#seeing so many people only talk about the children is enraging.

[zestingbloodorange]

every single palestinian deserves life ! every single palestinian deserves rights ! every single palestinian is a victim ! every age and every gender ! they don't need to be the perfect victim to prove they're victims they don't need to be a child for you to be mad and sad about their oppression, pain and death. thinking only about the children because they're the "innocent" ones is so dehumanizing.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Could you talk more about sephiroth and clouds dynamic/relationship? Especially about sephiroths feelings towards cloud since I personally haven’t seen many people talk about that aspect.

Well, it sort of depends which version of the Final Fantasy VII story you're talking about, because certainly in the original game, Sephiroth actually doesn't care very much about Cloud at all.

During the events in Nibelheim, Sephiroth has a relationship with Zack as a friendly coworker (arguably an actual friend), but Cloud is just some Shinra goon nobody whose name and face Sephiroth doesn't even know. It's not until Cloud confronts him in the Mako reactor and successfully kills him that Sephiroth even sees his face for the first time. Sephiroth doesn't even know Cloud's name in the last few moments of his life, he just sees this enraged kid suddenly find the strength to overpower him and throw him into the reactor core out of nowhere.

After Cloud kills him, well... I would make the argument that Sephiroth never actually comes back. He dies in the throes of a psychotic break where the Jenova cells inside of him are using his emotional anguish to manipulate him towards her own ends, promising him all the love and family and fulfilment and sense of identity that Shinra violently abused out of him. And when he dies, whatever parts of Sephiroth's mind that were left are fully replaced with Jenova's single-minded superobjective to consume the planet and move on to parasitize again.

And so the version of Sephiroth that haunts Cloud for most of the narrative isn't actually Sephiroth the man. Almost every part of that person is long gone. Just like how Jenova used the psychological hook of Sephiroth's mother to control him, "Sephiroth" is mostly the Jenova cells using the hook of Sephiroth's influence over Cloud to try and control him.

And that's why Sephiroth seems so fixated on Cloud - not because Sephiroth the Person actually cares about him, but because the Jenova cells that are spread out across a thousand organisms are calling for Reunion, and they will use whatever psychological hook or crook that can manipulate their hosts to make it happen. The other Jenova victims presumably saw visions just as vivid and personal, urging them on towards the Northern Crater.

Sephiroth seems obsessed with Cloud because Cloud is obsessed with Sephiroth. Sephiroth is this avatar of his trauma, his self-hate, and his deep internal identity crisis, the representation of his every doubt and insecurity. Hence Sephiroth's gleeful constant accusation that Cloud is merely a puppet, Cloud has no personality, Cloud isn't real - these are Cloud's own fears being verbalized against him by the Jenova cells. And it's deeply ironic because the only puppet here is Sephiroth, being piloted by Jenova like an ant by cordyceps.

Hence the very final battle with Sephiroth which takes place not in the depths of the Northern Crater with the party confronting Safer Sephiroth, but in a black and undifferentiated void-space at the end of a psychedelic mind-trip, that Cloud undertakes alone to confront the ghost of Sephiroth in his mind and banish his influence forever. Like, that final moment really is the most This Is Only Happening In Cloud's Mind-ass final boss confrontation imaginable.

But that's the original Final Fantasy VII. The extended FF7 universe pivots hard off of the popularity of Sephiroth as an Iconic Villain and goes about building out him as the central antagonist of the entire universe, and centering him almost obsessively in the extended narrative of Final Fantasy VII.

Advent Children basically retcons the end of Final Fantasy VII, where it turns out oops Cloud didn't actually fully reject Sephiroth's influence over him, here's some Geostigma to represent the haunting malice of this singular villain and here's a 1-to-1 recreation of the final scene from FF7 where Cloud destroys Sephiroth with Omnislash extended out to a gratuitous anime fight scene that ends with an even more awesome ultra-final ultimate Super Omnislash... but then even THAT isn't enough as Sephiroth promises ominously to "never become a mere memory" and he's going to haunt Cloud forever and ooooh maybe he'll be coming back for another seven sequels or something, because the franchise is never ever ever going to let Cloud move on, heal or get better, not so long as Sephiroth is this popular.

Same deal with Kingdom Hearts, which represents Cloud's character as basically revolving entirely around Sephiroth, and Sephiroth as almost romantically obsessed with Cloud, while games like Crisis Core get into the Star Wars Extended Universe business of attaching portentous mythological weight to originally inconsequential objects like the Buster Sword, and building out a grand conspiracy of gene manipulated One Winged Angel People all chasing the coat-tails of Sephiroth's popularity.

All of this comes together in the Final Fantasy VII Remake games, which try to reconcile the extended post-FF7 narrative with the original Final Fantasy VII story, adopting the idea of Sephiroth as the singular operatic puppet master villain of the story, rather than Shinra or Jenova who were the original game's thematic central villains as representations of parasitic and extractive capitalism.

So in these games, Sephiroth is obsessed with Cloud, and seems to see Cloud as his own best chance of salvation from his fate, and there's deep homoerotic tension between the two as Cloud struggles between wanting to kill Sephiroth, and wanting to be with or become him.

Oh, and to be clear, I do love the extended FF7 universe and all the post-original fluff that gets attached to it, I do love Sephiroth and Cloud as this pair of Doomed By The Narrative romantic lover-enemies fated to Toxic Yaoi each other to death forever, and I'm very fond of my good boy Zack, who deserves all the love the games have shown him. I cackled like an absolute hyena when I realized just how far the Final Fantasy VII Remake was going to go in rewriting the story.

It's just also hard not to see Square's treatment of Final Fantasy VII after it became The Iconic JRPG™ as anything other that corporate self-mythologizing and Star Wars style brand management, obsessively building more a marketable facade around the original game focused on its most popular surface-level features, at the cost of obscuring a lot of the subtler themes and ideas of the original game.

Sephiroth is not the main villain of Final Fantasy VII. Extractive capitalism is, and it is embodied by Shinra in the first half, and Jenova in the second half, and both of those antagonistic forces use Sephiroth as a puppet to do their bidding, and a veil to hide the primitive brutality of their consumption. But nobody would ever think that seeing how Sephiroth has been elevated as King Bad Guy of Villain Mountain in the aftermath.

I'm sorry I think this went kind of off the rails from the question you actually asked lol

[shaunashipman]

If there’s one thing I’m annoyed about is people calling Buck/Tommy shippers fetishizers because sure there’s probably some people being weird about it. But pot calling kettle buck and Eddie can’t breath near each other without someone saying it means something. Which is such a shame because I adore their dynamic, they’re so good for each other even with it being purely platonic. People also forget you can love someone platonically, it doesn’t have to be romantic.

Like yes most of what people are talking about are the kisses because they came with the main plot points of Buck’s story this season, Buck realizing hes Bi, kiss, Buck coming out to his friends and family, kiss. And I’m craving to see more of their dynamic on screen. I want to see them just existing in the space around each other showing how they’re just comfortable being in each others presence. I want the soft and quiet moments where they’re wordlessly comforting each other. Stuff like that.

And I’m tired of people saying “they’ve only been on two dates, it’s not that deep. It’s no where near as deep as Buck and Eddie’s relationship”. Well newsflash Eddie’s not a love interest, yes they have a deep connection but as of now it’s purely platonic.

I just want to enjoy this, Buck finally being happy for once and comfortable with his relationship. I want to see it grow into a well fleshed out romance, I want to see their dynamic grow and change and get stronger. Things take time and they don’t have that this season. And I’m tired of people being intentional ignorant to facts like that.

pretty much everything they say just makes me laugh, except the calling me a fetishist, which makes me go from 0 to enraged like that, especially coming from what is essentially children (many of whom I doubt are actually queer themselves, based on the harmful storylines they want to happen), who in the same breath say eddie pouring champagne into buck's mouth is basically a cumshot

like

we are allowed to speculate on both pg and explicit scenes for them, if that's a problem, maybe the show is too mature for these ppl. may I suggest blue's clues?

they're so stuck in fanfic world, where everything is a slowburn, all-consuming epic love, that they can't comprehend that ppl can just? date? and get to know each other? you don't have to already be in love to go out with someone, you can just fancy them. in fact, that's how most of the world works. really worried for their ideas of relationships

anyway, considering these ppl try and claim that buck looked "confused" by bobby's approval, ignoring the clear smile on his face, I don't even think we're watching the same show. I am looking forward to their relationship growing, and all the good and bad that comes with it

[mydarlingbat]

Detective comics #779 #780 #781 I just read it, and lemme say this is my kind of comic. I enjoyed theses issue so much, but you know what i really enjoyed how Batman was incredibly hostile with his villains in these issues. Not only with villains but civilians too. He was so furious that he causes people to cry like children, however with the Joker. It was so different.

I love, love, the fact that he was actually enraged in theses issues i read. It wasn't pretend neither. It wasn't him acting angry. He wanted to hurt the Riddler. He was furious with Two face. He was being just cold with the rogues, but with the Joker; this is how he shows up.

Ummmmm!!! Where's the anger Batman? Do you see the difference here? And on top of that it's the Joker who suggested to fight with Batman.

What the hell even is that Batman? 'You're going to tell me what happened to solane, and you're going to tell me now' The fakest shit i ever encounter. What are you two about to roleplay or something? You know something funny too? It doesn't stop there, It continues to go further.

Batman slams the Joker head into the snow. First of all Bruce you obviously desired to dance with him. You could have talk with him in the cell like Two face, you know? But obviously you needed this as much as him. This doesn't even exhibits violent. This is intimate. The way Batman grabs at his hair, and loosens his fingers, gently grasping a strand while speaking with him. The whispering in his ear. The flirting. I honestly think this is also a way Batman flirts with the Joker. Another thing is Batman's cape is all around this man, while he lays helplessly on the ground there's no reason for Batman to still be grasping at his hair. Batman actually said he likes to see the Joker helpless in a comic i read recently.

The Joker then realizes he's out of the chains already. Then Batman indulges in this little dance of theirs as always. He informs to the Joker that we can dance now, in so many words. The Joker inquires questions from Batman. Batman answers it with no problem. God, the way he plays around with this man. It's crazy.

There's no denying that Batman shows no contempt or anger towards this man. There's literally nothing there. He's just chatting with the Joker, and People actually say Batman treats all his villains the same.

This isn't done to hurt the Joker badly. It's to play with him. He just needs to give the Joker enough pleasure to collect information from him, even so the way Batman lays his body nearly on top of the Joker isn't exactly needed. He could have still put the weight on his throat with his upper body up, yet he chooses to position himself on top of the Joker in a very intimate way. Again there's no type of anger present on Batman's face, but look at the joy on the joker's face?

And then they play even more, which got me thinking Batman knows exactly what he's participating in when he hurts the Joker. He knows the Joker enjoys it, yet he doesn't mind giving him just that in their dance, even if it's not bloody. This dance their doing is simple and light. It's not the usual violent dance.

Yes, because Batman is always distracted with the Joker. That's why he asked the Joker too distract him. It wouldn't have worked out otherwise, and On top of that Batman still shows no anger towards the Joker.

[greycloudsinwinter]

Could I get yandere romantic young King henry the eighth headcanons from Spanish princess x gender neutral reader.

YANDERE KING HENRY VIII X READER

👑 you meet Henry when you were very young you were a child born from a servant.

👑your curiosity got the best of you when you saw henry alone studying. You started a conversation to which henry was happy to take part in.

👑but when news had got to his farther that henry was spending time with a low born . He made the guards swear that they wouldn’t let him near you.

👑henry was furious you were his first true friend and his farther had taken you away from him.

👑as henry matures he starts to forget about you but when he once again sees you tending to the garden. All the feelings come back crashing down on him.

👑he goes up too you starting a conversation to which you are happy to talk about. He begins to take you on walks around the garden even when you insist on doing your duties he dismisses it saying that he will get someone else to do your chores.

👑when news comes to him that his brother is dead the first person he goes to is you. He weeps in your lap granted him and his brother weren’t close but he still loved him.

👑at the coronation you are stood near him as comfort.

👑when Henry has too marry he is enraged that he can not marry you .

👑he hates his wife he doesn’t mean too she seems lovely however she was NOT you.

👑after three wives Henry comes to you begging you to marry him . You try to reason with him ‘what will the church think? Henry please understand this is your reputation on the line.’ He simply brushes a strand of hair out of your face ‘ I am the church. I am the one chosen by god to lead England!’ Then he leans down to your ear ‘ I will burn it all just for you .’ Your shaking at this point but you cannot deny him. So you simply agreed to the marriage.

👑he wants many children and by many I mean loads . Sons of course. If you can’t then he will take a mistress so that he can have a son and once she gives birth kills the women and declares you the child’s mother. Anyone disagrees with him are either burnt alive or hanged.

👑keeps you up in a tower only allowing you out every now and again to walk the gardens.

👑hates the way people talk to you or about you.

👑will do anything to gain power over you but if you ask something of him he becomes your servant.

👑he likes his hand to stay on you on your shoulder, lower back , arm , hand etc.

👑possessive and devoted yandere

Thank you for the request ❤️❤️

[my-midnight-musings-xoxo]

Major spoilers for MadK!

---

Dantenshou is one of my favorite characters, so I will yap about him! This isn’t a formal analysis by any means, (sorry!) I’d love to do an in-depth analysis one day though!!

The first time we meet Dantenshou is in his brothel, saving Makoto from being assaulted. He’s quickly shown to be motherly, given he’s birthed the incense children he has a soft spot for kids. 

In the next chapter, we see a conversation between Dantenshou and J with Dantenshou saying “...Of all the people you brought here thoughtlessly, not one of them…! It all ended with them going insane!” With J retailing saying Datenshou he didn’t, mocking him for being obedient and worrying when he was once a prince from a minor clan before leaving. Datenshou lashes out, muttering, “What are you dissatisfied about? I keep delivering don’t I…” befitting the worrying J mocked him for.

Dantenshou’s need, almost craving to please J is shown more than once. Many of these characters, if not all of them, could be described as tall children. They have power, status, and more, but at the heart of it, they are children forced to grow up too fast, unable to process their pain.

It’s a while before we see Dantenshou again, with him having lost his mind after betraying J, him being the first person to only add to his guilt. There’s a flashback with J and Dantenshou, looking quite young as J tells him, “What a good, obedient boy. Grow up into a powerful, influential demon and entertain me, okay?” Before this Dantenshoou exclaims, “I..I just did everything he wanted..” It’s made clear falling in love is fatal for demons, and I find this ironic because Datenshou uses scent to smother humans in love, becoming whoever they wish to make them addicted and unable to bear being away from him.

Chapters later after a client leaves Dantenshou and Fjord (another character I absolutely adore!) talk. Fjord brings up a past client who promised to free Datenshou if he was allowed to rip D to shreds, with Dantenshou replying with, “When people are sympathetic I just…” He’s often referred to as being nice, so human for a demon, clearly unchanging as he was as a child. In another flashback, it’s once again shown he was docile, loving J since he was young, letting J make him cry, and always doing what he was told. “You were so dedicated to J's expectations.” as he’s described by Shax, an old friend of J’s.

The moment Shax tells Dantenshou Makoto wasn’t bluffing about destroying J, he becomes enraged, immediately wanting to go see J with Shax stopping him. Dantenshou blames himself, proclaiming he wished he’d never been born.

There’s more to this scene but I want to talk about what happens after when Makoto is heading home while talking to Kiernan (another character I would love to yap about!). Makoto says, “...Talking with you guys makes me think about how alike you demons are to humans.” Kiernan asks what they look like to him. Makoto responds, “Fragile things bound by love.”

This applies to practically every character in this godforsaken manga, this masterpiece has so many quotable lines!! Ahem, almost done!

In the end, Shax and Dantenshou seem to be living peacefully, with little rafflesias joining them (the incense children) in quite the domestic scene.

You could argue he was the only one with a happy ending in that way.

As much as I want to do a Makoto analysis next, I’ll admit the thought is.. intimidating! He and J are two characters I love and want to do justice to, so if I ever do write an analysis for them it’s far off in the future unless I gain a surge of confidence one night! 

If you’ve read this far thanks for indulging in my rambles, it means a lot to me <3

Not sure what I’ll ramble about next, maybe Brutal? It’ll probably be another MadK post, hehe

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

So here's Cain and Adam having an arguement in an old, well, Old Testament animated series I used to watch. I really love their dynamic here. Cain is the arrogant vindictive one here, whilst Adam is quite literally the ancient and God-devoted man here. I don't see why the people of Heaven had no reason to let him in considering the fact that even though he disobeyed and was at a large fault for why labour exists, along with Eve, he still trusted God and obeyed him. And this whole arguement started when Adam went to talk to Cain about his character and how his sacrifice didn't please God. Of course, in this scene Cain objects saying that what he does is for the good of the family and that it is only him that works the most hard, very confused and enraged that Abel was favoured more than him.

He took pride in his work, but didn't honor God. Adam was here since the beginning, and he and Eve worked more than Cain ever did, so of course he knows the struggle and what he's talking about. Adam in Hazbin is just.... not even close, I don't even know how they got it so hilariously wrong. Adam shouldn't be the leader of the Exterminations here, he should however get a great reward for all he's done in his life. Also, Abel actually died first, so Adam wasn't the first soul in Heaven. I also doubt God is omniscient and omnipotent in Hazbin, because the Elders and Sera should know He's always watching, and knows everything about them from the inside out. But since none of that is taken into account here, Hazbin fails as a critique of Christianity, and ultimately fails as a narrative anyway.

I love this. Vivziepop just cares about throwing names on characters and not thinking what potential she can pull out of them. And as you said everything is a failed critique of Christianity because many of her baby grown ones don't understand nothing but the pop culture version of it. I think Adam should be an ambassador who should care for even his fallen children and be supporting a way to find more ways for more of his children to be saved from extermination.

[darklinaforever]

Nah i have so many arguments on why Alicent is 1000 times better than Rhaenyra, but are you mad cause im stating straight up facts? Emma is ugly. They look like a man lmao it's just awkward 😭 the photoshoot with Olivia was like beauty and beasts, two men and a gorgeous redhead woman.

Rhaenyra is hypocrite weak ass and useless just like her father. Only good to cry, spread legs and giving birth. That's what your so called “rightful heir” did the whole season. I hate Daemon too, but i enjoyed when he choked her out, it was actually good scene. I would have done much worse to her. I hope he will in the next seasons, and the leaks is saying he's treating her like shit. Sounds good to me, are you ready to cry Daemyras? 🤪 Ryan is coming to destroy you all 😂

It's funny, because Alicent only expression throughout the series is watery-eyed... (We can literally make compilations about this ! ) But Rhaenyra is the one who's only good for crying ? Good joke.

Rhaenyra is a hypocrite ? It's funny, it seemed to me that it was Alicent who was hypocritical throughout the show ! Are you sure you didn't swap roles ? (Or simply being a hypocrite yourself, in addition to being stupid perhaps...)

I don't know which is more disgusting. Your comments on the physique of Emma D'arcy who is non-binary.

(Also, no what you're saying is not a fact, beauty is something purely subjective, and many find Emma D'arcy magnificent whether you like it or not. In fact I totally imagine that this reality makes you enrage. Oh. And I'm not sure Olivia Cooke, the Alicent actress herself, would appreciate this kind of gratuitous nastiness towards one of his friends... In any case, from the moment you decide to attack the actor because you don't like the character that this actor plays, you have a real problem in your head)

Or the fact that you enjoyed a scene of abuse against a female character, while hoping that she would suffer even more. (My god, what is wrong with you ?!)

Also... the deep misogyny you must be feeling !

Because I guess when you talk about spreading your legs, you're talking about Rhaenyra having to deal with her own sexuality, like it's some kind of shame ? Once again pathetic.

How long will Rhaenyra be blamed for having a sex life as if it were some kind of crime exactly ? (Again, hello misogyny)

I also want to say that Alicent also had children during the series. So she must have given birth at some point on her own, even if we didn't see her. The fact is that she also had children throughout season 1. So I don't really understand this criticism about giving birth / having children to Rhaenyra specifically... (While Rhaenyra must literally producing heirs, it's one of her obligations. Plus it's logical that we see her give birth since obviously having children is something that scared her at the start of the season ! Especially since we sees her having only 2 births out of 6, what's going on...) another proof of misogyny I guess ? Even Laena and Aemma have been pregnant and had childbirth. So frankly, apart from a gratuitous misogynistic remark, I don't see what you mean. Even in Fire and Blood the births of children are listed for several female characters ! So...why specifically blame Rhaenyra for having children/giving birth ? My god, this is so ridiculous...

You are truly a disgusting person.

Also, who really has nothing to do but come and annoy people. Once again, you're pathetic, except this is on an even more critical level than I thought.

And we call Rhaenyra the rightful heir because... well that's what she is ? She was designated by her father the king as heir to the throne, so that is what she is. Quite simply. A reality that you apparently have difficulty integrating. (Also, in Fire and Blood, Rhaenyra actively learned to be a future queen... And from what we saw in episode 6, she seems to have politically logical thoughts at the council table facing a Alicent poor in arguments)

I also would like to know what Aegon II, the son of Alicent whom she absolutely wants to place on the throne, did apart from harassing his own brother, twiddling his thumbs, drinking, raping women and forcing his illegitimate children to fight in an arena ? Does Alicent's son seem more worthy than Rhaenyra ? I do not think so. At least Rhaenyra learned her duties as heir. (As she says in episode 10 to Lucerys)

And I don't care what the show does. It has its own canon and is essentially fanfiction. The series is not the book. And as long as the book exists, I don't care what happens to this show. They are not the characters in Fire and Blood and never will be.

Your precious little Alicent from HOTD is just the massacre of the real Alicent Hightower who would be ashamed of this ridiculous counterpart that you all defend like crazy.

Alicent and Greens stans leave this in my inbox.

[zehglitch]

The Fallen Angel

Ezephr's Backstory

— 2

Content Warnings: : Human experimentation, child experimentation, kidnapping, violence, toying with people, mentions of death, abuse/starvation, mentions of children killing each other, dehumanization, mentioned cannibalism, bullying

Chapter 2 — Bread

He wasn't sure how long they'd been in this place, but he eventually learned the word ‘cage’. That's where they all were, apparently. For the moment, X1 was huddled up in the corner with X4, attempting to stay hidden from their cellmates. He’d heard the people dressed strangely say that word when talking about them all. At least it wasn't too hard to figure out what was being said. So far, they were all being ignored--food was tossed inside randomly, and sleep was rare. Every time he tried to get rest, those people would close in on them.

That is to say…he’s been protecting X4, taking the hits for her, giving her some of his food so she wasn't hungry, and barely sleeping. He would've done more, but she’d already resisted him giving her all his food, so he was relenting. For now. It wasn't too hard to act as a shield though, seeing as she’d freed his wings when she woke up. Turns out she was just passed out, but not actually hurt that badly--X4 was awake later that night, confused and trying to hold him like she had earlier. While he'd been glad she was okay, he was forced to stop her to avoid extra attention.

He stared at the others present in the room, eyeing even his other two siblings. They, from the beginning, ended up crying and obeying their cellmates. Sometimes they acted like who they were, but every now and then those two would attempt whatever the older ones had taught them. X1 wasn't stupid, though. He paid attention when they were shown how to do something, watching from his corner. Everyone in here acted like they had to be mean and hit people to get anything…maybe they did. The only problem with that, is he was weak.

There was never a time that he’d been very athletic…he could clearly remember the day his father found out, the look he'd been given. It made him feel like a failure. He wasn't sure how to fix that though, was there some sort of trick to it? Maybe he could heal himself while being hit? He’d just run out of mana before they would stop attacking, he wasn't strong with his magic either. His eyes went to X4, who was sitting similarly to him and staring nowhere, having acted differently ever since they got here. Was he capable of protecting her?

While he was thinking, a person in one of those same dark outfits from that day went by all the cells, as silent as ever. This was a repetitive event he’d seen many times before…they were getting food. Well, he didn’t know if it counted as food compared to what he’d grown up with, but it kept him and X4 from starving. His eyes darted to the older kids when the cart got closer, worried about what they might do this time. The cart rattled as it passed, pieces of old, dry bread being chucked into their shared cage. Hurriedly, he shoved himself forward to grab two of them.

A sudden shift of mood had his body reacting on pure instinct as his feathers quivered and his wings moved to act as a shield. He was just in time, too, as a fist connected with one of the wings in place of his head. He grit his teeth and made no sound, trying to ignore how his now injured wing quivered in pain. He looked up to be greeted by an enraged face, but he still clung to the two precious pieces of bread he retrieved for himself and X4. She wasn’t the same anymore, but he wouldn’t let her starve either.

They sneered at him and went to kick him this time. In response, he curled up to let his wings fully hide him inside of them, tumbling from the impact but still remaining silent. “The fuck are you always needing two for?! You get one, you damn wimp. Get up!” He shook for a moment, saying nothing, but eventually peeking out of his wings at the violent older girl in front of him. Her sharpened teeth were bared at him, a striking contrast of ivory against onyx skin. He looked to her wire thin tail that lashed behind her with as much rage as her expression.

Well then. He stood up, letting his wings relax and brushing himself off before meeting her striking red eyes. “...I grabbed it, it’s mine.” In an instant, she filled the room with the same sound his mother made when everyone was taken away, her fist filling his vision. With no time to use his wings, he raised his arms in a desperate attempt to block the hit, only to fine the situation much worse than he previously believed. The moment her fist connected, he heard and felt a loud SNAP just before the force of the strike reached him.

He gasped as he got thrown back and the bread left his grip, but copied her expression and flared his hurting wings, stopping himself. X1 was scared, but he just ran right at her, trying to copy her attack, to learn from them. All she did was grab his hand, yank him closer, and ram her knee into his stomach. That one made him hit the low ceiling and crumple to the floor when he fell. He couldn't breathe. What was that? What did she do? Why couldn't he breathe? A white hot sensation bloomed behind his eyes while his mouth gaped, unable to give him the reprieve of air.

She didn't give him time to recover. Immediately, the female demon stomped over to the injured angel and kicked his side to flip him over. “Dumbass…you just don’t get how it works.” She slammed her foot down on his chest, causing X1 to lose any air he’d managed to regain with a strangled exhale. He was still trying to be quiet…he knew they liked it when his siblings made noise when hit. Her heel ground into him and he scrunched his face, eyes squeezing shut from the effort of silence. “I am the top. You obey what I want you to do or you get hurt.”

Apparently, his continued silence angered her, as she proceeded to make that weird, gravelly noise again and stomp a second time. “Look at me when I'm talking to you!” He didn't really react aside from a cough, but after a considerable few defiant seconds, he forced his eyes open. Without hesitation, he glared at her, his eyes possessing far too much hatred for a five year old, even for an angel. She initially stiffened, her own eyes widening ever so slightly, before she covered it by kicking his face from this angle and stepping away.

He bit his lip as his nose exploded with blood, but he still didn’t heal himself yet. Rather…he rolled over, trying to push himself up when she reached for the bread he dropped. No…she can't have it. That wasn't hers! Using a newfound burst of energy and disregarding how moving hurt, he threw himself at her. Mainly at her body in general…and he didn’t try to hit how she did. This time, he latched onto her leg, wrapping his limbs around it, before he bit, hard. Blood flowed into his mouth and she gave a short scream.

As expected, it didn’t take long before she was prying him off, her fist hitting his face repeatedly until he finally relented. She stumbled away from him in shock while he simply fell to the floor…then began to sit up. He looked her dead in the eye and with a grin uncharacteristic of a child, he displayed his bloodied teeth and…a chunk of her leg. “If I can’t have bread, I have to eat something else, right?” His off-set tone combined by his following head tilt had all of them experiencing the sensation of cold, dangerous fingers sliding down their spines.

She leaned back, then glanced at her leg, where the blood poured freely and stained her dark skin with evidence of his wrath. With a strangled sound, she scrambled away from him and shot a look of horror around the room. “You took a bit out of my leg?!” Her fearful reply was met with a blank look of confusion.

He blinked at her. “Yes? I thought I already said that.” His mind felt like it was rolling through sludge, unable to think through any of his actions. He couldn't truly process what he’d just done either, only understanding he’d finally gotten her. This state of mind, unfortunately, was exactly what this place wanted from the children.

The demon shook her head, backing away from him before chucking the bread at him…but only one piece. She wouldn’t risk giving both back, the others might call her weak and try to take over! “Then you don’t need food for two.” Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to be quite as snappy as she had been previously. He was weak, he wasn't a threat…but he was certainly unsettling. She might have to beat him down again, but maybe later. She chose to back off…this time.

X1 stared dumbly at the bread when it hit him, then picked it up when it finally clicked what happened. He got the bread back. His feet were unsteady, so he stayed on his knees and crawled over to X4. Her shocked, empty stare was lost on him as he shoved the pitiful piece of bread at her hands. “I got your food…please eat, sister.” She hesitated, eventually reaching out and lightly touching his face. Her thin fingers traced where his skin had split, where bruises were already forming, and his possibly broken nose. She held the bread tighter.

He just smiled at her. X4 shook her head, but kept the food and looked away, her hand falling away from him as if she was giving up. The angel was unsure why she’d do that, she never did that. What did he do? Idly, he moved to sit beside her and wiped the blood around his mouth onto his bare arm. He froze, staring at the red smear over his skin with a rather baffled expression. How did that get there? His mind flowed slowly, but reminded him he had just been hit. Oh yeah…he was bleeding. He put a hand over his middle and began to heal himself, closing his eyes to get some rest.

☾︎☀︎︎☽︎

He had been observing the children for a week now, having chosen to follow through with his enjoyable plan of immediate exposure. So far? It was going swimmingly. He found himself grinning when there was a rather drastic change in their behaviors, especially X1. That one in particular adapted exceedingly fast to the change in situation, though it was regrettable that it tended to act only in defense of X4, of which he’d already designated as a failure. The elf had been interesting, but when moved all it did was cower, no real trace of what it almost became left behind.

Not much he could do about that, nor did he intend to. Rather, he centered his focus on X1, tapping his pen in thought while observing the live feed of their cell. From what he’d seen so far, the angel had picked up on their situation and readjusted to prevent getting hurt, whilst simultaneously stealing knowledge from the others present. He was enjoying the show and had begun to ignore the human ones…they failed their job anyway, all of them. He’d prefer to watch something far more exciting--the rise of a perfect test subject.

If the subject X1 managed to impress him any further, he may have to prepare the laboratory for their experiment. The wraith had undergone a few of their trial experimentations, but it still refused to kill, making it worthless. If it would kill he’d be a lot happier with it, but such is the stupidity of life.

While he was watching the screen, something else happened and he froze. Then the doctor launched to his feet, mouth stretching unnaturally as a manic grin overcame his expression. He was playing witness to a scene of pure, instinctive, desperate violence, that which held everything he’d been looking for. He stayed that way, observing the entire fight and finding his own emotions fluctuating as it went on. At first he was disappointed, seeing the angel lose, only to get a thrill of excitement over the retaliation the subject provided.

He kept watch over the following, interesting actions, coming to a few different conclusions. The angel…the boy certainly had a concussion, likely from that kick to the face. The wing and arm were broken…the nose was bleeding, but not enough for a true break. He grabbed a sheet and began to make notes of the injuries, eager to also see how he would recover from them just as much as seeing them be created. Black eyes, lip split several times over, possible broken ribs…that was a lot of exciting, useful damage. This was amazing.

How could a five year old already be this fascinating?! Sure, angels were among the top race when it came to speed of mental development, but the child was already capable of judging the situation and unleashing the same level of violence as was done to him. It was such a beautiful sight, witnessing a subject show such extreme response levels so early. The doctor tapped the pen again before adding a few additional comments on the side. Perhaps increases in stress would trigger X1 further…he needed to witness that. Maybe…he should reopen the pit.

☾︎☀︎︎☽︎

Ever since that…you couldn't even really call that incident a fight. Still, since then he’d been either left alone entirely…or hit with no warning. X4 hadn't been talking to him as often either…well he knew she didn't speak, but she was just sitting there now. In fact she wasn't arguing over their food from then on. That was good, but not like her. He didn't feel very great about it after the initial happiness over her accepting it. X1 hugged his knees tightly, deciding to just think about how long he'd been in the cage. The only way to tell time in here was to count how often he slept.

Once he'd actually stopped to think about it, he didn't have that hard of a time keeping track anymore. It was maybe seven days before he got hit. Okay, one week. It had been that much…maybe four times now? So around five weeks? They were being left here, weren't they. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to think. Sometimes they would take two people and only one came back. That meant this place wasn't permanent, right? One person got out. He just had to be sure it was X4 who gets out if he's taken away with her. He looked at the silent, detached girl.

For the first time in a while, he scooted closer to her, leaning against her shoulder tentatively. “Are you okay, big sister?” She seemed to flinch, her hand twitching as her eyes went to him, finally gaining her attention. He'd tried to talk to her often, but he hadn't tried copying her comfort method before. “Are you going to admit it, or do I need to pout and poke you until you do?” There were some unhappy responses from their cellmates, but he carried on like he never heard it, even moving to set his head in her lap. “Well? You can't be sad, talk to me!” He reached up and poked her nose.

In the end, she gave a cautious smile and gently ran a hand over his head like she always did back home. He melted into the touch, ignoring it whenever her hand brushed over a painful area. It hadn't taken him long to heal, but they still hurt him whenever they want. X1 felt like he'd won right now though, considering he'd gotten X4 to at least pet him like she used to. Her smile was still no longer there, but…he was over the shock of being moved here now. He could start trying to help her too, right? He wanted to. Smiling up at her, he pretended that her eyes didn't start to fade into the distance.

His game of pretend didn't last long, as very soon someone came down the ‘hall’--a new word he'd learned recently. They hit the cages with something loud if anyone made noise and just kept walking by…until they stopped outside his. He sat up in a hurry, readjusting to hide X4 behind his wings. In the back of his mind he felt her fingers slip amongst his feathers, but he was too focused to pay attention to that. The person was opening the door for their cage and he didn't feel safe, so X4 wasn't safe either. He leaned further and further away when the door swung open.

It was the first time it had opened since he got here, and that alone was unsettling. He shivered when their covered eyes scanned the room, nervously glancing at a second person that seemed to have come out of nowhere. One was entering, the other was preventing any of them from leaving. Fantastic. He bristled when the person went straight for him, trying to make his angriest face. Didn't stop them from grabbing his arm and yanking him off the floor, leaving X4 alone and exposed…but they ignored her. She tried to reach for him, but they didn't even acknowledge that much.

He stretched his own hand out for hers, already knowing better than to fight these people. And yet…this time his hand didn't even touch hers. This made his heart feel like a vice, his lungs as if they were shrinking by the second. He squirmed, earning a smack to the head with something heavy and hard, being whisked out of the cage regardless of his opinion on the matter. X1 held onto the darkly dressed person and squeezed his eyes shut to drown out the world. Eventually, he heard something slide and hiss, before a voice echoed out. “Ah, welcome, X1.” Father?

—

Masterpost

Backstory Master

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—

Taglist: @nobodywritingao3 (if you want on the taglist, comment or send an ask)

[throwawaytumble]

I know I said I would update, so here I am. Unfortunately much has happened regarding the situation with my brother, so it took some time to navigate. I'll try to be as quick as possible, as I know that people have likely moved on from the drama.

My brother found the AITA post before I did, and made demands that I rectify it to salvage his image, due to the custody battle between his recent ex wife with their children. Knowing he could see what I posted after the initial AITA ask, I was careful to play along without outright lying. I, of course, was in contact with my niblings' mother as this behavior of controlling my posts was a massive red flag. I didn't want him to know this, which is why many of my posts were written the way the were.

I contacted his first ex wife via Facebook, explaining immediately that even though I was his sister I was concerned about him being safe and wanted to know her full side of the story. She didn't reply for a very long time, so I assumed she never would and was fully understanding, but eventually she replied. As it happens, she insists that while she did eventually cheat on him, it was after years of accusations that she was cheating when she wasn't. He used his fear of her cheating to insist she could not travel for work (at the time she had a job) which eventually turned into him saying she couldn't work at all due to his concerns a certain male coworker was hitting on her. He managed to convince her that the men at her work were only calling her a good worker because they wanted to have sex and that eventually they would sexually assault her. She told me that now she saw how ridiculous that was but he managed to convince her to quit because at the time he was charismatic and kind enough she believed his worries. It then turned into a situation where because she didn't make her own money that she was given an allowance from him, which to her at the time made sense because she believed that since it was his money that he could dictate how it was spent. He then became enraged if she looked too attractive when they went out, so she wasn't allowed to wear makeup or look too nice outside of the home. By the time she realized he was controlling her every move, including forcing daily weight checks to make sure she was healthy, she felt like she couldn't safely leave unless someone took her away. By this time she had gone no contact with all of her friends and family, as he had convinced her that they were abusive. So she cheated as a means to have a man to protect her and give her a way out. Eventually the man she was cheating with offered her and her children a place to stay that he didn't know about when he hit her. He took her to court, saying she attempted to kidnap the children and for spousal abandonment, but both of his children were in their teens at this point and said they wanted nothing to do with their father. She was able to get complete custody and did not want any alimony or child support from him, as she did not want him involved at all, and neither did his children. I don't know anything about family or divorce law so I don't know if she is telling the full truth nor do I know how difficult it is to completely and legally cut a father out entirely with no financial support, but as it is a personal situation for herself and her now adult children, if there is something else to the story she isn't telling me, I accept she doesn't owe that to me and have no interest in prying further.

I did talk about this with his recent ex wife, who said that he did the exact same thing to her, and that she had noticed he was forcing their daughter to get up early and do all the chores and do well in school and look presentable at all times, although their son could sleep in as much as he liked and neither do chores or keep a good grade or attendance record. He was so convinced she was cheating she was not allowed her own cell phone and he would turn the wifi off while he was at work. She had to use the public library to email friends or do anything online. She did cheat as well but she said it was not as a means to escape, but because she felt a genuine human connection for the first time in years in a situation she felt she couldn't afford to leave. She managed to save up money by always saying "yes" when asked if she wanted cash back at the cashier. She, however, was not able to get full custody of the children and was strong-armed into filing for an "irreconcilable difference" divorce as there was no evidence of him having ever physically struck her, although she told me that he had, there was just no evidence of it and it was her word against his.

His recent ex wife did show the judge the AITA ask, and he said it raised concerns. I was eventually asked to discuss everything with the family court, including that he was monitoring my posts. My brother somehow found out that I had been asked to talk to family court (I don't know if they legally have to tell him, as I said I know next to nothing about divorce and family law) and decided I was no longer allowed to watch his kids. This was heartbreaking, but I had no interest in making issues worse. However, since I no longer was his babysitter, he left his kids with a neighbor who his ex wife had not met, which is against their custody agreement (as both parents need to meet anyone watching over their children and both agree they are safe.) While nothing happened at the neighbor's house, the kids did mention it to their mom over the phone, which is how she found out about it.

Just like he yelled at them when they told me what he was saying about me when I wasn't around, he yelled at them and also took away their phone privileges. He also struck his daughter once. Even though he took her to get ice cream afterwards, she told her mother this as soon as she went back to their mother's at the end of August, as everyone in care of the children has taught them never to keep secrets. Due to this, he had custodial rights revoked, and is no longer allowed to see his children. I spent much of September speaking to their judge and a lawyer over Zoom abput what had happened over the summer, ad well as keeping them informed of any correspondence I had with my brother, even if it didn't seem relevant.

My brother left me an incredibly long and emotional message explaining that he, like my parents had before they died, had to cut me out of his life for his own personal safety, and that I was an abusive, lying psychopath, and that he felt morally obligated to warn people about me for their own safety. He did message my boyfriend, which I only know happened as my boyfriend told me he had but did not tell me what he wrote. O dod ask him to forward the email to the proper people, as i had been instructed, and also forwarded a screenshot of the message he sent me. I have not heard from anyone else if he contacted them, but absolutely nobody has treated me any differently or asked me odd questions.

Sorry it has taken so long to give everyone an update, but it took this long for everything to get squared away. I am safe, as are my niblings who I do speak to every now and then through Facebook messenger, as well as his ex wife. I don't know how he is doing, as I have no interest in following up with him. There may be a few other things that need to be officially squared away legally regarding paperwork but the bulk of it is over, I think.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Call him ‘Maher-shalal-hash-baz

1 The Lord also told me, “Take a large tablet and write on it with a stylus pen, ‘For Maher-shalal-hash-baz’. 2 Then I will call Uriah the priest and Jeberechiah’s son Zechariah as reliable witnesses to testify on my behalf.”

3 After this, I was intimate with the prophetess and she conceived. Later, she bore a son, and then the Lord told me, “Call him ‘Maher-shalal-hash-baz,’ 4 for before the young lad knows how to call out to his father or mother, the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

Invasion by Assyria

5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people have rejected the gently-flowing waters of Shiloah, and because they keep rejoicing in Rezin and Remaliah’s son, 7 watch out! The Lord God is about to bring the flood waters of the Euphrates River against them, mighty and strong.

“It’s the king of Assyria and all of his arrogance! He will rise over all of the river’s channels and run over all of its banks. 8 He will sweep on into Judah, overflowing as he passes through, like flood waters reaching up to a person’s neck. His outstretched wings will flow as wide as your land, O Immanuel!”

9 “Band together, you peoples,    but be shattered!        Listen, all you distant countries! Strap on your armor,        but be shattered. 10 Take counsel together,    but it will all be for nothing; go ahead and talk,    but it will all be for nothing,        for God is with us.”

Waiting on God

11 For this is what the Lord spoke to me, as his forceful hand was resting on me, and as he was warning me not to live the way this people were living:

12 “Don’t call conspiracy everything    that this people calls conspiracy, and don’t fear what they fear,    or live in terror. 13 The Lord of the Heavenly Armies—    he’s the one you are to regard as holy. Let him be the one whom you fear,    and let him be the one before whom you stand in terror! 14 Then he will be a sanctuary,    but for both houses of Israel he’ll also be a stone with which someone strikes himself,    a rock one stumbles over,        a trap and a snare to those who live in Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble on them;    They’ll fall and be broken;        They’ll be snared and captured.

16 “Bind up the testimony,    and seal up the teaching among my disciples. 17 I’ll wait for the Lord,    who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob,        and I’ll put my trust in him. 18 Watch out! I and the children    whom the Lord has given me are a sign and a wonder in Israel    from the Lord of the Heavenly Armies,        who resides on Mount Zion.”

Rejecting Occultic Wisdom

19 “So when they advise you,

‘Ask the mediums your questions,    and quiz the spiritists who chirp and mutter,’ shouldn’t a people instead be consulting their God—    and not the dead— on behalf of those who are living 20 for instruction and for testimony?    Surely they are speaking like this        because the truth hasn’t dawned on them.

21 “They’ll pass through the land,    while[w] greatly distressed and hungry. When they are hungry,    they’ll become enraged, and they’ll curse their king and their god.    They’ll turn their faces upwards, 22 or they’ll look toward the earth,    but they’ll see only distress and darkness, the gloom that comes from anguish,    and then they’ll be thrown into total darkness.” — Isaiah 8 | International Standard Version (ISV) The International Standard Version of the Holy Bible Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. All Rights Reserved internationally. Cross References: Genesis 41:24; Exodus 20:20; Leviticus 24:11; 1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 16:10-11; Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah 7:8-9; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 17:12; Isaiah 29:11-12; Isaiah 30:8; Jeremiah 20:3; Matthew 1:23; Matthew 21:44; Luke 2:34; Luke 13:4; Luke 20:18; Luke 24:27; Acts 16:16; 1 Peter 3:14-15; Revelation 16:10; Revelation 17:15

[i-love-oldermen]

|The Winter Widow| pt.1

Y/n x Winter Solider/ Bucky Barnes

Warnings- torture, mention of torture, swearing, mention of killing

My name is y/n. Also known as the Winter Widow, I original came from the Red Room but when they got shut down, I was captured by hydra with that they claimed me as their assassin. Other then assassin work where I wear a suit similar to the Winter Solider I go undercover as different people and then murder whoever is on my list. Coming from the Red Room I do know Natasha Romanov she promised that she would help me escape but she forgot about me leaving me in the hands of hydra. I will make it my life mission to get my revenge on her.

I learned how to kill and dispose of a body at the ripe age of 10. That’s what I’m known for my efficient kills without leaving a trace that I was even there. That’s exactly how people know it was me. I don’t need no big entrance unless I want one. With hydras brainwashing methods, under there control I will and can kill anyone male, female, kids, or even hero’s without even blinking a eye they turn into lifeless cold bodies by the time I’m done with my job.

However right now I’m in a training room face to face with the person I hate the most. The Winter Solider. Every time he wins me or pins me down in a fight, I get shocked along with mind control to make me the perfect soldier but unlike him I don’t have the Super-Solider serum. So without that I always end up having to get fixed up for broken ribs with no recovery time I go back and start training.

I stand hands up ready to fight him. I stare into his eyes full of hate, he stares back into mine like daggers and then-

Guard- *rings timeout bell* new recruits, get against the wall

We both get against the wall watching as teens come into the room. This is my least favorite part watching these children fight for there lives.

Guard- Widow step out of the room

I start walking out of the room, giving winter solider a look of questioning he ignores me watching the children. I step out of the room and see a guard hold up cuffs. I keep my composure and put my wrist out for him, I bite the inside of my cheek. This means I’m getting a mission but also getting tied up and shocked if I try to argue about anything. The guard drags me to a room that I’ve seen to many times, he takes off my cuffs while tying me up with the leather straps to a table. My breathe starts to get heavy as he puts my mouth guard in my mouth. ‘Fuck’ I shut my eyes tight as if I won’t be able to feel the pain that is coming.

Doctor- Ms. Y/n

I shake my head ‘yes’

Doctor- Are you ready for todays session

I don’t reply or say a single thing and then I get hit with a high voltage all over my body. That’s when I see him I don’t know his name but he’s in charge he refuses to tell me his name. He shocks me the most.

???- Now y/n answer the doctors question

I Shake my head ‘yes’

Doctor- Good now let’s begin

I am screaming through my mouth guard it hurts everywhere, tears stream down my face. That’s when I see his face through the bullet proof glass window. Then I pass out.

(Buckys pov)

Im on the other side of the glass. I’m watching as she keeps getting shocked her body is shaking and she lets out a scream, she sees me. Than her eyes close. She passed out. It enrages me that they start out at the highest voltage for her. I can’t do anything though because then and only then they will kill her. They will make me kill her. I lost her once and I’m not trying to lose her again do to the Winter Solider.

I watch as they look at her heart monitor as she flat lines. I can hear the ringing noise as I am praying for her to wake up. One of the guards that’s with me is talking to me probably trying to keep me calm. They start doing chest compressions and the beeping on the monitor isn’t a ringing noise, she’s back. I let go of a breathe that I didn’t know that I was holding. As she’s waking up she’s is being read words that will make her switch from y/n to the widow. Though she is awake now, it’s no longer y/n, it’s Widow.

(Y/n pov)

I wake up and take a deep breathe. I still can’t talk do to the mouth guard. Which is quickly taken out of my mouth.

???- See it wasn’t that bad now was it, Widow

Doctor- Now you’re ready for your mission Widow

I get up from the table as the doctor undoes my ties and he gives me the folder that was left for me. I open the file and look at the first page which will have instructions. This mission isn’t for me to kill someone but extract Natasha Romanov and bring her here.

I have a choice to work with a partner: yes or no

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Non-Fiction, Adult, True Crime

Rating: 4 out of 5

Content Warning: Murder, Racism, Death, Gun violence

Summary:

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lost City of Z, a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

*Opinions*

Has this book been on my TBR for years? Yes. Am I only reading it because I saw the trailer for the adaptation coming out? Also yes. I will say that the trailer “spoiled” some of the mystery of this book, but as it is a non-fiction book about crimes that happened almost 100 years ago, I can’t really be mad about that. Still, there were parts of this book that I was actually anxious that these deaths would never be solved due to corruption and racism that was rampant during this time period. While the Osage Nation will never get the justice and peace they deserve for what was done to them, at least more people are now aware of the injustice that they suffered at the hands of greedy white settlers. 

The first and most pressing thing I have to say is that this novel is absolutely rage-inducing to read. I am not getting into a whole rant about the sanitization of teaching history and the way that white Americans have always been the type to kill everything and anything that stood in their way, but the way that the government just let it happen is truly unreal. The way that the Osage people were treated as unintelligent and unable to have any sort of self-determination, even though they had been smart enough to make the government give them the mineral rights to the land they were forced onto is so obviously idiotic that it is hard to fathom. Grann multiple times indicates that many people in the country did not see the Osage people as people, but a subrace of people, and didn’t see their deaths as murders. I am not perfect by any means, I am a product of a racist society after all, but if you read this story and are not enraged I would seriously consider looking into yourself and your morals very closely. The white supremacy that allowed the Reign of Terror and all the other deaths connected to white greed can still be seen today, just as insidious and just as accepted by those in power. 

The last non-fiction I read had a style much closer to a textbook than a narrative so I was surprised about how fast-paced and closer to the setup of a novel this book was. There are a number of pictures interspersed with the text, that not only break up the text, but also make the individuals that are being discussed real and not just names on a page. I will say that at times the narrative jumped around a little too much, feeling as if I was being dropped into different areas of the story and hoping it would all make more sense as I read. I think the third part of the novel, where Grann was talking about his research and all the murders that were never investigated, felt the most cohesive. I think that is my biggest complaint about this novel, the choppy nature of the narrative in the middle section. 

While the sections about the FBI were interesting, especially the complex picture that was provided of J Edgar Hoover, what really kept me reading was the hope that the Osage people would eventually get justice. While the end to this story is not considered justice, in my opinion, it was nice to see that at a time when tribes were treated as an obstacle to the desires of white settlers, at least a conviction was reached. The scar that these events left on the Osage people is also well captured at the end of the story. I suggest that anyone with a vague interest in the forgotten history of the United States, including all the horrors, should give this book a try, even if you aren’t interested in true crime. 4 star read.  

[jack-daww]

A story I told my parents from the top of my head today while hiking:

Once upon a time, there was a young girl, living in a village with her father and two older brothers. Though she was small for her age, she was strong, and always proud to help her family on the farm.

But every day at school, the children would mock her. They called her mother a witch and her father a fool and sometimes, they would throw stones at her. The girl always ran away, hiding in the neighboring forest. There she would sing and dance to spend the time, before returning home where she was awaited with smiles.

But one day, her father got sick. So sick, in fact, that he could not work the farm, could barely get out of bed. Her brothers took over for him, but taking care of the farm and their sick father at the same time did not leave them much time to take care of the girl. So they did not notice when the comments got meaner, did not see even adults start pointing fingers.

"She's a witch, just like her mother!", They would say. "She is a curse! Look at what she did to her poor father!" They whispered and they pointed and the girl heard it all.

Now the girl doesn't only hide from stones in the forest, but also from harsh words and sharp looks. And where she used to sing, she now cries. The spirits of the forest, who have seen the girl grow up and learned to love her smile, were upset at this. So they lowered the branches of the trees and offered her berries to bring back her smile.

And for a while, it worked. The girl would pick berries and fruits and at the end of the day, she would return home, her arms full of food. And her brothers would smile, because they don't have to worry about that as well.

But the villagers see her return from the forest each day, arms laden full, and they would talk. And when her father's sickmess only gets worse, so do the whispers.

The girl returns to the forest and cries. She tells the spirits of her father's suffering and her own fear. The spirits, hating to see her cry, try to help her once more. Now, instead of fruits and berries, they offer plants of healing, strong herbs and flowers. The girl takes them gratefully and returns to the village, finding the medic to ask them to help her make medicine.

The medic, though wary of the spirits gift, helps the girl and her father gets better. But the more often the girl returns from the forest, arms full of the rarest plants, the more jealous the villagers get.

They call her a witch, a curse, a fae. They say she made a deal with the devil for those resources. Every day the whispers get louder until eventually, everything comes to a boil.

One day, when returning from the forest once more, a village guard stops the girl. He takes all that she has gathered and when she protests, he strikes her down with his sword.

The spirits, seeing this, grow enraged. The girl they held so dear, who would sing them songs for years on end, laying dead in the dirt. And in their rage, they attacked. The whole village burned down, with no people left to tell the tale. Nobody but the family of the girl, their house the only one left standing.

And in the middle of the destruction, where once the body of a young girl lay, sprouts a silverbirch. And even years later, when many years have passed, no other plant grows in the scorched ground that was once a village.

The girl's brothers have long moved out, though they return regularly to pay their respects to the spirits of the forest and lay flowers at the foot of the silverbirch. With time, their father got better and when he then dies, after many visits, his body is burried next to that tree.

And when the brothers children ask, their fathers tell them a story that will be told for generations to come, down the line from parent to child until one day, someone writes it down. And when more people come to visit, the silverbirch will still stand and the ground will still be bare.

[roobylavender]

Hello. I’m the anon who sent you an ask about Koriand’r and having a child and what that would mean to her and the arc you could get out of it. It’s so… like I don’t even have words how little women in comics are seen outside of the men they are with. Seeing that post about how it could be Kory or Barbara enraged me because it’s not coming for what had them in mind but with the thought of what is best for Dick. And like Dick with a kid is not even a great idea because it just means that the well of ideas for him has stopped and nobody knows what to do with him anymore. Like my idea of Kory having a child is because of what it would mean to her and the break off of the relationship and having something come out of it and someone who would love you unapologetically and finding that love in your child. I’m also a fan of Barbara but I never read her as someone who wanted children. Which brings me to my next point I guess because I’ve seen this thing in fandom where people do give Barbara a kid or so but it never feels like hers but just a projection of that human incubator where she holds the camera and takes a picture of dick with the kid or something along those lines. Like it’s very Dick centric and how great Dick would look or like what it does for him… I’m tired of Barbara’s narrative being made to look like it revolves around Dick Grayson because it shouldn’t. I’m just tired of Dick in her narrative at all at this point. And like with Kory I feel like people think if they just added her to a Nightwing books suddenly everything would be okay but like he doesn’t deserve her in his book because she has surpassed him in popularity. Like at this point Dick has had so many romantic relationships/possible interests introduced that like why do you want to shackle an iconic woman to him. Like with Kory they haven’t been together is years so Kory is not really aware what is happening and her introduction back would still be like people meeting again but like with Barbara who they haven’t really let be alone since Dixon’s introduction of the couple had to see Dick be with Helena, Shawn, Bea, Clancy (almost dated her I believe in his 90s Nightwing) like… and not to forget that Dixon wrote Dick making out with Selina Kyle. Like…

i think there are panels where barbara talks about not being able to have children due to her paralysis that people do cling closely to, esp with the added context of cass viewing her as a mother figure, but yeah, i wholeheartedly agree it seems a lot of the focus on ships having kids in general is just.. to cement the foreverness or superiority of a couple without thinking necessarily about whether doing so is actually meaningful to the couple in narrative or whether it's something they necessarily need at that point in time. like there's so many issues to resolve with dick, barbara, and kory individually as characters before children even come into the picture and esp wrt women in dc it feels like so many people believe the natural romantic conclusion is motherhood. and obv with certain characters that works like with kory and talia for example it would be meaningful for them to be loved back by someone who had nothing to hold against them, or for barbara, her adoptive relationships with people like cass and steph are meaningful bc they allow her to experience that role she desired and thought she'd lost the potential for. but i think the move towards believing every woman in every dc relationship wants kids at large is so weird and not only insistent upon the whole nuclear family model but also on acting like women's ultimate role is to be stay at home moms who lived their adventures out in the past but no longer have the time for it. like sure maybe some of these women will want children in the future but should that necessarily be a priority now, esp when the canon is so intent to keep all of its characters in stasis and has failed to resolve the character arcs of so many? children should be the last thing on any writer's mind when it comes to how the women are written at present

[papirouge]

They are now going to limit or ignore femicide as it can be triggering and considered transphobic… the west is literally falling apart because they want to kill their babies, then mutilate and sexualize the ones they do have, then cling to nazism thinking the ideology will save them from their own people. Tras have already harassed and tried to shut down seminars of women speaking out against FGM for transphobia. They’d rather comfort the delusional perverts and porn addicts than protect their own children then turn to tell us that it’s actually racist to criticize them- a group of primarily white westerns of mixed european ancestry. Calling GC colonialism and anti black is probably the most racist thing. That white mentally ill degenerate perverted and often pedophilic men are considered just the same as black women in their eyes. But when actual facts about colonialism is brought up, how women in villages were targeted for being women, it’s actually transphobic. Notice too that tras are only focused on themselves, hardly a word from what’s been happening in places like Iran where women are truly fighting for their lives against a regime. They are doing what these ugly sick males think they do in their safe western country

It was enraging watching a TikTok of a boy in ugly makeup and nails go to target, buy a box of tampons just to “unbox” and make fun of it for the views while menstrual products are heavily needed in women’s shelters.

hmm... to be honest, nu Nazi are against everything you talked about but they will barely take accountability or address their grievances to the elites who are responsible for this. Instead they will blame the Jews or Muslims or any 'other' demographics. And whether there's a Jew conspiracy or not (which is something many White supremacist argue), it doesn't explain how their WHITE (non Jew) elites (who for the most part are elected by the population by direct vote¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯) accept to betray them by conspirating along with them. Those people LOVE projecting their own shortcomings onto others.

Ever noticed how some conservatives have been spinning lately that Blacks had a problem with the Jews? Listening to them, you'd think Hitler was from Kinshasa and that Africans (not Whites) had a whole literary culture pulling out the idea that Jews are an interior race that should be eradicated ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯. But the truth is, if Jews were under the grip of the so called antisemitism of Black people, 6 millions of Jews wouldn't die ~80 years ago, bc a handful of celebrities & public figured saying shit does not shove people into gaz chambers. The WHITES did it, not the Blacks ; but seeing White conservatives desperately trying to spin the narrative and portray the whole community as a threat for the Jews (when Black people barely acknowledge Jewish people) shows you the audacity and the delusion of these people.

Even with TRA, most people entertaining this trash are White. TRA thinkers are for the most part White. Sexual liberalism & identity politics came French scrotes in the 60s (Foucault, etc.). The West is collapsing bc of its own grassroot corruption and nu Nazi/White natio have a real hard time to swallow that pill. Obsessively trying to put the blame on Jews, Muslim, immigrants or whatever is just yet another testimonies of its inability to redeem itself.