#make the world look at the slaughter they are complicit in

[news4dzhozhar]

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep2 Musings - At the Chateau

More random musings; this time specifically about The Hunt at the Chateau.

I hate these two wenches specifically, but NGL, they look cool here.

Ohhhh, AMC knew what they were doing, going RIGHT for my ovaries! 😍 DADDY TUAN PHAM! 😍😍

Sincere is one thing. HONEST is another, though. Y'all knew those Americans were sus, Armand. They're not buying that "Bruce" BS, Louis, don't sleep on them!

I am SO BUMMED that we didn't get to SEE this scene; I was so excited!

Now I'll never get to see Louis so bored out of his skull by Santiago's thespian charms that he starts snoring in the middle of the play. U_U

Mr. I Could Not Prevent It, what were YOU doing to protect your man? You slaughter random innocent fledglings just for blinking, but you let your whole coven plot Louis & Claudia's demise right under your nose?

Bull frikkin crap!

Daciana been knew. U_U

Who is the coven LEADER, and the coven MASTER?

"COMPLICIT" finna be my favorite word this season, istg.

SO well said, Louis; as this beastly monstrous coven has TWO heads, these SNAKES, this immortal Hydra that only dies when Hercules cuts its head off and cauterizes the wound.

I am SO ready.

I loooove this transition frame; the Moulin Rouge as the most famous French theatre in pop culture, as Louis snaps his sad photos and Claudia whoops and the Theatre Louis sets on fire takes them hunting to a chateau they'll set on fire.

Reminds me of what Lestat said: "there is a veil between us; but it is a THIN veil." Louis will never be "one" with y'all. He's already bound by "a cord you cannot see, but it is real;" all your Mind Gift's mindscrewing can't un-screw Lestat out of Louis' blood! 😜 Louis drags that camera EVERYWHERE, ducking behind the lens, seeing the world thru a Glass Darkly; a warped perception of time & space. Cuz he's STRUGGLING; looking for God; looking for ("the wrong kind" of) love in all the wrong places.

Look at the things he takes pictures of! He's documenting DEATH; a MASS MURDER--"you are chronicling a suicide"--as the coven rides their bikes to the house they're gonna KILL everyone in. This isn't a mere road trip; this is a HUNT.

Equestrian statues & triumphal arches--monuments of blood-soaked imperialism & colonialism.

Hedonistic bacchic revelries. "I want food, I want sex, I want to go home."

Meanwhile, Claudia's high as a kite, on cloud 9.

EVERYBODY, Claudia? As they pan to Louis? "I hate you both!"

I wanna throw up when I remember Claudia's ashes got mixed with the coven's when the Theatre burned down. U_U No justice, and no peace. Claudia, I would've become the most notorious Parisian poltergeist in history--the Pope himself would've had to come up to perform the exorcism, on god I'd make my death everyone's problem.

But the LOOK on Louis' face, omg.

Whole 5 stages of grief in reverse:

Acceptance: he TRIES to "be one with us," taking on the "collective hunger;" smiling (fake AF) as he tries to soak in Claudia's ecstasy; riding in Armand's sidecar, flirting with the "Maitre," cozying up with his potential new beau

Depression: knowing full well he hates the rampant bloodlust & violence, the carnage in the chateau on fire behind him

Bargaining: Mr. I Only Eat Once Every Other Day, refusing to take part the the slaughter but still standing by--you are all COMPLICIT--while they were being killed; and agreeing to have Armand teach him how to be a better killer by honing the Mind Gift, etc.

Anger: The Fire Gift WHENNNNNNN? Foreshadowing AF! Claudia, you WILL be avenged!

Denial: Lestat WHO? Being told straight to his face that Armand knows he's lying, knows he's been collecting alimony & child support checks from Roget, knows Claudia wants to join the coven that set up a frikkin shrine to the dude, knows Santiago's a cheap imitation of Lestat, knows DreamStat's gonna keep haunting the narrative, I can't

An EFFED UP Gothic Romance.

The book stans who keep complaining about this show are just willfully ignoring what AMC's doing here. There is PLENTY we can complain about absolutely! But overall this adaptation is a slam dunk.

[softdedue]

Honestly as a Jewish person I understand that it’s easy for a lot of Jewish people to feel defensive right now—we have been raised to feel persecuted at every turn, after all, and why should this situation be any different—but it is so important to step back and take stock of the actual events that are occurring.

The actions of Israel are not justified. The creation of Israel was never justified. Any Jewish person who disagrees with either of those statements on any level, any Jewish person who still believes that the situation with Israel is in any way “complicated” with regard to morality, is complicit in this genocide and deserves to face the consequences of that. Jewish people who support genocide do not deserve to have their hands held any more than any other person who supports genocide. Having suffered through a genocide as a people ourselves should only make us more horrified by what these monsters are claiming to do in our people’s name.

I saw a post yesterday that said global antisemitism made the actions of Israel “understandable”. How could we expect Jewish Israelis to feel safe anywhere other than their own country if the rest of the world hates them? Well, I challenge you this: how could you live with yourself if you felt pride for a country that could do such things?

I am an American. I am hated by many people for being an American. I think those people are entirely justified in hating me for being an American, and I agree with their criticisms of my country, because I know my country fucking sucks. Any Israeli who doesn’t feel critical of their country deserves my hatred. That’s kind of the point.

Obviously we need to talk about the spread of antisemitism in response to this horrific tragedy. We should not hate Israelis for being Jewish, and we should not hate average Jewish people around the world for being Jewish. But we also need to acknowledge the Jewish role in this tragedy as well, and to keep the true victims—the people of Gaza—at the forefront of our minds. It is understandable that there would be antisemitic backlash at this time. We must have grace with a world who is reeling in the horror of us—yes, us—slaughtering their children by the thousands.

This is not our moment to speak out about injustices done against our people. This is our moment to apologize, and to distance ourselves from the monsters who have condoned this, and to speak out in support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters who are facing adversity that makes the acts currently being committed against us look like nothing.

Free palestine

[rjalker]

but after all, aren’t you calling blue voters genocide apologists?

you don’t have to forgive genocide to vote.

there have been people in the past who voted for red candidates for political positions in order to get them kicked out.

voting is a complicated thing, and casting your vote doesn’t say anything about you.

Yes, people who voted for the party currently comitting genocide are, in fact, genocide supporters.

The people who have been screaming at minorities, including Palestinians, the literal victims of this genocide, for over a year now that we all need to shut up and support genocide to make privileged white people feel better, are in fact genocide supporters. They are in fact faschists. They are in fact racists.

That is how this works. If you vote for genocide, even to protect yourself, you are a supporter of genocide. You are by definition a racist and a fascist. You cannot vote for genocide and call yourself anti-fascist.

If you vote for the party comitting genocide, and scream at and threaten every minority who refuses to condone genocide, you are a fascist. That is how this works.

If you vote for genocide, you are complicit in genocide. If you scream and try to threaten minorities, including the literal victims of the genocide that you will wish death on them and their families if they don't support the genocide, that's fascism. That's racism. That's white supremacy. That is comitting genocide.

If you vote for people currently, happyily, loudly, and proudly comitting genocide, you are literally telling them and every single politician who comes after them that you are okay with genocide and they can and should comitt it because it won't lose them any votes, because you don't care how many people they slaughter as long as it doesn't affect you, the privileged white American who wants to keep the privileges that white supremacy and colonialism have gotten you.

If you think the people I was calling fashists weren't saying anything fascist, then that's because you don't know what fascism looks like unless it's dressed up like a Nazi and saying heil Hitler.

Fascism is privileged white Americans insisting that we must vote to commit genocide to protect their privileged positions in society. Fascism is when these people insist that we just hate Kamala because she's a Black woman and we're misogynoirists, or that we only hate Joe Biden because he's old and we're ageist.

Fascism is when people claim that Joe Biden is the most progressive President the United States has ever seen, while he is sending multiple billions of dollars worth of bombs to Israel for the sole purpose of them comitting genocide.

Fascism is when privileged white Americans speak over Black Americans, Palestinian Americans, Native Americans, and every other minority you can think of to tell us that voting for genocide is harm reduction because the most important thing in the entire world is making sure privileged white Americans get to keep their privileges.

The Vote Blue No Matter Who crowd has been filled with lying racists since before 2016. Not even 24 hours after this election was called they were en masse declaring that they're going to report anyone who didn't vote blue to ICE, even if they just didn't vote at all, or voted third party.

They literally hate non-voters and third party voters more than they hate actual real Trump supporters because they know that the people voting third party and withholding their vote are the actual minorities that its safe for them to attack.

Here's one of the articles that I have linked over half a hundred times now.

If you are actually trying to learn this time instead of just insulting me and claiming I never explain anything to anyone because I don't debate fascists, you can read it.

And here's a meme. Which I have also shared too many times to count.

[Image description start. The three panel, “Do you think Margaret Thatcher had girl power” meme, now edited so that the first panel shows the TV host asking: “Do you think you are protecting democracy by voting blue no matter who?” The second panel shows someone responding, “Yes, of course.” Panel 3 has the TV host asking, “Do you think you are protecting democracy by announcing to all politicians who will ever exist from now on that they can commit as many genocides as they want and they’ll still get elected because you literally don’t care what they do as long as they don’t do it to you?”. Image description end.]

If someone votes for genocide, that person is a fascist. If someone screams and threatens every minority they can see and try to browbeat them into supporting genocide under threat of death, that person is a fascist.

If someone refuses to admit that the current administration is even comitting genocide at all, that person is a fascist. If someone tries to pretend that genocide is good as long as it's the blue team doing it, that person is a fascist. If someone tells you that there are only two candidates in the presidential race and you have to pick the one they tell you to otherwise they'll wish death on you and every minority you care about, while ignoring the fact that there are other candidates who are actively opposed to genocide, that person is a fascist.

If someone tells you that voting third party or withholding your vote in protest of genocide is "the exact same thing as voting for Trump", because they want you to vote for the Blue Team that is literally currently comitting genocide as you read this, that person is a fashist.

If White Queer People™ tell you that you have to support the genocide of Black and brown people overseas to keep them safe, they are fascists. There's even a special word for that -- homonationalism.

If you can only recognize fascism and racism when it's blatant and Obvious, you don't know how to recognize it at all.

[cazort]

I know this may strike some as a cynical take, but I want to point out that Netanyahu and other Israeli hardliners have a direct incentive in seeing their own citizens slaughtered by Hamas, because it furthers their agenda.

Here is how they benefit:

It raises the level of anger, hate, and us-vs-them thinking in the voting populace, increasing the desire for retaliation and thus increasing political support for aggressive military action against Palestinians, including both slaughter of Palestinian civilians and seizing of land, and also for more restrictive policies like tightening of checkpoints, economic isolation, etc. These are policies the hardliners have always wanted and are always looking for excuses to implement.

It distracts from the highly unpopular reforms Netanyahu and his supporters have been doing to consolidate power, remove checks and balances and make the Israeli government less democratic and more authoritarian. Just a few weeks ago there were massive protests against these reforms, and calls for Netanyahu to resign or be ousted, but now this discussion has been totally sidelined by this new "war".

It also distracts from the corruption in Netanyahu's regime, including the large number of Hasidim and ultra-Orthodox who are riding on government welfare payments while avoiding military service, and who then give Netanyahu a large portion of his power.

I'm not saying that Netanyahu orchestrated or planned the Hamas attack. But he has definitely been complicit in actively creating an environment that led to this attack.

The current Israeli government's policies have focused on things that increase suffering for the Palestinian people, the sort of "apartheid" state, and they engage in security theater, but while showing incompetence in actual border security.

I do not think this is a coincidence. Having the appearance of strong security but actual weak security, and then escalating the antagonism and oppression of the Palestinian people is exactly the mix of factors that empowers Hamas and encourages and enables them to attack the Israeli people like we have seen recently.

And then when the IDF does carry out operations in Palestine? They flaunt cruel practices like the use of white phosphorus in civilian areas, banned by international convention. Why? Because this is just going to make the Palestinians even more angry and radicalized, driving more of them to continue supporting and joining Hamas. By making themselves into a demon, the Israeli government draws out the sort of violent, depraved behavior that we have seen in the recent Hamas attack, that gives the hardliners the excuse they want to carry their genocide of the Palestinian people out to completion.

I do not see any evidence that Netanyahu actually cares at all about the Israeli people. I don't know for sure what is going on in his head, if he's a cold, calculating schemer, or if he is a passionate zealot who believes his own lies, or some other depraved scenario, but I do know his actions and the actions of his government drive in that the people getting killed are just pawns in a broader scheme to consolidate power and seize as much of Palestine as possible. I see no evidence that he actually cares about his own people in a deep way. All Israeli lives lost simply serve to consolidate his power and further his agenda, and the more brutal and cruel the loss of those lives are, the better for him.

I think it is time people start holding Netanyahu and his government accountable, and it is time the world starts seeing him and the other key people in his government as the war criminals that they are. They are slaughtering the Palestinians while using their own citizens as fodder in their agenda.

[marjaystuff]

Guest Review: This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

This is Why We Lied

Will Trent Book 12

Karin Slaughter

William Morrow Pub

August 20th, 2024

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter is a book that has all the trademarks including twists, and intensity. A word of warning there is child abuse, domestic violence, brutal treatment of women, incest, substance abuse, and rape as part of the story, but it is done in a very empathetic way for the victims.

“The them of the book is about safety. Mercy never felt safe.  Sara felt safe because of her family and Will.  The realization for Will is that he can trust Amanda, Faith, and Sara. He has a support system he never had as a child. The victim was in an abusive relationship, and I wanted to show how someone in an abusive relationship lives with no one to turn to, no one to help them, and in complete isolation.”

The plot has GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, going to McAlpine Lodge to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-the-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night. They investigate and find out that Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying. 

“It was a locked lodge mystery.  I go up to my cabin in the North Georgia mountains when I write my books. I want to lean into it to write about the woods and the mountains. Of course, I must bring in a murder and not have people just being happy. Sara is comfortable in the woods, while Faith hates it. Sara and Will see nature as beautiful and amazing.  Faith complains about there being too many birds, the heat, not to mention how many mosquitoes.  She is not an outdoor person by any stretch.”

Every member of this family is despicable. They are cold, unfeeling, manipulative, abusive, and controlling.  There are suspects galore because almost everyone in the story, not just the family, has some sort of motive to kill Mercy. 

“The title of the book becomes so appropriate because everybody is lying.  Some lie because they want to be helpful and exaggerate. But exaggeration is a lie.  Some are hiding something that has nothing to do with the crime. Some are lying because they know about the crime and are complicit.”

The story unfolds through the dual points of view from Will and Sara. Mercy's point of view and backstory are revealed in the letter entries written to her son over the years that chronicle her mental and physical abuse as well as the resentment festering within her toxic family.

“Women like her tend to be presented in black and white. She needed to get away from her family, protect her son, break the cycle of abuse, and get away from her lover, Dave. As readers find out more about her, they will realize she has no money, no friends, no place to live, no driver’s license, and no car. Questions to explore: if in that situation could someone walk away and take their child with them? For Mercy the answer is no.  Dave has always pulled her back each time.  For her, it is easier to just give in and stick with the devil she knows. She is really cut off from the world.  She makes bad decisions for herself. She does not feel anyone is looking out for her. She is very aware that her job is to protect her son and not the other way around.”

This is a great crime procedural.  As Faith, Will’s police partner, says about the crime, “an Agatha Christie locked-room mystery with a VC Andrews twist.”

[watermel123]

Hollywood's opinion on Palestine won't resolve the conflict... but it could help

Hollywood’s Opinion On Palestine Won’t Resolve The Conflict… But It Could Help

The mass genocide taking place in Gaza isn’t news to anyone. Everyday we’re seeing more and more devastation as it’s being broadcast to us in real-time, including babies being slaughtered before our very eyes. Homes torn down, hospitals bombed, and thousands murdered. We’re currently seeing the very worst that humanity has to offer, and it seems that all we can do is watch as the world burns.

Sure, we can share links on social media and spread the word amongst our circles, but the truth is, the efforts of us mere civilians pales in comparison to what those with much larger platforms can achieve, and we can often find ourselves feeling pretty hopeless. (That’s not to say that we should stop trying - every little helps). 

However, the silence of those who do have the power to influence change is truly deafening. 

So, why are some celebrities choosing not to speak out? Why is it that some of the most influential people in the world appear to be turning a blind eye to what’s happening in the Middle East? Are they complicit with what’s going on? Or do they simply not care because their fame and reputation is just that much more important?

I get it. Not everyone has a real understanding of politics or why the conflict is even taking place. But surely, in that case, it’s on you to educate yourself. And honestly, I’m not even buying that as an excuse for some people.

Let’s look at Amal Clooney, for example. She has received huge backlash due to her reluctance to speak out on the war in Gaza. A woman who is allegedly a human rights activist, who advocates for peace - or is that only the case for every war besides the one in Palestine? Mrs. Clooney was vocal about the Ukrainian war, and spoke out about the terrorist attacks in Paris, yet it’s only within the last couple of weeks that she has, in fact, broken her silence. Over half a year after the war started back on October 7, 2023.

The Gaza conflict is a subject that’s truly polarising, but it’s a topic that should no longer be up for debate. This is reality. And while we’re here picking sides, another innocent victim loses their life. While Taylor Swift is at the top of her game on a worldwide tour, another child is kidnapped or tortured or brutally killed. It’s crazy me to even think that while celebrities are sipping the finest champagne on one side of the world, all hell is breaking loose on the other. But ignorance is bliss, right? 

The power of social media

Social media is one heck of a powerful tool, and it can be utilised to make really positive changes in the world. While it has its faults, it definitely has its benefits.

Celebs could actually utilise their social media platforms to encourage their followers to take action, make donations where possible, or simply raise awareness on important topics. 

Out of fear of being ‘cancelled’ and losing their fans, a number of celebrities have decided to keep quiet on the matter. It’s almost as though they don’t realise what they can actually do to help. So many stars who have actually publicly called for a cease-fire or shown solidarity with Palestine through a simple social media post have reached millions of people around the world. This helps to educate people, keeps the conversation going, and puts pressure on our governments to help.

That’s all it takes sometimes. One post. But some can’t even do that.

Operation Blockout

The rise of the digital age has seen many social media movements take place over the years. More recently, after this year's Met Gala, there was huge backlash as many celebrities once again failed to say anything about the Gaza Conflict, and in failing to do so, emerged the Blockout 2024. An opportunity missed by so many influential people when all eyes were on them. But what they’re wearing is more important, I guess… 

Completely devoid of any political statement, the Met Gala went on while blocks away protests were taking place. 

Blockout, or Block Party, is a movement primarily on TikTok, that aims to compel any celeb who fails to acknowledge what’s happening in Gaza. This is done by denying these stars any attention. Additionally, many people are choosing to boycott companies and refuse to give them business because of their association with Israel.

Hollywood’s silence is not only sad to watch, but it’s plain embarrassing at this point. It has the power to change and influence so much - it’s almost like it doesn’t even realise. But of course it does, it’s just choosing to ignore it.

We shouldn’t be calling out celebrities because of their inability to stand for what’s right, it should go without saying. For instance, Ariana Granda shared a link to a donation page and helped raise £40,000 for humanitarian aid within a matter of hours. Money that can be spent to help those actually living through the devastation, as opposed to those in white towers looking down and seemingly allowing it to happen. 

Exercise your right to speak freely

One of our most important rights is our freedom to speak. We can use our voices to speak out and help those that are denied theirs. It truly is a powerful thing, and Watermel recognises that. Watermel is a social media site that encourages you to speak openly about what you’re truly passionate about, in the hope of making a positive change in the world.

Download Watermel today and use your voice to speak out for those that are silenced. Our mantra is that if it feels uncomfortable to talk about - then it’s important that we say it.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.watermel.online

Ways that you can help

There are over 2 million people in Gaza currently suffering the devastating consequences of this ongoing war, and it doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon. The only humanitarian action that matters now is to call for an immediate and lasting cease fire. Here are some ways you can make your voice heard, according to Oxfam:

Sign the petition for a cease fire here 

Sign the letter to stop the UK selling arms to Israel here

Show solidarity by displaying a cease fire poster

Make a donation here

Educate yourselves and others. There are many resources online that can teach you about what’s happening in Gaza, and why it’s important that we keep talking about it.

[set2zero]

I believe players are clouded by the memory of a few things:

The Dark Knight storyline The questline starts with examining what the WoL means to others. They run up to you begging for help, you slaughter beasts to retrieve cargo, save defenseless people walking through enemy territory, and when they see the condition you're in after that they slowly back away with a hasty thanks. Fray tells you after every quest to practice self-care, look at these people who only see you as a tool for their ends. For many it will be the first time a game centered around handing out quests questions what do these NPCs think when they ask this of them, and why do they keep doing it. There's a reason people still say this is one of the best questlines in the game; something that sticks out in people's minds will heavily colour their perception and explore that in their WoL.

2. Alphinaud's line at the banquet in 2.55

It's been so long since I ran this quest but the first time I did it something Alphinaud said at the banquet still sticks 8 years later:

Alphinaud: I tell you, we are on the cusp of a new era of unity and prosperity. Alphinaud: Territorial disputes are all that divide us now. Alphinaud: But I have faith that we will find an amicable solution in time. Alphinaud: And failing that, I'll have my trusty Warrior of Light box the ears of all concerned. Speaking of whom...?

(source: game script)

Alphinaud initially sees the WoL as someone who can see his vision through by putting people in their place. His perception changes over Heavensward but the Scions are complicit. No one objects to you marching over and putting the primals a second and third time in ARR. They're concerned for your wellbeing, but you're also the one who can finally stop this cycle of primal summoning. You're literally the best chance they got.

Which segues into...

3. Stormblood

SB is the last time the WoL is asked to kick primal ass. Alisaie and Lyse joke about it.

Alisaie: The rest of the plan, I'm afraid you can guess. I'm sorry, [Forename], I truly am, but neither of us can even approach Susano, much less hope to defeat him. Which means you're on your own. Lyse: Well, who knows? She does have an awful lot of adventurer friends. Maybe some of them decided to take a fishing trip to the Far East, and are surprisingly close by...?

By the time you fight Lakshmi even the writers realise this isn't a sustainable plot model.

Alisaie: It means a lot to hear you say that. It does. But it doesn't make it any easier to have to ask you to face that...that thing. Alisaie: Maybe so, but every time we must turn to you and others like you to do what we cannot. I just wish there was another way...

A cynical way of seeing this is that the NPCs admire and appreciate the WoL because you're doing something nobody else can. You expose the truth of a 1000-year conflict that the church kept under wraps. You liberate two occupied territories on different ends of the map in one go. The chain of actions leading to Shadowbringers created porxies, which ended the tempering issue, which opened a door to reconciling with the beast tribes, etc. Imagine if we had such a person in the real world.

Do the Scions consider the WoL a convenient tool? Yes, BUT this changes as we play through the expansion. Are the players biased? Yes, BUT I think any working adult who finds the DRK questline relatable would be.

The takeaway message in the MSQ is that people CAN change. Perceptions CAN change. Emet-Selch refused to budge and lost. The Scions came to know you as a trusted friend and worked towards reversing tempering for YOU (and for the world but mainly for you) because in becoming their friend they wanted the suffering to stop for YOU. This wouldn't have been possible if the plot didn't take 5 expansions to resolve, and that's the beauty of FFXIV.

"Yes DMJ you make a point but do YOU think the fandom labours under that misconception even in Endwalker?"

No. And I have a feed full of WoLships on my tumblr to show for it.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about ? 👀

That everyone takes the WoL for granted. Especially the Scions. And that most people simply view the WoL as a convenient tool.

I feel like a lot of the fandom in general tends to view how many npcs interact with the WoL through a lens biased toward a negative interpretation. While I believe that a straightforward, unbiased reading of what is actually said and done in game, leans toward a much more positive reading. Canonically, our WoLs signed up to be part of organizations that bare a responsibility toward the people of Eorzea. (The fact that we had no choice about our WoLs signing up is irrelevant to the game's story.) They are not taken for granted. They are expected to do their job alongside their colleagues. And as the story goes on and the WoL, due to their Special Status, takes on more and more, the response of the people they interact with becomes more and more admiring and appreciative. NPCs are constantly expressing their gratitude for what the WoL does and demonstrating how they care about the WoL's well being.

It truly boggles my mind sometimes that so much of the fandom seems to simple forget? or maybe ignore how much everyone loves the WoL. I think a large portion of the fandom has become invested in how they want to develop the narrative of their own individual WoL as someone who is very down trodden and constantly suffering on behalf of a world that doesn't appreciate them. And don't get me wrong, that's a fine theme to explore in your own writing. But the prevalence of it in fic seems to have clouded many people's memories of the actual MSQ. It's simply not the story that SE has written.

Thanks for the ask!

[glenngaylord]

Negative Space - Film Review: The Zone Of Interest ★★★★★

Whenever filmmaker Jonathan Glazer releases a new film, and he has only made four in the past 23 years, I sit up and take notice. Sexy Beast, Birth, and Under The Skin made lasting impressions, and his latest, The Zone Of Interest, has profoundly affected me more than any other film I’ve seen this year. Based on the 2014 novel by the same name from the late Martin Amis, it relates a Holocaust narrative strictly told from the point of view of a Nazi leader and his family who live just on the other side of the wall to Auschwitz.

That family consists of the real-life Commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall) and their children, who live in a bucolic villa complete with a swimming pool, greenhouse and extensive garden. At the outset, we watch the Höss’ picnic and lead fairly quiet, normal lives. One could easily mistake this as a serene comedy of manners if not paying careful attention. The occasional offscreen gunshot or scream, however, belies the sun-dappled visuals. Look even closer and you’ll see the barbed wire, the guard towers, and in one indelible image, the smoke from a transport train making its way across the top of the frame as Höss stands proudly watching his brood frolic in the pool.

While we never witness the atrocities, the hellish soundscape provided by the incredible Composer Mica Levi and Sound Designer Johnnie Burn provides plenty of nightmarish context. Forget all the CGI blockbusters, THIS is the true masterclass in the use of sound. The horror at the center of this film is that of indifference, disassociation, and the “banality of evil”. Euphemisms such as "yield" to signify the number of the slaughtered, or the title, which blandly refers to the area outside the camps, allows all of us to somehow stomach the terrors at hand. This forced perspective proves unbearably agonizing.

Cinematographer Lukasz Zal (Ida, Cold War) contributes an endless series of carefully composed images, mostly wide shots and often static. The negative spaces he creates suggest the unimaginable just out of frame. We rarely get a close-up of the characters, instead we’re kept at a distance as they flatly go about their days. A scene of Höss meeting with engineers to review a more effective way to exterminate the Jews plays just as matter-of-factly as one of Hedwig gardening. When one of the children locks another in the greenhouse, one could easily find it amusing were it not for the fact that the older one makes gas chamber hissing sounds at his sibling.

Glazer takes a distancing, experimental approach to the material, somewhat as he did with Under The Skin, but the effect proves far more chilling here. He creates a rhythm with one seemingly mundane scene after another until you begin to realize that coat Hedwig tries on once belonged to a prisoner, or that her children are playing with teeth and not toys. Occasionally he interrupts the story with night vision scenes of a defiant young girl whose impact on the proceedings crystalizes later with an off-camera remark guaranteed to sap the film of any hope.

The performances for the most part seem functional and this feels clearly by design. Careful not to make the Nazis sympathetic, the actors’ flatness serves to make the audience complicit with their remove from the terrors unfolding steps away. We have room to reflect on who we have become or perhaps have always been, especially concerning the current state of things. We TikTok as the world burns. Martin Amis had previously explored a shift in historical perspective with his 1991 novel Time's Arrow, which also seemed to conclude that regardless of the point of view, cruelty and apathy persist. Amis and Glazer seem to say that Nazis don’t hold the copyright on disinterest or evil. Left unchecked and unexamined, we’re all capable of such behavior.

Despite this, both Friedel and especially Hüller create a pair of unforgettable characters. Friedel carries himself tightly as any military officer and establishes himself as a dull bureaucrat who loves his family and yet doesn’t hesitate to wield his power in horrific ways. The scariest moment in any film this year comes when he tells his wife how he feels about The Final Solution, and his last moment gives us a brief window into the bile churning up within. Hüller, for her part, proves even scarier as she clomps around the house in her heavy heels, quietly threatening one of her Jewish workers, and seething with entitled rage. At one point she laughingly, and without irony, tells her mother she’s known as the “Queen Of Aushchwitz”.

This year no other film made me ugly cry as much as All Of Us Strangers and no other film can hold a candle to the screenwriting craft and love for its characters as much as The Holdovers. The Zone Of Interest, however, despite feeling more like an art installation than a traditional movie, is a masterpiece which will stick with me forever.

[horrorscoupes]

posting this during a lecture but hehehe

imperium angel/davey i think itd be funny if they met briefly before he died

cw: smoking mostly

“We’re traveling up north to watch Damien inherit the entire Imperium,” They scratched the center of their palm, fingers twitching for what was probably another cigarette. “And then he’s gonna announce to the entire world how he intends to take me as his consort.” 

David didn’t understand, and he said as much. Their annoyance was clear as day, but they answered without further prompting. 

“I was never Sophia’s biggest fan, we’ll put it that way. But she made life a lot easier for unempowered people, at a very high cost for her approval rates.” The lighter charred their thumbnail, and they didn’t even seem to notice. “A human-born Queen is one thing, an unempowered consort is something completely different.”

[FILLER]

“I’m about to ruin his life, and he doesn’t care, because he doesn’t see the difference in those two things.” They blew smoke towards the stars, and David suppressed a cough. “Us unempowered have a worldview that no one else in the Imperium can understand- we’re all cattle to make the Imperium turn, but when was the last time you saw media coverage on the disappearance of an unempowered person? When was the last time you saw any mass maker held responsible for the slaughter of households because their unbound progeny were hungry?” 

He didn’t have an answer, and even if he did, it wouldn’t do anything to diffuse the situation. Their displeasure was justified and palpable, and something David had previously had the pleasure of never having to think about. It was uncomfortable, trying to think of a million answers for how they must’ve been wrong, and knowing that they weren’t.

“Shifters probably get it the most, right? If there’s a thorn in the Upper Echelon’s side, they just call on a nearby pack to take care of it, or am I getting that wrong? You’re almost as disposable to them as the rest of us. You’re never awarded the right to power the Imperium can’t subjugate, even within your packs.” Another cigarette butt joined their first, and without an outlet for their hands, they picked at a hole in the leg of their pants. “Am I wrong, alpha?”

They weren’t wrong in the slightest, and the use of his title felt taunting, even when they looked at him with gut-twisting sympathy. Harsh words detailed with a gentle face. 

“It doesn’t feel good knowing that I’m about to be complicit in that system by virtue of whose bed I warm.” Hopping down from the banister, they gathered their few belongings.

 "Under the Imperium, none of us are free. Myself least of all.” 

[shyocean]

I listen to people use DnD to co-create incredible and meaningful stories that interrogate not only how magic works, but why the world functions as it does and whether that's good or not.

They do that, using the Dungeon game, in a way where the players clearly have remarkable agency, and frequently ask if they can make checks.

Brennan Lee Mulligan and Aabria Iyangar are indisputably among the best DMs in the world right now, and they use the Dungeon Game to co-create stories about the nature of magic where the players frequently ask to make checks. And home rule shit.

In a post where someone gently points out that players might be trying to reclaim some agency, this DM makes it clear that she hates it when players try to tell stories she isn't interested in telling, not because they have different goals and approach the game differently, but because they are bad and wrong and breaking the rules.

Look, if you want to play a tabletop strategy game where you try to kill players in dungeon and they struggle to survive, that is a time-honored way to play. I get it. I so get it. The people I played with for years started with first edition too, ok?

And they also said the way I wanted to play bad and wrong for wanting to tell meaningful stories instead of enacting the DM's plots, and and wanting to think about how the world works, and having power fantasies about not being complicit in slaughter and harm and wealth management.

I finally quit after 17 years, because I was so worn down by it.

And like.

The best players in the world are telling stories, subverting systems, homebrewing generously, rule of cooling, and functioning collaboratively and cooperatively. And they are doing it using the incredibly reductive dull ruleset from the dungeon game.

It's valid that people want to play this way.

You have different goals, and I don't know what yours are, but they are ok if everyone at the table consents to them. I mean that. Whatever your goals are, they're ok if everyone is consenting and on board.

But its not wrong to ask to make a check, or to want to tell a story about magic in the game where literally every character class can use magic.

No, you can't "do an Arcana check" to see if there's magic around. There's an actual way in the rules to see if magic is afoot, it's called the detect magic spell.

Also, ask me if you can do any kind of check again and I will bite your head off in real life.

[iamnmbr3]

Another day. Another questionable interview from someone involved with the production. This time the Director (who to her credit at least is better than Mike Waldron in that she is able to say she likes Loki’s character whereas his interviews drip with open disdain and disrespect and he can’t even pretend otherwise). (x)

Kate Herron: But Loki doesn't have many friends, you know? He builds this friendship with Mobius across the second episode.

Here again we get out-of-universe confirmation that the narrative framing of Mobius in a positive light is intentional. Mobius is not Loki’s friend. He’s his captor and his torturer. Loki isn’t on equal footing with Mobius. They don’t even have a boss-employee relationship. LOKI WAS MOBIUS’S SLAVE until he escaped. He was being held against his will and coerced under threat of death to work for Mobius and his organization without compensation. That is slavery. And it’s not ok. 

Mobius also berated him by telling him that he is inherently evil and monstrous - the very things that drove him to suicide. Mobius is complicit in acts of torture, genocide, murder, privacy violation, and  police brutality and shows no signs of having any problem with it. He’s no more Loki’s friend than Thanos or the Black Order are. 

When has he ever treated Loki with dignity or respect? Even if we ignore all the horrific stuff, he’s just plain not nice to Loki. He constantly mocks and belittles him and never takes his side. That’s not a how a friend behaves!  That’s how a bully behaves! Where is the basis for this friendship??!!

Kate Herron: “And obviously, we're seeing it through Loki and Sylvie's POV. You know, neither of them are good or bad. A complete, pure good hero would probably join the queue and be like, "Well, hopefully we'll get on the train." But they're not those characters. They're going to try and get on it.”

They snuck onto a train??? That’s what she thinks a grey character is? That’s so dull! Loki was a complex and grey character. Larry (as I call the tv show character) and Sylvie...got on a train without a ticket. That’s laughable! That doesn’t make me think about complex morality or issues. And c’mon. All the heroic Avengers have done that level of rule breaking MANY times and they don’t lose their “pure good hero status.” Tony Stark constantly does things like that! I want Loki back. HE is a grey character. But I haven’t seen him in the show so far. Instead I get Larry the watered down clown. 

Kate Herron: “When Loki and Mobius are at Pompeii, for example, that's shown through Loki's POV, right? He's joyous and he cracked the case. Pompeii was horrific, but we're seeing it through his perspective and he's in a completely different headspace.”

You know a scene can have more than one emotion right? Like he could be happy about solving the case but also horrified at the destruction of Pompeii? Instead he is laughing at the people who are about to die horrifically and seems to have no compassion for them whatsoever. Sure people can headcanon reasons why he behaved that way (and more power to them. Fixing dumb canon is what fandom is all about!) but the narrative framing is to me pretty clearly lighthearted and the director confirms that intent. There seems to be no awareness that by having Loki behave so callously it makes him come across as incredibly cruel. Far more than he ever was in canon. 

In Thor 2011 Thor is laughing while slaughtering Jotnar (as is considered appropriate in his culture) but Loki isn’t. He kills when he has to but he doesn’t enjoy it, something that’s unusual for the culture he was raised in. This Pompeii scene could’ve been a great time to see Loki’s more compassionate side as he looks at the people who are going to die. We could’ve seen some real conflict from him. And it would’ve been a great moment to start introducing the concept that he’s more than just a simple villain to more casual viewers. Instead, although they think they’re “redeeming” Larry over the course of the show they’ve made him far worse and more villainous. I wish they had hired an experienced Director who also understands Loki - like Kenneth Brannaugh!!! - rather than a Director who has never headed up a major project before. Though even the best Director couldn’t fix the abysmal and ooc script and story Mike Waldron came up with. 

Kate Herron: “I think that's the thing that's really key for her is that she's a completely original character, completely born out of our writers, and that, for me, was exciting.” 

Remember when I said Sylvie is the favored OC? Called it. 

Kate Herron: “The train scene I love because Loki doesn't get many wins and it's nice to see him having a nice sing-song. He's just enjoying himself. Because I think that's such a funny way, as well, to show the difference between him and Sylvie is that she's on a mission. She's like, "We're going to get off this moon." And when she's offered a drink, she's like, "No, thank you."

WOW. I hate this SO much. So suddenly Sylvie gets to act more like Loki and Loki suddenly doesn’t know how to be subtle and is just a dumb clown messing everything up. C’mon! This is absolutely ridiculous. This is not Loki silvertongue. This is not the Loki who tried to diffuse the situation on Jotunheim and almost succeeded. This is not the Loki who was always a restraining voice in Thor’s ear. They’ve turned Sylvie into discount Loki without any depth or complexity or vulnerability and they’ve turned Loki into discount Thor ft. dumb clown! Absolutely outrageous. 

Kate Herron: “everything is not what it seems and even in our design, people have picked up on certain things. Like the way that they dress, or the posters and that there's something a bit more going on there.”

If the TVA actually turn out to be twist villains I will laugh SO hard; I’d say that twist is too dumb even for Marvel but...it’s really not! Like. Guys. If they’re gonna be TWIST villains you have to not have them do obviously villainous things on screen!!!! BECAUSE THEN IT’S NOT A TWIST!!!!

From the moment we meet them we see them commit acts of police brutality, murder, genocide, trial without due process, enslavement, privacy violation, and torture IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE FREE WILL. Like. They are literally the most evil organization in the MCU. Even Thanos can’t compare. So having them be revealed as villains will fall flat. Because the twist isn’t the audience learning new information or the main character learning it. It’s just the narrative suddenly acknowledging it and treating their atrocities seriously. So the twist is in the real world not the show. And it’ll make Larry look like an even bigger idiot than he already does if he’s suddenly like “Wait the people who tortured and enslaved me are evil?! What?!??!” (I stg if he has to fight miss minutes in the end like I joked about I will lose it).

Also. Why make it a twist?! When you treat the villains as a joke it robs the narrative of tension. Their acts of evil should’ve been acknowledged from the beginning in order to create sympathy for the protagonist and tension in the narrative as we watch him try to escape this situation! Smh. The only funny joke in this series is how badly the writing fails. 

[booksandchainmail]

Princess Leonor of Valencis had taken off her gauntlets, and her fingers were working on her ornate silver-enamelled helm. What I had taken for a decorative circlet soldered onto it turned out to be a silver tiara cleverly set into furrows. The Arlesite princess tossed it onto the pile at my feet, smile mirthless.

“What a slaughter of thrones you have made of this night, Black Queen,” she bitterly said. “A princes’ graveyard, shallow dug at your behest.”

I looked at her then, truly looked at her. She had been among those who had admired Malanza’s character even as she balked at emulating it, and for that she had earned more than simply my contempt. No layabout royal, this one, for closer survey revealed hands calloused from the arts of war and scars on her skin that had the make of blades. Her eyes were not cowed, even in loss, and even in her earlier quibblings she had not been spineless. And yet. I looked at Leonor of Valencis and what I saw was good blood, old blood, conqueror’s blood – gilded history, ancient triumphs erected into throne. I saw a woman who’d been taught of rights alongside right, privilege perhaps not unkindly borne but never once questioned. I thought of the High Lords, then, and of something Hakram had once told me under a moonlit sky. And they expected to win, too, he’d said, speaking of our enemy. Don’t they always? Sooner or later, better blood wins out.

And I couldn’t mend that, I knew, because it was not in my hands to shape this world like clay – and it was, perhaps, for the best that it was not. It belonged to more than me, that sprawl of terror and wonderment, of pettiness and valour. It would take more than an orphan girl from Laure to make something new of it, no matter what powers I came to wield. But now and then, I thought, now and then I could wield the knife my father had pressed into my hand all those years ago. And if it was not always given to me to bring something beautiful into Creation, then at least I could expunge some unseemly piece of it. You are part of this, Leonor of Valencis, I thought. Of this land of robber princes and hungry wars, of a tapestry of rapacious ambition so despised it took Akua’s Folly for you to be trusted again. It might be that among your kind you are one of the betters ones, but even should you not be guilty you would remain complicit.

Let them be thankful I had only taken crowns, for I could have taken a great deal more and lost not sleep over it. The only inheritance I’d ever cared to claim was steady hand and an indignant rage that had cowed kingdoms, and within it there was not a speck of mercy for the likes of Leonor of Valencis.

“Tremble then, o ye mighty,” I coldly replied, “for a new age is upon you.”

A Practical Guide to Evil, Book 5 Chapter 34: Seven, by erraticerrata

[shijiujun]

Bear with me I have... I think 3 more recs to go before the year ends! Hahaha in the meantime yes I know I’ve done some passing recs (残次品 Imperfection, 一级律师 The Lawyer & 鲜满宫堂 Palace Full of Delicacies) but I’ll leave those to maybe end of Jan hahahaha lest y’all get sick and tired of my posts! If you don’t wanna see these anymore feel free to block the ‘min’s why you should read’ tag!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

16 year old Chen Xing is the last exorcist in the world with any sort of powers after a time when exorcists were at their peaks came to pass, all exorcists turning back into regular mortals. Guided by his now-deceased shifu, the novel starts with him trying to find his Protector, a partner that all exorcists are fated to have, and is led to the prison of this army camp where his supposed Protector is held captive, about to die. 

He saves an unkempt and weak Xiang Shu, who then turns on him the moment he’s free, unwilling to be this ‘Protector’ that Chen Xing is talking about, and leaves. Chen Xing thinks this is the last of it, but he meets Xiang Shu again by chance in another town, and Xiang Shu saves him from zombie corpses. 

They head into Chang An together as they are on the way as Chen Xing tries to convince Xiang Shu to be his ‘Protector’ in his mission to restore magic and keep demons/evil from people, but Chen Xing only has four years left to complete his mission before he’s fated to die at the age of 20, as prophesized by his shifu. They are also supposed to look for the Dinghai Pearl, which is supposed to bring the bearer great powers and help them in their task.

Xiang Shu turns out to be the Great Chanyu and leader of the Tiele tribe, and after a misunderstanding with the current emperor, he heads back to his tribe with his loyal soldiers/followers and also Chen Xing, where they have to solve the mystery of the dead moving zombie corpses, people being revived from the dead by an unknown mysterious force, and also political strife as Chen Xing and Xiang Shu figure out their feelings for each other as well. 

Set in historical China where the Hans (Chinese) and the Hus are at war and constantly fighting for territory from each other. Chen Xing would be considered a Han, while Xiang Shu is a Hu.

*Also features time-travel and second chances in the latter half of the book! There’s a tad bit of spoilers below as well, so do skip if you wanna avoid them!

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) | Novel Translations | Upcoming Donghua | Manhua | Audio Drama

Characters:

1. 陈星 Chen Xing - A young, wide-eyed 16 year old teen who has the powers of a Heart Lamp, which is a light emitted from his palm that can purify evil spirits/energy. When he was younger, his family was slaughtered due to sabotage from the Yuwen family, not that he knows about it until much later.

Look on the printed novels:

He’s the last exorcist with powers when the novel starts, and he fails to get Xiang Shu to become his Protector, but while he carries hope that his mission will be completed, he does not force Xiang Shu to become his Protector after the man rejects him twice, even though he knows he only has four years left to live. Because of his Heart Lamp, Chen Xing also has great luck and no matter what danger he falls into, there’s always a path of escape to safety laid out for him.

Younger look in the manhua:

He heads into Chang An city with Xiang Shu and Feng Qian Jun, and then split because he thinks he can find his old friend who’s from the Yuwen family, a boy who was his childhood friend and moved away shortly before the Chen family was massacred. He does not know that this boy, now a man, was complicit in the deaths of his family members and is thus not eager to see Chen Xing. Instead, when Chen Xing is escorted to the Yuwen manor by Xiang Shu, he’s crestfallen to see that the man is not at all happy to see him. Later he finds out that Xiang Shu is the Great Chanyu and has considerable status in the palace, and is also single. Once news of Xiang Shu’s return spreads, Chen Xing’s supposed childhood friend becomes one of the potential suitors looking to marry Xiang Shu.

Chen Xing is brought to the Tiele tribe shortly after hell breaks loose, and there he’s met with hostility also by the tribe, of which members are wary at seeing a Han, and also Xiang Shu’s sworn brother, who also has the hots for Xiang Shu. At that moment, Chen Xing realizes that he does not belong anywhere, has no real friends, no family, and is fated to die alone in four years time.

Of course he has feelings for Xiang Shu as the days pass, even though Xiang Shu displays his concern for him in brash ways. He tries to flee and fulfil his mission on his own, but Xiang Shu chases after him every single time, pissed off that Chen Xing keeps leaving him behind. Chen Xing, however, cannot reciprocate his feelings knowing that he’s about to die eventually.

2. 项述 Xiang Shu - Leader of the Tiele tribe and the Great Chanyu, wields considerable military might and commands respect amongst several neighbouring tribes as well. He’s reluctant to be Chen Xing’s Protector despite seeing his powers, because he has a duty first and foremost to his people in these chaotic, uncertain times, especially when war is imminent anytime. He’s also pissed off that Chen Xing keeps trying to impose this role of ‘Protector’ on him without asking him if he wants to be in the first place, and when Chen Xing realizes this, he stops asking Xiang Shu, and is determined to finish his mission without a Protector. 

Him as a Chanyu/Leader of Tiele tribe look from the printed novel art:

A great warrior who is looked up to by his tribe members, his past is also shrouded in mystery as he begins to find out just who his mother was, and how he himself contributes to Chen Xing’s mission. He’s unable to leave Chen Xing alone, always following after him. He always seems to be angry and annoyed at Chen Xing, and in the beginning Chen Xing thinks that Xiang Shu hates him because of the way Xiang Shu interacts with him. 

Him in Han-style outfit in the manhua:

Xiang Shu finds out early on that Chen Xing doesn’t have much longer to live, and is conflicted about it. When they finally find the Dinghai Pearl, he sacrifices himself so Chen Xing can obtain it, confessing to Chen Xing at the very last moment. This is before realizing that the Dinghai Pearl can help Chen Xing to time travel, and after the calamitous current timeline leading to Xiang Shu’s sacrifice, Chen Xing then goes back in time and this time, befriends Xiang Shu properly as he’s given a chance for a do-over to complete his mission.

3. 冯千均 Feng Qian Jun - A swordsman claiming to be an assassin that Chen Xing meets by chance after he’s duped by Xiang Shu in the beginning, and they travel together as they’re headed in the same direction towards Chang An city. Ends up being a good older bro to Chen Xing and also a helpful ally for Xiang Shu later.

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Chen Xing picks up a dog after Xiang Shu betrays him in the beginning, after he saves him from deathrow in prison, and in a fit of anger, names the dog Xiang Shu as well, and when he meets human Xiang Shu again, the man keeps glaring at him whenever Chen Xing calls for dog Xiang Shu

Xiang Shu treats Chen Xing very differently, and even though he wasn’t sure that he liked Chen Xing, he trusted him, much to the displeasure of other Hus, and some of the other tribes’ members - He’s not so good at being nice on the surface to Chen Xing given their first impression (and he’s still unhappy about how Chen Xing decided to force the role of the Protector on him, also doesn’t have the energy or time to care about Chen Xing’s mission fully considering the trouble his tribe is in), but he does care about Chen Xing and his safety, always finding ways to choose to follow Chen Xing rather than stay to further defend his tribe in times of crisis

The novel also depicts Chen Xing’s loneliness and optimism very well - He keeps the secret of his soon-to-come death to himself, not wanting to make anyone sad when the time comes, and he’s quite open-minded about his death, but at times when he sees the warmth and communal ties of the Tiele tribe, it hurts him to realize that he doesn’t have anyone and doesn’t belong anywhere

I also like Xiang Shu’s ‘Hu’ look a lot! With the braids and furs and everything!

Chen Xing finds other exorcists (legendary ones that are supposed to be dead apparently) and also exorcist wannabes, who do not have the power but are eager to learn, having heard of the legend of exorcists from before, and they manage to set up an exorcists’ headquarters of sorts to train more exorcists, which also fulfils Chen Xing’s mission partially

Everyone wants to get into Xiang Shu’s pants. Everyone, I swear

[more-than-a-princess]

Easy for her to say 'calm down.' Sonia didn't doubt that Yaguchi had her own demons to contend with, but it was nothing like being responsible for mass murder in a cult of despair. All in service to a leader who preached that unpredictable despair was the cure for boredom, for feeling anything and everything. The most prevalent now, in Sonia's experience, were deep sadness, loneliness, and regret: nothing she wanted, everything she hated.

And so Sonia sobbed harder. Behind her hands and so thoroughly disgraced in the world, it no longer mattered what she looked like or how she reacted in front of others. And thus, when Shinobu tugged her hands away, she revealed a pair of red, swollen, and splotchy eyes, flushed and tear-stained cheeks, and a nose that ran unless Sonia sniffled, an attempt to dry her tears and the rest of her face while at it. A mostly fruitless endeavor, as Yaguchi held her hands firmly in her own and with no way to wipe at the mess on her face.

"That seems," A pause, a sniffle, "A bit bizarre. To sleep well beside me. I have committed murder on quite a large scale, and have caused plenty of suffering to many more. You shouldn't find any comfort in me: no one does."

That wasn't exactly true: the only people she felt who could find comfort in her were those as equally complicit and guilty in The Tragedy as she was. Person, rather: who had looked at her and couldn't see a woman worth loving anymore, just someone who had helped destroy the world and destroy him, in the way only someone his twisted heart loved could do. He'd done the same for her, she had the faint scars to prove it. They, alongside the many that littered her lower torso, were both her comfort and love, and her shame and sorrow. A constant reminder that anything she felt she'd deserved before she'd become a Remnant of Despair was beyond her now.

Another sniffle, and Sonia needed to look away, gently tugging her hands out of Yaguchi's grasp. She'd been gentle, Yaguchi, but it seemed impolite to stay like that. After she'd already breached the barriers of personal space, considering how little help the pillows had been in the end. "You probably wish to leave," Sonia mumbled, finally reaching up to wipe at the last few tears in her eyes. But her tone left little to question: instead, it was decidedly on the side of 'there's no reason why you'd want to stay here, not without a threatening thunderstorm to keep her prisoner in my cabin.'

It was hard to believe anyone at face value anymore, at least about anything remotely positive. Makoto Naegi's constant prattling about hope and bright futures, with his friends espousing similar sentiments (Togami aside) and now Yaguchi assuring her that not only had she not taken advantage of her, but she enjoyed sleeping at her side. It all seemed so disingenuous, empty words and phrases spouted to pacify the former mass-murderers so they wouldn't revert back to the monsters they once were. So they wouldn't overpower and slaughter the Future Foundation members before commandeering a ship and carrying out Junko Enoshima's Despair, or a new sort of terror entirely unique to them. It wasn't as if Sonia hadn't thought of it: not that she wanted to, but more the fact she was capable of it. And she was only the former Ultimate Princess, thinking of what around her could be turned into a weapon that the Future Foundation had yet to confiscate. Hajime was the brains behind every operation now: if he wanted to, Sonia was certain, he could find a way for all of them to get off the island and pursue whatever path they wished.

But he was compliant. He wanted to work with the Future Foundation, to have Hajime Hinata and Izuru Kamukura work in tandem together to make one composite being. So she was stuck: stuck until she was deemed ready to be sent home, exiled from her home forever. Her friends...they were her home now, not the half-burnt, crumbling kingdom in Europe who couldn't decide whether to let her live a life imprisoned or kill her as soon as she stepped foot on Novosonian soil.

Sonia winced, falling back down against the pillows and mattress. There was no alcohol left in her cabin, nothing that could take the pain away. If only she would will herself into a dreamless sleep, and keep it going until she no longer had to live anymore.

Despite the fact Yaguchi was still very much present and very much awake, Sonia pulled the covers up over her messy braid, her sticky cheeks. There was no reason to get out of bed, not really.

In the lightly dreamy haze of early morning wakefulness, Shinobu hadn't anticipated what Sonia's reaction would be when she finally woke. Likely embarrassment, to some extent, but it hadn't come to mind that she might be upset. Of course, from Shinobu's perspective, nothing had been done that was unacceptable. Against all odds, she'd slept well, and if she were looking at the state of her life through an honest lens, she was terribly lonely. If anything, they felt as though they should apologize, for taking such comfort in her closeness.

Sonic, though, clearly was worked up by what had happened. It took a moment for the situation to properly sink in, before her words fully clicked in Shinobu's mind. Sonia thought she'd done something awful, and that thought had clearly recalled unpleasant memories. It was true that there was video evidence of those crimes of hers, though Shinobu had made it a point never to seek them out. The murders were unavoidable, from all of the remnants, especially when Shinobu had been personally present for some of them. Yet their other acts of depravity... surely they'd all prefer for those to be forgotten as much as possible, and the archer would like to oblige them when they could.

"Miss Nevermind, please calm down," Shinobu started, her voice still quiet, such that Sonia simply spoke over her. Whatever guilt, shame, or self-loathing she was experiencing seemed, for the moment, too thick to reach through with quiet words alone. But then, what was the proper thing to do in such a situation? What would Seiko have done? What would Anzu have done? "Oh, I dunno, Shinobu-chan, not slept alongside a dangerous genocidal maniac in the middle of a Little Episode?"

Well, that wasn't exactly helpful. Truthfully, Seiko would have likely clammed up, given how she struggled with any kind of confrontation, and Anzu - the real Anzu - never would have found herself in a position like this anyway. If anything, she'd have simply laughed it off, and that was neither something Shinobu was capable, nor believed would help. "Miss Nevermind, I-" No, rather, if Shinobu wanted to soothe her in some way, to protect not just her body, but her heart as well, then whatever came next would need to be authentically herself, rather than some pale imitation of what some departed kind person would do.

Besides, Sonia's weeping made it difficult to get a word in edgewise. From the night before Shinobu knew that she wasn't necessarily comfortable being touched without her consent, and so it seemed quite the risk. Then again, they'd had a moment together, hadn't they? Of trust, and of warmth. And so, for that reason, Shinobu swallowed the anxieties that threatened to devour them from the inside out, and softly reached up to take Sonia's hands and move them away from her face. She didn't let go, not for a moment, as her hands lightly clasped around the other woman's, and she looked directly to her eyes.

"Sonia," she started, the given name spilling out from her lips before she'd realized it, "please, listen to me, alright?" Again, that urge welled up inside her, the urge to hug Sonia tightly, or to caress her cheek and wipe her tears for her. No, Shinobu Yaguchi was no expert when it came to comforting another, and yet any discomfort that came with that fact would be discarded if it was for the sake of Sonia's happiness. Her hands, still holding Sonia's, squeezed softly, as she regarded the other woman with a patient, gentle expression.

"You've done nothing wrong." She searched the oceans of Sonia's eyes, hoping to find some confirmation that she was listening, that something was getting through to her even with the situation being as upsetting for her as it was. "You have not done anything untoward to me. I'm fine, and while the contact was unexpected, it was not unpleasant or inappropriate. Truthfully, I slept quite well - better than I typically do." There was no ignoring that reality. Shinobu Yaguchi was painfully lonely, and after having become accustomed to sleeping beside another person more often than not, she'd felt the absence strongly since Seiko's death.

"I know you must feel immense guilt over the people you have hurt, but you have not hurt me. You took no advantage of me, and if the situation arose again, I would sleep soundly at your side, without any concern or apprehension. I still trust you." Again, Shinobu resisted the urge to hold her face, or offer more physical reassurance that would be inappropriate in the moment. "I promise, Sonia, you didn't do anything wrong." Please don't cry, and certainly not for my sake.

[flowerflamestars]

I'm in a very angry-with-the-IC-and-Rhys-in-particular mood, and since I'm just rereading Daylight I was wondering, what is going through Rhysand's mind throughout the events of Daylight? Because it's basically his entire life CRUMBLING around him and I'd love to see the mental gymnastics he does to fit it all into his "I'm the good guy, actually" narrative. Or just his general reaction.

this is a FABULOUS question, thank you!

Daylight! Rhys is, in my opinion, the closest to a canonical (pre-acosf) character representation that I go for. He's so SO fucked up, and sublimating and burying all that trauma has, of course, failed, and it's all manifesting, in all these different directions.

To understand the level on which Rhys is losing his shit, it's important to go back to the very beginning: Rhysand, to Rhysand, is always, always the hero of the story. The down on his luck knight with truth in his heart. The struggling, just man.

He CANNOT seeing beyond himself for even a second. He casts himself in the most important role, as the only person whose personal consequences exist.

His mother, at probable great risk, takes him to Illyria to be trained- the precious, first-born, godly son of Night. To learn to fight- to learn, presumably, her culture- to see what that culture is reduced to, a harshness he will on day have the power to change. Rhys had to be, at some point, a great hope for Not High Fae denizens of the Court.

What does Rhysie learn? Illyria is harsh. Illyria is bad. Backwards and cruel.

He hates his father for...presumably, the crime of being a pretty traditional High Lord? Rhys hates the cruelties! the Court of Nightmares! the broken system!

So what does Rhys do when he has power? he fires everyone. He doesn't like them, he doesn't like whatever they did under his father...so instead of hiring new people, he removes himself entirely from a potential role in changing/mitigating those policies. See also: the Court of Nightmares, cowed occasionally, but not in any way governed by Rhys.

But he's the hero! He's destroyed the oppression! His Court of Just his Bros is made of women and Illyrians!

(Rhys removed the terribleness from his direct experience...because only his experiences matter)

So, Rhys in his head: the struggle, the hero, the man just trying to do it right.

Which brings us to Daylight....and Feyre. I know we can attribute the way the characters stop even remotely being sympathetic between acomaf and...everything else...to poor writing, but I also think there's some (maybe accidental but PERFECT) character work there: in acomaf, pre-acknowledged bond, Feyre is an important possession/ally- she's on the same level as the other members of the Court of Dreams, if the jewel of the collection, a high point in the story Rhys tells himself: HE saved the HERO OF PRYTHIAN

(which...let's not even touch on the fact that the deal he makes in acotar is CREEPY and he can only justify it later. she wasn't someone he wanted to work with in acotar- she was a vulnerable, hot young woman he fully took advantage of)

And then they're mates.

And then, slowly but surely, Feyre's personhood disappears. For two reasons: 1) Feyre is on a pedestal so sky-high it blots out everything. Good, pure, true hero Feyre whose adoration Rhysand needs like air. the happy end of his story, the prize and the salvation, the one who sees him.

and 2) ultimately, to Rhys, Feyre is an extension of him. A symbol: his happiness, his peace, his endless power, what he fought to keep.

She's his whole anchor staying sane, which isn't great, considering...ya know, everything. But the Story is Over. They are Happy.

Except- except- nothing is over. Post fifty straight years of torture, a freefall into war and fuckery, teen marriage and literal death, the consequences for all those things AND THE SHIT RHYS WAS PULLING LONG BEFORE AMARANTHA TURNED HIM INTO A CHEW TOY, are still present.

But now, he has something to protect. His golden future. His puppy Mate.

Because Feyre's safety is the safety of his power and vice versa. Anything he does is justifiable because the loss of Feyre is Not an Option. She is Happy. They Are Happy.

It bleeds into everything- and then it intensifies, because this is the breaking point.

The Az/Lucien thing and Feyre incredibly hurtful blindness? No Rhys isn't going to interfere- Az is so private anyway- if Feyre believes its a romantic bond, Feyre is right, she knows her sister, not that it matters because Elain is totally out of her mind.

Sending Cassian to Illyria? Illyria is a backwards shithole right? They're fierce fighters and that's what Rhys values them for- as the hammer of his power- and nothing else? why would there be anything else? Look at them fighting and hurting each other.

Nesta runs and Cassian is left throwing himself in battles actively trying to die and Rhys? Rhys is totally smug. A problem that hurt Feyre and his brother is GONE.

But it's not gone. Az isn't talking to anyone- and Rhys thinks this probably means Lucien is probably, finally fucking him- but even Feyre understands that Azriel knows where Nesta is. When this is proved (when Elain surfaces and they have the very fun kitchen fight) Rhys isn't happy- but he understands. Azriel has always felt responsible for broken things.

But thats not his job, it's Rhysands job, and Rhys has already made that tough choice for the safety of his own: Nesta has no place here. When she resurfaces inevitably, broke and wanting something, Rhys will stop her before she gets close enough to upset (hurt) Feyre. It's his job.

Cassian goes missing, and Rhysand sets upon what will become his eventual move: Illyria's value is strength. (a martial strength that belongs to RHYS). But they think they can take from him? They can destroy their own best chance? (Rhys recognizes Cassian's value to Illyria even while, you know, ordering him to slaughter Illyrians) They would threaten his power? hurt his family?

Rhys will not allow a world to exist where Feyre can be hurt.

If Illyria can't be controlled, Illyria will be put down, like the rabid creatures they are. (They were always backwards, Rhys thinks. Freeing my mother was the one good thing my father ever did)

But Cassian lives.

Rhys asks Azriel if he's been cursed. Az laughs in his face.

And Cassian is a terrible enemy to have. The strategies the loyalists are using? His, filtered through Rhys. The magical contingencies? Cassian and Az, trying to prevent bloodshed.

Feyre thinks, for a long time, that maybe the rebels have Nesta. What else could compel Cassian to even care? these people keep trying to kill him. they want to kill Rhys. the brothers suffered in the frozen mud at the hands of these monsters, what is Cassian doing?

And then the massacre happens.

And Feyre sick to her stomach, cries when she hears. Rhysand thinks about a little hazel eyed boy who'd never had a bed, a present, who'd been nothing until Rhysand plucked him up- a little boy who'd grown into a dangerous man, who'd just killed every person who ever contributed to his pain. Rhys thinks, knowing he'll have to punish Cassian for this, that it's over.

The camp lords are dead, it has to be over.

(Azriel hears and understands- because he knows damn well Cassian was something before Rhysand, and after despite him. That beneath those repeatedly broken ribs is a heart that was once so big so save him, grown strong enough now to save everyone who was like them: forgotten, abandoned, used.)

It's not over. The mountains are burning. Banners fly on northern wind in a language long dead. They're singing, the spies say, they call him dawn. Loyal-heart-as-dawn.

It's Cassians name. Not that Rhys, who never knew more than a few vile insults in the language of his mother's ancient, proud people, understood it then.

Rhysand, the long-suffering hero of his own story, has been betrayed.

He can risk no more- it's time to end this madness. It's Feyre's idea to use Elain- it's Feyre who is left crying, a betrayal Rhysand will never forget- when Elain, who they've given everything, Elain, perhaps just as broken and wretched as her eldest sister, refuses to help keep Feyre safe.

(Elain refuses to participate in what she sees as genocide, but as we've established, what consequences exist? the ones Rhys feels right in front of his face)

Azriel, Elain, and Lucien run.

Of course, if both Feyre's sisters are capable of betraying her, of course, both of Rhysand's brothers would as well. They are one in the same, aren't they? Marked by destiny, by fate for this hard and terrible work- of course it hurts. Of course- but Rhysand will stop it from hurting Feyre any more.

There's one force in the world that can stand in truth against Illyria. The Darkbringers- their ancestral, ancient conquers.

(Yes, I do think Rhys knows the shitty, shitty history of his court! He just doesn't care! He didn't do it. He's different. He's in Velaris with the common people. He has wings. He's not his father.)

(He is, in fact, far worse)

When he thinks of it, it seems perfect. Illyria will be destroyed- a loss, but a safe one. Keir, will, almost certainly, also be destroyed or at least critically weakened.

Rhysand will stand alone, the man who was willing to do anything for peace. He will rule over an emptied playing field, secure in a world where Feyre is safe.

The Hewn City empties, the armies march- Rhysand holds tight Feyre's hand, says nothing about the fact that nothing, nothing, will stop Keir from killing anyone in front of him when battle starts, and reaches once more for Cassian's mind.

His brother, his friend, his loyal right hand- he begs him to come back. To come home. That they can put down this rebellion and in his love for Cassian everything can go back to how it is meant to be, all of them together.

It does not occur to him to address the hundreds dead. The system he was complicit in and responsible for that ground a culture to dust and ash- what matters is brother against brother should never have turned, and Rhys, in his kindness, will offer Cassian this last chance for honor.

Rhys doesn't want Cassian to die- he wants Cassian by his side- but he will drown the world in blood before he'll lose his crown and hope and Feyre.

And when Cassian dies, falling to the earth in Rhysand's arms, Rhys thinks of penance.

A circle closed.

But of course- Cassian wakes. Death is not done with her right hand anymore than the contract between Lordship and land in immutable. Cassian brought the magic back, brought Illyria back.

Rhys is fighting for something personal- Cassian is fighting for a whole world and future, with everything in himself.

When the new border is drawn, Rhys doesn't despair- sure he's shaking, he's covered in Cassian's blood, his twelve thousand year old walls are smoking and the whole world smells like fucking Nesta Archeron- he's been the victim of curses before.

He won't let it keep him down. He'll be fine. He has Feyre, they're safe. Illyria is going to implode- and maybe, maybe, he'll save some of those that remain when the violence is too much, when they need a real High Lord.

They'll come home. Just like Feyre's sisters will. Rhysand's brothers. They fought for peace and Velaris has it- it is their home.

It's what they fought for, the happy ending, and it's all worth it.

It has to be worth it.