#if you support any of them you are part of the problem

[oceanicfem]

Not reading the rest of this, but:

Intersex People

Intersex people who are Same-Sex attracted have always been a part of the LGB community. Intersex people who are straight are not, because they have nothing to do with SSA.

Two-Spirit Gays and other Culturally Connected Gays

I can guarantee you that there are way less Two-Spirit Gays then you think; I’ve encountered a good number of people claiming that identity without even being from a tribe that has ever recognized it.

Either way, if they’re SSA, they’ve always been a part of the LGB.

Gender Non-Conforming People

Gender Non-Conforming LGB people are still a part of the community. Hell, most Radfems are GNC, at least the ones I’ve met. GNC straight people are cool, but they don’t have anything to do with SSA, so no to them too.

Those who are Questioning their Sexuality

I don’t have a problem with people who are unsure of their sexuality. If they’re SSA, they’re LGB. If they’re not, they’re not. And if they’re not sure, then that’s their business, and they’ll come to a conclusion eventually.

Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals who are supportive of Trans People

That’s….not how any of this works. At all. I may disagree with LGB TRAs, but that doesn’t mean they suddenly stop being LGB. You could be the most annoying person in the world, but if you’re bisexual, you’re a part of the acronym too. Sexuality doesn’t change depending on political affiliation or personal beliefs; LGB isn’t a fun club or an ideology, it’s an acronym for SSA people. The only thing you need to be LGB is to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

Millions of Kind, Loving, Supportive Humans who have gone through Indescribable, Traumatic Abuse and wish to build a Safe, Welcoming Community

By cutting out the TQ+, we’re excluding people who aren’t SSA. If you identify as an Omnisexual Nonbinary Spacekin and you’re actually a bisexual, congratulations. You’re LGB. If you’re a horrible person and also a lesbian, LGB. That’s all that means. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual.

LGB people who’ve gone through indescribable, traumatic abuse? LGB. Straight people who have gone through the same thing? It sucks that it happened, but it’s not the same as being SSA.

The LGB community already is safe. We’re not punting TQ+ people out of meet-and-greets; We’re telling them politely to leave. And it’s already welcoming, too….to SSA people. Because that’s who it’s for.

I think the wider “Queer” community just needs to accept that some things aren’t for some people. I’m not Autistic, so I’m not going to get mad about being “excluded” from a group for people to talk about their Autism. If you want a “Safe, Welcoming Community” for non-SSA people….make one.

By cutting out the TQ+, you also cut out:

-Intersex people

-Two-spirit gays and other culturally connected gays

-Gender nonconforming people

-Those who are questioning their sexuality

-Gays, lesbians, and bi's who are supportive of trans people

-Millions of kind, loving, supportive humans who have gone through indescribable, traumatic abuse and wish to build a safe, welcoming community

Why are you so eager to exclude and belittle people? Why do you tell them they 'don't know what real struggle looks like' when their healthcare, their future, and their lives are under attack? Do you truly value 'love', or do you just want to swat away as many people as possible? Why do you continue to hide under a rock and dig yourself deeper into festering hatred, when you can simply come out and support people who can help you?

Wouldn't it be easier to unite with our trans and nonbinary friends to help defeat the growing threat of genuine fascism in our country? Those conservative Christian nationalists and white supremacists who tell you you're "one of the good ones" would gladly turn around and shoot you in a heartbeat, because when they say they're fighting the 'woke gender ideology', they'll mutter in the same breath that you gays are 'degenerates', 'sodomites', and 'animals'. Why would you side with the villains, who see you the same way they see us?

We cannot let oppression continue in any form. We will all be on the winning side of history as we step closer to ending the cycle of hatred and bullying. Open your hearts and minds and you'll find that the everyone around you is just as human as you, and are more similar to you than you'd think. Trans people are people, just like you, and we need your help and support just as much as you need ours.

Isn't it neat how people who are supportive of all LGBTQ+ identities are also kinder, more loving, more empathetic, and more caring towards their friends and loved ones? Just something to think about.

Love wins. Trans rights are human rights.

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

"I fucking love you, okay?! I don't want to, but I do." Joel Miller

Angry Confessions ❤️‍😠

bio : this story is part of the Angry Confessions series (you can still be a part of it)

requested by : anon thank you!

warnings: angst, one dead body, gun, QZ Joel Miller, argument, tears, Tess shows up, Tommy is mentioned

When the shot rang out, Joel thought for a moment that dying was strange—painless. He blinked, and then the man standing before him with the rifle pointed at him fell to the ground, staring at the darkening sky. So he wasn’t dead? He lowered his hands and quickly turned around, noticing you standing nearby. You were still holding the gun in your hands, you had fired a precise shot.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Joel hissed. He picked up his backpack from the ground and looked around the empty warehouse. “You were supposed to stay in the zone.”

“A ‘thank you’ will do.” you replied, lowering the barrel.

His face twisted into a grimace. “I could handle him.”

“Yeah, sure.” You put the gun away and looked around too. You didn’t need any uninvited guests. “Did you find any drugs?”

“Not much.” he muttered. “Why did you come here?”

You looked at him in surprise. "I should be the one asking why you went alone. You know you need support, and I..."

"I don't need anyone."

"Sure."

You slowly moved towards the walls of the zone. Joel was walking a few steps ahead of you, his broad shoulders clearly tense and he didn't talk to you at all. You, on the other hand, felt anger growing inside you. Outside of the QZ, you went out together, as a team. Sometimes Tess or someone else would join, but you and Joel got along the best.

However, for some time now, Miller had become strange, quieter and more distant. You thought he was worried about something, or maybe FEDRA was hot on his heels, but it had to be something else. He became rude to you and increasingly avoided going out with you outside the zone.

After a few minutes, the wall of the Boston QZ was visible and you already guessed what would happen next. Joel would ignore you, leave you somewhere alone again, and be outraged when you found him.

“Will you tell me what’s going on?” you asked. “Hey! I asked you something.”

“You ask too many questions.” Joel replied, but he didn’t even look at you.

"I want to know what's going on? You're not mad that I helped you with that guy, are you? He could have killed you."

"I don't need your help." he snorted, and you immediately sped up.

You grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. If he didn't want to look at you, then he had no choice at this point. You were furious, he could see it.

"Why did you come here anyway, huh?" he growled, his eyes darkening. "You keep following me around. I told you I work alone, that I don't want to be anyone's fucking nanny."

"You must have forgotten how many times we've gone outside the wall together." you replied in an equally sharp voice. "I've helped plenty of times. And I can take care of myself."

Joel snarled. In some strange way, his behavior acted as a spark, and you raised your voice as well.

“What the fuck is your problem, Miller?! I’ve never bothered you before. We’ve worked together many times, alone, and with Tess and others. You know I’m good.”

You were. He knew it, and you didn’t need to remind him. “You can be unreasonable.”

“Oh!” your eyes widened. “And you’re the most reasonable guy in the world. Congratulations!”

“Get away from me, okay? I don’t need your help. I don’t need you following me around.”

“Excuse me?”

That was exactly what he needed. He needed you to be surprised so he could attack. And even though he felt bad about it, his words hit you as hard as bullets.

"Why the hell are you following me? What do you even want from me, huh? I don't have anything, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you. The world chews up people like you and spits them out. And I've saved your ass more times than I can count. Even what you bring from behind the wall is trash, worthless."

He noticed the tears that were glistening in your eyes. He was talking nonsense, but he couldn't stop himself anymore.

"What do you want?!" he growled.

Your voice was shaking, but you answered. "I don't want anything, Joel... You know that."

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

“I fucking love you, okay?! I don’t want to, but I do.” Tears were streaming down your hot cheeks. “And I don’t understand what the fuck you’re talking about! You’re attacking me and I…”

He looked at you in a way that you could barely recognize the man you’d known for so long. “I don’t need you. Not you, not what you have in your pretty little head.” His voice was heavy and sharp. “Stay away from me. Got it?”

You didn’t answer. But you didn’t stop him either as he turned and headed for the zone, leaving you behind.

He could still feel your eyes glued to him, as if they were looking through him. He hated it. It always seemed to him that you were reading him like a book.

It was already dark when Tess returned to the apartment. She threw her bag on the kitchen counter and brushed her long hair out of her face.

“I know how to get a battery.” She said in an excited voice. “I know who has it and how to get it.”

Joel was lying on the couch, his eyes slightly raised. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. And I’ve already talked to him.” She walked over to him and sat down on the coffee table. “We can do it. There’s a chance.”

“Great.”

There was something odd about him, but Tess didn’t ask any more questions. She’d learned not to ask or delve into topics Joel didn’t want to talk about. So she told him what they had to do to finally get out of the zone and find Tommy.

That was the plan. And that plan didn’t include you.

[vanteguccir]

hi, pretty people!!

I just posted my first AU/Series - Over My Dead Body - a dark-romance mafia AU with mafia boss!Matt.

[HERE'S THE LINK]

What I want to ask yall is: A lot of people who follow me are part of my general tag list and like to be tagged in everything I post.

However, this story contains sensitive themes (it's all pointed out in the post linked above). To respect everyone's comfort, I'm going to create an exclusive tag list just for this series.

How does it work?

1. If you want to receive notifications for all chapters of Over My Dead Body, comment below!

2. If you prefer not to receive them (or only read them occasionally), just don't comment, no problem!

If you change your mind later, just ask me, and I'll add or remove your @ at any time.

I don't control what each person consumes, but I can control who gets tagged, and I want that to be comfortable for everyone.

Thank you for your love and support! ✨🤍

[trothplighted]

I think part of the problem at the root of the “straight vs gay” reads of various HP characters (particularly Lupin, though certainly also true for someone like Bill Weasley who was a very popular slashfic staple post-OotP and pre-HBP) is that Joanne is just… utterly terrified to write her male characters expressing any kind of desire for women beyond chaste courtly love hero-worship or the absolute vaguest allusions to sexual arousal

the first is seen especially in Snape’s love for Lily, which Joanne definitely sees as a central brilliant redeeming factor of his personality that changes everything and makes him noble. He is, in many senses, the ultimate Safe Man - below the woman socially, physically less attractive and charismatic than she is, bad at traditional masculine signifiers of gender like sports, ostracized from manhood and picked on/dismissed by other men, totally devoted to the object of his affection, and totally incapable of ever materially impacting her life or touching her or changing her.

(Additionally, I think a significant factor in Snape’s continued complexity is that these character traits - particularly the obsession with one specific Nerd Girl Who Likes Nerd Things - have a remarkably different context in 2025 than they did in 2007. We’ve had over a decade of incel movements and fashy alt-right introverted nerds who were radicalized into violence and disgusting misogyny and racism as a direct result of being unlucky in love in exactly the ways Snape is unlucky in love, and it’s hard for me to blame readers who come away upset with him because real life has shown us way more about how these kinds of men tend to think and act and what they’re motivated by than we had when DH was published. I’m also sympathetic to Snape fans whose interpretations of the character are purposefully separate from IRL context, people who’ve felt consistently the same way about him since publication - it’s really hard when massive cultural shifts forever change the way a character is going to be read, especially because you can’t un-ring that particular bell. But since you can’t un-ring it, I think any sympathetic analysis of Snape has to begin from the starting point that his critics are often speaking from places of personal experience with kinds of stochastic right-wing extremism that parallel what he was actually exposed to in canon. But that’s sort of its own post.)

The second is seen mostly in Harry and Ron and to a lesser extent in James - point of view or central supporting characters who express interest in girls Because That’s What Boys Do, or whose personalities include some element of desiring a girl for reasons that aren’t really explored or explained at all. Harry thinks Cho is pretty, and they kiss, but Harry at no point feels anything for Cho that could be described as sexual desire (though, as @wisteria-lodge points out in a recent post, Harry is probably intended to be read as having physical attraction toward Cho that motivates most of his desire to date her). Ron obviously lusts over Lavender, and to a lesser extent Fleur, when you read GoF and HBP through adult eyes, but we never see him talking about how he feels or what he sees, only that he looks and gapes like a Tex Avery cartoon character. Joanne positions this behavior from both Harry and Ron as immature, not only in terms of them having to earn access to Hermione and Ginny but also in GoF when Arthur teases the boys at the World Cup about being bewitched by the Veela. Worth pointing out that Arthur is in the happiest and most stable relationship we see in the entire series (excluding Bill/Fleur and Andromeda/Ted because we barely see them) and he’s married to a woman who’s described as not particularly attractive - the ideal man, then, can be read as someone who looks for an equal partner who isn’t a beauty queen. Beyond that, Molly is a force to be reckoned with, running her house and her family - Arthur often embodies the henpecked husband stereotypes. A good man is a safe man, and a safe man is one who is to some extent automatically submissive to his wife.

James is in an interesting place here, because his interest in girls and showing off for girls goes hand in hand with the Worst Memory, and therefore he becomes a worse person by becoming someone who’s obviously sexually interested and romantically interested in Lily. His flirting and bragging and brash pursuit of his romantic desires is contrasted with Snape’s quietly heroic love and adoration, and the latter is what Joanne ultimately uplifts as brave and noble and worth pedestalizing.

Remus and Tonks are in the same position - he actively avoids her, she must pursue him, and they only get together because she essentially begs him for it and argues him down. Vernon and Petunia appear to be relative equals, but Petunia still makes a number of decisions that dominate affairs on Privet Drive and Vernon lets her do what she likes and never expresses any desire for her in ways that Harry registers. We know nothing about Alice and Frank, or Lucius and Narcissa, or the Lestranges. And even as Merope is badly badly badly treated by the narrative, her power over Tom Sr. is the most important aspect of their relationship.

This shows a remarkable nervousness around male attention period, even in the abstract, even from “good” characters. She can’t write a man who’s good and heroic and also openly and frequently desires women. She seems kind of incapable of it. Harry’s infamous Chest Monster is an outgrowth of this - she writes his lust for Ginny and his interest in her like something he doesn’t understand, can’t understand, because she doesn’t understand it and (possibly) because her trauma from her domestic abuse prevents her from examining how she feels.

So we get people like Harry (nominally interested in women, is frequently documented staring at Draco or Sirius or Bill) or Lupin (interest in women only confirmed in an interview but never in the text, closest relationship is to a man, marries a queercoded shapeshifter who is a blood relative of that man after his traumatic death) or Bill (canonically GNC by Wizard standards to a degree that makes Molly uncomfortable, romances Fleur entirely off the page until they’re very seriously involved). We get Dumbledore’s queercoding (canon, per author) and Sirius’s queercoding (ambiguous). We get men who are deeply psychosexually fixated on another man to a point of utter devotion (Quirrell and BCJR on Voldemort) while their female counterpart (Bellatrix) is a canon sexual partner of the guy they’re all obsessed with who talks and behaves the same way.

And this really only becomes remarkable when you notice how it compares to other middle-grade and YA fiction.

Daine and Numair (Tamora Pierce’s The Immortals) are the central romantic couple in a series of books with HP’s target audience, and both of them are problematically horny for one another. Rachel Berenson and Tobias (K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs) have long passages of age-appropriate text describing their attraction and desire across multiple books, even though their romance is less important to the plot than the romances in HP. Talia and Dirk (Mercedes Lackey’s Queen’s Own) date and have sex with other people before getting together while both desiring each other, and their appearances as older adults in later books show they’re comfortable with physical intimacy and flirting. There’s more examples that I can think of, but the point stands - Rowling’s male characters are unusually terrified of being horny for members of the opposite sex, and so it’s not surprising that many fans look at that and go “oh so you’re queer and closeted”.

[emberphoenixisgoingtolive]

PLEASE READ IF YOU EVER WANT OR DO HAVE KIDS

dear parents,

for disability pride month, here are some prompts for how to react if your child tells you they think they might have a disability

thanks for telling me

i can tell it was difficult for you to say and it's super brave of you to tell me

i love you so much, and i will love and support you no matter what

i'm so sorry you've been in pain/sick/dealing with these symptoms. if there's any way i can help you cope with them, please tell me

i believe that you're struggling and in pain and i trust your perception

you're a whole and wonderful person with or without disability

im proud of your disabled identity and all the parts that make you who you are

i don't know everything about this but i'll learn for you, and we can learn together!

if you think [solution/treatment/mobility aid] might help, it's worth looking into

if you're up for it, we'll research this now

do you want to see a doctor about this?

i can tell you're tired, we can talk more about this another time; right now would you like to [insert fun thing your child likes to do]

would you like to continue talking about this?

and here is how NOT to react and what NOT to say (starring things hoes (my parents) have said):

…a mobility aid? /somewhat disgusted

i don't think that will help your joints get stronger

won't it decondition you/make you worse?

*ignore your child and look into other treatment options before considering what THEY think could work best*

*listen to a doctor over your child. doctors are not always right*

*imply you don't want a disabled child, or you'd prefer they weren't disabled (key note: being disabled for a lot of us is a very important part of our identity and there is deep history, culture and solidarity in the disabled community. and even if we don't like being disabled, what message does it give us that YOU don't like a part of us? what happened to unconditional love?)*

assume that it's mother fucking psycho somatic, ahem, DAD

ADDITIONS FROM @slut-4-remuslupin:

are you sure you’re not just faking it for attention?

I think that you’re exaggerating your symptoms, there’s no way you could feel like that all the time and still do (xyz)

your problem isn’t that you’re disabled/sick, it’s that you’re lazy and you don’t exercise enough

if you just got up and exercised like a normal person you wouldn’t have these problems

If you’re really so sick that you need that [mobility aid], then you have no business going out and doing stuff, so either you do those things without [mobility aid] or you don’t do them at all

*when your child says they feel really sick, or that they’re in a lot of pain* Oh, here we go AGAIN. It’s always something.

there’s no reason why you should need prescription pain medication. When *I’m* in pain I just take Tylenol and it works fine for me

maybe we should just put you in a care home if you’re really so sick that you can’t do these basic things everyone over the age of 7 should be able to do”

EXERCISE IS NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER!!! OFTEN TIMES IT WILL MAKE US WORSE ESPECIALLY IF WE DON'T EXERCISE IN A WAY THAT SUITS OUR BODIES!!!

ADDITION FROM @disabled-planet

don't assume it's anxiety. often times it is something completely different that gives similar symptoms (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, for example), or it can be something completely separate from anxiety symptoms. either way, trying to convince us it's anxiety and invalidating our problem is NOT the way to go

[talesofberk]

First flight Pt 2

Hi again !!! Thank you all so much for the support of the first story. So for that matter, here is part 2 !! A friendly reminder that requests are now open so feel free to send one in. Word count: 1K

It's been about 2 and a half weeks since your arrival on Berk, By then you have began to warm up with the island and it's citizens alongside finding a routine for yourself. You met Astrid, who taught you hand-to-hand combat. Fishlegs helped you with any dragon-related question your brain could conjure up. Snotlout was a bit too hot headed and cocky for your liking and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut were... Something, but you were getting there.

The people were ok. But that's the people, you didn't grow up around dragons, unless they were relentlessly stealing your fish. You still had memories of trying to stop them from ransacking the supply. That was all you saw when you see dragons, even though Berk seemed to be in harmony with them, It was a culture shock.

While Hiccup never rushed you into anything until you were fully ready. But he was a little sad about how scared and hesitant you were, maybe today he'd try to help you.

He went to check on you, finding you in the room Stoick had gotten you set up with. "Hey y/n, Up to anything in here ??"

"Just finishing the decorating" You placed the final prop down on the bedside table.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come run some errands with me and toothless" He nodded to the door.

You slightly tensed up at the offer, but you found yourself moving to the door. "I guess... I could stretch my legs"

He understood, you'd be staying on the ground. But he was fine with that, and he could trust Toothless not to do anything stupid. Surely. Toothless didn't do anything stupid for the moment, occasionally walking and bouncing around Hiccup. The three got the goat's milk up to the Mead hall and then took some toys to the pen for the baby dragons.

"Hey guys" Fishlegs waved as he saw them, the babies scrambling to go say hi. "Oh, careful" He tried to shuffle them back. "They can be very excited sometimes"

"Hey Fishlegs" Hiccup smiled softly and Toothless made a small noise in greeting.

"Oh, did you remember what I asked you to get ??"

"Yep, right here" Hiccup then reached into his bag on Toothless' saddle. Meanwhile, one baby dragon saw you and waddled its way up to you, making a small noise. One then turned into all of them as you tried to stay collected. "No, no, Shoo shoo !!" You whisper yelled.

Toothless perked up and turned around, seeing you trapped. He rumbled and got between you and them, quickly rounding them up. He helped nudged the gate close and guarded you as Hiccup finished up with Fishlegs.

"Thanks..." You slightly tensed, ever so slightly scooting away. His ears flattened a tiny bit, he just wants to be friends.

Hiccup was about to turn back to you when Astrid came over and asked for some help with something.

"Hey y/n, are you ok out here for a bit ?? I'll be back, just need to deal with something" He looked at you before moving away.

"Uh, yeah sure no problem" You gave a hesitant thumbs up, standing awkwardly next to Toothless.

Toothless watched Hiccup wander off and saw his moment, and he was nothing if not an opportunist. He turned his head and his ears went up, looking at you with those big puppy eyes.

"N... Nice dragon..." You gave him hesitant pats. He leant into it slightly, and then he kept leaning, soon the saddle was right in front of you, as if he was offering you to hop on.

"Oh uh... No, I'm good" You nervously chuckled.

Toothless was not taking no for an answer. He twisted and rushed your legs, knocking you over his head and onto his back. Spreading his wings wide, and shot off into the sky, half sure you had grabbed onto some part of the saddle. You screamed at the top of your lungs as you sped off, Hiccup and Astrid hearing you from afar.

"Stop stop stop !!!" You begged as you wrapped your arms around his neck, shutting your eyes as tightly as possible.

Once further up, Toothless evened out his flight path and let the wings glide on the breeze, his ears wiggling, and he watched the world go by, feeling your anxious heartbeat, your shaking hands. Remaining steady, he made a soft noise encouraging you to take your time.

You slowly lifted your head and opened your eyes, seeing the island from below... the fear was replaced with wonder as you took in the sights around you, as Toothless circled around the island. You lifted yourself up further, feeling the wind brush against your body. Toothless cooed and climbed a little higher, letting you drift among the clouds.

"This is... Incredible." You lifted your hands up to touch the clouds. He looked back at you briefly and smiled a little, a happy gummy smile.

He slowly began to descend as he rounded the Island, Hiccup and Astrid immediately rushing over when you landed. "Y/n, are you ok ??" Astrid was quick to check on you as she helped you off.

"I'm ok... I'm ok" You nodded.

"Toothless, why would you do that ??" Hiccup ever so gently scolded Toothless, he could never be fully mad at him.

As Astrid tried to settle Hiccup down from his racing anxiety. You looked at Toothless briefly before reaching your hand out to him gently, like how you saw Hiccup and the others did with other dragons. Toothless' eyes soften, and he tilts his head. Shifting forward and pressed his snout against your hand. He trusted you, even if he already did since day 1.

You looked up and relaxed, smiling softly. Moving your hand gently as you began to pet him. Toothless purred softly and nuzzled closer, his tail starting to wiggle a bit.

"Hiccup..." You gently called him over and smiled, your fears were being put to bed right in front of you. Hiccup smiled softly, "That's Toothless for you, he's special. I think he thinks you are too"

"Thank you..." You looked back at the Night Fury. In return, he gave you another adorable gummy smile.

Taglist: @callofdudes

[nolongerdrowning]

Bittersweet Revenge

Carlos Sainz Jr. × Marc Marquez

---

The truth about sponsors like Estrella Galicia was that it was easy to actually have fun with them. In the sense that who wouldn't want to drink away with an 8-time world champion, even if you are a Formula 1 driver and they are a MotoGP one, but also get paid for doing so?

Marc Marquez was a fun person to hang around, all things considered. And Carlos lacked any knowledge on what the current grid in MotoGP was up to, so Marc always found something to tell him. Not that he minded in any way, of course - why would he? (And a part of him wouldn't admit it, but he did avoid news and updates on MotoGP, just so Marc could tell him all of them and get Carlos’ real reaction)

They only had brief discussions, most of the time under the camera's view, so it wasn't like they were the closest of all friends. But they were friends, the Spanish supporting the Spanish or something, and Carlos was pleased with that much. After all, they did meet outside of sponsor meetings, or races, and instead at each other's house, sharing a snack and a good football match or something. It felt oddly domestic, that kind of peaceful life he'd find himself craving when yet another bad race creeped up and, well, it all felt so useless, even if for a brief second.

Maybe things traced back a while ago, if he actually thought about it (which he avoided doing) - even going as far back as to the win in Singapore 2023. Back when Max and Marc would still hang out, joined by Honda. Them and stupid challenges and videos, meeting up for all sorts of things while Max was at its peak and Marc not. For some reason, all this angered Carlos - more than he'd like to admit. It was a weird kind of anger, a lingering, bitter emotion that would make its way whenever another photo or video or something of the two would resurface. And when Singapore happened, when he got ahold of pole after Max's dominance, that lingering feeling disappeared. Now he was overwhelmed, in the sense that he was taken by a sense of pride and more; satisfaction. Was it just a simple moment of winning in F1? Was it also coated in a layer of deep feelings, making their way in his heart without his knowledge, but manifesting in simple glances at the phone every so often, waiting for Marc's feedback?

There wasn't any MotoGP race that weekend (Carlos knew; he had checked), so he waited patiently for the race instead, thinking that if he gave it his all, if he tried his best and really won it - well, Marc had to say something, right? It was a mix of everything and nothing in Carlos’ head, both a desire to prove himself as a driver, but also prove himself to a certain someone - to who, he didn’t know. It was a blurry image, and he liked to keep it that way. Last thing he needed was to indulge in confusing, most likely destructive thoughts - he'd done enough already. He had a race to win.

So when he eventually won, and there was still no message, something small broke into him. Alas, it was ignored in favour of celebration, of proving that he was good - because he knew he was. He just had to show it to the world as well. How good, though, was a problem that wasn’t for his type; people could figure that out on their own. He just had to keep performing at his best.

And yet, meeting Marc, not so long after, outside of any sponsor or camera or something, was refreshing. He couldn’t help himself, really, couldn’t retain his need to smirk ever so slightly, to ask Marc if he'd kept up with the F1 races. He couldn’t help the thrill of pride run down his spine as Marc laughed - that damned laughed of his - as he admitted he had, and Carlos’ win was beautiful, by the way.

Nobody's congratulations compared to Marc's.

But things took a turn in April for the two of them. It was towards the end of the month, and MotoGP had the Spanish Grand Prix that weekend. And, of course, Carlos took this opportunity to let loose a little for once. He deserved it, especially now, with suddenly contract talk messing him up. He was beyond exhausted with all of it, and he certainly wouldn't miss a break or two, just something to turn his brain off and away from all that mess. He wasn’t all that pleased with not having a seat, you see.

The visit was all over the place, going from one garage to another, but he couldn’t deny his excitement at going over to Marc's. Now, with his move and departure from Honda, Carlos was the only F1 driver Marc was actually, somehow, tied to. And maybe it was weird, but Carlos did enjoy the fact.

So now, after some small talk with Marc and with their families around (Carlos did not really enjoy the fact that he had to basically beg the universe to have a second with Marc, which was a hard prayer considering the guy was codependent on his brother, and Carlos’ father was also there). However, fate must like him a little, because Marc was the one who suddenly pulled him away when the other were distracted, voice dropping to a whisper as he handed out the request like it was a big, CIA secret.

“Can you help me with something tonight?”

“Of course,” Carlos blurted out, their eyes stuck on each other as the conversation played out.

“Come to my motorhome after the race. Ok? Wait there.” Marc whispered, voice steady yet slightly vibrating in a certain emotion Carlos couldn’t quite decipher, but liked to think it was anticipation.

He hummed at the request, nodding as his mind sped through all the possibilities as to why this would happen. “Yeah, sure thing.”

He didn't know what he was getting into, did he?

Before long, it actually happened; he was in Marc's motorhome, eyes stuck on the door opening to reveal the man himself. He was grinning, most likely from a good result (Carlos later found out it was a P2, which had been the best result of the season up to that point), and Carlos couldn’t help but find it infectious.

“Alright, here's the deal,” Marc started off before other words could be exchanged. He started taking his race suit off, though, which Carlos was both grateful for and against. “I need you to help me with something. With- with someone.” He clarified, a hint of hesitation at having to do such thing. Carlos, however, all the more oblivious, simply hummed, seeming beyond excited to be given the opportunity to help out.

“I- You know about the whole drama between me and Rossi. Right?” Carlos’ face fell at that. Of course he did - no matter how much he was ignoring MotoGP news now, he didn’t ignore them then. Couldn’t, not when there were Rossi fans who went over the line, and Marc had to fear every step. He couldn’t - He was just almost two years younger than Marc - not even two full years - and he couldn’t have - if that was him - he just couldn’t figure out how Marc managed to do it.

“Right.” He managed to whisper as a response, doing his best to keep his voice steady. Marc, meanwhile, seemed to move on from the implications of his own words quickly, which reminded Carlos to some extent that Marc did move on. Partially, at least, he found out in just a few minutes.

“Well, I want to take some sort of, ah, revenge, on what he did to me. You may know he accused me of helping Lorenzo because he was also Spanish, but what you don’t know is that me and Valentino got intimate.” Oh. Well - that was… Something, to say the least.

Carlos cleared his throat, trying to quickly throw the fact to the side. He made a sign for Marc to go on, bracing himself for what was to come.

“So, I was thinking, if I actually slept with a famous, Spanish guy,” He waved his hand dismissively, letting the words hang in the air as a way for Carlos to think them through.

Which was hard, because Carlos could only think through F1 related stuff.

“So you want us to fuck?”

“Basically.”

“As revenge?”

“I trust you to do it and not someone else.” Marc suddenly argued, a finger moving to point at Carlos. “You're a fun guy, sweet, and good-looking.”

Well, that was enough to get Carlos weak in the knees.

“So what's the plan? We do it loud enough that he hears it?” He questioned, the image of Valentino Rossi walking to a motorhome - most likely from one of his academy boys - only to be met with the sound of Marc moaning another name briefly crossing his mind. Ok, well, actually, he had to give it to Marc, this was one hell of a revenge.

“Why the hell not?”

So maybe that was how it all started. Officially, at least. With awkward laughs as they tried to figure it out, with then messy, then eager, then needy kiss and- ok, maybe Carlos shouldn’t relive all of it at once.

But the end result was not so good, though. Because Carlos had made the stupid decision to fall asleep there, in the motorhome, completely forgetting another certain someone. So when he was suddenly called in the middle of the night, he couldn’t help but groan. Getting up from Marc's side - he swore his heart ached at that - he picked up the phone, sleepily muttering a “Yes” whilst Marc groaned in annoyance by his side.

“Are you not coming?” Vowles’ voice suddenly rang through, and Carlos could only curse at himself. Damn him and his stupid weakness for Marc.

“Ah, no. I need - I need more time to think. Sorry, James.”

“No, no, it's alright,” he quickly reassured. “Just - don't watch this year's Netflix season, yeah?” Ah, shit. Of course this would’ve gotten on Netflix through some clip or something.

“Yeah, sure. Don't worry about it. Good night, James.”

“Have a good sleep, Carlos.”

And with that, he hung up the phone and sighed. As he turned around, he was met with Marc's curious gaze, eyes glinting even in the dark. God, he was like some - some cat or something!

“Who was that?” The shorter man asked, to which Carlos could only smirk.

“You don’t think you're the only one playing around with old men and their sanity, right?” Marc snorted at that, amusement visible on his face. As a response, he simply raised an arm to invite Carlos back to sleep, while muttering something about old men having to fear the two of them approaching.

[fireleaptfromhousetohouse]

>One gets the impression that the council and police force were oblivious to and incredulous about the magnitude of the problem

Attendees were provided with background information listing the known addresses of alleged activity, including hotels and takeaways in Rotherham. It also included taxi companies alleged to be involved, and case studies of three girls. In total, Risky Business supported 319 girls on either a one to one or group work basis over an 18- month period from April 2004 until October 2005. The presentation was made at the end of 2004 to the Rotherham Children and Young People's Board, with six councillors present, including the Leader. The following April, a further presentation was made to 30 councillors. The explicit content meant that by 2005 few members or senior officers could say 'we didn't know'. Similar material had been passed to the Police in 2001 by Risky Business on behalf of the local agencies. (p110)

For reference, the first prosecutions didn't take place until 2010.

>an intentional cover-up, which did not happen

When I went in to the office I was told that over the weekend somebody had gained access to the Risky Business office, opened the filing cabinets and removed all of the data relating to the Home Office work. To be clear to the committee that involved accessing the grounds of the International Centre; gaining access to the Centre itself; disarming the alarm; moving through a key coded and locked security door; unlocking the door to the part of the building where the project office was located; unlocking the door to the project office itself; unlocking a desk and finding the keys to the filing cabinets; identifying which filing cabinet had my Home Office pilot data in it; and removing my data but nothing else. There were no signs of a forced entry. Additionally the office computer, which was password protected, had been accessed. Some documents had been deleted, and there appeared to be minutes of meetings which had been created over the weekend. We knew that because of a log of activity which showed that documents had been created or edited over the weekend on the computer hard drive. The minutes of those meetings, which I had purportedly attended, showed that I had apparently agreed to certain conditions regarding the disclosure of the data to the Home Office evaluators and the consequences of failing to adhere to those conditions were outlined to me. In particular, I had agreed not to submit data to the Home Office evaluators without express line management approval. I had not attended any such meetings, had such conditions outlined to me, or agreed to them. In fact the date of one of the meetings that I had supposedly attended was when I was overseas on annual leave.

Senior council figures tried to cover up the theft of 21 laptops containing personal details about child abuse victims in 2011. An internal audit found that council officials chose not to inform the information commissioner about the security breach, then falsely claimed no sensitive data was compromised.

>to the best of my knowledge there wasn't ever any case where people aware of a problem chose not to do anything about it due to the ethnic dimension

The various official reports on the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal consistently cite people involved claiming there was pressure from above not to act due to the ethnic dimension, or that they perceived there to be such pressure, a distinction which you're welcome to nitpick but makes absolutely no difference to the outcome - or to the victims. However, the Home Affairs Committee 2013 report does point to an instance of exactly what you say, people being aware of a problem but choosing not to do anything due to the ethnicity of the perpetrators, and it's one that is perhaps particularly telling:

Both Ann Cryer and Andrew Norfolk suggested that a desire to protect the community from criticism might sometimes override the duty to address the criminal behaviour of these men. "I have spoken to young men in some of the towns where this has been going on. Universally, they decry what happens. They say they are disgusted with the men who have been doing this but, equally, that they would never have dreamt of going to the police about it, because you do not turn on your own community" (p54)

Despite how one might instinctively interpret the idea of the police and council's failures to act 'being caused by wokeness', that this is a matter of the soft bigotry of low expectations coming from all-white organisations, both organisations did have prominent Pakistani-heritage members, some of whom ended up acting as de facto community liaisons (p33), and some of whom had form for engaging in nauseating behaviour like this:

All the senior officers we interviewed were asked whether ethnic considerations influenced their decision making. All were unequivocal that this did not happen. However, several of those involved in the operational management of services reported some attempts to pressurise them into changing their approach to some issues. This mainly affected the support given to Pakistani-heritage women fleeing domestic violence, where a small number of councillors had demanded that social workers reveal the whereabouts of these women or effect reconciliation rather than supporting the women to make up their own minds (p93)

Could these councillors - who had means, motive, opportunity, and previous - have also attempted to stop violent serial rapists from the same community being dealt with through the proper channels? Who can say.

>"excusing child rape", a thing that did not happen

“Don’t worry- you aren’t the first girl to be raped by XX and you won’t be the last.” A police officer to a victim (p56)

Should racial or religious identity ever excuse child rape, as some claimed in Rotherham?

obviously not, individuals should be judged on their actions and group identity is clearly no excuse for harming others.

I'm unclear what other answer you could possibly expect ti this, and I think you're a crank with a distasteful obsession who is sadly uninterested in actual communication with other people in the interests of mutual understanding.

[thesummerstorms]

I am like 95% a "Third Person POV" person. But I almost didn't read the book Ancillary Justice (part of the Imperial Radch trilogy) because it was in first person and those books were genuinely life changing.

also the audiobooks were single handedly holding me through mental health problems in college ngl

But part of the reason Ancillary Justice works so well is because it uses sci fi to concepts to complicate the boundaries between first/third person point of view and the idea of perspective and identity in general.

mild spoilers + loving fixation on the intersection of the setting + theme + characterization as expressed throuhh point of view beneath the cut:

The POV character in Ancillary Justice is something called an ancillary. Basically part of a space ship's mind inhabiting an unwillingly "donated" human body via neural implants.

I'm going to use both it and she pronouns here. In the setting of the series "she" is used to refer to anyone who is a person and "it" is used to refer to intelligent minds like ships and space stations that are not considered people by their society.

(The protagonist using first person is also deliberate in that it prevents the protagonist being identified solely as she or it from their own perspective, so we mostly see pronouns assigned based on the perspectives and information others have of/about that character. It's a whole thing.

Ancillaries (deragatorily called "corpse soldiers) and ships are not treated as people per day by the imperial power that creates them as truly being people, but their intelligence makes them not 100% 'things' either.

Radchaai soldiers rely heavily on their Ships for all kinds of support, including emotional, in the way you would a person, without really considering the Ship itself as possessing the emotions/mind/personhood that makes that possible.

Additionally, the ship mind is part of each Ancillary, is the Ancillary, getting neurological feedback and input from every Ancillary connected to it. And then the Ship Mind feeds back memories and decisions and beliefs to the Ancillary.

But a ship might have hundreds of Ancillaries giving this feedback, while the Ancillary is receiving feedback from the ship mind (including those other Ancillaries' input) but is still processing it through the one squishy human neurosystem of its body, meaning different Ancillaries still develop different sensations/quirks/senses despite nominally all being part of the same whole.

So you already have this really complicated gradient of individual/collective and person/not person going on to begin with.

The point of view character is the sole remaing Ancillary of a destroyed Ship, that feels the loss of the Ship Mind like a gaping wound yet has survived years on her own. She actually rebelled her own ship mind out of grief and then had to watch as someone else destroyed the Ship and she was stranded alone.

She generally feels the loss like an amputation, specifically remembering not only the ability to commune with different parts of herself as a ship and collect all those bodies' thoughts and senses, but also being permanently in the minds and nervous systems of her human crew, who are also wired to give her data via brain implants.

At some point in the series, she gains the ability to interface with other Ship minds/ Stations in a similar way, seeing everything that mind sees through its' crew's implants but without getting to be part of the same 'whole'. The crew are technically her soldiers, and when she was a ship she would have felt all that information first hand, but now she receives it relayed through another Ship which she both craves and feels alienated by.

So the whole time it's told using "I", "Me", "My", and it reads deceptively straight forward. But she both is and isn't experiencing those other points of view. She's literally receiving the neurological data and being able to look through any of those people's eyes at any time, even review their memories, but there remains this...barrier in place.

How much of identity is caused by or separate from the expression of neurochemicals in response to experience? What are the borders of a person's self?

And then on top of all of that, the protagonist was again, a Ship and an Ancillary. It is a war machine and her bodily identity was created through a war crime. It/she wasn't treated as really a person with feelings. And she carries that mentality into her new single bodies existence, describing everything in the most rationlized way, and then you go back and realize, no, actually she was acting out of such strong anger or grief.

It's a FASCINATING point of view and it's still simple/subtle enough I don't think I fully noticed all of the specific choices the author made in using perspective on my first two reads of the series even though identity is a major theme.

If you want to talk about really purposeful, well done point of view, PLEASE PLEAS PLEASE read Imperial Radch.

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

Months ago, I left a comment saying that Disney LA remake stans are dumb and annoying and someone told me "it's not that deep". If the desecration of the art of animation is not that deep to you, then I don't know what to tell you.

[gentil-minou]

"This is more about your ego and pride than Palestine" No its about putting pressure on a party that is supporting genocide

It's about logic

Biden and the DNC would rather cause dissent and dissatisfaction within their own party rather than call for a ceasefire

They know they can get away with it because they're a better option than Trump, because they know they could murder babies in front of you and you'll still vote for them.

So why would they call for a ceasefire when they don't need to?

That's why putting the pressure on them, saying they won't get our vote or saying we are looking for other options is so important.

Because that's the only way they will change.

By saying "Vote Blue No Matter Who", you give him and the DNC permission to permit genocide despite the vast majority of public opinion. You say they can do whatever they want because you will vote for them anyways.

You tell them they don't need to do anything else. That in fact they can do whatever they want. You've shown them you are so terrified of your own government that you would rather lie down and let it walk all over you than put any pressure on them at all

They have a year to make a change. Biden could end this all tomorrow, but why would he when he has you doing his dirty work?

[weatherman667]

During the Great Crusade, there was no equivalent of an Imperial Army. Nothing. The Legiones Astartes were at least 10,000 strong, and 10 is enough to stop most planetary invasions.

But, during the Unification Wars, like many great Emperors, the Emperor gave them the option of surrendering and joining the Imperium. If you did that, you got to keep your army. When the Great Crusade started, the armies were allowed to join in as auxiliary members

This goes back to the Roman Legions, that would take barbarians as supporters. They weren't considered part of the regular army, but would fight with them. Rome had the most discipline and training to represent the core of the army.

There was a term Imperial Army, but it was not an army of the Imperium. They were instead attached to the Legiones Astartes. The Astartes would do their decapitation strike, and leave the Auxiliaries to guard garrisons, and anything you don't need super soldiers for.

This was like the Roman Legions, which were paid for by the General, and it was the General to which they were loyal. Rome had a little problem when the Generals did not agree with whom was in charge. The same thing happened during the Horus Heresy, so, half of the Auxilia turned traitor, as well.

Guiliman's reforms were designed to prevent any individual or single agency from having power over the Imperium.

Except himself, of course.

The Imperial Guard was created to be independent. Of the Imperium, and of themselves. They keep the Guard divided between Infantry, Armour, and Artillery. Because of the Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors, if one group rebels, there is always a counter. It was also separated from the Navy.

Guiliman was probably already thinking about breaking up the Legions into Chapters, and when he did he nearly caused a second civl war.

Found this buried in my old works and finally finished it. Part of my RWBY 40K idea.

@weatherman667 @heliosthegriffin I hope you enjoy.

Above a small frontier planet sat the Vengeful Spirit, flagship of the Warmaster Horus Lupercal. Despite its presence and reputation, and those of its commander, it was not here for warfare. In fact the visit would be called leisurely, given the Warmaster in question was without his iconic power armor and more casual attire upon his return to the vessel.

A seasoned officer approached the towering Primarch with a genial smile. “Welcome back Lord Horus. Did you enjoy your visit?”

Seating himself at a massive table, putting down his bag of items that he had acquired from the world. “I did. Thank you Admiral. Please chart a course to Ultramar.”

“Yes my Lord.” A quick salute and he marched away.

A young man, a recent addition to the Warmasters flagship, was grumbling to himself over a data slate. “Is something bothering you, Lieutenant?”

The voice startled the young officer, causing him to double take before finding his voice. “It’s nothing my Lord. Nothing worth mentioning.”

“Clearly it’s something weighing on your mind. Please, give voice to it.” Horus requested but not unkindly.

Chewing on his cheek for several seconds the man finally responded. “My Lord, may I ask a personal question?”

“You may.”

“You are the Warmaster, Lord of the XVI Legiones Astartes, First Found of the Emperor’s Sons, foremost among the Primarchs, I can continue for hours regarding your accomplishments. You can have planet wide festivals held in your honor. You can dine with the High Lords of Terra, feasting on the most succulent foods and drinking the finest wine the whole of the Imperium has to offer. Nothing is beyond your reach.”

The Lieutenant pulled up the information of the planet they just left on his dataslate and held it before him. “We just left a world I have never even heard of before now. A planet of no renown, it birthed no great scholars or warriors, it isn’t even the home of a Chapter nor research facility. It is unremarkable in every way I can conceive. Even if a catastrophe were to befall this world, blast even if this world was completely eradicated from the galactic map, it wouldn’t be of any significance to the Imperium. Nobody would mourn its loss. Why do you go to these lowly worlds?”

Finally noticing the inscrutable look on the Primarchs face, alongside the direct stares of every person and Astartes within earshot, the man registered how that question may have sounded. “Ah, forgive me My Lord! I- is- not mean-“

Horus held a hand up to forestall his stuttering.

“No apologies needed, Lieutenant. I asked you to voice your quandary, do not distress. That is a legitimate question. One that many of my own sons have wondered as well, if their sudden interest is of any indication.” A handful of Astartes suddenly shifted, ashamed at being caught out so easily. One was suddenly very interested in a certain smudge on the wall. “The answer is quite simple I’m afraid: I visit these planets to spend time with the common folk. No other reason than that.”

“But, why?” The words escaped the Lieutenants lips before he could stop them.

Horus did not take offense to this, simply nodding at the man. “Why? Another fair question. That is a story from a time long past. If it will satisfy, I will tell you this. Do you want to sit upon my knee as a regale you with this tale?”

Laughter rang through the hall at the offer, earning an embarrassing blush across the Lieutenant’s face. With a red faced and stubborn glare, he accepted the offer earning even more laughter including from the Primarch.

Eventually the laughter died down, a distant look in the Primarchs eyes held for a moment, before they refocused.

“This story begins during the Great Crusade. The Imperium was destined to lay claim to the galaxy as its rightful ruler. I was on the cusp of chosen to become Warmaster. I had an unusual visitor, one who had information regarding the safety of the whole of the Imperium and others as well. As a protector of humanity I accepted it, eager to see what would dare threaten mankind. What I found was not what I expected.

The records he possessed held incredible information. The location of the Pharos device and its general workings, the existence of the Black Library in the Webway, a rough map to the Ghoul Stars, locations of several STCs, detailed diagrams of a plethora of xenos, and much more. The information was thoroughly investigated and analyzed. Outside a few details, it was all utterly flawless. All of this was exemplary but that isn’t important to this conversation.

We know that the Immaterium is without normal rules, yes? For every rule that is upheld it is simultaneously broken. Time and space themselves become mutable. He had come from a time in the future where the Imperium was besieged by a monster. He spoke of a creature that would tear the Imperium in half. Lead the wholesale slaughter of countless lives. Corrupt the Imperial Dream and send what was left of mankind toward darkness and eventually total destruction.”

One of his Sons raised his hand. “The Galaxy had been beset upon by turmoil and chaos before, what would be so different from this one? What would be so arrogant to challenge the might of the Primarchs?”

“Ferrus Manus would have been the first do die.”

His Son staggered as if he been struck by lightning with this rebuttal. He was not alone in his shock.

“How is this possible? This all has to be a lie! Primarchs can die? What became of this monster? Did you slay it?” Many voices cried out.

His voice regained their attention, “I could not destroy it. The creature had not arisen yet. The only thing we could do was watch diligently to prevent its arrival. If it were to arise, such a thing would be far beyond my power to dispatch.”

“The Lion?”

“He too could not.”

“The Wolf King?”

“He would have failed.”

“The Angel?”

Horus looked stricken at the name. “Even as the most valiant among us as dear Sanguinius is, it would’ve butchered him. My Father, the Emperor of Mankind, the strongest Psyker known to the galaxy, would’ve needed to sacrifice himself to end the beast.”

Sorrow filled the Warmasters voice as he continued.

“He destroyed the monster, but it dealt him such a grievous blow that he was interred upon the Golden Throne. To never rise again. He could only watch the galaxy rage against the dying of the light from his Throne, helpless to protect his people.”

Murmuring, whispers, frightened tones filled the air. What kind of monstrosity could be capable of this? Eventually one Astartes meekly spoke out, “My lord, what was this thing called?”

Horus wiped his eye of the unshed tears recalling the monster’s actions. With a heavy sigh and tone of finality, the Warmaster intoned, “Its name was Horus Lupercal.”

The air itself froze under the weight of his words. None dared even breathe. The mere notion of such a possibility was outright preposterous any other time, yet the apparent truth behind the Primarchs words arrested all sounds.

The silence shattered from a Guardsman’s chuckle. All eyes went towards him in shock and accusation.

With an awkward cough and a hand rubbing his head he sheepishly said “Ah, I’m sorry mi lord! I didn’t take you for one to make such a great prank!”

All eyes snapped back to the Primarch, who only smirked in response.

The deathly spell had been broken! Scattered laughs sounded, of course this all had to be in jest! The great Horus would become a monster? So much so that even the Emperor would be mortally injured? The mere idea was blasphemy! The tension was bleeding out of their bodies, relieved of their near scare. Oh he sure got them! A Servitor shook itself like a dog shaking off a bad feeling while a Tech Priest grumbled about the sensations of his flesh in binaric.

“Oh, I enjoy a good jest as much as you may, but I am not joking right now.” Horus said with a mirthless smile of his own. The dread had returned.

“This man had come from a time where I had let my pride, my hubris, my lust for glory and valor, to blind me. To shackle my mind. To turn against my Father. I had allowed myself to be corrupted by enemies that have hated the Emperor for countless ages. I willingly turned my armies against him. Against my own brothers. Manipulated several of my brothers into betraying our Father. Poisoned the bonds of brotherhood and fraternity. I plunged the Imperium into chaos with my War, paving the way for many and much more dangerous foes to arise. I was the cornerstone for the total annihilation of the galaxy.”

The audience was subdued. The few scattered murmurs were mere whispers. The Warmaster allowed them their time, for as long as they need it.

The Lieutenant looked up to Horus with a voice too small for his station. “What was this person’s name? This one that brought forward this future?”

“He called himself an ‘average Jaune’.” Horus answered with a bitter smile.

“John? John what? John who? John of where? How and why have we not heard of him before?” One of his sons demanded.

He responded, “He hailed from a world that none of you have heard of. A world of no renown, it birthed no great scholars or warriors, it wasn’t even the home of a Chapter nor research facility. It was unremarkable in every way you can conceive. When a catastrophe befell his world, completely eradicated it from the galactic map, it was deemed of little consequence to the Imperium. He was the only one who mourned its destruction.”

He patted the now ashen faced Lieutenant’s back as he continued.

“You do not know of him because he didn’t care for honor or glory. Magnus offered entire worlds for the information he brought as recompense. Mhehe. None of us will forget his response.”

“What did he say?” A serving girl wondered.

Horus chuckled at the memory before clearing his throat to repeat, “Fuck off ya Crimson Cunt! You must really have shit for brains if you think I’ll care enough to piss on whatever mountains of gold you can offer me! All I’m here to do is pull your egotistical heads out of your arrogant asses so I can go back to arguing with my dog on the farm!”

His spectators could feel the disappointment, disgust, disbelief, annoyance, and righteous anger in this persons voice tinged with sorrow. Magnus the Red was always one of the more charming and welcoming of the Primarchs, what did this John witness to have such a reaction to such a generous and honorable offer? A Primarchs eidetic memory, while flawless as the name suggests, didn’t always allow said Primarchs to perfectly convey everything as admitted by them. How much more force were behind those words that were not conveyed?

“What happened to him?” A small voice asked from the small sea of faces.

Normally a foolish question as he would’ve been executed for such disrespect without question. Normally. However this John was no normal person despite his claims and this was no normal situation either.

“He died upholding his duty, the defense of the Imperium and the future of mankind. He was attacked by an agent of the enemy who wished for the Heresy to commence. He died in the assault, but he managed to purge his assailant before his last. A simple man, armed with not but a gun, and all the courage befitting of the greatest heroes.”

Horus allowed the audience to absorb his words.

“I go to these humble worlds as a form of commemoration. Not to grace the common folk with my mighty presence, but to remind myself the potential and strength of humanity without such things like Warpcraft or Gene-seed. It was this simple, ordinary man that exposed the hidden truths and machinations of the wretched enemies who would see the galaxy as a mere game, used us as pawns, had me dance to their demented tune like a puppet on strings. He saw me not as a Warmaster, hero, legend, nor demigod, but a person. A person that, while the source of much pain and sorrow, was as much of a victim as he was. He saved the Imperium, he saved the Dream, he saved me.”

Horus gently took the shaken Lieutenant off his knee and set him down. He grabbed a small parcel from his bag and gave it to the Lieutenant. “You seem shocked, sir. Here, have some nuts. They are from a tree unique to this world and have a notable taste.”

[crownedwille]

I've come to the conclusion that loving young royals doesn't mean I can't be critical about it, maybe especially bc I love the show so much I have such strong feelings about it, good and bad and I can love parts of canon and agree with it and appreciate it but I don't have to love it all. I have accepted that it's okay if I don't accept the ending and I don't have to force myself to support it. It's okay to not agree with all of canon and it's okay to not side with all of the creators' intentions/views. Loving a show doesn't mean you have to take everything the writers say on face value and that's the only version that is allowed to exist. Canon isn't everything and fandom is about curating your own experience that makes you happy and not miserable. You don't have to dismiss canon in every aspect and ignore it entirely, that's certainly not what I want but there is a fine line between being canon respectful, allowing some parts to exist and sometimes, yes, you just have to say "fuck canon" and move on for your own sanity and wellbeing

[sageblus]

fighting the urge to leave my parents’ place a day early and go back to the peace and quiet of my own home

[theprincessandthepie]

im so sad they wrote joanna out of the show. and then they never let laurel have any friends of her own again T_T

[revenantttt]

was a bit funny seeing someone say that the mourn watch background should only have been available to mages bcs "why would the mourn watch need warriors or rogues", when one of the most common complaints about the combat in this game is that it's hard to play a mage without a tank in the team lol