#despicable and an example of human scum he is

[ducktracy]

never posted these here but wanted to prop this up: a well directed sequence! some VERY strong and in your face parallels (especially that up angle of Popeye and Bluto throwing Olive onto the couch, establishing her as the helpless middleman), little nuances that support those parallels, and just a great helping of personality that is always so dominating of the Popeye cartoons. that the dominating music here is “Love thy Neighbor”—used with an acerbic irony—ties it all together.

the punches Popeye and Bluto throw at each other is my favorite part. Bluto only needs to throw one punch—it matches how big, imposing, and “whole” he is. Popeye throws multiple; they’re smaller, just as he is, but more spry and split the difference. likewise, Bluto throwing in that extra “runt” after his punch is a great reflection of his character—he resorts to violence AND petty insults, making him seem even more unlikable. Popeye gets back at him with the violence, but he doesn’t stoop to his level with the name-calling.

even how they react to Olive offering candy is indicative of their character. Bluto is indulgent, pleasure-seeking (even if it is from a mere chocolate), and seldom thinks before he acts. Popeye on the other hand is more courteous, polite, and doesn’t succumb to his instincts as easily. his “no thank you,” is more genuine than Bluto’s own coy expression of thanks

[wawawawawawawawawawawawawa]

i literally only made this blog to make this post but ive been reading lots (LOTS) of shizaya and a common thread in all the fics ive read is that izaya feels as if hes undeserving of affection and love etc etc to the point where, if shizuo is nice to him, he automatically assumes its pity. its in literally ALL of them, and usually the Point of those narratives is that izaya is wrong, he's deserving of companionship, and he shouldnt hide behind insane emotional walls to avoid getting hurt.

simple, sweet, we all know it we all love it. its good soup

BUT.

there are some fics ive seen that completely bungle the landing so hard- the least egrigious form of this is if the ending wraps up nice and neat with izaya quitting his line of work and entering into a Good Honest profession. the most egrigious are the ones where its painted that all the things izaya did, he didnt REALLY do. or he had some kind of noble motive for doing it. i hate to rag on fics but the example that encopasses this the most is one where its revealed hes been an undercover cop the whole time

you see the problem with this, no?

the point is that izaya thinks that he's undeserving of affection because of who he is. the narrative sets out to prove him wrong. the narrative also changes who he is, fundamentally.

but shizuo still works for loan sharks? so, what makes izaya differ from everyone else, who is allowed to stay the way they are?

i'm going to extrapolate a TON from here, and if you're still reading, thank you :) if not then idc im partying without you

so. everyone calls izaya a sociopath. it's another common thread i see in shizaya fics.

i'm not going to contest this. it's a correct observation. if you go to the dsm page for antisocial personality disorder, there's actually a picture of izaya there.

its not AS common of a thread as the base observation about izaya's insecurities and emotional walls, but i'm willing to bet this: even the people who do not mention it in the narrative, did notice.

and sociopaths are a good boogeyman.

sociopaths cannot feel emotion. sociopaths do not cry. do not yearn. do not love. they are something other-than-human, both an untouchable, godlike figure, ready to strike and ruin your life at the slightest provocation, and simultaneously the weakest, most pathetic scum of the earth.

izaya is loved, by me and by you. and in fanfiction, by shizuo.

sociopaths are undeserving of love. they are amoral monsters, doomed to never recover- but the doom is not for them, for they do not care. they do not suffer from antisocial personality disorder, they enjoy every minute of it.

(a good number of the fics i read are from the 2010s- before everyone realized people with cluster B personality disorders are, in fact, people. even now, awareness of the humanity of narcissisits and sociopaths is still a bit lacking. i suppose i'll need to wait another decade to be acknowledged as a person. sad!)

(and i'm not going to sugarcoat it by saying "people with NPD" and "people with ASPD." you lot use those terms, and god dammit you will read them here.)

anyway, the crux being: for a sociopath to be deserving of love, they need to change their sociopathic ways.

for a sociopath to be able to change, they need to cease being a sociopath.

(for a sociopath to truly, really change, they need to stamp out every iota of their despicable illness. not a single speck can remain, lest they be the unchangeable subhuman they were destined to be.)

for izaya to be deserving of love, he needs to be stripped of his illness.

people are not stupid. they will notice signs of neurodivergence in people. and yes, sociopathy is a neurodivergence- its not all sunshine and rainbows and good, pitiable crazies. they will notice it and single them out, and they will try to save them from themselves. of course, by "save," they mean "fix," and "from themselves," they mean "so this horrible creature doesn't hurt me."

sociopaths are a good boogeyman. a boogeyman cannot be afforded luxuries such as love, or friendship, or a reprive from the crushing lonliness.

(i mean, its not like sociopaths FEEL emotions! silly!!)

izaya is a sociopath. you know it, i know it, he knows it. but sociopaths are the convinient label we slap onto the worst of the worst. there can never be a shizaya fanfiction where izaya is acknowledged as a sociopath, stays a sociopath, and is loved despite it.

(that's hyperbole. there are quite a few that keep him as-is, although none bold enough to use the word "sociopath" and stick to it. always backtracked, always sanitized.)

anyway. hi, i'm new to the fandom but ive been lurking for quite some time. here is my too-long metapost about how some of you are unconsciously (or consciously) ableist towards people with ASPD. i may post again or i may not. whichever.

if you read all of this, thanks.

[disastergay]

“why are you so obsessed with this ‘SVSSS’ thing”

*cracks knuckles* allow me to break it down for you in the most efficient way possible.

exhibit A: the premise

exhibit B: the main character

exhibit C: the main character 2: electric boogaloo 

exhibit D: luo. fucking. binghe. 

[ individual image captions / explanations of jokes under the cut ]

image #1

[ the four-panel meme template of Gru (from Despicable Me) giving an evil powerpoint presentation / slideshow and acting shocked at what’s on the last side, except Gru’s face has been replaced by SQQ (Shen Qingqiu)’s face. ]

slide #1: “I transmigrate into a harem novel as a scum villain that dies at the hands of the OP protagonist who has 3,000 wives”

slide #2: “I spoil him with kindness and affection to avoid being tortured and killed”

slide #3: “I make the protagonist fall in love with me instead” (this is the same text written on slide #4)

explanation: this is the original plot of the SVSSS novel--after choking to death on a meat bun, a Chinese milennial swaps bodies with the fictional villain of an awful harem webnovel. to avoid meeting such a gruesome fate, he shows kindness towards the protagonist, who ultimately winds up falling in love with him. (sadly, due to Chinese censorship laws, the donghua--an animated show adaptation of said novel--does not explicitly portray the main characters as a couple.) 

image #2

[ two pictures sit side by side. the first is official art of the character SQQ looking extremely majestic and dignified, like the ancient Chinese master of cultivation he’s meant to portray, captioned with the words “the poet”. ]

[ the second picture is a screenshot of a direct quote from the SVSSS novel’s English translation, reading “dumbfuck author dumbfuck novel!” and captioned with “the poem.” ]

explanation: the punchline of this joke is that, while the poet (aka SQQ) looks regal and refined, his “poems” (aka the way he thinks/writes) are crude and crass. throughout the novel, we frequently switch back and forth between SQQ’s thoughts and his actual words actions (at a pace that’s fast enough to give readers whiplash). the stark difference between SQQ’s calm outer facade and his panicked inner monologue is a consistent focal point of the novel’s humor.

image #3 

[ screenshot of a tweet that reads: “i think what i love the most about SVSSS is SQQ being all *opening fan and hiding lower face while looking serene and deep* when on the inside he is actually like ‘this is all some fucking bullshit fuck this shit and fuck YOU especially’ ”. ]

explanation: it’s essentially the same joke as image #2, but specific examples of SQQ’s characterization such as his physical mannerisms and dialogue add an extra layer of familiarity and humor.

image #4 

[ official donghua artistic rendition of “evil/blackened” LBH (Luo Binghe) smirking at the camera. ]

explanation: despite the original LBH being sadistic and tyrannical, when SQQ replaces the villain of the story and shows LBH kindness, LBH no longer has a reason to become cruel and vindictive enough to lose his humanity, adding a lot of depth to his character and making him much easier to root for/sympathize with. I rest my case.

[ END TRANSCRIPT ]

[rayofsunas]

jealous headcanon | scaramouche

A/n: if you guys didn’t know, I’m updating every day this week and plan to start the first mini series next week! I’m very excited hehe. thank you anon for requesting this, enjoy!! also, sad news, I DIDN’T PULL XIAO ;-; but I’m gonna keep trying. how did you guys do? hopefully better than me <3

Summary: jealous scaramouche. 😼

Parings: Scaramouche/Fem! Reader (if you would prefer a gn version, let me know!)

Warnings: kinks mentioned (18+), crack?, angst, fluff, swearing

Word count: 718

he really does not get jealous, as much as I wanna say he’s some overly jealous guy (the more I look at his personality from what we’ve gotten so far? I can’t see it)

he doesn’t doubt himself at all in the relationship, he’s confident, he has no need too

I really only can see him (from his personality so far) to get jealous during certain times/situations

for example, if childe flirts with you, he wouldn’t be jealous, only mildly irritated, like stfu peanut gallery, you have no chance

he’s learned to let certain things not bother him, one being jealous tendencies

he still gets mad though, he’s only human

if someone flirts with you? he’s not jealous, he’s enraged

to think that scum has the AUDACITY to speak to you, nonetheless breathe the same air, 

you're his s/o, he holds you in high regards, your above EVERYONE else around him

you’re his queen and nothing less

BUT he is still human, like I said, therefore he gets jealous sometimes

the only time he becomes relatively jealous, is when you entertain the flirtatious nature

if he ever met kaeya, he would not appreciate him one bit, he’d wanna kill him probably, he flirts TOO much

he would have NO respect for the man, sorry kaeya

thank god you don’t know him... or do you?

if childe flirts with you? no big deal, he trusts you’ll handle it the way you’re supposed to (let him down easily)

but if you flirt back? he’s more jealous than angry (thank god that rarely happens; you only do it occasionally to get under his skin)

because then he feels threatened, he feels disrespected

why are you giving some other man your attention? you’re only supposed to say those words to him

you're only supposed to give HIM the time of day, no one else, he’s first and vice versa

I’m not gonna say he’ll become a whiny brat if he catches you flirting back, but that’s exactly what I’m saying :0

in a way, he’s territorial

the people who flirt with you are low lives, why are you entertaining them?

he gives me king shit energy, so how dare you?!?!!

if you spend too long with someone, especially another guy, he’s very very jealous (only if he knows they flirt or make advances and you jokingly entertain the idea) 

how dare you spend more time in the day with them, instead of him

like no, you’re going to get a jealous filled earful when you’re in private

knowing Scara, he probably gets off on the idea of embarrassing you/anyone in public, dare I say he has a shame kink

he does not care who hears what he has to say, big-mouthed baby

but if onlookers decide to laugh or anything, they better be ready for their funeral, he’ll personally make preparations for them to be buried six feet under before nightfall, he’s so rude, he won’t even give them a proper burial

he’s the type to let someone watch a private argument go down, but then scold and shame them for watching PLS, HE’S MEAN

my point is, you’re his girlfriend, so stop entertaining those fools

though, ngl, he’ll probably get off on you embarrassing the poor guy in front of everyone, not even he himself doing it

he wants to see you be the cause of the guys hope and pride crushed, right in front of him

and if you’re a saint before dating him, well, now you’re corrupted sorry

corruption kink, definitely 

“tell him how despicable he is. that he’s a waste of life, for believing he ever had a chance.”

with fold his arms with a smirk and watch you say it to the poor trembling guy

“how cruel of you, love, carrying him on like that.” he loves it though, shh

he’s not going to leave until you publicly shame this man

yes, he gets off to this

though he doesn’t get jealous often, when he does, Scaramouche will go to the extremes and won't stop till both you and the person deciding to irritate him (he will not use the word jealous to explain how he feels, although that's exactly what it is) understand where you went wrong

he’s going to be a meanie

no remorse

PLSS

2.3.21, rayofsunas

[hhomunculus]

aside from pip and gerald, south park has managed to make me love every character I had the intentions of hating.

butters? I thought he would be an annoying wuss that just got in the way of the plot, basically only functioning as pip 2.0. maybe a season after his introduction tho and I was obsessed w the little guy. still one of my top comfort characters, he deserves the world.

then there’s craig. dude, craig was so annoying when I first got to know his character. I didn’t vibe w how serious he was all the time, he was boring and felt like he drained the energy from a scene (which I mean I think he was kind of meant to do, as a sort of foil to the high intensity characters who always got into shit). but like, as the show went on and they developed him a little bit more? suddenly I could appreciate the way he brought a totally different attitude to the show, and enjoyed seeing him interact with the other characters

it’s a similar thing with tweek, too. I expected him to be very one-note, the only joke being that he’s constantly freaking out. I thought the screeching and constant panic was annoying, but I came to understand that yeah, all of that is a part of his character, but again he’s multifaceted, and it’s fascinating watching the episodes where they explore him

even the characters who are rly shit people, I can’t manage to dislike simply because despite their flaws as people, they’re such good CHARACTERS. think cartman and garrison. scum of the earth, despicable human beings for the most part, but I’m happy to sit down and enjoy 22 straight minutes of their crimes against humanity. before watching sp, I would’ve never thought I would count the kid that faked a handicap in the special olympics in my top 5 characters.

idk, there are so many more examples, like jimmy, big gay al, heidi, even kyle to an extent (although that was more disinterest than hate), the list goes on. so many characters that I didn’t WANT to like at first, yet they somehow managed to completely win me over with. point is I’m just appreciating south park’s ability to write and develop its characters and their motivations

[yoaridk]

~Disgusting Feeling~ (One-Shot)

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Invader Zim.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences.

Warnings:  This fic is a ZaDe and has hints of DaTr and ZaGr (if the shipps are not to your liking please refrain from reading), character death and ambiguous plot.

Relationships: Zim/Gaz and  Dib/Tak

Characters: Zim (Invader Zim), Gaz (Invader Zim), Dib (Invader Zim), Tak (Invader Zim).

Additional Tags: Drama & Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Family Drama, Tragic Romance, Interspecies, RomanceZAGR - Freeform, Zim and Gaz Romance, Top Zim (Invader Zim), Badass Zim (Invader Zim), Zim Rules the Earth, Zim is an Invader after all, Strange feelings, Dib suffering, Partner Betrayal, Duty is everything.

Summary: 

Feelings are not part of the programming of Irken soldiers and their race in general, not when the ultimate goal of their existence has always been conquest and ambition. Love? Compassion? Affect? These were weaknesses that made them vulnerable in their condition. Dib understands it to the worst way he can imagine, Zim is a monster in every sense of the word.

                                               ~*~

"It's the most horrible creature I've ever seen in my life."

 That´s the only thought in Dib's mind as he lies on his knees in front of the ostentatious throne of his worst enemy. The black surface of polished marble reflects the horror of his gaze when he observes the vile creature, a creature who instead returns the gesture with lazy grace, transmitting power, strength and something that Dib catalogs as a mantle of death around him.

 Dib's fists clench, hating the fact of staying in an unfavorable position for not saying disadvantageous and resisting frustration at the vain attempt to stand up. The marks on his wrists remind him of how exhausted he is and how weak his body feels because of the blood he lost during his fight to reach his freedom.

 One that unfortunately never came.

 “So?” The creature's tone is barely a mocking hiss."Human, did you really believe that Tak had those inferior feelings for you?”

 The derogatory tone does´t go unnoticed by Dib, much less the slight tinge of twisted fun that mixes in it. Cruelty is not unknown for him after all, growing up at the expense of it became something inherent in his life.

 A misunderstood child whom everyone always labeled as mentally ill. No less than the shame of a successful father and recognized by those same people...

 A father that Zim murdered mercilessly when chaos spread throughout the world.

 “Where is she? Where do you have her, Zim?” Dib calls in his despair. “I swear if you did something her... if you hurt her, I...”

 "You are even more foolish than I thought." Interrupts the Irken, rising slowly to rise even more above the human from the ostentatious throne he occupies. “Hurt her?” The vibrations of Zim's boots at approaching echo through the room. “Oh, dirty beast, don't you know?”

 The weight of this affair records a bad omen in Dib.

 “Know what?” He doesn't quite understand the weight of words and feels fear settling in his being.

 Zim looks at him in a way that suggests he doesn't consider him very clever and Dib's face pales at the alien's tacit expression.

 "You're really pathetic." The Irken shows his peculiar zipper teeth in a smile wickedly sinister half. “Do you know how you got here Dib?” The question lacks genuine curiosity and it´s intentions have the whole purpose of being derogatory.

 No more than one uncomfortable and silent minute passes in which Dib is not able to answer that question, and in general that is because the answer really remains a mystery to him. The last thing he remembers is running away from the Zim soldiers before receiving an impressive discharge and then losing consciousness and waking up in one of the specialized cells for the members of the resistance. The following is horror and the beginning of hell.

 “Your stupid soldiers! They ambushed Tak and Me to one of your traps.” The pieces fit perfectly creating the only plausible answer, Dib has no doubt that that is what happened.

 The pleasure dances in the alien factions of Zim at the words of his enemy, ignorance and naivety are the blessing of idiots like Dib.

 "You fell directly into a trap, yes, but I assure you disgusting beast that the credit of such ambush is not mine."

 Zim's words blink into Dib's gaze briefly as if they had managed to hit a nerve in him and seconds later the alien sees beyond the human, urging him to follow his example, surprise hits Dib so hard that his feet falter threatening with sinking it further into the ground.

 “Tak?” Dib whispers with growing disbelief, running around the silhouette of the Irken woman with his eyes, although she doesn´t seem to answer his call. What is happening? “You are alive!" He try again with the hope that this time she dignifies her words even with a simple nod.

 The statement doesn´t have the expected effect and Dib frowns, Zim's laugh breaks the charm of the reunion filling the air of uncertainty and malice.

 “So you still don't guess?” Zim asks in a hard and ruthless voice, yearning to see the expression of who has been his nemesis for years and a hindrance in all those plans that ended in failure. “Please Invader Tak, help this dirty human to better understand the nature of your loyalty to the empire.”

 Dib shudders when Tak's silhouette leaves the shelter that the shadows provide her from the other side of the room, and to his bitter disappointment he realizes that Zim is not boasting with empty words.

 “What…?” The face of the human shows some confusion, but any doubt dissipates when Dib seeks sincerity in Tak's gaze and any sign of denial in the face of such an assertion.

 Doesn´t find it.

 Dib's eyes dodge Tak and get stuck in some empty spot in that room, so remember, recognize and he horrified by the truth. That Tak's offer to overthrow Zim's advances on the planet was nothing more than a tactic to take him straight into a trap, the ultimate end of that alliance has nothing to do with Zim's fall and all with his revenge to him.

 Dib's mind and heart are breaks.

 “Why? I trusted you!” The boy simultaneously questions and protests, shaking his head as if with that simple action he could expel the betrayal thoughts that flood his mind.

 Dib is sad when he recognizes that the small moments of complicity and sincerity that he shared with the alleged ex invader meant absolutely nothing to her, perhaps, he thought, he longed for a bit of company and understanding on the part of anyone in the middle of hell they were living. No one could blame him for placing his trust in the first `person´ who held out a hand with the promise of helping him in his cause.

 "I had no choice." She just says, feeling the need that she didn't need to explain more and assuming is better that way. Will help make what comes next much easier for both of they.

 "Yes, you had, but you preferred to take sides with the monster you swore to take revenge on." He corrects painfully in each of his words and gives her a look of disapproval.

 The invader opens her mouth as if she were going to respond but says nothing because she doesn´t find the valid argument to refute the human's words, however Tak doesn´t believe she can explain and justify her actions. At this point any explanation is left over.

 Instead, she regains the determination necessary to end the matter once and for all.

 "Well, you already have him Zim, now you can send him to that prison on one of Saturn's moons." The only reason she ended up in that situation was because of Zim's promise to keep Dib alive by banishing him to that prison.

 The former invader has a backup plan to amend the damage she has done to the human.

 Zim lets out another shrill laugh as if what Tak had just say him was nothing more than a funny joke, then cleared his throat before speaking.

 "The plans have changed Tak but I appreciate your help in bringing this scum to me." The alien replies dryly, hardening his countenance. "I will remember your loyalty when I kill the human." With a wave of his hands Zim calls the guards that waiting patiently for his signal.

 Three soldiers approach the Irken girl to catch her, two hold her hands and the third one positions and presses the tip of his weapon on Tak's back.

 “What? Don´t!” She fights trying to get out of the soldiers grip when they drag her to the door to take her to one of the cells."You're a damn traitor Zim, you promised me you wouldn't hurt Dib!”

 The guards take her out before she could finish her prayer. Dumbfounded by the events, Dib cries out Tak's name again and again hoping she can get rid of her captors, but hope dies when He doesn't perceive her voice after a while.

 "Tak was as pathetic as you after all." Zim says in a hiss to no one in particular. “Harbor such inferior feelings for a pathetic creature is not worthy of an invader.” He boasts, but his tone keeps disgusted by the simple idea.

 After all, feelings are not part of the programming of Irken soldiers and their race in general, not when the ultimate goal of their existence was always conquest and ambition. Love? Compassion? Affect? They were weaknesses that made them vulnerable in their condition.

 Dib pays attention to the words of his enemy recognizing hypocrisy in them, Zim has the nerve to take human feelings as the worst blasphemies for his people when he has also professed those emotions.

 “What about you?” Dib dares to question with the intention of erasing that smug smile on the despicable face of the alien. “You are nothing but a hypocrite in accusing Tak of pathetic when you also has felt affection for a human, Zim.”

 Zim changes his expression of arrogance for one of shock mixed with slight indignation, although it only lasts a fraction of a second before recomposing and facing that human. It doesn't take him a minute to unravel the meaning in Dib's words and frowns at the grief that arises when memories stir within his mind.

 The Irken murmurs a curse in his alien lenguage before approaching the human and putting his heavy boot on Dib's shoulder to sink him further into the ground, rubbing it again and again delighting in the groans of pain from his enemy.

 “Are you going to deny it, damn unhappy monster?” Dib's face comes down to a grimace of pain and his voice is barely audible to fill the room but if to reach Zim. He hopes to see some hint in him, anything that answers the question he has had for many years.

 The alien clicks his teeth towards Dib before removing his boot on him and turning to surround the human, he walks from side by side maintaining the necessary distance between the two although the possibility of escape from the boy is void. A hint of disdain touches Zim's factions in the face of Dib's boldness, it is a subject he continually avoids and has in mind despite the years.

 "I admit that I had these... feelings for little Gaz." Zim have a sudden crackles heat inside him as he pronounce his former lover's name. “But you are wrong Dib beast, Gaz was not a human more of your dirty race, she knew how to recognize the inferiority of her species and despise them for their stupidity, I must admit that little Gaz had enough vision to be taken a account by someone so superior like Zim.”

 Of course, Gaz , the thought reinforces a smile on the alien. Despite the time, Zim still remembers the approach he had with the sister of his worst enemy; the video games, the time she shared at his base repeating him how ineffective his plans were, Zim's mania for pleasing her mundane and ridiculous desires. And the interaction, the feeling of company that made his stay less boring on that deplorable planet.

 Many other details and moments were marked in the alien's memory. Love? His species does not know the term or anything remotely similar to it, however Zim could classify the strange and annoying feeling for the girl as such. Maybe.

 "No Zim, if you had loved Gaz, you wouldn't has left her alone before her death." Dib's voice is barely a low growl full of rage that drips down the ostentatious room, Zim lies and is certain that the affirmation of the feeling of Love to his sister on his part is totally false. “And you wouldn't have killed our father on your return.” No, that was not love . Dib finishes the sentence in his mind but his eyes in rage reflect the thought.

 Dib's hands sting to circle Zim's slender neck and twist him to extinguish his miserable life to avenge his father and all those who died since his return to earth. Underestimating Zim was perhaps the worst mistake made.

 The Irken shrugs as if the claim of the professor's death wasn´t much and in reality for Zim it isn´t, Membrana as well as other humans are obstacles in their way to take the planet and prove to the Tallest their worth as an invader, being this the last and true opportunity.

 It has taken several years for him to have that mission again and he doesn´t plan to let his opportunity be ruined.

 "You will see Dib, unlike your dirty inferior species, the Irken race has only one purpose in its existence." Zim retakes up the previous action of surrounding the human while he explains, moves with sinuous grace in front of him. “The expansion of the empire and the destruction of all inferior life that crosses the road, for thousands of years the empire has been responsible for the ruin of hundreds of planets. That is the purpose of our race, to grow until everything is part of it.”

 Yes, Zim is nothing but a monster. Dib thinks, avoiding the desire to get up and kill the alien right there. The Irkens are really a universal plague: they infest, consume and destroy other planets in order to quench their hunger for domination and power.

 “Invaders like Tak and I shouldn´t have such inferiors feelings because they are a setback to our missions.” Zim's eyes narrow and his lips twist in sardonic humor.

 “You said you loved her!” Dib replies, also remembering Tak's words.

 A dark emotion flames on life in Zim's eyes.

 "Of course I did Dib." The Irken tilts a slight smile that denotes little humor on his lips, but is just a grimace at the awareness of what he will say next. “Zim loved his love-pig very much, but as much as I loved your sister, I also realized that this feeling was only an obstacle to my mission.” He stops to observe the frank disbelief in the human.

 “What do you mean Zim?” It takes Dib a moment to recognize something else in Zim's speech and just a moment to feel the bad omen in the response he was about to receive.

 Zim's expression hardens and Dib understands that his assumptions are true, something doesn't feel right. A strange sensation settles deep within his heart.

 "That even if I loved little Gaz a lot, I had to do what was necessary to do my duty as an invader." The malicious gleam in Zim's eyes goes out when he releases his next words. “I admit that ending Gaz's life was perhaps the hardest thing I've ever done. It hurt me to implant those Nanobots in her bloodstream to weaken her defenses and make they think it was an autoimmune disease.” Despite the broken tone, Zim's expression shows no regret."

 Dib blinks at the blunt confession. The premise that the death of his sister was caused by Zim generates a state of shock in him.

 "You..." Dib throws a dark glance at the alien when the feeling of sickening settles in the mouth of his stomach.

 "I understood that if I continued with this situation I would never achieve my purpose and even if I returned to Irk or some other distant planet, I would end up returning to be stay with her." Zim ignores the look on Dib and continues his rant with grim determination.

 A low hiss is heard from Dib's lips and in an outburst of renewed determination he gathers forces to stand up and rush against the despicable Irken who dared to boast about the murder of his little sister. The impact bounces and echoes through the cold walls of the room, the force is such that it throws Zim on the floor in just a second.

 Dib's breathing is agitated and his emotions turbulent and violent with the desire for death characteristic of the instinct for revenge. But the victory lasts less than a blink when Zim stabs Dib's side with one of his PAK legs.

 “Soldiers!” Zim screams angered by such a grievance by a disgusting human and the least he can do with it is to give him the punishment he deserves. Four soldiers arrive to him shortly after that call. “Throw the human into the reinforced containment cell and prepare what is necessary for its execution this afternoon.” Zim's lethal tone doesn´t go unnoticed by subordinates.

 A dismissive wave of his hand is enough for the soldiers to abide by the order immediately taking Dib, and the human is not even strong enough to fight after the outburst of previous violence.

 Dib is dragged to his destination to find death a few hours later and Zim looks at the human with cold disdain for having awaken the feelings inside. The hand of the Irken migrates to a compartment in his PAK from which he removes an object that he has been carrying with him for years protecting him as an invaluable treasure.

 The sharp claws hold the pendant of a necklace with such delicacy, the Invader looks longingly  the object and sighs with regret admitting that he still misses his lover's company; He only hopes that the sacrifice is worthwhile to reaffirm his loyalty to the empire.

.

 .

 .

  End.

~*~

A/N:

 This thing started as a vague idea and it took me almost two weeks to finish writing it... I was inspired by the Guardians of the Galaxy scene vol. 2, when Ego tells Peter the truth about his mother's death and I said why not? And finally this was the final result.

 I had a lot of fun writing this, I think it's been my favorite fic of all the ones I've written so far.  

 Sorry if the story is flawed, this is a translation or at least an attempt at translation... my English is bad.  

 Anyway, I hope you like it and in advance thank you for reading

[blueyesandleatherjacket]

The Fallen, 16/17

Volume: 1.

Number of parts: 16/17.

Pairings: Nine x Rose.

A/N: Tagging @thebookster on her demand.

“We've all fallen, but at the same time we're not broken. There is the hint that we are going to get up again.” - Amy Lee.

CHAPTER 16:

The doctor Nash Grieve hadn’t disappeared. She was still working under Jeremy Backfire’s orders or, should she say, threats, in his mental hospital that was now qualified as the cheapest and worst institution of London and of Great-Britain. However, it was of no importance to the man. The upper part, the public part of the hospital was ruled by one of his trustworthy friends. It was done properly enough to avoid any kind of suspicions that would lead to an in-depth investigation. That would be really problematic. There were things that couldn’t be found underneath the surface. Under the hospital, there was a prison for supernatural beings, a prison built in guts of Earth, buried so deeply for the screams and begs to neve reach the world; a prison but also a laboratory to run experiences on those beings who weren’t considered as beings and were refused all rights. No one knew they were there; no one would ever know they were here. The only one to have escaped was Maxence Spitz. Jeremy Backfire had been furious to find out that his son was gone, even ore when he found out that Maxence was back to his mother and was, consequently, protected. Joanne Spitz was his ex-wife, the woman he had had Maxence with and also the only person on Earth he feared. He would admit such a thing since he was the perfect example of the macho man, all in masculinity and thick mind on certain subjects, but contrarily to most macho men, he was clever enough not to hate on woman. He secretly feared them. Well, only their name was Joanne Spitz. That was why he had never tried to get his hands on Maxence since he was back home despite his burning desire to force him to reveal the Doctor and the Wolf’s secrets. He was fairly certain that Maxence had been helped for his escape. His suspicions were on Nash. She had been the first one to talk to him when he was brought to that hospital. A relationship of trust was born that day, and nothing of what she had done to him on his orders had broken it for some reasons. Jeremy had interviewed her in his office but could get nothing from her. He had taken her in the coloured rooms. He tortured her in every one of them like she had tortured Maxence, still under his orders. He even tortured her dear friend Maya but couldn’t get a word from her. He proved her mind, and was left clueless. The woman who knew everyone and everything about the place couldn’t tell how Maxence had escaped. The Wolf probably managed to get out of here on its own, the human wasn’t clever enough for that. Human were despicable in every single aspect: they were fragile and fell to pieces with the light push of the wind in their back; they were vulnerable to the tiniest of germs that could kill them in a couple of hours; they were limited and powerless, stuck in a weak corporeal shell, unable to use their brain cells to their full capacities. Jeremy had been one of those humans since his birth and had always been frustrated by this condition. Of course this revelation hadn’t hit him before he was a man in his late twenties, about to enter his thirties. It was after Joanne had kicked him out of his house in Manchester. He had moved to London where repeated and unexplained attacks had pushed him to do his own inquiry and soon he found himself obsessing over his need to meet an alien properly. Despite their obvious presence everywhere he was unable to find one. His first encounter with an alien had happened three years ago. At that time, he was well established in London as headmaster of one of the numerous jails of the country, one where all the worst psychotic criminals were locked away. He had rebuilt his life with another woman, was fostering kids. It was hiding the darkness growing in him ever since the birth of his first son but this violence and darkness had taken an unexpected turn when his wife brought a fifteen-year-old teenager from the orphanage she was picking all of her lost causes in. The girl was shy, easily intimidated and had issues being comfortable around anyone. She also had a tattoo – that she called a birth mark she had had since forever – he had seen a couple times before in his researches: she was a hidden shapeshifter. She ignored everything of her true nature, was living as a human, was weak, gullible, easy to manipulate. He had intimidated her, had murmured in her ear at night, made her fall under his complete control. He was human still at that moment but he could feel her fear. He could smell it on her, on her clothes reeked of her sweat, on her skin when his lips brushed over her body, in her words and in her body language when he was around her. He had become obsessed with her, with her body, with her scent… And the idea of her genes had been driving him insane. He literally had had alien material by hand and couldn’t use it, couldn’t do anything of it. He had lost his ability to sleep, spent his night watching her sleeping. Until he couldn’t just sit and stare. He had begun touching her, stroking her skin with the back of his fingers, dropping kisses along her jaw and neckline. She had tried to fight him, tried to defend herself but what could a teenager do against an adult? Who could she talk to? She had nothing and no one to turn to, no one who would believe her. He would have turned everyone against her if she even had tried. He had her in his total control and she was powerless when he had murmured that it was all her fault and had taken her most precious belonging. He had sent her back to the orphanage she was coming from a couple days later, accusing her of being a troublemaker, just before Christmas. A few weeks later, he had found out that she was pregnant, which could have been good news – it meant he would have upgraded the Backfire lineage – if he hadn’t been told that when she had a miscarriage and lost the baby. He had influenced her doctors with enough money for them to give him the dead foetus and also to make sure the young woman would never be able to procreate ever again. If she couldn’t carry his children, she would carry none. It was also another successful attempt to intimidate her so she wouldn’t say a word about what he had done to her. She hadn’t talked, had kept silent when she was interrogated about the incident. She had been suspected to have had sex with another teenager from the orphanage or someone from the outside. It was perfect for him. No one knew about his past – Joanne and Maxence had never talked or filed a complaint, kicking him out was apparently enough – and his reputation was intact. Later, he was promoted headmaster of this mental institute in Peckham that was threatening to close its doors since no one could handle the patients that were locked away in there. He had accepted for the place was presenting all the advantages he had been looking for to continue his researches. The basement contained the remains of the past when torture on the patients was allowed, before it was declared illegal and abandoned there. Perfect. He had drawn new plans for the place, had them done quickly and secretly and soon the basement was equipped with laboratories and rooms for the most difficult patients as he called them. Patients that would be aliens in captivity, but that was his secret. He couldn’t talk about it to anyone before he found the right persons to work with, meaning he had to operate a total reorganisation of the staff. A staff that appeared to be pretty interesting in the end. Many non-terrestrial creatures were hiding in this building, as patients and medical staff. Among them he found what looked like a family of shapeshifters: Nash Grieve, only qualified therapist here, was the oldest; Maya and Oliver Carson were a married couple; and Alex Baxter was Maya’s young brother. He had made sure the two men would be locked away in the new cells of the basement so the women would work for him without causing troubles. They obviously would ignore what was happening to their friends. There were numerous other races of aliens hidden there. He had only kept the most interesting ones and had turned the others into slaves working for him and obeying his every order – unlike Maya and Nash who had a quite rebellious attitude toward him. Rebellious but not suicidal, they knew where to stop. His experiences were going well, and he was testing some alien genes on the scums of this society, improving these lost causes or leaving them to die in terrible pains and getting rid of the bodies in an incinerator. When the results were pleasing to him, he would put his life on the line and improve himself with new genes. It wasn’t without pain but he never felt so strong and so powerful in his entire life. He was enjoying every bit of advantage the alien genes and technologies had and throwing away the inconveniences. But this power wasn’t enough. He needed more, more of all of this, more of species, more experiences. Nash, Maya and company belonged to a special race of shapeshifters; shifters that had been exposed to experiences before. Their genes had been modified so that they could become immortal, so they could heal and ‘regenerate’. A gene he hadn’t been able to reproduce from her DNA, a gene belonging to a no longer existing race. That was when he found out about the Doctor, a lone survivor of the Time War thar had exterminated all of his species and the Daleks. That’s when he found out his son had become the Doctor and was running around the universe as an elusive chimera, a myth, a legend only a few privileged persons had caught sight of. He had been reported to be around London a lot, then spotted in Manchester and back in London where he was caught babbling deliriously before being brought to Jeremy’s institute. Fate was being good on him that day. The Doctor being a prisoner of his hospital without him even trying to catch him – not that he had had the time to think about a strategy to draw him here – and it turned out he had brought an even powerful entity with him called Bad Wolf. This was more than Jeremy could ever have dreamt of. The wheel had turned, he could get his revenge on both his son and ex-wife, and continue his quest for power. First, he had had to steal the patient from Nash who had made it a point of honour to keep him hidden from him even after finding out how dangerous he was and what was his real identity. The Doctor had protected Maxence well for all the time he was there. So did the Wolf. The duo nicely settled down in the head of a human being going mad from such a power had done their best to screw every research he ever did on him. No bit of data was even usable. They had scrambled and faked everything they could before vanishing into thin air, and what they couldn’t have messed with wasn’t giving convincing results. This was why Jeremy was so furious. Had Maxence been a patient here for a longer time, the results would have been much better. But he hadn’t, and worse than that, he had messed with his father’s mind and created damages that had needed time to heal before Jeremy could come back to work with a rage harder than previously. One way or another, his son would pay for this. He just had to find a weak point. He remembered the Doctor calling a name when he was in an agitated sleep, in an excruciating pain. A name he wouldn’t even have pronounced if his mind had been sane. His mind wasn’t sane. Not anymore. The power hidden inside him was too much to handle for anyone and it was driving him insane to the point of spilling non-sense to anyone foreign to his world. Non-sense that seemed important enough to Nash Grieve who had written it all down. At least, at the beginning of the therapy. She had been quick to destroy the rest of the file as the months passed by. A way to protect her patient from the darkness of her boss, from the darkness of a father who had already hurt his son in the past. He could never get his hands on the rest of the file but the scraps of data he got were enough for him to pursue his researches on the Doctor. He couldn’t reach the new face involved. It would be too dangerous to have him around. Rose. This name was the only lead Jeremy had to draw the attention of the Doctor stuck in his son’s mind. If he managed to find her, to bring her to his hospital – he could find any reason to have her locked away – that would send a strong message to this uncatchable alien that kept slipping between his fingers like water. Rose was a common name in the United Kingdom but there was only one Rose who went missing at the same time as Maxence Spitz. No one had thought that these two disappearances could be linked before him. How could humans have with their tiny little brains? Jeremy needed the Doctor’s brain. Not just bits of it like he had taken over the months. He needed to kill the man and dissect him like an animal to find out all of his secret. He would feel no remorse in killing his own son. Maxence had never meant anything to him. All he had been was a nuisance to his life and projects. Rose Tyler was his best shot for this revenge, and he lost no time in trying to get to her. He didn’t elaborate strategies, didn’t plan anything. He had to be clever and clear and go straight to the point if he wanted work as fast as possible. He went to the Powell Estates in person, introduced himself to Jackie Tyler and before he could say anything else, he was kicked out with names and fury. Apparently, the woman mistook him for his son who was his spitting image and thought he should go to hell before even thinking of coming back around her daughter. This attempt was a failure but it confirmed Jeremy’s thoughts that Rose Tyler was the person they had been looking for all along. She had been traveling with the Doctor and he had left her behind when he changed. Perfect. Now, he just had to be patient and build a real plan to make her fall into a deadly trap…

To be continued...

The Fallen © | 2019 | Tous droits réservés.

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AO3 || TS.

[strxga]

Stop stoking the fires. Just stop. Please.

I genuinely can’t believe I have to write this post, it’s honestly genuinely surprising how the FNDM hasn’t changed at all from the past years and I’m just so tired of it. So tired of all the drama, the character hate, the toxicity, please just, stop this, stop this already!

Ever since Seeing Red the FNDM has been on a constant back-and-forth between shitting on certain characters while also elevating others to the highest praise, and while usually this wouldn’t be such a huge deal, it is because this has gone way past the point of tolerable but to the point of harassment and blatantly fake accusations. Obviously I’m referring to the whole Adam vs. Bumblebee fiasco that’s been stirring on the pot for far too long, and trust me, this has been going on for far too long and starting to get EXTREMELY out of hand.

Each and every single day I go to the Adam Taurus tag I see nothing but hatred and venom being spewed at Adam’s fans, calling them abusers, misogynists, scum of the Earth, abuse apologists and other far worse things, and the worst part is that NONE of the Adam fans I have spoken with have EVER excused his character. In fact they’ve all agreed he was an asshole who got what he deserved. Some agree the narrative did a good job of handling it while others disagree, and that’s good and all! We all have our different opinions, but when we as a community bundle together to single this specific group of fans who particularly enjoyed Adam’s character for whatever reason and proceed to harassment and take over the character’s tag and just fill it to the brim with hatred? Then we, as a FNDM, are doing something WRONG!

Bumblebee and Blacksun shippers are CONSTANTLY asking their tags to be kept nice and sweet with no hatred in it, so why is it so hard to ask for the same for the Adam fans? They know their character isn’t the most universally well-liked, but when you lunge all these fake accusations and branding and labeling them as something they aren’t? Things are being taken to the extreme and being taken way too far! Especially when these bullies CELEBRATE Adam’s death and shove it in their faces. Imagine if someone did the same to you, if someone went ahead and made FUN of you when your favorite character in not just RWBY but in any medium died. Would you like that? Would it feel good to be on the receiving end of that?

Adam wasn’t the best character or person. He had the POTENTIAL TO BE MORE but he wasn’t - Kerry and Miles settled on writing him that way and they did, but that excuses NO ONE to harass these FANS for believing and wanting their favorite character to be more than just the yandere ex-boyfriend trope. There are soooo many unconfirmed or just plainly false headcanons about Adam being spread about him in the tag or lies being told to new fans that just make him even far more despicable than he already was in canon: A few examples of this is I’ve seen people present their headcanons of Adam sexually assaulting Blake, stabbing her before or even that she discovered her Semblance after he physically assaulted her while they were together on the White Fang WHEN THERE’S NOT EVEN A PROPER BASIS FOR THAT!

As far as we KNOW, he only took advantage of her emotionally, which is bad enough as it is. But Adam is by far NOT the only character with these traits yet he’s the only character I see being demonized further by the FNDM. You want a long list of other characters who are abusive and very much as real as Adam is yet get absolutely no hatred for their actions? Some of which are on Chibi as well: -Cinder Fall -Roman Torchwick -Neopolitan -Hazel Rainart -Tyrian Callows -Raven Branwen -Jacques Schnee -Corsac Albain -Fennec Albain -Ilia Amitola

I could even list a few more but these are the first examples that come to that. Let’s take a look at the similarities between Adam and the other listed characters:

-Adam is the leader of a terrorist organization, the White Fang -Cinder is a member of the biggest criminal and terrorism organization EVER. -Adam killed multiple Humans and Faunus alike. -Raven is the leader of a group of bandits that casually assaults and murders settlements outside of the Kingdoms for supplies to survive. -Jacques leads the S.D.C. and is single-handedly responsible for Faunus abuse and oppression and operating outside the law for his own selfish interests. -Roman is a thief and murderer who cares only about himself and is willing to take as many lives as necessary if it means to survive. -Cinder orchestrated the Fall of Beacon which led to multiple lives from ALL the Kingdoms to end prematurely. -Adam supposedly took advantage of Blake emotionally while they were both in the White Fang and used manipulation to keep her by his side. -Cinder emotionally AND physically has assaulted, threatened and manipulated Emerald. -Raven is emotionally manipulative and tried to take advantage of Yang and make her feel inferior to her so she could maintain the illusion of power. -Adam was on a quest of obtaining power to accomplish his goals. -Cinder desired power so obsessively that she not only joined Salem but allowed herself to be turned into a Human-Grimm hybrid. -Raven’s whole shtick is about being powerful enough to lead her tribe! -Adam has an unhealthy obsession with killing Blake for betraying him. -Cinder has an even unhealthier fixation on Ruby and torturing her, wishing to see her burn to ashes in front of her, even to the point she’s still obsessed with her. -Hazel holds Ozpin accountable for something out of his power and is obsessed with murdering him over and over for his own satisfaction. -Tyrian is just straight-up psychopathic and a mass murderer who delights in killing! -Neopolitan expressed a twisted and wicked delight at the idea of extinguishing Yang’s life. -Adam stabbed and hurt Blake and cut Yang’s arm as a display of power. -Cinder killed Pyrrha and left a nasty scar on Weiss too after piercing her with a spear. -Adam groomed a young Blake into serving by his side as a soldier despite him being much older while Ghira was still part of the White Fang. -Ilia, if we’re going by the Adam Trailer, was around Adam’s same grown age while Blake was, at the oldest, 12. So even if she didn’t groom her, she still felt attraction for a minor, which is pretty bad! -Adam lied to all the Faunus and claimed he cared for them. -Fennec and Corsac did the same to the entirety of Menagerie. -Adam has tried to kill Blake multiple times. -So did Corsac, Ilia and Fennec.

All these fucking characters are based on reality! People like Tyrian are mass murderers that are still frequent! People like Hazel who form a grudge and never let go until the target of their hatred’s life is beyond miserable, people like Neopolitan who take a sick satisfaction in hurting those who are down and enjoys inflicting pain on others. Criminals like Roman who kill and steal as long as it’s for their self-interests, people like Raven and Jacques who form negligent and abusive parents that only hurt their children, people like Adam who are abusive and crave to be seen as a savior in order to retain power. People like Cinder who are not satisfied with obtaining power and using it to crush others but who won’t stop until the people they oppress cannot dare even lift a finger against them like a megalomaniac tyrant! All these characters, not just Adam have real-life counterparts that are just as frightening!

Oh and let’s not forget when Yang was about to be killed by Neopolitan was there outrage for her character? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, most of the FNDM loved it so much they started SHIPPING these two characters together! Why?! Hell if I know! Because they’re both women I suppose and for some reason the FNDM excused Neopolitan’s behavior, but when it’s a male character the one doing the hurting then he gets demonized to all hell and back. I’ve seen absolutely zero arguments in the FNDM when it comes to women-on-women violence though. But I guess it’s because it’s empowering for the fans for some reason? I don’t know. I just know one thing.

All these fucking characters are real, and they’re terrifying! Yet they’re still in Chibi. All these female villains are dark beyond belief yet they get excused! Why, because they’re women? Because they’re pretty?! Regardless they’re all just as bad as Adam fucking Taurus yet no one says fucking anything! Why are still only the males that get demonized? Why are the fans still so toxic to others? Why has this FNDM not fucking changed since 2014?! I’m sick and tired of it. I didn’t want to write this post yet here I am doing so because this hot garbage mess of a FNDM can’t go at least a fucking day without being wild.

Respect other people. Stop accusing them of shit they’re not guilty of. Just stop. Stop stoking the fires of drama. Just get along with each other! Let people like the characters they want to like and for the love of God stop harassing each other and just be at peace!

[randomnumbers751650]

So, I'm writing this because I'm trying to understand psychological horror, focusing on two animes from last year: Angels of Death and Happy Sugar Life. I wanted to write this because I got inspired by discussions on the Netflix's Ted Bundy show, Explanation Point's video on HSL (which made me watch it), and because I made the mistake of reading AoD's prequel manga Episode 0. Spoilers abound.

Due to way I was raised, I have difficulty in understanding stories that villains are the protagonists. Why would anyone cheer for them? Sure, there are many logical arguments, like the attempt to understand how his mind works and the cathartic feeling of being able to do feelings you know you'd be wrong. I have a RP blog and I once talked to with a friend on trying to understand how musing an utterly despicable muse could be so cathartic and she wondered if it's because it allows her to vent her stress and negative feelings on fictional characters, instead of real people. Logically, it makes sense, but I still feel odd about it.

I first watched Angels of Death because I really enjoyed the portrayal one of my best friends in the RPC had of the protagonist, Rachel Gardner. I honestly think it was a well-written anime, Rachel telling Zack that they weren't tools and the climax with the building on fire were my favorite moments. AoD also had a great advantage because it was self-aware, the banter between Rachel and Zack was pretty hilarious, and Cathy and Danny were also evilly funny. I always wondered how AoD managed to get to be an anime and Ib not...

Also, another thing that AoD makes sure to show is that every single named member of the cast is a murderer, and the man behind everything judges himself God for the sake of an experiment. It shows Zack murdering people in flashbacks and enjoying every single minute of it. In fact, the biggest plot twist is that the apparently innocent Rachel is probably the most dangerous murderer of them, the moment when she tries to kill Zack in her floor was a moment that actually got me on the edge of my seat (said event was properly foreshadowed).

When I say all characters of AoD are well-written, I say this in a "technical" sense - given their backstories, they act in a way consistent to what they are. Zack had a really crappy childhood and turned into a murderer; Danny was bullied and indirectly caused his mother's suicide; Cathy is subconsciously guided by a desire to punish sinners that caused her parents' death; Eddie was rejected so hard that he saw killing what he liked as the only way to preserve; and Rachel also had a crappy childhood, but parents who hated each other and killing her father in self-defense just broke her, her emotionless insanity is what guides her death wish (funnily enough, it doesn't seem that Gray has anything but a god complex). In other words, while they might be nearly a caricature, they still show to act on motives that make sense for them.

The question that guides the series is "what does it mean to be human?" In the end, we all want to avoid loneliness, as Gray says to Danny while the building explodes. Danny had a really pathetic death - he was a "love to hate" villain, even if he had a childhood excuse, nowhere implies that we should sympathize with him, on the contrary, he's one of the creepiest waste of air type of characters - if we showed his portrait in the game, one could put a sub "Most Likely to be a Pedophile").

But then I decided to read the prequel manga. I hated it. A lot. The characters are nothing but violent dicks to each other, in a grand scheme to get the role of "angel" in Gray's experiment (I used to muse Dr. Danny in my RP blog, it was fun to protray him as a pathetic peepermaniac, but I lost my drive after it). It doesn't try to be nuanced or anything else, but I guess if the objective was to remind us that the characters were murderous scum, it succeeded. The effect was so bad on me, that made me question the entire point of AoD itself.

I thought about this for a while. In Aod, we're basically siding with two murderers and Zack's popularity is immense, he's a Chad of murderers. The question is why?

It would be easy to dismiss his popularity as an example of the "bad boy fantasy", mostly associated with women who latches on a "bad boy" type in hopes of "fixing him", but that alone is insufficient to explain (and although it's usually recognized as a 'feminine fantasy', I want to avoid any implication of sexism, even though I don’t doubt this has been discussed in woman’s studies).

At point a friend of mine linked me Explanation Point's video on Happy Sugar Life. Why is Satou, a murderer and near pedophile (near pedophile because she doesn't engage in actual sexual activities with Shio, but it's not less disturbing), a sympathetic character? I won't recap the entire video here, but Satou is sympathetic because of many factors, such as the fact almost everyone around her is worse (arrogant rapist manager, sadomasochist actual ebebophile Danny's long lost brother, lolicon, an actual succubus in human form, obssessed copycat stalker, mad artist - the only developed characters that save themselves are Shoko and Asahi (and not 100% in his case, his determination was his downfall) - I honestly dislike Shio because she's annoying), had a crappy childhood, and that she seems sincere in her feelings for Shio.

The issue, in the end, it's about the way it's framed. Lindsay Ellis has a pretty good video on framing, on explaining how Mikaela actually had potential to be a well-written character in the first Michael Bay’s Transformers movie, but it was ruined by the way she was framed - as mere fanservice, instead of a strong character. The same principle applies to Happy Sugar Life, just pay attention to the way Satou is framed, as a strong character, in “pure” love, flowers appears on the screen when she’s thinking of Shio.

Framing is one reason why HSL failed or, at least, lost a part of its power as a cautionary tale. In the last episode, the way her imagination exploded with images of what her happy life with Shio could be, sprinkled by sappy imagery. Even if Satou killed herself to save Shio as a way to defy her aunt, it still gives a mixed message.

If we apply EP’s argument on Satou to Zack, I think we have even better “case” for Zack. Let’s count the reasons why one should sympathize with Zack:

Antagonists (Danny and Cathy) are worse people

Strong and powerful, to the point of turning into a shonen protagonist when cutting rocks in the last episode

Has a code of honor, only kills people who are laughing

Has standards, refuses to accept godhood from Rachel

Enjoys what he does, he’s probably the most sincere character of the cast

Has a twisted sense of humor

Has a sad backstory, that offered the chance of following another path (but the old man died)

Recognizes he’s messed up

Ridiculously loyal to Ray in the end

We never get to see the PoV of his victims and when we do, the frame actually makes Zack sympathetic - for example, the woman in his flashback, we see her lying to him and him killing her for it - it’s a bad thing, but the scene is framed in a way that Zack is the offended party (it was his PoV anyway)

He’s hot - granted this only works for the anime, because in the game he was some sort of tall mummy gremlin

As another friend of mine said, when I brought this to her, in the end you’re kind of cheering for them to escape police and continue murdering others. And, in the end, they do get away - Zack (and Ray, to some extent) is never punished for his crimes, even though the ending is ambiguous most people believe they escaped anyway.

In HSL we have a similar situation: even though Satou killed herself, Shio is still irreparably damaged, preferring to live her “happy sugar life” in her head than the real world. In fact, HSL’s ending is one of the most hopeless that I’ve ever seen recently, that the entire surviving cast is apparently beyond repair (as worse as Shio worse is Taiyo - it’s quite rare to portray female on male abuse on such a realistic way, any other anime would make a semi-hentai scenario on him, but here, I wouldn’t be surprise if he died starving himself to death in his room). HSL’s ending managed to be much more hopeless than AoD’s ending.

But, returning to Zack, the way his story is framed makes him a sympathetic character. However, while I argue that Zack is a well-written character, he’s not a very realistic one for one simple reason: he’s too conspicuous to be a successful serial killer, he’s too loud and messy; actual serial killers are methodic people, they plan a lot to not leave clues. Meanwhile, Zack is dumb as a rock, which might add him being an escapist character another trait of him.

And that’s where the comparison with Ted Bundy enters. It might be a stretch comparing a fictional character with a real person, but I still think it has some merit. While I haven’t seen the Netflix series, I read the debate on whether it glorifies Bundy or not. Basically the way the series frames Bundy is an argument for the glorification, but the interview with the victims who escaped him and loved ones of his victims is an argument against it. But the fact remains that both have their fans.

If we criticize Bundy’s fans for not noticing how much of a pathetic and deranged person he actually was, why can’t we do the same for Zack’s fans? Well the fact that one is real and the other fictional might be one reason, and being fictional he acts as an outlet for our own frustrations and tendencies just as I discussed with my friend above, but I feel that alone is insufficient, there must be a further reason... but I can’t think of anything else. Otherwise an argument has the danger of turning into the fallacy “videogames make kids violent” sort of thing.

One thing that has to consider is that both AoD and HSL are psychological thriller/horror series. If Zack, Ray and Satou got caught, the shows would be lesser works of art, because one function of psychological horror is to challenge our perceptions of justice.

Horror challenges our perceptions of safety and we are used to the bad guys being punished in the end, it’s a safe assumption. Instead, in horror, the bad guys get away and might be sympathetic, making us sympathetic to their getaway. It’s horror in the sense our own safe perceptions of morality and justice are twisted upside down.

I could go on and approach the thorny question of whether AoD glorifies murderers and HSL glorifies yanderes with children, but this essay is already getting too big, so I leave it for another occasion.

[jaskiersbard]

“No woman lies about assault/rape/abuse”

Now before we start off, I just want to say that I am 100% against abuse/rape/assault and anything along them lines. It’s despicable. Anyone who hurts another human being like that is scum and disgusting.

A common misconception seems to be that women don’t lie about these things though - and 99% of the time, they’re not lying. All allegations should be taken seriously.

However, women can and do lie about it.

Recently on the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother, a female member of the house (Roxanne) accused a male member of the house (Ryan) of “beating” her when he was joking around and miming boxing movements. There’s a video on YouTube if anyone wants to see what happened. Afterwards, she complained to BB that Ryan had “assaulted” her and that he was a woman beater. It escalated to the point that she was sobbing on national television, refused to sleep in the bedroom because she “didn’t feel safe” and she told all of the other housemates (the ones who hadn’t witnessed it) that he had been violent towards her.

Of course, because it was shown on national television, we all know that that’s not what happened, even though she seriously seems to think it is. He didn’t touch her, for one, and then she holds the opposite side of her ribs. Make of that what you will.

If it hadn’t been shown on television/on camera, Ryan Thomas could have had his life ruined; his career, his girlfriend and his daughter. He was in tears after all of this Roxanne stuff because she was turning everyone against him. She’s a tiny woman and he’s a somewhat muscled man.

The problem is that Roxanne has made a mockery of people who really are abused/who suffer violence - her lying about it and trying to get sympathy/attention makes it so much more difficult for real victims to come forwards.

A more personal example is one that my mum told me a few days ago; she has three brothers, and her oldest was out with their cousin one night. They met up with two girls, snogged them a bit and then my Uncle went home. The next day, the police were at the door: the two girls accused my uncle and his cousin of raping them. It went on for months; my uncle had a legit panic attack/stress attack and was taken to hospital, he was distraught. My uncles are all big blokes, but they’re all soft at heart. This particular uncle is one I don’t see often (he’s very introverted and prefers his own company) but he’s got a good heart (he gave me £50 as a Christmas present once, I mean) and I know he wouldn’t do anything like that: I know none of my uncles would.

One of the policewomen on the case thought something wasn’t quite right and interrogated the girls again. They admitted that they had lied: they had been late home and didn’t want to get in trouble, so they said they had been raped by my uncle and his cousin.

Who would you believe? The big men or the young girls? Exactly. But it was a false accusation and could have ruined their lives forever.

So women do lie about it - and that makes it more difficult for real victims to come forward. I feel that people are more inclined to believe women when they accuse men.

The thing is, I’m not angry at police for investigating allegations - they have to. I respect that all allegations must be taken seriously, no matter what, and I fully support people who take the time to take the claims seriously by seriously investigating it. What I don’t respect is those who lie about it, for whatever reason.

So while I agree that we should support women who come forward with these things, I also think at times we need to be cautious. I know that most victims don’t have proof, and I don’t want to invalidate them by saying that they must have proof.

But on some rare occasions (the rare 1% of the time), it’s not the truth. I think sometimes we need to bear that in mind before immediately deciding who is guilty and who is innocent.

[peachywise]

dear person i hate

Dear person I hate,

I can’t boil you down to one person, but I can address you as a single group; A group of men (and in some cases, women) who are essentially the scum of the earth. Any person who has ever sexually assaulted another person. Any person who has ever sexually harassed another person. Any person who has committed a hate crime against another person. Most especially, I hate anyone of those said people who have gotten away relatively unscathed with little to no consequences for their actions. 

I hate you, Donald Trump (and any other politicians like you i.e Roy Moore, Anthony Weiner, Al Franken, etc.) for having a long winded history that goes far past your horrific “grab them by the pussy” remark, yet still you are allowed to be president of an entire country. I hate the fact that countless people had to anglicize their names in fear of being mistreated after your inauguration, as you set an example that made some of your citizens feel they could go about harassing these people because “If the president can do it, why can’t I?” If it had been any regular job, you would have been fired right away.

I hate you, James Franco, Johnny Depp, and any other well-beloved actor who has exhibited extremely gross behavior, yet are still beloved by many, their indiscretions overlooked. Your behavior will continue because other’s will let it. Franco will still take advantage of his young female students, of the young, underage girls who are fans of him who he will try to seduce because he can. Depp will continue to display violent tendencies, such as the ones that made his ex-wife Amber Heard terrified. She will continue to show proof of her spousal abuse, but people will still call her a gold digging liar searching for fame simply because they can’t see past the clear picture Depp has painted himself in the media. He is not Captain Jack Sparrow. He is someone who has hit and thrown things at his wife. 

I hate the Harvey Weinstein’s, the Bill Cosby’s, the countless other men in the industry who have now only been caught for years and years of causing torture and trauma to multiple women because they were in a position of power. 

I hate Brock Turner, and the thousands of other’s like him, and I hate those who allowed such a despicable human being walk essentially free after a few months of discipline. I hate those who allow other people like Turner walk away because the repercussions they deserve “would ruin them.” I hate the colleges that allow this to happen as well. The Ivy Leagues who’s number of sexual assault reports are so astoundingly low, not because there aren’t any sexual assaults happening on campus, but because they pin the blame on the sexual assault survivors, disallowing these cases to go through, in order to not ruin the lives of the athletes or students who are really responsible. 

[9jamusicmixtapes]

Toyin Abraham has slammed MC Galaxy for asking girls to go nude on his Instagram live for N50k, which according to her is despicable, debasing, and bad in every way. The actress who wondered what the singer will gain from the despicable act when he could have checked in on porn sites, said she is not a moral Judge but just standing against an act ridiculing women and further proving that some men are scum.  Toyin Abraham who slammed MC Galaxy for asking girls to go nude on his Instagram live for N50k, wrote; Dear MC Galaxy, what you did asking girls to go naked for 50k is despicable, debasing, and bad in every way. You just further strengthen the believe that the easiest way women can get things is to sell their bodies. I sincerely can’t fathom what you need or gain from this despicable act when you could have checked in on porn sites. I am not trying to be a moral judge, I am the least qualified to judge a fellow human, but just the way you used your influence and platform for this woman-debasing act, I am also using mine to stand against an act ridiculing women and further prove that some men are scum. See what people like LindaIkeji, KemiAdetiba, Chimamanda, (Even your friend, LauraIkeji), and other women are doing with their platforms, they lift other women by living, giving and not asking for nudes. You can as well follow examples of young men like Davido, TundeEdnut, Wizkid and Banky W. My message to those girls that went naked on your page is this-please let’s do better, let’s stop making men like Mr. Galaxy think everything about women is money. Don’t sell yourself short because of 50k, its the least of the money you will make in your lifetime. We are women, we are powerful, we are not cheap. With love always, Toyin Abraham.

[clubofinfo]

Expert: Human Evolution of the Mind Is Like a Hind Teat on a Texas Bull… Here we are witnessing The Great Collective Amnesia of the Western World…. The great Forgetting, from the political crass class (total), intellectual wanderers (not all, but mostly all) and the general public (most, and these huge blocks against intelligence follow from generation to next generation with a fluidity equal to the amount of information – mostly junk – exponentially increasing on the world wide web and the number eye gazes at the weekly sales worldwide a la eBay, Amazon.dot.steal and any other number of aggregators and on-line scams) is like bubonic clouds in our industrial and post-industrial nations’ cortexes. The lack of intelligence is deep, to include all those drone makers, the data collectors, the A.I. freaks, the robotics innovators (AKA, people killers), the war makers, the profiteers of toxicity, and any other shill in the giant Facebook-Mass Suicide (intellect) Media Kingdom with their legions of grovelers in their armies of financial and investment classes. Forget History and Forego Other Peoples. This lack of humanness, which is defined by forced and accepted agnotology – large portions of the human fabric and the positive human condition propagandized into complete lies or chopped into meaningless vestiges, remnants of a complete whole – makes daily the thrust of thinking and saying in this country almost like peering into the looking glass. Confusion and anti-thought, anti-knowing. Thus, the deadening of intellect, atrophying of those so-called smarts, that is, as we hear and see from those Hollywood and Wall Street scum deeming what is and is not smart which includes anyone displaying electronic-coding-algorithmic skills or tinkering or hedge funding acumen, whatever modern business groper brings to the table. They are vapid, lacking true intellect which has always been tied to understanding history and knowing what is right and how to wrest control from the wrong-doers, and, of course, understanding the world, from sea to shining seabed, to lost tribe of Ecuador, to every beetle yet cataloged by science and shaman kind. The depth of stupidity and genuflecting to all-encompassing consumption (suicide) is astounding in its coverage and voracity. It’s a total great collective forgetting that is both serendipitous and planned, and our dementia has created untenable damage to the rest of the globe. Call it Stockholm Syndrome tied to our murderers’ well-being, their own sustainability while we frog-march into oblivion death marches. We just cannot keep from fawning and vaunting corporations and chemical eaters, war mongers, money cachetting freaks, living off the flesh of humanity. This is US, us-ay, USA, this overvalued by every measure exceptionalist country of the so-called tuned-in, wired-up, and dialed-in leaders of the Western World. Our collective raping and then impregnating the rest of the world with Disneyfication stupidity, and then riding that ol’ train a slow time comin’, but rest assuredly comin’ to all corners of the globe with the splash-splash of glaciers Humpty-Dumpty-ing into their own march to catastrophe, oblivion –this DEFINES us, USA! You Shit Here, Piss Here, Dump Your Dump Your Carcinogenic Offal Here . . . And We Get to the Now Generations! The gut reaction and media devolution around probably one of the most coalescing written pieces in the past few years on climate change-global catastrophe caused by humans polluting the planet with cooked up fossil fuels and the various feedback loops of methane releases and the reflectivity (albedo effect) of the earth’s surface going negative (our land masses and oceans sponges for heat, now) are in real time despicable. The flinging shit and mud against the writer and his written facts and projections are now embedded in the very nature of how humanity in this western dystopian paradise of constant growth (with entropy quickly back-filling that sickness) puts the he and the her and the they smack in the middle of creation, which is the middle of destruction. The amount of ire, hate, and condemnation tied to his thinking and pseudo marketing-psychology-rhetoric vilifying the piece by David Wallace-Wells (“The Uninhabitable Earth,” New York Magazine, 7/9/2017) is reflective of the insipid quality of thinking that has come to define the consumer-capitalist-predator investing/divesting society we have shaped and embraced for more than 60 years. This piece by Wallace-Wells has garnered absurd critiques in the so-called liberal-left greenie press, and the mainstream disastrous press, the pseudo journalism of the big great and digital kings on the east Coast vying for a new Zion in every nook and cranny of the bankster world. The usual libertarian and conservative suspects are trying to burn Wallace-Wells at the stake, for sure, since his article compiles thousands upon thousands of researchers’ work – that is, evidence and prognostications based on those many webs of writing about the research on climate change (which is a catch-all phrase for global warming, weather destabilization, climate uncertainty, geo-engineering, greenhouse gas expulsion through fossil fuel burning and the various parallel defamation of the earth mostly through deforestation and hyper urbanization/ consumption/over-population of Homo Erectus/ Sapiens/ Consumopithecus). Do we need a list of those thinkers and doers years ago who predicted the outcome of the despoiled commons and over-impregnating Homo Sapiens eating the edges and now the center of all the other species, who, in a quick nod, have so-so much to give than a billion “I Wanna Be A Star” cretins who can’t wait for the next and the next bloody mess viewable in the next Netflix world of lies. The subtitle of the piece, “Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreak — sooner than you think,” has bristled the hackles of the me-myself-and-I bros and sisters, all from the various stripes of the political quagmire. Imagine, truth to power, truth to stupidity, truth against the prevailing Cellophane-wrapped essence of nano-particle humanity. Then the greenies start shedding their thin epidermis of green-o-atic colors to show the real flavor of their existence – eating cool, living cooler and propping up everything that is American. I’ve heard crap from Grist and so many other naysayers splaying (attempting, though) David Wallace-Wells’ thinking; many parts of the many numbers of NGO-like, non-profit “looking” environmental concerns (most are money-making harbors of war-loving, capitalism S & M driving nuts who love Hillary or even think Bernie is twenty-two degrees removed from the party he ran under) think going truthful and objective with the reality of the many dynamics tied to climate disruption which Wallace-Wells does, is worse than being a denier, than a Pence or Trump or any color of them ruling DC and the palaces of the stupids. I’ve been listening to our local Pacifica Station, KBOO-Portland, and today (7/19/17), on one show, Robert Hunziker, who wrote a piece, “Unhabitable Earth?” over at Dissident Voice talked about Wallace-Wells’ piece with Paul Roland, and, Hunziker is more or less right on, spot on, agreeing (to a degree, though) with the predictions and creative thought experiment David Wallace-Wells unfolds in a very prescient piece. Hunziker still has qualifiers, as is the style of the day – you know, us digital kings and writers having so much more with it and together than the real hard researchers and satirists. You have to give it to the ameliorating masses in the liberal class, the so-called environmentalists, and the shills that play this marketing/narrative framing/meme-ing game, saying that “too harsh a picture on the global negative implications of climate disaster can cause people to turn off and do nothing . . . scare them into paralysis . . . push them back to the all-you-can-eat/buy/consume/burn/immolate /dump/throw-away ways.” Yep, the so-called environmental b.s.-pushers, the majority of which are happy campers in their Subaru-tooling, Prius-loving, eco-capitalist REI lovefest, go on hyper-drive attack of this man’s well-reasoned and fabulously important piece of climate change writing. Hunziker and Roland on KBOO talked it out, about the Wallace-Wells piece, and the fallout. The call-in folk, well, they have so-so much mixed-up hope, and some cited Bill Gates as savior (those corporate Nazi saviors, don’t you know), or others talking geoengineering, you know, iron shavings by the millions of metric tons, dumped into the oceans, to, as most readers know, human engineer the planet to absorb CO2 – **“Iron fertilization is the intentional introduction of iron fines to iron-poor areas of the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton production. This is intended to enhance biological productivity and/or accelerate carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration from the atmosphere.” ** The absurdity of this human ecocide on the oceans is telling, very telling. How we are living in our own shit and waste, tailings from the crimes of resource theft, the burning and slag piles smoking and curing our unborn, the stripped soils and exploded mountains beautiful images of earth gas chamber, diverted rivers to bred desertification, chemicalized water systems to cause death and migration, the entire mess of genetic engineering ready to latch onto the gene codes of the earth eaters, so perfectly captured in macrocosm with the example of salmon crossed at the DNA level with fat ass bass, and penned by the hundreds of thousands forced to eat soy and chicken entrails tablets. One good fishy example of humanity’s human shit and total species hate makes for emblematic ways to really show how warped a species we are. The ever-increasing Franken-fish/Franken-food/Franken-people experiments funded by tax monies, pushed by the controllers, yet average Joe and Jane Blow think this is the new normal. Then we have confused Rachel Maddows and Al Gores and the lot of them on their Van Jones high horses, empty of intelligence, blasphemers of the precautionary principle, small-minded and closed-headed people who look at a climate change article (which should be a triple-clarion call out) with real mettle, real predictions, not only poo-pooing it, but downright eviscerating the facts in order to play some full-of-shit narrative framing, shit, a la Freud and Bernays and Madison Avenue Zionist slave to consumerism shit. How much shit makes hubris and delusion capitalism? Imagine, the pencil necks at Grist (“Stop Scaring People About Climate Change: It Doesn’t Work”) attacking the reality, calling this man to task, for his look inside and outside at the real and unfolding possibilities of this that’s world a comin’, like a fast freight train a thousand miles long with every species ready for the Mother of All Dachaus — every species but that lying, raping, murdering, polluting, insane, blubbery, superstitious, vapid, inelegant Hominoid of modern atrocities. These people, advertising-seeking, for sure, and vetted by that political and non-profit enviro class so easily despised for their hypocrisy, they are grandstanding saying scaring doesn’t work? What sort of Wallace-Wells work is this writer leaning on, or wanting? It’s not his job to get people to revolt, overthrow, throw down, end the entire shooting match. “Quit scaring people” is so-so telling of the liberal class who gives shit about the illegal wars, the massive murders of millions by this empire, the massive deportations, massive destabilizations, massive inequities within their own shores. Almost anything coming out of their people’s cloud-digital-print asses is worth less than that one political orifice’s total value. Sanity Found Not Between the Lines, but in the Alarms and Emergency Sirens Apparent in the Words To give us a bit more to chew on without replicating the piece, here, the sectional titles of Wallace-Wells’ article: I. ‘Doomsday’ — Peering beyond scientific reticence. II. Heat Death — The bahraining of New York. III. The End of Food — Praying for cornfields in the tundra. IV. Climate Plagues –What happens when the bubonic ice melts? V. Unbreathable Air — A rolling death smog that suffocates millions. VI. Perpetual War  — The violence baked into heat. VII. Permanent Economic Collapse  — Dismal capitalism in a half-poorer world. VIII. Poisoned Oceans — Sulfide burps off the skeleton coast. IX. The Great Filter — Our present eeriness cannot last. Even the climate change piece looks at the rotten form that is capitalism, and the great day trading of the commons, the willingness of man to barter for more money with the future commons of ancestral havens. We’re talking war, too, rarely mentioned by greenies. War is the power, the engine, of greed, destabilization, the end of food, the lack of preparedness for everyone to adapt and adjust to the impending collapsed societies. Wallace-Wells nails it. Then, look at these opposing points of view, sick, really, spewing liberal elites with their pedigrees, whatever that means in this sell-out science landscape: “Doomsday Scenarios Are as Harmful as Climate Change Denial” By Michael E. Mann, Susan Joy Hassol and Tom Toles Analysis of “The Uninhabitable Earth” Published in New York Magazine, by David Wallace-Wells on 9 July 2017: Sixteen scientists (all male, all White/Christian/Jewish) analyzed (attacked) the article and estimated its overall scientific (what is this, really, in a sell-out world of science for their own profits) credibility to be ‘low’. (yet more mumbo-jumbo from the science arena). A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Alarmist, Imprecise/Unclear, Misleading. This grouping of puke scientists, who we all must bow to, don’t you know, with their Ivy-League and powerhouse Stanford and Big 20 university laurels, well, they are vapid, untenable when you think about their own contexts – first world, elite, white, privileged, ivory towered, and never grasping the reality of an uneven world for not only their fellow billions, but for the entirety of the wild world. Hmm, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has been reporting a huge loss of population in thousands of vertebrate species. Researchers have studied 27,600 species of birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles, finding huge losses in over 8,000 species. The animal species are not yet technically extinct, but the loss of numbers is severe enough to collapse breeding, viability, and their own roles in their eco-webs, let alone their own rights to exist on this planet. The findings mean that billions of animal populations that once roamed the Earth are now gone. This is the great Sixth Great Extinction of animal species caused by climate change and loss of habitat – all perpetrated by Man and Woman and “they”. “The sixth mass extinction is already here and the window for effective action is very short.” Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, continues: “If we continue the trend we’re on, we’re going to be looking at 50 to 75 percent of our species lost over the next hundred years.” Here’s what the capitalism-adoring Atlantic magazine says of the work of Wallace-Wells: It’s into that morass that this week’s New York magazine walks. In a widely shared article, David Wallace-Wells sketches the bleakest possible scenario for global warming. He warns of a planet so awash in greenhouse gas that Brooklyn’s heat waves will rival Bahrain’s. The breadbaskets of China and the United States will enter a debilitating and everlasting drought, he says. And millions of brains will so lack oxygen that they’ll slip into a carbon-induced confusion. Unless we take aggressive action, “parts of the Earth will likely become close to uninhabitable, and other parts horrifically inhospitable, as soon as the end of this century,” he writes. “No matter how well-informed you are, you are surely not alarmed enough.” It’s a scary vision—which is okay, because climate change is scary. It is also an unusually specific and severe depiction of what global warming will do to the planet. And though Wallace-Wells makes it clear that he’s not predicting the future, only trying to spin out the consequences of the best available science today, it’s fair to ask: Is it realistic? Will this heat-wracked doomsday come to pass? Many climate scientists and professional science communicators say no. Wallace-Wells’s article, they say, often flies beyond the realm of what researchers think is likely. I have to agree with them. This is the tribe of elites, the publishing mainliners, the gatekeepers, controllers, the myopics and the critics of anything outside their own narrative frames – America good, or inherently good and all-knowing, all-solving, leaders of the world and technology and in ideas. Words like scary and vision and morass, oh, those wordsmiths, oh those literary kingpins of the big East Coast tribe. Humanity’s chosen people, these publishers and writers and editors and pundits and cultural icons. Here, from Wallace-Wells in an updated and annotated version of his piece: Since the article was published, we have made four corrections and adjustments, which are noted in the annotations (as well as at the end of the original version). They are all minor, and none affects the central project of the story: to apply the best science we have today to the median and high-end ‘business-as-usual’ warming projections produced by the U.N.’s ‘gold standard’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But the debate this article has kicked up is less about specific facts than the article’s overarching conceit. Is it helpful, or journalistically ethical, to explore the worst-case scenarios of climate change, however unlikely they are? How much should a writer contextualize scary possibilities with information about how probable those outcomes are, however speculative those probabilities may be? What are the risks of terrifying or depressing readers so much they disengage from the issue, and what should a journalist make of those risks? The End Game is Capitalism-Delusional Thinking-Soylent Green is People! Now, let’s get really real. How many minds were talking about no-growth, steady-state economics, the three e’s of sustainability (environment, equity, economy, in that fucking order!), small is better, de-industrializing, eco-socialism, and on and bloody on? Forget Muir, or Pinchot or Stegner or Rachel Carson or Mumford or Kunslter or Jane Jacobs or any number of proponents of fair and environmentally gauged communities. One part Wallace-Wells, another part, hmm, Derrick Jensen? While we face ‘hard choices’ about which species and ecosystems to conserve, it’s odd how we face no such quandaries over which of our frivolous luxuries to refrain from, or what murderous weapons system not to build, writes Derrick Jensen. This look at the hard choices of species and ecosystems, over pornography, sweat-shop clothes, next generation iPhones, animal-shit coffee, Ikea lasting six months, endless cruises and buffets, disposable internal combustion vehicles, jets and satellites and drones and backyard pools and chemical trails circling the globe and, well, you know what humanity is not willing to sacrifice! Sure, we’re supposed to choose whether to extirpate or save Bulmer’s fruit bats or Sumatran Rhinos, wild yams or hula painted frogs (with the default always being extirpate, of course); and we’re supposed to make careful delineations of how we choose who is exterminated, and who lives (at least until tomorrow, when we all know there’ll be another round of exterminations, complete with another round of wringing our hands over how difficult these decisions are, and another round of heartbreak; and then another round, and another, until there is nothing and no one left). But just as after Fukushima a Japanese energy minister said that nuclear energy must continue to be produced because no one “could imagine life without electricity”, so, too, entirely disallowed is any discussion of what technologies should be kept and what should be caused to go extinct. There’s no discussion of extirpating iPads, iPhones, computer technologies, retractable stadium roofs, insecticides, GMOs, the Internet (hell, Internet pornography), off-road vehicles, nuclear weapons, predator drones, industrial agriculture, industrial electricity, industrial production, the benefits of imperialism (human, American, or otherwise). That’s the rub, every single SOV day (single occupancy vehicle). I can’t even help my homeless and beaten-down young foster kids without being forced to drive miles upon miles and meet them at the quintessential rot gut everything that is bad about society Starbucks, because that’s company policy. I drive in a rural area near Oregon City, Estacada, and daily, the number of sacrifices on the road, AKA road kill, is in the dozens. Daily. We cut and maul and pave over and build over and divert and seed with invasives, and daily, hourly, each minute, on this planet, not one shit product or idea or lifestyle is sacrificed, but each and every square inch of soil and cubic meter of river and 2000 foot of altitude is raped and re-raped. By us, the supremacists. The dunces. The ones sitting, lying and sleeping in our own shit, using the cadavers of the real world – ecology, environment – as our rationale for putting us at the top of the dung heap. The murder of the planet is not some tragedy ordained by fate because we’re too damn smart. It is the result of a series of extremely bad social choices. We could choose differently. But we don’t. And we won’t. Not so long as the same unquestioned beliefs run the culture. Don’t get me wrong. Anyone who is working to protect wild places or wild beings from this omnicidal culture is in that sense a hero. We need to use every tool possible to save whomever and wherever we can from this culture. But it’s ridiculous and all-too-expected that while there’s always plenty of money to destroy the Tongass and every other forest, and there’s always plenty of money for various weapons of mass destruction (such as cluster bombs or dams or corporations) somehow when it comes to saving wild places and wild beings, we have to pinch pennies and ‘make difficult decisions’. Also, I need to say that the whole Ark metaphor doesn’t work. In the original story, God saved two of every species (as He, like the humans who created Him, destroyed the planet). Here, modern humans are going where even God didn’t tread, and explicitly not saving every species, but instead deciding which species to save, and which species to kill off. This is, of course, both pleasing and flattering to human supremacists: they’re making decisions on questions even God punted. How cool is that? http://clubof.info/