#not explicitly visible but its There

[radiant--as-the--sun]

do people really just wanna be fans of the hunger games and not mention palestine at all? like honestly? do you really wanna just support fictional uprisings and fighting back against fictional oppression but don't actually give a shit about it in real life? did y'all genuinely learn and internalize nothing from this series????

[anistarrose]

The possible explanations for why the fuck Barry could've felt the need to open that scene with "are you afraid?" have been analyzed by this fandom for basically ever since the Red Robe identity reveal, and a lot of people have brought up good theories that I've adopted bits and pieces of from each. But one thing that I haven't actually seen proposed as a factor is this:

Talking to Tres Horny Boys through the facade of the faceless "Red Robe" might've just been Barry's backup plan. Plan A was, quite possibly, to sneak Junior's ichor out of Lucretia's private quarters, be able to actually inoculate THB, and actually have them recognize him. (A proper reunion, with no cryptic warnings. With no dancing around static — just Barry and Tres Horny Boys, actually trusting each other innately.)

Why do I think this is plausible? Let me clarify the timeline a little: at the start of the Petals arc, before THB leave the Bureau, all is normal with their soon to be ex-roommate Pringles/Robbie (Ep. 18). Upon return, THB are informed that at some point during their (overnight, so 24 hour-ish?) absence, Pringles was thrown in the brig (Ep. 28).

It's eventually revealed by Pringles and Barry, in The Suffering Game and Reunion Tour respectively, that Barry possessed Pringles to do "reconnaissance" on the Bureau, specifically on where to find the second Voidfish (ie, Lucretia's private office, which is where Pringles "woke up" and was "arrested summarily").

I will note that Barry describes this as just recon — implying information gathering, and not necessarily a Voidfish ichor heist. However, this was an explanation he gave through a recorded message in the coin, where he was likely choosing his words carefully to confuse THB the least amount possible. And moreover... I just find it hard to believe that Barry wouldn't let himself hope, leading up to and during this infiltration, that he could make it out with the ichor he so desperately needed.

After all, Barry may be Going Through It during the podcast, but he definitely knows that as much as he needs information, it's going to be a lot harder to pull off his eventual heist if Lucretia catches him in the act, and winds up knowing that he has that information. Barry also chose to make his infiltration attempt while the Bureau was distracted, monitoring the Gaia Sash — in a lot of ways, this might've seemed like not just his first chance at the ichor, but also his best chance at it.

Barry's both an incredibly determined and opportunistic, calculating guy. I don't think Barry would've left Pringles' body unless/until he was absolutely cornered; no hope left of getting out with the ichor this time. He wouldn't pass up a chance to restore his family's memories — because of his deep, deep emotional and practical stakes in restoring those memories, first and foremost — but he even feels kinda bad about possessing Pringles (calling it "unfortunate collateral damage"), and would certainly prefer for his unsavory tactics to be, you know, worth it.

So when Barry fails? When he comes away from his mission he's no doubt been planning for weeks, waiting intently and single-mindedly for his chance with the right Relic-based distraction — and it turns out he has information, but no ichor, to show for it? When he fails, Barry's left on the back foot.

He'd dared to hope it might turn out better than this. He'd dared to hope this might be a turning point, and the world might remain in danger, but at least he'd have his family back. He'd dared to hope he might be able to speak to them, in his right mind, with his memories, and be recognized for the first time in a decade.

So when none of that comes to fruition? When he knows his boys won't recognize him yet, no matter what he does? Yet he still needs them on his side? He still needs them to be prepared for the horrors coming?

Well, he just fucking improvises.

"Are you afraid?"

[king-sassy08]

Gun Woo and Woo Jin from Bloodhounds to me are like Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket from Pacific Rim. Yeah they could be in love with each other. Yeah they could be close friends who love each other like siblings. Whatever it is, the point is that they love each other so much, they'd do anything for each other and nobody knows them like they know each other. However u want to see it, that's how it is because either way, there's love there and there's literally no way to deny it

[lerios]

interrogator general leela: *exists evilly*

me:

[tvmblrsillyman]

picmix should allow contest creators to remove picmix entries

[heritageposts]

From the Freedom Flotilla, April 27 2024:

On Thursday afternoon, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was contacted by the Guinea Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), requesting an inspection of our lead ship – Akdenez. This was a highly unusual request as our ship had already passed all required inspections; nevertheless, we agreed. The inspector arrived on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon, before the inspection was completed, the GBISR, in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla’s ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5000 tons of life-saving aid for the Palestinians of Gaza. In its communication informing us of this cancelation, the GBISR made specific reference to our planned mission to Gaza. It also made several extraordinary requests for information, including confirmation of the ships’ destination, any potential additional port calls, and the discharge port for humanitarian aid and estimated arrival dates and times. It further demanded a formal letter explicitly approving the transportation of humanitarian aid and a complete manifest of the cargo. Again, this is a highly unusual move from a flagging authority. Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag, and are not concerned with the destination, route, cargo manifests or the nature of a specific voyage. Just like when you register your car, the authorities don’t require you to detail to them every place you are going to go with the car. Sadly, Guinea-Bissau has allowed itself to become complicit in Israel’s deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Israel is showing the world the extent to which it will go to deny Palestinians the aid they need to stay alive, in direct contravention of International Humanitarian Law, UN Security Council resolutions, and two orders of the International Court of Justice. [...] without a flag, we cannot sail. But, this is not the end. Israel cannot and will not crush our resolve to break its illegal siege and reach the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza and all of Palestine remain steadfast under the most horrific, unimaginable conditions. We take strength from their incredible, inexplicable ability to maintain their humanity, dignity and hope when the world has given them no reason to do so. It is our responsibility to keep that hope alive. WE WILL SAIL.

The Freedom Flotilla, which was set to depart from Turkey on the 27th of April with 5000 tons of life-saving aid, has now been delayed because Israel and the United States has pressured Guinea Bissau to withdraw its flag from the Flotilla's lead ship.

Seeing as how their tactics worked on Guinea Bissau, organizers now fear that Israel and the US will exert the same pressure on whichever country the Freedom Flotilla attempt to register their ship under next.

To help the Freedom Flotilla reach Gaza, please keep an eye out for further updates from the organizers. Right now, as of April 27th, they're asking people to help boost their visibility, and to donate to their member campaigns.

For more info, see their webpage.

[pricegouge]

Omg I have achieved enlightenment: bear!Price while reader wears period underwear... No tampons to hide the blood.......

okay this isn't quite what you asked for but it got carried away lmao

linking the fic cause i haven't written for it in roughly 2k followers whoops

cw: period sex. primal play. mentions of past cannibalism. breeding kink. dubcon kinda, but i assure you bunny is fine. unedited, sorry. MDNI

it's strange how much winter has changed for you, since being with john. when you'd moved back north you'd been looking forward to the snow and the visible changing of the seasons. but then the reality of the cold had set in before you'd even set in yourself and with the hardship came the depression, the general malaise that clings to you like mold in the dark and the damp of the season.

but then your partner had made it explicitly clear that he expected you to hibernate with him and everything about the dark months got easier.

you still miss the sun quite dearly, but not having to spend your whole day locked in an office or something meant you could at least sun bathe in the window on clear days, or bask like a little lizard in front of the army of sun lamps john had gotten you in the weeks before succumbing to his slumber. you'd told him or maybe two would suffice but you'd learned the hard way his animal instincts were hardest to suppress come late fall, his need to pad his apartment with absolutely every amenity either of you could ever dream of needing during the long winter not something he could ignore, no matter how unreasonable. which is how you'd ended up with a collection of no less than ten lamps, though you weren't really complaining come february when you'd not seen the sun properly in so long you were half convinced it was some mass hallucination and you needed the artificial glow injected directly into your veins.

they were set up over the headboard on a timer, a long power strip designed more so for griswald family christmas lights than for in-home use. but john would rather sleep through 15k lumens beamed directly at his head than wake up to find you usually spent your days int he living room so needs must.

he did that sometimes, wake up. it hadn't been something you'd expected so he'd scared the piss out of you the first time he'd lumbered into the living room and barked about getting back to bed. you rarely left his side anymore, only creeping out when absolutely necessary for food or sanitary needs.

when he let you, that was.

you can't budge him. he lays across your chest with such a heavy, dead weight, you'd be concerned about him if not for the deep snores he keeps issuing directly into your ear. at this point it's the only thing that lets you know he's not faking it, either, seeing as you've been actively trying to wake him up for the better part of half an hour.

"john," you pant, shoving at his bicep as you continue to try wriggling out from under him. the bed is too soft, keeps swallowing you deeper into its comfort like quick sand every time you try to squirm away. "john, i have to use the bathroom." your leg escapes the confines first, a false hope for freedom. he snorts when you shift too far away and his hand grips tight around your hip, pulls you with him when he rolls away.

perched half over him, you'd be thrilled with your new position and the escape it promised if not for his eyes fluttering open as you straddle his thigh, embarrassment building when you see his nose twitch instinctively.

"be right back," you promise, but his hands are even more insistent now, keep you pinned to his side with your legs hitched over his hips as he wakes a bit more, base instinct kicking in more quickly than his brain can keep up with.

perhaps that's why his jaw widens over your cheek, breath a hot pant against your skin as his fingers creep up and over your thigh, hitch it impossibly higher until he can brush his fingertips against -

"john, i have to use the rest room," you try to insist, but he growls when you go to pull away, rolling until you're pinned beneath him again.

"bleeding, honey," he grumbles, as if telling you some grave news you were unaware of.

"i know, sorry," you hedge, unsure how he'll feel about the fact the he very likely has period blood on his thighs and fingers now because you hadn't been expecting it for a few more days and had fallen asleep with no protection.

he answers that doubt for you by shoving his own fingers in his mouth, a thick groan leaking between the webs of his fingers at the taste.

oh, right. he's a freak.

"john, i -."

"sh sh sh sh," he murmurs, eyes heavy-lidded and dark when they finally focus on you properly. his hand falls to your hip again, leaves a sticky wet trail across your skin as it glides lower. "just hungry," he supplies by way of explanation, and for the first time since understanding his secret, you worry about the nature of what he means by that.

it's just that he does look like he could eat you right then, maw open and lax as his chest heaves with breath. he's overgrown and unkempt, his beard thick and scraggly. it's late enough into the season that he's lost some mass but it only lends to his voraciousness, draws some prey instinct deep within you to the surface, has you fawning under him as his fingers find your cunt again.

"not gonna hurt you, honey," he promises, but his voice is tight with need and you can't deny him when he's so indigent so you let your legs fall open around him, unflattering pair of plain cotton panties on display.

the air is cold against your pussy, the wetness of your own blood chilling against your skin. john shuffles closer on his knees and you feel the hot length of his cock slot eagerly into the crease of your thigh, his warm, broad palm cupping your cunt through your panties. you try not to pay attention to the way his hand comes away stained. he doesn't let that go to waste either, licking at it almost distractedly as he continues to pull your panties off. he struggles with his own bottoms for a moment, gives up completely when he decides they're out of the way enough, draw string straining around his thick thighs. this winter has been kind to him. or maybe you have - perfect mate, keeping him fed even when he's too lethargic to cook proper meals. he's not lost so much weight this year, his build still absurdly impressive despite the long, slow crawl of the season. he knows it, too, when he's awake and present enough, at least. takes great pride in rubbing his belly and telling you how luck he was to find you.

tonight is no such night, the very concept of the king's own evidently too much for him to tackle, already reduced to grunts and sighs, his breath hot and heavy before you'd even properly begun. last week you'd awoken in an empty bed, found him sitting on the kitchen floor while absolutely ravaging a hock of raw lamb. he'd sounded much the same at the time as he does now, heavy cock slipping between the sticky folds of your pussy.

you sit up enough that you can see over your own tummy, gasp when you see how bloody you already are, red staining his skin and clotting the thick curls at the base of his cock. when he rocks forward, his tip kisses his own belly, staining the fur there too.

"John, we need a towel, at least," you try to reason, leg swinging over his head as you attempt to roll away -

and absolutely freeze in place when john - sweet, sweet john who has never so much as raised his voice at you - snarls and uses your own momentum to pin you on your belly, looming over your back until his breath pants hot against the nape of your neck, voice a low threat against your skin when he asks where you think you're going.

there are some times the actual danger of who, and what, he is hits you like a ton of lead. the way he'd eaten a grown man had certainly been one, the desperation he succumbs to in late fall another. and yet, somehow, you'd never felt at risk in his presence before; always certain that being his mate would keep you safe.

but a bear would fight a prospective mate when challenged.

your palm settles on his thigh before you can really think it through, a soothing touch to counteract the shakiness of your voice as you soothe, "nowhere, baby. i'm right here, hm? right here."

john doesn't even huff in acknowledgement, breath still puffing agitatedly as he begins to nose at the side of your throat. you bare it instinctively, let him drink his fill of your scent, parse through it so he can find his own among the notes - his bed, his home, his mate.

he's still eerily silent when he settles his weight over top of you , cock still hard and sticky with blood when it slots between your cheeks.

"John -?" you start, unsure really what you plan to say. stutter out anyway when he growls in warning, lets his teeth scrape over the knob of your atlas vertebrae. his voice is tinged with something dark and inhuman when he pulls away, just enough you can still feel the scrape of his mustache when he speaks.

"just be good for me, rabbit."

you can do little else, pulse hare-footed and nerves so overloaded they can't decide which action to execute first. john does not kiss his way down your spine as he's done so many times before, instead dragging his teeth heavily down your nape, the thick skin there catching and tugging until he hits the collar of his own oversized shirt. he groans, perhaps in approval, the odd mix of yours and his sweat caught between the fibers of cotton. but it seems you're not the only good thing he wants to ruin today, his hands coming up to tear it free from you, one long rip that would hide your surprised gasp if he wasn't so carefully attuned to your weakness, falling back over you with a jumbled mix of predatory snarls and deceptively human coos. "ain't gonna hurt you," he promises, and you risk eye contact enough to peek over your shoulder at him, get your face shoved back into the pillow by a whiskery muzzle pressed much-too hard against your cheek for you effort.

"and what about your bear?" you chirp, wiggling beneath him when he begins to grind his cock against you.

john chuckles, or would, maybe, if he had a better concept of human reactions at the moment. "won't hurt you, either," he asserts, perhaps trying to convince himself because he can't seem to help stretching his maw over the hinge of your jaw even as he says it, wet tongue working over your pulse point when he continues. "he's just gotta eat, 's'all."

he wolfs down your words when you reply too, thumb pressed against the fluttering vein in your throat as he licks your lips. "he gonna eat me?"

john doesn't answer at first, just growls when he reaches down to tilt your hips up, pulls your cheeks apart so he can bury himself between them better. "if you ask nicely."

you envy the lamb.

john's got your hips folded over his own arm, your knees braced wide enough he's wedged his own between your ankles. your arms hold most of your weight, shoulders aching because you can't quite fall forward at this angle, john's thick forearm digging painfully into your tender, crampy belly when you do. at least he hadn't toyed with the lamb like this, didn't drink down its rich blood with wet slurps and satisfied groans. at least the lamb didn't have to bite back soft sighs, squeals of surprise when this beast nipped at it, overeager and toothy.

but it's hard to draw the line at bite marks on your ass when he's so sweet after, tongue laving at the wound as he whines along with you, kisses it better with his lips sealed over your own, pussy fluttering around his hot tongue.

his free hand is just as bad, holding your cheek spread wide for himself with twitching fingers, squeezing divots into your soft flesh which he distracts himself with, pulling away to brush whiskery kisses over them and chuckle darkly when you flinch away, expecting teeth.

you want to tell him to stop playing with his food, are mildly afraid to remind him of the sentiment. "john," you whine instead and he shoves at your hips so hard you flop forward onto the mattress, feel him shuffling up behind you until he straddles your hips.

"said be good, bunny," he growls and his thumbs hurt when he hooks them on either side of your ass, spreads you wide for his inspection. you can feel his cock head bobbing against your cunt, clench around nothing reflexively. he groans when it forces a heavy clot out, reaching down to guide his tip after it, a blood hound nosing around a burrow.

"but john, i -."

he shuts you up with his dick notched up against your entrance, broad head bullying its way past your lips before you're properly ready, aided only by the thick glide of blood and slick.

"rabbits get bred, bunny," he grits, something about the cadence rubbing you wrong, as if he's explaining something very basic to you. "they get bred by their mates. are you gonna be a good little bunny for your mate?"

you'd ignore the cajoling if you could and just wriggle back onto his cock properly. but his grip won't let you, fingers bruising tight upon your hips when you try. "yes, joh - ouch!" you shriek, hand reaching wildly behind you to catch his wrist before he can spank you again. but he's not winding back for another, his big mit kneading at the tender flesh instead. you peer over your shoulder to pout at him again, get distracted by the wild look in his eye and the blood matted in his beard, painted across his cheek. he looks untamed, more bear than man. you remember the crunch of bone between his jaws, the way his other form had stared back you, blood up from his battle, undecided if he wanted to kill you or put a baby in you.

you decide for him, using your grip on his forearm to pull him back up over yourself properly, jaw tilted to lick the blood from his cheek as you beg your mate to breed you.

"good rabbit."

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

autism in china

if you been here for long enough you probably know that even me fucking explicitly naming country of origin & ethnicity instead of vague around something east asian, huge deal.

so.

as chinese person who born & part grew up in mainland china n been though HORRIFIC trauma from it... cannot talk about anything related to it.

but in mean time. there important things desperately wish non-chinese, or people who lived) in china in general (including diasporas), would know n understand.

because it been extra traumatizing & isolating n lonely, be only person in big metaphorical or literal room, who know these trauma exist, n horrific extent of it. some of which have live experience with. some of it looming threat for my future. some of it not my own experience but my friends (aka my community. my autistic n disabled community).

so, going share some stuff written by other chinese people in this post. that. oh gods. it so accurate it hurt.

there may be some parts not fully agree or would word different if am write. but. think overall message important enough.

especially if you non-chinese. hope you read through all of it (if accessible). even if it make you deeply uncomfortable. n then imagine autistic chinese people living in this reality. because many parts SHOULD make you deeply uncomfortable.

EDIT: image description link for those need ID or not have instagram

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fact is, most prevalent, majority—n by majority don’t mean 51% majority, but enough to feel like it hopelessly whole entire country—understanding of autism in china is that. there real autism (真自闭症) that rare n severe n hopeless n should die, n majority of cases fake autism (假自闭症) that can be cured / taken off hat 脱帽, that caused by environment like bad parenting, n you should be glad it fake, n kid n parent should then dedicate entire life to taking off that hat to finding cure, even if it mean , via old school gold standard (read: abuse) ABA. all professionals say it all professionals endorse it n who would question professionals? look this grande new intervention came from great United States Of America, that proof it top quality it works n am going charge ridiculous money for it. but why you saying USAmericans n “the west” saying [things that humanize autism], they wouldn’t know real struggle, their diagnostic criteria super wide it all fake, why would you listen to them, you traitor you boot licker. —but either way, both real n fake autism drain on public resources n should be kept away should be locked up in chains (no, literally. seen documentary where high support needs autistic get chain in closet for majority of day, “for his benefit.”), should never be born should all die. keep it away from my normal children my normal children should not have to share same space same classroom same world as it, its behaviors its symptoms its screams its existence rob teachers attention away from my normal children. they all should die n will proudly explicitly admit eugenics good.

(don’t actually believe this. but pretending write what have seen people talk about.)

-

n finally, post about general (visible) disability—because in my however many year grow up there, before (temporarily it seems) left, have never seen visibly disabled person in public. ever.

ever.

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n generally anything from this instagram account. need stop linking now or else link entire account.

.

so please. reblog this. share this. read this. don’t let me be only person bear this. because my god it breaking me

[r3starttt]

what if Abby’s gf was like, not very smart, and Abby would like be reading a book out loud to her and she doesn’t understand like 70% of the words she’s saying and she’s just sitting there like ☹️ but she just enjoys listening to abby so she lets her keep goinggg :(

BOOKWORM! ABBY

an: this is the cutest request ever ughhhhhh she's so pretty | taglist

You had spent the entire day absorbed in productivity, your mind and body tirelessly engaged in tasks, and visibly worn out. the strain evident in your fatigued and tired, red eyes, a reflection of the excessive hours of screen time and minimal sleep.

The house glowed warmly, bathed in hues of orange and yellowish light that softened every corner you passed through. Each step on the wooden floor echoed faintly, the sound mingling with the comforting ambiance.

"Abby?" you called out softly as you entered the kitchen, receiving a muffled "here" from the living room.

Hurrying over, you found Abby seated cross-legged on the well-worn couch, nestled comfortably under a thin blanket. Her glasses perched on her nose, the light reflecting on them covering her eyes very slightly as she glanced up at you with a sheepish smile.

First thing you noticed once you stepped closer was a novel in hand with its pages yellowed with age.

She adjusted the blanket, making room for you beside her. Nestling close, your back rested against her stomach while her hands pulled the blanket around both of you.

Abby planted a gentle kiss on your head near your forehead, and the room settled into a quiet peace, broken only by the rhythmic turning of pages and the soothing cadence of Abby's voice "...and he, in a state of somnolent contemplation, pondered the ephemeral nature of existence..." Her voice flowed smoothly, entrancing despite your struggle to comprehend.

You snuggled closer, finding solace in Abby's voice as she continued, "...before him lay such an ethereal landscape, undulating hills and verdant foliage stretching infinitely under the cerulean sky." you closed your eyes momentarily, allowing Abby's voice to wash over you, cherishing the moment.

You listened intently, occasionally furrowing your brow at unfamiliar words like "sepulchral," "tumultuous," and "effulgent". Abby, however, read with unwavering confidence, pronouncing each word accurately without pause or hesitation.

"What do you think that means?" you whispered, as Abby's finger hovered over the corner of the current page, preparing to turn to the next.

She hummed a few seconds, contemplating how to explain it. She understood it well herself, but she knew it might be challenging for you.

"Well," Abby began softly, "when it says 'in a state of somnolent contemplation,' it means the character was deep in thought, almost like they were half-asleep or... lost in their thoughts. And 'pondered the ephemeral nature of existence' means they were thinking about how life is temporary, like how things don't last forever."

She moved to the next page, but no words came out. A thought crossed her mind. She knew you well enough to sense when you weren't fully grasping something, even if you didn't explicitly admit it. So, she decided to summarize everything she'd read on herself and to you so far.

Feeling more at ease, you settled back into Abby's embrace, ready to continue listening to her soothing voice weave through every complex paragraph from the novel.

The room remained steeped in a peaceful silence, the serene warmth enveloping you both. Abby's voice, smooth and resonant, filled the space as she continued to read.

You listened intently, absorbing the richness of the language. Though some of the words made you innerly pause to reflect. "Then again, his existential quandary was exacerbated by the labyrinthine corridors of his subconscious..." They were beautiful words, but their meanings confused you.

Abby, however, read accurately without much pause or hesitation.

"You know," she said, setting the book aside for a moment, "you don't have to understand every word. I just love sharing this time with you."

A smile spread across your face, and you gently took one of her hands, pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Yeah, I know. I love it too," you nodded, meeting her gaze before returning your attention to the book. "Plus, it's hot to see how smart you are."

Abby chuckled softly, a hint of playful disbelief in her voice. "Yeah?"

Your eyelids grew heavy, and Abby's hands grew numb from holding the book. You drifted off to sleep first, and Abby followed shortly after, pressing a gentle kiss on your scalp before finally closing her eyes.

[recovering-dungeon-lord]

I keep seeing all these posts analyzing the Minrathous/Treviso choice, arguing that one or the other city ‘is basically fine’/‘isn’t as bad off’/‘doesn’t need saving as much’/etc, or is just straight up the better/right choice to sacrifice. (A lot of this seems to be Deeply tied up in people’s feelings on Neve and Lucanis as characters, often much more so than actually talking about the fate of the cities in question, but that’s a whole other post that I… probably won’t make tbh.)

And like. I get it. I get the impulse to justify one or the other decision so your Rook can sleep at night/you the player don’t have to deal with the discomfort of knowing that, even if it’s just a game, you made a decision with a monumentally terrible outcome. We all want to think of ourselves as Good People who, in a time of crisis, would Make The Right Decision. But I think, in trying to justify which choice is correct/less wrong/more moral/whatever, we’re kind of missing The Whole Point?

Because like. It’s always seemed pretty clear to me that the entire message behind the Minrathous/Treviso decision is that there is no right choice. No matter what you do, a part of your world will fall further into ruin. Innocent people will suffer and die. One of your companions will be forever changed as a person. You can’t prevent that.

I’ve also seen people who seem to be diving into the details and searching the subtext for ‘what the writers are really trying to say with this choice’, drawing conclusions like ‘its about political consequences vs civilian consequences’ (which, those won’t stay separate for long btw), or ‘it’s about whether you care more about preventing immediately visible short term consequences or slow, insidious long term consequences’. And like. Sure, I guess? But again I think it’s kind of majorly missing the point. Regardless of their mode or timeline or visibility, both choices ultimately have 2 consequences:

1. Complete political takeover of the city by a corrupt faction that delights in performing acts of cruelty and oppression.

2. The senseless deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people.

Again, regardless of the choice you make, it results in the worst possible outcome. In the meta-narrative of the game, the entire story arc following the fate of Minrathous and Treviso is basically a flashing neon sign that reads ‘YOU CAN’T SAVE EVERYONE.’ You don’t have to search subtext for that. It’s pretty explicitly there in the text. It basically IS the text.

We want there to be something deeper and more nuanced, some intricate, hidden statement about the nature of humanity or society or power, but I really don’t think there is this time. I think it’s something much simpler and much harder to stomach: that sometimes leaders are called upon to make decisions in which every option is the wrong one, and they have to choose anyway.

[tthoroughfare]

kerosene (part 2) // ellie williams

*･゜ﾟ･* summary: the one where she breaks up with cat.

*･゜ﾟ･* pairing: jackson!ellie x reader

*･゜ﾟ･* content: sfw

*･゜ﾟ･* length: 0.8k

this is part two of this series! find part one here

I AM ENJOYING WRITING THIS SO MUCH i literally don't want them to get together because i just love yearning so much sighhh. i'm already up to the part where things finally happen and i know i'm gonna end up posting those, then going back and writing little extra parts to slot in where they're still friends. anywayyy hope you enjoy <3

something about the conversation makes ellie deliberate for weeks. it was the way you’d spoken about your relationship just not feeling ‘right’, the way she couldn’t really verbalize anything she felt like she should say about cat. she doesn’t know if she’s just overthinking everything. cat’s great. sure, she can’t see herself spending the rest of her life with her, but she makes her happy. they have fun. they have things in common. she feels like she starts to make a mental list of all the reasons they’re together, analyzing the relationship, analyzing her own feelings. she can’t shake the notion that now they’re settled in, the excitement of newness gone, she, too, feels like something isn’t ‘right’.

she hopes it just goes away on its own. but when just over a month passes and nothing has changed, she knows she has to just do it. 

it starts off as a regular day; she meets cat at a spot they frequent, stomach churning at the anticipation. she wants to just rip the band-aid off, but she can’t. the words won’t come out. she flounders around for a while, talking about nothing, knowing full well cat can tell something’s up. finally, when she straight up asks her why she’s being weird, she just comes out and says it. she wants to break up.

of course, she feels awful. cat’s confused, and crying, and asking all kind of questions ellie can’t really express any answers to. she’s upset about it, too. but she just knows in her heart it’s for the better.

it’s cemented when she’s walking back home, realizing she feels a little lighter.

she sees you properly again about a week later, when there’s an event in jackson. she really wasn’t planning on going, not wanting to risk seeing cat (not wanting to have to interact with anyone, pretty much), but dina had convinced her, saying she ‘can’t lock herself away forever.’

she walks in late, party already in full swing, and immediately spots you in the corner chatting to jesse. you haven’t actually spoken in a few weeks, just a greeting when you saw each other out and about, but you seem happier than you were before. she kicks herself mentally when she finds herself hoping it’s not because you’ve found someone new.

she awkwardly hovers around, getting herself a drink and sipping it, people watching. these things were never her idea of a great time.

after about ten minutes, dina appears at her side, visibly tipsy. “what the hell are you doing?” she asks playfully, gesturing at the room full of people. “you’re a single woman now, c’mon. get out there.”

ellie pulls a face, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her drink. “yeah, that's definitely my style.”

dina lets out a short, exasperated sigh, taking ellie by the wrist and tugging her across the room, towards you and jesse. “at least socialize. you’re all… weird. more than usual.”

“oh, shut up,” she retorts lowly, but allows herself to be hauled over to the two of you. her stomach flutters slightly when she gets a proper look at you; you’re a little more done-up than normal, eyes sparkling in the warm light as you greet her.

she doesn’t know if it’s the alcohol or something else, but that night is the first time things start to feel explicitly different. on one hand, it’s similar to how it was before — the odd pleasantness dissipated in the air. it feels more like a real friendship again, rather than two people dancing around each other. but on the other, something just feels… new.

she actually ends up having a really good time. she spends the majority of the night with you, drinking more than you both probably should, conversation flowing easily. and when it’s over, she insists on walking you home, despite you saying dina’s staying the night and you weren’t going to be alone anyway.

she just shrugs and smiles.

on the short walk back, dina’s chatting your ear off, thoroughly drunk, but you can’t really focus on anything she’s saying. not just because of the fuzzy feeling in your head, but because of the way you’re so, so aware of ellie’s presence. you’re walking in between them, noticing the way she seems to gravitate towards you, swaying away slightly, then back in. you cross your arms, not wanting to accidentally brush against her, not really understanding why.

she lingers at the door when you get home, dina heading straight in and kicking her shoes off, flopping down on your couch.

“well… thanks. you’re free to go,” you joke after a small pause.

ellie shoots a lopsided smile, leaning against the doorframe. “welcome.” she pauses, like she doesn’t want to go, like she wants to say something. but she doesn’t. she just taps the doorframe and stands up straight. “see you later.”

dina yells out a ‘bye, ellie’, and you wave goodbye as she turns around to leave, trying not to think about the way that smile sent your stomach all funny. “get home safe. update me on the hangover.”

she looks over her shoulder at you as she walks away, chuckling. “will do.”

you go to close the door, watching her stuff her hands into her pockets and make her way down the street for a moment too long.

[baeddel]

via RNN (click):

The blood of the martyrs fuels victory:

The zionist entity failed to occupy Gaza.

The zionist entity failed to return the captives through military pressure, and were only able to do so on the terms of the resistance.

The zionist entity failed to subdue Hamas, nor its mechanisms for ensuring control and security. Hamas' forces remained active throughout Al-Aqsa Flood, and immediately expanded their work.

The zionist entity failed to displace the Gazan people to the Sinai.

The zionist entity failed to impose control on the border crossings.

The zionist entity is deeply fragmented, politically and societally.

The Generals' Plan was foiled, the governance of Gaza remains Palestinian (not "israeli" or run by Arab countries), and despite their best efforts, the zionists failed to turn the popular cradle against the resistance, as evidenced by the wide and visible support for the resistance today.

On the other hand:

The resistance secured the release of 5,000 prisoners, including all women, all children, and all Gaza detainees.

The resistance achieved a complete withdrawal of the IOF.

The resistance achieved a permanent ceasefire, noted explicitly in the agreement.

The resistance guaranteed that the crossings will be open for movement of goods and people.

The resistance guaranteed a rebuilding and reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip.

The resistance caused damages of over $60 billion to the zionist entity, the global isolation of the zionist entity, the destruction of hundreds of military vehicles, the killing of 2,000 soldiers and settlers, and the wounding of thousands.

Despite the loss, it is an "absolute victory" for the Palestinian people, its popular cradle, and its fighters.

[porter-pumpkim]

ngl, as an aro ace person who just in general does not like the idea of any romance or sex, it Is kinda suckey seeing people only really egknowladge poeople on the side of the aro or ace spectrums who aren't completely sex/romance averse and act like those are the only ones who exist,

Its like acting like there's only one type of autism, as an autistic person with a brother who's on a way more intense side of the spectrum compared to me, it's pretty visible that there's a huge difference even if it's the same thing with the same symptoms, and that isn't a bad thing, it's just evidence that there's definitely a spectrum there

Mostly saying that cause literally every time a character is aromatic or asexual Fandom automatically decides they're on the side of the spectrum that does feel comfortable with some romance even when it's explicitly stated they're the kind who don't like any kind of romance, people genuinly always put shipping first when like, you can still have a great dynamic with someone liking an aromantic character but accepting they will never be liked back, and that their friendship is still worth having and enjoying, like, that can be a great story prompt!

You can have sex without romance, you can have romance without sex, and you can just not like either and remain just friends with everyone while still loving them platonically, dynamics are more complicated than just throwing in an unnecessary romance, (also not saying all sex and romance is evil, theres a reason those kind of stories are so popular, im just saying its not the only dynamic ever and its nice to have variety)

[massiveharmonytiger]

So I think Gabe's portrayal was really intelligently done in the show and I'm pretty dismayed at the negative reactions. I'd argue that TV needs more portrayals of abusers that seem harmless and victims that make efforts to advocate for their own agency because that is what abuse often looks like in the real world. Yes, sometimes abuse is as in your face as with Gabe's introduction in the book version (which the show was still pretty true to, I'll discuss that below) and the other portrayals we've seen on TV, abusers being explicitly threatening or violent, victims cowering and showing visible distress, all that usual, tropey stuff. However, I think more education is needed on all the ways abuse is subtle, because this misunderstanding and this view of abuse as this black and white thing is often the reason so few victims get help, so many abusers get away with it and so many of the people around the victim and abuser, at best, are surprised when the find out what's really been happening, and at worst, defend the abuser because they're so harmless, nice, upstanding, pick your adjective and there's no way they're capable of that.

Source: https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/identifying-abuse/the-silent-ways-abusers-control

I feel like a lot of the fandom has already fallen into this trap somewhat. Gabe from the TV show is too nonthreatening, bumbling, pathetic, silly, idiotic, nowhere near scary enough to warrant getting petrified by Medusa's head. He doesn't look like an ABUSER. And yet we're confronted with so many markers of abuse in that scene.

Gabe is harmless…

And yet he's verbally abusive to outsiders. The guy that leaves as Percy is arriving has experienced an interaction with Gabe that warrants Percy apologizing for Gabe's actions only for him to apologize back because he gets to leave, Percy doesn't. He's concerned. Sure, Gabe is fat shaming and yelling about eating fruit at the moment. The absurdity of the topic doesn't make it any less inappropriate or abusive btw, because its about the abuser having any excuse to display their dominance and power over you even if the subject matter is batshit. Ever see cases where one person in the relationship (usually a man) will police the other's clothing (usually a woman) because it's too revealing, too tacky, too whatever. That's abuse.

Gabe is harmless…

And yet he's verbally abusive towards Percy. He sarcastically greets him with the cruel nickname "genius" and immediately picks a fight with him. Percy refuses to engage because he knows, from experience, what being goaded looks like. Wrap your head around that. Kids older than him are out there having catfights and making stupid "your mom" jokes, but this infant has so much experience facing conflict, he already knows what steps to take to steer away from that kind of drama and stay in safe territory. He only engages a bit when he hears about Gabe answering Sally's phone. Anyone who's answered a friend or partner's phone before will probably consider Percy's anger and indignation a little bratty and unwarranted. The issue here is that Gabe is someone who ignores boundaries. The issue isn't that he answered Sally's phone, the issue is that he very likely did it without permission. Based on Percy and Sally's reactions (Percy is angry, Sally is resigned), he's someone who's regularly done stuff like look through Sally's phone or purse without her permission. Percy makes it clear that this is not okay, and he gets dismissed. Gabe just answers "whatever's ringin'" and Percy is made to look like the one overreacting. This is what abusers do. They're never in the wrong. And then, the cherry on top of the blue icing, he blames the victim. "What're we doing Percy, every time." Gabe's the one who picked the fight, but by the end of it, Percy's the one being blamed. This is so commonplace and anyone who's been through this knows how maddening it can be. This is such a short interaction but they pack so much into it.

Gabe is harmless…

And yet we find Sally sitting outside in the rain on the balcony, as if she's trying to ground herself after a traumatic experience. As if she's trying to bring herself into the present and not dissociate because when Percy arrives she needs to be there for him. She can deal with the Gabe stuff AFTER Percy is safe. I'll get more into Sally's interaction with Gabe in Part 2 because a lot of people were confused by the fact that she was so firm with him. There's an explanation, I promise.

A lot of people also expressed concern that we wouldn't see Gabe's truly monstrous side before he gets petrified but from what I can see, the shows been making great use of flashbacks and exposition, so I'm pretty sure this will be addressed. Percy and Sally are the heroes. It would be counterintuitive for the show to establish that and then not give them a blatant cause for turning Gabe into stone.

[kiyo-cant-write]

Diasomnia w/ a transmasculine s/o ✧･ﾟ

Summary: These headcanons are for the members of Diasomnia falling in love and dating another student at Night Raven College (can be Yuu, not written as explicitly Yuu) who they understand or assume to be a cisgender male and then finding out they are transgender when s/o tells them/comes out to them.

TW/CW: None

Notes: established relationship, transgender reader, he/him pronouns for the reader, the reader is explicitly human

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.

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After much deliberation, he finally decided to tell his boyfriend about his gender identity. It didn't seem important at first. Did it even matter to his boyfriend? But, as [Name] had come to realize from a few comments that didn't fit his identity, his boyfriend truly had no idea he was transgender. That could lead to some misunderstands, so he knew what he had to do.

Walking into Diasomnia, [Name] saw him from the entryway. He was able to pull him aside from what he was doing, telling him that he had something important to share with him.

When his boyfriend asked what it was, [Name] just... told him, as casually as possible the words flowed from his lips.

"So, I'm trans."

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.

.

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Malleus Draconia

Malleus doesn't understand what his s/o means. At all.

He is much older than his s/o and the word is foreign to him.

The fae is curious, however, and asks what it means.

He also asks if "trans" is short for transfiguration.

Have you transfigured yourself into something?

Are YOU the thing you were transfigured into??

Malleus assures that if there is a magical issue, he can help.

Once he has the concept explained to him in more detail, he nods.

Malleus' expression is serious, the same as always.

Regardless, he loves his s/o and understands the barebones of his gender identity and transition.

"Oh? Is that what this means, Child of Man? How interesting."

Malleus patted his partner on the head as he spoke. He was always appreciative of what human knowledge they had to share with him. This moment, to him, was no different. He smiled slightly, his fangs visible with this expression.

"Thank you for sharing this new vernacular with me."

"Malleus..." [Name] began, trailing off into silence.

He watched the other boy's expression sour slightly and wondered if he had somehow said something offensive. While Malleus does not apologize often, he does apologize to his significant other when called for. Malleus does not like to see him upset.

"Do not fret, my love," Malleus told him, "I do understand it now."

"Are you sure?" [Name] asked the fae prince, "You thought I was transfigured houseware during this conversation."

"I assure you, my dear," Malleus reiterated, "I love you and I understand that the man you are now is who you were meant to be."

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Lilia Vanrouge

Lilia's eyes are fixed on his s/o as they explain.

From his travels, Lilia is familiar with different gender identities.

Despite being older than Malleus, he is more in tune with others and with the modern era that he finds himself in at NRC.

He nods along as his s/o explains his own journey with gender.

Lilia's first instinct is to pat his s/o on the head and grin at them.

He doesn't like it when his s/o looks anxious or upset.

Lilia is a caretaker personality, or he has become one over time.

He praises his s/o for pursuing what they want in life.

He is no less fond of them than he was before.

Lilia tried to hold back a laugh at a joke his partner made trying to explain their gender but it escaped him anyway. He always found [Name] to be a funny person and the jokes were quite pointed and hilarious even to the old fae who was familiar with gender and its fluidity but not with being transmasculine specifically, as [Name] worded it.

"You really are a riot, even when you're worried~"

[Name] looked at him, surprised by the comment.

"I'm happy, no, overjoyed you can share these things with an old man like me," Lilia told him, "So thank you for trusting me with this, [Name]."

[Name] smiled at him, calming down notably now that Lilia had broken the ice for them both. It was a feeling of relief that Lilia was being the same Lilia he always was even having been told something that [Name] thought would startle him, even a bit.

"I'm glad this didn't shock you too much, Lilia."

"Oho? Shock me? At my age? I've seen many a thing, you know."

"I know, Lils."

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Silver

Thankfully, Silver does not accidentally nod off during this talk.

He listens respectfully and nods to show he is listening.

Because of his upbringing, Silver is unfamiliar with this more human concept of gender compared to Briar Valley's beliefs.

His understanding of gender is influenced by his home.

He actually isn't sure why they think they need to tell him so seriously as he thought gender was fluid already (shout out to Lilia for raising Silver in an LGBT-friendly household).

Silver is curious about these differences.

He asks his s/o about them but otherwise is wholly unphased by the "reveal" as his s/o is still himself. That is what Silver tells his s/o matters most.

He also thanks his s/o for explaining it to him.

Silver apologizes for being a human who doesn't know human things because he thinks that this could be disrespectful to his partner.

Silver waited for his partner to finish his explanation, which was basically a speech covering everything from "I am transgender" to what the many views of human gender were by the many humans living outside of Briar Valley. The second of the two topics had begun shortly after Silver gave [Name] a bewildered expression during their initial spiel.

All in all, Silver thought it was an interesting topic. Being raised by his father, he did not leave the Valley until he was attending Night Raven College, following after his master and father.

"I see," Silver said when [Name] was done, "That makes sense."

The light-haired boy offered a gentle smile toward him before he continued to speak, thanking [Name] for the explanation.

"Thank you for telling me this. I'm sorry I didn't understand sooner. I really am not much of a human, when you think of it," he admitted with a sheepish look in [Name]'s direction.

"Eh. You were raised by fae," [Name] agreed, laughing at the almost shy expression on Silver's face, "So it would make sense if you knew more about fae culture than humanity. I mean. How many humans live in Briar Valley anyway?"

"Malleus-sama says that more humans live there than before but not so many that they outnumber the fae within our borders."

"Huh," [Name] managed to say, "I'm still not sure how many that is."

"Sorry, I don't actually know much besides what I've been told," Silver explained the reason for his somewhat vague answer.

"You don't need to apologize, Sil."

"Sorry—"

"Silver!" [Name] cut him off before bursting into laughter that Silver couldn't help but echo with his own.

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Sebek Zigvolt

Sebek is probably the one who has the most intense reaction.

Because of his impulsive nature, he says a few insensitive things.

His first response is to ask s/o if humans can change their sex?

He means this in the sense of biologically shifting from one sex to another and does not realize that this is a weird question to ask.

His father definitely couldn't do that but his father wasn't the only human ever to exist (Exhibit A: NRC student body).

His comments are less transphobic and more weirdly racist against humans if anything, but they aren't meant to be hateful.

This boy is genuinely asking you this question.

Sebek's boyfriend spends more of the conversation giving a human biology lesson than anything else.

Once he has had the concept explained, Sebek scoffs.

Sebek asks his s/o if he was worried Sebek would be upset.

Sebek also assures his partner that his biological sex doesn't change Sebek's feelings and apologizes for thinking his s/o could shapeshift like some fae can.

"[Name], I wouldn't leave you over something as trivial as your sex," Sebek told [Name], seeming vaguely offended at the idea of doing such a thing, "You're one of the few humans that I like outside of family."

[Name] sighed as he listened to Sebek's answer. It was comforting to them. Somehow, his vague anti-human rhetoric was comforting to them in moments like this. He smiled at the half-fae.

"Sebek, I feel like you need more human friends," [Name] told him.

"NONSENSE. You and Silver are plenty of humans."

[Name] made a face at Sebek's words.

"You said you didn't even like Silver?" [Name] questioned.

"I don't, he can be irritating. But I do like you, so whatever else doesn't impact my views of you negatively," Sebek told his partner in a way that told them from the tone alone that he would not be argued with on the matter.

It would be like trying to convince him Malleus had a negative trait.

"Thanks, Sebek."

"Of course!"

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Thank you for reading! Likes and reblogs are appreciated! Do NOT repost my writing/headcanons as your own >:c Check the top of my blog for the inbox status and read the rules before requesting. This is not a twst-only blog! ^^

[meloethelavendeer]

Prefacing this by saying i love krusie, but:

Every time somebody breaks up suselle for krusie instead of polyshipping an angel dies

Every time somebody makes art of noelle being visibly upset and distressed by krusie happening an angel dies

Like do you really need to break up the adorable canon ship to make your best friends to lovers ship work. Do you really need the transbian out of the way that bad.

The hallway scene in chapter 2 makes it fairly clear noelle is actually pretty chill with susie and kris hanging out. She doesnt seem mad if only a little bit flustered.

She asks susie to come do work with her and corrects herself to add kris, clearly respecting and supporting the two as friends.

Meanwhile later in the game a similar scene plays out and she starts shaking berdly at him merely mentioning a crush on susie. Like you can reason she did nothing to kris in this scene because they arent explicitly saying they have a crush on susie and its infront of susie but still even despite this she never brings this up to them again and even has them as a sort of wingthem for alot of the chapter. All this to say noelle is at least tolerant of kris and susie being a thing and heavily implied to be open to being in a polycule.

This is to say even if you do wanna break up suselle for krusie, which sucks, at least portray her accurately. Dont make her pissed off. Whenever i see art of kris and susie kissing with noelle in the background fuming i just. It makes me mad.

Alot of you just need to know polyamory exists and see that it fits perfectly here. Krusielle is litterally so much better and in character then breaking up suselle for krusie.

I see people justify it with "oh but noelle is obsessive / toxic" which she isnt and also "but suselle makes me uncomfortable" which is like. Ok who am i to invalidate your feelings but. How does that even happen.

Krusie is a valid and awesome ship, i love kris and susies dynamic i really do, but if you need to break up suselle to do it then you need to reanalyse the game.

Plus as said krusielle is the best ship in any media ever so :P