#easy conversation

[s0fter-sin]

soap's whole deal being sniper and demolitions gets me going bc on the surface they sound so different but when you get into it, you realise it's bc soap's smart

sniping is all math; calculating distances and wind interference and bullet drop. something i think people overlook is he was listed as a sniper first so it can be implied that he's better at it than demolitions. he does more sniping in both campaigns than demolitions work; in capture or kill, ghost specifically calls on him to take down the aq snipers

and demolitions is math with a hit of chemistry; knowing what mixes with what, knowing how much to use, recognising environmental factors and adjusting accordingly. it's not just about the boom; so much work goes into contained/ planned explosions. especially when having enough power for a breacher charge and not bringing down the whole building is the difference between mission success and failure

the chemical bombs he makes in alone can't just be any old cleaners, they have to have the correct reaction to each other; he just knew off the top of his head what would mix with what to create what reaction. he would also potentially have to recognise them by sight/smell bc they would’ve been written in spanish

soap would also have to know architecture; recognising structural integrity and weak points so he knows exactly where to plant a charge to bring it down and how it'll come down

he has an incredible soldier's mind people just forget that bc he's sociable which itself is a skill

we know he tends to buck against orders he doesn't agree with like when he pushes back against ghost in capture or kill and shepherd when he tells them to release hassan

he gets closer to people and sees if he can trust them and that's when he follows them without question. really think about how he talks to alejandro and rudy; he asks about their home and alejandro's family and rudy's relationship with him. those aren't questions you ask a stranger after a few hours of knowing them. that's not even touching on his relationship with ghost

he also deliberately brings people of higher ranks down to his level; talking informally with ghost and giving him a shoulder punch, addressing alejandro (a colonel!!) by his first name and rudy by his nickname despite literally just meeting them. he personalises all of them and it’s in direct opposition to the reason most characters do that; it’s not due to insubordination or lack of respect, the more he respects and trusts someone, the more casual he is with them

he digs into people; he wants to know what makes them tick and that determines if he can one, trust them and two, follow their orders. once he decides that, he's the ultimate soldier; he bleeds loyalty which makes him vicious when that loyalty is taken for granted

he isn't naive or bubbly or insecure; he's an incredibly smart and aware soldier. he's aggressive and bloodthirsty and loyal and intuitive and i love him so much

[stuckinapril]

It really is so true that you never know what someone’s going through behind closed doors. I’ve made being gentle and kind my default bc I’ve had super put together friends disclose the most harrowing time of their lives to me and it’s like oh?? You were going through that???? I would’ve never guessed

[unnonexistence]

hermann thoughts: if i discredit newton and his approach enough, the martial won't give him the equipment for his kaiju drift, and i can protect him from himself. if he despises me for it, so be it. there is little i wouldn't sacrifice to see him safe.

newt thoughts: this is a Best Science competition and i have to Win

[hyperrealisticblood]

random thing i noticed while going through the character bios again: wally's bio now gives information about how his puppet was handled

there isn't any kind of sneaky wording here that would imply he was operated different from the others either, as frank is described the exact same way in his bio.

if it's true that wally WAS in fact puppeteered by someone and wasn't running around the studio by himself like some horrible gay homunculus, he was most likely puppeteered by ronald dorlaine, the creator of welcome home. wally is kind of the "kermit" of welcome home, and kermit was puppeteered by jim henson until his death in 1990. kermit was also referred to as henson's "alter ego" at times, his co-stars saying that it became hard to tell where kermit ended and henson started at times.

i think clown's mentioned the relationship between a puppet and their puppeteers being a topic explored in welcome home at some point (one of these mentions was pre-overhaul, so i'm not sure if it's still true), and has stated that there are going to be more human characters introduced. and since welcome home takes a lot of inspiration from the history of the muppets (and is why we need more horror media written by people really autistic about the topic covered), and "dorlaine" sounds so similar to "darling", it's possible wally may have been ronald dorlaine's "alter ego" in the same way that kermit was for jim henson.

i don't what what any of this implies or if any of this makes sense. i went on this whole rant because of one line of text. is anyone reading this. did anyone see that gnome run by. its so dark in here

[number1greedlingfan]

The greed team camping trip is extremely funny for obvious reasons but can you imagine how Darius and Heinkel felt interacting with Ling for the first time? Like Greed probably had something to do with their opinions 180ing from "being turned into a chimera ruined my life" to "actually, i can make the best of the body i have now" SO they probably like him. But Ling?? All they know about him is 1) he's a prince from Xing 2) he's Ed's age and 3) Ed and Greed constantly talk shit about him but in the same Weirdly Fond way so he must be an alright guy?

And then Greed hands over control to him for an hour or something and they're like. Oh Fuck this kid is a Freak with a capital F. He's chipper and silly as hell and he antagonizes Ed like a normal annoying 16 yr old but then another country is mentioned and he has in-depth knowledge of their culture and he can also speak the language fluently??? Then later he's talking to Ed about Someone and they're like, "'Lan Fan', is that your friend?" and he cheerfully responds "Oh she's my vassal, she cut her arm off for me so I'm really worried about her ahaha"

[inhuman-obey-me]

Human Nature

Word Count: 1330 Description: A sudden discussion about how humans blame demons for all their problems comes up one evening in the House of Lamentation. Turns out, demons don't like to be blamed for human nature. Characters, etc: Satan, Mammon, Leviathan, Asmodeus, MC -- with a little Asmo/MC at the end can be found on ao3 here

“What is it with you humans?” 

You look up from your D.D.D. with a quirked brow, turning to Satan who seems to be wearing an expression of exasperation – at least, from what you can see while his nose is buried between pages of whatever it is he’s reading.  

“What are you talking about?” 

The demon slowly lowers the novel, now looking rather sheepish. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean that in relation to you, it’s just,” He gestures to the viridian book in his grasp, “I get so tired of reading stories where humans blame demons for all of their problems.” 

“Oh, don’t get me started!” Mammon butts in, still laying upside-down on one of the other sofas in the common room as he scrolls mindlessly through Akuzon on his phone, sunglasses nearly falling off his head to the floor. “Forget just humans in stories, they do that shit all the time in real-life, too!” 

“Mammon, you probably have caused plenty of problems for humans.” Leviathan doesn’t even look up from his game, his fingers furiously pressing and pushing buttons with a loud click-clack-click that’s slightly maddening. 

“And ya haven’t?!” The second-born nearly tosses his phone as he twists to point an accusing finger at the other. “As if ya don’t get all smug about your name bein’ all over the damn place!” 

“H-Hey, it’s not my fault people are into sea monsters – oh come on!” The melody for GAME OVER. “B-but even with a good-for-nothing demon like me, humans like to create all kinds of stories and legends.” 

Shifting in your seat, you look around the room in amusement. “I mean, the stories had to come from somewhere, right? A sliver of truth in every lie, and all that.” 

“Sure, some of the stories have merit. Demons have influenced plenty of people, us included.” Satan shakes his head, placing the book to the side as he straightens up in his seat. “But there are humans who think any and all terrible things done by their own kind are somehow our fault.” 

“Right, like I’m not responsible for every greedy human who screws others over.” Mammon shoots the third-born a glare to stop him from interrupting. “But then ya got some humans going on about bein’ influenced by the devil, or demonic possession.”

“Aww, I haven’t done a possession in so long!” Asmodeus enters the room with a rather woeful expression, dropping a shopping bag onto a table before twirling around, a gleeful grin replacing his pout. “Now, what fascinating discussion are we all having here, hm?” 

“About how some humans blame demons for everything bad that happens.” You answer, resting a hand in your chin as you look at the Avatar of Lust with curiosity. “What are your feelings on that, Asmo?” 

“My feelings?” He places a hand on his chest, fingers splayed over his heart as a shadow of ire falls on his features. “Ugh, I’d say that humans are totally full of themselves!” 

“That’s rich coming from you, Asmo.” Satan rolls his eyes, earning an offended gasp from the fifth-born.

“But it’s natural for me, I mean who wouldn’t be if they had a chance to be me?” Asmodeus perches on the armrest of one of the sofas, one leg crossed over the other. “It’s true, though. I mean, I love playing games with some humans and all, but so much of that is in the past!” 

“Asmo, you still try to pull things all the time.” Leviathan huffs, ignoring his younger brother’s sharp look. “You probably aren’t helping.” 

“Excuse me, I don’t want to hear that from you, Levi. You’re the one who summons Lotan at the drop of a hat!” Asmodeus waves off the other’s protest, turning to look at you – you, who have just been sitting back and enjoying the conversation unfolding. “Us demons like to feed off all the negative energy that humans can produce, but that’s the thing – a lot of it comes from humans themselves!” 

Satan hums in agreement, also fixing his gaze on you now. “For example, we all in this room can sense if you’re feeling a really strong urge in our particular sin and even contribute to it, but we’re the Avatars, and we have pacts. Your average demon out there can tempt all they want, but temptation works best on humans that already have a proclivity to the sin or act in question.” 

“And a lot of the lil’ guys you see here, those real low-level demons? They’re manifestations of humans’ sins and negative energy. Meanin’ humans technically made ‘em!” Mammon is sitting up now, adjusting the sunglasses on his head as he leans on one knee. “So really, humans are to blame for those annoyin’ pests.” 

“I’m not arguing that.” You nod, remembering learning some of this in classes at RAD. “Well, I’m not really arguing anything, but I didn’t realize you all felt so strongly about this.” 

“Don’t get us wrong, we’re used to it. I mean, we’re demons, we have a reputation for a reason.” Leviathan shrugs, his focus going back to his console. “It’s more like a pet peeve.” 

“Just like how humans think angels are all innocent and good.” Satan’s words get a round of snickers from the room. “If a human really wants to blame everything bad on us, so be it. But then they only have themselves to blame if we lean into it.” 

It’s then that you remember hearing a story about Satan – a time where some human parents got angry and accused him of scaring their child, even though all he had done was return the child’s smile with his own. He ended up traumatizing the humans with his own anger, having them crying and begging on the floor for forgiveness, much to his delight. 

You wonder, had those humans even believed in demons before then? 

What of your own wrath? Your envy? Your greed? All of those feelings existed in you long before you came to the Devildom, and there were plenty of times you acted on them both then and now. Has it gotten worse since you’ve been here? It was hard to tell, though you did know the brothers’ got rather pleased when you did find yourself having a burst of pride, of desire. Who was feeding off of who? 

“I guess,” you muse aloud, “we’re all connected a lot more than we realize.”  

“That’s one way of putting it,” Satan hummed. “We just like to give humans a little push, now and then. Give them a taste of freedom, of what they want. After that, it’s really up to them what they do. If they choose the path that benefits us, well, we can’t complain.”

“Oh, what humans will do to get what they desire!” Asmodeus dramatically leans off of his perch, putting an arm around your shoulder. He gives you a rather mischievous look, lips curled into a smirk as he turns your chin towards him. “So, tell me, hon – can I tempt you into anything tonight?” 

“Get your damn claws off them, Asmo!” Before you can answer, Mammon is already up on his feet and growling at the sight. “You really think you can pull that with all of us here?” 

“Y-yeah, you can’t even charm them!” Leviathan voices his envy. “PDA Police!! Stop touching them!”

As the room erupts into familiar and frustrating arguments, you can’t help but feel some mischief swell in your chest – so you raise your voice. 

“Why, yes, Asmo. You can tempt me to something tonight. Shall we?”

The brothers fall silent, even Asmodeus staring at you for a moment before his lips split into a fanged grin. “We most certainly shall!” 

With a laugh, you find yourself running out of the room hand-in-hand with Asmodeus while the other three yell behind you. 

“You little devil,” Asmodeus snickers as he pulls you along, throwing a glance your way. 

With a grin, you respond: 

“I’m only human.”

[nightmarish-fallen-angel]

I just watched a news video about new guidelines regarding pain with IUD insertions.

The entire video framed this as a "women's rights" or "women's healthcare" video.

I am a trans nonbinary guy who had an IUD insertion. Using gendered language regarding reproductive rights and healthcare is so frustrating because I need these health guidelines and laws to apply to me too. And the more people stay in the habit of framing it as a "women's issue" the more likely I am to get denied the care I need.

Trans, nonbinary, and intersex people deserve to have a voice in these things as well. We deserve to have gender neutral language surrounding the procedures we might undergo at the very least.

I want the health codes and guidelines that may be written to protect me and my trans siblings if they pursue this kind of birth control or any other reproductive healthcare.

[docholligay]

"It's not hard to be kind to people."

No. Sometimes, it really is. Sometimes people are annoying or difficult or or fucking helpless. Sometimes I'm tired or overstimulated or just prickly in the way I occasionally get.

This does not lessen the value of being kind, it intensifies it. Things are worth doing even and especially when they are difficult. To be patient, to be friendly, to be forgiving of the failures of others, this is the endurance that builds a better world. Sucks sometimes! All things worth doing, do.

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

Can we all just take a moment to think of what it must of meant to alternate universe Marinette to read her diary and her life, except it’s different.

Her life, except she has friends she spends time with and has fun with. Her life, except she has parents who love her and support her. Her life, except she has a partner who is always there for her. Her life, except she has a support system, she has people, she has love and strength from others to support her.

Her life, except it’s not.

And no amount of wishing, or magic, or power with make it hers.

[canisalbus]

About the accents: if someone has a very "proper" Italian they are either foreigners or politicians/dignitaries/etc. So that fits perfectly for Machete, but I think it would be so funny if he sometimes slipped up and used a Nepalese word bc he forgot one in "proper" Italian lol

(Funny to me cause Naples has its own language in addition to accent, and most people don't actually know those words)

.

[shy-forceghost]

One thing that I love about the bar conversation scene and Bea's "I did not say that!" about being royalty is that it implies that by that point Ava and Beatrice have already had a more detailed conversation about Bea's uppriggning. Not only that, but that it was such a lighthearted conversation so that Ava can freely mention it during a moment when they are both having fun and not worry about Bea's mood changing.

No heavy feelings, no fear of breaking the joy bubble. Just another anecdote to laugh about.

[decarbry]

Kurogiri and Yabureme are Shigaraki’s caretakers with their own separate purposes but at the same time they end up like siblings that Shigaraki needs to mediate. “tomura he’s TOUCHING ME” “Kurogiri, there’s literally two inches between you and his finger. stop it.” “no he was just touching me and stopped when you were looking he’s doing this on purpose”

......this was supposed to be a funny comic but instead it’s just sad

[rainintheevening]

"Telmarines? In Narnia?"

----

"We fought the Telmarines before, you know."

Caspian blinked at the girl (though she seemed more woman than girl, he guessed her to be close to his age) sitting beside him.

"When do you mean? Before when?"

Queen Susan pursed her lips, glanced at him sideways, before staring back into the flames. Their light danced over her face, warm orange flickers reflected in her eyes.

"It was... in the sixth year of our reign. In the fall of the year, when they appeared in the Western Woods, coming over the far Western mountains, the trees said."

Caspian couldn't suppress a little flinch at the mention of the trees.

Queen Susan must have noticed, because she smiled a little. "Why do you think your people fear the woods so much? It was the dryads and hamadryads that went to war for us then. Who saved Ed–"

She stopped too suddenly to be natural, and Caspian leaned forward, curiosity piqued. "I do not know this part of my history," he said quietly, felt a little niggle of shame. He was very aware of her use of 'your people'.

"But you fear the woods," and her smile was sad.

"We burned them." The words came before Caspian could think them over. "We burned the woods to beat them back. There is a nursery rhyme my aunt taught me, about the smoke, and the fire of the Telmarines."

He stopped, horror struck, shame wrapping round his throat, and the queen's glance burned him, even as tears filled her eyes.

"Leave me. Please." Gentle, even in grief.

Caspian opened his mouth, gripped by remorse, but when she turned her face still further away, he thought better of it. For what apology could he offer to remedy the sins of his millenia-dead ancestors?

He rose, bowed, turned away, miserable with the weight of it all.

Across the large, low underground room, he caught the eye of a dark-haired young man who had just entered, a piercing glance, before King Edmund was looking past him, waving a hand at someone else.

It was the trees that saved Ed, Queen Susan had said, and Caspian shivered suddenly, even in that close air.

Saved him from what? Or more correctly whom?

----

Keep reading

[thespineoftherighteous]

if Andrew ever learns about the Marissa hitting on Neil situation from that one night, I want it to have been Aaron who told him. in a therapy session, in the car, idc, idc about the circumstances. and given the way in which he knows Neil, it's intriguing af to Andrew, so he really can't help but pry carelessly for details and it turns into one of the lighter, more effortless conversations they've ever had in a way that's satisfying to them both

[emziess]

And I couldn't do it. Alex Rider, S03E07

[enka11]

big man big fan