#We probably won't like it

[gofancyninjaworld]

Just what did he *do* to them?

So, as The Organization's dastardly plan has been enacted, we've learned that there's a kill list that they're checking off, exceptional individuals who have been targeted for death -- and reconstruction as will-free fighters.

The S-Class heroes, Garou, and a few others, have each had a Machine God sent to kill them and take their corpses back to HQ for treatment.

One Machine God. No back up plan, apparently.

So far the exception has been Dr. Kuseno. Kuseno may only have been No. 23 on their list, but he's gotten special treatment. THREE Machine Gods got sent to kill him, each at threat level dragon, and they were backed up by seven further powerful robots.

Just as remarkable was what they did. For everyone else, the Machine God will announce itself, explain why it's there, talk shit, and only then attack. The Machine Gods sent for Kuseno stealthily approached late at night, stayed well outside the building perimeter in the forest, and sniped the scientist clean through his centre of mass through the building walls. If the other Machine Gods used that modus operandi, they'd have a lot more success but they're acting as if the others are nice-to-haves.

I can almost imagine the conversation that must have happened behind the scenes:

Machine God 'Body': I alone will be enough for one shitty old man and his ex-human pet. Head of Organization: NO! We absolutely cannot afford slip-ups. Take two more guys, and make sure you play together nicely. Also, take this backup squadron in case that old weasel tries to make a run for it.

Why? Thinking of three possibilities.

They really, really, really hate Kuseno.

They think that Genos and Kuseno are an extraordinary threat.

They think that Kuseno is a special resource that they must acquire at all cost.

Let's take them in turn. None of them are mutually exclusive.

Number 1 is very possible! Let's call it The 100 Cyborgs Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Hate You theory. I would not be surprised to see some very unwelcome revelations when/if Genos finally gets to The Organization.

Number 2 seems the least likely. Given how much store the Machine Gods -- and indeed the rest of the guys associated with The Organization -- place on ranking as evidence of strength, they're not likely to make much of Genos's strength. Unless they know that his type of strength is a special problem for them. But then, why are they not chasing Drive Knight with the same ardour?

Number 3 is very interesting indeed. If Kuseno knows something or has skills they cannot do without, then given that they can revive people as semi-automatons with no willpower, this is the best way to get their hands on it.

But wouldn't this risk damaging Drive Knight's anti-Bofoi plan?* That is if Drive Knight is in cahoots with them.

I thought about it some more. Not really. If the squad was able to kill Genos, then it'd mean that he was never strong enough to take on Bofoi's forces, and they'd be rid of a troublesome S-Class hero. And if they weren't, Genos would blame Bofoi for the attack, and then they're rid of two troublesome S-Class heroes. It's a win-win however they look at it.

Set an elephant to get rid of an elephant, as Zombieman would say.

So far, it's all going according to keikaku, which means plan.

The only questions now are, do they dig up Kuseno's body, and how do they get away with this?

*I'm still open to giving Drive Knight the benefit of the doubt, but at this point, it's really not looking good at all.

[raycatzdraws]

Wolfie and Four friendship appreciation doodles! They're shared secrets besties! I hope Four's distrust of the shadow crystal doesn't drive anything between them. Wild found his way into this compilation with a force. It seems I can't draw Wolfie and not include him too!

[inkskinned]

one of the things that i think we should pay attention to, socially, about the disney v. desantis thing is that it is really highlighting the importance of remembering nuance.

in a purely neutral sense, if you engage in something problematic, that does not mean you are necessarily agreeing with what makes it problematic. and i am worried that we have become... so afraid of any form of nuance.

disney isn't my friend, they're a corporate monopoly that bastardized copyright laws for their own benefit, ruin the environment, and abuse their workers (... and many other things). this isn't a hypothetical for me - i grew up in florida. i also worked for the actual Walt Disney World; like, in the parks. i am keenly aware of the ways they hurt people, because they hurt me. i fully believe that part of the reason florida is so conservative is because it's been an "open secret" for years now that disney lobbies the government to keep minimum wage down, and i know they worked hard to keep the parks unmasked and open during the worst parts of Covid. they purposefully keep their employees in poverty. they are in part responsible for the way the floridian government works.

desantis is still, by a margin that is frankly daunting, way worse. the alternative here isn't just "republicans win", it's actual fascism.

in a case like this, where the alternative is to allow actual fascism into united states legislation - where, if desantis wins, there are huge and legal ramifications - it's tempting to minimize the harm disney is also doing, because... well, it's not fascism. but disney isn't the good guy, either, which means republicans are having a field day asking activists oh, so you think their treatment of their employees is okay?

we have been trained there is a right answer. you're right! you're in the good group, and you're winning at having an opinion.

except i have the Internet Prophecy that in 2-3 months, even left-wing people will be ripping apart activists for having "taken disney's side". aren't i an anti-capitalist? aren't i pro-union? aren't i one of the good ones? removed from context and nuance (that in this particular situation i am forced to side with disney, until an other option reveals itself), my act of being like "i hope they have goofy rip his throat out onstage, shaking his lifeless body like a dog toy" - how quickly does that seem like i actually do support disney?

and what about you! at home, reading this. are you experiencing the Thought Crime of... actually liking some of the things disney has made? your memories of days at the parks, or of good movies, or of your favorite show growing up. maybe you are also evil, if you ever enjoyed anything, ever, at all.

to some degree, the binary idealization/vilification of individual motive and meaning already exists in the desantis case. i have seen people saying not to go to the disney pride events because they're cash grabs (they are). i've seen people saying you have to go because they're a way to protest. there isn't a lot of internet understanding of nuance. instead it's just "good show of support" or "evil bootlicking."

this binary understanding is how you can become radicalized. when we fear nuance and disorder, we're allowing ourselves the safety of assuming that the world must exist in binary - good or bad, problematic or "not" problematic. and unfortunately, bigots want you to see the world in this binary ideal. they want you to get mad at me because "disney is taking a risk for our community but you won't sing their praises" and they want me to get mad at you for not respecting the legit personal trauma that disney forced me through.

in a grander scheme outside of disney: what happens is a horrific splintering within activist groups. we bicker with each other about minimal-harm minimal-impact ideologies, like which depiction of bisexuality is the most-true. we gratuitously analyze the personal lives of activists for any sign they might be "problematic". we get spooked because someone was in a dog collar at pride. we wring our hands about setting an empty shopping mall on fire. we tell each other what words we may identify ourselves by. we get fuckin steven universe disk horse when in reality it is a waste of our collective time.

the bigots want you to spend all your time focusing on how pristine and pretty you and your interests are. they want us at each other's throats instead of hand in hand. they want to say see? nothing is ever fucking good enough for these people.

and they want their followers to think in binary as well - a binary that's much easier to follow. see, in our spaces, we attack each other over "proper" behavior. but in bigoted groups? they attack outwards. they have someone they hate, and it is us. they hate you, specifically, and you are why they have problems - not the other people in their group. and that's a part of how they fucking keep winning.

some of the things that are beloved to you have a backbone in something terrible. the music industry is a wasteland. the publishing industry is a bastion of white supremacy. video games run off of unpaid labor and abuse.

the point of activism was always to bring to light that abuse and try to stop it from happening, not to condemn those who engage in the content that comes from those industries. "there is no ethical consumption under late capitalism" also applies to media. your childhood (and maybe current!) love of the little mermaid isn't something you should now flinch from, worried you'll be a "disney adult". wanting the music industry to change for the better does not require that you reject all popular music until that change occurs. you can acknowledge the harm something might cause - and celebrate the love that it has brought into your life.

we must detach an acknowledgment of nuance from a sense of shame and disgust. we must. punishing individual people for their harmless passions is not doing good work. encouraging more thoughtful, empathetic consumption does not mean people should feel ashamed of their basic human capacities and desires. it should never have even been about the individual when the corporation is so obviously the actual evil. this sense that we must live in shame and dread of our personal nuances - it just makes people bitter and hopeless. do you have any idea how scared i am to post this? to just acknowledge the idea of nuance? that i might like something nuanced, and engage in it joyfully? and, at the same time, that i'm brutally aware of the harm that they're doing?

"so what do i do?" ... well, often there isn't a right answer. i mean in this case, i hope mickey chops off ron's head and then does a little giggle. but truth be told, often our opinions on nuanced subjects will differ. you might be able to engage in things that i can't because the nuance doesn't sit right with me. i might think taylor swift is a great performer and a lot of fun, and you might be like "raquel, the jet fuel emissions". we are both correct; neither of us have any actual sway in this. and i think it's important to remember that - the actual scope of individual responsibility. like, i also love going to the parks. Thunder Mountain is so fun. you (just a person) are not responsible for the harm that Disney (the billion dollar corporation) caused me. i don't know. i think it's possible to both enjoy your memories and interrogate the current state of their employment policies.

there is no right way to interrogate or engage with nuance - i just hope you embrace it readily.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The girls are plottinggggg

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[i3utterflyeffect]

did you know: chosen was created before minecraft existed?

reblogs > likes

[mushtoons]

so we watched the pilot while we were sick 👀

[arrowheadedbitch]

Jason: I would never kill a kid!

Tim: I would.

Jason: Wha-

Tim: Fuck them kids.

[splatoonusna]

man that splatfest was wack :/

You're telling me.

[uncanny-tranny]

You know, I feel like other trans people might get this, but it's honestly kind of refreshing when a cis person has, like, undeniable tboy/tgirl/whatever swag. It's like when you come across somebody who speaks the same language as you and you only find out when they start speaking it, too.

[fluentisonus]

another thing that bothers me about people insisting translation can never communicate the original with the implication that it's therefore not worthwhile is like. what's the end result of that? you never read anything from places that don't speak the languages you do? you let the perfect be the enemy of the good & seal yourself into a narrow cultural bubble because you've decided it's not possible for ideas & stories to cross language barriers?

[emotinalsupportturtle]

This is the funniest shit (and also completely accurate)

[kyouka-supremacy]

I think we should just bring back Wungo Wednesday and start a fandom collective anime rewatch

[starflungwaddledee]

They called me goofy...

:'D

well i'm pretty sure they won't do it again!

> follow up of this

[nat-20s]

my heart and soul for Jenny to crash into Rose Noble at some point and be like "oh hey! I'm your older sister!!" and Rose to be like WH-

[bluenoisen]

Gwen can't bring herself to come to work the day after her first field assignment, but when she does return, she cannot help but see all her cases in a new light. They scare her. They could be real.

[archivistprotocol]

*slams into the room with all the grace of a baby and knocks shit off the tables, sending the red string board flying*

forget that relationship tension for a second (dw, i'm Thinking About It). SAM. PUT THE FORMS DOWN. and for the love of everything holy and good, DO NOT GO TO THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE RUINS. you wanna be the next redcanary??? that's where you're fucking headed, buddy. i know the saying is "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back," but in this case, there ain't nothin' to be satisfied about when it comes to exploring some ol' spooky ruins that are gonna grab you by the feet and drag you further in until you don't know if you're you anymore, or some unwilling servant to a gluttonous, knowledge-seeking eldritch horror. or, you know, you end up dead. there's that. sam. my man. put the forms down, stay the FUCK away from the magnus institute, and figure your shit out with celia and alice because i swear to the unholy eldritch horrors that if you hurt alice in your ill-advised crusade to unravel your past and the secrets of the magnus institute, something worse than a tunnel goblin gouging your eyes out is coming your way.