#for all of your post-homeland homeland-related needs

[decolonize-the-left]

This is not a drill

This is IMPORTANT especially if you live in the USA or use the internet REGULATED by the USA!!!!

Do not scroll. Signal boost. Reblog.

Reblog WITHOUT reading if you really can't right now, I promise all the links and proof are here. People NEED to know this.

( I tried to make this accessible but you can't cater to EVERYONE so please just try your best to get through this or do your own research 🙏)

TLDR: Homeland Security has been tying our social media to our IPs, licenses, posts, emails, selfies, cloud, apps, location, etc through our phones without a warrant using Babel X and will hold that information gathered for 75 years. Certain aspects of it were hushed because law enforcement will/does/has used it and it would give away confidential information about ongoing operations.

This gets renewed in September.

Between this, Agincourt (a VR simulator for cops Directly related to this project), cop city, and widespread demonization of abortions, sex workers, & queer people mixed with qanon/Trumpism, and fascism in Florida, and the return of child labor, & removed abortion rights fresh on our tails it's time for alarms to be raised and it's time for everyone to stop calling us paranoid and start showing up to protest and mutual aid groups.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

These are the same feds who want to build cop city and recreate civilian houses en masse and use facial recognition. The same feds that want cop city to also be a training ground for police across the country. Cop city where they will build civilian neighborhoods to train in.

Widespread mass surveillance against us.

Now let's cut to some parts of the article. May 17th from Vice:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is using an invasive, AI-powered monitoring tool to screen travelers, including U.S. citizens, refugees, and people seeking asylum, which can in some cases link their social media posts to their Social Security number and location data, according to an internal CBP document obtained by Motherboard.

Called Babel X, the system lets a user input a piece of information about a target—their name, email address, or telephone number—and receive a bevy of data in return, according to the document. Results can include their social media posts, linked IP address, employment history, and unique advertising identifiers associated with their mobile phone. The monitoring can apply to U.S. persons, including citizens and permanent residents, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, according to the document.

“Babel data will be used/captured/stored in support of CBP targeting, vetting, operations and analysis,” the document reads. Babel X will be used to “identify potential derogatory and confirmatory information” associated with travelers, persons of interest, and “persons seeking benefits.” The document then says results from Babel X will be stored in other CBP operated systems for 75 years.

"The U.S. government’s ever-expanding social media dragnet is certain to chill people from engaging in protected speech and association online. And CBP’s use of this social media surveillance technology is especially concerning in connection with existing rules requiring millions of visa applicants each year to register their social media handles with the government. As we’ve argued in a related lawsuit, the government simply has no legitimate interest in collecting and retaining such sensitive information on this immense scale,” Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, told Motherboard in an email.

The full list of information that Babel X may provide to CBP analysts is a target’s name, date of birth, address, usernames, email address, phone number, social media content, images, IP address, Social Security number, driver’s license number, employment history, and location data based on geolocation tags in public posts.

Bennett Cyphers, a special advisor to activist

organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Motherboard in an online chat “the data isn’t limited to public posts made under someone’s real name on Facebook or Twitter.”

The document says CBP also has access to AdID information through an add-on called Locate X, which includes smartphone location data. AdID information is data such as a device’s unique advertising ID, which can act as an useful identifier for tracking a phone and, by extension, a person’s movements. Babel Street obtains location information from a long supply chain of data. Ordinary apps installed on peoples’ smartphones provide data to a company called Gravy Analytics, which repackages that location data and sells it to law enforcement agencies via its related company Venntel. But Babel Street also repackages Venntel’s data for its own Locate X product."

The PTA obtained by Motherboard says that Locate X is covered by a separate “commercial telemetry” PTA. CBP denied Motherboard’s FOIA request for a copy of this document, claiming it “would disclose techniques and/or procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions”.

A former Babel Street employee previously told Motherboard how users of Locate X can draw a shape on a map known as a geofence, see all devices Babel Street has data on for that location, and then follow a specific device to see where else it has been.

Cyphers from the EFF added “most of the people whose location data is collected in this way likely have no idea it’s happening.”

CBP has been purchasing access to location data without a warrant, a practice that critics say violates the Fourth Amendment. Under a ruling from the Supreme Court, law enforcement agencies need court approval before accessing location data generated by a cell phone tower; those critics believe this applies to location data generated by smartphone apps too.

“Homeland Security needs to come clean to the American people about how it believes it can legally purchase and use U.S. location data without any kind of court order. Americans' privacy shouldn't depend on whether the government uses a court order or credit card,” Senator Ron Wyden told Motherboard in a statement. “DHS should stop violating Americans' rights, and Congress should pass my bipartisan legislation to prohibit the government's purchase of Americans' data." CBP has refused to tell Congress what legal authority it is following when using commercially bought smartphone location data to track Americans without a warrant.

Neither CBP or Babel Street responded to a request for comment. Motherboard visited the Babel X section of Babel Street’s website on Tuesday. On Wednesday before publication, that product page was replaced with a message that said “page not found.”

Do you know anything else about how Babel X is being used by government or private clients? Do you work for Babel Street? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.

Wow that sounds bad right.

Be a shame if it got worse.

.

.

It does.

The software (previously Agincourt Solutions) is sold by AI data company Babel Street, was led by Jeffrey Chapman, a former Treasury Department official,, Navy retiree & Earlier in his career a White House aide and intelligence officer at the Department of Defense, according to LinkedIn.

🙃

So what's Agincourt Solutions then right now?

SO FUCKING SUS IN RELATION TO THIS, THATS WHAT

In essence, synthetic BATTLEVR training is a mixture of all three realities – virtual, augmented and physical. It is flexible enough to allow for mission rehearsals of most types and be intuitive enough to make training effective.

Anyway the new CEO of Babel Street (Babel X) as of April is a guy named Michael Southworth and I couldn't find much more on him than that tbh, it's all very vague and missing. That's the most detail I've seen on him.

And the detail says he has a history of tech startups that scanned paperwork and sent it elsewhere, good with numbers, and has a lot of knowledge about cell networks probably.

Every inch more of this I learn as I continue to Google the names and companies popping up... It gets worse.

Monitor phone use. Quit photobombing and filming strangers and for the love of fucking God quit sending apps photos of your actual legal ID to prove your age. Just don't use that site, you'll be fine I swear. And quit posting your private info online. For activists/leftists NO personally identifiable info at least AND DEFINITELY leave your phone at home to Work™!!!

[venus-haze]

You're My Best Friend (Homelander x Reader)

Summary: Homelander was a test tube baby, raised in isolation in a cold, clinical lab. But that doesn’t inspire America, does it? Vought tasks you with creating the idyllic backstory for its hero, and what starts as a limited comic run spirals out of control when Homelander himself demands your help in making the story a reality.

Note: Gender neutral reader, but no other descriptors are used. Based on a request by @crash-and-cure as well as a bastardization of one of the sweetest love songs ever written (sorry, John Deacon!) This got kinda meta? Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 2k

Warnings: Emotional manipulation, I guess some gaslighting on Homelander’s part? Do not interact if you’re under 18.

When Vought hired you to create their long-awaited Homelander origin comic series, you were thrilled—until they gave you so little information about his childhood to work with, you weren’t even sure you could come up with one comic, let alone the ten they requested. The details about his childhood were minimal, not even a full printed page—a loving mom and dad, played baseball, did well in school, strong sense of justice from a young age, his friends called him “Johnny.” Your requests to meet with Homelander so you could get some stories from the man himself were constantly denied.

You almost considered dropping the project, until you decided to throw caution to the wind and pull from your own childhood and set it in good ol’ generic suburbia. Some of the storylines were based on your own experiences or things that had happened to people you’d grown up with, though you changed enough names and details to not link it to anyone in particular. Except yourself, of course. Using a pseudonym professionally meant you felt no need to change your own name in the comics. Sure, making your cooler fictionalized self Homelander’s childhood best friend was a bit self-indulgent, but no one would know, really.

To your relief, the editors at Vought loved your ideas, making minor changes before bringing the storylines to their comic artists to bring it to life. The result was Finding Homelander: A Boy’s Journey To Be a Hero. The issues flew off shelves when they were first released, ironically praised for their relatability and authenticity. Vought extended your contract, asking you to produce the cartoon adaptation and another ten issues.

Still, in all of that, you’d never met Homelander. A representative from Vought emailed you to let you know to tune in to his interview on a talk show one day, saying that he’d be talking more about the cartoon project on it. You recognized the host, Tracey, always chipper and having some extravagant giveaway for her audience members. Daytime TV was never your thing, though.

“I think what resonates with so many people is how relatable your childhood is,” Tracey said, holding up a copy of Finding Homelander issue #3, where he saved ‘you’ from getting hit in the face with a baseball at one of his games, catching it with ease. It’d been the happy ending to a short storyline of him struggling to find his place on the team and you encouraging him to not give up. “You and Y/N were pretty close, do you still keep in touch?”

“You know, Tracey, not as much as I’d like, unfortunately. Adulthood can be so busy, you need to cherish those childhood memories,” Homelander said. “I did give them a call when the comics first came out, and wow, the laughs we had over those old antics of ours. Talk about a walk down memory lane!”

You guessed the bullshitting was all part of the promotional circuit for Homelander. Knowing this childhood of his was your own fabrication, you couldn’t help but wonder what else about him was fake. Maybe he wanted to maintain his privacy, you could certainly understand that. You couldn’t shake the voice in the back of your mind that said it wasn’t so simple, that the narrative Vought pushed was a cover to hide something in Homelander’s past.

“Now, I’ve heard rumors of a cartoon show based on the comics in the making, is this true?”

“It is! I’m excited for this project, getting back to my ‘roots’ so to speak. I’ll be voicing myself, of course, but it’s funny you’d bring up Y/N, because they’ve agreed to voice themself, too.”

“How fun!” Tracey exclaimed over the roar of the talk show crowd’s applause and cheers. “I guess this is the hopeless romantic in me, but I hope this reconnection leads to something a little more. I’m just a sucker for childhood sweethearts!” 

Homelander laughed along with the host’s giggles, “Well, you never know.”

You balked at the television, mouth agape. Surely he couldn’t be talking about you. ‘Y/N’ could be anyone with your same features. Vought had probably hired a professional voice actor for the role and were pushing the authenticity angle. The whole situation felt odd. 

When you checked your work email again on your phone, you nearly dropped it on the floor. 

SUBJECT: Meeting with Homelander This Week

The email contained a list of days and times throughout the week wherein Homelander would be free, apparently wanting to meet you to thank you for the success of the comic series and discuss upcoming work. Yeah. That last part you sure as hell wanted to discuss too. You responded with the soonest time available, in a meeting room in Vought Tower the following evening. As soon as you hit ‘send’, you wondered what exactly you were getting yourself into.

Anticipation filled your gut as you went about your day leading up to meeting the supe himself. What would he be like, really be like? Was there even a version of Homelander that wasn’t hopelessly manufactured for the masses? You knew then that his upbringing was a lie, and thus stood the probability that so much else was, too. 

When you stepped into that meeting room, you hadn’t been expecting his face to light up at the sight of you. 

“Homelander, hi, it’s great to—“

“No need to be so formal, Y/N! You can call me Johnny, just like old times,” he said cheerfully, in on a joke you clearly hadn’t been aware of.

“Sorry, Johnny,” you said, playing along. “It’s great to see you again.”

He pulled you in for an unexpected hug that you returned. “Figured we should catch up before things really start getting crazy, don’t you think?”

You nodded, your nose brushing against him as you did so. Just as your lips parted to offer an apology, he smiled, shooing away the assistant who’d accompanied him out of the room. 

He sat down, motioning for you to do the same.

“Gotta say, I’m a fan of your work,” he said.

“Thank you,” you said. “I’m not sure I understand exactly what’s going on, though.”

“What’s there to understand? I’m not allowed to know more about my best friend, our lives together growing up?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Wasn’t hard for me to put two and two together, but considering everyone else around here has their head up their asses, they have no idea,” he said, before lowering his voice conspiratorially and giving you a charming smile. “I haven’t told anyone. What’s a secret between friends?”

You nodded, overwhelmed by the intensity of his attention on you. “What do you want to know?”

He sighed, resting his head on his hand. “Everything.”

So you told him. Not quite everything, of course, but enough to abate his curiosity. At least for the time being. His interviews were sharper, more specific with details rather than rattling off whatever had been in the comics. You watched in shock as convincing photos of his Little League days were posted to his social media accounts, anecdotes provided by his increasingly frequent conversations–or more like interrogation sessions–with you, but in his style, of course. It was almost scary what the graphic design team at Vought could accomplish, not that you’d ever know how, exactly, as they were all under the same strict NDA that you were.

He started spending more time with you, too, and after a while, it did seem like you were old friends. Part of you flinched whenever you called him Johnny, because Johnny wasn’t even real, but with your complacency, this fabrication was slowly morphing into a strikingly tangible memory. With each conversation, he drew you deeper into the world you’d been paid to create for him until you found yourself slipping up.

You’d been showing him a goofy stuffed monkey on your desk, a cute little thing with big sparkling eyes. A prize for getting two out of three at the ring toss. Probably spent more money winning it than it was actually worth, but it was about the effort, the memories made.

“You remember, don’t you? You won it for me at the county fair,” you said without thinking.

He laughed in agreement, as if he actually had. Except he hadn’t. Your high school boyfriend won it for you a week before graduation. Sensing the mood shift, he set down your prize and looked at you with the same intensity he had when you first met.

“It’s been a while since we were there, huh?” he said. “Why don’t we go back?”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Go where?”

“Home.”

With a strong arm around your waist, he took off for your hometown. You could hardly tell which way was up or down, he was flying so high, but he didn’t seem to mind the way you clung to him at all. When he finally landed, you recognized the community baseball field where all of his fictional games were set. 

“Geez, it’s like nothing’s changed,” he said cheerfully.

You looked at him in disbelief. How long was he going to expect you to go along with it? Or maybe the question you should have been asking was, how long were you going to enable him? The end wasn’t anywhere in sight as he took your hand, and you walked him through your childhood, further enmeshing him in it until you arrived at the house you grew up in. 

The middle of the day, no one was home, and so you let yourselves in like you owned the place. Suddenly, the house seemed too small for a man like Homelander to occupy, but he was engrossed in the details of it. He scanned the kitchen, no doubt inspecting the contents of the fridge and cabinets with his x-ray vision. Moving onto the living room, he stared at photos on the wall, the magazines and DVDs that were strewn on the coffee table, giving away your parents’ taste in entertainment.

“Which one was your room again?” he asked.

You swore you could feel his breath on the back of your neck as you wordlessly led him to your room. Each step down the hall felt dangerous, as if you were about to walk into a trap. Face-to-face with the closed door, you opened it, standing aside while Homelander looked around, from what you had hanging on the walls to the knick-knacks you’d left behind.

An uncomfortable tension settled over the room when Homelander closed the door of your childhood bedroom. An odd blend of hurt and amusement spread across his face as he observed the way you were eyeing him, body ready to fruitlessly run from him the way a rabbit would a hawk.

“C’mon, after how long we’ve been friends, I would never hurt you,” he said, as if reading your mind. “We’ve been through so much together. I mean, we were each other’s first kiss.”

You froze. Issue #9. That was something Vought’s editors had added, claiming a romance angle would make the series appeal to the younger female demographic. You hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

He slyly backed you into the wall, leaning over you as you slinked down the slightest bit.

“Show me how we did it,” he whispered, his hand caressing your cheek. “So clumsy and nervous, I can even feel you…quivering.”

“Homelander, I don’t know what you’re—“

He tsked. “Y/N.”

You let out a shaky breath, “Johnny—“

He hummed in satisfaction. “It’s alright. I know it’s been a while.”

You let him kiss you, sweetly in a way that put your actual first kiss to shame. His lips were soft against yours, his tender movements intentional as he cradled your face, pulling you the slightest bit closer to him when you kissed him back. 

A sense of familiarity settled over you, warm and comforting like pulling a blanket out of the dryer on a chilly evening. Every time it seemed like you were beginning to overthink the situation with Homelander, he drew you back in with the kiss, a more than effective distraction until you pulled away with a dazed smile on your face.

[homeb0ys]

So, last night Antony Starr shared this on his IG story:

What does this mean? It’s anyone’s guess. Given what he’s shared to his stories recently, I think he’s been going through a really tough time lately. And the whole Mortal Kombat mess didn’t exactly help.

To clarify: Antony made a post on Saturday sharing pictures of him with his dogs. A fan commented asking if he would be voicing Homelander in MK1, to which he simply replied “nope.”

Of course, it’s now all over twitter with tons of news articles about it much to the anger and disappointment of fans. Not only that, but tweeting him directly about it.

I’m not saying this post to his story is in relation to the MK thing, but it does go to show that fans can be the best and worst part of a fandom. There’s still time where he could be brought in to do the voice work, the strikes are now over and the Homelander DLC doesn’t drop till March. We also don’t know the circumstances. He might not even have been asked to do the voice. We simply don’t know, but attacking Antony directly won’t achieve anything. He could also be under a NDA.

There’s now concern over his story post as it just reads like he’s at his wits end with the world, everyone and everything, and I truly don’t blame him. Aren’t we all?

Please, please, please take this as a reminder to be respectful towards actors. We don’t know them and they don’t know us. They aren’t our friends, they don’t owe us anything. And even if it seems like they’re living the good life with fame and fortune, they’re still human just like us. Attacking actors because we don’t get our way does NOT help.

And as an added reminder: Antony wasn’t paid for his Gen V Cameo. He attended set and filmed on his days off. He did it for the fans, as did Karl Urban.

Now again, to clarify: I’m not saying it’s because of fans that Antony made this story post. My point is that attacking him with question after question as to why he isn’t “giving us what we want”, isn’t helping.

I truly hope he’ll be okay and has folk around him to support him. But it sounds like the poor guy just needs his space, and we need to respect and give him that.

To anyone else feeling this way, sending tons of love and hugs your way. Please know you aren’t alone, and if you need to talk to someone, I’m here. As is my Homelander ( @hom3land3r ). While I am in no way a professional, I can absolutely lend an ear. And if Homelander gives you comfort, he’ll also be there for those that need it.

Love you guys.

Be kind. 🫂💙

[canonsinthehead]

A Naruto Headcanon - The Culinary History of the Ninja World.

i'm back and not so bare with me. this headcanons is related to a story telling how chouji and karui's marriage went down. ill post it eventually.

EACH COUNTRY’S CULINARY HISTORY

Konohagakure (Country of Fire) Konohagakure aka the land of the free. Many things make up the uniqueness of the cuisine of the country of fire. First, they are the king of importation, so their diet is really diverse and touched all sectors evenly. They grow all kind of vegetables to meet the need of its residents. While there are not has much native plants from the area in their current diet contrary to other villages like Suna and Kiri.

Konoha being built on a vast forest, their main fruit consumption comes from small fruit trees and fruit trees like apples, pears, and pomegranate. Anything that grows on a tree is often easily available since it takes its roots in Konoha’s founder Hashirama Senju.

The country are the main producer and consumer of eggs and meat especially pork (which they export all over the ninja world) this where you get the whole BBQ concept and omelets. Another downfall of the cuisine from Konoha is the heavy presence of processed goods in everyday cooking preparation. The current culture is far more removed from its traditional cooking methods. Referred to as the Senju Diet is almost getting lost and seen has a flower from the past. Many (often older individuals) resist the hard change that came trough time and tries to uphold the consumption of the way ninjas ate in the past.

Lotus Root is a staple of the Senju Diet

Even Naruto can testify to this and noticed how it hard for him maintain the same diet as when he was a child (aside eating ramen), the way fast foods chains have almost came out of nowhere and took over the market deeply concerns him (especially how its taking hold of this younger generation). The deliberate effort towards modernization and proving the country is the first in everything, can reach everything, can eat everything, can win against anyone basically walking like they are the goat of the ninja world has affected negatively old traditions in subtle ways and in other more obvious ways. Like how the Konoha can keep escape the threat of famine by stealing other nations resources.

At the same time, the combination of different culinary practice gave birth to various more dishes with various diverse ingredients and interesting like Takoyaki, okonomiyaki & dango

Like mentioned before, industrialization gave birth to many processed who are a staple in those dishes. products who are often only found in the country of fire like fish cakes & narutomaki. The land of fire is the soup & noodles master, it’s like their national food for being convenient and versatile with they make the infamous ramen but other dishes like stir-frys Yes, it a generous filling cuisine to overflow your stomach

Classic/Staple Konoha Meal=Shoyu Miso/Pork Ramen with Narutomaki, Apple Salad, Dango, Sushi, Takoyaki, pickled radish, Beef BBQ

Sunagakure (Country of Wind) The cuisine from Suna is unique. Not only emerging from a desertic land, but it was also able to survive the test of time and stay true to its original roots. Based on the high temperatures and sandy soil of the land of wind, the residents have access to interesting crops who cannot be found elsewhere in the ninja world. Suna is the homeland of dates, they are the main intake of sugar in its diet. They are used in countless recipes like sweet & pastries. they are used to sweetened teas since tea drinking is a big thing. Offering tea is a tradition when receiving guests and tea was used by nomads who made long trip in the desert in order to stay hydrated.

In Sunagakure, they go hard on sweets. Especially dates since the are the only producer of them. They have countless of pastries, candies and date-bases recipes because it was once use as a method of survival in the long windy season in the desert or to have the sugar necessary to be transformed in a energy source to endure long trip in the desert. They are a national pride since most nuts in the ninja world grows in the country of wind; almonds, pistachios, walnuts, etc. they also showcase delicate and unique culinary practices when it comes to pastries who set Suna apart from other nations. It is the only place to find citrus, olive & argan trees used to make oils mostly made for exportation & their lucrative citrus production industry.

Their eating style is different since it is not uncommon to eat with your hands. For a long time, families were large so the habit of having a large plate to share with many emerge from that condition

Due to frequent drought, the country of wind has specialized themselves in the production of survival crops like grains like millet, sorghum & wheat who are also a staple in the cuisine of Suna. they most of the time milled to make flour to produce various types of bread crepe and flat breads (also see as more convenient since they don’t require yeast to be cooked). Alongside that, the consumption of legumes like lentils and different kinds of beans is the main source of protein and prized as all around superfood. They are cooked in paste and stew often eaten with bread.

Staple/Classic Suna Meal=Large plate of various pastes/creamy sauces made of beans & lentils, grilled eggplant, hummus, flat bread, millet crepe, spinach, citrus tea,

Kirigakure (Country of Water) The main meal is Kiri is grilled fish.

Unfortunately, Kirigakure has the reputation of eating ANYTHING that swims, crawls, run or fly in the ocean. First and firmly base on their location and how the practice of fishing is part of so many residents lives.

Also, it comes from the lack of access to goods from importation of other nations. For very long time, Kiri and the surrounded regions were left on their own when a bad harvest happened, or if the climate hindered the quantity of fish collected. In those cases, the villager learned to make anything of every single thing they found (in the ocean). Due to their different economical system (mostly based on exchange of goods), it took a long time for Kiri to join the market of importation and exportation. Now they are the main exporter of seafood of various types and fish (a staple in their diet). The land of fire became the main consumers of seafood above the country of water itself. The never-ending high demand for sea product (including fish) has opened the door for illegal activity to create non-approved fish farms and illegal fishing. The country of wind is guilty, while having no access to water yet desiring sea products (which is recent because they try to follow after the country of fire and the whole globalization narrative).The Country of Fire being the biggest culprit due to their insatiable desire to reach all and taste all (even without permission).

Their known cultural theft has implication in the problem since a traditional dish named サメの目 (Same no Me written Samenome meaning Shark Eyes) which consist of thin layers of fish rolled and stuffed with black wild rice and bitter herbs (it is name like this since it resemble the pupils of sharks) was ‘’discovered’’ by ninja scientist from Konohagakure during early invasion of the country of water by various bigger nations for natural resources in this case being clay who was abundant along any body of water (used to make pots and tolls before the emergence of various metals) also to take control and harvest the almost infinite amount of fresh water. The devastation of natural habitat and the disruption of the ecosystem cause a destruction that couldn’t be healed instead it changed the nature of the environment. Since then, most bodies of water in the land of water turned into seawater, the once flourishing pastures of green leafy galore died and the remaining surviving plants gave birth to what we know today as bitter herbs (ex: dandelion, wormwood, chamomille, peppermint, etc) and they are a staeple in the cuisine of Kiri, for some their main intake of green plants. They are also valued for their medicinal values (you know them plants Haku was collecting in the woods)

Learn more about bitter herbs here: https://dirthappy.com/bitter-herbs/

(Going back to what we were talking about)The discovery of Samenome was then taken back to the country of fire and after being merged and modified with the local crops and different culinary practices became what we know today as sushi; the captain of Konoha’s cuisine along side with Ramen. The seaweed paper also originally comes from Kiri, they were not used as food but fertilizers for growing crops. The practice of harvesting seaweed became popular in the southern part of the country of fire after the nori seaweed was discovered in its waters. Meanwhile they still import wakame from the country of water since it’s a staple for various soups and side dishes.

In The Country of Water, they consumed more the wild varieties of different crops like wild black rice, quinoa & amaranth as a main source of carbs.

In Kiri, they seasoned everything with pepper, everything; rice, bitter herbs, fish & seafood, grains. Some regions of the country of water house the spiciest pepper you can find in the warm months of the summer and the most frost resistant cabbages during the cold months. Now, they import a lot of pepper product from The country of lightning during the most of the year. Most of the seasoning is onion-based but the access to salt from the waters allowed the spectrum of seasoning to widen but also utilize is in order to ferment or pickle foods for the winter making pickled goods a staple in the cuisine of Kiri even for pickled fish.

Staple/Classic Kiri meal= Grilled fish, Samenome, spicy pickled cabbage, amaranth crepe of fritters, bitter herbs, pepper sauce

Kumogakure (Country of Lightning) The cuisine of Kumogakure is different than typical meals you would find in other nations. Like Suna the uniqueness reveals itself in their cuisine since its most popular dishes are made of ingredients that can only be found in the country of lightning. Cuisine of Kumogakure follows various principals making their reputation.

Beef is a luxury food. Due to its location, residents of the country of lightning were consuming other animals like sheep and goat who are abundant in rocky areas. The first wild buffalos were in fact imported from neighbor countries and are domesticated for food in small quantities because most green pasture (outside of main cities) are already occupied by sheeps. Many attempts were made to grow the bovine population but failed due to competition for food and access to grass.

Meat is more regarded as side dishes since their protein source mostly come from green vegetable and beans. Like in Suna, where legumes are praised for their high nutritional value but in the country of wind they eat lentils & chickpeas, meanwhile in Kumo they are eating kidney beans, black eyes peas and their infamous black beans. Each nation has a particular legume/bean/pulse they cherish in their cuisine. The Country of fire is house to all types of sprouts like of mung bean and edamame/soy beans. Interestingly, the practice of making tofu comes from Amegakure and has spread to neighboring nations. In Kiri, they eat beans in their original form, simple steamed and sometimes raw so they prefer yardlong beans and peas of different kinds.

· The land of lightning is famous for their abundance of herbs & spice. Hence why they weren’t as enthusiast to rush into meat consumption since they can make many vegetables taste amazing by seasoning it right. Plants like ginger, turmeric, various varieties of peppers, allspice, paprika, star anise & parsley are native to the area. the exception is garlic since it can be found abundantly across the ninja world.

· The cuisine of Kumo could be defined as quick and simple. Hence why they are numerous meals in bites sizes like fried dough (a popular street food), samoussa, meat/bean patties, dried sweet potatoes chips (chouji’s favorite). Unfortunately, frying/pan-frying is a prominent method of cooking so to balance the diet the preparation of vegetables filled stews and soups comes in the picture and they don’t eat foods like white rice. First, because it does not grow in the region at all, instead it’s the rare place where eating brown rice is thing and meals like fermented pureed yam are often use as a substitute for rice along many sauces and stews (after white rice became popular across the ninja world.). In Suna, they sticked to basmati rice and Kiri to black rice but white rice & sweet rice (hybridized in the country of fire) has always been one of the first food to be distributed is smaller nations in food crisis and for daily consumption because of how easily it is to massively produce and for their poorer nutritional value.

(ex: meat/beans patties, sweet potatoes chips, deep fried dough (bottom pic above) called ふわふわ/Fuwa Fuwa meaning Fluffy since the yeast used to make them creates a treat light and airy/fluffy like clouds & samoussa)

· SAUCE, SAUCE, SAUCE. Again, we said people from the Cloud love when it’s simple (hence why many dishes from Konoha like Takoyaki seems like an equation of calculus to them but those who could taste it enjoyed it actually). Its ‘’we dump all in the pot and let it cook’’ cooking style. If your meal doesn’t have a sauce of any kind, its not from Kumo. Many of them contained some form of peanut butter (a national pride food). The country of lightning is the biggest producer of peanuts and use it in various dishes

(exemples: peanut soup, fermented cassava pulp, cassava leave sauce, callaloo/amaranth soup, spinach peanut butter sauce )

· Did you know that Kumo’s peanut brittle’s distant cousin is the Nougat from Suna? It’s the Raikage’s favorite snack. Like the menu of the wedding feature the country most prized, popular, and fancy meals, most of them are the raikage’s favorites.

(from left to right, Nougat (from Suna) & Peanut Brittle also called 稲妻バー/Inazuma bars meaning Lightning Bars) because when you prepare them it is tradition to punch the plate in the middle to break it into smaller portions, it looks like the food got hit by lightning.

Many exotic tropical grows outside of big cities like mangos, pineapples & papayas making fruit the main sugar intake in the Kumo diet.

[notaplaceofhonour]

I am pro-Palestine, but I've been getting a little uncomfortable with some of the things that some people have been posting. I've been looking for more nuanced takes, that still support Palestinian liberation. I don't know if this is okay to ask, but I was wondering if you could take a look at a couple of instagram posts that I was unsure about, because they seemed a little biased. I'm asking because some people have been acting like condemning Hamas is bad, and I'm genuinely confused at this point. I live a relatively privileged life, so I have no answer to the people who say that we're not allowed to police how the oppressed fight back. Also, I'm really sorry if anything I said was offensive. I'm still learning, and your post was on an important starting point.

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy0sgSxtboS/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy9J8KLSuc8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

It’s good that you’re open to growing and learning! Ignorance is where we all start, and it takes time to take in new information.

If you ever hear someone tell you you’re “policing how oppressed people liberate themselves” by being appalled by mass-murder or atrocities, they’re being intellectually dishonest. This is a thought-terminating cliche that is both misrepresenting the situation you’re criticizing and what you’re saying, and being used to shut down any attempt to step back and think critically about the situation.

They’re using the language of social justice—appealing to surface-level aesthetic markers of progressivism—while disregarding the core of what makes social justice socially just.

Because social justice isn’t just about being “on the right side” of a fight, right? It’s about ensuring the freedom, dignity, and social well-being of everyone, not just “the right people”. That’s why the concept of equity exists. The framework of oppressor-oppressed/privilege/power dynamics certainly can be a helpful tool to understanding that, but the moment it’s weaponized to enable atrocities, mass-murder, & the denial of human rights, it ceases to support that goal—the entire point that framework exists. The framework of sorting entire populations of people into the categories of “the people you can’t criticize” vs “the people it’s fine to dehumanize” is one that is fundamentally opposed to social justice—in fact, it’s one of the steps of genocide.

Being oppressed is not a license to commit atrocities or shoot up schools or concerts or ethnically cleanse a town. Being mistreated doesn’t waive a person from responsibility for their actions, and no one needs to be equally oppressed to them in order to recognize when someone is doing something monstrous that must be stopped. You’re allowed to be appalled by atrocities or anything that dehumanizes anyone, and you’re allowed to fight against dehumanizing & mass-murdering anyone, no matter who’s doing it.

Having privilege—having power—often comes with blindspots, and it’s important to fill in the gaps of your experience with the experiences of people who don’t share your privilege, but that privilege doesn’t disqualify you from having a perspective, and caring about social justice for everyone, not just for some. In fact, privilege—power—comes with a responsibility to use it in favor of ensuring social justice is delivered for everyone—not just “the right group”. The whether because they live in an open-air prison or because someone broke into their house and executed their family in front of them.

As for the instagram posts:

The reel:

It’s a very whitewashed & over-simplistic presentation of Jewish-Arab relations in the Levant. Why exactly it’s wrong is difficult to fully cover without writing a novel’s-worth to debunk it, but essentially it pushes the myth that Palestine existed as an Arab homeland prior to the establishment of the modern state of Israel, and that the two countries would’ve been fine if Israel hadn’t gotten greedy & tried to take it all over.

In fact, the League of Nations created Mandatory Palestine in 1920 as a British territory out of land Britain got from the dissolved Ottoman Empire after WWI, which the Allies had made separate promises to both Jews & Arabs to give it to each of them as a homeland for their respective peoples. The twin movements for Arab & Jewish national independence (the latter of which is called Zionism) rose in the Levant around the same time. Arab-Jewish solidarity existed between some people in the movements, but there was also tension & fighting between other parts of the movements. The League of Nations drew up a partition plan in 1947 to give land to both Jews and Arabs, but that partition plan did not go through because the Jewish leadership accepted it and the Arab leadership did not. Negotiations fell apart, Israel declared its independence the next year (it was not created by the US or UK), and the Arab League invaded, creating the client state of All-Palestine. The Arab League tried to destroy Israel, and Israel won the war.

It’s true that Israel *did* seize more land than the 1947 partition would have allotted them, Israeli soldiers did commit atrocities during the war, and a lot of Arabs who refused Israeli citizenship were displaced to Gaza & the West Bank (it’s worth noting that Jews were also forced to flee from there to Israel in that time as well, but that doesn’t negate the horrors of the Nakba for Palestinians), which remained under the control of other Arab countries for a long time after.

I know less about the other Arab-Israeli wars, but I know Israel took more land during the Six Day War in 1967, displacing even more of the Arab population to what is now Palestine. The modern State of Palestine itself wasn’t created until 1988. Under Bibi Netanyahu & Likud, Israel has continued to move Israeli settlers outside Israel’s borders, deeper into Palestinian territory, often terrorizing & displacing more Palestinians.

The reel also uses the phrase “Zionist Media” to present the sum total of art & news media in Europe & America as a propaganda arm of Zionism/Israel. Bias can exist in any media, but when you hear this specific phrase, or any claim that amounts to painting “the MainStream Media”/“Western Media”/“Corporate Media” as one entity that is single-mindedly Pro-Israel, as shills for Israel, pushing “Zionist Propaganda”, that the media is in Zionist hands, in Zionist pockets, funded by the “deep pockets” of the Israel Lobby, that Israel “has its hands in” international media etc., this is a reference to a conspiracy theory from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (an antisemitic hoax document claiming to be the minutes of a Zionist meeting detailing their plans to exploit, control, & genocide non-Jews; originally published by Tsarists, and since reprinted by antisemites across the world, including the Nazis, Henry Ford, Milton William Cooper, & some factions in Palestine, including Hamas), which claims that the media is in Zionist hands, that they decide what does or doesn’t get printed. Anywhere you see the phrase “(((Zionist Media)))” you should heard it with the triple parentheses. I would call it a dogwhistle, but I feel like it’s too blatant.

The slideshow:

It’s straight up just pro-Hamas propaganda. It’s full of terrorism apologia, revisionism, selective presentation of quotes from Hamas, and atrocity denial.

Anyone claiming Hamas hasn’t committing extreme & horrific atrocities against civilians or that those atrocities are just made up is out of their goddamn mind. Hamas has sent suicide bombers into densely populated areas. Their rockets have frequently targeted populations with no military installations anywhere nearby. We have footage of Hamas executing unarmed Israelis, including children, a terrorist trying to behead an incapacitated Jewish man with a shovel, a terrorist calling his mother on the phone of a Jewish woman he murdered to brag about how many Jews he had killed that day. Anyone invoking the name of MLK, Malcolm X, or Nelson Mandela to deny or justify any of that as though it’s just “armed resistance” is a disgusting, antisemitic person.

Hamas denies the Holocaust, claims that it’s Zionist propaganda. Hamas’s original charter included passages detailing their plan to kill Jews anywhere they lived, including a vivid fantasy about hunting down Jews (not “Zionists”, it explicitly says Jews) even as they tried to run away and hide and begged for mercy; they’ve since tried to whitewash that in the revised charter, mostly just swapping out the word “Jew” with “Zionist” without changing much of the actual content, while claiming they never were antisemitic (saying in fact they can’t be antisemitic because antisemitism “isn’t a part of Arab culture”—something else they have claimed isn’t “part of Arab culture” is teaching that the Holocaust even happened), despite the fact that their new charter still pushes several cartoonishly antisemitic conspiracy theories from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, including the claim that the Free Masons are a front for global Zionist control.

I’m going to go into further detail about the antisemitism of Hamas’s rhetoric with sources on a different post eventually (I promise), but yeah, if anyone ever tries to claim Hamas “just hates Zionists, not Jews”, no they don’t; they are cartoonishly antisemitic; they just mean “Jew” when they say “Zionist”. It’s a dog whistle.

[shegeekery]

Dream Therapy (one-shot)

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Loki (TV 2021) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Erik Selvig, Loki (Marvel), Jane Foster (Marvel) Additional Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Dr. Erik Selvig struggles to recover from having a god in his head. A strange dream helps him see things in a new light.

“In related news, a lawsuit has been filed by New York contractors who argue that no-bid contracts are being granted to a small number of well-connected real estate developers, following the large-scale destruction of parts of Manhattan during the alien attacks two years ago.”

Dr. Erik Selvig switched off the television.

Two years. Selvig wanted nothing more than to forget the entire thing, especially his own part in it. My unwilling part in it, he reminded himself.

He’d had two years of therapy, medications, meditation, and trying to lose himself in his work. He was better than he had been when he was arrested for running around Stonehenge sans clothing. He could at least stand to wear clothing now, but he still found it difficult to focus with his trousers on. It felt too restrictive, reminding him uncomfortably of the sensation of being totally controlled.

There was no recognized diagnosis for “possession by malevolent deity”, so they were officially treating him for PTSD. Some of it helped, much of it didn’t. He felt more himself these days, but the nights were bad. In his dreams, Loki was still there. Still threatening. Still taunting him.

As a child listening to the old myths of his homeland, he’d loved the stories about Loki, the God of Mischief. He’d been tickled by the idea that there was actually a god for that. Now, just the mention of that name could bring on flashbacks to a time when he’d been utterly consumed by Loki’s blind ambition and disregard for human life, unable to think for himself and enslaved, body and mind, to Loki’s “glorious purpose”.

He sighed and turned back to his work. He’d been at the same problem for months, trying to account for discrepancies between the standard model of quantum mechanics and the observed behavior of Einstein-Rosen bridges. His friend and former student, Jane Foster, had provided some valuable insights, but he still couldn’t make all the pieces fit. 

I’m too tired for this. He shut his laptop and went through his evening routine. He took his medication, including sleeping pills, and hoped this would be one of the good nights.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“How is your work coming along, Dr. Selvig?” Loki asked.

Selvig looked up from the graph on his computer monitor. What had he been working on, exactly? He didn’t know, but it was important. Very important.

“I…it’s…coming along,” he stammered. “Just, um, running some simulations.”

Loki glanced at the monitor. Instead of a complicated graph, it now showed a cartoon in which Garfield was taunting Odi.

“I suspect your heart isn’t in it, Doctor,” Loki replied in that quietly menacing tone he so often used. He raised his scepter. “Perhaps we need to ensure that your loyalty is still paramount?”

Selvig jerked out of the chair and backed away. “No! That’s not necessary. Really!”

Loki advanced toward him. “Oh, but I think it is.”

Selvig ran out of the room and into an endless hallway. He looked back, but Loki wasn’t there. He turned to see where he was going, and there was Loki, ahead of him, grinning maliciously. He ran the other way and back through the door, but now he was outside. It was dark, and he was in a nondescript alley. He kept running, turning a corner only to find himself at a dead end. He whirled around to find Loki advancing slowly toward him with the scepter.

“No! Please, not again!” Selvig pleaded.

Loki took another step toward him, then froze. Confused, Selvig waited for the inevitable, but Loki still didn’t move. The god was as still as a statue of himself.

“What’s happening?” Selvig asked.

“Dr. Selvig.” It was Loki’s voice, but his lips didn’t move and the voice seemed to be coming from…everywhere.

“What…what is this?”

“You’re safe, Dr. Selvig,” the voice said. It sounded surprisingly gentle. “This isn’t real. Just a dream. A nightmare.”

“Is this a trick?”

“No. Well, yes, actually. Your mind is playing tricks on you. But it’s your mind, Dr. Selvig. Nobody is controlling it now. You are free — and always will be, if I have anything to say about it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Please look at my eyes, Dr. Selvig. What do you see?”

Selvig looked at Loki. In his eyes, he saw the malevolence, anger, and fierce determination that he remembered. “I see…fury.”

“And behind that fury?”

Selvig stepped just a bit closer, staring at the still-unmoving Loki, for the first time trying to really see him.

“I see…” he stopped, afraid to give voice to what he thought he saw.

“Go ahead. It’s alright.”

“I see…fear?”

“Yes, Dr. Selvig. Fear, and self-loathing. I was terrified — and I used intimidation to hide it, trying to make everyone around me more afraid than I was. I tormented those weaker than I was, to cover my own weakness. I wanted to rule by force and by fear, because I thought I was unworthy of true respect.”

On some level, Selvig understood that he was dreaming— but for some reason that realization wasn’t causing him to wake up as it normally would. The dream still seemed real to him.

“Why are you telling me this? Or…am I telling myself this?”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s true and that you know it’s true. What I did to you was unforgivable. You’re a decent man, Dr. Selvig. None of it was your fault. Not even a god can withstand the power of the mind stone. Even so, you managed to sneak in an off-switch for the Tesseract’s force field while under my control. That’s a testament to your unusual strength of character and of mind. I underestimated you.”

“How do I make this stop, then?”

“That’s up to you, Doctor. Do whatever makes sense. If you want to hit me, hit me. Or vent your own rage in some other way. Here and now, you are the strong one.”

Selvig stood before Loki, hands balling into fists, feeling his own anger rising to replace the fear. Loki’s body remained frozen, but his eyes were now tracking Selvig’s every move. The urge to pummel him was overwhelming — but now that he’d seen the growing fear in Loki’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel just a tiny bit sorry for him.

He took a step back. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t need to hit you. That’s what you’d do, but it’s not me. Just…get out. Leave me alone and don’t come back.”

Loki simply faded away, leaving Selvig standing alone in the alley, which soon began to fade as well. Selvig felt himself floating, feeling more at peace with himself than he had in a long time. He was floating in a bed of seaweed — no, not seaweed; the long, thin strands that cradled him with warmth were glowing with a soft, greenish light, rocking him gently and lulling him into a more peaceful slumber.

He didn’t even startle when he heard Loki’s voice once more.

“One more thing, Dr. Selvig. In the morning, you may want to take a closer look at the rate of decay of particles entering the Einstein-Rosen bridge. I think you may find it interesting.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Erik, hi! How are you doing?” Jane Foster always started their phone conversations that way these days.

“I’m doing great! Listen, I just sent you a rather long document, but the short version is…I think I’ve cracked it! I found a way to square the Einstein-Rosen bridge with the standard model!”

“Seriously? That’s huge! I’ll check it out as soon as I can! What turned it around?”

“I looked at the rate of decay of particles entering the stream.”

“Woah! I didn’t even consider that. What made you think of it?”

“Would you believe it came to me in a dream?”

[autisticgirliesbracket]

What makes Baru Cormorant from The Masquerade Series the autistic girlie ever of all time? Here's what the people have to say:

- Bracket art created by @anthyiess, used with permission. Baru-related asks/reblogs: x This post will be updated after each round!

Image ID in alt text and under the readmore.

[Image ID. White slide with a digital drawing of Baru holding a masquerade half-mask away from her own face. She is surrounded by text boxes which read,

"her canon low empathy swag whenever she tries 2 flirt she will just explain trade economics untill the woman shes talking to becomes enamoured with her whenever she sees a flock of birds she needs 2 count em (i also do this)"

"low empathy girl swag my favorite repressed lesbian accountant"

"For context, Baru Cormorant is the protagonist of a dark fantasy series about resistance to a vast trade empire. Baru's homeland was colonized by said empire, and Baru decides to join the empire in order to gain enough power within it to free her home. She ends up becoming an imperial accountant and is sent to a remote colony to suppress a brewing rebellion. As the series progresses, Baru becomes more deeply involved with both action against the empire and the empire itself, and has to make a lot of difficult choices. Baru is the most compassionate and authentic depiction of an autistic character who is "low empathy" and struggles to understand/relate to other people's emotions I've ever encountered in fiction. She is very blunt and logic-driven. She tends to view things through the lens of topics she already has a lot of understanding and enthusiasm for (i.e., math and economics) and has trouble with things that don't fit that mold. For example, at one point she begins to realize that other people also have complex inner lives (her low empathy swag!!!) and could only understand/convey this concept by comparing it to hashing (a one-way function, where a specific input will always result in the same output, but that output is not exclusive and may be shared with other inputs. So you can understand that any person you see was shaped by particular experiences or "input", but you can't always tell what those experiences were just by looking at the "output"). Baru struggles with social interactions (outside of the context of power struggle mind games), frequently missing "obvious" subtext in ordinary conversations. Baru can come off as "emotionless" but is shown to feel very deeply, particularly being motivated by deep love and grief throughout the series. She infodumps to people for fun and to express affection; for example at one point she decided to start courting someone and went about that by telling her a bunch of fun facts. There's also at least one scene where she gets overwhelmed and bites herself to calm down, which is a really common stim that I'd never seen depicted in fiction before! Due to the series' historic-inspired fantasy setting, terminology differs from the real world, and words like "autistic" are never used in the series. However, Baru is described as a "savant" by her imperial mentor, a term that in the real world has heavy association with autism. In summary, Baru is so thoroughly autistic-coded that I believe that she was intentionally meant to be read as such and personally count her as "canon rep". Particularly, Baru displays many common autistic traits that are rarely portrayed sympathetically in fiction, much less for characters who are also explicitly written as women of color. Her autistic swag is so massive, reading the books made me realize I'm autistic. I love her. Also she's canon lesbian. Thank you for your time."

"Baru’s canonical biggest character flaw is forgetting that other people also have thoughts feelings and agendas just like she does and her special interest is finance i love my low empathy bestie <3"

"Hiiii she is the most autistic narrator of all time. I don’t have the time to pull text but just trust me on this. Low empathy swag she’s just like me for real the way she connects with other people her special interests in birds and stars the way her mind works she gets me so well. Autistic swag. Also she’s pulled like 6 bad bitches with it"

"Had to have it explained to her that other people have inner lives and motivations just like she does one time. Low empathy queen"

"DIversity win! Your math savant with bad people skills is a lesbian!" End ID.]

[psychopasss4]

Shinkane/KoAka's turmoil

This post is to explore the meaning of the PPP theme songs: Alexithymia Spare and Touzisya. And how does it relates to Kogami and Tsunemori.

Alexithymia Spare is for Shinya Kogami

Alexithymia - is a word to describe the inability to recognize or feel one's own emotion caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In the song, the protagonist laments about his inability to feel and how he loathes himself for it. Which very much befitting Kogami as we noticed all throughout the PPP film. 🤔

The part in which it mentions: "The red intention that only contradiction have is strong. Close your eyes to see yourself. No one can take my place."

Depicts his own struggle when he returns back to his homeland and the familiar people he once left behind (*cough* Akane means vermilion red) 😏☺️.

The strong emotions of that "Red intention" is strong that he sees it as a contradiction to his own action. Yet he can't deny and doesn't regret his own actions.

He wants that person to close his/her eyes to focus on the task ahead but keep in their mind he is always there and no one can take his place. ☺️😌

Touzisya is for Akane Tsunemori

The word Touzisya 当事者 literally means "the party involved" or the people involved is a simple form of kanji 當事者.

In the song, the protagonist depicts her own emotions of longing to find happiness but is confronted by the distorted view of the world about Love and Hate.

The first verse describes the metaphorical "Black Iron" or the Dominator in this sense. Notice how Akane always clutches at her dominator throughout the film.

The second verse questions the notion of what is right and what is wrong. Which pretty much stated in her letter to Kogami at the end.

The chorus has been repeatedly emphasized about the protagonist kindness and vulnerability and how much it was used against her by people who are frustrated with the society.

The last part mentions how the protagonist is willing to put dirt into his/her own hands to be part of the challenge in the hope of finding purpose and correct decision with finality.

After all, they've taste the same fate as their loved ones once tasted. "I bite my lip. Everyone's blood tastes the same. You've known for a long time where this endless sorrow leads". 😣💔

There is part of the movie recap trailer in which Kogami said, "I told myself I would never see her again" and Akane said, "Both of us keep the safe distance because our reunion could lead to bloodshed".

Given by this, the two songs were much like a revelation of their feelings and the official story recap trailer is the confirmation if it.

I believe both of them have feelings for each other but they just can't "meet" that feelings because they need to focus on the greater good for the sake of their loved ones. While dealing with their inner struggle.

They can't delve into that blissful feeling of love yet without being selfish and they both can't be selfish given the circumstances they're in 😭😞💔

[a-d-nox]

jason, the unconventional hero (asteroid 6063)

"when talking about such a popular god/ goddess/hero i am going to for warn paraphrasing - of course all these stories have more details and all these popular gods have stories within stories. i would love to share them all/in detail but i would need a book and a lot more time to write it. my attempt in writing these posts are to inform you on the high level story of the god’s or goddess’s life. that being said if any one of the events regaled in the post pique you interest - please let me know i don’t mind giving a more in-depth tale of any of the events mentioned."

Son of King Aeson and leader of the Argonauts, Jason was sent away at a young age before he was more than just a boy prince. His uncle seized the land his father ruled - his father sent Chiron to raise him due to this. When he returned to his homeland as a young man, he came upon an old woman near a river who asked him to help her cross it. Jason took the woman across on his shoulders - this woman was Hera, who his uncle allegedly had been neglecting to worship. Hera inspired the boy to see his uncle. Pelias immediately felt mortified as he noted Jason was missing a sandal - for years he worried that someone would challenge him. So, in those years, he visited with an oracle who told him that he should be wary of a man with only one sandal. He immediately feared his nephew was there to steal his throne - so he questioned Jason about what he would do if someone challenged his reign. Jason answered as that he would send them on a quest for the Golden Fleece - these words were spoken by Jason but were guided by Hera once more. Pelias told him that is what Jason would have to do to prove he was the rightful king of the land. Jason was off to start readying himself for the journey - with Athena's guidance, he found the shipbuilder Argus who crafted Jason's ship, the Argo. He then recruited the Argonauts: Heracles, Castor, Pollux, Meleager, Orpheus, Peleus, and Telamon. Jason and the Argonauts traveled to islands made up of cursed women, six-armed men, Amazons, etc. Eventually he received the fleece with the help of the enchantress Medea (this part of the story, I have told - I will leave it to her post because, let's face it, she did basically all the work). The two fled together under near constant chase of her family - until eventually they found that if they were married they would have no right to chase after her. The two married; as we know from her side of the myth their relationship is an odd one. She tricks his cousins into killing their father King Pelias, his cousin kicks him out, Jason remarries - not really because Medea burns her in her wedding gown, Medea kills their children, etc. Unsurprisingly, Jason is abandoned by the gods because of his disloyalty to Medea and their shared vows. Jason then lives out the rest of his days alone - ironically, the rotting Argo collapses on him and Jason dies from a crush wound in his sleep. IN MY OPINION Jason in your chart can represent a) how you can improve your leadership skills, b) where you are a pawn in karma's game, c) where the gods guide you, d) where you get a lot of help from others, and/or e) how/where your break vows.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of jason along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of jason AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede jason!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: hera (103), heracles (5143), athene (881), pallas (2), orpheus (3361), chiron (2060), peleus (11311), telamon (1749), and medea (212)!

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my "suggest a post topic" button if you want to see a specific post or mythical asteroid next!

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[sparklesandmarvel]

I'm reposting this because I don't want it getting swallowed up by the length of the post but some of y'all need to get a grip. I had to respond to the person who had som foolishness to say about my post, so to recap:

@ribbonsflyingoutthewindow

All you did was show how ignorant and tone deaf you are. You make several arguments that fall flat for several reasons and are just laughable.

Firstly, I cannot believe Black have to keep saying this, we do not care if you have Black "friends", that is irrelevant to the argument and you can have Black "friends" and still be racist. Saying this actually leads me to believe that you are because why are you throwing around these relationships like you collected tokens you want to cash in? It’s like you are using your “friends” as a veil to poorly hide your racism.

2. My whole post is about the racist reaction to Sam being Captain America and how Bucky wouldn't have been treated like this had he been chosen. Trying to center yourself and your thoughts and opinions about how not racist it is to have a preference is not appropriate.

I literally said "People constantly inserting their opinion "Bucky would've been better," for no actual reason." Referring to the people who say this and give no actual reasons as to why Bucky would be better. At the end of the day people will have preferences and that's fine, but as far as the Captain America preferences go they seem to only prefer white Captains whether they want to admit it or not.

And honestly there is no reason to not want Sam to be Captain America. There isn't. There is not one valid reason. It happened in the comics and Sam was able to do the job just fine, Sam Wilson in the MCU is smart, caring, tough and more than capable of doing the job with or without super soldier serum.

When you said "If you want strictly my opinion (which you don't, but it's the only one you think I'm qualified to give), here it is. Marvel chose Sam to pander to an audience when they could have chosen Bucky and made a statement." This statement proves:

YOU ARE RACIST

Anytime a Black person is chosen for a popular and important role the company is “pandering to an "audience". This is a racist argument and I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It’s racist and spoken by racist people. The fact that you think the only reason why Sam was chosen is to be a token Black man to pander to an audience shows exactly what you think of Black people and how much you value them. If you even watched one episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier you’d know just a little bit about why it is such a big deal that Sam is taking over the mantle of Captain America. I’m not explaining it to you because you seem like the type to not care and still push a ridiculous narrative. But I will say considering the history of racism in America that is still prevalent to this day, Sam becoming Captain America is a big deal and does make a statement, it’s just that a lot of white people don’t try to relate to characters and backstories that don’t look like them or remind them of their own.

To address Bucky: I think there is nothing wrong with him getting his mental health together before taking on a role as stressful as Captain America, and where his character was left after Infinity War and Endgame he wasn’t really in a position mentally to take on the role. I don’t like how the Russos acted like he was too damaged to take on the role at some point but Bucky in the comics and in the MCU doesn’t want the role. Him wanting to be Captain America is inconsistent with his character. 

Now this is where the part of your argument gets really funny: 

“And this is really big for me because it has nothing to do with race, but everything to do with origin. Anthony Mackie was born in America. Sebastian Stan came here from Romania after Communism had destroyed so much of their homeland. So this was Marvel's ONE CHANCE to put the shield in the hands of an immigrant. It doesn't matter if an immigrant plays any other role, but to let them play Captain America? That makes such a strong statement it brings tears to my eyes to think about. Marvel has other Black superheroes. There isn't another chance to make an immigrant the face of America.”

You think A WHITE MAN is the BEST choice of an immigrant taking over the role of Captain America? His character isn’t even an immigrant so what the hell would that do? “Marvel has other Black superheroes” How dismissive of the importance and value of Black superheroes. The more you explain yourself the more racist you sound. You don’t need to walk around using the n-word to be racist. There are and will be plenty of chances for an immigrant to take on the role of Captain America, right now it’s going to be a Black man and if you can’t see the significance of that in a country that has and still actively treat Black Americans like trash, then you need to revisit history class and talk to those “Black friends” of yours.

If you really aren’t racist, you need to do some self reflection. Your response shows how dismissive you are of Black characters and their importance. Being more offended at being called racist than actual racism is a problem and detracts from solving the actual problem.

[party-gilmore]

I am making my own post because I do not want to derail the one I saw it in from a mutual I respect - not trying to beat around the bush or vaguepost or anything, just wasn’t really sure if you’d actually want me to @ you on this or not? since i know it’s not at all the point you were trying to talk about with it

and I don’t want to flood their notifs with a response going in that completely different direction (to be clear - not OPPOSING, specifically, just DIFFERENT).

Post isn’t tagged for a REASON - this is a personal opinion for my followers, based on some similarities I noticed about language being defended versus attacked depending on who was defining it, so I didnt want it in the tags like it was open commentary. Parts of which I may very well be wrong about but it’s what I’m seeing and feeling, so. Starts off analytical but veers towards more personal.

Reblogs are off - this is a statement of what i’m seeing, to get it OUT of me so I can move on. If there’s anything that resonates feel free to copy and repost, i don’t care, it’s just i’m tired of holding in my feelings to avoid conflict so I just need it out of me. Not looking to discuss (yet, may revisit). I just want to be VERY clear about what this post IS and what it ISNT:

This post is specifically about the double standard I see when Jews who express discomfort with “from the river to the sea” are told to accept that just because Hamas is using it that way, doesn’t mean the rest of Palestine and those fighting for a free and safe Palestinian homeland mean it in the same radical, extremist, “purge the jews” way

Versus the way I see some of these leftists turn around and use “zionism” as a catch all term for supporting the genocide, assuming any Jew who believes in a similarly free and safe Jewish homeland wants that to be in a radical, extremist, “purge the palestinians way”

It is NOT about “which phrase/word is good/bad” or the history of either; it’s about the double standard in the RESPONSES.

I would hope that by now I’ve been very clear on my stance that Israel’s actions are and have been abhorrent and that there is no worldview theological or political that justifies this genocide or the continued denial of the Palestinian people of their own homes and right to self-determine as a nation on indigenous land.

I am specifically making my own post and not tagging it with certain tags because I am actively trying NOT to derail those conversations (OR bait opposition to them).

This is something I noticed ABOUT those conversations and concepts within this article specifically, and how I see them relating like a mirror to the issue of believing that Jews ALSO have that same right.

This is, specifically, about a hypocritical double standard I’m seeing from goyische, non-Palestinian*(noted specifically, addressed later) leftists when it comes to one phrase versus another, based on their “side.”

So this article - it’s not the main article i’m discussing, but it’s vital to one of my later points**

I would like to draw your attention to the source linked in paragraph below:

ID in Alt

Following that “historian Maha Nassau has noted” source, there is the following passage right toward the end of that article.

Dismissing or ignoring what this phrase means to the Palestinians is yet another means by which to silence Palestinian perspectives. Citing only Hamas’ leaders use of the phrase, while disregarding the liberationist context in which other Palestinians understand it, shows a disturbing level of ignorance about Palestinians’ views at best, and a deliberate attempt to smear their legitimate aspirations at worst.

Most troubling for me, the belief that a “free Palestine” would necessarily lead to the mass annihilation of Jewish Israelis is rooted in deeply racist and Islamophobic assumptions about who the Palestinians are and what they want.

Rather than just lecture Palestinians and their supporters about how certain phrases make them feel, supporters of Israel should get more curious about what Palestinians themselves want. There isn’t a single answer (there never is), but assuming you already know is no way to work towards a just and lasting peace.

These concepts here, at least, I can say I pretty much agree with.

It acknowledges that the phrase DOES have two meanings - the use of it within general Palestinian liberation, and the use of it by the terrorist group Hamas.

AND - key point here - it does NOT conclude with saying either use is the end-all-be-all true meaning.

It says SPECIFICALLY - “citing ONLY Hamas leaders’ use of the phrase, while DISREGARDING the liberationist context in which other Palestinians understand it” - to warn against the assumption that the extremist use by Hamas, calling for annihilation of Jews (in this case, specifically, at an official state level) holds true for all Palestinians who have found and hope and safety for themselves in the same concept.

Instead it asks for those made uncomfortable to listen to what the voices calling for it are actually asking for, to determine the manner it which it’s being used. For recognizing that within Palestinian community, it holds a different understanding.

Now, I said I wasn’t making this post to discuss the phrase “from the river to the sea” itself. And I’m not.

I’m making this post to say that if you agree with these general statements by Maha Nassau as I understand them:

That dismissing or ignoring what a phrase - one you may dislike, makes you uncomfortable, or even outright scares you - means within the context of the people using it, even if that meaning is different from how you, an outsider, use it, is ignorant at best and slanderous at worst **(i.e., WHY it was so important to read that article, whether or not you’d already decided to agree/disagree with it. I HOPE you read it.)

That a radical, extremist faction of those people using the same term to define their own particular movement and goals does not delegitimise the use of it by that general community, or give credence to any assumptions about said community wants or believes

That instead of focusing on how the way they use their terminology makes you feel, to actually listen to what that community is telling you they’re fighting for and watch what they do to work towards peace in the region and (considering the article was written in 2018 I am adding my own addition to this thesis statement that i feel at the very least should NOT be controversial addition) first and foremost STOP THE BOMBINGS AND GENOCIDE OF PALESTINE PRIORITY NUMBER ONE

If you agree with or even just understand all that…

I’m gonna need some of y’all to re-evaluate the way you react to the word zionist on this site. Especially when leftist Jews, vocally and actively supporting a free Palestine, are telling you repeatedly that it doesnt mean what you think it means - from zionist, non-zionist, AND anti-zionist perspectives.

You can’t sit there and nod your head and agree with a concept of

These Words May Be Used As A Slogan By Our Radical Extremist Faction, But For Most Of Us It’s Just The Concept Of Safety And Freedom In Our Homeland - The Context Is Different Within Our Community, We Aren’t Advocating For “Our Way Or The Highway” Just Liberation From Occupation, Self-Determination, and Peace

for Palestinians using “from the river to the sea”, and then refuse to acknowledge the exact same situation for Zionist* Jews opposing modern Israel and their genocide too!

*(whether they’re even ACTUALLY zionist or what YOU think a zionist is)

Anyways.

This all feels clumsy as hell reading it back, and I’m sure I fucked bits of it up. But it’s how I’m feeling, and what I’m seeing. Most of what follows is less analytical and more personal.

I don’t really care, at this point, what side of the “these words are right”/“these words are wrong” you’re on because honestly REAL TALK full 100% I’M not even sure how I feel completely, about EITHER concept.

But like I said. This post isnt about that.

This post is ALSO, to be clear, not about asking *Palestinians - the people currently in an active genocide having atrocities committed against them and their families and being fucking killed - not to use the language they have chosen to define their own liberation just because of how Hamas uses it.

Its about WHY I see the same people up in arms when some Jews post fears (and some even personal experience) surrounding FtRttS because “just because the radicals use the phrase as a call for an ethnostate, you’re assuming that’s what Palestine is going to do if they’re free? you think Palestinians are just that inherently barbaric?”

then turn around a start pushing the “zionism is just colonial terrorism, zionist jews just want a fully jewish ethnotate throughout the region while antizionists are the people who oppose the genocide.”

Still. Whatever side of the fence. If being asked to consider and recognize that either phrase has multiple contexts is offensive to you, or if this is the last straw for following me… you can unfollow. I’m not saying that to be snarky or passive aggressive, I mean it genuinely.

My point has been made (to the best of my ability).

If you think I’m 1) too zionist, for asking you to recognize the varying ways Jews hold and define zionist belief within their own communities, despite your experience with it as a radical extremist idealogy, or 2) too antisemitic for asking you to recognize that same concept in return for Palestine, or 3) too “middle of the road” and noncommittal or “too young/uneducated enough to really understand there’s a clear side here”

…then you’re just not gonna be happy following me, moving forward. Even if we respect each other, or agree on most other things. Because the fact is, I believe a LOT of seemingly conflicting things at once. And some of them, I am still learning where I stand, and may discover as I learn that some just won’t coexist and I may need to readjust my views.

But I do hold the following as incontrovertible:

Both Palestinians and Jews are indigenous to the land, sharing historical, cultural, and holy sites.

There is absolutely nothing in this world or the next that justifies the occupation and genocide of Palestine and the atrocities committed by the State of Israel against them, the only bare bones absolutely minimum basic human decency route here is a Free Palestine.

The actions of Israel are getting painted onto every Jew who isn’t clamouring for its complete and total dissolution, using Zionist like american propaganda used Communist during the red scare to draw lines between the Good Guys Fighting For Freedom! and Those Scary Foreign Nationals!

the personal bits in quick summary cuz i’ve been sitting in this car reading and typing and editing for four hours now and im cold - i’m non zionist I believe palestine should be free i also believe the idea of a safe jewish homeland for those who still feel connected to it is pretty good actually i just truly don’t think there’s a way to do that realistically that doesn’t cause more shit like this either between literally any other global political interest vying for power playing with people’s lives and homes like bar darts or within the jewish communities themselves determinining Who’s “Really”Jewish Enough To Count but shits all fucked and i’m tired of trying so hard not to piss people off who don’t really even like me anyway if they got to know me, so unfollow me if you gotta, strangers on the internet approving of me is literally the LEAST of my concerns anymore

…i will probably take a break again soon. i did a lot better just understanding my own thoughts when i spent less time surrounded by everyone else’s.

[crisalidaseason]

Who is the monster, who is the human?

Chapter 1 - Paradis Island (check index for more)

Chapter summary: You and your team of scientists arrive at Paradis to work in weapon and medication improvement. You meet commander Hange Zoe and captain Levi. You are struggling a little with the situation you're in. You meet a blond boy with an intense stare at the end of the day.

Tags and CW: Talks about racism (the devil eldian thing), implied ableism towards Viktor, disabled characters, treason, mentions of death, menitons of war crimes, mentions of chemical weapons.

The devil island was nothing you expected it to be. Not that the Marleyan propaganda was convincing to your people, but you could not help but think why that seemingly beautiful place was named so negatively. As the ship you were in docked at the shy harbor, you watched the completely normal and average people living their lives, unloading boats and ships, guiding the new people into their homeland, selling a variety of products in the nearby market. There was nothing extraordinary or evil about them at first sight, and you doubted all of them were inherently evil just because of a name they received by the scum of Marley, and yet, you remained attentive.

“Welcome” a person dressed in somewhat formal attire greeted your crew “Commander Hange Zoe, from the Survey Corps”

Your military captain, Fahron, shook the Commander’s hand and soon your group was guided into big carriages. It had been years since you stepped into a carriage, it was nostalgic enough you almost forgot how nauseating the ride was.

“The trip to the walls lasts a few hours, but we will be making a stop at a nearby Corps base to let your crew rest for the night and then we proceed the journey tomorrow” the Commander said once everyone was seated.

You looked at the Corps leader, they were a bit tall and with a typical build for a soldier. You noticed the black eye patch, wondering what kind of injury they suffered to result in a covered eye. Next to Commander Zoe was a relatively small man, that you could mistake for a teenager if it was not for his mature and handsome features. Not once his face relaxed, seeming permanently stuck in a grimace.

“This is captain Levi” Hange introduced, as if reading your mind “he is second in command”

He did not move, not even to acknowledge his introduction.

“Captain Levi” your captain greeted “it’s a pleasure to meet you”

Captain Levi barely moved his head, but acknowledged the direct response. He seemed to be the silent kind, you could relate to that very much.

“I cannot emphasize enough how glad I was when Onyankopon told me about this program” the commander said “Paradis is in desperate need of more scientists”

Oh. Onyankopon. You remembered his name from the countless meetings revolving around his coded letters. Nobody in your team understood the details of the bigger plan he spoke of, only that they were planning Marley’s downfall in some way. The only obvious step was that they needed chemists and physicists for weapon and medicine related research and production, which essentially was your team’s job.

“It’s a pleasure to provide more knowledge to your homeland, Commander Zoe” Gael, the lead engineer of your group, said “I’ve heard you were also an avid scientist before your current status”

“Oh, I would barely call it science” the commander said, a weak smile on their face.

You did not know Commander Zoe, but you heard enough about their inventions to know their work was far from ‘barely science’. Despite the rudimentary materials and resources that you read about on the reports, you found the commander’s inventions and discoveries very innovative and creative. Despite your expertise on chemicals, you could still understand enough of Hange’s intricate work with engineering.

The trip to the post lasted about an hour, filled with introductions and some basic conversation about everyone’s expertise and role in the military system. Commander Hange was quite confused when Fahron explained he was the only official soldier on that mission.

“None of us are soldiers per se, Commander” Gael said “we were enrolled in the army, but only completed the basic training. Our roles were purely research, improving the weaponry and producing chemical ammunition as well as some emergency medicine”

“Which means none of you had substantial experience on the field” Levi spoke “How can you develop weapons if you do not use them regularly?”

His voice was quite deep and calm for a man of that stature. He did not speak in a condescending way or shaming your group, but with genuine confusion.

“If you allow me to speak, leader Gael” you said.

Gael nodded and you proceeded.

“Marley’s military system is very full. They usually don’t need all of those people who enlist every year. Once you complete basic training you are redirected to your affinity area. That could be heavy artillery, anti titan squad, engineering, chemistry and physics and many others”

“Our team makes the research and improvements needed regarding the essentials in the battlefield, the artillery group tests our weapons and the nurses our drugs” Gael complemented.

“Besides, most of the chemists and physicists are the ones who never excelled much in physical abilities. Some of us have problems and birth defects that could be considered a hindrance in the battlefield, but there are still uses to our minds. It means we can dedicate more time to our research while the good soldiers train” Viktor finished.

Viktor was a physicist, the longest you worked with. The two of you enlisted the same year and started your basic and affinity training together. He was an extremely tall man, very slender and with longer arms and fingers than others. He suffered a lot during basic training, due to his appearance and also his heart almost giving out multiple times.

“Forgive my comrade” the commander said “here in Paradis all of our enlisted were required to remain active soldiers, even the ones who were injured. We used to have a high mortality rate, it did not allow us to dismiss people or make divisions according to affinity. But now that we find ourselves in a less mortal lifestyle, we might implement some of the Marleyan measures”

“Maybe starting with a research and science branch is a good beginning. All of us are specialized enough to train others. Those two here entered our affinity training program at the age of 13, they can teach your soldiers and even some civilians” Gael said, pointing to you and Viktor.

“That is very impressive!” Hange replied.

You noticed how overly animated they became once the conversation shifted to your team’s work and abilities. You could recognize in the commander the same behavior Gael often displayed, all of you to be fair acted the same, the excitement over experimentation and the scientific method. You wondered if Hange still researched and made inventions, or if the role of commander was just as heavy as it was for Gael once he became leader and began enrolling in more political matters.

“Commander Zoe” one of the soldiers guiding the carriage announced “We arrived at Erwin’s base”

“Finally. All of you will get some rest”

Erwin’s base was a slender and tall tower made of stone. You and your three teammates were assigned to a single room. Your group had slept in worse places during your life, the small and shared room was not an issue. What kept your teammates awake was the fact that some people said there were still titans lurking around the outskirts of the island.

“That Levi captain” Maria whispered on the hammock next to you “he had that strange belted gear attached under his coat”

Maria was a physicist just like Viktor. She was the only eldian person in the group, average height and a soft build. Her personality was loud and sometimes it resulted in trouble with the marleyan officers. You two were not close, not that you were close to anybody but she was the one you least spoke with outside of work related topics.

“Probably their omni directional mobility gear” Viktor commented “the one we saw at the exposition in Marley’s intelligence quarters”

“If he still wears it, the rumors must be true” she exclaimed.

“Onyankopon mentioned in one of his letters about Levi being Zeke’s personal vigilance” you said “if this single man is assigned to watch over the beast titan, he must have enough abilities to protect this tower from titans. That is if the rumors are true, I highly doubt it”

“You are always doubtful of everything” Maria softly hit you with her feet.

“Instead of being afraid of potential titans, we should be worried about our situation” you grunted “Gael can play this revolutionary leader role all he wants, but if something goes wrong, if Marley suspects we lied on our research permission documents, we are all dead”

“They’re right” Sofia spoke for the first time.

Sofia was the second and newest chemist in your group. A tall and slender young girl that sometimes was confused for a man because of her short black hair. She came from another squad located in the middle east. Alongside you, she was one of the few scientists who worked in no man’s land. You and her shared this silent understanding of how wicked the battlefield could be, how devastating your abilities could be used for in times of war.

“We were dragged into this with the sheer hope that Zeke will be successful with whatever plan he came up with” she continued “but we are still at risk and we better be careful with who we interact with in here”

“Aren’t all the soldiers here somewhat aware and in agreement of this plan? someone would have snitched already if they were infiltrated” Maria insisted “actually, they would be long dead with a bullet in their skull. That Yelena soldier smells traitors from kilometers away”

“I trust nobody here” you said “we don’t know if Zeke is actually on Paradis’ side. He could be using everyone here for a personal interest and endanger all of us in the end”

“This is not like our previous discreet sabotaging of marleyan missions” Sofia continued “this is something bigger, we are probably helping this nation develop enough weapons to fire back. The punishment will be worse than death if Marley finds out”

The night was restless for everyone. You were not able to sleep, worried that this situation was a step larger than your legs could afford. As much as your team was already used to being traitors, your actions were only occasional and never big enough to alert the marleyan intelligence: a small malfunction in a specific kind of tank, an adulterated chemical capsule that could be seen as normal degradation or bad storing. Never, in your team’s history, you were trusted to lie to your base about an entire expedition, lying about the research mission, the place you were located, everything. It was too much, a small error and you were all doomed.

The morning came fast, with the weather already much warmer than you were used to. Commander Hange was very energetic, you noticed, loud, but not in a strong commander demeanor, and a little chaotic when giving orders. The captain, Levi, was beside them, eyes focused on everyone and everything, face still contorted in an indifferent stare. Breakfast was simple and quick, all of you eating in the hallways due to the lack of a mess hall.

“We should move” the commander announced “we still have about two hours to go and the day will only get warmer”

It did get warmer. The carriage was open enough that the breeze could still flow through, but the heat was still significant. You never imagined that mornings could be so hot, and also dry, the amount of nosebleeds you had during the trip was quite alarming.

“Used to humid weather?” The commander asked when your nose bled for the third time.

You nodded while lifting your head and holding the already stained cloth onto your nostrils.

“I will arrange you a place to rest once we get on the quarters, I have already developed a good method to diminish the bleeding” Hange said “you would be surprised with the amount of foreigners that had this issue upon arrival”

You nodded slightly, muttering a thank you. Viktor offered his shoulder for you to keep your head elevated. You spent the entire journey in that position, a headache already growing. You were able to see the colossal walls from a distance, watching as they grew more and more with every kilometer the carriage covered. You always heard of the walls, made of thousands of colossal titans, about 50 meters of height.

“I thought the walls would look more like…” Viktor whispered to you.

“Titans” Maria completed “I genuinely thought it would be titan shaped. It looks so man made”

Maria was correct. The books and reports made it seem like you would see a long row of crystallized titans instead of a common wall structure. From that distance you could see small figures walking on top of the wall, as if they were not stepping on 50 meter monsters. Crossing the gate to enter the district was almost an unrealistic and dreamy haze, you were crossing a wall made of titans.

“We are almost there, I have some errands to run with Levi and some of my squad leaders, but our meeting should be this evening after dinner” Hange announced, looking at you “It should be plenty of time for you to rest and recover from the bleeding. Everyone, make sure to hydrate well, we also commonly have foreigners fainting from time to time due to dehydration”

The Survey Corps quarters were extremely different. It looked like a commercial building with only the winged symbol to indicate it was a military base and also the amount of soldiers wearing uniforms walking around. There were many large halls and doors leading to most likely offices and rooms. Behind the building you could see large spaces for training.

Once your military captain said his goodbyes to Gael, wishing everyone a successful mission, another group of three soldiers, most likely Paradis military if the gear was any indication, directed your team to the lower levels of the base. Surprisingly, you would enjoy the wonders of privacy for the first time, with everyone having a room for themselves. Yours was the closest one to the bathroom, and also the smallest, but you did not care.

“Can I come in?” Viktor’s voice was muffled behind the thick wooden door.

You muttered a yes.

“Bleeding stopped?” he asked “the soldiers said you could visit the infirmary if needed”

“Honestly I am slightly terrified of whatever ‘method’ the commander has in mind” you confessed “I had this issue before, it goes away with time”

Viktor smiled, you invited him to sit next to you.

“It’s strange to not have you as a roommate” he said.

You nodded. Viktor shared barracks, rooms, even the cold ground of the streets with you. Despite both of you keeping a good distance from each other’s personal life, the years of work were enough to form a somewhat close bond. You were terrified of considering him a friend, let alone family, but he was the closest thing you had of those two things.

“It was about time” you said “I know my sleeptalking must have bothered you for years”

“Indeed, I will not miss hearing demonic gibberish out of nowhere during the night”

You rolled your eyes at him, unimpressed. It did not take long for him to excuse himself to his room, leaving you alone with your thoughts. The headache was still going strong in your head, and you were not sure if you had enough patience for a meeting later on. Gael would murder you if you missed it, being the main chemist of the group made your presence indispensable. You poorly attempted to stop the nose bleeding from happening again by sticking damp pieces of cloth inside your nostrils, while sorting out more presentable clothes and preparing to shower.

“Anyone in there?” you knocked on the bathroom’s door.

A lack of response prompted you to enter. The bathroom was simple and small, with absolutely no bathing supplies. Hopefully, you were always prepared with your own products, but wondered where you could get more once you ran out. The quarter was quite distant and isolated, you would have to walk into a nearby city or market. The shower was quick, but enough to clean multiple of your generations. Back in your room, you were organizing some of your clothes and personal items when a knock on your door distracted you.

“It’s me” Sophia said “the soldiers are here to show us the way to the mess hall, we should hurry”

The mess hall was just as chaotic and loud as any other. It took a few minutes for your team to be able to reach the food table because of the long line, the food was standart military bland. You looked around, trying to find a big enough table to fit all of you.

“Where is Gael” Maria said.

“He wasn’t in his room when I knocked” Viktor answered “I don’t think he will come, we shouldn’t wait for him”

“Found a table” you announced “come on before someone takes it”

The table was big enough, but there was one chair missing. You sat Viktor down, knowing how uncomfortable he was getting every minute his stature was in plain sight. You looked around for a loose chair, finding one a couple tables on your right. There was only a blond boy reading a notebook, his food untouched on the plate.

“Excuse me” you said in a low voice “Can I take one of the chairs?”

The boy looked at you as if he broke a trance, shaking his head a little. He looked at you with eyes as blue as the sunny sky, you had never seen someone with eyes so light but dull at the same time. His stare was intense and he seemed to analyze every single micro movement you made, it made you uncomfortable.

“The chair” you said again when he did not reply “can I take one?”

He quickly nodded, light blonde brows, almost invisible, frowning slightly at you. You took the chair, not sparing him a second glance, the eyes still burning in your mind. You felt as if he was still staring at you the entire dinnertime, but did not dare to look back and confirm it.

[pestilight]

things to work out and scream about in future posts:

i like the idea that rau.ru at his core is someone who strongly believes.....in himself, in others, in hy.lia, you name it, whatever. sometimes his faith in himself greatly outweighs his faith in others ( sometimes, vice versa ) but one of the central pivots of who he is lies in this belief

i'm still not entirely sure how the zonai are tragically wiped out, but the severe loss greatly affects rau.ru in any imagining. he's driven by a hypervigilant need to be in the know and in control at all times when he and min.eru permanently descend to hy.rule with their remaining secret stones. eventually tempered by so.nia's warmth and the siblings settling, though only just a bit

( tempted to continue the theme of you are your worst enemy that rau.ru is rife with and have the zonai die out by their own hands...surviving several civil wars would give you a complex wouldn't it )

rau.ru is king consort to queen so.nia, not king regnant because you are not making the princesses and queens of hy.rule critical in so many times of crisis without having it be a matriarchy. come on. also. not his homeland, with the added alienation of being likened to the goddesses — he would not be invested in it the way so.nia is ( so. less of a need for control. plus he trusts his partner so much guys oh my god )!! he comes to love it, sure, but he still holds the skies and what they had to offer before everything went to shit pretty dear in his heart

related, hy.rule is not envisioned as some kingdom with all factions led in unity or whatever the heck by either founding members. starts off as something like a small halidom they actively work to protect, which is what rau.ru would've liked to keep it as because that means (1) less people to care about and lose and (2) easier to supervise because he's very much focused on the losing everything and everyone part. then he starts caring about more people and things on this land anyway — most definitely with so.nia's encouraging influence along their travels. which isn't to say that they're out here calling for annexations or vows of fealty all of a sudden, but it does make rau.ru anxious to have their allies super close so he can better protect them. and ( try to ) spot betrayals before they can form but who's asking

i want. to make the secret stones something like crest stones in fe.3h.....which uh. if you know, you know! if you didn't know, spoilers ahead, they were basically dragon's hearts and i. just love the idea that former zonai, now fallen dragons, shed their hearts as secret stones. like i know, i know, they said they were gifts from the goddesses BUT WHAT IF?? it would certainly explain the need for safeguarding and additionally have rau.ru's desire for control compounding in on itself. dunno if i'm gonna make them literal hearts actually....i am Contemplating their third eyes

the zonai, in their base forms, are not gods or goddesses themselves! highly attuned to their divinities maybe, but rau.ru prays like every other practising hyru.lean. it's part of what keeps him humble, even in the face of "oh you are like a god!" treatment ( which does get to his head occasionally, but then he reaches prayer time and it's like. ah, i am only a zonai ). dragons, on the other hand...

[lordhelpme0-0]

Ikemen Vampire OC: Nguyễn Thị Định:

Captain Duck Smith made a cameo lol! So traditional art will be here until the digital art will come out~! Also, teaser for next Ikevamp OC!

Date of birth: March 15, 1920

Zodiac signs: Pisces, Monkey [Gold]

Height: 153.6 cm

Occupation: War general, former Vice President, National Liberation front deputy, revolutionary, commander of a all-female army, national war hero, now resident and housekeeper

Vampiric type: Lesser vampire

Ethnicity: Vietnamese

Names/ title: Madam Nguyễn Thị Định, Major General Nguyễn Thị Định, Vice-President Nguyễn Thị Định, Nguyễn Thị Định, Nguyễn Thị Phúc [happiness, good fortune] <- outside name

Family relations: Unknown

Personality: a war general with many titles and awards during the Vietnam war. She was from a commoner family like Ỷ Lan was. She is a cheerful person with a smile. Seemingly calm and precise, she is the housekeeper of the mansion of both Olga and Ỷ Lan. Being the first resident among these women, Nguyễn Thị Định takes care of the household to immeasurable measure. Though, her reasons to be resurrected was unclear.

Likes:

Karaoke

The Vietnam anthem

Some good ol’ Vietnamese soap opera

Cooking food of her homeland

Idle reading

Exercising early in the morning

Walking around in the forest

Taking care of the livestocks back in the mansion

Sitting on top of trees, looking at the scenery before her

Dislikes:

Mentions of the war

Ignorance

Stupidity

Mentions of the French in any way

Rude people

Lack of understanding

Annoying her for no reasons

Being seen as a mere tool than a equal

TRIVIA!!!:

She loves doing karaoke as it gives a sense of home

Hunting for pheasants surprisingly

Teasing Sebastian as she is older than him

Reading some literature

Cooking and exchanging recipes with Ỷ Lan

Swimming in the lake and laughing at the both residents on their failed attempts of herding the water buffaloes

Will literally bet with Arthur and had gotten William in a chokehold

She has a pet, a literal Water buffalos the suitors love to ride (except a few) sometimes whenever they can

Napoleon is a child when she brings it over there

Literally being the sister and aunt figure

Has forced the shuts in into the pens of the chickens

While being amused at Issac failed attempts of catching a chicken

Also, Charles was chased by two big roosters

Jean and Napoleon really did a pretty good job so she patted them on the back

Definitely forced Mozart to have grass in his waist cause his side hurts

He still bitter but was surprised it work

Lines:

“Oh, I’ve haven’t seen you around here before. I’m Nguyễn Thị Đình, but call me Đình.” She smiled at me, I nodded, “pleasure to meet you Đình, I’m [____]!”

“Bwahahaha! If you continue like that, the chickens will peck you dead! Pfft-!” I glared at the running chicken, huffing as the Vietnamese lady was laughing at my attempt. Though, I smiled wryly.

“Well…it seems your gonna leave soon, I suggest we should make this memorable. What do you want to dear?” I looked at the woman before, closing my eyes before opening them. “I need to confess, I…”

Romantic: ???

Storyline plot?: <yes>

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[Yes] [No]

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Tag: @pieground @a-chaotic-dumbass @spoopy-fish-writes @vio-simps-for-purple-characters @evil-quartett @yanderepuck @weird-profiterole @sange-de-romane

Have another Vietnamese woman/ hot woman ikevamped oc~! This one has the potential of a love route~

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Why do xenoi want to follow Hellenism? Hellenism is a folk religion. It is at its essence made for Greeks by Greeks in a Greek context. I personally have no desire to partake in for example Aasatru or Slavic paganism. Not because I believe it is wrong, it just does not make sense to me as I have no connection to these cultures. I think people should do what they feel is right for them, I just don't understand why xenoi would want this.

*"Hellenic Polytheism" instead of "Hellenism", please!

It is a folk religion and connected to an ethnos and the ethnoi that organically shared culture with it but in this case, it is a very ancient part of our culture. Not even Greeks want to recreate most of it at this point. So in theory, not even we can practice this specific religion with accuracy. I personally cannot relate to ancient Thessalonians in terms of theology and values and I don't feel any innate need to practice the religion of such ancient peoples. You do you, but I mean that I don't see too many points of connection even if one is Greek (although surely we have much more cultural ties to our past than any other country has with our past, as it's natural xD)

I don't believe a person should necessarily follow the religion of their homeland (e.g. a Greek can be Hindu, Muslim etc). I and most Greeks - including the anon - have no problem with non-Greeks worshiping the Greek gods. I understand, though, why it can make someone wonder.

The truth is we discover religions and gods we come into contact with, and not the ones we haven't heard of ever in our lives. In ancient years this contact happened because of spreaded cultural influence over a particular area. Today the ancient Greek religion has become famous because "the West" (US included) has named ancient Greek culture their origin (falsely, imo) and teaches it to some degree.

Learning about ancient Greece is not bad of course. But it often leads to interaction with ancient Greece based on old privileged points of view and the sense of ownership - which I mention so often one can make a drinking game out of it. But anyways, this makes many westerners believe that they have more connection to ancient Greece than they actually do (while they haven't interacted with it nearly as much as Greeks and our neighbors), thus they relate to it more.

There are tons of entertainment content out there with the Greek gods and this makes the gods more familiar to xenoi from various countries. But their introduction to the gods happens in many confusing ways and they end up believing and saying stuff that sounds absurd to anyone familiar with Greek culture.

Hence, I think your question could be rephrased like "why do so many xenoi insist on following a religion so heavily reliant upon an ancient culture they know nothing about?" My guesses are 1) Because they think they know the culture and that they are its inheritors in some way 2) Because they were exposed to it 3) Because they don't care about learning more and seeking context about the Hellenic nation. (I don't consider exposure a bad thing, I just mention it)

I am talking about specific foreigners, not all foreigners who come into contact with the Greek gods! My answer slightly changes for xenoi who try to respectfully worship and learn cultural context, and it would mostly be "Because they were exposed to it, since ancient Greek deities are extremely popular at this time of history" and then, of course, I suppose they felt a spiritual calling and started their religious journey.

I cannot speak for everyone but I also guess there is something alluring and thrilling to foreign deities that are often exotic (used the Greek way, literally, "exo-" etc) to us. I still don't personally consider this a negative, if one can relate to the message and value this foreign deity represents and puts effort into studying the religion and culture. This goes even for Greeks who enter into another religion.

People, interact with the post however you please - add your experience even - but please be civil !

[badassxbirdy]

Edit: Some people are having trouble with the mobile nav link in the blog description. Click here if it isn’t working for you.

October Activity Update - Pinned Post

Happy spooky season! It’s time once again for an activity update! If you’re new here: these monthly posts help me to keep track of what the frick I’ve been doing, particularly when tumblr breaks or the brainfog strikes. This update includes things posted or in drafts for August and September, as I missed last months post. Everything else can be found in previous monthly updates under this tag. There’s also the thread tracker here.

The full activity update (along with OOC house keeping) is below the cut. Bold text = links.

If you want to see all IC interactions without the other stuff, click here. If you’d like to start something new, there are opens and memes, or you can just hit up the DM’s. You can also add Ty on Wire for IC texting.

Now onto the update!

OOC housekeeping:

I can no longer trim posts that were started in the legacy editor. I’ll be messaging folks about moving threads to a new post as and when those replies come up.

Text size! While I personally prefer small text as I find it easier to read on mobile, I know many folks prefer the opposite. So rather than relying on my memory to keep track of who to use bigger text for, I’m just going to match whatever text size my RP partner uses going forward.

RPThreadTracker does a fantastic job of tracking replies even when you don’t get a notification on tumblr itself. If you’re having issues with the current notifications glitch, I really recommend giving it a try.

There’s been a weird situation happening anons where they’ll send a really dodgy message, and tag another blog to try and incriminate them as the sender. Here’s a PSA post explaining.

Threads, replies and other IC interactions:

@astormymind

Library ghost (drafted) (Finn)

Memes from Prue and Alex are in the drafts!

@beastbitten

“I ain’t lookin’ for trouble.” (link)

@demcnsinmymind

Car trouble (drafted)

Taking Lance on a hunt (drafted)

At the motel (link)

Azzy proves a point (drafted)

Mischief at the bar (link)

@demonstigma

Kage is weird, but Ty appreciates accidental compliments. 😂 (drafted)

@derschwarzeengel

Ty tracks down Vampire!Damon. (link)

“Ken means…” (drafted)

Fence related incidents (link)

Roasting 50 shades (link)

Damon shields Ty, Ty calls him a gothy tree-hugger. 🤷‍♀️ (link) - moved from the legacy editor.

Damon encounters Dark!Ty (link) - moved from the legacy editor.

Ty gets sick and is a brat about it. (link)

“She’s a ghost AND a bitch!” (link)

Werewolf problems (link) - moved from the legacy editor.

@destroyerscved

Magic bean juice (drafted) - Edward

“How did you find me?” (drafted) - Nia

“If you actually wanted to kill me, I'd be dead, wouldn't I?" (link) - Adrian

“Drink your school, stay in drugs” (drafted) - Samantha

@discipulusmaleficus

“ This isn’t what it looks like.” (link)

Abandoned house (drafted)

@ebonyforged

Ty meets Ebony! 😁 (link)

@first-born-to-his-name

“What is your day job?” (link)

@hvbris

Ty meets Hook (link)

An appointment with Doctor Soliman (drafted)

A questionable attempt to cheer up Olive. 😂 (drafted)

@imprvdente

Ty and FBI!fish at the motel (link)

Birthday mischief (drafted)

@indyflanery

At the fair (drafted)

@jchnwinchester

“You know me?” (link)

@kingofthewebxxx

Ghost warnings? That’s new. (link)

@loyaltyguided

Cuteness with Azzy! ❤️ (drafted)

@lcbcshcart

Monster encounter (drafted)

@luposcainus

Ty is shocked to find Caspian isn’t dead. 😂 (link)

@magaprima

Demon problems part (drafted)

Demon problems part 2: electric boogaloo (drafted)

@nightiingaled

“You should have killed me when you had the chance.” (link) - Than

“I need a stronger word than fuck” (link) - Mel

Time for “The Talk” (link) - Mel

@normallyxstranger

Starter for Victor (drafted) - Welcome back! ❤️

@ourwar

Babysitting Jude and the Doctor (link)

“You’re welcome.” (link) - Homelander

@pantslessoptimism

“I totally didn’t do what you think I did.” (link)

Cannibal ghosts (link)

@stanfordprepped

“What in the reese's peanut butter fuck is going on here?” (link)

@tobeblamed

Dean is better than google. 😇 (link)

Memes/asks: 8

Drafts: 21, and I have no idea how I got so far behind jfc. ☠️

Headcanon, Dash games, and assorted silliness:

Bingo cards with Lance, Azrael, Fish, Isaac, and Michael! (link)

Mel and Killian come to blows while Tyler is missing. (link)

Messing with Killian. (link)

The bot brigade are annoying, but they have some truly banging names! Here are some of my favourites.

I think that’s everything! As always: please let me know if I’ve missed something. I never intentionally drop threads without notifying, rest assured that if it’s not here I am either having a brain fart or I simply have not seen it. Remember to be kind to yourselves, and stay safe! ❤️ — Em