#moral compromise
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
by Michael Rubin
Secretary of State Antony Blinken smells like desperation. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for more than two hours, Blinken said the current proposal to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and win the release of Hamas-held hostages is "maybe the last" opportunity.
Blinken is wrong. The last opportunity to win a ceasefire and release Hamas captives came when he agreed to negotiate with a terrorist group whose covenant embraces genocide and whose ideology envisions Islamic rule with religious and sexual minorities condemned to second-class status if not slavery or death.
When diplomats fall back on process, too often they lose sight of the forest through the trees. The fact remains: Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during a ceasefire to which the terrorist group had agreed. Its members raped, slaughtered, and took civilians hostage. The return of those hostages should always have been the precondition to negotiations rather than the conclusion. If Palestinians in Gaza did not want to see their territories' collateral destruction, they could return hostages under their control or inform about their whereabouts. This is not farfetched considering that Hamas has kept hostages in supposedly civilian hospitals, in private homes, and even with U.N. employees.
To negotiate with Hamas over its blatant violation of humanitarian law not only empowers Hamas, but it permanently degrades international law.
Blinken's second mistake was his choice of mediator. A good rule of thumb: Never place strategic interests in a mediator ideologically committed to your destruction. Egyptians may be aloof and, as the tunnels under the Philadelphi Corridor show, double-dealing, but Qatar too often uses its vast wealth to promote the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology that at its core rejects all aspects of Western liberalism and democracy.
Blinken has also tried to include Turkey in any post-conflict order. This, too, is bizarre. Years of pandering to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan combined with the Turkish despot's similar Muslim Brotherhood-infused ideology makes Turkey far less a partner for peace than an undesignated sponsor of terrorism. To offer Erdogan influence over post-Hamas Gaza would be akin to putting white supremacist David Duke in charge of post-apartheid South Africa.
Blinken's third mistake is treating the Palestinian Authority as a moderate alternative to Hamas. Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is now in the third decade of his four-year presidential term. As Blinken has restored funding to Abbas, Abbas has shown his true colors. Speaking in Turkey just the other day, Abbas declared, "America is the plague and the plague is America."
There is no substitute for moral clarity. Moral compromise, meanwhile, substitutes groveling for justice.
After Iran released its 52 American hostages on President Ronald Reagan's first day in office, former Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher published a collection of essays by Carter administration alumni crowing triumphant for their success. Their thesis? The persistence of diplomacy led Ayatollah Khomeini to release his prisoners. Peter Rodman, a former Kissinger aide, responded in an article that Christopher and crew got it backward: The Islamic Republic let its hostages go when the cost of their captivity grew too high to bear.
Rather than pressure Netanyahu and have aides, underlings, and surrogates slime a duly elected leader, Blinken should be introspective. Had Blinken at every opportunity not indulged Hamas's conceits or played into the agenda of the group's enablers such as Qatar and Turkey, the hostages today might be free and the Hamas-imposed war over. President Joe Biden's base might hand wring and indulge in an orgy of antisemitism, but the road to peace rests on bringing so much pain to bear on Hamas that it has no choice but to release its captives and end its reign of terrorism over Gaza's 2.5 million Palestinians.
#anthony blinken#hamas#gaza#negotiations#hostages#hostage negotiations#moral clarity#moral compromise#benjamin netanyahu#israel#united states#turkey#qatar#egypt
34 notes
¡
View notes
Text
YOUâRE AN ANGEL, IâM A DOG ; SATORU GOJO
synopsis; an upcoming exam has been stressing you out, and satoruâs pleas for you to take care of yourself fall on deaf ears. he takes matters into his own hands.
word count; 4.3k
contents; satoru gojo/reader, gn!reader, yan!gojo, as far as yanderes go heâs very mild i think (im sensitive u can trust me!!), mentions of blood, implied murder (not depicted!!), he threatens your professor w a knife lol, surprisingly fluffy??, gojo is soooo lovesick & smitten, he just wants his baby to live a happy life :( is that so wrong :((, also your parents love him <33 and he calls you honey <333 ideal man.
a/n; i blacked out & when i woke up this was in my drafts⌠mysterious. @kissxcore here u go alexis <33 one very smitten morally gray yan!gojo just for u!! i completely lost the plot halfway through but i had a lot of fun writing this!! :33 i donât dabble in yan content at all so it was a fun lil challenge hehe, i hope it ended up . Somewhat .. decentâŚ
satoru thinks you deserve everything good.
âhaahâŚâ
â the sigh spills into the air, like a dot of ink on paper, dripping with exhaustion; a palpable fatigue that has his heart clenching beneath his ribs.
just as he feared, youâre here. again. seated on the couch, in the living room, legs crossed and framed by flimsy strings of moonlight; illuminated only by the dim light of the laptop in front of you. carding through your hair, blinking sluggishly.
another sigh. deep, exasperated, from satoru this time. he keeps a single hand on his hip, brows furrowed in soft disappointment.Â
âhoney⌠what do you think youâre doing?â
you jolt, the sudden sound breaking you out of whatever trance you were previously in. when your gaze flits to his, craning your head to see him rest against the wall leading up to your bedroom, he thinks you look a little like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
it makes him smile. despite his disapproval.
âah â satoru! itâs⌠um.â a moment passes. he can practically see the gears of your mind turning, searching for a good excuse. â⌠not what it looks like?â
he clicks his tongue. ânice try.â
then heâs walking towards you, in long strides, gliding across the room like a butterfly in search of nectar. from the sweetest flower there ever was.
even when said flower is still awake, past midnight, pulling an all-nighter despite his frequent advice not to. his very frequent, very thoughtful advice not to strain yourself until you just about pass out.
but you just wonât listen.
ââm disappointed in you, baby,â he huffs, just playful enough to ward off any genuine feelings of distress. he could never truly be disappointed in his baby. âwhat did we say about studying this late, hm?â
a sheepish chuckle slips past your lips. satoru is standing in front of you, hands on his hips, raising a questioning eyebrow as you squirm. lighthearted, yes, but genuine. it makes you feel a little guilty.
â⌠sorry,â you breathe, closing the lid of your laptop. knowing he wonât let you stay up any longer. with the loss of light, your face becomes shrouded in darkness. âjust canât sleep when iâm so stressed.â
at that, satoru makes a tiny noise â something worried, a little sad, from the base of his throat. a soft frown finds its way onto his lips, and he blinks the sleep away from his senses. plopping down beside you.
âi know. iâm not trying to lecture you,â he croons, reaching out to cradle the apple of your cheek. you melt into him like molten honey, easy and sweet. âjust worried. know youâre stressed.â
and he does. he does know â itâs all heâs been able to think about, these past few weeks. to his dismay, heâs even begun to grow used to this sight, used to finding you in the midst of working yourself to exhaustion. fighting the urge to sleep, slumped over your desk, or cooped up on the couch. staring into your laptop like it holds the secrets of the universe.
time and time again, heâs told you to take care of yourself. tried to coax you into relaxing, rubbing your sore shoulders and kissing the puffy skin beneath your eyes. but this exam is important â youâve told him as much, more times than he can count. he doesnât doubt that youâre right.Â
of course youâd be stressed. he gets it.
still, though.
âbut you know itâs not good, yeah? that itâll just burn you out?â his thumb goes to smooth over the dark crescents beneath your eyes, gentle as a feather. âwe donât want that, do we?â
you bite your lip. trapping it between your teeth. he knows you know. â⌠yeah,â you admit, a flimsy little sigh on your tongue. âit just feels easier to do this at night. donât know why.â
âmy little night owl.â
that makes you smile, a little, but itâs not enough to satisfy him. he curls an arm around your waist, and drags you into his lap; gentle, always gentle, like all that exists under your skin is made of porcelain. like the lines of your face form a string of words, a label of fragile: handle with care. he always does.
with his heartbeat by your ear, his warmth melting into yours, itâs easier to speak. a pressure on your chest that fades away. âiâll try not to do it again,â you murmur, biting back a soft yawn. nuzzling into his neck. âpromise. donât wanna worry youâŚâ
satoru softens.Â
(always so good to him.)
âitâs fine, honey. i understand.â he smiles, smoothing down your spine, counting the bumps of vertebra that slide along his palm. âdonât worry that pretty little head of yours over me, alright?â
in return for his comfort, you wriggle away, lifting your head to give him a smile. one of your many smiles, each one fervently cherished by him; the one youâre wearing now is tired, a soft curl of your lips, the kind that makes him want to lull you to sleep. just the sight alone makes the anxiety in his veins feel like a worthy investment.
he doesnât tell you anything that could cause that joy to diminish. doesnât tell you that he canât sleep without you, that he can barely breathe knowing youâre this stressed all time. doesnât tell you that he jolted awake with a sinking feeling of dread, a gaping pit in his stomach when he didnât immediately feel the warmth of your skin against his. doesnât tell you that he always, always assumes the worst.
satoru doesnât tell you these things. itâs a safety measure, an act of love. a bundle of unvoiced syllables, woven into white lies, silky and sweet. tailor-made to put your aching mind at ease.Â
satoru thinks you deserve everything good.
itâs a theory, of sorts, a train of thought. a hypothesis made manifest. after many years of pondering, heâs arrived at the following conclusion; you are all thatâs good. therefore, it only follows that you deserve everything thatâs good, all of it and more. satoru believes you deserve every single thing your little heart desires â and heâs determined to give it to you.
so heâs been worried.
itâs not that he doesnât trust you. he knows youâll ace the exam, knows youâll do your very best, knows youâll make him proud. you always do. you arenât the problem, no, never.
he just doesnât trust your professor.Â
that unfair, stuck-up, incompetent professor whoâd fail his students just for being a couple minutes late, who curates his exams to be as convoluted as humanly possible. you and your friends are starting to suspect he just likes berating people for a living. satoru knows it all, heâs heard it all, of course he has. satoru pays attention to everything, when it comes to you. he knows all about your professor, the man whoâs been making your studies pure hell for the past semester.
it makes his blood boil. steady, ruminating, hot and heavy in his veins. a rivulet of lava.
(it was only a matter of time.)
satoru is a teacher too; he knows that type. one that has no business being a teacher, in the first place, one no student deserves to be subjected to. heâs met more of them in his career than he could even begin to count. the thought of one of his own students being at the mercy of someone so incompetent makes his skin itch.
and the thought of you, seated on the couch, crying and sniffling when he comes home because none of the exam questions made enough sense for you to even try â
it makes satoru want to claw his skin off.
it makes that tiny, tiny cavern in his heart extend, widen, like a maw, swallowing up his liver and lungs and sense of morality. an emptiness begging to be filled.Â
thereâs only one way to satiate it.
so he plants a wet kiss on your forehead, ruffles your hair, tucks you into bed and waits until you fall asleep. deep and heavy, a slumber you wonât wake up from anytime soon. he presses his lips to your forehead one more time â for good measure.
then he grabs his coat and slips outside.
the moon is visible through the window.
a thin crescent, nailed next to the dim stars, leaking a dream-like fluorescent shine; illuminating the office, so quiet he can hear those erratic breaths spill out, one by one. a heavy, heavy silence, thick enough to spread like butter over toast.Â
(ah, thatâs right â he forgot to buy the butter you asked for this morning. no wonder he feels so out of sorts. heâll have to grab it on his way back.)
âwho⌠w â what are â ?â
satoru stays silent. lips pursed, eyes keen, burning into the back of the man in front of him. close, almost chest to back, enough to have him scowling in displeasure.Â
just being in his presence makes satoru feel a little sick.Â
he keeps the blade pressed right beneath his adamâs apple, a silver glimmer in an office painted blue and gray. not enough to sink into his skin, but enough to have his heartbeat hammering, enough that satoru can practically feel those rapid flutters of life. brushing against his gloved hand.
he gets straight to the point. voice muffled by the fabric covering his mouth, low enough that itâs barely even audible. heâs careful, about this kind of thing. thereâs a delicacy to the ill intent, something heâd be a little enamored with if it werenât for the compass stuffed into his ribs â the compass that tells him this is wrong.
he just canât bring himself to care.
âthe upcoming exam.â his voice sends a shiver down the manâs spine. satoru can feel it. âdonât fail a single student.â
silence. pure silence, suffocating them, tangling itself into the air. satoru can practically taste it â fear, familiar, that pang of panic. a ticking time-bomb. the knife stays pressed against warm skin, pushing, sinking, just a little, a drop of red against his pale throat.Â
itâs enough to get your professor to make a little noise, one that vaguely resembles a whine. like that of a small animal, rolling over on its belly, eager to play dead. no word is spoken in reply, but he nods, just barely, a nervous tremble of his head.
satoru hums, approving. âgood.â he doesnât loosen his grip. âthereâs a particular student iâm worried about. marked them down in the catalogue... iâm counting on you.â
another noise. a grunt of affirmation, a silent plea â satoru allows that fear to seep into his own bones, just a little, just to get a taste of it. cold on his tongue. he wonders if this is what helplessness feels like.
then he takes a step back. slow, tentative, dragging the knife with him. not before parting his lips once more. âdonât turn around,â he warns. âiâll be back if there are any complications. thisâll be our little secret, hm?â
the man in front of him doesnât say a thing. frozen in fear, paralyzed, not moving an inch. a fly trapped in his web. itâs a relief.
before he exits the room, satoru puts the final nail in the coffin. just in case. âi happen to know what school your daughter goes to.â he waits for a flinch, and it comes almost instantly. like clockwork. âremember that.â
itâs an empty threat. your professor doesnât know that, though. he doesnât know that satoru knows his daughter, that he walks past her preschool almost every morning on his way to work. that she waves to him whenever he passes by, and that he makes it a point to always wave back. a little troublemaker; the rowdiest of utahimeâs preschoolers. she has a bubbly laugh, and just lost one of her milk teeth. she was giddy when she showed him, a bout of giggles spilling from her lips as he cooed and ruffled her hair.Â
he wouldnât lay a finger on her.Â
but your professor doesnât know that, hasnât got a single clue, and satoru delights in the fear that must be running through his veins. down his spine, crawling into every narrow of his skeleton, making a home for itself that heâll never quite be able to root out.
a gulp. satoru hears it, in the quiet of nightfall, just before he shuts the door behind him. good.
the rest of the evening is a blur. satoru gets home, relieved to find you still asleep, and tucks you into his chest. makes a mental reminder to order your favorite take out tomorrow; a little reward for your hard work.
finally, he can sleep easy. knowing youâll get what you deserve.Â
three weeks later, satoru places his hand on the familiar doorknob in front of him, dragging his weight behind him. blinking sluggishly.Â
thereâs a sinking feeling in his chest, weighing him down �� like an anchor tied to his liver. a compass, tucked between his fourth and fifth rib, one thatâll always stay lodged right there. heâs learned to grow used to it, a natural consequence, a sign that his humanity is still intact.Â
that doesnât make it any less bothersome, though.
(ridding the world of a pest shouldnât make him feel dirty. especially when he felt nothing but contempt for the pest in question, for the way he whistled as you walked by, the words he spewed before satoru met his eye. vile. putrid. why should he feel guilty for wiping a stain off the pavement?
it does make him feel dirty, though. a sinking feeling in his chest.)
thereâs nothing to be done about it. satoru swallows the unpleasant taste on his tongue, and drags the door open, closing it behind him with a softness he reserves for you alone.
and there you are.
on the couch, farther away, already looking his way â lips instantly curling up into what he knows will be a smile. this time, itâs laced with excitement. one of his personal favorites. his gaze devours the joy in your features, the glimpse he gets of your teeth, that familiar crinkle of your eyes.Â
youâre smiling. at him. you smile and his world wakes up, itâs dyed in different shades of blue, itâs brimming with life and love and something too good not to kill for. you smile and everything is right, good, worth it. you smile and it's as if the blood has been washed off his hands.
suddenly, all is well again. satoru exhales a blissful little breath.
ââm home, honey,â he grins, a light pink dusting his cheeks, hanging his coat up before turning to face you. arms wide open. âdid you miss me?â
his heartbeat stutters when you practically engulf him, all giddy giggles and that perfect smile, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. âmhm,â is what you chirp, pressing kisses down his collarbone, and he has to bite down on his lip to stop the shivers trailing down his spine. he tastes iron, but laps it up with a coo. sickly-sweet.
âmissed you too, precious,â he purrs. âsorry i was gone for so long â had to take care of something.âÂ
he cups the back of your skull with his palm, large and crafted just to hold you, and marvels at how much you trust him. how youâre melting into his chest, fitting into every crevice of his heart. he wants to keep you there forever. forever and ever, always within reach, always close enough to touch.Â
but he also wants you to be happy. he wants to see you run away, wherever the wind takes you, if only so heâll get to feel you jump into his arms again, when youâve had your fill of the world. when you come home to him, where you both belong.
satoru would never cage you. never, never, never. he wants you to enjoy your life â confining you wouldnât do any good, would only stifle that pretty smile he loves so dearly. he wants your world to be large, brimming with life, blooming with fervor, wants the air to be clear enough for your beautiful lungs. he couldnât build a world for you, here, in this apartment. no matter how big or luxurious.Â
so his only option is to bend the world into a kinder shape â twist and mold until it forms a path good enough for you to follow.
(itâs worth it, he knows, heâll always know. itâs worth it to see that smile.)
âis that a new coat?â you ask, naive and innocent, and it breaks him out of his thoughts, attention wired to the lilt of your voice.
âyeah.â itâs stylish, expensive, a nice shade of black. he had to throw the last one away. âlooks nice, right? iâll get you the same one, pretty.â
âyou donât have to, toru!â you hurriedly exclaim, knowing heâll jump at the opportunity to spoil you. âi like the one i have now!â
satoru pouts. a soft huff, right by your ear. âyou donât wanna wear matching coats?â he feigns sadness, scratching softly at your scalp, drinking up the little purrs that bubble up in your throat.Â
and you giggle. you giggle and all he can think is worth it, worth it, worth it. a stained coat or two means nothing. the blood on his hands is just insurance.Â
âwell, when you put it like thatâŚâ you shift a little, curling your arms around his neck, breathing him in. he wonders if you can smell the cleaning detergent. âi guess i wouldnât mind a new coat.â
and he grins. âright? want me to buy you new shoes while iâm at it? some jewelry?â he peppers kisses down your neck, amusement laced in his voice. âthe whole store?â
again, those giggles. again and again. he laps them up like fine wine. âokay, thatâs too much.â
âbut you deserve it!â he whines, sickeningly sweet. sick to his stomach with love. âbeen working so hard, my angel.â
and, suddenly â you light up. his little firefly. brightening, inhaling a giddy breath. pulling away, a little, and he does his best to bite back the frown on his face. youâre practically beaming, sunshine personified, eyes glittering with giddy joy.
âright! i almost forgot!âÂ
then youâre skipping away, happily, to retrieve your phone. and he knows what youâre going to show him, but still feigns surprise when he sees the score on your exam, that perfect 100 on the screen. still makes an expression of shock that he knows will get you to laugh, still picks you up and spins you around and tells you how proud he is.
he almost, almost feels bad, seeing you smile so wide; at what you assume to be the fruits of your own labour. almost feels ashamed, knowing that perfect 100 wouldnât exist without the knife at your professorâs throat.
but, then again, this is how it should be. those numbers are the fruits of your own labour, because satoru is a part of you. and you deserve it, deserve it more than anyone â he knows you would have gotten it, even without his help, if your professor was competent enough to see your brilliance.Â
satoru smiles. he is proud of you. and this is exactly how it should be. heâs just bending the world into its rightful shape, cutting strings from a wrongly woven web, righting the wrongs of the people around you.
you, you, you. the only thing that exists.
all of him is for you.
âi knew you could do it. never doubted you for a second, baby,â he smiles, so wide his cheeks hurt, and you return it with a kiss to his jaw.Â
âthank you. iâm just so relieved,â you exhale a breath, heavy, and itâs like he can practically see the stress melting from your shoulders and eyes. worth it, worth it, worth it. âgosh. iâm gonna sleep like the dead tonight.â
âas you should,â satoru chirps, pinching your side. softly, brimming with fondness. âbut before that, weâre gonna celebrate. all day. and tomorrow too!â
another smile coaxed from your lips; this time, itâs a little bit shy. bashful, at the praise, his endless excitement. so precious he wants to kiss you breathless. give you all the air in his lungs.
so precious that he forgets about everything else.Â
this is what you always do to him; wrap him up in a blanket of your love, cloud his veins with a nectar so sweet he takes the leap into your arms without a second thought. a foolish, lovesick butterfly, sticking to a single rose; dripping with honey, overflowing. the butterfly is too drunk on love to care.Â
youâre his flower, his joy, the most useful form of anesthesia. with you in his veins, on his mind, your lips on his jaw â satoru can pretend that his hands are clean. that they always have been.
it all slips from his mind. your professor, the creep who catcalled you yesterday, that one classmate youâve been complaining about recently. he forgets that they even exists, and satoru thinks that must be what love is: something that narrows your world down until you can make a home out of it.Â
(something worth holding onto, no matter the cost.)
as always, itâs your voice that snaps him out of the trance heâs in. turning around at the sound of your call, the orpheus to your eurydice, too in love to save you from himself. youâre both getting ready to head out, dressing up for a well-deserved date.Â
satoru feels himself smile. he does the dirty work, and you get to reap the rewards. heaven on earth.
âoh, by the way! would you want to have dinner with my parents tomorrow?â you meet his absent gaze with a tilt of your head. âtheyâve been asking about you again. itâs such a headache, seriously.â
satoru giggles, barely containing how delighted he is. raising a playful brow. âoh? grumpy that you arenât the favorite child anymore, hm?â
âokay, first of all ââ you stifle a giggle, pulling a drawer open, rummaging through it. freshly washed clothes. he washes most of your things. âyou arenât their child. and second of all ââ
ââ yet.â
a pause.Â
satoru watches your gaze flick over to him, then back to the drawer, collecting yourself. a cute flush to your cheeks. â⌠whatever.â you clear your throat. âsecond of all â i donât like how much they like you. what kinda spell did you put them under? itâs always satoru this, satoru that!â
a huff fills the air, and you mutter something that sounds a little like mocking, an obnoxiously imitated whereâs satoru? that makes him chuckle into his fist.Â
he shrugs. âiâm just a natural charmer, yâknow? and, for the record; i would love to have dinner with them.â he sends you a wink, playful, and you roll your eyes. âare you joining us?â
a bout of laughter pushes past your lips, and satoru thinks he could die happy â just soaking up the joy that spills from out your throat. he wishes he could live in it, paint your house in it, wear it. he wants your joy to be all he ever feels. he feels sick at the idea of ever being out of earshot for it.
âyes, iâm joining you.â your scoff is dripping with humour. âiâd hate to be the fourth wheel, but it is what it is.â
satoru stifles a grin. âlucky me. three beauties all to myself,â he drawls, a seductive lilt to his voice, just to hear that little noise you always make with the back of your throat. vaguely disgusted.
âyouâre so gross.â
a coo. like the buzzing of a bee. âdonât be jealous, honey. know youâre my favorite, donât you?â satoru smiles â more sincere than youâll ever know. âcould never love anyone else.â
âso my parents are in second place?â you quirk a brow, amusement lacing your words, and he clicks his tongue.Â
âwell, they made you. iâd have to be a fool not to worship artists of such caliber.âÂ
âcharmer.â
âyours.â the word is a knife at his throat, a stain on his coat, a love so heavy itâll burn him alive. âonly yours.â
and again, you smile. all he can think is that you deserve everything, everything he could ever give you. itâs all he can think as you go about your day, as he leads you outside, as he watches that flicker of joy dance inside your iris. as he watches you walk wherever your heart takes you.
the thought remains when you return home, when you wrap yourselves up in blankets and he throws a leg over your waist and you curl an arm around his ribcage. itâs all he can think.Â
satoru was born to be of service â to someone, to the world, to something or another. he was born to carry a weight on his back, so why not bear the weight of your burdens?
all he wants is to protect you. all heâll ever need is that smile on your face. he was always bound to be just this: a dog at your heels, a halo around your head, the watchful eye keeping you safe from everything rotten in this world. heâs the butterfly, the spider, the web itself. and heâll never let you be tangled up in it.
he was born to be of service to you. so service you he will, until it all comes back to bite him.
âsatoruuu â stop stealing the blanket!â
he prays it never will.
#im a lil unsure how to feel abt this piece i feel like it lost its flow pretty quickly đđđbut i rlly did have fun writing it hehe#my baseline for yan!gojo is basically; a kind man whoâs so in love w u that heâs willing to compromise his own morals to keep u safe#heâs not particularly possessive or even obsessive?? to him violence really is just . a necessary means to keep u happy#this is almost definitely the only yan piece ill ever write bUT im very fond of this gojo ⌠heâs a tortured little meowmeow <33#cw yandere#yandere gojo#gojo x reader#gojo x you#gojo x y/n#jjk x reader#jjk x you#jjk x y/n#gojo fluff#gojo satoru x reader#gojo satoru x you#gojo satoru x y/n#tw yandere
2K notes
¡
View notes
Text
the fact that irving canonically survives through the end of asunder to be at wynne's funeral is so fucking funny to me. nothing but love and respect for MY unstoppable cockroach morally grey machiavellian mage dad!!! he's survived in his position through multiple attempted rites of annulment and blood mage plots popping up left right and center around him. the chantry keeps trying to stamp him out but his dodge game is simply out of this world, divine. civil wars, political machinations and minefields, chantry atrocities, this wily old motherfucker is dodging and weaving his way through it all, not-quite-no-hits-taken-running-it-but-honestly-close-enough-under-the-circumstances style. if solas does succeed in tearing down the veil I would fully believe that one of the like three people still alive at the end of it all would be a very weary 90 year old first enchanter irving going 'oh this shit again huh'. the maker has cursed him for his hubris and his paperwork is never finished (affectionate, it's fine he canonically loves paperwork)
#we should have had the option to leave him in the fade instead of hawke or a warden#he would've just annoyedly shuffled his way back out of there a week later#dragon age#dragon age origins#first enchanter irving#he must be SO annoying to the chantry because it's heavily implied he's made his playground#out of tirelessly finding technicalities and loopholes to exploit that they can't *quite* call him on without domino effects going off#I think first enchanter in the circle system at origins times is a position that invariably and inevitably leaves you morally compromised#but I feel he really does his best within the rules he's given to play with and personally i love him a bit for that. and also#for being an unkillable lil shit. insufferable. inconquerable in his 'I'm about to be such an annoyance to you' impish spirit.#the I'm going to suffer but guess what. so are you of it all. traumatize the chantry back#I just imagine sophia sending letters home right before the vote for independence like '...dad I am hearing some INSANE rumours out here#what the actual fuck is going on back home???'#and he's like 'nothing that you need to worry about sweetie just keep living your best life and have fun killing darkspawn <3'#(there's something that makes me feel So much about how consistently his stance is like... 'you'll always be welcome here#but the circle doesn't *need* you; go be a warden and live your life'. he managed to fineagle freedom for you somehow and won't let you#turn and glance back. not even once. I feel somehow both so abandoned and so incredibly loved it's wild)#oc: sophia amell
857 notes
¡
View notes
Text
I've just played through Gortash's coronation with and without Karlach in the party and the difference-
Like when Karlach is in the party Gortash puts on a mask of composure and authority. Durge is still favorite assassin and all, but 'Lord Gortash' needs to maintain presence.
And then it's just Durge in the party and Gortash is a fucking smiling giggly mess. I can't express how freaking giggly he looks at EVERY second of the convo. Literally "blushing, giggling, twirling hair" kind of a vibe.
And WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK is that? How I'm supposed to NOT align with him??? How my Durge is supposed to not be immediately compelled to destroy the world just so this man kept looking at them like that?
#bg3 spoilers#lord enver gortash#enver gortash#durgetash#dark urge x gortash#if evil why so in love with durge????#help i can't finish act 3 bc of that man#I'm about to compromise the entire city for hin#he's so evil and wicked and shit and poor gondurans and poor refugees#but also @LARIAN PLS DURGETASH ROMANCE WHEN#help levi already has no morals his crush on a tyrant doesn't help that
1K notes
¡
View notes
Text
I know the decision to have Julian's parents have him augmented was made on the fly but imo its pretty obvious from early on that Julian has Family Issues because he avoids talking about his family like the plague and I think they should've incorporated this into the Julian and Sisko dynamic right from early on because I think it would've made for some really compelling stories and moments and could've set up a REALLY interesting Julian and Jake dynamic which they kinda started to do but never fully went for
#star trek: ds9#julian bashir#benjamin sisko#jake sisko#s1 Julian being so young and eager to prove himself and latching onto Sisko as this mentor figure to look up to#seeing Sisko with Jake and low-key seeking that fatherly figure connection which he won't even let himself think about#Sisko seeing this young brilliant doctor who's got all the makings to be something great and he's just GOTTA help him along#I think he would also catch on pretty quick that Julian's got Parental Issues#he tries to ask one day all casual like 'tell me about yourself :)' and Julian talks about nothing but Starfleet and med school#any attempts to ask about his family are met with awkward brief answers and redirections#and then theres the way Julian's eyes light up the first time Sisko invites him to watch a baseball game#like he Knows. he's a dad he Knows somethings up#but he doesnt pry#I also think it makes their dynamic more tragic towards the end of the series#where we have Sisko asking Julian to compromise his morals again and again#Julian's trust and respect for him gradually deteriorating#and then at the end of course Sisko is gone and they have no idea when he'll be back#which I think Julian would have a lot of complicated feelings about#but of course theres also Jake#I imagine they'd get closer#very brotherly dynamic#you know that scene in TNG where Wesley goes to Riker for girl advice and Riker and Guinan start flirting?#absolutely happens but with Jake asking Julian for girl advice and Julian wooing a girl at Quark's and Jake absolutely loses the plot#makes the events of ...Nor the Battle to the Strong more intense as well I think#also I like to think there'd be an episode where the B plot is Jake gets mad at Sisko and impulsively decides to move out#ends up at Julian's because he did not think this through#Julian is now very much caught in the middle of this family drama and he Fucking Hates It#also him and Jake are NOT compatible roommates but he's trying so so hard to be nice#eventually they have a talk and Julian cryptically hints at his own home life and tells Jake he's lucky he has a dad who cares so much#them being closer would work into what Alone Together sets up for them
176 notes
¡
View notes
Text
talking my shit about astarion and gale again. so you know how gale will still literally marry the player character as a mind flayer, knowing full well they're gonna need to eat human minds for the rest of their life to survive? and even goes so far as to just joke about needing odd catering for the wedding? applying that same logic to astarion here (i.e. gale doesn't give a shit and will go to morally dubious lengths for people he cares about as usual), what kinds of fucking schemes do you think he would come up with to ensure regular meals for him. i mean, netherese orb or no, he can't be a snack every day and still remain healthy, so you bet he's gonna come up with some ridiculous scheme just toeing the line of "morally okay" to feed astarion without TOO much carnage and/or hassle.
like theoretically astarion could just continue eating animals forever but fucking "i need to make a slow roast for my new friends", "im going to invite you to a delicious dinner i made when the world's done ending" gale dekarios is about as likely to let him continue eating subpar snacks forever as he is to stop going on tangents every 5 minutes.
#bg3#baldurs gate 3 spoilers#bloodweave#astarion bg3#astarion ancunin#gale dekarios#in my mind they're a lovely package of emotional support delightful banter and moral compromise#not entirely soft married couple energy (sorry guys) but not on that toxic4toxic evil doomed yaoi shit some of you enjoy (also sorry)#this is me yelling#baldurs gate 3
547 notes
¡
View notes
Text
someday it would be nice to experience an emotion the night before the election other than sick dread
#us politics#i would like at least one of the choices to be someone i wholeheartedly agree with#i would like to not have to hear people allegedly on my side claim that letting an overt fascist win is the less morally compromised option#i would like there to not be a fascist on the ballot in the first place!#many such pie in the sky hopes and dreams#anyway this marks twenty years since i first voted in a presidential election. yay.#lets hope it turns out better than that one did
95 notes
¡
View notes
Text
*Hands your 7 dollars*
ID: screenshot from the Brothers Sun where Bruce hands 7 one dollar bills to the Admin and asks "How much education would this buy me?" END ID
#i love bruce actually#yeah yeah charles is the wettest little meow meow and I love him too#BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS BOY RIGHT HERE?#in this world for like two weeks and outmaneuvers all the big players without compromising (too much of) his morals?#even if he is still a bit of an idiot#literally even big sun was slightly impressed by the end#ughhh my boyyyy#new meme template#i think?#this show is very funny and sweet pls go watch#the brothers sun#bruce sun
289 notes
¡
View notes
Text
So called morally gray women enjoyers will see a morally gray women and then claim sheâs not morally gray so they can enjoy her
#Iâm sorryyyyy you just cannot give her credit for actually ruling Ferelden instead of her husband#and then say she doesnât have any responsibility for what happened in her kingdom during that timeframe. particularly in her own city#itâs not about the epilogue slides about the very clearly set up in game decision between a tested experienced ruler who WILL compromise#morals for her political endgame#and an untested inexperienced contender with a more straightforward âgoodâ alignment#why do you want origins to be a worse game with less interesting decisions. donât get me started on Orzammar
131 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Reread/skimmed my oldest Pharma apologism posts (mainly the ones about Pharma not being a functionist) and it just occurred to me that possibly another reason the fandom saddled Pharma with the "functionist bigot" label is because his introduction by First Aid says that everyone hates Decepticons, but Pharma really really hates Decepticons. Mix that with the portion of the fanbase that lionizes and whitewashes the Decepticons, and I can easily see it entering common fanon that "Pharma hates Decepticons -> the Decepticons are freedom fighters wrongly maligned by the Autobots/the franchise -> Pharma must be a bigoted functionist since he hates Decepticons who represent freedom."
The simpler explanation is just that Pharma is an antagonist and therefore gets the "everything about him must be evil and wrong" black-and-white analysis so common in fandoms in general, but given some of the bizarre Decepticon takes I've seen I can also easily see Pharma's Decepticon hatred being taken as a sign of him being bigoted and evil.
Though AGAIN in this case it would still be singling Pharma out as a bigot for crimes/flaws that multiple other Autobots are guilty of like.
Oh, Pharma hates Decepticons? Well a lot of other Autobots hate Decepticons too, First Aid's narration about Pharma even says "we all hate Decepticons"; for that matter, there are a lot of Decepticons who hate Autobots. It's a massive civil war that's lasted for a lifetime causing two groups of people to be stuck in a near-permanent blood feud, you can't assume that every Autobot who hates Decepticons (and vice versa) hates them because they're a bigot. Maybe there's been a war where both sides have been building an ever-increasing mountain of reasons to hate each other, so hating the opposite faction is a social problem caused by war and politics rather than a sign of individual moral failing.
Pharma worked at the New Institute so that means he must be evil/bigoted? Chromedome and Brainstorm also worked at the New Institute, but there's no widespread fandom shunning of them or headcanoning them as bigots.
Hell, even the very premise of assuming Pharma is a functionist bigot for hating Decepticons is ignoring the very premise of Pharma's motives, which are, uh... being blackmailed by the leader of the Decepticon Justice Division, who represents the ultimate form of Decepticon ideals to the point of literally wearing their symbol as his mask? So how were we jumping straight to "oh Pharma hates Decepticons bc he's a posh bigoted functionist" when there was a far more immediate interpretation/headcanon of "Pharma hates Decepticons because he's being tortured and blackmailed by one."
That's not to say that Pharma couldn't have hated Decepticons before Delphi, and I think you could make interesting headcanons/extrapolations based on either idea. But still. It kinda feels like people saw Pharma and just wanted to make him the Token Evil Autobot who's the opposite of our Good Heroic Autobots regardless of whether evidence from canon supported it or not.
Good riddance to bigoted functionist Pharma fanon, I'm so glad that the majority of Pharma fanon these days actually gives him a chance and puts him on equal footing as other Autobots.
#squiggposting#that and there's that weird thing where people treat(ed) pharma as if he's starscream lite#so like bc they see starscream as posh and elitist and vain (how did that happen btw)#they basically go oh pharma must also be the same way#also how did ppl ever see pharma as posh when he speaks in the same register as everyone else and if anything has a campy flair to him#you can't look me in the eye and tell me this chaotic theatrical gremlin ass freak is a posh elitist like slkfjsldk#not mentioning the flyers=oppressed thing in this meta bc that bit of worldbuilding was established way later#tho i cannot entirely fault ppl for painting pharma as evil and treating him with double standards compared to other autobots#i mean literally in the same issue he was introduced he caught flak for giving in to DJD blackmail#whereas other characters explicitly speak about how scary/scared they are of the djd#so like it's clear pharma WAS meant to be the token evil autobot with compromised morals#who was so selfish as to (gasp) take a blackmail deal to keep him and his facility from painful torturous death#and then when he was already trapped in the deal be forced to eventually kill patients to keep up#how dare he. should've stood up to tarn and instantly been murdered like a good autobot#sorry for being pithy lol the apologism got a little too strong there#pharma apologism#also i think the way JRO writes if pharma was supposed to be bigoted you would like. be able to tell#JRO is not subtle about writing p much every bigoted character as massively flamingly racist/functionist/etc
89 notes
¡
View notes
Text
On a dark night in a city that knows how to keep its secrets..
#ging freecss the morally compromised detective teaming up with washed up celebrity that may be involved in the murder#noir detective#ging freecss#pariston hill#cheadle yorkshire#my art#art#fanart#digital art#marosii art#hxh#hunter x hunter#greed island challenge#inspired by a fic outline from someone in the greed island discord
60 notes
¡
View notes
Text
imo karlachâs soul coin usage seems like it should have been a little more significant than it was.
she only ever really stops to consider the magnitude of burning through a personâs soul for power during an origin playthroughâotherwise she rationalizes to the player that theyâre doomed anyway, and if using them gives her an edge in combat, why not use them for good instead of leaving them to be used by evil? the dialogue with lann tarv in act 2, where he tells the story of each soul he's handing over to her, tries to humanize each soul coin, and still she doesnât really budge and disapproves pretty heavily if she's told no in regards to using them.
it just seems like something that could have caused some kind of conflict between her and wyll, given he sold his soul to a devil in dire circumstances and takes issue with the player for sleeping with mizora, because she 1) is mizora, and 2) similarly expends tormented souls during her romance scene, even if for a different purpose. but it just... never really comes up?
i love karlach. but that seems like it should have gone Somewhere, from a writing standpoint? karlach values wyll as a person but is willing to use currency forged from souls like his for the sake of a temporary power up. she knows the soul is consumed when she uses them. that whole exchange with lann tarv is there to emphasize that every soul coin she destroys was a person once. but it all kind of loses narrative purpose if this combination of factors doesn't mean anything? karlach doesn't change at all in her willingness to use soul coins, no matter what the player says or how much she cares for wyll.
idk. missed opportunity that wyll doesn't have any dialogue about this, of all things.
#destroying souls is otherwise unambiguously portrayed as A Pretty Bad Thing To Do in bg3. so it just seems weird to go#yeah using this destroys a soul but it makes me stronger and it feels GREAT!#and stick to that no matter what without really questioning it much#ethel's vicious mockery line about her selling every soul but her own just doesn't hit right if it flat out doesn't. matter at all.#plus. idk. something something soul coins apparently are difficult for non-evil characters to even have in their possession#so using them and fully destroying the souls within seems kind of. idk. significant from a character standpoint#disclaimer: not character hate obvi. i love karlach and her relationship with wyll is very good.#but idk. conflict is interesting! and that seems like somewhere it should have happened if you have both in the party#karlach sans wyll might never question using soul coins but karlach with wyll probably should have?#in the same way wyll's character changes somewhat whether he chooses to kill karlach or spare her#as it stands this is like how using the tadpoles makes a grand total of one roll in the game harder. there's no bite. no consequence. idk#not every character has to change to be good but idk. idk!#it all seems set up to make her reconsider at SOME point#and that she just doesnât is in itself a pretty significant moral compromise on her part#that is just not. recognized or discussed basically ever#karlach#karlach cliffgate#bg3#baldurâs gate 3
94 notes
¡
View notes
Text
tim as ceo is an absurd concept (at his age of twenty something because i am a seventeen atheist) except as a joke, but i can see him as a corporate drone around bruce (as head of some kinda department? very nepo baby)
he's the only one of bruce's kids interested in corporative work (except for maybe Duke): Dick is very community focused (officer, teacher, etcetc), Jason is dead (legally and emotionally and ocasionally physically), Cass Could Not Care Less, Steph is Not Official and you can take vet/activist Damian out of my cold dead hands
so yes, tim (and maybe duke) as future nepo baby heads of WE, thank you
#also i would like to argue again that tim understands better than any of the batkids bruce's original Missionâ˘#and that's why he would make a great Batman#because he wouldn't compromise or change any of his own morals nor his own identity to become Batman#if dc hadn't fucked up showing Evil Future Batmans Tims he would be the obvious option#dick is nightwing#batman weights on him like sysiphus#jason would have to be born again sorry jason#i would like to argue that Cass should be the next Batwoman and follow on Kate's footsteps but without the killing#cass as batman is a good option but her mission and bruce's are different (redemption and vengeance) if parallels#damian would be better as the next nightwing#duke works better in daylight but he is also a good option#steph is too happy to be batman and that's my take on it#so yes i do think tim would be bruce's sucessor because he is clone-y like#and he thinks way too much like bruce#and the rest of them judge him for it#tim drake#batman#red robin#dc#tim drake wayne#batfamily#dick grayson#bruce wayne#jason todd#stephanie brown#cassandra cain#blackbat#batgirl#robin dc#nightwing
80 notes
¡
View notes
Text
"cap was wrong in civil war!" "No Iron shouldn't have forced him to sign the paper!" SHUT UP, THE POINT OF THE MOVIE WAS THAT BOTH SIDES WERE RIGHT AND WRONG AT THE SAME TIME THATS WHY THE FIGHT ENDED THE WAY IT DID BECAUSE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET ONE SIDE TO SEE THE OTHER WITHOUT FORCING THEM TO GIVE UP THEIR OWN VALUES
#im so passionate about this#now if your picking a side js because you like the people on that side go ahead#but it is impossible to pick a side based on morality alone#trust me if there was a compromise they would have found it#but if they came to a compromise one side would have to complete give up their experiences and values for that to happen#which is exactly why the movie ended the way it did#marvel#captain america#captain america civil war#iron man#tony stark#steve rogers
36 notes
¡
View notes
Text
I need to talk about Julian's whole thing with Sloan in Extreme Measures cause it does actually make me feel a certain kind of rabid
Extreme Measures is a great episode for the Julian/Miles dynamic and has a lot of great moments with them but I think an underrated element of the episode is how it very plainly shows just how much the Dominion War has changed Julian, and how his morals have shifted into a much greyer area
Julian in this episode is very callous towards Sloan even as he's literally dying. he has no issues violating Sloan's mind, and when Sloan dies, the only reason he actually cares is because the answers and secrets Sloan has will die with him. truly cannot emphasize enough just how deeply Julian fucking hates Sloan, and sheer hatred isnt something we really see all that much from Julian, especially not to the degree he was with Sloan
even with that, though, Julian has never been like that with another patient. Julian doesnt let his personal feelings get in the way of being a doctor, and always treats his patients with the utmost care and his best work. Julian was willing to find a cure for the Jem'Hadar's addiction, simply because they asked for help, even if it meant potentially making them into a much bigger threat than they already were. Julian treated Tain in Camp 371. and, sure, Julian does treat Sloan, but he does so explicitly because Sloan has information they need, not because he has any care for Sloan's life
and I think that- his willingness to violate Sloan's mind to get what they need, and how he didn't particularly care that Sloan died- is a really bleak look at just how much the war has changed Julian and how much it's shifted his moral compass. throughout the war, Julian has been ordered time and time again to compromise his morals. add to that several traumatic events- multiple of which are orchestrated by Sloan- and a slide into deep depression, and it's no wonder he gets to a point where he can do the things he does in this episode
and I dont think it hits him until much later. I think one day, long after the war has ended and theyre still rebuilding everything that was broken, Julian lays awake at night and remembers how bad it got and what he became willing to do, and it makes him sick to his stomach
#star trek: ds9#julian bashir#luther sloan#Luther Sloan's death wasn't painful enough I need to bring him back and kill him again#Julian's hatred for Sloan is so compelling to me#I love when a character who is fundamentally kind and compassionate is driven to consuming hatred and rage#and Sloan does that to Julian in ways I dont think anybody else does#and that hatred is what allows Julian to do what he does#cause when you think about it- violating a dying man's mind- that is. INSANE#and not something you would expect from Julian who has always been so staunch about his morals#the morals he's been asked to compromise. over and over. by the people he looks up to#its so tragically ironic#Sloan wanted Julian to move into greyer areas and he got exactly what he wanted#except in the process it also got him killed#and yeah I think it does haunt Julian later#because Julian is a fundamentally good person#so one day he will have to contend with what he did#what he was willing to do#he's too good of a person to not have to wrestle with this at some point#maybe ill write a fic about it#I think about it often
73 notes
¡
View notes
Text
"Not all men."
CORRECT. Callum would never pull this crap.
#if he doesnt compromise all his morals TWICE to save me from being used for evil spells then i dont want him#bonus points if hes named after based on or paralleled to someone from greek mythology#extra yummy if its a tragedy#the dragon prince#tdp#rayllum#get me a callum please and thank you#callum tdp#this man is gonna pull a jd and i'll love it
63 notes
¡
View notes