#there is situational nuance to this but just like.

[notashadowbutawave]

finally talked my wife into watching 8x06 "confessions" with me and WOW there's quite a lot going on in this breakup scene in buck's apartment (and the infamous glee scene for that matter) that I haven't seen discussed much on this website (though maybe I'm just not finding it?) like this show is always yelling the themes in your face but...

first of all I think it's somewhat intentional that Buck is being written as kind of regressing. So far in the show, he's gotten his confidence in romantic relationships by fulfilling the role with the person that he thinks he should fulfill. with Abby, Buck had just learned about serious adult romantic relationships and how they work and was trying to Be A Partner in a complete speed run. But he learned that no amount of devotion is a substitute for functionality. with Taylor, he was trying to Be A Functional Partner - and he learned that being a partner Has To involve trust, and that trust comes from somewhere else other than just our actions - it has to come from our hearts.

Tommy is the first person he's ever dated where he doesn't know what the next steps are and that's because this isn't something he has a blueprint for - being a Partner and a Functional Partner for somebody who sees right through him and sees exactly what he's trying to do, to make Tommy never leave. Abby was completely clueless (sorry I really dislike Abby) and Taylor didn't realize that an adult man could behave so badly without utter malice in his heart. Both of them kind of make the mistake of being vulnerable to Buck's charms.

Tommy is of course vulnerable to Buck's charms but Buck is more transparently himself with Tommy as well - and what Tommy sees, then, is a person who is deeply insecure and may be trending in the right direction but ultimately still thinks there's a lever he can pull to make Tommy stay and never leave him. He doesn't know that he's not done cooking yet because every new thing he learns about the world or others makes him feel brand fucking new.

So yes, the glee scene:

Josh was absolutely gagged that Tommy was Abby's ex fiance

Buck's first instinct is to see the situation from Abby's side and go into protective mode which is adorably loyal to be fair but also like ; get a grip

I actually love Josh's framing of "you care about this person and if you want a future in a queer relationship you need to learn that we don't all come to this the same way"

Did they need a cultural reference? No. Were they going to self referentially congratulate Ryan Murphy for inflicting it on the world? Yes.

And regarding the breakup itself:

What is wrong with this fandom's sense of humor that I haven't seen a gif of "I'm the himbo" ??? Like yes babe u sure are come here

Buck is really working so hard in this scene to make sure Tommy knows that he's serious. He's like... this freaked me out but I've decided I'm cool with it. She changed my life but not like you !!!

Like bless his heart, Buck thought he was really doing the right thing by telling Tommy about Abby BEFORE ASKING HIM TO MOVE IN WITH HIM. like MY CARDS ARE ON THE TABLE??? SEE??? LOVE ME FOREVER !! it's adorable and it's also cringe as fuck.

I think the real sin of the writing here is making Buck so completely clueless that this is the wrong move. Like he's kind of an idiot (Eddie Diaz's words not mine) but moving in with someone after dating them for six months in your 30s is WILD behavior and I don't think even Evan Buckley would fail to realize that this is a bit much in this moment.

But idk being in love makes one do stupid things? I did all of my messy bitch relationship shit before I turned 30 but I guess it is buck we are talking about

I completely understand why Tommy reacts the way he does in this scene and bless Lou Ferrigno Jr for acting it with such nuance, much more depth than the scene frankly deserves. What a heartbreaker. Like you see him tense up at Buck's request

"I'm not saying let's get married or engaged, even though we would have the right, thanks to the brave people who came before, including you." such an insane thing to say to your boyfriend. Whoever approved this script was trying to take me out like with a gun.

You then see the absolute grief in Tommy's eyes like oh god this kid is killing me. He's so sweet. He's so cute. He doesn't get it. I love him. He doesn't get it.

As an aside, Eddie being stalked in the juice bar by the hot priest was absolutely incredible.

I didn't hate this episode but wow the writing does suck shit, however I fully believe it makes sense for them to break up here and get back together in the future ??? because Buck DOES have some shit to figure out. Like moving in with someone is a lot of fucking intimacy REALLY fast and baby boy sometimes you NEED to pump the brakes a little ESPECIALLY when you think someone might be THE ONE and you just figured out you like guys six months ago.

I get it and yeah the writing is tragic and the inclusion of Abby in general is just unhinged and unnecessary but like I don't hate the broad strokes here. how else does the blorbo learn if not by ritual torture by the writers. Lou is too good to not have back though. My god what a treasure.

end bucktommy endgame truther transmission

[ghoulishautism]

Sometimes it feels like the lessons in Danny Phantom episodes were tacked on last minute in the writing process with how strange or disconnected they feel

[jemmo]

I don’t think I’m gonna be able to put it into the right words, but I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to watch that final episode of miseinen. bc it is one thing to mention marriage in a show about two men in a country where that’s not legal; it’s one thing to mention it as an inevitable, as just a waiting game, and leave it there, just as it’s one thing to mention it as a fantasy, or as something a couple doesn’t need to prove or certify their feelings. it’s another thing to show, even for just a short 30 minute episode, what that waiting actually feels like, and the kind of feelings being in that no man’s land of wanting but not being able to have can bring up. bc i can’t think when ive ever seen a bl touch on it so explicitly, at least not off the top of my head, or at least not to the extent of dedicating a whole episode to that feeling. bc you really feel how complex and indescribable that feeling is for jin in that episode, and while it’s mixed with that still lingering fear of haruki leaving and one day suddenly not being there, you feel that it’s not just for that certainty that he wants to be married. he wants the whole package of it, because he truly loves haruki. he sees his friends have relationships and talk about marriage, he feels the pressure from his mom and the rest of the people around him to think about marriage. and that’s exactly the thing of it. it’s not just that he can’t get married, it’s the fact that he has to hide the fact he wants it, and hide his relationship altogether. it’s not simply just marriage, it fits into a wider thing of him initially accepting his queerness and now not knowing if or how he wants to share that with other people. it’s just like- i really don’t want to gush but holy fuck it’s just so excellently done. bc you feel how different it is from haruki too, and it goes back to their differences in upbringing, bc haruki, after the difficulties he’s gone through, now finds it easier to accept and share these things bc he’s never exactly had anyone that would be impacted by this, but not only does jin have people to tell, he’s also been raised to follow a very traditional path in life, the one with least resistance, which very much means marrying a woman and having children and all of that. and it’s not that he can’t accept that he won’t do that, bc we’ve seen throughout the show how he has always faced what he’s been told is right with the open mindedness to question whether it is right, or right to him. but we’ve also seen through the show that the people around him do not have that same openmindedness, it’s why he never shared his friendship with haruki with anyone and now doesn’t want to share his relationship. but what i want to stress most is that the show perfectly shows that it’s not black and white. he is not choosing not to say anything, but he’s also not forced to stay silent. you see the greyness not just bc the situation is nuanced, but also bc at the end of the day it’s a human making this decision, and a human does not simply take in inputs and output the right decision and stick by that. you see him want to say something, you see him pull back, you see him be resentful of the way things are but also learn to accept that that’s how they are at the moment. you just… you see him live through having that in his head and what it feels like on any particular day and it’s just so incredibly amazing and important to see that in a character. it feels so fucking human. and i didn’t expect to get so emotional over a special ep about marriage, esp bc ive never much cared for marriage, ive never found it necessary, but when you take the time to show that it’s what 2 characters want, dedicate a whole ep to showing it, instead of just using it as a default happy ending, well… it’s just the cherry on top to a show that’s been absolutely fucking phenomenal. i will stan this show till i die thank you very much.

[realcleverissues]

Season 2 is out. It's good. Also, a bit less traumatic than the first season. that said, the start of the second game has a scene which has been absolutely haunting me since I saw it - though watching reactions to it online, seems like most people found it funny, which blows my mind.

I think part of the issue is exactly what I wrote about above for season one: the show is a thinly veiled metaphor for capitalism - but most people don't seem to get that. They see people dying playing games and it seems so alien as to be funny.

similarly, season 2 emphasizes the ability of the participants to vote to leave the game. but they don't. they want to keep playing, even as scores of them die. and it seems crazy. how could they vote that way??!! and yet, that is exactly what we Americans are doing. And worse yet, at least in squid game the "party" that votes to end the games is sincere that they want to end; in the US, we have two major parties and both are in favor of more games. e.g. look at the discussion around healthcare, housing, education, and so much more. (and trump winning the presidency bc people hoped to save a few cents on eggs is really the cherry on top.)

but yeah, for most people, they can't seem to connect the dots. the show is just 'a creepy and quirky situation with no relationship to us.'

p.s. it's an amazing phenomenon in general of how people, esp right wing people, consume creative works which criticize their worldview but they don't have a nuanced take on it bc they are just completely oblivious to the hypocrisy in their values. I'd really love to see a study where a group of people watch squid game and then are asked their views on universal healthcare vs the current system. I just really want to see how they frame this in their mind.

“Thank god Squid Game is just a series and not real life.”

I’ve been hearing this a lot from people and it kind of boggles my mind. The analogies to society, and specifically its hyper-capitalist nature, are rife throughout the series. The parallels are so stark and real that the above sentiment almost makes no sense to me - even though I know people mean that we don’t generally have to directly make such life and death decisions. But it seems that they don’t realize that even if it’s not as direct, the system is real. The effects are real. It is life or death.

For instance, healthcare. One of the main reasons that the main character is in the game is to pay for his mom’s healthcare. In the US, thousands of people die young each year because they cannot afford healthcare. In addition, thousands become entirely broke, declaring bankruptcy, due to healthcare bills. This is real life. Every politician and voter who votes against a nationalized health insurance program is playing the squid game. They are choosing an option which they believe will make them slightly better off, even if it will condemn thousands upon thousands of people to suffer and die.

Same thing with housing. For instance, one of the easiest ways to address our housing crisis would be to change city zoning laws. For instance, in Seattle, something like 90% of the residential areas are only zoned for single family homes. That makes it harder to build the multi-family homes needed to address seattle’s growing population. As a result, there’s both a shortage of housing, and incredibly high housing costs since people must compete with eachother for homes, driving up costs. Multifamily zoning helps relieve those issues by providing more homes, and thereby reducing the auction-like nature of the free market. However, most homeowners vote against this change, because they fear it might impact their property values or marginally decrease their quality of life. Some people even complain that it will just ‘mess with the vibe and aesthetic of the neighborhood.’ To them, those issues are of equal importance to people without homes, or struggling to survive, struggling to pay their bills and buy food bc they’re overburdened by housing prices. This system is another squid game, and homeowners consistently vote in what they perceive to be their own favor.

Same thing with our commodities in general. Just look at all the terribly exploitative (and often much worse) conditions that are used to produce chocolate, diamonds, shoes, cotton clothing, and all our groceries. Look at our carbon emissions and plastic waste that’s polluting mountaintops and the ocean depths, as well as our own bodies. These are the decisions that *we* are all making.

For most of us, we are making the decisions we do because we have no alternatives. Most of us literally cannot afford to buy fair-trade products, and so we don’t. We deserve some blame here, but we’re also victims. This is because our system sends money to the top and leaves everyone else scrambling to survive on scraps. Most of us *are* in this squid game, actively playing. We could all get out, if we simply voted to.

But it won’t happen, because most people ignore what’s going on, and when they see art with social commentary, like squid games, hunger games, etc., they just think, “that’s cute, but glad I don’t live in a society like that!”

[genderqueerdykes]

So I've seen "trans men and mascs get paid more and find it easier to get hired and that's a level of privilege" go around recently. Which I've been reading into and trying to find sources for, because it's something I could imagine is true but also I don't like just believing things that people state online without backing it up.

The main source I've seen for that argument cited the United States Transgender Survey 2015. But I also found an article titled "The labour market outcomes of transgender individuals" by Matthew Shannon ( found on sciencedirect ) that cited the same study and argued that trans groups assigned female at birth had significantally lower incomes in general. It also had some nuance; trans men who transition younger tend to have higher incomes than those who transition later in life, whereas trans women who transition younger have worse incomes compared to their older peers.

I'll be honest, I don't feel individually qualified to judge whether Shannon's paper is making good points and interpreting the data well. But I'd love to see other people's opinions on it, if you or your followers have any.

i would say it's situational

if the trans man passes well enough and/or is not out to their coworkers, their employer may choose to give them higher wages because they are being seen as a man. that's not the trans man's fault by any means. they did not transition specifically to get higher pay. they're not in control of what the employer pays them- the employer quite literally sets the pay rate. if they choose to pay more because they're a man, it's on the employer

however, there are so many trans men who can't or don't pass, never get their names or gender markers changed, or are never viewed as men in their workplaces and treated like women, thus, having worse wages, hours, privileges, positions and so on. generally speaking, a trans man isn't very likely to benefit from this at all. i never did because of my deadname and gender marker. i always got the same pay as my female co workers.

if anyone else would like to comment, feel free. it sounds like there's some nuance being left out, but that could just be me

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Mitsuhide Akechi Sequel

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

Not a full translation. Not proofread.

Mitsuhide: "Let me hear that story as well."

Sasuke: "!"

(Mitsuhide!)

The moment I saw his face, my chest instinctively swelled, and a smile spread across my face.

Mitsuhide & Sasuke: "............"

(Wait, this isn't the time to be smiling!)

Mai: "Um, Mitsuhide, this person is my friend, and—"

Mitsuhide: "His name is Sasuke, and like you, he came from the future, correct?"

Mai: "Eh?"

Mitsuhide: "Apologies, but I overheard your conversation."

Without the slightest hint of guilt, he sat down beside me.

Mitsuhide: "Wearing such attire and sneaking into the castle must mean you're a member of a faction opposing the Oda forces."

(How could he deduce so much in an instant?!)

Sasuke: "Yes. I apologize for trespassing."

Sasuke: "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Sasuke Sarutobi."

Sasuke: "And you are Lord Mitsuhide Akechi, correct?"

Mitsuhide: "Oh? You know my name, and you're still this calm?"

He narrowed his eyes, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

Sasuke: "I understand I'm in a position where I can offer no excuses, but please allow me to say this one thing."

Sasuke: "Mai is my friend."

(Sasuke...)

Mitsuhide: "From the beginning, I had no intention of killing you."

Sasuke: "Huh?"

Mitsuhide: "Amidst a castle brimming with hostility, you risked your life to infiltrate enemy territory and rush to Mai's side."

Mitsuhide: "It would be foolish of me to use my sword against her beloved friend."

Mitsuhide smiled faintly and drew me closer.

Mitsuhide: "Thank you, Mai's friend."

(He seems to be stressing the word 'friend' a bit too much.)

Sasuke: "Being patronized by the famous Akechi Mitsuhide is one of the top five most miraculous experiences I've had since coming to the Sengoku period."

(Is Sasuke touched?)

Mitsuhide: "You seem like an interesting man, Sasuke."

After murmuring that with a laugh, his eyes sharpened once again.

Mitsuhide: "Mai, I learned about your condition from a letter from Kyubei."

Mitsuhide: "I'm sorry. I must have made you feel anxious."

Mai: "No, I'm just glad you came back."

(He must have returned to Azuchi immediately after reading the letter.)

Being this close made me realize how anxious I was when he was gone.

Mitsuhide: "Sasuke, would you mind continuing where you left off?"

Sasuke: "............"

Mitsuhide: "............"

(The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.)

As I watched them exchange wordless glances, my chest began to stir.

Sasuke: "From the looks of it, you may have reached the same hypothesis as I have."

Mai: "The same hypothesis?"

Mitsuhide: "............"

Mitsuhide fixed Sasuke with a piercing gaze.

Sasuke, accepting it head-on, nodded.

Sasuke: "First, I'd like to confirm the situation."

Mai: "Okay."

Sasuke: "The phenomena happening to you can be summarized in three points:"

Sasuke: "You're becoming invisible to others, your voice isn't reaching them, and the others can't touch you. Is that right?"

Mai: "Yeah, that's correct."

Sasuke: "However, you can still see others, hear their voices, and perceive them normally."

Mai: "Yeah."

(Hearing it laid out like this feels so surreal.)

Sasuke: "I believe these anomalies can be rephrased as follows: Mai, you are gradually losing the ability to interact with people living in this era."

(Losing the ability to interact...?)

Mai: "Does that mean I won't be able to connect with anyone around me anymore?"

Sasuke: "Yeah."

Mitsuhide: "............"

(That's almost like I'm a...)

Mai: "Ghost."

Sasuke: "............."

Mitsuhide: "Continue, Sasuke."

Mitsuhide, maintaining his composure, urged Sasuke to proceed.

Sasuke nodded and handed Mitsuhide the Travel Guide.

Sasuke: "Lord Mitsuhide, are you familiar with this book?"

Mitsuhide: "Mai has told me about it. It's a history book from five hundred years into the future."

Sasuke: "That's right. This book, however, has a peculiar flaw—the section following the Incident at Honnoji is completely blank."

Sasuke: "What happened that night was significantly different from the events recorded five hundred years later."

Sasuke: "The most crucial difference is..."

Mai: "That I saved Lord Nobunaga?"

Sasuke: "Yeah."

Sasuke: "That said, the cause of the historical alteration lies in the time slip itself. Mai, you're not at fault for anything."

Sasuke: "But if there's a significant difference between the original history and the current one, that would be it."

(He's right. Sasuke's explanation makes sense.)

Sasuke: "This might be an unscientific and utterly speculative hypothesis, but perhaps Mai is being rejected by this world as divine punishment for altering history."

(Divine punishment...)

Mitsuhide: "............"

[coffeegnomee]

do you have any blindfold brother thoughts i may be cooking but ive been in lifesteal circles for barely five minutes so i may be making shit up

Well now I'm interested to know what you're cooking.

I have only fragmented thoughts on the blindfold brothers. especially as a duo.

They're so Unknown. Because Flame can profess undying loyalty to Mane.. but will he follow through? Will something come before that? Will the allure of something Fun overtake basic loyalty in a similar way Zam and Mapicc are devotions but will similarly be willing to be against each other?

And Mane is so fast and loose with his loyalty, but so far has not really gone against Flame at all unless you count putting Flame above Flame when he was blowing up spawn, telling Pangi he would take up the mantle of blowing it up if Flame didn't get his fight. Even if Flame was willing/wanting to stop blowing it up. He doesn't put Flame's wishes first, but he does put Flame first, choosing what he believes is best for Flame over what Flame says he wants.

And Mane stepped back from being against Mawn when he found out Flame was on Mapicc's side; he was willing to fight Flame if need be, but he didn't end up having to do it.

Flame stands by and watches (or joins attacking) as any other of his loyalties gets attacked by Mane, putting Mane above anyone else, and he told Mapicc he refused to fight Mane if it came down to it.

And yet. Flame back when he died said everyone was kill on sight and Mane slyly asked if that included Zam, to which Flame said, no of course not Zam.

And yet we know he did go against Zam just a few weeks later, and now completely did a torment arc (day) against him. All with zero provocation from Zam except Zam objecting to Flame blowing up spawn. It swapped on a dime when Zam went from neutral innocent cute pacifist at spawn to possible adversary. And has stayed adversarial since. So Flame is capable of being loyal for one month and when the situation arrises that is good enough, he will break that loyalty.

So where they might end up is completely untested, which I find fascinating. Both have such different and unique perspectives about the server, Mane going for BBEG who never dies who has a reason for everything he does, while Flame more goes for wanting his short term video idea and is more willing to jump onto someone else's idea and do what they want to do rather than being the BBEG himself. Flame is more social and willing to show up in person, while Mane is paranoid about traps to a degree even more than Flame, is hesitant with the yap, and more wanting to be mysterious (though this might be changing)

Both exhibit a soft spot for the chunguses, though Flame (esp with like Pangi) is more loyal as support and negotiation, while Mane is more giving of hearts and killing others for them and coming to defend them in person (mane was more around for Zam early season than Flame was).

Flame has a tendency to be very worried about his image, defensive over it, while Mane is willing to risk the embarrassments (being Flame's lawyer, being the BBEG and more or less seeing it through)

They're simultaneously attached at the hip and one unit together and completely unique and nuanced players. I'm just excited to see how they end the season and where they start s7 as because that is going to tell So Much about who they are as lifestealers.

[the-baked-homos]

(the image reads is a tumblr post from radiant-system and it reads: Maybe the reason I can't really stand endo-neutrals is that I was here during the peak of ace discourse. I wasn't really into people not taking a stance on whether or not people like me deserved respect so I highly doubt endogenic systems are super into that either. end of image)

I have thoughts about this - although I'm not particularly well-informed, so this could just be me starting shit for no reason. That being said, I feel like there's a level of nuance to this.

Mostly: I think the terms of pro, anti, and neutral on the topic of endos can mean many things. Someone could be neutral with the opinion of "I don't care whether they exist or not" and someone could be neutral with "I don't think there's enough evidence either way" and someone could be neutral with "I think they exist but I think that maybe the terms that we use don't help with the situation". And maybe all of these could be reprehensible to the person in the screenshot, which I'm not necessarily saying is a 'bad' opinion - but I thought it'd be worth noting.

+ I don't know too much about the ace discourse but wouldn't it probably be different? One's less involved with like... medicine and disorders, and one is. One's more to do with identity and personal experience and one's more to do with symptoms? Maybe? Dunno how to word that bit specifically.

This isn't an argument against or anything? Just a thought from someone that looks at sysblr a lot.

(start screenshot)

(end screenshot) It won’t let me reblog for some reason so take a screenshot.

This completely. You don’t have to be active in syscourse but like. Just remaing neutral on the issue of “do we exist.” Is genuinely really upsetting.

[fel-09]

General Acacius x Isekai! Reader x emperor Geta

Words 1.4к

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Version on wadpad wattpad

Get into the movie?What a joke Part 4

The tepid wind blew leisurely, playing with your hair as if it had its own intentions. Along with the wind, rose petals took to the air, their scent so overpowering it almost suffocated with its richness. Your eyes lifted to the sky uncertainly as your fingers nervously fidgeted with the fabric of your skirt. The situation was awkward—palpable, almost tangible, as if the tension could be tasted on your tongue. It was so overwhelming that you wanted to dissolve into the intoxicating floral scent, to vanish into its thick embrace.

At the same time, General Acacius stood nearby, his gaze fixed on the vast floral field before him. He hadn’t anticipated finding himself in such a situation—with you. Yet, one thing brought him solace: as in the first time you met, there were no prying eyes. This moment was his, unobserved, and for once, he could afford honesty.

He exhaled through clenched teeth, then turned to face you. His gaze caught on your profile, and he swallowed hard. Something about this image clung to his mind—a fleeting impression of someone else, with different features and a distinct nature. It was so ephemeral, so intangible, yet it lingered. Acacius shook his head, brushing the thought aside. He had come here for another reason, and he couldn’t allow his mind to wander.

Acacius extended his hand toward you, taking one of yours and gently running his fingers over your palm. There was a reverence in his touch—more genuine than before, more deliberate. Pressing his lips together, he took a step closer, the space between you narrowing. The air seemed to shout its disapproval, heavy with the weight of something unspoken, but he began to speak regardless.

“I must offer my apologies for… that incident,” he said, his voice low and steady. “When you fell into the water, I failed to take proper care of you. For that, I am ashamed. Please, forgive me.”

Your eyes widened in surprise as you blinked, caught off guard by his tone and the intensity of his words. Embarrassed, you averted your gaze. It wasn’t every day that a man with the appearance of one of your favorite actors apologized so intimately.

“It’s quite all right, Gener—” You stopped mid-sentence as he raised an eyebrow, clearly recalling the last time he had asked you to call him by his name. “Acacius. Just Acacius… I think it’s all right. You’ve done enough; you saved my life when no one else even lifted a finger to help me. For that, I’m profoundly grateful.”

Acacius looked at you as if seeing something entirely new. Your timid demeanor was unlike anything he had ever witnessed. It was uncharacteristic of Plavtiana—so much so that it startled him. You were aware of her reputation as headstrong, yet the exact nuances of her behavior eluded you. The historical accounts provided no personal details, only glimpses of her actions and their impact on the economy.

But there was one phrase in the chronicles, a line well-known among historians who studied her life:

“When Acacius was led into the arena, the bloodthirsty crowd suddenly fell silent. In the shadow of her box, Plavtiana sat motionless, like a statue. She made not a single gesture, yet everyone knew it was her hand that directed the general’s fate. Gladiators surrounded Acacius but delivered no blow. Instead, they slowly stripped him of his regalia—his helmet, his cloak, his breastplate. ‘Not a word,’ whispered Plavtiana, her lips barely moving, but fear reflected on every face. Her gaze spoke of power—not by law, but by the name of her father, so formidable that no one dared even whisper of her involvement. When the last sign of Acacius’s honor fell into the dust, she raised a cup of wine and smiled, a silent toast that seemed to say: ‘See, but see nothing.’”

No one understood the depth of her actions, why her treatment of Acacius was so cruel. Rumors swirled endlessly: some claimed she had loved him, only to be rejected; others said she was a deceitful woman who treated everyone with equal malice. Yet, with her father’s connections, she had no need for such enmity. Then… what was the reason?

You shuddered as Acacius’s voice pulled you back to the present.

“Still,” he continued, his tone quieter now, “I believe I’ve caused more trouble than I’ve resolved. The rumors still circulate throughout the city.” His head bowed slightly, a rare display of humility.

He was stunning—a man so striking that just looking at him made your heart race. In your eyes, he was nearly divine.

“As I’ve said before, everything is fine, Acacius,” you reassured him. “There’s no need to worry. Rumors come and go every week; soon enough, this will all be forgotten.”

But the rumors didn’t fade. They grew, each one building upon the last. People pieced together stories, seeking logic where there was none. For the days to come—and perhaps many more—no one intended to let this matter rest.

“In any case,” you said, breaking the tension, “I must take my leave. There’s much to do, so please excuse me.” You turned and began to walk away, exhaling deeply as you stepped onto the garden path. Behind you, Acacius watched your retreating figure, his gaze colder now.

He suspected much. A person like you wouldn’t have changed so easily—not without cause. If rumors had truly begun about you, you would have fought desperately to quash them, especially if they involved the two of you.

His eyes followed you, but he did not say goodbye.

_________

Several days had passed, and you remained confined within the walls of your home, painstakingly forwarding documents through messengers, avoiding any public appearances. For the fifth week in a row, you had refrained from engaging in imperial financial matters—a task you detested as much as the whispers that accompanied your name.

You sighed heavily, letting the weight of it all sink in. How had it come to this? When the letter arrived, its wax seal bearing the imperial insignia, your hands trembled.

The parchment was stern, the words sharp and unforgiving, their intent clear.

"To Flavinia Plavtia, presently occupying the position of Imperial Financial Overseer,

By the will of the Senate and the People of Rome, we hereby notify you that your conduct raises questions incompatible with the welfare of the Empire. In light of the circumstances, you are commanded to return to your post within seven days of receiving this letter.

Failure to comply will be interpreted as a resignation of your duties, resulting in immediate dismissal and subsequent investigation. The Emperor reminds you that service to Rome is the greatest honor, but also the greatest responsibility. Neglecting it is an affront not only to the Senate and the people but also to the gods who safeguard our order.

Signed by the decree of Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla."

Between the harshly worded lines, the message was unmistakable: You have one more day before we discard you without remorse.

Your grip tightened around the parchment as you reread it, searching for some hidden mercy that wasn’t there.

"I have to go back," you muttered under your breath, clutching your head in frustration. The letter slipped from your trembling fingers, fluttering to the floor like a fallen leaf.

The walls of your home, once a sanctuary, now seemed suffocating. You stared down at the letter, its presence on the cold tiles taunting you with its finality.

[1ore]

i dont have the mental wherewithal to get deep into it right now, but if you don't know this already. the rising sun flag is a symbol of japanese imperialism. you might compare it to the confederate flag in the U.S. please understand this before displaying it in your art/home/whatever. donut feel bad for not knowing this, but hopefully be curious and turn this into a teachable moment about how the history of japanese imperialism colors pop media in ways that are often invisible to westerners.

[brklynbxby]

Leo couldn’t help but emit a low chuckle, the sound resonant and velvety as he sat there, his gaze fixed on her. For the first time, he allowed himself to truly look at her, to examine the nuance in her eyes—rich and enigmatic, like storm clouds backlit by sunlight. There was something profoundly captivating about the subtle way they glistened under the light, their depths more alluring than he had ever allowed himself to notice. His breath steadied for a fleeting moment, the oppressive weight of his confession alleviated just slightly by the delicate curve of her smile. She hadn’t rejected him. That alone felt monumental. “Filthy nerd, huh?” he quipped, his lips curling into a crooked grin that was almost boyish. “I fight some guy for you, and this is the thanks I get? Brutal Aida, brutal.” His voice carried a playful cadence, but a fragile undercurrent of relief threaded through his tone. 

Rising to his feet, he reached out instinctively, his hand finding the bend of her elbow to guide her upward. As they stood, the proximity between them was almost claustrophobic yet intoxicating. His hand lingered for a beat too long, his touch warm and grounding against her skin, before he reluctantly stepped back. The space between them now felt palpable, charged with unspoken tension. Pivoting toward the direction she had pointed, he paused at the threshold of the bathroom, his eyes catching hers one last time. “You’re worth it,” he said, his voice barely above a murmur, imbued with an earnestness that left no room for equivocation. “Whether you believe it or not.” With that, he turned away, vanishing behind the bathroom door.

His shirt was stained with dried blood, the stark crimson streaks a visceral reminder of the night’s chaos. Shaking his head, he stripped out of the soiled fabric, tossing it onto the floor with a muted thud. As he stepped into the shower, the steaming water cascaded over him in a torrential embrace, searing against the lacerations scattered across his body. The sharp sting of the water meeting open skin was almost cathartic, as though it were purging the night’s turmoil from his body. For a moment, Leo let his forehead rest against the cool tile wall, the water drumming rhythmically against his back. His phone buzzed faintly from the countertop where he’d abandoned it. His friends had texted—checking on him, assuring him that the bouncer had handled the situation and that the man responsible was long gone, ejected with finality. The paperwork that would make him look like some sort of vigilante, a defender of the damsel in distress. But here, under the unrelenting cascade of the shower, it felt more complicated.

Eventually, he stepped out, the rivulets of water streaming from his skin quickly evaporating into the humid air. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he glanced at the disheveled reflection in the mirror—his hair, once slicked back meticulously, now hung in damp, tousled strands. “Fuck,” he muttered with a rueful laugh, shaking his head as he looked down at his blood-speckled clothes in resignation. Opening the bathroom door, he called out, his voice cutting through the stillness. “Aida! You got any clothes I can borrow?” He stepped into the hallway, his grin lopsided but genuine, water still dripping from his hair. The absurdity of his predicament wasn’t lost on him, but in that moment, with her just a room away, it somehow felt manageable.

Aida listened to Leo, her heart heavy with every word he said. The pain in his voice, the regret, the vulnerability that broke through all the bravado he had built around himself, it all made her feel like she was drowning in emotions she didn’t know how to handle. She couldn’t process it all, not at once. She’d spent so long keeping her walls up, so long pretending she didn’t care, and now here he was, saying things that twisted her insides into knots. She wanted to say something, to tell him that he didn’t have to do all of this, that he didn’t need to fight battles for her, but her throat felt tight, and the words wouldn’t come. Her mind was filled with questions she didn’t know how to ask. Why did he care? Why was he doing this for her? Didn’t he hate her for everything she had done to him in the past? The way she treated him, the bullying, the cruel words, the constant dismissal of him as if he were nothing more than a joke. He should have hated her, shouldn’t he?

And yet, here he was, apologizing for something that she didn’t even know how to process. She didn’t know how to handle his confession, his explanation, the way he reached for her hands, the tenderness in his touch as he spoke of protecting her. It was too much. She could feel the lump in her throat as her vision blurred, and before she could stop herself, a single tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, embarrassed by the sudden rush of emotions she couldn’t keep in check. Her breath hitched, her chest tightening with the weight of everything. Leo was looking at her like she meant something to him, like she mattered. And she didn’t understand why. Not after everything.

Her voice trembled when she spoke, soft and shaky, “You don’t have to protect me, Leo. I’m not... I’m not worth it.” She knew it wasn’t true, but the words slipped out in the heat of the moment. She was angry at herself for feeling so conflicted. But then, as if to lighten the mood, Leo made his little joke about the nurse outfit. Aida couldn’t help it. A soft laugh bubbled up from her chest, catching her off guard. It was a small sound, fragile, but it felt like the first real breath she’d taken all night. She couldn’t hold onto the heaviness forever, and she knew he didn’t mean to add to it. She gave him a look, her lips curling just slightly.

“Maybe next time,” she replied with a quiet, teasing smile, but there was still a weight to her voice that lingered. She reached for his hand again, squeezing it gently as she let herself breathe for a moment longer. Aida took in a shaky breath, steadying herself before she said, “Leo… I don’t know what to make of all this. But right now, all I know is that I don’t want you to hurt anymore.” Her voice softened as she added, “I’m still angry, but... I’m not sure at you anymore.” she cleared her throat. "now go shower you filthy nerd." she said jokingly with a soft smile as she let go of his hands and pointed over to the bathroom.

[redheadlesbianfreak]

Yes, people do need to take accountability for the partners they choose to date, at least to some extent. And no, this doesn't apply to abusive relationships, that situation is entirely different.

I'm talking about white people who date other white people who are openly racist. I'm talking about "allies" who date other people who are openly homophobic and transphobic. I'm talking about liberal women who date very conservative men. And seeing bigotry as nothing more than a "political issue."

Of course, it's different if your partner lies and actively hides their political views from you. But if your partner is openly voting for people like Trump, openly supporting conservative politicians, openly hating/harming minority groups, then you should leave them. And you should be held accountable if you to choose to stay with someone like that.

[inkskinned]

you have to go to work so you can pay for your doctor, who is not taking your insurance right now, and if you say i can't afford the doctor's you are told - get a better job. it is very sad that you are unwell, yes, but maybe you should have thought about that before not having a better job.

(where is the better job? who is giving out these better jobs? you are sick, you are hurting - how the hell are you supposed to be well enough for this better job?)

but you go to the doctor because you had the nerve to be hurt or sick or whatever else. and they tell you that it is because you have anxiety. you try your best. you are a self-advocate. you've done the reading (which sometimes pisses them off worse, honestly). you say it is actually adding to my anxiety, it is effecting my quality of life. so they say that you are fat. they say that all young people have this happen to them, isn't it a medical marvel! they say that you should eat more vegetables. they say that you probably just need to lose a little more weight, and that you are faking it for attention.

(what attention could this doctor possibly give? what validation? that's their fucking job, isn't it?)

there is always a hypochondriac, right. someone always tells you about a hypochondriac. or someone who is unnecessarily aggressive during the worst days of their life. or someone looking "for a quick fix". or some idiot who wasn't educated about how to properly care for themselves who just abandons their treatment. and again, the hypochondriac, the overly-cautious hysteric. these people don't deserve to be treated like humans (right), and since you might be one of these people, you also don't get treated like a human. because those people can really fuck with the system, you now have to pay for it. and besides. you're actually probably faking it.

(more often than not, you find a 2:1 ratio of these stories. for every "hypochondriac", there are 2 people who knew something was wrong, and yet nobody could fucking find it. the story often ends with pointless suffering. the story often ends with and now it's too late, and it's going to kill me.)

you are actually just making excuses. someone else got that procedure or that diagnosis and he's fine, you should be fine too. someone else said they watched a documentary about other inspirational people with your exact same condition, maybe you should be inspirational, too. you're just too morbid. your pain and your experience is probably just not statistically concerning. it is all self-reported anyway, and you're just being a baby.

(once, while sitting down in the middle of making coffee, you had the sudden, horrible thought - i could kill myself to make the pain stop. you had to call your best friend after that. had to pet your dog. had to cry about it in the shower. you won't, but that moment - god, fuck. the pain just goes on and on.)

you know someone who went in for routine surgery and said i still feel everything. they told her to just relax. it took her kicking and screaming before they figured out she wasn't lying - the anesthetic drip hadn't been working. you know someone who went in for severe migraines who was told drink water and lose weight. you know someone who was actively bleeding out and throwing up in the ER and was told you're just having a bad period.

in the ER there are always these little posters saying things like "don't wait! get checked today!" and you think about how often you do wait. how often the days spool out. you once waited a full week before seeing the doctor for what you thought was a sprained wrist. it had actually been broken - they had to rebreak it to set it.

but you go into the doctor. the problem you're having is immediate. the person behind the counter frowns and says we're not taking your insurance. you will be paying for this out-of-pocket.

they send you home with tylenol and a little health packet about weight loss or anxiety or attention deficit. on the front it has your birthday and diagnosis. you think about crying, and the words swim. it might as well say go fuck yourself. it might as well say you're a fucking idiot. it might as well say light your money on fire and lie down in it. and the entire fucking time - the problem persists.

it's okay. it's okay, it's just another thing, you think. it's just another thing i have to learn to live with.

[jvlianbashir]

"the creator said in a reddit thread -" "the official twitter account posted that -" "the actors confirmed in a livestream that -"

i don't care and that's not real to me. put it in the text.

[curlyfriesgalore]

THIS!!! THIS OHMYGOD 😭 ARUGHFH this perfectly sums up the problem i've been having with the mw discussions about curly (and every character, really, but i'm focusing on him perdominantly). good lord op you are so real for this. i love the way you word your thoughts!

but yeah, i do think that the ultimate issue i'm seeing is that people find it hard to let go of putting curly into either end of the good or bad spectrum (because it's so much easier to do so than accept that these complicated nuances of humanity and circumstance co-exist all together), and in turn, people make it into a battle of who is morally in the right for believing which interpretation of curly's morality is the CORRECT one based on what they've inferred from the game and from their own moral compasses.

by removing that polarizing train of thought and firmly accept the fact that him, the others, and we as individuals are not tethered to either extreme but make decisions which are a combination of both, depending on our situations, and the positive and negative outcomes of those choices will vary—we would ultimately be having much more productive and understanding conversations with one another.

i really do think it's not a matter of whether a person loves, likes or hates curly, because we all have our personal reasons and projections as to why (so i oftentimes find it redundant to put such a focus on that in an analysis), but we should shift our focus away from arguing on whether or not curly is a "good" person (including the others), and you know... not jump to harassing each other for having opposing opinions... so we can dissect his character without taking a nasty jab at anyone who you disagree with 😭 i dunno, just a thought! since this only leads us to becoming even more unnecessarily mad at each other.

but hey, i'm not surprised to see things get so heated like this. i think many of us are having very human reactions for not liking it when people have takes that our brains just cannot agree with, and for associating the characters with ourselves or people irl, either seeing aspects of us in whichever character or hating who in our world we associate those characters with.

honestly, this is just an issue that is prevalent in all spaces where people get to talk about anything, really.

i feel like many peoples mouthwashing analysis is... distorted by a false dichotomy of "good people" and "bad people". "curly is a bad person" "curly is a good person" i feel like trying to determine the characters' morality like santa claus is not exactly the way to think about this game. it makes me think a lot about an excellent video essay on the boy wizard books where op points out that in that world there are "no good or bad actions, only good or bad teams" - that is to say if a character is decided to be "good" they will get away with as much abuse as they like. and i feel like mouthwashing is the opposite of that, there are no "good or bad" people, there are people who do good or bad things and its those things that determine them. you dont have to be a "bad" person to do bad things but also your worst deeds wont brand you irredeemable or deserving of nothing good.

jimmy 100% believes hes not a bad person and bad things just keep happening to him because of everyone else that wont let him be "good", but ultimately hes also just a person that chooses to do more bad than good so if his worst moments dont define him what else is there? everyone else on the ship is more or less aware of their shortcomings and/or simply dont try to categorize themselves like this. swansea is a great example of someone who has given up on trying to be a "good person" and escaped the dichotomy instead of trying to fit himself in a box that doesnt even exist.

i just think discussion around curly would be a lot less heated if we just dealt with the uncomfortable fact that hes not a good or a bad person, hes just a man genuinely trying to do good that keeps failing, for one reason or another. he wants to be good and so does jimmy, we all do, but if we keep focusing too much on being "good people" it becomes a dangerous game.

(also this is why i kinda hate aus and whatnot where jimmy "gets what he deserves", the game makes it very clear that abuse is a bad action that cannot make you better than anyone.)

[the-gay-trashmouth]

I think something that's bothers me about how folks talk about mouthwashing is how they talk about Swansea. It's either "Swansea would have killed Jimmy immediately if Anya had told him" or "he knew and he did nothing just like curly." because, to me at least it leaves out a lot of nuance to his character and situation. Curly and Swansea are really good foils to each other, one who's got a reputation for being the kind and helpful captain but in the end does nothing to truly protect the crew from Jimmy, and one who's gruff, harsh, and cruel but genuinely tries to help in the background, the reliable mechanic.

(read more for a long Mouthwashing character ramble tw for unwanted pregnancy and SA)

Because Curly is the one with the power. He doesn't take what Jimmy did seriously enough. And you can say that he might not have known fully what Jimmy did, but I think the "I told you" pregnancy conversation and his reaction to Jimmy right before the crash ("come on we'll get through this together. We'll figure it out, you've had hard times before-") are indicators that he knew, but he still chose to stick by his friend and treat it like a "mistake" rather than what it really was.

Now that's my own personal speculation of course, there's no outright scene of her telling him "your best friend assaulted me", but I think there's enough evidence in game through Anya and Curlys interactions to say that he knew, and he knew before Anaya knew she was pregnant. He had a fully functioning ship and four fully functional cryo-pods. He could have at least given Anya more security, kept her far away from him, and at most forced him into the cryopod until they got back to earth. Jimmy STILL had full, uncontrolled access to the cockpit AFTER his freakout with curly. AFTER Anya tells curly she doesn't feel safe with him. AFTER Curly finds out he raped Anya. He's so focused on seeing the good in his friend that he does NOTHING to protect Anya, doesn't strip away not one of Jimmy powers as copilot and consequently endangers her and the rest of the crew.

Curly was the captain, he had the power to relegate Jimmy to the fucking storage closet if he really wanted, at least put him in the cryopod until they got back to earth. In fact, he was the only person above Jimmy in terms of rank on the ship, but he chose to do nothing. He chose to let Jimmy continue as acting co-pilot, chose to comfort him rather than actually confront him. Slides off his weird sexual comments as jokes "So what's this about horses?"

Now let's compare that to Swansea, the mechanic.

We don't have any evidence that Swansea knew about what Jimmy did until after the crash ("it's been her telling me things") where they were trapped with no captain, barely any rations, and a single cryopod that he kept hidden away in the one room he had the key too (and the only room that could lead into medbay). He didn't use it for himself, he makes it clear he didn't intend on getting off this hunk of metal in his last few conversations with Jimmy.

Swansea as the ship's mechanic, was used to fixing things in the background. He didn't need to get along with anyone to keep the ship running, he didn't need people to like him to keep them safe. We see that with Daisuke. He's harsh on him, for sure, but he leaves constant notes to help him learn. Genuinely tries to keep him out of harm's way when it comes to more dangerous jobs. We know Anya was scared of Jimmy getting a weapon, she hid the gun case in the medical bay even knowing she would never get it open. We can see Swansea and Anya off on their own towards the first days after the crash, and Swansea still has a tight grip of the axe weeks and months later.

I personally think that was him trying to keep Jimmy from having access to a weapon. The only time Jimmy gets the axe while Swansea is alive is when Anya Specifically asks him to use it to get medical supplies. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Swansea, like any good mechanic, was quietly trying to keep things running out of Jimmy's sight. It's not until everyone is dead or dying that he snaps, that he finally takes direct action. But it was too little too late.

Both Curly and Swansea thought they were doing the right thing, helping in their own way. Curly genuinely wanted to see the good in Jimmy, wanted it to just be some challenge they could overcome, but in doing so he failed to see the monster right in front of him. He had all the power (in context of the crew, the company is a whole other can of worms I have so many other thoughts on), but he was too afraid to use it. Hell, he was DISCOURAGED to use it if the memo about HR complaints are anything to go by. Swansea, on the other hand, never trusted Jimmy, never even really liked him, but he didn't want to make anything worse either. He didn't know what would actually set Jimmy off, or what he was capable of, and aside from just straight up killing him what else could he do that wouldn't just push Jimmy further off the edge? Like with the foam. "One wrong move and you'll rip this ship a new asshole", he worked carefully, hiding the last pod from Jimmy, keeping the only other weapon on himself, guarding the only other entrance into Medbay, but Jimmy was escalating quickly. He underestimated how far Jimmy was willing to go, just like Curly had, and in the end suffered the consequences.

The only character who actually understood how dangerous and unstable Jimmy was is Anya. She knew the moment she found out she was pregnant he would hurt her ("you won't let me protect myself"). He wouldn't be able to take it, he would do something drastic. She knew he was escalating the longer they were stranded. Anya is the only crew member who truly understood how dangerous Jimmy was and took direct action.

And interesting thing to me is that she doesn't just kill herself. She locks herself in the medbay. She could have waited for Jimmy to sleep, or locked herself in the cockpit, but she locked herself in the medbay with Curly. She knows that with her gone there would be no one left to take care of him, she knew Jimmy would continue to escalate his abuse, and with her gone all of his anger and fear and guilt would turn on Curly.

And wouldn't you know it? She was right. Without Anya to stop him, he takes curly out of the bed, forces him upright into the cryopod, and forces a man with no skin, no arms, no legs, and infected tissues to be frozen for 20 years while the rest of his crew Rot. And that's only what we know to be reality- if any of his delusions had some basis in reality he could have done so so much more. Anya is the Only one to take reasonable, direct action to keep herself, and then Curly, safe.

But she didn't have enough power over Jimmy to truly protect herself. She didn't have the code to the gun case, she didn't have a weapon or a rank to fall back on. She was outnumbered by men who she knew from experience either wouldn't or couldn't keep her safe, and she was heavily pregnant with a baby she didn't want and most likely couldn't even get enough nutrients to sustain either her or the fetus. She was physically weakened and trapped in a stranded ship with her abuser with no way home and a medical miracle (curse) in Curly.

This game is a really good reflection of reality, in my opinion as an abuse survivor. Some people will see them as "one of the boys" and constantly excuse or downplay their actions (Curly), some people will do small things in the background, recognize the abuse and disprove, but don't want to get in the way or make things worse (Swansea), and some people are just straight up oblivious/naive (Daisuke). But in the end, it's the system that allows abuse and incentives coverups to keep peace or save face that really allows abuse to fester and escalate.

Which is why I personally have a problem with the idea that Anya should have just Told A Different Man because it ignores the very real chain of power and her own agency in her story, AS WELL AS the idea that Swansea and Diasuke knew but didn't care because that's just not reflective of real life. Not every man is some rapist apologist who doesn't care what abusers do until it happens to them, some people just don't know what to do, or don't have any good options that wouldn't result in further abuse. Hell some people just don't even fucking notice! Not everyone has had exposure to the signs or knows what to look for.

It's easy when looking at fictional depictions of abuse to say "well if I was there I would have just punched him/killed him/called the police" but real life, in that moment, its never going to be clear cut. You can call out abuse, but that might just lead to that abuser taking it out on their abuse victim later. They could even start to target you for daring to speak out, or try to hurt you and cut you off from the person being abused. You can know all the right steps and the right programs, but in the moment, when faced with a real situation where someone could get hurt or even killed? You stumble. You think things over, you don't try and make any direct moves that would set their abusers off. Sometimes that's a good instinct, and sometimes that just lets abuse escalate. It's never a good situation, and it's never actually anyone's fault but the abusers. And this way of thinking also conveniently leaves out the survivor of this abuse, and portrays them as someone who needs to be saved, rather than someone who needs support and resources to save themselves. It also very conveniently lets the company that Put Anya in this situation in the first place get off Scott free.

The solution isn't "oh one of the men on board should have personally killed Jimbo and saved Anya all by himself" its "Anya deserved the support of her crewmates instead of being forced into close proximity with her rapist and also maybe Jimmy shouldn't have access to the fucking controls or medbay or any weapons- AND ALSO the crew shouldn't have financial incentives not to report things to HR"