#it's not good for men or for women and the whole aids point has been made before so it's not just me doing that

[beggars-opera]

Ok, so I live in one of the more liberal areas of the country. Our governor is a lesbian and I literally did not even know until after she got elected, because it was that much of a nonissue.

Lately, I'm seeing more and more local institutions doing things for Pride. Institutions that don't necessarily have to, or do so awkwardly, but they're trying to be good allies. And, even here, I see people foaming at the mouth. This thing is ruined. Unprofessional. Political. Sexual. Boycotting, disgusted, bye.

And a part of me is like, "Why would a random store, a museum, a restaurant, do this?" Part of my mind has been so corrupted by the idea of rainbow capitalism that the thought of someone just...trying to be an imperfect ally is a cash grab.

It's not. Every bit counts, and especially as we see pushback, and see some of those corporations beginning to rethink their rainbow capitalism, the places that continue to speak up are so, so important.

I'm reminded of a rant by Illustrious Old White Man Historian Gordon Wood a few years back where he lamented how fragmented modern history is. Why do we need ANOTHER book about women, about enslaved people, about the poor? Why are we focusing on these people instead of George Mount Rushmore Washington?

And it was an interesting framing, because he insinuated that these micro histories were bad not because they existed, but because they didn't give the whole story, which in Gordon's mind was a story in which they were the side characters instead of the mains. To that end a biography of G Wash that features the bare shadow of Billy Lee in the far distance is a complete history, all that needs to be said, because one of those figures is a God Amongst Men and the other does not deserve to be fully fleshed out as a full, autonomous human being with a family and a profession and a beating heart. And a biography of William Lee, war aid, professional valet, and person closest to the first president of the United States, with the shadow of George in the background, would consequently be Bad History, because no one is saying that this man didn't exist, but his story isn't the whole story. It's backwards; he should be a footnote, and if he's not, that's bias.

But for me, as a historian, I know that the reason these microhistories exist, and are so important, is that they didn't exist before. Before someone can be truly, purposefully, tactfully inserted into the historical narrative, you need to know who they are. Not just as a name, not just as an archetype. You have to get to the point where there are so many books flooding the market about women and children and immigrants that it's no longer controversial to be talking about them, where learning about them instead of someone else is normal.

THEN you can feel good about rewriting the more general narrative. THEN you can actually have the information you need in order to put things into their proper context, to rethink the most important figure in each story, to assess what the full milieu of the time is.

And that's where we're at with Pride. We are still very much living in a time where queer people are shadow characters in the background. They are people that many will admit exist, but for god's sake, don't make them important, don't make them real, don't make them normal. And until we can shove rainbows down everyone's throats to the point where being queer is no longer seen as a thing that is Other, until we convince people that we're not going away, we will never be able to fully assimilate queerness into society.

We can't just be normal about Pride, because normal isn't loud enough to not get drowned out.

[branwinged]

what do you think about the argument that the incest and dragons make the targaryens so much worse compared to the other houses that the comparisons between them are basically useless?

i will address the incest first, but i'm not interested in any argument arising from disgust. disgust has no moral value and should not be the basis for any ethical/political positions. incest is often predicated on abuse which is the material reason for why it's bad.

so, the argument is that targaryen incestuous marriage is innately more harmful than your average westerosi non-incestuous marriage. the strongest point in favour of this is: when your in-laws are also your natal family, there is no possible recourse for the bride in the event of abuse. i agree with this, maybe ned and brandon would've aided lyanna against robert, but that's one isolated (hypothetical) example. this is not the reality of many women in the main series. not for cersei and not for lysa. in fact, i don't think there is a single instance where the bride's family moves to interfere with a lawful marriage. the martells couldn't do much when rhaegar humiliated elia at harrenhal and then again when he disappeared with lyanna. hoster did nothing when catelyn's new husband returned from the war with his bastard son and shamed her with his decision to raise jon at winterfell. one can hold up margaery as the exception to this, olenna seemed certain that loras would've been outraged enough on her behalf to immediately kill joffrey and to avoid this eventuality they poisoned him beforehand. which was good for her, but why was margaery in such a position to begin with? because she was used as a commodity by her family in their political maneuvering, first with renly and then again with joffrey/tommen. and understand that the tyrells' chief worry here was loras becoming a kingslayer, any concern for margaery's prospective abuse was still secondary.

and this is why the argument doesn't work for me. because within the culture of westeros all women are a commodity, valued entirely for their reproductive capabilities, exchanged by men to maintain the male line. this is the very basis of patriarchy. which is why the real evil here is the institution of marriage. yes, we've established that targaryen women are trapped within their endogamous marriages, but noblewomen in exogamous marriages also have very little hope for recourse. they don't have anywhere to go but pray for their family's aid (which happens rarely or never, as i've pointed out) or their husband's death. this is not me going to bat for incest, just that there really is no significant material difference between targaryen incestous marriages and other westerosi marriages. but to speak of the former as a unique kind of evil, one has to tacitly go to bat for normal westerosi marriages. and that obscures what the text is communicating. the targaryens are not an aberration. westerosi society as a whole is built on gendered violence perpetuating systems of gendered oppression. rarely is anyone not brutalising their daughters. the targaryens do it by keeping daughters within the family structure for consolidating dragon power and the other houses do it by trading their daughters for political power. both cases involve using young girls to bolster male power. and as i've said before, intergenerational violence is an overarching series theme.

now, the dragons. and inevitably this notion of 'valyrian supremacy'. incendiary take, but i don't think it's a useful concept. the targaryens are obsessed with their bloodline, but it's not a fundamentally different type of obsession than that of the starks, the lannisters, or the baratheons etc. they all believe in the inherent superiority of their bloodlines, it's impossible not to when their inheritance is dependent on a continuous line of ancestry which they can trace back to remote times. yeah, then what of the doctrine. the doctrine of exceptionalism is actually doing something else. the doctrine is in-universe propaganda. (most) these people aren't simply egomaniacs with delusions of grandeur, they're shrewd political actors. this is a conscious play to deify themselves in the eyes of their subjects, as royalty is wont to do. there is historical precedent for this with the ptolemies whose sibling marriages were equated with that of zeus and hera and isis and osiris. grrm is very interested in exploring power structures and how they derive their legitimacy. giving his crown family dragons (and then taking them away) is a fantasy extension of that pursuit. see, "dragons are fire made flesh and fire is power". this is a world where the kings are in possession of terrible magic which they claim is their divine mandate.

grrm is using the targaryens to investigate the realities of kingship in his fantasy world, not to make a didactic point about this one noble house being the enemy. as the crown family they must be narratively distinguished from the rest, this he does by introducing the dragons, and as a result of that the incest. both simply heighten the violence already present within feudal power structures. devastating war campaigns for the benefit of the nobility have always existed, the dragons just make it possible to spread that devastation on a more massive scale. the dragons in itself aren't the problem. if that was true, dany—the last targaryen wouldn't have had her entire arc based around recontextualising them as a means of liberation. the power which previously served the authority of kings, now serving the dispossessed.

[pagannatural]

2.09 Croatoan

-my beloved

-The brothers go to Oregon because Sam has a vision of Dean shooting someone who pleads for his life.

-Sam thinks Dean is violent and out of control because of his grief but he’s actually violent and out of control because he’s losing his mind over Sam.

-Sam looks very Scared Little Brother when they realize the town has no phone signal. He stands really close to Dean. Sam is right. I forgot how scary this episode is.

-Sam hesitates to kill the son who had the mom tied up, and Dean berates him. Dean calls the son a “monster” and Sam says “it was a kid.” Dean likes a clean line between monster and human.

-Sam is always the one who comforts the victims and tells people everything will be okay, another way in which his role in the relationship is traditionally feminine. He’s the one women find non-threatening. (And he’s too distracted by Dean to be attracted to them).

-When the mom, Beverly, says “one minute they were my husband and my son and the next they had the devil in them” the camera cuts to Sam and Dean. This line could be Dean describing a blood-drinking Sam: one minute he was my husband and my son and the next he had the devil in him.

-One of the armed men blocking the road out of town asks Dean to get out of the car to “talk a little,” and Dean says “you are a handsome devil but I don’t swing that way, sorry.” It’s easy to forget that in the early 2000s, this kind of throwaway joke on network tv didn’t usually hint at a character’s hidden sexuality, it was just a vaguely biphobic little joke. But I do think there’s a reason it’s here.

The Croatoan virus is a demonic virus spread from blood infection that’s not visible just by looking at someone. So we have a little AIDS parallel. It’s also a similar concept to Sam’s demon blood. His blood represents choice and sin and the human mixed with the monstrous. Blood is also associated with family.

Incest and queerness are taboos that have often been conflated in fiction (and in history), and both have been strongly associated with monstrosity—think predatory sexuality, birth defects, infertility, rejection of the natural order. A desire that’s dangerous and wrong and destructive, that must stay hidden and can only survive in the shadows. The homoerotic incestuous monster hunters are the perfect storm of gothic queer horror.

Whether or not either brother is queer doesn’t affect the plot, and isn’t the point. I can see Dean grappling with being in love with Sam without questioning his sexuality at all. Sam is a category unto himself to Dean, and Sam doesn’t appear bothered about his sexuality aside from his feelings about Dean. But the confluence of these taboos—incest and queerness—with blood is central to the plot of the show and the question of what evil is. Really their love for each other and their shared blood is what saves them, keeps them human.

-Another of my absolute favorite underrated wincest moments is when Beverly is begging for her life from the utility room and Dean asks Sam “are you sure she’s one of them?” Sam barely nods and it’s enough for Dean to shoot her three times point blank. He doesn’t need any more information, just for Sam to nod slightly.

-Sam suggests that they need to leave to warn others of the virus and Dean tells him he has a good point. They respect each other’s input and work together well.

-Duane shows up and the situation becomes very tense. Sam is standing with his whole body facing Dean. In moments of extreme stress, Sam often seeks Dean’s protection rather than focusing on the threat.

-Dean has a gun on Duane with some urgency but Sam says “I gotta talk to you—now” and Dean leaves the room with him immediately.

Sam argues that they should wait and not kill Duane in case he isn’t infected. Dean says “what’s that buy us?”

“A clear conscience, for one.”

“Well it’s too late for that.” Is Dean talking about his guilt over John’s death? Or is this more about his general self hatred around never being enough to be everything for everyone, to give Sam everything that he needs and be the perfect son and soldier and brother and father and mother?

Sam tells him “you don’t act like yourself anymore, Dean. You’re acting like one of those things out there.” Dean does feel lost. He needs Sam to save him so that he can save Sam.

-Sam is so devoted to Dean this season. He spent season 1 gradually giving into his complete trust and commitment to Dean and now he’s been losing him or at risk of losing him in different ways all season. He fights tooth and nail for Dean every step of the way to get him to listen, to talk, to come back to him.

-Dean pushes Sam out of the way and locks him out, aiming to kill Duane. He says “it’s not him, not any more” and “I’ve got no choice.” But then Dean decides not to shoot him.

-When the doctor asks if it’s alright to untie Duane, Dean and Sam seem to have a wordless conversation in which Dean defers to Sam’s judgement, and Sam tells the doctor it’s okay to untie him.

-Sam is Dean’s morality. Dean is submitting to Sam, needing him to help him make the right choice. By doing this he’s also believing in Sam’s ability to stay good.

-Sam says about Dean not killing Duane “you know I’m gonna ask you why.”

Dean replies “yeah I know,” not looking up, focusing on keeping his hands busy making Molotov cocktails.

“So why? Why didn’t you do it?”

Dean looks at Sam with his chin tucked, like it’s hard to meet his eyes. He doesn’t answer. He clears his throat and says “we need more alcohol,” basically asking Sam to leave for a moment so that he can pull it together. He gazes after Sam with this raw, shamed look.

It’s the first of two parallels in this episode to their conversation in 1.19 where Sam says his reticence to date is mostly not about Jessica, and Dean asks “then what is it about?” and Sam just looks at him, implying heavily that it’s about Dean.

The question Dean was asking Sam there was essentially, Why can’t you love anyone else?

The first question Sam asks Dean is why he didn’t kill someone, but it’s also why Dean wants to do the right thing and not lose himself, and the answer is because of Sam.

-After Sam is attacked, he reaches for Dean’s hand to help him up off the floor and then just leaves his hand outstretched after Sarge holds Dean back and tells him Sam is infected. It’s like his muscle memory of reach-out-hand, Dean-pulls-me-up hasn’t caught on.

-The whole time Dean argues with the others about Sam, Sam only looks at the floor or at Dean. He’s not watching the conversation, he’s watching Dean because he’s scared and he looks to Dean when he’s scared.

-Dean says “no one’s shooting my brother”

He’s so protective. He was about to kill someone who might be infected just in case, but when it’s Sam he would simply rather die in a murder suicide and that’s that on that.

-Sam asks for the gun so that he can shoot himself, saying “I’m not gonna become one of those things.” This episode is pure foreshadowing for the end of s5. Sam refuses to become a monster, Dean chooses to stand by him and die rather than kill him. Because of their faith in each other, because they waited, things work out.

-Dean hands over the keys to the impala. He’s not fucking around. He tells the doctor “oh actually we’re not really marshals.” He’s in a truth telling mood, fuck it.

-Sam asks Dean to leave him and keep living, looking at him with incredulity and gratitude and love and fear.

Dean leaving him alone to die or become a monster would fulfill Sam’s deepest fear—left behind, not belonging, because something is wrong with him. But he still asks Dean to go, he throws a fit, he tells him “this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” It reminds me of that scene from Titanic, Jack telling Rose “you’re so stupid” for staying with him instead of saving herself.

He says “it’s over for me, it doesn’t have to be for you.”

“No?”

“No. You can keep going.”

“Who says I want to?”

This scene is so dramatic and romantic. Close shots of their faces, Sam looking up at Dean with his eyes full of tears, begging him. Dean tells Sam he doesn’t want to go on without him.

Sam asks, what?

For a moment it almost looks like he’s taking this as the confession that it is, before Dean puts some distance between them and leans against the wall. This is the second scene is this episode to parallel their conversation in 1.19, this time even more closely.

Sam thinks Dean doesn’t want to go on because their dad died, but Dean says “you’re wrong. It’s not about dad. I mean part of it is, sure, but-“

Sam interrupts to ask “then what is it about?” and Dean gives him this look,

this look of love and tenderness, like he’s willing Sam to understand.

This time Sam’s question is Why don’t you want to live? And the answer is that Dean doesn’t want to live without Sam.

I love how this scene makes clear that Sam’s romantic partners compare directly to Dean. It confirms what Sam was thinking about in 1.19, because for these scenes to rhyme they must have been thinking about each other.

-The brothers share a romantic beer at the lake. Sam asks Dean what he was talking about last night in a way that honest-to-god sounds like he’s referring to pillow talk. Dean doesn’t want to tell so Sam keeps pushing, but their tones are teasing and light. They really sound like they’re flirting. Dean suggests that they go to the Grand Canyon.

Sam keeps questioning him, gentle but insistent, as Dean talks about taking a break.

-Where is our Grand Canyon episode?

-Sam looks so scared when Dean says John told him something about Sam before he died. I wonder what’s running through his head. There’s this feeling that people with Sam’s negative core belief often get, which is a fear that something is deeply wrong or rotten in them and that eventually other people will find out. He’s probably thinking that’s finally happened.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

I’m subscribed to Wildfell Weekly, so here’s some thoughts on the first three chapters of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I’ve read it before, so there are some very general spoilers for later events, but no specifics.

So, who is Gilbert Markham, from what we’ve seen so far? I would say that, on the whole, he’s a fairly average guy. He has a good relationships with his family; he has a job (important, as we will see later - Anne Brontë has strong opinions about the negative effects of idleness and privilege upon men of the gentry class); he has a pretty high opinion of himself; and he’s good with kids. He is decided not Byronic - his life to this point has been very normal and uneventful - whereas Mrs. Graham is the unconventional one with a mysterious past and distinctive looks.

He is a mix of the practical (looking at the Romantic scenery around Wildfell Hall, he thinks first in terms of its agricultural properties) and the romantic (he nonetheless spends a while looking at the house and daydreaming; and, while telling himself he doesn’t like Mrs. Graham, he powtically describes her “sweet, pale face and lofty brow, where thought and suffering seem equally to have stamped their impress”.

He and his social circle seem clearly of a lower social class than what we see in, for example, the novels of Jane Austen - none of Austen’s rural characters farm their own land, and all of them have servants. In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet is offended by Mr. Collins’ assumption that one of her daughters cooked their dinner; their servants do that! Whereas Gilbert’s mother prides herself on her cooking and criticizes Mrs. Graham’s lack of knowledge in that area (which provides a hint towards Mrs. Graham’s background).

He has conventional opinions, and defends them determinedly against Helen’s equally determined advocacy of unconventional ones, and he’s very annoyed by how effectively she reveals the unconscious double standards buried in his views. Mrs. Graham’s views - that young men should not be expected to resist all temptation unaided, and that young women should not be sheltered even from the knowledge of evils, but that both should be aided by the experience of others - is the same that the author expresses in the Preface:

When we have to deal with vice and vicious characters, I maintain it is better to depict them as they really are than as they would wish to appear. To represent a bad thing in its least offensive light is doubtless the most agreeable course for a writer of fiction to pursue; but is it the most honest, or the safest? Is it better to reveal the snares and pitfalls of life to the young and thoughtless traveller, or to cover them with branches and flowers. O Reader! if there were less of this delicate concealment of facts - this whispering of ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace - there would be less of sin and misery to the young of both sexes who are left to wring their bitter knowledge from experience.

[visxionaries]

who: @domericstone when and where: the tourney celebrating the coronation of king jaehaerys targaryen, moments before the king graham royce of the vale is unseated by a mystery knight. in some moments, it will be clear there was foul play and intention at hand here. the men are getting onto their horses and readying their equipment. what: at this moment in time, cedric tyrell found himself in discussion with lord domeric stone - of the vale. or the north. both men remain unaware of what was about to happen.

the tiltyard was a different sort of game, and one that cedric tyrell was not the most talented at: whilst all men in the reach were trained in the arts of chivalry that made up the essentials of knighthood, there were only a number that truly meant it. it was something he often heard the high commander ranting over, the nature of those who earned their knighthood instead of those who had simply been purchased - it mattered little to cedric. in fact, it did not matter at all; there was little difference between how notions of romanticised knighthood impacted both men and women alike.

the crowds were vast, the seating high, though cedric found himself amongst the sides of the track, one of the many men who cheered on lord florent. the annoyance at his face continued to amuse him to no end as he patted the man's mare.

and in some spaces beside them were the vale faction, a matter that was a bigger deal to the knights of the reach rather than the king himself: all knew of the rivalry that came between the two regions when it came to the matter of chivalry and knighthood, the history and the essence behind it. time passed, and as men continued to speak, cedric tyrell found himself within the group wishing luck to the king consort of the vale - including the likes of the master of coin. a man whose name will go down in legends equated to a name uttered to scare children into scrambling into their beds.

"truthfully, we are still in the process of banking internally. we have investments within the iron bank that remain; though house hightower has established a bank of it's own. it is a slow process of transference - move too quickly, and the whole thing will come falling down." cedric tyrell believed himself more than able to read facial expressions, to grasp a good judgement of people and yet this one - there was an exception here. and it quietly bothered him, regardless of the conversation that passed between them.

"there comes advantage in owing debts to banners, rather than a power across the sea. i suspect matters would be dealt with far quicker." the iron bank were known to not enjoy waiting. they too, did not appreciate debts not being paid. there was one thing he could grasp about the master of coin, and that was the fact he detested meaningless discussion. meanwhile to cedric, no conversation was truly meaningless; there was always something to gage from a situation, or an individual. especially from one as shifty as domeric, whom had seemingly had many names, many positions, and many reputations.

the discussions continued as the jousts continued, pausing to view the tilts and the clashes each time they roared through the air. "how have you found aiding the north in their repayment of the iron bank?" cedric asked, his question pointed - considering all had heard of the way in which the three sisters had involved themselves by looting a manderly vessel. then there was an ominous silence from the sisters, according to the reports of his mistress of whispers. and he listened as domeric began to respond, his arms crossed against the blue of his tunic as he leaned against a wooden stand; when he heard it. the clash, and the gasp.

glancing to the direction of the shock, he realised what was happening. the king consort of the vale had rolled away from the incoming stampede of hoofs, and then suddenly the image was blurred by the dust that was kicked up by the horses. what he saw, was a large group of nobles stand; knights of the vale pretty much lept over their stands, rushing like the sea onto the track. cedric remained silent, clearly watching the scene unfold.

[essayofthoughts]

during gencon 2019, Taliesin was asked a question about the similarities between Fjord and Percy, and if Orthax was as insistent and keen on punishment as ukotoa, Percy would have gone in a similar direction as Fjord. As a writer who studies Percy’s character what does Taliesin’s answer mean to you? From what I’ve seen Percy seems to think he’s getting the best out of his deal with Orthax and that he’s also somewhat in control. Am I seeing things? (This is rodneypoo btw :) ) Q - 17-18 min mark

Link For Context (thank you for the details and timestamp!)

tl;dr: Taliesin says that Fjord has more willpower in resisting a negative influence than Percy did.

To start this off, let me say that I do generally trust the cast’s understandings of their own characters and that goes double when it’s Taliesin because he’s very aware of Percy’s flaws and happy, even gleeful, to call him on them. So pretty much I agree with this entirely! I think the disconnect you’re getting is because Percy is canonically a dealmaker and pretty confident in his understanding of those deals which is why I’m gonna let you all in on a little secret:

Percy is an arrogant piece of shit.

Like. This is very important to understand, Percy is not as smart as he thinks he is (stated by Taliesin during a conversation about, iirc, Raishan. Taliesin outright said that Raishan was as smart as Percy thought he was). He is arrogant and proud, overconfident in his intelligence. And he is intelligent! He invented guns for god’s sakes, and a damn taser glove; boy is clever. But he also assumes his cleverness and the fact he is “the clever one” means he has (or with regards to his inability to do anything to save his family, has to have) all the answers, even when he doesn’t. As my lovely friend @nanyoky has pointed out in our discussions on many an occasion, this is a principal issue between him and Vax - Vax is willing to admit he doesn’t know things and receive feedback, while Percy is prone to getting defensive and taking that feedback as an insult to his intelligence.

This is, incidentally, why I think Percy was defensive of his intelligence to his siblings. Taliesin has said that Percy had a tutor, Professor Anders, which means most likely he was privately tutored by the time the Briarwoods came around, but has also stated that Percy at one point was in school and had classmates who he didn’t get along with so well. I imagine he considered his intelligence and his need for private tutoring as setting him apart from his (to be fair, many!) siblings, and so was proud of it and didn’t take kindly to his siblings needling him over it.

And then, after his family is massacred and he’s tortured and he loses his sister in the escape and he comes to on a fishing boat - he spends years dissociating and surrounded by strangers. It makes perfect sense for him to retreat into himself and become defensive when faced with complete strangers, especially after the betrayal of Anders and the attack - why would he show them such a vulnerability? Why would he take that risk?

And this holds true when he meets Vox Machina. They find him in a cell; they have the power, not him, and there’s more of them; it serves his purposes to stay on their good sides and avoid conflict and also not reveal his vulnerabilities in case he needs to flee. And then, by the time he trusts them, he’s been that prickly, noble, proud, person that whole time; he can’t just open up all his vulnerabilities to them because that’d be a drastic shift that none of them are expecting and, also, with some of them he probably still wouldn’t trust that he’s safe to do so with them (someone ask me to go off on one and explain why Percy gets on better with the women of VM than the men). We know that he’s hesitant to talk about the Briarwoods with them even when asked and while we all know that VM cares for him, Percy has had his trust catastrophically betrayed once before; he is too wary to bank on that.

This is not aided by the fact that after the first time the smoke shows up, when they fight Stonefell, the group immediately demands answers and starts questioning his state of mind - and that brings his defensiveness back. It’s not quite a betrayal of him but it is doubt, and he’s smart, he’s intelligent, he clawed himself back to sanity after the mass murder of his family and he’s determined to get revenge: their doubt of his state of mind is the last thing he wants or needs. Even as Orthax digs his claws in deeper Percy both cannot admit that to the group, and may not even be willing or able to admit that to himself. If he’s not in control of himself, who is? He has to be in control of himself - he was tortured by Ripley, and we know from his reactions to being Hold Person’d and to being blinded in the Feywild that his personal autonomy and control of himself is important to him. So I’m not surprised he was in massive denial regarding Orthax until the end.

And it’s notable that it’s only at the end, when he’s faced with something he will not, cannot do, that he finally acknowledges it. He’s on the revenge path for sake of his family; he will not kill the last of it. And it still takes the intervention of the others continually to get him to that point! Keyleth and Vax’s doubt, Vex shoving him up against a wall and demanding to know he’s all right, Pike cleansing the corruption from him, “Darling, take off the mask” and “Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the Third, you will fight this monster inside of you!”

It takes all of that for him to be willing to recognise the influence for what it is. If Pike hadn’t cleansed that corruption, he would have tortured people before killing them. If his friends hadn’t challenged him and anchored him back to them he could have turned on them - which we know is what he was most afraid of, which is honestly why in the show and the stream, putting Cass on the List was Orthax’s single biggest fuckup*.

And it is only then, only once Percy has been so consistently challenged by the people he trusts to hold him back, to help him, that he openly acknowledges Orthax’s presence and rejects him and asks the very important question: “... did I even want revenge before I met you?”

Which is really important! Percy woke up from a dream and two years of dissociation with an idea and the purpose of vengeance and he didn’t question it because it was his only point of certainty and purpose. He can’t doubt that or he’ll dissociate again. He can’t doubt that or his family will never be avenged. He cannot afford to break and so he cannot afford to doubt, so he has to be enough. He has to be smart enough, clever enough, strong enough, because he wasn’t the last time and if he is this time, maybe he can prevent that from ever happening again.

(He’s scared, he’s traumatised and terrified and doing what he can to try to build some sense of security.)

His arrogance is partially from his upbringing and his intelligence, partially from his own personality and partly as a defence mechanism after everything.

But Percy de Rolo, much as I love him and find him fascinating, is absolutely an arrogant piece of shit. I completely get where Taliesin is coming from.

Percy was a broken mess and didn’t dare challenge the thing that gave him certainty. His arrogance was defensive and so he refused to acknowledge the problem until it was severe. He didn’t have the willpower on his own - it was due to his friends challenging and pushing him that he chose to and was able to in the end. Because he won’t hurt his friends and allies, the people who’ve never betrayed him. He won’t hurt the only family he has left. He told them that, and he won’t break his word.

(Percy, in the Underdark, shooting Clarota, “Some people have no sense of fucking honour!”)

His friends challenged him, he promised them and it was for them he pushed Orthax out. Not for himself. Not solely because of himself. Percy is strong-willed enough to resist a lot of possession (though not always Charms, see: Garmelie), but that’s more stubbornness, and it was stubbornness that caused his denial to begin with. He’s not strong-willed enough to admit his doubts to his friends, to openly do that, because he is as scared of vulnerability as Vex is (and that’s why they’re so good for each other, helping each other find a safe space in which to slowly let their guards down).

So yeah. Percy isn’t as strong willed as he’d like to think and, seemingly, not as strong-willed as Fjord (note: I have watched barely anything of C2; I cannot speak to this myself). He’s arrogant and overconfident and that’s why he presents his deal with Orthax the way he does - which is denying it until there’s no denying it anymore and still believing he can make it work for him even when that is obviously unlikely. It’s a defence mechanism born of his arrogance and this is reason #551 why I want to shake this man.

* I hold that this was more of a fuckup in the show, because on the stream it doesn’t happen until after the reveal of Cass’ betrayal, which implies Orthax did that based on some genuine feeling of betrayal Percy was feeling, rather than in the show where it appears before Percy learns of the betrayal, implying Orthax was assuming he would feel so on seeing the name and receiving the revelation (But then, Orthax isn’t the smartest).

[canichangemyblogname]

So, I've not watched 911, nor do I know anything about it beyond what I've been reading on your blog in recent months.

Needless to say, the recent "discourse" has me beyond horrified, not only as a parent of two young kids (and a decent fucking person), but as a survivor of CSA. I am beyond words at the mental gymnastics you, and others, have encountered by the people defending that fic. Like, you deal with that shit daily in this hellscape, but this is a whole new level.

If pushing back against CSA being broadcast on Ao3 as entertainment makes you an "anti", then okay, cool. Label me an "anti" too then. It's well worth it.

"Anti"-white supremacy 👍

"Anti"-TERF 👍

"Anti"-CSA 👍

"Anti"-government usurping control of a person's body 👍

Any and all levity aside, the sheer (and frankly deliberate, at this point) lack of reading comprehension and overall intelligence at the pushback you've received over this is mind boggling.

Hit dogs holler, indeed. At least you've been able to fortify your block list.

You're doing good work, Evan. As exhausting as it is, keep it up, my friend.

Steph 🫶

I hope you know that you are a wonderful human being who deserves nothing but peace and kindness.

I’m putting the rest of this under a cut for mention if CSAM and mentions of triggering bigotry:

The 911 fandom is a mess-mess. From “joking” that people should be allowed to publicly execute men for flirting with men in a way that gives them the “ick.” To arguing that queer men are liars and cheats who spread disease. To joking about queer men dying of AIDS. To routinely using either the mammy trope or “sassy black” trope to characterize the Black Women of the show. To routinely hypersexualizing—like—the token Latiné character or relying on the “sassy Latin” trope in their characterization of him, too. To defending ableism. To now defending CSAM and a literal pedophile who has written several fics featuring CSE (that are often mis-tagged, mis-described, mis-rated, and re-uploaded under new names to get people to accidentally read them).

And if someone’s response to “Hey, we should do something about this” is to go “Nooo! But my blorbo fan fantasies,” they need to log-off and go touch grass; spend several days talking to people in-person instead of through a screen. It’s about the most chronically online BS reaction someone could have.

As you said— this shit shouldn’t be broadcast for entertainment. And that’s what’s getting lost to people. These fics are very truly explicit material featuring sexual fantasies about children, and they’re being posted for arousing entertainment. The person may have claimed they were doing this to punish fans for supporting a (new) canon queer relationship, but given how they’ve expanded their tags to catch wider audiences, that is clearly not the case. They want you to read it and enjoy it.

Like… I understand that there are a lot of powerful men in important positions who uses moral affronts to CSAM to actually censor queer people or information on bodily autonomy. But assuming that anyone who claims to care about child sexual exploitation is actually lying and has nefarious motives is… dangerous. And fallacious. It is so-so important to actually analyze what an individual is saying and how. There’s a difference between “there should be a report function specifically for CSEM” and “we should shut this site down because the people who use it are porn-obsessed degenerates.” There’s a difference between “I don’t think this site should have an anonymous feature because it allows users to easily subvert a block, and protecting a block should be the responsibility of the site, not the individual user” and “this site is full of dangerous kinks that could give kids ideas, so all of it must go!”

But if you can just lump anyone who disagrees with you into one group and label them “bad and oppressing me,” then you don’t need to critically analyze your own gut/emotional reaction to what they said. And what they said might have actually been a fairly reasonable—and incredibly moderate—step forward.

All I suggested was more robust blocking and reporting mechanisms on a BETA site.

It’s telling that they only bring out the chronically online names and discourse terms when it’s about CSAM. Many (but definitely not all) of the very people going to bat for never, ever changing Ao3 because it’s “perfect” were also the same people who unironically argued that two adult fictional men over the age of 30 joking about a 10 yr or less age gap between them are “predatory” and “making light of incestuous abuse.” Although, IDK what else I could expect from people who “joked” that they hoped certain fans would kill themselves over fictional characters.

Something about the whole thing screams “I only protect power and its narratives.”

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Thinking About Eddie Discovering He’s in a Bi 4 Bi Relationship with Lucy in the Dumbest Way Possible

My sister and I were playing around with idea and it made us laugh so I thought I'd share it with y'all

So Eddie and Lucy have been together for a while, Corroded Coffin is finally gaining some notoriety and Eddie has even gone on a short tour as the opening act for a bigger band

He's known he's bi since he was a kid, but hasn't really come out and is only now getting comfortable with it after living in Chicago for a few years and just knowing that other LGBT people are out there

But the AIDS epidemic is still going on, and all the stuff about bi-men especially is really bad so he's just not sure

However with more press centering around him and the band, he figures it's time he at least tell Lucy rather than have her hear something through the rumor mill

Robin has come out to everybody in the group at this point as well as Will, so Eddie thinks it will go over well, but he's still nervous

It's one thing to support one's friends, but he's not sure how much being her boyfriend will change her perspective on things

So imagine his surprise that when he tells her, not only is she totally accepting, but she even tells him, "it's completely normal"

This phrasing takes him aback and he asks her, "what do you mean by normal"

And she looks him dead in the eye and tells him, "well we all know being straight isn't really a thing"

And he, completely astounded by this statement says, "care to elaborate"

And she's like, "well everybody knows that all girls are pretty, and obviously all guys are handsome, but the trouble is that the church and government need men and women to get married in order to have children to maintain the country's work force and maintain property rights. So, they act like men loving each other and women loving each other as this affront against the nation's values or whatever. Which is so stupid since, again, we all like each other anyway so what does it matter who ends up marrying who? But I guess that's the government for you"

And Eddie is sitting there stupefied because like...she's not wrong? But her round about logic is wild, so he's like, "so when David Bowie says he's bi, what do you think that means?"

And Lucy is like, "well he's just saying the quiet part out loud, which gets everybody really mad"

And Eddie is just nodding along as this point and is like, "okay, honey, I need you to answer me this honestly, what do you think a lesbian is"

And Lucy is like, "a woman who dates women, obviously"

And Eddie is like, "okay good, and a gay guy?"

And Lucy is like, "a man who dates men, I do know what words mean"

And Eddie is like, "okay, so by that logic, if there are women out there who are only attracted to women and men out there who are only attracted to men, shouldn't it then mean that there are guys who are only attracted to women and vice versa?"

And Lucy is like, "no"

And Eddie is like, "well then what do you think a straight person is?"

And Lucy is like, "somebody who dates someone who is of the opposite sex"

And Eddie is like, "then because I'm dating you, am I straight?"

And Lucy is like, "no, you just told me you're bi"

And Eddie is like, "so, you're attracted to women?"

And Lucy is like, "yes"

"And you're dating me, so presumably you like guys"

"Of course"

"So you're bi"

And Lucy is like, "well I've only dated you so, technically I'm straight"

Eddie at this point doesn't know how to proceed and then is like, "have you told Steve or Jonathan this theory?"

And Lucy is like, "oh yeah, me and Steve had a long talk about it and he agrees with me"

Eddie now baffled is like, "what?"

And Lucy is like, "yeah, after Robin came out, me and Steve had a long conversation about it and he agrees that everybody is hot and the whole homophobia thing is stupid"

Eddie now completely exhausted is like, "okay, I gotta make a phone call, I love you and we're going to continue this conversation later"

Eddie then calls Robin who confirms everything Lucy just told him and that Steve was also of the same mind set

She had tried to explain to them what being bisexual meant, but neither of them were getting it so she decided to drop it assuming they'd figure it out on their own

Little did she know at the time that the pair of them were sitting so far in the closet together they had entered a state of nirvana by convincing themselves straight people just didn't exist

Eddie almost feels bad when he eventually has to burst her bubble and finally get Lucy to understand that straight people do, in fact, exist and it isn't just internalized homophobia, but real genuine hatred for people who are different that has been driving so much oppression against himself and others; but, it does make for a more open communication between the two of them and each are allowed to be just a little more themselves around the other

TLDR; Lucy and Steve both think straight people are a conspiracy made up by the government and Eddie realizes he is not, in fact, the dumbest bisexual on the planet

[destinyc1020]

To the anon who brought up Timothee and Z, you’re not slick lol. You think I don’t know a timdaya when I see one? As a long time Timothee stan since 2017 and Tomdaya I can assure you Tim and Z are nothing but friends lol. That’s it. Timothee isn’t a weirdo okay. One of the reason I stan him that his values as a person are pure and genuine. His closest circle of ppl revolves around gay men, men and women. He grew up with an older sister. He’s not one of those guys who can’t separate friendship and attraction with a woman. I wouldn’t not be a fan of him this long if that was the case. He’s a very attractive man with a lot of options beyond just Hollywood lol. Yes Z is beautiful but there’s a lot of beautiful women even more than Z.

This isn’t the first time he posted his female friends on the gram Taylor Russell has a whole layout dedicated to her by Timothee and No says anything about them. Yes, I’m aware of the Tnt rumours but now we know she’s dating Harry and most of that was just PR for Bones and All so…

I think Timothee shot himself in the foot making that 2020 bday post to Z. He now has an expectation to post every year to Z because his stans and Z’s stans get on him on Twitter lol. He might be giving bday posts until he dies or at least until the Dune franchise is done filming lol. So don’t worry pls, these two are just besties, only.

Though I’ve been giving Timothee praise, it doesn’t absolve him from criticism. His dating life is a mess.

I’m gonna get pushback but when has Timothee ever dated a black/biracial woman? Going to Darnell’s cookout don’t count lol. Growing up in New York don’t count lol. Listening to rap and music from colorists don’t count. Yes, I’m aware I’m being very strict with him. As a black fan I had to wake up from that kool aid. His words and his actions are very different lol.

All his exes and flings have been blondes and brunettes so to think him are Z are dating is just funny to me. His public persona is very different to his private lol. At least with Leo, you know his type is just models. Timothee is so secretive that I honestly feel he’s ashamed at whoever he hooks up with lol. If I was famous I wouldn’t want to date someone who’s ashamed of me and we have to constantly hide and date in secret.

As a fan of his work mainly, who he sleeps with is really not my business. I believe wholeheartedly in celeb and fan separation. However, dating Kylie was a choice lol. I don’t agree with the misogyny she has gotten from his fans, however dating a yt woman who brought her features emulating black/biracial women and profited on the insecurities of others and preach about social media’s impact on society again, a choice lol. I’m still a stan I just side eye him time to time I can’t lie.

In conclusion, Timdaya are cool besties but just besties.

Thanks for your input Anon! 👏🏾 It sounds like you have a very healthy view of your fave, and that's good. You don't put Timmy on a pedestal, you still love and appreciate him, but you recognize that his dating life can be a mess sometimes lol. 😅

Honestly, that's where I am with Austin and his "baby sitting duties" that he's currently in with the Gerber Baby as well rotfl.🤣 Like, I love Austin, but this current rlshp is just no bueno to me. 🥴 Don't get me wrong, I'm happy if he's happy, but I will never ship it. 😤

Imo, that's a healthy way to be with your faves. Like, you love them, but you don't idolize them to the point where you feel scared to admit things you don't quite like. 😊

I’m gonna get pushback but when has Timothee ever dated a black/biracial woman? Going to Darnell’s cookout don’t count lol. Growing up in New York don’t count lol. Listening to rap and music from colorists don’t count. Yes, I’m aware I’m being very strict with him. As a black fan I had to wake up from that kool aid. His words and his actions are very different lol.

I understand what you're trying to say Anon, but idk if I would look at Timmy's dating life to assume the type of person he would date in the future. No offense, but MOST people date intraracially anyway. 🤷🏾‍♀️ That's nothing new.

Plus, you can't always go by someone's "type". Tom Holland had always only dated white girls before he met Zendaya. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Who knew Tom Hiddleston would end up dating and having a baby with Zawe after he dated Taylor Swift? Who knew Nick Jonas would end up MARRYING an INDIAN woman who's older than him?? 🤣

Like, I get your point Anon lol, but c'mon...there's a first time for EVERYTHING. I don't even think Z had really dated a white man before she met Tom. So, you can't always look at someone's PREVIOUS dating habits to assume who they might be attracted to or who they might date in the future. I sure as heck didn't ever see Timmy dating someone like Kylie lol.

[felikatze]

Looking at another question, Aversa's spotpass recruitment definitely plays into a kind of male power fantasy though. Afterall no one can care about the people that the Male Player Avatar hates, nor can any women resist their manliness, so of course Aversa was just mindcontrolled into following Validar and once freed, immediately clings to Male Robin for no reason at all.

Putting both asks together for convenience.

You know what, I'm actually gonna cede on that point. Basically everything about the way she's written is terrible.

This one got long, fellas. Below are discussion of racism and sexism in FEA and FE as a whole, with a TLDR of: yeah, anon's right on the money here.

FE already has a habit of making female villains "sympathetic." A woman can't be "true evil" the same way men can; she always is manipulated, or brainwashed, or, worst of all, devoted. Pointing at Awakening, look which of the Valm bosses is most devoted to Walhart - it's the woman, obviously. It's a long standing tradition for women in FE to play second fiddle.

Aversa has it particularly rough. First, she's introduced as Gangrel's right hand woman. And once he's dead, she flits right on over to Validar, to eventually be used as a disposable pawn. Oh, she manipulated Gangrel for Validar. Could you imagine how cool it would've been if she'd been the leader of the Grimleal all along?

The sexism and the racism just amplify each other here. There's a grand total of two brown women in the entire game. Aversa and Flavia. I think Flavia and Basilio are fine characters, they're fun, they get some development - but, seriously, the characters from the country stereotyped as barbarians are black? And the one character from that country who refutes the stereotype, Olivia, is white? The black woman is physically strong, independant, masculine. The white woman is dainty, frail, shy, to be protected - feminine.

Black women in power are utterly stripped of femininity, and when a brown woman is allowed to be feminine, it's to sexualise her and make her exotic. Geez.

Back to Aversa. Hard agree on the exoticism. Just look at her outfit. The disparity in clothing between male and female dark mages in Awakening is painful. Plegia in general is just so mysticised by the game. Henry gets to have a full outfit. Tharja gets a bikini. Heroes doesn't make it better, using a Plegia themed banner to put more characters in skimpy clothes.

And again, why are Henry and Tharja light-skinned? Even if they're specifically intended to be white, they should at minimum be suntanned from their environment. But, oh, look, all the recruitable characters from Plegia are light-skinned, and most of the not-recruitable, evil, killable ones are brown. Ylisse is the Good Country, and it's design is Fantasy European, so of course the Bad Guy country is egyptian.

It's your typical brown/foreign = evil garbage. Much as I love tristrat, it has a similar issue. There's four recruitable characters from the country of Hyzante, only two of which are brown, and one of them is a scantily clad dancer. Notable here is, all plot important NPCs from Hyzante are brown. And the woman is the most sympathetic of the bunch amongst her warmongering male colleagues.

FE typical misogyny is again mixing with racism to create a doubly bad package in Aversa's recruitment. Her backstory completely strips her of agency. At least Pheros believed in Walhart's aim. Aversa can't even be evil of her own ambition, it is simply the more evil brown man manipulating her, and as soon as she realizes that, she's on the side of our white protagonists.

(Not even getting into how much nonsense it is that Robin is light-skinned. Their dad is brown. But, see, if Robin is brown, how could the player ever put themself in Robin's shoes? How could Robin ever be a well developed complex character if they're also brown? The Awakening melanin mod fixes some issues, but definetly not all of them. It's a band-aid at best, but I'm not uninstalling it anytime soon.)

To the point of Aversa's interactions with male Robin, specifically - again, the paralogue itself needs to be dismissed here, since Robin can be a woman in it without any dialogue changing whatsoever.

What we can look at, though, are Aversa's supports.

Her supports with male and female Robin are incredibly different.

Her support with male Robin is... actually decently written. Aversa starts out very hostile, and Robin tries to connect with her, but she only mocks him. It also goes into their weird and fucked up family dynamic with Validar ("Truly, are your father's son." "...don't say that.")

There's criticism of the choice for Aversa's personality, of course - to make one of your two brown women catty and sarcastic is a well known stereotype, yet the support shows some self-awareness on Aversa's part? Her A-support with Robin is about Aversa struggling to find herself and being frustrated that she's always just following others ("really don't have a place in this world. I was played for a fool by my father. Now I fight for my former enemies... I'm a slack-eyed puppet that dances to music everyone but me can hear.)

The true grossness is in the S-support. Robin helps Aversa figure out that she's just herself, and it's up to her to figure out what she wants to do. So in her S-support? What she wants is to be useful to Robin. God fucking dammit. "I don't want to be subservient anymore, except to you, because I love you for real this time."

Her confession line is kinda making my blood boil rn. "From now on, I live only for you. And as you may have noticed, I'm the fiercely loyal type."

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? IS THIS A JOKE? DOESN'T THIS CONTRADICT HER ENTIRE A-SUPPORT? FIERCELY LOYAL??? IS THIS A JOKE?????

that is. so fucking gross.

i recognize very few people will ever actually see this support because Aversa joins so late, but. Christ alive. I can understand Aversa's initial hostility toward Robin on account of like. Her entire life falling apart prior. But the choices that led here are still bad and stupid and racist, even if the support does something good with them, and then the S support is itself just bad and stupid and racist, and ABSOLUTELY plays into the notion of "saving" her as mentioned in the ask.

I got incredibly long winded cuz Awakening has ISSUES with colorism and I'm just airing all the dirty laundry at once, okay.

So. Aversa's support with female Robin. It's so fucking bad.

You know how I mentioned I actually liked bits of her support with male Robin? You know, going into their family, going into her self-doubt, the way she feels lost - there's NONE of that with her support with female Robin. NONE.

The premise of the support is that Aversa is trying to usurp Robin's position as Chrom's tactician, and Robin is having none of it. The focus is entirely on which of them gets to be Chrom's second hand woman. Aversa is finally free, so now what - she's gonna try to cozy up with the man in charge (even try and get to bed with him, from the sound of "Then Chrom will realize it's me that he wants! Me!").

It's also a total degredation of Robin's character, too. They're both reduced to cat-fighting over Chrom (who, at this point in the game, is guaranteed to be married). Like, does Robin just not trust Chrom to be faithful to his wife? His wife, who may or may not be Robin??

And Aversa, just, urgh. Why. Why anything. Chrom isn't offering her power, or manipulating her, she doens't even have any supports with him, nor does he cameo in this one. He's just an object to be fought over here. And this is the first time Aversa is stated to go after someone romantically and sexually. Just, let me sample it. See.

Robin: I see your fantasy life is as rich as ever. To think such a delusional fool would ever become tactician. Ha!

Aversa: Delusional? I think not. Chrom is a hot-blooded man, after all, and young besides. And when two young, passionate people are thrown together in such situations... Well, sparks can fly.

Robin: Two young people? You must be a dozen years older than him if you're a day.

Fucking. Fantastic.

Their A-support doesn't even end with them making up. The two get ambushed and work together to escape - at the end of which Robin admits they make a good team, but the two stay rivals.

If they'd been rivals just as tacticians, that'd be. not fine. but better. But they're EXPLICITLY rivals over Chrom's affection!

The disparity in these supports is fucking HUGE. Not only the blatant sexism in Robin's treatment here - male Robin gets to make insightful comments, express complicates feelings about his past, and female Robin gets to be a jealous harpy. But Aversa, too. With male Robin, she gradually drops her boundaries as he keeps trying to make her feel welcome, no matter how much she mocks him. With female Robin, she stays catty, she gets even pettier, she stays mean and cruel and doesn't change. She gets worse, if anything. Cuz again. She is trying to seduce a married man for personal profit.

And, oh yeah, isn't brown women, specifically near eastern brown women, trying to seduce white men just trademark orientalism???

what a fucking mess. aversa deserves so much better. A better outfit, for one, the thing that covers the most skin is her fucking jacket. (Black jacket in the desert, also. Not a good choice). She deserves to be a person outside of her subservience to men, she deserves to have her own ambitions and agency.

She could've been good, you know? She could've been a foil to Robin, for one. Like, if her support with female Robin hadn't just been about Chrom. If the main story itself paralleled Aversa's manipulation of Gangrel with Robin's counsel to Chrom. Or if Aversa's pursuit of Grima's power could be commentary on Robin's repulsion to it.

Like. There is stuff here. But it's totally ruined by typical FE sexism mixed with new FEA brand racism.

I love this game. I hate this part of it.

[msfbgraves]

But the only times he's intentionally rough with him is to keep him out of imminent danger. *** You like, can’t write this and leave us hanging 👀 jk, but it definitely got my attention. Could we get a scene where Daniel is oblivious to the danger and Terry nearly loses it or something? Because losing Daniel is a fate worse than death…

“What's going on?”

His Danny's earnest little frown. He doesn't often ask him that, little as he wants to know about business. The fact that's actually a boon most of the time has eluded Terry till now.

“Amanda called,” he says, looking about the terrace they're sitting on. “She said there may be rivals coming in.”

He takes it lightly. “Michael would know that,” he says. “If there were anything to warn me about, he would have told me.”

That sweet innocence. “Darlin'. How likely do you think it is, for your brother to come to my aid?”

Danny blinks. “Don't you know that's an insult or do you simply like doing it?”

He smiles. “Danny. Of course you love them, but that doesn't change the facts.”

His mate pouts. “And whose fault is that? It's not like they're not trying.”

Terry sits up. “Trying what?”

“They come round, don't they? Louie, Michael and Nessa? And my Ma? You only ever visit us when you can't not, and then you hardly talk.”

He shakes his head. “I don't speak Calabrian, or Sicilian or whatever it is you talk -”

“Terry, per Dio, neither do I! They'd speak English if you'd try it sometime!”

He smiles. “I think the Don would rather cuddle a viper.”

“Because you act as if he owes you something.”

He looks at him intently, but doesn't speak.

“You wanted money, you accepted marriage.”

“And what comes with it, Danny, love.”

“A whole lot of obligations, none of which you even try to honor.” He shakes his head. “Forget it.”

“No, no!” He reaches over the table for Danny's hands, and his mate lets him after a slight startle. “Why don't you talk to me like this anymore, mo cuishle?”

He looks away. “The food'll be here soon.”

He tries to make his voice as soft as possible. “Tell me?”

Suddenly his mate's eyes dart away, to a man walking very forcefully through the crowd, dressed as any other villager- Terry may have even seen this one around, smoking and drinking with his friends. Terry always gets the measure of other Alphas, force of habit – especially the women here are always armed, whether with a hunting rifle or one of those quick daggers. The men too are much opener about it than in NYC may be considered proper. Still, they play legions of games, Sicilians, but rarely about this. That's why none of them as ever approached him or Danny other than in a friendly spirit. This is not a friendly spirit.

He scans the terrain. Feck it, Danny wanted 'a good view', they're as far out as possible on here; in fact, few of the neighboring tables are even occupied.

He tightens his grip, pulls his mate up. “Inside, now,” he whispers, shielding him from view as much as he's able. That should clue at least some of the Alphas around in, but nobody moves. So much for that famed LaRusso protection!

“You're hurting-"

“Behind me!”

Why is nobody doing anything? He can see one or two younger women itching, but they're held back, even Danny is fighting, he will throw him over his shoulder, what the –

“LaRusso?” the stranger barks.

And then Danny does the stupidest thing he could ever do, and answers: “Certo, perché –?”

Strange thing is, the Alpha man seems to hesitate, which is the first logical thing about any of this so far. But then he tries to dart around Terry, straight for Daniel, and Jaysis, Mary and Joseph, Terry has been itching for a fight. Begging for one. And the man's a right eejit about it, but Daniel doesn't do anything Terry's taught him, why is he not hiding, where is his pistol, never mind, Terry slams the Italian right down. It's a fucking release is what it is, he could snap him like those grissini he's never seen the point of, but Danny's still here, someone could take him in the mêlee, “Back, get back!” he shouts, and Danny's terrified, he can smell it, and even that other Alpha reeks of desperation, as well he should, what is this, who does he work for, he puts a foot on the man's neck, reaches for his gun –

“Stop!” Daniel calls. “Terry!”

And he darts around for an instant, how could he not, and Daniel runs forward, so he has to kick him back, God forgive him, but why is he being so stupid...?

“Wait!” his mate calls again, as he clambers up (praise God someone caught him) and then: “Vitelli?”

And the other Alpha is making what little sound he can, and the crowd is smiling, what are they smiling about, and Daniel shouts that it's OK, and how could this ever be OK, and now the villagers are coming for him, and –

Daniel's hugging him from behind. “Sh, Terry,” he whispers. “Sh.”

And then his legs simply give out.

He still bodily cradles his mate away, but everyone is cheering, what are they cheering about, but his Danny, oh, his sweetheart, he's never letting go, and Daniel cuddles in, and he can feel his sweet boy's breath on his face for the first time in weeks and he thinks he's crying again. “Terry, you've done well, it's over, help me up, please?” And others are cheering that Alpha, and now helping them both and that man, Vitelli, is massaging his neck and looking at him as if to say: “Really?” but doesn't. And Daniel sticks out his hand and no way that is going to happen but he hears “it's good, he's with us” and no he's not. Luckily the man knows what's good for him because he doesn't move in, so Daniel bows and gives his name as “Daniele LaRusso,” which it feckin isn't but this seems to be the day Terry's having. “Il mio marito, Terry Silver,” and of course that man knows who he is because everyone here knows who he is and Terry really needs a drink right now. The cafe owner is clapping him and he accepts whatever drink is put in his hand. Daniel is grinning from ear to ear and rubbing his back and saying “He's quick, Michael,” and if that lowlife has anything to do with this...?

“My brother wants to court a local girl,” Daniel says. “And he's beta, so it's a bit more complicated, they need a sense of the family Alphas, but now, with you here, I think that's OK.”

“Huh?” It's not his most dignified reply, but Daniel is not making any sense.

“The Vitellis want to show that they're willing to defend their omegas, Terry, and they need to see what happens if someone threatens a LaRusso one. Specifically, what our Alphas would do. And there's many ways to test this, but this is the old fashioned way.”

He coughs. “I would have killed him!”

“I didn't think he'd move in tonight,” Daniel says. “I merely wanted to signal that we're available, so to speak, but it can happen at any time.”

“Doesn't negate my killing him!”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Daniel says. “Needed to distract you a bit. But don't worry, Vincenzo here will be the talk of the town, it takes a lot to take someone like you on.”

He touches his face. “I hurt you...”

A spasm goes through him. “Not tonight.” They're bringing more drinks, but Daniel shakes his head. “I think we'd better go inside,” he says.

And now Terry does sling him over his shoulder, to much cheering, and he carries him like that all the way to their front door. “Serves you right,” is the only reply he makes to Daniel's ever more frenzied protestations.

Inside, Daniel starts dragging out suitcases.

“Stop that,” Terry says. “You're hurt.”

Daniel shrugs. “Forget about it.”

“That's not an answer.”

He stands still, shrugs again. “You went kind of hard on that Vitelli,” he says. “Maybe that he's wanting retribution, and if that happens, we'd better not be here. So, Ireland?”

[darklordofthesimp]

Hi, military-bad anon here again, hopefully for the last time. I spent the last 24 hrs reflecting over this whole discourse and I realized where I went wrong. I wanted to apologize for my ignorance and for the words I said.

Someone else had guessed it, I had a dumb-american moment, where I forgot that other countries had militaries, and that those militaries are not used for terrorism like the US uses their military (for example, aiding Latin American dictators in their coups, our 20 year invasion of Afghanistan for their oil, and our part in the Vietnam war), but instead are used to help the public in their times of need like natural disasters.

And if I've ever expressed distaste for the US military, it's never against the individuals who are following orders, it's always against the capitalist machine who gives the orders.

That first ask was a culmination of a 30 second word vomit and I just hit sent without much thought. When everyone believed I called service men and women sick, I was confused on how anyone came to that conclusion. After thinking about it and reading it over with fresh eyes, I realized I wasn't as clear as I should have been.

When I said "You're not bad for being sick, but being sick isnt very good for you." I didn't mean service people being sick, I meant people in general being sick. And by "sick," I didn't mean there was something wrong with you in your head, I meant like your immune system was compromised and you've got the flu or something. And everyone knows you're not a bad person just because you got the sniffles. So essentially, what I was trying to convey, is that there are good people who are in a bad situation. (And by "bad situation," I mean in actual war, which I realize now that not everyone is actually fighting.)

It was an attempt at an analogy but 1. It was a bad analogy and 2. I didn't even let y'all know it was an analogy, I just jumped into it, and reading back, yeah I should have proofread.

Also, about the children shows mention, I was just trying to explain how we all know war is bad because it was taught to us from an early age that we should be kind to another. But this was irrelevant as I now know; military does not equal people going to war.

Even calling myself "military-bad anon" is problematic because it's assuming the military is bad, but that's how you guys know me so 🙃

I know I tried earlier to explain myself, but I never actually apologized. So again, I'm sorry.

I'm very exhausted by the entire conversation that ensued after your ask, there's a lot of things I want to say and there's actually a couple of points I want to argue but I really cannot be fucked.

I think the point is that, while I can't answer for what the US Military has done, neither can they really.

Any military is like a handgun. It can be used to protect you and it can also be used to commit a straight up crime, but at the end of the day- it is ENTIRELY DEPENDANT on the person wielding it.

Whoever wields the military decides what it does. The people who joined are there to protect and defend the nation. That's what I know and that's what I'll stand by, whatever the suits and the politicians want to do outside of that main objective is another conversation entirely.

Thanks for apologising about the wording in your ask, I think it'll clear up a lot for most people and it takes a big person to apologise for something being misunderstood so I really appreciate it

[cccambodia]

fair trade Cambodia.Recycled brass bomb shell bee hive and Angkor motif earrings, necklace, cuff,ring & hair pin, ethically handmade

Craftworks Cambodia's insight:

fair trade Cambodia.Recycled brass bomb shell bee hive and Angkor motif earrings, necklace, cuff,ring & hair pin, ethically handmade by disadvantaged home based women & men workers. 

 Cambodians are renowned for their generous, humble and kind nature. For those who have been there this reputation cuffs, rings true throughout the whole country. Hand in hand with this there is an ever-present undertone of grief known only to a country that has seen horror and experienced great loss. It was in the 1970’s that the savage Pol Pot regime brought civil war to Cambodia and still renders its mark with 30% of people living below the poverty line. However, this tragic history does not impede on the spirit of the Cambodian people and it is amazing to see a country building and developing for a positive future. 

 Now on the tourist trail, economic growth is evident and Cambodia is seeing a turnaround. Cambodians themselves are determined to work towards a more profitable country. Companies such as Craftworks Cambodia are dedicated to this cause by providing fair trade work to disadvantaged Cambodians for their arts, crafts and trades. CC is a company which works towards Cambodia’s growth and development by supporting individual families. Artist Chantha Thoeun and his wife Thearny Kol are a couple employed by the company and they work as jewellers creating beautiful and unique pieces. Chantha talks of his work with CC “I have more freedom and independence. I also have more time to take care of my daughter.” With incomes going to support families with babies and children, CC’s efforts to build and work towards a strong future are unmistakable. 

 The types of goods that are created by CC’s artisans are distinctive and beautiful, touched with history. Postwar debris such as bomb casings and bullet shells are handcrafted into stunning, stylish pieces. It seems fitting to draw a parallel with the transformation of the pieces to that of Cambodia’s past as it moves towards a positive future.  One example of this transformation is with the Natural Stone Cuffs &Rings, which begin as found bomb casings and result in high quality, beautiful rings. The rings are bold and distinctive, yet the fine detailing of ‘CAMBODIA’ intricately branded into the inner brass gives the rings femininity. The brass material highlights the natural stone that is the focal point of the piece. The stone has standout style with a flawless finish and comes in a choice of polished black or semi-polished white.  CC also works with materials such as recycled paper and hand-woven silk to produce unique and inspired products, garments and jewellery. The Recycled Tubing Purses as the name denotes are made from recycled tubing creating an edgy and reworked design on a classic purse. The purses are eco friendly and ethically made by home based workers who are living with HIV/AIDS in the community. Every purse is handmade so each one possesses little unique qualities, making it your own. The overall style is chic and eye-catching with bright strips of textured material complementing against the black leather of the purse. The artisans of CC take pride in their work and strive for beauty and quality. Chantha talks of his work with CC,

 "‘We will continue to try our best as we are so very pleased to produce jewellery for our customers through Craftworks Cambodia." 

All works from Craftworks Cambodia as well as more information on the artisans and their stories can be found on  www.craftworkscambodia.com

[percontaion-points]

Fearless (HMA 4) chapters 25 & 26

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Click here for the rest of the series!

Chapter 25

“I’m all for mixing bloodlines, but you’ll find the other pack leaders aren’t as civilized. Trust me, the safest place for you is in my collection.”

A man whose goal is to mix all of the shifters and refers to these women as “his collection” is in fact the opposite of “civilised” and “safe”. 

I didn’t try to hide my smile; the helicopter was bumping and whining as it clawed through the sky and we were clearly in the hands of the wild night now.

It’s all well and good until that thing fucking crashes because the pilot lost control somehow. 

“Vail, it’s Trey. There’s too many…” He pointed to the sky, where Theo circled in his half-shift, his pale face staring down into the trees. “Sweet Pea, I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Full offence, but I don’t think too many people are going to shed a single tear over that prick’s death. 

But before Jasper could answer him, his eyes softened to a golden glow, and with a heart-wrenching snap, the Devil of the Horn was gone.

Chapter 25 summary: Things go from bad to worse when two of Chrysler’s men start to fight… inside the goddamned helicopter. And then straight from a Hitchcock movie, a bunch of were-birds descend and also begin to attack. This reminds Vail of the message her father keeps sending her way: look to the sky. He then appears, being carried by one of the birds, and lands on the copter. This is enough for Vail to fight her way free from Chrysler’s grasp, and she jumps from the helicopter (which is now fairly close to the ground, because it’s being attacked so much). 

Michael tells her that the only thing Jasper would want would be for her to be safe. But her cat is having none of this, and quickly jumps in and kills several of the wolves who are intent on attacking Jasper. The others hurry up to join her side.

After a moment, Michael tells her that Trey is dying, and he’s not going to make it. Despite how Vail feels, her cat apparently has a different opinion, and rushes to his side. She tells him to keep fighting, but it’s obviously too late. Trey tells Jasper to protect Vail. Then Trey dies.

Chapter 26

Turning her away was almost as bad as remembering the look on my brothers’ faces when I told them about our mom. If they were human, they would have been too young to know what it meant, but the most basic fact in the shifter world was that everything that’s born must die. 

I think the stupidest part about Gwen’s actions is that she did have those young children to think about. And she INTENTIONALLY dragged them into this shitstorm. And even after Pearl stole them away, Gwen continued to stay there… Which obviously resulted in her death. 

Maybe the boys would be better off without her as their mother. But holy cow, she was still their MOTHER. 

“Look after my little girl, Jasper. She’s strong, but she’s seen more sorrow than she deserves.”

Chapter 26 summary: Jasper deals with the aftermath of that war. Mostly, he can feel the pain that Vail is in. Regardless of her shit-ass relationship with Trey, the two of them were still mated. And he knows that some wounds can’t be healed with a band-aid. She basically mopes around in their shared room in the caves for three days. 

Ada keeps showing up to try and talk to Vail, but Vail refuses anybody and anything. So Jasper has to keep sending her away. 

Jasper is also dealing with the fact that his baby brothers are now orphans. But not a whole lot of time is spent on that for now. 

Eventually, Michael shows up, and is basically like “You need to get her away from the caves. Not to the places where she has bad memories, TF is wrong with you? Here’s my actual address, so you should take her there.” He’s also going to go speak with a werewolf council in London about finally reuniting all of the families once again. 

Chrysler is still out there, but won’t be for long if Michael has anything to say about it. 

So is Jonathan, but his enforcer, Cyril, is chasing after him. So again, it’s only a matter of time. Iris Marrow broke the bond between her and her husband. And while he somehow survived it, she didn’t. 

[jimothy-g-brooks]

Kitchen Sink Urbana: Global Superhero Teams

The Peacekeeper Society

The Global Council is this Earth's rough equivalent of the United Nations, founded a century ago after the near cataclysmic conflagration of the Greater War. Supersoldiers of every stripe and shape and nation played a huge role in that conflict, a not inconsiderable number of them being WMD's in their own right. Since the stated aim of the Council was to prevent such a global catastrophe yet again, it organized the constituent nations' supers into the Peacekeeper Society.

A century removed from its founding, Council and Society have evolved and changed beyond their original purpose. The Peacekeeper Society now represent the world governments' voluntary superhuman task force and emergency response unit. They respond to wide scale disasters and aid mundane authorities in international crime with no clear jurisdiction.

Obedient of the laws of the lands and the world as a whole to a fault; they are not here to use their superhuman might to supersede the authority of the people. They are here to work with the authorities and render all the aid that they can to uphold the law and work as examples to others to strive to. Symbols of hope and peace.

The "core" team, the ones listed in the official public documents with their names and pictures on the websites, are a little bit of a PR stunt. A member from each major nation and then one from each continent from a non-major nation, specially chosen to display the wide diversity of peoples there are on Earth. Photogenic appeal and a lack of scandals is also necessary to make the cut.

Even with that handicap for choice, the Society has a whole planet to pick and choose the best and the brightest. And when a desirable asset doesn't fit the diversity quota or has a few too many black mark on their record, then they can still go on the unofficial reserve team and be equally compensated. They're picked for their ability and competency, and skill in heroics, diplomacy and legal minutiae, screened for their capacity to obey the edicts of the Council and whatever nations they're sent to operate in.

Each constituent nation with a charter with the Peacekeepers often has their own branch team, usually referred as the national Peacekeeper Society. IE, like the American Peacekeeper Society, as it might be on our Earth. They're almost always local mirrors of the Global Peacekeeper Society, with members chosen out of a combination of ability and good press and a semi-secret reserve team filled out with members purely for their competence.

The Enforcers

Founded 50 years ago by certain members of the Peacekeepers that had become dissatisfied. Not by the pageantry, they understood the necessity, to give people symbols and role models. Not by the restrictions, because they agreed that men and women of such power should not be allowed to operate unabated. But by the failures that the need to adhere to both had caused.

The Enforcers were neither the first nor the last to try to form a more law-breaking vigilante group on a global scale, an organization that does things that aren't pretty or right but gets the job done. They are the only ones to still survive up until this point, where all other groups were disbanded and arrested by world authorities and the Peacekeeper Society.

No small part has this been because of the tacit approval by the Society and that because the Enforcers' founders understood why the Peacekeepers operated as they did. They knew that powerful people needed to be seen and cheered for playing by the rules and that if they were going to break those rules, they needed to be jeered. This is why they call themselves the Enforcers, to put the public on edge about their existence and their actions.

They're hard men making hard decisions, but there is in fact some amount of public relations going on or anti-pr more accurately. They go out of their way to be disliked by the mainstream and have themselves presented as shady loose canons by the press. They seed rumors that they're the governments' shady black op deniable assets to discourage the admiration of fringe groups as well.

They have far fewer numbers than the Peacekeeper Society and all its branches around the world and the reason for that is two and a half fold. First and a half, slower recruitment, in part because almost nobody wants to join a pack of barely paid vigilantes that nobody else likes and the other part is that said vigilantes want almost nobody to join them, screening for the contradictory values of willingness to break the rules and distaste for the same. The second part is because, recently, a schism in the Enforcers broke off and formed a third group, a smaller but a significant chunk, some 20 years ago.

The Guardians Of The Earth

Thought to be future supervillains in the making by their former comrades, certainly not helped by the fact that their ultimate goal is, not to put too fine a point on it, world domination. They don't broadcast this fact and they haven't made any overt moves in that direction just yet either. Their former comrades in the Enforcers only have pretty good guess work on their motivations, piecing together the rhetoric of this faction's founders as they radicalized the others.

The founders of the Guardians believe that superheroes, due to a combination of their superpowers and more specifically the unaccountability those superpowers grant, and their track record for benevolence and public service, would be superior and incorruptible world leaders. The unaccountability is important, the ability to act and aid the public as problems arose without having to worry about laws, special interests or the willingness of your subordinates, politics. If superheroes ruled the world, they could do what was right, when it was right to do so and not have to worry about any opposition or red tape. Or such was and has been the the growing rhetoric of the founders, fed to their followers and those who would listen and radicalizing them over years.

A major obstacle to the founders' plan is that they are very obsessed with doing it right. They don't want to turn into supervillains at the last minute, in part because that will just get them squashed. Their plans for world domination need to be done heroically and correctly. That means they spend their time seemingly a whole lotta nothing, besides actual superhero vigilantism, ala the Enforcers. What this means is that some of their followers, the ones they've radicalized, grow frustrated with this inaction and are liable to go rogue. None have yet, but a few of the Guardians have disappeared.

In fact, the founders' plans are constantly on slow, steady progress, as far as they're concerned anyway. Doing superhero vigilantism like the Enforcers is the point. Unlike the Enforcers, they also do PR, or they do the opposite kind of PR. They're trying to get the public to cheer for them whenever they break the rules to do what's right. Slowly eroding the public's reticence towards their shenanigans, their suspicions and reservations, until the Guardians are allowed to do whatever the want and are effectively the rulers, the Lawgivers, of the Earth.

In a way, the Enforcers already did that, paving the way for them. Fifty years ago, a group like the Guardians would have been disbanded by the Peacekeepers at the urging of the public and the authorities. After years of the Enforcers doing their thing with the tacit approval of those would have otherwise stopped them, people have gotten accustomed to unaccountable superheroics and it's only the PR angle that's different.

[adamfinchley]

CHOOSE THE HARROGATE LAVAGE OR A PROBIOTIC WAY

Some ancient civilisations practised colon cleansing with the same methods carried out today. Back in the peak time of the Greeks and then the Roman Empires, the feeling was that overweight people needed a flush to move an intestinal blockage.

It peeked not so long ago in Victorian England, in some Spa towns such as Harrogate. Back in those days it was known as the Harrogate System of Intestinal Lavage.

The thought of dormitory like rooms with fifty beds each, in which men in one room and women in another, lay down with pipes inserted into their bottoms, sounds like a Monty Python sketch.

The theory was that the Harrogate spring water contained so many good nutrients, that the flush infused these nutrients into the lining of the colon at the same time it cleaned.

There may still be a small number of people that continue with this sort of treatment, but medical science has come a very long way in recent years understanding the microbiome.

Our whole digestive tract contains trillions of bacteria, fungus, viruses and other microorganisms. There is still a huge amount we still don't understand. But it is obvious that there is a clear connection between the gut and the brain.

There is a cycle consisting of brain, microbiome, and the food we eat to feed all those bacteria.

In recent years, the importance of a plant based diet has been championed. Nobody likes to be told what to eat, but studies of the microbiome, along with some medical difficulties, has proved this to be the best diet. But to sweeten this suggestion, the other conclusion is that the most important point is to enjoy a great variety of food.

Even the fittest and most committed plant based eater, is bound to give-in to a takeaway, or an ultra-processed supermarket meal now and again.

A few decades ago some people foresaw the likely future that is going to be bacteria used as a medicine. They knew a few of the essential digestive bacteria. And it has always been understood that oxygen is a major contributor to aid digestion.

Consequently, supplements such as Oxy Powder were produced. In this example, the active ingredients are magnesium with stabilized oxygen molecules. And the clever part is that the oxygen molecules are time-released in the intestines.

The supplement is considered a colon cleanser and a far better way of doing so than the Harrogate lavage. After all, popping a sachet in the mouth is far more discrete than the Harrogate method.

It should loosen bowel movements, so it's best for the first time to take it at home. Some first timers select to make it a weekend enterprise.

With a perfect diet, supplements should never be needed. But few of us get to live a life that isn't full of rush, worry and stress. And even fewer take enough exercise that is another agent in good digestive movement.