#one of the worst things about it is the persecuting nature of this kind of behavior creates more people who think and act this way
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i dont even mean this in a catchy, buzzword way but i really do think autistics trigger the fuck out of people with NPD. it keeps being a pattern in a VERY specific type of person in my work life. a lot of ppl w NPD have a very paranoiac sense of "everyone is trying to get me and tear me down" thing that comes w the grandiosity. not just 'wow i am great' but 'i will achieve greatness and i HAVE to and it won't be okay if i don't' and the fundamental belief that people 'lower' on the social hierarchy are secretly envious and making up ways to fuck you over and take what you have (yknow, bc Everything Is About You). being allistic on top of that - assuming your experience is default and everyone knows these minor social tics & anyone who doesn't respond in kind is being minorly petty at the very least - and you have someone for whom every little autistic social mishap is triggering the "secretly hates me is out to get me is trying to signal to me that i am cringe" alarms. i will play my tiny violin here and say if they see you as hot or conventionally attractive, they WILL NOT assume you are weird or neurodivergent, not in a billion years, they ONE BILLION PERCENT WILL ASSUME it's obvious that you are trying to signal you think you're better than them. it's really sad and it's a really stressful way to live but it helped me to understand WHY this dynamic was happening
#narcissists have rly screwed me over professionally and personally but i really do not like people dehumanizing them#even though i do get it and i do get angry#it's a really horrifying way to live internally and really scary to truly believe everyone is actually out to get you#i think there is a subclinical normal human spectrum of traits this kind of thing exists on#but this is the extreme end where everyone is thinking about you and secretly criticizing you and little social mistakes are Intentional#Slights meant to telegraph how much Everyone Hates You#i saw a psych once argue that NPD is a mask placed over BPD and i would agree there are similarities#borderline type shit is this very deep and fundamental Badness and sense of loss the way narcissism is#but i think something like NPD happens when your brain says fuck it and assumes it is no longer possible to expect people to be reliable#a lot of autistic people also have NPD because autism means more unmet needs#so it isn't an either or#one of the worst things about it is the persecuting nature of this kind of behavior creates more people who think and act this way
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so more on that role reversal au...
Shadow (created as a Weapon Against Humanity) who was eventually raised, and exploited, by G.U.N to become Humanity's Ultimate weapon and Sonic, found by Robotnik
some more expanded thoughts below ^_^
SHADOW - G.U.N AGENT
Shadow was initially created with the intention of being a Weapon Against Humanity. after a life-altering incident, G.U.N. takes Shadow into their custody, raising him to become one of their top agents, exploiting him.
he's constantly under government surveillance... inhibitor rings (developed by G.U.N.) are clamped onto him like a shock collar so he is unable to tap into his full power. (Shadow has neither tested nor does he know the extent of his strength.. he has never tried removing them. G.U.N. is the only one who can remove them.)
the hypocritical method in wanting their weapon (cough trained dog) to exercise and develop restraint on his own terms, and yet forcefully acclimating him.
Shadowâs aware of his past. Definitely struggles with Existential dread about why heâs on Earth and what he was made for. he wants to (and feels like he should) do good, but if he was initially made with destructive intent⊠is he compensating this way? is this what he really wants? no.. he shouldn't think like that.. Maria would want him to be good..
If not to make the world the better a place, if they still treat his kind as inferior and sometimes, even a threat to the whole human race, does humanity and this planet still deserve its rite for redemption? What is humanity? Is that something heâs capable of, as a weapon of mass destruction?
what is he trying to prove here? His docility? His ability to be obedient and be, by human standards, good? what does that mean in a world that may never accept them, and much less him- a synthetic and all-unnatural organism forged from humanityâs worst and an alien race only capable of Evil and wrongdoing. a being so perfectly suited for any and all forms of persecution. Humankindâs scapegoat. He thinks about Maria.
Maria remains a guiding light. Back then, she would sneak Shadow out to gaze upon the Earth, her former home. She misses it, the lush greenery, the sun, the people. she hopes that Shadow will get to experience what itâs like.
au shadow is emo edgy in a sad wet adult 40yo cat leon kennedy kind of way. au sonic is emo edgy like a 14yo that found out you could buy a tattoo gun on amazon without a license. I know nothing about resident evil
when he's not on a mission, he's usually in his "room" (extremely generous word for containment chamber/training facility.) he's like a hamster in a cage with toys to play with . (treadmills. race tracks. dummy robots. Ak-47s.) He's allowed to freely roam HQ from hours 6am-10pm, and if not, he is usually escorted by a guard, unless its Rouge sneaking him out. But beyond that, it's not like the ultimate lifeform needs that much sleep, and it'd be bad to have their ultimate weapon roaming the halls without supervision. but let's say there's the occasional nocturnal scavenger providing him a bit of nightly mischief that even the most complicated most difficult to navigate ventilation system cannot keep a natural-born burrower out..... (haha)
SONICÂ - ACCOMPLICE
Robotnikâs âaccompliceâ (adoptive son?)
Sonic goes along with Robotnikâs schemes but has his own ulterior motives .. after all, working under someone is still infringing on his sense of freedom, independence, and pride.
He only rlly helps out Robotnik out if it helps him⊠robotnik makes some new tech that tickles his , esp if smth that happens to enhance his existing abilities. sure heâs more than capable of doing things on his own but whatâs better than to play with his new toys with his already existing toys (GUN. shadow.)
and if he manages to break them in a day then heâs found an issue that robotnik needs to troubleshoot immediately. eggman should really be Thanking him!
his only known goal atm is to find things that stave off his boredom. from what Shadow's gathered at least. but maybe there's more...
has a very bad No Good Fixation on shadow's inhibitor rings for whatever reason. wonder that could mean.
Still fucking around with roles and nothing's rlly set in stone. Im just kind of giggling kicking rocks and throwing pebbles in the water to see what lands ^q^
Rouge is still there! A contractor for G.U.N. A Recovering/reformed Jewel thief who joins the task force (maybe?)Â
the gang is also there! still brainstorming roles though. emrmmm
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Love Is Never Wrong.
Imagine being told that something as natural as your own heartbeat is wrong. Imagine waking up every morning, knowing that simply feeling love could make you a target for violence and hatred. That it could put your life, your job, your relationships, and your health at risk. For millions of people around the world, maybe even more than that, this is not just a nightmare, it is their reality. It is what they deal with daily. They are hated and punished simply because of who they're attracted to. They are treated as if love were a crime instead of a fundamental part of human existence. But love is not a crime. And no one, absolutely no one, deserves to be hated or persecuted for something as natural as their attraction. This applies not only to those who are gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, or so forth. It also applies to paraphiles. It applies to anyone and everyone with an attraction seen as abnormal by the society we live in. A society that forces normality down our throats and insists that we cannot and will not love who we love.
Love is one of the most powerful and universal human experiences. Not just romantic love or sexual love either. Platonic love, familial love, love between partners, unlabeled love of all kinds. It brings people together, it gives many people a purpose or a reason to continue when that big fight they fight begins to wear down, and fills our hearts with joy and warmth. Love, in all its forms, has been celebrated in poetry, music, and art for centuries because it is one of the most beautiful things about being alive. So why is it that some people are told their love is wrong? Why are some forced to hide, to fear, to suffer simply because their heart leads them in a direction others donât understand?
Love, whether a choice or something given the day you were born, whether you have very little or so much it spills from your soul, whether it is romantic or it is platonic or anything between, is as natural as the color of your eyes or the sound of your laughter. To hate someone for their attraction is to hate them for something that is simply a part of who they are. How can that ever be justified? How can you justify hatred of that extreme?
The reality of this form of persecution is heartbreaking. Families turn their backs on their own children. Friends become strangers. People are denied opportunities, stripped of their rights, and, in the worst cases, harmed or even killed, just because of who they love.
The emotional toll of this hatred is devastating. Imagine a child growing up with the weight of secrecy crushing them, terrified of being honest about who they are because they fear rejection or violence. Thinking that what they are growing into, queer or para, will make them a monster. Imagine someone longing to hold the hand of the person they love in public, but instead, they lower their eyes and keep their distance, afraid of the stares, the whispers, or worse. Maybe that person is of the same gender or sex as them, maybe that person is of their same blood.
This is not just unfair. It is cruel. It is unjustifiable. It is bigoted.
Hatred, discrimination, and violence leave scars, both visible and invisible. They push people into loneliness, depression, and despair. They rob people of the right to love freely, to be themselves without fear, to speak their truth in a way they feel comfortable and safe doing so. No one deserves to carry that pain simply because of who they are attracted to. The world does not need more hate. It does not need more judgment, more rejection, or more suffering. What the world needs is more love. More compassion. More understanding.
If we want to live in a kinder, more just world, we must reject the idea that anyoneâs love is worth less than anotherâs. We must reject the thought that a love could be taboo or unnatural. We must open our hearts and stand against hatred in all its forms. Because in the end, the only thing that should matter about love is that it is real. That it is honest. That it is freely given.
And that it is never, ever something to be ashamed of.
#radq interact#radq please interact#radqueers please interact#pro radq#pro radqueer#radqueer community#rq community#rq đđ#rqcđđ#rq safe#pro para#para safe#paraphile#paraphile community#paraphile safe#paraphiles please interact#pro paraphile#paraphilia#paraphilia safe#paraphilia community#paraphilia positivity#radqueer#radqueer activism#radqueer please interact#radqueer safe#radq safe#radq#radqueer interact#pro rq đđ#pro consang
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âââHua Cheng is a stalker!â
- a word about that.
Stalking is defined as a pattern of repeated unwanted contact with a person, harassing, persecuting them, uncaring about their privacy, safety, well-being. All selfish actions for nefarious, perverted purposes.
None of wich is the case with Hua Cheng.
Heâs never even come in contact with Xie Lian in all 800 years of searching, not even once, and the moment he was able to contact him, he did so openly, with one clear intention - to help him.
Unhealthy obsession? This one, sure. But not unhealthy in a sense that is in any way harmful towards Xie Lian. Rather itâs unhealthy for Hua Cheng himself, since he literally sacrificed his own life more than once, all to ensure Xie Lianâs well-being.
Though⊠if you ask me, I think thatâs what a really, really strong, genuine love entails - the possibility for a situation which calls forth the exact opposite of a natural human selfishness - a sacrifice for someone else. Imagine a situation where youâre given a choice - either one of your loved ones dies or you die and they get to survive. Wonât you choose the latter?
I think I would. I think most people would.
And besides that
If you really love someone, someone who was really kind to you when everyone else scorned you for just being, someone you know is worth so, so much love, because they truly are a great, selfless, wonderful person, kind and understanding, always striving to be better, to help others - if you know that this person suffered tremendously and lost everything and everyone they loved and is now damned to an eternity of humiliation, contempt, pain and loneliness
Wouldnât you do everything in your power to try and help them??
Simplify the situation down to realistic circumstances - if your best, dearest friend whoâs literally the best person youâve ever known, who helped you through your worst times, suddenly went through a tragedy and ended up alone, with more suffering to come
Wouldnât you do everything you can to help them???
Thatâs what Hua Cheng was always trying to do
Just replace frienship with love
Itâs still the same basis - genuine, deep care for a person
Now tell me
Is this a bad thing?
#怩ćźè”çŠ#è±æ#heaven official's blessing#tian guan ci fu#tgcf#tgcf thoughts#tgcf analysis#tgcf fandom#tgcf meta#hualian#hualian thoughts#xie lian#hua cheng
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Hi again :) I hope this is okay - I just love reading your thoughts and commentary on different aspects of David and Michael's life. You are quite the writer and seem to bring aspects to light that I hadn't noticed or considered. Thank you for that <3 I was hoping you might write a little something about them in celebration of Bisexuality Awareness Day on September 23rd?
Hi there! Aw, thank you so much for the kind words about my writing--I truly do appreciate it. (And to all of the lovely people who have sent me some amazing questions that are currently sitting in my inbox, I promise I will answer your Asks soon! This one was time sensitive so I wanted to be sure I answered it before it was too late.)
So, yes...yesterday was Bisexuality Awareness (Visibility) Day. And I think what stands out to me in particular when I think of this day and Michael and David is the word "visible." What it means to be visible.
On the one hand, it can mean that you are not hiding. It's about being who you are and simply existing as your authentic self, even if you are not announcing or being loud about it. But "visible" can also mean being seen. The acknowledgment of your authentic self by the people in your personal life--friends, family--and by the world at large. It would seem that these two things naturally go together, but as all too many bisexual folks know, not hiding is not the same thing as being seen.
When I think about the time and place where Michael and David came of age--1980s Britain, under the tenure of Margaret Thatcher and the oppressive rule of Section 28--it seems like the last thing any LGBTQIA person would've wanted to be is visible. To be seen as anything other than straight or cis meant ridicule, persecution, isolation, and in the worst cases, institutionalization or incarceration.
And so you have Michael who, fresh out of drama school, starts taking on queer roles. To this day, Michael has repeatedly quoted Oscar Wilde ("Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth"), and in considering this, you start to see how all of those roles became a way for Michael to explore a part of himself that he couldn't openly explore in real life.
It means that even working in the arts and theater wasn't a guarantee of protection, and that for Michael and for David, being who they are was ultimately at odds with the desire to advance their careers. David became the Doctor in 2005, and while the social and cultural landscape had slowly begun to shift, the demands of portraying the lead in a beloved, family-oriented British institution meant living up to a certain image. He'd moved to London years earlier, which undoubtedly gave him the freedom to explore and discover himself...but as the Doctor, a national icon, the world opened up and somehow narrowed at the same time.
So many years have passed since then. The pulsing thrum of unending work and the pressure to establish themselves has ebbed. Michael and David have found a steady place in their professional lives, and that feeling of needing to hide has lessened. They know exactly who they are and finally, perhaps for the first time ever in their lives, do not have to be afraid to show it. To suggest. To say what is in their hearts and let the words hang in the air without hastily added qualifiers or retractions.
That takes us back to the word "visible." Even as so many things have changed over time, a strange incongruousness arises. That despite knowing who they are, Michael and David are middle-aged, and the mindset still prevails that "coming out" is only for younger people. Or for people not in straight-passing relationships, or who don't have families. That being middle-aged somehow means having everything figured out and never feeling lost or confused or struggling to accept who you are. Life tells us different. And as I mentioned above, it becomes even clearer that not hiding is not the same thing as being seen.
When I think of this day and Michael and David, I think of the courage it takes to be yourself--without apology, without compromise. I think of what it was like to form an identity in a place that leaves no room for you, that tells you in one way or another that you don't belong. I think of what it must've been like to feel alone for so long, to not know if you'd find the person who understands you so completely, and then years later to fall in love with them at exactly the wrong (or right) time. I think of knowing deep inside that something isn't a phase or a fleeting desire, and the soul-draining exhaustion of having to convince others that you are here. You exist. You belong.
The permanence of being seen. Of being visible.
Happy Bisexuality Visibility Day 2023, everyone.
#martinsharmony#reply post#michael sheen#welsh seduction machine#david tennant#soft scottish hipster gigolo#david is lowkey bi and michael is highkey bi#apologies for not finishing this yesterday but i really wanted to think about what i was writing#bisexuality visibility day#bisexuality awareness day#thoughts#discourse
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Only 4% of Americans are atheists via /r/atheism
Only 4% of Americans are atheists While the non-religious population of America is growing day to day, the amount of truly atheist populations is very small. Would you consider atheists to be a marginalized community based on this statistic? In the eyes of so many, the worst thing you can be is a blaspheming atheist. The distrust among atheists is astoundingly low and if you run for office, the worst thing you can do is be an atheist. While I donât think atheists face the same kind of oppression as other marginalized communities, itâs still prevalent. How many of you out there prefer to keep your religious thoughts to yourself? Itâs far easier to hide this as it would be your skin color or your sexual preference and I never admit to anyone (that Iâm not comfortable around) that Iâm an atheist because the second I do Iâm treated like Iâm crazy or dangerous with statements like âwhere do you get your morals from?â One quick experience I had; I live in NYC and dressed up as the Turkish Olympic sharp shooter for Halloween. Iâm half Turkish and own a Turkish flag so I wore it as kinda of a cape with my toy gun and a silver metal with the Olympic emblem written on it. I was approached by an Arabic appearing man with 5 of his buddies watching us as he said to me, âAs-salÄmu Êżalaykum.â The appropriate response would be for me to say âWa Êżalaykum as-salÄm.â It was Halloween, I was with my family and kids and I didnât think anything of it so I reacted and said, âIâm not religious.â He was taken aback. He said, âwhat!? Do you know what that symbol on your back means!!?â His sentiment towards me changed to a very aggressive nature and said, âbut you believe in the one true god Allah, right?â I didnât answer him right away because I was taken aback that in my community of astoria I would be make to feel threatened about my (lack of) religious beliefs. I moved to NYC to escape the religious persecution of my home town. He repeated himself and then started squaring up! He wanted to fight because he thought I didnât believe in god! So I lied. DNE is the best advice Iâve ever received in NYC. Do not engage. I said, yes, of course I believe in god. His demeanor immediately changed to one of praise, as he praised allah and laughed about how relieved he was that I believe in god. I got the f out of dodge right then and there. No way would I ever admit to this guy with 5 of his goons in tow that Iâm an atheist, especially not with my wife and 5 year old child right next to me enjoying Halloween. While I donât condone violence, Iâd love to show up with 5 friends with pipes and admit to them Iâm an atheist. But I also like not going to jail. Iâm honestly scared about the incoming administration and how they may target marginalized communities like us painting us as evil helping to turn public sentiment against us so that when they start committing acts of violence the public will equate us as less than animals deserving of such retributions. Iâd love to hear other perspectives from people with similar experiences and if my concerns are valid. Submitted December 17, 2024 at 02:58PM by aparentjoke (From Reddit https://ift.tt/MUsdyT8)
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Abuse / Persecution / politic shit / Vent / cry-for-help kinda trigger alert (?
âą
Idk where to start, but here we go...
I joined in a volunteer program in the uk that helped me get out my country (Venezuela, a small Latin American one that's fucking going down, you'll know if you're into politics or anything probably) two months ago, with the hope to apply for an asylum just like a friend of mine did three years ago or so
But the thing is, even tho i complain every day of how life was back there, I've feared death too many times, I've lived in the must insecure ways possible, I've give up bc of how imposible it is to live there even tho i was breaking my ass in more than three different jobs at the time while still trying to study something even tho i had no money or support from my family to get into a university, and my high school fucked up my documents to apply for a public one, and the sistem of the country doesn't gives a fuck to fix things when it comes to documentation if you're not a government active supporter, the house i lived in with my aunties is literally sinking down on a whole in the ground because of a Natural Disaster that nobody seemed to care about taking in control (Wich means is going to get worst this month with the rain season starting again for 6 months)... And well, a very very long etcetera of things
Even tho i consciously know all of this, when i just read in the uk government page the requirements for applying for the asylum âTo stay in the UK as a refugee you must be unable to live safely in any part of your own country because you fear persecution there.â all of the misery in life I've been put through bc I don't support a political party (mustly bc its nonsense but also bc I've been underage for must part of my life, cmon I'm on my very early 20's), seems suddenly so invalid and small to me.
And then memories keep popping up on my mind, like when for weeks this motorcycle guys with guns and bombs tryed to get into my house when I was like 16 and all my mom and i could do was turn off all the lights and block the front doors with all the furniture we had at home, just because there was people protesting against the dictator president, so he just sent bunches of those dudes to make chaos and kill and steal on the suburbs to get protestings out the streets.
Or the time when we got caught in the car on the way back home from secondary school, because the police was persecuting the students that were protesting to ""arrest them"", but then the next day mothers all over the neighborhood were crying over their murdered young sons or tortured and raped young daughters. My mom didn't even let me go to school again for a month, get out to the garden; literally not even be on the room of the house with big windows, and she was not the only mother worried about their kids in the country, all of us as a big community were scared.
Or all the many, many calls I've got since I was 12 or so about kidnapping threats or trys, just bc I have a cousin and aunt that actively works on the political party against the government. When I was 18 I got persecuted on a van after some calls faking my mom's identity, and even tho luckily for me there were some men walking down the street that figured out what was happening and approached and helped me get home (wich was scary too, because I didn't know them and the whole situation was making me feel small and insecure already), i got panic attacks for two months every time I even thought of going out of my house to the bakery one block away.
And those only had to be with the hard way of living for any other venezuelan in the country, but then I have this fucked up clown of a parent that acts so cool in front of everyone, but it's been persecuting me or any of my siblings in the must creepy kind of ways every time we decide for our own sake to get away from him . And I'm not talking just about an over-strict parent. I'm not talking about a jerk kind of a parent. It's a motherfucker abuser that did nothing through all the years of suffering my older mid-brother (fuck it, I'm calling him my brother anyways) had to go through bc his mother is a crazy bitch that tied him up to beat him in ways in cannot even describe without losing my shit. Or all the beat ups i had as a child, some of them till I bleeded, because of stupid little things like spilling my juice on the table, or not knowing how to properly write the letter "R" in fucking first year of primary school, and so on. Or humiliating and degrading my sister for being homo. Or manipulating me to talk to him through not giving us food for weeks, but giving my sister the best giant pizzas and banana's splits so I could "learn my lesson" and stop being a brat like my older brothers, one of them running away from home twice to avoid killing himself bc of not being able to handle our fucked up family anymore. And all just bc I was to scared to fucking talk to a person that's a sexual abuser, even tho nobody else in the family (as long as I know) knows this for a fact, even tho everybody just look somewhere else when he does the fucking inappropriate sexual jokes about my little 11 y/o cousin's body, or tries to have girlfriends as close as his fucking daughter's ager, or goes out of boundaries with my brother's partner. And I'm the one that's wrong for facing him and only talking to him on those moments to tell him to stop doing those fucked up things.
And being happy and sad at the same time when he left the country to persecute my brother to fucking Peru, the country he had to go to on bus from out city we lived at to be away from all this trouble, just to discover that, unlike my brother, his useless ass is not going to make it through in a country where there's no mommy to relay on when you don't want to work anymore even tho you are past the 50 years old. So he came back again to my country, and putted me to cry for days when I got the news, bc I won't be able to visit my grandma anymore without seeing my abuser's face. I won't be able to walk around the city in peace without the fear of him just showing up suddenly at any time, because he stalks me on all my social medias and activities, putted a shit to access my computer when i was a teenager and got into my accounts on fucking everything, follows and stalks every person that I'm related to, learns my routines, just so he can feel he's on control of my life, and even worst, so he can make me (and my sister, and my mom, and so goes on...) Feel like he's on control of our lives. He just suddenly takes any other member of the family phone just to pretend he's them, so he can get to talk to me and know about me. Or worst, sends ultimatums to me, or threats, or insults when he's mad at the fucked up life he created for himself.
And you know what's the worst part about the fear? The need to make it seem unreal. Like when i found fucking porn searchs in his phone about pederast incest, i fucking couldn't believe it (somehow) and just, pup! Erased it all. Or the calls and messages? Got furious, so I cleared the chats and blocked his number, and new number, and grandmother's number, and so on and on (just so he could say how bad and bratty i was for just getting away from all the family without any reason but just me throwing a tantrum). And well, whatever, for years I've felt guilty for erasing the only prove that i had, so I didn't speak up about it, bc how can people believe that such a cool guy could do those things anyways? So I just kept on a cicle for years of erasing and then feeling guilty and regretful, but then feeling alone so doing it again, because I never thought that i could do something about it. And now I'm here and i need proves of everything, and I've been stupid enough to left me with nothing but bad memories and traumas, that has no fucking use in a legal process to try and get my life together somewhere else away from the pain.
And at the end, does all of this count for other countries governments? Because I lost track of the difference between a normal hard life, and miserable life in some point of my growing up in Venezuela experience. But i don't want to go back anyways. I don't want to live life being scared, not knowing if tomorrow will be a normal hard day, or if my life is just going to suddenly go crazy and I'm going to lose someone else on the streets, or their house, or just because they left for a better opportunity in another country and I'll probably never see them again, or the crazy bitch of my father is going to start a new drama. Who can support a person that's been trying their hardest in life, who doesn't wants to give up? (even when there doesn't seems to be other options, because that's what they want you to feel, to control you through fear, through making you wake up and go to sleep every day on survival mode). I don't want to live that way.
And i don't want a life full of luxury either. All i want is a small house or apartment to live in, where i know I'm safe in, and a stable job with a boss that doesn't try to find every possible way to get you to work out of your job and personal boundaries, (both legally and illegally, bc in a country without law and lots of corruption that doesn't matter), with a small salary, enough to get me to buy a treat once in a week if I want to without having to give up on a basic need product like soap or shampoo for once. All i want is a normal life. Nothing more, with normal problems, normal solutions, a normal family, and normal experiences.
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In defense of Garp. And his establishing moment.
(Contains Spoilers up until Marineford and some for after the time-skip, read at your own risk)
I know a lot of people donât like Garp and they are not without reason for it. But I feel that he gets too much hate for originally choosing to side with the Marines over his family.
Itâs an intended moral dilemma in the story and just because we would have done differently doesnât mean itâs the right thing to do. In fact, from where he was standing there may not have been such a thing as the âright oneâ
Garp has been in the Marines for decades and betraying your own as well as your convictions was established from the start as one of the worst crimes you can commit

Whatâs more, Garp isnât just âa marineâ, heâs THE Marine. He understands that when people think âMarines and their justiceâ heâs the face to first pop up, thatâs what his convictions have led to.
And unlike us, he doesnât have the benefit of a story told from the perspective of good natured pirates and knowing the way into a new era. (He likely wonât be there to see the world and the Marines change as much as it will and he knows it.)
What he does have is years of persecuting unrepentant criminals who are mostly unlike Luffy and Whitebeard. This great pirate era does have the potential of being âromanticâ if you have Luffyâs disposition for wondrous adventure and freedom. But thatâs because he is unique and redefines what pirates can be, every fantasy has to contend with reality.

It should also be noted that this is not the kind of pirates that inspired Luffy to be one but Shanks, who is also considered an anomaly. Most of us wouldnât have such an unconventional role model and instead have the Marines to look up to if we were regular people in-universe.
Garp was stuck in a place where, no matter what side he took, he would be betraying someone; his family who took their choice feeling it was the right one, or his lifelong comrades and friends in the force with whom he shared some ideals.
In the end he couldnât completely choose one and tried to take a middle ground to allow Luffy to reach Ace without dishonoring his position.

Heâs also not the only marine who has his doubts regarding them and most of those who do still choose to stay with them because it feels like the right thing. Like Smoker, Koby and Kuzan, who took years to decide to leave even after Ohara. And his decision to side with Blackbeard is also questionable.

Now donât get me wrong, as much as I love Garp, heâs still reprehensible for some things like his âtough loveâ and abuse to his grandsons, which traumatized Luffy and played into part of his choice to be a pirate.
At the same time, thereâs some true affection for each other and Garp took a route most others in his place wouldnât when faced with the son of the Pirate king, which is why Roger told Garp specifically about Ace.

Garp is just like his relationship with Luffy, messed up, complicated and self-contradictory. Heâs a D. on the Marines, that alone should be enough to tell you how much of a contradiction he is by design.
One of my personal favorites moments with Garp is one thatâs not talked about a lot, the moment his character is established.

Itâs put as a comedic moment but it perfectly sums up who Garp is, heâs impulsive, irrational and even violent and inconsiderate in the worst cases. But the fact his subordinates address him this casually shows he doesnât consider himself above others and prefers to address everyone as an equal. Heâs also not completely unreasonable and ultimately takes responsibility for what he does.
Youâre welcome to disagree with me on this, but remember to keep it civil.
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If you understand all that then you should realize that, whether or not there were other forms of Zionism that didn't suck, they're still connected to the Zionism that sucks
These policies overlap regardless, these are not the dominant strands of Zionism, anti Zionism is still inevitable even if all your facts are correct.
Please advocate for something else, you just dismissed someone who correctly pointed out that whatever theoretical ideas exist, and maybe even sound great, are irrelevant in the face of what is actually happening because they aren't reality. They're unfulfilled theory, no one doing it, no pretending it will become the dominant ideological branch, no guarantee it would change the relevant colonialist nature of Zionism.
Let's continue this a little bit, when you refer to anti zionism as practiced state policy leading to the persecution of Jews, are you referring to the Hamas government?
Either way, it's not an ideology. Literally, anti Zionism is opposing an ideology, opposing ideology does not mean imposing ideology.
And even then, this anti jewish ideology would still be the result of *checks notes* Zionism, the thing in critique.
Furthermore, your post zionism still is Zionist in character, it aims to make rights more equal within Israel but does not aim to counteract the harm caused, does not include reparations of any kind, is not about Palestine, there will be no giving back the stolen land or the stolen land granted to Zionists by the UK/British.
The land has been taken, the infrastructure and homes are destroyed, olive trees uprooted and burned, people displaced and murdered. Saying Zionism is over because Israel already exist now so there will be no more violence is ignorant of reality. Not doing violence anymore does not reverse the effects, the long term harm caused. Poverty and generational trauma, death. Racism among Israelis, racist anti arab propaganda still getting taught in schools.
Your binational state also has issues similar to the two state solution, in that it does little for Palestinians other than giving them equal rights (discussed above already) but furthermore keeps Zionist sovereignty over the region alive. Laws and politicians, commonly held beliefs and common practices won't change, there would be no Palestine anymore. Or there might still be because not all of the territory would be included in this so generous binational solution, only the west bank, or even the west bank getting annexed as a type of Palestinian ghetto.
There are more versions of the binational state and I've talked about the worst ones but the others are still flawed.
Tributary, I'm well aware this must suck to read but I hope you'll reconsider your opinions. I don't believe, don't want to, that you said this in bad faith. But there are tons of things wrong with these few sentences you wrote, there is more ro say than I have time for, so I hope you believe me when I say what you just said is still Zionist propaganda. It's still racist and violent at its core, you got tricked by a cleverly crafted progressive veneer, inducing complacency and causing you to defend the status quo over any potential change. Or at least over meaningful radical change

obligatory ânot all Xâ, but broadly speaking this is a fantastic explanation of why âzionismâ (or âanti-zionismâ) is a term that badly needs definition whenever it is deployed.
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Crepusculum Maleficarum || Caius & Marcus (HC)
Requested by Anonymous: "I saw your Aro witch mate HC, I was wondering can you please make a Marcus and Caius with a witch mate HC too? Thank you â€ïž"

Once more witchcraft makes its way on to my blog! There has been a lot of witch requests coming in the last couple of weeks. Is it the season? Or does my little blog just attract that kind of energy? Either way, here are the two other kings reaction to discovering their mate is a witch. Aro's headcanons can be found here.
đđŹ đđ„đ°đđČđŹ, đĄđđđđđđ§đšđ§đŹ đđ«đ đđđ„đšđ°.
đđđąđźđŹ đđšđ„đđźđ«đą

Caius is a man of science and reason. In his eyes, everything could be explained in a logical manner. Even vampirism had its own regulations and laws, it could be studied and understood. So when he came across his mate, who happened to be a witch... he had to spend a lot of time simply wrapping his mind around the concept of magic. The first time he walked in on them practicing their craft he simply stood still as a statue in the door way. No words were spoken and he promptly left. Not today. His mate would be saddened but would not give up on Caius just yet.
Is not overly fond of the existence of witches in the very beginning. A whole other supernatural species is a major security risk in his mind. It was already difficult to keep humans in the dark about vampires, shapeshifters and werewolves. Now witches had been added to the mix. His mate would talk to him about how they had been persecuted already, by humans. Their words would stir something inside of him, the urge to protect them growing stronger than his anxieties.
Will want to see how well they would do in a fight, against both vampires and humans for that matter. Would personally oversee any kind of training they would have to complete. His mate would not be someone easily killed.
Caius' mate ended up being quite gifted when it came to illusions and tricks of the mind. One day they had grabbed on to his hand, leading him outside to the busy streets of Volterra. It was a sunny day, and that's when all hell broke loose. Guards not being able to stop his mate before one of their kings was outside in direct sunlight. For a couple of seconds Caius was well on his way towards a panic attack. Until he noticed... nobody was paying him any particular attention. His mate raised a compact mirror to show him his reflection, he looked as human as he had been the day he was graced with a vampires bite. Tawney eyes stared back at him in bewilderment. His now tanner complexion accentuated both the scar running across one of his eyes and his light hair. They had glamoured him completely.
"Perhaps there are good uses for your little tricks after all." "I thought you said you despised magic Caius," "... It's not the worst when it's yours." "Just mine?" "Yes, just yours."
đđđ«đđźđŹ đđšđ„đđźđ«đą

Like his brothers, he is well learned and is familiar with all sorts of concepts. For sure the most philosophical of them. When his second chance at a mate appears he is a bit dumbfounded, even more so when they reveal that they are a witch of all things. It takes some time but Marcus comes around. More than willing to accept this gift the fates had bestowed upon him.
Is highly fascinated by their magic, will watch with rapt attention as they perform magic in front of him and his brothers at their first meeting. He had seen many things, but this was the first time in many years he felt truly perplexed.
Falls in love a little bit more ever time he sees them perform every day magic, the domestic nature of it making his cold heart almost flutter. Wether it be simply grabbing something from a high shelf, or aid when cooking was irrelevant. It made Marcus smile regardless.
Much like Caius he would worry for their safety. They were seemingly physically inferior to his kind. Could they protect themselves? They would insist that they were more than capable, willing to show their mate if that would ease their worries. Marcus arranges a sparring match in the underground training room with the guard he trusted the most: Demetri. His mate ended up proving themselves to be able to defend against the guard at least in a controlled environment. Marcus would scoop them up into a loving kiss, Demetri conveniently turned his back and tuned out whatever was happening behind him.
One thing that would cause worry to settle into Marcus' heart is the topic of their mortality. They had divulged that their magic was too potent for them to be turned, so where did that leave them? It would silently eat away at him until his mate noticed that dark thoughts had rooted themselves in him. After a lengthy discussion Marcus' was reassured that their lifespan was lengthened. Witches could outlive mortals by many years. Just how many he did not wish to know.
"You are enchanting η ÎșαÏÎŽÎčÎŹ ÎŒÎżÏ
" "I did not know ancient vampires were ones for cliches" "I thought it was rather poetic." "Careful, I'll put a spell on you"

đđ«đđ§đŹđ„đđđąđšđ§đŹ: Crepusculum Maleficarum: Twilight of the witches η ÎșαÏÎŽÎčÎŹ ÎŒÎżÏ
: My heart
#caius volturi#caius volturi headcanon#marcus volturi#marcus volturi headcanon#twilight#twilight renaissance#Peep my headcanon on what Caius looked like as a human
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On the new age book I just bought (recommended to me by a person I will identify only as "friend B"):
Aspects, by Robert Anton Wilson, presents a grand worldview that's hard to believe is a book from 1994. It's basically a summary of a lot of disparate things you hear about in terms of self-help culture: quantum physics, quantum psychology, metaphysics, astrology (including an account of the Big Bang, some really interesting stuff on the kabbalah, etc.)
So far it's pretty interesting, with good ideas and a few real insights and a few real insights that only seem like good ideas but wouldn't be out of place somewhere in the text. I do wonder if it was written by a single person.
In terms of "the author's beliefs," it reads to me as a kind of "all of the above, actually" book, and it is much more convincing to a materialist who feels like he has to be convinced of the Big Bang and everything else.
Some quotes:
The word "law" (which may be defined as a set of relationships between parts of reality) must always be distinguished from the word "lawyer" (which may be defined as a specialist in the art of making people go to jail).
There's an odd sense in which there is a universe of laws, including some "deep" "psychological" laws ("there is a reason why X" etc.) that don't seem to be discoverable. But for some reason, people still manage to use these rules for their own purposes, and find ways in which they seem to match up with reality (even if we don't understand why).
There is no such thing as luck. It's all illusion.
In a sense, this is almost tautologically true, because to be a random variable, you would have to be able to choose the outcome with no relation to "the system" in the sense of "the rules of logic, the laws of nature and of quantum mechanics." But of course, that's also the sense in which you "are" a random variable. Maybe these sentences should be considered as contradictory -- but at least I would consider it a very good one.
One of the worst things that happened in the 20th Century was the establishment of the idea of free will: that human beings are capable of independent thought and the exercise of conscious choice, with a consequent denial of cosmic and social order, the subordination of human reason to the dictates of unreason, and the destruction of all the hopes and hopes of the 20th century.
It seems to me that the belief in free will was established much earlier than the 20th century (especially the 19th century, when the idea of "free will" had a much narrower definition). If you believe in determinism, and there was no reason that you, personally, couldn't have made a different choice (because the rules of your brain and body worked just the way they were supposed to), it seems hard to argue that free will is a delusion.
A fundamental feature of the modern state is the suppression of all the creative, free-thinking and independent aspects of human endeavor.
This one feels like it could be true if there were a "new" society and I were there -- but it seems strange to suggest that it's a feature of how the society today works. It's more about the modern nation-state than about the modern individual. (I mean, it would still be a feature if I were in a totalitarian police state, but I doubt they would go to the extent of preventing people from "thinking freely" that the state of nature seems to allow us in our modern life.) And, if I take Wilson's own account of the 20th century, many of the free thinkers he describes were in fact persecuted by the state.
Anyway, it's hard for me to believe a writer of this book was able to actually look at his own life and feel that this book would make sense as the result of a thought process he engaged in over decades.
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I've been seeing some discussion about how mad Sirius's imprisonment without trial was etc. and I've also been thinking about it for my own fic so here are some very rambly thoughts:
(also, I'm not suggesting that, at any level, jkr intended to explore the complexities of a corrupt justice system, all of this is a consequence of her many, many plotholes/poor worldbuilding, not her "genius")
Firstly, I think that Sirius was immediately assumed to be guilty because of his family. By this time (1981), the Death Eaters are basically synonymous with the Black family (inc. the Malfoy's, etc.) We know via Walburga's portrait, Kreacher, etc. that this family was unashamedly and loudly devoted to blood purity, to power, and to Voldemort.
But we also know that despite their obvious guilt, the Black family & co. were practically invincible because of their wealth and influence. Even after Voldemort's defeat, most of them successfully evade prison! It's not clear (bc why would it be...) but it's definitely implied in GOF that the attack on the Longbottom's happened a while after Voldemort's downfall. The Death Eaters felt "safe" in attacking the Longbottom's and that kind of security in their freedom definitely wouldn't have happened in the immediate aftermath. Meaning? They lived comfortably, freely for at least a few years after Voldemort's defeat in 1981.
The Ministry is simultaneously desperate to convict as many Death Eaters as possible (and prove their competency) but also letting some of the most notorious go free? Make it make sense!
Like, there is no way this is going to make them popular with the people, right? But also, the Black family & co. are extremely powerful in the Ministry. I think they absolutely had tons of blackmail material on the Ministry (corruption, secret supporters of Voldemort, etc) as well as being financially important too. We see this with Lucius Malfoy throughout the series - they clearly know he isn't a good guy and yet, he has considerable power in the Ministry. The Ministry can't risk losing the backing of these families but it had to do something to prove itself to the public.
Enter, Sirius Black.
Disowned by his family, he didn't seem to pose any real risk to the Ministry's relationship with the Black family; why would they defend their disgraced former heir? Even if Sirius did turn out to have become a Death Eater (i.e. returned to their "side") and did actually commit this crime, they still wouldn't have been willing to defend him because they were obviously doing all they could to distance themselves from Voldemort. Their son is found at the scene of a mass murder committed in Voldy's name - not exactly going to help their case in defending the "real" Black family. Sirius is a pretty safe target for the Ministry to pursue and be seen to be doing something right.
(Similarly, I think this is why Karkaroff is said to have had a trial much closer to the events of 1981. He isn't attached to a family name, he doesn't seem to come from any wealth, etc. He can be imprisoned without any real consequence but shows the Ministry to be successful in bringing justice.)
Sirius was also at the heart of the most significant event in the fight against Voldemort. The Potter's house in Godric's Hollow becomes a monument, it is visited by thousands of wizards who leave messages, Harry is repeatedly stopped in the street by strangers and thanked, he is stared at and fawned over. The Potter's become the ultimate symbol of the tragedy of the war. Their deaths (and Harry's life) become public property, it becomes personal. Everyone feels a sense of entitlement to the Potter's as if their tragedy belongs to the entire wizarding community. So naturally, the public would turn their attention towards the person who apparently made this happen. Not only someone who is a member of the notorious Black family but was an apparent mass murderer and a traitor too!
It was so easy for the Ministry to leave Sirius to rot in prison without a trial because who was going to defend him? Not his "family" who were too busy trying to save their own skin, not the public, and his real family were gone too: James and Sirius' parents were dead, James and Lily were now too. Peter was the real traitor. Remus was seemingly nowhere to be found and even if he was there, he suspected Sirius already (plus, I doubt the Ministry would accept his testimony or whatever because of his condition...)
Sirius was twenty-one. He was alone, vulnerable, grieving, obviously suffering from PTSD, and found to be the centre of one of the worst events in the war. I think ultimately he was an easy target for the Ministry to protect their reputation/public standing and cover up their miserable attempts at persecuting actual Death Eaters.
Is referencing a thing on hp meta? Idk but this was totally inspired by @wolfbuck and @allalrightagain and also this article about the Longbottom's attack.
Edit: even more thoughts on this here!
#misc: mine#lit: harry potter#ch: sirius black#hp meta#sirius black#to sum up: governments are corrupt thx for coming to my ted talk!
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Historical July IV: Pompeii (2014) - Part I
...Really? This guy made a historical epic?
The Mortal Kombat director? The Monster Hunter director? The director of the first six Resident Evil films? Yeah, THOSE. The director of Death Race 2000? He made a history movie? And it was about one of the greatest natural disasters ever recorded? Oh boy, I cannot WAIT to see how this goes. OK, so what exactly is the big deal about Pompeii. To understand that...take a jump to the left.
Thereâs a reason that so many of these films are centered around the Roman Empire; it was kind of a big fuckinâ deal. And by the time we get to 79 AD...a lot of shit had happened. Jesus Christ was executed around 30 or 33 AD, and his new followers, called Christians, were not exactly permitted in Rome. A dude named Paul the Apostle goes on missionary journeys to spread Christianity. Even writes a few chapters in a book about the guy, which he adds onto the Jewish scripture as a sort of New Testament. Not that any of thatâs gonna go anywhere, but good on him for the initiative.
On the throne, Tiberius has died, only to be replaced by his nephew, Caligula. And Caligula...was kind of a lot.
Itâs not entirely known how many of the stories about him are true, but some of them are...controversially sexual. Dude was said to be a sexual sadist who through lavish expositions of debauchery, and some sources list him as being insane. But again, some of that is hearsay. We do know that he improved Roman infrastructure, and that he increased the power of the emperor for succeeding generations. And possibly quite harshly. In any case, in 41 AD, a few senators got pissed off enough by him, and pulled a Cassius/Brutus/Gretchen Weiner and assassinated the SHITÂ out of him.
Meanwhile, surprise! Things arenât going great for the Jews. Yeah, history has NOT been kind to them, and around 41 AD, the new emperor of Rome, Claudius, decides to give them the boot and expels them from Rome...for the third time. Yeah, like I said, not a good history for them. To be fair, some of this is hearsay, but thereâs no real reason to doubt its veracity. As they were forced out, Claudius focused his interests on Britain, and began to conquer the territories of the Celts. He dies in 54 BC, and is succeeded by...
Oh, shit. This is Nero, the last of the first line of Roman emperors, and one of the worst that theyâd ever seen. On the bright side, dude was huge into the cultural life of the Empire, as well as diplomacy and trade. He was an actor, a poet, and a charioteer. On the downside...dude was an absolute asshole. Allegedly. Yeah, itâs hearsay time again. He was insanely popular with Romeâs public, but so many historians list him as an awful tyrant. The most well-known of these tyrannical acts involved the Christians, who were building in size as a group in Rome. Which was, unsurprisingly, not liked by the Senate.
In Brittania, Neroâs armies led a successful conquest of the territory, resulting in the death of the Celt Queen Boudicca in 61. And that is...another story for another day. A good one, though. But all of that took a side to one of the biggest tragedies Rome had ever seen: the Great Fire of 64 AD. It raged for nine days, and destroyed 2/3 of Rome. Which is...a lot. Nero allegedly blamed the Christians, but conspiracies mounted that he had ordered the fire to make room for construction of a palatial complex. But that is, well...hearsay. That hearsay began persecutions of the Christians in Rome, leading to that whole âfeed them to the lionsâ thing, eventually. Meanwhile, in a small colony in Campania, near to the city of Naples..
A massive earthquake hits in 62 AD, destroying much of a tourist town called Pompeii. Nothing else bad will happen to them. Theyâre rebuilding while Rome is doing the same, and Nero even visits the city in 64 AD, as well as performs in their famous theatre. See, Pompeii was basically a cultural town, and their theater and amphitheater were famous. They would rebuild pretty steadily over the next decade or so, with what funding they could get from Rome or the private sector.
In 68, Nero commits suicide (sort of) after being condemned by the Senate (who hated him, of course) as a public enemy. So ends the first Dynasty. So, uh...whoâs the new emperor? Since thereâs no declared heir, itâs time to figure out whoâs gonna rule. And since itâs Rome...WAR TIIIIIIIIIIME!
Yup. The Year of the Four Emperors kicks off in 68 AD. First, Galba takes over, and fucks over EVERYBODY, including the military and the elite unit, the Praetorian Guard. Said guard kills the shit out of him. The same day, Otho is declared emperor, and heâs gonna be...oh, wait, Iâve received word that the legions in Germania support Vitellus as Emperor, and theyâre a fucking really good army! Surely word of this will not aaaaaaand Otho has committed suicide, GREAT.Â
Looks like Vitellus is emperor! Parades! Banquets! Expensive food that immediately creates debt! Looks like we need money, so letâs make people call Vitellus the rightful heir to their goods and fortune, and then KILL THE SHIT OUT OF âEM! Thatâs not gonna bite us squarely in the rotund ass at all! At least we have the entire army on our side, right? What? Fuckinâ Vespasian commands the African and Judean legions, and theyâre declaring him emperor? And theyâre marching on Vitellus right now, as heâs desperately trying to bribe his way out of this? Well, maybe itâll aaaaaaand dead. With that, the year is over, and Vespasian is now Emperor of Rome for the next 10 years. God.
So, Vespasian is now the Emperor, and the next few years arenât abysmal for Rome. They expand in Britain, he reforms the financial system, and he builds the Colosseum. Dude brings Rome back to stability, beginning the Flavian Dynasty, then dies in 79 AD. His son, Titus Vespasianus, ascends in 79 AD. Dude was a legendary general, crushing the first major Jewish rebellion in 69 (geez, guys, sorry historyâs been absolute garbage to you), and then taking and destroying Jerusalem. He completed the Colosseum as well, as would be known as a good ruler in the end. But rulers are only judged by their response to adversity. And adversity...thy name is Vesuvius.
August 25, 75 AD. After bubbling and brewing for a long time, the volcano known as Mount Vesuvius blows its top, and molten rock and ash explode from that top violently. Weâre talking a force 100,000 times more powerful than fucking Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yeah. Holy fucking shit. The eruption was large enough to cover miles of land in pyroclastic flows, flash burning and killing every living thing in its path. These flows buried the settlement of Pompeii. And. Herculaneum. And Oplontis. Oh, and Stabiae. YEAH. FOUR FUCKING TOWNS.
Did you know that shit, because I DIDNâT. The reason we know Pompeii so well is because it was actually most fully recovered. So was Herculaneum, but Herculaneum was much smaller, and didnât have the whole body imprint thing attached to it. But itâs still a worthy site that deserves to be talked about more. Will this movie do so?
Of course it wonât. Come on.
I want to talk about Pompeii and Vesuvius...but later, LATER! Letâs get into this literal garbage fire of a film, shall we? Canât wait to see what film mountebank Paul W.S. Anderson has done with this epic historical event. Whoof. If you want to learn more about the day itself, watch @wearewatcherâ Puppet Historyâs account of it. More entertaining than I am, I guarantee it.
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SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Recap
Interestingly, we start with the words of Pliny the Younger, who wrote a famous account of the events of the fateful day. Iâll mention him and his famous uncle more next time, I think. They are, and I quote:
We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a clsoed room. You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men; some were calling their parents, others their children or their wives, trying to recognize them by their voices. People bewailed their own fate or that of their relatives, and there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness for evermore.
Um...wow. Damn. Holy shit, thatâs fucking terrifying. I mean, I already knew this, but retyping it now...FUCK. And also, the movie misquotes this. Technically, itâs a different translation and some paraphrasing, but itâs not the exact quote. But OK, the movie opens with that butchered quote over the famous petrified bodies of Pompeii. And Iâll hand it to them, itâs pretty impressive looking.
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And then, we cut to Brttania in 62 AD. Huh. OK? Far as I know, the battle pictured of the northern Celtic horsemen never actually happened, but itâs not outside the realm of possibility. After all, famous Celt queen Boudicca had just died the year before, attempting to fight against the Roman Empire. So, yeah, this isnât crazy. The Celts are slain by Romans, led by the general Quintus Attius Corvus (Keifer Sutherland), and their bodies are piled up, while others are...hung from a tree, which doesnât seem like a Roman thing to do. I guess itâs technically gibbetting, but I thought the Celts did that to the Romans, not the other way around!
But OK, letâs not split hairs. Iâll be here all day if I do. A child escapes from the massacre, and flees into the woods. His mother was killed in front of him by Corvus, and his father was ne of the guys in the tree. Eventually, heâs caught by slave traders, and...Conan the Barbarian, is that you?
Yeah, this is just the story of Conan the Barbarian! Whatâre you gonna do, strap him to a wheel for seventeen years?
So, 17 years pass...and we cut to Londinium. In a gladiator pit with terrible lighting, we meet a manager of gladiators, Graecus (Joe Pingue), whoâs being all Roman and shit. You know, being fat, eating grapes, so on and so forth. Heâs all annoyed at being brought out here in the poorly lit rain to watch a gladiator fight, especially because the gladiators kinda suck. And thatâs when...the Celt comes in.
Oh my God, I already hate this fucking movie. Itâs just so...stereotypically late-2000s. Itâs like Paul W.S. Anderson went to Frank Miller, whom I picture as living in that fetish house from 300, and said to him, âTeach me your unsubtly homoerotic ways!â And then Frank Miller talked about women and Muslim people in a misogynistic and racist way for, like, three hours, until eventually just lending Anderson a copy of 300.Â
Anyway, yeah, this is Milo (Kit Harrington), AKA the Celt. Heâs just the best gladiator that ever gladiated, and they decide to take him out of there to see how well he does in more professional circles. Heâs put on a procession to Pompeii, and meets a woman in-theyâre gonna fuck.
Look...theyâre gonna be the main couple of the film. Duh. FUCKING DUH. THIS IS JUST PEARL HARBOR IN ANCIENT ROME. Anyway, this Inevitable Love Interest is Cassia (Emily Browning), attended to by her assistant, Ariadne (Jessica Lucas). Their horse was injured on the way to Pompeii, but Milo offers to help it. And he does so by...breaking the horseâs neck.
And I get it, heâs putting it out of its mercy, thatâs entirely fine in this circumstance, but...he breaks it as easily as I blow my fucking nose! Like...like picking up a childâs napkin from a fucking table at a birthday party, IT WOULD NOT BE THAT FUCKING EASY! So...yeah, thatâs incredibly stupid, and the tone is set for this movie. And of course, Cassia comes away from it like, âOoh, that silent horse-killing gladiator slave man is, like SUPER-FUCKING-HOT, amirite?â God, this is gonna piss me off.
Cassia, it turns out, is from Pompeii, and her father Severus (Jared Harris) is the city governor, while her mother, Aurelia (Carrie-Anne Moss)...has the worst British accent Iâve ever heard, holy SHIT, Carrie-Anne. I liked you in The Matrix, and I fucking LOVED you in the first season of Jessica Jones, but GODDAMN are you absolutely terrible in this movie so far. But yeah, Cassiaâs the rich girl whoâs life is perfect and has horses and yaaaaaaaay
Meanwhile, Miloâs dealing with administrative issues, as his fellow gladiators start a fight in the cafeteria. This catches the interest of fellow gladiator Atticus (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), the black best friend of the movie, probably. Which is also very Gladiator, now that I think about it. Have I mentioned that I fucking really hate this movie so far?
Anyway, one of Cassiaâs servants (who is black, because this movie is very awkward in a lot of ways) takes out her horse for a run that night, only for him to die by upcoming plot device. The next morning, Milo meets Atticus, says that heâll have to kill him one day, gets saved from death by one of the assholes from the cafeteria, then says that he wonât kill Atticus, and I hate this movie.
Meanwhile, Corvus arrives in town, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DOES, and I now have to wonder...was Pompeii anywhere near this major of a town to warrant this much fucking attention? Well, after looking into it...I mean, kinda. Naples isnât too far away, so I feel like that wouldâve gotten more attention. But anyway, Corvus is invited into the home of Severus to discuss their grand plans for Pompeii, whatever thoseâll be.
Cassiaâs not extraordinarily happy about that, because she dislikes the corrupt new emperor, Titus Vespasian, who...who is one of the most generous and greatest emperors that Rome ever had...period. I...but...we...WHY? WHY ARE WE PAINTING THIS GUY AS AN ASSHOLE, THEN? Just to paint Cassia as a morally-perfect being whom all the edge Celtic gladiators can fall in love with I FUCKING HATETHISSTUPIDSHIT
...OK, maybe Iâm overexaggerating here. Fresh eyes, fresh mind, letâs get back into it. After Cassiaâs horse returns without his keeper, we switch back to the prison, where said edgy Celt is being all edgy about the whole gladiator thing again. Meanwhile, Atticus is the wide-eyed optimist, believing that he will be freed once he defeats Milo and wins the day. Also, he has a really bad-looking scar. Like, picture a scar with stitches. The most stereotypical scar youâve ever seen. Yeah. Thatâs on Atticusâ cheek.
The gladiators are marched into the palace, because this film doesnât really understand the difference between normal gladiators and normal slaves in terms of treatment. But itâs there that he sees one of the guys present at the destruction of his village, because of course he does. We also learn that the gladiators are treated not only as slaves, but as prostitutes...which DID NOT fucking happen. There is NO PROOF that this happened, and I feel like that would be a risk that managers wouldnât want to take for various reasons.
Cassia might be wishing that was the case, though, because she catches Miloâs eye at the party. But sheâs soon led away to be introduced to Corvus, who she already apparently...oh, goddamnit. Itâs also this story? Corvus is gonna wanna fuck her, huh? I just...this movie is a living, breathing stereotype of a film.
But just then, Cassiaâs horse starts freaking out SO FUCKING HARD that she excuses herself from Corvusâ advances. And yeah, he does wanna marry her, and has wanted to since she met him in Rome and said no. Anyway, she gets the best horse killer she knows, Milo, and has him tame her horseâs wild nature. And despite having no proof that thisâll work (or that he wonât kill this horse just like the other one, which would be hilarious), it does indeed work.
Cassia goes in, and they share their mutual hatred of Rome together. They also get on the horse together, and burst out of the stable to ride off into the sunset. I...just...this would not only have SO MANY TERRIBLE RAMIFICATIONS, but would also be insanely unlikely due to class structure at the time. This is just...so dumb.
OK, so letâs fast-forward this bullshit, huh? They get caught, Cassia asks Corvus to spare his life, and he agrees to do so if she agrees to fuuuuuuuuckâim, and she does. Corvus makes sure heâs whipped, and then arranges it so that Milo fights first the next day, and ideally dies first. Back in her quarters, Cassia pines for Milo, and back in his quarters, Milo gets wine dumped on his back to heal his terrible looking whip-wounds.Â
And as Milo and Atticus share their hatred for the Romans, the earth shakes beneath their feet, which Atticus states is a sign from the gods. And given whatâs about to happen...yeah, could be. The next day, the quakes continue as the arrangements are make for Milo to die, hopefully.
God. I need a break.Â
Imma rewatch that Puppet History video really quick. See you in Part II, I guess.
#pompeii#pompeii 2014#movie: pompeii#paul w.s. anderson#kit harrington#emily browning#keifer sutherland#adewale#adewale akinnuoye-agbaje#jessica lucas#jared harris#carrie-anne moss#historical july#user365#365 days 365 movies#365 film challenge#wondrous history#wearewatcher#puppet history#mount vesuvius#the eruption of mount vesuvius#vesuvius#but if you close your eyes#does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all#and if you close your eyes#does it almost feel like you've been here before#how am i gonna be an optimist about this
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Bigoted and Guilty: The World Anent Gender Equality
   The world is guilty of bigotry and notorious for being unjust regarding gender equality. Gender minorities are waging centuries worth of crusades to achieve equality in this world plagued by the poisonous patriarchal system and supremacist ideologies. Gender bias and demarcation are pervasive and entrenched in our society, as they still barricade radical grants of peopleâs liberty. Gender discrimination is any uneven treatment, including privilege and priority, based on gender. While Gender inequality is prejudice based on sex or gender causing specific sex or gender to be more privileged or prioritized than another (âGender Discrimination: Inequality Starts in Childhoodâ). Throughout the course of history, sexism and misogyny are evident and enragedly justified, while Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) are marginalized. Women back in the days did not have the right to suffrage and education, as they were blinded by the thought of their inferiority towards men. In the Philippines, it was not until April 30, 1937, when women's suffrage bill was passed. Women were abused, gaslighted, and neglected. On the other hand, homosexuality was heavily persecuted, and they were tortured into believing that their existence is an abomination of Godâs natural design because of their âimmoral actsâ, they were treated with loathing and atrocity. Over 64% or two-thirds of LGBTQIA+ individuals had encountered violence or abuse (âLGBTQ+ facts and figuresâ). Women and the LGBTQIA+ Community were exposed to unwarranted supremacist ideologies.    Gender discrimination manifests through Economic Oppression, wherein the competency of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals were questioned. Their compensations were lower than those of males, job opportunities are bounded for them, and the worst-case scenario is that they are being abused in their workspace. This intolerance also occurs in schools, homes, and communities. They are being targeted by gender stereotypes, shaming them with twisted agendas impeding their sense of security, validity, and productivity (Santos-Lyons). Gender-based violence pertains to adverse acts targeting an individual based on their gender. It is embedded in gender inequality, the exploitation of power, and destructive standards (âGender-based Violenceâ). Women and the LGBTQIA+ community are subjected to Gender-based Violence, including people from various age groups, races, and indigenous backgrounds. Statistically, 736 million or one in every three women around the globe have been coerced to intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once (â16 things you need to know about gender-based violenceâ). On the other hand, 26 percent of gay men, 37 percent of bisexual men, and 29 percent of straight men are raped and experienced physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner. While 46 percent of bisexual women, 17 percent of straight women, and 13 percent of lesbians have been raped (âSexual Assault and the LGBTQ Communityâ). As reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2017, National Demographic and Health Survey, one in four Filipino women aged 15-49 have experienced physical, emotional, or sexual violence caused by their partner (âViolence Against Womenâ). The statistics reports are distressing as it shows the reality of societyâs treatment of gender minorities. However, it is absolutely crucial to discuss these acts of injustice to stress accountability of how these individuals were victimized. Gender discrimination exists and is not limited to women and the LGBTQIA+, as men's narratives concerning this issue are unfortunately neglected. Utmost cases are unreported or not perceived as a violation at all. Advocating the elimination of gender equality must include everyone and apply to anyone victimized by stereotypes and disparity. Still, aside from focusing on developing our country, we should also focus on these kinds of social issues because we are all involved in them. It is imperative for us to open our eyes to these human rights violations and injustices. Given that, we must stay attentive in upholding everyoneâs birthrights. There have been local movements challenging these revolting acts of gender discrimination. The hashtag #HijaAko is a movement that became viral back in 2020, as Kakie Pangilinan denounced the rape tolerating and victim-blaming mindset manifested through statements of media personality, Ben Tulfo. Nonetheless, the rampant demand for gender equality education was being sustained, initiated, and supported mostly by students. Countless webinars are accomplished in response to the increasing number of people who want to become aware and hopefully help to the clamor of eradicating inequality and discrimination, specifically the shaming, stereotypes, and stigma surrounding the matter.    Consequently, Republic Act No. 9262 or The Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004, Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, and the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill or the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) are pivotal in promoting safe spaces and upholding human rights. Legal bases are significant to the gender rights movement as it safeguards the oppressed from exploitation and abuse as the laws ensure their welfare and future opportunities. That is why the passage of the SOGIE Bill as a recognized law is significant, as it protects not only the LGBTQIA+ Community but everyone from discrimination. The fortification of these laws denotes the grave commitment of the state to defend the interests of its citizens and actualize proper awareness condemning the stigma, victim-blaming, and shaming culture of the society and legitimately hold accountability, making the law fiercer upon serving justice. The movement regarding these issues has been overlong, abusive, and chaotic. It may sound clichĂ©, but it is up to us whether to continue fighting against each other in the name of supremacy, or we sort out how to help people for their best interests and hold those who are accountable for committing or participating in these hateful acts. People's welfare must be prioritized in the absolute eradication of gender bias, discrimination, and inequality, striving towards the radical entitlement of people's liberty to express and be themselves and have equal opportunities ahead of them.
Bibliography â16 things you need to know about gender-based violence.â Concern Worldwide, 25 November 2021, 16 things you need to know about gender-based violence. âGender Discrimination: Inequality Starts in Childhood.â Save the Children, https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/how-gender-discrimination-impacts-boys-and-girls. Accessed 2 January 2022. âGender-based Violence.â UNCHR, The UN Refugee Agency, https://www.unhcr.org/gender-based-violence.html. Accessed 29 December 2021. âLGBTQ+ facts and figures.â Stonewall, https://www.stonewall.org.uk/cy/node/24594. Accessed 25 January 2022. Santos-Lyons, Maria Aimee. Recognizing GBV & Advancing Gender Justice. WISDOM PUP. 11 December 2021. https://www.facebook.com/wisdompup/videos/1052766305571592. âSexual Assault and the LGBTQ Community.â Human Rights Campaign, https://www.hrc.org/resources/sexual-assault-and-the-lgbt-community. Accessed 29 December 2021. âViolence Against Women.â Philippine Commission on Women, https://pcw.gov.ph/violence-against-women/. Accessed 29 December 2021.
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r/Edelgard seems to have completely turned against Claude now. But the weirdest part is that they keep calling him an imperialist, while at the same time denying Edelgard is one.
It was only a matter of time before they did honestly. While Dimitri and Edelgard more directly oppose each other ideologically, even if itâs merely stated as so by the game Claude and Edelgard are presented as being âcloser alignedâ in terms of ideals, and any character shown to be a potential ally to Edelgard is seen in a good light in their eyes and any character that is shown to be unable to be an ally is a villain/bad person, so he was given some leeway until recently.Â
Look at how they bend themselves trying to make AM the villain route, how they sometimes completely discard Rheaâs words in favor of Edelgardâs despite the former literally being present when history was happening and the latter having Imperial Telephone tell her the totes fer reel correct version that happens to paint humanity as pure good, at how Edelgardâs treatment of Seteth and Flayn is excused and sometimes justified, at how Dimitri defending his land against an invading force that has the explicit goal of conquering them is painted in the worst possible light. Itâs a consistent tendency to put down every character that could even potentially make Edelgard look bad... so Claude was never going to escape this treatment forever, since he arguably makes Edelgard look the worst. Not because of what she did to him - that trophy is being valiantly fought by Dimitri and Rhea - but because of his actions and goals and accomplishments compared to hers.
Remember Edelgardâs supposed goals, according to her stans? Claude does them, with far more peaceful results.Â
âReform the Churchâ - Edelgard gets rid of it entirely in the majority of her endings and has it state-sanctioned if she does allow it to stay all the while actively persecuting the faithful in the Empire during the war, Claude always has the Church around and it is stated to be going through more natural reforms under Byleth and Setethâs guidance and like the rest of the non-CF routes gives refuge to the said persecuted faithful.Â
âUnify Fodlanâ - Edelgard forcefully unites Leicester and Faerghus back under Adrestiaâs banner and erases their cultures while doing so, Claude unites Leicester, Faerghus, and Adrestia under a new banner (the United Kingdom of Fodlan) with no explicit mention of the erasure of the former nations (unlike âthe Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Church of Seiros both vanished from the peopleâs memoriesâ like in CFâs ending narration).Â
âReveal the truth of Fodlanâs historyâ - Edelgard only tells a âtruthâ that goes directly against everything established by the gameâs foreshadowing and never looks farther into what she assumes to be true, Claude finds the actual truth and does so by asking Rhea, someone who would for sure know the truth of what happened (all while risking the chance of her blowing away his previous assumptions of whatâs been happening)
âReveal the truth of Fodlan part 2âł - Edelgard/CF has multiple instances that reveal that portions of history are being deliberately covered up (Dorothea/Edelgard endings revealing censorship, Ferdinand/Byleth endings revealing certain battles not being recorded â History books extol Ferdinand's success as a lord of his territories, but they do not make mention of the hard-fought battles he endured alongside his wife. Thus, half of his life's work is lost to timeâ), no mention of such things happening in Claude/VWâs endings
âBetter relations with Almyraâ - this is a throwaway line in Edelgardâs story that is completely optional and easy to miss as well as never appearing in any of her endings whatsoever (as well as any mention of bettering foreign relations), this is Claudeâs entire goal which he is stated and even somewhat shown to have accomplished in the course of his story
âLooking out for the weakâ - Edelgard intentionally strips the weak of support by taking away most any semblance of a church and explicitly states that the weak will inevitably learn how to grow strong by themselves, Claude acknowledges the Churchâs importance to the people even if he personally doesnât like religion and explicitly believes that strength is found by relying on, opening up to, and believing in friends and close ones
âLooking out for the weak, part 2âł - Edelgard explicitly states that she is completely willing to sacrifice her men as well as the people of Fodlan as a whole in order to achieve a greater good and then goes on to endanger her people, Claude explicitly states that such methods are too bloody and goes on to go out of his way to protect the people through evacuation or by placing himself in front of them or keeping them out of the fighting entirely
âAchieving a peaceful Fodlanâ - The majority of Hubertâs endings reveal the need to constantly spy on the populace and/or put down rebellions/assassination attempts, the only mention of something similar occurring in VW is putting down Imperial loyalists + TWSâ attempts to disrupt the peace
âWanting help from othersâ - Edelgard never attempts to reach out a hand in friendship to anyone at any point of the game, Claude tries multiple times to do so with Dimitri and actually succeeds in doing so in AM (not to mention him giving his help to and asking for help from the Church in non-CF routes)
This is just what I can readily think of off the top of my head, but we see that Claude manages to accomplish much of what Edelstans say Edelgard wants to do with better results, and thatâs not even getting into how Claude needs no âsofteningâ from Byleth in order to be a more approachable person, how he never initiates fighting towards Faerghus (as in, not the Kingdom army but the nation itself, unlike Edelgard) and never tries to conquer it whatsoever (again, unlike Edelgard), how he keeps his word and assists in helping Rhea despite not liking or trusting her unlike how Edelgard claims to want to make peace with Rhea despite thinking that her and her kind need destruction, how Claude mourns the deaths of his friends and allies while Edelgard says nothing if any of her friends and allies die (even Hubert, someone sheâs known for close to 20 years, one of the longest relationships of the academy studentsâ circle. she says nothing of his passing) save for Bernadetta whom she can set on fire, and, again, other things that arenât coming to my right off the cuff. He makes her look horrible
And, well, ya know what that means. Claudeâs actions canât be actually good, because they make Edelgard, the hero of 3H, look bad, so there has to be some kind of catch everywhere.Â
Claude bringing in Almyran reinforcements, with the approval of the Allianceâs most renown general, to help secure Fort Merceus in a more secure way (and is actually shown to have possibly actually helped in pulling off the ruse, seeing how SS tried the same thing without them and failed)? Him doing the same in some of his endings, where he sends Almyran forces to help settle the Imperial revolts that are happening? This is actually him trying to invade Fodlan, sending Almyran forces as a show of force and establish Almyraâs superiority over Fodlan, not him showing that Almyra wishes to help Fodlan reform so that their centuries long feud can finally begin to be properly set aside and allow for positive change to occur between the two countries.
Claude keeping the Alliance out of the war? This is actually him biding his time to strike back against both countries so that he can win the war and he only succeeds if he manages to trick Byleth and the Church (and Dimitri, in AM) into helping him, not him recognizing that the Alliance is weak even if fully united (let alone in the divided state theyâre in) and wanting to keep his people as far away from the war as possible.
Claude giving the leadership of Fodlan to Byleth? This is actually him giving an ambitionless puppet rulership so that he can control Fodlan through them (even though even pre ts he doesnât believe Byleth has no ambitions and will full on deny the belief that they donât) and not him putting his faith in Byleth that they will be able to rule Fodlan justly
Claude showing concern over his friendsâ wellbeing? This is actually him only trying to make sure his âtoolsâ are kept up nicely, not him genuinely caring about those around him.
Claude coming across as insensitive in his Jeraltâs diary scene? This is actually proof/a hint of Claudeâs true persona as a manipulative sociopath, not a genuine fuck up on his end (or, if you want to be nicer, a look into how he himself deals with traumatic events, though thatâs up for interpretation so not the main point)
Claude saying that he wants to be supreme ruler of the world to Edelgard? This is actually him outright revealing his plans and showing regret that Edelgard managed to thwart him.
Oh, and we canât forget how Claude actually wanted to wage war himself and was only stopped by Edelgard, and how he stole all of the progress Edelgard was making in changing Fodlanâs society, and how he never would have been able to do anything without Edelgard, and how him not siding with Edelgard is proof that he never wanted the best for Fodlan, and how the warmongering Almyrans would never want to make peace with Fodlan with that being more proof of Claudeâs âtrueâ ill intentions since heâd totally know thatâd be the case
The second to last point being, of course, the only time you should take Claude at face value. And again, these are just the points that readily come to my mind as of right now.Â
Like I said, there was no chance in hell Claude was going to stay in r/Edelgardâs good graces, given how so much of his character directly shits on Edelgardâs. Friendship ended with r/Edelgard, now Dimitri and Rhea are Claudeâs best friends.
#ask#anti edelgard#Anti-edelgard#Edelgard discourse#edelgard critical#just to be safe#like yeah I'm surprised Claude went this long without being shat on
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MCU Loki: Why so far it had been disappointing how the series has dealt with what the TVA had been doing
Right from when the series started I carried on the belief that what the TVA was doing was horrible, a mix between a Nazi regime and a fanatical cult down to the elements of police brutality, to the extermination and persecution of people they felt different and lesser, detrimental for their own self being all out of blind faith to something they were indoctrinated into.
I was expecting a serious analysis of this from the show since Waldron seemed to be so enthusiast of the TVA as it was his creature
âThe TVA is just an entirely new world [with] a new cast of characters, and thatâs what felt most exciting about the show: building a new corner of the MCU.â What if this was the best show ever?â I think that was literally my pitch. My pitch for the show was kind of a big, crazy, fun-time adventure.â
[âLokiâ Writer Michael Waldron On Building âA New Corner Of The MCUâ]
References to the TVA being bad needed to wait till Ep. 3 âLamentis 1â and where just two lines:
Sylvie: So, naturally you went to work for the boring, oppressive time police. [Ep 3]
Sylvie: It must have started when I spent my entire life running from the omniscient fascists you work for. [Ep 3]
More than focusing on how horrid the TVA is, both sentences criticize Loki for cooperating with the TVA even if he was forced into it as he couldnât escape, cooperating with them was his only way to survive, the implication being he should have taken the hero route and die instead than accept to join forces with the TVA.
Mind you, it could have been an interesting angle to look at. How people can embrace terrible things in order to survive. After all we saw Loki cooperating with Thanos under the promise if he were to fail recovering the Tesseract death would be a preferable option than failure.
THE OTHER: You will have your war, Asgardian. If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain.
The series could have drawn parallels from both situations, either making a point one should never bent or that sometimes you canât do anything else but bent because not everyone is born as a hero, or because youâre just waiting for a time in which you can oppose as sometimes getting heroically killed for your ideals can be also very unproductive.
But no, itâs not this series.
Loki will maintain he accepted to work with the TVA not because his other option was being killed (something thatâs remarked more than once), but because he wanted to get to the Time-Keepers to steal their powers or something like that. If heâs lying to himself to cope with the situation thatâs not a problem the series pose to itself as the series seem to embrace this explanation even if it made clear Loki would be reset if he didnât cooperate.
Episode 3 also introduces the idea that people at the TVA works under a false belief. They think they were created by the Time-Keepers but in truth they are brainwashed Variants they kidnapped from their timelines.
Okay, it was another possible interesting route. Loki was a Frost Giant raised on the idea he was an Asgardian, there could be a parallel here⊠though one that, for the TVA, was less interesting.
The TVA members are enthusiastic believers. Most of them show no empathy toward the Variants, no pity. They belittle and humiliate them, handle them as beings with no rights, punish them for not obeying rules they didnât know existed in the first place. Feelings rage from enjoying doing it to just doing it the way a boot steps over a ant to use a familiar metaphor.
The fact that in episode 4 B-15, after discovering the truth, will go: âI looked happy (in my previous life)!â doesnât really make me feel very sorry for her on an intellectual plan.
Yes, what the TVA did to B-15 was wrong, but what about what she did to others without a single remorse? Enjoying her work?
But, whatever, not everyone on the TVA seemed to belittle Variants, in ep 1 & 2 Mobius showed some form of pity for them, not enough itâll stop him but enough we can think he didnât enjoy what was being done to the Variants so knowing how heâll react could be interesting, couldnât it?
We reach Ep. 4 âNexus Eventâ.
While we see the TVA did to a child version of Sylvie what they did to Loki and this time there isnât any ounce of doubt that it wasnât fun, this isnât really used to throw shades at the TVA but to underline how Sylvieâs life was miserable.
Sylvie: I remember Asgard. Not much, but I remember. My home, my people, my life. The universe wants to break free, so it manifests chaos. Like me being born the Goddess of Mischief. And as soon as that created a big enough detour from the Sacred Timeline, the TVA showed up, erased my reality, and took me prisoner. I was just a child. I escaped. Stole a TemPad and I ran for a long, long time, which really sucked. Everywhere and every-when I went, it caused a nexus event. Sent up a smoke flare. Because I'm not supposed to exist. Until, eventually, I figured out where to hide. And so that's where I grew up, the ends of a thousand worlds. ( /Scoffs/ ) Now... that's where I'll die.
Thanks to the TVA, so itâs possible to make the connection that if Sylvie was in pain due to the TVA the TVA is a bad guy, but itâs again left vague.
In an episode that feel the need to have Loki define himself as a âhorrible personâ and a ânarcissistâ, that calls him âan asshole and a bad friendâ using âa cockroach's survival mechanismâ when he actually says the truth and how he is a âconniving, craven, pathetic wormâ who should know he âdeserve to be alone and always will beâ letâs not talk about how terrible the TVA is.
After all, according to the previous episode theyâre just âboring, oppressive, omniscient fascistsâ. Nothing big.
And itâs nothing big, really.
C-20, B-15 and even Mobius, once discovering the truth are solely concerned about how the TVA lied to them, not of how they had been the TVA accomplices into wiping countless lives from existence.
Hunter B-15: I looked happy. What now?
Hunter C-20: "Calm down"? I'm a Variant. So are you. So is every single person in this place. I'm ending this.
Mobius: You know where I'd go if I could go anywhere? Wherever it is I'm really from. Yeah, wherever I had a life before the TVA came along. Maybe I had a jet ski. That's what I'd like to do. Just riding around on my jet ski.
They donât care about what they had done with the TVA, they are okay with burning the place merely because the TVA has wronged them. But okay, maybe they need time to elaborate, to realize the implication of what theyâve done.
For C-20, who was reset, thereâs no more time butâŠ
Hunter B-15: Why am I locked in here?
Renslayer: You freed the Variant. You were disloyal to the TVA.
Hunter B-15: Disloyal?
Renslayer: Did you think you'd escape punishment for that?
Hunter B-15: Disloyal to who? You were in the Time-Keepers' chambers. They weren't real.
Renslayer: And why does that change anything?
Hunter B-15: That changes everything! The people need to know the truth.
Actually what the people need prior to that is to stop. Stop pruning other existences whoâre exactly the same as their own. The biggest problem, the biggest CRIME isnât that the TVA has done TO THEM, as, in doing so, it has at least spared their lives, itâs that they had killed countless galaxies and continue doing so.
So we move to Mobius.
I⊠I really donât get what the series wants to do with Mobius. Although he wasnât perfect, he seemed a decent guy in episode 1 & 2, one that wouldnât enjoy hurting or scaring Variants without a reason. Yes he believed they needed to be eliminated⊠but didnât enjoy doing it.
Yes, the way he âinterrogatedâ Loki in episode 1 was bad⊠but he believed he was doing only his work, that interrogation might have a point, some of the things he said werenât meant to be just verbally abusive for the sake of it but were part of his âcredoâ in which people had to follow the path of the sacred timeline and a side of him might have felt sympathy or pity for him. Although he knew it was risky he wanted to have faith in Loki.
Episode 4 tossed all that away with the worst interrogation scene possible. It contained gratuitous beating, psychological abuse/manipulation, derogatory comments, pointless questions while Mobius defined himself as Lokiâs friend in the same episode. That scene has no purpose if not to beat and belittle Loki. Whatâs worse, when Mobius discovers the truth and goes to Loki, instead than asking him how he feels after such a beating he asks him what heâs doing⊠and I wonât dig into the rest of the conversation because itâs horrid.
Mobiusâ ideas of apology for what he has done to his supposed friend is:
Mobius: You were right, about the TVA. You were right from the beginning. And if you wanna save her, you need to trust me. Can we do that?
Loki: Yes.
Mobius: Okay. You could be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean, just in case anyone ever told you different.
It was Mobius who told him differently. Okay, he has acknowledged Loki was right and he was wrong but not that he had unfairly had him beaten for God knows how long for no reason. But okay, maybe Mobius too needed time to internalize all that, so letâs look at episode 5.
Letâs face it, no, what Mobius did to Loki wonât come up again with Loki, Sylvie will merely tell Loki (and to us) Mobius âisn't so badâ and that he cares about Loki. Loki will counter Mobius isnât so good either but thatâs why he gets along with him.
I⊠Iâm not sure what the series is trying to do at this point with Mobius, all we get about what he did with the Variants in Episode 5 is this.
Mobius: All that time, I really believed we were the good guys.
Sylvie: Annihilating entire realities, orphaning little girls, classic hero stuff.
Mobius: Well, I guess when you think the ends justify the means, there's not much you won't do. By the way, you did some annihilating too.
Sylvie: I did what I had to do.
Mobius: Yeah, so did I.
Sylvie: You hunted me like a dog.
Mobius: I'm sorry about that.
Mobius admits they werenât the good guys, which would be great if it wasnât for the fact the moment Sylvie points out how he was dumb at not realizing it sooner because we finally are told that the TVA is responsible for âAnnihilating entire realities, orphaning little girlsâ, Mobius defends his actions!
The ends justify the means, you did some annihilating too, I did what I had to do.
Hey, news flash, no, those arenât excuses. This is not a game about who annihilated more make penitence and anyway, if this was the case, the TVA wins. You killed countless people and now youâre complaining you arenât a hero? That others are bad too? That you were forced to do it when you were a willing believer that refused to question things even though Loki immediately pointed out how it all was dumb?
Mobius: Odin, God of the Heavens. Asgard, mystical realm, beyond the stars. Frost Giants. Listen to yourself...
Loki: It's not the same. It's completely different. No. It's not the same.
Mobius: It's exactly the same thing. Because if you think too hard about where any of us came from, who we truly are, it sounds kinda ridiculous. Existence is chaos. Nothing makes any sense, so we try to make some sense of it. And I'm just lucky that the chaos I emerged into gave me all this... My own glorious purpose. Cause the TVA is my life. And it's real because I believe it's real.
It took Sylvie remarking he hunted her like a animal to finally get him to apologize on something⊠and sheâs the only one he apologizes to.
We donât hear him apologizing to the other Loki Variants and this is his new glorious purpose:
Kid Loki: Mobius, assuming you do get back to the TVA, what exactly are you getting yourself into?
Mobius: I don't know. I'd like to let people know the truth.
Again it seems the biggest deal is the TVA lied to them and took them away from their lives, not that they pruned countless others without a care.
Thereâs no self reflection, thereâs no horror for what they had done to the other Variants who were just like them.
When Kid Loki and Classic Loki say theyâll remain there because thatâs their home he doesnât counter âno, this isnât and Iâm sorry we let you believe this.â Itâs Loki who worries for them, pointing out the dangers of the place. Mobius, whoâs either directly responsible or connected to the one responsible for them ending there and losing their whole world, says nothing.
So his sympathy toward the Variants, his pity⊠was it all fake?
Doesnât he care anymore? This is the road the story decided to go with him?
Since Mobius has gained popularity into the fandom thanks to the first 2 episodes, to Owen Wilson and to those who shipped him with Loki, letâs strip him of what really made him great, the fact he didnât enjoy mistreating the Variants and turns him into someone who doesnât care?
What next, is he going to become the new villain?
Damn it, this series started with a full episode questioning what Loki did in New York, pointing out how Lokiâs belief âhe would make it easy for humansâ because âfreedom is a lieâ is an idiocy, how he was just a murderer and asking him if he enjoyed hurting people and making him say that no, he didnât that he was bad, that he was a narcissist and yadda, yadda, yadda, then it turns out Mobius annihilated entire realities, orphaning little girls, all because freedom is a lie and weâve all to do what the Time-Keepers decided and letâs have the guy you call friend beaten up at random for no good reason and⊠and thatâs what we get?
That he rebels to the Time-Keepers because they had dared to lie TO HIM about not having created him?
Is the series trying to make a point about how people at the TVA can accuse Loki of not being good but theyâre actually worse because they did much worse and didnât care at all about their victims?
Is it a critic to society, that find easy to criticize someone but canât admit they do worse? Wonât even see theyâre doing worse and would resent instead for any little slight done to them?
It would be an interesting theme⊠the problem is it doesnât seem to be the goal of the series as it tends to overlook the TVA, its fascist behaviour and the annihilation of civilizations at the hands of willing, albeit indoctrinated members, to focus more on how the TVA wronged solely Sylvie (her complain about her being orphaned is more about HER being orphaned than about HER PARENTS having been killed) and the TVA members.
Itâs fair to see the TVA members as victims⊠they are⊠but what about the other Variants who got erased? What about how the TVA members had been complicit in said elimination, enjoying it, gratuitously mistreating and belittling Variants before eliminating them?
Is it just up to us viewers realize it because the story isnât going to do the work for us?
I donât know. I hope the last episode will do something to fix this.
Thereâs still an episode after all and maybe Iâm worrying over nothing, maybe someone, Mobius preferably because I want to go back considering him a decent guy, not perfect because nobody is perfect but decent, and I donât like what episode 4 has done with him, will regret what was done to way too many people by the ones who were working at the TVA.
Iâll be fine if they still need to internalize what they had done... but Iâd like for them to be done internalizing before the series ends because otherwise itâs just skipping over the whole topic.
So... Iâll try to keep hopeful. Maybe they wonât disappoint me.
#mcu loki#mobius m mobius#hunter b 15#hunter c 20#loki#loki laufeyson#sylvie#time variance authority#9 worlds study
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