#What's not reasonable is attacking minority groups for existing.

[fullhalalalchemist]

URGENT: 🚨🚨EARN IT ACT IS BACK IN THE SENATE 🚨🚨 TUMBLR’S NSFW BAN HITTING THE ENTIRE INTERNET THIS SUMMER 2023

April 28, 2023

I’m so sorry for the long post but please please please pay attention and spread this

What is the EARN IT Act?

The EARN IT Act (s. 1207) has been roundly condemned by nearly every major LGBTQ+ advocacy and human rights organization in the country.

This is the third time the Senate has been trying to force this through, and I talked about it last year. It is a bill that claims "protects children and victims against CSAM" by creating an unelected and politically appointed national commission of law enforcement specialists to dictate "best practices" that websites all across the nation will be forced to follow. (Keep in mind, most websites in the world are created in the US, so this has global ramifications). These "best practices" would include killing encryption so that any law enforcement can scan and see every single message, dm, photo, cloud storage, data, and any website you have every so much as glanced at. Contrary to popular belief, no they actually can't already do that. These "best practices" also create new laws for "removing CSAM" online, leading to mass censorship of non-CSAM content like what happened to tumblr. Keep in mind that groups like NCOSE, an anti-LGBT hate group, will be allowed on this commission. If websites don't follow these best practices, they lose their Section 230 protections, leading to mass censorship either way.

Section 230 is foundational to modern online communications. It's the entire reason social media exists. It grants legal protection to users and websites, and says that websites aren't responsible for what users upload online unless it's criminal. Without Section 230, websites are at the mercy of whatever bullshit regulatory laws any and every US state passes. Imagine if Texas and Florida were allowed to say what you can and can't publish and access online. That is what will happen if EARN IT passes. (For context, Trump wanted to get rid of Section 230 because he knew it would lead to mass govt surveillance and censorship of minorities online.)

This is really not a drill. Anyone who makes or consume anything “adult” and LGBT online has to be prepared to fight Sen. Blumenthal’s EARN IT Act, brought back from the grave by a bipartisan consensus to destroy Section 230. If this bill passes, we’re going to see most, if not all, adult content and accounts removed from mainstream platforms. This will include anything related to LGBT content, including SFW fanfiction, for example. Youtube, Twitter, Reddit, Tiktok, Tumblr, all of them will be completely gutted of anything related to LGBT content, abortion healthcare, resources for victims of any type of abuse, etc. It is a right-wing fascists wet dream, which is why NCOSE is behind this bill and why another name for this bill is named in reference to NCOSE.

NCOSE used to be named Morality in Media, and has rebranded into an "anti-trafficking" organization. They are a hate group that has made millions off of being "against trafficking" while helping almost no victims and pushing for homophobic laws globally. They have successfully pushing the idea that any form of sexual expression, including talking about HEALTH, leads to sex trafficking. That's how SESTA passed. Their goal is to eliminate all sex, anything gay, and everything that goes against their idea of ‘God’ from the internet and hyper disney-fy and sanitize it. This is a highly coordinated attack on multiple fronts.

The EARN IT Act will lead to mass online censorship and surveillance. Platforms will be forced to scan their users’ communications and censor all sex-related content, including sex education, literally anything lgbt, transgender or non-binary education and support systems, aything related to abortion, and sex worker communication according to the ACLU. All this in the name of “protecting kids” and “fighting CSAM”, both of which the bill does nothing of the sort. In fact it makes fighting CSEM even harder.

EARN IT will open the way for politicians to define the category of “pornography" as they — or the lobbies that fund them — please. The same way that right-wing groups have successfully banned books about race and LGBT, are banning trans people from existing, all under the guise of protecting children from "grooming and exploitation", is how they will successfully censor the internet.

As long as state legislatures can tie in "fighting CSAM" to their bullshit laws, they can use EARN IT to censor and surveill whatever they want.

This is already a nightmare enough. But the bill also DESTROYS ENCRYPTION, you know, the thing protecting literally anyone or any govt entity from going into your private messages and emails and anything on your devices and spying on you.

This bill is going to finish what FOSTA/SESTA started. And that should terrify you.

Senator Blumenthal (Same guy who said ‘Facebook should ban finsta’) pushed this bill all of 2020, literally every activist (There were more than half a million signatures on this site opposing this act!) pushed hard to stop this bill. Now he brings it back, doesn’t show the text of the bill until hours later, and it’s WORSE. Instead of fixing literally anything in the bill that might actually protect kids online, Bluemnthal is hoping to fast track this and shove it through, hoping to get little media attention other than propaganda of “protecting kids” to support this shitty legislation that will harm kids. Blumental doesn't care about protecting anyone, and only wants his name in headlines.

It will make CSAM much much worse.

One of the many reasons this bill is so dangerous: It totally misunderstands how Section 230 works, and in doing so (as with FOSTA) it is likely to make the very real problem of CSAM worse, not better. Section 230 gives companies the flexibility to try different approaches to dealing with various content moderation challenges. It allows for greater and greater experimentation and adjustments as they learn what works – without fear of liability for any “failure.” Removing Section 230 protections does the opposite. It says if you do anything, you may face crippling legal liability. This actually makes companies less willing to do anything that involves trying to seek out, take down, and report CSAM because of the greatly increased liability that comes with admitting that there is CSAM on your platform to search for and deal with. This liability would allow anyone for any reason to sue any platform they want, suing smaller ones out of existence. Look at what is happening right now with book bans across the nation with far right groups. This is going to happen to the internet if this bill passes.

(Remember, the state department released a report in December 2021 recommending that the government crack down on “obscenity” as hard the Reagan Administration did. If this bill passes, it could easily go way beyond shit red states are currently trying. It is a goldmine for the fascist right that is currently in the middle of banning every book that talks about race and sexuality across the US.)

The reason these bills keep showing up is because there is this false lie spread by organizations like NCOSE that platforms do nothing about CSEM online. However, platforms are already liable for child sexual exploitation under federal law. Tech companies sent more than 45 million+ instances of CSAM to the DOJ in 2019 alone, most of which they declined to investigate. This shows that platforms are actually doing everything in their power already to stop CSEM by following already existing laws. The Earn It Act includes zero resources for proven investigation or prevention programs. If Senator Bluementhal actually cared about protecting youth, why wouldn’t he include anything to actually protect them in his shitty horrible bill? EARN IT is actually likely to make prosecuting child molesters more difficult since evidence collected this way likely violates the Fourth Amendment and would be inadmissible in court.

I don’t know why so many Senators are eager to cosponsor the “make child pornography worse” bill, but here we are.

HOW TO FIGHT BACK

EARN IT Act was introduced just two weeks ago and is already being fast-tracked. It will be marked up the week of May 1st and head to the Senate floor immediately after. If there is no loud and consistent opposition, it will be law by JUNE! Most bills never go to markup, so this means they are putting pressure to move this through. There are already 20 co-sponsors, a fifth of the entire Senate. This is an uphill battle and it is very much all hands on deck.

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES.

This website takes you to your Senator / House members contact info. EMAIL, MESSAGE, SEND LETTERS, CALL CALL CALL CALL CALL. Calling is the BEST way to get a message through. Get your family and friends to send calls too. This is literally the end of free speech online.

(202) 224-3121 connects you to the congressional hotline. Here is a call script if you don't know what to say. Call them every day. Even on the weekends, leaving voicemails are fine.

2. Sign these petitions!

Link to Petition 1

Link to Petition 2

3. SPREAD THE WORD ONLINE

If you have any social media, spread this online. One of the best ways we fought back against this last year was MASSIVE spread online. Tiktok, reddit, twitter, discord, whatever means you have at least mention it. We could see most social media die out by this fall if we don't fight back.

Here is a linktree with more information on this bill including a masterpost of articles, the links to petitions, and the call script.

DISCORD LINK IF YOU WANT TO HELP FIGHT IT

TLDR: The EARN IT Act will lead to online censorship of any and all adult & lgbt content across the entire internet, open the floodgates to mass surveillance the likes which we haven’t seen before, lead to much more CSEM being distributed online, and destroy encryption. Call 202-224-3121 to connect to your house and senate representative and tell them to VOTE NO on this bill that does not protect anyone and harms everyone.

[germiyahu]

"If you describe a horrific and detailed act of racism committed by an IDF soldier or a Kahanist or other anti Arab extremist (say Baruch Goldstein's massacre), you'll find that a huge majority of Jews condemn him, his philosophy, his actions, denounce him and consider him a poor practitioner of Judaism"

No they don't, that's the whole fucking point.

Whenever IDF soldiers kill Palestinians the only reaction from Israelis you would get is them bringing up how military service is mandatory in Israel so you can't be mad at the soldier, how this is an extremely complex two-sided "conflict" where both sides are equally wrong and equally victims, how everything is the fault of the entire government of Hamas and Bibi (but just Bibi, they will never hold anyone else in the government accountable) and gaslighting people into believing that this is an isolated incident that doesn't normally happen and that the Israeli committing the crime will actually face any type of justice.

And this assuming that they would even acknowledge a crime has been committed instead of calling it "blood libel" and using what happens as a segue to talk about anti-semitism even more.

So you clearly don't know any Jews because Baruch Goldstein is one of the least controversial figures in Jewish history to condemn. Like, he probably has defenders in Israel but they're definitely a pretty small minority, and you'd be very hard pressed to find any diaspora Jews who approve of his crimes.

And aside from that, because yes people do defend the IDF when they are presented with similarly horrific sounding stories... but look what happens, most of these stories turn out to be exaggerated or completely false to begin with! This isn't about starry-eyed Jewish supremacy vs Muslims just doing an oopsie and they had good reasons for it, this is about truth. That's the key element. It's a little ridiculous to whine that Jews won't full throatedly condemn bombing a hospital and killing 500 people when that turned out to be a lie!

Baruch Goldstein was a terrorist, he factually provably committed horrific crimes. Osama Bin Laden was also a terrorist, he factually provably orchestrated horrific crimes. If you ask the average Jew to defend the former, they'd be equally as uncomfortable as if you asked the average Muslim to defend the latter. There are always going to be braindead terrorism fanboys in both groups, duh. I'm talking about the average person.

And here you are, deciding that no, the average Jew is a savage devotee to terrorism and genocide, just like every other Jew Hater online. It's becoming a bit stale. See that last part in particular, this is about a deep envious rage you feel that Jewish people "get away" with doing/thinking/saying "The Bad Thing" and you feel a need to bring them down a peg. You frame a very real thing (like blood libel is not trivial and Jewish people do not actually talk about it frivolously), as a privilege, a cheat code. You're jealous because you probably belong to a demographic that can't "milk" it's own historic oppression and tragedy, so you feel that Jews shouldn't "get" to.

But this is the real world, where exaggerating the alleged crimes of Jews is demonstrably linked with an increase in antisemitic rhetoric (check), harassment of Jews and Jewish institutions (check), and even violence (they just thwarted a planned terrorist attack in Brooklyn, very much the last roadblock to a liberated Palestine).

Anyway my point was that if you zoom out to more and more abstract concepts, a greater percentage of both Jewish and Muslim populations will probably support them. And I think it's telling that "a Jewish state founded on war and large violent population transfers" has a higher moral burden on it than "a Muslim state founded on war and large violent population transfers."

Ask a Muslim if they support "Pakistan exists" and how many would disagree? Realistically? But you dare act disgusted and shocked that a similar number and percentage of Jews support "Israel exists"? My entire question is why "This is a country that has done bad things and it exists amid ethnic conflict" is even on par with "this niche cult within a giant religion (literally they admitted to it) did a massacre on civilians."

If that's the moral equivalence then we're done here. I'm not playing games like that.

[olderthannetfic]

Re: discourse about using outliers / the worst examples of a group to justify generalizations-- this is also a problem with the femslash wank asks

I'm one of those filthy f/f folks who actually does want to see more femslash relative to mascslash, but I'm not anti-fujo or a terf or telling ppl to change their own tastes. I'm proship / SALS and kinkmato and I think fujoshi are great; I appreciate their massive contribution to fandom culture including AO3's existence itself

But some ppl seem like they just hate f/f fandoms generally and want a reason to bitch about us? and I've felt super demoralized by it whenever I read your blog lately

Like the complaints about f/f being too wholesome and fluffy and that this is somehow bad?? tumblr is C O V E R E D with cutesey fluffy bubbly m/m art using That Artstyle we all know and nobody complains about it. But when sapphic art is like this suddenly its cause we're boring sexless puritans who dont know what pussy should look like? The huge amount of kinky weird depraved f/f thats out there gets totally erased and the wholesome stuff gets scapegoated as a symbol of regressiveness.

Or the constant lecturing to "JuSt CrEaTe It YoUrSeLf" as if nobody who says they want more f/f would actually be making it??? How do you KNOW they're not making it? Are you stalking the tumblr of every ao3 f/f author to make sure they never expressed the opinion you hate , and vice versa??

Yeah a few awful ppl have been super obnoxious, terfy, or puritanical bullies with how they talk about this topic. But when you constantly bring those people up to demonize talking about it at all it feels like you're creating a taboo around it because you want those annoying lesbian feminists to shut the fuck up. Cause how dare we, right? How dare we express desire for something in a way that reminds you patriarchy exists.

You won't even let us express that we're bitter or sad about feeling like a minority even amongst other queer women. You won't let us express simple jealousy without interpreting that jealousy in the most terfy antiship bad faith way possible!

I won't defend those who actually harass ppl or moralize over ships. I won't defend anti-fujos. But when you constantly lump me in with those people just because I looked at AO3 stats and went "Hmmm, it would be cool if this was more balanced :/" or whatever it feels like you just don't want me to say anything at all

--

Is this about me personally? Yes, I agree that topics that are repetitive start to feel like an attack.

But with regards to AO3 stats, this is my pet peeve, as you probably know if you read here often, and I'm unlikely to stop being angry about it.

AO3 is extremely unusual in the history of fandom for being a very big, very multifandom site that is not m/m-specific but where m/m outnumbers other things. There have been large-ish slash archives before. There have been and still are other large, multifandom archives, from FFN and Wattpad, which are in AO3's weight class, to medium size ones like MediaMiner. The spaces that aren't m/m-specific generally have f/m vastly outnumbering m/m. They also make it harder to get stats than AO3 does.

I don't have an issue with people looking at overall fandom stats and complaining that f/f has the short end of the stick when it comes to fanfic broadly. I do object to people pulling only AO3 stats and going "The one anomalous clubhouse that looks like this is the problem" and pointing at m/m.

It's the same problem you point out, just in another direction. After being told "Okay, but the amount of m/m..." constantly for years, people are fed up and never want to hear it again. Even if it's phrased nicely. Even if the person saying it is also hurting.

[certifiedcodbabygirl]

To Whisper Your Name pt.1

Konig x Reader Roman Goddess AU

Warnings: Violence ( minor character deaths), Roman deity inaccuracies, history inaccuracies, talks of SA 

Reader is loosely based on the Roman Goddess Felicitas (Goddess of good fortune and luck)

It is not rare for minor gods/ goddesses to go unthought of. Some rise to fame as others are forgotten. Not many remember the deities of flowers, trees, or other smaller things. They remember Jupiter, Neptune, Venus. The greats, the Gods. Smaller gods go about their lives enjoying the few who do remember them. The small alters the mortals create for them, adorned with what is associated with said deity. They get offerings, praise, songs sung in their name.

Others are forgotten. Some deities share common rulings and the more famous deity gets the praise. They get the offerings, the songs, the alters. They get the memories. The smaller deity is left to watch humanity progress, knowing they are nothing to them but a passing face. Some grow depressed, heartbroken to be forgotten. Some grow mad, killing those who pray to the more famous deity. Most are unhappy or indifferent. They are too out of touch with humanity, differences between God and mortals being too many to connect with one another. 

Despite all, you connect. The goddess of good fortune and luck, or as I should say, the small goddess of good fortune and luck. Throughout time, as you were forgotten and Fortuna rose to fame, you assimilated with the mortals. The fascination overtaking the grief pushed you to live among them. You aren’t well known among your village, just a simple face that passes by occasionally. Your home resides along the lake, a small and hidden house, property of an old man you met years before. You became like family to him, knowing who you are, he did his research. He offered you home, community, he offered you the human experience. 

It was a quiet life, predictable, quaint. You go to the fishing grounds, bless the unsuspecting fishermen. You do the same to the cloth weavers, the doctors, the children playing. None may know, but fortune is on their side. It was a simple existence, a comfortable one. 

A change happened at nightfall. Taking a late night walk was common, having no need for sleep. You’d walk a few miles, stay in a tree, maybe take a swim, then head back to your home. Tonight was no different. You opted to stay in a tree in a nearby forest, taking in the night sky, constellations seeming to taunt you with an unknown reason. Memories of when you were among the other deities fill your mind, a bittersweet taste left in your mind. Shouting and the crunching of twigs below rip you from your thoughts, whimpers from women below causing the hair on your arms to stand up.

Below, you see a small group of women with their arms shackled to a long chain. There are 2 men, daggers glinting in the moonlight. There’s no torch, no lantern, to light their way. It’s clear they are trying to be unseen, to steal these women. They adorn Roman clothing, as do the women, and seem to be heading away from the village. 

“Please I’m begging you, I have children! They have no father and no one to look for them” A woman begs shakily.

“Then we will be back for them. I know someone who would pay bronze for youth like them” A man cackles and shoves the woman for her noise.

“Oh Gods, Please save us, if you can hear me” A woman whispers, kissing her hands and raising them to the sky.

Her voice is so broken, as if she's unable to conjure hope. Heart aching for these women but unable to physically intervene, you bless them.

“Luck be upon you” Falls from your lips in the form of a whisper.

As they are almost gone, a branch snapping catches the men's attention. Heads whipping in the direction of the noise was their first mistake. A soldier in Roman attire sneaks behind the leading man, dagger cutting through his throat as if it were simply fat. 

The other three men turn and draw their weapons, preparing for attack. Their stance resembles that of a cornered, angry cat. One other soldier emerges from the dark. His towering frame, only being able to be described as a giant, unsheathed his sword from his holster. The glare from the moonlight shining off his sword gives an eerie and unsettling feeling in an already disturbing situation. 

“Give in and come willingly, or face the same fate as your foolish leader” His voice is higher pitched than expected, yet still effectively intimidating. His accent is foreign, sounding from the north. 

Ignorance clearly being their strong suit, the smugglers charge at the giant, only to be met immediately with a blade. The first one falls and seconds later, the other one is ripped through, practically in half, blood spilling like a never ending prayer. The men are ripped through like a tarp, eyes widening and dulling over.

 The last man remaining drops his weapon, falling to his knees like a worshiper to their God. The giant stalks towards him, gripping his hair and tilting him back. You can feel the fear radiating off of the smaller man's body, most likely praying to the gods as the women they stole did. 

“Your incompetence fails you. What were you planning for them?” He demands, gesturing to the women. They cower under the man's gaze.

The man remains silent, his mouth gaping like a fish, in search of words.

“Have mercy, please!” He begs, tears seeming to form.

The giant chuckles in an unamused manner, “Were you to have mercy on them? The gods have turned their backs on you. Now I will ask you again” He grips tighter, voice low and in a low growl, “What. Were. You. Planning? Who is your superior?”

The man refuses to answer and is swiftly met with a blade, as he serves no purpose. The giant and his partner turn their attention to the women, moving to remove their shackles. The women seem more frightened of them than they did the men that stole them. Perhaps it's because these men are soldiers, making it easy for them to be overpowered. 

“Where are you from?” The giant asks a woman as he removes the shackles. The woman says she was visiting her family in a nearby village when the men came. The other women say something similar.

“It seems they had a type. Easily able to make them disappear if they only have a couple connections in a different village.” The other man states, the giant nodding. 

They move the women to the same town you live in, keeping them in a new location until they find the leader of whatever ring they were getting sold into. You climb down the tree and quietly follow behind. The women are escorted to a separate cluster home and the men head to what seems to be a military station building.

Before the giant walks into the building, he looks behind him out of habit and spots you already looking at him. You quickly turn and walk away, not trying to attract unwanted attention. You make it to the lake before you hear a twig snap, someone being with you. Knowing who it is, you don't even bother to turn around, staying still. 

“Why did you run?” He asked in an accusatory tone, walking up to you. His frame towers over you, his shadow overtaking yours. You turn towards him, finally meeting his eyes. His face is covered in a cloth, his eyes being the only exposed area. His gaze is stern, like that of a king. 

“I've never seen a soldier like you before” you lie seamlessly, appearing innocent, “When you saw me, I worried I would possibly provoke you. Some soldiers around here hate when we stare”

He looks down at you, head slightly tilting. In mock or curiosity, you can't tell. There’s a long pause of silence, neither of you moving.

“Sir?” You ask quietly, “May I go back home now? I fear it will worry my family if I am out too late”

“You will meet me in the town square tomorrow at dusk,” He states, turning to walk away, “I will find you if you fail to come. Do not make that mistake, flos”

[artofket]

Questions

Miguel O'Hara is acting odd when you go to speak with him about the nature of the Web of Life and Destiny and having a future despite his past.

This is my first time publishing a fic here so I hope y'all like it :) leave me some critiques and comments!

GN reader, SFW, minor acts of aggression, so much angst

______

"Mr. O'Hara?"

You walked cautiously into his office as if on tightrope, ready to leave as quickly as possible if necessary.

"What is it?" 

The room was unusually dark, orange glow from the screens high up the only indicator of his existence. He muttered something to Lyla and she appeared in front of you, materializing from your watch. She whispered to you conspiratorially. 

"He's in a mood again, y/n."

"I heard that." He echoed.

"I'll leave you two to it." She winked and fizzled out of vision.

You stood for a moment, watching the arch of his back sway as he worked. Should you wait?

"You can come up here…" You complied and shot some web to the platform, landing quietly behind him. "I'm still in the middle of something but I need a break anyways." 

He shifted to face you. His eyes had darker than usual lines under them. 

You had visited him alone a few times before, and each time he treated you much friendlier than expected. Whenever you were in a group meeting, he was always brash and sometimes aggressive. Much unlike now. He was quiet and patient for you. Maybe it was like that for some of the others when they met him privately. You hadn't asked around. But you were still curious.

"I was wondering if you had time to talk for a bit?" 

"Sure." He folded his arms and leaned back.

"Well… I've been thinking about the multiple dimensions and canon."

"You wouldn't be the only one. What about it?"

"If we have to follow our stories out in our own worlds, what does that mean for here? I'm sure it wasn't planned out that we'd all meet."

He stayed silent.

"So do those same rules apply here?"

His eyes flicked back to you.

"What do you- of course they still apply."

"So it's just canon for all of us to be in your dimension?"

"Probably not originally. But the Great Web was spun that way."

"Just like it was spun to punish you?"

He looked at you incredulously. 

"You don't know what I did."

"I know enough that it isn't fair that you're trying to clean this all up by yourself."

"I'm not doing this alone."

"Then stop acting like it." You said it so quick you let out a gasp as if it got past against your will. Which it kind of had. You never spoke to him like that. You met his gaze with wide eyes.

"Okay then." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell me, y/n, what do you want me to act like? You want me to be ignorant to the possibilities of all our dimensions' destruction?"

"No, I…"

"Cause I've already seen worlds ripped apart, children… children screaming, people dying. I can't let it keep happening." His tone raised and hitched painfully.

You took in a breath.

"And what happens once you fix it? Are you just going to wait patiently for the next accident and not make a new life for yourself?"

"I already found a life for myself and it didn't work. I don't deserve another chance." He turned away from you and gripped the desk so hard you swore the metal creaked.

"And who decides that?" You took a step towards him.

His shoulders hunched, head dipped, quivering with frustration.

"Miguel…"

He moved so fast you had blinked and found claws hovering at your eye line. You looked at his face, not even scared enough to have flinched, and saw red staring back at you. Words hung from your parted lips. He had almost attacked you. So why had he stopped?

He huffed and swung his arm back at the desk. He slumped in defeat, keeping his claws stuck in the metal.

"You should leave." 

But you didn't. For the same reason he hadn't hurt you. Instead, you lowered a hand to his broad shoulder. 

"We still have choices to make. No matter what the web says." Your breath shook at the end. He didn't move. You stood in silence for a while. With no response, and having made your point, you decided to leave. Before your hand could pull away, he grabbed your wrist. 

"How? Why are you like this? Even after seeing the darkest sides of humanity… you still show kindness. What's wrong with you?" He looked up only enough for you to see his eyes were back to an orange hue. You met his gaze steadily.

"If I don't, who will?" You sadly chuckled. "Afterall, it's all part of being a spider-person, y'know? Staying strong, getting back up when no one else can…"

You couldn't know how much he wanted to say sorry. There's no way he'd be able to put into words how deep his regret had changed him. So he deflected.

"You called me Miguel this time, y/n." He reluctantly let go of your wrist.

"Oh. Oh! I uh… didn't overstep any formalities… I'm sor-"

"It's okay. You can call me Miguel." He stood and pulled his fingers from the desk and tried to brush the shredded metal off. That was unsuccessful, so he just tilted his hips to cover it from your sight. "I'll uh, have to tell Lyla to get someone to fix that…" He stared at you, feeling like a fool. 

"I wish I could help you with that." You rubbed your arm, pulling at the suit.

"You already have helped." He caught himself when you stared back. "I mean with the other stuff. You are helpful. I'm mumbling." He rubbed the back of his hair and let out a sigh. "I'm so so sorry…" 

"I know." 

Words hung in the air and the bizarre nature of your visit shook your inhibitions.

"So you uh, talk with everyone else in private this way?" You chuckled.

His eyes grew wide.

"What way?" Before you could say anything. "No of course I do, yeah…" 

"No?"

"Did I say no? I don't think I said no…"

"You did."

"Well I don't let just anyone get away with the stuff you pulled, that's for sure." He smirked and instantly regretted it.

"Oh."

"I mean. Ugh. Just don't mention that to anyone. I'm not going soft."

"Oh of course not…"

You looked at the floor smiling in thought. He hadn't really given you the answers you wanted after all. 

"Why did you ask about what I'd do after all this is done?" That threw you off.

"Well uh someone's got to ask you… make sure you have someone to look forward to."

"Someone?" Your face flushed.

"Something! I meant something!" He raised an eyebrow. 

"Well I'm open to suggestions then, I suppose. Who… I mean, what, should I look forward to?" He teased.

"It could be someone you look forward to spending time with. Or just any kind of thing at all really." You backed up towards the edge of the platform. You were digging your grave with each word. "Uh, I should go now…" 

"I look forward to talking with you again then, y/n… hopefully with less of me making a fool of myself." You squeaked at his tone and facial expression. 

"Yeah, uh, of course!" He was teasing but also… was he flirting with you, or was he just so hot that it made everything he said with a smile sound flirty? You couldn't manage an answer, so you quickly turned and fled from that awkward interaction. He watched as you ran from the room.

"Lyla."

"What was that about? Did you really need to ruin another desk?"

"Lyla, focus, does y/n have feelings for me?" 

She just laughed.

[eowynstwin]

Do you have any recommendations for longer cod fics with plot?

Yeah, plenty!

A few from @391780 (and their ao3) (if you decide to explore their other fics PLEASE read the tags first, early writes some very dark work that may not suit you):

The Arrangement

The ad reads "Looking for a woman (25-45) to enter a discreet and unusual arrangement, with monetary compensation. Must fill out application and send photo.", and for some reason that you can't even fathom yourself, you apply. AKA John Price, who knows better than anyone what a liability having a spouse or partner is, decides that the only way he's going to find a beautiful soft woman to put up with his absurd schedule and dangerous job is to simply hire them.

the space in between

a shortcut through a construction site at night leads you to a run-in with john price, leader of the local crime family. (or, mafia Price romance with a desk jockey who didn't sign up to be a crime boss' obsession or sole confidant)

Into Your Veins

Ghost is a vampire during a zombie apocalypse, sent on a mission from Price to recruit you to join the little gated community of survivors that he's rounding up. You're a survivor who just wants to be left in peace to tend your garden and occasionally clear out your moat and booby traps of the undead. Neither of you gets what you'd planned on.

Then we have milk0 on ao3

Incompetent People

You share a group chat with your team and you sometimes wish you didn’t. (or, a very fun fic that started as a group chat piece and has evolved into a poly 141 romance. Otherwise known as my favorite fucking trope ever. The reader character has such a fun voice, I adore this fic.)

Next of course is @ceilidho (emphemeron on ao3) (same deal as with early—read their tags if you explore more of their fic, they also write darker work)

take me home, country road

You have nothing on your person apart from a hastily packed suitcase and the dress you came into town wearing, on the run from trouble back home. Too bad John's missing a bride that matches your description. Or: the 1800s (mistaken) mail order bride au

Following up with @alittleposhtoad (smoggyfogbottom on ao3)

"it's gonna get me by the end of the night"

A year after the attack on the Urzikstan embassy, Stacy Davidson struggles to move on. Whumptober Prompt: No. 23: “It’s gonna get me by the end of the night.” Shadows | Stalking | “Who’s there?” Note: I picked Gaz x OC because this ship doesn't exist on ao3, and I wasn't sure how to classify it for searching purposes. Stacy has a minor role in the game!

oh bury me not on the lone prairie

You are a doctor on the frontier, recently widowed and left to fend for yourself. You cope by keeping a strict routine, one that is threatened by the arrival of four strangers one hazy summer night. (141 western AU)

a handsome stranger on a cold autumn day

You work at a small-town library doing the same thing day in and day out, until a handsome captain approaches your desk.

rounding out this list is @lunarvicar who is on hiatus but still fully worth reading. (you can find them here on ao3)

exit row

ghost is that hot guy at the airport you wish you could talk to. good thing your seats are next to each other on the plane and you can fantasize alllll you want. (or, you hook up with Ghost in an airport and meet, months later, after you join the 141. he is not happy about it. or is he?)

to the flame

Moth has barely escaped her first captors, but tumbles headfirst into the care of the 141. She has to decide whether to trust them and their prickly leader, Captain Price - who also happens to be the sexiest motherfucker she's ever met.

a stranger at the table

tudor era AU. John Price is an old friend of your new husband's, come to help on the farm for a season. Your vows are tested in ways you could never have imagined.

All of these I've listed are multichapter fics, but every single author's one-shots are just as good. I highly recommend reading those too!

Now I'm just going to list a few writers who you really should just take the time to go through their masterlists, because you can't go wrong with anything they write.

@yeyinde

@peachesofteal

@moondirti

@charliemwrites (dark fiction, be aware)

@ohbo-ohno (also dark fiction)

honorary mention of @guyfieriii who has removed most of her cod fiction from tumblr due to a frankly disgusting amount of harassment, but I'm sure if you ask her very very nicely she'll send you where you need to go. (seriously. be nice. or you'll see me in your bedroom holding a knife at midnight)

P.S. if you're reading this, and i've expressed love for your work in the past, but you are not on this list, it is NOT intentional exclusion. It is my absolutely horrible memory. I love you and please link your own work if you'd like!

[crooked-wasteland]

The Toxic Romance of Fizz/Ozzie

I have gotten an ask in regards to depictions of abuse in Helluva Boss and there is obviously much to say on the topic. Many others have gone over and criticized the show for its poor examples of abuse, however I believe a greater problem exists on the flip side of that topic. Hand in hand with abusive relationships, the show has crafted romantic ones that are just as damaging to the young adult audience this show appeals to. Just as some say that poor representation of abuse and abusers puts people at risk of becoming victims, so too does the poor representation of love and romance turn into a quagmire of unhealthy codependency that sets unrealistic standards for relationships and people that are inevitably going to become toxic when removed from fantasy.

It is one of the few reasons why I insist that Helluva Boss is not a show targeting adults, as it does not appeal to mature individuals with any true life experience. Overwhelmingly striking a chord with the stunted, socially disabled adult minority, or the emotionally volatile demographic of early twenty-something teenagers who have yet had the experience in life to identify harmful relationships or the biological maturity of their brains to reason outside their emotions, who make up the majority. It feeds off the sense of victimization that both of these groups harbor towards reality and requires a fantastical disconnection of such to engage with authentically.

That is not to say this is an attack on that group. As seen before with the meteoric rise of damaging media like “50 Shades of Grey”, it is not fair to claim no one can authentically interact and enjoy the material at presentation. Identically it is not proper to claim that individuals who enjoy this sort of media for what it is are somehow of subpar intellect. However, it is more fair to recognize that many who did see “50 Shades” as a romantic tale often ended up in abusive relationships when seeking out that “ideal” they believed the book portrayed. Many individuals who wandered into the kink scene looking for their own Christian Grey found exactly that as they were manipulated, controlled and taken advantage of by unsavory individuals. As such, this is not to say that media of this sort should not exist or be banned, but that coherent and concise criticism is necessary for these topics to keep people from reenacting unhealthy and toxic relationships.

In the words of Youtuber Swoop, “It’s not drama, it’s dangerous.” I feel it rings true here and for artistic media in general. It’s not just fiction, and it can have a real world impact on people, relationships and lives.

I covered over some of the issues with Stolitz in a previous post found *HERE*, but for this breakdown of harmful depictions of relationship dynamics, I’m going to be focusing on FizzaRolli and Asmodeus. The reason being, this is a textbook codependent relationship that is portrayed as an ideal through the narrative, and it is rather alarming to witness the way the fandom fawns over it. As I previously pointed out in *THIS* post, the issue with the Fizz/Ozzie relationship in the special episode is that the story conflict is FizzaRolli’s codependent nature on Mammon not being corrected, but rather redirected to being purely codependent on Asmodeus. I have legitimately seen it argued that because the characters are happy in their relationship, then the codependency is just love, which is why this essay is being written in the first place. This is direct evidence of a harmful and unhealthy dynamic being sold to an impressionable and immature audience to their own detriment.

According to PsycheCentral, codependent traits can be broken up into cognitive (how you think), emotional (how you feel), and behavioral (how you act).

Cognitive traits of Codependency are that the individual has difficulty identifying their own opinions from another person’s, primarily the target of the codependency. This means the individual will often conform themselves implicitly to the beliefs of their target. They lack a stable sense of self and attach to their target in a way to ground them psychologically. Additionally, they struggle to identify or express their needs because of this lack of identity. And it should be made clear that the lack of identity does not mean that they see themselves as an extension of the other person, but are highly changeable and lack any core sense of who they are or what they believe in. Their self image is so volatile that the act of codependency is a maladaptive coping skill to find some form of stability in another person. This also extends into a form of mirroring; taking on the desires of those around you as your own.

The episode makes it very obvious how FizzaRolli is codependent on Mammon because it is seen in the negative lens it is expected to be. FizzaRolli’s opinions and beliefs are mirrored images of Mammon’s greedy philosophy. Being the best with all the money and fame is what Mammon has instilled in Fizz’s core, and from the jump Fizzarolli expresses these values as his own. FizzaRolli doesn’t communicate with Mammon out of a sense of fear and often shelves his own feelings and desires to accommodate the King of Greed. These are obvious and I am sure everyone can easily identify them in the dynamic.

However, these are identical to FizzaRolli’s dynamic with Asmodeus. At the end of the episode when Ozzie and Fizz have their minute in the greenroom, Fizz consistently fails to communicate with Ozzie about his needs or desires. In context of the episode’s opening, FizzaRolli is able to easily lie to Asmodeus as to why he is participating in the pageant. It is never established that Fizzarolli is expected to participate, additionally his job with Ozzie would make his need to be hired by Mammon obsolete, let alone their relationship. So it appears to be solely Fizz’s choice as to why this episode occurred in the first place. It is obvious that Fizz feels out of control and overwhelmed about this situation, but he believes Ozzie would want him to participate because he would “lose him” otherwise.

Which means FizzaRolli believes his participation in the pageant is also what Ozzie actually wants, seen when he says “You’re with me because of who I am at my best!” And FizzaRolli is so entrenched in that belief that he imposes it on his partner despite Asmodeus clearly stating he would wish Fizz wouldn’t go. FizzaRolli’s decisions and thoughts are just as entirely embedded in the thoughts, opinions and desires of Ozzie, if not more, than Mammon. Just because Asmodeus’ cognitive priority is Fizz does not change the toxic codependency that this cycle is rooted in. It could be argued that because Ozzie rejecting FizzaRolli’s belief at the end of the episode allows Fizz the freedom to quit, it is only because of Fizz’s belief that Ozzie wanted him in the pageant, not Mammon, is why he ever forced himself to go in the first place.

Emotional traits of Codependency can be broken down into a single feeling: Fear. The difficulty of saying “no” due to a fear of rejection or abandonment. A fear of not being accepted, loved or supported. Feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem are all intrinsically tied to a codependent dynamic. This results in the individual giving of themselves beyond their own boundaries in order to appease their target and maintain a sense of value to that person.

Again, this is clear in FizzaRolli’s dynamic with Mammon. He never asserts himself in any way regardless of how uncomfortable he feels while simultaneously pushing the limits of his own mental and emotional health to the point of resentment. He attributes everything he is and has to Mammon, highlighting his utter lack of self-esteem. Additionally, the episode goes out of its way to show Fizz feeling inadequate in direct contrast to the competition.

This inadequacy goes deeper still, however, when presented with the Fizz/Ozzie dynamic because FizzaRolli believes he is unworthy of his relationship with Ozzie as a fundamental basis. He says, “I’m barely worthy of working with a King of Sin … Without all this, I’m just nothing.” And it isn’t FizzaRolli who finds value in himself. He spills himself out to Asmodeus, leaving himself vulnerable and empty, and instead of seeing his own value, it is Ozzie who fills him up. He originally places his value in his work. His fame and abilities are what his entire sense of self-worth is hinged on, which gets replaced by another external source that FizzaRolli arguably has less impact on One could argue that while unhealthy, FizzaRolli has a direct input in his work and thus feeds his self-esteem through his own merit. The solution to that problem is to give up all control and ownership of his emotional state for it to be regulated and maintained entirely by Ozzie. One could reasonably say that the solution to this episode’s conflict was for Fizz to actually become less of a whole person to find happiness.

And then there are the behavioral traits. Keeping in mind the emotional motivation behind all behavior is fear, the individual may take on more responsibility than they can handle or are not even their responsibility in the first place; pressuring themselves to support their target, getting caught up in the other person’s matters, or even “rescuing” them from their hardships. They tend to overshare, lack boundaries and are constantly seeking external validation and approval.

For this one, I’m skipping the Mammon comparison entirely because I feel the situation is self-evident. Instead I am going to pivot slightly to add onto this thought:

In the PsycheCentral article, licensed marriage therapist Kate Engler says, “All codependent people are people pleasers, but not all people pleasers are codependent.” She proceeds to expand this point by explaining how Codependency is a more extreme form of people-pleasing due to its mutual nature. When two people are in a true codependent dynamic, neither party can function without the other one.

That is to say, Asmodeus is also codependent on FizzaRolli.

Ozzie does not express his codependency in such a way that feels so textbook in comparison due to his social superiority, however, we see in Oops how codependent Asmodeus is on FizzaRolli to regulate and maintain his own emotional state. Ozzie is so incapable of functioning without Fizz that, if not for Stolas, he would have immediately signed away all his factories and even resulted in the death of his partner. He doesn’t make decisions based on his own values, but denies Stolas a crystal due to his partner’s wants and desires. Asmodeus’ proud announcement of doing so, as well, shows a degree of approval seeking. Being so pleased with himself on the belief that he did what his partner would have wanted him to do, and openly seeking validation for that decision as well. He lacks any sense of self outside of elevating FizzaRolli and Fizz lacks any sense of self outside of Ozzie’s approval.

The sole reason this relationship even seems to be healthy is because of the fact that Ozzie has no character outside of being in love with FizzaRolli. The unrealistic nature of a whole other human having no will, desire, or purpose outside of being in love with you is unrealistic and unhealthy. It is predicated on a belief that another person will make one "complete", placing the responsibility of your existence as a person on another and believing that is love. It is handing someone a gun to aim at your head, but its okay because they will never pull the trigger. If Asmodeus had any sense of his own identity, he would inevitably cause immense emotional and psychological harm to Fizz, and the only saving grace is that he is poorly written.

The result is that FizzaRolli and Asmodeus depict a fundamentally toxic dynamic being depicted as mutual support and love. It is a demented ideal of what a healthy relationship should look like that is actively poisoning the concept of relationships for an entire demographic of young people. It reaffirms anxious attachment styles that a concerning majority of the fandom embody, fundamentally dooming a percentage of those individuals to replicate this rotten cycle in their own reality. Regardless of how few people ended up abused following their romanticization of 50 Shades of Grey, the fact that even a single person ended up in that position due to a piece of media is too many. As such, I feel it is beyond necessary to denounce the “most wholesome” relationship of Helluva Boss for the dysfunction it actually is.

[sobriety-circle]

The comments on this post make me so upset as a sober person because it proves that a lot of people who drink don't respect sober people.

The implication that I get from this is that all sober people need help, and that support groups are our only safe space. While a lot of people do reach out for help in a variety of different ways for different reasons, especially if recovering from addiction, there are plenty of people who don't need help, or have recovered enough to not need help. These people still need safe spaces. We should be able to access fun things safely without needing mental treatment. (Also there is a growing inaccessibility of queer centers in my area, and I'm guessing this isn't a lone situation.) (Maybe I read too much into the comment but my points still stand without the context.)

I love libraries. Great idea, libraries are a great space for everyone, but we need more than just libraries. We need places to eat, and play, and environments that stimulate things beyond what a library can do. I'm sure libraries also can help with resources for those who need, and we should make this information more public without stigma. Also SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

And that's your own choice to make! If you think I'm meeting people WITH alcohol, you're wrong. The difference is that people like you likely have an easily accessible space for that. Sober people have to try harder to find these spaces, especially as a queer person.

I'm sorry you feel attacked as a "bar enjoyer." You should not feel discomfort caused by other people for your own decisions. As sucky as that is, this goes both ways. Stop telling sober people to suck it up, or that they're missing out (real things I have been told). Sober people and even recovering addicts do not often have equivalent safe spaces as those who drink casually. If you don't want to hear us complain, help us build dry bars.

Hm. I wonder why it's stereotypical that sober people don't like going out. It's almost like some people don't feel comfortable being in non-sober spaces and feel attacked when we ask for a dry space to exist. I would love to go to a late night venue and get out more, but I can't do that without anxiety. Others can't do that without risk of relapse.

The sobriety community is a very diverse place. I've met right wing sober people. Even Trump himself doesn't drink (nor does Biden if you were wondering). So this leads to a huge need for not just sober spaces, but sober spaces for other minorities. "We need queer friendly sober spaces," isn't something that should be made fun of.

I won't be a person who insists that all people who drink need to get sober. All I'm asking for is respect and understanding. I don't agree with a drinking lifestyle for me, and you don't have to agree with the sober lifestyle for you. I am just frustrated that sober people raise some very basic points about how we have a hard time finding places, and we are met with underhanded backlash.

If you (or someone you know) is struggling with addiction and is looking for help, I support you. Recovery can be rough, but you're so strong, and life can be so much better in the end. The fight is worth it. Stay safe, speak up, and be strong 💜

[lobautumny]

The rhetoric of anti-porn ideologues is as insidious as it is annoying. They use the fact that porn addiction is a real phenomenon to paint anyone who consumes porn to any extent as an addict, which is patently delusional, but calling someone a desperate addict is a really easy way to get random people who don't know anything about the person being attacked onto the attacker's side, because if the audience don't know them and they try to defend themself as not being an addict, then it's very easy for the attacker to just go "see? Obviously they're just in denial and need help."

Another thing is that they start at a reasonable premise: Yes, porn addiction is a real thing that some people succumb to in the same way that one can get addicted to anything enjoyable, and there are businesses that should be under scrutiny that weaponize that fact and actively try to pray on addicts, which can ruin their lives much further than the addiction itself would on its own. But then the anti-porn acolyte falsely equivocates this very reasonable stance with "all porn is inherently damaging to society, and anyone who consumes porn to any extent is an addict."

The fact that people who do this schtick genuinely get a lot of respect despite literally just being puritans who farm clout by harassing random people online is as depressing as their shitty, anti-fun ideology and this toy's sick of seeing them.

There's a popular Youtube video essayist who made a tweet a while back claiming that all fetish porn is inherently immoral and fetishes have no place in an advanced society, and his sources boiled down to "trust me bro." He doesn't even give any kind of coherent argument for his stance. He just kind of asserts, based on nothing, that kink is a major contributing factor to how much mental illness exists in the world and that 90% of the world agrees with him. He then goes on to call anyone who disputes his claims a desperate addict attacking him from degenerate subreddits, and he paints his detractors in this way specifically to avoid having to make an actual counterargument to anything they are saying, because then he would sound like a stupid pseudointellectual asshole (precisely what he is) because he doesn't have a counterargument in the first place.

And if you find yourself thinking, while reading this, "Hm, this all mirrors a lot of argument tactics commonly used by a particular group who are known for not being too terribly fond of minorities, especially jewish people," you would be exactly correct. This toy's not saying that every anti-porn ideologue is a nazi, but a lot of them are reactionary conservatives who, at the very least, are not fond of the LGBT, and most of the ones who aren't still use the same exact rhetorical tactics based on dogma and harassment that nazis use to prop their bigotry up and make anyone who disagrees with them look like some kind of sickly degenerate, and that should be a red flag for anyone. In fact, unironic use of the word "degenerate" to negatively describe others should always raise alarms in your mind.

It's really incredible how scared so many people are of sexuality. This toy thinks a lot of it comes down to projection. Like, yeah, it sucks that you got addicted to porn at an early age and it stunted your social development or whatever, but perhaps your personal experiences are not universal. This toy doesn't want to say "skill issue" to people who have had genuine struggles with addiction, but damn, some people make it hard not to.

[tacorerooster]

Long Thread Shadow and Amy Rose. So with Sonic Movie 3 continuing the trend of Sega (or at the very less Sega of America) not giving a shit about Amy Rose, I’m gonna list all the shit she SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN, but was left out of

First off Every 90’s Dic Animated Cartoon (SatAM, AoStH and Underground), Amy around during each one of those productions yet she doesn’t show up, yet Tails and Knuckles both do, even tho A. She came out the same year as Tails and B. Showed up BEFORE Knuckles

Next would-be classic games collections minus Gems & Origins. Amy & her debut game Sonic CD for a long time was excluded from many of the Classic Collections, like Sonic Mega Collection, the DS collection & the Sonic's “Ultimate” Genesis Collection which had Archie & Spinball

Then we get to the modern era and oh boy this is fun. She’s in the 1st Sonic adventure as a playable character, all be it a Slow Character but still relevant, In SA2 she is not playable but has plot relevance, which I will get to later when talking about Movie 3

From there you have Heroes, Shadow, & 06. In Heroes she is a speed type like Sonic & Shadow, but can’t do ring dash or wall jumps & as many fans make clear she has the least popular group. Thank you, Shadow, for being So popular & taking Rouge from being apart of OG team Rose.

In Shadows game she is in 1 level & a cut scene at the end, even tho AMY was who got Shadow to be himself, Shadow Fans forget this. Tails & Knux who he has no history with get many. Heck Maria & Omega get more then Amy, despite being flat characters that exist to prop up Shadow

Next up 06, same before she in 1 level but gets 1 extra mission in the hub world. Whereas Shadow gets himself a whole campaign + vehicles, + his side characters get cooler gameplay than Amy. What does Amy get? Will she’s not long fast & for some reason can turn invisible. Clearly one of them got more attention during development. It also didn’t help Amy’s status as a love interest with Elise being there.

Now for the handheld games and it somehow gets worse for her. Dimps, the developers behind the Sonic Advance Trilogy + the Sonic rush Trilogy DID NOT LIKE AMY AT ALL! She gets to be the slow gimmick character in 1 & is not part of 2 but instead the hidden unlock you get the emeralds for.

In Rush, Dimps, makes Cream the Sidekick/Tails to Blaze even tho in the last game Amy & Cream where the female Sonic & Tails. They even write Amy as being abusive to Cream, A THING AMY WOULD NOT DO. Which is even dumber bc Marine shows up next game as the Tails to Blaze’s Sonic.

Now we have Sonic Battle, which does even less favors. Made by THQ (Not Sonic Team) you a cool Sonic fighting game, you let Amy form a Mother Child bond with a Robot, you give her some GODDAMN COOL ROCK LEE TRAINING WEIGHTS & Cream even says Amy is the strongest Women she knows.

But you have Amy starve herself for Sonic, not treat it seriously or for her friends to show concern. All her Attacks are Sonic driven, she thinks up a physical copy of Sonic to fight Rouge (which Fans use to say she is Crazy or Weaker than Rogue, both of them beat each up)

Finally in Handhelds is Sonic Rivals 1 &2 by Backbone Entertainment & Sega Studio USA. In 1 she is captured at the start ALONG WITH TAILS & saved at the end for Sonic to say he forgot about her & be creeped out by her. She’s not even in 2 so a good thing, can’t mess her up

We than get a period of time where Sonic games only have Sonic & Tails in them. So can’t mess her up like that (Unleashed is great for Her). In Sonic Forces while this point is minor, She along with Knuckles are leading the Resistance but Knux gets to be on the box & Amy doesn't

But I think the most damaging thing would be Sonic Mania. It makes itself out to be a celebration of all the things you loved about Classic Sonic from 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Knuckles Chaotix, Mean Bean Machine, Spinball and CD. But Amy somehow was not in any of it.

Hell I would say that Sonic Mania takes a good chunk from CD but no Amy. You get Amy Doll which explodes when it hugs you. (Get it the joke is that Amy is crazy & explosive and you don’t want her to hug you and should always run away from her ha ha so funny)

Fang Bean and Back get full sprites in Mania not Amy. Oh yeah and Mighty and Ray get to be playable but not Amy. There was even a hashtag for Amy to be added, only for Christin Whitehead or Sega to say - nah. (This is also why Origins and Superstars are better than Mania, Amy)

A pattern with all this is when people who aren’t Sonic Team write for Sonic, Amy usually gets the worst treatment (not to say she is the only 1, just the worst. Sonic X in Japanese is Great for Amy. But the English try & mess it up, but you still you get good stuff for her.

Not getting into Archie because if we are grading quality of how Amy is treated, that is dead last. PS Fleetway Amy Sweep and IDW Amy is Canon which I’m happy about.

This all to say and go back to my main point about Sonic Movie 3. I have like the Sonic movies so far, 2 was fantastic, but with the Knux show, the flaws showed to it & the movies. All of it is just marketing. The movie universe isn’t here to tell stories its here to sell stuff.

Wondering what I mean by this. So far the main Sonic character in the Sonic movie are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow and Eggman. 4 being mobians & 1 human. When looking at the merchandise for Sonic as a whole you see it plan as day it is always Sonic Tails knuckles & Shadow. (Only recently has Amy been include but she still gets left out from time to time.)

Amy is supposed to be the fourth member of team Sonic, NOT Shadow. He not only has his own team he doesn’t even like Sonic, Knuckles or Tails. Hell straight up has a vendetta against Tails. But marketing keeps pushing them together

That’s what Sonic Movie 3 is MARKETING, not a story, bc if it was Amy would be in it already. Bc we have Sonic, Eggman, Echidna Tribe, Tails, Knux, Chaos Emeralds, Pac, Shadow, Maria, Gerald, GUN & no Amy. & Shadow Fans will say it is perfectly fine he needs all that screen time

I want to like Shadow, but he just sucks up any light from others. Rogue on Team Rose, no Fans want Shadow alive again, Amy Rose game? No Shadow Game. Other playable characters, no only Shadow. More Sonic Characters in a Sonic Movie? No, only characters tied to Shadow. But yeah

[laundryandtaxes]

I think that maybe the worst impact that Trump's presidency made on the American landscape is that Trump Derangement Syndrome was 100% real and millions of American just never recovered- millions of liberals fully lost their minds and became incapable of reasoning along the lines of their own principles rather than according to sheer partisan reaction. They believed by the millions, and their serious journalists and talking heads regularly claimed to believe, that it made more sense that Vladimir Putin was holding a sex tape over the head of the US president than that liberals ran an election campaign against an embarrassingly bad candidate and lost. They became so allergic to disagreement itself that they regularly attacked the character of people generally on their side over minor and inconsequental political differences. They became so allergic to thinking and to the marketplace of ideas that many of them now legitimately believe that support for freedom of speech is itself a dogwhistle. They became so weak in their principles that they argued that any American, especially any conservative, who took issue with sending billions of taxpayer dollars into the black hole of a meat grinder of a war in Eastern Europe was a traitor and a lover of Vladimir Putin- being anti war, long one of the single best traits of American liberals, was tossed to the side largely just in reaction to Trump's personal desire to avoid new wars. They convinced themselves that feminists speaking up in defense of the ability of women to even discuss wanting to maintain some designated single sex spaces, facilities, groups, etc for women were not just similarly-principled women with whom they had disagreements on the definitions of basic terms, but actually fascists, purely in reaction to conservative dislike of gay, bisexual, gnc, and trans people. They became so accustomed to simply making the truth by speaking it into existence with their media heads and their factchecking bodies that mainstream media all but pretended there were no riots in the summer of 2020 when people could walk around and see them for themselves. They became so nostalgic for the platonic ideal of a president that they rehabilitated the image of George W. Bush despite his being a war criminal who outright lied to justify the illegal invasion of a country for oil that led to unthinkable amounts of destruction and death, and who grew the tendrils of the American security state until they reached into the personal email accounts of American citizens. They straight up forgot how to think and reason and even how to look at the world as it actually exists, and that's what we are stuck with.

[a-teacup-of-golden-cracks]

Inspired by @mountainmonk2

I'd like to clarify why Cis Men DNI exists

Before I continue though, to the cis men reading this: this is not an attack on you individually, and neither are the DNIs you see. The aim of this post is to explain why it's so common. This post contains general statements that quite obviously don't apply to everyone, and almost certainly doesn't apply to anyone willing to read the entirety of this post.

With that said, Cis Men DNI doesn't exist because trans people hate cis men. We fear them, and we do so out of necessity. In real life, cis men have the largest amount of power in real life due to how society and biases work. This often translates to attempted abuses of power online (demanding/sending lewd pictures without consent, misgendering, disrespecting clearly stated boundaries, etc.). Chasers are most commonly cis men. Additionally, because of these abuses/attempted abuses, many of us are traumatized and associate cis men with said trauma, or have heard horror stories of it and want to avoid having them happen to us. And the final reason is that, especially for transfems, cis boys/men bullied and insulted us for not conforming to the gender that was expected. TLDR: you should read the above but there is a long built up history of reasons why Cis Men DNI exists and is implemented so often.

Now, what can you do if you're a cis man and you want this post to not apply to you? Simple: have respect for us. (breaking news, minority group wants to be treated like people instead of a fetish or punching bag, shocking I know)

You don't have to understand why we want something, you just have to respect our wishes. You are still very much welcome to interact with the trans community if you can do that.

I love you all and I hope that this came across respectfully and kindly. Please tell me if there's anything you think I should add or change.

[madlori]

Toxicity, fandom, and me

Thinking about this right now because of...reasons.

So toxicity in fandom is very much Not a New Thing. It has existed since fandom has existed, or for that matter any other group of humans, or for that matter humans. People attack other people with whom they disagree for various reasons ranging from the understandable to the truly colossally stupid (bottom vs top wars in fandoms are a particularly egregious example).

I've been in fandom for 30 years and have done a pretty good job staying out of it. This is honestly the first time I've found myself involved at all in any kind of fandom fracas, to the degree to which I an even involved NOW (a few challenging anons is really kind of minor). So I'm thinking about how I want to be, and what energy I want to put out there.

I'm fairly sure that in the last couple of months, in the reams of things I've written on this subject, I've had my moments of being aggressive, or frustrated, or less than tolerant. I've certainly FELT that way. Generally that is not how I want to be. I have usually tried to engage in fandom by amplifying things I like, and not attacking things I don't. I don't think I'm succeeding at that as well as I have in the past. I'm not going to pontificate on why that might be, it's kind of beside the point.

The point is that I'd like to try and do better. So I will.

That being said, if you come at me on anon with a pretty in-your face "how dare you" kind of energy, as a few anons have in the last few days, that's the energy you're gonna get back. I'm only a human bean.

[cultofdixon]

You never saw me, til now

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • Blind!Reader • Sometimes people go unnoticed within Alexandria. Hell, Daryl doesn’t know everybody’s name. But you stuck out…for more reasons than the obvious • SFW/ANGST • TW: Discrimination / Anxiety Attacks / Minor Injuries / Mentioned Attempt

Requested by: Anon

A new home for everybody, Alexandria. Upon first glance at the locals…most of the group decided that most aren’t fit for the world outside the walls. Even if most were in that world before this safe haven.

Then there was this one person. That stuck out but also no one really knew much about. Granted she stuck to herself.

Once the group had gotten situated and received jobs, Daryl was gifted a bike frame by Aaron when he decided to not go to the party everyone else went to. Thank god he didn’t go. As he started to make his way toward Aaron’s place he noticed the woman he spotted walking Alexandria’s streets around this hour every day, holding the same staff in her hands. But for his attention he forced more on the sunglasses that were kept pristine.

Maybe she’s been here since the fall. He thought as he walks passed her only for the woman to suddenly speak.

“Hello to you too, stranger” She laughs slightly continuing on her way as Daryl couldn’t help but stop and stare at her as she leaves.

Once Daryl arrived to the garage with a confused look on his face, Aaron of course had to bring it up.

“What happened?”

“Who’s the chick with the walking stick?”

“Walking stick…” Aaron repeats thinking hard on it while Daryl went ahead and grabbed the tools he’ll need that day giving enough time for Eric to come in.

“Why is his face stuck like that?” Eric asks Daryl questioning the ‘thinking hard’ expression on Aaron’s face as Daryl shrugs tossing an Allen wrench back in the tool box.

“Asked him about this girl walkin’ the streets right now and now it smells like smoke” Daryl jokes only for it to click to Eric.

“Oh! You just met Y/N?”

So that’s her name Daryl nods as the two watch Aaron relax once Eric answered the archer.

“She’s a sweet girl. You two would probably hit it off, when she’s not busy”

“Busy doin’ what?”

“Just existing” Aaron states only for Eric to smack him in the arm giving him an annoyed look. “Sorry!” He sighs as the two knew that what he said was a bit on the rude side leaving Daryl even more confused than he’s ever been around new people. “She doesn’t really do much around Alexandria after she joined about a month before your group arrived. We have a library and she stays there most of the day…then wanders around the same specific times”

“Alright? Then why did he smack you?”

“Because he hates me” Aaron jokes only to be smacked again as Eric really tried not to plot murder in that moment.

“Y/N is blind. So Aaron saying she just ‘exists’ is a bit rude”

“How is that rude when that’s literally all she do—-OW!” Aaron yells that time when Eric smacked him a bit too hard. “She doesn’t talk to anybody. Sometimes she’ll go to the parties we hold for new comers. Deanna will be seen talking to her sometimes, but only if Y/N goes the route toward her house. But for the most part she really just. Doesn’t do anything”

“Prob doesn’t talk much cuz yea say shit like “she just exists” make it sound like she’s a door stop” Now Daryl was the one smacked in the arm by Eric even if he was just saying an example. But he deserved it nonetheless. “Sorry”

“See at least he apologizes for what he said”

“Okay okay. I’m sorry!” Aaron tells Eric as there was a bit of silence before he was smacked one last time. “Hey!” He snaps watching his partner head back inside as Daryl chuckles to himself.

Once it became night, Daryl made his leave to go back to their given home and on his way he spotted Y/N sitting on the steps outside the more townhouse like buildings that were staked side by side. He noticed her still wearing the glasses even at night as he never really understood that even in the old world. He thought being as stealthy as he usually is that he could check her person out.

“Your mother never taught you that staring was rude?” Y/N startled Daryl back a bit as he had this look so disbelief which she could only assume he had given she started to laugh after she heard the rapid shuffling. “Caught yea off guard huh?”

Daryl didn’t say anything which lead to Y/N thinking for a short second that he had ran off. She’s not a scary person, just likes fucking with people.

“I don’t do nonverbal, dumbass” Y/N sighs rubbing the back of her neck out of anxious habit when the situation got weird.

“Sorry”

“Mm. Nice. Deep gravely voice with a bit of a southern twist in it.” Y/N smiles resting her head in her hands as she leaned forward resting her elbows on top of her knees. “If only I could touch yea to get an idea of what kinda man you are because I’m already sold on the voice”

Man she’s bold Daryl thought as the tips of his ears had a hue of red to them after she said such.

“Either I was too bold for you or you ran off. Regardless I don’t do non-verbal” She brought herself to lean back on the steps like she was previously as she heard the smallest shuffle of feet in front of her. “Left huh”

“Nah” and then she was the one to be startled when hearing the voice so close to her as Daryl had sat down beside her.

“Jesus fuck if I had my gun you’d be dead”

“You can aim?”

“Oh fuck you” Y/N laughs elbowing the man she just met. “I bet yea whatever the fuck is currency nowadays that I’m a better aim than you”

The archer scoffs to the remark but also couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this. He felt good.

He needed that moment to get him comfortable with the other Alexandrian. A part of him enjoyed talking to her and having her around. Even Y/N made the effort to get close to the new people.

Resulting in a day she walked Alexandria without her staff, given she was carrying a box. Daryl taking a break from his bike, he couldn’t stop himself from approaching her.

“You know where you’re going?”

“The second I hear a baby, I’ll know when I’m close” Y/N readjusted herself to get the box more secure in her arms.

“Goin’ to the Grimes place? I live there yknow”

“Then is this you offering to direct me? Or—-“ Y/N strayed a bit too far resulting in Daryl grabbing her bicep and pulling her toward him before she fell. “Uh. Yes. Please say yes”

“If yea needed a hand you could’ve asked”

“But how would I know if you’re by—-“ Y/N stopped herself as it dawned on her, which lead to an infectious smirk appearing. “Oh. Oh!” She cheers catching the archer off guard as he quickly releases her arm once she straighten herself out. “It’s you that’s always around me!”

This is true.

Ever since Y/N had opened that window for Daryl, he never left her space. In a respectable manner but if others noticed—-without noticing what he does, then it would be creepy.

Daryl normally sits on the porch of the Grimes residence whenever Y/N would go on her walks. He’d quickly get up and kick away any questionably sized rock that could get caught on her shoe. Or a stick that fell off the trees that could trip her up. Pretty much if he saw anything in her way, he would kick it away or call Y/N to get her attention and ultimately approach his voice.

There have been times where she would sit with him while he worked on his bike. Sometimes Y/N would scare the shit out of Aaron because she would sit by the door to the house from the garage and he wouldn’t see her when he’d check on the progress. Both her and Daryl get a kick out of freaking him out. With the time she spent in there, she got the hang of recognizing all the tools Daryl uses to build the bike so when he asks for a certain tool…Y/N knows which one to grab. He would even direct her toward the bike to get a feel of it. She’s not a huge fan of motorcycles but she enjoys these moments.

Including nights where Daryl would find himself approaching her door when she would step out to take a night walk. Which she always thought was a bit risky but she doesn’t make a big deal of falling over a few times. A thing she started to admire of Daryl, he would join her on these walks and wouldn’t make a big fuss if she’d fall since she’s used to it. He’d simply help her back on her feet and the two continue the walk. Act like everything was normal. He still did his “push obstacles aside” routine whenever he walked with her.

A few mornings, Y/N would bring herself over to the Grimes’ residence to get to know everyone that Daryl is close with. To get know the people he talks heavily about ever since he opened up on their night walks.

“You like my company, Dixon. And frankly, I really enjoy yours” Y/N smiles as she handed the box over to Daryl. “And since we are close. You can carry that for me”

“But what about—-“ Daryl stopped speaking when Y/N locked arms with him as the smallest thing made his heart quicken. “Alright uh. Yeah let’s go”

His heart may be beating out of his chest, but it wasn’t the only one…especially given the blush on Y/N’s cheeks started to give herself away even if she tried adjusting her sunglasses to see if it covers most of it.

“So what’s in here anyway…?”

“Well your friend Michonne told me about the Grimes kids and when she hung out with me or really asked a lot of questions about the lay out of this place. I told her to just take me to the library and we can find a map to the place in there since it’s also the records room”

“How can yea—-“

“Braille, dumbass” Y/N laughs. “They aren’t on the books though. Just to tell me what rows and sections we were in. So I just helped her get what she needed and she told me that Carl likes comics and I remember us having a few. She dug them out for me and there’s just scattered kids books for the younger one.”

“That’s nice of yea”

“Yeah I would just double check the comics real quick cuz I can’t tell some of them between magazines and…I don’t want yknow. Those kind of mags in there. Tryin’ to get on everybody’s good side…even if this is the most I’ve been out since I’ve arrived”

“Really?” Daryl carefully directs her up the steps and let her hold onto the wall while he rests the box on the porch fence flipping through the pile to make sure everything is alright.

“Yeah uh. I never thought I’d live this long so I kinda locked myself away for a bit when I first arrived”

“Do…uhm. Never—-“

“Do I mind if you asked how a blind person managed to survive this long with undead fuckers around?”

“Yeah…”

“I did. But I trust you, so.” Y/N carefully leaned against the wall after making sure it wasn’t the window or the front door. “I’m blind. No brainer. I’ve been this way all my life…well. I wasn’t blind from ages 0-4 but anyway, I’ve gotten the hang of living this way and all my other senses enhanced. I’m not saying I have super hearing or shit like that. But I’m pretty good at pinpointing shit. Plus when you walk really slow and haven’t washed off the Walker blood you’ve collected over the hairier times…you blend in.”

“Then how did you not get shot?”

“Oh I’ve been shot.” Y/N lifted her shirt to show the bullet wound scar. “Thank god that happened right before Eric found me or yeah I wouldn’t be here. Other times the wounds weren’t so bad. I had my supplies”

“How did no one steal from yea? Have you been with other people?”

“Yeah. A military camp and then a group of assholes…that met the wrong end of my staff” Y/N shuffled a bit out of anxious habit that Daryl could’ve left but he would tap his foot whenever she did such and she’d instantly relax when noticing the small vibration. “Also when you’ve gone unnoticed your entire life before shit hit the fan, it’s easy to know when others try to go unnoticed.”

“How many walkers have you killed?”

“Too many to remember” Rick asked her these questions. She knows the drill.

“Have yea killed any of the living?”

“Only a handful, and that was the group that were a bunch of assholes. As much as I had my dark moments…I didn’t want to be crossed or have the job done for me. So yeah. Only a handful and that’s the literal five ish people”

“Ish?”

“I took down two and then didn’t hear anything more until I was shot so I had to fire back and that racked up to three? So yeah a handful”

“Hm” Daryl felt a bit anxious himself, but for something that happened in the past. Blind or not she would’ve still had to deal with stealing assholes at least once in the end of the world. But a strange part of him wished they met sooner, so he could’ve protected her.

But she doesn’t need protecting.

The walker infestation after the wolves ambush, proved such.

Even if every part of her was screaming when she didn’t hear his familiar sounds anywhere near her. Also during the navigating through the herds that flooded Alexandria until they were all taken out, Y/N lost her sunglasses. As much as that didn’t seem like a big deal, they were to her.

“Y/N are you alright?” Maggie kept checking in on her after she found herself a posted position at the infirmary since she had to take out more walkers than she ever had before.

“Yeah, I’m good. Daryl come back yet?”

“No…”

“Oh. Well alright” Y/N shot her a smile before going back to an anxious look with a permanent frown this time around.

To pass the time a few were cleaning up the bodies and Y/N did her best by using her staff to push bodies into the piles that a few hav started. Her mind was on where Daryl could be. She knew Sasha and Abraham also haven’t turned up and her anxiety was toward them as well. But that part of her was screaming wondering where the hell he was.

Her thoughts distracted her when she pushed one of the bodies over, pushing a bit too far that her staff slipped from her hands as she quickly met the floor.

This happens. It’s fi—- Her thoughts were interrupted by Glenn’s panicked voice checking on her as she felt the vibrations of several footsteps approaching her which meant a small group forming.

“Oh my god are you okay?”

“You hurt, Y/N?”

“Can you get up?”

“Let me he—-“

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Y/N snaps bringing herself in a seated position and checking her person herself. “I can get up myself”

“Who let you help with this? You can’t see what you’re doing”

“Hey, that’s a bitch thing to say”

“Like you weren’t thinking it”

The voices just blended in with each other as she felt like she was drowning from times before the outbreak.

You shouldn’t help

You’re useless

Get out of the way before you cause more problems

Her breath got caught in the back of her throat as she cautiously steps back trying to feel for what’s behind her. Turning around would have the same effect, struggling to get out of the situation.

Her outreached hands suddenly made contact with another pair of familiar calloused large hands feeling them squeeze hers.

“Hey, hey…” His voice was always soothing to her even in the moment when she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. His hands gently cup her face wiping away the tears. “You’re okay. It’s okay…don’t listen to’em”

“I…I was—“

“You were helpin’. They weren’t.”

“Where—-“

“Got lost. Got in a bit of a jam. But I’m back, I’m here…I am here” The archer emphasizes on that last part feeling her hands latch onto his sides steadying herself on his person.

“…I was scared when you didn’t come back”

“Mm. I was scared when I heard about the herds comin’ through…” Daryl frowns resting his forehead against hers to help her relax more and have her know entirely that he was there. “Yea can handle yourself…but I…Yeah it ate at me when I came back”

“You’re okay”

“Mhm. We’re okay. You’re okay”

You’re okay…he’s here, he’s safe…

Everything will be okay

[contentloadingandstuff]

Breaking up with them - Kujou Sara

CW: Minor violence, Male!Reader.

Kujou Sara had a tough exterior, but beneath all of her formality and responsibility she was just like any human. You've come to learn that through the few years of your relationship. You took your time with her, giving her lots of space and time to get comfortable, at her own pace. She opened herself up more and more, until a golden ring found her finger. Sara welcomed it with great happiness. It was all perfect, and everyone wished you well. 

Until the decrees were established. 

With the introduction of the Sakoku Decree nothing changed. She was still yours, and you were still hers. The problems started when the Shogun announced the Vision Hunt Decree. All Visions, the proclaimed "obstacles of eternity" were now illegal to have - including your Electro one. 

You got it in the early years of your relationship. Sara was out on a walk with you, and a group of Hilichurls attacked you, a Lawachurl among them. She fought valiantly, protecting you, a mere sword in hand, from the monsters. But it soon proved to be far too much, and escape was not an option - the retreat was blocked by vines summoned by a Samachurl. Both of you were about to die, but then the Shogun granted you one of her Visions, letting your shield Sara from harm. 

The Vision, the sign of divine recognition granted by Inazuma's Archon herself, was the essence of your love for her. It contained all of your hopes and dreams, all of the beautiful memories you shared, all the laughs and tears… Everything. Losing it would mean losing your goals, your memories, and along with them - the bond between you and her, as well as the future you could share. 

You couldn't let it go. For her own good. For Celestia's sake, The Shogun herself granted you the Vision! Why would she now want to take it away? 

The Vision was your very soul, your love for Sara. There was no way you would let it be taken, no matter if it would cost you your life. Living without love, without her, would be pointless anyway. 

You've vigilantly kept your ear to the ground, looking out for any early warning sounds. Before any of them hit you, you established a connection with the Kamisato Clan that promised to keep you hidden and smuggle you out of Narukami should things go south. Soon enough, you started hearing about Visions of family members of officials being confiscated. You alerted Ayato, and packed your things in secret. 

Things got uneasy between the two of you. Shared meals were ominously quiet, until one day she just told you that your name was on the list. You kept your true intentions hidden, pretending to be okay with giving it away. She fell for that. 

—

The day finally came. Sara arrived at your shared home in the middle of the day - a thing she would not have done without a clear, important reason. She always believed that time of work should be entirely devoted to it, free of any distractions. Those "distractions", of course, didn't involve your daily lunch break. 

You heard her come through the front door, and quickly went over your equipment again. Feeling that everything was in place and ready to go, you drew a shaky breath. The execution of your plan would require nerves of steel and no hesitation on your side. 

Sara stepped into your bedroom. You didn't bother to turn around to meet her eyes. You knew what her next words would be. 

"Let's… get this over with, Y/N. Please." She sounded exhausted, defeated. Yet just the fact that she was standing here proved that her loyalty lie not with you, but with the Shogun. 

She valued an abusive, neglectful god over the love of her life. At your inquiry, Miko revealed all. She revealed that Ei, the real Archon of Inazuma, probably didn't know that your girlfriend even existed. Sara was blissfully unaware of that fact. She didn't even dare to question the sudden change of heart her superior had. She never reflected in how evil the Decree was. She just executed orders, preferring not to doubt her ruler's judgment. 

You sighed, clenching your fists to keep your voice steady. Emotions raged within your body. Stress. Sadness. Anger. 

You turn to her, gaze finding hers. Without a word, you unattach the gemstone from your hip, and push it into her chest. Despite all your preparations, despite all the times you went over this scenario in your mind, tears still found their way into your eyes. 

Sara was visibly hesitant to take the Vision. Perhaps the consequences of her actions and beliefs momentarily made their way into her mind. The mind of a blind executioner. The mind of a tool, a card played by her idol. 

Your heart was beating fast as you walked past her. She just stood there, tears flowing down her cheeks. Her mind was still struggling to process the tragic choice she faced, and the decision she made. Your heart ached at the sight of her so distraught, but you knew it wasn't a time for weakness. 

You were doing this for her, even if right now she was your opponent. Maybe, you hoped, maybe someday she will understand the error of her ways. 

You silently turned around, and raised your right arm. She was too deep in thought and emotion to notice the shadow on the floor rising. 

With a quick and powerful movement, you hit the side of her throat with your forearm. She yelped and staggered, but another hit caused her to fall face first into the bed, and slide harmlessly to the floor. You checked to see if she had a pulse, and found it. The Shuumatsuban taught you well, it seems. 

You had to move quickly, she wouldn't be unconscious for long. 

With practiced ease, you pull out the small spool of rope from your pockets and move to tie her hands in front of her chest, followed by the legs and ankles. You stuffed her mouth with a clean sock and secured it in place with a cloth over her mouth. You picked up your own Vision, moving to take hers as well. Not out of malice, however. You needed an effective cover for your escape. Picking up the bag that you prepared beforehand from the closet, you spoke to the unconscious Sara. 

"I'm sorry. I hope you will understand." 

You march out of your house with a racing heart. The most painful part of the plan was completed flawlessly, but you needed to fool the guards she undoubtedly brought along as well. Behind the front door you saw them - two armored samurai with grim expressions and weapons on hand. 

As you closed the door, their attention immediately turned to you. You moved towards them quickly, making your best effort to appear confident. You grabbed the hand of one of the surprised men, and placed Sara's Vision in his palm. The soldier inspected it for a second, before he calmed down. A sigh left his lips and he looked up at you. 

"Thank you for your cooperation, sir." He said, his voice nearly a whisper. 

"The general is still inside. She needs a moment." You said with a steady, authoritative voice. Then, you groaned. "You have what you came here for. What else do you want? Maybe you'll rob me of my material belongings as well?" 

The men were slightly taken aback, but their experience told them this was nothing out of the ordinary. Before they left, one of them inquired about the rucksack you carried. 

"I need time away from all of this mess. I am going to stay at my parent's old house in Ritou. If she tries to seek me out, tell her it's futile."

They nodded solemnly and left. When their forms disappeared amongst the street goers, you breathed a sigh of relief. 

You made it. 

Arriving in front of Komore Teahouse, you walked around to the back. Seven knocks on the back door caused a woman dressed in a red kimono to emerge. She looked at you, a hint of compassion glimmering in her irises. 

"The sparrow seeks a new nest." You spoke, and she nodded. She leads you further back, away from the safehouse. When you got to the cliff's edge, she pointed at a nearby bush and left. You moved your foot around the foliage until it hit a wooden bundle. With a firm push, the rope ladder was deployed. From the top you could see a Waverider, its capitan sitting on a log on the shore. 

Before descending, you turned around to catch a final glimpse of your home. Along with the vocal crowds and falling petals were memories, images of you and her. Her smile, her tears, her embraces, her kind words… 

You wiped a stray tear from your cheek. 

You were doing this for the greater good, for both you and her. 

Perhaps Sara would understand in time. 

Thanks for reading!

[chnt-confessions]

this will be a very unpopular opinion but i think the creators (specifically blue) are part of the reason why the fandom kinda sucks. yes, CHNT is masterfully written and i don't think anything could ever top it in my mind, but blue encouraged shipping sydidiah/seddie, and then he flipped and was like "uh, hey guys it's actually an unhealthy relationship, don't romanticize it." and with the way the ending of s1 is written, there is no other way for the fans to react but ship them, they are technically canon, no amount of anything will change the fact their relationship is canon until further notice. you'll also notice that there isn't a content warning (about jedidiah's gaslighting) for ep 1, even though there absolutely should've been (i was so startled and bothered when i heard it cuz i was going in thinking he was just some eepy little wet cat that sydney adopted) and, yes, the fandom is 16+ and they should have media literacy and realize that there are still, like, 3 seasons and adam will be their couple's therapist next season so it should be obvious that sydidiah/seddie shippers are in for some more pain and suffering and will likely be attacked even more, but they've just been going off of what was given to them. and while i understand the sentiment, saying that "drawing elijah in feminine clothing is upholding the stereotype of predatory transfems" is likely what brought in all the sjw shit into the fandom (i get being upset if a character's minority status is erased as a member of that minority but artists don't exist for you, if you want something done, do it yourself, don't harass someone into doing it for you). like, yeah?? ok?? but you're the one that implied he was wearing lipstick. i'm not transfem but i think as a general rule, it is ok to write a stereotype as long as you also include characters from that group that oppose the stereotype. the problem with minority characters in media wasn't the bad characters, it was that there were no good ones. variation, not perfection, or else you'll end up in a world where all the minority characters are sanitized and boring as hell because everyone is so scared of being cancelled (i think marisol falls into this, so far anyway, i mean, i love her but i kinda get why people aren't super excited about her? and i'm scared that fennel is going to be eerily similar). i've been mulling this over for a little while and i think there are a lot of mixed messages in CHNT and it's not entirely the fandom's fault for seeming to lack media literacy and feeling justified in some, let's say, interesting takes. but everyone's been blaming the fandom entirely, and not the creators, and i don't think that's fair.

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