#What you hate is bad laws 95% of the time

[adulthumanproblem]

Honestly, I was kind of done with the online left when people claimed you're a real life bad person if you

*checks notes*

Play the video game The Tenants (and similar)

Because you play as a landlord, and landlords are evil, and because you play as one, you basically are one, and you're therefor evil

No really. That's a discussion I had.

I tried to teach them the difference between real life and video games, between fantasy and reality, but no dice

I got blocked the moment I said that I'm anti-gun irl but still play shooter games every so often

Anyway. Many of the "progressive moral online left" would totally blame video games for real life violence

[lordadmiralfarsight]

Boat touching : shipping edition

"Rule for thee, but not for me ! Grab ‘em by the boaty !" - Trump, apparently

As you may or may not have heard, President Trump, the world’s most economically illiterate dorito (no, he is not a tangerine, he is far too salty for that) has decided that China is being bad on the waters of the 7 seas too, and has decided that the perfect retaliation to such dishonor would be a tax on Chinese ships. Yes, yes, not products, ships. That come into US ports. With stuff on board. Those ships. One might expect a nation that so passionately tells the world ‘don’t touch our boats’ to understand that molesting other peoples’ fleet may not be conductive to a better situation, but alas, here we apparently are going. So, since this is a rather niche topic, but with wide reaching consequences, I have decided to continue in my glorious efforts to become the Economy Side of Tumblr (what has my life come to) and explain just how deeply and passionately boned we are if this goes from proposal to law.

The facts

First off, let us set this stage with the letter of the (proposed) law.

The text (called USTR) has 3 tax triggers :

- The ship is operated by a Chinese company, 500K to 1 million dollars of entry fee

- The ship is chinese-made or its owner company has chinese-made ships, 500K to 1,5 million dollars of entry fee

- The company ordered a ship in China, 500K to 1 million dollars of entry fee

It is currently unclear to me if those fees are cumulative, despite looking it up, I could not find an answer at this time, the only thing clear is that the fee, whatever it ends up being, will be paid at each entry into a US port. I suspect the cumulativity of the fees will be left to interpretation and later deliberation, which creates deep economic uncertainty, easily one of the most hateful kinds of uncertainty.

I mean, not knowing if you’re ordering oatmeal or chocolate cookies is already bad enough, but not knowing if the ship carrying them to your shores is going to pay 500k to 1,5 million dollars or 500K to 3,5 million dollars PER STOP is just … that ruins the cookies regardless of what you get. No amount of milk can salvage that. In large parts because, at this point, each cookie may end up costing as much as the entire bottle of milk.

“Oh hoho, oh Admiral, you jokester, you jester, you funny person you”, you say desperately hoping that I am joking. But you are desperate for a reason. There is no humor here, there is no mirth or hope or joy, only suffering and taxes. And barnacles. Those get everywhere on topics related to the sea. But mostly taxes.

Second, container ships tend to make 3 to 4 stops in US ports for a single trip (as explained in this lovely article from the Cato Institute), which results in a total potential sum of 1,5 to 14 million dollars. Per ship. For a single trip. You can scream now.

Third, how many companies could be affected by this issue ? I do not have a precise number, in large parts because “who has Chinese ships” wasn’t exactly a metric that got tracked before, but the answer to that question is in an order of magnitude scientifically called “a metric fuckton”. You see, the chinese fleet of cargo ships represents 19% of the global total of cargo ships. And I mean ocean-going cargo ships. So that’s a good 5th of worldwide maritime trade having to scrape off even their barnacles to try and make payments. But that’s just Chinese companies. You also have to take into account that China has 50% of all shipbuilding market shares, meaning it builds half the commercial ships in the world. Among which are 95% of container ships. The big chunky bois, those that can get to lengths greater than the Nimitz class super-carriers operated by the US Navy and do a respectable 2/3rd of their width. Oh, and China also does 86% of intermediate sized cargo ships.

Fourth, fun fact : big container ship dockyards stopped operating in the US in 1980. You know, just in case you thought you could revive that industry quickly, or on the cheap, or on the costly. Or at all, really. Building those big ships is VERY costly, and takes very long, and also there’s no adapted infrastructure in the US for ships of that size outside of military dockyards (which are already being used, thank you). So between the cost to build the new dockyards, train employees, build the ship itself and recruit and train a crew … Oh, and the end result would likely not even be competitive price-wise. You know, just in case you had any hope left for that.

Five, SALVATION ! One can have their entry fees waved, if only they have a USA made ship enter into a US port with stuff on board, huzzah, Trump 5D chess confirmed !!!! All you have to do is have a US-made ship enter a US port for each Chinese-made ship that does the same ! Surely, the overbooked, chronically late, undersized ship-building industry of the US will be up to the challenge !!!! Yeah, no, I can’t keep this up any longer. That’s not going to work. It’s not even being spoken about in most of the articles I’ve seen, that’s how insignificant in reality that measure is.

Boat touching, and why it is a bad idea

Now, let’s talk about the funny part : the consequences ! Aaaah, FO, what a wonderful acronym. Am I telling people to fuck off or to find out ? What suspense !

First off, the obvious : if the fee is on entry into US ports, why not go elsewhere ? Good question ! And honestly, it’s likely that it will happen, to some degree. The obvious answer would be Mexico or Canada, but it’s unlikely they could absorb all that transit, which would results in slow-downs (and thus, lost money) in a lot of logistic chains. As you may have guessed, disrupted logistic chains aren’t exactly economically tasty.

Mexico in particular doesn’t have that many ports adapted to such large ships and large numbers of containers, meaning there’d be even more slow-downs. And then there’s the issue of getting the goods across the border, and Trump can definitely decide to slap on even more tariffs, he’s like that. So more slow-downs for even more costs ! Yay ! But meanwhile, US ports would still see lower numbers of ships coming through, meaning less activity and less cash-flow, meaning job losses.

Second, you have to consider the impact on US exports. Because you see, Chinese-made or owned ships don’t just come in, drop stuff off and disappear over the horizon with a vaguely oriental soundtrack, we’re in reality, with serious people, they drop containers off in 3 or 4 ports, all while picking up containers of US exports at each stop. So the fees to sail into port will be spread on both the foreign imports and on US exports. Meaning US exports will cost more, compounded by retaliatory tariffs. Meaning competitors will be cheaper, or even than US products will leave reasonable price ranges. Either way, loss of sales and income for US companies, and thus loss of jobs.

Third, this will increase prices inside the US, once again compounded by tariffs, but this time Trump’s tariffs. Either way, this will increase prices of products, likely pricing out entire communities, or making entire companies economically non-viable. As you guesses, that means job losses, but also loss of comfort.

Fourth, some degree of economic chaos as worldwide shipping reorganizes to face this new and unpleasant situation. And that will likely hit everyone to some degree, so expect some grudges to spawn from that, too.

In conclusion, while there is reasonable concern to be had about China’s dominance of shipbuilding, Trump’s measures will do a grand total of fuck all to solve that issue. All they will really do is make the situation worse and costlier for the US. The measure aims for an impossibility (speedy resurrection of a US shipbuilding sector for large scale cargo ships) without doing anything to support that or to make such an activity economically viable in the US. It is, in effect, an economic scarification ritual, based entirely on the idea that by hurting others and themselves and incantating enough, the US will be able to magic viable dockyards into existence and produce ships quickly.

I hope I don’t have to explain why that’s not realistic. And honestly, I am almost impressed, it’s incredible to come up with a policy that harms that many different economic agents in your own country. Honestly, at this point, I don’t know if Trump’s economic policies are dictated by The Most Incompetent failed student, or by a squad of drunk chimps going ham on a typewriter and somehow randoming their way into only the worst possible economic policies. If Trump suddenly subsidizes banana plantations, we’ll know, and likely be in better hands, even with how psychotic chimps are.

[thecrazyworldbuilder]

Worldbuilding rambles #1

What is a Utopia exactly? Let's make one.

A land without problems. Housing? There's countless plants, ground corals and zooplanta that grow around the world, forming elaborate and easy to inhabit burrows for anyone to reside in. Food? The spores/seeds of said vegetation are highly nutritious, and the populations of countless swarming animals are maintained healthy by predators in the wild; Hunting is easy via kill-pits, formed naturally via said vegetation. Water? Rains, and again, vegetation that stores water in various ways; Open bowls, root canisters, and leaf water bulbs.

I'm picturing something like if Scorn (biomech world) had Pandora's (JC Avatar) vibe.

What problems could possibly arise from there, one might ask? I believe there would be, still, just… With lesser stakes.

.

Do you have any army structures in your projects? Ranks, divisions sizes, names, et.c.

I always thought irl armies got confusing as hell naming systems and lots of inconsistency. Like if some big ass general at some point hated being called general because it sounds bad so he invents some "Grand Admiral" rank or something idk. I've had a complex rank system (which I am ought to use in Voice of Steel) with… I think about 50+ ranks?

But also have been thinking of systems like… Based on powers of two, on multiples of ten, on dozenal numbers, et.c. In terms of division sizes that is.

.

It's… Curious how oftentimes folks try to make gods of opposites and all for worldbuilding, uniting way too many ideologies that end up just. Too vague.

I thought of a matrix of gods of sorts, it being a 3x3x3 cube with dimensions of:

Benevolence vs Malevolence (keeping to the Four Universal Rules, or not keeping to them for personal profit)

Order vs Chaos (stagnation, or change)

Creation vs Destruction

The whole thing can be expanded into a tesseract by adding another axis, or even higher hypercubes, by adding even more axis. Each time, the amount of "alignments" of this sort will triple. So, there's 3, 9, 27, 81, et.c. alignments possible. Benevolent, orderly destruction - And you get a crusader god of sorts, a blind judge with a sword off to serve the Steel Law.

Malevolent, chaotic creation - And you get cancer cells, which spread out and bring land to ruin with their presence.

I love those meta ideas because this already sounds flawed. Who is to judge what is what? Who is who? Misused, this system will be used to motivate genocide and whatnot.

.

Concept: Suit-heroica.

The whole idea of this is that it is the suits that bring people powers. Think Ironman, who, even though he is hella smart rich and everything without the armor, does rely on his MARKs about 95% of the time.

Characters wear mantles of heroes, and gain powers related to them. Can be just one clothespiece, like a cape, mask, hat that gives you these powers. But could be also the stereotypical spandex or outright, yet again, Ironman-type full-body suit of armor.

The "heroes" live on, changing "wearers" over time. Some hunters take away the powerful clothespieces and wear several at once; Some kind of Tiger Amulet, Wizard Cloak, and idk, Spring-Heel Jack Boots. In total, you get people who would rather be what they are not - Just to have the powers associated with this something. Come on, a tiger-wizard-vampire gentleman dude is an interesting thought, but I doubt that normies would line up in queue to be something like this.

.

World of ITEMAGICKA: All magic resides within artifacts, which, when possessed allow users to cast specific spells or gain specific powers. Everyone got overcomplicated designs, and countless spells ready to go.

.

Thought of this: We all know concubi (sing. "concubus" - a gender neutral term for sexual energy feeding demons: Succubi and Incubi, female and male respectively¹), right? Those are of lust, as a mortal sin. What the other six mortal sins would look like? Tempting entities that corrupt mortals and push them to do things related to their respective sin²?

¹ Although, the etymology of those words implies a little bit different story, where rather than meaning "female" and "male" horny demons, it means "bottom" and "top" horny demons. ² As well the definition of "sin" itself is somewhat vague to me. As a person who has designed their own ideology (Four Universal Rules), based on the Golden rule (do upon others as you'd wish them to do upon you), "sins" per their definition do not make sense. Gluttony as "overconsumption to the point of waste" makes sense, but as "the innate human need to eat Something Tasty" it does not. Lust is vaguemost as it mashes too many things together - As long as sexual acts fit the Harkness test, to me, they simply cannot be sinful. Greed is a good take, capitalism be damned. Sloth is the most bullshit one since laziness does not exist and the word itself is more often used as a way to force people into labor/paint ideological enemies in a bad color. Wrath is just the violation of the Golden Rule, if put simply. Envy sounds like it's a good take, to some degree, until you remember it's been weaponized so that higher-ups could say to the lower-class folks "You are envious of me being a parasite of society and that's bad, you should be exiled to live in a monastery". Pride is just "thinking yourself first before God" and is just another organized religion/cult manipulation technique.

. Actually had a somewhat dope idea regarding magic, runes and wayshrines.

Hear me out.

A magic system built around wayshrines, each of which bears a single rune out of a complete alphabet. Each stone can be activated daily at high noon, and imprint onto whoever activated it.

By traveling from stone to stone and activating them at midday, you can pretty much just type out spells.

I -ten miles later- M -waits a whole day- M -travels to a remote island- O -travels back to main land, then 58 miles later- R -breaks leg, heals up for several months, returns on the quest now with a sick ass cane- T -77 miles later- A -158.5 miles later- L -goes waaay back to a familiar place- I -goes by a memorized path to another familiar place- T -300+ miles later on a different part of the continent- Y -returns to homeland, gets robbed and dies in a ditch before getting to the ENTER/SEND/CAST stone-

[biblepercent]

Dear, Adonis

I'm sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest

It takes a man to be a man, your dad is not responsive

I look at him and wish your grandpa would've wore a condom

I'm sorry that you gotta grow up and then stand behind him

Life is hard, I know, the challenge is always gon' beat us home

Sometimes our parents make mistakes that affect us until we grown

And you're a good kid that need good leadership

Let me be your mentor since your daddy don't teach you shit

Never let a man piss on your leg, son

Either you die right there or pop that man in the head, son

Never fall in the escort business, that's bad religion

Please remember, you could be a bitch even if you got bitches

Never code-switch, whether right or wrong, you a black man

Even if it don't benefit your goals, do some push-ups, get some discipline

Don't cut them corners like your daddy did, fuck what Ozempic did

Don't pay to play with them Brazilians, get a gym membership

Understand, no throwin' rocks and hidin' hands, that's law

Don't be ashamed 'bout who you with, that's how he treat your moms

Don't have a kid to hide a kid to hide again, be sure

Five percent will comprehend, but 95 is lost

Be proud of who you are, your strength come from within

Lotta superstars that's real, but your daddy ain't one of them

And you nothing like him, you'll carry yourself as king

Can't understand me right now? Just play this when you 18

Dear, Sandra

Your son got some habits, I hope you don't undermine them

Especially with all the girls that's hurt inside this climate

You a woman, so you know how it feels to be in alignment

With emotion, hopin' a man can see you and not be blinded

Dear Dennis, you gave birth to a master manipulator

Even using you to prove who he is, is a huge favor

I think you should ask for more paper, and more paper

And more, uh, more paper

I'm blaming you for all his gambling addictions

Psychopath intuition, the man that like to play victim

You raised a horrible fucking person, the nerve of you, Dennis

Sandra, sit down, what I'm about to say is heavy, now listen

Mm-mm, your son's a sick man with sick thoughts, I think niggas like him should die

Him and Weinstein should get fucked up in a cell for the rest they life

He hates Black women, hypersexualizes 'em with kinks of a nympho fetish

Grew facial hair because he understood bein' a beard just fit him better

He got sex offenders on hoe-VO that he keep on a monthly allowance

A child should never be compromised and he keepin' his child around them

And we gotta raise our daughters knowin' there's predators like him lurkin'

Fuck a rap battle, he should die so all of these women can live with a purpose

I been in this industry 12 years, I'ma tell y'all one lil' secret

It's some weird shit goin' on and some of these artists be here to police it

They be streamlinin' victims all inside of they home and callin' 'em tender

Then leak videos of themselves to further push their agendas

To any woman that be playin' his music, know that you're playin' your sister

Or better, you're sellin' your niece to the weirdos, not the good ones

Katt Williams said, "Get you the truth, " so I'ma get mines

The Embassy 'bout to get raided, too, it's only a matter of time

Ayy, LeBron, keep the family away, hey, Curry, keep the family away

To anybody that embody the love for they kids, keep the family away

They lookin' at you too if you standin' by him, keep the family away

I'm lookin' to shoot through any pervert that lives, keep the family safe

Dear, baby girl

I'm sorry that your father not active inside your world

He don't commit to much but his music, yeah, that's for sure

He a narcissist, misogynist, livin' inside his songs

Try destroy families rather than takin' care of his own

Should be teachin' you timetables or watchin' Frozen with you

Or at your eleventh birthday singin' poems with you

Instead, he be in Turks payin' for sex and poppin' Percs, examples that you don't deserve

I wanna tell you that you're loved, you're brave, you're kind

You got a gift to change the world, and could change your father's mind

'Cause our children is the future, but he lives inside confusion

Money's always been illusion, but that's the life he's used to

His father prolly didn't claim him neither

History do repeats itself, sometimes it don't need a reason

But I would like to say it's not your fault that he's hidin' another child

Give him grace, this the reason I made Mr. Morale

So our babies like you can cope later

Give you some confidence to go through somethin', it's hope later

I never wanna hear you chase a man 'cause his failed behavior

Sittin' in the club with sugar daddies for validation

You need to know that love is eternity and trumps all pain

I'll tell you who your father is, just play this song when it rains

Yes, he's a hitmaker, songwriter, superstar, right

And a fuckin' deadbeat that should never say "more life"

Meet the Grahams

Dear, Aubrey

I know you probably thinkin' I wanted to crash your party

But truthfully, I don't have a hatin' bone in my body

This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game

But you fucked up the moment you called out my family's name

Why you had to stoop so low to discredit some decent people?

Guess integrity is lost when the metaphors doesn't reach you

And I like to understand 'cause your house was never a home

37, but you showin' up as a seven-year-old

You got gamblin' problems, drinkin' problems, pill-poppin' and spendin' problems

Bad with money, whorehouse

Solicitin' women problems, therapy's a lovely start

But I suggest some ayahuasca, strip the ego from the bottom

I try to empathize with you 'cause I know that you ain't been through nothin'

Crave entitlement, but wanna be liked so bad that it's puzzlin'

No dominance, let's recap moments when you didn't fit in

No secret handshakes with your friend

No cultural cachet to binge, just disrespectin' your mother

Identity's on the fence, don't know which family will love ya

The skin that you livin' in is compromised in personas

Can't channel your masculine even when standin' next to a woman

You a body shamer, you gon' hide them baby mamas, ain't ya?

You embarrassed of 'em, that's not right, that ain't how mama raised us

Take that mask off, I wanna see what's under them achievements

Why believe you? You never gave us nothin' to believe in

'Cause you lied about religious views, you lied about your surgery

You lied about your accent and your past tense, all is perjury

You lied about your ghostwriters, you lied about your crew members

They all pussy, you lied on 'em, I know they all got you in 'em

You lied about your son, you lied about your daughter, huh

You lied about them other kids that's out there hopin' that you come

You lied about the only artist that can offer you some help

Fuck a rap battle, this a long life battle with yourself

75% of these words are in the bible, and I do not hate myself enough to mark which.

[abwatt]

It's sometimes helpful to point to a few core ideas and then build outward from those.

That φ thing, that mathematicians and "mathematics is the secret code of nature, and the Golden Ratio is the secret code" underlies a lot — like, A LOT — of temple construction around the world. Even five hundred years after England's era called "The Dissolution of the Monasteries" when Henry VIII stole most of the wealth and all of the land from 95% of England's abbeys and friaries and nunneries, it's often possible to identify the site of old churches by the shape of the courtyard left behind after the building was completely removed. It's easy to lay out a Rectangle in the Golden Section, and thus to make a Rectangular Prism for a temple... or a tower... or a dome... but other shapes are possible, like nested octagons (Dome of the Rock) or nested hexagons and triangles (common in a number of shrine types across the Bantu regions of Africa)

So does the Golden Rule, phrased differently in different religions, but usually the same basic core ideas: "do to others as you would have them to do you." Or, phrased negatively, "Do not do to others what you would find hateful when directed at you."

These have been used in the past to advance the cause of something called Perennialism — the idea that all religions, everywhere, are simply variations or fallings-away from the One True Religion -- that there is some True Religion that underlies all these others, and that all the other religions are simply efforts to capture, or re-capture, those essential truths. This is a blog post, and really a response to someone else, so there isn't much cause to go into why Perennialism is a Bad Idea™ in modern cultural and historical studies... but it's enough to say, for the moment, that certain elements of Mathematical Precision ("these proportions are beautiful and useful") and certain elements of Cultural Meaning ("be nice to each other") are found in every religion.

You can also take a leaf from astrology. Your world has a time-keeping system of some sort, with a Sun and maybe a Moon, and maybe 4-8 visible planets. If you reach far enough back in your world's time, there was an era when humans or elves or dwarves looked upon those moving bodies as extraordinary phenomena... and each of those planets (or two of them together) may have captured religious attention to launch a religious movement. In shorthand, here's what each planet might contribute to that conversation:

Saturn: Death, Solitude, Austerity, self-reliance

Jupiter: Generosity, Law, Abundance, Wealth, Gifts

Mars: conflict, contention, battle, war, force,

Sun: excellence, glory, light, leadership, rulership

Venus: beauty, love, aesthetics, women, delight, music, dance

Mercury: expertise, business, trade, fraud, communication, LGBTQ issues, debate, argument, medicine, money

Moon: children, motherhood, imagination, storytelling, community

Every religion is going to have Opinions® and Theology™ and Scripture/Doctrine© to cover these topics... so you can use the planets to make a kind of "checklist" of things each religion feels.

Related to this, Saturn and Jupiter have a conjunction with one another every 20 years, and for about 240-280 years those conjunctions take place in signs of the same element — Earth, Air, Fire, Water. We're all familiar with the idea of eras of time in which one Great Power is dominant over others, of course — Avatar, the Last Airbender has got some of this idea, right?

But... both for out-of-world planning, and in-world consciousness, some astrologers and wizards may be aware of this cycle, known as the Great Conjunction Cycle — and know that when a Fire Age begins, (called the Grand Ingress), that a period of wars, conflagrations, and unseasonable heat is upon us, and mountain nations thrive. When the era shifts to a Water Age, then naval powers predominate, whirlwinds and waterspouts and tidal waves and sea-quakes trouble the oceans; and exploration and trade are common. When an Earth Age follows, infantry forces from the rolling hills conquer territories and build roads, and earthquakes cause terrors and collapse cities, while volcanic activity buries them. In Air Ages, horse-lords from the steppe sweep out of the northern realms to raid and pillage and collapse the land-claiming empires of the Earth nations; and the tundra expands southwards into grasslands, while windstorms and tornadoes shake down palaces and cities. Many ancient astrologers were of the opinion that many forms of magic became abrogated or obsolete after one Elemental Age ended and another began — and that the start of a new cycle meant that new magics had to be learned and studied; and that new prophets and new gods would be born into the world as old ones passed away.

Two cycles of 240-280 years is nearly 2000 years... Four such cycles, or 4000 years, is more than the lifetime of the oldest elves in Tolkien's framework or in Dungeons and Dragons... and provides an elegant plot hook. If your world is right at the transition point from one age to another... or even at the Grand Ingress when one Air Age ends and a Fire Age begins ... the world is about to get a lot more tumultuous, and your players (or protagonists) are in a good position to slow down the change, or speed it up, or be themselves the heralds and creators of the change.

I get a lot of questions about religious world building. I tend not to answer them (because I charge by the word) but lemme give y'all some advice:

Make sure your religion would still be interesting if gods and magic weren't real. The real-world Catholic Church is interesting because of how social and political power flows through it. Judaism is interesting because of the history and culture it represents. Islam is interesting because of the non-religuous innovations that it fostered. Et cetera et cetera. Real world religions are varied and complex in a thousand different ways.

[jacksonkelly]

meet the kellys

Dear, Adonis

I'm sorry that that man is your friend, let me be honest

It takes a man to be a man, your friend is not responsive

I look at him and wish your other friend would've warned you

I'm sorry that you gotta grow up and then stand behind him

Life is hard, I know, the challenge is always gon' beat us home

Sometimes our friends make mistakes that affect us until we grown

And you're a good kid that need good leadership

Let me be your mentor since your friend don't teach you shit

Never let a man piss on your leg, son

Either you die right there or pop that man in the head, son

Never fall in the escort business, that's bad religion

Please remember, you could be a bitch even if you got bitches

Never code-switch, whether right or wrong, you a black man

Even if it don't benefit your goals, do some push-ups, get some discipline

Don't cut them corners like your friend did, fuck what Ozempic did

Don't pay to play with them Brazilians, get a gym membership

Understand, no throwin' rocks and hidin' hands, that's law

Don't be ashamed 'bout who you with, that's how he treat your moms

Don't have a kid to hide a kid to hide again, be sure

Five percent will comprehend, but 95 is lost

Be proud of who you are, your strength come from within

Lotta superstars that's real, but your friend ain't one of them

And you nothing like him, you'll carry yourself as king

Can't understand me right now? Just play this when you 18

Dear, Kathryn

Your son got some habits, I hope you don't undermine them

Especially with all the girls that's hurt inside this climate

You a woman, so you know how it feels to be in alignment

With emotion, hopin' a man can see you and not be blinded

Dear Jackie, you gave birth to a master manipulator

Even using you to prove who he is, is a huge favor

I think you should ask for more paper, and more paper

And more, uh, more paper

I'm blaming you for all his shopping addictions

Psychopath intuition, the man that like to play victim

You raised a horrible fucking person, the nerve of you, Jackie

Kathryn, sit down, what I'm about to say is heavy, now listen

Mm-mm, your son's a sick man with sick thoughts, I think niggas like him should die

Him and Weinstein should get fucked up in a cell for the rest they life

He hates Black women, hypersexualizes 'em with kinks of a nympho fetish

Grew facial hair because he understood bein' a beard just fit him better

He got sex offenders on school that he keep on a monthly allowance

A friend should never be compromised and he keepin' his friend around them

And we gotta raise our daughters knowin' there's predators like him lurkin'

Fuck a rap battle, he should die so all of these women can live with a purpose

I been in this industry for forever, I'ma tell y'all one lil' secret

It's some weird shit goin' on and some of these artists be here to police it

They be streamlinin' victims all inside of they home and callin' 'em tender

Then leak videos of themselves to further push their agendas

To any woman that be playin' his feelings, know that you're playin' your sister

Or better, you're sellin' your niece to the weirdos, not the good ones

Katt Williams said, "Get you the truth," so I'ma get mines

The home 'bout to get raided, too, it's only a matter of time

Ayy, Robinson, keep the family away, hey, King, keep the family away

To anybody that embody the love for they kids, keep the family away

They lookin' at you too if you standin' by him, keep the family away

I'm lookin' to shoot through any pervert that lives, keep the family safe

Dear, baby girl Reagan

I'm sorry that your brother not active inside your world

He don't commit to much but his feelings, yeah, that's for sure

He a narcissist, misogynist, livin' inside his mind

Try destroy families rather than takin' care of his own

Should be teachin' you timetables or watchin' Frozen with you

Or at your tenth birthday singin' poems with you

Instead, he be in Turks payin' for sex and poppin' Percs, examples that you don't deserve

I wanna tell you that you're loved, you're brave, you're kind

You got a gift to change the world, and could change your brother’s mind

'Cause our children is the future, but he lives inside confusion

Money's always been illusion, but that's the life he's used to

His father prolly didn't claim him neither

History do repeats itself, sometimes it don't need a reason

But I would like to say it's not your fault that he's hidin' you from the world

Give him grace, this the reason Kendrick made Mr. Morale

So our babies like you can cope later

Give you some confidence to go through somethin', it's hope later

I never wanna hear you chase a man 'cause his failed behavior

Sittin' in the club with sugar daddies for validation

You need to know that love is eternity and trumps all pain

I'll tell you who your brother is, just play this song when it rains

Yes, he's a hitmaker, songwriter, superstar, right

And a fuckin' deadbeat that should never say "more life"

Meet the Kellys

Dear, Jackson

I know you probably thinkin' I wanted to crash your party

But truthfully, I don't have a hatin' bone in my body

This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game

But you fucked up the moment you called out my family's name

Why you had to stoop so low to discredit some decent people?

Guess integrity is lost when the metaphors doesn't reach you

And I like to understand 'cause your house was never a home

17, but you showin' up as a seven-year-old

You got sexin' problems, drinkin' problems, pill-poppin' and spendin' problems

Bad with money, whorehouse

Solicitin' women problems, therapy's a lovely start

But I suggest some ayahuasca, strip the ego from the bottom

I try to empathize with you 'cause I know that you ain't been through nothin'

Crave entitlement, but wanna be liked so bad that it's puzzlin'

No dominance, let's recap moments when you didn't fit in

No secret handshakes with your friend

No cultural cachet to binge, just disrespectin' your mother

Identity's on the fence, don't know which family will love ya

The skin that you livin' in is compromised in personas

Can't channel your masculine even when standin' next to a woman

You a body shamer, you gon' hide them baby mamas, ain't ya?

You embarrassed of 'em, that's not right, that ain't how mama raised us

Take that mask off, I wanna see what's under them achievements

Why believe you? You never gave us nothin' to believe in

'Cause you lied about religious views, you lied about your surgery

You lied about your accent and your past tense, all is perjury

You lied about your ghostwriters, you lied about your crew members

They all pussy, you lied on 'em, I know they all got you in 'em

You lied about your friend, you lied about your sister, huh

You lied about that other niece that's out there hopin' that you come

You lied about the only artist that can offer you some help

Fuck a battle, this a long life battle with yourself

[golden--goofball]

Dear, Adonis I'm sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest It takes a man to be a man, your dad is not responsive I look at him and wish your grandpa would've wore a condom I'm sorry that you gotta grow up and then stand behind him Life is hard, I know, the challenge is always gon' beat us home Sometimes our parents make mistakes that affect us until we grown And you're a good kid that need good leadership Let me be your mentor since your daddy don't teach you shit

Never let a man piss on your leg, son Either you die right there or pop that man in the head, son Never fall in the escort business, that's bad religion Please remember, you could be a bitch even if you got bitches Never code-switch, whether right or wrong, you a black man Even if it don't benefit your goals, do some push-ups, get some discipline Don't cut them corners like your daddy did, fuck what Ozempic did Don't pay to play with them Brazilians, get a gym membership

Understand, no throwin' rocks and hidin' hands, that's law Don't be ashamed 'bout who you with, that's how he treat your moms Don't have a kid to hide a kid to hide again, be sure Five percent will comprehend, but 95 is lost Be proud of who you are, your strength come from within Lotta superstars that's real, but your daddy ain't one of them And you nothing like him, you'll carry yourself as king Can't understand me right now? Just play this when you 18

Dear, Sandra Your son got some habits, I hope you don't undermine them Especially with all the girls that's hurt inside this climate You a woman, so you know how it feels to be in alignment With emotion, hopin' a man can see you and not be blinded Dear Dennis, you gave birth to a master manipulator Even using you to prove who he is, is a huge favor I think you should ask for more paper, and more paper And more, uh, more paper

I'm blaming you for all his gambling addictions Psychopath intuition, the man that like to play victim You raised a horrible fucking person, the nerve of you, Dennis Sandra, sit down, what I'm about to say is heavy, now listen

Mm-mm, your son's a sick man with sick thoughts, I think niggas like him should die Him and Weinstein should get fucked up in a cell for the rest they life He hates Black women, hypersexualizes 'em with kinks of a nympho fetish Grew facial hair because he understood bein' a beard just fit him better

He got sex offenders on hoe-VO that he keep on a monthly allowance A child should never be compromised and he keepin' his child around them And we gotta raise our daughters knowin' there's predators like him lurkin' Fuck a rap battle, he should die so all of these women can live with a purpose

I been in this industry 12 years, I'ma tell y'all one lil' secret It's some weird shit goin' on and some of these artists be here to police it They be streamlinin' victims all inside of they home and callin' 'em tender Then leak videos of themselves to further push their agendas

To any woman that be playin' his music, know that you're playin' your sister Or better, you're sellin' your niece to the weirdos, not the good ones Katt Williams said, "Get you the truth, " so I'ma get mines The Embassy 'bout to get raided, too, it's only a matter of time Ayy, LeBron, keep the family away, hey, Curry, keep the family away To anybody that embody the love for they kids, keep the family away They lookin' at you too if you standin' by him, keep the family away I'm lookin' to shoot through any pervert that lives, keep the family safe

Dear, baby girl I'm sorry that your father not active inside your world He don't commit to much but his music, yeah, that's for sure He a narcissist, misogynist, livin' inside his songs Try destroy families rather than takin' care of his own Should be teachin' you timetables or watchin' Frozen with you Or at your eleventh birthday singin' poems with you Instead, he be in Turks payin' for sex and poppin' Percs, examples that you don't deserve

I wanna tell you that you're loved, you're brave, you're kind You got a gift to change the world, and could change your father's mind 'Cause our children is the future, but he lives inside confusion Money's always been illusion, but that's the life he's used to His father prolly didn't claim him neither History do repeats itself, sometimes it don't need a reason But I would like to say it's not your fault that he's hidin' another child Give him grace, this the reason I made Mr. Morale

So our babies like you can cope later Give you some confidence to go through somethin', it's hope later I never wanna hear you chase a man 'cause his failed behavior Sittin' in the club with sugar daddies for validation You need to know that love is eternity and trumps all pain I'll tell you who your father is, just play this song when it rains Yes, he's a hitmaker, songwriter, superstar, right And a fuckin' deadbeat that should never say "more life" Meet the Grahams

Dear, Aubrey I know you probably thinkin' I wanted to crash your party But truthfully, I don't have a hatin' bone in my body This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game But you fucked up the moment you called out my family's name Why you had to stoop so low to discredit some decent people? Guess integrity is lost when the metaphors doesn't reach you And I like to understand 'cause your house was never a home

37, but you showin' up as a seven-year-old You got gamblin' problems, drinkin' problems, pill-poppin' and spendin' problems Bad with money, whorehouse Solicitin' women problems, therapy's a lovely start But I suggest some ayahuasca, strip the ego from the bottom

I try to empathize with you 'cause I know that you ain't been through nothin' Crave entitlement, but wanna be liked so bad that it's puzzlin' No dominance, let's recap moments when you didn't fit in No secret handshakes with your friend No cultural cachet to binge, just disrespectin' your mother Identity's on the fence, don't know which family will love ya The skin that you livin' in is compromised in personas Can't channel your masculine even when standin' next to a woman

You a body shamer, you gon' hide them baby mamas, ain't ya? You embarrassed of 'em, that's not right, that ain't how mama raised us Take that mask off, I wanna see what's under them achievements Why believe you? You never gave us nothin' to believe in 'Cause you lied about religious views, you lied about your surgery You lied about your accent and your past tense, all is perjury

You lied about your ghostwriters, you lied about your crew members They all pussy, you lied on 'em, I know they all got you in 'em You lied about your son, you lied about your daughter, huh You lied about them other kids that's out there hopin' that you come You lied about the only artist that can offer you some help Fuck a rap battle, this a long life battle with yourself

uhhhh 25

[witnessme-shinyandchrome]

Letters about my mom #1

My mother was the main parent I had growing up. Dad visited super often but this is mostly about mom. She was a nurse, worked herself to the bone to provide for 3 kids. Multiple jobs.

I was the youngest and the only girl for about 9 years. Then she had my youngest sister. Who I pretty much hated from day one. Massive jealousy issues. Thankfully I eventually got therapy and my sister and I have mostly repaired out relationship. I try really hard to a better sibling.

During therapy I also worked really hard to repair my relationship with my mom. And it mostly worked, I started understanding why she did certain things and appreciated all the effort and hard work she put in to raise us.

And because she worked hard and loved up and tried her best, obviously it meant she never abused us. Btw spent a good minute trying to type out that sentence. It's so much easier to view 'abusive parents' as uncaring heartless monsters. Like the ones on tv shows.

She never hit me, but she definitely hit my brothers. I mean, never hit me outside of spanking. But I was scared of her, and scared she'd hit me. If I cried she'd say, 'I'll give you something to cry about' I don't really know what else it could have meant.

It's so hard. From where I am now, I can see her undiagnosed medical issues. Her rampant depression. Her (still) undiagnosed mental issues. With two autistic kids and one with bpd, she definitely has some issues she that she passed on and isn't sorting out.

But growing up with her sucked. Getting in trouble for asking questions, or crying, or getting to loud because I was excited. And only now am I understanding her... delusions? I guess?

She became super religious around 8 years ago. I mean, balls deep in religion. She demanded we go to church every Sunday. Started talking about immortal souls and burning in hell. And dealing with that at the same time as confronting my gender identity and sexuality... not great.

And then the conspiracy theories. I just brushed them off. I thought she's a rational hard working adult. She'll understand how silly it all is, because she is smart and experienced. When I was around 14 or 15, she told me, 'one day, men with guns will come to your school. They will assault you and point guns at you and tell you to renounce God. You have to tell them you'll NEVER renounce God or you'll burn in hell.'

She then described in great detail what female circumcision is, and what king of genital mutilation they would do to me to force me to convert religions.

A few years later she told me all about how the government (obama) would put us all under shiranda law.

A few years later, the US economy was going to collapse and we'd all be bartering with silver and gold.

Her most recent shit, the rapture is happening. End of the month, rapture. Oh, and if it doesn't happen at the end of the month, then in 7 years. Gotta cover the bases I guess.

Some other vague ones, the illuminati is real, and involves all celebrities. Also the moonlanding is fake.

She trapped me in the car a few days ago to tell me the world is ending. I am unfortunately dependent on her. It was all I could do not to burn that bridge and tell her to let me the fuck out and I'll walk my ass home.

I am so SICK of this. Every time I find equilibrium mentally she fucking rips my scaffolding apart. I followed her religion for a few years because im 95% anxiety and the idea of burning in hell scares me more than anything else.

But loyalty out of fear is not true loyalty. I cannot spend my life, cowering and shivering in a corner.

I'm struggling with the idea that my relationship hasn't improved with her. Have I just been excusing her bad behaviors? How do I reconcile the idea that someone who I thought was rational and realistic is actually a fear mongering bigot.

I'm dreading seeing her this Thursday. Will she start up her religious doctrine when I'm trapped in the car with her? I can't have an outburst. I'm far too dependent on her. But neither can I go to work after and have a breakdown.

I kinda wanna pull the, cutting up a credit card and skipping town move.

[redfemmayy]

So you are not talking about majority, you are talking about exception and strawmaning.

“women supposedly would have ONLY procreated with genetically desirable men and would have eliminated bad genes” that is correct for the majority of women!

"if men didnt force them into them and perpetuated bad genetics" yes men raped women and girls to pass their gene that is fact! Lot of ugly short vile men gene pool would be non existent if they did not rape their way though.

Men are multiple of evil not only do they commit the most heinous acts but they actively deny and gaslight about it

“this shitty take would have only made sense if Women ALWAYS made good choces in picking a partner, wich is Feminist Bullcrap, blaming Men while pretending women are eternally opressed victims who can only do good is absolutely stupid and Naive,”

Nice strawmaning! The only way you can make argument is by making extreme conclusion. Male manipulative tactics is boundless! She didn’t say women 100 percent only do good and never bad choice! She is talking about the majority! I like how you are proving her point about how manipulative and twisted y’all men are ! With men like you, hating y’all is easy.

“Op blamed all men though for things women are just as responsible for, (especially nowadays) wich is total retardation”

So you admit until modern times men did oppress women and limit who they can mate with ? The consistent contradiction and lack of accountability for men. Y’all men would would at the foam then to admit what men have done to women. Women are just as reasonable for being raped ? Are women just as responsible for being in forced marriage ? In societies in which men made the law and controlled women ? Women are just as responsible? The way men want to pass and deflect their sin onto women is disgusting!

“just 5 percent of all women who date total assholes with bad genetics because the rest always makes perfect decisions”

Yes you rather focus on the 5 percent rather then 95 percent. Male logic and mental gymnastics.

“Gold diggers who care more about money than Genetics, this has nothing to do with Minorities or majorities or any other retarded reason you come up with”

Majority vs minority definitely matters ! If most women were dating and passing their gene with only psychos the world would go up in flames.

Maybe you should stop being retarded Cunt and use your little m*le brain.

“and can have extremely bad taste and be attracted to the worst scum on earth, just look up how many love letters famous killers and school shooters get, these are Women who are literally in love with psychopathic killers, this is not one or two cases, there are tousands of these Women.”

Again focusing on very small percent of women to make your claim about women. Men inability to make actual logical argument. If you stop being retarded dick and use your head; you would realize small fraction of women going after such evil men doesn’t have much impact on the dating pool and the genes being passed down overall. By focusing on the very small percent of women that date bad men, you are not making logical form of argument, but rather an emotional appeal. Bc your male ego can only handle feelings right.

“women are just as unhappy nowadays as men” yet data says otherwise ! Men loneliness and suicide rate is increasing. Maybe if y’all were better people, others will have more empathy for you!

“Lonely Men will aways be bad for women too, it will always affect society as a whole, even if you dont see”

Yes bc men are selfish and violent! Lonely men like to lash out on women and blame women. I see it daily that is why I conceal carry and am always armed. However, it is better then women catering and submitting to men. Bc even when you give all, men will ask for more control. Even the control style under Taliban is not enough for y’all men. Evil scums.

I do hate men, their evilness disgusts me. However I am happy, hating evil doesn’t cause unhappiness. It is enlightenment and path to peace!

My comments are nothing compared to the comments men make toward women on the daily. Tell your men to go to therapy instead of raping and killing women first.

Thank you for giving me more reason to hate men.

If men hadn't oppressed, restricted, raped and enslaved women for the last 5000 years all the ugly, short, balding in their 20s men would have died out by now and I'll never forgive them for that

[not-the-cheese]

one sentence(ish) summaries of every magnus archive episode PART 2

(eps 61-110) thank u for the funny comments and tags on the last part i love u guys

I HAVE MADE A PART 3

----

61. the thrilling sequel to man does not open coffin: man DOES open coffin.

62. surely this doctor can find an easier way to scam people out of money than putting them in a little book.

63. THE DARK ATE MY BROTHER IN LAW.

64. this is possibly the plot of laura croft tomb raider

65. mmm crumchy

66. what's the opposite of an unboxing video

67. as close to a coffeeshop au as you're going to get from this podcast

68. Doctors hate him! Man REFUSES to die from tuberculosis!

69. your college's psych department has the worst idea ever.

70. reverse death note

71. not even death will stop this woman from taking the british subway

72. man doesn't want to be low key racist in his last moments before getting eaten

73. police versus the second coming of dark jesus

74. lady is haunted by an ad for coffee

75. mike crew says "uh fuck it let's just put this guy on a skyscraper forever"

76. ryan from buzzfeed unsolved breaks into a train yard and suffers consequences

77. you're not a enough of a bitch to be my real mom

78. man gets harassed by his cousin and then exorcises him

79. you know that chase scene in scooby doo with the doors

80. stupid idiot motherfucking jurgen leitner

81. i have been personally victimized by the sequel to the hungry hungry caterpillar

82. pov: elias threatens to cancel you

83. mannequin takes matters into its own hands after people don't like its pitch for a new window display

84. a hoarder put newspaper on my friend's face :(

85. hey there's maybe a little man upon these stairs?

86. man gets got by a squiggly thing in the dark.

87. plumber is so oblivious to spooky happenings around him that it possibly saves his life.

88. guys i think this guy likes to dig

89. lesbian investment banker finds a new, less evil job: arson!

90. guy who turns people's bones starts a gym where he promises not to turn your bones! (he is lying)

91. i was stalked by lightning for 10 years and i all i got were these stupid scars

92. jonah magnus is a bad friend // another day another elias slay

93. ocd is no match for purple fuzz

94. let the bodies drop gently to the floor let the bodies drop gently to the floor

95. im so sorry my brain refuses to remember what the war ones were about but i think one guy got gently kissed on the forehead so that's pretty nice.

96. diversity wins! the not-quite-human delivery men who stole your identity and business are maybe gay?

97. man gets gaslighted by an entire town about a hole

98. 🎶mister sandman bring me a dream, actually don't, please stay far from me 🎶

99. another one bites the dust

100. archival assistants face off against the general public (they lose)

101. jon finally levels up high enough to unlock an eldritch horror's tragic backstory

102. LOCAL MAN MARRIES BUG

103. peppa eats a clown and they cover her in concrete instead of congratulating her.

104. pennywise stole my brother's skin

105. it's world war z baby

106. Something Big Is In Space.

107. man is interrogated about the time he saw thomas the train roasts people alive and also sans is there

108. actor is stalked by mask who liked his monologue so much that it tells its mask friends to come watch.

109. sometimes a family is just a serial killer's daughter and that guy who maybe killed some vampires

110. yeah man those spiders be eating

Part 1 | Part 3

[hybbart]

I feel like a shipping war is brewing

So

What is your thoughts on smallidarity?

If you don't want to answer this you don't have to also your art is amazing

As much as I like to good-naturedly hate on flower husbands' fans bad taste among friends, ship wars are just stupid. You should never get so genuinely heated over something that silly and inconsequential. Filter tags and words if you can't control yourself. Ship wars are for 12 year olds in the mid 2000s.

They're bros(-in-law) to me.

I'm not inclined to ship just for the sake of shipping. A character's notable for me to tolerate even one ship with them. I'm certainly not a multi-shipper and the only series that's ever got me on board with a poly ship is iron-blooded orphans. So, 95% of the time the answer to 'do i ship it' will be 'no', especially in the mcyt fandom. Honestly ranchers might be the only one I really do, and I'm just as happy with them being platonic.

Anyways, don't get in ship wars. And thank you!

[you-remind-me-of-the-babe]

I have been having ✨A Time✨ recently, both writing and personally, so my sharing today is a 🔥Hot Mess🔥 (much like my brain rn). Feel free to skip if you have no patience for my rambling.

But first, thank you for the tags today @fatalfangirl @j-nipper-95 and Wednesday @palimpsessed @artsyunderstudy @forabeatofadrum @ivelovedhimthroughworse @chen-chen-chen-again-chen

Adding just a few tags today because I don’t want to burden too many people with my word vomit @cutestkilla @captain-aralias @shrekgogurt @ebbpettier @whogaveyoupermission @aristocratic-otter @facewithoutheart @raenestee @thewholelemon @hushed-chorus 😘

On to said rambling. Really, truly. Last chance to back out from delving into Writerly Indecision Hour. You have been warned. Below the cut for length:

Ok! I have mostly been trying to get chapter 6 of Depth of Reason up and running. I know what I want the bulk of the chapter to be about, but I have been having trouble writing the start and getting them to that point. I have two separate documents going, one with 1k, the other with 2k, and both of them feel like they aren’t quite how I want to start. Why don’t I just jump into the parts I want to write and go back to do the start later, you might ask? Well, for better or worse, I usually have to write in a linear fashion and writing scenes out of order rarely work for me.

So! My plan was to start with Simon and Baz out to lunch with Penny, getting some legal advice on how best to take on the Coven. My first attempt had a some Simon/Penny banter as they walked to the restaurant, as I wanted to toggle back to their relationship, and checking in on Penny’s pregnancy. Here’s a bit:

“Are you feeling okay?”

She sighs. “Yes, just a side ache. My body has become far less efficient these days. I hate it.”

“You’re growing a human from scratch. I’d say your body has become far more efficient than it’s ever going to be in your life.”

She shakes her head.

“I don’t know how my mother did this five times. I’m barely halfway through this pregnancy and I’m already tired of getting winded going up a flight of stairs and getting heartburn any time I eat something spicy.”

“Maybe your mum just really had it bad for your dad.” I waggle my eyebrows at her.

Penny groans and laughs at that. “Please stop, you’re making it worse.”

Not bad, but I got stuck a little further down once they got to the restaurant with Baz. Basically, I wanted some tension with Penny not fully on board with how Simon has been handling things and taking it out on Baz. But then I got stuck on how I wanted said tension to go. So then I started another document getting straight into the legal advice. Here is a bit of that:

“That fact of the matter is, Baz broke the law simply by existing as an unregistered vampire,” Penny continues. “According to the Dark Creature Management Code of 2018, any individuals who did not voluntarily come forward and self register within 90 days of either their birth or their turning, depending on the type of creature, was in violation of said code and would be subject to the legal ramifications set forth under—”

“Penny,” I stop her. “We already know all of that. You don’t have to read us the whole law.”

Sigh. This bit gets tricky, too. Basically, I need to lay out what their plan of attack is and how they are going to take on The System. I need to strike a balance between giving the reader enough legal background without it being a snooze fest. (Cue Simon trying to speed her through the legalese to get to the crux of what they need to do.) I started this bit with having Penny compare the World of Mages’ judicial system to the UK at large, assuming it was much like what we have in the US. Upon further research…it is not. And my ability to understand and parse out this differences is limited. Therefore, I am going to have to take out some of these explanations and just lean heavily on my made up WOM system for this fic. Which led to this (slightly aggressive) note to myself in the middle of a scene:

DO I SHORTEN THIS WHOLE THING AS MORE OF A FLASHBACK AND GET US THROUGH THE ADVICE AND THROUGH PENNY DOING SOME SORT OF DONT FUCK THINGS UP FOR SIMON THING TO BAZ SO THAT WE CAN MOVE THE STORY TO THEM GOING TO WATFORD FOR CHARACTER WITNESSES?????

the Watford scene is what I wanted this chapter to really be about. The other stuff is just the lead in to get there. But some of it really is important.

This writing struggle is compounded by the fact that I broke my toe this week, had my car brake down, and I’m in the middle of report card and parent conference season at school. Plus dealing with all of my other obligations with family and such while limping slowly about. Anyways! If you read this far I love you and appreciate your interest in my struggle. 😅 I genuinely enjoy reading posts like this about other writer’s processes and road blocks, because it makes me feel like I’m in good company when the words don’t just flow with ease. If it feels like the muses have temporarily abandoned you, believe me, I get it! Here’s to hoping they bless us again soon. 💛

[plantify]

Okay OCs I will be answering this for:

Michelle Soundwave (🎙️)

Camila Corkscrew (☎️)

Frank W Morgans (🕯️)

Anna Light (🔎)

Data Archivist (📱)

(I might be a bit terrible at explaining my thoughts here so forgive me for that)

This is also being written while I am tired so. That too

2. Personality

🎙️ - Michelle tends to act really upbeat and confident. She's just a silly little girl! She does have some issues but she tries to not let them get to her, with varying success. Most of the time though she is filled with whimsy

☎️ - Camila is like one of those coworkers in the background that you might overhear gossiping about something. They aren't the greatest person but they aren't terrible either. A little self absorbed. Most of the time they just seem to be done with everything. (Hate their job)

🕯️- Really stern and scary. He's like one of those ancient ass grumpy grandpas. He has some anger issues, but he keeps them under control. Mostly. Counterintuitive to work under rage, you know. Probably likes old people stuff. Old old geezer old

🔎 - A bit of a troublemaker. She's not malicious or criminal or anything, but she likes causing mischief since she REALLY doesn't like any of the other Cogs. It's a bit problematic. Despite this, she is a good person that really doesn't mean harm. She acts cheeky and a bit tough, but she has a lot of love in her heart

📱- The whole point of The Data Archivist's character is that they kinda don't have a personality of their own, I guess??? They're a LOT more cold and robotic than other Suits, and that's really saying something considering it's a species of robots

They're too absorbed in their work and purpose to have a distinct personality. Sorry!

3. Occupation

🎙️- She's had several jobs in the past, but she's currently contracted to advertise for COGS Inc. And she hates it. She got herself into this because she was desperate for cash and wasn't really sure what associating with COGS Inc would entail. Shady business and whatnot. Her ideal job would be stuff like making music and other stuff like that (what she already does, but on a wider scale)

☎️ - No. They don't like their job. It's literally just being a secretary as well as having to deal with doing certain menial tasks for courtrooms before sessions. They went to law school and believe themselves to have much more potential than what they have the chance to show off.

🕯️- Part of a division that specializes in realizing which employees or what practices are bad for business. Later deciding what to axe. They are fine with their position. It does make them think negatively of certain Cogs, though. Particularly the ones that aren't really representative of the "good brand" of COGS Inc!

📱- They're called a Data Archivist for a reason, you know. They're pretty high up there, as their unique properties allow them to access technology directly with their body. Basically connect themselves into the network, unlike basically 95% of all Suits.

It's less that they like or dislike their job and more like a purpose they must fill out. I will not go into too much detail

4. Fun

🎙️- Listen to music/make music, cuddle up in blankets (especially if Anna is involved), read stuff like fashion magazines and romance novels, be in nature (a Suit that likes nature???)

☎️ - Workplace gossip makes your miserable work life more bearable

🕯️- Read books and do old people stuff!!!!!! He also likes art and antique stuff.

🔎 - Aside from starting shit by causing mayhem occasionally, she likes stuff like skateboarding and other cool stuff. Of course also likes cuddling up in blankets, like Michelle

📱- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

6. Family

🎙️- Straight up does not a family. Like never had one to begin with. Not having anyone to fall back onto has taken a toll on her

📱- Also doesn't have a family. Except the difference with them is that they don't give a shit that they don't

🕯️and 🔎 have their own families but I am not delving into that right now

7. Important Person

🎙️- Their partner, Anna, since she was really the first person she could fully rely on. She's grown extremely clingy and attached to her as a result, maybe a bit too much, but the feeling is mutual with Anna.

🔎 - Michelle Soundwave (They are partners, she likes her a lot, yeah)

8. Skills and Virtues

🎙️- She's skilled in silly stuff like making music (which she had to work to gain that skill, but she is naturally good at it as well) as well as stuff like dancing and rollerblading

As for virtues, she thinks taking and colonizing the land of Toons is bad, actually!

📱 - Naturally extremely skilled at many things. Whether it be menial and simple, or just straight up having abilities most other Suits do not have. Literally built different.

9. Flaws

🎙️- I mentioned earlier that she has some issues. Won't get too into detail but they are part of what her worst flaws are. She wants to remedy them but isn't too sure how. She is trying though. She explains them to Anna

🔎 - Too problematic at times. Gets reprimanded a lot. Also sometimes engages in activities to the point where it may be self detrimental to do so. Again, won't go into too much detail right now. She knows she can do better, but kind of needs to be pushed into overcoming them. Not too open about behaviours with Michelle, but will talk about it if brought up

📱- Being built different makes them see themselves as superior to others. Their lack of distinction/personality is also an issue. They essentially don't see themselves as having any flaws, so nothing is done to fix them.

end

OC Interview: Introductions

Pick an oc and share their answers to the following questions, or let your followers pick a combination of character(s) and number(s)!

(if you decide to answer all the questions for one oc feel free to copy the questions into your own post and simply link back to this post so others can use the prompts!)

1. Describe your character's appearance. What do people notice first about them? Are there any aspects of their appearance that they hide from others?

2. Describe your character's personality. What are people's first impressions of them? Are there parts of their personality that they keep hidden? How hard is it for others to get to know them?

3. What is your character's occupation? (job/school/duties/etc.) Do they enjoy it? What would be their ideal occupation?

4. What does your character do for fun? Do they have any hobbies or special interests? Are there any activities they'd like to try but don't have enough time/resources for?

5. Where does your character live? Do they like it there? How do they furnish/decorate their personal space?

6. What is your character's family situation like? Which family members (if any) are they closest to, and which ones do they have conflict with?

7. Who are the most important people in your character's life? Do they have any close friends? Are they in love with anyone? Do they have any enemies?

8. What are your character's best skills and virtues? Did these come naturally to them, or did they have to work hard to achieve them?

9. What are your character's worst flaws and weak points? Are they working to overcome their flaws, or do they let them fester? Is there anyone they rely on for help with their weak points?

10. What are your character's goals? Do they set long term goals for themself or do they prefer to live in the moment?

[revnah1406]

MASON'S LEGACY

Ch 1: Back to Reality

 Author's Note: Hello! Before reading I would like to warn that English is not my first language and I am still learning to speak and write it. So maybe you will find some mistakes in this fanfic. If you find it, feel free to correct me.

Summary: Call of Duty black ops 4 never existed. After the Cordis Die incident, and the drone attack. It left the two super powers of the world (the United States and China) in decline. Little did they know that bad news doesn't come alone. In the midst of all the chaos that occurred after the death of Menéndez (Cordis Die), a Soviet terrorist group called Perseus appeared or rather rose from the ashes, although they baptized it as The New Perseus. Hell came to the world, more than half of the human population died in those five years, and the few that remained lost control. Governments disappeared or were overthrown, there were very violent revolts. Presidents and politicians were assassinated. The remaining governments vanished. The world became anarchic, demonstrating how cruel humanity can be when there is no longer order or laws. . The main cities of the countries and the first world fell. Everything remained in a post-apocalyptic world. Now David Mason and his daughter Abby Mason have to face a long journey to return to Alaska and start a new life. On this journey, past and present will merge into one.

WARNING: This fic contains SPOILERS from Call of duty Black Ops 1/2 and Cold War. It will also be inspired by other games such as The Division, The Last of Us, Far cry (There will be no spoilers).

I Also Made a drawing of what Abby Mason would look like and a little bit of information about her: here

I hope you enjoy!

________________

Next Chapter ->

Chapter 1: Back to reality

Words: 6683

Woods sighed, looking out the window of his room. His knees ached more than usual. He felt older than ever, although he had to be reasonable. It made sense. At 95 years old, everything seemed unreal. He was reviewing his life in his head, from the time he ran away from his family in Philadelphia, until he entered the residence. His achievements, his regrets... Everything seemed so distant and yet so vivid to him. Who would have thought that a man like him would live to such a long age. For someone who has been playing dice with death all his life.

A knock on the door of his room brought him out of his thoughts.

"Do not enter…." He demanded sullenly.

But the door opened.

He shook his head in annoyance and dragged the wheelchair toward the door.

"I swear to god, I will shove this wheelchair right up your...!"

"Ass..." Someone finished the sentence for him."

Frank looked up and raised his eyes in surprise.

A girl was in front of him, smiling. The girl was about 13 years old, brown hair, and green eyes. She looked a lot like her father, and even more like her grandfather.

"You have to change your threats, old man." She advised while she laughed.

"May I know what you are doing here at this hour?" Woods raised an eyebrow at the girl.

Not that He didn’t like her presence. Quite the contrary. He forged a deep friendship with her, the moment her father let him carry her in his arms. Frank still remembered when that little girl was just a baby. So inocent in the arms of the old veteran. He always said that he hated babies, but his heart melted at the first glance. She was the most delicate little thing he had ever held in his hands and now she was on her way to becoming a whole woman.

The girl shrugged and ran her hand down the back of her neck.

"I was passing by... And I thought I'd go visit old Woods." She blurted out with feigned innocence.

"Abby…" Frank called her name. "You live more than two hours away. What have you done this time?"

"I didn't do anything! It was...!" She didn't finish the sentence.

She sighed in frustration and sat on the edge of the bed.

Woods approached with the wheelchair, until he was in front of her. He put his calloused old hand on top of Abby's knee, patting it a couple of times.

"Come on. Tell me what happened."

The girl looked away, towards the drawings that were hanging on the wall. Some were hers, from when she was little. Others from when her father was little. She then returned her gaze to the veteran.

"My aunt Mary thinks she can come home. And turn everything upside down. Thinking she's in charge of everything now.” Abby began to explain. “Dad just told her to come by to pick up mom's last belongings. And as soon as she sets foot in the house she starts giving me meaningless orders and complaining like a embittered sergeant. No offense, sir. You're cool."

Frank chuckled and listened. He knew that she didn't have a good relationship with the family of her mother's side. And it got worse when she passed away.

"Never in over seven years has she deigned to stop by. Not even when Mom was in the hospital!”

She was starting to get more upset as she counted.

"And now she thinks she can come home and give me lessons? She never cared about us. No one in that family has. And now she's bossy and criticizing Dad for being a 'Bad Dad.' of his absence in the army. And because of that I have become an extremely rebellious and unbearable girl"

Abby shook her head.

"Dad's just doing his job, saving the world or whatever he does. At least he cares about us."

Woods understood the girl's situation. A few months had passed since her mother had died of cancer. Shortly after her father had to leave for work, as she said: To save the world. Abby stayed at the neighbors' house, and she didn't have permission to visit old man Woods. For the entire security issue and Menéndez's intrusion into The Vault. So the little girl had a hard time. She didn't have her loved ones near her and all of her pain and frustration was building up inside her.

Until finally her father returned home. He had managed to arrest  Raúl Menéndez and had left the army. To spend time with his daughter and finally take care of his wife's mourning.

"So…" Frank pointed at her. "You got mad at your aunt. Because she said all those things about you and your father. And your best idea was to run away from home and come here?"

She shrugged.

"The bus ride isn't that expensive and I was starting to miss you." She justified.

The man looked at the girl for a few seconds. And then he let out a laugh.

"My god, Abby Mason."

Woods affectionately ruffled abbys' hair. She smiled. Who would have thought that her dearest friend could turn out to be a tattooed, grumpy, curmudgeonly old war veteran.

"But for now, call your father. We don't want him to worry and give both of us a hard time." Woods ordered. "I'm going to find the nurse. She always hides the fucking cigarettes from me."

Abby obeyed. She told her father that she would spend the afternoon with old Frank, after scolding, she got permission to stay. And so she did. She spent the afternoon with him, and they walked through the gardens of The Vault. As always, Woods telling the war stories and stories of him. They played poker, and as always, Abby complained that the old man always cheated.

It was late, it was getting dark, Abby had to go home. But what they did not expect was to find a man waiting for them in the room. He was old too, wearing a uniform and wearing sunglasses. When he took them off, Abby could see that he was missing an eye.

"Now that’s an entrance…" Woods blurted out, slightly surprised.

The girl looked at both men, not understanding anything. Did they know each other?

"Started Thinking you weren’t gonna make it " Frank kept talking.

He nodded at Abby.

"Go home Kid."

"It’s Okay. She can stay." The unknown man raised a hand.

Abby didn't know what to do. She was a spectator in that room. That man turned his attention back to Woods.

"Mi hermana Josefina." He said as he tossed Frank a heart shaped necklace.

Woods nodded as he grabbed the necklace out of the air.

"Yeah… I’ve been waiting for this."

The old Woods looked at Abby again.

"Go away, this has nothing to do with you." The tone he used this time was more dry and distant.

As if he suddenly didn't know the girl anymore.

"She stays." The other man ordered.

Abby didn't like that. She had a bad feeling.

"Josefina survived the fire..." The one-eyed man kept talking "...For me. I didn't leave her."

There were a few seconds of silence.

"You took her from me."

It was a quiet conversation, considering what it was about.

"And what’d you learn from that?" Woods asked, still knowing the answer.

"What did I learn?" he blurted out with irony.

It all happened so fast, Abby didn't have time to react. The man pulled a gun from his uniform and pointed it at the girl. Frank tried to react in time, reaching out to stop him. But the trigger was faster.

The man shot the girl. On her chest. She fell to the ground, the impact knocked the air out of her. She was bleeding too much. She couldn't stop the bleeding. She was lying on it, her cheek flattened on the cold ground.

"You took everything from me." Menendez turned to the girl.

He crouched down in front of her. Abby was terrified, tears were welling up in her eyes, she couldn't breathe, blood was gushing out of her mouth. The man brushed aside a couple of strands that were getting in the way of the girl's delicate face. She was terrified.

"Abby!" Woods was desperate. "This has nothing to do with her!"

"Frank…" The little girl started crying,  desperately seeking help, begging to Woods to save her. Even if it was impossible.

"And I…" Menéndez continued with his speech. "I will take it from you. You will suffer with me."

Abby realized that the last sentence was for her.

"No, no, no. Please... Woods!" she pleaded.

Menendez turned and pulled out a knife. And in a blink. He stabbed Woods in the throat.

"NO!"

Abby woke up. She sat up so fast that she even felt dizzy. She was covered in a cold sweat, she was soaked in sweat. Desperate tears rolled down her cheeks, her pulse was racing, her hands were extremely trembling and she had trouble breathing.

It had happened again. A nightmare, no, a memory that had haunted her for five years.

Suddenly the door opened. Showing the face of a worried father.

"Abby. Are you okay?"

David hurried over to his daughter's side.

He sat down next to her.

Abby looked at her father. She was still scared, this time the dream was more vivid than the last one.

“Fuck..” She muttered, rubbing her face with both hands

David smiled to calm her, to let her know that everything was fine. She started managing to lower her heart rate and regulate her breathing.

It had been a long time since that dream had visited her at night, she believed that she had finally gotten rid of it. But it wasn't true, it simply waited for her to lower her guard to attack with more intensity.

"Are you feeling better now?" David asked.

Abby nodded.

“yeah.” 

"Same dream?"

She nodded again.

David sighed. It hurt him to see his daughter like this, he felt frustrated for not being able to do anything. He only comforts her until she manages to get out of that hell.

"I thought it wouldn't happen again.” She spoke with her gaze fixed somewhere in the room.

"I know honey. But it's hard to get rid of these things…"

David was hurt by the loss of Woods. He felt guilty about it. He should have killed Menéndez instead of stopping him. And for that mistake, he also almost lost his daughter. The only thing left to him, the only legacy his wife had left him. The last remaining proof of his love for his wife. And he almost lost her because of him. Only she was left. His father Alex, Woods, his mother, his wife. Everything he loved in this world, it had been taken from him. If he lost his daughter as well, he wouldn't be able to recover.

But he had to be strong, for her. They were alone in that cruel world. They had to keep going and survive.

"What time is it?" she asked, raising her eyes.

The older Mason looked at the watch on his wrist.

"06:30." He answered. "The sun isn't up yet. But we have to get going. We're not safe here."

Abby nodded.

"I'll let you get dressed and get your stuff. Then come to have breakfast, okay?" David continued.

She nodded again as her father placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay now?" he asked, taking one last look at her face.

"I'm better. Thanks dad."

She raised her corners, leaving a sad smile.

David looked at her for a few seconds, not very convinced, but then he gave up.

"Okay. I'll let you be." He said goodbye.

Mason got up and ruffled the girl's hair. He then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Abby was silent for a few seconds, without moving, looking around the room. It wasn't even hers. That room didn't belong to anyone, not anymore. Things had ceased to belong to people a long time ago. The place was dusty, messy, with some broken windows and broken furniture... That room had seen better days, but those days are gone. Abby didn't care what the place looked like. It was just a shelter for one night. They were just passing by.

She got out of her sleeping bag. And she put her bare feet on the ground. It was cold, her skin felt goosebumps.

"Dad!" She called out to him "Is it really cold outside?"

She raised her voice so he could hear her through the door. She knew that her father had been awake longer, he used to wake up early in the morning before the sun came up. To patrol the area and make sure there was no danger.

"I believe so!” Her father's voice echoed out of the room. “It even snowed!”

"What?" Abby muttered to herself.

Confused, she walked to the window, sealed with cardboard and duct tape. She peeked through a small hole that wasn't covered with cardboard and peered out. It was true. The streets were snowed. Sprinkled in a layer of soft snow, which covered everything.

The little girl inside her was excited. It had snowed! She hadn't seen snow in a long time. She couldn't wait for her boots to touch the snow. She was sure she could get back at him for that time her father put snow inside her jacket. But the more reasonable part of her told her that this was going to complicate the trip. Walking on snow was more exhausting. In addition to a higher energy expenditure due to the cold. This was not good.

Abby sighed knowing there wasn't much she could do. She turned away from the window and started to change her clothes.

She looked around for her backpack. She soon found it lying near where she had slept. She crouched down in front of it and began to search inside.

It was an old one-shoulder backpack, with only one main strap to hang it from her shoulder. It had rips and patches but was a decent size with plenty of pockets and straps to tie various things to the sides. It was useful, considering it was where she kept all of her belongings. They were no longer at home, that house no longer existed, it was destroyed years ago. The life of a nomad demanded light and essential luggage. She was grateful that her father taught her how to fold clothes and put things away like he did in the navy. Taking up as little space as possible.

Abby's eyes traveled to the backpack strap. A knot tightened in her throat when she saw that piece of cloth. Woods' old bandana wrapped around the strap with a knot. The one he had always used in his missions and operations. Woods always said that he couldn't go on a mission without his bandana.

Abby stroked the fabric, it was all she had left of the old veteran. The nightmare replayed in her head.

"How did you deal with your demons, old man?" She whispered into the air.

It was a question for a ghost that now only was resting.

She shook her head and went back to what she should do. She took out of the backpack, the clothes that she had to put on. She dressed quietly, black cargo pants, a basic brown T-shirt, and an old light brown sweatshirt. She made sure to tuck the bottom of the shirt into her pants. Preventing the cold from creeping in. She then sat down on the floor and put on some thick socks and shoes. Combat boots her father got her a couple of years ago. They were sturdy, with thick soles and nearly indestructible laces. It was a good and durable shoe, but that didn't mean calluses and sores would form on Abby's poor feet in the long run.

When she finished dressing she put all of her belongings in her backpack, making sure to fold them correctly so that it didn't take up too much space. When she was done, she took one last look, checking to make sure nothing was left behind. Climbing rope, carabiners, gas mask... Then she walked until she stood in front of a dusty mirror. She reached over to brush the dust off the glass so she could show the reflection of her face.

It was amazing how much she had changed in five years. Physically and psychologically.

So much had happened in that period of time...

Discarding the obvious physical change due to age. Abby's skin was more damaged. She had scars, bruises and marks...Scattered all over her body. Signs of a hard and dangerous life. But the one that stood out the most was a gunshot wound to her chest, near her right shoulder.

Her complexion had changed as well. Her shoulders were broader, as were her arms and legs. She had built muscle over those years. Not because she wanted to. This way of life simply demanded great physical effort from her. And if she wasn't up to the task, it could be fatal.

Her face changed too. Abby’s jaw had widened a little. Her features were no longer so smooth. But she still had the face of an 18-year-old girl. Her green eyes, now wrapped in a slight red tint from the lack of sleep. Her hair was no longer what it used to be. Those long brown locks had been cut off. Her hair was very short. It was shaved on the sides and back of the neck, and cut short on top, the strands sticking out in all directions.

Her father used to cut it with scissors and a blade. She had to admit that over time he had gained practice and was getting better at it. Abby decided to cut it off when she realized that her long hair was impractical. She didn't have time to take care of it and she already lost all her hair ties. She now didn't have to worry about any of that.

With her hands she tried to put some order in her hair. But it seemed that those strands were not willing to cooperate. She gave in with a sigh and let it go. She was ready to go. She believed until she remembered one last thing.

She walked over to the backpack again and picked it up, picking up what was under it and looking at it for a few seconds. Between her hands was a pistol holster, with the respective weapon stored. It had several straps so it could be tied around her waist and thigh.

The world is no longer what it was. Now everything is hostile and it tries to kill you so it can keep your things. It’s eat or be eaten. Abby had to use it more times than she would like. Her father taught her how to use it when she was 14, though there wasn't much of a mystery. 

She tied the gun sheath on her thigh. She adjusted the straps well. The weight of the gun on her thigh was a reminder that sometimes you had to kill to survive. A feeling she didn't like at all.

"Hurry up Abby!" Her father's voice outside her room brought her out of her thoughts.

"I'm coming!" she answered.

She slung her backpack over her shoulder and took one last look around the place before grabbing the doorknob and leaving. She came across a scene similar to the one in the room. An abandoned apartment, with broken furniture and glass. All wrapped in the silence and mist of the morning. There was hardly any sunlight, the sun had not risen but the first rays began to show up.

She walked down the hall until she reached the living room. Her father was getting ready and putting away his things.

"Come on. Have some breakfast." He told her pointing with his chin at the food on the table.

Abby put her backpack down on one chair and sat down on another.

"Dry meet? Again?"

She looked at the food with a bored expression.

"Oh, excuse me miss. Do you want me to make you some pancakes? And some bacon?" David blurted out ironically.

The girl just rolled her eyes. To which Mason smirked.

Abby took some of the cured sausage and started her breakfast. She couldn't really complain, supplies were hard to come by. Getting long shelf life food was even more difficult. More than one night she had to go to sleep with an empty stomach, and even resort to hunting if the opportunity arose.

David ended up packing his backpack as well. He approached the table carrying two rifles. Abby watched as she finished her portion of food.

"Yesterday I cleaned them." the elder explained.

He rested one of the rifles on the side of the table, next to Abby. That was hers. The other rifle was a sniper rifle, with a telescopic sight, that was used by her father.

"Tie it to your backpack when you're done. We'll head out as soon as you're done."

She nodded.

When she finished, she did as her father told her, loading the rifle into one of the sides of the backpack, making sure it was securely fastened.

"Come on, wrap up."

When Abby looked up to her father, he handed her a jacket. A big old denim jacket, and lined with thick wool on the inside. Abby had used it countless times, it was her favorite, it had a couple of small holes but nothing serious. What she liked most about that jacket was a small badge that adorned one of her chest pockets. That ornament was very crappy, it was a beer cap attached to a safety pin. It had written in bold letters: "Congrats! You've won a Free Beer!" Her father made it for her on her last birthday as a gift.

She accepted the jacket and draped it over her, making sure to tuck the hood of the sweatshirt over her shoulders.

Then David handed her some gloves and a black beanie. She accepted them too, pulling the gloves and beanie over her head, making sure to cover her ears. She buttoned her jacket and slung the backpack over her shoulder, across her back. She waited for her father to bundle up properly as well. It was not good to have pneumonia in those days.

David put on his well-known greenish-brown jacket, beanie, and gloves. He placed his pack properly and the rifle strap over one of her shoulders. He also had a pistol strapped to his thigh.

"Ready?"

Abby nodded.

They both left the apartment, went down the stairs of the apartment block, some parts of the stairs were down. So they had to jump over them.

"Watch where you step." advised David.

They managed to get out of the building, finally reaching the street. The cold was the first thing to reach them. Then there was the incredible view of the city of Washington DC. Those big buildings, the skyscrapers, streets full of billboards. Everything made Abby open her mouth in astonishment.

But that big city was silent. There was no one on the streets, everything was desolate, not a single soul was walking around except for the little family of two. The great skyscrapers threatened to fall at some point, the abandoned buildings and streets, many of them destroyed or in very bad condition. There were wrecked or abandoned cars on the road. Storefronts were smashed, and nearly every subway entrance was demolished.

They were the echoes of a war. A war that was no longer being waged but people still suffered its consequences.

Five years ago, after Menéndez escaped from his prison and culminated his revenge on Frank Woods, a new threat appeared. it was not known where they had appeared from, a group of terrorists called The New Perseus. Cordis Die was child's game compared to what was to come later. Perseus put the whole world under their feet, took control of the combat drones and bombs of the most powerful countries, the United States, Russia and China, causing tensions and fights between countries, starting another world war. Perseus unleashed global pandemics, and released Nova 6 throughout the world's major cities.

Hell came to the world, more than half of the human population died in those five years, and the few that remained lost control. Governments disappeared or were overthrown, there were very violent riots. Presidents and politicians were killed. The remaining governments vanished. The world became anarchic, showing how cruel humanity can become when there is no longer order or law. And the only thing that remains is panic.

The main cities of the countries and the first world fell. Everything was left in a post-apocalyptic world.

Luckily, after the first three years, everything began to calm down, one day surprisingly there were no more massive terrorist acts. People began to think that they should group together to survive, restore order a little, they formed groups, alliances among themselves. Little by little, calm returned to a destroyed world, which was trying to get up again, but would never be the same again. No countries, no borders, no society.

Washington DC, like the rest of the big cities, had become a ghost town. The silence of the streets was proof of that. Abby and David walked through the city, watching windows, corners, and alleys.

At any moment they could be ambushed. People began to organize themselves into different alliances. Groups that fought against other groups for survival. Civil wars were the usual. That is why every time they went to a new city, they had to know which organizations controlled the city, which territories were neutral and which were not. Look for allies in the groups that could give them information, find the alliances that were peaceful and those that were hostile. But that did not remove the risk of being attacked by one of those organizations. They were an easy target, just two travelers. They were like a piece of meat in a cage full of lions. That is why they had to be very careful.

"Are you sure that guy was telling the truth?" Abby asked, not very convinced.

She walked beside her father, jumping over the odd barricade of rubble.

“What other option do we have? It's the only lead we have.” He replied.

"Of course, why trust a fucking drunk man who says that we will find a pilot willing to travel to Alaska when we find the ... What is their name again?"

"Wolves."

"Wolves? What kind of a name is that for an alliance? They don't have a lot of imagination if I’m honest…" Abby complained.

David chuckled and glanced at his daughter.

"According to that guy, they're peaceful people and the biggest organization around here, they sit inside the White House."

"Inside the White House?!"

"It seems so"

"Well, yes, they did a great job I guess…" assured the youngest.

Abby kicked a rock as they walked, and David didn't take his eyes off the broken windows. He had a bad feeling.

"And that pilot is supposed to have a plane or a helicopter with enough fuel to cross half the United States and then all of Canada? And he'll be willing to fly us?" She asked, not very sure.

David sighed.

"We won't know until we get there. That guy told us that he was a smuggler pilot and would soon be flying to Alaska for supplies."

"Of course... Sorry if I don't fucking trust him very much. Our luck hasn't been very good lately." Said Abby "Who knows, maybe we'll get shot before we can set foot in the White House."

"Technically they aren’t very hostile people and they are dedicated to welcoming refugees."

David and his daughter had been looking for transportation to travel to Alaska. To the place where David grew up with his father. There the situation seemed to be calmer, it would be a better place to settle down and start again.

Abby kicked the rock harder and shoved it under a burned-out car. She winced that her fun was over.

They walked for a long time through the abandoned streets. Little by little the wind grew, howling between the buildings. The sky clouded over as the morning passed. Abby put her hands under her armpits to try to keep them warm.

"This weather is fucking crazy…" she murmured.

"Yeah... These snowstorms aren't normal." David answered. "Stay close."

There was something in the environment that he didn't like. He felt as if someone was watching them.

David pointed to the entrance to an abandoned shopping center.

"Let's go inside and see what we find." he advised. "We'd better leave the streets for now."

Abby nodded, agreeing with him. She didn’t like the situation either.

They both entered. The building was large, there was rubble everywhere, the windows were broken and the walls were cracked. The view of a dilapidated shopping mall. The place was eerily silent. Sunlight streamed in through skylights in the roof, most of them broken, and bits of window litter scattered across the mall's polished floor.

"Stay alert." David ordered pulling out the gun.

Abby did the same as her father.

The silence kept all of Abby's senses on guard. She followed David very close. They walked looking at the shop windows, the abandoned shops and restaurants.

"Maybe we can find something useful around here." David said, looking at his daughter, showing a slight smile.

Abby knew there was something more.

"Did you find any snipers watching us from a rooftop?"

she asked.

David shook his head.

"No, but I had a feeling something bad was going to happen if we stayed that exposed. The sun is up already, there must be patrols around here." David explained

Abby didn't answer.

They continued exploring the mall. They searched the shops looking for something that could be useful for the trip. But almost all the stores had already been looted. They searched the first floor, found some duct tape and batteries for the flashlights. Then they went up the broken escalator, to the second floor.

Abby was rummaging through the drawers of a store cash register. She found a good amount of money. She let out a light chuckle.

"Hey dad."

David turned to see his daughter. Who showed him a wad of bills.

"Do you mind if we buy some souvenirs?"

David chuckled and walked over to Abby. He took the money and played with it for a while. The money had lost all value. It was no longer used anymore. Everything began to have a different price after the fall of governments. Now it was traded with barter and exchange of goods.

"Sure, we can go to the movies too. What was the name of that movie you liked so much? The one about space."

"Interstellar?"

"Yeah, that one. Would you like to watch it again?"

"Fuck yes. I miss going to the movies."

David chuckled.

"Although I like Star Trek more."

"My god dad... I still don't understand why mom married a man who likes Star Trek." Abby rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, just that Star Wars is better."

David raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! Bad guys are cooler. Darth Vader is the best villain."

Abby cleared her throat and faked Darth Vader's artificial breathing.

"Luke, I am your father." She said in a slightly deeper voice.

David laughed and shook his head.

"Someday I'll use that phrase with you."

"Okay, but don't cut my hand off with a lightsaber."

"I don’t promise anything."

Abby put her hand on her chest pretending to be offended.

"My God... Betrayed by my own father..."

This time it was David who rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Let's not waste any more time."

Abby started to answer but the sound of breaking glass stopped her. They both fell silent, not moving a single muscle.

"We aren’t alone."

David reached for the rifle that hung from the side of his daughter's backpack. He made sure the gun was loaded.

"Don't get away from me." David whispered.

Abby nodded and kept her index finger on the trigger of the gun. They both left the store in silence, watching their steps. Trying not to step on broken glass or trip over any debris.

David took a look before leaving the store. He motioned for Abby to follow him.

"We'll try to get out without attracting attention."

They heard voices downstairs. David looked over the railing that led to the floor below. He found a patrol of five men. They seemed to be alert, as if they were looking for someone. They were probably looking for the two of them.

"There are five armed men." David informed when he returned with his daughter.

"What do we do?" Abby frowned.

David didn't have time to answer because the sound of a gunshot interrupted him. The bullet grazed Abby's cheek, leaving a superficial cut on her cheek, a small part of her ear was missing too. Blood Started running on her cheek. 

"Found them!" The man who had fired the shot yelled.

"Take cover!" David pushed his daughter behind a large stone planter that must have served as a decoration for the mall. David also took coverage with his daughter.

"Don't you dare raise your head."

In just the blink of an eye the mall was filled with gunfire. David aimed accurately and fired. Trying to use as few bullets as possible. They were short of ammunition. David killed two men. Abby kept her head down, just as her father had ordered, with the gun ready.

The other three men went up to the second floor without stopping shooting.

"Stay here. Don't move." David ordered.

He took advantage of the moment when the enemies were reloading their weapons to advance. He jumped over the stone planter and ran to take cover behind a pillar.

"You little piece of shit!" The voice of a sixth man echoed through the mall.

David turned toward the voice. Abby found herself wrestling with a man twice her size. He had a knife in one hand, swinging from side to side. Abby dodged as best she could. She had lost the gun at some point in the fight. Whenever she got the chance, she would throw a punch into the man's ribs.

David wanted to intervene but the rest of the enemies wouldn’t let him move from the site. If he moved an inch, they would shoot him.

Abby was nimble and quick, but a carelessness caused her to lose her rhythm. The man grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and threw her several meters into the air. Abby landed so hard the air was forced out of her lungs. She didn't have time to recover as the man lunged at her with the knife pointed at her throat. Abby used all her strength to push the knife away from her, but the man was stronger and the blade kept getting closer. Suddenly Abby kicked the man's balls with her knee. She took advantage of that moment of weakness to take the knife from the man and with a quick movement, she plunged it into his throat. Abby could see how life drained from the man's face, how the blood came out of his neck and mouth. As soon as she pulled the knife out of her neck, she kicked the man's body as far away from her as possible. Abby backed away. She watched as that man was surrounded by a pool of blood.

The two men fired again. The bullets blew off pieces of the column. David took the right opportunity, took aim and fired. With two clean shots that went through the heads of both men.

When the silence returned David ran to his daughter.

"Abby!"

The girl spit out some blood on the floor. Her hands were shaking due to adrenaline.

“Fucking bastard.”

David knelt in front of her, blocking her view of the bleeding man on the ground.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

David began to inspect his daughter. He was very worried.

"I’m ok. The ribs hurt but that’s all” She sighed. She clenched her jaw. 

"Hey."

David took the girl's face with both hands, checking that wound made by that bullet.

It wasn’t the first time that she had killed someone, but she never got used to the feeling.

David noticed that she was lost in her thoughts. 

"Close your heart." David said in a soft voice. "He would have killed you if you hadn't done it first."

Abby nodded with her eyes fixed on that dead man.

"Can you continue?"

Abby nodded and sighed, closing her eyes.

"Yeah... Let's get out of here."

David nodded and got up. He grabbed the knife that was on the ground and wiped the blade on the man's corpse's clothing. He looked at the knife. It was a steel butterfly knife. It seemed of good quality. He folded the knife away, hiding the blade, and handed it to Abby.

"You're going to need it. This won't be the last time." David said. Abby had lost her knife a couple months ago, it was a good opportunity to get a new one. 

Abby looked at the knife for a few seconds and grabbed it. She played with it a little bit. Then she went to pick up her gun that was lying somewhere.

David took it upon himself to search the bodies for anything that might be useful. Abby helped.

"Hey, look at this." David called her.

Abby walked over to where her father was. Near David's feet was the dead body of one of the men who attacked them.

"What is it about?" she asked

"Look at their jackets. They all have the same patch."

David pointed to a little drawing of an animal etched into one of the corpse's shoulders.

"It's a dog?"

"No, it's a hyena. And they all have the same animal."

"Do you think they are part of a larger group?"

He nodded.

David looked up and looked around until he found some stairs that led to the upper floors.

"I think we can go up to the roof over there. Let's take a look at the city."

They went up to the roof in silence..

When they got to the roof. They both got to see a view of  Washington D.C. Abby was looking at the buildings until David pointed to something in the distance. She tried to focus her eyes, until she finally saw a large white building with a large dome and no building around it.

"That's where we're going. The White House."

[kitausuret]

Comics asks: 15, 24, 34. Any or all!

15. Tell me about a plotline that could have been interesting if anyone else wrote it.

I already answered this for one thing, but you know what? I'm gonna do the other story that I mentioned in this post but I'm going to elaborate, this time for Spectacular Spider-Man (2003) #1-5.

The thing is, I don't even think that "The Hunger" is that awful of a story arc. It's kind of an interesting premise in an era that the last significant thing that had been done with Eddie Brock was fridging his ex-wife and an uneasy reunion with the Symbiote. I've also spoken before about how much Eddie's cancer arc actually means to me and how, as messy as it was, I don't want it retconned whatsoever. THAT SAID... Paul Jenkins clearly did not understand anything about Eddie Brock or the Venom Symbiote. He's not a bad writer, in my honest opinion, and I do by and large enjoy how he writes Peter. He writes a pretty solid Peter Parker and in a Spider-Man comic that's all you can really ask for.

But there was so little nuance in how he wrote the symbiote and its relationship with Eddie Brock that I can't help but feel disappointed. He set into motion a bunch of things that would affect Venom lore, both for good and for bad, for years and years to come. Could someone have done it worse? Sure. Look at Daniel Way. But Jenkins also couldn't even be bothered to look up that Eddie Brock lived in San Francisco until he was at least 18. That's a pretty major oversight.

24. Ship that makes me cringe.

I'm gonna be mean here because I'm running out of answers for this one: Norman Osborn/anyone. "But Kita, you love Bastard 4 Bastard." Yes. But I have limits. And I'm not going to like, go into a fic and read Norman having a fulfilling or even UNfulfilling relationship. I have no interest in that. I don't care if other people ship him with whoever, Ship And Let Ship and all that, I just don't want to see it myself. I want him miserable and alone. And also I think literally all of the rest of Spider-Man's rogues gallery is too good for him.

34. Which retcon do you hate the most?

(CW for discussion of childhood abuse and self-harm below.)

This is gonna be kinda general, but honestly? Almost every single retcon that was put forward in Venom (2018) by Donny Cates. I'm not even kidding. Every single one. I'm very serious when I say that 95% of the time, if David Michelinie has established something about Venom lore, I take it as law. That includes Carl Brock's three story mansion in San Francisco. That includes what Mrs. Dempsey said about how Carl raised Eddie. That includes everything about Eddie having been an incredibly well-behaved and overachieving student!!

But more than anything, I haaaated how Eddie was literally retconned to be... more like Flash. (Especially with the drunk driving thing, and Carl being turned into being physically abusive.) That was not the point, that was NEVER the point of his character. Do you know what the point of Eddie's existence, of Venom's existence was? It was to be the flip coin of Peter Parker. Because Eddie was raised in wealth with all the resources he could have, he was raised by a father who gave him everything except what he really needed, which was affection and encouragement and someone to tell him they were proud of him. Peter grew up flat broke and without parents but he was LOVED and supported and cared for.

Venom: Lethal Protector (1993) #3

All of this is why it was considered so tragic when Eddie's life came crashing down around him all at once. It's why he was ready to take his own life in that church the night he became Venom, because he didn't know how to deal with loss. He felt he had no one to turn to, and honestly I think that tragedy is lost when you say, "oh, well, he'd been a fuckup all along through his whole life ever since he was a teenager." No. Stop that. I do not see it.

More than that, I hate this kind of... pervasive idea I see in some modern storytelling where it's implied that emotional abuse isn't like, "bad enough". That's bullshit. It can be just as hurtful as any other kind of abuse, and you don't need to retcon someone into being physically abusive just to try and make your character more "sympathetic".

[dianight]

(Talking at 2x speed) I saw that post about having 7k in savings being enough for one hospital visit and the thing is not everyone lives in yanquilandia country of scams and 7000 fucking dollars is an insane amount of money in the first place. The most I've ever had in savings was like ~10k pounds after building my pc and going on a several month vacation after 3 years working nonstop doing 50+ hours weeks and to this day I have a bit left considering this was right before covid lockdowns you need to get some perspective. I'm not going to be all woe is me because after torturing my body and not taking care of myself and pushing and pushing until I couldn't anymore what I had left was "only" that amount, which is still a lot but when imbeciles that make 25 dollars an hour want to talk about this shit they are completely out of touch. My mistake was thinking that forcing myself was going to translate into lots of money when in reality I should have been prioritizing more important shit, like my health or learning to do diy hrt because like 80% of the time I spent on the uk I was on a waiting list and let's not go there we know how bad it was and it's even worse now. Point is that some people don't get to save while working a regular job with regular hours and if i didn't do those 50+ hours weeks I would have had to take a 1,5k pounds plane ticket because there was no way I wouldn't run out during that time where things were closed (""""closed""""). And to see people making 50k 60k a year cry about how they live in poverty and shit buy a gun about it and shut the fuck up but anyway it keeps coming up and like even when he was making less than 3k euros a month which was more than 3 times minimum wage and complaining about not beign able to save much one of my former friends was already a piece of shit reactionary because the worst men you'll ever meet cannot see past their fucking noses and he couldn't ever grasp that for most people "saving" is not a thing they do to eventually put in on stocks and shit for retirement with gambling characteristics instead it's there for when they get laid off or repairs of some type are needed and that same mindset is so ubiquitous on the anglosphere because they are fucking rich and privileged and blind to 95% of human lives on Earth and you'll get a thousand crybabies on the notes with their 30k 40k a month how they can barely survive and it's like well try living on 20k less than 15k a year and then they complain about living expenses once again buy a gun about it and shut up if it is so hard you would get fucking eaten by cats in 2 days if you had to live on the streets because the people who have to are not fucking delusional about the value of money and this keeps repeating and middle class this middle class that read a fucking book for once and stop trying to come up with the exact amount that makes someone proletarian it's not about the amount read a book or two it's about their relationship to the means of production that's why poor little professional artists that live off commissions are petit burgués even if they live in poverty and that's why the actor or the doctor or the lawyer making "six figures" I hate that expression so much is still proletarian but you know how they invest and open business and that's when they stop being proletarian and start being burgués because now they don't sell their labour anymore or maybe they still do but others provide labour using the means of production they acquired to buy an agency or a hospital or a law firm do you understand yet I am not good at this people smarter than me have written books about this shit two centuries ago and yet people on the anglosphere refuse to read and instead will keep drawing an arbitrary chalk line to delineate the spot where one goes from fucking poor to middle class and it's so exhausting drink something will you? Anyway death to usamerica maybe they all burn and burn remember if you are usamerican you can buy a gun about it and stop leaving idiotic statements on people's posts.

I see the eternal discussion of how much money "middle class" is has resurfaced once again.