#he knows so much about every other country but knows shit all about canada for some reason

[grinchwrapsupreme]

watching a british guy play geoguessr and he keeps mentioning "canadian states"

[thatdeadaquarius]

OKAY BUT I HAVE MORE IDEA FOR BLUNT READER CUZ I LOVE THAT AU SO MUCHANDMDJFKSLDKF

So you know how french people's insult are always outta pocket (from a person who's first language is french I can tell you that no other language compares in insult -apart for African languages)

Like,, some "bad" insult here would be : bitch, fuck off, whore,..

Which we can all agree is boring...

BUT THEN IN FRENCH!!!

We be getting creative with it

Eg.

"mange tes mort" wich translates to "eat your dead (relatives)"

"vas te fair enculer" means "go get yourself pegged in the ass"

(yes, we have a specific word for being fucked in the ass 💀)

AND THOSE WOULD BE THE COMMON ONES AS WELL

English could never compare ✨

BUT ANYWAYS

how would the characters react if reader was from france/ belgium/ canada(or any other french speaking country) and started cursing people out like they eould do in their home countrie !?!?

The eay their face would drop

We would make a couple of people cry

AND GOD(us haha) FORBID A KID OVER-HEAR US AND STARTS REPEATING US

Trying to un-teach them would be hell *cries*

Your thoughts?

Love yaaaa~

ABSOLUTE TOP TIER ORAH MY BELOVED!!

Nobody has any idea how much I HATE ENGLISH both for its rules/pronounciation BS/etc. But also, most importantly, THERES LIKE NO GOOD CUSS WORDS- OR LIKE CUSS PHRASES??

I HAD TO PUT THIS GIF BC THAT WAS LITERALLY ME WHEN I HAD THE REALIZATION TO LOOK UP OTHER LANGUAGE CUSS WORDS AND I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY BY HOW GOOD THEY WERE- HOW CREATIVE- 😫😭🥲 ENGLISH WHY R U SO SHITY IN EVERY POSSIBLE LANGUAGE SITUATION-

like idk we got "eat shit and die / fuck off / go fuck yourself" ???? Like- thats pathetic 😟.

I love hearing someone just cuss smbody out their native language/non-english, it’s so badass and cool to see

Anyway u already know i love non-native english speakers from the bottom of my heart✨️

GOD I FUCKING LOVE BLUNT LANGUAGE AU ITS LIKE ONE OF TOP FAV AS U CAN PROBABLY GUESS I COULD WRITE A LITERAL FANFIC ENTIRELY OFF THIS SIMPLE PREMISE 💖💓💗💞❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

omg so i HAVE SPECIFICALLY HEARD ABT FRENCH BEING RLLY CREATIVEEE

and i researched french cusswords/phrases,,,

😭 BRO IM CRYING

“bête comme ses pieds!” IM ROLLING ON THE FLOOR-

(trans: you’re as stupid AS YOUR FEEEEEETT)

idk what’s funnier, you translating urself in real time and saying all these phrases to ppl,

OR just scaring the ever-loving shit out of every teyvat citizen within a mile radius bc oh wow- you look pissed, so yeah somebody’s about to lose all their self-esteem for the rest of their life bc ur insults are known to be extra cutting bc ur so blunt-

OH CREATOR ABOVE (…oh creator, present??)- you changed to your holy language FOR THIS???

everybody just giving the npc the most bombastic side-eye for pushing you to do this,

or even just you stubbing ur toe/ate food when it was too hot

or my favorite, getting onto ppl like Wanderer when they do smth silly lmao

STOP I HAD A FOUL THOUGHT OF GETTING ONTO Ei AND WANDERER (like ei for not keeping him/at least giving him to someone else to raise, then all the shit he did as Scaramouche lol)

AND THIS CUSSWORD COMES OUT UNDER UR BREATH OR SMTH- DOES THIS FIT BC THIS KILLS ME:

“Putain de salope…” (whore of whore, I LIED IT MEANS FUCKING BITCH LMAO😭)

JUST GETTING THE MOM AND THE SON IN ONE FULL BREATH CRYINGGGG

STOPPP wanderer using it against other ppl ever since u used it lol

oh no stop dont bring the kids into thisss 😭😭

Klee would deffo be the first one to pick up ur words and use them, omg she just uses them as catchphrases like when throwing her bombs 💀

“Mange tes mort!” JUST WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE AS SHE THROWS HER HUGE SKILL BOMB INTO A FISH POND

Venti would definitely make sure the winds “pass along phrases of the sacred All-God language!”

which just means anyone who UNDERSTANDS YOU JUST GETS GENTLY CREATIVELY CUSSED OUT BY THE WIND IM SOBBINGGG

☆

i hope u guys are having a great summer! its basically too hot to go outside where I am, not unless ur going straight into the water or smth

which hey, ill be doing that this weekend, floating down the river about an hour away from my house with friends! :]

which,,, if anyone sees this, U GOTTA HELP ME THINK OF A 1000 FOLLOWERS MILESTONE THING TO DO IDK WHAT TO DO BUT I WANNA CELEBRATE IT BC I NEVER THOUGHT THATD HAPPEN!! lmk what u think in the comments if u read this!

☆

Safe Travels 0rah,

💀♒

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi

[landolovef]

Going home - lando norris

Summary: Many months had went into planning this trip. From the timing, the days and the activities to scheduling down who your going to introduce to your boyfriend and at what time and day. You hed spent everyday making sure that this was going to go perfectly just for everything to change last minute

Warnings: swearing

As a Canadian i felt it was right to use canada as the country. Plus fc is canadian as well!!

Over the last months after moving in with lando although everything had gone perfect its began to feel lonely. The constant change happening has been feeling like to much recently so you decided to plan a trip for yourself and lando to go back to your home in canada. To reunite with your loved ones and friends.

Yes Lando knows about the trip and everything that is planned for the two of you yet he does not possess the same excitement that has been slowly creeping inside of you. Infact Lando is dreading this trip and everything about it. Including going to canada, meeting new people and just everything. He thought that it was made clear by his reactions to your plans that he did not want to accompany you on this trip. every time you mention it his face drops and he groans.

You know about how much lando doesnt want to go on this trip with you but you cant figure out why. You want to share your life with him. You want to share where you came from your friends your family and everything in between. Yet he just doesn’t seem on board for reasons you and him are not even sure about.

Finally approaching the final days before the trip you decide to sit down with Lando and have a conversation with him about him refusing to come with you. Althought the conversation beging peaceful you never expected for it to come to this.

“Lando please just tell me why you cant come with me ive spent months planning this for us me and you not me alone” you plead with him hoping hell understand how important this is for you.

“Ive made plans plus canada is a shit country anyway I’ve seen it before i don’t need to see it again” lando states out of anger leaving you confused.

“Oh… im going to leave don’t follow me dont text me just not until i get back at least” it hurt, it hurt you to hear lando say your country isnt worth visiting, it hurts to hear hes disregarded every plan you had made for the two of you just to make his own. It hurt knowing he didn’t care enough to do something he knew you were so excited about even if he didn’t want to. Everything about him doing this hurt.

Lando knew he fucked up the moment he saw you leave with your suit case. He didn’t mean to hurt you he just had other things he wanted to do during his summer break and that doesn’t include spending it in canada. He made

Plans about a week ago to go golfing with Carlos and his father, he made plans to stream with max, he made plans to stream with filly,

And he had stuff he wanted to do with quadrant he didn’t see the big deal.

2 days later you made it to the airport alone. You had an uber drop you off. In the uber you have came to the conclusion that you don’t need lando to enjoy spending time with your family and friends so you had blocked his number. Although you and all of your friends knew that this was only temporary until you get back to Monaco. You thought it was best you and Lando have some space as he truly did hurt you with every action and every word he had said and done.

Making it to canada your first stop off the plane is to grab a coffee from Tim hortons as it was closest to the airport.

Lando at home had been busy all these plans he made have finally caught up to him and he’s realizing now that he not getting the break he had thought he would during the summer. He missed you, he missed waking up with you he missed your voice, your smile just everything about you. You had been radio silent for days and lando doesn’t understand why so he decided to be the first to reach out

It’s not till he’s speaking with max does he notice that he’s been blocked. Max made him realize a lot that day including why you had been so upset about what he said and his choices to set up his own plans when you had spent months planning something for the both of you.

He feels guilty. He knows he messed up and he knows he has to make up for it. It doesn’t help when he sees your instagram post about how much you had missed home and your friends. So he spends the next day setting everything up. He messages your parents to see when would be a good time to stop by, he books a flight, and finally packs everything he needed from the list you had sent him a while ago.

YourUsername . Just posted

Liked by: Landonorris, carlossainz55, yourfriend1, username8 and 763 others

YourUsername: canada i missed you couldnt be more glad to be back

Yourfriend1: so only missed the country then?

-YourUsername you would be correct

LandoNorris: miss you baby

- username4 hes not with her?

Username48: shes stunning

-YourUsername: all you

Finally he knocks. You’re confused and so are your friends. No one else was coming over so who was knocking? You paused the movie which happened to be your and landos favourite movie to watch together the hangover.

As you swing the door open your met with the piercing eyes of Lando which makes you feel so many different things. He’s here.

He’s actually here you don’t believe it so you do what you see in movies and punch him in the arm but not hard enough to hurt him.

“Ouch babe what the hell” Lando exclaims even though you both knew it didn’t hurt.

“Sorry had to make sure you were real plus you deserve that” he knows he does, he really does deserve that and so much more. So as he pulls you into the tightest hug ever he whispers.

“I know i know im so sorry i fucked everything up, i fucked up this trip you’ve been planning for months and in the process i hurt you im so sorry you have no idea” he continues to go on and on so you pull him into a deep heart felt kiss that he knew meant you appreciated him coming.

Although you knew he still had to work to be forgiven in the moment all you cared was that despite not wanting to he had come all this way.

Authur:

Thankyou to everyone who reached out last post and to everyone who engaged means alot!!

Also i messed up the text messaages nooo just know their meant to be from lando to y/n

[alpaca-clouds]

On Santa, the Christkindle, Krampus and Frau Holle

Let me tell you Americans something – because I know that most people on this specific hellsite are in fact American, while I am not. I am European. German, to be exact, with some Asian roots, according to my mother. And a few days in a rather useless attempt to get a bit into the Holiday spirit, I watched the movie “Red One”. An American friend already noted, how he was aware that in the finale of the movie, it does not make a lot of sense to save Christmas, given not everyone celebrates Christmas around the world, and how also a couple of countries have the presents out on January, 6th, on the Epiphany. Which, yes, is true.

When I watched the movie, though, and got to the place, I messaged that friend: “By the way, do you know that Santa does in fact not bring us the presents in Germany? Or most of Europe, in fact. Oh, and also, Krampus is in fact not really the Anti-Santa or Santa’s brother or some shit, but that goes back a whole lot further than just Christianity.”

On the next day, though, I could not help it, but think about the entire thing. Because I was not quite sure whether I had some cognitive bias about Krampus – or if my gut feeling was right. And that got me down a long, long rabbit hole.

So, my dear Americans, let me regail you with Christmas stories from Europe, and why Krampus has more to do with white men being butthurt than anything else. Alright? Alright!

Christkindelein, Christkindelein

Now, I will not go too deeply into the entire Santa thing. Just know: Yes, St. Nikolaus is in fact connected to Christmas traditions all over Europe. However, in quite a lot of European countries, like in Germany, St. Nikolaus only comes on December 6th, where he will bring a bit of chocolate, and maybe some socks. No big presents. Those are for Christmas.

So, why does Nikolaus come on December 6th? Well, this has to do with Saints’ Days in the Catholic calendar. Basically: Every saint in the Catholic canon has a day dedicated to them. And yes, we have more than 365 saints, so yes, several saints will usually share a day. St. Nikolaus, the Turkish bishop, has his day on December 6th, hence this is the day when someone dressed as a somewhat more historical St. Nikolaus will appear in German kindergardens and schools. And also in some other countries. (Not all countries celebrate this.) That will usually look something like this.

Now, Germany will have the presents on Christmas Eve. Not on the morning of December 25th, but the tradition was originally for the family to go to Christmas (like a literal mas) on the evening of December 24th, and then come home for a good feast and presents, because the presents had been “delivered” while the family was in the church. But no, they were not delivered by St. Nick, but by the Christkind, the Christ Child. And generally speaking in most of the Catholic areas of Europe it tends to be either the Christ Child who delivers the presents, or the Magi – in those areas of Europe where the presents get to the kids on Epiphany.

And yes, there are absolutely a lot of families in Europe today, who have not a strong religious tradition, and hence just use Santa, because American Imperialism is a thing, and most movies the kids are aware off use Santa. After all those families will usually not go to Church for the literal Christmas and… Well, what difference does it make.

However, I should not that it is generally not a thing over here – even in those families that were taken in by American Imperialism – to put out cookies and milk for Santa. That very much is an American thing. Please, dear Americans, just do not assume that something that is a traditions with you folks gets done the same everywhere on the world. Because in fact, very few things Americans celebrate are celebrated the same way anywhere else (outside of Canada, I guess).

But this is actually the less interesting part of this little essay.

No, I actually wanted to talk with you about Krampus.

Krampus is not Santa’s Brother

Now I will tell you something, that has surprised all my American friends: I never heard of Krampus until I was 18. Never once was I aware that Krampus was a thing that existed, despite me being from Germany. Shocking, right?

Because here is the thing: Krampus does not originate in Germany, but in Austria. And specifically the Krampus tradition originates in Styria. Which once more is the moment I will remind my dear Castlevania fans that: Yes, indeed. Styria is a real place. It is a region within Austria. And to be exact it is the region in Europe that was Christianized the latest. (Please mind: Yes, there were other region that were not-majority Christian later, but those got Christianized before, but were taken over by Muslims afterwards. Meanwhile Styria was only Christianized majorly in the 12th century. Mainly because it is an area that is so high up in the mountains, that pretty much everyone until then who tried to forcefully Christianize failed.)

And when I was 18, I moved in with my then boyfriend, who lived in Leoben in Styria. So that year was the first time, that I ever heard of Krampus, because there was a lot of Krampus related stuff happening in Styria. Mainly there was a Krampuslauf pretty much everywhere on December 5th, so in the night before December 6th, before St. Nikolaus came. And yes, as you might be aware, the story about Krampus is usually about how he will take the naughty children and kidnap and eat them in some way or form.

In Austria meanwhile this looks like this: A whole lot of men dress up with creepy masks, run through the streets, and hit people with whips. A very Castlevania holiday indeed. Yes, usually some bullshit happens, because of people are anonymous some bullshit always happens, right?

And for my whole life I have always wondered: While I was living in Austria I noticed a whole lot more references to Krampus in American media. I chucked it up to be a cognitive bias. You know, when you learn about a new word for example, you notice it a lot more being used. So I shrugged and went on with my life, not really thinking about this again. Until that conversation a couple of days ago. And this time… This time I could not help myself. Because I was like: “I am pretty sure the Krampus tradition is older than the St. Nikolaus tradition in that area. So it is probably not a Christian thing.” But I also kept thinking: “Is it though?” Mainly, because during this years @fluff-cember I also wrote a story about Perchten, and I could not help but notice one thing: Krampus has an awful lot of similarity to Perchten.

Mother Holde and Perchten

Hey, you. Americans specifically. Do you know the story of Frau Holle? Because while I know you might probably not be familiar with a lot of European folklore, there is a good chance you at least will know the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.

If you don’t, don’t worry. I will give you the short rundown. (Mind you, like with all fairlytales, there are about 10 different versions of this story going around. Because those were oral stories first.)

The short version however is like this.

A miller looses his wife and marries anew. And his new wife has a daughter from a previous marriage. Now they have two daughters named Marie. And like it goes in those fairytales, the stepmother treats the Marie from the old marriage very poorly, especially after the father dies. However, this Marie is a diligent child. She will do all her chores without complaining. And one day she is send to spin yarn at the local well. However, her spindle falls into the well – and when she tries to fetch it, she falls into it as well. However, instead of being stuck in the well, it turns out she gets basically isekai’d into another realm, where an old woman meets her, introducing herself as Frau Holle. And she offers this Marie to help her with her chores, and if Marie does so, she will be rewarded. Marie, being the diligent child, obviously agrees. And she does the chores, that unbeknownst to her actually allow the season on earth to move on properly. Part of it is to beat out the pillows and blankets, making it snow on the world. And after a while, Frau Holle is very impressed with her, and showers her in gold, before sending her back home. Now, the stepmother finds this child now rich and golden, and asks her where she got all that gold. And Marie, being the diligent child, tells her. So the stepmother tells her own daughter to do the same. So this daughter will also spin by the well, drop her spindle, fall in and get isekai’d. And indeed. It happens. However, this Marie is lazy and not at all diligent. And after a while Frau Holle has enough with her, and instead of with gold, she showers this Marie in pitch and sends her back.

And then there is this moral about being a diligent girl and diligence being rewarded and stuff.

However, Frau Holle actually goes far, far back into German, and especially alpine mythology to the goddess Holde, Berchte, or Perchten.

Now, we have a pretty good idea from mythological research, that Berchte (to be translated as “the bright one”) was probably very related to Frigg from Norse mythology, just with some adjustments given that this was a goddess who was prayed to in the alps, rather than Scandinavia – and mythology will always shift to reflect the area people live in.

But yes, Berchte was – from all we can reconstruct – always linked to spinning, and to the midwinter holidays. After all, most cultures did celebrate the solstices in some way or form. And it seems that indeed Berchte was connected to bringing gifts during the solstice, but also with punishing lazy and naughty children and servants. While we do have little written evidence for this in the pre-Christian culture (because they wrote down very little), we know that Berchte was said to roam around during the Christmas holidays, after these areas got Christanized.

And while Berchte would both appaear as a pretty young woman, and a motherly old woman, there seemed at some point a shift to happen. And when she came to punish those who had been lazy or naughty, she would appear as a monsterous woman with goat horns, who more commonly was called Perchten. (Still same word root though.) It is not quite clear whether Perchten at that point already was a different being from Berchte – or just a slightly varied name for a different incarnation. But however it happened: Over the next few centuries the Berchte worship died out, but Perchten survived.

Perchten and the Angry White Men

Now, here comes the interesting bit. Because we have written evidence of Perchten going as far back as the 12th century. And we know that even after Christianization of these area, Perchten stayed around. And in fact, it became a tradition for the women to dress up as Perchten during the Christmas celebrations (which back in the day lasted for 12 days, as you might know) and play tricks on everyone, who they perceived to have been naughty.

And… Well, here is the thing. We do not know how it happened. But one of the current theories is, that simply some men were like: “Why do women get to have all the fun?!” And kinda wanted to make a male pendent for Perchten. Which ended up being Krampus.

Now, please consider two things: 1) There is a theory too, that Krampus might have been influenced by Ottoman and Balkan mythology, though this connection is kinda hard to source, though it would explain the origins of the name. 2) In northern areas of the Germanic people, St. Nikolaus was already celebrated and had a companion, who was indeed punishing the naughty kids. Servant Rupert (Knecht Ruprecht). However, this companion was not monstrous like Krampus, but just a guy in a servant’s uniform and with a whip made of twigs. Simple as that. It still might have been an influence.

One way or another: Ethnologists are very, very certain that Krampus did come to be as a reaction to Perchten and the Perchtenläufe, which also explains the visual correlations between Krampus and Perchten.

The first written sources we have for Krampus showing up only go back to the mid-17th century, but historians assume that this tradition started in the late-16th century. But the exact details are fairly hard to pin down.

It turns out, though, that my very subjective experience of not noticing a whole lot of Krampus stuff earlier was very correct. Because… this tradition kinda got lost mostly during the 19th century. Like, sure, some places still had a Krampuslauf of some sort, and had Krampus come with St. Nikolaus during the celebrations, but for several reasons (one of them being that the Krampus just appeared too pagan) the tradition mostly got lost for a long, long while.

White People and their Lost Culture

And this brings me back to me never ever hearing anything about Krampus until I moved to Austria about 15 years ago. Because when I was in Austria, everyone told me that, yeah, sure, this Krampus thing is totally an old tradition. And heck, many of them might not even have meant to lie to me, given they were themselves fairly young. But indeed, the widespread comeback of the Krampuslauf actually only started in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Again, no, it was never a fully dead tradition, but it had petered off over the centuries and only was a thing in very few places until Styria came into the problem, that a lot of western European nations generally have to struggle with: “Well, Christianity got pushed onto us during the middle ages, and we actually do not fucking know a whole lot about our culture before Christianity, do we now? So if I do no longer align with Christianity, what the heck is my culture?” This need to have a culture of their own clearly also was influenced by the influx of immigrants and the racist reflex to be like: “Hey, this is our culture” in comparison.

And so… someone stumbled across the entire Krampus thing and was like: “Welp, this certainly does feel kinda pagan, doesn’t it?” And so Krampus was brought back, and within a couple of years became a tradition pretty much every place in Styria participated in, before it even spread to other parts of Austria.

Which brings me back to being a little alpaca standing in Austria and being like: “Huh, I never heard of it.” And then seeing horror movies themed around Krampus spring up, tilt my head and wonder: “Wait, was this always a thing?”

The answer is: Nope. Nope, it wasn’t! American references to Krampus in media go only back until 2004, and actually the big push to include Krampus in western media only happened in the early 2010s. So no, it was actually no subconscious bias on my side. It was true. Krampus was actually fairly new and the reason I never noticed this before was, that it simply had not been a thing for very long, when I came to Austria – and that indeed American media only started to broadly include Krampus in the early 2010s.

Which brings me back to the most important thing this rabbit hole has taught me: It was actually not my subconscious cognitive bias! HOORAY!

So, what about St. Nikolaus?

Let me finish with this: St. Nikolaus has been a figure who has brought treats and presents to children and servants (I cannot stress the later part enough) at least since the 11th century, probably already earlier. The historical figure that inspired this tradition goes back to the 4th century, obviously, and the way St. Nikolaus has given out presents in Europe for the most part was related to the legend around the historical figure. And yes, from all we know, the tradition of giving St. Nikolaus some sort of other person who accompanies him and at times is responsible for punishing the evil kids and servants might go back at least until the 12th century. Those servants of St. Nick have had a whole lot of names in a whole lot of different areas, and talking about them all would let me write at least a small novella here.

And in a way, I am somewhat sad, that the one of the figures who somehow managed to get picked up by Americans is actually Krampus – and how very much divorced from the cultural context he originated it became.

I guess in some way it is fitting, given that of course the American version of St. Nikolaus is also very much divorced from any cultural context he once had. It is simply the thing American culture does: Divorcing things from their cultural context. I mean, I am gonna be mean here, but I am gonna bet that I know more about the bible than pretty much 95% of American Christians, given how Christianity came ot the US and is taught there to this day. Again: Fully divorced from the cultural context.

And still, I wish it would not be that way. It would at least make Holiday movies a whole lot more interesting. Be it the ones about Santa dealing with Santa actually being a brown man, or the ones about Krampus dealing with my horny boy originating from men wanting to have a horned representation as well, while running around the alps during the winter months.

[themotherofhorses]

paloma: first meeting

— simon "ghost" riley x oc!silentdove reyes.

summary: he's not annoyed, per se, but ghost is just not really in the mood to chit-chat with the american airman scurrying around the base. at best, he tolerates them.

(or the first exchange between ghost and his montanan woman.)

warnings: none, aside from explicit language.

note: okay, so despite this being an obvious OC-insert series, i invite anyone and everyone to read it :D this is actually my first time tackling an OC-insert fanfic (as well as writing ghost) so im still trying to get the rhythm of things.

dividers by: @saradika

paloma (masterlist) | main masterlist

[2021] 

Simon Riley won’t ever admit it — never aloud, anyway — but every time he steps foot on American soil, he feels more akin to a wolf draped in sheep’s clothing. 

In his mind, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He is not a hero, really; unlike the lot teetering around the military base he is currently stationed at for the next five or so weeks, he is less flesh and blood, and more a phantom. Or something along those lines. Actually, that could explain why there is such little traffic aimed his way. But he doesn’t particularly care. His schedule lacks the room to voice any complaints. 

Right now, his main concern is doing his job, and doing it right. 

Two weeks back, Price had him fishing out his passport tucked away inside his bedside table. “Fancy a two month getaway to the States?” Great Falls, Montana, to be exact. High west, nearing the border of Canada, and surrounded by land he’s only ever seen in those silly ass spaghetti western movies. 

The view is nice, he’ll admit. Beautiful, even. Exhilarating. He now understands why they refer to Montana as “Big Sky Country.” 

Malmstrom is much smaller than he imagined, and homier too. The Air Force base is nestled within the city’s east side, offering its own museum and park. He’s quite grateful for the latter; the trails allow for his nighttime walks when the nightmares prove too shitty to sleep. 

Great Falls is pretty as well. Price would like it, maybe Garrick too. He knows the two are big on history, and almost every inch of the city is drenched with some memory belonging to the old frontier days. 

Upon arriving, the yanks provided him with his own private office, housed in the back of the 341st logistics readiness squadron. It’s nothin’ fancy, really, just a wee room furnished with a dark mahogany desk, two windows, a steel cabinet, the Montana flag to his left, and the American to his right. 

Again, he’s not one to complain. Something’s something. 

Earlier, one of the higher-up airmen, a Staff Sergeant Benson (he believes is the name), had handed him a folder jam-packed with a shit ton of mission statements — logistics, strategic planning, reports of previous global concerns, and reviews of the base’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. All the documents are dated in a time range varying between two months ago to 0800 this morning. 

In the back of his mind, he can already hear Price chuckling.

“Have fun, Simon.”

Bloody bastard. 

So now, Ghost sits hunched over the desk, feeling a little too damn big for it. All the paperwork is strewn about messily around him, with sticky notes, a pen, and some other random shit of his. No one has yet to visit him; until that happens, he feels little need to remain organized. 

His boot taps against the floor. “—Initial efforts to clean polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from launch facilities at Malmstrom AFB are ongoing but seeing success…” Ghost reads under his breath. PCBs? That’s nice to hear.

“...after PCBs were detected on surfaces in launch facilities at all three of the command’s missile wings.” 

PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyls — man-made and highly toxic, consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms. He clicks his tongue, shaking his head as he flips onto the next page.

“We know they’re present on what appears to be otherwise pristine surfaces, due to the survey—” 

—a sudden knock interrupts his reading. 

With a curse on his tongue, Ghost sets down the report. He quicks a sneaking glance at his watch. 1342 hours. He’s due in a meeting at 1700. 

“Come in.” His voice sounds low and raspy, the two words sounding more like a growl than a greeting. He’s not annoyed, per se, but Ghost is just not really in the mood to chit-chat with the American airmen scurrying around the base. At best, he tolerates them.

(In his mind, they’re all little Graves, ready to stir up a headache.) 

The door slowly cracks open.

“Lieutenant Riley?” A female voice calls out — soft and cautious; Ghost’s chin drops against his knuckles. “Apologies for the disruption, sir, but I have some additional paperwork I need to drop off with you, at the request of my superior.” He grunts, and the airman then steps into his office, quickly shutting the door behind her before meeting his eyes. 

It is entirely unlike him, Ghost knows, but his brain almost short-circuits right then and there. Two dark brown eyes, framed by thick lashes, peering up at him. Shit. He’d always thought brown was such a pretty eye color on a woman, but hers stretched further across common compliments. 

Both of  ‘em — they held no animosity, no uneasiness or fear, nothing. 

That, itself, is quite fucking bizarre. He’s not used to that.

Ghost is .... well, Ghost. He knows the mask he is always donning on his face isn't exactly a sign of welcomeness. Just his mere presence is enough to startle the living shit out of rookies, baby recruits, wide-eyed sergeants, and the like. There is something inherently unnerving when you are unable to get a good reading of the person you're standing across from.

She’s brave, he thinks. Or merely oblivious to who he is. 

“Here you go, sir,” the airman says while placing the packet of new documents down on his desk. Her lips are shaped prettily, plump and shining with a fresh layer of gloss, and across her nose is a splatter of faint freckles. Under a different circumstance, maybe he would’ve taken the time to try and count them all.

Ghost swallows hard, incapable (for what feels like the first time in his life) of mustering up an appropriate reply. “Ah, thank you, ma’am.” 

The airman's brow lifts.

“Reyes,” she then corrects him with a kind smile, gesturing to the name badge sitting above her right chest pocket. Sure enough, in bold military lettering, reads Reyes. “My name is Senior Airman SilentDove Reyes. I am actually a cryptologic linguist analyst here on base; but sometimes I run errands for others, when not needed for a translation, of course.”

There is a slight chirp in her voice that Ghost picks up, along with the way she casually rocks back and forth on her feet. She seems awfully young, no older than 22, possibly 23, but even that's cutting it; a kid, compared to him. Maybe 5'7, with dark hair pulled back into two tight braids that fall at her belted waistline.

A stark contrast compared to him.

He's oddly curious now — about her age and first name and those long braids and why she stands before him, calm, collected, and sure — but he knows damn well this is not the time nor place for any questions. Both of them are on the clock, and it is likely she’ll need to report back to her supervisor soon. 

He offers her a curt nod. “Well, thank you again, Reyes,” he states, keeping his voice flat. 

“You are welcome, sir.” She turns to leave, but when her hand latches onto the doorknob, Reyes glances over her shoulder at him, “—oh, and Lieutenant? If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

–

The successful cleaning came after a bioenvironmental team at Malmstrom AFB …. Malmstrom AFB .. consulted with engineers and ….. and medical experts on the cleaning …. cleaning processes and– 

–and agents most likely to effectively remove the chemicals…. 

He knows his mind is wandering off, in desperate search of that pretty senior airman from fifteen minutes ago. “Bloody fucking hell,” Ghost grumbles, leaning back in his chair. His head lolls back as he blinks upward, studying the ceiling overhead. The texture is popcorn, a creamy color, with a simple fan jutting down. One light bulb, probably a recent replacement. 

Fuck. He doesn’t need this shit. Not one bit. 

Five more weeks and he’ll be gone from here. 

Ghost rechecks his watch, feeling a bit peeved at the time. 1411. He has several more hours until he can leave all this work shit behind for the evening, and maybe catch a short walk before hunkering down for the night. He doesn’t like sitting down for too long; it causes him to become restless. Agitated. Overthinking.

He doesn’t want distractions. He doesn’t need ‘em. Distractions ruin work ethic; clouding up the mind while fucking up all sense of responsibility. Price will have his ass if he – somehow – becomes compromised. And he'll never hear the end of it from Johnny. 

Settling back into the paperwork, he decides that he won’t allow himself another second thinking about all that – the American airman and her pretty brown eyes and high cheekbones and first name. 

Something tells him that’s easier said than done. 

[ego-meliorem-esse]

Could you talk a bit about Matthew and Alfred relationship? Our boys need love too

The lads! The fellas! The absolute units!

Bear with me here I wanna give a little bit of a context and a personal explanation as to why I'm really fascinated with these two countries in general.

If there is one nationfolk relationship that comes as close to pure and friendly as it possibly can, it would be the Us-Can one. Of course, it has major problems and unavoidable disputes. But let me tell you, as a balkan, ex-yugoslav cretin, I cannot help but be intriqued with the way these two comunicate. They make fun of eachother sure, they have disputes and squables, sometimes outright clashes, but when there is crisis in the US for example, all I hear is Americans straight up saying "ok well time to move to Canada". It's fascinating to me! As a Croat who, after returning from Serbia from a 3 day trip, brought home souveniers (key chains mostly, with the Serbian flag) I was yelled at by my dad who afterwards didn't talk to me for a few days. All because I dared to bring this enemy countrys flag into our home. Now, I was born in 1999. I have no connection to the war 8 years prior. No excusable, personal vandetta. But still it' s very much acceptable to hate so strongly. And even if it wasn't 8 years that passed, but 80, there still would be a widely accepted resentment. But alas, I am not talking about people, cus frankly people are just people. Alliances and relations between countries are another thing. Imagine sharing a huge fucken border with another country and being friends. My euro brain is imploding. Uncomprehensible.

Now I do understand the US is often described as a bit of a phycho, and frankly Canada is an expert at dealing with the phycho. Kudos. Keep the yanks from whipping out their home protection assault rifles and unleashing hell fire is risky shit. Canada manages tho. What I'm really interested in is the USA's view of Canada. They aren't a threat. They aren't suspicious. They are a force to be reckoned with tho, but they are friends. If there is one ally the USA can rely on its the maple sucking french/anglo bastards up north. So much history in such a short time. Fascinating.

To relate this to the bros, I think these two understand eachother better than most. Matt is quiet, obsetvand and passive (mostly), while his unit of a brother is loud, idealistic and prone to thinking the world owes him time on the world stage. And it works. Matt is the one to talk to his brother in a way that gets Alfred to listen. H speaks Alfreds language and can communicate with him freely. I think that that is a skill and in the modern era, a privilage that not many have. Not many dare to tell Alfred to his face that he fucked up majorly, but Matt can. He knows he can. Alfred knows he can. So he does. Matt can pull his brother aside after an outburst, and for the lack of a better word, humble him.

Alfred respects his brothers oppinion more then other nations'. He went from seeing Matt as a weak, self-pitying and ambitionless dominion, to accepting his views, ideas and even asking his oppinion on certain matters. I like to draw a parallel here. Matt had to sacrifice everything and himself to have Arthur call him into the war room and ask Matthew for his oppinion. Alfred is not much different. It takes time for Matthews voice to be heard, but when the time comes, it's desperately needed.

Alfred tho, is and always will be Alfred. And if somthing else catches his attention, he will ignore the house on fire across the street. He is prone to isolation and ignoring his brother for extended periods of time, just sending him a tiktok every month or so. That being the only indication to Matt that his brother is alive. Alfred has so much shit going on and his 13 braincells have to spread evenly across to cover it all. His brother is a constant in his life, stable and therefore forgotten.

That being said, I don't think there is another person on Earth Alfred loves more than his brother. Showing it is not something he ever learned tho. He knows he cannot buy his way into showing his love for Matt, so with his lack skills of other forms of love expressions, he does nothing.

As for Matt, he checks up on Alfred as much as he can. His history and past have tought him to expect nothing form the people he loves. So he doesn't. He knows Alfred is his closest ally and best friend, but doesn't ask for anything Alfred himself isn't giving. He is a person who waits to be asked to hang out on Saturday instead of asking his friends himself.

So while almost all I talked about is sad and somewhat negative, I do think the bond and conversations these two share are one of the most honest and true expressions of brotherly love. And by god I usually don't use the world love when describing nation-folk relationships, but in this case there isn't a replacement.

sorry for the personal shit and Alfred slander, I love him.

[sassysnakedemon]

I've been thinking (I know, that's dangerous)

So, I last posted about being weird about the news about GO3, and drinking whiskey with fly shit in it. Well, now I've been drinking whiskey without fly shit in it, and I have new thoughts.

Mostly these - it doesn't really matter what they do with GO3. It doesn't really even matter if we get a GO3. Because the planet is burning, and there's an American election on the horizon that has the potential to change the entire world. GO3 seems small in that comparison. Maybe that's the whiskey talking, but there it is.

I have a sinking suspicion that the Orange Menace is going to win. My friends are taking odds on it, but the main consensus is that he will win. And then enact (or try to) a dictatorship in America. America, who was the first enactor of Democracy. This will reverberate throughout other Democratic nations. There are several of them that are starting to be fascist leaning. My own (Canada) included. Yes, I said Canada. Canada is starting to lean so far right that fascism isn't out of reach. I live in fear. And in poverty, as, while inflation in the US is ridiculous, it is damaging to human life in my country.

I'll give an example. I make roughly 30k per year. My husband makes roughly 60k per year. My mother, who lives in the same house makes roughly 30k per year. Our house has recently been valued (and it used to be valued at about 300K) at 1.5 MILLION. Our combined incomes could not even get us 10% down on a mortgage on the home WE LIVE IN. Thank Somebody that we already own it, or we for sure could NOT afford it now. And yes, I absolutely recognize the privilege that we already owned this property at the earlier value. Thank Somebody for generational 'wealth'. I say that in quotes, because we're nowhere near wealthy, and yet, so much better off than others.

I personally know people who cannot afford to live on CANADA's minimum wage (which is a slightly respectable 17.30 per hour), one of whom is living in my house (despite her making almost 25 per hour), and I cannot fathom how anyone is expected to live on the US's 7.25 per hour. That was the minimum wage when I last worked in the US - almost 20 years ago. And it wasn't enough then. I now make almost 40 an hour (as a business owner, no less), and it still isn't enough. Not enough to get ahead. I maintain, at best. That's where we are up here in Canada. 40 per hour doesn't get you shit all. So, what does that say about 17.30 per hour? Or, even worse, 7.25 per hour (which by CAD today is 10.05)?

So let's go back to the Orange Menace trying to enact a fascist dictatorship in America - it's possible. He will try to undermine the Constitution at every turn. Because it doesn't sit well with his narcissism. And yes, Generals of the military are willing to put a stop to him going against Constitutional order. But are their underlings in the military willing to do the same? Because if not, friendly fire is a thing. And I know there are many Trump supporters within the military. So that sits us with a Civil War in America. Again. But now, the 'New Improved Civil War, this time with NUKES!' Do you want that? I admit, it makes for excellent entertainment value, but it has far reaching consequences. Consequences that affect far more than just the US. We're talking all Democratic nations, as well as all Enemies of the State. Not to mention that the US will be dealing with a Civil War at the same time.

This sounds like Hell to me. And if it is to be, then I don't want to be here for it.

I have fought intrusive thoughts for so long. I have fought them with the belief that things would get better. They are getting worse. America is set to become Gilead, Canada is set to follow suit, Democracy is set to fall, and if that all happens, then I'll say a cheery 'Bye', and take myself out of it.

So after thinking all of that, what a few people do for a show I very admittedly love, seems small. The world is burning. I am burning with it. I am angry, desperate, willful, but in this moment, defeated.

I am so sorry for this whiskey-soaked rant. But at the same time, not so sorry. The world picture is bleak, and we can soak our souls in entertainments while the world burns, but it won't stop the world burning.

As a last cry from Gen X - FIGHT THE POWER!!! Fight as hard as you can - NOLITE TE BASTARDES CARBORUNDORUM!!!

And go vote if you're an American. Only you can stop a Civil War in its tracks.

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

hey mate I enjoy your writing and I think you're good at it but have tou not heard that calling Drifter 'Rat' is p racist? (he's Chinese and so the word has got quite a loaded history)

Ok, well, I suppose it's time.

Cut for length and to respect those who don't want (or cannot mentally afford) to engage with this topic.

Fair warning in advance: My blog is not a platform for hatred. People being shitty to each other in comments will get blocked, regardless of whether you're for or against what I have to say.

And I absolutely know some people are going to block me over talking about this at all. I am saddened by that, but I accept your judgement. This is something I feel everyone needs to think critically about and come to their own reasoned responses, not just knee-jerk outrage react, even though I know there will be knee-jerk outrage reactions. I still love you even if you must go. I will miss you.

If you feel the need to quote me and shit on this post on your blog (or in Discord or wherever), I can't stop you. If you choose to do this, I hope you have the decency to actually engage in what I am saying rather than deliberately misinterpreting my words to mean something they do not. But the lust for ragebait attention is strong so I am not going to be surprised when it happens, just disappointed.

First, the obvious:

Racism fucking sucks. It's systemic. It's a gross disease of human culture based in power dynamics and cruelty, and it's extremely shitty: up to and including the use of racial/ethnic slurs to describe a group of people.

The use of rats, mice, cockroaches, locusts, and anything that falls under the umbrella of 'vermin-type animals' as derogatory ways to describe any group of people of pretty much any racial or ethnic background that isn't whatever group is privileged and in power at the time (usually White, but not always) is a well documented historical fact.

It has happened. It has happened a lot. Many, many times. It has never not been shitty. It will never be ok.

It has been used against people of Asian heritage. It has been used against people in the Middle-East. It has been used against Indigenous people on every continent except Antarctica. It has been used by racially White groups against another White groups but predominantly it's been used against People of Colour.

It is a thing. It has always been a thing. It is a thing right now. People do this right now. It is not funny or irrelevant. It is objectively wrong. It would be nice if humanity could get to the point where we aren't shitting on each other like this but I'm not holding my breath on that one and neither should you.

I live in Canada. My grandmother was a Residential School survivor. If you don't know what that is then don't look it up unless you've got a strong stomach for mass child abuse and genocide. The abuse from my grandmother's experiences continued generationally. I have had so much taken from me because half of my heritage was considered to be literal vermin (written into the laws of the country I am a citizen of) and determined to be in need of being 'civilized.'

The other half of my heritage is Ukrainian: a White ethnic group that has been seen as vermin, had their culture erased, and is currently dealing with another, more powerful White ethnic group taking over their entire country by force in the name of 'bringing order.'

Both groups in my own personal ethnic background have historical documentation referring to them, specifically, as “rats” in the ethnic cleansing “gotta call an exterminator” sense and both groups have been victimized by regimes who treated them (and still are treating them) as exactly that.

I am speaking to you as a person who is intimately familiar with the effects and consequences which happen when one group of humans dehumanizes another, considering them vermin in need of extermination (or “colonization” or "relocation" or "civilization"), and treats them as such – including, and in particular, the word “rat.”

I have also looked very closely (with a full academic literature education background training me to look for these things) at all instances of the word "rat" within all the Destiny 2 lore I have been able to find.

The Drifter's Asian heritage and features (I believe he is canonically at least partially Vietnamese but that is based on some very fuzzy details) in the game are depicted in loving detail. Aspects of his ethnicity are well researched and beautifully represented. He is not a racial stereotype. He's a glorious instantiation of several tropes combined with some genuinely unique, complex, and interesting character depth, breadth and development.

The insult of "Rat" when used for him in-game is based upon his behaviour, his mannerisms, his professions (salvager, skeezy fight club organizer, criminal, etc.), and his individual character history. He is also not the only person with Asian features and/or heritage in the game. No one is running around calling Ana Bray a rat.

There is also an extremely strong and direct reference being made by the specific use of "Rat" for the Drifter: It's a shout out to The Stainless Steel Rat, the intergalactic criminal and con-man main character in a series of Science Fiction books written by Harry Harrison in the 1970s which the character of the Drifter is clearly based upon. I read every single one of those books as a child.

In addition to all that, the Drifter's specific situation, where he became a complete murderhobo/Dredgen for a while from the sheer trauma of living through humanity’s collapse in the Dark Age is eerily reminiscent of what happened Universe 25, a famous Psychology/Behavioral Science experiment on societal collapse, in particular the collapse of a utopia, performed on rats. Don't look that one up unless you have a strong stomach for animal cruelty. It's not nice.

Based upon my own personal lived experience with my own personal background having a very relevant relationship to groups of people people being systematically treated as vermin (and in particular called “rats”) and based upon the use of the word in-game being specific to that character, to his circumstances, to the character in another book which he was based off of, and the likely influence of an infamous animal behaviour experiment, I genuinely do not feel that Destiny 2's use of "rat" as an insult-turned-loving-pet-name for the Drifter is racially or ethnically based.

But, ok, what if it's not intentional? Is it still just blanket-not-thinking knee-jerk always-forever unacceptable to ever reference a character with Asian physical features as "Rat" in any fiction ever, no matter what the circumstances, because historically that group was one of the many groups in human history who have been called rats?

I don't think so, but I do feel this is something where the logic gets far more fuzzy and indistinct.

And before I get into the reasons why I feel this way I need it noted here that because I am not, myself, a member of the targeted group, I understand that some people will feel that anything I say about the matter should be disregarded.

And I further need it noted: that opinion, while I do not agree with it, is valid, should be listened to, has weight, and is something that not only should be, but must be, handled with respect and empathy.

Microaggressions exist. They happen. And they don't have to be intentional.

Just because I genuinely believe that calling the Drifter "Rat" within the Destiny 2 universe is not racist doesn't mean it isn't hurting someone. And furthermore, it doesn't mean I'm not wrong.

The root of what I believe on this topic is that, by using the same logic, any non-white character in any situation referred to as any sort of vermin-type animal would then be a racial/ethnic slur.

Furthermore, (and this is the contentious part): unless it is racialized in context of its use, I feel calling someone vermin is not a de-facto automatic reference to ethnicity.

And yes, I know what a dog whistle is. I just don't think this is one.

I don't feel use of "rat" toward an individual is the same as other clear and well-documented racial slurs because its use isn't specific to any individual group. (I'm not listing them - but you can look up on Wikipedia for a list of documented known ethnic slurs. And, please note, "rat" isn't on there for the same reason: it's been applied to too many different groups of people in human history to be pinned down to any particular one.)

Is calling any group of people "rats" and referring to them as vermin due to their heritage racist? Yes. It is. It absolutely is. No argument. This is true.

Is one fictional character calling another fictional character who isn't White "Rat" automagically racist regardless of context because any connotation of any non-White person with vermin becomes instantly race-based no matter what? I don't think so, no.

And I further believe that restricting the range of creative expression to only "safe zones" to avoid offending people "just in case they misunderstand and get the wrong idea" results in "only-good" stereotypes and creates depictions of fictional People of Colour that don't ring true as people at all. It causes any POC characters to become flat, boring, poorly written caricatures, which runs counter to good representation in fiction and is, itself, a form of racism.

But (and I cannot stress this enough) just because I feel this way, and feel strongly and have tried to be diligent with my research, and think critically about it, doesn't mean I'm some sort of authority on this topic. And just because someone else, regardless of their ethnic background, feels differently, doesn't make them right (or wrong). Because this is one of those situations where objective and/or technical right and wrong don't actually matter all that much. What matters is how people feel and why they feel that way.

I have observed that the bulk of the commentary around calling the Drifter "rat" comes from, broadly, three main mindsets. Some of them are well meaning, and others really very much not.

Some of us have workplaces with strong equity diversity and inclusion policies. I work in one of them. People who rage against EDI and similar initiatives are toxic asshats who need to sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. The "just don't go there in case you might offend someone" approach is absolutely the correct one for a workplace. It doesn't matter if you're right or not. If someone says that calling them something offends them in the workplace you stop doing it. Period. That's basic human respect.

Calling the Drifter "Rat" as a deliberate insult from one character to another in fiction is not the same as speaking to a real person in the real world. If I worked with the Drifter out in the real world (putting aside the fact that the work would probably either be highly dangerous and/or illegal) and I called him "Rat," a trip to HR would absolutely be warranted and it wouldn't matter whether or not I was right regarding my use of it. I would be contributing to a hostile workplace environment and my job would absolutely be justified in firing my toxic ass.

But Destiny 2 is a videogame. It's a fictional post-apocalyptic world full of robots and aliens and space wizards. It's not a workplace. It's art. Art needs to be able to use things like allusions and metaphor and poetic resonance and dramatic effect and it needs to be able to depict things like insults and harassment and complex interpersonal relationships that absolutely would not be ok in a workplace. I believe it is acceptable to depict such things in fiction and for them not to be inherently racist just because someone points a finger and goes “that word is bad!” Context matters and I feel that, while it is well-meaning, this argument is reductive and not accurate in this situation.

The second reason I see people being 'concerned' about fictional characters calling the Drifter "Rat" being racist has nothing to do with racism and it’s the reason I see most often (although I probably have considerable selection bias in play). The bulk of the time I've seen this argument, it does not appear alone.

And I'd like to take a moment to thank the person who asked this question for not being like this. Their question was asked from a position of empathy and I recognize and appreciate that. This is not about them.

But this is another situation where context matters, and it matters, not in the use of the word in the game or in fanfiction. It matters in the context of when the argument comes up online. When you see people talking about calling the Drifter a rat being racist, take a look at their statements before and after they say that. The vast majority of the time someone brings this up (from what I have seen), it's in the same vicinity as an attack. It doesn't take much to see that this argument's primary use in the wild online isn't about racism at all: it's just a convenient excuse to hurt people. This specific flavour of criticism of the use of a term in fiction is overwhelmingly brought up to only be followed by (or preceded with) unrestrained shittiness targeting a non-fictional real-life human or group.

This is not the first time racism has been raised as a pitchfork in "shipping wars" but one quick glance around every time you see it mentioned should be enough to show you that it's absolutely a major tool in the arsenal of a particular subset of people who, for whatever reason, really really hate the idea of two specific fictional people kissing. Because yes, most are already blocked by this blog (or already did me the favour of blocking me - thanks!), but there are some people out there who hate the concept of Drifteris so much they attack real live human artists, writers, developers, and anyone else that so much as hints that they like the idea of those two characters being in a relationship, with any and every possible verbal assault they can think of, including accusations of racism. They openly celebrate when these humans lose their jobs to layoffs. They insult them on social media. They send abuse and threats and feel not a shred of guilt over it.

Because to this sort of person, it doesn't matter if there is any truth to their justification. Critical thinking left the building long ago. What matters it that they hate something, and in their minds anyone who loves the thing they hate no longer gets to be treated like a human being deserving of empathy or respect. By coming up with racism as argument for why the person they are attacking ‘deserves it,’ they've now given themselves carte blanche to be a 'hater' and spew venom in white hot catharsis and cruelty.

And that particular (and unfortunately quite popular) use of the 'issue' of calling the Drifter "Rat" in D2 is not only just generally shit behaviour that should be grown out of well before people reach an age where it's legal to be on most websites (never mind being old enough to play Destiny 2) it's also excruciatingly shitty to use the very real, very much happening right now out in the real world, problem of racism to try and win internet outrage points in a petty tantrum over the 'wrong' fake people kissing.

But, that aside, there is a third reason people get concerned over calling the Drifter "Rat" and, in my opinion, it's the most valid one, because it comes from a position, not of fear of offending the morality police, not of hatred of fake people kissing, but from empathy. And that's the fact that regardless of whether or not I think calling the Drifter "Rat" is racist, there are victims of real-world racism, harassment, and general human cruelty who might encounter the use of the term and feel targeted and/or triggered by it.

I am non-neurotypical and have my own triggers. I don't need to agree with you in order to respect yours. The argument of "when I read this, it makes me uncomfortable" is not something you answer by telling someone "your feelings are wrong." It's something you listen to and, if you have a shred of empathy within you, try to find a way to accommodate.

While I do not agree that calling the Drifter "Rat" is racist, I absolutely want to make sure that anyone who does feel that way can still feel safe reading my writing, and I've taken the approach of treating it how I would want my own triggers treated: with appropriate tagging so that if someone does find the use of the term upsetting (or even just offensive) they can filter all instances of it out and not have to deal with seeing it. I've shifted my use of the #moonrat tag to reflect this on Ao3, Bluesky, and here. Unless I've screwed up (I am human and make errors but I've tried very hard to check thoroughly for this), if I use "Rat" to refer to the Drifter in a story or its title, I make sure it is tagged as #moonrat so that it can be filtered out. If I reblog something that references it, I tag that with #moonrat the same way I try to tag anything that someone has told me they find upsetting. Like the content I can't read without getting a panic attack, the point is not censorship, it's respect.

At least, that is the intent.

So while I don't think that the context within which the term is used within in the game (which is the context I am mimicking with its use in my fanfiction) is ethnically based, I also don't think I get to decide how other people feel. And I hope anyone reading this who feels I am wrong at least recognizes that I am attempting to engage with them with empathy and respect, not dismissal or derision (unless you're using accusations of racism as a weapon in shipping wars - then absolutely I have nothing but derision for you - fuck off and don't come back until you obtain a healthy dose of emotional maturity and figure out how to not treat people as things).

Microaggressions, racial slurs, and treating humans like vermin are heavy topics that need to be treated with respect and empathy. They have hurt me personally. They hurt other people every day. If you feel that calling the Drifter "Rat" is racist, I'm not going to argue with you. But, like all appeals to emotion, I invite you to think critically about it and, even if you disagree that there is context and nuance involved, please treat other humans who think differently from you as humans with basic dignity.

I find the way that Eris' calling the Drifter "Rat" has shifted in D2 from pointed insult to cherished affection to be exquisitely beautiful. I feel it honours their bond and displays a complexity that other terms cannot. I use it in my writing because it matters to me. The Drifter's ethnicity is likewise beautiful and something to be cherished and appreciated. The way the writing within Destiny 2 has developed "Rat" has been to move it from something initially derogatory and personally cruel to something that is gentle and kind, signifying affection and acceptance and care. That is the context in which I am intending by its use in my own writing. However, I understand that I don't get to decide how other people feel, and again, I respect (and want it respected by others) if you feel otherwise.

I write what I write out of love. My fanfiction is a gift. If my gift is not to your liking, that is ok. If you feel that tagging instances where I use the term is insufficient accommodation, that to use "Rat" to refer to the Drifter at all is propagating racism and that there can never be any other interpretation for it, then that is your belief and there is nothing I can do to change that.

Reason is an ineffective argument against an idea based in belief.

However, this is me here and now telling you that my stories are made with love… for the characters, the story, and the readers who interact with them. In my mind, racism, dehumanization, and treating humans like vermin is not part of the love I am putting out into the world. I feel I have a reasonable and logical basis to support my own beliefs about this. Yet, I am cognizant that, for me, that, too, is a belief, and perhaps I am wrong and am emotionally attached to the term because of my own lived experience which informs how Eris calling the Drifter "Rat" makes me feel.

But art is about how we feel, is it not? That's the point. That's the difference between a human and an algorithm that just regurgitates ideas stolen from others, vomited up in a predigested remix based on what someone types into a prompt.

I write what I feel.

I love the Drifter. I love his ethnicity. I love how he and Eris are written within Destiny. I love writing stories about them loving each other. I love and cherish everyone who reads my words. I want to send more love into the world.

If I have failed, and my attachment to the beautiful use of a term others deem unacceptable taints everything for you, then so be it.

But the love is still there. And to me, it is the love that matters.

Aiat.

[terrainofheartfelt]

i’m reading your lovely jenate fanfic rn and one of the details i’ve really been enjoying is the way you characterize the sibling relationship between jenny and dan! and it has me wondering, more generally, how do you picture dan and jenny’s relationship playing out as adults? we don’t really get to see jenny post going to london on the actual show, and i’m curious how things might have changed or evolved between them with them both being on more equal relational footing, so to speak. (i also think i remember you mentioning here that you yourself have siblings, so as an only child i can imagine you probably have a much more nuanced picture of this than i do lol)

ohhhh thank you so much!!! this is something that I actually explore in the next chapter (posting forthcoming), but I'll talk about it now just to get ahead of that lol

I am thinking, in show canon -- and in the canon i construct in this au in which the show ends after Despicable B ;) -- that Jenny sort of...gives herself a clean break from all things New York, including Dan. and Dan, with all his abandonment issues, takes that harder than she probably sees at the time, but completely removing herself is what she needs the most in that moment. and then, a couple years later, they gravitate closer, but virtually.

with their work being so time-consuming and not really on the typical layman's schedule (like, writer and fashion designer lol what free time) they don't really have time to full on talk on the phone or facetime, but they text regularly, often over an inside joke or a link or a meme they need the other to see (because their partner wouldn't find it as funny)

I think Jenny as a grown up would find it easier to talk to Dan first about things over their parents, and vice versa, because their is this sibling kind of thing were no other person quite understands you the same way, and has known you this long and loved you this long. but the love is different from the love you feel with your parents. i'm not sure if this is entirely accurate...but the love feels...more unconditional somehow, because a sibling has more choice in loving you, but less failures of doing so.

and yes! I do have an older brother, our age difference (3 years) is slightly larger than Dan & Jenny's, but my relationship and experience with him informs - consciously and unconsciously - a LOT of how I write Jenny & Dan. Disclaimer: our pasts are not nearly as traumatic as these fake people, and our parents are still together (over 30 years WOOT WOOT), so our life experiences don't exactly line up

but that being said, I look up to my brother so much. and I switched school mid highschool (like jenny but for less fraught reasons) so I went from being "Andrew's Little Sister" everywhere I went to being just Liz, just myself. and that's an adjustment, from always being the little sister to growing into your own person, and I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity without moving schools, and Jenny probably wouldn't have without moving to London.

and my brother and I have followed our own paths and live in different timezones (and regularly different countries, he splits his time between the US and Canada it's a whole thing), but I never don't feel like he isn't there for me. I know with him I always have a place to crash and someone to send me cute pet pictures when I'm sad and someone who is just as worried about my dad's health as I am (again, whole other thing, not gonna get into it bc privacy but yeah). and I am never entirely lonely as long as he is existing someplace in this world. shit I'm gettting emotional just talking about it but,

he's the guy that drove me to my piano lessons and teased me for my music taste and took me to my first punk show and said "that was so good!" after every performance even though he knows nothing about opera. and when I had a 3 month contract in florida and couldn't take my cat with me he fostered Steph and now Andrew is Steve's favorite person and when I was unemployed I crashed in his apt while he was organized for the 2020 Iowa caucus and he crashed on my couch to visit me after I got my job and moved and we smoke weed and recite monty python and joke and laugh together and I can be a version of myself with my big brother in a way that I can't be with anyone else.

so to bring it back to your meta question, lmao, I imagine and attempt to write Jenny's relationship with her big brother in the same way. it's never the same as when they lived in the same house, and that's hard. (because they stopped living in the same house when he was 18 and she 16 and you can never really go back to that), and they each have their own lives and careers and loves that keep them where they are, but they are still always just...their for each other. and, if given the choice, they are the first person to hear the other's good news.

[ladylooch]

Soft Thoughts Sunday- Lio & Lucie

We have four requests that are on one ask! I’m going to post them individually, then all together with the ask.

First up! Lio/Lucie- (I just love their relationship so much, I always wished I had an older brother figure in my life 😭) Lio consoling lucie either after a fight with her boyfriend or with her parents 🥰

A/N: ME TOO!!!! Let’s pick up after she gets grounded for throwing the party that Lio pretended he threw when Nico and Lexi were out of town. (He really thought that was believable?)

Lucie is sitting at the kitchen table, glowering ever so often at her dad where he sits across from her and reads a book.

“I don’t need supervision for algebra.” She mumbles.

“Mmm and yet your childish actions last weekend proved otherwise.” Nico says, flipping the page of his book. He doesn’t even look up. Lucie glowers harder. Nico pretends not to notice.

More silence ensues except for the scratching of Lucie’s pencil as she solves her problems. The noise of the garage door opening perks Lucie’s ears. Good, her mom and sisters are home to take her dad’s attention.

“We are home!” Lexi cheers, coming in and brushing her hand along Lucie’s brown hair. Lucie jerks away from her mom’s touch. Lexi crosses her eyes at her husband in annoyance and meets him with a kiss.

“Well, I’m happy to see you.” Nico says, running his hand discreetly over her butt. Lucie notices and shudders with a gag. Lexi sighs at their daughter’s obvious contempt for her parents. At least the other two still love them.

“Remember when Lucie was a baby and she went through that stage where she would only contact nap with you?” Lexi asks Nico.

“Yeah, that was tough during the season when I was on the road.” Lucie slams her book shut, grabbing her stuff and glaring at her parents. 

“Some of us are trying to learn.” She huffs, then dodges her two younger sisters to go up to her room.

“I think we need to call in the reinforcement.” Nico murmurs, tugging Lexi down into his lap. She tosses an arm around his shoulder, stroking his long hair back from his face.

“Yeah, we are suffering more than her with this arrangement.” 

Lucie is staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, watching the shadows of the leaves dance against the white paint. A knock sounds at her door. She doesn’t respond.

“I have gelato.” Lio’s voice calls. Lucie bounds up, tossing the door open and throwing herself into his arms. Lio has to carefully catch her, swerving the ice cream cones around her limbs.

“How are you allowed in here?”

“Your dad called me.” Lucie bites her lip in response.

“My parents are the worst.” Lio hands her the chocolate gelato before going to sit on her desk chair. Lucie curls her legs under her on the bed, looking at her cousin for his support.

“You know they aren’t, LuLu. They love you. And you scared them.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” She snaps.

“You broke every single rule. And you got caught doing it.” Lio chuckles, kicking his feet up onto the bed next to her.

“Who’s side are you on?”

“Yours. Always. But… If my mom lets me go to Canada next year, I’m not going to be here to save you from this stuff. You were scared Lu. Things could have gotten bad. You need to be careful. ”

Lucie’s heart clenches at the realization that Lio may be leaving Switzerland in a few months. But, the last thing Lucie wants is to be careful. She wants to throw that all into the wind and be who she wants to be. Not what everyone else thought Nico Hischier’s daughter should be.

“Do you ever think about what life would be like if we had different parents?”

“No.” Lio shakes his head. “I wouldn’t have you. That would suck.” Lucie considers then nods.

“But we also wouldn’t have all this shit either.” 

“Luc, one day you aren’t going to live in this house anymore… maybe not even the same country as your parents either. And you’ll want all of this back.” Lio gets up, joining her on the bed and pulling her in for a hug. She hates how pensive he has gotten with his impending junior trip. Although, Lucie isn’t quite sure Auntie Em is going to come around.

“One day, you and I won’t live in the same country either…” Two tears drip down Lucie’s face as she talks. “What if we grow apart?”

“You and me? Nah. We are Lio & Lucie. Nothing is coming between us. I won’t let it.” 

Lucie smiles, sitting up so she can eat the rest of her melting gelato. 

[einprotagonist]

Going abroad...

Earlier, we've talked about how there are several dreams that a person carries, it is highly unlikely you don't have more than one dream. Ofcourse, you can rank them in an order where something is more important while others can be just peripheral options in your opinion.

And this blog is about me trying to go abroad, I'd earlier tried to explore options about how I can go study abroad. When I was in 6-7th standard, I'd talk to random people on internet who were from various different countries and I was fascinated with the lifestyle they had while I was proud of how much academically smarter I was when compared to some of older students too. But I wanted to explore, they had places which weren't awfully crowded and they had public facilities which were far better than ours. Yes, every land has it's own shitty side but I am not the one to dig shit when I'm dreaming.

During intermediate, I came to know about SAT exams which must have costed my dad almost 75% of his monthly salary at the time when he had to pay rents of 2 separate stays - me and family, pay for food and what not. We were basically drowning in loans I think but never restricted ourselves from trying to make life big. I gave the exam without much preparation and scores were a little above the average and were just about enough to secure 60-70% scholarship in a few universities in the USA - turns out that even if we were given a 100% scholarship then also my family wouldn't be able to pay for the cost of me living there. I immediately let the thought and dream pack its bag and leave. LOL.

Then in college times I was getting better at Automobile Engineering and was deeply invested into making a career out of it. Europe was a dreamland for cars and once again I started to check where I would be paying the least for education, be allowed for a part time job to pay my own living expenses during the masters degree and things did not fall into place. This time my university grades were not good enough to breeze me through and then pockets were already empty for this sort of arrangement to go ahead with. Plus there was this notion that I can keep trying after getting into job.

Well, 4 years have passed since I graduated and many things have happened, some may be well versed with all of those things but most will never know the complete details until they read about it here in future.

Now after all these years, and all these experiences... I think I want finally want to move out and make new moves. I've evaluated the current situations, the budget and options that are present in front of me. The decision on where to go has been pretty clear after initial analysis - Canada is the only place which checks all my boxes. My plan is to go for an MBA and find myself a job after completion of the course in order to support my family better while live my best life. That is right, I want this for myself more than anyone else. Which is how most of the dreams are I think, other factors like family or future generations will always benefit from the positive outcome.

So.. yeah I have just finished giving the English proficiency tests and it is still a very long way to go. I'd prefer to get admission into one of the renowned colleges and we will find out more in the aftermath.

[saltedlimes]

The military has a ton of benefits so I totally understand wanting to join it for that but something to think about is: why does it have all these benefits, why is this the best option available to you?

Jobs offer extra incentives and benefits when the work itself is shit. University educations could be freely subsidized for every Canadian, but not doing that allows universities to make more money and the government to steer people towards the labor they're looking for the most. And since Canada's economy is so deeply tied to the US - I mean what other neighbors do y'all have - it is then deeply invested in protecting the US economy, which is built on the imperialism we're all talking about. Imperialism isn't just "when you are racist and mean to other countries" it's aggressively protecting the empire's ability to continue maximizing the wealth it can extract from its tributaries and crush political dissent that would endanger their bottom lines.

For example, if a global south country wanted to nationalize its main industry so it can provide healthcare and education its people, just as your country is currently doing, the leaders proposing that will be swiftly penalized and there might be more negative (propaganda) coverage about that country. Canada is purchasing your consent with this state of affairs by providing you with these nice gun laws, reproductive rights, university educations and healthcare services - some benefits are for all Canadian citizens, and some are only given to military folks because it needs to work even harder to convince you to be okay with potentially killing people.

Even if you claim to only have fighting as your purpose in life, killing other people is hard to do - which is why imperialists work hard to convince their citizens to dehumanize the other. It's already working right now, if you can't conceive of their suffering to be worth more than your access to the best future you can see, which envisions you and your circle living well without having to care about the global community you are crushing underfoot. I'm also curious why you would claim you have nothing to do with your life other than fight, because in your defenses you are apparently not fighting anyway and justifying your complicity by showing us how clean your hands are. It sounds like all you do is hang out with your military bros and work out which honestly tracks because my brother joined the US Navy for a lot of the same reasons you're offering and all he does is work out and play WOW. He also started out much more sceptical and I watched him turn into an ultra patriotic war apologist over the several years he's stayed in. Leaving now if you can is going to be better than leaving later.

You can hang out with your friends and work out with another job, I promise you. There are communities of veterans who have left the military as conscientious objectors, if you really feel like you can only relate to military bro types. But don't fool yourself into assuaging your consciousness thinking your actions are not as harmful as they could be, because you can also be taking much less harmful actions. It might be that all you're doing is sitting at a military base, but imperialists have military bases everywhere in the world to maintain dominance over regions and deter dissent, not to actively kill locals (although that still happens, nevermind the sexual violence and criminality soldiers will engage in when they can do whatever they want with the impunity that comes with being a soldier of imperialism).

I know everyone and their mother is talking to you about this rn but I do hope you read what I'm saying and think on it a bit. And also maybe do some research on what indigenous peoples have to say about the Canadian military so you can be more informed of what you are currently a part of, especially if you're so sure it is so much more preferable than the US military.

[floaromatown]

do you have any tips about getting PR in canada, i'm trying to figure this out with my gf who lives in america (also idv edaters. unfortunately)

WE WERE NOT IDV EDATERS SCREAMMMMM you should have just kicked sand in my eyes. i begged him to play idv with me he wouldnt cos he was scared. anyway.

unfortunately my tips are very limited as ive been 'done' with the bullshit for over a year now. and like immigration lawyers literally get paid thousands cause its so complicated :( like not in a 'pay me' way but like its an insane feat to pull off without professional help. that and pr shit is changing all the time so im sure a lot of what i experienced is outdated

i spent like 1.5 years no exaggeration in the pr RESEARCH mines (mostly on r/immigrationcanada) and honestly i still felt like i was learning new shit right up until the day i submitted my application. and then more and more after i had submitted it. its really really hard unfortunately. i really advise asking/searching for questions on that subreddit whenever possible, there are a lot of people who can help when youre unsure.

if it wasnt clear you have to be married to apply for the spousal sponsorship, which as far as I understand is pretty much how most american to ca prships happen. if you (when i say you i mean your american girl bc thats the perspective im coming from) happen to have a skilled job (the canadian gov website has a key to determine if your job classifies as skilled) then I believe there is another route, but I wasn't eligible so idk shit about that. dont bother looking into whether you qualify as common law or conjugal or whatever bc you very very likely dont meet their standards. i got married in the states a week before crossing the border, your marriage certificate would be valid in canada

off the bat i would say, unless you know for sure your living situation would 100% COMPLETELY PROVIDE FOR YOU for 6 months to a year, then you should probably apply for an OUTLAND spousal sponsorship. if you move in together in canada and apply for INLAND spousal sponsorship then you cannot work period, there is no legal way for you to make any cent of income. you will not be eligible for provincial healthcare, so i recommend getting long term travel insurance (i rec geoblue). the border is a whole other ordeal if you don't have any status in canada, you can't look like you're moving (i.e no moving boxes no tons of luggage) you can't look like you're eloping or staying for more than a couple months and even if you do everything right they still may suspect you and deny you entry. i did inland and it was really really difficult and at times scary for these reasons, i did not exactly do some things by the book in order to get by *WINKKK*. if you can stand to get married and then part for upwards of a year then i would really really suggest the outland route. unless youll be provided for then GOOD FOR YOU *shaking fist* random but americans also have to continue filing us taxes even if they have moved out of country. so remember that.

moreso tips umm DOCUMENT EVERYTHINGGG YOU DO TOGETHER this is my biggest piece of advice. you have to prove your relationship is legit, here is a list of stuff i included in my application:

receipts/the route we took for our honeymoon

screenshots of support from relatives, like facebook or other social media posts acknowledging your relationship

we got our wills done to make each other the sole benefactor

receipts and pictures of gifts weve gotten each other

photos of both of you with friends and family is 100% required

proof of past visits to each other

receipts and pics for past dates/outings/events

letters of support from family/friends (i got these notarized)

lots of stuff from online chat logs/social media. pictures of chats, phone calls, video calls from across years. i think i included at least one of each from every month since we got together. chats should be relevant to relationship stuff like discussing moving in, getting married, relatives, etc.

a letter detailing our relationship with exact dates, locations, etc. like when we met, when we started dating, when we visited, how we got engaged, etc. you have to make a case for yourself as if you were in court.

if youre researching stuff there is honestly not a lot of resources specifically for edaters! so many people like have like children together in another country or have been established there as a married couples for years so they have a ton of foundation to work off of. canada doesnt just want to see that youre in love they want to see the work that goes into that, like shared leases and joint bank accounts and years of financial support and children etc etc. it sucks but you have to justify it in other ways when youre (im assuming) young and childless and unmarried until recently. you can get some of those things once you move in together but idk, i was rather safe than sorry an scrounged up all the 'soft' evidence i could right up until i submitted it.

i think thats about it i wish i could help more lol. its definitely one of the hardest things ive had to do like emotionally financially temporally effortfully lmfao. good luck?!

[nadinebrooks-marvel]

Here is the link to my masterlist.

Loki x Reader: Broken Glass

Warnings: Language, very brief mention of blood, and a little sad. So for this one, Loki’s exile was cut short. Odin and Freya are still alive.

The media basically came up with her superhero name. To everyone's surprise, she was rather fond of the name. To be fair, it did suit her pretty well. She was known all throughout the universe as the White Queen.

She was a natural leader, regal, humble, and didn't take shit from anyone. (y/n) had the ability to conjure and control ice and snow. That included manipulating wind currents, causing deadly blizzards, and creating structures made of ice and snow. During the winter months, (y/n)'s powers were stronger because she had access to the elements rather than having to create them herself.

As a joke, the media would often call her Elsa. (y/n) happened to like the platinum blonde Disney princess so she never saw any ill intent behind the nickname. Besides, everyone knew that her powers were much more deadlier than Elsa's.

During the month of December, (y/n) was practically invincible. There was very little that could stop her and she could take out anyone that stood in her way with the flick of her wrist. The media often portrayed her as this detached and heartless person, but she wasn't like that at all. (y/n) was pleasant girl until you crossed her. Nobody liked to see her angry. If she was angry, everyone was going to know it.

(y/n) was someone who demanded respect. And respect is exactly what she was given. It was hard to disrespect someone of her caliber. Whenever people were around her, all they wanted to do was prove that they were worthy enough to even be in her presence. It didn't matter where she went, people often found themselves sitting up straighter or expanding their vocabulary whenever they spoke.

Before she was introduced to the Avengers, (y/n) often fought crime on her own. She found herself bouncing between countries like Japan, Canada, and Norway because of all the snow they got. Being in countries like that just made her job easier. After a lot of convincing, Tony and Natasha were able to get her to join the team. Everyone welcomed her with open arms.

Even though she had superpowers, (y/n) took it upon herself to learn other forms of fighting. She became so skilled at hand to hand combat that the other Avengers would find excuses to not fight her during training. Natasha was one of the few members of the team who didn't mind going against (y/n).

Whenever the two of them were fighting against each other, their friends would stop their own training to watch. They were clearly two of the best fighters when it came to close combat. Even Bucky Barnes couldn’t help but be impressed.

Within the first year of her living in the tower, there were many rumors floating around about who the White Queen was dating. Not that it was anyone's business, but the public liked to be informed about these types of things. When she was fighting on her own, (y/n) didn't have to deal with the media, but now it was something she dealt with every single day. She hated it. There was no reason for her private life to be made public.

The tabloids mentioned her dating Bruce Banner as well as Sam Wilson. The name Natasha Romanoff floated around for a while. (y/n) and Natasha had a good laugh over that one during dinner. The two of them were close, but not that close. (y/n) was always quick to shut down the rumors about Banner, Wilson, and Romanoff.

Then one day, a name started coming up much more than the others. She wasn't so quick to address the rumors about the very handsome god of mischief.

In fact, she hadn't shut down the rumors about him at all.

***

As Loki entered his bedroom, the first thing he noticed was the almost empty bottle of Asgardian mead in her hand. (y/n) was standing out on his balcony staring out over the night life of the city. He had been out of his chambers for the majority of the day so he had no idea how long (y/n) had been waiting on him to return.

He opened his mouth to ask her how long she had been waiting, but he thought against it. Maybe she hadn't noticed him and he could slip back out of the room.

Loki knew that (y/n) was in his room the second his hand touched his doorknob. He thought he felt her as he was walking down the hallway towards his chambers, but he wasn't positive. He had never been able to explain it, but he could feel her presence whenever she was close. At first he thought he was imagining the feeling because he had started to miss her. She felt cold. Loki felt as if he was standing in the middle snow globe. Of course he didn't mind the cold one bit. In fact, he found it quite comforting. (y/n) wasn't naturally cold to the touch to everyone else like he was, but that was the best way to explain it. He was a Frost Giant and she was the White Queen. Maybe they were meant to be.

Loki decided to come back to Asgard for a couple of days to take care of some business. During his exile on Earth, he truly missed Asgard. He never thought that he would say that. Now that his exile had been lifted, it was time to come back. All he wanted was a couple of days at home. He mostly wanted to spend some time with his mother.

It wasn't (y/n)'s first time here in Asgard, but it was her first time showing up unannounced. In all honesty, Loki had no idea why she was even here. He wasn't even surprised that she had managed to get here without him. She could be manipulative when she needed to be. He hadn't been able to figure out if that was part of her powers or if that was something she was naturally good at. She was almost as manipulative as him.

(y/n) heard Loki enter the room, but she chose to ignore him. She was still enjoying the view from his balcony. Asgard was one of the most beautiful places she had ever been to. (y/n) took another gulp of alcohol hoping it would calm her thoughts.

Loki cautiously walked toward (y/n) as if he was approaching a wild animal. In this moment, he considered her one. He easily noticed the tension in her shoulders, the way she was angled away from her, the way her jaw was set. He had never seen her in this state before. Something was very wrong. Had he done something wrong?

"Darling, what are you doing here in Asgard?" He finally gained enough courage to speak. "It isn't that I'm not happy to see you, but is there a reason you've come all this way?"

Did (y/n) scare him? Hell yes. But he would never admit that out loud to anyone. Loki had traveled throughout the Nine Realms many times and nothing had truly scared him. That was until he met (y/n). The White Queen. Thor would have a field day if he found out that bit of information.

Throughout the day, Loki found often found his thoughts drifting toward (y/n). It wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to occupy his thoughts. He had been thinking about inviting her to visit Asgard as his guest for a couple of days.

Most people who were seeing each other didn't live and work together, but Loki and (y/n) did. The combination of that did cause some tension between their relationship.

If you asked their fellow Avengers to describe their relationship, there was only one word that came to mind. Toxic. It was an extremely unhealthy relationship where neither of them were on the same page with each other.

Thor often tried to get his younger brother to reevaluate his relationship with (y/n). It wasn’t that Thor didn't like (y/n). He loved her like a little sister. He just didn't think that the two of them were compatible in that way. Natasha often found herself doing the same thing with (y/n).

She only wanted the best for her closest friend in the tower. Loki and (y/n) would make great friends, but being lovers may not be the best thing for either of them. Maybe everyone was right and the two of them should be better off as just friends.

Loki didn't know how he would be able to work so closely with (y/n) knowing that he couldn’t have her. When he was with her, he actually felt something. She made him feel something. She was one of the very few people in the universe who could say that.

"What the hell did you say to Thor for him to tell those reporters that we were dating? The tabloids are loving it. You know how I feel about them being in my personal life." (y/n) calmy stated after finishing the rest of the bottle of mead. Loki knew how much (y/n) hated the reporters and the magazines. She did everything in her power to make sure that her personal life stayed private.

Loki was secretly wondering if she had drank the entire bottle herself. He was impressed and even surprised that she was still standing. Asgardian mead was no joke. A couple of glasses of that would have him slurring his words. It seemed as if Thor had taught her how to handle her liquor.

"I must've said something to Thor about you and he took it out of context. You know how he gets whenever he's around anyone who works for a newspaper. He'll say whatever he can to hold their attention. I don't believe you came all the way out here to talk about something my brother said darling."

"No, that's not why I'm here. I actually came here to surprise you Loki. I'm not sure if you celebrate these anymore, but I heard it was your birthday tomorrow. I wanted to do something nice for you. I arrived this morning and overheard a conversation you were having with Lady Sif."

"I don't know what you heard, but-" Loki started blabbering. He knew exactly what conversation (y/n) was talking about. She must have only heard the beginning of their conversation if she was upset with him. Loki had been talking to Lady Sif to get some advice from her.

He opened his mouth to try to explain his side, but (y/n) held up a hand to silence him. He knew better than to interrupt her. You never interrupt the queen. Every fiber in him was telling him to cower and apologize. All he wanted to do was make everything right.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know what I heard Loki. You said that I was nothing but a casual fuck to you. I know that you and Lady Sif have unfinished business. Is that why you've returned to Asgard? Did you really think that I wouldn’t have found out? Your brother couldn’t keep a secret even if his life depended on it. I understand if you want her Loki. I mean who wouldn’t? But why not just admit that to me?"

Loki let out an agitated sigh and rubbed his temples. He wasn't afraid to admit that (y/n) was a casual hookup in the beginning. He did the one thing that he promised himself he would never do. He fucked around and fell in love. That's what he wanted to talk to Lady Sif about. Maybe he should have asked Natasha what to do when it came to (y/n), but she had always been so cold toward him.

(y/n) was so much more than a casual fuck. He hadn't outwardly said his feelings to her, but he hoped that she understood what she meant to him. He couldn’t shake her even if he tried. She made him feel safe. Being wrapped up in her arms felt like home. Yet for some odd reason, he hadn't been able to admit his feelings to her.

"Darling, we've been doing this for almost a year now. You and I both know you've heard the rumors about us and you haven't addressed them at all. You were so quick to shut down the ones about Wilson and Banner. I know that I haven't officially asked you out, but I like to think we're practically together." He tried to explain to her. Loki wanted to keep his voice calm and casual, but it was too casual for (y/n)'s liking. His tone sent a rush of anger down her spine and for a split second she considered using her powers against Loki. She instantly hated herself for thinking that because she really did care for him and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. Especially when she didn't know what he powers would do to him.

"Practically together? What the hell does that even mean Loki? Are you practically together with me on Earth and then practically together with Lady Sif when you come visit Asgard?"

"No." Loki immediately shook his head. "It seems as if you only heard part of my conversation with Lady Sif. I was telling her about how I want to be with you."

"What makes you think I would ever want to be with you?" (y/n) spat before she could even stop herself. She wanted to take the words back, but she couldn’t. Those weren't words that you could simply take back.

She wasn’t sure where the harsh words were coming from, but all she wanted to do was make Loki hurt. She could see the connection he had with Lady Sif and she was jealous. And now she was taking that jealously out on him.

Loki was frozen in his place. It wasn't anything that (y/n) had physically done to him. She had done it all with her words. That was not what he was expecting to hear from (y/n). He knew it was the alcohol talking and she didn't really mean it. But wasn't there a Midgardian saying that "drunken words are sober thoughts"?

"What are you saying?" His shaky voice caused (y/n) to smirk. His voice never shook. He was always so sure of his words. That was until he met (y/n).

"Weren't you the one who said you didn't want strings attached when we started this? I've always liked you Loki. You were the first person that greeted me when I entered the tower. I will never forget that day. You made me feel so welcomed. I felt warm. It was the first time I had felt like that in a very long time. Anyway, a couple of months after that, I remembering pouring my heart out to you after the first time we had sex. You brushed me off saying that you didn't want to ruin our friendship. I was okay at first. I kept telling myself that if I couldn’t have you in the way I wanted, I could at least have you in that way. I hated myself for it. It took me longer than I care to realize that you saw me as someone who was good enough to fuck, but not good enough to invest your feelings in."

"Stop (y/n), please don’t say that. You were so much more than that. You make it seem like I was using you for your body and you know that I would never do that. I was too scared to admit that I wanted you. I don’t even know how to put my thoughts into words. I've never loved anyone the way that I love you."

"I find that hard to believe." She scoffed. "You've never even invited me to meet your parents Loki. The only reason I've met them was because of Thor."

"I was exiled (y/n). I couldn’t just waltz into the palace and ask my parents to meet you." He sneered.

"Then what are you doing here now Loki?" She tilted her head to the side studying his expression. She was practically daring him to lie to her. "You didn't even tell me that your exile had been lifted. I had to find that out from Thor. I want to know how you think I want to be with someone who won't even let me in?" Her voice was sharp.

"I won't let you in?" He threw his head back and laughed. "I can't let someone in that doesn't want to be let in. Maybe the magazines are right to call you callous and compassionless. Have you considered the fact that maybe this is why you're alone?"

It was her turn to freeze. And before she could even stop herself, she launched the empty bottle at Loki's face. He easily dodged it but it did hit the wall behind him. It shattered and a couple of shards of glass bounced back and cut his perfect cheek. He reached up and wiped the blood away.

How dare he? How dare he call her callous and cold-hearted? Even after she spent countless hours letting Loki cry about his relationship with his father while she held him. When she listened to him rant about how everyone treated Thor so much better than him. And let's not forget when she talked him through the nightmares.

"How stupid I am to think that you actually loved me back?" He let out an emotionless laugh. Everyone in his life found some way to let him down. Why was she going to be the exception?

"Honestly Loki, based off your fucked up relationships within your family, I don’t think you truly know what love is." She spat with more venom than Loki thought was humanly possible. He had heard some pretty harsh things before, but he didn't ever think he would hear something like that from (y/n). But here he was, slowly coming unhinged. Nobody ever made him feel this many emotions.

He knew that love was messy and violent. He was starting to realize he didn't want that. At least not with (y/n). He wanted it to be easy and simple.

As he stood there with hot tears streaming down his cheeks, he started to consider the idea that maybe love isn't real. (y/n) glared right back at him with matching tears. If he couldn’t experience love with (y/n), then he knew he wasn't going to experience it at all.

"I think you need to leave (y/n)." He pointed in the direction of Heimdall.

"What?" (y/n) crossed her arms across her chest. He couldn’t be serious. Usually when they had arguments, the two of them would end up in bed and the whole thing would blow over by the next morning. But this argument felt different.

"You heard me (y/n). Go back to Earth. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking by getting attached to you." He growled. She gave him a curt nod before heading toward the door. She looked around his room one last time before pulling open the door and walking out.

Watching (y/n) walk out of his bedroom was one of the hardest things he had ever done. He felt as if he was watching her walk out of his life. Every part of his brain was screaming at him to stop her from walking out of his life and to fix what he had horribly broken. As the bedroom door slammed behind her, he realized just how broken the two of them truly were.

[eye-in-hand]

I'm gonna be real, people from Australia, New Zealand and Canada have a real problem of bitching about a country they've never lived in as if theirs is any better.

No one here cares about an Australian's opinion of our system or who we should vote for. We're all well aware of the problems and how much work there is to do here, and contrary to other child nations of England's opinion we are working on it. We're aware that because of American Imperialism our elections have shock waves around the world, and most Americans aren't dumb shits that don't care how elections turn out. You sitting in Australia worrying about American Jews voting for Harris because everything will be 100% worse if a fascist wins, does nothing for the Jews in Australia who have it just as bad. Worry about the Jews in Australia. American Jews can decide for ourselves what's best for us here.

No one "has to say this". We already know our country is quickly descending into absolute madness. But patronizingly going on about how much better Australia is because at least you're not AmEriCA adds nothing productive, nor is it really your business lmfao like if you don't care why'd you sit there and write this condescending shit.

Something I talk a lot about with an Australian friend of mine: Australia LOOOVES to use America as a scape goat to avoid its own issues. "Well sure we have racism but at least we're not America" is a good example of that. As if America and Australia don't have similar roots in English Imperialism. As if your system is great lmfao.

Worry about Australia. This bullshit arguing about who's country is better and America is just such a shithole - you don't live here. It hardly affects you. And to compare Harris to Trump like she's anything NEAR as racist, fascist, and perverted as he is, IS ignorant.

Tim Walz has no affect on you. American LGBT don't give a shit how an Australian feels about our candidates. There's never going to be a perfect one, and while you might think you're helping, all this adds to the conversation is more excuses not to vote to make sure Trump doesn't turn America into the next wave of Fascism.

You don't know shit about the "American consciousness." You don't know how Americans feel about our government or our history or how it affects us every day. You don't see the hard work people do here every day with no credit online to try and do what's right. Australians can't say shit about American society. Focus on Australian rights and treatment of non-white Australians. Especially aboriginal Australians. Before you go on about how "your system isn't perfect but at least it's not America's." You don't know why things are how they are here, stop pretending you're some foreign righteous savior of American culture who just sees so clearly the issues we have here and if we'd just shut up and listen to Australia we'd be sooo much better lmfao. And your patronizing opinion does nothing but make you feel self righteous for 5 minutes on the internet. No one asked.

You can have opinions all you want on America. But they are all self serving unless you live here. Worry about your shithole country. We can handle ours ourselves.

America

Now, this is a post which will undoubtedly piss so many people off (not that my other posts haven't)

I'm Australian, our democracy isn't perfect, our laws surrounding donations and lobbying are terrible. But we have a system of compulsory voting, and participation in Democracy is always encouraged, if not sometimes forced. This has debatably created an environment based more off of pluralism and tolerance for opposing other peoples views, and also a culture of preventing polarisation. Australia, despite its issues, is at least stable, and a fully functioning Liberal Democracy.

The same cannot be said for America. Put it bluntly, the United States is fucked. Whoever gets in next election, regardless of who does, will have so much work to do. I know I'm an outsider, I'm not American, I don't know that much about American domestic policy apart from all the news I have received from American 'outlets'. But I feel that an outsiders opinion in such a country as the USA could really be beneficial.

Now for the part that will piss many people off (considering Tumblr is a VERY politically biased place). I don't care who anyone in America votes for, Both candidates are awful.

Call me ignorant, call me apathetic (because I kind of am in this case), I don't care. I don't like Trump, he's an idiot, he is a misogynist, he had terrible policies surrounding much of American domestic policy, he was always loud and obnoxious etc. But Harris IS NOT ANY BETTER. The Democratic party is funded by the rich as much as the republicans, Biden's foreign policy has been absolutely awful, the Democrats have done next to nothing to help the country through these times, and Harris has voiced support for protestors who not only want dead Jews, but SYMPATHISE WITH THE TERRORISTS WHO COMMITTED 9/11. Not to mention that the Democratic party has the support of the worlds blandest and most soulless celebrities who brainwash American society.

I understand that the democrats have better domestic policies on abortion, women's rights, the LGBT community, healthcare, some personal liberties etc. I understand Tim Waltz has done great things to his state. But I really don't care. (I say that as a Gay man and someone who strongly believes in women's rights)

Many of you will be pissed off that I just insulted the woman much of Tumblr is kissing the feet of and worshipping, others that I didn't condemn her enough, others that I played the 'both sides are shit' game, but I don't care.

I despise both candidates. None of them should be running. Someone actually worthy of running the worlds superpower should be president.

To the American's reading, if you're offended, good. It just shows how politics has completely blinded the American consciousness, and for that you have no-one to blame but yourselves. You all have some extremely serious work to do, otherwise the rest of the world will continue to laugh at you.

I know it isn't my place to be talking about America in the way I am, I have lost friends because of my comments on America, but someone has to say this.

Politics is the dirtiest game one can play, so play it well, because like war, politics has no winners or losers, only victims and perpetrators.

[transgender-train]

Countryhumans x Y/N + my headcanons b4 you req

iliI will write the characters here x Y/N.

Y/N is gender neutral btw.

TW ED mention

all art used is not mine!

used this picrew:

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1473879

Germany

quiet, stern boy

also very smutty, but fluff is on the plate too [pls no smut tho]

will write angst with this man with other characters

9′8. [may or may not canon that all countries are fucking tall as shit]

not really big on beer if he’s honest

dresses classy because his vater thought him to do so.

so did his grandvater.

touchstraved

he will speak German when tired

uses any and all pronouns. He’s genderfulid.

all of the countries are pan.

i don’t ship Germany x Poland, Poland is terrified of this man

resting bitch face + emo

not overworked, he just has an addiction to working

Also a sugar daddy

France 

Intersex

all of them have an accent btw, all soft accents tho.

fluff. pure fluff.

9′1.

He uses he/her pronouns tho

dresses more kinda 50/50

she hates the taste of wine, but loves freshly made baguettes. only if they’re freshly made tho.

Will spoil you

if you love French music [like Moi C’est] he will cry.

She love it when you play with her hair.

local lovable idiot.

murmurs French words to you, will sing to you.

he’s really good at singing.

he’s amazing at co-parenting the kids.

She is more fem. Use mainly she/her pronouns on her.

Britain/UK

Resting bitch face.

melts when they sees you though! They’re pretty big compared to you because they are like 9′9

They’re accent is pretty weak, though

fancy, pretty boy.

They kiss you all over the face immediately when they kiss you.

pretty fluff, softcore smut.

hums gentle lullabies

tell them they look good, they’re insecure 

they have Vitiligo, it’s pretty bad.

they love their children with all their heart, even has main custody!

co-parenting? They’ll miss Ame, Aussie, Zealand, and Nada, but overall good at it!

can and wlll hold you.

they/them

America

Chaos, fucking chaos.

Skater boy, but he loves you so much!

the youngest. Even though him and Nada are twins.

he has Heterochromia iridum, he has insecurities because of his past classmates bullying him about it.

child at heart because of the childhood he lost.

He/him

he’s also a cuddler

he punches people when he is excited, the more excited, the more stronger.

he will not punch you tho- well he tries

and he’s doing good so far

9′2

he works as a DJ

he hates the smell of weed

he has an ED, will need your comfort

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this” repeated, this man thinks feelings are weak because of a Russian classmate that teased him when he cried.

he bleached his hair.

Canada

second oldest

hold this baby’s hand and tell him ‘i love you’ everyday-

he’s a total sweet heart and will nickname you Mapel

just like how his twin is born with Heterochromia iridum, he has it too.

He cried when Ame got the piercings btw.

9′2

He has tattoos.

Pretty warm for a country that’s normally -5 or -15 degrees C. 24 degrees F.

 has a pet raccoon and named him Rascal.

‘I love you’s every 5 seconds, even in French.

Shy baby boy 2

just like how Ame punches people, he bites people.

his nickname is Shark because when he was 5-15 years old he bit people when he was excited.

he still does but like.. don’t say anything.

Only does this to people he knows.

Ukraine has bite marks on their hands. They are close friends. Ukraine was his babysitter.

if you have freckles he will trace them into hearts.

long hair? oh that’s getting played with

Fluff only.

Australia

HUG HIM. He is 3rd oldest, he is also 10′

he goes by Aussie and Fairy.

Used to be a way to bully him but now he loves the name.

stoner.

loves nature but is a stoner.

is a victim to Canada’s biting

he actually finds it cute, Ame also socked his shit when he was like 13, Aussie was 17.

hewassoproud

fluff.

He hugs you every day, no matter the occasion.

He hates hiccuping. He’d rather die than hiccup.

He also is a cuddler, ever since he was 8.

Mini backstory: Zealand hurt his arm when he fell off the bunk-bed, Aussie felt guilty, now he clings on to anything by him.

“That’s a pillow!” “i need something in my arms, shut the fuck up.”

During the Fall and Winter he is the best.

Halloween is his favorite day of the year.

loves you alot, he can’t explain it. He just loves you.

He will hold your hands and kiss your hand sometimes.

walking past you he will ruffle your hair- or smack your ass.

sitting in the car he will grab your thigh lightly.

Smut and Fluff.

has a tattoo of his mom’s name.

never showed anyone.

he’s tan bc he’s always out in the sun.

he will trace scars or stretch marks.

Zealand

shy fucking giant.

like 10′2 bro.

He is the oldest.

Hugs always, all though

drawing you is his love language.

He draw you 36 times, still in counting.

kisses you a lot.

he kisses your forehead a lot too

total sweet heart.

he’s good at back massages.

he loves to kiss your nose, he finds your smallness adorable.

nuzzles you alot.

softie.

Russia

veiny hands

tough man actually softie aYOOO?? 

he calls you every cute nickname in the book

yes, even kitten

but his accent saves him.

He is a total cuddle bug

honestly? He loves you.

Very romantic, thinks of sex as if making love to you, he’ll go nice and slow...

BUT THAT’S ON A GOOD DAY HUDEUDEGDEGY

anyways, emo and albino.

slight daddy issues?

Anger issues but not too bad

doesn’t chug vodak.

he drinks it with a chaser tho

other than that no.

he hugs you tightly. very tightly.

when he gets nightmares about his dad he will hold you very close and very tightly.

10′7

tallest country

China

He worries about squishing you.

very possessive of you tho!

9′4

he cried when you confessed to him, he never thought he would score a beautiful human like you

calls you Flower a lot.

if you have daddy issues, he is your new dad.

another sugar daddy.

his accent is not that strong.

he hugs you a lot though! so that’s a plus

kisses every 5 seconds.

total sweetie when it comes to you.

Ukraine

thought you were a weird cat ngl.

he’s 9′9, hush up.

he will pick you up.

movie night on Halloween with the best candies,plus your favorites.

wraps his wings around you.

“I love you” murmured into your forehead when he’s tired.

if you show that you hate a part of your body he will pay extra attention to it in bed.

in a good way though, just tell him to stop and he will.

he’s adopted. 

nervous.

he trusts you.

he’s the pretty boy of the family.

Taiwan

love at first sight.

8′1

pretty short for a country but still.

kisses you like you are heaven!

because you are heaven to him<3

nicknamed you ‘sweetie’ and ‘darling’

rubs your back a lot.

noms on a of your hair or your shoulder.

he loves you so much

good at massages. 

SIZE KI-

anyways, flower crowns :D

Japan

no. not Nekomi. Nekomi is 15 in my AU, so no. Her older brother Japan!

He’s very dominate. He calls you ‘sweet’.

very cold and stotic, but he seriously love you.

They are a Naga though, so he is amazing with his tongue.

Fluff and Angst

he knows about South Korea’s secret, which he will not tell you.

possessive too

loves to hold  you close

if you are chunky, he will kiss your rolls, he finds it cute

thigh and ass man.

North Korea

Heloveshistwin

Shywhenitcomestoyou

His love language is handing you a self defence weapon.

Doesn’t care about weight, height

he just loves you.

angst and fluff

he will kiss you all over your face sometimes

he loves to speak Korean to you and see your confusion

 he will murmur soft Korean songs to you

oh yea btw he’s 9′6

picks you up all the time.

crying? he’ll rub your back softly.

South Korea

shy boi

8′3

He’s trans masc, and loves to touch you

he kisses you when he sees you

hugs you everyday, even holds you

he sings to you, soft lullabies

just loves you

he/they

soft boy.

if you have eczema he will kiss your scars and hold you close.

loves to tease you

dyed his hair

fluff

Philippines

intersex

more masculine tho

calls you “Mahal”

kisses your face all over when he sees you.

big tough guy

9′5

cuddles you everyday

very buff

loves to sing to you tho!

thighs.

ruffles your hair and slaps your ass.

Thanks for reading! pls req.