[mywitchyblog]

A lot of the people who are so against race changing make no sense. I saw this one that said that “If you shift for empathy reasons, you have low empathy.” And then five seconds later said “you can’t understand because you’re not a poc!” what is it? Do you want me to have empathy, or am I suddenly not allowed to because apparently according to you only black people have experienced oppression and can understand that feeling?

Do they not realize that there are people who qualify as white and still face racial discrimination? People who are German, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, Iranian and Egyptian, and many more?

The hypocrisy and double standards are annoying and it makes no sense.

Fundamentally, race is a social construct with no scientific or biological basis. To legitimate something we often see in society: that there is only one race, the human race, and the so-called other "races" are just a sign of a superiority complex that has festered far too long in humanity, bringing us nothing but strife and pain. To claim that some individuals who engage in race changing during reality shifting lack empathy is not only hypocritical but fundamentally flawed.

The idea that race-changing is a sign of lack of empathy or moral failing is untrue. It's clear to see that the condemnation of race changers often blurs the context of oppression and suffering, which exists in countless forms over a very wide spectrum.

It is always important to remember that oppression does not form one solid experience solely for any one group; it takes place in many different contexts, and yet all are based on prejudice of physical appearance or place of origin.

Although the following examples do not reveal racial oppression in its classic sense, they certainly can be viewed as forms of marginalization that rely on superficial factors, such as how a person looks, comes across, or where they are from. It needs to be taken into consideration by anyone that while the experience of oppression varies widely for many, there is a shared foundation of discrimination.

The race-changing controversy in the reality shifting community shows a mirror to this hypocrisy and double standard around most of these arguments, especially people who shift into "fictional" races. Many people will shift into races that are clearly meant to be allegories for real-world POC populations, such as the Na'vi in "Avatar," whether in white or BIPOC spaces.

Why is it then that shifting into a fictional race, oftentimes one that serves as an allegory for the struggles of real-world oppressed groups, is considered acceptable, while shifting into a different human ethnicity is considered to be taboo?

A prime example is the Na'vi from "Avatar."

I have seen white people and BIPOC shift into this race, completely unconcerned, because it is "fictional." But, well, of course this race is basically an allegory for Indigenous peoples: fighting colonization, preserving their culture. Shifting into a Na'vi could be described as shifting into the experience of being Native American with some blue paint on top of it.

But when someone is asked what urges them to become Na'vi, most people reply that they want to "discover the culture," "understand what it feels like to resist oppression," or "experience the beauty of their world." But it is because the Na'vi are considered fictional that they don't receive the same attention as the human ethnic group. This is the core of the hypocrisy: those who bash one for shifting to a different human ethnicity are doing the same, only it is in a supposed "safer" context—around fiction.

They overlook the fact that both types of shifting are fueled by similar, often innocent and pure-hearted intentions, only to explore, understand, and relate with experiences other than the ones outside of one's original identity.

By holding such double standards, critics ignore the broader implications of their arguments and reveal more about their own comfort with real-world racial issues than about any supposed moral failing on the part of those who engage in race changing.

Engage in all discussions here, with consistency and empathy; understand that reality shifting—whether it be into a fictional or human race—can serve profoundly in your tool of personal growth, empathy development, and deeper cultural understanding.

[ladylorem]

First Meeting: Lovejoy x Nightcrawler

Warnings: Imprisonment/Restraint, mentions of torture, mentions of violence, body horror, strong language

Author's note: First ever fic publicly posted, I'm a visual artist first and a writer second. Also, this isn't edited.

Word count: 1603

Divider by @cafekitsune

A heavy silence hung over the Xavier Institute as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the expansive grounds. Inside, the atmosphere was tense, burdened by the recent events that had shaken the team to its core.

A new mutant had arrived at the institute, but not by choice. Known only as LoveJoy, they had been a formidable adversary, unleashed on a killing spree under the control of the sinister Mr. Sinister himself. It had taken the combined efforts of the X-Men to subdue them, with Rogue delivering the final blow by extracting a mysterious red gem embedded in LoveJoy's forehead, rendering them unconscious.

Now, confined within the institute's secure holding room, LoveJoy was restrained by a straightjacket and a power-inhibiting collar, their dangerous abilities temporarily neutralized. Their body was a canvas of scars, each one telling a story of pain and survival that none of the X-Men could fully comprehend.

Kurt Wagner, known to many as Nightcrawler, stood outside the reinforced door, his golden eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and compassion. He had volunteered for this task, believing that perhaps he could reach LoveJoy where others had failed. Taking a deep breath, he teleported inside with a soft bamf, the smell of brimstone briefly filling the room.

LoveJoy sat on the edge of the simple cot, gazing out the window at the fading daylight. At the sound and sudden smell, they turned sharply, their glowing pink eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"I told Hank I didn't fucking want visitors," they grumbled, voice rough but carrying an undertone of exhaustion.

Kurt offered a gentle smile, trying to ease the tension. "Well, he and Scott thought it might help if I tried to talk to you," he replied, his German accent softening his words as he took a seat on a nearby chair.

LoveJoy rolled their eyes dramatically and leaned back against the wall, the chains connected to their restraints clinking softly. "I already told them I don't remember anything that happened with Sinister. That crazy quack drilled multiple holes in my head, and you're asking me if I remember anything..." They let out a bitter chuckle, a smirk twisting their scarred lips.

Kurt nodded slowly, understanding the frustration. "I know it's difficult, but sometimes talking can help piece things together," he said gently. His gaze drifted over their numerous scars, each more haunting than the last. "We don't even know your real name. The files only had 'LoveJoy'."

There was a pause as LoveJoy considered him, their eyes scrutinizing his every feature. Finally, they spoke, voice softer but guarded. "... It's Haven."

Kurt's smile widened slightly. "Haven. That's a beautiful name."

LoveJoy shrugged, dismissing the compliment. "Doesn't mean much nowadays."

Trying to steer the conversation forward, Kurt asked, "Do you recognize me at all?"

A furrow formed between LoveJoy's brows as they studied him more intently. After a moment, they shook their head. "Did I try to attack you too?"

A light chuckle escaped Kurt's lips. "Yes, you did. You tried to convince me to let you go so you could, and I quote, 'have fun' with me."

Surprise flickered across LoveJoy's face before it melted into a mischievous grin. "Oh, well, that's actually not that surprising," they admitted, a faint blush coloring their cheeks as they let out a soft giggle that seemed out of place in their current predicament.

Kurt found himself smiling wider at their unexpected reaction. "You really don't remember what you said, do you?"

"Nope," LoveJoy replied, popping the 'p' playfully. "But I bet it was way too vulgar and very distracting." They wiggled their eyebrows suggestively, clearly enjoying the banter.

Kurt laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Oh yes. Extremely vulgar and distracting."

LoveJoy's grin broadened, their demeanor far removed from the violent individual the X-Men had battled. "Well, I'm sorry for my... odd behavior when I was being controlled. I usually don't talk to strangers like that unless they pay me," they quipped.

That revelation caused Kurt's eyebrows to raise in surprise. "Oh really?" he hummed, leaning in slightly with intrigue evident in his eyes.

"A mutant on the run has to make a living somehow," LoveJoy explained with a casual shrug. "And let's just say my powers gave me an additional advantage in the job. I went under a different name to avoid the law—Cleopatra. But Remy's probably told you guys everything about that..."

Kurt's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Remy. "He did mention some things," he confirmed, noting the slight tension that arose at the mention of Gambit.

LoveJoy's gaze drifted back to the window, the playful spark dimming slightly. "I'm sure he yapped about how I tricked him and used my influence on him to do my evil bidding, like I'm some witch with domination fetish powers..."

There was a pause before they continued, voice softer and laced with regret. "But once I used the influence on him and I saw his mind, what he kept in it... My influence can't override someone's genuine feelings. Someone else was already taking up that spot in his heart. So I let him go."

Kurt listened intently, feeling a pang of sympathy for the troubled mutant before him. He hesitated before reaching out, placing a comforting hand on their shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

LoveJoy glanced down at his hand, then back up at him, their eyes searching his face for any sign of deceit. Finding none, they relaxed slightly, allowing the gesture.

After a brief silence, LoveJoy spoke again, their voice barely above a whisper. "He told me he could fix me, and I believed him."

Kurt's brows knitted in concern. "Sinister?"

LoveJoy gave a small nod, their shoulders sagging under the weight of their memories. "That was weeks ago. The last thing I remember is waking up here."

Kurt didn't speak for a moment, absorbing the depth of their confession. It was clear that Sinister had manipulated and abused them, preying on their vulnerabilities. "God... you really didn't know what he was doing to you, did you?" he asked softly, his tone filled with empathy.

"Well... I do now. I know I didn't originally look this fucked," LoveJoy replied with a bitter laugh, gesturing with their restrained hands towards their altered features. Their once-human appearance now marred by fangs and black, glittering claws—a twisted transformation courtesy of Sinister's experiments.

Noticing their discomfort, LoveJoy quickly added, stumbling over their words, "Not that having physical mutations are a bad thing... I just, uh..."

Kurt chuckled warmly, trying to ease their embarrassment. "Hey, it's okay. I get what you meant," he reassured them, his golden eyes soft with understanding.

LoveJoy looked up, relief evident in their gaze as a small smile tugged at their lips. "Thanks."

A comfortable silence settled between them before Kurt leaned back in his chair, his curiosity piqued once more. "I do have a question."

LoveJoy straightened slightly, smirk returning. "I might have an answer," they teased, eyes glinting with renewed mischief.

Kurt's smile mirrored theirs as he asked, "Your age. You're 26. I thought you would look older."

"Oh... well, technically yes, I'm 26. Essex froze me for ten years after confirming I was too dangerous to keep awake because I kept... escaping," LoveJoy explained, a hint of embarrassment coloring their tone. "You're lucky I'm even saying anything. Asking a pretty person their age is rude!"

Kurt laughed at that, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, technically, I was correct then. You are 26."

Kurt feigned a pout, his eyes sparkling. "Too dangerous... and too pretty."

"Well, at least we agree on that," Lovejoy replied, their own grin turning playful.

The room seemed lighter now, the earlier tension dissipated as the two mutants shared a genuine moment of connection. For the first time since arriving, LoveJoy felt a glimmer of hope—a possibility that maybe, just maybe, things could change for the better.

As Kurt continued to engage with Haven, their conversation taking unexpected turns from somber to flirtatious, the scene shifted to the monitoring room. Hank and Emma Frost were observing the interaction on a large screen. The tension in the room was almost as palpable as the conversation happening on the monitor.

Emma leaned forward, her frustration evident as she watched the screen, her eyes narrowing at the unfolding interaction.

“What the hell is he doing?” Emma snapped, her voice sharp with disbelief. “I tried to extract information from that... thing, and they bit my hand like a rabid dog. And now they’re flirting? Is this some kind of joke?”

Hank, standing beside her with his arms crossed, glanced at the screen before turning back to Emma, his expression calm and contemplative. “Kurt’s trying to build a connection,” he said thoughtfully. “We’ve exhausted every other method. This might be the only way to get through to them.”

Emma scoffed, clearly unconvinced. “A connection? It looks more like they’re on a date. This is a waste of time, Hank. We need answers, not... whatever this is.”

Hank shook his head slightly, his gaze returning to the screen. “Sometimes, unconventional approaches are the most effective. If Kurt can reach Haven, even just a little, it might give us the breakthrough we need.”

Emma huffed in frustration but didn’t argue further, though her skepticism was clear. She turned her attention back to the screen, her eyes narrowing as she watched Kurt and Haven continue their conversation.

“I hope we didn’t make a mistake bringing them here,” she muttered under her breath, her irritation turning into slight fear over what the mutant known as Lovejoy was capable of.

[mariacallous]

On Monday, United States prosecutors in Sacramento, California, unveiled a 15-count indictment accusing Dallas Erin Humber, 34, and Matthew Robert Allison, 37, of serving as core members of a virulent neo-Nazi propaganda network that solicited attacks on federal officials, power infrastructure, people of color, and material support for acts of terrorism both within the US and overseas.

The group, known as the Terrorgram Collective, has produced four publications to date—a blend of ideological motivation, mass murder worship, neofascist indoctrination, and how-to manuals for chemical weapons attacks, infrastructure sabotage, and ethnic cleansing. The screeds have directly inspired a series of ideologically motivated attacks around the world, including a 2022 mass shooting at an LGBTQ bar in Bratislava, Slovakia; successful attacks on power infrastructure in North Carolina and similar failed plots in Baltimore and New Jersey; and a stabbing spree in the Turkish city of Eskisehir.

Federal prosecutors allege Humber, Allison, and other Terrorgram Collective members were in the process of compiling a fifth, yet-to-be-released publication devoted to a pantheon of “saints”—neofascist mass murderers like Timothy McVeigh and Anders Breivik. The point of this guide, prosecutors claim, was to “inspire Terrorgram users to commit acts of violence.”

Humber and Allison were both federal targets as early as early 2023, but authorities appear to have waited for a year and a half to compile evidence of potential attacks around the world, and for the British government’s decision this April to formally ban the Terrorgram Collective, before filing an indictment that could land the defendants in prison for more than two centuries. To date, American authorities have charged at least four individuals allegedly involved in the Terrorgram Collective with terrorism-related offenses.

While the arrests are not the first targeting the Terrorgram Collective—Slovakian Pavol “SlovakBro” Beňadik and former Atomwaffen Division founder Brandon Russell hold that honor—the charges against Humber and Allison represent a major change from how the FBI and US Department of Justice approach diffuse “accelerationist” terrorism—the nihilist brand of neofascism that seeks to speed up societal collapse and the ascent of a Fourth Reich through mass shootings, bombings, and other acts of terrorism by “lone wolf” actors. Relying on the UK government’s April order declaring the Terrorgram Collective a banned terrorist group and a little-employed section of the “material support for terrorism” section of the US criminal code, federal prosecutors are finally taking an aggressive, whole-of-law approach to violent neofascist extremism.

“What it shows is exactly what I’ve been arguing for years: All the tools they need to do this work, they have,” says Michael German, a former FBI special agent and a liberty and national security fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, an NYU School of Law nonprofit. German points to years of arguments by the FBI and Department of Justice that they are hamstrung by existing laws when it comes to tackling violent extremists within the United States. “It also reveals the false separation that the government makes about international and domestic terrorism—white supremacy has always been transnational.”

In 2018, German coauthored a study of federal domestic terrorism prosecutions that argued existing laws were sufficient to tackle domestic terrorism, pointing to a particular statute used to charge Humber and Allison with material support. “It’s the material support statute the DOJ forgot,” says German.

The UK’s order against the Terrorgram Collective provided American authorities a basis for labeling a diffusive, ostensibly domestic propaganda group as a “transnational terrorist organization” in a detention motion filed on Tuesday, potentially opening Humber and Allison up to deleterious additional charges and sentencing enhancements. In other words, the US is treating Terrorgram in ways similar to how it has treated Islamist terrorist organizations.

“I would think of this case more like an old-school terrorism investigation, where you have a leadership cell that pushed info to followers and radicalized them into action,” says Seamus Hughes, a terrorism researcher at the University of Nebraska Omaha, of the indictment’s allegations against Humber and Allison.

The role of undercover agents in at least two of the Terrorgram federal prosecutions, the DOJ’s repeated citation of the group’s outlawed status in Great Britain as basis for labeling it a transnational terrorism organization, and the alleged targeting of power infrastructure by participants in the propaganda network, Hughes says, all point to US law enforcement taking a new approach to tackling violent right-wing extremism.

“The vast majority of material support cases are jihadi, but right here, they [allegedly] inspired an individual to plot an attack against a power plant,” he adds. “That’s critical infrastructure and is the lynchpin for the material support of terrorism charge.”

The power infrastructure plot Hughes references is the case of Andrew Takhistov, an 18-year-old New Jersey man charged in July with soliciting another individual to attack energy facilities. Court documents describe Tahkistov as a virulently hateful young man who fantasized about attacking a synagogue and participated in a March 2024 demonstration by an Atlantic City–based “active club” in support of jailed neo-Nazi leader Robert Rundo, was ever-present in the Terrogram Collective’s Telegram channels.

Along with allegedly circulating propaganda from the Terrorgram Collective and urging lone-wolf attacks, the feds claim in court records that Tahkistov bragged about participating in the production of the group’s “Hard Reset” publication, describing it as “the perfect starting guide” for a lone-wolf terrorist. “It has ideology, it has how-to guides, it has ideas for funny things, it goes into how you should plan it, it goes into the thought process,” Takhistov allegedly told an undercover FBI agent with whom he plotted the erstwhile attack on power stations near North Brunswick and New Brunswick, New Jersey.

These details were included in Tahkistov’s indictment, which also outlined his alleged plans to travel to Russia and join the Russian Volunteer Corps, a neo-Nazi combat battalion fighting for the Ukrainian military, which was founded by Denis Kapustin, an Azov Movement–connected extremist who tried to help Rundo flee the US in 2018, in order to gain weapons expertise and military training that would allow him to carry out more effective acts of ideologically motivated terrorism once back in the United States.

Takhistov is in custody and will next appear in court on October 9. He has pleaded not guilty.

Humber and Allison are longtime radicals. Humber’s radicalization appeared to start decades ago, per a report by extremism researchers at Left Coast Right Watch. Research obtained by this reporter shows Humber ran more than two dozen extreme right-wing propaganda channels on Telegram, which circulated the Terrorgram Collective’s material as well as other accelerationist content.

In recent years, aside from narrating audio books of neofascist manifestos and propaganda tracts, Humber also corresponded with convicted domestic terrorist Dylann Roof and with Atomwaffen Division founder Brandon Russell, who ended up joining their collective. “There’s no quitting our worldview. It’s a lifelong commitment,” Humber allegedly told Russell in a recorded jailhouse call following the latter’s arrest in February 2023. Her participation in the network, according to a March 15, 2022, Telegram post included in court filings by prosecutors, was to mold potential terrorists for action. “No military is fighting for us. No govt is protecting our people and defending our interests. The ONLY people fighting for us are lone wolves,” Humber wrote, in reference to a teenager she was trying to indoctrinate. “He’s like 18 yo and seems very impressionable, I’m trying to radicalize him.”

When the FBI raided Humber’s Elk Grove home last week, they recovered reams of Nazi propaganda, 3D-printed firearms—including a homemade AR-15 pattern rifle—a short-barreled rifle, a 3D printer, unregistered handguns, and high-capacity magazines, which remain illegal in California. She remains held without bail.

Allison, who was born in Southern California, lives in a high-end apartment building in downtown Boise, Idaho, and, according to court documents, does not hold a steady job. He doesn’t appear to have a criminal record, aside from a June 2022 misdemeanor. There are very few traces of Allison online, but details cobbled together by researchers indicate he drifted steadily to the right from 2018 onward, starting with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s content and then moving steadily in the direction of Timothy McVeigh, The Order founder Robert Jay Mathews, and finally, the skull-masked, nihilistic neofascism popularized by the Atomwaffen Division at the end of the last decade.

Under the alias “BanThisChannel,” Allison was one of the most prolific disseminators of Terrorgram’s propaganda materials and was prolific in extreme-right-wing Telegram channels, commiserating with other SoCal skinheads about racial attacks in days gone by and connecting other individuals to militant groups like the Atomwaffen Division. Research obtained by this reporter indicates he worked part-time as a video producer and was the editor who compiled a number of “sizzle reels” for the Terrorgram Collective’s propaganda output online, including a set entitled “The BTC Movie Trilogy” that Takhistov sought out for inspiration.

Nineteen-year-old Slovakian teenager Juraj Krajčík, the perpetrator of the 2022 Bratislava massacre, was in extensive contact with Humber and Allison for at least a year prior to the attack, and sent his manifesto to Allison after he carried out his mass murder, which explicitly cited Terrorgram Collective publications and thanked the group for inspiring him to act. Allison then circulated the manifesto through the group’s Telegram channels. The group proceeded to claim Krajčík as “their first saint.”

Allison’s commitment to neofascism and white supremacy appears to have run deep—“I won’t quit til I’m dead. my only goal in life is to fucking destroy the enemy,” Allison declared in a Telegram post cited by federal prosecutors. Both he and Humber, according to a government detention motion, sought to identify the informant in Brandon Russell’s criminal case. Allison advocated adding the suspected snitch to “The List” (a collection of federal officials, journalists, businessmen, and other perceived enemies circulated by the Terrorgram Collective as potential assassination targets), while Humber allegedly told Russell in a recorded jailhouse call in August 2023 that she had photographs of the suspected informant and was running them through facial recognition software.

When Allison was arrested last week, authorities say, he had a backpack loaded with what appeared to be a “bug-out kit” comprised of zip ties, a gun, duct tape, ammunition, a knife, lockpicking tools, two phones, and a thumb drive. When law enforcement searched his apartment, they turned up an assault rifle, two laptops, an external hard drive, and another “go bag” containing $1,500 in cash, clothes, a passport, ziplock bags full of pills, ammunition, a skull mask balaclava, sim cards, and a birth certificate.

In a videotaped interview following his arrest, Allison allegedly confessed to his participation in the Terrorgram Collective and “engaging in acts alleged in the General Allegations of the Indictment.”

Law enforcement consider Humber and Allison threats to their community, and to authorities as well: Humber allegedly worked with Russell to try to identify a suspected government witness in the Atomwaffen Division founder’s current criminal case in Baltimore, according to recorded jailhouse phone calls. Witnesses in Russell’s upcoming trial this November will testify in a closed courtroom to avoid being identified, a highly unusual precaution. In a sealing motion, prosecutors state that not only are additional arrests of Terrogram Collective members likely, but the group’s membership poses a severe danger to law enforcement and cooperating witnesses alike: “Defendants' many associates, both in the United States and internationally, may seek to harm perceived law enforcement or law enforcement cooperators in retribution for their role in this investigation.”

Allison is currently detained without bail and is set to appear in federal court in Boise on September 18 for a detention hearing.

The volume of evidence laid out against Humber and Allison in both the indictment and detention motion, says Hughes, shows the feds have significantly altered their approach to both far-right terrorism and particularly "lone wolf" accelerationists who have perpetrated massacres ranging from Christchurch in 2019 to Buffalo in 2022.

“When they go further than they have in the past to lay out the transnational connections and overlay a material support charge, it shows that either the feds are trying to make a point, or they were very concerned about these particular actors,” Hughes says.

Senior attorneys from the DOJ’s Civil Rights and National Security divisions are listed on the court filings in this matter, another indication that the top ranks of the Biden administration’s Justice Department called the shots on the Terrorgram Collective investigation.

“To build a case in this fashion is a decision that gets made at Main Justice,” Hughes says. “Someone high up decided to sign off on this.”

[theseshipsshallsail]

Summary:

The minutes soon blur in such blissful suspension, and as the unshuttered windows turn an inky black, Oliver immerses himself in the whens, wheres and inestimable hows of their blossoming reality. What he and Elio share defies definition, yet the idea of losing it is truly abhorrent. He needs this. Needs them. Everything they’re capable of being together. The promise and potential contained therein. There’s no turning back even if he wanted to, and drawing a hand up Elio’s flank he rests his chin upon his sweat-damp crown. Wonders when the hummingbird-flutter at his core became love, before deciding maybe it always has been, and he was just too afraid to acknowledge it.

The Difference Between Possible And Impossible (Lies Mainly In Determination)

He’d been dreaming, Oliver realises, as a drunken holler from the Piazza Navona interrupts the doze he had zero warning of slipping into. His mind’s eye transporting him to the villa’s orle of paradise. Elio swimming lazy laps in a set of borrowed bathers. The next day’s pages for Signora Milani all but forgotten as he apricated from head to toe; donning his tinted Persols in deference to the azure sky above. 

In all honesty, the scene mirrors memory more so than imagination, and the sluggish warmth it leaves in Oliver’s veins feels pleasantly reminiscent of the vintage scotch he’d savoured his final night in B. At Annella’s insistence, dinner was a family affair in light of his imminent departure, but with the feast devoured and dishes cleared, the professor ushered him to the study for a well-earned digestif. The pair of them discussing his varied plans for Rome, even as a sombre rendition of Debussy’s Clair de Lune drifted from the living room opposite; tearing at Oliver’s heartstrings with every mournful chord.

“Ice, born of fire, that in turn holds fire,” his mentor mused at length, swirling the mahogany liquid in his lead-crystal tumbler. “È notevole… is it not? How under the right circumstances, something so obstinate as sand itself can be transformed entirely. Reborn, one might say, to the inverse of its maker.”

In terms of subtlety it left a lot to be desired, and Oliver’d masked his quiet desperation behind a measured sip, unable to quash the hard knot of regret that threatened to choke him. Regret, that fails to exist in the liminal twilight of their Corso del Rinascimento hotel room. Banished, as it was, the second they’d watched the plastic wall clock outstrip the hour of his flight’s departure. 

He’s been damn-near euphoric ever since. 

Giddy as a ninth-grader playing truant. 

For the first time in years, he’s chosen the road less travelled, but with Elio in his corner - and sheer determination to guide him - Oliver’s certain that together they’ll move mountains if necessary, to forge a path that’s theirs and theirs alone. 

Again, a commotion starts up in the streets outside. Several joyful voices raised in concert. Oliver doesn’t recognise the song - though it’s somewhat harmonious compared to his own rendition of Fenesta Ca Lucive with the German tourist - and a helpless smile graces his lips when Elio grumbles in response; letting loose a snuffling snore alongside his collarbone.

The gossamer gleam from the balcony gilds his features in a diffuse palette: covetous swaths of rosé and gold that chase the encroaching shadows from his sleeping form. It’s grounding, Oliver finds. The steady exhalations that tickle his Adam’s apple. The rhythmic rise and fall of his shoulders; perfectly in sync with his newly unshackled lungs. They’re two halves of a whole - cut from the same cloth - and rubbing the grit from his scratchy eyelids he moulds a palm to Elio’s slender waist, sighing in contentment when the other man burrows closer, one leg inveigling itself between the snug harbour of his thighs.

The minutes soon blur in such blissful suspension, and as the unshuttered windows turn an inky black, Oliver immerses himself in the whens, wheres and inestimable hows of their blossoming reality. What he and Elio share defies definition, yet the idea of losing it is truly abhorrent. He needs this. Needs them. Everything they’re capable of being together. The promise and potential contained therein. There’s no turning back even if he wanted to, and drawing a hand up Elio’s flank he rests his chin upon his sweat-damp crown. 

Wonders when the hummingbird-flutter at his core became love, before deciding maybe it always has been, and he was just too afraid to acknowledge it.  

In due course, blunt-nailed fingertips splay across his sternum; crafting a subconscious chord above his too-full ribs. Elio’s lashes are a charcoal smudge against his cheek, and the rumbling purr that escapes his throat invokes a mental slideshow of their wanton activities earlier. Unsurprisingly, the earthy scent of passion hangs thick in the muggy air; overpowering the honeysuckle sweetness adorning the trellis outside. The salty ghosts of tears, also, shed by two star-crossed lovers who’d feared being reduced to a cautionary tale: a Grecian tragedy for the modern age.

Schmaltzy, perhaps, but their truth is inescapable, and at the first sign of Elio stirring beside him, Oliver can’t help but press a lingering kiss to the riotous curls at his temple.

No more speeches, he thinks, as Elio arches like a pampered tomcat.

“I swear I’ll make you happy,” he whispers instead, and the thousand-watt grin that follows settles deep and thrilling and forever in his soul. 

[thegreatzombieartisan]

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day. You had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am. I can tell. You had a bad day and everything changed…” — the Joker to Batman

In Alan Moore’s graphic novel The Killing Joke, the Joker sets out to prove to Batman that faced with certain life changing events everyone, anyone, would choose madness, would choose villainy.

To prove his point, the Joker shoots the daughter of police commissioner Gordon, paralyzing and possibly even sexually assaulting her. He kidnaps and tortures Gordon, forcing him to view photos of the crime.

While Adar and Galadriel don’t neatly parallel Batman and the Joker, the “killing joke” theme is an interesting lens to analyze their S1 arcs.

Batman and the Joker had “one bad day.” For Batman, it was the murder of his parents. The Joker allegedly lost his pregnant wife in a car accident. Batman is called to dedicate his life and fortune fighting crime. But the Joker embraces a chaotic nihilism, insisting life is one big joke — so why does seeking justice even matter?

Similarly Adar’s “one bad day” is presumably the day he entered Morgoth thralldom. For Galadriel, it is when she learned her brother Finrod was killed.

Fork in the road, all four characters had to choose how to confront their immense pain, loss, and grief.

“Maybe there isn't any need to crawl under a rock with all the other slimey things when trouble hits. Maybe it was just you, all the time!" — Batman

Here Batman suggests that the Joker’s “madness” is an outcome of deficits in character or wisdom rather than cosmic inevitability. Conflict reveals character: core beliefs, cultural norms, and worldview that guide us. By blunting his pain with nihilism, Batman accuses the Joker of taking the easy way out.

To the Joker’s dismay, Gordon and his daughter, though likely traumatized from their ordeal, do not turn to madness. They refuse to allow their “one bad day” to compromise their values and goals. Where do they draw this strength of character and self-discipline?

Renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl offers an answer. In his famed book Man’s Search for Meaning, he revealed his “one bad day”. The day he and his pregnant wife arrived at a German concentration camp. Frankl vowed to live and reunite with her. He did survive but he never saw her again.

He coined the idea that a person can tolerate any how if they had a why. For Batman, Gordon and his daughter, the why is a purpose greater than themselves: justice. To be the person victims need them to be. Therefore, they live by a code of ethics. Batman famously avoids killing the baddies so he doesn’t become the darkness he vanquishes.

In contrast, Joker represents how the absence of productive meaning, hatred and hedonism rush to fill the space, leading to despair and dependency on antisocial and addictive activity.

Galadriel most closely reflects that inner void. Though her intent is virtuous, without offering us a clear vision of a post-Sauron future, and balancing urgency with care for others, her quest is somewhat self-serving, almost nihilistic; fueled by grievance and resentment toward anything, anyone, in her way.

We get the impression that if Galadriel ever did find Sauron, she would kill him then step over his cooling body to find a new enemy. Rather than humble herself, she embraces her moral failings as strengths. She cannot accept peace because war is what makes her life meaningful. And at times, it causes her to straddle the line between hero and villain.

Adar, like Frankl, simply had to survive for others. If he despaired or acted rashly; displeased Sauron and lost his trust; failed to assassinate his master — his “children” would be doomed forever to the dark lord’s purposes or hunted to extinction by Elves and Men.

But to withstand torture, debasement, and the suffocation of his spirit; to defer the gratification of freedom from bondage — all without ever giving up the dream of liberty. What empowered Adar to endure against the odds?

While Galadriel has something to die for, Adar has something to live for

Adar’s clear vision is reflected in his poise, his soft-spokenness and deliberate choices. The loyalty and respect of the otherwise unruly Uruks. A fortitude and foresight guided by estel, or hope more like faith. Because the Children are made imago Dei, or in the image and likeness of Iluvatar, Adar believes that, even in their miserable corrupted state, his “children” deserve a dignified existence. He will fight for them.

Adar’s reverence of the Valar reveals how faith anchored him to his Elven nature, and sustained him all these hard, lonely years. His strolls along the Sirion River, watched over by Ulmo. Soaking in his final sunset, shining with the pure light gifted to Varda. Planting Alfirin seeds before battle as an intercessory prayer to Yavanna for victory.

In contrast, Galadriel seems all but apostatized, untethered from her Elven nature. By shouldering the weight of Sauron’s return, she moves in a desperate frenzied way, grasping in the dark. Forgotten are the two commands Illuvatar had for the Elves: believe he exists and have estel; know their only battle is spiritual victory and thus surrender to his will.

When crossing a metaphysical bridge, the hero chooses heroism and the villain chooses villainy — again and again and again. Batman chose to honor his parents by being someone they would be proud of. Instead of being the man she loved, the Joker buried his pain under manufactured meaninglessness.

In his fight to survive, Adar, like Batman, does not escape his “touch with darkness” unscathed. He commits evil toward the Southlanders in service of a yet-to-be fully revealed plan that may take in a sinister edge. Galadriel, we know, will overcome her limitations. But what will Adar’s journey be — that of the villain or the hero?

[fantasy-mixtapes]

Fig Faeth Junior Year Playlist: Side A

It's no surprise that Fig Faeth's playlist is the one that I actually listen to the most. It's just a very good vibe and I love her. Took extra time to Song descriptions and thoughts down below. Spoilers for Episodes 1-10.

Genres included: Pop-punk, Punk, Alternative

1. hair out, Stand Atlantic

Am I fuckin' up my life? I'm just tryna make improvements Slowly givin' up the fight But I gotta cover up the bruise That I get from all the Expectations give me vertigo Wasting away to the pressure The pressure, The pressure, oh

This song is such an earworm, scratching a specific itch in my brain. Love the fact that both Kristen and Fig (the failing girlies) start with a Stand Atlantic song, and it works with the way that Fig is coming at this season. From the jump, she is one of the most visibly and audibly burnt out, specifically from the pressure of the "sophomore album" that was supposed to come out months ago. This song is definitely about the pressures of a songwriter as well as the pressures of life in general so it fits sooooo perfectly. Especially with the "I can already here people hating the song" outro *chefs kiss*

2. Who The Hell Am I?, NOBRO

God, I'm tired of being like this I can change, but in a minute Always looking for the back door, on the run Always at the party, never quite having fun Play with fire, and you're gonna get burned I'm on fire, and you know it hurts I was always on the outside looking in Maybe it's me 'cause I never wanna fit in

Fig's class struggles, her conversation with Mazey, I can't take it. I feel like we've all been there. I really love how the narrative with her has progressed, like last season was deconstructing her need to mold herself into other people (or into an idealized version of herself) now she's trying to figure out who she is at her core without all the disguises.

3. 7 Years Bad Luck, Glasseater

Something strange seems to be plaguing me Everything I touch falls apart I've lost it all, losing all my luck Suffering 7 years bad luck

I don't particularly love this song, a little too unintentionally underproduced, but it deserves a spot on this playlist. I feel like I would be Fig in the curse situation. It took me a literal year to deal with debilitating stomach problems, and I, too, waited until my friends noticed to actually do something about it. Either way, can't wait to learn more about the weird Galier Pride curse, love the representation for my stomach problem girlies

4. Where the Heart Is, Sweet Pill

Get this My mind's been in a million places but my body hasn't moved an inch And I feel like I'm missing out again Ignoring my plans Wondering how they went Feeling bad about it If I could just take a chance I wouldn't feel so bad To see past myself I wouldn't feel so bad

This is Fig's final decision to try Paladin after doing so well with Warlock. She knows the priorities in her gut don't match with what anyone else says, but she's discovering her loyalty. She's figuring out her actual drive... following her heart <3

5. Impostor Syndrome, Sidney Gish

Unfortunately, I am My own dog, my own fur companion My own old lady on a forum Who types in glittery decorum Unfortunately, I take Myself out walking every day and I had my legs to the feet and I give my head to the leash

Making Fantasy High playlists is like making a ven diagram of which dog-themed songs are Tracker-coded and which are Fig-coded. This one, to me at least, is Fig-coded. (yes, I do have a tracker playlist, and yes, every song in it is dog/wolf specific, BUT THEY'RE GOOD OK). We love our Oath/Pact of the German Shepard.

6. You Owe Me Nothing In Return, Alanis Morissette

I'll give you countless amounts of outright Acceptance if you want it I will give you encouragement to chose The path you want if you need it You can speak of anger and doubts Your fears and freak outs And I'll hold it

So I know that we're gearing up for Fig's Warlock/Paladin agreement post "mooner yulenear," but this is my interpretation of what it's going to look like. She cares about her friends, and she would do anything for them! And though I know this song came out in 2002, Alanis Morissette is a 90's icon and perfect for the grungy riot grrrl vibe I see for her

[dr-futbol-blog]

Duet, pt. 3

Next, there is a time-skip. McKay is in the med bay, still out cold, and Sheppard has returned from the planet with Zelenka and the dart in tow. Weir has joined Beckett, who is now wearing his lab coat, indicating that some time has passed since their return from the field. McKay is underneath a scan of some kind, looking both young and peaceful as he lies unconscious, and Beckett is giving Weir a report on his condition:

Beckett: All of his vitals are stable. His body's reacting like it's been struck by a wraith stunner. Weir: So you think once the initial shock is over, we'll have the old McKay back? Beckett: I'm afraid so.

Beckett's response seems disparaging in the face of it, but he actually looks at McKay fondly as he says this. This is how men that are friends usually talk about one another. Beckett cares about McKay a great deal but he's still going to talk shit about him because that's what friends do, and Weir seems to get this. It's how males bond, how they express their fondness for one another, as just outright telling someone you like them or care about them is way too girly. Friendly ragging is a form of homosocial bonding. And this is relevant for the episode, as it makes us look at their gender performance through the narrative device of having a female consciousness in a male body.

Weir tells Beckett that he will be the first person she will call once they find Cadman, which is interesting in that they've only just met and had minimal interaction. Clearly, we are meant to think that there might be something romantic brewing there, even though as a medical doctor, Beckett would be the logical person to call about it. But her reference to the person that is called in case of medical emergencies forces us to think about McKay in this context, too. And there is no doubt at all who is the person that would be called about McKay waking up. It's obvious who his In Case of Emergency person is.

Sheppard, as we can see, is not in the infirmary even though McKay is still unconscious and not out of the woods. In fact, the longer a person is unconscious, the more severe the damage usually is. There doesn't appear to be anyone besides Beckett and Weir by McKay, so Sheppard's reason not to be there is not merely because he can't publicly be seen to hover by his bed. It's more that he can't bear seeing it. He had failed, and sitting by McKay's side would just be an unending reminder of how he had failed to protect McKay, again. So instead he has thrown himself into an occupation, into doing something to distract himself from his worry. And getting the young Lieutenant under his command out of the wreckage, it's distracting enough for him.

As an aside, with regards to the idea that the wraith represent the horror feminae, the archetypal horror of the feminine, the German scientist seems to liken it to the birth of his nephew as the yanks the wet and slimy power core out of the dart. On a symbolic level, this entire episode is about how abhorrent the very idea of a woman is to McKay. Sheppard, on the other hand, seems neither horrified nor especially keen on the idea as he watches on.

However, while we now find Sheppard hanging around the hangar lab, it seems as though he had actually gone somewhere else between returning from the planet and this moment, as he otherwise would not need to get a sitrep from Zelenka. So it is possible--even likely--that he had visited the infirmary and then decided that he just couldn't stay there any longer and just watch it, just watch him.

Note also that the question he approaches Zelenka with here is the same that he has so often spoken to McKay:

Sheppard: How's it coming? Zelenka: Well, the good news is we were able to stabilise her life signs signature. Now it's just a question of getting the machine online again. Sheppard: Great. How do we power it up? Zelenka: Well, that's the bad news. The machine uses a very specialised transformer to convert raw power into highly stable, very specific stream of power. Now the transformer's crucial in operating the machine safely and it's been damaged. Sheppard: Don't suppose there are any spares in the trunk? Zelenka: We're working on reverse engineering one. Sheppard: Good. Let me know the second you have something.

In contrast to how he is with McKay, Sheppard has no comments for Zelenka, only questions. He has no desire to do any bonding with the man, he only wants information. And he really does seem to want to understand what they are doing. For him, Zelenka is an instrument, not a person he's keen on getting to know on a personal level (and again, he seems to like Zelenka just fine, but he is just a scientist to him). Also make note that there is a beautiful young female scientist with his back to him, bending over, that Sheppard is paying no attention to. He does not even glance at her. And once more, it's not because he's just being a gentleman and respecting her by keeping his eyes to himself. He's not looking because her presence just doesn't spark his interest. His mind is occupied by other things.

And Zelenka himself is all business, too. Sheppard tries to insert some levity into the situation by referencing spares in the trunk, and gets no reaction from Zelenka. But Sheppard is nowhere near despairing with this situation, as he fully believes that as soon as McKay wakes up, he will be able to fix this and get Cadman out. He is worried that McKay hasn't woken up yet, he's not worried about getting Cadman out.

Then we get to one of the two main throughlines of the episode, Sheppard courting Ronon to become a member of the team.

A duet is a composition for two performers, and hence because Cadman and McKay share the same body in this episode, we are invited to interpret their shenanigans in this episode as "the duet". But the thing is, the difference between a duet and a harmony is that in a duet, the participants take turns performing solo sections and have equal importance to the whole composition whereas in a harmony, the performance is simultaneous. Cadman's role in this story is not equal to that of McKay, and for most of the episode, they share scenes. In contrast to this, Sheppard seems to have a whole side quest going on that does not in any way tie to the McKay plot, nothing appearing to tie them together. Sheppard and McKay are performing solo sections. Their stories are seemingly unconnected, and yet for both of them, the other man is very much a part of their motivation. The duet in this episode is that of Sheppard and McKay. It's their respective stories that make up the whole of the composition.

So, Sheppard joins Ronon in the mess hall. We don't know how much time has passed between the previous episode and this, although the beginning of the episode makes it seem as though the planet that had been culled was not the first such planet they had visited recently. We can put at least a week, possibly even more between the episodes. And this is crucial: this seems to be the first time that Sheppard has sought Ronon's company during all this time.

This is the first time he's checking up on the likely deeply traumatized, extremely skilled and probably very dangerous man that he had brought with him from the planet of the high UV index. Sheppard seems to have spared nary a thought on this man until this moment. This is clearly the first time he has sat down with the man, as he seems put out by his table manners. This is the first time Sheppard has watched him eat.

But at the same time, Sheppard seemed to come in looking for Ronon specifically. He didn't come to eat (he doesn't look around for a place to sit as he walks into the commissary, he walks directly to Ronon), he came looking for Ronon, and the tray of food he has with him is just a prop for the conversation he intends to have with him. But while he had sought Ronon out for a reason, Sheppard tries to lead in with some small-talk. Note the self-soothing lip thing he does here, in the beginning. He's not turned on by this man eating like a savage, the thing he means to talk about with Ronon is making Sheppard anxious.

Sheppard: Not bad, huh? Dex: It's fine. Sheppard: So what do you think of Atlantis? Dex: It's fine. Sheppard: Have you thought about what you wanna do after you're done here? Dex: Do you want me to leave? Sheppard: No! No! Stay as long as you like. I'm just saying, you know your way around; you can take care of yourself in a fight; you hate the wraith as much as we do... OK, maybe more than we do. But the point is, we could use a guy like you around here and you look like you could use a place to stay.

Now, all of this is not about Sheppard suddenly and out of the blue deciding to integrate Ronon into life on Atlantis. He flat out tells Ronon (and us) why he had sought him out, why they need him. What he does not tell us (or Ronon) is his motivation for seeking him out, nor why he had decided to do it now. McKay is still unconscious in the infirmary. McKay whom, even though we have not actually seen them eat together in the commissary, he probably usually has lunch together with. He definitely seemed to have lunch plans with McKay back when we didn't find him having lunch with Teyla in The Gift (S01E18), and we know that Sheppard knows how many cups of coffee McKay has in a day from Underground (S01E08) and that he had possibly made McKay a sandwich when he was too busy to join him for lunch, as shown in Letters from Pegasus (S01E17). McKay was the reason he had brought Ronon to Atlantis in the first place, and McKay has everything to do with why he approaches Ronon now.

While he's trying to project a laid-back persona, Sheppard looks exhausted here. Like he hasn't slept in ages. He looks like he's at the end of his rope. He's reaching out to the only life-line he can find. There's a lot riding on him convincing Ronon to join them.

Getting McKay killed is Sheppard's worst nightmare. And increasingly he seems concerned that McKay will fall victim to the wraith in particular, the scourge on this galaxy that he had personally been responsible for unleashing. In the past few weeks, they had some really close calls with the wraith, and his inability to keep McKay safe was starting to drive him crazy. He needed McKay, he didn't think there was anyone that could do what McKay could do out in the field, in a tight spot. He trusted McKay to come through for him in a pinch. There's no way he could bench McKay just to keep him safe, and McKay would never consent to that anyway. So, he needed to think of some way to keep him safe. Ergo, Ronon.

Ronon, who knows his way around. Ronon, who can take care of himself in a fight. Ronon, who hates the wraith even more than they do and hence has the motivation to take down every last one of them that crosses his path. Ronon is precisely the guy that he needs.

And it's because in this duet Sheppard and McKay's plots don't cross, we see Ronon mainly with Sheppard and we watch Sheppard bonding with him, getting to know him, that Sheppard's motivation for bringing Ronon on is obscured, is purposefully hidden. But the thing is, up until the very last episode of the series, whether he ever realizes it or not, Ronon does the job that Sheppard recruited him for here, at this table. Ronon keeps McKay safe and unharmed. And that's why he's the perfect man for the job. Ronon doesn't require a reason to protect McKay, he just does. Chewie to his Han Solo, he doesn't need to be told that Princess Leia has to be kept safe at all costs. It's obvious.

And that's what all of this is about. That's why he recruits Ronon. That's why he takes on the job of integrating him to Atlantis. That's why he decides to befriend the man. That's why he's working him psychologically here, kind of manipulating Ronon to become more open to his suggestion (for example, he lays both of his hands on the tabletop in a way that emphasizes that he's not a threat), more sympathetic to his cause. That's even why he starts socializing him:

Dex: I'm not sure I'd fit in here. Sheppard: There's only one way to find out. Dex: Do I have to decide now, or can I finish eating? Sheppard: Take your time. And, try these -- they work great!

Meanwhile in the infirmary McKay seems to be finally coming around. It's interesting that as he's waking up, his brain still mostly asleep, he says "Hello". He greets someone, that is, when he's still not fully awake. This hints at the fact that he has been sleeping with someone long enough that it has become ingrained, this has become a routine action, saying "hello" as he's waking up. First thing in the morning, there's someone he has said hello to so many times it's become a habit. If earlier, we saw Sheppard look at McKay as though the past couple of months had never happened, somewhere between sleep and consciousness it's the same for McKay. If he had any knowledge of the fact that he was waking up in the infirmary, it's also possible he expected Sheppard to be there. But alas, he's greeted by Beckett.

In short order, McKay figures out that something has gone terribly awry as Zelenka had removed him from the memory storage device of the dart, and Cadman was now stuck in his brain.

It's pretty telling all around that they constructed the episode so that Cadman never has access to McKay's thoughts or his memories, only his body. It's a more complicated way of doing this kind of body-swap story, and they even have to invent some science gibberish to explain to us how she has access to the part of his brain that "creates speech and controls hearing". It seems important for some reason, that is, that Cadman not have insight into his private thoughts nor access to his memories.

There must be something in both of them, in McKay's thoughts and his memories, that she, and we as the audience, cannot be privy to. It might have been all around more comedic if she could access his thoughts and/or memories, but for some reason, that's not on the table here. The convoluted way in which they explain it just gives credence to the idea that the subtext was constructed intentionally. They are careful to leave space for it, even here.

This is also a comedic episode, and comedy is frequently used to obscure things related to McKay in particular. He is kind of like the stock character of Pierrot in Commedia dell'arte, a side-kick whose antics seem to amuse the audience and the other characters but who hides a melancholy internal landscape, the quintessential sad clown. Yes, we are meant to be amused by this comedy of errors but at the same time, what the character is and has been going through is really quite tragic. It is only in the very final frame of the episode that we see how deep the sadness within McKay is, and how the events of the episode have only made him feel worse.

Here, as McKay tries to grasp what is going on when he feels like he is losing his mind, it's the quick pacing of the dialogue that makes it comedic. But at the same time, this is a way of narratively manifesting the dissociation that McKay seems to be suffering as the result of compounding trauma. Having another consciousness in his brain literally makes him dissociate.

As an aside, as he's playing peek-a-boo with himself, note that McKay's fingernails are clipped very short. Let's say that this is for engineering purposes. His hands are very beautiful, though, and toward the end of the first season we were asked to pay attention to them. We see a lot of his hands. We are probably not the only ones that can appreciate them.

His handedness, whether he is right-handed, left-handed or ambidextrous also becomes an actual question in this episode. Even here you can note that he first goes for his ear piece with his right hand where it seems as though the ear pieces are generally worn on the left side, being the non-dominant side. If he was left-handed, the right ear would be on his non-dominant side but we do see him wear his ear piece on the same side as others. But then here, as he points at his head with his finger, he's pointing with his left hand. Whether or not he is left-handed McKay does do a lot with his left hand, and this is lampshaded later on in the episode.

At the end of the episode, we are also invited to wonder what Sheppard's worst nightmare is. This, having a strange woman invade his body and his mind, has to be pretty close to the top of McKay's worst nightmares (and later, when we do see his worst nightmare in Doppelganger (S04E04), being swallowed alive by the whale is a symbolic representation of precisely this, of being consumed by a woman).

Also, the fact that it is McKay's mind that is under threat here isn't just awful for him, it's horrifying to everyone around him, as people are used to him being the rational one, of being the smart one, of having all the answers, being in possession of all the relevant facts. They rely so heavily on McKay being there for them that losing McKay like this makes them feel helpless. And this is a blow especially to Sheppard, as just as he was starting to figure out a way he might keep McKay's body safe with a literal bodyguard, he realizes that there are dangers out there that he just might not be able to shield him from however hard he tries. It's not coincidental that when in the same episode we see a manifestation of Sheppard's worst nightmare, what kills McKay has attacked his mind in particular. And where Sheppard can step in front of a bullet for him, he is starting to realize that there is nothing he can do if he falls apart from the inside.

Continued in Pt. 4

[joandfriedrich]

Ranking Portrayals of Jo x Friedrich from Worst to Best

History- They are one of the best examples of friends to lovers I have seen; starting off as strangers who grow closer due to close compacity, being nerds over their love of books, philosophy, and family. While he fell first, he was incredibly respectful of her space and choices, only acting when he felt there was a chance. Jo, while oblivious at first, started to realize how strong her feelings are, then it verges into two idiots in love, where they are afraid to admit to the other that they love them, until Jo breaks down when she realizes she could lose Friedrich. Then comes one of the greatest declarations of love ever, ending with him lamenting he doesn’t have anything to offer but his full heart and empty hands, and she grabs them to declare “not empty now.” How can anyone not love them is beyond me. The core of their relationship is based on respect and understanding, he the calm to her chaotic, the introvert and the extrovert. As much as they appear to be opposites, they are also so closely in sync with one another that it’s no wonder they are meant to be. What makes this couple even better is knowing that Jo and Friedrich are the expy of Alcott and her love for Henry David Thoreau, of whom she was unable to be with as he died. This is a couple I will defend to my dying day, and I am sure even beyond.

2019- Are you surprised by this point, presuming you read my two other posts, that this would be at the bottom? This one broke me in terms of the portrayal, because it was the most frustrating of any couple that was shown here. It started off fine, we could see Friedrich having heart eyes for Jo, while she is oblivious, which is on par with her, and then we see them dancing and his giving her Shakespeare to help her writing. This was good, true to text. What killed it was the scene where Jo asks Friedrich to read her writings, and she throws a temper tantrum that could rival a kindergartener. For the first time, I had actually said to myself, what does Friedrich see in her, dude you could do better! And that is sad for a couple that I have loved since I was 12. The other thing was that see didn’t even seem interested in him at any point, maybe in the beginning, but other than that, I did not see any kind of connection that would warrant her sisters to push her into chasing after him. And I hate the “choose your own ending” style, because that is not what happened in the book, and ruins a beautiful relationship that was built on friendship and respect, something Jo needed at that point. It had a chance for so much potential, but much like everything else with this film, it failed so hard.

1970- This was one of the few good points of the 70 version, as it is very close to the book, and also the actors did a very good job of showing friends to lovers’ relationship. I like that the first time they met, she mistakes him for a servant, and rather than refuse to help her, he gladly takes her suitcases. The way he remembers who each of her family members are when they talk about her letter is very sweet, and much like the book, Jo has been helping Friedrich with mending his socks and his offering to teach her German as repayment. We see them playfully teasing each other, showing the ease they have, and they discuss the issue of the Volcano writings with maturity and not shouting at each other like other versions make them. Their reunion in Concord is what makes it, when he meets Laurie, he is clearly willing to step aside but is happy to find he is married and Jo is free, and Jo is all heart eyes and defends Friedrich to everyone who say that he is too old and funny, and points out all the great points about him. The added scene of him trying to propose but being stopped by Mr. March is nice, because you can see that Jo was disappointed that it didn’t happen. I am not entirely in love with their love declaration, as it feels unlike them, with Friedrich telling her what is expected of a German wife, which is never said in the book. Overall, it’s fine, but not great.

2017- This one has so many moments from the book that is not included in others, like Jo first seeing Friedrich helping a child carry a heavy bucket of coal, the pair going to a symposium to discuss philosophy, and their lessons in German (which was nicely played out with him reading German and she translated it out loud in English for the kids). I wish there was more scenes with them, because I think that Maya Hawke and Mark Stanley really got the look and behaviors down pact for their characters, but I do love that you can see the growing friendship of the pair, how he gives her violets before she leaves (in Victorian times, it represented faithfulness), how when she comes back and Laurie confesses his love and tries to bash Friedrich, she defends him vehemently, and the glimpse of him collecting her stories from magazines after she had left. I was disappointed in the lack of the Under the Umbrella scene, because I am sure they would have nailed it, though you could argue that their reunion was that, and I did love that Amy was first to say that she and the rest of the family loves him and pretty much can’t wait for him to join the family. Probably the most book faithful version, but I wish it had more, which sadly, knocked down a peg.

1933- This was one of, if not the first, film adaptation that I had ever seen, and I had always remembered the love story between Jo and Friedrich. I was enchanted by their first meeting, as he was seen as a kind man to children and the maid, and clearly Jo was impressed too. The actors truly captured the essence of Jo and Friedrich, her passionate nature and his grounded nature, and you see why they are drawn to each other, they balance each other out. I love the way they reunite at the end of the film, neither caring if they get wet, and the way Katharine Hepburn welcomes him into the house with so much love and happiness that you can’t help but to feel the love. This version is a watered-down version of the novel, but it’s well acted, and Katharine Hepburn and Paul Lukas started the Jo x Friedrich ball rolling very well.

1949- While this one is heavily lifted from the 33’ film, there is something different between the two actors, and a few script changes. In many ways, this one is closest in terms of vibes to the novel. Jo meets Friedrich on the stairs with kids, loses a button, and when they get to talk again, they discuss music, writing, and you can see the beginnings of something sweet between them. Unlike the 33 film, Friedrich’s love confession is interrupted by one of the kids, and their next scene is when he talks to her about her writing, and this one really is the closest to the book, where he kindly explains how she could be a great writer, and she graciously accepts the criticism before sadly saying she has to go home. What elevated this one over the 33 film was the extra moment that appears here, in which Friedrich delivers her book, which is dedicated to the recently passed Beth. It’s such a heartwarming moment and shows not only how much he loved her writing, but had a hand in its publication, showing the extreme faith he had in her book. The chemistry between June Allison and Rossano Brazzi is effortless and lovely, it makes it easy for you to root for them with the little time you have with them.

1978- I am a little surprised at myself for how high I ranked this one, but after re-watching it, there was so much in this that I really loved. Their first meeting shows him playing with his nephews, a trait Jo always loved about him was how good he was to kids, his willingness to help her carry her stuff to her room, and -this was very swoon worthy to me- when she offered her hand to shake, he took it to kiss it. I also adore the moment when Friedrich finds Jo reading his Shakespeare, the look he gives her, almost as if he realized in that moment he was in love. While this version loses a point for them arguing about her writing, it gains so much in their other interactions, like their German lessons, his chasing after her carriage to give her a book with his inscription of encouragement, their letters back and forth, and his collecting her writings from the magazines. Their love confession is sweet too, when he tells her that he will take a wife, only if she’ll have him, and tenderly says, “Jo, my little love, will you have me?” Shatner may not be everyone’s favorite actor, but he did rather well in this version, and his delivery of the iconic “nothing to offer but a full heart and empty hands” was so lovely. Susan Dey gives just as good when she takes his hands and sweetly proclaim that they are no longer empty, they hold her hands now. Underrated, and rightly deserves to be as high on this on my list.

1994- This was the portrayal that many a young girl of my generation made them fall for Jo x Friedrich, and it’s no wonder. Winona Ryder and Gabriel Byrne had a wonderful chemistry that you just feel coming through the screen. Their meeting and getting to know each other shows exactly why they fall for each other, talking about books and philosophy, and while they do have an argument, it never gets as bad as the 78 version, and you can tell it’s more of Jo being upset at herself than Friedrich. Plus, who could ever forget the utterly beautiful and romantic the opera scene is, if that didn’t win you over, then you just have no heart, I guess. The under the umbrella scene is just as beautiful, again, shows how Friedrich really was ready to sacrifice his own happiness for Jo, if it meant she loved someone else, and the incredibly enthusiastic and tender exchange the empty hands dialogue, that I can’t imagine the film to end in any other way.

2018- For my fellow Jo x Friedrich shippers, this is the film for you. Since this version follows Jo during her time in New York, we get plenty of Jo and Freddy interactions here that made me so happy and giddy. They met at college where he offers to be her editor, which is very true to the book, and you can see just why they fell for each other. They share a common interest in theatre and books, talk about life, and you can really tell that Freddy loves Jo for who she is, despite her unusual ways. You can tell that even though they had argued, there is still so much respect and love there, and that it hurts them to have left things the way they were. While we do not get the under the umbrella scene, we do get an incredible attic scene where he sees the source of her muse, the source of her, and you can see him falling in love with her all over again. And I love seeing them getting married at the end, shows the growth that Jo makes through this story, how she realizes that change can be good, and that a good man like Freddy made her see that.