#this goddamn country is so fucking evil and disgusting

[tired-and-swaggy]

happy pride gay people! no more goddamn basic human rights!

[t440]

i love trials and tribulations. but sometimes i hate it, and it's not it's fault at all, but i do. because people play it, then seem to think they're educated enough on japanese society and how it interfaces with familial abuse, sexism, and disability, especially the interaction of japanese traditional masculinity and misogyny or disability, and then try to talk about trials and tribulations, which is a work about these topics, without knowing fucking literally anything about the topics, and so they talk about it, and they make videos hours upon hours long about this game, and they say the most despicably racist and misogynistic and abuse apologist and ableist things possible while insisting that it's a very normal thing to say, and that in fact, this game told them this. and that they did HOURS OF RESEARCH on japanese law so as an american they can 100% confirm that it's not commentary on japanese law. from. HOURS OF RESEARCH! god forbid, having to do research to understand a game from outside of your culture! god forbid we understand a game as commentary on japanese masculinity and misogyny and cultural blindness to familial abuse! god forbid we understand anything within its context! no, we're experts, with our HOURS OF RESEARCH, so we can conclude, factually, 100% logically, that it makes light of abuse, and makes things ""too black and white"", and that it's not a game about the legal system, no, it's a silly lawyer game. it's a lawyer game and silly and it accidentally made an ontologically evil character teehee because the writers are too stupid to handle topics like abuse and misogyny.

like, could you just admit you have a deep-rooted dislike of japanese people and assume the worst intentions of their writing, don't respect their handling of complex topics, don't think it's worth doing more than HOURS OF RESEARCH on a topic as broad as The law of an entire goddamn country, don't care about cultural nuance, don't see japanese women as real people, don't see disabled japanese men as real people, don't want to explore abuse because it's icky to remember children are abused and even ickier for a japanese game to talk about it, and most of all, are completely and utterly disgusted by people from a society you were not raised in attempting to make a game about their own culture because as an american you expect all narratives to be fucking catered to you

anyway i think ace attorney should never have been localized. ace attorney being critiqued without the people making this critique having to think more than passingly about japanese culture is one of the worst things possible

[jellybeanium124]

saw this post and had some thoughts

tell me you're scared to be jewish right now without telling me you're scared to be jewish.

tell me you think everyone will assume you're evil and hold the "wrong" opinions without telling me that.

tell me you're so desperate not to be dog pilled and accused of committing genocide personally without telling me that.

tell me you're terrified and pretending you're not. tell me you're desperate to prove you are on the "right" side. tell me you don't actually wish all your jewish followers a happy hanukkah. just the ones with the "right" beliefs. just the ones who don't think israel should exist. just the ones who follow tumblr-party line.

tell me you're scared of the hate anons. of worse. of doxxing. of hate campaigns.

that you don't think you can say anything positive about jews unless you make your beliefs about the war clear.

that you know people in this community, in your community, your "friends" will be rabidly antisemitic to you if you don't get ahead of those accusations.

fuck that shit.

I'm not guilty. I'm not guilty for saying the blessings and lighting candles. I'm not guilty for celebrating my holiday. I'm not guilty about a foreign war. I don't feel one lick of guilt over what israel and the idf has done. that doesn't mean I like it or support it. that doesn't mean I don't want peace. but I don't have to be guilty for being jewish. I don't have to feel guilty for thinking the state of israel should exist (and at the same time hope for netanyahu and his cronies to get out of power and for better and left-leaning people to come in). y'all don't get to make me feel bad and scared. I refuse to be scared, refuse to cow-tow to popular beliefs. I want peace. I want palestinian liberation. I want israel. and you can't change my goddamn mind.

this website it's showing it's whole ass this hanukkah. happy hanukkah but only to the right jews. not the "zionists." you can only celebrate if you're thinking about palestine for every waking second of your day, and feeling guilty about things you literally have no control over. happy hanukkah only if you're begging for forgiveness for being jewish. happy hanukkah only if you're apologizing for being jewish. happy hanukkah only if you want to see the destruction of the only jewish country on earth. happy hanukkah only if you think what I think and grovel at my feel and cry for the crime of being a dirty disgusting rat kike.

[the-foley-knoll-horror]

Let me also rephrase.

You are right, we should not vote trump. Because Trump will kill everyone, and Harris will save the 1% and kill everyone else.

You look at a woman that wants stronger boarder control, with the blood of an entire country on her hands...and say she's the better option

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

Where is your goddamn anger? How can you sit there and tell people to vote for a mass murderer? How can you tell people to vote for the murder party instead of the murder party, and not feel sick with the horrible words you put on screen? How do you say "we should vote Harris because Trump is worse" and not immediately realize how fucked up the whole thing is?

How do you sit there and say she's the better option? That there is no better option? The left will never demand better from their candidates, they will simply tell themselves that the only other option is worse.

The democrats are actively killing people, and silencing criticisms with "if you point that out you risk Trump winning," and then you turn around an parrot it as if it's good and true.

Sure, Harris wants to spend your money on more boarder control, more cops, more weapons for Israel, but at least none of that affects you, while Trump does.

Disgusting. Abhorrent. Evil. People are dying and you're saying "well there's worse people so put the murderer in power" instead of demanding better.

Take the left to task. Demand better. Get fucking mad.

If nothing else, at least vote third party and try to break the two party system. Stop being okay with voting for people because "at least they're not that other guy".

Don't forget that Biden's platform was largely "at least I'm not trump". Don't accept that as good enough. Demand better.

due to systemic oppression, usamerican leftists don't currently have the political power to instate a leftist president. we do, however, have enough power to make one of two candidates lose the election. we could use this power to make the white supremacist lose to the black woman, or we could use it to make the black woman lose to the white supremacist. the obvious choice for leftists would be to prioritize making the white supremacist lose, but tumblr users have devised a loop hole, where they agitate primarily for making the black woman lose, but omit the detail about who she would be losing to. this makes their stance more palatable to people who correctly believe that having a white supremacist president would be the worst possible outcome.

[cigarettedolly13]

ATP I feel like no matter who wins this election shit is still gonna get pretty bad because what the fuck is going on with the DNC? Why is Israel like…the hill these people are willing to die on? I don’t get it. It would only benefit them politically to support an arms embargo on Israel I mean most of us don’t want our money going to fund wars anyway, and I mean it could EASILY make them actually look better than Trump considering Trump unconditionally supports Israel and is Netanyahu’s favorite candidate. Why are the democrats insisting on staying pro war and being pro military and all that shit when they know we’re sick and tired of them blowing all our tax money on wars? I mean can they not get money from anywhere besides AIPAC??? Can they not just like…like why do they wanna be Hillary Clinton and her stupid husband so bad???? And not to mention all that shit about them not even let a Palestinian speak at the fucking DNC stage??? The person who wanted to speak wasn’t even against the democrats and would’ve only brought attention and humanity to the Palestinians who’ve been suffering for the past 10 months, I did read the speech btw she uploaded it online in case anyone else wanted to read it, BUT YEAH! I’m just so fucking frustrated and sick of this fucking government refusing to listen or work with progressives or pro Palestine activists. Was spending the last 20 fucking years terrorizing Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and others for oil just not enough?????? Why do we need to keep having these endless fucking wars? There’s no fucking reason for this other than the US government on both sides, red and blue are bloodthirsty egomaniac greedy bastards. I’m tired of this. And those motherfuckers making fun of dead Palestinians will NOT see the gates of Heaven. I am not even religious but lord if there’s a heaven they’re not walking through the gates. They will show up at the gates of Heaven and fall through the trap door to the other side (okay maybe that won’t happen but still) I’m just disgusted by these people, and no I don’t think Trump should be president either btw I think Republicans are just as guilty and cartoonishly evil considering Reagan was the reason a lot of this mess started in the first place and they hate everybody anyway. But like…this is just frustrating. I hate seeing the Overton window shift further right in real time. If I wanted to go back to the Bush era I would build a goddamn Time Machine and hop my ass back to the year 2001, I’ll even bring my low rise jeans and baby tees so I can fit in while I watch Bush ruin the country. I’m just…

[stormswrath]

Political Leanings

I suppose with November fast approaching, politics are damned near impossible to avoid nowadays. I've tried to minimize it popping up on me, but I suppose the only way to avoid it is to not be online. Easier said than done. As to what I think of our presidential candidates, it is not flattering for either one. I am going to vote, and I know who I'm voting for, but I'm going to hate it. I always said voting felt like choosing the lesser of two evils. This is the first time I've REALLY felt that. It's a depressing thought.

For me, I've always felt like my political barometer was left of center. While I am relatively indifferent on a lot of hot button issues, one thing I am very much not indifferent about is how people of different demographics are treated. It is obvious what groups the laws of this country favor, and how people outside of those groups are treated or outright dismissed is disgusting. One thing I will always say is I don't care where you come from, where you live, what your ethnic background is, how much money you have in your bank account, what gods you worship, what you identify as, what you have between your legs, or whose genitals you like having in your mouth. No one is above anyone else, and everyone deserves to be seen and heard. To paraphrase Boondock Saints, do not kill, do not rape, do not steal. These are principles anyone can embrace. Being black doesn't make you a criminal. Being white doesn't make you a racist. Being Latinx doesn't make you a drug dealer or a rapist. Being Asian doesn't make you...whatever bad stereotype comes with that, and being LGBTQ doesn't make you a child molester or groomer. I could go on, but I think I made my point. We are who we choose to be, regardless of where we are on that spectrum.

As I said, that is probably my strongly political viewpoint. I am fiscally conservative. While I think it is admirable wanting to have all these programs for disadvantaged groups, if you don't have the money, you don't have the money. I would give some help to people, but I'm not going to financially screw myself to do it.

Gun rights. I do believe owning guns is perfectly fine. I also believe in regulations to attempt to keep guns from people who shouldn't have them. I understand if someone wants a gun badly enough, they will find a way to get one. Doesn't mean we have to make it as easy as walking into a Wal-Mart and saying "Gun me, please". I also don't understand the need for one person to own a triple-digit number of guns. I know gun collecting is a thing. Historical guns, antiques, things like that. But, when you are like this one guy I've met in the past whose proudest achievement is owning 80 rifles and two dozen handguns...yeah, I'm giving you bombastic side-eye.

Immigration. On one hand, I am all about preventing people from illegally crossing our borders. I mean, if you want to come here, do it the right way. At the same time, I'm not going to forget that these people are exactly that. People. And they deserve to be treated as such. And too many people that cry "illegal alien" need to honest with themselves and admit the "illegal" part isn't the problem with them. Own your bigotry.

The fact that things like climate change, poverty, and Covid are political issues is beyond absurd to me. I mean, come on. You managed to politicize a goddamn pandemic that killed millions. And climate change? You literally see and feel it every day. Sure, maybe you can argue the degree to which we affect it, but to deny its very existence? Well, flat-earthers are a thing, so why am I surprised? To quote the late, great George Carlin; "Some people are really fucking stupid!"

As I said earlier, I could on and on about this. But I won't. It saddens me that people don't vote for the good of the country. We vote because our candidate pisses off people who don't agree with us. We vote because we hope our choice will get rid of people who make us uncomfortable or scared. How many people even still read up on who they vote for? We don't learn who they are, what they believe in, or what their goals are. All so many people care about when they vote is what letter comes after their names. The D or the R.

Ok, I'm done. I still encourage anyone who can vote to do so. I hope, if you do, you take one moment to consider everyone in this country, and not just you and yours. I hope you remember the lessons from the past and take that into consideration. I, for one, would really love to see this country's 250th anniversary.

I want to remember what it means to have pride in our country and ALL of its people.

[g3sdogden]

Hate the people acting like voting for biden is going to save us from fascism more than the people who're actively, openly fascist TBH. Part of it is their disgusting paternalistic "you don't know what you're saying" bullshit, which when coupled with them not actually understanding how shitty things are right now and how bad they're going to be REGARDLESS of who wins this next presidential election makes them fucking insufferable

Like, y'all had your chance to show you could push biden leftward; you didn't, and he's actively turned rightward from four years ago, just like we fucking said he would. At this point he's ALSO openly fascist, and unlike trump he's driving us towards a repeat of nazi germany UNOPPOSED, meaning it doesn't fucking matter if he's driving us there more slowly, we're going to get there at roughly the same damn time either way because he's hitting all green lights and isn't getting pulled over every five minutes for speeding and attempting to run red lights

we have ALREADY LOST the fight against fascism, we are ALREADY THERE, and what we're looking at is a question of which senile old man drives this country off that cliff, and the shitstains saying "but you gotta vote blunomattahoo" are actively supporting the rise of fascism. This strategy of yours is why we're in this situation as it stands; it doesn't fucking work! When the only thing we, as a people, can LEGALLY do to affect change is cast or withhold our votes as we wish, then DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE act like us withholding our vote is US being ignorant of the risks! I am already expecting to get rounded up and die in a goddamn concentration camp regardless of which of your dictators win! Why would I help YOU absolve YOURSELVES of your willful compliance with the rise of fascism!? Your "vote for the lesser evil" strategy only works if you're actively planning a goddamn revolution, but you fuckers ain't, so you're just saying you want blussolini instead of cheeto hitler, and that ain't good enough, YOU ain't good enough, I CAN'T vote directly in favor of my own death, and I DON'T have the ability to go making calls like you fuckshits keep thinking works when it absolutely fucking doesn't, so when you say to vote blue no matter what happens, no matter how similar the platforms and actions and attitudes of both parties become, all you're saying is for me and mine to FUCKING DIE QUIETER so you can go back to your fucking brunch!

You want my vote, my worthless spitting into the ocean that's nothing but a performative farce, then you fix your goddamn candidate!

[maxwell-grant]

I’ve really enjoyed your writings on JJBA. You got me to see characters like Dio and Jonathan in ways I never thought of. If you’re still up for Bingo, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Giorno

Thank you! I still want to keep doing these, now that my JoJo hyperfixation is back and won't leave me alone for the time being.

I've always really, really loved Giorno, even back when he was pretty universally-panned in fandom circles as the default worst JoJo. The bad scanlations of Vento Aureo and how they butchered the Western popularity of that part are a story everyone's familiar with by now but, honestly? I don't think the fixed scans are what did it for Giorno. I don't even think it was the anime on it's own. I'd argue the main thing that changed Giorno's reception would be the change of voice actor for the anime.

Because for the longest time the main problem fandom had with Giorno was the idea that he was boring, that he was too dispassionate and unemotional and devoid of personality, and for a long time the only frame of reference they had for the character was the manga scanlation, that really did butcher everyone’s dialogue and personality, and All-Star Battle/Eyes of Heaven, with Daisuke Namikawa doing a decent job as the character but not doing much to dissuade people’s perception of Giorno as monotone. In the aftermath of the anime setting the record straight with Kensho Ono’s performance, and especially those goddamn beautiful WRRYYYEAHs he’s doing, that no longer seems to be as big of a complaint as it used to be. I’m not saying the anime “fixed” Giorno, not in the slightest, the anime basically just adapted what was always there for a much bigger audience, and so people got to see more of Giorno’s sides. Most crucially how emotive and expressive he is, and how funny the 15-year old revolutionary gangster can be.

I’m certainly not saying every criticism levied at Vento Aureo was unfounded, I still need to sit down and reread/rewatch it entirely, but consistently I always thought Giorno ruled. He’s got one of my absolute favorite powersets in the series and one that Araki really, really squeezes versatility out of (to the point I’d still argue Requiem really wasn’t that necessary to defeat Diavolo), I like that he’s built to thrive just as much when he takes a backseat to the action and acts as the planner / support for other characters to rally around and find their own strength, I love all of his dynamics within Bruno’s Gang. I love that he’s scary, actually fucking scary, even besides the whole cosmic horror GER brings to the table, even besides the fact that his normal powerset involves pulling snakes and scorpions and insects out of thin air to hurt and kill people.

He’s the most cutthroat JoJo by leaps and bounds, one who actively grew up wanting to be not just a criminal kingpin, but THE criminal kingpin of his country, one who would employ said resources for the betterment of society. One of the very first battles he’s in, he defeats a villain by going behind his associate’s back and tricking said villain into eating a gun and blasting his brains out. He lies, he bribes, he maims. He has a beetle eat the brain of a serial killer right after turning back on his promise of leaving said killer alive, he even suggests killing civilians if they get in the way of the mission. His selflessness is just as terrifying too, he unhesitatingly chops off his limbs and dives neckfirst into razor blades to assist his partners and eventual friends. He risks death over the prospect of leaving anyone behind, he’s driven to extremes caused by his rage and disgust over innocents and children being victimized by the drug trade, his plans are mind-boggling and brutal and powerful, matched only by his capacity for rallying morale and inspiring others. He’s DIO’s son with Joestar spirit, someone who takes after both, a Noble Champion of the Sun as much as he’s Evil Charisma. The next step in DIO’s evolution.

Giorno kinda feels to me like Araki going back to not just DIO the bedazzling immortal megavillain who rules the world, not even just Dio Brando the enfant terrible turned scourge of humanity, but Mashonen B.T, Araki’s early manga love letter to Sherlock Holmes about a charismatic genius bad boy who uses trickery and underhanded tactics to outfox and defeat opponents, mostly known nowadays for being Dio’s direct prototype in almost every way right down to the design, poses, clothing, etc, a short-lived character who was too controversial a protagonist for Shonen Jump at the time. Araki’s gone back to Dio a lot over every part exploring the facets of his existence and Giorno is one of them, one that allowed him to go all the way back to the initial bad boy protagonist he had and redo him accordingly. A Dio who wasn’t born Evil Incarnate, who didn’t grow up to become this century-wide bloodline cancer and embodiment of fate and gravity center of all that is evil and bizarre, who got to once again apply his talents and smarts against those worse than himself. 

And this is kind of related to why I think Giorno loses a lot of what makes him important and thematically interesting when he’s made out to be the son of Jonathan as well, even though it’s an idea I do like. Because Giorno’s whole deal is that he’s the son of the Ultimate Evil who grows up into something much better. Part 5′s big theme is people dealt with bad circumstances breaking free, breaking free from the chains of fate and the burdens imposed on them, with Giorno as the one who did it first and then went on to help Buccellati and others do the same. 

Jotaro Kujo, the protagonist of the third series Stardust Crusaders, leavesfor his journey already accepting the bond that links him to his grandfather and his grandfather’s great-grandfather (Jonathan’s father) – there are six generations between them. In this case we can affirm that Dio Brando, the enemy, represents Destiny and Fate.

While i was writing the fifth series, Vento Aureo, i asked myself how the simple fact to be born could have been something to be sad of for someone. Men can’t decide to be born or not. Just like some might be born in happy families, others grow up in awful environments.

So, what should these people do, if Destiny and Fate are something that someone else, like a God or some Great Law who rules the universe and the stars, had already decided for them? 

This is the main theme that revolves around Vento Aureo and the same theme that the protagonists and their enemies must deal with.

Giorno, Buccellati, Fugo, Narancia, Abbacchio and Mista. Each one of them grew up or if we want to be more accurate, was forced to grow up, against their will, at the margin of society. I think its the same for Trish, the daughter of the Boss. 

Will they (Giorno & Co.) be able to fight Destiny and Fate and to change them? While i was working on this series i kept thinking about it. - Vento Aureo post-scriptum

Giorno is DIO’s ultimate legacy, like Pucci, tuned in a completely opposite direction. He grows up to become like DIO, but better. He is a brilliant, skilled genius, who applies his intelligence towards helping others and working for the betterment of society in a way neither Dio nor the Joestars ever really did. He is someone who is able to convince others to lay down their lives for him without a moment’s hesitation, because he makes friends and partners and unhesitatingly lays down his life for their sake in return. He is charming, attractive and charismatic, traits that make him a great leader and one who allows others around him to thrive and find their own strength. He heals himself and others efficiently without using vampirism. He creates life instead of consuming it, he fights with nature instead of perverting it. He stands proud in the sunlight instead of cowering from it. He is terrifyingly determined, and applies said horrific determination for far greater purposes than just stripping flesh from the weak and flexing over cadavers. 

He caps this off by attaining the actual strongest Stand in existence, with no equal to oppose him, and by taking command over the world’s largest criminal empire. He is DIO, but better, and not just morally. Him being the son of DIO who goes on to inherit many of his father’s traits, and apply them for the sake of good, is a powerful statement of intent right out the gate and sets the tone for all the big ideas Vento Aureo’s playing with. His moral greyness, the ways in which he shows us how good he is at lying and cheating and killing, and his abject refusal to endanger innocents and children and cross certain lines, are instrumental to what makes the character work. 

Which is something you don’t really get to that effect, if he’s the son of Jonathan. If he’s directly a Joestar, you don’t really get the idea that he was someone born to a terrible fate who was able to turn this fate around for the better, instead it becomes more like he was a JoJo tainted by DIO’s intrusion into the bloodline, and that his DIO-isms serve to make him lesser rather than be instrumental to what makes him better than his father. It makes his existence tied up in DIO’s transgressions against the Joestars, rather than DIO as an entity and bottomless wellspring of evil in his own right, and it places Giorno in a kind of unwanted place almost as a bastard of two families at once. 

I do understand where it comes from in that, it’s sorta like that trope you see in fantasy for young adults or children sometimes where a character raised by neglectful or abusive parents eventually discovers their “true” heritage, like some great hero dad that couldn’t be around for them or a saintly mother who died before they were born, and this becomes sort of a catalyst for their own rise into heroism. I think it’s kind of like that, when people think of Giorno as Jonathan’s son or someone whose real father is Jonathan. 

That desire for Giorno to have something like a proper family, to have someone he takes his heroism from (rather than just a vague Joestar spirit), to make it so that he doesn’t have to be the son of a wretched disease of a man (and the implication that being so makes him lesser). I truly do understand parts of where this fantasy comes from, the idea that Giorno should be able to disown DIO and have a real father who’s not, well, DIO, but I truly do like that Araki avoided this route and that he never had it be ambiguous that Giorno is DIO’s son, Joestar spirit or not. 

Giorno’s story is that he was born into awful circumstances, mistreated and abused and neglected by everyone around him, and undergoing ensuing death of personality as early as the age of 2 that put him well on his way to either being dead, or being rotten to the core like his father, before a random stroke of fate gave him the chance to rise above and let his soul shine as he’d found a dream to believe in. He’d go on to provide this kind of assistance towards others around him, including a girl who herself was born from a vastly powerful ultimate villain. Giorno would go on to defeat and dethrone said ultimate villain and usurp his reign, and in the process, achieve exactly what DIO spent the past century and a half striving for. He’d surpass his fate, surpass his bloodline, and become number one, and he ends his story seated on a throne, waiting patiently as the world lines up to bend the knee before him

While I don’t think of Giorno as Jonathan’s son (not that he doesn’t have Joestar in him), I do think he goes a long way towards proving something that Araki established all the way back in Phantom Blood and would continue to play around with in the other parts, and Vento Aureo especially with the ways Diavolo contrasts Giorno: That evil, true evil, is not just selfish, petty and self-destructive, but also pointless. Useless Useless Useless, as it were, because Dio could have achieved everything he’d wanted, all of his dreams big and small, had he worked with the Joestars instead of against them. That part of the tragedy of what went down between Jonathan and Dio is that, together, they really did make for an excellent team, that they could have achieved anything and overcome whatever came their way. 

In Phantom Blood, it was ultimately a tragedy that these extraordinary halves representing mankind were set against each other, that fate set these two on collision course forevermore. But with Vento Aureo, we get to see what happens when said halves work in tandem to achieve the extraordinary, and break the chains of fate that define them. You get Giorno, who breaks the chains of those around him, breaks the paradigm by which the series had been adhering to, and  breaks the curse to forge his own future.

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (May 22/2021) - Pursuit of Peace

Quackity goes searching for new recruits to join him in Las Nevadas.

Foolish wonders if his way of life is really working towards peace, or if he needs a change.

Ranboo builds up the stronghold room for his Enderwalk experiments.

---

VOD LINKS:

Foolish

Quackity

Foolish

Ranboo

---

---

LAS NEVADAS: EPISODE THREE

---

Quackity rides a white horse and overlooks the construction site where the plans for Las Nevadas have been laid out. There is a montage that shows Quackity in New L’manburg, then hunting down Techno in the Final Control Room. 

Techno strikes him down and Quackity wakes up at Spawn with a bloody scar over one eye.

There is a rapid timelapse showing the buildings of Las Nevadas getting built one by one. Slot machine sound effects play in the background, then Quackity’s voice:

“Let’s start this hit list. Who’s on the hit list? Dream and Technoblade. If we go after Dream first, we’ll have government, and then Techno will go after us. So let’s just -- let’s just attack the problem from the goddamn root.”

Another rapid-cut montage of Quackity walking down the path to the prison, then a full view of Pandora’s Vault...

---

- Quackity is in the cell with Dream, telling him he’ll show him which weapon he’ll use to torture him this time. He puts an axe up on the wall. While Quackity is talking, Dream suddenly runs up to try and take the axe. Quackity hits him back and grabs it

- Dream cowers in the corner of the cell, pleading, while Quackity shouts at him

Quackity: “You do that again, and it’s over for you. Don’t fucking ever do that again. You understand?”

Dream: “Yes.”

Quackity: “Don’t ever reach for any of my fucking weapons ever again. Okay?”

Dream: “Yes, sir.”

- Quackity says these visits have gotten tiresome, and he’s busy. The Netherite barrier wall is put up between them and the lava. Dream tells him he doesn’t have to visit anymore.

Quackity: “No, I do, I do. This is what you don’t understand, Dream. This is what you don’t understand, okay? I do, I do have to come, every single day, so I can remind you, every bad shit you’ve ever done to me, to any other person on the server -- I have to come every day to remind you, otherwise I think you’ll end up forgetting, and I don’t think I want you to forget.”

Dream: “Forget -- I won’t forget -- I promise you I won’t forget!”

- Quackity asks him when was the last time he saw Technoblade. Dream says it was a little bit before he was put in the prison.

- Quackity asks what their relationship is like, and Dream describes Techno as one of his only allies. Quackity throws Dream a book and quill and tells him to get writing: a note to Technoblade to get him to visit the prison

- If he writes the note and doesn’t ask any questions, then he’ll give Dream a week’s break from the torture. Dream thinks he’s lying and refuses to write the note

- Dream suggests Sapnap instead and Quackity snaps. 

Quackity: “If you don’t do that shit, then we’re gonna have issues, alright? You know what? I’m kinda sick and tired of these fucking visits now that I think about it. I’m actually sick and tired! I don’t like ‘em anymore! They’re boring, they really don’t serve any much more purpose, I don’t like ‘em anymore Dream. So this is what we’re gonna do. You either write that goddamn note, or I will kill you. I am not joking, I will fucking kill you, I don’t care anymore, I don’t --”

“What is it, the book? Are you threatening me with the fucking revival book, Dream? Guess what, Dream? I don’t CARE anymore about the book! I don’t give a crap about the fucking book anymore! You understand me? I don’t give a shit! I’ve lost interest in that thing! At this point, the only reason I come and torture you so much, every single day, is merely as a reminder, because at the end of the day, no matter how many times I fucking torture you, that will never amount the amount of fucking evil you’ve done to this entire server and everyone in it--”

Dream: “It’s -- it’s ‘cause you LIKE IT! You LIKE torturing me!”

Quackity: “You know what? You know what? I might, I might. I don’t give a shit, I don’t care what it is, what the reason is, if you don’t write that goddamn note -- I’m going to kill you, Dream. I am going to kill you.”

- Dream says Sam wouldn’t let Quackity kill him, but Quackity points out that Sam is beyond the lava wall, and he can deal with Sam later if need be. Dream shouts that he wouldn’t.

- Quackity starts swinging the axe around, then starts stabbing Dream while Dream begs for him to stop. Dream agrees to write it. 

Quackity tells him what to write: 

“Dear Technoblade...”

-

Chapter One.

-

There’s a village at night. It’s raining. 

Easy job.

Foolish is there.

No innocents.

Big reward.

Easy money.

He draws his bow.

Peaceful heist.

He shoots the arrow into the village.

The village is ablaze and full of lava, people are screaming. Foolish rides off on a horse.

-

THE PURSUIT OF PEACE

-

- A bell rings. It’s Las Nevadas, and Quackity coughs, eating, while Sam comes through the door and sits down in front of him. Quackity asks where Sam found the villager running the restaurant. Sam says he just showed up, and Quackity scolds him for hiring someone random

- Quackity hands him a book with potential roles for candidates, people to join Las Nevadas. Sam says he thought he was going to hire George, Sapnap and Karl. They both pause before Sam says he was kidding

- Quackity asks Sam to tell him about Foolish. Sam has read that Foolish isn’t a good person. Quackity scoffs, but Sam says the two of them haven’t done anything inherently bad, and everything they do is just for justice

Quackity: (laughing) “Yeah, ‘justice.’”

- Foolish used to kill a lot of people. A job gone wrong written about in old history texts. Quackity still thinks he’d be a great option. 

- In the future, who’s going to protect them? Sam knows what happened with Quackity and Techno, and they need some force in their team. Sam is still skeptical

---

- Quackity greets Foolish at the summer home entrance, asking how he’s holding up after the Banquet, the places he’s affiliated with

- Foolish is done with contract work for Kinoko Kingdom. Quackity asks him if he’d like to join Las Nevadas. Foolish is honored, but he’s happy at his summer home. As Quackity presses him on it, Foolish keeps insisting

Quackity: “I know who you are, if that makes a little more sense...I’ve done my research, Foolish, I have my connections. I know what type of person you are, if you get what I mean...”

- Foolish tells him this peaceful life has worked

Foolish: “I believed peace could be found through the sword, you know? Fighting. That doesn’t work, okay. That just leads to fear, to power, to hatred, resentment, all of that, okay, it’s a mess. The only thing I did was accelerate war, okay? That doesn’t work. So I pushed back, I ran from it all, and this is good! I’m in a much happier place!”

- Quackity then says he wants to buy Foolish’s summer home from him...for one diamond. Foolish is taken aback as Quackity explains that for all the work Foolish has put into this, it’s just a build. 

No one stays here, they just admire and leave it. It is an empty shell that’s beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, it’s decaying, something that will disappear in time with no one to remember it...much like Foolish himself.

Quackity: “On the inside, everybody knows you’re...just a builder. And I was hoping, at some point, you would realize this...after I let you die at the Red Banquet.”

- Foolish is shocked. Quackity was behind those walls and he could have saved Foolish, but instead he watched him die. Foolish draws his trident, and Quackity asks if he would really take a life

Quackity: “I did it for you. I let you die because I wanted a better version of you.”

- He wanted Foolish to realize that this life as a builder would get him hurt, and he needs to go back to his old ways: feared, not a nobody

Foolish: “You threw away my life for some kind of fucking sales pitch!”

“Power...power...damn you, Qua -- what makes you think you’re any better, huh?! How’s that worked out for anyone else that’s been here? Dream? Wilbur? Schlatt? How’d that go, huh? What makes you any better, different, than them?”

- Quackity doesn’t need a sales pitch, his country is already big and other people would take the offer. 

The reason he came to Foolish is because Quackity sees himself in Foolish: someone who once saw peace and betterment of people as the way to live. It brought him nothing but suffering, and Foolish has potential

The offer still stands.

-

Chapter Two.

-

An old-fashioned documentary plays about: the Slime! 

Slimes are morphing elements that can morph into just about anything, even blocks. Is Dwane “The Rock” Johnson slime?

---

- Quackity glides down onto the roof of the restaurant in a ninja outfit and elytra, setting up redstone and TNT in the floor. There’s a bit of slime on the wall and he’s disgusted, running out. This is why he wants to kill the owner of this place

- He mines into the wall only for Charlie Slimecicle to pop out. Quackity knocks him out 

- When Charlie wakes up, he’s stuck in a hole and Quackity is interrogating him, asking who he is. Charlie says he is a definitely “goobless guy” who has many bones.

Charle: “Dap me up!”

- As Charlie describes what happened, it becomes clear that Charlie has overheard all sorts of passing conversations and knows a lot. He knows too much, and Quackity has to kill him

- Quackity asks what else he knows. Charlie gets distracted by the snow, which Quackity teaches him is called “coke”

- Charlie saw Foolish, the purple guy, he knows of a green guy, a red-shirt blond guy, a dead-but-not-anymore-guy. Quackity asks about the dead guy, who Charlie describes as “sooty”

- Quackity realizes that Charlie is an accidental spy and tells Charlie this is just a friendly greeting, he can give Charlie a home. He coughs again and tells Charlie that a spy is a friend, and Charlie will be his spy as the two walk off together

-

Chapter Three.

-

---

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE RED BANQUET

---

A purple-tinged POV of a person walking down the path through the Community House as Quackity and Sam talk in the background.

It’s been so long, he might be dead in the woods somewhere, but Quackity insists that Purpled is perfect for their country. Sam doesn’t think he would ever join, doesn’t think he would ever affiliate with anyone.

What about a job? 

The UFO is destroyed.

If Quackity offers him a one-time job, Purpled would take it. Once he has Purpled’s attention, Quackity can do something to reel him in to join the country.

Rowing to the skull base...

Sam says Purpled’s UFO is still there, but abandoned. He moved out along time ago. Quackity has a plan...

---

- Quackity and Sam are talking by Eret’s Museum. Sam is in charge of keeping an eye out for Purpled. Sam protests -- he’s the Warden and Quackity is breaking and entering, and he’s not supposed to break the law. 

- Quackity has a stack of TNT. He climbs up the UFO and starts placing TNT everywhere inside

- Purpled logs on right in front of him and immediately starts attacking, but stops when Quackity threatens to light the TNT, explaining that this was the best way to get in contact with him

- Quackity tells him about how messed up the server is, that the Egg is still an issue, and he needs Purpled’s help. 

- Purpled is in the middle of a mercenary job already, but Quackity will pay Purpled well. He has a new project getting him wealth, a prosperous country. To prove it, Quackity takes him there...

---

The Red Banquet happens. A fight breaks out, and they get the Eggpire to retreat.

---

- Quackity stands on top of the flower shop. He meets Purpled, dressed in his suit, and thanks him for his help with the Egg

- Purpled stops him to ask for his money. Quackity takes him up to the roof and shows him to a chest with the money in it. Purpled approves

- Quackity has something else for Purpled: he goes downstairs and flicks a lever, and Purpled’s UFO explodes

Quackity: “Purpled, your legacy is gone, and I’ve taken it from you. That’s the last piece of evidence that you were ever here, Purpled. That’s it. And you die a long with it. You die along with it -- YOU DIE ALONG WITH IT, PURPLED!”

- Purpled runs at Quackity, attacking him. Quackity stops him, saying he did it for him. Purpled has two choices: he can take Quackity’s life and run away with the money, and he disappears forever. Or, he could join Quackity.

- Quackity tells Purpled he has potential, why waste it away? If Purpled joins him, he can buy a whole fleet of UFOs to replace the one

- Quackity promises Purpled a plot of land in Las Nevadas

Quackity: “Take the gamble, Purpled...take the gamble, and you can change everything.”

- Silently, Purpled turns and walks away

-

Chapter Four.

-

- Fundy walks to his new house in the forest and goes to sleep. When he wakes up, he opens the door to find it’s a mesa biome. He’s upset and goes back inside, reassuring himself. When he opens the door again, he’s met with Quackity standing there

- Quackity invites him to a walk, saying Fundy was a hard person to find, but he found him

- Fundy asks what this place is, but Quackity says he should know it better than anyone. As they approach, the mesa is populated by bits and pieces of L’manburg. The wooden stilts of New L’manburg, fragments of the black walls, the Camarvan. Quackity reminisces with him

- Fundy isn’t sure that the drug equipment is necessarily “good memories,” but Quackity tells him no, everything is good memories

- As Quackity leads him towards an oversized, deteriorated version of Eret’s tower, he reminds Fundy of how L’manburg was blown up

- Quackity steps into the shadows

Quackity: “You know what, Fundy? Those memories don’t matter. None of that matters, Fundy. All these structures, all these things we built together...it’s here now, but it’s really gone, and none of it matters, nor will it ever matter...Fundy, if you think about it...you don’t matter. Along with all these structures and everything in ‘em, you’re gonna fade away just like it.”

- If Fundy doesn’t change things, he won’t matter, but Quackity has plans and he doesn’t have to fade away if he just joins Quackity

- Quackity gives him ten seconds to decide. He starts counting down...

- Fundy runs towards him into the darkness as Quackity reaches one and he wakes up suddenly in his bed

- He goes to his door and opens it. Outside is the regular spruce forest, and Quackity is there to greet him.

---

It’s the day Wilbur got a tour from Tommy. Wilbur walks over to his resurrection shrine and finds the “PROJECT NEVADAS” book, reading it.

---

Las Nevadas. Wilbur, revived, comes walking down the road. 

He comes face to face with Quackity.

---

- Foolish stands on top of his temple, wondering...was Quackity right? Is he wasting his time here, accomplishing nothing? He isn’t really doing anything to work towards peace

- He stands in the beacon light. Can Quackity do better than everyone else that’s tried before him? Quackity wasn’t all wrong in what he said

- At the Banquet, when he did try to help, he wasn’t strong enough. He can’t even control his own area -- people just walk in and he can’t stop them. Does he need to try something else?

- Maybe there’s a balance between both ends of the spectrum. It wouldn’t hurt to go look, try something different

- He starts making the journey through the Nether, then past Spawn until he reaches Las Nevadas. Just to visit and look around

- Can he really trust someone who let him die?

- Foolish spots Quackity across the road and goes to speak with him. The casino is still going through some repairs, as they found some flaws with the “math” and want to make sure everything is fair

- Foolish asks what Quackity wants from him. Quackity tells him it’s up to him what he wants to do, and it wouldn’t be fair of Quackity to tell Foolish that until Foolish accepts the invitation

- Quackity tours Foolish around the place, showing off the various buildings, like a restaurant and an area for weddings. Quackity sleeps in the Needle. There’s also a strip club also undergoing repairs and a massive Eiffel Tower

- They swim in the pool and Quackity asks Foolish to tell him a bit more about himself. Foolish says he worked for Kinoko Kingdom and Snowchester, and Quackity wants him to elaborate a bit on Kinoko

- Quackity tells Foolish that Las Nevadas is “its own, independent nation” and that you can’t depend on anyone. Quackity wants to depend on only himself. 

- Foolish asks about the people who might not like that it’s a nation. Quackity says he just doesn’t have a plan and he’ll deal with it when the time comes

- Quackity tells Foolish he’s welcome to bring others. Foolish notes that Quackity said he doesn’t like to “dwell,” and by coming here maybe Foolish can stop dwelling on the past as well

- Quackity tells Foolish that Foolish chooses who he wants to be. The last thing he wants with Foolish is bad blood

Quackity: “I take care of those who take care of me...why do you think I have no one around?”

- Foolish tells him he’ll have an answer tomorrow. Quackity gives him temporary tokens for the casino and says goodbye to go and sleep. Foolish thinks to himself in Las Nevadas

- That’s when Foolish spots Fundy on the road and the stream abruptly ends

- Ranboo is in his basement. He wants to move the lab equipment to the table area

- He has an experiment log book that he won’t show chat

- Ranboo reads the letter Foolish left for him about the littering at his summer home

- He has a plan for what experiments he wants to do. He’s changed his opinion on the Enderwalk, as it allows him to hear chat in the first place. He doesn’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing

- Ranboo reaches the stronghold portal room and starts lining the walls with iron blocks. He thinks that after today, he might be able to remember everything

- He creates a glass water tank in the corner and some brewing stands, as well as a lever-activated dispenser with arrows

- Ranboo hit a wall with the experiments and he wonders if this strange table might be the key to breaking through

- He realized something frightening:

Ranboo: “The Enderwalk isn’t a different version of me, it’s not a different me, it’s still...me. But, from what I gathered...it’s me with...all of my memories. Every. Single. One. And I realized that...so...I mean, who knows what could’ve happened? There could’ve been an entire other story that I’m not aware of.”

- Ranboo wonders if he wants to keep living in blissful ignorance or know everything that’s happened

- He opens the log: 

---

[In Ender]

Purpose of experimentation:

To understand

To learn

To remember

---

To remember is one of the purposes. There are 43 pages, and one of them had the solution.

If it gets rid of it completely, he could lose all of what he didn’t know from before. It could either be good or unknown.

- He tells chat he tricked them. They weren’t just random experiments -- he was going to solve it, and he thought he needed chat with him. 

He didn’t need a splash potion. He would use the arrow and go into the water tank, and that would be the solution.

- Ranboo goes back and blocks up the hall, deciding to only use it as a last resort if something happens.

Only if something happens.

He “welp” claps to end stream.

[ratfuck]

sorry i never voice opinions but i saw your nato post and as a central/east european, dont. i get the sentiment, every government sucsk but we're so tired. all generations of my family had to fight one slaver or the other up to me, and we've only been truly free over here for like 30 years, so as a westerner take a hint when you see that for generations we prefer to die than give in to russia and realise west is the lesser evil we fought to join for so long. help ukraine bc i dont want to be nex

im assuming you belong to a NATO country, honestly I wouldn't worry about being "enslaved" by Russia again as they have been very communicative that they do not want to risk a war with the alliance

What the Kremlin is doing is evil, and I am absolutely not justifying or excusing this fucking disgusting war. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of posts of people condemning the Russian government, which is all said and good, but very few criticize the West's involvement in this charade. The fucking rejuvenation of NATO as a goddamn tool to expand American colonial interests. Fucking funneling billions of dollars of fucking military hardware is not going to help a ceasefire or comprehensive peace talks (the only realistic way this ends is a negotiated ceasefire and peace deal where Ukraine doesn't join NATO). Sending switchblade kamikaze drones is not going to fucking help the 3.5 million refugees that have flooded over into Poland and neighboring countries. The US won't assist outside of military arms and intelligence, with humanitarian aid barely fucking making the headlines. We're using the fucking conflict to test out new weapon systems

if we want hostilities to fucking END between the goddamn east and west we (the US) REALLY FUCKING NEED to get our goddamn heads out of our asses and fucking stop expand military and economic pressures onto the goddamn doorstep of every country that opposes hegemonic rule by the US

[raxistaicho]

The Roselle...

I’m jumping ahead, but I realized I HAD to liveblog my thoughts as they came to my head, this scene is too awful.

The Roselle just get worked to death, and then left lying until it’s convenient to remove the corpses. And the other Roselle don’t even react. This is NORMAL to them.

This is sheer hatred and disregard for human lives, there’s not even any cold, sick practicality at play here! As cold a bastard as he is, Gustadolph at least wouldn’t work them until they dropped, if only because it would dig into productivity.

Fuck these Hyzantian monsters.

There’s other dead ones. No, except that one didn’t collapse; they’ve got a darkened pool of blood beneath them. Whipped to death? Just put down when they couldn’t work any harder? These fucking MONGRELS deserve the most miserable ends. How many just die during a working day? And there’s so many children too! 

And they’re all so miserable. An utterly broken, downcast people. And this awful worship, which surely only amounts to being told what horrible wretches they are, is probably the only time of the day where they’re allowed to stop working without being killed for it.

SO YOU CAN LINE YOUR COFFERS. EVERYTHING COMES BACK TO YOUR DISGUSTING GREED, THE SALTIRON WAR, EVEN AESFROST’S DESPERATION COMES FROM YOU GOUGING THE EYES OF EVERYONE WHO’S NOT ONE OF YOUR PRECIOUS FUCKING BELIEVERS.

Astounding how Edelgard’s detractors look at Aesfrost and go, “Hmm, yes, why did they allow meritocracy to ruin the realm, smfh.”

YOU MEAN LIKE YOU FUCKERS ARE DOING RIGHT NOW!?

Also, I’ll eat my fucking shirt if that’s not a goddamn lie.

This is just... fucking absurd. Is Idore having a great big laugh on the inside or is he truly this fucking deluded that he can’t comprehend that he’s describing his own fucking country right goddamn now.

There can be no compromise with this kind of audacious cruelty. Any ending in which these people aren’t freed is unconscionable.

GRAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

“Well then, I think I’ll begin by burning out your tongue!”

They’ve been taught to hate themselves. It’s... FHJDLKSJKLFDSAJHKFNBJKDNJKFLDVDVDVDVDVDVDVJKHI.

GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH WHAT IS THIS!?

Lashed when they can’t meet impossible quotas, left to die when they’re pushed beyond their limit, replaced by children when they die!?

FUCK THIS PLACE. FUCK HYZANTE. FUCK EVERY HYZANTIAN WHO TURNS A BLIND EYE TO THIS.

There’s no words for this kind of inhumanity.

Oh, you can be certain that there won’t. I’ll see to that.

There’s just things you have to take a stand on. Even in in the face of survival, there’s evils too wicked to condone. I will NOT send Jerrom and his people into this kind of misery!!!

More power to them. I hope they smash that goddamn wall down and cast the Hyzantians down into the Source.

How is this even a question...

[transsexualhamlet]

sherlock holmes reactions part six (aka me losing my mind over the final problem)

Hi, I am once again reminding you all that I've formed a parasocial relationship with the crackhead detective 👍 This made me overly emotional for the fact that he didnt even die

But like

hhhmmmmmmmm those were certainly an interesting 14 pages

Yeah, I already made a post about how the final problem relates to yuumori's final problem and how incredibly sexy it is but yes now I'd just like to relay to you how absolutely heart brocken i am over this lol I will eventually get to reading the post hiatus stories i just. I haven't emotionally recovered from this yet

Yelling below the cut somehow this reaction feels longer than the story itself. but it's about half cracking jokes and half sobbing so be prepared

I mean, starting off strong with "well yknow since i got married my and sherlock's Very Intimate Relations had to be modified and all but we hadnt seen each other in a while so it was kind of jarring to see him crawling in my second story bedroom window clutching Wounds and closing the shutters absolutely fucking wasted losing his mind over some dude named moriarty"

We've been over this but. Oh my god why are they gay

I just like????? Imagine how fucking bizzare that would be to just see your old homie crawl into your window bleeding on your floor and asking to exit the other way in case he's followed like "hey bro can we Talk i hope you're not busy" WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO, SAY HE IS? Imagine watson just like "no dude I'm fucking busy go get killed"

But legitimately. That's certainly something. And like, I see a lot of books starting like this lmao but. Holmes's stuff usually starts off kind of easily with watson going "yeah so lately ive been Experiencing Sherlock Holmes" and spend 20 minutes on exposition with them having a Conversation but no. mans just fucking escaped a hitman and went directly to his boyfriend's house having apparently Never Before In His Goddamn Life mentioned his actual nemesis to this guy. How the FUCK has watson never heard of him before.

And how sherlock starts talking about it isn't any less funny he's just like "UHHH SO THERE'S THIS GUY. THIS ABSOLUTE MAN. AND HES REALLY IMPRESSIVE I MEAN HES LIKE SUPER FUCKING SMART AND HES LIKE DOING CRIMES????? SO I LIKE. I NOTICED AS I DO BUT HE NOTICED THAT I NOTICED AND I MIGHT HAVE MADE A LITTLE FUCKY WUCKY DUDE CAN YOU HELP ME LIKE. FLEE THE COUNTRY" and watson's like my dear sherlock What The Fuck

Im also loving how he calls moriarty a "mathematical celebrity" awhi;grih;oaewhhta;ioh;iaewh;ii;oewh;eh;rg mans just. ok lol hes a Math Celebrity that had to quit his math teacher job because EVERYONE JUST KNEW HE WAS A CRIME LORD LIKE THEY TOOK ONE LOOK AT HIM AND WENT MANS DEFINITELY HAS BODIES IN HIS BASEMENT I DONT WANT HIM TEACHING HERE

But yeah, it was interesting to see what the big deal about og moriarty was... especially since the deal simply did not deliver. There was not really a big deal. It's like reading the first chapter of a book and immediately skipping to the climax. Everything is so hyped up and clearly having been building for years and you just get like NO CONTEXT. I swear Moriarty wasn't goddamn mentioned any time before this. He's just suddenly the big guy and watson has just never fucking heard shit about this guy.

What's so funny about this whole situation is that I just. Cannot objectively know anything about Moriarty at all because sherlock just... does not go into what this dude's alleged crimes even were, other than. The fact that he like. Does them. He's just really involved in crimes. How? Why? For how long? In what way? For what purpose? NO FUCKING CLUE HE JUST. HE JUST DOES. And there's nothing to really suggest that Moriarty was honestly a really evil guy. They're all like trust me he was just. he was just really bad but show absolutely No examples of being such. The most evil thing we saw Moriarty do personally was call sherlock stupid for letting him get into the apartment. And even then he immediately followed it up with complimenting him lol

yeah, my impression of Moriarty was like. I expected him to be worse, honestly. I expected him to be like a cartoon villain because he was kind of made out to be one and then he's just honestly a really polite and refined guy?? Mans strolls the fuck into 221B like hi shawty and it is Not like yuumori obviously man's holding a gun but like. What the fuck they are just. They have never met before but They Clearly Have and it's. its so weird

Like honestly I don't dislike og moriarty. He's really what william tried to be (and fucking failed, but beside the point) but like. Dude's so powerful and for what. He just walks into the apartment with No Pretense like why sherlock holmes is that a revolver or are you just happy to see me oh my goodness you are a dolt why would you hold the gun that way. disgusting. disgraceful. dreadful. Oh my god. I love him I'm sorry

abngnahhghifeah;iewh and Why does sherlock describe him like that hes like "MANS A REALLY REFINED LIZARD /pos" HIEHIFEHW:HGIHOEWFEEW FOR WHAT. FOR W H A T

baaaaaaaaghhhhhh but likeeeee they went STRAIGHT to "you know what I'm here for" "you know how I'm going to respond" "well then" "yeah" "mhm" "damn well it really do be like that sometimes" "ur really smart by the way" "im fucking aware let's kill each other as we both Thought in our Minds" "yes lets" AHDHDHDHDFS WTF THIS IS INSANE

But damn uh. mutual destruction my beloved this is very different from sherliam but im not. im not. opposed to it tucks hair behind ear

I just. Holy shit they really went "if you destroy me I will ensure that we both go down hand in unlovable hand" "I wouldn't mind that"

Annnnd I just noticed that the actual lines for this part kind of. that kind of happened in chapter 31 when sherlock was like i would Gladly die to take down the lord of crime and william was like. hahahah yeahNO NO NO NO

BUT SERIOUSLY THO IM LOSING MY MIND OVER HOW SHERLOCK SAYS THIS WHOLE THING TO WATSON AND HES LIKE DAMN SHAWTY HES LIKE THE REASON FOR HALF THE CRIME IN THIS CITY BUT HES SO NICE THO??? LIKE I EXPECTED HIM TO BE TOUGH AND EVERTHING NO HES JUST SOME POLITE PROPER UNDERSTANDABLE MAN WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE VERY DIABOLICAL shawty is having a Crisis

And then watson is like wowww that was cool you wanna spend the night and sherlock is like "UNFORTUNATELY BESTIE I AM BEING FUCKING TRACKED DOWN ID LIKE YOU TO NOT DIE WITH ME"

This bit gave me a Moment Moment because oh my god. Then watson is like "no shut up i'm coming with you i don't care" and i just had to Take A Minute because THEY SWITCHED PLACES AAH SHERLOCK IS TRYING TO KEEP WATSON SAFE NOW AND WATSON IS NOW MORE RECKLESS BC OF HIM AND. AHHHH

Completely random but. How sherlock still refers to 221B as "our rooms" to watson even though watson hasn't lived their in years........ shawty i am emotional.........

SO THEY GODDAMN FLEE THE COUNTRY TOGETHER BC WATSON SAYS THEY HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER AND SHERLOCK HAS A MOMENT WHERE HE'S LIKE YEAH NEVERMIND PLEASE GO HOME WATSON AND WATSON IS JUST LIKE. NO. AND HSERLOCK IS LIKE. DAMN OK I HAVE NEVER HEARD YOU SAY THAT BEFORE

But. Ok as funny as this is. They have this fucking Conversation on the train to switzerland where sherlock is like "I have not lived in vain" and watson is like "YOURE NOT DYING" and hes like "i have not lived in vain. like i said. this will not be a bad way to die" UHHHHHH DAMN SHAWTY

hhhhhh and it just Gets. it. it. it Gets. These fuckers get to switzerland and they stay in a hotel and then leave for reichenbach but watson gets this goddamn letter telling him that hes needed at the hotel to basically save this lady's life. And he doesn't. Like. he doesn't even want to go he's like FUCK IT SHE CAN DIE IM NOT LEAVING YOU but sherlock convinces him to go fULLY KNOWING THE LETTER WAS FUCKING FAKED BY MORIARTY JUST AS A PLOY TO GET HIM ALONE

AND THEN HE JUST. WENT ANYWAY AND WATSON HAD TO WATCH HIM JUST LIKE GODDAMN WALK OFF INTO THE SUNSET LIKE "LITTLE DID I KNOW THIS WOULD BE THE LAST TIME I WOULD SEE HIM BUT IT JUST. IT HAD THAT VIBE YKNOW"

God I just. Wow sherlock really did that huh. He really went and did that. And I went over it in the post about this compared to yuumori but it just RUINED me how watson just. Never saw what happened and there's just so little information about it that all they have is these assumptions and pieces that just suggest that these guys met up, walked up to the goddamn waterfall having a nice civil conversation about how talented and smart they both were at this and how they revealed their methods to each other and complimented them because of course they did

And they just sat up there talking to each other so long and Moriarty legit waited politely or even possibly was the one that suggested he write a letter to watson in which sherlock just went "damn lol moriarty's pretty nice actually anyway uhhhh sorry watson ily ✌" and just like. left it up there in his damn cigarette box

But just like. damn the insinuation that moriarty just sat there and watched while he wrote that entire goddamn letter, sealed it up, and then got up and went alright buddy let's go but it makes no goddamn sense if they wanted to actually kill each other and assure they themselves would survive I could name like 23 different ways they could have managed it so easily and they Didn't. they were really set on mutual destruction huh. There's no way they were even trying to do anything but Die Together at that point and that's Something huh

It absolutely baffles me how they could say that these guys had plummetted like, holding each other tho. Like. ok lol but How Do You Even Know

It was certainly a ride. But the fact that Watson had to actively try to think like Sherlock to figure out what happened in the scene was just. The cherry on top. Especially after they'd consciously started to switch roles in this i just. Damn.

In conclusion uhhhhhhhh gay people real I suppose

[babylooneytoonz]

Blood Trails [ Pt. 4 ]

Chapter Summary: Being locked up at the HYDRA cell with Sasha makes you have a slight change of heart. Is it just an innocent change of heart or is it your heart's way of trying to remind you what your brain cannot remember?

Warnings: Violence, Implied Child Abuse, Non Con Sex Reference , Implied non descriptive torture tactics

Word Count : 3000+ (I K R ?)

Blood Trails Masterlist link -> here.

Bucky was able to miraculously pull out the magnet from the top of the car that ended up freeing him. He swam up until he was on the surface, and he hopelessly looked around, but he didn’t see anything remotely related to HYDRA or his daughter. His anguish was so much, he fell to his knees, on the middle of the road, and screamed; his eyes writhing in rage and venomous hatred. He was going to hunt you down, hunt each of you down, and send you back to hell. With rage filled eyes, his outfit soaked from top to bottom, he somehow walked all the way to the Avengers facility; and of course, Sam, Wanda, Clint and Tony surrounded him, as he told him what had happened.

“Get the fucking Quinjet ready.” He commanded, as he practically pushed his body into his tactical wear.

Tony raised a curious eyebrow, eyeing the man with the metal arm from the corner of his eye, “I don’t want to put a full stop to your momentum there Barnes, but where exactly are you going to look for Sasha? She may be anywhere in this goddamn world, in any continent or any country.”

“He is right you know –“ Sam began, but then his eyes widened as though a thought had just hit him, “Unless he knows something and already has a lead.”

All heads turned towards him, almost drilling a hole into the man with the metal arm who had just finished fixing his gun holster with his guns. He then turned towards them and murmured, in a loud voice, “I’m going to Hungary, because that’s where Vasili Dreznov operates from.”

“Okay, did I miss something over here?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, causing Bucky’s jaw to clench as he shot him a dangerous glare.

“That woman got a call.. she said the name Vasili. The only Vasili I know is a HYDRA handler, Vasili Dreznov. The last I heard, he was at the Hungarian base.”

“Well, atleast we’ve got a lead.” Wanda chimed in, as the rest of the team started dispersing and getting ready for their mission; rescue Winter Soldier’s daughter.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Your boots crashed against the concrete metal flooring of the underground HYDRA base in Hungary as you walked through the maze like hallways, that was illuminated by a single LED light in each hallway. You were walking in the middle, with Vasili walking directly behind you. In front of your eyes, Sasha Barnes was chained up, thick metal cuffs adorning her tiny wrists as the HYDRA guards dragged her down the hallway. You craned your neck slightly to turn slightly towards your handler, and your eyes narrowed, your voice hissing in a low voice, “Неужели нам нужно связывать ее, Vasili?” (Do we really need to chain her up, Vasili?)

Your handler didn’t answer, and instead, he just used his arm to push you forward, so you kept on walking, causing your eyebrows to twitch as a sudden surge of frustration filled you up, and only a whisper came out of your lips as she was pushed into one of the cells, and the door was slammed shut on your face, “Она всего лишь ребенок.” (She is just a kid.)

“Похоже, ваше лечение прекращается. Я чувствую в тебе слабость, птичка, и думаю, слабость здесь – действительно опасная вещь.” (Looks like your treatment is coming off. I can smell weakness on you, little bird, and guess what, weakness in here is a really dangerous thing.)

“I’m not getting weak, Vas –“

Arms grabbed you suddenly, and instinctively you let out a loud cry, “No, VASILI PLEASE DON’T…IM ..IM NOT GETTING WEAK.. I JUST… PLEASE NO..” that was soon muffled when something tasting bitter was stuffed into your mouth. Tears streamed across your face and your eyes widened in a sudden fright. Reflexively, you started struggling and squirming, trying to break free from the clutches of the HYDRA guards, who only laughed at the state of pure agony that you were in.

“Looks like наш маленький солдат is getting her memories back, and that is something we will never want, eh?” Vasili made a motion with his hands; a motion you well understood and instinctively, you used stopped walking and with all the force in your body, you jumped where you were standing, the force of which caused the HYDRA guard who was holding you to loosen his grip in order to steady himself from falling and getting disbalanced. You took the moment to hurl yourself to face him, your eyes glaring death into the guard’s eyes as your hands latched to his throat, and you snapped his neck into two, like a twig.

Your eyes widened, when you felt the familiar taser prick against your neck, and you fell to your knees, as pain shot through your body, like shards of glass pricking against your skin.

“N..No..Pl…please..” was all you could cry out as your eyelids started getting heavy, and you felt someone grab your foot and start dragging you against the cold metal floor, the course surface burning against your skin as your body was dragged into the lab, where you were shoved into the electric chair, and the helmet was fixed against your head.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

“Come on, Vasili’s not even banged you yet, and you’re not able to fucking walk.. what you gonna do when all of us take you and your tight little cunt one by one ..”

“Прекрати, Alexei, this one’s a fucked up bitch.. leave her alone.. rumour has it..she bites..” Another guard’s voice sounded through your ears but you were in no position to listen; you could concentrate on nothing but pain..whatever you thought, whenever you tried to breathe, only one thing was what you could feel and that was pain.. blinding, deafening and bone chilling pain.

The guards unlocked the heavily barricaded steel door and the minute it opened, you were pushed into your cell, the force being enough for you to land on your knees, only your hands held out in front of you to save you from a disgraceful fall. You kept laying there, resting your head against the cold floor, just breathing when a soft feminine voice reached your ears, “Больно?” (Does it hurt?)

You fluttered your eyes open, and you pushed yourself up in a sitting position as your palm wiped off the dried up blood on the corner of your lips, where a new gash had now formed. You looked up at the girl who was sitting on your bed and was looking down at you, her eyes widened in fear, yet childlike inquisitiveness.

You didn’t reply, but instead, gripping the corners of your bed, you tried lifting yourself up, slowly, but for some reason, your body seemed to be giving up and you only fell back against the floor with a curse escaping your lips. You let the five year old help you, as she threw out her arm towards you and took it, coiling your fingers against her soft ones as she pulled you up; half of it being your own effort and the other half her super soldier strength.

You fixed yourself on bed next to her and the two of you awkwardly sat next to each other for a few seconds in silence, the things she had said to you now all forgotten and out of your head again.

“Сделают ли они это и со мной?” (Will they do this to me too?) Her voice was soft, her blue eyes fixed on yours as you gave her a ghost of a smile before laying down against the rock like pillow, choosing not to answer her. What were you supposed to say to her? That she was going to be tortured beyond her wits soon and turned into a cold killing machine?

You fluttered your eyes shut, fighting the urge to let your tears flow out of your eyes when you felt her pull the cotton sheet over your broken body. You didn’t know what it was about her that made you feel human again, alive again, like you had a heart and you had feelings again; but worse than that, it caused you to fear in the back of your mind, that she was making you weak.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Your eyes flung open at an ungodly hour, when you heard a voice somewhere in your cell. Propping yourself up on your elbow, you looked up to see Vasili casually seated on a couch not far from where you were laying, with Sasha propped up on his lap, his fingers stroking the girl’s cheeks. You didn’t fail to notice the fright in her eyes and the way she beckoned you with her eyes to call her to yourself, away from him. And you didn’t fail to notice the way the evil man eyed the little girl; reminding you of the hours that you had just let him treat you and your body like a vessel that was only made to please him when he wanted. You couldn’t hide the sliver of disgust that crept up inside you, a sudden instinct that you felt to suddenly protect her, it being ironical that you were the one responsible for her being here in the first place.

"Sasha, can you come over here? Now please?"

You didn't know where you got that courage from, or that spark in your eye, for immediately, the little girl was standing next to you, while the two of you kept looking at the evil smirk your handler had on his face.

You grabbed Sasha's hands, pulling her tiny body behind you as you stood up, your legs still shaking from the aftermath of the torture you went through yesterday.

"She is a five year old kid, Vasili. Leave her out of this. I've never said no to you, but please, leave her out of this."

The thin-faced man only gave a wry, devilish laugh. He slowly stood up, his lips puckered slightly, as though he was trying to suppress an incoming smirk from creasing over his lips. You kept towering over Sasha, your eyes flashing dark, distilled rage as he meandered his way over to you and suddenly grabbed your arm, pulling you towards him.

"Если у меня не будет ее, я заставлю ее смотреть." (If I cant have her, I will make her watch.)

Your eyes clenched shut in disgust, and when you opened them again, your eyes were red and bloodshot.

"You're a disgusting, vile bastard, Vasili."

The only sound that filled your cell after that was the sound of his evil, raucous laughter, as your muffled cries of pain and disgust.

A few hours later,

"Wake up, Sasha."

You nudged the little girl awake.

She rubbed her eyes and slowly fluttered them open. You had no idea what time of the night it was, but from a tiny round grilled window in your room, you could see that the sun wasn't out yet. You gave her your hand as she sat up in bed, and looked at you.

"Now listen to me, very carefully. I am going to try and get you out of here. Okay? But I'm gonna need you to play along with me. Can you do that?"

You gave her weak smile, bringing your palm up to the top of her head as you quickly ruffled it up before you pushed her away, so she fell back against the cold gravel, taken aback.

"Почему бы тебе не держаться от меня подальше? Просто держись от меня подальше. Кто угодно! Убери ее отсюда к черту! Посадите ее в другую чертову камеру! Кто угодно!" (Why dont you stay the hell away from me? Just stay away from me. Anyone! Get her the fuck out of here! Put her in another goddamn cell! Anyone! )

You slammed your fists hard against the back of the door, and repeatedly banged on it, until there was another bang on the door from the outside, followed by a few curses, and then a voice, "Заткнись, солдат." (Shut the fuck up, Soldier.)

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

The Quinjet wasn't crowded today, as Natasha and Bruce were on a classified mission someplace in Afghanistan. This left Bucky, Sam, Tony and Clint; for even Wanda and Vision were out on another mission.

"I hope everyone knows the drill," Bucky muttered, in a low voice, his arms crossed over his chest, as he eyed the team, "We're gonna land in approximately five. There is no scope of failure."

Within the next few minutes, Bucky and the rest of the Avengers, had jumped off the Quinjet; and were already making their way towards the base, slinking through the shadows until the heavily guarded base was in sight.

"Well, to the count of, oh well, what the fuck ?" Bucky growled into the comms, when he saw that Sam was already out, and was running towards the guards in full swing, ready to take his flight, along with Tony Stark all suited up and ready to kick some HYDRA asses. "I thought I said wait for instructions." He growled again into the Comms, as he effortlessly deflected a bullet using his metal hand, and at the same time, that deflected bullet pierced into the stomach of another HYDRA guard that was in close proximity.

A loud thump on your door alerted you and Sasha. Your index finger flew up to your lips and you threw up your palm to keep her where she was as you stood up and with slow, unsteady steps, made your way to the door, when at the exact same time, the door jostled open with a loud noise, and two HYDRA guard's entered; with Vasili on their trail.

They tossed your combat uniform to the floor, and it landed against the concrete with a crash and you looked up at them quizzically.

"Get dressed. We have a situation. And we need you to be armed and ready to break a few necks," he mumbled in a rich Russian accent.

"What's happening?"

"That Avenger scum.. they're here. Now hurry up, моя машина-убийца."

The door slammed shut again, but this time, you did not hear the sound of them locking your cell from the outside. Once you were sure that they had left, you hurriedly bent and grabbed your uniform, taking off the torn rags that you were wearing and started sliding into it, your eyes fixed on the now excited girl.

"Now listen to me, княжна, I will get you to them, and once you are there, you will not look back. You will leave. Is that clear?"

You knelt down in front of her so you were now face level with her. You didn't understand why you were doing this for her, what was the pull that was binding the two of you together, but you knew that this was a chance that she could escape; from meeting the same fate that you had met, and from Vasili's evil eyes. You almost gasped, when suddenly, out of the blue, when you had least expected it, the little girl placed her palms on either side of your cheek, all her fear of you now forgotten.

"А что насчет тебя? Пожалуйста, пойдем со мной.." (What about you? Please come with me..)

You bit your lip hard; but it was more in an attempt to force yourself to not cry as you smiled, shaking your head.

"Я дома, а тебя нет." (I'm home but you are not.)

You stood up, before she could reply because you didn't want her to. For some reason, this little devil of a child managed to bring out a different side in you, a side that made you want to fight the monsters that you were swimming in, but you also knew how powerful they were. You couldn't fight them alone, even if you wanted to. Shaking these depressing thoughts away, you grabbed your gun with one hand, when she smiled at you and slowly slid her hand through your other hand.

"Now trust me, I am going to get you to your superheroes, but you need to start pretending now. We can't let the guards know.. what we have planned, and what we are planning to do. Okay, Sasha?"

"Yes... mama."

"I'm.. I'm.. not your mother.."

You immediately forced yourself to look away, but her words seemed to be radiating like static through your mind. You could hear the sound of a baby crying, somewhere in the distance, but just as soon as you heard it, a sudden jolt of a pain in your head caused that voice to fade away. You gasped suddenly, your palm flying to your throat, as sweat pooled over your forehead and you looked down at her. Before you could react though, a series of bangs and gunshots started ringing outside, somewhere in the facility.

"You're Black Widow's daughter," You whispered, grabbing the girl as you tossed her over your shoulder, holding her there using your free hand, while with the other, you pulled open the door, and aimed your gun, just in case you needed to shoot.

You didn't need to shoot them, you only had to answer them; that you were taking her to safe place, so they couldn't get to her. No one suspected, for they were too busy running towards the area where the fight had ensued.

"Listen, Sasha.. I want you to scream for help, as loud as you can when you see any of your friends, okay?" You nudged her, as you ran towards the source of the commotion, and she just shouted back a yes, her tiny hands pressed against her ears as the gunshots ringing all around the base were too loud.

After what felt like running for an eternity, you finally saw a glimpse of what the Avengers fighting together looked like. It was a madhouse, as though hell was raining down on the HYDRA guards from all directions. Your eyes, however, fell on the glistening, shining metal as it deflected a bullet with such precision, you were almost awestruck, only to be pulled back from your sudden trance by Sasha's sudden screaming, which you know was because she wanted to capture his attention; the Winter Soldier.

He suddenly snapped his head in your direction, his eyes meeting your sharp ones; the only thing that was visible on your face due to your face mask. And slowly, his eyes travelled to the girl that was on your shoulder, a dangerous throaty growl erupting from his mouth, before he started pushing his way through the HYDRA soldiers, right towards you.

You blinked, almost squinting your eyes, as you waited a few seconds, for him to get closer. And once he was almost two inches away you turned your tail and started running, back the way you had come from. You knew what you were doing, you were trying to pull him away from the crowd, from where the fighting was, for you couldn't hand Sasha to him right where the fight was going on.

Bucky was fast, and you could feel his heavy footsteps behind you, as he was almost reaching you, his arms drawn out so he could grab you; or Sasha. But instead of grabbing her, he slowly lifted his gun, aiming it towards your foot and his finger flew to the trigger, when Sasha's cries filled his ears.

"DADDY, PLEASE DON'T SHOOT HER."

A look of confusion washed over his face, and he didn't understand. Nevertheless, he dropped his gun weilding hand to his side, and that was your cue to finally stop running, and lower Sasha to her feet, so she could run to him.

"Sasha, off you go." You pushed her towards Bucky, who caught the little girl in his arms. "I don't understand," Bucky began speaking, but the force with which Sasha crashed against him, he lifted her up in his arms, clutching her against his chest. He kissed the side of her face, and then the two of them turned towards you; both with reasons entirely different from each others, but you were long gone, as though disappeared into thin air.

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[splendidlyimperfect]

When Gray wakes up one night with a voice in his head, the last thing he expects is to suddenly be sharing a body with a demon. Natsu is nothing like Gray expected, though. He's surprisingly charming, and more concerned about getting Gray to eat vegetables than he is with taking over the world. Since Gray can't push him away like he does with everyone else, he begrudgingly accepts Natsu's place in his life - for now. But when Natsu ends up needing Gray's help, what started out as an inconvenience turns into a road trip - and a friendship - that changes Gray's life.

written for @fuckyeahgratsu​ gratsu weekend 2021 event 

day 3 (super late but still!); prompt: consume

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 Fandom: Fairy Tail Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster Characters: Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Lyon Vastia, Mard Geer Tartarus Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Humor, Adventure, Demonic Possession, but the good kind, demon Natsu, References to Depression, Depressed Gray, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Sort Of, Road Trips, Falling In Love, Natsu's not an evil demon, he really just wants to take care of Gray, Gray sucks at feelings

-----

“Let me get this straight.” Lyon stared at Gray from where he stood in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and boxers. “You want me to help you find a demon, then exorcise that demon so that the other demon inside of you – that I apparently summoned while drunk – can get back into his body.”

“He’s not very bright, is he?” Natsu said. “I told you he was a shitty warlock.”

Gray snorted and Lyon raised an eyebrow. “He says you’re a shitty warlock,” Gray explained. “And yes, that’s exactly what I need you to do. Can you help me or not?”

Lyon stared at Gray, then moved closer until they were nearly nose-to-nose and peered into his eyes. “I don’t believe you,” he said eventually.

“Why the hell would I lie about this?”

“’cause you probably just took something you shouldn’t have last night and you’re still hallucinating.”

Continue reading on AO3

Gray groaned in exasperation. “You’re the one who did the goddamn spell!” Then he glared at Lyon, adding, “Why did you do it, anyway?”

“Ex,” Natsu reminded him. Gray’s eyes flicked up to his blurry reflection in the microwave. Natsu’s image was standing directly behind him, so close he almost had his chin on Gray’s shoulder. The look in his eyes was somewhere between disgust and amusement.

“You were pissed at Loke, weren’t you?” Gray asked. Lyon’s scowl gave him the confirmation he was looking for. “You seriously tried to summon a demon to… what, beat up your ex?”

“I wasn’t trying to summon a demon!” Lyon said, holding up his hands in surrender. “It was just some stupid spell from one of those forums online. It didn’t do anything.”

“Except it did.” Gray gestured vaguely to where Natsu’s reflection was behind him. “And now your stupidity is my problem.”

Lyon shook his head. “Demons aren’t even real,” he insisted. “Seriously, did you try the cookies from the top shelf of the pantry? ‘cause I’m pretty sure—”

“I’m not fucking high!” Gray snapped. He rubbed his temples where his headache was still lingering. “I’m not high,” he said again quietly. “I just want to fix this.” He looked back at Natsu’s reflection in the microwave. “Can you show him? Prove that I’m not crazy?”

Natsu hummed uncertainly, not meeting Gray’s gaze. “Yes,” he said. “But you’re not gonna like it.” Gray’s heart sunk. “I’d need to… take over,” Natsu said. “Everything. Just for a second.”

“You want me to let you…” Gray trailed off and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. All the conflicting emotions running through him – his and Natsu’s – were compounded by the heavy sense of fear that grew in his stomach.

“We can figure out something else,” Natsu said quickly. “Maybe I can—”

“It’s fine.” Gray forced the words out as he opened his eyes and looked back at Lyon’s puzzled face. “Just…” Lyon looked like he might say something, but Gray shook his head, holding up a hand. “Shut up and give me a second.”

He let out the tight breath in his chest, trying to relax the tension in his shoulders.

“I promise it’ll just be for a second,” Natsu said. He sounded regretful. “It’ll feel weird – like when I was petting the cat – but I won’t do anything scary. Well, it’ll be a bit scary for Lyon, but I’m not going to hurt you.”

Gray hesitated. Natsu had only been in his mind for less than a day, but something in Gray’s gut said that he could trust him, even if he was a demon.

“Okay, just make it quick.”

“What are you—”

Lyon’s words faded away as Gray exhaled, closing his eyes, and letting Natsu’s presence overwhelm his mind. It felt warm, like he was sitting next to a campfire and watching sparks flicker up into the sky. The tingling sensation that had filled him earlier came back in full force, leaving him feeling like his hands and feet had both fallen asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, everything looked red.

“Esaeun xnae ya qnuy.” The voice was his, but not his, rough and layered with words that felt too big and wrong for his mouth. They were unfamiliar, but somehow Gray could understand them – he’s telling the truth.

Lyon stared at Gray, eyes wide with terror. “Your eyes are glowing,” he managed.

“Yes. I’m a demon. They do that.” Natsu spoke in the same infernal language, but he sounded more irritated than angry. “I also have sharp claws and could rip your heart out if I felt like it, but I just ate a cinnamon bun and I’m in a forgiving mood. Now do the damn locator spell.”

As quickly as it had taken him over, the warmth and tingling in Gray’s body disappeared, and his vision quickly returned to normal. Lyon was still standing in front of him, but the expression of disbelief was gone, and now he just looked stunned.

“You okay?” Natsu asked in his own voice in the back of Gray’s mind.  

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Gray reassured him. “Are you convinced now?” he asked Lyon, who nodded slowly. “Good. Now get your shit together and help me figure this out.”

~

Natsu’s body was in the middle of nowhere.  

“Well then,” Lyon said. He and Gray sat cross-legged on the floor of his bedroom and stared at the map where the black mark had settled – a little ways away from a tiny town called Belle Creek in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.

“It says only 26 people live there,” Gray said, looking at the information on his phone. “What the hell is a demon doing out in the mountains?”

“I thought he’d be somewhere big,” Natsu said. “A city, or something. Y’know, causing destruction and mayhem. Killing people. Demon stuff.”

“Maybe he’s retired,” Lyon said. Gray rolled his eyes.

“I don’t think demons retire.”

“Well, what else would he be doing in the middle of the mountains?”

“Hiding bodies?” Natsu suggested.

Gray sighed and rubbed his temples before looking back down at his phone. He flipped over to the maps and typed in ‘Belle Creek.’

“It’s ‘close,’ huh?” he said to Natsu, raising his eyebrow at the distance – nearly 45o0 kilometers. “That’s at least a three-day drive.”

“At least I got the right country!” Natsu insisted. “Three days isn’t a long time. Not when you’ve been around for almost two hundred years.”

“Well, I’ve only been around for twenty-six years,” Gray said. He looked up at Lyon, who was still staring at him with a baffled expression. “I need to borrow your car.”

“You… what?”

“Your car.” Gray shoved his phone back in his pocket and tapped the map. “I’m not taking the bus to the middle of fucking nowhere. And this is your fault, so I’m taking your car.”

“You can’t just…” Lyon looked down at the map, then back up at Gray. “What’s your plan? You’re just gonna drive out to this place and, what? Ask if anyone’s seen a demon in human skin? You don’t even know what he looks like.”

“Yes, I do.” Gray pointed to his reflection in the bedroom mirror where he could see Natsu, sitting next to him on the floor. Natsu stuck his tongue out at Gray, who rolled his eyes. “I can see him. He’ll be easy to find. Now, show me how to do an… exorcism, or whatever.”

“Or whatever?” Lyon made a sound of exasperation. “You can’t just—you have no idea what you’re doing. You don’t even have any magic! How are you gonna…”

“I’ll help,” Natsu said as Lyon continued to rant. He picked at his nails. “With the magic, I mean. I’d have to take over again, just for a little, but I could help, if you wanted. Unless you wanna bring him with you—” he gestured at Lyon “—but I doubt he’d be much help.”

Gray snorted. “I’m not spending six days in a car with this asshole,” he said, gesturing at Lyon, who stopped mid-rant and glared at him. “Just show me the spells,” Gray said. “Natsu can help me figure out the rest.”

An hour and a half later they were both back in the kitchen and Gray was shoving a handful of books and old parchments into his bag. Lyon leaned on the counter and gave Gray a serious look.

“Are you sure about this?” He hesitated, then added, “I know you haven’t been… great, not since she—”

“Shut up,” Gray said quickly, gritting his teeth. “I’ve told you a hundred times that I’m fine.” He could feel Natsu’s uncertainty as he turned away from Lyon and snatched his car keys from the hook on the wall, then grabbed the front door handle and swung it open with more force than necessary.

“Gray, I—”

“I can handle this.” Gray interrupted Lyon’s concerned words. He turned around in the doorway, doing his best to give Lyon a reassuring look. “I’ll be back in a week.”

~

Gray stood in the doorway to his bedroom, feeling the familiar sense of frustration and defeat as he stared at the piles of dirty clothes and dresser covered in empty coffee cups. He sighed, making his way to the closet, and searching for his duffle bag.

“What’s wrong?” Natsu asked. He’d been quiet the whole drive home, leaving Gray alone with his thoughts.

Gray shook his head. “Nothing. I just have to pack.” He gestured vaguely to the clothes.

“You’re sad again.”

“I’m not sad,” Gray snapped. “I’m…” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m just tired.”

“But it feels like sad,” Natsu said, sounding genuinely puzzled. Before Gray could get mad at him, he quickly added, “I’m not spying! I promise, you’re just – when your feelings are really strong, it’s hard for me to not feel them too. And I feel sad, not tired. It’s weird.”

Gray groaned, tossing the duffle bag on the bed, and rummaging through one of the piles until he found a few mostly clean shirts. As he started to pack up his toothbrush and razor, he gave in.

“My life has kinda sucked lately,” he said. He looked up into the mirror, where Natsu was meeting his gaze and listening intently. “A lot of shitty stuff happened where I used to live, and sometimes it makes me… tired. Of everything.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Gray shoved the toiletries bag into his duffle, then looked around the messy room. “It’s over and I live here now. I’m just trying to figure shit out and I don’t wanna think about any of that stuff. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Natsu was quiet as Gray headed to the front door and started to put on his shoes. Happy, who had been sleeping on the couch, stretched out and meandered over to them.

“Lyon’s gonna take care of you for a bit,” Gray said to Happy as he meowed and rubbed himself against Gray’s leg. “Feel free to bite him.”

Natsu laughed. “Can we pet him again?” he asked. “If not, that’s okay, I just—”

“Sure.” Gray ran his fingers over Happy’s head and scratched behind his ears. He registered Natsu’s surprise, then excitement, and then his arm started to tingle again. Now that he was expecting it, it wasn’t as strange. A warm sensation spread through him as he stroked Happy’s fur.

“You’re happy,” he murmured as he watched his hand with a strange detachment. Apparently feeling emotions went both ways. It was strange – the sensation of contentedness was familiar but alien at the same time.

“I love cats,” Natsu said, scratching Happy under the chin before dissolving his control over Gray’s arm. Gray stood up, looking over at Natsu’s excited expression in the mirror before shrugging on his coat.

“You ready?” he said as he shouldered the duffel bag. He spun Lyon’s keys around his fingers and let some of Natsu’s excitement take over as they headed out the door. “Let’s go get your body back.”

[bluebellteapot]

This whole site is such a great place for me to scream into the fucking void so get ready, I’m pissed.

Over the past year I have had a real change in the way I see the world. I used to stick to the Leftist/Liberal status quo. I didn’t question because if you question you are an oppressor and will loose all your friends. I didn’t think about political or social policy because I trusted Tumblr or Twitter or AOC or Bernie Sanders to think about it for me. In 2019 there was good and there was bad and there was nothing in between. 

I was militant. All through middle school and High school I was laughed at for it and I was ok because I knew that I was right, I knew that I was the moral one. I alienated friends and nearly lost a relationship with my more centrist father because of it. I was a regular on socialist tiktok and twitter and followed everything those people had to say like it was the word of G-d. 

Then. I finally started thinking about things. It started with my Jewish identity because doesn’t it always. I had long labored under the liberal belief that Israel was pure Evil incarnate and was just killing Palestinians for the hell of it. My questioning started when I saw a post saying that Gal Gadot cheered when Palestinian children died. I recognized what this was immediately and was horrified because I have heard blood libel being spewed at both myself and my family before. Only difference was that this time it was coming from a person who was supposed to be on my side. Someone who was supposed to stand up for the oppressed and overlooked in society and yet here they were saying the exact same thing that has been said since the middle ages. I was disgusted. I started researching. I started trying to understand the conflict from more than just shitty Twitter threads. This was something that, despite being on the other side of the world, could affect my family so I ought to know everything about it. It was then that I started to realize how complicated the issue really was and that the politicians who I had trusted for so long had been lying to me. AOC, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, etc.. had been lying. I was furious. It was months of wrestling with myself. Wrestling with my belief systems, wrestling with who I was before I was able to come to the conclusion that both countries were at fault for the ongoing conflict and casualties. (I won’t get into that here but, again if you want to learn more I recommend reading Israel by Noa Tishby.)

So if I was wrong about that what else could I be wrong about. What else could I have been brainwashed by social media and mob mentality into thinking. This exploration I have done has been one of the most terrifying mental and emotional things in my life. Questioning everything I have ever believed and having to determine if it was something I actually believed or something I had been conditioned to believe through my ultra “woke” internet circles. A mental and emotional spring cleaning, if you will. 

Since then I am still struck by fear. I have been kicked out of many of the circles where I have felt most safe, that were made for the community I am a part of because I have respectfully disagreed with certain people. I know I have to be careful talking about my opinions on certain things because my job may be in jeopardy. I regularly have people call me horrific things because of a non harmful difference of opinion. This isn’t some shitty waah waah feel bad for me schtick. This is a, maybe Internet mob mentality does more harm than good. I have been kicked out of so many LGBT groups that were meant to support me because I believe that Lesbian means a woman who loves a woman not a “non man who loves a non man” because that is not what that is. 

Anyone who stumbles upon this might not agree with me. Great! Difference of opinion is desperately needed in progressive spaces. That doesn’t mean be a racist or a transphobe it means maybe not every single person who identifies as stargender with Fae/Faeself pronouns is VALID. It means that maybe to be an actual force for good in the world, you have to listen to all voices from a community, not just the ones that make you comfortable or that you agree with. Echo chambers are harmful even if they are “progressive” ones. The world shouldn’t be the goddamn oppression olympics for every. single. fucking. thing. 

To kind of close this out I just want to say. I fear the hatred from the right equally as much as I fear it from the Left. Right Wing hatred may be the wolves but Left Wing hatred is pushing anyone they don’t agree with out the door and locking it. Again. This is just a incoherent rant from me. Again. I apologize for that. I just feel myself getting angrier and more afraid every day. If anyone who finds this wants me to expand more on something I am happy to. 

[firelord-frowny]

honestly like!

i HATE!!!! the very CONCEPT of guns. and i’m theoretically SO fundamentally opposed to violence. 

but that opposition is based on an idealist assumption that no one is doing anything that they need to be stopped from doing. 

and there are obviously a fucking hell of a lot of people doing a fucking hell of a lot of vile shit, and no amount of ~peaceful protesting~ or litigating or campaigning or Reaching Across The Aisle is going to stop them, and it’s fucking RIDICULOUS that anyone at all thinks people should just wait patiently for The Powers That Be to spontaneously manifest a conscience and finally quit trying to maim and murder people For Funsies. 

i would LOVE it we could just hug them into submission and invite them over for tea and chit chat and take their ugly ass hand and smile at them and show them that I’m Just A Normal Person Like You and have them finally decide to stop wanting me to die. and honestly, some people REALLY CAN be reached through those kinds of methods. and i don’t think people should stop trying to do that. and if anything, i think MORE people need to be trying to do that.

but i ALSO think that more people need to start punching some bigots in the fucking face. 

if self proclaimed conservatives and right wingers and proud wimpy boys get to go around committing terroristic acts against other peoples, and if the politicians and ceos they stan for refuse to take any actions to stop them at best, and at worst go out of their way to FACILITATE the suffering of all but bigoted, well-off white people....

then we should get to punch them in the fucking face and not have anyone say WORD ONE about it. 

they wanna be all big and bad and parade around threatening and committing violence against teachers and health care workers and black people and asian people and jewish people and indigenous people and women of all backgrounds, then they should be fucking tough enough to cope with a goddamn punch in the face every now and then. they should WELCOME every fist that ever collides with their flesh. 

if they want a fucking fight, we should GIVE THEM A FIGHT! and make sure they fucking lose.  make sure the pathetic little ~civil war~ they’re begging for is HUMILIATINGLY short. chase their fucking asses into the most barren, useless parts of the world where they can be vile all by themselves. 

bc i SWEAR TO GOD, the only reason why these people have any power at all to impact anything or anyone is because people LET THEM. not because they’re soooo smart, or they’re soooo dangerous, or there are sooooo many of them. it’s STRICTLY because an enormous majority of bare-minimum-decent people care more about Taking The Moral High Ground than about actually doing what’s necessary to disable evil people from doing evil things.

This is a hella problematic way to put it, buuuut

black people know not to do or say certain things to a cop because we’ve been conditioned to fear the consequences of even the most benign ~infractions.~ We swallow our fucking pride and whip out those “yes sirs” and “no sirs” and we move slowly and we try to keep our hands visible at all costs because we’ve seen, over and over again, for DECADES (centuries, really) what those people might do to us if our hand isn’t totally visible for a fraction of a second. And sometimes it doesn’t even work. Sometimes we do everything in our power to demonstrate that there’s no need to hurt us, and we get murdered anyway. 

WOULDN’T IT BE NICE if those wack ass bigots could learn to fear the consequences of being disgusting out loud and in public? 

Imagine if, over the last several decades, malicious bigots were met with SWIFT physical consequences every time they did some fucked up shit. 

do you think they’d be so bold now? 

i don’t. 

i think if they thought for one second that whoever they pull a gun on might pull one out back at them, then they would keep their fucking mouths shut and behave. i think if they LEGITIMATELY thought that they’re actual lives and their actual freedom were at stake, they wouldn’t say SHIT. Because they know that whether or not they have to wear a mask or get vaccinated or whateverthefuck has absolutely NO real impact on their place in the world. there is NO. WAY. that they would be all up in arms over something so fucking absurd if they thought anyone would actually try to hurt them in response. 

they don’t think anyone is going to show up at their dumb lil protests with tear gas. they don’t think an angry BLM activist is going to shoot up their country club in retaliation against the oppressive policies they support. they don’t think anyone is going to stop them on the street and start screaming in their face and threaten to kill them. they don’t think they’re going to lose a damn fucking thing. they think they’re literally going to just waltz into some of the most secure buildings in the world and wreak havoc, and that NO ONE is going to do shit about it. 

that’s the problem :) :) :) :) :) :) 

the problem isn’t that these people exist. i mean, it fucking sucks that they exist and if they could somehow cease to exist, whether by alien abduction or some sort of freak simultaneous lightning strike or WHATEVER, i would be THRILLED. but just existing doesn’t hurt anyone. Having a stupid belief doesn’t automatically make someone dangerous. It just makes them a shitty person.

But to have a stupid belief and to feel SO ENTITLED to acting upon those beliefs???

those motherfuckers need to fear for their safety. those motherfuckers need to be SO PETRIFIED that they dig themselves underground and bury themselves alive and NEVER resurface. 

i don’t understand how, at this point, with over half a million people DEAD because of the actions of these assholes, and with thousands of people CONTINUING to drop dead over it every day, the so-called “good guys” still don’t see fit to resort to drastic measures to render these people INCAPABLE of causing further harm. 

so many people have died. not just in the time of covid, but decades before that. so many people are murdered in the name of carrying out the pettiest whims of the most wretched people on earth. People get injured. People get poisoned by their own water supply or the very air they breathe. People get sick because they’re forced to live under unhealthy circumstances, and then they DIE because they can’t afford treatment for the illnesses they developed because of the unhealthy circumstances that made them sick in the first place! Children starve. Global warming sets people on fire and drowns them and destroys homes and lives and landscapes. 

literally, at WHAT point does it become acceptable to finally just declare war on these fucking demons? WHEN do we meet them where they’re at and start punching back instead of just curling up and trying to survive the attack?

i KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW that there are groups out there who are taking direct action in some form or another. but CLEARLY it’s not enough.

and i ALSO know that there are MANY PEOPLE who have the actual skills and resources to stage a legitimate countereffort, and they’re just. not. doing it. 

we’ve got all these vile-ass ~ex military~ types boasting about their arsenal and how they intend to use it to reign terror upon innocent people. these fuckfaces who are LITERALLY HOLDING PUBLIC OFFICE and saying Out Loud that they want to attack us. and their peers exalt them for it. 

you CANNOT tell me that there are 0 ~ex military~ people who are sympathetic to the cause of resisting these malicious bigots. you CANNOT tell me that there aren’t people in public office who know that something MUST be done, and who have the POWER and ACCESS to do something - even if it’s “unlawful.” 

but they’re not doing it. :) because they’re weak. :) and they fear for their lives in a way that ~the right~ has NEVER had to contend with. A democratic state senator knows someone might hunt them down and try to kill them if they say anything ~too radical~. a republican state senator is confident that he could literally call for the public execution of someone and be met only with a pathetic verbal reprimand from some spineless liberal congressman who bends over backward to be Respectful And Fair as they gently try to explain why it’s not okay to facilitate mass death in every demographic but their own.

can somebody with the actual power and means to do so PLEASE start doing ANYTHING to terrorize these people back to the bland, tasteless, spiritually bankrupt cesspit they congealed in? When one of these american terrorists brandishes a gun in someone’s face, can someone PLEASE brandish their own gun right back at them? THEY should be the ones who are too terrified to speak up. Not us. THEY should be the ones compelled to look over their shoulder. 

im so sick of a world where mass suffering and exploitation are accepted as Just The Natural Order Of Things. instead of a harrowing dystopia that should be burned to the ground quick, fast, and in a motherfucking hurry.