#your existence is your resistance!!

[onthewallwiththis]

the world kinda sucks, I wrote a poem. (i swear it’s not too depressing lol)

•

And there it is ladies, gentlemen!

when they said ‘the end times are near!’

I’d never thought it would be so clear

as to mirror sordid photographs

buried in history book paragraphs.

We can only watch in terror

while our historical pillar of democracy

wanes and wilts, live! on the ABC,

a broadcast, you’ll wanna see.

It scares us in reality, that a

democratic nation doesn’t ‘cheers!’

a sausage in celebration.

It reminds us to the actuality

that saw my grandmother

hiding under tables as a practicality.

Take the 21st century to the time of another

where a child is fit to be a mother

where people are criminals first, person after.

where you beating heart is worth a dollar,

where freedom of speech is also freedom to smother,

where hatred wrings in the hands of a gun owner,

where your religion is terrorism under cover,

where ��your body my choice!’ is held above her.

Where a silk stocking

seems to be holding stocks in

the business of genocide.

Where the climb to the top is a climb

to ‘who can be the dictator quicker!’

but here’s the thing, weary viewer;

Your fear is not you fuel

don’t let it bid you a fool

time and time again

across nations, across galaxies

across people, women, children and men

a similar fight starts to begin.

Do not be coy to the brutalities

of the songs you sing, those fatalities.

No, do not let fear steal your voice

Do not yet sing a swan song to freedom,

get on your feet, we’re gonna need em’

Democracy is not yet condemned.

Do not let them tell you,

your anger is unfounded

because in history a president is grounded.

The oligarchs descent will only be sounded

when hope blossoms, ground up.

You are scared but you will not fear

you are blue but you will not shed a tear

They said that the ‘end is nearly here.’

But we will scream;

‘our hope, is the only song you will hear.’

[karalovesallthegirls]

Also have another “first words spoken to you are on your skin” soulmate AU idea where Kara is a journalist assigned to shadow the controversial CEO of L-Corp for the day. It’s a big deal for her to get this assignment, so of course she trips the second she’s near the other woman and tries awkwardly to redeem herself.

The CEO stares at her almost in shock, and then says nothing. At all. Ever, for the entire day.

Kara spends hours following Lena Luthor around trying to fill the silence, but no amount of questions get her to talk. Lena almost seems to be running away at some points - like she’s trying to lose her? - and the few times she’s managed to catch her actually talking to someone she goes silent the second she sees Kara.

She asks around if Miss Luthor is usually like this and everyone looks at her like she’s crazy. Apparently she’s the only one who gets the silent treatment. By the end of her first day shadowing she’s walking away with half a page of observations and not a single quote. Miss Grant is going to kill her.

But that’s okay. It’s fine, this isn’t over. She has four days of shadowing ahead of her and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t finish this with a quote from the woman herself. It’s only a matter of time.

[heritageposts]

Podcast w/Rania Khalek and Nima Shirazi, link + transcript above ↑

[silver-horse]

if we are talking about the lost dream lover/daisy scenes from act 1 then we should talk about why those scenes were so good and why the loss of that storyline is so disappointing. because it's not just "oh those scenes looked better or whatever" it was a completely different character and storyline.

even though the companions pushed back way more and the whole narrative was telling you to resist the dream lover, it was somehow far more tempting. you were constantly tempted in dialogues to use your powers and if you did, you slowly started to lose yourself, the narrator said you could feel something slipping away, something you will never get back. You were giving yourself over to the fantasy, a mindflayer illusion

the game asked you during character creation "who do you dream of at night?" obviously meaning "what are you attracted to?" rather than just "you need a guardian. choose one." there is already a different implication there. I wonder how people interpret "guardian" if they don't know about the original dream lover. they might not even create someone they find tempting. a guardian sounds more like a mentor figure, rather than your ideal fantasy partner.

During early access the dream lover not only offered us power, they also showed us a tempting future where we are powerful and important and beloved and we are ruling the world. such universal temptations and desires. and we were resting on a peaceful field with the person of our dreams. it was peace in the dream world vs the real life struggle.

In the end it seemed obvious where this was leading... if you use the tadpole too much, you would have turned into a mindflayer. and whatever is left of your individuality and consciousness would have stayed in that fantasy world with your perfect fantasy partner. the mindflayer illusion forever trapped you. the song "Down by the River" was written about this fantasy dream lover. and what a banger and creative storyline this could have been. what a tragic ending! to just give up, lose yourself in the fantasy, the easy way out. choose this beautiful fantasy over the imperfect real world. and choose your perfect imaginary partner over the flawed real people, your companions. truly I mourn what an incredible storyline this could have been. It would have resonated with basically everyone.

and you would have been constantly tempted. to avoid this fate you would need to struggle constantly while the easy fantasy is dangling in front of your face with a zero difficulty ability check.

turning into a mindflayer wouldn't have been something you have the option to choose. and you can get cured no matter how much you indulged in the tadpole powers. lmao I kinda hate that there is no consequence for any of that now

[indie-summer]

Matteo still has one comforting hand on Jonas’ knee when they both hear the bus door snap open.

He only has a second to wonder who that could be — their teammates know better than to intrude when Jonas is clearly under pressure — when a glance behind him reveals those ridiculous tufts coming out of their rival's helmet.

“Pogačar, what the fuck you're doing here?” Matteo immediately asks, instinctively rotating in his seat in an attempt to put himself in his way. To hell with this guy. Not here, not today.

Tadej rolls his eyes and addresses Jonas instead, fully ignoring Matteo."Please call off your dog, Jonas. We need to talk.” And as if predicting Matteo's reaction, he adds with a smirk, “Soulmate talk.” He flaunts his wrist in Jonas’ direction, where, everyone knows, the soul mark rests printed on his skin. Once he realizes Matteo is staring at it, Tadej retreats his arm, hiding it from his sight, but not quickly enough for Matteo not to realize that the skin around it looks red and a little swollen.

Then Matteo feels another hand on his arm. He turns around and finds Jonas looking straight at Tadej, even as he sighs and tells Matteo in a low voice, “I’ll meet you outside in a moment.”

Jonas sounds defeated, and Matteo is about to simply refuse to leave — but then Jonas glances at him with those blue eyes, and Matteo knows he has no choice but to obey. He won't undermine Jonas’ leadership right now.

Frustrated, he gets up and storms out of the bus, slamming the door behind him and resting against it.

He still pays close attention when, inside, the agitated voices of a heated argument begin to lower down to murmurs and whispers he no longer can hear.

[kenobion]

Andrew Garfield at RSIFF 2023

[widowshill]

— And do you or do you not have difficulty remembering such simple instructions? — Only during thunderstorms, sir.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) / DARK SHADOWS (1966)

[disenchanteds]

it's all "queer genocide" when it comes to trump but when it comes to the democrats then the palestinian genocide is a "lesser evil" like okay sure so you only supposedly care when it affects you. I see how it is

[amusingmusie]

I know it's not going to happen but what do you think a child between Nel & Alastor would be like? Personality wise or appearance

History Repeats Itself

This is goddamn ridiculous.

Heels click against shiny vinyl flooring as Nel tears off down the hallway, speeding past flyers promoting honors ceremonies and painted murals of happy children. Pushing open door after door and stomping hard enough to make her knees shake, she does nothing to hide her rage over such a bullshit situation. Her fingers twitch with the need for a goddamned cigarette, but she doesn’t trust herself to not light this private school aflame with it. Oh no, she’s not chancing that, not when she’d ruin the career she fought to earn and the schooling she pays out the ass for in one fell swoop. 

Her warpath only halts when she reaches a thick wooden door simply labeled as Dean’s Office. It’s becoming increasingly familiar as of late. With a barely contained growl, she knocks the door open, steps into the room, and prepares for battle.

“She is evil!”

“That’s a strong word. I prefer the term strong-willed instead.”

“Shut it! You’re a malignant tumor on this school!!!”

“Wow, that was a good one. You’re improving your vocabulary, congratulations!”

“DEVIL!”

“You know, anything you say can be held against you in court, I’d mind your words if I were you.”

“WE ARE NOT IN COURT!!!!!”

Nel watches a teenage girl hiss and spit pure venom with all the rage of a feral creature. Her dark eyes are blazing with unfiltered fury, something Nel herself recognizes all too well. There’s no need to ask what has her raging- oh no, Nel is aware of the issue, she sure fucking knows exactly who is responsible for this mess. 

Turning on her heels, Nel stares down the little shit sitting primly in a chair by the flabbergasted dean. Not a curly hair is out of her place on her head, with each chocolate strand pinned neatly back with a stylish bow. Quickly, she gives a small pat to her immaculate bumper bang like she’s brushing away some invisible dust that could possibly disrupt her picture-perfect image. 

She’s a doll with smooth caramel skin and large hazel eyes. 

She’s adorable with pearly white teeth and freckles dotted across her cheeks. 

She’s precious with her long, poofy skirt and long, poofy hair.

She’s perfect.

Except, her mother knows better. Oh, does she ever know better. 

“Sweet Christ,” Nel sighs with something that isn’t quite disappointment, but certainly isn’t glee. Nobody has breathed a word of what events called her down to the private school, again, but she’s certain that her spawn is somehow responsible because she is always responsible when chaos occurs. “Evie. What in the hell is going on here?”

“Momma, there you are!” Bouncing out of her seat, Evie skips over to her mother without a care in the world. She doesn’t bat an eye at her classmate glaring daggers at her or the dean blinking in exasperation since she’s too busy sidling up to her revered birth-giver. “Listen, this is all a big, silly mix-up. I’m completely innocent-”

“Lies-!”

“It was Roxxy who dumped the paint on her own bag to frame me-”

“NO, I DID NOT-!”

“Because why would I ever do such a terrible thing?” Looking for backup, she moves her gaze to the dean, who simply nods his head in slight agreement. “I would never jeopardize my perfect record with the threat of a conduct mark, and for what? To upset my good friend Roxxane with a ridiculous prank?”

“We are not friends!” the other teen growls, her skin turning an intense shade of crimson from the wrath boiling in her bones.

“You’re right, we’re best friends! Thank you for reminding me,” Evie chirps, her toothy smile growing wider.

Nel swats away unfortunate flashbacks that threaten to overtake the moment. 

“Okay, kid, put a pin in it. Just, God, come on, we’re leaving, now. Go.” Once her daughter departs from the room with a final wave to her so-called friend, Nel stares at the dean. “Stop calling me for this bullshit. I pay this school too goddamn much money to run up here each time there’s an issue with these two- next time, deal with it.”

The door slams shut behind her, and she marches on. 

Leather pumps and leather oxfords click together in time down the hallway. 

“What on God’s green earth possessed you to do that?” Nel scoffs, not pausing her march to freedom for a moment. It hardly matters since her kid already has at least an inch on her, because of course she does, her legs are more than long enough to keep up with the redhead’s shorter stomps. “Dumping paint on someone’s bag? Shit, did you just forget any home training I gave you?”

“Momma!” Evie gasps in offense, her round eyes going wide. “You don’t believe in my innocence?”

“No.”

“Okay, fair enough.” Just like that, the act drops and she shrugs, clicking her shiny saddle shoes on the floor. “But I didn’t do it for fun. Well, maybe I did, but she also deserved it.”

“You cannot continue to terrorize that girl. This is the third time that there’s been an incident in the past five weeks. Every time you get yourself into a mess, I gotta hightail it up here to drag you home, and that’s time I lose with my clients, and that’s money I lose to spend on you. You think it reflects positively on me when I’m unable to run my firm because I’m wrangling my daughter?”

“I know, but-“

“Genevieve Marie Sheridan-“

“You don’t understand!”

“Then enlighten me.” 

“She’s terrible!” Uncharacteristic irritation crosses over Evie’s sharp facial features, contorting them into a disgruntled expression eerily similar to the one worn by the ginger walking next to her. “I’m telling you, I have never met someone so absolutely dull and unpleasant in all my life! Sure, I’ve only been alive for fourteen years, but I’ve had a worldly fourteen years!”

“Oh, really now?”

“Momma, forget the details! What I’m trying to explain to you is that she is awful, so I’m attempting to help her become less awful with some harmless fun.”

A familiar feeling creeps along Nel’s skin. It’s a distant feeling, one she hasn’t felt in nearly fifteen years, but it’s one she can never forget, not ever. It’ll haunt her til the day she dies, and long after that too. 

Cold realization begins to dawn on her.

“...What makes this girl so bad?”

“What doesn’t?” the teen snips, rolling her eyes. “She always has to argue with me or oppose me, she can never just listen to anything I say! I don’t understand. Everyone else loves me- as they should, I’m amazing.”

“Mhm.”

“But not her! Never her. She’s been against me since we moved here, what, seven years ago? All because everyone adores me due to my benevolent nature and because she’s an envious ball of rage with no friends.”

“Mhm.”

“And I always think of how repulsive she is, especially at the worst times! Did you know that I dreamed of her nasty little face the other night? She’s a true nightmare at this point. I can’t escape her even in my sleep.”

“I bet.”

“So, in conclusion, she is my number one enemy, and I will destroy her.” Evie raises her upturned nose into the air with a slight huff. “In completely legal ways, of course. Such as kindness. And a few ink bombs too.”

There it is. 

Pausing at the front of the school, Nel faces the little turd fully, her initial anger fading. Hell, she can never stay mad at the kid for long; that’s her baby, no matter how tall she grows or how ruthless she becomes. 

When Evie returns her mother’s softening gaze with a kind one of her own, Nel swallows down an old sadness that’s taken root inside of her. It’s been there for years, always hovering like a ghost in the background, always lingering no matter how long she ignores it. But, its presence isn’t so heavy with her kid here, even if she wears a dead man’s face and speaks in his same chipper tone. 

It would be just like Alastor to have a child so eerily like himself. He could never quit the game; he’d always leave some version of himself behind to plague Nel. 

Fitting. He always had to have the last laugh.

“You know, I know a thing or two about having an enemy.”

“Oh, like the DA?”

“No, not that son of a bitch, though he’s worthless,” she grumbles. “No, I had someone else I swore to destroy a long time ago.”

“Well, did you?” she asks, and Nel gives her a strained, tired smile. 

“Yes and no. That’s a story for another day. For now, all I’ll tell you is that you need to be careful, and that maybe you should spend some time using that big brain to decide what you really think of this nemesis of yours.”

“Well, I hate her. I don't need to think about that.”

Nel rolls her eyes. “No doubt, but hate can sometimes…ah, fuck it, I’ll save it.” With a shake of her head, she waves away her words. “You’ll figure it out, baby. Now come on, we’re getting the hell out of here. Goddamn ridiculous school.”

“Yes ma’am!” Evie skips along happily next to Nel, contagious cheer radiating off of her. “We need to go anyway. I’d like to be at least down the block before the dye bomb I placed in Roxxy’s locker detonates.”

“...The what?”

There’s a distant pop, and then a muffled scream from deep inside of the school building.

Evie blinks innocently, and then Nel sighs. 

History always repeats itself. 

[breelandwalker]

Just saying thank you, for the comforting words and affirmations to keep fighting. I truly needed them in this trying time. Thank you.

I can't do much, but what I can, I'll do and I'll do and I'll do.

I can't chase away the dark, but I can hold up a light. If you see it and it helps, then I'm glad. 💜

[runesinthenight]

This is the energy I'm going to try and take with me getting through the coming days, weeks, and years. I'll live. Whatever it takes, I'll live.

[wildsaltair]

so as I'm sure y'all remember, I went insane when I found the montage of unreleased footage from the Gladiator DVD. I'm planning to do a full breakdown of all the new footage I discovered in there, but I just couldn't wait to share these because they are SO INTERESTING to me. it's like a four second clip of Maximus in his tent in Germania, featuring him doing something where he's shuffling some nutshells around

is he not just the cutest thing <3

but like??? I am so curious about what he's doing!!! it's probably a strategy technique, like him using the nutshells to represent different sections of his army and planning their attack. if not, maybe it's some kind of Roman version of solitaire?? I mean he's been on the road for years at this point, and how adorable would it be if this is his little nighttime unraveling technique, like a crossword puzzle or smth??

idk I just was awestruck by this little moment and wanted to share :)

[andy-clutterbuck]

SDCC | 2017

[calypsolemon]

im curious, is the only difference btwn real jay and siren jay eye color , or are there other slight differences? like maybe slight skin tone shift, freckle placement, shade/shape of hair, etc,? cus i think its so interesting if he Resembles jay but isnt the best 1:1 copy, but nya is so blinded by desire she cant see thru that fact... maybe she spends long hours reminiscing on fond memories with this jay, a small part of her knowing "this isnt him" but all of her choosing to ignore it because jay is back... hes back home

On just a physical level: the eye color is different, his skin is paler, his nails are long and sharp, his hair is a little different texturally (hard to tell without touching it though). Oh, and he has a big honkin fish tail.

Mannerism-wise, he can be a little uncanny valley. Emotions sometimes don't carry to his eyes, and if Nya allows him to physically interact, he treats her rougher than Jay would. He's best at mimicking Jay's voice and patterns of speech. Those are nigh identical, and Nya is most drawn in by the ability to talk for hours with him again. She's very aware of the other differences, but she figures those can either be ignored or ironed out over time.

[the-august-one]

Gonna put this song into heavy rotation for 2025. Remember, militant decency, self care is revolutionary, existence is resistance, and NO DEFEATISM. Keep your chin up, comrades. ✊🏻❤️

[thebookworm0001]

If I stick with illya as my main rook, I’m gonna have to do some work on just how she feels about her family because ‘elf adopted by humans prominent in the military of a nation that enslaves her people but who treated her well and are quietly abolitionists but also kept her home/allowed people to assume she was a servant’ is one hell of a dynamic