#oh lets disrespect the beliefs of the natives

[thenineofus]

As a lover of stories about preventable tragedies, watching as every wrong choice and bad decision is made in The Terror is delicious!

[knxfesck]

White people watching conspiracy theory compilations and scary stories that are just mangled Native beliefs type youtube videos are so funny to me because they'll try to silly little guy their way out of taking responsibility for supporting those views at every opportunity. Oh you're neurodivergent? is that why you can't survive without a 9 hour antisemitism special and a 3 hour Let's Disrespect Native People "explanation" video? Get over yourselves lmao

[mysticaltora8276]

1. Wait I have to explain? You really don’t understand media literacy do you?

2. oh no, he kissed her without her consent twice. And she’s kissed him multiple times without his consent. Doesn’t that make her awful? Or does it only count when Aang does it?

3. Favoritism towards Tenzin. He just took him on trips and it comes off less of blatant favoritism and more of him trying to impart the last of his culture to someone who can truly empathize with the fact that he’s an Airbender. Bumi and Kya even admit that he was a great dad, even if he was flawed.

4. Oh no, he doesn’t eat any of the meat provided. It’s almost like they are equally respecting the fact that Aang doesn’t eat meat and find alternatives for him to eat that are still linked to their culture. Does that mean that if you don’t eat piece of food that is integral to the culture that you’re disrespecting them? Well then don’t ever eat any foreign food whatsoever. Because you’re disrespecting your culture then…. Your logic makes no sense and fun fact there are vegetarians in northern Native American tribes. For whatever reasons. Epic fail with understanding, cultures or character building.

5. Oh no, showing that thing true to your beliefs and morality is somehow bad? It was made of abundantly clear that Aang wasn’t going to kill the FireLord. Roku said, beating the fire Lord everyone else assumed that meant killing him. And sticking to your guns is a very mature and selfless and brave thing to do. I don’t know if you follow with faith but sticking into your faith and following it regardless of the fact that everyone’s tells you that you shouldn’t be doing this is an incredibly difficult and hard thing to do and I applaud anyone who does it. Clearly you don’t understand what truly means and I feel sorry for you.

6. The comics are written by a variety of authors who interpret the source material. The actual creators have maybe like a slight handed it. In the nation, it seems as they get the characterization and the cultures down much better. Probably because they learn from their mistakes and trusting people who have a, interesting viewpoint about certain relationships.

7. Trophy wife? Being the healer of the southern water tribe is somehow bad? Look, I wasn’t thrilled about the older guard being sidelines so that way they are kids could make stupid mistakes, but it made sense for Katara to settle down to be a healer. She wanted to end the war and she made her mark on the world and she taught the next generation of water benders. That is what she wanted to do preserve her culture. And I’m not sure why getting married to the man she loved and helping him through struggles and help raising children is somehow bad. So so let me get this straight if she were doing that with Zuko it’s OK but Aang somehow it’s not?

7. Well, yeah, he feels guilty about it because he’s a decent person. Also, it makes sense. He lost his entire culture in his family. Katara and Sokka are the only ones he has left so of course he wants to hold onto them. But when he realizes that he was wrong, he makes amends for it, even if it has a negative consequence on him. You know people say that he had lacks empathy, but I’m getting the impression that it’s projecting your own lack of empathy for a genocide survivor. Fun fact, emotions make people act irrationally and sometimes people get hurt. That’s human not something to demonize someone else for. But yes, that’s right. It’s OK with Zuko gets emotional, but Aang never get emotional.

8. We’re getting on the subject of relationships did neither of you people notice that Zuko literally is possessive over Mai so much so that he picks a fight with her that pisses her off that she breaks up with him? Why is it OK when Zuko messes up, but when Aang messes up his flaws are magnified and exaggerated to the point of parody?

What I adore about the idea of Katara ending up with Zuko instead of Aang is that in Zuko she would have someone who would support her in her righteous anger. Had he been there when Katara challenged Pakku for her right to learn how fight, he would've backed her up. He would never have tried to tell Pakku that she didn't mean it. And he would've offered to help her dispose of his body if it came to that.

That's the energy that Katara needs. Someone who understands that she's not jumping into a fight for nothing. If she kills someone, she had a darned good reason.

[txabier-lost-word-balloon]

Budget isn’t everything. High Time we realized that.

I'm going to stop Mr. Cameron, right there when he goes on to say how his Avatar: The Way of Water could ever be profitable. Not out of disrespect—far from it—but because of a very particular belief that I’ve had since I was about 6 years old, thanks to both mum and dad. So, sure, call me “44 years worth of old fashioned,” but I kind of internalized that for a movie to be profitable, it has to tell a GREAT story. First and foremost. After all that's what drives people to the theaters and what keeps people buy hardcopies or downloadable file—or keep renting either format; yes, there still are places where you can rent démodé vhs, laser discs, dvds & blu ray physical media. Because let’s face it: all the #CGI craftsmanship or the most breathtaking photography in the world isn't going to do squat for a lame story—have several such sad cases. Also, many really tepid movies have been blockbusters only because what appears on the IMAX screens around the world—Transformer movies, I’m frowning at almost all of you. Bumblebee, you’re not in such hot water, but we’ll talk later, young ‘bot. Go to your parking spot. Now.

The thing is I believe It's time to stop this rather sad trend of assessing "masterpieces" based on the size of budget and boxoffice alone. A true blockbuster and for several years the highest grossing movie of all time, the first Avatar movie was a very passable flick about the tried and true "Gone Native" trope as well as the "Depoilers of The Land" reflection about corporate greed, both subthemes of your regular (anti)Colonization thinkpiece.

Truth be told, not much thinking was required to decode the movie’s message. A thing that made “hardcore movie critics and goers” label it as chidlish, all because of the animation and the obvious “white hat, black hat” depictions of the characters. Now that isn't a bad thing. Even if there were plenty of critiques about the continued "white saviorism" (valid if a tad strained argument) plot, as well as other minor details that know-it-all-yet-done-nothing-yets love to cherrypick in order to blast at the next hyped movie into some sort of oblivion, the movie worked and technically, it excelled. But in Avatar’s case, sadly, these griping people kind of won because, for nearly a decade, Avatar was recognized as a technical achievement and the “big earner,” yet it remained largely forgotten by the wider audience who usually go :”oh, yeah! It looked pretty, but the story was predictable/too simple/the usual/whathaveyou.” This, from people who really love movies; why, some of them study, write and make these for a living. Yep. Avatar, the grossest earner in history for a solid 8 years (8 years filled with high-budget movies taking advantage of the audiences spells of ‘franchise-frenzy” moviegoing) remained barely above water in terms of audience awareness. That, in itself, is an unfortunate result and, some might say, a factual proof of Budha’s idea of impermanence... and a failure as a movie. Even for a record breaking one. So, how do we can we come up with another wat to measure a movies relevance in the industry’s annals and audience’s lives? The questions I consider necessary to make a fair assessment, are:

Can a movie be a true masterpiece when it remains barely remembered by a large sector of the moviegoing & streaming audiences?

Is a low budget movie with a great story, enough profits to label it a financial success, but one that was done with a low budget, somehow undeserving of the “masterpiece” or “classic” labels? In this particular instance, let’s think about, say, Shawn of the Dead, Attack on the Block, Predestination or Primer. Or my beloved Tetsuo, even, which certainly redefined body-horror in Japanese ホラー映画 or “horāeiga.” All of them are fondly (or not so fondly) remembered and came up with something new or different to further nuture the movie industry.

How is success measured outside of the profitability bubble Hollywood keeps imposing on the whole industry?

I certainly don’t have a definitive answer for any of these questions, but I believe it is time we, as an audience, start paying more attention to all those lower budget movies that get lost in all the hype, and to get directors and producers to talk about other ways to assess how good their movies are without resorting to its profitability as the major milestone for measuring it. After all, let us remember Blade was considered as underperforming at the boxoffice on its first three weeks, and this was the impression at the time until DVD sales and rentals numbers were factored in, that these made it into a true earner. Even Wesley Snipes once was quoted on film and press about how this willingness the people had to watch against the movies they had dissed while it was n its theatrical run, was what made Blade into something profitable. So much so—lifetime gross USD $82.348.319 on a USD $45 million budget, it got Guillermo Del Toro involved in the “now very famous if not overly fantastic yet definitely fun to watch” Blade II—lifetime gross USD $155,010,032 on a USD $54 million budget, which topped the first one as the highest profit maker of the three. The moral may be: don’t be too greedy when trying to mark a movie as “profitable.” Just because Cameron wants it to go all the way to the “billion dollar on opening week” club to consider his movie is actually making some profit, while the whole Blade 3-movie franchise is far from reaching the USD 1 billion landmark and every single one of them is more talked about than Avatar, should give a time for pause. I’ll say it again: all of the Balde movies were profitable by earning nearly or a bit over double their assigned budget (Blade and Blade: Trinity) while Balde 2 made nearly 3 timex its assigned budget. None of them are close to half of Avatar’s opening weekend numbers. Yet, all of them are more talked about, even the very bad third one, than Cameron’s CGI marvel with the rather simple yet passable story. Surely, there’s other ways to assess how good a movie is and can perform than short-term profitability. I don’t know. To me, it’s like marking yourself for the slaughter just before the real bloodletting begins. Not very smart. You catch my drift?

[hearth-and-veil]

Is Hellenism closed? Or initiatory?

Oh what a barrel of worms.

Some people say yes.

Some people say no.

Some people say yes, but it shouldn't be.

Some people say no, but it should be.

And tons of accusations about gatekeeping and racism and disrespect fly around the entire discussion constantly. It's really not something enjoyable to sink into.

My personal opinion is that Hellenism is closed in the sense that it's an indigenous religion. The Hellenic Gods belong to the Hellenes and that They shouldn't be "pantheon mashed" by non-Hellenists. The reason for that is the sheer level of disrespect I see from non-Hellenists towards the Theoi and towards Greek people - both ancient and modern.

What constitutes a Hellenist is up for debate. There are apparently some native Greek Hellenists who believe that only Greeks can worship the Theoi. I've never encountered one though. The stance of the YSEE seems to be the most common: in order to be a Hellenist then one just has to be a Hellenist...and nothing else. Their actual wording is "Ethnic religions refer to specific nations and that is why they do not partake in proselytising. Just like in ancient times, however, they accept people from other nations who freely decide to let go of their own ethnic religion and adopt the religion of a different nation."

So by the YSEE's stance, I am a full member of their ethnic religion because I rejected my own (American Christianity) and embraced theirs. This should not be mistaken for either the YSEE or me considering me to be Greek.

There is no formal conversion process the way there is with, say, Judaism. You don't have to study under a priest like you would for Voodoo. You just have to have this belief, and only this belief, and stick by it. It's not difficult and there are no hoops to jump through. It's just a matter of deciding that Hellenism is your religion and that's how you're going to live your life. If you can't even do that, then don't be surprised that people want you to leave them and their Gods alone 🤷‍♀️

People are going to do whatever they want at the end of the day. Nothing we can do about that. But you asked my opinion and there it is.

[zukkacore]

Whitewashing in AtlaLok: the Western & Christian Influence on s2 of LoK

Ok, so i’m not a big brained expert on all things indigenous or even all things asian but I do think bryke's christian & western worldview seeps so far into season 2 of LoK that i think out of every season it’s by far the most unsalvageable out of everything they’ve ever done in the Atlaverse and is a very insidious kind of whitewashing. I know that sounds hefty but here’s what I mean

For the record, I’m a mixed filipino person & while there is religious diversity among filipinos, more than i think ppl realize or that the catholic majority is willing to let on, when we were colonized a large percent of the population was indeed forced to convert to catholicism so that’s my background, & i don’t know everything about taoism or the what the tai chi symbol represents but the way Bryke westernize the concept of Yin and Yang is honestly… kinda bewildering. They get so many details about yin & yang wrong?? & Yes, it’s possible they could’ve been trying to create their own lore that differentiates itself from the traditional depictions of Yin & Yang, but in the end i think it doesn’t matter b/c the lore they invent is a very obviously western interpretation of the concept of “balance”.

The most important and honestly worst change they make is that concepts of “light” and “dark” are completely oversimplified and flattened to represent basically “good” and “evil” (which, the light and dark side are a bit more complex than representing just “peace/order vs. Chaos” like the show might imply but we don’t even have time for that, but is funny how they get the genders wrong. Like. Traditionally, light is usually coded masculine and dark is usually coded feminine, but never mind that, that’s just a tangent). This really simplifies the nuance of the s2 conflict and makes it a lot less interesting, not to mention just—misrepresents a very real religious philosophy?

And for the record, a piece of media going out of its way to do "the show, don’t tell" thing of stating in the text that “oh, light and dark are not the same thing as good vs. evil” without actually displaying that difference through the writing is just lip service, and its poor writing. A lot of pieces of media do this, but i think s2 of LoK is particularly egregious. The point of this philosophy of balance is that you aren’t supposed to moralize about which side is “good” or “bad”, or even really which one is “better” or “worse”. Even if the show states the concepts are not interchangeable, if the media in question continually frames one side (and almost always its “chaos/darkness”) as the “evil” side, then the supposed distinction between “light vs. dark” and “good vs. evil” is made moot. And besides the occasional offhand remark that implies more nuance without actually delivering, Vaatu is basically stock evil incarnate.

This depiction of conflict as “defeating a singular representation of total evil” isn’t solely christian, but it is definitely present in christian beliefs. And I think those kinds of stories can be done well, but in this case, in a world filled entirely of asian, Pacific Islander & inuit poc, to me it feels like a form of subtle whitewashing? B/c you’re taking characters that probably wouldn’t have christian beliefs, and imposing a christian worldview onto them. Not to mention removes what could have been an interesting conflict of any nuance and intrigue… and honestly, sucks, because I do think s2 has the bones of an interesting idea, mostly b/c there are potential themes that could’ve been explored—I know this b/c they were already explored in a movie that exists, and it’s name is Princess Mononoke! It has a lot of the same elements—tension between spirits and humanity, destruction of nature in the face of rapid industrialization, moral ambiguity where there are no easy or fast answers and both sides have sympathetic and understandable points of view. (Unsurprising b/c Miyazaki is Japanese & Japanese culture has a lot of influence from Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, etc)

Bryke’s western & christian worldview also totally seeps into the characterization of Unalaq, the antagonist of the season which is a real problem. I’m in the middle of rewatching s2 right now and what struck me is that….. Unalaq comes across kinda ecofash AND fundamentalist which is 1) seems like an odd combination but maybe it really isn’t? 2) i think is a really tacky choice considering that the water tribes take the majority of its inspiration from inuit and polynesian indigenous cultures.

I honestly forgot abt this but Unalaq gives this whole lame speech abt how the SWT & humans as a whole suck b/c of their lack of spiritual connection & it was really eerie to me b/c "humans are morally bankrupt and they must be wiped out/punished for their destruction of the environment" is total ecofash logic bc it blames all of humanity for damage caused by those in power—be they capitalists or whoever. It’s a worldview that blames the poor and powerless for something they have no say in, and has real eugenics undertones bc with every implication of culling, there has to be someone who appoints themself the job of culling—of who is and isn’t worthy of death.

This belief also struck me as......... kinda christian in it's logic as well which is WEIRD b/c once again........ their cultural inspirations are DEFINITELY not christian...... The whole "man is inherently evil and must spend their whole lifetime repenting/must face punishment for it’s wickedness" thing and the way that christianity treats humanity as born with original sin or inherently corrupt—as well as above or separate from nature are really stronger undertones in Unalaqs worldview....... which isn't really an indigenous way or thinking.

I'm generalizing of course but from what I have seen from the indigenous people who speak on this is that (feel free to point out or correct me if i’m mostly generalizing abt Native Americans and not other indigenous cultures & there are some differences here) is that while native tribes are not monolithic and do vary wildly, there are a lot of common threads and that reverence and respect toward nature and your surroundings is an important tenant of indigenous beliefs. (I specifically remember the hosts on All My Relations saying essentially that we humans are a part of nature, we are not separate from it, and humans are not superior to animals—I’m paraphrasing but that is the gist of it)

So, yeah, I think it’s just really distasteful to write an indigenous character who is characterized in a way that’s way more in line with a christian fundamentalist & wants to bring about a ragnarok style apocalypse end of the world when that isn’t really a tenant of our beliefs? (btw, the way the end of the world is framed is also kinda fucked up? If i were being charitable, I could say that maybe s2’s storyline is a corruption of the hindu depiction of the end of the world, but even that sounds mildly insulting for reasons I won’t get into b/c i am Not The Expert On Hinduism. I will say that once again, the framing of the concept is all wrong, the show views the idea of apocalypse through a very western lense)

To wrap this up, I think the depiction of Unalaq could *maybe* work b/c he is the antagonist, so someone who strays from the NWT cultural tradition in a way that makes his view of morality more black and white wouldn’t be a *horrible* idea for the bad guy of the season. Especially because the introduction of capitalism to the A:TLA universe could probably cause a substantial shifts to… idk, everything i guess, b/c capitalism is so corrosive. Like. Sometimes people are just traitors. I do think it would be interesting to portray the way capitalism manifests in a society without white christians. Like… I do think there are a lot of ways secular christianity and capitalism are interlinked. But Unalaq is not portrayed as an outsider, he’s portrayed as hyper-traditionalist in a way that’s vilified? I guess rightly so, he does suck, but it’s just hard to conceptualize how a person like Unalaq comes to exist in the first place. In the end, I don’t really think it makes sense, in a world without white people, I don’t really know where this introduction of black and white christian morality would even come from in the avatar world?

TL;DR, Bryke applying western christian morality & world views to non-white characters in a world where white people have NEVER existed to affect our beliefs is a subtle form of white-washing. It imposes simplified “good vs. evil” world-views & cultural beliefs onto its characters. Any attempt to represent or even just integrate our actual beliefs into the A:tla lore are twisted and misrepresented is a way that is disrespectful and saps out any nuance or intrigue from the story, and alienates the people its supposed to represent from recognizing themselves within the final product. And Finally, on a more superficial story level, these writing choices clashe with the already existing world of ATLA--and is honestly just poor world-building.

[ragingbookdragon]

A Lesson In Hair

A Connor Kenway x Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 1,434 Warnings: None

Author’s Note: For anyone wondering, I did multiple searches across the web for the information in this story. Some from wikipedia, but a majority from blogs and websites run by Native people who educate others on their beliefs! Enjoy! -Thorne

She’d come across it in a book she’d found one day in the community library they’d set up. Terrible, she wanted to admit, that she spent more and more days holed up in a pile of books than she did actually working. She was learning, so there was an upside to it. Still, someone somewhere had to have a problem with her sitting in the library all day. She drew her fingers gently across the page, eyes scanning the words, taking in the information.

Hair in the indigenous tribes is a major part of their culture. Though each tribe differs in their styles, the significance of their hair is seen to be found in all tribes. Not only is it important to the individual, but it is important to family and culture, promoting belonging, respect, and pride. Grooming is considered significant too, many tribes use braids to signify unity with life. A lesson has been also heard that single strands of hair are weak by themselves, but when braided together, the hair is strong, signifying strength. Most natives never cut their hair unless they have lost someone they cared for deeply, or they have had a major life change. As hair is seen as important to them, there are also rules that need to be followed, especially by outsiders. Touching someone’s hair without their permission is disrespectful; some find that even asking to touch is considered disrespectful as well. It is important-

           Her eyes went wide, and she snapped the book shut, bringing a hand to her mouth as she breathed, “Oh…I’ve been so rude to him and I wasn’t even aware of it.” She scrambled to her feet, setting the book on the table before she sprinted out the doors, heading for the manor. By the time she’d arrived, sweat was dripping down her face and she fanned herself with her hand. “Why is it so hot in August?” She muttered, free hand reaching up to knock at the door. It opened a few moment later, and she expected the man she was looking for, but instead, was greeted by the lord of the manor; she smiled abashedly, greeting, “Mister Davenport! Good afternoon!” Achilles simply cocked an eyebrow at her flustered appearance and reached in his coat pocket, tossing her the handkerchief he carried. He turned on his heel, muttering,

           “You look like a woman of the night on the front pew of a morning service, (Y/N).” She blinked in a stunned silence, then stepped inside the door, closing it behind her.

           “Well…I’ve heard worse.” He chuckled before disappearing into the study, leaving her with,

           “He’s upstairs in his room.” (Y/N) grinned and hurried up the stairs, turning the corner to his bedroom, halting when she caught sight of his naked chest. She spun around, hand going to her eyes as she blurted,

           “Oh my god! I’m sorry Ratonhnhaké:ton!” She fumbled for the doorknob, pulling it shut as she added, “I’ll wait until you’re done!” The door shut behind her and she waited, warmth spreading across her cheeks at her actions, then a moment later, the doorknob twisted in her grip and she let go, turning around as he opened the door for her. Evidently, he was as flustered as she was, because a faint red dusted his cheeks and he mumbled,

           “I am dressed.” Connor stood to the side, allowing her to enter and she did, standing awkwardly in the middle of his room. “Is something wrong (Y/N)?” She shook her head, gesturing to the bed.

           “Do you mind if we sit? I ran all the way here from the library.” His brows furrowed, but he nodded, asking,

           “Why did you run here?” Her mouth opened and snapped shut, and she opted to wait until they were sitting on the bed facing one another to give her reply. (Y/N) stared at her hands, too embarrassed to look him in the eye as she admitted,

           “I…I need to apologize to you.” Connor frowned, reaching to hold her hand.

           “Whatever is weighing on you (Y/N), I will listen.” She felt the corners of her lips turn up and taking a deep breath, she gathered the courage to look him in the eye and say,

           “I never realized that your hair was so important to you and your tribe, and I’m now realizing all the times I touched it without your permission and how disrespectful to you that was and is. But then I read that you’re not even supposed to ask, because asking can be considered rude, and I had no idea, but I’m really sorry Ratonhnhaké:ton, and I promise I’ll be more mindful in the future.” As she finished, she bowed her head slightly, waiting for him to admonish her, but when it didn’t come, she glanced up, seeing him wear a small smile. She felt her brows furrow and she questioned, “Ratonhnhaké:ton?” Connor reached out, taking both her hands in his as he explained,

           “It is true that many tribes consider it disrespectful for outsiders to touch our hair without permission, or to even ask.” (Y/N) felt the shame creep up her neck and she tried to look away, but he softly took hold of her chin, turning her face to meet his gaze. “But you are not an outsider to me (Y/N). And any of the times you have touched my hair, you have never been rough or disrespectful. Only kind and respectful.” She blinked, pursing her lips to keep herself from saying anything ridiculous, opting to silently nod. “Is that all you came here to say?” She nodded, murmuring,

           “I was reading a book that someone had written about the things they’d learned about meeting the various tribes across the colonies, and when I read the part about the hair, I just felt like I had to apologize for being ignorant.” Connor nodded with understanding, gently taking her hands back in his, thumbs rubbing across the back of them.

           “Then the fault also lies with me as I did not teach you about my tribe’s beliefs as well.” (Y/N) opened her mouth to counter him, but he raised a hand, palm up to stay her words. “(Y/N), I have not been offended by you touching my hair.” A relieved smile crossed her lips and a warm feeling rose in her chest as she inquired,

           “Can I ask you a really dumb question that I probably shouldn’t?” Connor huffed a laugh, but nodded and she asked, “May I touch your hair?” The smile that crossed his lips reached his honeyed eyes and he shifted on the bed, resting his head in her lap, expressing,

           “You always have my permission.” (Y/N) reached up, fingers resting against the tie that held it all behind his head.

           “May I take this out?” He nodded and she gently unwound the band before tenderly brushing her fingers through his hair. Connor turned his head to the side, burying his face in her stomach before closing his eyes, relaxing as she smoothly combed his hair. After a few moments of silence, she questioned, “What type of hairstyles do the men and women in your tribe wear Ratonhnhaké:ton?” He hummed turning his head a bit to explain,

           “Many women braid their hair in two and adorn them with wraps or beads. My mother was one who did so. Others let their hair free. Men usually wear the same style, but the warriors who protect the tribe shave the sides of their head.” (Y/N) cocked an eyebrow, toying with a strand.

           “How come?” A frown crossed his lips and he said,

           “There are settlers who paid bounty hunters for native scalps. It was a way to deter them from attacking the women and children, in favor of ‘rarer’ scalps.” Shock dwelled inside her and she breathed,

           “That’s horrible…I…I’m so sorry Ratonhnhaké:ton.” He shook his head, responding,

           “It has become a sense of pride for our tribe. Almost a dare to the hunters to try and take our scalps. We shave our head in different ways, some on the sides, some on the front.” (Y/N) let out an ‘Ooo’ and explained,

           “Like your friend Kanen'tó:kon?” He nodded.

           “He is a strong warrior.” She couldn’t help but smile, countering,

           “I think you’re stronger.” Connor let out a huff and turned, looking up at her; (Y/N) met his eyes and she shifted her other hand, caressing his cheek. “I love you Ratonhnhaké:ton.” He tilted his chin up a little, signaling her to bend down, and she did, albeit giggling, pressing her lips to his. As she pulled away, he murmured,

           “Konnorónhkwa (Y/N).”

[kuchenprince]

I know that I don't have many followers here and that means that my voice will not be heard, but I'm quite tired of this bullshit so, here it goes.

Hetalia isn't sexist or racist.

You say that it is sexist because of the lack of female characters? This is just my theory but, look at Hima's content and art style. He's Hella gay. That means that he's not very interested in female characters. But did you ever saw the few female characters that, btw, are AMAZING girls? Some of them have more spotlight than any other male characters.

You say it's racist because of the lack of black characters? Listen. If you're talking about the anime adaptation, in the first seasons the company hadn't enough money to afford a tan or black color for skin. Yes, it costs money, did you know that? Yes, that's why also each episode had just 5 minutes, and even though after the massive popularity that Hetalia had in Japan, they started to add tan skin (Turkey, Egypt, Spain, etc), they didn't lengthen the duration of each episode. And do you know how many characters are in Hetalia? They all won't fit in just 5 minutes! And of course the company would prefer to give more screen time to the protagonists of the manga and those that are very popular (like Prussia or Austria).

"But Hima didn't even bother to make African or Latino countries".

You know what Hima does and what you should too? He studies the country. It's history, it's culture, it's politics, it's society. And with all his investigation done, he would create a STANDARD look and personality. Sadly, there's not much information about African and Latino countries in Japanese, it's very ambiguous, and that means that Hima hasn't enough data to make a character, ok? It's different from your fucking oc that you made with all your originality and talent and came out from your butthole. Characters in hetalia are made from intellect.

Oh, also, there's something more important you should know! Hima had a trauma with South Korea, and he is very cautious about representing a character, you know why? It's not bc he's a pussy, it's because he doesn't want to disrespect other cultures. You should take in mind that too when you make your Antarctica OC with blue hair and a random and meaningless ahoge.

"Yeah, but, there are black people in Europe too. Why Germany it's not black? It's because Hima is a Nazi"

Hmm... How can I explain that? Let's ask one thing first: Did you attend school?

Listen, listen. Europeans are not ethnically black. Can I make an African country white since there are white people living in Africa? No, right? Then it goes the same for other countries.

Btw, talking about Germany, do you know why he is Aryan? Hima wanted to feature principally the world wars, and specially the second world war, and do you know who had a really mayor role in the WWII? Yes, that guy that has very similar beliefs like you: Hitler. Good job! And know think: it would look accurate to have a black Germany next to that guy? No, it isn't. Not because Hetalia is racist, it's because it's historically incorrect! Yay!

.

There are many many many things that I still want to complain (like about the native America issues or the redrawing of characters), but it's too long, and I think that those are in a secondary place.

So yeah. Goodnight.

[letsgetsinfulbaby]

I don't understand what is happening with this reboot, maybe it's because I'm dumb but, what is happening?

Oh no you’re not dumb it really took off and then ended within a week. Ava’s reboot(to be renamed since they realized it was in poor taste) is a group of fans more or less creating fan fiction of the comic that rewrites the story if I understand correctly. I think it started when it became public that Michelle used the name Nanezgani for one of her characters. when confronted by a Diné person saying how it was disrespectful to them and their culture Michelle simply replied that by changing three letters it’s different and “sorry for the confusion and thanks.” It’s been pointed out on the Wikia even that there is likely a connection between the two. I feel with keeping in mind everything that Michelle has been accused of, with that blatant disregard for the culture's beliefs she’s chosen to mold to fit her comic is what broke the camels back. Of course, you can take inspiration from different cultures and things but if you’re going to do so do more research then simply the meaning of the name, especially if you are drawing inspiration from a culture within your country that is still to this day trying to be destroyed and integrated into the more “modern” world by the countries own government. We saw this cultural appropriation of native culture a few years ago on a LARGE scale with movie, tv, and video games of the W****go, I am absolutely in no position to talk on how this sort of things have affected Native Americans so I will get back on topic. Once all this came out on tumblr a few people said enoughs enough and decided, like in a lot of fandoms I’m sure, to in a way rewrite I believe the comic story. Explore parts of the story and the universe that has yet to appear in the comic. This one blog god-damn-it-ava/avasfuckingdemon was the one most vocal about the idea to explore the story outside the comic but within about a week I’d like to say their blog disappeared along with all of their posts and no one knew what happened until demonthefool made an announcement about what had happened and how they will be reblogging all of the other blogs content so it’s not lost. I’ve done the best I can to detail what all happened but in all honesty, it’s probably best to ask demonthefool what’s going on as they as in the loop. Statements from people working on it:

it is isnt meant to 'invalidate' anything, its just a fun project that lets people express their interpretations of a character that wont see the light of canon until 2025.

It's just a space for us to bounce ideas on things that were never explored in the comic or a spin on how the characters would act! its an AU! a derivative work! we don't own these characters so why are stans getting so butthurt over this.

ava’s reboot is in no way trying to “usurp” ava’s demon at all. we aren’t trying to “replace” the webcomic in any way. and we are not trying to profit off of something that is not ours.

[soundofseventeen]

13 Days of Christmas (Chwe Hansol)

A special thank you to @pointless-verses and @notprincesscharming​ for loving me the way they do and accepting who I am. I wouldn’t have written this without them. Some of us are Vernon and some of us are Y/N and that’s okay. Merry Christmas (Eve) everyone.

Word count: 2682

��Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright,” you sang softly as you hung the ornaments on your tree. You continued humming it as you decorated your apartment. Occasionally, one of the people that lived in the building would join in with you. You loved Christmas; you loved the holiday; you especially loved the meaning behind it. For many others, it meant gifts, shopping, food for days and more money spent in one month than in the entire year. For you, it was the reminder that Jesus Christ was born.

Jesus, church, and religion had been a big part of your life as a child and as you grew up, your faith in Him never wavered despite the obstacles. You didn’t tell people this part because over time, they had become less devoted and more critical of those who still believed, especially now that questioning everything had become a thing. You were familiar with almost everyone who disrespected your beliefs, and a lot of the time it felt like they targeted you personally. You knew there were bad Christians (and Catholics) who condemned those who were different, but you also knew that the self-righteous pricks who ironically had the holier-than-thou aura were no better, especially when it was just those who followed the trend. You felt lost for a time, but after joining groups and speaking to the pastors about your problem, you left somewhat reassured that as long as you had your faith, you could deal with the problem. Plus, your friends and family accepted you as you were, so nothing else mattered.

Sure you still didn’t know how people lived without God in their lives or how some could be angry at him, but you also didn’t know how people could use God as an excuse to treat others the way they did. Along the way in your self-discovery of living your life as God intended, you met those who had the same intentions as you did, some praising the Lord and some who merely smiled at the statement. 

Among those you befriended in that category was Hansol Vernon Chwe. Hansol, from what you knew, had a golden heart with a soul to match perfectly. You met him one day while waiting in line for a coffee. He complimented the buttons on your backpack and even showed you the same ones he had. You noticed the book he had in his hand since it had been one you were curious about, so you sat down at one of the tables and discussed all the books you’d read and wrote down his recommendations. He was a lot on the goofy side so it was refreshing to see that because, at your age, everyone was stressed over something. (Not that it was a bad thing, but it was a nice change.) He was a little awkward once you started hanging out but once he got comfortable with you, he opened up a lot about his life. 

It wasn’t the happiest but he managed to overcome a lot of his obstacles and you opened up to him. He was a fairly happy soul so when you spent time together, it felt cathartic. You listened to each other’s problems about whatever happened and just enjoyed each other’s company. 

You did have suspicions that the idea of religion made him uncomfortable, but every time you asked him about it, he’d just wave it off and let you continue until the topic could be appropriately changed and you’d eventually forget about it.

But you noticed the closer to the holidays he got, the gloomier he got. You could see the storm in his eyes whenever you passed the green and red colored shops with Santa Claus decorating the windows and his mood soured every time he saw people buying gifts, and you realized he never celebrated the joyous holiday with someone important to him, so on a chilly and windy afternoon, you set off to find something for him and you’d wait until Christmas Eve to give it to him once you finished setting up the nativity set on the coffee table, and then you’d invite him over to give him said gift: a leather jacket and a new beanie to match it. 

There was a knock on the door just as you finished putting the three wise men on the table and you yelled a, “Come in,” while you set up the farm animals around the little area. You continued your humming, setting up the nativity set as you pleased. “Hi Hansol!” you greeted him cheerily.

“Oh...hey,” he said sitting down next to you. He threw his backpack on the couch. “What are you doing?”

“Setting this up. It’s almost Christmas so I wanted to put this up. It’s the most important thing to me.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. So, uh, you said you wanted to see me?” He tried not to look on the table, the discomfort setting in, the more he avoided it.

You nodded, finally standing up and stretching. You pretended not to notice how he eyed the place skeptically, especially when you walked to the Christmas tree. “I got you something.”

“Why?” His eyes narrowed quickly, the slow boiling anger making you uneasy. Maybe you should’ve brought it up a little later? Maybe after he tried some food from a new recipe you made?

“Because you’re my friend and you’re special to me and all my special friends get gifts.” You smiled at him nonetheless.

“I don’t celebrate Christmas,” he said simply. “It’s stupid.” The off switch hit and he shut down, the way it normally did when he didn’t know what else to do.

You tried not to show the disappointment and hurt on your face, but you didn’t know how to make words come out of your mouth either. The present in your hands felt heavy suddenly and you felt like a fool. “Oh,” you finally said.

“Yeah...holidays don’t deserve to be celebrated when it’s a shit storm all year ‘round,” the sarcasm and bitterness lacing through the happy tone. “You got kids dying, homeless people with no place to go, and when your life is torn apart like mine, well, you get used to it. I gotta go.”

“But you just got here!” you protested, your voice trying not to break.

“And I have somewhere else to be now.”

“Hansol, if I offended you, I’m sorry-”

“You wouldn’t understand. I didn’t mean to ruin this for you.” He patted your shoulder and walked out quietly.

*

The moment he had found out about your religious side, Hansol had known it was gonna be difficult. He often stayed away with people who claimed to have a relationship with God because whenever he told someone that he wasn’t sure if God even existed, it was like a switch flipped. They were usually offended, yes, but then they forced (or tried to force) their beliefs down his throat and just gave him the cold shoulder when they realized they couldn’t convert him. He had been through so much in his life and he had stopped trying to defend his reasons behind it. He was tired of being judged for it, and he hated trying to prove that he was still a good person because he thought it could still be possible. It made him angry; it confused him and it even saddened him a little because he never knew where to turn to.

When he met you though, he thought you were just like him: a lost little soul, hoping to find something, anything. But as he got to know you, and you spoke of God so highly, he couldn’t help but feel betrayed. Another one for the books.

He liked you a lot though, and despite the barrier, he never felt like you forced it on him. Then again, he waived the subject of God and Christianity and everything it came with whenever his discomfort became too much. He never meant to push you away like he did at your place but it felt like he was backed into a corner. He made his friends (whatever was left of them, that is) and family swear they wouldn’t buy him anything in relation to the holiday in the past because he knew the reason behind Christmas and he couldn’t get on board with that. He would be something of a hypocrite if he celebrated it, so he chose not to. 

He could taste the bile on his tongue from overthinking and he needed to get away from his head. He wanted to call you, but he knew he made you cry the moment he left your house that day. Couldn’t he be your friend and still choose not to believe? Or did you only wanna become his friend because you a.) thought that he was religious or b.) knew he wasn’t and you thought you could change his ways? Neither seemed likely though. You never gave him a reason to believe otherwise

He turned on the radio to hopefully drive his thoughts away, but the moment he heard the song, you automatically came to his mind and a slow smile crossed his face. He remembered you telling him it was your favorite Christmas song over lunch one day when it came on the speakers. You had hummed it and tapped your fingers to it. He liked seeing you happy like that; all of his friends deserved it, especially you. You made him feel welcome, although he never told you upright his confusion with religion. Some days he didn’t believe; sometimes he did, but mostly, he was unsure. He was afraid it’d hurt you and he didn’t want that. 

It was a nice song, he decided right now that he was paying attention to it. Would he add it to his Spotify playlist? No, but that was okay. He could appreciate it because you were important to him..

*

“‘Bye everyone! Thank you for coming! And thank you for the gifts!” You weren’t sure of how much hot chocolate you ingested but you were sure it mixed into your bloodstream. You felt full and content. You invited a few of your loved ones over for breakfast and you all exchanged gifts. The best part of it all was being together, as it should be. There were hugs everywhere, laughter and even a few tears from laughing too hard, all music to your ears. You never felt like you belonged more than in moments like this. God had blessed you with the best people in your life and you’d be going to church later on today to express your gratitude because you couldn’t ask for more (except maybe some concert tickets, but that wasn’t the point here.)

Your gaze landed on Hansol’s unopened gifts and you were overcome with many emotions, unsure of which ones were stronger. You could pinpoint the hurt because of what he said to you and how he said it; the sadness because of the outright rejection and refusal of opening them; embarrassment for not asking him if he wanted something in the first place; anger for not handling the situation the way you wanted to; disappointment because you had at least hoped he would’ve opened them before saying something; and even the hope he’d come to at least apologize. You said a silent prayer that wherever he’d be, he’d try to make the most of this sacred day.

You didn’t know what you’d do with the presents but you couldn’t return them...or give them away. You bought them specifically for him and neither option felt right. Maybe you’d just use them as a birthday gift; it was a couple months away, after all. It’d save you the hassle of shopping for him twice and at least you only had DK to worry about. 

The knocking on your door brought you back but you laughed at yourself for being scared. You felt both giddy and afraid as you opened it and Hansol stood there shyly, holding a makeshift white flag as peace. “Hi, can I come in?”

You nodded quickly and let him in, curiously staring at the guitar his hand. “Sorry about the mess. I was just about to clean up. Did you forget something here the other day?”

“No, but I know I said some things that weren’t right and they probably hurt you. This is embarrassing because I hate singing and I hate Christmas but I didn’t know what else to get you so I learned this for you.” He strummed the strings a few times to make sure they were in tune and a moment later, covered “Silent Night” just for you before he could turn around and walk away. He missed a few words and fumbled a few times but you were endeared nonetheless and he hadn’t even finished when you were bawling your eyes out. 

“Hansol, I-” you wiped your eyes with the sleeves of your pajama shirt at a loss for words.

“I’m not religious,” he started off after he saw you couldn’t complete your sentence, “I haven’t willingly stepped foot in a church in years and I don’t plan to anytime soon. I don’t like today for that same reason and because everyone in my family wants to erase everything that goes on throughout the year too. I’m not sure I even believe in God anymore because I don’t know how someone can be this cruel sometimes. But, I shouldn’t have disrespected you or your beliefs because of my problems. And for that, I’m sorry.”

“Hansol,” you tried again, but you didn’t know what to say. You’d met people who didn’t believe in God, but you never knew what to say when they told you so. This time it wasn’t any different. “You’re still the same person regardless of that. If I had known sooner, then-”

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to judge me or try to change me. You’re one of my closest friends and if I lost you because of that...I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Silly boy, only you can decide if you wanna believe. You’re in my life because you’re a good person and honestly, that doesn’t define who you are. I’m not gonna drag you to church every weekend hoping you’ll change your mind and I’m not gonna buy you a bible either. It doesn’t matter if next year you wanna try it. It doesn’t matter if you wanna believe in God, or Allah, or Olofi, or not. But please, at least give me a warning if you’re not comfortable with gifts or anything.” You sniffled again and he pulled you close to him. “I don’t even know what to do with them. You made me feel so bad.”

“I’m sorry. You bought them with good intentions, and I see that now. Would you mind if I opened it?”

“Are you gonna get mad again?”

“No, I’m gonna treasure them for as long as I can because you put so much thought into them.” He lowered his voice, still fighting his discomfort. “Thank you for not hating me. You’re one of the first people I know who’s accepted me.” He choked a little on that last part and it was your turn to comfort him, understanding his pain. You stayed like that for a moment longer and he unwrapped his presents, thanking you more times than you could count for the jacket.

“Hey, isn’t something missing from your thing?” He said just as he was getting ready to leave.

“Oh yeah! The baby Jesus! This is for him after all.” You walked to the TV to grab the minuscule figurine. “Would you like to put him on his bed?”

Although a little uncomfortable, he nodded because he knew it’d mean a lot to you. With trembling fingers, he gently laid him down as heard you singing, taking his hand in yours to give him the strength, and for that he was grateful.

“Silent night….holy night….”

[sexvimpulse]

Augustine: [Has an appointment with another escort before seeing her as they have a late engagement planned to see a show together. He makes his way to her room after showering and knocks instead of using his card to enter] Ma Cherie?

Akira: [She’s seething with anger, jealousy, and betrayal as her handler confirms the rumors. She takes in a deep drag of her cigarette before getting herself ready—wearing the dress he likes on her and the perfume that drives him mad] Evening. [Opens the door as she leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek, feigning sweetness before pulling back. She notices the fresh scent from him] What brings you here tonight, Augustine-San? [Pretends to look confused as she fixes her hair in front of the mirror]

Augustine: Wow.. you look stunning. [Says softly as he sees her] Hm? I thought I told you, we were seeing the opera tonight.. [Brows furrow in confusion]

Akira: Oh? [Looks at his reflection in the mirror, giving a cruel little smile] Gomenasai. I was under the impression that you would be fucking other whores behind my back tonight. [Turns around to look at him, the cruel smile falling from her lips as she gives him a sharp look] What’s wrong, danna? Are you still confused?

Augustine: [Blinks in surprise as he hears her words, clearly taken off guard] Akira.. [Frowns as she’s completely different than he’s known her to be] It wasn’t behind your back. I’ve told you that I get many needs met here. [Hollows his cheeks as he adjusts his tie] And I do so because I don’t want to push you into things you aren’t ready for. [Blinks as he tries to keep a level head] You’re upset. You feel as though I’ve misled you? [Frowns as he moves closer] Whatever I do with others is nothing compared to my time spent with you, Akira. [Swallows]

Akira: Hai, you did tell me that. How could I forget? [Pretends to look as if she believes him before returning his claims with a scoff. She buries her hatred inside of herself, feeling foolish for getting herself into this situation] I should’ve expected that someone so good with their words would use it as a way to twist things around. [Laughs as he continues to explain himself before she takes out a cigarette and inhales deeply] Why would I be upset? You’ve proven that you’re no different from the others and that’s doing me a favor, Augustine-san. [Blows the smoke towards him before pulling away as he tries to move closer. Her chest aches but she refuses to let it show] There’s other people taking care of your needs, therefore you have no reason to have me as your geisha. [Hollows her cheeks] Tell me, were fucking someone before you came to my room tonight? Hm? Are your needs finally met, Augustine-san?

Augustine: [He’s genuinely surprised at how much pain she’s causing him but puts on a stoic expression as he takes a deep breath] Are you ending our arrangement, Akira? [Asks in a level tone as he stares at her]

Akira: [Doesn’t see that she has any effect on him, only validating her belief that she was just a toy to pass the time until he could get his dick wet] I don’t see any reason for why it should continue on, danna. [Speaks in an icy tone, still having that sharp, deep look in her eyes] Your other needs are clearly more important to you. Perhaps you should save your precious time for them. [Chest heaves as she hates the connection that she thought she had with him]

Augustine: [Clenches his jaw as she continues to disrespect him] Yes, or no, Akira. [Glares at her]

Akira: [Her cheeks are caved in as she walks up to him with a heated look in her eyes] Yes. [The distance between their bodies is close as she speaks her words lowly] I am ending this arrangement.

Augustine: [A brief look of pain flickers across his features as he feels the pang of rejection and sadness of losing her] I understand and I won’t press where I’m not wanted. [His lips are tight as he knows she’ll be seeing others as they’ve been inquiring about her] I’m sorry to have disappointed you. Goodbye. [Turns toward the door, unable to believe he’s letting her slip from his grasp as he steps out of the door]

Akira: [The cruel mask starts to fade as she sees an unfamiliar look on his features, making her regrets her words but it’s too late to take it back. She says nothing as he speaks before hollowing her cheeks] Disappointed me? You’re the one who’s disappointed, Augustine-san, otherwise you wouldn’t be seeking the attention of others. [Her voice wavers slightly as she holds off the ache she feels before slamming the table as he starts to walk out on her] Is fucking really that important to you, Augustine-san? [Looks at him in disbelief she walks up to the door, chest rising and falling as her passionate side increases her frustration]

Augustine: [Blinks as he hears her words, surprised as she slams the table as she’s more aggressive] Well I guess all pretenses are cast aside, hm? [Laughs as he steps up to him] Yes, fucking is extremely important to me, Akira. [Raises his brows] Did you think I would just stay blue-balled while you tormented me day in and day out with those little touches and kisses? [Steps up to her, his face in hers] Don’t.. end our arrangement, Akira. [Clenches his jaw] They will treat you like an exotic plaything. [Shakes his head] They won’t respect you like I do. [Frowns as he moves even closer] S’il vous plaît.. reconsider? [Cups her face] I may fuck others.. but I only have eyes for you. [Says, finally letting his guard down and admitting to his feelings for her]

Akira: [Her breathing is rough as she stares up at him, not looking like the obedient, adoring geisha that he’s used to seeing] So you fuck insignificant whores and waste your time with me? Why? Sex is clearly more important to you. [Hisses before parting her lips as she hears him, eyes narrowing] Making me believe that I was the only one you wanted isn’t respecting me. It’s the same as being treated like an exotic plaything. [Repeats his term before swallowing as she feels his touch and is forced to look up at him. She nearly rejects him before her brows furrow as he catches her by surprise] I find it hard to believe that you would fuck another woman and still only want to look at me. [Hollows her cheeks as her jealousy is evident as well as her possessive nature]

Augustine: [He remains quiet as she speaks, taking in her words] You /are/ the only one I want, Akira.. [Sighs as he pulls her close to him] Flesh is just flesh.. what I feel when I’m with you is.. incomparable. [Licks his lips] If I thought you were even half as possessive of me as I were of you.. I wouldn’t have been entertained by others.. [Bites his lip] Please, Akira. [Cups her face, leaning in to kiss her deeply] I want you.

Akira: [Lifts her head, eyes sharp as she has her guard up before softening a bit as she falls for his words. She can see a hint of sincerity but still chooses to not give in right away] And now that you know, what will you do about it? Will you continue to fuck others, Augustine-san? [Raises a brow, his words causing her to ache and want him] /Don’t./ [Speaks in her native tongue before moaning into his kiss. She succumbs for a moment, gripping his hair before biting on his lower lip] What would you do to keep me to yourself then, danna? [Gazes at his mouth as he towers over her, trying to ignore the wetness between legs]

Augustine: [Moans as she grips his hair and bites his lip—never having seen such a passionate side to her] Whatever you asked of me. [Gazes at her with devotion in his eyes. He presses her up against the door and kisses her neck harshly as his hand runs up her thigh]

Akira: [Sucks on his lower lip as she momentarily gives into the temptation and hears the devotions in his words, making her hear what she wants from him] I don’t want you to fuck anyone else, danna. I want to be the only one that you crave. [Hitches her leg by his hip, moaning roughly as he traps her against the door. She grinds against him, exposing more of her neck to his vicious kisses] Will you do that for me..? Please? [Whispers into his ear as she takes the hand on her thigh and makes him move up her body, guiding him to her breasts and letting him cup her full, soft mound]

Augustine: You are the only one I want. [Speaks against her flesh, leaving deep, possessive marks on her perfect flesh] Oui.. I’ll do anything you ask of me. [Lets her move his hand, massaging her breast as his cock is painfully hard] Mine. [His hand moves from her breast to her face, gripping her chin and spitting on her mouth before licking it up and kissing her. He doesn’t waste time as he lifts her up roughly and takes her to the bed] You don’t know how much I’ve thought about having you. [Slowly pulls her silk dress from her body, kissing his way down her exposed flesh]

Akira: [Bites hard on her plump lower lip as massages her breast with his hand, causing her nipple to harden and the rest of her body to crave more of his touch] Mngh! [Parts her lips, eyeing him with a carnal look as he degrades her by spitting on her mouth. She’s stunned for a moment, but the foreign sensation makes her desperately wet] Augustine-san.. [Moans out his name as she sees a darker, possessive gaze in his eyes before kissing him passionately. She breathes roughly as she ends up on the bed, letting him undress her] How desperate are you to have me now, Augustine? [Closes her eyes as she feels his mouth traveling down her body. She covers her little pink pussy as it soaks the fabric of her panties] Is this what you long for, danna? [Places her hand under his chin to lift his head off of her body, delaying his desire as she pulls the fabric back slowly, revealing her pussy to him] /Would you worship me?/ [Collects her juices from her cunt before covering his lips with her essence]

Augustine: [He sucks on her breast before dragging his tongue down her abdomen as he pulls the dress all the way down her legs] Fuck.. [Can barely form words as she drives him absolutely crazy. He doesn’t understand the Japanese but he sucks up her juices from her fingers. He feels like a dog at her mercy as he pulls her panties completely off and licks her throbbing and wet cunt] Mngh.. you taste so good, Akira.. [Grips her thighs as he devours her ravenously] No one is to have you but me. [His fingers dig into her tender flesh as he sucks at her little clit]

Akira: [Moans for him as he eagerly sucks the juices from her fingers, wanting to feed his beast before she pulls out and licks his spit off her digits] Mmngh..! Hai.. Taste me, danna. [Trembles as his heated tongue glides between her plump pussy lips, gripping his thick hair in response. She completely melts as his tongue ruthlessly explores her sensitive pussy, hearing his guttural sounds and feeling it vibrate on her flesh] Augustine, please.. [Places her legs over his shoulders, gasping sharply as the pressure around her clit increases the ache. She pulls his head back, passion running through her rolls her hips against his face and gets her wetness all over his mouth]

Augustine: [He moans loudly at the taste of her pussy, tugging off his tie and shrugging his jacket off before she places her legs on his shoulders] Mngh.. [Loves her pleasured noises and the way she grips his hair. His fingers slide into her cunt as he torments her clit, wanting her to cum for him] Hm.. cum for me, Akira.. show me who this pussy belongs to.

Akira: [Gazes at him heatedly, wanting to see the look on his face as he finally has her in the way that he wants her] Aghhh.. Augustine.. /Makes this pussy yours./ [Eyes roll back as his digit slips into her tight pussy, making her whine as he forces her to take in more sensations] Ungh.. Mmhnn! [Thrashes against his mouth as the pressure builds around her clit. She can’t resist or hold off as she cums hard for him, arching her lower back and trying to escape him as her juices flow out of her] /It’s yours, danna. It’s yours tonight./ [Gasps her words as she pulls his head back, gripping his shirt as she pulls him to her before she leans in and hungrily tastes herself from his mouth and tongue]

Augustine: [Finds the sight of her writhing in pleasure for him too much as she cums for him. His large hands hold her in place. He lets her pull him, leaning in to kiss her as he undoes his belt and tosses it aside. He practically rips his clothes off as he mounts her, slapping his cock against her wetness] This is mine. Only mine. [Grips her throat as he slides inside her, wanting to see the look on her face as he enters her] Fuck.. [He doesn’t bother with a condom like with the other girls because he wants to feel her raw] Mngh.. merde.. [Pumps in and out of her]

Akira: [Devours the sight of him as she runs her hands down his hard abs, leaving light red streaks with her nails to prove that he’s hers] Augustine.. [Parts her lips as she sees his hard, thick cock before throwing her head back as the slapping sensation makes her overly sensitive pussy clench tightly] Own it then, danna.. Prove to me that it’s yours. Mmnh.. [Speaks breathlessly as his hand possessively grabs at her pretty neck before her delicate features contort into discomfort and overwhelming desire as he forces his cock inside of her tight little pussy. She releases sharp, sweet noises as her cunt struggles to fit him inside of her] Ughhh.. Augustine..! [Struggles to speak coherently as she’s so lost in the sensation of pleasure and pain] I’ve wanted this too, danna.. [Admits to him through her moans, juices flooding around his cock as she’s never felt such euphoric pleasure before] More.. [Throbbing walls can feel how thick he is inside of her, clenching him even tighter as she adjust to him and yearns to feel every inch] Worship my pussy, Augustine.. Make it yours.. [Demands passionately, features still conflicted as she wraps her legs around him and grips his wrist as she still holds her neck. She moves her body in a seductive way, knowing that he’s watching her as he gives her his cock]

Augustine: [Moans out as she rolls her hips beneath him, loving how much she wants this too] Mon dieu.. [Groans as he grips her throat tighter and picks up the pace. He leans in closer to suck on her lower lip] You feel so fucking good, Akira.. [Loves the fell of her body being entirely wrapped around him. He moves even closer to wrap his arms around her and kiss her neck as he fucks her deep and slow— wanting to savor the moment] This is what you’ve wanted all along, hm? [Murmurs sweetly] You didn’t want anyone else to have my cock because it belongs to you? [Tilts his head as he pulls back to push her thigh, bringing her knee to her chest so he can reach deeper] Fuck.. [Watches as his cock comes in and out of her cunt slick with her arousal]

Akira: [Unleashes her desire as she becomes possessed by the pleasure he’s causing her. She welcomes every thrust as her throbbing pussy greets his cock by constricting around him] Kimochi ii, Augustine.. mmngh! [Tells him how good it feels as she moans into his ear and drags her nails down his muscular back, frustrated as he slows his pace and tormented as she becomes insatiable] Hai.. I don’t want your cock to be inside of anyone else. /It’s mine now./ [Gazes into his eyes as she grips his throat in her little hand while pulling his hair with the other before craning her neck to kiss him possessively] /It has always been mine./ [Tugs on his lower lip with her teeth until he repositions her] Unghh! Dame! [Arches her back as she cries out in slight pain as her tight cunt tears to fit him in deeper. Her breasts bounce as he pounds into her, hearing the slick noises as he feeds her pussy with his perfect dick] Do you love being inside of my pussy, Augustine-san? Do you finally have what you want? [Squeezes her full breasts as he watches her, teasing her nipples before spitting on her tits to drive him mad] /Watch me while you fuck my pussy, danna../ [Rubs her spit all over her breasts, playing with herself while her cunt starts to pulse quicker around his cock, nearing her desperate release as she clenched and relaxes her walls repeatedly around his flesh]

Augustine: Fuck.. [Hisses as she turns him on so much while she plays with her tits] Who knew my perfect little Geisha could be such a filthy whore for her Danna? [Cocks a brow as he laughs darkly. [He pulls out of her to tease her before shoving himself all the way inside] Tell me you love having me inside that pussy, Akira.

Akira: [Her eyes roll back as pleasure possesses her while a filthy smile appears on her lips. She loves how much he approves her actions before groaning as he pulls out] Unghhh, put it back in, Danna. [Moans frustratedly, shifting her hips to entice his cock before screaming out as it owns her cunt with its thickness] Hai, hai.. I love having you inside my pussy. It belongs in me. [Gives into his demanding words as her brows furrow in desperation] I’m the only one who can be your little geisha whore, Danna.. [Cups his face as she forces him to kiss her. Her tongue rolls against his before she sucks on it while her smooth pussy walls closes in around his cock] Augustine! Mnghhh! [Pulls away from his mouth, bucking her hips wildly against him until her body tenses as he forces her to wetness to squirt out of her pussy] /Don’t stop!/ [Pleads as she’s never squirted before, her entire body writhes from the sensation as she soaks his cock with her arousal]

Augustine: [He moans into their kiss, feeling euphoric as she consumes him in every way] Ugh.. Akira.. [Feels her squirting all over his cock and he can’t hold back as he busts inside her] Fuck.. [His chest rises and falls as he moans out loudly. He pulls her to him to suck the cum from his tip] Taste it, baby..

Akira: [Her cunt throbs violently as her entire body pulses from the sensation before she releases another pleasured moan as his warm cum flows into her pussy] I want every last drop.. this belongs to me. [Reaches down to massage his balls while he’s writhing from his release, draining him of every drop until he pulls out. She doesn’t resist as she immediately wraps her full lips around him, using her hands to squeeze out his cum from the base all the way to the tip until it coats her tongue] Danna, I want more. [Stares up at him as she shows off her cum coated tongue before swallowing it back. She feels addicted as she licks all around his length, sucking deeply to taste their sex before scooping more cum from his tip with her warm tongue]

Augustine: [Shivers as she shows off her tongue, he couldn’t have imagined she would be so filthy] My god.. [His head falls back as her warm tongue teases his slit] Hm.. [Pulls back and grabs her into his arms. He grips her face and kisses her harshly]

Akira: [Her eyes are clouded with lust as he pulls out of her little mouth and takes her in his arms] Are you mine, Danna? Will you anything for me? [Whispers in between their kiss before sucking on his lower lip as she wraps herself around him, needing his heat and to feel his blood racing against his flesh]

Augustine: [Wraps the duvet around them as he holds her in his muscled arms] Oui. [Touches his forehead to hers, feeling completely smitten] You only wanted to end our relationship because of your jealousy.. correct? [Pouts as he gazes at her through his glasses]

Akira: [Gently rubs his back, feeling the slight raise of the scratch-marks as she soothes him with her touch. She feels insatiable as she punctuates his jaw with kisses, licking softly to taste him on her tongue] Hai.. [Purses her cheeks as she avoids looking at his tempting pout] I felt betrayed by, Danna.. [Admits quietly as she tries not to think of her jealousy]

Augustine: [Nods] The thought of you not wanting to be with me.. was painful. [Closes his eyes as her kisses soothe him] Je’taime.. Akira. [Pulls back and stares at her]

Akira: [Places her hand on his chest as she feels guilty for being so cruel with her words before parting her lips as she hears him] Nani? What did you say? [Her eyes are round and full of longing, gazing at him deeply as she’s never wanted to belong to anyone more than she does with him]

Augustine: Je’taime.. [Repeats himself, his heart racing] I love you, Akira. [Bites his lip] I know you may not feel the same and I understand. [Swallows] But it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way for anyone..

Akira: [Hypnotized by his words, a smile slowly forms on her lips as her heart pounds against her chest. She places her finger over his lips to stop him before leaning in as she kisses him passionately] Danna, there’s a reason why I want you to be mine.. Honto ni aishiteiru.. [Whispers into their kiss as she rubs her fingers through his hair] I want you.. I want your love. [Gazes deeply] I love you, Augustine.

Augustine: [Swallows as he hears her words, his heart pounding as he closes his eyes and kisses her deeply] Really? [Searches her eyes] I’m going to get you out of here.

Akira: [Slips her tongue into his mouth, needing to taste his love before opening her eyes as she tilts her head] How would do you that..? [Cups his face before thinking about the contract her previous Danna set up with La Boîte]

Augustine: I’ll buy out your contract.. [Says softly as he gazes at her] I need you with me.

Akira: [Looks at him in surprise as she leans up at bit] Augustine-san, that is too much money. [Hollows her cheeks] And I don’t think it’s that simple.. [Frowns as she technically has to return to Japan once the contract is fulfilled]

Augustine: [Looks at her incredulously] You are priceless to me. [Tilts up her chin] Why not? [Frowns]

Akira: [Smiles warmly as she kisses him deeply, wanting to be his for as long as she can] I think I will have to return to Japan..

Augustine: Why? [Frowns] We can get you a French citizenship. [Shrugs] And If not I'll hide you away. [Laughs softly] I won't be without you.

Akira: [Feels a little bit hopeful as she beams at him] How do we get one? [Kisses the bridge of his nose] Oh? Where will you hide me? I’m very easy to spot. [Still feels warm as his cum is still inside of her and with the closeness between them] Danna is possessive. I won’t go anywhere.

Augustine: [Closes his eyes as he relishes in her kisses] Very possessive. [Kisses her forehead] We will be happy together.

Akira: [Pictures a life with him, feeling that he matches her soul perfectly as she remains against him] Aishiteiru, Augustine. [Whispers sweetly]

[melyzard]

11 questions

Tagged by @ladytharen, thanks – and your answers were pretty nifty too!

Answer the questions given to you. Make 11 questions of your own. Tag 11 people.

If you could invent your very own ice cream flavor, what would it be?

 Mood Flavor.

What was your favorite tv show as a teenager?

Star Trek: Voyager – A female captain, who read romance novels and drank tea and was warm with her crew, but would kick your ass out the airlock if you disrespected her ship! A mixed-race female lead engineer who was angry and restless in her own skin, and while often shown to need time to control herself and not lash out at others, was also shown to be perfectly acceptable as a grumpy, generally unfriendly person – she even becomes enemies to friends to lovers with a rogue pilot who respects and adores her for who she is! A Native American second in command who was at peace with his personal belief system and generally an open minded person, but also fought as a rebel against an oppressive system…which just happened to be the very Federation that was pretty much always shown as the Good Guy in the other series? I could ramble about ST:V for awhile, tbh. I never understood why it wasn’t popular like the others (except for that weird “turned into space lizards for a little while and maybe had some lizard babies that we NEVER MENTION EVER” bit. I mean…look, let’s just pretend that never happened, ok?)

Tomato or tomah-to?

Nah, prefer cucumber, thanks.

What is one book you wish they would adapt into a movie/miniseries?

The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. I mean, it’s an animated movie from the 80s (which I loved so hard my mom had to buy me a new video tape when I wore the old one out, twice.) But I’m talking a real, indepth mini series or maybe a live action film? Christopher Lee promised Peter Beagle that if a live action version was ever made, he would rise from the dead to take up his role of King Haggard again – that alone would make it worth it, guys. What an amazing story. “There are no happy endings because nothing ends.” / “I am Schmendrick the Magician! Last of the Red Hot Swamis, and I, too, am real!” / “Never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention.” / “Where were you ten years ago? Twenty? Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent maidens you always come to? How dare you come to me now! When I am this!” (Oh God, Molly Grue will forever be my favorite character in anything ever.)

How do you feel about multishipping? Are you an OTP hoarder or a true OTP kind of person?

I have a very powerful thing about ship loyalty. Actually, about loyalty in generally. I am a committing type of person, if you will. I usually pick a favorite character, and then a favorite ship, and I have been known to stop watching/reading something when my fave dies/leaves, even if I was enjoying the art as a whole before that. I ignore perfectly good fanfic or fanart just because it excludes my favorite character, or breaks up my ship. I try really hard not to be petty or interfere with anyone else’s ships/faves/headcanons. I just won’t interact with it at all. When I say “one true pairing,” I pretty much mean it.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the last year?

Rogue One.

If you could tell your 10 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Stop fighting everything with your fists. You can’t solve every injustice by knocking it down. You can’t always fight an idea with blows. Get smart. Fight with words too. Also, brush your hair, jeez, kid.

What are your thoughts on the quantity:quality ratio of Netflix shows?

[this page intentionally left blank]

Have you ever committed any petty crimes?

I stole a dollar once when I was 12. I bought a raffle ticket with it (intentional). Won a car (not intentional). Gave the winning ticket to the enemy of the guy I stole the dollar from (absolutely intentional). Told the target guy about it five years later, after the car had been exchanged for a better one. Still occasionally recall the look on his awful face when he found out, and get a lovely warm tingle inside. It was, shall we say, an extremely petty crime.

What’s your favorite way to consume fandom? Fanart, fanfic, fanvids?

I am the Great Fandom Beast, All Seeking, All Consuming. I hunt through the darkness of the night, tracking my prey through wild tumblr posts and deadly forum threads, from the highest of hit count fics to the dankest of meme pits. My hunger is legend and ever growing, and all fandom-things are my fodder and my fuel. Feed me, Seymour. Your art, your words, your vids, your soundtracks, your headcanons, feed me.

If you could bring any show back from cancellation, which would it be?

Leverage. Oh man, what I would not give for another season of Leverage. “Sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get.” / “You know why they say Justice wears a blindfold? So you can't see that Justice is asleep” / “Dammit Hardison!”

My questions:

1. If you could have any movie remade (and fixed that one thing they screwed up), which would you chose?

2. Pick your favorite mythological creature, and describe what it would be like if it existed in outer space.

3. Slime monsters invade your town: what is your weapon of choice?

4. Would you rather be the High Queen of All Bees or Lord of the Crows?

5. If you were Force-sensitive, would you prefer to experience it as ethereal music only you can hear, colorful auras only you can see layered over the world, or a small fluffy creature that sits invisibly on your shoulder and mutters Truth in your ear?

6. You get one wish. You can ask for absolutely anything, but I will only grant half of your wish (you don't get to chose which half). Word it carefully.

7. Pet the dog?

8. Have you ever fallen down the tvtropes.org hole? If yes, how did you escape? (Send help).

9. Fidget spinner, Rubik's cube, or murder-mystery puzzle?

10. Would you rather be Inigo Montoya or the Dread Pirate Roberts? (Bear in mind, I get to be whichever you don't pick, and then we fight.)

11. Have you ever licked a lamppost in winter?

Tagging (and hey, no pressure...only the eternal judgment of the Good Arcade Eye, the lesser known brother of the Great Arcane Eye): @crazy-fruit, @allatariel, @sleepykalena, @thestarbirdfromtheashes, @rapidashpatronus, @headinfantasy, @lostinmirkwood, @grexigone, @sea-salted-wolverine, @jenniferjuni-per, @imsfire2, @brynnmclean

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

Walmart Canada Will Remove 'Racist' Onesie From Shelves Following Outcry

Walmart Canada has apologized and says they will pull baby sleepers from their shelves after customer complaints. (Photo via Twitter/@gindaanis)

Walmart Canada has apologized and says they will pull a baby onesie that many considered offensive from store shelves.

“I Still Live With My Parents,” reads the sleeper, which features teepees and an arrow.

A picture of the item was reportedly taken in Ontario by Elizabeth Sault, a worker at the Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and was subsequently shared across social media, with some suggesting the text was disrespectful and racist.

Hey @Walmart. You know that indigenous children are taken into foster care disproportionately don't you? #racism @JorgeBarrera @APTNNews pic.twitter.com/hH2Sl7xqUc

— gindaanis (@gindaanis) July 13, 2017

The tweet received hundreds of shares and multiple complaints, with people calling the onesie, made by Walmart’s George clothing brand, “disgusting.”

@Walmart Is this for real?! You can't seriously be a Canadian corporate organization and not understand the offence of this product. https://t.co/lkXByFdis0

— Bob W (@rdwaldon) July 14, 2017

I haven't finished my morning coffee yet so it took me a minute to process this BS. @walmart has sunk to a low I didn't think was possible. https://t.co/hmomIngdaL

— Cheryl D (@DemocracyYes) July 14, 2017

W-T-F ??? Is there nothing we can't profit from? #Shame #Disgusting #cdnpoli https://t.co/60gnAz713S

— BEINGWHERE (@NickyP1979) July 14, 2017

Oh my goodness. How did that get through to manufacture? #tonedeaf https://t.co/y9mdkxZMkM

— Simone Browne (@sbrowne0819) July 14, 2017

This is beyond disgusting. They need to fire whoever decided to let this racist filth into their stores and issue an apology. https://t.co/3HfLoJHShd

— Robert Jensen (@RobertJensen2) July 14, 2017

Manitoba CFS takes one newborn per day into foster care. @Walmart sells onesies to the rest. #bringthemhome @christibelcourt @ChiefDay pic.twitter.com/qkyS4tH5hT

— gindaanis (@gindaanis) July 14, 2017

The backlash has seemingly caught Walmart’s attention.

“Duty manager at Wal-Mart says they were contacted by media and are removing them from display. She’s waiting for corporate,” wrote @ginadannis in an update.

Duty manager at Wal-Mart says they were contacted by media and are removing them from display. She's waiting for corporate. #Walmartonesie

— gindaanis (@gindaanis) July 14, 2017

APTN National News contacted Walmart Canada about the sleeper and received this response from Anika Malik, senior manager of corporate affairs for Walmart Canada.

“We thank our customers for bringing this matter to our attention. The graphic on this item does not represent Walmart’s beliefs and has no place in our stores. We are removing the product immediately and sincerely apologize for any unintended offense this has caused.”

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty: 

From Princess Diana to Elizabeth Hurly: Gianni Versace’s Fashion Legacy, In Pictures

Congresswomen Hold ‘Sleeveless Friday’ in a Show of Their Right to Bare Arms

Miley Cyrus Wears Dolce & Gabbana Despite Recent Political Statement

 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.

[bastardsunlight]

RANT AHEAD!! ❤

Friendly reminder: Ulfric invited the dark elves into Windhelm after Vvardenfell threw a shit-fit and displaced a fucklot of ‘em—and he’s not been on the throne of Windhelm long--maybe fourteen years. That bit is important. One of the dark elves you speak to in Windhelm (one of the well-off ones) says that it’s basically due to the dark elves’ lack of willingness to actually engage in the Skyrim way of life (clinging to their Morrowind ways of living—not culture, they’re obviously free to worship whomst the fuck ever in Windhelm) that keeps them impoverished.

 There are TWO nords in Windhelm who’re shitheads at the dunmer and, confirmed by a dunmer NPC, all they do is get shitfaced and stumble through the gray quarter at night, yellin’ crap—rude, but honestly, the Dragonborn can beat one of ‘em down and they lay tf off. They might be representative of Windhelm nords, but then the dark elf who is well off should also count as representative of how to be successful in a new country. He left the gray quarter and made a life for himself, which any of them can do, because it isn't actually confirmed to be a law that the dark elves have to stay in the gray quarter. One elf says “they won’t let us live outside that slum” but another elf, who lives outside the slum, says that the dark elves who live there are essentially oppressing themselves--much like the subject of this rant, every citizen of Skyrim will have a different perspective. 

Galmar Stone-fist, Ulfric’s right hand, is the one who tells the DB this, saying something along the lines of “he invited them here, but I wish he’d asked the rest of us first”. Meaning Ulfric DID defy some potential racism in order to offer asylum and shelter to the dark elves (I say potential, because ofc it could just be that life in Windhelm is tough enough without opening its gates to refugees). He stuck his neck out for elves. That’s a canon truth. The fact that you, a DB of ANY race, can literally join the Stormcloaks and rise in the ranks without a problem sort of negates the “racism” argument, if you are using in-game facts and mechanics. “Oh, but the player character has to be able to join either side” yeah that’s true--a lot of stuff in the game is set up for the PC. All the Stormcloak soldiers are human, but hey guess what? So are the Imperial soldiers. 

So miss me with that “ulfric is a racist” thing. That’s so simple, so very very simple and a really shallow interpretation of Ulfric’s character. Has he done no wrong? PFF fuck no. He killed a man in an argument over ideals and what a proper Skyrim should BE. Elisif is a widow ‘cause Torygg couldn’t best Ulfric, but the fight itself was fair, according to canon—members of Elisif's own court (which she doesn't rule, btw, Falk Firebeard does) confirm it. So riddle me this:

Is it wrong to desire liberation from a small, centralized government, who is under the thumb of an even more removed dominion of some folks who are slowly but surely killing all religious dissidents in your country because one of your gods makes them squirmy? [cue crusade banners]

The aldmeri dominion (and thence, the thalmor) are racist motherfuckers. The idea of Tiber Septim becoming a god is anathema, not only because he is mortal, but because he’s a HUMAN. Lorkhan et. Al. are elven gods, elven concepts, elven ideas—the other eight divines are Aedra, which were of the same nature as the Daedra ‘til they created Nirn. Now, could it be that the Aldmeri Dominion would balk against an ELF becoming a god? I can’t answer that. But the blessings of Talos work. They confer healing and shit on you, so I hate to break it to ya, elves, Talos is a god. [cue Heimskr’s speech “WE ARE BUT MAGGOTS, WRITHING IN THE FILTH OF OUR OWN CORRUPTION]

Engaging in religious oppression is the overarching theme of the Aldmeri Dominion. Conquering the Empire allows them to keep suppressing the worship of Talos. Talos is a human who became god--he was a nord, in fact, and the FOUNDER of the empire. He is a legitimate god whose presence upsets the elves because he was mortal. Is that racism? If they’re pissed because he was man rather than mer? Yes. If they just find the idea of an ascendant mortal anathema, still a tentative yes. Oppressing the beliefs of a people is a from of racism. 

The Nords came to Skyrim from Atmora thousands of years ago and they got along fine with the snow elves ‘til they unearthed an artifact in Saarthal. It was at that time the falmer felt they had no choice but to attack. Ysgramor lost his son(s?) and thus mounted a counterattack, driving the falmer to retreat into the waiting arms of the frankly shady dwarves, who promised asylum, but enslaved them. This is NOT a metaphor for the oppression of native peoples in the United States, so don’t like, try and make it one. The falmer struck first, the humans won and thus the Nord people are the oldest native residents of Skyrim--we’re talking millennia, here, people, not a century, but literal thousands of years that Skyrim has been human, specifically Nord, land. 

I mean, Tullius is kind of racist if you really feel the need to go there (I don’t, but see Imperial side dialogue before you kill Ulfric “wherever you people go when you die” in which Legate Rikke, a Nord herself, reminds him “Sovngarde, sir.”). That’s how racism works. People will say shit that disrespects your culture or way of life, but if you’re close to ‘em, they don’t see it as a problem, because they don’t see you as “like all the other ____.” Now, Tullius doesn’t justify himself to Rikke because he is her superior officer, but it just goes to show that, for being the imperial rep in Skyrim, he gives very few fucks about the culture. Now, is this most likely because he is tired and does not want to be there? Yep. Does that excuse him? Only if Ulfric’s belief in his own cause excuses him. The empire is a puppet for the Thalmor, thus Tullius is a puppet of the thalmor as well and if you don’t think that destroys his pride as an imperial soldier (same as Ulfric?????), well, maybe it’s time for another study in human nature.

Yes, it’s true that Tullius prioritizes the safety of the citizenry at Helgen. Ulfric doesn’t. 1. Ulfric is prolly a little pissed, 2. He’s just been arrested for beating a dude in a fair fight, 3. He has NO troops, and 4. He’s trained with the Greybeards; he understands what a dragon can do WAY more intimately than Tullius and he knows better than to get in the way of that fire. Skyrim is a rough fuckin’ place and the addition of dragons doesn’t help. Neither man backs down from the civil war, either, so don’t bother with that angle. “Oh Ulfric didn’t stop civil warring to fight dragons” yeah nor did Tullius. Methinks being the commander of an army is not so simple as “okay guys let’s stop fighting and be bffs”. Tullius is there on orders he doesn’t want to follow, but Ulfric also doesn’t seem like he WANTS to tear Skyrim up--he feels it is necessary, same as Tullius feels quelling the rebellion is necessary. It’s all in your perspective--and yes, I’ve played the Imperial questline; I was a high elf and it made sense, story-wise.

Aligning with the Empire means aligning with the Thalmor. Aligning with the Stormcloaks also means aligning with the Thalmor. No matter what, you’re either directly serving them or their interests. If this bothers you, you understand the desire for an independent, sovereign Skyrim. 

Ulfric does what he does because he just spent however the fuck many years fighting against the aldmeri dominion (after, mind you, leaving the training of the greybeards to stand up for an ideal), fighting FOR THE EMPIRE, hoping to keep the lands of men a separate, sovereign land unto themselves, with their various provinces and governments under the empire. He was NOT opposed to the empire until they bowed to the white-gold concordat, an agreement which promised peace (a good thing yes?) in exchange for dropping the ninth divine, Talos, Tiber Septim-become-god (religious persecution, and please recall this isn’t just “take down all shrines of talos”—this is literally hunt down and root out talos worshippers in their own homes [markarth quest]). While Ulfric is being tortured by the Thalmor, his countrymen are being forced to bow the knee to the Summerset isles and a people who have no real idea how life, commerce, and politics in Skyrim should and do work, all because they’re opposed to the worship of the LEGITIMATE GOD Talos.

The Thalmor convinced Ulfric that the information he FINALLY gave them after being tortured actually helped them take the Imperial capitol. It didn’t, of course, the capitol had already fallen, but he carries that guilt. That’s canon, too. He carries the guilt of thinking it’s his fault the Empire lost the imperial city (the first time--they took it back during the battle of the red ring like one or two years later) which, btw, the Aldmeri dominon started, for the record.

Lemme remind you that many of the citizens of Skyrim thought Torygg was a bit of a weakling, as well, that he was content to bow to the empire’s wishes, the wishes of the aldmeri dominion, without seeking a better position in trade, taxes, etc. for Skyrim. Is that a reason to kill someone? Well probably the fuck not. But you know what? These are fantasy politics and it wasn’t as if Torygg was caught off guard. They were dueling. [cue Yu-Gi-Oh! opening]. So the empire captures Ulfric and is gunne behead him—and well y’all played the opening.

I’m only saying this because I cannot cruise the Ulfric Stormcloak tag without seein’ this garbagio and it’s killin’ me. Is he a sweet cinnamon roll who can do no wrong? No. Are the stormcloak’s skyrim’s third reich? Also fucking no??? It is just my own observations and interpretations of the events and dialogues in-game which lead me to this conclusion. Skyrim has a right to secede from the Empire which serves the Aldmeri Dominion more than it serves its own people. Don’t forget that the Aldmeri dominion is engaged in active oppression of a legitimate faith. Don’t forget that Skyrim staying allied with the Empire doesn’t strengthen the Empire for some speculative, future uprising. Don’t forget that it’s unwise to apply real world politics to a fantasy world with such completeness that you cannot recall the actual details and parameters OF that fantasy world.

I mean at the end of the day, it’s a videogame, right? So… grain o’ salt.