#you legally cannot refuse to go to war

[gigglesx333]

The continuous bombardment and the ongoing genocide pose a significant threat to their well-being. What pains me even more is that due to the lack of medications in Gaza, my Mom, who is a type 1 Diabetis patiant and was scheduled for an urgent eye surgery, have had no access to insulin or any medical care for the past 3 months. Some of my family members sought refuge in the southernmost part of Gaza (Rafah) in tents. However, my parents, and sisters have no alternative place to stay, forced to remain in the Nusierat refugee camp, which is now the subject of continuous severe bombardment since christmas started.” Am on my knees requesting for your donations. Please help where possible.

I would love to, I genuinely would. But I don't make enough money to support myself, my pets, and donate. I spread the word and do my daily clicks and if there was an organization for oeaceful protests near me I would join in a heartbeat.

But there aren't. There are no jobs open where I live and businesses are shutting down. I live in a very small baptist and catholic town in the South. I cannot find jobs easily as I'm considered mentally disabled and can't hold a job. But for anyone who sees this I'll be linking charities and irganizations that donate proceeds to Palestine.

Long live Palestine, long live the Arabic and Islamic peoples, and long live my Jewish brothers, sisters, and siblings. May we all find peace.

[therobotsarestuckinmyhead]

i forgot to send a req 😭

I have an idea about Swindle where the reader is one of his customers who is clearly not happy with the terrible after-sales service (and the in the process) and decided to "ask" for a refund. Which means keeping Swindle around, using him, threatening him to see him struggling just for fun, to pay off his debts?

Idk what continuity to set on, maybe idw? Or whatever. I cool with everything, literally

♡ “CUSTOMER COMPENSATION” — Swindle [IDW]

the comedic potential cannot be ignored. im sorry for the late posting. i wanted this to be peak so i really took my time with this one radat… might have become borderline crack.

scenario: you're a pissed off customer with a psychotic streak and Swindle tries his best to get out of your clutches with a deal you can't refuse, you may be the first bot he's ever given any compensation.

setting: Swindle's luxury apartment on Luna 2, this does not follow any storylines in IDW but Starscream rules Cybertron

Swindle was having a wonderful day, a fine day, really. It was absolutely smooth. Ripped off a couple of those ugly four helm-ed aliens for tech he found at a scrapyard for a profit of two hundred shanix, in all fairness, he did work to get it in working order so a profit was understandable (by his own definition of understandable). Even if it was by a ridiculous margin given the standing of Shanix when compared to other interplanetary currencies— not like it once was, the worth of the shanix had considerably dropped because of the frivolous war in which his lawyers advised him to say that he had no part in. So for legal reasons, he didn’t play a role. Swindle just hopes the other Combaticons are smart enough to keep their vocalizers shut and have lawyers do the talking, where ever the rest of his old team was.

But, despite all the controversy surrounding the war and the factions and the current socio-economic state of Cybertron, business was booming and the war was great advertising for him. So much illegal arms smuggled and sold, he had an off-planet deposit practically drowning in shanix. He's still getting customers.

Now, before you call him any aggressive labels like ‘war profiteer’ or ‘terrorist supplier’, one should know that he was just an opportunist. The war was ‘prime’ business. And he helped solve the conflict too! By selling hundreds of thousands of counterfeit, cheaply mass produced weapons, slapping some new paint and calling it a newer name and appealing to a buyer’s perception— slimey, sure. But faulty, low-quality scrap was one way to end a war. Someone would be destined to lose that way!

And surely, it wouldn't come back to bite him on the tailpipe.

Sure, there's been break-ins at his customer-service centers lately… Some of his employees were threatened by a masked assailant but it was all the usual. Just another day of being an ex-Decepticon. He hadn't thought much about it, and was quick to dismiss the signs of a storm.

Besides, the war is over. He got pardoned (thanks to the oh, so merciful Starscream… All that blackmail in store helped him out a ton) and he's a new mech, even if his business is still up and running— But not on the scale that it once was, he needs to be covert to avoid Prowl's detection— Secret service offices scattered across Cybertron to not only avoid Prowl and his own network of informants but also any.. particularly distasteful customers.

And you were the latter. You continue to silently listen to his pede-steps as the mech walks into his living space, all giddy and smiling. But you're going to wipe that smile off his face even if it kills you. Though he remains blissfully aware of your presence in his living space— gleefully, with a pep in his step, the businessmen switch the lights on with a simple clap of his servos, it's none of the mainlights thankfully… The room is still quite dimly lit, good cover for yourself. Swindle lived in luxury within a deluxe apartment complex on one of Cybertron's moons, probably why it took you so long to find him. Of course your sensors couldn't pick up on that slime with all the EM interferences up there. But you only realized this after cycles of harassing Swindle's underpaid employees at each of his customer service stations, you'd finally managed to get his precise location after some… persuasion.

He will rue the day he crossed you, Swindle should have known better than to cross you of all Decepticons— Sold you a faulty grenade launcher frame modification which you only came to realize was faulty after an emergency situation in which you somehow proceeded to barely survive. He was going to pay and pay your bills, Starscream didn't exactly make frame repair very cheap in his new Cybertron.

You managed to break in and now you're hiding in his office-space, you served megacycles as a Covert Operative. This was child's play. The security measures of his home were laughable. Whoever he hired for this swindled the Swindler himself or maybe he was just being a cheapskate… either way, it works out in your favour. Your talons scrape his desk as you gently drag your servos along its surface, you had lots of fun reading through his numerous accounts and sales pitches as you patiently awaited for his arrival.

As Swindle hears the light scraping noises from the other side of the room, his finials shooting upward for a moment as he grumbles, entering the code on his keypad, he fails to notice your handiwork. It's a subtle sign of a break-in. The lack of conflict has made him less observant. But the same could not be said for you.

“I thought they'd taken care of the scraplet infestation—” He mutters as the metal door slides open and just as he steps in, the door slowly closes behind him. A standard reaction from its mechanisms. He turns towards the switch board right by the door, his pede-steps being the only noise audible, until your venom pierces through the silence.

“I can assure you, I am no scraplet, Swindle.”

The energon in his lines froze. Had he been a measly organic, Swindle would've been in cold sweat. He recognizes that voice well. The cold yet soft tone, the looming danger before him laced in it— scaring him yet luring him in closer with its silent anger. An old customer.

Swindle was warned of you, in a rather cryptic way by Vortex back in the day and he never took it seriously. Truth was, he didn't know who he was dealing with at first. Despite there being something slightly off about you (which, in his defense, is a common trait for every Decepticon), you were oddly irrelevant. Nobody had a thing on you. No mention on any record, he asked your designation around and all he got is “who’s that?”. Maybe that's why Megatron made you into a Covert Operative, your seemingly endless ability to be in the background and remain disarmingly irrelevant was a quality required in that field but at the time, he only thought of you as another chump. Swindle liked to do a little ‘background check’ on all his customers, just to make sure they could pay for what they were ordering. Certainly, a reasonable practice but he couldn't find a damn thing on you.

Swindle will admit, he had made a… severe miscalculation. All that ‘not judging a book by its cover’ thing had some merit after all. Especially altering having its proof sit on his chair, by his desk, in his luxury apartment.

“You so much as rattle your plating, I will shoot.” The subtle yet threatening glow of the blaster in your servos charging up, he's brought back to this world as he's made acutely aware of how compromised his situation is.

“We.. We can talk this out!” There's an audible panic in his tone, his pedes imperceptibly shifting backwards— an attempt to make a run for it but the door behind him is closed, he'll need to enter the code on the keypad to leave. He can't even see you. For all he knows, you could be armed with some sort of plasma canon.

The distinct sound of a cannon charging up makes his frame stiffens and all other movement ceases as he raises his servos up, a natural yet futile reaction— a pathetic attempt to shield himself from the wrathful bot sitting with an even angrier sounding cannon, as if it would do him any good.

“C'MON– WE CAN TALK THIS OUT!”

The lights immediately illuminate the room and for a moment, Swindle thought he was at the Afterspark with how bright the room was but his optics adjusted quickly. You must've found a way to access his override codes.

And there he sees the last face he could ever want to see— not that it was yours specifically, no; he has nothing particularly personal (maybe until this) relating with you. But Swindle can tell the sneer of disgruntled and possibly disappointed customers well-enough.

“Oh, hah! It's a.. It's you!” Swindle says with poorly masked nervousness as he brings his servos down. The mean looking cannon still pointed at his direction. Swindle would've notified his security only if you didn't have that damned thing pointing right at his helm. And Swindle might be a con-mech but he's not stupid enough to think he can possibly outrun cannon fire.

You continue to keep your unamused look, sitting relaxed on his chair with your stabilizing servos spread— One servo gripping the cannon, pointing it right at him and the other supporting yourself helm up as you lean your full weight on his rather comfortable chair. Your posture radiates an arrogant confidence and malice that Swindle has only seen on Megatron before which makes him somehow, even more scared.

“20 decacycles.” You mutter, shifting your position as you sit up with your backstruts straight against his chair. You're definitely a bit too big for it but currently, Swindle is about to oil himself so he doesn't really find it funny.

“...what?” He didn't really catch that, he smiles nervously— In a manner a bad door-to-door salesman would when they're aware of how low-quality the items they're selling are. A stark contrast to the pearly, charming smile of the arms dealer that had so painfully deceived you.

“Twenty decacycles of complaining at your so-called ‘Customer Service Line’.” You huff out, the anger barely contained in your tone as you rise up, imposing figure and the cannon your strong servos are holding up single-handedly more than just an act of intimidation for him. Swindle feels small, his spark is hammering. He looks like a cornered scraplet and you couldn't be any more happier.

His purple optics widen a bit at the mention of those ‘call-centers’, making a call to one of them to address an issue in purchasing was like trying to write a letter to a dust-bin labelled ‘feedback box’ with a paper shredder inside it. Of course nothing would be done.

“They kept telling me that I would get compensation in the form of a fragging gift card.” You sneer as you walk up towards him, looking down at him like he was scum of the Earth. Definitely awakened something in him but now is NOT the time for that. However, his fear didn't hold him back from defending his business practices.

“Hey, hey.. Do you know how much shanix you could save if you use gi–” Bargaining for a lower price from his suppliers and sweet talking customers into buying an overpriced product might've been his forte but it seemed as if he couldn't talk his way out of getting scrapped for the life of him. You drop the cannon with the loud thud, swiftly proceeding to slam his back against the door with your servos on his pauldron. You hold his frame up higher against the door so that you can look at him optic-to-optic, just so he could see the sheer rage in you. His pedes dangle as he's pinned against the door, hanging like a portrait nailed against a wall.

He swore his systems practically offlined for a moment. The sheer proximity and unprofessionalism from a usually well-mannered customer would've been daunting but Swindle can't help thinking of what could've been if this were a different context. He continues to get lost in your gleaming optics as he daydreams momentarily.

You seem to notice this— his inner conflict raging on. And an absolutely sadistic idea pops up in your helm, one which makes your derma curve into a devious smirk. How far would he be willing to go with this? How far can you push him? You'd manage to collect a lot of… evidence on him to say the least.

“You know, I went through your accounts.”

“You did… what?” Swindle is not a fool and he knows for certain now that you're not a fool either. There are heavy implications behind your words. And the smile playing on your dermas is a warning.

“Yes. You know, I have to admit. You must have quite the auditor.”

“Well, I know a bot…” He mumbles as he remains in this awkward position with you but you feel generous, you move your face away from him so you could gently put him down so that his pedes kiss the floor like they're supposed to.

“Whoever he is must be very compliant.” You sigh, there's a hint of playfulness laced into your dangerous words which make him all the more concerned and strangely intrigued.

“I mean, laundering shanix you've gotten from illegal arms must not be easy with Prowl around.”

You mentioning Prowl couldn't lead to anything good and the wolfish grin you have is good enough of an indication.

“I gotta keep those enforcers off my tailpipe somehow.” He's not denying your accusation. Not in the slightest. “If you've seen my accounts then you'd know how much selling an exemplar piece of Cybertronian weaponry could fetch ya.” Swindle takes a strange sort of pride in that fact.

“Hm. Of course.” You're not surprised. The atmosphere remains thick and you lean towards him as your servos continue to keep him caged against the door. The thought of trying to grab the cannon on the floor does cross his processor but he's not going to be a test for your reaction-time. “And I suppose breaking the Tyrest Accord is worth that much.” You mumble out, the mere mention of that anti-customer-inclusion policy was a threat.

Swindle's expression is one of many but mainly shock— not that he's shocked at your implied accusation of him breaking the Tyrest Accord but the fact that you've managed to find out that he's been catering goods to the more fleshy type.

“You think I can't figure that out? I'm practically a spy. Or did you think I was stupid?” There's barely any distance between the two of your faces. He would've been sweating buckets as an organic. Swindle is in a whole load of slag.

“Nonononono! Of course not! Pffft– D-Don't be ridiculous!” Swindle waves his servo, dismissing what you said. His EM field is emitting nothing but nervousness and he's doing a horrible job at keeping it tucked to himself in such a stressful situation. Despite the sneer you have on your face, you're enjoying this a lot more than he could've ever imagined— seeing his distress is like watching your favourite sports team win.

“You're uh.. a very, very capable mech. Horrifyingly capable!” His nervous chuckling does damage to the usual deceptiveness of his smile, Swindle has no clue on what to do. You're so close. And he can't do a damn thing other than feel the gentle flow of air from the vents of your frame.

“And you know who else knows that?” You lean even closer, the ex-vents from every metaphorical breath you take right against his faceplates as you speak in that sultry tone, a dangerous playfulness lacing it into a gift he is afraid to open and look into.

“Wh-Who?” He asks, his purple optics fixated on your face, analyzing every expression with little success. Until he sees that gleefully smile plastered across your faceplates. You're enjoying this. Your helm is right by his audial now that you've leaned to his level.

“Prowl.”

A single designation, one word that is enough to instill fear into the sparks of any ex-Decepticon illegal arms dealer. Swindle stiffens as he catches onto what you're implying— You're going to rat him out to Prowl of all mechs. This wasn't just a personal attack, this was a full-on death threat. This would not only collapse his entire business but also leaves him behind bars. Welp. Better than a death sentence?

“And I have it all on the record.”

Frag. Nevermind. Death sentence it is. Because of course you were smart enough to make a copy of all his accounts on a data drive. It was solid incriminating evidence. This can't possibly get any—

“Also, I'm sure our, oh so wonderful Lord of Cybertron would be thrilled to know you've managed to rack up four million shanix alone from cycles of tax evasion.”

Swindle might combust any moment now that you've mentioned Starscream. He's never felt so helpless before. His pride crumbles as you've managed to uncover some of his many financial crimes. And this was just his financial crimes. Swindle worries if you have access to the old, currently shut-down Decepticon database… You must've been absolutely enraged at him to go this far. A real psycho, Swindle thinks to himself. You've got it all calculated. It was actually sort of impressive.

But maybe he could convince you to join him? Maybe. Being a ex-Decepticon Covert Operative meant you had to be blacklisted from at least seventeen different planets. He could give you equipment as well as use your services to his need to keep his even more un-cooperative customers silent and you've seen the profit he makes. Swindle is doubtful you'd resist a deal as sweetly tempting as this one. Swindle's derma forms a thin line silently as he thinks of a way to get out of this. The moment you get bored, Primus knows what you'll do to him!

“How about five percent of all company profits?” He smiles, feeling a lot more confident in his plan. The old deceptively charming used-car salesman smile returning to his features, Swindle sees a mutually beneficial opportunity and is willing to take it. His offer makes you quirk an optical ridge, questioning just what his motives are. Could you even trust him on this?

“For some prolonged… shall we say, services?” So he wanted to keep you around? Either way, it wasn't confirmation that he wouldn't doublecross you but it was a solemn declaration that he wouldn't betray you in the foreseeable future. You lean away from him. You may have been a vengeful mech but you were daft, you were a bot with a purpose but your purposes did need a lot of funding.

“Ten.” You reply sternly, leaving no room for bargaining and Swindle winced visibly, as if it physically hurt him having to give away that much. But his frame relaxes. He lets out a deep ex-vent.

“...deal.”

Maybe Swindle could talk himself out of a life-or-death situation, unlike what you previously thought.

me successfully attempting to understand how money laundering works for a fanfiction:

this was so much fun to write! i have a few more ideas for swindle which im not sure i will execute. i don't know why but when it comes to Swindle, i end up getting so many ideas for no reason

[canichangemyblogname]

What in the cognitive-fucking-dissonance??? THEE woman who started the edgy “gay panic killing of a fictional gay man” joke movement is SHOCKED that she attracts and is attracted to homophobes?

You literally joked that if you were Tommy’s boyfriend (Buck), you’d shoot and kill the man for flirting with you. That is a hate crime. That is literally THEE definition of “gay panic.” You’re not the fantastical “wizard spells” blog; you’re the I use “it’s just a joke, bro”-as-a-shield blog.

Y’all literally have anons “keep tabs” on 911 fans who support ABC’s recent decision to add more queer representation into the show, sending y’all asks about what those fans are saying about the show and their favorite characters. And you’re SHOCKED to attract the same obsessive behavior? You’re SHOCKED that you attract toxicity? You’re SHOCKED that you attract other blogs that joke about homophobic violence?

Wizard spells, right? Oh, shit. Actually, it’s a joke about gay panic killing. But it’s still just a joke, right?

Wizard spells, right?

Actually— capital punishment. For the crime of *checks notes* going on a date with a man and cutting the date short. Didn’t know that death must be the legal consequence for not continuing a bad date.

Still just a joke, right?

Oh, look— I finally found the “Wizard spells,” among *checks notes* fantasizing about black and brown people murdering a white man, more guns, and… torture. Weird fantasies, man.

But still just a joke, right?

Wizard spells, right?

Well, I found “curses” and “voodoo” on this next list. Right alongside joking about death by firearm (again), death by execution/capital punishment (again), and—would you look at that—joking about death by AIDS. Joking about a gay character… dying of AIDS. Original.

How is THIS ^^^ is a step too far for y’all when it’s literally the EXACT same joke? This blog’s violent fantasies and this blog calling Tommy a predator is a step too far, but when you did the same, it wasn’t? Where do you think “edgy” jokes lead? Why do you think so many other blogs on here kept telling you that an “edgy joke” isn’t ever actually an “edgy joke”?

This is the culture you have created. You attract these personalities because you encourage their beliefs and behavior. But rather than own up to that and look critically at how your supposed “jokes” have created a toxic and hostile and truly obsessive and frightening culture, you’d rather ONCE AGAIN all call this a “ship war.”

There is no ship war. Shut up about the ship war.

There *are* fans who are posting genuinely homophobic and frightening things because they cannot stand that 911 has added another queer couple to the show, and then there are fans who support 911 ABC’s move to expand representation. There *are* fans obsessed with fan fiction fantasies, and then there are fans who simply support canon, on-screen queer representation.

This is so VERY obviously not a ship war. This isn’t “BoBs” vs “Bummys.” This is people who are unable to come to terms with the fact they’ve sold themselves a lie: shipping doesn’t do a damn bit of difference for representation and your obsession isn’t coming true— making it genuinely unsafe to be queer in online 911 spaces.

There is no ship war. “Engaging critically with the internet” means recognizing a pattern of behavior. There is no ship war, but there is a subset of the fandom who refuses to take accountability for what they have encouraged. *You* are the only ones excusing homophobia as “rage bait” and “edgy jokes,” and that’s ultimately the issue. The character is kinda irrelevant when the issue is how you and your followers have so frequently relied on real-world homophobic stereotypes to justify your hate and OOC characterization of a queer character.

911 fans who support the addition of another queer couple and who support Buck’s bi arc have been receiving harassment for months, with other blogs calling them predators, groomers, pedophiles, the n-word, the f-slur, several slurs for women and lesbians, being told to kill themselves, among other things. And you’ve been called—what?—homophobic, racist, sexist?

I know that buddie-stans have also been called out for calling black women “sassy,” for using the mammy trope in your writing, for hypersexualizing Eddie, for harassing the actresses who played previous LIs with misogynistic hate, for writing character-bashing that relies on misogyny, and for NEVER calling this out. Now we can add “vile homophobia” and “frightening violence” to the list.

It’s everyone else’s fault but your own, and yet y’all are the only ones attracting these blogs.

[hrizantemy]

Hi! Can we talk about how INSANE Nesta’s “choices” were in ACOSF. Either inprisonment or to the HUMAN LANDS??? At that point I truly wondered if Feyre really loves Nesta like she does because what kind of options is that.

It makes me feel as if Feyre couldn’t contextualize what Nesta was going through, despite going through it herself. I was discussing in your latest chapter about the fact that it is truly disturbing just how Feyre’s self centered truly dehumanizes everyone around her.

Your chapter ( beautifully written btw🥰) perfectly highlights the dangers that were potentially awaiting Nesta. Feyre and Rhysand with all the resources that are available to them, chose those options for the ‘High Lady’s’ sister. Please. Just say that you hate her and move on.

-Nadia

Hi! First of all, thank you so much for your kind words about the chapter — I’m really glad it resonated with you! Now, let’s absolutely unpack this, because you’ve touched on something that has bothered me since my first read of ACOSF — and when you view Nesta’s “choices” through a legal and rehabilitation lens, it becomes even more disturbing.

The Illusion of Choice: Legally and Ethically Corrupt

Let’s call this what it is: Feyre and Rhysand didn’t offer Nesta a choice — they issued a coerced ultimatum. From any modern legal standpoint, this is a gross abuse of power, both as family and as political rulers.

Nesta isn’t just Feyre’s sister — she’s a war veteran. She fought in the front lines during the war against Hybern. She’s someone who suffered unimaginable trauma, including sexual assault, war crimes, and the aftermath of being Made against her will. In any society with a functioning legal or ethical system, veterans are entitled to care, not punishment.

If a modern government told a returning soldier, “You can either be exiled to a hostile land where you’re hated and hunted, or be forcibly confined and monitored until you ‘behave,’” there would be international outrage. That’s a violation of human rights — or in this case, fae rights.

You cannot penalize someone for how they cope with PTSD, grief, or trauma simply because it’s “inconvenient” or doesn’t fit your image of recovery.

Exiling a War Veteran: A Legal and Moral Atrocity

Sending Nesta to the human lands wasn’t just cruel — it was negligent endangerment. Feyre and Rhys knew exactly what awaited her:

• Hostility toward Fae, especially a powerful female Fae.

• No social support, no protection, no resources.

• Essentially, a death sentence through abandonment.

If we frame this through legal terms, this would be akin to banishing a vulnerable citizen to a known dangerous environment without due process, trial, or any formal legal proceeding. There’s no council vote, no legal counsel for Nesta, no neutral party advocating for her rights. It’s pure authoritarian rule disguised as familial intervention.

And remember — this is the High Lady and High Lord using state power to punish a private citizen because they didn’t like how she was grieving.

Forced Confinement = Illegal Detention

The “rehabilitation” in the House of Wind wasn’t rehabilitation at all. There were no healers specialized in trauma, no consent-based therapy, no structured mental health program. It was:

• Isolation

• Surveillance by biased parties (Cassian & Azriel)

• Forced labor disguised as training

• Emotional manipulation framed as ‘tough love’

In legal terms? That’s unlawful detention and psychological coercion. Nesta was stripped of her autonomy under the guise of “help,” when in reality, it was about silencing her, controlling her, and making her palatable to the IC’s standards.

If this were real life, Feyre and Rhys would be facing massive lawsuits for abuse of power, unlawful imprisonment, and negligence.

The Hypocrisy of Feyre’s Trauma Response

You nailed it when you said Feyre couldn’t contextualize Nesta’s trauma — but I’d argue Feyre refused to. Feyre was allowed to process her trauma in a way that earned her praise. She became the “strong survivor,” the perfect High Lady who buried her pain to serve others.

Nesta didn’t conform to that narrative. She externalized her pain, didn’t hide it, and didn’t care to perform gratitude for surviving horrors she never asked for. That made her inconvenient.

It’s disturbing how Feyre, someone who knows what it feels like to be locked up (Spring Court), isolated, and stripped of agency, turns around and does the same to her sister. But this time, with state-sanctioned authority.

Just Say You Hate Her… Because You Do

You’re absolutely right. If Feyre and Rhysand had simply admitted:

“Nesta embarrasses us. She’s a liability to our image, and we’d rather control or discard her than actually help her,”

— it would’ve been more honest.

Because this isn’t love. Love doesn’t come with ultimatums. Love doesn’t exile you for grieving wrong. Love doesn’t imprison you until you become more “acceptable.”

Final Thoughts

From a legal, moral, and rehabilitative standpoint, Feyre and Rhysand’s treatment of Nesta is indefensible. It’s a terrifying example of how power — both political and familial — can be weaponized to erase those who don’t conform.

Nesta wasn’t given a chance to heal. She was given two forms of punishment, disguised as mercy.

Thank you so much for this ask! These are the conversations that need to be had when we critically engage with stories like ACOSF. I’m always here to dive deeper into these dynamics — and again, I truly appreciate your support and thoughtful insight!

[j0kb0x]

Since guts and blackpowder gives us free range for the characters here’s some personal headcanons for their personalities and lives given you can only psychoanalyze them so much. This is as realistic as I can make it based off surface level psychoanalysis + untrue garbage I made up.

Barry:

Despite his short temper (Typical brit) Williams is socially inept and shy. Like super timid. That dumb little softboy persona he has going on there shouldn’t be an indicator that he isn’t dangerous. Dude literally got trained as an infantry solider. He doesn’t want to hurt people, in fact, he avoids it when he can. The war is needless to him and he doesn’t understand why they’d draft someone like him — a lowly stableboy who’s quite known in his village for treating his horses and farm animals like his babies. His overly affectionate and polite personality (which came directly from his overbearing mother) has landed him a lot of bullying by his peers. Aforementioned hesitation to the enemy, but to zombies? He’s under the belief they’re from satan himself like the rest of the world. Afraid of them, but feels a spiritual duty to slay God’s enemies.

Jean:

He’s overly paranoid of Napoleon failing, and holds those french revolutionary beliefs. He wants Napoleon to win, so badly. He really doesn’t want his children living in a world with a stupid monarchy eating better than they do. Jean has no comprehension that maybe Napoleon isn’t the best fit for a country’s leader, in fact he’ll yell at you if you suggest otherwise. His wife died during childbirth and this, coupled with war has hardened him. He has never laid a single hand on his children because his father was deeply abusive, and of course this resulted in a pretty pessimistic, sad, depressed mess of a man. Constantly wanting better and yet fearing the worst. He’s a tough love kind of fatherly friend. Eat your damn rations or you will die. Speaking of which he literally wants to die :D

Jacob:

If this were modern day he’d be legally blind. His clumsiness isn’t the result of stupidity. The direct opposite in fact. He overthinks his job way too much and couple that with his dogshit eyesight, it’s no wonder he has a track record of being the napoleonic war’s personal south park Kenny. If ever a cartoon were made, I could l definitely see him in the background nailing in stakes incorrectly and getting confused as to why it wasn’t as affective as the other sapper’s. He has two sisters back at home and they hate him. They’re pro-monarchy, he isn’t. He raised and took care of these awful pieces of shit. Who were independent thinking teenagers by the time their parents died of sickness. So he couldn’t really influence them even if he tried. He has largely remained non(?) un(?) courted and unmarried his entire life. Hes a huge wine mom induced by stress and if you ever asked him why he never took a wife, he’d start spontaneously crying probably. Sad drunk. Cannot show emotions unless he’s drunk.

Karl / Unnamed Officer:

Selective mutism, ambition.. Way too much ambition. He wants to take down Napoleon himself and even fully believes he’s capable of doing so. Wants to cheat his way above the ranks somehow. He hides this and refuses to reveal his intentions to virtually anyone. Trying to get as close to the general as possible. Not because he agrees with the monarchy thing, but he just wants the fame and glory that comes along with executing him. The other men have horrible tempers but him? Holy. shit. He does not usually act upon his anger but as a wise man once said, “Silence speaks louder than words.” He silently judges those he’s angry at. Could imagine him getting teased, gripping a damn teacup so hard that it shatters in his hand and causes the entire room to go quiet. His whole regiment is batshit TERRIFIED of him. He refuses to betray his life story, let alone if he has any family. Nobody knows crap about him and that furthers the fear. Karl literally popped out of nowhere and his adorable babyface and gentle voice has won him the hearts of women wishing to be his wives… Whom he rudely pushed away in disgust. Has anyone seen that one scene in pootie tang where a woman is simping after him, and so he slips her a bowl of milk like a fucking clingy cat? Yeah I feel Karl would pull something like that.

[misfitwashere]

The Neighbor's House is on Fire

You have a good neighbor.  He does a lot for you.  He keeps the street clean around your house.  He mows your lawn when you are away.  He signs for your packages and brings them to you later.  Your kids go and play with his kids in the backyard.  He has an alarm on his house with a camera, which you don't, and he once ran burglars away from your house.  He's done a thing or two for you that you haven't noticed.  Like the time he stopped a crew from mistakenly taking down a tree in your front yard.  And the time he found your cat outside, on the street, and gave it to your kid.

And now your neighbor's house has caught fire.  The flames are just now visible.  There's plenty of time to react.  In fact, you happen to be standing nearby, at exactly the right place, watering your garden, with a hose in your hand.  The flames are in easy reach.  Your neighbor runs to you and asks you to just turn the water in the direction of the flame. 

You refuse.  You turn off the water and walk away.  And then you hurry down to your basement and shut off the valve, just to make sure your neighbor can't be helped. 

All you had do was flick your wrist, turn the hose in the right direction.  But you didn't.  It wouldn't have cost you anything.  A nickel on your water bill that you wouldn't notice. 

And if you had helped, you'd have been a hero.  Your neighbor would remember you, as would the press, as would your kids, as would everyone.  But you chose not to help.  Your neighbor's house burns down. 

And then yours does, too.

This is, currently, our Ukraine policy. We are choosing to let a good neighbor burn.  Ukraine does things for us that we need, and often that we neglect to do ourselves, or cannot do ourselves.  It does things for us that we do not notice. 

These are not small things.  By resisting Russia, Ukraine shows the world that there are people who care about democracy enough to take risks for it.  It reduces the risk of nuclear proliferation and nuclear war by showing that nuclear blackmail does not work.  It maintains the international legal order.  It fulfills the NATO mission by absorbing and reversing a Russian attack, making war elsewhere in Europe very unlikely.  It deters China from risky action in the Pacific by showing how difficult offensive operations are. 

These are all hugely important American interests, most of which we cannot fulfill ourselves.  Ukraine can fulfill them, if we help, just a little, in ways we would not even notice.

Ukraine is on fire.  In the past few days, Russia has launched something like five hundred rockets and drones at Ukrainian civilians, including nearly a hundred drones on New Year's Eve.  Russia continues to undertake offensive operations in Ukraine.  Russian propagandists and Russian leaders continue to announce the same genocidal war aims now as at the beginning of the war: the end of the Ukrainian state and the end of the Ukrainian nation.  Ukrainian citizens under Russian occupation continue to be tortured and deported.  

Ukraine resists, very effectively, with the weapons it has.  It has opened the Black Sea to trade, something that no one expected.  It is holding back the Russian advance, inflicting huge casualties.  It is shooting down missiles and drones.  (If you want to help detect the drones, which is a matter of urgency, please make a contribution to my Safe Skies campaign here).

So we are standing here with easy access to water.  It would be so easy to help.  And yet we are turning away from our neighbor in need.  Ukraine needs our support, and some of our Congressional representatives are blocking it.

The amount in question is not meaningful, given what we spend on national security.  It is about a nickel on the defense budget dollar.  

And that nickel is extremely well spent!  The defense department budget, after all, is meant to keep us safe.  That nickel on the dollar brings us security in the Atlantic and the Pacific, it brings us a reduced risk of nuclear war and a greatest international respect for law, it brings us the sense that we have friends who take risks for good things.  There is no other nickel on the defense department dollar that is nearly so important as this one. 

And, in fact, we don't even really spend that nickel on Ukraine.  Most of the defense money we nominally spend on Ukraine actually stays in the United States.  The arms Ukraine needs are in large measure weapons that your tax dollars would otherwise be spent to decommission -- to destroy and throw away.  For example, we have about a thousand long-range missiles that we will soon pay tax money to take apart and drop in landfills.  Those missiles, given instead to Ukraine, would seriously hinder Russian attacks, and put Ukraine in a position to win the war.

We are turning off the water.  Running down to then basement, caught in some strange self-destructive fit of self-absorption, we are putting our own house at risk.  Ignoring our neighbor is the worst thing we can do, even if all we care about is ourselves. 

Everything that the Ukrainians are doing for us can be undone this year.  Russia can win, and be encouraged to start other wars, where our participation is likely to be much more direct.  China can be encouraged, and we can find ourselves in a cataclysm over Taiwan.  International order can break down, and we can confront confusing, difficult, and painful conflicts all over the world.  Russia can halt food deliveries to Asia and Africa, leading to starvation and further war.  Everyone can be demoralized by the realization that those who risked their lives for democracy were sold out, just because Americans lacked the wherewithal to what is obviously the right thing.

It doesn't have to be that way.  It's easy to help a good neighbor.  This is a conflagration that we can stop with a flick of the wrist.  A bit of legislation to support Ukraine, and we all have a safer year, and safer lives.

© 2024 Timothy Snyder

[whatevergreen]

Stop Arming Israel

Yesterday (December 16) UK MPs debated petitions signed by over 100,000 people, calling for the immediate revocation of all arms export licences to Israel and 283,000 calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state, which were delivered before the general election

Since last October, at least 45,000 in Gaza have been murdered by Israel, in which Britain has been complicit through supplying arms.

In September, the Labour government eventually banned 30 out of 361 licences in a move labelled “tokenistic” by campaigners.

During the debate, Labour MP John McDonnell said: “I think history will judge us all for not doing enough to stop this.”

The former shadow chancellor said that while he was pleased that the petition is taking place “there’s a level of frustration now I don’t think we can contain any more.”

He asked: “Why isn’t democracy being exercised here to stop this?”

Mr McDonnell concluded: “I've had enough of coming back here every week, as you can tell chair, we need action now from this government.”

Among the exports excluded from Labour’s ban are components for F-35 war planes, which have been used to drop 2,000lb bombs on civilians in Gaza and are linked to a global supply programme.

Business and trade select committee chair Liam Byrne said: “Last week in front of my committee, the Defence Minister said it was technically possible to track these parts, but it was contractually impossible.

“Indeed, Lockheed Martin supplied me with a letter to say that if I want to know anything about the parts, I need to address our queries to the Department of Defence in the United States.“

He noted that the government admitted in the High Court in November that it continued to export the parts despite knowing there was a “clear risk” that they could be used by Israel to violate international humanitarian law.

“We now have the ICJ advisory, we have the ICC arrest warrants. We have the government’s own assessment,” Mr Byrne said.

“I cannot now see how this government can legally defend a position to keep these arms export licences open.”

Ahead of the debate, a cross-party of MPs including Independent Jeremy Corbyn, the Green Party’s Carla Denya, and Labour’s Diane Abbott held a banner reading “Stop Arming Israel” outside Parliament to show their support for a full arms embargo.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said: “Opinion polls have shown that a majority of the public support the suspension of UK arms sales to Israel, because it is using them in a barbaric, unending assault on Palestinians in Gaza.

“We call on all MPs to speak up and ensure the government fulfils its obligations under international law, starting with a full arms embargo on Israel.”

Campaign Against Arms Trade media co-ordinator Emily Apple said: “Labour’s tokenistic suspension of some arms exports doesn’t go nearly far enough — but in particular its refusal to suspend the open licence for F-35 combat jet components makes this government just as complicit in Israel’s horrific war crimes as the previous Conservative government.

“Successive governments have prioritised arms dealers’ profits over Palestinian lives.

“This has to stop. This petition is an attempt to ensure the government does what it should have done in the first place — suspend all arms exports to Israel and uphold international humanitarian law.”

A spokesperson for Stop the War said: “It’s welcome that this petition is finally being debated, having been conveniently buried by the parliamentary system earlier this year, but given that just a fortnight after Labour won the election senior ministers warned that a total ban on arms sales to Israel would undermine US ‘confidence’ in the UK, the outcome is fairly predictable.

“While public opinion is loud and clear, this immoral government remains seemingly determined to ignore it.” Elizabeth Short Adapted from: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/time-to-listen-labour-stop-arming-israel

Arms for Israel secretly shipped through UK airspace Exclusive: Over 50 tonnes of munitions have been flown to Israel over Britain since Gaza bombing began:

https://www.declassifieduk.org/arms-for-israel-secretly-shipped-through-uk-airspace/

[wolfertinger]

I dunno. Lets not have a war on the topic of whether or not a noncon fetish is okay, but i think transitioning should be someones decision and consensual when receiving help with treatment, forcegendering is a noncon fantasy because inherently one party is Not consenting to being fed hormones and having these new gendered features. Especially not consenting to those features being sexualized. Its weird its gross, its not "forcemasc" if someone is Helping someone transition. Forcegendering Is forced transition, youre thinking of something else if you think forcemasc(which, famously, is FORCED) is consensual at all.

like in its definition it is noncon its forced its not something that person agreed to. And moreoften then not, it leads to forced detransition fantasies. Get real douchebag.

pre emptively. no kink wars, and no proship/comship/anti wars, on this acc. in fact. laying some ground rules.

if you are two consenting, sane, safe, adults. the act is legal. and it is private. that is your business.

if you are engaging in kinks. you must understand their dangers, both PHYSICAL, and MENTAL. i.e., choking, you must research the inherent risks, and maybe, find out safer ways to indulge in something, inherently dangerous. SSC, RACK, PRICK, exist for a reason.

by posting publicly, about a kink. it is no longer private. and you must learn to accept, and expect, the reactions of ppl around you. if you have taboo kinks. people WILL be squicked out. that is not, a them problem. if you want to engage, in "taboo", you MUST do so safely, and responsibly. tag your shit. go in, with the understanding, most people do not want to see that.

most importantly. you have the right, to engage in whatever you feel is right, for you. but you do NOT have the right, to force whatever this is, on others. what you enjoy, others will hate you for. it is not discrimination, for a person with CSA trauma, to think someone sexualizing this trauma, and making it a personality trait, is disgusting. that is their opinion, to hold.

i have been on the internet, too damn long. and i can say, personally. the kink wars, have been going on for decades, and they will not end tomorrow. do i necessarily think, someone who drew scooby doo porn, is a zoophile. no, and watering down these terms, is dangerous. but i will side eye them, and not trust them personally, for experiencing sexual attraction, to what is undeniably a dog. i do not care, if this dog can talk, or whatever. you still drew them, anatomically accurate. you had to reference it, from somewhere.

i do not think it is right, to "forbid" someone who has experienced something awful, to properly work through these feelings, in a SAFE, PRIVATE, environment. i will not shame a victim, for attempting to gain control, over their trauma, especially if this has been recommended, by a therapist.

i WILL, however, shame others, for enforcing that taboo kinks "are inherently queer", or, refusing to be responsible, for their fetishes. i have no skin in this game, other than being an adult, with my own opinions, and bits of education, on trauma-based kinks. i cannot argue, for kinks i think are inherently awful. but i understand, why these fetishes exist, in the first place.

tl;dr. i do not like this shit. i can understand why people are into these things. and still, i can think it is unhealthy, to have fantasies including children, family, or animals.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Don Moynihan at Can We Still Govern?:

Marco Rubio’s twitter bio used to boast that he was banned from China. He won the honor partly for his criticism of how China suppressed pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong and its dismal human rights record against Uyghur minorities. The implication of Rubio’s boast was that an authoritarian state could not handle criticism from those who believed in democratic values. It turns out that this was wrong. Rubio was taking notes. Rubio has become perhaps the most prominent voice justifying an American purge of political voices and immigrants with the most minor of legal infractions. He sits atop a system that combines a) new surveillance capabilities that are being used to monitor and punish immigrants, and b) almost no accountability or due process, with Rubio insisting that he has absolute discretion over the outcome. Marco Rubio and President Trump have turned America into a place where masked security officials can come to your house or any public space, and disappear you for writing an op-ed in a student newspaper, or taking part in a protest. DOGE is central to building a cross-government capability to surveil and punish the public, starting with immigrants. The government is using Social Security to turn migrants into people who are officially dead. The difference between how the Chinese and Trump’s government monitors and punishes it’s residents for their political actions is becoming harder to discern. How can America criticize China’s system of surveillance and social credit scores when the government is monitoring social media of its residents, threatening expulsion for wrongthink? We should be worried by a government that claims such powers with so little qualm or oversight. They started with illegal immigrants, and now are making legal migrants illegal. Where will they stop? In this post, I focus on the attack on international students. I was an international student once, and they are a perennial presence in my classroom. They are just one aspect of the broader attack on immigrants, but to understand the bigger picture of how state power is being used you sometimes need to get up close to the details.

The Government is Lying About Targeted Students

Why are these students being kicked out of America? When pressed by reporters, Rubio said:

[We are not going to be importing activists into the United States. They're here to study. They're here to go to class. They're not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine the — our universities. I think it's lunacy to continue to allow that.]

According to Rubio, students have vandalized libraries, taken over campuses, and done all sorts of crazy things. They are dangerous radicals. If that justification seems a bit vague to you, well, it is. In fact, it is deeply misleading. The reality is that we cannot rely on the Secretary of State to accurately explain why he is purging international students from America. He makes vague claims that they are threats, but refuses to get into the specifics. Instead, we have to look at the cases of individual students, and try to understand them. Based on those stories, we can see two broad categories of students being removed:

Students removed for using political voice or being associated with protests — These are the most visible and obviously political cases, raising troubling issues about free speech. This includes Mahmoud Khalil, a former student who was a visible figure in protests in Columbia, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian scholar at Georgetown University whose studies peacebuilding, and or Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts co-wrote an op-ed in a student newspaper opposing the war in Gaza.

Students removed for minor infractions with the law — This is likely the majority of cases, but Rubio does not mention them. Here, students removed not for political voice, but for low-level engagements with law enforcement. Dozens of students reported that their visas were revoked for traffic violations, such as speeding. One immigration lawyer said: “This is totally unprecedented…A brush with law enforcement that didn’t necessarily result in an arrest or a conviction is all it took.” Her client had a DUI from a decade ago, which he disclosed when applying for a new visa, which was approved. But now that visa has been revoked. Another immigration lawyer spoke to a woman who had been arrested when a man assaulted her; police subsequently acknowledged she was the victim, but her visa was terminated anyway.

There may also be a third category: students who are genuinely dangerous radicals, or who have engaged in serious lawbreaking. But the administration has not shown that such students exist. They have every incentive to find some truly bad apples to justify their broad-based attack on international students, but have not done so. One reason this might be the case is that all of these international students are already subject to intense legal oversight: they have to go through a vetting process to get to the United States, and are subject to deportation if they engage in serious criminal activity. What is common across both categories is the absence of any sort of due process where the government feels the need to present evidence to justify the revocations of visas. Non-citizens have less due process rights, of course, and some of those affected are suing. But broadly, the government is imposing dramatic costs on these students with little evidence of actual or serious wrongdoing.

A More Automated and Punitive Surveillance System

The system of surveillance is more automated and broad-based than before. Students are being pulled because the government is searching social media and databases for any sort of past legal infraction. There is no individualized investigation, or assessment of risk. Based on those searches, visas are being cancelled via the Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). In some cases, students don’t actually know why their visa is being revoked. A blunt automation process can easily make errors. The new system is also more punitive. Students whose visas are revoked are now subject to immediate arrest and deportation, whereas in the past they could remain in the country as long as they were enrolled in courses, allowing them to complete their degree. A PhD student who has been in the US since high school, and was weeks away from completing his degree, had his visa revoked for an expunged 2023 DUI. In the past, he would have been able to finish his degree. Now he is told to leave immediately. What is different now is that there is a clear sense that the current administration is actively hunting international students, labeling them as dangers in a way that no reasonable person would do. The Secretary of State is saying that people are threats to the United States in ways that defy common sense and deface American values like free speech.

[...] And it is not just students. The Department of Homeland Security has announced it will screen immigrants social media. The screening includes permanent residents, and will be used for immigration decisions. The administration has said it will pursue “terrorist sympathizers” or those expressing “violent antisemitic ideologies.” The practice was already in place for students for over a month. The clear implication is that non-citizens have no right to free speech in America. There is little reason to believe the punishments of surveillance will be applied evenly. This is an administration that pardoned and praised people who pillaged the nation’s Capitol in an effort to overturn an election. It is stocked with figures with racist views. For example, Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute and has a history of antisemitic statements and platforming antisemitism. So, you can feel relatively sure that certain types of extreme views will be tolerated, and others will not. The atmosphere was summarized by an ICE post on X (subsequently deleted) that claimed it was their job to stop the “ideas” from entering the United States. [...]

Destroying Higher Education

Even if you are unmoved by the plight of international students, you should care about the economic and foreign policy consequences. International students generate about forty billion dollars per year, subsidizing American students. They pay a significant tuition premium to come to the United States because our educational system is viewed as the best. They also come because America has looked like a relatively free and open society, one full of opportunity. But as they are no longer able to get visas, or have to assume a risk arrest and deportation, why invest in America? Interest in studying in the US was already plummeting after Trump’s re-election. How much worse will it get as potential students hear the horror stories about their peers? Quite apart from the economic considerations, many of the international students who visit go on to be leaders in their home countries. Having those students educated in US institutions is a form of American soft power. But Trump and Rubio are wrecking other forms of soft power, like foreign aid, at record speed. As stories of foreign students expelled from the United States are reported back home, it will further damage our standing in the world.

The Trump Regime’s attacks on students with international visas is an abomination.

[bteezxyewriter12]

World War/ 2

Pairing- Yoongi x Named Reader

Word count- 6.2k

Includes- This is one of the first fics I've ever written so it may not be as good as my current ones, alternative history, I made up the stuff about Yoongi's scar for the story, forbidden love, sex, missionary, wall sex, cock riding, sex from behind, pussy eating, cum eating, multiple orgasms, so much fluff

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxminnie @yeosayang @delightfulmoonbanana @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa

@borntowalkaway @soulseobi05 @kpop-bambi @seokwoosmole @meowmeowminnie @realisticnotes @effielumiere @svnbangtansworld @pinkies-things @insomniacatiny @marvelfamily3000 @blueie-things

Masterlists- check out for more fics

📝Masterlists 📝BTS Masterlist 📝Yoongi Masterlist

This is the history of the Daegu King, Min Yoongi and his Queen, Joanne Caesaris of Rome

Of how they came to be together

And the war they started for love

- Kim, Namjoon

Advisor to the King

(15 B.C.)

Ten days later

Yoongi POV

I am pacing in my room, waiting for her

She and I have spent every night together for the last ten nights

And it is not just sex

For me anyway

It is holding her close, kissing her, sleeping next to her

Sleeping with her in my arms

I spoke to Namjoon and nothing can be done

Legally

He reviewed the document and there is no way to change the bride

Julia's name is in the document and she is the legitimate princess, making it official

I was so angry and it showed in the last few days

I was very quiet at all the dinners and banquets, all the outings with Julia that were forced upon me

And being around Joanne in public is getting worse

My attention is always on her

I cannot focus on anything but her and how to be with her

She is making me feel things I have never felt before

I never cared about pleasuring a woman but that is all I want to do to her

I am not concerned with myself, just her

I want to be in her arms every night, something I have never thought I would want

I never thought I would trust anyone enough to be naked with, sleep naked with but I trust her with my life

I would do anything and everything for her

I never expected to fall in love

But I did

I spoke to Namjoon again, with a plan I came up with

A plan I hope she will agree to if she loves me too

Because the stupid wedding is coming in a few days and I refuse to go through with it

--------------------------------

My door opens and she walks in

She closes the door and immediately comes into my arms, kissing my lips

"I missed you so much", she says

"I missed you too", I tell her

She kisses me passionately and our clothes go flying in every direction as we take them off

I pick her up, her legs around me as I lay her on my bed

Her arms slide around my neck while I open her legs and slip inside her

She moans, keeping her lips on mine and holding me tightly

I thrust in slowly but hard, pleasure running all over me, feeling her open around me just enough for me to go through

She gives me pleasure like I've never had before

"Yoongi", she moans, after a few minutes of moving inside her

"Already jagi?", I tease

I have never called anyone that, never planned to but it is perfect for her

She bites her lip, looking up at me, nodding

I move again and she orgasms, moaning

Fuck the pleasure from her coming is always so intense

I wait for her to finish, then I kiss her again and ask, "Good jagi?"

She nods, "You always feel so good Yoongi. Anything you do, I love it"

I feel the same way about her

"I love being with you, Joanne", I tell her,

"I love being with you Yoongi. I never felt like this with anyone"

"Me too jagi. No one has made me feel like you do"

She's smiling at me, touching my scar, her fingers moving softly

I hate it

I was so scared she would think I was ugly

And deep down I am still scared

Looking away from her, I tell her, "It is ugly. It makes me ugly"

Her other hand touches my cheek and I look back at her

Now she's frowning at me, her brows furrow

She lifts her head and I feel her lips kiss my scar softly

I freeze

Did she kiss...

She kisses it again, moving down a little

She is

She continues to kiss the scar from the top to bottom and when she finishes, I stare at her in awe

I feel so loved, so wanted, so accepted like I have never felt before

"It is not ugly Yoongi. You are not ugly. You are beautiful. And your scar makes you look strong, just like I know you are."

No one has ever said that to me

Ever

In Daegu, a person is not allowed to be king if they have a visible scar

Their king is a God and should be flawless

I forced my way in and I stayed even after I was cut

I know the people look down on me for it

But here she is, telling me I am beautiful, I am strong

She takes my hand, kissing my palm

"You are Yoongi. Do not listen to anyone who says otherwise. Anyone who does not think you are handsome is blind and not worthy of your time"

She is incredible and I want her to know how I feel about her

Even if she does not agree to my plan, I want her to know

Running my fingers in her hair, I finally tell her

"I am in love with you"

Shock enters her face but I have no idea why

Why it would be shocking that I love her

"You...."

"Love you.", I finish, looking in her eyes

"Yoongi, I am in love with you as well.", she says softly

"Do you mean that?", I ask, afraid she's just saying it back

"Of course I do. I have loved you the second I saw you sitting at the table next to my father."

I nod at her, "Me as well. From the first second I laid my eyes on you. I have never been in love before. I never wanted to be. I never thought I would trust anyone enough to love them. But you, I love you more than my life, and I trust you with it too"

She smiles, "I have never been in love either. Until you. I trust you Yoongi with anything. With my life as well. And I love you so much. You mean everything to me"

I have never been happier in my life

All I want is her

"Marry me", I ask

Her smile falters, "How? You are meant to marry my sister. My father will never allow it"

"I have a solution", I say, hoping she will agree

"What is it?"

"We leave. Tomorrow night. On my ship back to Daegu. There we can be married and be together."

"I....what? That is going to ruin the trade route agreement and my father will come after you."

"I do not care. I want you. My future is with you, not your sister. I will refuse to marry her and your father will get upset anyway but that way he will keep us apart. And I am not scared of him, Joanne. Let him come after me. As long as I have you, I will be fine", I tell her

She looks unsure but I will make all her worries disappear

"Jagi, if you come, your father will come after us. But I will protect you. I swear. I never wanted any woman as I want you. I will risk everything for you. I love you"

She looks at me, stroking my cheek with her thumb, as she nods and whispers, "Yes"

"Y..yes?", I repeat, needing confirmation, "You will come with me?"

"Yes my love", she agrees

"You will marry me?", I ask again

"Yes, Yoongi. I will marry you. I will go to Daegu with you. I will follow you anywhere", she promises, "I will risk anything for you. I love you"

I cannot hold back the smile that comes on my face and I kiss her passionately

She kisses me back and I am so happy

"Tomorrow", I say between kisses, "We leave tomorrow night."

"Yes", she answers, kissing me

"Pack whatever you need and give it to Taehyung", I tell her

She kisses me again, then says, "I do not need anything. Just you"

Gods I love her

"I just need you too. Nothing else"

Moving from her lips, I kiss her neck

She whimpers, her arms tighten around my body

I get hard again, her arms moving to my hips, pulling me back inside her

"Yoongi", she sighs, sounding so happy I am inside her

Moving slowly, I groan from how good she feels

She moves her hips meeting my next thrust

I go inside deeper and I moan from the pleasure

She keeps moving while I thrust in, hitting her spot, making everything so much better

There is no sound except for our kisses and moans

Her hands move to my back, softly running up and down, sending heat to every single part of my body

I grip her breast, playing with her nipple as I kiss her deeply, swallowing her moans

Moving together, the next thrust makes her shake, and she climaxes, her body arching into mine

I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me as I feel the pleasure she's giving me

It is too good and I cum with her, pleasure bursting all over me

"Yoongi", she moans softly

"Joanne. My jagi", I whimper

"My Yoongi"

She keeps kissing me and I kiss her back, moving out of her, laying next to her

I hold her closer to me, my lips on hers and I have never been happier

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

J POV

I am so nervous

I have been all day

Today I leave my home to go with Yoongi

I do not care about leaving my family save for Julia and my father

I do not want to hurt them but I cannot help how I feel

I cannot help who I love

When Yoongi told me he loves me, my dream came true

All I wanted was for him to love me

And he does

I am all he wants

I cannot wrap my head around that

He is a king, he can have any women he wants and he chooses me, an illegitimate daughter

He is risking war by being with me

He is risking my father's wrath, risking everything

For me

I know what I am going to do is wrong

But I do not care

I meant what I said to Yoongi last night

I would follow him anywhere

And we are going to Daegu

--------------------------------

I walk to Yoongi's room after the banquet ends

My father has been having a banquet everyday to celebrate how close the wedding is

Yoongi is supposed to marry my sister in two days

And we are leaving now

I see Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook in front of Yoongi's rooms

"Princess", Taehyung nods

I told them to call me Joanne but they insist on calling me princess

"He is waiting", Jungkook says, opening the door

I walk inside and I am in Yoongi's arms in a second, his lips on mine

I melt into his kiss

His kisses are the best I ever had

"Are you alright?", he asks

"Yes", I smile

"Are you sure-", he starts but I stop him with a kiss

"I am sure. Lets go"

He gives me his gorgeous smile and takes my hand

"Namjoon is already there with the crew. Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook will take us there. Taehyung will go ahead to make sure the way is clear", he explains

I nod, pulling my hood on my cloak up

Yoongi and I leave his room

"Ready?", Jimin asks

Yoongi nods and Taehyung moves disappearing into the night

"Let's go", Jungkook says

--------------------------------

Once we made it out of the palace, Yoongi and I walk quickly

I lead him because I know the way to the harbor by heart

Yoongi is gripping my hand tightly as we walk

We are almost to his ship

I can see it

I do not know where his guards are but I know they are close

"Almost jagi", he says

"Yes", I answer

Walking faster we finally get to the ship

I release a breath I was holding

We are about to board when I hear, "Joanne! What are you doing?"

I know that voice

Fuck

I turn, just as Yoongi's body guards appear, swords raised

"No! Stop!", I yell, "It's Julia!"

"Stop", Yoongi orders and they lower their swords but move next to Yoongi and I, ready to fight if need be

"Joanne! What are you doing?", Julia asks, shocked

"I....I am leaving with King Yoongi. To Daegu", I answer

"Why?"

"I love him. I want to be with him. And he loves me too. This is the only way Julia. Father will never let me go with him. I cannot be without him", I plead

Her gaze softens at me

"Joanne", Yoongi calls

I look at Julia but speak to him, "Go Yoongi. I will be there in a minute"

"Yoongi?", Julia gasps

I know she is shocked that I called him by his name instead of his title

Anyone would be surprised

"No", he protests, not letting go of my hand, "I am staying by your side. I will only go on that ship if you are with me. I go where you go."

Julia's eyes widen at his words and she looks down to our hands

When she looks back up at me she has determination in her eyes

"Go"

"What?", I whisper

"Go. I knew you loved him from the moment you saw him. And from his words, I know he loves you just as much. So go. I will make something up to father, hold him off as long as I can before he follows you"

I cannot believe what I am hearing

My sister is helping me

She is letting me go

She is letting me be with that man I love

I let go of Yoongi's hand and hug Julia tightly

"Thank you", I whisper

"I told you I will always take care of you", she whispers, holding me tightly.

Then she lets go of me, "Now go! Hurry before someone sees"

I nod, "I love you"

"I love you too", she says

Then she says to Yoongi, "Majesty. Protect her"

Yoongi answers, "Always"

My hand finds his and we turn, running onto the ship

"Let's go", he orders as we walk by the crew

"Majesty. Princess", Namjoon greets

"Did anyone notice?", Yoongi asks

"Some people did but I told them that you wanted the ship to be perfect for your new bride. They understood and were convinced. We are fine. For how long, I do not know", Namjoon answers

"A few days. Julia will stall father until the wedding and then he will need time to gather his army if he decides to pursue us", I answer

Namjoon nods, "Then we prepare for war and hope it does not happen"

Yoongi nods

War

I hope father does not choose to go to war

But I know him and I know Yoongi wounded his pride and betrayed his trust by taking me

He will come

"Do not worry jagi. I will never let you go", Yoongi assures me

I smile, nodding at him

"I will never let you go either", I assure him

He kisses me, then leads me to his room on the ship

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

1 month later

Yoongi POV

"Oh god, yes, land!", she cries, "Can we never do this again? No more boats"

I look over at her and laugh, "Whatever you want jagi"

My poor princess was sea sick almost the entire trip

I stayed by her side the entire time to make her feel better

And I just did not want to be away from her

Namjoon and I, we planned for war and have everything set up in case it comes to that

The ship docks and I take her hand, leading her off the ship, "This is Daegu"

She looks around smiling, "It is beautiful"

"Are you happy?", I ask, afraid she doesn't like it or wants to go back

She tilts her head, looking at me, "Of course my love. I am happy as long as I am with you"

I am so lucky to have found her

"You make me so happy Joanne", I tell her

She smiles and I have to kiss her

I cannot help it

My lips brush against hers with her kissing me back

"Come jagi", I say, leading her inside the walls of Daegu

"You have very high walls", she comments

"Yes to protect the main city and palace", I answer

The walls were here when I took over

"Did you live here before you became king?"

I shake my head, "No. I lived outside the wall, in one of the small towns at the edge of the kingdom."

"Oh. Was it difficult living there?"

"Yes jagi. Aside from inside the wall, the towns are poor. There is no money and hardly any food. And whatever was farmed, half of it went to the king"

"Oh, I am sorry Yoongi"

"That is why I decided to overthrow the king. To help. And I have been trying. I stopped taking so much food from the towns. Only a third, so they have more. I lowered the taxes there. I am trying to make Daegu better for everyone", I explain

"That is wonderful", she smiles

I wish it was that simple

"Yes, but while the townspeople support me, the people in the city hate me. They call me the mad king"

"But why?", she asks confused

"Because I am not royalty. Because I killed the king. Because I kill my enemies right away. Because I am taking away their easy life of just collecting from the towns and making them actually work harder. Because I have this scar on my face"

She looks confused

"What does the scar have to do with anything?"

"Jagi, here in Daegu and the surrounding kingdoms, a person cannot be king if they have any visible scars. The king is supposed to be pure and unblemished. Seen as a god. That is why the king slashed my face before I killed him. He thought I would never be king with a scar on my face"

"That is....that's horrible! I am so sorry Yoongi. I did not know that. In Rome scars are seen as strength and the mark of a good warrior."

I wish it was like that here

"I love you Yoongi. With your scar", she says softly

That is all that matters

That she loves me

"All I need is your love. And I love you", I tell her

She comes closer, hugging me tightly

I wrap my arms around her, kissing the top of her head

"Let's go", I tell her

She nods, takes my hand and I lead her to the palace

--------------------------------

J POV

Yoongi holds my hand as we walk through the city

Daegu is beautiful

But as we walk I notice the people

And the looks they are giving Yoongi

Anger, hate and disgust are the main ones

They truly hate him

He was right

And I do not like the way they are looking at him

They turn their looks to me and their expressions do not change

Yoongi ignores them but I do not

I glare right back

Some people are surprised and look away but others keep staring

We keep walking and soon I see a palace in the distance

The closer we get, the more of it I can see

It is beautiful as well

And big

When we arrive Yoongi looks at me and smiles, "Welcome home"

--------------------------------

Yoongi leads me to a room that has people in it

Looking around I assume it is the throne room since there is indeed a throne in it

"Majesty", a few men bow to him

"Are you alright?", one asks

"Was your journey well?"

"Is this Julia?", another asks

"No", he answers

The men look at each other in surprise

Yoongi turns to me, "Joanne this is Hoseok and Seokjin, members of my counsel. They ruled for me while I was in Rome"

"Hello", I greet

"Hello", they greet

"Uh majesty, were you not supposed to marry a Julia?", Hoseok asks

"Yes but something changed"

"I see. What is that?", Seokjin asks

"I fell in love with Joanne. She is Julia's younger sister"

"Ah yes. So the emperor changed the sister you were to marry", Hoseok assumes

"No"

Seokjin furrows his eyebrows, "I do not understand majesty"

"We left Rome. I asked her to come with me and she did"

Yoongi proceeds to explain everything that happened

"You just... took her?", Seokjin gasps

"I did not take her", Yoongi snaps, "I asked her and she agreed"

"Why?", Hoseok gapes

"What do you mean why? She loves me as well", Yoongi growls

"I am sorry majesty. I just meant....I am just surprised", Hoseok apologizes

"Speak to Namjoon", Yoongi orders, "We have to prepare for war"

"What?", Hoseok exclaims

"War?", Seokjin repeats

"Yes war", Yoongi confirms

"With who?", Hoseok asks

"Rome"

"Rome?", Hoseok repeats, "Why?"

I see Yoongi is getting upset with their questioning so I decide to answer

"Because my father will come for me"

They turn to me

"How does she know our language?", Seokjin asks, more surprise on his face

"Her sister Julia learned it and taught her", Yoongi replies

"And her father is coming after her?", Hoseok responds

"Yes", I answer, "My father will see my going with Yoongi as a betrayal and a stab to his pride. He will come after me and he will bring an army"

"Fuck", Hoseok gasps, "Why did you come if you knew this?"

I understand why they may be upset and are asking these questions

"Because I love Yoongi"

"Yoongi? You call him Yoongi?", Seokjin blurts in shock

"Uh yes? He told me to call him Yoongi"

"I cannot believe this", Hoseok says under his breath

"Is there a problem?", Yoongi growls

"Not with her calling you by your name majesty but yes there is a problem with this whole thing. You are bringing war here. For her"

"You are fucking right for her. War was coming either way. I was going to refuse to marry her sister and her father would have come after me for that as well"

"Why would you not just marry her sister if that was the agreement?", Seokjin questions

"Because I fell in love with Joanne. I cannot marry someone else when I love her. If I did not love her I would have married Julia. But I love and want Joanne. And she loves and wants me as well. She left her home, everything she knows for me. To come here with me. And I will protect her. Prepare for a wedding and coronation. For tomorrow."

"A wedding?", Hoseok exclaims

"Yes a wedding. For tomorrow. You can speak to her later so she can tell you how weddings are done in Rome."

"You are having a Roman wedding?", Seokjin asks shocked

I am confused too

I thought we'd get married the way they do here

"We are having both. The Daegu way and the Roman way so that her father cannot claim that our marriage is not recognized by Rome."

He is so smart

And he is right

My father would not recognize a Daegu wedding

That is why he had to come to Rome to marry my sister

"And you are.....making her queen?", Hoseok questions

"Yes. Stop asking me questions and start preparing everything", Yoongi asks

Yoongi turns back to me and says, "Come jagi, I will show you the rest of the palace"

As we walk away, I hear Hoseok whisper to Seokjin, "Did he just call her jagi?"

"I think so", Seokjin answers

I just smile as I keep walking

--------------------------------

"And finally our bedroom", Yoongi says and opens the door

I walk in and my mouth drops

It is huge with a door that leads outside to the gardens, a beautiful fireplace and a large bed

"Yoongi.....wow"

"Like it?", he asks

"Like it? I love it!", I exclaim

Then I realize what he said

"Wait this is our room?", I ask

"Yes"

This is unusual

Usually kings and queens have their own separate quarters

Not that I would not want to stay with him because I would

I am just confused

"You are not putting me in other rooms away from you?"

He looks at me surprised

"I thought you would want-"

"I do!", I cut him off

I do not want him to think I do not want to stay with him

"It is just....I am surprised. Usually kings put their wives in their own rooms"

"I want you with me", he says softly, "I do not want to be away from you especially not at night. I cannot sleep without you. Not after all the nights we spent together. I love you"

What he is saying is so touching

He's not like any king I know of or heard about

"I do not want to be away from you either. I have grown to love sleeping beside you and I cannot sleep without your arms around me", I answer, blushing

He smiles widely at me, "So you will stay with me? Here?"

I nod, smiling back, "Yes. In our room"

He comes over to me so fast, his mouth on mine in a passionate kiss

I kiss him back as both our hands start to pull each other's clothes off

He pushes me up against a wall, hands all over me

I love when he touches me

I was sick the entire time on the ship so we could not have sex at all

Not with me throwing up all the time

But I feel better now that I am on land

And I want him so much

I miss being with him

His hands grip my thighs lifting me up, my legs moving around his waist as I wrap my arms around his neck

His length slips in inch by inch, both of us moaning loudly, his cock opening me up so well

"Fuck jagi, I missed you", he says between kisses

"I missed you too", I answer, not wanting to stop kissing him

He pulls out then slams back in making me scream in pleasure

Moving in and out over and over, he moans, "Jagi you feel so good. You are the best woman I've ever been with"

I feel so happy hearing him say that

I am the best

"Yes Yoongi?", I groan

"Yes jagi. I love how wet you are for me. How tight and warm", he whimpers

His hand grabs my behind tightly as he kisses my neck, plunging his length in and out, his head stimulating my spot with every move

"I love your body, your gorgeous face, the way you are, everything single about you"

"Fuck", I whisper

I cannot believe he sees all that about me

I never thought anyone would love me

I thought I was destined to be in a loveless marriage

I am so happy that is not my fate

"It is because I love you so much that makes being with you the best", he tells me

"Oh Yoongi", I moan, "You are the best man I have ever been with as well"

He smiles at me and kisses me gently

"You are everything I want Yoongi. I love you so much"

"I love you Joanne", he whispers

Yoongi is everything I could ever want

He has a perfect body, he is beautiful, he is sweet, loving and funny, making me laugh and smile all the time

And he loves me

Yoongi slams hard again and I explode, screaming his name as pleasure takes over

"Yoongi!"

"Good jagi. More. Give me more"

I still cannot believe how much he loves when I orgasm on him

How much he wants it over and over

He moves faster and harder and I bury my hands in his long gorgeous hair, pulling softly

I love his long blonde hair

It is so soft and silky, I love playing with it all the time

And I love that he lets me

I pull his hair harder pulling his head back and planting kisses all over his neck

"Please jagi, cum again"

His constant thrusting brings me right there again

His cock is so big, filling me perfectly, impaling me pleasurably

His next thrust causes unbelievable pleasure as my orgasm washes over me

"Yoongi oh Yoongi", I moan

"Yes jagi, fuck yes", he groans

He moves out, standing me up

Turning me around, he sits down, his back to the wall

He pulls me roughly to him, lifts one of my legs over his shoulder and buries his tongue in me, licking fast, pleasure taking over

--------------------------------

Yoongi POV

She moans loudly while I slide my tongue on her

She tastes so fucking good

I have not been able to be with her for a month

She was sick on the ship and I wanted to take care of her

But now, I am not going to be able to keep my hands off her

She yells in pleasure and I love that I can pleasure her this much with my tongue

Before her I have never done this before

Never wanted to lick a woman before

But ever since that first night we were together, I wanted to do it all the time

For her

I did not expect to love everything about it

The way she feels against my tongue, how wet she is, how good she tastes

But as I said, I was not able to do anything to her for awhile

And I want to taste her again

And again and again

She slides her hand in my hair, holding on and pulling

I love when she does that

Finding the spot she loves the most, her throbbing clit, I flick my tongue fast there, loving her screams of pleasure

"Yoongi oh gods Yoongi!", she shouts, coming and shaking

Moaning, I lick her cum, getting all of it

Then I keep going this time sucking on her clit

Her hands tighten in my hair and I grip her hips hard

Swiping my tongue up her slowly, I suck on her spot again, her legs trembling

She's close and I suck faster

"Yoongi", she moans, climaxing again

As I lick everything, my eyes roam up her body to her face

She's fucking gorgeous

When she finishes, I open her legs more, open her lips more and slip my tongue in her hole, licking inside

"Oh fuck", she cries

"Like that jagi?", I smirk

"Yes, yes Yoongi. Again, please love"

"Anything for you jagi", I answer, dipping my tongue back in

Licking inside her, I move my tongue out then back in, licking again, loving when her pussy clenches on my tongue

Like she clenches on my cock

Keeping a steady pace, I pleasure her this way, listening to her moans

She pulses on my tongue faster and faster until she screams loudly, releasing on my tongue

I lick and swallow greedily, loving her taste

My favorite thing to eat

When she finishes she moves back but immediately sits on me, taking my cock deep inside her

"Oh yes", she moans, shaking on me

Her reactions to me are amazing

She really loves being with me

And I am glad because I love being with her

She leans to me, her mouth on mine, arms around my neck

Her tongue slips in my mouth, making me moan as I wrap my arms around her

Her kisses are incredible

Pulling away she leans her head against mine

Holding each other, she starts to move, sliding up my length, then back down

"Jagi", I moan

"Yoongi, you feel good", she whimpers

I'm glad

I want to please her

I move my hands up and down her body, just feeling her skin as she moves

Her cunt squeezes my length hard, making me gasp

I love being inside her and when we are together, I just want to stay forever

She moves faster, her bounces so hard, spasming so pleasurably

"Yoongi", she moans, coming and giving me intense pleasure

"Joanne, yes jagi!", I yell, releasing inside her, her cunt sucking all my cum into her, ecstacy exploding all over my skin

"Yoongi, it feels so good", she shouts

Is...is she speaking about me coming?

"You can feel it?", I ask, when I finish

She nods, "Yes"

"What....what does it feel like?"

I am curious

How does it feel for her?

Because it feels heavenly when she orgasms on me

"I feel you moving inside, rubbing against me. Throbbing. It feels warm when you fill me with cum, makes me feel so full like your cock does. I love it"

Fuck

I close my eyes breathing hard, feeling myself getting aroused again

"You love it?", I ask

I need to hear her say it again

I need to know that I heard what I think I heard

"Yes Yoongi. I love it."

I smile at her and she immediately pulls me to her, kissing me

Holding on to her, I get up, carrying her to our bed

I move her to the edge of the bed, putting her on her hands and knees

"Open jagi. I want to make you feel good again", I murmur, moving her hair over her shoulder, kissing the back of her neck

I feel her body trembles and I keep kissing her, moving my lips along her shoulder

Her legs open and I push inside her, feeling her sucking me back inside

"Mmm jagi. You want me back inside you. I can feel you pulling me in"

"Yes Yoongi. I always want you."

I smile, kissing her neck and starting to move

I thrust in slow and easy at first, picking up speed every few thrust

"More Yoongi, harder", she urges

I listen, moving harder and faster, slamming inside her, her skin hitting mine

She moans loudly, moving with me, sliding along my cock

When she moves down, I thrust into her, deep inside her, making her scream

"Right there my princess?", I smirk

"Yes my king", she cries, "Please."

"Anything for my jagi", I promise her

Concentrating in that spot, I pound into her, wanting her orgasm so much

The pleasure from it, the sound of her screaming, the feel of her squeezing me, soaking me in her cum

I need it

"Please jagi. I need to feel you", I cry, my eyes on her pussy creaming my cock so much that it's leaking on our bed

"Yyy....Yoongi!", she screams, squeezing the life from my cock as she orgasms, "Oh god, yes"

Her cum covers my length, her orgasms giving me too much ecstacy that I cannot hold back

Shoving my length inside her, I shoot my cum inside, filling her so much that it's leaking out around us

My legs shake as I try to keep myself upright as I finish

Once I do, I pull out and collapse on the bed next to her

She turns to face me, cuddling into my body, pressing soft kisses to my cheek

I just smile, pulling the blanket up and around us then wrapping my arms around her and holding her tightly

"Don't we have to get up?", she asks teasingly, "Don't you have to rule the kingdom?"

"Eventually", I answer, cuddling into her, "But first, a little nap"

"A nap?", she giggles

I nod, moving my fingers in her hair, "Yeah jagi. You were sick this morning and I know you didn't sleep much last night"

"And neither did you, taking care of me"

"I'll always take care of you jagi", I whisper, "I love you"

"I love you Yoongi"

She kisses me gently, her love pouring from the kiss as I give her all mine

After, she snuggles into me and we fall asleep

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Six months later

Yoongi POV

I stand at the wall of Daegu, watching the hundreds of Roman boats coming towards our harbor

"They're here", she whispers, her hand clenching mine hard, fear in her face

"Do not worry jagi", I tell her, "You are the queen of Daegu. You cannot be taken from here"

"You do not know my father", she answers so quietly

"Joanne, I will protect you", I promise, tilting her face to mine, then touching her big belly, "And our child. Nothing will hurt either of you"

She nods, "I know my love. I trust you"

I smile, leaning down and kissing her softly

After, she leans against me, my arm around her as we watch the ships come closer

I'm not afraid

I have a vast army that will defeat Augustus

He will not get into the Daegu, he will not take my wife

I knew being with her would cause a war and it's one I am ready to fight

And I will win

--------------------------------

Excerpts from Namjoon's History~ written 40 years later

....the Roman Augustus landed in the harbor of Daegu and attacked the city. King Yoongi's army defended the wall and it was not breached.....

....after two years of battles, Augustus was finally defeated, his army decimated. The people of Daegu love their queen and we're willing to fight for her, for King Yoongi and their two children. Augustus left Daegu in the spring of that year, never to return

After the war, Yoongi and Joanne ruled and continue to rule Daegu peacefully and justly. They and their children- 4 princes and 3 princesses- are well loved and supported by their people

[scintillyyy]

Hi! To continue the O'Neil discussion from [mumblemumble] weeks ago: there's a huge patchwork of interviews from different writers about how he ran things at different times (Max Collins has some especially interesting memories of him being *too strict*), which I hope to be able to compile for your review soon. That aside... have you ever read O'Neil's Gordon of Gotham mini? I'm told there's a scene in it that feels like him directly shitting on all his hippie beliefs as a young man.

always happy to continue the o'neil discussion! psychoanalyzing (dead or alive) men over a certain age is a favorite hobby of mine. probably because of my dad or something.

i am so excited to read whatever it is you compile! i think i've seen that about collins as well--but it does track with what i've heard about o'neil in the 80s office where he would mmm have standards but also not give guidance so when writers failed to meet his standards he would come down on them but also since he refused to "hold their hands" it was for sure kind of messy. one of the interesting things when thinking about and analyzing writer recollection as well is that you do have to take into account that all recollection has personal bias of the person who experienced it (not in a bad way! and this is true for both the pro-o'neil and anti-o'neil side). as far as collins goes--he probably was right to feel that o'neil was unnecessarily strict with his expectations while offering no significant guidance as to what those expectations were. someone else who maybe understood o'neil and his personality a bit better, like a lot of his assistant editors, were also right in their recollections that he wanted to be more hands-off. there are 5 sides to every story, etc.

i had not previously read gordon of gotham but i skimmed through it, and it certainly was. something in its "gordon is a good cop in a sea of shit". anyways, since it's supposed to he a prequel to year one, the first issue is full of hippie vs cop given the time era being invoked. anyways, i'm going to assume the scene in question is this:

where after saving a hippie from being beaten by a cop after said cop rammed into the hippie's volkswagon van, gordon goes on an anti-hippie rant. which. yea certainly does read as if dennis is raging over the stupidity of his youth, but i also do want to say that in context gordon also is a shitty husband in this mini (the part where his wife says "you promised to keep me pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen! and i'm not pregnant or barefoot!" certainly is a thing) among overall being fairly conservative so i honestly cannot say for certain that this is, for a fact, denny railing on the indiscrestions of his youth or if he's drawing from his experience of what the cop/establishment vs hippie/counterculture fight of the time era was because to me it reads a lot like the arguments of each side back then distilled into speech bubbles to let you know where the character is supppsed to land on the culture vs counterculture war in the year of our lord 1970 or whenever this is supposed to take place prior to year one.

i will also say. denny could very well be shitting on hippies because he never was actually one himself and has a negative bias of them but also still be a democrat--this involves a highly nuanced political discussion that takes into account that most people have a wide variety of beliefs that may not always be completely in agreement with each other despite mostly being aligned. i know he has a reputation for being pro-counterculture (the legalize pot button he wore in front of stan lee comes to mind) but was he a hippie? well. i'll be honest--according to his wikipedia he joined the navy after college and participated in the blockade of cuba during the cuban missile crisis and he never actually smoked pot himself despite being pro-legalization because it make him sick. while he certainly did have progessive and counterculture beliefs i would NOT place him as actually being a hippie when he was younger or thinking that hippies had the right of it. he could be a generally progessive person who thought that hippies were generally useless to society and he wouldn't have been alone in that? i'm not saying i think that, ofc, but like. despite hippie culture being relatively a huge part of how we perceive the 60s, overall hippies were not a majority movement (hence why they were counter-culture) and people bipartisanly kind of thought they and their beliefs were fringe and ridiculous? anyways it's also, unfortunately, very normal for people to grow older and cognitively change and look more critically on the more idealistic beliefs of their youth, so even if he was a hippie (which i kind of doubt. that man was on no lists.), it would also make sense for him to look back and rail about how young and stupid he perceived himself to be. and, while by all accounts i've seen, dennis was a democratic his whole life. there's a non insignificant amount of people who used to be hippies who have taken a complete 180 turn on their beliefs as older adults. there's a very large amount of conservatives who have long hair and ride motorcycles. so yea. anyways. it could be him railing on his youth or it could be just distilled hippie vs cop arguments or it could be he always thought hippies were kind of dumb. many possibilities.

i will also note that in the mini gordon has a bit of a gay awakening with his villain.

this too, could be a sign of something. (jk)

[esposadejoyhuerta]

This acc is becoming an mcu twitter for me but I fucking HATE secretary Ross so fucking much and vision is a dumbass.

Correlation does not mean causation that’s the first thing they teach u in ANY lower division fucking undergrad research class. So wtf was that toaster going on ab with the rise in superheroes and rise in threats like. CorrELATION DUMBASS. You’d have to do years of empirical research to determine causation. Also has any of them heard of critical refugee and border studies???? Reading a SINGLE article from that field would give u the fucking answer. Like come ON. The Sokovia accords shouldn’t even be a fucking debate—it’s a stupid ass idea and the only person I understand besides those who refused to sign is nat’s position of disagreeing but wanting to regain public trust and keep one hand on the wheel. Everyone who wholeheartedly trusted in the accords is fucking wrong. Also I blame Ross for nat’s death. Bc he’s the whole fucking reason thanos won. The scarlet witch should’ve just killed him “so ur saying they’ll come for me” Wanda says but it’s fine baby just kill them it’s ok god I’m so pissed and this is all fake. Also wtf is up w rhodey being like “omg this is the UN” like. No one in any REAL social justice field likes the UN. No one likes human rights studies. Like. They’ve been wrong ab most things and everyone is critical of them FOR A REASON.

Cap’s all like “we failed” after infinity war NO it’s bc everyone scattered yall and u were a DISASSEMBLED team and were very disempowered. These gov officials, the UN, and all these ppl who liked the Sokovia accords, y’all deserve half your loved ones disappearing. You brought this upon your fucking selves now suck it up and deal w the consequences of ur own actions u whiny whores

Edit: oh I did not know there was a whole subsection of mcu fans who r actively anti Sokovia accords and dive deep into what it entailed and how it’s wrong. It seems as tho some ppl in that subsection come from a legal background too which is so cool. Y’all r cool and I’d love to join in on convos w my theory background and comment on how theoretically the accords aren’t for the protection of the ppl and only aim to solidify existing racialized and sexualized nationalist tools such as consolidated military power and borders, which are inherently polysemic and overdetermined in nature (Balibar 2002) are are for those exact reasons that the accords r being drafted and that should honestly be enough to make the general public and world leaders question it in the first place. But anyways. Would love to elaborate one day if let into the fanclub😌

Another edit: im just mad and ranting to the void at this point but y’all who try to argue FOR the Sokovia accords in a legal matter. It straight up DOESNT. MATTER. Bc if u look for even a second at critical social theories, you’d understand that the accords literally cannot work for the people. So you’re arguing for something that strengthens the power of those already in power. Which is fine, but just admit that. Also on the lowest key that’s equivalent to arguing for white heteropatriatchal power. But like. Just admit that. Bc. Again. I repeat, the accords are not FOR THE PEOPLE. Now, we literally don’t know the full content of the accords so there’s only sm we can all say ab the details of it. But as an overall idea, that’s what it does. But if this was a real thing I’d be concerned abt yalls ability to critically think and also that y’all get a say in this country (yikes) ESPECIALLY to that one user I blocked saying that all they needed to see was that cap, a white man, is arrogant, wants to keep his white power, and therefore the accords must be signed, to keep white power in check, then Jesus fuck you’re dumb as hell. Like yes, I had that same initial thought too, but then I THOUGHT AB IT for longer than a SECOND and the same damn thing could be said ab Tony, that his white guilt is clouding his judgement and making him sign. Also non white ppl backed both sides. Like. Use the one brain cell u have for the love of god. Do u rlly think the mcu cares enough to make a racial statement here? And to all Sokovia acc supporters, don’t u think it ended w thanos winning FOR A REASON?! Also. To say “but we need regulation therefore we need the accords” is the same exact thing as saying “we need safety therefore we need cops and the military” like Jesus fuck there r other options. Be creative for a SINGLE SECOND. I hate this world and I hate that I have to share it w ppl who have such smooth brains y’all concern me a LOT

[pugzman3]

Reposting this because some people seriously need to catch up to what's going on. Today, apparently after refusing a legal subpoena, Hunter Biden walked into the very hearing he had been issued a subpoena for. And everyone stuck in the political reality TV show are losing their minds. I thought it was hilarious, almost made me want to tune in.

So for all of yall not realizing that the WHOLE SYSTEM is owned by people whose names you will never know, for all of yall thinking that after centuries of planning and executing, growing, infiltrating, bringing down entire governments, starting war after war after war, that someone is going to come along and bring it down, for all y'all who simply cannot understand what is going on and why criminal behavior is going on in plain sight and nothing is being done....you seriously need to watch this. If not for your sake, for your children's sake. Go to the channel, watch all the vids.

[lol-jackles]

You really support israhell? After everything they have done? The 75 years of brutal and inhumane colonization and oppression, the torture, the rape, the theft, the burning of hundreds of years old indigenous olive trees, everything? Don't you even see that they did to Palestinians exactly what Americans did to the natives? This is honestly really disappointing. I hope you at least just remember that Palestine was given by one white racist man to another white racist man to get rid of the "jewi

You really want to go there? Okay, lets go there! To use your own logic, the native American analogy you’re so found of also applies to the Jews in Israel.  Romans tried to expel all Jews and then rename the territory "Palestina" after the Philistines (enemy of the Jews), and Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina" (after Hadrian and Jupiter) to erase the Jewish connection.  Except that did not work because some Jews remained and then others came back.  And they never stopped returning: from immigration in 200-500 AD, the eleventh century, until the movements in 1882, early 1900s, right up to 1948.

I'm sure you know the Ottoman Empire happened until it didn’t, and the territory switched to Britain who called the territory Mandatory Palestine, so the “Palestinians are those who live there, meaning Arabs AND Jews.  This is inconvenient historical facts for you, Jews were living there already!

Do you think the Ottomans would have tolerated state-building by Jews?  Neither the Ottomans nor the British would ever have tolerated an illegal or violent state-building attempt by Jews.  That is why until 1948, the future state of İsrael consisted of territory bought by the Jewish National Fund and empty lands accorded to the Jewish state under the UN partition plan.

Then the Arab world declared war in 1947 and got their asses roundly kicked by the Jews and end up occupying a number of territories originally intended to be part of the abortive Arab state of Transjordan. The furious butthurt Arab nations expelled 900,000 of their own Jewish citizens (those they didn’t kill) so the refugees made their way to Israel in 1948.  Judea and Samaria (aka the West bank) belong to Jordan, Gaza to the Egyptians, Golan Heights to Syria. Green line established as an armistice line.

The Arab world declared war again in 1967 and got their asses round kicked by the Jews.  Just before the war, Arabs left the area and figured they can come back after all the Jews are killed and take everything the Jews owned or had build, the farmlands they built out of swamps and desert…. Except that didn’t happen and they became sore losers. 

Jordan gave up their claim to Judea and Samaria in the 1990’s and Sinai was given back to Egypt, Israel immediately started negotiating with the PLO for peace. Oslo granted the Palestinians the first land that they could claim was theirs and no one else’s. Israel then moved on to direct negotiations with Arafat to give them a proper state with legal borders in exchange for peace. Arafat rejected it and launched the Intifada.  Israel tried again when Abbas took over, but he refused to even talk. In an attempt to buy peace, and as a test of the Palestinian’s intentions, Israel completely pulled out of Gaza, hoping that it could become something like Singapore or Monaco. Instead, Hamas took over, destroying the infrastructure that Israel left behind and launching terrorist attacks against Israel ever since.

Hamas could have rebuilt hospitals and schools with the millions of dollars given in previous conflicts in Gaza. They could have built bomb shelters for their citizens. But no, they built underground tunnels and bunkers, designed to breach Israel's boarders and protect their own. You cannot have peace with Gazans whose sole aim is to kill you and rape the women and then kill them.

Then October 7 happened.  Hamas gleefully opened fire on babies, children, families in their beds. They stabbed children kept the knives in them before killing their parents.  They didn’t spare family dogs.  They gang-raped women and paraded their dead bodies in the streets. Hamas exceeded the Nazis in brutality.  Any collateral damage to the innocent is unintentional on Israel's part as opposed to Hamas who surround their own soldiers with children.  Hamas is literally using their own children as meat shields. 

Gaza started a war. They are getting what they wanted. Why are you complaining?

Did you protest in 2006 when Gaza elected Hamas?

Did you protest in 2007 when Hamas declared war on Israel and said it would eagerly murder Israelies  - which is what caused the Israeli blockade and later the Egyptian blockade.

I bet my two houses you didn’t protest for the past sixteen years while Hanas fired at Israeli civilians, sometimes causing Israel to fire back.

You weren’t at all bothered that for 16 years the Hamas used their own citizens human meat shields and build military infrastructure beneath hospitals and schools

Meanwhile, 21 Arab countries would rather let Gazans die than admit them as refugees.  Where are your complaints about that?

In conclusion: Unlike all the countries in the Americas and Australasia, and many elsewhere, Israel actually is NOT on occupied land, illegal or otherwise. The fledgling state of Israel bought land fair and square from Ottoman landlords and was granted statehood by the UN.  Now, you could argue whether the Ottomans should have been able to sell that land, as they were absentee landords – but they did have legal titles to it and they legally sold the land to the Jews.  So Israel has much greater legitimacy than the U.S, Argentina, Australia, or New Zealand.  Go bitch about them, you cowardly hiding-behind-greyface-Anon.

Btw, I'm always hugely happy to disappoint pro-rapey-terrorists people like yourself.

[thepolyamorouspolymath]

I am begging you, remove the notion that the President carries the right to do whatever he wants when it is your party in power -- whichever party you belong to.

I heard so many people saying they weren't voting in the last election because they were displeased about this or that, and my friends, you are giving the President powers in your head that he does not have.

Hey, the President does NOT control the economy or prices. Nope, that belongs to the corporations and nominally the free market.

Hey, the President does not have unilateral control over foreign policy. Nope, treaties belong to Congress, both ratifying and terminating unless specified in the treaty itself that the executive can terminate it by order. Congress also sets the budget, so funds earmarked for something like aid have to be used for that -- whether or not they can be withheld without the agreement of Congress is an open question, but the powers are not, they are enumerated in the Constitution.

The President really does not have the ability to dictate to other countries what they can and can't do, absent direct military invasion and occupation by US forces.

The President does not have any control over state and local police departments. No, those belong to states and municipalities.

The President does not have the authority go order the National Guard to do fuck all while on US soil, except for in DC without a formal declaration of war. When nationalized (when the President controls them), they are part of the US Army, which is not allowed to operate on US soil during peacetime under posse comitatus -- this also applies to the Air Force but does not apply to the Navy. Not this either, on US soil during peacetime, control belongs to the governor of each state, which is why DC is an exception, as it has no governor. If you see Marines breaking up a protest or shit, then the President sent them. Anyone else, he's not in charge of.

The President does not have authority over state laws. No, rights are generally considered as belonging to the states unless specified or implied by the Constitution. This also applies to state regulations, state funded anything, state taxes.

The President does not have the right to create or dissolve entire departments. No, this too belongs to Congress, as it would have to be funded or defunded.

The President does not have the authority to overrule or ignore a judge's order. No, the judiciary is the final authority for everything.

The President, from either party, has LIMITS. Lots of limits, in fact. He does not bear the blame or deserve the credit for everything that happens during his tenure. He cannot just wave his hand and make shit happen.

The President is literally just SOME GUY. To get anything actually enforced he has to have people carry them out, and they can absolutely refuse. Even the military is not only able to refuse a direct order if it is illegal, they are obligated to do so.

Donald Trump is just some guy. Yes he's issuing orders left and right, but they are being disregarded or overturned by judges. He can't even fire some people -- the 12 Inspectors General he attempted to fire sent a very nice email telling him politely to fuck off until he met the legal requirements to do so. He can't abolish departments, that is expressly forbidden by the 1918 Overman Act. He can't defund them, because Congress. Controls. The. Budget. (Can't stress that enough -- the executive has 3 weapons: money, soldiers, and the DoJ. None of which he actually controls.)

This is not to say he can't do any harm. He definitely can. But mostly because people follow his orders. Which they don't have to, he is just some guy.

The resistance is not just left wing activists. It's the Pentagon saying no, absolutely do not report a damn thing to DOGE or anyone else outside your chain of command. It's the DoJ lawyer who says while defending a Trump order that he has no idea what it means and doesn't want to speculate. It's people refusing to resign because you need grounds to fire them. It's State Department diplomats doing the quiet work of holding together alliances that the administration is trying their best to sabotage.

It's the AG telling prosecutors to fucking run with it if they can make a case. It's Senators who tell a President that he can resign or be removed.

It's citizens who show up to city council meetings and town halls and do phone campaigns even if they dont normally align with you but do on one thing. It's protests that can't be stopped. It's governors saying "absolutely not". It's state AGs filing lawsuits against federal overreach. It's judges who still recognize the rule of law, regardless of who appointed them. It's staffers and law clerks who drag their feet.

It's 330 million tiny cogs in the machine, each one having a ripple effect if it snags.

Government derives its power from the consent of the governed, those working for it as much as those living under it. That's as true today as it was in the Declaration.

Joe Biden did not have absolute authority, not the credit or the blame. Neither did Barack Obama, or George W Bush or Bill Clinton. Neither did Reagan or FDR or even Washington.

And importantly neither does Donald Trump.

[misfitwashere]

Even I, when I read the text of his statements, find myself normalizing him. I read or listen and look for a drop of normalcy, or for how his followers would hear him. I subconsciously do the work he wouldn’t do and look for meaning or critical thinking amidst all the gibberish, and then dismiss the gibberish. But right there on the page, right there on the screen where he stands, his words are often nonsense, and offensive, frightening nonsense.

The major reason he’s still in this race, and not being laughed off the stage, is because so many of those who support him are locked behind a wall of information or bias and fictionalize him, and those who report on him are either afraid of him, told to normalize him by corporate higher-ups, or are inured to his weirdness and self-absorption. Many report on the drip of normalcy and neglect the flood of incoherent, belligerent, and offensive inanity. We must not allow ourselves to get so used to him to the point that he uses us.

The recent debate provided a good example of his belligerent inanity. I almost felt sorry for him a couple of times because he was so out of his depth, so lost and out of control. He had no facts to show he cared about issues and people, and often pushed beyond the debate agreements of 2 minute comments to aggressively ramble on with conspiratorial lies.

And the simplistic, malignant nature of these lies almost surprised me. I didn’t expect him to so blatantly repeat on national tv the weird crazies he repeats on smaller stages. For example, his old debunked refrain about millions coming across the border to steal and rape, even repeating racist disinformation about Haitians stealing pets to eat them. He ignored the fact that most Haitians in the city were here legally, and immigrants in general are less likely to commit crimes than other U. S. residents, certainly less likely than DT himself.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” said Trump. The police and other city officials have repeatedly said there were no such reports, but DT claimed it was true because he saw it somewhere on tv.

Of course, when asked directly at the debate if he wanted the Ukrainians to win the war to defeat Russian invaders, or if he would veto a national abortion ban, he showed his true values and that, maybe his ramblings serve a purpose all his own, and refused to answer the actual question asked.

Recently, at a Fox “News” town hall, he was asked about the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia that led to four deaths and multiple injuries. DT avoided the question to talk about the support he received from Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán, the same autocrat he mentioned at the debate as a foreign ruler who respects him.

“’It’s a sick and angry world for a lot of reasons…’ Trump said. ‘And we’re going to make it better, you know, Viktor Orban made a statement, he said, ‘bring Trump back and we won’t have any problems.’ He was very strong about that.’” Never a comment about gun safety, or a sliver of compassion for the victims and their families.

Or to a Mom’s for Liberty event he said, “The transgender thing is incredible. Think of it. Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides what’s going to happen with your child.” Untrue, yes. Insane? Possibly.

In a recent speech to the Economic Club of New York, he rambled on again about Kamala Harris’ border policy: “She wants to defund the police, have Tony Logan votes, ban trafficking in Pennsylvania and everywhere else, take away your private health insurance, and perhaps most pertinent to the very brilliant people in this room, raise your business and corporate taxes, and unbelievably, she’ll see a text on unauthorized trafficking in those people’s living rooms at ease…”

Then: “[She] Has to be defeated. Cannot have her be the President of the United States. Under Kamala, the United States is becoming a third-world banana republic. She and her party are censoring speech, weaponizing the justice system, and trying to throw their political opponents, me, in jail.

This hasn’t happened. I didn’t do that to Crooked Hillary. I said, that would be a terrible thing, wouldn’t it? Putting the wife of the President of the United States in jail…” Of course, during the 2016 campaign he and his supporters repeatedly greeted mentions of Hillary Clinton with shouts of  “lock her up.” And recently, he repeatedly talked about his own plans to weaponize the DOJ.

When asked, “’If you win in November, can you commit to prioritizing legislation to make childcare affordable, and if so, what specific piece of legislation will you advance?” In DT’s reply, he admitted childcare was an important issue but failed to mention a single specific solution. Instead, he spent his time rambling incoherently on his idea of increasing tariffs on imports. He said:

“But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about, that—because look, child care is child care. It’s, couldn’t—you know, there’s something … You have to have it. In this country, you have to have it.

But when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I’m talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they’re not used to, but they’ll get used to it very quickly. And it’s not going to stop them from doing business with us, but they’ll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country.’” And on and on.

And at a rally in Las Vegas, in June, reported on by Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post, DT was trying to talk about the transition to electric vehicles, but instead veered off to speak about sharks:

“By the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that? Lot of sharks. I watched some guys justifying it today: ‘Well they weren’t really that angry, they bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were not hungry, but they misunderstood who she was.’ These people are crazy. He said, ‘There’s no problem with sharks, they just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming.’ No, really got decimated, and other people, too, a lot of shark attacks….”

In the Washington Post article, the author also focused on the ridiculous normalizing of DT in much of the corporate media. “We in the media have failed by becoming inured to Trump’s verbal incontinence — not just the rapid-fire lies and revenge-seeking threats, but also the frightening glimpses into a mind that is, evidently, unwell…. The tendency with Trump, at 77, is to say he’s ‘just being Trump.’ But he’s like this all the time….” Hopefully, the debate has clearly exposed to the nation that he can’t or shouldn’t be normalized and is unfit to hold political office.

Add this to his offensive comments about soldiers, especially those wounded and killed during their service, or sexist, misogynist, and often cruel comments about women and one wonders how he could still be in this race, or how could anyone feel safe with the idea of him wielding power. There’s a reason why so many members of his former cabinet and administration are warning us about him. And as journalist Greg Sargent recently wrote in The New Republic, it’s time for “the media” to make DT’s incoherence the top story of the week, year, decade.

Time for us all, when we can listen to him, to recognize what’s there and not there, and get out the vote for Harris-Walz.