#better yet a real disgrace to humanity

[luna-rainbow]

Hello, hello, long rant incoming

When I reposted this on AO3, I had intentionally minimised tagging and summary because I wanted to archive it rather than attract readers. I didn’t even tag it Steve/Bucky because there just wasn’t enough mention of Bucky in it. Importantly, P*ggy was not tagged.

The user calls themselves “Rebuttal” and their only work is another essay rebutting someone else’s post on Civil War, which they had to post separately because I guess the OP blocked them. So we have a serial offender with too much time on their hands going around to directly suck the joy out of other people’s fandom experience.

They begin with this:

Although I don't particularly care for Steve's ending, this essay does not offer support for a different one.

*Inhales* Honey, can you please Google analytical essay and narrative essay before you unload your drivel on other people? This "essay" is a fic - while there's some character analysis, the emotive language should be sufficient clue that the focus is the story. It’s like reading The Fifth Elephant then writing to Sir Pratchett to argue his “essay on Discworld” is factually incorrect because it offers no support for the idea that the Earth is flat.

Steve is self-sufficient. He is not shown as requiring Bucky as foundational to his being. (…) We do know Steve was willing and expecting to go it alone after Sarah's death and that he is fully confident in his own abilities; he can "do this all day." Bucky's offer at the apartment earns a small smile, not a great overcoming.

I enjoyed how you, at multiple points in your essay, pick at certain turns of (evocative) phrasing while ignoring actual canon mentions. Explain why you deliberately omitted my mention of the canon phrase "Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky". Sure, Sarah was Steve's touchstone, but Steve's words clearly indicated that upon Sarah's death, that touchstone role shifted to Bucky.

Steve's "I can do this all day" is said a total of 4 times during all the movies. Each time he says it to a bully (one time he specifically says it to protect Bucky), and never in relation to his emotional turmoil. Also just, factually, he never references "I can do this all day" when Sarah dies can you be real for a sec.

It's mighty rich of you to say a grieving person who had JUST BURIED HIS SOLE LIVING RELATIVE that a) "he is willing to do it alone" - I can guarantee no one who has lost their sole beloved family member feels "willing" in that situation; and b) downplaying the smile that took all of Steve's energy to muster. All I can conclude is you know nothing of grief. (And since you love the word "disservice" so much - your interpretation of the scene is a fucking disservice to CEvans' acting.)

Steve's choice to go to war has nothing to do with Bucky. Steve has tried five times to enlist and stated his reasons, which have nothing to do with Bucky and everything to do with not liking bullies.

Because, you know, saying “I want to join the 107th cos I’m gay for my best friend” is going to go down real well in the 1940s military *snerks*

Can you get your head out of your ass for one minute and consider that people make decisions based on multiple factors? By acknowledging that Bucky is an important factor in Steve wanting to join the war DOES NOT MINIMISE STEVE'S MORAL COMMITMENT TO FIGHT BULLIES.

Steve is also not aghast at hearing Bucky's assignment. - Back this up.

Bucky does not believe in pre-serum Steve as much as pre-serum Steve believes in himself. - Right. *In Bucky’s tired voice* Because simply ~*♫~believing in yourself~*♫~ is going to stop you getting killed. This is a fucking war, not a back alley. Do you know the death rate for US soldiers in WW2? 1 in 40. For perspective, the death rate from coronavirus is currently sitting at 1 in 70.

Whether Bucky went to war or not, Steve wanted to go. - Again, back your ass-umptions up.

Steve was told Bucky was dead. He was going to try to rescue the rest of the 107th. Again, to suggest that Steve's courageous act is about Bucky is a disservice to Steve.

So not only do you remember fuck all about the movie where it doesn’t involve your fave, you apparently remember fuck all about the scenes where YOUR FAVE APPEARS.

P*ggy: “What do you plan to do, walk to Austria?” Steve: “If that’s what it takes.” P*ggy: “You heard the Colonel. Your friend is most likely dead.” Steve: “You don’t know that.”

NOW LOOK THOSE WORDS IN THE EYES AND TELL ME HIS RESCUE MISSION IS NOT ABOUT BUCKY.

Also, Steve wanting to rescue his best friend is a "disservice" to his character? Condolences to your friends and your character, I guess.

It is strange to ignore Steve's interactions with people other Bucky. Okay here we go, we’re finally getting to why this steaming trash heap landed in my inbox. It's Peggy who - I knew it. I fucking knew it. Of course it came from someone who likes Miss I-need-to-make-everything-about-me - appreciated pre-serum Steve at the flagpole - Oh you mean the appreciation she showed by not uttering a single word to him?

Peggy and Erskine supported pre-serum Steve's drive to do his part when Bucky did not. It seems truer to say that they more likely "kept Steve afloat" during his basic training, of which Bucky had no part.

Hold on. *walks off to cackle* *walks back, wheezing*. P*ggy kept Steve afloat? Miss-never-said-a-single-word-to-Steve-P*ggy, “supported” Steve during his basic training??

Again, I urge you to actually watch CATFA, where *checks notes* your fave has her biggest movie role. AFTER STEVE FINISHES BASIC TRAINING, the two of them sit in a car and exchange the infamous lines:

P*ggy: “You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?” Steve: “I think this is the longest conversation I’ve had with one.”

They have, by their own admission, not had a conversation before this, so which bull’s ass did you pull the “P*ggy kept Steve afloat during his basic training” shit out of?

There is nothing in the scenes to suggest he finds it a great miracle. The whole assumption of Steve's reaction seems to be a Bucky-centric projection rather than Steve-centric.

No, honey, I think you are just blinded by your Bucky hate. You looked at a scene where 2 characters (including your fave) claimed that Bucky is no longer alive, and Steve himself said, "I thought you were dead" - and Bucky was, against all odds and expectations of at least 3 different characters, found alive...and said, NAH NAH NAH NAH there's nothing here! There's nothing~here~to~suggest~it's a miracle.

Honestly I think you're the one living in a different plane of projection.

When Steve awakens in the future, his line to Fury is "I had a date." With Peggy, not Bucky.

Pfft he said “I had a date”, not "I had a date with P*ggy". So your interpretation is just as invalid.

And just, realistically, do you really think Steve is deluded enough to expect he’d wake up in time for a dance? And...do you really think Steve is desperate enough that he'd go for a woman who blasted him with live rounds for locking lips with another woman? When in your own words you said he hates bullies?

We do not know what Steve thought as he died, so saying he is content with death is not supported.

How about this -- "we do not know what Steve thought as he died, so saying he is not content with death is not supported". It’s my conjecture against yours and you’ve come onto my turf to be a presumptuous prick.

He has Peggy and Natasha. To ignore these two relationships seems to do a disservice to both characters.

Ah yes, the great relationship with P*ggy, who in 5 minutes of her screen time is characterised by: 1) mocking Steve as “dramatic” when he asks for guidance, and 2) her florid delirium in which he had to pull the emotional labour to placate her, and 3) her being grateful that she's led a great life without Steve.

If oldwoman!P*ggy was such an important relationship to Steve, he wouldn't have lamented to Natasha that "it's not easy finding someone with shared experience".

If there is any lesson Steve should learn in the modern day, it is that Steve sacrifices and Bucky leaves. Once involuntarily with the Snap, but twice voluntarily.

WHO THE FUCK HURT YOU AND MESSED UP YOUR BRAIN. I don't know how you can look at those scenes and pretend that the sole victim is Steve.

(Actually I can, because it's a common refrain from certain shit!stans who can't deal with the idea of Bucky being morally good)

Bucky sacrificed his own freedom and lived time in order to protect other people from getting hurt. And Bucky being involuntarily "Snapped" only counts as "Steve's sacrifice"?? The one who actually dies/gets Snapped isn't making a sacrifice? My gods the logic in this one is strong. (Also by referring to Bucky's death as Steve's sacrifice you have inadvertently acknowledged just how important Bucky is to him but I guess that flew over your head like the rest of this story)

It also ignores that Steve lived five years without all of those people. He had accepted the loss and changed into someone they would never truly know or understand.

Mate…

Do you hear yourself…

YOU LITERALLY WROTE THE COUNTERARGUMENT TO YOUR ENTIRE ESSAY.

Steve lived TWELVE YEARS WITHOUT YOUNG P*GGY. He had ACCEPTED THE LOSS (although, in my mind, it's really no big loss) and BOTH OF THEM HAD CHANGED INTO COMPLETELY UNRECOGNISABLE PEOPLE, not to mention they never truly knew or understood each other to begin with. So if your logic is that Steve has changed too much in 5 years to be around his old friends, why the fuck would he want to be around a woman he last saw 12 years ago and who he knew got an entire happy married life with another man. Eww.

I mean if NTR is your kink that's fine but no need to flaunt that on my turf.

The fun thing about fandom is that canon is open to different interpretations. You could read the tavern scene to say P*ggy is inviting Steve to be her right partner, just as I could point out that Steve’s pointed silence is a resounding rejection of that invitation.

But there is incorrect fandom etiquette, and that’s when you stomp into an innocuous narrative musing and start a ship war.

And I beg of you to learn another word from "disservice".

(The whole pile of horse shit for anyone needing to have their blood boiled)

[lullinglily]

If requests are still open, could I possibly have a Messmer x f! Tarnished? The Tarnished being Messmer wife/consort who did not accompany him on the crusade since those really aren't the romantic destinations you usually take your loved ones. The wife dies in the Shattering and comes back as a Tarnished, with no real plan to go murderhobo on Messmer, but still thinking being a Lord/Elden Lord doesn't sound too bad. How would Messmer react to *that* kind of news?

pairing: messmer the impaler x wife!tarnished!reader (hurt/comfort)

notes: i love super specific asks like this because they give me sooo much to think about. also whoops i wrote too much and have to make a second post.

( part 2 )

pre-shattering; incandescent

Your marriage to the Impaler, while brief, had been a great source of pride for him. To think that he could be worthy of such a love was beyond baffling, and yet it was no dream. Truly, you had actually loved him — and he, you. 

He loathed to part from you, but pride drew him onwards. He wished not only to make his mother proud, but to spark further adoration from you as well. So, while he did dislike leaving you behind, he seemed rather excited about it too. Often the both of you would stay up until the wee hours of the morning to discuss his departure and the grandeur that would be sure to follow it. 

He held you close on the dawn he was to leave, only in the privacy of your shared bedchambers could Messmer display such a gentle act. The more reserved send off was for the prying eyes of Marika’s citizens, the way he kneeled to grab your hand in his and press soft kisses there made it known his adoration, for better or for worse. We’ll get to that later.

Contact with your beloved Lord, at first, had not been too difficult. You sent a letter, around four nights would pass, and you’d receive a letter back. He’d always respond asking how you had been faring in his absence, if there was anything you required from him while he was away, a gift perhaps? He’d go on to regale you with the tales of his crusade, each letter containing more and more gruesome details. You’d express your worry for him with each response, and soon enough such details had been cut from his future communications.

Dear Messmer had lost quite some favor as his war stretched on, and thus it became more troublesome to send your letters to him. Most had a disdain for your husband, refusing to send your letters to him, and you’d have to turn to Marika instead. She had sent them in a timely manner the first two times, but by the third letter she had become less concerned with the war and more focused on what her people thought of it —  of her son.

It was around this time communication between you and Messmer had begun to taper out. Letters could still be sent and received, however the process became rather lengthy and the Queen took little pity on you. 

You had begged for an audience with your mother-in-law, but none would be granted to the wife of a warmonger. Your time at Leyndell Castle officially came to an end once Marika denounced your beloved’s efforts. Having you there tarnished the royal family’s reputation, and you were relocated to a quaint village in Altus, outside of the capital’s walls. 

It was during this time you began to reflect on the Queen and her order, her Order bathed in unsullied gold and blessed with eternal fruitfulness. How could she, the Mother Eternal, act so coldly towards her most loyal son just to save her own skin? What fickleness was this? What cruelty? How could a god behold such human traits? Perhaps her order wasn’t as perfect as you once thought. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what you’d tell Messmer; that is if you ever got to speak to him again. The thought alone crushed you, and you receded into the kind escape of sleep.

Life outside of the Erdtree’s succor granted naught but hardship. Known only as the Impaler’s consort, you were a disgrace upon the Erdtree faithful, and were left well alone. An outcast in your village you would remain, it seemed, for all eternity. 

Years passed in isolation before you had heard tell of the new crowned prince of Leyndell’s assassination, and the subsequent shattering of the great Elden Ring. Never before had you known such destruction, such chaos, such humanity. Of course Marika of all people could create such a scene. 

You had just finished packing away your darling Lord’s letters when a group of marauders — no doubt General Radahn’s men — had begun to raid your village. 

You helped where you could, directing attention away from families and ushering the elderly along into the welcoming arms of those who could guide them to safety. Such arms did not belong to you. How could you leave without those yellowed letters, each promise of return penned on them dulled and decayed? You simply could not leave behind the cloying words of your Lord husband, ever-departed and shunned by all but you. Unfortunately for you, a sword through the back would be the only reward for your kindness. You fell almost willingly, certain that this blow would deliver you unto a gentler realm; one in which you may encounter your lost husband. 

A shuddering sigh escaped your lips as you begged to be returned to him; praying that he may gather you up from where you lay, trampled and left by those you had shared your exile with.

post-shattering; tarnished

Of course, in her typical fashion, Queen Marika had different plans

It’s undetermined how quickly Tarnished are revived, let’s say you are returned to the Lands about a hundred years after the events of the Shattering

Quite a lot of time has passed, and not a shred of your former identity lingers in a single scroll. Not even your letters had survived, most certainly reduced to ashes in the fire that consumed your past domicile. And, while saddening that the future Messmer had promised for the both of you would never come to pass, you were almost thankful for this lack of notoriety. Your time as an outcast had taught you well enough the dangers of being associated with that wonderful husband of yours. And so, for now, you would keep secret your relationship to him.

You joined the Roundtable Hold and were quickly educated on the new version of the Lands you inhabited. So too, did you learn that the title of ‘Elden Lord’ had yet to be claimed. While not particularly taken with the idea of assuming the title, you were intrigued in what power it would bring should you take the throne. Surely an order would be established much like Marika’s own, but with your intentions used to mend the ring instead of hers. Perhaps what you disliked in Marika you could remedy, foolish and human as you are. You were hesitant to inform anyone of your possible interest in the role however, and continued on as normal. Why cause such a stir in dynamics among your new friends? 

Eventually, either by coercion or of your own accord, you wound up in the Land of Shadows. Almost the instant you had looked out upon the Gravesite Plain you already knew where you were, where he was. And as you explored it came increasingly apparent that he was still alive somehow.

You decided you would have to go find out yourself, and with the motivation to find your long lost husband stirring in your chest you set out on the perilous journey alone.

It was actually a lot easier for you to get to Messmer than you had initially thought. You’d been detained by the Fire Knights of course, but some recognized you despite your condition. They quarreled over if you were truly their Lord’s cherished consort or some vain imposter, and in the end they escorted you to Messmer and had him decide himself.

His serpents recognized you almost immediately. Your scent, while somehow different, still sung with an underlying hint of familiar sweetness. One of them wrapped itself around your forearm while the other watched on in awe. 

Messmer sends his Fire Knights away and takes you in from afar. It’s eerily silent in his chamber for a few moments, the only sound the contended hiss of his serpent companions. He rose from his chamber and stalked over to you, bending down to observe your altered form. While you looked the same as you had back then, you were significantly shorter and bereft of the light you were once drenched in. An odd little Tarnished you were, a princess trapped in the frame of a lowlife. It hardly mattered, you were his all the same.

He kneeled down to take your hand in his, hesitating to kiss it for fear that he would lose you, as if the action was responsible for separating the both of you all those years ago. He settles for a scalding embrace instead. 

He’s suspiciously quiet. You’d have thought he’d have much to say considering the time apart, but all he could think about was his mother. Why had she stripped you of your grace? Why hadn’t she kept contact with him? Perhaps was held you up all that time had been doing the same to his mother? If that were true, would that mean she is in danger? He wanted to ask you these questions, ask you to tell him what had transpired in his absence but the truth is he was afraid of your answer. 

He silently drew you a bath, offering you the privacy to strip yourself of your armor and, with his back still turned, ordered his knights to take the plates for polishing. He suddenly felt so very sorry for you; it was a grand shame that you should ever have to bear the weight of armor or know the handle of a weapon. He feels as though he had failed you by leaving you behind.

You recounted to him what happened before you became a Tarnished. While he knew that the people’s opinion of him and his crusade were low, he hadn’t expected for you to be mistreated because of your relation to him. His heart had simply shattered when he learned that you should be dead; long gone and hidden under the earth. 

You left out some bits of the story for his sake, specifically the parts about Marika. Perhaps now was not the time.

He’d let his eyes wander over your lightless form once more, likening it some sick joke.

“Worry not, my lovely. We shall fix thee.”

Your stay at the Shadow Keep lengthens. The both of you are quiet in each other’s presence, not sure of what to say, but there is warmth there regardless. No one speaks her name. No one dares to ask a question about what had happened in the other’s absence. You found yourself unable to question the hordes of dead bodies that littered the perimeter of Castle Ensis, and he refused to question his mother’s callousness towards you. 

Most of the time neither of you say anything at all. You had breakfast together, he sat in his chamber with you on his lap until he needed to get up and attend to something, in which you would trail behind him. Once night fell you’d both hold each other in his bedchambers and pretend to be asleep, and then the day would be over and it would be the exact same come morning. 

You didn’t dislike it, but after a week you told him of your fondness towards the prospect of becoming a ‘Lord.’ You didn’t tell him Lord of what or who, just that you liked the idea. And, in typical Messmer fashion, he worried over the thought of being abandoned yet again. 

He offered you the position of lord for one of his forts, but “Fort Reprimand” had a sort of sinister title you just didn’t feel comfortable sharing. 

He didn’t outright tell you how much it hurt him to think about you leaving. He had just gotten you back, how could he let you go again? 

His desperation became tangible. He became much more clingy and talkative, making sure with each conversation the two of you had to sprinkle in little details about how delightful the Keep was; how much everyone there adored you. 

You saw right through all of it, and you pitied him more than anything. Your poor Messmer; he didn’t deserve any of this. 

You weighed your options constantly, they were all you ever thought about anymore. On one hand, the ability to change the world for the better. To right Marika’s wrongs, and hopefully return her to her dear son. On the other, a safe and cozy spot in the arms of your husband forevermore. You wouldn’t need to look over your shoulder every waking moment, Messmer’s serpentine companions would do it for you. You would be safe. 

It was at this point you figured that you should tell him the truth. The truth about the Shattering, the disappearance of his mother and how he may not ever see her again. Surely this conversation would trickle into one concerning your lordship and if you wished to obtain it. So, in the little corridor outside of his chamber, you made your decision and prayed it was the right one.

[sometimesthatsbetter]

Every thing i read in Febubary

I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game

The MC of this novel is so fucking silly cause who tf names their kid Ash 'Born hater' Everblack? Like i'm being for real right now, his mom literally called him her 'little hater'. Love that

So, a Korean gamer who was streaming about this old strategy game on hardmode where if you fail once the game resets. The guy got isekaied the moment he finished the game on stream and right in the middle of the battle field too, tough luck hater.

Before we go more in depth about this story I would recommend that you read the novel version, the manhwa seems a little tacky and i've seen alot of readers complain that the manhwa makes everything look cheaper.

So, one of reasons why it made on to my reading list is because it was recommended by my guy friends who has great taste for this kinda genre. It drew him in because it used actual strategies that he would also use in his game instead of throwing around random lingo in hopes to cater to gamers. Like every battle was truly suspenseful and the author isn't afraid to show that every victory requires a sacrifice. Also I've seen people praise the character development of this novel, everyone starts out a little stereotypical and annoying but they get their own story arcs to shine.

Another thing i like is that this story is about the fight against the end of the world. Like i know alot of stories with that kind of premise but rarely do i ever feel the urgencey as strongly as i do with this story. The last stand against a sea of monsters waiting to consume the world and the young prince who's tasked with the question of remaining human or turning into a monster to save his world. I love me some classical fantasy

Anyways, it has 500+ translated chapters and it's all free. Go read it now.

The problematic prince

If i'm being honest here i can think of at least 10 more manhwa crown princes who are even more problematic than the ML, especially that guy from the abandoned empress, yeah fuck you blueberry head.

So the story premise is the typical bad boy x good girl story trope. Our prince Bjorn keeps getting pestered by his ex wife whom he doesn't want contact with and our FL is being sold off to the highest bidder in society, shinnaigans happen and so the are married. That's the very shorten version of the plot

First thing that i noticed, the vibes. It gave off so much Edwardian, turn of the century energy that i adore. From the costuming to the city streets and the interactions between common people. Love it.

The author seems to have been blessed with amazing writing skills because oh my god did the writing style made me swoon. Erna, our FL, can be classified as one of those soft girl heroines but i feel like she's more than that. She knew what she had to do to keep her loved ones safe and always strived for better, she's not a cunning villainess nor a simpering coward. Erna never settled and kept enduring and trying new ways to connect with others around her even when she's being labelled as a home wrecker.

Also the nobilities and medias reaction to their marriage was incredibly realistic, i see alot of manhwas with rags to riches stories or men marrying women with horrendus reputations but never mention how powerful the influence of the peoples opinions. Here you can see that Bjorn and Erna's relationship, while rocky still holds strong, it seemed like they are truly in love and happy with their choices. Yet media still condemns her as a witch, a slut and a disgrace towards the royal family. It even lead to a attempt on Ernas life. Which shows you how easily the public can be whipped into a frenzy just because of a narritive that she is other woman.

The spirit queen

If i even find the author of this manhwa i would like to make out with them and have their babies, cause this kind of genious deserves to be preserved.

Do you want a story with proper drama? Do you want something that actually keeps it's momentum and doesn't half ass shit half way through? Do you want themes about power and how it turns people into the worse version of themselves? Well look no further. The spirit queen has your back

Another thing that i loved about this story was it's sympathy towards the working class. The servants in this aren't the stereotypical happy go lucky loyal maids that you see in manhwas, they also aren't evil back stabbing people either. They know that their lives are worthless when it comes to the upper classes so they do all that they can to survive and to protect their loved ones. And i respect that as hell, even if it made them do less than savory things.

Also i recently learned that the author, Tutu-nim, wrote and drew this manhwa on their own. A true girlboss

Run away with me, girl

Remember all those times you said that you can be a better husband for the FL? Well this is a lesbian romance based on that premise.

It's a bittersweet romance story about two girls who were high school friends meeting each other after 10 years. Maki, who is till doing her graduate courses while living with her mom and lamenting her loneliness, while Midori is engaged and pregnant and living that perfect, normal life she wanted. Of course everything is not as it seems, and that's what the author wanted to explore in the coming chapters of the story

It's a short read, about 16? 17? chapters. But the author manages to do so much in that short amount of time. Every character felt so real and complicated. At first when you see Midori and the way that she treated Maki after their reunion, it's not hard to come to the conclusion that Midori is just playing around with Makis feelings. Especially with the way that she flirts and then reminds Maki of her engagement to her boyfriend.

This manga has the most realistic, hut wrenching potrayals of abuse, love and hate i've seen in a while. And if i'm being honest there is a high chance i would do the same if i was stuck in their situation.

[brothermoth]

1890s America and Red Dead Redemption

Part One: Violent Delights and Violent Ends

-----

The latter half of the 1800s was a time characterized by struggle. Off the back of the Civil War, a country divided in not two but four by the rising industry to the east and the stubborn pastoralism of the west. The southern portion of the country beaten down, burned and disgraced, and the northern portion rolling in gold and prosperity. Whether they knew it or not, the common American had their life ultimately shaped by these divisions.

As the opening lines of Red Dead Redemption 2 state: "The age of outlaws and gunslingers was at its end" (Rockstar, 2018). Yet contrary to the following text, America was far from becoming a "land of laws". Laws for the poor, perhaps, but the wealthy still thrived and skirted just beyond the boundaries of human decency.

From the 1870s to the 1920s, miners and railroad workers unionized and carried out often violent protests in the hopes of gaining better working conditions. The poor had little but their fists, and they had no qualms about using them. It is in this turmoil we find Dutch Van Der Linde with his Robin Hood-esque visions of a crumbling elite and prospering poor. The struggle between workers and their iron-fisted overseers was bloody, and Dutch would not have it any other way. Those he took under his wing were the beaten down lowest tiers of society. How could they not see him as a shining idol of American idealism? What he wants, what he fights for, it is for them. Outcasts with nowhere else to turn, given a cause and a home and something that perhaps felt real to them for the first time in a long time.

Race is a topic not wholly explored, but touched on certainly within the game. Tensions rose as racial divisions were made even clearer, black Americans fighting for their own foothold in a world that has just opened up to them and their children. Lenny Summers is the first in generations to be born free of slavery. Javier comes from a country that has been terrorized by colonialism and corruption, yet he still dreams of returning. 1890s Mexico (and what we see in RDR1) is a topic of its own, though the spirit of people downtrodden by colonialism is echoed throughout both games. Sean, who was chased from the country his father fought for. Whose father was killed in his own bed, likely in the same room as his son. Violence in this world is inescapable, a swirling vortex that consumes everything in its path.

Dutch embraced this, as many leaders of the past and future have. If you cannot fight with peace, then sticks and stones make for much better conversation. I can't say I disagree with him, in all honesty, and that is what makes him so fascinating. He's right. He has a point, a cause. What went so wrong? Do heroes not get a happy ending?

In 1892, railroad employees of Carnegie Steel in Pennsylvania's Homestead plant went on strike when chairman Henry Frick cut their pay dramatically. 300 agents of the Pinkerton detective agency arrived, escalating tensions. Violence erupted, the Pennsylvania national guard was called. Sixteen men were killed.

Leviticus Cornwall is Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie is Leviticus Cornwall. The Pinkertons are rightful villains in our narrative, the gang is a thorn in their side which must be cut free. Law and order, right? Dutch was right, his killing of Cornwall was arguably deserved. Yet what makes it so wrong?

Dutch's actions are selfish, in the end. Not because he doesn't care for the people around him, as I believe he truly does. He sees things getting worse and worse and only digs in his heels. Dutch is the American Dream. The bloody messiah to the poor and disadvantaged. He guts them the same as any railroad magnate. Power corrupts, this is what we learn. Power and vitriol and paranoia. The people left struggling in his wake are the common folk who get caught in the crossfire, used and abused only to prove a point. They know nothing but violence, and who is to tell them otherwise? Even Arthur in his end of life maturation cannot pry himself free. He kills and kills and in the end he dies for it. Even John, who tried to leave it behind. Even Sadie, who was ruined by it, embraced it in the end.

The American dream is indecipherable from the American nightmare. They are lovers and companions. There is nothing to do but fight, and even then you have no hope of winning. It's a beautiful tragedy, is it not? All these people who never had a chance, yet who tried anyway. Workers who gained little and lost everything still took their signs and marched for what was right. Black Americans who were beaten down again and again still got up each and every day and did whatever it was they had to do. Native Americans, who were nearly erased. Who still cling to their heritage and claw back what has been stolen. Red Dead Redemption is about the small people. The forgotten in the annals of American history.

[seraphtrevs]

I'm going to go roll the rock away from Nacho's tomb in a minute to see if he's better yet, but before I do, I feel like talking about why we got Nacho Christ in the first place.

Both BrBa and BCS are heavily thematic. They have a point beyond things just happening. BrBa is about toxic masculinity and its life-destroying effects. Walt insists over and over that he turned to crime for the sake of his family, but in the final episode, he confesses to Skyler that he did it for himself. He “protected” and “provided” for his family not for their sake, but in order to feel powerful. That quest for power destroys Walt, his family, Jesse, and a shit-ton of other people, from the addicts he supplied with dangerous drugs to the people he killed (both on purpose and by accident).  Toxic masculinity, says Vince Gilligan, is bad.

So what is BCS trying to say? I don’t think the premise is as explicit as BrBa, partly because I’m pretty sure they didn’t start the series with this intention. But as they found their identity, it slowly started to take shape. BCS is about the folly of vengeance.

BCS 6x09 is in many ways the real finale of BCS—the end of Jimmy’s pre-Saul life. And just like BrBa made its premise explicit in its finale, BCS has the characters reference its theme directly, too. When Mike promises Manuel justice for Nacho, Manuel looks at him in disgust and tells him, “What you talk about is not justice. What you talk of is revenge.” The next scene finds Gus trying to make a human connection before realizing that his quest for revenge endangers anyone close to him, and he will lose them just like he lost Max. His life will always be empty of love and companionship. And Jimmy and Kim have lost each other, their lives and marriage torn apart, all because they wanted to get back at Howard. Revenge, says Peter Gould, is bad.

(courtesy cut for the tl;dr)

There were a lot of things that sent Jimmy down the slippery slope into becoming Saul, but two acts in particular turbo-charged his downfall. Even after Jimmy defeats Chuck’s attempt to kick him out of the law, he’s still angry. Humiliating Chuck at the hearing was a means to an end, but manipulating the insurance agent to hike HHM’s rates was pure vengeance, done solely to hurt Chuck. That action indirectly leads not only to Chuck’s suicide, but also to their final conversation when Chuck advises him to let go of his guilt and accept that he’s a bad person deep down inside and will never be anything else.

Jimmy’s big second act of vengeance is against Howard, which ends with him losing the love of his life. And once Kim leaves, Jimmy embraces the worst parts of himself, which leads to him enabling Walt’s reign of terror. Revenge has poisoned his life.

Mike’s story also illustrates the anti-vengeance theme. Before the show even begins, Mike had taken his revenge by murdering his sons’ killers. It made him feel better temporarily, but ultimately it did not give him peace. Instead, he chases more vengeance, against Hector this time, which ultimately leads to his downfall.

Even Chuck’s story ties in with revenge. Chuck wanted to punish Jimmy—for stealing from their parents, but also for being more loved than him (in his warped perception). This obsession with taking down Jimmy leads to his disgrace and death.

So what does this have to do with Nacho Christ? A lot, because Christ symbolism is often used around themes of forgiveness—the opposite of revenge. But BCS has a more nuanced point of view than turn the other cheek. BCS’s Christ figure dies cursing the people who wronged him. Clearly the point isn’t that Nacho should have forgiven Gus, or Gus should have forgiven Hector, or Mike should have forgiven his son’s murderers.

Instead, BCS says the alternative to revenge is to forgive yourself. But forgiving yourself is not an easy action, because to truly be at peace, you have to make amends where you can. Nacho’s crimes put his father’s life in danger. He made amends by sacrificing his life to save his father. Jimmy makes amends by publicly admitting to his lies and telling the truth at last, which leads to the loss of his freedom.

An important point is that neither Jimmy nor Nacho made their sacrifices just to punish themselves. Self-punishment does not lead to forgiveness, although the price of truly being able to forgive yourself is sometimes steep.

Nacho was backed into a corner. He could have instead gone down the path of revenge by letting Gus kill his dad and then swearing vengeance on Gus. But that would have been pointless and not given him any relief from his guilt. Instead, he chose to sacrifice his life in order to get his dad out of the danger his action put him in. Nacho’s death wasn’t a punishment—it was just the natural outcome of the action he had to take to make amends.

Likewise, Jimmy going to prison wasn’t the point. In order to be an honest person, Jimmy had to start telling the truth, not just to himself but to the rest of the world. A consequence of telling that truth was prison time.

The show goes out of its way to demonstrate that point with Kim’s story. Her Floridian exile is a punishment she concocted for herself, thinking that suffering would make her feel less guilty. But it doesn’t. Inflicting pain on herself does nothing to make up for what she did to Howard.

In order to forgive herself, Kim must make amends. What does finally help is confessing to Cheryl in order to help restore Howard’s reputation. The consequence of her confession is that she’s put herself in legal jeopardy, but that isn’t the point. The point is she's doing what she can to make up for her actions, which allows her space to forgive herself.

At the same time, self-forgiveness doesn’t always involve a high cost. Mike’s path to self-forgiveness was to be a supportive presence in Kaylee and Stacey's lives—to take on the role Matty would have played if he had lived. He didn't need to buy them a house with dirty money. He just needed to be there. But ultimately, facing his demons and taking on the hard work of processing his grief was too painful for Mike. Instead, he took refuge in revenge and became even more lost.

So that's why we needed Nacho Christ. He is the negation of the cycle of vengeance.

[amazingmsme]

and now the ghost!polites au has me thinking,, there’s just so many angst and fluff possibilities and it’s making my brain go unga bunga in a very good way.

cause what if when polites first revealed himself to odysseus in the underworld, odysseus didn’t think it was actually real for a moment? like he thought that this version of his best friend that he was seeing, bloodied and disheveled with a haunted look in his eyes, was just some trick that some god or monster or maybe his own mind inflicted on him to punish him further? it takes a moment for it to really sink in that he is the real polites, just in ghost form, but he honestly doesn’t know if that makes him feel better or worse.

and after the two of them discovered that he can still be touched and feel things as a ghost, and odysseus has a hell of a time wrecking his shit and putting a well overdue smile back on his face, they share a very very long hug. and they both try to hide it but they definitely start to cry, at least a little bit. polites holds onto him almost desperately, clinging onto the only semblance of warmth he’s felt since he died. and for the first time in a while, odysseus feels like he truly has his best friend back.

if you couldn’t tell, their friendship makes me crazy - fluffvoid

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP RIGHT NOW! You really understood the assignment, cause this is that perfect middle ground sweet spot toeing the line between angst & fluff

I mean, why would Odysseus trust this manifestation with his friend’s face? The gods are fucking cruel & he knows they’d find some sick humor in this. So I can say with 100% certainty that he & his men would all turn their swords on the intruder, despite how hard he’s trying to convince them otherwise. But even just since Polites died til now, they’ve lost so many men, & so many gods have got in his way, Odysseus is skeptical & paranoid. He thinks maybe Poseidon got wind he was going to the underworld & pulled some strings with Hades, or someone else who has beef with him. But could you imagine Odysseus yelling at him, saying he’s not real, & how it’s a disgrace to Polites himself for “stealing his face” just to mess with his head. Maybe even going as far as to order his men to ignore the manifestation. If if you like things even more on the sad side, what if Polites starts tearing up after Odysseus yells at him & says some pretty nasty things & that’s when it dawns on him that this might be the real Polites… Circe did say they’d be going through the underworld…

& he feels horrible for treating his friend like that, but he can’t take anything for granted, he had to make sure before he could trust him. After they get back, he wants to apologize to him for literally everything, but he doesn’t even know where to begin & takes a few days for him to build up the nerve

But it’s been maybe a month or 2 since Polites returned when they make the discovery. Because it just felt so wrong seeing his friend so upset. & yeah, everyone gets sad, especially if they’re a soldier who went through the trauma they did, especially if they’re a dead soldier, but the fact that it’s Polites wearing that frown just makes it hit so much closer to home because if he’s upset, what hope do the rest of them have?

& at first, Polites doesn’t even want him to try because he just knows he’ll phase through him & it won’t work, & that’s just 1 more thing that strips him of his humanity. & that would just hurt too much to bear, to be reminded of all the fun they used to have but never would again… & the Odysseus’s hand is able to slip inside his form & by the gods that feels horrible in the best way. & he slaps a hand over his mouth & they’re both staring at each other with wide eyes before Odysseus gets the most wicked yet curious grin like “oh Polites” in a singsong voice & he’s already giggling up a storm, slowly floating away before he grabs his ankle & yanks him back down. & all the while Odysseus is talking about how everyone’s missed his smile & laugh & his teasing is just as flustering as he remembers

But omg the first hug they have after they get back is gonna be literally everything to me oh my god I can actually feel the pain in my chest! They’re so emotional, literally clinging onto each other for dear life. & Odysseus kinda sinks into his form, but it’s ok because he’s mostly there & that’s enough

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

What a horrible finale. A shitty ending to this shitty season. Got s8e6 was better, even with that ridiculous small council, bran the king and whatnot. This was such a disgrace. Not to mention that it made me lost all the faith in this fandom because how can anyone seriously think that the episode and the season in general was decent in any way? Regardless of your 'team' and character preferences, it was atrocious story - wise, the characters were ruined or nonexistent and even the technical aspects (cgi, score...) weren't that good. And yet, Condal, hess and co face no real backlash?? The fans crucified d&d, in fact, they've been doing it for years and now everything is fine? Okay. This fandom deserves these hacks of the writers.

Good day/night!

Season 2 was mostly atrocious indeed (with acting being pretty much the only redeeming quality of the whole mess).

I saw quite a few posts either completely or partially attributing this to the fact that the writing and the filming for season 2 were done during the WGA strike so what we saw is basically the first draft they had no way to change. I agree that all this could have influenced (most likely, did influence) the quality of the dialogue and the pacing. But the way HotD presents the characters is very much deliberate: the strike had nothing to do with Alicent being made a traitor to her family and the entire cause of her faction (and in an absolutely pathetic way at that), with Aemond being stripped of pretty much all of his redeeming qualities, with Daemon and Rhaenyra being whitewashed where B&C are concerned. The lack of care about the characters and the story itself is staggering.

And the fact that GA is eating this up truly makes me lose hope in humanity a little bit. In one of the asks I received its author made a point about the final season of GoT and D&D specifically receiving so much hate not because of the low quality of the writing but due to the mere fact that Daenerys - the golden girl of the audience - didn't end up getting the throne. And I do think that there is at the very least some truth to it - because I don't understand how people can trash season 8 of GoT and praise season 2 of HotD at the same time. Really, it's either the matter of favoritism - or of people almost completely losing media literacy, critical thinking and taste in the course of the last 5 years.

P.S. As for the finale being the worst episode of the season - IMDB almost agrees.

[mfssobehind]

Honestly…

I’m SICK of seeing all this incest bullshit in this fandom. Y’all are shipping two BROTHERS that SHARE A BODY, how the FUCK is that shit sexy?! Nigga your family dont love you enough so you go and start drawing incest? Bitch go the fuck outside. That shit is NOT normal and y’all niggas need professional fucking help if you religiously draw incest smut and ship family members together.

“Oh but it’s not hurting anyone-“

Shut the fuck up, you’re apart of the problem and you need to be put on a list, for real. What problem you might ask? The problem of people fetishizing “banging” their loved ones, shit is all over and it needs to be stopped.

“It’s just a drawing-“

Again, shut the fuck up. Stop making excuses as to why you feel the need to draw that shit. If ANYONE likes that incest shit in general, seek therapy. Better yet, i’m not even really religious like that but, you need fucking JESUS cause therapy might not be enough for you. And if you don’t believe in that, the next best thing for you is to be UNDER THE PRISON for the rest of your miserable life. No one will miss you anyway except for your incestuous ass friends whose family’s don’t love them either. I don’t care if this hurts anyone’s feelings cause why the fuck are you into incest for you goddamn disgrace of a human being, your ho ass mother should’ve aborted yo stupid ass. No wonder y’all into it, your family doesn’t love you so you go and create all these sex scenarios in y’all sick ass heads about your family in disguise of fictional characters. If you have siblings, I feel so sorry for them cause you’re over there fantasizing at the dinner table about doing X, Y, and Z to them while they’re minding their business, you freaky ass bastards. Instead of going outside to touch grass and actually interact with people, do us all a favor and walk yo fuck ass into the goddamn pacific ocean and drown, bitch.

[jesse-cowen]

@antiquecritique

This would probably be a long shot, but Jesse couldn't leave any stone unturned. He had been at this search for so long, it would be a disgrace to suddenly throw in the towel now. Not until there was confirmation of something. How the hell could one person just disappear off the face of the earth for so long? One of these days, Jesse would come across someone that recognized her- he had to. Though this needle-in-a-haystack crap was seriously tedious and infuriating. Years of yielding no results only grew that resentment inside. Yet still, the man refused to confront the very real possibility that she didn't want to be found.

Jesse paused outside the antiques shop with an uncertain look right and left. It didn't even look open but people said don't mind that- it'd be open, despite the ungodly hour. Sure enough, the door pushed forward and he eased inside as quietly as possible. Not because he was trying to be sneaky or anything, it just felt weird to let things jingle and slam in the dead of night. Especially surrounded by a bunch of random shit. How much of this crap belonged to people no longer alive? How much of it was acquired by dubious means?

Without even meaning to, Jesse got sidetracked with the bizarre displays around him. He approached one shelf and began to touch everything, no better than a curious child that needed to feel and weigh and examine the unknown. The human cracked open a box to see inside and promptly got a faceful of dust or at least, he hoped it was only dust. "Ugh-" Jesse choked out, abandoning the box in order to smack away these particles billowing about his face.

[randomthefox]

Some fans acting like Sonic's characters age matters is the funniest shit, i will just use Amy as example to prove how outside of annoying people on the fandom, Sega doesn't give a fuck about it.

Amy is supposedly 12 years old, yet she has own apartment, shops alone, older guys flirt with her (on adventure she is even described as beautiful by a npc and in unleashed she is literally called babe by a older npc), leads her own team, one of the few game female characters to have boobs (in fact on sa2 she is on the same level as Rouge), gets panty shots (on one of sa2 cutscenes you can have see Sonic staring at her panties when she jumps ), like if even Sega doesn't care in treating this fictional pink hedgehog as a "adult" why do Sonic fans , act like she is a real 12 year old (this extends to all Sonic characters)

Yeah Cream is the only Sonic character who is actually recognizable as a child and that's entirely due to the fact she lives with her mother. Even then she doesn't act like a six year old at all. And everyone else is right out. If you didn't know any better you'd just assume they were all young adults.

For all some people claim that characters are "minor coded" they don't seem keen on the opposite idea of characters being "adult coded" which is definitely what the Sonic cast should be considered as. This is because the point is NOT to interpret characters based on what they're indirectly meant to represent, the point is obviously just to be puritanical psychopaths and attack the very concept of human libido as a disgraceful sin.

[kirakirabluemoon]

Hi, I just wanted to say that I love Belladonna. And I ADORE Retsu!

I really love her name as well, it reminds of Retsu Unohana from Bleach and my brain was just like 'i have connected the dots' even though I didn't connect anything 🤣. Her human form looks so much like Yōhime, it's so cute. Also, how she was fully ready to go all Machiavellian on Rikuo if Gyūki didn't.

Also her Kuromaru and Ibaraki Dōji trauma is real. Everything is like "oh this situation is not as bad as with the two then it's fine". Miss girl, there's setting the bar low and setting the bar so low that Sanmoto can reach it from hell.

ALSO THE MULAN REFERENCE WHEN RIKUO FELL FOR AN ILLUSION. GAAAAH I LOVE IT. Considering Nurarihyon is an Aizen-like illusion youkai, shame on you indeed, Rikuo!

OOOH AND THE CAMEOS OF OTHER ANIME CHARACTERS. RENGOKU IN A TRAIN WITH YOUKAI IN IT IS SO FUNNY.

Kudos <3

Thank you for your support and I adore your lovely feedback! It has made my day! 🥰💖🤣

When I first started this story, I had pondered for quite a while on what MC’s name should be. I know I’d like to keep the Nura family’s tradition of having their descendants’ name start with a “Ri” sound as a nod at Nurarihyon, but there weren’t many names starting with a “Ri” sound that really called out to me. Then I remembered the running gag that is Yōhime’s volcanic temper and kinda wanted their granddaughter’s name to have something that included both her predecessors. So I looked up on names with a more fiery meaning and ended up with “Rekka” and “Retsu”. The latter name rhymed better with Nura so hence, how Nura Retsu was born. 🤣

While I was searching, I also found Retsu Unohana from Bleach and she’s Soul Society’s best healer and a fearsome master swordsman, so that’s when I thought, “I think that’s the one, that’s the name.” 🤩

Young Rihan is practically a male version of his mother, and he’s a cute kid until he opened his mouth, and everyone goes, “He’s got her looks, but everything else is all Nurarihyon.” I thought it’d be funny for the Nura Clan to see a repeat this. There goes a small and cute Retsu, running around in the gardens, lulling the members into a false sense of serenity, “Awww~ look a mini-Yōhime”, but NOPE, her sense of humour is all Nurarihyon. Impending headache. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Glad you liked the part about Gyūki. 😆🤣 I mean, Retsu’s desperate, not as desperate as poor ol’ Gyūki yet, but she’s getting there if Rikuo doesn’t snap outta it soon.

Retsu be like “If I can deal with those two psychopaths at the age of six and live to tell the tale, I can deal with anything that comes at me when I’m older and stronger.” 😤

“Miss girl, there's setting the bar low and setting the bar so low that Sanmoto can reach it from hell.”

PLS THIS TOOK ME OUT 😭😭😭🌚🌚🤣🤣🤣 I WAS LAUGHING FOR SO LONG IM STILL SMILING AND SNICKERING WHENEVER I READ THIS HAHAHA

Rikuo, born with the ability to be an illusionist extraordinaire, yet his clown ass is out there being a disgrace to the “illusionary arts” they supposedly embody. Haiz.

I remember that whenever I saw anime characters making cameos in other anime/manga/fanart/etc, it always never failed to make me smile and giggle like I just stumbled upon a hidden treasure. So I like to slot them in every now and then. 😆🤣💖

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a feedback! I appreciate it! 🤣🤣🤣 Cheers!

[oceansrevenge]

Breaking Free || Solo ft. Siobhan

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @oceansrevenge ft @banisheed SUMMARY: An angry octopus nymph finally breaks free from her tank and has a bit of a murder spree. Thankfully, the murder spree attracted a banshee as an audience. We love girls supporting girls

For so many years, the rage that lived inside Marina felt like it was crushing her. It had to live imprisoned inside her the way she lived imprisoned inside the glass tank, a spectacle for the human world to see. The rage of a nymph was never meant to be stagnant. It was supposed to flow and crash like the waves of the sea she so longed to swim free in once again. The betrayal, the loss– it all had to stew and culminate within the confines of a box. There was no tide pulling her foes under, no pressure from the depths squeezing the last breath of life out from her victims as she brought them down to their watery graves. There was only the stillness.

Today that would finally change. The fact Moxfield had died of old age of all things only furthered the disgust Marina possessed for the warden. No warden worth their salt died of old age, but above all else, he was a coward– never truly bothered living his purpose unless he stood to make some sort of financial gain from it. While she held no love for wardens, they were meant to be part of a delicate balance and she could respect that. Andrew Moxfield, however, was a disgrace to his purpose and above all else, a liar. His death was a day she reveled in and she awaited the window of time where she’d be able to leave the wretched tank she all but rotted away in for the last fifty odd years.

The transporting of her tank had always been something Marina hated the most. The sloshing of the water as the bus, train, or plane moved about mirrored the movement of waves in a way that stung. But this time, she knew it was only a matter of days before she got to experience the real thing again. Her strength had dwindled over the years, but unsuspecting humans still stood no chance. The other cephalopods in their contaminants alongside her boosted her state, if only slightly. It’d take weeks back in the proper waters, nurturing it and the creatures she was drawn to protect before she was back at her full strength, but her size alone was enough to toss aside a few worthless humans like the rubbish they were. 

She’d watched them all for years as they passed her by or stared in awe. Over the decades, they had changed, grew more attached to their trinkets and inventions than the natural world around them. These humans that were preparing to move her from her travel tank to something larger were no different. The excitement buzzing in her felt foreign after so long and her tentacles itched to squeeze the life out of them. The annoying young man tapping on her glass would be first. He would look much better when his face turned the same shade of blue as his eyes. 

The moment the lid was removed, Marina moved swiftly. There was no way she’d allow herself to be imprisoned yet again and finally, all the rage that had been brewing for years had an outlet. The blue eyed one was the first her tentacles found purchase on. He writhed in her grasp and sputtered trying to draw in a breath. The struggle was something she missed. How many times before had she felt the same thrashing in her own waters as she drowned anyone who dared to enter uninvited? More than she could count, but it felt just as good each time. 

In one tentacle, the man’s life was fading away and in another, she grabbed another one of the staff members approaching her with a useless, large net. The way the dark brown of her ponytail waved around as she fought against the giant tentacle that held on tightly. The dark flash of her hair looked like a flag waving on a shit out at sea. It was almost as satisfying, too. 

Each new staff member that dared to approach and tried to take control of the situation met the same fate. Several knicks from assorted equipment scratched her skin and left small drops of blue blood on the floor amongst the fallen humans. It had been a flurry, like waves in a storm, whipping and swaying as fast as the wind. One, two, three, half a dozen– fallen at her tentacles. Foolish of them to believe they could contain a creature as stunning as she was against her will. Cruel to think they had the right to trap and display any creature from the beautiful blue sea for their own monetary gain. Humans and their filthy money. The disdain and anger was as strong as the satisfaction she felt. 

Marina was free. It was a relief she hadn’t allowed herself to truly dream of. She’d get to float away with the waves yet again, but she would not forget this place. It was disgraceful, abominable. There weren’t words that could adequately portray her disgust with the establishment, but she heard pleased sounds not far from her. The octopus looked up, prepared to attack when she realized the woman seemed to be… cheering her on? Curious. Then she felt it. A symphony of little bells, ringing under her skin in a way that felt as comforting as the waters on a warm summer day. Another fae. After so many years of misfortune, this was lucky indeed. 

Quickly, Marina willed her humanistic glamour into place. The tank had never known her true form, and even so, her voice outside of the water would still be distorted. Wet braids hung from her head and water with specks of blood, both blue and red, dripped down her nude form. It was amusing to think the dead humans at her feet would be taken aback by nudity. Fae held no such inhibitions. 

She approached the woman with a sly grin on her face. “How lucky am I? Freedom and the presence of a beautiful fae in the same day?” 

The cheap folding chair Siobhan had purchased at the last minute creaked as she swung one leg over the other, leaning back into the nylon fabric. Her bag of popcorn would remain unopened, but she didn’t mind. “Yes,” she smirked, “you’re very lucky.” 

[billconrad]

Believing The Lie

    I follow the tragic war in Ukraine closely and find it interesting that the primary source for raw news is Twitter, and the best analysis occurs on YouTube. These new sources have replaced the old sources, such as newspapers, internet articles, and national television. This new medium allows rapid news spreading and analysis. We can also check out the raw news sources and even directly contact the source—quite a change.

    Recently, a YouTube influencer (I hate that word) discussed a translated Russian state television broadcast. It proclaimed that the restaurants in England were serving rat meat because of the chronic food shortage caused by their Ukraine support. Wow, what a bold lie! But unfortunately, many people truly believed this “trusted” news source.

    What was going on in the viewer’s heads? “Because the news said so, it must be true.” “Makes sense to me.” “Seems logical.” “They have never lied before.” I propose something different is going on. These misguided people allowed themselves to believe the lie. Essentially, the lie is better than the truth. Humans often have ill-advised reactions to unpleasant situations. “I do not need to go on a diet. I look great!” But what does this have to do with writing? I am glad you asked.

    I realized that the newscaster was not lying as I watched this news clip. She was acting. She read a fictional script, and the audience allowed themselves to be taken in. The same activity occurs in a play or a movie. There is no such thing as a Star Wars lightsaber, but we sure liked it when Luke Skywalker started waving one around. So, we (the audience) believed the lie.

    Perhaps when watching a movie, we expect to be entertained; when watching the news, we expect facts. Yet, sometimes we allow ourselves to be taken in. It’s nice to feel good about ourselves; the awful truth is a hard pill. Blissful ignorance. How about our favorite person X? Did you hear X was drunk driving last week? No way, not true. X is a fantastic person!

    Fictional writers use every trick to pull readers into their stories. We twist facts, add intimate relationships where they would never occur, alter physics, spice up the characters, insert an impossible plot twist, entice the reader with a juicy hook, and paint a scene larger than life. “A beautiful, intelligent woman with everything going for her falling in love with an ugly, stupid, fat beast of a man? Of course!”

    Readers and viewers expect a dream world where crazy ideas come true, people commit outrageous acts, and the lowest of the low is commonplace. I suppose that was also the goal of the Russian newscaster. They were achieving the state agenda by any means necessary. However, to the rest of us, the results were absurd. Yet, that technique works every time in a story. Did you see the movie Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure? That silly movie was as believable as that Russian state news broadcaster. Fortunately, I keep my blogs real. Or do I?

 You’re the best! -Bill

 April 05, 2023

 Hey book lovers, I published three! Please check them out.

 Interviewing Immortality is a psychological thriller about a 500-year-old woman who forces a disgraced author to interview her.

 Pushed to the Edge of Survival is a drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

 Cable Ties is a classic spy novel about two hunters discovering that government communications are being recorded and the ensuing FBI investigation.

 These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.

[warhammer-fantasy-muses]

Unpopular Opinion(?), but-

I just don't really "like" the Warhammer 40,000 series?

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I 100% hate it either. I practically grew up on a PC RTS game known as "Dawn of War" which, for any of you in the know, is a Real-Time Strategy/Base Builder game based in the Warhammer 40k universe, where you get to play as one of four factions (Later on growing into a total of 9 with the expansions) of the 40k races. And it was the BOMB for me, being an RTS nerd.

HOWEVER-

Now that I'm grown up and all, I realize that... wow, the 40k universe is really, and I mean REALLY depressing. The entire universe is slowly going to shit, humanity keep losing planets to alien and heretic forces by the dozens, and losing lives by the BILLIONS each day, and humanity itself has been degraded to a totalitarian, theocratic, xenophobic disgrace of its former self, yet are still seen as the 'heroes' of the universe.

Like, I get it. I'm not about to be called out on bias or anything. I KNOW that the Fantasy universe ain't perfect either. The good human factions are still zealous bigots and racists, neither the Old or New World are good places to live in, Chaos and other evil forces lurk at every corner, and it can all be pretty depressing as well. But at least it's not in the same QUANTITY as in 40k. The Fantasy universe feels more "manageable" in size, compared to 40k's immense, near-endless scope that is just impossible to handle.

Idk, I just like Fantasy better. But please, if any of my followers out there like 40k more. PLEASE, do not take this as me bashing on any of you for what you like, I beg of you. "To each their own" is what I always say, and you are free to like Fantasy or 40k more however you like!

[mysticalmagician]

"...State Duma member Oleg Matveychev said that unless Trump's conviction leads to civil war, America should officially be declared 'a fascist country'..." State Duma member Oleg Matveychev should reexamine his mind, for I see little intelligence and understanding in it. He also ought to take a look at what the meaning of fascism is, perhaps in a dictionary, which I am sure he has never touched before. His views and thoughts, along with all of the other people mentioned in this article are fascistic themselves; fascism has been defined in many ways by many people in the past, but a preferred definition would be by Lawrence Britt, detailed in one of his writings; in it, he defines the primary 14 characteristics of fascism as a way of defining it, in studying multiple fascistic regimes throughout history. I'll add a link to this as well below, and encourage all to read it. One of these characteristics is a controlled mass media, which these people, including Oleg Matveychev, are a part of, spreading lies and propaganda for their benefit and the benefit of their authritarian leaders and government. What a disgrace to humanity all of these people are! Have some fucking shame and morals! You all dare to call yourselves Christians, yet you do not follow the word of Christ in any form at all! You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

They would likely say that empathy, kindness, and freedoms and humans rights are all signs of weakness, in a macho attempt to appear strong. This is pure fascistic delusion by definition as well, and quite literally, is only a stupid and weak man's idea of strength. True strength and meaning lies in empathy, kindness, and love. Working together as a species despite out differences is what will bring strength to all of us; we can all help each other rise and to live good lives, but fascistic morons, such as Oleg here, are impeding all of our and our entire species' progress for their own selfish reasons, and for the selfish reasons of their corporate and government benefactors.

As Dr. Lawrence Britt lists and describes, the intertwining of religion and government is another characteristic of fascism; clearly visible in Russia. The protection of corporate power and supression of labor power is another aspect of fascism; something that is indeed occuring in the USA, but it is the policy and goal of the GOP, and of the party of Trump, rather than anyone else. The clear support for Trump, and therefore these policies and ideas, by these russian fascist propagandists and idiots, is a clear form of projection.

Powerful and continuous nationalism, supremacy of military, distain and lack of human rights, anti-intellectualism, all signs of fascism, and all very clearly present in the media and goverment of modern Russia. Oleg Matveychev himself, should be identified as a fascist, along with all other propagandists mentioned in the article. Trump was rightfully convicted for felony crimes by a jury of twelve of his American peers, as is right, and was found guilty by each one of them. This is not fascism, this is justice, truth, and courage. This is progress, and the work of actually good humans to maintain and progress our freedoms, lives, and rights. The future of humanity is empathy, love, and kindness, not hate and fascism. Let freedom ring, and let justice prevail.

Oleg Matveychev, if God is real, you better be worried. So goes for all other fascists reading this.

For any morally good people reading, do not fall into the trap of bullshit, Russian government propaganda, which is all entirely devised to increase our division, and cause strife and chaos amongst us in our country. Why else would they be hoping for civil war or for a criminal and fascist president? It is expressly propaganda to further enrich themselves and gain more power over us, and over their neighbors, and we must fight against it, and help our fellows and family not fall for such lies.

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism, by Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003 (ratical.org)

[dbunicorn]

California, fame, Hollywood, feminism, money and race, what a joke. Even solidarity is performative.

Me too. Me too.

I know rebrands are a global phenomenon but really a normal human being would never ever get away with this shit.

This must be a progressive open secret that empowers women that I just don't understand or defies logic

Everyone's an opportunist when necessary. Black, white, yellow, rich poor.

I can't imagine why women's rights have degraded We have so many icons.

The money for nothing products flowed freely for too long. CRAZY. Mothers of daughters....

Yet won't own up to your own failings. The fact that this is not a societal disease or sickness is a sign of your wholesale selling out your kids.

Imagine if a just, fair AI could red flag taxes, misappropriated funds, abuse, corruption, sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking....you know IRL crimes. Goodness that would level the playing field.

I know.....honest people can be sooo aggressive.

Nothing annoys me like a hypocrite or superficial bullshit. Whether you understood this in your risk calculus or not, I do. It's presumed that these people have no voice or value. They don't really matter. What could they possibly do to the centers of power?

Of course you knew. You enjoyed the money and status. While real women & children got raped, murdered and assaulted. The onus is on you, you choose to veil the truth. You have such a pathetic, dishonest, photoshopped view of the world

The pursuit of truth, no matter how ugly, painful or inconvenient is one of my life goals.

To look life in the face unflinchingly. Come out the other side and build something 'better'.