#Let The Truth Speak

[gbhbl]

Album Review: Earthside - Let The Truth Speak (Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group)

Earthside’s ambition was out of this world when it came to creating this release, and it seems likely that they’re not returning to this planet anytime soon.

Cinematic rockers Earthside will release their highly anticipated second album, ‘Let the Truth Speak.’ on November 17th, 2023, via Music Theories Recordings and Mascot Label Group, worldwide. Earthside welcome listeners to their unique soundscape with a very intriguing opening track called But What If We’re Wrong. A track that features the fascinating talents of Sandbox Percussion, a percussion…

[rubydubydoo122]

Why is it that Batman’s ok with Antiheroes if it’s Catwoman or Talia Al Ghul, but when it’s the Red Hood, suddenly he’s beating the shit out of him

~Jason Peter Todd at some point

[0stargirl0]

that look….

[wqemzz-blog]

Has a major corporation wrongfully denied YOU the visual and auditory experience of an early-to-mid-twenties Inej Ghafa captaining her own pirate ship and looking good doing it? You might be liable for compensation

[comradekatara]

tbqh sokka would hunt zuko for sport and zuko would let him.

[linovadraws]

In my excitement for A Power Unbound, I've been relistening to A Restless Truth and remembering how much I love this book, ahhhhhh.

A Maud and Violet to match my Robin and Edwin drawing :)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Remembrance and Forgetfulness

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[carmyboobear]

Speak your mind about sub Carmy 🎤

*taps mic*

HELLO thank you all for gathering here tonight. I’m here to talk about a topic that has gone wildly and widely undiscussed. and that is: SUBMISSIVE CARMY BERZATTO!!!!!! *uproarious applause*

Not all of us want to dominate men. That’s okay. But I hope by the end of this Ted Talk YOU TOO can see the beauty of a submissive man

ok do lock in because I have a lot to say. Also goes without saying but we’re gonna get nasty so 🔞

tags include: handjobs, edging, overstimulation, coming early, praise kink, sub carmy

Carmy carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. His head is racing at a million miles an hour. He’s so hard on himself all the time, pushing himself past his limits, often if not always for his detriment. Imagine how good it would feel for him to be able to turn that all off, to just relax for once.

He crumples under praise, folds immediately with soft affection. He’s eager to please and willing to follow orders. If anything, he WANTS to follow orders, and he wants to do it perfectly. He’d do anything you ask of him, endlessly sacrificial at heart, often for no greater good.

And okay look. Maybe I wanna make Carmy whimper and whine! Is that such a crime! He’s had so little sexual experience, and for someone to take the reins for him here… like I’m just imagining giving him a handjob and you’re edging him, telling him not to come yet, and he’s so turned on and worked up it hurts. (Also basically I saw this video of this dude getting edged and he whined “sorry” when he accidentally finished and it’s haunted me ever since. Sorry for all that)

“You’re doing so good for me, Carmy,” you’d say as you slowly pump his shaft. Your hand, covered in slick, glides fluidly up and down. His cock is rigid and flushed a deep red. You’ve been keeping him at the edge for a while now, stopping when you know he’s about to come.

He’s the prettiest like this, too. His pretty baby blues, half lidded eyes glossy with tears. His pink cheeks, flushed with heat and embarrassment. His bitten lips, parted and whining. His muscles tighten as he winds up, sweaty abs and pecs clenching. He’s a sight for sore eyes like this.

“Don’t come,” you remind him quietly, slowing the touch of your curled hand. He’s a whining mess, dribbling pre cum down his slit.

“I—I wanna come,” he whimpers, almost sobs. “Please, please—“

“I said you can’t come.” Your hand rests at his base, holding it tight. He throws his head back, chest heaving. “Be a good boy, Carmy. I thought you said you were going to be good.”

“S-Stop, I’m gonna—mm—!” Carmy’s body tightens, and he cries as he comes all over your hand. He’s so worked up he can’t stop himself, not when you keep talking to him like this. “Fffuck—Ohh—“

“Carmy,” you say disapprovingly.

“I’m s-sorry,” he whines pathetically, cum shooting excessively from his tip. You sigh in disapproval and start quickly tugging on his twitching cock again.

You drag him through the rest of his orgasm, keeping your fingers tight on his wet cock. He apologizes over and over as he’s coming, thrusting helplessly into your hand. You keep touching even when his cock goes soft and sensitive, and he lets out little pinched, wounded noises.

So…yeah. Submissive Carmy.

[hedghost]

i may be a united fan but i will always respect city’s shithousery. there’s not enough in woso and we desperately need it. arsenal fans talk about developing the game but city have done more good with a few cellys and some instagram captions than arsenals family day outs ever have.

[thirteen-beaxhes]

EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR THEE GIRLBOSS EVER, RYAN BERGARA IN THE PUPPET HISTORY S5 FINALE

[nanamin-nah-nanamine]

Team don’t worry I’m sure it’ll fit😇☺️: Yuuta,yuuji,choso,toge

Team don’t worry I’ll make it fit😈:gojo,geto,Toji,nanami,megumi, maki I MEAN WHAAAAAT WHO SAID THAT

[todayisafridaynight]

did some dumb shit today and immediately thought of my favorite quote to cope

[laulink]

Something that I don't often see in the "was Edelgard's war necessary" discourse is the interdependence between the Church and the nobility. The question is always framed such as "are Edelgard's reforms worth starting a war over" or "is the net result of the war positive or negative" or "did she need to invade the Kingdom and Alliance to do her thing or was she just a cold-hearted, power-hungry tyrant" and the arguments given for or against either side of the conflict very rarely includes this simple fact :

No reform is possible in Fodlan because the Church and nobility feed off of each other.

It doesn't matter whether or not the specific reforms Edelgard wants to implement deserve thousands of people to die for them (if such a thing is even objectively quantifiable) ; it doesn't matter what the "net result" of the war is (if you can even make an objective measure on that) ; it doesn't matter whether or not having the Kingdom and Alliance under her authority was necessary to make the reforms she wanted ; absolutely no reform, whatsoever, in any territory, could have been achieved and lasted with the Church still standing. Why ?

Because the Church and the nobility enforce each other's "divine right to rule" and neither wants to lose their power.

Rhea wants to keep Fodlan in stasis until she brings Sothis back. She's done that for a thousand years and will keep doing it for as long as she needs to. How did she do it ? By making the powerful (the Crest-bearing descendants of the Ten Elites) dependant on her. She made their strength (their Crest) dependant on properly following and supporting her Church, instilling in Fodlan's societies the belief that a family won't produce Crest-bearing heirs any longer if they oppose the Goddess. The Crests are therefore both a mark of the Goddess' favour, granting nobles their "divine right to rule", and a pair of shackles binding them to the Church. If the Church falls and the commoners don't believe in the Goddess any longer, they also won't believe in the nobles' divine right to rule anymore and will rebel against the caste system. Therefore, the nobles need to enforce belief in the Goddess by showing how devoted they are, as Ferdinand and Lorenz explain is their noble duty to guide the commoners on the path of the faithful, and by giving the Church money to keep its influence and prestige ; otherwise, the nobility itself will be at risk.

But the reverse is, therefore, also true : if the nobility were to fall or stop supporting the Church (the one Rhea leads, mind you), it would lose power, influence and the money necessary to maintain its presence throughout the continent. The Church needs to make sure that the nobility system either stays the same or at least still relies on the belief in the Goddess. Any reform that abolishes the nobility, title inheritance or Crest supremacy is bound to be an absolute nightmare for the Church. Sounds familiar ?

Three Hopes touches onto this by showing us Rhea's attempts at killing the Bishop of the newly restored Southern Church. She doesn't try to get him killed because Edelgard was the one to choose him, she tries to kill him because this Southern Church represents a threat for the Central Church she leads, and she doesn't accept that.

How is the Southern Church a threat ? Two possible, non-exclusive ways :

The Southern Church's teachings are in opposition to the Central Church's teachings : we don't know exactly what those teachings are, but if the Southern Church's teachings imply that the Central Church's ones are fake, it would put their legitimacy into question. Which brings us to the second point :

The Southern Church is trying to become more prominent than the Central one : the Southern Church was dismantled about 200 years before the start of the game for being "dissident" and is now being revived with Edelgard's support. It doesn't even matter what it teaches the people : it fills a gap in the Imperial citizens' lives. By doing so, and by being morally, publicly and financially supported by the new Emperor, it earns the support of the faithful of the Empire and takes it away from the Central Church, in part at least.

So, because Rhea doesn't accept power being taken away from her, she attacks and tries to kill the "rebellion" in the egg, the same way she did with the "dissidents" of the Western Church in Houses, where she sent her students to execute and capture the priests, then executed the survivors without a trial. Sending an assassin against a bishop is clearly not something she would hesitate to do.

But, in this example, the Church was the one "under attack". You might wonder how Rhea would have reacted if Edelgard hadn't restored the Southern Church or started the war and had simply reformed the Empire without bothering anyone else, right ? Well, the answer is : basically the same thing.

What we know of Edelgard's reforms is that they are meant to end the caste system, let anyone reach a position of power, oust the people who are not competent enough to handle them and deny the very idea that birth determines someone's right to rule over a region or a whole nation. Those are all ideas that the Central Church has spent the last millenia denying and fighting against so the nobles would stay dependant on them ; if Edelgard's reforms were to be implemented, and moreso if they were to be successful, therefore proving that Crests and the ability to rule are not related, the Central Church's teachings would be proved wrong and the people of Fodlan, Kingdom and Alliance included, would rebel and stop supporting the Church and nobility. Rhea would lose her power and Fodlan would evolve, one way or another, outside of her control. She would do anything to avoid that, including sending her knights to support the rebellious nobles (like the ones we see in Hopes) who are bound to fight against Edelgard's tyranny to preserve peace and order in Fodlan, even if it means fighting against the Imperial army until they can march on Enbarr and behead the mad tyrant... which is roughly what happens in SS where the Black Eagles form a rebellion and ally with the Church's forces to fight against Edelgard and ultimately defeat her in order to keep the status quo. Yes, they fought this war because they thought Edelgard was in the wrong and needed to be stopped, but the result is the exact same.

(if you want to get into real world parallels, the Catholic Church was in much the same position of power as the Central Church for a good millenia (the xenophobia and the way it wormed itself into being central in every government by saying the King ruled out of God's will and had to be a good Christian if they wanted to keep their throne is especially similar), but then Martin Luther called it out on its corruption and started the Protestant Church (Southern Church, in Fodlan's case), leading to a long religious and physical conflict where the Catholic Church tried to eradicate the dissidents, with fire among other things)

So, what do we deduce from all this ? Three things :

The Church and nobility feed off of each other to maintain their own power ; if one were to disappear or stop working the way it did in the past, the other would collapse.

Rhea is more than ready to do what it takes to preserve her power and influence over Fodlan because it allows her to keep it in stasis and she believes that is what she should do until her mother comes back from the dead.

Edelgard's reforms would put a dent in Rhea's power, war or no war, which would result in Rhea trying to get her killed so she could put a good, obedient noble on the throne in order to restore the Central Church's power and maintain the nobility's standing in the Empire/Fodlan.

So, in conclusion : no significant change to the system can be made and kept in place for more than a few years, a decade at most, without national level of armed conflict at the very least because the Church and nobility will ally and fight tooth and nail to preserve their power. Taking apart the nobility cannot be done without destroying the Central Church at the same time, for one will always try to save/bring back the other to justify its own power. If Edelgard hadn't started the war, Rhea would have ; if Edelgard hadn't invaded and conquered the Kingdom and Alliance, their nobility would have attacked her in order to avoid her reforms giving ideas to their own population, or the population would have rebelled and started a bloody civil war in order to win their freedom, which would have likely caused more casualties, especially civil ones and children, than a fight between two actual armies.

There would have been war anyway. There would have been thousands of deaths anyway. Edelgard did what she did in order to gain the advantage by attacking first, improve her odds and shape the conflict in a way that would cause the least civilian casualties. We can still debate whether or not she was right or wrong, whether or not there was a better way to achieve her goals and save more lives, but the fact remains that while she did start the war, if she had not, someone else would have in order to stop her reforms. There was no peaceful way to change the whole system. As always, when you want to take power away from a group of people, you have to fight for it, and they will fight back.

[mayhemspreadingguy]

Today I woke up and chose silliness!

(yes, the mood of my posts is all over the place but this is what you signed up for, it's literally in the name x'D)

This is another contribution to the silly rabbit au (by @cuubism ) featuring @magnusbae 's Dream in a hoodie.

[sommerregenjuniluft]

@jegulus-microfic dec 15 (only 8 days late lol) - game - 1.8k words - cw: heavy making out, sweat licking lol (they're animals)

pt3 of the charmed mistletoe thingy <3 (part 1, part 2 exclusively on ao3)

this is Not proofread *summersaults away*

After those first two times it seems to evolve into a bit of a game for James. 

It’s late in the afternoon as Regulus is walking back to the dorms from Runes by himself. 

Barty had disappeared as soon as young, mellow-minded Babbling had opened her mouth to announce the end of today’s lesson to do whatever it is he does in his freetime away from his friends—write essays for Seven Years in exchange for Firewhisky, plot the downfall of the Ministry, probably. 

Meanwhile Pandora and Evan should just be done with their last period too right now—Care of Magical Creatures over by the Greenhouses this semester. Something about Kettleburn having them tend to the Niffler eggs. Regulus doesn’t even want to know.

Coming out of the Middle Tower, instead of taking a left and heading straight for the way leading to the dungeons, he keeps walking into the Middle Courtyard.

He already sees a free window alcove he can settle himself down in to wait for his friends to arrive when he rounds the old stone archway and collides with someone.

Regulus grunts and there’s only a moment of irritation before it’s washed away by the next ghust of air carrying citrus, spice and an obscene amount of broom polish, wood, leather and sweat.

“Oh, you’re fucking ki—”

“Oops,” James says, where he’s got his arms wrapped around Regulus, sounding not very sorry at all.

“You–” Regulus rears back, as far as the magic sticking his feet to the ground allows him to, and pulls back to hit James in the chest—which doesn’t do a lot at the moment, sadly, given James’ Quidditch padding under the uniform, “foul, loathsome, evil little—”

“Now, now,” James chuckles. His brown skin is tinted scarlet on the cheeks and nose from the cold and exertion of practice and still gleaming with drying sweat.

Regulus does not think about licking him. “I despise you.”

“Sure,” James nods, tone sarcastically affirmative, moving in, “Pucker up, baby. I gotta hit the showers and then subject myself to the horrors of writing two feet of an at least Exceeds Expectations worthy essay for Sluggy.”

Regulus gives him a practised sneer, “You must’ve been hit in practice one too many times if you think you will get a kiss from me like this.”

James’ lips twitch, “And why’s that, love?”

“You reek,” Regulus scolds. Lies. 

Like a liar. 

A dirty, rotten liar, who lies.

James shrugs one shoulder, “And your breath still smells like lunch.”

Regulus’ heart stops beating. He’s pretty sure if you’re watching closely enough you were just able to see his soul leave his body for a second, warp outside, make his edges blurry. Regulus might be sick.

“What?”

“Great, now that we’ve both said something untrue, why don’t we move ommpf–”

“Fuck you,” Regulus spits, shaking his hand where his knuckles are starting to throb from the repeated hitting.

 “Y’know,” James stops rubbing his side and promptly reels Regulus in by his wrist. “With the way your eyes are blitzing this is kind of getting me going.”

With the close proximity it’s a little harder to think clearly now. Regulus feels his brows knit deeper, feels his body unclench when one of James’ palms finds the small of his back. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Wanna find out how much?” James rasps, licking his lips. His eyes are lidded, dark lashes long behind his wire framed glasses. His hair is even more of an atrocity than usual thanks to the helmet he wore, standing in all kinds of directions or plastered to his skull and forehead in some places. 

It’s annoyingly similar to the way James had looked after Regulus had unthinkingly tousled it their previous time under a mistletoe.

As if James knows the turn his thoughts have taken he squeezes slightly at Regulus’ hand, murmuring, “Remember last time? How good it felt? Because I do.”

James’ eyes are boring so hard into Regulus he feels like being lit on fire from the inside.

“And I know you did, love–Don’t even try to deny it.”

Regulus still slowly shakes his head, even as his fingers curl in the harness straps of James’ chest padding.

“Come get another taste, Regs.” James nudges their noses together, “I’m all yours.”

Those three words do something a little unhinged to Regulus. 

It makes him want to take a bite out of James. Get a taste of the consistency of him between his teeth and then feel him slide down his oesophagus in a gooey, wet pile. Dig claws in, break the skin and make him bleed. Mark him up. 

It’s truly wondrous that Regulus is able to get anything out other than a feral, hungry snarl.

He doesn’t know what ethereal might overcomes him when he mutters, with the steadfastness of a shaky leaf in a tornado, “Only the cheek.”

A dark brow rises over the rim of James’ glasses, “Only the cheek, huh?”

Regulus manages a nod, a shaky breath leaving him on the exhale.

“Fine then,” James whispers, leaning in.

He does it just like the first time.

His thumb on the underside of Regulus’ chin, other fingers splayed over his jawbone and guiding him to the side. Warm breath, then even warmer lips pressing right forth.

Not shy at all. Going right after what he wants.

Lips lifting and there’s only a single second of immobility before there’s a second kiss. And a third.

Steadily moving lower, growing a little bolder, more open mouthed. Less of that barely there stubble, more of the slick satiny inside of James’ mouth.

And with the skin to skin contact Regulus has apparently been completely abandoned by this higher force because his traitorous body leans into the delicious treatment. Head tilting to the side accommodatingly, lids fluttering and own lips parting around a quiet groan.

The hinge of Regulus’ jaw is being explored, a small detour to nip at his earlobe and then James sets his lips down over the patch of skin behind and latches on.

Regulus makes a sound he didn’t know he was capable of, clutching harder at James.

Who responds with a rough hum of his own, pulling them closer together with his strong arm around Regulus’ waist.

“James,” Regulus breathes, one hand coming up to his neck. “James.”

The older boy makes a noise to show either his attention or his displeasure at being disrupted, Regulus isn’t really sure.

And then James lays his tongue out flat and licks a stripe up the side of Regulus’ throat.

The absolute animal. Disgusting, heinous, damning, irritatingly sexy, stupid man. 

Somebody call the Ministry and tell them Santa is real because it must be a miracle that Regulus doesn’t pass out from that on the fucking spot.

He does however let yet another moan slip he cannot help and then tries tugging James back. “Ok, ok, James. That– that’s enough.”

This seems not to fit into James’ aka Mister Eager and Enthusiastuc’s agenda going off of the pained noise he lets out against Regulus’ throat.

That is until Regulus speaks again.

Because he’s reached some kind of epiphany or maybe a deja vu of sorts because the second James’ tongue had made contact with Regulus’ skin all he could think was, “My turn.”

James stills against him, draws back, wide eyed and hazy looking with his stupid big baby cow brown eyes and Regulus doesn’t let himself think about it but instead moves right in.

Doesn’t really bother with niceties as he immediately presses his lips to the edge of James’ jaw. The stubble prickles slightly and James makes a wheezing noise, head rolling to the side.

Regulus’ lips lift into a smile, chest burning and an excited shiver whacking through him at James’ reaction.

He smells spicy and musky and salty so Regulus mimics the path down.

Until he can’t help himself anymore and open his mouth to finally taste. 

It’s glorious, sweat and citrus and James, the boy over him moaning at an indecent volume.

James curses, sounding breathless, “Regs.”

Regulus responds by sucking at the patch of skin again,

“Fuck, please– Yes, so good.” James babbles, “You’re so good, so sweet. So good to me.”

Then there’s fingers driving through the short curls at the back of Regulus’ head and he pants against James before leaning in and letting himself use his teeth.

Just graze but James makes another one of those obscene noises, half moan half curse and then the fingers in his hair are clenching.

Keeping Regulus in place for James to chase his mouth again. Fed up, seemingly, with having to stay still. Or too overwhelmed, Regulus doesn’t care because James is pressing their lips together again and it’s heaven.

Regulus hears the angels sing, the bells jingle. Christmas magic.

He lets out a satisfied noise, arching closer and then, because James is rude and always ruins it, he moves back.

“Wait, wai–” cuts off when Regulus steals another kiss, grip iron on James’ neck, “Reg, love.”

Regulus lifts down from the balls of his feet with an incredulous noise, raising his brows impatiently at James.

This one’s eyes flit all over his face for a moment and Regulus instantly becomes hyper aware of the way his cheeks feel warm and his lips swollen.

“Come to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday,” James mutters.

“No,” Regulus answers reflexively. And moves in to get another kiss.

Which James breaks again. 

Regulus huffs. He’s starting to get irritated.

James takes his chin between thumb and forefinger. “Go on a date with me,” he starts, a tone in his voice before he licks into Regulus mouth again. For just a moment before he adds, “Or you’ll have to wait for another mistletoe to catch us to kiss me.”

And– hold on a second.

“Pardon?” Regulus inquires, trying to blink the haze out of his head.

James gives another quick kiss to Regulus’ slack mouth, smiling faintly, “You heard me.”

“You actually think you can blackmail me this way?”

“Christmas season is only for another few days, love,” James counters. “The mistletoes will be gone before you can say Chinese Chomping Cabbage.”

Regulus bites the inside of his cheek for a moment. 

“What if I say yes?”

There’s a flash of teeth with James’ lips curling up at the corner and then he’s moving in again, tilting back Regulus’ head.

Regulus gasps into the kiss, with the way James is brushing their still spit slick lips together.

James hums when Regulus fingers find their way onto the front of James’ practice long sleeve. It’s low and rumbly, and Regulus feels it where their chests are pressed together, prompting him to make a high pitched noise of his own.

James draws it out this time with a few more slower sweet kisses, leaving Regulus all jittery.

“This has happened for the third time now,” James says conspiratorially, toying with a curl at Regulus’ ear.

“So?” Regulus huffs.

James hums, “You know what they say, Regs.”

Regulus shudders, making James lips lift.

“Once is happenstance, twice is barely a coincidence and trice is fa—”

Regulus is already rounding the corner, fleeing, as his ears gleam crimson.

“You can't run from it, Reg! Tis the season of love!” James calls after him, cackling. “See you Saturday morning!”