#they're just have a polite conversation

[aaeeart]

this scene in Rebel Resolve 🤭 let's ignore what happens next <3

[vaguely-concerned]

another fun little thing I recently discovered: if you don't rat them out, you can actually find the crow and venatori lovebirds from that one runaround quest in treviso hanging out together in the grand necropolis! (apparently pearl has an uncle in the mourn watch who's taking them in for now and they're planning where to go next. crow lovebird seems. less than elated by all the skeletons but very happy to be with bae lol)

I think you have to finish either (or possibly both?) emmrich's loyalty quest and all the mourn watch side quests to find them, they're sitting at a little table up past the stairs at the beginning of the level just off the eluvian point that's broken earlier in the game

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

the thing about gaeltacht courses is that most people are really nice but then there are just one or two whom you'd rather walk into the sea than talk to for one minute longer

fortunately the sea is quite close by so when the upper beginner/lower intermediate european student starts making edgy jokes about the troubles and repeating what random comedians have said about brexit, you can do exactly that

[almoststedytimetravel]

Randy is a very funny character to me because once to get to Azure, every interaction pre-chapter 4 is just him doing something silly, then the game cutting to his inner monologue for him to be like "oops I felt happy for 0.01 seconds too long better feel indescribable shame and guilt for the next hour!"

[soonhoonsol]

you guys ever get tired of friends who only talk about themselves? how do you respectfully tell them off?

[vaguely-concerned]

as I am replaying origins -- a game which, to be clear, I love very VERY much -- I can't help but feel that people do don the rose coloured glasses on it a bit specifically when it comes to the range of dialogue options you're actually given to work with at any given time (something I've seen my fair share of silent vs. voiced protagonist discourse about over the years *smokes tired cigarette in survivor of a decade of DA tumblr*). like... there are a couple of situations where you're given a decent range of responses, but the vast majority of the time you have about three dialogue options, and often they're presented sort of like 'polite/bland/unprovoked near-cartoonish levels of assholery'. arranged like, y'know:

I am [BLANK]. It's an honor to make your acquaintance.

You can call me [BLANK].

How dare you speak to me. Fuck you and your family back five generations. I'm going to rob your mother's grave before your eyes.

(sometimes if you're real lucky you get the secret extra 'Something else/I'm bald/but I'm a dwarf!' option)

I'm not at all saying it's worse in that aspect than the other games (Dalish Inquisitor 'Who's Mythal' just entered the chat), but I do think it's worth considering that this might be a bit of a franchise original sin that has been present since the beginning, as indeed it is in most rpgs because making rpgs is real hard, and you notice it more with the dialogue wheel format than when the responses and questions you can ask are all laid out in a list together

[elytrafemme]

i really do wish at least one of my family members had a normal perspective on politics. not in the sense that any of them have bad takes persay but just that literally none of them approach the broad concept of Politics in an effective manner

[torgawl]

i hate that i had to compile articles and data for my mother to read to prove my point on why the romani people are used as a scapegoat and they're not actually our enemies :/

[apollosholynipple]

First year student: "This book says hellenistic sculptures have 'baroque-like, pathetic forms'? What does that even mean?"

Me: "Oh, yeah... Yeah it's all just like... They tried really hard to go for realism. Like they have facial expressions and there's limbs everywhere. Pathetic is a good word but I guess you could say it's more dramatic in the modern sense of the word? Wait a second, you'll know it when you see it-"

*shows gigantomachy*

*shows laocoön group*

Her: "Oh. Yeah. I'll know it when I see it."

[zincbot]

nobody on gods green earth annoys me more than my coworkers man

[chronicbitchsyndrome]

i have been in community with profoundly developmentally disabled peers and peers with brain damage my whole life, bc i had a childhood diagnosis. i have also been leftist my whole life; my mother was a marxist and raised me that way, and while their politics were absolute dogshit, they were lefty dogshit.

my entire life, i have seen leftist educators throw mentally disabled people away as "lost causes" because they couldn't engage with the material the way it was being presented. leftist outreach and education does, genuinely, have a massive lack of accessible material. to be blunt, people are not interested in retrofitting their leftist outreach to be accessible to people who learn best through episodes of sesame street.

as in, i have repeatedly faced outright laughter and cruelty over the idea that this could be a priority. or even something that we consider doing at all.

"people who are that mentally disabled don't need to know about these things," the kindest interpretation goes. ("people who are that mentally disabled don't interact with the world, anyway, they're all in institutions or monitored 24/7 by their parents," the uncharitable underlying assumptions go. "they wouldn't be a worker who needs a union. or a library attendee. or a member of the community garden. or a volunteer at the food bank. or or or")

the people i have seen this hurt the worst, over and over again, are profoundly mentally disabled people of color whose lack of access to accessible antiracist education is causing real danger in their lives. institutionalized disabled people of color who have learned racist ideology and behaviors from white authority, whether they were adopted by white families or incarcerated in care institutions run by white staff. who are treated lower than garbage by leftist educators, who view them as "lost causes," as unworthy of time and effort and attention, as deserving of their abuses because they... what... internalized the abuses that make up every aspect of their lives since birth?

i see people saying things in this conversation like "disability isn't an excuse for racism or transphobia or whatever, people have the obligation to improve themselves." oh, believe me, i have seen again and again how many privileged disabled people utilize their disabilities to punch down on others, try to escape accountability for their punching down by citing disability. but individual weaponization of identity is just that: weaponization of identity.

the power structures at play are what they are. it is a noble and admirable goal to want leftist outreach and education to be more accessible to all. if that is truly your goal, you must eventually reckon with the existence of people who do, actually, really need it presented in a picture book. or an episode of bluey. or a conversation where you only use examples of people they know in real life, using things that happened to them personally. the existence of people who cannot grasp forms of abstract reasoning, who need information presented as rules, or as guidelines, or as categories. the idea that yes, fully grown adults who need daniel tiger to explain racism to them are human beings who not only deserve access to that very thing, but who also deserve to be a part of leftist spaces and benefit from leftist organizing. are people for whom it might be INTEGRAL they get to be a part of leftism. are victims of racism themselves and suffering without access to antiracist spaces and community and support.

and you will need to reckon with the abject cruelty of your peers who laugh and mock the very idea of this. you need to reckon with the fact that a lot of people you respect, a lot of leftists doing genuinely good work, will respond to this by making fun of the people you're serving, even outright telling you their violent fantasies about these people. that is the experience of organizing in leftist spaces for profoundly disabled people. that is why so many of us burn out so fast. there IS a structural problem with mentally disabled people being seen as disposable and not a part of community. and it is EXTREMELY present in leftist organizing and outreach efforts.

[pears-trinkets]

.

[perfectlyvalid49]

Once upon a time I had two women come up to me to tell me about Jesus while I was outside eating lunch by myself. One of them gave me a short spiel about how awesome Jesus is and then asked if I had any questions.

Me: "Well, you're interrupting my lunch, so right now I'm thinking about food. Can I eat Jesus?"

Her: "What? No!"

Me: "Well, at least you're not Catholic. Come back when you have a deity I can eat and then we can talk."

They ran off pretty quick after that. Basically what I've found is that the weirder you are, the quicker they are to leave you alone.

[ssahotchnerr]

how do you think Aaron and reader who are married, react to both being called ‘Agent Hotchner’ and they both answer? That’s so cute, I could just imagine Derek smirking and Rossi having a proud dad moment

the hotchners

AHHH I LOVE THAT cw; bau!reader, established relationship, typical cm case talk, playful banter/fluff 🥰

"The unsub is devolving, they’re getting more reckless," Derek thought aloud, clicking his pen in hand. "He dumped the last victim in a public place, rather than the usual, secluded spot."

"They're losing control." You inputted in agreement, your eyes darting across the conference room table to him.

Aaron leaned down on the table, still standing, but with his palms pressed against the surface. He was next to you, and this stance allowed him to be ever so slightly closer. Your heart warmed by his proximity, as any displays of affection were at a minimum when in the field. You were happy he was just close by. "The next victim will probably be someone they can’t control-"

"Agent Hotchner?" A voice came from behind, hindering the conversation.

"Yes?" Both of you answered swiftly, out of habit, though it was a new habit for you. Your tickled eyes met Aaron's, your nose scrunched up slightly in amusement.

Derek grinned, swiveling back and forth in his chair in observance. Rossi raised his hand to his mouth casually, concealing a chuckle.

The voice in question, one of the local police department's officers, even hesitated himself, as if he didn't know which Hotchner he were to rely the information to.

As soon as you and Aaron got engaged, the discussion of whether or not you'd take his last name was on the table. To avoid confusing situations like these, or to prevent any reputable prejudices. It was rare, but every so often you received grimaces from bystanders, both in the field and in the office back home. Marrying your boss? Either tremendously romantic or something to be frowned upon.

But in the end it was unanimous; you wanted his last name, and as did Aaron. It was even more important to him. A symbol of a bond he couldn’t wait to share with you; an acknowledgment of the life you were about to build together. You and him. The Hotchners.

"Uh- sorry to interrupt. The victim's fiancé is here for their interview. They're waiting in interrogation." He stammered, his gaze switching between the two of you.

"Thank you. We'll send someone in shortly." Aaron replied, politely dismissing the officer. He kept his trained demeanor, but you could hear the laughter underneath his voice.

As his footsteps trailed away, you nudged Aaron, humorously bumping your shoulder into his upper arm.

He kept his gaze on the files laid on the table, his lips spread in a soft smile as he slowly shook his head.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Dave." He didn't even need to look up.

"Hey!" Dave commented, his tone light as he spoke. He held up his hands in surrender, but that didn't diminish from the proud gleam in his eyes; it also happened to be the same one he had adorned on your wedding day. "I didn't say a thing."

"Oh, but it's written all over your face." You quipped also, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"Just when I thought the two of you couldn't be any more married." Derek rolled his eyes, playfully as his lips pulled back into a grin. "What's next? Have you mastered the art of the ‘yes honey’ yet, or is that still a work in progress?"

"Please, that was perfected before we got married." Aaron remarked as he relaxed his posture, straightening up. He flashed a smile in your direction, speaking over Morgan's cackle. "Isn't that right, honey?"

[askshivanulegacy]

Hmm. Don't think I said I didn't care. But I also care about being effective. That's what's wrong with me.

Not everything revolves around this genocide. But that's reality. Do you see people talking about the genocide in the linked articles? In other posts like this one? No, because ... other issues exist in the world which are at play in the election.

Btw, Israel is committing the genocide, not Biden. Why are you apologizing for Israel instead of holding them accountable? Seems like not a great thing to do.

Do you think it'll be Republicans instead of Democrats getting away with genocide if you let them win? Because it will be, and it'll be worse.

Do you recognize that? Do you understand that? Why do you think it's only Democrats who are the problem? Are the Republicans perfect, non-murdering saints?

Lives are worth protecting. But you propose to sacrifice millions to do it. And what is your solution?

Literally, WHAT is your solution? What is going to happen if Trump wins? When you set your emotions aside, what is the chain of your logic that arrives at an end to the genocide?

Step 1, you vote against Biden.

Step 2, Trump wins.

Step 3 ...? What? Does Trump tell Israel to stop? Does he sell them more weapons? Do people have more freedom to protest? What does Trump do that will achieve a meaningful change?

Because all I ever see is a revenge fantasy, and there's nothing after it.

So that's what I want to know. What comes after your revenge fantasy that's worth throwing US lives under the bus? What is the forward progress?

Removing Biden is not progress. It's a neutral result. Something else must actively happen to stop the genocide. If you cannot achieve measurable progress toward your objective then your strategy doesn't exist and you've achieved nothing except to inflict pain on people right here in the states.

Zero forward progress + punishing people at home sounds like a net negative result. I'd rather have zero forward progress + same or better at home. Which is why Biden is the answer and not Trump.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that whatever you think of anything else, Trump Cannot Be President Again.

The "rip apart democracy and install an autocrat" group was not Ready for him in 2016. They didn't think he'd win.

They're ready now. They're teeing up for a second Trump president. Whatever your favorite current Thing, it would be worse under Trump, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they're going to try to make sure that they stay in power forever, by any means necessary.

SCOTUS basically just said, "If Trump sends the Army in to murder protestors, that's okay. If Trump assassinates a political rival with the armed forces of which he is the Commander In Chief, that's an official act, and there's no recourse."

Anything he can even vaguely justify as "an official act" - including installing people in the Justice Department to support his coup, including pressuring his VP to support his coup - is no longer a crime.

This isn't just me saying this, btw. Here's Robert Reich, lifelong public servant (and yes, dad of @samreich, since I know what's important to y'all):

Finally, the Republican-appointed justices have given a dangerous amount of discretion to presidents — broad enough, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted in her dissent, to protect presidents from prosecution for bribes and assassinations. A president already has the authority under the Insurrection Act to order troops into American streets. After today’s ruling, those troops would be under the command of a person who would almost certainly enjoy absolute immunity for the orders he gives them.

This is unbelievably terrifying.