#i don't say this in a defeatist way

[anarchomitsumi]

i wish i could say things will change after this but in 2019 there were huge riots in Catalonia and nothing changed after that. so k don't know.

[comicaurora]

I'm sorry that the terfs made their way onto your blog but it does feel good to see you support trans people. Thank you for that

Always.

I think, charitably, that the discourse going down on that post is an extrapolation and over-focus on one element of the point I was making: that for me, determining with certainty that I was cis was a rather fraught process. I was presented with many alternatives, but underlying their imposition on me was the oddly regressive idea that the things I liked, the principles I valued, the parts of myself I was proud of were not permitted of women. My whole life I got smacked with the background radiation that I couldn't like being strong because women aren't allowed to be stronger than men. I couldn't like being loud and boistrous because women aren't allowed to take up space. I couldn't be a math geek because women aren't smart. It was all deeply regressive misogyny from day one, but I started getting hit with it slathered in a fresh coat of paint - all those assumptions still held to be true, but now there was the out that I could do all those things if I just wasn't a woman.

Concluding that the underlying bioessentialist premise was wrong was very important. Absolutely none of those statements were true, and were only ever maintained by cultural saturation, goalpost-readjustment when they were actively disproven, and the occasional bout of lying with statistics to pretend they weren't just Shit All The Way Down. The core premise that certain things were only permitted of or possible for men was bullshit, and I didn't need to surrender the gender I liked best in order to play in the spaces I wanted to. I could simply exist the way I was already existing. I didn't need anything else.

The misinterpretation is the assumption that this being true of me means this is everybody's relationship with gender. I turned out to be cis, so for me, feeling that holding onto my assigned gender wasn't allowed was distressing - just another invocation of the same bioessentialist bullshit I'd been dealing with since the preschool playground. This is because misgendering is fundamentally denying that a person has the right to express themself the way they want. When aimed at me, it says I'm not performing traditional femininity well enough to deserve my pronouns. The same disrespect is the root of misgendering when aimed at trans people. "Perform your gender to my satisfaction or I will confiscate it."

The problem is, bioessentialism is 100% ingrained into the terf playbook, which is why, for instance, all their shitty talking points about trans athletes eventually boil down to "no woman can ever defeat a man in any contest because we are simply naturally weak and stupid and there is nothing we can do about it" and quite frankly nothing disgusts me more than the defeatist acceptance of the very lie that feminism is dedicated to overcoming. Instead of accepting that the paradigm of bioessentialism is a false dichotomy right from the jump, they embrace and weaponize it against the people whose existence proves the dichotomy is a lie. If gender essentialism is fundamentally false, then it is nobody's fucking business what anybody does with their gender. If the lines don't exist, nobody needs to enforce them. And yet there the terfs go, hunting down people whose lives are none of their business and trying to argue that they represent some great and terrible evil, some downfall of society made flesh, something that makes it totally correct and normal for them to spend so much time thinking about strangers' genitalia. They want this to be a noble crusade so badly they won't even examine what flag they're flying.

I love and support the trans people in my life and will always, always stand on the side of your right to exist, but alongside that, terf rhetoric especially disgusts and infuriates me because it is, at its heart, utter cowardice. The world told them they were weak and stupid and inferior and they fucking believed it. And now they think Fighting The Good Fight For Women means turning around and using the same paradigmatic weapon that hurt them to hurt the people whose existence outside the binary proves the weapon is a lie. They're the same shithead schoolyard bullies who made me believe my entire existence was foundationally wrong for years of my life and I will never, ever side with them or the shitty, cowardly rhetoric that contributed to the loneliest years of my life.

Figure out who you are and do it on purpose. Find the real source of the misery in your life and try fighting that instead of the other crabs in the bucket. Trans rights.

[ceilidhtransing]

Baffled by the people who say things like “back when it was Biden v Trump, I was going to vote third party, since Biden had no chance of winning” - like, do you not kinda realise that huge numbers of people deciding to vote third party “because it's a given that Biden will lose” is partly why he (probably) would have lost?

Elections aren't pre-decided! The results depend on what you (and millions of other people) do! If your feeling is something like “ugh the Democrat is going to lose so I'll just stay home / vote third party”, that is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Democrat isn't just “going to lose regardless” no matter what anyone does; you are actively creating, in your own tiny way, the conditions under which the Democrat loses.

We see the same thing here in the UK. “There's no way the Conservatives will ever lose this seat” so the left splits its vote eighteen ways and oops the Conservative candidate wins with like thirty-nine percent of the vote.

It feels like some people subconsciously think of an election as something that just Happens independent of them, and that their vote isn't something that creates the result, but rather something that indicates to what extent they agree with the result. And I get it; in an election with a nine-figure number of votes it must be hard to feel like your individual vote makes much of a difference, to see a tangible connection between your vote and the outcome. But seriously: election results don't just Happen as some kind of force of nature. They depend entirely on the votes people choose to cast. And if your thought is “well I'm just me”, there are millions of “just me”s in the electorate. In fact, the electorate is nothing but a whole load of “just me”s.

So much of politics relies not on convincing people of your ideas, but on convincing them that the candidate they prefer either Has It In The Bag, so they don't need to turn up and vote, or Has No Chance, so they either shouldn't bother voting or should throw away their vote on some third-party candidate who - simply by the way the system is set up mathematically - genuinely never stood a chance in hell of winning anyway. (This is not a “you should vote third party” post, because this post acknowledges the reality that the US presidency is going to go to one of only two people, regardless of how anyone wishes the system worked.)

“Why should I vote for candidate A? They're never going to beat candidate B anyway!” cry ten thousand progressive voters, meanwhile horrible conservative candidate B wins by a margin of nine thousand and something. Attitudes create outcomes. Votes create outcomes.

Nothing is decided yet. The result is not predetermined. Your vote is part of what makes the result - and the outcome is going to be either Harris or Trump. And I know it's a cliche, but truly the only poll that matters is the one on election day. Please don't fall victim to defeatist self-fulfilling prophecies that only serve to help create the outcome you never wanted in the first place.

[fairuzfan]

I don't think people really understand that even if Biden wins (I'm telling you though, he's definitely not going to. I'm certain of this. Regardless of what you say about "psyops". He would have lost even before this) the people who will be most affected by BOTH Trump and Biden will still have to live their lives nearly the exact same way. The difference is that you just won't hear about it every second of every day if Biden were to win.

Like I'm not trying to be defeatist or seem hopeless, I just genuinely don't understand how you see a difference between the two. How has the past few months not completely obliterated any doubts you had about the intentions of the democratic party. There is no way you can see what's happening on a world scale and think "well it could be worse." What? Do you hear yourself? There is a whole economic and political system that thrives on subjugating and erasing the most vulnerable people in South West Asia, and Africa, and just all around. And they're not shy about it! They willingly and brazenly participate in it!

Are we voting... for what. Like honestly what are we voting for at this point. Whether or not CNN blasts 24 hours of Trump news? Whether or not our guy knows how to be polite while he massacres? What even is the point of any of this if it leads to so much destruction.

[batboyblog]

Thanks so much for deciding to continue your "Democratic accomplishments of the week" posts -- they have been super educational and have often inspired me to go out and do things when I've felt down or defeatist.

you're welcome and I'm glad they help.

I hope one of the things it has inspired you (not just you this for everyone reading this, hello, hi) to do is sign up to Volunteer, in the first day of her campaign Kamala Harris netted a very impressive $81 million from 880,000 grassroots Americans many giving for the first time, but to me WAY more important is the campaign has seen a surge in people signing up to volunteer in the swing states, so I hope everyone takes time today to make a plan to volunteer in some way before November.

The Harris Campaign

Look for Events and volunteer near you

Find a local Young Progressive running for office near you

if you don't live in a swing state there are lots of options to call or write postcards/letters to people who live in key battle grounds, if you live near a swing state there are always groups organizing to go volunteer in the nearest swing state, and where ever you live there are always important key races, be it for the US Senate (Montana, Ohio, Maryland) for the US House (New York) or state or even local level elections, all across the country radical anti-LGBT anti-black activists have run for school boards trying to push Queer people and diversity out of schools, in your community there could be someone running to stop that and your hard work could make all the difference

No Matter any one's age or location we all have the ability to make a big big difference this year, and I say this ALL the time, nothing help the stress and anxiety of current events more than going out and doing something, so often the world and its events are so upsetting because it feels so out of your control, when you go out and knock doors, make calls, whatever, you feel like you're making a difference and it helps so so much.

[komsomolka]

In your esteemed opinion, is Mikhail Bulgakov actually a good writer or is he more in the Orwell end of the spectrum: popular for anti-soviet sentiment (despite clear disdain for women and working class) his works are heavy on?

Bulgakov was definitely a talented writer so much so that he was tolerated by Soviet power despite reactionary character of his works and even sometimes was (sort of) defended by such people as Gorky and Stalin (their pet liberal of sorts😅).

Gorky: Bulgakov is not my brother [...] I have not the slightest desire to defend him. But – he is a talented writer, and we don’t have many of those. There is no point in making “martyrs for an idea” out of them. The enemy must either be destroyed or re-educated. In this case, I am for re-education. (Further in the letter Gorky says Bulgakov wants to contact Stalin personally to ask for help with stable employment. Bulgakov later got a place in Moscow Art Theatre).

Stalin: Of course, it is very easy to "criticize" and demand a ban on non-proletarian literature. But the easiest thing cannot be considered the best. The point is not a ban, but step by step to force old and new non-proletarian trash off the stage in a competition, by creating real, interesting, artistic plays of a Soviet character that can replace it. And competition is a big and serious matter, because only in a competitive environment can we achieve the formation and crystallization of our proletarian fiction. As for the play itself, "The Days of the Turbins" (Bulgakov's play), it is not so bad, because it does more good than harm. Do not forget that the main impression left on the viewer by this play is an impression favorable to the Bolsheviks: "if even people like the Turbins are forced to lay down their arms and submit to the will of the people, admitting their cause is finally lost, it means that the Bolsheviks are invincible, nothing can be done with them, the Bolsheviks". "The Days of the Turbins" is a demonstration of the all-crushing power of Bolshevism. Of course, the author is in no way “guilty” of this demonstration. But what does that matter to us?

Bulgakov was heavily censored, called for questioning by authorities multiple times and struggled a lot financially due to his bourgeoise and White sympathies while living in proletarian state. But isn't it the same for communist intellectuals in capitalist countries? So i personally don't cry crocodile tears over his suffering artist lifestory. Bulgakov works were accused of valorizing the Whites by Soviet literary critics (he was universally hated by them) which is true but as Stalin mentioned idealogically it was still net positive for Bolsheviks bc Bulgakovs works were pretty defeatist when it came to Bourgeoise class.

Interesting analysis of Bulgakov in Soviet Literary Encyclopedia released in 1930s: Bulgakov entered literature with the awareness of the death of his class and the need to adapt to a new life. Bulgakov comes to the conclusion: "Everything that happens, always happens as it should and only for the better." This fatalism is an excuse for those who changed milestones. Their rejection of the past is not cowardice and betrayal. It is dictated by the inexorable lessons of history. Reconciliation with the revolution was a betrayal of the perishing class' past. Intelligensia's reconciliation with Bolshevism, which in the past was not only by origin, but also ideologically connected with the defeated classes, the statements of this intelligentsia not only about its loyalty, but also about its readiness to build together with the Bolsheviks - could be interpreted as sycophancy. With the novel "The White Guard" Bulgakov rejected this accusation of the White émigrés and declared: the change of milestones is not a capitulation to the physical winner, but a recognition of the moral superiority of the victors. The novel "The White Guard" for Bulgakov is not only a reconciliation with reality, but also self-justification. A forced reconciliation. Bulgakov came to it through the cruel defeat of his class. Therefore, there is no joy from the knowledge that the bastards have been defeated, no faith in the creativity of the victorious people. This determined his artistic perception of the winner (i.e. Proletariat/USSR/Bolsheviks).

[seiya-starsniper]

Have been wildly oscillating between panic, anger, resentment, shitposting, and despair all day, as is my right as a citizen of the United States of Hell. I have bought much needed treats and I'm checking in on my friends in more precarious positions than myself and feeling angry all over again on their behalf. I am angry at the people who voted for trump, at the people who didn't vote at all because "both sides are bad" and angry at the world in general.

If you didn't vote for whatever reason, congrats, I hope you're pleased with yourself, good luck and let's never speak again. We're never seeing eye to eye on anything and that's fine, I can live with that. Obviously this only applies to US folk, but I'm not in the mood to argue about things with non US people either.

If you did vote and want to give up fighting to save yourself and your loved ones, do it. Living despite everything that's happened is resistance enough. You have fought long enough. You should not have been carrying this burden by yourself and if you are burned out to hell, protect yourself first. However you can, any way you can.

I don't know what it is I'm doing yet but I'm not giving up on doing good in any way I can, no matter how small. I am focusing on my loved ones first and foremost, and on surrounding myself with people who actually share the one core value of change and goodness still being possible, even if they don't share all my other views. I'm tired of the doomsdayers, tired of the defeatists and the pessimists who keep saying nothing is worth fighting for if the solution is not perfect in every way. I want change, I want goodness, and I'm not getting it from people who think I'm an idiot for not having perfect politics and saying the right buzzwords. Enough is enough.

Anyways, I'm tired and cranky but I will be fine. Check in on your trans friends, your disabled friends, your POC friends, and support them however you can. Prioritize your immediate needs above all else and tune out everything else.

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #6 FROM THE ASHES

Last issue is starting to make a lot more sense - I think Jed McKay might have strong feelings about the Morrison era. Spoilers, obviously.

Hi Xorn! Hi Magneto! Good to have you join us. It's nice to see Magneto is progressive, polite and welcoming. It's still an ideological regression from where he was at in X-Men Red/RoM/Uncanny X-Men #700, but I guess he's mostly scenery in this comic sadly. As a fellow disabled burden on society I empathize with him, but I'd like to see him still be a character of focus. Otherwise, why put him in the book? It's a shame his moment makes Xorn look like a fool - is that really his first question? Dude is a fucking monk and these people are right there.

He's wearing his Morrison/Quitely uniform too, which is not a great comparison to be drawing imo. He was last seen hanging out with his brother and Legion in Way of X, but I suppose this is as good a place as any for him to be now. Hopefully we see more of him.

Look how much Quentin has grown since Riot at Xavier's. Or maybe he's depressed. Either way he's definitely looking sharp. Idie notices one of the protesters throwing up the M.

People want Beast to solve their problems but he doesn't have the same experience and knowledge as old Beast, not that X-FORCE Beast did any of that. It's a character beat, but one we've seen before. Maybe he'll learn magic again! Magik is still very defeatist it seems, and perhaps her determination is waning. Can't say I blame her.

Quiche is dope but jokes about it aren't. Not this millennium. The Glob/Quentin dynamic is another Morrison callback. Don't worry, there's plenty more this issue 🙄. One pitfall with light-hearted quippy nostalgia is it undermines serious events happening next to it and gives mood whiplash. Somehow Idie knows Ilyana is communicating secretly with her brother. It doesn't come up again. Based on how McKay has been seeding beats we'll find out in issue #10.

Okay, so we know Magik is smart and now Idie does too. It'd be nice if more of this team started acting like friends - maybe this is the start of something beautiful. I can't say I buy Magik undermining Cyclops on a whim but she lays out the dilemma then puts Idie in charge.

They walk into the trap by putting Cobb Sr to sleep. Idie's secret is pretty cute and an effective 'cost of magic' shorthand. I am wary that it refers to nostalgia about a time that was already hyper nostalgia, but I'm getting used to it. We get to see the Cobb family dynamic, utterly predictable.

I enjoy everything on this page.

- Cyclops and Psylocke sparring

- Expanding on Hank and Mags' budding relationship with reference to their history.

- Building on Beast's fear of becoming a monster again.

- Magneto being emotionally supportive.

No new information here, though I love a jab at Fabian Cortez. This is more of a reference than anything else, though it's good to see some self awareness from Max. Although, Cortez showed a lot of growth on Krakoa.

This is a nice moment too. This version of Hank was a massive horn dog. Not saying that's where it's going but he's gregarious and it does make sense to have him be welcoming to another non-passing mutant. Glob too, though he comes off as massive dork. We still don't know much about Jen or Ben which makes it hard to get invested. If they do stick around they'd be inflating a cast that's already being covered unevenly.

Okay, Piper is here and Scott isn't pleased. Idie would have a point but it would have taken 2 minutes to talk about it. Yeah she asked for help and came willingly but as Scott says she's a minor. Her home life looks miserable and tracks closely enough to many queer experiences, but society unfortunately says children are property. It sucks, but she needs support. Nobody wins when her mother calls the cops. Is this about Piper or Idie here? I would love to see Idie being the moral core of the team but this just makes her look naive and impulsive - which is at odds with her 15+ years of characterisation. She was in jail last year!

Piper reveals that the 'Wild Sentinel' was after her and the Iron Night was her 'fault.' It's left on a cliffhanger but let's hope this doesn't torch the X-Men's relationship with Merle, Alaska.

The Morrison thing - Psychic rescue, Quentin and Glob, scientists making mutants, Cassandra Nova, Xorn is still in his uniform from the time, wild sentinel mention (which is super bizarre and out of place.) It's a lot and I'm probably missing stuff. My question is who this is for? New readers will just be confused. Morrison super fans are more likely to roll their eyes, judging by responses to last issue.

Overall this issue was pretty good. It progressed the plot, gave us time with the 3 characters who'd been ghosts, introduced new information and setup conflict with the town for next issue. I really wish the creative team would get their batting average a little higher in terms of solid issues. 33.3% is low enough in the abstract to make me drop the book - and this is one of the better ones. I know we can do better than this and it disappoints me how aggressively mid the X-books are right now.

I'm starting to recognise the formula they're working off, with information dribbling out at a snail's pace to the point that any issue becomes skippable then ending on a cliffhanger that's rarely paid off quickly. Uncanny has the same issue, which makes me think it's an editorial problem. Hell, solicits usually give more information than issues do. I'm not talking about tropes, I'm talking about the narrative tricks that allow them to publish issues that move at a glacial pace and use nostalgia to disguise the characters not being developed. One can hope :)

[kick-a-long]

your post from a few days ago about the defeatist logic of antisemitism raises another point:

as you said jews are a concrete target. i would also add that we are the easiest target. there's only .2% of us and we are seen as inherently alien by everyone (most ppl have never met a jew so we're sooo unrelatable and mysterious to them) which leads to antisemitism being ignored/labelled unimportant.

because antisemitism is seen as unimportant and gets easily dismissed this leads to an interlocking of all other bigotries with antisemitism being the odd one out. leftists can care about racism because it's something everyone faces and the same applies for homophobia (which is seen as universal), islamophobia (there are hundreds of millions of muslims and it's viewed as a form of racism) and the list goes on. but antisemitism is labelled and viewed as a jew only problem. so why must anyone else care? its the easiest thing in the world not to. for the longest time i saw non jews pair antisemitism with every other form of bigotry as if trying to make it relatable so people can view it as a real problem.

these are really important and good points. as you said, the problem of "antisemitism always needs a chaperone" is both that antisemitism is not treated as important as there are so few jews and it's treated as trodden ground. "not important" if it's on it's own, but also that antisemitic attitudes never travel alone either. it's always the structural underpinnings of violent extremism and the hatred of any other group and it needs to be addressed as THE issue behind the escalation to violence. jews are seen as both an easy target but also a worthy (aka powerful) one that makes an extremist look like they are going up against something much bigger than they are.

that jews are rich and powerful is also widely accepted as true even by centrists.

the end of discussion, dissent, and figuring out how to improve obvious problems in society, and the beginning of random mass violence is antisemitism. people need to recognize that it's where the violence is coming from. you don't need jews around to have antisemitism. not only that, but you don't need to be jewish to catch a bullet because of antisemitic theories that say violence is the only way to defeat (((the jew))) as imagined in antisemitic conspiracy theory.

look into any mass shooting, terrorist attack: black, white, brown, blue, red, purple, green... you will find antisemitism tying it all together and demanding blood, soil, and death.

[esamastation]

Part forty-seven of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six

-

You want to be a hero.

You grow up with news that, unbeknownst to your young self, are completely controlled by Shinra, publicising Shinra propaganda, showing scenes of a war that's been going on for longer than you've known how to read. Everyone knows what the war is really about and everyone talks about it, but their tone is defeatist. There's nothing anyone can do about it. It's Shinra. Shinra will do as it likes. Ultimately, few people in your little backwater town really care.

But you don't really understand. You've seen the pictures - the parades, the speeches, the tech showcases. Tanks and trucks and planes and helicopters and the great airships. Shinra technology is already like magic to you - but they also make magic, they make Materia! 

And they make SOLDIER.

The SOLDIERs are in the papers a lot. Sephiroth is in the papers a lot.

They call him a hero. The Hero of Shinra, the Hero of Wutai. Your mother reads you the article about him saving a squad of infantry troopers all by himself, how he'd taken a town just with his sword, how a great general surrendered to Sephiroth personally. There is a magazine every other week with Sephiroth on the front page.

Everyone is in awe of Sephiroth. All the kids in the school talk about how cool he is. They trade pictures of him like they're old-fashioned reading cards - until Shinra actually starts making SOLDIER trading cards. Everyone wants the holographic one of Sephiroth with Masamune.

Everyone wants to be like Sephiroth.

They talk about SOLDIERs. How they're superhuman. How Shinra puts magic into their veins, making them like the Ancients of myth and legend - but better! Because SOLDIERs can't just do magic - they're also really strong and really fast, and nothing can stand in their way! SOLDIERs are the best of the best! Their eyes glow and they can lift cars and fight dragons, and just being a SOLDIER means you're a hero.

Because heroes are people in the news, making headlines and having their pictures taken. 

And you want to be a hero.

You want to be respected and acknowledged and feared. You want to know that there's nobody out there who can push you around. You want to make it into the newspapers, you want to be the one they write and talk about. You want to be the person they look up to and say, "Wow, I wanna be like them."

So you look into it. How do people become SOLDIER? They go to Midgar, they enter the SOLDIER candidate trials. There are tests, though no one knows for sure what they are. If you pass them, there's some kind of special surgery, and then…then you're in. And they make you into a SOLDIER.

And you're a hero for the rest of your life.

So you leave home. You make it all the way across the Planet and to Midgar. You sleep in an inn that costs too much, and you go to Shinra Building, and you ask the ladies at the reception, "How do I apply for the SOLDIER candidate trials?"

They laugh, and they give you a form to fill, which you pretend to read, but you don't, really, you're too excited. You sign everything, and they tell you, "Come back in two weeks, that's when the trials start." 

In two weeks you use up all your savings and see the best Midgar has to offer, and you're sick with nerves and starting to worry, and you know you should call your mom, but you can't, not until you have good news. You're really starting to be nervous, but then, finally, it's time. 

You head to the Shinra Building. You see the lobby is full of kids just like you, all nervous and sick and excited, and, you can't help noticing, so much bigger than you. Maybe older than you. SOLDIER candidate trials don't have an age limit, but you're worried you might be the youngest one there.

You don't talk to anybody. You're worried you'll throw up, you're so anxious.

A doctor welcomes you all into the SOLDIER candidate trials. He explains: there are several steps to becoming a SOLDIER, and the very first of it is the Mako reactivity test, and that there's no point in telling you about the rest unless you pass it. After all, you can't become a SOLDIER at all if you can't handle Mako! Everyone laughs, nervously. Your forced chuckle sounds like a wheeze. You wish you'd gone to the bathroom before it all started.

They divide the candidates into groups of twelve, and you're in group 8. Each group is assigned a lab, and a man in a lab coat tells you to follow. You take the elevator up. One of the other candidates looks at you and snorts. You're the shortest in the group.

You feel yourself blush, but say nothing.

Your group is ushered into a lab and lined up by size. The tech pulls up a trolley with twelve syringes and a number of swabs. You're the last in line - the biggest goes first.

You watch each glowing green injection closely - you see every reaction.

The first candidate goes pale and begins to sweat. He's told to sit down.

The second candidate doesn't react at all. He's told to sit down.

Third breaks out into red bumps all over his arm and is quickly given another injection. He's the first one to fail.

Fourth candidate reacts like the first and sits down.

Fifth passes out - he's the second one to fail.

Sixth doesn't react and is told to sit down…

Until finally it's your turn.

You watch the needle go in. It hurts. It feels weird, when the lab technician begins pushing the glowing green liquid in. You can't figure out how it feels. It just feels like a lot.

You feel pressure, inside yourself and in your head and all around you. You feel like you're being squeezed from inside out. You feel like you're suddenly very heavy, and yet you also feel light as a feather. The lights in the lab suddenly seem to glow blindingly bright.

You're drenched in sweat.

The lab technician tells you to sit down.

You pass the test - the eight of twelve. Of the four that failed, two have to be rolled out in wheelchairs. Of the eight that passed, two have thrown up.

They tell you you have higher Mako reactivity than is really desired in the program. There's a good chance you - along with numbers one, four and nine who reacted like you did - wouldn't pass the follow-up tests. You're told to not get your hopes up - but also that you shouldn't let that get you down.

"There's another program running right now," they tell you, cheerfully. "They're looking for volunteers for a new type of SOLDIER treatments! You might be a perfect fit for it!"

You don't understand. The pressure inside your head is turning into a headache. You try to reply cheerfully and probably fail.

The next stage of testing would be in a week. They tell you to be back then and send you off.

You're not sure what you're going to do. You've run out of money and can't stay at the inn anymore. You have nowhere to stay and you know no one in Midgar. Your head is starting to really hurt, and the injection site is inflamed. You don't know what you're going to do for another week. The pressure inside your head feels permanent.

You think you might've messed up, bad.

But you still want to be a hero.

[aotopmha]

With everyone speaking out on misogyny in FFXIV (and the gaming community at large), I want to put this out there as well:

Among other things, I'm also tired of people agreeing with the issue existing, but not really doing anything about it.

It's a very specific defeatist attitude among men especially, which simply says all of this horrible behaviour exists, but "there is just *nothing* we can do about it, you know?"

"It is what it is..."

No, speak up.

Every time you see someone being scummy, call them out. Tell them to stop doing it and if they don't, report them, cut them out of your group, do not give them a chance to fester because you "didn't expect them to be this bad".

Nip it in the bud.

Take the embarrassing action that might "oust" you from the group with "good players/friends" if it's disgusting behaviour because chances are they are an awful person in general and if they aren't, they will apologize and do better.

The best friends call out each other's bullshit.

You can sometimes make a difference in very small ways.

Labeling everything drama or "being cancelled" also lightens the issue (these are at this point really clear terms of deflection to soften topics).

No, this isn't "drama", this is serious fucking shit that hurts a lot of people.

Not all sexual harassment cases also get the luxury to have extensive "proof". A lot of it isn't recorded in chat logs or on camera because of the fucking debilitating nature of it, which is why it is such a difficult crime to deal with.

I have been guilty of this half-measure attitude where I kind of brush past some of the really wierd shit people say, but every content creator I've had even a slight red flag for have ended up being various degrees of wierd and shit between having some good takes here and there, so I think I'm finally cleaning house.

So I think another way to fix this is to stop giving the people who just see harassment as a "unchangeable fact of life" clicks. And that's what I'm going to do.

There is the hypocrisy of calling it out with some, but protecting others.

There is stooping to the level of the disgusting scum you're calling out when being called out themselves.

There is being guilty of doing the same shit while being a supposed ally.

No, this shit can be changed and even by just doing the minimum of not letting the shit fester.

[docochocart]

DOCORONPA R

CHAPTER FOUR

[ daily ]

Drummer's eyes snapped wide open, gasping for air while her heart rate soared. She clung to the cheap, linen bedsheets beneath her and her eyes focused in on the ceiling above her. She was back in the Hotel.

Her body relaxing, she allowed her head to slump aside on the pillow. An empty bed. A room all to her lonesome, Bartender gone without a trace.

As she focused in on the now neatly made bed across from her, the horror of the previous night's trial flooded back through Drummers mind.

She spent another hour lying there, sick and paralyzed in the twin bed she'd been relegated to. It felt pointless to keep moving at this point. Death was quickly becoming inevitable in her eyes.

As she lay still, visualizing herself in Bartender's place, a light knock on the bedroom door sent shivers down her spine. Still, she didn't move an inch.

Marine Biologist sheepishly poked her head through the crack of the door, anxiously eyeing Drummer's unmoving body. After a dozen seconds of unbearable silence, she spoke:

"Please don't make me eat breakfast alone..."

...

Drummer stared down at her breakfast, unable to force a bite. She stirred in her seat, avoiding eye contact with Marine Biologist and anybody who passed.

Marine biologist, after a few failed attempts at conversation, finally addressed Drummer's defeatist demeanor:

"You're... not gonna eat?"

Drummer lurched at the question. She choked on her spit before being able to spit anything out in response. Feeling cornered and embarrassed, she forced down a bite of eggs.

The horrible silence continued. In fact, the entire saloon was strangely quiet.

Sailor, usually pumped up already by this time, sat silent and alone in a corner booth. He took the occasional, very theatrical, swig from a bottle of low-end rum as to project his despair to the room. Nobody cared to comfort him.

Rebel had come in earlier to retrieve two meals, presumably for Ice Skater and himself to share elsewhere. The two were unsurprisingly absent from the suicidal breakfast outing, Welder being the only other camper not in attendance.

Drummer heard the girls from her original cabin discussing if they should bring Welder a meal back to their room: a perfect fucking opportunity to leave.

Drummer rose suddenly from her seat, receiving a startled yelp from Marine Biologist. Her voice cracked as she forced out whatever sentence her scattered mind could muster:

"I-I can do it. I want to do it."

...

Drummer returned the Hotel with a single meal in hand, having abandoned hers back at the Saloon. As she fumbled her way up the stairs, she began to regret her choice in delivering this meal. She was in no state to be a shoulder to cry on.

After a few moments and a deep breath, Drummer worked up the energy to open the door. Welder had been resigned to an identical state Drummer had been brought to.

They lay still, barely acknowledging Drummers presence. Suddenly the meal she brought with her felt pointless, it would go uneaten between the two of them.

She placed it down in the doorway, taking a small step toward the unresponsive metal worker. She could only think of one thing to say:

"I'm so sorry."

Her depression felt childish in the wake of the loss Welder had just faced. She felt guilty for her state, undeserving of this level of despair. She wanted to comfort them but she didn't know how:

"I'm... I'm... this is a fucking nightmare."

Welder finally budged, haphazardly tossing their head to face Drummer:

"Tell me about it."

Tears welled in Drummer's eyes. She had nothing to offer to help, aside from a lukewarm breakfast. She stood silently feet away from the bed. She just stared while Welder lifelessly turned their head back to face the wall.

Defeated, Drummer slid the meal further into the room, only murmuring "breakfast" as she scurried back to the safety of her room.

Flopping back onto her bed, she reveled in the solitude for the minute. This comfort only lasted a few moments, as a deep self-loathing washed over her.

Her inability to cope with her mortality. Her inability to control her own future. Her inability to connect to those around her.

What's the point of living like this?

...

Drummer's eyes fluttered back open to the sound of a purring engine whizzing by her bedroom window. While the rumbling sound peaked her curiosity, what got her up was the groan of her stomach.

Drummer cautiously exited her room and then the hotel, a chaotic static filling her mind.

When she reached the bright afternoon sunlight, she was immediately met with the sight of Marine Biologist hesitantly staring off into the distance.

The girl was stood a few dozen feet from Drummer, completely distracted by something in the distance. Ghost Hunter was posted silently by her side, staring off in a similarly strange fashion.

Drummer cautiously approached the two, the crunch of the gravel trail beneath her alerting them to her presence. Marine Biologist looked deeply relieved to see Drummer, however hesitant to approach her after this morning.

Ghost Hunter was the first to speak, awkwardly over-explained that the two were waiting for Social Star and Personal Trainer to return with the truck. Drummer barely processed what Ghost Hunter had said before she saw an approaching glimmer in the distance.

The white pick-up truck sloppily sped toward them down the gravel trails, nearly hitting enclosures and buildings alike on its way. As it approached, the whirring of the engine quickly became accompanied by a distant scream.

The truck swerved to a sudden stop just in front of the Hotel, a furious Social Star hastily exiting the passenger seat:

"Are you fucking trying to kill us?"

Personal Trainer, still in the drivers seat, begged Social Star to get back in the truck:

"How am I supposed to learn without an instructor?"

The two, somewhat playfully, bickered through the trucks window. It seems they had no time to acknowledge the onlookers.

Another grumble from her stomach reminded Drummer why she'd gotten up in the first place. She turned to Marine Biologist to announce her departure to the Saloon, only to be met with a desperate bid:

"We'll go with you!"

Fuck.

...

From the outside of the Saloon, some commotion could already be heard coming from inside. Unaffected, Drummer unceremoniously opened the door.

To their horror, they found Sailor and Welder, both incapacitated off of a mixture of vodka and rum. An empty bottle with another already half gone beside it was positioned on the table in front of them:

"Welcome to the partayyyyyy..."

Sailor drunkenly slurred his welcome of his already cringing peers as they cautiously entered. Welder gestured for the group to join them at the table, playfully daring them all to take a shot.

Marine Biologist helplessly turned to Drummer, as if to silently ask her to turn them down. Unfortunately for her, Drummer had already made her way to the table.

Drummer silently poured and downed a double shot of warm vodka to the ecstatic cheers of Welder and Sailor. The drunken duo turned to a gobsmacked Marine Biologist and Ghost Hunter, as if waiting for them to follow suit.

It was Ghost Hunter who quickly crumbled and broke this tension, wheeling forward to pour a shot of his own. After he'd finished his shot, all four turned back to a, still frozen, Marine Biologist.

She paused for a moment, before confessing that this would be her first time drinking. Drummer coldly responded:

"Could be your only chance."

She raised an empty shot glass and a bottle out to her terrified peer. The room fell into silence, everyone waiting on bated breath to see if this peer pressure would work.

Success.

Marine Biologist awkwardly took her place at the table, before shakily pouring herself a measly shot. In honor of her first drink, everyone agreed to join her in a cheers. Were they all... getting along?

...

After about an hour had passed they had all downed around 4 shots each, give or take. By then they'd been joined by a tuckered out Social Star and Personal Trainer, who'd quickly caught up with them in drinking.

The room had quickly become a bunker of giddy delirium, temporarily shielding them from the terror that inevitably awaited them.

With the power of alcohol on their side, the cast was getting along better than ever. The whole room was enshrouded in a delirious glee. Even Marine Biologist was exchanging jokes with the likes of Sailor.

After they'd finished off a second bottle, Marine Biologist playfully jaunted behind the bar to find another. In that moment, Drummer had realized she'd never seen her this happy. Maybe they should have done this sooner-

Marine Biologist froze, staring wide eyes into the room behind Drummer. Before Drummer could sloppily turn to see what Marine Biologist was afraid of, it made itself heard:

"What the hell are you all doing?"

Drummer turned to see a visibly off-put Rebel and Ice Skater standing menacingly on each side of the exit. Their eyes darted around the room, confusion and disgust in their eyes. It felt like they'd been caught drinking by camp counselors.

After a couple seconds of humiliating silence, Sailor broke the tension:

"We got- *hick* ...Room for two more."

Rebel furrowed his brow, propping his mouth open to speak before pausing and turning to Ice Skater. The two shared a very strange eye contact for a minute before turning back to the room:

"We're in."

Despite being the last to arrive, Rebel was the first to pass his limit. He began by drinking what looked like 4 shots straight from the bottle, quickly following it up with 2 more.

Ice Skater intermittently checked on him in the saloon bathroom. Even drunk she was incredibly poised and judgmental, almost impulsively chastising her peers on the smallest behaviors.

Marine Biologist had quickly shied up in the presence of her ex-confidant. The two awkwardly avoided the others eyes while talking around each other's presence.

The vibe had been successfully dulled with the new presence, but the group continued chasing the high well into the evening. They were only finally broken up by one final visitor:

"Well, well, well... Look what we have here..."

MonoMaton had, as always, silently snuck his way into their presence:

"Seems like you all are getting along great! We gotta do something about that... Guess we'll need a new motive by the end of the week to keep things moving!"

Rebel, who at this point was barely cognizant, rose to challenge the stuffed lamb. He slurred out what seemed like protest, but nobody could make out what was being said.

MonoMaton slinked right back out as soon as he'd entered. Successfully destroying the vibe and putting the, absolutely wasted, cast back on edge.

The group quickly made their way back to the Hotel, already wrecked with dread following their reminder of the inevitable.

Welder and Social Star both didn't make the whole trip, having Sailor and Personal Trainer carry them the rest of the way back. Ice Skater and Rebel dragged far behind the group, as Rebel futilely and childishly resisted returning to the hotel.

Drummer guided Marine Biologist along with one hand, pushing Ghost Hunter along with the other. While she maintained concern for her situation, Drummer found herself the most content she'd been here on the short walk back.

After successfully dropping Ghost Hunter off into his bed, Drummer offered Marine Biologist a goodbye as she approached her own dorm. Marine Biologist froze up, before embarrassedly asking:

"Can... I please stay with you tonight?"

Drummer didn't hesitate to answer yes this time, with a recently vacant bed following Bartender's passing to offer.

The two stumbled to their designated beds, where Drummer offered a second futile goodnight. Marine Biologist paused before answering, dazedly staring at the ceiling before asking:

"Do I have to sleep over here?"

Drummer tensed up before awkwardly chuckling it off and asking what she meant by that. The eye contact that followed quickly answered her question.

Drummer drunkenly rustled toward the wall, making as much space for Marine Biologist as she could muster on the pathetically cheap twin bed.

The two awkwardly lied there for a minute, pressed back to back in the darkness. Drummer felt a stir from behind her, before Marine Biologist's breath hit her ear:

"Hey..."

Drummer cautiously turned over to see Marine Biologist's big, doe eyes only a few inches from her own. This all felt like a dream.

The two girls laid there for a minute, both too afraid to lay a finger on each other. Drummer had never felt a rush like this before, it couldn't be real.

Marine Biologist finally broke the silence and the eye contact in a moment:

"Do... Do you wanna-"

Before she could finish the question Drummer's lips met her's and restored the silence in the room.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[dangerousartisanwerewolf]

To All Americans doom scrolling Tumblr right now:

First and foremost I am so sorry for all of you guys. You all did your part but hatred seems to have unfortunately won. I am also incredibly disheartened for all of you and for once in my life I honestly don't know what to say (which is odd for me lol).

Just know

That you did your part. You voted and did your part and that's all you can do.

It's not your fault. Period. Not to sound defeatist but one vote will not decide the fate of an entire election

Life will go on and we will keep on living. I know it doesn't seem like it right now but we will keep going and we will keep living our lives.

Things will get better, it maybe doesnt seem like it right now but things will ger better

I have sadly seen many people on here talk about killing themselves or pleading others to stay alive. As sad as that notion is, it is a very real concern for many now.

As many others have mentioned: PLEASE DON'T KILL YOURSELF OR RELAPSE IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM OVER THE ELECTION RESULTS!!!!!!!!! I know it may feel hopeless and like there is nothing else you can do but please don't. I mentioned many things you can do to distract yourself in a previous post if you want to look.

There are many $u1c1d3 hotlines and other mental health resources available you can access. Please do if you feel like you need to

List of hotlines/ help resources to call/talk to:

Sorry I can't link anything because I am not tech savy but hopefully a list is useful too. Got most of these off of instagram so maybe you'll see the posts circulating around. Keep in mind I am a minor who does not live in the U.S so if these are not the most helpful don't flame me.

LQBTQ Resources:

The 988 lifeline- 988lifeline.org (Call,text, or chat)

The Trevor project- thetrevorproject.org/get-help (24/7 crisis counselling)

SAGE x Hearme-sageusa.org/hearme (On demand mental wellness app)

LGBTQ center directory- lgbtqcenters.org/LGBTCENTERS (Centre directory, find one near you)

PFLAG- pflag.org/findachapter (Find a chapter near you)

QChat space-qchatspace.org (Online Lgbtq community for teens)

Suicide/crisis hotline

Dial 988 or visit 988lifeline.org

Warm lines that don't call the police:

Call blackline- 800-604-5841 (Centre's BIPOC, LGBTQ, Black femme lens)

Trans lifeline-877-585-8660 (U.S number) Canada has one of these too if you need it

Wildflower alliance peer support line- 888-407-4515 (Trained peer supporters

Strong hearts Native helpline- 844-762-8483

Thrive lifeline- 313622-8209 (Trans led and operated)

LGBTQ national help center- 888-843-4564

Hope that helps

Other easy ways to take care of your mental health:

Take a social media break/hiatus

Hang out with friends or family

Get out in nature (Go for a hike, bike ride ect)

distract yourself with comfort media

read

do something creative

practice a hobby

I already have a post with a pretty extensive list of stuff you can do to distract/cope if you need any ideas. I'm not going to copy it all out but its just a little down from this post in my account if you scroll.

Above all please stay safe:

Many have mentioned this but make sure you stay safe too, especially if you are in a red state where people may be looking for an opportunity. As fucked up as it feels to even type this out:

Scrub your socials of anything that may "Give you away" if you feel you need to

If you know someone who is queer, trans, poor, pregnant, an immigrant, needing an abortion, getting an abortion done, or anything that could make living dangerous to them- no you don't. try and keep loved ones safe if you can

Don't out yourself for being any of the above things if you can help it

Don't engage in politics talk with people if you can help it. If someone asks what party you supported don't tell them, they may just be looking for information they can use

One last reminder:

Please remember to:

Eat regular meals/remember to eat at all

Drink water

Take screen breaks (As it will hurt your eyes and give you a headache)

Go to sleep at a regular time

don't bed rot all day

don't doom scroll election content all day

turn off the news at some point, its not healthy to sit and watch the news all day

get out in nature/step outside and touch grass and get some fresh air if you can

talk to your loved ones and seek support if you need

get off social media for a bit (Even if you say all day social media doesnt make a difference to you I know it does)

make sure to take it easy today if you can, take care of your mental health and I hope that everything will be alright for you guys. Stay safe out there

[theamityelf]

I don't know if I've said this already but. We, as a fandom, need to realize that Makoto is punk but just doesn't have makeup on and has a baby face and doesn't call himself one. And we need to play into that more. Let him go all out (Though after defying the government and becoming an enemy of the world I don't know how much more we can do. Who can top that??).

I fully agree. I think it sometimes gets lost because his broad role in the franchise is to be a thematic foil to Junko, and this often comes across in the form of a Junko who is "F the system!" and a Makoto who is "Don't F the system!" But Makoto is very much also "F the system". It's Junko's destructive, defeatist "F the system" vs. Makoto's constructive, restorative "F the system".

(Except Junko pretty quickly creates a new system to embody her destructive, defeatist ideology, whereas Makoto is pretty much always positioned to oppose an organized authority.)

I feel like it's very cool to lean into the idea that Makoto is radically hopeful about creating a better world. Obviously, there are plenty of ways it manifests in canon. When suffering is the rule, he says F the rule.

By the by, I think this detail about him could be utilized in a really interesting way in the context of Naeishi, Naegiri, and Naegami. Not that ships are the only way to explore character traits, but I think (romantically or platonically) Taka, Kyoko, and Byakuya are characters who could bring this out in him, in a real way. Though I'm speaking mainly to his opposition to punitive justice, classism, etc. Since talent and the cultivation and collection thereof is very much also a guiding system in the Danganronpa universe, Kamuegi is also a good forum for Makoto to rage against the machine. That's honestly why Makoto is the main person I ship Izuru with.

[relatableblorbopoll]

Round 1 of preliminaries, group 6

The first two places get a place on the bracket

Little reminder: there will be 2 more rounds of preliminaries, the losing blorbos of this poll still have 2 chances of getting in the official bracket

propaganda under the cut

Jesper Fahey (Six of Crows)

No Propaganda

Crowley (Good Omens)

"He's gender. He's been in love with one guy for literally 6000 years and then royally fucks up his entire confession. He yells at his plants. He drapes himself over every fucking surface he sits on. He walks like *that*. He just fuckin makes sounds sometimes. He's me fr."

Dave Strider (Homestuck)

"everything that can be said about Dave's relatability will probably sound redundant, clichéd, or overdone if you are at all familiar with tumblrs sort of blorbo culture. this is exactly why he should be in this tournament.

stop me if you think that you've heard this one before: he hides his genuine emotions behind a persona, deflects sincerity with jokes, but also has a deep desire for validation and connection, so that his persona has many cracks where little bits of his true self slip through. deeply insecure, compares himself to others. a defeatist streak, avoids responsibility. does not wish to be troubled by The Horrors. he just wants to hang out and do his lil creative hobbies (making music and drawing comics). talks a lot to the point of being pretty awkward, rambling, and accidentally saying stuff he shouldnt.

all these things I think tend to resonate deeply with a lot of people, especially on Tumblr - that "person who is insecure and struggles with emotional openness so copes by making jokes" sort of trope, it's just like kin bait (affectionate). he also has a complicated relationship with gender which I know many find relatable (shout out to the "Dave homestuck was my trans awakening" homies) but whether it's about figuring out gender or sexuality or trauma or the apocalypse or anything else, Dave comes at it with an initial, learned, fear and reluctance that I think a lot of people have experienced, because it's very human and very much a part of many readers experiences (we live in a society). but he's always good, and likeable and that makes for a very important sort of relatable character. very comforting. even if he's a mess and he's an idiot you can believe he can get to something better, and you can watch him develop and grow.

also, I think he's extremely relatable because he never really knows what's going on in the comic either. I mean, that's gonna be relatable to most people Vis a vis homestuck. he's confused and he just wants to vibe and make his friends laugh. WHO AMONG US cannot relate?? I do not believe you if you say no.

I wrote too much and got way too weird about it. I'm sorry it's late I'd edit down but I really don't have the brain capacity.. which is very Dave core of me actually"

Junior (Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race)

"i relate to him a lot because his whole character is being embarrassed of his dad who tries too hard to be cool, but still loves him anyways. that is literally me"

Kim Dokja (Omnicient Reader's Viewpoint)

"kim dokja. oh kim dokja. so, without going into spoilers too much, kim dokja is very much a character you are expected to relate to and it makes the novel DEVASTATING. here's just a few things about him: - he is obsessed with a particular piece of media, and finds comfort in it when real life doesn't give him any. he's constantly thinking about it and defending it and trying to recommend it to other people (even though no one else bothers reading it, because it is an objectively bad 3000-chapter webnovel). even beyond that one novel, he's been using fiction as an escape for just about his entire life, something that rings true for a lot of people, especially in the modern world. - he struggles with socializing with other people. the first chapter alone gave me so much second hand embarrassment. it's so real but god it's So bad. he has zero friends and has that sort of loneliness where you're miserable but you can't really bring yourself to feel anything but resigned to it. in general he is just very Resigned to his unfortunate life and can't fully understand or accept it when it finally does get better - he has a complicated relationship with his mother. it's the kind of relationship where the parent genuinely does love their child, but they fail to give them what they need & have to accept that they hurt their kid and that they cannot be the most important person in their life. it's certainly not a universal experience but those sorts of parent-child relationships are woefully common but scarcely acknowledged -the insecurity. god there is so much insecurity in that man. it's hard to even completely tell it's there at first, because it's so ingrained in how he thinks that you don't question it until you know more about his character and suddenly it's all too apparent. he cannot believe that he can be loved (or, if that he can be, that they certainly would not be able to love all of him, only what he chooses to show them), and is selfless but like. the literal meaning of the word, where he will throw away all of his being for the people he loves. in general there is a lot of sacrifice as a love language which like. while i'm not off around throwing myself in front of magic death beams for people or anything i sure would give up everything i could if it meant helping the people i love - ok enough of that. here's some funny things i can relate to. the guy meets his favorite fictional blorbo and instead of worshipping him instead he bullies him constantly and internally complains about how unbearable he is both in the book and in real life. it's like a "i love my blorbo. i would not last 2 seconds in a room with him." You know. he gets so caught up in his fanon characterizations and biases about characters that he completely mischaracterizes them like constantly. he literally kills a guy half because he was his least favorite character. -this is a poll about blorbo relatability. therefore i must mention that kim dokja too related to his blorbo (or at least attempted to) and what is more relatable than that. anyways. kdj made me realize far too much about myself and is by far the most i have ever related to a character (and i Hate it). and tumblr would definitely relate to him too so :thumbs-up:"

"(SPOILERS) He is literally all of us. Reader. Just some guy. And then insane tragic backstory. But he’s also just some guy. He’s special and also just a guy. He’s also god. He can be shipped w anyone. He has versatility and interests and motivations. He also never tells anyone anything ever. He is so me."

"He reads a trashy, long-ass novel as a coping mechanism and doesn't think he's capable of being loved. Bro dissociates when he's emoting too much."

"I'm a homestuck fan, a Dave Strider fan even Never heard of Omnicient Reader's before Voted for the kim fellow because judging by the propaganda it looks like he himself would be a homestuck reader therefore making him more relatable than the homsetuck character himself"

"This guy’s been my companion since I was 11, I’ve grown up with Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint and I think that’s pretty funny since he grew up with Ways of Survival (the 3149 chapter novel) and therefore I’m straight up mirroring him. I, too, scare everyone off by being too enthusiastic whenever the webnovel is brought up! His insecurities are severe but I do see myself in some parts of him (which is worrying but whatever.) He is absolutely The Guy Ever. Utterly pathetic wet cat of a man. I love him. He represents the crazy fandom tumblrina in all of us."

Donutella (Tokidoki)

"she's made of donuts basically like me at this point"

[celticcrossanon]

Votre lecture est terrifiante et ce qui me terrifie le plus, c'est que ces deux-là s'en sortent toujours. Peu importe ce qu’ils font, ils s’en sortent sans problème. Ce qui me porte à croire qu’ils finiront par gagner. Je suis désolé si je suis trop défaitiste pour certains, mais pour moi, ce cirque noir aurait dû être arrêté depuis longtemps. Les vrais coupables sont au palais et cela va très mal finir.

Translation via the internet:

Your reading is terrifying and what terrifies me the most is that these two always get away with it. No matter what they do, they get by without a problem. Which leads me to believe that they will eventually win. I'm sorry if I'm too defeatist for some, but for me, this black circus should have been stopped a long time ago. The real culprits are in the palace and it will end very badly.

Hi Nonny,

The reading was awful. It is the most revolting energy I have felt in any tarot reading.

I think the reason the Harkles appear to get away with things is that they don't stop. Other people face consequences and at least stop to think about things. The Harkles just keep on going when anyone else would be completely embarrassed, and then they whinge about the consequences and say they are unfair. The people I hold responsible are those that enable their behaviour, and yes, I do count the people in the palace among these (especially those who want Harry back and refuse to cut him off) but they are not all of the enablers. Nigeria did not have to give them this trip. Invictus Games could remove Harry as a patron. Netflix could void their contract - etc and so on. It is not just the palace who is enabling the Harkles to continue with their actions.

It is telling that even with all of the support from various people, the Harkles have sunk to low-tier celebrity status and have to pull stunts to stay in the news. The wife sells jam, the husband does goodness knows what at a coaching organisation, and both of them are a walking joke. It's a far cry from Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace, and they will fall even further, no matter how many branches (the Nigeria trip) they grab on the way down.