#...who would be affected by their actions and what they advocate for...

[uncanny-tranny]

In political spheres, I so often want to ask, "is what you're doing 'punching up,' or are they just an easily-available, acceptable target?"

[libraford]

Here's what's going on in Ohio right now. Heavy stuff ahead.

First, I want to apologize for the misinformation in my original post. I am still learning about legislative processes. To correct: the changes to ODH and OMHAS in regards to gender therapy are not a bill, they are changes in regulations.

This is important because citizens CAN affect rule changes. There is an open commentary period where your submissions get counted and can affect how they write new regulations.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, legal advocate, or medical professional. I'm just a dude who had to have it all explained to me.

The first one is Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services. The rules proposed would make the already prohibitive process of gender transition even harder. In order to diagnose and treat gender dysphoria, a hospital needs to have a board certified psychologist per patient, a board certified endocrinologist familiar with the age group being diagnosed per patient, and a medical ethicist overseeing the hospital's plan for transition. 'Board certified' does not guarantee that the specialist is trans-friendly. It must include a detransition plan. Hospitals would have to report compliance annually. The professionals must have a contractual relationship with the patient, but do not need to offer in-person care. (In this instance, I'll get to that in the next rule change.)

This rule also deems it impermissible to prescribe gender transition care (this includes hormones, puberty blockers, or drugs) for anyone under the age of 21 without the approval of the professionals mentioned and 6 months of therapy.

There is an exception for intersex people, who may have their sex assigned to them without their consent.

The open comment period for this ends January 19 at 5pm.

Send an email to MH-SOT-rules@mha.ohio.gov with the subject title: "Comments on Gender Transition Care Rules."

The second one is Ohio Department of Health and it repeats a lot of the same as the first one. However, the focus is more on the regulation of doctors and paperwork. Anyone seeking transition will be put into a registry with their name redacted, but demographics like age, agab, specific diagnosis (difficult to achieve with the new regulations mentioned above), and any medications (not just related to gender transition, but any medications at all). Any cessation of care must be reported within 30 days.

This is a lot of paperwork and can overburden hospitals.

That 30 days cessation is important because if a person transfers doctors or if a clinic closes and the paperwork isn't filed, it may count as a 'detransition' when tallying demographics, even if that is not the case.

But what's curious is that the ODH regulations DO require in-person care. The rules are contradictory and vague.

The comment period for this ends Feb 5th.

Send a comment through the ODH website

Here are some important things that were mentioned at the meeting:

This is a good time to be personal with your statements. If this would disrupt your life in any way, please say so. "I fear that" "I believe this" "I worry that"- these are great ways to start your comment. An example one person gave is "I worry that this change in regulations would force me and my daughter to move out of state.'

With that being said, anything that you send to these sites will be public record, so be cautious about what you reveal about yourself in your comment.

If you are in need of help, please reach out to one of these resources:

Trans Ohio Emergency Fund Resource Page

Kaleidoscope Youth Center

If you are in need of legal advice on how to navigate all this, please call

888-LGBT-LAW

This is not everything. There is unfortunately more because Ohio decided to break a record this month with anti-trans motions. But today I'm focusing on things that we can take action on.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

MLK at 95.

January 15, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born 95 years ago on January 15, 1929. As a Baptist minister, he advocated non-violence while promoting civil rights. He spoke for the poor, the oppressed, and the disenfranchised. While he was imprisoned in a Birmingham jail for protesting segregation, he responded to eight white ministers who had criticized him for participating in protests that they described as “unwise and untimely.”

Dr. King’s famous reply to the white ministers explained why he traveled to Birmingham from Atlanta to protest:

I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider.

While Dr. King was keenly aware of the racism that served as the understructure of the Christian church in the old South, he would be shocked by the virulent, mean-spirited, anti-Christian message that animates many (not all) evangelical congregations in America today. They form the backbone of Donald Trump's support in Iowa and beyond. They have adopted Trump's message that treats the poor, oppressed, and disenfranchised as “outsiders” and “others” who do not belong in America.

Over the last several days, we have learned that members of the Texas National Guard physically blocked federal Border Patrol agents from responding to reports of immigrants in distress in the Rio Grande. The bodies of a mother and two children were later recovered from the river in the area where immigrants were reported to be in distress.

Texas, of course, denies that its cruel actions caused the drownings—a denial that should be viewed skeptically from a state whose governor—Greg Abbott—recently commented Texas troopers could not shoot immigrants crossing the border because the troopers would be charged with murder by the Biden administration. Texas governor criticized after comment about shooting migrants | The Texas Tribune.

Similar animus underlies the recent comments of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who withdrew Mississippi from a federal program to provide food to school children during summer breaks. Governor Reeves said Mississippi withdrew from the program to fight “attempts to expand the welfare state.”

Blocking efforts to rescue a drowning mother and her children? Regretting the inability to shoot immigrants because it would be murder? Denying food to poor children out of spite? Who are these people? How do they look at themselves in the mirror?

Ninety-five years after Dr. King’s birth and fifty-five years after his death, it is difficult to believe that people who identify as upstanding members of the Christian church can support such actions.

Another section from Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is relevant to this moment in our nation’s history:

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. I meet young people every day whose disappointment with the church has risen to outright disgust.

Dr. King’s words were prophetic. See Pew Research (10/17/19) In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.

And, of course, as Dr. King recognized, “there are some notable exceptions” among church leaders who supported his work—just as there are exceptions today. Several readers have recommended Faithful America as an antidote to Christian nationalism. The organization’s helpful FAQ page explains why “Christian nationalism” is not Christian. See Resisting Christian Nationalism: FAQ + Resources | Faithful America.

On this day commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth, we can see how far we have come—and how much further we must go. He didn’t despair. Neither should we.

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

[snaccpopstudios]

From the River to the Sea.

The staff of SnaccPop Studios wanted to reach out to our fans regarding our stance on the genocidal acts committed against Palestine. Though the conflict thrived well before 2023, these last few months have shown an escalation of cruelty that has become impossible for the rest of the world to ignore. 

To state the matter frankly; we stand by Palestine. We acknowledge that blood is not only on the hands of the Israeli government, but also the American, British, and other world governments who have and continue to enable Israel's actions. Any government, company, or corporation that attempts to accommodate "both sides," or inadvertently shows support through inaction is equally complicit in creating a climate in which this genocide is allowed to take place. It is for this reason we feel compelled to speak out and condemn these acts for what they are; genocide, theft, ethnic cleansing, and mass-murder.

We believe that all those responsible for these innocent deaths must be called for and prosecuted as murderers in the first degree, regardless of status. But we also acknowledge that this will likely never happen.

In light of this, what can we do? We believe that it is not the citizen's burden alone to end this genocide, and yet we must call upon every individual person to reflect on this matter and do what we can to make things right. An initial step for many of us would be to seek to educate themselves on this matter. We must learn from history to avoid unwittingly contributing to further oppressions. We will be providing a few trustful sources for you all to further educate yourselves and donate to, if you are able to.

We must also ask everyone to remember that these lives are irrevocably lost. Children who are now without parents, families separated and lost–these people's lives will be permanently affected by these events, if they survive. Their pain and trauma will impact the future for everyone on our planet. It is vital to acknowledge this and treat it with the gravity it is due. It is so easy to distance ourselves from these events, to compartmentalize the trauma of people we don't know, people who live so far away from many of us. It is easy to get caught up in the narrative disseminated by mainstream media, to detach ourselves from the real human suffering, to view it as a story that has nothing to do with us. We must perform due diligence to discern the truth and act accordingly. Acknowledging the suffering and remembering all that has been lost is vital to holding Israel accountable for their genocidal acts.

We must also use our empathy to realize that this is one of the great injustices of humanity; by allowing it to happen now, we further enable it to happen to other disenfranchised groups in the future. None of us are truly safe if we allow this brutality to wage unchecked. We cannot allow our governments to believe that we will tolerate or condone this, now or ever.

Links:

Care for Gaza. Providing distribution of cash, food, or other supplies needed like medicine or clothes to displaced families in Gaza. https://www.gofundme.com/f/careforgaza. As of writing this, the GoFundMe is no longer accepting donations, but their PayPal in their Twitter (https://twitter.com/CareForGaza) still is.

Pious Projects. Providing menstrual/hygiene kits to those who menstruate in Gaza. https://piousprojects.org/campaign/2712

eSims for Gaza. Helping those in Gaza remain connected to the outside world, stay connected with families, and show what’s happening within Gaza. https://gazaesims.com/

History of Palestine and debunking myths spread: https://decolonizepalestine.com/

PDF Booklet provided by Bisan on her Instagram. Advocating for Palestine that recounts Israeli propaganda and how to spot and debunk them. https://sites.google.com/view/advocatingforpalestine/?fbclid=PAAaZtxfP5EBAZSRP6h15wi96-dnCuOgOlE0aXKVB8gCtQbokaSE9N1nxzkuA_aem_AaIBVrty_hSHN28vgu0T-rJly_eLH5YAFKxLcCLLBNBXl8QZiUe4fvR-pkBV_8x6UyM

Boycott, Diversity, and Sanctions (BDS) website: https://bdsmovement.net/

Please note these aren’t all of the available resources out there, but a few collected, trusted ones. Take the time and effort to look and reach further yourselves, as we will continue to do so ourselves.

SnaccPop Studios 🍉

[genderkoolaid]

I understand if this is not the kind of ask you usually get, but you sometimes post about youthlib so. How would one deal with disliking their peers and some slightly younger people as a young adult? I logically know that no age group is a monolith but I just mean, interacting a lot with people of my age and somewhat younger has really disillusioned me, I don't seem to find any happiness in being around most of them. I sometimes think of my own being a relatively young adult as negative. Im aplatonic and don't want friends and I was miserable when I tried to make myself make friends mainly with peers.

I only talk to people for specific reasons but may just generally joke around with them or make small talk briefly without forming a bond. My partners are mostly somewhat slightly older than me, but one is my age, and I like all of them more than I like other people. Other people I generally just see neutrally and don't wish for them to come to harm.

I think Ive often been annoyed by my peers due to not fitting in and sometimes being treated in toxic or abusive/bullying kind of ways by peers, or from sensory issues because they all talk so much you could probably hear them from another floor. I think its things like that that make me generally unable to feel positive about my peers, along with seeing so many rancid discourse takes online come from the young adults and teenager age groups.

And I understand how being around my age makes people vulnerable to harmful ideology too but its so tiring to see a shit take then see like '22' or '17' on the persons bio.

(Im 21 for reference)

I think it's important to recognize that our emotions and our political philosophies are not tied together. You don't need to feel the right feelings in order to advocate for youth liberation. If you accept these ideas intellectually, and you are cognizant of your emotions and how they affect you, then you can make the choice to not let those emotions shape your actions.

It's important to engage with people outside your age group (or the age group you spend the most time around), but that doesn't need to be friendship. It's alright to engage with others in your communities without wanting friendship. You know, intellectually, that there are young people who are quiet, not interested in friendship, have nuanced opinions on things, etc. It's good to expose yourself to proof of this, but you don't have to do that through feelings of love and friendship.

The Internet is full of shitty opinions and youth, so obviously you are going to see a lot of youth with shitty opinions. But there's plenty of adults with shitty opinions, and youth with solid ones. Confirmation bias is a tricky bitch. I would recommend focusing less on how you feel, & more about how you act. Don't pressure yourself to like your peers or befriend people when it makes you miserable. Put that energy into talking about ageism, fighting KOSA laws, and consciously combatting your own bias. Accept that you feel what you feel, ask yourself what you value, and then find what harmonizes those two.

[brielledoesastrology]

asteroid oppenheimer (67085) in your astrology natal chart

By : Brielledoesastrology (tumblr)

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds" - J. Robert Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad Gita

asteroid Oppenheimer code number : 67085

When i was hunting asteroids i actually didn't expect an asteroid to be named after him since he is a very controversial figure of history. Before this post started i just wanted to say that I do not idolize or sorry even respect this person since i am aware of what his creations have done to hundreds of thousands of people. By the way the picture above is cillian murphy not him.

This asteroid is named after J. Robert Oppenheimer. He was an American theoretical physicist. He is often credited till now as the "father of the atomic bomb" since he is the one who is responsible for the research and design of an atomic bomb. the atomic bombs were used on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which to date remains the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Did he regret it?

only 11 days after the bombing of Hiroshima, on August 17, 1945, he expressed in writing to the US government his desire for nuclear weapons to be banned. Two months later he would tell President Harry S. Truman that blood was on his hands.

Oppenheimer became an advocate of nuclear disarmament and spoke out against the use of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. He also had his security clearance revoked and was accused of being a security risk due to his past connections with communist sympathizers. Many historians attribute this in part to his opposition to nuclear weapons and the arms race. 

Overall, it is clear that Oppenheimer had mixed and contradictory feelings about his involvement in the development of the atomic bomb, and certainly had some regrets about the consequences. 

(if there is any incorrect information above please correct me by reblog or commenting, so many sources have different stuff about him even big sources now i am just confused)

(for the regret or not part i am not sure if it is correct or not since a lot of big different sources said different stuff about what he felt, please correct me by reblogging or commenting if i made any mistakes on the sources i posted above)

In astrology the asteroid Oppenheimer (67085) could represent : where u could feel u have blood on your hands, where you could or not feel guilty about ur creations/actions, where ur creations cause massive destruction.

If i even have to be honest i kinda hate that there was an asteroid named after him. 🥲 Like seriously everytime when an asteroid is named after a historical figure i always get nervous.

⚠️ Warning : i consider this asteroid as prominent and brings the most effect if it conjuncts ur personal planets (sun,moon,venus,mercury,mars) and if it conjuncts ur personal points (ac,dc,ic,mc), i use 0 - 2.5 orbs (for conjunctions). For sextile, trine, opposite and square aspects to asteroids i usually use 0 - 2 orbs. Yes tight conjunctions of planet / personal points to asteroids tends to give the most effect, but other aspects (sextile,trine,square,opposite, etc) still exist, even they produce effects. If it doesn't aspect any of your planets or personal points, check the house placement of the asteroid, maybe some stuff/topics relating to this asteroid could affect some topics/stuff relating to the house placement . ⚠️

[edenfenixblogs]

What are you doing to help black people?

Several things! (A Note on My Personal Limitations: I am not black. I am unable to protest for health reasons. I do not have much money at all)

I elevate black voices whenever I can

I joined an anti-racism book club where I can learn how to be a better ally and unlearn as much systemic prejudice as I can

I do not tolerate anti-black racism from anyone in my life for any reason. I call it out every time, publicly.

I donate (when financially possible) to several causes devoted to both long term and immediate aid to to black people including: various bail funds in my current state and my home state, the southern poverty law center, the Homeless Black Trans Women gofundme, the ACLU, and others.

I consistently educate people in my life about the goals of BLM — including defunding the police — in order to reduce their knee jerk reactions and foster better understanding.

I shut the eff up unless I can help. I’m no savior; I know this. I don’t break into conversations that don’t involve me. I just listen. Most of my public advocacy is amplifying black voices on issues that affect the black community without adding my irrelevant opinions as white-passing person.

Privately, I have and continue to reach out to the several black people in my life to let them know I support them and that I am listening. I listen to them vent to me about their pain and suffering. I let them tell me if I’ve fucked up somehow without getting defensive. Then I apologize sincerely and onboard the new information and don’t do whatever the offending action was again. I have not had anyone tell me I’ve fucked up in that way in over a decade, though. I did, however, realize (during my continuing journey of learning how to be anti-racist) that I’d held problematic opinions as a teenager (nothing crazy. Just ignorant teen bullshit borne from growing up as a liberal in a red state and thinking I was more progressive than I actually was at the time) and proactively reached out to the black friend I’ve known since my teenage years to say that I know I was an idiot back then and I’ve learned a lot since then and I will continue to learn and to apologize.

My work involves public communications. In my role, I continually advocate for anti-racist, black-affirming language in our company guidelines and publicly disseminated materials, even when that means confronting my boss—who is a white man.

I vote in every election in which I am able, researching every politician and bill thoroughly from multiple sources and voting as leftist as possible and educating people in my life about these bills details and the politicians platforms and records.

I am not perfect and don’t claim to be. I only claim to try my best to continually improve.

I don’t make a habit of sharing private communique and am only doing so now because this post asks for receipts. Here are some excerpts from conversations had during 2020 when tensions were a little higher. I decline to share receipts from more recently, as those conversations include more private and more identifying information. The pictured conversations involve friends I’ve had since pre-school, high school, and college. Again, this is not something I would normally share, because saying “I have black friends” is tacky and gross. But I am trying to respect your request for my commitment to the black community, which does of course include my friends. It feels wrong not to mention them in this context, even though I feel awkward saying it at all. Im also sharing only the start of longer conversations, as my friends’ pain and concerns are not for public consumption.

Idk if replying to your question alerts you, so tagging you just in case. @phantomdiebe

[ae-neon]

Debated making this rant cause I'm technically shading a mutual but I cannot keep quiet about this

Y'all are too comfortable telling black women what should and shouldn't be considered racism.

Especially in defense of these shallow smutty booktok romantasies that are actually dripping acidic right wing ideology into your brains.

I am not here to debate this. These books and the characters in them are racist. That is a fact.

You can say the Bat boys are "Caucasian", you can say it's prejudice not racism, or they have trauma that justifies their thoughts and actions, you can insist one is worse than the other etc etc I literally don't care

But realise that if you can see past what the author and other characters say to have a better understanding for Nesta and Tamlin and Lucien and whoever else but you wanna insist that majority, if not all, Illyrians are incapable of changing their societal norms given the chance and infrastructure then you are being racist too. You have bought into the racism of the characters and the author.

Even if you see the Illyrians as white, in the context of the story, they are their own race separate from human and high fae and outside of that, whether you want to admit it or not, they are poc-coded

Cassian and Azriel being under Rhysand's authority does not negate the fact that they have more power and influence than any other Illyrians.

Them being traumatized doesn't negate that in 400 years they have used their power and influence to advocate for 0 policies to stop other children from being victims of the same abuse.

Cassian's own mother was tortured to death but he only puts his foot down regarding the training of women when it affects his white girlfriend.

These men belong in hell. All of them.

Them asking the camp lords if the women can train and taking their refusal doesn't mean anything. It's like asking slave masters if they can let their slaves read. Who gives a flying rainbow coloured fuck what they think.

In 400 years, all they did was declare, into the void, that wing clipping is illegal and never lift a finger to enforce it but I bet you if some guy or even an Illyrian woman took an ax to Feyre's wings we'd suddenly see the sky fall

They pick and choose when to care about Illyria, they are more than happy to profit from the labour of the soldiers bodies, they speak in rancid tones about the people even though if you counted every single Illyrian man above 18 as pure evil it would still be less than half of all Illyrian people.

These men are racists.

They are textbook self hating moc.

They literally ascribed Illyrian traits to Nesta when they find her behaviour less than desirable

There is a word I wanna use but I won't

If you wanna make a post about how sad their lives are that's cool, your blog your space, but please do not attempt to tell me that they are not racists in the comments of my posts

[90s-belladonna]

would it be okay to request Bakugou's reacting to another hero trying to recruit his assistant who he has a crush on? I need a jealous Kacchan

Explosive Disposition: Katsuki Bakugo x Fem!Reader

I apologize in advance if it isn't the best, I still have terrible writer's block but I've got you anon!

word count: 3992

He doesn’t know when it happened but he couldn’t stop thinking about you whenever his mind happened to have a free second away from his hero work. He figured it was just that he found you funny or that he was beginning to appreciate all you did for him. However, deep down he knew that something had shifted as he had always been appreciative of your work since he hated filling out paperwork for the cases he solved, yet you did it for him without a single complaint. No, perhaps it was that he was finally becoming aware of his feelings, feelings that had always been there.

“and then (name) said ‘Dynamight doesn’t answer any stupid questions so before you open your mouths ask yourselves if your question is stupid. If you doubt it even a little do yourself a favor and just keep it moving because it won’t get answered today.’ It was hilarious! The reporters were trembling after that.” Kirishima lets out a chuckle as he recalls the events from that morning’s press conference. Their agency had just solved a huge case involving a criminal organization, and naturally, the media had a lot of questions. However, as Katsuki’s assistant, your main task was to constantly shield him from anything that could set him off to avoid a PR nightmare. 

You honestly didn’t mind the responsibilities that came with the job, you appreciated that Bakugo didn’t feel the need to put on a fake persona for the media just to come off as more likable, and you agreed that a lot of the questions they asked heroes were useless and unimportant. You quickly adapted to working with someone like Bakugo as both of your personalities were very similar, the key difference being that you were a very direct person who could communicate your thoughts and feelings easily and professionally. 

You were fond of Bakugo. Most of the tasks in your old job consisted of helping sleazy businessmen lie to their wives and cover up secret families and affairs, so working for someone as brutally honest as Bakugo was a breath of fresh air. When you finally had enough and decided you didn’t want to waste your degree working for shitty people with even shittier morals you got the email notification that they were accepting applications for administrative positions at a hero agency that was about to open up, and that’s how you ended up working for Dynamight. You quickly adapted to the explosion hero’s even more explosive attitude, and you’d be lying if you said the way he carries himself didn’t amuse you. 

While you could remain cool as a cucumber in stressful situations, Katsuki on the other hand was undoubtedly a hothead. While he likes to think he’s direct and honest with his thoughts, everyone knows that couldn’t be further from the truth. You enjoyed the job though, you got to come off as “Dynamight’s bitchy assistant” which came with a lot of power and respect, and that reputation kept people from approaching Bakugo with any stupid questions or comments knowing they’d have to deal with you and your attitude. You were the number one hero’s shield and everyone who knew Bakugo knew that much was true. Every action you took was meant to advocate for him and keep him in his comfort zone so that any useless interruptions wouldn’t affect his hero work.

“Oi idiot! Enough gossiping with your girlfriend we’re here for my issue!” Bakugo grumbled as he glared at his friend-turned-business partner. “Yeah, Yeah, honestly what can we even do anyway? The dude is untouchable. He’s the commission’s golden boy.” the redhead head argued before taking a bite of his food. “I can tell him off that’s what I can do. Call him out on national television. That’ll show that shitty knockoff.” Bakugo was fuming. He put a lot of work into developing his brand so for some nobody to come and rip it off, that truly pissed him off.

“No. It wouldn’t be a good look for the number one to bash another hero in front of the media like that.” Tsubaki argued, she was the head public relations agent for the agency and had made it a point that both heroes, especially Bakugo, ran everything by her. “WHAT THE HELL THEN? THAT ASSHOLE NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON! OR FIVE!” the blonde yelled causing everyone in the restaurant to look his way, only to quickly look away the second he slammed his hands on the table. “Relax. I have a better option for you. We can always have an anonymous digital team spread info online with enough proof to back it up about how he’s trying to copy you. Reputation is everything for a hero and this will ruin his. The bonus side is it won’t get back to you so it’s a win-win situation.” the raven-haired girl suggested with a smirk.

Bakugo couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “That’s a coward’s way of handling shit.” is all the blonde let out. “Well, then we’re back to square one where you can’t do anything about it. He’s a prodigy and has the hero commission’s full backing. I mean come on it’s obvious they’re trying to have the kid kick you out of your number one spot.” Tsubaki argued, however, the blonde could not be reasoned with. “She’s right bakubro. They’re turning that guy into the general public-friendly version of you. I mean he started off as a wannabe hawks like a year ago, and now he’s changing every aspect of himself to mimic you. This needs to be dealt with quickly and efficiently.” The redhead tried to reason. Bakugo knew the two were right, which only served to piss him off more. 

“This is bullshit.” was all the explosion hero had to say regarding the situation. He hated feeling helpless. It pissed him off. “Hey I know you and (name) are roommates but please don’t let this get back to her. You know she goes into rage mode whenever someone pisses Bakubro off.” Kirishima pleaded with the tall woman sitting next to him. “Don’t worry. I keep client info confidential. Plus (name) isn’t much of a gossip, she doesn’t take her work home. It’s very much out of sight out of mind with that girl. God I love her, she’s so chill!” Tsubaki couldn’t help but gush about her friend, it wasn’t every day that someone so effortlessly cool befriended someone as wild and hyper as her. 

Bakugo couldn’t help but let his mind wander off to you, a small sense of peace passed through him at the thought of you being so protective over him. The truth is he didn’t need anyone to protect him, never had and never would, but he couldn’t lie to himself and say there wasn’t a strange feeling in his body that came with being cared for by someone. Even if it was just your job to do so, it strangely comforted him to know that someone had his back without question or hesitation.

“I don’t know if chill is the word I’d use to describe her, but she’s definitely a joy to have around the office.” Kirishima chuckled as he began to remember all the different times you had gone off on someone for trespassing on Bakugo’s personal space. The blonde can’t help but notice the doe eyes the taller woman gives his friend. “I know I requested the lunch meeting… but why do I feel like I just got tricked into paying for one of your dates.” He asked out loud as he observed the couple scoot closer to one another. “Maybe because you are!” teased the ravenette with a giggle following closely behind. He refused to show it but he was glad his friend had found someone that made him so happy. “Whatever.” he managed to grit out as he rolled his eyes and reached for his drink.

“All jokes aside, we do need to deal with this issue. That dude is just awful.” Kirishima stated, this made the explosive boy’s crimson eyes go wide. “See! Even shitty hair hates him, and he stupidly likes everyone!” Katsuki spoke, a delighted tone in his voice as he felt vindicated in his opinion of the up and coming younger hero. “Well, he certainly makes it hard to be on his side with that fake personality he puts on.” Kirishima explained. “I’ve been saying this shit for the last month, but neither of you idiots ever listen.” the blonde grumbled, only to be shot down by the public relations expert. “yeah well you hate everyone soo…” 

A few days had passed since the meeting with Tsubaki and Kirishima, not much had progressed regarding the issue of his copy cat so he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. “You need to relax. It’s your day off. What good will you do the public if you’re always on edge?” Katsuki had been invited to, well more like forced, to attend a beach day with Shoto and Sero. “I’M ALWAYS RELAXED FLAT FACE!” the blonde fumed at his raven-haired friend. “sure you are big guy.” Sero quickly dismissed his friend’s uncontrolled temper knowing there was nothing he could do to diffuse him when angry. “Perhaps you should join us for a swim. Water can be very calming, it might help you forget about what’s causing you grievance.” a tired set of blue and grey eyes met his crimson ones, he always hated how the heterochromatic boy could tell when something was upsetting him.

“I’ll forget about it when bitchass Dynamic is buried six feet under.” he managed to grumble, this caused Shoto to hum in understanding. “I can see why his existence would upset you. Dynamic doesn’t come off as sincere, His energy seems brittle, as if he’s wearing a mask that could fall apart and crumble at any second. I would assume that factor paired with his attempt to mimic your personal fashion style as well as his rapid rise in the hero charts would only upset you more.” Sero watched in awe at how effortlessly the fire and ice hero was able to decipher Bakugo’s thoughts. “Tsk. I worry about you half and half. You’re becoming perceptive in your old age.” The blonde’s comment had Shoto perplexed. “So swimming?” Sero asked again in an attempt to move the conversation along, he was well aware that left to their own devices his two socially awkward friends would just sit there staring at each other in silence. “I’m not getting my hair wet.” “Oh right.” were answered simultaneously.

It had been about twenty minutes since the other two boys had gone out to swim. As much as he hated to admit it Sero was right, Katsuki had managed to relax a bit as he sunbathed and read his most recent favorite book. He had caught a lucky break as not many people recognized him when he was out of costume, his wearing sunglasses certainly helped with that too. It was looking like it was about to be a great day off away from work and all the worries that came with being a pro hero. That’s until his nose caught wind of a familiar sugary strawberry scent, he knew that perfume anywhere. Sure enough, within seconds your friend and you had settled in a spot in front and to the left of the spot Shoto had chosen for his group. The placement was perfect so that Katsuki didn’t have to outright turn just to look your way, and you wouldn’t be able to notice he was even there unless you looked back long enough. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to swim with me? It’ll be fun!” Asked a girl with pink hair, who Katsuki could only assume was your friend. “You’re lucky I agreed to come at all,” you spoke as you pulled a book and a bottle of sunscreen out of your weekender bag. “I’ll be fine, you enjoy yourself okay.” goosebumps covered Katsuki’s arms, a reaction to how sweet your voice was. He watched as your friend walked towards the water as you laid a towel on your chair and began putting on sunscreen. Being vigilant over you was like second nature to him, he didn’t even have to think about what he was doing, he just knew he had to make sure you were safe. After a few minutes, his brain accepted that no one was going to come to harm you, he could accept that you were at least safe enough to where he could go back to focusing on his book. As the minutes passed Katsuki felt himself relax. He didn’t want to assume anything, but something in the back of his mind was telling him his zen state was due to the proximity to you. He could feel his eyelashes fluttering shut and his vision becoming blurry. After such a stressful day he finally felt relaxed. Something about your presence brought him a comfort he’d never experienced before. 

About twenty minutes passed and the blonde hero was suddenly woken up, it was like his mind could sense you were upset. “it’s literally my day off, and I hate when grimy bastards bother me so fuck off.” your tone was not the usual bored tone you used on people you didn’t care for, instead it was a vexing one. This shift in you caused him to look over at who had you so exasperated just for it to be the one asshole who’d had him annoyed all week. “Look all I’m saying is why stay with a barbarian like Dynamight when you could be working for the next number-one hero?” The man said with a dastardly smirk. The blonde had to hold himself back from interrupting the conversation, you weren’t in any immediate danger and he would only prove the copycat right if he were to punch him for offering you a job. “and why the hell would I stop working for the number one hero in the country just to work for a loser like you?” You didn’t expect a response, you were hoping he could read social cues and notice the disgusted look you were giving him. However, you were far too optimistic.

“I’m so glad you asked! First of all, I can double whatever you’re making working for that… guy, and you would get to help build me from the ground up as the greatest hero in the country. Isn’t that far more fulfilling than doing busy work from a terrible boss?” Katsuki hated him. He hated his audacity, he hated his face, he hated the terrible blonde dye job on his hair, he hated his shitty voice, and most of all he hated everything he was offering you. HR will eat me alive if I interrupt him… But I’m dying to punch that bastard.  “Terrible boss? Who told you all that? More importantly how the hell did you track me down? We’ve literally never once spoken but let me make one thing clear. I will never and I mean NEVER choose you over Dynamight as a boss. I rather gouge my eyes out than have to listen to your infuriating voice ever again. This is why Bakugo is the number one. He actually cares about his work instead of running around trying to put on a fake image like you do. He’s the number one hero because he deserves it, he put in the hard work to earn that title. Now leave me the hell alone because I have no interest in working for an idiot like you.” To say he was shocked would be an understatement, it was obvious no one had ever spoken to the hero hopeful like that, and to rub salt into the wound everyone around the area was now snickering at the public rejection. Bakugo was also taken aback, he knew you had his back during working hours but to see you respected him enough to also have his back in your free time, that was a different development entirely.

Embarrassment aside, the up-and-coming hero had a mission to complete. He had to take you away from Bakugo. He had to take everything that made him who he is as a hero. So he resorted to the only option he had left. “Well, how about a date then?” Your face instantly gave away your abhorrence for even the suggestion of a date with such a clown. The younger hero’s audacity had Bakugo seeing red, his blood boiling, and every vein in his body popping through. “ew. stay away from me you damn loser.” you nonchalantly let out as you looked down in an attempt to pick up the book you had been reading which you accidentally dropped when the fake blonde approached you. You thought that was the end of it and that he would walk away soon only to be forced to look back up once more when you heard a loud smack. “WHAT PART OF STAYING AWAY FROM HER DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND IDIOT?!!?”

Your (color) eyes instantly met crimson ones. You didn’t even get enough time to process what was happening as you looked down at Bakugo’s hand only to see it grabbing Dynamic’s wrist. The younger hero couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, almost as if he had realized he’d committed a great mistake and was trying to play it cool to avoid further embarrassment. “We were just talking. I wanted her attention is all, we were planning a date before you intruded.” “Ew, as if I would ever date someone with a bad dye job and no skincare routine.” you absentmindedly let out.  “You heard her. You weren’t planning shit so fuck off!” the blonde growled as he let the younger man’s wrist go and stood protectively in front of you. Dynamic clicked his tongue and put on yet another irritating smile. “Whatever. We’ll discuss our date later cupcake.” he spoke before dashing away so as to not further piss off Bakugo. “NO. YOU’RE STAYING THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!” The blonde yelled after the obnoxious man while you cringed at the fact that someone had dared to call you cupcake of all things.

You instinctively grabbed Katsuki’s wrist when you noticed his quirk beginning to activate. “He’s gone. It’s okay.” was all you needed to say, your soothing voice mellowing his explosive disposition. The blonde let out a huff before visibly relaxing, you took this as your chance to address him. “You sure take your job seriously huh? Coming to my rescue on your day off and all.” You snickered in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You wouldn’t need saving if you weren’t out finding trouble. Damn brat.” was all the blonde could manage to respond, he was well aware that he was being a dick in an attempt to keep you from noticing the blush beginning to dust his cheeks. “Who would’ve thought Dynamight was such a big softie? Protecting his sweet angel of an assistant from an awful man. The public would swoon!” You teased wanting to see just how far you could push your luck with the explosive boy.

“I’m territorial is all.” His voice was gruff, and he had a stern look in his eyes, almost like he was saying exactly what he was thinking for once. “I don’t like idiots imposing on what I consider mine.” Bakugo’s confession left you perplexed. You didn’t want to assume he meant his words to be interpreted romantically so you opted for attempting to diffuse the situation. “Yeah? I mean I can understand why, what would you do without me? I’m the best, a very efficient assistant if I do say so myself.” You spoke with a giggle, however, your heart betrayed you by acting on its own. The beating was completely out of control, as if it were running a marathon with no end in sight. His crimson eyes searched yours, as if your eyes could tell him what you were thinking or what you were attempting to do. After a few seconds when he felt like he was caught on he finally decided to speak. “Well, you don’t suck.” With that, he decided to walk back to his spot. You watched as he picked up his book and continued to read as if nothing had transpired, as if his words and his gaze hadn’t just set something inside you ablaze.

Two days later you were back at work. Your days off did nothing to help you relax, rather they had your mind in shambles as you thought through every possible scenario that could’ve happened had you responded to Bakugo differently that day at the beach.  It doesn’t matter anymore. I just need to focus on work, I’m probably just imagining things. There’s no way he could… He would never think of me that way.  You had never considered Bakugo as a romantic prospect before, however ever since he protected you, you’d be lying if you said the thought hadn’t crossed your mind. 

”Pro hero Dynamic has just announced his new official colors as orange and black! He also tells his fans to stay on the lookout for a new costume he will debut later this month incorporating his new colors!” The mention of the annoying man from a few days earlier caused you to look at the screen which typically had the news playing all day at the agency. Sure enough, it was a reporter standing next to the fake blonde, he had styled his hair in a spiked manner, which was a big difference compared to the slicked-back style he had at the beach. You couldn’t help but feel disgusted as you watched the man smile on the tv as if he wasn’t a complete and utter sleaze bag. “Ugh. I hate that guy.” Both you and a gruff voice said at the same time.

You turned towards the door only to be met with none other than Dynamight. “You’re very cat-like these days. I didn’t even hear you coming, maybe we should get you a bell.” You joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Try it and you die brat!” He joked back in a crude tone causing you to shrug as you gave him a mischievous smile. Something had shifted ever since your last conversation and you both knew if. It was an unspoken thing. Bakugo felt bare as if the walls he’d spent years building were slowly crumbling. “By the way… you should have the marketing team sue him. He’s clearly trying to profit off of your image. It’s creepy. You should crush his aspirations.” you let out as he began to walk toward his office. His eyes went wide at your comment. “I knew you’d understand… And that you’d have a solution that wasn’t stupid.” His comment had you lifting a brow making you wonder if perhaps he was already aware of the situation.

The pro hero turned your way and examined how your eyes looked at him as if you knew what went on in his soul. “If something or anyone bothers you… tell me. I don’t care how insignificant you think it is, you have to tell me. I’ll come to rescue you. I’ll protect you.” His voice was soft, unlike his usual tone, but he wasn’t asking. It was clearly a command. You weren’t sure how you should respond so you just nodded. Eventually whatever you two had going on would have to be addressed, but for now, the unspoken tension was all either of you could realistically handle. It wasn’t like either of you could read minds, and yet you understood each other perfectly. Both of you also understood the only obstacle keeping you apart was a fear of rejection, on both ends.

☆ Master List

☆ Oneshots

[is-the-fire-real]

'Reminder that "punch a nazi uwu" leftists utilize Nazi rhetoric to justify punching Jews.

It was never about punching Nazis; it was about getting social permission to punch.'

It was this very mentality that drove me away from considering myself a liberal anymore (I AM VERY MUCH LEFT LEANING, I DIDN'T DECIDE TO BECOME CONSERVATIVE JUST TO BE CLEAR. I just don't feel like those spaces have any intrinsic safety any longer). It feels like so much of western leftism has become about "punching up". I don't think it's about compassion or concern anymore, it's about finding the "right" targets. And so often that was just used as a way to excuse bigotry. I'm a goy but I noticed this on a personal level plenty with people identifying as feminists, they'd be perfectly okay saying something unquestionably sexist, as long as "white women" was attached onto the front. It's very much the same with shaming people over physical features that others may have, as long as the individual person is "bad enough" it doesn't matter if wide foreheads or big noses or acne are features many people have and would feel hurt by seeing them used as an insult, because they're only "really" directing it at "one of the bad ones"

So, I'm going to link to this piece again because it's been embarrassingly useful, and explains why I say things like "pretending to believe" despite their clunkiness. For new material, I hope you don't mind that you have accidentally triggered a massive unskippable cutscene, but you tapped into a few things I have been pondering and I'd like to take advantage of your observances to add my own.

Part of what you're discussing here, which I agree with, is that toxic slacktivists pretend to believe that they are Good People Doing Good Work. They are Bad People and their work is Bad Work, but if they all get in a group and pretend together that it's Good, then that's almost the same as being Good, right?

Another worthwhile aspect of what you're discussing is something I became aware of in the aftermath of the collapse of Occupy Wall Street. One commenter on a liberal blog I still follow lamented that mass protest never seems to accomplish anything, and how the millions of people who turned out for OWS protests should have affected more political change. Considering most of them could also vote, write to representatives, etc., something other than littering and arrests could've been done.

Another commenter pointed out that he had personally been at most of the anti-Iraq War protests, including the largest worldwide protest on 15 February 2003 (6-10 million estimated participants). But most of those protesters did not agree with each other. There were at least four major coalitions of antiwar protesters showing up then and thereafter. The ones he listed were:

"Just war" advocates who believed the Iraq War was unjust.

Total pacifists who believed all armed conflicts are unjust, and therefore the Iraq War is as well.

Right-wing bigots who believed a war might potentially benefit those they thought of as religiously or ethnically inferior and subhuman.

Xenophobes, both left- and right-wing, who believed "the US can't be the police of the world" and that any action taken outside USian borders was immoral.

Imagine four people with these beliefs in a room talking about the Iraq War... then bring up the war in Ukraine to them and see how fast the coalition falls apart.

"Well, the war for Ukrainian liberation is a just war," says the just-war advocate. The pacifist starts to scream "HOW COULD YOU DEFEND ANY ACTION THAT MIGHT LEAD TO CHILDREN DYING, YOU MONSTER!". The right-wing bigot says they support the war, too--on the side of the ethnically and religiously superior Russians. And then a left-wing xenophobe says we're wasting money that should be supporting American workers and uplifting Americans out of poverty instead of buying new bombs for Ukraine.

And your "antiwar" coalition collapses, with the pacifist wandering off to agree with the xenophobe while the just-war liberal and the right-wing bigot scream at each other pointlessly and without resolution.

This is one of the wisest breakdowns of human behavior I have ever discovered:

Any coalition of people is made up of many sub-coalitions who only temporarily agree on a single aspect of a single issue. Making sure the group does not collapse prematurely is the true, unsung labor of movement maintenance.

To be real, it's much easier to let one's coalition collapse and scream about how The Menz, or The CIA, or Greedy Capitalists, or The Jews artificially forced your group's collapse than it is to admit that one might just suck a big one at coalition building. This is especially true among leftists, who are sometimes anti-hierarchy and frequently fall for populist, anti-expert nonsense. Having a leader means you're suggesting someone should have authority, and a lot of leftists are allergic to that suggestion.

Moreover, though, a lot of "leftists" are "leftists" but only agree with one or two aspects of leftism.

To use your feminism example: I have absolutely seen feminists who think they can be misogynists so long as they say "white" before they say "woman". I mean, who can even argue? I have also seen feminists who think they can be gender bioessentialists so long as they're doing it towards "men" (a category which includes a lot of people who neither look like men, nor live as men, nor benefit from male privilege). I have seen feminists who think they can call themselves "trans allies" while consistently ignoring, degrading, and dismissing the concerns of anyone who isn't a binary trans woman. Etc.

The thing is, they are all feminists. What makes someone a feminist, at bottom, is the acceptance of and opposition to patriarchy. That's it. It's similar to how what makes a person a Protestant Christian is the acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior--you might need to do one or two things to be considered a part of a specific branch of Christianity, but all you need is that one specific belief about that one specific idea. There's a lot of bunk about how "you can't be a REAL Christian unless you do X" just like there's bunk about how "you can't be a REAL feminist unless you do Y", and it's all bunk.

There are people who might be really bad feminists or Christians, but that's not the same as not being feminists or Christians.

So, the coalition of leftism has several sub-coalitions who actually despise each other. Here is my proposal for the sub-coalitions. (Please keep in mind that I am not defining groups by how they define themselves, but by the far more useful metric of their actions.)

Liberals who agree with leftist economic thought, but strongly disagree with leftist conclusions regarding violent revolution. Liberals do not have time for online arguments and superficial action. They are generally participating in protests, running for office, writing postcards to advocate for candidates, informing voters, and working within the system for positive change that alleviates suffering. They are pro-expert but opposed to a vanguard party due to its inherent authoritarianism.

Tankies, whose primary interest in leftism is authoritarian. They oppose capitalism and support violent revolution because they imagine themselves as the vanguard party who gets to control everything when the revolution comes.

Anarchists, whose primary interest is opposing hierarchy. They want to burn down the system because it is a system, and frequently become angry and defensive if you try to ask them any questions about what would be built out of the ashes.

Progressives, whose primary interest is opposing liberals. They also oppose capitalism; they are, like tankies, positioning themselves as the vanguard party because they are already in political power. What makes them Not Tankies is that they care more about sticking it to "the Dems" than they do about actually being the vanguard, opposing capitalism, or achieving anything of worth or meaning politically.

"Red fash", who used to be called "beefsteak Nazis". They say all the right things regarding violent revolution and economics/capitalism, but they only believe what they believe for the sake of their specific ethnic group and nation (frequently, white and USian, but this is extremely popular in Europe too). IOW a red fash wants the vanguard party to only have whites of a specific ethnicity in control of the revolution; they only want universal health care for "their" people, that sort of thing. Some red fash are actual Nazis cosplaying as leftists, but some are just really, really, REALLY bigoted leftists.

Whether we like it or note, the acceptance of armed, violent revolution as a Good Thing means that leftism has always regarded punching up and violence as a necessary component of leftist thought. This is not a perversion of Real Leftism. This is leftism. If you think revolution is good and necessary instead of a terrifying possibility, then you also think punching up is okay; it's just a matter of who is Up and who gets to punch.

Of the five sub-coalitions I described, only one has rejected violent revolution--and it's the one all the other leftists accuse of being right-wing. And interestingly enough, only liberals are habitually accused of secretly colluding with the right... when red fash are natural allies to the right, and when all other forms of leftists openly ally with right-wingers so long as they say the right things about economics. (See under: "After Hitler, us" leftists, left-wing Trumpistas who think they'll rule the ashes after Trump burns down the current system.)

And if you believe in violent revolution, then (let me be facetious for a second) what's the problem with making fun of your political enemies for being ugly? If we believe Steve Bannon is a Nazi, aren't we obligated to stop him by any means necessary, and doesn't that include mocking him for his alcoholism? Isn't mocking someone for their appearance and intrinsic characteristics mild compared to, say, threatening them with exploding cars covered with hammers? Or retweeting pictures of pitchforks and guillotines?

If we believe Ben Shapiro is an opponent to the revolution we accept is necessary and vital to the movement, then what's a little antisemitism in the name of the people? Don't we have to be bigots to oppose bigots? And--

--oh. There's that horseshoe bending round to the right again.

[sincerely-sofie]

im now imagining a situation where Ark is only pretending to have amnesia (partly out of fear because HE CURSED TWIG HOW IS SHE ALIVE) in hopes that Twig just Leaves Him Alone, but is so starved for any sort of affection that he stays

the kicker is that Ark accidentally lets slip that he doesn't, in fact, have amnesia. (for example, letting slip that he gave Twig that scar/curse) but they're both such bundles of anxiety that neither one is willing to admit it out of an odd mix of guilt/fear/genuine friendship and not wanting to ruin what they have going on despite how bad they are spiraling because of it

everyone is aware of their masquerade, but neither one of them is willing to admit to it and take off their masks, no matter how many cracks there are, because they have no idea what to do with themselves without it.

Oh my word. Maple-Cloak, your BRAIN. Genuinely kinda wish this was the premise I gave The Present is a Gift because there is SO MUCH POTENTIAL HERE.

The idea of dancing around the issue when they both know the other person knows they know the truth, but the reluctance to speak it into existence because then they’d have to deal with the reality of their situation. They’re playing an elaborate game of pretend and they both refuse to let real life into the equation. It’s so much easier to ignore the past than to admit that I hurt you because I had been hurt by someone who should have been my advocate or Your actions changed me irreparably and an explanation doesn’t make that pain go away. They both are so scared the bubble’s going to burst. They’re walking on eggshells that neither party intended and it just progresses until they both combust in an explosive outburst of sleep deprivation, unexpected authenticity, and a mutual desperation for companionship.

Ark also wouldn’t have Celebi advocating for him in this because she wouldn’t see a factory reset Legend when they meet, and would still perceive him as a threat to her and her friends. It would be Twig standing up for him on her own, and that would really drive home the fact that Twig really isn’t the thorn in his side that Ark has always seen her as— at least when he’s not opposite to her on a battlefield. All of a sudden her stubbornness and refusal to back down from something she sets her mind to is something admirable rather than infuriating.

Twig, meanwhile, would be way more okay with the situation once she knew Darkrai had remembered all along. The source of anxiety for her in this alternate storyline wouldn’t be when Darkrai remembers, it would be why he hasn’t done anything despite remembering. What changed??? Why wouldn’t he take advantage of her guard being down??? Why would he lie about being an amnesiac in the first place??? What is going on in this guy’s head??? Meanwhile Ark’s POV is just him screaming internally at all times.

They’re just that one shipping dynamic meme. I’m legit fighting off the urge to start an AU of my AU to write this out. Oh My Word.

(Original ship dynamic image under the cut— if anyone knows the source, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I’ve been searching for the original creator for ages and would love to credit them!!)

[bestfriend491]

Hateful Love

Okoye x Female Reader

Summary: You and Okoye have a different appraoch to love. One that tends to look like hate when being challenged. Few people see the layers under that. Only the two of you personally know how deep the love runs

Word count: 5.9k

Authors Note: Guess who's back? 🤭

Slightly Angsty, with fluff ending

Warnings: Minor Injury

Subtle Love is an unknown realm full of possibilities. A kind of love that is never talked about. Repeatedly misunderstood and misinterpreted as a lack of love. Though it's often the strongest internal builder of most healthy relationships.  

The average life consists of many forms of love. Puppy Love, Toxic Love, Struggle Love and so on. They all come with their own benefits and detriments. Usually sub- sections of the average love story. 

They all build up to become society’s standard of what love should be. 

Good Love. 

The type of love that comes with romantic grand gestures and constant compatibility. The type of love that comes with no problems. 

But Good Love isn’t real. No relationship comes without problems. And in that same breath, not all problems can be fixed with grand actions. 

It’s the subtle things that matter. The soft kisses of reassurance.. The consistency in trust and honesty. The open nature of the communication with the person, or people in which one has chosen to love. 

Subtle Love is filled with subtle things. Ones that only showed their purpose in the later stages, when families have been established, and the foundation to it all has been put down thoroughly enough to securely be able to deal with troubling situations as one unit. 

It’s the type of love that Redeh didn’t grow up with. 

Her parents, like most, strived to achieve the graceful look of Good Love. With great effort, they tried to make sure that everyone thought that they loved each other. More effort being put into the public persona than in the physical relationship itself. 

It took a toll on them both after years of pretending, resulting in a nasty divorce that lacked reasoning but was filled with resentment. 

By her tenth year of existence, Redeh routinely witnessed the two fighting about anything that their senseless heads could think of. It was a situation that no child should have had to be a part of. A type of love that a kid should never have been exposed to in the first place. 

Before the concept of being alive ever came to be fully grasped, Redeh was a mediator. The devil’s advocate that came between her parents. Never getting an explanation as to how it all fell apart. Only seeing joy followed by immediate sorrow.

It was an unending, thankless job that haunted her childhood and often affected her in her newfound adulthood. It was the one thing that Redeh feared most. Losing the spark that lit under a relationship as soon as an inconvenient problem arose. Even when she wasn’t with a single person, she feared that one thing.

Good Love.

Many people were the same. Witnessing the early signs of Good Love in childhood, never learning how to communicate meaningfully. They learned that the synchronisation that came with being in love only stayed existent as long as problems remained non-existent. And when those problems refused to continue hiding themselves, the relationship turned permanently sour. 

There were thick lines that labelled what healthy relationships consisted of. Ones that Redeh took most of her adolescence learning for her own sake. She tried to memorise all the ways that relationships could work. Every scenario where the lines would possibly be crossed and blurred and how to see other healthy relationships in a positive way.

She often struggled. The trauma that being raised by unloving parents always warping her ability to ever believe that Subtle Love could ever exist. 

The only rolemodels that she had were the movies that she watched. The ones that showed the natural, and sometimes ethically questionable love stories where all the hardships came before the couples would even get together. It taught her that that was the only way to get Good Love. Having all the problems appear at the beginning of it all. 

These movies became her solace. Her safe haven. Her expectation for how she would find her love in the coming years. 

They were also her downfall. The sole reason for her struggle in grasping how love truly worked now that she was no longer in the presence of her parents on a daily basis. 

They were an unrealistic expectation wrapped with a fake ribbon. 

For Good Love did not equate to Concrete Love. Revealing itself to be only another sub-section in the perfect love story. 

Subtle Love was what she craved, but because she had yet to discover that that was an option, she knew of only one love that came with conflict before the final storm.

Hateful Love.

Redeh stood in her all but tall form. Staring at the mirror that captured her in her new uniform. Her Dora Milaje uniform. The uniform that was of the utmost importance to her as she wore it. 

After a decade of not having a clue where life would take her, and another one where all she could think of for her future was the life she’d live as a Dora. She was finally going on her first non-group mission with only her and her successors. 

The news having come only days before; she’d crossed her fingers and hoped that she’d be the one chosen. When her name was called, excitement washed over her and she became fully ready to observe the two best Doras in action. She was  even ready to offer help wherever she could, no matter how nerve wracking it became.

Though nervous, due to not having her fellow new Doras there to help cover her mistakes if needed, she knew that she was right where she needed to be. So she walked. Out of her home and straight to the official Wakandan Hangar by the palace, where unsurprisingly she was the second person there. 

Second to General Okoye. 

“Redeh.” the General spoke, offering her greetings as she looked down at her beads, analysing something on its screen. 

“General Okoye.” she returned, failing to hide her excitement. 

Okoye cracked a smile as she saw her, remembering the first time that she was hand picked from her group to join the more experienced Doras in combat. 

She briefly told the girl what would be expected of her for the day. A threat in some unoccupied land between Wakanda and a neighbouring nation, being the main issue. The queen had offered to investigate in representation of both nations, with a small group of Wakanda's fighters. 

“We’re not fully sure what we're getting ourselves into so make sure that you stay fully aware of your surroundings out there. We won't be able to make sure that you're safe the entire time.”

“Of course. General.” she quickly said, the realisation of how real the situation was having fully set in for her. 

The General nodded, content with her answer. They continued briefly going through everything, up until Ayo showed up, just as serious as Okoye, and ready for what was coming. 

Seeing her 2 biggest inspirations looking at her with full faith and trust put a drive in her that nothing else could. They knew that she had something in her. Surprising Redeh everytime they looked at her. No one else ever had that look. Not even her own self. 

Looking around and walking towards a quinjet like she was ready to go, Okoye was stopped by Ayo, who looked utterly perturbed.

“General wait! Where’s Y/n?” she asked her. 

Redeh stood between the two, having never been aware of you coming with them. Apparently the other two had left that out of her briefing. 

Her heart raced now. You, being one of Wakanda’s best armourers, almost never physically went on missions with the Dora, only supplying them with their best weapons. 

All occasions where you were physically there were well-known missions where you and the General, an extremely powerful couple, worked together to beat the worst of people. What you two had, it was the true definition of Good Love. something she aspired to achieve.  

She watched the other two Adored Ones look at each other, Okoye struggling to make a definite statement about where you were, though she must have been with you earlier. 

Then she started, "She's actually not- " 

“-I'm here!" your voice came from a distance, as you happily made your way to them.

Redeh smiled as you crossed your arms in salute to her before happily looking at the others. 

She looked at the General’s face, hoping to see the look of utter bliss that often consumed the faces of the people who were with the ones that they loved in real life. Or at least, in the movies...

To her dismay, there was none of that. Instead came a harsh, “You're late.” from Okoye. One of almost disbelief. 

You quickly dismissed her. 

“Oh what will the world do now? Y/n was five minutes late.�� You said calmly, gaining an intense eye roll from Okoye. 

The other three went on into the quinjet, leaving Redeh a bit thrown aback. That had never been in the movies. It was always a peaceful, almost surreal reunification. Not one filled with mixed emotions. And although she knew that her mission wasn’t to analyse this new rule to love, she was enthralled by it. It was so much like her parents, but also not at all like it too. It was a moment that she wanted context for, because there had to have been a before. 

By the calling of her name, she realised that she had gotten distracted, and everyone else had gone into one of the jets, and were patiently waiting for her to do the same. 

With the jet's engine's still off  for the meantime, the 4 sat on one side of its double seated benches, looking at the briefing that had been sent to all of them via Okoye. 

The tense moment picking up where it left off, you spoke about what you’d brought with you to assist in the missions. 

“I don't get how this decision was made. Taking you on a mission.” Okoye whispered, barely letting it out of her lips. It was your turn to roll your eyes, though it was more of a half-roll. 

“You said it yourself. We don’t know what we might encounter. Queen Ramonda thought it would be better to bring me if it’s more than we think it is. Now can you just read the briefing?”

Mouth hanging open, Redeh tried to keep her eyes on her screen, too confused to even attempt mediation. 

‘Something’s wrong.’ she thought, knowing how kind you both were to others. She reminded herself of all the good memories she had with you both. The two of you were far from toxic. But thinking of it, the two of you, although having a very public relationship, never talked about the true ins and outs of it. 

It was easy to forget that you were together if she didn’t constantly remind herself of the fact. Or maybe you just weren’t. 

Either way, there was tension. And it was especially evident when you made your next suggestion. 

“I’ll be in one of my aircrafts, watching out from above. If I see anything I’ll go down to help.” you said. A completely reasonable suggestion. 

"That sounds good." Redeh said, trying to show that she was actively participating. Still, she looked around for Ayo’s approval, just to make sure that she wasn’t completely off the mark. 

Ayo gave her a slight nod, not fully dedicated to the idea. Redeh raised her brows, unsure as to how this was a bad idea. That was until she saw Okoye’s face. 

"No." the General said bluntly. 

You were the only one shocked by this. "No? What do you mean no?" 

"You're not gonna be up there by yourself." 

This was a fight. Redeh knew it, and despite her better judgement telling her not to, she couldn’t stop from at least asking. 

"Are the two of you okay?" This did not defuse the situation at all, but Redeh could tell that she wasn’t fully aware of everything going on. 

"It’s my machine! You should feel honoured that I'm willing to use it."

"I feel sick, actually." 

The sound of a gasp was all that came from the otherwise silent space. Redeh covered her mouth when she realised that she was the owner of said gasp. 

Ayo stood up, making her way to the front of the jet, where she prepared to start flying. In total embarrassment, the young adult that still had her hand over her mouth followed her, sitting in a co-pilot spot, even though she knew that she wasn’t going to be helping in the flight department , her skills in the sky being her only struggle in training. 

She turned to look behind her large chair, catching a glimpse of the couple she’d left still sitting together. 

Something was said, or at least she thought it was, because Okoye swatted your hand away when you tried to hold her hand. You looked beyond hurt at that. 

The overwhelming resemblance of her parents made her turn away, directing her gaze to the pilot now. This couldn’t be the love that she constantly heard that the two had. Where were those grand gestures she knew of?

"Are they still together?" she asked, being sure that the two of you could very well have broken up. That would explain a lot. 

"Yes." Ayo said bluntly, confusion laced in her eyebrows. 

"Are they always like this or is there some big fight that I'm not aware of?" Redeh went on to ask. 

"They're usually like this." 

That answer was baffling to her. 

"But they don't hate each other."

"Bast, no. They love each other.” 

Redeh, crossed her arms, reluctant to believe those words. She was no expert but that kind of love was far from familiar to her. Not in a good context anyway. That was the ‘love’ of exes if she knew anything about it. It was Hateful Love. 

Ayo noticed the young woman struggling to understand what was truly going on, and not wanting to scare her off, didn’t tell the full truth about the small change in demeanour that you and Okoye had only moments before.

“Look. Different people show their love publicly in different ways. They’re not like that when they’re alone. Trust me. The love that they like to keep more secret is less tense.”

Turning again, she saw you closer to Okoye, reading from her screen. 

“Be quiet. Your breathing is distracting me.” the General said to you. 

“Oh, okay, yeah, I’ll just stop breathing.”

“Thank you, that’ll be very helpful.”

For a split second they looked at Redeh and she quickly turned back for the last time. 

"If you say so." she said to Ayo. 

In the 2 hours that passed coming through to the height of the mission, Redeh couldn't help but be doubtful of the validity of your relationship. Even though she knew that it was none of her concern. 

From the beginning there was constant bickering between the two of you. 

You were able to get your way in regards to your aircraft. Something that even hours later, Okoye was seemingly upset about. 

While you were in the sky, Okoye constantly said things through her earpiece that made it clear where she stood on the issue. 

When you realised that the issue that was taking place on the land was a rebellion group that was causing complete destruction, you activated the weaponry that you’d given the other 3 to help them defend themselves beyond their spears. Another thing that Okoye wasn’t too fond of. 

Though they helped, you felt like there was no other choice than to go down there yourself. You had more experience with more helpful weapons and you thought you could help more on the ground now that you knew what you were working with. 

“I'm coming down!” you said, already lowering the aircraft while you unbuckled and prepared to jump down when you were close enough. 

“No!” Okoye yelled instantaneously. 

“I have to!” 

“Y/n! Now is not the time to be trying to prove something. Stay on the plane!” Okoye yelled, as she struggled to take down the clutter of rebels on the left. Redeh and Ayo stayed silent fighting for their lives on opposite sides. 

Not even a minute later, your jet was nearly on the ground and you were practically flying out of it.

Surprisingly, you landed on your feet. The noise of it bringing the attention to you. 

Half a dozen rebels ran towards you, ready to attack. 

Just like before, you didn’t hesitate to get to work. You tried to go for them all at once ,your impressive weapon skills prompting more to want to approach you, their interest being in the ultra-powerful hydrogen blaster that worked effortlessly with the use of vibranium. 

It all went downhill as 2 more dozen rebels approached you, and you were being surrounded.

"You've got to be kidding me." Okoye said, running headfirst into the madness with Ayo and Redeh close behind.. 

The battle was a blur for the latter. The only thing resonating with her being the glares that Okoye shot at you whenever she got a split second to. 

At some point the rebels had stopped gathering around you, as they all laid on the ground, severely injured. 

Your  job was soon done, with minimal casualties. 

When Ayo went up to Redeh, and told her “well done.” She couldn't even remember what she had contributed to the event, only remembering a few significant fights with a handful of rebels. 

Regardless of memory, she was glad that she's done well in Ayo’s eyes. Her first day was more than a success

Walking back to the quinjet, her mind still worked, feeling unfulfilled in her analysis of you and Okoye. She’d easily gone to protect you when you were surrounded, though you’d constantly done things that seemingly annoyed her the entire day. And when she was done, the tension rang just as strong as at the beginning of the day. 

“I think it’s broken.” your voice rang in her head, causing her to turn her head to look at you and Okoye walking a few steps behind them. 

“Of course it is.” Okoye responded. 

She turned back again, looking at Ayo with a face that was still concerned.

All Ayo did was smile. Smile like she knew something that nobody else did. 

And she did. She knew that the entire day's events were all symbols of love. Subtle Love. 

Subtle love is a form of love that is never talked about. The feelings that surround it often fully authentic. Not artificially created for the approval of others. 

Just like a lot of hate, it often lives unconfronted. Whether known or not, it stays under the wraps, softly undisturbed. 

It’s the kind of love that is open to all. Fully welcoming and accommodating. The kind that holds a safe space where full transparency and vulnerability can be openly expressed without the fear of judgement. 

It’s the major things expressed in small ways. The “love” proclamations. The physical and emotional holding of one’s partner. The tears of confession. The late night conversations. All happening in a single moment that only those present get to and want to share. 

It is the kind of love that outsiders often can never decipher, but it is one of the closest forms of Concrete Love.

It’s not the kind of love that Okoye or you grew up in. The paths leading up to your relationship having many different examples of love and the dynamics that came with it. There was good and bad with all of them, as they showed you what you wanted and needed and also what you wanted to be kept far away from you. 

Subtle love only came into the picture when the two of you collided, When the two of you realised that the only people you wanted were each other and when you realised that that meant dealing with every hurdle that you faced individually, together. 

It came into the picture when you realised that Okoye had many things to say to you about how she felt, but struggled to get it out in the presence of others or with great gifts that were

-other than materialy- quite useless . 

It came into the picture when Okoye realised that around others you were open and friendly but often put their feelings above your own and you needed help stopping yourself before it went too far. 

It helped the two of you navigate through the first 2 years of being together and after the two of you became a known couple, it only became needed more. 

The fun part about it was that there was no pressure to constantly implement it, but the comfort of having it made your relationship feel much more in sync. 

Almost completely unspoken words were quickly decoded when you were in public, and both of you slowly stopped hesitating to ask for help or  space, knowing that with that you could fully let go of the expectations that people brought with them for your relationship because of the love you had.  

It made it easy to have completely different conversations behind closed doors, while also quietly continuing those words as the day went on without people being easily able to know exactly what was being said and what was meant. 

This love carried weight in its natural existence, but it also made every moment meaningful. 

Meaningful enough to be able to bicker in public without heavy words accidently being thrown out where all eyes could see. 

It was the perfect grounds to safe communication, and to getting the best out of a relationship.

Subtle Love often got mistaken for Hateful Love. But it was always quite the contrary. 

Hours before the mission. 

Heavy weighted material closed off the access to cool air to your body as you awoke from  soft noise. 

You felt instant warmth from this material, like the atmosphere was giving you a soft hug. Attempting to lull you back to sleep.

Feeling hands gently placing themselves around you, you opened your eyes.

Irises of warm brown stared back at you, more aware that you were awake than aware that you were staring back at them. They brought a welcoming hello with them. A silent serenade. 

They were owned by the same body that possessed the arms that wrapped around you.

Okoye. 

“Morning, my love.” came the words from the lips that you’d unconsciously been staring at. 

No words came out of yours. Your mind still fully absorbing her presence, and the gift that it was. 

She’d placed a previously fallen blanket on you; you’d come to realise. Tucking you in before she left to tend to her General duties. 

You gently lifted your arms out of the tight hold that she’s put them in. 

Feeling warm enough knowing that she was there with you, you proceeded to move the rest of your body out of the blanket's grip, eventually lifting your body up to sit. 

Stable in your position, you pulled her towards you. Your eyes and hers met and locked, refusing to let go of each other. All you could do was smile, the peace that you felt bringing joy with it every time. 

Aeons passed before another word was spoken. 

“You have to go?” you asked, though you knew the answer already. 

“Mhm,” Okoye responded, bringing you into an embrace now that you were fully aware of what was happening. 

“You smell good.” 

She laughed, turning to kiss your forehead, before looking at you directly again. 

“I’ll be gone for a while. You should sleep in. You looked really tired yesterday.” she said.

You gazed at her in question. “I should sleep in?” 

She nodded, clearly oblivious to the information that  both you knew and her clearly knew too. 

“Okoye…” you started, making sure that she didn’t try to avoid your gaze at you. She looked at you, guilt written all over her face. 

“Yes.”

“Are you trying to make me late?” 

“Ini (What?)!” she lied through her lips but the rest of her face gave her away. 

“Ujaxoka (You’re lying.)" you said through a grin, more of a funny statement than an accusation.

She performed her best fake gasp, “Njani ( How?)” 

You laughed, in complete disbelief that her act was still continuing. She joined in, knowing that she’d been caught but happy to entertain you. 

“I already got the call from Queen Ramonda, Okoye.” you said, shifting over to allow her room to lay with you in bed. 

She opted to lay on your legs, her face looking directly up at you while you played with her hands.

A heavy sigh left her system and the mini suns that you knew as her eyes grew darker than usual. 

“Why don’t you want me to go?” you asked. Now avoiding direct eye contact because that would make it harder for her to want to tell you. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“My entire job consists of working with weapons. I’m always in danger of getting hurt.” you tried to reason. 

“I know,” she sighed, lacing your hand into hers properly before kissing it, “But it’s different when you’re just making weapons by yourself. I don’t want you fighting and getting hurt.”

Then she added, “You get reckless sometimes.”

“I’ll be safer this time.” 

“You won’t” 

“I will!” 

“You won’t, Y/n. You say you will every time but when we get there you’ll lose yourself in the battle and forget that you ever said that.” 

You stayed quiet, knowing that she was right. You did have a bad track record of putting yourself in situations that were dangerous despite promising not to. 

Still in your train of thought, Okoye began to get up. 

“I’ll tell everyone that you’re sick and then you'll be able to sleep in.” 

She looked at you with pleading eyes. Your lack of response leaving a big question in the room. 

She couldn’t wait for an answer, but gave you a kiss on the lips, promising not to be too upset if you chose to go after her. 

“Okay,” you said into the open, unaware that she had heard you.

Waiting a while before getting ready, you debated whether you should've texted her saying that you were coming, but eventually settled on just showing up and dealing with the consequences later. 

When you arrived with a smile wrapped around your face, you saw her grow tense. 

“You’re late.” she said bluntly. Not wanting to confront the matter in front of Ayo, and especially not in front of the new Dora that was to accompany the three of you. 

You went for a childish dig, claiming that five minutes wasn’t much in any case.

Though she looked mad, you still saw the hurt that shone through her eyes. Not tears, but a defeated lowering of her gaze telling you all that you needed to know. 

Her words came off more harsh than your usual banter did, and you knew that a line was crossed. 

“I’m sorry.” you mouthed to her, pleading for her to accept it or at least take it in. You really were, but you also wanted to keep her safe. And with the direct request of attendance coming from the queen herself, it was only right for you to show up and do your job.

Okoye knew this. She wasn’t new to what your job entailed, but she sure wished you could be kept away from all the possible danger. She gave you a side nod, acknowledging your words but showing that she was still a bit unsettled and maybe even upset by the dishonesty. 

As you went onto the jet, and the young woman that was to join you stayed staring into the open, you figured she was going through her own thing. 

Next came the whisper. “I don't get how this decision was made. Taking you on a mission.” she breathed out. 

She was in panic mode and there was nothing you could do to stop it. It was directed towards herself more than at you but you felt the need to try to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. 

“Sthandwa sam.” you whispered more effectively than she had. 

“You said it yourself. We don’t know what we might encounter. Queen Ramonda thought it would be better to bring me if it’s more than we think it is. Now can you just read the briefing?” The last part was your plea to her. One that would hopefully get you somewhere in the long day. Or at least off the ground. 

She continued at your request, a worried expression escaping her every time she saw your name written with an instruction to do anything at all. 

Seeing this worry, you knew it was a bad idea to suggest flying alone. 

“No.” she said. 

“What do you mean no?” you knew exactly what she meant. You’d made a promise, and breaking that a couple hours after its creation wouldn’t make her feel like she could trust you with things like that. 

When Redeh asked if the two of you were okay, you admittedly let your tongue slip. 

"It’s my machine! You should feel honoured that I'm willing to use it."

"I feel sick, actually." 

A gasp was let out and the two dora that sat next to you left for the front of the jet, leaving you to talk. 

“Okoye, I-” you started. 

You went for her hand, and she was quick to swat it away, a reflex. Immediately she linked legs with you -a way for her to show that she wanted you to stay close. and tried to get herself to calm down. 

“I’m sorry. I’m just worried.”

“I know. I’m sorry for lying about not coming.”

“I‘ll be safe, I promise.” you finished. 

“And I’ll be there when you change your mind.” you both laughed at this, knowing that that was the more realistic plan. 

The rest of the trip to your destination was just filled with banter.

“Be quiet. Your breathing is distracting me.” she said, causing you to roll your eyes. 

“Oh, okay, yeah, I’ll just stop breathing.” 

“Thank you, that’ll be very helpful.”

Your gaze went back to Redeh’s seat where she watched the encounter in dismay. 

Locking eyes with Okoye, you both couldn’t help but start chuckling at the clear misunderstanding. 

“She’s gonna think we hate each other.” Okoye said, finally taking your hand now that things were back to normal. 

“Most people already think that. I’m sure a lot of them think we called it quits a while ago.” 

She agreed, realising that besides Ayo, most people refrained from mentioning you to Okoye or her to you. Assuming that the two of you were no longer an item. 

You never confronted them on their assumptions, enjoying the fewer questions that came in about your relationship. 

When you saw the rebels approaching from all ends of the land, you had to think quickly. 

Your banter with Okoye stopped and you became serious, noting that you didn’t have many options to choose from. If you shot from above they’d target your plane and wreck it, putting you at risk of crashing. 

You had to help from the ground, much to Okoye’s displeasure. 

“I’m gonna jump down there!” you said through your earpiece 

“What! No!” your love spoke almost the second you finished saying it. 

“I have to!”

“No, you don’t!” 

“Okay fine. I want to do it.“ 

“Y/n stay in the-” before she could finish, you were on the ground and attracting the rebels attention. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” you heard as you became trapped in a circle of rebels ready to fight you. 

In true Y/n fashion, you charged for them all, the cause and effect being a sharp fall and a nearly irreversible demise. 

Okoye was by your side alongside the others, and although the “I told you not to jump.” was on the tip of her tongue, she refrained. Her instinctive need to protect you coming before her need to be right. 

When it was all over, you made your way to her. 

Slowly, you walked to the jet with her nudging; her shoulder with your own once you caught up to her. 

"See. Told you I would be safe." 

"I can see you limping." she looked down at your left foot, where she could clearly see you trying not to put weight on it. 

You relented, getting rid of your act and limping more consistently. The pain was excruciating. 

“I think it’s broken.” 

Okoye stopped dead in her tracks. "Of course it is." 

Inspecting your face for any indication that you were overreacting. When she couldn't find any, she was quick to lift you up bridal style, not wanting any pressure being placed on the offending ankle. 

You watched her walking with you, smiling up at her. 

“You look rather pleased with yourself.”

"I am." you continued to smile.

When Redeh looked back to see you being carried by Okoye, with a bright smile on your face, she felt a sigh of relief. Not at your injury, but at how content the both of you looked in your moment of chaos. 

You weren’t like her parents after all. Or like any couple she’s ever seen. After seeing you at your worst (though she knew far worse had most-likely happened before), she’d expected one of you to stop trying, or stay angry forever. She didn’t expect to see organised disruption.

Even as you flew back to the city, and Okoye determined that you had indeed broken a part of your ankle. It was calm. There was synchronisation even when there were problems. 

You threw in your jokes here and there, “Who could have predicted that?” Okoye rolling her eyes at you. 

It was reassuring, seeing how subtle the obvious love could be. How well it worked for the two of you. How almost therapeutic it was. 

Her ideas of love always came in pictures of no complication at all, but seeing the smiles plastered on your faces made her feel just as excited as any grand gesture she’d ever seen would have.. 

Looking at Ayo she smiled for the first real time that entire day. “They’re good for each other.” 

Her successor looked at her fondly. “They are.”

And on the other side of the Quinjet, where you laid with your foot supported upright for the trip back, you gazed up at your favourite 2 things again. 

Your suns. Warm and full of life. Staring down at you. They made your pain go away -even if only theoretically-.

They told you everything you needed to know about their owner. They exposed every soft spot that she had for you. They were your symbol of subtlety. 

“I love you.” you said to the woman who held you. 

“I love you more.” she planted a peck on your forehead, before laying her head against the back of her seat, closing those eyes for a while. 

[anarchywoofwoof]

what are your thoughts on the "Vote Blue No Matter Who" philosophy in American voting today? Is sticking with the larger mass of voters (while RCV still isn't federal standard) a better strategy than voting for the candidate that promises the most actual progress?

While direct action is more effective, voting also has a large impact and I'm interested in your opinion on this "leftist" strategy.

i don't discuss it a lot because it doesn't mean a lot to me, but i see voting as the equivalent politically of pain killers - it can help, but you wouldn't want a medical system that prescribes tylenol for every problem. at some point, you need to start treating the underlying conditions rather then mitigating symptoms as they arise.

on one hand, yes, states regrettably exist as of this writing and thus, it's probably better to do some damage control to the extent that you're able to. we are not tearing down our current system today and in the meantime, laws can have a serious disproportionately negative affect on people who are not racially, religiously or sexually aligned with the state.

Trump getting into power would be worse then Biden staying in power, so therefore, yes, there are some good reasons to vote for Biden. i can't persuade anyone to do otherwise without advocating for a greater amount of harm. some may not like that answer and i understand why, and they're more than welcome to do whatever they want.

but regardless of what you decide to do with your vote, the point is that's not as far as political engagement goes. you can vote and then diligently work toward a better system where you aren't forced to choose which type of boot you want on your neck. if you're not doing that though, then what are you doing besides yelling at clouds?

under the current system, if presented with the political duopoly that exists today, it would be a tremendous and irreparable mistake to elect a Republican politician, especially Donald Trump. however, Joe Biden should not have a single, solitary restful night of sleep for the next 4 years if he is re-elected.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

SARAH VINE: Harry and Meghan are casting themselves as refugees from a repressive regime

Could this be the duplicitous duo’s new MO? So much snark but such a well-written article in the DM from Sarah Vine, who doesn’t mince words. Link and full article below:

DailyMail

When I saw the pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the premiere of the Bob Marley movie in Kingston, Jamaica, the first thing that sprang to mind was how thoroughly refreshed they both looked.

Indeed, I had to do a double-take to make sure it really was the duchess that Prince Harry was escorting and not some dewy, doe-eyed lookalike.

Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but she certainly seems to have upped her skincare routine since we last saw her.

The prince, meanwhile, looked remarkably unfurrowed for a man who looks likely to have to pay three quarters of a million pounds in legal costs accrued by his failed libel action against the Mail on Sunday. I don’t know what they put in the water out there in Montecito, but it’s definitely working.

Still, all that gloss doesn’t hide the ugly fact that the pair - normally so vocal when it comes to informing the world of their heartfelt sentiments - have yet to say a single word in public on the subject of Harry’s father, the King, and his health issues.

Given how much the Prince likes to use his platform for good, you might have thought he would have seized this opportunity to remind other men of the importance of getting their prostate checked.

As for the duchess, normally such a strong advocate for women’s health, it does seem rather unsisterly not to wish the Princess of Wales a speedy recovery from her abdominal surgery.

That they should have chosen this particular occasion to break cover is also intriguing. Jamaica is not exactly a friend of the British monarchy - indeed, the country’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, who joined the Sussexes at the premiere with his wife Juliet, has expressed his hope that his people will cut ties with Britain when they vote in a referendum on the question later this year.

Anti-monarchist sentiment has been building ever since the death of Elizabeth II, who enjoyed the affection and respect of many Jamaicans. Sadly, those sentiments don’t seem to have been transferred to King Charles, with one ardent anti-monarchist, Hugh Small QC, telling the Guardian newspaper last year that he ‘can’t stand’ the thought of the King being head of state of Jamaica.

But there is something else driving Jamaica’s disdain for the Crown: the perceived notion that the British Royal Family is inherently racist and the Duchess of Sussex was a victim of prejudice during her time at the Palace.

This idea was, of course, vehemently denied while the Queen was still alive but recently resurrected by the Sussexes’ mouthpiece, Omid Scobie, in his most recent hagiography Endgame, in which he ‘accidentally’ named the alleged ‘royal racists’ as King Charles and the Princess of Wales.

These allegations will no doubt have caused a great deal of distress to both the King and the Princess.

Effectively being cancelled by your own son must take its toll on a man, and I can only imagine how stressful it must be for the Princess of Wales to not only have to pick up the slack left behind by the Duchess of Sussex’s departure but to have to do so with a smile on her face while being kicked repeatedly in the teeth by the latter’s cheerleaders.

I doubt whether that notion will have occurred to the Duke and Duchess, who have - in the past - shown themselves to be entirely immune to any suffering their pronouncements might cause.

Indeed, they did not hold back while Prince Philip was dying, nor when the Queen was in her final months. The idea that they should give two hoots about what the folks back home are going through is, very sadly, for the birds.

By choosing to break cover in such vehemently anti-monarchist company, the Duke and Duchess appear to be sending a very clear signal to the Palace. It appears to me that they intend to use their royal connection to undermine both the individual reputations of members of the Royal Family and that of the institution as a whole. I hope that I am wrong.

By casting themselves as refugees from a regressive and repressive regime, they are tapping into the divisive culture wars that dominate so much of our public debate these days and helping to fuel anti-royalist sentiment throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere.

The late Queen, who loved the Commonwealth and used her position to foster forgiveness and understanding, would be heartbroken. As for King Charles, I can see only one course of action: he should give them what they claim to want and set them free of their royal shackles by stripping them, finally, of all titles.

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author: u/ducklingdynasty

submitted: January 25, 2024 at 05:15PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[aceredshirt13]

We'll never get a third Ritchieverse Holmes movie. But if we somehow did, this is what I like to think should happen.

I would absolutely love for the inciting incident to be that, since the reason Holmes faked his death was because he wanted to keep Watson and Mary safe, the reason he has returned from faking his death is because that backfired and Watson and Mary are very much not. Why aren't they safe, you ask? Well, because Moran is on the revenge trail. Typically, he didn't have much personal investment in the killing of his targets, but we all saw how absolutely furious he got when Watson nearly killed Moriarty and escaped with Holmes. Now Moriarty is dead, and Moran has no job, no purpose, no one in the world - nothing, save for anger and grief. He cannot kill Holmes, because he does not know Holmes still lives. But if Holmes took the life of the only person Moran ever cared about, then even if he's not around to suffer for it, he will do the same to him.

Except, naturally, Holmes is around to suffer for it, and this cues the ending scene of the movie where Holmes coyly reveals he's alive, and would pick up right from there. There would be action! There would be shenanigans! Holy hell there would be character drama! Watson and Mary are absolutely going to beat Holmes's ass within an inch of his life, but also Watson is so, so very glad to have him back... Mary's not forgiving him ever for what he put Watson through, but how can she - how can they - bring themselves to be fully angry when he went through this to the end in an attempt to ensure their happiness? Especially when, if one considers the reason he closed his eyes to be for Watson to be the last thing he saw if he died, Holmes wasn't even completely sure he'd successfully fake his death... And they can't just unpack that while sitting in a house somewhere talking about their feelings, because Moran and the remnants of Moriarty's wide-reaching organization are very hot on their heels.

How does the movie progress? Well, I'm not entirely sure. I would love for Moran to get betrayed by those he conspired with, and be forced to work with Holmes and Watson (and Mary, who is adamantly refusing to let these two do all this on their own when her life is as endangered as theirs) on some level, thus forcing everybody - including Moran - to actually talk to each other. I also want to show that Holmes is beginning to get tired of all this - he loves the adrenaline, he loves to exercise his genius, he hates being bored, but he's also tired of the people he cares about constantly being in danger because he knows he can't always protect them. He knows that, because of what happened to Irene.

How does the movie end? Well, I can certainly tell you that. As a significant portion of the fanbase and Jude Law himself will tell you, the Ritchieverse Holmes movies come off very, very strongly as romances. In most cases, I am not the sort of person who advocates for any given ship in a medium to be acknowledged as canon just because a lot of fans like it, especially since that can often lead to disastrous results... but Christ alive, these movies are leaning so ridiculously hard into Holmeswatson vibes that I can't imagine it was an accident. And, well, part of the reason I want Moran to figure so heavily into this movie is because I think there was quite a bit of potential exploration of what exactly his relationship was with Moriarty just in the few tidbits you saw of them together... perhaps through a few flashbacks sprinkled in after Moran confesses what they really were to each other. Because if there's one thing I love, it's parallels. Watson and Moran, the military veterans and crack shots who are so very attached to the often-difficult genius masterminds they love. Unlike the singly-devoted Moran, Watson's affections are torn, because he adores Mary with everything he is, and is constantly fighting himself and pretending he can give up Holmes for her even though he can't imagine a life without both of them in it - but he is no less devoted for it. In different ways, they both cannot see a way forward - Moran cannot without Moriarty, Watson cannot because he cannot choose. So, in terms of an ending, I want Moran not to have to be killed by our heroes, or die in some sacrifice, or take his own life. I want him to have to live, without taking revenge. To figure out some kind of life, now that he's been spit out by the Queen's Army, and has lost the new life he was given now. It's more interesting, and less cheap, especially if this movie serves to build up and add depth to his character. And as for Holmes and Watson, well, it's not 2009 or 2011 anymore, so what's to stop your loose action movie adaptation of century-old, now-public domain stories from just going ahead and having them admit they love each other? (Or, potentially, having Mary admit it for them, to one of them, because she is sick and tired of their bullshit?) Why not let them, after all this is over, finally, finally share a kiss?

And as for the epilogue, I think it would be super fun and endearing if it cuts to Watson and Mary finally moving into that country house in Sussex together. He and Mary love each other, they're happy, they'll do so very all right. Then they get a knock on the door to find that the old woman who lives in the house next door has come to bring them a housewarming gift.

Except it's not an old woman. It's Sherlock Holmes dressed as an old woman. He has gone into early retirement to keep bees, and he just so happens, by pure coincidence, to have bought the house next to theirs.

Watson and Mary are exasperated. Then they probably think it's really funny, while still being exasperated. And ultimately, what Watson needs to realize is that there is something in this world that is insistent upon keeping these three together. If all of them can put up with each other - as they have shown they can just manage to do, this whole movie - and if all of them care for each other - as they have shown they undoubtedly do, for this whole movie - then no matter what he was sure was the "correct" and "right" thing to do before, he does not, and has never had to choose. Holmes doesn't have to steal him away from Mary any more than Mary has to steal him away from Holmes, because the great lesson of the Ritchieverse Sherlock Holmes movies ought to be that sometimes, polyamory is the best solution. And they all live in Sussex together, and quibble incessantly, and remain there for the rest of their days.

P. S. The number one thing this movie is absolutely, positively not allowed to do is kill off Mary. I don't care if she dies offscreen in the books, these movies did not have so much of their character conflict be Watson's inability to choose between her and Holmes for that to conclude with the immensely cheap act of offing her - not to mention that that would mean killing the only remaining major female character left in the series, and that these movies are so far removed from the ACD canon anyway that they can literally do whatever they want.

P. P. S. I don't have anywhere else to put these since I'll certainly never finish an entire screenplay concept for this without help, so here are a few disconnected, inaccurate-screenplay-format snippets using this idea that I jotted down on my phone way, way, back. Enjoy?

~~~

Opening shot: pigeons.

It’s early morning, and a man sits on a bench with a small bag of birdseed. He takes a handful of it, and reaches out to them. They flock around him with enthusiasm, some perching on his arm and hand.

The pigeons know him, clearly. It is SEBASTIAN MORAN.

He turns to look over his shoulder.

Moran: Hey, Professor, do you -

He stops. There is no one beside him.

Something hardens in his face.

He continues sprinkling birdseed. But his movements are listless, and it is clear the act no longer brings him much joy.

~~~

Holmes: It appears that Moriarty’s death, while ultimately a public service to the human race, has unleashed a far greater and more unpredictable danger to you than I could have imagined.

Watson: A danger?

Holmes: Indeed. And so long as I was believed to be dead, I was sure you and Mary would be entirely safe from it.

Watson: What - ?

Holmes: But I am now very much aware that that isn’t so, and so I have returned.

Watson: What danger, Holmes?

Holmes: Sebastian Moran.

Watson: Sebastian Mor- What, Moriarty’s right-hand man?

Holmes: The very same.

Watson: But why would he come after us? His superior is dead, he hasn’t got any orders -

Holmes: This has absolutely nothing to do with orders, Watson, and everything to do with the precarious and emotional nature of the human condition.

Watson: For the love of God, Holmes, can you just explain -

Holmes: I mean to say that this is entirely personal. Moran did not just work for Moriarty, he cared for him. Though to what extent, I haven’t the slightest idea.

Watson: For Moriarty?

(A disbelieving chuckle.)

Watson: Delusional bastard. I can’t imagine Moriarty cared for a soul in the world.

Holmes: And he may not have. How fallible man is, hm?

Holmes: Nevertheless, I believe that the colonel is seeking revenge. And if he cannot get it on me, then he will not stop until he has slain everyone I have ever cared for.

Holmes: Thus, my return from the grave. But I’ve already said that, haven’t I?

~~~

Holmes: No. No more deaths. No more lives lost because of me.

Holmes: …Not after Irene.

~~~

Moran: You should have died like the dog you are.

Holmes: Perhaps I would have, if I hadn’t known that Moriarty’s dog still lived.

Holmes: I had - foolishly, perhaps - thought that were I to die, Watson and Mary would be safe. A life for a life - my life, for Moriarty’s. No more.

Holmes: But you weren’t content with that. Were you?

Holmes: You wouldn’t stop until you’d killed everyone that meant something to me, even though I wasn’t there to see it.

Holmes: What will you do, if you succeed? What will you have left? It’s not as if revenge will bring him back.

Moran: You’d do the same if you lost your bloody Watson, wouldn’t you?

(Holmes is, rarely, silent.)

Moran: …And I don’t know how to do anything else.

~~~

Moran: …You’re wrong.

Moran: Nobody was kind to me. Not until I met the professor.

Holmes: But of course. It behooves a smart man to take good care of his tools -

Moran: You don’t know anything! It was real, what we had!

Moran: …It was real. I know it was. Because he told me that he didn’t even want to like me, at first, let alone…

(He trails off, as if thinking better of it. But then he shakes his head with a bitter chuckle.)

Moran: …What’s the point? I’ll hang for all the murders I’ve done. Another felony won’t mean much.

Moran: I loved him. And you’re the reason he’s dead. So I’ll kill everyone you love, and then I’ll kill you, or I’ll die trying.

~~~

Okay, that's it. If for some reason you read this far, thanks for sticking around! And if you have any personal thoughts on a third Ritchieverse Holmes movie, I'd absolutely love to hear them. See ya!

[problemswithbooks]

So, watched live action One Piece and now I'm watching/reading the OG stuff. No where close to done but my brain decided to fixate on Arlong so I can't help but talk about him a bit.

Something that I find kind of interesting about Arlong is that if you read his backstory then go back to the main Arc he was in you actually realize he's way more mellow then he was in the past. Now, he's still awful but given what we're shown of him in Jinbe's flashbacks I think it kind of shows that he did, in a weird way (and not in the way Fisher Tiger would have wanted) changed due to Fisher Tiger's words on not killing humans.

In the past Arlong was constantly advocating for killing humans and terrorizing them so they'd learn their place. He never warms up to Koala despite the rest of the crew--including his own friends coming to like her. Everyone is sad to see her go even Kurobi who is later one of the worst in Arlong's crew.

After Fisher Tiger's Death it's clear Arlong was going to kill everyone in Koala's village (and no doubt would have killed Koala). He was stopped and put in Impel Down--a notoriously hellish prison (run by humans). It's not clear how long he was there, but probably at least a few months, which is a long time in a place like that.

After his pardon he leaves Jinbe and the Grand Line. Presumably he started taking over villages pretty soon after.

Now, what I find interesting is that this is by far the most justified Arlong is in his hate of humans, yet it's also the nicest we ever see him being to them. Before Fisher Tiger's death and reveal of being a slave, or his time in Impel Down Arlong hated humans because of things that although affected him were not things he himself suffered.

Arlong was never a slave, and at least Hachi, Chew and Kurobi were also never slaves. They were all orphans and this might have been the fault of human pirates who attacked Fish-Men Island, but we don't know that for sure, and it's never brought up as a grievance of theirs. They know Fish-men and mermaids are taken as slaves and they surely get racist treatment from the visiting humans, but they don't have first hand experience with human cruelty--like slavery or murder.

Not until Fisher Tiger is killed for helping a human girl go home after being a slave do they experience real loss due to humans. From there, Arlong is captured and imprisoned in Impel Down where he was surely treated terrible by humans during his time there (given they treat everyone bad there). Yet, despite saying he's the anger of the fish-men he does not actually kill nearly as many humans as you'd think, given how he acts in the past.

In fact in a lot of ways he seems to try not to kill humans if he can get away with other methods of control instead.

This is when he takes over Nami's village. This is not long after Fisher Tiger's death which Arlong wanted to kill an entire village for. Yet, now, despite a huge uprising happening, with nearly the entire village of humans trying to attack them, he's not going for the kill.

This is him probably less then a year before the panel above. He's furious and saying he embodies the rage of all Fish-Men. Yet he arrives to the village and tells his crew not to kill anyone despite their open hostility.

Yes, he wants money because he (supposedly) wants to take over the East Blue(world?) but he's already got his money and killing a few villagers should be no big deal--he plans on taking over more anyway.

In the end though, he does only kill Bell-mere due to her lack of money. She makes a good example, of course, but he was more then willing to let her live, despite her shoving a gun in his mouth before she used the money for Nami and her sister.

This is a huge change in a short amount of time.

This is another time he and his crew don't kill for zero reason. They have been attacked all day by members of Luffy's crew. Zoro absolutely beat the shit out of his guys earlier that day. He was furious when Usopp dared to fire on him (to the point of flipping a damn house) but now they just leave two strangers (so not cash cows) alive? Usopp--was worth Arlong's anger, but suddenly two other random humans doing the same thing aren't worth killing?

This is how he responds to Zoro being what I would assume is racist given what Arlong says. He does not know who this guy is--Zoro was found tied to a boat and just brought to him and his first words are racist. Yet, Arlong lets it 'slide once'. Again this is the guy who hit a child for no reason except she was human way before he lost Fisher Tiger or went to the human torture prison. Yet now he's putting up with a stranger calling him racist names?

Going back to Usopp, this is how furious Arlong was when he was attacked:

He's so furious that for a moment he's willing to destroy one of his money making villages, right after losing one not to long ago, just to kill one human guy who didn't actually hurt him, nor are they a rebelling villager.

Yet this is how he acts once Usopp gets caught.

This is after he comes back to Arlong Park to find most of his crew beaten to a pulp by Zoro. He flipped a house he was so pissed off at Usopp, ready to destroy an entire village that he gets good money from (and which he needs to keep Nami around) but suddenly after his crew is hurt he's not in the mood for killing Usopp ASAP?!

Also, he was only in Nami's village because he saw Genzo had a weapon. He thought the village was going to rebel like the last one and he wanted to nip it in the bud and kill Genzo before it got to far. That was the only reason he was there and yet, after Usopp makes him absolutely furious he and Kurobi leave Genzo alive.

Flashback Arlong, who was barely held back by Fisher Tiger would never have left any of these humans alive. They were in his eyes disrespectful, not fearing him like he wants, and most did not give him money--the only benefit he sees to keeping humans around. Yet, he lets all of them live--maybe he has plans to kill them later, but again, past Arlong would kill them ASAP.

I know that the most likely reason for this is because Oda didn't have everything with Arlong and Jinbe's past in his brain at this point (there's ten years or more between these parts in the story). Not only that he can't have important people like Usopp and Zoro being killed off. He also seemed less willing to kill characters off in the start of the manga, which is why Genzo and Zoro's friends lived (killing Genzo would also have been way to mean to Nami).

But from an in character perspective you could see this as Arlong being affected by Fisher Tiger's words of not killing humans. No, he can't fully follow that rule, let alone Fisher Tiger's orders to not treat humans badly. Arlong has hated humans for far to long, and he was barely managing to restrain himself for Fisher Tiger despite respecting/caring for the man with his whole heart.

He can't not kill humans or treat them like crap--but he can come up with excuses that limit how many he kills. A 'well, if they pay me, they can live', or a 'they're to weak to kill so I won't', or 'I'll give this guy a warning for insulting me before I kill him'.

He lets his crew drag him away from Nami's village because he doesn't really want to destroy it (for monetary gain not kindness obviously). Kurobi doesn't kill Genzo because he wasn't told to so he lets him off, despite that being the only reason they came in the first place (despite defiantly knowing killing him wouldn't get him in trouble and is Arlong's intention). That gives Arlong time to calm down and by the time Usopp is caught he's more willing to take the time to ask him what he's doing there and then let Nami deal with him.

Part of it might also be Arlong knowing Jinbe will come kick his ass as soon as he finds out he's been killing/terrifying humans. He can bribe the Marines, but only to a point. If he was slaughtering every human that looked at him wrong or said something racist he'd be to much of a threat for higher-up the Marines to ignore. Eventually they'd tell Jinbe to deal with him and Jinbe would. Arlong would know that and given he was beaten easily by Jinbe he also knows he'd lose immediately (and either be killed or sent back to Impel Down).

Either way, he's showing some restraint even though he doesn't have someone like Fisher Tiger, or Jinbe directly telling him to. For whatever reason Arlong is way more willing to keep humans alive if he can come up with an excuse for it. Which I find kind of fascinating and adds some depth to his character that I don't think was necessarily intentional, but is the strength of the writing that Oda was able to add something years down the line that somehow didn't conflict with what's already established.