#have to judge the consequences of our actions and say

[yeoldemonster]

I pondered on this for a while before deciding to type up this reply because I genuinely can't choose. I can't even pose a hypothetical in this scenario.

Which one deserved freedom the least? Going down the list piece by piece there are reasons for each of them to 'deserve' their freedom, but ultimately I'm stuck on the fact that each of these are a facet of the Shifting Mound.

Each of these vessels has been molded into who they are because of you, because of the LQ. How can you pass judgement on who deserves to stay locked/imprisoned wherever they are, when you're the one who created each one?

If the question were 'Which one deserved freedom the most" it'd be a toss up for me between Wraith or MOC. It's not an accident that both can be gotten from the Nightmare. While I think all the vessels deserve to leave, those two became who they are through the glimpse of hope (leaving with the LQ), only to have it be ripped away.

I think there's a heavier undercurrent of loss with the fact that in the Nightmare route and from her perspective, the LQ leaves. Rather than even attack, because hate is an easy motive. But in Nightmare, the LQ leaves, possibly because she's not worth the effort it would take to free her.

In my opinion, that lends itself towards saying that MOC or Wraith would "deserve" freedom more than the other vessels

....

But for who would deserve it the least? I thought I'd have an answer by the end of this but I still don't. I can't imagine choosing a single one of the listed (or unlisted) vessels to say 'you deserve this the least'. They're all parts of Shifty, they're all fragments of experience. And it's my overinflated opinion that they all deserve the very best, and that includes leaving.

Alright, experimenting time, part 2...

(Once again, a few things:

If your decision is too nuanced to have a single answer OR if you have a preference for The Drowned or Burned Grey, put a comment or reblog with your take.

This ain't for dunking on your most hated princess. Please try to put your biases aside before answering for the sake of the experiment.

Don't be afraid to have a clear answer and share your reasoning. "There are no wrong decisions, only fresh perspectives.")

[kittyprincessofcats]

ICJ Ruling

Okay, let's get into this.

First of all, I get the frustration at the court not ordering a ceasefire. I was disappointed and frustrated at first too, since a ceasefire was the biggest and most important preliminary measure South Africa was requesting - and of course we just all want this horror to finally end for the people in Gaza. So I get the frustration and disappointment, I really do.

However, I do think this ruling is still a major win for South Africa, Palestine, and international law as a whole and here's why:

The court acknowledged that it has jurisdiction over this case and completely dismissed Israel's request to throw out the case as a whole. It will now determine at the merits stage (that will probably take years) whether Israel is actually commiting genocide.

The court acknowledged that Palestinians are a "distinct national or ethnic group and therefore deserving of protection under the genocide convention". Pull this out next time someone tells you "there's no such thing as Palestinians, they're all just Arabs".

The court acknowledged very unambiguously that "at least some" of Israel's actions being genocidal in nature is "plausible". South Africa has a case, officially. Israel is accused of genocide, in a way the ICJ deems "plausible", officially. This is huge. (And seriously, how freaking satisfying was it to hear all of those genocidal statements by Israeli politicians read out loud and used as justification for this rulling?)

The court might not have ordered a "ceasefire" in those words, but they did order Israel to "immediately end all genocidal acts" (which includes killing and injuring Palestinians) and submit proof that they actually did. How are they going to comply with this ruling without at least severly reducing or changing what they're doing in Gaza?

In fact, this wording might actually be more appropriate for a genocide (vs a war), as author and journalist Ali Abunimah notes on Twitter:

He's completely right. Israel lost today, by overwhelming majority (I mean, 15 to 2? I heard people predict the rulings would be very close, like 9 judges vs 8, but instead we got 15 to 2 (and even 16 to 1 on the humanitarian aid). Holy shit.) The court disimissed almost everything Israel's side of lawyers said, while acknowledging that South Africa's accusations are "plausible".

And this is important especially because of Mr Abunimah's second tweet there^. Because the question is, where do we go from here?

This ruling means that Israel is officially /possibly/ commiting genocide and that should have huge international consequences. The rest of the world now HAS to take these accusations seriously and stop arming and supporting Israel - and if they won't do it on their own, we, the people, have to make them. This is THE moment to rise up all around the world, especially in the countries most supportive of Israel (the US, the UK, Germany): Protest, call your representatives and demand a ceasefire and an end of arms deliveries to Israel.

We now have a legal case to back our demands: If Israel is, according to the ICJ, "plausibly" commiting genocide, then all of our governments are, according to the ICJ, "plausibly" guiltly of aiding in genocide. And we need to hold that over their heads and demand better. We need to do that right now and in huge numbers. Most politicians only care about themselves and saving their skin. We have to make them realize that they could be accused of aiding in genocide.

(As a German, I'm thinking of Germany here in particular: After South Africa's hearing, our government dismissed their case as having "no basis" - how are they going to keep saying that now that the ICJ officially thinks otherwise? Over the last months, people here have been arrested at protests for calling what's happening in Gaza a genocide. How are the police supposed to legally keep doing that now that the ICJ has officially deemed this accusation "plausible"? I used to be scared to use the word "genocide" at protests or write it on my protest signs - not anymore, have fun trying to arrest me for that when the ICJ literally has my back on this one 🖕🏻.)

So yeah - don't be defeatist about this, don't let Israel's narrative that they "won" (they didn't) take over. This might not be everything we wanted, but it's still a good result. Don't let what the court didn't say ("ceasefire"), distract you from the very important things that they did say. Let this be your motivation to get loud and active, especially if you live in any country that supports Israel. Put pressure on your governments to not be complicit in genocide, you now officially have the highest international court on your side.

[il-miele-che-scrive]

Go for his brother part 2

Part 1 here

Part 3 here

username1 DOUBLE BETRAYAL 😭

↳username2 wdym bro wtf Arthur is just getting his karma, he CHEATED on Y/n with her best friend

↳username2 and Y/n only got with his brother after the breakup

username3 It's so crazy to me how not long ago Y/n was with Arthur at Charles' race and we could see them all lovey dovey and now she's with Charles 💀

username4 I hope they actually like each other and it's not just something Y/n schemed to get back at Arthur

↳username5 And even if it is, so what? Both Leclercs deserve this if she's doing it for the sake of revenge

username4 What did Charles ever do to you 😭 he's a literal pookie

username6 I am BEGGING to find out Arthur's reaction

username7 I wanna see this on Drive To Survive lmao

↳username8 The most interesting thing in the whole season lol

username9 Exactly! Men driving in circles? Nah, fuck that, give me family drama

yourusername The Art & The Artist

view all comments

charles_leclerc I took way more than these 2 pictures, should post them all

↳yourusername some would get me banned🤭

username1 MY OH MY

username2 What did she say 😐

username3 I'm jealous but haven't decided if I want him or her

username4 Arthur better not read this comment section (I hope he will)

francisca.cgomes Thanks for blessing my eyes 🫶

↳yourusername You're welcome bestie🫶

username4 it's so nice to see Y/n found a friend who won't steal her bf

username5 You can't be sure, it's Charles Leclerc we're talking about. You think he wouldn't go for his best friends' girlfriend who is now his own girlfriends' best friend after pulling what he's just pulled?

username4 ngl girl I got lost in whatever you're saying

yoursister In your iconic girl era ❤️

↳yourusername I slayed didn't I 💅

username6 Honestly guys I believe it's not just a revenge scheme

↳username5 What makes you think that?

username6 Given these pictures and the pictures from the gossip page they look pretty much happy to me, too happy for it to be fake

username5 Whatever you say, we'll see. They have to get tired of pretending one day

exbestfriend Glowing ✨🩷

↳yourusername 😐

↳francisca.cgomes 😐

↳yoursister 😐

↳charles_leclerc 😐

↳pierregasly 😐

↳georgerussell63 😐

↳carmenmmundt 😐

↳alex_albon 😐

↳lilymhe 😐

username7 Y/N AND HER COMMENT SECTION ARE ICONIC 😭

↳username8 I can't stop imagining them having a gc and she sent a screenshot of her ex best friend's comment like "you know what to do, guys" 🤣

username9 I just know Arthur is screaming crying throwing up because LOOK AT WHAT HE LOST

username10 Lol who's next? Toto Wolff?

arthur_leclerc My favorite love story is ours ❤️

view all comments

exbestfriend So happy we found each other ❤️❤️

username1 💀

username2 Alright they both have the audacity

username3 your love story is cheating on Y/n lmao

username4 Imagine they have a kid one day who'll ask mom dad how did you meet lol

↳username3 I'd be EMBARRASSED

username5 They deserve each other tbh

username6 Hey but... What if this pic and Y/n's pics were taken on the same day...

↳username7 wdym

username6 Arthur wanted to keep and eye on his ex and his brother from afar 😭

username7 it's terrible but possibly true lmao

exbestfriend I'm so sick of people judging us

↳username2 That's what you deserve, the both of you

↳username4 when actions have consequences:😮

yourusername Back at the paddock ❤️

view all comments

username1 At least she didn't downgrade right?

yoursister You guys look so good together

↳yourusername Thank you 🫶 ily

↳charles_leclerc Yes we do 😊

↳username2 Y/s/n never commented anything like this when Y/n used to post with Arthur😭

lilymhe It was nice catching up with you when the boys were playing

↳yourusername maybe next time you and Alex could come over so the boys can play some video games together

username3 Pls they're just two single mothers bonding over their toddlers being besties😭

username4 I NEED TO KNOW IF ARTHUR WAS THERE

↳username5 You crazy? Ofc he wouldn't have come, he's too scared of confrontation

username4 Okay but then what if one day Y/n and Charles get married? Will Arthur just skip his brother's wedding?

username5 I think some time will pass before Charles decides to settle down. And not with Y/n, that's for sure

username6 Why not? Y/n makes a much better couple with Charles than she did with Arthur

username5 Charles would never take her seriously lol she dated his brother, Charles is just having fun with her while letting her have her moment

arthur_leclerc Are you wearing the dress you wore on our first date?

↳username2 SHE'S WHAT?????

↳username3 wtf are u doing here

↳yourusername Maybe...

username4 Mother keeps slaying 😭👏

username7 I aspire to be like Y/n fr

alex_albon Lily said we should have a double date

↳yourusername Let's do it then @/lilymhe @/charles_leclerc when and where

arthur_leclerc I just wonder when will you get bored of this

↳yourusername Bored of what exactly? Going to races? You know I've always enjoyed looking at cars go vroooom

arthur_leclerc You know what I mean

arthur_leclerc Of pretending to like Charles just to prove me some delusional point

yourusername You really think I'd waste my energy on that? It's a funny coincidence indeed, but I do like him actually

arthur_leclerc Mhm sure I give you maybe 6 months more, can't keep pretending forever

charles_leclerc A family gathering & the morning after

view all comments

username1 OH GREAT HEAVENS

pierregasly Now that's something none of us expected

↳username2 bro speaking facts

username3 They said fuck you Arthur you'll get a proof we're not pretending😭

username4 Well at least the family already knew her

↳username5 Pascale liked Y/n so much she said girl you have my blessing no matter which one u marry

username3 Guys do you think Arthur was there? You know, it's a family gathering, so he had to be there, right?

alex_albon Charles settling down wasn't on my bingo card this year

↳lilymhe Neither was it on mine but I love it

francisca.cgomes Girl you realize there's no going back now? 😂

↳yourusername I hope so😜🫶

arthur_leclerc I still can't believe how disrespectful you both are

↳charles_leclerc Look who's speaking of being disrespectful

↳yourusername stfu arthur maman literally had to kick you out of the party

username3 The way it used to be "Thurthur" and now it's "stfu arthur" 😶

username2 at least the "maman" is the same right

username5 I feel like Pascale likes Y/n more than she likes Arthur

username7 wtf guys PASCALE HAD TO KICK ARTHUR OUT OF THE PARTY 😭😭

↳username8 That's crazy, imagine how's the wedding gonna look like

carlossainz55 Getting engaged after a few weeks? Is she pregnant?😂

↳username9 Not funny

username10 Chill that's just millennial humour from back when pregnancy outside marriage was a disgrace

↳charles_leclerc We've known each other long enough to make this decision 🫢

carlossainz55 Valid point

arthur_leclerc But for majority of this time she was my girlfriend

charles_leclerc On which you cheated

arthur_leclerc @/yourusername did you use me just to get to Charles? Was it your plan from the beginning?

↳yourusername Sure because I have nothing else to do lmao

↳yourusername We've talked about it yesterday arthur, don't start again

arthur_leclerc I just still can't believe Charles would do something like that to me

yourusername And half a year ago I believed you wouldn't have ever cheated on me

charles_leclerc I said it yesterday and I'll say it again, Arthur I will always love you as a brother, but you messed up big time, you can't be mad at us

[coldalbion]

I SWEAR BY ALMIGHTY RIVER

From another article on this, first, because it's also relevant:

"The barrister Paul Powlesland, who has acted for climate protesters, was called to jury service last week, and made judicial history by taking an oath on the thing most holy to him – not an ancient book, but a cupful of water from his local river in north-east London: “I swear by the River Roding, from her source in Molehill Green to her confluence with the Thames,” he said, “that I will faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence.” Powlesland explained that he wanted to promote the idea of the sacredness of nature, and its place in the legal system. “I hope that many others follow suit,” he said, “and animism is soon found more regularly in our courts.” In fact, the practice has the oldest of precedents. The first recorded oaths in western literature were made by the Homeric gods, who were, you will recall, in the habit of swearing on the waters of River Styx. As Hesiod wrote, breaking such a vow had serious consequences: “And whoever of the gods, pours of this water, and swears on it, and does so falsely, he is laid flat, and does not breathe, until a year is completed; nor will he have ambrosia and nectar to eat, but be laid on his bed while the evil coma covers him.”

And from the main article:

“I explained that nature is my God and I believe the Roding to be sacred and I manifest love in action for her, and in all the things that I do for her, and it would be a really meaningful promise to me,” said Powlesland. “I dipped my finger into a cup of the Roding water and said that ‘I swear on the River Roding from her source in Molehill Green to her confluence with the Thames that I will faithfully try the case and give a true verdict according to the evidence.’ “I got a feeling from the judge that he felt the truth in my voice, that this was a meaningful, sacred promise to me. It wasn’t just me playing silly buggers.” Powlesland is also the co-founder of Lawyers for Nature, a group campaigning for elements of the natural world to be recognised in law in Britain. Rivers, lakes and rainforests have been given legal personhood in countries including New Zealand, Spain, Ecuador and Australia."

[nelle-y]

A love story told through voicelines (Alhaitham ver.) I

C/W: alhaitham x gn!reader, not that slow of a burn, characters find the other annoying, reader is a teacher at the akademiya (Vahumana), they have history (iykyk), one nsfw innuendo, not proofread

Note: my humiliating attempt at writing Alhaitham’s smart ahh attitude >A< anw, lmk how you guys want this story to go! (comments and reblogs are encouraged and appreciated)

Part 2

—

(You) About Alhaitham

Scribe Alhaitham? He’s… intelligent. That’s all I have to say.

(Alhaitham) About you

Hm.

(You) About Alhaitham: History I

He and I partnered up in a thesis which, thankfully, got approved by our professors. Working with him was challenging, to be honest. Every idea I had, he’d shut it down with some counter argument—“they’d never approve of that,” or “it has too many defects.” A conversation with him may as well be a debate! Frustrating and infuriating.

(Alhaitham) About you: History I

They are competent, I’ll admit that much. But their ideas? Flawed. Reckless. It’s as if they refuse to consider consequences before leaping into action. Every discussion turned into an exhausting debate—because, naturally, I had to be the one to explain why their half-formed theories wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny.

Really, for someone who specializes in history, you’d think they’d have learned from past mistakes. And yet, they persist.

(You) About Alhaitham: History II

Talking about this in my place of work is not really appropriate. … Fine! Yes, we were in… amorous congress. But it happened a long time ago—when we were still students. Just once. A drunken mistake, that’s all it was!

… Keep this between us, though. I love my job.

(Alhaitham) About you: History II

I’d rather this particular detail remain in the past where it belongs. It was years ago, an irrelevant event. I fail to see why anyone would find it worth discussing now.

Though, knowing them, they’d likely frame it as some dramatic mistake rather than what it was—an ill-advised but ultimately inconsequential decision. Either way, I don’t intend to entertain the conversation.

… You think I should drop by? Hm, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to evaluate their current methodology.

(You) About Alhaitham: Work

It’s inevitable that we cross paths—he’s the Akademiya’s Scribe, after all. I can handle brief interactions, but when he lingers, it’s… bothersome. Always with that unreadable expression, listening too intently to everything I say. I know he’s just waiting to poke holes in my arguments. Ugh. Some things never change.

(Alhaitham) About you: Work

They have an irritating tendency to be vague, as if I won’t immediately notice the gaps in their reasoning. Do they think that being imprecise will make me less inclined to argue? If anything, it has the opposite effect.

I don’t intend to debate them at every opportunity, but when they make it so easy, I see no reason to hold back.

(You) About Alhaitham: Annoyance

Do you know how aggravating it is to give a lecture, only to see him sitting there in the back, arms crossed, silently judging every word that comes out of my mouth? He doesn’t even work in my Darshan! What is he doing there?! “It was on my way,” he says. “I had time to spare,” he says. Liar.

Having the Scribe in my classroom is distracting—both for me and my students. I’d appreciate it if he found a different way to pass the time. Preferably far away from my lectures.

(Alhaitham) About you: Observation

I fail to understand how they manage to get results. Their lectures lack structure, their methods are inconsistent, and yet… their students actually retain information. It goes against all logic.

Still, I suppose there’s something to be said about efficacy, no matter how unorthodox. Not that I’ll be admitting that to them. They’re insufferable enough as it is.

(You) About Alhaitham: A Final Thought

I swear, he only comes to my lectures to irritate me. He just sits there, arms crossed, waiting for me to say something he can nitpick. It’s distracting. The other day, I caught myself scanning the room to see if he was there before I even started teaching. Ridiculous.

…No, that doesn’t mean anything! It’s just easier to prepare for battle when you know the enemy is near!

(Alhaitham) About you: A Final Thought

They’ve developed an odd habit of pausing mid-lecture, glancing toward the back of the room—toward me. If I were to be charitable, I’d say they’re checking whether I have any objections.

But that would imply they value my opinion. Which, of course, is absurd.

(Your student) About you and the Scribe

… So, uh. Are those two dating or something?

[sspookyspoonss]

Hello I am a non-binary person from terf island. I’ve seen a few misconceptions about how the decision concerning the Equality Act came about. I think it’s important in the wake of this devastating decision to point our activism in a useful direction and make sure people are aware of the protections they still have. So I’ve written this.

How the decision came about:

The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) does not work like the Supreme Court of other nations like America. It cannot overrule a direct act of Parliament. Instead, it interprets the meaning of legislation to resolve legal issues. This is under the logic that judges arent elected, MP’s are, so are better placed to make policy decisions. They are also democratically accountable, unlike judges, so they can be voted out if they do something the public doesn’t like (this comes up later.)

To make a long story short, the decision is a result of this interpretive role. The Equality Act does not define sex or gender. Therefore the court had to decide a definition for what Parliament intended to be the outcome for cases like this using the legislation. They found (due to things like the use of ‘sex’ in the section granting protection on pregnancy status, makes more sense in the judgement) that the Equality Act could not be read as certified sex, instead it could only be read coherently by using biological sex.

Why does this matter? Well, it means that the decision is limited to the meaning of who is protected under ‘discrimination based on sex’ in the Equality Act for protection against things like sexism. Don’t get me wrong, still dire, but it is not removing the recognition of trans peoples genders entirely.

It is stated in the judgment that ‘gender reassignment’ is not limited to those with a gender recognition certificate. In this way, while still awful, the decision is not as bad as first seems. Trans people still have protection via the category of ‘sexual reassignment.’ This is important to reiterate. You are not completely without protection, if you face transphobic discrimination, you still have some legal protection. This needs to be said so people continue to bring action for transphobia they face and so transphobes don’t think they can get away with transphobia. Not knowing what protections remain helps bigots because they will go without consequence.*

*(Keep in mind that obviously bigoted people still get away with their actions when legal action is brought. However, the point of deterrence and the ability to bring a case under public scrutiny by bringing it, regardless of outcome, is important)

HOWEVER:

Process of the court:

First of all we cannot remove the court of all blame. Yes, they were interpreting legislation however the process of doing that was REALLY flawed. They refused to take evidence from trans people. This should have been considered because of the UKSC’s power to make a Declaration of Incompatibility. Basically, this says ‘Parliament this Act violates ECHR, fix it.’ Because of the impact this decision is going to have on trans people when it comes to things like sex segregated spaces (see below), I think making one should have been considered at the very least. Really, I think here one should have been made.

The Act itself

The court also stated that the Act recognised a conflict between the interests of different protected characteristics. This reveals that the Act is written in a manner that pits the interests of trans people and interests of cis people against each other. This is an issue. Trans people and cis people (particularly cis women because that’s what this case arose about) are not enemies. Blaming trans people is obviously scapegoating to protect other forces that harm both groups. Really, having sex and ‘gender reassignment’ as two categories rather than ‘identified gender’ in an Equality Act was bound to cause this conflict. We need a better Equality Act that doesn’t pit trans people and ‘women’s interests’ against each other.

This judgement just highlights how poor the Equality Act is in terms of protecting trans people. Although only being from 2010, the Equality Act has bases in the Sex Discrimination Act from 1975. This means there are far older perceptions of trans people at play here. These flaws have been revealed by this case.

There are provisions in it relating to sex segregated spaces with no consideration about how this would impact the ‘gender reassignment’ category, despite sex also being used in defining eligibility under that categories’ protection. We’ve been acting on an unstable presumption that trans people were included. This has collapsed in this case because of how rules of interpretation function. This shows we need a new Equality Act, one that doesn’t leave space for interpretation that trans people are any less of a man or a woman and thus don’t deserve equal protection.

The impact

This has been ceased upon by transphobes to be a ‘victory for women’ and authorising same sex spaces. People can explain far better than me why the former isn’t true. However, sadly, the latter is true. We can only wonder what the UKSC will decide when a case gets brought concerning the ‘gender reassignment’ categories and these spaces. I can only hope a declaration would have to be made then, or ECtHR would rule against the UK. However, these future events do not impact the harrowing impact this is going to have before any case like that is brought. This court case, despite the above, is still undeniably tragic.

Why does this matter?

There is a point to make that the process doesn’t matter, the outcome is still the same. However, it is important to remember that democratic accountability element. My fear is that the way this has been reported is allowing politicians to hide behind the court for their own failures. Failing to not consider how trans people are protected by the Equality Act. Failing to pass further trans rights legislation like self recognition. Increasing restrictions on gender affirming care. They can point their fingers at the courts and say ‘look they‘ve okayed this!’ In reality, all the court has done is highlighted Parliaments sloppy work in protecting trans people because of the way they had to interpret the legislation.

It is important to point out the flaws are within the Equality Act. Minority groups rely on this legislation, including trans people. This case has highlighted it does not represent trans people or suit our needs. We need an Equality Act that is capable of protecting us. Not one as flawed as the current one so we are able of relying on it, without the semantics of ‘oh what does sex mean.’

Obviously, the court is not blameless. I’ve mentioned why. However, we cannot do anything about who’s on the court. We CAN do things about what legislation Parliament makes. We cannot let them hide behind the UKSC. Doing so means they avoid the democratic accountability that is the whole reason why the court has to follow the meaning of Parliament.

We need to channel our anger to places where we can make an impact. Write to your MP demanding a better, comprehensive Equality Act that protects trans people. Legislation that doesn’t view a persons biological sex as determining whether they are a man or woman. Legislation that doesn’t pit cis women and trans people against each other.

Sign petitions. Look up and attend local protests. When the time comes, even at council elections, vote for trans friendly candidates. Call out transphobia. Donate to charities which have platforms to give better resources so they can try and petition legislators.

This situation is dire. Trans people need a hell of a lot of comfort after this. But we need to know what protection we still have so we can use them. We also need to know where the problem lies so we can work for change as effectively as we can.

Know that you are valid. And that you can fight.

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

Hi there!

I have a request for a Viscount Druitt (Black Butler) analysis.

I've never seen an in depth analysis on his character before and would be curious to hear your thoughts.

Feel free to deny/ignore this ask if you aren't comfortable with it.

Hello! Just wanted to say thanks for enjoying my analysis enough to trust me with a character deep dive!

I’ll be honest, Viscount Druitt isn’t a character I can analyze in great depth, given how little canon material we have on him. However, I feel like i can make a hopefully well thought out piece with what we have of him so, i can only wish you a happy reading as we get into this!!

Also I want to point out: I do NOT endorse Viscount's character or his actions, I believe it is still valuable to analyze his character. This is done out of respect for Yana Toboso's writing, which intentionally crafts such figures to critique real-world systems and moral decay. Exploring characters like Druit can open up meaningful discussion about power, vanity, corruption, and societal rot, especially when viewed through a psychological or literary lens.

Aleister Chamber is a walking contradiction: charming yet predatory, elegant yet grotesque.

So Aleister Chamber, famously known as Viscount Druitt, is presented to us as an incredibly conceited and arrogant individual with an inflated sense of self-importance, often given to theatrical and exaggerated outbursts.

The Viscount's literal introduction to the series is as a part-time semi-antagonist for our earl and butler. He was suspected as Jack the Ripper, so o!Ciel and Sebastian go undercover to catch him.

We quickly find out the messed up part of this character, as o!Ciel had to literally "lure" Druitt by flirting with him, quickly gaining the man's attention.

May I remind you all, o!Ciel is 13 years old and even if he's crossdressing, he clearly looks like a child, Druitt finds the "girls" youthful apparence much more appealing.

At o!Ciel's insistance, Aleister guides him to a concealed room, where he releases a soporific gas that causes the kid to lose consciousness.

It is then revealed that Aleister is a host and important piece for underground auctions, he addresses the crowd, unveiling our earl bound and blindfolded, as the highly anticipated item up for bid.

He presents various disturbing options: the "girl" could be kept in a cage, toyed with, used in a ritual, or even dismembered and sold piece by piece, depending on the buyer's desires.

As we know, Viscount is proven to not being Jack the Ripper, yet his "hobby" doesn't get him off the hook, he's still a clearly horrible person. I personally think he's a personafication of the corrupt aristocracy of Victorian society.

Even after being arrested for his heinous crimes, Viscount Druit manages to buy his way out of legal consequences. This detail, while frustrating, feels intentional.

Rather than being a narrative oversight, it serves as a sharp critique of the Victorian nobility’s corruption: a class drenched in power and wealth that even the gravest crimes can be brushed aside through bribery and influence.

Anyways, Druitt is revealed to be a judge in the curry fair, he gives very theatrical and dramatic reviews. Sebastian's curry, reminds the Viscount of o!Ciel when he cross dressed to lure him (lol).

And while this bit is funny, i think the fact he's rambling about a young "girl" he literally drugged and attempted to sell is well....disturbing.

The fact that he speaks of this memory so fondly and publicly without recognizing its horror highlights how morally bankrupt and deluded he is.

Yana Toboso plays this for dark comedy, but beneath the humor is a chilling commentary on how trauma and abuse can be minimized or romanticized in elite circles.

amidst the theatricality of Viscount Druit’s judging, there's a brief, easily overlooked panel where o!Ciel visibly shudders at Druit’s offhand comment about the “beautiful girl” from a past party.

To readers familiar with the context, this moment is chilling: o!Ciel is reminded, in public and without warning, of a time when he was drugged, bound, and nearly sold into human trafficking.

While Druit reminisces with comical flair, o!Ciel’s body language signals genuine distress.

And I think it's very important that yana's writing style ties comedy with deep layers of darkness with sometimes even foreshadowing.

comedic moment that serves as a nod to foreshadowing a dark event e.g n1:

From this comedic moment of Agni’s over-the-top devotion to the prince:

To Agni genuienly risking his life for him:

Comedic moment that sets up as a dark reality e.g n2:

from this cute and silly pannel of o!Ciel finding out Santa isn't real:

Jumping to o!Ciel relating this story to him renouncing his faith in God due to the abuse him and his brother have endoured:

So back to it, Viscount's over the top and whimsicaly funny jokes come with a dark or disturbing price.

Although these exaggerated outburts are meant to be portrayed as humorous, it is important to consider the context behind them, here's an example of one of Druitt's "funny" moments:

That wierdly drawn out of pocket sexual scene of Harcourt shitting his pants, I’m still convinced to this day that Druitt was the one who saw Harcourt’s... “issue” in an erotic and overly romanticized way.

That’s why there’s that little image of him putting on his glasses to get a closer look, blushing as he comments on how “nice” this implied 13- or 14-year-old boy is.

Maybe im reaching but, it frames Harcourt’s incredibly vulnerable situation through an oddly romanticized and sexualized lens, and it makes so much sense for this to be especially from Druitt's perspective.

Aleister views people: especially women and underage individuals he finds attractive, as objects for entertainment or exploitation. I feel like this "comedic" moment captures that disturbing element.

Despite his outward charm and refinement, he is ultimately seen as a fool by the major characters in the series:

Francis, who possesses keen intuition (her dislike towards Sebastian as an example) and a strong aversion to men who cause trouble, clearly dislikes him and harbors deep distrust toward him.

Sebastian, o!Ciel, Grell, and Ronald—three of whom are supernatural beings—harbor such intense annoyance toward Viscount Druit that they openly express a desire to kill him.

What’s particularly intriguing is that Undertaker, a character known for his discerning eye, disdain for shallow aristocracy, and preference for the "beautiful" dead, actually vouches for Druit, even going so far as to physically protect him.

While characters like Sebastian, Grell, Ronald, and Ciel express open contempt and even murderous annoyance toward the viscount, Undertaker finds him amusing enough to keep alive.

But then begs the question, why would Undertaker want to keep such a grotesque, ridiculous, aristrocrat alive?

Well, he answers this question, in a way:

Undertaker might see Druit as a kind of walking joke, a grotesque caricature of the rotting nobility, and thus a living symbol of everything that’s wrong with Victorian society.

Much like someone keeping a grotesque but rare artifact, Undertaker could find Druit’s unique blend of foolishness, depravity, and theatricality too entertaining to discard.

Ultimately, this odd dynamic invites us to question how value is measured in the eyes of someone like Undertaker, and whether entertainment, unpredictability, or strategic utility can outweigh morality: even when it involves a man as loathsome as Aleister Druit.

So here he goes again, Druit goes scot-free despite deserving harm and this time, without bribes.

Yana Toboso portrays Druit not merely as comic relief or a grotesque semi-antagonist, he symbolizes the moral rot hidden behind polished high-society refinement. The ease with which he evades justice reflects the systemic protection of the elite.

His survival may not be justified within the story morally—but it is realistic in the most infuriating way. The same way he didn't face consequences for literal human trafficking.

All in all, Alister is the embodiment of everything rotten about the elite class: vain, self-obsessed, theatrically ignorant, and wildly disconnected from reality.

Through Druit, Toboso satirizes how aristocrats in Victorian England (and honestly, still today) could commit horrifying acts with impunity, so long as they maintained the appearance of class and contributed to elite social circles. He exists in a decadent bubble, where wealth and name shield him from accountability.

He’s not punished by the system: he is the system.

Druit’s involvement in the human auction, where children and women are sold as commodities, is not just a plot device, it’s a bold commentary on the historical reality of how vulnerable groups are exploited by the rich.

Even more disturbing is how no one in his social circle seems surprised or outraged, and when he’s arrested, he simply bribes his way out.

The narrative reflects the painful truth that many real-world abusers and traffickers in high places face little or no consequence, especially when they wear the mask of civility.

Despite openly committing horrible crimes and being disliked by virtually every major character (many of whom are supernatural beings who could end him instantly), Druit keeps popping back up—alive, free, and more absurd than ever.

Even Undertaker, a character who sees the beauty in death and the flaws of the living, finds Druit too entertaining to kill. This isn’t mercy: it’s mockery.

It suggests that Druit is so pathetic, so far gone, that death would be too serious a punishment for him. He is the walking punchline to a cruel joke about power, survival, and the failure of justice.

In keeping Druit alive, the narrative emphasizes the horror of normalized corruption: we laugh at him, recoil at him, and yet... he persists. And that’s the point.

Viscount Druit may be ridiculous, but he is far from harmless. He is a grotesque exaggeration of very real societal failures: how power shields predators, how appearances excuse exploitation, and how the worst people often face the fewest consequences.

By satirizing him so sharply, Yana Toboso doesn’t excuse his existence: she condemns the world that allows it.

Viscount Druit is a flamboyant aristocrat whose vanity and hunger for admiration hides a hollow, dangerous core. His character critiques both the performative nature of high society and the moral rot hidden beneath its polished surface.

He is ridiculous, vile, and ultimately pitiful: a useful minor villain who reinforces the series’ darker themes through satire and shock.

Andddd that's all folks, thanks for reading! :)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

All over DC and NYC today

* * * *

Backstopping the courts!

February 11, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

Here is the topline: Defenders of the rule of law are on a judicial winning streak. At the same time, it appears unclear whether Trump and Musk are complying with existing orders compelling them to cease their unlawful behavior. The ‘overwhelming question’ that confronts our democracy is, “What happens if Trump and Musk refuse to obey court orders?”

Legal analysts and political commentators are focusing on that question and often conclude their analysis with something like, “It will be a constitutional crisis.”

That is a highly unsatisfying and incomplete answer. None of the analysts or commentators mention the role of American citizens in pushing back against the ongoing billionaire coup. Yes, we may indeed end up with a constitutional standoff between the executive and the courts, but to pretend that the people have no say in the outcome is an oversight of profound dimensions.

As I wrote yesterday, a system in which the leaders claim to be exempt from the rule of law contains an inherent instability: If the rule of law does not apply to the leaders, it does not apply to the people. That is not a threat but an observation of how other nations have brought dictators to heel. Trump and Musk should, therefore, stop their lawless spree well short of mass action by citizens fed up with a lawless “government.”

The power of mass protests, strikes, stoppages, and boycotts will be particularly potent in America. The US is the largest economy in the world because its markets are stable, its political climate is (relatively) corruption-free, and the rule of law is enforced.

Business thrives on order, predictability, and risk management. If the rule of law is overthrown, business profits will take a nose-dive. The bond market is acting in an unnatural manner, suggesting a deep-seated suspicion that something bad may be happening. The markets are not worried only about Trump's tariffs increasing inflation. They are beginning to price in a risk premium for political instability. (That is my personal opinion based on reading the financial press; I am not an economist.)

Moreover, the full faith and credit of the US depend entirely on American citizens' belief that their tax dollars are spent under the system established in the Constitution—appropriations made by Congress through legislation, signed into law by the president, and implemented by the executive departments and agencies. If Trump and Musk break that system, it raises the obvious question: “What’s in it for the American taxpayer?”

I raise these points not to frighten anyone but rather to give us confidence by following the logic of the current crisis to its inevitable conclusion: The people will prevail.

Even if Trump and Musk lack the emotional intelligence or self-awareness to intuit that fact, the business community that is providing Trump a free pass at the moment is keenly aware of the consequences of breaking the social compact.

I don’t think the crisis will get that far because I believe those around Trump understand the consequences of “crossing the Rubicon” of disregarding court orders. But if it does get that far, I feel pretty good about the prospects of the American people in a political tug of war with Trump and Musk.

With that background, let’s look at how the major developments fit into the narrative.

Courts continue to enjoin illegal and unconstitutional actions by Trump and Musk

As noted above, those defending democracy and the rule of law are on a winning streak against Trump and Musk. But there is worrisome evidence that Trump and Musk are already disregarding court orders. See NYTimes, Judge Says White House Defied His Ruling, as Showdown with Trump Nears (Accessible to all.)

As explained in the Times article,

A federal judge said on Monday that the White House had defied his order to release billions of dollars in federal grants, marking the first time a judge has expressly declared that the Trump administration is disobeying a judicial mandate.

The ruling by Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island federal court ordered administration officials to comply with what the judge called “the plain text” of an ruling he issued on Jan. 29. That order, he wrote, was “clear and unambiguous, and there are no impediments to the Defendants’ compliance.”

The flicker of hope in the above description of the “freeze” lawsuit is that the DOJ is appealing Judge McConnell's ruling. It could have been otherwise; the White House could have simply announced that it was not going to abide by the ruling. The appeal from Judge McConnell's order may be the vehicle that brings the conflict to the Supreme Court.

But, to be absolutely clear, the White House did not say it would comply with Judge McConnell’s order, so the possibility remains that Trump is defying a binding court order as we speak. Time will tell.

Similar cases are trailing behind, including restraining orders or injunctions against executive orders purporting to take the following actions:

Trump's buyout offer to federal workers: USA Today, Judge blocks Trump buyout offer to federal workers.

Trump's massive cuts to healthcare grants (by limiting overhead to 15%). See Politico, Judge temporarily blocks Trump cuts to health research grants.

And new lawsuits are challenging other Trump executive orders:

Public Citizen filed a lawsuit seeking to block the shutdown of foreign aid: Politico, First lawsuit targets Trump’s foreign aid freeze.

A union has sued Trump to prevent the CFPB shutdown. See Axios, Union sues Trump admin over CFPB shutdown attempt and DOGE access

The takeaway is that these legal challenges are headed to the Supreme Court—if we are lucky. Getting to the Supreme Court means that (a) Trump is losing and (b) he recognizes that the courts have a role in resolving the disputes.

Trump expands his campaign of lawlessness and corruption

Trump is pillaging and burning his way through laws and agencies designed to protect consumers from deceitful, misleading, and dishonest practices by American businesses in the US and businessmen making deals abroad.

As noted above, Trump has effectively shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—an agency created and funded by Congress. Trump has no authority to unilaterally shut down an agency created by statute.

The unseemly end for the CFPB is bad for consumers. Very. See NBC, What's at stake for consumers as Trump officials target the CFPB (“Congress granted the CFPB the power to supervise banks with more than $10 billion in assets and to regulate lending by nonbank entities, including mortgage, auto, payday and private student loan issuers.”)

As the result of a CFPB rule, consumers saved $6 billion (not a mistake: $6 billion) in check overdraft fees charged by banks. The House Banking Committee has proposed legislation to eliminate that protection.

Trump has also announced suspension of enforcement of a federal anti-bribery statute that prohibits the use of bribes in securing foreign contracts. See The Independent, Trump orders Justice Department to stop enforcing foreign anti-bribery law.

In a truly stunning talking point on a White House “fact sheet” seen by The Independent, the Trump administration seemed to be giving the green light to bribes as a means of doing business overseas.

Per The Independent:

The fact sheet states the White House view that American corporations are disadvantaged by prohibitions on bribing corrupt foreign officials because such activity is common in international business transactions.

(Expletive deleted!) The American economy thrives partly because its markets are viewed as orderly and (relatively) corruption-free. If doing business in America includes bribing suppliers overseas, guess who will most assuredly lose: American consumers.

Bribing foreign producers will deter market-based behavior that rewards honest competition. Instead, the company most willing to engage in criminal bribery will win the contract. Unbelievable!

Speaking of encouraging bribery, Trump pardoned former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of soliciting bribes to fill Barack Obama’s seat in the Senate when Obama was elected president. See CBS Chicago, President Trump officially pardons former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (“I didn't know him, other than I believe he was on 'The Apprentice' for a little while," said President Trump).

Even worse, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York to dismiss the federal indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. See AP News, Top Justice Department official orders prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. (“[I]n a remarkable departure from long-standing norms, [the DOJ argued] that the case was interfering with the mayor’s ability to aid the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.”)

But here is a ray of hope amidst the sudden collapse of the legal profession in the Trump administration: The American Bar Association released a statement calling on lawyers to uphold the rule of law! Read the entire statement here: The ABA supports the rule of law.

The statement says, in part,

Moreover, refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress under the euphemism of a pause is a violation of the rule of law and suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government. This is contrary to the constitutional framework and not the way our democracy works. The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop. [¶¶] We urge every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law. It is part of the oath we took when we became lawyers. Whatever your political party or your views, change must be made in the right way. Americans expect no less.

Well done and well said! We need other organizations and leaders to follow the example of the ABA!

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

[tortillamastersblog]

♕ No Matter What - Part 14 | Lena Luthor ♕

Pairing: Lena Luthor x reader

Warnings: major injuries, blood, violence, cursing, angst

Summary: Sick of being toyed with, Lena takes action against her brother only for it to backfire in the worst way imaginable.

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

________________________________________________

“Ready?” Kara asks.

Lena nods and squares her shoulders, glancing my way for a second.

I give a thumbs up, albeit a bit halfheartedly and watch as Winn does some final tests on the microphone and camera.

It’s been two days since Lena got Lex’s letter. I have yet to read the whole thing, but judging by how she bawled when she was done reading it I can only imagine what he threatened to do if she doesn’t retract her testimony.

Instead of wallowing in self pity though, Lena decided that she wouldn’t let him manipulate her like this any longer which is why she’s now scheduled for an interview to reveal his plans of overturning his conviction to the world.

I’m not entirely sure this is the right thing to do because who knows how Lex will react, but when I brought it up to Lena she snapped at me.

I was irritated at first, but then she broke down crying again and said she had to do something because she couldn’t handle anyone getting hurt again, especially not me.

“Alright, we’re on in three seconds,” Winn says, joining me behind the camera. “Three, two, one. . .”

He nods and points a finger gun at Kara to signal that the camera is rolling.

The blonde fidgets with her glasses and looks at the notes in her lap before diving right into the interview.

She asks Lena about the breakout first, getting some information about how she found out about it before mentioning the letter.

Lena is tense and fidgets with her hands in her lap, but she’s doing her best to uphold a calm and confident appearance by sitting upright and keeping her face blank.

“Lex is a behind-the-scenes player,” she says. “He doesn’t like to act in the open and often pays people to do his dirty work for him which is why I set up this interview. People need to know what he’s up to.”

Kara nods, looking more serious than I have ever seen her.

She goes on to ask about the possible consequences of this interview and Lena tells her she hopes that Lex will back off for the time being now that the public is aware of what he’s trying to do.

They wrap things up rather quickly, Kara giving Lena a big hug once the cameras are turned off and Lena invites her over for dinner.

She also invites Winn, but he declines politely because he already has plans with James and William. They’re going bowling which is a once-a-month ritual for them and he already missed the last time they did it because he was sick.

The cameras and microphones are disassembled and packed away and within a couple of minutes we’re all making our way out of L-Corp.

It’s late which is why no reporters are around and Winn hails down a cab and bids us all goodbye as Alfred pulls up in the familiar black SUV.

I open the back door for Kara and Lena, waiting for them to get in before closing it again and getting into the front passenger seat myself.

I saw the longing look Lena sent me when she hesitated before getting in, but I didn’t get in with her because three people in the backseat would have been a tight squeeze and there wouldn’t have been much I could have done to comfort her with Kara around.

Alfred sends me a knowing look, obviously having caught onto the more-than-friendly relationship between Lena and I, but he doesn’t comment on it.

There’s not much traffic at this time of night, so we get to Lena’s place rather fast and I order some takeout while we’re in the elevator up to the apartment after agreeing on burgers and fries with Kara and Lena.

They take a seat on the couch, resuming their chat from the car about Kara’s new boss and I excuse myself, not wanting to intrude, and go to the guestroom.

I change out of my work clothes, putting my gun and holster on the nightstand and slip into a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt.

My back has healed nicely over the last couple of days and I can finally move again without being in pain anymore but there are still some fading bruises.

With a satisfied sigh, I jump on the bed and take out my phone, aimlessly scrolling through my camera roll.

I’m too tired to watch TV or read, so this will have to do.

I don’t have many pictures because after Noah’s death I haven’t really taken pictures of anything, but there are some pictures Lena took with my phone.

There’s a selfie she took with a dopey grin and me in the background passed out on the couch.

I didn’t know she took this and I smile when I zoom in on her face. Her eyes are sparkling with happiness and her cheeks are slightly flushed.

I love her, I think, but before I can bask in the feeling a message pops up.

It’s from my mom and I have half a mind to ignore it, but then I swipe down on it, freezing when I read what it says.

Your dad’s in the hospital. Heart attack. Please come. He was asking for you.

A heart attack? I’m not surprised, that mans been eating as though life insurance is free his entire life.

I don’t know how to feel, but I change into some more appropriate clothes either way and grab my gun off the nightstand.

I slip it into a different holster, fastening it to my belt before grabbing my phone and keys, making my way out of the room.

No matter how much he’s hurt me and how much I’ve told myself I hate him in the past, I still care about him.

He’s my dad for crying out loud, and before Noah’s death we were super close. He used to take me hunting and taught me how to play the piano, but since our falling out I haven’t done either of those things.

“Y/N? You ok?”

Kara looks at me with worry and Lena stops pouring herself another glass of wine in the kitchen to turn around and look at me, too.

Her eyebrows furrow when she takes in my getup and she rounds the kitchen island to tug at my jacket.

I don’t answer Kara. I just wave her off with a forced smile and focus on Lena.

“Where are you going?” she asks softly, fixing my collar before resting her hand on my chest.

I’m surprised by her open display of affection in front of Kara, but when I glance past her the blonde is watching us with the same knowing look Alfred had earlier.

Damn, are we that obvious? First Alex, then Alfred and now Kara?

I shake that thought and focus on Lena, hanging my head and putting my own hand over the one she has on my chest. “To the hospital. My dad had a heart attack,” I say softly.

Lena gasps and cups my cheek to make me look at her. “Oh my God. Do you want me to go with you?”

“No,” I decline quickly. “No, stay here with Kara and enjoy yourself. I’m sure with my hogging all your time recently you have a lot to catch up on.”

I force another smile, also directing it at Kara before stepping out of Lena’s space and making my way to the door.

I don’t want company right now because I have to focus on figuring out how I’m feeling.

I grab my bike from the janitors closet down in the lobby and start pedaling toward the hospital. The air is cold and crisp and makes my skin prickle, but it helps me clear my head a bit.

Why is my dad asking for me? Does he want to make up? Or is he calling me over to tell me once again what a horrible person I am?

I turn down a narrow street when I notice the street ahead is blocked by a construction site and frown when I ride past a black, windowless van.

It seems odd and out of place being parked on the side of the road because no other cars are around, but as soon as I’m past it, I shrug it off and imagine what it will be like when I get to the hospital.

My mom will surely be waiting for me, but what about my dad? Is he in surgery? Is he just waking up from surgery? What if he’s not even alive anymore?

I’m so preoccupied with my own thoughts that I don’t notice the van I just rode past catching up with me until it’s too late.

I look over my shoulder when it gets dangerously close and shout, “Hey! Watch it!”

The driver doesn’t slow down though and before I can swerve out of the way, I’m rear-ended and I fly off my bike, skidding on the pavement until I come to a rolling stop.

My pants and jacket are torn in several places, revealing scraped patches of skin, but what hurts most is my shoulder because that’s what I landed on initially.

My head also feels like it’s about to burst and everything is blurry and I feel like throwing up.

I move to get up, noticing my knuckles are covered in blood, but I don’t get far because a heavy blow to the back of my head sends me sprawling back onto the ground.

I groan and blink in an attempt to get rid of the dancing black dots in my vision, but it’s of no use because not even a couple of seconds later I’m slipping into unconsciousness.

Something incessantly poking my ribs is what ultimately wakes me up and when I move to swat at it I find myself being unable to do so because my hands are bound above my head.

I force my eyes open and let out an involuntarily sob when the pain of being hit by the van begins to catch up with me.

My shoulder aches and I tilt my head back to see I’m strung up by my hands and chained to a rusty pipe. My feet are barely touching the ground which puts extra strain onto my shoulder and makes it hard for me to breathe.

I cough, wincing when a wave of pain shoots through me and look around, trying to make out where I am, but then a harsh spotlight is turned on and aimed at my face.

It’s so bright my eyes close reflexively and I turn my head with another wince.

“Finally! You’re awake. I was afraid Otis might have hit you just a little too hard.” A voice says and I strain to open my eyes again to see who it belongs to.

I almost scoff when I see who it is and let out a defeated sigh.

Of course it’s him.

“Lex Luthor,” I croak, my fingers flexing above my head in an attempt to ease the tug on my wrists.

“So you know who I am,” he says with a smirk, redirecting the spotlight ever so slightly so I can see him properly.

We’re in what looks like an abandoned warehouse. Where we are and how much time has passed since I left Lena’s though is unbeknownst to me.

I don’t say anything and just watch him as he shoves one of his hands into the pocket of his dress pants. The dark three piece suit he’s wearing seems to shine in the low light and I can only guess how expensive it must be.

He smiles wickedly and goes to a rusty table I didn’t notice until now, dragging it across the wet concrete floor until it stands a couple of feet in front of me.

On it, he opens a laptop and connects it to a camera, aiming it at me before he starts typing something on the laptop.

My arms are starting to go numb and the longer I stay in this position the harder it gets to breath, so I grit out an irritated, “What are you doing?”

He looks up for a moment, smirking, before returning his attention to the laptop.

I thrash, making the chains rattle above me before settling back down with a shaky breath.

“What do you want from me?” I wheeze.

Lex finally stops typing and pulls out a phone, dialing a number but not calling it just yet.

“Oh, I don’t want anything from you,” he says. “You’re just a means to an end.”

I frown for a second before it dawns on me.

Lena. . . He’s using me to get to her.

“Yes, that’s right,” he says, watching me carefully. “My darling little sister seems to be quite infatuated with you and because I would never dare to lay a hand on her, what better way is there to get to her than through you.”

I feel physically sick and swallow the bile that threatens to rise in my throat. It’s beyond me how someone can treat their sibling like this, but then again, this is Lex Luthor we’re talking about and he’s not exactly known for being a devoted family man.

The smug look on his face makes my blood boil and I reflexively go to reach for my gun, but I quickly realize I can’t because my hands are still tied and when I glance down I see that it’s not even on me anymore.

Of course it’s not, I think before looking back up to meet Lex’s eyes.

He tilts his head, probably wondering what’s going through my head before sighing and calling the number he’s already dialed.

He puts the phone on speaker and when I squint I feel my stomach drop as I recognize my silver phone case.

I thrash around, knowing exactly who he’s calling.

Dread washes over me, clawing at my throat when a familiar voice answers, sounding distressed, and I have to close my eyes to will away my tears.

“Y/N! Thank God you’re calling. Where the hell are you? I was so worried! The hospital said—“

“Hello, darling sister,” Lex cuts her off, sounding eerily calm and it’s quiet on the other end of the line for a couple of seconds before Lena’s voice, now shaking, is heard again.

“Lex, what have you done to Y/N?” she whispers which makes him laugh.

He clicks his tongue in faux irritation and shakes his head even though she can’t see him. “My, my, my little one, what have I taught you about jumping to conclusions, hmm? I haven’t done anything. Yet. . . What happens next though is completely up to you.”

Silence, again.

Then. . .

“What do you want?” she asks quietly, broken. “Please, I’ll do anything, just don’t hurt Y/N.”

“No, Lena!” I croak, tugging and pulling at the chain in an attempt to get close enough to kick Lex. All I manage to do is flail around like a fish out of water though, slipping and gasping when I try to regain my footing.

“Y/N?!” Lena sounds frantic when she hears my voice, but before I get to reply a stinging pain shoots up my side, leaving behind a throbbing ache.

I yelp and cough, straining to see what happened when my eyes land on a familiar figure, twirling a baseball bat around in his hands. It’s the same man that attacked me over a week ago.

“I’m sorry, but has no one ever taught you not to interrupt a conversation?” Lex chastises, holding out a hand to stop his goon from hitting me again.

I groan and close my eyes, trying not to focus on the pain running through me.

“Lex, I swear to God—!”

“Ah, ah, ah, Lena,” Lex cuts her off yet again. “That’s not how this works. You don’t get to threaten me when I so clearly have the upper hand. Now, unless you don’t want your precious Y/N to get hurt any more, I suggest you do as I say.”

He pauses and waits for Lena’s response which ultimately comes in the form of a whispered, “Okay. . .”

“Perfect, now, the first thing I want you to do is turn on your laptop,” he says and a few seconds go by before Lena says that she’s done what he asked.

“Great, now just sit back and enjoy the show,” he says, hitting a few buttons on his own laptop before turning to me, saying, “Smile for the camera!”

I peel my eyes open and sigh when I spot the blinking red light on the camera.

Not even a second later, the bat makes contact with my side again and I yelp, tasting blood in my mouth when I cough.

“Y/N!” Lena’s voice over the speaker sounds frantic and I shiver, realizing she’s being forced to watch what’s being done to me.

God, we’re going to need so much therapy after this. . . Or at least she will because at the rate things are going, my chances of getting out of this alive are pretty low.

“Stop, it! Please, Lex. I already told you I’ll do whatever you want,” she sobs and no matter how much pain I am in, hearing her crying is a hundred times worse.

“Oh, I know,” he says. “I just wanted to demonstrate what will happen if you don’t.”

I huff and cough again, feeling a trail of blood run down the side of my chin.

Welp, that’s not good.

The thought of my parents cross my mind briefly and I wonder if they think I didn’t show up because I simply don’t care about them anymore.

That couldn’t be further from the truth, but I’m not exactly in a position to prove them wrong right now, so I’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out before I can find them and fix things.

“. . . and now because you’ve decided to share our business with the world, I not only want you to retract your testimony. I also want you to turn yourself in and tell the police you set me up and that you’re behind all the money laundering and human trafficking,” Lex rambles and my eyes widen at what he’s asking of Lena.

“You sick fuck!” I spit, kicking and flailing again before looking directly at the camera. “Lena, you’re not doing this! You’re not going to prison for things he did. You’re not going to prison for me—“

“Shut up!”

This time the bat hits my temple, but because my arms are raised above my head, most of the blow lands on my upper arm.

It leaves the same throbbing pain behind as the one on my side and my whole body begins to tremble. Something wet and sticky runs down the side of my face and my hands are completely numb.

I’m going to die here.

“Easy there, Graves,” Lex warns his goon, glaring at me for interrupting once again. “We wouldn’t want to add another murder charge to your file now, would we?”

The bulky man grumbles and lowers the bat so he can kick at it in front of him

“I’ll do it, Lex. I swear. Please just stop,” Lena sobs on the other end of the line, but I can’t just let her go down for Lex’s crimes.

“No!” I choke out, thrashing around until, surprisingly, the rusty pipe I’m chained to breaks in half.

I fall to my knees, crying out in pain before stumbling to my feet.

I’m breathing heavily, stunned that I managed to actually break free before springing into action.

My hands are still chained together but that doesn’t stop me from tackling Lex’s goon.

He howls in surprise and lets go of the bat when we topple over.

My heartbeat pounds in my ears and an unfamiliar rage cursed through me as I grab the piece of chain that tied me to the pipe and wrap it around his neck.

He thrashes beneath me, choking as his face turns red, but I don’t let up as I watch the life drain out of him.

Before I get to finish the job though, the muffled sound of a gunshot rings out and I let go of the chain with a scream, clutching at my side where it feels like I’ve been hit by the bat again.

I fall to the side, writhing in pain just to see Lex standing over me with my gun in one hand and my phone in the other.

I hear Lena crying hysterically over the phone, obviously having witnessed what just happened, while Lex is just watching me with a mix of pity and disgust.

“I really didn’t want to do this, Y/N,” he says as though he just caught a child stealing candy, “but you left me no other choice.”

I grunt and shake my head, feeling tears streaming down my face.

“Fuck you,” I whisper. “You’re a wretched human being and you don’t deserve Lena.“

Lex chuckles menacingly before turning serious within a split second. He drops my phone and kneels beside my head, yanking at my hair so I’m forced to look at him.

“And you’re a nobody,” he says calmly. “Lena might be completely infatuated with you right now, but in time she’ll realize how pathetic you actually are.

“I know more about you than you think. You got your brother killed and for the last year you’ve been wallowing in self pity because of it. Oh, and you’re poor, let’s not forget about that. No one likes a charity case.”

My chest tightens painfully and I gather whatever strength I have left in me to spit in his face.

He freezes before letting go of my hair to wipe the saliva off his face. Then he gets back to his feet.

For a second I think he’s heading back to the computer to turn off the live feed, but then he spins back around with a menacing howl and starts kicking me in the stomach.

I sob and try to protect myself with my still bound hands but it’s of no use.

Every time his foot buries itself in my stomach the breath gets knocked out of me until I’m on the brink of passing out.

He stops as quickly as he started and smooths out his suit, making sure his cuff links are still in place.

“You know what to do, Lena,” he says, waving at the camera on the table. “If you don’t I’m letting Y/N bleed out, so you better be quick about it because there’s not much time left until it’s too late.”

I don’t hear Lena’s reply over the phone because it feels like I’m floating and everything is muffled, but I manage to drag myself forward the tiniest bit to whisper, “I’m sorry, Lena. I love you,” into the phone before passing out.

________________________________________________

Oops. Are we dead? I honestly don’t know yet. . .

*Not proofread yet

Tag list: @nerethos @orange15quote @nuianced-tck-enby @autorasexy @unexpected-character @nothisismax @wandatasha

[maxdibert]

People don't understand that what Snape went through and that he chose to follow the dark lord makes sense, even if it is morally wrong. If people don't believe you, I can testify that you said nothing but the truth even if you didn't lived through that (one doesn't have to ,to understand), I grew up in the worst neighborhood in my country and we were poor to a point that I had my own room only because my parents slept in the livingroom and I only got my first bed at 9. But I was loved and cared for by at least one parent! It makes for a lot things up!

And boy, does that make a difference ! So many of my childhood-friends that grew up here joined gangs, became teen parents, dropped out of school stay unemployed and so on. I'm the exception out of all the kids, it's pretty lonely though .I was the first one to graduate high school in my whole family, the first to not have a kid before 24, and will soon be the first one with a degree ! I know I am the exception because my mother took action in my education, spent time and cared for me and dropped my dad after his gambling addiction went overboard. This is the very difference: yes Snape was poor , but also no one cared or loved him. Money can't buy everything , it can't buy love or a good childhood, we see young adults every day from good stable families crashing out and doing crazy shit, the public points at them with fingers only later to find out that they went through hell in that big fancy mansion.

Of course Severus went for the first hand that fed him, you can count either lily or death-eaters. And it makes sense that he put lily even decades later on such a high podest mentally , because she was the first one to show him kindness and after years of mistreatment he thoroughly believes he deserves nothing but cruelty. He was denied love all his life and as an adult he rejected any form of love or friendliness.

I handle legal cases for people who were born and raised in terribly hostile environments, with families that were not only poor but trapped in spirals of violence and dysfunction, where the entire setting was basically a constant push toward substance use, addiction, and consequently, criminality. And I find it quite… I wouldn’t even say just classist or privileged (though it is that too), but downright audacious to claim that if you were in those people’s shoes, you would have acted in a morally impeccable way. Because 1) statistically, it’s extremely unlikely—numbers don’t lie—and 2) no one has the slightest idea how they’d turn out after growing up in such a hostile environment.

It’s like people can’t really put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They try to “imagine” it, but always from their own privileged perspective, never by truly trying to think like a person with all those disadvantages and hardships. And it’s so easy to judge—my job is literally to convince judges that people did something wrong due to a series of understandable and explainable circumstances, while another lawyer, usually the prosecutor, is trying to convince them of the opposite.

So yeah, I’m used to it, but I’ll never stop being amazed at how selective empathy is. People can be very empathetic—as long as the victim is compliant or socially acceptable. But if the victim doesn’t fit into the moralistic and classist narrative that’s been ingrained into our culture, then suddenly it’s all unforgivable.

What people don’t understand is that just as you can’t ask someone who’s never seen the ocean, a lake, or a river to know anything about swimming, you also can’t ask someone who’s never been taught to be emotionally or affectively functional to just be that way overnight. Or ask someone raised around violence, who never learned any patterns of self-control, to magically know how to manage themselves. It’s absurd. The mind doesn’t work like that.

[copperbadge]

RE watching thoughts: I’m not 100% sure, but it might be that the whole “I am not my thoughts” is about engaging and identifying with your metacognition MORE than your initial thoughts. Because I get where you’re coming from - what is a consciousness but a collection of thoughts and feelings? But you can also have thoughts about your own thoughts that are more useful for dealing with whatever situation you’re in, I guess. (Random aside - every time I start thinking about thinking about thinking my brain inevitably starts thinking about Tiffany Aching and The Wee Free Men.)

I really should have replied to this ask sooner because it's going to seem like a non-sequitur now (this was sent much earlier in March) but I'm kind of glad I didn't, because I've been chatting with people about this and I think I understand more why there's an emphasis in some therapies on the idea that we are not our thoughts.

(I uh, haven't read the Tiffany books so I'm not much help there.)

I am coming to understand that many, perhaps most, people judge themselves, comprehensively and harshly, based on their thoughts. Perhaps it's just a lot of people who struggle with mental health, but given the commonality of the sentiment I don't know if I'd confine it that tightly; generally it appears that people cannot conceive of themselves as anything other than a binary of good or bad. So many people I've talked to about this portion of DBT, the watching-questioning-identifying thoughts portion, say that it helps to snap them out of a spiral of "I'm a horrible person, I deserve to suffer/die, I can never be redeemed" after they've failed at something, or had a negative thought, or reacted poorly to an unexpected event.

That is not something I've ever experienced. I mean, jokingly maybe, but not in a real, internal sense.

And that's not to brag -- I'm not saying I think I'm a good person, either, because I don't think I'm a good person. I don't conceive of myself in terms of good or bad. I never cuddle my cats and think "I'm such a good cat dad" or forget to feed them and think "I should die now." I have a perpetual morally neutral attitude towards my own existence; my thoughts and actions might trend me one direction or another but I'm aware of the temporary nature of that. If I fuck up I'll worry about who I might have hurt or whether I'll be fired or what's going to happen as a consequence, if I am polite to someone who didn't deserve it I know I was acting kindly in the moment, but I don't make an inherent moral judgement of myself based on that. And it seems like the vast majority of people do. Which you would think would make me feel pretty good about myself, but honestly...I don't know.

A lot of people I know who have ADHD or are Autistic have talked about seeing themselves as other, as alien -- like that one webcomic artist who draws themself with little antennae to indicate they're strange and different. I've always understood why one might do that, but I never felt that way myself, before or after the diagnosis. After all, let's remember, I was The Normal* Child of my siblings, and if I was The Normal One before the diagnosis, why wouldn't I remain Mostly Normal after?

* As ever, I'm using "normal" as a cultural term, to indicate what we think of as mainstream, not because normal is a thing that really exists.

My life has been relatively solitary -- I have friends and family and I love them but I'm rarely part of a large group, I don't spend a lot of time out in public interacting with people, I'm not a big socializer. Before the Adderall, I really couldn't be, I took too much psychic damage from interpersonal interaction, so I chose those very carefully. And now my DBT class has been a rare moment when I'm encountering contradictions to a lot of my assumptions about the way human beings in our society interact, react, and behave. I just...don't fit that mold very well. I think of it as having crossed wiring, not in the sense that I'm faulty but just in the sense that I'm very, very different. Not Normal. It's not exactly a bad feeling but it's certainly not a great one, internalizing the sensation of alienness.

DBT is proving to be a mixed bag but not in the way I or my therapist intended -- it seems to be either things I was already instinctively doing or things that simply do not apply to me. In one way it's disappointing because it means there isn't much help to be had (we're a little over halfway through the course and I keep thinking "Maybe next class will be useful") but on the other hand it's validating that so much of what I came up with myself as unconscious coping mechanisms is literally what I would have been told to do anyway.

Sometimes it's a combination of both, though, which really blows. I guess most people, if they reframe another person's actions, actually find emotional relief in that, and I don't. An example from the class is that if someone is rude to you, you can consider how they might be having a hard day, and be polite in return; that's great, in terms of defusing a situation, and it's something I do a fair amount of. But apparently it's also something that for most people results in feeling less awful about the interaction, and that's not the case for me. Which is why so much of DBT feels to me like lying to oneself. It's not lying for most people.

So, yeah. I'm going to finish out the course and keep trying things with the therapist but I suspect given everything, I might already be at "as good as it gets" in terms of emotional work. Which isn't the worst thing in the world, and there is still the option to try medication that could help, but I think there will come a point where I'm going to have to deal with the fallout of just how different I am, and how that has impacted my life. Might end up a good thing; something I've really been trying to resolve is unhappiness over being unpartnered and highly likely to remain that way, and at least if this provides a better understanding of why, then perhaps I can process that and put it to rest in a way I've been trying to do but not succeeding well at.

So, we'll see. But I find it both fascinating and kind of horrifying how many people can believe they are irredeemably bad, even if the belief is only temporary, simply because they had an uncharitable thought or impulse. It makes me somewhat grateful for the crossed wires, at least.

[greatbritishsimchallenge]

"Good morning," said Zale as Frankie began to wake from her passed out state.

Frankie groaned heavily and said, "is it already morning? Surely not..."

Frankie brushed herself off and went to pick up Marina.

"Allow me," offered Zale, holding out his arms to take Marina.

"I told you," replied Frankie, irritated, "It's my job to look after them. You're busy enough."

"You require help. I wish to help," Zale replied simply, "get some sleep. I will care for the children."

Frankie hesitated, but the exhaustion defeated her stubbornness and she allowed Zale to feed Marina. She collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep within seconds.

When she woke up, she noticed first that the cave had been fully tidied from the baby mess. She looked over to Zale's side of the cave to see he had set up a small table for Hannah to work alongside him while Marina peacefully slept nearby. Frankie smiled a little, but also felt a pang of jealousy at how easily he seemed to be able to manage juggling the childcare with his own work.

"What's all this?" Frankie, grinning widely to Hannah so she would think everything was alright.

"We're making potions!" Hannah laughed.

"Remedies," Zale corrected. "There is no magic here, only medicine."

"Want help?" asked Frankie.

"Are you high?" Zale asked. His tone was neutral, as if asking Frankie if she was hungry, but the very question made Frankie flare her nostrils in irritation.

"No. Not right now."

"Then, yes," said Zale. "Given how easily you were able to pick up midwifery, this should be very straightforward."

"Probably. And it would probably be faster if I had a little coca, too," spat Frankie, knowing that she didn't mean a word of it, but unable to help herself.

"My concern is not speed, but safety. Coca is known to cause overconfidence, leading to rash and dangerous decisions. Medicine requires a clear, cool head."

"What's coca?" asked Hannah.

Frankie could see Zale open his mouth to no doubt provide an honest answer, so she cut in with, "Nothing important. Why don't you go outside and build sandcastles for a bit?"

Hannah dropped the remedies happily and ran outside.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Frankie turned on Zale,

"Do we have a fucking problem?"

"You will need to be more specific."

"...What?"

"I can think of at least ten problems, depending on whether your question refers to 'we' as humanity, mermaids, the relationship between mermaids and humanity, me personally, you personally and - or - our relationship as protectors of Hannah and Marina. You will therefore need to be more specific if you require me to identify a problem."

Frankie, lost for words, rolled her eyes and said under her breath, "Bloody mermaids."

"It is possible that your grievance is solely with me rather than all mermaids," explained Zale in the same calm tone, "Throughout my studies in Britchester, I was considered an 'odd fellow' and largely ignored. While I have never ascertained the precise issue humans take with my demeanour, I gather it more likely that I am the cause of their dislike rather than there being a malignant trait within multiple humans."

"Oh..." said Frankie, suddenly feeling guilty. "I didn't say I didn't like you... you just... come on a bit strong. We've only just met and yet you're constantly having a go at me about my coca."

"While I share a living space and duty of care with you, I have a moral obligation to judge both of our capacities to fulfil our roles adequately," said Zale, "If your actions were conducted in a vacuum, I would have no need to judge how you choose to live; but when your actions have direct consequences for others, I cannot blindly accept them. That is the belief of all mermaids. And, I have come to realise, a belief that separates us from most humans."

Frankie felt like she was back in her philosophy lessons with Peggy - the ones she had always struggled with and hated the most.

Frankie shrugged, "I don't know about that. My mama was a Puritan and was always going on about the importance of charity... though she also wanted to burn people who wouldn't follow her faith at the stake, so maybe you do have a point... still, it must be exhausting caring for everyone all the time."

"My people care for me as much as I care for them. We are one."

Frankie rubbed her head again; she didn't know what to make of Zale or the mermaids. They were so different from anyone she'd ever met. It looked exhausting, they sounded pretentious and their reality was a life of ostracism and poverty; and yet, Frankie was drawn to the idea of community and working together for a common goal. The constant lying, manipulation and exploitation that came with the money and power of people like her mother, Morgan and Flori was exhausting in its own way; Frankie's coca was the way she kept herself going through it all, though she wouldn't admit as much to Zale.

"Well, I may not be 'one' with you and I may be a drug-addled, selfish prick of a human, but right now I am sober and offering to help, so do you want it or not?"

Zale gave a small, formal nod of his head and showed Frankie what he was doing. Once he had demonstrated, he observed Frankie crafting to confirm she could follow the steps. At first they worked in silence, but then Frankie attempted to make conversation, asking,

"Your studies in Britchester... that was a medical degree, I assume?"

"Yes. It takes time to raise the funds to pay for the degree, so only one mermaid is able to take on such a task at a time. When I grow old, another will train in preparation to replace me as I replaced the medic that came before me."

"Very efficient. I never had much interest in university, personally. All those stuffy books and spending hours reading inside. I'd rather spend my days swimming in the sea."

"Idleness is a luxury not all can afford."

Frankie shot Zale a look of annoyance and then said, "What you call idleness, I call living life on your own terms. But, yes, it is the ultimate luxury in life."

"You must be very proud to have achieved it, then," remarked Zale, to which Frankie snorted with sarcastic laughter.

Zale looked at Frankie, puzzled, but before she could explain, a voice cried out,

"Zale! Zale!"

Zale ran out to shore, with Frankie right behind him. The voice was a mermaid,

"Come quick - Caspian has been speared by sailors!"

Zale groaned with the frustration of someone all too familiar with what they heard.

Frankie ushered Hannah into the cave as Zale rushed into the water.

"Cordelia will stay with you until I return," he called to Frankie, "I must go to Caspian's aid at once."

"Can I do anything?" asked Frankie.

"No, you do not possess the necessary training," Zale replied. "Stay here and await my return."

Frankie sheepishly retreated to hover by the cave entrance and watched Zale swim away. She felt embarrassed but wasn't sure why.

Start (Iron Age) | Start (Roman Britain) | Start (Anglo Saxon) | Start (Medieval) | Start (Tudor) | Start (Stuart)

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[posttexasstressdisorder]

Justice Sotomayor’s message to lawyers: Stand up, fight and win

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is not one to hide her feelings. A plainspoken New Yorker, she is known as a tough questioner who challenges lawyers who appear before the Supreme Court on their assumptions and the consequences of the legal positions they advocate. In an era when judges are often assessed by their commitment to democracy, she stands as a stalwart in the pro-democracy camp.

Yet, she remains a Justice, and those on the high court often exercise caution in their choice of words. That is why it was striking when she used an audience of lawyers to deliver a stern message to the legal profession: stand up for democracy, take on the hard fights and do whatever you can to win.

“I tell law students if you’re not used to fighting losing battles, don’t become a lawyer. Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves. Our job is to be the champion of lost causes. But right now, we can’t lose the battles we are facing. We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight. With all the uncertainty that exists at this moment, this is our time to stand up and be heard. For me, being here with you is an act of solidarity.”

Over the last decade, a rift has developed on the left over the best way to advance democracy in court. One side urges restraint, arguing that federal courts — especially the Supreme Court — have become increasingly hostile to civil rights. Led by prominent academics, they caution against bringing cases that could be used to further undermine voting rights and free and fair elections.

On the other side are those who insist on using every legal tool available to protect democracy now. They acknowledge the ideological makeup of the courts but refuse to let it dictate their litigation strategy. They embrace Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for “the fierce urgency of now” and are guided by Hillel’s famous question: "If not now, when?"

I am firmly in this camp and have sometimes been criticized by those who advocate caution and patience. But I am not alone.

This group includes former Attorney General Eric Holder, whose redistricting litigation efforts have insisted that courts follow the federal Voting Rights Act and U.S. Constitution. It includes Reverend William Barber, who argued a decade ago that morality, decency and the law required challenging a North Carolina law that few believed would be struck down — yet it was, in its entirety.

It also includes the Congressional Black Caucus, which in 2022 made its position clear:

“Be creative. Be relentless. Be unapologetic in your commitment to do whatever it takes to ensure that every American has their vote counted no matter how they look or where they live. No lawsuit is too trivial when it comes to the voting rights of citizens.” 

You might think this debate is over — that everyone understands the current circumstances demand urgent, aggressive action to fight Trump’s authoritarianism everywhere, all at once. I wish that were true. It is not.

With each lawsuit, the naysayers continue to counsel against aggressive action. When courts rule against democracy, they say, "I told you so." When pro-democracy litigants win, they warn, "Just wait for the appeal."

We saw this when Democracy Forward and the ACLU sued to stop the illegal deportation of migrants to a Salvadoran gulag. Critics worried that the plaintiffs were unsympathetic and risked making bad law. When the Court ruled 9-0 in favor of the migrants, the naysayers insisted it didn’t matter because the courts couldn’t force Trump to comply.

I recently experienced this firsthand in a case my firm filed against Trump over his executive order to seize control of key aspects of federal elections. Critics objected because we filed on behalf of the Democratic Party, claiming the identity of the plaintiff risked making voting rights partisan. They predicted we would lose. When we won a preliminary injunction, they warned we could still lose on appeal. After the DOJ declined to appeal, the critics went silent.

It is not that those urging caution support Trump’s lawless agenda. On the contrary, they all voted against him. But they see the threat he poses as limited — more incompetent than malevolent. They view this moment as a political crisis, not an existential crisis for democracy. They insist we take him seriously, but not literally.

This is why they have ambivalent views of me and others in the pro-democracy community. They believe we are risking the development of the law. They accuse us of exaggerating the threats to our country and democracy. They reject the idea that we are in, or near, a constitutional crisis.

Most importantly, they disapprove of us speaking up in the media and in the public square. They advocate for lawyers to "let their court filings do the talking" instead of appearing in the media or writing articles like this one. Some even claim we dilute our court victories by celebrating and explaining them publicly.

That is why Justice Sotomayor’s support for the aggressive pro-democracy movement is so important at this critical time. She understands that while we must bring difficult cases and be willing to lose, we must always fight to win. And by lending her voice in "solidarity," she affirmed that it is "our time to stand up and be heard."

Want more analysis like this from Marc? Upgrade to become a premium member today and you’ll receive his weekly tip sheet, reading list and more while supporting pro-democracy media. BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

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[meinkatzchen]

Hey i love your headcannons and Mist; you're such a great artist as well!

I was wondering if you had any headcannons for Kangaroo and Rhino from TPOF :) I rlly like them and wish there was more fan content of them.

What are your general headcannons of them and how do you think they'd interact with Mist (if they were to ever cross paths)?

TY YOU'RE AWESOME 👌

Hello and thank you so much!! ฅ^>⩊<^ ฅ ₊˚⊹♡

My friend and I have headcanons for them, not many, but the image has already formed in our heads :D

Unfortunately, I don’t have headcanons specifically for Rhino, but my friend does!

Rhino is somewhat reminiscent of Strade, but more cold-blooded: he is sane, healthy, without congenital deviations in the brain, fully aware of his actions, but does not deprive himself of the pleasure of feeding his inner demon by torturing some poor guy.

And I agree with her, because judging by his facial expressions, I myself think that he is calmer and more reserved, more silent and closer to introversion, unlike Kangaroo, who…however, further I will list our headcanons for him:

He is originally from Australia.

He is so used to the fauna of his native land that he seems to be afraid of nothing at all: he has a very high pain threshold and either feels almost no pain or enjoys the pain.

He speaks quickly, with an accent, with Australian slang, lisps because of the gap between his teeth, it is difficult to understand him by ear, but Rino understands him perfectly and can act as a translator :D

Here my friend and I have different thoughts about his burn, so you can choose any option you like: 1) She thinks that his burn was a consequence of his uncontrolled cruel behavior, as a result of which he was sobered up by fire so that Kangaroo would come to his senses. She generally think that if he really goes into a rush, only severe pain can sober him up. 2) I think: Fox gave him the burn because he wanted to destroy something beautiful (like in the scene in "Fight Club"), so the lot fell on the handsome Kangaroo.

After the burn, he began to be afraid of fire. He is without a phobia in friend's headcanons, and with a phobia in mine.

He is an extrovert, has problems with controlling his emotions.

He might be a little crazy.

And regarding the last question: I have a scene in my head where Kangaroo would have met Mist very negatively, saying that because of her, the homewrecker, Fox betrayed their male philosophy, and Rhino would have simply buried his nose in his phone/book, pretending that he does not see or hear anything. BUT THIS IS A JOKE, SORRY, AHAHAH

[thoughtsbysofi]

Stop Expecting People to Understand You

Your truth doesn’t need validation.

This isn’t just for you, the one reading this. It’s for me too. Because I’ve been there—I’ve felt the frustration, the exhaustion of trying to make myself understood. Of using every word, every action, every explanation I could find, only to realize that the other person simply couldn’t see it. Not because I wasn’t clear enough, not because I didn’t try hard enough, but because they weren’t in a place where they could understand me.

It’s almost like speaking different languages, isn’t it? You could say the same thing a hundred different ways, soften your words, sharpen them, simplify them, expand them—but if the other person doesn’t speak your language, it won’t matter. They will not hear you. They cannot. And that is not your fault.

This applies to so many situations, with so many different people—friends, family, partners, even strangers. Especially strangers. And trust me, those will be the first to make sure you know that because they don’t understand you, you must be the one who’s wrong.

With the people we love, it’s even harder to accept. Because no matter how much we care about them, no matter how deeply we wish to bridge that gap, sometimes it remains. Not because we are better than them, not because they are better than us, but because we are simply different. Different minds, different perspectives, different ways of seeing and moving through the world.

And yet, even when it comes from people who don’t know us at all, it can still hurt. It shouldn’t—logically, we know this. Why should the opinion of someone who knows nothing about us hold any weight? But it does. Because it’s human to want to be understood. To want to belong. To want to be seen for who we truly are.

The problem isn’t just that these comments frustrate us. The real danger is that, over time, we might start believing them. If our skin isn’t thick enough, if our mindset isn’t strong enough, those voices can slip in like whispers in the dark, planting doubt where there was once certainty.

And with the people we love, it cuts even deeper. They can say things that hurt—sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. (And I trust you know the difference between constructive criticism and criticism just for the sake of tearing down.) And because we let our guard down with them in ways we never would with strangers, their words can leave wounds we weren’t prepared for.

And what’s our first instinct when faced with judgment? To explain. To defend ourselves. To prove, to justify, to make them see us. It’s natural. It’s human.

But let me tell you something: not everyone deserves your words. Not everyone deserves your energy. Not everyone deserves the oxygen it takes for you to explain yourself.

Because deep down, they already know. People who judge, who criticize without reason, who refuse to understand—you think they’re doing it by accident? You think they don’t know exactly what they��re doing? We need to stop handing them free passes under the excuse of ignorance. Sure, they may be ignorant in the sense that they don’t know your full story. But ignorance isn’t just a lack of knowledge—it’s a refusal to see beyond what’s comfortable, a choice to overlook truths that don’t fit their narrative. And when judgment is built on that kind of blindness, it says more about them than it ever could about you.

But that doesn’t make them innocent. And that doesn’t mean they don’t have to take responsibility for the impact of their words. Words have weight, and so do the consequences that come with them.

So don’t give them that power. Don’t place your worth, your beliefs, your choices in their hands. They don’t belong there.

Surrender. Surrender the need to explain, to convince, to translate your essence into a language that was never meant to be spoken by them. You did not come into this world to explain yourself. You were not meant to shrink, to bend, to fit into the tiny boxes of someone else’s understanding.

The self gets lost in explanation. Because it will always be more. Words will never be enough to contain it. And in the moments where they fail you, don’t twist yourself to fit, don’t turn into a performance just to be accepted, don’t water yourself down to be easier to swallow.

You were never meant to be small enough for others to grasp.

They will never see through your eyes. Just as you will never fully see through theirs. Because no matter how connected we may be in soul, here on this earth, we are individuals. Each walking our own path, shaped by our own experiences, molded by our own perspective.

And maybe we would save ourselves so much time, so much energy, if we simply let go of the need to be understood and started focusing on being.

Because you know what feels right for you. You know what aligns with your heart. You know that as long as you are not harming anyone, you have every right to live your truth, unapologetically.

It is not a crime to be yourself.

But it is a tragedy to lose yourself trying to make the blind see your path.

-xoxo🦋

[vavuska]

Elon Musk is threatening a Brazilian Supreme Court justice after the court issued a summons to him which threatens the suspension of Twitter if he does not comply within 24 hours.

To combat disinformation, Brazil gave a Supreme Court justice sweeping powers to order social networks to take down content he believed threatened democracy. Here's how the experiment led to a ban on X, the social network owned by Elon Musk.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/31/world/americas/brazil-x-ban-free-speech.html?smid=threads-nytimes

Elon Musk claims this is a censorship, because previously he was ordered to ban and close a lot of far-rights account that spread fake news and hate online by that same judge. As protest, Musk closed X offices in Brazil - which means people losing their job or their income.

When free speech is interpreted as anything which matches the law (and viceversa). Under Elon Musk's Leadership, Twitter has approved 83% of censorship requests by authoritarian governments globally. The social network has restricted and withdrawn content critical of the ruling parties in Turkey and India, among other countries, including during electoral campaigns.

Since Musk assumed control in October 2022, the platform has received a total of 971 government requests, a significant increase compared to the 338 received between October 2021 and April 2022.

Prior to Musk's takeover, Twitter had agreed to 50 per cent of such requests, as indicated in their last transparency report. However, no transparency reports have been published since October 2022, making it challenging to assess the current situation. Nevertheless, data from the technology information portal Rest of World suggests that the compliance rate has risen to 83 per cent following Musk's leadership, which again contribute to detect what Elon Musk REALLY think about free-speech: this right is granted only if comply to what oppressive governments and far-right politician approves. Discrimination and criminal behavior are allowed and protected under Musk's Leadership, because targets minorities, immigrants and political oppositors. Musk is a conservative and apply censorship, he isn't the victim of a 'woke' complot lead against him. Musk is receiving the payment for his unlawful action.

Source: El Pais English

As far I can understand, without having many clues here, this order of summon says that Elon Musk refused to appoint a legal rapresentative for X Brasil. For some typology of corporates Brazil require a % of residents in management or a legal rapresentative, with power to vote and deliberate in meetings, to operate online in the country. Yeah. Law apparently seems to be applied to everyone except him.

Summons with translation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/technology/brazil-x-ban-elon-musk.html

Edit: A legal rapresentative is more a managerial position than what do you think of. Yes, it could be an attorney or a lawyer too, but still isn't simply the guy who defend the corporate's interests in court. In Brazil you need a % of residents in management position to operate. This was a problem issued also with WhatsApp and Telegram.

Edit 2 - 31th August 2024: I was curious about the consequences of Musk's decision to close X's offices in Brazil for his employees. Have they been fired? Suspended with or without salary? I didn't find anything. However, I found this article that adds some informations, like Musk declaring he did this to "protect his staff". However, his legal rapresentative is impossible to be found.

Edit 3 - 31th August 2024: Another article of NY Times that analyzes the matter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/18/world/americas/elon-musk-x-brazil.html

Update - 31th August 2024: Brazil has turned off Twitter. Musk’s genius is again on glorious display in losing the 7th most populous country in the world. Oh well. At least the Cybertruck is doing awesome.

Another Update - 31th August 2024: Musk is freaking out right now. He knows if he gets blocked in Brazil it is just a matter of time before other countries follow suit.

However, someone forgot to tell Musk that you get fined for using VPNs to access Twitter in Brazil before he posted this.

Also seems that for a tech genius Musk isn't very smart though, doesn't he know using a VPN will worth the same with apps as it does with a browser?

However, The Brazilian Supreme Court has moderated its first rule. First, even the VPN apps were targeted and should be banned from App store and Google Store to prevent people getting access to Twitter exclusively. Now, the Court realized that banning VPNs is too extreme, so they will only apply a 50k (about $8,900) fine for those caught accessing the platform.

Basically, you don't get fined for using VPNs, that would be too 1984. You might get fined if they FIND OUT that you're accessing X via VPNs, and this is exactly the kind of thing VPNs are designed to prevent.

Just a reminder, you can always access better platform than X, even on your phone. No app is needed.

VPNs are great tools to use worldwide to get around authoritarian and abusive government surveillance and blocking. Zero to do with Musk. And they can only catch you if you aren't savvy.

In a perfect world you shouldn't need to download any VPNs to access innocent contents, because democratic countries will never block a platform that gives informations and entertainment to people. In a perfect world you won't be stuck with platforms that are not free from disinformation and neo-nazi posts.

3rd Update - 31th August 2024:

Musk owns more of SpaceX than Zuck owns of Meta or Bezos owns of Amazon, fwiw. For all intents and purposes, Musk is Twitter, SpaceX, Neuralink and X.

I'm gonna add some technicalities here:

In Brazil there is something called "Corporate Personality" that protects the shareholders patrimony from the company's debts.

But... If you hide behind legal shenanigans in a fraudulent manner, "corporate personality" is bypassed and thus the court moves into your personal patrimony.

Elon is, personally and fraudulently, removing X office from Brazil so they don't obey Brazilian laws.

So the judges target him on his other shares: SpaceX and Starlink.