#what happens when people stop believing that and think their rights originate from the government?

[cupcakegalaxia]

When 20 years ago atheists said that the decrease in religion (*cough* Christianity *cough*) would lead to a more enlightened society are suddenly concerned about the slow moving ball of Western Society collapsing, authoritarianism rising and political unrest on a level the world has not seen for a very long time.

sigh

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem #7559:

Look, I understand the "you don't always need to use non-human characters for stories based on real-world historical bigotry. You can just write about said historical bigotry," kind of writing advice. Write the stories you want to write about.

I understand it on paper. In execution, most of my problems stem from the fans.

Nothing is more annoying than seeing the fans look at a fictional story full of different fictional beings and the fans believe they know exactly what kinds of real world instances of discrimination the writers drew from, over said writers.

For example, MAYBE the writers DID NOT draw on the US' history of racism towards other races for the story they wrote. Maybe they drew inspiration from literally ANY OTHER nation on the planet.

Or MAYBE, the writers DID NOT base the slavery depicted in this story on US slavery. That's not the only historical instance of slavery.

And MAYBE this fantasy race is based on a racist depiction from history, or MAYBE they're NOT, and you're just wrong, but too stubborn to admit it or realize.

MAYBE this fantasy world took inspiration from real world human historical events of discrimination, OR you just don't know history OR its purely original with NO real world basis.

It gets even more annoying when these same fans ignore all the evidence they're wrong and still think they're right.

The Writers: We drew inspiration from what the Soviet Union did to Russia, Russian culture and its people as a base for most of the lives the protagonists lived and the kind of villains they're trying to defeat. In fact! Most of our staff grew up under the cruel times of communism or heard stories from our parents.

The fanbase: CLEARLY! THIS IS ALL MEANT TO BE BASED ON THE US GOVERNMENT OPPRESSING BLACK PEOPLE! AND YOU ARE A RACIST IF YOU DISAGREE!

Or only use one example. I would take SOOO many more discussions around this discourse seriously if audiences did not cry, "Why do so many fantasy stories rewrite whites oppressing blacks!?" And if fans could show they knew more history, did not ignore any evidence that said otherwise and/or did not say this about two fictional races who aren't even human or based on said example.

It gets worse when they yell at other fans and believe those fans who dare to disagree or try to give their own take are bigots themselves. And all the exclusion is justified in their eyes.

"Can you all stop saying (insert fictional race here) is based on black people? There's entire discussions that show they're not with truth to them."

"THAT'S RACIST! YOU'RE RACIST!"

Also, gotta love when they presume certain fans that disagree all suffer from internalized bigotry or something along those lines.

Yes. There are black fans who don't see orcs as being based on black people and just have fun. What's your excuse?

TLDR: Stop substituting what you believe happened in canon for what actually happened and stop using it as a chance to other bully fans.

[twoa-plus]

it’s 2:00am and this is more of a character thing than a genuine theory but *claps hands for the drama* same coin theory. what if both of the stans are bill

or like. a parallel to him. like i said this isn’t a super serious theory i’m mostly just back on my character analysis bs lol

so i haven’t gotten to talk abt this much but i am a firm believer in that there is not a superior stan. from a personality perspective this is obviously entirely subjective, but i mean that there isn’t a superior one when it comes to their objective traits and how useful they are

ford is. ford. i don’t really have to say anything here he’s super smart can play the piano or whatever etc etc. however one thing that i will say that i think is important here is that i am like. 99% sure this man has a higher tolerance to The Horrors than other humans do. dude spent 30 years in that portal and came out pretty much the same level of crazy, and we all saw what happened to fiddleford. i know fidds saw bill take off his exoskeleton or whatever but u can’t convince me that ford traveled the multiverse - with all sorts of monsters and non-3d dimensions and god knows what else - for 3 decades and didn’t see some shit that would make anybody else lose it. like at this point u could tell me this guy could have a casual conversation over tea with cthulu and be fine and i’d believe u

as for stan - and i mean this in the absolute best way possible i love this guy - he’s like the world’s most charismatic cockroach. he’s fantastic with people and just straight up refuses to die. for the first point i don’t just mean this in the conman way, when it comes to the people that actually matter stan always manages to win them over in some way or another (soos, wendy, the kids, ford, etc) and one does not simply survive for a decade on the street without needing the occasional favor from someone who actually likes you. “oh but rico-“ man when u’ve been living as a homeless criminal for a decade and the list of people that want to kill u consists of 1 person and the government u’ve done pretty damn well. anyways as for the cockroach point, he’s alive and has his memories. i don’t even have to say much here stan went through all of That, lived through the series itself including The Literal Apocalypse, metaphorically (something something people are just a collage of their life experiences) died at the end of it all and then came back to life. that’s hardcore as hell man. in a less literal interpretation of the “refusing to die” bit, he’s also just. insanely determined. the biggest example is ofc him never graduating highschool and yet teaching himself god knows how much math and science and whatnot over the course of 30 damn years because he just refuses to believe that he can’t save his brother. stan pines is a force of nature i swear

[additional note while im already ranting about this guy, im not a personal believer in the “stan is just as (academically) smart as ford” theory. first of all i feel like this entire theory is kind of rooted in the idea that he has to be/be on the same level as “the smart one” to have value, which is an idea that the stans��� entire backstory is based around criticizing, and i think stan has something just as if not more valuable than freakish intelligence - raw fucking grit. he wasn’t the one to open the portal back up because of some intellectual advantage, he was the one to open the portal back up because he wanted to, god damn it, and best of luck to you if you’re gonna try and stop him.]

anyways as for the same coin thing, everybody knows the stan part. his casual references to the impending apocalypse, “you’ve been buying gold, right?”, him being such a good conman, etc etc. while i’m already ranting about stan’s determination, bill’s got that too - he’s been trying for like thousands of years to take over the world and he just Won’t Stop. point is there’s a lot of character traits they share

(i know in the original same coin post a pretty major point is stan not making a deal with bill, but i think that could probably be pretty easily explained without the need for divine intervention. the only times bill makes a deal with someone without them summoning him first is after he’s kind of left on a loose end with gideon, and everyone knows stan wouldn’t fall for his lies in the first place)

bill also shares a lot of traits with ford, though. both have some kind of physical anomaly (bill’s eye & ford’s hands), both can see/understand things others of their species can’t, they’re both egomaniacs (listen i love ford but the guy has issues), etc. u could even argue that, at least at the time they meet, they have some kind of connection through their loneliness

so. with the theory of “bill was reincarnated to make up for what he did,” what if it wasn’t just stan? what if he was split in two, and his “reincarnation” is both of them? they’re flawed enough to make it a lot harder for either of them to take over the world (ford’s lack of social skills & stan’s lack of freakish academic knowledge), and they have something bill doesn’t - each other.

bill is alone. that’s his whole problem. he killed everyone he loved, treats everyone new he meets like shit, and now he’s Like That. throughout it all, the one thing the stans have always had - even if it was just in their memory - is each other. “oh but ford-“ shhhh. shhshhshshshhsh. shut up. ford has Problems but i genuinely don’t think he ever stopped loving stan. love is weird, first of all, and secondly he clearly never stopped trusting him. no matter what he might say about stan being a liar or a conman or whatever, who’s the one person he goes to when he’s forced to admit he needs help? ford is a weird guy and has an… odd way of showing it but he loves his family just like the rest of the pines and i will die on this hill

i’ve been writing this for over an hour straight and i think my brain is melting but i’m sure at this point u get the idea. both of the stans, together, serve as a parallel to bill, and the one thing they have that he doesn’t is love. that’s what killed him.

something something killing an interdimensional dream demon with the power of friendship and this gun i found

[artist-issues]

Hello! I am Catholic artist who is currently writing a story and reading your commentaries on other people’s work I’m starting to wonder if I am actually writing my story the best way that I can. I’m starting to wonder whether or not the story I am writing has a good moral message to begin with, or even one that would make sense. I’m really struggling with this, and I want to tell this story, but I don’t know if the message I’m trying to communicate is the right one anymore. I don’t know whether I should change it or not, and if I do change it, what to change it to. I don’t know how much experience you have with writing, but I wanted to ask you what is your opinion on what the best way is for a story to communicate its lessons, and also how to come up with good themes in general and be able to tell when the one you originally had planned was too weak for the story you wanted to tell.

What do you do when you want to (or you’re thinking about) changing the meaning of your story? Where do you go from there?

I think…sometimes you just have to pick the thing you want to say and make the necessary sacrifices.

There’s lots of ways to say a message like, “Faith Triumphs Over Fear.”

You could say it with a farm boy who chooses to stop running toward his own ability to protect what he fears to lose, and instead, lets a Higher Power do the protecting.

You could say it with a tragically powerful war hero who, despite all his strength, can’t save everyone, and instead of trusting a Higher Power with what he can’t do, he burns the world down trying to make up for what he can’t, out of fear.

You could say it with a princess who’s kingdom is burnt to the ground, and who could choose to give up and believe there’s nothing worth fighting for; but instead she finds ways to go on because she trusts in a Higher Power to win in the end, even if she can’t force it to happen.

You could say it with a ragged punk who’s only out for himself, but when he sees how hard better people are willing to fight for what they believe in, he starts to catch onto their faith instead of fearing for his own skin all the time, and finds out it’s a better way to live.

You could say it with a deposed government official who lost everything at the height of his influence, and has to learn patience in exile, patience to pass on what he knows of failure, and trust the Higher Power to do what he couldn’t do even at his most powerful.

I think you get it, I just described to you Star Wars.

Now, that’s all one franchise, but it’s actually lots of little or long stories interwoven together. And each one starts at a different place, with a character of a different age or walk-of-life, and they go through different turns of events and choose to respond to those events in all different ways. Lots of stories. But they’re all different ways to say “Faith Triumphs Over Fear.” One of them is even a cautionary tale about what happens if you don’t believe that.

Lots of ways to say one message.

So you can change the message if you want to. But my question to you would be, why do you think you have to? If Star Wars can come up with twenty different types of stories and characters to say one message, what is it about yours that doesn’t lend itself to your own message?

Find that out.

I think it’s okay to change a message if you find that it wasn’t Good, Beautiful, or most importantly, TRUE. If you say something that’s not true, it’s a waste.

But if your original message is good, beautiful, or true, why change it? I find myself wanting to change my messages for two reasons.

1. The message I thought I was saying wasn’t clear or accurate enough.

For example, I have a Wish Rewrite in my notes app and for the longest time the new message was ““Have Faith and Even More Than What You Wished For Will Come True.” But that’s not what I really meant to say, and so when I was writing the characters, they didn’t fit. I had an Asha who I envisioned as kind of glum and closed off—I was writing her as if she would go FROM “never trying too hard to make anything happen” TO “daring-to-dream.”

But that didn’t fit the original message, because the original message was too broad. Because it has that whole “and even more than what you wished for” part, which implies that the character is wishing for something. Which is not the Asha-version I was drawn to. Again, the version I was drawn to was “refuses to wish.”

For that message, a character like Tiana would’ve fit better—a character who does dream, but does so with no faith, just hard-work. And that’s not the rewritten-Asha that I was warming up to.

So I changed, or rather, honed down the message to “Wishes made in faith can come true.” Ah, now the story is about a character who doesn’t believe wishes can come true at all, and the ingredient she’s missing is faith. Well, then, all the other parts of the story I was struggling with fall into place. Because I honed it down in a way that I could re-focus on, it freed up the parts of my brain that couldn’t figure out what the story needed.

Now that it was about a clearer message, I could focus better and think, “okay, well if wishes made in faith can come true, we need to define what she’s not daring to wish for, that she should wish for.”

Into place clicks something that the main character wants and knows would be good, but won’t admit that she wants it, because she doesn’t believe wishes can come true. Into place clicks who the Star-Boy character should be in order to draw that out of her. Into place clicks what might’ve happened in Asha’s childhood to keep her from believing wishes can come true—and right after that, who her family is clicks easily into place.

So that’s one reason I might “change” the message—just re-phrasing it or eliminating some nuance in order to help myself, and by extension, the story, focus a bit more.

2. I let myself get too attached to the “Fun Stuff” of the story, until the “Fun Stuff” cluttered-up and crowded-out the message.

This one I actually don’t struggle with often because I’m a control-freak, so I’m constantly outlining how everything ties back into the message. My particular weakness is “having fun while storytelling,” I’m not good at that.

But sometimes it does happen! I’m in the middle of writing a sci-fi thing and the message is good, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to write one of the characters. I know it’s because I’m too attached to this version of her who’s like, sassy, but with a protective mom-heart. I like that characterization.

But what I need her to be in the story is actually pretty dark. And that dark-story-reason is why I added her character in the first place. The problem is, her compassionate-sassy-mom personality and motivations don’t match up with the dark thing I originally intended her to do.

So—AND HERE’S THE MEAT OF THE POST—I have a decision to make.

Am I going to sacrifice the thing that I like about this character and find something else that works and supports the message—

—or am I going to stall out and basically give up on writing it because I keep shying away from making the big change, because I don’t want to let the character go?

Because I can’t force the character I like into the role that the story needs. Not in this case. So I can either choose the message, or the Fun Stuff.

Obviously I believe you should choose the message. Because your tastes are wide-ranging, like the cast of Star Wars characters and their stories. I can find another characterization that I like—one that fits the story better. It just takes harder work, and a little sacrifice of the Fun-Thing that I was attached to. But honestly, is this about me, or the audience? That’s what it all boils down to.

I wish I could help more, but without knowing your story I’m not sure if this was answering your question at all. To sum up, I’d say:

Is your message good, beautiful, or true?

Do the characters, setting, and events in your story fit the message and help support it?

Figure out where the problem is and then stop-and-fix, or else you’ll start spinning your wheels and not finish. That’s been my experience!

Thank you for asking! I am not an expert.

[recommendedcryptoexchange]

Crypto Trading 101: A Beginner’s Guide

Ever wondered how people trade cryptocurrencies and what it actually means to enter the crypto market? Let’s break it down in a simple way.

What is Crypto Trading?

Crypto trading is basically buying and selling digital currencies in an attempt to profit from price changes. You can either:

1️⃣ Trade directly on an exchange – This means you own the actual cryptocurrency, store it in a digital wallet, and sell it when the price is right. 2️⃣ Trade using derivatives (CFDs, futures, etc.) – This allows you to speculate on price movements without actually owning the coins. You can bet on prices going up (long position) or down (short position) without holding the asset.

How Do Crypto Markets Work?

Unlike traditional stock markets, crypto markets are decentralized. Transactions happen on a blockchain, a digital ledger that keeps everything secure and transparent. Crypto prices move based on:

📉 Supply & Demand – The total number of coins available vs. how many people want to buy them. 💰 Market Sentiment – News, media coverage, and public perception. 📊 Adoption & Regulation – Governments and institutions getting involved. 🔒 Security Events – Hacks and breaches affecting trust in the market.

Why Trade Crypto?

Cryptocurrency markets are volatile – meaning prices can change quickly, creating both opportunities and risks. Some traders like this fast-paced action because it allows for potential profits. Others use crypto trading as a hedge against traditional financial markets.

Choosing a Crypto to Trade

Popular cryptocurrencies include:

🔹 Bitcoin (BTC) – The original and most well-known. 🔹 Ethereum (ETH) – Smart contracts and decentralized apps. 🔹 Litecoin (LTC) – Faster transactions than Bitcoin. 🔹 Dogecoin (DOGE) – A meme coin turned serious player. 🔹 Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), Polkadot (DOT), Uniswap (UNI) – Other well-known cryptos with different use cases.

Going Long vs. Short

📈 Going Long = You think the price will rise, so you "buy." 📉 Going Short = You believe the price will drop, so you "sell."

Managing Risk

Since crypto prices move fast, risk management is key! Some traders use:

🔺 Stop-loss orders – Automatically selling if the price drops to a set level. 🔺 Limit orders – Locking in profits by selling when a target price is reached.

Trading crypto can be exciting, but always be mindful of the risks. Prices can swing wildly, and leverage (if used) can amplify both gains and losses. Understanding market movements, trends, and risk management strategies is crucial before diving in.

What’s your favorite crypto to trade? 🚀💰

[cwritesforfun]

(Hunger Games) Katniss Everdeen x Fem!Reader: Count On Me (Request)

You became allies with Katniss solely because you hated your District and wanted them to feel punished for even liking that the games were happening again. Of course, you were well liked by the Capitol due to being a Career & disliked by the other Victors.

***** I don't own the characters from Hunger Games or the original plot. I will change to my plot occasionally :)

** In this, you are in place of Cashmere. From District 1!!

Y/N = Your Name

Katniss' POV

Haymitch turns on the screen and begins going over potential allies. When he starts with District 1, he exclaims, "Something that might shock you is that Y/N is a good friend of mine." You ask, "Why?" He answers, "Katniss, dear, she hates Snow." You reply, "No way, Careers are all evil little manipulators." He replies, "Some might shock you."

Y/N's POV

Prior to the 75th Hunger Games, you knew Finnick well. You also were friends with Plutarch Heavensbee and even Haymitch Abernathy when he wasn't completely wasted. You hated the Hunger Games and wanted the government to be punished.

Before the chariot race, you walk up to Katniss and exclaim, "Hi, I wanted to properly introduce myself. I'm Y/N from 1." Katniss rolls her eyes and replies, "Nice to meet you 1, I'm Katniss from 12. But I suppose you know that." You reply, "I do, but I just was being polite. I'm going to head out now." You walk off and try not to think about how good she smelled or her opposition to you. Both were strong.

During training, you're waiting in line to practice your knife fighting when you hear a voice behind you whisper, "Sorry." You turn to see Katniss and ask, "For what?" She answers, "Um... I was really rude before the chariot race. I should not have done that. You were just being polite." You reply, "I was, and thank you." You show off when it's your turn for knife fighting because Katniss is watching and you want her to approve of you.

...

The games just started. You swam as fast as you could to get to the Cornucopia. You notice Finnick and Katniss going off after Peeta. You can't worry about them right now. You need a weapon.

You may be from District 1 and you may be known as the silent killer, but you ... you wish you weren't known for that. You wish you were living peacefully with your family not on television being watched as you kill people because the government says so.

You manage to grab a knife, crossbow, and a water canister before looking around. You notice Beetee being followed and you follow Johanna to help him. You yell, "Go! I'll cover you!" She nods and runs off.

You lift up the crossbow and wait. You shouldn't need to strike. You might have to.

Johanna manages to slit the throat of the man, and she helps Beetee up. You help Wiress, and you run after Johanna. Blight trails behind us with his spear.

We finally stop running once we're far from the Cornucopia. You look around and let out a deep breath you hadn't realized you had been holding. Johanna looks at you and exclaims, "I didn't think you'd show, 1." You reply, "I'd never go back on my word." Beetee replies, "What an admirable trait." You smirk. Johanna replies, "Katniss and Haymitch said you'd come. They believed in you. I had my doubts." You reply, "Good. They were right." Johanna scoffs and says, "Let's just keep walking."

We keep walking until we notice the digitally animated sky turn dark. We watch as lightning strikes that hit a rather large tree far away. Wiress exclaims, "Tick Tock." Beetee nods and exclaims, "Indeed." Huh?!!

Blight takes the first watch with Johanna. You fall asleep.

Next morning .... **pretend this is day 2**

We're walking when we notice clouds forming. You exclaim, "Looks like there will be rain." Johanna snaps, "Duh I see it."

Something red and sticky drops on you. Oh sh**!! Blood!!

We start sprinting around and around until we hear a loud crash and Blight flies backward in the air. He lands at our feet sizzling with electricity. A forcefield?!!

Beetee leads us alongside it and we keep running. Wiress continuously yells, "Tick Tock!" Then Johanna tries to quiet her down.

We make it to the beach and you run straight into the water.

You immediately start cleaning your face and body. You hear, "Johanna! Y/N!!" You turn and see Finnick running with Katniss trailing behind him.

Katniss walks up to you and says, "I knew you'd show." You reply, "Of course I'd show. I promised." She scoffs and says, "You'd be surprised at how many broken promises I've heard." Aw:( You reply, "Well you can always count on me." She replies, "Thanks. You can always count on me too especially right now. Can I help get that blood out of your hair?" You answer, "Yes please. I'll sit." You sit in the water and she carefully runs her fingers through your hair. She runs her hands up and down your head. It feels like a heavenly head massage. You feel so at peace right now. Wow.

You then hear, "Hey lovebirds! Come on!" Why would they say that?! We laugh and run over to them.

We go over our plan.

... later ...

The Cornucopia begins spinning around like crazy.

You quickly grab onto part of the rock and grab Katniss' hand. She holds on tight and you try to pull her up.

She yell,s "I can't do it! I can't hold on!" You yell back, "Don't you dare!" In her eyes, you can see the defeat.

Nooooo...

You yell, "You can always count on me."

She starts to slip, so instead of letting her let go, just by herself, you let go as well.

She can count on you. You won't let her down.

You wrap your arms around her like a little shell and we slide down the rock. Your body hits several rocks and you feel them jab into my side. You then fly into the water and lose grip of Katniss.

The water current rushes past you and you sink lower. You feel so weak. You can barely keep your eyes open. Ow.

Everything slows down and you feel someone pulling you to the surface.

You break through and you both gasp in the air! You see Katniss holding onto your arm struggling to breathe, too. Johanna and Finnick reach out their hands to help us up.

You stand on the Cornucopia and devise the next plan.

We begin a trek through the forest to the big tree. Katniss leans over to you while we walk and exclaims, "Thank you for earlier." You reply, "Of course." She replies, "You're really nice for being from District 1." You've heard that comment quite a bit. You reply, "Way to diss where I lived! Ha, kidding, I don't care. I love the place and maybe 3 people. Those three are nice." She replies, "So few. There are some pretty nice people in 12." You ask, "Is that an invite?" She answers, "If we survive this, yes." You look over at her, and she's smirking. Johanna then turns to us and says, "If we survive this, I'm going to tell you two how much I hated that conversation." We both crack up laughing.

... 2 Years Later ...

I'm standing looking at a fountain that intrigues me while eating a piece of bread. I know it seems so simple, but with everything that has happened, this is bringing me peace. I really need hobbies.

You hear, "Y/N! Come see!" You quickly turn and run to where Katniss' voice is coming from. Inside the room, Katniss has a simple meal all laid out. You exclaim, "This looks amazing, babe. What's it for?" Katniss answers, "I was just remembering I invited you to District 12, and look at where we are now. We've been together for almost 2 years and we live together. I wanted a tray of District 12 favorites, so I cooked for us tonight." You reply, "You can always count on me, love." She smiles and says, "You can count on me too."

.........................................................................

THANKS FOR READING!!!

:-)

[kanerallels]

I finished another prompt for @monthly-challenge! Today's prompt is "crown" and I worked on another original story for it!

The day Judah Kelthan met his best friend also happened to be the worst day of his life.

It had been a hard past year as it was. His mother had passed away, five years to the day after his father had died and he had inherited the crown of Harrowdale. Judah hadn’t dreaded being king. Truth be told, he hadn’t worried about it too often, even as he obediently learned all he could to prepare for it. His father had been strong, powerful. He’d ruled his country, tumultuous as it was, with strength and dignity. It had seemed impossible he could ever die.

But die he did— not in one of the frequent skirmishes between them and Alcea, their neighboring country with whom they were often at war, nor in any form of battle. He died, the doctors had told Judah and his mother, peacefully. His heart, which had always seemed so strong, had simply given out. And then, days later, Judah was king.

It hadn’t been what he’d expected. Less helping people and more wrangling the powerful and greedy baron council that helped govern Harrowdale. But he hadn’t been alone. He’d had Maelys— his wife, daughter of one of the barons who worked alongside them. 

Maelys was smart. Not just normal smart, but the kind of smart that could pick apart motivations, and send the conniving barons into a confused spiral with a few words. She’d always helped Judah— who preferred to believe in the kinder nature of men— navigate the more treacherous waters of politics.

Everyone saw her cunning. Fewer saw her kindness, her gentler nature. But Judah did. And he counted himself lucky for it every day, to have fallen so hard for a woman he’d married out of duty.

They were happy. Them and their children, Alex and Sabrina.

And then his mother was gone. And, not three full months afterwards, so was Maelys.

He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Around the sight of his wife, lying crumpled where she’d fallen down a flight of stairs, blood streaming from her temple. No one was sure if it was an accident or not, and right now, Judah couldn’t even begin to think about that.

He hadn’t even really gotten to say goodbye. And now, all Judah really wanted was to fall apart. To weep until he could weep no more, to scream at whatever had taken the woman he loved from him.

But, as king, he had duties that extended beyond his own wishes and the pain twisting in his chest. As his father had often reminded him, “A crown is a heavy burden. And we cannot just set it aside when we want to. Instead, we must carry on.”

And so Judah carried on. He held his head high and ordered the organization of a funeral and accepted condolences that were really threats veiled in saccharine words, because he didn’t know what else to do without Maelys.

He, who was supposed to be an anchor for his people and his children, was adrift.

That didn’t mean he could give up, though. So he kept moving, afraid that he’d sink if he stopped. He forced himself to work with the funeral planner. Though everything in him wanted to scream for them to stop, there was no way this could be real, because surely Maelys was just around the corner. Surely she was still alive, waiting for him somewhere.

None of it felt real. But it was.

The day of the funeral came. It was a nice service, he was vaguely aware. His son, Alexander, stood at his right side, his face set and his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Sabrina clung to Judah’s side— his sweet daughter hadn’t spoken since they found Maelys, and wept silently through the proceedings.

He gave a eulogy. A speech had been prepared for him, but Judah didn’t read it. This was his last chance to say goodbye to his wife. Politics couldn’t come into it, not even if they should.

So he spoke of how when they’d met, it was an arranged marriage. Neither one of them had expected anything from it other than to do their duty, and Judah had accepted that. But then he’d met Maelys, and he’d known, almost immediately, that she was special. That she was brave and smart and kind, and she would make an amazing queen. An amazing wife.

He’d been lucky to have her as long as he did, and he said that, too, striving to keep the tears from leaving his eyes. It didn’t take away the pain of losing her, but it was still good to speak about her, with people in the crowd who knew her. Her brother, Lucas, had been there, and his children as well as Judah’s. After the service, Judah made certain to find him, first of all.

Lucas saw him coming, and moved to meet him. “I’m so sorry, Judah,” he said, his voice torn with the same pain Judah felt. It was almost enough to break the wall that Judah had been constructing over the past few days, trying hard to keep it together.

Apparently, it was obvious. Wordlessly, his brother-in-law stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. “She loved you so much,” he said, his voice muffled. “Never forget that.”

“I won’t,” Judah promised, gathering what strength he still possessed about him as Lucas stepped away. “And she loved you, too, Luc.”

Lucas nodded, grief clear in his eyes and his every move, and Judah reached out and grasped his arm. “If there’s anything you need—”

“I should be saying that to you,” Lucas said. “But I know. Same to you.”

There was a brief pause, and Judah took a quick breath. Time to be the king again, and the host. “How long are you staying?” he asked, but Lucas shook his head.

“We’ve already been away too long. The borders need watching— Alcea’s Coronation Tournament is approaching. And with a new ruler comes new problems. We have to be vigilant.”

He was right, though it hurt Judah to hear he was going already. He didn’t show it, though, just clapped a hand on his shoulder. “What would I do without my best general?”

“Very little,” Lucas said, his smile shadowed in sorrow. “I’ll see you soon, my king. Stay strong.”

“You, too.”

And then he was gone, just like that. Just like Maelys. And Judah was alone again, facing the crowds of politicians.

Well, not completely alone. He had his children, whom he would never take for granted. Alex stood by his side with all the seriousness a sixteen year old could muster, watching the guests who Judah spoke to with a skeptical and protective air. Sabrina stayed with them for a while, but she hated crowds, and the day had taken a lot out of her. Before long Judah sent his ten year old back up to her room with her governess.

It was odd how it affected him to have even one less ally. But without Maelys, it was becoming sharply apparent just how many of the barons he could consider genuine friends. The Council of Nine, who helped govern the country, were not among the friend group. Most of them barely counted as allies, although not all of them had even come.

Some of the lesser lords and ladies were less conniving, but there was a superficialness about them. Like the words and condolences they offered were naught but pretty lies. And the underlying disdain, the distaste at the emotion he was showing, weighed him down. It piled onto Judah’s shoulders and soured his stomach until his legs almost gave out beneath him.

“Are you alright?”

The man’s voice barely penetrated the haze Judah had succumbed to, nor did his firm grip on his hand. But Alex’s concerned voice did. “Father?”

Rousing himself, Judah looked first to his son, who was frowning at him, and then to the man who was next in line of the guests. He didn’t recognize him, which was a little odd. He’d lived in the palace all his life and did his level best to know by face, if not name, all the royals and the staff.

But this man was totally unfamiliar. He was dark haired and dressed in fine black clothing, and wore a mustache that he was obviously a little too proud of. He was also studying Judah keenly, like he could look straight through him.

“Forgive me,” Judah said, not hastily. It didn’t suit the king to rush. “I’m fine.”

“That seems rather unlikely.”

Judah’s eyebrows shot up, but the man didn’t seem at all perturbed by his own blunt manner. “I mean, who would be?” he said, casting a look at the royals milling around. “Dealing with such… lovely folk at a time like this. Personally, I’d want to pitch the lot out on their royal rears. But that’s just my indelicate opinion.”

Absurdly, Judah found himself almost wanting to laugh. Alex scowled at the man. “Who are you?” he demanded. “And how dare you speak to my father like that?”

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Judah said gently, “Alex, it’s okay.” Directing his gaze back to the man, he said, “I’m afraid I don’t recall your name, sir.”

“Most likely because we’ve never officially met,” the man said with a wry smile. “Alphaeus Black. My deepest condolences on your loss, Your Majesty. I… truly cannot begin to imagine how you are feeling right now.”

There was a note of raw honesty in his voice, which was smooth and held a lilting accent that came and went. “Thank you, Mr. Black,” Judah said, surprised to find he meant it. “I appreciate that.”

“I realize now is a difficult time,” Alphaeus Black continued, “and so I won’t trouble you more now. But when you have a moment, in the near future, I should very much like a word.”

And there it was. Back to the job— but his grief didn’t mean this man had to wait. “Of course,” Judah told him. “If you’ll reach out, I will happily arrange an audience.”

“Excellent. I appreciate it, Your Majesty.” Giving the two of them a quick bow, Alphaeus Black turned and strode away, soon lost in the crowd.

Glaring at his back, Alex muttered, “Opportunist scum.”

“For some people, a state funeral is the only time they have to reach out to their rulers,” Judah told him gently. “It might be poor timing for us, but for them it could also be the only timing.”

“He didn’t really seem like he was suffering, Father.”

“Hmm. Maybe.” Casting another look after the man, Judah wondered what exactly it was that he’d wanted. I suppose I’ll find out eventually. At the moment, he wasn’t sure he had enough energy to care.

The rest of the day dragged by in a grayish blur, and by the end, Judah was too exhausted to remember Alphaeus Black. He was too tired to do anything but tip himself into his bed, which seemed far too big now, and sleep.

And so he began life without his queen. It was… hard. Harder than he’d expected. He’d come to rely on Maelys— her judgment, her cunning mind and ability to parse out and handle the low handed remarks and ploys the barons enacted. Judah was better at focusing on the people who needed help, not the ones who wanted to trample the lower ranks. Now he had to do both in a way he hadn’t really ever done before.

In Alcea, their neighboring country, all positions of power were handled by two— one man and one woman. Often the pair were married, but not always. They took the words in the First Books seriously, that man and woman were to work together in partnership. They would compliment each other, and make each other better.

Judah wasn’t Alcean. But he saw now, more than ever, the value of that tradition. Their country was less without Maelys’s cunning on the throne. He knew it, and worse of all, his barons knew it. The Council of Nine had never cared for his way of ruling, and had always worked to undermine him at all cost. Maelys, as a daughter of a former member of that council and a woman who was, frankly, far smarter than all of them, had combated them with ease, even in their increasing corruption.

And now that she was gone, they were free to act as they wished. And while Judah did his best to fight back against them, he didn’t have the subtlety of mind for it. He knew they were undermining him in the courts, that they were overruling his decisions and talking behind his back. But what could he do to fix it?

Without Maelys, he didn’t really know, and so the first months without her wore on and on. By the third month, he truly had no idea how he was going to do this.

It was after a particularly frustrating meeting with the Council that the answer started to present itself. He’d been working on an initiative to support the veterans of the wars with Alcea. But as Judah spoke with the Council about it, they one by one stepped forward and flattened it. It was too ambitious, they said, and far too naive— not that His Majesty was naive, of course. It was money they couldn’t afford to use elsewhere, and frankly, the veterans probably didn’t want their help. They might be insulted.

Judah knew what they were doing, knew they were lying. But whenever he faced them it was like he couldn’t speak fast enough to combat them. And the heavy cloud of grief that still hung over his shoulders didn’t help much.

So he tabled the discussion for the day, politely excused himself, and headed for his chambers. Sabrina was in her lessons, and Alex was at swordsmanship practice, so he would be alone. Which was what he wanted.

Or rather, it was what he wanted and knew he could have. What he really wanted was far out of reach.

Reaching his chambers, Judah stepped inside and closed the door gently behind him. He let out a long breath, dropping against the door, and closed his eyes. Then he plucked the crown from his head and threw it across the room with all the force he could muster.

It hit the wall with a ringing clatter. It wouldn’t dent, of course. The kings of Harrowdale wore bronze crowns, far sturdier than the gold ones of Alcea. But a thread of guilt did go through Judah at the action. He should be more responsible, he couldn’t go around throwing temper tantrums, he—

“You looked like you needed that.”

Judah’s eyes snapped open at the voice. Bewildered, he turned to see a man sitting at the table where he usually had tea with his family. The table was set with tea and a tray of cakes, and Alphaeus Black was calmly watching him from the chair Alex usually sat in.

“Maybe,” Judah agreed slowly. “Why are you in my room?”

Nodding, Alphaeus said, “Direct. I admire that about you, Your Majesty. I’m here for our meeting.”

“I wasn’t aware we’d scheduled one.” Now that he thought about it, Judah hadn’t heard a thing from the man after Maelys’s funeral. He’d assumed— well, truth be told, he hadn’t really thought about it, what with everything else.

“Oh, I did, Approximately two weeks after we first met. But then you were busy, and then you had to postpone, and then it was an important meeting, and then it was made very clear to me that His Majesty didn’t speak to just any vagabonds coming in from the street. Even well dressed ones.”

Judah snorted. Alphaeus was, indeed, dressed in an immaculately tailored suit— black, with gold highlighting. Then he frowned. “Wait. I heard nothing about any of these meetings.”

“Oh, no, you weren’t to be bothered,” Alphaeus said conversationally. “One of your charming Council members handled it. A rather reddish-faced fellow by the name of Calrick, I believe.”

Calrick. Of course. He was one of the worst of the lot— smooth tongued, with an amazing talent for making you feel like an idiot for just speaking your mind. Maelys had always enjoyed taking him down a peg or two. Pressing his eyes shut, Judah sighed. “Well, Mr. Black, I do apologize. Baron Calrick is simply… overly concerned for the crown’s time.”

“Overly concerned for his wallet’s more like it,” Alphaeus remarked, sounding amused. “In any case, I thought it best to arrange a meeting on my own terms. Tea? You look like you’ve been hit by a train.”

Now that he mentioned it, Judah did rather feel that way. Leaving his crown where it lay, he moved over to his usual seat, dropping down across from Alphaeus. “Mr. Black, I’m going to be very honest.”

“Call me Alphaeus, and I would prefer that,” he said, serenely pouring a cup of tea for himself, then one for Judah.

“I know you’re probably in need, but I don’t know that I can help you,” Judah said, hating himself for the words. Hating that he had to turn away someone in need when that was the last thing he’d ever wanted to do.

“Oh, I don’t need anything.”

Judah blinked at him, startled. “You… what?”

“Well, I suppose I’m asking for one thing,” Alphaeus mused. “But I’m mostly not here to ask anything of you. Sugar?”

“Just a little cream, please.” Judah watched rather dazedly as Alphaeus poured a rich ribbon of cream into the cup, then passed it to him. Accepting it, he said, “Then what do you want?”

“To ask you that exact question,” Alphaeus said, adding a few spoonfuls of sugar to his tea, then taking a sip. Setting it down, he met Judah’s gaze evenly. “And then to execute said request as smoothly as possible.”

Slowly, Judah took a drink from his tea. It was good— warm and rich. One of his favorite kinds, and he wondered if Alphaeus had known somehow, or if the kitchen had sent it up. “You’re going to have to expand on that a little more.”

“Gladly. May I speak with utter honesty?”

“That seems wise.”

“Good. Your Majesty, your kingdom is shambles. Your barons are corrupt, and your Council is slowly claiming as much of the kingdom as they can manage. They’re spreading the rumors that your wife’s death broke you, that you are no longer fit to rule.”

Judah would have laughed if it hadn’t been so very not funny. Looking down at his tea, he said softly, “I don’t know how much of that is rumor.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Judah looked up sharply. Alphaeus’s expression was dead serious as he said, “Your Majesty, you’ve clearly had an awful day. Yet, upon finding a stranger in your quarters, instead of throwing him out on his tail like he deserved, you sat down to see how you could help him. You are fit to rule. You’re the best king this country has ever had. Therefore, since we have a Council full of morons, they’re trying to destroy everything you're working for.”

This time, Judah did laugh. Rubbing at his forehead, he said, “You make a compelling case, Alphaeus. Alright, continue.”

“Thank you.” Pausing for a sip of tea, Alphaeus said, “Your only real problem— well, you’ve got a few. But the first one I’m here to solve is the fact that you’re simply too nice.”

“Too nice? I’ve fought in wars, Alphaeus.”

“And here you are, having tea with an intruder.”

“Point taken,” Judah said wryly.

“Thank you. Now, your wife was an impressive woman in many aspects. And while I am sure she was kind, she was also formidably cunning, and had a better grasp of court politics than you do. Am I incorrect in any aspects so far?”

Shaking his head, Judah said, “Other than the fact she was far better at the political side of things… you’re about spot on. Now, please don’t tell me you’re about to suggest that I marry again.”

Arching an eyebrow at him, Alphaeus said, “I am many things, Your Majesty, but an idiot is very rarely one of them. Of course not. I was actually thinking of an advisor of some sort. Or, barring any kind of authority, just someone you come to when you need things fixed.”

“Which would be you,” Judah said slowly.

“Well, I am adept at fixing things.” Pausing, Alphaeus’s expression grew serious. “I know this looks like a grab for power. Trying to manipulate the grieving man into giving me his ear.”

“It could be seen that way,” Judah agreed. “But I have a feeling there’s a but in here somewhere.”

Alphaeus nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.” A hint of that raw honesty from the first day they met entered his voice as he spoke. “You’re a good man, King Judah. Anyone with eyes in their head can see that. You deserve the chance to be that with a throne, to help people who need it. People who’ve run out of chances, only to be granted one more. People who are lost. My only goal here is to serve you, and help you do that. Be it from behind the scenes or at your side.”

Judah stared at the man. Despite his appearance, despite the manner in which he’d appeared… he believed him. There was nothing but truth in his voice. “Why do you want to do this?” he asked.

There was a brief pause, as Alphaeus seemed to consider. “I’m repaying a debt,” he said eventually, his voice low and somber. And Judah knew it was the truth.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s say I give you a job. What exactly do you intend to do with it?”

Alphaeus shrugged, the easy demeanor returning in a flash. “Oh, a few things. Begin a long game to preserve your heirs, eradicate corruption from the Council of the Nine, and overall return your country to you.”

“Oh, just that?” Judah said, lifting an eyebrow at him. “That doesn’t seem at all ambitious to you?”

“Very ambitious,” Alphaeus agreed. “But, Your Majesty, go big or go home.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Judah said.

“Excellent. Step one is to gain the trust of your Council, and then we’ll see where we go from there. If I can convince them I’m on their side, that will open quite a few windows.”

A thought hit Judah, and he smiled. “Certainly— but a mere advisor won’t gain their attention. You’ll need a unique title. Something that implies that I trust you above all others, making me easily manipulated by you.”

“You catch on quick,” Alphaeus said approvingly. “What did you have in mind?”

The very next day, Alphaeus Black was appointed Royal Vizier to the court. King Judah gave a public speech announcing his trust in the man, that he was wise and would assist their country greatly. Alphaeus stood at his side, looking dashingly evil in black embroidered robes and a black cane set with red jewels.

The barons watched with undisguised curiosity and suspicion. Little did they know that every word Judah spoke in his speech was true. Perhaps he trusted too easily. But Maelys had loved that about him, and Judah couldn’t change who he was. It was good to have an ally, however strange and mysterious he might be.

And maybe, just maybe, he could help fix things.

[tobiasdrake]

Examining MK1 Characters: Outworld

So, that was Earthrealm. Now for Outworld, which is in the opposite boat. This is where all of the estrogen fled to after Liu Kang declared that women were banned from Earthrealm.

Seriously, I don't know what Sonya did to warrant being unpersoned like that. Kenshi's ending even features the formation of the iconic Special Forces group from the previous timelines like, "And then Kenshi and Jax teamed up and formed their agency. That's right, Kenshi and Jax. That iconic and beloved Special Forces duo, Kenshi and Jax. Those are the names people think of when they think Special Forces. Kenshi and Jax!"

Did Netherrealm notice that people were upset about Ronda Rousey's performance as Sonya, and their takeaway is that the fandom doesn't like Sonya? Was that it? Is that why she's been banished to the mystical realm of Kameo-exclusivity?

In any case, if you want to be a woman, you gotta leave Earthrealm now. Outworld doesn't own a monopoly on women but it has absorbed Edenia's high concentration of female characters and brought most of them to the foray. Pretty much every Edenian lady is here.

Except Jade. Poor Jade.

Sindel NRS's Evil Sindel from MK11 was an extremely divisive character. You either loved her or hated her. Either she was an empowering portrayal that granted Sindel complete agency over the events that happened to her, or she was another example of taking characters created as victims of abuse and painting over them with deranged, monstrous villains. A lot of opinions were had and shared over the direction they took the previously-heroic Sindel in the reboot trilogy.

MK1 seems to have heard the criticisms, though, because they walk it back. Re-reboot Sindel is a mostly benevolent but flawed ruler who governs Edenia Outworld?

It's just Outworld now. Edenia doesn't exist anymore; Kang shunted all the good stuff about it into Outworld. Seems rude given how much of the Original Timeline Edenians' plot was about liberating their realm from Outworld, but okay. Edenia is officially decanonized.

In any case, NRS takes a crack at writing Sindel as a compassionate but flawed leader, eager to preserve peace between the realms but mindful of the potential dangers inherent to international politics and vulnerable to manipulation from those she trusts.

The genuinely complex political conflict unfolding between Earthrealm and Outworld, courtesy of mistakes made by both Liu Kang and Sindel, is the best part of the game. Sindel feels incredibly human and believable here, as both a person and a ruler.

She's also the only character in the entire game that dies, so it looks like NRS regrets how bloody they made the previous attempt at a reboot. Might seem odd for an MK game to be mostly bloodless but, surprisingly, it's pretty on-brand. It was rare for too many characters to die in the actual plots of the original Mortal Kombat series - and when they did, the sequel would generally find some way of ignoring it anyway.

Only one character dying while everyone else makes plans for what they'll do in the sequel is pretty normal by pre-reboot standards.

Mileena They keep trying to make Mileena pretty while still paying, pardon the pun, lip service to her iconic monstrous features. They tried giving her those weird, gross human lips in MKX. But the current approach, seen in MK1 and the newer Mortal Kombat film, is to have her be 100% pretty 99% of the time but she can mutate into the monster teeth for short spurts of screentime.

I don't like it. Let Mileena be hideous. Stop trying to fix her face. Female characters don't always have to be pretty.

As to her role in the story? Mileena and Kitana's relationship is one of the most underdeveloped things in Mortal Kombat. In the original canon, these two were raised together as sisters for 10,000 years before Kitana broke from their family - But the original games had so little storytelling and were so uninterested in examining Mileena as a character that very little was ever done with it. She was Evil Minion #6.

The reboot was a golden opportunity to finally explore the potential between these two characters. But they made the inexplicable decision to have Mileena literally born yesterday - while also sexualizing the hell out of her despite that. So she immediately alienates Kitana because they have no relationship. Then she dies.

So. No. Reboot trilogy was every bit as uninterested in examining Mileena and Kitana's relationship as the original.

This new timeline gives us a wildly different context for everything that Mileena is. But it also, finally, puts their relationship front and center of their characters. So, one step back, two steps forward. We get to see a profound bond of loyalty and love between the twin daughters of Shao Kahn Sindel - and without Shao Kahn's wickedness to break them apart, that bond is never shattered.

Every moment that these two are onscreen together is golden.

I have other thoughts about "Tarkat Disease" but we'll get to those when we get to Baraka. My main takeaway from Mileena's portrayal is that it's nice to finally see the dynamic between Mileena and Kitana share a spotlight in one of these games; to see Mileena handled as a character, and not just Kitana's Evil Twin/Shao Kahn's Evil Daughter.

Kitana As a consequence of no longer being the fugitive princess seeking to thwart her villainous father, Kitana's role takes a significant downgrade. She's the Kung Lao of Edenia now; It's Mileena and Kitana, there is no Just Kitana. Which is a bit of a twist given that Kitana is traditionally the true heir and Mileena's a counterfeit.

Consequently, Kitana doesn't get to do much besides hold Mileena's hand and support her, and occasionally throw hands on her behalf. Though, Kitana's the only one of her family that doesn't get a chapter, so she doesn't even get to be any good at hand-throwing. She's relegated to cannon fodder in fight scenes.

Going from Kitana Khan, ascendant supreme ruler of Outworld to Mileena's emotional support sibling and occasional Story Mode punching bag feels jarring. This may be what that stuff with Titan Kitana was thrown in to offset.

I'm okay with Kitana taking a more passive role here since it gives Mileena and Sindel, two dramatically underserved characters, opportunities to shine. But I hope they can find more for her to do in the next one. She's too beloved and popular to remain out of the spotlight for long.

(Still better than what Sonya got.)

Li Mei This character has nothing to do with Li Mei. They created a brand new original character and gave her Li Mei's name. That's what happens sometimes to D-listers. Li Mei was a character created for Deadly Alliance and then given almost nothing to do, either in that game or its sequels. So it's not surprise that they remade her from the ground up.

The new Li Mei's story is primarily governed by her relationship with Sindel. Jerrod died on her watch, fracturing her relationship with Sindel and resulting in a bitter and emotionally complicated dynamic between Sun Do's demoted First Constable and her Empress.

My favorite thing about Li Mei and Sindel's relationship is its sincerity. Neither of them are hiding anything. There's no big twists lurking. Well, there is one, and it's that a third party scapegoated Li Mei, but it wasn't Sindel who did it so it doesn't affect their dynamic with one another.

It's. Just. An emotionally intense relationship fractured by a sudden tragedy. You can feel the love that once existed between them in the fires of Sindel's grief-stricken hatred. But even demoted and denigrated and spurned as she is, Li Mei's loyalty and friendship is everlasting. This relationship is beautiful, and seeing it ultimately heal may be the biggest triumph in the game.

Tanya Tanya, the ever-traitor. Treachery is her name, deception is her way of life. Her "hat" so to speak is betraying her nation to whoever might be buying. She's the Kano of Edenia. The ultimate villain may change from game to game but if they need Edenian secrets, Tanya's the place to go.

She rebooted in MKX, where she was simply a devoted follower of Mileena. Then. Like. Fucked off. The writers have never cared much about Tanya.

MK1 keeps the part about her being a devoted follower of Mileena and tosses the rest. She's returned to where we met her in MK4: Serving the Edenian Outworld throne, but sincerely this time. Like Kitana, she gets little to do besides throw hands poorly at everyone else.

But they do ship her with Mileena. Got that whole Bodyguard/VIP romance going, which gets honed in on during Mileena's chapter. So that's neat.

Baraka Since Jade didn't make the cut, that brings us to the men of Outworld.

So. Tarkat Disease. Gonna say up front that I don't like this. I don't like boiling down a sentient race of beings into lepers. It's gross. I feel like they only did this so they had a means by which to make Mileena pretty. I don't like that.

But whatever the reason for that decision, Baraka makes out like a bandit. This is the first time in Mortal Kombat history that Baraka's been. Like. A character, rather than simply a token representative of his race. Throughout both original and reboot timelines, Baraka's simply been the Tarkatan. A character design more than a character.

It's like playing a Star Wars game where the playable characters include Darth Vader, the Emperor, Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Stormtrooper FB-119. Who is FB-119? He's a Stormtrooper. He's here so you can play as a Stormtrooper if you want. That, historically, is Baraka.

He still is, to some degree. MK1 Baraka still engages with the plot on behalf of Tarkatans as a whole. But he also gets to be here as an individual; To tell his own personal story of who he is and how he came to be, independent of his race. That's new. That's something Baraka's never had before.

So it's easy to say that this is by far the best Baraka we've ever had. Speaking of characters defined by their race who suddenly get to be individuals:

Reptile Did you know Reptile has a name now? Because Reptile has a name now. Up until this point, he's always been Reptile. Because he is a reptile. That is how much thought previously went into this character. Reptile was his name. But now he has a name, in addition to Reptile.

Like Mileena, Reptile suffered from having a genuinely fascinating character concept drowned out by his role as Evil Minion #4. He was the last survivor of a race exterminated by Shao Kahn, raised by Shao Kahn to believe that his people were out there and to want Kahn's help to search for them.

Are you kidding me? That's amazing. You have an incredible protagonist on your hands and you're wasting him on bad guy grunt work? Reptile and Kitana should be teaming up as partners in uncovering daddy's dirty laundry!

His non-canon endings would always be like, "But then Reptile discovered the awful truth and turned against Shao Kahn!" But they never pulled that trigger. Despite his wealth of potential, Reptile wasn't a character anyone was interested in developing.

As with Mileena and Kitana, MK1 unwrites a lot of what made Reptile interesting, but also grants him the narrative focus and character examination that he's been lacking. About nine games too late, he finally gets to turn against his cruel masters and break free of the chains they've bound him with. And he finally gets a name to call his own: Syzoth.

Which has technically been his name since MKX but this is the first time it was revealed outside of questionably-canon pre-fight banter. Because this is the first time he's ever mattered as a character.

Rain Like Mileena and Reptile, Rain is a surprisingly complicated character on paper, but Evil Minion #3 in practice. The bastard son of an Edenian king's affair. An illegitimate heir to a throne that will never be his birthright, taken in by Shao Kahn as an orphan - who may or may not have played a critical role in Kahn's conquest of the realm. Man, Kahn collects talented children like he's Evil Batman.

Rain is a character with a wealth of potential but who has never had his day in the sun. Sadly, unlike Mileena and Reptile, that day is not this day. The new Rain jettisons that narrative entirely, reducing him to simply "Some guy who's good at magic". While the other two got increased narrative focus in exchange, Rain's still hanging out as Evil Minion #3.

Maybe some day, Rain. Maybe some day.

General Shao Shao. Motherfucking. Kahn. The Big Bad Evil Guy of Mortal Kombat. Writers have gone back and forth on what he is and where he comes from but make no mistake: Where he walks, the heavens do tremble.

Now he's the pissant Sec-Def who wants to fire nukes at the aliens.

That probably sounds like I didn't like this direction for him but I do. It's a plot point that Liu Kang explicitly went out of his way to disempower all of the villains. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi had their destinies interfered with and altered by Titan Tsung, causing them to become the villains they were never supposed to be able to.

But Shao? Tsung only conspired with him because it was convenient. Kang made it so Shao was born too sickly and frail to ever become the shit-stomping uber-warrior that he was, and Shao still made his way to the absolute peak of Outworld's military by sheer force of Shao Kahn-ness.

I wonder how Liu Kang felt years back, when he first heard the name "General Shao" emerge from Sindel's lips? Like. He went to so much trouble to prevent this and it still happened. And not because of extra-temporal invaders this time. Shao Kahn simply cannot be pinned down. No matter how weak you make him, he will find a way to make himself strong. That tenacity and resilience is what makes him so dangerous.

Reiko Also, Reiko is here. Another recipient of the "And X" treatment, Reiko is the other Outworld Military representative. His job is to stand next to Shao and go, "YEAH, what he said!" And occasionally get beat up so that we can have an Outworld Military guy beat up without diminishing Shao's menace.

Reiko's a good pick for Shao's "And X" partner. That's already what this character is. He does his job... adequately. Never stands out, but never falls flat.

If I had one criticism for Reiko, it's that they take him too seriously. His goofy obsession with Shao, styling himself after Shao and sneaking into his throne room to wear his helmet, all that fun stuff is absent from this portrayal. He snaps to attention, salutes, and says, "YES, SIR!" That's all there is to him.

Shang Tsung Ah, the game's main villain. I hope you like Shang Tsung because there's two separate Shang Tsungs here. Shang Tsung manipulates Shang Tsung until he inevitably betrays Shang Tsung, forcing Shang Tsung to turn on Shang Tsung and instead help to defeat Shang Tsung.

This would be an incredible satire if it wasn't played totally straight.

I'm not fond of Titan Shang Tsung, for the way he hijacks the story and forces it to abandon all of the characters and plotlines that had been developing up to that point. The big Titan free-for-all at the end was a disappointing conclusion for me, especially since it ends the game on a redo of Aftermath's ending.

But the native Shang Tsung? Much like Shao, Shang Tsung being a slippery enough worm to reach out and snatch the destiny that's been kept from him is a consistent character trait. Nonetheless, when we meet him, he's still growing and developing. He's an alchemist and sorcerer, but isn't quite the soul-hungry eldritch beast we know from other entries in the franchise.

Unfortunately, his role within the story is compromised by reference. This game wants really badly for you to notice that it's Reboot Deadly Alliance. They go hard on it. The Deadly Alliance forms up to awaken Reboot Onaga's Army like in Deadly Alliance, but then Tsung pulls the rug out from under them. So we have the Shang Tsung chapter, about the Deadly Alliance defeating Titan Tsung's forces alongside Raiden, with winking nods to how Raiden was their enemy in Deadly Alliance.

Then, after that, Titan Shang Tsung forms the Titan Deadly Alliance! DO YOU GET IT? DO YOU REMEMBER DEADLY ALLIANCE? I REMEMBER DEADLY ALLIANCE.

Like. What's the deal with all this Deadly Alliancing? Are Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, like, actually friends now or something? Even their extradimensional counterparts are attached at the hip.

Honestly, as cool as the novelty of "The Deadly Alliance is on our side now!" is, it's still just novelty. Shang Tsung is with us because Other Shang Tsung wants to kill him. But also, it doesn't matter because nothing he does once he turncoats has any consequence; Liu Kang defeats Titan Shang Tsung in a big Titan Armageddon, which the Deadly Alliance Plus Raiden's big victory has no effect on anyway.

Ultimately, the new Shang Tsung is a cool idea that winds up getting dragged down by the overarching decisions for where the story wants to go.

[cosm1cbrownie]

I just can't get with stevetony bc consistently and repeatedly it feels like a shipper fangirl phenom where they all only like 1 of the ship and hate the other guy and just want him to be arm candy for they fave

like idgaf abt captain colonizer tho im still waiting for marvel writers to finally understand that if steve was actually the moral force they portray him as then he wouldve drop the colonizer costume and shield yesterday, but omfg why do stony shippers hate Steve sm?

everywhere i go the shippers - really theyre just ironman fans - rag on Steve and everything abt him and anything that points to him being a character that originated from a diff franchise, and the only times they don't is when theres commercial cashgrab crossover slop that characterizes him as bland and historyless as possible. like ffs they all think that shitty avengers academy mobile game is his "best" version. atp the whole ship feels like an exercise in removing character traits until theres nothing but a blond blue eyed character design left

Honestly I think it depends on which side of the fandom your in because what you're talking Abt reminds me of the MCU Stony fandom.

Most of the people who like MCU Stony are people who mostly try cope with the fact that there wasn't really much relationship build off from Steve In that universe, because he was bland, similar to how I feel about emh Steve and EMH Stony in general despite me shipping it myself.

I think that most Stony fans don't hate Steve they just wish that the writers would like.. write him, like , good. An example of a Steve I think everyone can agree on is AA Steve, which is known for being some the best Steve characterizations we've gotten in a while, because of the way Roger Craig Smith does his softer voice and normal Steve voice that displays both a captain and a caring person that would try and help out with your problems.

And as much as I don't agree with the "Captain Colonizer" Statement, mostly because Steve is a representation of the people of America not the government, as much as marvel tries to make it seem that way cap is someone that helps the little guys and unless there's a habit avengers level threat or just something happening down town, he doesn't go side with the government, evident by the fact that in AA (S2/3ish) neither Steve and tony were working with the government, it was obviously on already uneasy terms, but after they showed lack of remorse for human lives, it ended up leading the team to split up publicly and work to help everyone underground away from ultrons weird government bullshit that entire season.

And afiak, They stopped "uneasily" working with the government after this, it was really only with big events like thanos and ultron anyway, and the avengers work alone, and they don't like being controlled by government pencil necks who don't care.

Although it should be noted that, most other Steve vary on this position, Im not gonna use civil war as a talking point here cuz both the comic and the movies adaptations are shit and Steves feelings towards the government are a lot more wishy washy in 616, and the MCU is a huge example of going in the wrong direction with how to do that. And the fact that if we're being honest Steve would go down to wherever shits going down and help him fucking self. he don't take that shit, he will defend the side of the right. Hes not about that wishy washy government bullshit as much as marvel's military funded ass shitty movie cinematic universe will try to make you believe and just and fyi: all the mcus shit is from ults.. AND IT ISNT THE GOOD STUFF FROM ULTS!!!

But anyway, most people hate Steve because they don't like the fact that Steves character keeps getting worse and worse, even more bastardized, and flanderized, and written terrible, by people who don't understand the complexites or history of his character, which end us with a problem where there are conflicts with newer steve fans who like his flanderized ults-like take in the MCU, or the comic fans who like his original version and would like for him to return back to something that truly represents him as a person, whether or not he has changed since then is entirely separate and goes too indepth so I'll leave it to the wolves.

Also, yeah most Stony fans are Tony fans, you can't have one without the other, because Tony is a key part of making the relationship work, and from what I've found Most Steve tony shippers like them both but there's either a dissonance between liking one more than the other or liking them equally, and I think that remains prevalent outside of the MCU.

And for your final question, no, most Stony fans don't think avac Steve is the best character version, idk where you got that from, but it wasn't the fandom no siree, that seems a bit biased. And as I've said earlier, the consensus on "best Steve" usually seems to be either 616 Steve or Aa Steve, me personally I like aa steve more but my other friend likes 616 Steve, and I think it really comes down to these two because one is really solid adaptable and the other is the original character finally becoming good again with writers who care about him, (tony too, hes the main reason I got back into cap comics!)

Sorry this answer is kind of long, there isn't really much of a concrete answer besides that most people hate Steve because they wish he wants written so badly 😭 it's kinda sad, but I hoped this answered your question!!! If ya have anything else to ask to drop me another ask ^_^

[girl4music]

At some point the term “govern” went from being about serving the people to controlling the people.

That’s why people say that about the government.

They’ve forgotten what their original purpose was.

To govern is to lead. To lead with authority, but nonetheless, leadership is about serving people.

There’s no need for it if it’s not. People forget that.

But conveniently, people are reminded again for the election polls. Candidate: “What I will do for YOU!”

But that should be a constant all the time whether you’re in or not. That shouldn’t just stop when it’s decided and the ballot comes in. That’s not right.

So yes, elected officials are absolutely civil servants.

You’re not there to keep them on top form.

They’re there to keep you safe and secure.

It’s democracy vs dictatorship.

It’s communism vs capitalism.

And you’re made to think and believe that the former is what you don’t want and the latter is what you do.

That’s the operation of politics. Especially US politics.

But no, a government and governor is there to lead.

And leadership is ultimately about helping and serving. Just through an authoritative position.

It’s the people conducting a job interview. But they expect you to forget this when the position’s filled.

If a population of a country chooses their leader.

They have employed them.

The leader works for THEM.

People don’t think about it that way but that’s exactly what happens. That’s what a democracy means. And the moment that leader starts acting like they’re above their people,…it’s no longer a leadership.

It’s a dictatorship.

What floors me is the fact Trump isn’t even pretending that he is serving the people of America. He isn’t even attempting to act like he cares about the country. And yet, some people still would choose him because they think just him in principle is a good or right person to lead America or of any country at all.

When that’s just not true.

He is the last person you want leading anything because not only is he incompetent.

He’s bloody dangerous.

Somebody that only ever thinks about themselves for themselves should not ever lead a whole country.

Mindset is incredibly important. Biden’s not the best leader out there but he has the right mindset.

And he still has that right mindset even as the leader.

And until someone better comes along - that’s who you’ve got America and you should seriously think about what will happen if you don’t and Trump is back in. That’s the last thing that you will want. Trust me.

Trump is not only terrible at serving others.

He can’t even get his own affairs right.

That should immediately alarm you.

He is a screw up and no matter how much you may laugh because of it - screw ups are still dangerous.

He could have the whole country on fire by the end of the year if you give him the power and tools to do it.

So I’d advocate for Biden if I were you because he is leader now and the country still seems to be intact.

At this point the only reason Biden wants to stay in power is so that he can block Trump from getting it.

EVERYBODY should be doing what they can to help him in that endeavour regardless of personal opinion.

[percontaion-points]

19th Wife chapter 21

Click here for the rest of the series!

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Chapter 21

When Brigham passed on that hot August afternoon, felled by cholera morbus…

Honestly, after the way Joseph died, finding out that Brigham died of cholera is kind of disappointing.

In recent years, it has come to light that many Latter-day Saints, including members of the leadership, have continued to marry plural wives in secret. In public they decried it, in private they swooped up wives numbers one, two, and three.

If you were to tell me that they were still doing this today, I would 100% believe you.

I humbly offer these memories and political ideas to my Dear Readers everywhere, hoping they will sustain the women of Utah, now hidden from view, who continue to live in conjugal chains.

Chapter 21, part 1: For one of the republications of her book, Ann writes a new forward for it, mainly talking about how things have since changed since the original publication. She explains to the readers that, before he died, Brigham told the Mormons to hold fast to their beliefs and continue to fight. He then died of cholera. He left behind a really complex will, favouring wives like Amelia… While other people like Ann got, and I quote “a lifetime residency at the Lion House, if they wanted”. Wow, great, thanks! /sarcasm She goes on to say about how the new church president eventually saw the writing on the wall as far as their cult vs the US government would go… and told the Mormons to stop practising polygamy. However, the extremist group Aaron had fallen in with denounced Woodruff’s decree, and they broke off and formed the FLSD. There were also whispers of non FLSD people secretly practising polygamy, but that Woodruff was really cracking down on them.

My mother, [Ann Eliza], with her many blind spots, dismissed all Catholics as superstitious.

You literally believe that wearing underwear blessed by the church leader would prevent you from succumbing to spiritual and physical harm. DON’T YOU DARE TALK SHIT ABOUT WHATEVER THE FUCKING CATHOLICS ARE DOING.

The Firsts of Red Creek silenced her. They had every reason. My uncle Aaron was their first Prophet. He never liked Ann Eliza, anyone will tell you that, their antagonism goes back to their youth. And so he removed her, or sent out his followers to remove her.

By that point, you’d think that the FLSD had better things to worry about than Ann Eliza. Mainly, you know… the feds who were trying to stop them from practising polygamy. Like babe, that bell has already been rung, and you can’t exactly unring it. It doesn’t matter what Ann does at this point.

All speculation and imagination, yet so true, I know, so true.

Chapter 21, part 2: Another letter from Lorenzo to Professor Green. Apparently, Green wrote a book about polygamy in Mormon history, and sent a copy of Lorenzo. Lorenzo’s main complaint about the book was that Ann’s role was basically over as soon as she made her speech in DC. Which… Wasn’t it? Anyway, Lorenzo also says that he was kind of hoping that Green would have uncovered more info about his missing mother. At this point, Lorenzo describes about how he and Ann became estranged. After her tenure as a lecturer and protestor of polygamy was over, Ann and Lorenzo settled in California. However, a rift grew between them when Lorenzo, now a young man in his own right, wanted to take a horrified gasp Catholic as his wife. I said what I said about that. After that, some time passed, and Lorenzo eventually tried to write to his mother. But every lead turned up dead… To the point where even a PI Lorenzo hired to find his mum refused to accept any more of Lorenzo’s money. At this point, Lorenzo offers up a few possibilities of what might have happened to his mother. Each one is as possible as the last. However, I’m not holding my breath on finding out with this book.

Although the words are Jordan’s, it is shaped by my years of scholarship and thought, and a lifetime of open faith.

Chapter 21, part 3: An essay about Ann Eliza, written by whom I can only assume is Kelly. She basically sums up what we spent the past 500 pages reading about Ann Eliza. However, since this is the end… I don’t give a shit.

And I saw myself in her prayers.

Chapter 21, part 4: An unknown amount of time later, Jordan goes shopping with Maureen for things for BeckyLyn once she gets out of prison. He and Tom pick her up, and take her back to the motel. However, now that she’s there, she says she doesn’t want any of that stuff, and only wants to go back to Mesadale. Although Jordan argues with her about that, I think he understands that he can hardly force her before she’s ready. He drives her up, but BeckyLyn insists on going the rest of the way on foot. Back at the motel, Jordan finds Johnny asleep with the dogs. Tom says that the three of them can be a “family together”. As if this is some sort of happy ending for a situation like this. Why would you write this? The book ends with Jordan imagining the warm homecoming BeckyLyn had.

Hire me to fix your book! Copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing, sarcastic editing, and more! 16 years of book-editing experience. Message me anywhere for pricing and further details.

[im-phoenix-black]

It's heartbreaking, the situation in Palestine. I have opinions but I'm brave enough to admit that I don't have a damn clue what's going on there.

I'm gonna sum up the situation as I understand it, then I'm gonna try to analyze what I believe I know, and draw my conclusions.

Firstly, Israel was created by the UN after WW2, supposedly in order to protect Jews from suffering another Holocaust. There are no unclaimed lands anywhere, so the UN opted to functionally steal land in the Jewish people's homeland and remove the current residents.

Palestine was divided, and portions given to the new country of Israel. Borders were drawn, and likely fought over. Then, for reasons I do not know, the borders of Israel expanded and Palestine's border shrunk, and did so multiple times.

Trump, in his first term, basically gave Israel a gift with the Jerusalem debacle.

October 7th happened, and war broke out. Propaganda from all sides, as well as reporting and eyewitness accounts from all sides.

That is the conclusion of what I know for sure.

What I think I know of the Israel/Palestine situation but have some doubt of their factuality:

Illegal settlements: I've heard that Israel has a pattern of taking Palestinian land and then resettling it. While I'm not sure how true this is, it at least offers an explanation for how the Israel borders expanded.

Guerilla Warfare: Hamas have been openly flouting international law and attacking Israeli citizens, including Oct 7. Don't know when it started.

Police(ish) Violence: Israel's army / whatever armed forces they use to keep the peace in Gaza West Bank seem to use disproportionate violence in their treatment of the Palestinians. Since Oct 7, it looks almost as if they've stopped caring about civilian casualties. Some of these have been disputed as false flags by Hamas. Don't know when it started.

Horrible Tweets: I've seen translated screenshots of tweets written originally in what appears to be Hebrew, supposedly by members of the Israel government, saying what appears to be vitriolic hatred of Palestinians. I cannot verify their authenticity, and so any unbiased conclusion must ignore these as they do not constitute solid evidence.

The "Open Air Prison" of it all: The Gaza Strip has long been called an open air prison due to the fact that Israel controls the entire border, the airspace, and the waters. While this may be exaggerated or outright unfactual, this does seem to have believable evidence behind it.

My beliefs:

1) Any use of "Zion" seems like overt antisemitism, due to the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion". Jews do not have a secret agenda to take anything over or rule the world etc.

2) The government of a country can be bad and do bad things without making every citizen complicit. Any attempt to conflate the people of Israel with its government, and worse, any attempt to conflate Jews in general with Israel, is also antisemitic.

3) I am fundamentally opposed to any violence, whether offensive or retaliatory. The only exception is active self defense, and that lasts only until your opponent tries to leave.

4) I believe every ethnic group or people deserves a nation where they are the majority of the country's population.

5) I don't believe a country has the right to continue existing "as is" when it misbehaves.

My conclusions:

I think we should have the UN intervene, stop the violence from ALL sides, retrieve all Israeli citizens from Palestine and all Palestinian citizens from Israel. Send everyone home. Now that the fight is over, the governments of both states should be ousted and replaced via democratic popular vote, as both have committed war crimes.

The new governments then are brought to a negotiating table and made to negotiate a peace treaty that ensures both have guaranteed protection from the other and both have access to vital resources, along the original borders outlined by the UN. Potentially install a DMZ like in Korea (not that I like THAT idea but better than outright warfare.)

If the new governments have no interest in playing nice, the UN running the borders would at least help ensure peace and fair treatment from both sides to the people of the other side.

Perhaps I have been affected by the multitude of propaganda I have seen. I'm certainly not immune. I believe I was actually in one of those radicalization pipelines so I wanted to take a step back and think my positions through. This is the first such issue I wanted to address, and it's probably the hardest one to know anything about.

There's a chance that unbiased evidence will prove that one side or the other was the clear antagonist of the whole situation, giving a convenient easy answer. But I think it's more likely something like this: BOTH sides are roughly equally culpable in this clusterfuck, in a cycle of escalating retaliation.

It ain't gonna stop until both countries are made to stop, their warmongering governments at least given the appearance of being dismantled and replaced, and new, peace minded governments sit down to work together.

And for the love of everything, guys, the solution to a bunch of innocent people dying should never include an innocent person dying.

[titleknown]

...While I usually disagree with you on cape stuff Brett, I think you do have a point here. I think that any setting with heroes around sufficiently long would develop some sort of regulatory framework around them for obvious reasons.

I myself kinda have that in my own superhero setting and so do many others, some more cynical some less cynical...

...THAT BEING SAID, this idea raises its own questions.

Like, say, what happens when our government goes rogue against them unjustly? Like, what happens when; say; an ancient bacterial sludge starts a long-running US program to genocide mutants? Or Richard Nixon ends up so extensively involved in an anti-mutant program he literally shoots himself when confronted on it?

I didn't make those up by the by, both of those actually happened in Marvel. Even though they technically retconned away the Nixon part because they're cowards. And while, yeah, of course those were written by authors, they would logically be something that'd come up in this scenario!

And like, the military/legal branches of government who'd be handling this are often wildly unaccountable to citizens. Like, remember J Edgar Hoover's reign of terror or the awful shit done overseas in our name.

Like, you hand someone like; say; Amanda Waller more explicitly delineated powers, it might limit her capacity to do shady shit like the Suicide Squad, but it might also give her powers to press-gang actual capes into governmental dirty work, while she still does Suicide Squad shit on the side.

What's to stop them from press-ganging Superman into helping with Palestinean genocide? Or forcing Martian Manhunter at lighterpoint to "accidentally" sabotage a rival power's satellites? What rights would Supes have under that framework?

Or, for that matter, what framework would be used for treatment of capes and registering their powers and their uses? What rights do they have for fair treatment or freedom from constant surveillance and freedom from the government forcing them to use their powers for their own ends?

Like, it's hard to believe that Storm or Legion should be put under the same sort of scrutiny as; say; Goldballs or Skin or fucking Beak.

And like, that's another thing, what about people born with their powers? Like, you were correct in the original tags that the X-Men don't really map neatly onto IRL oppressions, but still, do they just void their human rights due to their conditions of existence?

And, the kicker and the whole point of this ramble, these aren't rhetorical questions, these are plot hooks.

Like, the question of regulation is often brought up in terms of thought-terminating cliches that're either on the "don't restrain the ubermensch" or "all superheroes are bad actually" extremes when like, there's a lot of potential for interesting room in-between.

Because, like, in those settings there's often a need for disaster relief and fighting off those unbound by law or morality with supoerpowers, and capes do a generally decent job at it.

And, as my idea of a more populist version of capes leans towards one less "Nietzchean ubermensch" and more "person with very specific skills doing a job to help people" (Albeit a flashier one than most of those IRL), I think exploring the idea of a regulatory framework with that in mind would be fascinating.

Like, I'd love to see your expertise added to some sort of story about regulating capes in a way that avoids those nightmare scenarios I spoke of...

Whether it's Marvel's Civil War or the latest season of Invincible, I will always be 100% on the side of the government in its attempts to bring superheroes under the state's authority. If there was a Superman capable of destroying planets and shattering reality, I would hope that the government is spying on him and building up a large strategic reserve of kryptonite. "Oh but he's friendly, he's a good guy with a heart of gold," sure, so was Jean Grey before she had one bad week and started committing galactic genocide. No amount of "the will of the ubermensch is above all democratic accountability" propaganda will ever convince me that Captain America should be able to ignore the UN. I want superhero control for the exact same reason that I want nuclear arms control!

[xtrablak674]

CDP: The Claire Driven Project

[Originally published in Fashion Fag Magazine, November-December, Volume 1, Number 4, 1994]

The slow but systematic take over of VDP (The Volunteer Driven Program) or The Berlin Wall gets constructed in GMHC.

Wednesday, October 12, 5:00p.m., 1 am tryin to leave my house and get my butt down to the theatre when the phone rings.

"Hi it's Claire Shanley."

What does she want - is she going to reprimand me about cursin' to much or being too ethnic.

"Hi Claire, how are you doing?"

She tells me that she would like to have a meeting with me on Monday. I question her as to what the meeting is about. She says its about the Program. And as always she erected a barrier and any more information was withheld. We scheduled an appointment for 2:30 on Monday and I hung up.

Well of course I was feeling a scheme of some sort rising, as I never really got along with Claire from the get go. And her recent reprimand of my language at the Open House. I instantly thought she was going to try and pull a Chris M on me. But unlike Chris I have a loaded gun and won't, be shooting blanks.

I have been with this program since its birth. I've been there to see its formation, its changes in structure and membership, and I have been very active in the forming of the structure that now governs it. My time and energy along with others have given this program its success.

I'm not stupid I'm not going to go in to battle with the enemy unarmed. So I immediately called Matt Carlin and shared with him my secret meeting with Claire & Joe. I got his machine. I then called Adamo, to let my sister know that there was a conspiracy to oust me. I wanted them to stand with me and if I was made to leave I would want them to leave with me. I got Adamo's machine also. I had to go to work so I'd call them back after work.

At work all I could think about was what they wanted to talk with me about. Naturally on the defensive I began to form counter-arguments. My mind was raked, I couldn't believe they would try to make me leave, especially after all I've done for that program.

I was there for the controversy around the COPE conference, The Young Hot & Safe campaign where I actually spoke at the press conference, the meeting with the education committee, and the much talked about meeting with Jeff Richardson. How dare they ask me to leave, I am the soul of the program since Daniel left.

Claire's icy coldness and poor facilitation skill, do not make these meetings a treat to come to. People like Adamo, Matt C, Amanda, Cecilia, Prudence, Leilani, Persio and John make these meetings. Not Claire or Joe.

This is the VOLUNTEER DRIVEN PROGRAM. They gave us the name, and supposedly the power why are they trying to take that away from us. I long for the days of Daniel, he would not do something as covert and sneaky as Ms. Shanley.

I got home about 11:00pm and was eager to check the machine. The light blinked three messages. Thats it. I pressed the button.

"You're not the only one."

Matt's voice blared from my machine.

"I got a message right before yours on my machine from Mr. Lunievicz, saying that he wanted me to come in for a special meeting at 5:00..."

I was cut off by the phone ringing. It was one of my actresses from the theatre. I quickly got off the phone, and returned to my messages.

"Hi this is Adamo I got a message from Joe..."

STOP!

You know I started this story months ago when it was happening but then I stopped because I wanted to put the whole situation behind me. Right now I'm very bitter towards Joe and Claire and GMHC for letting it happen and not trying to protect us. I tried to just get some advice from Robert Penn to no avail, he wouldn't even speak to me. I felt so betrayed after all I'd done. This is how they treat a young person who volunteers his time to fight HIV/AIDS. No, I don't think so. Because of the whole event I have taken a rest from HIV/AIDS education.

I stopped goin to my CCP meetings even though I was getting paid to go, and it would have been great to take GMHC's money and laugh in Joe and Claire's face because they couldn't stop me from goin. But I lost my inspiration to pursue any kind of AIDS-related volunteer work. I even stopped going to my COPE meetings. I'm feeling very down over our treatment. I sort of expected it but when it came to reality it was very harsh. I lost more than the opportunity to further my facilitation skills but I lost the wonderful group of people that attended those meetings. And that hurts the most.

I know I see these people around from time to time, but its not the same. I used to look forward to going to these meetings, they were so fun and sociable, but all that has changed under the reign of Claire that fun which made the work fun was squashed. Thus the end of an era. May the VDP rest in peace.

[Afterwords: I will be frank I can't remember specifically what happened, but whatever it was it was traumatic. I never even walked on the block that GMHC was on for decades afterward, forgetting the reasons why I didn't want to even see that building anymore. But like I said in the piece I was very discouraged from all of my volunteer and activism work. It would be years before I did some final work with NYPAEC and have never done any since.

All of the adults involved including Krishna Stone should be ashamed at what they did to these eager and enthusiastic young people were not only passionate about the work they were doing, but also trying to work within the system to do more advocacy.

GMHC wasn't happy that we were holding them to account for the fact that young people made most of their monies, through the AIDS Walk and the Dance for AIDS and those same monies were not allocated to prevention efforts with the same young people. We called them out on that hypocrisy even calling for a meeting with the CEO. We were persona non-grata not for being difficult but for challenging the hegemony.

The call was coming from within the house is a huge reason that I stepped away from the LGBT communities all together. Here were a pretty cohesive group of brilliant young diverse queers working together to save and protect other young queers and a queer organization was seeking to discourage and dismantle them.

Miss me with all that.

It was such an important part of my life finding a social issue and a friend group to assist me in doing the work. Our energy should have been harnessed for the greater good, but as always the organization was self-serving and not really interested in a fair distribution of funds, we were fucking with peoples paychecks ergo we all had to go.

The other significant things to mention as I re-read this piece was the fact that I was still working in theatre, and was residing at my first apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Adamo still had the vowel on the end of his name, I don't think Matt was a lawyer quite yet and I still thought of Amanda and Cecilia as a package deal. I was just thinking about if I had any images of all of us together and I don't. I don't think we recorded ourselves, we were just so focused on the work, we never thought about how monumental what it was that we were doing.

I do have contact sheets - names, phone numbers and addresses for our members, but they aren't easy to get to, otherwise I would include a shot of them here-within. Also the answering machine, these kids today just don't know how messy answering machines were, but were such a common-place thing. I think I lost that one in my fire in ninety-eight, and am pretty sure I never replaced it.

Last word on Joe, I had always found Joe HAWT, because he wore jeans that fit way too tightly for being an alleged straight-man working at a very queer service agency. I did find a photo of him that is close to how he would have looked in the nineties, and he looks as good as I remember him. He was also slightly bow-legged which was also quite sexy, but in hindsight I am glad that he was a straight white male, because it made it so much more appropriate when he did what he did to a group of queers of color for allegedly the greater good but really just was protecting his very firm ass.

[Photo by Brown Estate]

[margotmargasmargat]

The World is Bad, How to be informed

I keep seeing things, sort of all over the place, about various scary things that are happening in the world (or particularly the US) right now.

Obviously, I think we all know that getting news from ANY social media site is not a great way to stay informed, or to get factual information.

I also know that it is really hard to know HOW to trust information you are getting from anywhere.

I'm going to put on my obnoxious Librarian hat and take a few moments to outline how to get REAL and FACTUAL information if you see something that scares you.

(step .5 or sub1 is to obviously not get terrifically or preemptively stressed about something you genuinely cannot change or that is not immediately effecting you.)

This is called the SIFT method and was developed by digital literacy expert, Mike Caulfield.

Step 1. STOP. just stop and think about what you are reading and whether that actually sounds like a real thing. Take a moment before you react. deep breaths.

Step 2. Investigate the Source. Is this coming from some post on (insert literally an social media page ever)? Do they have links to a more a credible source? Are they citing primary statements made by the people actually involved with the event? Is there a reason for you to believe this person has access to more information than you do?

Step 3. Find Better Coverage. Look this news up. Is it being covered by credible news outlets?Is there a government statement on this news?

Step 4. Trace claims, quotes and media to the original context. If one of these sources is saying "X person said this!" find out when, where, and how X person said that thing. What is the context? Where is the original of that image? is it cropped? what was the context of the image being taken? Where is the original video? and so on and so forth.

This TAKES TIME. But also! "being informed" does not mean that you personally know everything that is happening in the White House, or at Parliament, or in whatever violent conflict. Unless you work or live in one of those places, the best thing for you to do is to be informed about what is happening on the ground in the specific place that you live and work in. You can only change so much, and sometimes the most important thing you can do is be a really good neighbour and friend. That can literally save lives.

But if you are engaged with something you are seeing online, just stop and look for literally any other source that is not, like fucking tiktok or some shit.

[usabun-tl]

Infection・感染源 — KANKAKU PIERO

English+Romaji Translation

それは病原 政治のせいじゃなく

sore wa byougen seiji no sei janaku

That is the origin of this illness

It's not the government's fault

誰が悪いとか悪くないじゃなく

dare ga warui toka waruku nai janaku

And it's not about who's good or evil

人の醜さと愚かさと無力さのせいです

hito no minikusa to orokasa to muryokusa no sei desu

It's because of people's ugliness, their foolishness, and their powerlessness

全員容疑者です

zeiin yougisha

Everyone is a suspect

「一人は皆んなのため」

hitori wa minna no tame

"One for all, all for one"

そう教わってきたはずなのに

sou osowatte kita hazu nano ni

Even though that's what we've all been taught

突き付けられた現実はこうです

tsuki tsukerareta genjitsu wa kou desu

The reality that we're confronted with is

「自己責任」と「自己判断」

jiko sekinin to jiko handan

"Your own responsibility" and "Making your own judgement"

結局一人だってことですか

kekkyoku hitori datte koto desuka

So we're alone after all?

じゃあ自分勝手でもいいんですか

jaa jibun katte demo iin desu ka

Then is it fine if I do what I want?

なら好き勝手やらせてもらいますが

nara suki katte yarasete moraimasu ga

But even if I'm allowed to do what I like

それはそれで批判するでしょう

sore wa sore de hihan suru deshou

I'll be criticized for it, right

なす術なんかここには無い

nasu sube nanka koko ni wa nai

There's nothing to be done here

もう前習えなんかやめにしたいよ

mou mae narae nanka yame ni shitai yo

I'm tired of learning from the past

今こそ僕は自由になる 今こそ僕は自由になる

ima koso boku wa jiyuu ni naru ima koso boku wa jiyuu ni naru

It's time for me to be free

It's time for me to be free

疑心暗鬼に陥ってしまってる

gishin anki ni ochitte shimatteru

Falling into doubt

周りが全員ウイルスに見えている

mawari ga zeiin uirusu ni mieteiru

It seems like everyone around me is infected with a virus

でも一番犯されてしまったのは

demo ichiban okasarete shimatta no wa

But the biggest victim

その脳内なんじゃないですか

sono nounai nan janai desuka

Is the mind, right?

助け合い 思い遣り自己犠牲

tasuke ai omoi yari jiko gisei

Cooperation, compassion, martyrdom

それがバカらしく見えますか

sore ga baka rashiku miemasuka

Can you see how foolish they all are?

最も蔓延してしまったのは

motto mo manen shite shimatta no wa

The thing that caused this disease to spread the most

その醜い考えそのものです

sono minikui kangae sono mono desu

Are those ugly ideas

僕らの心が離れる事で

bokura no kokoro ga hanareru koto de

It's likely that there are people who profit

得する人がいるのかもしれない

toku suru hito ga iru no kamo shirenai

Because our hearts are divided

でももっと単純に

demo motto tanjun ni

But to put it simply

愛し合う気持ちを無くしてはいけないや

aishi au kimochi wo naku shite wa ikenai ya

We can't allow ourselves to stop caring for each other

All You Need is Love.

君にはクサい事に聞こえてるだろうけど

kimi ni wa kusai koto ni kikoeteru darou kedo

I'm sure that it sounds tacky to you, but

いつだって答え合わせはシンプルです

itsudatte kotae awase wa shinpuru desu

The answer is always simple

人を助けられるのは人です

hito wo tasukerareru no wa hito desu

It's people that can save others

人を傷つけるのもまた人です

hito wo kizutsukeru no mo mata hito desu

And it's also people that inflict pain on others

君はどっちになりますか

kimi wa docchi ni narimasuka

Which will you become?

選ぶのは勿論自由です

erabu no wa mochiron jiyuu desu

Of course, the decision is yours to make

ただどうせ死んでいく僕らです

tada douse shinde iku bokura desu

However, we're all going to die either way

その時に残るものなんかない

sono toki ni nokoru mono nanka nai

And when that happens, nothing will be left

金も地位も名誉も何もかも

kane mo chii mo meiyo mo nani mo kamo

No money, no status, no honor, nothing at all

墓まで持って行けやしない

haka made motteite ikeya shinai

You can't take anything with you to the grave

でも誰かの記憶の中にであれば

demo dareka no kioku no naka ni de areba

But if you remain in someone's memory

何か一つでも残せるかもな

nanika hitotsu demo nokoseru kamo na

Something will be left of you, I think

思い出とか愛とか言葉とか

omoide toka ai toka kotoba toka

Memories, love, words

そういうむず痒いものに限って

sou iu muzu gayui mono ni kagitte

Just gross things like that

だから本気で言うんです

dakara honki de iun desu

So believe me when I say

君に優るものなんかない

kimi ni masaru mono nanka nai

There's nobody like you

夢に優るものなんかない愛に優るものなんかない

yume ni masaru mono nanka nai ai ni masaru mono nanka nai

There's nothing like dreams, and nothing like love

自分さえ良けりゃいいような奴に指図されたくはない

jibun sae ryou kerya ii you na yatsu ni sashizu saretaku wa nai

I don't want to be led by those that only care about themselves

贅沢ばっか考える奴らに差し出すものなどない

zeitaku bakka kanageru yatsura ni sashi dasu mono nado nai

I don't want to submit to those that have never experienced anything but luxury

「今日が楽しけりゃOK」って奴に脳味噌は必要ない

kyou ga tanoshi kerya okkee tte yatsu ni noumiso wa hitsuyou nai

It's not worth paying any mind to those who say "As long as I have a good day, it doesn't matter"

他人の物平気で奪える奴に情けなど必要ない

tanin no mono heiki de ubaeru yatsu ni nasake nado hitsuyou nai

Those that can steal things from strangers with no remorse don't need to be spared any sympathy

誰かを愛せないような奴に愛される資格などない

dareka wo aisenai you na yatsu aisareru shikaku nado nai

Those who can't bring themselves to care for anyone don't deserve to be cared for either

誰も信頼出来ない心に差し込む光などない

dare mo shinrai dekinai kokoro ni sashi komu hikari nado nai

Light won't shine through those who can't believe in anyone

一人でなんか生きられない

hitori de nanka ikirarenai

It's impossible to truly live on your own

誰も一人でなんか生きられない

daremo hitori de nanka ikirarenai

Nobody can live on their own

もう綺麗事なんか辞めにしよう

mou kireigoto nanka yame ni shiyou

Let's quit it with the lip service already

君が思うほど君は強くはない

kimi ga omou hodo kimi wa tsuyoku wa nai

You're not as strong as you think you are

僕が感染源です

boku ga kansengen desu

I'm the source of this infection

世界中に愛が届くように

sekaijuu ni ai ga todoku you ni

May love spread throughout the world

街は崩壊寸前だけれど

machi wa houkai sunzen dakeredo

This city may be on the verge of collapse, but

腐っちゃいけない

kuccha ikenai

We can't let it rot away

君が感染源です

kimi ga kansengen desu

You're the source of this infection

信じる事を絶やさないでいて

shinjiru koto wo tayasanai de ite

Hold onto what you believe in

ここが感染源

koko ga kansengen

The source of this infection is right here

僕らは生きている

bokura wa ikiteiru

We're alive